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The Drop is The Ocean Itself

“Say goodbye to this energy of fear that kept you safe but small.” — Panache Desai

We’re alive during an unprecedented time that is calling us to have a radical revolution and redefinition within ourselves. I want you to know that you are God. You are that which you have been looking for outside of yourself. The infinite ocean has been expressing itself as the drop, but the drop is the ocean itself.

It’s time to go beyond any and all forms of separation, any and all forms of duality. It’s time to take our power back from everywhere we have given it away thinking in some way shape or form, that there’s somebody who’s further along, somebody that’s better, somebody that is more evolved or somebody that has a gift that we don’t have.

By virtue of the fact that you are a divine being, you are the source of every single thing. Everything that you are seeing outside of you is the light not that you are. Everything you are experiencing outside of you is the manifestation of your own state of consciousness. 

It’s time to not just restore calm in ourselves, but it’s time we return to harmony, to the foundational truth of love and presence that is inside of us. 

It’s time to not just restore calm in ourselves, but it’s time we return to harmony, to the foundational truth of love and presence that is inside of us. And, as we begin to empower that truth, we recognize we are the source of what we are seeking. When we actually and fundamentally allow ourselves to know ourselves as God, we will then be able to see and perceive the evidence of that state of being in the manifest material world.

If you are currently not experiencing this, it’s because you have been conditioned or brainwashed or programmed into believing that you are deficient or flawed in some way. You have been told over and over again that there is something wrong with you, that you need fixing, that you need healing, that you need to be changed. I have to tell you that that could not be further from the truth.

You have been told over and over again that there is something wrong with you, that you need fixing, that you need healing, that you need to be changed. I have to tell you that that could not be further from the truth.

It’s time to leave the inner-revolution, to awaken that passion, the fire of transformation within, and to recall all of the light and all of the power that we have given away, that we have projected onto others. We are now at a point in the evolutionary timeline of this crisis where it is time to undergo this radical revolution inside you. You Are God.

Better TogetherBetter Together - Carolyn Lebanowski

Better Together

“A healthy relationship keeps the doors and windows wide open. Plenty of air is circulating and no one feels trapped. Relationships thrive in this environment. Keep your doors and windows open. If the person is meant to be in your life, all the open doors and windows in the world, will not make them leave. Trust the truth.”

— Unknown

Healthy relationships can be tricky, complicated and sometimes difficult to navigate. They require honest communication and heart filled determination. We know what we want in a partnership, sometimes we just don’t know how to nurture or sustain. We look inside ourselves for a roadmap and clear the way, try our best and see what happens. We go to school and get diplomas, degrees and certificates, but no one ever really teaches us how to be in a healthy relationship. All we really have is our role models, experience and paradigms. Sometimes those are good enough, and sometimes they set us up for disappointment.

I personally struggled with healthy relationships early in my life and I was convinced there had to be a better way. It was here where I was committed to owning my own experience by using my heart as a compass and my voice to ground my truth.

As my children began to form their first adult love relationships, I collected a few strategies that were the foundation of the love that I live in today. I wish someone had shared these concepts with me early on…

Connection is Key

Flexibility, patience and awareness can be a solid compass for connection. The ability to shift gears, slow down the motions and be vulnerable to yourself and each other will be a game changer. Connection nurtures and feeds a relationship – all relationships.

Navigate the Details

Focus on the important components that nurture both of you. Keep your eyes and heart open to the unfamiliar; you may find grace in the unveiling. Stay engaged in the moments that bring you closer and walk away from little things that really don’t matter in the end. If a sock is on the floor, pick it up if it bothers you… this should not be a game changer.

This Moment will Pass

It may feel dark, sideways, sharp or messy. It may feel joyful, exciting, relaxing or connected… and everything in between. Love yourself where you are in every moment. They each bring different gifts and perspectives and they are all necessary. And they all will pass….and return again.

Listen with Your Eyes Open

Listen with your ears and your heart open. Take a breath, move the monkey mind over and be present to the spoken word. It is easy to project, judge and create stories that are just not true. Be open to the possibility of a different narrative and always a positive outcome.

Give Up Your Stories

Whatever they are, don’t let them define you. They may be a part of your past, and they do not need to be a part of your present or your future. You have the ability and power to create the life you want. No one can make that for you… or take it away.

Question Your Questions

When things come up go deeper. Sometimes there are layers of anxiety or discomfort that show up when least expected. You can blame it on a moment, but it may be a feeling buried. You won’t know unless you keep the internal conversation alive and real.

Honor Your Similarities and Your Differences

Listen, learn and appreciate what is not your norm without compromising what is true for you. You don’t always have to agree, but you don’t need to make the other person wrong. Expand your landscape of what might be possible. Listen and trust your truth.

Recognize that Both of You Will Change

This is healthy and normal; you are always growing. Give each other space to lean into the growing edges. Be aware and willing to allow the process to gently unfold. Most importantly be aware of each other, honor the shifts and always stay in the conversation. You want to grow together not apart.

All of these take practice… and heart filled determination.

In the book The Second Mountain, David Brooks states “A marriage is the sort of thing where it is safer to go all in, and it’s dangerous to go in half-hearted. At the far end, when done well, you see people enjoying the deepest steady joy you can find on this earth”. And today, I am humbled, grateful and blessed to be living in that place.
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Year of the Influencer – TJ Woodward

Perhaps you’ve heard: “Your thoughts create your reality” or “If you change your thinking, you can change your life.” Maybe you’ve experienced this as a mantra of encouragement, or as a way to practice self-contemplation. Maybe you’ve utilized it as a tool for getting more—more stuff, more respect, more love, or more control over your outer circumstances. And maybe it’s left you wanting more. Whether you call it the Law of Attraction, affirmations, or even positive thinking, this insight can leave unanswered questions, like what happens if your outer circumstances do not seem to respond to changes in your thoughts—can you still be grounded in love and connection? What if you have succeeded in creating the life of your dreams externally but still feel an inner need for something more, something deeper?

Can you create a life that is even more meaningful and purposeful? The short answer is yes. You have the power within you. And if you’ve been searching for years, or even decades, you can still uncover more of what seems to be blocking you and more fully embody your deepest vision. This is the powerful and life-changing process we will be uncovering in Conscious Creation.

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The Work of a Leader is to Lead in Doing the Work

The Work of a Leader is
to Lead in Doing the Work

“What you are speaks too loudly; I can’t hear what you are saying.”  — Ralph Waldo Emerson

ONE THING I KNOW TO BE TRUE is the extent of our talents and gifts are more unlimited than we may believe. The work for each of us to do is to release the obstacles that are in the way of our best expression. Even if we consider ourselves successful, we can grow and expand our capacity to be more authentic and energy filled.

Every week in my coaching practice I meet with leaders who are operating at 50-70 percent of their capacity. They are struggling to feel good about themselves, to navigate conflict, and to manage their emotions under stress. In response to their struggles they do more and more and cause themselves more and more stress and give themselves less and less space and time to change the patterns operating in their lives.

So instead of doing more and more I am gently guiding them to look into how they are being. Do they have a connection with their body while they work? Do they have a connection between heart and head as they work? Do they breathe deeper than the shallow quick sips that get them through the day and land them exhausted at the end?

I hear people describe feelings of overwhelm, inadequacy, fear, anxiety and even depression.

Is the work causing all this? In all my 30+ year experience working with leaders I find that — in an overwhelming number of cases — the circumstances are not the issue. The circumstances are common; the response to the circumstances is where individual choice resides. It is common to deal with a limit on resources, to deal with challenging colleagues, to deal with market fluctuations, even to deal with the shock of world events like natural disasters or pandemics.

When we find ourselves with limited responses to the inevitable stresses of work and life, we have narrowed our field of vision to that which we believe we can handle.

We feel satisfied or dissatisfied, complete or incomplete, in control or out of control. Many leaders move between this continuum for months and even years. There is no true joy, gratitude or feelings of love and connection that last for more than moments and this is considered acceptable. The deep reservoir of resilience that can be built through a healthy mind, body and soul has been largely ignored and instead we have set goals, built skills, clamored for more responsibility and resources and don’t find ourselves feeling good about our lives.

So what is the way forward — another management book, or training? The way forward is through the exploration and release of thoughts, ideas, and stored trauma that is silently driving your behavior and your life. Lately, I have been called on to do weekly mindfulness sessions for organizations. These sessions introduce meditation, affirmations, bodywork, self-talk, energy balancing and all kinds of tools to help navigate our days as embodied as we can be. These tools don’t always get to the root of the issues that obstruct our full, healthy presence, but they help with the day to day.

The deeper issues need to be acknowledged and worked through whether in a series of sessions or year over year. Growth, recovery, wellness and wholeness is a lifelong journey. Finding your path to healing is part of your leadership work, whether you chose traditional talk therapy or somatic or yogic approaches, the important action is to choose.

Do you know what is in the way of your highest expression? Are you willing to do the work to find out?

Can you imagine how you would lead if you felt a clear connection between heart and mind and you felt a peace inside your own skin? Science is uncovering fascinating connections between challenging life experiences and our behaviors over time, there are grooves in our brain, connections made sometimes even when we are unaware. These connections can be triggered by current events and our responsive behavior can be detrimental to solving the challenges we face right now.

As leaders, let’s be willing to do the deep dive into ourselves and emerge as a better version of ourselves. Doing this invites the many lives we touch to bring out their best too.

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Reiki: The Spiritual Practice Of Healing From Within

“If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.” —  Nikola Tesla 

Life accelerates more than we could even imagine, thus the need to slow down and focus inwardly. If we do not give ourselves a break and slow down, we’d be risking our lives burning out, running empty or just going through the everyday motions without really enjoying any of it.

While still not very popular like that of yoga or meditation and other healing techniques such as massage therapy, Reiki healing is gaining attention from people of all walks of life as it promotes self-awareness, sense of balance, and perspective.

Simple energetic techniques practiced daily and with real intent, helps Reiki students achieve a sense of relaxation, calm, detachment from pressures, and a better understanding of the inner changes that have to be done for better peace and well-being. While Reiki training is still yet to be known all over the world and is still a flourishing practice, many people are drawn to other spiritual practices such as yoga, tai chi, qigong, and other body movements. These practices naturally bring an experiential understanding of the Chi or Ki, the invisible energy that permeates all of life. Because there exists a connection between the body and mind, working on the body itself can directly impact one’s thought processes. The same goes as you work on your mind.

Spiritual practice can help renew our sense of purpose. It removes the mask that prevents self-expression, thus allowing more area for love and joy to unfold in all aspects of your life, ranging from the simplest tasks to those exciting new experiences we wish to try. Having been born with a sense of wonder, it is not uncommon that we know how interconnected we are with one another and with everything that surrounds us. Challenges in life often make us build barriers to protect ourselves from any harm while at the same time isolating ourselves. That is why there must be a way to feel that sense of connection again.

The truth is that we are never separate from the outside world, it’s just that how we perceive the world makes it scary, harsh, a separate entity of our existence, and something that we need to protect ourselves and those we love.

People who are drawn to Reiki practice often go through so-called limiting situations which are bad experiences in the past that are still unsettled and continue to plague not just their physical but their mental and emotional health as well.

As an ancient form of healing and spirituality, Reiki continues to honor humans as a spiritual being, one that reveres the Earth as both a living and a conscious entity. Most people nowadays live an urbanized and technology-oriented life and Reiki practice is one way to ensure that harmony and kinship with each other and source energy is well preserved. A Reiki practitioner can view life and life’s challenges from a detached, spiritual perspective which is something that cannot be achieved in an ordinary state of consciousness. That is the gift bestowed upon a Reiki practitioner. Moreover, daily Reiki practice can help us realize that distractions will always be around but the good thing is, you will be better at handling them.

Are you among the many who keep saying, “when I have more money”, “when I have more time”, “when my pay is raised”, “when the kids grow up”, and a never-ending list of limiting ideas? 

Tell me if I’m wrong but part of us have brushed aside some things that we have longed for due to the dictates of those outside authorities while at a very young age. We just took everything in, not bothering to ask if it’s worth doing. These are stirrings of the Soul and it’s become harder and harder to ignore it.

Have you noticed how unhealthy your eating habits are, how often you slump on the couch mindlessly watching TV for hours, only to realize the day’s over but you’ve never done anything productive yet you feel very tired? What if you change that behavioral pattern? What if after dinner, you go for a walk and just let yourself be free from technological distractions? What if you take some relaxing shower, and snuggle on your bed with a good read for new ideas? Can you imagine the possibilities?

You see, old habits die hard, they say. But you can always learn new ideas and charge them as new learning experiences. Commit yourself to self-healing by breaking down old habits little by little, only then can we discover the vast nature of our being human. The universe has a flow, and we are like the universe, there exists a flow in us. With Reiki practice, we can heal ourselves, synchronizing our hearts and minds once more.

Reiki practice teaches us that we are in control of ourselves and that the power is in our own hands. Blocking our own power and freedom of expression makes us look withdrawn and appear controlling. Oftentimes our expressions turn on by itself, and may manifest in anger, self-doubt, and self-criticism which in turn wears us further down. With Reiki practice, one can love himself again and get in touch with his most true desires. There will never be spark if one cannot learn to love himself and connect to the Spirit.

Culture and the educational system have taught us that powerlessness fosters social cooperation. Well, it’s high time to debunk that concept. Reiki teaches that the power within is something that should not be put down. Reiki is heart-centered and it focuses on life, the harmony and unity of it as it empowers not just our own but the lives of everyone we touch.

Reiki is for all walks of life. It does not matter what physical, emotional or mental state you are in, what it gives is a lifelong benefit.

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Year of the Influencer – May McCarthy

Deborah King

During this revelatory hour, New York Times bestselling author and spiritual teacher, Deborah King, will guide you through a special activation to reset your base chakra — and your ENTIRE system. This simple, yet powerful, activation will help you find your center, reclaim your personal power, and give a boost to your immune system. You’ll leave feeling clear, calm, balanced, and refreshed.

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    The Old Paradigm

    The old paradigm is one in which logical thinking was considered to be the highest form of intelligence. The New Thought movement was one in which the mind was recognized as the source of all creation.

    This movement ushered in the new consciousness of the 20th Century. The foundation of this movement was the idea that infinite intelligence or God is omniscient—everywhere, and in everything, including human beings. This meant that all human beings had personal and equal access to infinite intelligence, through their individual minds. It was understood that we each have a separate mind which is connected to, or one with, infinite mind or God Mind. Each individual mind is endowed with the same qualities as infinite mind. Human beings are therefore divine beings, all possessing equal ability to use the creative capacity of divine mind. They can use the positive force for good, and for healing.

    In the late 1800s, when the New Thought movement was born, the thinking was that every human being has access to—or possesses—infinite creative power. This was a huge paradigm shift. At that time, the old framework of understanding was that divine creative power was exclusively in the hands of an external God. This old way of thinking stated that, as human beings, we were subordinate to a powerful, superior God. It was believed that we needed to surrender our will to this external patriarchal God being (reflecting the martyr level of consciousness as described in the previous chapter). This new paradigm put creative power in our own hands. It said we are each responsible for what we experience. It allowed each of us to change the circumstances of our lives by drawing on and using this inwardly accessed creative power. This was an absolutely revolutionary idea at the time.

    Ernest Holmes’s classic book, The Science of Mind, was influential in reorienting our understanding of our place in the world. It explained how, by changing our thinking, we can change the outcomes we experience in our daily lives. It gave us the science that proved that we are not victims of our circumstances. We are actually powerfully creative beings. New Thought churches base their teachings on these truths (which reflect what I call the magical thinking level). New Thought churches today include Unity Church, the Church of Divine Science, and Centers for Spiritual Living (previously known as the United Church of Religious Science), to name a few.

    Although the New Thought movement was—and still is—important in the evolution of our spiritual understanding, it only takes us so far. It is empowering to know that our minds are one with the creative source energy that shapes our daily experiences. It is significant that we can work with that energy in order to manifest our personal desires. However, this level of understanding is not the highest truth. Many of the New Thought traditions are themselves evolving in consciousness and some are even experiencing “growing pains.” Some factions within the movements want to stay “true” to the original teachings of the founders. Other members are ready to embrace and celebrate the emergence of the new consciousness.

    There are people who consider the New Thought teachings to be selfish. They judge them as being only about “me and my own desires.” However, this stage of understanding is an important one in developing a distinct and autonomous sense of self, spiritually speaking. Without this developmental phase, we would remain at the level of childish, codependent, and fearful patterns of thinking and behaving. By developing our own spiritual autonomy, we mature into spiritual adults. We discover we have the inner resources to stand on our own two feet and take care of our own needs. We can achieve our personal desires and dreams. Otherwise we remain as spiritual children, feeling like victims of an external power that only exists in our imagination.

    As unique, autonomous selves, we are all equal. When we trust in our inherent creative capacity to get our needs met, we can release our urgency to compete with others. When we believe we can draw on our internal, creative resources, we feel safe enough to release our fears of lack and limited resources. We no longer need to fight with others over them. When we trust in the power of our infinite creative capacity, we lose the need to exert our power over others. Our fulfillment is no longer dependent on anything or anyone outside of us.

    A large portion of human consciousness is now shifting or has shifted to the next level of understanding. I call this the metaphysical level. At this level, we learn that it is safe for us to relax and let go of the need to control our lives. We come to trust that life itself is taking care of us, moment to moment. We realize that we can just relax and allow life to flow through us. We understand that the details of our lives will be taken care of, by the inherent intelligence of life itself. We don’t have to figure it all out.

    As we move forward in developing our understanding, we don’t abandon what we learned at previous levels. Rather, we incorporate it into the greater truth that is now unfolding for us. In this way, we continue to expand our consciousness. We have learned to use the creative power of our minds to improve our lives. We realize the value of this skill, not only for ourselves, but also to help others in improving their circumstances. And by joining forces with others, we can become powerfully influential on a larger scale, for the betterment of humankind.