Revelations

I have always been a very private person. It isn't that I don't reveal who I am. I just have a tendency to reveal only those bits and pieces to certain individuals or groups that I know will be open to them. Sometimes being extra-sensitive can be a curse as it keeps me from being totally honest with people about how I really feel. I now understand keeping myself closed off from the world has been a hindrance to my own personal growth and progress. Although it is scary and I know there is a possibility of losing people and things I love, I also know I will not achieve my goals if I don't allow myself to show the world who I truly am. During the coming year, I am going to reveal various aspects of myself through writings and stories that I have not been totally open and honest about.

First and foremost, I am very sensitive to energies. That is why I am extremely good at reading people (although I admit there are times when my mind doesn't wish to believe things about people and I ignore the information). What many people don't know is that I can often communicate with these various energies. I do have some psychic medium capabilities (not well developed as they have never been a big focus for me). I have talked to deceased people I know and those who wish to send messages to people I am close to. Both of my grandchildren came to me before they were born to let me know they were on the way. I have knowledge of my main guardian angel--close enough that he has told me his name. I am also extremely close to the guardians of the natural world. Many people would refer to these energies as fairies. 

Religion has always been a big part of my life. That said, the fallacies of many standard Christian beliefs have slapped me in the face numerous times to the point where I can no longer accept much of it. For example, I do not believe Jesus died for my sins. I don't believe anybody has to die for my sins. I believe my "sins" are learning experiences designed to grow me. I do believe in Jesus. I have a personal relationship with him. I believe he came to the world to be a great teacher--to show us how to grow beyond this present existence. This is just one of many beliefs that are different than mainstream Christianity--and the ones I have found the most difficult to reveal because most of the people I know and love are bound up in such beliefs.

My hope for the coming year is that I will be able to articulate my life and my beliefs in such a way that you will understand who I am. I know I am not everyone's cup of tea, and that is okay. I may even lose some friends over it. That is okay too. Regardless of whether you stay or go, know that I still love you and am envisioning blessings for you and your life. I am also hoping my revelations will bring me people who are part of my tribe--those who I am called to help and interact with.

I feel the call to allow my true self to be revealed. In doing so, I hope to encourage you to do the same if you have not done it already. We are entering a time and an age where the light is becoming so bright nothing can be hidden any longer.

Peace In the Chaos

The past year has been a very crazy and difficult one for me. This last month has been particularly chaotic as my family welcomed a new grandson into the world and I struggled to juggle several trips to south Georgia along with work and trying to take care of my husband's ever growing needs. Two days ago I was at the point of utter exhaustion and total mental meltdown as I attempted to get last minute prep done for my family's Christmas. I finally had to throw in the towel yesterday and allow myself to be content with what I had already gotten done.

Allowing myself to be content with my less-than-perfect self is tough. I am my own worst critic. Coupled with the fact that I enjoy making happy holiday memories for my family, my bright plans not all coming to fruition is a bit of a letdown.

That said, in the midst of the self-created chaos I've had some truly wonderful insights. The first (and most important): I am being way too hard on myself. I have created a must-have scenario that is unrealistic and unfair--especially considering the circumstances of my present life. I am losing the most important part of myself trying to bring about the "perfect" holiday.

I am also aware that I am doing too much for my adult children. When they were little, it was important to me that Christmas be exciting and fun. I so enjoyed planning, buying their Santa gifts, and trying to make sure they had happy childhood memories, regardless of the fact they lived in a one parent household. (Yes, I was overcompensating in many ways.) That said, Christmas was always my favorite holiday and I wanted my kids to share this with me. I believe I have been successful in that goal. The thing is, now that they are adults I need to pull my own reins in and allow them to create their own memories. I will still work to make sure I celebrate the holidays with them. I now understand I need to create new holiday goals--something more realistic and maybe something that includes more of the public at large like volunteering with a program that distributes toys to needy children.

Nearly having a nervous breakdown can sharpen your focus. As I sit in the quiet drinking my morning coffee, I understand that everything is all right in the world. I have shelter, clothing, food, a loving family that I will get to spend time with, and new opportunities opening up. There can be peace within the chaos. We just have to take the time to remember it.

The Savior Is NOT Coming!

At risk of being controversial, I'm sharing why I believe the savior is not coming!

It is time to step out in your own power, play your part, and BEcome the change you wish to see in the world!

Leaving The Past In the Past

As the old year draws to a close, I've had some rather interesting insights into my life thus far. The most profound one involves many of the people I know and love from my past. I have realized it is time to come to a parting of ways. Although I hold fond memories of them, we are on very different journeys and it is time for me to let go of those connections as they are holding me back.

From the time I was a small child, I have been the sort of person to say, "I found this new and exciting place! Come see it with me!" I was always a leader. I was always happiest exploring, questioning, creating, and I wanted to bring other people along for the ride! This is much more easily done when you are a child and your friends are all young. Children are much more open to new experiences. By the time you become an adult, you have found your comfort zone. You understand how your world works (or how you want it to work). Adults are no longer interested in exploring or questioning. They have it all figured out and life is good. I have tried so hard to bring my friends with me on my present journey. The thing is, they do not want to come.

My grief has been profound. I love these people! I expected they would want to go on the journey with me. I was wrong. With each new idea that has challenged and excited me, my old friends have not been impressed or enthused. Most of them just think I'm crazy.

While this part of my journey saddens me, it is not all bad. I have found new friends--people who share my vision and are walking the same path. I am not alone. I am just no longer able to walk with my friends from the past.

I am finally beginning to understand I need to leave these friends behind. While I would love for them all to come with me, I know they are not ready to go there. They may never be ready to go there, and that is okay. I still love them and wish them a good life.

It is time for me to embrace this new journey. That requires packing my bags and walking out the door. I will not look back except to appreciate how that part of my journey grew me as a person. I will leave the past in the past and forge ahead into my new life.

The Benefits of Painful Experience

The past year has been one of the most painful and difficult journeys of my life so far. That said, I wouldn't change a thing!

Darkness Is Only Overwhelming When You Fail To Turn On Your Light!

In the midst of great darkness, it is easy to feel alone and helpless. Darkness, by its very nature, is a separating force. It is easy to forget the reality that we are not alone. There is a very real energy that connects us all together when we take the time to remember and focus on it.

As we observe the great chaos going on in the world today, it is important to remember who we are. We are all very powerful creators of light and love at the core of our beings! We have the ability to change outcomes through the very nature of our presence. We just need to remember who we came to be in the world.

Darkness is only overwhelming when you fail to turn on your light!

~CSE

What Sets You Off Is Trying To Teach You Something!

There are times when I scroll through my social media posts to learn what is going on in my world, only to discover so much of what my friends perceive is way outside the truth as I see it. I do not believe others' perceptions of truth are wrong/bad/false. Everyone has their own place and their own lessons to learn--myself included, and this brings me to the point of this little tirade. On most days when I see posts that begin to make me angry/sad/frustrated, there is a theme associated with my anger. In these moments, I begin to understand that my uncontrolled emotions are trying to teach me something.

Lately what sets me off are my perceptions of fake news. I believe the vast majority of what is seen in the mainstream news is fake. They occasionally throw a few tidbits of reality into the mix to make people think they are reporting to us faithfully, but most of it is pure garbage designed to program us into certain ways of thinking. Even local news is highly scripted, the proof of which has been highlighted on numerous occasions by late night talk show host Conan O'Brien.

I have an amazing number of friends who still do not understand how scripted the news actually is. It frustrates me when they share such questionable news sources as truth in order to back up their belief system. While I usually refrain from commenting, sometimes I find myself reacting. This is a problem because this is where most fights on social media begin.

When my higher self is in control, my reactions are much more measured. Instead of trying to tell my friends how they are wrong, I attempt to understand why I am reacting to their post in such a manner. My life is not about how other people perceive the world. My life is not about judging someone else's thoughts and way of life. My life is about navigating the obstacles and finding solutions that bring me to my own state of inner happiness, joy and peace.

Lately, I am aware the most of my reactions are judgments. While judgments are part of the state of duality we are experiencing, when we focus on that which we judge we perpetuate our state of separation. This is not where I personally desire to be. This is not what my lifetime is about, and in that moment of disharmony I am not focusing on my mission of bringing love to the world.

Understand that when you run into those life circumstances that disturb your peace, your emotions are your body's way of uncovering those lessons you need to learn. While it is possible to avoid looking at them and temporarily run away, ultimately these experiences follow you around until you take the time to learn what they are trying to teach you.

Next time something makes you angry, take the time to question why. You may just make a discovery that will lead you to your next big breakthrough!

~CSE

Happiness Depends On Where You Focus!

Like many of you, there has been tremendous upheaval in my life during the past few of months. For the past three and a half years, I have been responsible for exactly half of the upbringing of my granddaughter, who is the bright spot in my life. (The other half has been the responsibility of her other grandmother). Now that my husband has been diagnosed with early dementia and can no longer handle the responsibility of helping me take care of her, most of her care has been placed into the hands of her other grandmother. While I very much appreciate the fact that she is in capable and responsible hands, I feel very much as though I have lost her. To make matters worse, there is not a damn thing I can do about it without creating more devastation in my life.

So many questions and "what-if's" have been running through my head. Why am I and my husband going through this journey of dementia now? Why am I still in a job with such inconsistent hours and lousy pay? Why does my granddaughter need to be wretched away from me as she has? What if my financial and living situation changed into something where I would be able to take more consistent care of my granddaughter? And on and on ad nauseam. 

Notice the focus of the above questions: it is always about me. While my husband and granddaughter are mentioned, my questions do not look at the challenges they are facing. They do not take into account their needs throughout this process, and that is the problem!

The fact of the matter is, my granddaughter still needs fulltime care. My present work schedule is just not conducive to a toddler's needs. If truth be known, caring for my granddaughter has gotten more stressful under the present circumstances. Even when she is with me I know I am not at my best. It feels selfish and wrong to try to insist that she spend more time with me right now. As much as I hate to admit it, I am not what she needs right now. Her other grandmother is.

I am what my husband needs right now (as incapable as I feel). As I help him deal with the change, I also need to adapt myself and my life so that when he is no longer capable of helping I can make sure that all of our needs, financial and otherwise, are met. 

The irony of this whole situation is that I have been praying for major change in my life for at least a year now. I don't want to have to rely on the income I bring in from a dead-end job. I don't want to struggle to get by. I would like to wake up every morning with a smile on my face, knowing that my income is being brought to me through serving others with my talents and gifts in ways that heal the planet. I like to talk about how pain is part of the transition process toward better things, and yet when the pain is at my doorstep I holler just as loudly as the next guy!

When I focus on losing my granddaughter, I am miserable. It is only when I think about her needs that I am able to understand that my life needs to be about something different at present. I have enough on my plate with my husband's health and my job situation. My husband definitely needs me to be on top of things for his sake right now.

It is only when I begin to understand my role in the collective that I am once again able to see the light. I am able to let go of the whys and the what-ifs and free myself, knowing I have a role to play and allowing others to play theirs. I will get where I need to go. All is right in the world.

~CSE

The Sacred Journey Of Rock Bottom

At some point in time, we all hit rock bottom. While most of us see this as a negative, the expedition to rock bottom is probably one of the most positive and profound spaces we can occupy during the course of our lifetimes.

The journey to rock bottom is a sacred journey. It is lined with problems and missteps. We arrive broken, battered, beaten, discouraged, but this is where the magic begins to happen! As we attempt to pick up the pieces of our lives and put ourselves back together, we become open to new information--new solutions! We see possibilities we were unable to see before because we were mired in limited perspective. We arrive at a point in our lives where we allow ourselves to think and act in new ways. We grow. We change. We become better.

And our lives improve. They may not improve overnight. Climbing out of the pit can be tough work. Quite often we slip back into old patterns of behavior and fall again. Still, growth occurs with each new step up. Pulling ourselves up contains the added benefit of making us stronger.

I have hit several rock bottoms throughout the course of my lifetime. With the added benefit of hindsight, I can now see how those experiences grew me as a human being. The scars that are part of my journey have become badges of honor as I use them to remember the growth that has taken place. I can appreciate who I am and the odyssey that made me that way. It is in this sacred journey of rock bottom that I find peace.

~CSE

Prayer Of Release

Divine Father/Mother/Creator/Intelligence/Source Energy,

I come to you, laying all my pain, all my sadness, all my anger, all my stress, all my worry, all my hate, all my jealousies, all my selfishness, all my problems at your feet. I know that keeping all these things close to my heart only perpetuates the problems to the point of overwhelm. Holding them captive for a period of time does not serve my body, my mind, my spirit or my heart.

In this moment of now, I choose to release all of these things that no longer serve me. I choose to stop holding them captive, allowing them to move freely in and out of my life as necessary to draw my attention to all that is important to understand. I know they are there to help guide me in that stage of my development, and I am grateful for all those things they are designed to help me discover about myself and the world.

In this release, I know I am making room for all the love, all the joy, all the peace, all the understanding, all the intuition I have already been gifted with. I allow myself to access these gifts and in this way increase my productivity and abundance.

As I draw closer to your infinite love and wisdom, I let go of my ego and my separate self. I am One with all things. I follow the wisdom and guidance found in my heart and allow myself to move within the flow of the One in order to BE my perfect and infinite self.

Thank you for gifting me with these experiences so I am able to learn and grow in new ways and BE One with you again.

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We Are All In This Together

I recently came across someone on social media through a friend who carries an interesting energy. He claimed to be a "lightworker", yet he was so full of judgment and arrogance I could tell he carried a good deal of unacknowledged darkness. That is not to say he did not also carry light. He did. He is just not quite as evolved as he believed himself to be.

I noticed a lot of competing energies in him. On the one hand, he had some understanding of the fact that we are all One and are not separate. On the other hand, his understanding of being One was everybody needed to subscribe to his way of thinking because he was right. Every other word was a judgement. Most of what he did and said perpetuated separation.

When I pointed out the judgment and separation, I became the one he judged. I became the one whose darkness he analyzed. I chose not to respond to this personal attack. He was correct in many respects, on top of the fact that he was obviously reacting to my pointing out of his judgment. In other words, I triggered him. As I did not want to continue on in that energy, I let it go. That said, when I failed to engage him in the fight, he went on and attacked someone else. At that point, I blocked him, mostly for my own peace of mind. I do not care to be part of his attacks on others. (He triggered my fight for the underdog instincts. LOL!)

The past several years, I have been working on analyzing and releasing my own judgement. I have been able to let go of many of the judgments I was programmed with through the circumstances of my birth. I am a work in progress. I still have a long way to go before I am able to allow everything that exists without fighting it.

As humans living in this 3D reality, it is easy for us to get lost in the fight. We are taught there is a distinct "right" and "wrong" and that it is important to choose what is "right" and resist all that is "wrong". The problem with this way of doing things is the vast majority of these judgments are subjective and dependent upon the cultures that promote them. When we make the decision to join in the judgment, we choose to stay separate from anyone who does not think like we do.

We are here to play, to learn, to expand in ways that would not be possible outside of separation. This is why we choose to come to such a dark and dense place. The energy of unconditional love is what keeps us connected. It is only when we remember this love that we begin to learn and grow in the ways we intended. We are much stronger and learn much more quickly when we ignore the separation and choose to love without limits. When we make the choice to lift up our fellow BEings, we also lift up ourselves. We are all in this together.

What Appears To Be The End Is Merely The Beginning...

I find myself in an usual place in life right now and have been doing my best to process it. My husband of ten years--the person who helped me finish raising my children and has been a partner in my own personal growth--was recently diagnosed as being in the early stages of dementia. He is 58. I am 51. This is not something a person anticipates or plans for, especially at these relatively young ages.

Lately, most of my days are struggles as I flounder wildly about just trying to keep my head above water. Fear and sadness close in on me when I focus too closely on what my life could become in the future. I worry about the potential expenses involved in taking care of someone in the latter stages of this condition--especially considering I still need to work fulltime. I worry about taking care of myself as I realize I have become dependent on him in so many ways. The only thing that saves me is focusing on the moment at hand, trying to make things as pleasant for myself and those around me as I am able. What actions can I take in the present that will bring me joy? Love? Peace?

My daily meditation time has become my refuge in the storm. Because of my high stress levels, I am much more focused and able to hear the whispers of my guardians/angels as they speak to me, reassuring me they are here to help. They encourage me to ask for what I want. They tell me to trust and that when I can do this I will be amazed at how quickly things begin to fall into place.

The irony of this situation is that I have been praying this past year for BIG changes to come into my life. I spent years hiding in the safety of my cocoon and have only recently made the conscious decision to stop playing small and use my gifts for the benefit of myself and others. Never in my wildest dreams did I anticipate something like this.

I have no real clue what my path looks like. I can see a destination--helping others heal from their life traumas while restoring balance and reducing separation, but the road is not nicely laid out in front of me. I have enough experience in life to know that what my mind sees is not the best or easiest way to get there. Life works by listening to God/Source and taking things one step at a time. At present, that is all I have the strength to do.

My life is currently in destruction mode. Ironically, the whole world is in destruction mode. We fight against the chaos and confusion because it seems as though everything we know and rely on is going to be lost. It's true. It IS going to be lost. What most of us fail to recognize is that sometimes our worlds need to fall apart in order to create something infinitely better.

Life is not at an end. We are being prepared for a new creation. Hold tight to that vision of your ideal future. It is coming.

~CSE

   

This Is What Fear Based Action Looks Like!

This has been posted in recent days. I re-post it here, not to accuse or to blame and certainly not to separate even further. People need to understand the difference between fear-based actions and love-based actions. This is fear-based action.

Ask yourself the following questions as you watch this video. What are the emotions happening in the moment? Does shouting (on either side) convey love and acceptance? Does anger do anything to convince people of the correctness of your argument? Does anyone on either side have an attitude of allowing or is it all "my side is right and I don't have to think about it anymore"?

Note there are a few anti-Trump protesters who are trying to help people stay out of fear and BE love and peace. Unfortunately, they end up being overridden by the mob mentality.

Choose to BE LOVE and we avoid this sort of scenario!!!

~CSE

Always Choose Love

The world is full of chaos and confusion--here in the USA and elsewhere. I see arguments all over social media and many are saying they have unfriended this person or that person because of their views. The mainstream media is even worse when it comes to trying to maintain division between people. Division is the problem. We are working so hard to align ourselves with what is right that we have forgotten one very important principle: love.

The irony of the fight going on right now is that it is not even our fight, yet we are the ones battling! Whose fight is it, you ask? It is a fight between rulers and all those who would control the planet--kings, prime ministers, presidents, corporations, bankers, etc. There has been a very marked shift in power that is most notable with the election of Donald Trump, who represents a very different power faction taking over. Those who have held the reins are struggling to retain their grasp, and they still have a great deal of power. You can see this in the constant bashing Trump is receiving worldwide for enforcing laws and rules that are already on the books! If the people losing power can convince us to fight for their side, they know they have a chance to regain that power. The propaganda media is what keeps We the People playing this power game.

The saddest part about this whole situation is that We the People have willingly given our massive power to these crazy people in charge and are feeding into the chaos. The reality (should we choose to accept it) is that We the People have it within ourselves to change the turmoil by reclaiming our personal power! 

How do we reclaim our power? We reclaim our power by choosing love! Lately, we have not been motivated by love but by fear. We are told it is love. For example, love is fighting for our immigrant neighbors, right? Possibly. The question we all need to ask ourselves is what is it that drives us? While love might honestly be a factor, fear also plays a factor. The darkness in this scenario tells us that Trump is the new Hitler and eventually we will all end up in prison camps if we don't fight for immigrants now. Is it love that motivates us, or is it the belief that life will become much worse for everyone if we do not take up the fight? 

Many of us are in denial that our actions are based on fear. We allow our terror to turn us into hurtful, hateful monsters that no longer focus on love. This is where actions such as arguing and unfriending on social media kick in. It has even been reaching extreme levels with some people who are leaving love far behind and physically attacking others who are perceived as separate, all the while believing they are standing for justice. When we allow this to happen we have become that which we fear!

What does choosing love look like? It begins when we tap into the innermost corners of our hearts. It will often go directly to those people and things we interact with on a daily basis. It will guide us into actions that help and heal--even when some of those actions appear to be counterintuitive to what we believe we want to accomplish. Love looks to what we have in common instead of our differences. Love seeks to build bridges. When we allow our hearts to guide our actions, nothing outside ourselves can separate us from that heart connection we share with each other.

Are your actions playing into the chaos and division that is so pervasive in the world today? Do you feel separate from your neighbor as you choose sides? Is fear your ultimate motivation? Chances are you have given over your own power to mentally ill people and are playing their insane power game. 

Take back your power! Forget that your neighbor is a Democrat or Republican or Muslim or Christian or straight or gay or an addict or a criminal. Look at the chaos and misery within your own circle and choose to make a difference in all those places your heart shows you. Always choose love. If and when we focus on that, our world will begin to fall into place.

~CSE

It's What Lights Us Up That Gets Us Moving!

I saw a witty political meme this morning where Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is emphatically asking where all the Women's Protest supporters were on election day. I'm sure many people are asking this very same question in light of the crowds that event drew. What sticks out in my mind is not so much the women's rights aspect of things but the anti-Trump sentiment what was pervasive in the atmosphere--especially in many of the highly publicized speeches. The simple fact of the matter is this: Hillary Clinton is not a candidate people get passionate about. Donald Trump, on the other hand, definitely inspires passion, be that positive or negative.

I don't believe Donald Trump is our savior. I don't believe Donald Trump is a demon. What I do believe is that he is here to inspire us and kick us into high gear. It is the very fact that the Donald lives an extremely colorful life that has put him into the spotlight in the first place. He is larger than life. His flaws are all on display of the public and he holds nothing back. He is definitely not a politician (or like any politician we have seen before). That said, I believe it is his bold uniqueness that has propelled him into the ultimate spotlight. The people who voted for him did so because they are looking for monumental change. The people who didn't are fighting mad because they are looking to keep the establishment identity intact. Either way, people are energized in powerful ways--and that's the point!

We are at a time and place in our history where change is required if we are to free ourselves from the bonds that have enslaved us for centuries. Most of us are guilty of sleeping while the psychopaths in charge manipulate our money, resources and power for their own personal gain. We the People have not been a part of that process for a long time. (We ironically believe that voting is what gives us power, all the while that has been manipulated as well!) In this time of worldwide suffering and pain, it is necessary that We the People shake off our apathy and begin to reclaim our own power.

Donald Trump has inspired us to do that. His supporters are looking forward to radical changes in the way the President does things. His opposition looks on in abhorrence at the fact he is not following the normal playbook. Either way, Donald Trump is making people stand up and take notice. He is energizing people in ways that no one saw coming just a few short years ago. It's pretty much love or hate. There is no in between with the Donald.

Donald Trump might be the best thing that has happened to the United States of America and the world. He might be the worst thing that has happened to the United States of America and the world. Ultimately, Donald Trump's place in history depends on what We the People choose to BE in this moment and in the future. If he inspires us to BE the change we wish to see in the world, it is my belief he has fulfilled his mission.

It will be interesting to see how many people attack me today because they read this and assume I am a Trump supporter! Are you one? Let's get this party started! Comment below!!!

The Reason We Fight

Several months ago, I met some church friends of my parents who had come to the hospital where my mom was having tests run. As they had heard various stories involving myself and my sisters, who were also at the hospital, they asked questions in order to understand which one of us went with various stories. Apparently, I said something that hit home because the man said, "So you're the conspiracy theorist." I laughed and confessed that was me.

The irony is, my parents would never have described me to anyone as a conspiracy theorist (even though they know I am one). Until that moment, I had no idea the people from the church community I grew up in called me that behind my back. It does not come as a big surprise (nor does it upset me). I have had quite a few of them unfriend me on Facebook because they cannot stomach much of what I post on my page (which is oddly tame compared to the stuff I research). There are probably many more who have unfollowed my page in order to keep themselves sane. It goes with the territory when you make the decision to be as transparent in your beliefs as possible. I have never had problems standing up for what I believe in, even when it means standing alone.

It dawns on me now that the political divide we are feeling in the United States of America and the rest of the world is really not about differences in political philosophy as much as it about resolving the cognitive dissonance this election has brought up within ourselves. Face it. The world is changing in BIG ways. Change is difficult for most of us in the best of times. When the whole world is in upheaval at the same time, it is going to bring up some pretty big garbage that needs to be sorted through and dealt with.

Cognitive dissonance occurs when our rational minds are confronted with information our hearts tell us is true but are not quite ready to deal with in a rational way. We will run from it, go into denial, argue, and even fight in order to get away from this growing awareness. The thing is, cognitive dissonance will not go away, even if you change who you hang out with or your physical location. Truth will seek you out (and sometimes hunt you down) until you choose to look at it.

How do you know you are in a state of cognitive dissonance? You know because certain topics set you on edge (or sometimes on fire). You feel compelled to argue and justify why you believe as you do. As you go deeper into the process, you find your "rational" arguments begin to lose their power but you argue on. Sometimes you go so far as dismiss arguments altogether, justifying your beliefs solely on the thought the other side is "stupid" or "ignorant" and just hasn't thought it through.

My interactions on social media lately have been interesting. When I post anything that could be interpreted as positive toward Trump, I am immediately labeled an ignorant, conservative Trump supporter and told why my approval is baseless. When I post my approval of the Women's March that swept DC and many areas of the country, I am told it was all funded by George Soros and is just a way to keep Trump demonized in the minds of the people. (I do need to confess I enjoy playing the devil's advocate. I don't expect people will agree with me, but I do want people to assess why they believe as they do.) 

My own personal areas of cognitive dissonance involve my own ego when it comes to dealing with personal attacks. I am learning to deal with attacks in positive ways, attempting to bend and adapt in ways that do not break me or my composure. I have a long way to go before I get to that place of inner peace. I'm sure more garbage will naturally appear once this one is dealt with in full. I, too, am a work-in-progress.

The next time someone or something makes you angry enough to argue or fight, take a moment to ask yourself why. It may just be that your heart is bringing awareness to your mind so you have the capacity to face it, deal with it, and heal it. Our whole world begins to heal when we deal with the cognitive dissonance within ourselves.

~CSE

  

Resolutions

It is officially 2017, and most of us are busy planning how our lives will be better. This is where resolutions come in--those pesky little promises we make to ourselves to try to become better than we were the year before. For many of us, those resolutions fall by the wayside within the first few months as old habits and patterns are remembered.

This year, I have one resolution: I am going to begin asking for what I want. That might sound like an easy thing to do, but I have spent most of my life doing things for everyone except me. It has dawned on me that my life is not where I want it to be because I have not opened myself up to the possibilities.

Part of my problem is low self esteem. Regardless of my outgoing nature, the simple fact of the matter is deep down I have never felt worthy to receive. Some of this stems from negative messages I received about myself when I was a child. The other part of this was my religious programming where I was taught my life was all about God and others--never about me. Thinking about myself was "selfish". I never came first. Consequently, I have lived a life where I am not part of the equation, other than to be used for the benefit of others.

Now that my children are grown and out of the nest, I have had some time to analyze and understand why I am where I am. I have time to think about what I want and what is important to me. I have time to meditate and call upon the wisdom of God/Source/Oneness to guide me into new paths.

I have no idea where this year will lead me. I just know that I am allowing myself to be open to new possibilities as I reach out and ask the Universe what more is possible. I am excited to see where this will lead me.

~CSE