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

   

Your Heart Contains The Map To The Universe!

This lovely artwork was created by my beautiful friend Jennifer Thompson. I saw it this morning and knew I needed to share it with you! (For more on the talented Jennifer, you can connect with her at: Jillyhop.)

The world can be a confusing place! Normally we rely on our brains to plot our course in the Universe. Mistakes are common as we depend on the information we have learned through society and our environment by engaging our five senses--extremely limited information at best. Solutions that come from this place only take into account those perspectives you are actually able to see and will not address the bigger picture.

Enter the guidance and wisdom of the heart! The heart is what binds and connects us to Oneness--the place where everything is present and nothing is judged. This is the place of all truth, all knowledge, all understanding. When we learn to connect with our hearts, we learn to connect with our inner knowing--to the knowledge of all that IS. It is in this way that our hearts act as our internal guidance system!

There is a map to the Universe contained within your heart! Learn to focus on this inner knowing and your life will begin to flow much more easily with less problems and effort.

~CSE

When Did You Stop Following Your Heart?

I have been doing a lot of self-healing work lately as part of the process of returning to purpose. One of the most valuable insights I have received thus far is identifying the moment I stopped thinking with my heart and began to think with my mind instead.

Let me explain exactly what that means. When we are born, we come out as bundles of potential. We follow our instincts. We live in the moment and experience the world around us. If we need something, we cry and make it known. We play. We experiment. We discover. We are attracted to certain people and experiences, and we seek those out. This is how our hearts function, and when we think with our hearts this is how we experience the world.

There comes a point in everyone's life where they are confronted with the processes of the mind. For some it happens in infancy. These people have almost always chosen difficult life paths. For others, it comes further down the road. The mind is the part of us that is designed to keep us safe. It takes in information from the five senses and uses memory to encode what we learn from these experiences. When a similar experience happens later down the road, we drawn on these memories to decide our next move--often something to keep us from dealing with remembered pain.

Problems come in when we allow our minds to make all the decisions and do away with the advice our hearts give us. Why is this a problem? Our hearts have been encoded with our soul purpose. When we stop listening to our hearts in favor of listening to our minds, we often forget what that purpose is. If we do this long enough, our lives become unfulfilling and meaningless.

I can pinpoint the moment I stopped relying on the advice of my heart in favor of what my mind told me to do. As a kid, I was an interesting combination of introvert and leader. I craved a lot of alone time. However, in social situations I was very much the leader. I was cute and smart and funny and people would seek me out. I was also creative and knew what I wanted to do at any given moment. Usually people would join me with whatever I decided to do in that moment. If they were left out, I would include them.

This is how I lived my life until I met a particular friend. She was fun and full of life (still is actually). However, she did not want to follow along with everything I did. I found out because I overheard something I was not supposed to hear. Ironically, as I look back at my young self, I know I never forced anyone to go along with what I wanted. I was also goody two shoes, so my suggestions didn't get people into trouble. Most people liked me enough they would go along with my suggestions. In that moment, however, I began to question my whole way of doing things. I did not want to force people to participate in things they did not care for. I stopped following what was in my own heart. I began inquiring about what other people wanted to do and would often follow along. My mind told me this was the way to make people like me. I was twelve.

There were still times throughout my life when I did follow my heart. I followed my heart when I began volunteering at a camp for abused and neglected children. I followed my heart when I chose my college and became a tour guide at church historic sites during my summer vacations. Following my heart also led me to my first professional job out of college--working as a residence counselor in a group home for emotionally disturbed children. My biggest heart-based achievement to date has been raising my children.

Still, much of my life has been dominated by mind-based decisions. During my first marriage, I was obsessed with making sure my husband was happy--to the point I did almost nothing for myself. Those things I did do for myself I allowed him to sabotage because he was not happy unless the focus was on him. The only heart-based decision I stubbornly clung to was the one involving raising my children. That decision ultimately led to my divorce. It also took so much out of me I spent years recovering. My work life has also not been particularly fulfilling. I have mainly worked jobs that supplied me with the money I needed to live on, with little else to show for them.

I will be fifty-one in two days. I have spent close to forty years listening to my heart over my mind. I am wasting no more time. I will seek out every chance to follow my heart and my bliss.

When did you stop following your heart? How will you choose to change it? When we all choose to follow the wisdom and guidance that comes from listening to our hearts, the world will be a much kinder, brighter and better place. In my view, this is what is missing from the planet.

~CSE

Calling All Empaths

Are you one of those extra-sensitive people who literally carry the weight of the world on your shoulders? I have a message for you! Your higher purpose begins now. It is time to join with your fellow empaths and BE the healer you came into the world to be!

There is a reason you were given the gift of sensitivity in this heavy third-dimensional world. Empaths are the first people to understand problems exist. This is because empaths are highly aware of feelings, and feelings are the language of the heart--the place of connection to the divine and the source of all knowledge and wisdom. Empaths are the first to feel and identify the heaviness and pain in a situation, hence problem awareness.

Empaths are natural problem solvers. When we feel pain, anger, sadness, etc. we are the first to ask why and look for ways to fix it. Because we are in tune with our hearts, it becomes easy to ask questions that lead to real heart-based solutions. Our feelings help us identify the best path to take in a given situation.

You feel the pain of the planet and her inhabitants. You have felt it building to a peak for years. The pain, anger, and frustration are almost unbearable now. There is growing awareness among the masses that something needs to be done about our problems. They are trying to come up real world solutions. The problem is, the solutions less sensitive people come up with are based on the understandings of the mind. As the mind does not have direct access to the knowledge of the divine, the solutions that come from the mind are extremely limited. Sometimes they can even cause more problems than they solve.

Let me give you a real world example. Gun control is a raging debate here in the United States. One side believes that guns are bad things that people need to be saved from. Their solutions are to either take guns away altogether or limit gun ownership to people who can pass very rigorous background checks. While I don't believe either of these arguments are "bad", I do believe they are limited. Criminals are not likely to follow such rules. Consequently, you haven't really solved anything, including gun violence.

On the other side of the argument are the people who tout the "right to bear arms". Again, I don't believe this is "bad" in and of itself. There are people in the world who wish to physically harm us or take away our possessions. I can also see the argument that a government out-of-control could seek to take away the last of our freedom through force. Guns can be used for defense of life and property. Still, is being allowed to own a gun solving any problem? No. Crime still exists.

What is the solution? My heart tells me that people need to be provided for. They need food, water, shelter, clothing. They need comfort, security and love. If people can learn to work together to help each being obtain these things, they have no need to fight among themselves. The solution to gun control does not lie in the guns themselves. It lies in teaching people to live with integrity. It lies in learning to cooperate instead of compete. It lies in seeking the ways of the heart.

This is why you are so important as an empath. You are tuned in to the ways of the heart. Your compassion is unmatched. Your understanding of the world's problems is second to none. Your sensitivities have called you to the work of healing a broken and dying planet. You, as an empath, are here to change the world! Allow yourself to join together with your fellow empaths and begin the work you were called to do.

~CSE

    

Connect To Your Knowing

Have you ever just known something without understanding how you know it? I'm talking about the sort of information that spontaneously comes to mind when you are occupied at some task that has nothing at all to do with the information. The knowing is so strong you cannot deny the thought. Then later--it might be an hour or a day or a month or a year--you find that understanding has worked itself out just the way you knew it would. I believe we all experience this from time to time. This is the sort of information that comes from connecting to Oneness, and Oneness is something you have the ability to intentionally connect to if you so desire.

What is Oneness? Oneness is the place where everything exists and nothing is judged. It is the place of truth and contains all knowledge and all understanding. For me, it is the ultimate place for answers because nothing is hidden there.

In our 3-dimensional world, many things are hidden from us. It is easy to hide information from us here because we have been taught to think purely with our minds. We use our five senses to gain information. Coupled with the lessons we learn from our families and the society around us, we base our beliefs and understandings on this extremely limited information. The irony comes when we believe we have all the answers. What the mind provides to us is merely one or maybe a couple particular perspectives. It does not provide a complete picture.

Our hearts are what connect us to Oneness--connect us to our knowing. As Oneness contains all knowledge and information, a person can access anything they want to understand by connecting to the heart. Our hearts think through feeling. This is why listening to your feelings plays a crucial role in accessing the knowledge that comes from connection to all things. Feelings give you immediate feedback about direction in life. If a choice makes you feel happy and expansive, understand this is a choice that will move you toward purpose. If you feel sad, angry or fearful, it is time to back away.

Connecting to Oneness is the place of creativity. This is where artists and musicians and scientists go for insight and understanding, even if they are not consciously aware that's what they are doing. People who have good problem-solving skills are often connected in to the heart. Again, Oneness contains all knowledge and information so this is where new knowledge comes from.

There are techniques and tricks you can use to help you tap into this infinite understanding in an intentional, conscious way. There is no right or wrong way to connect. Not every technique will work for every person. That said, what you need to understand is this: connecting to your knowing lies in the ability to connect to and think with your heart. Ask the Universe for help connecting. Answers will come when you ask.

When we are all able to connect to our knowing--connect to our hearts--our world will be a very different and wonderful place.

~CSE

 

  

Major Shifts Going On

I did not sleep well last night. I woke up several times, and even though I went back to sleep easily it was not a particularly easy sleep. While I am experiencing some interesting struggles in my own personal life, it felt much more than that--like a major shift is happening in the world.

I don't have any specifics, but I do feel like the balance of power has shifted. That said, it doesn't feel like a good or bad change. It's more a change in who gets to make the rules. I believe this stems from the fact that the collective understands it desires change. The problem lies in not fully understanding what the problems are. When you don't understand the problem intimately, unrecognized concerns do not get addressed.

My current assessment of the situation is as follows. The collective knows we all want change, and critical mass has now been reached because of the amount of pain the world feels. The problems come in because most of us continue to think with our brains instead of our hearts. The decisions we are making are based on the extremely limited information we have been taught to believe (and which nine times out of ten are lies). Consequently, this shift in power is not to a group who has much more respect for other humans than the old group. They just more or less want power.

As we continue to become a much more heart-centered, intuitive sort of people, the powers that run our planet will be less likely to deceive us. This is due to the fact we will eventually learn to see past the lies they supply us with in favor of the information that comes from the place of connection--Oneness--where all information is available. The more truth we are able to discern, the better our choices become.

In order to ascend to a higher dimension (or for religiously oriented people, bring the kingdom of heaven to earth), we must first learn to think fully with our hearts. To do this, we must all learn to consciously connect to our hearts, which is where connection to Source/God/Oneness happens. Until we are able to do this and access unlimited information, our choices will continue to be imperfect and limited.

Changing the world starts within!!!

~CSE

What The Heart Knows

The past few weeks have been difficult, and I can sense it in more than just me. There is a great deal of angst in the world. Tensions have been running high. People are angrier and more aggressive. It feels as though we have all been placed in a pressure cooker to stew and the pressure is steadily increasing with no end in sight.

There are forces in the world working overtime to convince us that we are separate and alone. It is especially easy to see in the US Presidential race. On social media, people get so focused on the righteousness of their candidate they can no longer see that together we are one. People are busy arguing and name-calling and "unfriending" anyone who disagrees with them. It's a craziness that, if people took the time to step back and observe, they would see how ludicrous it has all become. They just can't see the forest for the trees.

What my heart tells me is this: we are nothing without our connection to our fellow beings. When we are focused on our separateness, we are weak. Powerless even. The beings that have ruled our planet for centuries understand this and use it to their advantage. Divide and Conquer is a game they are masterful at, and as long as we continue to sleep they will take advantage of us and keep us separate in order to stay in power.

What the heart knows is this: we are only strong when we rely on our heart connections. We are at our most powerful when we are focused on love and connected in to its Source. This heart connection is where our creativity and strength reside. It is the place of solution. It is the only thing that will free us from tyranny.

It is time to forget our separateness. It is time to forget you are a Democrat or Republican or Tory or whatever your political affiliation. It is time to forget you are Christian or Muslim or Buddhist or Atheist. It is time to forget you are straight, gay, transsexual, etc. It is only by coming together as one we will be able to create a better world. It is only through love we will find our way.

~CSE

   

Why Workshops And Motivational Speeches Fail

Have you ever taken a brilliant workshop or listened to a motivational speech, only to find yourself inspired for a few weeks and then back to your old uninspired rut shortly thereafter? Maybe you've come to the conclusion that the wisdom imparted was not as earth-shattering as it first appeared? It is not the messenger or the message that is at fault. It is the way you choose to incorporate that message into your life. Yes! I'm blaming you! It is you and the way you think that gets in the way!!!

There is a reason we get so excited about the workshop or presentation. It is great information! It's stimulating. It's exciting. It's insightful. While the presenter may not have the perfect life, he/she has attained a life of living in flow that is empowered. Most of these people are indeed living the life they are talking about and it shows.

Why do we fail to incorporate the information into our lives on a more consistent basis? We fail because of the way we process the information. Most of us operate from what I like to call thinking with the mind. This way of thinking looks at the information presented and tries to find concrete actions we can copy and incorporate into our lives. What we fail to consider is how the information ties more directly into the emotions and feelings that are what we use when we think through the heart.

Thinking through the heart is letting go of the constructs the mind has built around you and allowing the infinite wisdom and knowledge of Source energy to come directly to you. It is fully feeling, nonjudgmental, and free flowing. Thinking through the heart is operating in this moment of now, understanding that everything that comes to you is what you need in this moment. You are at your most powerful and divine self when you think from the heart.

While you are in the workshop or motivational speech, you are operating from the level of the heart because the presenter is coming from the level of the heart. You feel his/her energy, his/her passion. Then you go back to your everyday life, where you are thinking through the mind. You find yourself going back to the old programmed habits and patterns you are used to functioning in. Before you know it, you are back in your own boring and unfulfilling life once again.

When you finally come to the place where you are functioning consistently from the level of the heart, every experience you have becomes your teacher. Workshops and motivational speeches become part of who you are at their fullest levels. You are fully open to the abundance and blessings the Universe has to offer. You become the creator of your own life.

~CSE

     

The Choice

There comes a point in our lives when we all have to make a choice. That choice is to follow the way of the mind or the way of the heart. While neither choice is good or bad in and of itself, they involve two very different ways of functioning--two different ways of BEing. That said, the outcomes of both ways of existence are very different.

The way of the mind is living within your programming. You are born with specific genetic birth parents, which determines certain characteristics about you. You are then raised in a family or tribe that places you within certain parameters.. These parameters separate and divide us from each other and include things like culture, religion, country, gender, etc. As we grow up, we are taught the boundaries and limitations of each parameter, which shapes the way we think and act. Quite often, we learn to identify ourselves by these parameters. We also use those parameters to identify and classify others. While we function in the present, living through the mind can also encompass visiting the past and future as well. Many of us are quite happy living within these frameworks of separation.

The way of the heart is living through a natural and internal guidance system which is accessed through the heart. Instead of being shaped by outside forces, it gains wisdom and understanding by connecting to all things through an internal source. It is nonjudgmental, basing its choices on instruction coming directly from this heart connection where all wisdom and knowledge exists. The heart functions in the now, but is not dependent on time. Past, present, and future exist simultaneously within the heart, even while living in the moment. It is a very different way of thinking--a very different way of BEing. It is a state of living in flow. While we sometimes are able to exist within this space, for most of us the instances are rare.

At some point in life we encounter situations that make us question all those values we have been taught within the framework of the mind. These are choice points. They are experiences where you can BEcome something different than what you have always known. They usually occur when something out of the ordinary happens--job loss, death, illness, etc.--although they can happen at less pivotal times as well. The point is, you have come to a place in your life where you are jolted into the realization that your mind programming does not fit the situation comfortably. Most of us are so ingrained with our mind programs that we continue to look for (and find) solutions that come from that way of thinking. Understand that we when find solutions by thinking with the mind, the problem will eventually come back. It may come back in slightly different form, but it always comes back.

The choice is about making the transition from living through the mind to living through the heart. It is not an easy transition as, for most of us, it means letting go of what we think we know. Still, the more we can learn to think and act from the heart, the more we will begin to make decisions based on what is good for the collective instead of our separate selves. We are able to find our place in flow. We are empowered to live in abundance and blessing. We become examples to show others the way.

~CSE

     

The One Thing That Will Save Us

The savior mentality. It's pervasive in the world today. People are convinced one change will be the catalyst that will start us back on an uphill path. The thought is that, if we change to this different system or ask one certain person to lead us, the problems will begin to work themselves out. Therein lies the problem. No one institution or person can fix anything. Our problems are collective and require a collective solution.

I look at the Christian community from which I came. People there are waiting for Jesus to come back and save the day. He is supposed to gather up his elect and judge and punish those who persist in their evil. The problem as I see it is twofold. First of all, as humans we are all equal parts good and bad. How will that differentiate one group from another? (And don't use the programmed answered that only God or Jesus can judge!) This thinking is separation in motion. The second part is the fact they are counting on something outside themselves to save them rather than taking personal responsibility for the world's problems.

People also believe politics and politicians can save us. To me, this is the most ludicrous idea we've ever come up with! When have politicians or their political systems ever been solutions to the world's problems? Believing that capitalism will save us or socialism will save us is problematic because the perspectives are limited and don't take all angles or facets into account. If a politician does happen to have integrity, what he/she can do is limited because no one else does. Politics is a cooperative effort if anything is to be accomplished. Finally, we are once again looking for solutions to come from somewhere outside ourselves.

I honestly do believe there is one thing that will save us. What is that one thing, you ask? The one thing that has the potential to save us all is to learn to connect to all that IS--Oneness--by connecting to our hearts.  Oneness IS the collective consciousness. Consulting Oneness is about dropping our own personal egos and allowing ourselves to function in the collective. This Oneness will then allow us to understand what we can personally do to benefit the collective. It is when we act from this place that the magic will happen.

Direction from Oneness does not necessarily "make sense" to our programmed minds. Often what seems ludicrous to our rational (programmed) minds will eventually take us to the place where our actions benefit the collective. It is a very different way of thinking and acting, and one that most of us have been afraid to try (even though we do occasionally get inspiration from Oneness and act on it).

When we are finally willing to drop our egos and connect to Oneness, we work together in harmony. Our hearts and minds sync up as we allow ourselves to become One.

~CSE

    

Ramblings Of A Mad Woman

I will claim it. I am mad in both definitions of the word! I am crazy and angry, and at this point in time I really don't care who knows. For all intents and purposes, I am a conspiracy theorist--have been for a number of years now. The irony here is, I am no longer angry at the powers that be. I am angry with my fellow conspiracy theorists.

Why am I angry with my fellow conspiracy theorists? While they like to discuss all the alternative news available, they aren't doing anything to further the cause of truth. In fact, most of them are still so caught up in the programming the cabal has wrapped us up in they still continue to play the game!!! It's playing the game that pisses me off so much!!!

For example, many of my conspiracy theory friends still believe that one party has some moral superiority over the other. For crying out loud! Haven't you figured out BOTH parties are equally rotten? Granted, some people are worse than others. Some ideologies are truly immoral in so many ways. That doesn't mean that professing one good thing makes you a good candidate! More than likely they are just blowing smoke up your butt like they always do to try to persuade you to vote for them! There is a reason voting feels like choosing the lesser of two evils! It's because we ARE choosing the lesser of two evils!!! Choosing evil only perpetuates the problem!!!

Voting is another issue I have a problem with. There is no doubt in my mind the powers that be have the power to fix elections. They manipulate caucuses. They miscount or lose paper ballots. They even fix votes by programming our black box computers to ever-so-subtly change the votes to their party's candidate. I know a lot of supposedly awake people who believe their vote actually still makes a difference! Bah humbug!!!

Another game conspiracy theorists still play is believing that one group or another is going to ride in on a white horse (or in a white hat) and save the day! Fact of the matter is, there is no savior! No one is coming to fix the world, not even God. We are totally responsible for fixing it ourselves! The belief in a savior is a mind control program that has been so ingrained in our subconscious that we all look for solutions to our problems outside ourselves. Such a belief takes us out of our own power and places us in the control of others. It is only by looking within and connecting to our hearts that we find the power to take care of our own problems.

The worst thing conspiracy theorists do is to tear each other down. We have a tendency to call one another out for something that is not totally on the up-and-up. I've got news for you. Nobody is totally on the up-and-up!!! It's called being human, and we all struggle in a continuous battle between the dark half and the light half of ourselves!!! While it's true that some of the things we do might be counterintuitive, the fact that there are things we achieve that weaken the powers that be do matter. Pointing out our neighbor's flaws only serves to separate us from each other, allowing the cabal to continue on in their dark ways.

Until we all wake up and decide to take responsibility for what happens on this planet, we will continue to live in the muck. It is no longer okay to just accept the status quo! It is time to search your own heart for the answers you seek. When you get the inspiration to do something, follow that instinct! It is only through following the advice and wisdom from our hearts that the puzzle pieces begin to fall into place. Trust the One to be able to put it all together into one beautiful whole.

~CSE

If We Lived From The Heart

I talk a lot about the world making the transition from living from the mind to living from the heart, but it occurs to me that is not as easily understood as I would like it to be. People think they know what that means. Often, they conclude that thinking from the heart would mean chaos and confusion as all logic and common sense is lost in the emotional onslaught. Honestly, that doesn't sound like a place I would want to live in either. There is logic and common sense involved in living from the heart. What is lost is judgment.

The way we function now--which I like to call from the mind--is thoroughly encased in judgment. For example, people who worship the god Science actively look for truth by engaging in experiments and basing conclusions on those findings. While I believe there is value in such an approach to life, I also believe it is limited. People who rely mainly on science to explain the world around them are subject to not only the biases of the people running the experiments, but they can also be controlled and manipulated by outright lies presented by some of these "scientists". People who rely solely on the mind cannot tap into the guidance of their intuitions in order to ascertain who is lying and who is credible. They become prey to those who would deceive them for power or gain.

People who live their lives through religion also function largely from the mind. Such people use the holy books of their religions and the personal teachings they have either grown up with or chosen as adults to shape their actions. Even though some of these people actually do end up having some sort of encounter with the Divine, they end up defining it through their religious perspective, limiting what they allow that experience to be and never quite fully engaging their hearts/intuitions. Questioning the basic tenants of most religions can result in excommunication and eternal hell.

Living from the heart is more of a blank canvas which you continue to create as time goes on. Instead of looking outside yourself for answers, you internally ask what you should do in this moment of now. Looking within is key because it is your heart that connects you to everything that exists (what I call Oneness).

To illustrate the differences between each perspective, let's look at a murder. This particular murder is one where the person killed his entire family in a drug induced rage. From a science-based mind approach, a person might see someone who is terribly addicted to drugs and out of control. Of course this person needs to be locked up, probably for life. He can be treated for the drug addiction, but there is always the possibility that he is beyond hope as his brain may have been permanently damaged from the drugs.

From a religious, mind-based approach, one might see a lost soul who has chosen to live without God. Not only does the murderer need to repent of his sins, but he is also in need of accepting the services of a personal savior in order to escape the fiery pits of hell. In this lifetime he may be offered treatment and counseling services, which could help some. However, life imprisonment and even a death sentence might be more in line with the nature of the crime.

In a heart-based perspective, a person would look at the murderer and ask internally what they need to see and know about this situation. This person might be guided to the physical aspects of the addiction, but also the conditions that led to the addiction in the first place. Former abuse could be uncovered. Pain, hurt and confusion would run deep within the murderer, and the heart is what would uncover it. Yes, the person would still be locked up, but they would be treated with compassion. If there is a way to heal the murderer, the heart will find it.

Today's world is one where we function as if one size fits all. The simple truth is, each situation we encounter is just as distinct and different as each individual on the planet. The mind likes to sort these things in boxes. The heart allows for these individual differences and provides for the needs of each one. The more we incorporate such thinking into our BEing, the closer we are to creating the world of our dreams!

~CSE

    

The Space Between Thoughts Meditation

Today, I want to share a very simple technique to help you clear your mind and consciously connect to the space where God/Source can actually speak to you and provide you with the answers you need in your daily life.

1. Find a quiet place where you can sit in a comfortable position without interruption. Consciously ask for freedom from interruption and protection from any energy that may wish to interfere or harm.
2. Take several minutes to focus on your breathing, allowing yourself to inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth. Picture tensions leaving your body as you exhale. Imagine breathing in positive energies when you inhale.
3. Center yourself fully in your body in the Now by focusing on the beat/beat of your own heart. Feel the life force flow through yourself as your heart pumps blood/energy throughout your body. Stay in this space for several minutes.
4. Expand your energy/spirit beyond your own physical body as you stay centered in your physical body. Allow your spiritual body to become so large it has no physical limitations and is part of the infinite.
5. See the word BELIEVE on the picture screen of your mind. Notice the shape of each letter and how they all look together. Focus on this word for several minutes so it is clearly etched in your consciousness.
6. Without erasing the word BELIEVE, see the word RECEIVE on the picture screen in your mind. Focus solely on the word RECEIVE for several minutes until it is firmly locked in place there.
7. Now look at the two words together, focusing on the space in between the two words. Expand this space so it is big enough for you to enter inside of it. Allow yourself to stand in this space between the two words and rest within it. Feel how light the space is. This is a place you can go to in order to renew yourself. Take the time to get to know it and experience it in this moment of Now without judging it or yourself.

By consciously connecting to the space between words, it is possible to quickly and easily clear your mind of the noise of everyday living. The more you practice this simple technique, the more quickly you can enter a space where your mind is not taking over. You are able to access the guidance and wisdom of the One because you are in a space where you are thinking/feeling with your heart.

~CSE

Dropping Ego

We are all aware of what the word ego means. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines ego as "the self, especially as contrasted with another self or the world." What strikes me about this definition of ego is that it is based in separation. Ego is the individual you when separated from everything else. Why would we need to drop ego at this critical time? We need to drop ego because the problems we have in the world today have been created within a state of separation.

When I look at my own ego, I see problems. It's my ego that gets offended when someone treats me poorly. If I allow myself to stay in ego instead of reverting back to my BEing (that is joined with Oneness), I will act out aggressively instead of understanding their poor treatment is the result of the abuses they themselves have suffered at the hands of others acting through ego. It's my own ego that seeks to build itself up instead of acknowledging the value and worth of others. This, in turn, feeds into all the other separation that is in the world. While ego has been necessary to experience duality in a conscious way, we have come to a point in time where it has created enough separation we will destroy the planet. We need to get ego under control if we are to survive.

Dropping ego requires opening the heart and living from that place. This is because our hearts are what connect us to Oneness. Oneness is the space where the illusion of separation is shattered. It is within Oneness that the solutions we seek for our dying world come to light because everything exists there. All information is accessible. It is from the heart that we understand what is necessary for the health and well-being of the whole.

We cannot solve problems through the same thinking that created them. It is in ego the problems were created in the first place. It is time to drop the separation mindset. It is time to drop the ego and learn to live together as One.

~CSE

The World Evolving

There is a farm deep in the breadbasket of California known as Singing Frogs Farm. It is a very small (around 8 acres) organic farm run by former Peace Corps volunteers, Paul and Elizabeth Kaiser. What makes the farm something extra is the fact that they not only produce bumper crops of vegetables rich in nutrients, but they manage to earn $100,000 per acre of ground using very little water and a no till approach. They even pulled off this miracle in the middle of the California drought!

How does this happen? It happens because they think outside the box. They innovate and experiment and look for strategies that fit their particular environment. They look for ways to compliment and enrich Mother Earth. It isn't a competitive approach. It is one of dependence and interdependence, human and earth living in harmony.

If the world is to survive, this is exactly the approach we need to take. It is not about competition. While we've been trained to believe that survival of the fittest crap, that is not our true nature. We act competitively, yet deeper down we have the very real capacity to work together to accomplish great things--things that our minds tell us are impossible but our hearts know to be very possible.

It takes thinking outside the box. It takes listening to and acting on the guidance and wisdom of the heart. It is a very different way of thinking and acting than we have been taught, and it is not an easy transition for most of us.

The fact that the Kaisers were former Peace Corps volunteers says something to me. It says they came into the world wanting to help. It tells me they know how to think with their hearts. They have followed their hearts into this arena of organic farming to a place where the fruit of their labors are not only healthy, but profitable! They are pioneers in the forefront of an evolving world.

We all need this pioneering spirit again! The world has problems, but they can be overcome. They cannot be overcome through competition and the usual corporate mentality that has been touted to save us. This approach is killing us and the planet.

It is time to begin using our hearts to lead us to a healthier and more productive place. The world is evolving. Time to get to work and move it along into a stronger and more positive way of life!

~CSE

  

Where The Magic Of Creation Begins!

I've been playing in my meditation time lately. I wanted to share because it is feeling very productive! The sweet spot I've been exploring is literally where all creation begins. It's a place full of magic that I don't want to leave when I'm there because of all the inspiration I have been receiving.

The technique I'm using is extremely simple. Once I am connected into my heart, I begin to ask questions specific to the personal talent I desire to develop. Lately, it has been my gift for writing. I have two ideas for books that I want to develop more fully. One idea is for a children's books series. The other is a more spiritually minded book for adults. One at a time, I ask the Universe how these stories should develop. Once I put the question out there, I just sit back and wait for an answer.

The answers that seem to evolve from this process are truly amazing! Never before have I had such details roll through my mind as I contemplate my writing. It's as thought the stories are writing themselves! It is such a wonderful and fascinating place to be I honestly don't want to leave (although I eventually have to get back to some of the more practical aspects of my life).

You could actually use this technique for more than inspiring you in using your talents. This is also a good place if you want to visualize healing a hurt relationship or improving your connection to something like money.

All creation begins in the spiritual realms before it manifests in the physical ones. By focusing your energy on the heart, you are better able to touch the spiritual and bring that forth into your physical life. Take the time to play in that space. You never know what life will spring forth from time spent in your heart!

~CSE

  

Getting To Know Your Angels

Did you know you have angels who are assigned to you personally? (Yes, you are just that special!) Their jobs are to help you accomplish your goals and mission in life. They prompt you to take certain actions through thoughts or "coincidences". They keep you out of harms way if that is not part of your life's plan. They even provide physical things you need, although you might not consider your angels were the ones who brought them. You can get to know your angels personally, although for the vast majority of us the process takes time and focus.

I became aware of my angels, particularly the one I consider my angel-in-charge, by connecting to my heart space and becoming aware of energies that surround me. I had recently learned the process and I was guiding my sister through the technique. When we were both connected, I just sat there and focused on feeling the energies around me. I felt a presence a foot or two behind myself, sort of off to my right side. Interestingly enough, I felt a similar presence behind my sister but I knew that was her angel and I didn't need to concern myself with him. This is was my first acknowledgement of the presence of my personal guardian.

The whole experience intrigued me to the point where I began to seek more information about what happened. I was able to describe the experience to a very gifted intuitive, and she helped me determine more exactly what had happened. She also gave me suggestions for what to pay attention to--specifics like did it feel safe and where did those knowing feelings occurr in my own body. (Different people will get intuitive feelings/information in different locations in their bodies. Most of mine occur in my stomach and solar plexus areas, but they can even occur in something like your arm or your big toe. Don't judge them!)

I began to take time daily to get in touch with this particular angel. One of my favorite times of day was at work. At the time I was still working as a daycare teacher and I had a class of two year olds that took naps every day just after lunch. The two hour period where they slept gave me a large portion of time to get quiet and get connected. I found myself talking to my angel a lot during this time. As I didn't have a name for him, my offbeat sense of humor began referring to him as "Bob". Every time I used that name, I could feel my angel laughing. (Yes, they can have a sense of humor!) After a while of referring to him as "Bob", I heard a soft voice in my head. "My name is Saul." I was quite surprised by that. For some reason I never thought to ask for a real name.

Over time, I got out of the habit of talking to Saul, although I know he is still with me. I have once again made time to become aware of his specific presence just so I can hear his voice and advice a little more clearly.

You can get to know the presence and voice of your own angel/angels. It is simply a question of connecting to your heart and allowing yourself to become aware of the energies around you. Pay attention to feelings of safety or harm because all the energies around you are not necessarily helpful. The more familiar you become with various energies, the more you can learn about the spiritual realm.

~CSE

   

Getting Out Of Your Own Way

Years ago when I was an actively seeking Christian, I decided to seek out the gift of speaking in tongues. I was part of a group that believed in not limiting the gifts of the Spirit. One of my fellow believers had told me of a book called, "They Speak With Other Tongues", by John Sherrill, which intrigued me and made me want to investigate this phenomenon more closely.

For part of my journey, I was led to a couple whose son was friends with my son. They had experience with such gifts. They invited me into their home one afternoon and prayed for me to receive the gift of tongues. Although it did not happen for me that day, I remembered myself speaking in tongues as a child. Interestingly enough, my tongues experience manifested a few years later in the company of a group of spiritually minded folks. The leaders of this group were folks I had met at a church service the first couple had brought me to several years before. Small world.

What leaves a lasting impact on my heart and mind from those details is this; my own biggest obstacle to obtaining this spiritual gift was me! I was the one stopping me! When I look back at the situation, it was my mind that told me it couldn't be done. It was my mind that told me this gift looked ridiculous. It was my mind that told me I couldn't do it.

My heart told me otherwise. It was my heart that sought out the information in the first place. It was my heart that led me to people who could help me. It was my heart that allowed me to overcome the shame my mind was heaping on me to keep me away from my spiritual gifts.

Getting out of your own way requires a leap of faith. It requires allowing yourself to do something that seems silly or ignorant because you heart longs to go there. Your heart is your internal knowing, your internal guidance system. When we ignore that leanings of our hearts, our lives often do not go well, nor are we happy.

Allow yourself to follow the wisdom that comes from your heart, even when the world (and your mind) tells you it won't work out. The part of you that is connected to everything in Oneness has a much fuller grasp of what is going on. Learn to trust it and get out of your own way so you can live the life of your dreams!

~CSE

  

The Best Advice I Ever Received

The best advice I ever received came to me well over 25 years ago. At the time I was in my early twenties and I was working at a group home with emotionally disturbed children. The advice came from a coworker and friend who was only slightly older than myself. Because of life experience, she had a great deal of common sense and lot of insight. 

The job at the group home was my first real job after college, and I struggled with it. Working with children--especially children with behavioral problems--meant there was a great need to be authoritative while still being kind. I just wasn't getting it, and it left me frustrated and angry. I asked for advice and took it. Nothing seemed to work for me. 

After six months on the job, I had my first ever job review. It didn't go well. I sat in the cottage at the group home in a bit of a daze, wondering what I was going to do to change things. That's when my friend, Laurie, showed up. She was a terrific residence counselor even though she had not been there quite as long as I had. Being one of thirteen children, she had absolutely no problem dealing with kids or kid problems. She had already helped raise a couple of her younger siblings and was used to chaotic groups.

Laurie could sense that something was wrong and asked about it. I told her about the review. I described how I had been asking for advice and taking it, but nothing seemed to be working for me. She looked at me and said, "Your biggest problem is that you are listening too much to other people's advice. What works for someone else may not necessarily work for you. What does your instinct tell you to do? I admitted I had not considered that before. Laurie told me that I needed to do what "felt" right.

I took the advice to heart. I began listening to my inner voice and doing what it said, and things at worked improved quickly. In fact, within one month, my supervisor who had given me the review said, "I can't believe how much you have improved in your job in such a short time! Keep it up!"

As I look back at that experience, I understand the importance of Laurie's advice. You can imitate the best. You can research and review and experiment with different approaches to life. Some things you try may work. At other times these same things may fall flat. It isn't the method you choose. It's a question of where you get your guidance from. Does it come from a book or another person, or does it come from some deep place of knowing in your heart? 

The answer to that question will determine just how successful you become in your own life. Know that you have all the answers within. Trust the guidance of your heart to make the difference.

~CSE

  

 

 

To Thine Own Self Be True

I read an amazingly good essay the other day titled "You Probably Know To Ask Yourself, 'What do I Want?' Here's A Way Better Question". It's about the fact that most people are not willing to put the time and effort into making their goals/dreams a reality. For me, the key to the whole topic rested in the following brief paragraphs:

If I asked you, "What do you want out of life?" and you say something like, I want to be happy and have a great family and a job I like," it's so ubiquitous that it doesn't even mean anything.

A more interesting question, a question that you've perhaps never considered before, is what pain do you want in your life? What are you willing to struggle for? Because that seems to be a greater determinant in how our lives turn out.

The brilliance lies in the question involving pain. What is so important to you that you are willing to walk through the fire to obtain it? Most of the things we believe we believe we want are not that important to us. Why? Because we live in a world where we are told what we want, but this doesn't necessarily line up with the goals and desires of our hearts!

Here in the United States, we are overwhelmed by advertising and programming where material objects are important. We watch "reality" shows about people like the Kardashians. Images of expensive cars, plush homes and exotic locations come to us through TV, movies and the internet. We are expected to attend our assembly-line schools, where we are taught to get good grades so we can get a good job and make lots of money and buy all the things they tell us we want. Typically, we are shunted into cookie cutter jobs that use our abilities but do not always tap into our interests and talents, all for a paycheck. This way of functioning is through the mind. It is purely rational. Consequently, it does not touch on those things that really drive us and make us tick.

The things that matter to each one of us come through the heart. Even though they might be unconscious thoughts, they have great power in our lives. When our hearts desire something, we are usually willing to go through great pain in order to get it.

When I look at my own life through the level of my brain, this is what I see. I have money to live on but not much more. I did manage to receive a college education that I have not really used in life. I am on my second marriage. Although this marriage is much stronger, I am disappointed that I will not have the 50+ year relationship that my parents have. I did raise some amazing children. I have always been appreciated in the jobs that have provided for me because I am intelligent and a hard worker. Still I have not attained a high level in any of my career paths. I think I want to travel all over the world and personally experience the many cultures that have peaked my interest. I make friends easily, and my close friendships include people of all ages.

When I look at my life through my heart, I see something very different. Although my jobs never paid a great deal, I was always able to pay the bills while still making sure my kids had at least some of the things they wanted. I also got to spend large quantities of time raising them, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I have successfully avoided the stress and health problems that come with taking on management positions. While my first marriage failed, I learned self-reliance and independence through having to take care of myself and my family. My fascination with people from different cultures has resulted in having friendships with people from all over the world. I have a good many strong friendships in general. These are all things that are important to my heart, and I have consequently been extremely successful in such areas.

If you have not already done so, it is time to ask the hard questions. What can you not live without? What are you willing to endure hardships for? What things are so important to you that you would walk through fire to obtain them? The answers may surprise you.

Connect to your heart and allow it to guide you. This will lead you back to self and all that is truly important to you. Your goals are never outside yourself.

To thine own self be true.

~CSE