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

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

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

    

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

    

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

      

 

 

Tools For Quieting The Mind

As we begin the New Year, I am reminded there are many who are still searching for meditation methods that work for them. One of the most important aspects of meditation is quieting the mind in order to hear the thoughts and ideas that come from the Void that is Source energy. In today's world, information comes at us at such a rapid rate it can be difficult to close ourselves off from that extraneous noise. Here are a few of the tools I use to help myself unplug from the thoughts of the world and quiet my mind!

Tools For Quieting The Mind:

1. Exercise. While this may sound strange, exercise is one of my go-to's when it comes to quieting the mind. Whether you are into stretching, cardio, or muscle building, exercise is a great way to relieve stress and tension. The repetitive motions help synchronize the two hemispheres of your brain and make it go into an alpha brainwave state, which puts you in a calm, relaxed frame of mind.
2. Music. Calm, soothing music--especially music you are familiar with and enjoy--can also bring the brain into synchronization and create brainwave states that relax and help clear your mind. If you are musical, singing or playing a musical instrument can also help.
3. Hobbies. Whether you are artistic, like to cook, restore old cars or enjoy solving math problems, spending time in a hobby relieves stress and brings happiness and enjoyment that helps calm your brain.
4. Making Lists. Sometimes, writing down a list of all the things  you need to do or even a list of your problems frees up your mind. Many occasions, your mind continues to dwell on stressors so that you will not forget to take care of them. This is why you can't seem to get things out of your head. When you make a concrete list, you give your brain the internal signal that it no longer needs to remember because you have a written reminder to use later.
5. Visualization. If you are a visual and imaginative person, you can use your imagination to visualize emptying your mind. For example, imagine a ball of light or an angel beside you. Picture this light being siphoning off all the dark, negative energy inside you. You could also picture your spiritual mentor (like Jesus or Buddha) standing beside you, accepting all your problems and burdens and offering to take them away from you. Understand that any scenario you come up with that helps relieve your mind of its problems is what you need to work toward.

There are many things you can do to quiet you mind and make it easier to connect directly to Source energy. Allow yourself the time you need to take care of self and quieting the mind becomes much easier.

~CSE

  

The Balance Between Intuition And The Mind

Almost 20 years ago, I was told by my husband he wanted to separate. At the time I was still heavily invested in that relationship and still deeply in love with him. It was his desire that the kids and I stay in Georgia with my parents when he returned to Iowa. As I had no family support system in Iowa, that sounded like a good idea to me.

Several months down the road of this divorce journey, I had a dream. It felt extremely significant as I don't often remember my dreams, but I did this one. In the dream, my husband moved to Georgia to be closer to the kids. The thought that my husband would move to Georgia made me happy. I believed he would realize what he had lost and come back to me.

About a year and a half after that dream, my life was in shambles. My divorce had been finalized and I was the one who filed as I found out he was with someone else. My ex and his girlfriend had indeed moved to Georgia to be closer to the kids. While my dream had come true, nothing about it panned out as I had hoped.

The thing about intuitive insight is this: it isn't always what your mind wants to see and your mind can and will distort it. I believe I was given that dream in order to prepare for my ex being back in my life in a new and different way. However, back then I was not in the same place I am now. I didn't ask questions. I didn't seek any clarity or additional insight. Maybe if I had I would have understood he was not going to be coming alone.

The information was all there in my heart. Deep inside, I had known my husband had not been faithful to me. I tried to blame his behavior and the signs I noticed on depression or other circumstances. I was in a deep state of denial because I was not ready to give up on that relationship.

I believe the mind can play a good role when intuition comes into play. If I had allowed my mind to ask the questions that were there, I would have understood more and probably would have gained a great deal more insight. I would have been much more prepared for what actually happened and stronger through the process.

Hindsight is always 20/20. That said, I am much more likely to ask questions and look at intuitive information from different perspectives in present day. I am not perfect. I am still a work-in-progress, but every day I get closer to the person I want to be. I am becoming a person who is open to intuition and asks questions until I better understand the role this information is supposed to play in my life. The balance between intuition and the mind is key to living a more healthy and abundant life.

~CSE

When Life Doesn't Go According To Plan

Expectations. We all have them. They come from how the world tells us things should be. The problems come in when life doesn't go according to plan (which is pretty much all the time). Why does this happen? It's because we have a tendency to make plans with our minds rather than with our hearts!

Key here is that we usually make plans based on what society and our own experience tells us is correct. We have used our five senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell) to gain information about how the world works. Then, using this experience, we rationalize the various options we see and choose what direction we will go in.

When I was young, I had all these expectations about how my life was going to be. I was going to get married, raise a family, have a successful counseling career and grow old with that same husband. The first thing to go was the career. I started out on the path, becoming a residence counselor working with emotionally disturbed children. Spending time with children who had severe behavioral problems because of abuse helped me understand I wanted to be the one actually raising my children instead of having a daycare raise them. Grad school was no longer all that desirable.

The second thing to go was the marriage. While I now understand there was so much wrong with my first marriage, losing it was still devastating. I felt like such a failure. I was broken and alone, and it took me many years to recover.

Even though my life did not stick to my mental script, I believe it did go according to plan. What I didn't understand was that it was going to follow the plan of my heart. My heart understood that I needed to learn self-worth and self-reliance. My heart understood I needed to be made stronger through adversity. My heart understood I was not meant to live inside a box that other people fit comfortably in.

I am okay with that. I can now appreciate that I've always had what I needed exactly when I needed it, even when I didn't understand what was going on at the time. My life has been full of fumbling and missteps, but it has been richer and more complete because of those problems. My life has not gone according to the plans in my head, but because my heart had other ideas my life has been everything I have needed.

Scrap the plan and follow the guidance of your heart! You may just find yourself in a place that far outweighs your former expectations.

~CSE

The Problem With Agendas

I love Christmas. I have so many fond memories of this time of year from growing up that I have always wanted to instill that joy in others. Christmas baking, music, hidden presents, family time, etc. are just some of the pleasant memories I want to instill in my own family. The problem comes in because I want to incorporate all these characteristics into every Christmas. I become very agenda-driven this time of year and it can be a problem. Why? It is very easy to let the agenda become the focus, very often missing out on what the heart tells you should happen.

This particular year's Christmas agenda involves my now two-year-old granddaughter. She already loves Christmas. Whenever we go to a store with a Christmas display she is extremely content to look at the Christmas trees with lights and the big blow up lawn ornaments that are popular now. I am hoping to get her interested in helping me with holiday baking and perhaps creating some good Christmas memories for her. She has already helped me with a few other baking projects so this seems like a reasonable thing to try. I have my baking supplies ready for her arrival and hope to bake one or two things every day for several days.

The thing is, expectations and reality can be two very different things. I may wish to accomplish several tasks, only to encounter problems along the way. For example, my granddaughter is two. She may not have the attention span or may just not enjoy the task of baking. She may get tired and cranky and want to go play with her toys, leaving both of us hurt and frustrated.

Agendas are problems because they are plans, usually constructed using the brain/mind. They involve rational thinking. I don't wish to bash rational thinking. It is helpful and has its place. The thing is, thinking with the mind is usually based on and limited to the information obtained from experience.

When you live from the heart, there is no conscious agenda. You may have goals. You just trust that the Universe has a plan to get you there. Instead of trying to think up a path to take you there, the heart follows the path of least resistance. In my experience, the path that I consciously choose with my mind and rational thinking (agenda) is almost never the path that gets me there.

I have decided it will be best to just try to go with the flow and try not to expect too much. I will listen to her needs. I will do what I can to to make things fun. I understand I will be doing most of it myself. I may not get it all finished. It's all good. I'm trusting the Universe has a plan to help me create beautiful Christmas memories for her.

Do not be afraid to let go of your agendas. Understand the Universe knows what you wish to create in the world. Allow your heart to show you the way. It probably will not go as expected, but rest assured it will be much better than anything you ever thought possible.

~CSE

You Are More Aware Than You Think!

As a woman (and a decent looking one), I have had my fair share of catcalls. It can be extremely uncomfortable to walk by a group of boys or men and be the victim of mindless sexual innuendo. Although nothing has been done physically, you still end up feeling assaulted. Why is that? It's because, deep down, we all understand what is playing out in the minds of those making the catcalls. We feel it! It is dark. It is vile. It is emotionless. It is aggressive. At times we can even picture just what these men want to do.

Men can feel this as well at times when they are hit on by other men. Straight men who get hit on aggressively by gay men often adopt the attitude that being gay is a perversion. I believe this is a direct result of feeling the aggressive sexual thoughts directed at them by those particular gay men and the awareness makes straight men feel uncomfortable. (Please note that not all gay men or women have sexually aggressive thoughts--just those who have learned to associate sex with mindless, physical pleasure. Also note there are straight women who have sexually aggressive thoughts as well.)

I bring these feelings up because this is exactly what I mean when I talk about awareness! There are times in everyone's lives when we just "know" something without understanding why we "know" it. For those of us less in touch with our intuition, it is usually only the strongest feelings that come through. Understand that when feelings come across that strong, it is extra important to pay attention! These are often warnings that danger is close.

When you take the time to quiet your mind and get into your heart, awareness opens up exponentially. Allow yourself at least half and hour every day to feel the energies around you. You will begin to get a sense the nature of the objects around you. For example, you may sense the mind-numbing confusion that comes from your television. You might get a sense of peace from the organic bananas you just bought. If you continue this practice, you may even begin to feel the presence of your guardian angels or loved ones who have passed on but are back to assist you!

Awareness is always present. When you allow yourself to pay attention, the information that comes will keep you safe and will guide you to better ways of doing things. You are much more aware than you think!

~CSE

The Transition

The world is a crazy place. Our lives seem to be falling apart. Our jobs are becoming more stressful as more responsibility gets dumped on us, or we are losing them altogether. Medical crises, housing issues, inconsistent friendships and general life changes are the norm right now. The important thing to understand about the now is this: we are all in transition. We are exiting the mind way of thinking and entering the heart way of thinking.

We have lived in the mind way of thinking for millenia. This is the part of us that uses our "rational" thinking. This is the part of us that bases our actions on what society and our experiences have taught us and what we deem are logical actions according to that information. This is also that part of us that keeps us separate and in ego. It is the part of us that is willing to give up our personal power because we believe that we, as humans, are weak and need something bigger and more powerful than ourselves to save us.

We are transitioning toward a more heart-based approach to living. Living from the heart means being conscious and aware of our connection to Oneness and God/Source. When we are connected to our hearts, we are able to draw on all knowledge and all power that is available in Oneness. We stop being self-centered and become centered, grounded and whole. We are no longer separate, no longer in a state of dependency. We take responsibility for who we are and live accordingly.

Understand the craziness comes in because this transition is a huge process. It is a totally different way of thinking, a whole new way of living! Expect the problems to continue as we struggle through this change. Becoming awake and aware is difficult for most people. It requires throwing out all those false beliefs we have built our lives on and rebuilding our worlds from the ground up.

This process will take quite a few years to complete. Know that if you are reading this, you are probably a little more awake and aware than the average person. That means you are on the front lines and will be prone to extra attacks from those who resist change the hardest. Don't take those attacks personally. It is just part of the process. Find others who are where you are at and come together for mutual support--even if that support is limited to those you know on the internet.

We are living in exciting times! Understand we will all be much better off in the long run, but we have to go through this transition in order to get to the other side. The changes will feel much smoother when we acknowledge the difficulty of the journey and accept them as they are.

~CSE

   

The Problem With Plans

I have a problem. I never realized what a big problem it was until just this minute. I am a planner. I decide on a destination and look down the road as far as I can see. From that point, I plot my moves as strategically as possible with the information available to me. Then I try and take what actions I deem necessary to move me in the desired direction. Why is this a problem, you ask? Because I am planning with my mind instead of my heart!

My mind has very limited information. It is based on what society has taught me is "appropriate" and what my experience tells me works. No matter how much I plan or how many contingencies I plan for, what my head understands will always be vulnerable to variables I know nothing about.

To add insult to injury, I judge myself in this moment of now when my plans don't work out. Quite often my plans involve goals and little things I should be accomplishing along the way. I have a tendency to be very hard on myself when things don't work out as I believe they should.

The Universe often has a good laugh over our plans. There are many occasions where I have been told things are going to happen in advance (aka destination). At that point, I will make my plans on how I am going to get there. Consequently, none of my plans ever seem to work, but somehow I find myself at the destination anyway!!!

The thing about plans is this: there is ultimately a BIG plan. It's something we have helped co-create with our fellow beings to help us learn and grow and live together as One. Subconsciously we work on it all the time because our subconscious is tuned into our connection to Source through our hearts. It is only when we bring this heart connection into our awareness that we begin to understand our heart plans--the BIG plan.

Plans themselves really aren't the problem. The problem is what you use to make your plans: your head or your heart. Once we begin to go with the plans in our hearts, we discover how much more easily the circumstances of our lives work out. We begin to live in the flow we are ultimately destined to live in.

~CSE

Your Intuition And The Choices Of Others

I read a thought-provoking article this morning about how to talk to women without children, and it made me think about all the judgments we carry that make articles like this necessary. Why is it that we need counseling about what is or is not appropriate in our treatment of others who are different from ourselves? It's because we live through our "rational" minds instead of our hearts!

Let's look at childless women. Here in the US, most of us just expect to grow up, marry, and raise a family. When someone doesn't fit into that mold we don't know how to handle the situation. We usually have a little more sympathy for someone who has tried to conceive a child but cannot (still not a good situation because we over-pity them and don't focus on what is good in their lives). However, for those who make the choice to focus on a career or something else, we automatically assume they are selfish lowlifes who are not nice people!!!

I have much to say on this topic--mainly because I worked for many years as a daycare teacher and have seen both sides of this issue from the perspective of the child and the childcare worker. I know some incredibly brilliant parents--several of whom planned not to become parents and then accidentally became pregnant. I also know some lousy parents who wanted lots of children and couldn't handle the ones they had. I appreciate people who understand what good parenting entails and choose not to have children to focus on other things. They know themselves and their hearts and are trying to follow that guidance.

Understand this. If you are standing back judging someone else, you are not following your heart!!! Your heart is the place of connection! Every time you sit in judgment of someone or something you are choosing separation!!! Your heart is the place of love! It is the place of forgiveness! It is the place of acceptance! It is the place of peace! Following your heart leads you to places of empowerment for yourself and others.

If you are following your intuition by tuning into your heart, you are really not focused on the choices of others (things you cannot control). You are focused on how to help. You are focused on how to encourage. You are focused on the things you personally can do to make a difference!

Listen to the wisdom and guidance of your own heart!!! You will live every day in the brilliance and magic that is you!!!

~CSE