Our Hope And Our Future

I had an extremely interesting conversation with some young coworkers a few days ago. By young, I mean all three of them were young enough to be my daughters. I can't remember which one brought it up, but the bottom line of the conversation was that none of them believed the "news" story about the reporter and cameraman in Virginia being shot live on air was real. None of them! For the record, I myself believe the story to be doubtful, but then again I am a conspiracy theorist. I have just seen too many stories that leave more answers than questions, too many leads not followed up on.

For example, I don't believe anyone died at Sandy Hook. There have been many things that made me question the story over time--emergency drill planned for the area that day, evidence of crisis actors, even one video that made a case for the child "victims" all being alive and well (and substantially older than they were reported to be at the time of the incident).

What I realize about my young friends is that they were born into a world with problems. Things have not been as easy for them growing up as they were for me. Consequently, they are not programmed to believe the world is run by people who care (like so many people my age and older). They see the flaws and desire to change things.

I'll admit, becoming a conspiracy theorist was difficult for me. I did not want to believe the world I live in is run by control freak psychopaths. When I finally understood the level of control and manipulation I live under, my world completely fell apart. I literally had to reconstruct my whole outlook to reflect these new understandings. Confronting evil is not pretty.

Young people today don't have anything to reconstruct because they were born into an obviously flawed world. It is much easier for them to not only see the evil but also to deal with it. These kids are now coming of an age where they are old enough to change the world, and they are making great strides. I am extremely encouraged that I do not have to fight this battle alone. These young people are our hope and our future. May I be blessed enough to witness everything they accomplish!

~CSE

   

On The Other Side Of Fear

Wars and rumors of wars. Disease. Environmental destruction. Failing economies, falling stocks and poverty. The world is one great big mess. Most days it is easy to get lost in the negativity of it all. Being fearful is the natural result of such a focus. The thing is, there is so much more on the other side of fear.

There is friendship and peace on the other side of fear. Many people work behind the scenes every day to bring cooperation to situations that are on the verge of becoming volatile. The fact of the matter is, most people worldwide do not hate and dislike the idea of fighting. It is only our supposed "leaders" who fight for control of the world's resources that take us into conflict in the first place. We have the power to change this by making our voices heard.

There are cures for disease on the other side of fear. Often, finding them requires looking beyond what we are told. Some of the cures we know about. Others still require finding. Our world and even our own bodies can reveal secrets to how to keep our bodies in health.

The world's money problems continue to play in the forefronts of our minds, thanks to the media. Markets all over the world are volatile and in freefall. The thing to remember here is, you can't eat money. Even though we believe we need money to survive, the reality is we don't. We need food to survive. We need water and air and access to clothing and housing. Understand the things we need to survive already exist. We just need to rethink the system that gets them to us.

Stepping into the other side of fear requires us to focus on improvements that need to be made. The only reason we need to even acknowledge the fear is so we understand exactly what needs to be changed in the first place. Fear does not need to be given place in our hearts.

It is time to step out on the other side of fear, and change the world.

~CSE

  

It Isn't About You!!!

It happens to everyone. A friend or coworker says or does something hurtful, and we stand back wondering what we did to merit such action. We may end up feeling sad or angry or, at times, just confused. Sometimes it upsets us so much we say or do things we regret later. There is one thought that keeps me sane at times like these: it is not about me!

People act on what they know. If you grow up in a family that speaks their minds and fights all the time, it will feel natural to treat everyone else that way. Years ago, I had a coworker that was quite aggressive. If she didn't like something you were doing she would let you know in no uncertain terms. Many days I felt like I was in the crosshairs because we were so different. The funny thing was, another girl began working with us that was exactly like her. While the rest of us didn't really care to hang out with either one of them, they became fast friends. They fought and bickered between themselves, and that was okay because that's what they were used to.

I encounter many people in my customer service job who are abrupt and difficult. Sometimes they are just in a hurry and need help finding something so they can be on their way again. Sometimes they are not feeling well, but junior needs khakis for his band concert tomorrow night, so there they are at the store when they would rather just be in bed. There are many other reasons they might act in disrespectful ways. I don't take it personally. Being sensitive and a good listener, I can usually feel they are in pain. I do what I can to help, often times making them feel a little better.

There are occasions where something I do seems to send someone else over the edge. This is because my action has reminded them of something someone else has done to them in the past and it triggers an automated sort of response. I call these trigger points, and when I encounter them personally I know there is an issue I need to look at and work on. Understand that most people are not ready to deal with their issues and will act out on them instead.

What I try to remember is this: people act out for many different reasons, and it is not about me. It is really all about them! It is their experience, their issue, their life! It is not right or wrong. It is part of their learning experience and something they are dealing with in the moment of now.

Don't make their problem about you. You have enough to deal with without taking on additional responsibility. The only person you can truly fix is yourself. Respect them enough to allow them to fix their own problems. It isn't about you!!!

~CSE

    

What It Means To Be A Lightworker

There are many people out there who like to call themselves "lightworkers". It's a rather New Age term meant to designate someone who has chosen to bring light and healing to the planet. The only thing is, I see a good many lightworkers who like to point out the flaws they see in others claiming to be lightworkers. This puzzles me. How can you be a lightworker if you are going about bashing other people? How is that helping to bring light and healing to the planet?

We all come from different backgrounds and different perspectives. What makes a Catholic better or more enlightened than a Protestant? Why is practicing Usui Reiki an improvement over Kundalini Reiki? Why is protecting animals any more important than saving Mother Earth herself? The fact is, no one perspective is the "right" perspective. Many of us change perspectives throughout the course of our human lifetimes and come to very different understandings of how the world works.

Lightworkers understand the overall goal is not to bring truth but to bring love. Life is not about fighting and separation. Life is about setting aside your differences and working together for the common good! While I do believe there is true evil in the world that needs to be overcome, it is a waste of time to stand against an idea that does not necessarily fit into your understanding.

Signs You Are A Lightworker

1. Listen to the guidance of your heart.
2. Focused on bringing light, love and healing to the world.
3. Able to be love in trying situations.
4. Understand (and accept) your own imperfections.
5. Open to new concepts and to growing as a human. 
6. Allow others to function as they are without trying to change them.
7. Able to brings sides together to function as a cohesive unit.

What must be understood is there are many groups and philosophies out there that are all trying to help rebalance the planet. Just because they are coming from a different perspective than yours does not make them "bad". They are just seeing a different side that also needs to be worked on.

There is great evil in the world that is multifaceted and all-encompassing. It is going to take different perspectives and different approaches all working together to change things! Stop fighting them and go instead to where your heart leads you!!!

It is only when our hearts and minds are One that we can bring about a world of love, light and abundance for all!!!

~CSE

Appreciate The Quiet Moments

As I sit with my coffee and the light from the window grows steadily brighter, I am reminded to appreciate the quiet when it happens. There are many days when I feel so busy it is difficult for me to even think. Today is not one of those days. The quiet of this morning helps me understand today is one of those "recovery" sorts of days.

It is important to take the time to rest when we can. Life is often like a roller coaster--lots of ups and downs and excitement. Days like today are when you get off the ride and find yourself waiting in line to get back on the ride. It is in those quiet moments we have time to rest and relax so we can be ready for the action that is coming down the road.

I have a feeling September is going to be a rocky month. The powers that be have historically used the month of September to deluge us with really negative things. The last two "recessions" began in September of 2001 and 2008 after the stock market took historic drops. (Of course, September 11, 2001 is also the single greatest terrorism event to date.) Interestingly enough, both of these events occurred at the end of a seven year cycle known as a Shemitah year. Every seven years, the people of Israel were instructed to let the land lay fallow and to forgive all debts. This Shemitah year began last September and will officially end on September 13, 2015. With all the volatility of the markets recently, it would not shock me to see the stock markets totally collapsing around that date. Interestingly enough, there are all sorts of significant world events getting ready to happen around that time. September is also the month the UN General Assembly opens and will launch a new "sustainable development" agenda, not to mention the month the Pope will appear there as well as in Washington. The eyes of the whole world will be watching as events unfold.

Now is the time to sit in the quiet and rest. Feel into your heart, get grounded, and connect to Gaia (Mother Earth). Allow yourself to draw strength and energy from her and allow yourself to understand what she, in turn, needs from you. The time to act is coming. Rest and be renewed now so you will have the strength and courage for what lies ahead.

~CSE

Manipulation Vs. Awareness

I recently heard the statement, "Anything beyond 'No' is manipulation." The friend who said it was trying to set clear boundaries as part of her recovery process. I can see where she's coming from. In our society, our actions are almost always defined by "the rules" and our various responses to them. Everything we do is largely based on thoughts and ideas outside ourselves, and this is where our problems begin. Instead of consciously leading our lives through personal awareness, we are caught living the lives others want us to live through manipulation.

When we live in a state of manipulation, we allow others to define us. We live according to a set of rules that are supposedly designed to be for the greater good and allow our minds to guide us based on our previous experience within that framework. Manipulation clearly defines "good" and "bad" (aka judgment) and uses emotions like guilt, anger, and sadness to persuade people into following the rules. Living in manipulation is living in a place with clearly defined boundaries.

Living from the heart is living in awareness. It does not define things as good or bad, right or wrong. Rather, awareness draws your attention to those things that are important in the present moment. You may feel guided to actions you wouldn't normally take in your day to day life, and you don't judge yourself for doing them. You are not bound by "the rules". Rather, the Universe makes you aware of your own needs and the needs of those around you and encourages you to take action that benefits the whole.

Begin today by taking a closer look at the world around you. What draws your attention? The television? The tree dying in your yard? Another person? Ask questions that help you define what is drawing you there. (Am I watching television as an escape, or is there something happening in the world I can act on? If it's an escape, what can I change about my life that I don't need to escape from? Does what I'm watching inspire me in some way?) (Is there something I can do to heal the tree? Do I need to see the tree gets taken down because it is going to become dangerous?) (Is something wrong with the other person that I can help fix? Is the person acting in ways I should copy in order to improve my life?)

Living in awareness requires a whole new way of looking at the world. Awareness asks you to step out of the robot mentality and think for yourself. When you are finally able to escape the box society has placed you in, you free yourself from manipulation. Awareness allows you to express the BEing you were born to be!

~CSE

     

The Myth Of Self-Sacrifice

From the time we are small children, we are molded and shaped by society in an attempt get us to live in certain prescribed patterns. Over the past few weeks, one of these patterns has drawn my attention as it is something I have allowed myself to be trapped by for a very long time. I call it the myth of self-sacrifice.

The vast majority of us are convinced it is noble and good to sacrifice our own desires for the greater good--that it is more important to do for others instead of ourselves. We look up to figures like Jesus and Mother Teresa as examples and believe it is important to emulate them. I believe this is a lie. It is not a choice between being selfless and being selfish. The real choice is to connect to and follow the guidance and wisdom in your own heart.

The difference between choosing selfish/selfless or choosing to follow your heart is judgment. If you make decisions based on selfishness or selflessness, you are coming from a place of judgment. When you choose to follow your heart, your decisions are not based on thoughts of what is right or what is wrong. Your choices are based on what the Universe considers best for the whole. Understand the difference sounds subtle, but is extremely profound!

When you follow the guidance of your heart, there are times when people will judge your actions to be selfish. At other times your actions will be seen as selfless or self sacrificing. The actions being judged are short term consequences that may actually have long term results that are not anticipated. Actions taken upon advice from the heart typically result in circumstances working out beautifully in a cohesive whole. The beauty is often only seen in hindsight.

At this point in my life, I understand how much damage I have done to myself because I allowed my own personal judgments (aka guilt) to guide me in my decision making process. At times when I believed it was best to sacrifice myself in service to others, I missed opportunities that were presented to me. I could have had more and done more. I could have shined as myself instead of allowing my relationships with others to define me.

Before you begin to jump into judgment, understand I am not talking about doing things for myself first. I am talking about consulting my heart for guidance when making decisions. It is not about me wanting to be selfish or selfless. It is about me wanting to make decisions based on what the Universe believes is for the greater good. Sometimes the decisions will benefit me. Sometimes they will be more blessing to others. It's really all about the bigger picture and not the little individual pieces.

On the negative side of the self-sacrifice myth, when you believe life is all about giving you may give until  you have nothing left inside you. This is not a productive place to be. However, the bigger problem with sacrifice is that you not only deny yourself but you also deny your own power. You are not the master and creator of your own life. You are a slave to judgment and to those who want to use your power for their own personal gain.

If you want to live in authenticity and in power, it is important to lay aside judgment and consult your heart. It is your heart that connects you to Oneness. It is your heart that overcomes the separations of duality. It is your heart that knows what choice is best for the greater good. Learn to consult it. Your life will flow in a much easier and less troubled way.

~CSE