Last Saturday, as I shared with you all, I went to the Oprah, OWN Your Show tryouts. I didn’t get a callback, but as I mentioned, got SO many gifts for my participation!

When I woke the next morning, I had the juiciest dream about my mother. It was amazing! I’m going to share it with you here.

That night, I dreamt of my mother. I saw her in these 70s clothes with orange and pink and white swirls on the blouse (kind of like these here) – it had the bigger arms and the body was like a tunic (I’m sure you know the style – very Laugh In). Then, she was wearing orange leggings. Her hair was LONG and platinum blonde (her hair has always been blonde, but she used to get it frosted). She had it pulled up I Dream of Jeanie style and she looked BEAUTIFUL. Oh, and she was sooo slender and looked so YOUNG.

In my dream, we met at a restaurant to eat dinner and then she turned around and her legging style pants were ripped up the middle (kind of like panty hose), and I looked at her butt and I was like, “Hey, your butt looks good these days!” and she was laughing about her tights being ripped and totally didn’t care. She laughed, and said, “Yeah, who cares if anyone sees my butt!” She felt happy and radiant.

When I woke up, the energy was so yummy that I called her the next morning to tell her about it. She exclaimed, “That’s ME!” She went on to say that she DID used to look like that, and act like that When she was younger. I shared some things about orange and pink and white and what those colors represent. I told mom that she was thin and looked absolutely radiant and that it is NEVER TOO LATE to be who you know you are. Plus, she has THICK, beautiful hair and she has been chopping it for years. When I told her about the hair, she said, “Yes, I haven’t felt like ‘me’ without my hair.”

I’m not sure what going to tryout did, but I feel A-MAZING! I get a sense that mom and I are going to be doing fun things together…that feels amazing, too.

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So, the last week or so I’ve been meeting many Earth Angels and enjoying getting to know new people. Truly astonishing that our paths would cross on so many of these individuals… paths that trekked from the East Coast down to Te-jas and from the West Coast here and I find myself in awe of an imaginary map in my mind with little black ant lines criss-crossing it.

As I’ve talked to each beautiful soul, full of gratitude that God brought us together, I’ve felt lighter and lighter. A certain… I’m really going to let go and just be me. Yes, I’m very much myself in most scenarios, but often we empaths can be caught in an energetic pinball game. I’ve noticed this on occasion, and realize I can choose. This may push against the energies of the other person… but does it really make it better for me to take it on than to show up fully in my own Presence? Won’t it all work out in the end?

Me thinks so. And that’s why I’m a Be Me… full tilt.

And that brings me to social media… ah, how I love the idea of it. I have lots of ideas on how to really do it well. But, for now… I’m a be me and that means today I’m not the best at it, but can intend to be better… tomorrow, the day after and the day after that.

Upward and onward!

Once upon a time I lived in a house with a woman who was CRAZY about art and creating lively, cool things.

She made the MOST WONDERFUL Halloween costumes (surely the reason why Halloween is one of my MOST FAVORITE holidays – and it IS a holiday – of the year). Her costumes were elaborate and full of imagination.

She made wild, crazy art in her 30s, and into her 40s. THEN, (insert tire screeching sound), in her 50s, she decided ‘enough’ with this stuff I LOVE to create. I’m going to follow the money train.

Soon, this artistic woman’s body began to break down. Her heart lost its vibrancy. She couldn’t sleep. And bears (yes, bears…like the big grizzly bear kind) started coming to her right before she would close her eyes to go to sleep each night.

Bear energy is all about the inner dreamland. Bear comes when we need to go inside again.

Night after night she would blink her eyes praying that big ol’ bear head would GO AWAY! AAAAaaaaaah! She would pull the covers up over her head and then peek outside and there it was – still hanging over her looking at her.

One night she said, “What do you want?”

And the bear said, “I want to invite you to dream again.”

That’s when the artist began dreaming again, and she began to play again with her art and she danced with the ideas in her head and made many wonderful creations that touched the lives of the people she met.

What’s the moral of the story?

Follow your art… not the money. The money follows your art and your art comes from your heart.

P.S. This is based on a very TRUE story. Bear and all…

Some of my favorite heavenly artists…HEAVENLY!

http://www.inspired-art.com/inspiredartworks/home.html

http://www.nanoel.com/

Is this a sanctuary or what? Nancy’s use of light makes my heart smile.

Last week, on the show, we talked about giving the critic a summer vacation (or at least a nice, long break). I seem to be noticing the hyper critical nature of everything around me lately, and decided to use that as a catalyst to let the inner critic in me to take longer naps each day.

Let’s do this together and meet up at the end of the summer and see what happened!

But first… what am I talking about?

1. You know how we notice and judge things constantly? So, we look at a purse and we say… Oh, that’s pretty. Or, that’s ugly. Or, that’s interesting? Well, that part of who we are is the critic. It is observing and judging all kinds of things. Most people think that critic means NEGATIVE critiques, but as Ricah has told me for years (and honestly I believe I GET it now), to judge a rose as beautiful is still to judge it!

First, just notice how often every day, all day long you are observing and critiquing things. Don’t judge yourself for how often you are doing it… just take a baseline reading for our little summer siesta for the critic.

2. What would replace this? Hmmmm, how about an experience? That would be fun. Same purse. This time, instead of observing it and critiquing it, let’s share its energy and notice how WE feel when we are with it. Does it feel magnetic to you? If so, then there’s some type of attraction or alignment. Does it leave you feeling cold? Then, move away from it. Does it make you laugh? Then, spend some more time with it. This is an example of NOT THINKING about something, but EXPERIENCING it.

You can do the same with people, with animals, with nature, etc. As you do this, notice how you begin to feel within you. How YOU feel as you move through your day. There are a lot of wonderful byproducts from this exercise – even ONE DAY can radically shift how you feel.

One last word about the critic. I believe God knew exactly what S/He was doing when we were created so I believe the critic is an important part of us. That said, most of us have a critic that is way too active, and way too much part of leading us (which is what your soul/heart is here to do).

Our aim is not to ‘get rid’ of the critic, but rather to amp up the spirit side of us that can guide us more easily and effortlessly!

Last week a client and I talked excitedly about all she is creating in her life. She would say one thing, I would say another, then we would laugh and talk even faster. It was as if we couldn’t talk fast enough.

At one point we paused to catch our breath, and the conversation turned to ‘new’ things – things she had not ‘mastered.’ As she began to say, “Well, I’m not that great at that yet.” She must have hit the phone key pad, and heard the operator say, “Your entry is not valid.”

Startled by the woman’s voice coming over the line, she said, “What was I just saying? Wow, that was weird. Was that the Universe’s response to what I just said?”

After such a long conversation about trusting, following, knowing all is well, the contrast was palpable. We laughed as I said, “Yep, you were saying something about not being that great at it yet… and, YOUR ENTRY IS NOT VALID.”

She said, “What a great reminder – I’m always great – and ready!”

What entry in your life isn’t valid?

I’m so excited about this movie!!! I can’t WAIT! I have a very distant memory (but its never too late) of hearing about the book the inspired the movie (YEAH – it’s WRITTEN and DIRECTED by Nora Ephron!!!! – *Happy* DAYS!), but I just saw the trailer, and am SUPER excited now to read the book AND see the movie.

I have always loved biographies…learning about how people follow their dreams, how they drive through their fears, and this movie has lots on both.

The woman who wrote the book that inspired this gem is Julie Powell. She writes on her blog… From dead-end secretarial job to a 110-pound dog and a job writing in my pajamas… this is the story of Julie.

Here’s the movie trailer – see for yourself! Oh, and here’s a link to Julie’s book, too. Yeah for you Julie! And, for me, next stop – your book!

From an Amazon Review…

Julie & Julia is the story of Julie Powell’s attempt to revitalize her marriage, restore her ambition, and save her soul by cooking all 524 recipes in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I, in a period of 365 days. The result is a masterful medley of Bridget Jones’ Diary meets Like Water for Chocolate, mixed with a healthy dose of original wit, warmth, and inspiration that sets this memoir apart from most tales of personal redemption.

When we first meet Julie, she’s a frustrated temp-to-perm secretary who slaves away at a thankless job, only to return to an equally demoralizing apartment in the outer boroughs of Manhattan each evening. At the urging of Eric, her devoted and slightly geeky husband, she decides to start a blog that will chronicle what she dubs the "Julie/Julia Project." What follows is a year of butter-drenched meals that will both necessitate the wearing of an unbearably uncomfortable girdle on the hottest night of the year, as well as the realization that life is what you make of it and joy is not as impossible a quest as it may seem, even when it’s -10 degrees out and your pipes are frozen.

A year or so ago, I felt led to take an Artist’s Way class. In that class was a delightful woman who is maybe 65 or so… maybe more, maybe less. She would chuckle and laugh and say funny things in a very Sassy Southern belle fashion such as… “I’m just trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up!” or… “I’m just waiting to see who I’m going to be when I grow up.”

Her energy reminded me of Paula Dean…funny, light-hearted, spirited. I loved her energy.

So this morning I wondered about this thing people do… what am I going to do? When am I going to be? And, of course, I’ve done it too!

As I’ve observed my own journey over the years and I have watched clients ‘figure it out’…one thing is for sure. The answers come when you go and trust what comes from where you are led.

There’s a Zen idea of “Leap and the Net Will Appear”… and here’s one of the most beautiful songs I know about ‘going’ (that has a funny story about this Zen saying). Christine Kane’s music is soulful, playful, and so, so inspiring!

When you go…you will grow…then you will know… Soon, it’s much easy to see what you want to be!

Yesterday, I called a friend who was feeling down. I shared from my own experience how the soul beckons us back to who we are – pure love, pure joy. I told her my story of learning how to love myself. I never thought of this story as funny, but she was laughing so hard that something in it must have been funny. Trust me, at the time, it was ANYTHING other than funny!

She said… “I have tears coming out of my eyes and they feel like not happy tears, but I’m laughing at the same time.”

That’s kind of what it feels like when you begin to return to the true you. It feels really sad at first. Like, HOW could I not care for myself anymore than this? HOW could I possibly have THOUGHT I loved myself when OBVIOUSLY I’ve been deluding myself! And your ego will really grieve how you didn’t see it all along. You might even sprinkle in some course critical comments about how “stupid” you’ve been. But, slowly, you begin again.

And the fog clears.

Then YOU get to come back and make some clear choices, and see that you really are amazing and brilliant. And wonder how ANYONE wouldn’t be able to see that – including you!

The rose is a symbol of completion…wholeness. I’ve seen this symbol so often over the years in readings – rosebuds for people who were just about to open, roses that were opening and closing for people who were saying – I want to, I don’t want to, I want to, I don’t want to, white roses, red roses, roses covered in snow, roses floating in the ocean, but mostly, I see roses and I experience the loving beauty as God wants to say… I see you!

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Back in 2005, I wrote a spirit poem… a poem that taps into your spirit… and where you write your spirit into a poem. I can still recall that image of me as my spirit… a flowing spirit that flew next to the feet of galloping, wild horses racing across the western plains. It looked like Arizona… the red rocks in the distance. I wrote in my poem… My spirit runs with the energy of a thousand wild horses. I still get teary-eyed, choked up from that image as I connect to the truth of who I am, my ancestors and horse spirit that runs within me.

Write your own spirit poem.

1. Take some deep breaths and center your attention within your body.

2. Put your left hand on your heart, and speak… “My spirit is…”

3. Allow the feelings, words, visions, knowings to move through you… don’t try to capture it, allow it to flow through you.

4. Experience the feeling of your spirit… embrace all that you are!

5. Jot down what came to you. Collect any gifts that came in the process (totems, ideas, etc.)

I taught a workshop several years ago where I asked participants to ‘draw’ their spirit. A shy, quiet woman went busily to work on ‘her’ drawing. I could feel the clenched energy … the force … the tied up-ness of ‘trying’ to draw herself. I said a quick prayer… and released it to God to help. Soon … she was scribbling all over the page … colors in all shapes and sizes of squiggles. When she held it up to share, there was so much energy coming off of that page, we could ALL feel ‘her.’

Do a spirit portrait if writing a poem doesn’t feel right. Do what feels right to your spirit!