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A hint for the holidays …

For many of us, the holiday season is here – full steam ahead! Perhaps some of the parties are in the past but likely, time with family is yet ahead. And for some, family presents a special challenge: we care about these folks for they are a forever part of our lives if at all possible! Yet, while we may have grown up under the same roof, we have possibly grown apart as adults. Sometimes, connection has disappeared and been replaced by difficult personalities, different values, tension.

This season, I invite you – whatever your personal situation – to consider this:

Love is the answer.

This holiday, try a visioning practice when you gather with others. Continue reading “A hint for the holidays …”

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Miracles anyone?

Whatever your faith tradition, or even the absence of one, today I’d like to offer a message about miracles that is powerful. When I remember it, I am filled with gratitude – and that is a very lovely place to be!

Miracles. Are they magic? Is a miracle the thing that happens against ALL odds? Are they experienced only by someone else? Do they only happen in church? Continue reading “Miracles anyone?”

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Your Support Team

It takes courage to act on our deep inner knowings and to make fundamental changes in how we live and move and have our being in this world. And, we don’t have to (perhaps dare not!) do this alone. In fact, in addition to gremlin voices (negators who live in our heads), each of us also has a team of inner supporters who believe in us, are ever-present and ready to assist. Our job is to identify the members of our team, hold practice with them regularly, then engage them in the big and small plays of daily life.

A strong team often has these positions (*) filled: the Appreciator, the Listener, the Curious One, the Self Manager, the Intuitive, the Teacher. Your team may have others.

Consider filling your team. Take it easy! Perhaps you focus on one position a day or a week. For each, pause, breathe, turn within and invite your inner wisdom to look in the following places for a likely candidate, one who represents that quality for you: people (past, present, alive or deceased, family, teachers, mentors, friends, foes), fictional characters, animals, a place in your body, a place you’ve been or one you imagine where you can sense the quality, an experience you’ve had.

These questions can help you get acquainted with each team member:

What is your job description?
What is important for me to know about you?
What do you want for me?
What is the special name I should use for you?

Finally, call upon your team regularly!

(*) Positions and questions adapted from the Coaches Training Institute materials

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More on believing…

Yesterday, I spent time with the notion of believing in Santa Claus:

Why Not Believe?

Today I’d like to take that one step further and explore belief in a Higher Power, God, Spirit, Universal Presence, Allah or a teaching such as that of the Buddha.

What value is there in faith traditions?
How does belief impact life?

I guess I can only speak for myself here. My own journey of belief has had a few twists and turns. I started life in a christian tradition and believed in God as the Creator of all life whose love was unconditional and who asked me to be and do good. I think the faith that grounded our family was a very important part of how we showed up in the world as good, hard working, trusting, loving people.

Then, life hit hard and I needed the 12 Step programs which talked about “God as I understand God” and a Higher Power. I think the deep pain in my life required me to believe in a whole new way. Trusting in something outside of myself, taking myself out of the driver’s seat in life, asking for help, softened me. I couldn’t keep doing life alone, my way. Believing that there were other powers in the universe supporting me was a gift.

Since then, I have explored many spiritual traditions and belief systems. I continue to expand and soften. I have experienced the power of meditation, come to understand the richness in the writings of many great spiritual teachers. The more I journey, the more I trust, the easier life becomes. This human life experience has challenges – lots of them! And when I focus only at the level of my humanity and try to solve problems on my own, I fail and life hurts. When I see a wider view, when I trust that we are supported by something bigger: Life, Love, a Master Creator, I let go. I allow life to be what it is – even the painful parts.

If believing is foreign to you, or if your belief system doesn’t support you in the way you’d like it to, stretch! Try something new. Read. Find a spiritual group. Meditate. Try a new church. Whatever you do, know that there is no right or wrong. Belief is personal. Your way can’t look like anyone else’s. Believing “is an inside job”.

What value would you find in believing?
How might your life change?