Thought for the Day

“All you have to do is to WANT something, and then ALLOW yourself to have it!”

(from the television movie Halloween Town)

Let in your good,

CJ

Thought for the Day

(If you are looking for the Powerful Pivoting special offer, please see the March 15th post.)

Worry, fear, anger, frustration and doubt are our mind's attempt to take back the reigns of the situation and could undermine the talents of the wonderful universe that is designed to manage such things.  How clear it seems that trust is much more productive than fear and doubt.  There is a quote from the movie Under The Tuscan Sun that I truly appreciate:  "Regret is a waste of time; it is the past crippling us in the present."  I would say there is another, related quote that should always accompany this first one:  "Worry is a waste of time; it is future possibility crippling us in the present."

Just one of those thoughts I've been thinking and finally wrote down and wanted to share.

Peace (of mind) to you all,

CJ

Entering The Mystical

(If you are looking for the Special Offer, please go to the blog post from March 15th.)

I've mentioned my friend Diane on this blog before.  She was very interested in Native American wisdom.  She was so convinced that Native American wisdom held answers for humankind today that she kept walking into that experience, to the point that she invited a traditional medicine man (and his entourage) to come perform a healing for her terminally ill daughter.  When they came, we all contributed to the building of the inipi … the sweat lodge structure.  This was all foreign to me at the time, but we were told that our hearts and intentions must be pure and aligned in order to participate, so as we worked I worked on my acceptance and alignment.  This was important to Diane and I was going to stand with her on this.

When it came time to enter the inipi, I felt as if I was physically walking out of my body and entering an unknown spatial zone … a non-linear dimension where time stood still and everything that had seemed real to me all my life slipped away.  I walked into the mystical.  

As the rounds continued and more hot stones were brought into the structure, the small space grew hotter and hotter.  It was far hotter than any sauna I'd experienced.  I felt the smallness of the space and began to feel a bit claustrophobic.  It became difficult to draw breath.  I knew the feeling that was welling within me, and I knew the only antidotes were to get out, or surrender.  I surrendered.

The moment I did I was transported.  Though it was pitch black in the inipi and I could not even see my hand when I held it in front of my face, all of a sudden I saw tiny faces in front of me where the stones were lying.  I had heard the Lakota people in our presence refer to Stone People … these must be them, I thought.  Then I looked up where the ceiling would have been … should have been … and what I saw took my breath away.  There, where I should have seen nothing but darkness, was a night sky full of twinkling stars!  I blinked.  They remained.  I shut my eyes and lowered my head, sure they would go away, but willing them to stay.  When I looked up again, they were still there.  

I just watched them and watched them, my heart full of awe and peace.  My whole being was praying and I asked The Creator to help me with all I desired to do with my life.  Then an even more amazing vision appeared before me.  Out of the sky came two great hands and arms.  They were gigantic!  They came down, reaching for me.  There seemed to be a message coming with them, something like, “All you have to do is ask, to reach for me.  I am here for you.  I will help you with anything.  Everything.”

I began to reach up to the hands and they disappeared.  I felt like crying, “No!  Come back!” but immediately within me there was another message:  “You reached for Me.  That was all you had to do.  I shall do what you wish.  I am always with you.”

Tears ran down my cheeks and all of a sudden it was over.  The inipi was being opened and fresh, cool air was pouring over me.  I felt refreshed, invigorated, and alive.  And I felt so very loved.  

That message and vision have come back to me many times since that day.  Whenever things around me seem to be going sour, I remember. I remember to ask.  And help always comes.  And each time I feel again and again the imprint of love, support and peace I felt that day.  

Help is always only a surrender away.

May the mystical find and inspire you, too.

CJ

Heart Holding

(If you are looking for the Special Offer for the Powerful Pivoting, please go to the post from March 15th.)

One of my favorite quotes has always been, "The heart has its reason, which Reason does not know." We cannot always know the pains within another's heart, nor the spiritual reasons for their hearts walk through that pain, nor the many choices they make throughout their walk through life. Perhaps it is a vital part of their spiritual JOurneY. 

I see that there is much heartache in the world, even though I choose to make my focus on the joy in the human heart. But today I wish to enfold all hearts in prayer for peace, wisdom, comfort and love. If you'd just take a moment with me, maybe take one heart ... someone you know who has some heart-ache ... and imagine sweeping your spiritual hands through their chest wall to the cavity beyond and resting them on their heart (just as you might place each hand on their cheeks in a tender gesture). Hold their heart in your spiritual hands in your vision and send pure love from your heart, through your hands, to theirs. See and feel it enshroud their heart and filter through the layers of their heart and bring them peace. 

Then realize that you can do this for ANY heart on the planet. Try it with my heart, or the heart of anyone else whose name appears in these boards. You will feel the person, for in Truth, you know them ... we ARE all ONE. 

Other ideas for heart-holding: 

George W. Bush
the people of China & Tibet

soldiers in Iraq & the people of Iraq

Lightworkers 

Children

Even if they do not feel your heart-holding consciously, their soul will know and you may feel love being sent back to YOU! 

BE the love.  BE love.
CJ

"Silly" Wishes

(If you're looking for the Powerful Pivoting offer, please go to the March 15th post.)

Time for another manifestation story!  Today I want to share with you what I used to consider a "frivolous wish."  You know what I mean?  Like if a Genie showed up and you were granted three wishes, this one would be considered totally "silly" and frivolous, or a waste.  But this is a true story from the personal archives of my life, so I know there is more to frivolous wishes than we can explain.  Here's my story, and I'm sticking to it (because this is really what happened ... I have witnesses).  

My mother visited on Labor Day weekend 2002.  We found a little market where she bought some steel cut oats, which in our family is synonymous with Gritsawurst (an old German breakfast "sausage" recipe my grandmother had passed down).  It requires ground meat and all my growing up years I remember my father sitting at the table grinding it with one of those hand-cranked grinders that you screw onto the edge of your table.  Nowadays, there are food processors.  Not having either, I was a bit bummed to think we wouldn't be able to make this yummy breakfast during her visit, but not too terribly and I pushed that aside and enjoyed my mom's visit.

On a Thursday a couple of weeks later as I was driving to work, the scene in the market with my mom popped into my mind.  I felt a spontaneous prayer leave my heart area.  What I mean is that the "thought" seemed to rise up out of my chest, from a deep place in my being, and not from my mind.  My mind was actually an observer to this event.  Anyway, the "thought" that my heart emitted was kind of like this:

"Okay angels, I need a grinder.  I want some Gritsawurst.  And since I don't even know if they MAKE grinders like that any more, you'll have to help me find it."  And I released it, knowing that somehow they would figure it out.

The next day I stopped by a coworker’s garage sale and brought her a chocolate shake to cheer her up ... she was selling her mom's furniture to help pay for her mom's nursing home costs and had been very blue the day before when I'd spoken to her at the office.  Before I left I looked around at the items for sale, and WHAT did I FIND?  A grinder!  Just like the one my dad used for all those years!  It even had the original box and instructions.  

Simply amazing, don't you think?

May you encounter your own miracles and realize it is the universe trying to prove to you that it is at work, just for you!

Happy Manifesting!

CJ

Random Thoughts

(If you're looking for the Powerful Pivoting offer, please go to the March 15th post.)

You are never too old to learn ... so never allow yourself to stop learning.

Life is too short to worry; worry is all about things that MIGHT happen and what is the point of that?  Deal with the here and now and don’t allow yourself to focus on negative what if’s.

People are people, no matter where you go.  Love them and meet them where they are on the path of life.  They cross your path for a reason, even if it is just to give you a smile or because they needed one from you.  P.S. - Don’t be stingy with those smiles.

Laughter IS the best medicine, so let ‘er rip!  Sometimes we forget how wonderful wonderful things really feel until we do them again.  If you haven’t felt like laughing in a while, you need to make it a priority to FIND something to laugh about.  Rent a funny movie, get some good old buddies together, or whatever it takes and let the cackled fly!  (P.S. - Have you heard of Laughter Yoga?  What a kick!)

Money isn’t everything and the laundry can wait, but your life can’t.  If you are in a rut, sometimes you are in it so deep you can’t even tell you are in it!  Take the time to figure out whether you are or not and make sure to restructure your days if you are not honoring your life fully.  Schedules CAN be adjusted and life won’t fall apart.  (Remember the walnut story!  If you don’t know it, email me at cjspiritworker@gmail.com and I’ll send it to you.)

Love is free; give it away as often as you can!  You’ll be benefiting right along with everyone you give it to, so what are you waiting for?!

Don’t put your dreams up on a shelf for “someday.”  Someday never comes.  Even if you are just taking infinitesimally small micro-steps towards your dreams and goals you will be happier and saner.  Dreams are your natural biorhythms firing and to ignore them would be like deciding not to breathe ever again.  Silly rabbit, you cannot LIVE that way.

Plan regular inventories of your collection of beliefs.  Double-check that they are really yours and that someone didn’t place one of theirs into your inner warehouse.  Not only that, double-check that the beliefs you have actually meet your latest perspective of the world.  Sometimes we evolve and forget to tell old beliefs to stop firing in our psyches and they get in the way of our progress and our peace of mind.  VIP (Very Important Point):  Beliefs are simply thoughts you keep thinking, so be selective.  Okay?

Trust your intuition.  It is the voice of your soul guiding you to where you both will be happy.  It is the one thing you can trust above anything else.  It cannot betray you.  Move forward in faith.

Happiness is a choice, not a bi-product.  Choose to be happy.

Take time to enjoy nature ... not just looking at it on your television screen or computer, but being out IN it.  Soak up its charms.  Smell its secrets.  Embrace the waves of beautiful energy that nature emits every second.  Take it into your heart and let it fill your spiritual/emotional gas tank.

Remember that you are loved.  There is evidence all around you if you'll just take the time to look.

‘Til next time,

CJ

Choose Happiness

(If you are looking for the Powerful Pivoting Opportunity, please reference the post from March 15th.)

Some years ago a boss of mine told me that he heard a speaker once (Anthony Robbins, I believe) talk about choosing every morning before you put your feet on the floor to be happy and to feel the wonder of life ... OR to decide to have a rotten day. He told me that he started to do that, literally, and he found that when he faced himSELF with that choice each morning he found he never wanted to choose to be miserable.  So he always chose happiness ... and ... once he started to CHOOSE HAPPINESS, he never had a "bad day" again! 

So, I started to CHOOSE HAPPINESS too. And you know what? I have found that, even on a "difficult day," I AM HAPPY! There is a river of joy within us all. All we have to do is decide not to block the flow!

I hope that you can feel the joy I possess flowing to you through this amazing thing called The Internet!  For me, this is real.  This is a way of life.  This is what I have come to know is our natural state of beingness.  May it be infectious! May your own river of JOY be absolutely bursting from its banks!

Love, Joy & Happiness!
CJ

Don't Stop 5 Minutes Before The Miracle

(If you are looking for the Powerful Pivoting Opportunity, scroll down to the post from March 15th.)

From the book, The Alchemist, by Paulo Coehlo:  "What you still need to know is this: before a dream is realized, the Soul of the World tests everything that was learned along the way. It does this not because it is evil, but so that we can, in addition to realizing our dreams, master the lessons we've learned as we've moved toward that dream. That's the point at which most people give up."

I wish I knew who first said, "Don't stop 5 minutes before the miracle."  I'm sure there are many other ways people have conveyed this same message.  The point is, one never knows when everything will turn around and a miracle will happen.  

I decided years ago that I was going to live my life by simply being in The Flow. I'm glad I can say "I'm only human," for I am definitely not perfect at staying in The Flow.  But I've come to realize the value of the times when I'm bumping up against the banks of my river (my Flow) and the times when I must have climbed completely out and been standing on the shore, dripping wet and looking pathetic, like a fish on dry land, and asking, "What the heck am I doing here?"  For those are the times I really dig deeply into life.  Those are the times I really appreciate what The Flow feels like, how it enhances and blesses my life, and how much I love The Flow.  Without those times where I felt the LACK of The Flow, I wouldn't have come to appreciate The Flow as much as I now do.

And what it naturally makes me want to do is ... jump right back in!  Of course!  What fish out of water doesn't want to be right smack dab back in the middle of that wet and wild current?  

But how did I get out of The Flow in the first place?  Well, I think I've figured it out.  The water got too hot, or too wild, or too dangerous, or too scary, or too turbulent, or ... is there such a thing as water getting too wet?  Perhaps you'll understand what I mean by that.  Anyway, instead of riding out the current and sticking with The Flow and allowing it to do its magic and take me to the next great thing around the next bend (or 3 or 4), I baled!  

Thankfully I know the feeling of being out of water is not good and that "out of the water" is worse than "turbulent water," so I typically jump back in pretty quickly.  Oh, and I've noticed that some of the landscape along those wild stretches is pretty amazing!  Truly lovely.  And sometimes I find real treasures there.  And SOMETIMES, this delightful thing happens where the rapids push me into these really gentle sanctuaries, full of peace and joy, almost like the calm after a storm, or like ... magic.

For me, now it's not so much that I want life to be this calm, in-control thing that is only there to soothe and please me.  Rather, I now appreciate all the colors, textures, flavors and types of currents and obstacles along the way because they make life interesting and fascinating and exhilarating!  The variety and contrast are what make the JOurneY such a JOY.  

So, are you going to make your JOurneY a rich and glorious ride and let yourself see all the miracles that lie around the next bend in the river?  Oh, and are you going to do it white-knuckled and screaming?  Or basking and appreciating all the way?

Every moment IS a miracle. 

Celebrating the miracle of the JOurneY,

CJ

Embracing Change

(If you are looking for the Powerful Pivoting Opportunity, please scroll down to the March 15th post.)  

My life takes me so many interesting places. I just did my taxes and I was really aware of how many trips I took last year.  It occurred to me that even beyond the physical trips, I took journeys to the inner sanctuaries and tributaries of my soul, and to the peaks and valleys of my life, and to new ideas and creations, and new friendships and collaborations.  At times I traveled to my future, my destiny and my divinity.  At other times to my past, my history, my creation.  

And what I found is that the future is boundless and there really is no going back.  The past we go back to is never the same as the one that we experienced as we were shaped, created, grown. Nothing stays the same. People change. Places change. Even the memories we had ... change. 

It has been said that the only constant in life is change. So why then do so many resist change?  (Yes, I'm including myself.)

Perhaps it is a form of control.  Perhaps it is wishful thinking.  Perhaps it is just a misunderstanding.  But no matter what it is, there is a definite resistance that exists within a lot of us regarding change of one sort or another.

I believe that when people can really look at themselves, their own ever-changing selves, and embrace the fact that they can change and are not bound forever to the Who they once were, well, I believe they will find relief in this thought ... and a type of freedom.  I believe there is a hidden key within the enigma of change that if found could send individuals, and the world, into transformations of astronomical proportions.  I don't mean to scare anyone ... I'm seeing this as a really good thing!

I believe that these types of amazing transformations have to begin within each one of us and that then they will ooze out, slowly or quickly, to the world at large.  I believe that in order to make these shifts within that all we have to do is recognize that we have been changing in little, tiny increments all along, due to things beyond our control, and that it is all good.  And if we can see all the change that has taken place within us and be grateful for it, I think we will be able to find our way to trust the changes happening in the world at large are also innately good, despite appearances, and learn to love and welcome them, too.

And then I believe we will be just a few small steps away from a global peace that has not been seen on this planet in a very long time.

Well, these are just some thought that I believe, but I'll bet you agree that these are really good thoughts to think!

Putting my two cents out into the global consciousness,

CJ

Dancing With Angels

(If you are looking for the post regarding the Powerful Pivoting Program, scroll down to the post from March 15th.)

I have an exercise I do. It started one day when I was stressed.  I was inspired to stand in my bedroom in the most open space available, and to close my eyes.  I imagined an angel was beneath me, downstairs on the floor below, holding his hands up over his head, to the ceiling in fact, and that he could see me upstairs above him.  Then, as my imagining continued, I saw him moving his hands to the exact positions of my feet.  And then I started to dance.  I moved about my bedroom, eyes closed, and watched the angel move to match each of my steps.  Then the idea came to imagine the floor had disappeared and the angel’s hands could actually touch my feet … in fact they would have to support my feet … my whole body.  (Angels are strong; they can do that!)

In my mind I saw it.  I saw it all!  I saw me dancing, the angel moving, the hands connecting with my feet each move they made.  I tried to imagine how that would feel.  And I could do that too!  It was as if there was no floor and I was landing on soft hands instead!  I was barefoot and dancing on angel hands!  What bliss!  I felt so totally supported by Spirit and the Universe.  It was an incredible new thing for me; it seemed so tangible.

Now there are times when I wish to feel that feeling again.  I may get stressed, or need to feel again the feeling of total support from the Universe.  I find an open area in my home or somewhere that feels like sacred ground.  I close my eyes … and dance with angels once again.

It’s true!  Every step we take is "supported" by Angels ... not just in those moments when we focus on The Dance, but always.  They are supporting your every step too!

Law of Attraction & The Four Agreements, Part IV

(If you are looking for the Special Offer for the Powerful Pivoting Program, scroll down to the post from March 15th.)

The Fourth Agreement from Don Miguel Ruiz’s book called The Four Agreements is “Always do your best.”  Again, this doesn’t quite seem like a Law of Attraction principle, but if you read the chapter on the Fourth Agreement you find a very different message than at first you might expect.  Ruiz focuses on how you do what you do.  I was quite struck by the LOA-ishness (my newest word; like it?) of his definition of the Fourth Agreement, particularly in this excerpt:

“If you take action because you have to, then there is no way you are going to do your best.  Then it is better not to do it.  No, you do your best because doing your best all the time makes you so happy.  When you are doing your best just for the pleasure of doing it, you are taking action because you enjoy the action.” 

And later in the chapter he says, “If you’re doing your best, you will feel good about yourself,” which is so similar to Abraham saying, “You will know you are on the right track because you will feel good.”  It is no wonder that the very closing sequence of the movie The Secret is of Rhonda Byrne, creator of The Secret, writing the words FEEL GOOD in the sand on a beach.  This is the key to everything; your emotional guidance system will tell you, via your emotions, whether or not you are on track with your life, with your choices, with your Now Moment, by whether or not you feel good.  

So I’ll rewrite this last Agreement into my own words, okay?  It’s my blog so I’m entitled, right?  So how about this:  

Do your best to always feel good.

Now that’s what I’m talking about.

CJ

Law of Attraction & The Four Agreements, Part III

(If you are looking for the Special Offer for the Powerful Pivoting Program, scroll down to the March 15th post.)

To continue my comparison of the book The Four Agreements to Law of Attraction principles, my focus today is on Don Miguel Ruiz’s third agreement, which states, “Don’t make assumptions.”  This is the one that seems the most ambiguous in the law of attraction material with which I am familiar, but I’ll do my best.  

My mind goes first to the LOA (Law of Attraction) principle that no one else can know what is best for you, and the reciprocal, you cannot know what is best for others, so don’t assume that you do, or can.  No one person can know the full range of experiences and dreams that shape the fine details that comprise another’s experience.  We cannot know exactly how they perceive the universe around them, nor the levels of interest or yearning contained in their heart, so how could we possibly assume that we would then be able to know what they want or how they want it delivered.  It is our business to focus on our own journey.

This becomes very complicated when it comes to marriages, but relationships of any kind are packed with possibilities for misunderstandings and assumptions, so this is an excellent area around which to set intentions for the highest good.  We can only be as open and honest about who we are and what we want in any given relationship, and encourage the other party to do the same.  Amplifying communication channels is the best path to optimal relationships, and therefore harmony, but never a guarantee.  As Ruiz states in his book, over time, people in long term relationships begin to assume that the other party “knows” them.  Then if something does not go as desired they often assume the other party did this despite knowing them, thus a perceived infraction of the trust that is supposedly at the core of the bond.  

Perhaps a good thing to consider is that we are in an ever-changing world.  In such an environment, anything, or anyone, can change.  Abraham goes to the extent of discussing a new form of wedding vows that would go something like this, “I like you pretty well and I promise to be true to myself and work on staying connected to my own inner guidance and you do the same ... and we’ll just see how it goes.”  I’m not sure many would agree to have that kind of statement at the crux of a ceremony that is supposed to be the epitome of “commitment,” but in all honesty, I see their point.  In the end, this kind of wedding vow is not making any assumptions but clearly states, up front, that neither party is assuming the arrangement will work forever (allowing for the changing self in the changing universe), and is also admitting that the only way this arrangement can work is if both parties commit to being true to themselves and their connection to their inner selves.

Given this ever-changing environment of ours, perhaps it would be best not to allow one’s self to become complacent, but rather to make our intentions LIVING INTENTIONS.  If our level of commitment never drops and we LIVE our intentions full out every day, we run a better chance of harmony and fulfillment of our desires.  And might I add, it is what all those vows are about after all; we don’t make a vow that says, ‘I’ll do my best, when I think about it, to live up to this agreement we are making here today.”  No, typically the vows we make in life are intended to be deep commitments of our heart and core to another.

The one area I would particularly like to discuss before I close is where the Law of Attraction material says that we should absolutely expect the universe to deliver our desires to us.  One might say that expect = assumes, and if so, then how could this Third Agreement truly be similar to the Law of Attraction?  I would ask you to take a deeper look at this.  Every word has a vibration, just like every person.  If you look at the word “assumption” with your senses, I believe you will find that this word carries a bit of the vibration of doubt in it.  I kind of relate assuming to hoping, which is five notches down from knowing on the vibrational scale provided by Abraham.  In other words, I could say, “I assume, but I do not know, and that is why I am assuming.”  Whereas the word “expect” clearly carries the vibration of knowing, as in “I am expecting my desire to manifest at any moment.”

So don’t assume your desires will come to you.  EXPECT they are already yours.  Don’t assume anything.  EXPECT EVERYTHING.  

Doing your part to live your intentions will keep you resonating in alignment with them and the universe must deliver.  Expect the relationship to evolve harmoniously, the job to come, the money to be there when you need it, the book to be a huge sensation, the dinner to be your best ever ... every moment lived in this state of expectation is a moment in total alignment to your desire and this means the universe can deliver it to you toot sweet!  So what is the best vibration to stand in?

Don’t assume anything.  Expect it!

Toodles,

CJ

Law of Attraction & The Four Agreements, Part II

(If you are looking for the Special Offer for the Powerful Pivoting Program, please scroll down to the post on March 15th.)

Well, because of yesterday’s experience, I have committed myself to moving through all  four of the “agreements” in Don Miguel Ruiz’s book, The Four Agreements, as I see the mutual message in his book and some of the messages in the Law of Attraction material, with which I am familiar, are very similar.  I am comparing these two sources of material because I find these kinds of comparisons refreshing, confirmatory and inspirational as I seek to tweak my own emotional center on the many topics that fill my life.  The catchy phrases become my affirmations and different sources of this information contain different nuances that can keep the journey fresh and cater to the different subjects and phases of our lives.

"Don't take anything personally."  This is the Second Agreement.  Ruiz really emphasizes the aspect of not taking things personally in the form of not allowing the opinions of others to become one’s own beliefs.  (He mentions that the last 3 agreements are all part of the first agreement.)  I invite you to read again the comments about “being senior” from yesterday’s blog on the First Agreement, and then to take this information in even deeper.  Taking on the beliefs of others is a common occurrence in our world today.  It is so prevalent that we humans sometimes don’t even think about how many beliefs we take on as our own but aren’t really our personal truth.  The way we can test this regarding beliefs in our own lives is to check in with our feeling center.  If we have any sign of negative emotion within our being, we can conclude that the belief in question is not in alignment with our own truth.  Then it remains for us to find a way to release this belief.

The reverse scenario, of course, is when we try to influence others to believe as we believe.  The higher course is to allow them to discard our beliefs in favor of their own as that is truth for them.  As Eckhart Tolle has mentioned several times as he and Oprah review his book A New Earth with millions of viewers via the Web, humans often see a disagreement with their beliefs by another as a persona attack.  We all see the world differently and we are all here having our own unique journeys.  Best to be at peace about that, allowing others their beliefs and finding a way to happily allow all forms of truth to exist simultaneously.  As someone once said, “Would you rather be right, or happy?”  Trying to force our beliefs on others can always be seen as an attempt to be “right,” when what we really want in our hearts is to be happy.  

The Abraham teachings uses the analogy of minding your own pie, as in you being the baker and selecting the ingredients you want in your pie, while letting others decide what kind of pie they want to make and to choose their preferred ingredients.  This analogy takes the emotion out of the process with the realization that there are so many choices in the kitchen of life and we all have our own preferences of ingredients, content and context.  So one question we could ask ourselves is why do we place more importance on some topics and not as much on others?  If we dealt with this agreement at the level of its truest intention, we would realize that all issues have the same importance, or rather lack of importance.  

My favorite comparison other than pies and baking are religions.  I know we’ve been taught that it isn’t safe to talk about politics and religion, but give me a second here.  In my opinion, there is beauty and purpose in all religions and religions are just human vehicles mankind created to give like-minded people ways to experience and explore the divine together.  So, what do you think the world would look like if no one interfered in the religious or spiritual pursuits of another?  

Now, just some final thoughts on not taking anything personally.  I like the "What If" game so here are some quick questions to ponder:

What if you didn’t allow others to sway you but pursued your truth and only your truth?

What if you were able to hear the opinions of others but wade through them to draw your own conclusions?

What if you were clear on what resonated as truth to you?

What if you were an expert at stating your truth but in such a way as to also graciously allow the truths of others?

What if everyone in the world understood how this really worked and could remain at peace even when there was more than one opinion (belief) present?

What if you could make a shift on the planet by starting to live this enlightened reality of beliefs?

You can! !

Will you?

TTFN,

CJ

Law of Attraction & The Four Agreements, Part I

(If you are looking for the Special Offer, please scroll down to the post from March 15th.)

In the famous book by Don Miguel Ruiz called The Four Agreements, he shares ancient Toltec Wisdom passed down from generation to generation and finally entrusted to him.  He breaks the wisdom down into four simple statements by which one is to live his or her life.  This little book is small and I often take it out and put it beside my bed to read in small snippets before drifting off to dreamland.  

Just today I picked it up to start this process again.  Instead of just putting it there for later this evening, I cracked the book open to grab a few words to tumble around in my head today.  I actually opened it right to page 25, which is the first page of the chapter on the first statement, or what he calls “The First Agreement.”  It goes like this:

“Be impeccable with your word.”

Well, I put the book beside my bed and kept moving about my tasks for the day, but the statement was tumbling around in my mind very persistently.  When I sat down for lunch, I had the thought that this is an important aspect of the Law of Attraction, too.  We need to focus on our intentions so completely as to abandon all negative thought that runs counter to what we want.  We need to “tend to our vibration” and “clean up our vibration” as Abraham says over and over in books and lectures.  We need to be, do, say, and feel only those things that resonate positive vibrations regarding the topic of our intent, or desire.  

I thought of how very recently two wonderful friends had sat in my living room and, when I responded to their asking about what was happening in my life, pointed out the times I said something that wasn’t absolutely positive in my words about that which I was wanting to manifest.  There was plenty of acknowledgement of the good, but some skeptical words crept out between the positive ones.  They were not necessarily negative statements as the world might perceive, but there was definitely skepticism, or statements of the “fact” that my manifestations had not yet come into being.  

I realized how insidiously these little thoughts and words had crept into my mind and speaking and how they had slowly contributed to the corruption of my dream.  They had not destroyed it, but they had corrupted it, tainted it, weakened it in some way.

I have been accused more than once in my lifetime of being a Pollyanna, one who seems blinded to the flaws of life as they look through their rose-colored glasses.  While I pride myself in being grounded, it is clear to me that in order to get what you want in your life (and I’m not just referring to physical manifestations here) you must be totally focused, as if you have horse-blinders on.  You cannot let your focus be swayed in any way.  If you look back through history, this is how the greatest inventions and thoughts have come to us ... through those who held to their vision and relentlessly pursued their dreamsl

So, I went to my bedroom immediately after finishing lunch and read the whole chapter on the first agreement.  I have set a new intention to clean up my words about this dream and make them impeccable once more, or for the first time, and let this intention spill over from this dream to all the other dreams of my life.  I want to be FULLY impeccable with my words!

One more part of impeccability I want to share with you today is the part regarding with whom you choose to share your dreams as you are bringing them into your reality.  No one but you knows how delighted your dreams make you feel or how much you want them.  I am reminded of a scene in a movie I saw recently (Last Holiday) where Queen Latifah is talking to her sister who is excited because she believes she is about to become a country music singer.  Queen Latifah tells her there is no such thing as a black country music singer and her sister responds, “I am not asking you to comment on the validity of my dreams.”

This is the impeccability level you need for your own dreams.  You don’t need anyone else’s permission to have a dream, so why discuss them with others and open the proverbial floor to those who might (not very impeccably, I might add) try to mar or nay-say your dreams?  Not speaking them out loud is one way to preserve their impeccability, but you might also be able to find your way to your highest, purest thoughts by sharply honing your focus.  Then no matter what anyone else says or does you will not allow yourself to be derailed from your course.

One of my teachers describes this process as claiming your seniority ... or “being senior.”  This simply means that YOU are the best one to know what is good for you to think, feel or be and you assert your seniority in choosing to believe and be that which you know over that which others are trying to impose upon you.  In other words, you don’t surrender your personal power or your dreams to anyone or anything else.  

Thank you Jamberry for your loving nudges, and may all of you feel the love in my nudge, here in this blog post, to make your own commitment to impeccable words for your life and your dreams.  The power to make your dreams into reality lies in your hands, and in your mouth, and the level of your dedication to this aspect of your manifesting will determine how slowly or quickly your dreams arrive, and the level of incorruptibility with which they reach you.  

Being Part of Another's Manifestation

(If you are looking for the Post about the Special Offer for the Powerful Pivoting Process, please scroll down!)

I felt like sharing another personal story with you today of a powerful manifestation orchestrated by our wonderfully mysterious universe.  It may not seem like the most important item to manifest, but it was to my friend and it very clearer demonstrates that the universe will get your desires to you any way it can.

One day I was drawn to stop at a local "flea market" shop in the quaint older section of the small Missouri town where I used to live.  Inside were all kinds of individually owned spaces that sold every manner of object.  I was just wandering around taking it all in when I spotted a pitcher made out of "carnival glass" that looked very much like a pitcher my friend, Diane, had.  

Every time I visited her she would open this upper cupboard in her kitchen and carefully take down this beautiful aqua/gold pitcher made out of carnival glass.  She would serve our beverage in that pitcher and she had told me about her grandmother giving it to her and how special it was to her.  So it had grown special to me, too.  This one at the market was identical.  It wasn't much, and for no apparent reason, I bought it.  At first I thought I would keep it so that we would have the same pitcher.  We had discovered that we had a lot of the same things in our respective homes, which was one of many wonderful oddities about our friendship.  I didn't really want it for me though, but rather I felt compelled to give it to her.  

So, I wrapped it all up, sound packaging to ensure its safety on the hour and a half drive into the countryside where she lived, and wrapped it in beautiful gift paper.  I went between feeling silly at giving her a duplicate of something she already had and feeling elated with the idea of giving her this gift.  

When I got to her house I carried in the package and set it on the table to hug her.  She wondered at this impromptu gift, but made me sit down and wouldn't open it until she got us something to drink.  She went to the cupboard I knew well and opened it, but I saw an empty space where the pitcher had always been stored and she reached for another pitcher, way in the back.  I said, "Where's your grandmother's pitcher?"  She turned sadly to me and said that she had opened the cupboard door just a few days ago and the pitcher had fallen from its high place to the floor and shattered to pieces. 

I just sat their dumbstruck.  She saw my face and asked simply, "Why?"  I told her to come and sit down and open her gift.  She did, and when she saw the pitcher inside she just looked at me in shock and then burst into tears and laughter.  Me too!!

So who or what guided me to that pitcher?  I am dissolved in bliss, for it really doesn’t matter.  I was simply tickled (and still am!) to have played a part in my friend's manifestation of something precious to her.

I love how this universe works!

CJ

FAITH: Drive and Arrive

I just found some writing of mine from over a year ago and thought I'd share this small, but potentially huge thought with all of you.  A bible verse resurfaced and brought new and deeper meaning.  The verse was "Faith is the substance of all things."  I read it and really didn't understand it at first.  What did it mean ... "the substance of all things?" 

I read it over and over and realized it just didn't make a lot of sense ...

Faith is the substance of all things.

Faith is the substance of all things.

Faith is the substance of all things.

Huh?

And then slowly light started to make its way through the cracks of my mind and I realized ...

Faith is the substance of all things.

Faith is knowing without the shadow of a doubt.

Faith is Knowing.

Know it is yours and IT IS.

Faith turns things into substance.

Faith in your dreams makes them come true.

And on and on the thoughts came!

I remembered an old recording of Abraham I heard once where there was a discussion about how you have to believe something is real before it can BE real in your life.  The example was given of driving to work ... how when you set out from home in the morning to drive to work, that there really is no doubt in your mind that your office building will be at the other end of your route.  No, you never question that at all!  You drive and arrive at your destination and start working and never even consider that the place might not really be there when you get there.  It just EXISTS.  And Abraham said that this is how we must believe in our dreams .. as if what we are wanting in our lives is already there.  We must believe our dream is out there before us, just like the office building, and then just walk confidently through time and space to our dream ... to the point where it is a substance in our lives.

So, would another way to consider this be to say that our faith is what causes our dreams to take on substance?

Faith is the substance of all things.

You'd better believe it!

Grins,

Cj

Powerful Pivoting Special Offer!

Hello All! 

One of the most popular offerings on my website (www.celestial-joy.com) is my Powerful Pivoting Package, an email-facilitated coaching model that I created to help shake you out of any stuckness in your life and to move to a new place.  I am making it possible for you to receive one of these sessions at NO COST to you!

To receive your No Cost Powerful Pivoting Package (for a limited time only), here's what you do:

1.  First, you cannot already be a member or have an account with Revolution MoneyExchange (right now this is a USA-only company).

2.  Second, send me an email with "Powerful Pivoting Op" in the Subject Line and tell me you want to participate in the offer.  I will initiate your invitation to open your free account.  Please wait for my invitation (you will receive this invitation via email and it will be an official Revolution MoneyExhange email and not from my addy).  You will receive $25 from Revolution MoneyExchange immediately upon opening your account, which you can then use to purchase your Powerful Pivoting Package from me.  It's NO COST to you as Revolution MoneyExchange gives you the $25 (and yes, you can decide not to get a Powerful Pivoting Package and just keep the $25).

3.  Third, transfer the $25 from your Revolution MoneyExchange account to mine (at this address:  cjspiritworker@gmail.com) and send me an email with "I'm ready to experience Powerful Pivoting" as the Subject Line, and let me know that you have made the money transfer.

4.  I will send you an acknowledgement email that will also outline the Powerful Pivoting model and get you started on your Powerful Pivoting experience!

Simple ... easy ... you will get a Powerful Pivoting experience with me ... AND you'll have the new free PayPal-alternative that is sweeping the nation!

I guarantee you will have a deep experience that will move you from one state of awareness to another or your money will be refunded.  Free money.  Money-back guarantee.  There is virtually no risk for you ... except if you choose not to try this and stay where you are.  So, invest in yourself for free!  This is a limited-time offer that expires on March 31st, so what are you waiting for?  Take a little step towards your joy today!

Now, while you are here visiting my blog (or just after you take me up on this special offer), take some time to explore my blog's archives and be inspired!

To your joy!

CJ

Living An Outrageously Radical Life

Have you ever taken a moment to consider how your life would be different today if you had, at one point in your life, made a different choice than the one that you did?  Do you think you might be in a different place today  if you'd made that choice?  Or even be a different version of you than you are today?

Just for a moment, consider what your life would be like if you chose, now, to start this very minute, to live the most outrageously radical version of your life that you have ever dreamt up.  If you're human, you've had dreams all your life ... little fantasies, or big visualizations ... that pop into your mind and tug at your heart and say, "That could be you."  Don't deny it.  We can't stop ourselves.  It's just part of being human.

What do you suppose would happen if right now, this very minute, you chose to walk away from the life you have been living and now live one of your fantasy lives?  Seriously!  If money were no issue, if family were no issue, if obligations were no issue, what is the most outrageously radical version of these fantasies that you would choose to walk into and claim as your new life?

Really stretch yourself here.  If you have not allowed yourself the delicious luxury of exploring these fantasies before, allow yourself NOW.  Take 10 minutes and meditate or doodle into cohesive form at least one super-duper outrageously radical life for yourself.

Did you do it?  Did you really do it?  If not, I command you, for your future peace of mind, take this time now and explore your wildest dreams!  You can thank me later, but right now just thank yourself for doing this very good and important discovery ground work.

Now that you've stretched yourself to the farthest reaches of your imagination to find the most outrageously radical life you could ever imagine living, I want you to come back to the  present moment of your life as it is ... now.

Yea, sorry, I know it can be a real bubble-burster of an experience, but come back anyway.  As you come back, pause for a moment just there at the border where you can still feel the outrageously radical version and the current version both, and from this observer's stance see ... and feel ... the difference between where you were in your outrageously radical life ... and where you are in your current reality.  If you did this exercise correctly, fully, and with all your heart .... and if you are human ... then you will feel a huge gap between the fullness and completeness of the life you could be living and the one you are living.

Immediately now, everyone, please promptly forgive yourself for any perceived fallacies, affronts, or broken promises you have ever made to yourself and not kept, or the short-sightedness that you now see has kept you living your life small, or only partially.  This too is all a part of our human nature, so get over it and just pay attention to the fact that there is a gap.  A big one.

So, with this new knowledge, what are you now going to do about this gap?  Are you going to stay where you are, living the smallish version of your not-totally-fulfilling life?  Or are you going to do something to start to transform your life into a closer version of your outrageously radical and totally fulfilling life version?

Remember to be kind to yourself.  You may never be able to come close to your outrageously radical version ... it is, after all, an ideal.  But do not despair.  If you did a good job of this exercise then the outrageously radical version is really a stretch from where you are ... something for you to strive toward.  

Strive does not equal achieve.  Don't get the purpose of this whole thing confused now.  Soothe yourself by remembering that every great journey began with a single step.  What will your single step be?  For therein lies your greatness.  The JOY is in the JOurneY, my friend, and it is those who take the journey, no matter where they land on the road to their dreams, who look back on their lives and say, "Well done!  It's been good."

And one more thing ...

Allow yourself to be grateful for the smaller version of the life that you have created to this point.  It has served you well and is now at this very moment serving you by partnering with you in this exercise to show you what it is still yearning to become.  How will you now contribute to this partnership?

Just thought I'd ask.  But I've gotta get back to creating my own outrageously radical life and I'll leave you to that answer of yours.

Ciao for now!

CJ

Perspectives on My Latest Juicy Life Quest

Hello!  I've been having a string of RICH life experiences since last I posted!  So many amazing people-connections, illuminating moments, and both intellectual and spiritual high-points that I couldn't possibly put it all in one blog post, but suffice it to say that life has indeed been RICH and FULL.  Just a couple of nuggets to satisfy the curiosity I'm sure I've just created ...

I've had some beautiful "aha!" moments ... the type I love to share with my coaching clients.

I have been to new places in my own being that I hadn't even known were in (of) me.

I have journeyed through frontiers I had only dreamt of exploring just short months ago.

I have made powerful decisions about my life and career ... and acted upon them.

I have faced some fears head on and lived to tell the tale.

And I have committed to being even more transparent as I continue to live my authentic life.

(More on that transparency bit later in this post.)  

I'm betting that won't really satisfy the curiosity I hope I have instilled within you now, but I have a reason for writing this update this way.  

First and foremost, I shamelessly admit that I want to peak your curiosity.  I want you to wonder what it is that I have been up to and doing that has been so exciting ... so that you will begin to yearn for these kinds of juicy experiences for your own life.  

Second, I want you to realize that it doesn't matter what your life has looked like or been up to this moment, but that you can choose "on a dime" to choose to spice it up and invite in your own juicy, rich and fulfilling life experiences.

And third, that you will not be able to set these thoughts aside, but that instead you will choose to subscribe to my blog and begin to explore the delicious possibilities that exist out there in this vast universe we live in ... and that are waiting ... just for you.

Truth be told, it might be interesting to hear the details of what I've been up to, but let's be honest, you would listen and be intrigued for a moment, but you'd soon put the discussion aside because after all, that is my life and you are here to live yours!

So, now that you've read to this point in this blog post, I hope you are not totally disappointed that I didn't succumb and tell you all the juicy details of what I've been up to since the first of this year.  Rather, I hope that you have gotten to this point and are inspired to find your own quest to embark upon in order to make your life juicy!  

Of course, I highly recommend hiring a coach (hint, hint) ... that's what I did, of course.  Practice what you preach, eh?  A coach should always have a coach, just as a psychologist should always have a psychologist and a "shrink" should always have a "shrink."  A coach can take you to the regions of yourself that you have either been too afraid to visit, or not known existed so that you could visit them.  And a coach will keep you on the path you choose to explore, and will hold you accountable to the goals or dreams or aspirations you want for your juicy life!

About that transparency ... well, stay tuned (aka, subscribe!) and you'll witness plenty of that!

TTFN Beloved Reader,

CJ