Prosperity Attraction – you create your own reality

All of us were created with an innate inner wisdom which guides our lives, serves as an inner “truth meter” and helps us to make important decisions at critical turning points in our lives. Some call this natural gift intuition, spiritual guidance or “gut feelings”.

Each of us connects to intuition in our own unique ways. Those with artistic or musical gifts may call upon their muse to inspire them with creative ideas. Those whose work involves great physical or mental endurance may connect with their inner wisdom by challenging themselves deeply to break through the barriers that usually stand between themselves and their inner gifts. Some of us may live very busy lives with little time to tune into our inner guidance, but our dreams serve as messengers to share with us the important information we may have tuned out in the midst of a busy day.

Our intuition is a profound gift which connects our embodied physical self with our divine spiritual essence. The soul can communicate with our embodied self through this line of light, and we can develop this inner connection over time through meditation, prayer, and the desire to know ourselves more deeply.

Our intuition can be of great benefit at all times in our lives, and especially during times of great stress or difficulty. In situations where we are facing unanticipated challenges such as the loss of a loved one or an illness, many intense emotions arise from within us. Our habitual supports are removed or shaken, which can cause us to feel unmoored, adrift, without anything to hold onto.

Our intuition can act as a guiding compass, pointing us instinctively towards the supports we need to get through the difficulties we are facing. When our minds fail us because we feel overwhelmed, the voice of our inner wisdom speaks clearly and will repeat itself as often as necessary.

If we are accustomed to being in control of our lives, and then suddenly are faced with a situation we cannot manage, we may feel frightened and desperate because our usual methods of coping no longer are working. Intuition however, will always work, even in the direst of circumstances, because our embodied human self in the physical world is always connected with our larger spiritual self.

In a time of challenge or crisis, our spiritual support systems are activated from the spiritual realms. Our connection with intuition or guidance is strengthened, and those loving beings in the spiritual realms that watch over us and guide our lives provide extra assistance.

If we have become accustomed to discounting our inner wisdom, or have simply shut down the intuitive parts of ourselves through years of neglect, it may feel as though we cannot find the thread of light that would re-connect us to our source. It is important to understand that no matter how disconnected we become from our divine inner wisdom, it is always present and available to us. Even if we have erected barriers to shut out our inner guidance for a time, these can removed by our diligent prayer and intention.

If we have been disconnected from ourselves for a very long time, the process of reconnecting will often bring up old emotions, thoughts and memories that we may have hidden from ourselves that we were not ready to deal with. During this re-balancing phase, it is helpful to participate in some kind of regular spiritual or emotional support system that can help stabilize our inner connection with spirit.

One of the most challenging aspects of the healing process is remembering that emotions and memories from the past are coming up in order to be healed and released. A support system can help us to anchor in the strength of our inner being, to allow the emotions and feelings to pass through us and to release from our body, mind and spirit.

As this cleansing process happens, intuition and inner wisdom are naturally strengthened, for there are fewer barriers between ourselves and our spirit. This deeper inner connection can provide a source of wisdom, freedom, empowerment and comfort during difficult times, and will sustain us throughout life with greater love, joy and peace. Inner wisdom is a great gift, and is intended not only to bless our individual lives, but to share with others to bless all of life by our connection with the divine.

Resource Box:

Mashubi Rochell is a spiritual counselor and the founder of World Blessings, an online spiritual support community for people of all faiths. For more on developing inner wisdom, see Worldblessings.com

Did you know that the soap opera The Guiding Light is listed in the Guinness Book of World’s Records as the longest running scripted drama in TV AND Radio history? Beginning as a radio show in 1937, it transitioned to Television in 1952 and will continue at least through September 2009 which will put it into its 72^nd year! Now that’s pretty amazing. Useless perhaps, but amazing nonetheless.

Light has always been both a metaphoric and an actual guide. We often seek the “light at the end of the tunnel.” For millennia, sailors have used the stars to guide them to faraway places and back home again. The North Star has led many lost hikers home.

And no matter how far we travel from our physical home, we are all travelers on a journey of discovery through this life. And just as travelers on the road or over the seas require guidance, we need guidance for our travels through life. We need a light to show us the way.

It is easy to take the light for granted when it is all around us. During the day, in the heat of the summer, when light surrounds us, we often dismiss beauty and power of the sun. In fact, I often hear people cursing the sun and its heat.

But when the dark comes, when night falls, and when the cold darkness of winter descends upon our world, we seek the light, we crave the warmth of the sun and we yearn for the guidance that the light offers.

We have just moved through the deepest darkness, the longest night. This is such a rich, fertile time: A time of healing and integration, a time of introspection and gestation, a time to restore and renew our bodies, minds and spirits.

At this time of year we celebrate the light - even as we honor the power of the darkness. Throughout human history, many cultures have celebrated the coming of the light of bringing light into this deep darkness. Chanukah is the festival of light. The Winter Solstice celebrates the returning of the light. Persian, Native American, Celtic, Germanic, Japanese, Chinese, and many other cultures have festivals and celebrations recognizing the return of the sun.

And on Thursday we celebrated the birth of a great master and the awakening of a brilliant light in the world.

Whatever you believe about Jesus and whatever faith you follow, his life, like those of all the great masters, is filled with many lessons for all of us. His life provides us with an example of what is possible. He is a light in our sky, a light that can guide us home.

And just as there are many stars in the night sky to guide sailors home, there are many masters in our past, many lights in the “sky” of our human history: Buddha, Krishna, Muhammad, St Francis, Gandhi, Black Elk, Mother Theresa, the Dalai Lama and many more who have lived and some who live now upon this planet… and they all can help us find our way home. They can guide us back to our Source.

Because, no matter what philosophy these masters taught, no matter where they lived, no matter how altered their teachings have become over the course of the years, each of them had this in common: They lived in alignment with the light of guidance.

We are all connected to that guidance, that light. But most of us ignore it, deny it, block it, resist it, and push it away. The masters of this world have all embraced that light. They have surrendered to that light. And, ultimately, they have embraced that light, becoming one with it. And in that state of surrender and oneness, they no longer needed to look to the skies for guidance. They no longer needed to look outside of themselves for answers or directions. They became the light. They were the guidance.

And what they did, you can do also. They were special, yes. They were gifted. Yes. They were blessed. Yes.

But so are you!

And what they achieved, you can too!

We all can learn from their examples. We can grow and become better by following them. Not blindly, or without thought. But with intention: The intention to become better, to become more fully awakened to our beauty and to our greatness!

As we walk in their footsteps and follow their light, our light shines more brightly in the world. And as our light shines, we become a beacon for others!

We all need guidance. We all need support in our journey of growth and evolution. And when we actively seek that guidance, we automatically offer that guidance to others.

How were the Wise Men led to Jesus? How did they know that a great master was born?

It was a light in the sky. They followed that light. But why were there only three of them? Why did not more people see that light and follow it? Was it an actual light in the sky? Or was that a metaphor for an inner light, an inner knowing that led these three wise men to the place of his birth?

We’ll never know. And it really doesn’t matter. But what is important is to recognize that we all can see that light. Just as those wise men saw the light, just as the great masters have embraced and ultimately become that light, you have that same light guiding you.

We are all connected to that guidance but sometimes we forget that connection. Sometimes we see that light but deny it. Sometimes we hear that guidance but attempt to outsmart it thinking that we know a better way, a faster way, a more efficient way.

We don’t!

I know I don’t! And believe me I have tried to outsmart that guidance many times! It has never worked.

Now, as we sit in this time of darkness but feel the movement into the light, we have the opportunity to say yes to that guidance.

A New Year is coming. The days are growing longer. And so, our attention returns to the outer world and to our place in the world.

This is a good time to decide what light you will follow in 2009.

What light will guide you on your journey into this New Year?

Will you be guided by the light of Love? Or will it be fear?

Will you surrender to the light of Source? Or will it be “I can do it on my own?”

Will you be led by the light of God? Or will it be good enough?

You have the choice.

I have made mine. I choose Love, Source, God as my light and my guidance in 2009.

Will you join me?

If Goldilocks were to leaf through a few meditation books, she might find some approaches to be too hot, others too cold. But soon enough, we know she’d land on a system that feels “just right” to her. She always does.

Meditation is Like Porridge

When you take your first taste of meditation, it is good to follow your inner guidance. Too hot? Too cold? Find an approach that feels “just right” as it offers you a bridge from your every day state of mind into the clarity, awakening, and healing you seek.

Scattered Mind

In our ordinary state of mind, we rapidly alternate our focus between what is wanted and what is not wanted. This creates static in our vibration. When you focus in such a way that increases the split in your energy, you feel worse. When you deliberately select a focus that brings you into alignment, you feel better.

The more you become like Goldilocks, the more you can clearly tell which technique feels too hot, which one’s too cold, and which one is “just right” for you. The more you follow your inner guidance, the more easily and swiftly you can bring yourself into a deep and beneficial meditative state.

The Missing Ramp

Most people give up their meditation practice (or never even begin) for one reason. This reason takes many forms but there is really only one reason. It may feel like “I don’t have the time.” Or it may show up as “I don’t really understand how to do it.” It may even look like “I try but I fall asleep.”

All these obstacles to meditation are the same at their root. They may look different, but they are all evidence of something missing. The thing that is missing is a ramp.

Your mind is functioning at one frequency and meditation asks it to function at a completely different frequency. When you sit down in your everyday mental pace and ask yourself to jump levels with no ramp, you may be asking the impossible of yourself.

But when you have a ramp, you can do it. When you have a simple way to reliably move from the rhythm of your everyday mind into the rhythm of meditation, you advance rapidly. You begin to reap the benefits of meditation that usually take years and years to achieve.

Aligned Mind

A physical ramp will get your car from one level to another, but what kind of ramp will elevate your mind? The ramp that brings you comfortably into meditation is built of inner alignment. And just like Goldilocks, who knows a good ramp when she sees one, you will know you have achieved a shift in your vibration when you have found your inner alignment. It feels “just right.”

Here is an exercise you can do right now to begin your inner alignment. Try this before you meditate and see if it changes the experience for you.

1 – Sit with your spine upright and close your eyes.

2 – Imagine a vertical beam of light running through your spine. It extends infinitely above your head. It also extends below you through the center of the earth and beyond.

3 – allow your muscles to relax and let this beam of light call your spine to a relaxed and powerfully upright posture.

4 – On each in breath, feel your breath begin at the base of your spine and let it rise through the beam of light to the top your head.

5 – On each out breath, feel the breath and the light expand outward to fill your whole body. Feel it illuminate and cleanse your physical cells as well as your energy body.

This simple process of beginning your alignment with the vertical axis offers many benefits:

· It brings you into greater awareness of the now.
· It promotes healing.
· It heightens your sensory awareness so that you have more joy in your human experience.
· It augments your insights and talents.
· It increases your natural abilities by making you whole.

As you do this process, I recommend you approach it like Goldilocks. Find a way to do it that feels “just right.”

Now I’m not a big believer in “coincidence.” I find that when I remain open to the signs and signals from the Universe my life tends to flow much more smoothly.

That said, there are certainly times when I’m better at picking up on those signs even when the “coincidences” are a bit subtle and require some stretching to turn them into signs.

And there are other times when I’m a bit slow on the uptake and I either miss the sign altogether or the Universe is forced to send me one of those unmistakable, “bang-bang Maxwell’s Silver Hammer on the head” type of signals that does not need a whole of stretching!

I think you know the kind I’m talking about!

Well last weekend I got one of those.

It began on Saturday morning at the monthly meeting of the Drop In Law of Attraction group. We were exploring the connection between the Comfort Zone and the Law of Attraction. A great topic by the way!

During our discussion, after I had led the group through a visualization where they got to explore the edges of their comfort zone, one of the participants shared that the edge of her comfort zone was a circle of fire surrounding her. I immediately began singing the Johnny Cash song, “Ring of Fire.” I’m not sure where it came from. I’m not a big Johnny Cash fan and have only heard that song a handful of times. But out it came.

So there’s #1!

Later that night at a housewarming party for a friend who had just returned to Sonoma County, I was playing my guitar and singing along with a few of the party guests. Although my song list is significantly shorter than before my daughter was born, I was doing my best at taking requests. Some of them I could muddle through, most of them I either didn’t know or had forgotten.

And then, out of the blue, someone asked if I could play… you guessed it, “Ring of Fire.”

Now in all my years of leading sing-alongs at parties I have NEVER had anyone request Ring of Fire! What’s up with that?

Someone there knew the basic chord progression and another person knew the lyrics, so we were able to put together a passable version (although Johnny was probably rolling over).

There’s #2.

The next day at our local Farmer’s Market, my daughter and I ran into one of her pre-school friends and her dad, Mike Emerson. Ella and Sequoia started playing a bit while Mike and I chatted.

I knew that Mike was a keyboard player and since I’ve been interested in taking some piano lessons, I checked in to see if he knew of any good teachers in the area. Turns out he teaches as well as performs. Cool.

So as we talked about schedules he said that he wouldn’t be available until late in the month because he’s doing a quick European tour with… are you ready for this? Carlene Carter.

Now if you’re not a Country Music fan and don’t know who Carlene Carter is – I didn’t – she’s the daughter of June Carter – who happens to have written Ring of Fire - and Stepdaughter of Johnny Cash – who as you now know made it famous! And Ring of Fire is one of the songs they play in their shows.

So there’s the magic #3 and Maxwell’s bang on my head!

Yes I got it!

The sign that is. Still working out the details of the meaning. Sometimes with these “coincidences” the meaning is obvious and sometimes not so much. With this one I’ve got some ideas, but I haven’t come to any conclusive opinion.

I do know that I’ve been having fun imitating Johnny’s deep, gravelly voice as I belt out “I fell into a burning ring of fire…”

What do you think? What message is the Universe sending me? I’d love to hear your take. And in case you haven’t heard Ring of Fire, here are the lyrics:

Love is a burning thing
and it makes a fiery ring
bound by wild desire
I fell into a ring of fire…

I fell into a burning ring of fire
I went down, down, down
and the flames went higher.
And it burns, burns, burns
the ring of fire the ring of fire.

The taste of love is sweet
when hearts like our’s meet.
I fell for you like a child
oh, but the fire went wild..

I fell in to a burning ring of fire…..[etc]