Trust Yourself

One of the most important questions in life is about trust. Who do we trust?

Traditionally those who had a certain level of authority would be trusted, like our parents, our doctor, the major, and yes, the police. And of course the (local) government. They were people who — through their education and life experience had gained a broader level of insight in whatever life could throw our way, and therefore, their opinions, guidance and regulations were trusted as being right. And hence, that guidance was usually followed.

Why would we not follow the advice of a person whom we were confident will know what it is all about? Someone with an education, knowledge, and insight…

In this point in time wee may have a different perspective on that — and yet, there are still people we may trust solely based on their position. Teachers may fall into that category — and doctors. And perhaps even our (local) government.

More often than not are we willing to take their advice — and follow it — without giving it much thought. After all, they are having our best interest at heart, right?

And even when this is true, their idea about what is best and healthy, may not suit us as an individual. This means that if we would follow their advice — given with the best intentions in mind — it may not be beneficial to us…

It is always a good idea to ask ourselves who we trust, and why we trust that person… To give some thought to the advice we are receiving before we decide to either follow it, or to test their “wise words” against our own intuition, wisdom, and what we know to be true about ourselves. To perhaps read up on things online and discover what we didn’t know (yet) about the situation at hand. To find alternative solutions, new possibilities, for a — at least for ourselves — new, and better way of looking at the situation we find ourselves in.

After all, each and every one of us is totally responsible for our own live.

This means that — especially when it is about something important as trust — we no longer place that outside of ourselves, with that well intended teacher, doctor, parents, or government.

It means that we are given the opportunity to learn to trust ourselves.

When we trust ourselves — our own discernment — we will know if a person is trustworthy, or not. We then would listen to the advice and guidance given to us, yet also do our own research, make your own observations, and sense intuitively if something is right for us at this moment…

In other words, while in the past we often trusted others in important situations — guiding our decisions — we may find that at this point in time it becomes more and more important to be entirely confident in our own sense of what is most beneficial to us.

Self confidence.

Divisions

Division — literally the act of separating something into parts or groups, or the way that it is separated.

In the world today, we do not have to look far to see division. It can be a division that is caused by different opinions, where each side is getting louder and louder, creating a gap between the two (or more) parts or groups that is getting ever wider… Or a division of action — where one group is going all the way and taking action in order to balance whatever issue is at play, while another group is just giving any possible solution “lip-service”. Or even that more traditional division between the “Have’s” and the “Have-not’s”…

As a lot of those divisions are playing out around us, it seems hard to see where we — as an individual — can make a difference. What can we do to bring a greater balance, or perhaps even close the gap just a tiny bit?

Well…

What if we would come from the other direction entirely? What if we, rather than focusing on the divisions in the world around us, would look inside ourselves to bring balance to the divisions we may experience within ourselves?

Things like “I should have reacted differently in that conversation”, or “I don’t know if I am worth it”, “I don’t know if I can do it”, and so on.

Pretty much any statement we may make to ourselves that expresses doubt about ourselves or the things we say, do, or think, to a certain extend creates a division inside ourselves. Even when we do not say it out loud…

Why not give ourselves credit for who we are right now — with the understanding that we are walking a path of growth, that there still is a lot to learn and experience — yet the person we are right now is the best version of ourselves we can muster. So there is no reason to doubt who we are, whether we are good enough, know enough, or do enough as we keep taking steps on our personal paths through life.

When we do give ourselves credit for who we are right now, something wonderful happens!

Bit by bit the division within ourselves get healed. We may find that we become more whole, less scattered in our focus. And as we create a greater wholeness within ourselves, our authenticity starts to shine more and more brightly! And that is a good thing!!

The other thing that may well happen, is that the divisions in our immediate environment start to become less fierce. They may still exist — but then again, there will always be as many opinions as there are people — yet it may no longer be an “either / or” choice that is voiced loudly, or angrily.

So, give int a try!

The two sides of fall

In the cycle of the seasons every season has its own energy. The winter time is one for making plans and creating a structure through which you are most likely to make your goals come true over the next series of seasons. Then with spring we tend to set everything in motion… As if we give ourselves and our lives a big push forward. In summer we keep working towards our goals — and as the goals in front of us may become more clear, we may fine tune our activities in order to reach them. Then with fall the time of the harvest is upon us. Often it is the time in which we can give ourselves a pat on the back, celebrating a job well done as we have reached our goals.

And then, about half way through fall, something happens that signifies a decided shift in energy…

From the busy time of the harvest, there is a change into a much calmer, even quieter energy.

This happens at the time of the Celtic beginning of winter, at November 1st.

For them, this was an auspicious time, as they felt it was a moment when the veils were thin, and therefore the division between the physical world and the non-physical world was not as strong, or definite…

For us, in today’s energy, it is a good time to be thankful for all that we have accomplished over the past year. And perhaps just as important, to take stock of what our lives look like…

To see the everything about our lives that is important to us, our priorities, where we spend our time and energy, and so on — and then to decide whether that still feels right to us, or if we wish to change things. Release the things that no longer serve us, and perhaps bring into our lives the things we wish for…

In that sense, the “other” side of fall becomes a preparation for the winter energy, in which we create the space in which new ideas and plans can flourish. A space in which — when the time comes — our resolutions for our next pass through the cycle of the seasons can take hold, and be manifested as we bring them from winter, through spring, summer, and into fall.

And from that perspective one can say that with the Celtic beginning of winter, we are truly standing on the threshold of a new cycle through the seasons…

Use it well !!

Omens Are Everywhere

Omens bring to our attention something that is important in our lives. This can be something that is about to happen — sort of like a “heads up” — or it can be something that may have been in the back of our mind for a while without truly getting our attention enough so we can act upon it, or do something about it.

Often, we can look back after something has happened in our lives and see the omens we were given ahead of time — that we didn’t pay attention to as, at that time, it never occurred to us that it would have any kind of priority.

At that moment, we may even tell ourselves that 20/20 hindsight is so clear, if only we had been paying attention…

In reality there are omens in our lives every day and in pretty much any situation we are finding ourselves in. And yes, they can be of great help to us as we are living our day-to-day lives, as long as we recognize them for what they are… Messages from the unseen that connect in our subconscious in a meaningful manner.

This means that omens are intensely personal, not only from the perspective of what is an omen for an individual, but also in the way it is interpreted.

As a rule of thumb, whenever something happens, no matter how simple it is, whether it is an every day occurrence or something you have never seen before; if it grabs your attention, if it stops you in your tracks, or just gives you food for thought, chances are it is an omen.

When you write down what just happened, and write above it your first association with each word or concept outside of the storyline of what just happened. 

The associations will then give you an indication as to what the omen may be about.

So, why would we pay attention to omens as we are living our busy every day lives? It seems like it is just one more thing to do — and on top of that, the messages they give take time to discover. Why take that time?

Well, first and foremost, whether we do take time to register and decipher the omens we come across on our paths, absolutely is a personal, free will choice. And sometimes we may be more apt to do it than at other times.

However, registering that “heads up” signal may be quite beneficial to us…

We are living in a time in which it is ever more important to live our lives according to our own values. Therefore it is important to know where we stand, what is important to us, what makes us happy — and then make our choices in a way that we can expand those things in our lives.

We can still do the things we have always done — but the moment there is this tiny thought that says, “I truly don’t want to do this…” for whatever the reason, that, in a sense is an omen! And if we pay attention to that omen, we may discover a better way to go about what we are doing, or perhaps we find that there is no reason to keep doing those things, just because we have always done them…

As we pay attention to the omens on our path, it will give us the opportunity to change our lives for the better in a very gentle manner.

Give it a try!

Harvest Time

When I grew up, the month of October was always busy picking apples and pears. In a sense it was the result of our work throughout the year, and those apples and pears would last for a number of months into the future — even though we didn’t really have an orchard of any size…

Looking back, perhaps the most important work we did throughout the year to ensure the harvest, was watering the big trees during the summer months. Each tree would receive three buckets of water on its roots, every day. And somehow, it is that — and the harvest — that stick in my mind most… Not the blossom in spring, or the shade the trees provided. Not the birds and horses who helped themselves to the best fruit, right before the harvest…

And this then, is an example of how our perspective of what it is that is ready to harvest in our lives. We may have an idea as to what we set out to “make happen” this year, yet, come harvest time, our actual harvest may be different than what we thought.

As it turns out, what we decide to do — where and how we decide to focus our energy — during the year, may give an indication of what it is we can expect to harvest, yet in the energy of today there is another way to predict where our most productive harvest will come into our lives during this time.

Often this indication is given when we look back at our life over the past year, and note the events that seem to come to mind most clearly — whether these were big or small events, intentional or surprising events, even those events we never thought we would be part of — if they come to mind with great clarity as we look back it means they were important to us. Perhaps not important from a logical point of view, yet certainly from the perspective of our personal path of growth.

Needless to say that there may be some surprises there.

However, these events that we remember with unexpected clarity will indicate in which direction your “personal harvest” is likely, come harvest time, as they show us where we have focused our energy from a more intuitive, or subconscious perspective…

On one hand it is a good thing to realize that the energy we have put into something from a logical perspective is never wasted. As it turns out, we will have made (great) progress in that area.

On the other hand, what the unexpected events that show up with uncanny clarity do indicate, is that there may be a better way to go about it. A way that has the potential to reap even greater rewards…

Either way, it is definitely a good way of paying attention to what it is you are harvesting right now. And when you think that no “harvest” is coming your way… Look again!

Motivation

We all have our own motivation to do the things we do, to act the way we act, and to say the things we say. The fact that we are allowed to express our opinions in whichever way we see fit and to act upon them is one of those very precious things in life we call freedom…

That freedom has a lot to do with society and culture; with the people around us and the social mores we live by. In other words, at least at the surface this freedom is something that is granted to us by the society we live in; and therefore stems from outside of ourselves.

Our motivation to do, or not do something, to say something or be silent, to act or sit back is usually much more complicated.

Often our motivation is provided from outside of ourselves. For instance the motivation for being on time for the start of your shift at work may well be the paycheck at the end of the month, which you need in order to pay the bills. This may also be true when looking at the decision to speak up or not; very few people find the strength and courage inside themselves to become a whistle blower. And for good reason. Therefore the wiser choice may well be to stay silent…

Yet in this day and age it seems to be more and more important that the things we do ~ like our job ~ are something we are passionate about. Even though we may have to work harder to make a living, when we are doing something we feel passionate about it seems that ultimately the earnings come in more easily than when we are just ‘going through the motions’. 

Doing the things we are passionate about usually are things that we feel motivated about from within. There is an inner drive, an inner guidance to set out and do those things. And when we do, we almost always feel more fulfilled as a result.

In other words, while there will always be an ‘outer motivation’ for any number of the things we do, our ‘inner motivation’ seems to become a more and more important part in making choices as to where to spend our time and energy. As to what we want to be part of, and what we choose to walk away from. As to what we want to say, and when to be quiet; and if we still want to speak up, how we choose our words.

As time goes on, our inner compass will become a more and more important part of our motivation for living our lives the way we choose to…

first published in 2009

Taking it Easy

Most mornings when I wake up, I will start off by examining the ideas, thoughts and half formed plans that are floating around in my mind. Sometimes these are fairly basic and based around the situation of that very moment — like the cat snuggling up and wanting a tummy rub… Other times they can be quite involved and extensive, and it can even take a bit of time to sort out where they may be able to fit in the fabric of my life.

It is on those days that it is easy to make plans that can stretch throughout the week, as one idea often leads tot he next, and the next, and the next…

And then something happens that says — subconsciously at first, yet more insistently when I am not listening — “Wait a minute! Why the rush?”

It always signals a moment to take a deep breath. A time to stand still, even if it just is a minute. Or perhaps it even is a sign that it is time to smell the roses…

Now, often when I look back over the past couple of days, there have already been different signals — or perhaps “Omens” — that I am too busy. That I am trying to do too many things all at once…

Yet, like undoubtedly happens to many “Omens”, I have failed to actually pick up on them…

Anyway… Then there is that morning when there is that message that says “Hold on! Wait a minute!”. And that one, I have learned to listen to…

Yes, in the past I have tried to just keep going, to make my plans to keep moving through the day — after all, one has to be productive, right?

Invariably that has not worked. It has taken me into miles of traffic jams. And sometimes while on the hunt for some product or material I need for my work, it seems to be sold out everywhere I go… Until I give up and make one last phone call, only to find it can be delivered with next day shipping without extra cost…

So, there is really no reason to keep running around when the early morning message was to take it easy… To take a moment to listen to the signs and signals that are coming my way…

As it turns out, there is wisdom in taking it easy more often. In taking the time to listen to what messages are coming our way, and follow up on them. To do the research what the second meaning of the “Omen” might be (I have found over the years, that there often are at least two meanings to those type of messages…).

Chances are we would receive the necessary information in such time that we can use it before things go haywire — even to prevent that from happening. Which would, in all likelihood, bring a smoothness and an ease to life…

And all the time we would need to take it easy…