Being receptive is key

The Universe and myriad spirit helpers are always available to assist you, but you must cultivate a receptive state of being - in your mind, emotions and body. You must be sincere when you ask for guidance, and accept that the answers provided don't always agree with your pre-conceived plans, notions or calendar.

Are you prepared to listen to Higher Direction even if it means a change for you? Or do you ask for guidance whether through prayer, meditation or psychic/mediumship until you hear the answer you want? Do you expect Universe to do things your way and and refuse to receive help or guidance when it's different than your expectations? If so, you are wasting precious time and energy.

Release all your preconceived notions, beliefs and attitudes about how things should work out and let Universe show you a new way. Trust that Spirit has a better plan for you than what you can ever imagine. Get out of your own way so that Higher Wisdom can guide your life - you will be pleasantly surprised.

As a great Master said, your heart must be like that of a child - full of dreams, faith, hopes and trust that the best is yet to come.  Cultivate this state of being, and you will gain access to the wisdom and joy of Love everlasting.

Stop, Drop & Roll: Dealing With Ego Fires

When living our lives from the ego's perspective, we think of ourselves as self-important yet might view our lives as meaningless and futile.  The world is a dark place, full of people and situations who are there to get us.  Every comment we receive we meet with a "how dare she" attitude.  We contest, confront, blame, point fingers...  We live so much out of the "fight or flight" mode that our adrenals are overworked and we suffer from chronic fatigue.  It's like we're so busy fighting fires that we don't even realize that WE are on fire, burning up to a crisp - too tight, too tense, too fatigued that we've given up on ourselves and our dreams.  Our Spirit feels tight in a body and a mind who are fighting too much.  We have lost our physical and mental flexibility.  We feel trapped.  Yet there are more fires to fight, and if we don't fight the fires, who will?  The world would perish if we weren't there to stop them...

Or would it?  Realize that you are the one starting those fires in the first place when you view situations and people from the ego perspective.

Are you ready to stop the fires, to feel refreshed and to start heeding the voice of Spirit?  What is it that you do when you realize you're on fire?  Stop, drop and roll.  Here's how it applies.


1.  STOP


The first thing you need to realize is that you're living in ego and acting out of ego-based fears, so stop it!  These fears manifest as thought and behavioural patterns such as:

• I'm not good enough
• Well good for her for having the courage to change jobs, but it's not for me.  I don't deserve this.  I'm not special enough.  I have too many worries.  If I stop working at this job that I hate, my whole world will crumble.
• I'll never make it.
• I'm not talented enough.
• I hate myself, and the whole world hates me too.
• How dare she cut me off in traffic.  I'll show her.  I'll tailgate her and give her the evil eye.
• OMG - did you see those earrings she's wearing.  I would never be caught with those.  They are completely ridiculous
• My son is going through something again, and I'm the only one who can help.  He is so powerless, I have to do everything for him.  He will never learn.
• If I weren't there, my Mom/neighbour/workplace would certainly crumble.
• I would do differently, but I will look ridiculous.

Do any of these sound familiar?  Take a deep breath.  Deeper than that - is your ego telling you that breathing deeply right now is ridiculous?  Stop it.  Breathe.  Raise your shoulders to your ears as you inhale, and let them drop down low as you exhale.  Again.  Good.  

Ego-based thoughts often appear to flatter you, to make you feel special or to defend you.  Yet all of these are temporary and don't contribute to your long-term wellness.  These are not loving thoughts - not for yourself or others.  They feel disempowering to you, and contribute to your disempowering actions toward others.  Energetically, these thought-feelings are dense and heavy.

Take a moment a state one of your fears or ego-thoughts aloud.  Feel it in your body - do you feel energized?  Empowered?  Light?  Probably not.   Where do you feel the heaviness, the sadness, the pain?  OK - you're on your way to recognizing the voice of ego.  The more you practice and become aware of ego's voice, the easier it will become to stop yourself in your tracks.

From now on, every time an ego-based thought enters your mind/body awareness, remember to STOP, and breathe deeply from your belly.  

2.  DROP

Imagine for a moment that you're in the middle of a field, and there are several small bush fires all around you.  Even the hem of your pants have caught fire.  Yet you're still running around actually spreading more fire because your efforts are disorganized and don't go to the root cause of the fire.  These fires have names:  your mother, your father, your children, your studies, your job, your partner, your finances...   Not knowing what else to do, you are running around with torches and extinguishers. 

Finally, you remember to stop - but you still have the torches and extinguishers in your hands.  What do you do?  Drop them.  Stop contributing to the fires.  

You'll have to train your mind and ego to work with you here.  Once you've stopped and taken a deep breath, open your hands and shake them out as you say "DROP!"  This is a very basic neurolinguistic programming technique: with the action, you are training your body to train your mind and thoughts that you are shifting to a new paradigm.  And don't let your ego tell you that you'll look ridiculous doing this in the middle of the grocery store.  To the onlooker, you're only shaking your hands, so drop that defensive stance too.  

After some practice, you may find that your dropping even bigger pieces that ego had build around you.  You'll get to the root of your thoughts and behavioural patterns - a rule you've learned as a child, a painful experience earlier in life, a need for approval at any cost, lack of self-love...  Drop the fear, the masks, the familiar chaos.  Open your hands and allow for Spirit to take it away for you.  Allow for Spirit to give you new coping tools and to fill you with Love, with compassion, with forgiveness.  

You will begin to experience a higher awareness of your spiritual self, and the voice of your Inner Wisdom will become stronger.  Your willingness and ability to follow the promptings of your Spirit will increase.  You will feel more peace, joy and contentment.  As you shift, your relationships will also shift.  You will be ready to Roll with Spirit.

3.  ROLL

You caught yourself in the middle of an ego thought - you stopped, took a deep breath and instructed your inner knowing to drop it.  The next step is to roll.  With your body, do a shoulder roll, a neck roll, a hip roll (a figure-8 with the hips feels really good).  Breathe again.

Ask yourself now - what would my Spirit rather do or say?  And listen carefully to your inner promptings.  If these promptings feel dense, heavy, angry, frustrated, or confused; if your body feels tense and tight (check your jaws, hips, heart area) - then it's not your spirit talking, it's still ego trying to get through.  Start over from step 1.  Once your guidance feels loving, clear, light, open...  then you'll know it's your spirit talking.  So roll with it.  Your ego mind might say it doesn't make any rational sense, but you're at a place now where you can choose to roll with Spirit, above the fire instead of causing careless fires.

***

As the bear says, "Only YOU can stop forest fires"...  the same is true of your ego fires.  YOU have to choose differently.  If you keep doing what you've been doing, you'll keep getting what you got.  You deserve a life of peace, self-love and harmony.  

I love you, and I can see your beautiful spirit fully empowered gracing our wonderful world with its Light.  I can help you see the same in yourself and others.  I believe in you, wholeheartedly.  

Use the Force...

This is the cover of the birthday card I offered my nephew for his 10th birthday. He's a big fan of Star Wars, and I'm a big fan of the Force, in all its manifestations and however we choose to interpret it... Isn't the Star Wars theme inspiring at many levels? How would you apply the lessons of the Force to your life, in this moment?

Here's one lessons: shut out all the distractions so you can feel the force and trust & believe in yourself. There are so many distractions out there, and I'm not talking of only the TV, the distressing news, FB games... but also the drama of the ego, the hearsays, the do's and don'ts we were conditioned to perform to regardless of whether or not it resonates with our Spirit.

The Force, the voice of our Higher Self, is always present for us to hear and heed, but we must make a conscious decision to listen to it. It won't compete with the world to get our attention. It's our choice to turn on to the "Spirit Channel" and turn off the distracting vibrations. It's our choice to refuse to have our life to be run by others. Only our inner guidance can lead us to what is true for each one of us, so all other voices must go.

Be selective about what you take in from outside of you; only then will you have the strength to find the answers you're seeking, and to act according to your soul purpose.

Blessings to all... May the Force be with you. ;)

Trust Spirit and flow past obstacles

For every step you take toward your heart's desire, you must step away from the comfortable routine of the moment. Be willing to make the fleeting sacrifices necessary to achieve your goals, and accept the temporary inconveniences and demands that come with commitment.

Ego is the part of you that makes mountains out of molehills, that worries, that thinks the world will come to an end if you change. Really? Is that true? Listen to Spirit. Make space for something new - in your heart, your mind, your relationships, your job... - by allowing yourself to flow past the obstacles put up by your ego. I can coach you through this if you need a boost.

Find your backbone. Honour yourself.

Are you struggling with the idea of doing what's expected of you instead of following your heart? Are you saying the same learned and rehearsed lines instead of lovingly speaking your mind? Are you selling out for temporary flattery instead of gaining the self-respect that comes from being faithful to yourself?

Find your backbone. Stay true to yourself and reclaim your personal integrity, no matter how frightening or costly it may appear. You will develop courage and strength of character. It will be worth the effort.

Allow for endings; they make space for greater things

It's the cycle of life... Celebrate changes, endings, terminations. Understand that in every one of them, you're crossing a threshold of rebirth to another level. Don't run from your emotions or deny your sorrow or fear; seek the greater
purpose of your dying or ending situation, and fully trust the normal rhythms of life and death. When you realize that something, someone, a job, or a situation no longer feeds you, allow it to drop away from you like the leaves of trees in the Fall.

The action needed from you is to allow; the emotion required is Trust in the Divine Will. God is preparing something very special for you; but you must make space for it by first letting go of what ails you.

Changing jobs: it's easier when guided by Spirit!

A series of synchronous events keep gracing my life; I am grateful to have raised my awareness and perception so that I can connect dots and act on the various signs and omens that present themselves to me.

Last winter was a particularly dark time for me.  I felt pushed (and not always gently!) to make a big change in my work life.  I knew this wasn't a good vibrational match for me, and because it drained me of vital energy I felt I could not be as present in the moment in developing my spiritual practice.  I was however refusing to commit to myself and my higher purpose.  I was being led by fear - fear of the big change, fear of lack of salary, fear of what others would say, fear of not fitting in, fear of being the best I can be...  My ego would keep making lists of why I should stay in an unsettling, unsatisfying work environment where I had to fight everyday until I felt completely broken, a puddle on the floor.

But how wonderful is it that I was pushed to my limits?  How wonderful is it that the wrong (or right!) managers and projects were put in my path to challenge me so?  Without this very powerful force of contrast, I would never have found the courage to stand up for myself, by first taking a leave of absence and then upon my return being thrown right back in the middle of the storm decided that I would cross the threshold - this was not how I wanted to co-create my life.  I committed to myself, my ideals, to Spirit and to Universe's plan for me.

Immediately, a wave of relief washed over my body.  My perceptions started evolving and I could detach myself from the drama, if only momentarily.  I was able to step back and admire the higher purpose of the seemingly ugly situation.  With a smile, I could admire the beauty of the situation and that of the souls interacting with me to challenge me.  I was able to find peace in my decision to change.

But still, I found it difficult to commit to an end date.  I still wanted to stretch it out as long as I could to appease my ego and its fears.  That didn't work very well either.  The pushing and prodding continued at work until I decided on my end date, which was September 28, 2012.

The evening after I shared this date with management, still feeling wobbly and unsure, I received an invitation from Sonia Choquette (yes, a general email to her mailing list, but the synchronicity is there nonetheless) to participate in her Trust Your Vibes Level 1 training in Chicago -- at 40% off the tuition fee with only a few spots left...  Training with her was on my vision board, as I love and appreciate her and her work and I consider her a mentor, but I didn't think it would be affordable or that I could have the time to go.  The dates of the training?  October 3-5, 2012: the weekend following my departure from my government job.  Now I had the time, it became affordable, and it was such a perfect timing to start my new life as full-time Reiki practitioner and Intuitive Coach!

Jacynthe (Jaz) Villemaire
and Sonia Choquette, in Chicago

I am so happy I followed my intuition and committed to this path and my training with Sonia!  The weekend was wonderful - and would you know it, I found many other participants who were going through the same process as me: leaving a lucrative corporate job for fulfilling work in the coaching or spiritual field.  All of us agreed that it didn't appear to make any sense to allow this shift to happen but that the current of change was too strong to ignore anymore.  We smiled at one another, finally knowing that we're not alone in this transition.  Some had made the leap of faith a year or two ago, for others like me it was more recent.  For all of us, the threads of the story had the same tint.


I was smiling at her opening remarks, which included something to the effect that opening our minds and following the guidance of Spirit allows us to get out of jail; to free ourselves from the prison we had created with our minds.  This statement had a double meaning for me, since the work I just left was with the Correctional Services!  I felt validated.

I was so at peace and content to be in Sonia's presence, in this group of wonderful spirits.  It just felt "right".  I was with a group of women - and some men - who are journeying on a similar path as me, who take their shoes off to dance and meditate, and who accept to follow their guidance and their hearts, no matter how difficult or irrational the next step seems to be.  I was with a group of people who, like me, have accepted to be a channel of Light and to anchor higher vibrations in this world of ours.  I really "filled my cup" with Love, Grace and Gratitude.

I am so very happy with my decision to change, and so very grateful that Universe conspired the way it has to bring me to where I am today.  I am very grateful for the synchronous events that will keep gracing my journey, bringing me the right people at the right time so that I continue to grow and evolve.  I am grateful for the wonderful experiences, opportunities and challenges ahead.  And I am so grateful and joyful that I have learned to reduce my resistance to the strong spiritual guidance present in my life.

I am working on preparing workshops and sessions to share what I have learned.  I love teaching, especially when it's a topic that comes from my heart to yours!

If you are going through a life transition, whether it's job-related or not, I can help you define your intentions, your passions, and your purpose.  I can coach you to remain spirit-centric in the midst of ego-centric struggles.  It's not easy, but I've pulled through just fine and now that I'm on the other side of the struggle I can reach out and guide you.  I learned valuable lessons along the way that could be key to you.

Much Love and Joy to you.

Everything in moderation, including moderation!

Today, follow a spiritual discipline of moderation and avoid extremes of any sort. Allow yourself to enjoy the nice things in life, but don't let them run your life. Be disciplined in making choices that serve your soul growth, not stifle it. Find the balance between self-indulgence, self-control and self-denial.

What you focus on is what you attract

What you focus on is what receives the energy to grow in your life... Refine your attention to a higher, more focused intention so that you can use your divine co-creative power in a more effective and rewarding way.

If you focus only on the weeds in your garden, you will only see the weeds, and miss out on the overall gorgeousness of your garden - and of your Spirit. :)

Be here, now. Savour the moment.

Do you feel pressured, impatient and ready for the next step to get to the future you dream of? Do you wish the Universe would speed up your demands according to your personal schedule? Relax: the future begins now.

Fully embrace your cr
eative power in the present. Stop believing that tomorrow is more important or more exciting. The present lays the groundwork for the days to come, and only by fully grasping it can you set the stage for the bright new opportunities.

Focus on what is NOW. Listen to your Higher Self, not your fears. Know that all things unfold in perfect harmony. Enjoy the rewards and peace of this moment.

A Stingy Omen...

I just got a piece of skin bitten off by a yellow jacket as I was getting ready to meditate outside... and so this image and message seem appropriate for today ;)

What is the essence of your sweet nectar? How well and willingly do you share your sweetness to sustain and nurture life around you - your family, your children, your immediate and the global environment?

Also, look at your shadow side: how do you react to aggression? How do you constructively channel your own aggressiveness? How do you manage your anger? How well do you live in a community? How well do you perform the tasks appointed to you?

Love and blessings.