Tuesday, November 30, 2010

HOT TIPS FOR A HAPPY LIFE- NOVEMBER

Hot Tips for a Happy Life
November 2010

Hello,

The way this month has gone you probably would have liked a hot tip sooner,
a hot anything!

I have been wanting to write on the subject of today's newsletter for quite a while.

Today, after spending the day in the mall with my 3 children, it is top of mind!

Acceptance: today I had to accept that 13 year olds are not that excited about
Santa pictures, that 12 year old girls do not have a lot of patience, particularly
with 4 year old brothers who ask a lot of questions and change every song to
include the word 'poop' in it.

I had to accept that when shopping with the agenda's of 4 different people the
ability to stay peaceful is less easy.

The last few months the tips have been based around 'noticing' your thoughts.
Once they are noticed the next step to happy is acceptance.

It is what it is,
Love,
Fawna
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ACCEPTANCE

Have you ever felt the frustration of going on a full rant and having someone say
"you just have to accept it". Accept a 'broken' healthcare system, children getting hurt or starvation in Africa???

The clearest I've been able to get on this is that acceptance means looking clearly at
what is in front of you and having a sense that 'it is what it is', taking away the
suffering aspect- the arguing aspect.

This does not mean that you don't notice how something might be improved-
or hold you back fromtaking inspired action on those thoughts. Acceptance is
not necessarily a passive decision.

What has helped me with acceptance are babies and flowers. Babies cannot walk,
they cannot talk, they poop their pants- but are they 'broken'? They are babies.
Flowers grow in a process, when they break through the dirt we are not disappointed
that they are not in bloom- we trust in growth. We trust in growth.

Have you ever considered that our health and education systems in Canada are
100 years old- thisis pretty young in the whole scheme of things.

I just watched a program tonight that described human time on earth as a 'blink'
in earth time- we are young. I heard the saying once "What can we expect, none
of us has been raised by an adult yet". Does that resonate with you?

In most situations if we had ALL of the information we would be able to 'accept' what
we see has happened or is happening. As it is we have a sliver of information with which
to take in information. If we could see it all we would also be able to see that things can
move forward, there is a way to connect to this- but that is another story, . for the purposes
of this article you might just try 'trusting' that if you knew the big picture it would make more sense.

Don't get me wrong- acceptance to me does not mean that something is okay or great.
I would never say to an abuse victim- you just need to accept it- what I have heard from people who have been abused though is that they truly move forward once they come to this decision themselves.

So, what is the problem with NOT accepting? Not accepting is not trusting, not trusting is fear. Fear offersthree options: Fight, Flight or Freeze. These three options have done little to aid our human growth.

I am not implying apathy in any way by suggesting acceptance, I am encouraging trusting a way forward andlooking for your part in it.

Our greatest improvements have been based in people being willing to take a total look at something, offer compassion and offer nourishment. Like the babies and the blooms,
how can you nourish an immature event in your life? A marriage, a frustration, world peace!

Finally, and you can probably predict this- most important is self-acceptance. Our self judgements are not always readily obvious, but underneath most judgment of other people
is the shadow of our own self loathing.

Try this "I Accept Myself, right now, just as I am"- journal what comes out- thoughts, feelings, arguments, agreements. On a scale of 1-10 how close are you to fully accepting yourself. In your minds eye push thatlittle guage up to 10 and see how it feels.

The truth is, you are perfect, just the way you are. Whether you are fully blooming or just pushing through the
dirt, you are connected and part of a perfect whole.

Peace to you as you prepare for Christmas
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UPCOMING EVENTS

Currently I have no upcoming events, I am happy to come and teach/ share a circle for your group. If you are interested in the area's of 'the ego', 'who am I, truly', the etheric/unseen world, the chakra's/energy world, how to connect to your body, the mind or spirit or how to truly listen- please call me and we will set something up.

Byron Katie Workshop at Highwood River Inn
Author of "Loving What IS"
A trained factilitator of 'The Work'- Paul, will be doing a 3 day intensive in February.
If you truly want to dig out the BS that is interfering with your happiness- this is
the course for you. Contact me for more information.

$60 hour treatments in my cozy cabin will come to an end at the end of this year.
Prices will be going up, If you would like to purchase gift certificates I will make that available on my website or you can contact me directly.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Celebrating Gentle

Celebrating Gentle

When I’m asked “what is CranioSacral Therapy” I almost always use the word “gentle”.

After months of chemotherapy, acupuncture, radiation and every medical test known to man (or so it seemed) I was SO relieved to experience gentle.

Not only was the experience amazing, the results- a return of my energy and freedom from pain, led me to train in this ‘gentle’ modality.

Have you noticed how harsh our North America has become, the commercials, the music, the media? Not a lot of ‘gentle’ reporting on Fox news!

Don’t get me wrong- there is a time and a place for force- opening Ketchup jars, splitting firewood or firemen kicking in doors or instance.

What I am thinking about is balance- let us not save gentleness for babies, small animals and new love.

Like the light touch of CranioSacral (generally no greater than the weight of a nickel), how much more effective might we be if we used kinder and softer words, gentle reactions, gentle self talk?

Draw some gentle into your day today, take a quiet walk, watch your words (yes, the ones in your head too!) embrace yourself as you would a newborn.

In your meditation, or the quiet minutes before you get up – taste the word gentle on your tongue- think the word and try to feel and absorb gentle into every part of you.

My experience is that gentle can be an exquisite form of strength.

In the words of Ghandi “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” And I know that you are a world shaker!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Fear and Public Washrooms

Abandoned workers walk inside the washrooms in the Portland labour camp in an industrial area on the outskirts of Sharjah, July 20, 2010. The workers in the Sharjah camp say they have not been paid monthly wages of about 800 dirhams ($217) in six months to a year, and their families are going hungry. Abandoned by employers who left the United Arab Emirates after the Dubai economy soured, the men cannot afford to stay, but they also cannot leave. They have not been paid for months and their passports were confiscated long ago. To match Feature EMIRATES-WORKERS/ REUTERS/Jumana El Heloueh (UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Tags: BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT)

Likely connection right?

This morning I was thinking about fear and wanting a metaphor to ground it for me. I like to do that, think in stories and pictures to make abstract concepts easier to grasp.

So, I was thinking of fear and I asked Holy Spirit (use whatever inner wisdom word you like here) to help me with that one.

Well, as is often the case, the answer that showed up made me laugh.

Fear is like a public washroom, a necessary evil for a time. There are times when you just have to go in, get done what needs to get done and then GET OUT! Don't hang out in there!!!!

It can be nasty in there, it can be smelly and yucky and uncomfortable, get in, get out.

What do I mean by 'do what needs to be done', not in the bathroom- you know that part, but what about fear. There are times on the way Home that you need to sit with your fear, don't ignore it. The metaphor still works here- you will get a stomach ache- or something worse if you just pretend that it is not happening.

Deal with it, go to that place, be there, do what needs to be done. This can be forgiveness, noticing, finding a way to let it go-for me it is remembering where I came from and who I truly am- and wash your hands of what you don't want hanging around. Practice mental and spiritual hygiene.

I mentioned near the beginning that this is just on the way Home, so will this always be the case? NO! Here is the light at the end of the tunnel, a time will come when you are just done with it. When you accept that you are one with all, let go of duality and are in the now, then the public washroom and a beautiful meadow are no different- because you are there. In complete presence you can see and experience the underlying fabric of wonder. You can actually look for it right now if you like- it's always there.

In the mean time, same advice for a public washroom, go into fear (or it's siblings- anger, guilt, worry), do what is necessary and as quickly as possible- get out, back into the light of day.

Any thoughts?