2011, YEAR OF MASTERY!

2011, Year of Mastery? I can almost hear you say, “Are you crazy? It was the worst year I can remember. First there were a series of disasters in the world and then at least three or more in my personal life. What kind of ‘mastery’ is that??!!

O.K. I know many of us have seen our dreams dissolve or at least take a startling side track. I realize globally it has been a year of distressing weather. Hundreds of souls left the planet to “go home”. Many of the institutions we had counted on, depended on, simply failed.

On Sunday January 1, 2012 in an attempt to sooth our lives and emotions, perhaps improve our upcoming experiences, many churches and other groups held “burning bowl” ceremonies. The very personal situations that individuals wanted to release from 2011 were written on slips of paper and burned. That is fine but I just have a different point of view.

For me 2011 was a year when magnificent changes in perspective began to appear. People began to accept more responsibility for their own lives. Suddenly it became clear that each of is the architect of our own personal future.

In fact with meditation and perseverance many of us diligently searched and began to find our own answers. We began listening to our own spirits and higher selves. We no longer depended on governments or corporate institutions to think for us. That is what I see as the beginnings of Self Mastery!

Yes, for me 2011 was a beautiful time. I found wonderful new friends. I expanded my healing-teaching practice in ways I had not considered previously. New practical tools for teaching intuitive development came to me. I earned my Clinical Hypnotist certification.

I will always see 2011 as a time of great personal progress. It was a time when I assimilated new ideas, new ways of living. Even in the difficult and “prickly” times, and there were many, I understood the advantages of change no matter how sudden, dramatic and startling.

I do not wish to “burn” any of 2011. Instead I intend to carry the lessons learned and the knowledge acquired into 2012 to be analyzed, understood, incorporated and used in my new year to the best of my ability.

While I am eagerly anticipating what the new year may bring, I remain steadfastly grateful for every one of my experiences of the year just past. At least from my point of view 2011 was indeed a “Master Year”.

WHAT ARE WE CREATING?

What are we creating through our habitual thoughts and emotions? Is it what we are intending to create? When we say we long for peace, peace between neighbors, peace between communities, countries, religions or races, let us be sure to look at where our attention is actually placed.

It seems obvious that we cannot manifest peace on any level if in our desire to do so our words and thoughts seem to “celebrate” and emotionally relive past discords. If we use our energy to rehearse and amplify all of the old disharmonies including various true atrocities that are part of our human history, thereby refusing to release the past, what are we really expecting to gain?

When we hope to enjoy a much advanced level of living in our future, where love and peace prevail, we must carefully choose today what we affirm by our thoughts, our words and particularly our emotions.

Whether we are willing to acknowledge it or not, we are all part of the one energy of life. What you and I project through our actions inevitably affects the whole. If we are willing to send forth the Light of Spirit, the Love that we are made of, that activity becomes a powerful affirmation and force which lifts others while changing our personal experiences.

Adversely, looking for peace, cooperation and love while continuing to live in judgment, refusing to forgive, offers a predictably unpleasant result.

Let us agree to release the fears, worries and disasters of the past. All of the lessons of yesterday have brought us to the wisdom of new desires and new actions.

Come along with me to see the worth in all life right here, right now. For it remains true that at the very core and heart of each of us is the Spark of the Holy and the Divine.

Reverend Lois Cheney
RevLois@gmail.com

AFFIRMATIONS/GOALS/PRIORITIES

Last night seemed the perfect time to take a look at my list of intentions, the desires I have for my future. I like to keep everything in that written list fresh and current. Reason being I tend to design potentially powerful affirmations concerning those situations I want to create in my life. Naturally those affirmations need to be kept up to date and as lively as possible.

Funny thing, as I went down that list I discovered my priorities had changed. Those all-important number one items had slipped to number five or were completely out! I shouldn’t have been surprised. I am not the same woman I was a few months ago or perhaps even a few weeks ago.

We all change as we go through life learning, getting a slap or two and hopefully awakening to our Spirit focus with more clarity. It only makes sense that those desires we embraced yesterday or last week or last year as our all-important goals lose their luster. Thankfully over time as our goals change they have a tendency to become more inspiration driven than ego demanded. Yes, we begin to access our inner silence where all power resides and start listening with our hearts.

Perhaps it would be helpful if I explained what caused me so much introspection yesterday. For some reason I felt compelled to spend some time sorting through my clothes closet. It seemed over full. I tried on this, that and the other dress and suit becoming more and more dissatisfied. Finally I hit on the reason for rejecting nearly all the “going out” clothes.

Why? It was not that the hot weather of Tucson demanded different attire. It was not that any of those items were worn out or even unfashionable. No, the reason was that the clothing I had saved and preserved so carefully just was not “me” anymore. They physically fit just fine. The problem was they no longer spiritually fit. I changed. The outfits had not. They represented the old me not the new and improved version.

My first thought was to send all of the “stuff”, no matter how presentably clean and neat, to the thrift store. I probably should have done just that but I am a little too conservative. However, I immediately gathered up three of the most unsuitable and took them to the nearby store. They will all go there eventually, probably one or two pieces at a time as I feel able to let go of the past “me” they represent.

Change is sometimes daunting even when it involves a few pieces of clothing. I am grateful to be able to understand what I was feeling yesterday. Simply understanding gives me a path to move forward with surer, clearer, more obvious and apparent steps. I love my life. I love my work. And I want to be completely able to accept and embrace all the changes as they come.

I hope all your changes and adjustments are easy ones. But, if they are not, be grateful for the newness they bring to your life and smile anyway! It really helps.

Reverend Lois Cheney
RevLois@gmail.com

CAGES?

Unfortunately it seems to me that we are all living in a world of cages. Holding tight to our lives we are trapped by our own ideas of right and wrong, up and down, in and out. I believe we have created individual steel-walled, reinforced mental cages. As esoteric, enlightened or spiritual as we may feel we are, for many of us it is still only occasionally that we take a chance to peek out and get a glimpse of, or a feel for, the world that others occupy.

Having taken the brief opportunity to weigh and judge the ideas and lives of others, we quickly dart back into the mental prison of our own making. Is it fear that makes us act this way? Perhaps we are fearful that our concepts are not as perfect as we perceive them. Are we fearful of the possible contamination of our minds by other points of view? Or could it possibly be that we are simply more comfortable with what we “know” than the unknown and un-experienced?

Consider this: we do know that our physical world is not at all as solid as it appears to be. Even our bodies are more air and space than anything else. Quantum physics tells us we are the ultimate in “spaciousness”. All those molecules and atoms we see as the real and solid “us” are in constant motion: grouping, regrouping, changing. So much movement happening continually that in theory any one of us could be displaying physical sickness in one nanosecond and through a focused intention on our part be well and healthy in the next instant. Change is that much a part of our reality. We and our world are malleable.

So if we acknowledge that our personal bodies are very much nonsolid and ultimately highly changeable, perhaps our ideas cannot be, should not be, solid as well. Maybe we should approach our thinking with the possibility of infinitely ranging, ever changing, and flexible thoughts rather than finite.

If we take a closer look at some of our lively nighttime dream adventures, it becomes obvious there is utterly no restriction of ideas or thoughts within that world of ours. Creativity reigns in those productions. Perhaps we might look at that level of fluidness as something to acquire or at least experiment with in daytime thought.

On a scientific level, the only way advances have occurred is through the efforts of those curious souls who were freely exploring and embracing the principle of “what if?” I believe the time has come that we must begin to see our world and our lives that way. I encourage you to bring “what if?” to your everyday method of thinking. It will not hamper your decision making. It will simply enlarge your possibilities.
For instance, what if there other ways to live, share and enjoy? What if I can accept and love others more while judging less? What if my ideas and beliefs could benefit from a good old fashioned expansion and new direction? What if I could help mother earth in a hundred different ways? What if I could see others from a higher point of view? What if I can acknowledge that Today is as Wonderful, Useful and Beautiful as Tomorrow?

Always remember when those new ideas come, write them down. Keep a journal. The simple act of writing your ideas in detail allows you to access growth-filled power and energy for the expansion of their innate concepts.
As you are reading this, know that I wish you, your family, your friends and your loved ones the dual blessings of great wisdom and all pervasive love.
RevLois@gmail.com

THE FIRST RULE OF LOVE

What is the First Rule of Love? It is to listen, to be fully present and to intently listen. Listening is a skill that very few of us have taken the time to fully practice.

What makes the act of listening a rule of love or perhaps an example of love in action? It is simply this: when we take the time to thoughtfully listen to others, being completely aware of, and in the “now” moment, we are truly accessing our own ability to offer unconditional love and acceptance.

As most of us are aware the unconditional kind of love that Spirit asks of us comes only when we allow and accept others to be just as they are without judging. When we take the time to thoughtfully listen to the ideas, thoughts, desires and fears of others (without formulating our own response before they are finished) we are acknowledging that “you” are as important and valuable as “me”!

Being willing to give attention to others requires effort and more than a little discipline. No matter how spiritual we feel we are, there is that little voice, mostly ego, which says we and our ideas are somehow “right”. However there are rewards in making that extra effort to give an opportunity to others to be heard.

If you have ever worked in a business situation you are aware of the value of knowing the feelings of employees as well as employers. Information and new ideas allow improvement in the workplace. Certainly in everyday life gathering fresh ideas can lead to broader understanding and the possibility of real wisdom.

But there is one aspect of listening that is perhaps the most important of all. That listening can only happen in the depths of the silence of meditation where Spirit, your High Self and Soul dwell.

If you want to truly know and experience the expansion of your personal life path, enter into that sacred silence and listen with your mind and your heart. All the direction and help you will ever need are waiting for you there. Now is the time. It is never too late. YOU CAN LIVE YOUR PURPOSE!

When we are willing to become still and earnestly desire guidance there is yet one more tool that will help. That tool is gratitude. Express your gratitude for all that is in your life whether it is health or sickness, friends or enemies, every experience in the past or present because all of that has made you who you are today. Through it all you have been taught and you have learned!

I firmly believe that gratitude and love are inseparable. In the most deeply felt thankfulness we cannot help but love all of life. Gratitude brings us into the awareness of how holy and magnificent a gift this life is.

www.TucsonPsychicMedium
RevLois@gmail.com

IS TODAY THE DAY?

Is today the day I finally let go of my beliefs about the past? Is today the day I stop replaying my childhood experiences and live the woman I can be in the now? Yes, is true that my earlier years were filled with emotional pain, a kind of deprivation. Is that a good reason to cling to those memories?

The event that brought all these thoughts to the surface for me in last night’s dreams was the anniversary of my Mother’s birth. Even though she has been on the other side for more than 15 years I realize I am still dealing with the old feelings. I am still blaming her!

Because I received very sparse or no affection as a child, there are thoughts that I was not loved and perhaps not lovable. There are still ideas nudging me that if I cannot please someone, some material thing, some privilege, will be taken away.

It is now obvious to me why I entered a difficult marriage when I was so young. In my hopeful escape of childhood it was highly predictable that the marriage would turn out to be yet another voyage lacking outward affection. If I needed further convincing that I was unworthy of loving affection, that union provided it.

All of this must seem extremely foolish meanderings for someone of my age and yet my problem is there, quite real, and needs to be dealt with. In fact all those fear filled ideas are giving my ego the control over my life it wants and needs for its survival.

I have many times rationalized mother’s behavior. She and I were abandoned by my father before I was two years old. Why wouldn’t she feel unloved? Why wouldn’t she turn become wary of expressing any love to others? Somehow all of the rationality I can summon does not fix the problem. It falls back on me to begin the process of forgiving her and forgiving myself.

All the mental knowledge I have does not remove the emotional pain.

So how to begin? I know that we “hand pick” the situation of our birth and our family long before our arrival here on earth. I know that the reasons of our family situations are solely for the purpose of our soul growth. We come here to learn the lessons the earth offers. I know that many times those lessons are pain filled.

At this late date it is of no great importance now for me to know if I was working out some karmic debt. What matters is what growth I allow myself. Will I set about making amends to myself with love and compassion for the past and the present?

In reality there is nothing for which to forgive my mother. Her destined part in our mutual lives was planned long ago. She played her soul’s role well. Yet I must forgive her because I have blamed her for so much.

It is my promise to myself that I will begin reaching out to my mother’s soul with understanding and love. I want to free her from any negativity that I have foolishly placed on her. My desire is for each of us to be free to access as much soul growth as we wish.

In order for me to be the complete ”grownup” I wish to be, I must heal that little child who still cries within. If any of you can resonate with my hurt and feel your personal inner child is still a little lost, consider taking some remedial action. When your personal child is happy, comfortable with life and loved, your adult actions all become easier and clearer. You can begin seeing life with a much broader perspective.

It is easy to see that actively judging and blaming myself or others does affect my life but not in any positive way. On the other hand I have found that when I love and forgive myself, I am much more allowing and accepting of the sometimes surprising or unusual actions of others! It is a double win.

Take an open-hearted look at your life yesterday and today. If you find something that needs extra love and forgiveness, do not wait. Love, love, love! Rest assured that the love you send out will multiply and come back to you. Begin now. Times a wasting!

JUST A LITTLE “EXTRA”

A few weeks ago I made a decision. I decided that every client who came to me for a reading, a chakra clearing, intuitive development or any other of my services should receive “extra”. Although I have always given my best, I felt every one of them deserved even more channeled energy, more information and more personal attention to their needs and desires.

While it is true that I never have set a “timer” on my services, this was going the next step. I wanted everyone I served to feel that they were receiving the best available without any reservations, absolutely no holding back on my part. I wanted them to receive my undivided attention and feel that they were the focus of all my efforts for the entire time we were together.

It seemed like a simple enough decision on the surface. Certainly I didn’t want any complacency to creep into my work. What happened next was anything but simple.

That one decision seemed to put all of my personal guides and teachers on high alert. An intense flow of information began coming to me whenever I was working with someone. Startling new insights and personal revelations were forthcoming.

The result of all the higher level guidance which poured through me into others was a series of astounding breakthroughs not only for me but for many of my clients. Many times I found myself in complete awe of the changes that happened to individuals in any one session. The bright colors and intense sounds that arrived were of a new wave length. There was a feeling that people became alive in a way they never had been before.

I am not aware of all the reasons that I decided to inculcate the policy of “extra” but I will always be grateful that I made it a permanent and important part of my work. Giving more has not only brought greater satisfaction to me as I view the dynamic results, it has brought a higher level of spirit realization to my clients.

As I think about it, perhaps giving the “extra” is in essence a result of my basic decision that everyone deserves the very best. It is simply my way of being certain that every soul I serve receives my unconditional love and acceptance.

Whatever work you do, whatever employment or job you perform, I can highly recommend giving it your highest and best, your personal “extra”. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Thank you angels, guides, masters and teachers. You are always with me and I am grateful.

www.TucsonPsychicMedium.com
RevLois@gmail.com