What's Driving You?

I was coming out of my Network Chiropractor's office (Lisa Hartnett-so much more than just a chiropractor-her wisdom and insight are invaluable) when I found this card.  In dream symbology, a car is a symbol for your life.  How big it is, who's driving, and what direction it's going in are all keys to how you feel about your life in general and yourself more specifically. 
I thought it was ironic and more than a little funny to find this image where I did, because I think of Lisa as my "repair" person.  She restores and realigns body and soul, and gives me tools to help the healing continue when I'm on my own. 
Picking up this little card near her office sparked some new ideas about "healing".  What, exactly, do I think needs being healed in my body, or in my life?  This conversation is today's message from the universe.
I asked myself exactly where I would put the X.  Would I mark the right, intuitive, side as "damaged" or the left, more linear side?  Would I mark the rear of the car, thus blaming the lessons from the past for any present injuries, or the front, giving my feelings of insecurity about the future the black mark?
I thought about that, and realized that, really, none of these areas were the problem.  The "problem", if there is one, lies in the present moment.
So I examined the present moment.  Was anything really wrong?  Not really.  If I thought about it long enough, I could see where my intuition is sometimes wrong and gets me into trouble, and I could feel bad about that.  Or the linear side of me, with it's insistance on things being a certain way, could compromise my happiness.  Or, I could regret a past wrong or worry about a furture event. There were all sorts of thoughts available to me that could make my life miserable for me, but truly, at that moment, at this moment, nothing was and is wrong. 
All is well.
My life is only about this present moment.  Nothing needs healing.  Nothing needs to change.  I just need to bring presence to what is as I'm living life.  When I do that, I can be more responsive to whatever I'm doing or whoever I'm dealing with. This feels like a much healthier approach than my responses in the past.
Does that mean I no longer need to see Lisa?  Not at all.  With her help, living in the present moment has become (relatively) easier to do.  I'm recognizing the patterning in my thought processes that drag me out of fully living my life and create conditioned responses that do feel wounding.  Recognizing this allows me the space to make other choices in my life, to not repeat old patterns, to find new ways of relating to my life and my self that are more empowering. 
Most importantly, I'm learning that happiness really is a choice, and I'm learning to be more adept at making happiness my priority.
It is a cliche, I know, but it is true that the present is the present. Let's give it our full attention.
Love,
Kristine

I've Got You Onto My Skin

I've got Poison Oak.  On my face.  SOOOOOO uncomfortable. 
At first I thought to myself that I should warn folks who were, like me, writing Messages From The Universe on various trails.  Especially if they're using sticks to form letters.  I thought I'd better caution them to be very careful about the sticks they might pick up.  I was sure that a poison oak twig gave me this hideous rash.
Then I thought: "Wait a minute, I'm around poison oak a lot, and this is the first rash I've had in many years.  Something else must be up.  Maybe this skin thing is just another message from the universe."
The book of Job came to mind.  Not a pleasant story.  Not going to go THERE, but it did  inspired me to go on-line and check it out.  I googled "spiritual causes of skin irritations". 
There were a lot of rememdys to wade through: homeopathic, clay packs, aurvedic, etc., but only one seemed to address a spiritual "cause".  It was a Christian Scientist publication.  The person writing complained about a rash around her checks and eyes (yikes! just like me!) that she thought was caused by mental stress (me AGAIN) and she began to treat it through governing her thoughts. When she decided that she needed help, she called a practitioner to really get the healing on.  Here's what she says:

"Initially I resisted calling a practitioner, as I thought he or she would share with me the same thoughts I was already praying with. After some time, however, I felt I needed prayerful help. After listening to my explanation of things, the practitioner I called said one thing: “God loves you.” I waited for her to say more, thinking she had missed the point. But again she said, “God loves you—that is all you need to know.” She encouraged me just to feel God’s love and not dwell on any other thoughts.
At first it was a challenge to think about God’s love and not the discomfort. But more and more as I sought to tangibly feel His love enfolding me, holding me, caring for me, I actually felt at peace. At the same time, the constant itchiness began to subside. When I was still tempted to scratch, I would put my hands down and instead center my thought on God’s love for me. The most amazing feeling then surrounded me for days. Eventually my thought was so filled with this one simple truth that there was no room for any other thought."

The skin rash dissappeared. 

with regard to any health problem, Abraham-Hicks says,

"Find something to feel good about and get out of the way, and allow the cells to receive what they’ve been asking for. That is the key to healing."

Excerpted from a workshop in Orlando, FL on Saturday, January 22nd, 2005
All Is Well

It's the same idea, isn't it?  I'm asked to find something to reflect upon that is other than this uncomfortable skin condition.  I'll turn to my other cheek, focusing on the one that's not itchy, and contemplate the love that surrounds me. 
I've been asking for messages of hope AND more skill in learning how to focus on more positive aspects of my life. (see the blog about the 8 of discs) This is a good way of practicing, very tangible and very useful.  Hope can come from without, but it truly lies within.  You know, in a funny way, I'm grateful for this opportunity to develop some mastery in consciousness, because I'm itching to open my heart!
Love,
Kristine

More Energy Leaks: The Lies We Tell Ourselves

This blog is sort of about food and how it effects your energy, but really it's about how the truth can set you free.

As my Tai Chi teacher once told me, "Everything is energy; it's how you interpret it that creates the result. "

Food is Just Energy, but I have many patterns of thought around food that were creating physical results that were not pleasing to me. My clothes felt tight, my energy was like a pogo stick, and I had a hard time staying in the moment.

I'd justify my eating habits by saying "it's just energy. This chocolate sunday won't make me fat because I BELIEVE it won't. "

What a liar.

I didn't believe that for a second. I really believed that a chocolate sunday WOULD make me fat, and the way my clothes fit confirmed my beliefs. Those beliefs seemed set in concrete. I couldn't seem to change what I thought, so that meant I needed to actually change what I ate in order to create the results I wanted i.e.: clothes that fit, energy that was consistent, and balanced emotions.

A friend turned me on to the anti-inflammation diet. (Here's a link that talks about it more completely. http://www.angelhealingcenter.com/Anti-InflammatoryDiet.html) Oh my goddess, only fruits and vegetables for the first three weeks! No beloved butter, no yummy sandwiches, no juicy steaks, and no, absolutely no, hot fudge sundays.

So here I am, 10 days into to it and, I have to tell you, I feel great! With the receipes in the book, I feel full and satisfied with every meal and look forward to the next one. My energy is consistent, I'm emotionally more content, and my clothes are fitting better and better.

Best of all, I'm no longer lying to myself about the benefits of what I'm feeding myself. I'm in alignment with my belief system. What a relief! It takes so much energy to tell myself lies.
Perhaps one day I'll truly believe that everything is energy and whatever I put in my mouth will contribute to my health and well-being, but until that day comes, I'm going to stick with the system that I currently believe in and that truly makes me feel better.

This diet my not work for you. That's not the point. The point is, "to thine own self be true". Honor who you are and what you believe. There's a reason you feel as you do, maybe not a good one, but a reason just the same. Honor where you are now.

Paradoxically, it's the only way to change.

Your own belief systems structure how you live. If you're struggling in any aspect of your life, look and see what lies you're telling yourself. You'll FEEL them immediately. Lies always make you feel uneasy and ungrounded. Start telling yourself your truth and acting on that truth you've discovered, and you will feel better!

In fact, you'll start to feel like YOU.