The Power of the Pause

There is a powerful moment in time that gifts us frequently throughout our day.  I call this moment "the pause."  It is an opportunity - actually, THE opportunity - to create the life we choose to live.  It is an opportunity to teach and uplift others, to raise energetic vibrations and heal this tattered world in which we live.

All of this goodness bursting forth from this one tiny moment in time.  The moment, the pause, is like a seed with incredible strength and power ready to burst forth with life affirming energy when given the "go" from us.

What is this incredible gift we carry within us?  This powerful moment in time?  This rich and affirming pause?

It is the moment between what happens to us………….the pause…………..and how we respond.  Read this sentence again: it is the moment between what happens to us………..the pause………...and how we respond.

The can be no more powerful moment.  If we could hear the symphony of life around us, we would hear pure silence at this moment, the pause in energetic vibration: the result will either be life affirming goodness or utter chaos and failure. The choice is ours.  What we do in this powerful moment will dictate a very large ripple of energy and vibration, of feelings and heart felt love or drama.  It is as if the world around us stands still in anticipation, awaiting or response.

Our gift to ourselves and the world is the pause, this rich moment of opportunity.  Use it wisely and with love and affirmation.

Let's practice the pause so you can see its power.

Say you are driving in traffic and someone flips you the finger and waves his fist at you…..the pause….you have a choice how to react….the choice will change energetic vibrations all around you….it is your moment to gift yourself and the world….what do you do?   

What if you smile and wave back?  How do you feel.  You have acknowledged his communication to you and you are returning a greeting to a fellow human, an angry fellow human, with a message of love and acceptance.  If the Angels or Spirit Guides had a chorus - you might hear a Hallelujah! And see them giving each other high fives.  The world feels better, do you?

Or say you are at your office, and you did an incredible job handling a very difficult and challenging situation.  You put out what could not only have been a big fire but a large explosion.  You are very proud of your work.  The next day you see your boss and you expect him to pat you on the back for your efforts, which were above and beyond your job description.  

But instead he shakes a form at you and has it marked and circled with how he thinks you have failed to complete it correctly…….the pause…..you look at the form…..he has a point, but it is not as grievous as he indicates, but he has a point…...what do you do…...how do you shift the energy….he is awaiting your response, and his inner child is hoping you engage…..the power is yours, not his.    

You look up at him and say, "Thank you for bringing this to me. You have a point. I see you are upset.  Do you want to talk to me about this?"  And you hold out the accusing paper for him to explain.

Sure, he's probably still going to rant and rave -- it takes awhile for anger to diffuse.  But you know in your beautiful heart that the problem is not yours - all of that anger is his and it is because of something else.  As he winds down you can help him to find his balance again.  Even if you erred in the report, you know it is not worthy of this reaction.  Allow his reaction to dissipate and maybe you will have the opportunity to find out what is going on in his world to ignite such fury. Or at a minimum, you have restored balance to the situation and resolved it in a win/win way.

You are gifted with these seeds.  Think of all of the actions that happen to you each day, each one asking a response from you.  Plant your seeds of love and forgiveness.  Work the pause.  Watch the energetic vibrations shift.  See how beautiful and loving you feel when you can sow a seed of forgiveness or loving kindness rather than contributing to anger and disconnection.  

You have the power to create peace in your heart, the power to plant seeds of love and goodness, the power to shift the energetic vibrations of the moment and of the earth.  You have the power of the pause.  Use it lovingly.

Believe in Yourself - Trust in Miracles

               Aerodynamically a bumble bee can’t fly, yet it does.  I remembered this when I successfully, after weeks of challenge, trying, swearing, walking away, trying again, moaning… you get the idea… produced an mp3 recording on a new program I purchased.

               I recorded a twenty minute chakra healing meditation and I had the energetic vibrations just the way I wanted them.  I added the music track for the background.  I liked how it sounded, but when I hit the “produce” button, I got a message that it had to be a video.  I hit the mp3 button and got a message that said, “this program cannot do that.”

               Yet I knew my friend in Oslo had the same program and she makes mp3’s.  I called tech support and they said “this program cannot do that.”  I Googled my question online and got pages of discussion, all saying that the “program cannot do that.”

               Last week I had the opportunity to meet Simran, my friend from Oslo, and asked her how she produced mp3’s with our mutual program.  She got out her laptop and went to the program, then the “produce” button, then the mp3 button and got the message “this program cannot do that.” 

               “See! I told you – it doesn’t work!”

               And she said, “Oh, you just have to ignore it and go on.”  And she did.  She canceled the negative message and the next screen that came up was “produce your mp3.”

               So easy.  And yet, it is no different than real life.  How often do we get the “you cannot do that” message either from others or in our hearts?  And how often do we listen to it? 

               Yet, if we do as my friend Simran says – “just ignore it and go on” – I bet that we will succeed in what we believe we can do.  We can do much more than we believe we can.  We are hardwired to succeed – hardwired by Spirit, Source, our Creator – hardwired to succeed in everything we do, everything we want.  Yet we allow our circuits to get tarnished, our light to dim, our beliefs to shrink….for one reason or another.  The reason makes no difference.  What matters is that we recognize when this is the case and we do something about it.

               Next time we get a limiting belief – question it.  Chances are it is just that – a limiting belief.  Ignore it.  Set your intention.  Visualize where you are going.  And head in that direction.  Spirit can’t move a stuck obstacle (ie, YOU) so get moving and allow Spirit to steer and guide you toward your goal.  Expect miracles.  You visualize it ….it will happen. 

Note to self:  I see the reality of Raw Holistic Soul – first retreat in Sedona, 2013.

Imagine

Imagine a world with no hatred, no greed, no corruption. A world where all people and all animals are safe, free to roam and explore without fear of harm. A world filled with lush gardens providing food for our health and flowers for our spirit. It would be a world without violence, disease, Twinkies and other processed toxins, where birth and death are sacred events to be welcomed, each in their own time.

Is this world possible? Yes. Probable? I’ll leave that to your imagination.

The word “whirled” came from the great sages, Ben and Jerry, with their creative ice cream names. One of those was “Whirled Peas.” I like the concept of substituting “whirled” for “world” when contemplating global peace. Global peace will come when all our energetic vibrations are balanced, in harmony, and perfectly whirled.

To obtain whirled peace, we first need to attain individual peace: mind, body, and spirit at-one-ness. We each need to work at loving ourselves and understanding the value of our being part of a great One, part of the Source of all there is. When we have peace and contentment within our earth bodies, we are willing to share this love with other earth bodies, both human and animal, and we are willing to care for the planet.

What would the world be like if global leaders practiced internal love and balance? What if they wanted for each of us the same level of sustenance they wanted for themselves?

What if countries no longer drew lines on the map and instead viewed themselves simply as inhabitants of this beautiful planet we all share?

What if religions stopped building walls and instead united all in Spirit rather than divided by dogma?

If, one by one, we could start a global epidemic of harmony, balance, peace, and loving kindness, what could happen? Can you imagine the Energy vibrational shift if we stopped hating, stopped competing for earthly commodities, and started to value compassion more than competition?

     Am I being simple or acting like a Pollyanna? Perhaps. But what’s the alternative?

How to rid our minds of clutter

One of the most common comments I hear when discussing meditation is:

How can I get my mind to be quiet?

We carry in our vast mental storehouse an unfathomable amount of wisdom, chaos and clutter.  Ever try to lay down to sleep and your mind decides to drag out all you unfinished chores, grudges, shoulda, coulda, woulda events; things from the past, worries about the present.  When our minds get cranking in this mode, we could be up for hours tossing and turning.

Some say their minds remind them of pinball machines.

I use the mental picture of mischievous and playful monkeys – 5 little monkeys jumping in our head – only it’s more like 500 little monkeys jumping and playing in our heads.

How can we quiet these monkeys?

How can we find mental peace?

We need quiet so we can listen to the still small voice within.

We need quiet so we can hear the answer to our prayers.

We need quiet so we can attune to our spirit guides.

Prayer is when we are talking.

The answer to our prayers – our guidance – happens when we are still.

So, how to get to this peaceful mental clarity.

Let me give you some of my thoughts on how I achieve mental peace – I have for suggestions.

First – when my mind is really crazy and the 500 funloving spirited monkeys are bounding around my head, I will need a mantra to settle the chaos.

There is nothing fancy about a mantra.

You don’t have to climb the mountains in Tibet to have a sage monk whisper your personal mantra in your ear.

A mantra can be as simple as:

Breathe in

Breath out

Or

Inhale

Exhale

Or one I love for myself, and one I use with my trauma patients is:

I am safe

I am loved

Or

You are safe

You are loved

I repeat this over and over, with each deep inhalation and exhalation until I achieve mental quiet.

Then I focus on my breathing and enjoy this ripe rich and spiritual time,

If a thought returns – I begin my mantra again until I can sink deeper into this mental and spiritual peace.

A second method I often use – especially after a traumatic night at the hospital is to ask my Spirit Guides – or God – to take all of my burdens, thoughts, and mental meanderings and hold them for me until morning.  My prayer goes something like this:

Dear Spirit Team- I need to sleep now, a peaceful restorative sleep.  Today was a full and busy day.  I am asking you to lift out of my mind, body and heart all of the clutter I accumulated today and carry it for me. Hold it for me so I can sleep in quiet, still and beautiful peace.

Let the winds of Spirit blow away any unnecessary thoughts and in the morning, return to me only what is important for this day.  I thank you for your love, guidance and support.

Then, if a stray thought dances through my mind – I just say, “Spirit, please take this thought.”

My third suggestion is good for a cluttered mind during waking hours: it is simply to live in the moment.  When we live mindfully, in the moment, in the now – there is no room for mental clutter or chaos.  

Life happens in the moment and when we are able to keep mindful – our minds are so full of vibrancy and life that we can achieve mental clarity.

And the fourth is the Serenity prayer - another good tool for clearing clutter of any kind in our minds, bodies and hearts.

Grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change

The Courage to change the things I can

and

The Wisdom to know the difference.

Try one or all four depending upon your circumstances and the crazy, playful monkeys jumping in your head.  They will truly help you to:

Be still and know that there is God

Be still and know

Be still

BE

Some days we just need to STOP!

Most of us are doers.  We rush from project to project, challenge to challenge - doing things for everyone else, often forgetting to do for the most important person in the equation: ourselves.

We are wives, mothers, girlfriends, teachers, nurturers, fixers, chauffeurs and the like. 

The sense of accomplishment is grand.  But, aren't there times when you feel like your head is in a vise, and you are running just to keep up with yourself?  Do you ever feel like the hamster on his wheel?  Do you feel your blood pressure raise as you try to do all and be all?  I have one word of advice: STOP.

This practical word can be a lifesaver for you.  Let me give you some tips on how to use it.

If you find yourself in a quandary, or an argument (even with yourself), or just spinning your wheels: STOP:

S = Stop.  Just stop what you are doing.  Catch your breath. Take a deep breath.  Feel the sudden sensation of peace when you allow yourself to just STOP.

T = Think.  Think about what the heck is going on.  Invoke the Serenity prayer: are you trying to change things over which you have no control?  Do you need courage (or help) changing things you can change? And do you have the wisdom to know the difference? Think: is this (fill in the blank) serving my greater good?  What would happen if I just let it go?  Would the sun come up tomorrow? Would the world continue to spin on its orbit?  Am I making much ado about nothing?  Or is it truly something within my power to change? If so, begin thinking how you can effectuate the change.  How you can be the change you want to see?

O = Opportunity.  Find the opportunity in the challenge.  Every challenge presents us with an opportunity to learn or to grow.  What is the opportunity in your current challenge?  What is it trying to teach you?  Embrace each challenge as your teacher.   Note: I didn't say summon challenges.  Just embrace the ones that seem to find you. 

P= Proceed.   Once you have taken a time out with STOP, savored the cleansing breaths, thought about what is really going on, found the opportunity or the way to make it a win/win situation, then proceed with your plan. 

Does this help?

There are other uses for STOP besides the acronym.

Some days it seems as if everything you do goes wrong.  After a series of frustrating snafus, invoke the STOP word and just go sit down, maybe with a cup of tea or glass of water.  Take a STOP break just to refresh and renew.  Maybe a walk around the block? Or just a few moments to put your feet up? Or take a play break with your dogs.  Then, go back to your day and start over.   Most of the times, this shift in energy is enough to turn the day into a productive one, rather than one filled with frustrations.

Sometimes we need to keep moving and literally cannot STOP.  By way of example, I am a trauma chaplain and respond to any Code Blues in the hospital.  There are times when I am called away from another heart breaking situation to respond to a Code and as I am speed walking to the Code, when I find my heart racing and my mind spinning, I invoke the STOP command.  I am still walking, but by invoking STOP, I take some deep cleansing breaths; I call on my Spirit Guides (or God, or higher power) to walk with me; I tell myself that I am where I should be; I am calm, I am safe, I am (fill in the blank).  And by taking this mini STOP break while walking, I can arrive at the Code mentally prepared to give 100% to the new family.

If we find ourselves saying something mean spirited: invoke STOP.  We are our thoughts.  Change the thought to something loving or kind.

If we are listening to something upsetting, either on television, or via another person: invoke STOP.  We absorb what we hear.  Tell your friend you choose not to have this discussion; turn off the television or radio.  Breathe in a positive or uplifting thought.  In other words - change your internal channel.

If we find ourselves reaching for food or drink with chemicals or toxins that can stress our body: invoke STOP.  Find a healthy, plant based snack.

Think of ways you can use STOP in your day.    It is a free, easy, yet absolutely powerful tool to have in your Life's Tool Box.