Life, Love and Bliss

Well, true to the word of my last post, I haven’t been writing here to much. Have you noticed that time just seems to speeding up exponentially lately? Holy cow! I just can NOT even believe that my last post was 3 months ago, that it has been one year since my mother passed, that we are into February. All I have to say is WOW!

I recently listened to a great YouTube interview with Gregg Braden , an author who bridges science and spirituality. He had some really interesting things to say about where things are right now astrologically, within great time patterns, polar shifts, and how that all relates to the sense of time speeding up.

Oh good, I’m not crazy.

Lately I’ve been experiencing these immense, what I have been calling, energy downloads. They just drop in and all of a sudden I am a bundle of nerves and vibrating energy that I don’t know what to do with. Sometimes it manifests as anxiety, other times as total ungroundedness, and once or twice it was tinged with a bit of fear. I was freaking out trying to figure it all out-what was causing this? What did I eat? Have I been on the computer to much? Is it that new vitamin supplement? (No, I stopped taking it and it still happened! )

And then I listened to the above mentioned audio and he talks about how a lot of people are experiencing this exact same thing and why.

Oh good, I’m not alone. It always feels better to know you are not alone!

But, lately, I have felt that way. After 4 months of travel, where I was constantly connecting with loved ones and new friends,  I am temporarily staying in a friends 1 room efficiency studio apartment to catch back up to my life and re-clarify the next phase of the journey. I’ve been real busy doing that -Bliss101Radio is pretty much all set with some amazing guests for the year, I have vision boards all over my walls, I took care of several things that were on the back burner while I traveled, I’m getting some long awaited major dental work done, and I’m sitting still for a few months!

Sitting still has a funny way of bringing everything right to you though. And for me right now, the biggest thing it brings for me is a sense of isolation. In November I was actually looking forward to some solitude and alone time. Now, I am tired of it.

Isolation is something that a good majority of people struggle with in these times. With all of our technological advances more people work out of their homes, one can take care of a majority of shopping needs via their computer, and all forms of entertainment that we used to go out for now are directly linked into our living rooms. With the number of working hours increasing as well, we have less time to socialize, or are to tired to do so. Combined with the underlining stress of the economic conditions and global events, laced with a total information overload that is enough to blow anyone’s mind, many people are left with a sense of unnameable despair, depression, disconnection, loneliness, and fear. This can lead to the urge to isolate and separate with the thought that it is somehow easier.

There is hope however. As Gregg Braden shares, we are moving into an exciting and transformative time, one that has been predicted and hoped for over the years. If you move away from mainstream news and start to dig deeper, one can find a plethora of amazing people doing really incredible things that support sustainability, community, and connection. People are craving it. The time is ripe. I, for one, am stepping on board. (I encourage you to find out what is happening in your area, and I will be speaking more about this in future posts)

So, life isn’t always easy. Obstacles come before us all the time. Sometimes we lose sight of the path. Sometimes the path takes us in directions we are unprepared for. Love isn’t always shouting our name from the rooftops, so we have to work harder to be, and give, love. Sometimes the journey comes to an end and we wonder where the heck are we anyhow!? Sometimes we feel so alone we want to cry out in anguish, just praying someone will hear us.

What I have learned on my journey is that, ultimately, we are never alone, love is always right around the corner, all we have to do is believe, and if we don’t believe to just reach out and someone will be there to remind us, to help us to believe once again. And that my friends, is bliss.

(Speaking of travel, I just finished a really great book by Robert Sullivan, called “Cross Country”. It’s a fascinating read that covers “fifteen years and 90,000 miles on the roads and interstates of America with Lewis and Clark, a lot of bad motels, a moving van, Emily Post, … kids, and enough coffee to kill an elephant”, and includes a great perspective on the creation of the US Highway system. I recommend it.)

Big, Bold, and Brilliant

Have you ever been told that you are too much of something? You’re too sensitive, or you’re too “big”, or too affectionate, or too open, or too trusting, or… too, too, too…

Who defines what too much is? If my “bigness” (by this I mean one’s energetic field, or level of confidence and self assurance, not physical size) makes someone uncomfortable, is that my issue or theirs? If the other person is uncomfortable with it all, am I required, or expected, to tone down to accommodate their comfort? Then, what becomes of mine?

What do you think?

I am reminded of the Marianne Williamson quote (that is so often wrongly credited to Nelson Mandela) that says:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

I believe there is nothing enlightened about shrinking into smallness to allow others to feel more comfortable. But, what do you do when your greatness (and I don’t mean ego-I’m-so-awesome- and-am-up-here-above-everyone-else kind of great, but rather our innate, divine, life affirming greatness..) leaves you in a league by yourself, because others can’t handle it? How then do you continue shining?

I don’t want to be forced to make a choice between being real, authentic, heart-wide-open, and superficial, surface, and playing small. The truth is I won’t make the choice, because there is only one way to go for me. But, it might cause me to get a little dull if placed in that dynamic.

It’s hard to stand in the brilliance of our own light let alone someone else’s. Of course it is uncomfortable. Yet real and authentic, big and juicy, honest and transparent are far more interesting to me, despite the inherent challenges and level of new skills that one must learn to get comfortable in it all.

Sometimes it’s easier to stand in someone else’s light-to admire, oogle over, be envious of-than it is to consider how we could shine the same way. “We ask ourselves,Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?”

When we tell someone they are too this or that, in my opinion we are perpetuating an emotional act of violence on them, for we are asking them to turn their light down, so we won’t have to confront how we are not shining our own lights. We want them to come down to our comfort zone, rather than demanding of ourselves to rise to higher standards. We are asking that person to become small, to shrink, to kill themselves on some level, to not be who they really are. All because it makes us uncomfortable.

Instead, we might consider, what is here for me? Why is this person’s brilliance making me uncomfortable? What might I say to this person to share my experience, in a way that takes self responsibility, and allows us both to learn and become closer?

Because when we consciously, or subconsciously, ask, or suggest, for someone to get small, we are building up a barrier to intimacy, separating from others, and shrinking away from the light within ourselves. And that building of barriers to intimacy and connection with others is a sure block on the road to Living Bliss.

So, let yourself shine. And please, let others do the same. Liberate yourself from the fear. If it gets too bright, put on your sunglasses, or leave the room. Just don’t ask anyone else to turn down their light, or tell them they are too bright. Cause honey, that’s about you, not them!

Be big, play big, shine bright. Your playing small (and asking others to do the same) does not serve the world.

How big are you willing to be? Go ahead, roar like a lion!

Catch this weeks Bliss101Radio show with Merv Neal, laughter advocate, and some one who doesn’t ask permission to live his bliss.

I’d love to hear your feedback and thoughts on this posts topic.

Activities For the Fall

Fall is the time we begin to turn inward, to wrap ourselves in warm blankets, and hunker down to see the Winter through. But before that happens there is a refreshing period of time between the hot days of Summer, and the cold dark of Winter. The air is brisk and clean. The sun is warm and softening. There is a gentle anticipation in the air as we feel the seasons change.

This, my friends, is a perfect time to de-clutter! To look around and see what sort of “stuff” you acquired over the playful Summer time, or all that stuff that you haven’t been paying attention to for-ever.

I invite you to participate in the 30 Day Clutter Challenge, to assist you in removing the blocks, challenges, and physical stuff that gets in the way of your great life.

My specialty with de-cluttering is helping you to identify the deeper elements of what cause you to clutter in the first place. Without identifying this, you can clean up and organize, but eventually you will be right back where you started from. Frustrated, and surrounded by all that stuff.

What else would you do with your life, space, and time…..if clutter wasn’t holding you back? Join the Clutter Challenge and find out!!

The challenge will include weekly tele-conference calls, group support, 1:1 personalized coaching, tips and tricks for assisting the de-cluttering process, and a fresh new start for you!

Special early bird prices available till Oct 15th.

Thank you in advance for sharing this with any clients or friends who might be interested, or could benefit from, the Challenge.

OK, now where is that blanket?

Owning Bliss

I recently got an email from a womyn, who happens to be named Bliss. She was upset that I was using her name within the context of “trite self help seminars”.  This got me thinking about the ownership of things like our names, and ideas, and concepts. Actually, my first reaction was …”geez, you’re complaining because I am using your name in a good way?”

I have to admit, I wasn’t very P.C. with my response. I suggested that perhaps she would want to honor her namesake, vs complaining about others who are perusing their own bliss and helping others to do the same. Well, as they say, you can’t please everyone. The important thing is not allowing ourselves to get pulled down by the naysayers, or to doubt the good of what we do. However, I felt sad that rather than seeing the good of my work, she saw it as a personal insult of some kind.

But, back to the ownership idea. Just because we are given a name, do we own it, or what it means? Do we have a right to say how others interpret it, or use it? When we share an idea with the world, is it still ours, or does it become part of the collective mind soup?

Bliss is identified in most dictionaries as a noun. That means it can be either a person, place, or a thing. I’m thinking the Bliss I refer to is a “thing”, as it is a way of being, a lifestyle, something we choose to do or not to do. It can become a part of us, as a person, but it is not our personhood, so to speak.

Bliss is also described as :

1. Supreme happiness; utter joy or contentment: wedded bliss.

2. Theology . the joy of heaven.

3. Heaven; paradise: the road to eternal bliss.

4. Archaic . a cause of great joy or happiness

These don’t seem to be anything that anyone can lay claim too, with regards to suggesting that no-one else can pursue it, help others to find it, or have it themselves. Quite the opposite is true, actually. You can claim it for yourself and your life,  and in fact, I would highly encourage you to do so!

So, here’s the bottom line. Bliss is for everyone. It belongs to all of us. It’s available to all beings, whether we are given Bliss as a namesake or not. All you have to do is choose Bliss, and you can have it too. And, if you happen to have the good fortune of being able to support others in bringing on their bliss, well, that’s an added bonus! So, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Bliss cannot be privatized, corporatized, gentrified, homogenized, or pirated. If you want it, claim it. For yourself. For your life. However you want to express it.  Just remember, everyone gets to claim some for themselves as well.  So, go ahead, buzz around in your own Bliss!

Have you listened to Bliss101Radio on BlogtalkRadio yet? Today I interviewed Gretchen Baer, a womyn whose primary goal in life is sharing creativity and joy with others, being a Bliss Prankster, and celebrating the great festival of life. Check out the show here.

What Is Bliss?

Bliss is a choice

Bliss is a way of being

Bliss comes from the inside out

It cannot be gotten anywhere

No one gives you bliss

You choose to let it enter your life

Bliss comes from following your inner truth

From knowing who you are

What you want

How to ask for it

Bliss doesn’t sit in the victim chair

It reminds you that everything happens for a reason

and helps you to learn the lessons

Bliss says no to drama

Yes to problem solving

Yes to listening

Yes to compassion

Bliss allows you to see the beauty

in the midst of chaos

Bliss opens your mind and heart

Bliss says Yes I can!

Bliss puts a smile on your face

& a rightness in your step

Bliss seeks peacefulness and resolution

It is loving and kind

Bliss makes your life garden grow

Providing a bountiful harvest for your enjoyment

Bliss brings you closer to God

Whatever God is to you

Bliss opens doors

Carries your burdens

Holds the space

and provides a strong foundation to your life.

Bliss is not selfish.

But it is self serving.

It has you unapologetically giving the world your wonderful, amazing and unique gifts

Bliss isn’t about what you do, it’s about who you are.

Join the upcoming FREE tele-class “Get Your Bliss-ology On! “, on August 2nd ! Go here for more details.

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