LOVING LIMITATION?!
Submitted by admin on May 13, 2012 - 9:59 am
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10 SECRETS TO HEALTHY RECEIVING
Submitted by admin on July 10, 2011 - 1:41 pm
| Growing up naturally intuitive and sensitive, I was very unaware of how much I received, and it got me in trouble! Besides, I got the programming that being feminine meant receiving whatever came my way, and stuffing my feelings if it didn’t feel good.
So receiving did not feel safe, and then I spent years guarded and missing out on so much– love, money, friendships, and the opportunity to share my gifts– all because I didn’t know how to do things differently. Can you relate? One of the questions I hear most is “How can I be receptive/ feminine/ intuitive in a healthy way? So here are some tips: 1). Make a list of things you love, and things you hate. I know, hating may not seem polite or spiritual and that’s exactly the point. By simply allowing yourself to acknowledge what you don’t want, you’ll have the discernment and trust in yourself that allows you to OPEN to what you do want. You won’t be so afraid once you do this exercise. Trust me. It’s powerful. 2). Ground yourself. If you don’t know how, listen here to a 4-minute free sample grounding meditation. 3).If you’re stuck trying to solve a problem or process an emotion and it’s not resolving, know this: It’s NOT yours. Our own problems feel like creative challenges, not hopeless mazes. Our own emotions release after a good cry or laugh or scream. So if that’s not happening, let them go. Imagine a magic soap bubble out in front of you with a magnet in it, and imagine the emotions or problem get pulled out of you into the bubble. Then see it float off as far as you can imagine and poof! Explode it. Those people will get their emotions or problems back and they’ll get the gift of finally being able to resolve them! 4). Look at your programming and role models around receiving. Did you learn to block and shield, or to take on other’s burdens, or that being open all the time was more feminine or spiritual? Once we can see our patterns, we are most of the way there to releasing them! This is why intuitive readings can help as well, since someone outside our world can often see it more clearly than we can. 5). Once you see your patterns, act them out. I mean it. Get silly! You can grab a friend for this one, exaggerate your “issues” with your partner, or do it by yourself in the mirror until you laugh. Then see if you that pattern has any hold on you again! 6). If there is something you want to know and you find yourself obsessing and wishing you had a crystal ball… stop, sit down and ground. Then close your eyes and imagine a movie screen a few feet out in front of you. See it blank, then ask your question in your mind and imagine that you “see” the answer on the screen. Be open to symbols, colors, or vague information as well as full-on movies. Trust you will be shown what will most benefit you today. When you’ve had enough, turn it off, open your eyes and enjoy being consciously receptive! 7). Ask yourself, “Where am I right now?” Of course, you know where your body is but where are YOU? Where is your attention? Simply by noticing when you are not “home,” you have the opportunity to come back to your body. When you’re present, you’re much less likely to absorb things that don’t feel good. 8). Feel your own feelings. Often when we are habitually “not home”, we are trying to escape pain. If you have physical pain, if you don’t see a spark of light in your own eyes, or if you feel numb– these are signs that you’re not feeling fully. Yes, it’s uncomfortable to feel but the only way out is through! Once we breathe into the edge of our discomfort, it begins to dissolve. Breathe and feel! 9). Fill yourself up by enjoying your life– no waiting. It may sound paradoxical to fill yourself up when you want to receive– but when you are living a full life and radiating creativity, joy and bliss– you are a magnet for more of the same. Like attracts like. 10). Know this secret. Receiving is a CHOICE. Receiving does not just happen to you, and you can choose how to receive. I learned this in the martial art of Aikido. I could take being thrown hard, because I knew how to use the energy to twirl into a somersault and come up standing. It was exhilarating. You may not be doing martial arts, but make it a game… Decide that every judgment thrown your way turns into a hundred dollar bill. Decide that every lustful stare makes you more attractive and beckons your soulmate. Choose your version and have fun! |
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Want to use this article in your E-Zine or Web Site? You can, as long as you use this complete tag with it: Intuitive Healer Ann O’Brien publishes the “Flowering Sol” email newsletter to help you blossom into your light. If you’re ready to open up your intuition and creative power to fulfill your dream life, get your free gifts at www.FloweringSol.com.
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copyright 2011 Ann O’Brien- All Rights Reserved.
CAN LOVE & MONEY CO-EXIST?
Submitted by admin on June 18, 2011 - 2:53 pm
Can love and money co-exist? According to Universal law they must, but according to our culture they often seem at odds.I’m not talking about using money as a substitute for love, which our culture does condone.
What would it be like if love and money arose from the same wellspring of wholeness and abundance that is Universal nature, that is each of our true natures? To live lives of mutual generosity and joyous gifting?
In order to have this truth reflected in our living experience, we need 2 things: 1). To own our power, and 2). To let go of control. And culturally, we have clung tight to control while disowning our power.
If we’ve ever experienced messages of “not enough” (love, money or resources), especially in our prenatal experience or early childhood, it’s in our nervous systems. We may name it “fight or flight,” and it may affect our ability to sustain healthy intimate relationships.
It’s in our DNA and ancestral lineage. If we believe in past lives, it’s in our soul’s histories too.
Recently I taught a class in LA called “Making Peace with Money.” I wanted to call it “Making Love with Money,” but I was unsure what the reaction might be so I changed it. But “Making Love with Money” is really what I meant. 
As an entrepreneur, I have fun with money. I enjoy manifesting. I have had my ups and downs but I always seem to have what I need.
At one point last winter I had the idea it’d be fun to write down a list of things I’d like, just to invite them in. Suddenly money turned up everywhere– even a $20 bill I found on the street– in just the amounts necessary for the top items on my list!
But through my relationships I’ve learned that not everyone thinks about money this way! And I’ve had to face my own fears of being alone if I live differently… the fear that I had to choose between money and love.
I grew up with a provider father and a housewife mother. In my early childhood, my father was set on success and he kept getting job promotions that required us to move.
My mother went along with this for awhile, but after a few moves said “No.” So my father moved and we stayed put, and he drove 2 hours each way to see us on weekends for 3 years until they got divorced.
So early on, I got the message that love and money don’t go together. I thought if he was doing it to provide for me, maybe it was my fault my parents weren’t happy. Not to mention, my father was really an artistic and sensitive soul who felt confined in his job.
So over the years, I dated lots of artistic and sensitive men who could not or would not provide. I found one who could provide but got mad about it, since he too was making money through a job he hated.
Around this time I realized I did want to be provided for. And then it turned into needing to be provided for, to heal my early wound around all this, to “prove” that love and money could go together, and to validate my worth.
Of course, it was me who had disowned my worth to begin with, but meanwhile I wondered why I wasn’t manifesting what I consciously desired and felt worthy of. And I realized love and money had to go together in me before I could expect my world to reflect that.
And now I get it. It requires a total paradigm shift– not simply better salaries, more harmony between couples or even more self-love.
Here are some of the pictures our culture has accepted as truth:
- Whoever has the money gets to control.
- Money has to come through hard work and struggle.
- Money= power.
It may look as if those with money have had all the control, but look from another angle and see that many of them have also felt controlled– even in the ways they’ve controlled themselves. The suit and tie that chokes at the throat goes beyond the physical, for many in high-power jobs.
And nothing wrong with suits or business! It’s just that many people’s approach to work, money and success has been very push-and-shove– including of ourselves. Stress, self-denial and feeling used-up have been the name of the game. Today, I see this in men and women at all income levels.
If we believe money equals power, then it can also be scary to spend or lose money for those who do not fully own their power within. By contrast, I had a friend who was divorcing and losing his house, and he was ok with it, explaining that everything he had came from within and could be recreated.
I think when we own our power we have the money we need, but the money does not cause the power.
I found my friend’s attitude so refreshing! But it’s not the norm.
Recently I went into a bank and saw a flyer with headlines saying, “Control,” “More Control”. That’s what they are selling people on!
No wonder the hippies have pushed away money. No wonder trust fund kids and trophy wives have rejected all the strings attached to money.
It’s just that money itself has never been the problem. With compassion, I see that those with money have used it to control because they themselves have felt bound by control. Because they wanted love and connection and that was the only way they knew to get it. At some level, they thought if their loved ones also felt control everyone would be connected and close and never leave.
Ha ha ha. I guess we all know that can backfire.
And rejecting the money doesn’t work. Those who want to separate from it and judge rich people are perpetuating the very separation they are judging. And missing the point.
Money is really a form of energy. Love is also an energy and it includes everything.
So what if everyone could give the gifts they have in their heart and in turn have what they need? I am not talking about hippie utopia. I believe in being conscious and in including money in our lives, not running from it.
I have even advised clients to get a Monopoly game and “play” with the money to create a new relationship with it. Money itself is innocent.
What if we all disconnected from control and realigned our nervous systems to accept a feeling of safety within? Once we feel safe within, we can give and receive freely and it’s easy to trust others and the Universe.
There are many techniques and healing modalities to help accomplish this, and one we all have unlimited access to is our breath. I love simply breathing down the spine all the way to the tailbone, and exhaling the breath back up the spine and out the head.
Love and money both involve circulation. When we block our natural tendencies to open and share, both love and money come to a halt in our lives. And when one is flowing, the other can too.
I knew a wealthy older man who had physical circulation problems. Yes, he had money, but he was a control freak and he hoarded both money and love. His family found him difficult but they “needed” him.
In my opinion, our experience of abundance has nothing to do with how hard we work, or with our status or degrees. It has everything to do with how much energy we choose to circulate, and lots of energy can circulate very easily if we open and allow it.
When relationship problems come up around money, it’s rarely about the money. Usually, it’s a disagreement about how much energy is ok to circulate. Often there are blocks in one or both person’s natural flow.
This is also a key to improving our sex lives, but I’ll save this for another article.
It can be scary to open up to more when our culture, friends and family have withheld. We can feel like we’ll die from loneliness– even if those people are not currently, physically with us. And if we find more energy-flow to feel more natural, we might rebel and feel terrified at the idea of constriction.
People do suffer incredibly from loneliness and constriction, and they are actually the same thing. But when we recognize that we’re all just wanting to give and receive love, and we commit to this for ourselves, things shift.
When I am in love, not necessarily with a person but when I simply live with an overflowing heart, money follows. People get inspired, and the lie I’ve held that money and love don’t go together is dissolved. Nonexistent.
And I’m excited to see more and more people living and creating this way. I think it is the wave of the future! Are you with me?
TRY THIS:
Next time you spend money, imagine 10 times the amount coming back to you from the Universe. When you receive money, imagine 10 times the amount you receive going back from the Universe to the giver. Just for fun.. I’d love to hear how it goes!
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Want to use this article in your E-Zine or Web Site? You can, as long as you use this complete tag with it: Intuitive Healer Ann O’Brien publishes the “Flowering Sol” email newsletter to help you blossom into your light. If you’re ready to open up your intuition and creative power to fulfill your dream life, get your free gifts at www.FloweringSol.com.
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copyright 2011 Ann O’Brien- All Rights Reserved.
CAN WE BE SPIRITUAL AND WEALTHY?
Submitted by admin on September 9, 2010 - 9:55 am
The other night after a few weeks of domestic bliss and re-centering from the full summer of travel, I decided it was time to get out and socialize, so I went to a party. I found myself in a conversation with a man who had just begun a new career as a massage therapist.
Unsure of how he wanted to set up his practice, he told me, “It’s a hard town to make a living doing massage. I could work at a spa, but I don’t want to work for ultra-rich tourists.”
I told him how I’d encountered that outlook a lot here, and how different it was from LA. With a smile, I asked, “If one wanted to work for ultra-rich tourists, how would one do that?” He rolled his eyes and said, “I’m not the one to ask.”
Boulder was similar. I remember getting a new car when I lived there (a Toyota minivan, nothing fancy) and feeling looked-down on by my singer-songwriter friends.
One of my first nights out in LA with that mini-van, I accidentally parked it in the wrong lot and it was towed. When I realized my car was missing, I wondered if it had been stolen. My new, LA-local friend said, “No offense, but if someone wanted to steal they’d look for high-end cars.” I think that comment forever healed me from the discomfort I’d felt having that car in Boulder!
I remember going back to visit Boulder years after I’d left, and talking with one of my writer friends. As she was filling me in on how the town had changed since I’d left, she spoke with sadness and anger about the fancy new spa hotel on Pearl Street. It struck me how in LA, a nice new spa would be celebrated!
In certain communities, I’ve found a level of “group agreement” where if you are a such-and-such type of person, people talk with you as if you of-course agree to certain things. One example might be the assumption that “all creative and spiritual people agree that people with money are evil.”
On the other hand, in certain parts of LA, the prevailing thought is that the nicer your car and the richer your clients, the better! Especially amongst certain creative and spiritual people. Hmmmm…
While I’ve lived in both environments, I can see both perspectives. I am SO loving how much more grounded the energy feels in Santa Fe. There is not the frenzy of “never enough” (who I am, what I have, what I’ve achieved, how good I look…) that seemed so prevalent in LA. The creative energy here is more laid-back.
But I have to say how refreshing it was in LA to learn to celebrate the material world as an aspect of spirit. To be around people who don’t automatically exclude wealth, beauty or the body from being spiritual or creative. To realize the possibility of marrying it all.
Listening to that man the other night at the party, I couldn’t help but notice how his judgment of “ultra-rich tourists” came right after he told me how hard it was to make a living. It seems that since he separates himself from people with wealth, he automatically tells the Universe not to send wealth his way.
In my experience working with everyone from the ultra-rich to those who scramble to pay me, from trust-fund kids and trophy wives to waitresses, strippers and former homeless people (and lots of people in-between), I have learned this:
- Rich people need help just as much as poor people (if not more).
- In order for me to help anyone, I need to be comfortable and well fed, etc., which in our culture requires money. So I appreciate it wherever it comes from!
- If I am in resistance to anyone (whether that be the rich, poor, or my spiritual artist friends who judge the rich), I enter into a vibration of separation and limit my abundance.
I even wonder if perhaps, those who by separate from wealth and materialism actually somehow reinforce the fortresses around some wealthy peoples homes and hearts? In the case of the massage therapist I met, for example, it seemed his separation was a form of greed—the very thing he was separating from!
Not to excuse greed in any form, but just to say that the approach to eliminate greed and separation amongst people might not be to separate.
It’s as if some people express greed overtly, but they are not the only ones who have it. This may be over-dramatizing things, but what if– for example– a money-hungry corporation’s environmentally destructive practices were simply a shadow refection of our collective rejection of our bodies and feelings– and a manifestation of our expectation and separation?
It’s like the bully on the school playground. If no one were afraid, the bully wouldn’t have anything to do and would stop being a bully. It doesn’t work to say, “It’s fine for me to stay afraid, but that bully has to change and accommodate my fear.”
We are all interdependent and whether on a personal or collective level, the path to changing things starts with ourselves.
And as far as creative and spiritual people are concerned, just think how much creative energy it takes to judge others!
I wonder if this resistance and separation were ended, might there suddenly be an equalizing amongst people, where the creative would begin to manifest more wealth and the wealthy would no longer need to express as much separation and greed? And with this equalization, I feel we’d actually see more diversity, as we’d each return to our natural and beautifully unique selves!
What if we could all be wealthy, creative, grounded, spiritually awake and openhearted? I am holding space for this or something better!
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Want to use this article in your E-Zine or Web Site? You can, as long as you use this complete tag with it:
Intuitive Healer Ann O’Brien publishes the “Flowering Sol” email newsletter to help you blossom into your light. If you’re ready to open up your intuition and creative power to fulfill your dream life, get your free gifts at www.FloweringSol.com.
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copyright 2010 Ann O’Brien- All Rights Reserved.
GROUND YOUR DREAMS NOW!
Submitted by admin on August 13, 2010 - 5:48 pm
You’ve said your affirmations, made vision boards, and gone to healers and cleared up your childhood and old pain. You feel guided and worthy and you think you do all the “right things” but still your dreams still may not have manifested. Hmmm…
Sound familiar? I have been there and it can be so frustrating!
What I have learned is that we need to not only do our visioning, praying and healing, but that we also need to get into our bodies if we really want to enjoy life. As I see it the Universe is always delivering everything we ask for, but if we are not home (in our bodies) to receive it, it will seem to get delivered elsewhere.
Where would we be but in our bodies? Well, most of us (especially we sensitive types… I know from experience!) daydream a lot. When life pales in comparison to our dreams we plod through the day feeling “spaced out” and in those moments (or hours, or years… hee hee hee) our energy is “out of our body” and even though we have the grandest dream, as long as we are out of our bodies in the dream, it never has to land in our lives. There is no need!
As I shared with the Sweet Surrender class last week, I used to date on the astral (in both my dreams at night and my imagination during the day) because it was easier than dating in real life. Because I am so aware of my psychic experiences, I have felt them to be real and then wondered why my life was the way it was.
For you, it may be your finances, your health and body image, your career or something else. What do you most dream of and where does your life not match?
Now, being naturally sensitive with a big imagination is not all bad and can actually help you bring your dreams into being, if you know how to bridge the two. We are going to address that on the call next Thursday.
Besides getting grounded, if we want to in manifest our dreams I find it hugely and increasingly important to connect with others and open to support. It’s not only easier and more fun, but in these accelerated times creating alone is just too slow, not to mention out of alignment with the community-minded world we are fast becoming!
When I work with clients every week it’s like night and day watching their shifts in just a few months time! For others, months or years may go by before they ask for help.
I don’t think we have months or years anymore to step onto our paths and start living our dreams. That doesn’t mean we need to be perfect, but it does mean start now. Start whatever your heart longs to start and see what happens.
I understand this because I’ve been the one suffering for years before I asked for help, usually because I didn’t even know I needed help or that something else was possible! And then some of us think it’s noble to suffer, or we don’t want to bother anyone by asking for help.
We bother people more by not asking. We bother people by suffering in their presence and we bother people by not living our greatness and not serving in these times of great need.
So if you’re feeling a pull like more is possible in your life or that you could be more fulfilled in ANY way, consider reaching out for support. You don’t need to be suffering first; in fact, if you give yourself regular support you may never suffer again! Can you handle that?
There are many sources of support, of course, but if you’ve read this far I imagine you’ll like the “Ground Your Dreams Into Reality” Meditation mp3. The sooner you commit the quicker your dreams can find you!
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Want to use this article in your E-Zine or Web Site? You can, as long as you use this complete tag with it:
Intuitive Healer Ann O’Brien publishes the “Flowering Sol” email newsletter to help you blossom into your light. If you’re ready to open up your intuition and creative power to fulfill your dream life, get your free gifts when you sign up now.
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2010 Ann O’Brien- All Rights Reserved.
DO YOU LEAK ENERGY?
Submitted by admin on - 5:38 pm
How much energy do you have right now? Of course, when we think of energy we think of health, but there’s more…
How much energy you feel relates to how much money you have, how good your sex life is, and your sense of abundance and fulfillment in life as a whole.
And the truth is we all have incredible, unlimited energy and power! But most of us are scared of this, and our current culture doesn’t really “ok” it, and so most of us leak a lot of our energy to stay “comfortable” and fit in.
But then we feel exhausted and frustrated, so we drink some more coffee. Or we take a class or go to a doctor or healer. Or we hang out around people or places that seem to have energy, and soak their energy in.
I know I have leaked a lot in my life. Here are some ways I have:
- Talking too much
- Worrying
- Listening to music or stories that deny life
- Eating foods that bog down my energy and digestion
- Investing in unrewarding relationship patterns
- Sticking my chin out and cutting off the flow of energy up my spine into my head
- Keeping papers, clothes, and other objects that I don’t need or like
Reading this, do any of your own habits come to mind? Many of our habits are unconscious–I know they were for me–and we don’t tend to change them we have “proof,” or at least compelling inspiration that more fulfilling ways of living are possible.
We hear a lot about the whole mind-body-spirit connection and it is so real! While living with 2% of our energy might feel “normal,” it’s not. And I think times are so critical now that we can’t afford to just bop around unconscious anymore.
No matter what. Most of us are already “losing” what seemed like security, so why not change before more dramatic change finds us?
As I’ve learned not to leak energy, I am blown away by how amazing I can feel. The more I know, the less appealing it is to leak anywhere.
I used to wake up and “have to” meditate. Now I wake up feeling bright and clear and available to help people, or focus on a project.
I used to give away my healing energy without noticing when I felt drained. And I have learned to love and honor myself, not only for my own good, but also because I can give so much more this way!
And these are just a few examples, with the intent to inspire you! Would you like to explore?
Ask yourself where you leak energy:
- In your posture?
- In your relationships?
- In your diet?
- In your daily habits?
- In your home?
Then play plumber and fix the leaks! Maybe pick one leaky behavior a day and commit to not doing it that one day. Call back your energy and see what happens!
If you’d like some help identifying your leaks we can set up a private session. I’ll bring my toolkit and we’ll help your energy-faucet flow strong!
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Want to use this article in your E-Zine or Web Site? You can, as long as you use this complete tag with it:
Intuitive Healer Ann O’Brien publishes the “Flowering Sol” email newsletter to help you blossom into your light. If you’re ready to open up your intuition and creative power to fulfill your dream life, get your free gifts at www.FloweringSol.com.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
© 2010 Flowering Sol. All Rights Reserved.
From Surviving to Thriving in These Times
Submitted by admin on September 1, 2009 - 1:42 am
I have been following my heart this year more than ever before, and overall I am happier than I have ever been. Like everyone, I am not bored and I am challenged at times, but I am also living in increasing feelings of abundance, amusement, love, spiritual clarity, creativity and gratitude.
I am also excited, because I know this is just the beginning. Between the solstice and early August eclipse there were many nights I could hardly sleep, and still I woke up full of energy, laughter and so many revelations!
Last month I talked about finding wholeness within, and this I feel is a big part of what’s going on now for me and for others. I feel it is key to both our happiness and our survival.
Collectively we are moving out of a time of co-dependence and need-based relationships and into a time of co-creation. When most of us hear “relationships,” we think of intimate male-female relationships, but the relationships I speak of are of many types and with many people (including ourselves), as well as with everything in our environment.
In fact, as I see it this very shift is also a huge part of the economic changes happening now. No longer are we singing the mantra “Whoever has the money gets to control.” (Simultaneously, no longer can we simply let ourselves be controlled, or consider ourselves victims—of a job, partner, family or our own inner dictator)—and trust that at least then we’ll survive. We won’t.
Even if we would, who would be the one to survive? Not our true nature as spirit, but instead perhaps our status, our attachments, our material possessions or our habits. But none of that is real anyway.
There is too much light coming into the planet to ignore spirit anymore! But since spirit/ truth/ love directs and infuses all that will really survive, ever– and especially now– to whatever degree we have been ignoring it we are going through the challenges at this time. And, the more we recognize it the more elated we feel.
We are leaving the era where money is used to dominate, abuse and isolate. We are entering an era of coming together and truly finding that when we follow our hearts and offer our creative gifts in service, we are provided for in more ways than we have ever dreamed possible.
Our true nature as spirit is whole. So all the lies that said we weren’t whole are coming out of our personal and collective experiences.
For many, this means the end of one or more relationships, or a re-calibration of current relationships. Others are changing or ending careers, or experiencing material changes. Still others are checking out of the planet because they are not in agreement to being embodied during this intense time of transformation.
For everyone I know, the lies are coming out as we shed old emotions, karmic patterns, and programming faster than ever before. It’s a great time to clear out your closets, email inbox or cleanse your body since this is all connected.
And I feel as important as it is to let go, it’s even more critical to envision and take tangible steps towards the future you’d like to create. Not the future our egos want, but the future our hearts yearn to offer and receive.
If you don’t know the difference TRY THIS:
- Remember your childhood dreams, talents or interests.
- Before you go to bed at night, write or speak your intention to tune into your hearts yearnings. When you wake in the morning, give yourself space for insights to emerge—honoring anything however small or seemingly strange.
- Write or draw or make a collage to explore.
- Consider different possibilities one at a time and feel how your body responds to each. Even more interesting, move in a free-form dance as you consider each choice—and then ask what you’d like. (And don’t assume that thrashing about means it’s the “wrong” choice… It may mean that you are releasing anger that has been blocking you from doing something, for instance.)
- Confide in a trusted friend or counselor about what you’d really like but think may be “just a fantasy.” How amazing and inspiring it is when others can easily see for you what you deny for yourself!
I once heard a speaker on finance talk about how many people in debt focus solely on paying off their credit cards, and accomplish it only to recreate the debt because they didn’t give any attention to changing their financial habits or situation. Without any new income, investments or spending habits, their debt relief was merely temporary.
Most people have been going through life in deep spiritual debt. By that I mean they have given more attention to the lies than the truth. And now we all not only have to pay, but we have to create anew. Even if we wanted to keep lying to ourselves or to life, there is less and less credit to be had.
This is much deeper and much more subtle than, for example, repaying the karma of killing someone in another life by helping them this time around. Giving attention to lies can include thinking you’re not good enough, or that you’re your worth equals the money in your bank account, or pretending certain relationships work for you, or avoiding relationships altogether.
Ultimately, our only real safety resides in our inner being. At this time, the more we can let go and trust our hearts, and then share and support one another, the more we will thrive!
I invite you to try it now. What steps can you take today? Let me know if I can help you.
copyright 2009 Ann O’Brien- All Rights Reserved.
Want More Time?
Submitted by admin on July 1, 2009 - 1:37 am
I hear it over and over again these days: “Time is speeding up.” But is it really?
In spirit there is no time. How is that possible?
Maybe you’ve experienced it? In the middle of a creative project, meditation or particularly emotional event, two hours might feel like twenty minutes or twenty minutes might feel like two hours.
Been there? Or ever been running late but by some miracle arrive on time, or think you have plenty of time then it slips away from you?
This time crunch hits us on many levels. We are increasingly inundated with information as technology allows us to be connected with the world 24/7 (we were already doing that psychically, but that’s another story!)
Many people are feeling this more personally. Where it used to be ok to deal with our “stuff” little by little so it didn’t disrupt our comfy life, current times are calling us to give up our garbage now and fast! If we don’t make the choice to do it, life is choosing for us these days.
So here’s the secret I have learned: To keep up you must slow down. The people I know who are not only surviving but even thriving in these times are those who have some sort of practice: meditation, yoga, therapy, etc— some means of self-reflection and some regular reminder that there such a big beautiful world out there, that there is a much larger picture than our personal stories, however painful or exciting they may be.
I have not missed a day of meditation for 10 ½ years, and practiced off and on for 8 years before that. Even though I am so dedicated, it is not at all a discipline at this point, because I have seen repeatedly and consistently how much better life is after I meditate!
Usually, I meditate first thing in the morning, or at least before I leave home or start working. But some days I want to be somewhere early, or I answer the phone or turn on the computer before meditating, and I get pulled by one thing after another before I realize it’s noon and I’m feeling frazzled and irritated.
So, I am eternally grateful for the tools I have, because otherwise feeling frazzled and irritated would feel “normal” (and it used to). And I am totally passionate about sharing my tools and helping others so they don’t have to feel that way, or whatever their so-far “normal” yet unsatisfying feelings are.
I also regularly receive healings and support from other healers and holistic health care providers. Just because I do what I do doesn’t mean I can’t use support; in fact, I feel I owe it to those I am serving to keep myself inspired and feeling well.
Do I get more done when I rush and plow through my to-do list without taking time first to breathe, release what’s not serving me, and raise my consciousness to connect with the greatest good? No. In fact, often I mess things up and create double the work, or say something I didn’t mean and have to correct it, or even hit my head or stub my toe if I really need a HELLO to slow down.
I find that when I meditate first before making that phone call, doing a reading, or creating plans for a workshop, what I create is way more powerful, profitable, and rewarding for everyone. Because I first GIVE space to myself and to the relationship or venture, whatever manifests has the quality of GIVING to life instead of taking from life.
What does that mean,“taking from life?” Whenever we come from fear, we are taking from life. Whenever we focus on “What’s in it for me?”, we are taking from life. Whenever we panic thinking we don’t have enough time, we are taking from life and from ourselves.
The magical thing is, when we give to ourselves and give to life, we have all the time we need. Lack of time is not even on our radar, because we are so full of what we have.
Yes, in these days there is so much going on. But people are attracted to energy. Rushing and competing to get the job, the business or the love you want will not create success the way it might have seemed to in the old paradigm.
When you come from a place of spaciousness you will magically attract what you need! And the world so needs you to do this right now.
If you don’t know how, I can show you. Schedule a private session today and give yourself the gift of guidance, energy clearing and personalized meditation instruction.
And, if you are in the LA area, come out on 7/26 for the “Become a Money Magnet” workshop where we’ll support each other so you can reprogram your life to become a life of giving and having!
In joy,
Ann
copyright 2009 Ann O’Brien- All Rights Reserved.
Manifesting
Submitted by admin on March 1, 2009 - 1:33 am
Given the current economic climate and uncertainty in the world, I know many people who are feeling stuck or helpless, or at least in the midst of much change. While it may be hard to laugh at times, it’s a great time to throw up our hands in the air and say, “Ok, I’ve tried everything I know. I give up. Will someone please show me a miracle?”
Whether it’s money, a relationship, your health or something else, it takes more that just planning, working hard or begging God in order to manifest your dreams. Read on for the 4 secrets to manifesting your desires…
Secret #1: Be Grateful
You have probably heard, “The rich get richer, the poor get poorer.” While this reflects a socio-economic division in today’s world, it is also a modern version of an ancient law.
This law says something like, “To those who have, more will be given. And, to those who don’t value what they have, even what they do have will be taken away.”
Think about it. If you were to offer someone a compliment, gift or invitation, and they broke into a huge grin and gave you a hug in gratitude, would you be likely to offer them another compliment, gift or invitation sometime?
What if you offered that person the gift and they made a face then complained that it wasn’t the right size or color, or if you offered them a compliment and they denied it, saying they were really a loser? Would you probably offer them more?
And if someone were walking around scowling and complaining that what they have isn’t enough, would you more likely reach out to them, or would you choose the person next to them smiling and enjoying their life?
The Universe is a lot like you, so smile, appreciate what you have and watch it grow!
Secret #2: Destroy
Now that sounds harsh. But in ancient spiritual traditions they do talk of 3 aspects of creation: create, maintain and destroy.
In Christianity those are the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In Hinduism they are Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
And we don’t need religion to see that in nature there are cycles. The leaves fall in autumn and seeds sprout in the spring. The seeds are nurtured and maintained by the rhythms of sun and rain.
In order to create and sustain something new we need to let go of the old.
If it’s a new relationship you want, maybe it’s time to let go of an old destructive habit, or objects that remind you of your ex, or clothes that don’t flatter you.
If it’s money you’re after, are you spending it unconsciously, or on things you don’t value? Can you let go of spending your time on unrewarding pursuits? Can you let go of one old story that convinces you you’re unworthy?
No matter what you desire, have courage to consciously let go and see what comes!
Secret #3: Maintain
Some people are great at starting things, but they never seem to keep up with what they start. Others destroy their whole life before they go “Uh-oh, my life wasn’t so bad after all.” Oops!
Spend some time every day taking care of what you value and what you are creating.
For example, if you are launching a new business project, keep up with your emails, phone calls, taxes, paperwork, etc. If you’re writing a book or recording a CD, commit to a schedule so it gets done.
Do you spend time regularly checking in with your partner or family to appreciate them, ask how they’re doing and how you can support them, or express your concerns? Too many months or years of this and your relationship can end up destroyed without your meaning to!
Secret #4: Create
This can be the fun part, or it can be the scary part. You may have great ideas but are you actually DOING anything about them?
In her book The Wealthy Spirit, Chellie Campbell refers to this process as “sending out ships.” You may not know which of your efforts will yield rewards, but if you send out enough ships, chances are some will… and most importantly the Universe will hear you.
If you’re looking for a job, this might mean putting your resume out in various places, and not just waiting and hoping someone will notice your skills. If you want a new relationship it may mean dating online, or changing your usual routine, or making the effort to smile and flirt a little.
So many times when I put up my cards around town, I get emails or calls from new clients. The interesting part is that they rarely saw the cards, but usually found me some other way! I truly believe that sincerity is what attracts things to us, so don’t worry so much about WHAT you do, just do!
TRY THIS:
For a few days, pick one thing you’d like to manifest. For those days, in the area of your concern, have a goal to express gratitude 3 times, let go of 3 things, do 3 things to maintain or nurture what you’re creating, and take 3 new action steps.
I don’t mean for you to get obsessive and rigid about this, but it’s a useful exercise to see what areas you tend to focus on and what areas you tend to neglect. It’s an excellent way to form new habits, say, of calling someone just to say “thank you” and notice how great that feels!
We all naturally create, destroy, and maintain. You may realize that most of your creative energy is going into inventing all the things that could go wrong– so much that there’s no room to create your new project, happy love life or your physical well-being.
Maybe you maintain your relationship really well but neglect your bills. Maybe you let go easily of your old job but can’t seem to change your toxic relationship patterns.
I intend that by becoming aware and practicing these secrets you find fulfillment greater than you’ve ever imagined! And if I can help you with a reading or healing, don’t hesitate to ask!
copyright 2009 Ann O’Brien- All Rights Reserved.
The End of Scarcity
Submitted by admin on September 1, 2008 - 1:29 am
Dear Friends,
One of the things I see going on on the planet right now is a shift from a world of greed, lack and power battles to a world of co-creation, harmony and abundance for all. By “abundance for all” I don’t mean that everyone has a gold Mercedes, a second home and servants, but more importantly, that we rediscover our wholeness within– and from this place dynamically participate in the world, giving and receiving in harmony with all of life.
I believe it is happening and see it happening even though listening to the news seems to prove the opposite. I believe that the brighter we shine our lights, the more darkness we see. Since it was there all along, it will not kill us, but is actually coming out as validation that we are ready to let go. Thank goodness!
I am currently inspired as I read the book The Soul of Money by Lynn Twist. She describes three “toxic myths of scarcity” that prevail in modern culture. They are: 1: “There’s Not Enough”, 2: “More is Better” and 3). “That’s Just the Way It Is”.
Do these sound familiar at all? When I do readings and healings for people, no matter what their question, I often see these types of limitations. It doesn’t need to be about money; it can be about love, career, health, or whatever.
For example, I sometimes get a question like, “Should I do what my parents/ partner/ society wants and choose the lucrative career that I hate, or should I do what I want even though I can’t make any money at it?” Well who says there are only 2 choices?
Another one I’ve heard several times is: “Should I stay with the nice, boring man who loves me or go with someone passionate and unstable?” Well, there are so many people out there to love, and so many sides of each person, and lenses through which to see them. It is not like we can just bubble in a). or b). and be set for life. Everything is always changing.
When we get stuck thinking, “There’s Not Enough” and “That’s Just the Way It Is,” it’s easy to forget how many choices we have, how powerful we are, and how miraculous and complex life is. What if there’s a lucrative path that is also fulfilling? What if that “boring” man is actually passionate? In order to discover these things, usually we have to first be open to the possibility.
While some people lack even basic healthcare, in wealthier cultures “More Is Better” plays out as some people become addicted to normally helpful services and practices. They go to every type of healer: doctors, acupuncturists, chiropractors and therapists, they take vitamins, obsess over diet, etc. until the pursuit of health becomes more stressful than the disease being “treated”.
Sometimes I see my yoga students trying to do the most advanced poses even if they are grunting and turning red in the face. But “more is better” isn’t it? If they believed they were already enough, deep down, wouldn’t it be ok if they just lay there for an hour without doing any pose at all?
Fundamentally I think these “myths” are lies we tell ourselves about ourselves, so no wonder they translate to our experience of all life. Are we afraid to see our inner wealth? Are we afraid that if we see and appreciate the abundance around us that doing so will somehow take away from what we have? The funny thing is, if we really believed we had it we would not be afraid of it being taken away!
TRY THIS:
Ask yourself:
What stories do you tell yourself about how there isn’t enough? Is it “I don’t have enough time,” “I don’t make enough money,” “I’m not getting enough exercise, or sleep, or eating healthy enough,” “I’m not good-looking enough,” “I’m not qualified,” or “I’m not getting enough love or support”? Take a minute and think about it.
Ask yourself:
What are the effects in your life when you get stuck believing your “not enough” stories? Are you late? Do you cut people off in traffic? Are you impatient or mean to your loved ones? Do you get so stressed you get sick? Do you deprive the world of your gifts because of your illusion of self-lack? Are these effects worth it?
Repeat the above exercise for “More Is Better” and “That’s Just the Way It Is”.
Lastly, stand in front of a mirror; look right into your own eyes and say “I am enough” until you really believe it. Practice daily if needed. Once you believe it, what would you like to give to the world? Go do it!
copyright 2008 Ann O’Brien- All Rights Reserved.
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