Year: 2009

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More on Will Power…

There was so much good dialogue generated on the last will power post that I wanted to share some of it with you.

One of our frequent visitors, Ms. Melissa shared that the tricky part about will power is using it in a way that is aligned with your higher self. I whole-heartedly agree. When will power is used to try and puff up the ego (ie. restricting oneself only to look perfect or working hard simply for power or money) it can actually undermine authentic growth and spiritual evolution. My experience is that if your will is not aligned with your higher self it is not sustainable and will eventually backfire.

Ms. Gabi – another wise one – shared that as a body worker, she has observed that a nice balance between core strength and core flexibility correlates with being both powerful and graceful in life (I’m paraphrasing). She suspects that over-developed core strength correlates with being too “guarded” with one’s emotions and an underdeveloped core correlates with being too “open.” Good stuff – I have a hunch that the same is true for will power. Too much will in the wrong areas suffocates life, while too little disperses it prematurely, leaving one powerless…

Finally, we had a new visitor named Vincent who left an insightful comment about the three levels of will. First, there’s having the will to say “no” to what’s bad for you – junk food, over-spending, etc. The second level is saying “yes” to what is good for you – exercising, saving, eating healthy. The third level is using your will to control your thoughts and emotions. When negativity takes over, he recommends stilling your body and thinking of nothing until the emotion dissipates. He goes on to say:

“When you’ve mastered all three levels of self control, a feeling so wonderful and strong persists inside. The feeling provides an incomparable joy, much greater than that Twinkie or new pair of shoes could ever temporarily disguise as. The feeling is not at all fleeting, but strong, whole and permanent. And fuels you with an unparalleled power.”

Thanks guys – I’m truly inspired.
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Will Power

Being spiritually oriented, I used to have a problem with the whole idea of will power. It felt like muscling through something rather than gracefully moving toward a goal. Now that I understand the energy centers in the body, I know what it means to have will power and why it’s so important.

The energy center of will is located in your solar plexus, which is around your abdomen. The chakra below that is the creative/procreative energy center, which is driven by desire. The creative center is impulsive – like a wild animal. It wants to experience pleasure of all kind and RIGHT NOW. Because we live in an immediate gratification society, many of us give in to our desires at the expense of our overall well being. For example, having the goal to save money, but then stumbling upon a great pair of shoes that you can’t live without. Or, wanting to lose weight only to give into the temptation as you walk by a plate of pastries at work.

Your will is strengthened each time you don’t give in to the impulsive, self-defeating desires of your second chakra. Every time you say “No” to the untamed animal in side you, the energy in your body is able to rise up toward your abdomen where it accumulates and becomes power. Hence the term, will power.

Giving in to the impulses of your pleasure center (sacral chakra), causes the energy that’s meant to fill you up from the inside and nourish you, to prematurely release in favor of immediate gratification. So the insane game goes like this: Energy rises within your body to fill you up prior to extending into the world as your light, but the thrill of some impulsive behavior tricks you into thinking you’ll get immediate energy if you go for it. Giving into whatever impulse is in front of you releases the energy that’s meant to fill you up, before it even makes it to your solar plexus. You may get a short thrill from feeding the impulse monster, but you lose vital energy which leaves you more powerless to make the right choice next time.

Expect the first couple of times you say no to your impulsive self to be difficult. The knowledge of how it all works does not take away cravings. Success does however, and it doesn’t take much success to fill you with the power you need to make good choices effortlessly. One final piece of inspiration: Once enough energy collects in your solar plexus it can begin to rise up to your heart, which is when the real fun begins!

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Be that person…

Every now and then I see someone who inspires me toward the best version of myself. One day in college I remember seeing a young woman walking down the street as I drove by the campus. I can’t recall what she looked like, but I can tell you that she emanated inner peace. During that time I had more inner conflict than peace, and the impact that she had on me was astounding. In just 20 seconds – the amount of time it took to drive by – I knew she had something that I needed.

It happened again today. Earlier I had an interaction with someone that knocked the wind out of me. You know the kind that hits so hard that it takes a long time to get your breath back? Well, it was that and more. If there’s such thing as past lives (and I’m pretty sure that’s the case:) then today’s incident reached back many lifetimes to expose a very old wound.

I was so flooded with emotion that I wasn’t being productive at anything, so I went for a long walk. I decided to go by my favorite house – you may remember me describing it in a prior blog – smooth, white stucco with a water fountain in the front yard, amidst dark stones covered in red wild flowers… It just so happens that the owner was working in her garage. She, like her house, emanated creativity, divine order and health. Without my even saying hello (she was busy), I walked by and caught a big big dose of her balanced energy. So much so that I came home, cleaned my house and did some other things in order to regain my balance.

I share this as a reminder that energy is contagious and you never know who your presence is going to inspire. There is now research showing that we catch happiness from others – even more so than frustration or anger. And I’d be willing to bet that the same is true for inner peace, joy and the other positive emotions. For me, this is just one more reason for impeccable self care. If there is any cell in your body that believes loving yourself is selfish, let it be known that we affect others by our presence alone.

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Portals of Peace

For some time I’ve been working on a book called, Portals of Peace: Healing the World One Person at a Time. The book was inspired by an image that came to me of one person after another opening up from the inside, light streaming from them into the world.

What has become increasingly clear over the past several years is that the majority of us – good people, loving people, religious and non-religious – have divided psyches due to continuously suppressing emotions and aspects of ourselves that we don’t like. This inner division is projected onto the world as outer division and conflict.

As we claim and integrate our suppressed selves, we can’t help but channel light – it naturally flows forth from a clear vessel. The beauty is that inner peace precedes world peace, so it truly is a win/win.

I know that those of you following this blog (200-300 views a week) are committed to being a light in the world, so I wanted to share what’s coming. There’s some momentum toward integration right now and each one of us who courageously reclaims that which is buried within dramatically affects the healing of the collective psyche. It is this – a healed collective psyche – that translates into a more peaceful world.
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Show Your Spots

Yesterday I was on a business owners teleconference and one of the coaches, Molly Luffy, was talking about authenticity as it relates to success. She said, “Flaunt your quirks!” I had to laugh out loud, because I’m in total agreement. If you read The Energy Cure, you’ll remember the part about how we are all quirky when really being ourselves.

In this culture of over-socialization and over-homogenization, there’s a lot of pressure to fit into a certain mold. Trying to be like others is such a trap! What is ideal really? One of my favorite people in the whole world has a nice, round booty (you know who you are girl). She likes to sing the song, “baby got back,” and where clothing that accentuates this lovely feature. Because of this, she’s hot!

As spirit flows through your body it produces a completely unique and un-replicable essence. It is impossible to reject a part of oneself without diluting your essence. I’m still working on embracing my quirks – my over-analyzing mind, roundish hips, and the tendency to do whatever I want – but the better I get at celebrating my quirkiness, the more spirited I become.

I encourage you to look for people in your life who flaunt their quirks – let’s make them our role models. And once you find them, flaunt your own!

By the way, I’d love to hear what you’re quirks are and celebrate them with you:)