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It’s The End of the World as We Know It

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This is a guest post.  My friend Sophia Leva-Marie wrote this post and it so resonated with me that I asked her if I could share it with you.  I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

 

It’s the End of the World As We Know It 

 

That chorus was definitely running through my mind as my call rang through to my client from Seattle.  From empty streets to bare cupboards, children at home ALL of the time, travel bans, and sequestered Italians singing from their balconies, it is a new world.

Though I’ve never watched it, Survivor has been a popular tv show for years.  The question of, if you were marooned on a desert island, what would be important.  Frankly, I never got past my first answer – conditioner.  Now, here I am.  Living on the island of Maui, watching a global shutdown, days away from being told to stay in our homes, and conditioner – still a thing!

However, I’ve come up with another MUST HAVE – the understanding of Universal Law.  Because Universal Law is not susceptible to the Coronavirus.

This is not about burying your head in the sand, Maui or otherwise.  Coronavirus is a real 3-D thing happening.  Go to the market and/or Amazon Prime and stock up – check.  Cancel upcoming travel – check.  Get clear on finances – check.  Ask our bodies what other supplements or nutrition they need – check.

It’s not the time to panic though.  What it is time for is to KNOW that what you see is NOT all there is!

There are Universal Laws that are operating – no matter what is happening!

Here are a few…

Just because you perceive it, doesn’t mean it’s yours…  We are super aware beings… of people globally, of what’s happening with the Earth, of the asteroids… all the things.  Just because you can feel it in your body, doesn’t mean it’s yours.  Return to sender, baby!

What you focus on, expands…  Has your eyesight dimmed and your head exploded from all of the Facebook, Instagram, and news posts?  You can ask to receive any energy or news you require, instead taking our global “time-out” to be with your loved ones, to write or paint or play?  We get to add to the frequency of fear or of love.  It’s always a choice.  What channel are you tuning into?

There is unlimited abundance… Your clients are not your source.  Your job is not your source.  Your investments are not your source.  Your bank account is not your source.  They are just channels – and they can change in a moment.  However, true abundance is unlimited.  It’s not dependent on or affected by a human, an event, a program, or a virus.  There are infinite channels of abundance from SOURCE – even, and especially now – desiring to come play with you.  Are you open to receiving them?

EVERYTHING is energy… We are the space between the molecules.  We are energy in motion.  Our physical bodies are comprised mostly of water.  And, your “diet” includes your food, your environment, your reading & watching material, the people you surround yourself with, etc.  Your diet feeds your cells.  Your cells vibrate.  Your vibration creates your reality.  What are you feeding your energy?

Ask AND receive… We get to ask AND receive.  One of the most powerful asks is “SHOW ME“.  Show me the abundance I am.  Universe, I ask that you surprise and delight me all day long.  Show me how this can turn out to be even better than I imagined.  Show me how I can thrive.  Show me how I can serve even more.  Show me how I can BE and receive more love.  There is also no difference in the size of what we ask.  Abraham Hicks says that it makes no difference to the Universe if we ask for a button or a castle.  What are you asking for?

We are limitless… Yes, we are having a human experience.  Yet, we are SO much more than that.  It’s been proven that we are, depending on which scientist you tap, more than 80-90% dark matter.  That is unknown, unlimited Universal potential.  We are made up of the same material as stars.  We also have Trillions of cells, each of them having power to fuel a city for months at a time.  We are SOOOOOOOO much more than we think we are.  What % of you are you actually BEing?

EVERYTHING happens for a reason…  Everything happens for us.  No matter how it looks, life always happens FOR us, not to us.  This virus is here to serve humanity.  I wonder how.

These are just a few of the Universal Laws that are present.  It is a balancing act, living in this time.  We get to be present with what we are experiencing, we get to choose how we react & what we focus on AND we get to know that this is not all that is happening.

Now is THE time.  Now is YOUR time.  It is time to EXPAND even more…  It is time to listen to our INTUITION even more… It is time to RECEIVE even more…  It is time to DEEPEN INTO JOY even more…  It is time to ACCESS YOUR DIVINITY even more… It is time for GRATITUDE even more…  It is time to BE LOVE even more…  It is time to OWN YOUR POWER even more…  Now that’s a virus worth catching!

 

Sofia Leva-Marie

Look Up

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Have you noticed an apparent obsession with screen time that people have? In restaurants, look around and see how many cell phones you see? I don’t use my cell phone while walking on sidewalks because it seems like everyone else is, and I prefer not to get bumped into. And in movie theatres, even though they announce to please not use your cell phones, you can always see screens glowing during movies.  All this preoccupation with screens has led me to make a decision to be mindful of when I use my devices.

When I am with someone, I put my device away. I look at people who are speaking to me, and I look in the eyes of the person I am speaking too.  Saying this seems odd since BCP (before cell phones), this is how people communicated, but often now, this doesn’t happen. And it’s not only looking at people, it is hearing too. Little white pods seem to be growing out of everyone’s ears. The gym I go to plays good work out music, yet still most people there have their listening devices firmly in their ears listening to something else. What’s happening is we are becoming a society of isolated people.

In life, communicating with other people is vital. When I see children splashing in the waves or the mud and laughing, they are living their lives full out, enjoying the experience. When I see them in a restaurant with their families glued to their games, they are missing out on the experience of getting to know their loved ones, and most often, there is a blank expression on their faces. And people take so many pictures and selfies, that they don’t see anything beyond their screens. We seem to be trying to hypnotize ourselves.

To bring more joy, laughter, and love into your life, try looking up. Make eye contact, smile, talk to people. Keep your phone in your pocket for when you actually need it. Find ways to experience life instead of avoiding it. I feel so much better when I am actually connected with people and enjoying the beauty all around me. I encourage you to be mindful with what you choose to do, and experience the wonderful results that can make your life sweeter.

Change Your World!

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I read a short book today named A Pocket Guide to Gratitude by one of our Reclaiming Your Joy After Loss group members, Karen Schaal.  It reminded me of my journey with gratitude that I thought I will share with you. Reflecting now, I can see clearly the division in my life from before I really started practicing gratitude to when I adopted a practice of focusing on gratitude every day.

My life was good. I was married to Jacques, a kind, brilliant, loving man, was involved in my community, and I loved what I was doing with my life. Then I had the opportunity to support him through the last two years of his life. Then I was alone. My attitude was negative. I was lonely. I didn’t know what to do with myself, so I mostly felt sorry for me. None of that was helping me at all, but I didn’t see it at the time. I was inspired to write a list of things I was grateful for after watching the move The Secret. I was hesitant at first with my negative attitude trying to convince me I didn’t have anything to be grateful for. Surprisingly, I discovered I had lots to be grateful for. The more items I wrote on my list, the more grateful I became, and the more things I thought of to be grateful for.

Soon I realized that I was thanking people all the time. I was smiling more than I had in years, and my attitude had mostly switched to positive. I did learn to pay attention when I would automatically react with a knee-jerk negative thought, but as I paid attention to this, it happened less and less. I have continued my gratitude practice for 12 years now and it grows stronger all the time. Reading that book today, it really hit me that I am such a different person than I was before. I focus on the good, on reaching out, and on being grateful for every moment making every moment something to be grateful for.

Recognizing what you are grateful for can’t help but make you smile. And all those smiles bring so much positivity into your life. I encourage you to focus on what you are grateful in your life. One way you can do this is by “Flipping the script.” What I mean by this is to notice when you start drifting into negativity. For instance, you might say “I have nothing to be grateful for since my loved one died, and I am alone.” Yes, that is sad, but you can find something positive by saying, “I am grateful for all the years, the moments I had with my loved one.” Or “I am grateful for the wonderful conversations we had.” Thinking those thoughts with a positive attitude can bring you a smile. And you will discover things to actively do to bring more smiles based on those thoughts. You could invite a friend for a cup of tea or glass of wine and have a lovely conversation. Or you could spend some time with a friend or family member doing something that brings you both joy.

You can feel so much better when you focus on all the good in your life instead of on the negative. I encourage you to write down 5 things you are grateful for right now in this moment. Then see how good it feels. Then keep up the practice. You’ll be so glad you do!

 

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I Just Need to Vent!

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I remember in Jacques’s last couple of years that Queen’s song Under Pressure kept running through my mind. I kept thinking, if we can just get through this crisis, this hospitalization, this challenge, that things would get better, but those things just kept piling up, and the pressure was enormous. At times I felt guilty because I couldn’t wish, hope, or pray enough to make him better. I felt guilty because I would get upset with him for things way beyond his control. I felt frustrated because I had given up my business and my profession to care for him. All this and much more kept building up to the point where although all my focus was on him, I started to fall apart.

 

I realized that I needed to talk to someone, but I didn’t know who, and I felt guilty taking time away from his care to care for me. Then a miraculous blessing came into my life when my best friend from high school knocked at my door. I hadn’t seen her for many years because she had moved to Alaska. Our friendship had remained strong even through the absence. She took one look at me and saw I needed support. Her caring for me made all the difference in the world. She ended up staying with me Jacques’ last few months and for a few months after that. She lovingly shared Jacques’ care and saw to it that I was taking care of me. But most of all, she listened. Whether it was talking about the current challenges or reminiscing times past, we talked for hours.

 

And we laughed. Her presence allowed me to vent all that pressure that had built up inside and have room in my chest to breathe again. This reminded me of my pressure cooker. To use a pressure cooker, you have to seal it and steam builds up pressure inside so that the food cooks quickly. When the cooking is done, the pressure has to be released by cooling and slowly opening a valve on the lid. The remaining steam hisses out, and only when the steam stops is it safe to open that lid without the risk of an explosion. My slow venting of all my pressure to Yvonne allowed me to stabilize, to breathe, to face what was coming, yet face it slowly, one moment at a time.

 

If your pressure is building up, find a way to vent it slowly and safely. Find a friend, a counselor, a minister, someone who will just listen until you have vented all you need to so that you are able to be open again. If there is not someone readily available that you trust, start by pouring out everything into a journal. You will discover that you can release built up anger and guilt knowing that those qualities don’t serve you. When all your steam is vented, you can breathe deep breaths again and focus on the moment. In that moment, you are alive, you are breathing, you are beautiful, and you are loved. Focus on that, one moment at a time, and release that pressure every time it starts to build up. You will discover that it builds up less and less, and that allows you the strength you need right now.