Abundance or Prosperity?

Which would you choose -- abundance or prosperity? These terms seem to be used interchangeably in various forums and discussions. Are they really the same?

Prosperity refers to physical items--money, cars, vacations. These are the tangible symbols of a prosperous life. Certainly, they can make life easier as we walk our path on the planet.

Abundance opens us to the infinite ways that our wishes can be fulfilled. It is not specific to a physical item. With abundance, we feel grateful and fully satisfied. Abundance can come through a friend who treats us to a meal, a loved one who gives us an unexpected gift, or a good deal on an item we'd like to purchase. When friends open their vacation homes to us, we are abundant.

By keeping our eyes open, we will see that abundance flows through our life each and every day. This makes living life on the planet MUCH easier and brings us joy.

I am...abundance. Hugs, love, and light--tc

Happy Mother's Day!

Have you ever noticed that the bond between a mother and child can be very strong and loving? It is a bond like no other.

Mothers comfort their children when they are anxious, calm their fears, kiss their wounds, and reassure them they are loved. A counted cross-stich that I completed for my Mom sums it up nicely: "A mother is someone who can take the place of all others, but whose place noone else can take." Today, we give thanks, and show our appreciation for a mother's love.

The loving moments we shared with our moms can also be used to heal ourselves today. When we feel anxious, fearful, or wounded, we can imagine ourselves wrapping these negative thoughts into a bundle. When we imagine holding the bundle in our arms and sending it our love, we suddenly feel lighter. Carrying the bundle is no longer necessary, as light floods into the space that was once a bundle of temporary darkness.

Hugs, love, and light--tc

Tricks of the mind - getting out of the spin

Have you ever noticed that the mind can take the smallest irritation and blow it up into a huge issue? Especially when we are tired, stressed, or trying to finish many things in a short period of time, we become irritable.

Watch out for the tricks of the mind. We can encounter things that generate feelings of irritation--that is our signal to stop, look, and listen. Rather than allowing the mind to pile on more and more things that are going wrong or are inappropriate, our goal is to identify the feelings of irritation, rage, or resentment as soon as possible. Underneath, we will find longingness.

When we feel irritated, we can immediately surround ourselves with light, take a deep breath, and ask the universe to help us get out of this cycle. Maybe we can remind ourselves that we are always in the right place, at the right time, successfully engaged in the right activity, right now. Maybe we can remember that life is simply asking us to pay attention when negative emotions arise.

If at all possible, pay attention to the "spinning" of thoughts as the mind tries to pile on more and more negative thoughts. Choose to stop the cycle and ask if this is really true. Is it true that this person is really being malicious to you on purpose? Is it true that we will be diminished by this situation? Can we ever truly lose our inner power? We quickly learn that the mind can trick us into believing things that are NOT TRUE.

The sooner we recognize the mind's "spin," the quicker we can release ourselves from its tricks. Then, we can make a free will choice to choose another path. When we do, we have tapped our inner power. Hugs, love, and light--tc

Standing apart from negativity

"Negativity has within it the seeds of its own destruction." -Emmanuel's book

At times it feels like our world is chaotic and full of mayhem. Negativity and inappropriate behavior can be seen at work, in relationships, in our community, and in many areas. How do we stand apart from this negativity so that it doesn't consume us?

When I can remember to "tune in" to my gut, it often sends a clear signal that something is amiss. It flips, turns, and wrenches. Suddenly, I am aware that my belly aches. That's my sign to PAY ATTENTION!!

What is your sign? Do you get a kink in your neck? Does your back ache? Does your jaw tighten? Our bodies can help us recognize "ugly" situations.

When we have identified that something is amiss, then we can quickly protect ourselves with light. It helps me to imagine a swirl of bright, loving light spinning around around me, deflecting off any negativity that might come my way.

Next, we can focus our thoughts on ways to diminish the ugliness--we don't want to give it power by allowing it to consume our thoughts. By standing aside and reminding ourselves that we do not have to get caught up in the situation, we have already regained our internal power. If the source of the negativity is another person, we can imagine that they, too, are immersed in light.

Then, we can be grateful for the ability to identify ugly situations more quickly and address them in ways that help us to create a fulfilling life. The more we practice this, the more we are able to remain apart from negativity around us.

It's important to be gentle with ourselves. We are learning, we are learning, we are learning.

How do you find your center when faced with ugly situations? I'd love to hear from you! Hugs, love, and light--tc

Affirming before going to sleep

Wayne Dyer recently posted helpful ideas on Facebook (see below). “Creating Love and Joy” was written to help us bring positive changes into our life--in the same way that Dr. Dyer suggests! Check out the Table of Contents for FREE on Amazon—it can help you get started in writing your own affirmations.

Here’s Dr. Dyer’s post: “As you lie in bed preparing for your nightly slumber, remember that the last thought you have in your mind can last up to four hours in your subconscious mind. Create a reminder like a prayer or mantra to place by your bed. Read these words as you get comfortable. For example, each night before I drift off to sleep, I reiterate: I am peaceful, I am content, I am love, I am writing, etc.”

Try it for 21 consecutive days and you’ll see positive changes in your life. Enjoy! Hugs, love and light, tc

Affirming abundance and peace

Did you know the federal minimum wage is $7.25/hr and the average price of gas hovers at $3.94/gallon? That means that a gallon of gas eats up over 50% of one hour’s pay for a minimum wage worker!!! This economy has strained US workers’ earnings and drained our savings accounts for over 3 years. How do we stay focused on the positive elements that we choose to bring in our life?

By affirming abundance and peace, we stay centered. Here’s an example:
“I am light protecting me from all harm. I choose to bring only peace and abundance into my life, right now. I am grateful that all of my bills are paid and all of my needs are met. I trust my abundance to fulfill my needs at each and every moment. I release all regrets from the past and worries about the future. I choose peace and abundance in this moment, right now. I am abundance. I am peace. I am grateful for all the abundance in my life.”

We eliminate old thoughts of lack or worry by focusing on what we already have. If we continuously have thoughts about being underpaid, not having enough money, not being able to save enough, not being able to travel, … not, not, NOT… then we bring a lot of “NOT” into our life. Remember, our thoughts create our feelings, beliefs and actions.

When we gently focus on abundance and peace, we bring more abundance into our life. Even if we don’t quite believe it at first, our subconscious is getting the message. By affirming abundance and peace for 21 consecutive days, we overlay old feelings and beliefs, replacing them with new, fruitful thoughts.

Try it! You’ll be surprised as you notice that “magical coincidences” begin to appear in your life. It might be found money, an invitation to a night out, or a friend offering their vacation home for free. Abundance comes in many forms—not just money. Even a warm embrace and the feeling of joy is abundance. Enjoy it! Hugs, love and light, tc

Addressing family relationships

Family can offer a HOTBED of learning opportunities. It's important to remember that family members are individuals traveling along their own unique path. At first, issues can arise that trigger rage, resentment, and deep memories of similar "ugly situations." When we can look inside ourselves, and release our own anger, rage, judging, blaming, and not forgiving. Then, we can begin to explore ways to release unhealthy patterns of interaction with family members. It is up to us to decide whether or not we choose to continue an unhealthy "dance." Sometimes it helps to send lovingkindness to the family member who is engaged in a pattern of interaction that has worked for them for many years. When we come from a place of gentle patience, then we can unravel and stop unhealthy patterns of interaction. It's the first step along a healthier new path in family relationships.

Honey or Vinegar?

“You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar,” American proverb.

Is it true that nice guys finish last? A friend and I were talking about the positive approach to dealing with daily life issues (i.e., curtain orders installed incorrectly, cell phone providers serving us improperly, banks changing fee structures and extra charges). Sometimes, it feels like being nice takes longer—not only from our perspective, but also in the delayed actions of others. Our world is so full of individuals losing their temper, making demands, and threatening negative consequences, that it really does seem like “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.”

Those of us who recognize that putting out that kind of negativity is only sowing the seeds of more negativity in the future are now facing a dilemma—how do we react and still get things accomplished? Experimentation and sharing ideas as we learn seems to be the only approach. If we reflect back on how we act when we are facing angry individuals making demands on us, we realize that these hot-tempered people may get quick results, but they aren’t always the best results. In fact, sometimes we withhold information and give them shortcut fixes. They are served the solution that will get them out the door in the fastest way possible. In contrast, consider how we feel when we are working with an individual who is patient and pleasant. We may take a bit longer to serve them, yet we also give them a little more. We might suggest a better solution, offer additional help, or provide greater services at no extra charge. That smile on our face is genuine, not rehearsed.

The holiday season is ripe with opportunities to better understand the best, and the worst, that human beings have to offer. It brings out the spirit of giving and inspires us to connect with family and friends. It also creates a sense of hurriedness, as we rush to decorate, purchase gifts, and participate in events. We have the free will to decide which ripple effect we choose to create. We can simplify and give ourselves the space to enjoy the true spirit of the season. When we are charitable to ourselves, we have more to give others. When we are rested, we can be patient. When we shorten our to-do list, we can savor treasured moments. It’s up to us—do we choose to experience honey or vinegar?

Hugs--tc

Dispelling Negativity

“Negativity has within it the seeds of its own destruction,” Emmanuel’s Book, p. 86.

Have you ever noticed that people who put out a lot of negativity seem to have a lot of difficulty in their life? If we truly believe “We reap what we sow,” then it isn’t surprising that negative thoughts create additional hardship. Certainly, we don’t wish for others to live in difficult circumstances, yet the situation can be understood as an accumulation of many factors that amplify the negative side of life. It is cruel to say that individuals facing dark times want to live under dire circumstances. Each of us is seeking joy, freedom, and love. Hardship is another lesson in the schoolroom of life, it is not intended to imprison or suppress us.

How do we address negativity—by focusing on the negative or positive? Let’s look at abundance, for example. These harsh economic times have many of us feeling tight financially. When our thoughts are focused on what we lack (i.e., I don’t have money, I can’t buy this present, there’s never enough time to get everything done), then we attract more of what is missing into our life. When we focus on the present moment, and see what we have (i.e., all of my bills are paid right now, I accomplished this today, a simple joy came into my life today), then we attract more of these positive experiences. Our life truly becomes more fulfilling, and we feel better.

When we see negativity around us, we can protect ourselves with a shield of light to repel darkness away from us. We can imagine a spotlight from above shining on the individual(s) carrying the negativity. It’s important to be very careful –we do not feed the negativity. We can choose to be the source of additional negativity or the source of healing and light. We have the free will to decide how to act, react, and address negativity when it comes into our life. Our thoughts, actions, and beliefs create a ripple effect into the universe and come back to us in unexpected ways. Our inner power gains strength when we do not allow negativity to influence the seeds we sow each day, so that we contribute to the positive energy in the universe.

Hugs--tc

Seeing Violence in New Ways

Is it possible to see violence with greater clarity? Can we transform violence into light?

Remember, each of us is here to learn during our lifelong journey. Like children in a schoolroom, we are learning, we are learning, we are learning. Violence is created by unbalanced energy, discordant feelings, and limiting beliefs. Rather than serving as a punishment, it is an opportunity to make a free will choice…which will we choose to bring into our life-- negative or positive energy?

When we see things that are despicable, we are tempted to make accusations and judge others. At times, violence causes our gut to wrench and rattles our faith. What if we could see violence as a distortion of light? Before the light was filtered by limiting beliefs and false illusions that spiraled into violence, what did it look like in its original state? When we hold a deep faith and trust in the loving energy that connects each of use, we can see that violence is a form of speaking up, and affirming, strongly held beliefs. Beliefs that lead to violence may be distorted, yet there is courage in this effort to witness. Those involved in violence have distorted the universal light into a loud temper tantrum, like small children shouting, “I exist… this is important…look--and see ME!”. The volume of this negative energy can get amplified to the point that it seems as if the whole world is filled with negativity.

When we remain aware that violence is simply a distortion of the light, we can release any negativity within ourselves that may have consciously, or subconsciously, connected to violence in the universe. We focus on the protective light swirling around us to repel negative energies away from us. As we release any seeds of darkness within ourselves, we increase the light in our own heart. As we imagine light from above shining into dark areas, we create a ripple that expands out to bring light into negative energy. As we contribute to the shrinking of darkness, the light in the universe grows brighter. When we see violence as the light force it can be transformed into, we tap our inner power.

Hugs--tc

Seeing Darkness in New Ways

How do we put the darkness that exists in our world into perspective?

If we see the universe as filled with loving energy that unites all our hearts, then darkness is only a shadow. Each of us is here to learn during our lifelong journey. The darkness in and around us is created by blocked energy, forgetfulness, and our own limiting beliefs. It exists as an opportunity to learn, not as an effort to obstruct or suppress. Without the dualism of negative and positive energies, how can we learn to shed light on the negative while we remain focused on the positive?

It takes an initial leap of faith to trust that love and light surround our world. When we see evil, negativity, and darkness, we can remind ourselves that these are only shadows caused by forgetfulness of our spiritual connection to each other. We can imagine ourselves surrounded by a protective light that repels these negative energies away from us. We can imagine light from above shining into the dark areas, illuminating and shrinking the darkness. We can look within to tap the energy in our heart that is aware, but not lost in… or swept away by … ugly experiences. We can focus on expanding that light within to release any negative energy we have consciously, or subconsciously, absorbed. Amazingly, we will suddenly feel lighter. Try it! Test it out! It works!

Hugs--tc

The Virtuous Qualities of Happiness

The movie "Happy" illuminated how "happiness" really comes from within, regardless of money, appearance, and social expectations. Living life by the virtuous qualities of happiness--is this the key? If so, then “Creating Love and Joy: Uplifting affirmations to strengthen your spirit,” identifies 33 virtuous qualities and helps us to implement them in our life. :-) Hugs--tc

Magical Coincidences

Each day, events take place that shape and influence my life. When I intentionally create my day, little things happen that are the result of my creation. I call these “magical coincidences.” I choose to recognize these positive influences, as evidenced by these magical coincidences, and feel the joy that comes with my newly found insight. I permanently release and replace any discordant thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and actions that might arise with the pure loving energy that envelopes the universe. In this way, my efforts are much more than just a positive thinking veneer covering a mountain of negativity—I am creating new, healthy synapses in the brain. Each day I grow stronger, and more powerful, until my confidence in my ability to create all that I have and experience far exceeds any lingering doubts. Hugs--tc

Creating our Day

I am light protecting me from all harm. I choose to take this moment to create my day. I trust that all my thoughts, feelings, actions, and beliefs affect the quantum field, thereby creating all that I experience. I know the universe is full of limitless possibilities and magical coincidences. I choose to bring these into my life in a peaceful, fulfilling way so that I can joyfully recognize the positive influences that I am creating, and permanently release all doubt, fear, resentment, rage and judgment. I permanently replace my discordant thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and actions with the pure loving energy that envelopes the universe. Hugs--tc

Join me Mar. 12 at 12:30 - UofA Mall, Tucson Festival of Books

Please JOIN ME for this fun, FREE event!
WHAT: Presentation of Creating Love & Joy
Book signing after the presentation
Special event price: $15 (cash or checks only, please)
WHEN: Sat., March 12 at 12:30pm
WHERE: 2011 Tucson Festival of Books (TFOB)
The University of Arizona campus
UofA Alumni Authors Tent on the mall
FREEBIES: bookmarks & magnets – while they last!
Linda B. Lynn, one of the photographers for the book, plans to be there, too!
Enter the UA Alumni drawing to win skybox tickets for the UA vs. ASU football game, Nov. 19, 2011.
Did you know the TFOB is now rated the fourth-largest event of its kind??!! It is the biggest literary event in Arizona.
There’s something for everyone – games for kids, food, beverages, live music & dance, and presentations by many famous authors
Start planning now - visit the website for a detailed schedule:
http://www.tucsonfestivalofbooks.org/

Teresa invited to TFOB - Mar. 12 at 12:30!

Exciting news! Teresa has been invited to present her book, Creating Love and Joy, at the 3rd annual Tucson Festival of Books (TFOB)! She will be featured in the University of Arizona's Alumni Authors tent on Sat, Mar. 12 at 12:30. After the 20-25 minute presentation, she would be happy to sign books. This is a photo of Teresa and one of the photographers (Linda B. Lynn) at the Author's Pavilion during TFOB 2010.

Did you know that the TFOB is the fourth largest book festival in the country? This 2-day event is filled with workshops, speakers, book signings, food and entertainment. Mark your calendar to join us Mar. 12-13th!

Hugs--tc

Social media -- I'm G*L*A*D* (see, SARK!)

Social media can be fun, playful and innovative. SARK, the author of "Glad No Matter What," posted a social media activity on her website:

"Be GLAD No Matter What - Give Lovingly And Daringly

This does NOT mean feeling glad when you don't - how annoying. It means finding the glad parts in as many of your feelings as you can and then finding ways to help the world with your GLAD heart. Blog or post your GLAD offerings on social media. It might be large or tiny, common or uncommon. One of my GLAD heart gifts was singing Amazing Grace in the DMV office until everyone joined in!

Write or post a video or art on your blog or social media about your GLAD heart gift and be entered to win a signed copy of the book and a 15 minute Scoop of SARK"

So...here's my artwork--the footprint of "Creating Love and Joy." I'm GLAD social media has come about--it brings the world closer together. It's fun to piggyback on each other's ideas and share our creativity. Hugs--tc

Gratitude

Many thanks to Changing Hands bookstore for displaying “Creating Love and Joy” on the shelf marked “Recent Favorites”(4th shelf, second from the right.) My hope is that readers will see the eye-catching cover and buy the book as a gift for themselves or a friend. Did you know that Changing Hands was rated as the best bookstore in the country by Publisher’s Weekly? They regularly have well-known authors like SARK, Meadowlark Lemon, Valerie Bertinelli, and Apolo Ono in for book signings! Thank you, Changing Hands, for supporting “Indie” publishers! Hugs--tc

Acceptance, Enjoyment, Enthusiasm

I just finished reading Eckhart Tolle’s book, “A New Earth…,”and he says the three “…modalities of awakened doing are acceptance, enjoyment, and enthusiasm. Each one represents a certain vibrational frequency of consciousness (p. 295).” By staying centered in the present moment, and trusting that we are in the right place at the right time, successfully engaged in the right activity, we can ENJOY the holidays. It’s a treasured time with family and friends! Hugs--tc

Some experiences can't be relived...

We read in many different ways that it is so important to remain present in the moment. We never know what gift it can bring, and our presence brings a fresh new energy to each situation when we are focused on our lighted energy.

My cousin from Spain unwittingly provided a reminder of this recently. He sent news that the Puente Del Diablo (Devil's Bridge) near the lighthouse in Santander, Spain, had collapsed during the early morning hours. Fortunately, nobody was injured.

Last March, he and I hiked out to where this bridge once stood. He asked me to stand in a certain place so he could take my picture. It was only AFTER he had the pictures that he invited me to hike down so I could see where I had been standing. The view was breathtaking. The ground felt solid and sturdy. We took several pictures that day.

Now...less than 6 months later, the bridge no longer exists. The second photo is from a magazine article where the photographer was looking down onto the portion where I once stood.

Some experiences cannot be relived or replaced. By keeping our attention in the moment, we can bring the best of who we are at all times to every situation.