Be Real: Prayer, Intention, Affirmation

YOU ARE ALREADY PERFECT! This is Divine Mercy. God loves us exactly as we are and for who we are. We are all perfect in our imperfection.

It's all about creating the existence I want, because according to God, anything is possible - I just have to get out of my own way! As do we all! Are you in that place of knowing you were meant for more, feeling depressed, unhappy, wanting something else, but not knowing what it is? -Been there, done that... It has been about a year since I put out my intention and it's been answered in ways I could not have imagined.

A year ago I sat at the kitchen table talking to my husband about wanting more self awareness. Knowing I want to do something or was meant for something more, but not knowing what it is. My family is beautiful, our life is perfect, I have nothing to complain about. But, something was missing. That something was God.

Over this past year, I've learned everything has to do with my existence. What I say, think, do. What I eat, watch on TV, read. All of it affects us in small ways and all these small things add up to big things.

In my search for self awareness, I've discovered I am God. So are you. We all are. We are all a piece of Him. To know myself is to know God. To know that I am enough exactly as I am and that God loves me brings internal peace. And internal peace is true wealth. For in seeking myself, I've found God.

Here's the secret that's been revealed to me this month. This existence is the 'other side'. We are here to learn, play, experience. God is truth. Heaven is home. We are just visiting. I KNOW this now. Why, you ask? Because I see, hear and feel the Angels. I hear the guidance. I understand it and it makes sense. So, for me - I'm getting it right this time around and if that means I feel the fear and do it anyway, so be it! You really don't know until you try. I've gotten out of my own way and allowing God to lead the way.

Praying, affirmations and intention are all thoughts that are one in the same. If we offer up these thoughts from a place of love, then we vibrate love and love is what we receive. If we offer up these thoughts from a place of fear - well you connect the dots. The trick is to offer them up as preferences and just release them. Stop worrying about if it will happen or not. Just know it will. Release expectations of how you think something should be because this indicated ego attachments and creates limitations on God. The intentions are strong preferences.

These are a few of the prayers, affirmations and intentions that I've used. I've got notebooks full of them. When I publish my book, you'll get the rest then! They've all been given to me - from who else - God! And who delivered them to me? The Angels!

God, help me be who you want me to be and do what you want me to do.

I/We are healthy, wealthy, happy, peaceful and wise.

I trust myself and God. I am surrounded by Angels.

I see, hear and feel Divine Guidance and understand it clearly.

The intention today is to have confident detached discernment in all I think, say and do. To remain in Spirit, connected to my soul with a complete connection to God. I am intuitive and have complete confidence in myself and God.

To know God is to know myself. See ye first the kingdom of God and the rest will come.

I refuse to accept this limitation - God is my Source. I release all limiting ego illusions to the Light to be transformed.

I invite the Light and Love of God to fill me.

Now, here's another secret. Allow yourself to be in a receptive state to do these affirmations. For when you do them, you are reprogramming your subconscious. Your subconscious is a super computer which stores all the information of you. If you want to remove blocks, reprogram it. Say it enough times, do it enough times and it will take hold. What is so powerful about this is that it is so simple. It takes 21 days for blood to regenerate in the body. It takes 6 weeks to develop a new habit and it takes 6 months for that habit to become a lifestyle change. Now, that's according to science. I believe it can happen faster than that. I know it can. Because faith can heal anything instantly. This is healing.

Here are some tricks to allowing yourself to be in a receptive a state as possible:
1. eat or drink when affirming (healthy of course!)
2. affirm after or during exercise
3. affirm before bed
4. affirm upon waking
5. affirm after sex (I haven't tried this one, but plan on doing it very soon! Whoo-hoo!)
6. always affirm/pray/intend from a place of gratitude
7. write it down, say it, think it
8. tap (use EFT - see my August post)
9. read affirmations daily
10. cut back and/or eliminate the crap (food, TV, etc... you know what I mean)
11. include your loved one(s) - the power of many increases the vibration (the family that prays together, stays together)

All of these states have us in an 'open' place to receive the good affirmations faster and download them quicker. In the same turn, you can release that which does not serve you in this same state just as fast.

Be Real: Car Camping

We started out to Ohio to visit relatives with the best of intentions, but we got stuck somewhere between here and NOT there. The roads were treacherous. A trip that should have taken 9 hours turned into 18 hrs. We had traveled only half way and the main highway was shut down going both North and South. What ensued was controlled chaos.

We ended up in Berkly, West Virginia. Every and I mean EVERY hotel was booked solid. There were people sleeping on the floors in the hallways. The hotel employee was kind enough to give us directions to a shelter. And to top it off, we found our neighbors who also became part of the insanity! We, like them, thought we had avoided the winter storm. And, although the storm was done, the clean up was not.

As we set off on a wild goose chase to find a shelter, we just saw more of the same... snow completely blocking the roads, cars and tractor trailers abandoned or tipped over. Most roads were nearly impassible. Needless to say, we gave up on the shelter and took our chances sleeping in our car in the Kroger parking lot. We were not alone. The parking lots were full of people, families - all sleeping in cars. Our neighbors did go on searching for the shelter and eventually found one. I'll tell you more about that later.

As all of this was going on, I kept telling the kids to pray. Boy, did we ever pray! My oldest got so worked up with anxiety, he started throwing up out the window. We did not dare stop the car for fear of getting stuck. Poor kid. At least he'll have something to tell a therapist when he gets older...

So, here we are praying and I'm waiting for that miracle. That person to say, "Here you go - there's a room for you." Someone to say, "Come stay at our house"... But, us along with countless others were sleeping in our cars with our kids in a parking lot in the freezing cold. I did fall into some self pity. I have to admit. It was terrible and then as I prayed for God to correct my thinking - a miracle did happen. It was about midnight and I was peeing in the parking lot as there were no bathrooms and it hit me - this is one night out of thousands and I get to sleep in a warm house 99% of the time. We had a full tank of gas, sleeping bags and a cooler full of food. We had and have each other. We have God, the Angels and prayer. We were intact. The car is in good condition. My husband is an excellent driver. In all this treacherous weather, not one thing came to harm us. We were and remain completely safe! The whole thing was a miracle and we lived it!

And here I was feeling sorry for myself because I didn't have a bed. Look at EVERYTHING we did have and all that was missing was a bed. What a ninny! Thank you God for showing me the error in my thinking! We are and were completely protected by the Angels. How many people live this way on a daily basis - sleeping in a car and peeing in a parking lot? We were given a small glimpse of what it feels like to be without the luxuries of life - a bed, a shower, a toilet. These are luxuries!

All this time, my Dad was with us also. I could feel him keeping my husband awake as he drove on endlessly, never eating or tiring. As he guided us where to park our car. Eventually we left the Kroger parking lot and went to a hotel parking lot. We had access to a toilet and parked in a sheltered area by a dumpster and a snow bank. It was much warmer as we were protected from the wind. Did I mention it was 27 degrees Fahrenheit? As I look around at all the minivans full of people, I felt like we were initiated into a new club. The club of testing our resolve, seeing what we are really made of - complete self reliance and love of neighbor.

My Dad was always one to be completely self reliant. This life lesson showed my children how to take care of themselves. How to travel with cash and how cash won't get you what you want. But God give you all you could ever need. We couldn't buy our way into a room even if we tried. But, what we gained was worth more than all the money in the world. The restaurants were closed. Unless you can eat money, cash wouldn't help there either! We thought this was a great opportunity to talk to the kids about how Joseph and Mary must have felt looking for a room as they arrived in Bethlehem. We got a small taste of what that may have felt like.

I was thrilled to be near a toilet as I get up often during the night. When I woke at 4:30am and saw the van next to us dusting off to get ready to leave I got really excited and ran out to ask them what they knew. He said that he had walked to the highway and saw it was open. So we blessed each other and off we went in the wee hours of the morning towards our destinations.

My neighbor called to say they had found a shelter and it was full of people without food or the basic necessities to weather this storm. Most of them had abandoned their cars on the roads in search of shelter. And there I was feeling sorry for myself when we had a cooler of food and sleeping bags. I'm so glad we didn't stay at a shelter. We had so much with us. We didn't need a room. It was Divine order that everything happened as it did. We had exactly what we needed to survive the night and that was enough. It all unfolded perfectly and we have one heck of a story to tell.

When we would go camping in Canada as kids, in the middle of the woods, I remember saying every morning when I woke up "I lived another day!". That's how this felt. We lived another glorious day! How lucky were we?! I am awestruck, once again at the glory, mercy and protection we receive from God. We are so blessed. And, we are tougher than I could have ever imagined!

Wishing you love, health, happiness and prosperity in the New Year!

Eat Real: Run, Run as Fast as You Can...

You can't catch me - I'm the gingerbread man! That's what my 3 year old says as he runs circles around the house. Trust me, no one is trying to catch him. We just wait for him to wear himself out!

When people find out what I do and that I have a family, they are always a little intrigued. One of the first questions I get is, "What do you do about the kids? Do they eat sweets?" The short answer is yes. The long answer is - I've been teaching them how to learn their own bodies and what refined, processed food does to it. They are motivated to do well on tests and recognize if they eat eggs and blueberries in the morning, they do better than if they ate a bowl of "O's".

However, there is that fine line I walk of teaching them and then allowing them to fall and figure it out for themselves. My oldest one has been winning the Butterfinger bar in band for most time practicing. Two weeks now, he's come home with that joyous piece of poison. Don't kid yourself - it is poison. And for two weeks now, he's eaten half and shared the other half with his brothers. Want to know how I balance it ? They get twice as much broccoli as usual at dinner, plus carrots and any other vegetable I can find!

In the meantime, we make our own gingerbread cookies using all organic ingredients. Sometimes, I can entice them to 'trade up'. Here's our recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Gingerbread Cookies:
8 oz softened unsalted butter
3/4 sugar (whole cane sugar)
1 egg
1/2 cup dark molasses (we use black strap)
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 1/4 cups spelt flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves

Cream butter and sugar, add eggs, molasses, vanilla and mix. Add baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and mix again. Add flour and mix some more. Shape dough into a disk and refrigerate for 2 hours. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch think and cut with cookie cutters. Bake at 350 degree Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes.

Eat Real: Blood Type and Diet

December is already here! What has really struck me is that just five months ago I started teaching health and wellness classes once a month. It is with great satisfaction and humble thanks as I look back on these past five months.

The December class features the blood type diet. This is a wonderful tool to help you understand how unique you really are. Dr. Peter DÁdamo, author of Eat Right For Your Type, shows a chemical reaction between your blood and the foods you eat. The reaction is part of your genetic inheritance. This reaction is caused by a factor called Lectins. Lectins are abundant and diverse proteins found in foods and have agglutinating properties that affect your blood. So when you eat a food containing protein lectins that are incompatible with your blood type antigen, the lectins target an organ or bodily system and begin to agglutinate blood cells in that area.

This diet is based on a process that takes place in our blood called agglutination. Agglutination is “the reaction between antigens and anti bodies in the blood. For instance, agglutation will occur if blood type A is mixed with blood type O. Basically, the blood becomes thick as the antibodies in your body attach to what the body perceives as a foreign invader. This reaction takes place with the immune system. It is designed to keep you safe. The antibodies attach to the foreign substance or antigen. It is critical to match blood types when transfusing blood and doing organ transplants for this very reason. Otherwise, the immune system will reject the blood or the organ.

When your body recognizes an intruder, it produces more antibodies to attack the invader. The antibody then attaches itself to the intruder and a "gluing" effect takes place. In this way the body can better dispose of these foreign invaders. This gluing effect causes what we interpret as inflammation, pain, allergies, etc...

The research is based on the theory that If you eat a food not compatible with your blood type and stomach enzymes, the food is not broken down or digested properly, and the vitamins and minerals are not absorbed into your bloodstream to fuel and nourish your body. The body reacts to the food just as it would any foreign substance. You might experience a stomach ache, gas, bloating, or even worse, vomiting or diarrhea. What happens is that antibodies glue themselves to the foreign invaders (improper food) and agglutination or "gluing" takes place in your blood.

Each class is focuses on an aspect of diet, lifestyle and your body so that participants learn a variety of ways in which to interpret how their unique body works and how their soul communicates through it. There is so much power in learning with a group because we all learn from each other! The first class for 2010 is January 24th in Raleigh. We are discussing Raising Your Vibration through Food. You can learn more about it and register by clicking here.

Looking forward to seeing you there! Until then, enjoy your holiday season. Eat Real... be Real. May the Lord grant you peace, health and happiness! Namaste.

Be Real: How Do You Become?

I've been talking quite a bit lately with my friend and intuitive. You can find out more about her at www.awakeningthedivine.net. What we've been discussing is that we are sharing a journey together - as all of us are... a journey to wholeness. A journey to remembering who we really are - our essence. Why we really are here, our soul's purpose.

She has 5 kids, I have 3. Now, the challenge has been this - how do you juggle life, responsibilities and the whole mom thing, yet walk around everyday carrying this dream of who you actually are? How does the dream come true? Don't get me wrong, the family is a dream, the beautiful life - all of it and I'm grateful for it. However, I know I'm not alone when I say there is this yearning to know, to really KNOW.

So she came up with this idea of giving others 'operating instructions' of how to become. How to become whatever it is that you want! She and I are living the operating instructions and are already becoming. Let me tell you, there is so much freedom in just putting it ALL out there for the world to see and KNOWING that it's all ok. It's more than ok, it's INCREDIBLE. Just be truthful to yourself and the world will respond with love and support.

As soon as you admit what you feel, really feel - you've already taken that first step towards knowing and becoming. It's literally one step at a time, one goal at a time. And always, ALWAYS through God. It's in the complete surrender to Him and His will that we gain everything we've ever wanted in this life. In surrendering to God, we receiving the knowing and All That Is.

My accountant said to me, "Where do you want to be 5 years from now?". Answer that question first and you'll have an idea of what path you want to travel. Be honest with yourself. Dream big. Just put it out there. Now, what is 1 thing you can do today that will move you in that direction? Make a list of what you can do and what you feel you can't. Give the 'can't' list to God. He'll do it for you.

We really are creators of our existence. However, God is running the show. All we have to do is show up. How we choose to show up is another matter. There's this whole 'manifesting' thing. This is what I've figured out - the cleaner and clearer you get about yourself and your limiting ego beliefs, patterns and illusions the faster it goes. As soon as we admit the limitations, we can release them and replace them with the higher thought, the higher vibration. This is where prayer can help. Prayer is another way to set intentions. Then there is meditation - listening to the guidance from the prayer we've just offered up. If we loose sight of where we are going, we just trust we are going. We surrender and trust we are being guided and carried. You all know the 'footsteps in the sand' poem... "There were 2 sets of footprints in the sand and then there was one set. The Lord said, those times you only saw one set of footprints is when I carried you..."

We really are what we think, speak, do and eat. Who we attract and the experiences we attract are in direct response to our vibration. Change your vibration and change your life. It's that simple. That's why the best thing you can do is take care of yourself first. Just like in the airplane, put the oxygen mask on yourself before your kids. It's the same for all of life.

1. eat real food - the kind that grows
2. meditate and/or pray everyday
3. honor your body - take a walk, sleep
4. say something nice to someone - and mean it
5. be honest with yourself
6. trust God

Be true to yourself, be real, just show up - God will do the rest.

Be Real: Making Connections

I've made a few connections lately and it's not just the 'linked in' kind... I've figured out that God lives in me - for real. Finding my truth and what works for me, is what works for God. Placing limits or restrictions on what I ask from God actually limits or restricts me and what I've been taught in my religion is what I've been experiencing outside of my religion.

Are you confused yet? Let me start with the first one - finding my truth and what works for me is what works for God. It's called living in a state of Grace. I ask and I receive from God. We all do. What I've been asking for is confidence, discernment, peace, understanding and to remain in Spirit. In allowing these adjectives into my experience, I've come to see that it's really OK to just be me. To be real. I see the correlations. In order to experience God, I must experience myself and to do that I have to honor who I am and what I know right now but be open to the possibilities that lie before me. By acknowledging who I am and where I am right now, I allow myself to love me just for being me. When I love myself, I love God. By remaining open to what lies before me removes restrictions on what I allow from God. If I don't trust God to deliver, then I don't trust myself and vice-verse. I used to say "I don't know where I'm going, but I'm going where God leads", now I say " I know where I'm going, I'm led by my soul which is God and I remain in Spirit each day and every day. I'm guided by God, the Angels and Saints for the best and highest good. I look forward to how each day unfolds as I experience the Lord". The why, how, who, what and where are revealed to me when requested or as required according to God's will - Thy will be done. It's a constant state of evolution to be as high in vibration as possible. To be as holy as possible.

The second part, of placing restrictions or limits on what I ask from God actually limits Him and me. Asking is best done as thanking. Thank you for this opportunity, thank you for my financial abundance, thank you for our health, thank you for peace... you see where I'm going. Pray from gratitude as if you already have it and you do. In asking we place ourselves in a state of need or attachment, it is best to state the 'now' as you already have it. In doing so along with incorporating gratitude, you actually manifest or allow yourself to experience the greatness of God. It's done without restriction, limits or interference - just open yourself up to what comes. It is always be for the best and highest good and there is always more. Hear this, "There is always more". Limits, lack, restrictions are ego illusions - All things are possible in the eyes of the Lord. Say it again, "All things are possible in the eyes of the Lord."

Here's the last part, about my religion... It's no secret I'm catholic and it's no secret that I had a rudimentary knowledge of my religion. However, I have an intimate knowledge of my faith. I've also allowed beautiful relationships with Spirit filled metaphysical practitioners - energy healers, light workers and intuitives. I've learned so much from all of them. There was a point, though, when I thought I was getting 'off path' so to speak. That is until I went to talk to my priest. Know what he said? He said I was living in a state of Grace. Meditation is part of prayer - it's called listening to God! All the saints heard the Angels - it's called the Communion of Saints. Grace of God is also referred to as channeling or synchronicity among energy workers. It's just different vocabulary!

There's one Saint who's been with me - St. Teresa of Avila. She was a mystic - she saw, heard and felt what I'm seeing, hearing and feeling. She wrote "The "devotion of union" is not only a supernatural but an essentially ecstatic state. Here there is also an absorption of the reason in God, and only the memory and imagination are left to ramble. This state is characterized by a blissful peace, a sweet slumber of at least the higher soul faculties, a conscious rapture in the love of God." It really is ecstasy and rapture - it's like a full body orgasm without the sex - all the time! The more I meditate and pray morning and evening and give myself to God without hesitation, the fuller I am and feel. I see and hear the Angels, the knowing is clear and crisp. They are real! I am so grateful and appreciative of this experience and expect it to continue and improve as God requires. This is the trick - just allow being open to seeing, hearing and feeling without judgment. It is not something to turn on and expect - God's Grace is to be cultivated, appreciated and respected - in doing so it is allowed and when it is allowed that connection is full, wide and powerful.

Just allow and trust God. This is what works for me and it is perfect. What works for you is perfect. And, as is true in anything in life, growth requires change. So, if you want to grow, allowing change is a good place to start. This is the prayer that started my journey: "God, help me be who you want me to be and do what you want me to do." Now, here I am with you in this state of Grace. (Reiki Master class starts for me this weekend - I am bursting at the seems with excitement!)

Eat Real: The Sugar Season

The Sugar Season is upon us... parties, cookie exchanges, treats in the classroom... the indulgence is palpable. We LOVE sugar in all shapes and forms. However, we've come to learn that indulgence in anything leads to imbalance and imbalance leads to illness.

Too much of a good thing is still too much. This year, think about what you really want to indulge in. Is it cookies or fellowship? Can you have one without the other? I think so. It has becomes such an ingrained part of our culture to partake in the sugar indulgence of the season. Talk about peer pressure! It's ok to enjoy company without feeling obliged to eat everything in site.

Another consideration is the quality of the sugar products we eat. Plain, white table sugar is processed and refined to such a point that it contains virtually none of the minerals it had from the original cane. Did you know bleach is also used in the processing? Yup, it is. When the body ingests such highly processed and chemicalized food products, it views them as toxins. Toxins lead to fat. Fat is our body's protective mechanism. The liver processes unknown substances into fat to keep them away from our internal organs to keep us free of disease. What happens though, is that overtime, the liver gets tired and doesn't process it to fat as easily and so some of the toxins slip into the blood stream and get to the organs anyway. That's when we see disease start to manifest.

What are the alternatives you ask? Well, for starters, look at the quality and the quantity of the sugar you are taking in. Natural, organic forms of sugar include honey, maple syrup, molasses, agave nectar and whole cane sugar. Now, consider how much you are taking in. Sugar comes in many processed foods, even cold cuts from the deli.

At this time of the year, many of us end up on a sugar high and then crash when it's all said and done. Then illness can set in. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, this is the time of the year to withdraw and restore. The animals do it, but we don't. We've been programmed to push ourselves and be part of 'the happiest time of the year'. Every time is the happiest time!

Pace yourself, allow your body to rest, give it the fuel it needs to carry your soul and fulfill your purpose. Love yourself enough to say, "No thank you" to the cakes, cookies and more... Love your host and hostess enough to bring everyone together to share joy and happiness. Take a bath, watch some football, relax and enjoy the family. There's always more, there's enough to go around. This is an abundant Universe created by God. Lack is an illusion. There is only abundance - ha, there can even be abundance of lack!