Living Your Potential

Adieu for now

2010-07-10T11:26:00.005-04:00

Photo courtesy of Babs Young Photography

Dear Blogging Friends,

After much consideration I am going to be closing this blog indefinitely. As many of you know I publish a newsletter in 3-5 parts monthy. I have a color meditation radio show and a talk show on radio. Not to mention my wonderful clients and other work related activities.

So, it is with some regret that I bid you all adieu at least from this venue. I am putting more focus onto these other activities so as not to spread myself too thin, (although being thin would be so great! However, only if it extends to the physical body which it doesn’t: it just stresses me out!)

Here are some ways to stay in touch if you are interested:

Sign up to receive my newsletter. There are 3 parts that arrive sporadically throughout the month: feng shui, color, and spirit.

Listen to or download my radio talk shows.

Listen to or download my color meditations:

Email me. Most of you have my email already.

Stay in touch through facebook.

Find tons of information, including archived newsletters, on my website

I want to thank all of you who have become my blogging friends. You have been wonderful to “talk” with and share thoughts with. I will not forget you.

Many blessings to you as you journey through life. It is a challenging journey, but one that brings so many rewards.

"You are always a valuable, worthwhile human being, not because anybody says so, not because you're successful, not because you make a lot of money, but because you decide to believe it and for no other reason."

Wayne Dyer

With love always,

Diantha

Memorial Day 2010

2010-05-29T11:45:00.003-04:00

For my readers in the USA, please take the time to thank anyone you know who is serving or has served our country in the military. Without their dedication and sacrifices, we would not be blogging, writing, or speaking our truth. A big thank you from me, to all veterans and current military service people. God bless you all.

Time for another Hiatus

2010-04-25T22:49:00.002-04:00

Dear friends in the blogosphere,

It is time to again travel to stay with our son and daughter-in-law as our 6 year old grandson has another surgery. I'm so sorry I have been so out of touch for the last few months but family has had to come first. I will be out of touch for several weeks but while I am gone, I will be thinking of you all fondly, and remembering how supportive and kind you all are.

If you feel so inclined, please send prayers for his highest good to be served. This little guy is a trooper and has been through so much. Prayers are welcome for his brother, Mom and Dad too. I'll be back in touch soon.

Until then, God speed.

Blessings,
Diantha

Food, Inc.

2010-04-16T22:25:00.002-04:00

My husband and I just watched this film. It is quite enlightening, disgusting, and powerful. Try to see it if you can.

Signs of Spring

2010-04-13T09:05:00.005-04:00

photos by Babs Young

I have a wonderful neighbor and friend who is an amazing photographer. Just wanted to share some signs of spring from her work. I'll post some of mine too later this week....Enjoy!

Getting Into Alignment

2010-04-04T20:02:00.002-04:00

The emotion you feel is always about the vibrational variance between where you want to be and where you are. If you're out of balance, there are only two ways to bring yourself into alignment: Either raise your expectation to match your desire—or lower your desire to match your expectation.

--- Abraham

Excerpted from the workshop in San Francisco, CA on Saturday, July 24th, 2004 #398

My Wish For You

2010-03-28T19:38:00.000-04:00

If One Person Can Do This, What Can We Do Together?

2010-03-21T17:55:00.001-04:00

Gone Fishin'

2010-03-05T09:12:00.004-05:00

My Dad was a fisherman. I married one. I gave birth to three of them. So this analogy, Gone Fishin', of taking a break is a natural one for me! Yes, I am going to take a break for a bit. If you are a regular follower you will know our grandson has been quite ill and it's not over yet. While this is going on, I will be on call so for now, I'd like to simplify my life and take one more thing off the "to do" list.

I will try to visit your blogs as I can as I don't want to loose touch. But like my blogging friend Peggy has said, sometimes we just have to step back. This is one of them.

In the meantime, I do publish a free online newsletter that you can sign up for, or it is also archived on my website: lifepotentials.net. AND I have two radio shows on blogtalk radio, the second and fourth Thursdays of the month at 7pm EST. They are always downloadable after airing.

Like MacArthur, I WILL return! Meanwhile enjoy life, laugh, give of your talents, and gather wisdom.

Blessings to all.......

Tea for Two

2010-02-23T16:41:00.002-05:00

Here is another photo to inspire your writing creativity. What short story would you write to go along with this photo? Have fun!

Drinks for everyone

2010-02-21T20:26:00.002-05:00

Just for fun....a drink for us, and one for the doggies. Life is good.

The Story of G

2010-02-16T09:50:00.002-05:00

“Faith means living with uncertainty - feeling your way through life, letting your heart guide you like a lantern in the dark”

Dan Millman

We never know what is ahead in life no matter how meticulous our plans are. And there are so many variables we can’t control. We can’t even control our own future, rather just have a goal and do our best to achieve it.

This was underlined, underscored and highlighted again and again as we moved through this latest health crisis with our grandson, G. Three weeks ago he became ill with flu like symptoms. Before two days passed he was in the emergency room. Within a few hours he had been transferred by ambulance to Comer Children’s Hospital at the U of Chicago hospital system. A few hours after that he had emergency surgery.

Whew….we all breathed a sigh of relief, crisis handled and over.

But no, wait. Fate had more in store. G. made some valiant efforts at getting better. They had removed all the tubes and he was beginning to eat again. But he had no appetite, and his color was not improving. In fact he was turning a horrid shade of gray.

A long, scary weekend passed as we waited for the surgeon to return from a conference. Oh there were docs looking in on him but no one seemed in charge and assured us that this was normal, that this kind of bowel surgery required time to heal.

However, once the surgeon returned he took one look at G. and rushed him back into surgery. This second surgery resulted in an ileostomy which will ultimately require a third surgery to reverse it and “put all the pieces together again”. This tiny body, 6 years old, now reduced to bones with flesh over them.

Oh I know, kids are so resilient and they heal so much faster than we adults do. But this little one is still struggling. He is, 3 weeks later, still hospitalized, fighting off yet another infection, this one from his pic line. We hope anyway. That would be the best scenario.

So back to best laid plans. After the first surgery my daughter in law was calling babysitters so she could attend some yoga classes that next week. We grandmothers were planning our return flights. G’s father was planning his workweek. G’s brother was planning an outing with his brother and some friends.

And then came the initial turn around. And the canceling of all those plans. G. is teaching us that plans can be made but they must be flexible. We don’t always get what we want and plan for. It is an emotional roller coaster to ride but it is life. It happens in smaller ways every day: we plan a route to work only to find the road is torn up and we must take a detour. We plan to have friends over for dinner and it snows too hard for them to come. We plan to run a marathon and then we get injured during training and it doesn’t happen. It is all just life.

The challenge is, then, how do we handle these challenges? What stuff are we made of? How flexible can we be in the face of what life throws at us?

I am older than most of you and have had my share of challenges. What each of them have taught me is a new tool, a new way of learning how to negotiate these detours in life. I feel fortunate to have the tools I do have. I used color extensively in the form of color breathing, my color sprays, and visualization. I used flower essences and healing creams. I used faith and prayer. I used love and encouragement. I used acceptance and patience. I used all the tools I could think of to get through this myself so that I could be totally present for this family. Most of all, I used my network of wonderful friends to help us through with their prayer and support. Thank you, all of you, for those prayers. They have made all the difference and I could feel your loving hearts reaching out to me in the darkest moments. Thank you so much for being there. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

We do not know the end of this story yet. G. remains in the hospital still, and will be there about a month, best scenario. This is a challenge to the whole family in more ways than one. But one thing I know for sure: prayer helps. You help. And I know that however this unfolds, it is for the highest and best good of all.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T13:18:00.001-05:00

Ti Amo Sempre: I love you forever

“The minute I heard my first love story I started looking for you, not knowing how blind that was. Lovers don't finally meet somewhere. They're in each other all along.” Rumi

Happy Valentines Day!

Prayers Requested

2010-01-31T11:18:00.002-05:00

To all of my blogging friends,
You know, you never know what life has in store, and as luck would have it, this is the week I have a ticket to fly to Chicago to babysit for our grandsons while our daughter in law takes our son to Utah to ski for his 40th birthday. Unfortunately, fate had another plan.

Yesterday our youngest grandson went in for emergency surgery at the U. of Chicago Childrens' Hospital. He is doing ok so far but I am still going to fly up there to help out. Our son and wife are totally spent, emotionally and physically as his illness has gone on for enough days that they have had no sleep and are totally sleep deprived. Her mom arrived last night and is taking the first shift, I will come in and take the second one.

All in all I wanted to inform you as I will be absent from the scene here for at least a week and will no doubt not be commenting on your blogs as well. As soon as life returns to normal (is there such a thing?), I hope to be better at commenting and visiting.

Meanwhile, if you feel so inclined, please say a little prayer for our grandson, his parents and brother and the entire medical team who has done a superb job of healing this little body.

Blessings and thanks to all......

Sunday's Tidbit: Relationships

2010-01-31T08:54:00.002-05:00

You don't have to worry about what their vibration is if your vibration is one of connection. Because if your vibration is one of connection -- you're going to dominate the vibration. This is the way you learn your relationships. The thing that most people do not understand, is that you get to control the way you feel, because you get to choose the thoughts you think. Most people think that they only have the option of responding to the circumstances that surround them. And that's what makes them attempt the impossible, which is to control the circumstances around them, which only feeds their feeling of frustration and vulnerability, because it doesn't take very much life experience to discover you can't control all of those circumstances. But you can control your vibration. And when you control your vibration, you've controlled everything that has anything to do with you.

--- Abraham

Excerpted from the workshop in El Paso, TX on Thursday, March 28th, 2002 #266

Totally Useless Information

2010-01-28T09:49:00.006-05:00

photo courtesy of: www.freshwap.net/forums/ e-books-tutorials/311...

I often try in this blog to give you interesting, usable information but decided today to bring in some fresh breezes and light air! Probably because I woke up in the middle of the night laughing. Oh yes, I do that. Drives my husband crazy.

Anyway, I have two tidbits of useless information that I thought were fun. I found these little known facts in a great magazine called The Week. I love that magazine because it is short, it provides several views of the same opinion piece, it gives an overview of world news, US news, art and book news, QUOTES (for you quote lovers out there!) etc. etc. etc. I love it.

So here are the two facts I found in it this last week that I thought you might enjoy:
1. Feng Shui related: Our ancient ancestors, Homoheidelbergensis lived 800,000 years ago in Israel. Archaeologists have unearthed evidence that they, like us, divided up their living space into functional areas. Instead of houses, they lived in caves, but they had separate areas for cooking, sleeping, tool making, hearth and community. Being able to organize life this well tells scientists that our "primitive hominid ancestors" lived at a level of sophistication once thought to be exclusive to Homo Sapiens species of 40,000 years ago. Pretty cool, eh!

2. Color fact: At New Year's in Mexico it is traditional for the women to buy colored panties to symbolize what they want to bring in for themselves for the year. The traditional choice has been red which is said to assist the wearer in finding love for the New Year. THIS year, the choice was yellow, which represents a new desire for the women: yellow is for gold/money, and tells researchers (underwear research? Hmmmm.) that the economy is now their prime concern. And Mexico's economy is the hardest hit of all Latin America. Now we'll see it this novel approach works. I've always said "never underestimate the power of color"! Can't hurt can it!

So go out and wow all your friends with this wealth of TUI (Totally Useless Info). And have fun!

Sunday's Tidbit

2010-01-24T11:48:00.002-05:00

photo courtesy www.carlosweb.net

"What we think determines what happens to us, so if we want to change our lives, we need to stretch our minds."

Wayne Dyer

Have a great day!

Don't Worry, Be Happy!

2010-01-20T10:04:00.007-05:00

Everything that I think that I need to do is all only in order to propel me to some place that when I get there, I think I will be happier. So, everything that I am doing, no matter what it is, all of my lists of rights and wrongs... are all about me getting to a manifestation that I believe I will then be happier... So, why don't I take a short cut and just go get happy?

--- Abraham

Excerpted from the workshop in Washington, DC on Saturday, May 1st, 2004 #325 (Esther and Jerry Hicks)

I love these excerpts from Abraham. They are all so simple and direct and to me are like those moments in the V-8 commercials, those "duh" moments I call them. As another Abraham (Abraham Lincoln) said,
"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."

Of course, this doesn't help much when one is in the depths of depression. Enter suZen's wonderful video post for this week. This video is a great description for what ails us when we are depressed over our own situation, whatever it may be. Please do yourself a favor and watch this video.

And then, if you still have questions over how to overcome depression and unhappiness, take a look at some of these quotes for inspiration. You know how I love quotes!:

What a wonderful life I've had! I only wish I'd realized it sooner. ~Colette 

 There are two things to aim at in life: first, to get what you want; and after that, to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind achieve the second. ~Logan Pearsall Smith, Afterthoughts, 1931 

  Most people would rather be certain they're miserable, than risk being happy. ~Robert Anthony

The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up. ~Mark Twain  

 If only we'd stop trying to be happy we could have a pretty good time. ~Edith Wharton 

Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne   

Forgiveness....again!

2010-01-13T13:32:00.002-05:00

image courtesy www.wikihow.com

“Always forgive your enemies - nothing annoys them so much.” Oscar Wilde

“When a deep injury is done us, we never recover until we forgive” Alan Paton

This morning I had a wonderful phone conversation with a friend I have

known since we were 14. That is nearly 50 years. In a few months it will be. That’s a long time to have a friend. She and I both went to a school for girls for high school where we met. She and I both were goody two shoes in our previous schools, honor role students, (she is truly smart, I just worked hard), and she was also a good athlete, while I was, again, a hard worker, but without many results in this field!

She and I both also came out of this experience very damaged. It took us both a long time to realize that those 4 years were not meant to destroy us but to release us into our true selves. And today we talked about how we are both-FINALLY-ready to release our hatred for the headmistress, the teachers, the people who made our lives so miserable for those long 4 years.

The details are not relevant. Suffice it to say we both turned away from our goody two shoes personalities and became “bad girls” from the standpoint that we took to smoking and drinking to prove they couldn’t destroy us. Little did we realize at the time that we were only hurting ourselves. Ditto carrying a grudge for all these long years. Most of those “wicked people” are long gone and who is hurt by carrying grudges other than the carrier of those grudges? They become a heavy burden that slows down our progress and since both she and I are soul seekers, having that burden shadowing our every move has been yet another challenge.

Coincidentally, just before Christmas I received a plea for money from the school. That has happened at least once a year since the day we graduated, 46 years ago this June. It just so happens, though, that this year instead of throwing the appeal into the recycling bin unopened, I chose to open it, read it, and respond by writing a check. This sounds like a small thing, and indeed in some sense it was. The check was for a small amount, but it has been a HUGE step in my development. It wasn’t until I talked to my friend this morning that I realized what this step meant.

It meant that I was finally able to put this all behind me. It meant that I finally realized that this adversity was only a way to teach me lessons, ones I learned layers of over and over and over through my life. (I am after all a very slow learner!!!! Remedial life lessons I call it!) It meant I finally forgave the “offenders” who were really OK people after all is said and done. It was my attitude that demonized them. It meant that I could, after too many years, move on.

I truly believe in the power of educating women worldwide. Looking at the school which is so different from the one I attended, I made a conscious decision in December to support that belief by donating a few dollars to their mission of educating women. They are truly doing some amazing work with women. So why not support it?

It’s a small step in the whole scheme of things. But a big one for me. To forgive is sometimes the best hardest thing to do. To let go of those horrid memories and release them to the balm of forgiveness has done more for my soul than I can say.

I hope you can move ahead much more quickly than I did. To be honest, I have put so much focus on healing other issues this was kind of on the back burner for many years…..but believe me it never stopping simmering there!

What is on your soul’s mind that needs releasing? What is your plan to do so?

“When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free.”

Catherine Ponder

Here are a few more quotes I found on forgiveness that I thought you might enjoy:

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.”

Lewis Smedes

“You will know that forgiveness has begun when you recall those who hurt you and feel the power to wish them well.” Lewis Smedes

Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” Mark Twain

“To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness.”

Robert Muller

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

Mahatma Gandhi

Colors of Winter

2010-01-09T09:57:00.005-05:00

photo from dsh archives

Each season of the year is associated with different colors either through systems like feng shui or through our personal associations. Feng shui winter colors are blue or black. For me personally I associate winter with white, red, black, gray and muted greens.

My own winter color palette has white as the main color. You can tell I live in the far north where it starts to snow November 1 and stops about May 1. Between these two dates the ground is generally covered in a blanket of white snow that sparkles in the sun, blows up into your face, and softens all sounds. White is associated with purity, with a clean slate, and new beginnings. It is light, airy, untouched, virginal. Looking out on a new snowfall you see possibilities and so it is with the color white.

Black is probably the color I next associate with winter. The crisp black outline of trees is so clearly visible when placed against this white backdrop. There is a play of light and dark, of light and shadow, of illumination and secrecy, of yang and yin. White is revealing while black can hide. Black is that yummy darkness in which seeds rest and absorb nourishment for new growth in the spring. Like white, it can represent new possibilities: those things that are hidden and getting ready to be revealed!

One sees little pieces of red in the form of cardinals and fruits like crab apples that remain on the trees for much of the winter, or at least until the birds have picked them all off. The red with the white and black is striking. It is new energy, hope, and just that counter point that we need in the winter to bring us a feeling of warmth and wellbeing.

Gray, too often the color of our skies up here, is another color that hides or keeps things behind a fog so that we cannot clearly see. So much of winter is like that. We know intellectually that seeds are in the ground and they will sprout in the spring with vigor and force but we can’t see them. We know that the snow will eventually melt and give way to spring but we can’t see that happening. We know that the hibernating animals will come out again in the spring, that the grass will become green again, that the ice will melt….these are all the promises of spring that are hidden from us in the winter.

The muted greens we have are the colors from our evergreens: yews, pines, firs, cedars, holly….but the vibrancy of the green which comes with spring is toned down in the winter, as if even it is taking a break, a rest if you will, waiting for that surge of growth to come in the spring.

And the blue that is found in feng shui for the winter is more of an icy blue, the color our lake becomes when it freezes over, its turquoise waters turned solid with white cracks and a dusting of snow on top. It always reminds me of those icy blue drinks sold at convenience stores!

All the winter colors are so beautiful and quiet. The riot of color that comes in the spring and summer is loud and noisy and like a fiesta. But this, these winter colors, is all about resting, pulling back in to re-gather our strength and ideas. It is about trusting in the future and the promise of spring. It is about going within in order to emerge with a burst in the spring with new ideas, new energy, new ways of being.

Let the colors of each season help you with the rhythm of the nature, the going in and the coming out, the resting and the doing. And enjoy the winter spectrum!

Achieving Goals

2010-01-01T12:21:00.003-05:00

Complaining about anything, holds you in the place of refusing to receive the things you've been asking for. Justifying about anything holds you in the place of refusing to let in the very things that you've been asking for. Blaming someone, holds you in the place of refusing to let in the things that you've been asking for. Feeling guilty, feeling angry, it doesn't matter what you call it, it is a refusal, not a conscious one. You're asking; you can't help but ask. The Universe is yielding; it must yield. It's a big question, folks: why aren't you letting it in?

--- Abraham

Excerpted from the workshop in Los Angeles, CA on Saturday, March 10th, 2001 #306

The preceding quote from Abraham states clearly how we hold ourselves back from achieving those things that we seek. My wish for all of us is that we each find our way through whatever blocks us from moving forward. Happy New Year to all. May love prevail…..

Saint Snow

2009-12-27T15:02:00.004-05:00

I saw this a few years ago in a Church garden....I imagine it is St. Francis since he was in a garden but then again, he could be someone else! At any rate, I found the snow had fallen to garb him in cape and hat and found him quite appealing! I hope you enjoy the photo!

We are still traveling and will be for another week. I will not be able to post again until we land somewhere fairly permanent so while I have the opportunity I am just popping in to say Happy New Year and I'll be in touch. I'm sorry I can't read all your posts or comment right now but I do so enjoy doing that and will be back again soon. Thank you all for being in my life!

Happy New Year to you all! May 2010 bring you your heart's desires!

Blessings and love,
diantha

The Secret Garden

2009-12-18T14:56:00.003-05:00

image courtesy of wikimedia.com

A classic children’s story and film, The Secret Garden is a wonderful story for young and old alike. My sister read this book with me when I was growing up and we delighted in the mystery, the suspense, the tale of friendship, healing and redemption. One Sunday recently TCM showed it on TV and I re-watched the film that was made before I was born…which is a long time ago!

And what came out of it was seeing again how faith, attitude, and love can change what is into what can be. For those of you who don’t know this charming story, it is about a walled garden in England that has been locked up for 10 years, since the owner’s wife was killed in the garden by a falling tree branch. Their child, now 10, lays crippled in a bed, never going outside, and growing up lonely. The owner’s niece, who has grown up in the Crown Colony of India, comes to live with her uncle and discovers little Colin hidden away in his bedroom, fully believing he will die as a child.

I won’t give away the rest but the healing powers of nature come into play, as well as the faith, love and friendship that arise between the children. What I walked away with this time was a fervent desire to encourage each of you to read this charming story, many of you for the first time. Or rent this sappy old movie, which I adore. It is pretty simple given all the special effects we are used to, but I for one am continually drawn to these simple old movies where the story often comes out right in the end and there is a clear moral teaching in it.

Maybe this is my reaction to the craziness and uncertainty and unwanted changes that are occurring in this world. A return to something simple, clear, and morally right feels good. Still, it is a lesson worth remembering about how powerful nature is in the healing process, how a clear vision and faith in that vision can make a difference, and how having a strong friendship and support system can change a life.

Help for the Holidays

2009-12-09T15:46:00.001-05:00

Often in my line of work I am asked, “Can you give me some simple ways to cope with the stress of the Holidays?” So in the interest of giving some helpful hints to my clients,

I have created a brief list of things anyone can do to smooth out the Holiday stressors!

Breathe. Take 5 minutes each day to breath consciously. If you want to include prayer or mediation during this time all the better, but do remember to take long, slow deep breaths.
Change. Remember that traditions are “someone’s way of denying that things change”. I am quoting a client here but her message is a good one. For myself, I used to insist on making dozens of cookies, and 5 gingerbread houses besides decorating to the nines, sending homemade cards, having our entire family for Christmas. Finally, after ending up in tears after every Christmas I heard my husband say for the umpteenth time, “Why are you doing all this?” And I realized no one cared except me. When I let go of MY expectations, I moved into really enjoying being in the moment and being with my wonderful family. THEY didn’t make those demands of me, I did. And guess what? NO ONE, not even I, miss those once held sacred demands! So check into your own traditions and see if there are some you can let go, to free you up to enjoy things more.
Simplify your gift giving. If you don’t like to shop, use catalogs or, if you have one, the computer. It saves hundreds of steps and many hours. Better yet, make donations to charities for gifts when and where appropriate.
Food and Exercise. Remember to eat nutriciously and to continue with your exercise program. Nothing zaps our energy and spirits more than endless overindulging and giving up on exercise.
Rest. Take a nap when you can. I find that even a 10-minute time out with my feet up can revive me for hours.
Simplify your meals and support your local talent. There are some great options right in town for precooked yummy and nutritious take out meals. Preorder some of your Holiday meals from places like these or some side dishes for your big entertaining needs to help lighten your load.
Smile. I’ve noticed that even when I am feeling the most rushed, harried or stressed that my day improves considerably by being kind and friendly to everyone I meet. And you’ll spread goodwill along the way, passing it on to others, who will pass it along to others and so on, and so on!
Stay hydrated. Take a bottle of water with you in your car as you run errands and when you are busy cooking at home, remember to keep a big glass of water going as you sip your way through the day.
Give. It is a proven fact that one of the best ways to get out of our own problems and troubles is to volunteer our time, talents and/or money to those less fortunate. There are hundreds of places and people who need what you have to give. What better time than now to start.

Bobbing Corks

2009-12-03T21:55:00.004-05:00

photo courtesy of http://reverendmommy.blogspot.com/2008_08_01_archive.html

"You cannot really disconnect yourself from the passionate, desirous being that you are. It was with enormous clarity that you came forth into this body, and that's why when you try to hold your desire down, it keeps coming up...Your cork will always float unless you are holding it down."

--- Abraham

Excerpted from the workshop in Silver Spring, MD on Saturday, April 19th, 1997 #275

Our Love,

Jerry and Esther

This is an excerpt from a transmission from Abraham who is the entity that speaks through Esther Hicks. Abraham says so many wise and supportive things that help us sort out some of our thoughts, worries, and concerns. At the suggestion of one of my client friends, I have subscribed to their daily quotes. This one appeared recently and I love how simply this truth is expressed.

I decided to highlight this quote because this week I have seen so many clients who are struggling with this issue. They WANT to change, they WANT to seize their dream, but they are not doing so. Because of fear? Lack of self-esteem? Lack of support, direction or clarity? Yes, yes, and yes.

But today I saw a client with whom I have worked for several years. A few years ago she slowly began to let go of those things that held her back. She slowly began to lay aside the voice within that told her she was not worthy. She slowly released relationships that did not serve her. Today when she walked in, she was radiant. RADIANT! This from a woman who less than three years ago was ready to just sit down and give up.

What made the difference in this one woman? She persevered in spite of her fears and doubts. She held onto her vision of what life could be. And what happened for her is that life became more than she had dared imagine! Make no mistake: she has had challenges aplenty: financial, marital, employment, familial….it goes on and on. But one thing that kept her going was her spirit, that cork that Abraham mentions above in the quote.

Keeping that connection with our spirit, that “passionate, desirous being” that Abraham talks about, is what is so important. If we loose that, we loose our liveliness, our radiance. We become dull, lifeless, without passion.

If you or someone you know has lost that connection, it is important to find it again. Without it life becomes joyless. And God does not want that for us. Sometimes small steps are what is needed to begin.

Begin by holding a vision for what a full life would look like to you. Then take action. Continue to take small steps towards that vision. When doubts arise, thank them for coming and ask them to go, for you no longer have time for them. When challenges arise, strengthen your vision, hold onto it tightly and do not let it go in the face of problems.

At some point, you will find you are having more good days than bad. You will find you have made progress and you are moving closer towards your goal. Just keep going. Keep going! As long as you are following your dream, you will be supported by the Universe. It takes courage, vision, steadfastness, determination, and will to reach your dream. But then, like my client today, you will radiate life and light from the core of your being.

It can be done. Start today. Let your cork bob to the top!

Healing with Stained Glass

2009-11-27T13:14:00.004-05:00

image courtesy Chartres Cathedral, Chartres, France

"Mere colour, unspoiled by meaning, and unallied with definite form, can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways."

~ Oscar Wilde

When my husband and I were raising our children, the church we attended was blessed with several Louis Comfort Tiffany windows. Every Sunday we enjoyed their beauty and color along with the music and inspirational words we heard. It was always a wonderful experience for me.

And it seems that wonder and inspiration is shared by many. On my blog a reader mentioned the stained glass and music at her church in Dunedin, New Zealand: "One of the things I really love is the mix of gorgeous, soul-stirring music and the beauty of the light shining through the stained glass windows of the Cathedral."

It is no accident that our churches developed a tradition of combining stained glass with music. Color has been used for healing for centuries. Before Christ, the cultures of Egypt and Greece were known for their temples of healing, which had "stained glass windows" of each color. People would have a consultation and be placed in the room or rooms with the color that related to their issue(s). For example, if someone had depleted energy they would no doubt have been placed in the room with red windows, and if they had heart problems the destination would likely have been the room with green windows.

As the Church in Rome extended its power, healing temples were abandoned, viewed as paganistic. But the tradition of colored glass in sacred places continued. Cathedrals incorporated stained glass windows, and later, churches used scenes made from stained glass to teach Bible stories to the illiterate and the poor.

Music may also have been employed in ancient Egyptian and Grecian healing temples. Perhaps there were stringed instruments, which speak to the heart and were found in profusion in Egypt and Greece. Perhaps, too, brass horns, or flutes, whose resonance is carried directly to our cells to move and change them for the better.

As ancient cultures recognized the power of music and sound and color to touch our bodies and souls in healing temples, so do we now, when we sense the healing energy of sunlight through stained glass.

I wish you the peace and the power and the healing of color and beautiful sound resonating in your body and life.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T10:42:00.002-05:00

photo courtesy of Norman Rockwell archives

On this national day of gratitude, I give thanks for many things...one of them is you. Many blessings to you and your loved ones today and always.

Milkweed

2009-11-18T15:39:00.002-05:00

photo courtesy of Babs Young, Eastport, Michigan

I have a friend who is an amazing photographer. She took this photo of the beautiful and mysterious milkweed plant and I wanted to share it with you. These wondrous plants grow in abundance where I live and I see them every day as I take my walk. I see them as they sprout up in the spring and grow and produce green pods that look full of life but then they just sit there for the longest time. Then, after the fall is well on its way, the pods dry out, turn brown and then BURST open releasing hundreds of seeds propelled on the wind by their little plumes of fluff. Like dandelions, the fluff gets scattered far and wide allowing the seeds to land all over the meadows and fields to begin a new life as they burrow into the ground, hibernating through the winter waiting for the warm wet weather of spring or summer so they can grow again.

But when they seem to be "just sitting there", they are providing lots of food for insects like bees and butterflies. In fact, the Monarch butterfly lays its eggs on this plant, the caterpillar makes his chrysalis on this plant, and the butterfly is born on this plant! Its Latin genus is named after the Greek god of healing, Aesclepius and indeed many folk cures are made from it.

It really is such a wonderful plant and is a great one to meditate on. How is this plant like we are? What has to crack open in us to release our seeds of new growth? Can we be as patient as this marvel of the plant kingdom waiting to mature and burst forth with our ideas, creativity, gifts? Where are you as it relates to the cycle of the milkweed?

Home Again

2009-11-13T16:29:00.002-05:00

Finally home after a long time away. It is always so good to come back home. When I was younger I could hardly wait to travel, but now that I have the time to do so, I don't have the desire! Why is life so backwards? When we needed the space in our home for three growing boys and assorted animals, we couldn't afford to have a big home. When we could finally afford a bigger house, it was time to downsize. When I was young and thin I couldn't afford to buy clothes. By the time I could afford to get some new things, it wasn't fun to shop for old lady clothes. It is one of those paradoxes of life I guess!

Anyway, here we are, home again and settling back into our routine. If you could go anywhere, where would it be? For me, it would be here, at home, but it wasn't always the case. I had dreams of going many places and I did get to go to many, many places all over the world. So tell me your dreams...where would you go? Or what would you like to do? I love to hear about your lives....I love the sharing. So share away!

Woodsy Path

2009-11-01T18:10:00.004-05:00

Story time again! This time the photo is this beautiful path through the woods....but WAIT! What is on the other side? And where did the road come from? Ah, it is YOUR TURN to write a tale about this road...is the road well traveled or the road less traveled .... or WHAT!

Something to do while I am leading the Feng Shui Institute International conference this week in Marco Island Florida. I'll be back online mid November! Everyone who writes a story will be entered into a drawing for a deck of Simply Color cards! Take a peek at them at http://www.lifepotentials.net/color/colorcards.php

Ta-Ta and have fun writing!

The Colors of Fall

2009-10-28T19:49:00.004-04:00

I am always inspired by the colors that are predominant in each season of the year. I imagine the angels of color intend for that to be the case!

What are the colors of fall? Well, where I live here are the predominant colors:

Red, Gold, Orange, Yellow, Green, Tan/Wheat/Brown, Purple/Magenta/Deep Crimson.

This year all the colors are quite muted due to all the rain we have had here. Some years the fall colors are totally brilliant, but this year they are more muted and so beautiful in that understated way true beauty is.

So what do these colors want to tell us? Their main messages follow:

Red: Tells us that energy from the earth is available to us any time we wish. That red is energy and passion and courage. That it is luscious life force.

Gold: Tells us that we have a treasure within the core of us. It tells us that we have a deep knowing within that we can trust. It tells us that we are worth something and we are valuable.

Orange: Tells us that bliss is available for all of us. It tells us that our boundaries need to be in place for a truly successful relationship. It brings us creativity and joy.

Yellow: Tells us happiness is at hand. It helps with finding clarity and focus in any situation. It helps us assimilate knowledge and experiences.

Green: Tells us that nature is one of our best allies. That our heart center is the center from which we should be living. That our path can be clear to us if we have faith and trust.

Tan/Wheat/Brown: Tells us that friendship is important. It helps us connect to the earth and helps us stabilize. It can help us feel safe.

Purple/Magenta/Deep Crimson: They tell us that the Spirit is all around us. They bring us closer to a spiritual reality in our daily lives. They activate the higher mind consciousness and connect us to our spiritual centers.

I give thanks to the Creator for all the fabulous colors in our lives. And I love that fall brings us such a vibrant color palette to enjoy! Which colors in this palette resonate for you?

For more about color please see my website www.lifepotentials.net or my book, Simply Color, available on my website and on Amazon.com.

Divine Dominos

2009-10-21T16:58:00.006-04:00

I've been reading a wonderful book for all you animal lovers out there: The Language of Miracles by Amelia Kinkade. She is a writer who can impart profound knowledge about communicating with animals in a very interesting and often funny way!

Anyway, I came upon this passage and I thought it juicy enough to quote. Enjoy!

"Still, Dr. (Edgar) Mitchell's argument is thought provoking: When humans and animals get caught up in the karma and energy of each other's fields, they form what is called a 'quantum entanglement'. A term of similar meaning in psychology is 'family constellation'. I like this image: you have your own personal solar system, meaning that you, your human loved ones, and your animals revolve around each other and affect each other with thoughts and actions. There's a certain sense of gravity and magnetism that holds your behavioral patterns in place. When one person or animal in the system heals or changes his behavior, it alters the dynamics of the entire constellation. (italics mine) That's why the idea of healing yourself is so important. If your spiritual and emotional growth can impact everyone on your pathway, eventually we can heal the world, one by one, by initiating a cascading catalyst like divine dominos tumbling all over the world. 'Love, love, love, love, love...' Wouldn't that be nice?" page 84

Imagine if in our quest to heal ourselves we could spread this healing to our loved ones, and out even further. I know this to be true because I've experienced it. So hang in there with your own path of healing. It makes a difference not only to you, but to all of us around you!

An Evening Walk

2009-10-18T11:23:00.009-04:00

I went for a lovely stroll last night just as the sun was about to set. I took these photos with my cell phone so they aren't the greatest but I am hoping you will enjoy them anyway. Sunday blessings to all.....

Landlocked Salmon...they are about 24"

Tree Fungus

Yellow Maple

Leaves on the street

A Money Plant

Detach from the Outcome

2009-10-11T20:51:00.002-04:00

photo from the book, Simply Color

As feng shui practitioners we work to bring in desired changes in our clients’ lives. Most people are looking for help with relationships, money issues, career paths, or health. Other issues do come up of course but those seem to be the ones that become the main issues in people’s lives.

However, change, no matter how much it is desired, sometimes comes in a package we do not like. I know of a woman who had a feng shui consultation and after the changes were made, her boyfriend broke up with her. She was devastated until she met the love of her life a few weeks later and realized her first boyfriend was lacking several qualities she was seeking.

Then there was the client who had been married several years and asked for help with the stagnant relationship. She was not happy when several weeks after she implemented recommended changes, her husband moved out. However, they both decided to work on the relationship and sooner than later, he moved back in and they had a second wedding!

Or how about the woman who owned a failing restaurant and came to her feng shui pratitioner asking for help? When her restaurant failed soon thereafter for good, she was furious. But what happened is that loosing her restaurant freed her up to move on to what she REALLY wanted to do: sing opera. And that is what happened.

There are countless tales of people who are seeking change and yet when it comes they do not trust what they get. The package is not what they think they want. They get angry. They may be hurt, or disappointed and certainly dismayed. And quite often they may lash out at the feng shui practitioner.

The point is, when change comes, it is hard sometimes not to question the result. The Tao or the Buddha or the Dali Llama would teach us that we are to detach from the outcome and enlarge our thinking to include the possibility that getting what we DON’T want might be the gift. As in the example above, the woman lost her boyfriend but found the love of her life. The restauranteur lost her restaurant but literally found her voice. The couple lost each other only to return to love together in a whole new form.

Change. It is constant. Sometimes we get what we want, sometimes we don’t. Can you think of a time in your life when what you didn’t get what you wanted turned into a blessing?

Amazing Dog Videos

2009-10-06T21:14:00.005-04:00

A friend forwarded these to me tonight and they are so amazing I had to share them with you.

www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1205976343915#/profile.php?id=600911129&ref=profile

Being Present

2009-10-05T19:49:00.004-04:00

Along the lines of the last post on detours, I read this chapter from the Tao Te Ching today and found it relevant. Hope you do too.

Verse 15
The ancient Masters were profound and subtle.
Their wisdom was unfathomable.
There is no way to describe it;
all we can describe is their appearance.

They were careful
as someone crossing and iced-over stream.
Alert as a warrior in enemy territory.
Courteous as a guest.
Fluid as melting ice.
Shapable as a block of wood.
Receptive as a valley.
Clear as a glass of water.

Do you have the patience to wait
till your mud settles and the water is clear?
Can you remain unmoving
till the right action arises by itself?

The Master doesn't seek fulfillment.
Not seeking, not expecting,
she is present, and can welcome all things.

Detour

2009-10-01T20:20:00.005-04:00

photo courtesy of www.FreeFoto.com

Today I got a nudge from the Universe through Cheryl Wright, a blogging buddy of mine, asking me if I were AWOL again! Yes, I replied, I have been. We returned to Chicago a week ago and the usual six-hour trip turned into over eight long hours as we negotiated all the TARP funded improvements (badly needed I might add) along our route! The first one took us by surprise (no signs until we came right up to the closed road) and that first detour took us an extra hour, then many extra hours on a two-lane road. I have to say, though, that the scenery was breath taking and well worth the detour!

So it is with life. We often think we are well on our way on our journey and all of a sudden we get a big detour sign in front of us. Nothing to do but follow the signs, hoping for the best. Sometimes we get little gifts along the way on a detour: meeting someone we wouldn’t have otherwise, an experience we get that wouldn’t have happened on our “regular” route, or like we got, stunning scenery along the way. We never know what lies ahead but if we keep our hearts open, we often have lovely experiences we were not expecting.

It’s hard to have a head of steam up and come upon a detour. It can be maddening, frustrating, and difficult, OR it can be adventurous, beautiful and full of miracles. Which detour are you choosing to take as you take your life’s journey?

Blessings and Forgiveness

2009-09-19T10:06:00.003-04:00

This has been such an incredible period of time. I have not posted much in the last month or so because life is moving at such an incredible speed and so much is happening I can’t keep up with myself! Some very, very challenging events have happened to dear friends, there was that family wedding last weekend, we have seen precious friends we haven’t seen in years, one son is moving to Uruguay, one son is closing his business and on and on. This is not the half of it. So you can see, we have been otherwise engaged.

So, I pulled out my old Bible Study Bible the other night as there was a passage in there that I particularly love and I couldn’t find it in my other Bible. I am not a religious person by any means but I am deeply spiritual and I enjoy and am inspired by wisdom from all the world’s religions. Still, the Bible is what I grew up with and I am most familiar with it, so I often return to it during times of stress and overwhelm.

That is a long introduction into what I want to share with you today. A piece of paper flew out of my Bible Study Bible and on it was a quote I had used about twenty years ago when working with someone who had betrayed me. A friend of mine gave this to me and she told me to say it over and over until I believed it. And guess what, it worked!

So I am sharing this lovely statement with you in case any of you need it. Here it is:

“I have absolute faith that the spirit of God within me gives me the power to forgive those who have brought me suffering past and present.”

A small post it note was on this sheet of paper and it read: It’s not what the world holds for you, it’s what you bring to it”. I’m sorry to say there is no source quoted for either of these but the depth of their meaning is what I wanted to share with you today. For those of you to whom this post particularly speaks, I send you warm loving hugs from the angels above.

And I send many blessings to each of you today and all days. “All will be well, and all will be well and all manner of things shall be well.” (Julian of Norwich)

Wedding Weekend

2009-09-09T18:58:00.002-04:00

Adieu for the weekend everyone! I'll be back next week. Meanwhile enjoy this garden....

Healing With Color

2009-09-06T21:06:00.003-04:00

Color healing therapies go back centuries to cultures in Egypt, Greece, India and others. It has been around so long that its origins are obscured but once again we are beginning to turn towards modalities such as this to assist us in healing on all levels of our being. Color healing modalities are becoming more and more popular as people realize how powerful they can be. Color helps and supports all kinds of things from headaches to depression to adrenal exhaustion etc.

I would be remiss if I did not also add that in this country we can not make physical claims about how color can help us. So let me just say that color seems to help support our quest for wellness and is a good helper. But I cannot claim it is a cure-all due to regulations, rules, and laws against such claims.

That said, what are some of the ways to use color?

First, I would always consult a specialist or color therapist for your particular issues. What could seem just a headache might start from something else so it is important to consult a professional as well as your regular doctor.

Second, once the color has been selected there are many ways to bring it into your body:

Colored light therapies (available through a color therapist)
Wearing certain colors
Being in a room painted a certain color
Eating fruits and vegetables of a certain color
Wearing color therapy glasses
Color breathing
Color meditations
Color sprays (www.lifepotentials.net)

How do you select the right color to work with? If you do not have a color therapist near you, the next best thing is to educate yourself about which colors affect your particular situation. My website has a lot of information on colors in the section on color sprays, and my book, Simply Color, is chock full of information on color and how to use it. The book and sprays were created with the intention of being easily used tools for everyone to use: Easy to understand, access and use.

Color is so effective because it comes to us through the energy system connected to our eyes (color therapy glasses, paints, colored windows, accessories, furnishings, flowers, trees, water etc), our skin (clothing, color sprays etc), our stomach (foods we ingest), and our lungs (color breathing, color sprays). The energy and vibration of each color goes throughout our bodies to the area where it is housed in our bodies (chakras). When we have challenges, the color is drained from our chakras and we need to replenish it. For example, when we feel ungrounded or listless, we have probably used up much of the red color in our bodies or perhaps we are naturally deficient in it. The need for red is met by wearing the color, eating red foods like raspberries, strawberries, red apples etc., or holding a red object in our hands. This red deficient person could also do red color breathing, wear the red color, use the red therapy glasses etc.

Color is around us always. It is part of our everyday lives. If you can learn about how to use it effectively, you will always have a tool for healing and wellbeing at your fingertips.

Anyone who comments here will be entered into a drawing for a copy of the Second Edition of Simply Color recently released!

Rainbow blessings to all!

Ramblings

2009-09-02T22:45:00.002-04:00

I’m feeling a bit out of sorts tonight. All our sons have made it up to the lake this summer and I am eternally grateful for the wonderful, quality time we had with each one. One of our daughters-in-law made it, and our two grandsons. All in all, a perfect summer.

But now I am sad that fall is kind of here, and people are leaving to go home for the winter, and the summer fun is behind us. We didn’t have much of a summer really. Al Gore should have experienced this cold, wet summer! He might have begun to doubt the idea of Global Warming in a place where the heat had to be turned on 12 months in a row now moving into the 13^th month! Oh my. It has been so cold here! I am sitting here writing this in my fall weather fleece jacket.

Nonetheless, we have now had 4 days of sun in a row, a record for this summer of rain, rain and more rain. The flowers and plants are green, but scrawny, some even drowned. Most plants in our yard are smaller than usual, some didn’t even bloom well. And the strangest thing: I haven’t seen one butterfly! Some birds have already left to go wherever they go. The geese are beginning to practice their V shaped formations, the hummingbirds are feeding like crazy as they do just before heading South, the light is fading from the skies earlier and earlier. All in all, I am not wanting to let go of summer this year, partially because we feel it hasn’t really yet arrived!

When you live in a seasonal tourist area, you really notice when people leave to go home for the school year. You can almost feel the air go out of the area as if you got a flat tire. One day there are people all over the place, the next you are looking around for another boat, car or jet ski in sight! Don’t get me wrong…we love both the crowds of summer and the peace of winter. They are so contrasting that it makes life very interesting and varied. There are more and more people staying up here all winter but this former winter loving woman is now becoming one of those old fogies who is looking forward to spending part of the winter away somewhere warm!

I realize I truly am rambling, but that’s what I do when I am in this “between seasons” mood. As much as I love the fall, it is short here, and the cold winds blow all too early. There are little treasures that winter brings like seeing the deer come down to the lake to drink, or the snowy owl sitting outside my kitchen window in the tree, or the bald eagle soaring high overhead looking for his dinner.

And then spring will come again. Living so close to nature again after years of city and suburban living I count the seasons by seeing what is blooming throughout spring, summer and fall, and how the light shifts throughout the winter into those long, endless summer days. Living this far north our night lasts about 6 hours at the height of summer, 15 in the dead of winter. I realize how truly fortunate we are to be able to experience these varied moods of nature. Still, I wish summer would last a little bit longer, and that time with our family could be extended another few weeks. I feel a little guilty for wanting more, but I guess that is just my human side pouting. There is no holding back nature even in the best of times. So I guess I’ll just have to settle into this fleece which will give way to a down parka sooner than later now. Hopefully my reluctance to move on will give way to an embrace of what comes next and I will get immersed in the best of what each season brings.

What's in a Name?

2009-08-29T21:44:00.004-04:00

As a reader of the Akashic Records, I realize how important our names are in the whole scope of things. They literally set the vibrational pattern in our energy field. There is a belief out there that we might just choose our names before we are born and that our parents are then inspired with the name we have chosen. I've also heard the theory that the vowel sounds in our names are the ones that we need to hear to remind us of who we truly are, and what we are here for.

There things may or may not be true, but I have always been fascinated with names. Especially unusual or silly names. Remember the Hogg sisters in Texas who were named Ura and Ima? What a thing to do to two lovely young girls! I had a teacher in high school whose friend was named Nancy Ann Seancy....say that three time fast! My husband's great grandmother was saddled with the name of Fanny Buttolph! That always cracks up the young men in our family! Then there is the guy named Jim Shortz! And the lady who lived across the street from us when I was little was Jessie Annabella Rapohannock Mae Wolcott.

Which brings us to the names of my sisters and myself. Our maiden name was Smith and our parents felt it was important to give us unusual first names to distinguish us from the crowd. Of course, as a young person I hated having a name that stood out. I wanted to be a Nancy or Susie so much that my cousins actually began calling me "Nansue". I finally grew into my name but it was a long time coming!

With the name Diantha I don't run into many people with the same name but it does happen. Imagine my chagrin when last year there was a teacher who was plastered all over the news with my exact same name: Diantha Harris. What are the odds! She had publicly and on film castigated one of her female students for voicing her support of John McCain rather than Mr. Obama. So far no one has mistaken me for her but it was an amazing coincidence!

Recently I was emailing back and forth with Lynn from Happy Belly Bakery Blog (www.thehappybellybakery.blogspot.com) which you must check out sometime! It turns out that her Grandmother's name was Diantha Dibble Hubble Humphrey! Now that is a name! Here is what Lynn wrote:

"Ah----unusual names. My mother went to school with an Anna Louise Pinkepank who eventually married a Mr. Gieselman. We've had years of enjoyment from saying "Anna Louise Pinkepank Gieselman" rapidly. Of course, Anna Louise's mother (a widow) remarried and became Mrs. Stringfellow, which is pretty good too. My husband's grandmother shares a room at the nursing home with a lady named Ploma Blaha...

And then a college friend of mine had an Aunt Missouri Bybee, who in turn had a son named Blu(e)ford Bybee. She also had an eormous Aunt Becky who hid under the bed when company came, but that's another story..." (By the way, Lynn, I want to hear that story too!)

What funny names have you heard or do you have in your family?

Feng Shui Tips for Fall

2009-08-24T20:42:00.007-04:00

Our grandchildren left yesterday to head back home as they are starting school on Wednesday. I figured it might be a great time to offer some feng shui tips for fall:

Position the bed: Beds should ideally face the door but not be in direct line with it. When you enter a bedroom, you should be facing the bed. The idea behind this is that when you are sleeping, if anyone comes into the room you want a clear view of who it is. Back in ancient China, the intruder was often up to no good so if one had a good view of the door from where they were sleeping, they might have a chance to react and protect themselves. We and our children still have this reptilian brain response embedded in our brain stem.
Organize-to a point. This gets harder the older the student becomes as they want control of their space which in mind takes precedence to what the parents want to a point. It is important to keep it clean, if not neat. I once had a child who was so messy I refused to clean his room unless it was picked up. If it wasn't, he had to clean it, under supervision. The rule was no food or drink in the bedrooms because with three sons, who knew how long the empty plates or cups would sit there under piles of sporting gear and clothes. However, if you can, get their rooms as organized as possible and if you have little ones, train them early by having bins and baskets to put things in.
Clear the Clutter. A sub category of organizing, this is often the result of poor organization combined with a ho-hum attitude. Everyone knows how distracting clutter can be. However, for some kids, it can fill a need for a feeling of security and safety. Some people need a kind of buffer between them and the world. Do your best to support clearing the clutter, but if it becomes a habit for the child, it might be an innate need for stuff around them to make them feel secure.
Add Color. Surround your child with colors that will be support him/her. If you are not familiar with this, consult a professional color specialist or Chapter Six of my book, Simply Color. (www.lifepotentials.net) Don't be upset if your teenage child chooses black. It is a pretty typical choice for that age group.
Move electronics. I know we are in the information age and that there are many electrical things kids want in their rooms. Try to place these as far as possible from the bed. And yes, this includes digital clocks. The EMF's emitted by these appliances are harmful to our body's energy field and over time can cause damage to our bodies as well as lowering our immune system.
Place Chairs. Windows are wonderful but they provide distractions for kids. If you hae a child who is dreamy by nature, place their chairs with their backs to the windows. this will help them focus either on conversations at dinner or when studying.
Stay clean. You know what they say about cleanliness being next to godliness, so I probably don't have to elaborate much here. Suffice it to say that dust mites, cockroaches and vermin cannot only be annoying, they can carry disease. 'Nuff said.
Use aromatherapy. For times in your child's life (and yours too!) when they cannot control their living space (sharing a room with a sibling, living in a dorm or apartment with others, even living at home with you) they can use aromatherapy. Life Potentials offers two lines of aromatherapy sprays: Simply Feng Shui and Simply Color. They were developed with the idea of offering indirect feng shui and color support when spaces cannot be controlled. You can find them all listed at www.lifepotentials.net. If you are knowledgeable yourself about how to combine essential oils into formulas, you might want to try making your own!
Tip: For teachers, parents and students: use yellow for focus, to remember things, and for clarity.

So good luck to all students and teachers returning to school this year. May you all have a blessed year!

Summer Gardens

2009-08-18T22:08:00.007-04:00

With summer on the wane, I thought it might be a good time to take a look at some different types of gardens to see what kind really makes your heart sing. Here are a few examples to peruse. Which garden would you like in your own yard?

I'll be taking a few days off here to be with my grandchildren. Talk to you all later! xo

What Hat Are You Wearing?

2009-08-11T09:28:00.008-04:00

I had a nice long talk with a far away friend yesterday and we got started talking about how we all wear different hats both in our everyday life and at different times of life. She was saying that at some point, she would like to get a bunch of different hats to keep in her studio and would so enjoy putting them on and off depending on what role she was playing: Mom, Artist, Friend, Confidant, Coach, Teacher, Student, Cook, Cleaner, Laundress, Patriot, Leader, Follower, Lady at Tea, Seductress, Hermit etc etc. We were laughing so hard over all the hats we would have to have and what hat would fill what role!

So just for fun….here are some hats for you to choose from today….which ones are YOU wearing? Which ones do you WANT to wear? What is missing from your etheric hat stash?

Supporting Your Local Farmers

2009-08-07T17:16:00.004-04:00

I just picked up my share from our local Community Supported Agriculture program. We got carrots, lettuce, onions, new potatoes, beets, collard greens, carrots, dill, garlic, zucchini, and broccoli. Yum Yum!

For anyone who is unfamiliar with CSA’s, you buy a share for the year and each week you go pick up your portion of what they have for the week. They provide whatever is in season. When the fruit comes in, we get a portion of that too as long as we let them know we are interested. They also have free-range chickens available as an add on. Each CSA is different. In one I belonged to we also got a flower share if we wanted one. At an extra cost of about $10 per week, we got a huge bouquet of flowers grown on the farm. This one I am in now does not have that option but we do have the fruit/chicken option which the other one didn’t.

The cool thing is that local farmers are supported through these organizations. You can even volunteer to help if you want to! I met a woman up there a few weeks ago who is taking these local organic veggies and canning soups to be given to the needy and homeless this winter. I loved that!

Today in their newsletter it say that if every family in our state were to spend just $10 per week on products produced in this state that we would keep $40 million dollars right here in our state weekly. We could use it. How about your state?

So if you have one, I highly encourage you to buy a share in your local CSA. If not, go to your local farmers’ markets, farm stands, or whatever you have near you. Even when we lived in the heart of Chicago there was a local farmers’ market almost every day in one neighborhood or another, including the very downtown! So you can find these almost everywhere. Try googling for local products too. It helps everyone from you and your family and friends right down to the people who make the products. What community wouldn’t welcome more of our money staying put in our communities!

Hope you enjoy the bounty of the summer in your local area!

Farmers' Market Zucchini Pizza
4 C. shredded zucchini, dry with paper towel
2 eggs, beaten
1 C shredded Cheddar
minced onion and garlic if desired (saute until clear in olive oil)
cooked and crumbled bacon if desired, 4-5 pieces

Mix it all together with clean hands. Press into a jelly roll pan. Sprinkle a bit of shredded cheddar on top. Bake @ 350 degrees until firm. Delicious! This is one of those recipes you can play with, changing cheeses, adding or subtracting meats etc. Have fun!

Pooling Our Resources

2009-08-02T10:59:00.003-04:00

The current economic picture has provided different challenges for most of us. One is the broken nest eggs of many retirees or the loss of jobs in the younger generation. What’s interesting is that many are returning to a way of life familiar in our country a few generations back when families pooled their resources and moved in together.

My Mother’s Mother, the kind that puts the word “Grand” into Grandmothers, lived with us my whole growing up life. She passed away just after I left home to get married. Going home was no longer the same without her there. The benefits of having Grandma there as I grew up were many. No matter how in trouble I was with my parents, Grandma always had a hug to give. My own Mother was very involved in community service and it was Grandma who taught me to cook and sew and do crafts. My Dad had a huge vegetable garden and lots of berry bushes and she could create amazing dishes out of what he brought in from the garden. She taught me how to enjoy creativity and creating something out of nothing. She was great at taking old gardening catalogs and doing collage with the beautiful images, or painting an old chair to make it a seating place we all fought over using, or cutting out rooms from Ladies Home Journal and making houses from them. We had such fun, she sang funny songs, she took us on long car rides through the country, beeping the car horn under a bridge so it echoed, and speeding up as we approached the bumps in the road, causing us to sail through the air more than a few times!

Oh the memories. Perhaps this is a good outcome from the economy, bringing the generations back into closer contact again. I know I would be a totally different person without Grandma’s daily presence in my life. Oh to be sure, there will be stress combining households and if possible, I recommend, from a feng shui point of view, that the living space allow for privacy and independence for all residents. For example, my Grandmother had her own living quarters attached to the end of our house so she could come and go as she pleased, entertain her own friends, have her own life, as could my parents. She cooked her own dinners, and lived on her own, but we shared things like costs of utilities, mortgage payments, homemade ice cream and the like. She came on vacation with us sometimes but not all times, she had parties and didn’t’ invite my parents and vice versa, so to remain independent for as long as possible is an important ingredient in this scenario.

Having a separate unit is often not in the cards but there are other things you can do to create a living space for a part of the family returning to the “nest”. If you have experienced this or have ideas, this will be a great forum for you. We all would love to hear what you have to say and what some of you have learned from experience.

Here are a few ideas to spark the conversation: combine two bedrooms with a bath for an in-law suite. Use an underused room in the house (like a formal living room) and create a suite there. Use a basement or a part of a 3 car garage. Install a lift to the second floor for aging parents. Replace hardware on cupboards so they can be used by older people.
What else have you come up with or seen used?

The Tao

2009-07-29T22:32:00.003-04:00

In a recent post I mentioned the Tao Te Ching. I want to revisit it today because it has brought me such peace in my life and that is something to share.

There are as you know many sacred texts in the world. I find them all to have value and to espouse similar tenets. Did you know that all the world’s religions have a version of the Golden Rule for example? (Do unto others as you would have them do unto you). They all have a story of death and resurrection. They all have a belief in a supreme being. We are more alike in our religions than we are dis-similar. But that is another post!

The Tao is one of the most ancient of texts. It was written by a Chinese scholar named Lao Tsu. The simple wisdom in the Tao appeals to my husband and me. It is uncluttered with additions and subtractions, it is straightforward, it is full of wise guidance.

Perhaps you have heard the phrase “a Journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.” This is from the Tao. And although the wording is not the same, the phrase from AA “Let go and let God” is found all over the Tao.

These are the main things I get from the Tao: live my own life and don’t worry about what others are or are not doing. The Tao will take care of those who live their lives without care for the planet, or animals, or other people. Let the Tao work its wonders for it always does. Respect myself, respect all sentient beings, walk softly on the earth, follow my path, and let go of anything that is not mine to carry. It lessens the load I carry considerably.

This is not to say that I don’t have challenges! I have plenty of them. I have feelings and emotions but when I remember the Tao, those seem to wash away bringing me back to center and a feeling of peace, knowing that God is in charge, not I.

I can’t tell you how peaceful my life has become by studying, learning and following the Tao. It is a simple, powerful book of Truths that do not conflict with whatever religion you follow. It is extremely spiritual, profoundly wise, and like all simple truths, hard to put into action. But putting the effort into it is worthwhile because soon you will find that the effort has turned to habit, and the habit has turned to a spiritual practice that benefits not only yourself, but everyone around you as well. Just like that pebble that, when thrown into the pool of water creates resonating waves, your actions will spread out to affect many others.

So my invitation to you is to pick up a copy of the Tao Te Ching and start to read it. The translation I like best is by Stephen Mitchell. And the book by Wayne Dyer, Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life, is a wonderful book that dissects each chapter of the Tao, bringing it into more focus and into a way we can incorporate it into our daily lives.

Let me know how it goes for you. As always, take what resonates and let go of the rest. That is the Tao in action.

A Rabbit Noticed My Condition

2009-07-25T16:22:00.005-04:00

I was reading Wayne Dyer's book this morning in my little morning routine of being quiet and contemplative the first 30 minutes or so. He has a book on the Tao Te Ching that my husband and I both love to read titled Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life. I've been a follower of Dr. Dyer since his first book came out ages ago when he was still a practicing psychologist. I even got to sit in a small audience back when they taped tapes for sale through Nightengale Conant of his work. Now they make DVD's but back then, I got to hear him talk for 3 days about life. It was great!

So, back to this morning. We always just randomly open the book and read the chapter we open to. The Tao is an ancient Chinese script written by Lao-Tzu, an ancient Chinese philosopher. My husband and I try to practice the Tao in our lives because we find it very wise, quite hard to do, and very effective. I'll get into that in another post, but today's chapter had a poem by St. John of the Cross, a 16th century mystic, that I thought was so sweet and so lovely that I wanted to share it with all of you. It is titled, "A Rabbit Noticed My Condition":

I was sad one day and went for a walk;
I sat in a field.

A rabbit noticed my condition and came near.

It often does not take more than that to help at times-

to just be close to creatures who
are so full of knowing,
so full of love
that they don't--
chat,

they just gaze with
their marvelous understanding.

Thank you to all of you who who both chatted and gazed with me this week during my sadness.

A Tribute to My Friend

2009-07-22T21:59:00.003-04:00

It’s funny that my last post was about friendship. As you can no doubt tell, friends are very important to me. I value their presence in my life and do not take the good will they return lightly.

Yesterday I got bad news. One of my favorite client-turned-friend had died. Although she was about 25 younger than I, I considered her to be a friend. I was a friend with her Mother first, when she was growing up, and then as newly married young woman she contracted breast cancer, and through our work together, she and I became fast friends.

My friend came to me as she had heard through her Mom that I did bodywork and could help her move through her treatment. So she decided to undergo Western medicine surgery/chemo/radiation and at the same time do some alternative treatments to bolster her health, remove toxins from her energy field. She did all this with a smile on her face, love in her heart, and a stalwart hope that she would finally be well.

The first challenge ended in victory. She was clear for several years and for as long as we lived in Chicago, she would fly in from another state far away, visit her family, and have some bodywork sessions. After we left the area she and I would occasionally be in town at the same time and she would come to me for what we laughingly called her “tune ups”.

Several more years passed though, and I had not heard from her this year since Christmas. Her Christmas card did not carry the same energy as all the previous ones and I began to suspect something was up. I finally emailed her on Monday, the day she passed away. Her valiant fight was over and she was at peace. Her husband who as a young groom took on the news of his wife’s cancer with courage and commitment must be devastated that their worst fears were finally realized. Her parents and her brother must be devastated too. The problem is that like Princess Diana, my friend carried so much light and joy. There wasn’t a person in the world who thought ill of her. The world is a bit dimmer because she has left it.

My friend was one of those unique people who lit up a room when she entered. She always made people feel at ease and cared for. She was a good listener and always was optimistic. She loved her family and friends deeply and was devoted to them. She was there for everyone and everyone was there for her. You just couldn’t not be. She was that kind of special person.

I wish you, too, had known her. Your life would be much richer because of her. Perhaps you have your own special friend who brings this to your life. If you do, cherish your friend, for the days are short.

“Ancient Egyptians believed that upon death they would be asked two questions and their answers would determine whether they could continue their journey in the afterlife. The first question was, “Did you bring joy?” The second one was “Did you find joy?” (Leo Buscaglia) If this is indeed the criterion, my friend is well on her way in her journey!

Charles Caleb Colton said, “True friendship is like sound health: the value of it is seldom known until it be lost.” I feel sad to have lost my friend but feel secure in knowing that what we had will continue beyond false barriers such as death. I know she is still my friend. I know she will be with me in my heart for the rest of my own life. I know that my life is better for having known her.

And for her, I like to think of Walter Scott’s quote:
“Death….the last sleep?
No, it is the final awakening.”

Enjoy your journey, dear friend. I will meet up with you before we know it!

Friendship

2009-07-19T17:20:00.003-04:00

Friendship from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran (selected sections)
"Your friend is your needs answered.
He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.
And he is your board and your fireside.
For you come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for peace.
.....For without words, in friendship, all thoughts, all desires, all expectations are born and shared, with joy that is unacclaimed....
that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence.....
let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit."

For some reason I am feeling sentimental today and thinking about all the wonderful beautiful friends I have had over my lifetime. Some are still with me. Others have moved on, some to the great beyond. New ones arrive with frequency and I am struck by how they always seem to be the perfect person at the perfect time.

So I wanted to take a moment out of my life to say how grateful I am for my friends. I am privileged to have friends from very young ages to very old ones and all ages in between. They all are loved and cherished by me. Each one brings me some enlightenment and joy. Thanks to the computer age I now have internet friends, ones I’ve never met nor am not likely to, but with whom I connect on some level, sharing thoughts and feelings and life stories. How amazing is that!

Then there are the friends who have taught me really hard lessons, like boundaries, or standing up for myself. Their friendship comes in different wrapping but they are just as valuable if not more so than those who are easy to be with and with whom I laugh readily. The ones who wound me are my beloved teachers who love me enough to hurt me. They love me enough to try to teach me lessons that are hard to learn. I hope I have been a good student, making their efforts worthwhile.

So today, Sunday, I am grateful for them all, in all their packaging. I am so fortunate and blessed to call so many wonderful people friend.

Tell me about your friends and how you view friendship.

Golden Heart Award

2009-07-17T19:28:00.005-04:00

Thank you to Angela Recada who gifted me with the Golden Heart award. Angela’s blog is a breath of fresh air showcasing her art, love of family, rescued pets, and her dreams for travel and learning new languages to add to her many accomplishments!

I would like to pass this award celebrating “creative, caring souls” on to the following blogs:

Annie at Blissful Bohemian
Sema at Affirmart
Tabitha at ichoosebliss
suZen at Erasing the Bored
Jan at Awake is Good

Just enjoy this award ladies. You are each of you creating, giving, soulful and marvelous beings!

Color Quiz Answers

2009-07-14T20:51:00.003-04:00

Thanks to everyone who gave this a go. Most of these answers are fairly obvious but there were a couple of stumpers in here. I'm posting these a bit earlier than I said I would since I will be gone all day tomorrow. Here are the answers!

1. Most attention getting color is RED
2. BLACK is, of course, the color associated with villains.
3. PURPLE, the color of royals
4. Rooms of YELLOW cause the most arguments.
5. The color most hospitals use to promote relaxation is GREEN
6. Public servants in Rome wore the color BLUE. It is the basis today of our police uniforms and those of other civil workers.
7. BROWN is the color that implies genuineness and reliability
8. PINK causes people to loose energy. There is a visitor's locker room in some professional football stadium that is painted pink for this reason!
9. Chinese brides traditionally wear RED for their weddings.
10.The color thought to be least appetizing is BLUE.

So there you have it! Pretty straightforward for the most part. Hope you enjoyed this little summer detour! Nice and light! xo

Fun Color Quiz

2009-07-12T15:42:00.002-04:00

After two weeks of less than spectacular internet reception I hope we are now on the right track. We had new equipment installed on Friday, lost contact again on Saturday (grrrrrr) and as of this very moment we have it again. This is the frustration of rural living and also makes us realize how darn dependent we are on the computer and the internet. Heaven help us all if we ever loose the connection as a country! Or world!

On the bright side, I found this old color quiz in my papers which are scattered all over my office thanks to the installation of the new equipment! I totally forget where I found this but I thought I for one need something light to think about so here is the color quiz. Answers will be posted on Wednesday!

1. What color is most attention getting?
a. Black
b. Yellow
c. Red

2. What color do villains most often wear?
a. Black
b. Red
c. Blue

3. What color is associated with royalty?
a. White
b. Purple
c. Green

4. People loose tempers most often in rooms of which color?
a. Black
b. Yellow
c. Pink

5. What color do hospitals pick to promote relaxation in patient rooms?
a. Pink
b. White
c. Green

6. In ancient Rome, public servants wore which color?
a. Blue
b. Brown
c. Red

7. What solid reliable color implies genuineness?
a. Green
b. Brown
c. Black

8. What color causes people to loose energy?
a. Green
b. Blue
c. Pink

9. Bride in the west generally wear white but what color do brides traditionally wear in China?
a. Red
b. Beige
c. Green

10. What is the least appetizing color?
a. Black
b. Yellow
c. Blue

Primio Meme Award

2009-07-05T16:40:00.005-04:00

Thank you to Silke of Metamorphosis for giving me this Primio Meme Award! The rules of this award say I am to state 7 facts about myself and then give this to 7 people. Such a fun way to bring more awareness to other blogs! Thank you, wonderful Silke! You are a gem and I hope many people come to your blog through this! Same for my 7 people below!

Here are my 7 facts:
1. When my husband and I were engaged, he was in the Navy and on course to be a career Naval officer. I was still in college and was the first woman to take the Naval Orientation course at Northwestern University as I felt it was important to know about what my husband was doing! I also had to do some fast talking to get myself into the course! In addition, I got the highest grade in the class, but that was hardly fair since I was a senior competing with freshmen! Sitting at home on Saturday night and studying was something I am sure not one of those young men did their first quarter in college while it was status quo for me!

2. I am a wimp but push myself to try things, like the zip lines in Costa Rica. Scared me to death but I did it!

3. I married the same man twice: once in 1967, and once in 1997 in a recommitment ceremony, witnessed by our three sons! I was still in college for the first one, and our kids were all out of college for the second one!

4. I am allergic to shellfish. This is unfortunate since we spent the first year of our married lives together going to the lobster pound in Boston and buying lobsters and clams for Friday night dinners! Believe it or not, at the time it was less expensive than hamburgers!

5. I would love to go to Africa! And Alaska!

6. At age 13 I fainted dead away doing my first speech. Now I speak in front of many and it seems ok. I still shake, but now I see the audience so differently!

7. Seven is my lucky number! I love the number seven!

That's it! Now for my seven award winners:

Joanne from A Whole Latte Life
Cheryl from Perspectives on Life
Eleyne from Rainbow Writing
Ginny from Ginny Piech Street
Anne from Aging Lite
Carolynn from A Glowing Ember
Mermaid from mermaid

Enjoy their blogs if you haven't had a chance to visit them before! Ciao!

Unwelcome Summer Invaders

2009-06-30T21:43:00.001-04:00

The other day I noticed a line of teeny ants coming through a crack in the caulking in the tile in our bathroom. There they were, hundreds of busy ants traveling from one crack, across the floor to another one. It was weird. Now I have nothing against ants or spiders or even termites, as long as they don’t come in my house! And I tell them so! Call me crazy but this time I did talk to those ants and told them this was my house and as long as they respected that and stayed outside everything would be cool. But if they insisted on coming inside, something would have to be done as hundreds of ants crawling around is just not my idea of a good time.

Well, in two days they were all gone. I kid you not. They left. I thanked them, wherever they are, for their respectful behavior and told them I would keep trying not to stomp on their very considerably numerous ant hills outside!

This had a good ending, but what if it hadn’t? What if those little guys had chosen to keep infesting our house? So I went to a book called Clean House, Clean Planet, by Karen Logan and found some natural ways to combat home invaders!

First, for ants, you can prevent their coming in by combining a few drops of peppermint oil with water in a squirt bottle. Spray the area where you have seen them enter. They do not like the smell of peppermint and will usually stay away.

If they don’t stay away, fill a spray bottle with water. Add a few Tbsp of liquid soap. Adding a few drops of peppermint in this mixture is also good. Spray the line of ants and wipe up. Caulk where they are entering or smear with a glob of petroleum jelly. Be sure there is nothing around that is attracting them like food or juice. Keep the area clean.

You can also try dipping several cotton balls in peppermint oil and rubbing the area where they are entering. Ms. Logan says that ants find their way through scented ant trails so rubbing the trails with this oil will confuse them and allow you to wipe up the scattered army of ants. I’ve also heard they don’t like crossing a line of chalk but I haven’t found that too effective myself.

But first try talking to them. I don’t know why but it worked. And if it works, imagine the energy and effort you will save, giving you plenty of time to attend all the wonderful events in your area for the fourth!

Integrity

2009-06-24T18:22:00.005-04:00

I just had coffee with a neighbor who is a grief counselor. John is what is commonly called a "recovering Catholic" which means he is still a member of the Church but he rejects many of their long standing ways and beliefs. I am not Catholic. But John does not think I am going to Hell because I do not believe in the same things he does. There are other things too, but that is not the focus of this post.

John writes prolifically and shares his poetry with anyone who is interested. He writes mostly about spirituality, his struggles, his disappointment with his Church, and his hope and joy at daily life. (For anyone interested in following his blog see: http://blogs.record-eagle.com/?cat=21 and his website: www.torchlake.com/poetman/ ) Over breakfast he told me he was on his way with his wife to his FIFTIETH College reunion and he would be having the opportunity at his alma mater to meet and talk with Father Donald Cozzens. Father Cozzens speaks up about what is wrong or missing with the Catholic Church and is well known for his writings on spirituality, very much like our friend, John. John gave me one of the Father's quotes over breakfast, and this is what I want to share with you on this post. This may not be verbatim but the gist is this:
"Unless you speak and write your truth you chip away at your own integrity."
wow. I was taken aback by the power of these words.

So here are two Catholics, one a priest, one a lay person who ministers to those who are grieving, who have similar paths. They love their church but see what needs to change. And they have the courage to speak up about their dissent, their beliefs, and yes, their love for their faith. They are both totally in their integrity, and both are wonderful role models for the rest of us.

I wanted to share this little piece with you because so much of our news is depressing. This little story lifts us up. And speaks volumes of wisdom in one sentence.

I hope this little sentence will help guide you in your daily life. Have a good weekend everyone. I am going to visit our children and grandchildren and will be back with you all next week!

Many blessings.....
Diantha

Intention Deficit Disorder

2009-06-22T20:41:00.001-04:00

When I heard about this syndrome I laughed! How appropriate! I believe it came from Michael Beckwith but I could not state whether or not that is the origin of this great play on words!

It is appropriate because the solstices are the two times of year where our intentions for the next 6 months should be written down. It is the perfect time to do so. But how many of us take the time to do so? Or even know this is such a powerful time for intentions?

There is energy in the Universe right now that will magnify our intentions and make them so strong. Like planting a seed at its optimum time, creating and setting our intentions at optimum times such as the summer solstice allows them to unfold exponentially.

So take some time today and write thoughtfully about what you want to happen in your life in the next 6 months. The possibilities are endless. Without clearly defined goals, the angels don’t know what we want and we continue to float through our lives. But set an intention at such a powerful time and your life will change!

Let me know how it goes! Good luck everyone!

Nature's Inspiration

2009-06-19T08:48:00.004-04:00

For your weekend enjoyment:
http://www.naturesinspirationmovie.com

Permission to Play

2009-06-18T16:28:00.001-04:00

When was the last time you played? Laughed from your belly? Lost track of time you were so engaged in what you were doing?

I realized recently that I have withheld play and recreation from myself because early on I learned that work comes first. Play was a reward that was to be entered into only AFTER that work was completed….and completed well. Oh boy. What a burden to carry! And I know I am not alone! How many of us wait to complete our work before we play? How many of us play before our work is done and then don’t enjoy it because we feel guilty?

Here’s another discovery: play is as necessary to the creative and work process as is the work itself. Maybe even more so. Without play, work becomes drudgery, it becomes harder to do, we have less inspiration, and we often become stuck. Play opens up those creative circuits and allows our energy to come forward and fuel us. If those circuits of energy and inspiration are either shut down completely or closed off to a large degree, work is just work. It is not inspired, inspirited, fun, or filling.

These discoveries are not all that amazing but what is amazing is that I am so old before I discover this! I happened to take a teleseminar this spring from Sandy Nelson and Kay Hunt on bringing play into our lives in simple ways. We learned many ways of playing with everyday items like push pins, toilet paper rolls, paper clips, binder clips, water bottles….etc. If you have found yourself stuck lately and want to learn more about playing, check out their website: www.permissiontoplaynow.com . They just finished a class but if you contact them you will be able to get on their list for the next fun round of classes!

And if you just can’t wait for a class, pull out a sheet of paper, pick up a crayon, marker, pencil or something and just doodle. Make shapes, designs, sketch, doodle. Have fun. Then add more color. Remember you are playing, not creating a masterpiece. Who cares about perfection? Who cares about anything other than the process! Just have fun! No one else need ever see it. There is no judgement here and no reason for creating other than the sheer pleasure of seeing the pencil glide across the paper, and then the color fill up the page. Just enjoy!

Let me know how it goes for you!

Random Acts of Kindness

2009-06-13T10:31:00.001-04:00

Not too many years ago I remember there was quite a flurry of talk about Random Acts of Kindness (RAKs). I haven’t heard too much in the media about it any more but I am happy to report that it is alive and well at least in our neck of the woods.

About 50 miles north of where we live is a beautiful, magnificent bridge: The Mighty Mac or the Mackinac Bridge which spans the gorgeous turquoise and deep blue waters of the Straits of Mackinac, (pronounced Mack-i-naw) that magical place where the waters of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron merge. (Waters from lake Superior also enter near here through a waterway.) The bridge is a suspension bridge like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco but is considered to be, at 5 miles long, the longest suspension bridge between two anchorages in the Western Hemisphere.

The bridge is a toll bridge. I forget what the toll is exactly, maybe $2.00-3.00 per car, and they have about 10-20 people DAILY who pay the toll for the person behind them. Isn’t that just great? The man on the radio said that during the Christmas season it goes much higher, when people are in that generous Holiday Spirit!

Chivalry isn’t dead either, but that is another post! Enjoy your weekend and give a thought to doing a RAK today yourself. It creates good karma! Not to mention that “pass it on” mentality.

Our Individual Stories

2009-06-10T14:00:00.003-04:00

Greetings all!
My husband and I had a marvelous trip to Vermont to visit his elderly cousins so I have been absent a while from the blog world. I've missed you all! But it was my birthday and we decided to celebrate by visiting these dear relatives, the last of our relatives in the previous generation. It is a weird thing to think of only a few cousins standing between you and whatever comes next. We tried to soak up their wisdom, their love, their jokes, their stories, so rich now after 90 years of life. We visited old homesteads, old cemetaries, old birthplaces...and my favorite, the old family farm still inhabited by cows and horses and dogs and kitties and green forested hills and filled with a wonderful new young family.

The older I get, the more I appreciate family. The more I appreciate those who came before us. The more I appreciate their struggles and contributions and teachings. Cousin M worked her way through college in the war years working 7 days a week as well as going to college at Middlebury. She became a well known dietician and worked for big corporations like Stouffers and others before moving back "home" to take care of her Mother. Cousin E was in the invasion of Normany and was in combat for 2 straight years without a break. His wife, a lovely British woman, (yes, they met during the war), worked as a radar specialist for the women's auxilary of the British air force. They each have an amazing personal story.

But so do you. Each of us does has amazing personal stories and I have always been fascinated by them. What makes each person the way they are? What causes them to think in a certain way? Why are some people such optimists in spite of huge odds while others live in fear and uncertainty? It is such an interesting subject. What do you think? Is there anything about YOUR STORY you would like to share here?

Mr. Toad

2009-05-31T15:12:00.003-04:00

I am redoing my website and logo and have a billion photos to go through, well, maybe not a billion, but several thousand!, and came across this one that I just love. I call this rock Mr. Toad and would love to have you create a short story about how he came to be in this farmer's field. So many of you are writers or creative sorts and I thought it would be fun to have you write a very short story about Mr. Toad.

All entries will be put into a drawing on June 10 and the winner will receive a set of my new color cards!

Have fun!

What is Your Favorite Color?

2009-05-26T09:12:00.004-04:00

During this holiday weekend I participated in a class about healing through color and although I am well versed in the subject, I felt it was time to be a participant in such a class, to receive and to learn something new. I truly believe that even if one is an expert, one can always learn something, even if it is a nuance to something already known.

So off I went and as I was looking back on the class I thought it might be fun to start this week off with asking you what is your favorite color and why? If you would like feedback on your color choice, e.g. what is the color symbology, just ask, otherwise this is just for fun. So, what color are you today? What color fills you? What color is calling to you? Write whatever is in your heart.

May you all be blessed by the colors of the rainbow......

New Blog to Recommend

2009-05-23T20:53:00.002-04:00

A friend of mine who also loves color has just started a fabulous blog! Do stop by to see her-she has so much to offer us! www.eleyneaustensharp.blogspot.com

May Newsletter Published

2009-05-22T15:17:00.004-04:00

Hi everyone!
Yesterday my May newsletter was published so for those of you who would like to read it and aren't on my list, send me your email and I will send you the newsletter. It's free and if you like it you can sign up on my website, www.lifepotentials.net
I feature a few newsworthy items, a feng shui tip of the month, a green tip of the month, a color of the month(this month is turquoise), Q&A, and goings on. Hope you enjoy it!

Happy Memorial Day weekend for those of you in the USA. I'd like to thank all the countless beings who have worked to make our country free. To my Dad, my Uncles, my two nephews and my dear husband and his brothers, a special thank you. As we know all too well, freedom isn't free. It has been gained at a high cost. Blessings to you all who work tirelessly and selflessly to keep us safe and free.

Book Giveaway

2009-05-21T21:03:00.002-04:00

Shauna has some books to give away on her blog. Drop in for a chance to win!
http://bookgiveaways.blogspot.com/

Plastic Bottle Pile Up

2009-05-21T19:54:00.003-04:00

Good evening! I just received this slide show from a colleague of mine. It's all about bottled water and some of the challenges around it. It is definitely food for thought so if you have a few minutes do take a look. I took a wonderful teleseminar this week on Green Kitchens (as in environmentally green!) and will pass on some of the tidbits in a later post. Meanwhile, happy viewing!

http://www.slideshare.net/gchalliday/bottled-water-disaster

2009-05-16T09:09:00.002-04:00

Wow! Thank you to Angela Recada for honoring me with this award! You all have been so supportive and kind to me as the new kid on the block. Thank you so very, very much, Angela, and to all who have posted on and visited my blog. I am filled with gratitude and an open heart this morning. Many blessings to you all,
Diantha

Spring in Michigan

2009-05-15T10:18:00.004-04:00

No message today other than please enjoy the beauty of a Northern Michigan spring day! Sending you all bunches of flowers and good wishes!

Sisterhood in the blogging world

2009-05-14T09:16:00.004-04:00

Many thanks to Jan Deremo Lundy for her love, support and technical help as I start my blog. Jan, you are a guiding light for so many women, including myself. May you be forever blessed, dear sister. Jan's blog is www.awakeisgood.blogspot.com. Be sure to visit often!

Since I am not yet well connected in the blogging world, I will be passing this on at a later date. Assuredly it already goes to all my "followers" (read SISTERS), although I know it has been to most of you before!

Thanks to everyone for welcoming me with such open arms. Many blessings to all.......

Fallout from Mother's Day

2009-05-12T13:06:00.002-04:00

Last night at dinner, I was thanking my husband for his loving attention all day on Mother’s Day. He was amazing, really honoring me in a lovely way throughout the day.

He thanked me for being a great Mom, instilling our three boys with great heart energy. My response was, “it’s no big deal. Doesn’t every Mom do that?” I did not see that as a particularly outstanding thing to do since I always assumed every Mom does that.

We started talking about how so many of us take our gifts for granted. For example, he told me again how thankful he was that I had instilled so much of that heart energy into our sons as he had been so focused on providing for us that he felt he hadn’t had either the time or the awareness to contribute that to the family at the time. I told him he had an amazing ability to negotiate, to lead, to bring people together, to manifest…well, it went on, but what we remarked about is that when we have a God given gift, we often take if for granted while others are amazed at it. If you are an artist and create paintings or quilts or books or pottery etc, you might not see it as a gift but rather just a part of you. But me, who is all thumbs, would see it as an amazing gift, just as I see my husband’s ability with numbers and people as totally fabulous! He sees my ability to have compassion and true heart energy as unusual and unique. I have always assumed everyone had that.

My point is, I personally had a wake up call and am going to honor myself more for the gifts I embody and will give more thanks in my prayers for those gifts that were given to me with such grace. I will honor my gifts by sharing them freely with others. I will honor myself by celebrating the uniqueness that is me. What are YOUR unique gifts? And how do you celebrate them?

Color Preferences

2009-05-06T20:51:00.003-04:00

I received a thought provoking post on my last blog entry and it got me to thinking that a post on color preferences, and dislikes, might be fun to read and mull over. When I was studying color as a healing tool, I learned that people’s preference for certain colors is important but what is equally important, or perhaps more so, it their aversion to certain colors.

The example I can think of most readily is the color olive green. We in the class were asked which colors of the 14 in front of us we disliked the most. Olive green turned out to be the one most disliked. Well guess what….we were all women in that class and olive green turns out to be the color of feminine leadership! And all of us had that issue at the time, being fearful of stepping into our leadership shoes as women. We all had issues of self worth, and fear around speaking up. So we all shrank from this powerful, beautiful color.

The other thing I learned was that the saturation of a color also had an impact. The lighter the color, the more intense the “lesson” or message. The darker the color, the more mystery there was to it and things weren’t so out in the open.

The blogger wrote:
“In East Indian culture, we can be all shades of brown from the most pale and fair to the darkest hue of brown, almost black. So many prefer the lighter version. Though I try to rise above this labeling, even I get sucked into the idea of what is aesthetically pleasing.

May we love our colors, but learn that their borders can stretch to hold a wide variety of meaning.”

And it’s so true. We can be easily influenced by society into thinking what color is hip (look at the fashion industry….when they decide that browns and oranges are the colors of the moment, that’s all you can find in the stores, and when it shifts to purple and orange, the same thing happens.), but it’s important to remember where YOUR heart is. Is it with the brown of the moment or with blue? Is it with green or a dark purple?

The great thing about color is there is no wrong answer! Every color you choose is perfect in that moment. There is a lot of freedom in this as well as support. When I go into my closet, pull out a garment, don it, and then take it off right away it is because my body knows instinctively what it needs at that moment. So I will go back in, something will catch my eye, I’ll put it on and voila~the perfect color for me at that moment in time. I don’t even need to be conscious of this for it to work! How easy it that!

Quickly, I’ll tell you why that happens. When we go through our challenges, and who doesn’t!, we use up the color that is associated with that challenge. It gets depleted out of our energy body, so we need to replace it. Color in our wardrobes is an easy way to put it back in. Ditto foods. Have you ever craved a food of a distinct color like oranges or blueberries? Well, that is your body sending a message to you: I need orange or I need dark blue/purple. Amazing isn’t it, this Divine intelligence of the body!

Classical Color

2009-05-01T17:06:00.002-04:00

I just read an article today about how colorful the ancient world of Greece really was. We think of all the alabaster white sculptures and respond, "huh?" Yes, the last few years we've heard rumblings from the academic world about how ancient Greece really was a riot of color, not the pure white we have thought it was. Brilliant yellows, reds, greens and blues, all jewel tones, adorned their art but were leached away over time as they lay buried in the earth. When they were excavated, just the marble was left, the color long gone.

What I learned was that the early Greeks had no fixatives for their pigments so they were very unstable and the artist was unable to predict how a color would turn out. Thus, the color red could be anything "from pink to purple". Pigments were created from a variety of things in nature, and the more rare that thing was, the more expensive and more rare the color. For example, the color purple, long associated with royalty in the West, was made from snails found off the coast of Phoenicia. Since it was such a rare color, and very costly, only the very rich or the very royal, could afford it. Thus the early association with royalty!

Here are a few of the colors from ancient Greece and what they symbolized:
Red: this was a color associated with transitions of all kinds. A boy moving into adulthood wore a red cape; a bride wore a red veil; and death shrouds were red. All big life transitional stages.
Black: way back then it was associated with mourning but with the extra layer of showing how well to do you were! Black dyes were hard to achieve so the blacker they were, the richer you were!
Purple: If you were listening above, it was: ?????? (royalty!)
White: It was associated with young, feminine pale skin.

Hope you have enjoyed this peek into the past. Have a great weekend!

Great Link

2009-04-30T20:08:00.002-04:00

A dear friend sent this to me today and I must say, it is well worth your time to watch. Enjoy!
http://gizmodo.com/5231112/best-video-ive-seen-today-will-make-you-smile

Guest blogging

2009-04-30T12:05:00.001-04:00

Today I am guest blogging about color on Jan Deremo Lundy's blog: www.awakeisgood.blogspot.com. I would love to have you visit her blog and join us! We are having a great time!

A Poem by Hafiz

2009-04-29T21:29:00.002-04:00

As I end my day, I wanted to share with you one of my favorite poems. This one is by the Persian poet, Hafiz, and it expresses for me the awe I feel at the Universe.

Even after all this time
The sun never says to the earth,
“You owe Me.”
Look what happens
with a love like that,
It lights the Whole Sky.”
~Hafiz

Goodnight and blessings to all.......

Welcome!

2009-04-29T18:13:00.000-04:00

Thursday, April 30 is the day I am guest blogging on Jan Deremo Lundy's wonderful blog: awakeisgood.blogspot.com. Please join us for an internet discussion on color. Jan is so supportive and has been a wonderful friend and guide for me. She has encouraged me to start my own blog, so here I am, and definitely a work in progress. Bear with me as I learn to navigate through this process and learn how to blog. My goal is to keep bringing you little ideas on how to improve your life. As I find things, I will bring them to you. As always, keep what works, pass it on, dismiss what doesn't resonate. Together we will build a blog that is interesting, supportive, and full of good ideas! I'm always open to your ideas and feedback!

So welcome! I look forward to communicating for the good of all in mind!

Many blessings,
Diantha