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I am teaching my kids to speak their truth and challenge systems. Most kids, however, do not know how to communicate unless they are texting and/or chatting on line.

My son has a music teacher who does not know how to teach to children. She is ‘old school’ in the sense that she will call out in front of the class your ability – thumbs up if you are good and thumbs down when you are bad. She yells at the kids if they are not listening. She wonders why she garners no respect. She is only focused on the technicalities of music and forgets about the incredible side of creativity and being able to lose ourselves.

Today, when I received a call from the music teacher to tell me my son refused to do the work and that each child had to work alone and not in partners I just listened. When she finished talking I told her that when my son is not confident about certain subjects, music being one and art being another, he closes up. Fear takes over and he will not budge. I told her I was working with another teacher regarding art and together we got him to the place where he loves art. One day he came home with the most beautiful art piece. The teacher didn’t really care because she said that he crossed a line and didn’t really listen. At this point I am losing my patience. I asked if she can work with him to feel more confident. Somehow the conversation turned to his behaviour of how he can be stubborn and I said the more you yell the more he will shut down. She said she was well aware of his characteristics. It took everything in me to not say anything.

I told her that if she called me in September about his behaviour we could have worked together but now it is May and it’s a little late. In the end she didn’t like the fact that I didn’t say to her — “tell my son to listen or he will be punished”.

She basically said to me she had to go and hung up. Well, that did not sit well with me. I called the school back and left a message for his core teacher.

Forty-five minutes later I receive a call from the ‘acting’ principal that my son was in the office for his behaviour during music. The acting principal told me that my son told her THAT HE DIDN’T FEEL THAT THE MUSIC TEACHER TREATED HIM FAIRLY. I listened and then I talked. I told the acting principal that I agree with my son and that this teacher holds favourites and that she has an expectation of the children to be Mozart’s and Bach’s and to act as though they are studying from the conservatory however these are kids that want to enjoy music and have fun. I told her about my conversation with her that morning and I said I do believe my son feels this way.

THe issue is being resolved but I told my son I was so proud that he articulated how he felt. He is one that will challenge the system. I am working on the respectful part. My son stood his ground and in this case the teacher has overstepped her boundary. As my friend put it nicely she is the wrong teacher for this school environment. She needs to be in a school that focuses on music (although if her abilities is measured by what I saw at the music concert the other day – she should be fired!).

Learning to speak up and speak your truth is so important. Many kids today want to do that but do not know how because they do not know how to communicate face-to-face. I have seen young kids sit side by side in a car, in a restaurant and not speak a word to one another and just text. Who are they texting, one another? Why don’t they talk to one another? It is as though they do not know how…. even to the point of being uncomfortable.

I will allow my kids to have the gadgets but I will remind them that it is just that a tool and not to ever replace that with the ability to talk face-to-face. The young kids today are losing this art and must make sure that they do not.

This weekend I will offer a challenge – get your kids talking with you face-to-face. It will likely mean getting them physically away from their phones, ipads and computers. Ask them to play golf, tennis, go for a walk, join you for a Starbucks coffee … whatever it is that will get them to put down their gadgets. Then… start a conversation. Ask questions and listen. Engage them and let them ask you questions. Silence is ok too. Enjoy this moment of connecting.

Let’s teach our kids how to communicate. This means you too must put away your gadgets. Walk your talk. I know I will do this with my boys this weekend.

For those celebrating Victoria Day this weekend — enjoy.

I want to wish everyone a wonderful spring weekend.

All my love,

Sandra

I watched the show that determined Jermaine Paul was the winner of season 2 for The Voice.

It was so exciting not just that night but watching his transformation from being a back up singer guy to a guy who exuded confidence and strength. This is what I want to focus on… stepping into your role as the “main singer” and not just a “back up”.

I resonated with Jermaine because I feel that I have allowed myself to be the “back up singer” in some respects in my life. I was always helping other people build their dreams — I am a visionary. What I wasn’t doing, likely due to fear, was being the visionary for my own dreams.

As Jermaine stepped it up so have I. On my vision board I took a picture of my feet and wrote, “I am putting two feet in”. I was on my way to school and I saw a friend of mine who is training for a half marathon. I told her I feel like the athlete who has done the training and now I must show up to the race or it means nothing.

I am nearly finished my book. I am “testing” it with a number of young kids to get their feedback. I am working on my first project for corporate culture branding and identity. I am so excited. Jermaine Paul has been an inspiration to me and I hope to others. It is time to step into your purpose, passion and power. And that is exactly what I am doing.

It takes baby steps and as you take one step after another, just as Jermaine did week after week, you look back and see how far you have come. This is true even if you are struggling to find your passion and purpose. Start with what makes you smile and feel good.

One aspect of the show that I loved was the mentoring. I really feel that each coach did an amazing job. Adam, Blake, Cee lo, and Christina were amazing leaders who inspired their teams to do their best — and you saw this week after week. They also gave constructive guidance to help each singer grow week after week. It showed. You do not have to do this alone. Find the person who will stand by you and guide you and encourage you and challenge you.

This weekend I want you to look around at your life — are you happy with your choices? If not, why? Are you the “back up singer” or main singer in your life? Choose to be the main singer in your life. Find a mentor that you can turn to for guidance and support.

Make this life count and live your life in truth. Be honest with yourself and then others.

I want to wish everyone a great weekend.

All my love,

Sandra

Tags: Adam Levine, Cee lo, Jermaine Paul. The Voice, Living your life to the fullest, Team Blake

Noetic Sciences Review
Spring 1996
In the Service of Life
In recent years the question how can I help? has become meaningful to many people. But perhaps there is a deeper question we might consider. Perhaps the real question is not how can I help? but how can I serve?

Serving is different from helping. Helping is based on inequality; it is not a relationship between equals. When you help you use your own strength to help those of lesser strength. If I’m attentive to what’s going on inside of me when I’m helping, I find that I’m always helping someone who’s not as strong as I am, who is needier than I am. People feel this inequality. When we help we may inadvertently take away from people more than we could ever give them; we may diminish their self-esteem, their sense of worth, integrity and wholeness. When I help I am very aware of my own strength. But we don’t serve with our strength, we serve with ourselves. We draw from all of our experiences. Our limitations serve, our wounds serve, even our darkness can serve. The wholeness in us serves the wholeness in others and the wholeness in life. The wholeness in you is the same as the wholeness in me. Service is a relationship between equals.

Helping incurs debt. When you help someone they owe you one. But serving, like healing, is mutual. There is no debt. I am as served as the person I am serving. When I help I have a feeling of satisfaction. When I serve I have a feeling of gratitude. These are very different things.

Serving is also different from fixing. When I fix a person I perceive them as broken, and their brokenness requires me to act. When I fix I do not see the wholeness in the other person or trust the integrity of the life in them. When I serve I see and trust that wholeness. It is what I am responding to and collaborating with.

There is distance between ourselves and whatever or whomever we are fixing. Fixing is a form of judgment. All judgment creates distance, a disconnection, an experience of difference. In fixing there is an inequality of expertise that can easily become a moral distance. We cannot serve at a distance. We can only serve that to which we are profoundly connected, that which we are willing to touch. This is Mother Teresa’s basic message. We serve life not because it is broken but because it is holy.

If helping is an experience of strength, fixing is an experience of mastery and expertise. Service, on the other hand, is an experience of mystery, surrender and awe. A fixer has the illusion of being causal. A server knows that he or she is being used and has a willingness to be used in the service of something greater, something essentially unknown. Fixing and helping are very personal; they are very particular, concrete and specific. We fix and help many different things in our lifetimes, but when we serve we are always serving the same thing. Everyone who has ever served through the history of time serves the same thing. We are servers of the wholeness and mystery in life.

The bottom line, of course, is that we can fix without serving. And we can help without serving. And we can serve without fixing or helping. I think I would go so far as to say that fixing and helping may often be the work of the ego, and service the work of the soul. They may look similar if you’re watching from the outside, but the inner experience is different. The outcome is often different, too.

Our service serves us as well as others. That which uses us strengthens us. Over time, fixing and helping are draining, depleting. Over time we burn out. Service is renewing. When we serve, our work itself will sustain us.

Service rests on the basic premise that the nature of life is sacred, that life is a holy mystery which has an unknown purpose. When we serve, we know that we belong to life and to that purpose. Fundamentally, helping, fixing and service are ways of seeing life. When you help you see life as weak, when you fix, you see life as broken. When you serve, you see life as whole. From the perspective of service, we are all connected: All suffering is like my suffering and all joy is like my joy. The impulse to serve emerges naturally and inevitably from this way of seeing.

Lastly, fixing and helping are the basis of curing, but not of healing. In 40 years of chronic illness I have been helped by many people and fixed by a great many others who did not recognize my wholeness. All that fixing and helping left me wounded in some important and fundamental ways. Only service heals.

Reprinted from Noetic Sciences Review, Spring 1996

Tags: how to give back, Noetic Science Review, Rachel Naomi Remen, to be in service

I am not sure about you but I have had quite the week. We are in a full moon right now with the month of May having the largest, fullest moon to be seen as well as being the closest to the earth.

I am ruled by the moon which means I get quite emotional and affected by this. OH YA it has been quite the week. I have had a week of drama that I have not experienced in the longest time. What has been fascinating and interesting is that it really isn’t coming from me but my children back to me. And then last night I sat down with my ex to discuss some legal stuff around my children.

Here is what happened. MY younger son has been acting out and defiant – particularly with the teachers and teacher monitors. Now he has a defiant nature to start with but I knew that this was different. I could not pin point it. I felt that he was struggling in some sense so I asked my ex to drop my son off so I could talk to him. I hugged him, we talked and he shared. I can see he is struggling with his identity a bit. It is hard having to go between two homes with COMPLETELY different rules then go to school with even more rules. I shared with him what I have come to know and that is he is the same person in each place – WHO HE IS. He is the funny, smart, compassionate, loving, thought-provoking and challenger kid that I know and love. He needs to always be himself. Yes, he can find a better way to challenge people and things but this is one of the things that I love about him. He is the kid who will challenge the status quo and change the world.

My older son… this story goes back to Friday when my younger son bought a fake watch off a friend of his for $20 and because he did not like the colour he sold it to another friend for $12 ($8 deficit – not teaching my son too well about money!) and put another $20 out for another watch. Forget that he had all this money on him that he saved from his allowance at his father’s home I was furious that he made such a poor decision. I had to call the mother of this boy and explain the situation and ask her from the goodness of her heart if we can give back the money for the watch and then I returned the watch for $20. One of my older son’s friend had come over Friday after school and told me that you can buy this knock off watch for $10. This made me even more furious. So … I was upset (the moon was well in its power with me!) and this led to yelling — DRAMA. On the following Tuesday the boys selling the watch got hauled into the principal’s office and when the story got out people started to ask who turned in the boys. Now keep in mind one of the boys selling the watches is the son of a good friend of mine. The friend that was over the previous Friday said maybe it was me … he knew I was mad on the previous Friday so maybe I called. So now a rumour has started.

My older son comes home and says he is not going to Hebrew school. I tell him he has to. He then tells me that the kids at school think I ratted out the boy selling the watches. I look at my son and I am furious. I tell him I did not. Who had the time I was on the phone dealing with the school about my younger son’s behaviour. That day I received 3 calls and one of them was to tell me he was in the principal’s office. I lost it. My older son and I fought in a way that brought me back to the days with my ex husband. There was yelling, screaming, jumping up and down, swearing and it ended with my son not going to Hebrew school. I spent the next hour going to the home of one of the boys that started the rumour to share what happened with his mother. I wanted her to tell her son that I didn’t do it but more importantly he should not spread rumours unless he knows the facts. I spoke to my other friend and asked to speak to her two sons saying that again I did not rat them out, this is not who I am and that I have much more important things to worry about then these fake watches. I then came home and my son and I talked.

That night all I could think about was why all this drama in my life now. After some thought and downtime I realized that here I was being faced with some of the very cycles that I fought to break. I struggled with my identity however today I know who I am and I love who I am. I speak my truth and do it from a loving place. When the mirror of my younger child came back to me I saw how I have grown and how I can now lead the way and guide my children and assure them of who they are.

My fight with Isaac sat with me through the night and I woke up at 4:51am that morning and realized that the person who fought with Isaac was not the person I am today but the person I was. My boyfriend and I do not fight this way, we discuss, speak respectfully and never swear or bring each other down. I saw myself being dragged back into a way that I worked hard at breaking. I have spent the last 6 years to break this cycle of fighting. I woke my son up at 8am and said to him the following:

Last night when we fought and the way we fought was how your father and I would fight. I have spent the last 6 years breaking that cycle. I asked him if he ever sees me and my boyfriend fighting like that? Do we swear at each other? Do we bring each other down? Are we mean to each other? Are we disrespectful? The answer in all cases was a no. I told him that this is not who I am — this is who I was but this is not how I want to live my life — NO drama, no more swearing (yes I can with the best of them), no more yelling. This behaviour will not be acceptable in my home or the one my boyfriend and I plan to create. I said is this how he wants to be – abusive and mean? Is this how he wants to treat his wife? I said we are at a crossroads and he must make a choice how he wants to live his life and who he wants to be. I said that I will bring in some assistance to help us.

Wow it was incredible to face the mirror of my past and see who I was and who I am today.

I know who I am and my worth. My meeting last night with my ex about my children reinforced this even more. Now I must preserve their worth. I am not the same person I was a decade ago in the sense that I have peeled away layers of other peoples’ stuff. Clarity.

This moon brings clarity. Clarity of who we are – our identity, how we want to live our life, who we want to bring in and finally our worth.

I know this was a long story but hopefully you see how things can come up in your life through different ways – our children being one – and see how far we’ve come and guide them to make better choices. They see what they see – how we deal with our stuff or don’t, how we honour ourselves or don’t and how we walk our talk or don’t.

Be true, be honest, and honour your worth.

I wish you all a great weekend.

All my love,

Sandra

Tags: being true to ourselves, clarity, growth, identity crisis, learning about ourselves, truth, who we are

This question stems from a program that I saw on TV regarding the environment and how certain governments recognize that it takes commitment and time to make changes.

CO2 emission is one of our greatest threats to our environment as far a global warming and impact on the environment. Some countries take this very seriously and have put the time and energy into alternative sources of energy. In this program they talked about wind farms and how the people of Denmark, particularly in one small town, Samsoa, have banded together to harness this technology to generate electricity. It didn’t begin this way, it began with one farmer finding benefit and then turning to his fellow neighbours who farm as well and sharing his experience. It then expanded to placing these wind farms in the water.

The benefit is that they are really self sustaining and most important they have reduced their CO2 emissions. They have a plan and are being supported by the government.

The Danish government is committed to making this happen. Are wind farms loud, likely, however they have found a way to accept this fact and place the wind farms in places with the least noise impact. From what I can see on the show, the people of Samsoa do not mind. In Ontario, where we have farms, the farmers are against wind farms, partly because it is too noisy. Perhaps if our government was more committed a solution can be reached: win/win for all parties.

In Rosco, Texas, the heartland of oil and gas, the people also find benefit with using wind farms. This small town is not only reaping the benefits of the wind farms in terms of energy source, but also it has brought jobs and opportunity to an otherwise depressed area. This has been good for them. I believe they said, each wind farm generates $15,000 surplus energy that can be sold to someone who needs it – all profit! What a great way to earn money – making a difference.

Is the US government supporting this??? The problem with the US is that it still supports burning fossil fuel and is responsible for a large portion of CO2 emissions. The other problem is that the energy policy changes every two years with the administration change. There is no long term plan or commitment and that needs to change. Canada is no different. We are living off our laurels of our land. The electric car was killed and we are only focussing on the oil sands and how to extract oil. We need to put a plan in place that begins to look at the long term impact of CO2 emissions. While Canada is relatively a small country we contribute. The other issue is that the Canadian government is too tied to the oil companies — it is like they have them by the balls! The oil companies are too strong. But, it is not all the fault of the oil companies, a lot of taxes, and therefore revenue for the government, is generated from the sale of oil and gas.

Canada and the US need to step back and really make a decision about their commitment to the future of their countries. It means taking a stand now and looking at the next 50+ years. Then the administrations need to support this with action. I am not talking about a stimulus which is about short term decisions. I am talking about making decisions that will impact the next generation and the one following and so on.

We can look to areas and countries that are making long term commitments to reducing CO2 emissions. 3 communities committed to reducing CO2 are rural Alaska, Baltimore, Maryland and Kansas.

One country that has been committed to the environment for decades is Brazil. When the first oil crisis happened in the 1980s they began to support the growth of sugar cane which was cut and made into Ethanol. Their commitment to this has been more than 40 years. The country still uses oil and gas but they have encouraged the manufactures to produce flex cars which allow for either oil or ethanol. In fact, over 50% of the population uses Ethanol, called Alcool (alcohol). The benefit to the environment is that there is NO CO2 being released and it has no adverse affects. It is all good! The other benefit has been the creation of 1 million jobs for sugar cane. These are skilled people working in this area. It is a win/win for everyone. It took time, patience, planning and a commitment from the government which then encouraged the people to support.

China, one of the biggest contributors of CO2 in the world is working on a concept called “clean coal” whereby the CO2 can be drawn out of the coal and we can use the coal for energy. I am waiting on the fence for this. What the program didn’t discuss was by how much will the burning of fossil fuel, coal, be reduced. Is reducing the impact in half enough? To me, because we know of other alternatives to renewable energy sources that have no adverse affects then I believe we need to consider these first. Time will tell the benefit of “clean coal”.

In Canada and the US we can grow corn and create ethanol for our cars. For this to work the government must buy in and support this, not for 1 or 2 years but decades.

I ask the question, how committed is your government to your environment? From what I can see, a lot of lip service is happening in Canada and we have no plan! I am scared for my children. This must change and now!

The solutions are out there, we as the people who live on this planet need to push our governments to care more. If they produce an electric car that can run the same as your gas car, would you use it? What about creating flex cars (which already exist) that can run on alcohol? Would you drive this car if you got the same performance as your car now? I am definitely buying a hybrid car next.

I am giving you food for thought. Have a great weekend.

All my best,

Sandra

Tags: china, clean coal experiment, ethanol and Brazil, government support of reducing CO2, reducting CO2, Samsoa Denmark, sustainable energy, use of ethanol, wind farms

It’s spring time and most people look to this time to declutter: physically removing stuff in their homes, offices, cottages and so on. I have wanted to declutter my basement for a while – collect the toys, books and arts and crafts that people are not using – and give them to people that can use them; pay it forward. So last weekend I had 3 hours and I did just that. I collected 7 bags of stuff.

I pulled out everything and decided what I wanted to keep and then had the boys go through a pile and decide what they wanted to keep. The irony is that while I was physically removing things I didn’t want from my house I was also emotionally and spiritually decluttering as well. In the past few weeks I have been addressing my core beliefs and which ones I want to keep and which ones I want to discard or hand back to someone else. I also have been focussing on healing and foregiveness; ridding myself of lower energy emotions like anger and sadness. I still have some work to do with frustration.

What has emerged is a clarity and knowing what I want, my purpose, my why in life. This has also been coupled with where I am at in my book writing: corporate culture branding and identity. I just finished a section in my book about how we market and sell – ourselves, our work and product or service. Decluttering my mind has allowed me to see things clearly. One great learning is how I share and sell myself and my work. Like most marketers I used to sell my “features and benefits, what I do” rather than sharing my belief system, my cause, my purpose, and why I do what I do; what impact I want to have on the world; what gets me up every morning so I can fulfill my purpose and passion.

I also know I want to work with people that align with my belief system and support it not just for me but for themselves. I truly understand this.

I am taking this knowledge and going into the corporate world to help companies identify their WHY (most companies know what they do but not why – what is their purpose and drive and it is not the make a profit – that is a result of a transaction).

I realize that my work will challenge CEOs and owners and boards’ belief system. The more I can express that by being clear on your WHY will help shape your corporate culture, the people you attract to your business (employees), sales, and a reason for people to align with their company. It can end up being a “decluttering” and clarifying moment to identify your purpose, why you exist and see this in every aspect of your business or organization. I understand that many will resist so I need to find a way to help them declutter in a way that is non threatening and one they can relate to. I need to reduce fear around the unknown. I truly believe if you want to be a leader who inspires and gets people to act and behave in a certain way, you must know your why. People will buy from you, join your cause and support you because they believe what you believe and not because what you do.

This weekend begin the decluttering process. It will be a journey. Let go of what is no longer you, doesn’t make you feel good or is just a memory and you do not use the item any more. You will begin to strip away layers and get closer to who you are. What items do you want to surround yourself with? The physical will likely seep into the emotional and spiritual if you let it.

You will find your greatest happiness within when you are in truth and authenticity. Be proud of who you are and share that with the world, personally and professionally.

I want to wish everyone a wonderful weekend.

All my love,

Sandra

Tags: be authentic, decluttering, getting to the truth

I came home last night to find 2 bags of someone else’s garbage on my lawn. It was garbage day the next day and I hadn’t put out my garbage yet so someone assumed that my space was free — but it wasn’t.

I didn’t like this. I don’t want someone else’s garbage! It made me mad. So I got my garbage cans out and brought out my garbage and stuffed their garbage into mine. Why am I deliberating on this topic — I have been dealing with my stuff – my emotional “garbage” and physical “garbage” – working through it so I can heal and release it. I also know that as an em-path I often pick up other people’s emotional “garbage”. I am aware of this and know I need to shield. Well, last night couldn’t have been a stronger message from the universe.

I told you… sometimes I need to be hit over the head with a hammer, so to speak. Lately, I have been taking on other people’s stuff and to be honest it has been draining and even frustrating. These people are not doing it on purpose, that is just who I am. This is more so when I love the person and just want to help make things better.

The lesson for me is to step back. Even though I love a person (my sons, my boyfriend, my brother, etc.) I need to let them go through and deal with their “garbage”. So seeing someone else’s garbage on my lawn was a clear message – step back!

As a nurturer I must remind myself to nurture myself first and then I can nurture others. We all have our journey and learning. I get that. I really don’t want to take away this experience for someone else. So step back it is. It will not only alleviate some of my own frustration but the other person’s as well. I have to trust (and I do) that they will make the right choices for them. If these choices impact me then I can deal with that.

The other part that came out of this awareness last night is that some of the other person’s garbage was actually a trigger for me. I realized I was responding to some unfinished business with myself. I was projecting onto the other person some of my own issue. I realize that now and I had to step back and ask myself, why and what was causing this. I have identified the why and what and am now dealing with it.

If I can offer and guidance and wisdom it is to not take on other people’s garbage. It is not your problem to solve. Even when you love someone so much that you feel you need to step in, stop yourself and let that person find their way. That doesn’t mean you walk away, no you can show support, encouragement and even offer guidance if asked. Once given then step back and let them handle their “garbage”/issue in their own way.

It takes a lot of love and strength to do so. Find your strength!

This weekend see who’s stuff are you picking up and then hand it back.

I want to wish everyone a wonderful weekend.

All my love,

Sandra

Tags: growth and learning, how to clear emotional garbage, letting go of internal stuff

This weekend we celebrate Passover and Easter. I love this time of year. For me it is about releasing the “bondage” that holds me back; the bondage is perceived and in my mind. This holiday, to me, is about Freedom .. to move forward and live the life I choose.

While we are not enslaved physically (at least in North America), we can be enslaved mentally. Mentally, we can stop ourselves for being the best we can be and living the life we want. We do this through our thoughts and actions — sabotaging ourselves in so many ways.

In order to “free” ourselves from our self-induced bondage we need to first be aware that we are creating the blocks and then shift our energy, thoughts, feelings and beliefs to open ourselves up — to create and be!

Last week I wrote in my article that I identified three areas I wanted to work on – being critical, my anger, and self-doubt. These are three things that do not serve me and my higher good. This is so much so that in the past I have allowed these three things to sabotage my movement forward. I have accepted that these have been part of me however I am now handing it back to the people who taught me this in the first place — it is no longer mine.

This year I will break the chains and cycles around these areas. I am not there yet, but each day I practice being more in my truth and coming from a place of heart energy, love and compassion. I do slip back into my old ways however I do my best to move through it quickly and return to who I am and want to be. I feel like I am being tested and sometimes I pass the test and sometimes I fail the test… that’s ok I am human and I am exactly where I am meant to be.

I am determined to break the cycles that have been holding me back. There are no excuses. While at times I want to give up I know I cannot. I have come too far and have too much to offer. I will finish and publish my book and share it with the world. I will learn to be the best public speaker I can be. No longer will fear paralyse me. Right now I am working through some of my fears – breaking those thought patterns as well.

It’s about taking baby steps, as I say.

This weekend I want to wish everyone celebrating a holiday a wonderful holiday and much health and happiness for you and your families. For those who do not celebrate either, I wish you a wonderful weekend.
At some point during this weekend, step back and see where you are creating the blocks and sabotaging yourself. Once you are aware you can deal with it.

All my love,

Sandra

Tags: blocks, bondage, breaking the cycles, creating blocks, Easter, passover, self-induced bondage

I don’t know about you but this has been a week of people choosing or being forced to deal with something from their past that they either ignored or buried and did not deal with. Have any of you experienced this? Can you relate?

It is not just me experiencing this but so many people I know. I am writing about it because I feel that the energy now is supporting this – purging, dealing with, healing and releasing to bring us closer to our truth. Those that continue to turn their cheek or refuse to deal with their truth, are suffering. I have also witnessed this with someone close to me.

I talked about last week planting our seeds. To plant a seed and watch it grow sometimes you need to clear a path for it to do so. So here we are this week clearing the way so we can live the life that we want and choose. But this means acknowledging and addressing that which has blocked us from moving in the direction of truth.

I said last weekend I was going to sit down and write out what I want and “plant my seeds”. I got to it on Monday. It was an interesting process. In many ways I felt like I was setting my intentions but one thing that was different was that I clearly identified behaviour’s that I have that I DO NOT LIKE and want to rid of. I am working to clear the anger I have been holding for so long — it not longer serves me. I know I have the propensity to be critical – this is a “gift” handed to me by my father. It is a behaviour that I took on and one that definitely does not serve me and one I want to hand back to my father. This is not who I want to be nor who I am. The third thing is trusting completely in me. I am just about to finish my book and I am so proud of it and KNOW that others will benefit from it.

So not only did I write what I want I spent more time writing what I want to rid of. There was something that I read that said we are in a time of healing, forgiveness, being complete and releasing until April 16th.

TRUTH – this is where we are at. I was honest with myself, what my “areas of growth” were and I am really ok with it. I know it does not define me and I can change it at any moment.

So what have I seen this week:

1. A very close friend had an issue with her sister that was “buried”, “put aside” three years ago. Interestingly this issue resurfaced but not by her or her sister but by someone else. I told her she needs to address her truth to her sister and in the end come to a decision – agree to disagree and be ok with that, find a common ground – something. She has begun this process and I am proud of her. This issue will resolve itself and she is dealing with it.

2. Someone close to me finally came to a place that he knew he could not live his life the way it was unfolding. He decided that he and his wife really needed to split- for them, for the kids. Unfortunately no action plan was set in place and really that decision was put on hold and while the truth was out there it was being cast aside UNTIL something happened which forced this man to accept his decision and begin acting on it.

For those that know what they need to do and talk about it and do nothing to make a change — you will suffer for you have not made the decision and than created the action steps (you do not need to know all the answers … baby steps is all that it takes)to bring about this change.

You can no longer bury things, claim the victim, put your head in the sand (so to speak) and NOT deal with an issue or situation. It will surface and the truth will come out whether you like it or not.

3. A woman I know was “fired” from her job. She was totally surprised yet her and her boss have not got along and did not see eye to eye – personality clash- for years. This is a gift. I have another friend who also was fired from her job and it was the best thing that happened to her. She was unhappy and kept putting off the decision to leave. Being forced out allowed her to really see what she wanted and in the end she has been hired for the job she really wants. She is excited!

4. Going through divorce- sometimes the truth is speaking our truth and putting your foot down; Not letting people take advantage of you. This is what one close person went through. He has been compliant in all areas of his divorce and finally the universe pushed a situation that bordered on illegal and misconduct from the other side and he stood up for himself and put his foot down and said NO. I am really proud of him.

For others who need to speak up, speak their truth … the time is now. You do not have to come from a place of anger or meanness. Rather, come from knowing and calm. You will find, as I have, that coming from this way you attract more of what you want.

If you did not take the time last week to determine where you want to plant the seeds, where you want to “weed” from your life, please do so. Truth will prevail. It may appear as though you are suffering when you address an issue but in truth you are just moving through and releasing that which has held you — for days, weeks and even years.

Its time to be in the driver seat, take responsibility for our actions and choices. Enjoy the ride!

Have a great weekend.

With all of my love,

Sandra

Tags: burying your head in the sand, clearing, foregiven, forgiveness, healing, how to address the truth, planting the seeds, releasing, Spring cleaning, truth, truth will prevail

This is the first time in as long as I can remember that the spring weather superseded the actual spring date. We have had spring-like weather for weeks now. It has been incredible. The official spring equinox arrived on Wed. March 21st.

As with spring it is a time to clean out, throw out, release, let go and then open up space to plant our seeds: physically, emotionally and spiritually. The spring equinox was a powerful one. While there is still so much fear out there we are moving away from the male dominated energy towards a balanced energy, masculine and feminine. The spring cleaning that we do in our homes, offices, and so on is being done on a larger scale in the environment (mother earth and sky) and universe. We are slowly ridding ourselves of corrupt governments, looking to stabilize and balance the financial markets (that may take a bit longer) and most important realizing that we are one world.

I want to get back to planting the seeds. Now more than ever it is imperative that you sit down and ask yourself, “what do I want?” I know that is what I will be doing this weekend. I will set my intentions for my life with respect to my work, my book, my children, my boyfriend and our future, my home, travelling and more. We are the designers of our life and our thoughts, beliefs, and actions. These will determine our outcome. I recognize that I still hold some of my old patterns that are not serving me well so part if this weekend is to acknowledge how I am feeling and then let it go.

It is my time and I will embrace every minute of what is about to happen in my life. I am excited to finish my book and bring it to the youth, both here and abroad. I am also excited to work in the corporate world helping companies brand themselves through their corporate culture. Patience is the message I am getting.

So I need to step back and plant the seeds of my intentions of what I desire. I ask that you do the same this weekend. Take time to really consider what you want in your life. You deserve it!

I want to wish everyone a wonderful spring like day (for those in the southern hemisphere – a wonderful fall day).

All my love,

Sandra

Tags: making changes, planting the seeds of thought, spring equinox

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