Living Energy Blog

Galaxy in Universe courtesy of thanucorn

Mark Borax’s Cosmic Weather Report for November is worth reading if you would like to gain a deeper understanding of our unprecedented times.

He articulates how the patterns and cycles of the past 40 years have moved into mainstream consciousness, with 57% of the USA supporting change.

He tells us why the time is right to step into our authentic selves, breaking free of past patterns that have kept us locked in place.

At minimum you may begin to understand your deeper self a little better and know that at times we have all been feeling a bit confused. It is part of the pattern.

Mark tells us that the next significant date of revolutionary social change is June 24, 2012. Hold on tight and ride the wave. You may find that moving forward is about going with the flow rather than fighting against it.

We’re hearing a lot about memory these days. What does it have to do with energy and being? Quite a bit, actually. Joshua Foer, author of Moonwalking with Einstein: The Science of Remembering Everything, tells us that to memorize is to be more mindful and to pay more attention to the world around you. He says that “remembering can only happen if you decide to take notice.” Taking notice is about being present. The more you notice and register in your mind via lively details, the more you truly experience. Your perspective broadens and your life becomes richer.

One of the tricks to remembering is to categorize what you’d like to remember into segments that represent people, objects and actions, make them vivid or “sticky”, and then store them in memory palaces (such as the rooms of your childhood home). Think about your own life and some of the things you can clearly recall. What are some of your happiest moments as a child? What about the saddest or the most frightening? What do you recall about your first job? How about your first relationship? More than likely an array of events, circumstances and situations come to mind. You can probably recall the exact day or time, who was present, where you were, what was happening. The deeper the imprint, the more likely you are to remember.

Although it takes a bit of practice, you can train your memory. As your memory expands, your knowledge base and perspective do as well. In ancient times, the collective memory was maintained and shared orally through the power of story. People memorized the stories and passed them down from generation to generation, expanding the mind. As the written word emerged, the human collective memory shifted from the individual mind to books. Now we are experiencing another significant shift with the proliferation of aids — such as the internet, smart phones with apps that will tell you where to park, what to eat, GPS systems that remember addresses and direct you how to go, and much more — that literally replace our memory. One of the downsides is that we don’t have to remember … our devices do it for us. This trend coincides with our stress-filled lives and the increasing decline of our memories.

Our lives are profoundly shaped by our perceptions and our perspective about life is expanded by our experiences … what we see, feel, hear, touch, and what we know.  To help broaden your mind and expand your energy, seek out new experiences and be mindful of them. Observe everything and remember to practice the art of presence every day.

Related articles

• Moonwalking (thefineprints.wordpress.com)
• Memory: Content or Method? (customerthink.com)

Flexibility and adaptability are definitely a sign of our times.

One of the latest challenges was the October Nor’easter that swept through New England last weekend. I (Peg) happened to be in NYC and was caught off-guard. Following a gorgeous late October Friday, the wet and heavy snow felt a bit surreal as we were suddenly plunged into winter. Sloshing through city streets with umbrellas blowing and wearing shoes instead of boots was not fun. The next day was gorgeous again: a clear blue and sun glistening through foliage. As we traveled north, however, a different picture emerged. Abandoned cars on snowy roadways and fallen trees soon gave way to long gas lines that reminded me of the 1970’s energy crisis. We knew something more had happened. Power was out throughout parts of NY, CT, MA and NH. Luckily we were able to fill the gas tank just when we needed it.

We arrived home to no power and an hour’s light left. Since our town felt like a war zone with extensive damage to trees and power lines, we decided to pack our bags for a Tuesday trip to CA and head further north where things were operating fine. I spent Monday with a client near the NH seacoast. By mid-day the snow had melted and everyone was preparing for Halloween. Simultaneously, Halloween was quickly being rescheduled in areas hard hit by the storm. Very early Tuesday morning we traveled back home and emptied our refrigerator by flashlight. Three days without power were beginning to take its toll on the refrigerator. Later in the day we arrived in San Diego, a world apart from the one we left behind, where five days later the power remains out in many areas. Along the way, our connecting flight was cancelled due to a maintenance issue. The two-hour delay gave us time to slow down, enjoy a meal and people-watch in Phoenix.

It’s been a whirlwind week with many experiences of energy extremes: calm vs. stormy weather, cool vs. warm temperatures, East vs. West coast, city energy vs. country vs. seacoast, the generosity of friends and neighbors, and more. I used much of the time to observe and study energy …energy of the environment, the weather, people, and people’s reactions to events, as well as my own feelings and reactions to the circumstances and events around me. I consciously pulled my energy in while riding the NYC subway and allowed it to expand and soak up the energy of the NH seacoast as well as the coastline of southern CA. I was grateful to one neighbor for clearing our driveway of fallen tree branches before we returned home on Sunday and for another driving us to the airport Tuesday morning. I was also grateful that we found gas exactly when we needed it on our return trip from NYC and to the airline customer service rep for rescheduling us on the next flight to San Diego after the cancelled flight. We were delighted to find our luggage waiting for us when we arrived and now look forward to visiting our West Coast family and friends.

We are clearly living through changing times. An effective response is to be flexible and adaptable. Know that plans may change at any time. Be open to the unexpected and maintain a sense of curiosity about what it may bring. Notice your reactions and feelings. If you find yourself getting tense or feeling stressed, breathe. Take a step back, reflect about what is going on and more importantly, notice your reaction to what is occurring. You may not be able to change what is happening, but you are in charge of your reaction to it. Use these changing times to practice going with the flow. Be flexible, kind, compassionate, and patient. Adapt to each situation at hand based on what is happening in the moment. You may find it’s an easier way to live.

Energy. It’s everywhere. Inside. Outside. All around and ever-expanding. Karen Kallie, Tony Pace and I call our work together Living Energy because it is alive, connected and always changing.

One of the aspects of energy that fascinates me is how our individual and collective energy patterns are mirrored in our space and visa versa. Have you ever noticed a pattern between your computer or technical devices and personal energy?  I have. When my energy is not running smoothly, my computer displays similar patterns and visa versa.

When it takes me longer than usual to do something, I know it is time to shift my energy, attention and focus: take a break, go for a walk, do some yoga, meditate, garden, write a note, cook a meal, call a friend, etc.  When I return, the process usually goes much more smoothly and takes far less time. Since this is a type of energy I want to expand every day, it’s worthwhile for me to tune in and notice what is happening. If I continued on the same path, I would be expanding the energy of blockage, frustration, jams and more.

The next time you realize that you are pushing against something, take a break. As Esther and Jerry Hicks might say, drop your oars, allow your boat to turn around and float downstream. Shifting your focus changes your energy and enables a new pattern to take root. Going with the flow that comes naturally to each of us, through our hearts and intuition, is far easier than moving against the current. It also feels much better.

Everything we experience has an energetic reality. How can we begin to notice it in order to have more awareness and ability to shift  things in our lives? Consider the following examples…

Have you ever felt or said any of the following?

1. I feel like I am always running to catch up. (With yourself, life, others)

2. I feel drained, empty, depleted, like I am out of gas.

3. I am burned out.

4. I am beside myself. (In general, or with a feeling E.G. fear, anger, jealousy)

5. I feel so scattered, fragmented, all over the place.

6. My heart is breaking; is broken.

7. I feel knifed in the back; sucker punched.

An energetic perspective offers us more options for resolutions to problems that are not available otherwise. Our solutions can be more to the point, more effective and permanent.

Here are a few examples to illustrate an energy connection to our expressions using the above statements as examples.

1. Your energy field may be projected way out ahead of you making you feel like you have to catch up with it. Our energy belongs inside us
where it can perfuse our physical bodies, inform our feelings and help us think clearly. Illness results when our energy is chronically projected out, or we are not properly aligned with it.

2. When our energy supplies are low we feel drained, depleted, like we have no fuel to go on. Of course the solution here is to learn how to build, replenish and maintain energy, but also we must look to where and how our energy is leached out of us and make a correction at the
source.

3. Feeling burned out is an extreme state of depletion that can come into being as a result of not paying attention to restoring ourselves when we hear the whispers that tell us we are running out of fuel/energy.

4. Intense emotion can result in our energy leaving the body as a way to protect ourselves. However we can forget to correct that situation
after the stress has passed and a part of ourselves remains split off. This can become a habitual way of responding to intensity as well and then we have feelings of not being fully present in our lives…and we’re not!

5. Being scattered is exactly that. You are sending your energy in so many directions that it is not with you and you are not available
to perform at your best.

6. Who has not felt the pain of loss, disappointment or hurt in the heart chakra?

7. As stated previously, everything has an energetic component including thoughts, words, deeds and intentions. If someone speaks harshly or
abusively, you feel it. Think about a time when you felt that someone had slung an arrow of insult toward you, or ‘put you down’ or gave you a mixed message. With mixed messages (E.G. someone gives you a barb but denies that they are often shifting the blame to you for being too sensitive or imagining things),  the problem is that we are sensing the person’s intentions along with the awareness that the words and
intent do not match.

Other ways to recognize energetic patterns

Another way to notice the dance of energy in your life is to look at what happens on a daily basis. Are the people you meet friendly? How do
you get treated in stores by clerks?

Do you always run into the worst traffic? Is it easy for you to find what you want or need? Does chaos follow you?  Now we are not going to suggest that you see every detail as somehow speaking to your inner state. BUT a lot of what happens, what walks by on a daily basis, reverberates with our deeper thoughts, feelings, limiting beliefs and unresolved issues and it is there that we can take charge of ourselves and shift some of our experience.

These ways of looking more deeply at your life also can help you get clear on what is not an issue, not a part of your makeup. As you
ask different questions, observe the ebb and flow of events, you are calling on the ability to define and know who you are. The process itself has a way of helping you to know yourself more intimately.

Listening to others interpretations about you and your patterns can also be enlightening but a balance needs to be struck. On one hand,
others have a vantage point that you do not have. On the other hand, they can have their own agendas, projections and unresolved material that may be coloring their feedback to you. After all, since we are human, everything is filtered through our perspective and the perspectives of everyone around us daily.  Wisdom grows as we learn to sift and sort through these various stacks of information to come to the best truth
possible at any given moment.

Above all, cultivate a light heart, an open mind, a playful spirit to help understand these rich sources of self knowledge. Over time this approach ultimately makes your life more interesting, flowing,  happy, rewarding and fun!

Related articles

• Are You Feeling Scattered, Stressed or Frazzled? (fengshuiconnections.com)

Take a time out when your energy is tangled or knotted!

Do you ever feel like your wires get crossed, knotted or all tangled up?  This happens to me periodically, particularly with technology. Yesterday I spent three times the length of time it took me to write a communication to rectify a technical snag in the program. The longer I spent trying to fix the problem, the more constricted my energy became. I knew what was happening, yet I continued down the path. I felt that if I just tried a little harder I just might “get it.” I took a break for a few hours while I went for a walk and prepared dinner before approaching it again in the evening. I made progress, which brought some relief, but there was still one piece evading me. By the time I was ready to call for help, online support was closed for the evening. I tried again … using a few different approaches. Still no luck. Late into the night I acknowledged that I would set the problem aside, get a good night’s sleep, and contact the Help Desk in the morning. I’m glad I did. The problem was fixed within half an hour.

As I was going through this process I realized that my experience was a replica of what many of us do each day. When we have a problem, we push and push, trying harder and harder. We might make some progress but often not enough to resolve it completely. As we get deeper and deeper into the issue, our energy gets all tangled up. Once it is knotted up inside it gets harder to extract ourselves and seek a different route. We experience blockages at many levels … mental confusion and frustration, physical tightness of breath and body, emotionally we may feel anxious, be short with oneself or those we encounter.  The more wrapped up or emotionally invested we are in the issue, the harder it is to solve.

There is an art to gently untangling knotted energy. The solution is to step away from the situation, create some space and allow options to present themselves. Anything that brings relief will ease such situations, open the door and allow options to present themselves. A walk usually helps me. I often get a lot of ideas and answers as I walk. Yesterday this was not the case. A good night’s sleep is next on my list. This is what helped me. I went to sleep knowing that I would get a resolution to my problem in the morning. After I finally set it aside, I knew getting the right help would take far less time than I had already invested. And that is exactly what happened.

The next time you realize that your energy is tangled, step away from the situation and create space. Withdraw your attention from the problem and change your pace. Breathe. Go for a walk. Meditate. Play. Watch a movie. Read a book. Spend time with family or friends. Do something creative. Sleep. Return with a fresh perspective and re-charged energy. Take a new approach. It will make a difference.

Related articles

• Untangled (chrisbrogan.com)
• An Untangled Moment (karmalifereadings.wordpress.com)

Compassion as a thought, a concept, guides us to do good. There is a self reinforcing loop that forms between our compassionate actions and hearts. This can help to build a deeper well of compassion to draw from and is good for both the “giver and receiver”. This dynamic has actually been studied and shown to boost heart intelligence/health , reduce stress and promote immunity.Compassion is good medicine!

I also believe there is another compassion beyond that sourced in the conceptual …one that emerges from deep within a soulful person…one who has a profound connection with the rhythm. pain, beauty and harmony of life and living. This compassion flows from a fullness of heart and soul seemingly because it must — a clear, direct, honest expression of the inner being of that person. Energy, power, consciousness and passion blend in an exquisite web flung wide into the world to be shared with all—and to serve as a model of what possible for all should we choose to open to it.

Maya Angelou is such a soul. Her presence, voice and essence reaches deep inside those with ears to hear stirring latent soul qualities and encouraging them to be given birth through each one of us.

Look to nature for things to appreciate!

Many people have recently expressed that their energy is unsettled, leaving them feeling scattered and fragmented. As a result they are easily distracted, have a hard time focusing on the task at hand and get annoyed with small, inconsequential matters. Can you identify with this?

Part of what happening is that we are living through unprecedented change on so many levels. Things that are not working are breaking down in order to be remade …this includes health, work, relationships, long standing institutions and companies, governments, you name it.  We’ve been seeing the pace accelerate for months.

An effective way to shift your energy and get back on track is to take a situation that annoys you and express genuine gratitude for what is good about it and what is working well. Use what is not working to help you focus and identify what you do appreciate. For example, maybe there is someone in your life that you find particularly irritating. Identify the traits you don’t like and view them through new eyes. Take a different perspective. Perhaps a controlling personality can be seen as expressing determination, reliability, passion and care. If you don’t like your job and are hanging on out of fear that nothing else is available, perhaps you could express gratitude for having the means to support yourself or your family, providing a valuable service to someone in need or developing the qualities of grace and patience. Maybe a speeding ticket is a good reminder to slow down or helped prevent an accident. How can you view a troubling situation in your life through new eyes?

Another technique is to express gratitude before going to sleep for at least five things that happened or that you experienced or noticed during your day. Write them down in a notebook or journal. As you do, feel genuine appreciation. Your energy will begin to shift as you write and the process will continue as you sleep, imprinting your cells and subconscious with more calm and more coherent energy.

Gratitude is one of those magical ingredients that you can use to begin to realign your energy …sometimes overnight.  Practice and experiment with it to help you move beyond judgment, accepting things as they are and bringing more compassion and wisdom to each day. A conscious, gracious, and heart-centered approach may make a big difference with the way your day unfolds.

Related articles

• Are There Benefits of Gratitude? (livingenergyworks.com)
• Great Video from 365 Grateful (livingenergyworks.com)

Today, Labor Day, 2011, I find myself reflecting on the meaning of work. Most times when I hear about work it is in a negative context such as: “Ugh! I have to go to work.” Or “No, I can’t do that, I have to work today.” Or one’s spirit is a bit deflated and resigned to: “I wish I could join you but I have to work.” Sometimes I hear people looking forward to the future: “I can’t wait to retire. Then I won’t have to work.” Some of my Facebook friends commented on those who were working on this holiday vs. those were enjoying the fruits of that labor. The ones doing the commenting were the ones “working” today and not enjoying it.

So what is “work” and why does so much of our life revolve around it? What is your purpose in exerting physical labor or mental activity? In a larger context, consider whether or not your work reflects your passion … something that interests you deeply, something you care about and something you love doing. A job, on the other hand, is a way to earn a living and pay your bills. If you are among the lucky ones, you love your job and that is your work.  Imagine how different the world would be if everyone unhappy with their jobs, switched until they found something they truly loved and then they engaged passionately in daily work. Or perhaps people could begin to view their jobs differently and appreciate the ways in which their job adds value to their life as well as the lives of others.

It used to baffle me why people spend so much of their lives doing something that they regularly complain about or that genuinely makes them sick or that they don’t enjoy. The more deeply I engage in my work, the more I realize that it’s because many people live their lives unconsciously, on automatic pilot, and feel powerless to change. Without thinking, people spout off about going to work, being at work or having to work. Are you among them? When this happens, universal forces arrange themselves to bring you exactly what you are feeling and what you express. Reflect on this for a moment. How do you feel about your job or your work and what do you say to others or articulate about your circumstances?  Do you see any patterns between what you convey and what actually happens or unfolds?

The good news is that you and your circumstances can change, even with our high rates of unemployment. In a few days, Karen Kallie, Tony Pace and I will launch the first program in our Living Energy: Personal Energy Empowerment Series. Watch for it. It might help you shift your life and engage in work that you truly love. Perhaps by Labor Day 2012 you will be positioned to love your work and your job!

Related articles

• Labor Day (xandrepressview.com)
• Labor Day Blessings! (guchiid.wordpress.com)

In a previous post we talked about what it felt like to be present. We would probably all agree that we would like to be more present in our lives and feel connected, aware and not so scattered or disconnected. So what gets in the way?

 Most common blocks to presence

Expectations … ego, self talk, mind chatter
Getting caught in emotional turmoil
Focus on the rules of how one should be vs. how you are really feeling
Blaming others for your feelings or condition vs. taking ownership/responsibility for self

How do you become more present?
Fundamentally being present, the experience and ability is determined by the state of your energy body. Thoughts, feelings, beliefs/expectations all have energetic underpinnings. Energy body or aura and its make up determine where you will be at ease and where you will have challenges with being present in your life. Working with your energy gives you a direct way into bringing more presence to yourself and your life. True presence flows from having all your energy bodies clear and balanced

• Become present to your own emotional turmoil and do what is needed to clear it
• Practice being heart focused and release mind chatter
• Uncover core beliefs that block your free and easy presence
• Practice releasing judgment, analysis and inner commentary re: people and situations
• Learn what it takes and how it feels to respond to life in its unfolding 
• Open more to your essential being–that free and clear space beyond the busy mind
• Remain with what is and let it teach you instead of escaping into default patterns
• When you are present sometimes it sucks: create space, cultivate open acceptance to allow for now moment  
• Remember acceptance of all does not mean you must stay in awful situations or with people who are offensive. Vote with your feet! Notice and clear what blocks you from doing so.

All of the above is an ongoing process…be kind and gentle with yourself as you align with new energy,  develop stronerg spiritual muscles,  and more joyous brain pathways. Focus on how good it feels to be in a new space internally. We need to work on clearing but it is just as important to open to new energy and learn how to embody it and flow with new patterns.

Approach whatever changes you wish to make with a light, curious attitude. even though a lot of inner work can be serious it does not have to be spirit or soul deadening–after all what you are trying to do is to bring the lightness of spirit more into your physical vehicle and open to the flow of more peace, joy and harmony.