February 5, 2011: Reactions

Hola, All! Today we are going to talk about why we get our feelings hurt or why we react to a situation or another person. "The Way of Mastery" says that ....."you will continue to project upon others what remains unhealed and unforgiven within yourself. Each time you react to another, you are being given a sign that there is some kind of energy that has been presented to your awareness that you have not forgiven within yourself. If someone is critical and you react everytime they are critical, you have not healed that part of your own being--that part of your own experience of being critical of others." Isn't it interesting that when we react to someone or something, it tells us that we have some healing and forgiving work to do. Look at all the times during the day that the opportunity arises for us to heal and forgive others and ourselves. "The Way of Mastery" tells us to count our blessings when we feel disturbed. My first reaction was, geez, what kind of blessing is that! But it is a blessing because it gives us the opportunity to release healing Love to ourselves and to others. But, how does it work? After we realize that we have some healing to do, try to relax, breathe deeply, and ask yourself, "What is it within this person's energy that is really causing my reaction?" Pay attention to the first thing that enters your head because that is the source of your disturbance. Maybe it was something your mom said years ago, and you are still carrying that memory around because everytime you have thought about it, you tried to push it deeper inside of yourself, not wanting to deal with it. If you are ready to release this memory, here is what you can do: Let the memory arise while you breathe and relax, not judging but honoring it, and sending it love. Then bring to mind a time when you said something hurtful to someone, and say to yourself: "I forgive me for being critical. I forgive my judgment of myself. I choose to teach only Love." You have now released those memories, and that is why I told you earlier that it is a blessing when we react to something someone said. It's all about releasing our unforgiving feelings and healing ourselves. Reacting to another person or situation is our signal that we have unresolved memories, and now you know that there is a way to release them.
You are Love, I am Love,
Dawnie

February 4, 2011: Are you the Judge?

Hola, All! I was reading in "The Way of Mastery" about what happens to our bodies when we judge ourselves, judge others, judge situations, etc. "Judgment causes the very cellular structure to break down. If you could see this, you would never judge again. When you judge, even the cells of your body go crazy. They vibrate in a completely dissonant way. There is contraction. The fluids do not move through the cells. The nutrients do not become transported or delivered to the cells. The waste matter is not processed properly. Everything gets clogged up, and there is dis-ease." Holy Cow; who knew! But, it does make sense that being critical would have an impact upon our bodies. Now that I know this, what can I do to keep from judging? It seems to be such a natural part of life, but it was a learned response. So, if I learned how to judge, then logic tells me that I can unlearn how to judge. One way I am working on is whenever I catch myself passing judgment, I stop and say something like, "I forgive you and I forgive me; I love you and I love me." Even though I probably pass judgment at least 100 times a day, I only caught myself once today.........and it wasn't even about a real person. Ed and I were watching a movie when I made an unkind comment about one of the characters. The good news is that I caught myself just after I said it. I know that I need to pay MORE attention to the thoughts that go through my head and the words that come out of my mouth. Since judging seems to be a national passtime, do you have any creative ways of slowing down this process? I would love to hear your suggestions.
I am Love; You are Love,
Dawnie

February 2, 2011: I Am

Hola, All! I was reading in "The Way of Mastery" this morning about how we are all a being inside of a body, that who we truly are is inside of us. Our body is just the 'shell' housing our spirit, and our spirit is connected to God. This got me to thinking about how we think about ourselves, the way we word things in English, and how it's different in the Spanish language. For instance, we say, "I am 29 years old" where in Spanish they say, "I have 29 years." Wouldn't it be easier to accept that age is just a number if we thought of ourselves as 'having' so many years instead of 'being' so many years? Or, we say, "I'm hungry and thirsty", but in Spanish it's "I have hunger and thirst". Does hunger and thirst define who you really are, or is it a description of the way you are feeling at that moment? One of my favorites in Spanish is "You have reason", instead of "You're right". Are you really 'right' or are you using logic? In English we define ourselves all day by starting with "I am .....". Truly the only thing we are is Spirit, connected to Divine Love. Here's a little homework: the next time you say "I am.......", try to rephrase it to describe what you are feeling, instead of defining what you are.
You are Love, I am Love,
Dawnie

January 27, 2011:

Hola, All! On Thursday mornings is a book study of "The Way of Mastery" at Cathedral of Light in Carrollton. I had been going in the fall, then my attention got diverted with various projects and happenings. I am happy to say that I am again attending this wonderful study, led by Rev. Kay, and enjoying every minute. It's weird because when I was going last fall, almost everytime I went, I would be real interested in the beginning, but as the class continued, I would start to get tired, until I was literally fighting to stay awake. No bueno! I'm not sure what was happening but I think I just needed time to get adjusted to things like, the way Rev Kay leads the discussion, and the other people in the class (most of whom I don't know). Or maybe it was my own ego getting in my way, since I was not the one leading the class (not that I have the knowledge to do it anyway). And, you know that I DO like to be the leader!
"The Way of Mastery" is similar to "A Course in Miracles", in that both are studies on how to find inner peace, by being the loving, peaceful, forgiving, joyous beings that God created. Both books are excellent manuscripts for those of us who have chosen to study them and follow the teachings of Jesus. Please note, that wherever you are in your spiritual life, you are on the right path for you. The things I went through to get to where I am today are the things that I needed to go through (I hope that made sense).
I will close with a quote from J. Krishnamurti, "If you and I, as human beings, can change totally, then whatever we do will be righteous".
You are the Light,
Dawnie

Saturday: Nov 27

Hola, All! Remember recently when I found a $20 in the gutter, and wanted to help my friend, Aida, who I met while teaching ESL? I put the money in a crystal bowl, and later added $40 more to it, making a total of $60. I then had a great idea on how to help Aida without it looking like charity. I have spent the last few months painting some of the downstairs rooms: den, entryway and kitchen. I have really enjoyed the way a new coat of paint has brightened each room. I really thought I was done painting but the dining room walls started calling my name, wanting their own new coat of paint. So, a couple of weeks ago I sent Aida an email, asking her in Spanish if she wanted to help me paint a room. Her answer was 'por supuesto', which means 'of course'. Please understand that my Spanish and her English are both limited, but we manage to mostly understand each other, especially since I keep my trusty Spanish-English Dictionary within easy reach. In the dining room, I had already taken all the books out of my bookshelf, planning to only keep some of my books, giving the rest away along with the bookshelf. (I seem to constantly be in a declutter mood lately.) I started painting the ceiling white, while Aida started with one of the walls. We worked at a steady pace, finishing the ceiling and 2 of the walls. The last thing we did was apply one coat of purple paint on the south wall. I have since finished all the walls, and put the room back in a little different order than it was. I have to say that it looks great! As I was taking Aida home, I gave her the $60 that she earned by helping me, and she gratefully accepted it. Wasn't that a great way to keep the abundance flowing?
Chao for now!
Dawnie

Monday, November 15: Women's Retreat

Hola, All! A few months ago, Kathy made reservations for a group (up to 15) of ladies to go to a Whispering Waters retreat in the big city (60 people) of Wizard Wells. The price was so resonable at $100 for 2 nights and 5 meals; what a bargain! The retreat has 3 stories; the bottom floor is where the guests stay and has 5 bedrooms, 3 beds to a room, a bathroom in each room, a large kitchen and dining area, massage rooms, a library, little store, etc. Every room is decorated differently with a different 'theme'; it is very eclectic. The upper 2 floors are living quarters for the wonderful people who run the retreat: Kevin, Lorie, Ruth, and Matt. After the arrangements were made, Larie and I decided that we wanted to lead the retreat, leaving plenty of time for people to get a massage, go for a walk, enjoy the grounds where Kevin had built a large labrinth, get in the hot tub, etc. We called the retreat: "Come Meet Clair", but we didn't tell the group anything about what we were doing, and they came anyway!! We opened the retreat with me teaching them a line dance called "Boot Scootin Boogie"; what a hoot that was! The next morning Larie introduced them to "Clair", which they had already figured out what it meant (sharp women in this group). Over the next day and a half, Larie and I talked about the four 'Clairs': clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience and claircognizance, how to determine which 2 were your main ones, what each one meant and how each of us has been receiving Divine guidance, many times without knowing that was what it was. They learned about the 7 primary chakras, where they are located on the body, and what each represents. Also, we explained about chanting, the purpose of chanting, and how it can help improve one's life. In between the lessons, we had massages, soaked in mineral bath oils, learned about voice mapping, played cards, were loud and laughed alot! Saturday night Kevin built a bonfire, where we gathered around and sang every song, off-key and loudly, that we could think of. On top of that, we were banging on drums and other hand-held instruments. I'm not sure the neighbors appreciated being serenaded by us, but we were having too much fun to worry about it. What a great time we had! We are certainly looking forward to the next retreat in the spring!
Chao for now!
Dawnie

Saturday: Forgiveness

Hola, All! Since August I have been reading and studying the book, A Course in Miracles, which is a foundation for inner peace. As I understand it, the basis for inner peace is forgiveness of myself and others. It also encompasses any situation where you feel you have been wronged, hurt or even slightly annoyed. As you know, opportunities to practice forgiveness are never ending. Take this morning, for instance. Just yesterday I was assured by this workman that he would be here between 9 and 9:30am. (It is now 10:28am!) Since 9:30am I have been trying not to focus on the fact that he is still not here; plus, I have been saying things to myself like: I forgive you, it isn't worth getting upset over, this is all about him, where is his integrity (opps!), don't take this personally, etc. Then I tried to get my mind off of the situation by reading my emails. One of them was a newsletter from Sonia Choquette; guess what her monthly newsletter is about? Forgiveness! As I read through it, it helped improve my perspective. I really liked some of the things she said, for instance: to forgive increases your awareness and intuition, it improves your energy and attracts people to you, it lifts your heart and creates positive vibes around you, and it sharpens your creativity. Wow, who knew that forgiveness had such wonderful effects! Sonia also listed some steps to forgiveness: don't take anything personally, develope a strong sense of humor, count your blessings, and see all opportunities to grow and mature your soul. I love her wonderful and timely advice. Forgiveness can be hard to do but it truly is the way to inner peace.
Chao for now!
Dawnie
P.S. Making sure that I was in a good place emotionally, I finally called him......... and woke him up. Knowing that I have been late to appointments, I silently forgave him so that I could move on.