New Attitude for the New Year. Attitude of Gratitude.

Count your blessings. This new year is all about you. Yes, really. It's about putting out there what your true essence is and what your true divine destiny of service or passion is. From the big stuff to the small stuff it's about aligning with a higher vibration. The highest vibrations are Gratitude, Appreciation and Love.

I invite you to start this new year out right and to really count your blessings. Notice the blessings already in your life now. Really take a moment and close your eyes and come into this awareness. Feel the love and gratitude for the beautiful family you have, the shelter over your head, money in your pocket, food in your belly, job you may still have, or the excellent health you and your family may be experiencing and even smaller things that are so big like the smile of your baby when she looks at you. Whatever it is that is in your life, truly see it as the blessing that it is. Be grateful for even the not-so-great stuff. Because they are blessings to move you into a new more desired vibration. Gratitude and appreciation are the highest vibration along with love. Coming into full awareness of what's already in your life, allows more of the SAME to flow your way!

Many Masters and Guru's state that their only intention when they wake up in the morning is "Thank you". That is an intense feeling when you are present with it. It is so intense Love comes into your awareness with it. Because that is all there is. We only have what is in our present moment. And it is only in the present moment that we can allow the highest good to flow through us. We can feel good now. Not in 10 days or after you've gone through this process or that process, but now. Right now, in this very moment. It's all about your free will and belief that you can be in a higher vibrational good state of being. It's one step, one leap and you are there.

Be grateful for ALL things in your life. Be grateful for the good *and* the “bad”. Be grateful and accept that all things are brought to you for your life experience, even the not-so-great stuff. (I know, I know. How many times can I say "Be grateful"! But the point is to be in the grateful or appreciative frequency.) Tell the Universe, THANK YOU for this challenge, this person, or this horrible experience. Then truly feel that gratefulness. As you ask it to show you what lessons it has for you, inspiration comes because you have come to a state of gratitude and acceptance for what IS right now. You realize that all experiences are for your highest and best good. You realize you are timeless. This too shall pass. You are going to get through these experiences without burying them. You are so grateful and happy to have this experience show you what you need to learn about yourself so that you can shine a light on it, integrate the learning’s and transmute it into the light being you are! Then suddenly a shift occurs and more wonderful things occur. You come to a state of appreciation, forgiveness, and healing. The shift that occurs within is indescribable. You may only notice little blips on the radar screen at first and then suddenly a ginormous change occurs in that pattern and it stops. You’ve integrated. You’ve moved forward. You’ve evolved. And you can continue to work on the next thing that may come up with living in gratitude and faith. All truly is well.

Be in a grateful state of mind now. Be grateful for what you have now. Be grateful for what you will have, as if it’s already hear. Expect it and then release it. Remember, if you are not feeling grateful or uplifted you might be feeling resistance. And as they say, what we resist persists or what you fear you draw near. So do not focus on the negative things in your life, only the positive things. Be grateful for the negative experiences so your vibration in in that uplifted state of being. As you are in the positive state of mind you continue to bring positive experiences into your life. Whatever we resonate at is exactly what we receive. So raise your vibrations naturally and easily just by feeling grateful. Feel grateful for yourself, for your family, home, for your neighbors and co-workers and *their* good fortune too. As we are grateful to another’s good fortune we assist in their continuing their good fortune. This is giving without expecting anything in return. And as we do that, we automatically are in a new vibration that feeds the positive energy and we receive that much faster and easier. So energize yourself and find those truly wonderful things to feel grateful for. As you do, you move to that place and transform. And you can manifest the life of your dreams.

It does take dedication, a positive outlook, forgiveness of self and others. One thing that helped me and I strongly suggest you doing is having a Gratitude Journal. Write down ALL the good in your life. And I mean ALL the good. If you need to first get out all the bad, write it down, then BURN that journal/paper. (This is very good for releasing all the bad once and for all. You're telling God you're not going to accept that ickiness in your life anymore.) Then EVERY DAY write down at least three things you are grateful for. (At least!) I know when I got started, I couldn't stop at three. Do this for 21 days or more! After the 21 days, if you ever get in a funk do this exercise again. It works to adjust your brain waves to expecting more positive experiences to be grateful for and as you expect it, you align with that frequency and receive those positive experiences. Gratitude is one of the highest vibrations. Gratitude brings peace.

In this uplifted state of being you will begin to notice a movement within. It can start off very slow and gradually increase in intensity. Do what your spirit moves you to do. It's not something you attain. It just is. It's always there. You just simply open up to it. You open up to yourself. Listen to the whispers within. When you don't listen they become screams anyway! :) It's the quiet place inside of you that is always there. Just allow it to flow rather than stifling it. It doesn't have to be a major shift in one fell swoop but one natural move, in the direction of your inner guidance, after another. And from there always enjoy the ride.

I feel. I am so grateful for feeling the Divine connection within me. It is this connection that allows me to go forth in this life as it is now. It is the driving force for my entire beingness. It is amazing. It is you and it is me. It is all of us and to feel that connection is a blessed gift. This is my thank you every morning when I wake up.
Happy NEW YEAR to you all! Here's to a fantastic new year this 2010. You all deserve it!

Enjoy, live, laugh and love always!

Peace and Bliss be with you ,
~Spiritual Cheerleader

Don't Know. Don't Care.

During this Holiday season it is so easy to get caught up the hustle and bustle of obtaining gifts and running errands for the next holiday party. There are so many who have more stress and anxiety around this season that is supposed to be happy, peaceful and in celebration for our Source Connection. So now more than ever it is so important to come back to your center. To live in the present moment of stillness and love. It is so very important because it can be so easily lost when we are constantly worrying about what we will get for whom, what we can afford, who will be hurt if you don't get the "perfect" gift, how we will make the kids happy while still including others in on the fun, if we will have a job to sustain us, if we will get a job for some, who has crossed over and will no longer be with us in this reality, and this holiday bustle compounds the "usual" stress to a higher level.

It's imperative to get out of the past and stop worry about the future. Start living for right now. Right now, in this very moment there is peace. The stillness is with you if you only allow it to be. Take a deep breath right now and close your eyes. Inhale and exhale. What do you feel? Stillness? Peace? Love? It is this space within you that is always within you that no one and no thing can ever touch nor take away. It is your connection to the Divine/God/Universe. It is you.

In order to assist you this Holiday season, I want to share the gift of presence through meditation. I would like to share a meditation method that was shown to me by a Zen Master at the Providence Zen Center in Cumberland, Rhode Island during a one day retreat. This retreat was a six hour Zen meditation. This was the longest meditation I’ve experienced in one sitting thus far.

We would sit in the lotus position or with legs crossed for 20 minutes in meditation and then do a walking meditation for 10-20 minutes. Then sit for 20 minutes and do a walking meditation for 10-20 minutes. And the cycle continued until complete. At sporadic times during the sitting meditation the meditation leader would walk around with a stick and ask that you lower your head to the floor exposing your back if you would like to receive a tap on your back. It is the idea that this will adjust your mind when needed as well as your body to stay present during the meditation. I’m sure there are other subtle benefits as well.

A short time into the meditation we started to take turns going in to the Zen Master to have a discussion with him or to simply sit with him for however long we felt necessary. Some folks had long debates about spiritual or life issues. Others chose not to go in. When I went in it was about three hours into the meditation. All the questions I had thought I might ask the Zen Master went away. I no longer required answers. So I didn’t have much to talk about. He gave me a great meditation tip to keep me going through the last half of my meditation retreat. He said to simply chant a mantra in my mind coordinated with my breath. Breathe in, “Don’t Know”, Breathe out, “Don’t Care”. Inhale-Don't Know. Exhale-Don't Care. Don’t know, don’t care, don’t know, don’t care, don’t know, don’t care.

This is a wise mantra. The idea is that you are not in the yin and yang of life; the ups and downs; but rather view the experiences from a calm neutral place. It's not bad. It's not good. It just is. The more I learn the more I realize I know nothing. The Divine is all-knowing. So leave it up to the Divine. Freedom. Not caring about what’s going on around you does not say you do not have compassion for others experiences or the issues happening in your life. Instead it is more of a way of accepting what is going on as Divine. Because everything truly is Divine and happens for a reason. You are simply observing in a neutral but peaceful place of being. Don’t know. Don’t care.

"There is no waiting for something to happen, no point in the future to get to. All you have ever longed for is here in this moment, right now." ~ Oriah Mountain Dreamer

I've been on the meditation path for a decade now and the more I meditate the more I connect with the Divine/God. Meditation is my connection and brings me back to presence. I remember that I am now in a more constant state of meditation aka Presence/Stillness/Magic/Now. Today the sky was my meditation. the blue star-filled sky that changed to dusk and a beautiful sunrise with pinks and blues to yellow and blue. So magical. A stillness now always felt comes back to me during these moments. Sometimes my state of being wavers but the meditation practice brings me back to magical awareness...to "myself", the stillness within...to my connection to the Divine. Whatever your method the more you can dedicate a daily practice to connecting to Source the more you will feel that you have always been and always will be connected. It is the gift of presence. When you share this with yourself it is felt by all those around you.

So for this Holiday season. Give this meditation a try. Or simply sit in quiet peace for even five minutes a day and you will feel the benefits a thousand fold. The immediate benefits are clarity and relaxation. There are striking long-term health benefits from meditation as well. Breath awareness is another great meditation that you can do anywhere. Just notice and be aware of your breath, the inhale and the exhale. Your breath is always in the present moment so becoming aware of your breath pulls you in the Now. And if you're in a winter season, you can also enjoy the benefits of a beautiful snowfall. Get outside, breathe in the crisp air, and watch, and listen. If there is serene snow where you live, enjoy the snow as each unique beautiful snowflake falls. There is a unique stillness in the air when you can get outside and be with a fresh snowfall. Nature takes you back to your true essence. Each drop of nature brings me back to center and peace. It is my wish that each of you receive the gift of stillness and peace this holiday season.

Enjoy, live, laugh and love always!

Peace and Bliss be with you ,
~Spiritual Cheerleader