Inner Light

Learning self-mastery is the journey of learning how to take full responsibility over your life. Once you achieve self-mastery, you become the person in charge of your life. You are no longer a reactive victim of circumstances and your environment. You are a proactive co-creator of your life and manifestor of your dreams. I feel that there are four key principles that make up this particular path.

1) Commitment to Truth
A commitment to truth encompasses not only being honest with others, but also being honest with yourself. Being honest with yourself means identifying your strengths as well as your weaknesses. This principle also involves living with integrity by being consistent with your values and principles; in other words, walking your talk.

2) Cultivation of Awareness
Be aware of your current reality and how it fits with who you are and who you wish to be. Pay attention to the energies around you and decide if they positively or negatively impact your vision of where you’re going in your life. As you progress through various stages of growth, you should be constantly refining your self-image so that you know what your next step will be.

3) Connection to All
Realize that everyone and everything is connected, and that everything and everyone is connected to Spirit. Because you are part of the Whole, it is important that you grow to be the best person that you can be in order to contribute to the greater good. Nurture feelings of love and gratitude and discover how you can be of service. These are the things that will give you a sense of purpose and well-being.

4) Co-Creator of Your Life
Once you realize your strengths and weaknesses, become aware of your reality and your place in it, and understand that everything is connected, you will better understand that you are the co-creator of your life. You are the master of your emotions and your choices. Self-mastery is about making conscious, proactive decisions about your emotions and choices vs. unconscious, reactive decisions. You are affecting your environment rather than your environment affecting you.

When you start taking full responsibility for your life, you will find that you are more flexible with change and your energy levels are higher. You lose the helplessness that occurs when you’re in “victim” mode and allow life to happen to you rather than you happening to it. Being completely honest with yourself and the people around you eliminates the stress of trying to be someone you’re not. You will feel a greater sense of purpose and will achieve a more positive balance in all areas of your life.

As you learn to take personal responsibility over your life, one of the biggest lessons is emotional control. Like most people, you’ve probably gone through your life reacting to situations and your environment, rather than responding in a more proactive, responsible manner. It’s a subconscious reaction to say,

“That person makes me so mad!”
“This person makes me sad.”
“This person makes me feel so fulfilled.”
“That person makes me happy.”

But in fact, nobody can control your emotions except for you. By allowing someone else to “make” you feel a certain way, you’re in effect giving your power to them. There is always a choice in how to respond to situations. On the surface, being in a relationship where you feel that someone “completes” you or “fulfills” you may look like a wonderful thing. I’m not saying it isn’t, but I would challenge you to ask yourself, “Can I be complete or fulfilled without having to be in a relationship?” If the answer is no, then you are giving another person the power to control your happiness. Do you really want to let someone else be responsible for your joy?

Likewise, if you are confronted by a situation that elicits an immediate negative emotional response, take a step back and ask yourself,

“How else can I react to this?”
“WHY am I reacting like this?”
“Is there a better response?”

You and only you should be in charge of your emotions, whether they be positive or negative, because only you have the power to change them.

When it comes to writing your own story for a balanced life, don’t forget to write a chapter on spiritual connection. It is this connection that gives us our faith and belief. Not only does it connect us to Spirit, but it also connects us to all of life. This connection allows us to hear the messages from our Higher Power through our intuition.

To cultivate this connection, find a place where you can sit in silence. This can be a sacred space you create within your home, or someplace out in nature. Close your eyes and inhale. Breathe in the energy of the Earth and of Spirit. Let it ignite the Divine Spark within you and listen for the messages that come to you. Feel the Light and Love of the universe flow through you and out into the world.

When you build a nice, strong spiritual connection, you will be better able to receive messages from Spirit. These messages guide you on your journey and since they are from Spirit, they will never be wrong. Listen to them and follow them–even if it doesn’t make complete sense at the time. Spirit always works for your highest good. Allow yourself to be guided and have faith that all will turn out as it should.

I’ve recently gone through a very trying time in my life. Life has a way of throwing unexpected curve balls that really flip your whole reality upside down. I’m still adjusting and realigning, but the situation has brought up an issue that I know a lot of Lightworkers have: asking for help.

Lightworkers can become so intent on helping others that they forget they deserve and need help too. I know that I’ve had this belief myself over the years…especially being a single mom. There has been this feeling of “going it alone” and doing everything myself. What is important to realize is that there is no shame in asking for help. It doesn’t make us weak or needy. It is simply an acknowledgement that there are some things that we can’t….or shouldn’t…do alone.

Help comes in all forms: from friends, family, random strangers, or your Higher Power. But these people don’t know you need it unless you ask! When you ask for help, be specific in your request. You might simply need the knowledge necessary to complete a task, or you might need it completely done for you. Maybe all you want is someone to bounce ideas off of, or a shoulder to lean on. Maybe all you need is to know that someone is there “just in case”.

When my own situation came up and knocked me off my feet, the first thing I did was ask for help. I knew I couldn’t, and didn’t want to, deal with it alone. I asked for help from my friends as well as from Spirit. It’s because of that that I was able to stand back up much sooner than if I had to try and do it all alone.

So, don’t be afraid to ask for help. You are not alone and there are plenty of people who would love the opportunity to give back to you just a little of what you’ve given them. For those who gave to me……

thank you.

Like most people, now that it’s New Year’s Eve, I find myself reflecting on the past year. 2009 has brought so many changes for me. I took courses in life coaching and began my coaching business. I met a fantastic group of like-minded people that I now Mastermind with. I’ve made many internal changes simply in the way I look at life and the people around me. And now, I am beginning 2010 by welcoming a new love into my life who makes me smile and my heart overflow with joy.

I’ve cleared out a lot of old beliefs that were no longer serving me and have even cut cords with some people who were draining my energy. Every time we clear out something old, we make way for something new. I am so immensely grateful for all of the new coming to me.

The New Year always holds such promise of starting over fresh….beginning anew with only the unknown out ahead of us. I truly wish nothing but the best for all of you in 2010. Dream big and write yourself a fantastic, magical story. You deserve it!

I wanted to write a quick note to wish everyone a splendid holiday. I am so, SO grateful to all of you who have come into my life this past year. There have been an incredible amount of changes happening for me…I am amazed at all that has gone on and I can’t wait to see what 2010 will bring!

I hope that this holiday season brings a ton of Light, Love, and Magic into your lives and that it carries you far into the next year.

Brightest Blessings,

Shela

I apologize for not posting in awhile. With the U.S. holiday last week, things were a little chaotic. I had a wonderful time with my son who was home for 6 days last week. Thanksgiving with the whole family was terrific. The week really reminded me of all I have to be grateful for.

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it’s time to rest up a little before rushing off to prepare for Christmas!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone. Many blessings to all.

With Thanksgiving coming up this week in the U.S., it’s hard not to think about all of the things I’m grateful for. I know that sometimes, it can be difficult to find things to be grateful for in your life. However, it’s that attitude of gratitude that smooths out the energy flow as we work to manifest our dreams and goals. When you’re having a hard time being grateful, you might have to get creative to find the beauty in the chaos, so to speak.

Be grateful for that job you don’t enjoy. It’s keeping a roof over your head and food on your table. Besides, it’s only a stepping stone on the way to your dream job.

Be grateful for your ex-wife/husband. Without them, you wouldn’t have your amazing children.

AND/OR

Be grateful for your ex-wife/husband. They came into your life to teach you ________ (insert lesson you learned from that relationship here).

Be grateful for the rainy weather. Your car is getting washed and your lawn is getting watered for free.

Be grateful for the chain letters filling your email inbox. It means you have a lot of friends who are thinking about you.

Be grateful for the people who annoy you and challenge you. They are helping you to grow into a better human being.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, my U.S. friends. And many blessings to everyone.

All too often, people put the care and well-being of everyone else ahead of their own. When you spend all of your time on others and none on yourself, you become energetically depleted, stressed out, even physically ill or dis-eased. These are messages from your body telling you to take time out to care for yourself. In order to be able to give all that you do to your friends, family, and employer, it is necessary for you to take time every day to do something for you. Here are five things you can do that will keep you in good energetic and physical health.

1. Meditate
It has been proven that meditation relieves stress and replenishes energy. Just 15-30 minutes of meditation every day is enough to produce noticeable results. There are many CDs on the market to help you start a daily meditation routine.

2. Spend time in nature
Getting outside and soaking up some sun is a great way to rejuvenate yourself. You can garden, play a sport, take a walk, or simply sit on the deck and relax doing nothing. Absorbing natural light is an instant pick me up.

3. Take a nice hot bath
Do you remember the old commercial for Calgon? There was a woman relaxing in a big tub and her line was, “Calgon, take me away!” There’s a reason why she looked so content! Light some candles and incense and feel the stress melt away into the water.

4. Eat healthy
A healthy diet loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables will keep your body running efficiently. The healthier you are, the more energy you’ll have to keep up with everyone and everything in your life. You can’t keep up if you’re always sick and tired because of a poor diet.

5. Take up a hobby
Engaging in a hobby is a great way to be good to you. You are doing something you enjoy that isn’t (or shouldn’t be) stressful, and will allow you the opportunity to take pleasure in doing something by yourself. Find something that will completely take your mind off of all your obligations for awhile.

If you make time every day to do something that is just for yourself, you will be much healthier physically, mentally, and emotionally. You can’t operate at your best if you are under constant stress with nothing to relieve it. If you aren’t good to yourself first, you can’t be any good to others. Most of all, keep in mind that self-care is not selfish! There is no need to feel guilty or upset if you take time to be alone and rejuvenate. It is just as important for you to care for yourself as it is for you to care for others.

By now, I’m sure most people reading this blog have heard about what happened in Sedona, AZ last month at one of James Ray’s spiritual retreats. He had 60 people fast for 36 hours, then put them in a small sweat lodge made of plastic tarps. 3 people ended up dying and about 20 others got sick.

Now, I admit that I have been a big fan of James Arthur Ray for a few years. I never got the chance to attend any of his live events, but I enjoyed him in The Secret as well as his book, Harmonic Wealth. I’m sad to say that my respect for him has faded a great deal as more details have come out about what happened in Sedona.

James Ray has always preached about personal responsibility. He tells people that they are responsible for their thoughts, feelings, and actions. Yet, he did not cooperate with Sedona police the day of the incident. In fact, he left Arizona altogether and flew back to California. He never called the families of those who died. He never offered to pay medical bills for everyone who got sick. He never even issued refunds for all of those people who paid nearly $10,000 each to be at that retreat.

I am saddened by what happened to those people. All of this was completely preventable. I’m also saddened by what amounts to nothing more than charlatanism on the part of a man I had respected. If you’re going to preach personal responsibility, then for goodness sake, walk your talk.