How to Get Rid of Your Fears and Doubts Once and For All

Fears and doubts have a tendency to creep inside your mind and fester and grow.

The good news is that you have the power to shrink your fears and doubts with the wave of a magical wand, real or imagined.

Keep reading.

Below is my April 13, 2013 horoscope from DailyHoroscope:

A great way to help a child deal with persistent fears or nightmares about monsters is to give them a technique for dealing with the problem. Tell the child to look the monster directly in the eye, and use an imaginary wand to shrink it down until it’s as small as an ant. In a child’s mind, this is possible. And it’s possible for you too, Leo. You’re dealing with a fear now – something that affects your quality of life. Look at that fear, point your imaginary magic wand in its direction, and banish it from your life. It may take a few tries, but if you believe in your power, you can free yourself of a fear. [Read more…]

7 Ways The Bible Influences You Today

the bible, bible, the bible on the history channel, history, history channel, jesus, who write the bible, bibles, new testament bible

Photo credit: Billy Alexander-Stock Exchange

Power, lust, greed, sex, gluttony, laziness, and war.

Forget about reading Fifty Shades of Grey just read The Bible or watch it on The History Channel!

Roma Downey (Touched by an Angel) and reality show mogul Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Amazing Race) produce The Bible, and have brought viewers what is being called, “The Bible for today’s generation.” They’re not kidding.

Today, children are growing up with more wars than their parents and grandparents. Sex and violence are prevalent in TV shows, video games, and movies. The internet can be a dangerous place kids because you don’t really know who’s lurking on websites and from where. And most kids are becoming desensitized to all of this.

Can we trace power, lust, greed, sex, gluttony, laziness, and war back to The Bible? Sure we can. Here’s how The Bible influences you without you knowing it. [Read more…]

7 Steps to Living a Happier Life

How happy are you?

The truth is you may not be that happy. You may be going through life miserable and unfulfilled.

Why?

You probably learned to be miserable from your parents and family. Let’s face it; these are the people we spend the most time with. Yes, a negative mindset and depression are contagious. You can catch another person’s crappy mood like you can catch a cold!

I’m sure you’ve heard over and over again that “happiness is a state of mind” and that “you can choose to be happy now.”

The truth is being happy could be a challenge if your desires and dreams haven’t manifested. The key is to stop thinking you need this or that to be happy. Release your dreams instead of constantly focusing and worrying about manifesting them. Be happy with what you have. You’ll feel better.

Let’s examine the 7 steps living a happier life…

1. Stop seeking approval from others, especially family. I’ll tell you something you probably never heard before: not everyone in your family, this includes your parents, siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents will approve of you and or your dreams. I know this sucks to read because all of us have been conditioned to believe that family is everything and that family will support you. This is a lie. Just ask any teenager who comes out of the closet to their parents. Not all teens are accepted for who they are. The sad truth is that some of them are kicked out of their homes because of their sexuality. The sooner you KICK THE HABIT OF SEEKING APPROVAL from others the happier you’ll be.

2. Choose a career path that works for you. Quit listening to people who say, “You can’t make a living as an artist.” You may have to have a day job to pay the bills, but you can pursue your art at night (or whatever it is that brings you joy). You can paint, write, act, design, sculpt, etc. on weekends and weeknights. Share your art with the world by creating a website and marketing yourself on social media networks. Join groups and network with other artists. You never know who you’ll meet who can help you get noticed. Choose a CAREER that works for you and it will work for others too.

3. Speak words of favor. Try this experiment. Listen to the words that come out of your mouth. Heck, listen to the words that come out of your spouses, partners, family, friends, and co-workers. I’d bet you any money they speak words of defeat. This gets old after a while. Learn to tune-out the negativity and SPEAK words of favor.

4. Be grateful. I know you’ve read and heard about this one. The majority of self-help authors on the planet stress the importance of being GRATEFUL. You could keep a gratitude journal or you can state out loud what you’re grateful for. For example, I’m grateful I have a roof over my head; I’m grateful I have the world’s greatest mother; and I’m grateful that I can see and hear. The list goes on and on. Give it a try.

5. Smile and laugh. How many times a day do you SMILE? I’d bet it’s not a lot. How many times a day do you laugh? I bet it’s not a lot. Look in the mirror and smile. Watch a good comedy and laugh until your stomach hurts. Stop taking life on planet earth so serious. Lighten up. It will do your mind, body, and soul good.

6. Love. Before you can love others, you MUST LOVE you! Give yourself a hug every day. Love unconditionally without any strings any attached. If you ever find yourself in a sticky situation ask yourself, “What would love do?” Be still and listen for the answer. Love has the power to transform your life in HUGE ways. When you transform your life, you can help others do the same.

7. Be you. Just BE YOU! Quit trying to please your mother, father, brother, sister, grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle, cousin, teacher, co-worker, etc. You are unique. Embrace your individuality and don’t be afraid to express yourself. Just be you and get on with your life. The sooner you accept you, the happier you’ll be. You’ll be free of stress and anxiety.

If you enjoyed this post, I’d appreciate if you’d share it with others. Email it, tweet it in Twitter, stumble it on StumbleUpon, pin it on Pinterest, and like it on Facebook. Thank you!

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Warning: Law of Attraction Works All of the Time

If you haven’t heard of the ‘law of attraction,’ you’re probably new to metaphysical and or spiritual topics. The bottom line is that law of attraction works all of the time. You may not think it does, but it’s working every day.

Many people (and you may be one of them) are sick and tired of being sick and tired. They’re broke and poor. They’re depressed and anxious. They’re fed up with their lives and want to change. What happens? They stumble upon the law of attraction and think they’ve found a cure. Wrong!

The problem is most people (and you’re probably doing it right now) focus on what they don’t want or have. They go throughout their day and don’t realize they’re programming their subconscious mind.

Does this sound like you?

  • I hate my boss.
  • I can’t stand my spouse.
  • I hate my mother-in-law. Why does she always butt-in?
  • Why can’t I get ahead?
  • Oh God! It’s morning. Is it Friday yet?
  • Why can’t these kids do as they’re told?
  • What did I do to deserve this?
  • When will this life be over?
  • Why can’t I earn enough money to pay off my debt?
  • I need more money.
  • It’s hopeless.
  • I’m still in debt.

You probably resonated with one or more of the above. Don’t worry; you’re not alone.

The good news is that you recognize that you’ve been ‘negatively’ creating. Instead of focusing on the solution, you’ve been focusing on the problem(s).

It’s an eye-opener. Right?

Bless everything and everyone that’s come into your life that may seem like a challenge. There are lessons to be learned. The sooner you learn them, the faster you’ll be able to manifest what feels natural to you.

Follow the steps below to stop focusing on your problems and start attracting what you want into your life.

Law of Attraction: How to Attract What You Want 
the law of attraction

the law of attraction (Photo credit: Brenda Cooper)

Stop focusing on your problems.

This is easier said than done. But if you want to attract that which you want, it’s important to release your problems.

As Sonia Choquette would say, “Bless your mess.”

This sounds counter-intuitive. But if you keep complaining about your problems, you’ll attract more of the same.

Stop whining about this and that. Give all of your problems to God, creator, universal intelligence, spirit, or whatever term you use.

Release your problems once and for all. You’ll probably feel lighter once you turn everything over to a higher power.

Focus on the resolution.

What’s the opposite of being in debt? It’s being debt free. Furthermore, it’s prosperity.

Look at your life and see where you can find prosperity. Here are some examples:

  • You own a home.
  • You have a car and can afford to put gas in it.
  • You have a job. It may not be the one you want, but you receive a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly paycheck.
  • You have a loving spouse/partner.
  • Your children are healthy.
  • Your parents are still alive.
  • Your grandparents are still alive.
  • You have food in your refrigerator.

Look at your life and you’ll find prosperity somewhere.

Instead of focusing on your credit card debt, thank God that it’s been paid off. Focus on the resolution. Don’t get caught up in the solution because you’ll drive yourself nuts!

Have faith and trust that everything will work out.

Feel good now.

Abraham-Hicks always say, “Feel good now.” If you’re constantly waiting for something, whether it is a windfall of money or weight loss, you miss out on feeling good now.

Be happy now, even though you’re still in debt or haven’t published your book.

Feel good now, even though your weight isn’t where you’d like it to be.

If you feel good now, you’ll attract more situations into your life that make you feel good. You’ll attract loving and supportive people, and the cranky ones will skip right out of your life.

Feel good now, be happy, and watch as the universe delivers you opportunities and people that you could have never imagined.

Use the above steps to use the law of attraction to your advantage. Focusing on problems creates more problems. Focus on the resolution, but don’t focus on ‘how’ your problems will be resolved. Follow your intuition and take the proper action. Give thanks that all is well and it will be.

What I Learned from Reading Peace from Broken Pieces: How to Get Through What You’re Going Through

I recently finished reading Peace from Broken Pieces: How to Get Through What You’re Going Through by Best-Selling author Iyanla Vanzant. I saw Ms. Vanzant on Oprah‘s farewell season — it was a good show! I didn’t run out and get the book, but months later I ordered it from the library. I admit I started doing this as a way to ‘try a book before I buy it.’ I decided I want to add this book to my library.

I found the book to be very moving, especially when Iyanla spoke about her daughter, Gemmia. I recognized myself in Gemmia; I also recognized my mother to a certain extent in Iyanla. I also recognized my father in Gemmia’s father, even though my father didn’t leave; he was an abusive alcoholic and in a sense, checked out of my life.

Like Gemmia, I threw myself into school and got good grades and was responsible. I was looking for validation from my father that I really didn’t get. He tried to tell me how proud he was when I earned my B.S., Accounting degree; however, I always felt that a part of him was jealous that I did earn a college degree. He wanted a degree and attended college here and there, but never earned a degree.

I also learned that it would be in my best interest to let go of the anger towards myself. I forgave my mom and dad; I realized they parented me based on they were parented. They didn’t know better which is why they didn’t do better. However, I still haven’t forgiven myself for the decisions I’ve made along the way such as pursuing an accounting degree, when I wanted a marketing degree. I also wanted to pursue art and writing. I pursued an accounting degree to please my father. There’s another lesson — people pleasing seems to run rampant in my family.

Getting back to forgiving myself … I need to let go of the anger I have towards myself because my life hasn’t worked out as I thought or planned it to. For example, I moved to Arizona in 2007, and three years later I was living back home with my mom in my home state. I kept beating myself because I know I’m responsible and it should have worked out because I planned everything out. I also allowed certain people to ‘guilt’ me into thinking I made a mistake by moving to Arizona; I left my mom and sister. I now realize I can’t help it if certain family members are scared to take a risk such as moving out of state. I now know — it’s none of my business. I also realized that sometimes family members won’t have your back. It is what it is. I’m now determined to ‘create’ my own family, a family of loving and supportive people.

BTW: I released my hold on Arizona when I read Iyanla’s words about hearing her daughter say, “Let go of the physical.” I re-read those words over and over until it sank into my brain.

I realize that I need to acknowledge my disappointment about my move to Arizona and other things that have occurred in my life — there are too many to list here. It’s not easy for me to wade into disappointment; I’m a fun loving Leo (horoscope sign). I know if I want to continue to heal, it would behoove me to feel the pain and work through it. If I don’t, I could repeat the self-sabotaging pattern. I’d rather work through it.

I also realized that Gen X and Gen Y could benefit from life coaching from their peers. No offense — but most life coaches seem to be old enough to be my mom or dad. I’m not saying I can’t learn from these people, obviously I learned from Ms. Vanzant, but it’s nice to hear from my peers and how they released and forgave their past, parents, spouses, them, etc. It makes think, “Gee, I’m not alone.” This is why I’m glad Iyanla wrote about her daughter, Gemmia, and her life experience.

I would recommend reading Peace from Broken Pieces: How to Get Through What You’re Going Through. If you’re ready to really get to the ‘heart’ of your family’s pathology and recognize the patterns, this book is for you. If not, that’s alright. Perhaps, one day you’ll be ready.

Best,
Amandah

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The Clearing

A short story based on Writing Prompts – Creative Copy Challenge #182
Posted: 06 Oct 2011 04:18 AM PDT

  1. Exacting – Making severe demands; rigorous: an exacting instructor; Requiring great care, effort, or attention: an exacting task
  2. Libation – The pouring of a liquid offering as a religious ritual; The liquid so poured. ; Informal. A beverage, especially an intoxicating beverage
  3. Masturbatory – If I need to explain this…
  4. Lozenge
  5. Gargle
  6. Sumptuous – Of a size or splendor suggesting great expense; lavish
  7. Degraded
  8. Cardamom – A rhizomatous Indian herb (Elettaria cardamomum) having capsular fruits with aromatic seeds used as a spice or condiment.
  9. Nefarious – Infamous by way of being extremely wicked.
  10. Syncopated – stressing a normally weak beat

The libation flowed over her body and cleansed her of the slimy energy she picked up throughout the day. She even created her own gargle and lozenge to clean her mouth of any nefarious words she spoke; they usually weren’t hers.

She made a sumptuous vegetarian meal seasoned with cardamom; she liked to eat as cleanly as possible. Eating degraded meats was out of the question for her. But no one in her family understood this. The way they eat meat seemed like a masturbatory experience. To each their own.

She didn’t make exacting demands over the people the around her. What gave them the right to do that to her? She gave them the right by not setting strong boundaries. Her syncopated life needed resuscitating. Otherwise, it would be over. And it would be too late for her to live the life she was meant to live.

Amandah T. Blackwell

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How to Focus on What You Want

Let me ask you something: How well do you focus on what you want? If you’re like me, you watched The Secret and read the book but haven’t manifested the life of your dreams. If you’re like me, you probably keep asking, “What am I doing wrong? Why isn’t the law of attraction working? How can I make it work for me?” I had a ‘light bulb’ moment (Aha moments are so 2000s), and came across the The Secret of Doing Without Doing by Dr. Robert Anthony.

How to focus on what you want

1. Think about what you want. Do you really and truly know what you want? You may think you know what you want, but you may actually not know what you want. Knowing what you want for your life is imperative. Write down everything you’d like from having peace of mind to a new home. Get clear about what you want.

2. Tune-out the negative hype. I’m reading *Outwitting the Devil, which is annotated by Sharon Lechter. You may be surprised how easy it is to ‘hypnotize’ people with hype. Look at the media. If you constantly tune-in to the news or read the newspapers, you’re programming your subconscious for negativity.

*Get the book from your library and read it. You’ll be amazed at what you read. The first two chapters are slow going; however, Chapter 3 A Strange Interview with the Devil will knock your socks off!

3. Stop listening to others. You don’t have to focus on what you family and close friends think and say. If the people closest to you constantly whine and complain, it may be time to surround you with people who are like-minded.

4. Learn to think for yourself. If you read Outwitting the Devil, you’ll learn how parents, teachers, religious leaders, bosses, co-workers, friends, etc. can easily influence your thoughts. I’ll use myself as an example. I was a rebellious child and teen. However, it wasn’t until a few years ago that I realized I was a ‘closet’ people pleaser. I did everything my mother and father told me to do, even though it never felt right. I allowed my father to control and manipulate me for a long time. It wasn’t until he got sick that the ‘wheels’ in my head began to turn. I realized I ‘wasted’ my entire life pleasing others instead of pleasing myself. This was a bitter pill to swallow. The irony is my father would say to me, “Did you think? Learn to think for yourself.” Talk about a contradiction!

I’ve been struggling lately with doing things that feel right for me. I just realized that I often put others needs before mine. Instead of saying, “How does this honor me?” I say, “What will so and so think? What will they feel?” I’m still not honoring me and my feelings. I think what happened was, I got tangled up in ‘spirituality now’ and forgot about me along the way. I now know I need to take my own advice and take my power back!

It’s never too late to break the cycle of people pleasing. Learn to set strong boundaries with people, no matter who they are. Stop allowing people to control and manipulate you.

5. Don’t apologize for wanting a better life. If your family and friends are stuck in ‘poverty’ mode, there’s no law that says you must join them. Don’t apologize for wanting a better life. Who knows, maybe you’ll inspire those around you to ‘clean up’ their lives. You can be the catalyst for them.

“Any idea, plan, or purpose may be placed in the mind through repetition of thought”. ~ Napoleon Hill

What is Woundology?

Question: I just discovered Caroline Myss and she used the term ‘woundology‘ in her presentation “Why People Don’t Heal?” What does woundology mean? How can you permanently heal your wounds? I’d like to heal my wounds once and for all. I journal, meditate, listen to podcasts, burn incense and sage, etc. and nothing seems to work. Help!

Answer: Woundology means you use your wounds — you cling to your wounds. According to Caroline Myss, “Woundology is a very expensive habit to keep a wound alive. The energy comes out of your system, your cell system.” According to the Halexandria Foundation, “Woundology is also a form of scapegoatology which means outside events and others are blamed for what a wounded person experiences.” We have the power to heal from our wounds; however, to do so, means we must give up ‘being right’ for being happy.

When you carry your problems with you everywhere you go, you’re practicing the art of woundology. For example, gave you ever met someone who’s told you their life story in a matter of minutes? They were practicing woundology. However, the person believes they’re sharing their life’s story. They can’t see what they’re truly doing. Let’s face it; we’ve all done this at one point or have done this. I have and now realize the error of my way. Now, wonder I’ve been feeling stuck in a funk for the past year (or more).

FYI: Some experts believe woundology is a form of addiction. Instead of being addicted to drugs and alcohol, gambling, smoking, being right, attention, people pleasing, being a rescuer or victim, food, sex, the internet, movies and television, working out, shopping, relationships, traveling, etc. people are addicted to their pain.

Recognize and heal your wounds today by getting in touch with your emotions and exploring them. The next time you’re tempted to share your life’s story with someone, ask yourself a few questions such as:

  • Why am I doing this?
  • What do I get from this?
  • What’s motivating me to share my story?

Woundology is a way to control and manipulate the people around you. It’s a way to get their attention or for them to rescue you. The truth is you can only rescue and save you. If you wait for others to do it, you’ll be waiting for a long time. Life will pass you by and you’ll be left wondering, “Where did my life go?” However, you can heal your wounds today, and tomorrow life will be easier and happier.

Rebecca

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My Spirit Has Checked Out, But I’m Still Here

An image of a cartoonish ghost.

Image via Wikipedia

I vowed to be transparent on MisticCafe.com, and I won’t go back on my word. So … Here it goes. I’ve been in a funk for the past few months. Actually, it feels more like I’ve been in a funk for one year and one month, maybe even longer. I’m doing my best to ‘practice what I preach’ about the Law of Attraction and other metaphysical topics but it hasn’t been working for me lately. If it is working, it’s not working the way I thought it would or fast enough. Who knows?

I have a laundry list of things I want to accomplish before October 1. One of the items on my list is to move back to Arizona. I talk about Arizona every day; I think my mom and sister are getting sick and tired of hearing about Arizona. I can’t help it — it’s where I want to be. I could kick myself for not letting go of outdated beliefs and thoughts placed upon me by my mom and dad, especially my dad’s side. What can I say? I always felt like the ‘odd’ woman out because I beat to my own drum — conformity isn’t a part of my vocabulary. I also don’t respond well when someone tells me I can’t or don’t have the right to voice my beliefs, thoughts and opinions on a topic. When this happens, I cut people out of my life (sometimes completely, sometimes for a short time) without looking back. Sometimes, it’s necessary to love people from a distance. In my case, I have to love them from over 2,000 miles.

I’m very restless; I’m a Life Path five which means I love travel. One of the reasons I love Arizona is the access to highways. I could easily blast to Sedona, the Grand Canyon, Prescott, Tucson or California. I also could have driven to Mexico. I always wanted to visit Chichen Itza. I’m fascinated by the Mayan culture and would love to climb a Mayan pyramid. But I also realized that I want to be ‘grounded’ in Arizona. I’d like to make it my home base. I guess it’s better late than never to figure this out.

Currently, I’m in the Midwest and it’s not working for me. I think I’m surrounded by too much air and water (elements). I’m a fire sign and this doesn’t work for me. I need to feel grounded and have support. The mountains of Arizona are great supporters. Plus, there are more artists and writers who live in Arizona compared to where I currently live. It’s nice to be surrounded by people who understand and ‘get’ you. They understand where you’re coming from.

I keep visualizing and affirming I live in Arizona, but I’m still in the Midwest as of August 31. The area I live in feels more like a retirement community. There’s not much to do; I’m bored to death. I can’t hike or easily get to a highway. Until I moved to Arizona, I never realized how far I had to drive to get to a highway entrance. This doesn’t work for me. I now appreciate Arizona more than I ever did.

I’m not sure how to get out my funk. I meditate, journal, go for a walk (it’s getting old walking around the neighborhood), listen to music, and workout, but nothing seems to help. I feel as if my spirit has left without me. Some spiritual folks would tell me, “Accept where you are.” But I don’t want to do this. If I do, it’s like admitting defeat. Who knows? Maybe I have this backwards. All I know is I need and want to get out of my funk. I’d love to volunteer but opportunities aren’t as plentiful as they are in Arizona. It has the lifestyle I desire. More importantly, it’s where I want to be.

As I was listening to Caroline Myss speak about “Why people don’t heal?” I questioned if the reason I feel stuck or that my spirit has checked out is due to forgiveness. I say “I forgive” (fill in the blank) day in and day out. I journal and meditate about it as well. Maybe I haven’t truly forgiven myself and others. Believe me; I would like my life to move faster. I would like more change, I’m ready for more change. I moved to Arizona and traveled to the UK by myself. I think I handle change. Who knows? Maybe I think too much!

Rebecca

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How to Reduce and Cut Your Exposure to Toxic People

Scissors

Image by semuthutan via Flickr

Question: I feel some people are toxic to me. The kicker is the only communication (if any) I have with them is through Facebook. These people really don’t have anything to do with me; we don’t have anything in common except being related. I would like to reduce my exposure to them. Help!

Answer: The question to ask is, “Does this honor me? How does this honor me?Does this relationship honor me? It may be time to reduce your exposure to toxic people.

How to reduce your exposure to toxic people

1. If you’re having issues with toxic people, be honest about the relationships you have with them. It may be in your best interest to reduce the amount of time you spend with them. Of course, you may have to cut them out of your life completely. The choice is yours.

2. Clear your chakras through meditation. Your third chakra is probably being sucked dry by toxic people. Call on Archangel Michael and ask him to cut your chords and clear your chakras.

3. Just say No. Find the courage to honor you and say “No” to people. If they get upset with you that’s their problem; they’ll have to work it out. It has nothing to do with you — it has to do with them. Move forward with your life and don’t look back.

Affirmations from Sandra Anne Taylor

  • I have so much to be grateful for. Every day, I notice these things more and more. I look around and am satisfied.
  • I’m letting go of the negative interpretations of my life. I find many wonderful things to appreciate each day.
  • I often take time for single moments of appreciation. I smile and name what I enjoy. I say “Thank You” to the universe.
  • I appreciate myself and my life more and more each day. I deserve my OWN gratitude.

You can reduce your exposure to toxic people no matter who they are including family. This can be scary but it will behoove you to limit the time you communicate and spend with these people. Send them lots of love and wish them well. See them happy and healthy. However, it’s up to them if they’re open to receiving your loving energy. They may not be open to it or want to receive. Be okay with this. Remember, it’s not your job to ‘fix’ people.

Rebecca

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