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The Clearing

November 15, 2011 by

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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Clearing Out the Albatrosses of Your Life

November 12, 2011 by

Short story based on Writing Prompts – Creative Copy Challenge #185
Posted: 17 Oct 2011 06:07 AM PDT

  • Loquacious – talking or tending to talk much or freely; talkative; chattering; babbling; garrulous
  • Sedentary
  • Artistic
  • Voracious
  • Fluorescent
  • Rad
  • Delicious
  • Rotund – round in shape; rounded: ripe, rotund fruit
  • Decapitate
  • Slimy

The loquacious people in her life are sedentary when it comes to cleaning up and taking responsibility for their lives. She, on the other hand, is artistic and rad.

Their slimy energy engulfs her; it’s like they have a voracious appetite for destroying her spirit. They’d like to decapitate her because they can’t stand how delicious her life is.

Their rotund faces are nothing more than masks hiding their anger, frustration and pain. Their happiness is artificial like fluorescent lights. Luckily, she knows how to clean her energy. She won’t be sucked into their drama.

Amandah T. Blackwell

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How to Focus on What You Want

October 5, 2011 by

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

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Are You Helping or Interfering?

September 30, 2011 by

I learned another life lesson about caring for the people who mean most to me. I love my sister, niece and nephew dearly and am trying to help them break the cycle of dysfunction; however, after reading my September 29, 2011 horoscope (I know), I realized my caring has crossed the line into interference.

Here’s my September 29, 2011 horoscope from 12House:

Sometimes caring too much can be taken the wrong way and people start to interpret your helpfulness as interference. While it’s true you care for your family and friends and are concerned about their welfare you don’t want them to think you’re being intrusive. As much as you’d like others to come to you should they need help, you don’t want to push your ideas onto them. The line on how much you can care for one another should be made clear.

Ouch! I had no idea I moved into the land of interference until I read the above horoscope for September 29. I thought I was being a kind, loving and caring sister, Godmother and aunt looking out for the people she loves the most. I had no idea I intruded on their right to make mistakes and learn from them. I had no idea I’ve been pushing my ideas onto them. This was and is a big wake up call.

Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don’t interfere as long as the policy you’ve decided upon is being carried out. ~ Ronald Reagan

From this point forward, I’ll no longer be interfering in the lives of my sister, niece and nephew. If they need or want my help, they can call, email or Skype me. It’s true; I want the best for them. But they have free will and can do whatever they want. On the flip side, I’ll no longer be a willing participant in their or other peoples’ Private Idaho’s. Everyone has the power within them to shift their lives for the better. It’s up to each and every one of us to tap into that power and change. No one can do it for you.

“Anytime there is a struggle between doing what is actually right and doing what seems right, then your ego is interfering with your decision.” ~ Darren L. Johnson

 

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SyFy’s Alice is More Than an Adventure — It’s a Mindset

September 21, 2011 by

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I love the SyFy channel! I also love Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll; it’s one of my favorite children’s books. Needless to say, I was overjoyed in 2009 when the SyFy channel presented Alice, an original mini-series based on Alice in Wonderland and Through The Looking-Glass. I was extremely overjoyed when Alice came out on DVD. About a week ago, I was thinking about the mini-series and lo and behold it was on the SyFy channel. Talk about the law of attraction coming into play! Sadly, I missed the first two hours and caught the ending. I said to myself, I wonder, would the library have the DVD? Sure enough, I was able to request the DVD. I was thrilled! Here’s what I learned.

What I learned from watching SyFy’s Alice

1. The people brought to Wonderland Through the Looking-Glass where labeled oysters. Why? According to Hatter, “For the shiny little pearls they carry inside.” What are the pearls? The pearls are human emotions.

Takeaway: All of us are oysters — we’re precious. And, emotions are precious because they act as a guiding system for us. When you feel angry or revengeful, it’s an indication that something is off.

2. When Alice arrives in Wonderland, she meets Ratty and says, “I have some money.” Ratty grabs the money, crinkles and tastes it says “Blah!” Ratty takes Alice to see Hatter; she’s trying to find Jack Chase who’s really Jack Heart (spoiler alert). She says to Hatter, “I have some money.” Hatter replies, “Pieces of paper. Pointless.”

Takeaway: Money is nothing but paper and coins. That’s it! You can have all the money in the world, but go to a different world and it could be deemed useless. Cultivate a prosperity mindset, and you’ll attract abundance to you. It has nothing to do with pieces of paper. This was a HUGE revelation for me. I could see my PROSPERITY SWITCH turn-on in my brain.

“Instant gratification is a complex business.” ~ King of Hearts

“The Queen just wanted to feel the good, not the bad.” ~ Charlie, Knight.

3. Alice is taken to see Caterpillar (spoiler alert — he’s the head of the resistance) because she wants to get her father back (spoiler alert — he was taken to Wonderland). Caterpillar says to Alice, “The effects of your powerful emotions on our frail senses are devastating. For example, Patient 243 couldn’t get the precious high of ‘flying high’ out of her system, so we’re bringing her back down to Earth in a controlled environment. Patient 671 drank too much self-importance so we’re shrinking his considerable ego little by little back to its original size. The oysters, your people, are contaminating our world. They must go back dead or alive before it’s too late.”

“We’re all vulnerable mix the wrong feelings together with the right kind of bad, with the wrong kind of good and you end up with a total breakdown.” ~ Caterpillar

Takeaway: When you combine emotions such as hate, revenge, anger, lust, ecstasy, stubbornness and other emotions, you’ve mixed a deadly combination that can have major repercussions in your life. Again, your emotions are your guiding system. When they flare up, it’s an indication that something within you is off course or off balance. Slow down and meditate on what’s happening in your life. Being quiet is a great way to finding solutions to your problem.

I recommend you rent Alice — it’s a fast-paced, adventurous story that teaches you at the same time. Who says you can’t learn anything constructive from TV?

Rebecca

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How to Dissolve Problems

September 14, 2011 by

I received HayHouse’s newsletter which included an excerpt from Louise L. Hay and Cheryl Richardson’s new book You Can Create an Exceptional Life. Here’s a snippet from the excerpt:

“When a problem has been solved, we need to remember that it’s gone,” Louise instructs. “It has passed. We don’t want to dip into the past to be miserable in the present moment. And we don’t want to become complainers. People who complain a lot are a pain in the ass for everyone around them. Not only that, but they are doing great damage to their own world. Before we verbalize a complaint, we tend to go over it in our mind—several times, dozens of times, several dozen times, dozens and dozens of times. Depending on what our habit is.”

My favorite line from the above excerpt is “People who complain a lot are a pain in the ass for everyone around them.” I chuckled when I read this. Louise/Cheryl wrote what I think but haven’t had the courage to say. I think about how I used to complain; how my former co-workers used to complain. It makes me cringe! I listen to the people around me (family) complain and think, “Thank God I woke up in 2007. Is that how I sounded? Yikes!” I do my best not to sweat the small stuff anymore. For some reason, I used to focus my attention on the littlest or stupidest things. Live and learn.

How to dissolve problems

1. Stop and listen to how much you complain and or criticize you and the people in your life.

2. Notice how many times the people in your life complain.

3. Acknowledge your problems and sit with them for a while. What’s the real story behind your problems? Are they self-inflicted?

4. Journal your problems and review them. What can you do to move past them? Are they worth giving attention to? What are you afraid of if you let your problems go?

5. Meditate on your problems and let them go. If you do this, you make room for change and abundance will flow to you.

Rebecca

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What is Woundology?

September 1, 2011 by

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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How to Connect with the Right People

August 30, 2011 by
The logo used by Apple to represent Podcasting

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I was listening to Joel Osteen‘s podcast #470 Connecting with the Right People and it resonated with me. Here are a few excerpts from the podcast:

Everyone cannot go where God is taking you. Get away from the wrong people and surround yourself with people that appreciate your uniqueness. Connect with people who understand your destiny, not people who are always pushing you down, telling you what you can’t become. Life is too short to drag people along. If you will get the wrong people out of your life, God (or whatever term you use) will bring the right people into your life.

Some of you, the only thing that’s holding you back is your inner circle. The people that are closest to you, i.e., family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc. are with you, but they’re not for you. You spend too much time trying to convince them to get on board; you spend too much time persuading them that you’re okay. You spend too much time trying to get people to understand your destiny.

How many of you can relate to the excerpts above? If you’re nodding your head or saying, “Yep, that’s me,” it’s time to change your inner circle. It may not be easy at first but once you get the wrong people out of your life, new people can finally come into your life and help you get to where you’re supposed to be. Stop spending time trying to convince people of your plans — you’re wasting precious time and oxygen. You don’t need their approval or permission. The only approval and permission you need is yours!

Some people you have to love from a distance. ~ Joel Osteen

True friends won’t question who you are — they’ll support you. True friends will connect you with people who can assist you. Surround yourself with people who believe in you; however, you must believe in you first. Your time is too valuable to spend it with people who don’t support your 100 percent. It’s about the quality of people not the quantity.

It’s scary to drift away from people, especially if you’ve known them for 10 or more years. However, if you have a ‘gut instinct’ that tells you it’s time to drift, go ahead and drift away. You need people who’ll have faith in you not people who’ll give you a laundry list of ‘why’ you can’t do something. Surround yourself with ‘wise people’ and seek council when you need it. It’s important to have people close to you who understand your destiny — who have faith. Weed out people who constantly pull you down. It’s alright to show them door!

Rebecca

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Boo! How to Scare Your Problems Away

August 16, 2011 by
scared

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My Fellow Students of Life,

I watched Meet the Parents a few days ago because I needed to laugh. There was one scene that caught my attention. Teri Polo‘s character, Pam Burns, is a school teacher. Unbeknownst to her, Ben Stiller‘s character, Greg (Gaylord) Focker, is on his way to propose to her. Anyway, Pam was teaching her class how to scare their problems away. She had the kids close their eyes and visualize their problem. Once they had their problem in their ‘mind’s’ eye, she told to say “Boo!” to their problem — scare it away. I’ve watched Meet the Parents many time but never picked up on the significance of that scene. I too will scare my problems away by saying “Boo!”

How to scare your problems away

1. Visualize your problem in your mind’s eye and say “Boo!” to it.

2. Rise above it. Be courageous to face and scare your problems away. Look them in the eye and say, “You have no power over me, be gone!”

3. Stop focusing on your problems. For example, if you’re having issues with family drama-rama, even after you’ve said what you had to say, redirect your focus to something and or someone else. Read a book, volunteer, go to the movies, attend a festival, spend the day at the park, etc. Do something other than focus on your problem.

4. Let go and let God. You’ve probably heard this saying before but it begs repeating. After you’ve faced your problem, let it go. As Esther Hicks/Abraham said during a Teaching with Abraham, “If you want to let go of something, let it die of its own admission.” Let it go!

5. Don’t get caught up in unnecessary drama. This one is easier said than done for some to do. However, everyone has a choice. You can only control your actions and reactions to the people and situations around you. Consider thinking before you speak; before you react to an email, a Facebook status update, a ‘tweet’ on Twitter, etc. You can control your emotions and reactions. You don’t have to get ‘sucked into’ family, friends, and societal drama-rama. Think about it.

Rebecca

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Who Are You in Your Relationships?

August 12, 2011 by

“The heaviest lifting builds the strongest muscles.” ~ Robert Ohotto, from the Self-abandonment in Relationships Soul Connexions radio show

My Fellow Students of Life,

Who are you in relationships? Are you a child? Are you a teenager? Are you a victim? What about a martyr? If you’re dating and looking for a ‘sugar daddy or mommy,’ you’re approaching dating from a ‘child’s’ point-of-view. You’re looking for someone to take care of you instead of you taking care of you. This may be a shock to some of you but identifying who you are in your relationships explains a lot about them.

If you’re constantly fighting with your parents, and you’re 40-years-old, you could still be in the ‘child’ role of the relationship. You could be in the ‘victim’ role as well. While it’s easy to blame parents, there comes a point where you must take responsibility for your own life. Your parents aren’t responsible for you — you are. True, they may have sucked at parenting, but it’s up to you to ‘shift’ your life for the better. Release stinking thinking and shake-off a self-defeating attitude. You’re no longer bound by the rules and regulations of your parents. You make the rules and regulations for your life. If your parents object to the ‘new’ you that’s too bad — it’s not your problem.

If you find yourself dating men or women with lots of money, you’re still in the child and co-dependency role. This isn’t healthy on many levels. Instead of being dependent on another person be dependent on you and only you. What happens if your boyfriend/girlfriend/life partner leaves you? What will you do? Would you find another source of income to replace them with? How is this beneficial to you? It will behoove you to examine ‘why’ you feel you can’t or don’t want to make a living. Perhaps you lack confidence. Maybe you don’t know what to do. Whatever the reason, figure it out today before it’s too late.

Who you are in your relationships matters. If you’re experiencing any drama or pain in your relationships, it could be due to the fact that you’re not being your authentic, adult self. You may not even be aware of this. Take a moment and examine all of your relationships closely. Ask yourself, “Who am I in this relationship?” Write down your answers in a journal or notebook. You may be surprised by the answer you receive. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Remember, you can’t change what you don’t acknowledge.

Rebecca

 

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