Be true to yourself

"Life? Butterfly on a swaying grass . . . that's all . . . but exquisite." This is a piece of wisdom written on a bookmark I've had for ages, and only just now found again in a bunch of papers I have on my desk. It also has a beautiful brush-work painting of a flower. The back of the bookmark indicates the painting and calligraphy were done by Renee Locks, and the company title is Brush Dance. According to her, The Brush Dance is a Yurok Indian Healing ritual where being true to yourself means giving your best to help a person in need. Being true to yourself is the one and only Yurok Indian law. The Yurok Indians lived on a stretch of the Klamath River in Northern California, and continue to be a significant contingent of American Indians in California.

Here's what I take from this: Words of wisdom will find their way into your consciousness from anywhere. The beautiful inscription and painting, and the information about the Yurok Indians, were unknown to me. Yet, here they were, speaking to me.

The focus of my work is about finding and following your authentic voice to connect with your authentic self, and act out of your authentic power. Why? Because being true to yourself is the only way to live in this world and be content, fulfilled and at peace. It is also the way we are able to give our greatest gifts to others.

So, this bookmark speaks to me. This wisdom is not new, but it is new for many of us. With years of conditioning by well-intentioned family and friends, throughout lifetimes, many of us find ourselves making choices that are not true to ourselves -- our authentic selves. We lose ourselves in our ego -- the part of us that is judgmental, critical, insecure and fearful. We do this because we are unaware of the difference between the two, unaware of the costs to ourselves and others, and perhaps afraid of the consequences. But, here's the good news. As our friend William Shakespeare wrote so eloquently, "This above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."

When we let go of false ideas, beliefs and choices and connect with the deepest part of ourselves -- our true selves -- what we experience is freedom and love. Then life truly becomes a "butterfly on a swaying grass . . . that's all . . . but exquisite."

So, don't be surprised where you find those words of wisdom. They are all around us.

Love,
Andrea

Nine and a half pounds

Yes, nine and a half pounds. That's the amount of weight I've lost in the last two months. Why do I share this? Because, as much as the weight, what this represents to me is losing nine and a half pounds of fear. Fear in the form of limiting beliefs, insecurities, emotional pain and other nonphysical attachments that have influenced my ability to open up and embrace all of who I am. Does this ring a bell for you?

I am paraphrasing something I read that Rev. Dr. Michael Beckwith said -- spiritual growth is about letting go rather than obtaining, because when we are having difficulty, it's not about the specific problem, but about the fear or negativity we hold around it. My experience is that as we let go of that fear or negativity, our bodies go through a similar letting go process. Perhaps it is intentional, and perhaps it is more organic. Either way, we are letting go, and that makes room for the love.

In addition to feeling lighter physically, I feel lighter emotionally, mentally and spiritually. I just feel better. I feel healthy. I feel happy.

Have you had a similar experience?

Love,

Andrea

A house of cards

I was watching the Daily Show not too long ago, before the Cramer interview, and he was talking about the AIG scenario. For some reason, in that moment, I got it. I got that this whole financial conundrum is a house of cards. An illusion. Listening to the Cramer interview just confirmed that for me.

When I think about the financial situation we're in, one thing has become perfectly clear to me: the reason this is happening is to show us the illusion it all is so we don't place our faith and hope in it. Our faith and hope are better placed in the thing that is ultimately real -- love -- the primary energy of the universe. Everything else is temporary.

That is not to say that people have not been hurt or victimized because of a lack of awareness. They have, and they need our compassion and support. It is to say that this is our wake-up call. This is the time to decide what is important to us and make conscious choices based on that.

For me, a huge overhead and lots of stuff really are not important to me. Being with people I love, doing work I believe in and has meaning -- these are the things that are important to me. Spending time in nature, with my animals, laughing, singing -- these are the things that feed my soul. Doing my best so that my intentions are grounded in love, harmony, cooperation and a reverence for life, as Gary Zukov states in his Authentic Power CD, that is important to me.

So, when you think about what's happening in the world right now, maybe this is an opportunity to be introspective and decide what is important to you -- trying to make sense out of a house of cards, or living your life, loving your work and leading your world from love. What do you think?

Love,

Andrea

Stick your neck out

The other evening I had some folks over to talk about the reality of love, ever present, in our lives. Yes, love. And guess what? They loved it. It fed them, to share stories, to connect with the love in their own hearts, to be in the company of others also experiencing the same thing.

In a way, I suppose I was sticking my neck out. Some might find this a stretch (okay, that was bad). But, here's the thing. I invited people I knew would be open to this and perhaps value the opportunity. This is an important life skill. If you're going to stick your neck out, do what you can to create the support and love you need to make the risk worthwhile.

Goodness knows, there are always going to be those who discount or belittle your efforts. It's essential to make sure that those voices are balanced, or even bettered, by those that support your efforts. This is self love. Once you get your feet under you and feel a little more confident in this new endeavor, you can broaden and expand your reach.

I have such gratitude for the people in my life who "get me" and love me. I wish the same for you, so that when you stick your neck out, all you see and feel is love.

Love,
Andrea