Archive for April, 2009
The Four Universal Laws of Emotional Energy
By Rita Rivera Fox
- Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
We are facing a time of unprecedented uncertainty and monumental change. As a result, many of us are feeling anxious, doubtful, and fearful. While we may not like what is appearing in our world today, we do have the power to transform ourselves and our creations.
How? By using The Four Universal Laws of Emotional Energy. These laws simplify how our stories, thoughts, and emotions profoundly impact what is happening in our personal and professional lives, as well as what is manifesting globally. We now have the opportunity to consciously choose how we feel and what we create.
Over the next few months, we will be posting practical and inspiring ways to create and attract what your heart most desires despite these challenging times. In fact, we believe these times are here to help us in this process.
In the meantime, what has worked for you? Please share your story, ah-ha moment, and challenges by posting a comment on this blog or emailing us.
And we’d love for you to join us at our upcoming The Four Universal Laws of Emotional Energy class. Details below.
The Four Universal Laws of Emotional Energy Seminar
with Rita Rivera Fox & Meghan McChesney Gilroy
May 9, 2009, 9am-1pm EST
Cost: $45
140 Elm St #3, Marblehead, MA 01945
The class is the first in a series that we will be presenting over the next few months that will illustrate how the energy we create daily in our minds and bodies attracts what appears in our lives. The quality of this energy not only affects our relationships, finances, and health, but also our precious planet Earth.
The class will introduce ways to:
- Increase awareness of the power of your thoughts
- Be inspired to become more responsible for your choices
- See that oppportunity is everywhere for transformation and growth
- Create a more centered and loving response to change
Please RSVP to: Rita at 781-990-3372 or rita@lifemasteryprograms.com.
Love in a Time of Uncertainty: Personal Growth Teleclass
By Meghan McChesney Gilroy
- Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
It’s easy to love when the times are good. Yet when the times are hard, we give ourselves the greatest opportunity to remember who we truly are and what we truly love.
In these challenging times, so many people we speak with are struggling with very real issues in their lives. A friend of ours, whose life’s ambition was to accumulate enough savings to have a secure retirement, lost the majority of his efforts in the recent financial crises. Yet he is happier and more at peace than ever. How?
He raised his Love Quotient. He fell in love with an incredible woman, but more importantly he is finally living the life he loves – meditating, sharing himself with friends through his presence and art, and working when he has the opportunity to do so.
What challenges are you facing? Perhaps it’s the loss of income, additional stress within personal relationships, health issues, or just an overwhelming sense of uncertainty? How can you raise your Love Quotient, like our friend did?
We started by tapping into what our heart desires. What is calling your attention right now? What is annoying you? frustrating you? pleasing you?
After spending taking an extended motorcycle trip, Jamie’s passion for the freedom he feels when riding a motorcycle kindled his desire to ride more – and to buy a bike that was more comfortable for long journeys. Like many of us, we’ve been paying close attention to our budget. So how could we make this happen? Jamie got creative. He worked his magic to find a great deal. And even though his new bike cost more than his old one, he added money back into our budget over the long run. We’ll share how on our first teleclass.
Jamie’s Motorcycle Caper is another great example of raising your Love Quotient. He connected to a feeling that he loves – freedom. He made it a priority to take care of himself mentally by spending time riding, which increases his energy. Then he found a practical way to make it work on all levels – spiritually, financially, mentally, emotionally. He didn’t let his doubts or fears about the economy stop him from doing what he loves.
You can experience the same!
Join us as we share our insights on how to free yourself from the daily grind, renew your energy, and find true peace of mind. Our teleclass will explore how we can let go of habits, beliefs, and energies that no longer serve us, while creatively, authentically, and practically connecting to what our heart’s most desire for our lives.
We welcome your challenges, your stories, and your revelations as we come together in community to support what is emerging within each of us and throughout this planet at this time.
Love in a Time of Uncertainty Teleclass Series
With Jamie Gilroy & Meghan McChesney Gilroy
Thursdays, May 7, 14, 21, 28, 8-9pm EST
Cost: $35 for series, 1st class is open and free for anyone who would like to join us
Please RSVP to: Meghan at meghan@lifemasteryprograms.com or call 781.631.1881
The Four Agreements Class in NY
By Barry Schwartzbach
- Friday, April 24th, 2009
Life Mastery Programs is now offering The Four Agreements Class in Altamont, NY through Associate Teacher Barry Schwartzbach.
The Toltec teachings of Don Miguel Ruiz, as presented in The Four Agreements, paint a vivid picture of how we create our own world based on our beliefs or “agreements”. These agreements, which we have often unconsiously accepted, can be based in fear. Once we make an agreement it becomes part of our belief system which triggers automatic responses to the world around us. If we can recognize these patterned responses, we can begin to change them and make concious choices based in Love, not in Fear. Barry’s intention for this group is to introduce concepts and techniques that enable one to move along ones own path to self-discovery.
Class meets most Saturdays beginning April 11, 2009, 10:00am – 12:00 noon
By Donation
5815 Gardner Rd. Altamont, NY 12009
For more information, directions, and dates of meetings: call Barry at 518.577.9411 or email barry@lifemasteryprograms.com
Tom Brady, Gisele Bundchen, & The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz
By Meghan McChesney Gilroy
- Friday, April 24th, 2009
So I have to admit that I love when I read that a celebrity has picked up The Four Agreements: A Toltec Wisdom Book by don Miguel Ruiz. Most recently I read the May 2009 issue of Vanity Fair’s article “…And God Created Gisele,” (a portion of which is posted online) in which supermodel Gisele Bundchen shared that The Four Agreements, The Mastery of Love, and The Voice of Knowledge were all favorite and influential reads of hers. I also caught (her now husband and New England Patriot’s quarterback) Tom Brady reporting the same in the “Just Throw The Damn Ball, Tom Brady” article in the August 2008 issue of Esquire.
Now the reason I love these celebrity “testimonials” is yes, because it spreads the word about a book that has so inspired my life and the lives of many others. But more importantly, I love how it dissolves some of my perception of who I think a public figure is. I really knew little about Gisele, other than she was a beautiful face on a beautiful body. After reading the article though, I caught a glimpse at her inner beauty – which is quite extraordinary. Much of what she is quoted as saying in the article is full of wisdom. And how cool is it that she is willing to share her wisdom with millions of people? Particularly when someone thinks they are going to be reading about the prom queen marrying the ultimate jock? Or the “scandal” of Tom Brady getting his ex-girlfriend Bridget Moynahan pregnant? Gisele and Tom deftly re-intrepreted a challenging situation by asking, “What good can come of this? What can we learn?”
So as I read the article, I realized that once again don Miguel’s agreements ring true: Don’t make assumptions. I was given the opportunity to look behind a person’s outward appearance. (In case you’ve forgotten, the other three agreements are: Be impeccable with your word. Don’t take anything personally. Always do your best.) If you’d like to see how Gisele has applied these to her life, I highly recommend picking up the latest issue of Vanity Fair.
And as always, I’d love to know how The Four Agreements have worked for you!
Obama Asks Spiritual Leaders for Recommendations in these Uncertain Times
By Rita Rivera Fox
- Friday, April 17th, 2009
We knew that Obama was different. Now we have some real evidence. His adminsitration is turning to spiritual leaders for recommendations on how to take action in these uncertain times. We can show our aupport but signing their petition to show we support the changes they have recommended.
The Obama Administration has asked the “Evolutionary Leaders” to communicate about what is transpiring on the planet, and how we can change the course of the unprecedented events that are challenging this planet. This is a window of opportunity that must be taken! A deadline was given for this information to be conveyed to the Obama Administration.
The Evolutionary Leaders like Deepak Chopra, Gregg Braden, Michael Beckwith and many, many others, gathered together to write up the information to present to the Obama Administration. They are also asking us to sign a petition to show the Administration how many people are in favor for these changes to occur. They need 10,000 signatures. We need your help to reach that number and beyond! Below is the information presented to the New Administration.
The petition link can be found here:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/248704259
By the Evolutionary Leaders
The human family is in the midst of the most significant transformation of consciousness since its emergence in Africa over one hundred thousand years ago. Consciousness has been evolving for billions of years from the first cell to us. We are becoming aware that through our own consciousness the universe can know itself. This awareness reveals incredible new potential for our individual and collective humanity.
Simultaneously, we are the first species on this Earth aware that we can destroy ourselves by our own action. This may be the greatest wake-up call to the evolution of consciousness since the origin of Homo Sapiens. We now realize that we are affecting our own evolution by everything we do. This knowledge awakens in us the aspiration to become more conscious through subjective practices including meditation, reflection, prayer, intuition, creativity, and conscious choice making that accelerate our evolution in the direction of unity consciousness and inspire us to deeply align our collective vision.
THE CHALLENGE
At this juncture in human history, urgent global crises challenge us to learn to live sustainably, in harmony and gratitude with one another and with the living universe. The changes required of humanity are broad, deep, and far reaching. Only by acting swiftly and creatively can we birth a planetary culture that will bring well-being to every form of life in the Earth community. The good news is that a compelling new story of our potential as a whole human species is emerging-a story of collaboration, citizen action, dialogue and new understandings propelled by unprecedented levels of democratic freedom, multicultural exchange, and access to communication technologies. It is nothing less than the story of our
collective evolution.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACTION
We recognize that the inner and outer aspects of life evolve together. A dramatic awakening in consciousness will involve an equally dramatic shift in outward aspects of our lives. In particular, we see the following as vital opportunities for our conscious evolution, both personally and collectively:
Cultivating a Paradigm of Aliveness: We regard the universe as deeply alive and conscious by nature. In a living universe, our sense of subtle connection and participation with life around us is the basis for a compassionate and cooperative approach to living.
Educating for an Evolving Consciousness: Awakening consciousness is the foundation for all the change we seek to see in the world. We can work to elevate our capacity for conscious reflection and creative action in our personal lives as well as our collective lives as communities. We must support research and educational strategies that optimize human capacities and explore the nature of consciousness.
Restoring Ecological Balance: The balance of planetary ecosystems is fundamental to our survival. We must reverse the pollution of our global commons-the water, air and soil that nourish all life. We must encourage the proliferation of clean, renewable energy sources and expend all necessary resources toward mitigating the effects of climate change.
Encouraging Conscious Media: We must find innovative ways to use the new electronic media as the mirror of our positive evolutionary story, investing in their capacity to reach across differences of generation, culture, religion, wealth, and gender to build a working consensus about our collective future.
Engaging in Social and Political Transformation: More sustainable ways of living will require the support of a more conscious democracy and vibrant civil society from which more enlightened leaders will emerge. All individuals should be encouraged to use their gifts to create participatory, responsible and compassionate models of governance.
Working for Integrity in Commerce: Conscious businesses that are aware of the scope, depth, and long-range impacts of their actions are key to achieving sustainability. Business must become an ethical steward of the Earth’s ecology and consciously establish an economic basis for a future of equitably shared abundance.
Promoting Health and Healing: The science of mind-body-spirit health has demonstrated the profound connection between the health of a whole person and the health of the system in which he or she lives. Whole systems healing, respecting both traditional knowledge and modern sciences, must be supported in physical, social, and spiritual domains.
Building Global Community: The new story is about all of us who share this planet. Together, we can create a culture of peace that eliminates the need for armed conflict, respecting and appreciating the glorious diversity of our human family.
YOUR PARTICIPATION IS VITAL
Our group has done its best to articulate possibilities for the evolution of consciousness at this crucial moment in time. Please reflect on this document, feel what resonates in your being and calls forth a response on your part. We invite you to discuss it with others, continuing this global conversation by adding to it the wisdom that is uniquely your own.. Together, let us co-create a new narrative of conscious evolution that is a call to individual and collective action, birthing the most significant transformation of consciousness in history. Jo in in the Call to Conscious Evolution by signing the pledge now.
The petition link can be found here: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/248704259 FOUNDING SIGNATURES
Chopra Center , Carlsbad , California , July 26, 2008
Michael Beckwith, Jo an Borysenko, Gregg Braden, Rinaldo Brutoco, Thomas Callanan, Deepak Chopra, Mallika Chopra, Dale Colton, Gordon, Dveirin, Duane Elgin, Leslie Elkus, Barbara Fields, Debbie Ford, Ashok Gangadean, Kathleen Gardarian, Tom Gegax, Charles Gibbs, Kathy Hearn, Jean Houston, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Bruce Lipton, Judy Martin, Rod McGrew, Steve McIntosh, Lynne McTaggart, Deborah Mo ldow, James O’Dea, Carter Phipps, Wendy Craig-Purcell, Carolyn Rangel, Rustum Roy, Peter Russell, Gerard Senehi, Emily Squires, Brian Swimme, Diane Williams, Marianne Williamson, Tom Zender.
el sueño de amor
By Jamie Gilroy
- Wednesday, April 15th, 2009
Last week we took a vacation to Sedona AZ. Not that we really could afford a vacation at this time. My business is extremely slow and I’ve temporarily laid off some of my employees. But we had booked the tickets months ago with frequent-flyer miles and were depleted from a VERY long hard winter, so we needed a break. Yeah, so that’s the story anyway.
You could say that our Dream was in flux. And you could also say that Megs and I were stressed from all the busy-ness in our lives. Writing a book, raising a toddler, running a construction business – all these things are pretty much normal, but we had some unforeseen situations that compounded the stress level and in general Meg & I were acting more like business partners than co-creators of our own expansive reality as husband and wife.
For me I know that I was more and more in resistance to what I was experiencing, and consequently more and more stressed out. The more I tensed up I got, the less awake I felt. The more work I lost to other contractors who were underpricing, the more bitter I felt. In short I had lost my capacity to Love.
Now before you dear readers feel like I “doth protest too much” what with millions of people in similar situations, I have to say that until recently I have been pretty cool with whatever Life threw my way. But now I have become just pissy and cranky. That is until I went on vacation.
Distance from the bubble of our own particular dream can often give us a new perspective on it. Sedona did that for me. It took a few days into our vacation before I began to let go, breathe, relax, and expand. I took a break from the intensity of life here and in doing so gained another point of view. Or should I say rediscovered what I’m here for. Why am I here?
To love. Love. Love it all. And with love comes Gratitude. No matter what shows up – Love it. Sure when things are humming, the economy is good, money is flowing and increasing, it’s easy to love. When there is no stress love is no problem. But when things get under pressure, the investments lose their worth, business goes bad, relationships get tested, love seems to slip away. Why? Isn’t that when we need it the most?
While in Sedona I had the good fortune to borrow a beautiful motorcycle from my brother and best friend Rick. The bike is a work of art (07 black Kawasaki Z1000 for you aficionados) and Rick and I had some unbelievable experiences on his two motorcycles that week. Whenever I ride I get into this amazing state of freedom and bliss – it truly lifts me in a way that is unique. Rick was so generous in allowing me to take the “Z” whenever I needed to. On this particular day I rode across town to get a massage. After a wonderful hour and half of bodywork I felt open and peaceful. I rode up to this Tibetan stupa and sat for awhile and let myself go. Really just dropping out of my head and back into my heart. I got back on the bike and rode to meet Meg and Bodhi at the supermarket to shop for dinner.
As I was riding to meet them I passed a building that was empty and caught my eye. It looked like it once been a retail store of some kind. On the big picture window in large four foot letters was written the word “LOVE”. That’s it. One word. And that one word by total chance got my attention as I passed by. Love. What was I fighting? Who was I resisting? Why? What if I simply surrendered to that word. What if I gave all of my faith and doubt, all of my anger and joy, all of my bitterness and hope to that one simple word.
LOVE.
Because long ago I had a Dream of Love. In my dream I could be in a state of love no matter what or who showed up at my door. Complete and utter love. Why not? What do I have to lose? What is there to resist?
That is the reason I went to Sedona. To reawaken to my desire. To let go of my resistance. To embrace LIFE. The Dream of Love is calling.
Can you hear it?
J
Whose Dream is it Anyway?
By Michele Laub
- Tuesday, April 7th, 2009
Each of us has been born into a dream. From the point of view of the Toltecs, we are dreaming all the time.
During the day our dream is framed by the language we speak and conditioned responses. At night there is no frame, we dream in metaphor, symbols and intuition.
We move about in our daily lives within the virtual reality of our dream, created by the sum of our focus and attention. Wherever we put our attention will stop the rest of the world from showing up.
The mind can only hold one thought at a time. As we consistently place our attention on what feels good, and makes us happy we are on the *happiness road* – attracting more of the same into our virtual reality. No matter what occurs in the world news or the incidental events in our lives, we can always find something to be grateful for, such as the bed we sleep in.
When we focus on worry, we find there is much to worry about. In a meeting with a 100yr old woman, who had lived an ordinary life, I asked what was the most important information she had to share. She replied “Everything I worried about never happened, and the things that happened, that took me off guard, I never could have imagined. I used up much of my life worrying for nothing.”
Watch your thoughts and whenever you hear yourself saying “the reality is…” -STOP-
Recognize that you have brought that reality into your virtual reality through your focus, giving you the exact same power to reject it.
Whose dream is it anyway? Yours. When you create your dream through deliberate awareness and intention, no matter what, you will experience living profound freedom and joy as you weave your own virtual reality.
Silencing The Demon of Impatience
By Grace Sardonicus
- Monday, April 6th, 2009
‘I want it now! Why is it taking so long? When am I going to finally make it? Are we there yet?’ How many times have you thought or heard these words? Born from the need to have control, these rants arise from fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of being out of control. Fear of failure. At the top and bottom of the list is the perennial fear of dying.
The demise of how fear takes hold and turns us to the dark side has unlimited variations. From the summer of 2007 into the spring of 2009 I have been trying to sell my house. My reasons are typical: affordability, energy required for upkeep, readiness to move on from the town, massive home, divorce, etc. Once Jasper, my fifth child starts college this fall, only Tao, my 13th year old darling will live with me. So I have a strong desire. I come up with a plan of attack with timeline and all. I do all the things to make it happen and then some. I know what I want and I go after it with a vengeance. As time passes my feelings of anxiety & urgency grow. I witness the what-ifs. And I question what motivated me in the first place. The dissatisfaction, feeling stuck, overwhelmed, unhappy, out of control and limitations. I am being swallowed alive. Yes, death: the last and first fear on the list. The insidious fear that runs the whole show.
The whole string of thoughts always begins with a desire. I want this now! I have a desire and it can’t wait. This is the way it should be because I said so. This is the beginning of the end– EXPECTATIONS! I think it should be a certain way. If it isn’t, something is wrong. And I am going to make it be that way. I am sure God is having a great laugh! Just because I think something should happen in an allotted amount of time does not mean it will. The trouble is I got attached and expected it to happen. On top of that, I had what-ifs attached to my plan creating negative emotions and urgency.
Well, I have a choice to make. Do I stay miserable, desperate, dissatisfied and in fear? Or do I open my heart to possibilities, the magic of the unknown and faith in life? I go inside and listen. I like the latter choice. But how do I get there?
First, like every 12-step program, you have to recognize and admit the issue. I am in fear. I doubt life. I don’t trust that I am being taken care of or that I am capable of closing the deal.
Then I go a bit deeper. I have the doubts because somewhere along the line I believed I was not supported. I was abandoned. I thought I must have done something wrong and was being punished. I didn’t deserve to have my desires met. Yet my desires didn’t stop. I had to figure out a strategy for how I could get what I want even though I didn’t really deserve it. The only way I was able to succeed was with shear force. I had to breakthrough and get aggressive. The problem is a part of me still didn’t believe I deserved it. Now I see how my constant flurry of action is based on a need to prove I am good, deserving and capable and can support myself. Until the belief that I don’t deserve and have done something wrong is extinguished, the need to fight through sheer force will continue. And I will not be trusting life. And I will suffer the consequences.
Okay! So I get the story. Plus I see why I have anxious aggressive feelings when something doesn’t happen when I want it to. I am in fear that it won’t because somewhere inside I don’t believe I deserve it. I still believe I have done something wrong. So I look inside again.
Did I really do something wrong? Am I really bad? Does anything come up? No, not really. I have already done years of work on understanding the basis of having or not having boundaries, being promiscuous, manipulative and lying. The success of forgiving others and myself has predominated my consciousness. The biggest thing I have done lately is believed that I am wrong or bad and not deserving out of an ingrained habit that’s probably in my cellular memory. The other thing I have done is getting caught up in dramas, which I know better than to do. And for this, I forgive myself. Yes, I fell down. But more important, I picked myself up. I am so grateful!
Right now most of the planet is in a swirl of fear. It is very challenging to stay clear when the mantras of economic, social and spiritual doom and gloom are so loud. How do we stay clear while being compassionate and present?
I offer another point of view: What if everything is happening exactly as it should? Maybe my mind thinks things should be a certain way but that doesn’t mean that’s it. Wow, what a concept. Maybe not knowing is an intrinsic part of trusting life, surrendering and being open to the ride. No pushing, forcing, just breathe, enjoy and stay open to possibilities! Love life as it is. Trust that all of this is one big opportunity to expand the love in my heart. And truly, I am okay! And so is the house in which I raised my six beautiful children that’s still on the market! It’s all perfect!
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