“Belief colors every experience and determines how we react
in any situation, yet we are often unaware of the hidden beliefs that guide
us.” Ray Dodd from The Power of Belief

Since embracing this wisdom, I hunt for beliefs on every
level—those that I am aware of and those I am not, those that support my life
and those that limit it, those that are supported by society and those that
emanate from me personally.

It is a game I play in re-creating myself—expose the belief
through listening to my thoughts, and not necessarily believing them; observing my behavior, owning my present
creation, paying attention to what I say and the energy behind my words.
Hunting beliefs is a doorway to really knowing myself

So when my physical trainer recommended that I complete a
10-day Master cleanse fast, I thought, oh another opportunity to find out
something more about me. From my
immediate internal reaction which was’ I can’t do that. I will die” though I
spoke “ I will have to think about it.” I could see that I had a lot of belief
uncovering ahead of me to maintain my integrity.

I found that I believed that I would be sick, nauseous,
weak, fuzzy brained, unable to drive, unable to think, unable to work, that
fasting worked for others and not for me, Wow! No wonder I never fasted.

Then like everything else I made a “big deal” of in the
past, the fantasies attached to beliefs based in the fear of the unknown and
not good enough, I decided to create this experience of the Master Cleanse
Fast—one day—one hour at a time. The Master Cleanse is a combination of lemon
juice, filtered water, cayenne pepper and grade “B” Maple Syrup. Surprisingly, not as yucky as it sounds. As
the days passed maintaining the fast brought powerful, though diverse feelings
and physical experiences. Not only was I “fuzzy brained” at times, I had
clarity of vision and hearing beyond my typical experiences. Not only did I feel hunger in my belly; I
also felt relief about not cooking and eating and choosing what and where to
eat. Life became simpler and each day brought color filled and unusual
experiences. The myths about what would happen to me disappeared, and life in
the present moment took on expanded meaning.

Now that I have returned to eating, I much more mindful of
my choices, and am grateful for any food that is provided. I trust that food
exists for health and pleasure– a shift in attitude. Food is not life, and
lack of food is not death. Wow! What
energy I gave away to food, or no food.
All that energy has returned to me. The energy to create beyond
self-limiting beliefs, self-doubt and limitation is an energy I have decided to
invite into my life. This fast has been an invitation to a new consciousness.

I invite you to embrace the courage to bust a long held
belief that you would choose to give up if you believed you could… and watch what happens. Your comments and
personal insights are welcome

During our hike the other day I felt 2 layers of ideas fall together and overlap. It landed in a moment, like a flash. One familiar layer is the 4 seasons. The newer layer is based on a pattern I’m noticing in a spiritual awakening path. The newer pattern is that we go through 4 stages of spiritual growth, and like the seasons, they keep coming back around. It is not linear. It is cyclical. We don’t complete the path. We go through with an increasing level of awareness, and then, just when we think we’re done, it’s time to go through another cycle, another season of spiritual growth.

The 4 Steps I refer to are Curiosity, Inquiry, Practice and Mastery.

At some point along the way of our lives, we have something or things that piqued our curiosity. Something that opened up our eyes and hearts a little. It may have been a book, a movie, a teacher, a moment in nature. We may not have known in that moment that Spirit was knocking on our door, but that’s what it was. Or rather, our soul was trying to get our attention. Curiosity is awakened. So this is the starting point for anyone. For without Curiosity, why bother opening to anything new? And without anything new, what would ever change? So there is a desire inside each of us, and it takes a moment or many moments to come out through an invitation borne of Curiosity. Maybe it takes years before we act on it, but the first step is Curiosity.

What I saw in my walk with Zachary, was that Curiosity is like the Winter and could be represented by the seed. The seed rests quietly in the ground in the Winter, but inside is all the information required for the full nature of the thing to manifest fully as what it is. Just as in us, we have everything we need already to recognize ourselves as creators; to fully manifest our lives in our unique expression of who we are.

The second step is Inquiry. By this I mean a deeper inquiry into the force behind the Curiosity. Which is to say, the forces in our lives; Mind, Spirit, Body and Soul, Creator, Love. Inquiry involves a more active role for us. Curiosity may have us sitting on the sidelines, but at the level of Inquiry, we are simultaneously on the playing field. At some point the seed begins to move in the ground, signaled by warming in the Spring. The wisdom inside is inspired to action and new form. Curiosity is awakened into Inquiry and the journey into Self has begun. Or the journey has begun again with whatever new awareness we gained from our last time around the cycle of seasons.

Curiosity awakens into Inquiry. This type of inquiry is deeper than an idle wondering about the nature of things, God, the universe, etc. This inquiry is into the nature of our minds, our beliefs, our patterns of behavior and language. At this level, we put our attention on witnessing the mind from an observer point-of-view . And of course, there are still many times where Mind is the dominant player, when we are not witnessing how the mind judges, opines, and otherwise pulls us through a day. We can be pulled through the mind’s dominance when we are so completely identified with the Mind that we think it is who we are. The good news is that this Inquiry also brings the grace of moments where we can see the mind operating, and that simple vision confirms the suspicion begun in Curiosity: I am more than my mind. There’s more to life than this!

These moments of grace are like the new leaves, shoots and buds of spring. Something is unfolding, something is happening. We see evidence of shift, but the larger manifestation is not completely apparent. Inquiry models this energy of Spring. There are moments where we can see our mind more clearly, and therefore have a capacity for new choice, sometimes we are back to mind-dominance and we don’t have a choice. Similarly, not every seed will fully emerge. If the sun or the dirt or the water isn’t right, the growth will stop and the plant dies.

Two qualities of the Summer season are discipline and commitment. In our relationship with nature, this is a time for working the fields, long sun-filled days. It’s the time to do what needs to be done so that the harvest will be good in the fall. Without the discipline and commitment to tending the garden, the harvest will be less. The third step of spiritual awakening corresponding to this is Practice. As my prosperity teacher says “We know what to do and we do it.” Our practice is whatever it is: meditation, mindfulness, contemplation, prayer, journalling, anything that supports and deepens our time with our essential selves. We may often still be filled with curiosity. We may still be inquiring into our true nature. These pieces do not follow each other. They are always present. One or another may be getting more of our attention. Just as the seasons overlap, sometimes there is a little reminder of summer even in the winter, with a little warmth and sun, so do these qualities of a spiritual path overlap.

The next step, not the last, is Mastery. Mastery is when we flow with life. There is no suffering. There is light and love and laughter. We manifest easily. We move with grace and ease. We are in service. This relates to the Autumn season. In the fall, there is abundance of the harvest. We reap what we have been busy planting, weeding and nurturing. This is a time to give of what we have received, just as the harvest gives its life to feed us. Just when we are at a place of Mastery, that is the perfect time to let go of whatever it is that we say we have mastered.

When a pumpkin is at it’s fullest expression, just then is it time to disintegrate to allow the seed to go into the ground for the next cycle to begin. So too for the Master. When our mastery is at it’s fullest, the parts of it that we become attached to, the parts of it that have become ’set’ in the mind, those parts we can let go. We let them go knowing that whatever we will need will be provided. Whatever we’ve always needed has always been provided. Mastery is empowered by this type of humility and allows us to plant the seed for the next part of the journey back into the winter of our curiosity and on from there.

Dear Santa,

We are so grateful for our family, for being alive, and for all we have. This year has been full of challenges for so many on the planet. In the spirit of remembering what’s important, we propose (with your kind approval, of course) to celebrate anew:

1. To remember that the biggest gift is our time and energy. So we gather with friends and family to enjoy each other’s company.
2. When giving gifts, to do so from inspiration - whether it’s writing a sweet note, buying a gift that would touch the heart of the giver and receiver, or making something by hand. We have so much that we don’t need to add much more to the pile! (On that note, we vote to forgo making lists of what we want understanding that if inspiration doesn’t strike the buyer, then we may not receive a gift at all.)
3. To remember others. There are so many people who could use a helping hand right now so let’s give. Pick a worthy cause and give as much as you can, or make a donation in the name of a friend or family member as their gift. It’s a way to give twice!
4. To remember the joy of Christmas through a child’s eyes. Let’s make it magical for the wee ones - decorating trees, cooking together, playing with boxes, unwrapping a gift that fosters their creativity and imagination. And to receive our joy from giving our time, love, and attention to them. That means more than any present. 

The holiday time can be one of stress, when we feel the pressure of sending cards, getting to the mall, paying for the purchases, and squeezing in too much activity. Or, it can be one of pleasure and peace, of giving and receiving from the heart. Let’s choose the latter.

All in favor?

With love,

The Gilroys

The photographs of citizens from places far from this American soil showing their optimism and joy for the new president to be were beautiful. It blew my mind. It reflected the connectedness that we all share - the oneness of humanity. It was as if color no longer mattered (when really did it ever?). It was like we finally grew up as a civilization. And the man on the TV screen was one of us. No more idiotic swagger and insipid rhetoric. Someone who was going to think ahead and plan forward - looking to the future and yet dealing with the now.

If you get a chance look at the slide show on today’s New York Times website of the worlds reaction to Obama’s victory. It brought tears to my eyes. I thought of my sons Nick & Bodhi and felt for the first time in a long time that maybe just maybe the world they are inheriting will be one based in awareness and love. A world where “change” is not a four letter word, where that simple yet profound word (CHANGE!) becomes inherent in the worlds vernacular and inspires new choices and new directions.

Right now I can feel the transition occurring in my own emotions and within my own body. Something is going on and I can feel my resistance has been in play for a while now. I find that some days I’m all over the new ways I’ve been expressing myself in the world. Then there are days like today where I fall prey to the “shoulds” and “can’ts” and the feeling of being stuck. Whether it’s trying to shift the old way I run my business or the familiar way I hide myself behind my mask. It’s the same story. The choice is really simple and really sweet. Keep resisting; keep holding tight to the old model. Or?

Fall in step with the transition, open my arms to the changes going down and let it happen. Last night the world was blessed with an opportunity. Climb aboard that train, cause change is gonna come…

It is indeed a world in transition and I for one am liking what I’m seeing.

God bless and Godspeed.

J

Let’s start a grass roots movement, Laugher Is For Free, LIFF Mastery!

Each of us commits to committing a LIFF act every day, once a week, once a month, or whenever.

A LIFF act has 2 criteria:
1. It must be absolutely free (it does not cost anything to execute)

2. It must bring joy to yourself to another, to the earth, to an animal, to the deceased, to any being we choose.

That’s it. We can create LIFF nights when we gather in our communities for people to talk about their LIFF acts or create them on the spot; or they can blog about it on the LIFF Mastery (Life Mastery Programs) site. We can have performances in which people come together to make each other laugh: we can email friends and family and inspire them to commit LIFF acts too.

Let’s make LIFF go viral! If the Empire of Greed is falling, let’s replace it with an empire of laughter.

Because after all Laughter Is For Free… and can be had in absolute abundance.

Please take up Sylvia’s invitation and start the laughter and then email us the results, or comment below. We are also looking for more suggestions on ways to spread the laughter, so send us your ideas on what works.

Today Meg and I packed the car and headed north with Rita and Ed and of course Bodhi. We went to a farm stand and bought some veggies. Bodhi pulled a wagon around the farm the entire time we were there. From the farm stand we went to an Audubon sanctuary that I hadn’t been to in a while and hadn’t shared with the gang yet. There is a really cool stone formation there that reminds me of Ireland and the incredible rocks and energy in that country. This spot definitely had something mystical about it and it felt like somewhere other than Ipswich, MA.

We all really enjoyed that spot, especially Bodhi. He ran around the paths that wound through the rocks and tunnels over and over again. He gets so excited by being in Nature, even taking these blissful little gasps of breath and saying, “woods”. Too cute I know. But it gets me seeing it fresh from his POV and like I too am seeing things for the first time.

It was a windy cold fall day today and we got back in the car ready to eat some lunch. For some reason we all wished we could transport ourselves back to Italy for a warm delicious meal. We even called a couple of local Italian restaurants on our way home. They were all closed and the Bo Man was nodding out so we decided to do take out from the local chowder place and put Bodhi down for his nap at home.

So here’s my point: we created Italy right in our dining room. We took the take out food and put it on nice china. I made a roaring fire in the fireplace and opened a bottle of Chianti. We had cheese and olive spread and delicious bread and wine. Meg poured olive oil on a plate and added garlic and pepper. We ate some of Ed’s homemade dark chocolate for dessert. We laughed and talked about writing and business and dreaming.  The fire burned in us all during this gathering and inspiration joined us in a toast to Life. 

 And before we knew it we were in Assisi cozy and warm and sated. It was that simple. To top it off Nick called from Assisi itself and we got the laptop out and went on Skype. He was in his favorite café and he and Ed spoke Italian together. We laughed some more and it was good to see Nicks smiling face. It was the perfect conclusion to a splendid day.

So where do you want to be? Where would you like to go? Isn’t it all a matter of perspective, of desire? We all had this collective urge to be in Italy for lunch and lo and behold there we were. We wanted to experience a magical place and there we were in a circle of huge boulders - as much a power spot as anywhere. So what is it that makes us think we need to go anywhere to experience happiness or inspiration? Why do we usually believe it exists outside ourselves? What if in reality we are that inspiration, that mystical magical place we seek somewhere else?

Where you want to be in any moment is up to you. It is in fact that simple. You wanna be happy? Then go there. You want to be moved by a beautiful place? Then close your eyes. You wanna be inspired by the extraordinary? Then go open those beautiful eyes and see what’s right in front of you. You wanna love someone? Then throw you arms around yourself.

You wanna be in Italy? Stop by sometime. I’d be happy to show you a little hole in the wall where the service is sublime and the food heavenly.

Ciao, ciao-

J

I feel my frustration rise as I listen to a loved one vent. I’ve heard this story a hundred times before. Why won’t they try something different? Why won’t they CHANGE?

Cha-ching! I catch what I’m doing to myself. I’m using their story against myself. I’m the one who is feeling frustration. Ouch! I’m the one who hasn’t changed my response.

I laugh at myself, dig deep in my pocket and drop a quarter in my CHANGE jar. My reaction just cost me a quarter. I’ve just joined the ranks of the Agents for Positive Change. Let me explain.

Last weekend, Rita and I were teaching Life Mastery Dreaming. Our group has been exploring what we contribute to our lives personally and to what’s been going on globally. We recognize that we contribute our energy, whether it’s “positive” (expansive, unconditional, accepting) or “negative” (constricting, limiting, judgmental).

Our energy comes from the thoughts we have, which in turn create the emotion felt in our body as sensation. This emotional energy is what we send out to the world. It affects not only our selves and our bodies, but those around us and the environment itself. Each of us make a big impact on the world based on what we think and feel. So as a community of individuals dedicated to personal growth and transformation, we’ve made a commitment to take responsibility for what we have been adding to the mix.

Responsibility? Some of us groaned. That word can invoke some old, heavy energy. But we’ve re-framed responsibility to mean “the ability to respond” or more accurately, “having the ability to choose your response.”

Hmmm. That kind of responsibility doesn’t sound so bad; it could even be fun. As dreamers, we love to have fun so we search for practical, innovative ways (whatever it takes!) to increase our awareness, i.e. responsibility. That’s how we came up with Be a Positive Agent for Change.

Here’s how it works. Every time we have an emotional reaction, we’ve agreed to put a quarter in our CHANGE jars. Rather than being a punishment, it’s a tangible way to see the cost of our emotional reactions on our lives and on our bodies.

Each thought has the potential to manifest in our body as emotion. The quality of the thought determines the quality of the emotion. For example, if I think, “The stock market is crazy. I’ve lost a fortune. I’ll never have enough money to stop working.” then I start feeling anxious and stressed.

When I think, “I am so grateful for all I have. I appreciate that I have enough money that I can invest some of it in the stock market. I trust that I will find ways to take care of myself.” Ahhh, I relax a bit and can feel more positive. My energy contribution remains in the plus column.

I’m aware that the story that I’m telling myself either “costs” my body in the form of stress, tension or constriction - or supports my body in feeling relaxed, open, and expanded. (Hint: This is how the law of attraction really works.) When in awareness, I can make the choice to take responsibility - to choose how I want to respond to my own thoughts, to people in my life, to the stock market, or politics, or whatever is happening in the world at large.

So back to the Dreaming weekend… I was sharing how don Miguel used to say, “Don’t pay more than 10 cents, more than 3 times.” That means don’t beat yourself up, don’t judge yourself over and over, don’t replay the same story in your head and feel the same reaction if you are paying for it emotionally.

We began joking how with the cost of inflation, 10 cents is now the equivalent of a quarter. And the idea of setting out a CHANGE jar was born. (One dreamer quipped, “That brings a new meaning to CHANGE.”) We agreed to place a quarter in our CHANGE jars each time we have an emotional reaction.

When we gather next month, we’ll pool our change - both all the coins we’ve place in our CHANGE jars, and all the awareness and responsibility we’ve gained. Then we’ll use the money to make a donation to a worthy cause. We’ll become agents for positive change. Now that’s putting our money where our mouths are.

Now back to my story of feeling frustration. How did I choose to change? Instead of pointing my finger at my loved one, I chose a different response. I chose to really feel the frustration. I took a deep breath. I let the sensation of frustration pass through my body.

As I shifted back into a place of calm centeredness, I had compassion for all of us who are working to change our ways. I had compassion for all of us who fall asleep and believe stories of lack, limitation, “there’s not enough” or “I’m not enough.”

I took responsibility for my choice - the choice to feel, instead of believing my thoughts - and I felt better. I gladly deposited my quarter. After all, that’s a small price to pay for a lot of awareness. I’m proud to be an Agent for Positive Change.

With all my love and compassion,

Agent Meghan

P.S. True Confession/Full Disclosure -  Contribution to date: $1.50

So what have you been contributing?

What has been your response to your own life and to the world at large?

Won’t you join us in being an Agent for Positive Change?

How to Be An Agent for Positive Change

1. Find a jar for collecting your quarters. Label it “CHANGE” jar.
2. Each time you have an emotional reaction, take responsibility - invoke your “ability to choose your response.” Try choosing feeling over thinking by simply taking a deep breath and putting your attention on the sensations in your body.
3. Place a quarter in your CHANGE jar as a tangible reminder of your commitment to awareness, choice, and responsibility.
4. At the end of the month, donate your CHANGE to a worthy cause or non-profit organization.
5. Share your insights with us by commenting on this blog. We’d love to hear from you!

T.A.G. You’re It!

T hanksgiving
A ppreciation
G ratitude

You are the source of the amount and feeling of gratefulness and appreciation in your life.
In the larger world, there is a lot of lack, anxiety and fear.

Maybe this is merely a reflection of our inner fear, anxiety and feelings of lack?
Maybe billions of people paying attention to this on the inside (feeling it and believing it) create a world with a lot of lack and fear on the outside?

We propose an experiment:
For the 40 day period leading up to Thanksgiving, we will gather in a very short 7:00 a.m. phone call to share our thanks, to look to what we will appreciate today and to extend gratitude from our hearts to the world. We think this will shift your experience of these times.
We ask you to also look for Good News to show up in your life, and then share that good news with us as a way to monitor the results of this experiment.

Please bring to the call:
- What I will appreciate today
- What I am grateful for
- What I give thanks for today

Keep track of your Good News everyday in a journal or send it along as an email to all!
Where I am from, we say “It’s not Good News until you share it!”

This will be a quick booster for the day. There will not be lecture or processing.

We plan on creating easy and fun ways for you to share this call with others in your life,
personally and professionally.

Calls are weekdays Monday through Friday. Beginning Oct 14th (that’s tomorrow)

This call will begin at 7:00 a.m. sharp so please come on to the call 1 or 2 minutes before 7:00 so we are ready to begin at 7:00.  Thank you.

Free TeleConference Phone Number: 518.825.1300 (this is not a local call)

Access Code:  750287    (this information may change based on call volume)
Mute = *6, Toggle on and Off
7:00 a.m. East Coast Time

please email to:
kevin@earthandlight.com
to RSVP

if you’d like to support this call and other classes, websites, recordings similar to this,

this first paypal button lets you use Master Card / Visa or a PayPal account for a $5:00 donation for 1 month of Thanksgiving, Appreciation and Gratitude (quite a value)- that works out to about 25 pennies a day.

or to make a donation of any amount, click on the link below:

thank you
kevin