Author: Beth Page 9 of 12

Mirrors in Poetry

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On 2014-11-10

In Mirrors

Mirrors frequently appear in poetry. Here is a selection of poems featuring the mirror that seem to capture the mysterious and compelling qualities inherent in reflection. Rumi has also used mirror symbolism in his poems.

 

Lady at a Mirror by Rainer Maria Rilke

As in sleeping-drink spices
softly she loosens in the liquid-clear
mirror her fatigued demeanor;
and she puts her smile deep inside.

And she waits while the liquid
rises from it; then she pours her hair
into the mirror, and, lifting one
wondrous shoulder from the evening gown,

she drinks quietly from her image. She drinks
what a lover would drink feeling dazed,
searching it, full of mistrust; and she only

beckons to her maid when at the bottom
of her mirror she finds candles, wardrobes,
and the cloudy dregs of a late hour.

Translated by Edward Snow

 

Telling You All  by Rainer Maria Wilke

Telling you all would take too long.

Besides, we read in the Bible
how the good is harmful
and how misfortune is good.
Let’s invite something new
by unifying our silences;
if, then and there, we advance,
we’ll know it soon enough.
And yet towards evening,
when his memory is persistent,
one belated curiousity
stops him before the mirror.
We don’t know if he is frightened.

But he stays, he is engrossed,
and, facing his reflection,
transports himself somewhere else.

 

The Muses Mirror by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

EARLY one day, the Muse, when eagerly bent on adornment,
Follow’d a swift-running streamlet, the quietest nook by it seeking.

Quickly and noisily flowing, the changeful surface distorted
Ever her moving form; the goddess departed in anger.

Yet the stream call’d mockingly after her, saying: “What, truly!
Wilt thou not view, then, the truth, in my mirror so clearly depicted?”
But she already was far away, on the brink of the ocean,
In her figure rejoicing, and duly arranging her garland.

 

 

Powerstick Shift

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On 2014-10-14

In Guidance & Inspiration

Last year around this time, I went to Oaxaca & Teotihuacan, Mexico with a group of healing-driven colleagues of The Wishing Well. Always an amazing journey, last year’s was no exception. One of the activities we were told in advance we’d be doing was making a powerstick, a representation of our unique ray of light in the world and our will to recover it. I had done this many years before, once when I entered my first Toltec apprenticeship with Gary Van Warmerdam of Pathway to Happiness, and when I entered my second Toltec apprenticeship with Raven Smith of TOCI (then Spiritweavers). Those sticks were both long gone. So I collected new materials and put them in my suitcase.

On the night of the ceremony, facilitated by Oskana Yufa, as I witnessed others making their sticks, many for the first time, something in me didn’t resonate. I didn’t want another stick encased in red cloth with two feathers attached. I didn’t even like my chosen stick anymore. So I ended up not making one. I questioned my decision once or twice that trip, but then I let it go.

Now for those of you who don’t know me well, since I returned from that trip to Teo, I’ve been having the worst year of my life…knotty and bent like the stick I’d chosen. It has been so, so difficult. But everything has finally started to shift for me in really big ways after that last eclipse we just had. It’s been so magical. And man, have I earned it! (Whatever that means!)

A few days ago, having come through quite a bit of pain to a place of deep surrendering, I drove to a park (it was raining) to let quite a few pent-up tears finally go. I decided that I would not let this excruciating year be for naught. Whatever I’d experienced, I would use it to empower myself and triumph. I would be there for myself no matter the outcomes to situations in which I found myself. I would move towards what I want and away from what I don’t and stop being afraid all the time. And I would be absolutely honest with myself and others in the process. It would all serve to make me a better healer and human being, because that’s the way it is and the way it will be. Afterwards, when I opened the car door, right at my feet on the ground was a stick. Not having thought about power sticks for a year, I recognized it instantly as a power stick presenting itself to me, so I picked it up and took it home. Interestingly, the day before I discovered my stick, I received an initiation into Tera Mai Reiki from founder, Kathleen Milner. In a meditation with her, two feathered serpent heads came barreling in from behind me breathing the fire of Spirit.

Before I did anything with my stick, I wanted to just sit with it. Upon examining it, I saw that it had two ends emanating from a knot in the middle. I knew that one end would represent my bound and conditioned self, the knot would be the pivot point (or point from which I can change my perspective in any moment), and the opposite end would represent my unconditioned, creative, potential self (something that wouldn’t have been if I’d made the one in Teo).

I needed to buy materials to make my stick, so off I went to the fabric store two days later. My expectation was that I’d make half the stick traditional using the red cloth and half as anything I wanted. But when I got to the store and started looking, the reds just weren’t speaking to me. After trying to make my “free choice” fabric fit with red, I spotted the cloth I wanted for my unconditioned self…a really fun peacock-inspired print with all of my favorite colors in it that spoke to me of unlimited possibility, creativity, and joy. The red would have looked awful with it. So, breaking with tradition (par for the course), I chose gray for the conditioned self instead which spoke to me of the clouds that roll in and obscure truth, of the colorless habits and dullness of spirit that enfold me when I lose awareness. In addition, instead of thread or string, I bought colorful leather strips to bind it all.

I wrapped my stick that night and really enjoyed feeling creative again after such a long year of feeling on again off again from my creative self. I still had the two feathers I’d found last year…a crow feather and a hawk feather…so I tied those to the stick as well. I also had a gorgeous obsidian stone to place at the pivot point given to me by my Wishing Well colleague, Mike (thanks, Mike!), so I have a bit of Teo represented.

There was something missing. So over the next couple of days, I went to two different bead stores to find further symbols and colors to decorate my stick. Oh, lord, was I in heaven! All those shiny, sparkly pretty things to choose from in every color imaginable! I had already seen amber in my mind’s eye so I chose two amber beads for protection, purple beads for Spirit, a lapis bead for clear vision, and other beads just because I loved them. I chose rose quartz and a key which hangs from the conditioned self reminding me I can unlock the prison of a mental state at any moment with an easy shift to the heart.

There’s more symbolism present, but you get the idea. I had so much fun creating my stick, a stick that carries so much meaning for me, and am grateful for the completion of a task intended an entire year ago. Now I use it in meditation to shift my awareness when I realize I am stuck in the conditioned self. I don’t even need to hold it; I can just visualize it and flip it in my mind.

I can’t help but connect it all together: my trip to Teo last year, my new relationship and marriage, the timing of the eclipse, the Reiki, all leading to such powerful and profound shifts within my being. Along with all of these came a bolt of lightening this week which finally reset and grounded my inner compass in more ways than one. I’ve let go of some things that were no longer serving me (mostly bad habits, like sugar, and trying to force things, for example) and recommitted myself to my own healing. It all feels really, really good. It’s a powerstick shift!

The Unknown Mother: A Magical Walk with the Goddess of Sound

Who is the Unknown Mother?

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On 2014-10-11

In Blog

A friend of mine recently asked me about the title of my book wondering why I called it The Unknown Mother.  Great question!

In my book, the wise mentor character, Matrina, reveals herself to Wrenne to be a Matrika or goddess of the alphabet. One can read many different interpretations of the mythology surrounding the Matrikas or Seven Sisters responsible for all illusion online.

I decided to use The Unknown Mother as the title for my book because most of humanity is not aware of this subtle force behind all things nor of the power that lies within sound to create and shift reality. Yet this energy is responsible for everything, including our thoughts, our experiences, and the infinite images that shape our world. The Unknown Mother is the screen on which the movies of our lives play out, but she is also the light and shadow that dances upon it. She is,  indeed, our true mother, so pervasive and present in all things that we miss her completely, leaving her unacknowledged, unappreciated, and unseen.

In writing this book, I not only wanted to share some of the magical experiences I have had in my explorations of sound healing and voice and how these tools have helped me free myself from suffering, I also wanted to bring the reader’s attention to our True Mother, perhaps in my own small way helping to usher in the restoration of the Goddess to her rightful throne. As we empower ourselves by walking through the 10 gates of sound presented in The Unknown Mother, we renew and empower the Divine Feminine in our own lives, reclaiming our ability to create and re-membering those aspects of ourselves that were cut out in the patriarchal rule that has been in power these thousands of years.

Sri Karunamayi has written such a beautiful piece on approaching this Divine Mother:

Seek Mother in your heart. Your heart is Mother’s temple. See Mother’s divinity in each and every cell of the entire universe, in every being and in your heart. Realize Mother in all of nature. Mother is the soul of the world. Feel Her tender touch in the wind, perceive Her glory in all. Prayer is not asking God for something; prayer is a yearning of the soul, a beautiful communication with Mother Divine! Open your heart to Mother and experience Her presence in the form of inner peace, bliss and divine love… 

By finally getting to know this Mother, our hearts bloom and our minds awaken.

Har! Sound of the Universe

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On 2014-07-21

In Sound & Vibration, Vocal Toning & Meditation

Yogi Bhajan, responsible for bringing Kundalini Yoga to the West, taught a very powerful meditation using the syllable of “HAR”. I’d like to share it with you.

  • First put your hands together in front of you, back to back like a reverse “Namaste” or prayer pose. But then let them relax and curl in toward your heart as if pointing to yourself with both hands, thumbs extended upward. They should be at the level of your sternum.
  • You may close your eyes or keep them gently focused on the tip of your nose.
  • Now begin to repeat the sound HAR over and over (it should almost sound like “HUD” as you roll the final R) and feel the sound through the fingertips as the chest moves with the sound.

Resound this sound in the heart cage and reap the benefits as Jupiter, Saturn, the Sun and Mercury, represented by each of your fingers, come into balance while your thumb–ego–remains out of the picture!

After chanting aloud, you may then chant in a whisper transitioning into toning inwardly, in silence, before returning once more to toning aloud. Try this for three minutes working your up to eleven minutes or more and see how you feel.

  • Toward the end, stretch your arms over head and spread your fingers wide while continuing to resound the sound of HAR. Stretch your arms and spine to equalize and distribute the energy for about 30 seconds.
  • Bring your arms down, and form a double-handed fist at your heart. Inhale, hold the breath, and press your hands into your heart. Hold. Release.
  • Now bring your fist to your navel. Breath in. Press as hard as you can. Hold. Release.
  • Finally, bring your arms close to your body, your fists at armpit level. Breath in. Squeeze your arms into your sides and your fists tightly as you hold. And release.

Yogi Bhajan taught that resounding the sound of HAR in the chest cage in this way is one of 6 sounds that can give one the power of the Universe. It will kill the unwanted self. Enjoy!

Happiness is My Compass

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On 2014-07-13

In Guidance & Inspiration

Recently, I’ve felt as though I was holding a compass whose needle just kept spinning in circles. I’ve been going through so much change in my life. I know, so many of us can lay claim to that statement; the world itself is changing at a rapid pace. Having married, closed my business, sold my house, 90% of my belongings, and moved to a different country without speaking the language, I recently found myself wondering what had happened to my center. I’d relinquished so much comfort and control over my outer life and felt pressured to make too many really important decisions in too small a time frame. The stress was taking me under, submerging me in a depression the likes of which I haven’t seen for some time. I started to wonder where I’d gone. I would check in with my inner compass every so often in the hopes it had stabilized, but that damned needle just kept bouncing back and forth in a rather disconcerting fashion. So I reached out for help.

Thanks to a group of worldwide colleagues who comprise a Toltec wellness circle known as The Wishing Well and the founders in particular, Gene Nathan and Oksana Yufa I started to come around. With their support, I realized I was investing my whole self, happiness and all, into making my overseas life and marriage work. I was so heavily invested that I couldn’t see what it was doing to me. I was swinging wildly between either denying and exaggerating everything that was going wrong because there was just too much at stake. I was pushing through and ignoring my body and spirit. I was in total fear and at the mercy of the ongoing conflicting voices in my head.

When I finally and wholeheartedly made the commitment not to invest my happiness outside of myself, I went for a long walk in the fields. I could feel a presence or two with me. I kept turning around expecting to see someone, but there was “no one” there, except of course my angels. At first, I was walking with a mission to sort it all out. Then, I got the message to just stop–something that Oksana urged me to do. As I felt my head clear, I heard myself affirm that I am the most important person in my life. Period. I also heard myself say that my happiness is more important than anything. It’s more important than my need to be with someone. It’s more important than my need for comfort. It’s more important than my fear of survival. It’s more important than my desire to live in France. It’s more important than any of the dreams I have for myself, in fact, and more important than the people in my life. It’s more important than being right or wrong, more important than having it my way, more important than appearances, pride, or having things appear a certain way…more important than anything. The deeper into it I went, the more I realized how backward I had it all in my head. Despite “knowing” happiness was not something found outside myself and despite “knowing” that I didn’t need something to happen or not happen to be happy, I was still living as if it was and as if it did. The truth was so incredibly liberating!

This newfound awareness has created so much space in and around me. I no longer fear what will happen. Will Stuart and I stay together? Will we end up living in two separate countries visiting each other every 6 months? Have I lost everything for nothing? Will I move back to the states? Where on earth will I go? It no longer matters because happiness is the most important thing. No matter what happens, I choose happiness. It is an added blessing that Stuart agrees with this approach.

This is NOT to say that I will ignore the fear, pain, grief, whatever. It does NOT mean that I will not feel sadness or disappointment ever again. Of course not. I have no desire to repress anything and fall asleep again. I will take it ALL and be happy ANYWAY!

Now when I look down at my inner compass, the needle points to happiness. And that’s really the only direction I’ll ever really need.

 

Armchair BEA: Introduction

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On 2014-05-26

In Blog

Hello Armchair Book Expo America (BEA) Participants!

All this week, my blog will feature a series of writings on books, book related topics, and a special review of My Paris Story, a new book about expats in Paris, which, for reasons that will become obvious, is of particular interest to me at the moment.

By way of introduction, I will reply here to questions set forth by Armchair BEA for all of their blogging participants:

Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging? Where in the world are you blogging from?

My name is Dielle, and as my website relates, I am an author, vocalist, dreamsmith, and muse. I am the author of two books, The Unknown Mother: A Magical Walk with the Goddess of Sound and Your True Voice: Tools to Embrace a Fully Expressed Life. I also have several CD’s available as an improvisational vocalist having worked with ShapeshifterDNA and most recently, The Pure Heart Ensemble (nominated for Best New Artist by Zone Reporter Music Awards).  As a dreamsmith, I recognize (or strive to at any rate) that I am dreaming all the time. With that awareness, I can more readily wake up within the dream and alter its course, or at the very least, remember that it is all just a dream and that I have the choice to be happy in it. As a muse, I inspire myself and others toward a fully expressed creativity. I open myself to every artistic arena…writing, singing, dance, painting, acting, teaching, healing, living…

I’ve been blogging for many years, though not as a “professional”.  I just love to write and process life through writing. As a result, I’ve had many blogs over the years including International Daze and Wild Adventures of a Modern Day Hermit.

As of May 5th, I am living in and blogging from Southwestern France. And if anyone had told me over a year ago that I would be, I would have thought them delusional!

Describe your blog in just one sentence. Then, list your social details — Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. — so we can connect more online.

This blog (at DielleCiesco.com) is a platform for all kinds of expression…from what I think about performance to how I discovered the voice of my inner guidance over a 35 day period to this exploration of books, writing, and the BEA.

What genre do you read the most?

I love to read visionary and inspirational fiction (Coelho, Bach, that sort of book) and mind/body/spirit titles. When I have time, I indulge in novels. I especially love young adult, but I don’t have as much time for that anymore. For several years, I had a job that allowed me to sit and read while I got paid. Those were the days!

What’s your favorite book so far this year?

I am an editor for John Hunt Publishing, and this year, I had the privilege of editing an amazing book by Chris Thomson called Full Spectrum Intelligence. It’s not out yet, but it is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. Once it is up on Amazon, I plan on giving it a 5 star review…something I rarely give.

Spread the love by naming your favorite blogs/bloggers (doesn’t necessarily have to be book blogs/bloggers).

An up and coming book related blog that I enjoy is from O-Books, an imprint of John Hunt Publishing. Yeah, I’m little biased as they are my publisher and my sometimes employer, but they also happen to publish books on topics I love. But I also love astrology blogs (MysticMamma) (New Paradigm Astrology), foodie blogs (Food Renegade) (101 Cookbooks), and expat blogs (Expat Women) (Chez LouLou).

Share your favorite book or reading related quote.

There are so many brilliant quotes out there. Choosing a favorite could only ever be the “favorite of the moment”. And in this moment, I’m digging a quote from Plato: “Harmony sinks deep into the recesses of the soul and takes its strongest hold there, bringing grace also to the body & mind as well. Music is a moral law. It gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, and life to everything. It is the essence of order…”

Purifying the 5 Elements

Is It Just Me or Is It Noisy in Here?

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On 2014-05-17

In Sound & Vibration

Last month, I had the privilege of taking my mother to the doctor’s office. It was a stressful affair for me, and likely for my mother as well, though she acted as if it was nothing. We entered the lobby, sat down to fill out the paperwork, turned it in, and then sat back down and waited to be called. The wait gave me the opportunity to tune into the music (though in this case, I use that term very, very loosely) that was being piped through snap, crackle and pop speakers.

As Michael Jackson hissed an unintelligible lyric, I looked around me. Was anyone else hearing this? Was anyone else extremely irritated? I looked at the young man across from us. He was texting on his phone. I looked at a more mature man next to him. He was reading a magazine. I looked to my right. An Asian man was also looking through a magazine. I looked at my mother and then to the women working behind the desk.

Did no one realize that they were listening to nothing more than disruptive static? Were all oblivious to the impact this noise was having on their bodies, minds and spirits? Did the whole purpose of music in the first place completely elude them?

I blinked incredulously and squirmed in my seat. I could no longer hold it in! Well, okay, I didn’t quite make the scream that I felt rising up from my belly. Instead, I got curious.

“Excuse me, but is anybody enjoying this music?”

The Asian on my right shook his head, “I’d rather have silence.”

Oh, amen, brother! Me too!

Then to the older man across from me. “And you?” I asked.

“It doesn’t bother me. You must not have a 17-year-old at home,” he joked.

And from the young man on his phone, I got merely a silent shrug that said, “Who gives a crap?”

Well, I give a crap! I give a crap that music, the most powerful healing tool on the face of the planet is abused and misused and treated with irreverence and ignorance every day in restaurants, waiting rooms, airports, stores, and everywhere humans hang out.

This was a doctor’s office…a place of supposed healing! Why wasn’t there relaxing and healing music being played over a sound system that could deliver? And why, dear God, why, was there any noise at all when there could have been blissful silence?

There is a total lack of consciousness going on around sound in our environments. And it really, really creeps me out! You know what happened in this doctor’s office? Once I mentioned it, someone tuned the dial and voila, it was still an awful choice of music for a medical space but at least it was actually music as intended.

Had I not said anything, would it have gone on like that all day long…week after week?

Numerous times, I’ve been in a waiting room with some CNN or other news show yammering on and on. I walk up and turn the damn thing off. No one has ever complained yet. In fact, they often thank me.

So here’s my plea. I know I am talking to people (preaching to the choir, so to speak) who understand the importance of this. If you find yourself in an environment where the music is too loud, or there are too many sources of noise, or something isn’t right with the sound system, or the ambient noise is totally out of balance, please please please bring it to someone’s attention. Help them to hear what they just cannot perceive until someone of more sensitivity points it out.

We need to create a world of harmony and balance, and frankly, it seems people are becoming less and less sensitive to a constant and increasing barrage of noise.

I thank you!

Final Day: From Ego to Divine Guidance in 36 Days

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On 2014-04-08

In Guidance & Inspiration

An ongoing personal exploration of Divine Guidance and distinguishing between the voice of fear and the voice of love reflecting on the article, How to Distinguish Between Divine Guidance and Fear/Ego/Imagination, on Sir Froggie’s PositiveNews Network .

Today’s pairing is:

Bottom line, Divine Guidance is LOVE.
Ego is FEAR, false evidence appearing real.

Eeee!!! I did it. Um…WE did it!!! 36 consecutive blogs on Divine Guidance.

Rather than comment on this last pairing directly, I think I’d like to spend some time reviewing what I’ve learned through this 36-day virtual adventure:

1. For me, Divine guidance speaks in a language beyond words. If I’m hearing a loving language, I am hearing the Voice of Love, which is still pretty much ego…just a kinder, gentler, somewhat “reformed” version of it.

2. Divine guidance guides me toward acceptance of what is without destroying the miracle of what can be.

3. Ego is relentless, cunning, deceptive, and had the desire to survive at any cost. In any moment, I can be 100% sure that I do not perceive my own best interests.

4. If I’m feeling bad or beginning to suffer over anything, it is a sure sign my ego has pulled the wool (or veil) over my eyes. I am focused on the wrong things.

5. The best way for me to discern Divine guidance from ego is to stop doing, stop thinking, and simply sit and observe myself and situation quietly.

6. It isn’t nearly as complicated or mysterious as I make it out. Divine guidance is simple and elegant. It does, however, require a great deal of both courage and trust to listen.

How do you distinguish between Divine guidance and ego?

Day 35: Embracing the Fraud

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On 2014-04-07

In Guidance & Inspiration

An ongoing personal exploration of Divine Guidance and distinguishing between the voice of fear and the voice of love reflecting on the article, How to Distinguish Between Divine Guidance and Fear/Ego/Imagination, on Sir Froggie’s PositiveNews Network .

Today’s pairing is:

Divine Guidance says, “Shine Your Light.  It’s the Light of God and you’re here to be Who YOU Are in God.”
Ego says, “Be careful.  What if they find out you’re a fraud?!”

I love what spiritual teacher, Adyashanti, has to say about being a fraud. He went through this when becoming a teacher, and his approach was to embrace it: “Yes, of course I’m a fraud!”

Who among us that steps up to offer our unique gifts to the world doesn’t go through this? I still do! With each book, each workshop, each concert, each session with clients, I hear the ego’s warning. The only way through it is to embrace it. Of course I’m a fraud! I’m pretending to be “Dielle”. I’m pretending to know something to help another remember that they already know. I’m wearing a mask of the expert in order to convey a message from Spirit that this group or person wouldn’t otherwise hear. They project who they think I am into their dream. I am a fraud in it because they don’t really see or know me. In some respects, it goes back to yesterday’s pairing.

Set aside for the moment that “Dielle” doesn’t ultimately exist. That fact is, I am an expert at being “Dielle”, so as long as I stick to that role with authenticity and integrity, that’s all that matters.  That’s me shining the light of “Dielle” imperfections, misperceptions and all.

Day 34: Alone

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On 2014-04-06

In Guidance & Inspiration

An ongoing personal exploration of Divine Guidance and distinguishing between the voice of fear and the voice of love reflecting on the article, How to Distinguish Between Divine Guidance and Fear/Ego/Imagination, on Sir Froggie’s PositiveNews Network .

Today’s pairing is:

Divine Guidance lets you know you’re never alone.
Ego tries to make you feel like you’re the only one.

Once again, I find this pairing repetitive and too alike the last pairing. But I did commit to writing for all 36 days, so I’ll think of something. What comes to mind is what a paradox the truth of alone can be.

For example, we are utterly alone in that no one really shares our dream. They share the frame of a collective dream, but they are off in their own perceptions and point of assemblage. In that way, we are born alone and die alone. We don’t really even know if anyone understands a word we are saying (or writing). After all, they are going to interpret it through their own filters, wounds, and constructs. We merely agree to agree that language means anything at all.

I know there are people out there who absolutely hate the idea of being alone and won’t even consider that it might be true. It’s too painful for them. So take heart, because then there is the other truth…that we are so huge and so multidimensional that we are indeed supported and aided by countless aspects of ourselves all the time. In that way, it seems we are never alone (even though all is one and therefore alone). Quite a philosophically challenging topic, isn’t it?

Day 33: Help

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On 2014-04-05

In Guidance & Inspiration

An ongoing personal exploration of Divine Guidance and distinguishing between the voice of fear and the voice of love reflecting on the article, How to Distinguish Between Divine Guidance and Fear/Ego/Imagination, on Sir Froggie’s PositiveNews Network .

Today’s pairing is:

Divine Guidance praises you for accepting your call.  When others compliment you, Divine Guidance says “That’s the way!  WE did it!”
Ego says, “I did it all by myself!  Nobody was there for me.  Nobody helped me.”

This is too like the last pairing about compliments, in my opinion. I guess the emphasis here in on the fact that we always have help. Anything we accomplish we do not accomplish alone. As obvious as this seems to me (I know I didn’t write my books myself, for example, but felt divinely guided through the whole process), I still hear ego dipping into the “I’ll do it myself. Who needs you?” drama from time to time, sometimes on the spiritual level, but more frequently on the human level. It is all too easy to be let down by people since people have a funny way of not conforming to my expectations and projections (darn them!). When it comes to people, it has too often been true that I have had to do it myself. “If I want it done right and on time…” is often the excuse my ego gives. I guess it’s a need to control. I admit I struggle with that.

And at any rate, as I mentioned before, my guidance doesn’t say things like, “That’s the way!” It doesn’t use common language to get through to me. So how does Divine guidance let me know I’m on the right track? Synchronicity perhaps? Signs of power? That makes more sense to me that, “Hurray, WE did it!”

Day 32: Compliments

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On 2014-04-04

In Guidance & Inspiration

An ongoing personal exploration of Divine Guidance and distinguishing between the voice of fear and the voice of love reflecting on the article, How to Distinguish Between Divine Guidance and Fear/Ego/Imagination, on Sir Froggie’s PositiveNews Network .

Today’s pairing is:

Divine Guidance accepts compliments, knowing they are the light of God showing through you.
Ego rejects the compliments as untrue or seeks an ulterior motive.  It may also try to convince you that you are undeserving or unworthy, or even too good! 

I agree, our talents and gifts are the glory of the Creator, so false humility and/or the deflection of compliments serves no one. In fact, it’s a rejection of our true power’s source. When I am given a compliment, I don’t really take it personally, not anymore. It has little to do with me anyway. It’s more about the other person who, in the moment of a genuine compliment, sees the Creator reflected with appreciation. I feel blessed to have come to this point of view because it protects me from unjust or unhelpful criticisms as well. None of it is personal. That said, I’m not afraid to feel good about what I do well. I guess my main problem is being satisfied with what I’ve done in the first place. I’m a bit of perfectionist.

This seems like a good time to mention jealousy. I suppose we’ve all had experiences on both sides of jealousy, the object and subject of. When I feel jealous of another, I know there is some latent or dispossessed quality in me that I have failed to acknowledge or cultivate. Otherwise, I don’ t feel jealousy. I feel awe! As for when someone is jealous of me, there isn’t much I can do. At one time, I made the mistake of dampening down my light to spare another, but I don’t play that game anymore. There’s no time. We must, each of us, fully claim our talents, gifts, and full light. We’re gonna need em! And each other.

Day 31: ça va?

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On 2014-04-02

In Guidance & Inspiration

An ongoing personal exploration of Divine Guidance and distinguishing between the voice of fear and the voice of love reflecting on the article, How to Distinguish Between Divine Guidance and Fear/Ego/Imagination, on Sir Froggie’s PositiveNews Network .

Today’s pairing is:

Divine Guidance comes to you when you’re open to receiving, when you’re peaceful and calm, or when you’ve asked for Heaven’s help.  Divine Guidance will reduce problems into doable solutions.  Divine Guidance often comes in with gratitude or a sense of reassurance.
Ego comes charging in when you’re confused or slightly fearful and snowballs the confusion and fear into something much bigger than it is.  It may also come in like a bull as soon as you’ve said, “I feel great!”  Or have stated some other truth in confidence so that it can challenge your confidence and make you feel small.

For years, one of my least favorite questions to be asked was “How are you doing?” I knew if I answered that I was great, the ego would pounce in and tell me what a liar I was because I had this, this, and this reason not to be great. If I answered in the negative, I would feel trapped by what should be a passing state of being. “Yes, I’m miserable…and I’ll always be miserable.” I still don’t really like answering that question. But I have been practicing answering in the affirmative in an attempt to be more comfortable with it and ignore the voice that contradicts me.

Maybe it’s the question. I recently read, but can’t remember where, someone debating the value of this age old question. He didn’t like it either. He started to ask others, “How are you being?” He didn’t care what they were doing. He wanted to know their state of being. This makes so much more sense, but it doesn’t quite solve the problem.

The French ask, “ça va?” or “How is it going?” I like that even better. It isn’t personal. It’s about “things”. The answer is simply, “ça va!” It goes. Brilliant.

Day 30: Crazy!

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On 2014-04-02

In Guidance & Inspiration

An ongoing personal exploration of Divine Guidance and distinguishing between the voice of fear and the voice of love reflecting on the article, How to Distinguish Between Divine Guidance and Fear/Ego/Imagination, on Sir Froggie’s PositiveNews Network .

Today’s pairing is:

Divine Guidance makes you feel calm and confident in who you are.
Ego makes you wonder, “Am I crazy?”

When do I feel crazy? Often after I’ve given an interview or conducted a workshop or given a performance. I think it has something to do with the copious amounts of adrenaline coursing through my body afterwards. It’s almost a delayed stage-fright. Beforehand, I may get a little nervous, but once I’m in the midst of something, something else seems to take over. Once it’s over, however, I am left with the surging chemicals and the onslaught of critical thoughts…”I wish I’d said this. I shouldn’t have said that that way. I hit such a god-awful note! If only I’d remembered to share this or that.” I suppose a certain amount of self-evaluation can be beneficial and improve performance. But there is often too much self-recrimination in the mix.

I have also felt utterly crazy in my life at such times as I made seemingly absurd decisions like moving across country to a city where I knew no one and had no job prospects, or when I decided to quit a job even though I had no other source of income, or spent thousands of dollars on a power journey to Mexico when I was barely making ends meet, or most recently, when I decided to sell my house and everything in it, close up shop, and move to France…for love, no less! Did I mention how little French I actually speak?

Yes, I’m one crazy fruitcake! What possesses me?

Honestly, I don’t know. And I’m glad I don’t. I’m glad that I’m not so terrified by life and so attached to my security that I can’t  take what appear to be unreasonable, crazy chances. When I follow through on those things I don’t understand, I never regret it. Of course, all the time leading up to the moment of action is spent in ridiculous energy-draining mental deliberations, but once I just commit, or at least once I go through with whatever it is, I’m okay. I’ve never once ended up the bag-lady in the streets (even when I was temporarily homeless…or home-free as I preferred to call it), never once didn’t have food, shelter, and the basic necessities of life, never once had my survival truly threatened, and never once died…obviously! But believe me, that is exactly what my ego warned me would happen again and again.

I’ll tell you what crazy is. Crazy is having a life and not living it. Crazy is turning your back on what you want because you are afraid of what will happen if you get it. Crazy is letting fear drive all your decisions.

And that is the heart of this pairing. Ego tries to tell us our ideas, desires, hopes and dreams are nothing but crazy fantasies. It also has a way of filling us with crazy ideas, desires, hopes and dreams too, though, in an attempt to cover all its bases. So what are we to do? Go back to that feeling of inner calm. Go back to that inner confidence that arises without effort. Hold the visions that we hold in our hearts, not in our heads. Then take the tiny action that presents itself.

Oh, and most importantly, embrace your crazy!

Day 29: Tantrums

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On 2014-04-01

In Guidance & Inspiration

An ongoing personal exploration of Divine Guidance and distinguishing between the voice of fear and the voice of love reflecting on the article, How to Distinguish Between Divine Guidance and Fear/Ego/Imagination, on Sir Froggie’s PositiveNews Network .

Today’s pairing is:

Divine Guidance is like a good friend or wise elder.  It is often calm, gentle, firm and consistent.
Ego loves to throw temper-tantrums like a child, tirades like an out-of-control teenager, or controls and manipulates like dictator or control-freak.  It can feel bipolar, schizophrenic, unpredictable and inconsistent, extreme, and very critical.

Ah, I am master of tantrums. I’ve been honing my craft all my life and learned from the very best. Must say, it does get old. And it isn’t all that effective either. When ego puts me in a tantrum state, when I’m not getting my way, I illogically fight with things as they are and declare they must change for me to be happy or at peace. Of course, most of the time, things(and people) are not going to change for me. So my little (or big) temper tantrums merely serve to leave me emotionally upset and physically drained…at the opposite pole of the happiness and peace I desire.

I know a wise elder who models for me the alternative. He is a good friend indeed and while he has been witness to many of my tantrums and sometimes points them out to me, he has never judged me for having them. He doesn’t even expect me to stop having them. But he does let me know there is another way. He is calm. He is gentle. He is firm and consistent. He is all the things I want to embody myself. So I look to him to know what is possible. I look to him to practice another way of being in the world.

Am I having a fit? Then maybe I’m giving to much credence to whatever lies the ego is telling me in that moment. Maybe I just need to step back, get quiet, and realize that I am safe and have everything I truly need in that moment. My real survival is not being threatened. Only my ideas.

Day 28: Contraction

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On 2014-03-31

In Guidance & Inspiration

An ongoing personal exploration of Divine Guidance and distinguishing between the voice of fear and the voice of love reflecting on the article, How to Distinguish Between Divine Guidance and Fear/Ego/Imagination, on Sir Froggie’s PositiveNews Network .

Today’s pairing is:

Divine Guidance is soothing, expansive… in body, mind and energy.
Ego is fearful, constrictive… in body, mind and energy.

Do I wish I could be in that purely expansive state all the time? I’m not sure that’s really natural. Even the masters, though they may know they are That, must sometimes contract. It is the nature of the universe to open and close. Even flowers bloom and die. The difference of course, is that flowers don’t have egos…except in literature. (I’m reminded of the self-obsessed Rose from The Little Prince by St. Exupery.)

So, what I’m getting at is that contraction is a natural force and not always a sign that we’re in deluded thinking. Rather, it’s often the ego’s interpretation of these contractions that brings on the fear and further unnecessary constriction. I realize I’m coming at this pairing from a different angle and one likely unintended by the author, but it’s what comes up for me.

Stressed? Try This Vocal Toning Selfcare Practice

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On 2014-03-30

In Blog, Self-care, Sound & Vibration, Vocal Toning & Meditation

Are you all feeling the amping of energies lately and just as stressed out as I am? Astrologically, we are in very interesting times. Time itself seems to be speeding up, information (and misinformation) is a constant onslaught, and change is not only imminent but mandatory. We’re all being asked to up our game. If we don’t take time out to empty and find our way back to neutral, we’re going to have a harder and harder time keeping up.

Vocal toning is such a great selfcare practice to clear your mind, body, and spirit of all the brouhaha. Even if you practice the following technique just minutes a day, you’ll feel the impact.

This particular exercise is adapted from one I learned from my mentor, Dr. Gene Nathan. It consists of three sounds and three centers:

 

SOUND                               CENTER
Ah                                            heart
Om                                          dan tien (or lower belly)
Shh                                          forehead

Begin by placing your hands on your heart. Tone the sound ‘Ah’ aloud on any comfortable pitch. Do this three times. Then move your hands to your dan tien. Here you will tone the sound ‘Om” with an emphasis on the ‘mmm’. Do this at a lower pitch than the ‘ah’. Finally, place your hands on your forehead. Here, you sound a ‘Shh’. Repeat this cycle, three times at each center, for at least three cycles.

After each tone, notice how your energy is shifting. Take your time. Notice especially the connection that occurs between each center, each helping to reinforce and strengthen the others. And notice how the ‘shh’ quiets the rattled mind. Enjoy!

 

About the Author:

Beth Ciesco is your Selfcare Specialist, a certified yoga teacher and meditation facilitator. Check out the rest of the website to learn more about Restorative Healing Yoga, Mirror Meditation, E-Motion Alchemy, and Voicework as capital S Selfcare tools. You can also follow her on these sites:

❤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/divinemetime/
❤ Insight Timer: https://insighttimer.com/tranquilliving
❤ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DivineMeTime

Day 27: Forgiveness

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On 2014-03-30

In Guidance & Inspiration

An ongoing personal exploration of Divine Guidance and distinguishing between the voice of fear and the voice of love reflecting on the article, How to Distinguish Between Divine Guidance and Fear/Ego/Imagination, on Sir Froggie’s PositiveNews Network .

Today’s pairing is:

Divine Guidance embraces forgiveness and truth.
Ego wants to be right, convinces you you’re justified in toxic anger, negativity or non-forgiveness.

I guess I was jumping the gun in yesterday’s post when I wrote about forgiveness.

In November of last year, I went on a power journey to Oaxaca and Teotihuacan with my spiritual community. During one of our day trips, I received a message about forgiveness. My first thought was that I already was forgiving. I didn’t have anything “big” left to forgive. I’d done the work. Only now, several months later, am I beginning to see that forgiveness has many layers.

When we recall the stories in which we’ve been wronged and know we must do something to alleviate our suffering, we decide to forgive. It is a choice and not necessarily a feeling. This is the first step. We have to want to forgive. The decision generally comes from an awareness that holding onto the grudge, no matter the “crime”, only hurts ourselves in the long run.

Then, we go through a process of reframing the story. We bring compassion to it for ourselves and the other parties involved. We do not excuse, but we attempt to understand. We do not forget, but we no longer suffer the past. That’s a really big piece, but even this isn’t completion.

Sometimes, we through forgiveness into forgetting. This may seem hard to believe in some cases, but I can say from experience, it an happen. We’ve forgiven, reframed, and now see just how silly our story was in the first place, even the most cruel of acts we see through different eyes. Whether we reach this or not doesn’t really matter. But it’s certainly a nice surprise to realize you no longer think about a story that may have at one time defined you. The charge is gone.

While we start with the mental decision to forgive, that may or may not work its way into the emotional layers, but of course, the more it does, the more complete. It was at this juncture that I believed I’d done the work…with a mixture of mental and emotional healing. But it wasn’t enough. That was the message.

The body, physical and energetic, must also forgive. The muscles, bones, every cell of the body must also relinquish resentments and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive others. Forgiveness must ultimately become a spontaneous outflow for it to be complete. It must come from a place of not even taking objection in the first place, not because we don’t care or notice if someone does something to hurt us, but because we know they simply cannot help themselves and that in truth, it has little to do with us.  We don’t just take the action to forgive; we realize that we are a very channel for the constant flow of this energy. And as we become that, there is actually less and less to forgive.

From this place we transform the energy of “wrong” altogether. We know there is only love. Am I there yet? Hardly. But at least I no longer operate under the illusion that I’m done forgiving.

Day 26: Harm None

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On 2014-03-29

In Guidance & Inspiration

An ongoing personal exploration of Divine Guidance and distinguishing between the voice of fear and the voice of love reflecting on the article, How to Distinguish Between Divine Guidance and Fear/Ego/Imagination, on Sir Froggie’s PositiveNews Network .

Today’s pairing is:

Divine Guidance will NEVER harm you or another.
Ego goes for the jugular, even in subtle ways that might not seem “that bad” at first.

On the surface, is this not terribly obvious? Harm none? Below the surface, I have to ask how one defines harm? Physical? Emotional? Mental? Spiritual? And then comes the question: can we live unscathed by accusations that we’ve hurt another? Egos are sensitive, after all. We’re always subject to blame for how another person feels. Life is filled with lots of different dreamers with conflicting desires.

So for me, the only way to gauge the extent to which this pairing operates in my life is through intent. Do I intend to harm? Not nearly as much as I’ve been accused! On the other hand, I’ve done some pretty stupid and cruel things in my day out of my own sense of being small, powerless, and afraid. Seems to me that both forgiveness and compassion, for self and others, are two critical ingredients in being able to tune into our Divine guidance.

I think the most important word above is “subtle”. Awareness is key. If I can catch myself in those noisy times when I’m subtly self-hating and implosive…or when I’m subtly angry and explosive…and not act, then I have a chance to receive Divine guidance and act with quiet compassion.

 

Day 25: Coming Full Circle

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On 2014-03-28

In Guidance & Inspiration

An ongoing personal exploration of Divine Guidance and distinguishing between the voice of fear and the voice of love reflecting on the article, How to Distinguish Between Divine Guidance and Fear/Ego/Imagination, on Sir Froggie’s PositiveNews Network .

Today’s pairing is:

Divine Guidance builds things one on top of the other; everything you learn, everything you do, begins to compliment each other and works toward the benefit of yourself, others and your life purpose.
Ego expects you to leap from here to there without any in between preparations.  It tries to jump from start to finish and when you feel that it is impossible, it tells you everything you’ve done is in vain.  It makes you believe everything is unrelated
and a waste of time.

I’m a pretty methodical person. I’m very organized. A Virgo through and through. So, I’m not sure I fall prey to this as much as some might. Then again, I have no patience. So, no doubt, I have a tendency to take unhelpful short-cuts in the name of speed and efficiency from time to time. So maybe that’s how this operates in me.

I do have faith that things are related. I believe in how we develop over time. I started out as a dancer in life. I made it into college as a dance major and then ended up studying education instead. I hated teaching in the public school system, so first, I tried teaching something more fun…creative drama. Then I left teaching to study healing. Then I studied Toltec shamanism and sound healing (and still do). Then I studied coaching. Throughout it all I did a lot of singing/performing. Now I’m an author and editor…and of course, I’m still a teacher. Everything I’ve ever learned does indeed compliment everything else on my path. If I had tried to look at my choices from a logical standpoint, I would have given up long ago thinking I was all over the place, uncommitted, and nuts. In fact, many people in my life thought I was. What a dizzying way of coming full circle! But how perfect!

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