Friday, December 1

TAKING TIME FOR YOU... A GIFT TO THOSE AROUND YOU!


Especially during the holidays it can be very tempting to let things that we do for ourself to take a back seat.

A colleague of mine, Peter and I recently spoke about the temptation to put off or completely let go of the things that give us life or bring us joy, when we feel pressured for time. 

He was telling me how he and his wife try to go for daily walks together. It's a time where they connect emotionally and talk about things that are important to each of them. Recently when he found himself particularly busy he was tempted to cancel his walk... tempted. But then he caught himself, went for his time away with his wife and when he got back, everything just seemed to flow in after, as he put it.

That lead to a reoccurring conversation that we have about my life. Working on Evolve to Live, there are are so many wheels that need to be turned and often I feel like a juggler trying to juggle many plates in the air and feel overwhelmed. Most times I only work on projects that have energy behind them (things that are fun), which can lead to my feeling like I'm not doing enough.

But as Peter pointed out, "Pati, I've watched you for years. When you do the things that bring you joy, everything else just flows in behind."

It's the same with morning prayer, meditation or exercise. Once we take the time for ourselves, the rest of the day flows in behind and that is a gift to everyone around us.


Monday, November 27

HOLIDAY - SELF-CARE - ASK...


This morning I was asking a friend for some advice on soliciting corporate sponsors to help finance the promotion of Self-Care Awareness Month, September each year.

We were discussing what to put in a letter and at the very end he added, "Ask for what you want." That question gave me pause for thought. "What is it that I do want," not only in my professional but personal life as well? Recently I read some statistics on why people made their last donation. Overwhelmingly, the answer was because they were asked to. Yes, that's right, simply because they were asked.

What do you suppose that we leave on the table in our own lives simply because we haven't mustered up the courage to ask? And beyond that, what do you suppose that we miss out on, in life because we don't know what it is to ask for?

Discovering what we want isn't such an easy task but asking for it can be even harder.

Many of us were taught that asking questions was impolite. And asking for something for ourselves was, well, I don't really know what the word is, it's worse than impolite, deplorable, that's it! It was deplorable for you to ask for something for yourself. You were viewed as being selfish or self-centered. Well, at least that was my upbringing. But it couldn't have just been mine as not asking for yourself was even depicted in the old movies. I remember one where the nuns weren't allowed to ask for the salt at dinner. They had to wait until someone noticed that they may possibly enjoy having the salt. Are you flippin kidding me? We can't ask, we're not allowed to ask. Or perhaps we just don't ask because we're afraid of the answer.

I had been struggling with this all summer... saying what I wanted to say.... asking questions I wanted answers to but didn't have the courage to ask. When I wrote in my journal, "If I ask, I have to much to loose." Then the answer simply wrote itself on the paper. "If you ask, possibly you have more to gain." Eventually I did ask and while the process wasn't easy to go through, I actually did have more to gain than loose in the situation.

I've come to a place in my life where any question is fair game... to anyone and visa versa. It's not that we have to answer every question posed to us or that we pose to another, but I feel like it is up to the person whom the question is being asked to set a boundary if they don't want to answer it. Otherwise, how will we know if we've left things that we wanted to know but were afraid to ask, out there in the void somewhere.

As the holidays grow ever so near, perhaps we could take some time to decide what it is that we want need or desire or what questions we want answers to... and then ask for it. Yes, it will take some courage. But like me, perhaps you'll have more to gain from asking than from not. If you don't ask, you won't know if it's even a possibility.




Monday, November 20

Alleviating Holiday Stress - Self-Care



Let’s begin this holiday season putting ourselves at the fore-front of everything that we do.

Yes, you read that correctly! I know, this doesn’t sound at all like holiday cheer does it? But how many times in the past have we said yes to something and then been mad or displayed passive/aggressive behavior…. “I’ll go… but unconsciously be witchy about it!” Or “I’ll do that…” but then give the silent treatment or cold shoulder to another. Let’s not do that this year.

We began September this year unveiling an awareness campaign of the extreme importance of Self-Care in our everyday lives. Taking care of ourselves is not really an option, it is our responsibility not only to ourselves but to our loved ones as well. We need to be sure that we’re in the best physical, mental and emotional health possible to ensure that we have the energy and resources to care for those we love. (Just not at the expense of our happiness and well-being.)

Let’s take this new found information into one of the most stressful times of the year… the holidays… where we can take on too much… say yes to too many things… and find ourselves not only frazzled but resentful as well.

What are some things that we can do to help alleviate some of the pressure and make the holidays more joy-filled for not only ourselves but for those around us as well? For the ease of the season, all we need to remember are just a couple of things.

1. Only do the things that bring YOU joy! Don’t do anything from obligation or guilt.) When we’re happy, that translates to everyone around us being happy too.

2. Ask for what you need and accept the help without trying to control the outcome. This will take trusting that everything will be perfect just the way it is.

Then simply say “Thank you, you have no idea how much what you’ve done to help me means to me.” That’s it. We can just start with these two simple things to help make the holidays less stressful. Now, go ahead and enjoy the holiday season to the fullest with a new sense of peace and relaxation. (PS… your new found sense of peace and relaxation will translate to those around you!)




Monday, October 2

Walking A Mile in Another Person's Shoes


This weekend I found myself wanting to make some cash and to do something fun. So I got on over to Craigslist and under the Help Wanted, Events, I found a gig as a cashier at a carnival about an hour away. I had applied on Friday and the position had been filled, but early Saturday I received a call and the position was offered to me. YES! Sounded like fun and I've always wanted to go to Wilcox, where the Apple Orchards are and it's even apple season. Super Cool!

Twelve to twelve, a twelve hour shift of standing basically in one place and then the clean up! Ugh!
I was exhausted and every inch of my body hurt and I had an hour drive home at midnight. The owner felt sorry for this old lady and told me to come in Sunday at noon instead of eleven. Okay.

I thought of my sister and her recent breast cancer surgery and her unwillingness to rest and take care of herself. Although I've accepted that she gets to live her life the way that she wants to, it also saddens me that we're a society where there are so many taboos around self-care.

Then I took another look at what I just did and will do again next weekend. The very same thing, pushing through in order to make a buck. Now, that's not the whole truth of it all, but that's the part that surfaced for me and I was able to understand my sister's decision better.

I also got to feel how it feels to be so completely exhausted that you can't speak. Of course, I've felt this many times in my life, but in the near past, I live a pretty stress free life. I was having a hard time understanding when my current roommate arrives home from work, he grunts like a caveman for hello. Now I get it! You're just too exhausted to do or say anything else.

To balance it all out, Sunday morning I took the time to explore Wilcox, a produce stand and an orchard before my shift started. It's fall and the corn maze, hay rides, pumpkin picking and children laughing all were in full swing. The hour drive back on Sunday evening in the desert twilight was pure magic.

Being able to see things from another person's perspective is helpful in living life free of judgements and with compassion. And the ultimate hope is that we can be as compassionate and judgement free for ourselves.

Remember to Be Good to Yourself!
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Sunday, September 17

Day 16 - Body Image Meat Suit

Why is this so hard to get?

From my time in Ireland with a shaman, I came to appreciate the fact that not all souls have the privilege of having a body and no matter what kind of body we have, it's a gift!

In this life, our bodies help our spirits to experience things that they can't without one. Our bodies are really God with Skin on. As important as Spirit is in our lives, we're just that important to Spirit because of our bodies.

And so, it's so sad that so many of us... including me... struggle with our body image. Gratitude... that's the appropriate response for our meat suit.

Growing up in SoCal,  I did all the things one does to keep in shape, because heaven forbid... I didn't want to be one of those fat old ladies! And then life goes on and you find yourself just able to get up and breathe each morning and nothing else mattered... And my body had changed.

Taking Aquatic Massage, my instructor lived at a clothing optional hot springs.  She wore a suit during her sessions because she said the space between the client and therapist must be neutral. I asked her about her personal experience of being naked in the hot springs as an older women. She simply said, "I feel nothing but gratitude. Just look around. That man took off his leg before entering and that woman has only one breast. There are all shapes and sizes. It's all good!"

Why then do we have such trouble? Of course... we want to be healthy. But beyond that there is a feeling lurking around many of us of being not good enough. Good enough for whom? We have a meat suit! Wow!

When I was about 50, I spent a summer in a small town in So Az and because I had no money for air conditioner, I found that if I didn't wear clothes, I didn't get hot. And because the property was completely fenced, it was doable. Still trying to accept myself completely as I was, I took it one step further and for a very short period that summer, I began watching porn. I know... but it was the only way that I could see the bodies of other women and give myself permission to have my body. We basically all have the same parts... beautiful!

I thought that I was completely over body image, and while I'm clearly not, (refer to Day 13) I find the gift in this challenge is to once again remind myself of the gift that a body is to the soul. To accept, love and appreciate all of its parts and allow myself the space to grieve the loss of the parts no longer with me... my appendix, uterus and ovaries. It is with deep gratitude for the joy they've brought me as a woman. I'm thankful for the reminder of this challenge... to love and accept me... all parts of my meat suit. 

Day 14 - Self-Care Awareness Challenge - UNPLUG - GET A LIFE!

The invitation for Day 14 of the Self-Care Awareness Month Challenge was to UNPLUG... I suppose to unplug from anything that we are too over consumed with, but in our society today, unplug from electronics. For me, I even unplug from the news and daily morning news talk shows.

I'm not sure when it became the 'norm' to be available to everyone 24/7. I know the excuses; My work... I have children... I'm in a relationship, etc. Not to even mention how we've become addicted to social media, sharing every last thought, what we ate, what we're doing, and we give our opinions and viewpoints on everything under the sun, even things we know nothing about.

In my world, unplugging is easier than plugging in! My phone is always on silent, not vibrate and my texts only come when I turn my phone on, which allows me to be present in each moment with whomever I'm with or with whatever I'm doing. I know, it seems a bit antiquated, but it works for me. I'm not always jumping every time a text, email comes in. And I don't get regular updates on social media, I only know what's happening... when I physically choose to go to their pages and take a look.

What can I say... it gives me peace and I feel calm. I get to keep up on whatever... but on my terms. (Now that's true Self-Care!) No one is so indispensable that they have to be available whenever someone else decides. By unplugging, I put myself in control of my life.

But... you say, "What if someone needs me?" I would argue, that not being available to them 24/7, gives them time to figure out things for themselves. We're giving others an opportunity to grow. The hardest part of unplugging is that we can feel the void of not being needed or having a purpose in life. There's the real invitation... GET A LIFE for yourself and you won't be so plugged into everyone else.

Week 13 - Self Care Awareness Month Challenge - Start a Compliments File


I'm a little behind on posting my experiences of the 30-Day Self-Care Awareness Month Challenge.
I read through them everyday, but as I believe in Divine Timing, I am trusting that the perfect time for this challenge for me was today. We were invited to begin a Compliment File for ourselves.

My daughter and grand baby had just left from a week long visit and the void left space for unhealed feelings to emerge, as always happens for me when I transition from one project to the next. This time was even more intense for me as I had just watched the video of my last television appearance promoting Self-Care Awareness Month on a morning talk show.

I found myself quickly going down a rabbit hole that I wasn't sure I could find my way back. Start a compliments file... you've got to flipping be kidding me! No Way! I couldn't find one thing nice to say about me!

I've been struggling with getting older. Getting older in itself doesn't really bother me, but how my looks change in relation to how I feel makes me very sad. I still feel 19... until I look in the mirror, and I don't even recognize who I am. So watching me... or a version of me... on television was just more than I could take.

I won't bore you with the details... but I needed to go to bed to get out of my pain. I felt bad that for all my body and  has given/provided for me, that I had nothing nice to say. So, I went to bed and through the tears tried to say one thing nice to this old gal. A compliments file? Let me see if I can just find one.

Saturday, September 9

Self-Love - Day 8 - Self-Care Awareness Month 30-Day Challenge



Here we are at Day 8 on the 30 Day Self-Care Awareness Challenge... with the palm of your hand on a mirror, look yourself in the eyes and say, I LOVE YOU, 10 times! I wanted to write about this because it's hard as well as powerful.

Whew! I've been doing this work for many years and have done this very exercise many times and yet it never looses its potency for accepting myself just as I am.... over and over... again!

When I first began my journey of self-discovery, I was living in a beautiful home in southern Arizona that was completely fenced and had a wrap-around veranda. In trying to learn to appreciate and love all of me, I spent the summer in the nude. Now, 10 years later not only do I still struggle with my body image, I'm still very aware of the areas that I feel lack or not enough.

I took this exercise a bit deeper. I broke up my life into decades and said I LOVE YOU, to me in each stage of my life. I began with pre-birth. I LOVE YOU... I knew you before you were born.

I went to me in the womb. I LOVE YOU, knowing I was an unwanted child.

Next decade, age 1-10, I LOVE YOU, visualizing me as a child, feeling all the parts that I was told were unloveable.

Ages 10-20, I LOVE YOU, in those very awkward years of feeling like no one could love me.

Ages 20-30, I LOVE YOU, finding love and meaning in relationship and family.

Ages 30-40, I LOVE YOU, as the children grew and began finding their own path in life... and realizing that I wasn't a part of it. (I had to get my own life!)

Ages 40-50, I LOVE YOU, as the invitation (discontentment) to the path of self-discovery began showing itself.

Age 50-60, I LOVE YOU, accepting my path for living my life as untraditional and magical, when I rest into it and say yes to the doors that open. Still struggling with my side kick - 'not good enough.'

Let's see, that leave 2 more, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU... you're perfect just the way you are. You're made in the likeness and image of the creator, how can that not be perfect.

Pati, looking into my eyes with one hand on the mirror, I say one last time with true heartfelt meaning, I LOVE YOU.

Thursday, September 7

DON'T POSTPONE THE JOY!

Day 6 of the Self-Care Awareness 30-Day Challenge invites us to take the time to discover what brings us joy in our life? What lights us up? What puts a smile on our face.

When working with clients, I also add, "It can't be SOMEONE or SOMETHING." Well, that takes loads of things out of the equation. Now, I'm not saying that people or things can't bring you joy, but when you're trying to discover your passion for living, people and things are just on the surface.

Why can't it be someone or something? A few reasons. First, as I mentioned, they are not deep down desires of who you were created to be. What brings you real joy and puts a smile on your face is something deep within your being. It's a soul calling. It's a gift that you've been given to share with the world.

Secondly, SOMETHING... will always go away. It may bring you joy for a bit, but it's not the passion deep within. SOMEONE... is on their own life's journey path... and at some point will venture off to follow their hearts desire even if you're not ready.

Nope... to discover what truly brings you joy in your life, you may have to ask someone from childhood. "What did I like to do? Play?" Many times, in becoming an adult we loose sight of what we used to love.

So while the challenge today is to discover and show what brings you joy in your life, if you'd like to go deeper... begin noticing... what really brings ME joy! What makes ME happy?

DON'T POSTPONE THE JOY!

Tuesday, August 22

Feeling the Change… of the Eclipse Energy?


Now that the hustle and bustle of the eclipse has passed are you left feeling the wave of energy in its wake? Do you feel like something needs to change but you can’t put your finger on it? Or you know exactly what needs to change but don’t know how to go about it or it seems impossible to let go?

If this is you, you’re not alone. The clients I’ve been working with lately have the same problem. Change isn’t easy, especially when our old thoughts and beliefs are telling us to hold on tighter, try harder.

But change is really a part of everyday life, unlike what many of us have been taught. In fact, I always thought that if I could keep everything as it’s always been, then I was doing good! That’s probably the biggest lie/illusion that I believed way into my adult life.

Everything Changes

Everything changes. In fact, the only thing that one can truly be sure of in life is that… everything changes.

Our skin cells completely renew themselves approximately every month. During the summer you can literally see the plants changing each day.  And the moon goes through its own cycles each month as well. What more proof do we need that nothing stays the same?  Why would we as human beings be any different? We’re either changing or we’re dying. It’s that simple.

But knowing about change and changing are completely different things. Learning to let go is probably the most difficult thing we get an opportunity to practice in our lives. It’s not just letting go of our stuff, its letting go of our old beliefs, ideas that no longer serve us, and our perspectives as well.

One of the things that makes letting go so difficult is that we can feel like we’re abandoning the clan, our family and friends. How can we believe differently, change our lives and leave the others behind?

The Invitation to Change

When we’ve had a health scare, or unhappiness sets in from a job or relationship. When we’re depressed or feel angry all the time, well basically, if we’re not living  life with passion and joy, the opportunity is to change something. Seems pretty simple right?

But without someone to guide you through change, it’s very easy to run back to the familiar and try to talk ourselves into keeping things the way they are. After all, we know what we’re dealing with and can it really be that bad?

Or, perhaps change has happened to you! You lost a job, a relationship ended that wasn’t your idea, or your finances went south.

Not to fret! These invitations to change do not mean that we’ve done something wrong! They’re simply an opportunity for us to see what we’re made of. No one in life escapes these hiccups.

When I was younger, I used to think, “Oh that poor schmuck, they didn’t do it right,”
when something happened to another. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve seen that it is a part of everyone’s life’s journey. Everyone picks themselves up from adversity, it’s how we build character, it’s how we grow, it’s how we evolve.  

In the book, Who Moved My Cheese, tells of two mice in a maze, Sniff and Scurry and two little people, Hem and Haw. The mice knew instinctively when the cheese (cheese being a metaphor for what’s important in your life) moved they had to move as well in order to survive. However Hem and Haw, felt entitled and when their cheese moved, they had a panty twist. They whined and complained and demanded the cheese to return. Well of course it didn’t. Finally Haw, realized that if they were going to survive, he had to go looking for the cheese. Hem still refused. As Haw ventured out, he left little “handwritings on the wall,” in case Hem decided to followed, explaining that searching for new cheese was a good thing.

How about for you? What would you do if you weren’t afraid? Go ahead, dream big! What would you do if you were the only one to consider? Would you have regrets later if you didn’t do it?

Changing is not easy but it’s the only way to true happiness. Yes it’s scary, but not as scary as you have made it out in your head or other’s have led you to believe.

Simply set an intention. You don’t even have to do anything besides that right now. Once you consciously choose how you want to live, the universe will rise up and support you, guaranteed. Don’t throw up energetic blockages, like “That can’t happen, or I don’t have the money to make that work.” Set the intention and then sit back and say YES to the doors that open.





Saturday, May 20




Impossible. A trip to Europe. Places that I thought "If I never go back, I'll be glad to have seen them."

It was a trip that was magical. Why? Because while I set the intention, my dear friend planned and organized it, exactly how I had it pictured. 

Not everyone would have trusted what I was feeling. After all, it was a train trip that stopped in each destination for only one afternoon/evening and morning. 

Some would say, "Well, that's not enough time to do anything!" And I would argue, "It was the perfect time to feel everything!" True enough, it wasn't a typical holiday of checking off the list - sight seeing. 

I flew into Dublin and my friend met me at the airport and we flew to Barcelona to the Basilica Sagrada Familia, a church over 133 years in the making with another 30 years to go. What started off as a little holiday ended up to be a very powerful pilgrimage, ending with an audience with the Pope at St. Peter's in Rome. (Completely by accident... or was it?)

Leaving Barcelona we headed to Paris, Switzerland, Venice, Florence and Rome. Pure magic! Why? Because we had no agendas and very little time in each location. We would roll into town, put our backpacks in our rooms and set out on foot, walking 6-8 hrs each day. Because in Europe there seems to be a Basilica, Arch Basilica, Cathedral or Church on nearly every block, we were in the energy of masterful artists.

Four restful, walking days in Killarney and then north for a 4 day retreat at a Hara Krishna community. A visit with a friend in Dublin learning about fermentation, then one more day in Maynooth before heading back to the states. 

The take-away: I don't have a desire to go back sightseeing but I would go and live at any of the places for a month or two.

What's your next adventure? Dream it up... don't get in the way of the flow of energy, just because you can't understand how it can possibly work out... then watch the universe work it's magic! 





Wednesday, March 8

International Women's Day - Scars to Your Beautiful


 Happy International Women's Day!

Through all of my travels I've had the privilege of meeting all kinds of amazing women, all ages and different nationalities. What they all have in common is that they all have incredible stories to share. And what's more amazing is that they all had lived through their challenges and have come out the other side strong, courageous, and filled with wisdom, passion and joy.

What stands out in my mind the most from having meaningful conversations with these women is that without exception, we all have challenges. After all, it's The Journey of The Soul. (Evolution) The trick is not to get stuck in our stories.  Don't let them or anyone define who we are.


While in private ceremony for my clients in transition, the song, Scars to Your Beautiful, by Alessia Cara was given to me. We all have scars/wounds that can be visible or non-visible. They can be physical, mental or emotional abuse or they can be prisons that we make for ourselves.

...She don't see her perfect, she don't understand she's worth it or that beauty goes deeper than the surface.
So to all the girls that's hurting, Let me be your mirror, help you see a little bit clearer... The Light That Shines Within... There's a hope that's waiting for you in the dark, you should know you're beautiful just the way your are... And you don't have to change a thing, the world could change it's heart... no scars to your beautiful, we're stars and we're beautiful... 

So to all the women of the world... it's our scars that make us strong and beautiful!

Wednesday, February 1

UPDATE: WHAT'S YOUR WORD FOR 2017?

We know that energy follows intention. Whatever we set our intention on is going to manifest in our lives. We're going to find exactly what we're looking for whether it's positive or negative. 

It's true in all areas of our lives, personally, politically and professionally. So it's important where we place our energy. (focus)

In our last newsletter we posed the question "What's your word(s) for 2017? In other words, where would you like to place your focus, your intentions? 

To refresh your memory we've had people who have said, Trust in Self, Communication, Self-Love, Simplicity, Diligence, Healing, Boundaries, Travel and Direction.  

Now we add to the list a few words and phrases that a few brave people have added to the mix. Gratitude; Non-Retail; Back to Basics; Forward with Focus and Hope are a few of the words and phrases people shared with us about their intentions for 2017. 

A few specific thought processes:

This is a very interesting email to arrive out of nowhere.  I thought my word for the new year was 'surrender' and I had been doing a lot of thinking about how and why I was to do the surrendering.  Then on FACEBOOK, there was a post "What is your word for 2017?"  Why not give it a try, I thought.  Let's just see if it matches up.  Of course, it didn't! Instead I received the word "HOPE."  Hence the connection to this email.  It also put a more positive spin on surrender. So, my word for 2017 is HOPE .
Sally

My word or words is “Back to Basics” Life had gotten way too complicated in year past and my goal for self care in 2017 is to go back to the “simple” things – habits, hobbies, friendships and activities that make me happy without having to spend money, add “things” or over-think what I am doing. Looking forward to a much “saner” and happy 2017! Peter

Forward with Focus. Are my words. I want to move ahead with my ideas and quit getting sidetracked with things that stop my forward momentum. Amy

Holle - Hope

So how about you? Have you picked your word(s) that will help guide your through 2017 by keeping you focused on your intentions? It's not too late! And, if you have picked it, how are you doing with making it your focus? Simply keep your word or words in your awareness while making all decisions in 2017. It becomes your personal mission statement... Your Word. 


Tuesday, January 24

3AM, When the Angels Walk



The spirits live in nature all around us. Listen with your heart, you will understand.
                                                                                                            Pocahontas

Do you find yourself awake in the wee hours of the morning? Do you find it irritating? Instead of thinking it’s something that needs to be fixed, perhaps you could see it as a time of Divine Intervention, that you’ve been invited to expand what you currently know and understand. Here’s my story.

When I was going through a major life change, every morning at 3AM I’d wake up and write. From this journaling, I began to gain clarity in my life and later came to see that it was divinely orchestrated. Although I was working in the Catholic Church at the time, from my dad and sister’s involvement with a metaphysical church, I already knew the veil was thin at 3AM and that we can connect more easily with the angels, our higher self and those on the other side at that time. But they told me things that were beyond my comprehension at the time. That astral travel and lucid dreaming were prevalent then as well. And as I was beginning to get in touch with my own intuition, I knew that spiritual activity in the physical world was also more prominent at 3AM. But I wanted to know more so I did what I do and used all life as a mirror.

I looked up 3AM on the Chinese Medicine Clock, as I wanted to know what was happening in our bodies at that time. I discovered the lungs were clearing. Knowing that the emotion of lung is grief, I asked the question “What do I need to know?” And then I listened. I paid attention… to songs that I noticed, words that came into my awareness, animals that crossed my path and signs that stood out. Really, I just began to get present in each moment.

Then I paid attention to what I was feeling. And asked myself “Where is there grief, present in my life today?” Then I took it one step further and followed the thread back to the original wound, sometime earlier in life, perhaps childhood where I had ignored, forgotten or buried grief that I wasn’t able to deal with at the time.  Now I know that, that’s exactly where the healing needs to take place in order for the current grief to be healed.  I now know that we attract current life situations that repeat themselves, trying to get us to see where we’ve been wounded and not healed. (By the way, you can use this technique for any current life situation that you feel stuck in.)

Then, I looked up the number 3 to see what the Angel Numbers had to say and repeated the same sequence. I asked, “What do I need to know?” And again I would listen and watch for a word, phrase or sentence that caught my attention. The trick is to use everything as guidance but to really check in with ourselves and see what is true for us each as individuals. Just because someone says that 3 means… whatever, it’s really about what’s happening in your life that would indicate what 3 means to you. There are no right or wrong answers.

The number three refers to the Trinity. It is also the number of the Ascended Masters. (Jesus, Mary, Saints, Buddha… Spiritually enlightened beings who walked this earth, undergone a series of spiritual transformations and have a mission to support humans in their evolution. Ascended Masters are any spiritual beings that you connect with personally.) They respond to prayers, protect and assist us with finding our purpose in life.

If you find yourself awake at 3AM you might try to ask breathe and relax into it, seeing it as a gift rather than an irritation, something that needs to be fixed. Ask the angels, “Is there anything I need to know.” And then, as the wise tree in Pocahontas said, Listen with your heart, you will understand.


Thanks, Pati,
I try to pay attention and ask those questions as well.  It's very interesting.  When I was out walking in the desert after I knew the house next door was sold,  I was looking for "signs" and I had to laugh as I came across an actual metal sign stuck in a cactus.  It was white and blank!  I said, 'Ok, so you sent me a sign!"  The universe has a great sense of humor!  But "where is my house?"  Just then I noticed a crow hanging around in the air and cawing and cawing and he landed just in the mesquite by me and kept cawing.  I said to the crow "ok do you have something to tell me?  Where is my house?"  He cawed and flew a short distance to the southeast.  "Oh, I said, so it is over there, and not far?"  At that time I was aware of two properties just over on Kolb road that I wanted to see- a few miles east.  So I made appointments to see them - although we liked both of the properties for different reasons there were many drawbacks and neither felt quite right to me.  Today we went closer to Vail - still south off Sahuarita Road, and I think we found our place... Stay tuned and I'll let you know if we get it.  Thanks crow.
Best,
Carol


Sometimes the signs are literal!

Tuesday, January 17

Day 6 - 7 Day Get Out of Your Comfort Zone Challenge

We're on day 6 of the 7 Day Get Out of Your Comfort Zone Challenge. And while I have been stretching myself with my pink and blue hair, mostly I've been getting out of my comfort zone with business related things since that's what I'm focused on currently.

However, my friend inspired me yesterday to do something physically challenging and so while I've been wanting to go to kundalini yoga and meditation, I have always found an excuse to miss it. It's scary! Not for some, but for me. While I'm used to doing everything alone, for some reason this is harder. I googled the place once again in hopes of a new found strength and a Groupon came up for a month of unlimited yoga so I bought it. (Yes, I plan to go:)

However, with all the best intentions in place, once again I managed to miss the evening class. Quickly enough I talked myself out of going and ended up seeing the movie Hidden Figures.

I could have (and started to) beat myself up for not meeting the challenge. "What will the others think?" But then, as a Self-Care Advocate, I knew that honoring what I was feeling was also important. While going to the movie alone is not new for me, attending with a full theatre and sitting next to other people was and I was definitely out of my comfort zone, watching what I was thinking and feeling, living consciously.

And that's the point of stretching ourselves isn't it, living mindfully? Whether it's meeting goals we've set or honoring how we're feeling, we need to be the observer in life. Witnessing what we are thinking and feeling? Where are the judgmental voices coming from? Me or another? Where do we feel less than and where are we comfortable standing in our own power?

And when the observing is finished, the non-judgmental observing, we can begin seeing where we are on our own journey of life. (None of our journey's are the same, that's why comparing ourselves to others is pointless.) Where are there still wounds? Where are there still not so nice voices in our heads and where can we begin to gently love ourselves, being our own cheerleader and not worrying about what anyone else might think because in the end, this journey is personal and all micro-movements forward are victorious.

Day 2 of the 7Day Get Out of your comfort zone challenge

This morning the texts and Facebook posts were coming in of everyone's accomplishments!
When speaking with a friend this morning and she asked what was next. I told her I'd like to go to a make up place and have them do my make up. Definitely out of my comfort zone! She replied, "OMG! That isn't scary! That just sounds like fun!"

I quickly realized that everyone has different levels and things of what they feel comfortable with and what comes easy for them.

And of course, reminding myself that comparing myself with anyone else is futile because each of us are unique as individuals and in our lives journeys. 

So today, since its raining and I don't want to leave the house, I am going to send our Evolve to Live Self-Care Awareness Month information to Oprah and Rachel Ray. Why is this out of my comfort zone, because as soon as my friend mentioned that I should, the Mind Fucking began. "You're not ready, you don't know what you're talking about, what if they called you back?"  And then I breathe...and tell myself, I don't need to know anything except figure out how to contact them... and then do it!

Getting out of our comfort zones is where the magic happens. It's where we can leave behind our perspectives, beliefs and complacent life styles. It makes us conscious.

Thursday, January 12

7 Day Challenge - Do something out of your comfort zone!

This morning a text came from a friend. "I want to do a 7 day challenge. I want to do something out of my comfort zone everyday for 7 days. It won't be easy for me, so I'm planning baby steps! I will use the phrase... "I would never... and then do it! Would you like to join me?"

I answered with my famous, "Why not?" And off we went. I extended the invitation on Facebook and a few brave souls joined us. I began racking my brain... what could I do? With All Planets in Direct Motion, I felt like anything that I could accomplish would be amplified.

I could go to the new 5 Star hotel on the beach and walk around. It would take courage for sure. I wanted to take a kundalini yoga class... that would take courage. I wrote a letter to the Ellen Show about Self-Care Awareness Month... that took courage. But none of those things were really out of my comfort zone... yes... they took courage, but I would do them.

I was scheduled for a hair appointment with my daughter... as I sat in the chair with a hair artist standing behind me... and the words, "Do whatever you want! I want something different!" With the encouragement of my daughter... here's what I did today... that I would never have done....

This 10 step process took from 11-8PM and with each phase, I unwound another emotion. I have always identified myself with my hair. Could I be something different? I've always wanted to 'blend in.' Now, could I stand out and be seen?

Afterwards, we had a much deserved beer... several young men behind us made some comment... and I laughed and said, "Wait til they see how old I am!" One young woman shouted as she walked by, "I LOVE your hair!" This will definitely be an exercise in getting out of my comfort zone on many levels! Let's see... what will I do tomorrow? How about you?

Many thanks to my daughter Kim and hair artist, Nick!

Tuesday, January 10

All Planets Direct - Get Your MOVE On!

What is All Planets in Direct Motion? (APDM)

Beginning January 8, Mercury shifted out of retrograde and until February 7, all planets are in direct motion. YEAH!

What does that mean for us?

GET YOUR MOVE ON! NOW IS THE TIME! SEIZE THE MOMENT!

The moment when all planets are in direct motion and they become balanced and in harmony is a very rare event indeed. But what makes it even more special is that it lasts for an entire month! 

Even from ancient times, All Planets in Direct Motion is an omen of incredible fortune, opportunity and peace. But it's not good enough to sit back and enjoy it. This is the time to get your move on! 

Start that project... or finish one you've started. Go after your dream, follow the flow of energy to something new and exciting. Get a new job, move to a new location! If you can dream it... desire it... then do it! Anything that would be considered a major milestone or life event... now is the time for action! It's also the perfect time to set new goals, intentions or begin new habits. 


Let's Celebrate and use the energy like jet fuel to propel ourselves forward!!

Happy...  All Planets in Direct Motion!