Here’s a post I posted recently on Spirit Earth.  Be sure and check out the other posts I have posted at Spirit Earth and sign up to join me on my Joyful Quest by clicking here.

Years ago, I heard a man speak about how to settle the nervous system. He was lecturing to a group of 40 some anxious people. Being empathic, I could feel the tension in the room when he started. He had a very calm manner and proceeded to talk about how our nervous system is responding to things in our environment all the time, sometimes in ways we aren’t conscious of. He talked about how in family dynamics, it is often the person who is most uptight that becomes the center of the family nervous system. They are the ones who have the most dominant presence, often radiating their imbalance. He explained that in a collective situation, everyone’s nervous system will sync with the most dominant energy in the group. That means that if someone who is dominant is very angry, everyone’s nervous system begins to resonate with the anger, causing all kinds of upheaval. He then went on to demonstrate what can happen when someone in a peaceful state becomes the center. He took a few moments and brought himself to a place of deep peace. The energy in the room changed instantly. All those anxious people suddenly settled! Recently, I’ve been reminded of this dynamic. Families are often built around crisis because the person who is most dominant is the one who is most unsettled. This reminded me that our families are just a reflection of our own inner world. We hold all the archetypes (personality aspects) of our loved ones in ourself. Which brought the question of which archetype am I letting be the sun or center of my inner world? I realized, in the past, it was often the wounded child. When our energy is centered around our woundedness we continue to draw to us those things that resonate with the wounds. So what happens if we shift that sun archetype to the part of us that is most joyful? Wouldn’t that mean that all the other aspects of our personality would come into sync with that piece? The demonstration in the room of anxious people would suggest that it would work that way. So would the concepts of quantum physics which suggest it is our beliefs that are constructing our experiences in our world.

Try It

Find time to do a little inward searching. What part of your personality tends to be the center of your experience? If it is a wounded aspect, consider putting out the intention to let your most peaceful and joyous self be the sun in your world. Try it for the day and see what happens when you turn your attention to the happy self inside of you instead of focusing on the fearful one.

Nature Inspiration

While I was writing this passage, I was sitting by the North Fork of the Skokomish River in Washington. In front of me was a heart shaped rock. The energy of the water flowing by with the sun reflected on it was very peaceful and soothing. Spend a few minutes connecting with it to support you in moving your joy to your center.

Here’s a post I posted recently on Spirit Earth.  Be sure and check out the other posts I have posted at Spirit Earth and sign up to join me on my Joyful Quest by clicking here.

One of the processes of the quest is to learn how to teach what we are learning about living a joyful life. We have been building a class series to share our learnings and to inspire others to take the quest, In the process, we have come up against the ideas or fears we have in our own foundations that inhibit our ability to stay coming from love. To help us, we used a totem pole spread from a book called Animal Totem Tarot Cards by Lizza Robertson. We decided to start with the first card of the totem card reading which represents the earth that you are planting your dreams in. The card that fell out for me was the Hanged Man with the animal of the HoneyPot Ant. Having some previous experience with the tarot deck, I was less than thrilled about the card that fell out for me. The Hanged Man in traditional decks is all about a man hanging by his feet unable to move. It is a “let go, let God” card that is all about surrender. Being someone that enjoys being able to act, that is always a card that I have dreaded and here it is as the foundation of my joyful life! With some intuitive insights from Jacob and Ryan, some deeper insights into the animal totem connected to the card, and some of my own intuitive guidance, I have come to realize, though, that it is actually the perfect card for me. The HoneyPot ant is an ant who is stuffed with nectar and other food substances and then it spends its life regurgitating the food to the members of the ant family, so they always have food, even in the harsh desert. At first, this seems a card of sacrifice, but as I started to connect deeper, I realized it is actually a gift. The ant that fills this role always has enough food. It is literally filled to overflowing with nectar and sweetness. That excess is then shared with the other members of the ant colony. It is also the ultimate card of allowing the Divine to work through you. It calls for a deep, heart-centered devotion and faith in the Creator and a willingness to let the Divine lead. It also calls for a position that places your heart above your head. For me, this is the ultimate gift. I have a strong mind that is used to leading. This card is saying at my foundation, my heart is the one that leads and I have found that is the only way to truly experience the joy I am seeking.

Try It

What is the earth you are planting your joyful life in? Are you comfortable with what you have chosen to come from in your experiences? Today, ask to connect to the animal energy that is the best one for you to build off of in your joyful journey (and if you are interested in some help, call us to schedule a reading!). Connect to the animal’s energy and let it support you in the creation of your day and your life.

Connect with Nature

One way to be still and find the essence that you need at your core is to be in nature. Below is a photo from Rialto Beach in Washington. Connect with the flow of the tides and let the wind blow in some fresh perspective into your experience.

Interested in discovering your own “ground floor” animal totem? Email nancy@EmpoweringLightworkers.com. Special Offer for August – $35 Written Reading

Here’s a post I posted recently on Spirit Earth.  Be sure and check out the other posts I have posted at Spirit Earth and sign up to join me on my Joyful Quest by clicking here.

We have been continuing the process of excavating those things in ourselves that are at odds with coming from the heart in our decision making. Astrologically, the energies of the month are offering a lot of opportunity to help with this. Ryan described it as having buried shrapnel in our psyches and having a big magnet going over the top of us to pull it out. Not always the most comfortable process, but in the end we will be glad for the clearing. One of the gifts of this process has been recognizing the role of self-respect in living a heart-centered life. It isn’t always easy to follow the path of the heart, especially when it seems to be going against a more logical course. That is where self-respect becomes crucial. Focusing on your own feelings about your choices and always checking to see if you can respect yourself taking this path really helps to soothe some of the unease. Joyful living isn’t something that is all that common and there is a reason for it. We have a lot of fear-based systems that keep us checking over and over again for what might be going wrong. Building a strong basis of self-trust and respect can help to navigate the moments when it is tempting to fall back into fear.

Try It

Today, start your morning off by having a conversation with yourself in the mirror. Praise yourself for all that you have been doing to step away from fear and come from love. Notice all that you have done well and even give encouragement for the places where you may have fell short. Finish with the statement, “I love, honor and respect myself. I am proud of who I am and who I am becoming!” If you start to feel the fear kicking in again, ask yourself what could you do in that moment that you would respect? Do that!

Nature Inspiration

Here is a photo from a beach along the Oregon coast. While it is a beautiful place, the wind gusts and blowing sand can make it tough to enjoy. Imagine yourself there, but build in a bubble of protection that is created by your love and respect for yourself. Keep that around you all day!

Here’s a post from Spirit Earth from when I was in Mammoth Lakes, California.  Be sure and check out the other posts I have posted at Spirit Earth and sign up to join me on my Joyful Quest by clicking here.

We have been using the Fool Oracle card deck by Sonia Choquette. One of the cards is called the “Breathless Fool” which was very fitting for me today. Sometimes, I get very revved up and start talking a mile a minute. This usually leads to me getting ungrounded and starting to worry needlessly. Thankfully, Ryan has the patience of a saint and he always manages to get me back to slowing down and looking at things more objectively. This led to the recognition that this is a common situation in our world. Usually, when things get stressful we start moving faster and the faster we move, the more stressed we get. By slowing down and being still, we allow our systems to settle so we can be more objective about what is happening. Just that can sometimes clear the problem. If there is still stressful things to deal with, by slowing down and settling the nervous system, we are better able to manage them.

Try It

Today, if you are feeling anxious or stressed, start moving very slowly or get very still. Give your full attention to the physical tasks in front of you. Put your vision as your primary focus, observing what is going on in your immediate environment. You can also start naming the things around you since usually we are stressed by something in the future, something we are thinking about or something in the past. When we breathe deeply, move slowly, the body will be convinced that the crisis is over and your system will settle.

Nature Observation

Here is a photo from a small pond at Mammoth Lakes, CA. It was very quiet and peaceful in this place. Allow yourself to soak up its stillness and come back to a place of peace.