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How often are we stuck in our own view and maybe even with blinders on? But if we take just a moment to step out of it and see in a different way, what a gift it can be in our relationships, our interactions, and even in our own inner development! Here’s a story that’s a favorite of mine about seeing another view.  One day a young student on his journey home came to the banks of a wide river. Staring hopelessly at the great obstacle in front of him, he pondered for hours on just how to cross the wide river. Just as he was about to give up his pursuit to continue his journey, he saw a great teacher on the other side of the river. The young student yells over to the teacher, “Oh wise one, can you tell me how to get to the other side of this river?” The teacher ponders for a moment looks up and down the river and yells back, “My son, you are on the other side.”  This story’s such a wonderful example of how we can learn to step out of our own view and begin to see from another perspective. How often do we just get trapped in our own thoughts and viewpoint, unable to move or shift from them? Of course, we may listen to someone else sharing their thoughts. But, do we actually step onto their bank of the river in our minds and experience what their perspective is? When you’re able to do this, it not only helps you to develop better understanding of the person, but this can affect your attitude and behavior toward that person (and possibly even in life!). You begin to develop empathy and understanding of how that one is experiencing life. Your perception of the person may even change. This inner work of developing perspective is based within our third eye or brow chakra. The third eye or brow chakra is in the space between the eyebrows, just a little above on the forehead. It encompasses the pituitary gland, eyes, head, and lower brain.  When developed and balanced, you’re able to see what’s happening from the perspective of an observer who’s mindful. And you understand what it means – seeing yourself and also the outer world. You see what’s important and what’s not, what’s meaningful and what’s superfluous.
This chakra is also the home to our conscience. When it’s in balance you see clearly and understand what you see. You have perspective on events and ideas. You’re open to new ideas and can be quietly reflective. You trust your intuition. Take a moment right now and think of someone in your life. Picture yourself as that person – what it’s like to wake up in the morning as that person, go about the day in their activities, to interact with others. Now imagine you, as this person, encountering something that bothers you. Why is it upsetting? What lives behind the emotion? How do you see the situation? Step out of the view of the other person and come back to yourself. What did you learn from that experience? Were you able to see life from their perspective? How do you see that person now? The issues they are encountering in life? Is it different in any way from how you viewed it before? Experiences such as these help us to develop perspective in our own lives and in the world. To help balance the brow chakra, we can call upon the Hindu god Shiva who is often depicted with a third eye of wisdom. He sees beyond the obvious with clear perception and shows what is truth. You can find the Healing Shiva Mantra in my Free Healing Library and chant along with me.
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 When we focus on cultivating authentic communication in our lives, many of us will only think about speaking – how to speak your truth with integrity, clarity, and compassion. If you missed my post on this aspect of authentic communication Part I: Finding Your Voice, check it out here. Yet, listening is another aspect, often overlooked, of authentic communication. It might seem to be something we do naturally or easily in a conversation, but it’s more complex than we usually realize. Yes, of course, we naturally will face the person speaking and appear to listen, even remembering to be quiet for a while so the other person can speak. But, true listening is so much more. Often when we try to listen, our minds will wander. Maybe judgments or advice arise within us as the other person continues to speak. Maybe we want to respond with our own thoughts and opinions, and we’re simply waiting until they are done or rehearsing what we’ll say even as the other person continues to speak. Maybe the content we hear elicits an emotional response in us and our attention goes to our own feelings about what the other person’s saying. True active listening includes giving the other person your full attention, with focus and presence – holding a space for all that needs to be shared. And even allowing a pause for what’s being shared to live in the space for a moment before responding.  The other day, I was out walking on a snow-covered path through the foothills with a friend. She was telling me a story of a young man who was renting a room from her and how she had taken on a motherly role toward him. He was anxious and nervous about the outcome of a recent job interview and he didn’t have any family within this country. So, she’d become his sounding board and support during the interview process. As she told her story, I found myself curious and wanting to interrupt to ask questions. I also contemplated why this story was important to her today. A bluebird flew by and my attention followed the flight of the bird, happy to see this sign of spring at that moment, even as she continued talking. As she neared the end of her story, I found myself disappointed in the way the company had handled the interviewing process and feeling disheartened for the young man and his experience. I wanted to share my opinion of this with her even before she finished speaking. How easily our mind jumps from here to there even when we are trying to listen! How easily our own feelings arise and come to the forefront, overpowering our ability to truly listen to the other. And how hard it is to hold an attentive space – calmly and silently, for a period of time - to truly listen. Not an easy task! But one worth taking up to cultivate deeper relationships with our loved ones and with ourselves!  Follow these steps to be an active and attentive listener, holding a space for the speaker to be heard, in the conversation.
Cultivate the art of communication in your daily life and soon you will be on your way to …..
This is the 6th in my series on Radical Self-Care. Watch for more over the next few weeks! You can also access an audio of a mantra to chant to invoke Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of abundance, here in my Free Healing Library. She can support you in your efforts to listen deeply to others, bringing abundance to all. Click here to access the audio. Have you ever been in a situation where you wanted to express yourself – your truth – and you found you couldn’t. Something seemed to get in your way? Maybe you felt too nervous or upset, with a lump in your throat. Maybe your voice was shaky and your palms sweating. Or you just blurted out words that made little sense.  Or possibly you were worried that you wouldn’t be heard. That before you fully expressed yourself, you’d be interrupted or dismissed………..or worse yet, even shut down, your thoughts viewed as unimportant. Finding your voice and authentically expressing yourself isn’t always easy to accomplish. Sometimes it’s easier to simply say what the other person is wanting to hear or is able to hear in that moment, instead of speaking your truth. Speaking your truth doesn’t mean you can say whatever comes to your mind, even if it’s hurtful or unkind. Speaking your truth, when it arises from your spiritual essence will be clear, yet compassionate. Speaking and listening are a part of the 5th chakra, the throat chakra. And, in learning radical self care, many of us need to learn to care for ourselves by finding our voice – our voice to speak our needs, thoughts, and opinions, with clarity, care and compassion.  Of course, balancing the first 4 chakras will help you to find your voice in your 5th chakra. Overcoming your fear and anxiety, , accessing your creative flow, finding your inner power and confidence, and awakening your heart with love and compassion, within these 4 chakras, will build a strong foundation for authentic communication. Remembering these steps if you have an important topic to share with someone will help you find your authentic voice in speaking.
 Cultivate the art of communication in your daily life and soon you will be on your way to …..
This is the 5th in my series on Radical Self-Care. Watch for more over the next few weeks! You can also access an audio of a mantra to chant invoking Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of abundance, here in my Free Healing Library. This mantra can support you in your efforts to speak your truth with compassion and to listen deeply to others, bringing abundance to all. Click here to join the Free Healing Library and access the audio. If you ever feel overwhelmed by the suffering you see in the world, or even experience in your own life, awakening your heart forces is a key. When we open our heart through our spiritual practices, then we become active in transforming suffering. If our heart is closed, we can feel isolated or disconnected from the rest of the world. Maybe even overwhelmed by all of the suffering we see and experience.  In awakening your heart to compassion, not only is it helpful for the person suffering, but it can bring you to a place of peace and love. Here are a few practices to help you find compassion within your heart, for yourself and others. Just Like Me Practice Ever have an experience where you can’t believe that a person would act that way or say those words? It seems so………. fill in the blank………. rude, immature, incompetent, inconsiderate,… Realizing that another person is “just like me” in some ways can help you to dissolve the feeling of separateness or disbelief. It embraces what’s similar, what’s human, and helps to develop compassion for others in your life.  I first heard of this practice from the Buddhist nun, Pema Chodron. She shares, “It is a simple human truth that everyone, just like you, wants to be happy and to avoid suffering. Just like you, everyone else wants to have friends, to be accepted and loved, to be respected and valued for their unique qualities, to be healthy and to feel comfortable with themselves. Just like you, no one else wants to be friendless and alone, to be looked down upon by others, to be sick, to feel inadequate and depressed. The equality practice is simply to remember this fact whenever you meet another person. You think, ‘Just like me, she wants to be happy; she doesn’t want to suffer.’ Here are the steps.
3. Create your own “just like me” statements, as desired.
4. Close the practice by sending wishes for the health and well-being to the person.  Loving Kindness Meditation You can use this simple meditation to practice compassion first for yourself, then for those you know, and then for others you may not know. You can also use this for someone who upsets or frustrates you.
May I be healthy. May I be peaceful and at ease. May I be happy.
May you be healthy. May you be peaceful and at ease. May you be happy.
May you be healthy. May you be peaceful and at ease. May you be happy. Breathing out Compassion The Tibetan Buddhists have a practice that is called Tonglen which means “giving and taking.” You use your breath to inhale the suffering of someone and to exhale compassion. 
Bringing practices such as these into your life can open and awaken your heart. Not only are they helpful for the other person, but they can bring you to a place of peace and love, even in difficult times. And, in so doing, contribute to the health and healing in the world. This is the 4th in my series on Radical Self-Care. Watch for more over the next few weeks! You can also access an audio of a mantra for Krishna, the Hindu god that radiates love and compassion, here in my Free Healing Library to help you awaken your heart to compassion! Are there days that you feel like curling up in a ball and not joining the rest of the world? Do you wonder if you’ll ever experience a true sense of inner peace and calm in life? Some days are harder than others. The troubles that loom over our heads – troubles in the world, in our country, in our communities, even with our families and friends. Sometimes it all feels like too much. And yet, we must reach deep within ourselves to find the strength to move forward. But how? If you dig deep down into your inner well and it’s not full, what then? How do you cultivate self power, an inner strength, so that it’s always available to you? How can we find this hidden treasure? When your inner well’s full, you begin to develop a certain steadiness in life. You’re guided and strengthened from within, rather than dependent on external influences. This gives you even more strength for all that comes your way in life. You’ll become more present and fully experience all of life. And a sense of peace and calm will arise, as you begin to see the bigger purpose and meaning of your life. Here are a few tips for filling your inner well, giving you the key to unlocking the hidden treasure of your own inner power. Explore Who am I? Take a look at who you are. Truly. Your abilities, your qualities. Your biography and current life. What moments in your life were turning points? Who did you meet? What made a difference in your journey? What are you passionate about? What gets you excited? What do you want to do to make a difference in the world?  What do you like doing for fun? How do you relax and rejuvenate? The more deeply you know who you are, the more aware you become of the best way to care for yourself and your needs. You’ll feel more grounded and confident. And more yourself. Identify Your Gifts We all have unique gifts – talents or skills – that we can use to make a difference in the world. What are yours? Where do you shine? Our gifts typically develop out of our passions in life. Or sometimes out of overcoming adversity. By sharing these with others, not only does it benefit them, but also you! You are able to engage in meaningful and purposeful work in the world – which ignites your inner fire and power.  Replace Negative Voices Pay attention to what enters your mind that’s negative and doesn’t serve you. When these thoughts enter your mind, simply acknowledge them without judgment and then bid them farewell. Replace them with gratitude. Think of something in your life that you’re currently grateful for. Focus your thoughts on the gratitude you have. Balance Your Solar Plexus Chakra  Your third chakra, the solar plexus chakra, is the source of the light that radiates your personal power and strength out into the world. It’s located between your navel and the bottom of your sternum. Bring this chakra into balance to access your own inner strength. Sit quietly in an upright posture and picture your third chakra filled with the warm yellow light of the sun, radiating out into the world while saying these affirmations: I love myself. I am strong and courageous. I feel my own power. When your solar plexus chakra is balanced, you’ll feel confident and want to say “YES!” to life. You’ll be grounded and ready to start each day. You’ll feel strong and able to take up actions, moving through challenges as they arise.  Connect to a Higher Presence
Having a regular spiritual practice helps you not only be healthier and more grounded, but connects you with the Divine. This might be meditation, yoga, chanting, being in nature, studying ancient sacred texts, or even sitting in silence. This raises your vibrational frequency. Doubts and fears fall away as you experience your True Self and have divine support to accompany you. This is the 3rd in my series on Radical Self-Care. Watch for more over the next few weeks! You can also access an audio of a mantra here in my Free Healing Library to call upon the Goddess Durga with her great courage and strength to remove any obstacles that are holding you back from feeling confident and powerful within your life. Click here to access the Library. It’s so easy today to let fear overwhelm us. If you pause and focus on what could make you anxious and fearful, there, most likely, will be a long list. Fear of not having enough – enough food, shelter, or basic needs. Or fear of getting older and not doing all you had dreamed of doing in your life. Or fear of not enough love or connection in the world. Not enough control of your life. Not sure what’ll come towards you out in the world. Or fear of losing what you have. The relationships you cherish, the people you love. Your job, your home.  You may want to run away or strike out angrily at your friends and family. Or you just feel frozen in place –unable to move. You might even become a “mother bear” wanting to protect yourself and others who are more vulnerable. Fear of not having enough or fear of losing what you have. It’s part of our human nature. And although fear is a natural part of our life that helps us to survive at times, dwelling on fear can build and spiral out of control like a tornado picking up strength as it moves across land, destroying any joy or happiness in the present moment. When we let fear take control of us, we feel unsafe and insecure. This most basic need – feeling safe and secure in life, is essential in life. Without it, we’re always on guard for threats that may arise, in survival mode. In this state, we have no space left to explore, learn, connect, create, discover – truly thrive in life. To experience joy. Fear is a part of being human and probably has been with us since the beginning of time. And yet we’re in charge of how we work with our own fear, how we let it paralyze or overwhelm us or how we may dissolve it. Our external circumstances don’t actually have control over our fear. We do! Each one of us needs to find our own path out of the sinking hole of fear. We must muster our inner strength and courage and explore our own fear. Move toward it with curiosity, with interest. Why’s it here? What’s its origin? Does it remind us of a fear from earlier years? "Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay. Right now, today, we are still alive, and our bodies are working marvelously. Our eyes can still see the beautiful sky. Our ears can still hear the voices of our loved ones." –Thich Nhat Hanh  Here are 5 tips to support you in breaking free from fear if you finding it creeping into your life. 1. Shift to Thinking – Move your attention away from your feelings to your thinking. Identify the facts that actually exist currently about the situation. Not speculating about the future. Not the chatter from others or in your head that fuels the fear. 2. Take Charge of What You Invite In – Monitor what you choose to see and hear regularly – through news stories, the internet, and even friends who focus on igniting fear through their addiction to threats, violence, dread, and doom.  3. Let the fear go - Move toward your fear. Find a way to share the fear outside yourself – someone who can listen and not fan the fire, but calm it. Maybe write about it. Or express it artistically. Something that’ll begin to move it from a state of being stuck and frozen. 4. Talk to Someone who can Listen Deeply - Share how you feel with someone who listens well. Ask for their insight about the situation. Avoid those who tend to dwell in negativity and anxiety. 5. Remember Your Inner Work - Bring your attention to the present moment. Calm your whole being through meditation, deep breathing, or a walk in nature. Taking charge of your own state is the best way to reduce fear that seems to be creeping in. Within a calmer state, your awareness expands and you can begin to explore and discover new perspectives and solutions. You begin to find your own sense of safety and security and soon discover the fear starts to dissolve.  "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do." – Eleanor Roosevelt
This is the second in my series on Radical Self-Care. Watch for more over the next few weeks! You can also access an audio of a mantra for Ganesh, the remover of obstacles, here in my Free Healing Library to help you get started today on radical self-care. Click here to become a member! When was the last time that you did something to nurture yourself? Honestly. Today? Yesterday? Last week? Or you can’t remember when? Self nurturing isn’t often our first priority. And yet it’s essential for our own health and well-being. Many of us tend to be caregivers who put the needs of others first, before our own needs. We support and nurture our loved ones – our children, partner, parents, friends, and even coworkers – first, and leave little for ourselves. We often feel comfortable showering others with compassion, care, and generosity. But when it comes to showering ourselves with these same gifts, we might not feel as comfortable and even struggle with giving ourselves permission for self care. You might feel nurturing yourself is too self-centered or frivolous. Or maybe the negative voices in your head tell you that you don’t deserve such special time. Or simply don’t have the time or resources for it. Yet, when you don’t take care of yourself first, you can feel completely depleted and stuck in a cycle of always giving, giving, giving and not receiving.  While it might sound easy enough to do, learning to love and care for yourself may be one of the most difficult tasks you’ll ever encounter! Yet, through this care, you’ll gain a sense of self-worth, strength, and resiliency. Loving yourself doesn’t mean you’re selfish. In fact, self-care will strengthen your ability to be available and care for others. “We need to replace your vicious stress cycle with a vicious cycle of self care.” – Dr. Sara Gottfried Where do you receive rejuvenation and balance? How do you fill yourself?  Giving to yourself doesn’t need to take a lot of effort or cost a lot of money! It may simply be telling your loved ones that you’re going to take 15 minutes for yourself. Take a few moments right now and consider what would be nurturing to you at this time in your life. Only you’ll know what fills and renews you! Each person is different and even your own needs may change over your lifetime too.  Here are some ideas to get you started on nurturing yourself in just 15-30 minutes a day!
Try to do something for yourself every day, guilt-free, and notice how it makes a difference in your day! “An empty lantern provides no light. Self-care is the fuel that allows your light to shine brightly.” – Unknown  This is the first in my series on Radical Self-Care. Watch for more over the next few weeks! You can also access an audio of a mantra for Ganesh, the remover of obstacles, here in my Free Healing Library to help you get started today on radical self-care!
Do you ever pause and wonder why you have a spiritual practice? Or why being on a spiritual path is important for you and for the world?  We are all spiritual beings. It’s always good to remind ourselves of this. We are spiritual beings who have come to earth and are living an earthly life. But, being on a spiritual path during our earthly life is really a choice. A choice we each make, in freedom. Coming into the World When you’re born, you come into the world in a state of wonder and innocence in the world. You still have a strong connection to the Divine, as you did before coming to the earth. Your next several years are learning how to be in the world and live on the earth. How to use your body, interact with the world, relate to other people. You learn to think, feel, and act.  Becoming an Individual Over time, you become more of an individual with your own ideas and thoughts and ways of being in the world. Your spiritual connection often diminishes the more you become skilled and competent on this earthly plane. You feel more comfortable functioning in the world on your own and may even feel confident and successful in your life. At this point, your life can continue to become self-centered, where you want to acquire more material items, money, status, or power. Or you may lose yourself in the life of others – spouse or children, expecting something more in return for your sacrifice. Search for Meaning and Purpose If you have even a glimpse of consciousness or awareness around this time, you begin to look for deeper meaning and purpose in life. Who am I? Why am I here? Why are we alive and on earth? What is the purpose of our lives?  You may decide to start helping others because you feel that is more meaningful than just serving yourself. As you do, you recognize your giving can become selfless, not for recognition or reward, but out of love and compassion for the other. You start to see how your life could have a purpose. Creating a Spiritual Practice Around this time in your life, you may begin a regular spiritual practice as you long for deeper meaning and wisdom in understanding this purpose in life. You may meditate, study spiritual texts, and engage in other contemplative practices. This is a conscious choice that you make for further spiritual growth, a path that not everyone follows in life. But, if you do, and stay with a regular practice, you begin to awaken. You start to have insight into the whole of the Cosmos and your part in the whole. You realize this lifetime is just one part of the bigger whole of who you are in the Universe.  Discovering Unity and Harmony Continue on your spiritual path and soon you experience there is no longer separation between you and the Universe, only oneness. You begin to function in the world in total harmony with nature. Your actions become effortless and harmonious in the world. You begin to experience your True Self and tap into Divine Consciousness with an open connection to a flowing Cosmic Energy. At many points along this path of awakening, there are moments of choice- for further spiritual development or further attachment to self and the material world. Do I choose truth or illusion? Material or eternal? Staying disciplined and regular in your spiritual practice at this time will support your growth on this journey. Yet, it’s wise to not waste your energy on being discouraged if you falter or wander off this path! Just return once again and take up the work with deeper awareness of the purpose of the path. Soon you’ll experience there are no longer choices. There’s an inner quiet and light. Unity and oneness. Total freedom. You’ll no longer experience yourself as a victim in the world. You experience the deeper truth about the world and your True Being.  Experiencing Inner Peace
When you surrender again and again, you begin to experience states of peace – inner peace. This brings you a great strength, as you no longer are controlled or manipulated. You have found an inner peace or, one might say, state of enlightenment. This energy of peace radiates outward into the world. So that your own spiritual growth, your own evolution in the world, serves all of humankind. By reaching these higher states of being within ourselves, we become a healing presence in the world. Healing ourselves, we heal the world. “We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.” Dalai Lama Interested in more support on your spiritual journey? Check out my Free Healing Library on my website at Doctor of the Soul. Click here to become a member.  There are moments in my life when I haven’t felt fully confident in myself. I’m sure most people feel like this from time to time. Sometimes, old stories and negative voices from our past sabotage us. Sometimes, we have fear and anxiety about putting ourselves out there in the world – vulnerable to judgment and criticism. Sometimes, we just feel weak and anything but courageous. When I’m in this place, I love to bring an image of the Hindu goddess, Durga, to mind. She’s invincible and powerful, the protective Mother of the Universe.  She emerged from the powerful and fierce light of the great Goddess as a divine woman with one thousand arms - both beautiful and ferocious. In each hand, she carries a weapon that was given to her as a gift from the gods. Armed with the multitude of weapons, she mounts and rides her tiger that roars so loudly that the heavens and earth tremble. I hold this image of Durga, and even chant a mantra invoking her as I remember the 5 tips noted below. This helps me to step into my own power with confidence. You can access a recording of this mantra by becoming a member of my Free Healing Library. Click here to become a member. You can do this too when you need a boost to your self-confidence and it’ll help you be able to shine your light into the world! You’ll feel empowered, powerful, and strong. You’ll be able to take up actions with courage. Doubts, insecurities, and criticisms will start to melt. You’ll align with your True Self. You’ll embrace all that you are.  Here are 5 tips to help you give your self-confidence a boost when you need it most. 1. Be mindful of those negative voices in your head! If they’re making awful comments about you or your abilities, change that tune. As soon as you notice the negative voices, stop them, fill yourself with compassion for YOU, and shift those voices to positive, kind, compassionate words. “Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.” Lao Tzu 2. Spend a few moments sending love to yourself. Imagine warm, golden light in your heart. Feel this light warm and expand your heart. Feel it reach out beyond your heart and encompass your whole being. Speak those compassionate and kind words to yourself in your head. Do this every morning or several times throughout the day, as needed.  3. Seek those in your community who can support and encourage you. Maybe these are your close friends or maybe a support group with a specific focus. Find those who can give you encouraging and positive feedback.
4. Shift your posture. Sometimes when inwardly we don’t feel very confident, we can shift our soul mood by shifting our physical body. Stand in a posture that speaks confidence to you. Maybe legs apart a little, hands on hips. Or sitting upright, leaning forward. Relax your face, breathe deeply, and smile. Hold the posture that you experience as CONFIDENCE for a couple minutes. This helps to shift your mood to one with more inner power and confidence. 5. Leave the rest to the Divine. After you’ve done the work that you can, simply turn it over to the Divine. The Divine has wonderful ways of supporting us and moving us along our journey in life, as long as we put forth our own effort. So, offer it up to the Divine for further guidance. Trust that Divine support will come to you. Say a prayer out loud. Here is one of my favorites from the 12 Step Tradition: "God, I offer myself to Thee, to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I wold help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and thy way of life. May I do Thy will always!" (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 63) Interested in more? Check out my Free Healing Library, including a mantra for Durga on my website at Doctor of the Soul. Click here to become a member.  This week, as I’ve seen the beauty of the sun shining on the sparkling white snow resting in the branches of the evergreen trees, I’m reminded of a favorite Navajo Prayer Song about beauty. Now I Walk in Beauty Now I walk in beauty Beauty is before me Beauty is behind me Above and below me Beauty’s easy to see in the world when we look at something like the sun shining upon the glistening snow or a palm tree sway in the breeze over turquoise waters  But what about on a gray overcast day when you’re not feeling particularly energetic and enthusiastic about life? And there seem to be many problems that you’re facing at the moment. How do we find the beauty in the world then?  I’ve learned, in my life, that this is the most important time to see the beauty in the world. Even though it may be hard. When we do find the beauty – either see the beauty that is already there or create beauty in our lives - it’s like healing salve to our soul. It helps us not get bogged down by our difficulties. It brings us a sense of peace and joy in our day and in our lives. Take a moment and consider the beauty that is all around you right now. Maybe the dazzling color of a blooming flower or the crackling flames of a fire in a fireplace. Maybe a soothing song you heard on the radio. Consider the beauty you create in your life too. The beauty of a meaningful encounter with a loved one that ends with a warm smile. The beauty of a nutritious salad you just made for lunch brimming with fresh produce with all the colors of the rainbow. Taking time to become mindful of the beauty in your life can help you to….
2. Awaken gratitude – When we become aware of the beauty in our lives, it awakens our sense of gratitude for all that we have. And, we know how beneficial this is to our personal growth and our health. 3. Be in the present moment – When you pause to see and recognize the beauty around you right now, you come into the present moment. You set aside your thoughts about the past and about the future and become mindful of what is in the present in your life. 4. Cultivate a mood of calm, peace, and joy – Noticing the beauty in the present moment, automatically slows us down. We breathe deeper, feel warmed within, and smile. A wave of peace and joy washes over us. 5. Express your love and care for yourself and others – Beauty in the form of actions such as a vase of flowers set lovingly on a table, a tidy kitchen, a warm smile, or a handwritten note all express love and care for either yourself or others.  What beauty can you find around you right now?
How can you bring beauty into your life more? Interested in more? Check out my Free Healing Library on my website at Doctor of the Soul. |
About JeannineI was born in London, England, educated in Switzerland, and am fluent in English, German, Spanish, and French. I hold a Doctorate in Ministry Degree and Masters Degrees in Counseling Psychology and Education. Also, I am an accomplished artist and educator. I use all of this and much more when helping others heal their souls. Archives
June 2019
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