The Awakening

At the tail end of one of the most tumultuous times I have experienced in my journey of spiritual awakening, on the cusp of change in every major area of my life: relationships, career, and home, I ventured on a walk with my dog (as I do every Saturday). This Saturday was like any other except it felt completely different. My life is rumbling with so much movement that I have felt like I stepped onto a rollercoaster ride that simply would not stop. Although I have surrendered to the change and granted it permission to work through me to create the life I dream of, I have yet to learn how to keep my cool when shit hits the fan. And trust me, it's blowing all around me, sending me in fifteen directions at once.

It is absolutely no coincidence (I don't believe in them) that the dawn of change in my life is happening right now. 2016 is a year of completion (9) according to numerology and is my personal year of completion according to my birth life cycle. And to foster all these changes that will catapult me into the life, love and career I am called to live is the magical energy of the leap year combined with two eclipses this month (March).

Six months ago during the last eclipse of September, my life took a swift turn toward unknown territories I now fully recognize as an awakened individual. At that time in my life, the exact people who were sent to play a significant role in my spiritual awakening appeared effortlessly into my life (or came back into my life) as soul catalysts. Normal people might say "what a coincidence," but I know better. No, this is synchronicity, my favorite word explained by the author Gary Zukav:

Synchronicity is this interesting, funny-sounding word that was created by Carl Jung. And what he meant by it was those times in your life when something appears to be a coincidence but you know that there is more to it than that. There is more than just a random coincidence involved. There is meaning, there is purpose, there is power behind it.

—Gary Zukav

Synchronicity plays out in my life like a finely orchestrated symphony, with God as the conductor. As I have learned to recognize these occurrences, I have grown in faith with a wild and beautiful capacity that defines my every day life as far from ordinary. I began to chart my journey of synchronicity to notice patterns and the way God was really at the helm of my calling and purpose here on Earth. Some day I will share with you just how that happened.

And now, after those events allowed me to come home to myself and recognize the God within me, I am now truly whole. I love with a passion that can only be described as a gift God placed in my heart when He created me. It only took thirty years to recognize and own the heart I am at the core. I started to believe that the seemingly insignificant events playing out in my life were far from accidents. I realized I was actually in the abundant flow of the Universe, something I had cut myself off from while living in fear and resistance.

A beautiful Earth Angel taught me that all I had to do to reach out and take hold of the higher vibrational energy circulating around me, waiting to grab me and take me to the place I am meant to be in life, who I am meant to be in life, was start saying yes. I had to put down my armor of resistance I was using to fight off whatever was working through me. I was missing the blessings of what was already in my life. Because all the places God had placed me during this period of my life were for a reason. They were there to push me into the next phase of my life, to connect me to the right souls and learn the lessons I was meant to learn before I move on.

All of the harmonious events and people I encountered since September have led to understand my God-given purpose and calling as a healer. I have come to understand just how my life was meant to challenge me so I could rise to meet who God created me to be. I had to grow in strength, resiliency, love and faith in order to be whole. And from that whole place, I love and serve others on a new level of understanding. I now love in a way I always felt compelled to, but never could quite muster until I loved myself first.

I didn't quite know just how I would go about embarking on this new path, switching careers and owning an entirely new identity, but that is where the gigantic faith I possess jumped in. I just followed my intuition (the voice inside me) and the passions that ignite my soul and God worked out the details in a synchronistic fashion. In faith, we are called to take action without knowing the outcome. I continued to rise in faith, and God rewarded my actions over and over again. I simply gave my worries to God and my Angels. I could not bare the weight alone; I was never meant to. I may still not know all the ways God is planning to use my life and love, but I do know the next steps to take.

I still stutter with doubt and I hesitate in taking the necessary steps (even though I know it is what I am called to do), but after the last week, God roared down and extinguished any last fears of moving forward. And so as the last seven days sped up with a hasty pace and burning in my soul, I am finally saying yes to my future wholeheartedly. I am saying yes to a career that will fulfill me in a way that a paycheck never could. I am saying yes to a new kind of love, by saying goodbye to one I have hung on to for far too long. And I am saying yes to a bucket list item that is calling my name right now.

Even though all this change is necessary and welcomed, I easily get swept up into the fury that my soul screams out in excitement. I forget that unless I am grounded and still, I cannot fully step into the future. And so I listened to my intuition to slow down, to take in each moment with a calm serenity and steady breath. I got back on my mat and I got back into my heart. I slept and slept some more knowing life would still be there when I awoke, and today, on this Saturday that meets me week after week, I know life has changed. I know I have changed.

As I rested and poured through the feelings in my heart that have unleashed themselves in the last seven days, the sunlight poured into the room beckoning me to join it. I walked through the paths of my neighborhood greenbelt and parks with my dog, grounded in the peace of a perfect Spring day. Not long after we ventured out did a hummingbird appear; another one of those ordinary occurrences that I know carry so much more meaning. My late grandfather visits me as a hummingbird. He has watched me embark on this difficult journey from Heaven, and so today as I carried the overwhelming weight of change, he appeared to put a gigantic smile on my face, to remind me all is well and to keep the faith. I watched him perch on a tree, wings still, cleaning his feathers. This is only the second time I have watched a hummingbird in stillness, a divine gift that I am in awe of. It is this rare stillness that reminded me of the importance of stillness in my own life. That no matter how much is rumbling or roaring, I can go inside in stillness and quite the chaos of my mind and outside world.

As I thanked my Grandpa for saying hi and told him I miss him and love him, I walked away feeling exactly what I needed: peace. I walked through the park with the childlike wonder that wraps me in love and light. I swung on the park swing with my dog in my lap—his new, favorite activity—and I took in the beauty around me. Not long after we got up to walk around back home, I saw a Monarch butterfly in the exact place I had seen him several weeks back. He lingered for several minutes. Butterflies are my symbol of completion, and so I see them as a reminder that I have truly grown into the woman I am meant to be. I have finished the first phase of my life—one that tested me with almost more than I could take, but not more than God knew I was capable of powering through—and I am ready to take my wings and embark on my next phase.

My dog and I walked home greeted by the hummingbird yet again just as a woeful thought entered my mind. I laughed and thanked my Grandpa again. I would give anything to have my Grandpa back in his favorite chair, gifting me with his infinite wisdom, but He is still very much with me. The beautiful thing about spirits in Heaven is they can be with you wherever you are. Having an Angel like him is just one more blessing I have in this wonderful life I lead. It is just one more reminder that

This might be my favorite part of being a spiritually awakened individual, or as Wayne Dyer referred to as "a Being of Light." You notice the beauty all around you: in every flower bloom and every warm summer day, in the feeling of a wave crashing into your feet, in the visit of a hummingbird, in the painting of a vibrant sunset on the canvas sky and all these things fill you up with exuberant joy.

I have come to a place that allows me to return to a state of peace when I'm struck by the awe and beauty that surrounds me. I know no matter how much God is stirring around me for my benefit, I can be still. The outdoors will always be my safe haven and for that I am eternally grateful.

Manifest Your Dreams

As I lay under the stars and felt the crisp fall air hit my skin, I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be. Even though my yoga class was canceled unexpectedly, there was a yoga teacher training retreat taking place that welcomed me with open arms (the yogi way).

I struggled through tight joints and muscles, and I breathed my way through the asanas. The intensity of the week off my mat jolted me while I bowed in deep gratitude for this special class. When the instructor, Mary Clare (MC), said it was no coincidence we were all here practicing together under the night sky, I knew synchronicity had been at the helm of this blessed meeting.

As we flowed through asanas, the slow, steady pace of the class mirrored my intention to slow way down the past few weeks. MC delivered a message straight from the cosmos that was shining exuberantly on us:

If a dream is placed on your heart, you are powerful enough to manifest it.

-Mary Clare “MC” Sweet

This struck a deep chord in my soul as a strong sense of purpose recently entered my heart, part of a truly divine path that led the way to this moment. My dream realization grew out of my life calling. This dream could only have come to me after the heart opening work I did this year. I opened up the depths of my authentic soul’s purpose and my dream was born out of my newly created space.

With great power comes great responsibly, or so they say, and I feel a deep calling to rely on the path I’ve been on for the last 30 years to fuel my next 30. I am grateful for the sense of purpose I now have, yet fear is always creeping in, taking up residence in my mind. Fear’s ugly stepsister, impatience, is always right there with it.

The universe doesn’t put anything on your heart that you aren’t strong enough to handle. I repeated this truth to myself during class, and granted it the space to sink in deeper. It wasn’t much longer before MC shared my all-time favorite quote from Marianne Williamson:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Fear is always going to be a player. You determine how much court time you give it. Whenever I get tangled up in fear and doubt how I will reach my dreams, I slow down, breathe and try to think of one small, attainable step. I choose to be in my power and boldly step toward my dream. Today, that step was coming to yoga, forcing myself to do the one thing I could take control of and feel empowered by. And thank God I did; the reward was nothing short of miraculous. As I allowed the waxing moon to fill me with its glorious light and love, I lay in awe of the day’s God nudge.

Synchronicity will always put you in the right place at the right time to further your true path. It is up to YOU to decide if you will step into your loving place of knowing or shudder to your shadow side of fear and belittle your heart with cowardice. It’s always your choice. You have the power to decide every single moment of every day. What will you decide to do today?

The Simplicity Behind Synchronicity

Synchronicity is this interesting, funny-sounding word that was created by Carl Jung. And what he meant by it was those times in your life when something appears to be a coincidence but you know that there is more to it than that. There is more than just a random coincidence involved. There is meaning, there is purpose, there is power behind it. —Gary Zukav

As I have learned to tap into my intuition as of late and listen to the deep secrets in my soul that one can only hear when you have quieted your mind, I have discovered my favorite word: synchronicity. I have always been a believer that moments and events can carry meaning, but it’s only in the recent past that I have truly gained the understanding behind the mysteries of the universe. The way I have opened my heart this year, and the lengths at which I have gone to truly listen to my soul has revealed blessing upon blessing.

My dear teacher told me, “There are no coincidences in life.” As I contemplated that philosophy, it resonated more and more with my heart. The journey I have been on since January of this year has laid out the brick and mortar to my true awakening. Had I not allowed myself to fall back on my faith, I’m certain I wouldn’t have been willing to take those blind leaps. But, every single time I did, I got a nudge that the step was indeed in the right direction. I call these “God nudges.” It is simply the universe’s way of tapping me on the shoulder as if to say, “Hey, you are on the right path.”

This is where synchronicity comes into play. When I am tuned into my authentic self and empowering my true soul to shine, I can easily allow my intuition to run wild. It is at this point that I can appreciate the deeper meaning behind seemingly insignificant occurences. I can recognize the meaning or depth behind my life experiences. I can trust that I am taking the steps in the direction that suits my highest self.

Opening your heart is the one thing you must do to release your intuition. It takes falling to the shadow side of yourself. It takes seeing and feeling the darkness of a broken heart. It requires rising from the ashes with resiliency and humility realizing you were meant to fall so that you could rise to your potential. I am writing this from my heart, from the truth I have gathered in the wreckage of my own life deterioration.

The work you must do to open your heart to the truth you are meant to discover is crushing and debilitating, but the light that lingers on the other side is worth every dark and lonely night spent battling your soul. You must accept the grief, pain, loneliness, yearning and sadness in your heart. Once you do, you have to feel every bit of the emotions they uncover. The energy spent in doing this will soothe your soul and break open your heart to your full potential. Before you know it, you’ll emerge with a store of energy that once was burdened by the suffering you refused to listen to.

There is nothing more whole than a broken heart.

—Menachem Mendel of Kotzk

The opportunity to repair your heart and open to the vastness of your soul is not only a gift, but the purpose behind your suffering. At the point in which you have healed your heart and awakened to the meaning and blessings in your life, you have welcomed the universe to reveal all that you were closed off to. This is where the simplicity of synchronicity comes into play. Suddenly, the open place you have carved into your heart reveals a multitude of blessings. You see the meaning behind seemingly meaningless events and each of those events empowers you to take the next step on your journey.

The universe wants to be on your side. God wants you to press on faithfully until you are living your highest purpose. The next time something appears on your feed, or a friend invites you to an event, or someone smiles at you for the sixth time at your favorite cafe, go, heed the call. Put yourself out there and be open to whatever comes your way. Be your own cheerleader in life. Repeat to yourself whatever truth you are too frightened to trust. Today, and everyday, that truth is “Live in Love.” Trust that your life is unfolding exactly as it’s meant to.