The Winds Beneath My Heart

I’ve resisted against the winds of my heart for a long time. Now I’m too tired to push back. I’m ready to run with them. Maybe you won’t understand why I’m fighting so hard. It may seem like I’ve pitted myself against a life most would be content to have. But I don’t want to be content.

I’m fighting for the utmost joy and a heart beaming with light. As painful as some of these day are, I love where I’m going.

—Meaghan Archer

I'm just tickled so many colors to be announcing that I can't push back against my heart any longer. The time has come to step into my calling and say yes to all that lies beyond, the place where all my dreams reside.

After weighing about a gazillion options and avenues for how to fulfill my calling, I surrendered and let God figure out the "how." I simply put out the intention of serving others based on my God-given gifts, and before I knew it, the path found me right where I am.

Getting to this moment was an unbelievable struggle; it took six months of deep soul work after I received the blessed guidance to drop fear and resistance and own gratitude through mindfulness and appreciation of the present.

Perhaps the most important lesson I learned along the way is resistance will block you from manifesting your potential; it will block you from the energetic flow of the Universe where miracles are waiting. The thing about resistance is it cancels out gratitude.

Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.

-Eckhart Tolle

You cannot bring more of the good into your life if you don't appreciate what is already in your life. I finally accepted how the Universe had strategically placed me exactly where I needed to be to get where I was going. But my impatience and frustration with my current situation and career led to resistance and unease. I was so caught up in the life I dreamt of, yet I was blocking myself from ever getting there.

Last November, I sought guidance from Kathleen Hosner, an intuitive and spiritual guide, who advised me to find the blessing in my current situation. I was putting up a physical block to all the new blessings desperate to arrive at my doorstep. Clearly God brought me this far, and I was given all I resisted for a reason. Not only did gratitude keep me firmly placed in the present moment, but it allowed me to be present enough to hear and see the signs that would guide me to my next steps. You cannot hear or even notice messages or signs when living in the future; wishing I were already living my calling took me far, far away from the moment I was graciously given.

As I quietly focused my heart on my job at hand, I stumbled synchronistically upon exactly what I was looking for (but didn't know I needed). These moments when fireworks go off, I am reminded that God's plan is far better than one my limited mind can devise. I found the school, Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, that would serve as my apprenticeship as I prepare to do the work I am called to do as a healer and teacher.

I was intuitively guided to the people, teachings, tools and certifications that would allow me to best serve those around me, and I embarked on a spiritual awakening to find complete peace in my heart (where my inner truth was revealed). I opened up the flow of abundance that the Universe intended to deliver for my purpose to take flight. Had I not embraced a mindset of presence and gratitude, I can safely say I would not be where I am today: ready to own my truth and start a new, fulfilling career in intuitive healing and spiritual coaching.

I owe everything to gratitude.

The steps I am taking on my new journey fill my heart with so much fire and passion; I simply cannot wait to share everything I am and all I have learned with the world. I am here to serve and I am ready. Will you join me?

Where There is Faith, Trust Must Follow

I speak of faith often but faith and trust are synonymous; you can't have faith without trust. I am at the point where my faith has led me to unforeseen and spectacular heights that now require extreme amounts of trust to act on. The wonderful thing is once you start practicing faith daily, your capacity to believe in greatness and miracles exponentially increases. When it comes time to say yes to the life you aspire to live, it becomes so much easier to trust in yourself, in your dreams, and in a higher power with faith in your pocket.

This is where one on my favorite words enters the arena: Grace. There are umpteen different takes on Grace, but one stands out to me. Doreen Virtue explains this phenomenon as acceptance and trust in faith. I like to think of Grace as faith in action. The very meaning of faith in my life is taking trusted action which allows Grace to penetrate my experience.

I have been called to put more of my faith in action than ever before. I speak of faith and live in faith every day, but practicing faith in new territory is another story. As I am being tested in my faith, my ability to trust the unfolding of my journey is growing in leaps knowing that God is indeed working behind the scenes. This is Grace, and it is what keeps me going.

I am undergoing major life changes as I answer God's call for my spiritual life purpose. I recently decided to leave my current full time job in order to focus more time on my calling (which is exactly what God is guiding me to follow).

The blessing of being a designer is my ability to work as a freelance artist (giving me the flexibility to pursue my new career); because it is not a steady paycheck, I have no guarantee of income after my transition—hence the downside of this blessing.

After the first few moments of uncertainty and fear crept in, I chose to allow the situation to unfold with Grace. Well, the next day or so didn't unfold so gracefully as I battled my Ego who wanted concrete evidence that I would have an income. Consequently, I hit up every freelance contact this side of the Mississippi (and beyond).

It wasn't until a few days later while listening to a daily meditation on overwhelm that Doreen explained Grace; I began to see how this plot twist is really an answer to my prayers. My exercises in faith and trust now make crystal clear sense.

Certainty is irrelevant if you have faith in your pocket.

-Karilyn Owens

God answered my prayers with something I wouldn't have chosen for myself (for I still crave certainty), but this unfolding of events is leading me to boost my levels of trust. The me today understands how this twist is a gigantic blessing. You see, I have prayed (even pleaded at times) for more time to devote to my spiritual calling. I am currently writing a book, taking online certifications and starting my own business.

It dawned on me why my situation is working out as it is; I am being gifted time. As I let that feeling sink in, I realized how much freedom I will now have to act on my spiritual endeavors.

Instead of focusing on securing freelance work, God is asking me to courageously step into my calling by assuring I am ready to help others NOW. Grace tells me freelance work will arrive as needed; my old contacts began reaching out far before I ensued on my frantic mission. I now see how my situation is divinely timed. God is boosting my confidence in my calling for this is what I am meant to embark on.

But back to stepping into this calling of mine. My perfectionistic mindset tells me I am not ready. Ego says I don't have the necessary qualifications or certifications. Yet what God is telling me loud and clear is that I have fulfilled my prerequisites for my life purpose as a light worker and teacher. I have been in school all my life with keen attention paid to the past year (and specifically the last six months).

My dear healer, Alex Hermosillo, says life is the best kind of school (and I vehemently agree with him). We experience our karmic lessons as we "pass" (or fail) each lesson we are meant to learn in order to fulfill our divine purpose. Karma, the intentions behind our actions according to Sharon Salzburg, is put in place to reduce our man-made suffering (known as dharma in the Buddhist Tradition).

If we plant positive seeds based of intention, we experience positive results through our actions. But we learn the most helpful lessons by receiving negative consequences when planting fear-based seeds.

My first 30 years provided much suffering through my experiences and fear-based intentions. I have discovered that healers and spiritual teachers such as myself will go through this phase of suffering in order to prepare and rise to our purpose in this lifetime.

I gained the wisdom to nearly clean my slate of suffering and embody my true essence of unconditional love. That I have fulfilled my prerequisites is an indication that I have passed my Karmic lessons in order to emerge as my true, awakened self—a whole heart, a light worker, spiritual teacher and intuitive healer.

I learned epic lessons that surpass any classroom material. And when I believe in myself and accept God's Grace playing in my life as a finely conducted orchestra, I see how He has sneakily cleared my schedule so that I may get to work. Sure, I will be expanding my knowledge and capabilities (I am a forever student while on Earth), but I am ready to take action by serving others now. I already do.

So, I am taking action even but for baby steps. School will always be a way to gain knowledge and tools, but I am going to focus on the best classroom of all: life experience.

I am going to put faith into action by continuing to pursue my purpose, one small step at a time. Faith tells me I am divinely supported on my journey (as long as I am serving the purpose God put me on this planet to fulfill). This takes trust, but as the events in my first 30 years have unraveled Divinely, I know they will continue to do so. That is Grace.

Stand in Your Light

This is who I am insideThis is who I am, I'm not going to hide Cause the greatest risk we'll ever take is by far To stand in the light and be seen as we are So stand in the light and be seen as we are

With courage and kindness hold onto your faith You get what you give and its never too late To reach for the branch and climb up leaving sadness behind Fight hard for love We can never give enough

—"Stand in the Light" by Jordan Smith

I am a huge, huge fan of The Voice. I have only missed one of the last eight seasons. And The Season 9 winner, Jordan Smith, is by far my favorite artist discovered on the show. And it isn't his voice that makes me say this (even though he sings like an angel), but the way he makes me feel and the way he shines so brightly as an individual. He inspires me to be who I am, and so it's no surprise that his first single is "Stand in the Light."

Today, and every day, I am standing in my light and owning my authentic heart. And that heart wants to share all that I am. My words are my passion. I am a writer. I am a poet. I am love. I am light.

A little over a year ago, as I began my journey to own who I am and speak my truth, I received the name of my future book during a meditation: The Patchwork Heart. I quickly bought the domain name and vigorously wrote down my story as it unraveled. I made a goal to launch my website and begin sharing my heart so I wouldn't have to wait until I am published.

I have procrastinated and perfected and poured my heart into my site. And there is still a lot of progress to be made. But I discovered how fearful and limiting my perfectionism is, and that done is better than perfect.

Inspired by Jordan's words to stand in my light, I am here to show you who I am: an open heart, a writer and poet. And I am incredibly proud of that. I come from a lineage of spectacular writers: my mother, Diane Amento Owens and my beloved grandfather, Robert Amento. But more than a writing ability, they passed down faith and passion which I express with each heartfelt word.

I am called to share this love and light with you in hopes that you step into your own light. All we can ever do is be exactly who we are, say all we feel and love as hard as we can. I feel that love starts from within, with deep and meaningful self love. This is where our journey begins for we cannot truly love another in the way they deserve until we love ourselves.

There will be a day when living anything less than a soulful, passionate and authentic existence will simply not be acceptable. For me, that journey began when I began saying yes to myself and what made me feel alive. Taking the road less traveled is paved with unknown territory, but I have found there is nothing worse than not knowing.

Not knowing all you could be if you just step outside your security box and break down your walls of protection. Not knowing the love you are capable of giving and receiving if you take the time to love yourself. Not knowing where your passion and calling will take you if you set aside a job for a paycheck to do something you love and affect change.

I would rather know. I would rather learn to trust and have faith than give into fear. Fear keeps us right where we are but love, love takes us higher. I speak from this higher place of love. I live from this place, I wrote from this place and I serve from this place. There's no other way I would want to live. You couldn't pay me any sum of money to go back to the box of certainty and fear.

I invite you to stand in your light. If you are waiting for certainty or answers or clarity, you won't get it unless you start saying yes to love, trust, and faith.

Seeds of Intention

My chosen word of the year is sprout. I have the intention to grow and evolve using the foundation I set the past year. With only a few months into 2016, I have noticed the incredible impact my word has already made. I began a new practice every night, at the suggestion of my wise friend, Sharri, to review the positive intentions that I set forth throughout the day. And to carry out my word of 2015, gratitude, I begin each day with all that I am grateful for. This sets the most wonderful tone that keeps me in a place of love all day. I find just how much my intentions change when I am steeped in gratitude.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.

- Melody Beattie

While I am about to drift off to sleep, with my phone set aside, I list the intentions I carried out in love that day. Rather than focusing on my usual fear and anxiety-ridden worries or what I didn't get done, I shift my mind to what I did do that day—accomplishments, acts of kindness, loving gestures, goals met—and revel in the feeling of satisfaction of the beautiful intentions I set out into the world.

I think of this practice as the intention-counting version of the old adage of counting sheep. It fills my soul with feelings of being good enough, loving enough and being just plain enough. This sends gratitude out into the Universe for the loving intentions I was able to reach.

Intentions are an order form to the universe.

- Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

The way this practice has changed my life already is unfathomable; I used to stay awake burdened by feelings of inadequacy and every negative thought possible swirling around in my already-full mind. I now fall asleep knowing that I did the best I could today, and really that's all we ever can do: our best.

Yes, you probably didn't make that phone call to your grandmother, pick up the dry cleaning, spend enough time with your kids (or fur baby) or be nice enough to your nagging co-worker, but does any of that truly matter in the moments before you rest? All that matters is that you showed up today and you did your best. When you look to the positive, you choose to not only keep your outlook positive, but your body will also respond to that positivity too.

If you're like me and love to set high standards and constantly work toward higher awareness and self-improvement, these little reviews at the end of your day are a good indicator of whether you're in a heart space or living in fear. Because we all live busy and fast-paced lives, sometimes it is difficult to really set your intentions on a better path day to day. So, my trick is to set intentions and goals at the beginning of the lunar cycle (or the first of the month if that works for you).

When the New Moon is upon us, there is a heightened energy gateway for new beginnings; this is the perfect time to think back to how you felt in the passing weeks and how you may want to shift your attitude, behaviors or mindset. Write down your new intentions or simply sit under the dark sky and think them over. By the time the Full Moon has arrived, your intentions will come with it. Full Moons bring the manifestations we set forward into the Universe. Using this practice, I have seen miracles play out in my life around the time the Full Moon shines its majestic beauty down on Earth.

In order to grow, the seeds of love must be firmly planted in YOUR heart.

- Peacefulmind.com

So as the darkness fills your bedroom tonight, under the New Moon, or under any moon, what did you do today that you feel proud of? Smile at a stranger? Hug your children extra long? Reach your new fitness or health goal? Eat a salad when you really wanted fries? Sit and relax to still your busy mind? Nearly anything you attempted today can fit into this list. If it brings a smile of satisfaction to your heart, then by all means remember how that made you feel. And sleep tight knowing you are always enough.