Friday, August 28, 2009

This Too Shall Pass

Good Morning Everyone,

Recently Woody the Cat has been suffering a bout of agoraphobia. Seriously! This is the same Woody the Cat about whom I have written previously. Mr. Neighborhood Ambassador, hunter extraordinaire.

It's been a wee bit disconcerting. For about a month he's always here. Except for potty breaks, I hadn't witnessed him out and about, roaming, stalking, playing at all. This was couple with his being my second shadow, always doing his infinity movement at my legs, under foot, curled up tightly ON TOP of me.

"Woody," I would say, "what's going on little buddy?" He actually spoke back to me with pathetic little squeaks or tiny sounds of explanation, known only to him. And he was sneezing, little tiny 'ah choo's'. A cold? A burr up his nose? A case of poison ivy? Yet, he wasn't sick, just in an extreme state of quietude and introversion.

This went on for about a month, until Sunday night last around midnight. I scooped him up and said, "Buddy, you and I are going for a walk."

It was a really beautiful night, starts out - especially where there were no street lights. I set him down on the side walk and coaxed, "Come on, Woodyman, let's just stroll about for awhile." I'd walk on ahead and look back to see his little shadowy figure sitting stock still on the sidewalk. I could almost hear him weighing up his options: run back for the cat door or follow me.

When we lived in the mountain in San Diego with mountain lions, coyotes, owls, rattlesnakes, and bobcats, Woody the Cat and I would frequently go for night strolls, especially during the full moon. He loved these walks! He would shoot up one tree, leap to another and down again presenting himself back along side of me. "Did you see that!" And of course, I did. I would cheer and clap my hands for him.

Now we were in the cityscape, and here was my fearless cat, scared to move.

"Come on, little guy, you can do this. See? Nothing scary out here."

Just then, a neighbor comes out her front door with dog on leash. I looked down to see Woody in a crouch. A good sign, I thought, he's not running but in the I'm ready for anything stance.
There he is! He's back.

We walked on for awhile just enjoying the summer night together like old times. When we got back to my unit, I reacquainted him with the cat door.

That night he brought me a present: not exactly sure what it was.

I've often thought our domestic pets are like live-in angels. They take on some of emotional burdens and process them for us, so loyal and loving are they. Perhaps he was dealing with some of my stuff, of which I was no aware.

At any rate, it is love that gets any of us from Point A to Point B. Woody the Cat has loved me through all the patches of my own human journey, and it was time to return the favor.

It's been about a week now since our midnight jaunt, and Woody is definitely back. I watched him from my upstairs balcony last night stalking something in the treeline - being himSelf once again. Whatever it was, it has passed.

Thanks for reading!

Kath

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Tuesday, August 18, 2009

The Economy of Self Esteem

Hello Everyone,

I spend a lot of time noticing people, behavior, money and time. In 'this economy' It's the catch phrase these days, so I have to use it for Googling purposes. But people seem to be working harder and faster, taking on more and more with a sense of desperation.

Perhaps they're fueled by the idea that the unemployment benefits are going to run out; or they have to find that job, right now; or I've only got a certain amount of severance, so I've got to launch this business pronto. Always we are thinking there's not enough - for me.

It's precisely thinking like this that got us into this recession in the first place. No where else on Earth, save the UK, maybe, do people work so hard and so long for so little. It defies logic and common sense. I wonder how much we make per hour as a nation. Now there's a question. If we added up the earnings of everyone in the US, then added up the hours worked and divided that into the earnings, what would we be making per hour? I can assure you it would be a pittance compared to our True Value.

This of course doesn't even take into account the "j" factor - you know, J.O.Y. Now, let's ask that question: how many of us really LOVE what we're doing? Preposterous!

We've got it all backwards, because we think the harder we work the more money we will make.

Forget the penalty in stress paid by the body. We work for those benefits, after all. We stick at jobs we hate, damaging our physicality so we can cash in on those benefits when we have that stroke, the heart attack or get the big "C" - which by the way we wouldn't have if we'd spent our days in joy.

How the heck did we get here?

I'd like to say it was a big conspiracy, but we all went along willingly like lambs to slaughter buying into the "American Dream" that the marketers were selling on behalf of the Banks, the HMO's, the insurance companies, and the pharmaceuticals.

They package it up real pretty and sell it; we buy it lock, stock and barrel. We should have that McMansion, those cars, these clothes, this gadget and that particular widget. Then we'll feel like we've made it; we've arrived - then there will be material proof that we're good enough - at last.

Hamsters on the wheel, we are. Hamsters on the wheel.

What fuels this? Why could they sell us this crock?

We have a national deficit, but it's not cash. It is a national deficit of personal and individual self-esteem.

We are poor in Spirit. We are poor in Who We Really Are. We don't know our own value, our own worth, and we do not trust our own internal thought processes as valid. We don't think for ourselves, we don't question the premise, and we think they know more than we do.

In the old days, I think they called it Common Sense. Today, we've all but abdicated our personal sense of what's a right and appropriate response to life. We trust 'them' to tell us what to watch on TV, what to wear, what to eat, what drugs to ask for at the doctor's, what symptoms to have, what beauty is, what to think about the 'news', and we do it it all. We follow so well.

Nothing will change until we remember and value above all else, Who We Really Are - individually - you and me.

When we truly trust our responses to life as right and appropriate; when we value ourselves, our opinions, our time, our talents, our very being as the precious and beautifully unique thing that it is - then, folks, the economy of our nation will thrive, because we individually are thriving.

Only we can do this. Only you and I can begin the transformation of poor self esteem into one of personal high regard and respect. This is our job.

Then, one day, in the midst of our work day, we will stop at least once and say, "I cannot believe they pay me to do this! I love my work."

Imagine this.

Thanks for reading!

Kath

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Sunday, August 9, 2009

Applied Spirituality Media Event

Hello Everyone!

For a few months now I have been writing for several different online publications. This past week I was interviewed by Pat Lynch, CEO and Editor-in-Chief at Women'sRadio.com on her show Speak Up!

Pat is a dynamo undertaking an enormous vision of creating a single place of resources for women (and men) in new thought, entrepreneurship, and way more. Just before she finishes one idea she's launched 12 more ideas. She is supported by her family, Dave Barrett guru at AudioAcrobat, her daugher Kat Barrett, and her soon to be son-in-law Brian Ball.

I joined Women's Radio because they are a sincere and quality organization. They do what they say they're going to do and they are transparent. Pat's line up of interviews reads like the Who's Who of American Women including such notables as Gloria Allred, Dyan Cannon, Fiona Ma, Martina Fuchs, Joan Buchanan and many more.

Listen to my interview
.

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Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Forgiveness: Who Are WE Really Forgiving?

Good Morning Everyone,

Recently I've been brought to my wee knees in a realization that first rocked me, then relieved me. I want to share it with you.

Over the past few weeks, I've been vexed by several different situations.

One involved a dear friend, whose personal situation really made me mad. Her situation didn't affect me in anyway, shape or form, but that she found herself in her situation really angered me.

Another involved two dear friends of mine, married for a very long time, whose personal dynamic between themsevles angered me.

Then, two situations involving me, where people failed to live up to their agreements, but also failed to realize how much value I had put into the situation, ignored that, and then, demanded even more of me as if I'd given nothing.

I tell you these things, because I know that I am just like you. I walk through my days endeavoring to do my very best, to be more Godlike, to bring more love into the world and then, bam! Like Wylie Coyote, I find myself a puddle at the base of a wall wondering what the heck happened here.

The "wall" was my inability to forgive. Everyday across America we pray: "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." All of us know these words, and pray them, but today I understand them. This is what I want to share with you today.

Joel Goldsmith in his book, The Thunder of Silence, addresses forgiveness by saying that it is fundamental to forgivesomething that someone has perpetrated upon us by praying for our enemies. This is important and utterly essential if we want to see a changed world. However, the spiritual journey is about liberty and freedom. Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

So the real spiritual journey is not about becoming good humans, but rather to realize our freedom. We need nothing from anyone. We release everyone from their obligations, when we realize our Oneness with Source, where everything is complete, fulfilled and whole. No one need to be or do something for our happiness.

My big Ah-Ha! this morning was that any block in consciousness is an impediment to the realization of Oneness,not just hatred or anger. The obvious blocks are :he did this to me, but I choose to forgive and turn my cheek. But that's just the beginning of the True meaning.

The rest of it is that any "judgment" on someone else: he/she didn't try hard enough, therefore didn't meet my expectations, do enough and so fell short in someway - these are seeing something other than God. This is buying into the belief of two powers, not One. This is the "lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil" part. The temptation to believe that there is anything other than God, Source, Oneness.

Now, for the explosive kicker. By the Law of Attraction, these people, situations and dramas came into my personal experience one after the other, increasing the emotion of anger within me. By last night if I could have left myself, I would have. Instead, I went for a swim in the light of the full moon and asked for illumination, which I received this morning.

These people, these circumstances came to me by the Law of Attraction. Like attracting like thoughts. These people, these circumstances are my mirror: they reflect back to me what I am thinking, believing about....me. Holy smokes.

Only once before can I recall feeling this conviction so clearly. All at once I know it is True ;and it doesn't feel good to realize that which I perceive is me. I mean, UGH!

But I pressed on this morning, because I want released from this prison of 'ugh 'that I've been feeling. I have kept myself in bondage; but the key to the prison door was in the realization that I hold these self same judgments, which I have transposed on to my friends, on myself. Oh, double ARG! And then, double Ah-HA! Relief.

So it is not just forgiving others my perception of their shortcomings after all. In Truth I am to forgive myself - releasing myself from my own judgments and condemnations of my shortcomings and failings.

Forgive me for failing to see that my human self is not, after all, Who I REally Am.

So, miraculously once I got that big twig out of my own eye, I am able to see that the human self that others show me (my own human self) is not Who They Really Are and is certainly not Who I Really Am. That I was tempted to see something other than God, in them, showed me that I am seeing something other than God in myself. It is I who have bought into the human belief of duality - something other than Source.

"Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." Forgive me for failing to see my own Oneness, Who I Really Am; and forgive those who fail to see the God in me.

This is why we pray for our enemies: they are a gift to us. They are our mirror to show us our own consciousness blocks which block our own Realization of Oneness and block our liberty.

Such Perfection for which I am grateful...and now I am relieved and feel Good once again.

Thanks for reading!

Kath

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