Your Guide to Self-Empowerment and Positive Change

How would you like to have direct access to higher guidance? Well, you can. There is a wise part of you that connects you directly to your Source, your Divinity. This part of you is called the Higher Self. The Higher Self is the higher power within you that loves you unconditionally. You can access your Higher Self at any time for higher guidance and wisdom.  The following meditative journey will guide you through this process. If you have trouble visualizing just sense the experience in your own way or just imagine that it is happening.

Close your eyes, take a slow deep breath, and allow yourself to relax. Take another deep, relaxing breath and release any tension. Imagine that a peaceful wave of relaxing energy flows from the top of your head, down your body, and out through your toes.

Imagine that you are floating safely and gently on a soft, buoyant cloud that completely supports your body. You feel safe and secure on this cloud as it transports you to a magical countryside. You drift, float and feel so light as this cloud gently lowers you down so that you can walk on the earth. Step off the cloud now and look around you.

Take a moment to tune into the environment here. What do you see? Do you hear anything? Smell anything? Make this experience as pleasant and appealing as possible. As you look around your magical countryside imagine that you see a path before you. Look down the path and see a golden staircase ascending to the blue sky above. As you look up at the sky imagine that you see a glowing, golden star of light descending from above. The star floats to the top of the staircase and begins to descend down the stairs. As it does, you realize that it is a star of light that surrounds a radiant being. This radiant being is your Higher Self.

Your Higher Self walks down the path toward you. As your Higher Self approaches you feel its radiance. You feel its light and strength and you feel its love. Take a moment to greet your higher self as he or she approaches you. Your Higher Self loves you very much and only wants the best for you.

To more fully feel the presence of your Higher Self, imagine that your Higher Self walks around and stands behind you. Now, take a step backward and merge with your Higher Self. Feel the radiance within you. Feel the strength, the wisdom, the light and the love. Breathe this energy into your body down to every cell. When you are ready imagine that your Higher Self steps back away from your body. Your Higher Self then walks around to face you again.

Your Higher Self has guidance for you. Take a moment to receive its message. You can ask your Higher Self questions. Take a few moments to do this. When you are finished, thank your Higher Self for helping you.

You can then either imagine that your Higher Self returns to the golden staircase or you can merge with your Higher Self. Prepare to return to your waking state. Imagine that you once again float safely and gently on a cloud that takes you back to the room you are in. Count up from one to five starting with the number one.  Gently come back into your body with each number until you reach five. Then open your eyes feeling wide-awake and refreshed.

How was that for you?  I would love to hear your experiences with connecting with your Higher Self.  Please add your comments below.

Light and blessings,

Susan

Are you happy? Do you know what makes you happy? It is easy to look to the external world for happiness. You may look for happiness in a love relationship or you may think that having lots of money will make you happy. However, nothing in the external world will make you truly happy because happiness is an inside job.
That being said, here are seven ways that you can cultivate happiness. You may not be able to do them all at once and that is fine. Start applying one or two of these steps at a time and notice how you feel. Give yourself time to make internal shifts and you will see positive results.

1. Trust in the process of life Know that everything is working out for your highest good. I learned this many years ago from reading Louise Hay’s book, “You Can Heal Your Life” and it works. Pay attention to how you feel when you think and say these words to yourself. Affirm that all is well.

2. Focus on what is right. This is similar to looking at the glass half full instead of half empty. If you focus on lack or things that are wrong then that is what you will continue to attract. This is because whatever you focus on expands. So begin to notice everything that you like, everything that is working in your life, everything that works RIGHT NOW.

3. Appreciate all that you have. Appreciation feels good and raises your vibration. And when you feel good you attract good things into your life. This in turn will increase your happiness level. Appreciate everything no matter how small. Appreciate your bed, clothes, a roof over your head, your body and so on. The more you appreciate the more you will have to appreciate.

4. Connect with the love within your own heart. This I learned from Mary A Hall. We all have access to love. The love in your heart is your access to the Spirit within you, your Source. If you have difficulty feeling love then think of someone or something that you love. For example, this could be a spouse, a child, a friend or a pet. Feel that love in your heart. Practice feeling this love and cultivate the feeling. Do it daily especially just before going to bed and upon waking up. The more you feel love in your heart the easier it will be for you to feel connected to your inner self, and spirit.

5. Practice forgiveness. Forgiveness does not mean to condone bad behavior. It is a method of releasing yourself from hurt from the past. If something someone did or said caused you pain, then you need to apply forgiveness. You may need to work through anger or hurt first but when the time is right, it is best to forgive the person, the situation and yourself. Forgiveness sets you free so that you are not forever chained to the pain. Freedom opens the way to happiness.

6. Be kind and patient with yourself. Do you tend to be hard on yourself? Many people have this tendency. However, this will not bring you happiness. And, it really is counterproductive. Encouragement and praise reap far better results than judgement and criticism. You wouldn’t treat your best friend the way you probably treat yourself would you? Start noticing any negative self-talk now. Acknowledge yourself for the awareness and find a way to think kinder thoughts.

7. Keep a journal and record your progress. Date your entries and jot down notes. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy it just needs to be a record of any steps you have taken and any results you have seen. This will help you to see the changes which otherwise could be overlooked.

Practice these seven steps until they become habits and notice how much happier you will feel. The happier you feel the more your life will improve. Soon life will seem easier. Others will respond in a more positive way. You will then have activated a momentum of positive change that will continue to bring you happiness – true happiness on many levels.

Do you have some steps to happiness that are not listed here? Please share what you do to cultivate happiness in your life?

Blessings,

Susan

Want more life affirming tips for improving health and wellness? I invite you to get your Free Report, The Power of Your Thoughts to Heal & Transform Your Life, by visiting my website at:   http://www.healingfromwithin.com/

Do you have a habit of noticing what is missing in your life? Do you focus on lack rather than appreciate what you already have? I have found that many people have this tendency. Often this behavior is not even conscious.

What you focus on magnifies and expands. If you focus on the lack of anything such as with health, money or love you are attracting more of that into your experience.  Rather than look at what is missing train yourself to focus on that which is good in your life.

I have been involved with a wonderful coaching program with Mary A Hall. Mary teaches you to look for “what is right in the moment”.  I highly encourage this. No matter how difficult things may appear in your life there is always something, maybe even many things, that are right. It all depends on your focus. Looking for what is right in the moment will help you to see and appreciate what is really good.

For example, I love mornings. I love listening to the sounds of birds that are plentiful this time of day.  I especially love the song of the Cardinal. It puts a smile on my face and brings joy to my heart. I then look out my window trying to catch a glimpse of this beautiful red bird. It is always a delight to see.

This is just something very simple yet it lifts my spirits and brings me joy. Wouldn’t you rather focus on something that brings you joy rather than to focus on that which brings your spirits down?

You might even want to keep a journal about those things that make you feel good. Abraham-Hicks suggest keeping a “Book of Positive Aspects” This is just a matter of buying a notebook that is attractive to you and giving it that title. In it you write about people or things that you always feel good about.

I encourage you to look for the good in your life. You will see that the more you do this the more “good” will make itself evident to you. Continue to do this and see how your life can change for the better.

Now it’s your turn. I would love to hear your comments. What good have you noticed in your life?

All the best,

Susan

Remember that Beatles song? Well it’s true – all you need IS love.  Pure unconditional love, is the most powerful force in the universe. Love is also a powerful healing force. Even if you do not know any healing modalities you can still tap into the power of love.

I recently listened to two interviews with two different acclaimed energy healers, Jo Dunning and Chunyi Lin about the healing power of love. Each of them talked about the miraculous healing power of love and the importance of sending love to yourself, including your body.

I believe Jo Dunning had a severed nerve in her arm. Her arm was just dangling. This was before she became an energy healer. For three days she sent love to her arm. She spoke lovingly to her arm as if it were a child. In three days her arm was healed!!

I encourage you to try it out. Send love to an area of your body that needs healing. Send love to your organs, the systems of your body, your bones and to all the cells. Imagine the cells of your body surrounded by love and lighting up. Also, send LOVE to your emotions, to your heart, to your inner child and your Spirit.

The power of love can not be understated. I know of miracles that have occurred as a result of pure, unconditional love. Years ago I helped support a child care center for abandoned and disabled children in Southern Mexico. It was a joy to hear about the many personal transformations – body, mind and spirit. Children who were left for dead were nurtured, loved, cared for and educated so that they could lead healthy, functional lives. There were many amazing stories.

Do you know any stories about the power of love? I would love to hear them and welcome your comments about this post. Also, I leave you with this quote by Marianne Williamson which reinstates the wonderful power of love.

“Whatever situation you’re in now: send love to it, place it in God’s hands, open your heart to everyone involved – and it will turn out miraculously.”

Blessings,

Susan

As you can see I haven’t posted in awhile. Been a busy summer! This post is an excerpt from my report, “Secrets to Sustaining a Love Relationship” which you can find on my website.  It offers some tips. Hope you find them helpful.

Being in a love relationship can be wonderful yet also challenging.  Fortunately there is a lot of information available to us now offering relationship guidelines. The following are a few suggestions that can help improve your relationship.

In order to nurture and sustain a love relationship it is important to practice what I call the three A’s to one another as often as possible. The three A’s are acceptance, acknowledgement, and appreciation. For example, “I love you for who you are. Thank you for taking out the garbage. We’re so lucky to be together. ”

Acceptance means letting go of the need to be perfect and honoring your humanness.  So much of the time couples try to change one another.  This comes out of an unconscious need to control life in order to feel safe.  However, it is fear based and does not foster love.  Since our partners are mirrors for us, our lack of acceptance for them may be a reflection of a lack of acceptance for ourselves.  In order to sustain your relationship you need to accept where things are right now.  This includes accepting yourself as well as your partner.

Acknowledgement inspires positive behavior and therefore fosters growth. When people feel acknowledged they feel encouraged. This creates a desire to want to do more. When you acknowledge all the little things your partner does that bring you joy and support in your life, it will lift your spirits as well.

Appreciation opens doors to communication and to the heart. No one likes to feel taken for granted. Begin to express appreciation for all the little things that your partner does. Look around you and notice all that you have to appreciate in your life.  Self-appreciation is a must as well. Learn to balance criticism with appreciation for all that is good in your partner and in your life.

In what ways do you nurture your love relationship? How do you nurture your relationship with yourself? Although these tips have been geared towards a love relationship, any relationship especially a primary one needs to be nurtured. How do you nurture your relationships in general? I am looking forward to hearing from you about this topic.

All the best,

Susan Eller

http://www.healingfromwithin.com/

Recently on Twitter someone asked me what the difference was between self-care and being lazy. I thought that was a great question. One that was deserving of exploring as I believe self-care to be of the utmost importance.

First of all I believe that for most of us the word “lazy” is a term our ego uses to push us into doing something our spirit doesn’t really want to do at the moment. It’s a “should” statement/ a judgment that can throw us out of alignment.

Self-care means taking care of yourself – body, mind and spirit. You practice self-care by following your energy, tuning into your body’s messages and taking time to relax and rejuvenate when your body directs you to do so. By doing this you will have more energy and vitality to accomplish the projects that are awaiting your attention.

You may ask, “How can I tune into my body’s messages and that of my spirit’s?” Taking time to be silent is one way. Begin by quieting your mind. For example, take a few moments right now to close your eyes and pay attention to your breathing. Let go of any thoughts and notice how you are feeling. Practice doing this on a regular basis and you will become more in touch with your inner being.

Practicing self-care will help you maintain health, well-being and balance. Have you ever noticed how great you feel after a spa treatment, a nap, a soothing bath or a massage?

As you learn to tune into your body and spirit you will become more aware of how to take better care of yourself. I am reminded of a statement by Wayne Dyer, “ We are human beings not human doings” How comfortable are you with ‘being”? Or do you think you have to be continually “doing” in order to feel worthy?

The teachings of Abraham (http://www.abraham-hicks.com) has helped me to be more in touch with the flow of life and what Abraham calls “the stream of well-being”. If you have never seen this video I highly recommend it. You can view it here.

Abraham on: THE STREAM – Esther & Jerry Hicks

I encourage you all to nurture your body and spirit, honor your “beingness” and appreciate life rather than push against it. Take good care of yourselves by practicing “Self-Care”.  By “tuning in “ to your body and spirit you will tap into your inner guidance which will lead the way to more balanced living.

In what ways do you practice self-care? I welcome your comments here.

Blessings,

Susan

Back in the late 1970’s I practiced Vipassana meditation  with Dr. Rina Sircar, a Buddhist nun who teaches at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS). At that time CIIS had not been established yet and the school was called the California Institute of Asian Studies.

Every morning, five days a week, a group of us gathered with Rina to meditate for an hour. Vipassana meditation, also called Mindfulness or Insight Meditation, consists mainly of focusing on your breath.

We would focus our attention on the in and out movement of the breath and sometimes on the rising and falling of our abdomen as we breathed… breathing in and breathing out.

If thoughts arose we silently noted, “thinking thinking thinking” and brought our attention back to the focus of our meditation, our breath.

Towards the end of the meditation we had built up a lot of positive energy. We would then focus that energy into a prayer on loving kindness for the sake of all sentient beings.

When I learned this prayer the wording was such that we asked to be free from suffering and to be happy, peaceful and liberated. Because of my understanding of the Law of Attraction I have adapted some of the wording. For example, instead of focusing on freedom from suffering,  the focus is on feeling free to flow with wellness and ease.

Here then is the Loving Kindness prayer. Notice that you start with your self first. This is because you have to love yourself first before you can love others.

Loving Kindness Prayer (called Metta in Pali)

May I be happy.
May I be peaceful.
May I be liberated.
May I find happiness and the causes of happiness.
May I live in peace and harmony with life. .
May I feel free to flow with wellness and ease.

May my family be happy.
May my family be peaceful.
May my family be liberated.
May my family find happiness and the causes of happiness.
May my family live in peace and harmony with life.
May my family feel free to flow with wellness and ease.

May my friends be happy.
May my friends be peaceful.
May my friends be liberated.
May my friends find happiness and the causes of happiness.
May my friends live in peace and harmony with life.
May my friends feel free to flow with wellness and ease.

May all beings be happy.
May all beings be peaceful.
May all beings be liberated.
May all beings find happiness and the causes of happiness.
May all beings live in peace and harmony with life.
May all beings feel free to flow with wellness and ease.
May all beings be happy, peaceful and liberated.

I have always loved this prayer. It is a wonderful way to send positive, loving energy to yourself and others. And, of course, you can say this prayer mentioning a specific person or group. You can also offer it as a blessing at any time and to any one.

You might want to try this Loving Kindness prayer yourself. Simply focus on your breathing a few minutes then repeat the Loving Kindness meditation either out loud or silently to yourself. Spread some loving kindness to yourself and others and see how it makes you feel. I’d love to hear your experiences here.

In what way do you practice mindfulness and loving kindness? I welcome your comments.

Namaste,

Susan

Susan Eller
www.healingfromwithin.com

Today I cleaned up my Hotmail account. Believe it or not I had over 800 messages piling up in that account. This is not my primary account and is actually only one of several email accounts I have. But this account is where I get most of the news from email lists I have joined.

Although these newsletters provide lots of wonderful information I was definitely feeling “Information Overload”. So I deleted just about all of it. And, it felt SO GOOD to do this. I can’t begin to tell you how much it freed up my energy.

I have also been clearing out my closets and office. I don’t know about you but I tend to be a collector. Mostly I am a collector of informative resources.  However, clothes rank pretty high as well.

What mostly inspired me to tackle my Hotmail account today was a message I received from my body. I was getting signs of physical stress so I tuned in for body messages. That’s when I realized I was on information and clutter overload.

So if you have been feeling loaded down or overwhelmed I highly recommend clearing out clutter from your life. It is emotionally, physically, spiritually  and energetically freeing. And, you will be making room for something better to come in as the Universe hates a vacuum.

I also suggest tuning into your body whenever you feel stressed. Just ask questions like:  “What is going on? What do I need to know? “What do I need to be aware of? What are you trying to tell me?  “What is the message?” Once you get a message, act on it.

Do you tend to hold on to things? Have you ever noticed how that makes you feel? I would love to hear your comments and experiences. So please feel free to  comment here. I always love hearing from you.

All the best,

Susan

For any of you interested in planetary meditations there are three major spiritual festivals that occur annually at the time of the full moons of spring. They are the Festival of Love, the Festival of Wesak and Festival of Good Will.

Each of these meditations provides a period of increased accessibility to the highest spiritual energies available to humanity. Their purpose is to restore peace, cooperation and balance on our planet.

By participating in these meditations you will be joining millions of others around the world at the same time. You can also make contact with great spiritual beings called the Ascended Masters or the Great Ones. These beings through the process of evolution have triumphed over matter to achieve the level of self-mastery. They now work to carry out the Divine plan. By tuning into their powerful emanations you can receive as well as transmit their special blessings for the benefit of all lives on earth.

The following is a brief explanation of each of these festivals.

The Festival of Love

During this full moon meditation you can tune into the vibration of Divine Love. During your meditation open your mind and heart to receive divine emanations of love, then ask for love to be sent into the hearts of humanity. This festival occurs at the time of the Aries full moon.

The Festival of Wesak

This is the festival of the Buddha also called the Festival of Light. During this time it is as if a door is opened wide allowing you to contact energies which are otherwise not easily accessible. At this time a great expansion of consciousness is available.

During this full moon when the sun is in Taurus it is said that a great ceremony takes place in the Himalayas involving the Ascended Masters. During this ceremony the Buddha makes an appearance in order to bestow special blessings on the world. He joins with the World Teacher of Love to transmit Divine Light and Divine Love. See below for this year’s date and time.

The Festival of Goodwill

During this full moon people from every spiritual path call upon those who guide humanity to send the light, love and spiritual direction needed to create a world of unity, peace and cooperation.  This festival occurs at the time of the Gemini full moon.

Although this year’s Festival of Love has passed you can still tune into the other festivals. This year’s Wesak festival is on April 28th at 12:20 PM GMT and the Festival of Goodwill is on May 27th at 11:08 PM GMT.

Thanks to the work of Alice Bailey along with Lucis Trust Publishing and the Orin and Daben site for spreading the word on these festivals.  If you would like further information on them let me know. Also, feel free to add your comments.

May all beings be happy, peaceful and liberated.

Susan

www.healingfromwithin.com

“Abundance is not a dollar amount in your bank account. It’s not cash. It’s not how big your house is. Abundance is a Vibration. Abundance is actually a feeling. You know – joy, happiness, prosperity. A feeling and a vibration that you can tune into.” -Carol Look

Wow! that is a pretty powerful concept. That quote is from a recording I recently heard of an interview with Carol Look. Carol is a Law of Attraction and EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) expert who has written quite extensively on how to raise your vibration and abundance level. Her website is http://attractingabundance.com.

In her article “The Vibration of Abundance” (http://www.thetappingsolution.com/the-vibration-of-abundance.php) Carol emphasizes four very important methods for raising your vibration and, therefore, your state of abundance. These are:

Expressing gratitude

Acting as if

Yes, Thank you

Blessings.

So with Carol’s inspiration let’s look at these four essential ingredients to lifting our vibration and therefore our abundance.

Expressing Gratitude

I’ve talked about this before in other posts. Carol suggests keeping a daily gratitude list. I have found that expressing appreciation and gratitude on a regular basis boosts how I feel as well as brightens my outlook on life. I often acknowledge simple yet wonderful things in my life that make me feel good such as my home, my marriage, my cat, my neighborhood, my health, my family, my friends and so forth. No matter what your state of being and affairs you can find something to appreciate. Focusing on gratitude and appreciation helps attract more of the same.

Acting as if

Our subconscious mind does not know the difference between our current state of affairs and our imagination. When you “act as if” you are focusing your attention on what you want and imagining it as if it already exists in your current reality. As Carol says, “You are bringing the future into the present”. On a universal level everything we want and desire already exists in the universal mind or what Abraham-Hicks calls our “vibrational escrow”. A powerful exercise is to thank the Universe for what you want as if it was already here in the present. For example, “Thank you God (Universe, Great Spirit, Higher Power) for bringing me wonderful opportunities” or “Thank you God for bringing me four new clients.” Or, “Thank you God for bringing me a windfall of cash this month.” Play with it and have fun!

Yes, thank you

Notice how good and expansive those words feel – Yes, thank you! Let that feeling vibrate through your being. Say it and breathe it in. Feels good doesn’t it? It does to me. I breathe better and it puts a smile on my face. Now you can make some statements starting with “Yes, thank you”.  For example, “Yes, thank you God for resolving this problem.”  “Yes, thank you God for helping me to feel better.”  “Yes, thank you God for clearing this block. ” “Yes, thank you God for healing this upset.”

Blessings

A blessing means to infuse holiness and divine will. Feeling blessed brings more blessings to you. Bless everything and everyone you can. Affirm that you are blessed because you are. We all are. Bless your life. Bless your loved ones. Bless your home. Bless friends, Bless strangers. Even bless situations and people who you do not like. I experience blessing as healing and freeing. In blessing others I bless myself as well.

And, finally here’s a wonderful affirmation from Carol.

“I raise my vibration and feel good”

Simple yet delightfully powerful.

I would love to hear your experiences with these four methods for raising your vibration. How did it feel to practice them? I welcome your comments.