You Are A Gift to the World

We need to practice the art of stripping away false notions about who we think we are so we can deal with what is real, and release anything that is deadening to our spirits. We have to learn to reconnect with ourselves so that we can stand for something that is greater than ourselves. ~Dawna Markova

The Seekers Path…

I have read that on the morning Dr. Martin Luther King gave his I Have A Dream speech,he was filled with doubt and worry. People who were close to him said he questioned who is was to give a speech like this, putting out his vision for all to hear.

Octavio Paz is a South American poet who won the Noble Peace Prize. In his quest he realized how much creative energy he used to stay out of his life, rather than participating in it. He wrote a poem called After, as a committment that he would
no longer be in the great gift of life with hesitation, or reservation and he would no longer push away life or love.

There comes a time for all of us that we MUST realize the consequences of the story we carry about who we are and make the committment to move forward. We not only owe this to ourselves but to the world. What if these two men had given in to the fear that covered their true essence? What allowed them to move out of fear and into the bigger vision they had for themselves and the world?

So I ask you…
What is the false notion you hold about yourself that deadens your spirit?

What do you want to connect to that is bigger than yourself?

What are you dying to say if you had the courage?

For More information about Sessions for Seekers and our other services please visit our web site at

Seeing the Extraordinary…

When your life is filled with the desire to see holiness in everyday life, something magical happens: ordinary life becomes extraordinary, and the very process of life begins to nourish your soul. ~Rabbi Harold Kushner

The Seekers Path…

How are you nourished by the very life you are living?

Today, where do you see the miraculous occurring in the situations you encounter or the people you meet?

When things are going well in your life it is very easy to see and believe in the goodness of the world. Everything seems right and good and we feel our spirits soar. What if we could maintain the feeling when the world around us shows hardship, disappointment and sadness?

On a remote mountain top village in Africa I got to witness this in action in a very profound way. We were in Tanzania the third poorest country in the world. It was early morning and my friend and I were walking in the village. Soon we saw 8 African women, some with babies on their back carrying 5 gallon pails of water on their head into the village, singing in a most joyful way. In the middle of great poverty, little food or money, these women chose to be blessed in the life they were living.

This story is a reminder to me that I get to decide how I will look at the events of my life. I can view my circumstances as hard or I can look through the lens of holiness and see the extraordinary in everything. How will you decide to view your life?

Our newest program, Sessions for Seekers engages people in conversations about life’s biggest questions. Invest in yourself. Call 952-435-4144 today to set up an appointment or get more information about Sessions for Seekers.

More information about Sessions for Seekers can be found on our website http://www.counselingandhealing.com/sessionsforseekers.aspx

Living Our Dreams…

Our truest life is when we are in our dreams awake.
Henry David Thoreau

The Seeker’s Path
What are the dreams that you are waiting to wake up and live?

What beliefs can you nurture that will help you live your truest life in your richest dreams?

Living Our Dreams

A few months ago I saw the site of Mission Control in Houston, Texas from which the first trip to the moon was managed. The computers looked antiquated and cumbersome. We were told that most cell phones now have more power in them than one of the computers used at that time. When JFK put a dream out that we should go to the moon, there was nothing available technologically that would suggest we could actually achieve such a vision. Looking at the equipment of the time, it’s hard to believe that they could have gotten there with what they had. This is a lesson for all of us.

When we are living in our dreams, there are no limits. Our imagination is the only boundary we have. Our own national history tells us that the wildest of dreams can come true. These times call us to dream dreams that defy the old rules we have played by. We are all being called to live into the biggest most imaginative dreams we can have. We encourage you to begin imagining your best and happiest life. Feel it, breathe it in, and let it fill up every cell in your body. Then dream the most wonderful dream you can make for our planet and all the people on it. Always believe that you are supported in this dream and that it is yours to have!

Our newest program, Sessions for Seekers engages people in conversations about life’s biggest questions. Invest in yourself. Call 952-435-4144 today to set up an appointment or get more information about Sessions for Seekers.

More information about Sessions for Seekers can be found on our website http://www.counselingandhealing.com/sessionsforseekers.aspx

Sonnet To Morning

Let me wrap the gift of this new day
and view its contents as a innocent child
accepts the world: with eyes that see the way
to sun beyond dark clouds, where skies are mild;
with voice that lifts in prayer, as birds praise dawn;
with hands that touch each miracle, in awe
of budding leaves or flowers on a lawn
or furry friends with hoof, horn and paw.
Lead me along a path where I will find
in all the precious hours that stretch before,
the chance to help,to listen,to be kind;
to heal the wounds that make the world heartsore.
Oh, let me fill each second so that I
may greet the day with an appreciative eye.
~Sheila Forsyth

Spend a quiet moment this morning to contemplate the day that is yours to create. Blessings to you this day.
Sandy

It’s All About Grace…

Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost and now I’m found, was blind bit now I see. ‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved…

As you read these words you can probably hear the song being sung in your head. I have to be honest, this has never been one of my favorite songs. However, it was my grandmother Selma’s favorite. As a small child, I would sit next to her in church as she sang this song with great reverence. I knew there to convey something important but never I really knew what it was. Many years later, I sat in that same church and sang this song with great reverence at her funeral. Again, I knew there was a wisdom in that song that I was not understanding.

I have spent much time thinking about the idea of grace. And So I had to ask myself, just what is so amazing about grace? According to Webster it is unmerited Divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification. When I think about this meaning I can’t help but think that alone is pretty amazing! It is true that you will often hear that grace is a free gift from God. It is available to all and does not have to be earned. It is given for the sacred purpose of spiritual renewal to each one of us. I believe grace comes to us in many forms through but we can see it in peace, joy, and understanding at the most unlikely times. So if grace is a Divine and Holy gift given by our Creator…how do we extend it out beyond ourselves? That is what I want to keep learning about…how to extend grace to others. Sometimes I have trouble putting into words how exactly it is we can extend this Divine gift to those around us. I have a friend who has taught me more about this amazing gift than I could have learned alone. She has taught me what I have come to know about grace…

~It comes in the softness of a persons eyes when they speak
~It is not in the words as much as in the spaces between the words
~Sometimes it is no words at all
~It is the unconditional love held for another
~In times of difficulty it is saying, bless you and change me

In essence, it is not so much about what is done as what is felt that describes grace. It is a state of being that comes from the heart and enters the very essence of another person with love and compassion. That is what my friend and my grandmother Selma taught me.. just how amazing it really is and how we each can show each other the essence of grace.
Grace to you,
Sandy

Please visit our web site for more information about our services. www.counselingandhealing.com

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Practicing Peace

People throughout the earth have been, and are praying for God’s blessing to bring us peace and end strife in our world. Praying for peace is important for all of us to do, but we must also make conscious daily choices to be peaceful within ourselves and with those around us. We need to be acutely aware that the struggles, and fights we wage within ourselves and with others add to the unrest and disharmony of our planet. Too often we have let peace remain an ideal rather than a way of life that we put into practice in each moment, with each breath, and in each thought. Peace is not passive. It is an active decision that requires attention and response. True peace results from communion with God. It is in this connection that we find an unshakeable knowing that what we cannot do of ourselves, is possible through the One that embraces us all. Peace is an act of grace. By opening to God’s love we are lifted to new heights from where we can see others, ourselves and life with greater compassion and kindness. The only path through which we can bring peace into the world is through our own being. Preparing ourselves to be a vessel of peace is a practice and a discipline that involves the power of the heart, the strength of the mind and the depth of the soul. Practicing peace changes your life and the lives of those around you. We all must begin within ourselves by asking and seeking what is peaceful in all that we do. The unrest, hateful attitudes, and warring factions that are presented to us at every turn have the potential to knock us off center and send us reeling down a path of fear, self-protection and separation. We will not find our way through the crises of our time in isolation. We need each other to practice the way of peace in ourselves so we can find a way to practice it with our families, communities and among nations. The time is now. Let us walk the way of peace together. 

By Paula Becker 

Visit our Web Site to watch our new video and get information about our services at www.counselingandhealing.com

Illuminate the New Year

As you read this post the flurry of the holidays is not far from your thoughts, after all it is only mid January!  Besides all the activity and fun that goes with the season, I often hear people say that they wish they could extend the spirit of Christmas throughout the year. They are right, this is the season when people try to understand each other more, and forgive the things that get in the way of extending love to one another. We pray for peace in our relationships and open heartiness as we let the miracles of Christmas happen in our own hearts.

What I have described is not something that is unattainable, far from it; it is within the reach of each one of us.  We each have that ability live from our center and to shape our lives in a way that is in line with what we want for ourselves and the world around us.

Some of you may also be familiar with the Winter Solstice. This year it was on Dec. 21^st and was the longest night of the year and signified a movement toward light. Ages ago, before we adopted our current calendar this was the time the New Year was celebrated. It signified a time of beginning & endings, rest, reflection and restoration, not only of our bodies but of our spirits.

So I would ask you on the breath of this New Year, what do you want for yourself this coming year? I’m not taking about resolutions or a wish list of material things like we are so used to doing.  I am asking you to focus on your heart and ask yourself what you need for your spirit to be at peace and in harmony with your life. How will you let your own light shine and move you toward what your heart is longing for.

Both the Celebration of Christmas and the Winter Solstice serve to call us to our center where we can live out who God intended us to be; a bright light that serves as a beckon for all.  Have you ever noticed how you can gently use your breath to blow on an ember to bring it to a full flame? The same happens with the light that is within us…when we hold grudges toward others, judge harshly and stand in our own righteousness, it only serves to extinguish the light within us. It does not give way to understanding, forgiveness, peace and love.

When you think about the coming year, what ideas, beliefs and attitudes would you like to leave behind? Make a simple list and as a way to let them go, you might want to burn them in the fireplace and watch them go up in smoke. 

Then take time to reflect on what you would like to bring into your life. What attitudes and beliefs and thoughts will bring more peace and harmony into your life?  And again, how can you let your light shine for all to see? This is both our greatest challenge and the wholeness we long for.  As the New Year begins, give yourself a gift of love, acceptance, and embrace the light within you; knowing that as you do this you are illuminating the world. Peace and love to you!

Sandy Thibault

This article first appeared in the Savage Pacer 1-2-10

For more information about InnerLight Healing Center visit our web site: www.counselingandhealing.com

Uncovered Wisdom and the Lost Symbol

A few weeks ago my son called to say he was reading Dan Brown’s new book called, Lost Symbol. He said the book was full of  “the stuff”,as he calls it, that I talk about so he thought I should read it. Once I got over the realization that he had actually listened to something I said, I ran right out to the store to buy it. Judging by how well it is doing, so did many other people. 

The book has the familiar story line that has made him so popular but story has two points of focus.  The book showcases many of the principles, beliefs and rituals of the Masons. One of those concepts is that the Masons have access to and are given the  ”responsiability to protect the lost wisdom that can transform lives. This place intersects with a second story line that brings to light the work of the Institute for Noetic Science. This institute is well-known for advancing the science of conciousness and human experience to serve individual and collective transformation. You can read more about their work at www.noetic.org .

The book talks about the power of intentions and the experiments that many researchers have done, including Lynne McTaggart who wrote The Intention Experiment.  The book goes on to explore many areas of spirituality and conciousness such as:

• The physical connection between heaven and earth with an ancient saying,  as above, so below.
• Focused thought can change physical matter.
• Intention can change the outcome of  an experience.
• God is not something outside of you but inside of you.
• A universal wisdom guides our lives.
• We have at our disposal untapped mental and spiritual capabilities.
• The concepts of quantum physics

This is only a sampling of the concepts that are explored in the book but these ideas have the power to transform every moment of our lives from ordinary to extraordinary. 

Please join us Monday evening, November 2nd, at 6:30 for Questions of the Heart for a conversation around these topic’s.  This is a free offering but we ask that you call 952-435-4144 or email inpeaceandjoy@msn.com to reserve a seat.  This is sure to be an insightful and transformational conversation so be sure to invite others to join you.

For more information on Questions of the Heart or our services visit our web site at www.counselingandhealing.com

Sandy

Thoughts on Forgiveness

I believe one of the most powerful things we can do is to offer forgiveness to ourselves and others.  Unfortunately or more appropriately put, fortunaley, I have had the opportunity to do a lot of work in the area of forgiveness.  I was taught at a young age that I would have to forgive things that other  people might find unforgivable. At the time I was too young to understand the full implication of what this would really mean. It was not until forty years later that I had to come face to face with the reality of what forgiveness really meant. To find peace in my life, I forgave my dad for abusing me, my mom for abandoning me and my boss for raping me. As important as these things are, the most important thing I had to do was offer forgiveness to myself. 

People will often tell me that they think some things are too bad to be forgiven; at some point I think I may have believed that as well, but through this journey I think I found an essential piece to forgiveness. I have found that in order to forgive you must see the light, the goodness in another person; you must see them as Divine and sacred, just as you are. I wanted my own suffering to end as much as I wanted my pertrators to end.   Forgiving can be a hard and difficult road and I won’t  say it is easy, but I will tell you it is the most spiritually  freeing thing I have ever done.

This leads me to two stories about extraordinary forgiveness.  One was a play called, Good Boys, that I attended a few weeks ago. It was a story that took place in the aftermath of the Columbine Shooting. The father of one of the shooting victims sought out the father of the shooter to talk about forgiveness. The play depicted the struggles of both men to forgive so they could move on. It was clear that the victim’s father wanted forgiveness as much for himself as he did for the father of the shooter.

The second story is about Ed Thomas. Mr. Thomas had been the coach of the Aplington Parkersburg High School football team for 3 decades. He was credited for his ability to shape the players character and leadership on and off the field. After a devestating  tornado in their town,  he rallied his team to help re-build the city and in the process raised a quarter of a million dollars.  On June 24th of this year he was gunned down by a former player while he was leading a practice.  The shooter was a former player and his mom was a friend of the family.  It was a shock and devastating blow to this community.  

 As summer moved to fall the team begin to prepare for the first game without their coach. The first game was held this past week with a half hour tribute to Coach Ed Thomas. That is not so surprising given his stature in the community. What is amazing is that the family asked for healing and forgiveness for the shooters family as pictures of both families were displayed in the stadium.

Both of these stories display an extraordinary ability to offer the hand of forgiveness to the person who caused the pain. I believe it was their ability to find the light in the other person and see it from a higher perspective that allowed these events to take place. For myself, ending the suffering has allowed me to experience life in a way I never thought possible. I would urge you to begin to look at the places in your life that need your forgiveness and begin the process of feeing your spirit.

Sandy Thibault is a Life Coach and Director at InnerLight Healing Center. She is available for speaking, coaching, workshops and retreats. She can be reached at 952-435-4144 or visit our web site for all our services www.counselingandhealing.com