Akemi Gaines from Yes to Me tagged me for the “10 Things That Make Me Happy” meme!

Actually, just reading Akemi’s post on this, as well as the ones who got tagged before her, already made me feel rather warm and fuzzy.  So I thought: what the heck, I shall indulge!

1.   Being with my daughters.  They drive me nuts … they tell me I’m a weird mom (I take that as a compliment), stare at me when I meditate (and I can sense their stares), watch the same DVD 30 times in a row (and still find it entertaining) and pay more attention to the Nintendo DS Lite than to me.  But as I watch them sleep at night and wake up to their smiles, I can’t imagine my life without them.

2.   Dark chocolate.  Cadbury’s or Godiva, doesn’t matter … I embrace them all!

3.   Reading good stuff.  They can be books, magazine articles, blogs, biographies - anything that inspires me, touches me or shocks me (I’m not that easily shocked).

4.   Watching Discovery Channel, Discovery Travel & Living, Discovery everything and anything, and MTV.  I feel totally relaxed when Discovery Channel is on.  I used to travel quite a bit for work, and if the hotel I stayed in had Discovery Channel on its TV menu, I’m happy.  Ok … I’m not saying I have an answer to how an interest in Discovery Channel actually links to an interest in watching MTVs, but sometimes I do get shocked by MTV, and I do enjoy the occasional shocks (see point 3 above).  They remind me how weird and fun life can be.

5.   Walking meditation.  I’m really not very good with sitting still - see my previous post on Active Stillness.  I get more insights, clarity and ideas when I go for walks, and occasionally when driving.

6.   Seeing positive changes in the lives of my clients.  In case you’re not already aware, I do intuitive work and offer Soul Realignment™ readings.  Being able to touch the lives of others and witnessing their growth bring me a deep sense of joy.

7.   Trees.  Like Akemi, I love trees.  I especially enjoy seeing big lush trees lined up in rows when I’m driving.  Every tree is special and unique, each with a character of its own.  They look like supermodels in a row, each with its own unique pose and hairdo.  Beautiful!

8.   Music.  I believe there’s not one genre where I can’t find something I’ll like.  Of course what I Iisten to today may be drastically different from what I will listen to tomorrow, it all depends on my mood.  But there’s something for every mood when it comes to music.  It feeds my soul.

9.   Vacations!  I love going places, seeing and experiencing different cultures.  When I can’t travel, I watch Discovery Travel & Living.

10.  Being with like-minded people.  It’s just a whole lot more interesting and easy when I’m with them.  I can be myself and the energy just flows among us.

I realized once I sit down and think about the things that make me happy, I can probably fill a list of 50 or even 100 things!  I will probably continue to build this list on my own, outside of this blog … before I bore the tears out of you.  Doing this little exercise has definitely made me happy, and I think it’s beginning to feel a little addictive!

Time for me to tag some friends:

• Evelyn of Attraction Mind Map
• Slade of Shift Your Spirits
• Patricia of Spiritual Journey Of A Lightworker

I’m not going to list all my friends here, but if you’re reading this, I urge you to join in the fun.  Consider yourself tagged if you’ve reached this far in this post, and share - either through your own blog posts or via comments here.  Have fun and be happy!

Blessings,
Irene

I was inspired by a post written by my good friend, Evelyn, yesterday on Think Simple Now and Grow Rich, where she discussed about the phenomenal blogosphere success of Tina Su, and how energies come into play in this success.  How interesting!

I have subscribed to numerous blogs and I noticed there are usually two main reasons why I click on the RSS buttons:

1.  The articles relate to my own interests and help with my growth.
2. The content brings out a part of me that is usually hidden, and needs to be triggered to get out - for example: laughing out loud when I’m all by myself, being moved to tears while staring at my laptop, or just feeling so good that I want to hug someone … usually I end up hugging my singing bowl or my stuffed bunny, when my kids are not around.

Point number 2, to me, is really all about the energies that the blogs exude.  There are blogs that just call out to me, even though the topics are just not the usual ones I would read about.  There’s something about the style of writing, the sense of humor, or the feelings that go into each word that the authors have put in that really draw me to them.  Sometimes it’s the genuine comments in the posts - all that energy buzz - that pull me in.  I’ve realized it’s the energies of authenticity and giving that attract me.

Some people have asked me why I don’t blog as often as others.  My reply is very straightforward … I’m very busy with work and life (and reading too many good blogs), and sometimes I just don’t know what to write about.  Also, I find myself asking - is it necessary for me to blog as often as others?  Do I need to scramble around for information just to find something to write about, or do I prefer to write only when I genuinely want to?  Is that doing justice to my friends who choose to stop by my blog, only to see it’s the same post I’ve written 2 weeks ago?  Actually, I think so.  I would assume that my friends in blogosphere would want to read something I wrote that comes from my heart (people, please correct me if I’m wrong here!).  I feel the energy of authenticity comes from the heart, and it can be felt very strongly even when you don’t ever meet the fantastic bloggers who write articles that make you laugh or cry.  I may not be one of those fantastic bloggers, but I do know why I’m attracted to them.

Outside of blogosphere, the same energies come into play in our daily lives.  Have you ever tried so hard to cook the perfect dish for a potluck, and it turned out to be the one that was least popular?  What went wrong?  Surely things must go well when you’ve put in so much effort, right?  You’ve bought the best ingredients, spent more time than ever in the kitchen and read all the cookbooks in Borders … yet your expensive stew was still blah compared to your neighbour’s cheap fried rice.  Has it ever occurred to you that simplicity, authenticism and the spirit of giving are the energies at play that make your neighbour’s dish so much more delicious and accepted?  Perhaps you are just trying too hard and have lost the authenticity of cooking from your heart?  Perhaps you wanted recognition for your dish so badly that you overlooked what the potluckers really like?

I’ve also had the honor of having some very nice people write to me, asking me for tips on starting their own blogs … I was stunned, but very flattered.  I mean, I’m a new small-timer on blogosphere, who am I to give advice on starting blogs?  Anyway, most of them just want an outlet for creative expression, and I’ll say “go for it!”.  If you’re authentic and sincere about reaching out and sharing with like-minded souls, you may not be so bothered about blog stats and comparisons … you’ll just be happy to connect, and believe me that intention will bring in the results you want and even more!  However, if your intention is to be competitive and outshine others, that’s a totally different kind of energy, and I’m definitely no expert in that area. sorry!

Hard work does bring in an essential form of energy that’s almost always necessary for success of anything in life.  I do, however, feel that sometimes over-doing things can turn positive energies into clutter.  We just need to be wary about what we put out there.  It does bounce back to us.  If we combine enough hard work with smartness, add a dash of gratitude and humbleness, plus a lot of heart and authenticity … I’m sure that’ll make some powerful dish!

Before I end this post, I just wanted to thank three other friends for helping me with some energy overhaul in my life for the past few weeks.  I’ve been so exhausted from work and life in general, and I needed some boost.  My room is now decorated with beautiful intuitive art pieces from Ayako - gosh that totally changed the energies here!  I’ve been attending wonderful meditation sessions at Cosmic Phoenix where Timotheus uses Photon Reiki energies to recharge me.  And my friend Danny actually came to personally install a hydrotherapy home spa system to help me with my body aches (and my kids are crazy about it too!).  Thank you!

May the Universe bring each and every one of you energies of love, abundance, health, success and authenticity!

Blessings,
Irene

What was your spiritual awakening like?  Mine was nothing short of a brilliant love affair.

It started very subtly, but I knew the attraction was there.  It was beautiful, mysterious and loving.  I started to think more and more about it each day … I just couldn’t shake it off.  Everywhere I looked, it was there, in one form or another.  I tried to talk myself out of it, telling myself I had gone completely nuts and there was no way anyone around me would be able to accept this.  Yet the harder I fought it, the more irresistable it became.

By the time I’d received my first attunement, I had become completely infuatuated with it.  My energies shifted BIG time.  I couldn’t eat nor sleep well and my body felt like it got hit by a truck - yet something inside me was glowing and pulsating with love and joy.  I dreaded going to work as my job had become totally meaningless.  People around me didn’t seem to talk sense.  I became worried about what’s happening to me and started to confide in friends.  Supportive friends would nod with understanding and say “listen to your heart” while the not-so-supportive ones would frown and say “wake up, you’re losing yourself”.  I became emotional and erratic, crying at the drop of a hat at one moment, then feeling elated the next moment, and then feeling a sense of peace all of a sudden.  It was horrible and terrific at the same time.

My love affair with spirituality a.k.a. awakening a.k.a. massive energetic shifts lasted about a month.  It subsided Just as mysteriously as it came.  I am now able to work, eat, sleep and be at peace with myself without having to bawl my eyes out.  The infatuation is gone, but in its place there’s a new feeling that’s deeper, fuller and so much more stable.  I feel a sense of commitment, support, awareness and purpose.  The brilliant blinding flashes have subsided, but there’s a permanent warm glowy light that remains within.

I can never be the same person I was before my love affair with spirituality, and it feels wonderful.

Blessings,
Irene

Admit it.  All of us, at some point in time, had been mean or unreasonable to someone else with our thoughts, words or actions.  It could be due to bad experiences, or just simply a lack of awareness that caused that negative reaction.  We were angry, upset, jealous, egoistic, afraid … and we used emotions to justify judgment.  When we allow negative emotions to take control of our thoughts, words and actions, we blind ourselves from the truth, and results can be devastating.  Judgment that is not based on truth is actually “misjudgment”.  Often the hurt we impose on others through misjudgment goes deep.

We mirror our inner selves with the things we say or do - all that is good and not-so-good.  MisJudgment is often related to a lack of openness and awareness within ourselves.  How many times have you accused someone of something, only to realize later that you’ve misjudged him or her when you were given the opportunity to see things from their perspective?

I learn a great deal from every client whom I do readings for.  I was given the opportunity and honor to delve deeper at Soul level to see what truly makes them who they are, why they are prone to certain ways of thinking or acting.  These are very humbling experiences that encourage me to look at things beyond the surface.  Do not judge what you do not know.

Take a few moments to watch this video.  It will tell you more than I am able to.

Blessings,
Irene

I sat down one day, in a meditative mood, and asked my Guides - what is compassion?  I waited for the meaning to pop into my head, but I didn’t get any dictionary definitions, nor any religious slogans.  Instead a scene came to my mind’s eye … a memory that was tucked away, but not forgotten.

I saw my elder daughter, Beverly, as a three-year-old chubby little girl, many years ago.  Beverly was extremely shy, but she was absolutely adorable (and still is!).  Strangers would come and want to squeeze her, and the poor girl would squeal and bawl her eyes out.  LIke most children, Beverly loved the playground, and in this scene, we were in a shopping mall and she was drawn to a vibrant Little Tikes play corner.  There were kids running everywhere, and I saw her eyes gleam with excitement.

As I sat and watched her in action, something else caught her gleaming eyes.  There was another child in a corner, alone.  He was much smaller than her and it was clear that he was eager to join in the fun, but was afraid of a mini stampede.  Beverly stood there, observing him for a few seconds, then slowly walked towards him.  She sat with him in the corner, said nothing, then offered her little hand.  The boy looked at her, took her hand, and off they toddled to the middle of the playground.  I watched in wonder for the next 15 minutes or so, how Beverly took the little boy on a mini tour.  She showed him the little slide, urged him to try it, and when he stumbled, she pulled him up.  When bigger kids ran past them, Beverly would use her stout little body to shield the fragile boy.  She continued to be his little guardian, until the boy’s father came to take him home.  There was a tinge of sadness as the two little ones waved a silent goodbye and went separate ways.

When the boy was gone, I asked Beverly if she’d like to spend more time at the playground, now that she’s free to do whatever she wants.  She shook her head, took my hand and got ready to go home.  As we walked away from the play corner, my little girl was smiling to herself.  She was beaming with satisfaction and joy!  It was like she had accomplished a mission bigger than life.  I looked at her and my heart was filled with pride and love.

I couldn’t have taught a three-year-old all that, could I?  Where did that mega shyness go?  Wasn’t she afraid of the mini stampede too?  Even if I could teach a young child compassion, it would have been just a concept.  When compassion comes in the form of action, it’s no longer a concept in the mind - it’s love from the heart.  Compassion is all about actions from the heart.  Children can indeed teach us great things, with very little words.

When I did a Soul Profile reading for Beverly, was I surprised to find that one of her Soul’s most defining characteristic is compassion?  Most definitely not.  I have beautiful daughters, each with their own special gifts to bring to the world.  They still teach me a thing or two every now and then.  I am shamelessly proud of them.

Blessings,
Irene