I believe every single thing, big or small, happens for a reason.  I’m not saying this just so that we can all go micro-analyze every aspect of our lives and go crazy.  In fact, if we trust life enough to bring us to where we need to be, at any given moment, we’d be going with the flow and there’s really no need to analyze anything much when you’re going with the flow.  Of course while we ride the waves, we still need to work to keep our balance and stay afloat, but we’ll “usually” end up in a pretty decent place, some way or another.  Yes?

I see some people shaking their heads.  Right.  So what do we do when “unusually” happens and we realize we’re drifting off tangent into unknown territory?  We’ve seen quite a bit of that happening lately, with all that’s going awry with the economy.

I was reading a very inspiring article just the other day on Forbes.com - it was an interview with Samuel Palmisano, Chairman and CEO of IBM Corporation.  Amidst the economic turmoil, Sam remains optimistic (this seems to be a trait of hugely successful people) and points out two exciting things that he sees:

1. getting people to change is easier in troubled times;
2. there’s a lot of growth happening in the world - it is just happening in unfamiliar places.

Sam also said, “As a leader, you have the mandate for change … you could create the future, or defend the past.”  It is obvious that he chose the former for his company.  The positive implications were not just used on his company, but also on his country.  I believe the same implications can be used on me and you, as individuals.

When life throws us outside of our comfort zone and into the unknown - when we lose our jobs, end a relationship or discover a tumor in our body - what does this mean and why?  Sure, we can get angry, bitter, sad, afraid, we can blame it all on the world and hope that someone will come and lick the wounds of our egos, but will that change things for the better?  I’ve heard some people lament about how their friends were lucky to have escaped company retrenchments, and they felt hurt that they had to be “sacrificed” instead.  This is when I feel that change happens when it needs to happen.  Sometimes it happens when you least expect it.  Sometimes it happens as a collective exercise, or it just happens to you exclusively.  Whatever it is, change happens to everyone - just not at the same time, and only when it’s needed.  Change happens because it is time for us to learn something new.  It is time for us to grow and expand into something better.  The process may be unfamiliar and scary, but it’s usually with a good agenda.

There are countless stories out there of people who had been through some serious adversities, but came out of them even better than before.  Perhaps the man who was making a million dollars a year had to lose his job for him to realize that he had not paid enough attention to his family for the past five years - that he never knew what his son’s favorite color was, or that his wife was seeing someone else for the past three years behind his back because he had neglected her.  And that despite his wealth, he had no real friends to turn to when crisis hit.  It is time for this man to shift his focus into areas that have been missing or are incomplete.  It is time for this man to grow in areas where he is unfamiliar, so that he may learn to live a fuller life.

I hope that someday, everyone of us will be able to look back at some (if not all) of our life lessons and give thanks for the opportunity for growth.

Blessings,
Irene

Having a relationship with spirituality is indeed fascinating, often surprising, and at times very very weird. It is true (for me, at least) that once you’ve taken the first step towards Light, you will find it almost impossible to turn back.  It’s like going to school, and then trying to unlearn all that’s been taught and absorbed - very hard.  So even when your vibrations shift you out of your comfort zone, or when your changing energies drive you absolutely berserk, you just keep on going.  Sometimes, change will keep happening until you get the message of growth its trying to deliver to you.

Since my last episode of mini epiphanies, I’ve been pondering quite a bit.  I realized I got hooked on epiphanies, and to my horror, my psyche has decided I need more of that weird stuff.  And so I (the psyche) set out to find more ways that could trigger more of those “a-ha!” moments (with my physical body screaming in tow).  Interestingly, I found one that came with a serious warning label.  I’m a curious cat and I love warning labels, in a twisted way.  This little packet of epiphanies came in the form of a not-so-common type of yoga … it’s called Shiva Nata, a.k.a Dance of Shiva.

At one glance, it all sounds workable.  You can do this in the comfort of your own home via a DVD (and I’m perfectly the home-study sort), without having to announce to the world just how clumsy you are.  The instruction covers some - actually, many - graceful hand and leg movements, breathing and meditation techniques … you just need to learn how to coordinate them at your own pace.  No dangerous back-breaking moves nor stretches that threaten to snap you into half, so that’s cool.  This practice will not only give you more flexible and toned muscles, it will also train your brain.  I don’t know about you, but the part about training the brain appealed to me, BIG time.

And so I ordered the package, and it arrived swiftly.  I even got my kids excited about doing the Dance of Shiva!  So when I first popped the DVD into the player, three of us (me and my daughters) were standing right in front of the TV, eager to do the impossible.  The first few steps went well - the very very basics, loads of fun there.  And then came the challenging part - limb and mind coordination!  I have to admit that I’ve never felt so clumsy in my life.  The moves are not that physically challenging, really, but boy trying to catch the sequence of the moves sure does burn the brain!  Since I’m not exactly doing an official product review here, I will skip the juicy parts on the instructions, but I will sum up my brief experience.  I felt like a big fat eight-legged Tarantula with 4 legs crippled, doing a sloppy job weaving my web and getting myself entangled in it at the same time.  And my two baby Tarantulas were coming out with their own kung-fu moves.  Gosh, this dance is hard!  I was sweating and trembling after 15 minutes, and I haven’t even started on the leg work!

So what’s the point of this?  What do I like about Dance of Shiva that sparked off this post?  This yoga practice works the left brain SO HARD.  With all that ridiculous limb coordinations, you can’t afford slack in the left hemisphere, not one bit!  By the end of 10 minutes, your left brain is ready to give up, and that’s when you sit down, center yourself, breathe and allow your right brain to come in and say, ”Hello, remember me?”.  That’s the time to focus on areas in your life where you feel you’re not progressing or getting enough “a-ha’s”, and allow your right brain to chirp away while the left brain goes for a drink of water.  It was a really weird experience for me, but it felt really GOOD!  My arms were aching a little the next day … I love that achy feeling after a workout, makes me feel I’ve done something good to my lazy body.  Another plus point (well, I see this as a positive thing) is that the Dance of Shiva is something that will take me years and years to master (if ever), so I guess I won’t be getting bored anytime soon!

Just so that you know … I will never recommend anything that I haven’t personally tried before.  So if this post brings out the masochistic side of you that’s yearning for some epiphanies and toned muscles, check out Havi Brook’s beautiful and funny site.  Or you can click on the nice blue spider-woman image on the right hand side, under “Recommended Links” for more information.

Wishing you loads of fun, “struggle” (well, that’s how Dance of Shiva works) and epiphanies!

Blessings,
Irene

We have all heard, read about or even met children who are deemed as “gifted”.  The smarty-pants are the ones who will likely ace all subjects in school without really trying.  Then there are the little sports titans who can run faster than Speedy Gonzales, or own golf handicap numbers that match their young ages.  Not forgetting the musical prodigies who can play Mozart before their legs could reach the pedals of the piano.  Last but not least, there are the spiritually gifted ones who are often referred to as indigo, crystal or rainbow children.

If you are a parent of a gifted child, I am sure you are a very proud parent.  Hey, who wouldn’t be?  My kids are not prodigies - not by my definition, at least - and I’m already so proud of them.

I have met parents of gifted children and there are usually two distinct types.  Type A parents are the ones who believe that their children are “elite” beings, trophies of their family’s good genes who deserve to be treated like royalty.  Type B parents are the ones who do not quite know how to handle their little geniuses, and tend to worry about not being able to provide them with the right resources for optimum growth of their potentials.

Here’s my personal take on handling gifted children … from the perspective of a parent and a spiritual worker.  To Type A parents, I say - hold that thought!  That’s a lot of credit that your ego is claiming from the gifts of your child.  While your kids may inherit your genes at the physical level, their thoughts, feelings and souls - and maybe their gifts - are their own.  I have met little sprinters whose parents could barely walk ten steps without huffing and puffing!  What disturbs me the most is seeing how some of these gifted children become brats of the world.  Having great gifts do not mean anything until they are used wisely for the greater good.  As parents, it is our responsibility to teach our children (gifted or not) the right values and hopefully raise them to be good and unselfish people.  By all means - love your kids, be proud of them - but refrain from using them to feed your ego.  They have special gifts because they have big missions in life to fulfill, and as parents we should help them fulfill their life purposes … not turn our own dreams into their missions.  Gifted children can become powerful beings - powerfully good, or powerfully bad.  Let’s not waste those precious talents.

To Type B parents, I say - worry not.  I guess depending on your own belief system, you may or may not agree with me, but here’s what I think.  Every soul incarnates with an agenda - that’s why we all have life lessons!  We chose our parents before birth, and our children chose us.  Why?  Well there are probably a gazillion answers to that question, but I think the sum of it all is about growing and learning.  Often it’s not just about the growth of the child … it’s also about our growth with him or her.  They picked us as parents because we are the “perfect” ones to do the job - yes, “perfect” with all our imperfections!  So if you’re worried that you’re not psychic nor rich nor smart enough … stop.  If they need to “struggle” with what’s apparently “lacking” in order to grow to their full potential, then that’s how they chose it to be.  As parents, our job is to love, guide and support them to our best abilities.  Focus on what you can give your child, not what you cannot.  Let him or her feel the energy of abundance from you, not the energy of lack.  If you don’t have money but you have a lot of love to give, then shower that abundance of love on your child.  If he or she is destined for great things in life, that energy of abundance will definitely help.

I was looking for a book that could help explain spirituality to older children or teenagers in a way that’s easy to understand and fun to read.  I found it - a book titled “Looking Beyond - A Teen’s Guide To The Spiritual World”, written by James Van Praagh.  Here’s what I like about the book:

• It is spiritual, not religious.
• It is easy to read and comprehend - there are nice illustrations throughout the book that break the monotony of text.  While it is spiritual in nature, it does not make you feel like you’re reading a witch’s manual.
• It talks about “grown-up” stuff, like the law of attraction (in the book, it’s referred to as the magic of your mind) and how to tap into your intuition (referred to as hunches or “that funny feeling” in the book).
• It is empowering for kids/teenagers who are seeking directions in their young lives.  It teaches them about being authentic, and explains how ego may sometimes lead to not-so-good choices in life.

Click on the book for more details.  Enjoy!

Blessings,
Irene

We are constantly in motion, physically and mentally.  For me, I’ve been in motion for almost 4 decades.  I have been moved and shaped into who I am today through external and internal influences.  When there are no upheavals, no pushes nor pulls, I am in a state of inertia.  For many people, inertia = comfort zone.

What is inertia?  In physics, inertia refers to the tendency of an object to remain in the state it is in - either in motion or at rest - unless acted upon by some other force.  Once the object is moving, it takes an equal amount of energy to stop it, and vice versa.

Is inertia a good state to be in?  It depends … if you’re totally happy where you are, then inertia is probably a good thing.  If you’re not, then it’s time to put in that “some other force” and make changes.  Most of the time, these decisions for changes are made consciously … we set intentions and take actions.  While we may feel some resistance along the way, we are mentally prepared for them, so that’s ok.  Small breaks of inertia are usually good.  We break boring repetitions in our lives, and through small challenges we grow at a comfortable pace.

But what happens when we don’t realize just how strong the energies that are keeping us in our current state of inertia are, until we start implementing changes?  What if change comes knocking, and you realize - a tad too late - that you actually need way more energy than you had thought to break inertia?  It’s like driving a car at top speed downhill, and then realizing you need to step way harder on the brakes, and need a much longer braking distance before the car finally screeches to a halt.  You burn your brake pads, earn a dent on your car and get a whiplash as a result of your “miscalculation”.

This happened to me.  Well, not the driving downhill part, but I went through a period of massive breaks of inertia deep within.  Andrea Hess of Empowered Soul wrote a post recently on transformation and change when we embark on the path of spirituality, and I couldn’t agree more with it.  I didn’t realize that just by making a decision to change one thing could create such a powerful domino-effect in almost all aspects of my life.  Was I surprised?  No … I was shocked!  Do I regret this decision?  No.

Once I got past the initial shock, I realized there was no way I could have coordinated all these changes in my life so quickly and deeply without Divine guidance and interference.  It’s like they came and levelled out everything with a bulldozer, and all I’m left with now is a view of the horizon.  While the dust settles, it’s my decision now if I want to walk towards that horizon, or run back to where I was in a state of panic.

Do I choose courage or security?  I already know the answer … but please let me do this one step at a time.  No more shocks for the time being please - thank you!

Blessings,
Irene

The word “manifest” has become a golden word that can’t seem to go wrong in any situation.  Want more money?  Manifest it.  Want more love?  Manifest it.  The desire to manifest things usually leads to one question - “how?”.  Many will say, “set the right intentions”, or “use all your heart, mind and soul”, or “think positive”.  Still, the ability to manifest more effectively seems to delude most people.  There’s so much talk on “how” … we see that everywhere in books, blogs, seminars, videos and all.  Perhaps it’s time to ask “why” instead.

One of the most common things that people want to manifest is money.  The benefits of money are so obvious, it would seem silly to ask why anyone would want to manifest money.  But here’s where we may be short-changing our intentions.  Do your intentions have depth?  Do you know why you are setting these intentions at all?  Are your intentions merely “shells”, manifesting into nothing but thin air?

If you tell yourself, “I want lots of money”, ask yourself WHY do you want that.  The string of answers that follow may reveal your true intentions behind wanting that money:

• I want lots of money.  - Why?
• Because I want to be debt-free, and I want a big house.  - Why?
• Because I don’t want to worry about having no money to pay my bills.  I want my family to live in a nice big house that we can be proud of.  - Why?
• Because I want to feel secure and I love my family.

So now we know it’s not just a superficial intention of “wanting lots of money”.  There’s now the energy of “security” and “love” that backs it up.  You can probably feel the intention now with more intensity.  Wouldn’t that make a more complete, more powerful intention to send out to the Universe?

Sometimes, asking “why” may lead us to set new intentions that are way different from what they were when we first started.  We may discover it’s not “money” but “power” that we really want.  Or we may realize it not “a slimmer body”, but “real friends who love me for who I am” that we really want.  Or maybe not “to win the Salesman of the Year award”, but “to be truly recognized for my gifts, no matter where I go”.  You get the drift.

Personally, I feel getting to the root of my intentions have given them more depth and meaning - it’s kinda like giving my intentions ”souls”.  This has helped me manifest things with greater success.  It has also helped me declutter my mental vision board, so that I can focus my energies on manifesting the things that truly matter … and not just wanting EVERYTHING blindly.

Start asking “why” if you haven’t already done so.  Give your intentions an energetic boost, then send them soaring to the Universe.  Let me know how it turns out.

Blessings,
Irene