Category: Blogs
The Itchy Wool Sweater Test… on the Spiritual Journey
Things are falling away. All things. Family, friends, connection to places and things. It’s so hard to believe sometimes, but here I am. This has at times made me feel so alone… but when I get past the habit of the reaction, freedom is all I feel! I have noticed that many of my emotional reactions are habitual and connected to specific recurrent events. They are the old self-imposed expectations under which I am still operating: the roles I cling to, the habitual ways of being and thinking am I used to. I realize that I no longer need to fall into those patterns. I can choose to do it differently. When I remember that there are no rules, that nothing has to be done “that way” again… the freedom overwhelms me! The freedom of being who we are with no boundaries! The freedom of choosing only the things that bring us to the awareness of Us! This is why so many things are falling away.
The more I become authentically Me, the more those people and things that/who don’t resonate move away. The more I become authentically Me, the more things that don’t resonate within me are shown to me. It feels like I keep bringing in more of Me, Remembering more of Me. The way I can describe what this feels like is that I can actually feel the substance of my being more powerfully and more physically. I am coming into a more full remembrance of who I am. I feel more solid. I feel more full of the awareness and power of who I am. I am adjusting to it.
This adjustment has caused what I call “the wool sweater phenomena”: When I am making choices that are not aligned with my authentic self, my life feels like a scratchy wool sweater. Not that a wool sweater isn’t warm and snuggly on a cold winter day, but when it’s worn on bare skin it can be one of the most uncomfortable pieces of clothing! I know I chose this as a reminder to pull me back to Being Me. I wanted a reminder that was gentle, easy, but persistent. Loud enough I would listen, but not so loud it would knock me over the head. This would remind me of my commitment to Authenticity. A reminder to look at what is not resonating with Me and not to fall in patterns that no longer serve. Patterns that are not going to move me in the direction of True Self. This irritable feeling of constriction and friction reminds me that I am not in my Wholeness. That I am giving my power away to a situation, to another, to a thing, to a behavior, etc. You name it. Whatever it is, it is not aligning with who I am… and the wool sweater feeling is the tap on the shoulder to pay attention and to remember to change it by aligning thought, word, and deed to Wholeness.
Although very uncomfortable, I’m grateful for my “wool sweater” reminder. I am hopeful that I do not lose sight of my commitment and that I see the distractions for what they are so I don’t choose a bigger tap on the shoulder! Staying in the awareness that we are choosing all the time, in every area of our existence is so liberating. The validation that this has brought me has also been immeasurable. Every constricting wool sweater feeling is the reminder that I am definitely not in alignment with my expansive self. It is my opportunity to exercise my Creator muscle. To observe, allow understanding and then change to be in the Truth of my Wholeness.
Whatever our chosen reminders are, they are there to lead us to our Wholeness. They are there to continually bring awareness to who we Are. The Divine Beings that we are, are not observers of our lives but the active creators of it. Whatever “wool sweater” you have chosen, remember its purpose. Remember that if you don’t like it, you can change it. You are choosing the path to your True Self. As we are getting closer, we are resonating to our true vibration and everything is aligning to that. While we don’t have full remembrance of what ultimate alignment is yet, in choice we create the space to allow Wholeness to expand.
Cathy Guido
Trinity Energy Progression Facilitator/Practitioner
Everything is a Choice
Every day, I made choices about who and what I was and how I felt and thought about who and what I was. Did I even realize I was choosing? Nine times out of ten, no I didn’t… until recently, when I chose to start noticing. I made a conscious decision to reclaim my decisions. I realized I was feasting at the banquet of their consequences, so why should I remain unconscious of making them? I saw myself hoping things would turn out like I wanted or wishing things were different. Totally giving my power of creation away to anyone or anything slightly more focused than myself. Yuck and gross!
This refocus allowed me to really see just how many decisions, creations, I made – or not – each day. I was speechless and sad at how small I saw myself that I wasn’t even willing to step up and claim my own well being through choices. Everything is a choice. EVERYTHING. I now exert MY choices on MY life. I now choose to sleep well and wake up refreshed no matter how many minutes my eyes were closed. I now choose to be dis-ease and pain free. I now choose to honor and respect all of myself. I believe that is the true nature of the phrase I Am. I choose all that I am.
I think this is the most valuable gift you can offer someone – the power of choice. I used to believe I was a progressive mother in teaching my now adult children how to manage life. But I was falling so short in teaching them how to empower themselves through their choices. It is the same for family and friends. It is empowerment through choices instead of rescues and shelter. I overheard a friend explain how yoga becomes easy when you “stack the bones.” The balance is just there. I believe the same is true with choices! Your choices become the bones… and the rest aligns with them. So see with what your choices are aligning!
“…If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice…”
-Freewill, by Rush 1980
Sarah Sieg Avignone
Trinity Energy Progression Facilitator/Practitioner
Time to (Let) Go…
This week, my family and I are moving to a new house. I’m VERY excited; LOVE the new house, and am HUGELY grateful for how this all came together!
Our house of 22 years is being torn down by the DOT to put a road through it.
Now, don’t judge the DOT… that’s what so many jump to right away. In all reality, the road they’re expanding to meet the road they’re putting in is VERY overdue; the traffic down that currently 2-lane road is a nightmare nightly, because it’s become a bottleneck in this rapidly growing area. In fact, when we bought our house 22 years ago, they were talking about this highway and road expansion then; it’s just been put on the table over and over… while we were able to play out a wonderful 22 years. We knew it was definitely coming three years ago, when they finally finished and began to implement the plan.
Our children are young adults now; my youngest is 21 and in her last year of college. So, actually… the timing was quite perfect, as my – our – needs and wants have changed dramatically.
I AM happily excited about it all! Quite honestly, my husband and I know we manifested this whole thing perfectly and with complete consciousness… but that’s a powerful blog for another day (and I WILL share THAT story)! It’s exciting to shed the past in its completion!
I know that I’m on the edge of the next huge level of transformation, and this is simply a physical reflection of that. I teach others about letting go, about opening ourselves to what’s next… and what’s now. Allowing. Though in many ways I’ve felt like I’ve been in stasis for the last three years, I’ve been hugely grateful for the time to mourn the “death” of our house, and in essence the “death” of a very, very significant part of my life. Since the beginning of this year, it’s been a (breathless) and very welcome shift into the engagement of change.
EXCEPT it’s sometimes a bit scary to the ego to jump into change in such a complete way, all at once… even though that seems to be the theme of my life!
The ego is still letting go of all I’ve built on within my experience, my identity, while this has been my domicile. I know that’s OK; I generally nourish and allow it, with love.
And I focus on gently, lovingly, and freely LETTING GO.
However, with that creation, there are some bumps in the road, as the ego tries to fight what it has held onto for so long. What I’ve been observing is the amazing amount of layers that were hidden under the surface of this connection.
Our home is the physical reflection of our personal and collective Divine embodiment. Flow issues? Plumbing comes up. Discomfort with yourself, as you are? Heating or air condition issues… I could go on.
And yet, it also reflects the love and energy of who we are.
The closer and closer this move has come to us, the more I have focused on gratitude for this house; for this haven of support and love for so many years of my life. So many who have come to this home have commented on how nourishing it is, how much love is there, how they just love being there. I have connected with the consciousness of the house seamlessly many, many times in gratitude, and all I feel is gratitude back.
I offered to take its consciousness with us, since it will no longer be embodied through the physicality of the house… and with love, it told me that it was ready to move on, with so much gratitude for all that we have shared. It has also provided me with a new sense of gratitude for my Self, for what I have chosen to embody, in a whole new level!
For the past week or so, I’ve been hearing its “voice” in my consciousness: “Time to go.” I realize it means both for me/us and for it.
This past weekend, I was mowing the lawn on my riding mower, doing what I’ve done a countless number of times, and I realized this was the last time I would be doing this at this house. As I rode along, with the sweet scents of familiarity surrounding me, an infinite number of flashes of memory began. All the thoughts, the meditations, the events that I reflected upon while mowing over the years – so many moments of uncertainty, discomfort, irritation, anger at something in my reality, as much as joy and excitement – that were worked out and flowed through doing this very basic task, and would ultimately calm me while bringing about the feeling of nourishment and support.
Along these flashes came tears; a final tidal wave of sadness, mourning… and a little fear of the unknown…. as excited as I am about it.
Yet, energetically reaching into the earth beneath me, I felt that nourishment and connection… I felt it all as me… and again, I understood, “Time to go.”
Time to let go of who, what, and where I’ve been, to become what I am to be, now.
My heart exploded with gratitude in the fullness of love that has been there, that is to be, and in recognizing that it’s time to step into the wholeness of me in a whole new way without the need of this reflection back to me anymore.
Fait accompli.
Angela Coulter
Originator, Trinity Energy Progression
BEing Your Emerging Self
I’m ready to start living life to the fullest. This line seems so cliché as it seems to be the latest buzz concept. Why might this matter? Sometimes I can be a bit of an “evolution” snob. ROTFL; ultimately, SO WHAT if anyone or everyone else is focusing on this? It’s MY priority.
To me, “living life to the fullest” has to be based on an internal shift of belief as well as actions. That’s where this comes in.
Recently I was realizing that I really want to increase my water intake and keep that consistent, day-to-day. Years ago, I heard that it’s important to drink half of your body weight in ounces in water; and to match an additional 2 ounces of water for each ounce of caffeine consumed. Although I share this concept regularly, I’ve yet to achieve it myself.
THEN, I recently heard a twist on this which was paradigm-shifting …. What I heard is that the break-even point of water consumption is the half your body weight in ounces; and that if you really want to fuel your body properly, you’d up that by 20-30%. Think about this …. the MINIMUM amount of water to consume is half your body weight in ounces; NOT that this is the ideal goal. That’s another 20-30 PERCENT.
This was one of those life-changing moments …. A “kerplunk” moment …. All of the things I suggest to people, I share about, I coach people to embrace and that I am not living myself …. came front and center for me.
Combined with the regular discussions I have with close friends on evolving including fun concepts such as “being versus doing,” “living who we are,” “living from the present” …. I shifted to ….
IT IS TIME to start putting into action those day-to-day activities which support what I believe in, and support my emerging self … who I truly am versus where I’ve been living from.
Concurrent taking action is continuing to do the inner work which clears the way to make the action easier to integrate into my day-to-day life. Want to know more about the inner work, and where many find themselves right now? If so, check out Angela Coulter’s recent discussion around this via her “Living the Shift” livestream/podcast.
I started thinking of the different elements I’ve been exploring, am interested in making part of my regular “don’t need to think about it” activities ….. I realized the perfect acronym for me is “Dragonfly” as that’s a personal totem for me. I have dragonflies in various forms all over my home, yard, vehicle, clothes. Dragonflies represent transformation, change, lightness, flexibility, self-awareness, power. Just recently, I was traveling and came across dozens and dozens of Dragonflies in various fields. I took this as a very profound sign and message. I loved seeing how integrated they are into the environment which reminded me of how I’d like self-care activities to be in my life. You can see a video of the lovelies here: Being Your Emerging Self ~ Dragonflies.
Here’s what I identified as the actions of being I am now integrating into my daily life to reflect and support me:
D = Direct your thoughts, starting with when you wake up … set your intention for the day
R = Renew yourself through meditation, quiet time, etc.
A = Ask for guidance ~ such as “Show me the way” (credit to Nommy)
G = Gratitude ~ express gratitude in every moment, every thing
O = Oxygenate ~ I use a BEMER, breathe deep, yoga; however you do it, it works
N = Now ~ live from the present now, in each situation
F = Fuel yourself through a minimum of half your body weight in ounces of water plus 20-30%
L = Listen to connect ~ Look around you to observe ~ Live from Love
Y = You ~ Make yourself a priority as a reflection of your commitment to you
“With every act of self-care your authentic self gets stronger, and the critical, fearful mind gets weaker. Every act of self-care is a powerful declaration: I am on my side, I am on my side, each day I am more and more on my own side.”
~ Susan Weiss Berry
This is how I’m choosing to support my emerging self. What supports your emerging self?
I invite you to join me and others in allowing and supporting your emerging self so that you too can choose to live your life from being your emerging self.
With curiosity and gratitude,
Laurel Ley
Trinity Energy Progression Facilitator/Practitioner
The Greatest Love of All
We were joined at the hip, on identical paths and inseparable. 33 years of marriage and we thought NOTHING would ever separate us. We’d been through it all: heartache, triumph, birth, pain, celebration, death, achievement. Victory after victory, loss after loss. Events that would challenge our commitment to each other. We grew closer with each one. How does a couple make it through all of that and not split up? Because of their undying love for each another. Each challenge made us stronger and tighter. We prided ourselves on being unshakable, unstoppable. NOTHING would EVER pull us apart.
We were an unlikely pair. One day I fell for him and my life would never be the same. We married quickly. I recognized him as my one and only. He composed a special song for me when he proposed (he’s not even a composer). He sang the special song to me (he’s not even a singer). He played the piano while singing the special song to me (he’s not even a piano player). He was motivated to learn all of these things by love. He called the song, “Sandy.” My heart melted and I would forever be his. Ahhh, youth. Those were the days, exciting and free!
We stuck by each other’s side through thick and thin. Shared our heartaches, goals, and dreams. We grew together as one. He was my world and I was his. Endless challenges popped up, including kids. We said we would never leave each other. If we made it through all of this, NOTHING would EVER pull us apart. Our vows were unbreakable and our love was unshakable.
…UNTIL NOW.
We had stayed together for love, loyalty, and life. Then everything SHIFTED and it shifted HUGE. Things change, people grow, souls evolve. Over the last few years, we have been going in different directions and we struggled to hang on.
LOYALTY – The ego wasn’t going to let it crumble easily.
LOVE – We loved each other too much to let this masterpiece go. Just needed to work through it, find more solutions.
LIFE – We needed to live more life together, expand our experience. Ego was trying desperately to hold things together, but the Higher Self had other plans. We thought love was keeping us together, but really, LOVE WAS PULLING US APART.
What does all of this mean? Nothing in life has any meaning except the meaning we give it. My perception of love and relationship used to be one of lack. I was looking for others to love me to fill a void within myself. My view has changed drastically. Through my new lenses, I see that splitting apart is the “Greatest Love Story of All.” It’s not the same story that began 33 years ago. That one was of romance, togetherness, and attachment. Our love story now is the one with no conditions, attachments, or obligations. The one where two people discover their truth and align with their highest vision regardless of the other. When two people no longer align in the higher vision of their truth together, it’s time to move on. Otherwise the relationship would be poisoned with lack, limitation, and resentment. We were designed this way. It’s our innate internal flow. The spiral of remembrance will teach us this.
Conscious uncoupling, that’s what this is. With an open heart and an open spirit, two people allow their hearts to move gently apart. They honor each other completely and allow the pure resonance of their intentions to align in Oneness. It can only be done with pure, genuine, unconditional love. There is awareness, and truth, and dignity. There need be no resentment or guilt. Sadness naturally arises as the ego grieves its masterpiece. Tears fall at the loss of identity. Tears are the authentic expression of the soul and are to be honored in a breakup; however, they are to be funneled through with full trust of moving forward. Two hearts break and one heart falls. Our hearts fall together in Oneness. That’s the beauty. We’ll always be connected, we’ll always be in Oneness, just with a new, independent energetic alignment. It takes a lot of courage, strength, and trust to understand and choose this path.
I realized the Greatest Love of all is really the greatest love for myself. I struggled to find love in my youth. I thought it was outside of myself, so I was forever searching… and hubby filled that void, for a long while. Now it is complete within myself. I have full unconditional love for myself, and I’m free to explore my journey in the most optimal way. This brings to mind the words to one of my favorite songs, “Greatest Love of All” by Whitney Houston. This is my beautiful tune…
“I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone’s shadows
If I fail, if I succeed, at least I’ll live as I believe
No matter what they take from me, they can’t take away my dignity
Because the greatest love of all is happening to me
I found the greatest love of all inside of me
The greatest love of all is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself, it is the greatest love of all”
What a heavy weight lifted! No attachments, no obligations to each other. No trying to hold things together or control the outcome. Let it be. There are no words to describe this form of freedom. It’s COMPLETE DELIVERANCE from bondage and burdens. I have never felt this way before EVER in this lifetime. I hope you can experience it, too, in whatever form it takes for you!
What is the lesson here? That the “Greatest Love” is unconditional; it is the love of ONESELF. If it’s truly unconditional, you can let someone go purely, exclusively, respectfully, so they can explore their journey apart from you. I no longer need him to fill a void, because there is no void. I unconditionally walk away. No strings attached. I am forever changed and I have expanded beyond my former self. I am so much more than this relationship and this persona. I am pure consciousness embodied as Sandy Vaught Anthony. As consciousness, I am aware of myself in physical form. I am free to be someone else. I am free to grow and expand beyond my wildest dreams. Perhaps the biggest misperception is that this is a loss. IT IS ACTUALLY A GAIN. I still have my beautiful memories. I am not judging my creation. My love is forever, and the memories with him are forever. I am immensely grateful for the rich lessons I have experienced. In fact, writing this blog is helping me with embracing and completing this cycle.
I am enough.
I’M THE ONE I’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR ALL ALONG. Time to move forward in full bloom. I am a beautiful rose twisting and twining out of the soil, allowing her blossoms to take full form. Artistry in motion and master of emotion. As the petals fall, they dance and swirl, and a new birth takes place. This reminds me of another one of my favorite songs called “The Rose” by Bette Midler. I performed a solo lyrical dance to this song years ago and it still has relevance for me today. This is exactly how I feel! Its timeless message activates the seeds of the higher heart. Feel into it.
“Some say love, it is a river, that drowns the tender reed
Some say love, it is a razor, that leaves your soul to bleed
Some say love, it is a hunger, an endless aching need
I say love, it is a flower, and you, its only seed
Its the heart afraid of breaking, that never learns to dance
Its the dream afraid of waking, that never takes the chance
It’s the one who won’t be taking, who cannot seem to give
And the soul afraid of dying, that never learns to live
When the night has been too lonely and the road has been too long
And you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong
Just remember in the winter, far beneath the bitter snows
Lies the seed, that with the sun’s love in the spring becomes the rose.”
I AM the rose.
Sandy Anthony
Trinity Energy Progression Facilitator/Practitioner
D5 Creation