The Indigo Connection

It’s Monday morning and I am realizing that it’s darker each morning now that Fall is here.  It’s harder to wake up with that same level of excitement brought by  the long days of summer.  The thought of those cold dark days of winter can certainly make the heart sink.  

 It’s time to STOP letting the negative chatter take center stage.  We’ve got a new day, a new week and NOW within our grasp.  Our thoughts are a choice, just as much as our actions are.

I am offering the following affirmations as the perfect way to jump-start a Monday, or any moment for that matter.  Pick a few favorites from this list and say them out loud, post them on your vision board or share them with someone who needs a boost.

I know what makes me happy, and I attract it deliberately.

I have the power to bring a smile to someone’s face

My favorite song plays in my mind on command

My body responds remarkably to my positive suggestions

I notice beauty in the small things, and offer gratitude liberally

I am open to expressing love, offering love and accepting love in complete safety

I operate freely with complete integrity within my own truth

I enjoy playing an important role in the divine plan

Each day allows me to unfold and open to my greater purpose

I comfortably follow subtle signs and intuitive guidance and experience excellent results.

When I lose energy, a simple, full breath offers full restoration.

I am blessed with safety, love, friendships and opportunities.

I have exactly what I need, and I am grateful.

I am surrounded by a world of beauty, life, light and meaning.

I am patient and aware. 

I notice the grace and divine light in all living creatures.

I am the answer to someone else’s prayer.

Just about everyone has heard that “it is more blessed to give than to receive” in some form or fashion.  We drill it into our kids heads at Christmas and accept it ourselves too.   As a person in the healing and service profession I find myself constantly in the giving mode, which I have chosen and which is very satisfying.     To be able and prosperous enough to give is a blessing.

This month I chose to participate in the monthly “open healing night” that is held by Inner Harmony (my office partners) for the very first time.  Not knowing how this worked, I assumed that I would be donating and giving my healing energy to help others throughout the evening.  What I learned once I got there is that we take turns healing each other and that I too would receive healing. 

Suddenly I found myself in a new vulnerable place, yet a place I needed.  How arrogant to think healing only goes one way!  In fact, how can I possibly be an effective healer unless I receive too.  This is the nature of balance, yet not one that had reached my awareness.

Receiving is not about keeping score – it is a metaphore for the sacred feminine and part of the natural cycle of life.  If you fight receiving or fear accepting gifts from others, you lose energy in the process and deny the  energy of the giver, and the blessing.  By receiving, we complete the circuit and restore energetic harmony.

If you are always in the giving mode, ask yourself how you might switch places for once.  Look for ways you could acknowlege the gifts of others by asking for their help and support.  Allow people to return favors or nurture you while feeling that you truly deserve their care and attention. 

Best of all, count your blessings and be grateful for what you receive.  It is there, that the greatest blessing of all occurs.

Do you remember where you were and what you were doing on the morning of September 11, 2001 when your learned that the first plane hit the World Trade Center?  How about when the second plane hit?  When the Pentagon was hit?  When the plane crashed in Shanksville?  When the towers began to collapse?

 These are all images and memories that most of us will never forget.  It was a helpless and scary feeling.  I remember being terrified that I might not see my husband or family again.  I was bluntly forced to face mortality in a new and different way on that day.  My heart went out to those New Yorkers, both strangers and those my family personally knows who live and work there.  I cried for them, their lost neighbors and coworkers and for the beauty of life here in the U.S. that we have too often taken for granted.

I just received a wonderfully inspirational e-mail from Cheryl Richardson, one of my favorite nationally recognized coaches.  She provided a list of questions she ponders each year on September 11 and I agree that these are an excellent way to remember and honor that day, as well as what’s most important in life. 

Here are the questions Cheryl Richardson asks us to ponder:

*~Am I pleased with how I’m spending my precious time on earth?

*~ Am I spending enough quality time with the people who matter most?

*~ Am I doing my best to listen to the voice of my soul so I make real,
honest choices based on what I most want?

*~ If today were my last day on earth, would I feel good about what I’m
leaving behind?

*~ Am I sharing (or working toward sharing) my God-given gifts and
talents with others?

*~ Are there any petty disagreements or differences that I need to let go
of once and for all?

*~ Is there someone I need to forgive?

I will take some time this week to ponder these questions myself.  I know that I have made great changes in my own life since 9/11/01 which were very much influenced by taking stock of what was most important to me and how I could use my gifts for highest service.  I am not finished figuring things out, but I know that my inner work has helped me to help and inspire others. 

Remember – you are here for a reason and there is still time.  Don’t take one day or special person for granted.  Cherish life!