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Jun 03 2009

Spiritual Spa - Thursday, June 4

June 3, 2009 – 1:23 am
By Steph | Posted in Spiritual Spa | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

You deserve some time at the Spa!

Relax, ease away any tensions, and tap into a deep connection to higher, good-feeling vibrations… Less than 20 minutes will leave you feeling refreshed, energized, and allowing a flow of positive energy in your life.

You can allow yourself this gift of Spiritual Pampering from the comfort of your own home! This Spiritual Spa will be held *LIVE* as a conference call gathering, including other like-minded souls.

Spiritual Spa is a guided meditation – and you will always have control of your personal experience. It is my intention to create a sacred space for you where you can feel comfortable and uplifted. The experience of guided meditation can be heightened by the energy of a spiritually aware group and that is why I am inviting you all to join me.

During this season of Graduations, moving from one stage of life to another, this first Spiritual Spa will be a guided meditation with a focus on Appreciating and Honoring what has been while Opening our life to wonderful new possibilities.

This call is offered FREE*. My intention is to offer the live group experience so there will not be a recording offered at this time – but, Spiritual Spa will continue at various times with a new focus each time.

I hope you can join me for this quick Vibration-raising Spiritual Spa – Thursday, June 4, 2009 at 1 pm EST (call will last approximately 20 minutes).

(Check your local time for the call here: Spiritual Spa Time )

Call-in number:

1-218-486-1300  Conference Code: 631373

*The conference line may be a long distance call for you, so you will be responsible for your personal phone charges.

 

By Steph | Posted in Spiritual Spa | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)
Mar 10 2009

Meditating - It’s not just for other people

March 10, 2009 – 12:41 pm
By Steph | Posted in good habits | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

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Meditating can fit in your life too.
 
The practice of meditation allows us relaxation and peace. It puts a stop to any negative voices that may be a part of our consciousness - even for a brief period of time - but that peace allows our general consciousness to raise and become more positive. Quiet, peacefulness allows God into our life more fully by opening doors to Him that can be blocked by a negative, or sad, inner soundtrack.
 
I believe that negative inner soundtrack is a primary reason that many Believers seem to live their life full of many negative and painful experiences.
 
I believe that negative soundtrack also permeates our prayer. God is all good. God is all love. Negative, fearful prayer sets up a resistance in our life preventing us from perceiving God’s goodness that surrounds us.
 
A meditative practice can create many positive changes. Quieting our mind can allow us to live in conversation with God as we make room for Him to speak into our life. It is as if we have turned on our receiver to listen for God in our life.
 
How does one begin, though?
I know that many of us have preconceptions about meditation that keep us from it. Meditating does not mean that one must completely silence their mind. It is an opportunity for quiet and peace, but it does not require absolute silence.
 
I would like to offer a variety of options for you to choose from if you would like to begin a meditative practice. I offer no rules. Take what works for you, or not. I always encourage the knowing that your perspective is perfect for you.
  • Allow for imperfection. Just as we joyfully encourage a baby as it tries to stand, or tries to walk, applauding even though it may tumble back to it’s bottom. Lovingly encourage your own unsteady steps into meditation and your new skill will strengthen.
  • Meditation does not have to be marathon length. A couple, or a few minutes daily, is a great start. You wil notice a positive difference in your life more quickly if you commit to a few minutes daily than if you sit down to meditate once a week for an extended period of time.
  • Find a comfortable seated position. Lying down encourages sleep. You just want to find an upright position where your body is at ease. 
I invite you to sample different techniques to quiet your mind until you find your best fit. It’s helpful to have a variety of options from which to choose what is right for each meditation.
  • Breathing - Focus on your breathing; slow and regular.
  • Counting - Try counting backward from 100 with your inhalations and exhalations.
  • Background Noise - Focus on the sound of the air conditioner, furnace, birds outside, water dripping, or a fountain.
  • Mantra or Prayer - Repetitively thinking a word, phrase or memorized prayer allows your mind a focus points.  

Some suggestions:

Choose a word that feels good to you, such as: Love, Peace, or Joy.

Maranatha - This is an Aramaic phrase which can be translated as “Come, O Lord.”

I like to sometimes use my favorite prayer - The Prayer of St. Francis of Assissi - as it is a very positive, open prayer.

Music - Choose peaceful instrumental music.
 
Guided Meditations or specific recordings for Meditation - There are many of these available. I found several meditation CDs at my local library, and countless ones when searching online.
I invite you to try meditating for seven consecutive days and be open to making it a part of your daily life. You will be amazed at the positive changes that will flow into your life! - Or not!
By Steph | Posted in good habits | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)
Mar 04 2009

Open to Joy NOW

March 4, 2009 – 1:21 pm
By Steph | Posted in Check this out!, joy stuff | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Your life is right now! It’s not later! It’s not in that time of retirement. It’s not when the lover gets here. It’s not when you’ve moved into the new house. It’s not when you get the better job. Your life is right now. It will always be right now. You might as well decide to start enjoying your life right now, because it’s not ever going to get better than right now–until it gets better right now!Abraham - 5/11/2002

 

 

Are you living life in the NOW? Are you noticing the good that surrounds you?

 

Right now is where it’s at!

I invite you to open your senses to the good that surrounds you. Appreciate it. “In-Joy” it!

 

My tendency has been to be a news junkie, but, you know what? That doesn’t bring me warm fuzzy feelings. In recent years, I actively seek out stories that are lined up with joyful, loving, warm fuzzy feelings.

 

Instead of visiting another “look how terrible the world is” news story, why not check out Daryn Kagan at http://darynkagan.com/index.html ? She has stories that feel good and “show the world what’s possible.” Her stories are like sunshine peeking through the clouds.

 

And, if you are looking for more good feeling places to visit online, you can check out my list of Joy Stuff at http://www.onthejoypath.com/joystuff/

 

I always welcome suggestions of sites to add to my Joy Stuff, so please share your treasures!

By Steph | Posted in Check this out!, joy stuff | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)
Jan 15 2009

Appreciation

January 15, 2009 – 8:49 am
By Steph | Posted in appreciation | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

I shut my eyes in order to see. – Paul Gauguin

Today is a dangerously cold day here in Minnesota. It’s one of those days that have me dreaming of living somewhere with shorter, warmer winters… Yes, it’s one of those days where I fully enjoy the opportunity to write and create, putting myself in any desired environment! I enjoy guided meditations that take me to beautiful, warm places!

I turn my focus from what I don’t like (the subzero temperatures) to what I can appreciate in the midst of this. I appreciate: a relatively new furnace blowing warm air throughout my home, even newer insulated siding and windows, thick socks and warm clothes, flannel sheets and handmade (with love) quilts, hot cocoa, warm oatmeal, hot soup… I appreciate all of these things, but the thing I MOST appreciate right now is the ELECTRICITY that flows through my home powering my lights, my modem which maintains my connection with the world, my stove and oven, my furnace, the hot water heater, the garage door opener so that I don’t have to get out in the bitter cold to close the door when I leave… Oh, I am going to shower my love and appreciation for that blessing that is ELECTRICITY!!!

It has flashed off for just the blink of an eye a couple of times this morning, making me really think about how much we rely on it!

I intend to find lots of reasons to laugh and love today (warming me from the inside), and I will spend a great deal of time transporting myself somewhere else with my imagination…

Even before the sun is up there, I notice that Honolulu is about 100 degrees warmer than it is here!

By Steph | Posted in appreciation | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)
Jan 13 2009

Following my Joy Path

January 13, 2009 – 1:00 pm
By Steph | Posted in Check this out! | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

All blame is a waste of time. No matter how much fault you find with another, and regardless of how much you blame him, it will not change you. – Dr. Wayne Dyer

I have been following my joy path and it has kept me so joyfully busy that I have not posted to my blog in quite a while. There is so much to fill you in on! I am going to keep this brief for the moment, though.

One of the steps I take to fill my life with joy is to watch Ellen’s show with Marissa every morning before I drive her to school. I love that she fills her show with joy and dancing! Today her show gave me an extra reason to be joyful - she had Dr. Wayne Dyer on again!! And, they offered a wonderful gift. For today and tomorrow only (January 13 & 14) you can view Dr. Dyer’s new movie “Ambition to Meaning” for FREE online. Check it out at: http://www.ambitiontomeaning.com/store/stream

You will be asked to “order” it through Hay House, but there is no charge.

In-joy it!!

By Steph | Posted in Check this out! | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)
Dec 01 2008

Habits I Desire

December 1, 2008 – 1:16 pm
By Steph | Posted in good habits | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Life is an echo, what you send out comes back.”
- Chinese Proverb

I have decided that it is time for me to recommit to good habits that I let slide. I want to consistently live in a way that honors my core values and I have chosen activities that are in alignment with those values.

I am committing to a Power Hour each day. My daily power hour will consist of: Exercise (20 minutes), Writing (30 minutes), and Meditating (10 minutes). I can go above and beyond that - but I will do at least that each day.

I regularly participate in each of these activities now, but I often forget - and I know I feel best when I am consistent. In thirty days you can create new habits by creating new neural pathways. Throughout this month of December I am committing to these life giving activities and I will be beginning 2009 with a renewed shine to my life!

To reinforce myself and remind myself I have created my own special program - I’ll keep you updated on how it goes!

By Steph | Posted in good habits | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)
Nov 25 2008

Where am I looking?

November 25, 2008 – 11:42 am
By Steph | Posted in personal musings | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

I’m a believer in good things and I cannot look at bad things without hurting myself. – Abraham-Hicks

I was listening to my cds today and that quote felt very significant for me.

flowers I get to choose where I look - and so do you. So, when I make the choice to read or watch depressing news stories, or read sniping and bickering on a message board, or look at someone and focus on their pain - when I place my focus there I FEEL BAD. I am hurting myself because I have chosen it.

If I decide to feel good then I can choose to nurture that feeling by focusing on things that feel good to me. I can choose to listen to uplifting cds; I can choose to watch “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives” rather than a violent drama or the evening news; I can choose to see the divine light within someone who is focused upon their limitations… I CAN CHOOSE.

This can take a conscious effort, an active awareness, to consistently choose the good feeling things over the bad feeling things - but it gets easier with repetition.

Look; Feel Bad; Awareness; Make a new choice. /  Look; Feel Good; Repeat.

In-Joy!

By Steph | Posted in personal musings | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)
Nov 24 2008

Sharing

November 24, 2008 – 3:44 pm
By Steph | Posted in Check this out! | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

I am a kind of paranoiac in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy.

- J. D. Salinger

The world seems to be doing little backflips lately to make things work out for me! I love when that happens!

Today, I wanted to share a link that looks fun to me. It’s a free online language program and you can choose to interact with learning partners (or not). I have been studying Italian recently using the Rosetta stone program and it’s ok to a point - but I know I could benefit from some interaction. If you are interested in learning a new language check out LiveMocha

In joy!

By Steph | Posted in Check this out! | Tagged , , | Comments (0)
Nov 04 2008

A day of Change and Choices

November 4, 2008 – 3:19 pm
By Steph | Posted in release weight | Tagged , , , , | Comments (1)

When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.  - Lao Tzo

Today is a beautiful day – a day full of joy for me!


To begin with, it is my Grandma’s 97th birthday. Happy Birthday, Grandma!!

It is also Election Day here in the US, a day for change and choices. I now consider Election Day my “Rebirth” Day.

In 2004, on our last presidential election day, my life felt very different. I was obese, and frequently ill, just beginning to take little steps to move out of a gripping depression.

One of my “little steps” was to get out of the house every day and I wanted a reason to stay out of the house and away from the TV on Election day, so I actually invited a friend out to lunch. (That was a bigger step!) This friend had already made an appointment to visit LA Weight Loss for an introductory evaluation and invited me to come along with her before our lunch.

Since I went along with her, I received an evaluation also. My weight and my friend’s weight were within a couple ounces of each other. I then sat and listened as my friend spoke about how awful it was to be that fat… how much she needed to change her life… and, sitting there at the exact same weight, I heard it as if she were speaking to me:

“You’re too fat! You’re not healthy! You’re ruining your life! Do something about it before it’s too late!”

Yikes!! That sounds terrible, but it actually allowed me to see that my life could be BETTER. I could change things and I decided to do just that! 

I stepped onto a new path and kept moving forward at an easy pace. It started with weight loss, then joy and recognition of my creative power… I was in the flow that led to a spiritual awakening, and there’s still MORE TO COME!!!

Now, I am joyfully celebrating the anniversary of my Rebirth!

By Steph | Posted in release weight | Tagged , , , , | Comments (1)
Oct 27 2008

Refund from the Universe

October 27, 2008 – 9:34 am
By Steph | Posted in abundance | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

…write a letter to the Universe-at-Large asking for a cash refund. I’ll explain: In this lifetime, you have worked, you have helped people, and you have loved and cared for them. You have generated good energy, much of which you didn’t get paid for because, naturally, you didn’t expect to get paid for kindness. But you are entitled to a cash return for all that love and energy you put out, but only if you ASK for it. So ask. - from The Little Money Bible by Stuart Wilde

I love that quote from Stuart Wilde’s book and I wanted to share it with you today. Think of all the good energy you have generated in your life! Often times, those of us who give from the heart have a hard time accepting money. But, think about it this way: it’s as if you have been building up a bank account with this good energy and never withdrawn from it. It has just been building up and earning interest.

Go ahead and joyfully ask for your cash return today!

By Steph | Posted in abundance | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

  • Stephanie Griffin

    Inspirational Life Guide © 2008 Email Steph