Why a Hiatus is A Great Thing

For the last year or so I’ve been doing Soul Lab– the blog and the radio show– with great enthusiasm, interest and success. I have had the chance to interview and meet some incredible people. I urge you to listen to some of the many radio interviews or read the Well-being Q&As in this blog to learn from some of the most interesting teachers and writers working today.

But the idea of a hiatus seems like a good one– taking time off from a project to gather new inspiration, and let new ideas flow seems to be where I’m headed. I think what happens with most of us is that we have a great burst of inspiration, a new idea, a new creative track and we feel we must continue it with the same fervor in order for it to be “successful.” Well, so much of what Soul Lab is about is taking your intuition very seriously, and acting on it.

That said, I am putting Soul Lab on hold until the first week of January. November and December will be devoted to a writing project I am very excited about, and spending time with family and friends. The next two months is also going to be about giving my mind a rest (as much as possible outside the normal scope of work) and getting back in touch with my body through movement, diet and new meditation practices.

This is an interesting time in the lives of so many people I know. A time to go inward, reevaluate, slow down, recalibrate and make physical adjustments which will make our lives work a little better and flow a bit more smoothly. Next weekend, I am doing “The Big Purge” meaning that whatever I do not sell in the biggest garage sale of the century, I am donating to Goodwill and Safeplace. Simplify, simplify, simplify. Let the true spirit of the holidays commence. See you in January!

In the meantime, enjoy this video clip of designer Stefan Sagmeister at the TED conference talking about why he takes a year off every seven years to redefine his business:

Not Always Puppies and Rainbows

It’s occurred to me lately that the whole point of social media and blogging for so many of us was designed to be an opportunity to connect with each other authentically, creatively and without reservation. I’m not talking about the blog as a confessional or Facebook or Twitter as vehicles to tell the world what you had for breakfast. That’s not it. But what I’ve found is that as hard as I try to tell a story– even my story– with a newfound sense of freedom, old habits tend to die very hard. I am still measuring each word, each phrase and each decision to post something as though my future world depended on it. And maybe it does.

We all want to put a face, a persona out there that is not necessarily who we really are but, rather, who we aspire to be. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But for me, I still struggle with putting my inner journey out there on display for the world to see and, yes, to judge. So be it.

But as real as I believed I was getting, I think what this journey has been lacking in Soul Lab is a meaningul and conscientious eye toward the dark side of life, not sunshine and roses– puppies and rainbows. For the record, I believe in the power of positive thinking. It is a needed and extremely powerful tool in the fight against depression, self-limiting beliefs, anxiety and emotional scars from painful past experiences. For many of us, even entertaining a positive attitude is in and of itself a momentous breakthrough in our own personal development. With it comes hope, energy, even joy.

But life is not always positive, and that’s OK. This can be a big realization for some people… the idea that you can live a life of purpose, passion and authenticity but also be crippled with fear, worry, and loss. In our desire to find peace, harmony and truth, we talk ourselves out of what we feel to be these lesser negative emotions. I think this is a mistake. A friend of mine often talks about the gift of living the “full human experience.” What she means by this is that while we are mostly spirit, we arrive here in a physical body for the purpose of expanding our consciousness and moving through our individual journeys in ways that are fueled by the human part of us– we live in this world full of people, systems, values, nature, communities, process and every nuanced emotion that the human animal has pushed to evolve. This is extraordinary to me.

So while I appreciate living in states of gratitude, grace, love, fun, peace, joy and all of those incredibly delicious feelings, I feel compelled to stop this subtle self-judgement that creeps in whenever an uncomfortable feeling arises. And I am not talking about that emotionless detachment that us “spiritual” people are encouraged to foster when some big experience hurdles toward us. I’m not interested in watching my feelings float by like clouds. Thoughts, on the other hand, are another thing entirely. What I am interested in is being as close to the core of my emotions as possible– to feel them and move through them in real time. Not later. Not never. But right now in this moment… in the rain.

Seven Things You May Not Know About Angels by Lorna Byrne

Do you believe in angels? 81% of Americans say they believe in angels to some extent, with 60% of Americans “absolutely” believing (Baylor University study). Lorna Byrne, author of international bestseller Angels in My Hair, has been seeing and talking to angels since she was a baby, and considers them her best friends.

1) Everyone has a Guardian Angel. It doesn’t matter what religion you are, or whether you have no belief in God at all, you have a Guardian Angel.  I see the light of everyone’s Guardian Angel behind them, and I have never seen anyone without one.

2) Your Guardian Angel never leaves you. Not for a minute, it is with you from before you are conceived, and stays with you until after you are dead. I am often asked are they there when we are in the bathroom or making love. The answer is yes! They never leave us (and they are not embarrassed by things we might be). No matter how alone you may feel – you are never alone.

3) All you have to do is ask. You have been given free will, and an angel is not allowed to interfere with that. You need to ask your Guardian Angel for help. Just ask, it’s as simple as that. It may only be once a year, but ask.

4) Your Guardian Angel lets other angels and souls in to help you. Your Guardian Angel is the gatekeeper of your soul. It can let other spirits and angels close to help you. Whatever task or problem you have, there are teacher angels who can help you. Your Guardian Angel can also allow spirits of people who have passed to help you – perhaps the spirit of your Granny who has died.

5) Your Guardian Angel can communicate with someone else’s Guardian Angel. Having a problem with someone? Nervous about meeting someone?  Ask your Guardian Angel to have a word with his or her Guardian Angel.

6) Angels take on a human appearance to help us to understand a message. I see angels all the time, and they all look different – all unique but all magnificent. They may appear as a male or female, and seem to be able to change this at will. Some angels appear with wings, some not. They take on an appearance which helps the communication they want to give – so the Angel of Mothers Love, who I talk about in my book Angels in My Hair, is round like the sun and enormous in size. Her wings are wrapped around her but opened out, a little like a mother hen. Her arms are always ready to embrace you in a big hug.

7) Your Guardian Angel loves you, you’re precious to them, you’re their number one …they have to do everything they can for you, and they will. All you have to do is ask.

For more information on Lorna Byrne visit http://www.lornabyrne.com.

Excerpt from the website: “I have been seeing and talking with Angels since I was a baby. This may sound extraordinary, but I’m also just an ordinary person dealing with the challenges and joys of everyday life, just like you.

I live in rural Ireland. I’m a mother with four children, who are now largely reared. I was widowed some years ago and now I am finally doing what the Angels have been asking me to do for several years and talking openly for the first time about what I have seen and learned from them.

I know that some people are cynical about the topic of Angels, but the very fact that you are curious enough to check out this website means that the Angels are inspiring you to look a little further.

Approach this website with an open mind. Regardless of your religion – whether you have one or not – there is something for you here. Even if you say you don’t believe in Angels, suspend your disbelief for a short time and have a look. What have you got to lose?”

Angels in My Hair by Lorna Byrne is published in the USA by Doubleday.

Soul Lab Radio: Career Intuitive Sue Frederick

Yesterday on Soul Lab I had an enlightening conversation with Sue Frederick about her work and her latest book, I See Your Dream Job: A Career Intuitive Shows You How to Discover What You Were Put on Earth to Do ($19.99, St. Martin’s Press). I was really struck by how down-to-earth and seemingly simple her messages are: you’ve always known what your soul has called you to do in this lifetime. When life gives you twists and turns (lay offs, relationship endings, financial difficulties) it’s because we’re too far from our soul’s original purpose. Sue advises clients and readers to use their intuition (gut feelings, hunches) to allow themselves to be guided in the direction of their dreams. As a career intuitive Sue combines a unique gift of powerful intuition and practical career know-how to get you moving on your destined career path. As a professional career counselor, she draws upon dreams, ancient numerology and conversations with spirits to “see your dream job.” She’ll show you the work you’ve already signed up for, and how to manifest it in your life. You’ll walk away with a fresh perspective on your life and career.

The Life and Death of Ramesh Balsekar

Up until recently I did not know the first thing about Ramesh Balsekar, though I had heard of him over the years. On September 27, at the age of 92, Ramesh died at his home in Mumbai. He had returned to his home after recovering from pnemonia but soon after passed away among friends and family. He left many who loved him swimming deep in waters of despair these last few days. I learned about this teacher from my friend Gary who was a longtime student. He loved Ramesh. Digging a little deeper, I began to get a minor grasp of this beloved teacher’s impact on students worldwide.

He taught that everything operates mechanistically according to both Divine and natural laws. “While people believe that they are actually doing things and making choices, free will is in fact an illusion. All that happens is caused by this one source, and the actual identity of this source is pure Consciousness, which is incapable of choosing or doing. This false identity which revolves around the idea that ‘I am the body’ or ‘I am the doer’ keeps one from seeing that one’s actual identity is free Consciousness. Like other Vedanta teachers, he says that while creation and creator appear to be different and separate, that they are actually two sides of the same coin.” (Source: Wikipedia)

Ramesh said, “The final truth, as Ramana Maharshi and Nisargadatta Maharaj and all the sages before them have clearly stated, is that there is neither creation nor destruction, neither birth nor death, neither destiny nor free will, neither any path nor any achievement. All there is is Consciousness.”

In this video, Ramesh sums up in one word what life is really all about…

For People Who Want the Good News First

Sometimes you faced with the question, “do you want the good news, or the bad news first?” For most of us, just turning on the news requires a bit of courage, an open mind and even a sense of humor. For me, I used to be a news junkie until I literally couldn’t take it anymore. I was starting to notice that my morning moods were becoming deeply linked to whatever I was listening to in the car. In the evenings, I started to rush past CNN and all the pundits because, honestly, my life was stressful enough. This was about the time I stopped watching shows like ER and Law and Order. Why? Why fill my head which horrible, disturbing images and words. My mind is a crystal bowl, I concluded– not an ash tray.

That’s not to say that I don’t still follow world events and care about my government. I pay attention to the plight of families in areas of the world that I believe the U.S. has systematically impoverished. Many times, I really do want to know if I can do something positive to help change things. I am obsessed with the U.S. healthcare debate. But I also need balance. I need to know, more often than not, that good things are happening. Here is a list of publications and websites that give me that balance. Call it your “good news” digest. Don’t be fooled. It’s not just puppies and rainbows– it about social justice, bits of unexpected joy and a few heroic gestures.

Ode Magazine: The Online Community for Intelligent Optimists

Good News Now: Global stories that focus of good deeds and positive possibilities

Good News Gazette: News at the speed of nice

And Now for the Good News: Though the site is being restructured, it started as a great book of the same title.

Positive News: A UK quarterly publication that “focuses on issues rarely covered by the mainstream media and promotes the many individuals and enterprises that are working to create a more healthy, humane and environmentally sustainable world.”

Happy News: They say, “we believe virtue, goodwill and heroism are hot news.”

Good News Network: “All the good news that’s fit to print.”

Do you know of any more?

New Ways to “Be Here Now”

Thanks to my friend Suzy Spencer for sharing this article with me from Psychology Today called “The Art of Now: Six Steps to Living in the Moment” by Jay Dixit. It’s a nice, practical guide to staying in the moment and why that’s truly (as seekers and teachers across the globe and throughout time have stated) the answer to leading a joyful, purposeful life. In it, he relates common directives to the personal, very human definition of ways of being like “unselfconsciousness” and “savoring” and “breathe” and “flow.”

The Rise of the Book Sherpa

Need help telling your story or sharing your messages? I can help you get that first draft and book proposal done. Contact me directly at jennifer@soullabmedia.com.

Apart from my work on this blog and radio show, my life as a publicist has evolved over the years often being guided and shaped by the unique needs of my clients. For the last year, I’ve had the great fortune to work with a variety of authors and teachers steeped in the new consciousness arena. They are thoughtful, creative, generous people who I am privileged to know and support.

My career has had a strong literary component beginning with earning my bachelor of fine arts degree in Writing, Literature and Publishing from Emerson College in Boston, MA. I was a story analyst for film companies in Los Angeles, a freelance writer in Austin and always a publicist in some way or another. The thread throughout has been a deep passion for storytelling. Later I was a founding member of Texas Writers Month and was the PR Director for the Texas Book Festival founded and chaired by First Lady Laura Bush.

So when my clients started asking me to help with shaping their book ideas and editing book proposals I found myself being drawn into a new area of business that has quickly become a passion. But what would I call myself? An editor? A ghostwriter? A writing consultant? Nope. My forte is helping authors get to the top of their personal literary summits– helping writers with books that have been climbing for months, sometimes years. Like a sherpa, I come in when you have a concept, ideas, notes and the willingness to do some focused work for two days. So what am I? I am your Book Sherpa. Here’s what you can expect:

- Two days focused on discussing your book idea, reviewing your pages and notes and developing a book outline

- I will interview you based on this outline and your responses will be inputed into dictation software which will become the basis of your first draft

- We will work together to complete a book proposal ready for agents and/or publishers

So, do you have a book in you just waiting to come out? Are you a teacher, an expert, a seeker or do you have an extraordinary story to share? Let me help. I’ll be your personal guide to climbing that creative mountain path. Give me two days, and you’ll walk away with the beginning of a new chapter in your life, and the perfect view!

Get in The Vortex

I’ve been following Abraham-Hicks books, talks and videos for a few years now and they never cease to impress me with the consistency of their messages. New York Times best-sellers, they’ve reached millions of people almost completely through word of mouth and through 20 years of communicating with a group of non-physical beings and sharing those experiences directly with readers at numerous appearances every year. 

I recently came across a short, powerful video which is the basis for their most recent book called The Vortex. According to Dictionary.com, a vortex is “(in Cartesian philosophy) a rapid rotatory movement of cosmic matter about a center, regarded as accounting for the origin or phenomena of bodies or systems of bodies in space.” It’s also used to describes whirlpools, physical matter drawing into itself and metaphoric whirls or “a place or situation regarded as drawing into its center all that surrounds it.” In this instance, Esther Hicks (who speaks on behalf of the group called Abraham) describes a universal vortex where we can consciously place ourselves through our thoughts, actions and desires. It is a field of consciousness which allows us freedom, expansion, growth and joy.

They write:

“It is our desire to help you to solve the mystery of those seemingly impossible relationships; to sort out the details of joyously sharing your planet with billions of others; to rediscover the beauty of your differences; and, most of all, to reestablish the most important relationship of all: your relationship with the Eternal, Non-Physical Source that is really you. . . . It is our desire that you experience an enhanced appreciation of your planet; your body; your family; your friends; your enemies; your government; your systems; your food; your finances; your animals; your work; your play; your purpose; your Source; your Soul; your past, your future, and your present. . . .”

A Synopsis of Abraham-Hicks’ Teachings

1. You Are a Physical Extension of That Which is Non-physical.
2. You Are Here in This Body Because You Chose to Be Here.
3. The Basis of Your Life is Freedom; the Purpose of Your Life is Joy.
4. You Are a Creator; You Create With Your Every Thought.
5. Anything That You Can Imagine is Yours to Be or Do or Have.
6. As You Are Choosing Your Thoughts, Your Emotions Are Guiding You.
7. The Universe Adores You for it Knows Your Broadest Intentions.
8. Relax into Your Natural Well-Being. All is Well. (Really It Is!)
9. You Are a Creator of Thoughtways on Your Unique Path of Joy.
10. Actions to Be Taken and Possessions to Be Exchanged Are By-products of Your Focus on Joy.
11. You May Appropriately Depart Your Body Without Illness or Pain.
12. You Can Not Die; You Are Everlasting Life.

The Difference Between Soulmates and Twin Souls

"Twin Souls" by Ali at www.aliminer.com

Do you know the difference between a soulmate and a twin soul? Some people call them twin flames. All I knew is that your soulmate was supposed to be the “one” person you were destined to be with in this lifetime. Certainly this is the popular thinking. But there are others who say that we all have many soulmates throughout our lifetimes– they could be spouses, but they could also be siblings, parents, co-workers, friends and children. Soulmates are souls brought together to learn important karmic lessons and to (hopefully) help each other expand consciousness and embrace a more joyful existence. But don’t fret if you have not found your twin soul. Apparently, it’s a very rare occurrence, though it appears that more and more people are claiming to have made such a discovery. Twin souls come together toward the end of their cycle here on Earth. They reunite when there is important spiritual work or collaboration to be done and there is a readiness and willingness to understand the full breadth of human connection. But when it does happen, it’s rarely a smooth ride and activates a strict and harsh reaction from the ego whose sole mission is to shut down your spiritual evolution.

Those who live spiritual lives of emotional detachment often do so when they are unable or unwilling to face their twin soul. For many, being “in love” is not a sign of spiritual intelligence– quite the opposite. But for those who understand the psychic and spiritual power of connecting with one’s other half, a twin soul reunion can be a gateway for untold epiphanies, spiritual truths and living the full human experience. It may challenge an ascetic mindset to consider a new route to compassion, selflessness, joy, forgiveness and magic.

It can be an overwhelming, life-altering experience to come face to face with the other half of your soul. Many people flee in emotional terror and allow emotional baggage to destroy the process. But when they accept this beautiful opportunity, it can be the most intensely transformative and powerful experience a person can have. Some say that meeting your twin soul is the culmination of deep spiritual healing that transpires separately between two people- that a person’s soul calls to be with that other half either in this physical reality or through a profound psychic connection either with their physical counterpart or (if the other is not in physical form) through spiritual intuition and guidance. Whatever the case, there is no force on Earth that can keep twin souls apart– but human choices can delay a reunion lifetime after lifetime.

I recently found some interesting articles on the definitions of soulmates vs. twin souls. Check them out:

http://www.harusami.com/soul2soul/twinsoul.html

 

http://www.openhandweb.org/soul_mates_and_twin_flames_0

 

Do you think these couples were soulmates or twin souls? Have you met yours?

Heloise and Abelard

John Lennon and Yoko Ono

Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning

John Lennon and Yoko Ono: Soulmates or Twin Souls?