28 Day Gratitude Practice

28 Day Gratitude Practice

Today I completed a 28 Day Gratitude Practice…
28 days of focused attention to blessings great and small…

What I appreciate most about the experience is that
my morning meditative self talk focus has shifted from
“what do I need to clear” (focused on the past) to 
“what am I grateful for”… (focused on the present)…
And in the present moment, 
I am laying the foundation for future moments… 
of greater gratitude and joy.

I have been trying to resolve some physical health issues,
and knowing that there is an underlying mental, emotional, energetic
component to every disease and disorder,
I have developed the habit of waking up each day,
searching my mind for what I need to clear out of my psyche…

That “clearing” practice has been helpful in digging up and airing out
long forgotten unpleasant experiences, and allowing the biochemistry processing to complete…

But at some point, my habitual thought pattern became so focused on past wounds that I forgot to appreciate that I don’t live in my past anymore…

And I am much better served by being grateful,
in the present moment,
for blessings great and small…

Habits of thought are created through repetition, so, with the help of some special friends, I employed Rhonda Byrne’s “The Magic” (book 3 in the series of “The Secret”) as the structure for my 28 Day Gratitude Practice.
The first time through, I created the structure for our practice in the Facebook group, but my actual personal practice fizzled out…

Until one of my friends said “Let’s start this up again.”
This time, I am so happy to report that I completed each of the 28 Day Gratitude Practice prompts, with full purpose of heart…
and The Magic truly began to happen!

My energy lightened.
My spirits lifted.
I began looking for things to be grateful for.
I focused on noticing the joy…
And as I did, more joyful things appeared!

New clients showed up – effortless abundance!
I found the energy to deep clean my home – definite progress!
I received unexpected checks in the mail – a welcome surprise!

Today I woke up with gratitude phrases in my mind…
and found my body beginning to cooperate gently and joyfully…
“Thank you for my strong, healthy body.”
“Thank you for full range of motion.”
“Thank you for full relaxation.”
“Thank you for standing tall and walking strong.”
“Thank you for all the love in my life.”

As I write this post, a children’s song comes to mind…
from the Children’s Songbook…
one that I taught my own little ones…
a song of saying thank you… thank you… thank you…
a song of receiving divine love…

“Children All Over the World”

All over the world at the end of day,
Heav’nly Father’s children kneel down and pray,
Each saying thank you in his own special way,
Saying thank you, thank you in his own special way.
“Gracias.” (grah-see-ahs) 
“Malo.” (mah-loh) 
“Wir danken dir.” (veer don-ken deer)
All over the world tender voices hear.
Some say “tak,” (tahk) 
others “merci,” (mare-see)
“Kansha shimasu,” (kahn-shah shee-mah-sue) 
We thank thee.
Our Heavenly Father hears them;
He understands each tongue.
Our Heav’nly Father knows them;
He loves them,
loves them,
ev’ry one.

Words: Peggy Hill Ryskamp, b. 1949. © 1975 IRI
Music: Beth Groberg Stratton, b. 1944. © 1975 IRI
Children’s Songbook of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

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“We don’t live in the Garden of Eden. It’s a mess down here on earth. I believe God wants us to get busy and do what we can to make the world better. God wants us to not be commanded in all things and to use our capacities to make a difference. I believe God blesses us with inspiration and capacity to make a difference, but we have to do the work first. We have to truly desire to do good and use the capacities we have. We have to be willing to stick our necks out, in any meaningful effort to create or affect something. This is faith. Your desire, your effort makes you more able to receive inspiration or insight into how a problem might be solved or to feel what direction might be best. But I don’t think it’s all predetermined and we should therefore wait for the ‘correct’ answers. I believe God is in a relationship with us and will offer things to us as we demonstrate the desire to create a better world—When we are truly seeking, as manifested through our behavior.” – Dr. Finlayson-Fife

Learn to Fly

Learn to Fly

“In the early morning dawn,
misty remnants of my dream remained,
A gift of conscious enlightenment
From our great Creator to me.
In that dream, I used my fingernails with curious intent,
Discovering one of nature’s wonders..
Sudden realization stilled my fingers..
The casing was a butterfly cocoon.
If I tried to help too much, the butterfly would die,
Never becoming strong enough
To learn to fly.”
-Jo Lyn Cornelsen

Hummingbird Message

Hummingbird Message

Hummingbird Message

I love to see the hummingbirds that have been visiting our backyard for the past weeks.
Surprisingly, they’ve not yet migrated for the winter.
Today, I asked, “What is the message you have for me?”
The answer?
An echo and confirmation of the intention to be fully present,
and align with the Divine Spirit within.

Hummingbird Message

“A hummingbird animal totem can offer you endless insight and effervescent wisdom.

The fluttering wings of the hummingbird move in the pattern of an infinity symbol – further solidifying their symbolism of eternity, continuity, and infinity.

The hummingbird animal totem is a messenger of hope and jubilation.

Some hummingbirds are known to wing their way as far as 2000 miles to reach their destination.
This quality reminds us to be persistent in the pursuit of our dreams,
and adopt the tenacity of the hummingbird in our lives.

The prime message of the hummingbird animal totem is:
“The sweetest nectar is within!”

 

 

 

Two Worries and One Knowing

Two Worries and One Knowing

Two Worries and One Knowing
 
This morning I said Goodbye to Two Worries…
Two Worries that have colored my world
For as long as I can remember…
And that’s a very, very long time.
 
I did not realize that these are just worldly worries…
I did not realize how heavy they were to carry…
Nor how many decisions I could have made differently…
And how many more amazing experiences I could have enjoyed…
Had I not ignorantly enlisted these worries as life-long companions.
 
Because I carried the worries,
I created a world that included them…
A world of efforting and struggle against those two worries…
Which compounded them into four worries…
And those into more worries…
And on, and on, and on.
 
Now I see how truly useless these worldly worries are….
And, now that truth has become evident to me,
I also see that I can lay them down as easily as I picked them up,..
I can surrender these worldly burdens and simply let them go.
 
This morning I said Goodbye to Two Worries.
Then asked,
Without these Two Worries,
What am I?
Who am I?
Why am I?
 
The answer comes readily.
It’s my One Knowing.
The One Knowing
That has been my companion for longer than I can remember.
That One Knowing
Is simply…
To Love.
 
The One Knowing is…
Love without judgment.
Love without worry.
Love without fear.
 
The One Knowing is…
Joyful Love.
Pure Love.
Simple Love.
Just BE the Love you wish to see in the World.

– A SoulTalk message from Jo Lyn

I Can Choose My Thoughts

I Can Choose My Thoughts

I can choose my thoughts.
My thoughts influence my emotions.
My emotions influence my beliefs.
My beliefs influence my behaviors.
My behaviors influence my actions.
My actions influence my results.
I can choose my thoughts.

Whisperings of the Spirit

Whisperings of the Spirit

Whisperings of the Spirit

I am grateful for the daily whisperings of the Spirit,
knowing that in order to be able to notice them,
I must center myself and listen…
then follow the path to which I am guided.

Sometimes, this path is to take specific physical action.
Other times, it is simply to take a few moments
and share messages of encouragement,
hope and divine love and gratitude.

Thank you… thank you… thank you…
Blessings to you and yours…
Jo Lyn

Mastermind Your Life

Mastermind Your Life

Mastermind Your Life

I’ve been in Business Masterminds in the past.
Excellent programs.
I loved the learning, I loved the content, I loved the presentations,
and most of all, I loved the people.

But somehow, I couldn’t seem to maximize the experiences enough
to create the real business breakthrough results I wanted…
regardless of how much time and money I invested,
or how diligently I worked at the systems.

Floundering around, intermittently dipping one toe
in the waters of what it takes to succeed,
I saw others rising to new heights, and I asked,
“Why can’t I do the same?”
“What is holding me back?”

Ask the right questions and you’ll get the right answers.
I found that disconnect was within me.

But what, exactly was that disconnect?
And could I ever clear it?

I withdrew from the groups to regroup,
and invested in a different kind of learning…
A deep personal journey of Holistic Healing.
Along this path, insight emerged,
“line upon line, precept upon precept”….
awakening to my conscious awareness
the dusty remnants of old hurts and fears…
disconnects, heart walls,
misconceptions, misperceptions,
offensive energies, resentments,
emotional triggers, old memories, grief, sorrows,
personal traumas and even dysfunctional ancestral patterns
passed down through generations of time.

“You must clear the past to be free to go forward and create a new future.”

Powerful energy healing tools and plenty of practice honed my intuitive skills.
I released bundles of hurts hiding deep within my soul.
Little by little, my fears fell away, and as my energy shifted…
the blocks that had erstwhile held me bound
dissolved – neutralized and transmuted in the light of truth.

As my inner world shifted, my physical world changed, too.
opening the door for new possibilities.

Third Time’s a Charm

A 90 day Mastermind invitation showed up in my inbox…
an opportunity to expand my capability and productivity,
in the most effective business model in the field of my choice…

Clearly this was an opportunity to test the strength of my wings
and learn from the best of the best.
I’d already collected the required software.
My budget was tight, but doable.
The resources were there…
So I just jumped in.

Great intentions are only part of the equation.
There must needs be power of purpose to fuel momentum,
and strong guidelines to hold me to the course.

90 days.  I can do anything for 90 days.
Still, life happens.
Out during the critical week number three
for a not-to-be missed family reunion
gave me the feeling of always trying to catch up.
Technology snafus and misunderstandings of expectations
split my focus into too many aspects of the training simultaneously.
I tried to do everything perfectly…
but gaps in my technical expertise prove that I remain human.

Week after week of zeros on my Friday accountability reports
seemed to predict the same old story…
that I wasn’t cut out for success, even in the best program around.
One of my mentors called me on it… and she was right.
Deep within, the echoes of old self-defeating thoughts
were rising to the surface.

I checked-in to my truth…
“Is this business path still correct for me?”
Yes.
“OK, how can I get through this next roadblock?”

“Don’t let anything hold you back. Find another way.”
Remembering the guidance of the Mentors,
I applied what I’d learned and just kept going.

Breakthrough

It rings true that you can’t succeed alone…
For what is success, but personal growth
in your ability to serve those around you?

The mentorship and accountability of a Mastermind group
inspires growth and expansion.
Small actions, consistently multiplied,
create the desired results we call “success”.

My Mastermind breakthrough came about 45 days in,
listening to our Director-of-Awesome demanding
that we stop waiting to perfect our technical expertise…
and requiring us jump first to THE ONE THING that makes the most difference…
connecting with those who might actually want what we have to offer,
listening to their needs, and discovering which of them are ready to receive.

All we truly need, in order to begin, is to know what to say,
who to call, and the ability to use a telephone.
Thus released from elusive perfection,
I picked up my cell phone…
took a deep breath,
and made that first call….

And I didn’t die.
So I called another… and another… and another…
Until I began looking forward to the practice
and enjoying the conversations, regardless of their outcome.

Mastermind Your Life

Why should you join a Mastermind?
To maximize your life, of course.

We come together from many walks of life,
in different stages of accomplishment.
None of us know everything.
All of us know something.
Each of us brings our own unique gifts.
And we share.
Openly.
Profitably.
Joyfully.
For the benefit of all who are ready to receive.

Decide to grow.
Choose the right Mastermind for you.
Prepare for exponential growth.
Participate fully.
Grow exponentially.

Internalize your new level of productivity…
continue your momentum,
Then go for another 90 day Mastermind growth sprint.

Review

Discover the gifts within you…
Choose where you want to go…
Learn from those who have gone there before you…
Add your own uniqueness to the mix.
Mastermind your life.
It’s the secret sauce that you can leverage for success.

Black Wolf, Dark Horse, Sleeping Girl

Black Wolf, Dark Horse, Sleeping Girl

Black Wolf, Dark Horse, Sleeping Girl
THE AWAKENING

I awoke really early this morning – 4 am. My husband is working till after midnight tonight at a special event… so I’m doing whatever I want during this day alone today. I studied this morning – another of the 67 steps, then researched the YMCA swim times to see if joining would work with how I want to schedule my life – turns out free swim is early morning or late night… bad timing for me.

I needed to get out of the house– so I went to the grocery store just to walk around a bit and pick up a few small items. On the way I pondered this morning’s training about creating a consulting business using just a computer, a phone, a landing page, a thank you page with a video, a survey (which qualifies the client) and an appointment calendar for intake phone calls. They said the system works well in any niche, so I contemplate my options.

I already have the capability of creating that marketing funnel with the software I have at hand… it’s simply a matter of choosing the right niche, identifying my skills and what the market wants and create an attractive offer and a targeted advertising campaign. I need to muster up the focus to BEGIN and FOLLOW THROUGH. For that, I need to create a multifaceted plan for how to create meaningful and lasting success.

First… becoming clear on what I have to offer:
I have 3 main areas of expertise – holistic healing, internet marketing and eldercare… and people come to me asking for help going deeper with their own healing work, for mentorship with AFH startup, and for help creating a blog so they can have a voice. I continually get requests in all three, and yes, a few sales.

But what do I really want to focus on?  What is in my heart to do in this next phase of my life since I closed my care home? This wavering of clarity, associated with an underlying feeling of loss and unworthiness has kept me stuck and spinning in study mode for the last few years.  My recent path has been one of learning to energetically let go of scarcity and step into health and prosperity by raising my conscious awareness and aligning with a higher level of functioning.

I came back home and studied some more.
I’m still wondering what I want to do with my days, but this aloneness is fine, even restorative. But I feel that I am ready to reach out and meet people in this new community I live in. We’ll be here for 5 years while my husband finishes out his years of work before retirement. I have the blessing and the freedom to focus on anything I want. I am appreciative of the peace and quiet and REST… but I know I am capable of more.

My online search failed to produce volunteer opportunities that felt right. I looked for nursing jobs, thinking I might enjoy working part time. I found several daytime RN case management jobs that may be a good fit, paying $80-$100 K / annually, but they are full-time. Initially, my muscle testing said NO. I continue to ponder. What would God have me do?

At this point in my life, to create a sense of a life well-lived, I need to be contributing in a meaningful, generous way, not from fear or lack or scarcity, but for the joy of experiencing the beauty of learning, giving, feeling alive and sharing the light as it is given to me… and yes, for the feeling of receiving respectful compensation.

I studied until I fell asleep on the sofa…
Late afternoon naps are tough to wake up from… and I dreamed.

I dreamed that I was sitting on a couch type bed in some kind of open sided dugout shelter that had just a partial roof and a small sink. I looked out over the grassy knoll and saw a black wolf staring at me. Our eyes locked, then he looked behind him to draw my gaze to a dark horse carrying a heavily wrapped burden strapped to his back. The horse appeared exhausted, “on his last legs”, and trusting in the black wolf to lead him to safety. I have “known” this dark horse forever. When he recognized me, the horse came right down into the dugout and actually laid down, positioning his bound bundle on the bed… and rolling over right on top of me with his legs in the air. Somehow I managed to slide out from under him in the gaps between his flank and the corner of the armrest… and noticed the form of an emaciated girl strapped and now trapped and nearly suffocating under the horse. I was able to unlatch the wide leather strap and the horse slid away from her onto the floor in a coma of exhaustion. I turned to the girl. Nearly incoherent, but now suddenly relieved of the suffocating pressure and weight, she hurriedly stripped off the dirty ragged scraps of clothing from her starving frame and curled naked into a fetal position, burying her face into the softness of the bed, whispering the word, “sleep”. I felt compelled to care and comfort this vagabond soul, and managed to get her arms into the sleeves of a large cotton flannel shirt, it’s plaid softness covering her nakedness and hiding the dark and dirty sores on her shoulder blades, evidence of lengthy privation. “Sleep” she murmured again, burrowing her face in the bed. I fetched a small cup of water and turned her face. “Here, you need this. Drink”… she roused enough for a few sips, curled up and fell asleep again… deeply this time.

The dream faded, then shifted.
Now I find myself dreaming about dreaming and being unable to wake up. I dream that my husband finds me asleep on the sofa. I reach out to him but I am yet unable to open my eyes. Knowing that if I sleep too long in the afternoon, I will have a wakeful night, so he takes my hand and pulls me up, embracing and steadying me protectively as my own energy awakens.
But I know this is still a dream, and I drift away deeply again.

Upon awakening from this late afternoon nap, I am in a state of knowing. I know that I want to contribute in a greater way. And I know that God is allowing me to CHOOSE. I don’t have to wait for permission or direction to choose what I want to do or where I want to create. Enough healing has occurred that I am strong on the inside again. I feel whole. My physical body still shows residual effects of former lack, but I am inspired and feel sufficiently aligned to know that God trusts me to do whatever good in the world I choose to do. On the inside, I feel I am in a state of capability, energy and grace, which gives me the power and permission to make my own choices.

I can continue to live very quietly and very small in my current situation, resting in the comfort of this concise, cozy and protected existence. I appreciate this time of quiet. It gives me the opportunity to rest and fill my cup… to study, to breathe, to feel comforted, supported and to experience some relief.
OR I can choose to grow and contribute in a new way.

We now have enough stable economic systems in place that I need no longer fear starvation. I no longer feel like a vagabond upon the earth.  I know I am okay, even if I make no further effort to create additional income. I have no more need to struggle for my daily bread, just the simple responsibility to manage our resources well.

For the first time since I was a child, I have time freedom. It feels delicious. I do as I please each day… chunking my time to attend to the business of living as well as my studies, but with less stress than I’ve had in years. Currently, I am learning from the 67 Steps to Success… a condensed compilation of wisdom from peak performers from all over the world throughout the ages.

“Life hacking” – is what I call these condensed pearls of wisdom for effective living. I’m using this as a mentoring process to help me integrate all I have been learning and to empower my transition into to a new state of clarity and focus. I ask myself, “What is it that I can create in my life now, that will allow me to contribute meaningfully, and in a manner I find soul satisfying?”

An RN case management job?
A holistic consulting/coaching business?
Authoring another novel?
Complete my SoulTalk book?
Eldercare AFH startup coaching?
Local business marketing?

Opportunities abound, but I have yet to focus and engage fully in one massive course of action.
No worries. The message came clearly today in my dreams…

“Your focus will come soon enough, dear sweet sleeping girl. The knowing you seek will emerge when you are fully conscious and awake. For now, enjoy the sweet peace and freedom of solitude as you rest.”

***
The meaning of the spirit animal totems in my dream:

Black Wolf Totem

“Wolf is reminding us that although we see ourselves as civilized creatures – we are still animals with our own wild spirit.  He is here to teach us about our inner selves and to discover our own power and stamina.”

“Learn to balance the responsibility of family needs without losing your identity.  Use wolf medicine to develop strength and confidence in your decisions.” – Wolf

Dark Horse Totem

“If horse has crossed your path, know that you have the power to change anything and everything you choose in your life.  Understand that the wild freedom of the horse can be harnessed and used for your own benefit and for those around you.  This understanding comes only when man and beast enter a silent contract acknowledging mutual respect and awareness of responsibility to each other. Alternatively you are being asked to understand that true power is wisdom found in remembering your journey as a whole.  Compassion, caring, teaching, loving and sharing your gifts, talents and abilities are the gateways to power. You are also reminded that all pathways have equal validity.  Understanding this will give you insight into the power and the glory of a unified famiDark Horse Spirit Animally and humanity.  Understand that every human being must follow a pathway to empowerment before galloping upon the wings of destiny.”

“Believe in your freedom to make your own choices. You are never forced to do anything. The choice is always yours.” – Horse

“Dark Horse Meaning: a candidate or competitor about whom little is known, but who unexpectedly wins.”

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