INTEGRITY

What is your truth? What values are so important to you that you would defend them to the death? If you have never taken the time to figure this out--today might be good!

As th consciousness of Planet Earth evolves into higher levels, we are being pushed to move into our individual places of integrity. This starts with gentle nudges, but if we don't respond, those nudges turn into cosmic two by fours! We get presented with people and situations that push our buttons and challenge our core beliefs, causing us to have to make some really uncomfortable choices. How many of us have been experiencing this (or is it just me)?

Here's a tip to make this time of personal and spiritual growth easier to navigate:

Make a list of your core beliefs and use them to create a Personal Mission Statement. Next make a shield or plaque that proudly displays your Mission Statement. Have fun with this project! Put it in a place where you can be reminded regularly of your mission. This will help you to stay in your integrity, and when you are there, your boundaries are strong and you are protected.

BALANCE

The Universe operates in balance, and if we want to be in alignment with its energetic flow, we must be in balance as well. But how many of us feel like our lives are anything BUT balanced these days? We either find ourselves working too hard, or not having enough work; we either give too much or we don't seem to get anything in return for our "investment". Lately, the energies seem to be chaotic, and many of us are having difficulty grounding.

How can we shift ourselves back into a place of balance? Awareness is the first step. Our outer world is a reflection of our inner landscape, so if things just don't seem to be making sense, rather than going into that "victim place", take some time to look within. Go back over your thoughts for the last few weeks or months to see what might be contributing to this.

Generally the bottom line is fear. When we allow fear to grap our attention, the human reaction is to move into control to try to counteract it. This attempt to control our circumstances is what starts the skid that throws our lives out of balance, and before we know it we are "Out Of Control".

The only technique that really works to restore balance is Surrender. As counter-intuitive as it might sound, letting go allows the Universe to shift this energy and put everything back into alignment once more. How do you surrender? Letting go is the only way. Drop the rope - it takes two to play tug-of-war. Breathe. Release any thoughts that you might be carrying that tell you that you know the best way to do anything. When you step back into that place of child-like innocence, you open the door for miracles to occur!

Forgive Someone Today!

As we begin the journey into the new year, it will be a much easier one if we carry less baggage. A great way to lighten the load is to release our attachment to resentment and anger against another. There is a two-fold blessing to this: we let go of something that is holding us back AND we receive forgiveness from someone as well.

It's that karma thing! What we put out into the Universe comes back to us, so by forgiving we are forgiven. If you forgive one person one grudge that you are holding, you get one of yours forgive, and if you forgive ten, you get ten forgiven. The Master Jesus said when asked how many times we should forgive our brother, "Seventy times seven" In scripture the number seven always means "as much or as long as it takes", so he wasn't literally meaning seventy-seven times. Just keep forgiving until there is no charge left on what the other person said or did.

Start today and make a list of every single person you can think of that has done or said something that has hurt you - EVER. You might need a LOT of paper! Keep writing until you just can't come up with anything more. It could take all day. Then, when you feel totally complete, pick one and forgive. Cross that one off the list. If you can, pick another and repeat the process. Keep on keeping on!

Let this be the year that nothing is left unforgiven. Additionally, let me know how this feels for you when you are done!