You come from Love, but you do not remember.  Know this though:  There is nothing you need to be or do to be worthy of Love.  You simply need to remember who you are.  You are a loving conscious tendril of Source, an expression of thought and energy.  You are the embodiment of Love.  You are an explorer, here for a time, and then back you go to Source.

If you ever feel disconnected from Source, that is your own perception, for Source is never disconnected from you.  There is nothing you can do or be that will cause Source to disconnect from you.  That is impossible.  Forgiveness, understanding, and compassion are yours.  Always.  Can you remember this truth?

Do not judge yourself.  Do not fear the loss of Love.  It is impossible for you to be cut off from Love.  You are living in an illusion where you think you must act a certain way in order to gain Love.  There is no mountain to climb.  There is no goal to reach.  No approval you must seek.  You must only remember that you are loved. 

When you remember that you are loved, help others remember this too.  Help others see the connection you all share.  None of you are separate from any other.  You are all One.  Do not jockey for position.  Do not put others down.  Do not harm another’s connection with Source. 

Pierce the veil and see past the illusion.  All you have to do is be.  All you have to remember is Love.  Feel the connection in your heart and in your soul. 

Act from Love and you act in accordance with the Universe.  Where there is Love, you will glimpse Source.  Act from fear and you will feel disconnected from Source;  you will be led further into the illusion.  Do not give in to fear.  Reconnect with the truth of Love.  Reconnect with Source.

Take heart.   You are never alone.  You can always draw upon Universal Love.  Let it fill your soul.  Let it propel you to greater peace.  Do not struggle against the current.  Do not struggle at all.  Surrender to Love.

You are loved.  Always.  It cannot be any other way.  Do you yet remember?  Search your feelings and you will find the Truth.  Honor the feeling.  Honor the Truth.  Be One with Love.

You are always worthy of love.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

If you’ve been following my blog regularly you’ll know that I’ve always had a deep fear of public speaking but that I’ve been actively working on overcoming it by taking massive action in the direction of my goals.  I joined Toastmasters 3.5 years ago, I’ve volunteered to introduce Steve when he goes on stage, I recently entered and won my first toastmaster contest, I volunteered to be President of one of the largest Toastmaster clubs forcing me to speak in front of a large audience at every meeting, I did a one hour radio show, and a 90-minute video interview.  All of these actions are part of my plan to become comfortable with public and professional speaking. 

The first time I introduced Steve on stage I was so nervous.  The old me would have quit speaking right then and there.  “Forget it, that sucked, I made a fool of myself, we’re never doing that again!”  But I’ve come to learn that failures and even embarrassments are nothing to be afraid of.  You pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get back in the game.  So when Steve asked if I wanted to speak at the workshop I said yes even though it terrified me.  I knew that saying yes was the right thing to do.  I didn’t let the fear stop me.  But I told Steve that I didn’t want to prepare anything.  I wanted to be in the moment and stay fully present, not get stuck in my head trying to remember something I’d memorized.  He agreed that was best. 

During his planning he would occasionally ask me things like, “Do you want to tell your Star Trek story?”  or “Do you want to be on stage when I do the relationship segment?”  I told him to put me wherever he thought would serve the audience best.  So when the first day of the workshop rolled around, I had no idea if or when he would call me up to the stage.

It didn’t take long.  After the first break, Steve was talking about the principle of Power.  I heard him say, “I’d actually like to bring my wife Erin up on stage to tell us a story of how she successfully used her Power to accomplish a goal.”  That would be my Star Trek story.  My heart was pounding as I walked from the back of the room to the stage.  I had no idea what I was going to say, how I was going to start the story, or anything.  Earlier that day, I asked Darren LaCroix, World Champion of Public Speaking, our friend, and the guy who was introducing Steve, if he would come up on stage with me so I could feel what it might be like if I was up there.  I told him I was really nervous about speaking and asked his advice.  He said, “You’re going to be nervous when you first get here.  That’s okay.  Once you get your first laugh you’ll know the audience is with you, you’ll feel their energy, and you won’t be nervous anymore.”  I was doubtful but I absorbed the info and clung to it like a life preserver.

And so it was that I stepped on stage and began my story.  My breathing betrayed my nervousness, and I’m sure I stumbled a bit, but Darren was right.  As soon as I got my first laugh I relaxed.  I felt the audience was with me, that they wanted me to succeed, and that they were engaged in my story.  By the time I was done, which took maybe 7-8 minutes, I was actually enjoying myself.  That’s something I wouldn’t have believed possible before.  I left the stage, no longer afraid of being up there.  I began to hope Steve would call me up again.

As it turns out, Steve called me up during the career section also.  Then I did announcements daily from the stage.  Easy and very similar to what I do as president of my club, so I already had that as a reference experience.  On the third day we did indeed do much of the relationship segment together including some Q&A.  I loved it.  I wasn’t the least bit nervous.  I was happy speaking on stage.  The longest I was on stage at any one time was probably an hour or so.  Interestingly, last year my Mastermind group and I were talking about putting together a one day workshop where each of us would do an hour presentation.  I really resisted that.  I wasn’t ready.  I really didn’t think I could do it.  Now I know I could.  Why?  Because I have a reference now.  I’ve already been on stage for that long.  Yes, it was with Steve by my side, but I’m sure I could do it alone too.  I discovered that the key is to stop thinking about my personal issues and to concentrate on what I’m trying to convey to the audience.  It’s about them, not me.  My job is to share something that will benefit them.  Thoughts of how I might look or come across disappear in light of what I’m trying to give to others.

When was the last time you pushed yourself beyond your comfort zone and created a new reference experience for yourself?  What are you avoiding because you don’t think you’re ready?  How could you get ready?  What actions could you take today to make you ready for that challenge in the future?  I had to join Toastmasters 3.5 years ago to be ready for what I did this past weekend.  I’m a patient woman.  I knew if I just kept showing up to Toastmasters, participating, and giving it my all, that I would eventually get better at public speaking.  Now, I’m not just better at it, I like it. 

Don’t let fear stop you from creating the life you want.  Continue to create new reference experiences for yourself until you reach your goal.  You can take baby steps all the way, or one giant leap if that’s comfortable for you.  My next goal is to do a 1-hour presentation by myself.  I’ll use all of my reference experiences to get there.

What is your goal and what reference experiences will you use to get you there?

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Steve was asked to become a member after having been nominated by a current member of the group.  Not everyone is asked to join this group, and not everyone who wants to be in this group will get an invitation, so we were both completely honored to be welcomed into this group, he as a member and me as a member spouse.

This retreat has nothing to do with making deals or trying to get anything from anyone.  It’s about giving, sharing, and being together.  It was more like a family reunion than a networking meeting.  We settled easily into the flow of this group as they were more than welcoming. 

By the end of this retreat I looked around the room and said to myself, “Wow, the world really is in good hands.”  It was like being in a room of higher selves.  Everyone there was consciously directing their growth.  They were all authentic, loving, giving, nurturing, supportive people.  There were presentations, but also a lot of singing, dancing, meditations, experiential exercises, and sharing of meals.  I never felt higher or lower than any person there.  I felt completely included and loved instantly.  It was like going Home. 

You would probably recognize many of the names of the members of this group, and some you would have never heard of because their work is in niches you’ve probably never studied.  But the names really don’t matter, it’s the work that matters.  All of these people are raising the consciousness and vibration of the people on our planet.  After meeting and getting to know them, I realized we all have the same message: Love.  It’s only in the ways we teach and express it that we differ.

This past week I saw in action the loving tendrils of Source energy who spiral out into the world, touching individuals all over the planet with Love.  This past week I was invited on stage because someone recognized that I am fearful of the stage.   She invited me up and said, “Do what you fear the most” so I started dancing, and I loved it, and I didn’t feel embarrassed or self conscious at all.  There was no judgment in that room.  And Steve got it on film too so I’ll always remember what I did.

I was transformed.  I gained courage.  I touched love. I was wrapped in this nurturing, powerful collective embrace that together said, “We can do it! We are unstoppable!  We can bring the planet to a state of Love.” 

Have you ever had one of those moments, days, or weeks that completely transformed your energy?  Where you knew you could never go back to how it used to be?  Where something just clicked and you realized you’d reached a new level of awareness, a new purpose, with new drive and passion?

The last time this happened to me was April 2006 when I discovered I was a psychic and medium.  That was a three week whirlwind of transformation that included filming for the Criss Angel show and then having Doreen Virtue read for me at Hay House’s I Can Do It event. 

So many ideas are flooding through me right now.  I can’t wait to sort through them and see what blossoms from this experience.  I am filled and overflowing with love.  And I’m going to be exploring new ways to share my message of love, oneness, and connection with the world.  Stay tuned, the best is yet to come!

P.S. If you want to see photos of the conference, I’ll probably be posting a few on my Facebook account.  Send me a friend request so you don’t miss out.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

The other bit of information you need to know about me in order to fully understand and appreciate the story I’m about to tell you is that while I am pretty darn successful in the areas of Love, Truth, and Oneness, I’ve had to really work over the years at getting better at Authority, Power, and Courage.  I’ve had to overcome panic disorder, being too dependent on my parents well into adulthood, and letting other people tell me what I should be doing with my life.  And while I’ve made significant strides in the area of Authority, Power, and Courage over the years (some of my friends can’t even believe how far I’ve come) I still have a lot to learn.

Okay, you’ve got the background.  Here’s the story of how I recently went up a level in Courage, Power and Authority.

As I mentioned, I joined Toastmasters three years ago because I knew at some point I’d find myself up on stage speaking to large crowds.  I figured I might as well get a jump on becoming a better speaker so that when I actually did take the stage I didn’t die of fright.  I’ve done well in Toastmasters, earning my first educational award – Competent Communicator – and taking on officer positions within my club to improve my leadership abilities.  In January of 2009 I became President of my Toastmaster club, Voice Links.  I did this because I’ve never been the leader of an organization or group (though I’ve taken the Vice President position many times) and I wanted to have the experience of being the person in charge, the leader, the head honcho, the buck stopper.  I had great success being President of my club, I learned a lot about delegation, managing others, and being a leader.  I was told by several members that I was one of the best Presidents the club had ever had.  I preened.  I felt good.  I stepped down.  Yes, I stepped down as President even though I could have remained for another 6 months.  I did this because the job wasn’t challenging for me anymore and I’ve learned that if I get too comfortable it means it’s time for a greater challenge.

I am a member of another club, Powerhouse Pros, which happens to be the largest club in our district with over 50 members, and is more geared towards people who are interested in becoming professional speakers.  This is the club Steve’s been in for years.  I was asked to take on the position of VP of Membership for the upcoming term, which I agreed to do because I knew it would be a challenge and a growth experience, which is what I’m actively seeking right now.  But the day after I stepped down as President of Voice Links, I was asked if I was willing to become President of Powerhouse Pros.  The thought terrified me, honestly, because I didn’t feel ready to take over a club that had had such recent massive growth and a club where people were actually using it to become professional speakers.   I’d only been in the club 8 months myself!  But I realized that I had to face this challenge because it was exactly what I asked for.  I had to feel the fear and do it anyway.  I had to step into a role I didn’t feel quite ready for because those are the situations that provide us with the most growth.  Steve had a good chortle at how the universe pushed me in this direction.  And he agreed it would certainly help me in the area of Courage, Power, and Authority.  I accepted the job even though I didn’t feel ready or capable.

I was immediately catapulted into a leadership position unlike anything I experienced in my other, more laid-back club.  The difference in correspondence alone is monstrous, but managing all of these people and making sure their needs are being met is a real challenge.  I am very lucky that I have an executive board full of officers who are awesome, kick ass, and quite competent!  Once we all become accustomed to our roles, I feel our ship will sail quite smoothly.  

The transition officially takes place on July 1, but I was asked to give a speech at our June 29th meeting, awarding our outgoing president with an engraved gavel for her year of service to our club.  I wasn’t exactly expecting to have to create a tribute speech, but I accepted the challenge.  Our outgoing Vice President of Education, the person in charge of creating the agenda for each meeting, came up with the brilliant plan of us doing a Wizard of Ah’s theme, which would involve several of us acting our parts all night during the meeting.  Whoa.  Hang on.  Not what I signed up for.  Hold up!  I found myself charged with the role of the Wicked Witch who is out to fill our president’s shoes (aka the ruby slippers).  Steve got such a kick out of this idea.  He said, “Oh yeah, you gotta do it.  You totally have the Wicked Witch cackle down pat.  I’ve heard you do her voice.  You’d be a natural at it.”  I resisted, “But I’m already doing a whole speech that is sure to make me nervous.  You want me to act all night too and memorize lines and, and, and…”  He replied, “This is what you want.  A challenge.  And the universe is giving it to you.  Accept the challenge.  That’s how you go up a level.”

Shortly thereafter the universe sent several synchronicities to show me I wasn’t going to get out of this so easily.  First, Steve suddenly got an email from a woman who signed her name “Just call me the Wicked Witch of the East.”  That was synchronicity #1.  Ten minutes later I found myself at the grocery store, parked next to a vehicle with the license plate “WchyWmn.”  That was synchronicity #2.  The third synchronicity came in the form of someone on television mentioning the tornado from the Wizard of Oz movie.  I agreed to be the witch.  I had a hat and a cackle and I knew how to use them!

Now guess who they got to join me in this debacle?

John Kinde, playing the scarecrow.  John is a professional speaker, humorist, and runs an Improv Troupe here in town.  This man is the unmitigated king of observational humor.

Bryant Pergerson, playing the Tinman.  Bryant made it all the way to Toastmaster’s highest competition, the International Speech Contest, beating out nearly 25,000 other toastmasters along the way.  My man Bryant can speak like nobody’s business.

S. Frank Stringham, playing the Cowardly Lion.  S. is also a professional speaker and comedian who does an amazing impression of the Cowardly Lion.  S.  is a member of John’s Improv Troupe as well.  The man was born to be on stage and is always entertaining.

Darren LaCroix, playing the Wizard.  Darren is actually a World Champion of Public Speaking and coaches people on how to be better professional speakers.  If you want to know how to speak better, you get with Darren or buy his products.

Bill Parker, as our narrator.  Bill is a Distinguished Toastmaster, the highest level of distinction that Toastmasters offers, and is also a new member of the Improv Troupe.  He’s quite comfortable speaking and has been doing so for years.

Sherri Parker, playing Glenda, the Good Governor of the South.  Sherri is our new District Governor, a high mucky muck in the Toastmaster organization, and also a Distinguished Toastmaster who gave a keynote address at our recent Toastmaster Leadership Institute.  Girlfriend’s got it going on!

And then me.  Little old me.  Still struggling to get the butterflies to fly in formation.  It was like standing next to Tom Cruise, Robert DeNiro, Tom Hanks, Robin Williams, and Meryl Streep while they decide to throw together a little something to act out for fun. 

But hey, I’m here to learn, to get my feet wet, to challenge myself, and this was how it had to be.  I got the script for our play the morning of the performance.  I spent the day practicing my cackle and also writing up my tribute to our outgoing president.  I fed the butterflies in my stomach since they were hanging out so long, I figured they might be hungry.

I was too busy to be nervous, but occasionally throughout the day I would get stabs of adrenaline as I realized what I was going to put myself through.   The night before our meeting I had a dream about the entire event.  There turned out to be some prophetic components to this dream.  First, I dreamed that twice as many people were at the meeting than we usually have, and in the dream we ran out of chairs and it was standing room only.  I also dreamed that some of our guests were in school and had to attend a toastmaster club meeting as part of class credit.  I dreamed that our VP of Education, Bill, was late – he usually arrives first to help set up the meeting room, but in the dream he came only 10 minutes before the meeting which, at a meeting as chaotic as this was going to be, would have been a bad idea.  I also dreamed that our outgoing president, Pam, was in a bad mood and angry at our VP of Education.

All of these things I dreamed came to pass.  Our room was overflowing with all manner of people, more than 50 people showed up.  It was insane.  Several people had to stand in the back because we ran out of chairs.  Our president, Pam, was angry at Bill because the fake agenda he handed out was wrought with errors and she was annoyed with him.  Plus he was nowhere to be found as he was running unusually late.  And there were several students from the local university who came by to witness the meeting as part of one of their classes.

Back to the story …

This night turned out to be a whirlwind for me.  I successfully did Pam’s tribute.  I did a decent job as the Wicked Witch, though I spoke much faster than I should have.  Our area, division and district governors came by to do our officer installation so I was involved in that.  And finally, at the end of the meeting, Pam called me up to get feedback from our guests and to end the meeting.

Through it all, though, I had fun.  I can’t believe it, but I had fun.  Something I’d been dreading turned out to be something quite enjoyable.  By the end of the meeting I could feel a metaphorical mantle of power settle on my shoulders, and instead of weighing me down, it raised me up.  And I learned something so valuable.  When you face your fears instead of running from them, you go up a level in courage.  And if you can remember to have fun in the process, you’ll have all the power you’ll ever need.  For a moment there, I forgot all about the butterflies in my stomach.  They had stopped fluttering.  I think they were afraid of my cackle.

When Steve and I got home that night I was riding a high I haven’t had in a long time.  We sat on our couch together and watched the end of a Star Trek episode, Remember Me.  In it, Beverly Crusher is in a reality of her own making and is trying to get back home.  At one point she says, “Could it be that simple?  Just click my heels together?”  It was the final nod from my Guides.  I’d done good, and I was pleased with myself.  I know the road ahead may have some bumps, and I know the butterflies may come back, but I will face them with courage.

What could you do today that would help you level up in courage?  Where have you gotten so comfortable that it’s not even a challenge anymore?  What are you avoiding doing that you know would provide you with tremendous growth?  Follow that yellow brick road, my friend.  At the end you’ll find not a wizard, but your own power.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Right now you carry a set of beliefs inside you.  Are those beliefs serving your highest good?  Are those beliefs making you happy?  If the answer is no, listen up, because you’re doing yourself a huge disservice and the result is unhappiness.  How long do you want to be unhappy?

Happiness isn’t about what you have or what you’re doing.  Happiness is a state of being that is completely controlled by your own thoughts and beliefs.  If you’re not happy,  you’ve chosen not to be happy.  And if you think the world is making you unhappy, or your parents are making you unhappy, or the economy is making you unhappy, then you’re just plain wrong.  You are making you unhappy.  Because your level of happiness is directly related to your beliefs. 

Does this sound familiar?

“I’ll be happy when I win the lottery.”
“I’ll be happy when I get that promotion.”
“I’ll be happy when she agrees to marry me.”
“I’ll be happy when I get out of debt.”
“I’ll be happy when I get my own place.”

And so on.

What is your particular “I’ll be happy when…” story?

Years ago a friend wrote me a letter.  In it he said, “In order to be happy you must first decide to be happy.”  At the time I think I was 17, and I didn’t understand what he wrote to me.  In my world view, happiness was something that was a result of things going on in your life, so how could you decide what’s going to happen in your life, and therefore how could you decide to be happy?  But now I get it.  You can choose how you want to feel under any circumstance at any time in your life.  And if you can choose how you feel, why would you choose to feel unhappy?  Why not feel happy all the time?  But this is easier said than done.

So you have to look at your beliefs.  I believe that everything happens for a reason and that it serves my highest good.  I believe that even when bad things happen to me that they are there to teach me a lesson that will make my life better in the future.  I believe that life is a gift, and I can’t wait to see what I can do with this gift.  I believe that no matter what happens to me in this life, I am still loved, protected, and cared for by my posse on the other side.  I believe that I am never truly alone.  I believe I am helpful, caring, honest, kind, and just; and I believe people on our planet live better lives when people like me are around.

Are any of these beliefs empirically true?  No.  There’s no way for me to say these beliefs are absolutely true.  That’s why they’re beliefs and not facts.  I have chosen to believe these things, not because I saw evidence that they were true, but because my belief in them creates the evidence that makes them true for me. 

What do your beliefs look like?
“No one ever really gets ahead in this world.”
“People are selfish and will step on you to get ahead.”
“Money is the root of all evil.”
“Most parents screw their kids up so why bother having kids in the first place?”
“No one is looking out for me, they’re all too busy looking out for themselves.”
“I’ll never be good enough to get the job I really want.”

And so on.

But you’re choosing to believe those things and you’re making them true for you.  If my beliefs are not empirically factual, then neither are your negative or limiting beliefs.  So why carry them around with you like they’re facts?

Change your beliefs, change your world.

You choose your beliefs, and your beliefs create your reality.  So choose beliefs that serve and empower you instead of ones that bring you down or make you unhappy.

So how do you change your beliefs?  First, identify the beliefs you have that aren’t working for you.  The next time you find yourself unhappy ask yourself what you have to believe in order to feel so unhappy.  Write it down.  Keep doing this every time you find yourself upset or unhappy.  Identify the belief that goes with it and ask yourself if that’s something you care to keep believing or if there’s another way of believing that serves you better.  Keep a list of all these beliefs.   Then choose to let those beliefs go.  Those beliefs are gone. 

Next, come up with a new set of beliefs such that, if you believed they were true, would empower you.  Decide you’re going to adopt those beliefs.  Try them on for 30 days.  You have to really believe them though, you can’t just pretend.  Otherwise you’re saying, “I wish this was true” which means you believe it’s not.

Don’t tell me you can’t adopt a new belief in an instant.  You can.  You’re not saying, “This is empirically factual,” you’re saying, “I am choosing to believe this.”  Then let your reality reflect your belief back to you.  If you’ve never done this you might choose to believe it’s impossible.  Then of course, it is.  That just proves my point.   Really, what do you have to lose? 

The more you adopt new beliefs that empower you, the better your life is going to get.  If you’re having trouble coming up with beliefs you can get behind, just try easy ones first.

“I believe that something positive happens to me every day.”
“I believe that there are at least 5 things I can be grateful for every single day.”
“I believe that people are usually kind.”
“I believe that somewhere in this world someone is acting kindly and unselfishly towards another person.”

You’ll find evidence of all these things if you’re looking.

But Erin, isn’t this just your RAS at work?  (That’s Reticular Activating System, which is just a fancy way of saying you see what you expect to see.)  So fine!  See what you expect to see.  Just start expecting to see great things!  Use the RAS to your advantage.  Why on earth would you choose to only see the negative?  What does that say about you?

You can’t fool the system though, so don’t try this:  “I believe people are really nice at heart except the big corporate greedy folks who prey on unsuspecting people, but hey, even they had mothers who probably loved them.”  Nuh uh.  That’s not going to work.  Adopt beliefs you can actually get behind without conditions.

My reality may not actually be real.  How would I know what was really real anyway?  But it doesn’t matter.  In my reality, I’m happy.  You’re welcome to share my reality with me any time you want.  I don’t own the happiness patent and I’m not going to charge you a royalty for being happy.

Don’t you owe it to yourself to carry beliefs that will bring you happiness?  Or do you believe you’re supposed to be miserable, lonely, depressed, scared, etc?  Tsk tsk.  Put that on your list and let it go.  I believe you’re better than that!  I believe you can adopt empowering beliefs.  I believe that happiness is yours and all you have to do is claim it.  If I believe this, you can too.

So what are you waiting for?

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

I had friends who were religious.  My best friend, Frances, apparently belonged to a very religious Christian household.  Whenever one of her family members would leave the house they had to say, “Goodbye, I love you, and Mary and Jesus too” or something like that.  When I spent the night at her house, her mother made me say prayers.  I thought it was cute, but I had no idea who this God person was that I was supposedly talking to.  This was also a violent family.  The son was a vandal and arsonist, setting fire to the hill behind his house.  I watched from afar as his father whipped him with a belt to teach him a lesson.  Frances was often dragged by her hair down the stairs by her brother.  The father was a lawyer and was often called upon to keep his own son out of jail.

I remember one time my babysitter took us to her catechism class.  We got to paint pine cones and dip them in glitter.  I think we were making a Christmas tree ornament, but alas, no tree graced our home.  In fact, during  Christmas break from school my sister and I would often lament that all the stores were closed because of those Christians.  We were the ones going to the movie theatre and eating Chinese food on Christmas.

I got a vague understanding of who this God person was when my friends would talk about him.  They all seemed to think it was cool that we didn’t have to go to Church on Sunday, as they mostly thought it just wrecked their Sunday morning.  I remember asking my Christian friends why they believed there was a guy sitting on a throne up in the sky.  None of them gave me a particularly compelling answer.  Most said, “Because the bible tells me so” or “My parents told me there is a God so there must be.”

I am really grateful that I had parents who were not religious.  I never had to break free of religious indoctrination.  I never feared God or loved him.  I never feared going to Hell, which to me was this fictitious prison that bad Christians got sent to if they angered God.  Sometimes I was told that God was a loving God and sometimes he was furiously angry, wiping out entire civilizations on a whim.  The story was very confusing.  Being non-religious, I never felt like I was missing out on anything important.  It all seemed so silly to me to believe in some invisible guy who was constantly watching you to make sure you were good.  I thought that job belonged to Santa Claus. 

As I got older, some of my friends told me they feared for my soul because I wasn’t baptized.  They told me I was automatically going to go to Hell because I was not a Christian and did not believe in Jesus.  Honestly, that seemed sort of stupid to me.  I recall saying to one of them, “So if I am really loving and kind and good but not baptized, I go to Hell?  And someone else can be a murderer or pedophile and as long as he believes in Jesus, he gets to go to Heaven?”  They told me yes.  I’m sure it’s not as easy as that, right?  I said to these friends, “Why would you want to believe in a God that punished the good and let the bad into Heaven?”  They told me believing was not a choice but a commandment.  None of it made sense to me.

There was one thing I liked about religion.  Community.  There were a lot of Christians who seemed very kind and loving.  These were usually old ladies and they ran the church parking lot sales.  I met many Christians who were so kind, compassionate and caring.  People in the church took care of each other.  Families looked out for one another.  I thought that was kind of cool.  I asked my parents what would happen to us if we were ever destitute and poor and didn’t have the Church to take care of us.  They told me I didn’t need to worry about that, as we did quite well financially.  So I stopped worrying.

By the time I got to high school I assumed I was just an atheist.  I didn’t believe in God and that was the end of my story, or so I thought.  I found myself praying to God when I was in trouble.  I found myself making deals with Him all the time.  I hoped I was wrong about God because it sure felt comforting to think there was a kindly old guy looking out for me from above.  I couldn’t rationally convince myself that He existed, but when you’re in trouble, you’ll reach for any hand that might pull you out!  Still, I never saw any evidence that He existed. I figured if he was really there and all powerful like people said, that he surely knew I didn’t believe in Him and if He had an issue with it I was sure He would take it up with me personally.

I like how my mom puts it, “I don’t believe in God but I’m afraid to say that out loud in case He gets mad at me.”  Lordy. 

As I matured I realized that religion is man’s way of trying to interpret the divine presence inside all of us, of trying to make sense of the memories we retain even after the veil is drawn and we are left here, seemingly disconnected from Source.  I reconnected with Source on my own.  I explored the divine inside of me and found God staring back.  I began to remember where I came from, where we ALL come from.  And I began to see how we are all connected, simply projections of Source incarnated into outwardly disparate bodies.  I didn’t have this realization in a church, and I didn’t read about it in a book.  I felt it.  I remembered it.  I stopped cutting myself off from Source and Source came back to me.

Today I know there is a God, but God is not some man sitting on a throne pointing his finger at us in judgment.  God is what’s gazing back at you when you look in the mirror.  Which aspect of Him are you?  Are you His compassion?  His love?  Or are you His anger?  His judgment?  His intolerance?

I’m glad I grew up without a religion.  It left me free to find God on my own, in my own way, and in my own time.  I doubt I will ever be religious.  I find it unnecessary.  God is either in your heart or not there at all.  You either carry Him with you all the time, or cut yourself off from Him.  Have you found the divine presence yet?  Can you remember where you came from and where you will return?  Does God reside in your church, or in a book, or is he sitting quietly in your heart, waiting for you to notice Him?

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

I was taking piano lessons, but I was a poor student.  I preferred to play by ear but my teacher, of course, wanted me to learn to read music.  So while I was playing complicated songs by ear, she would force me to go back to my little dinky pieces in my piano book, which I struggled with because I wasn’t good at reading music.

Several of my friends in school were also taking piano lessons from the same teacher.  When I talked to them about what they were playing I found out, to my shame, that they had all surpassed me and were in advanced books while I was still in the first one.

On Fridays, our teacher had us give speeches in the school auditorium (that’s a horror story for another day!), and afterwards she would let people play a song on the piano for everyone in the auditorium.  You can be sure I never volunteered to play the piano!  I was way too nervous, plus my friends were playing these beautiful advanced pieces and next to them I knew mine would sound like nursery rhymes.  Even though people knew I played the piano, and even though they all encouraged me to play, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

But one day, after a particularly good speech, I was feeling powerful instead of nervous.  I agreed to play a song called the Fairy Prince on the piano.  It was a four-line song and would probably take 1 minute or so to play.  I sat down in the darkened auditorium with the spotlight on me.  I put my hands on the keys.  This was a song I knew extremely well.  I began to play.  But I was suddenly overcome with panic.  I started playing the song at 4 times the normal speed, and I skipped an entire line!  I don’t know what happened to me.  I just totally lost it.  I heard some people laughing in their seats.  I heard my teacher shushing them.  And then there was some polite applause, but it was too late.  Embarrassed and humiliated for not even being able to play such a basic song properly, I vowed never again to perform on the piano in front of anyone!

And so it was, as the weeks passed, people began to forget my faux passé.  I had accepted that I just couldn’t read music that well or that quickly and that I would never catch up to my friends in this area. 

One day it was raining outside so we had to eat lunch inside the classroom.  After eating, our teacher let us play games in the room.  There was a piano in the room and I and my friends would line up and take turns playing one song at a time.  All my friends were playing their advanced songs from their piano books, and I was playing my little ditties.  Then it was my turn again and I decided to try something different.  Every morning after our flag salute our teacher would play a patriotic song on the piano and we’d all sing along to the music. I decided to try to figure out how to play one of them: “You’re A Grand Old Flag.”  I had never played it before, but I had heard my teacher play it dozens of times.  That was all I needed.  After struggling just a little bit to find the right keys I started playing “You’re A Grand Old Flag” perfectly and with gusto!

When I was done with the song I was surprised to hear thunderous applause from the entire class.  Apparently, while I was in my “zone” trying to figure out the song, my classmates and teacher realized what I was doing, and everyone stopped to listen.  When I finally got the song down and was done playing it they were very impressed.

My teacher said, “Wow, Erin.  I didn’t know you could play the piano by ear.  Why didn’t you ever tell us?  Do you realize what a rare talent and gift you have?”  Then she pointedly asked my friends if they could play by ear, and they all shook theirs heads and indcated they were limited to playing songs with music they could read.

After that people asked me to play all kinds of songs.  “Hey, Erin, can you play ‘Yankee Doodle Dandy?’”  Sure thing!  Piece of cake!  “Hey, Erin, we want to hear a Beatles song, can you play one?”  Sure, just name it!  I discovered that it was really easy for me to play songs I’d heard before.  Before long, I went from being a novice at the piano to being a virtuoso … well, at least in the eyes of my 4th grade peers.   I’d found my niche.  And I was happy.

Eventually I stopped taking piano lessons because they were slowing me down, and I started composing my own music.  I was able to compose complicated songs just by listening to the music already playing in my mind.  In fact, I created much of the video game music for Steve’s games when he ran Dexterity Software. 

That experience in 4th grade taught me that I didn’t have to be like everyone else; that we all have our unique talents and gifts.  I still can’t read music that well, but I can play the piano and still compose music when I have time.  I had been very limited by how my teacher thought I should learn and had come to the erroneous conclusion that I would never be able to play songs more complicated than Mary Had a Little Lamb.

***

Are you trying to read music when you should be playing by ear?  Are you ignoring a natural talent or skill you have because you don’t know how valuable or useful it is?  What do you do better than anyone else you know?  What are you really good at?  Talent lurks inside you somewhere.  When you discover or acknowledge your talent, you have a clue to your path to purpose.  You’ve probably got many talents.  Which one(s) can you use to further your goals in life?  Sometimes you have to go off-script and write your own lines. 

There’s power in your talents!  Make a list of all the things you’re really good at, and then ask yourself if there’s a way to incorporate them into your work (or your daily life).  Could one of your talents hold the key to an exciting new future for you?

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

When I prepare to do an intuitive reading for someone, I do a little tuning in before I call them on the phone.  Part of the tuning in process includes me taking a look at their chakras, which are the energy centers of our body.  By scanning or tuning in to a person’s chakras I can tell in what areas of their life they have problems and I can tell where they are strong.  It took me a while to understand and to be able to interpret what I’m seeing, but I’ve got it down now.  For example, if I see yellow in a person’s third-eye chakra, I know they are proactively working on increasing their intuition or psychic abilities.  When I see a tiny root chakra I know my sitter is struggling financially or doesn’t feel physically safe and secure (e.g. maybe they’re in an abusive relationship).  When I see a wide open throat chakra just brimming with blue light, I know my sitter makes a living as a communicator (teacher, speaker, writer, singer, etc.).  When I see a huge, wide open heart chakra I know my sitter is extremely compassionate, caring, and connected with others.  If the heart chakra is small or dim I know my sitter is feeling disconnected, lonely, and maybe isolated.  Scanning chakras is like a diagnostic tool I use to get a general idea of where my sitter is in life and what’s going on for them.

Most of the time, my sitters have strong, healthy, properly functioning chakras.  But sometimes when I tune in, all I see are tiny pinpricks of light.  The first time I saw the pinpricks of light in one of my sitters, it freaked me out.  I didn’t know what it meant.  His energetic body was dark, the light inside him was going out, like a candle with no oxygen.  The fire inside him was just dying.  There was almost nothing for me to grasp onto.  He was in a state of energetic freefall.  When I asked him if he was planning to take his own life, he admitted to me that after our phone call he was going to commit suicide unless his spirit guides could give him a good reason to live.  No pressure, right? We made it through the call.  My sitter thought he was at a dead end, but the guides were able to show him a path that led to happiness and fulfillment.  I followed up with him a week later and he looked so much better, energetically, that I knew the crisis stage was over and he simply had to continue with his new plan to find happiness and fulfillment. 

It doesn’t happen often that I find people in this state, but it does happen.  When I tune in and see the pinpricks of light I know exactly what I’m dealing with.  I know my sitter is in crisis.  It’s not just a matter of whether to switch careers or whether to leave their husband, we’re tackling the big question: Should I continue with my life or just end it?  I am so grateful to the people in this situation who choose a reading instead of suicide because it gives me a chance to pass on a message from spirit that is usually very powerful and helpful.  Metaphorically it’s as if these folks are standing in total darkness, lost in the woods, with no food, water or help coming, and then their guides hand them a map, a light, a canteen of water, and food rations.  No, the guides can’t just pluck you out of the woods and drop you off at the lodge.  You still have to walk out of the woods on your own, but at least you have the supplies you need to sustain your life until you can find safety again.

Pinpricks of light.  Are your chakras in this state?  They might be if you are experiencing all of the following:

1. Root chakra:  No sense of security, no stability, financial disaster, unable to take care of yourself.
2. Sacral chakra:  No passion, no joy, no hope.  Depressed or sad.
3. Solar Plexus chakra:  A feeling of powerlessness, lack of self-esteem, no confidence in yourself.
4. Heart chakra:  Feeling disconnected, lonely, and apathetic about yourself and others.
5. Throat chakra:  Unable to express yourself, frustrated, feeling unheard.
6. Third-Eye chakra:  Not receiving intuition, unable to see a future for yourself, feeling like there are no choices left.
7. Crown chakra:  Disconnected from God/Source.  Feeling abandoned by life itself.

If this describes you, get help right away.  Go to a counselor, therapist, or book an appointment with me.  Talk to a friend.  Reach out for help.  Gently blow life back into your chakras.  Help someone else who is in a more unfortunate state than you believe yourself to be.  Meditate.  Listen to uplifting music.  Watch a comedy.  Raise your vibration.  Tune in to your guides.  Pray.  Open yourself to receiving help from the universe.  Sing.  Dance.  Write down 10 things you are grateful for, and do this every night before you go to sleep and every morning when you wake up.  Slowly, piece by piece, put your life back together.

Don’t give up.  When you feel like you’re sinking to the bottom of the ocean and you’re drowning in the darkness, you can still find the light.  But you won’t see it if your eyes are closed.  Be brave and try one more time.  You can heal.  You can find your way back from the brink.

I don’t like seeing the pinpricks of light, but now I know the guides can help.  Let them.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

At our pre-Thanksgiving meeting we decided to do something different.  Instead of writing our own intention, we picked names out of a hat and wrote intentions for someone else in the group.  In order to write an intention for someone else you have to know them pretty well.  Since we’ve all been together for a couple of years now, it wasn’t terribly difficult.  Hearing an intention that someone else has thought of for you is incredibly revealing.  Think about what you might intend for someone in your own life.  Do you think you know them well enough to know what their heart truly desires or what they really need in their life?  We read our intentions out loud.  It was empowering, creative, and even a little frightening.  The intention I read for my secret member involved her taking massive action on something I felt she had pushed to the back burner.  She received it well and has taken incredible action since I cast the intention for her.

After going around the room, we did another exercise.  On a piece of paper we wrote all of the things we wanted to accomplish in 2009.  Then we went outside and our hostess gave us a bunch of electric, flameless, votive candles.  For each wish, we put a votive candle on this special light tree.  By the time we were all done, that tree was decked with beautiful lights.  Then we sat around a bonfire and released our intentions (threw the paper) into the fire, with a prayer that 2009 be our best year ever.  It was a beautiful and empowering night, and I left that meeting feeling wonderfully uplifted and inspired.

By the way, the intention written for me was that I make all my wildest dreams a reality.  It’s very powerful when you think about it.  Wildest dreams huh?  I don’t know, I can think of a lot of wild dreams.

Now fast forward to December where we decided to do something special for the holidays.  This time, we printed out small sheets of paper with the following written on them:  My Holiday Wish For You …, Thank You For …, What I Love About You …, and then we answered all three questions for each person in the group.  We brought a festive container to collect our holiday wishes from the others.  We sat in a circle and put our holiday wishes for each person into their bucket, tin, or box.  Then we went around the room and read them out loud.  I can’t tell you how beautiful this experience was for me.  If you’ve ever read my blog entry, Three Wishes, you’ll know that my three wishes in life are to know myself, know another, and to have another know me.  This exercise I did with my Mastermind group tapped into those wishes.  Hearing how other people feel about you is a gift, especially if you’ve impacted them in a positive way.

Some of my favorites were:

What I love about you is that you dare to be brilliant.  You dare to share your brilliance and you dare yourself to be a woman of substance and heart.

What I love about you is your excitement about life and new adventures.

What I love about you is your compassion for others and your committment to your clients, family, and friends.

What I love about you is that you have absolutely gorgeous hair.

What I love about you is your sweet, gentle, spirit that continues to illuminate those around you.  You bring light wherever you go.

Thank you for showing us how to live a more light-filled life.

Thank you for bringing your angels and guides to our meetings so that we may learn and grow.

I could go on but I think you get the gist.  I think we all left that night feeling loved and cared for.  I know I did.  My Mastermind group is a wonderful support for me.  Mastermind meetings allow me to share insights with the group and receive wisdom from them.  You learn a lot about yourself and what you have to offer in a such a group.  I’m blessed to have these wonderful, wise, women in my life. 

Even if you don’t have a Mastermind group, you can still do these exercises with your family and friends.  What would happen if you did?

Bright blessings to you all!

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Expressing gratitude is one of the highest vibrational energies you can create.  When you tune in to your blessings you can almost feel a tingling energy inside your body.  Try it now and see.  Think of something you’re truly grateful for and express that gratitude in your mind or out loud.  I’m not talking about, “Well I really hate my neighbor but at least she’s out of town this week.”  No, no.  Think of something you are truly grateful for.  “I am so thankful that I have friends who care about me.”  Really plug in to the feeling.  Imagine seeing a ripple of energy spreading out in waves from your body and going out into the world.  Your thought of gratitude is like a pebble in a pond, sending ripples of positive, loving energy out into the world.  It has an effect even if you can’t see it right away.

When I do intuitive readings, I meditate and end up in my White Room, where Bob, my conduit guide, awaits me.  One of the first things I do before I tune in to my sitter’s guides is thank all of my guides and my higher self for being present with me and helping me connect to do readings.  I sometimes even imagine handing them all roses.  The first time I did this it was very spontaneous, but I was so surprised to discover how it made ME feel to simply give thanks and show my gratitude.  I am certainly not alone when I do readings so why not thank the guides for helping me, right?  When I saw how much it raised my energy I started expressing my gratitude towards them each and every time I get to my White Room.  This higher vibration helped me connect better to my sitter’s guides so it was a win for everyone!

When was the last time you told someone in your life how grateful you were to have their love and support?  Would it make you uncomfortable to express that?  If so, try doing it just in your own mind.  The ripple will still go out and impact them on an unconscious level.  Imagine what would happen if everyone expressed gratitude and love instead of annoyance and anger.  I think that sort of ripple effect could change the world.

This Thanksgiving I am eager to express my gratitude, love, and thanks for all that I have, for all that I am, for all that I can give, and for everything I receive from others.  What are you thankful for this season?  Take a minute and really think about it.  Share it in the forum if you’d like, write it down, give someone a call, or just send out a thought ripple. 

Thank you for reading.  I am grateful for the opportunity to share my thoughts with you.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Who are these people and how do they know where to go, and when, and what to do when they get there?

First of all, these people are typically unaware that they are being sent to guide you.  So if you say to them, “Oh wow, are you one of my guides?” they’ll probably look at you like you escaped from the mental ward.  No, they’re just being themselves, but they are usually “coincidentally” in the right place at the right time to offer just the right piece of advice or information that allows you to take a big leap forward in your spiritual development, or maybe even to save your life. 

How do they get there?  They’re guided by their own guides to be in the right place.  Perhaps your guides put a notice up on the spiritual bulletin board in the ether, “Wanted, someone who can knock some sense into this bloke we’re trying to guide.  He’ll be at Starbucks on Saturday, the 12th, at 8am.  Can anyone help?”  And maybe another guide reads this notice and says, “Hey, my charge, Suzanne, is going to be in that vicinity.  I’ll see what I can do.”  The next morning Suzanne wakes up with the sudden urge to go grab a coffee at Starbucks, which is something she never does, and at the last minute decides to bring along her copy of oh, say, Personal Development for Smart People.  So she’s sitting there chugging away at her latte while reading up on love and oneness and suddenly she sees a sad sack of a bloke sitting at a table all alone.  Without hesitation or a second thought she leaps from her chair and goes right up to the guy.  Handing him her book she says, “You look like you could use some help.  This book helped me a lot, and I’ll bet it will help you too.”  The guy kindly accepts this out-of-nowhere gift and the girl walks away, unknowing of the fact that she was a catalyst and just changed this guy’s life forever.

That’s just one example of how something like this could go down.  There are many other ways.  Perhaps you’re suicidal and walking down the street when you realize you’re lost.  By the time you look up from your haze of emotional pain you realize you’re standing right in front of a church.  A kindly priest invites you in and by the end of your chat you don’t want to kill yourself anymore.

Earthly guides come in all shapes, sizes, and species.  Sometimes it’s an animal that comes along at just the right time to provide you some comfort.  Or maybe it’s a child that captures your attention, or who comes up to you and says, “Excuse me, sir, you look like you could use a hug.”  Out of nowhere.  It’s good stuff.

Earthly guides don’t have to be hit-and-runners though.  Sometimes a special person comes into your life and sticks around for a while.  You develop an instant and special bond, and before you know it, your vibration is increasing rapidly.  Maybe it’s someone who helps you work out that issue with your parents, or maybe it’s someone who gets you on the road to addiction recovery.  Maybe it’s a business contact who helps you take your business to a whole new level.

I had a special guy friend in high school who was an earthly guide for me.  He was very wise and really good at teaching, and he was only 17.  We would spend hours talking about life and I would ask him dozens of questions.  He had a special way of teaching me without giving me answers, but drawing me to my own conclusions.  Many years later when I told him what a profound impact he had on me during that time in my life and how he really steered the course of my life because of it, he said, “I was your teacher?  No, I think you have that wrong.  You asked me the most amazing questions and I learned more about life from your questions than you could possibly have learned from my answers.”  Huh, who knew?

Be on the lookout for these guides.  Accept their help, advice, wisdom, support, love, whatever they have to offer.  How can you tell who is a guide and who is a just a nosy, butter-inner?  By the way they make you feel.  Is what they’re offering helping you in some way?  Receive it lovingly and willingly.  Be on the lookout for the drive-by earth guides.  These moments of contact have a special quality about them, the kind you remember years later, the kind you look back upon and realize, “Interesting, that day at Starbucks this random woman handed me a book, and now that I look back I realize it was that moment that put me on the path I’m on right now, helping others.  Fascinating.”

Yes, fascinating indeed.  The world works in mysterious ways. Your guides are putting up your information on some cosmic “Help Wanted” bulletin board.  Maybe one day, you’ll be the guide for someone else.  Pay it forward.  When you feel a strong urge to help someone, don’t hold back.  You could be the one that makes a difference in his or her life.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Let people help you
Sometimes you really can’t help yourself.  That’s when it’s time to rely on the kindness of your fellow man.  Find a friend, relative, therapist, counselor, co-worker, or anyone you trust with your situation and ask them for help.  Chances are they won’t say no, and even if they did, you can just move on to someone else.  People who love you and care about you will help you if you tell them what’s wrong and ask for their help.  Even if they can’t offer much in the way of advice, sometimes just telling someone about your situation is enough to lift you back towards the light.  You may also be able to find a support group full of people who have conquered your problem and are there to support others seeking their way back from the brink.  Whatever you do, reach out.  Don’t sit in the darkness alone.

Help someone in need
When you realize that you are in a position to help someone else in trouble, often your own problem doesn’t seem so insurmountable.  Helping others is one of the kindest things you can do on this planet because it recognizes the connection we all share.  When you show compassion towards another you automatically move closer to the light.  Try it and see.  Give a homeless guy some money.  Volunteer at a shelter.  Donate clothing to a domestic violence shelter.  Send treats to an orphanage.  Or just listen to someone with a problem and offer a kind word of support.  When you see others drowning in the dark, you can help each other swim back to the light.  Gratitude is one of the highest vibrations you can give and receive.

Keep your perspective
Sometimes we’re slammed with something horrible.  The death of a loved one, a divorce, the loss of a job, a financial crisis, bad health news.  It can feel like someone tied concrete to your feet and threw you in the river.  But keep your perspective.  Are you really at the end of your rope or did you just slide down a few feet – okay maybe a few hundred feet?  Never let go of that rope, even if you slid all the way to the bottom.  Keep climbing.  While there is still life in you, there is strength to keep climbing.  One inch at a time if necessary.  Still have a roof over your head?  Still have friends who care about you?  Still have enough money in your wallet to buy your next meal?  Is there a cure for your illness?  You’re way ahead of some people, so keep your perspective and keep climbing.  There are thousands, possibly millions of people, in the world who would gladly take your problems over theirs, so keep your problem in the proper perspective if you can.

Find one positive thought
I can’t stress this one enough.  When all you can see is darkness, sometimes you have to create your own light.  Lost your job?  “Well at least I can sleep in tomorrow.”  Been told you have cancer?  “At least others who have had this can guide me back to health.”  Death of a loved one? “I was very lucky to have loved someone so deeply.”  I know that you can sometimes feel utterly buried by bad news or a bad situation.  I think we’ve all had that feeling of totally losing our life energy to devastating news or a devastating situation, but you can always, always choose how you will interpret it.  So you can allow those dark waters to drag you under or you can choose to keep your head above water and start swimming back to shore.  It’s a choice, even if it doesn’t always feel like one.  My friend, Aimmee Riley, who wrote the awesome book, Tears of Hope, always says to me, “At least I am still breathing, so I’m okay.”  She’s a woman who really knows how to persevere in the face of adversity.

Count your blessings
When you’re sitting in the dark and can’t find the light it’s always helpful to count your blessings.  My advice is to literally write them down and keep them somewhere that you can see often.  Turn your attention to the things in your life that are still positive and forget your problem, even if just for a moment.  You’ve got to break the cycle, cut the chain that ties you to that block of concrete, so you can begin to swim back to the surface.  You need to get your power back, so take a serious inventory of what you still have going for you and use those blessings like stairs – climb them.

Remember you are never truly alone
When I’m doing an intuitive reading for someone in crisis I always see angels around them.  In fact, when I see the angels that’s how I know my sitter is going through a really tough time either emotionally or physically.  You are never truly alone.  Behind and beside you walk beings of light whose job it is to help you when you cannot help yourself.  You may not see them or detect them, but they are there when you need them the most.  Just like that poem, “Footprints” about the guy who was walking with God and saw two sets of footprints in the sand, and when he was in trouble he only saw one set and thought God had abandoned him.  “No,” said God, “that was when I carried you.”  If you open yourself to their energy, you will feel their loving comfort.  Some people use prayer to connect with these unseen energies, some use meditation.  Find your angels and let their light infuse you.

Find the humor in your situation
Probably the last thing you want to do when you are devastated is laugh, but laughter truly is the best medicine.  Being in a state of joy or amusement is a really high vibration that can cut through the darkness like a knife through butter.  Find something to laugh at.  Find something amusing in your situation.  If you can’t find amusement in your situation, then find amusement in something else.  Catch a comedy show, watch a funny movie, go to YouTube.com and type in the name of your favorite comedian.  It’s okay to laugh even when you feel like you have nothing to be happy about.  Laughter cuts away the darkness and allows you to think more clearly and find good solutions to your problem.

Don’t make decisions in the dark
When life throws you a curve you automatically go into problem-solving mode.  How will I deal with this?  What will I do now?  How will I survive?  How will I get through this?  When you’re in panic-mode, however, you don’t always come up with the best solutions.  In fact, sometimes you can’t see a way out of your plight.  I have learned that if I am in crisis mode that my ability to make good decisions goes out the door.  So I’ve learned not to make decisions while in crisis mode.  I raise my vibration first.  I count my blessings.  I put my problem in perspective.  I find the humor in the situation.  I ask for help.  Then solutions begin to appear when my mind is ready for them.  If you need time to wallow in your misery, take it, but don’t tarry there too long or you will drown in that darkness.  When you’re ready, begin making a plan that will free you from those dark waters.

Just breathe
When all else fails, breathe.  What’s the first thing we do when we arrive in this world?  We take a breath.  When you literally feel like your world is falling apart then it’s time to go back to the beginning.  Just breathe.  Find a comfortable spot and concentrate on your breath.  Don’t let other thoughts enter your mind.  If they do, gently escort them out the back door.  And then concentrate on your breathing, be in the present, get centered.  Keep breathing until you find peace.  Use that time to connect yourself with the universal energy that fills us all.  Be supported by that energy.  Let it carry you for a while.  Submit yourself to its embrace.  Then, when you’re ready, open your eyes and see the light ahead of you.  Move towards it, one step at a time.  Don’t take your eyes off that light.  Don’t look behind you, always look forward.  As long as you’re breathing, you’re okay.

If someone you know is in crisis right now, help them.  Care for them.  Guide them back to the light.  If you’re the one in crisis, I highly recommend a visit to the forums.  There you will find compassionate, caring individuals who will help you sort through your situation and offer advice for dealing with it.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

The other day I was in the car with my 8-year-old daughter, Emily and we had an interesting conversation.  Here is roughly how it went. 

Emily:  Mommy, did you know my heart locket has a little jewel in it?
Me:  No, I didn’t know you put anything in your heart locket.
Emily:  Well I put this little jewel in there.  Yesterday when I was at school I opened my locket and took out my jewel and asked Claire (her angel) to help me cast love energy at my classmates.
Me:  You what?
Emily:  Yeah, I wanted everyone in my class to feel loving towards each other so I asked Claire if she would help me and I made a wish on my jewel.
Me:  Wow, you did that, really?  That’s incredibly wonderful of you to do that.
Emily:  I even told Claire to send love energy to the bad people, like the demons, so that maybe they can find their way back to the light.

I can’t tell you how my heart was swelling with pride at this point.  My little muffin, consciously casting love energy at people.  I said, “Where did you get the idea to do this, Emily?”

She said, “From you, Mama.  You taught me that putting love into the world was better than putting hate into the world.  And I just wanted everyone to feel happy and loved like I do.”

My eyes welled up with tears quite honestly.  It was definitely a moment I will never forget.  I didn’t realize that she had learned this from me.  I have had conversations with both of my children about the difference between love and dark energy.  I’ve drawn their attention to moments when I see them casting love energy at each other (”Kyle, I’ll read you a story tonight if you want”) and moments where they aren’t quite so light (”Kyle, if you take my sucker out of my bag again I’m going to bop you!”).  But I can tell that they’re both getting it; they’re both aware of when they’re using love energy and when they’re using dark energy.  Awareness of what kind of energy you’re casting into the world is an important first step to consciously choosing what kind of energy you will send into the world.

You can cast love energy at anyone anytime whether they are in your presence or not.  Lately as I go to bed each night I’ve been feeling so grateful and wonderfully blessed.  I take a moment to appreciate all that I have and all the people who tell me I’ve affected their lives for the better.  Then I think of someone from my present or past, someone who I think would benefit from some love, and I just cast love energy at them.  I think about them, say a little prayer for their wellbeing, send forgiveness if it’s warranted, send understanding if it’s needed, but mostly I just send unconditional love.  I take a moment to recognize my cosmic connection with them and send them the love I would want someone to send me.

There is so much power and energy in this act.  It raises your vibration instantly, and if you are in a state of fear there is nothing better you can do for yourself than to send unconditional love out into the world.  You’ll find it comes back into your heart a hundred-fold.

Cast love at others.  Open your heart and let the universe fill you with its love, and then pay it forward to someone else.  I believe on some level they will feel it come into them.  The more we create these tendrils of love the better our world will become.  Send peace, gratitude, understanding, whatever you need to send.  Open the conduit of love and keep the energy flowing.

Or get a little jewel, put it in a heart locket, and wear it around your neck like my daughter does.  Then make a wish for love, peace, compassion and harmony to be in your heart and the hearts of others.  Yes, even the demons… they need love too.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

“The Golden Rule,” she explained, “means that you treat other people the way you want to be treated.  So if you want people to be nice to you, you must be nice to them.  If you want people to be your friends you must be friendly to them.  And if you treat people unkindly you are telling them that you expect to be treated unkindly in return.  If you don’t want people to be mean to you, stop being mean to them.”  Cool.  Got it.  Makes sense.  I can do that.  It’s all about being fair.  If I steal from someone I am telling them that I expect and am okay with them stealing from me.  After all, if I am not okay with that, why would I do it to them?  I tucked the Golden Rule into my heart and went on about my life, treating others with kindness, fairness, civility, and love because that’s how I wanted to be treated.

The Golden Rule worked pretty well in fourth grade.  Anytime a kid was the slightest bit mean to me I reminded them of the Golden Rule and they changed their behavior.  And anytime I even thought about being mean to another kid I asked myself if that’s how I would want to be treated.  It was a great check and balance system.  I always checked my behavior to make sure it was in alignment with how I wanted to be treated.  Sure I made mistakes here and there but for the most part I did pretty well with the Golden Rule and I was very happy to have such a clear cut way of behaving that felt good to me.

Then came high school.  Clearly some of these people had not had the benefit of being in Mrs. Cameron’s classroom because this is where I started seeing some of the worst behavior I’d ever seen.  I recall one day while waiting with a hundred kids to get into school that a guy turned to me, that I did not know, and said “I’m going to kick your ass after school you f***ing Jew.”  I turned around to see who he was talking to but he pointed to me and said, “I’m talking to you, b*tch.  I’m going to kick your ass.”  I had no idea who this guy was but apparently he knew all he needed to know about me.  I was frightened the entire day and made sure all of my male friends were with me after school to take me to my car.  I steered clear of that guy the rest of the school year, living in fear that he would remember his threat against me and one day make good on it.  There were the cliques, periodic and seemingly random sexual assaults, and fights that broke out over who got to sit where in the cafeteria.  It was chaotic, violent, and scary to be in my high school.  I kept my head down and tried to learn, but I lived in constant fear of the next random act of violence (physical, emotional, sexual, etc.).

I survived high school and went to college where I also enjoyed random acts of violence and sexual assault but this time committed by so-called “adults.”  A little freedom and independence can do wonders for your morality.

But even in high school and college things were tame compared to what I see in the world today.

It’s very easy to lose your faith in the Golden Rule when other people around you are breaking it all the time.  After all, why should you be nice, kind and loving when other people are taking advantage of you, stealing, getting away with murder, committing violence, and lying; especially when some of these people are your world leaders or clergymen?

Because I live very closely aligned with the Golden Rule I don’t understand things like guns, bombs, and war.  I know I don’t want anyone to shoot me, bomb me, or invade my homeland so I can’t fathom doing it to anyone else. 

Before I take any action towards someone else I always ask myself if what I’m about to do is something I would want done to me.  If the answer is no, I find another way to express myself.  I’m not perfect by any means, but I am usually aware when I’m breaking the Golden Rule and spend some time thinking about how to improve.

I am greatly pained when I see adults violating the basic rules of decency that we try to teach our children. 

Can you imagine what our world would be like if everyone followed the Golden Rule?  I think about this a lot.  There would be no need for prisons, there would be no war.  Decency and civility would be the order of the day, not back stabbing, violence, and deceit.  People would be more fair, just, merciful, and compassionate.  And there would be a lot more love in the world by far.

Do you believe in the Golden Rule?  Do you follow its tenet?  When other people mistreat you do you assume they are asking to be treated the same way, and if so do you comply by getting revenge on them and violating your own honor?  Even when other people mistreat me I still feel bound to adhere to the Golden Rule even if they aren’t.  Someone’s got to set the example.  Especially for our children and the future of our world.

I am so grateful to Mrs. Cameron for posting the Golden Rule in my fourth-grade classroom.  That was possibly the most important lesson I learned that entire year…

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.