2012 started for Linda and me with another shared life lesson revealed by Michael: Shifting our belief that life is about surviving to the belief that life is about thriving – on all levels. That stuck a deep cord within me because I can quickly access an old tape running in my head from my earliest memories that announces “There is only just enough…” There is just enough food for our family so my friend couldn’t stay for dinner. Just enough money for one ride at the fair not two. Just enough time for one story at bedtime and not any more. And then at some point I started to create my own recording that started with “If only…” If only there was more time to spend with my family and friends.  If only there was enough money to go to a movie or vacation. If only these dishes or work could wait until after I had some fun. So the concept of shifting from surviving to thriving took me a few days to get my head around and I kept asking myself: “What would my life experience be like if I didn’t limit myself or the Universe?”  And once I embraced this idea that life is about thriving then my next question was: “How do I shift this well-known belief?”  Michael suggested starting with this concept called Energy Management and gave us a 3-step process to practice as our first homework assignment. Here it is:

The 3-steps of Energy Management: “The way you manage your energy is a direct expression of your divinity.” – Michael

Step 1: Get clam and centered between life events. (Honor the cushions.) Check in with your vibration and assess if it aligns with the activity you are about to engage in. If your vibration is negative you can either 1) not engage in the activity right now or 2) locate the belief about yourself and choose a different belief. “You are your problem 100% of the time.”

Step 2: Set your intention based on how you want to feel and what you want to experience vs. what you want others to do or the outcomes.  To locate what you want breathe into your heart and ask yourself: I am feeling __________,__________,________ and I want to feel ____________,______________,___________. Intentions need to be personal and be owned – they are not about how others will respond. “The moment you make your joy contingent on an outcome you made yourself a happiness hostage.”

Step 3: Engage with absolute trust in yourself and trust in the universe and release expectations on any outcomes. This creates the state of allowing. “What’s important is that you contribute your energy in a constructive way vs. focusing on what you accomplish.”

After the first week of practicing this 3-step process I realized that step 2 was the most difficult for me. It was almost impossible for me to locate my intention for a particular life experience I’m about to engage in. So I asked Michael, and they shared with me that intention is about how I want to feel in an experience – not how I want others to be or do or anything to do with outcomes. OMG! How powerful is it to identify how I want to feel moment-to-moment in this life experience. Instantly I put it into practice and instantly I started experiencing more joy in the moment.

I invite you to practice is simple 3-step process of Energy Management along with me and take note of how you feel in your life experience and begin the shift from surviving to thriving.

May every happiness be yours,

Nancy

“Co-creating from your open heart allows you to manifest loving aspects – like peace, medical cures and environmental solutions. Co-creating from your ego manifests fear-based things, such as war, technologies of destruction and biological weapons. With this knowledge, do you see why learning to open and operate from an open heart is essential not only to your personal healing, but to the healing and sustenance of your world?”
-Michael (channeled excerpt from last night’s “Heart-Opening” class)

A few years back, I had what I can only describe as a kind of “spiritual awakening;” but it wasn’t the beautiful, enlightening sensation I had always expected if something like awakening ever happened to me. Rather than floating around in bliss, gratitude and love, I was hurting on all levels – mind, body and spirit. I experienced an almost constant “brain fog” which limited my focus and frustrated me. My left shoulder ached to the point it felt like my arm would fall off. I had almost constant headaches. I felt completely emotionally compartmentalized and trapped in my life. I believed that I could never dare to reveal my whole, integrated self. Rather, it was safer and more strategic to share only the aspects of myself I felt others would find acceptable. What hurt the most was that for the first time in my life, I was keenly aware that life as I knew it had to be OVER. I needed to change or die; the immaculate life I’d built to satisfy the rules of society was literally killing me. I’d been taught to “tough it out,” but I realized that this was not a time for my usual tenacity, but a time for deep surrender and conscious change.

“There is no coming to consciousness without pain.” -Carl Jung

At this time, I started channeling Michael quite a bit and the collective patiently explained to me, “As with all human beings, the pain you have been experiencing has always been an invitation to change. Now that your pain is acute, you have a heightened awareness that your soul is begging you to shift – yet you are terrified of what that means to you and to the system in which you exist. For years, you’ve identified more with pain than joy. If you make the changes that allow you to create authentic joy, you are afraid you will lose it all – including your family, your friends, your career and most of all, the identity you have worked so hard to build. All that is fear. All that is ego. All of this is what you are invited to release.”

“Awakening is uncomfortable because in that instant, you are aware that life can no longer be happy as you have been living it. That in fact, your own beliefs are holding you back from fulfilling the promise you made to your soul and to Spirit…to evolve. The spell is broken. The illusion dashed. Your only choice is to consciously change in order to honor and realize your soul more completely.” -Michael

At this point, I was completely overwhelmed. How could I possibly step into this? How could I begin to release my fear and my ego? Michael’s instruction on how to move forward was simple and in sharing it with you, I hope it may help you in your own series of awakenings. Michael said, “Start with paying attention to how you really feel versus how you should feel. Be mindful and assess if you are comfortable or uncomfortable in the moment. Locate how you really feel, then use those core, essential feelings to guide your next conscious decision – remembering that embedded in every conscious decision is both accountability and responsibility. Know that when you elevate your consciousness to the level required to create true inside-out happiness, you give others permission to do the same – for in your heart, you realize it takes quite a bit of courage to be happy.”

I began my happiness practice that day and have never looked back. Practice helped me realize just how fear-based I really was and made it clear that I needed to release all sorts of personal beliefs that where holding me back from joy. Practice showed me that change didn’t need to be so scary after all. Practice helped me understand that when I am unhappy, others around me pick up on my energy and are likely to be unhappy too. Practice illuminated the importance of authenticity and that my friend, Dr. Robert Holden, is so right when he says, “If there’s something missing in your life, it’s probably you.”

“Every act of creation is first an act of destruction.”  -Pablo Picasso

So my message is this, no matter how tempting is is to call an anesthetist and go back to “sleep,” try to embrace each and every awakening – because each is there to serve your higher good. Have no doubt that you are already gifted with all the infinite wisdom you need to step through every life lesson and go through the required changes with grace. Know that life is not a neat linear ascent – a big upward line along which you get to possess everyone and everything along the way; life imitates nature – working in a series of mystical cycles containing both release and gain. Release your fear and take comfort – for every awakening is ultimately about creating space for whatever is required next to allow us to more completely recognize the brilliance of our souls. We are part of a miraculous Universe that has imbued all of us with the divine courage and capability to evolve and be happy individually and collectively.

I am reading Kundalini Rising, which is a thoughtfully curated collection of essays of peoples experience with awakening.  In Barbara Harris Whitfield essay she shares her view on the voice of the ego and the voice of the soul. It is a fascinating and wonderful guide to help us engage with our selves and others with compassion and love. I am always excited when I find a new tool to help me practice happienss. Here it is for you to explore.

Voice of the ego and voice of the soul, by Barbara Harris Whitfield

 Enjoy this experiment called life!

- Nancy

Recently Michael invited Linda and me to redefine our perception of success after they observed us being a bit gritchy and frustrated by our perceived lack of feeling a sense of accomplishment, when over lunch one day we were recalling the times in our lives when we felt successful and accomplished by landing a sale, completing a project, getting a promotion, etc., and we wondered what is wrong with us? Why aren’t we able to make things happen now like we did before?

 Are you feeling gritchy and frustrated too?

Gently Michael helped us to understand that in fact we are indeed very successful. And for me they indentified my major accomplishments over the past 2 years:  1) I released a relationship in which I felt dismissed.  2) I embarked on the hardest and longest journey – switching from operating from my head to operating with an open heart. (Years ago I read somewhere that the longest journey one can take is the 17 inches from the head to the heart. I didn’t understand what that meant when I read it then – now I do!) And 3) most importantly, my children are happy. They watched and learned from me as I engaged in my happiness practice. (Happy Mom = Happy Children. Who knew?)

What are your accomplishments?

Indeed, the rewards of these accomplishments of what I call ‘my self work’ are far greater then any rewards and recognition of my past achievements. The knowledge that my children are equipped and empowered to create happy lives is my greatest achievement and the answer to my deepest hearts desire. Who would have thought that one of the gifts of divorce would be happy children?

 What are your rewards? What requests were answered by your ‘self-work’?

Michael helped me understand that these accomplishments amount to being in a sense ‘reborn’ and that I am now engaging in the world in a completely new way and they invited me to co-create with the universe from this new place – with my open heart. Michael also encouraged me to bring a sense of accomplishment to my conversations and activities and it is amazing what is unfolding as a result.

What would you like to co-create with the universe with your open heart and feeling accomplished?

With Lovitude,

- Nancy

Usually when Linda connects with Michael, and after they lovingly greet me, they then ask me to share with them how I am feeling. (I must admit that after three years of practicing the 5 Principles of Happiness that it can still take me a while to locate how I’m feeling in any given moment.) However, last week they asked me to identify what I was thinking and more specifically to share what thoughts were running around in my head. (Even my thoughts took me a while to locate!) They gently reminded me that consciousness is the head and the heart working together, and in order to create a happy life we need to feel first and then act. It’s when we act first and then feel that create our challenges. And then they shared this:  

 “You can not release what you do not acknowledge.  As soon as you acknowledge your thoughts and feelings then you have the power to release them.”

Michael then worked with me to help me acknowledge that one of the mental tapes I have playing is a belief that there is always “just enough”. This seed of belief was planted early in my childhood – there was always just enough;  food, money, time, attention, even love and I have continued to water this belief daily throughout the years - all on my own. Now my hearts desire is to live with abundance – on all levels.

And so my homework from Michael is to say an affirmation for the next 30 days first thing in the morning and also whenever I realize that the old mental tape is playing.  Doing so will allow me to first acknowledge that my old mental tape is playing now and with consciousness release it by empowering myself to play a new mental tape, there by planting a new seed of belief.

Below you will find the affirmation Michael gave me. If you have mental tapes playing that are no longer serving you I invite you to experiment with this for 30 days along with me and share what you are learning and experiencing with others.

I realize that in the past I have viewed myself as _______, but now I realize that I am ­­­__________. I celebrate my skills of _____, _____ & _____ and today I will make every effort to put them to use in a confident, caring, and committed way without appearing for feeling arrogant.

Happy Practicing!

- Nancy

I find it fascinating that every day serves up new opportunities to put my happiness practice into action.  I am very grateful for this because it requires no extra planning, energy or special attire on my part to practice the five principles of happiness as I go about this thing called ‘life’. And then occasionally there are those unique experiences that seem to push me into a whole new level of practice – like family holidays and celebrations. I understand the concept that we are all mirrors to each other however, it is more like being in a house of mirrors when the family is gathered and I find it hard to stay centered at times.  Can you relate to this?

It’s during these unique ‘practice opportunities’ as Linda and I call them,  that I find myself digging deeper into my happiness toolkit for more insight and tools from Michael such as; releasing expectations of self and others – for expectations are the breading ground of all disappointment.  Another one I really like is forgiveness, which is the gift we give ourselves by allowing the other person to be exactly who they are – which is not always the person we want them to be! This past weekend I also practiced being open to receiving -  if someone offered to do something or take care of something that needed to be done I gratefully and graciously let them. WOW! Did that feel good!

As the summer festivities unfold I invite you to look at these special events as opportunities to practice happiness at a deeper level and encourage you to share with us your practice tips.

In gratitude,

- Nancy

Much of the Conversation with Michael at Old Arizona Theater last night focused on the need to release our feelings of insecurity – which is the other side of the same coin as the fear of failure. Can you relate to this one? If I took the time to list when my fear of failure and concern about how others will perceive me held me back from doing what I really want to do throughout my life the list would reach to the moon and beyond.  And when Michael said “If you just stopped judging yourself you just might do something magnificent” it felt like the flood gates opened. For at our core I believe we all have the hearts desire to do many magnificent things in our lifetime and I try my best to support my family, friends and colleagues in their efforts to engage in things that make them happy and reveal their unique gifts, beauty and truth, however the key to last nights conversation for me was the awareness that I rarely support myself in the same way. Do you support yourself in doing what you know you want to do?

As we all know (yet need to be constantly reminded), change starts within us first then it ripples out to others. So starting today I am adding to my happiness practice the mediation Michael they gave us last night on releasing feelings of insecurity and will focus on being more aware during the day when I find myself not doing what I want out because of my feelings of insecurity and release the fear by stepping into conscious and compassionate action.

How do you release your feelings of insecurity?

With new awareness,

 - Nancy

In a recent conversation with Michael, I asked a question on behalf of Linda and myself: “What can we do to serve the highest good?” thinking that there was something that we should be doing for others. Surprising Michael shared with us that what serves the highest good is what serves us —- and what serves us is learning our life lessons. OMG!  All these years of believing that my needs don’t matter – that what makes me happy doesn’t matter – who knew that learning our life lessons is what serves the highest good? Did you know that?

Then Michael went on to share that Linda and I are both stepping into a new life lesson of believing we are worthy of receiving the abundance that the universe has to offer and more specifically in our case releasing the belief that we are unworthy. Can you relate to this?

Several days later I was reviewing a few of my Co-Creation models and I found myself compelled to change the language from “I want …” to “I am worthy of…” and it was like an internal switch was turned on. What I recognized in that moment was I shifted from co-creating from my ego (and sense of lack) to my heart and out of love of myself. And then it was crazy — within 10 hours things started to come in and I consciously focused on opening up to receiving from this new belief of feeling worthy.

If this resonates with you, I invite you to just practice adjusting your language slightly and as often as you can say “I am worthy” then enjoy the unfolding.

In appreciation,

Nancy

Funny thing. So many people ask me, “When you channel, is it REAL?” My response is, “Well, it’s as real as anything I’ve ever experienced.” Afterall, when it comes down to it, there is no such thing as reality – only a momentary perception of what we as individuals create. And in terms of channeling, what I can share is that Michael came to me when I needed them most – to honor my request for help, and to guide me in creating a happier, more loving and fulfilling life. Was it expected? No. Was it necessary? Yes.

I, like so many, was fortunate to receive spiritual guidance when I needed it most. I was the biggest skeptic of all, saying, “This is nonsense. This cannot be. This is not real.” But rather than bowing to my inner skeptic, I decided to take my ego out of the driver’s seat (a strange, new thing for me at the time) – and to be open to Michael’s insights and suggestions, and consciously attempt to put them to work in my own life.

What happened next was nothing short of remarkable. Gradually my health improved, my sadness lifted and my capability for dealing with the day-to-day rigors of the world increased. I FELT my heart, I FELT my soul and with a bit of practice, I FELT empowered to be truly happy, from the inside-out.

So, why do I share this experience? Am I special? Am I unique? No. I am a spirit embodied…just like YOU. Because of my own awakening, my life has changed in positive ways on virtually every level. I  believe in my heart that everyone has access to spirit, Source Energy, guides, whatever you want to call it. And, like air, just because you cannot see it, it doesn’t mean that it’s not there or that you don’t need it. So instead of rejecting your own “spiritual experiences,” why not embrace and explore them? In them, I believe you are likely to find exactly what you need, exactly when you need it most. Michael has this wonderful saying, “When you open to new energies and allow them to work in your life, you exponentially expand the palette with which you can create.” To me, that’s the point – not to know the answers, but to expand the creative experience. Open to your gifts, beauties, and by all means, take none of this perceived reality too seriously. Namaste.