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Posts tagged ‘Women’s Courage’

Contribution vs Making a Difference!

“…why do I talk about the benefits of failure? Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged. I was set free, because my greatest fear had been realized, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life. ~ J.K. Rowling

Having spent some time this weekend in Portland participating in the ritual of sharing 2011 vision boards with two beautiful women friends,  I realized that although I feel like I am on the inside of a cannon about ready to explode in a completely new direction –

Gaye's 2011 Vision Board

that it is the contribution I have to bring in this new direction, place, and creation of relationship that matters most.

As women we often feel that we need to “make a difference” in the world, in our families, in our communities, in our relationships – it goes on and on.  However, might we try on how it feels inside to compare “make a difference” to “make a contribution”.   For me, there is a edge to “make a difference” that is somehow filled with the expectation that we have to do something, and the need to make certain “that something” hits the target that we are aiming at.  It also somehow feels attached to attempting to gain favor or recognition for something – that may or may not be our natural authentic expression.  Feel a little pressure here?

Now there is nothing wrong with challenging ourselves, but how does it feel to simply “contribute” from the still (and sometimes very loud) voice inside that asks you to follow your heart and soul.  To bring that unique expression that is only yours out into the world.  There is a flow that happens  when we reach this place….and a knowing that even if we “fail” in bringing or manifesting our contribution out into the world, that at least we have taken our divine and true nature and given it a voice and a form from which to express.

As J.K. Rowling says in the above quote, when we stop pretending to be other than what and who we are, then we have the energy, passion and commitment to direct into the livelihood/artistic expression/relationships that matters most to us.  We set ourselves free when we contribute from this place of being….and it is here that we thrive.

There are two videos this week that I want to share with you.  The first is of an amazing woman by the name of Jeanne Dowell who is a first-time entrepreneur at the age of 80!  Merging her long-time experience as a yoga teacher, Jeanne, along with her 44 year old daughter, launches a new eco-friendly apparel business – The Green Buddha company.  Jeanne teaches us that it is never too late to contribute and that often, just naturally, that contribution does “make a difference”.

The Green Buddha-oomphtv.com

The second video is at the other end of the age spectrum and features an incredibly courageous, articulate, wise, intelligent and beautiful young woman giving a keynote talk on Martin Luther King Day in her high school auditorium.  Kayla’s contribution is saying YES to her fullest self – even when that may present challenges that she might not know how to handle.  Staying silent however, is not an option for this young woman….and her entire school learns a deep and valuable lesson about being authentic, even when it is terrifying and filled with the unknown.

Maria Carillo Highschool, Santa Rosa, California – Kayla comes out.

May we yield to the Divine nature that we are and trust in the direction that it leads us.

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:  BreathingSpaces

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Authenticity, Awareness, Courage, Creative Expression, Manifesting Your Dreams

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The Money Paradox – The Power of One Honoring Their Path

Over the past few weeks, as I continue to straddle several worlds of livelihood in my own life, I have been lead to reflect deeply on what will not only bring sufficient cash flow to sustain me, but most importantly will be in alignment with who I am in my fullest and deepest authentic expression and my deep desire to bring good into this world.  There are many of us who have worked diligently on our own “money wounds” and have attempted many strategies for clearing away the “shame” and illusional beliefs around this particular form of energy called money. 

 

 

Recently I have come to the conclusion that a lot of our own self worth has been tied into whether we “have it”, whether we “have enough of it” and whether we “are enough” in order to make/create “it”.  It seems such a waste of precious life energy to have so much of our time and attention tied into such a paradox….and this global scarcity paradigm pervades everything!

 

Many of us are finally coming around to deeply honoring whatever it is that we are called to do, whether it be in the arts, health professions, or business….and disengaging it from having to make large amounts of money from whatever it is that we are doing.   Though that may naturally happen  – it is not the “end all” goal, nor does it define who we are and what we have to bring.

 

When I had my own business in massage, breath work, yoga therapy and women’s  retreats, I remember the thoughts of “needing one more person to sign up” or “having enough clients for the week” which seemed to be a never ending cycle of  “not enough” and struggle – which then translated inside of me to “I guess I am just not enough because I don’t know how to do this and sustain my well being at the same time in the manner that my culture tells me I should be doing”!  In fact, I loved what I was doing, but the self imposed pressure to “make more money” took away from that natural feeling of fulfillment and creativity.

We all know that this is a journey that most all of us have to walk, until we find the peace inside of ourselves to do what it is that deeply calls to us from a place much deeper than monetary gain.  Sometimes that means we will have “lean” times, and sometimes we will have “abundant monetary” gains….but amidst it all is the knowing that we are listening to what moves us, honoring our creativity, heart, intelligence, and intuition –   and giving it out into the world as the video above reflects to us.

 

This week a Facebook connection that I think highly of posted a piece that you will find below.  McCall has been consciously walking her path for awhile now and I found this piece deeply honest and real.  This may touch some of you and others may disagree,…but what is important here is that we speak what is moving in us, share our stories, and support each other in walking the path of “enough” – ourselves and the resources we have at our disposal.  I have asked that we start a revolution – a revolution of ENOUGH – of perhaps more than enough – as we look in the mirror at our magnificent beings and recognize the “power of one” walking a soul path !  Thank you McCall for this piece and for stimulating dialog!

The Money Paradox: Feeding the Belly and the Dream

by McCall Erickson: Loving Life At The Edge

So many of us are feeling it now. The urge to do deeper work, to excavate our deepest gifts, passion, and truth, to be the change we want to see in the world.

Not only are we feeling it, we’re doing it! We can’t help but do this. And in doing so, we’re often called to leave behind many traditional life patterns. Including traditional jobs.

Enter money.

Yikes.

How do we continue to pay our bills while following our hearts? We can’t turn away from our soul’s work any sooner than we can avoid death and taxes. We also can’t turn away from the fact that our rent is due, we have mouths to feed, and god damnit it still takes money to live in this world. (Don’t worry; I’m working on a revolution to change that) But for now…

Let me share with you a few key points that have helped me shift and soften this money conundrum since leaving my 9-5 job five years ago to follow dreams.

First, we must must ditch the “Do what you love and the money will follow” saying.
I don’t know where this woo-woo-feel-good tagline came from, but evidence shows it’s serving the credit card industry, NOT the soul-saving-change-the-world-with-your-dreams industry. It’s just not reality for most people to instantly make money doing what they love, and I am “most people.”

Let’s face it; we are in a culture that doesn’t pay change-the-world-creative-types the big bucks. We pay doctors, lawyers, athletes, and Hollywood mega stars. Many of us are called to follow a soul path of music, writing, art, healing, mentoring, and teaching that doesn’t pay the big bucks. So? We’ll do it anyway if that’s what our souls call us to do. We’ll do what we love and figure out a way to pay the bills. Some may call this limited thinking. I call it reality.

Next, we must must stop attaching our worth or how well we are following our true path to how much money we are bringing in from it.
There’s a saying among writers that goes, “The only difference between not being published and being published is being published.” Same goes for making money from our gifts. One of my greatest mentors is an amazing writer. All of her books are self-published and as good (and more life-changing) than many books I’ve read on the best-seller list. But she doesn’t pay her mortgage from book royalties. (Few authors do) But she is hitting her soul calling right on the mark.

As for me, I felt like the most dreadful failure a year after quitting my job, writing killer songs, creating my own buzz in the indie music scene, and expecting the money to follow, because “God damnit I was following my passion!” but instead I had a $10,000 credit card bill in my hands and no way to pay my rent.

And I couldn’t go back to a 9-5 job. I just couldn’t.  I’d come too far on my own path.

Rock
and
a
hard
place
!

Learn to negotiate to fund the dream.
So, I got a waitressing job, knocked out my debt, kept food (organic food, of course) on my table, and kept writing songs. Strangely, that waitressing job made me feel less of a failure and more at peace knowing I was taking care of shit on my end. I’ve gone in and out of seasons of needing my waitressing job to pay the bills since then, because sometimes I’m making enough from my dreams than other times. I am no longer ashamed or prideful about that either way. It is what it is. It’s all an energy flow, and there are greater things at play here than I have control over.

These days I’m not picky about where the money comes from, as long as I’m living true to my heart and bringing good to the world. I can do that while waiting tables too. Some people can even do that while working a 9-5 job. Truth be known, you’ll find me more often than not advising my clients to keep their day jobs as long as possible. Day jobs can be a blessing. They can fund the dream! I say, stay until staying truly interferes with your soul moving forward, not until you merely have a case of entitlement and wish you were somewhere other than there. Only you can know when that is.

Embrace the paradox.
All this said, I still find myself falling into the trap of thinking “Someday when I figure out how to really make money with this. Someday, when I’m discovered. Someday….then the money paradox will go away.” Hmf! It never goes away. It might soften and get easier over time, and yes, we really can (and do) make money following our hearts and using our gifts. But the paradox is always there. Even for Oprah, Meryl Streep, and James Taylor. We all need money to live. Embrace the paradox, and it softens. I promise.

Alright my friends, that’s all I have for now. I just gave you my best on the money issue. As always, open to hearing your take on things. We all grow together when we share our experience, strength, and hope.

From one dream-builder to another,

McCall

McCall Erickson: Loving Life At The Edge

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:  www.BreathingSpaces.net

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Authenticity, Awareness, Courage, Creative Expression

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It Is Our Imperfection That Connects Us

As the holiday season gets fully underway the stress of attempting to be “perfect” in doing all that “needs to be done”  hits us with full force.  Connection with others becomes foremost in our every day experience as we juggle shopping, working, parties, entertaining, and on and on.  Emotions run their highs and lows, and at times we end up
wishing all of it would just “be over with”.

A couple of weeks ago a video came my way which was a very well done interview by Patricia Gras with Dr. Brene Brown.  Dr. Brown has done extensive qualitative research on the emotion of “shame” and its intimate connection with perfectionism.  She states that shame is a very primitive emotion and that it has to do with fear of disconnection.

Connection is “hard wired” into our being as humans and is a basic need.  Shame is an intensely painful feeling or belief that we are flawed in some way and somehow inadequate or unworthy of connection.

Our culture, through media and advertising, blasts us with perfectionism and ridicules those who are not – claiming that we will be accepted and loved if we are perfect.
We end up struggling and creating the very disconnection that we fear the most.

It is here that we are invited to look at areas of our lives where we struggle with perfectionism, and more importantly to share the stories with others we trust when we experience shame.  It is our imperfection that connects us with each other – our shared humanity.

Thus, in attempting “perfection” we are actually disconnecting from the very connection we long for.  In authentically sharing our experiences and receiving those stories from others with empathy we are connecting on the deep levels that call to us from our primitive instincts.  Dr. Brown states “shame cannot survive empathy”.

(Go to Part 2 for the second half)  (Thank you to Lynn Walker for this video!)

This holiday season let go of the perfection and appreciate your own humanity and that of others.  Tell stories, listen to each other, and connect on real and authentic levels.  Let go.  Might this contribute to a different holiday season?

Now go to this video and see how easy it is to be connected just by being yourself as you are in the moment and simply waiting for the love to be reflected back to you.  Don’t let anything get in the way of living your life in connection!

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT: www.BreathingSpaces.net

This Weeks Post: Vibration – Another Look At Sacred Geometry

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A Mantle For Inner Awareness

“A shawl or mantle – This is an insulating instrument, if not a portable sanctuary: a protective veil between you and the world. Such a cloak, if it is a well-used one, becomes saturated over time with your peace-filled devotion to Creator, Creation and Peace. Such a tapestry is effective during meditation and prayer, when sitting still in your home or nature sanctuary, when strolling, listening to uplifting music, and even sitting at your desk working. “

-Dr C. Forrest McDowell  www.onesanctuary.com

So, it is here that I introduce Kay Moates of On Slender Threads.   Kay, like many of us, went through a radical change and shift in her livelihood, as well as her inner creative awareness of what her next leap in life would be not that long ago.  I have the distinct honor of owning a mantle by Kay and use it daily to create my own sanctuary of inner peace and reflection.   The process that she goes through in order to create one of these mantles is a reflection of the depth of the shift that she made.  Kay was invited to write of the leap that she took from a dance world to one of reflective creation.  Below is her short story of the moments that took her through the passage and into creating On Slender Threads.  Go to her website to learn more!

A Gaggle of Leaps by Kay Moates

Last class taught, performance encored, stage struck, accoutrements neatly pack away . . . well, how about the passions, how about forty years of teaching deeper living through dance and movement . . . how do I fold them up and pack them away? How do I tell those images that dance in my head it’s time to stop, time to be done, over, kaput? “You’re hereby retired!”

No way would the images curtsy. “Fan those passion embers, Kay, fuel the flames!”

Ah, I remembered what I’d taught for years, ‘there’s more than one way to do the same thing’. How many times have I asked dancers to do that? “Well, now you do it, Kay!” So I descended into pondering. Gathering my favorite things into a new expression that kept shifting like a kaleidoscope. First one shape, then another, and another . . . Finally all the parts began to congeal.

What a re-defining this would require of me! Skills that were so different I was a stranger in a foreign land. In most cases I didn’t even know the vocabulary for framing questions. And so, the gaggle began. What, use words, write them down, but I’m a non-verbal specialist . . . leap. I must become competent with my Mac . . . leap, understand the internet and surf . . . leap, leap . . . join established internet sales venues . . . leap, purchase and learn a new camera . . . leap, take photos that give a virtual touch . . . leap, learn photoshop . . . leap, and leap yet again and again. Leaping is a playful game now.

Probably the biggest leap is yet to be landed. How does a contemplative who creates in Silence market Mindfulness Mantles via social media? Here goes. Are you watching?

Inhaling, bending knees, pushing off, air borne, straightening legs, softening joints, opening heart into full fall . . . arms spread wing wide . . .

To Find Kay at On Slender Threads please go to: 

http://www.OnSlenderThreads.com
http://www.facebook.com/OnSlenderThreadsWearableZenMoments

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:  www.BreathingSpaces.net

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In Beauty May I Walk – Leaps Are Optional

Look at every path closely and deliberately, then ask ourselves this crucial question: Does this path have a heart? If it does, then the path is good. If it doesn’t, it is of no use.
– Carlos Castaneda

 

 

 

Here is the cast for this post, for without each one this awareness would not have been birthed:

Shakti-Samtosha (Peace-Contentment) yoga practice

Carl, representing Health and Wellness coaching

Jan, who is unraveling the grief around the death of her beloved husband after many years of illness

Ron, who is facing an activation of the cancer that he has been living with for the past year

Adam, who is caught in his own world of mental illness, but does not know it

Lea and her personal story on returning to a state of ease

Unexpected income –  who shall henceforth be named “Wealth”

Now that the stage is set, the story can be told.  Have you been told that in order to succeed, or get unstuck you need to leap off of the cliff, precipice or ledge and trust that you will fly?  Well I have, and in fact guided others in this free flight as well.   In fact I have done it many times in my life – leaping, flying, and sometimes falling on my face – with great lessons to be learned.  The question is – are you leaping away or towards yourself?

What if it is true that all the events in our life are personally orchestrated by us in order to come “home” …and without each event, each person, each experience we would not understand why we are here, and certainly wouldn’t be able to make those choices that serve our highest well being, and that of everyone and everything we touch.

This awareness may not help when we are in the midst of unbearable grief, full on fear for our lives, intense worry about financial well being, distorted thinking and a feeling of utter abandonment, or uncertainty about what our next step will be.

Yet, it is here in this rich territory of choice and head-on life that we find that it may not be as dramatic as jumping off of a cliff, but instead, like a powerful dream of mine several years ago.  A realization that as you are standing on the edge trying to think your way down to “safety” or the next leap – a path suddenly appears as you turn your head to look at what is around  you.  A path that is uniquely yours and leads in an easeful  and clear (although sometimes not seeming to) way to your next destination.  All you have to do is listen, feel, and start walking…

So, here is the story.  There is an older woman that has done many things in her life that she feels good about.  She has given birth to and nurtured 3 boys into manhood; spent many, many years in the healing professions bringing people into embodiment through touch, breath, energy, listening, guiding, and love; has created 3 businesses on her own and enjoyed the creative process of each one; spent a total of 21 years in living relationships with men who taught her a great deal; owned houses; taught yoga; traveled to far away places, had adventures,  and learned from shamans and healers; called dolphins to her in the wilds of the ocean; continues to act on her passion for writing; and adores the creative and uninhibited joy of dance and art.

This woman feels she is now at a crossroads – a pivotal point.  Many options and possibilities are open to her.  Does she start another business in health and wellness coaching, join a community of evolutionary visionaries, write her book, or stay where she is which is out-of-alignment with who she knows she is and what she has to bring?

In this only two day journey, the beginning is marked by a yoga practice focused on peace and contentment. A yoga practice that she has put on the shelf for a period of time.  Falling into her body, breath, and surrendering her tight and contracted body she cries.  The waking up has begun.

She receives an e-mail from one of her readers, Jan, that shares the fragile place she finds herself in the aftermath of her husbands death, and the knowing that she did everything she could to help him.  The reader reports that she can hardly find her way to reach out to what she may need at this time.  This honesty touches this woman reminding her that everyone is doing the best they can with what they have – including her, and that sometimes it is not right timing to reach out – that each person’s journey can only be chosen by them.

This is emphasized even more by her brother Rons quest for health and life in his journey with cancer, having to deal with some very difficult treatment choices – and her son Adams mental illness that has him locked within his own mind unable to accept the fact, or even be aware, that he needs loving assistance to come back to life – his life.

Waves of energy hit her and clarity begins to filter through.  There doesn’t have to be a leap, free fall, or soaring as the case may be.  It isn’t fear or uncertainty that make the decision not to pursue the health and wellness coaching with the large training company.  An e-mail is written to Carl, the director of marketing.  She now knows that it is alignment with beauty, peace, essential nature, and ease that has been calling for days now – not the path to growing yet another business, no matter how qualified she is.

On the second day of this awakening a friend Lea (www.ReplenishYourSoul.com) writes of her journey back towards ease in her life, having seen the effects of struggle and pushing patterns in body, mind and relationship over this last year. Just a gentle walk to another location inside that says here – here is where you are to be.  Trust and honor what you know.

Guidance is coming in many forms now as the waking up – speeds up.  A letter arrives in the P.O. box which says in the window – Pay To The Order Of – with her name on it.  Unexpected income.  Flow of Wealth. The message – honor your path and the flow returns.

Not making a choice because it might be “good for her to take yet another leap”  – but acknowledging and honoring the place inside that says TRUST – it will be shown to you.  There are many ways to return to and know your path.  Listen in to your bodies messages.  Just turn your head and start walking.  Leaps are sometimes necessary, but always optional…

Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.
– Henry David Thoreau

P.S  The woman is me. Deep gratitude to the cast!

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:  www.BreathingSpaces.net

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Awareness, Courage, Divine Inspiration, Manifesting Your Dreams, Vital Health & Well Being

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If I Were Brave

May today I find peace within.

Green Tara

May I trust my highest power
that I am exactly where I am meant to be.
May I not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May I use those gifts that I have received
and pass on the love that has been given to me.
May I be content knowing that I am a child of God.
May this Presence settle into my bones,
and allow my soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.

– St Teresa of Avila (16th Century Spanish Saint)

It is with the quote above that I start this post on being brave and courageous in your life.  I too, like so many of you, stand on the precipice.  As I stand here I remember that you are here with me as well, but that somehow doesn’t stop the thought – Gee, you would think that it would be easier by now since I have been here so many times before.

Perhaps that is the definition of a life well lived….you stand here many, many times and have the opportunity to create your own unique leaping dance trusting that even if you fall on your face….. there will be a “lifting up” that inspires you to leap yet again.

As Chameli Ardah states on her Awakening Women blog “the Green Tara above embodies the fearless and protective aspect of the feminine, but it is not courage which resists fear. If you think of fear and courage as two ends of a spectrum, we need to be willing to move through the whole range”.    This means that standing in the fear is part of this leap process.

Thus easy isn’t quite the word that defines this passage.  I have learned that when we are seeking alignment with our passions and the Divine plan for our life, it is then that we consider taking those leaps and making those choices that bring us into the discovery of what that still small voice has been saying to us for oh so long.

It is here that faith and trust in the wholeness of who we are comes into play.  It is also here that we remember who we really are….and say YES!  Yes, to the healing, yes to one more day to love and be loved, yes to starting over again one more time, yes to the creativity that sometimes rocks us with its insistence that it be brought out into the world, yes to the risk of finding more of who we are, yes to being vulnerable, being “seen” and surrendering the resistance, yes to giving back from a full place with every fiber of our being.

It can come in big leaps, but also can come in stages like the walking of a labyrinth where each step brings you closer to the edge of discovery…and then to the heart of the matter.  The clues are all around us right now.  All we need to do is be still and listen carefully.  The answer is always there.

As you watch this video by Jana Stanfield remember that you are also one of these women that reached deeply inside, found her strength and courage, was not afraid to ask for support as needed, and leapt into Herself, settling into this Presence deep within  your bones.  Rock on!

Thank you to Jana Stanfield and the sponsorship of Robin Rice (The Awesome Women Hub)  and Randy Grossman  (Randy Grossmans Amazing Music Portal)
for birthing this project.

If I Were Brave – by Jana Stanfield

 

Other Blogs by Gaye Abbott:  www.BreathingSpaces.net

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Busting Loose From The Aging Game

72 year old Ernestine tells it like it is in this video!  At this writing I believe that she is now 73 years old and still going strong.  This didn’t happen overnight for her.  What it took was daily commitment to her health and fitness, and an inner faith that she could change her life for the better…and in turn change many other women’s lives as well.

A new friend and I had breakfast this morning and we were discussing the manner in which our generation is aging.  Some of you may have read Busting Loose From The Money Game by Robert Scheinfeld.  Well, my friend Lorraine came up with Busting Loose From the Aging Game. In other words, we get to choose and create how we play the aging game and what kind of “rules” we want to live by.  What fun!!

For example, Ernestine started out when she was 56 years old.  Going shopping for bathing suits with her sister for a pool party they were invited to, both of them realized that they definitely wanted to look a little bit different than what they saw in the mirror.  They were taking on the aging game of their generation, and both decided to invent a new one!

Beginning with an aerobics class, they both started to feel better and look better.  It wasn’t however, until Ernestine’s sister died suddenly of an brain aneurysm, that Ernestine decided to commit to much more than she had been doing to work through the grief over her sister’s passing.  Now 17 years later, at age 73, she runs 80 miles a week, lifts weights most days, can bench press 150 pounds, has completed 8 marathons, and teaches other women how to believe in themselves, find health, vitality and empowerment, and create a different game for aging. 

If we create our reality, and I believe that we do, then what kind of aging game would you like to create?? It will be uniquely your own…so ready, start, GO!!

OTHER BLOGS:  www.BreathingSpaces.net

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The “Divine Shove”


Standing in the group shower of my gym today after a weight training session, I almost lost all sense of propriety as I imagined all 4 other women and myself breaking out in a gospel song with harmonizing and all, stark naked, shampoo in our hair, and sounding like angels from heaven – well, soulful, grounded angels that is!  Our name, of course, would be Divine Soulful Naked Babes.

It is this kind of imaginative play that seems to be striking my fancy quite often these days.  Why, one might ask?  I do believe that when a person realizes that she/he is the direct creator of their life, a freedom of sorts comes in that enhances the innate imagination and dreaming potential.  This potential doesn’t seem to have an off and on switch – let’s just say you can’t control it!  Thank God!

Also in these times of direct conscious creation we can be given what I call a “Divine Shove”.  This very sacred and creative push is directly powered by, and on behalf of, YOU expressing fully in the world.  This is in place of hanging out in resistance and the illusions of fear and doubt which some might call  “stuck” or “paralyzed”.  I call it opportunity beckoning.

When this “Shove” comes it is like a death of sorts where we step out of our old ways of creating (patterns and limiting beliefs) directly into “coming as you really are”.  I have written about this before, but now it has an additional depth to it that may call to what you may be up against in your own life. Connecting with a friend of mine in Ireland I explained it is like riding in a roller coaster – which I really don’t like thank you very much – and realizing that the only thing you can do is put your hands in the air and yell a little (or a lot) and let go!

This transition time may seem like living in two worlds – and you might wonder if a bit of schizophrenia is taking hold.  Here is an example.  I thrive in the worlds of writing and creation, as well as motivating and empowering.  I also work in a scientific world where everything must be exact – no room for error – rigid.  My “Divine Shove” this week came within the medical world, which for a long time now has not been in alignment with my heart, soul, or desires.  This “Shove” came in the disguise of “corrective action” for not living up to set standards by a technical error that I made.  No details are necessary here, but let’s just say that the system that meted out this “punishment”, which is “you will be terminated if you do it again”, was the push that I needed to co-create my life in alignment with my passions.  This had already been initiated, but a speeding up process was definitely under way!

Now, one could be a victim of circumstances that happen, or one can take the immense gifts of this “Divine Shove” and run with it knowing full well that you are the Master Creator.  I took the latter choice, but not without some moments of panic I must admit.  Coming home from that day at work, however,  I decided to positively brain storm about everything that I love to do and which can provide a flow of income for me.  Every possible idea that I could think of was written down.  Thoughts were not on the “corrective action” but were on stepping out into my creativity and aliveness.  I went to sleep that night filled with possibility.

Now,  I would like to say that there was no repercussion from what happened at my day job, but there is, and that is part of the gift.  I get to watch myself feel doubt in my abilities where before I never even thought about my competency and skill in this area.  How to work with this until I can move completely into the life of my dreams and vision is a task that is directly in front of me.  On the other hand the same day that the “corrective action” took place I came home to find that I was sent the draft of a book to “take a look at and see what I thought”.  This turns out to be a possibility to co-create with someone I greatly admire.

Are you ready for a “Divine Shove”?  Just remember it has many disguises.  I am beginning to love roller coaster rides!

Gaye Abbott     

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Manifesting Your Dreams

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Pivotal Points – You Are THE Creator

“I learn and love in the liquid flow of life standing in my strength and in my weakness, shining with the light of ten thousand moons over water…I flow with the lightness of the emancipated soul”. Marilyn Patterson from Wrapped in Sunrise

Breath coming in gasps, yet expanding to power you along the “straight up” hillside.  Instead of being weakened or drained by the climb you are strengthened and filled with more life energy.  Why?  You have decided that it is so as you show up as you are in the moment…. YOU are the creator of your experience.

At a brief pause about half way up you see a blackberry bush just loaded with the largest, juiciest blackberries that you have every seen!  But…that bush… although a short distance away, is surrounded by tall grasses and potentially prickly things which you must traverse before sampling the sweetness.  Who knows what is lurking in the hidden depths??  You have a choice – chart new territory and take the risk, or walk on by perhaps regretting that you did not go the distance.  Both are possible actions that you can take.

At the top you reflect on a journey from the past navigating the Na Pali coast on the Hawaiian island of Kauai many years ago.  One day into the 11 mile one way hike terror reigns supreme in your mind and transfers to your body the night before crossing a particularly treacherous piece of the trail.  The full day’s hike had seen you in the back following everyone else, negotiating streams where, we were told, people had been washed away to the sea….and using every muscle, some of which you didn’t know you had.

Once at the evening camp site while reviewing the next days trail ahead,  the inner voices ask, “would they really miss me if I didn’t go ahead with them in the morning?”  Do you turn back…or do you, the next morning, get an early start and start hiking before the others so that you are first and they follow?

Well, here is the truth telling, as this was my journey today…..and several years ago.  I passed by the blackberry bush… satiated by the luscious berries that I had already amply and easily sampled on my way up.  Sometimes we take the challenge and learn new skills and gain awareness (or taste the sweetness in this case!), and other times we take our attention back to what is right in front or inside of us – resting easily in the flow of receiving.

On the 11 mile one way to Kalalau via the old Hawaiian trial along the breath taking beauty of the Na Pali coast on the island of Kaua’i…. I did go ahead of everyone else that morning turning a 90 degree corner on a very narrow trail with sheer drop off to the cliffs and ocean below on my right, a fierce wind blowing, carrying a heavy backpack, with nothing to hang on to but trust in my ability to breathe one breath, and take one step…. at a time.

The destination reached – Kalalau – with prawns in the streams, fruit on the trees, a waterfall for a shower, nightly sunsets painted by the Divine, a Hawaiian mythology story teller for late night entertainment, an astronomer to show us the magic of the night skies where stars and planets covered every inch of sky, a chiropractor to soothe our misaligned and sore bodies, and even a composting toilet!   We came together from varying parts of the world ,separately along the trial, to convene at pivotal points in our lives.

Are you at a crossroads in your life?  You are the Creator.  There are a multitude of choices…trust your intuitive creation!

Gaye Abbott – Catalyst, Guide & Creative Mentor

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Come As You Are – An Invitation to the “Artist” In Each of Us

AWAKENING by Fran Bouwman (Please watch her video at www.franbouwman.com)

All right – I just arrived home from sharing breakfast with an amazingly creative, beautiful, naturally funny, and wise woman of 68 years.   Threw on my long gauzy skirt and a deep red silky camisole – my writing clothes for the day I have decided – and plunked a piece of rich dark chocolate in my mouth.  What could be better!

I am dedicating this post to you Sue, for you have inspired me to make an offer to my 50+ age women readers out there (or under if you find your way to this blog site!).   I dare you (and you first Sue!) to take me up on this!  Listening to Julia Cameron’s Walking in This World, the Practical Art of Creativity, read by a most wonderful reader, on my way home in the car…and reflecting on the conversations that Sue and I had this morning, I realized that WildlyFreeWoman has always been about supporting, encouraging, guiding, and at times giving a gentle kick in the butt, to women to bring their creative wild soul out into the physical world – NOW!  

It is not always clear how a woman can do that with all of the other pulls on her time and attention – but from 50 on we have a new perspective, tons of life experience, more “our time” than we have ever had, and the opportunity to say YES! to our unique and individual expression – whatever that is.  For me right in this moment it is sitting down at my Mac computer, or putting my favorite fountain pen in my hand, and waiting for the creator’s juice to move through me into my hands and on this page.

As Sue wove her story at the breakfast table of her recent visit to the Trappist monastery, I had very upturned mouth and tears of laughter rolling down my face.  I was able to see and feel her sitting there in the chapel attempting to connect with “the Divine” as an ancient monk shuffled his way (she knew which one it was by his walk) down the aisle and sat near to her, stamping his walking stick and making snuffling noises as he moved his dentures around in his mouth.  What a disturbance she thought to herself…and on the story goes to reveal some wise and profound observations – and great humor directed at our humanness.

I invite Sue to finish this story and have me put it here on the blog.  The worst that could happen is that no one will read it …the best that can happen is that no one will read it – but Sue would have put something out there for public viewing and said YES to her creative expression.  You can’t lose Sue!

That goes for everyone else out there that is sitting on a creative expression – or is just tentatively beginning to get nearer to “putting it out there”.  Allow this to be the sacred container which births IT and YOU out into the world.  Julia Cameron says, “Doubt is a signal of the creative process.  It is a signal that you are doing something right…. Creativity is a spiritual issue.  Although we seldom look at this squarely the creative life features the same spiritual obstacles as any other spiritual path.” Doubt can then lead to the courage to go ahead and put it out there anyway,  no matter what…and yes it is a leap…and yes it is way worth it.  (Besides I have the power to monitor any comments that are made public on this blog….so again, you can’t lose…)

There are women (and men!) out there that need our stories, our art, our creative expression and example to take them one more step further along in their inside journey to letting loose and breaking free of the restrictions that may keep us bound up like a tightly closed bud that is doomed never to flower, or open at all.  The way I see it WE need US to do it!

So…here is the deal!  Write to me about your art, creative activity, or projects; give me a website;  or send me some samples if that is appropriate.   Allow WildlyFreeWoman to be your creative muse and the readers of this blog to be your adoring supporters.  We each have a unique expression to bring…and we each are a incredibly important part of the whole web of creative interconnection globally.  The creation is not complete without our unique and individual expression.

As Marilyn Patterson in South Africa wrote to me when sending her brand new book, “Wrapped in Sunrise”  in the mail – let yourself be “the kind of person that inspires others towards a greater more heart felt life expression”.  Bring it on and let’s play!

Gaye Abbott
A WildlyFreeWoman

SUE RESPONDS WITHIN HOURS!! Here is her courageous launching and she promises me that a picture will be forth coming.  WFW will be sending an official “Courageously Creative” certificate to each woman that brings her expression to this blog site!
*************
To a Very Special Wildly Free Woman and Dear Friend,

I feel as if I am being Published..me head is swelling.   Several times, I have had the exquisite experience of spending even a small amount of time observing these men in robes, who we define as Monks. Are they freaks of nature, recluse on the run from life, or do they actually contribute to the world in which we live?  The answer for me is a resounding, Yes they do, in ways we will never know.  I learned this from My Very Dearest Friend, Thomas Merton, Trappist Monk, who left this unruly world, far too young. So now, I have told you the name of My Mentor.  Now you must know my Funny Personality, so to speak, is derived from an Irish Family Background and as far back as I can remember the Exquisite need to laugh and give laughter to others.

Going to the Monastery/Abby is a place where you will actually see smiles on peoples faces.  Silence evokes quiet thought, which in turn, gives us all periods of thought you had forgotten and which later appear very funny, when measured against the Seriousness of Life.

A few weeks ago, I had again decided to drive up to Lafayette, just a little north of McMinnville, Oregon for a quiet time in their garden and some meditation regarding making a decision on a special matter. While there, I left the chapel and proceeded outside to the gardens and passed the private graveyard in their enclose.  Mother of God I thought, imagine sleeping next to all those dead people. Anyway, a quiet little monk came up next to me and asked, “would you like to share lunch with the brothers? “  I of course said yes.  Good chance some of them would be cute..know what I mean.  Anyway, we proceeded to the QUIET hall where they were all seated in SILENCE. I proceeded to go over to the table and serve myself, then proceeded to sit down and eat. I kept looking out over the tops of my glasses to see, as a lay person, what they looked like and were all about. After about 35 minutes I stood up and proceeded to leave, but not without saying,
” Thank you for the delicious lunch”.  With that one of them turned to me with his finger over his lips as if to say, faux pas..then out of the corner of my eye, I observed a little old monk quietly giggling at the end of the table. Sue I said…Sweet Victory!!!!!!!!

Hopefully, as he lay on his straw mattress that night, he had wonderful dreams.  Sue you Devil.

I have many such stories to give forth to those who would find them enjoyable as well as funny. At the time they happened in my life, they did not really have that much significance. In my looking back now, they were really funny and I will from time to time give forth some of these wonderful times of my life.  However, as I proceeded to say to my friend Gaye,  ” I cannot imagine anyone finding my stories and the Paths my life has taken as interesting.  The Glory of having Intelligent/Passionate about life friends, is how they are able to observe qualities you never saw in yourself, and they, if they are true friends, are quick to remind you, ” your talents MUST be shared by the many, in hopes they too can rise above it all.

Sue O’

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