This is a beautiful article from a wonderful friend about the importance of nurturing yourself…

It’s in the quiet that we hear the answers. It’s in the moment of silence that we feel the knowing.

Are you able to sit down, quiet your mind and listen to your truth?

Today I turned off the stereo, ignored the phone. I sat down to find the stillness. A project needing to be finished, grabbed my attention. Another excuse not to silence my mind. Yet, the lack of outside noise did allow me to focus, to concentrate, to make serious progress toward the completion of a task at hand.

But, the truth is, I need to find time to listen to the quiet. I know I do. What about you?

Apparently, the Universe will find a way to get you to listen, even when you say you will, but don’t. In my life it always shows up the same way. I usually have to end up in the hospital, attached to tubes, plugs, machines…none of which are connected to my computer or my iPhone. I have no choice but to stay still. I even have to ask for a nurse or someone to help me go to the bathroom. Wow! Can you believe I’d manifest all of this to make room for quiet in my life?

This past week, I found a lump under my arm. It was 3:50 in the morning on February 3rd. I looked at the clock, and said out loud, “Are you kidding me?” My life shifted in an instant. In the stillness of the early morning, I stood, alone, in my kitchen and knew why this was happening. It was time for me to slow down and reflect.
What is most important to me? What is my soul’s purpose? What really matters? What am I doing with my life?

I’ve been hearing whispers for months, but keep choosing to ignore them. I tell myself, “I’ll start painting and writing as soon as I finish this next project, the next event, the next, the next, the next.” But, I haven’t.

My heart has been telling me to focus on my writing, my art, enjoy my time with my husband and kids, but I refuse to listen. I’m afraid to give up everything I’ve been creating and the business I’ve been building. I don’t want to look like I’m quitting. I find work harder, push more, in hopes that the more time I put in, the faster I’ll reach the finish line. And, then, I will have time for my writing, my art, my family.

I’m not trusting myself and my inner knowing of what is right for me. I’m letting other people’s whispers influence me, when I know, with all my heart and soul, their way is right for them, but not my authentic way. I honor their space, but must trust my intuition and my journey.

I love talking makeup, hair, and style. It’s what I’ve done for 25 years. But I know, none of it matters in the long run. It’s not just about the makeup, it never has been. It’s always been about so much more. Of course, there is a time and place for lip gloss, hairspray and shoes. But, they are not what make a beautiful life.

I’ve been gone too long….headed in the wrong direction. Or, maybe, the right direction, wrong road. It’s time for me to get back to what’s real. It’s time for me to get back to the core, to my authenticity. The woman who cries when she’s scared, the woman who knows she’s meant to paint and write, the woman who adores her children and is watching them grow up too quickly. The woman, who dearly loves and appreciates having a wonderful friend for more than 24 years and has been blessed to be able to call him “my husband” for 20 of those years.

I realized that I needed to listen to what I know I am meant to do. I see the potential in others, with or without makeup. I inspire others to follow their dreams, in high heels or sneakers. There is so much talk today about authenticity, personal branding, and personal style. I’ve created an entire business which helps women see their real beauty, so that they can reach their dreams. But, in the midst of creating what I knew I could, a business about image and style, I set my dreams on the bookcase next to my desk.

Dozens of books on writing, art, creativity, inspiration, beauty and style stacked just inches away from me everyday. Thirty plus, years of journals, filled with writings, musings, sketches, quotes, images I want to paint. It seems like it would be easier to do what you’re comfortable doing. Just stick to what you know and all will be okay. Not so! In fact, it’s harder, and more difficult not follow your heart.

The Universe wants to get my attention. Tomorrow, I will head to the hospital at 5:30 in the morning. I know that no matter what happens, I will do what I must. I will do only what matters. I will listen to my heart. I am done pushing. I AM WRITING. And, I’m letting go of the outcome. I’m letting go of whether it will be good, or whether it will matter, or whether it will make me money.

Clarity. Reality. Authenticity.

This is my new direction. We can create whatever we want or need in this lifetime. It’s up to us to make up our mind to listen and follow the whispers of intuition guiding us forth.

Living a beautiful life means taking care of yourself. Being true to what you believe. Living a beautiful life means trusting yourself and listening to your body. Living a beautiful life means following your heart.

Have you been setting a part of you on a shelf? What are you rescheduling, setting aside, deferring, or putting on the back burner?

I will do whatever I need to do to bring congruency into my life. I know I will march forth into the fear of the unknown, the uncertain, and embrace every moment, every smile, every whisper, every tear, every hug. And every little bit of laughter.

I hope you’ll do the same.

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Hollywood Makeup Artist, Writer, and Style Consultant, Tamara Gold publishes publishes
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As Patricia advised us last week in her article; “The Art of Letting Go…” When the five steps have been followed, and the trapeze released, Patricia refers to the trust that is necessary that the next trapeze will be there. How do we engage that trust? How do we endure when the next trapeze or open door is not in sight?

I am learning more about trust from a book I recommend by Nouk Sanchez and Tomas Vieira, Take Me to Truth. Although it is based on the teachings of A Course in Miracles, its treatment of trust has universal applications.

What is necessary for the development of trust is a journey toward ego release. As many of us have experienced, our egos have a need to control and to know. When we then open to the place of not knowing, which is where the state of trust places us, it throws us into conflict. And… if we have ‘let go’ and we are in mid-air, so to speak, there’s no turning back, even though our egos try to tell us differently.

We know from experience, that the unknown is the most frightening of places! Who would even choose to go there? Who would let go of the comfort of the known for the unknown?

Those of us who are willing to see differently. Those of us who are willing to follow our calling or our purpose. Those of us who are committed to personal growth and self actualization, and those of us who have embarked upon the path toward ego release and the discovery of the Self, the Soul; our true Being; the Knower. That part of us that longs for us to be who we truly are.

As Nouk and Tomas explain, “Our Unified Self… trusts implicitly that all changes are necessarily beneficial, no matter how uncomfortable they may be initially. It knows it is infinitely safe, secure, worthy; hence it has no need for our familiar obsession with the compulsion to control and the need to be loved and protected by outside sources…

It realizes that acknowledging not-knowing provides the space from which Truth reveals itself.”

Therein, it seems to me, lies the solution to the problem of what to do when we encounter the doubt and uncertainty that arises when we are in that “space between”. That space where we are trying to engage our trust and to have the patience to “hang in there” even though the next trapeze or open door seems like it will never be there to rescue us from falling or from looking endlessly at closed doors.

Trust and not knowing are synonymous. Are you willing to be in that state? The place between where you are as a result of ‘letting go’ what was worn out, no longer serving you, keeping you from breaking free, and from knowing who you are and what it is you have to offer and the next open door?

The religions of the world speak to trust and the importance of engaging it and relying on a Source other than who we believe we are.

• Trust calls for us to admit that we do not perceive our own best interests

• Trust asks us to give up what we think we know

• Trust encourages us, even demands that we depend, not on our egos, but on God, Allah, our Guides, our higher Selves; that part of us that Knows

• Trust carries us through the space of not knowing; where Truth reveals itself

• Trust nurtures and strengthens that place in our Minds and Hearts that Knows

This is an experiential rather than an intellectual exercise, and essential to successful navigation of the spiritual path. It also need not be experienced alone.

A trusted friend, partner, or spiritual counselor are important human supports as we go through these experiences of exercising our “trust muscles”.

May you know the freedom and the joy that results from being willing to be in the state of Trust!

This article was written by Ruth Reiner, ordained Interfaith minister, spiritual counselor, certified life coach, and successful business woman. Ruth is the co-founder of www.IAWSL.com.

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When Patricia told me the topic of her article this week (click here to read), I couldn’t believe the synchronicity! I had just received an email from our reunion coordinator of my graduating class from the Leonia, NJ High School. What is relevant about that is that she included a link to www.PalisadesPark.com which was the amusement park, at least in the eastern U.S, for many years, shutting its doors in 1979. It was located on the “palisades”, the cliffs of NJ overlooking the Hudson River to New York City.

I immediately went to the link, and memories of wonderful times spent with family and friends when I was growing up, came flooding in. So what does this all have to do with “letting go”, Patricia’s topic for this week?

Perhaps you can join me in recalling those ‘rides’ that seemed like an enormous challenge when you were a kid. I had two of those in Palisades Amusement Park that scared the devil out of me, and yet I was somehow attracted to them. The first was a very tall (it seemed like it then) circular swing whose chairs almost went horizontal when it reached its top speed. This ride was located right at the edge of the cliff, so that when it was at its full arc, it felt as if I were out over the cliff!!

The second ride was the roller coaster, of course constructed of wood and painted white with its peaks and valleys and undulations; the largest in the world at the time.

I approached each ride in a state of fear; thinking it would be easier to stay on the safe terra firma. We all have been there… we want to rise to the challenge, yet the taught throat and the weak knees seem to get the best of us. Then somehow, we get the courage to get on the ride.

With white knuckles, clenched teeth, cramped muscles from holding on tight, the ride slowly starts. Then, at some point, something within me “lets go”. The motion of the swing circling around, even if it felt like it was out over the cliff, is calming to my fear.

The “click, click” of the gears as the cars of the roller coaster make their ascent to the first and highest hill accentuate my state of being frozen with fear. As we approach the apex and slip over the top, I “let go”, screaming with delight as we speed toward the next dip.

We all have had many experiences of letting go. The terra firma always feels safer, but if we remain there, we don’t experience the joy that comes with “letting go”…

Love and Blessings!

Ruth

In any spiritual path one follows, inevitably, the idea of letting go rears its head. Why is it so important? Why is it so difficult? As women spiritual leaders we can face this conundrum in a myriad of ways. Not only on our own path, but also when dealing with others – for example when we are ministering to our people, we must approach them free of expectations and requirements; in many forms of meditation, we are asked to let our thoughts go as they appear; in counseling sessions, we must let go of preconceived projections and outcomes.

What are some of the things we need to let go of? Well, the list is infinite, but here’s some food for thought: shame, guilt, fear, anger, bad relationships, expectations, grief, resistance, dependency…

And through all of this letting go, the mind is clinging with fierce determination to what it knows. “The devil you know is better (safer) than the devil you don’t!” we exclaim. The dangerous unknown lurks in front of us like an abysmal hole. The purpose of the mind or Ego is to keep us safe – that part of ourselves will do whatever it takes to accomplish its mission of keeping us safe from harm – and what could be more unsafe than the unknown or change? However, a full cup cannot be filled with something new – it must be emptied first. Let go!

If we can allow ourselves to open up with grace (or without, as the case may be) and trust to the unknown and something different, what we find is a whole new world of options and possibilities. The Divine has more in store for us than we can imagine for ourselves, but our job is to have faith and let go!

The question is how? How can we let go when our “monkey mind” is clinging tight to its vine? There are 5 simple steps to easing into faith and “letting go and letting God”:

1. Label that part of yourself that is afraid. Give it a name and make it as real in your mind as possible. This gives you something to focus on.

2. Let it express its fear through journaling or meditation.

3. Speak to it gently as you would a frightened child. Don’t dismiss it – it will only cry louder!

4. Get silent and still so that you can hear the still, small voice within – this is what will tell you your next step, if any.

5. Breathe! It is so important during these times of change to remember to breathe.

By giving voice to your fears, you allow that voice to know it’s being listened to. Only then can it begin to be comforted. Then the monkey can finally let go of that vine – that’s the only way you’ll be able to catch the next vine – much like a trapeze artist, in order to catch one trapeze the artist must let go of the one they are holding and trust that the one they need will be where it needs to be when they let go.

Remember that when a window is closed, a door is opened. Go ahead, close that window! Let go and live life!

This article was written by Patricia Selmo, an Interfaith seminarian, certified life coach, spiritual healer, teacher and guide. She is the co-founder of the International Association of Women Spiritual Leaders: www.iawsl.com.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You may, as long as you commit to leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, and include the following byline: The International Association of Women Spiritual Leaders was founded to support spiritual women in living abundantly while serving their unique missions. We invite you to download-as our GIFT to you-the 5 Secrets to Creating Abundance Through Your Calling. You will also be registered to receive our weekly newsletter full of information and tips for supporting you in your calling. Just click here: www.iawsl.com

New Years is a wonderful time! It’s almost magical. This is the time of year when we all have a chance to regroup and start fresh. The slate can be cleared and you can start again. As women spiritual leaders it is so important for us to take stock of our lives, our ministries, or callings and revamp them as needed.

Frankly, the first day of the Gregorian calendar isn’t necessarily the only time to do this – there are various markers throughout the year when we can re-evaluate our lives such as our birthday or any of the other religious/ethnic new year markings. However, January 1 is certainly an obvious time to do it.

Another obvious thing about this time of year is New Year resolutions. I think we’ve all come to realize that New Year resolutions can be somewhat tricky. The perspective on this annual tradition can range from downright brutal – “New Years resolutions don’t work!” all the way to those dedicated few who still make them every year – ” I will lose 40 pounds this year.”

When they don’t work, it is usually because the goal that has been chosen is so lofty, we can’t really succeed at it – at least not without a framework, a plan and support systems. When these things are in place, it certainly is possible to succeed – most people, however, don’t do this. They make their lofty goal, go after it full-throttle and then lose steam somewhere around February 1st. By March, they can’t even remember what it was they had resolved themselves to. Women especially tend to get sidetracked and sucked into the caregiver role at the first opportunity and then any goal we’ve set for ourselves falls by the wayside.

A much better way to get a fresh start that lasts the whole year and can have a profound effect on your life and your spiritual growth is to create a theme for the year. I have been doing this for about ten years now and the changes it has wrought in my life are downright remarkable!

Choosing a theme for the year is very personal and should involve thought and candid reflection. I like to spend the week before New Years reviewing the last year and any issues I encountered. What worked? What didn’t? What areas of my life feel like they need healing? Here are some possible choices that I have either used in the past or have considered using:

Be Happy

Let go and let God

Choose Joy

Be the Gift

Trust

Say “Yes!”

Just say “No”

As you can see the possibilities are endless! And after while you can actually have a lot of fun coming up with them. I have noticed that every time that I have done this, within the first week of the year I am presented with a test of my theme. For example, if you choose “Let go and let God” – I guarantee that there will be something, someone or some idea that you will have to let go of.

So forewarned is fore-armed – put some thought into which theme will benefit our soul the most – you will not be disappointed!

This article was written by Patricia Selmo, an Interfaith seminarian, certified life coach, energy healer and entrepreneur. She is the co-founder of the International Association of Women Spiritual Leaders: www.iawsl.com, and is a practicing life coach, spiritual guide and healer helping people to live the life of their dreams: www.theblissfulsoul.com.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You may, as long as you commit to leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, and include the following byline: The International Association of Women Spiritual Leaders was founded to support spiritual women in living abundantly while serving their unique missions. We invite you to download—as our GIFT to you—the 5 Secrets to Creating Abundance Through Your Calling. You will also be registered to receive our weekly newsletter full of information and tips for supporting you in your calling.

How are you going to make it through what is considered to be one of the top stress filled times of the year?  How many times have you thought about how the “holidays” used to be?  Do you long for a simpler way of celebrating what scholars tell us was one of the most phenomenal events in history, the birth of Jesus?  Please join me, women who are spiritual and leaders, as we look at trust and how it may relate to maximizing your Christmas experience.

I woke one morning recently with these same questions on my mind.  As I spent time in contemplation, I was prompted to go again to the beautiful passage from the first chapter of the gospel of Luke.  You may recall it recounts the interaction between the angel, Gabriel, and the woman from Nazareth, the virgin, Mary.

Gabriel announces to Mary that she will birth the baby Jesus.  When Mary responds, with what I imagine would have been absolute alarm, “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man”? Gabriel assures her, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee…”

What trust!  Whether or not we subscribe to the story of the virgin birth, is not the issue.  What is the issue, I think, is the way Mary conducts herself with obvious trust through the pregnancy and birth.

First, she runs to tell her cousin, Elizabeth, who herself is pregnant with who will be “John the Baptist”.  I imagine the two of them embracing, and Mary speaks what has become known as the “Magnificat” or “Song of Mary” which is sung in Christian churches, usually around Christmas.  It begins, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God, my Savior…”  What trust!

Mary stays with Elizabeth for three months and then returns to her home where she remains until she and her husband, Joseph, set out from Nazareth in Galilee into the province of Judea to Bethlehem to register for taxes.  At this time, Mary is “great with child”.  The rudimentary means of travel had to be a physical and emotional ordeal of enormous proportions for any woman about to give birth.  What trust!

The story unfolds, now all too familiar, where door upon door of the inns and hostels were closed when Joseph inquired about lodging.  I would have been “high anxiety” at that point, but, again, we are reminded of Mary’s trust.

When finally, the couple is given access to a simple manger, Mary births the baby Jesus in the final act of trusting.  “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior…”

When we, as women spiritual leaders, experienced our first inkling of our “calling”, or “awakening”, by and large, we ventured forth in trust that we would be led in every aspect of our lives.  Perhaps we didn’t have a “Gabriel” experience, or an “epiphany”, but somehow the feeling of trust in God, Spirit, Allah, our Guides, or our True Self was exactly what we needed to show us the way.

For those of us who need to rekindle that trust, I suggest that it is the way to maximize our Christmas experience.  When we are stressed or nostalgic this holiday season, I suggest we turn to our Source for the guidance and the wisdom that we know is readily available, and then… trust .

This article was written by Reverend Ruth Reiner, interfaith minister, spiritual counselor, coach, nurse, former wife, mother, and grandmother.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE, PUBLICATION, OR ON YOUR WEB-SITE?  You may, as long as you commit to leaving the entire article intact, do not alter it in any way, and include the following: “THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN SPIRITUAL LEADERS” was founded to support spiritual women in living abundantly while serving their unique missions.  We invite you to download – as a gift to you- THE 5 SECRETS TO CREATING ABUDANCE THROUGH YOUR CALLING.
You will also be registered to receive our weekly newsletter full of tips and information for supporting you in your mission or quest.