Fishing For Soul
Angling for Spiritual ReconnectionArchive for Uncategorized
The Gift of Giving
“‘Tis the season” goes the saying and this holiday season you may be thinking about what and how to give.
Here in New York City, Christmas shoppers are hustling and bustling though the stores, on the streets, and in the subways. I often wonder where they get their stamina and how they can carry so many packages. I also wonder why they are out there shopping. Are they doing it because they feel like they have to give something, anything, the ‘right’ thing, or are they shopping for presents for the sheer joy of giving?
I asked myself those same questions and this is what I heard in response:
“”Whenever you are ready to give, then give. Do not think about what it will look like, or how it will be received, just GIVE.
When you give without expectation and without worry, you will find that YOU RECEIVE. That is the way of it.
What do you have inside of you that you can offer NOW? The smallest gift can bring the greatest rewards.
Be free in your giving and BE OPEN to the joy of it.
There is no thing greater than when you align your self with giving from the place of utmost integrity and authenticity.
There lies the true gift.
And so we say – Thank You!” – At One + JM
Amen!
Give to yourself this season.
Join the Earth Spirit Works and Always Economically Viable communities for these special events in NYC
and beyond.
Always Economically Viable presents a FREE Tele-Event, “A Vision for Your 2010″, on Thu., Dec. 17th, 8-9PM ET.
Call the Conference Line at 218.862.1300, ext. 951782.
(Bring a notebook and pen.)
We’ll journey to our peaceful and prosperous future selves and embrace the success that we are NOW.
And…
If you are in NYC on Dec. 19th, please come and celebrate with us at our Annual Shamanic Candlelight Fire Ceremony, an ancient, uplifting ceremony of transformation and purification.
Celebrate the Winter Solstice and your self as you humbly and gratefully release 2009 and welcome the exciting, prosperous New Year. Let your heart and soul soar as we gather to experience the healing and ecstatic energies of fire and allow it to help us trade in our old story for a brand new one.
When: Sat., Dec. 19, 2009, 7-10pm
Where: 1133 Broadway @ 26th St., 2nd Fl, Rm 245, NYC
What to Bring: A rattle or drum (some will be provided), a birthday cake candle, an intention for transformation to share with the group
Your Investment: $60
Registration and Info: Earth Spirit Works Web Site
I hope to see (or just hear) you at one of those events.
Today I am grateful for all that I have been given, all that I have now, and all that will come. I am grateful for the beautiful Earth and the endless stream of nourishment and support that it provides, the sky for it’s magnificent shadows and light, my body and breath, my wise friends, family and teachers, new and prosperous business opportunities and connections, my clients, my computer and Blackberry, love, sex and magic.
Thanks and peace to all!
Joe
Who Are You, Really?
“Now is the perfect time to be you. As you continue to know your self, you rediscover the wonderful, beautiful, outstanding, and magnificent connection that you all ways have to everything. Isn’t it good to know that everything is a part of you?” – At One + JM
I stood on the platform of the subway station at Union Square the other day watching people rush onto the express train.
“I’m glad that’s not me today,” I said to myself.
“But it is you,” I heard myself say in response. “You are each of those people. You are the train. You are the sound of the train. You are the tracks. You are the water on the tracks. You are the stairs, the cracks in the wall, the floor, the smells. All of it is you and you are all of it. There is no separation.”
That was not the first time I’d heard something like that. My initial encounter with the concept of “every thing is one thing” came in the early 1990’s in meditative shamanic visions and through the Amazonian plant medicine Ayahuasca. In those visions I experienced myself merging seamlessly with the cosmos.
For the past few months I’ve been reading and thinking about the All Is One concept in earnest in an attempt to learn more about the inner peace that has welled up in me this year.
In her book A Thousand Names For Joy, Byron Katie writes, “As I noticed the falling-away of the self and saw that it’s construct was absolutely invalid, what remained was humbled through the recognition. Everything dissolved – all that I had imagined myself to be. I realized that I was none of it, that everything I stood for was insubstantial and ridiculous. And what remained from that fell away, too, until finally there was nothing left to be humble about, no one left to be humble. If I was anything, I was gratitude.”
Whatever beliefs you have created in order to identify yourself dissolve in the face of the knowledge that you are no less or greater than that which lies all around.
Humbling indeed. Peace inducing for sure. And yes, bring on the gratitude!
Amen.
Today I am grateful for homemade soup, time in the garden, writing, storytelling, soft music, sleeping past 9AM, candles, Always Economically Viable, the Sound Circle Project, prosperous new business opportunities, the YMCA, my book agent and editor, Hay House Publishing and Radio.
Thanks and peace to all!
Joe
Are You Affirming the Negative?
I went to church on Sunday. It was my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary and it felt good to be joining them and honoring their years together in the Catholic church that inspires them and gives them peace of mind.
I was raised a Catholic but don’t consider myself part of that group anymore. When I was a teenager I began to question the validity of Catholic doctrine and eventually found spiritual teachings that suit me much better.
As I sat through the mass I was fascinated by the vocabulary that was used throughout the service. One line really caught my attention:
“Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.”
I listened as people all around me declared that to each other and to God.
“I am not worthy.” I know that line. I’ve heard myself say it to myself and others in exactly that way and in a million other ways.
“Is anyone really hearing those words?” I wondered as I looked around. “Is anyone questioning those words? Do the people in this church believe that they are unworthy?”
Those statements are repeated in churches all over the world. What affect is that having?
Louise Hay, author of You Can Heal Your Life and a revolutionary in the field of personal development has said “Every thought we think is creating our future.” If we continue to tell ourselves and the world that we are not worthy, what kind of future are we creating?
This morning I decided to change that ‘I am not worthy’ statement into something that made me feel good:
“Lord, I am so worthy to receive you. Help me to say more good words so that more good may be revealed.”
Try this Fishing for Soul Practice:
For one week, pay very close attention to what comes out of your mouth. Are you affirming something positive or something negative? Are you feeding the hungry ghosts of the past or laying a strong, empowered foundation for the future? How will you change the negative to a positive?
Happy Fishing!
Today I am grateful for my parents and siblings, my nieces and nephews, my aunts and uncles, an opportunity to revisit my childhood home and stomping grounds, NJ Transit, SEPTA, my driver’s license, morning workouts, eggs, my Blackberry, my cat, positive abundace of all kinds, my weekend Creativity Time, new clients and business opportunities, cash in hand.
Thanks and peace!
Joe
Do You Accept or Resist Change?
“See yourself as changing all of the time. Encourage change in others. When you hear yourself uttering a fixed opinion, stop.” – Deepak Chopra
The weather in New York City has been hot and humid this week and we’ve had some amazing thunderstorms. That’s not unusual for late July, at least not from my 19 years of experience as a NYC resident.
Hot. Humid. Storms. Summer. New York City. It makes sense to me.
I heard a bunch of people complaining about the weather the other day and it got me thinking:
EVERYTHING IS TEMPORARY.
EVERYTHING IS IN A STATE OF CONSTANT CHANGE.
Then I was tested on my belief of those thoughts.
This afternoon I stepped out of the subway and into a downpour. I chose to walk in the rain because I wanted to get to my appointment. At first it was easy and enjoyable to wind my way through the dwindling crowds on the sidewalk. It was like a game.
And then the negative thoughts kicked in. I became very annoyed because the condition of my clothes was changing very fast. My shoes, legs, back and part of my bag were getting soaked (an umbrella only covers so much) and I started to think about what I would look like when I arrived at my destination.
I screamed, “I hate this fucking rain!”
As the words emerged I laughed and calmed down. What could I do? The reality was that I was very wet. Soon I would be out of the rain and the drying process would begin. The rain and my wet clothes were a temporary condition. As the saying goes: Nothing lasts forever.
I’m excited about change theses days. I’ve been asking the Universe to help me transform some of my limiting thoughts and behaviors and I’m seeing that my efforts have started to pay off (despite that incident in the rain today!).
At times I’ve resisted the change that I’ve asked for and it has always felt uncomfortable. Why is that?
Here is an explanation:
“Whenever you are consciously asking for an element of your world to expand or contract, you are literally asking your self to expand or contract. The part of you that has lived for many years in the comfort or discomfort of a seemingly steady state often does not want anything to contradict it. Letting go of limitations and allowing something new into your sphere sometimes upsets the apple cart.
As soon as you ‘wake up’ to what is happening you can begin to experience the ease of the transition. It is as if your brilliant mind finally has accepted the new thought pattern. ‘Oh, yes,” it says. “I asked for that. Welcome!” And then the rest of you rushes in to catch up until all of you are playing happily on the same field once more.
It has been our experience that human beings can be very stubborn when it comes to change. The idea of newness often overwhelms and it seems easier for one to retreat into the old pattern and vibration, or so they think.
What would it take for you to become at one with what is happening? How still can you be on the inside when things seem to be spinning all around you?
Chaos is a state of mind. The balance that you seek lives IN YOU. Train your self to always go to that place and you will discover one of the richest treasures of all time.” – With never ending gratitude in an ever evolving world, we are happy to be ‘At One’.
I ask for change and it comes. I don’t ask for change and it comes. I can’t stop it. What a relief to know that! I think I’ll focus on something else now.
Amen!
Today I am grateful for Deepak Chopra (I found the quote above on Deepak’s Twitter page as I was formulating thoughts about this blog. I love when that happens!), Asher’s intuitive healing gifts, thunderstorms, umbrellas, bright blossoms, the smell of marigolds, fresh salad, new business opportunities, my book editor and publisher, and my parents.
Thanks and peace!
Joe
How Bad Do You Want It?
I watched The Secret again last night. It had been more than a year since I’d seen it in it’s entirety and I was once again tingling with excitement as I watched and listened.
While viewing the DVD several things stuck out for me:
1) Focus on what you want, not on what you don’t want
2) Let your good feelings guide you
3) Follow your impulses
4) Get out of your way and allow what you want to come into your life
5) Be grateful
6) Ask yourself: How badly do I want change to come?
Sometimes I need to hear things over and over from many different sources before I get it and it sinks (or rises) to another level. Such was the case last night.
A lot of what I write here on Fishing for Soul is channeled information that comes from my meditations. When I want an answer to a question or am ready to add text to the blog I sit and let the words flow from a source that has been speaking to me and through me since 1993. (Read more about that in my blog post titled ‘In the Beginning…’)
The Secret reminds me to pay closer attention to what that source, which I call At One, is saying. So, my intention is to follow more impulses, to focus more on the big picture, and to be more creative in the way I imagine my life.
As At One says:
‘As Life guides and impulses you to move gently to the place that you want to be, your role becomes even more important.
Pay attention to your thoughts and feelings. Are your thoughts mostly positive minute by minute, or mostly negative? Are those thoughts generating good feelings on a regular basis? Are you sure? Check in and find out.
Clarity is your ally. With clarity by your side you will have no drama to talk about, share and grow.
Make a commitment to YOU and watch as you become more joyful, more healthy, more wealthy, and more of who YOU want to be.
What are you waiting for?”
Amen!
By the way, I’m happy to have the original DVD version of The Secret from the summer of 2006 that features Esther Hicks channeling Abraham. If you are not familiar with The Secret and Esther Hicks, I highly recommend that you check out both immediately.
Today I am grateful for The Secret, to Jean for turning me on to The Secret, for Sundays, long meditations, my couch, my cat, Harry Potter, trips to new places around the world, inspiration from unusual sources, Hay House Publishing, the Almost Economically Viable team, my fantastic new high-profile clients, my blockbuster BlogTalk Radio show, and my wildly successful T-shirt line.
Thanks and peace!
Joe
Breathing With Obama: Supporting the 44th President of the U.S.
Barrack Obama, President of the United States. Ahh… The day is here. The time has come. Let’s all take a deep breath and celebrate the ushering in of newness – new energy, new light, new possibilities. My dream for this new administration is that they all assume the collective responsibility, the higher calling, of their offices and that we, as a nation, do not pin all of our hopes on one man.
During a channeling session on Sunday afternoon, the group was asked to imagine what it would be like if, before a Cabinet meeting, or before a vote in the Senate, our leaders took a moment to pause and take a breath (or two, three, four, five) together as a way of grounding themselves and clearing away any mental clutter, thereby bringing clarity and cohesion to the group consciousness and to the tasks ahead of them. I’ll keep envisioning that process as I breathe the Obama dream of hope and prosperity.
Peace!
Joe
