Many of us have come to believe that our worldly experiences are born from our perceptions. Moreover, many now believe that it is the inner world which is mirrored in the outer world. While some people believe that we create by doing in the world via outwardly motivated strategy and effort, perhaps because of the metaphysical ideology explained in the movies The Secret and What the Bleep Do We Know? , many people now desire to shift their attention, awareness and ultimately awaken their consciousness to affect a divinely inspired life.

There is a metaphysical principle which states that the highest level of consciousness is surrender. This idea seems to be in conflict with the idea of actively creating our reality. In fact, it was a personal challenge for me to get my mind around this concept. I have enjoyed creating affirmations and having my desires manifest in the world. When I discovered this idea about 24 years ago, I was excited to find out how easily I manifested my desires into being.

However, when we align ourselves with God, Source and Divine desire, however we conceptualize it, we can manifest love-based forms and situations which are often better than what we could have imagined. We really are already one with all that we desire. These desires and outcomes impact the whole of humanity, not just our individual lives. Of course, we all have personal preferences and desires, and there is nothing inherently wrong with personal desire. We can always intend our desires. But often we forget to “release” them to God. Many who are working on affirming may state their desire and also add earnestly “this or something better”. When we release we are surrendering to the fact that we may not know what is best and may not know what exactly will serve the higher good. The adage “Be careful what you wish for” is addressed by this action.

The metaphysical textbook A Course in Miracles has students ask “What would you have me do?” This form of release and surrender creates a powerful flow in our lives. Our mission becomes “How can I serve?” rather than “What can I get?”

There is nothing wrong with desiring the new job, relationship, car, or the perfect state of health. But beyond these personal desires lay the opportunity to act from compassion and recognize that we are all a part of the holographic whole. Many spiritual teachers believe that compassion is love in action and is the highest form of love. When we act from compassion we are aligned with our inner being, acting from our essential self and our most awakened consciousness.

To deliberately act from the awakened or conscious mind we might start by intending it. We can align with a capital “S”ource perspective rather than a small “s”ource perspective. For example, if we wish to buy a home, but the prevailing thought of those around is that this is a bad time to buy, we can remember that this is a little “s” perspective. Our source of information in this case is those around us. They are responding to their reality based on fear or thoughts that “what is” isn’t enough. Aligning with Source, gives us an empowered perspective. Our source is not other people’s ideas, fears or perspectives, but in fact, the abundance which is of God.

It is true that the mind cannot serve two masters. We must choose our allegiances. We can choose fear based thoughts or love based thoughts. If we live in duality we may try and choose both and end up confusing and frustrating ourselves and those around us.

We may have to be deliberate in order not to buy into the thought patterns or race consciousness of the world. It may be highly important to seek support to stay on the path of love. Because we live physically in a temporal world, we are often seduced into believing that the world we experience with our five senses is the whole enchilada. However, the more we operate from an expanded and awakened consciousness the more we begin to see clearly that there is a universal intelligence which will help us if we allow for it.

(c) 2011 Jeanine Marie Austin, Ph.D., C.Ht.
Doctor of Life Coaching, Certified Hypnotherapist
Simply Divine Solutions
Life Coaching and Hypnosis Worldwide

http://www.SimplyDivineSolutions.com

Free Consultation Available

jeanine@simplydivinesolutions.com
480.491.0770

Want to know more about the course?
The Alma Answers: Getting in Touch with Your Soul's Wisdom

For many, Our Lady of Guadalupe is thought to be an aspect of Mary, the mother of Christ. She is said to have first appeared to Mexican Indian Juan Diego on December 9, 1531 and appeared four times over a period of four consecutive days. Her visits with Juan Diego took place on the hill of Tepeyac near Mexico City, Mexico.

Juan Diego, know as Juanito to his family, was walking from his village to the city when he first saw La Virgen Morena (the brown skinned virgin). She requested that Juan Diego ask Spanish Bishop John to build a church in her name.

Being a Mexican Indian, 57 year old Juan Diego did not have great deal of pull with the Spanish run Catholic Church. Guadalupe appeared to him four times and four times he appealed to the Bishop.

On his forth visit with Bishop John, Juan Diego brought Castilian roses that Our Lady had arranged for him in his tilma (a multi-purposed cloth wrap that is often used by Indians to carry food or children and perhaps to keep the beholder warm). The Spanish roses are indigenous to Spain not Mexico and in addition were believed not to grow in wintertime. The roses were to signify a miracle to Bishop John in order to prove Juan Diego was telling the truth. Juan Diego unwrapped his tilma of roses in front of Bishop John only to discover that there was a perfect image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on his garment. This iconic picture has been photographed and can be found in the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City, Mexico.

The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe seems to represent the very essence of unconditional love. For many of us, Our Lady represents the Divine unconditional mother.

When we study this iconic picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe we might wonder about the relationship of this aspect of the Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus, to the indigenous Mexican goddess and lunar deity Tonantzin. Certainly, native imagery is represented in this iconography. Moreover, it is theorized that Our Lady may have used the Aztec Nahuatl word coatlaxopeuh (pronounced quatlasupe) which sounds like the Spanish word Guadalupe. In any case, the integration and inclusion of different cultural and religious references for the Divine feminine invites us to see ourselves in her representation.

Last year on December 12th, as part of my so far unending quest to learn Spanish, I watched the news in Spanish. I saw thousands of religious penitents traveling from all over Mexico and presumably the world, making a pilgrimage to Mexico City’s 17th century Basilica of Guadalupe, which is just one of many churches built in the valley where Juan Diego experienced the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Perhaps, this annual ritual is a touching and heartfelt demonstration of the longing to embrace the Divine feminine.

Yesterday, I was driving my son to school and was stuck in bumper to bumper traffic. There was heavy construction and I was concerned we would be late. The level of frustration of those around me felt palpable. I look over at an adjacent car only to see a large decal image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. In the temporal world, where much of our emotional atmosphere can be aggressive and hostile, this image of Guadalupe as humble, patient, serene and gentle, certainly stood in contrast to the building road rage of those around me.

On closer inspection, Guadalupe’s eyes are cast downward in humility. In her famous image, Our Lady of Guadalupe has been depicted as standing on a half moon which archetypically represents the feminine. Her hands are clasped and beneath them is a cross representing the four directions, often utilized by First Nation tribes. Much of the symbolism represented by her clothing and surrounding imagery is archetypal symbolism that encompasses Judaic, Christian, Spanish and Indigenous representations.

We are often tempted to see ourselves as separate from others. When we believe in separation, we invite fear, hostility and perhaps ultimately, aggression. Remembering the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12th may offer us an opportunity to appreciate her unifying image and to answer the call to allow the gentle feminine principle into our lives, whether we are male or female. She is said to have told Juan Diego in one of her visits, “Expect miracles and you will find them.”

Resources: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_of_Guadalupe
The Story of Our Lady of Guadalupe: Three People, four Days and Many Miracles by J. Janda. The Paulist Press, 1988.
 
(c) 2007 Jeanine Marie Austin, Ph.D.
, C.Ht.

Doctor of Life Coaching, Certified Hypnotherapist
Simply Divine Solutions
Life Coaching and Hypnosis Worldwide

http://www.SimplyDivineSolutions.com

480.491.0770
Free Consultation Available

Want to know more about the course?
The Alma Answers: Getting in Touch with Your Soul's Wisdom

“To everything there is a season, and
 a time to every purpose under the heavens.” 
~ Ecclesiastes Chapter 3 Verses 1-8

Several years ago I faced a devastating challenge. Before the onset of the challenge I had dealt with more than my share of challenges. Like many of you reading this, I had experienced break-ups, loses, failures and even natural disasters, but nothing had prepared me for this particular form of devastation.

As I had done somewhat successfully in the past, I tried to outthink my own suffering. I even wrote a 252 page dissertation on suffering. But we know as Einstein told us that “You can’t solve a problem with the level of thought that created it.” I tried to deny my suffering, but often burst into tears when anyone asked, “How are you, really?” I even tried to distract myself by taking up a hobby and keeping myself very busy.

No matter what I did, however, my singular bone chilling awareness was, “This is what is going to take me out. There is no going back. For all intents and purposes, my life is over.”

Some spiritual teachers have called this experience The Dark Night of the Soul. I knew that people often survived their dark night experience and sometimes even thrived afterwards. “That is wonderful for them” I thought, “but the truth is that I will never be truly happy again.”

What we can learn from the pattern of the spiral, exemplified by the beautiful nautilus or the Buddhist prayer wheel, is that life goes on, even beyond itself. We can be happy again if we choose to move up the spiral. Like the organic patterns of the nautilus, we will be supported by natural patterning if we will allow ourselves to be supported.

It turn out that what helped me move up the spiral and embrace happiness again was two people who came into my life, both who had lost children, in fact three between them. They were always there to support me and allow me to soak their shirts with my tears. I shared my feelings while they reminded me of my own divinity and the divine truth of my experience. Often they even made me laugh. Unconditional love can help us move upward on the spiral towards a healed perspective like nothing else can. What Americans call “mouth to mouth resuscitation” the British call “the kiss of life”. Certainly, love offers us the kiss of life like nothing else can.

While love offered me a profound healing, I certainly don’t want to sugar coat the experience of moving along the spiral of healing. To be honest, most people were not terribly supportive to me during this dark time. In fact, some were insensitive, some were indifferent and even a handful were cruel. This experience taught me that in these times whether we are nurturing someone else’s healing or are dealing with our own, one person can alchemize any situation, no matter how grave, with the gift of love.

If we pay attention to the gifts of the spiral we can see its inherent wisdom. What doesn’t get healed or what feels like the end will often come back around to be healed. An old boyfriend of mine who I hadn’t talked to in over 25 years contacted me several years ago. He was still in some pain around our break up many years ago. I got to apologize for my abruptness and insensitivity during the break-up and he was relieved to find out I hadn’t ended our relationship because I thought he was inadequate, but in fact because I was afraid.

When we are feeling lost or in despair we might meditate on the peace and pattern of the spiral. The shifting contours of the spiral offer us in every movement a chance to heal, reconnect, renew and to be reborn.
 
(c) 2008 Jeanine Austin, Ph.D., C.Ht
Doctor of Life Coaching, Certified Hypnotherapist
Simply Divine Solutions
Life Coaching and Hypnosis Worldwide

http://www.SimplyDivineSolutions.com

480.491.0770

Want to know more about the course?
The Alma Answers: Getting in Touch with Your Soul's Wisdom




With the popularity of The Law of Attraction, many of us are confused regarding how to deal with aspects of our life that persist, despite our best efforts. Do we accept what is? Do we deny what is? By trying to change what is, are we putting our attention on what we don’t want, thereby creating more of what we don’t want? Do we try to tease thoughts free from our sub-conscious minds and tackle the intransigent that way? Or, do we keep focusing our attention on what we actually do want?





These questions call to mind something that happened in my life a few days before Thanksgiving last year. It was evening and I was headed to karate class with my boys. As I was backing out of the driveway, I noticed in my rear view mirror a BIG black goat right behind me. I was concerned for the safety of the goat, because it was growing dark, and she, being black, was very hard to see.

I know very little about goat wrangling, and despite living on a horse property, fancy myself a sort of Ava Gabor “Lisa Douglas” from Green Acres type character. 



Lo and behold a Good Samaritan woman and her daughter driving down the street came to the rescue. They helped me pull the goat into my backyard (no mean feat!). I headed down the street and let my very popular neighbor Teia know about the goat. She promised to spread the word and I assumed the goat would be claimed by the time we returned. My kids were disappointed the goat wouldn’t be there when we got back. However, she was there when we returned; no one had claimed her.





Two days and a lot of goat poo on the patio later, the goat was still with us. Despite the novelty of having her, she was getting to be a lot of work for me. I was anxious to return her to her home. We made phone calls and posted notes, but no one called. She didn’t seem very pleased to be with us either. She madly butted her head at the kids and the dog and she slammed the glass window doors so hard in the evenings, I was afraid she would break them. She even managed to find her way on to the safety pool cover and it jiggled like Jello as she walked on it. Poor thing! It was as if she had found her way to an alternative and highly unpleasant universe. Clearly she was missing home.





Despite the challenges of the children’s and the dog’s safety and the stinky goat poo of course, I started to think about the concept of acceptance. I began to see this goat as a metaphor for some things in my life that weren’t changing, despite earnest efforts. I recently heard a healer say to a woman, who despite diligent metaphysical practices was still legally blind, that her gift was her vision because she wasn’t restricted by her physical eyes. Sometimes, we can’t see that our challenges are our greatest gifts. Consequently, I began to think about keeping the goat. And besides, who am I to argue with a goat?





Should we keep focusing on what we want? Of course. But if what is persists we resist we just may create more of what we don’t want. What we think about expands. And maybe, just maybe, this thing that we don’t want really is a gift. My kids loved sharing at church that the thing they were most grateful for that Thanksgiving was the goat they found. Children and adults alike laughed, as they had never heard of such a thing! Who finds a goat walking down the street?





As soon as I accepted the goat as part of the family she left us. As it turned out, the owner had been on vacation and his goat had escaped. He was never really friendly to me before, but now I was in his good graces as I had saved and cared for his much loved goat! Maybe the most powerful part of the lesson for me was that as soon as I found acceptance, the goat’s owner was found. I no longer had attention on how it should be. I had come to accept what was. 



Sometimes it may be best to love what is. I invite you to tap in to your own truth about this and see what your answers are.

(c) 2007 Jeanine Marie Austin, Ph.D., C.Ht.
Doctor of Life Coaching, Certified Hypnotherapist
Simply Divine Solutions
Life Coaching and Hypnosis Worldwide

http://www.SimplyDivineSolutions.com

480.491.0770

Free Consultation Available

Want to know more about the course?
The Alma Answers: Getting in Touch with Your Soul's Wisdom

Recently, I did a several favors for a woman in my community. Because she is in a similar line of work as I am, I also offered to help her when she expressed frustration about her success. Seemingly abruptly she mentioned a recent accomplishment I had and said curtly, “You attributed ____ to the wrong person. There was a person that said it before.” Shocked, I changed the subject.

While processing this situation with a friend I began to defend my work. “Well,” I said, “It was in the Bible and predated her reference by thousands of years. Besides, if she really knew anything, she would realize that time doesn’t even exist!” With that, we both burst out laughing. I was defending that which didn’t need defending. I was being absurd.

It wasn’t even a few hours later that I was reading Pema Chodron’s, Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living. In the book, she contemplates the slogan “abandon poisonous foods”. At first, I read the slogan literally and set the book down while attending to my kids. “Who eats poisonous foods?” I thought. “Maybe that is some kind of throwback to the days of Siddhartha Gautama.” Then I realized I had been nibbling on poisonous food for hours.

In response to this person’s comments I felt hurt, attacked, and betrayed. I wondered about her motivation. I did realize that whatever her motivation was, I have undoubtedly made the same mistake. In any case, she was a teacher for me in this situation.

Marianne Williamson talks about people in our life who challenge our defenses as having been sent by “central casting.” It is possibly by design that these petty tyrants come into our lives. In Start Where You Are, Pema Chodron writes about a situation where a group of monks are being challenged by another monk with difficult characteristics. Finally, the monks had enough and the challenging monk fled his home. When the head monk found out about his departure he pursued him. The monks wondered why he would do this. His retort was, “I pay him to be here!”

If you receive feedback that feels justified in some way, make a retraction, apologize, and rectify a wrong. But if the shoe doesn’t fit, don’t indulge the negativity. When someone tries to rustle our feathers, we get to see just how far along we are on our path of personal and spiritual development and just how far we have to go. Progress may mean we are not bothered as long as we used to be or we may notice we no longer wish to seek revenge.

The unsupportive comments of this person bothered me, but not to the point of distraction. I recognized the gifts quite quickly. I know all behavior that isn’t based on love is really just a call or cry for love. I probably won’t go back for more, but I got to see how silly (and funny!) it is to defend yourself against untoward attacks and how ridiculous it is to gobble down poisonous food.

(c) 2007 Jeanine Austin, Ph.D.
, C.Ht.
Doctor of Life Coaching, Certified Hypnotherapist
Simply Divine Solutions
Life Coaching and Hypnosis Worldwide

http://www.SimplyDivineSolutions.com

480.491.0770
jeanine@simplydivinesolutions.com

Want to know more about the course?
The Alma Answers: Getting in Touch with Your Soul's Wisdom

Blondie's Eye by Carolyn Bentley Wells Sedona 2011

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” — Dalai Lama

DR. JEANINE AUSTIN — Many of the great spiritual teachers throughout time emphasize the power of love in action, also known as compassion. As a life coach , when working with clients I will often offer applications and strategies that are love-based.

When my clients are desirous of monumental shifts and changes, why mess with weaker ideologies?

I believe there is no greater power or law than that of love in action, or compassion. Divinely inspired love is the most potent force in the universe.

Love has the alchemical potential to transform anything into something that transcends its form or (perceived) limitations. Compassion is the understanding that we are connected to others regardless of race, creed or orientation. Compassion is without judgment; it acknowledges the Divine in every person, including ourselves.

As a society, we may be tempted to think of love or compassion only as fleeting emotions. Yet compassion based on love is centered on generosity, healthy boundaries, and spiritual maturity. It is a force that heals, not romantic, transitory, or trivial.

I have noticed that there is no dearth of tools or strategies to assist clients in the quest to become healthier, happier, and abundant. In my 25 years of experience as a professional, I have known nothing to heal as quickly, or completely, as compassion. Unfortunately, compassion doesn’t have the sexy appeal of a pill, a diet, the latest trend, bestselling book or charismatic and popular new guru. However, I know compassion to be the great healer. Compassion is truly God’s most powerful gift and greatest elixir.

Six truths about the healing properties of compassion

1. Body: Compassion towards yourself and others makes you feel better about yourself, so you are more likely to align your body to fit a loving image of your authentic self. When you are compassionate towards yourself you seek to eat healthier and exercise your body. True compassion will help you to embrace a gentle but disciplined approach to yourself and others.

You will refrain from beating yourself up emotionally when you are not making choices that support your healthiest body, and you will love yourself enough to begin again. A healthy body is born from consistency. Compassion allows you to love yourself enough to do what it takes to be as healthy as possible.

2. Attractiveness: Compassion makes you feel more joyful, generally happier, and more relaxed. If you are happy you feel more attractive, and you are more attractive (literally and metaphorically). When you feel the sense of joy that being a compassionate person gives you, you are much more likely to attract the job, the partner, the friendships, and the experiences you desire.

3. Abundance: Compassion makes you feel more connected to Source. When you feel aligned with the Divine you know that you are abundance. If you feel abundant, trusting God to provide what is needed, you attract and step into the reality that you are one with Source. Furthermore, those who feel lack tend not to give. When you give, you feel abundant because you signal to yourself that you have more than you need, and have enough to give.

4. Authenticity: If you focus on what is essential (love and love in action: compassion) you are more aligned to the truth of who you are. You tend not to be involved with situations that do not resonate with who you really are. You know you are love and that you are love unfolding. You are on “purpose”.

5. Meaning: Compassion gives your life meaning. If you are living a meaningful life, you are more likely to be deeply fulfilled. You find deep satisfaction that is unwavering and not based on being affected by changing outside circumstances. If, like A Course in Miracles tells us, “Only the love is real”, what leaves a legacy, but love?

6. Healthy Boundaries: Buddhist doctrine considers compassion to be a particularly important value in life. Interestingly, Buddhist nun Pema Chodron has written about “dumb compassion”. Compassion is being generous of spirit from a healthy and loving place. It is not about allowing yourself to be taken advantage of. Compassion can mean saying “no”. Compassion can mean saying no to what doesn’t work for you. Turning our back on a situation may be the most generous way to handle a situation. We can always have the choice to release a sister/brother or a situation with love.

If you wish to maximize your own human potential, remember that compassion or love in action, is the choice which will take you to the most actualized, realized and ultimate place possible.

Even if we never see someone’s secret face, let’s remember that they have one. Not to acknowledge this might originate from callousness, naiveté or some other form of denial. In the end, we hurt only ourselves if we don’t embrace compassion. After all, when we extend compassion, we are one of the beneficiaries.

(c) 2011 Jeanine Austin holds a Master’s degree in clinical social work and a Doctorate in life-coaching. Her passion is helping women live a joyfully authentic life. Dr. Jeanine provides one-on-one coaching that honors each person’s unique expression. Jeanine offers a free consultation by Email Visit Simply Divine Solution for more information.

Want to know more about the course?
The Alma Answers: Getting in Touch with Your Soul's Wisdom