My Simple Gratitude

by: Michelle

I am such a big proponent of gratitude. Tapping into the positive energy of gratitude has changed my life. Beginning a gratitude practice is one of the first things I encourage the clients I work with to incorporate into their lives. Today I want to share a little piece of what I am grateful for these days.

I am grateful for the beautiful and fragrant lilacs that are blooming in my front yard.

I am grateful the grass is sooo long because my son isn't here to cut it. He is down in Texas playing in the College World Series. Go Chiefs!

I am grateful for my Mother's Day flowers.

I am grateful for the ants that are helping my peonies open.

I am grateful my kids can play in the street.

I am grateful to have been a part of Aidan's 5th grade party.

I am grateful to see Aidan's baseball team win the championship at his weekend tournament. Can you say undefeated?!

I am grateful that my Little Liam is so loving.

I am grateful my good old dogs are still here with us.

I am grateful for Twitter where I snagged this picture of my son in Texas.

I am grateful Devin is studying hard for his finals.

I am grateful my son Dallas is coming home from the Air Force for the first time in 1 1/2 years.

What are you grateful for today?

Living In The Present Moment

By Jill Marie

How many times have you heard of the benefits of living in the present moment?  Do you totally understand what that means and how to do it?  And if you do...and you practice that, do you find yourself feeling so much more alive and connected to the situations and people in your life?

There is a wee bit of a crude saying you may have heard, "If you have one foot in the past and the other one in the future, you end up messing all over today."

I cleaned it up a bit but you get the idea right? Eckhart Tolle's book The New Earth was good but it wasn't one of my favorites. His book The Power of Now, on the other hand, is one of my top 5 favorites (BTW I have noticed that there are about 20 book in my top 5 currently so hopefully no one is keeping track of that).

I used to get really confused about being in the Present Moment and still being able to live and function in this physical world.  I wondered how I was supposed to utilize my memories of the past or plan for the future and still be in the Now.

As I pondered those questions pretty intently I was directed to The Power Of Now and it helped me understand at a much deeper level.  Here is a section in that book that really helped me begin to understand at a much deeper level.

Letting Go Of Psychological Time

Learn to use time in the practical aspects of your life - we may call this "clock time" - but immediately return to present moment awareness when those practical  matters have been dealt with.  In this way, there will be no buildup of "psychological time," which is identification with the past and continuous compulsive projection into the future.

Clock time is not just making an appointment or planning a trip.  It includes learning from the past so that we don't repeat the same mistakes over and over.  Setting goals and working toward them.  Predicting the future by means of patterns and laws, physical, mathematical and so on, learned from the past and taking appropriate action on the basis of our predictions. 

But even here, within the sphere of practical living, where we cannot do without reference to past and future, the present moment remains the essential factor.  Any lesson from the past becomes relevant and is applied now.  Any planning as well as working toward achieving a particular goal is done now.   

The enlightened person's main focus of attention is always in the Now, but they are still peripherally aware of time.  In other words, they continue to use clock time, but are free from psychological time.      

Those few paragraphs really helped me begin to live my life more in the Now moment, though I still get lost in psychological time now and again.

What do you find helpful for you as you live in the Now?        

How Often are You Missing the Beauty That is All Around You?

By: Michelle

 

 

I’ve always wanted to live in Hawaii. To me it is the ideal place to call home. When I visit the islands I am transported to what feels like a magical state of being. It begins the moment I step foot off the airplane and breathe in the air…it’s just different. I feel at peace there and I spend every moment I am there in this state of gratitude and presence because I want to take it all in.

Several years ago I was absolutely obsessed with wanting to move there. I bought a book about relocating there and spent inordinate amounts of time researching islands, homes, neighborhoods, prices, schools…you name it, I was learning about it.

I also told just about everyone I ran into that I wanted to move to Hawaii. I would lament about the cold climate I lived it and dream about how wonderful my life would be if only I could make the move.

One day when I was talking to a woman and boring enlightening her with my incessant talk about Hawaii she said something that made me think. She said that it’s so wonderful when you visit Hawaii but if you moved there you would have to go to work, take the kids to school, clean the house, and have your busy life there and pretty soon you would stop appreciating the beauty of the place.

Whoa! What? I never thought about it like that. I can’t say 100% agree with everything she said because I do think it is possible to make life-style changes that will allow a person to stop living that “busy life” but it got me thinking.

How often was I missing the beauty that was happening in my own little neck of the woods? How often was I rushing to drop a child at baseball or basketball and hurrying to get the laundry done that I stopped even noticing what was happening in front of my eyes.

I started looking. I looked out the window and saw the tree in my front yard ablaze in rich red and orange tones. How long had that been like that and how did I miss it? I paid attention to the snow in the winter and saw the patterns the wind made. I noticed the wildlife that visited my house everyday and the sunsets that lit up my sky.

Just the other day I was in the car with my youngest son Aidan and we were driving to his soccer practice. We drove by a tree that looked like a fluffy white cloud, filled with fragrant blooms and I pointed it out to him. He said, “Yeah mom, I love that Bull Run is lined with those trees. It looks so cool!” and then we sat at the stoplight admiring the tree.

It was a great moment that we shared and it got even better when this bright red bird flew into the white tree. I had never seen a bird like this. The only red bird I have seen in our area is a cardinal and this wasn’t a cardinal. We both sat and watched that bird hop around branch to branch framed by the delicate white blossoms of the tree and it was magical.

If I were rushing to soccer practice and staring straight out my window, I would have missed that bird and I would have missed the brief display of those trees. I would have missed that special moment with my boy. But instead I looked. I saw the beauty that was there for me. 

Funny thing is, ever since I started this practice, I haven’t had the need to move to Hawaii. I’m content. I’m grounded and I live in the beauty that is here in the Midwest. Crazy!

I invite you to take a moment to see the beauty wherever you are today. If you live in the city, look at the buildings, signs and windows with new eyes. Look at the bark on the tree or the grass in the field. Look for little flowers, bugs, or interesting weeds. Look at the faces of your loved ones and see each freckle and crease and open your heart to the beauty of it all.

xo

Embracing Blue ~ A Peek Inside My Intuitive Process

By Jill Marie Chesrow

I just loved our first online workshop Emerge, not only as a co-creator of it but also going through it with such wonderful participants.  There is something about the Group Energy that brings life to a whole new level ;)

Michelle and I had gone through the process prior to the group class and I got some wonderful insight and many shifts started taking place in my life.  My original plan for the group class was to go through the class like a participant and create a new mandala along with everybody else,  but instead I was guided to create a Mandala Crystal Grid for the class, do daily energy work on behalf of all those that were aligned with that,  and share the messages coming through.  I LOVED doing that even though it wasn't part of the original plan.  Being open and flexible to guidance coming through is essential to living a more Intuitive based life.

After one of the group energy sessions, I was then guided to go through the process again and I created another Emerge Mandala.  Just like the first time I went through it, I got a lot of insight from the process,  and  from the symbolic images and phrases that were chosen.

Days after I still felt like there was a message I was missing and I kept seeing the mandala in my mind's eye and the blue was jumping out at me...almost as if it was calling my name.

Hmmmm what message did Blue have for me I wondered?  Then I began to hear "Embracing Blue".  So off I went on a journey to Embrace Blue and see what my Higher Self was telling me beyond the initial insight I received 

 To help me Embrace Blue I actually went and got a pedicure and chose blue nail polish that matched the blue in my mandala!  I like to have fun in life and I wanted to be a detective when I was younger so what better way to make this a fun adventure, and honestly I needed that daily reminder to Embrace Blue and I knew every time I looked at my toes it would remind me ;)

Embracing Blue Reminder,  Blue Toenail Polish :)

I started with the obvious...what meaning does the color blue have? For that I love the site http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html

  Blue

Blue is the color of the sky and sea. It is often associated with depth and stability (side note....Stability is huge for me this year as I am in my 4th year of my 9 year cycle) It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven.

Blue is considered beneficial to the mind and body. It slows human metabolism (I wasn't happy to read that part...lol) and produces a calming effect (that part I liked :) Blue is strongly associated with tranquility and calmness. In heraldry, blue is used to symbolize piety and sincerity.

Blue is linked to consciousness and intellect. 

Blue suppresses appetite (thank God!)

Light blue is associated with health, healing, tranquility, understanding, and softness.

That gave me a good base and also confirmed some of the insight I had already received.  I also felt very called to explore the Water Element.  I do Elemental Healing so perhaps I was being called to do some healing in that element???  So I did a quick check in and sure enough I was ready to do some "healing" and releasing in this element.  This was getting better than I imagined ;)

Healing and releasing in the Water Element is associated with Flow, movement, transformation, adaptation and acceptance   There are 53 trapped emotions that I work with in the Water Element and aspects of all 53 were cleared via one of the healing modalities that I have been trained in.  I felt so much lighter!

Then I did a quick check in again...was there more information to be revealed?  Yup it was time to look at the 5th Chakra.  I ended up clearing the excesses and deficiencies in my Throat Chakra and balancing it (The color is Light Blue in case you didn't know)  Once I was done doing that I knew what I was being guided to do next.

If you know me well  you can probably guess what I was guided to do...

Did you guess create a Mandala Crystal Grid?

Embracing Blue Mandala Crystal Grid

Center Stone:  Celestite
Outer Stones:  Blue Lace Agate, Lapis Lazuli, Sodalite, Lapis Lazuli, Angelite, Lapis Lazuli, Blue Chalcedony, Lapis Lazuli

There is still more information coming through as well as inspired action steps that I will want to take but you get the idea.

Our Intuition speaks to us all the time.  You just need to learn the symbolic language of your Soul.

How does your Intuition communicate with you?

What are you being guided to embrace in your life?


With Heart,

Jill Marie

Radiance, Optimism and Clarity

By Jill Marie

Hello Everyone,

Before we see what the energy of May has for us let's do a quick recap of the Energy messages that each month has offered us so far this year.

January: Insight and Action
February: Cleaning Out The Closets
March: Innovation
April: Deepening Into Your Awareness

I'm guided to ask you some questions for reflection:

Have you been consciously able to work with the energy message each month? Have you found that you are able to utilize the insight, and then in combination with your own Intuition, navigate what comes up for you more easily throughout the month? If not how do you think you might be able to take this information and apply it so it benefits you?

For me personally, April was one of the most beautiful months and one of the most intense. As I continue to clear out old energy patterns and beliefs, it has been easier in some regards and not so much in other ways. Thankfully I have an incredible support team and a Bedazzled Toolbox to assist me ;) Knowing that I was deepening into my Awareness I reached out when I was feeling overwhelmed, holding to the idea that what I was going through was exactly what I needed to go deeper.

Okay May what energy and insight is available and beneficial to us on our Journey to ever increasing Inner Alignment?

The key energy of May is: Radiance, Optimism and Clarity.

Thanks to what has been being released over the past few months we have made more room in our physical bodies to hold and express more of our True Essence. We are "Anchoring The Light" so to speak, and It is time to let your Inner Light shine even more and to do this you are encouraged to express your playful Inner Child. You may be feeling the urge to help inspire and empower others, you may be noticing that you can see more clearly, and also that achieving your goals is getting easier. Many are also noticing that they are moving through obstacles with more ease and grace. That applies to those that have been aware and diligent with their Inner Work (or shadow work ~ however you want to phrase it). By diligent I don't mean sitting in your house all day working on yourself or trying to "fix" yourself either. It means being aware of what doesn't feel good, let yourself feel your emotions and then doing what you can to move to the next better feeling emotion (Abraham-Hicks at its best!) and if you need help reach out.

May's helpful energy is filled with more potential for being happy, content and emotionally secure!!!!! How cool is that? Feels about time doesn't it? You have worked hard and showed up for your Dreams and told the Universe that YOU Are All In! How wonderful that the Universal energies are in full support of you and your dreams ;) You might be feeling a sense of Homecoming...coming home to your Divine Self. Like an old friend is back and this time to stay and take the lead if you allow it.

The Challenging energy that has the potential to pop up is the feeling of waiting to be rescued. Basically not doing your Inner Work and expecting somebody else to do it all for you. This isn't to say that you can't have support from friends, family, mentors, coaches or energy healer/well-being practitioners. But if you aren't showing up in that equation and doing what you are being guided to do then you might find yourself going in circles.

It is time now to really, really, really develop and/or deepen your connection to your Intuitive Nature. Let's face it, getting help and support from the outside world is wonderful but you and your Inner Wisdom are your own Personal Authority team. Just let your Inner Wisdom lead :)

If you find yourself feeling complacent and entombed in old habits or notice that you are consistently denying or doubting a calling you feel within you, then it is time to look at some ways to move through that energy. Michelle and I would be happy to assist you in any way that we can or direct you to what we feel might be most beneficial to you. You can contact us via our website and we can schedule a Discovery Session with you.

To sum up...we are moving into a much more Illuminated way of being. The Sun is symbolically and literally shinning its Light upon us and we can no longer suppress or deny what is in our unconscious especially when it is coming up for release. No longer can we ignore our Intuition, avoid the unknown, or behave as if everything is okay if it isn't.

Tap into the Key energy of May and let the Sun's Radiance fill you with Optimism and Clarity. There really is healing energy in the Sun in more ways than one!

With Heart,
Jill Marie

Revealed...

By: Michelle

This month I was guided to pull a card from my custom card deck. I purchased two decks by Cheryl Lee Harnish. The first deck is the Path of the Soul and the second is Divine Guidance. I love these cards. They are unique, beautiful and because they are abstract in nature they really allow me to use my intuition.

The card I pulled for all of you for the month of May is the Revealed card. Here is the definition from the guidebook:

Revealed
Do you know how beautiful you truly are? It is time to stop hiding from the world. The Universe is calling you. You have so much to give. This card is a reminder for you to see who and what you truly are. You are a part of the One. You are beautiful and perfect in every way.
When you hide yourself you are withholding, not only your energy- but your Love. Love for yourself and Love for others . Embrace yourself and all your quirks - we all have them! Let yourself be free. Let yourself shine.

Here is additional insight I received about this card:
The Universe is an amazing place. It is filled with great beauty and uniqueness and you are a part of this. Imagine a prism. Each color combines to create the whole. Purple is not prettier than red. Green is not better than yellow. They are equal and yet unique and together they create something greater than they are alone.

Embrace your role in this Universe and allow the light to shine through you. How would you be if you lived your life from this place, with this knowing? How would your life be different?

What a beautiful and empowering message for you this month. Embrace your unique beauty and live your life with pride!

xo
Michelle

Where the Mandala Magic Happens!

by: Michelle

Years ago there was a show on HGTV where different crafters would share their homes and where they create and they would demonstrate how they made a piece of art. I loved that show and watched it all the time. I used to rewind the part where the person would say, "This is my studio" and play it over and over to my husband. Haha, I'm so subtle.

I always wanted a studio!

I have tried creating a studio in different parts of my home. I set one up in my master bedroom a few years ago, I've worked in my screen room and basements always seem to be the only real place for messy work. Let me tell you, nothing has ever really worked for me.

When I started working on mandalas for I AM I knew I needed a place to work on them easily and because the technique I created had a very specific set of materials, I didn't I need a huge space to work.

Let me show you my studio!

No matter where I started working on a piece of art, I almost always ended up finishing it in my kitchen/family room so I decided to just set up in that space. I was worried that it would be messy and clog up the flow of traffic but it didn't. It's actually perfect.

Making it work with my lifestyle

I asked for a small art desk for my birthday last year. It's the perfect size for the mandalas and even has a spot to hold my heat gun which I use endlessly.

I put it on the edge of my kitchen under my family command center. It's sitting on the wood floor so I don't have to worry about dripping on the carpet...phew! It seems like a bit of a tight fit but it actually works great.

Ooooh, fun art supplies!

Next to it I put a shelf I already owned and purchased some bins to hold my paints, pencils, brushes and the like. I also keep all my magazines and books that I incorporate into the mandalas. Everything I need is here, at all times, ready to create. I love it.

My little creative corner. Yes, that's my dog Snickers relaxing in the background.

I wanted to show you "my studio" for a couple of different reasons. First, I wanted to show that you can be creative when setting up an art space. I never would have thought I would do this in my public living space and yet it works...it works better than any other set up I've used before. So think outside the box and try it out.

The other reason I wanted to share was so you can see where I'm creating your mandalas; in the heart of my home, surrounded by my family. I enjoy peering into an artist's life and seeing behind the scenes so I thought I would give you a little glimpse into my world.

Have a great day!
Xo