365 Inspirations—345: Scorpio

"Scorpios simply never give up. They have tremendous staying power. They're not in the slightest intimidated by anybody or anything. When Scorpio learns optimism, instead of expecting the worst, they'll find that they possess amazing regenerative powers—the power to heal, create, and transform."—from astrologycafe.com

What's your sign? Do you follow it? The only reason I follow my astrological chart is because it describes me to a tee.

I'm a scorpio and my rising sign is also scorpio—this means double intense. I am intrigued with mystery, the spiritual, consciousness and the other deep, dark secrets of the universe. I LOVE research and actually the best job for me, if I went by my sign, is to be a detective, journalist, writer, researcher or mystic.

I believe in my sign and I feel I've lived it. Right now I'm researching for a new book and I'm definitely in my element.

I'm not rational or linear, but a whole picture person. Maybe you could say that I'm 100% right-brained. I see entire snapshots of things. I see images and glimpses. I get impulses and hunches. Sometimes things come in songs, but mostly I 'see' things.

And I always try to follow these inner callings.

So far, I've never been led astray.

In fact, long ago, I tried to ignore my hunches and visions and go with the status quo.

I couldn't have been more miserable.

I'm so excited about my new book project. It excites me to have a project that requires some research. I know some of you are perhaps wondering what it will be about.

Well, all the information above might give you a few clues.

What's your sign? Does it describe the person you are?

365 Inspirations—309: Messages

"I decided that it was not wisdom that enabled poets to write their poetry, but a kind of instinct or inspiration, such as you find in seers and prophets who deliver all their sublime messages without knowing in the least what they mean."—Socrates

There was a pressure weighing down today—not only on me, but on many around me. A co-worker thought it might be atmospheric pressure. It could be a change in weather. All I know is that it was a little too much, but I made it through the day.

Now I feel like I'm coming out of a very tight space. I feel like I was squished into a small bottle and someone just popped the cork.

I'm flowing out now. The pressure is gone.

I often wonder if those moments of pressure or stress are necessary for expansion—a bit like growing pains. 

During this period of tension, I received two e-mails that opened my world a bit. I've been seeking answers and connection and maybe I've found them.

One message was an opportunity to lead a retreat in the new year and the other was from someone I've recently connected to via my blog. We are now communicating by email and I feel a connection to this person in a way I can't entirely explain. She appeared at just the right time and I find her words and comments to me to be spot on. They are exactly what I need to hear.

These two e-mails came just in time. I think that's how life is. Things come just when we are about to give up. I am now pondering new directions and new connections. I'm ready to break out of my patterns and small world. I am ready to look at things from a very different angle and direction. I'm not afraid and I know that life will lead me. I feel it.

Do you ever get signs or messages at the very moment when you think you might give up?

365 Inspirations—126: Struggle

"Opportunity follows struggle. It follows effort. It follows hard work. It doesn't come before."—Shelby Steele 

 Can struggle be an inspiration? Can I learn anything from it? I think so. I'm struggling right now with something and I can't go into details. I'm at the end of something.

End of my rope, perhaps.

I'll get through it, but I don't want to struggle through it anymore.

I want to let go.

I will let go.

Struggle is my inspiration because it is struggle that brings us to that new level of awareness. Afterall, we are really just struggling with ourselves.

The signs are there that things will change.

Today I met a friend for coffee. I only met her once before. The first time was after she read my book and then recognized me on a walking path and said, "Are you Katherine Jenkins?"

I met that person in a coffee shop today for the second time. She had just quit her job and has no plans of what to do next, but she felt this strong pull to completely let go, despite all her fears about it.

Basically, she jumped.

And she met me for coffee after she jumped.

Perhaps I'm the first person she's talked to in-depth since she jumped.

And then a friend called out of the blue....

Something about synchronicity...about the fact that we all are here for a reason...that we all have a purpose. We had talked about it last weekend and the very same subject showed up in her life two more times in one week! She called me to tell me that. She called to tell me that it was important.

And then, in a DAZE driving home from a 5-hour late-night teaching stint tonight, I saw a sign that read:

Your New Home is Closer Than You Think....

I have no idea what that means. Isn't home where the heart is? If it's a new home, does that mean I've had a change of heart?

Not sure what is going on friends, but I'm not much of a struggler. I'd just as soon let go, but I'm facing some fears right now. I don't know how it's going to all work out, but these friends that showed up in my life today assured me that sometimes you have to leave the "how" out of it. You have to ask different questions. Here's my question for you:

Have you ever let go of something despite all your fears of what would happen to you? 

365 Inspirations—113: Reflections

Bird's reflection in Greenlake

"I realized that everything I saw was somehow a reflection of my own life—where I have been, where I am and where I will go. All I had to do was tune into what was happening in this moment and all the answers were there."—Katherine Jenkins

Unlike yesterday, I slept in this morning. My husband is often up first, but he slept in a little longer too. It suddenly dawned on me that today is his morning off from teaching yoga. So we went back to our usual pattern and had a leisurely breakfast and then went for a walk together around Greenlake.

While I enjoy walking alone, I also enjoy walking with my husband around the lake. We have such great conversations and sometimes I'm able to see things more clearly with his added perspective.

He often says or reflects back to me the things I've been missing.

I get caught up in the same thinking patterns, but I'm learning to break them or, at least, see them.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm reading The Intuitive Way by Penney Peirce and practicing tuning in to my intuition everyday. Since starting this new way of being, I'm picking up on very subtle signs and symbols in my day to day life.

While caught up in a habitual thought pattern, I was suddenly stopped in my tracks by this giant bird or duck perched on a low tree branch over the water. He seemed to be staring down at his reflection in glassy water and through my iPhone it looked like there were two of them.

Reflections became the theme and I realized that everything I saw was somehow a reflection of my own life—where I have been, where I am and where I will go. All I had to do was tune into what was happening in this moment and all the answers were there. I may not fully understand the signs or symbols in my life, but at least I am aware of them and that's all that is important for now.

Further along the path. I glanced off towards the water's edge and saw, sitting clearly in the grass, a dollar. It was just sitting there clear as day. My husband said, "Well, go get it." I hesitated because it didn't belong to me, but there wasn't anyone around that it could have belonged to and it would probably just wash away.

I then realized that money is meant to flow. It doesn't belong to any of us. It symbolized, for me, the abundance of life that is already there for the taking. It is meant to flow and if we are open to it, it will come to our lives. I gave the dollar to my husband and he used it for bus money to go downtown and get movies and books from the public library.

We had a nice lunch at one of our favorite sushi restaurants after our walk. While paying for the meal, I saw yet another dollar on the wall of the sushi restaurant. I asked the waitress why it was there.

"It's the first dollar we received since we've been in business," she said.

I guess it's lucky to keep those things, but I'm going to let it all flow....

365 Inspirations—60: Signs

"The question is not what you look at, but what you see."—Henry David Thoreau

I believe in signs. I always have. They are everywhere if we tune in.

Recently I've been thinking of trying out somewhere new to live. For a while, I thought I might like to live in Sedona, but I think I'd miss the ocean too much.

My husband and I went out for sushi today for lunch. I started talking about our upcoming yoga retreat in Hawaii. We'll be in Hilo, Hawaii this month with a group of students. I'm looking forward to experiencing a new place and seeing how I feel there.

Somehow, we both started talking about creating a retreat center in Hawaii and we agreed that it would be the perfect place for what we have in mind. We talked about how we think we might like Hilo with it's interesting climate,  landscape and volcanoes, but we'll have to see when we get there.

Just then, on the sushi conveyer belt, a sushi plate labeled "Volcano Roll" passed by right in front of us. This was odd because it was the first time to see it in this sushi shop where we are regular customers.

We both looked at each other and said simultaneously, "Volcano Roll."

We walked outside and considered seeing a movie at the theater across the street. Nothing looked interesting, and we turned and left. We saw a movie poster that caught our eye and returned to the reader board to look at the movie times. No one was in line, but the woman selling tickets was talking to a male friend using the microphone from inside the ticket box.

Just then, clear as a bell, the man said, "So you are spontaneously moving to Hawaii?"

The woman selling tickets smiled and said, through the microphone, "Yes, I am."

My husband and I just stood there. We completely forgot about the movie or seeing a movie or looking at the reader board.

We left the ticket booth and wandered through the mall lost in thoughts about Hawaii.

Maybe it's just a pipe dream, but every great venture starts this way.

I believe in signs. I believe that we create our lives and we often notice what we need to.

Do you believe in signs? Have they ever led you to something new in your life?

365 Lessons-Lesson 34: Nirvana is in the Mailbox

Getting the mail may seem like an everyday task for most people. Bills, bills, junk, bills, junk....oh, look! Nirvana!

 I'm a believer in signs...call me superstitious. Yes, I'm the one who saves my fortunes from the fortune cookies and pins them to my bulletin board, remember?

A few hours ago, my husband went out on this fearful rainy day to get the mail. I didn't even raise my eyes from the computer. He came back in shaking the rain off his jacket. In his hands he held a square box. I glanced up at him and said, "What's that?"

"I don't know?" he said and proceeded to rip the box opened.

He stood there staring with amusement at what was in his hands.

 I said again, "What is it?" He said, "Ummm...it's nirvana."

 I was a little puzzled. For a minute I thought maybe my husband was having one of those instant enlightenment experiences that I've read about in books. You know, the monk goes out and sits on a rock and a raindrop touches his head and that's it, he's enlightened. I've read about it, so I suppose it could happen to anyone. But that's not what he was talking about.

He looked up at me smiling and then showed me what was in his hands and said again, "Look, Nirvana!"
I just started laughing. I immediately thought, "Everything you're looking for is inside your mailbox!"

There's more to this story. When we first moved into our house, we were told that a recording engineer, by the name of Jack Endino, used to live in our house. We were also told that he recorded Nirvana (the group) in our basement before they were popular. I wasn't sure I believed this story. We had been getting mail for Jack on and off. Letters from Hollywood, LA, and other parts of the US. We'd pop them back in the box and write, "wrong address."

This time, we received this rare vinyl record of Nirvana's old songs. My husband didn't want to pop this one back in the mailbox. He found it very amusing. So amusing that he ran off to a thrift store to see if he could locate an old record player! In the meantime, the postman came back. He came to the front door and said, "Did you get a square box in the mail?" I said, "Why, yes!" (I'm not good at hiding the truth) He continued, "Does that person live here?" I said, "No, but he used to and we get mail for him from time to time."

Sadly, I gave him the package and he drove off in the rain in his mail truck. Now my husband is out in the rain trying to find a device to access his nirvana....but it's gone...it's so fleeting!

For a moment he held it in his hands. It wasn't anywhere exciting..it wasn't on top of the a mountain or in a cave or at a holy shrine. It was right there in the mailbox.

Yes, I believe in signs.....however fleeting they are!

365 Lessons-Lesson 33: Pay Attention, The Signs are Right in Front of You

My friend, Rosedanie Cadet, hadn't been back to her country, Haiti, in 36 years. In December, she sat at my dining room table and told me that she was going back. She had planned to return to Japan, where she once lived, but didn't receive her visa in time. Since she had the time, she decided she would like to return to her country to help her people. This was before the earthquake.

She left in December with a non-profit organization called Answered Prayers. She was selected to act as the translator of this program which would travel to an orphanage in Haiti in order to bring supplies to the children and help with building projects. She asked me if I knew of anyone who had any baby items. I don't have children, so I immediately contacted my sister and best friend who both provided Rosedanie with a few boxes of items.

Before Rosedanie left for Haiti, a friend mentioned that she should have a psychic reading to find out why she felt a strong need to return. The psychic told her that her grandmother, who died before Rosedanie ever had a chance to meet her, was waiting for her return. Even though they had never met, Rosedanie felt her grandmother was with her and that she had work to do in Haiti.

A week or so after Rosedanie returned from Haiti, after helping out with the orphanage, the earthquake hit. Rosedanie made it back just in time. Many of her family members were missing and it took some time to find them, but all of them are safe.

While most would be frightened to return to a country that was just destroyed by an earthquake, Rosdanie took it as a sign that she was meant to return. She had a strong sense that her grandmother was there helping her in spirit. She contacted Partner's in Health and Mercy Corps to let them know about a project she had been planning for some time. They let her know that she could make a donation, but they wouldn't accept her project.

Rosedanie has been a cook and garderner on Orcas Island, WA for several years. Rosedanie believes that if people in rural areas learn proper farming techniques and have a proper facility to store food, they will learn to be self sufficient and not need to rely on the heavy aid of other countries. If jobs are created in the rural areas through farming, people will be more apt to stay there and there won't be as much of a need to go to the city to find work.

She decided to form her own organization called The Noramise Project, named after her grandmother. She feels this is her calling. Helping the people of Haiti during this earthquake is a wonderful thing. But helping the people to become self sufficient for life is something that will last for many generations to come. Here's a video of Rosedanie talking about her project:



Answered Prayers, the organization she traveled with in December when she went to help out in the orphanage, has decided to link her project to their site. You can make specific donations to the Noramise Project by going to answeredprayers2.org. Make sure to specify that you would like your donation to go to that project. You can also visit noramise.org to find out more specifics on this project.

Rosedanie and I have been good friends for some time now. When I see what she has done in such a short amount of time with her project, I am utterly amazed. After the earthquake, she has participated in two benefit dinners for Haiti. Some of those proceeds will go to her project. She has also managed to mobilize volunteers in Haiti to help with farming. She has gotten a church in the rural city of Limbe, where she is from, to donate land for her food processing plant. Two articles have been published on Orcas Island, WA talking about her project. Momentum for what she is doing is coming from all directions. People are saying, "What can I do?"

I asked her if she finds this amazing. She said, "I am just a conduit. I am like a hub. My main role is to be the connecting person. I am receiving messages of what I need to do and what actions I need to take and I'm taking them." This sense of selfless service in my friend is so amazing. She has put all her needs and cares aside and is doing this for the people of her country.

More than that, all of this seems to be coming through my friend. Not even she knows where it all will lead, she is just taking things as they come.

Rosedanie stopped by my house again today and told me of this project. I knew I had to write a post here. I felt it was a sign to me that she was sitting in front of me at my dining room table once again. If she had stayed a little longer in Haiti, I might have lost my friend.

Pay attention, the signs are right in front of you. If this project speaks to you, I urge you to get involved by either donating or going to Haiti to volunteer your time. My dear friend has reminded me that sharing whatever gifts we have with others on this planet is the reason why we are here.