Planting Seeds

A woman is warming up before her morning jog - she stood a few feet from a large oak tree, placed both hands on it and pushed against it to stretch her calf muscles. She was in the midst of this standard runner's ritual when a young man passed by. He stopped, turned, and shook his head. "Lady, you'll be there forever doing it that way," he said. "Use a saw." 

Sometimes we may feel like this woman, only we are not pushing against the oak tree to stretch our calf muscles; we are pushing against the oak tree to make something happen! We hear ideas in New Thought that we are in charge of our destiny; that we are in control of our future. And those words "in charge" and "in control" also seem to signify that a lot of pushing and straining needs to happen.

And then we are told to let go, to release, and to allow. That seems to be a paradox, doesn't it? We are in control but we need to let go. We are in charge but we need to release. And then some of us go to the extreme of 'letting go" and releasing so much that if nothing happens, then we think it's a sign that it isn't meant to be - as if some force external to us determines what we are supposed to experience. It's no wonder we are confused!

It might be easier to think about planting seeds - planting thought seeds, planting vibration seeds, planting emotion seeds, and planting belief seeds. It is by planting these seeds that we are 'in control' of our future. We are in the seed-planting business; God is in the outcome business. And that's not so confusing. 

And the letting go part? That's just letting the Infinite grow what we've planted. Easy peasy.

Wisdom from Ernest Holmes

Just as you watch your garden that foreign seeds shall not fall into it, producing a growth of undesirable plants, so you must refuse entrance to any thoughts you do not wish not see manifested in your life. Guard well this garden of your mind. It is God's garden of your soul. It is your Garden of Eden wherein may grow your fondest desires and hopes, blossoming into fulfillment. 

Or, if you permit, the weeds of destruction, fear and doubt will choke out the beauty of hope until despair along remains. Watch carefully then, this garden of your soul. Plant there only seeds of happiness, of joy, of peace and of good will. It may be necessary to cultivate your garden, to uproot the weeds and straighten out the rows planting new seeds - new ideas, broader visions and deeper realizations of life. 

New aspirations must be bedded here, fertilized with the fervor of hope, the conviction of faith, the beauty of wholeness, and the quietness of peace. Watch our garden carefully, guard it patiently, waiting for a new harvest - for you shall reap what you have sown.

            ~ This Thing Called You

About Janet

Janet Kingsley, founder and spiritual leader of Center for Positive Living Sedona has been opening hearts and minds to infinite possibilities since 1998. Through articles, classes, and coaching she opens the heart, intrigues the mind, and feeds the spirit.

Janet is also a "Possibility Coach" who can see beyond your doubts and fears and ask the right questions so you can dive deep into your soul. She is also a master energy healer. Focusing on helping people love their body, love themselves, and love their life, she is creating a movement and changing the world...one person at a time.

Find out more at www.janetkingsley.com

Release - It Sounds So Easy

Letting go of old beliefs, old mental constructs, old identities, old patterns of thinking and behaving and allowing the wholeness and truth and beauty of Life to wash over us can create miracles and magic in our lives. It sounds so easy, doesn’t it? Letting go. We may even intellectually understand that when we 'let go' of the old, we create an opening for something new.

Release. Relax. Open up. Go with the flow. Breathe. Yes, it sounds easy and sometimes it might feel to us that we might fall to our death if we let go of what we’ve been holding onto so tightly for years. It sounds easy and yet we resist those ideas and we have a tendency to cling to the familiar, to argue for our limitations, to give excuses, and to fight to remain the same.

Maybe one of the things we can release and let go of this year are the boxes we put ourselves in. How do we identify ourselves? I'm a Virgo so that means I'm analytical and the clothes in my closet are organized by color. I'm an introvert so that means that I am extremely uncomfortable networking. I'm super-busy so that means I don't have too much excess time to simply hang out, play, and have fun. 

These are just three examples and there are dozens (if not hundreds) more. What if none of those 'I am' statements are true? What if they are just made up but I keep them active by repeating them over and over and looking for physical and external evidence that they are true? How is that helping me to let go, surrender, and open up to the real Truth: God is, I am, and so it is? [hint: it isn't helping]

What box can you release yourself from

?

Wisdom from Ernest Holmes

If we would take time, once a day at least, to let go of all that is not true...doubt, distrust, worry, condemnation and fear, and lay hold of Life in Its expressions of beauty, truth and wholeness...we would be healed.”

            ~The Science of Mind

About Janet

Janet Kingsley, founder and spiritual leader of Center for Positive Living Sedona has been opening hearts and minds to infinite possibilities since 1998. Through articles, classes, and coaching she opens the heart, intrigues the mind, and feeds the spirit.

Janet is also a "Possibility Coach" who can see beyond your doubts and fears and ask the right questions so you can dive deep into your soul. She is also a master energy healer. Focusing on helping people love their body, love themselves, and love their life, she is creating a movement and changing the world...one person at a time.

Find out more at www.janetkingsley.com

It's About Transformation

Since you are on my email list, you've noticed I've been sending out a daily email: 28 Days of Transformation. The coming of Spring is a wonderful time to tune into the change that is taking place all around us in nature. I see blossoms and blooms everywhere and am reminded that nature unfolds and transforms effortlessly and without any help.

Sometimes, however, we need a little help on our

journey of transformation. Matthew Fox said, "In order to pick up anything new, we must let go of what we are holding." So, we need to do some letting go and clearing away of old ideas, old patterns, and old beliefs. What needs to dissolve in your life?

What if it was our destiny to realize "who we are" and then step forward and claim it and live it? What might we need to let go that is standing in our way to claiming our inherent divinity?  Take some time this week to let go and de-clutter; not only ideas, but your closet, your desk, or anything else that is getting in the way of living fully and fully living! 

And maybe you can start by downsizing and clearing out your closet. Let's make room for the new!

Wisdom from Ernest Holmes

We do not change all of the patterns . . . in a moment.  Rather, it takes place little by little, until gradually the old . . . patterns become transformed into new ones by some inner alchemy of the mind, the operation of which we do not see but the manifestation of which we do experience       ~ 365 Science of Mind

Janet Kingsley, founder and spiritual leader of Center for Positive Living Sedona has been opening hearts and minds to infinite possibilities since 1998. Through articles, classes, and coaching she opens the heart, intrigues the mind, and feeds the spirit.

Find out more at www.janetkingsley.com

I Release and I Let Go

We're 19 days into 2013 and I sense change in the air. I do a ritual at the end of every year involving flash paper.  I write what I am willing to release and then see those ideas go up in flames.  This year, I decided to release two ideas which I felt would help make 2013 a distinctively better year than 2012:

1. Playing Small
2. The idea I need to have at least 2 days off per week in order to experience balance and happiness.  (you see, I work close to 7 days/week - 5 days at my J.O.B. and my evenings and weekends are spent preparing Sunday talks, updating my website(s) www.cplsedona.org and www.prosperitydr.com, writing, preparing class materials and lots of other things.  So, it seems like I'm always working.)
    

In the past, just because I turned the page in my calendar didn't necessarily equate to some sort of magic that propelled me forward.  Many of us simply hope 2013 will be much better than 2012, as if buying a new calendar and hanging it up on the wall is all we need to do.

 

If we want 2013 (or Monday or even today) to be better, happier, more joy-filled, or more prosperous we need to think and act differently.  We all know this.  I know this.  And this year, I'm taking different action than ever before. One of my actions is to constantly remember those two ideas I released with the flash paper.  I'm making a conscious choice to remember those daily and it has made a difference already. 

 

What idea(s) can you release which has hindered you from experiencing all Life has to offer? Let me give you a starting point.

If I asked you what one thing you needed right now in order to experience more joy or more happiness, what would it be? Do you think you need more money to be happier?  Do you think if you had more time you'd be happier?  Do you think if you had a relationship (or a better relationship) you'd be happier?  Do you think if you had a different job, you'd be happier? 

 

We have lots of ideas and opinions as to what we think is standing in our way of feeling happiness and joy.  The truth of the matter is the only thing standing in our way is our own thinking and believing.  Would you be willing to release the idea that anything is standing in your way?  Can you choose to be happy and joyful regardless of your circumstances?

 

If you are willing, then you can get about the business of creating the life you want and then 2013 will rock!