The Sprout – Direction

Happy New Year and New Light.  Kicking off the first 2 months of the year focused on Direction!  Enjoy the newsletter with a self-guided direction meditation, the latest events schedule, articles and exercises to inspire our inner guidance!

Blessings of Joy! ~ Debi

The Square Box – Set Your Imagination Free

Here is a simple and fun exercise of thinking in and outside of the box.  On a piece of paper draw a box.  When ever you have a thought or experience that is of the norm or routine, draw it inside the box.  Notice how that feels…what is your energy level like, where do your thoughts go?

Then open yourself to new ideas and new possibilities.  Every time you have a new experience, and new insight, or a “wow, I never thought of that!” moment, write it down outside of the box.  Do this for a week or two and notice any changes you may have as you become aware of old patterns or directions, and be mindful about choosing new ones and celebrating those!

What Are Your Passions? – A Great Way To Play With A New Direction

What is the one thing that really gets you excited about your day, about life?  That is a great place to start a new direction or approach in life.  It already resonates with you and you feel good about it!  Write down several directions you would like to see this passion go.  It could be a simple list, or a drawing or diagram that resonates with you.  Keep this posted some where you will see it every day.  Spend at least 5 minutes each day with this list or diagram asking yourself:

• What is my next step?
• Who is there to support me?
• How can I strengthen my connection to trust and see beyond “a matter only view” of the direction of my passion?
• Keep track of these daily insights in a simple notebook or device and at the end of February, reflect on your new direction!

Appreciative Coaching Free Webinar

If you feel ready to choose a new direction in your career, health, relationships, or spirituality, attend the free webinar to see if Appreciative Coaching is a good fit to establish some direction in your life!  Visit Here to learn more!

Family Direction Discussion

It’s the middle of the school year, and after the holiday break, you may find yourself not quite ready to get back into the daily routine.  A change in that routine may just be the new direction you and your family can sit down and discuss.  It is so easy to be involved in so many activities that no one gets any down time.  Take time as you ease into the second half of the school year to sit down and have a family discussion.  Here are some simple questions to get you started.  You know your family best and know how to open a fun and explorative discussion!

1. Review the children’s activities with them.  Do they really enjoy participating in all of them, or are there one or two that they really enjoy?
2. If they cut out some activities, how would they feel about it, and how would you feel about it?
3. If you want more family time, let the family brainstorm what kinds of activities they would like…weekly game night, movie night, trips to nature or tech museums, or how can you spend more time outdoors as a family?
4. Are there any big trips or vacations the family would like to take together and what can you do to start exploring that now for the coming year?
5. Solitude time – have each family member express what time alone feels like for them.  Do they find benefit from it?   Have them describe what that experience looks like, sounds, or feels like.  We all need a break to reconnect with and renew our inner direction and connection to self.  This is a great time to have a discussion as a family, with your partner, or one on one with each child.  Follow you heart, as you know best!

Universal Copyright 2012 – Please share freely with others
As an expression of Love and Gratitude, please include the website and contact information – Light, Life, Love
www.FamilyNurturingTree.wordpress.com
www.FamilyNurturingTree.org

How is Direction in our lives part of our natural oneness and resonance?  We wake each morning often by an alarm clock, only to let our GPS get us to a new destination, and then let our calendar define our day.  But what if there is a timeless way to thrive in our daily material life, but directed by our inner infinite wisdom?  It is there naturally, but technology has pulled us out of ourselves and we have lost a connection with our inner senses.  Ask yourself, “Do I enjoy letting the outer world define my day and my resources”.  If the answer is no, start asking what simple steps you can connect with to direct your day from an indwelling wisdom.

“But what minutes!  Count them by sensation, and not by calendars, and each moment is a day.”  ~Benjamin Disraeli

Labyrinths – A Spiral Of Direction

Each time I step into the path of a labyrinth, I am always amazed at the simple inner direction my heart, my mind, and my body goes as I walk the spiral path inward and outward.  It speaks of so many metaphors with each of us having our own experiences and answers.  In that simple 20 or 30 minutes, my heart rate slows down, my thoughts still, and worries or fears release, and my eternal being reveals it self from within.

My energy may feel pulled away from me by all the mental activity of the day, but in the heart of the spiral, it returns to me.  I feel my spine relax as my energy regains an awareness of balance.  I may even spend time in each petal of the rose at the center of a Chartres Labyrinth.  The act of stepping into that simple moment brings peace and self-awareness.  I may go in with a question and leave with many options for direction.  I may walk with no intention other than to just bee…and even then profound new direction is found.

Resources:  Find A Labyrinth Near You:  http://labyrinthlocator.com/

What can the present moment do for you?

When you think of the present moment, what comes up, what memories do you have of it?  Many times in meditation the concept of time has been revealed to me as just a perception.  Often what felt like 10-15 minutes was an hour, or what felt like an hour, were mere minutes.  Why is it when something doesn’t go well, it seems to take forever!  Our thoughts and intentions of our experience play a huge part in that direction of our lives.  To live from the present moment is a gift indeed and reveals it’s own sense of direction to guide our lives.  Free of fears or angers of the past, or worries of an uncertain future we can find that magic still place where peace resides.  That peace is your I AM, that part of you that knows how to live from the present moment.

Here’s a simple meditation (free mp3 download) to return to the innate ability to live in the present moment.

Let Nature Direct Your Day

The natural world has been one of my greatest teachers in understanding what direction my life was headed.  I found the wholeness and circular nature of the medicine wheel a natural reflection of what my inner self was trying to communicate to that part of my consciousness immersed in the outer world.  As I began to study, experience, and journey with nature through the medicine wheel, nature walks and dreams would reveal a new direction, or mirror to me what gift a current challenge was offering me.  I am reminded of bareback horseback rides as a child, feeling my oneness with P’Anne, our chestnut quarter horse.  Bareback I could feel all of her subtle movements as she climbed a hill and how I adjusted my body to meet hers and the joy and peace that Oneness always brought.

On a holiday trip to Bend, Oregon, I found myself walking a spiral trail up the volcanic cinder cone in the center of town.  About half way up I felt a gentle touch as if Spirit lightly touched my shoulder…my eyes were instantly drawn to the right where a gentle rainbow patch rested upon a group of clouds.  I know this rainbow patch can be explained by meteorological science, but the stillness in my heart, and the peace I felt on my shoulder cannot.  I reached the top of the cinder cone where I was met with a 360 degree view of the entire area.  It was as if Creator was saying, centered in the Direction of Spirit, God, or the Unseen, you can truly see what is going on all around you with a profound sense of guidance and direction.

These are my stories, my experiences…what are yours?  Can you reflect on a time from a vacation or your childhood when you truly thrived in the present moment touched by nature? What steps can you take to start each day with centered direction?  Maybe it’s literally to stop and smell the roses!

These simple and profound outdoor experiences have raised my awareness of my wholeness and connectedness and I find new direction with each one….walking my Dog, gardening, and of course the numerous benefits a good long hike, are all simple steps I have taken.  Even the simplicity of walking around my cul-de-sac at night to star gaze is a great way to redirect my energy to peace and relaxation just before bed.

Here are 2 wonderful articles on the many benefits of being outdoors:

• The Benefits Of Time Spent Outdoors
• Nature Is Therapeutic

If you are interested in the Sacred Journey Wheel Path, Sun Bear’s wisdom is wonderful!

• Dreaming With The Wheel
• Dancing With The Wheel
• Earth Astrology

I leave you with the wisdom of John Muir:

“I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.”

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.  Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.  The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.”

Universal Copyright 2012 – Please share freely with others
As an expression of Love and Gratitude, please include the website and contact information – Light, Life, Love
www.FamilyNurturingTree.wordpress.com
www.FamilyNurturingTree.org

SKILLS KEPT:
Office/Organizational Skills
Having an organized and orderly working area is important in the corporate world but even more important when working from a home office. I found having a specific area in the home for book keeping, filing, and basic office needs made it easier to step out of that space when I needed a break or vacation. Being self-employed it is very easy to let work become your life and creating organizational boundaries helped me create downtime.

Project Management Skills
In the corporate world I was my own project manager for manufacturing floor or quality related projects and found I had an intuitive skill to plan and organize projects. That has been a golden gem to have starting and running my own business, as I am able to identify what steps from A to Z need to be identified and implemented to reach a desired outcome.

Collaboration Skills
As an engineer a large part of my time was spent collaborating with the manufacturing floor employees as well as with management. The ability to collaborate with many different people with various backgrounds is a skill that I have carried with me. With Social Media so active in our current business environment, I am learning to adapt my corporate collaboration skills to be used in the social media arena to build relationships and generate healthy public relations for my business and myself as I provide something of value to customers.

Project Development Skills
The idea of seeing a concept that would be needed or would strengthen my business was a huge asset and that skill got started as a manufacturing engineer when trying to improve cycle times, quality of product, and reducing costs. That skill has blossomed as I started my own business and was free to create from concept, to creation, and finally implementation. It has helped me build my own website, design brochures and business cards, as well as create seminars and classes that empower and enrich the lives of customers and our global community. Providing free meditations, articles, and self care exercises via the website, blog, and newsletter was the concept that was founded in a desire to be of service beyond my local community and can be accessed by anyone in the world with Internet access.

SKILLS/THINKING I LEFT BEHIND:
Time Management
I have ditched the old priority A, B, C, when planning my activities for the day, week, or even month. I have found stepping into a spiritually based career has deepened my intuition and ability to live in the present moment. I spend time each morning and especially at the beginning of the week in meditation and reflection to align with what activities would be a good focus for the week. It is a skill that could easily be turned around and used in the corporate world. When we can find that inner presence, we find the present moment and a wealth of guidance and direction. You can learn more about my experience in the article Intuitive Daily Planning.

Problem Solving
As an engineer most of my time was spent problem solving and I have let the approach and lifestyle go. I have replaced it with the creative visioning process of Appreciative Coaching, which is focused on discovering and designing what you want to be. It is a much more creative and empowering approach to transforming your health, career, relationships and spirituality. I now support others as an Appreciative Coach both locally and via Skype to support those ready to say Yes to living their dreams!

One Person Can’t Really Make A Difference
Working for a large corporation it is easy to feel like you don’t make a difference in your day-to-day life where you spend most of your time. It could have been very easy to carry this perception with me as a small business owner but I decided to ditch it. I am one person and I can make a difference through my business as I touch the life of one person at a time. Each time I help nurture someone else in seeing a new approach, changing their lifestyle, or living their dreams, I am making a profound difference that ripples out to affect many. Changing our thoughts, changing our beliefs is what changes our lives, and even that can be done in the corporate world!

Resources:
1. For more about Appreciative Coaching, visit Family Nurturing Tree’s website for upcoming webinars and local events:  www.familynurturingtree.org
2. Intutitive Daily Planning Artice 

Universal Copyright 2011 – Please share freely with others
As an expression of Love and Gratitude, please include the website and contact information – Light, Life, Love
www.FamilyNurturingTree.wordpress.com
www.FamilyNurturingTree.org

The latest edition of The Sprout

• What did you do well in November & December to nourish yourself?
• What do you need to do to make nourishment a priority for you or your family and how can you do that?
• If you see an obstacle connected to your nourishment, how can you focus on what “you want your nourishment to be” instead of focusing on the obstacle?
• From your discoveries and successes, how can you carry them forward to nourish yourself all through out the year?

• Join the discussion starting December 1^st at Family Nurturing Tree’s Facebook page to share your insights and learn from others.  It truly takes a village.  As we gather to collaborate lives are opened and transformed.

• Spend time as a family talking about nourishment and explore how each family member has their own unique experience of nourishment.
• Create a simple family book that shares stories, discoveries, and what nourishment means to each of you.
• This can be as simple as creating a binder full of your pages of activities and discoveries.
• When someone in the family is in need of nourishment, sit down and read the book together and reconnect with a much-needed aspect of your lives.

• Nourishment occurs through all of our 5 senses inner and outer.  What sound will nourish you today?  The gentle purr of 4 legged friend, a tufted titmouse as it sounds its call, or in the silence – your own own heart beat
• Spend time in silence, indoors our out.  What simple sounds do you notice that fill you with nourishment.  It may be a sound from the outer senses, or you may discover a new connection to your inner sense of sound , what I call, the Whispers of Spirit.
• Pick one sound that comforts you and just bee with it until you fill rejuvenated and awakened.

Universal Copyright 2011 – Please share freely with others
As an expression of Love and Gratitude, please include the website and contact information – Light, Life, Love
www.FamilyNurturingTree.wordpress.com
www.FamilyNurturingTree.org

When working with the duodenum-jejunum (DJ) and pylorus sphincters I noticed the resonance with each other brought a shift of awareness in my outer world as well.  I began to see food and how it moves through my body as a metaphor for how we take in nourishment from our world.  My pylorus sphincter, which allows food to move from the stomach to the first section of the small intestine, was way out of communication with the other sphincters.  The energy/food that was trying to come in, was having a difficult time moving out of my stomach for absorption of nutrients in the small intestine, which is what my life was feeling like financially.  After the food passes through the roughly 12-foot section of the duodenum, it then connects to the jejunum where the DJ junction sphincter is located.  When in harmony it passes on the next phase of energy/nutrients for movement through the small intestine.  My DJ junction was not “aware” of what my pylorus was doing so things felt locked up both in my digestion and my finances.

Working both sphincters brought everything into harmony, into communication with each other, which I could feel physically, as well as emotionally.  When the energy of both sphincters were attuned with each other, I could feel a shift in my consciousness connected to financial freedom and a peace and awareness of financial freedom washed over me. It felt like clearing the blockage or miscommunication between the Pylorus and the DJ opened me to be able to receive the “universal” signal of abundance I know exists in the world and my digestion returned to a more peaceful and effortless state.

My spleen and pancreas also had much to reveal to me.  During class as my partner worked with me I could feel an imbalance connected to my spleen and pancreas.  As she worked with both I began to tune into both organs and could feel my pancreas wanting to be heard.  As with all Ortho-Bionomy sessions, it is not about the practitioner changing or trying to fix a client.  It’s about giving a client the space to be heard and acknowledged which reestablishes communication in the muscles, organs, and even energy bodies to bring about an over all sense of well being.  As my pancreas began to be “heard”, I connected with a deep grief that was just waiting to be acknowledged.  As she stayed present with my pancreas and me the energy of grief gently released and I felt a healthy fullness there.  As soon as that cleared, a surge of warmth and earthly love shot up along the spleen meridian of my left leg and into my spleen.  My spleen then began to overflow with this amazing warmth and radiance.  I felt I could truly receive nourishment from the earth herself to support my journey in all areas of life.  It truly was a sense of the peace that passeth all understanding.

I now have a better sense of life and my organs through the Ortho-Bionomy experience.  I send my organs and sphincters love and gratitude for they are a microcosm of me doing the best they can to maintain balance and order, and I am a microcosm of the macrocosm of humanity and we are all doing the best we can to maintain balance and harmony.  It is yet another awareness of the wholeness we are as a coherent Living Matrix of Divine Life.

Other Resources:

1. To find a Ortho-Bionomy practitioner or instructor in your area:  http://www.ortho-bionomy.org
2. To receive free meditations, articles and other self care exercises, you can subscribe to The Sprout Newsletter 
3. To learn more about Family Nurturing Tree’s Ortho-Bionomy practice, Click Here, and go to the Services page

Ortho-Bionomy is a Registered Trademark of the Society of Ortho-Bionomy International, Inc. and is used with permission

Universal Copyright 2011 – Please share freely with others
As an expression of Love and Gratitude, please include the website and contact information – Light, Life, Love
www.FamilyNurturingTree.wordpress.com
www.FamilyNurturingTree.org

I was delighted to host Family Nurturing Tree’s first webinar.  If you missed it there are 2 ways to share in the magic.  The next live webinar is Thursday, 10/27/2011 from 5:00 – 6:00 pm PDT and you can also check out the latest webinar audio and slides to listen and explore at a time that is convenient for you.

See the link below for all the details:

Free Webinar – “Bringing The Elements Of Your Life Together”

Roby’s Interview of Erik:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thedifference/2011/09/07/heart-to-heart-dr-robyn-erik-lawyer-shift-to-love-unity

Included in the latest edition of The Sprout is an exploration of 4 elements of consciousness, a children’s abundance blessing activity, and video and meditation centered on a practice of abundance.

We each have within us our own unique answers and you are invited to nurture that wisdom to see what can be as you connect, create, and play!

The Sprout  – September/October – Abundance

Abundance
“A natural state of ease & grace left in the timeless echoes of your heart. There you will find peace & joy as you walk your Soul’s path of service”
- Whispers of Spirit