The "Ain't It Awful!" Habit

Yesterday, I was out at a store and I heard one of the clerks talking with a customer.

Clerk: "People just don't care. They come in here and they leave stuff all over the place and then I have to go in and pick up after them."

Customer: "I know it! I can see that. They just don't care."

Clerk: "And I have to be here till closing at 8. Picking up stuff and picking up more stuff."

I drifted away from the conversation about that time, but not before I realized that this was another version of what I call the "Ain't It Awful!" conversation.

The "Ain't It Awful!" conversation usually goes something like this:

"Can you believe the economy? It's so awful. Everywhere I look I see troubles."

or

"Those kids! They are just so disrespectful. I don't know what's happening to society these days."

I used to be a member of the "Ain't It Awful!" club. Full-time and card-carrying, I'd join in when I heard those conversations, believing what they were saying. I thought that if I joined in the conversation, I'd be connected to the people - we'd share something in common.

Well, we did. But I discovered that I then had friends that I really didn't want to hang out with, because they loved talking about what was wrong with life.

Somewhere along the way, I discovered Unity church. Now there was a bunch of positive people! I realized that I didn't want to be a card-carrying member of the "Ain't It Awful!" club anymore. So, for the next 15 years, I worked on being more conscious of my thoughts and my conversations.

Then about three years ago, I discovered Abraham-Hicks's work, and decided I'd really up the ante. I'd seriously pay attention to what I was thinking because as I knew that as I paid attention to my thoughts and my vibration, my life would really change and become more and, better. I knew that I would seriously begin to consciously co-create my dreams and desires into being at an even greater level than I already had been doing.

And it happened. In the beginning, I realized how very, very much I liked to complain. About anything. That shocked me, because I thought I was already a pretty positive person. But the truth was, I had a major complaining habit. (This was a step up from the "Ain't It Awful!" habit I had had earlier in my life, but it was still not working for me.)

Slowly, I began to change. At first, I didn't want to hang out with people who complained. Then I realized that I would not be hanging out with anybody if I did that (not even myself!). So, I let that ideal go and just focused on my own responses and thoughts to a person or a situation.

It worked. I offered compassion instead of judgment (when I can) to those complaining around me. And when I'm complaining, I say to myself "Now, Anne, it's ok. You are just fine. Everything is just fine. Let it go." Usually, that works. Sometimes, however ... well, let's just say, I've either been triggered and I'm in an emotional reaction or I'm just not interested in changing my judgment in that moment.

This is a process. Let me repeat that. It is a P-R-O-C-E-S-S. This means that it takes time. It is a re-training of how to think, how to be.

And that's ok. You're just fine. Everything is fine. See if you can let go of any presumption that it has to be done right here, right now, in this red-hot minute. For indeed, all is well.

Loving Your Inner Diva...

Today, I read a lovely blog by a woman named Judy. It's entitled Your Inner Diva is a Law of Attraction Magnet! and can be found at http://dreamandflourish.com/2008/12/30/your-inner-diva-is-a-law-of-attraction-magnet/. I am also cutting and pasting it here, for ease in reading. I absolutely love her style and her philosophy! I think you will, too.


I’ve recently come to realize that accepting your inner Diva is a powerful tool in creating your life. Ha! I imagine that those of you who are tapped into your “outer” Diva understand this already. Thanks ahead of time for your patience! Still, there is so much misinformation about Divas, that I imagine that most of us can expand our love for our Diva.

A friend of mine describes a Diva as someone who:“Knows what they want, and has the sense of self worth to receive it.”

Nothing too complicated about that, is it? This definition certainly lines up with the Law of Attraction. Knowing what you want helps attract it into your life, yes? And, of course, each of us is also super worthy of a fabulously abundant life.

I also love that Divas understand that being “worth it” also requires some extra attention. Divas know that investing in their self, whether in hygiene, dress, eating well, or going to the spa, keeps them feeling good, present, and capable. Putting belief into feel good action is a mighty powerful way to create your world!!

Divas will also tell you what they want. Hello! Communicating your desires is still one of the easiest ways of getting your needs met. Clarity, is simply, a direct channel to the Universe!

Finally, I enjoy how completely different each of our Divas must be. Even in a room of thousands who are following these same principles, each will present a unique Diva. I LOVE this!

Are you with me? Can you see how your Diva-ness is a fun way to tap into the Law of Attraction? I hope so!

Ok, true confession time. My Diva definitely knows what she wants, and is claiming how much she deserves it!

For starters, my Diva loves:

Fun, mischief, and laughing loudly
Fine feeling fabrics, like silk, velvet, and cashmere in bright, lively colors
A really good pedicure
Spa days, and bubble baths with LOTS of bubbles
Fabulous food that was thoughtfully and creatively prepared with fresh, quality ingredients
Dancing in a crowd of sexy women
Surprises
Hosting friends , in my home for dinners, parties, and games
Inspiring others to enjoy their fabulous life!
Treating everyone as being central to things running smoothly.
Sharing the love with others like Ellie & everyone that contributes to the Law of Attraction Carnival!
How about you? What does YOUR inner Diva love?


(Anne again) Can we say AMEN! to that? Thank you, Judy, for giving such beautiful words to what's inside each woman.

Hugs. Now go give YOUR inner Diva some love!

Don't Worry ... Be Happy!

I worry. It's true. I do. I learned this useless skill as a child, and I have practiced it until it has become a way of being at times. I'm rather good at it. And I recognize that it is not only not useful, but that it is a detriment to creating what I want to create in my life.

Sometimes, when I go to bed at night and I have a hard time falling asleep, I find my mind thinking thoughts that it has no logical reason to think. When I catch myself doing it, I can usually say "Stop it, Anne! Look at what you're doing. Think something happier!" But sometimes it takes me a while to realize that I'm doing it. I'm having conversations in my head with someone I am upset with, or I am creating scenarios I really don't want to experience!

It's not pretty, and it's not much fun.

In "The Secret," we are reminded that everything we think has energy or vibration, and when we add feelings to what we think, we give those thoughts power. Both fear and joy have power. Now fortunately, we live in a physical world where we do not experience instant manifestation - where if we were to think of an elephant then suddenly the elephant stands before us. Rather, we have time between the thought and the manifestation of that thought - for the most part.

For me, I am really grateful for that, because I really don't want everything I think to be manifested immediately.

Although there are times...

So, what is worry?

Well, like I said, for me, it is a practiced way of being - at times. And I am grateful for the "at times" part of that sentence. I used to worry far more than I do now. This is a good thing. It is a good thing that I used to worry about a lot more things, with more intensity, and with far more frequency than I do now.

Since studying the Law of Attraction, I now realize that the reason my life is so much better than it used to be is that I have really worked hard on nipping the worry habit in the bud. You see, when I used to worry more (and let's add complain more into that mix, shall we?), I used to be creating with the very energy I am now using to create joy and abundance and love with.

Peter Williams wrote a book entitled "You Can't Afford the Luxury of a Negative Thought." He was right! We can't. Because those thoughts have power. They have energy, and they have their very own life force, which, if practiced frequently and often enough and with enough intensity, can wreak some real havoc in our lives.

Ok, so while I get that in my head, the issue I have is how to apply that in my life?

Abraham of Abraham-Hicks fame says we are "sloppy thinkers." I think they are right. I know I am. And while I have really worked on cleaning up my way of thinking, I still get seduced by worry and fear.

I remember Wayne Dyer using this example in one of his talks. He said "Think of something that upsets you, like a beautiful animal that has just been hit by the side of the road. It is laying there, bleeding and dying, in pain."

And then he said "Now think of something that brings you joy and delight, like the smile of your child when they were a baby, or a beautiful garden, or your beloved pet doing something funny."

See how easy it is to think of upsetting - and happy - thoughts? Just choose.

Jesus said "Choose ye this day whom ye shall serve: love or fear." It's the same thing. And this wisdom and advice has been handed down for centuries for a very good reason. It works! Just choose.

So the more I choose joyful, happy thoughts, the more I feel joyful and happy. And the more I feel joyful and happy, the more joyful and happy experiences show up in my life.

It really is that simple.

I didn't say it was easy.

Regardless of its ease or simplicity, I am a living example of the power of choice in choosing happy over sad, of choosing love over fear, of choosing joy over worry.

Well, usually.

I still have some work to do. But what else am I here for except to learn this and to be it (which, by the way, equals sharing it)?

Don't worry ... Be happy!

Coming out of the closet...so to speak

I channel. Ok, I've said it. Openly and publicly. I channel. I have been channeling for about six years, ever since I took Doreen Virtue's Angel Therapy Practitioner course and learned how incredible this is. And I studied Sanaya Roman's book, Opening to Channel, around that time, too.

Now I realize that some of you who have landed on this page will now navigate away from it because this is just too far out there for you. I get that. But let me just say in my defense, that there have been many, many, many very famous channels throughout our history, and some of them have churches built in their names.

Think of Mark for example. Yes, Mark from the greatest selling book of all time, The Holy Bible. Mark has one of the most famous churches in the world: St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice, Italy. I actually was there last fall, and lit a candle to Mary and Jesus in the sacred sanctuary.

From Mark, let's go to Revelations (also from The Holy Bible), written by St. John the Divine (in whose church I was ordained last year in New York City) ... and let's just add that many, if not all, of the books of the Bible were channeled.

So was The Course in Miracles.

So was The Qur'an (by the prophet Mohammed, father of the Islam faith).

So were all of Ellen G. White's writings (the Seventh-Day Adventists' most famous author).

So was the entire Conversations with God series, by Neale Donald Walsh.

So are the Teachings of Abraham, by Esther Hicks (the Abraham-Hicks work).

And so on.

Many, many works are channeled. And I didn't even go into the musical world, or the art world, or, or, or...

So what is channeling anyway? Basically, it is a trance state (it could be any level - light-deep), wherein one opens oneself to higher consciousness, and then brings forth that wisdom or vision or insight to this waking consciousness.

So, when I first started channeling, I found it to be difficult. It took a while to learn to trust my intuitive hits, to hold the energies of higher-level teachers, and to be comfortable with this.

Then two years ago, my life changed. During a meditation, I received a new group of guides called Karleon. At the time I did not realize that when one channels, it is common for certain guides come to you at different times. I was startled to hear from Karleon, and it took another year for me to be willing to share them with others. (Mostly because of my own fear of how people would view me.)

I began to channel for others in a bi-weekly group. And I came out more openly with it in safe settings like metaphysical bookstores, and friends of friends.

Now, I've been guided to share this with everyone else. So, I've begun a new blog called "Ask Karleon" where people can ask Karleon questions. If you're interested, you can find it at: http://askkarleon.blogspot.com/. Feel free to utilize this very beautiful, very important guidance in your own life.

Blessings to you all.

Law of Attraction: What’s It All About?

There’s a buzz going around about the new phrase “Law of Attraction.” Well, it’s actually not so new; it’s been around for about 20 years in the Abraham-Hicks’ work, but it was recently made popular by the movie “The Secret.” Since the movie came out in 2006, numerous books have popped up, talk shows have been filled with guests, the web is alive with articles – all about the Law of Attraction – and there has been an increased desire to understand how this actually works.

So, what’s it all about then? And, why should I learn how this works?

Basically, the Law of Attraction (LOA) states: “that which is like unto itself is drawn.” This statement seems obvious. But how does this LOA apply in my everyday life? Does this mean that if I’m nasty to someone else, they’re going to be nasty to me? Well, not necessarily that same, exact person. But you will draw to you people who will be nasty to you if you are nasty to others. That sort of goes without saying, right? Law of Attraction is more about your vibration, your energy, your beliefs. It’s about what you are putting out into the world, and what you are getting back.

If you believe it’s ok to be nasty to others, you will draw to yourself others who believe it is ok to be nasty to you. If you believe it’s important to be kind and generous to others, you will draw to yourself others who believe it is important to be kind and generous to you, as well. But here’s where it gets tricky. What if you believe it’s important to be kind and generous to someone, but you still get someone who is nasty to you? Wazzup with that?

This is where self-awareness is so important. Who are you, really? What do you believe? How – and what – do you think? You may answer, “Well, I believe it’s important to be kind and generous.” Ok. That’s your overall belief. Now, let’s look to see if you have some exceptions to this. Perhaps you have a belief that is something like, “In certain situations it’s ok to be unkind.” Or perhaps you have another belief that says something like “I can’t be nice all the time, then people would walk all over me.”

Perhaps there’s a fear inside that says “I’m afraid people will be mean to me.” Or, perhaps you’ve been saying for some time, “I really hate it when people are mean to me!” (By the way, the more intensely you feel something, the more quickly you draw it to you.) Any or all of these thoughts are vibrations which emanate from you and draw to you those situations or people in your life.

This is why it is so important to pay attention to what you are putting out into the world through your beliefs. If you want to know what you really believe, take a look at your life. Seriously. Let me say that again: if you want to know what you really believe, take a look at your life. Look at how people treat you, and with self-awareness, trace it back to what you believe or feel. Then clean that up. Change those thoughts, change those beliefs and change your life.

Right now, as I type this, I have a belief that has been running the show. My belief is “This is just too much to explain in a short blog. Who are you kidding?! There are entire books written on this, and you’re going to try to say how it works in this blog? Yeah, right!” I started writing this an hour and a half ago, got stuck and so I stopped, talked on the phone, played a game of Spider Solitaire to help me get my mind off trying to figure it out, and then I came back.

Because I’ve spent time becoming aware of what I think as I think it and paying attention to those thoughts, I am aware that I was struggling with writing this blog. Well, guess what? My beliefs were running the show and I was having a hard time figuring out where to go with this to keep it concise and to the point.

And yet … that is actually my whole point. Right there. Because I have a belief (and, by the way, some accompanying negative emotion about that belief), it was manifesting into my experience pretty much immediately. And…

What I don’t have is a belief that writing a blog is hard (or rather, I do have a belief that writing a blog is easy and fun). Therefore, that belief is also contributing to this experience, significantly. Both beliefs are there, both are kicking around, and while the negative ones had some power for a while, the other, more positive – and stronger – belief won out.

If you want to know what you really believe, take a look at your life.

Soon, very soon, I’m going to talk about how we can change our beliefs through using EFT (the Emotional Freedom Technique), and some other useful tools. For now, however, pay attention to what’s going on inside and to know that you can change those beliefs to more empowering, useful, and positive ones, so that you can intentionally create your life from a more positive, very effective place.

That’s what’s in it for you.

Oh, That Was Just Beautiful!

I sing. Some say I sing very well. Sometimes I think I sing very well. Sometimes I think I sound horrible. Some who have heard me sing might be surprised at this. But it's not because I always sing so beautifully, but rather because when they have heard me sing, I have practiced and practiced and my voice is warmed up and I am ready to actually perform the song, therefore my voice sounds good.

When I haven't sung for some time, however, I can hear how my breath is shorter than usual (meaning I can't hold the note as long as I can when my voice is more elastic and warmed up), how the note isn't quite on fully, especially in faster movements of the song, or how I just can't quite get that high note, and the notes themselves sometimes just don't have the purity of sound they have when my voice is warmer. And each time I get in that place, I have a little bit of panic inside. "Oh, no, what if this is all I can ever do from now on?" The anxious conversations begin to get activated inside. Beautiful? Not even close.

Then I practice and it begins to sound better. Whew.

Most times I sing, I sing at churches. Most recently, Francisco and I had been attending a Unity church in Hollywood, Florida, and for a little while, I sang somewhat frequently (about once every couple of months). Then it stretched to six months. Not enough for me. A singer needs someone to sing to, doncha know.

Odd, it seemed to me, that I wasn't doing more. Except that I understood the concept that diverse music is being offered to the church. I'm not terribly diverse; I have my style, my loves of form and method of singing, and I like to stick to it. I'm not a jazz singer, nor am I a gospel singer. I like slower, gentle, loving songs - songs with feeling and quiet, sacred heart. Songs like "The Lord's Prayer," and "Here I Am, Lord," and "You'll Never Walk Alone." And that can sound like one-note-Johnny after a while. I understand.

Before moving to Florida, Francisco and I lived in Charlottesville, Virginia. We were attending a lovely Presbyterian church, and both of us sang in the choir. I sang lots of solos there. People always were saying how wonderful it was; how beautifully I sang. (Sometimes I would wonder if they were just being nice, especially if I had heard some notes go flat or sharp.) Nonetheless, I love to sing and people kept encouraging me, so I kept singing.

Since moving here, we've been searching for a church. Like I said, for a while, we attended the Unity church. And it was lovely. The people are delightful. But we've been a little split between the Unity church and another lovely Presbyterian church we discovered, and so we are now connecting to the First Presbyterian Church in Hollywood.

It's nice to connect in different places.

This brings me back to singing. The Presbyterian church has more of the kinds of songs I like to sing. I love singing from a hymnal, and I love the types of solos I have heard. "Pie Jesu" was just beautiful, as was "He Shall Feed His Flock" from the Messiah at Christmas. The choir is lovely and active and sings beautiful classical songs. This gives me hope that I can sing frequently again and offer my voice, my heart, my soul. Musically, it feels like a fit.

And this brings me back to the other night. I was fixing dinner and decided to sing. It's one of my favorite times to sing, when I'm working in the kitchen. I was singing along with "Memories," from the Broadway play, "Cats," and as I finished the song, I could hear the ducks outside quacking.

Let me fill you in. We live on a lake. It is small and man-made, but it is a lake nonetheless. And at this lake live numerous fishing birds and ducks and turtles. Francisco and I delight in watching and feeding the ducks and the birds (not the fishing birds, other birds like Blue Jays, and the wonderful noisy Parrots) every day. Last year, one of the ducks had 10 ducklings, all of whom survived. As they grew, they got used to my voice, because I talk to them when I feed them. And they talk to me. So, imagine my surprise when I heard them quacking as I finished singing. (It's January, so my windows are open, wide open!)

I felt like St. Francis who gave his sermons to the birds!

It was the most delightful experience. I could almost hear them saying, "Oh, that was beautiful, do more!"

This makes me think that even though I didn't think it soundeds so great, maybe they heard something else. Maybe they heard the heart behind the song, the love and the passion. Maybe they heard me.

And maybe that's what people hear when I sing: my truth, my heart, my love, my connection to God. And maybe that's what they're talking about when they say "Oh, that was just beautiful!"