The Gift of Parenting

Dear beautiful souls,

This weekend is one to mark down in my journal, for yesterday was the official day my son, my first-born moved out of home. Left the nest, so to speak. As any passionate parent may understand, it is a huge event in one's life journey, as much as giving birth, getting married, or unmarried, my child's 1st birthday, 18th birthday and 21st birthday.

Even more so when my children have always been my good friends as well, and share laughter and tears, ups and downs, and healthy connections.

Whenever one of my children leave home for a holiday, there is always a 'hole' for they are so much a piece of me, but in a peaceful way I also send them away with love and protective blessings as I embrace and welcome with them, their journey of growing and exploration into their own world. "You're the first one to leave the nest..." I said to my son this week, happy to share the excitement of his new venture. "But we've all been away and traveled lots before mum..." he replied. "Yes but you're the first one to take your bed with you!" I added.

This kind of milestone in my children's lives always heightens the reality of how quick, brief and transient our lives are. I always get a flashback of the span of their lives from then till now, and how that was almost just like a blink of an eye.

Let us always realize and remember that being a parent is a gift, a gift of one of the greatest services in a lifetime. In the past when I have had moments of "Oh I would love to be like a Mother Theresa, to be able to give my life up in service, by helping to feed the hungry and destitute of the world" or "Oh I would like to achieve incredible feats like summit Mt Everest." Then Life would always bring me to my knees with the profound realization that, I am already living one of the greatest services, as a parent, in bringing up 3 beautiful human beings, to be in a position to mold them and evolve together with them as souls.

Our true purpose in this life journey is to evolve as a soul. This short span of physical existence is most significant but just a blink. Our children are a gift to us as much as we are to them. Sometimes they are more evolved souls than we are, as such we are here to mutually learn from each other. Sure, as a parent we have the responsibilities to help equip them with knowledge to survive and function in this world, but as soul parents, are we also bringing them up through our heart center? where they too learn to love not just others but themselves unconditionally, where they become human beings that connect, have joy, passion, wisdom and the ability to give. Or are we just parenting frantically in keeping up with the Jones', to bring them up so they can meet those school grades like everyone else, get that supposed prestigious jobs like everyone else, have a home with the picket fence and the two and the half children, like everyone else. Do we parent from the wholeness of our hearts or from the limitations of our heads?

Children learn from what we are and what we do, not from what we say and teach. If we want respect, we have to show them respect. If we want love, we have to love them. Do we connect with them on a soul level, or do we know how to? I have personally found that as I have grown and changed in the course of my life journey, my children have grown and changed magically on their own accord too, it seemed less effort. Abuse of our children does not just mean the obvious physical and sexual abuse that we all deplore, but abuse also sneaks in with the guise of unconscious parenting, if we parent without unconditional love. For our role as a parent is to unconditionally love. For it is in doing so that our children can remain in their core of unconditional love, for themselves, which then grows and branches out into love for others, and the ability to thrive in their world.

Unconditional love means to love them for who they are, to take time to nurture their beauty and to guide them through their pains; to make the efforts to say those special words "I love you" "I'm sorry" and mean it. To know when to let go and allow them the freedom to explore and to learn from their own mistakes, to be there without expectations, judgements and demands, to know when to reach out and when to give them space. Parenting is the hardest task one can ever undertake, it is a continuous dynamic balancing act. That is why it can only be done most effectively and is most rewarding when we ourselves do so from our heart center, our center of connection with our higher source of wisdom.

So treasure your children. And realize that those exhausting sleepless nights, challenging toilet training, tiring school runs and sports events, teenage hormones, worrying late nights, and ups and downs of life are very brief windows for you to connect, help shape and grow with your child's soul. For before long, that window will be gone, and your gift and privilege will be gone. As parents we form their family base and roots for establishing in this physical life and world. As with any plant, without its foundational roots, there will be no ability to grow, let alone flourish, bloom, flower and bear fruits. They will take with them into the big world whatever has been molded into those formative years. Let us treasure this privilege and honor our role.

Here's a great video I shared recently, a powerful reminder for us parents, to stay conscious that "Our children learn most from what we are and do, not from what we say, teach or expect.


Love, Light and Blessings to you,
Patsie xo
Would love you to connect with me on my fb page www.facebook.com/AwakenOurSpiritWithin and coming very soon on www.spiritpond.com

Patsie Smith is a spiritual author of the book Awaken Our Spirit Within  avail on all online bookstores or through www.patsiesmith.com. She is a spiritual guide and speaker, bodyworker and energy healing facilitator, meditation and yoga teacher. She lives in Perth, Australia.

The Sacredness of Tears and Pain

Dear beautiful souls,

In the course of my work I am very honored to have been given the privilege to work with many clients through their healing journeys. In helping to facilitate their own inner awakening and guiding them in their healing journeys of their mind, body and soul, I almost always encounter in them the blockage of resistance and withdrawal from facing one's own sadness, grief or pain. These are undoubtedly very intense human emotions that tear us to the core, especially when facing an intimate loss, end or empathy. Along the way we have also allowed society and our life conditioning to somehow imprint upon us this notion of unworthiness and subtle shame or even disdain at being sad, depress, low, down and hurting. Unconsciously, we have generally grown up being told to "toughen up", "stop being a baby", "don't be silly"...... etc. I've even witnessed some parents throw a big smack onto their toddler's backside for crying. These days it is not uncommon for adolescents, teenagers, young adults and adults who decide to consult a medical doctor when experiencing extreme sadness, only to be immediately prescribed with antidepressants or sleeping tablets. Could it not be that perhaps it is simply as simple as allowing ourselves to feel and process through our sadness, pain, depression? Have we allowed and given ourselves full permission to honor and release those emotions?

All emotions are simply energy at the very core. Minus the thoughts attached to the energy of that emotion, it is simply energy. Sadness and happiness share the same intensity on the scale of magnitude, only differ based on the thoughts attached to them. Energy can flow and is dynamic if we allow it to flow, so it arises,comes, and passes. But if we grip it by attaching or block it by resisting out of fear, we prevent it from flowing, processing through and clearing. Fear is dominant for we fear the vulnerability, exposure and openness of our heart. We fear we may totally crumble to bits like Humpty Dumpty and not be able to be put back together again. That may be the case for awhile if one is a lost soul with no inner awareness of self beyond mind and body. But if one has an awakened inner awareness, the anchoring and trust in our higher reality allows immense growth and transformation to emerge after the storm of sorrow and pain passes. Life will show us and teach us, insights and deep peace will reveal if we remain open, seek and learn.

Crying, sobbing, heaving and curling up in a ball in utter sadness and pain, in our own aloneness allow us to shed all the hardened layers of our inner self. I have heard a beautiful saying once, "Crying and sobbing is decalcification of our Heart". The heart is the seat of our soul, the center of unconditional love for our self, and others. Not love only when we are happy, chirpy, all hunky dory, up and skipping, but also love for when we are soft, hurt, in pain and breaking up on the inside. Tears are like the buff that polishes our soul on this journey of life. Every tear we shed goes toward polishing us on the inside to allow our inner glow to shine.We should honor and be proud of every tear we allow ourselves to shed, if we could bottle them, they would be worth the glow and growth of our soul.

Trust in your life's higher purpose, anchor in your inner spirit of love and compassion, and the weather will change. It always does. Nothing remains the same. The sun will shine again, but the wisdom and peace comes from allowing yourself to embrace the rain too.

With Love, Light and Blessings,
Patsie xo
Namaste !

Patsie Smith is a spiritual author, guide and self-healing facilitator, energy healing practitioner, meditation and yoga teacher.
She lives in Perth, Australia.

Learning to Receive

Dear beautiful souls,

For some of us, a major lesson in life is to learn to receive. Our cultures, morals and religions have all taught us to "freely give" and such is noble and should be cultivated. But realize also, to receive is an art we should learn to honor and embrace. Receiving, not in the selfish and greedy sense but receiving in the graciousness and gratitude sense.

There are a few reasons why some of us may have a blockage with receiving:

1) In general, most of us have had an upbringing of being instilled into us the importance of giving, so much that we may unconsciously have fallen into the notion of feeling guilty and wrong if we receive, for subconsciously we have come to perceive and equate giving = good, receiving = bad.

2) Our life circumstances and upbringing thus far may have been one where we have always had to play the role of 'giving', hence it is an ingrained pattern that we have learned. We simply don't know how to receive for we have never been in the position to receive.

3) Our life experiences may have been such that every time we have been given something, people have always expected something else in return. Hence, we refuse to receive as we do not wish to be obligated or in debt.

4) We may have grown up with lack of self-worth, as such both consciously and subconsciously feel totally unworthy to receive anything of beauty, worth, joy and abundance.

Some people may find themselves in positions of constant lack and dissatisfaction, viewing life as unjust for they never have enough to eat, love, create and enjoy. Examine closely, is one's lack  because we have not allowed ourselves to receive? The universe is abundant and if we are in tuned and flow with the infinite source, there is more to receive than we can ever imagine. We are wholeness and worthy as we are the manifestation of the Divine here to experience, enjoy, create and thrive. Receiving is part of the karmic cycle of flow, as much as giving is. To receive with a gracious heart the good things, events and people into our lives is to honor this cycle and allow its natural flow. When we receive graciously from another human being, we are honoring their privilege to be able to give, so they too will be able to receive from the abundant universe. Giving and receiving do not necessarily entail a linear passage where giving by one entails a debt and a return to the same other, but rather large infinite cycles of giving and receiving with everyone in the universe through our connectedness.

We freely give and offer thanks, services and prayers to the Universe/God but do we allow ourselves silence and an open heart to receive love, healing, lessons and directions, and hear answers? Let us never be afraid to allow our hearts and minds to be open, and our soul to blossom, as we receive graciously and with deep gratitude, for "The more we receive, the more we can give." Such is the joy and privilege of this human journey.

With Love, Light and Blessings,
Patsie
www.patsiesmith.com
www.facebook.com/AwakenOurSpiritWithin

Patsie Smith is an energetic healer, spiritual author, remedial massage therapist, meditation and yoga teacher.
She lives in Perth, Australia with her three young adult children and a dog, a tortoise, 2 birds and a fish.

Soul Living

Dear beautiful souls,

Most of us have been conventionally brought up and conditioned from early childhood, throughout  adolescence, teens and young adulthood in the typical belief and value system of our current social, education and economic model. This idealized model is growing up fitting into the expectations of a society that is geared toward the conventional system of education - preschool, to primary to high school, college, university, then get a well-paid job, get married, have a home, a mortgage, the picket fence, family wagon, the average two and the half children, a loving spouse, more successful income, retirement and live happily ever after. Thrown in amongst all that, of course we must always make sure we keep up with the Jones'. But then what? Perhaps for some this may be their life purpose. Some souls however, become conscious of this trance of limitation earlier in their life journeys and try to opt out. They may tend to make different choices, have different outlook and head down different paths. Others may come to some kind of awareness at mid-life crisis point, and sadly many others get to the end of their lives before realizing the futility of a model that is unrealistic and empty, that do not follow their soul path and purpose - their reason for being here in this world as a human being. 

Regardless of where and which point you are at in life, it is time to look within. For that is your whole purpose for being here. You are not here to be a daughter/son, parent, grandparent, friend, lover, teacher, butcher, baker, candlestick maker. These are your roles in this play and journey of life, for you to grow, learn, experience and evolve as a soul. When you know and honor your soul path, life naturally flows with joy, magic and purpose.

Q: So how do I know my soul path? How do I know my purpose?
A: By knowing your inner spirit.
Q: How do I know my inner spirit?
A: By being awakened to it.
Q: How do I awaken to it?
A: By returning to that silence deep within yourself, that powerful silence that has no name, but that you know.
Q: How do I know whether or not my spirit is already awakened?
A: As a human being we do feel a whole array of emotions, part of the whole beauty and tapestry of life. So we are not referring to emotions. When you are sad, unhappy, exhausted, unwell, are you still at peace? When you are well, are you at peace? Does your heart smile and dance on the inside? In general, do you feel your heart and spirit soaring with love and connection for all living beings and this journey of living?

When you know your silence within, and it is fully awake within you, you can't help but transform. A living spirit will naturally flush waves of change, healing, growth and learning into and through you, bringing with them excitement, new frontiers, possibilities, spontaneity and purpose.
Similarly, when you come to forks in the road on your path in life, check in with that silence. Put the mental brain on the back seat for a short while and listen to the intuition and silent wisdom of your heart. The right path will reveal itself and you will know, for you will have peace and feel a soaring within. Spirit resides in the heart, not the head.

Thank you for connecting.

With love, light and Blessings to you,
Patsie
www.patsiesmith.com
www.facebook.com/AwakenOurSpiritWithin

Patsie Smith is a spiritual author, health and healing facilitator, energetic kinesiologist, remedial massage therapist, meditation and yoga teacher. She lives in Perth, Australia.

Reflection 2013 and Transformation 2014

"When we know who we truly are, we know that life is infinite. It never had a beginning and will never have an end. Life continues in infinite cycles. We have intuitively known this from the beginning of human times. The symbol of life in all cultures from the Celtic to the Tibetan, is infinity in various forms, all amazingly depicting no beginning and no end. Such symbols emanate from that infinite space that is the real us. Life will continue. It may express itself in various forms or non-forms, but it will always find a way to endure. Try pulling out weeds and they continue to grow, kill germs with antibiotics and they mutate. Life transforms but cannot end." 
Excerpt from Ch17,  Awaken Our Spirit Within by Patsie Smith

                                                    

                                                       Dreamstime stock photos


Dear everyone,

The end of another year brings with it a time of reflection on what has come, is going and will be gone. And new beginnings and possibilities as we embark onto 2014. Linear time is a concept created by human beings, our true reality is simply continuous infinite cycles. Ask any other life form e.g. a dog or a tree "How old are you?" "What year is it?" and it is irrelevant to them. At the end of 2012, there were fears and anxiety among the general masses, spurred on by mainstream media, of the end of the world - catastrophic end for humanity. The awakened and conscious beings of the world however, were far from fearful. They celebrated the turning point into the start of a new era, of awakened consciousness. So now we have come to the end of 2013, one year on, and we're all still here. The world has not ended!

However, 2013 has been year of major shifts, both on an individual and a global level. As we review all the events that have occurred in our personal lives and the world around us this year, I would like to invite you to come on a journey of reflection with a heart of wisdom and love. To do this let us view this year from the angle of gratitude, be it just quietly in yourself or physically writing them down on a gratitude journal. As you reflect on all the events and experiences in your personal life this year, some might have been very obvious ones to be thankful for, e.g. got the dream job you wanted, fell in love and in a happy relationship, gave birth to your beautiful baby, recovered from an illness, went on an amazing holiday trip abroad, etc. etc. List down all those obvious wonderful events, for they are indeed blessings to be grateful for. Then comes the other side of the coin, the events and experiences that were sad, stressful, traumatic or tragic. Reflecting on them with wisdom through the eyes of gratitude means viewing what lessons resulted from them, what events and people those 'negative' events/experiences led you to, which contributed to something 'good' after, or which has brought you to where you are today, or to the growth of your inner strength and spirit. Similarly, view what transformation and growth these life events have contributed to the inner spirit of those you love and who are close to you. You will realize that there is so much to be grateful for, beneath all those 'unfavorable' events. For that is our true purpose in this life journey -for our soul to evolve, create and experience. 

In reflecting on the bigger picture in line with our oneness with all of life, our world has undoubtedly been experiencing some major shifts this year. Our natural environment appears to be at crisis point with about 80% of the world's forests having been degraded or destroyed, and we are experiencing the worst rate of species extinction (of plants and animals) since the loss of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. While the natural rate of plant and animal extinction rate is about 1 to 5 species per year, we are now witnessing the loss of species at 1000-10,000 times the natural rate, and the major cause is human impact. Our current world population at 7 billion continues to grow at the rate of 1.14% p.a. leading to increased food demands and consumerism. This leads to further pillaging of our limited natural resources. Deforestation in the Amazon (Brazil) had risen by 28% over the last year and continues to be on the agenda in every other part of the world from the British Columbia forests in Canada to the South East Asian rainforests. Corporations are choosing to drill for oil in the pristine Arctic instead of investing in clean sustainable energy. Planet earth consists of 70% ocean but only 1% is protected. Everyday unwise politicians and corporations are continuously making short-sighted and ignorant decisions by signing up bigger and more profitable fossil fuel projects, contributing further toward depletion and degradation.

Our plant-based food sources are threatened by power and money controlling corporations with more widespread use of pesticides, genetically modifying our foods and controlling our seeds. The conventional medical system is being shaken, as they are unable to cure people as they continue to get sicker with chronic degenerative and inflammatory illnesses from younger ages than ever before. Chronic stressful living from continuous striving toward endless material wants, the high consumption of processed foods, sedentary and anti-social lifestyles of technology-driven cultures have all led to the decline and loss of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. Conspiracies and corruption are rife in all traditional areas of power and trust - political leaderships, financial and banking, media, medical and pharmaceuticals, food and water. Meanwhile wars, crimes, violence, social and family dysfunctions, and homelessness continue to climb, the impoverished continue to starve, and humans continue to spiral into despair. This absolute global disarray and disharmony is a reflection of the individual's dysfunction. The illusion and hypnosis of 'separation' is the underlying root cause of our current state, as humans in general have become disconnected from their spirit, their source, essence, God. Those who worship a 'God' but only know it as a separate belief, concept or entity is still caught in the 'separation' disorder. Separation from our source entails separation from each other, which breeds fear, rivalry, greed, anger, hatred and destruction. Only a reality shift within each one of us through oneness with our source will result in unity and harmony with everything around us. We may wonder, "how then do we feel gratitude?" 

The current state of our world and lives, though tragic, are major shifts. Let us view again from the other side of the coin. This physical life and our physical world consist of polarities. We can't have one without the other, and for every action and choice, there is a consequence. Without night there would not be a day, without light there will be no darkness, without up no down. This period is distinct in that the polarity seems to have somewhat reached its crisis point. As with any crisis point, what follows naturally is a total overhaul, or a break down of the existing and the emergence of a new, for cycles to continue.

We have gratitude for despite the apparent despair, this year has seen the culmination into the peak of spiritual growth and awakening in humankind. Spirituality is growing as an inner reality and not just an outer and separate belief system. Awareness is as astute on one pole as the imbalance of ignorance is on the other pole. The rising vibrations of love and compassion by all awakened and conscious souls are as powerful as the fear and destruction on the other pole. Although technology may be misused for fear, control and false propaganda, nevertheless it is also the mean that is accessible for freedom of knowledge, information and research when used with conscious and wise discretion. Hence, corruption, exploitation, injustice and potential devastation can and have been exposed. We have gratitude, for in a paradoxical way, this crisis point brings with it a major re-education and revolution in human rights, medical, foods, environmental, pharmaceutical, chemical, political, financial, and religious systems. All the old systems are breaking down. Increasingly, we are waking up to truths and getting ourselves objectively informed, educated and united toward transforming ourselves, hence, our world. By reclaiming our own spirit, using our intelligence and individual discretion, and making our own conscious choices - we are healing ourselves and others, and helping to protect, rejuvenate and heal our planet and all species that live upon it.

Armed troops are putting down weapons and marching with the population in solidarity against political corruption. People from all walks of life are voicing out, taking actions, educating and uniting others, and working toward change. The organic and bio-dynamic food industries are sweeping across the globe, people around the world are voicing out and taking a stand against GMO foods, growing foods in their own backyards, returning to simple lifestyles and working together as communities toward sustainable living. People are taking responsibility for their own health by making wise food choices, cooking wholesome foods and taking time to exercise, connect with family, friends, local  and global communities and with their natural environment. Natural health and medicines are the preferred choices to chemicals and drugs for health and healing.

Environmental protection organizations are at the fore front with the work for our nature conservation. This year The WWF has successfully stopped oil exploration in Virunga National Park in Africa, worked with African And US leaders in stronger enforcements for wild life crimes, curbed the sharks fin trade, increased Nepal's tiger population by 63% since their protection in 2009. Earth Hour 2013 has seen the Russian government making amendments to forest legislation and the Argentine Senate to the creation of a 3.4 million hectare marine protection area. Wetlands in Peru were rehabilitated and wildlife returned after the pollution caused by oil drilling was cleaned up. The Sumatran tigers and rhinos of Borneo have been saved through sustainable palm oil programs. For these and more, we are thankful.

The world communities rallied together and donated millions to help victims of  natural disasters from floods to earthquakes.. Various organizations like Make Poverty History, Oxfam, Unicef, and the Red Cross continue to get food and water to those in need through every penny that is donated by all generous souls. Every day there are countless souls working tirelessly and unconditionally out there in Medecins Sans Frontiers, Mother Theresa Hospital in Calcutta, various orphanages and refuges in Burma, Laos, Africa, the Middle East. Even here in our own backyard, the many many souls who quietly contribute their time and care in soup patrols, youth centres, animal shelters, etc. or simply helping the lonely neighbor in need. Our spirit and essence is pure, unconditional love and compassion. And we are grateful for the evidence of that all around us.

Spirituality is evolving from institutions and rituals into a personal reality deep within each heart. A return to this stillness is the shift that transforms the individual which then ripples into the collective. Every single one of us is a drop that causes a ripple in the ocean. Every day people are awakening and enlightening. Many highly evolved souls live among us from all walks of life, from scientists, doctors, musicians to 'average' man or woman down the street. All bringing forth with them wisdom, new creations, ideas and innovations to take us into a new era where we will not just survive and live, but thrive - in unity, harmony and oneness.

We have gratitude for this and so much more. For while humanity and our planet appears to be at a crisis point, it is also a turning point, 2013. Turning points may entail an unnerving sense of stepping into the unknown, such is the nature of shifts and transformation. If we stay fully anchored in the source of our being, we have the courage, trust and wisdom to embark into 2014 embracing conscious transformation. Let us move from fear-based to love-based consciousness. Let us not get engaged and caught up in sensationalism and fear-based mainstream media hype. Humanity is always faced with all sorts of challenges and our world is constantly changing and evolving. If we keep our spirit centered and our minds intelligently informed, our higher and pure intentions will guide us in making conscious choices everyday. The bigger picture is never simply 'black vs white', 'right vs wrong' or 'good vs bad'. Our best intentions will allow the bigger picture to take care of itself and spin its own cycle. May we continue to grow and foster our already awakened spirit on its journey of infinite possibilities - to create, experience and evolve, in facilitating transformation. May we continue to integrate our inner reality of truth into our outer world. Once the collective higher vibration reaches critical mass, transformation will ripple through into waves, and this is already starting to happen. Remember, it has been said, "There is no darkness. Darkness is simply the absence of light." Humankind may have consciously and unconsciously chosen the absence of light for far too long. The key to transformation is for each and every soul to awaken into their spirit and essence, their light.

I would like to share this beautiful video as we carry this beautiful mantra/prayer into 2014....please read the words in the video, enjoy !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeLzR7ufuUA

With Light, Love and Blessings for 2014,
Patsie

Patsie Smith is a spiritual author, remedial massage therapist, energetic kinesiologist, meditation and yoga teacher.
She lives in Perth, Australia.
www.patsiesmith.com
www.facebook.com/AwakenOurSpiritWithin

 

The true spirit of this festive season

Dear everyone,

It's that time of the year again, when I shudder to go out on the streets, let alone walk into a major shopping complex. And I live in what is known as "the most isolated city in the world"! Imagine what it would be like in the big cities of the world. Stressful and frantic energies seem to surface at this time of the year for the average and affluent population of the western world. We get ourselves caught in a frenzy of spending and over-consumption. People rush around, pushing and shoving, buying up endless consumable goods to partake in this commercialism of Christmas.

As any true Christian will tell you, Christmas is sacred, as the real meaning of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Christ (though the exact date of his birth is very unlikely not the 25th Dec). Christ along with many great spiritual  masters of our times, lived, taught and espoused unconditional love, oneness, giving, forgiveness and peace.

So while we can embrace and celebrate this time of the year as a joyous and happy event, let us not lose our perspective and get too caught up in the materialism and commercialism of the festivities. It is a wonderful opportunity where good friends and family may gather together to connect, share and catchup. Some some may return home from long trips far and wide, others may find time to partake in foods, laughter and play together - and share joy and fun in giving each other gifts.

In amongst all this joyous activities that we are fortunate to partake in, let us always try and remember, be conscious, aware and practice - the true spirit of Christmas. The spirit of oneness and unconditional love extends not just to our immediate family and friends that we are celebrating with. It includes all of life on planet earth, all other humans, animals, plants and our natural environment. When we purchase gifts galore, and foods that spill out of our refrigerators, let us learn to be modest and somewhat frugal - do we really need more than too much? Before we reach out to purchase the third expensive present for our beloved offspring, let us stop and reconsider - does he/she really need that too? In purchasing material gifts and foods, let us make conscious choices based on how the goods and foods are sourced and obtained. Are they 'fair trade' where products were sourced and manufactured through ethical means? where other humans were not exploited and harmed in their making. Better still, buy from and support your local crafts maker and organic farmer's markets. Are they cruelty free? where countless animals have not been tortured, tested and killed. Are they environmental and sustainable? Nature is limited and diminishing even as we celebrate, if we do not remain conscious in our choices of spending. The amount of increased spending on consumables, packaging and discarded wastes triples and quadruples over the festive season in the affluent west, so our choices have effects on our environment. Are we giving others a gift of health? with natural ingredients or are we giving hidden toxins and synthetic substances in foods and products?

In celebrating, before we fill ourselves up excessively with foods and wine (to the point of bursting), let us remember those who never ever had a Christmas, those who have hunger in their stomachs, not just on Christmas day but every day. To restrain ourselves from over indulging does not curb our joy but is a small honor for those less fortunate. Instead of material consumable gifts, perhaps gifts of services, education and awareness are a better choice. For many that we often find "have everything and too much" perhaps gifts in the form of a donation or voucher to an aid abroad or nature conservation foundation is a wise option. Many organizations such as Oxfam, Unicef, World Vision, Rotary, WWF, etc. have vouchers where we can buy a 'goat', 'seed' or a rehabilitation program for a rescued turtle - all nicely gift certificated.
The spirit of giving and unconditional love does not have to take the form 'purchasing'. Giving time, love and sharing joy and happiness may extend to giving a little something to or lending a hand at a Christmas event for the homeless, the women's refuge, the orphaned and injured animals shelters, planting some seeds and tress etc.- all are true forms of unconditional giving. Giving more time, attention and presence to each other, hugs, laughter and connection, being forgiving, open and accepting, are all in line with the peaceful spirit of Christmas.

Finally, let us remember that while is it a ritual and a celebration, the true spirit of Christmas is that it is our true innate nature that should shine every day, not just on a particular assigned day. Every day should be a celebration within our hearts for the beauty and gift of life. Every day let us bear gratitude in our hearts for all that we are and have. Every day let us connect and consciously work to make this world a better place for all that live upon it. Every day let us also continue to give back to Mother Earth and all the elements, that provide and sustain life on earth. Every day let this peace be the core of our being.

May you have a conscious, joyous and peaceful holiday season :-)

With Love, Light and Blessings,
Patsie

 Patsie Smith is a spiritual author, remedial massage therapist, energetic kinesiologist, yoga and meditation teacher.
www.patsiesmith.com
www.facebook.com/AwakenOurSpiritWithin

Healing Emotional Wounds

                       
                                                 "May I hold myself with compassion,
                                                            As I forgive and let go.
                               May I meet the ignorance and suffering of others with compassion,
                                                            As I trust and let go.
                                                                  - Patsie Smith

Dear all,

As you journey on this wondrous path of human living, it is inevitable that you may become the casualty of emotional wounds at one time or another. For you are an emotional being - part of the joys and gift of being alive. The emotional brain is your limbic system, a primitive part of the brain that has evolved for survival and growth. When you feel emotions, whether mild or intense, rapid or prolonged - all physiological effects occur in your body. Hormones and chemicals are produced into your bloodstream, blood pressure rises, breathing rates increase, muscles contract, vital energies are shunted away from your internal organs toward peripheral limbs ready for fight or flight. If emotions are intense, the physiological effects are intense. If emotions are prolonged, the physiological effects kick into chronic overdrive. Except in cases of rapid emergencies, where thoughts are by-passed initially, almost all emotions include a simultaneous cycle of thoughts. If you entertain and allow the thoughts to be of negativity, disempowerment, fear or destruction - this will continue to feed into the vicious cycles of emotions. This creates an endless loop of emotions - thoughts - more emotions - more thoughts - ........until they become uncontrollable, embedded into your subconscious, or until they spiral out of control, to total break down, or total explosion!

Emotions are carried and stored in every part of your body from rigidity, postural misalignment, blockages to energy flows, to memories in every single cell of your body. This coupled with the simultaneous subconscious planting of a thought or belief system in your brain creates an auto pilot response in both mind and body that continues to drive you through out your life, if you are unconscious to break out of it. For example, if when you were a child, you were constantly beaten and punished for petty misbehaviours and then told "You are a bad child, good for nothing" - that program gets locked into your subconscious and cellular memories. For some it might not be as obvious a dysfunction, perhaps as a child you perceived yourself as being loved less than your siblings, or felt and believed you were unwanted and abandoned when one of your parents left home and never returned. You can spend endless time analyzing, discussing, blaming and trying and find the answers to all your emotional pains - but that will just drain your energies, use up precious present time and keep fueling that busy, already patterned brain that keeps believing the same chatter.

True healing from emotional wounds involves transcendence. This involves a few processes:

1) Self-realization - this might sound irrelevant if you are stuck in a pattern of disempowerment, for your perception is that the other persons, the situation, or life itself is to blame. You are merely the victim. You fail to see that it is your very own destructive subconscious and energetic patterns that have attracted and continued this pattern throughout your life. Self-realization involves an awakening within you to the reality of who you truly are i.e. a spiritual being having a human experience. It becomes profoundly clear to you that as much as your wounds are painful, they are your reason for being here, and your true journey in life is to learn and evolve into your ultimate spiritual self.

2) Having realized your own empowerment and lesson to learn in this lifetime, you make the conscious and courageous choice to step out of the pattern that imprisons you by:

Releasing safely all relevant emotions i.e. feeling it and experiencing it physiologically through every single cell of your body viz. crying, aches & pains, nausea, headaches, memories. Being conscious and aware, you process these turbulence with strength and compassion while staying anchored in the reality which you have realized in Step 1).
   
Along with Step 1) also comes the innate wisdom and knowledge that helps you to see profoundly the lessons of growth beneath each wound, hence the opportunity to reprogram your body and mind on a new slate.You feed your brain every day, hour or minute with empowering affirmations to rewire new neural pathways.

Finally, after the turbulence or the emotional release storm is over, and the 'dust settles' you will find yourself drained, but profoundly at peace. For you have emerged out of the storm with a lighter body and a new thought pattern. You no longer carry that baggage in your mind and body. You are ready to move forward, recreate and enjoy!

Step 1) is crucial as without your inner shift in spiritual awakening, you will only have the capability and strength of a limited human, which is insufficient for transcendence. But the awakening of your inner spirit beyond this limited mind and body is the key to going beyond human strength and wisdom.
When you cut yourself, you naturally wash the dirt and blood off the wound, then dress it with antiseptic etc. to allow it to heal. If you leave your wound unattended it may fester, grow, get infected filled with pus, possibly poison your blood through septicemia. Likewise to leave emotional wounds unattended will eat you up on the inside despite sabotaging your outer lives from happiness and peace. You need to wash all that 'blood and dirt' off your emotional wounds by releasing and purging. Then dressing it with new thought patterns and wisdom that are already innate within your higher Self.

Healing is a gift, for it is through such that you have the opportunity to grow stronger and wiser and open up the doors to new frontiers that you have the power to create, as a spiritual being on a human journey.

Thanks for connecting.
Love and Blessings to you all,
Patsie Smith
www.patsiesmith.com
www.facebook.com/AwakenOurSpiritWithin

Health & Wellness

"When we awaken to our spirit, we naturally care for our bodies, and as spiritual writings contend, our bodies become temples of the holy spirit. Not far from the truth at all, this becomes our reality. It is a gift to have a healthy body and a productive life and a privilege to manifest in physical form to experience and enjoy life. We must play our role in maintaining this vessel."  (Excerpt from Chp 13 Awaken Our Spirit Within by Patsie Smith)

Love =  Growing in health
Fear = Compromised health
(Bruce Lipton M.D. Biology of Belief)


Dear all,

If the question is presented to you, "would you like to own all the money and gold in the world?" or "would you like to have optimum health?" which would you choose? Earlier this year I was told about a man who was a wealthy billionaire, who also had terminal cancer. He'd sent his men all over the world, to try and find the best oncologist money could buy, but to no avail. Sadly, he passed away with extreme distress, fear and anguish.

Most of us go about our lives without too much concern about 'health' until something starts to go awry, like we start to get sick or diagnosed with some kind of condition. Many don't think twice about grabbing fast-food takeaway dinners 3-4 times a week, loading up a shopping trolley with frozen dinners, snacking every day on cola soft drinks, chips and sweet cakes, drinking 4-5 cups of coffee per day, 3-4 glasses of wine every night, getting 3-4 hours sleep per night, working 10-12 hours a day at a computer screen, then lounging around afterwards in front of the television, and repeating those cycles again every day. On top of that, we have lists deadlines to meet, road rage when stuck in the traffic, grab and gobble our foods on the run, watch violent movies and news on the television and internet, have a  mind that doesn't stop thinking, analyzing and worrying even when we sleep, harbor anger and hatred toward that ex, neighbor or abusive parent, stuck in unhappy relationships, live with fear of the world and its events, and so on. As well, we live in an environment surrounded by electromagnetic waves, pesticides and chemicals from what we inhale to what we eat. Then amazingly, one day when we get told we have high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, an auto-immune condition, athritis, some kind of cancer, or, chronic fatigue, depression, anxiety..... we somehow feel upset, despaired and angry that we have been randomly attacked and victimized by this supposedly evil and overpowering 'Disease'. We start to wage war or battle against this 'disease'.

Everything in life operates on a system of minute balance and interdependence. Our physical bodies is a reflection not just of our lifestyle and choices, but also a reflection of our minds, emotions and inner connection. We know all the rules for healthy living, from primary school we have been taught:

To be healthy - 1) eat healthy foods 2) daily exercise 3) 6-10 hrs sleep/night
But is it as simple as that?

The human body is not just an automated machine. It is a living, thinking, feeling, sensing being with a life force surging through it and a level of consciousness that can experience, create, imagine and has awareness. When something is not right on the physical level, it may indicate an imbalance in one, a few, or all levels of our being. The physical level is simply the final level of manifestation of any imbalance. The human body is also an ingenious system that has the ability to heal itself and create new life. Given the opportunity to return to or maintain balance, every single cell and strand of DNA in our system naturally tends to gravitate toward health, healing, vitality and life.

The diagnosis of a 'disease' or imbalance is important as it is a sign and message, a cry for help from our body, to take heed, evaluate, and make changes or choices. We have to be careful however, not to fall into the trap of identifying with the disease. It is not a separate entity with a life of its own, it is a part of us that is out of balance, and we have the power to make choices and changes to help bring it back to balance. This may be employed with the aid of allopathic medicine or natural medicine, or both. To identify with a disease will disempower us and almost keep us stuck in a cycle of sickness. Well known medical intuitive Carolyn Myss talks extensively about this aspect as 'woundology', how many people consciously or unconsciously may tend to 'enjoy' their disease by playing the role of the powerless victim. This continues to feed the disease for the mind continues to believe that it is stuck in the powerless state.

On the other hand, many who have hit rock-bottom, left with nothing else but the flicker of  their own pure inner spirit, have miraculously found the courage to reclaim their own innate healing power and consequently, healed themselves. This constitutes the hard work of healing our pent up hurts and pains (emotional level), restructuring our thought patterns to empowering and positive ones (mental level), changing lifestyle and diet (behavioral level) and uncovering our true essence (spiritual level) toward a healed mind, body and soul. If we lack the courage, we may choose the easier though disempowering way of popping down tonne loads of drugs and chemicals with the hope of a quick-and-mask-fix. People like Louise Hay healed herself from breast cancer, Jessica Ainscough from a rare form of cancer, Andreas Moritz from severe childhood arthritis and gallstone attacks, Dr Sherrill Sellman from Hashimoto thyroid auto-immune condition and rheumatoid arthritis, Lisa Rankin M.D from depression, Dr Mark Cockrane from debilitating arthritis. And myself, from depression, suicide and alcohol dependency. The number of people who have journeyed down the paths of self healing are countless. This path is not easy for it means confronting our pains, fears, masks and having the courage to trust, learn, let go and change. But what emerges is true healing as our spirit awakens and we have genuine peace, freedom and health on every level of our being.

So when you next feel unwell or get handed a diagnosis of some sort by your doctor, the choice is yours. Do you wish to claim your own innate power or do you choose to hand over your power to this disease with a fancy name? Claiming your own power means having the courage to look at yourself and hear what messages of imbalance your body is trying to convey to you. It means having the courage to heal, reveal your true self, make changes and learn.We all have it in us.

Finally, please add  a few more to the above list of 3 common rules for good health that we should obviously know:

4) drink lots of water  5) eat plenty of greens  6) find something to laugh at everyday  7) do something nice for someone else without expectation of anything in return, at least once a day
8) get a hug at least once a day (if not possible, get a massage once a week)  9) try at least something new every week  10) meditate/pray  11) eat slowly  12) breathe slower and deeper  13) forgive and let go, and last but most certainly not least - 14) reconnect with nature every day, even if its just looking up at the sky or walking bare feet on the grass.

Thank you dear all, for connecting. Blessings to you and your good health, on every level.
Patsie
www.patsiesmith.com
www.facebook.com/AwakenOurSpiritWithin

Nature our greatest teacher

"Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need but not every man's greed...What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another." - Mahatma Gandhi

Dear all,

I recall a talk presented by Dr Deepak Chopra awhile ago which made me smile -  in which he mentioned the story about a dog and a man. The story went something like this,"a man hits and kicks a dog, until the dog was evoked to bite the man's leg. The man takes off and manages to get away. Two years later the same man meets up with the same dog, he kicks the dog again, and in defense the dog takes a chomp off the man's leg. But the dog does not spend two years thinking about how to bite the man." Humans on the other hand, would be thinking, scheming and festering about it for the last two years! How we can learn from the nature of animals - they are simply in-the-moment :-)

Years ago, when I was a very lost soul, stuck in my own hole and spiral of despair, I could not connect with nature, let alone go outside and breathe in the fresh air - that would almost burn my internal cells with life energy. Whenever I came home from the garden nursery with a pot plant, it would inevitably die within a few weeks or so. Apart from not being caring enough to tend to their basic needs like food and water, being around me was for them like being enveloped in 'dead energy'. This realization came after I have awakened to my living, internal spirit. As my spirit grew and expanded into my true nature, now all plants flourish around me. I love gardening, growing herbs and vegetables, I sit next to bees as they hover around me, my dog stares me in the eyes connecting with my soul, I love bush walking, mountain trekking, paddling, walking in the rain, lying on the grass under my tree and watching the leaves and clouds, and my phobia for reptiles have magically disappeared. Plants, trees and herbs have helped me heal, restore and reveal my true spirit again.

A lost and unawakened soul are stuck in their confined field of stagnation. Within that soul itself their spirit energy is not awake or alive, hence it can't connect with other living things. It gets drawn to dead inanimate objects for they are in the same field. The lost soul unconsciously moves from one material and inanimate object to another, possessing and sometimes hoarding them all, attaching and desperately hoping to suck and draw some measure of power. But nothing which is devoid of life can spurt another's spirit to awaken or be sustained.

When we awaken, we can't help but connect. We don't need to proclaim ourselves a conservationist, animal rights activist, environmentalist, humanitarian - although they are noble causes and if a particular area is our passion, then perhaps we have a part in pursuing it, to make a difference. However, within the heart and mind of every awakened soul we already have a profound relationship with every element that make up our living world, including all living beings, from the tiniest bacteria to the giant mountains. This becomes our experience, not just a belief system , identity or concept we wish to adopt. 

Sit amongst the plants and trees, be still, watch and hear. Watch the stillness of the tree trunk. It does not move yet it is full of life beneath. It has texture, shape and form that is a work of art reaching upwards. Watch the leaves of various shapes, sizes and colors, they move gracefully in sync with the wind, dancing without rigidity or restriction. Look at the roots near the ground, they are the silent channel of nutrients and information that is sourced by their caress with mother earth. Listen and hear the sound of their whispers but also the gaps of silence between their whispers. Just sitting and infusing in amongst the bush and forest will allow the essence and energy of the trees to permeate into our soul with peace, strength, stillness and a quiet wisdom - all which further feeds our own internal living spirit. Whenever I end up with a headache from the city hustle bustle, a gentle bush walk always cleanses and dispels the headache leaving me renewed. So then what do I give in return to these friends who unconditionally love, heal and nurture me? I try and protect them, as one would protect any dear friend and family. I want to ensure they continue to have clean air for their life and growth, sufficient water for their moisture, healthy earth so they continue to be sustained and nourished. I also share with them love and compassion, as they do with all other animals and plants that they coexist with e.g. the birds that nest on their branches and feed on their blossoms, the bugs that climb up and down their trunks, the fungi and lichen that blanket over their roots. And most of all, I will continue to protect them from being felled - the end of their existence. I want them preserved and protected for they are a part of me, and all other beings.

This is just my relationship with the trees. I also have a profound and intimate relationship with every animal, insect, flower, mountain, star, cloud,.....What is your relationship with the world around you? Do you have a relationship with your living world? If not, you are not alive, half the time you probably feel like a robot, or if you are anything like I used to be in the past, simply a walking corpse. If your spirit is already awakened and alive, then choose to allow yourself to experience and connect with all of life. It is already innate within us. Our spirit seeks to awaken, grow, expand and connect. Nature's beauty and magic is astounding. They will teach and heal you. Get outside, off your computers, TV, out of your box of four walls, and soak in nature, breathe in pure life. Separation is not our natural state.

Take care all, thank you for connecting, till next time...continue to send love to your trees, animals, flowers......

With luv, light & peace,
Patsie :-)
 www.facebook.com/AwakenOurSpiritWithin

Oneness our true reality

"There is one earth but millions and millions of different worlds" - Mooji

Dear all,

Why is it that all enlightened spiritual sages who teach widely and normal enlightened beings who live quietly, continue to utter the words, "Realize who you really are, your true self." Why do many human beings around the world seek for answers to who and what we are, and the purpose of our existence? Because that is our innate evolutionary process and purpose.

When I am asked, "so what should I do with this issue and problem of mine?" I like to reply with, "please...go find out who you really are first. When you truly know, you will have all the answers, for you will find you do not need to ask :-)"
Some want short term answers, "tell me how to solve this problem", "teach me how to meditate so I can feel peace and bliss", "give me an answer that satisfies my need now so I feel better", "show me an organization that I can belong to and feel good", "what is the best ideology or belief system I can adopt?" "what's the healthiest food and lifestyle I should have so I can live forever?" Positive teachings, affirmations and techniques are valuable, and might satisfy and solve your issue for a short while, but if you seek and can only see the limited picture, you will be shaken again and again. Aim for the ultimate realization of your true self, for that is the profound transcendence and then seeking ceases. For the big picture is simply clear and obvious. You just are and do not have to strive to be anymore. Everything falls into place and everything is as it is. You become the unfolding and the process itself.

When individuals are stuck in their "I" ego self as a separate entity, everything is viewed from this limited perspective of  "what I want", "what I like", "what I don't like","what I think","what I believe", "what I insist", "what I have", "what I don't have","what I need", "what I am"....and so on. These consequently project onto others in their environment as "what I like and don't like in others", "what I agree and disagree with in others", "what I want and hate in others", "what others do to me", "what others should and shouldn't be or do", "what I can get from others", "what others can give me"...and so on. Separation, division, differentiation are the inevitable result. Short sightedness that benefits only the "self" at the expense of others become the priority conscious and subconscious agenda in the minds of every separate ego "self".
This disunity and disharmony result from differences in perceptions based on the views by this separate ego "self". The world's human population is now closing in at nearly 7 billion and predicted to get to an alarming 9 billion by 2050. So these billions of separate ego "self" each has their own unique perceptions of reality and how their world should be, based on their own upbringing, life experiences, belief systems and choices.

For example, some individuals choose to criticize, ill treat and persecute another of a different race, culture, religion or belief system because they look different, smell different, talk different, live different, eat different foods, speak a different language, simply because the former may not have been exposed or personally connected with the latter in life thus far. Or they may hate another because their own belief system/culture/religion stipulates the differences between them. In every day life you may find yourself distressed, hurt, angered or even vengeful toward another because they do not meet your expectations or behave they way "you" think they should. Some may torture, hurt or ill treat an animal and feel no empathy or remorse because to them, animals look different, have more legs, fur, scales, no intellect, can't talk, laugh or cry; so their limited perceptions separate and disconnect from the other living being. Chopping down vast expanse of forest might be satisfying for others because it brings in vast profits they can now purchase bigger houses, bigger cars and demand more power. But they are ignorant, that like them , trees are living beings too, and forests support immense network of other life forms. The short term massive destruction of nature will inevitably backfire as nature, and humans being a part of that, is a cycle that is interconnected.

Disharmony stem from individual desires and attachments to perceptions from the separate ego "self" but lived out to the full by every single separate being, hence causing ripples of disunity from an individual level into the global and universal level. It is a sad state, a crippling dysfunction, a blindness that will only lead to chaos, then its own readjustment, culling, correction and perhaps a new order. Those who are enlightened can see and feel the whole and complete picture with utmost compassion, but understand too, that the big picture will take its own course and take care of itself.

We each have our roles to play, enlightened or not enlightened, to keep the big picture in mind. To let go of our separate "self", discard our fixations with our limited perceptions, be open and honor our wholeness. To focus on our universality, similarities and shared existence, and be tolerant and understanding of our apparent differences. To know and live as connected compassionate beings with and toward all forms of life and Life itself. The course of the ripples will then naturally change to flow toward a higher, more evolved, unified, harmonious, peaceful and joyful reality; for you as a  functional individual, a part of your world as a dynamic whole.

Stay conscious and tuned in to your true and higher reality.

The great Persian mystic poet Rumi said, "There is a force within you that gives you life - seek that."
I will add, "There is a force within you that gives all life - know that."

Blessings & light to all,
Patsie :-)
www.facebook.com/AwakenOurSpiritWithin

What is spirituality?

 

photo: Dan Tataru Dreamstime 

Spirituality is not a religion, belief system, doctrine, dogma or ritual. 
Spirituality is knowing who you really are as your own personal reality.
And then living and integrating that true and higher reality into every present moment of this life journey.
- P Smith

Sunday is my only day of complete rest and I value and guard it religiously, as it is the only day of the week that I can simply allow myself to just 'be'. Not to be dictated by the number on the clock but to just flow with the tide of the day. In this fast-paced age of immediacy and material bombardment, this practice is sacred to my body and soul, in addition to my daily yoga and meditation. This one particular Sunday morning as I was lying on the grass under my jacaranda tree, blissful after my yoga and meditation, I remembered being told about a certain Tibetan Buddhist temple near my home. "The meeting starts at 10am", I was told. Having always had a deep spiritual connection with the Himalayas I naturally had a strong desire to go and check out this temple. But this morning the tide did not feel like it was quite flowing that way. As I turned my head while lying on the warm grass, a 'willy wagtail' bird next to me was busily foraging for bugs and worms. Turned my head the other way, and my dog Charlie was snoring in utter contentment. I observed the detailed velvety like patterns etched on his moist black nose that moves gently with each breath. Turned my head again, looked up and I beheld the vast clear blue skies with soft billowy clouds, soft jacaranda leaves on the tree dancing in the breeze, and the bees and insects circling above me full of buzz and life. I was left with nothing but awe. The message was profoundly clear to me in the midst of such joy and peace that morning, "Ha! Why this is my temple! Nature and this connection for today is my temple, thank you." I still got myself to the Tibetan Buddhist temple one day, just not that morning.

What is spirituality and why do we need a spiritual practice? For some, this means the ritual of going to a particular place of worship or gathering, and adopting or practicing particular rituals and beliefs. This is noble, helpful and gives us an identity, a sense of well being and belonging. Belief systems evolved through the times with mankind's creativity and adaptation. However the true essence beneath and before all the beliefs, rituals, teachings and dogmas is simple, universal, pure and unclouded. So keep a check on your spiritual practice to make sure you always stay true to the elements of your core and essence.
True spirituality anchors in the core of your higher reality. It does not judge, blame, differentiate, destroy or place yourself above any other. It simply exudes peace and love.


Your pure and true essence is

1. unconditional love - hence your true reality inevitably flows and translates into unity, oneness connectedness, respect and compassion. With that comes sharing, giving and loving.
2. infinite and unbounded - hence it transmutes into joy, freedom and creativity.
3. silent, still, undefinable - hence you naturally connect and are at peace when you simply just be.
4. whole, no beginning and no end - hence you do not live with fear or lack, but with trust and faith.

A spiritual practice is part of your spirituality, it is sacred for it maintains your connection to your core being, your true reality. It feeds your soul and nourish your spirit, so you stay anchored in the sea of this ever changing life. Without your anchor, you easily get swept here, there and everywhere, sometimes you may drown.
So what is your spiritual practice? Perhaps it is meditating or daily prayers? Or perhaps it is spending time in nature, creating a piece of art, playing and creating music, giving time and help to the needy unconditionally.
Spiritual practice is also being fully present in the moment. For in being totally and fully here and now in mind, body and soul - you are essence itself. And life manifests all around and through you in all magical wonders.

Have an awesome week !

Blessings and Light,
Patsie
Connect with me on www.facebook.com/AwakenOurSpiritWithin

Being present

 

                                                  (Ilustrated by Elaine Smith)

"The present is the only reality. Everything past or future resides only in the head. The choices we make in this present moment determine our future and can heal the past. We miss out so much on the beauty and joy in life if we are not here and now, but lost in thoughts. If we are fully in the present, here right this very moment, pure, fresh, and untainted, that is us in our spirit essence. the choice is ours whether to live as our pure, infinite spirit or in the limited mind." (Excerpt from Awaken Our Spirit Within - Chapter 8 The Human Mind)

"When there is silence, one finds the anchor of the universe within oneself." - Lao Tzu

Hi all,

I share a comfortable home with three beautiful young adult children and five enlightened beings - our dog Charlie, tortoise Gordon, budgies Mr Frodo and Yuki, and Siamese fighting fish Bruce!

Charlie's days consist of waking up at the crack of dawn, a series of yoga stretches, greeting me with joy and then all full of spark ready for his walk. On his walk he sniffs every stretch of lawn, pavement and post, pees at almost every tree, empties his bowels, and says hello to his doggie pals. He returns to the same type of breakfast dish everyday, then lie and chill in the sun all day punctuated by fiery bursts of barking from one end of the garden to the other when another human or dog walks past his territory. Totally content until he pipes up again late afternoon ready for his walk. Same sniffing routine (you see, Charlie's a beagle) then back for dinner, more guarding and barking, and then snuggle up in his soft bed. 

Gordon walks around the whole garden and devours his piles of vegetables and lettuce in summer. Gordon is blind in one eye so when he eats his lettuce it takes him about 5 attempts with his open jaw before he finally scores a mouthful. But he spends all day simply doing that, then back into his shell when he's had enough, and out again for more food  and a wander after. In winter he simply refuses to poke his head out of his shell at all, but half buries himself under my oregano bush in complete hibernation.

Mr Frodo and Yuki love and can't bear to be apart from each other. They spend all day eating, drinking, chirping and grooming each other. Then snuggle their heads into their wings for their sleep before coming out of their cages for their fly-around. And so they keep going.

Bruce is a beautiful red fighting fish with enormous frilly fins. He has his huge fish bowl on my kitchen bench all to himself' If he was to share bowl space with another fish, there would be a mega fight. Bruce too swims, eats, parades his fins, sleeps tucked in the fronds. And so he keeps going.

Animals are simply in-the-moment. They eat to survive, sleep and rest to rejuvenate, and behave instinctively for protection and security. If you watch them for awhile you will find that they remind us that this is our natural state. Everything else is just extras we have chosen to pile on and accumulate, including our complex minds. When an animal eats, they just eat, not eat while thinking "where is my food going to come from tomorrow?" "will I find a right girlfriend/boyfriend?" "who's going to take care of me when I'm old" "will I get fat?" "how much money do I have left in the bank?" At least, they don't look like they have these thoughts. In fact, they don't look like they're thinking at all. Simply being and doing. And what pure joy and contentment in just simply being and doing.

We are privileged as humans to have evolved to more than just instinctual beings (although some may contest to this statement). We have the gift of more developed and complex analytical, problem-solving and creative intelligence. But these are our tools for expanding and progressing our lives. We are the ones in charge of our tools and we should choose when to use them and when to put them aside to rest, to allow our natural state to simply be. For our natural state is the silence, anchor and ground that allows us to thrive.

Remember everyday, allow yourself some time to just Be!

Love & light to all,
Patsie
www.patsiesmith.com
 PS: Just started a Facebook book page, please feel free to connect with me on facebook.com/AwakenOurSpiritWithin   will post writings, quotes, offers, info etc.

Integrative Health

"Good health is all about balance. It is about the integration of many levels of our being, not just the physical. But the three most obvious and significant are the mind, body and spirit. The human body is not just flesh and bones but also a brain and mind that control the body. The spirit is the living essence or life force in the body. Attending to one aspects without the others is limiting and creates instability. When we awaken we naturally flow toward aligning the mind and body with our living spirit." (Excerpt from Awaken Our Spirit Within, Chapter 13 Health)

As a therapist in the holistic health and healing industry for the past 12 years, part of my meditation every morning continues to include the mantra to center in "..May I hold myself with compassion, may I meet the ignorance and suffering of others with compassion."

As I treat clients from all walks of life. I witness the pain, suffering and amassable fear that most humans choose to be engulfed in. In the area of health, especially in the affluent west, we are experiencing increases in cases of chronic illnesses and imbalances of mind and body. Could this be because the third, or perhaps more rightly, first element in the complete picture is absent? Where is the spirit? Do we know who we are? Do we know and are we connected to the core of our true self?

Perhaps we ourselves or people we know, friends and family are living with cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, migraines, hormonal disorders, auto-immune conditions, allergies, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, addictions, and the list goes on. Meanwhile the massive pharmaceuticals and medical industries are ready and available to cater for the sick and diseased. Illnesses and diseases are big business. And with the advent of technology, every minute imperfection or disorder is pinpointed into a diagnosis. Then when one is 'diagnosed' with something it is often misperceived as the infliction of an unjust attack or a random curse, the deliberate intention of life to destroy us, resulting in immense fear and suffering as a powerless victim.

Let's step way out and look at the big picture. If we are awakened and know who we truly are, then the big perspective is clear: imbalance is an inevitable possibility in this physical world that we humans have consciously and unconsciously driven to disruption. These chronic dysfunctions, illnesses and diseases are simply symptoms and products of our choices thus far in our lives and our world. The truth is, the depletion in the quality of your foods, environment and lifestyle is playing havoc with your internal bodies. The fast paced materialism and consumerism we allow ourselves to get caught up in push our bodies and minds toward endless striving, competing, exploiting and self-centeredness. So it is not a random curse or an unjust attack by life, nature or God. It is the karmic cycle of life. The choices we make in what we allow into our lives, bodies and mind, and what we project out to others and the environment, is simply what returns. The higher purpose of our short or long journey in this particular life is also part of the big picture. The lessons we obtain from healing on all levels of our being - mental, emotional and physical will awaken, evolve and mature our spirit. That is our true purpose. As painful as the reality is, we are actually not here to be immortal. Each journey of life contains experiences and roles we enjoy and play toward our higher purpose.

So with the big picture in mind, and staying aligned with our source and true being, we are conscious and aware. We make well informed, wise and conscious choices for the well being of ourselves, others, our environment and our future. We choose wholesome organic foods and pure water for our bodies, moderate exercise to expand our lungs, oxygenate blood and pump our lymph.We ensure adequate sleep and rest for repair and rejuvenation, lots of sunshine and fresh air for energy and Vit D. We choose positive and empowering thoughts for creating joy and peace for self and others. We do not suppress but allow ourselves to feel all range of human emotions, then express and release them safely. We choose to heal from painful past and let go and forgive. We make time for connecting with others - sharing, hugging, laughing, helping, giving. We follow our passions and enjoy things that make us smile on the inside - go dancing, singing, running, painting, camping, etc. We can't help but not suffer, we enjoy every present moment to the full and are at peace with whatever turbulence that arises for us to learn and change; for we choose to anchor in what is real and unshakeable, our true source, our infinite being.

"Within you is the infinite and the infinite is contained in this present moment." -Patsie Smith

Thank you for connecting.
With Love and Light,
Patsie
www.patsiesmith.com
www.goodreads.com

What & Where is Life Energy?

 "The primordial creative energy affects the whole person and not just a mere fragment - it is creation uncontaminated by thought; the creative tide in us that flows outward."
 - martial arts legend Bruce Lee



In this current electronic age it would be a rarity for one not to posses or depend on, a computer or some kind of technological product. As with any machine that serves us, we naturally take care and maintain it. Our laptop, i pad, i phone, mobile phone are only 'alive' with power surging through them when plugged into a power source or after being charged up from a power source.Then we install all sorts of programs to enable us to perform multitude of functions, accomplish tasks and connect far and wide. We have the ability and power to make choices on what to create, store and delete.

Likewise, we human beings are not too different in many regards. This body is our physical capsule in this journey of life. The life force, living energy, chi, prana is what propels that capsule to being alive. But the living human capsule is not just an empty shell. With life force surging through each organ, vein and cell, a whole myriad of compounding systems of energy continues into microscopic, atomic and subatomic levels. The living universe within us is as infinite as the living universe out there beyond us. We are energy and all around us everything alive and living is energy.

Like a computer we need to care, sustain and maintain our living machine, for while this living energy is contained in a limited human capsule, it is subjected to excess (power surge), depletion, malfunction and total break down.We need to recharge by plugging into our power source. What is our power source?

Nature exudes life. Life energy surrounds us in the pure air, water, sun, trees, plants, animal, other living beings. Getting out there and inhaling fresh air and sunshine into our bodies, soaking them in through our senses, consuming wholesome pure foods, sharing and receiving love and laughter; all recharge and revitalize our life force. Regular moderate physical activities and energy arts like yoga, taichi, qigong and martial arts aid the flow of our life energy. Taking time to slow down, maintaining our own spiritual or peaceful practices where we directly plug into our source of being is essential for replenishing. This then naturally allows clarity and resourcefulness to arise effortlessly. As with a computer, continuous usage without recharging will simply deplete until it goes flat. Likewise, we can choose to discard and delete unwanted files of memories, thought patterns and emotional wounds that don't serve us but pollute our system. Cleaning out old unwanted files will allow more space for new, and improve the overall efficiency of our system.

The gift of living energy as a human being enables us to experience, enjoy, create and connect. Let us be wise and exercise our choices in maintaining that balance viz that connection to our source. Stay in tuned with the flow and balance. For unlike a computer, this journey of life in this particular human machine cannot be thrown out and replaced with a newer model every time we run it to the ground.

Love & Light to all,
Patsie :-)
www.patsiesmith.com

My Eagle

Hi all,

One of my dearest friends, Jax, gave me an amazing gift three days ago - a real eagle feather from an Australian eagle called Oscar who was rescued and nursed in a wildlife protection shelter. Sadly for us, Oscar's journey in this physical world ended shortly after. I held the feather in my hands and felt the distinct familiar energy. I awoke this morning after a most vividly recurring dream, one with my eagle friend, except this time it was slightly different. I had shared many astounding experiences with this eagle in my dreams and meditations. The recurring event was always my exhilarating climb up this same mountain. There was no physical exertion as I normally felt when I climbed and trekked mountains in the physical world. Ha! that's the beauty of the astral/dream/meditative world. Every time when I got to the peak of this mountain, my eagle friend was there, standing majestically at the crest of the mountain, as if he had been there all the time, surveying the view of the entire rolls of continuous valleys and beyond, into the horizon. I moved to stand next to him. He was about the size of me - the top of his sleek bald head to the tips of his talons, was the same height as the top of my head to the tips of my toes. His whole body was covered in his pristine pure white feathers and he had a golden beak with a sharp tip that curved downwards at the point. His eyes were totally round and pitch black that I could see my reflection looking back at me. They were mesmerizing and held me with warmth and wisdom, broken only by his occasional slow and soft blink, or the turn of his head.

He did not have a name and never spoke a word, but we stayed in a deep and peaceful connection.We stood there for awhile looking at the view in utter perfect silence, until he slowly turned his head around and stared into my eyeballs with his piercing shiny black eyes. I then walked gently into his body and we molded. Enclosed and encapsulated within his majestic aura I became him, breathed as him, felt his heartbeat in my chest and looked through his eyes. We then took off from the peak as his colossal wings spread out and started to flap. I felt my feet lift off the mountain and the sounds and texture of the wind brushed through my face and body. We flew, glided, circled, swooped and ascended again.We hovered forever in spaces above and between the clouds, floated along by the wind and air.We would watch and observe above, around, below and beyond. The views were crystal clear. I see, I understand, I know, I Am.

Eventually we descended and returned to the mountain peak and landed back gently with his strong talons onto the mountain surface. I then slowly walked out of him. I turned around and gave him a huge embrace and a deep bow, with immense gratitude and love, until we next connect again. I proceeded slowly down the mountain, skipping with a profound joy, peace and freedom. I returned back in my bed, my home, my daily life.

Now I try to convey and share the view, the experience, the perspective, the truth with everyone and anyone. Some are ready, open and willing. They listen, hear and 'get it', now they too are becoming their own eagles. Many however don't even hear or don't want to hear. Nevertheless I will continue to share, tell and try to connect; for that is inevitable - when the true, real and whole perspective is now my reality.

With wings of love & light,
Patsie xo
www.patsiesmith.com

Awaken Our Spirit Within book published

Hi all,

Just a little quick note to inform you the book "Awaken Our Spirit Within" book went live on Tues 12th Mar this week. Available for now through Balboa Press by clicking on the link below : www.patsiesmith.com
In 6-8 weeks time will be stocked by other online bookstores as well eg Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.
Please get a copy and read it, contains powerful messages from our inner and higher spirit, toward major transformation.
Welcome your feedback and comments on blog back on my book page, after you finish the book :-)

Thank you for connecting.

Love & Light,
Patsie

www.patsiesmith.com

Life Energy

Note: writings about our soul, spirit, essence, true self, higher self, core and heart refer to that within us beyond the physical mind and body that we each know. The fact that we are open, reading, hearing and always learning is indication that we are already awake and aware to that innate true self within us. Our awareness is an endless journey of learning. Often these writings are on matters we already know, 'hear all the time', or maybe something new or from a new perspective. Regardless, be open and let them serve as reminders of our own innate knowing and wisdom. Quotes, texts and links sometimes used as references do not indicate affiliation with any particular group, person, concept, religion or belief system. It simply refers to the universal essence that is pure and undifferentiated beneath us all.

Hi all,

Happy new calendar year and happy new lunar year (to all who embrace eastern cultures)! Time is progressing on, each day we get older (in human terms) and wiser (in spirit terms), or so we should. I will resist the urge to apologize again for the inconsistency in my blogging regularity. By now most of you who follow my blog will know that writings come when they can fit into the flow of life. Perhaps eventually it will lead into some kind of serious commitment. I did write a blog on The Mayan Prophecy before Christmas with sincere wishes to all for a festive season. But guess what? Just realized forgot to publish it. So just published it this week, a belated end of year 2012 blog :-)

Welcome and a genuine hello to all readers who tune into this blog from afar beyond the land of Oz. Thank you and it is an honor (with a bow) to be able to share and connect with you on a page like this, which started off as just a modest page for words to family, friends, clients and students.The privilege of embracing the advent of modern technology enables the global connection of like minded souls, which in the past would never have been possible.. Please feel free to drop a hello or comment sometime, if you wish..

The title of this blog, Life Energy is not foreign to those of us who are awake and aware. Life force, living energy, chi, prana, ki are all terms used to denote this life energy that we are beyond the physical and limited. It is the reason why we are a moving, living, growing organism and exist in a living, growing, changing environment - part of the gift of the manifestation of the wholeness of life.

The course of life has taught me lots through my own self-healing from various dysfunctional pasts and just recently, major energy depletion a couple of years ago. Also I have and still work with countless clients through their journeys with depleted life energies. We have all experienced this predicament at one time or another, at times and for some, worse than other. Final depletion is of course physical death.This is eventually inevitable for the physical form is limited and finite. Life energy within our human body as within all other physical forms go through cycles of expansion and contraction, from the beginning of physical life, and back towards the end of physical life. If we understand, respect, honor and work with this natural flow, we can heal, thrive, and enjoy the journey of life, within the peaceful backdrop of our infinite reality.

So with this topic I will endeavor to share many wisdom and knowledge that I have been privileged to experience and gather on my life-long journey of exploration and learnings in all matters of energy arts. This blog will be the start of a series of blogs to present the wisdom in harnessing, sustaining, restoring, balancing our internal and external energies for the health of our physical self, and the planetary environment that connects and supports us. For it is simply our innate desire to sustain this physical vessel in which we are privileged through which to manifest, create and connect.

When we are awake and aware, our spirit is alive - we feel alive, we connect,we are in tuned. 
Hence, first and foremost, one has to wake up to their true self, their spirit, that which is beyond their physical and limited mind, body, flesh and bones - as a reality experience and shift. It is only through this reality shift that the journey through working with energy will be possible and enjoyable. However, even if we are unsure but we recognize and are open, the exploration into energy studies and arts will inevitably lead to the beautiful awakening and then growing and blossoming of our spirit. So enjoy this journey with me: you will be presented with ancient energy arts like yoga, taichi, qiqong; which are sourced from and lead to meditation. We will explore all forms of meditation. Then we will explore physical health - lifestyles, sports, nutrition, and mind health - thoughts and emotions, all in the context of our wholesome spirit. So see you at the next blog: What and Where Is Life Energy?

Small note: Thank you again for your patience re:my upcoming book - Awaken Our Spirit Within. It is in final production stage, exciting times. Should be within the time frame of a few weeks. When launched/ go live, I might have to switch blog page to my webpage blog on my publisher's website. Our topics will continue, and will definitely keep you informed. So please watch this space.

Thank you for tuning in.
With Love & Light,
Patsie

Please watch and enjoy this beautiful song by Omkara; an all time favorite of my heart. Please hear with your heart, allow your spirit to hear and awaken. We all know. If we are still in slumber, we have only forgotten....