Blog at the Circle
July's Word of the Month - Allow
by Linda Lee Sheldon on 07/02/15
In the United States of America July 4th is a time to celebrate our Country's independence. The founding fathers and all those who moved to this country were in search of freedom from the social dictates imposed upon them. They were brave souls who allowed change and made a profound difference for all of us.
Now I'm not going to get all political on you - that's not my thing - what I would like to point attention to is your ability to allow change inyour life. So much of what we do and believe is dictated by social constructs and learned behavior patterns. We've all denied ourselves of big and little things because it went against the rules, it seemed selfish, it would not please someone else or we thought we couldn't do it.
This month's word is Allow - To permit, to let have, to grant as one's right.
The universe consists of both positive and negative, the yin and yang, giving and receiving. It's a balance that is inherent in our being. The polarities are inescapable. However sometimes we lock ourselves into one side or the other and forget that we have a choice. Think about how easy it is to give to others but how difficult it can be to give to yourself. We feel guilt or shame taking time for ourselves or buying something for personal pleasure. But giving to others and denying ourselves throws us out of balance. It's important to allow yourself to do both. Allow yourself to take time to take care of you. And allow others to provide you with help and assistance as well.
And we carry this restrictive, out-of-balance behavior to our ability to accept personal pleasures and abundance. Feeling like we don't deserve to be happy or wealthy, that it's greedy to want more money or that others will look down on us for giving to ourselves is very limiting. With greater resources comes a larger capacity to help ourselves and others. I invite you to make a declaration of what you really want for yourself. Allow yourself to accept the abundance of the universe by appreciating what you have; appreciating what is all around you. Allow that beauty and joyful peace to grow within you by taking your attention to something that feels good. And then give yourself permission and allow yourself to start doing things that you enjoy. It changes our perspective of what is all around us and like magic, allows more abundance in.
We all have incredibly busy schedules but it is still possible to take care of ourselves. It imay mean taking just a brief pause several times during the day to allow your attention to move within, take a few slow deep breaths, think a joyful thought of appreciation and then reengage in activity. Allow yourself time to enjoy life. It's what brings balance and peace to your life!
Share how you Allow life to flow with us!
June's Word of the Month - Joy
by Linda Lee Sheldon on 05/31/15
I hope this blog finds you in peaceful joy! Many times life situations leave us feeling anything but joyful and we wonder if we will ever find that blissful state again. And so...
This month's word is Joy - A feeling of great pleasure & happiness.
It can be difficult when we feel all the joy has been removed from our life. We don't typically go from no joy to extreme joy - but it's possible. Instead the joy usually returns slowly.
The technique I've seen work best for reestablishing the joyful state is to find something to appreciate. Find one or maybe two little things that are thelights in the darkness. Maybe it's your favorite animal giving you a kiss, a beautiful sunset or the brilliance of a flower. Finding something, anything, to appreciate or be thankful for is such a positive energy inthe dark times. The more little things we appreciate, the faster we regain the Joy.
As humans we are emotional beings so we experience both emotional highs and lows. Try to not be discouranged by those lows. There is still plenty of wonderful joy to experience!
Share your stories of Joy with us!
May's Word of the Month - Acceptance
by Linda Lee Sheldon on 05/01/15
I've had a lot of people ask me lately about how to deal with troubling encounters or events. We've all experienced the unfair accusation, have been swindled by someone or wished we had done something differently. None are fun life events to have to deal with!
In these situations, "forgiveness" can be a challenge. But without some action on our part the event can eat away at us mentally and emotionally. My approach to these events is "acceptance."
This month's word is Acceptance - The act of accepting; to receive willingly
I can hear everyone now... ACCEPTANCE! Are you nuts???
Let me explain. When we have an event that is challenging for us to deal with very often the reason it is so difficult is because of how we are thinking about it. Thinking can take us down that deep dark hole of despair or guilt or shame or anger.
Now I'm not asking you to accept that the event is a good thing. I'm not asking you to like it or to just brush it off as being OK or inconsequential. Frequently these things are anything but inconsequential. What I am suggesting is that you accept you are where you are in this moment in time. Take your attention to your breath. If we allow our thoughts to go into the anger or the guilt or whatever other emotions are coming up we perpetuate the emotion and the discomfort.
If however, we can move into the space of acceptance of what is happening now in this moment in time our perspective changes. This is acceptance of the moment, not the situation. Acceptance is freedom from the negative mental stories associated with the situation.
When we step out of these mental stories that create the negativity we step into clarity. Our actions are no longer clouded by the negative emotions. This allows us to more easily put ourselves in the other person's shoes, understand the larger dynamics of the situation or recognize a greater variety of options.
Acceptance doesn't remove your ability to bring about change in the situation. It actually enhances ability to bring about change and at times in the most surprising way!
Acceptance works for me. I hope it will work for you as well!
Share your stories of Acceptance with us!
April's Word of the Month - Refresh
by Linda Lee Sheldon on 04/03/15
I lost myself in the beauty of the season! It's so hard for me to stay indoors at the computer when the weather is beautiful and full of fresh beginnings.
With the spring influence upon us, April's word is Refresh - To revive, reinvigorate, renew.
I had an Aunt in Pennsylvania that went into spring cleaning with gusto! She emptied all - I mean ALL the cabinets, washed all the dishes (by hand), took all the books off the shelves... Well, you get the picture. That was her way to refresh and reinvigorate after being inside for the long winter.
It can be very uplifting to do something new and different.
Here are some ideas:
- Plant some fruits, vegetables or flowers in the garden
- Walk slowly and mindfully or sit comfortably outside, noticing the new growth, the clouds and feeling the breeze on your face
- Refresh a room in your home with new paint, furniture, tablecloth or throw pillows
Like selecting "refresh" on the computer, doing something new and different can provide a new perspective of you life. Enjoy whatever it is that you decide to do to Refresh yourself. Make it something fun or at least fulfilling! Enjoy your new beginnings this spring!
How do you refresh?
Welcome Spring!
by Linda Lee Sheldon on 03/20/15
Welcome Spring! Today is the beginning of a new cycle. The first day of spring. Here in Southern California Spring tends to be the most beautiful time of year. The weather is moderate, the hills are green and the flowers are blooming. My parents here from Pennsylvania after a visit in March. Couldn't have picked a better time! I sat outside this morning with my cup of tea and welcomed the new season. The cymbidium orchids are in full bloom. They love this combination of warm days and chilly evenings. The smells are amazing - varieties of sage experiencing a growth spurt, the light scent of citrus blossoms and carnations. And the animals are getting ready! Nest construction is well under way. Birds flying overhead carrying twigs, moss and whatever other treasures they could find for the nest. New beginnings are everywhere. It's the start of Aries - the first sign of the zodiac, my friend's baby was born today and it's a new moon today to boot! New moons are always a time to write down your wishes. It's a time of planting the seeds of intention. And because the same is true of the Spring Equinox this is a very powerful day. Take some time today to think about what you want and plant those seeds of intention by writing them down on a piece of paper. You can hold them in your hands and say a prayer or do Reiki on them if you're attuned to Reiki. Bury the paper in the ground for a symbolic planting of those seeds of intention. This is a time to honor yourself, the cycles of life and new beginnings. Begin fresh today and move into the new year with renewed intention. May this new beginning bring you peace and harmony in the year to come.
