8 days

In 8 days, I leave cold snowy Minnesota for warmth, sunshine, vacation, and the Tucson Gem Show. Finally! After 9 consecutive years attending, I had to miss last year due to family health issues. So my BONES are literally aching to go again! If you have read my blog for any length of time there are a few posts and photo's from previous years, but I have come across some great pictoral blogs that will give you a taste of the show:

Great descriptions, and the Crystal Man looks familiar!
http://www.snobappealjewelry.com/blog/?p=754

She is a bicyclist with some good photo's.
http://retiredbicycle.blogspot.com/2011/01/plague-and-tucson-gem-show.html

Great food and great gem shows in Tucson!
http://www.rvgoddess.com/POSTCARDS/2011/FLOSS/JANUARY/013011.aspx

Local Tucson News:
http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=13933050

But not to worry, I will be blogging and facebooking lots of pictures and stories too! (I don't have immediate internet access while in Phoenix (where I am staying most of the trip), but I will in Tucson.)

WHOO HOOOOOO!

Evolutionary Catalysts

The times they are a changin'. Every day is a new journey of energies, shifts, awareness, and insights. As the earth experiences shifts, so do we. As we experience being human, we shift. As we open to more Love/God/Source energy, we open emotional portals that need to be cleared. It's an ongoing cycle that unfortunately does not seem to let up. It can get tiring for sure. But as we find the tools and resources to help us stay balanced, it is so much easier.


Clear your Garbage.

One of my mentors stresses constantly that if you clear your own personal emotional/mental/whatever "garbage", your buttons won't get pushed, your "issues" clear up", and life gets easier. I agree.

I read this channeling by the Hathors today by Tom Kenyon. Phenomenal. Is so helpful to me to see a bigger picture of what's happening and what I feel deep in my bones. He is a true visionary and the Hathors have been great teachers to me over the years.

They mention "Evolutionary Catalysts." The term has stayed with me all day, thinking about what it means to me. I love that term.

EVERYthing in our life is an Evolutionary Catalyst. Everything we encounter or do or experience moves us forward to help us become better humans. At least it *should*, and if it doesn't, you better think about it. We are in such beautiful amazing times that if we don't really clear our stuff, it gets hard.

Our Evolutionary Catalysts can also be consciously chosen. My personal path is so much easier when I have mentors and teachers. Sure, I know I have ALL the knowledge I will ever need within myself, and I do use that ALL that time. We all should. But I really appreciate others insights and information to help me move along a little faster. I have had many amazing and beautiful teachers in many forms, whether its friends, family, a person I pass in the grocery store, or a clip on tv I watch. There are also many chosen mentors, classes I have taken, workshops attended, recordings listened to, etc. Tom Kenyon is for sure at the top of the list. Sri & Kira, Marilyn & Tohmas, Michele & Chris, Carolyn, Brenda & Jack (and how interesting is it that MANY of them are couples! LOL), Lauren, Jim, Sarah, and so many more. I am so blessed to have so many mentors, amazing FRIENDS (you know who you are!), and Evolutionary Catalysts in my life!

We don't need to walk this path alone. It is so much richer and joyful with other people, even if you just listen to their audio recordings or read a channeling online. We NEED each other. It is TIME to be on this path together, so we can encourage and support each other in those moments of "WTF?!" (And I have those OFTEN! LOL) It is comforting to have someone just listen to me or to say, "You WILL be fine! It will all work out as it's supposed to!"

I am here for you. And others. We're all each other's Evolutionary Catalysts!

Who are yours?

blessings!

laughter!

Laughter is healing. How often do you laugh for silly or sometimes no reason and feel completely renewed and uplifted? It has documented physical benefits that change our biology!

Well, my dear friend Patrick is a Laughter Yoga teacher, and just this week did TWO video's of just him laughing. Priceless. And I laughed hysterically, because how can you not when you hear someone's great laugh?

Go here to watch.

And laugh along for gosh sake's!!

winter nurturing

Here in Minnesota we are in the depths of Winter. Everyone else in the US has also been experiencing a little harsher winter. It can be a challenge to stay positive and healthy for sure. I don't know about you but all I want to eat is warm, heavy comfort foods. My skin is tired and dry. My hair is a wreck of dry flatness.

And my spirit ...

Well, my spirit is mostly doing really good, except for those days when the sun doesn't shine, it's below 20 degrees (or worse), and there is yet another forecast for snow. This all does affect one's ability to move forward and to feel inspired.

Today, I had to dig deep and find the tools I needed to feel warm saturate deep in my bones, moisture in my body, and light in my soul.

*Big pot of boiling water with a customized essential oil blend from my friend Jodi. Yummy smells in house = happy Jennifer.

*LOUD music to get my body moving ... today's choice was the Sound of Sunshine from my soulinspiration Michael Franti.

*Turned my heat up a little bit and took off my fuzzy socks.

*Hot bath with my own Chakra Serenity bath salts that were SO moisturizing to my skin! Lovely!

*Superscrubbed my face with my fave deep exfoliant and sugar scrub. 

*Moisturized the heck outta my skin with LOVE. Literally. Jeanne has lotions for each chakra (and some of the stones inside them she got from ME!). They're not on her site, but you can contact her about them.

And then ...

*I sat on the couch and sat in pure SILENCE. For 45 minutes. No music. No guided meditation. No thoughts (mostly). Just silence. It was heavenly. It was a bit challenging at first, I wanted to go into a visualization of some sort or turn on one of the many many meditations or channelings I have available. Once I got past the monkeymind I was good.

It was amazing how much clearer energetically I felt when I took the time to come back to myself instead of the "doing" I was doing.  There are sometimes expectations of doing a lot, when really, if we can just BE and allow and let life FLOW as it's supposed to, life really does flow and expand and create whatever is perfect for us in each moment. My rituals and mini-spa day (which didn't take long!) helped me breathe deeper, be centered again, and find a new space to work from (as I continue some time-consuming projects).

There are other things I have had to do this winter to get out of a rut and I would highly recommend them to any locals (or find your equivalent in your area).

• Como Zoo & Conservatory.  Humid and flowery green BLISS.
• Walk the Mall of America.  (Just walk, don't shop. Okay but maybe stop for sushi.)
• Afternoon matinee of a stupid movie.
• Minneapolis Institute of Art.
• Walk around Lake Harriet (even in the cold & snow).
• Read books in the travel section of the bookstore.
• Eat hot & spicy pad thai and mai tai's.

So enjoy, crank the tunes and the heat!

What suggestions do you have to lift your spirit in mid-winter?  Feel free to comment to share!

January newsletter updates

Hey friends!

A newsletter to my email list went out today about some great SPECIAL OFFERS ... you really should go read it.

I am so grateful!

And, yes, your regularly programmed blogging will return shortly.

Thanks for your patience.

Shine in 2011

There certainly is a new hope for 2011!

Shine ON!

 

I am so grateful!!