The Time is Now

Dear all,

Do you also have the feeling that time seems to be flying? Do you currently observe that painful events & memories (you thought are long gone or have forgotten about) are breaking through the surface? Do you feel a strange longing to search for deeper meaning in your life? Or are you still struggling with manifesting your purpose in a consistent and joyful way? Welcome to the Club!

I had several reminders in the last 2 weeks that we are indeed living in trying and yet, very exciting times where things are about to change. From a spiritual perspective, this change is about a shift in consciousness driven by specific energetic influxes and a shift in energy frequency patterns coming from a higher realm. As a human race our collective and individual task is to move from a 3rd dimensional density consciousness to a 5th dimensional ascended consciousness. In short, we are preparing ourselves for Ascension or Awakening.

My intention in this blog is not so much to discuss the purpose and reasons behind that shift (google Ascension process and you will find many articles), but rather to look at the key messages that are embedded in this for us.

Personally, I have witnessed this shift in myself and many of my clients and friends around me. Our deepest fears, limiting beliefs and old negative behavioural patterns are currently been activated into our conscious awareness.
Those challenges may come from this life time, but they can also be coming from karmic ties or beliefs held in the collective un-consciousness. Whatever they are and wherever they come from, fact is we are meant to acknowledge, resolve and heal them if we are to awaken to our new nature of “multidimensional” beings in unity.

Trust me if I say I am speaking from experience… Emotional pain and imbalances are not new to me (remember I am Enneagram Type 4), but at this particular time they seem to intensify and manifest in episodes of crying, anxieties and physical unwellness. Consequently, I have done changes to my diet again, take supplements, started Aikido (martial arts), make it a habit to write down my thoughts and just sit quiet for some time each day to reflect and stay with whatever is going on. It is not very easy and I can’t say that I make transformational changes. Yet, I do sense that each “activity” is a step into the right direction, I feel there is a greater purpose & meaning at work. Never before have I had access to so many resources that support me in this process – my peer coaching groups, my partner, my books & information, my friends, my solitude, the time I have available to focus on personal development, the coaching opportunities I am being given… everything seems to be exactly the way it is supposed to be, making me confront my boundaries in the pursuit of growth in consciousness.

The pain comes primarily if I start to struggle against what is presented to me at this time. It comes, if I allow my thoughts to take over to create negative scenarios and “what if” cases in my mind. It stays with me if I give my inner critic the permission to stay in charge. I know that these are powerful opportunities for exposing my ego and question the reality I have created for myself. Sometimes I push back hard not wanting to accept that there is no “truth” in what I thought and felt to be true for so long. As I am writing this, fear creeps up on me asking “who will I be” if I give up my story, known limits and the construct I created to make sense of the world. There is still a strong impulse to protect what is my reality as this is all I know. Letting go means surrendering to the unknown and my biggest personal fear I have discovered in this is “will I be safe” where I need to go next, “will I be safe” if there is nothing I can hold onto anymore as it has all changed?

It is a scary place to be and yet very liberating. Cognitively, I have always understood that this is the “normal” process of our times and necessary to fulfill God’s plan. However, going through it myself and seeing my friends and clients go through it is indeed challenging – sometimes I wish there would be a shortcut.

Emotional clearing and getting ourselves into a state of acceptance & surrender are vital at the moment to be able to cope with what is going on. If we want to be part of the Ascension, we have to stop fighting and give intent to “being ready” whatever may come.

If I say the “time is now” I refer to the window of possibility we all have to re-examine what kind of life we have created, how we have lived our life, what kind of beliefs, values, aspirations have shaped us and what we need to change going forward.

It is a time of introspection, self-understanding and self-acceptance. As we wake up and learn how to become conscious, we become “universally responsible”. It implies that we integrate our awareness with personal responsibility to shape the impact we have on the world and the world has on us.

As conscious beings and leaders, we will be able to know ourselves and everything around us, because we know that we cannot choose intentions consciously until we become conscious of each of the different aspects of ourselves. In other words, we are not only aware of a problem (and can solve it), we are also doing something about it since we become responsible of what we are aware of.

The question I have for you is “are you ready” to become a more conscious human being? If not, what is holding you back? What do you need to get started? What is it that you belief to be true about what is going on in the world, around you, within yourself?

If you ARE ready, reflect on where you are now and what you need to accelerate your growth & development? What resources do you have that allow you to go with the flow? What is it that you have to let go of and surrender to?

The quicker we will be able to heal ourselves and step into our awareness & full responsibility, the faster global changes will take place. We are all interconnected and if we heal parts of ourselves, we heal parts of the collective consciousness. Imagine everyone pulling their weight, what future we can create.

My job as a Coach will therefore ALWAYS be twofold: giving my best to personally develop into higher levels of consciousness while holding the best intentions for my clients and creating a safe space for them to look at themselves, who they really are and who they are becoming.

In conclusion, the points I would like to remind us of as we play our parts in this conscious shift include:

1. Practice self-awareness more rigoursly than ever
We have to become an observer of our thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations and behaviours and its impact in our lives, at work and on others. We could start by setting a conscious intention to welcome any new learning’s about ourselves into our lives with gratitude. We could say: “I am grateful for this opportunity to understand myself better every day. I am open and receptive to all lessons that are presented to me, because I know it serves the highest purpose of evolution. I am safe and well as I discover myself more and more, everyday in every way.”

Self-awareness is not just something that happens. It requires discipline, focus and openness to ask ourselves tough questions as we go through our days: what am I feeling; what am I reacting to; what in this situation do I perceive to be true; what are my underlying reasons of thinking this way; what role am I playing here; what is my intention…

Only by giving ourselves time and space to reflect, feel our bodies, acknowledge our emotions and reevaluate our actions, will we be able to gain greater insights into ourselves.

2. Recognize what is really going on
As our self-awareness increases we will recognize negative patterns, habits and recurring challenges in our life. What is really going on requires us to look deeper and go beyond the surface. Often this is prompted by negative experiences or breakdowns in our life. Ask yourself: where do I currently encounter challenges in my life; from where do I know this / where have I seen this before in my life; how do these challenges manifest in my life right now (symptoms); what do the challenges have in common; can I see a common theme; what is the common theme; what word / sentence would I use to describe what is going on; what does this tell me about myself; what do I need to address it; what needs to shift etc.

Asking for feedback from others can be a powerful source of insight for us. Usually people around us are quite aware of what is going (as it is easier to be the outside observer), but they seldom tell us honestly & frankly unless asked. Think about who you could ask for feedback today to deepen your awareness.

3. Be gentle with yourself
There might be a tendency to discount on what progress we have already made up to this point in our lives. The inner critic, pleaser, doubter or whatever other ego-personality will work hard to dismantle any possibility of positive change. Don’t be afraid, the process is such that we are meant to evolve anyways, no matter of how hard the ego tries to deceive us. Have you heard this saying: “Before it gets better, it gets worse”? If yes, you know what I am talking about. In moments, we think we can’t take anymore, we have to stay right there and we will see that the fear, pain or whatever is present, is just an illusion. The moment we walk through it, is the moment we become free. However, don’t push yourself too hard. You will intuitively know if the time is ready to dissolve your boundaries and blast through your fears, until then try to go with flow.

Ask yourself: how can I create more joy in my life today; what can I do to love & respect myself more; what makes me feel whole right now; what do I want to acknowledge myself for; what am I grateful for today etc.

4. Put yourself into a state of gratitude, acceptance & surrender
This is an extension of point 3 – gratitude, acceptance and surrender are the key attitudes we need to cultivate if we want to consciously evolve. As I said earlier, fighting against “what is” or “what we have created” will get us nowhere, it rather intensifies the struggle and pain until it reaches a tipping point where we are “forced” to accept that our reality created was not life supporting or beneficial for our next stage of development. Whenever you feel yourself resisting, remember “what we resist persists”. Go back to these three attitudes and ask yourself how you can embody them more:

Gratitude is about having appreciation for life and the fact that we have been given free will to co-create. We do not live by instincts, but have the power to exercise conscious choice. It means not taking things for granted, but giving thanks for our existence and experiences in this life time.

Acceptance is the opposite of resistance. When we accept we do not ask “why this is happening to me”. Instead we ask ourselves “what is real” or “what is true” and work through the layers till we understand the lessons. Once understood, we embrace it and let it be.

Surrender can come with, before or after acceptance. It implies that we do not force “our plan” or actions to resolve the challenges and lessons at hand. Rather are we open to the idea of a higher power and purpose and detach ourselves from the outcome and results we want to achieve.

5. Stay the course – work on body, mind and soul
In the end, we are all work in progress and perseverance is an important element as we stay with the process. It is all too easy to get impatient and give up on our noble path and desire to grow (irrespective of the so-called energetic window of opportunity).

They say it takes 21 days to entrench a behavioural change, is it a wonder that it may require a lifetime to change our complete state of being? However, as said before the momentum has begun and the time for making relevant, step by step changes in our lives has never been better.

One way of making sure we are staying the course is by developing our own Integral Life Practices plan (ILPP). It is a structured and coherent plan that consists of practices we already do or intend to do on a body, mind, soul and shadow level. It can include things like:
• Body: nutrition, exercise, healthy habits etc.
• Mind: research, books, study group etc.
• Spirit: meditation, religious gatherings, etc.
• Shadow: journaling, Enneagram study, etc.

The key is to work on all levels simultaneously to intensify and accelerate our growth process.

In addition, it can also help to seek out a counselor, coach or support group that we intimately connect with to ensure we progress with highest intent.

As you continue on your path, I wish you strength, courage and joy in the months to come.

In spirit,
Vanessa

“A surge of life pulled me from the dead
I gave up mental contamination
And started building a spiritual foundation
The world all around me was falling down
And when it crumbled I saw higher ground
Something happened inside of me
I stepped into my true identity.”

[From “Spiritual Liberation” by Michael Bernard Beckwith]

Creativity

Dear all,

I am late by 3 days with this blog entry and frankly speaking I have been procrastinating. It was not due to a lack of time, but a perceived lack of creativity that stopped me from putting my thoughts down. And precisely because of that, I decided to focus in this entry on creativity, creation and what it takes to be inspired.

Being creative
I always had a strange relationship with the concept of creativity and it took me a long time to even dare admitting to myself that I can be creative. I had created this idealized air around it. In my imagination, creative people were the ultra-cool, outside-the-norm, artsy, rebellious, lonely, deeply emotional and vulnerable beings that scared by life manifested their desires, life pains and hopes in tangible pieces of art. In my world these people were not living a long and balanced life, but were rather inspired by periods of utmost (emotional) intensity and ugliness of life which made them turn away from the outer world and explore their spirits and inner workings in pursuit of either becoming “normal” or telling the world what others were missing out while being normal.

It didn’t help that I actually yearned to be exactly like them (probably my Enneagram Type 4 genes), something I could not accomplish in my mind since I have had not been given obvious gifts like drawing skills, musical talent, acting, performing or even writing skills for that matter. However strangely enough, looking back at my childhood, there were periods where I did test my creative talents: I wrote poems, daily philosophical letters to friends, performed at a theatre play, played the flute (that was a disaster though, I was the only one who couldn’t read notes and operated on a “finger 1-5” system”), danced my way daily through our living room (to Michael Jackson music) and sang Bavarian songs in our family restaurant in the attempt to entertain guests. Well, not too bad after all, wasn’t it? And yet, once I entered the workforce I seemed to forget all about it and the concept of my fantasized creativity became somehow unattainable again.

Since I started Flow & Balance, I find myself regularly in need to tap my right-brain and natural creativity whether it is for writing this blog, being spontaneous and intuitive in responding in coaching conversations or dreaming up some practical marketing ideas. In this context my new-old fantasy did not quite help and I was re-thinking what creativity really means to me and here is what I came up with:

•It comes from a higher place or spirit, not the ego (if it comes from the ego, it feels like I rationally force things to happen. This is different from being in spirit where an idea has taken hold of me rather than I have to take hold of the idea)

•It is directed from the heart, not the head

•It is about trusting my intuition and instincts beyond the known

•It is a space where I feel alive and joyful as I receive vibrational energies in form of voices, messages, silent reminders, invisible suggestions etc.

•It is reflected by a state of inner peace & focus and time is not of essence

•It is state of flow – a shift of consciousness where I can work with greater energy, enthusiasm and efficiency

•It is a calling to proceed even though I am unsure of goals, accomplishments or the end-result

•It feels effortless and easy

•It feels like it “has to be that way” – there are no doubts and no criticism of the result

Tapping into creative states at will
The concept of “flow” has long been associated with high performance, not only creativity. In sports, athletes that are in a flow state reflect an inner state that is intensely focused and exceptionally calm – think of the recent performance by Korean Ice skater Kim Yun Na. Getting into a flow state bridges the linear and creative functions of our brain while suspending the critical faculty of our logical mind, temporarily. This means we need to tap into our right brain first without logical reflection, before we can later use the left brain to organize, systemize and fit ideas together. The challenge is often that we try too quickly to press emotions and experiences of a spontaneous idea into linear form, therefore being more directed by our head rather than the heart.

I had to realize that creativity is not a something that belongs exclusively to a talented group of people, but rather it is our birth right and divine nature to live from inspiration and inspire others. Everyone is naturally creative and expresses or manifests creativity differently. The measure of creativity may also not be worldly success as we know it. It rather is to be measured by how we feel and show joy in life. A measure I clearly have had some challenges with in the past.

So, what can we do more of to tap into our natural creativity and experience these flow states more often in our lives?

Learning to focus
I am afraid to say that again, but the quickest way to shift into non-critical, not-knowing and creative states of mind is via deep relaxation or meditation. It allows letting go of the past and future and centers us into the present. All it often takes is 2 minutes of getting into the relaxed mode consistently over a period of time before embarking on a creative task or project. The relaxation can be a deep breathing exercise where you scan your body and relax each of its muscles. After feeling totally relaxed and safe, you can set your intention and say a positive affirmation of how you want to BE as you allow your creativity to flow through you.

For instance, one of the statements I would say to myself is: “I am totally calm, at peace and at ease right here and now. I open my heart and allow myself to be guided by my natural creative talents that come directly from source. Those talents will manifest themselves in words, deeds and ways I may not yet consciously know. I open myself up to all the creative possibilities and inspirations from infinite spirit. Thank you.”

It may sound quite spiritual, but that this is exactly what creation is about – it comes from spirit and the heart and not the ego. Being therefore in the right STATE (our emotional, physical and mental condition we are operating from) while allowing ourselves to access the depth of our consciousness, will bring creativity forth in us. As the Enneagram Institute reminded me today via a “Tip of the day” e-mail (how fitting):

“The nature of creativity will probably always remain mysterious because its basis is irrational—in the feelings and unconscious of the artist. The motives for artistic work are both to communicate and to conceal the self.”
(The Enneagram Institute, Personality Types, 136)

I think it is the “irrationality” or lack of control we may be afraid of in allowing creativity to come through, or least for me it is certainly a factor. Realizing that my rational mind is often my ego mind helps me to refocus, because I know that my thoughts are only a fraction of who I really am in creative expression. Suspending the false self (ego) and surrendering to a greater good, purpose and force are the main reasons for being able to live a life from inspiration and creativity.

For me, knowing this truth helps me often to replace my doubts and return to a state of not knowing and being okay with it. My EPs or Mindtraps (see previous blogs) with my inner critic being the loudest need to be silenced, otherwise I will not be in a place of harmony and creation will be challenging.

Creativity is such a fluid, high vibrational state and the more we learn to tune into ourselves and tap into its natural flow, the more joy and creative manifestations we will experience.

Going forward, you may find it useful to reflect on the following questions:
•When was a time where I was in complete bliss? How did it feel? What was I doing? Where was I?

•How do I express my creativity naturally? How am I creative? What do I do when I am creative?

•What do I really need in order to be creative?

•What is stopping me from allowing more creativity into my life?

•What can I do more of to bring more creativity into my life? (play, pray, mediate, go into nature, go to the spa, focused breathing, writing a story, re-decorating the house, make time for a dream day, watch people…)

•What can I do less of that blocks my creativity? E.g. How can I unclutter my life, my schedule, my commitments to free up time? How can I free myself of the Mindtraps and ego-talk that keeps me from being creative more often?

•What daily commitment to I want to make in order to give creativity a space in my life?

•How can others help me to stick to this commitment? How can they participate in my creativity? How can we co-create?

Have fun and experiment!

In spirit,
Vanessa