• I Need a Sign

    • May 16, 2023 9:00 pm
    Dearest Readers,

    Last week, a client of mine said, “I need a sign!” They were feeling stuck in a pattern and looking for a way out.

    Being a person who looks for signs and spiritual messages when things are tough, I could relate. I’m also someone who’s received signs and spiritual messages without looking and I wrote about this in the last Healing Journey Letter.

    At the very beginning of my own healing journey, it was suggested that I “look for the coincidences” as evidence that a Higher Power was at work in my life. Nearly 25 years later, I’m still taking this suggestion.

    One of my most faithful sign-bringers is Woodpecker and I’ve written several times about how this comical bird’s coincidental materialization reassures me that I Am Known.

    On a retreat I was leading last month, I shared with the group that I’d had yet another woodpecker encounter  the week before and one of the women spoke up, pointing to the window excitedly and proclaiming, “There was a woodpecker right out there this morning!”

    Since then, I have literally been bombarded by woodpeckers. (Okay, not literally.)

    For many mornings in the last few weeks, I’ve been waking up to the bird’s percussive hammering. I leave the house and hear the rat-a-tat-tat echoing in the neighbourhood. I arrive home and the rhythmic patter is again sounding somewhere in the nearby trees. On several occasions, the bird has been close enough to see, making its way around a nearby trunk or flying from one tree to another in our yard.

    A few days ago, not one but two woodpeckers were pecking at the trees right outside the kitchen window. I felt like my “sign” had become a Times Square billboard.

    I watched in awe as the pair jabbed at rotten bark and darker crevices. I marveled at the precision of their work and the singular markings on their feathers.

    My heart felt happy and my day got better.

    *

    After I wrote the above sentence yesterday, I saved the Letter and went to work.

    On the way home from work, I stopped and got gas.

    Later, after an evening walk, I noticed the fuel door was still open and the gas cap was missing. Ooops! I had forgotten to close the fuel door and I’d driven away with the cap on top of the car.

    I got in the car and drove slowly back to the gas station, looking for the gas cap on the road.

    I spotted it, pulled over, got out, picked it up.

    A man, mowing his lawn, saw me and shrugged, puzzled by my action.

    “It’s my gas cap!” I shouted above the mower.

    He couldn’t hear, turned the mower off and walked over. I repeated what I’d said.

    “That’s funny. The same thing happened to my wife this afternoon.”

    “What?!”

    “Yeah. She left the fuel door open, gas cap dangling. Some guy flashed his lights to indicate for her to stop.”

    “That just happened to your wife today?” I asked.

    “Yup.”

    Okay, seriously. What are the chances that my gas cap falls off the car in front of the house of a guy who just happens to be outside when I come by and whose wife had the exact same thing happen to her on that day?

    In a world that sometimes seems to have gone completely mad, when the cauldron of human hatred and fear seems ever closer to boiling over, I look for the coincidences to land me back in the joyful notion that We Are Known.

    From the fires of love,

    Celia

    Do the Do

    • May 4, 2010 10:28 am

    Dearest Readers,

    As I negotiate the murky waters of grief made even more so by the distance between me and the dearly departed I find myself searching for things to help me connect to the loss. Is there a song on the iPod that will bring the tears? A poem? A movie?

    One of the most challenging things to do (at the best of times) is to stay present. I’ve got a couple of months of travel coming up at the beginning of June and it’s incredibly tempting to future-trip my way to departing, traveling and returning back home in fantastical avoidance of the Here and Now.

    “Life is a trip,” is what I’ve been saying lately in reference to all that can happen in a day or a week. I honestly don’t know how people do it, and by that I mean live, without a spiritual life. What sustains me, what keeps me going and fills me with hope and excitement and the willingness to keep moving forward is faith.

    Faith in the Power that makes the grass grow, the sun shine and the wind blow. Faith in the Abiding Presence of this Power in the minutiae of our daily lives. Faith in Love, that inexplicable Energy that springs forth majestically in even the darkest of situations.

    For me, this faith is not blind. It’s not hoping. It’s not wishing. It’s practical and it takes work. It’s practical because it makes me want to live fully and deeply, which is a heck of a lot better than wanting to die and I’ve been there done that. And it takes work because it requires prayer, meditation, demonstration and practice to bear fruit.

    This blog, as I’ve mentioned before, is part of this faithful work. When I woke up this morning I was heavy with the burden of facing another day. Not wishing to stay in that place and being aware, at least on some level, of the incredible abundance in my life (making gratitude practically mandatory), I set about doing the things I needed to do to shift my thinking.

    As I head toward completion of this post I have a lighter spirit, my energy is beginning to flow and I am feeling much more like do-ing the tasks at hand while be-ing in the present to do them.

    The shift began with willingness on my part. “Despite my fear I am willing to move forward.” From there I sought help from Higher Guidance. “Help me, take this day, show me. I’m small, I’m weak, I can’t do it alone.” Slowly but surely my energy has been restored, returning little by little as I do the next thing, take the next step, walk through the fear.

    The rain falls steadily but I can see the Sun behind the clouds.

    Inspiring Message of the Day: Life’s a trip. An ever-unfolding adventure. When we forget this idea and it instead feels like a slog we can ask the Higher Power Back of All Things to support us and hold us up. It will carry us forward with steadfast Love.

    Shhhh

    • April 26, 2010 8:17 am

    Dearest Readers,

    The last blog I posted was about taking the time to look at the world around us. Looking is vital to our practice of Be-ing. What about listening?

    Last week I got a kink in my neck. I breathed through the pain, did positive affirmations, refused to give it power and it went away. Two days later it came back.

    Because I believe in and practice metaphysics, I adhere to the idea that there is something deeper going on with this pain in my neck. What is “a pain in the neck” in my life right now? That’s the obvious question. No real obvious answer, though. Other than taxes.

    Okay, take a break from doing the taxes. Thanks for the permission. Is there something more? I went to Louise Hay’s book You Can Heal Your Life to find out her thoughts on the deeper meaning behind neck pain.

    Please keep an open mind about this. I have to. I take some things Louise says with a grain of salt. For example she corresponds an ingrown toenail with “worry and guilt about your right to move forward.” Yah.

    Anyway, according to Louise’s “List”, the neck represents flexibility and neck pain correlates to inflexibility. So where am I being inflexible? I went through all the things in my life and couldn’t really find a solid answer.

    Perhaps I’m not seeing it, perhaps it’s not there. Either way, I am not hearing a clear, definite response.

    I once heard someone say that prayer is asking for Higher Guidance and meditation is listening for It. This morning, in prayer, I realized that is precisely what I need to do today.

    So I’ve committed to doing a couple of things that cannot be put off until tomorrow but the rest of the to-do list is going to have to wait. I’m going to take the day to listen.

    Inspiring Message of the Day: What am I not hearing? Today I will take the time to get quiet and listen. I trust that in the Silence I will be given what it is I need to hear.

    Road Work Ahead

    • April 10, 2010 12:54 pm

    Dearest Readers,

    It’s amazing what can happen in an instant. All of a sudden you’re going along, moving forward, doing the footwork to manifest your vision and WHAM! something blocks your way.

    Yesterday I was in a meeting with a funding organization who has been supporting the making of a feature film I have in development. During the meeting, one of my biggest advocates admitted that she doesn’t like the new version of the script. She liked the old version. She wants me to go back to the old version. The version I just spent five months re-working with a story editor.

    I have to say, I handled the situation very well. Not too long ago I think I would have shrunk like a violet, backpedaled, and said whatever I could to please her. But I didn’t. I was calm, I maintained a sense of authority as the author, and I made valid points to contradict her arguments.

    But I left the office in shock. I got on the bus, which took me over the Burrard Bridge and got off on the other side in a daze. It had been a long week that had begun with five days of the Dawson Film Fest followed by three days of meetings in Vancouver. I was worn out.

    So I began to cry. I’ve blogged before about crying as a healing tool, as a necessary part of the process of change, growth and self-empowerment. Knowing I was just releasing energy that had been building in the form of tension and expectation enabled me to let the tears come. I leaned against a big ol’ tree for support and felt my feelings.

    When the flow of emotion stopped, I moved on, heading back to the place where I was staying to pack and depart on the next leg of the journey, which has brought me to Summerland for a conference. In addition to the cry, I sent an email about the experience to a couple of people who are supporting the project and looked ahead to determine my next steps.

    In short, I allowed myself to feel, I shared with others and then I let it go.

    So today, though I am focused on other things and that helps, I feel quite surrendered about what might or might not happen next. Having faith means trusting that whatever comes down the pipe can be interpreted as Higher Guidance. Prayer and meditation will now assist in bringing further clarity and help determine my next steps.

    I’ll keep you posted.

    Inspiring Message of the Day: I will continue to interpret “road blocks” as part of the puzzle of the journey ahead. I will practice interpreting everything that happens to me as sign posts on the road map to my Highest Good.

    Pro-Rogue

    • March 3, 2010 10:21 am

    Dearest Readers,

    All y’all may get tired of me posting how the Creative Power of the Universe will specifically respond to our questions but I will never get tired of blogging about it.

    Here’s the latest:

    As we de-planed yesterday at the Whitehorse Airport I saw a woman holding that book by Sarah Palin called “Going Rogue.”

    “What exactly does rogue mean, anyway?” I thought to myself.

    As I’ve mentioned before, I am a member of Toastmasters International and one of the standard practices at all TM meetings is the Word of the Day.

    The TM meeting I attend is for early birds as it takes place at 7 a.m. on Wednesday mornings. This morning I had to drag myself out of bed to get there. I didn’t have to go but I’ve missed a number of meetings over the course of the last couple of months and I knew if I didn’t go today I might never get there again.

    When I arrived, a fellow member was writing the Word of the Day on a white board. By now, no doubt, you’ve guessed what it was. Rogue.

    What this tells me is that I am in the Flow, bruthas and sistahs. I am in tune with the Cosmic Consciousness. Not because I’m special but because I have been vigilant about creating and sustaining my relationship with Higher Guidance. I work at it. Everyday. And it pays off.

    BTW, “rogue” means “a person whose behavior one disapproves of but who is nonetheless likable or attractive”. In case you didn’t know.

    Inspiring Message of the Day: I will continue to pray and meditate, to seek a connection with the Spirit of Unity Back of All Things. When I make this connection a priority I am shown in both small and great ways that I am truly supported.

    The Land of Serendip

    • February 23, 2010 10:14 am

    Dearest Readers,

    Because of something that happened to me yesterday I just looked up the word “serendipity” in this computer’s dictionary.

    Here is what it said:

    “The occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.

    ORIGIN 1754: coined by Horace Walpole, suggested by The Three Princes of Serendip, the title of a fairy tale in which the heroes “were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of.”

    As I was walking along the street yesterday afternoon I saw a woman I know from Whitehorse. She now lives in Vancouver and there she was, riding her bicycle past me on the street. I opened my mouth to call her name and, to my surprise, it actually came out. (Sometimes, in these situations, it doesn’t.)

    She stopped, recognized me immediately and got off her bike to say hello. We hugged and when I asked her how she was doing she responded truthfully and said she was struggling. We walked together for a while and she shared with me some of her difficulties.

    I related to what she was talking about; I had been through similar challenges myself. I was able to share my experience, strength and hope with her and she left with the name of a book I recommended and a smile on her face. I felt as though I had been useful and helpful to a friend in need.

    Neither of us were on a quest for such a happy and beneficial meeting but nonetheless it occurred for our mutual benefit. Is this “chance”, as the above definition describes? Or it is Higher Guidance, giving us just what we need precisely when we need it?

    I think you know what my answer would be.

    Inspiring Message of the Day: I will continue to stay open to the happy and beneficial discoveries provided me by serendipitous encounters. I will trust that this is Higher Guidance, giving me just what I need.

    How it Works

    • January 23, 2010 8:56 am

    Dearest Readers,

    This is how the Higher Power [or Cosmic Consciousness or the Life Force Energy or the Universe or God or whatever word(s) you’re comfortable with] works:

    The sh&% hits the fan and terror strikes.

    I pray: Help me, show me, guide me.

    I go to the Grace Cards. I shuffle and cut the deck.

    The card on the top of the cut pile reads, “Patience: Trust in Divine timing. Your future holds something far greater than your past.”

    I look at the card on the top of the pile proper and it reads, “Affection: Love yourself. You are the ultimate act of creation, fashioned by the hands of a Divine Artist.”

    The card now on top of the cut pile reads, “Relax: Breathe. Everything is happening exactly as it should be.”

    I go out. I meet some friends. One of them reads from a book of daily meditations to start a discussion.

    The reading says, “As always, we have a choice in how we will approach life’s challenges. We can dread and avoid them as threats to our serenity, or we can gratefully accept them as opportunities for growth.”

    I come home. I bawl my eyes out, shedding the fear, getting it out of my body. I rise up, willing to move forward, ready to walk fearlessly into the unknown.

    After a good night’s sleep I awaken, alive and well, with the gift of another day ahead of me.

    This life, friends, this journey, is a process of learning. We don’t do it perfectly and some days are better than others. So glad you are there! Thank you.

    Inspiring Message of the Day: I trust that there is a Higher Purpose to my life and if I ask, I will receive the Guidance I need to continue moving forward in its fulfillment. I will practice gratitude no matter what happens.

    Taking Direction

    • January 11, 2010 9:55 am

    Dearest Readers,

    The last two mornings I have woken up super early with great plans to start knocking off the tasks ahead one-by-one. And on both mornings I ended up going back to bed and sleeping for another couple of hours.

    What is important to note is that both yesterday and today I took a moment to check in with myself before I climbed back under the covers. I stopped (literally stood still) and asked myself what I really needed. Was it more important to get things done or to get some more shut-eye?

    After going “within” and listening for the intuitive feedback, I followed Direction and got back into bed.

    Though I tend more and more toward believing that rest should always trump activity it’s not necessarily the case. I could very easily have done the same check-in and intuitively known that I needed to work. But there was a time when I wouldn’t even have bothered to ask myself about my needs. Charge ahead! Well-being be damned!

    As an Inspiring Coach and as the client of a Business Coach I have become familiar with a tool that asks clients to name his/her “victories” or “wins”. If you would have told me that one day I would list “going back to bed when I’m tired” as a victory I would not have believed you.

    Today, I call it a victory.

    Inspiring Message of the Day: I may think I know what is best for me but I’m willing to be wrong. I will take the time to check in with my physical, emotional, and spiritual needs before making a decision and I will listen for (and take) Direction.

    In the Flow

    • November 20, 2009 10:04 am

    Dearest Readers,

    Does being “in the right place at the right time” only happen sometimes? Or are we always there, exactly where we are supposed to be, every single moment?

    I prefer to believe the latter. I like the idea that my life is unfolding according to a Higher Plan and that as it unfolds, the Life Force Energy of the Universe is adjusting, like the automatic pilot, to whatever direction I happen to take.

    When I allow this theory to work in my life I am in the Flow. When I get in the way, force my hand, make fear-based decisions, I’ve stepped out of the Flow and things go awry. But even then, I do not have to fear, because the Universe will still adjust, and give me another opportunity to step into alignment with its Wisdom, Grace or Guidance.

    Sometimes, however, the fact that I am in the right place at the right time is just so magnificently obvious that I am floored and deeply humbled by the Great Power That Makes it All Happen. (All of Those Words Deserve Capital Letters, Dontcha Think?)

    Example:

    I need to hire someone to record a group of musicians. I am given a name and I happen to know the man. I had already been thinking about working with him in some capacity!

    I don’t call him. I intuitively trust that he’s the person for the job but I hold off because someone mentions another name and I am now unsure.

    At a café, I run into the man who was initially suggested to me and, being used to working in tandem with the Universe, I see this as my opportunity to mention the job. He tells me his friend, a recording engineer, is in town and that the two of them can help.

    We set up a meeting but my friend can’t be there. I meet the new man alone. He is leaving the day after we plan to record. He has all the equipment we need with him. He has the expertise and the desire to do the job.

    In other words, he’s a frickin’ angel.

    So I’m sitting there speaking with this angel and thinking, “I did not do this. I didn’t have to DO anything to make this happen!”

    I simply had to show up in my life, trust my intuition, and take action when the opportunity presented itself to me.

    Whenever I have a big project that could easily overwhelm me or send me into fear-mode my mantra is this:

    This project is not mine. I am the Assistant. The Great Director is running the show.

    And my prayer is this:

    Show me what to do.

    And then I suit up and show up for the adventure of my life, allowing it to unfold, trusting Guidance, and letting go of my need to control things myself.

    I do not do this perfectly. I do it to the best of my ability, which changes from day to day.

    To keep the process in flux, I remember to give thanks for all the gifts that are my life and for the opportunity to be of service.

    Inspiring Message of the Day: If you don’t like your job, become an Assistant to the Universe. It’s the best gig you’ll ever get.