If there's one thing I've learned in my life, it's that a truly self-empowered state comes from feeling, with my whole body and soul, that the Universe sees me as a vital part of it.

When I feel into how much the Universe loves me, how it just knows it would be incomplete without me, I feel how truly loved and supported I am.

​I feel the love in my heart, the love that connects me to all the beautiful things I dream of. I feel All That Is shining onto me, and I feel myself shining back. As we commune and I drop my walls I feel like I'm coming home. I feel the power of higher dimensions of consciousness guiding me, wanting me to succeed.

They want me to feel happy and expanded and safe and powerful because I am as important to to the Universe as the whole Universe is to me. 

If one cell in my body, one single cell, fell into dis-ease I would give it unconditional love and support. I would send it waves of love, nourish it with good food, drink plenty of water, and all in hopes that it returned to health and harmony. I would do this, because it is a part of me, each cell is vital in making me whole.

​You are the same to the Universe. The Universe wants you to be happy, healthy and whole because without you, it's incomplete.

When I feel into that, into the knowing that vast and powerful resources are asking, begging, pleading with me to stop trying so hard and to let them help, I feel empowered.

I feel it as I go about my day. I don't have to think it or affirm it or keep reminding myself of it. Whenever I feel lost, alone, sad or scared I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and I feel that the atoms of my body are composed of the same material as the stars. Then I feel the cosmic connection I have to those stars, and then I feel the power, the literal power of all that mass, all that hydrogen burning and churning and crushing down on a core so hot it lights up entire worlds.

This state of empowerment within me feels like warmth. It feels like ease. It feels good. Really, really good. And that's all being self-empowered is. Feeling good from within.

If you would like to tune into this feeling further, my Self-Empowerment meditation will take you on a journey to your cosmic core, to the You that is fully connected to your true magnificence and power.

​In my guided meditation Expect Miracles I ask you to start looking for miracles everywhere in your daily life.

​The more you see miracles, the more you will believe in them and the more they will show up. It's using the basic Universe principle energy flows where attention goes. When you think about something, and you feel good about it, it makes an energetic connection in the quantum field, which then manifests that thing in your physical life.

In other words, get excited about the miraculous nature of life and your life will become miraculous. 

Asking you to start looking for miracles everywhere can seem like a high order. Who in this world of struggle and conflict sees miracles all the time? All of us. It's simply a matter of changing your perspective. Miracles really are around us all the time, so long as we're willing to see them.

For real? I mean really. I'm just sitting here drinking my coffee. How is that miraculous?

The real question is, how is not?

Let's imagine you've just gotten a cup of joe from your favorite coffee shop. You're walking out with a paper cup full of piping hot dark roast. Let's take a look at that simple paper cup that's so magically holding your liquid from sloshing to the ground. And I do mean magically. Do you know that the atoms that compose you, me, cups, everything, never touch each other? That's right, it's an illusion. Between every single atom is an imperceptible cushion of space. 

The fact that the cup appears solid, and that your hand holding it appears solid, is one of the miraculous illusions of this world.

How does this happen? When atoms reach a certain point, they are no longer attracted to each other, but start to experience repulsion. The closer they get the stronger this repelling force is. Which means the more you try to force them together the stronger the force is pushing them apart. How strong? Stronger than any force we're capable of producing here on this Earth. Which means that two of the most microscopic building blocks of life area capable of exerting more strength, more POWER, than the strongest person alive.

The smallest pieces of this world contain power. That in itself is rather miraculous. You are created of those pieces. You are created of billions and billions of powerful atoms, atoms which are working in their own divinely intelligent and miraculous way to keep you together - or at least, seemingly together. Let's not forget those atoms like their space.

So this cup you have is kind of amazing, and we've barely scratched the surface of its fascinating makeup.

If you collapsed the empty space of a cup and somehow overpowered those powerful atoms, the actual dense matter of your cup would be less than a fraction of a grain of sand.

Along with there being space around atoms, there is also space within the atoms. Around each nucleus, electron and proton is also space. A lot of it. The world is much less dense than it appears. We just take for granted that the way our eyes process reality is the whole story.

It's not. Far from it.

Now we're starting to understand how wild and strange your cup is. But we should go deeper. Let's consider the material that makes up the cup and take a look at this paper receptacle. Paper's not special, right? Okay it's got that weird space between the atoms thing going on, but beside that, it's just paper.

Right?

Is anything just anything? Where did the paper actually come from? It didn't just appear as a cup in the coffee shop.

​It had to start as a tree. A tree has a protective layer of bark, which acts like your own skin, protecting its interior from the outside elements. It also has a system of veins that run sap up and down it in order to nourish the tree, much like your own blood system. A tree is a living, breathing part of this world. It's not just a tree.

But how do we even have trees that can be turned into paper? Where did the first tree come from?

In 2007, tree stumps that were 385 million years old were uncovered. Trees have been living and evolving on this earth longer than any human ancestor. A lot longer. About 379 million years longer. When you stand before a tree, you stand before something that connects back to a time that we know almost nothing about. The trees connect back to the mysterious and miraculous birth of life as we know it.

There's more to it than that. Trees are grown in special harvesting places called managed timberlands. The logs are shipped to sawmills for processing... oh but wait, that's not simple either. What are the trucks made of that ship the logs?

What about the person who drives the truck, the person who can never be again and was never before? That special person who is them self a cosmic mystery.

The tires for the truck had to be made, the metal was made somewhere. All of these separate parts of the earth turned into a truck, so that someone could ship logs to a processing plant to make paper.

And then there's the wax that lines the cup, which has its own mind boggling story of how it came to be. Nothing in this world is simple. Everything is connected to everything else. Those trees that make the paper? They were nourished by the water that cycles through the sky and earth, by the soil that has been on this planet for billions of years. When you hold paper, you hold something that is connected to all of time and creation on this planet. It's that amazing.

To say that the entire world conspires together to make a little cup that holds your coffee would be true. If that isn't miraculous, I don't know what is. Not to mention the fact that we've already established the cup itself, with all its space filled atoms, is miraculous in nature.

And that's just the cup. We didn't even get into the coffee inside of it. When you sip coffee, you sip something that is only made possible by a complex and fascinating series of events. It's something that passed through the hands of people half a world away, was shipped by fuels that came from inside the earth and was brewed by somebody who is made from the same materials as the stars in the sky. 

Everything in this world can be looked at in this way. Including you. Maybe even especially you.

​There are miracles all around us. Life is the miracle. You are a miracle.

It's often just a matter of change in perception to see how miraculous this life and world are. Why not take a moment and marvel at what's happening all around you right now? As I said in the beginning of this blog post, that which is like itself will be drawn to itself. Think about miracles, notice them, and notice how your life changes.

Take a deep breath

 Let it out slowly

 Feel your body move with the breath

 Take another breath, feeling your whole body move and respond.

​Notice your shoulders rise with the in breath,
​and your stomach shrink with the out breath.

Each breath is a moment of freedom

It's a moment to feel your body rising and falling as it responds to you.
You choose to breathe, and so you breathe.

Whenever you feel you've lost control, that you are no longer the director of your life, return to your breath. Only you can make you breathe. Only you can stop your breath.

I choose now to breathe in.
I choose now to breathe out.

Each deep breath is a moment of your own design.
You command yourself to breathe and so you breathe.
Breathe in the freedom of this beautiful union between mind and body.
Breathe in the intimacy that is shared only by your own Self.

Breathe and know that freedom is always just a breath away.

When you return to your breath, you return to your point of power.
From there, you recenter with all the power, energy, and help that the whole Universe has available to you.

You are powerful
You are breathing as one with the Universe
You are the Universe breathing

I breathe in, the Universe breathes in
I breathe out, the Universe breathes out

I am the Universe

Breathe and know that all is well. 

​You got this.

We are all capable of infinitely more than we believe.
- David Blaine

Last night, I had the immense pleasure of hearing Elizabeth Gilbert speak. Ladies and gents, this woman is a legend. I heard so many insightful and thought provoking quotes. ​

The entire show was recorded as a podcast by the Nourse theater. I'm going to listen to it and pull out my favorite quotes over the coming week. To get you started, here's one I kept thinking about on the way
home:
​

A common obstacle to having more ease and grace in our lives is believing we don't have time to pause and center.

However, taking a moment while at your desk to focus on an uplifting, empowering thought could completely shift your day for the better. Below are some quick and easy mini-meditations to use for various situations.

As you read a specific affirmation, slow down your breathing. Put your shoulders back, soften your face, and relax and ease into the words, letting them flow over you. You deserve a break. You deserve to feel good. This moment of ease is here for you.

Take some slow, deep breaths, find the words you need, and read them a few times in your mind.

I release my need to rush and feel impatient, as that creates stress in my body. I am a beloved being who thrives when I am feeling my best.

For my own highest good, I relax into the present moment. I ground into my heart and feel into the infinite wisdom there that tells me all is well. 
​
I slow down, breathe, and nourish my soul. I breathe in and restore my energy. I breathe out and release the stress. All is well.

I am a cosmic being, infinite and connected to every star in the Universe. Abundance is as natural to me as a summer field full of wild flowers.

Although I can't see it, I am connected to endless possibilities. With each breath, I am breathing with the energy of All That Is. I am taken care of, I am supported, and I am free to create my life anew in every moment.

Change is the most natural thing in the world to me. In every moment, I am breathing in a new breath. In every moment, my body is regenerating. There is nothing static about me.

The world around me is changing too. Seeds are sprouting. Clouds are passing. The world is turning. I flow with it all, because change is the most natural thing in the world to me.

In each moment, I am thinking new thoughts, and these thoughts will naturally evolve my life in brilliant and unimaginable ways. As I think, so do I change. It's so effortless, I hardly even notice I'm doing it.

There is a power inside of me that can never be broken or taken from me. It is the power that is in each atom of my body. It is the power that comes from knowing my atoms are connected to my source of creation.

I was created from the mystical source of Love and Divinity that breathed life into the whole Universe.

I am the Universe.

There is nothing around me nor in this world that could ever overpower the Universe.

I am the Universe.

Deep down in my core, the primordial source of everything beats within my soul. This can never be taken from me, and it can never be destroyed. When I feel lost and alone, I return to that hot, pulsating source of life. It is within me now, beating with my own heart and whispering to me, I am the Universe.

In this meditation, you'll take a walk to your own cozy cabin where you will heal, rejuvenate, and release all your stress and worries. This meditation is also designed to be used in conjunction with the Winter Solstice. Learn more about this meditation here.

When it comes to getting through tough times, particularly seasons that can feel fraught with business, family stress, money stress, loneliness, or not enough time alone, it can feel like each day is a fight to the finish.

We're relieved when it's over and wake up feeling heavy and uninspired. If you are at all feeling like you're surviving these days rather than thriving, I want to share something with you that has helped me a lot.

Whenever you feel like you JUST CAN'T for a second longer, do this: imagine you are sitting before a toolbox.

Visualize the toolbox in whatever way is appealing to you. Maybe it's shiny and new. Or maybe it's old and weather worn, like an old pirate chest. Perhaps it's ten feet tall, with multiple drawers of various sizes. Or maybe it's small with a handle, so you can carry it around. Whatever feels right to you, go with that.

Now imagine you open the toolbox and inside are all of the mental health and well-being tools you've learned. Things that have previously helped you when you were stressed. For example, here's what I see in my toolbox:

​When  you look at that list you might think, 'Those things are simple! I have BIG, COMPLEX problems and I need BIG solutions! None of that will help me!'

I hear you, but keep in mind, the tools that build beautiful, sturdy, long lasting homes are equally simple. A hammer and nails puts up walls. A small piece of metal puts up drywall. The tools that build homes are everyday items that anyone can learn to use.

More often than not, we already have the tools we need to build, repair, and maintain our own selves. We just don't consider that they'll work because we sometimes don't trust that if something is simple and easy, it works. But simple and easy is the whole reason these tools do work! 

And if it feels as if you've opened an empty toolbox, and there's nothing in there, there's something you can put in there right now. It requires no experience, no classroom, no teacher, and no money. In fact, it's something you're doing right now! Are you ready? Here it is:

If you saw the word BREATHE and thought 'Hoswash! If breathing solved my problems, I wouldn't be on your damn website!' hold tight - I promise this tool is more useful than it sounds.

First of all, it's possible that right now you're breathing shallow and tight. When we breathe in this way, it sends a signal to the body that something is wrong. It triggers chemical responses in us that say, "We're not breathing right! Something is wrong! PANIC! PANIC! PANIC!" This in turn builds on itself, making us feel as if we're right to be afraid, because we feel afraid, and we're breathing tighter, things must be getting worse...

But if we would just take a few deep breaths, it would send an entirely different chemical signal through the body.

Deep breathing soothes the nervous system, slows down the heart rate, and immediately begins to release tension. 

Deep breathing is a tool you have right now. Put it in your box and know that soon, that toolbox will be overflowing with a variety of other tools. Tools you will soon master and use with such efficiency, you'll feel like a master of your emotional and mental well-being.

So remember, whatever's happening, you got this! You've got a toolbox, there's already a helpful tool in there, and as you face new challenges, you will naturally add more. I find this exercise to be the most helpful when I actually write it down. I write TOOLBOX at the top of a piece of paper, and then list all my tools, even the ones I'm just beginning to learn, below it. Once you start writing, you'll be surprised how many things you think of.

If you're still not feeling better, and spiraling down in feelings of anxiety or overwhelm, you might want to try my Deep Relief & Emotional Healing meditation. It's specifically designed for when you can't stop intense, negative feelings. I would also suggest Surrender & Allow, which is so soothing it can also be used a sleep aid. Best of all, you can add these as tools to your already growing toolbox!

The other day I sat down with the intention to meditate on a mantra. I was looking for a simple phrase to repeat that would clear my mind and uplift my spirits. As I sat quietly breathing, I heard in my mind,

"I am the pearl, I am the sand grain."

I thought this was interesting, but I wasn't sure what it really meant. But as I sat with it, I could feel the power of it working through me. The pearl and sand grain are perfect metaphors for aspects of ourselves, our lives and even our place in the Universe.

At first, I felt as if the pearl and sand grain represented my personal growth. Right now, I am the sand grain, but in time, I will become the pearl. And once I am the pearl, I am still the sand grain, as it has been and always will be a part of the pearl.

But then I began to see this as a metaphor for my physical self and my Higher Self. The more I thought about this, the more my breathing slowed down. I was eventually breathing in with each phrase. It became natural and rhythmic, almost as if I was breathing as the pearl and the sand grain.

Slow breath in, "I am the pearl" 
Deep breath out
Slow breath in, "I am the sand grain"
Deep breath out

I was so engrossed in the different meanings of this phrase that I lost all track of time and space. I began drifting through the words, going ever deeper into the meditation. When my bell struck for the end of the 20 minute meditation I was so relaxed and at ease I felt as if I was floating.

I've used this mantra several times since, and always with deep, and profound results. If you are looking for a mantra to meditate on, try giving this one a try, and let me know how it works out for you!

Awhile back, I inherited a red eared slider turtle. 

The thing with turtles is, they poop way more than fish. They release a ton of waste that sinks down and settles into the rocks. As long as you didn't wait too long between water cleanings, it wasn't really noticeable. But if you did wait too long, the water would turn brown and make the turtle sick.

This, in itself, is a striking visual of what happens when we hold onto our emotional waste.

You might not see it at first. You might feel okay for awhile. But eventually, it's going to pollute your mental and emotional system. Unresolved anger, guilt, and pain, it settles down into your rocks, where it seems innocuous. But just like how the bacteria from the turtle feces slowly poisons the water, all those feelings are slowly poisoning you.

As the turtle will surely tell you, living in your own shit is the worst. It makes you fatigued. It can cause chronic pain and illness. It can make you believe you're weak and incapable. And then it can trick you, making you think there's something wrong with you, leading you to feel more shitty feelings, which also get trapped. But there is nothing wrong with you now and never was. You just need a good tank cleaning.

Knowing the shit has to go is the easy part. Getting it out? That's when things get, ahem, a little messy.

You see, in order to change the tank water you've got to pump out the old. I used a large filter/siphon combo that I would let drain out through a window. But it's not enough to just drain the water. You have to move the pump through the rocks, or the whole thing is pointless. And this is when I began to see the bigger picture of change.

​Moving the pump about stirs up the rocks.

​All that waste that I ignored and pretended wasn't there, it began circulating back up into the water. It would turn into a dark brown, water poop cloud. It was such a filthy mess that I would take the turtle and fish out first. 

It always frustrated me that I had to first make the water dirtier in order to get it clean.

But the thing is, there's just no way to get the shit out without stirring it up. As the water would cloud up I would always think, "My God, how did they live with that!" But the same is true of me also - when I start poking at my triggers, turning my own inner world into a murky mess, I always end up thinking afterwards, "Geeze, how did I live with that for so long!"

As the water drained, I would keep moving the pump around, getting the rocks as clean as possible. I never really enjoyed this, because it looked so unappealing. But I also knew it was going to feel amazing afterwards.

Once the water was all pretty much out, it would be time to start filling the tank with fresh, clean water. Now this part felt good! Pouring in bucket after bucket of pure, straight from the tap water was so satisfying. 

It's the same feeling we get when filling ourselves with love after polluting ourselves with doubt, guilt and insecurity.

After the tank was full, there would still be a little bit of sediment floating around. It would take a few hours for everything to fully settle. This I've found to be true for me also. Just when I think I'm through it all, I find there's still a little bit left to release, a little fine tuning left to do.

And then would come the best part. The tank filter would process out what was left floating around in the water. Everything would settle. And it would look so BLUE and so CLEAR that it was mesmerizing. It was practically euphoric.

Always, at this point, I would pull up a chair, sit back, and stare at the tank. The turtle and all her little fish friends would go back in. I swear I could feel the happiness and relief radiating off of her.

She loved a clean tank the same way we love a good sage smudging.

It was during these times I would enjoy the turtle the most. Sitting in my old wooden rocker, I'd watch the tank, listening to the soft burbling of the water filter. The fish would swim back and forth in excitement, checking out the changes. The turtle would lounge under her heat lamp, stretching her neck up like she's the queen of the world and she knows it.

​I would sit quietly, relaxed, reflecting on my own path, my own challenges and triumphs with change. I would gently rock back and forth, totally at peace, soaking in that feeling of crystal, clear water flowing and flowing and flowing.