Thursday, December 1, 2011

Pretty Pink Cranberry Oatmeal


I posted about this delicious breakfast I made for myself on Facebook but I wanted to share the recipe because it has become one of my favorites. I don't always eat oatmeal for breakfast. Usually I have something a little more substantial like eggs with veggies but the day I came up with this I was out of eggs and super hungry so I hit the pantry and found some oatmeal.

I have done a lot of experimenting over the years to find out what foods work for me and what foods don't. I have found breakfast makes a huge impact on my day. I need a heavy dose of protein and fat to keep my blood sugar stable so I add nuts and a little butter to my oatmeal. Cinnamon is good for stabilizing blood sugar as well so I add it. It tastes great too.

It's the perfect time of year for this warm, satisfying bowl of breakfast love. I hope you enjoy it!

Pretty Pink Cranberry Oatmeal

1/2 cup regular oats
2/3 cup water
2/3 cup milk* (I use milk substitute)
1/2 cup fresh cranberries
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
pat of butter
chopped almonds (or nut of your choice)
brown sugar or stevia to sweeten

Put the oats, water, milk, and cranberries into a pot over med-high heat. Heat to boiling and turn down the heat to medium. Stir constantly to whip the oatmeal and break up the cranberries until the desired consistency is reached, about 5 minutes. You will see the cranberries begin to burst and then turn the oatmeal pink.

Turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and butter. If you are using stevia, add it now.

Pour into the bowl and top with chopped nuts and a sprinkle of brown sugar if not using stevia.

*This may seem like a lot of liquid but I have found the cranberries thicken the oatmeal substantially.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Word of the Year


I am really excited to share this with you! My friend Carrie Saba of CarrieSaba.com is offering a free gift for all of you. You may remember that last year instead of choosing New Years resolutions, I choose a word of the Year. Carrie and I actually did it together and we have found it to be a game changer.

Carrie has decided that she wants to share this with everyone so she is offering a free tele-class to guide you to finding your word for 2012. I have nothing but wonderful things to say about her. She is an amazing and intuitive Health Coach so I know this call is going to be fantastic!

You can read more about the call and register here.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Trusting


Being on my spirit-cation has been amazing! It has really shifted my thoughts, my actions, my intentions, and my future. I've learned so much about myself over the last couple of months.

The greatest part about my latest round of healing has been my ability to bring my husband into my spiritual and creative life. You see, my husband is more of a jock kind of guy. He loves to play sports, watch sports, and take part in every known fantasy sport league. He is not at all into art, creativity, or spirituality.

Even though he isn't into it or doesn't really "get it" he is always supportive of me in whatever I want to do. He supports my art, my travels, my healing...he supports it all.

The thing is, I've found it very difficult to feel like I'm living this separate life from the person I love. How can I share my entire life and the depths of who I am with him if he doesn't know all the parts of me?

I've actually struggled with this for years. I've always been afraid to push him too hard and annoy him or to share too much "woo woo" stuff and have him think I've gone off my rocker. I worried that he wouldn't understand.

Of course part of me wanted to make it his fault. He isn't open. He isn't spiritual. He doesn't want this, he doesn't want that. I made the decisions for him in my mind. I never really gave him the chance to decide.

One day in the midst of all this healing I've been doing I broke down into tears and just shared it all. I told him my fears and I explained how much I wanted him in all the parts of my life. Of course he was a bit shocked...where was all this coming from? But the important thing is that he listened. He listened and he was there for me.

What I learned was that I wasn't trusting him to be there for me. I was shutting myself down out of fear and making it about him when it was really about me. Isn't it crazy how we do these things?

He's still the same sports jock who loves what he loves but he is now also open to learning about what I'm interested in, watching an occasional episode of Oprah's Lifeclass or some documentary on spirituality. He's not sure he's all in but he is willing to learn and to experience all of it with me and I can't ask for more.

Our relationship seems to have blossomed. It feels even more like a partnership than ever before and I know our love has deepened. The surprising thing for me is that out of this experience I have gained this sense of wholeness. I didn't realize just how much this shut down was affecting me. I can't explain how much this even seemed to bring the two warring parts of me together into one cohesive person. I feel less split now that I've exposed all of who I am with the love of my life. It's awesome!

AND, I would like to welcome my husband here to The Creative Healing Studio because for the first time he has signed up to read my blog! It's so exciting!!! Thank you honey for being here for me for all of these 5,627 days of marital bliss!!! I love you so much and I'm beyond grateful for having you in my life!

Friday, September 30, 2011

On a Spirit-cation!


We all love to take our vacations. Heading off to new locations, sightseeing, relaxing and rejuvenating refuel our body, mind, and spirit. Lately there has been an increase in the stay-cation. People are taking their vacations locally. Perhaps they take a day trip or plan some fun activities around the house. Done right a stay-cation can be equally rejuvenating.

I have been introduced to another type of vacation. I call it the spirit-cation. It's the opposite of planning, doing, and going. Instead it involves, listening, connecting, and honoring. I'm not going anywhere or doing anything that I don't really want to do.

I haven't felt like working, creating, reading, learning, so I choose not to do them. Instead I've spent much of my time meditating, journaling, reflecting, and just plain old relaxing. If I feel like watching a movie, I do it. If the couch is calling my name I listen to the call. I've even taken a couple of naps in the last couple of weeks...it's been ages since I've done that.

I am only doing the things I feel like doing. Strangely enough I've had the urge to clean my house, cook freezer dinners and bake cookies. So guess what? I do them.

At first I was overwhelmed with guilt. Why was I so lethargic? Why didn't I want to write my blog posts or work on my projects? Why didn't I even feel like talking on the phone? It was all a bit overwhelming.

Then I remembered the messages I've been getting lately...trust. So I did. I trusted that this is what I need to heal myself. I trusted that by honoring my moods I was honoring my spirit and the Universe and that if I just let go and trusted, everything would be OK.

I didn't plan this inner trip, it just sort of happened but I can see clearly that this spirit-cation is powerful and creating space for this on a regular basis will go a long way in supporting my life journey. The options are endless. This spirit-cation has been about 2 weeks long (so far ;o). I imagine a week would be amazing to uplift and rejuvenate the spirit and I can also see spending a day or as little as an hour in a spirit-cation being powerful enough to create some clarity and honor your spirit.

What do you think? How does the idea of a spirit-cation strike you?

Friday, September 16, 2011

Recognizing Fear

fear soul artFear is a funny thing. It's not real... it's not concrete. You can't look at it and say, "Yea, that's some gnarly fear there."

Instead it lurks around, shows up with some funny feelings in your body, and oftentimes gets your mind racing. Once that mind is let loose, you can go round and round until you don't know which way is up.

Now I'm not talking about intuitive fear that lets you know when something is wrong or the fear that keeps you from doing something that could put you in jeopardy. I'm talking about the fear that holds you back and keeps you small. I'm talking about the fear that is so sneaky you're not even sure it's fear.

If you don't take the time to stop and think about it, it can seem like some pretty good reasons for not doing something. The mind is pretty sneaky that way. It knows just what to say to keep you in your little box. You know it really just wants to keep you safe. Unfortunately safe can mean stagnant.

I've dealt with a lot of fear in my life. As a kid I can remember being home alone and scared out of my mind. I can remember the sound of my dad's car pulling up in the driveway and the jolts of fear that ran through my body wondering what kind of mood he was in. I have a childhood of memories that revolve around fear.

In my family being strong was the holy grail. Fear was a weakness and I was taught early on to toughen up and be brave. I guess a part of me felt that being afraid meant I was weak and I wasn't about to be weak so I learned to ignore it.

The thing is, years of ignoring something makes you pretty numb to it. It makes it difficult to recognize it and if you can't recognize it you can't deal with. So what's a girl to do?

Soul Art® of course ;o)

The above piece was created with my favorite travel watercolor set some black markers. If you look closely you can see some symbols that are placed right on top of the flowing colors. Those symbols represented my mind and my fears. They were the one thing I didn't like about the piece.

It became very clear to me that what's underneath those symbols of over thinking and fear is the perfection of the Universe, the flowing state of trust in what is happening for the betterment of my soul. Those symbols were the distraction that were keeping me from being in the flow and blocking the perfection of the Universe.

I always say that recognizing our behavior is the first step to changing and I absolutely believe that. You can't change something you don't even recognize. I have to say that by regularly doing Soul Art® around issues in my life I am speeding up the process of healing. It's so awesome!

Monday, September 12, 2011

Soul Art® Rocks!


I had a really great Soul Art® session last week and I wanted to share her response with you!

**************************************************

This was my first Soul Art experience with Michelle. After choosing all the images and text from magazines, Michelle threw me a curve ball. It wasn't at all what I expected. "Are you kidding?" I said.
She replied with a simple word..."Trust," she said.

After assembling my art I noticed the text was telling me things that I had put on the back burner, things that had been simmering so long that the pot was about to go dry. The text along with the pictures conveyed the same messages, or reinforced the messages. My Soul Art told me I am ready to make a change, go for it, step it up. It told me to venture out more, find inspiration, and don't let the mundane day-to-day living get in my way. Make each day count. . . really count, it said. It wanted me to be aware of all the magic in the universe, the poetry, the beauty, the love and the possibilities. It wanted me to believe in myself and trust.
Wow!. It was pretty amazing. I went from feeling unmotivated and uncertain to "Wow, I can do this!"

How could a simple, fun exercise actually change your way of thinking about something that had you baffled for so long? Could it have changed my brain waves somehow? Strange, but true.

I felt a new sense of empowerment, and bought myself a royal blue evening dress (to go with my red hair) and silver sandals for my upcoming trip to DC. I decided that I'm worth it! I feel different, and I can't wait to see what's down this road. Thanks, Michelle. Soul Art rocks!

Pam Pulice
Reel Stories Productions

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Rebirth

soul art rebirth
Over the years since I began my healing journey I have noticed that healing isn't constant. It ebbs and flows. I like to think of it like riding a roller coaster of healing. There are ups and downs, spins and turns and you don't always know what is up ahead. There are times that make you feel sick, others that are exhilarating.

It seems like I am heading up a big steep hill of my healing roller coaster right now, slowly edging forward, about to take yet another dive. I have several big healing events coming up in the next couple of months that I am really excited about. I just know big things are coming.

Apparently I know this at my soul's level too because last night while working with someone to complete their soul art, I also worked on my own and the message that came up for me reinforced that idea.

You can see there is this strange face in the lower left that looks heavy and lifeless, almost as if it is a mask. Out of her lips comes this light, bubbly and positive energy. What a contrast.

As I was reflecting on the piece and getting my insight I got this flash that the woman was dead. She was lying there with her eyes closed and letting out her last breath. At first it freaked me out a little. Why the heck am I creating images of dying women? I decided to let my mind rest and just go with it.

As I continued to ask and answer questions about the piece it became quite clear that this image represented a death and a rebirth. It was the death of my old limitations. RIP to the old Michelle. Embracing the new excitement, joy, life, beauty, creativity, and bubbly energy that is awaiting me.

In asking what I need to do I got this response:

"You don't have to do a thing except be open, ready, and willing to trust. The wheels are in motion and your dreams are being manifested. Stay connected, open, and trusting that it is all going according to plan. Be excited. Feel the energy. TRUST, TRUST, TRUST!"

Um, OK, I can do that! ;o)

As a way to keep myself in the spirit of trust and to remind myself where I want to be with it I decided to add a statement of trust to the end of the gratitude list I write every morning. So easy! I love it. I feel great about it and excited to see what the next couple of months bring.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Embracing Silly and Goofy!


Back in January I did a Soul Retrieval process with a wonderful woman named Lisa Dieken. It was quite a powerful process. I wrote about it briefly in a prior post. I didn't give too many details about the actual process but instead linked it to the fact that I had chosen Abundance for my word of the year.

Recently I've been having all these messages come up for me about having fun, playing, loosening up, and embracing my inner child. It seems no matter what I set my intention for in the beginning of a Soul Art process, I end up coming back to--have fun!

My silly little artwork above is yet another example of this. It's goofy and fun and written right on it is the message to Dance and have fun. You would never know my intention for this piece was to allow my creativity to flow for a serious project I am working on.

I'm feeling a bit goofy and silly lately too. I'm singing even more in the car, dancing around the house, embarrassing my kids with my crazy sounds and ridiculous singing and saying goofy things.

So what does all of this have to do with my Soul Retrieval? It really does tie in...let me explain. During my journey Lisa told me she saw a younger me playing on the playground. I could see the event taking place in my mind, the young little Michelle stooping down and drawing with chalk on the pavement.

She called to her and asked her to come home. The little girl started to come closer but then decided that she wasn't quite done playing and she took off back into the playground. Lisa said she hadn't ever seen that happen before. I saw that little girl jumping, skipping, swinging and playing while we waited for her to finish. As I watched her play I was brought to tears because I realized it was something that I had forgotten how to do. Playing and having fun seemed so foreign to me and I felt the ache deep down inside.

It got me to thinking that by bringing that little girl home (yes, she eventually finished her fun and made her way over to us) who knows how to play and have fun I've really woken something up inside of me and I'm slowly learning to integrate that part of who I am. It's becoming more and more of who I am and I like it.

So to honor my silly little creature's advice, I would like to leave you with one of my current favorite "dance and have fun" songs. I encourage you to crank it up, let loose and have a good time! Woo hoo!





Monday, August 29, 2011

In and Out of the Creative Flow


Being in the creative, spiritual groove feels amazing. You feel like you are flowing in the energy of the Universe and everything happens magically for the betterment of your spirit. You feel like life is on your side and your trust that you are on the right path.

Being in the creative, spiritual groove isn't difficult. It doesn't require complicated practices, expensive tools or inordinate amounts of time.

What it does require is the ability to make it a priority. To commit to making it a part of your life.

You would think that once you've experienced the magic of it you would never again let it fall away. But as you might be guessing, that's just not the case.

Maybe you get busy with life and before you know it weeks have passed and you find yourself in a different kind of groove. The groove of obligation, busyness, must do's and must haves. Your days are packed with this thing and that and you are going through the motions of getting and doing. You simply forget.

It's almost as if you are moving through life in a robot-like daze. I imagine it's a survival tactic to keep you from feeling that sense of loss or those feelings of lack. If you don't feel or don't remember you don't suffer, right?

Wrong. You suffer under the surface, deep down in the depths of your soul. You suffer in silence. You walk around feeling like something is missing but you just can't put your finger on it.

There is an ache, an itch, a funny feeling that gnaws at you. It creeps around deep inside looking for a way to wake you up, to shake you up, to breathe some life back into your body, mind, and spirit to get you back on track.

If you're lucky, that funny feeling will begin to wake you up a bit and you will start to remember. You will get flashes of that euphoric feeling you once had, that sense of being right in the world. You will remember that there is another way, a better way to live life. You will remember that it is your right to live with that passion, that excitement, and that connection to the Universe. You will remember that you only get this one life and it is yours to create.



Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Child-like Confidence


Once upon a time there was a young girl named Michelle. She was beautiful, smart, funny and brave. She thought she was the bee’s knees and could do anything in the world she wanted to do. She loved to draw and would create masterpieces everywhere she went and then she would hand them out to anyone and everyone. She loved animals and thought she might be a veterinarian of course if she didn’t become an artist or an art teacher.

Over the years as Michelle grew up, slowly but surely her confidence started to chip away. What she once knew she could do she started to doubt and then eventually she just knew that she couldn’t quite do anything right. It didn’t matter that everyone told her she was talented, smart, and capable. She only knew that she wasn’t really that great of an artist. She could never be smart enough to be a veterinarian and let’s face it, she didn’t have the guts to deal with death and injury to those poor little animals. She figured she could still be a teacher but not an art teacher because everyone knows that they only need one of those per school and she would never be good enough to be that one teacher who won the job. Her dreams fell away.

As she got older and older she kept trying new ventures, trying to find something that would make her as happy as she was when she was a carefree child but nothing seemed to work. She felt lost, worthless, and every bit of a failure. She embarked on a journey of healing for herself and she cleansed out years of negative thinking. She washed away the pain and began to fill herself up with positive thoughts and spent time remembering that small child who had the world at her feet.

Even as she continued to heal she was brought back to fear and doubt time after time as if she was being tested. Sometimes she would pass the tests with flying colors and other times she would squeak by with a passing grade. But she began to notice that no matter how difficult the tests were, she always seemed to pass and things started looking brighter.

One day she had this great idea for a new project but she just felt that she didn’t know enough to bring it to fruition by herself and she just KNEW she wasn’t a business woman! She could never do all that business stuff! So she started thinking of the perfect person to partner with and lo and behold she found her. Her friend was the yin to her yang and brought a wonderful balance to project.

They started getting together and having conference calls to work through the business plan and figure out the structure and poor Michelle thought she might die. She knew her brain wasn’t set up to do these things and she was tested with fear and doubt once again.

And then something strange happened one night on a call. It was as if she had an out of body experience and she was listening to the words that were coming out of her mouth as she spoke about the vision, the liability and the structure. She found herself thinking, “Who is that woman saying all those intelligent things? Wow, she really sounds like she knows what she is talking about! There is strength in those words and a confident intelligence. HOLY CRAP! THAT’S ME TALKING!!! I might just actually know what I am talking about! I might be as good of a partner to my partner as she is to me. I actually have something to contribute! I think I can do this.”

In that moment she seemed to be transported back to that little girl she knew so many years ago. She felt herself in that perfect little body, with her big smile and fearless attitude and she once again believed in herself.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Summer Fun With the Kids

Remember back at the end of June when I talked about going out in nature and spending time playing with my kids? I was going to hit a few local hot spots for nature and I had it all planned out. Remember?

Well guess what. Here we are at the end of July and there has been no nature for us. Nope, nada, zilch, zero! Time just seemed to get away from me. The weather has been crazy. Most days have been unbearably hot and when it cooled off a bit it was because we had some severe thunderstorms rolling through.

Even when the weather was good, we were busy with Dr. appointments, orthodontist appointments, daily baseball games and there were just days where we just watched the time slip by. It's crazy how that can happen even when I have it on my calendar each week.


Guess what? It's over! I hit Mother Nature with my 2 youngest boys and it was great. We stopped off at the Fox River after a Dr. appointment yesterday. Yay! We did it!

We walked along the shore exploring the bugs,

the trees,





and the plants.

We talked, we walked arm and arm. I taught them things about life and nature and of course composition and taking unique photographs.

It was one of the best days I had this summer. I was in the moment with them. They were in the moment with me. I loved hearing the excitement in Aidan's voice with each new bug he discovered as much as I loved watching Liam walk gently through the grass being careful not to let a bug land anywhere on his body.


The thing is that they loved it. We didn't DO anything. There was no plan, there was nothing that had to get done. We were just walking, talking, and observing. Liam must have told me about 7 times how much he liked it. He pulled my arm around him as we walked and when it was over and we piled back into the car Aidan was the first to say, "Thanks Mom." What can be better than that?

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Letting Go of Comparisons

There are so many amazing and creative people out there in cyberspace. I swear sometimes I can get lost in my explorations. There is so much beauty, depth, growth and expansion going on and I for one feel so blessed to have access to it all.

And then there are times when I see a new creative project that someone is launching or a new vibrant piece of art that has been posted, or a new workshop, class, tip, or hint that has been put out and I think, "Wow, that's amazing! I should do something like that!"

And then my brain starts to swirl and wonder how I could create something like this person or that person. Before long I start to compare myself and inevitably I come up short because it is impossible that I could be just like anyone. If I'm not careful I start to think I'm not good enough or I don't know enough or I'll just never get it right.

You see, I've been so deep in my own creativity lately that things have been coming to me effortlessly. I've been attracting awesome new people into my life and ideas have emerged that are still in the formative stages yet I can feel that they are new, different, and completely mine. Being immersed so deeply in my own creative flow I forgot what it feels like to compare myself to to others and to desire to be like anyone else. When those old feelings started to stir in me this week I had this aha moment that, wow, I used to feel like this all the time!

I am happy for the reminder because it confirms that I am on the right path and it shows me how much I've grown recently. I find that often times when we change, we forget what life was like before and unless we are shown our past we may not fully understand the depth of our growth.

So I had my aha moment, laughed at myself and gave myself a little bit of gratitude and focused on all the cool things that I have going on and poof, the feelings passed! Gotta love it!

Friday, July 22, 2011

Update to Mommy Integration


WoW, woW, wOw!!!

So here is the power of Soul Art®! So far I have talked to 2 different people about Soul Art® in my normal everyday life. One was a friend and another was a mom from my son's baseball team that I don't know that well.

As I said in my previous post, I don't normally mix my mommy life with my creative, intuitive life so this is pretty huge for me!

But the best thing is that I was able to define Soul Art®, discuss the value and the benefits of it and it happened so easily. The block was gone, the words flowed and I was able to express what was inside just waiting to come out. I am really so excited about this. I'm telling you, it makes me want to do it everyday!

I just want to thank you all for your support! I sooooo appreciate it!

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Integrating the No Nonsense Mommy With the Intuitive Artist


I have one final assignment before I complete my Soul Art certification course. I've been working on it for ages now. It really isn't a difficult task, I need to create my own definition of what Soul Art is, describe the value and the benefits. You'd think I was asked to replicate the statue of David or something by how hard I've been struggling with this.

I've written pages upon pages of things. I've scratched things out, moved things around. I tried typing it. I tried speaking it. I tried explaining it to my friend on the phone. Nothing has worked. I was online today looking at what other students posted and what Laura writes and trying to figure out something for myself.

At one point I wrote on a piece of paper, "What the f*ck is wrong with me? Why is this so f*cking difficult?!" And then it occurred to me. Why don't I do a Soul Art journey and see if I can get some clarity that way? Duh!

So I traced some body parts and got to doodling. I haven't tried this yet so it was pretty interesting. I was surprised at how easily it flowed. A woman emerged with a large hat, flowing hair, and a large earring.

Once I finished the doodle, I dove in to uncover the insight. There was some great stuff here. You may notice that her hat and her clothing are bright and beautiful but her face and hair are black and white. Also she is looking away and hiding beneath her large "dress." All around her are little stars and dots that seem magical.

The insight I received was all about not trying to present myself as something on the outside and to just let what is inside of me be bright and colorful. Also, realizing that the magic is all around me and within in me and that I don't need to look outside myself to find anything. I don't need to hide who I truly am because I'm fine just the way I am.

This really goes back to the fact that I seem to be living two different lives that I am trying to merge into one. I am the tough, no nonsense mom who says it like it is and gets things done (left brain) and then I am the spiritual, artistic Creative Healing Coach who accesses her intuition (right brain). It seems that there is a pretty hard line that divides the two and this is part of the problem I have been having with choosing the "perfect" words to define Soul Art. Who is doing the talking? Is it my left brain or is it my right? Can I connect the two and integrate both parts and come up with a definition that feels right to both? This has been the struggle.

I know, it doesn't seem right that all that juicy insight came from such a simple little doodle. I am continually blown away by how powerful and effective the tools are for eliciting insight.

My action step is to talk to someone about Soul Art in person who doesn't know about it or doesn't even know that I am doing it. It has to be someone I wouldn't normally think would be interested (my mommy side doesn't really talk about my artsy side to my friends...they think I am a little out there).

So that is the plan and I have to do it by Monday. Let then integrating begin (and the defining of Soul Art ;o)

Monday, July 18, 2011

Happy One Year Blogversary
























One year ago today I wrote the first blog post on The Creative Healing Studio. It was a fresh beginning and I had no idea what I was doing or where I was going. I just knew I had to make the change and I'm so glad I did.

Over the year I have embraced my creativity, played with art, explored my spirituality, opened the door to abundance, learned so many new things, made some great new friends and changed my life for the better.


I want to thank each and every one of you who have been with me and helped me discover my true passion in life. You've all meant so much to me and I am forever grateful!


I wanted to share a bit of an overview of posts from the last year, just as a little reminder. I hope you enjoy!



1. I'm Not Good Enough - Meeting my inner friend Sophia and giving her a chance to speak.
2. Jealous of My Vacation Life- Finding ways to bring a little vacation into my everyday life.
3. Becoming Fearless- A journal page exploring fear.
4. Who Am I?- Fearless painting and diving deep into who I am at the core.
5. Healing With Paint - Diving into illness with paint
6. Painting Freedom - A video showing my healing with paint process
7. Wild Heart Painting Retreat - My 5 day retreat in California with Chris Zydel
8. An Artful Journey - My 3 day painting retreat with Jesse Reno
9. Mosaic Soul Art - Revisiting my old love of mosaics and combining them with my new love of Soul Art
10. Got an Issue? Art it Out! - My latest post about using art to find my own answers

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Got an Issue? Art it out!





I'm really good at seeing other people's issues and helping them get clarity on them, helping them dive in and see what might be going on below the surface, guiding them to find their answers and supporting them while they make those changes. It really comes quite naturally to me.

You'd think that I would have the same ability to do that for myself wouldn't ya? Well, damn it, it's just not that easy when I am so close to it. Grrrrrr. It seems to take me so much longer to recognize my own issues and even when I recognize them I can't always get clarity. What a cosmic joke. :o)

I have to tell you that the tools I've been using with the Soul Art have really increased my ability to listen to my inner wisdom and to see my life through a different lens. It's almost like viewing my life on a movie screen. It's incredible how that disassociation can really illuminate things.

The latest piece I did is posted above. Now I have to tell you that I'm beginning to long for some paint and art materials but I know summer is not a great time for me to do that so I am forever grateful that I can still express myself, tune into my inner wisdom, and get the clarity I need with a couple of magazines.

I've been having this issue around my kids' baseball lives. It's quite a long, drawn out and boring story but let me tell you it has been filled with drama and has played out with 3 of my kids and a multitude of different people over the span of 3 years. OK, I get it Universe, You're trying to tell me something...trying to teach me something.

Now looking at the piece above you would never guess that it has anything to do with kids baseball would you? I know, it's crazy. It's like a dream. There are all these snippets here and there that seem unrelated but there is a thread that connects them. It's my own soul language that only I can decipher and it is amazing at how loud and clear it is.

I was able to pinpoint what is going on under the surface. What lesson I need to learn and I even came up with an action step to help me in those times of drama. I felt like I was floating on a cloud of happiness when I finished this journey.

It is always shocking to me the wisdom that comes out of me when I am in touch with my Source. I will share with you a snippet of my communications:

Love your life, make it a dream, allow your happiness and joy to spread outward and to infect those around you. Don't allow the egos of others to pull you down. Be the best you can be. Treat people who wrong you as small children who just don't know how to play nice. Realize that it is all they know and bless them where they are. Know that they are doing their best and then pull your energy back to where it can be strong...back within you which is the only place it has any power.

That is powerful stuff and came from that magazine collage. I'm so in awe of this process and its potential for truth. And if you think you don't have it in you, I promise that you do. I've never worked with anyone who didn't have that infinite wisdom within themselves. They just needed help finding it. Here are a few recent clients and what their experience was like.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Learning Lessons on the Road

I am down in Kentucky with my son Cody for a baseball tournament. There are 2 moms and 5 teenage boys. We spent about 7 hours in the car yesterday (OK, two cars) and then we've had two baseball games so far today and at least 2 more. Hopefully there will be even more games because that means they are winning. So far they have won both their games so it's great.

I just love watching the interaction of the boys together. It's really like a completely different culture these teenagers. They seem to grunt and mumble yet they understand each other. I just went into their room and the floor is covered with dirty clothes and there is quite a smell seeping under the crack of the door. Yet, there they lie, on their computers and phones, watching TV and goofing around together. Happy as can be. Not bothered by any of it.

The other aspect of this trip I am finding fascinating is to watch the relationship the other mom I am with has with her 2 boys. The way she talks to them, the way she treats them and the way they treat her. It is so interesting to see another family dynamic.

I catch myself going back and forth between thinking "Ugh! Why does she let him do that?" to "Oh look how sweet it is that her son is carrying that chair for her and she didn't even ask. Where the hell is my son and why isn't he helping me?" It's like going back and forth between judgment and jealousy.

I am so happy that I am aware of my thoughts enough to be able to catch myself in these moments and take a bit of time to reflect on them. I've been thinking about trying to learn some lessons from these moments together with all of these different souls to make this trip successful on a whole new level.

Here are the top 3 lessons I have learned so far:

1. Love always wins
Watching my friend interact with her sons there is one common theme that runs throughout every word and every action and that is love. You know she loves her boys...she adores them and she lets them know every chance she gets.

She seems to treat them as if they are still small boys at times, excessively worrying about them, doting on them, doing things for them and really taking care of them.

Now, I LOVE AND ADORE my son yet our relationship is more of an adult relationship where I expect him to be mature. He knows I love him, I tell him several times a day but it's different.

I think there are positive traits to both styles and I think I've learned that it's OK for me to let go and give him the kind of love I gave him when he was little...in small doses. :o)

2. Boys will be boys and it's OK
I was raised to behave. To be polite at all costs, not to make a scene, not to be loud, and not to "get into trouble." I find myself getting frustrated at some of the things these teenage boys are saying and doing at times. Now I assure you it really isn't anything terrible. They aren't breaking anything, being disrespectful or what-have-you. They are really just being boys.

I watch as my friend sits by and lets them be who they are and doesn't feel the need to step in and tell them what they should be saying or doing the way I am compelled to do. I watch as she smiles and relaxes as they do things that would normally make me cringe (yes, I have high expectations). :o)

I have been stepping back and letting my son be his own person. It's funny because on one hand I'm learning to love him more like a boy and to respect him more like a man. Wow, that's huge!


3. I am proud of my bravery
I am used to being who I am and I guess I don't always give myself credit for my positive traits. Being on the road with my friend and watching her make decisions based on fears has been enlightening. It's been so funny to watch our reactions to different situations. Usually I am thinking, "Wow, that's so great!" or "How cool!" and she is thinking, "Oh, that is so scary." or "That freaks me out."

I used to be there girl that thought of every worst case scenario and thought it through in my head over and over again. I would catch myself driving down the street imagining a car crash or thinking about something happening to my children. I have worked very hard for years to release myself from that and while I knew I conquered it, seeing someone else do it really shone a light on my healing.

I am heading off to sleep knowing that I am learning, growing, and healing and I am grateful for the lessons I am learning. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!