You've Got to Be Kidding

OMG.  There has to be a mistake somewhere.  It absolutely cannot be the next to the last day of June!  No.  Simply no way.  It's June 29th???  That is just crazy.  I feel like time is racing by.  And then, on the other hand, with the sameness of each social distancing day, it sometimes seems like time is standing still.  Maybe that's why I haven't written one blog entry this whole month.  Yikes!  So glad I got my act together before July hit.

Ok, got it together.  Now, what to write about?  What is there to say about our world today?  Not much going on, right?  OK, so I'm a joker.  We are living in epic times.  We are on the brink of great potential.  That, at least, is how I choose to see it.  Yes, so much has broken wide open, so much has fallen apart, and so much is changing.  But, when we look deeply, we see that things have been rotten, deeply rotten, for a very long time.  We, dear friends, have been living a bit of a lie.

I am reading this impossible book by one of my mentors, Stephen Jenkinson.  It's called Come of Age and it's a doozy.  Stephen is one of those writers that intrigues the imagination and calls the reader to dig deep.  I'm sure there are those who try to read his work and throw the book down, say a few choice words, and get on with their day.  Yes, he's that challenging.  But he has captured my heart and I am continuing to work to learn from him.  And he has a lot to say about the times we live in.  Here's a review.

One of the outcomes of reading this has been to change Integrative Wisdom Elder Care Coaching & Consulting to "Elders Who Care".  I am realizing I hope to be an elder when I grow old, not just grow old.  If you are interested in following along, you can join in the conversation on the FB page.  In times of great social upheaval, having wise leaders goes a long way in riding the waves of fear and emotional distress.  We seem to be in short supply of wise leaders these days.  Maybe you will want to work to be one.  Maybe you will want to be a voice to help as we navigate these rough waters, helping us get to the other side.

In my personal corner of the world, changes are coming to my neighborhood.  We live in a rural area and we have been spoiled by view like the one in the photo.  While I am aware we don't own the land that is currently being developed, I am also aware that I have an opinion about what is being torn down and what will be built up.  It's out of my hands to change what is happening.  What is in my power is how I will greet the change.  Of course the wisdom comes from knowing what we do have power over and then having the courage to act.  Yep, just like the Serenity Prayer! It is my humble opinion that these times are giving us lots of opportunities to flex our Wisdom Wings.

Ooh, Wisdom Wings.  I like it.  Never wrote those two words together before.  But I am running with it.  Dear Reader, let's try on a pair.  Let's take the wise road.  Let's soar together as we find ways to rebuild a nation that really lives its motto...cause we haven't yet.  But I have hope that we can.  With a new cadre of Elders Who Care, with the rising of our young who call us to be honest, to remove the blinders we've been wearing for hundreds of years, and by beating our Wisdom Wings, we got this!  Our future is bright.  And honest.  And it is time to come of age.  

In Service, 

Your Soul Catalyst Verna

True Grit

As I sit down at this computer, my mind is pondering what in the world it should offer on this important last day of this year and in fact, of this decade.  What is rolling around inside this head of mine that is important enough to bring forth, to share with others?  As I looked around for the myriad of notes I stash in no one particular place, I find one sheet of paper with only a few words on it.  One word stands out:  Grit.

Immediately I knew this was the topic for this post.  Grit.  Many folks may remember the movie with John Wayne, True Grit.  That's the first thing I usually think of when I hear this word.  Funny though, I really didn't remember what the movie is about.  So, I googled it.  Do you remember?  It's about a 14 year old girl who wants to bring the man who killed her father to justice and she engages John Wayne's character to help her.  He, of course, doesn't want her to come along, but she will not stand down.  She goes along, determined to achieve her goal.  She displays true grit.

Moving into this new year, I think about the past year.  So many of us experienced deep challenges that required true grit to get through.  And, we were able to make it through the tough times.  My question is:  At what cost to our health, our well-being, our stamina, our spirit, our very soul?  This leads me to consider another possibility, one I learned about from a mentor,  Mike Jay  He taught me CPR.  Not the kind you are probably used to though.  This CPR stands for Creating Personal Resilience.  And I think we should all learn this type of CPR.

So, that is what I wish for each of you today.  I imagine each of you with enough knowledge and expertise to not only white knuckle through life's slings and arrows, but to rise above and to soar with grace and confidence to face whatever this life challenges us with.  Integrative Wisdom says it's not enough to "get through" the pain and suffering and sorrow.  We must somehow also come out of these moments able to shake off the dust and emerge, not diminished by the experience, but rather enhanced by it all.

Many of you may scoff at the idea of being able to create a practice that is able to accomplish this.  I agree that it will not happen simply by wishing it so.  I have learned by personal experience that it is only through dedicated effort one is able to move beyond habit and personality to arrive at the doorstep of conscious choice.  We can choose our responses and we can honor our experiences without being permanently harmed.  We, however, must create our unique personal plan to tap into the true grit, the resilience we deserve.

Science has proven that our bodies and our minds work in tandem.  Our bodies will react to our thoughts.  To keep our bodies from taking on the effects of those "true grit" moments, we must be sure to release and let go of the energy that our emotions and thoughts create in our bodies.  Be sure to debrief, or take time to shake it out, or process without the emotional attachment.  Take time to go into the quiet, to breathe, to let go of shoulds and judgments.  Let your body know that, no matter how things turned out, you are ok and you did your best.  

I hope this will help you consider creating your CPR training so you will be prepared for whatever 2020 brings.  My wish is that you will not ever get stuck in the quicksand of life's yuck, but that you will be able to move through it with, yes, true grit, but also a resilience that offers to erase any negative effects from the encounter.

A lofty goal perhaps, but Integrative Wisdom believes it's possible.  And your Soul Catalyst wishes it for you.

Here's to 2020 and CPR for your Soul!

11:11 AND a New Decade in 50 Days! Oh, AND the Mercury Transit!

Oh me oh my.  Chances are you won't be reading this on 11/11, but still maybe you will be able to recall the excitement surrounding this day.  Or maybe you will just recall this day as Veteran's Day.  At any rate, it felt like a big day to me so I really wanted to mark the day with a new post.

What was kind of funny to me is that I was thwarted today several times.  You see, I forgot it was a national holiday and so my trips to the credit union, the bank, and the library were for naught.  And you would think the first closed governmental building would have clued me in, but alas, nope.

Anyway, I did go look for a website that showed the Mercury transit, which is watching a tiny black round thing cross the sun, with the aid of very powerful telescopes of course.  It was pretty darn amazing.  It also was a great way to remind oneself that no matter how much it feels like this planet is stationary, it is definitely not.  And that's a pretty big deal if we think about it.

Miracle.  Magic.  Marvelous.

Mercury's Magic

Lastly, and this one really stunned me, even though I know we are nearing the end of the year.  We are only 50 days away from a brand new decade!  Now, that's the potential for a fresh start isn't it?!  I mean, can you imagine the new journal you should get to mark this occasion?  An entirely new 10 years!  And, from what I hear from various astrologists out in the wild world, we are moving even more deeply into a new age...wait for it...yes, it really is the Dawning of the Age of Aquarius.

The Age of Aquarius

However, the dawning details are just way too complicated and daunting to add to this humble post, so we will just leave that here as we hum a few bars...

What I think is most important, especially if you are one that loves fresh starts, is that you also make a concentrated attempt to end this decade with intention as well.  For the next 50 days, see if you can reflect back on the last decade and track your growth, your understanding, your insight into who the heck you are and why you are here on this planet now.

What is waiting within your deepest self for you to find?  What is waiting for you to finally release and let go? Maybe you can set aside a special notebook or maybe even make one with 50 pages in it and take a few minutes for the next 50 days to write stuff down.

Let yourself be with yourself for a change.  Give that YOU some true quality time, not for worldly endeavors, but for soulful ones.  Decide to Go SLO=W.  Stop.  Listen.  Observe.  Voila, wisdom appears in the form of knowledge, self knowledge.  And as Bruce Lipton has said in his book, The Biology of Belief, "self knowledge is self empowerment".  What better way to usher out the old...decade, and usher in the new...decade than by empowering yourself FOR yourself!!!!

And lest you think this selfish, dear one, please know that the more you know and understand you, the better partner, friend, daughter, spouse etc you will be.  SO in reality, one of the least selfish things you can do.  It's way more selfish to wallow in your self doubt, your self pity, your self depreciation...well, I think you get the gist.

So, dear reader, go forth and get quiet for a bit.  Let your soul shine a bit and let it talk to you.  You will be guided I am sure.  And it may be a little bit scary, but nothing like those horror movies we are encouraged to see.  You can do this.  I have faith in you.

Be fierce.  Be brave.  Be present. 

Be You.

OK, I think that's it for this love letter for the wonderful 11:11 Mercury transit, New Decade in 50 days post.  Hope you will take this to heart and mark the passing of this decade with purpose!

Your Soul Catalyst,

Verna

Letting Your Soul Shine

Letting Your Soul Shine

Thomas Moore, in his book, Care of the Soul, states that the soul is not a "thing" but rather a "quality or dimension of experiencing life and ourselves."  I don't know about you, but while I like the idea, I find it harder to relate to a quality than to an entity.  That's why I will write about the soul today as if it is a "thing", and a precious thing at that.  And the cool thing is that every single one of us has one...no need to be jealous or covet another's soul.  We don't have to do anything to keep it either.  We can't lose our soul, ever, no matter what.  But this doesn't mean we don't have responsibilities to our soul, just because we can't lose it.  In fact, if we really could understand how important the soul is, we would spend more time cherishing it and taking it into consideration more often.

But now that I think about it, we aren't very good at taking care of us on most levels.  Often, we struggle to take care of our physical health, we ignore our emotional health, we disregard our spiritual health and we don't even have a clue about our soul.  Or we have wrapped up the world so tightly with our cherished beliefs, we never stop to examine whether those beliefs are still valid in this day and age.

What the heck is going on?  With all the knowledge available to us these days, you'd think we could do a better job of providing our "self" with better TLC.  Tender.  Loving.  Care.
Before I go further, take a minute to reflect.  In what ways have you taken care of your "self" today?  Body?  Mind?  Spirit?  And yes, Soul?

Body    _______________________________
Mind    _______________________________
Spirit   _______________________________
Soul    _______________________________

Did you have at least one thing you did today for YOU in each category?

These don't have to be huge.  Simple is often best.  Taking one second to pause and breathe intentionally counts.  Stopping before you eat and saying a word of thanks.  Choosing to forgo that sweet snack.  Listening to your heartbeat and saying thanks.

Anyway, for this post let's focus on the soul.  Do you have a definition of soul?  Check out the dictionary for interesting responses.  I think I like the one that says that the soul is the "essence of a living being".  Now, let's define essence.  Here's one definition: the intrinsic nature or indispensable quality of something, especially something abstract, that determines its character.  Hey, we're back to the idea that the soul is a quality, not a thing!  Interesting.  At least to me and I hope to you.

This brings up a question:  would you say your day to day life reflects the quality of your character?  What quality does it reflect?  Wait, what's the definition of quality?  OK, here's one:  The standard of something as measured against other things of a similar kind; the degree of excellence of something.

Degree of excellence.  Interesting.  Sounds to me like letting your soul shine means living with the sense that how you live your life matters, that getting in touch with the deepest, truest essence of yourself matters.  And, importantly, it seems that would include all aspects of our nature, not just the ones we accept or think are acceptable to others.

How might that play out for each of us?  Maybe it means we increase our self knowledge.  Maybe it means we take the time to sit in silence and listen to our soul talk.  The mind, the body, and even our spirit can override our deepest intrinsic nature.  Our ego often likes to take control and can really lead us away from our essence.  It's not that the ego is bad, it's just not always trusting of the quiet, the stillness, the vastness that is the soul.

Today, stop and find the time to listen deeply.  Find a way to communicate with your soul.  Then find a way to let your soul shine out in the world.  We need that light.

Let Your Soul Shine

Listen to Your Soul Talk

Are You Ready?

Ready for what?  Why, to listen to your soul talk.

Stop living from your head all the time.

Let that deep inner wisdom minister to you.

We are SO used to thinking, thinking, thinking.  Our minds are a great asset, don't get me wrong.  To lose one's mind is NOT a desired goal.  However, we must train our minds to work with the rest of us, not always lead us around like a trained monkey.

Research has shown that our bodies talk to us all the time.  We just ignore them.  Pain is one language our bodies use to speak.  Stop what you are doing.  Listen to me.  Wisdom is there.  We choose not to pay attention.  Our minds reason out why it's OK to keep doing what we are doing.  It's my life...

Spiritually even, we often allow our minds to run the show.  We decide with our minds what we will believe in, what is acceptable, how God works.  It is rare that we sense that Spirit within us.  It is rare to live our lives knowing that Spirit will guide us in our actions and our thoughts--if we take a minute to drop down into our hearts and get out of our heads.

That is a big IF.

Which brings us to the biggest challenge of all.

The Soul.

The deepest well of wisdom of all.

Yet, a well we seldom drink from.

Want proof?

Try to define soul for yourself.

I'm waiting.

I'm imagining it's a bit difficult for you.

And even if you define it to your satisfaction,

Now tell me how often you go there to that inner place to ask advice or to be consoled or to rest.

I'm writing today to encourage you to go there.

It's time.

Our world needs us to live from our Souls.

Now.

Are you ready to listen to your soul talk?

If so, take some time to Go SLO=W™

Stop.

Listen.

Observe.

Wisdom from your Soul appears.

Yes, it takes practice.  Your mind has run this show for so long.  It really is not ready to relinquish control.  But it will, in the long run, be SO happy with things once you do.

Maybe these questions will get you started with the whole "listen to your soul talk" thing.

Use them if they work, toss them out if they don't.

Easy peasy.

And, if you're looking for support or ideas on how to start listening to your soul talk, Integrative Wisdom is always here to help and guide.

Along with retreats and soul coaching there is a new offering in the works.

I couldn't be prouder of this card deck and guide book.

It's concrete proof of me walking my talk.

Only because I kept listening and kept taking steps,

even if they were baby ones...

I followed my heart,

listened to my soul,

and succeeded in birthing a tool that I believe can help so many people with their Soul Talk.

I am sending you love and light as you read this.

I am so excited for you.

Listen to your soul talk.

Live completely and with great joy.

Any you will make such a difference in this world.

Signing out for today,

Your Soul Catalyst, Verna

A Shining Star

I wrote a poem today.  It's a poem to encourage me to move, to not get stuck or bogged down by life, whether that's mine or someone else's.  To reach out, to risk, to speak up, to trust in the big picture, all the while enjoying the journey!  So, I share it with you today, hoping you may receive your own inspiration as you read.  

A Shining Star

This incarnation of ME

Has reminded me of the Life of a Star

Shining brightly in the sky.

From very far away,

I seem small and insignificant.

It is when you move in close that the

Magnificence is made manifest.

The power and the Heat,

The Radiance Revealed.

Let me live the month of May,

At the very least, this one month

As the star I was born to be.

Let me reveal the depth and the strength

And the mystery of my gifts

To the Glorious Galaxy

That surrounds us all.

I Choose to Move, to Reach Out and to Enjoy

ME as Star, bursting with Light

Sharing, Not stopping Until

ALL the Heat of ME

Is completely used up…

By

Verna J. Fisher

May 6, 2019

How’s your starlight shining these days?  Are you taking the time to notice?  Only you can create the conditions to allow your light to shine.  What do you need to do today to turn on that love light?  Are you ready?  What’s stopping you?  Here’s to taking the steps to break out of the darkness and into YOUR light.  Your Star Light.  We need your light now. 

Furthermore...

Don't forget Integrative Wisdom is available for personalized coaching by phone or in person here at The Center of Creative Transformation.  Taking time to focus, to ask the important questions, and to listen to the responses goes a long way in helping us get to where we want to go in this life.  I'm here to assist you.  

Also, The Soul Catalyst cards are coming along.  So many details involved to birth such a baby.  I appreciate your love and your prayers and support as this comes into being.  Stay tuned for ways to help if you are so moved.