Waking Sleeping Beauty

You’ve done just about everything everyone else wanted of you. Wife, daughter, mother, sister, aunt, friend, co-worker – no matter, whatever’s been asked, you’ve followed through walking the tightrope of responsibility. 

Between expectations and legacy bequests,  careworn and restless, your needs receded into the background, until one day, the vibrant part of you considered invincible in your 20s, is a stranger – a sleeping beauty hidden away in the 21^st century remake of the Matrix. Think back and remember when life was fun, with no limits, requiring little in the way of responsibility or accountability. You lived to experience. Now you live simply to fulfill what’s expected of you.

On the outside, you’re holding your own and life seems to hum along. At work each day, you take care of other people’s needs, dashing home as the clock winds down to prepare for the expected onslaught from family, friends, or other commitments. 

You wear labels proudly, at home and in the world at large, broadcasting affinities and allegiances to all, even because to be seen is the ultimate badge of honor and being seen is important. If you don’t believe me, take a few minutes tomorrow, look around and take stock of how many others you encounter wearing “the uniform”.  So now, I’ll ask you, what is it that makes you stand out? What is your “X” factor?

And while you may have invested in stocks, bonds and other retirement-worthy instruments, more likely than not, the portfolio’s been dealt a blow between the unprecedented recession and uneven pace of economic recovery. Say a prayer every day for good health and longevity, so it won’t be necessary to depend on social security and Medicaid for old age.  Are you keen to just sit back and hope you retain your health, or are you willing to be proactive and show you can stand on your own two feet?

Every morning, it’s the same routine – up early in front of the mirror preparing to face the day. Before stepping out, maybe some stretching, yoga or Pilates, to work out the kinks, but definitely armed with the latest and greatest in subtle camouflage. Remember, first impressions are important.  Freaking out when you see an unwelcome grey hair or notice a new wrinkle? Instead, welcome the wisdom and dignity of who you are – right here, right now in this moment.

Ever spend some time looking for your sleeping beauty in the mirror? The one that had all the hopes and dreams ahead of her – before she got locked away in the highest turret of the castle – out of sight and out of mind?  That’s what happens to most of us when we reach adulthood.  We put away the hopes and dreams of childhood, tucking them neatly into the aptly-named “hope” chest.  In all the years since, have you ever opened that chest to be reminded of what could be?

Yet, this tiny voice occasionally calls out, easy to ignore as the white noise of the world muffles her cries for attention.  After awhile, she retreats in silence, falling back into her prolonged slumber ‘til something stirs her awake again.  It was probably quite startling the first times she called out, but over time it became easier to ignore her voice – your voice!  So what is it that keeps nudging her from slumber? Your unrequited dreams, of course!

What happened when the prince kissed Sleeping Beauty? Well, for one, she got to live “the happily ever after”.  Do you ever wonder what your happily ever after is?  Is there a dream you locked out in the cold because of expectations? Do you have a plan in place for the 2^nd half of your life? What dreams did you aspire to which you believe are now unattainable? And most importantly, why?

Well, if your fairy godmother were to wave her wand right now, what would you ask her for? How can she help you awaken Sleeping Beauty?

Start by asking her to unlock the door so you can wake up Sleeping Beauty. Let’s discover your heart’s desire so you can move toward living authentically – confident, self-assured, and aware. Recapture your youthful fearlessness and live life on your terms! If you’re ready for answers, IntuitiveGoddesse is ready, willing and able to be your personal fairy godmother http://IntuitiveGoddesse.com. 

New Affirmation: I AM DIVINELY GUIDED TO NURTURE MY DREAMS.

Cheryl

IntuitiveGoddesse

An Open Letter to LOVE

Dear Psyche,

     When I look at you I see Love.

     When I think of you, my face glows as a smile appears, my heart feels warm and my body tingles all over.

     You’re the first thing I see in the morning and the last one I tuck in at night.

     With me through good times and bad; you’ve helped me heal from wounds which pierced psychically deep into my flesh and seared my soul.

     You’ve helped me love and appreciate every fiber of my being. My body is covered in blessings -- every mark or scar has a special meaning; those wrinkles and frown lines representing shared moments of intimacy and ecstasy, as well as wisdom learned.

     You've shared my confidences, moments of triumph, and held me close during times of despair, wiping away my tears and smoothing the hairs away from my brow.

     You’ve helped me accept who I am and where my life is and encourage me to bigger and greater future successes.

     You’ve never abandoned me and yet, I haven’t always appreciated the contributions you bring into my life.

     I’ve been remiss in writing those heartfelt missives expressing my deepest thoughts, so I’ll just tell you the easiest way I know how… I LOVE YOU.

LOVE, me

I truly LOVE appreciate how incredible life has become once I opened up and allowed for a special relationship with myself. I get great joy in passing this along and thought it was an appropriate time to send a reminder to take time to stand in front of a mirror and say “I LOVE YOU” to your psyche.  

Even though you live and breathe in your body, it’s easy to forget what an important and integral part of your being your psyche is. Life is speeding up all around, yet who you are – the most innate part of the self – is often the last part that we take stock of. Most of you lead busy lives, filled with obligations and responsibilities. Between the family, career, education, friends and whatever else shows up during the day, you’re beat. When night falls and it’s finally time to get off the merry-go-round, you’re probably tired, with very little energy to spend on yourself.  

The constant assault of deplorable news, culture issues and global upheaval barrages you with negative energy which only drains and weakens you. Even those of you who make determined effort to lessen exposure to such incidents are still involuntarily assaulted. No wonder, so many people are stressed out and having ongoing difficulties processing the paradigm shift we are going through.

Rather than letting life just happen to you, take some bold action and change how you perceive your life.  The world as we knew it is gone.  We as a people are evolving and everything around us is in constant flux. You owe it to yourself to do what you can to take care of the physical vessel you were born into and to treat it with LOVE, kindness, dignity and respect. 

So I’m asking you to take a few minutes every day and make a new pact with your psyche, to feel LOVE, fulfillment and encouragement.  Fall in LOVE again and get started on the path to living authentically. 

Great changes start with small actions. The first small action you can take is to give LOVE and be LOVE….

New Affirmation: I AM LOVED AND DIVINELY GUIDED  FOR MY HIGHEST AND BEST GOOD!

Cheryl

IntuitiveGoddesse

No Limits!

Spring has officially been ushered in! It’s time to dust off the cobwebs of inactivity and procrastination. Even now, gearing up to nurture and grow your long-held dream seeds, there are those who will find ways to be limited – are you one of them?

When obstacles appear, it’s easy to allow distraction to divert attention away from what you want to accomplish. If you’re constantly settling for “it is what it is” instead of achieving your heart’s desires, maybe it’s time to take a look at your self-talk.

It takes 8 positive and affirming messages to undo the harm done by 1 unconstructive idea or thought.  Putting limits on yourself, and/or listening to the pessimistic or unflattering opines of others, inadvertently increases the obstacles to be overcome on your way to success. In other words, you end up working harder, rather than smarter, to achieve your goals.

Instead of “I can’t”, shift your vocabulary towards actionable, self-validating words. The shortest sentence in the English vocabulary, “I AM, “is also the strongest affirmation one can make, because it accents and emphasizes statements and actions.

Yes, there are going to be some things which may be beyond one’s physical capability to accomplish – notice I didn’t use the word “limitation”. That’s because there are always going to be things we strive for which will require thinking outside the box. 

For example, if I suddenly want to be a 6-ft tall model, most people would tell me it will never happen. If I allow myself to be caught up in their unenthusiastic thinking, I wouldn’t be open to creatively exploring possible options. 

However, I choose to affirm “I AM a 6-ft tall model,” therefore, at 5’7”, the first thing I’ve got to do is find a gorgeous pair of 5-inch platform heels! Next, I grab a camera and ask a friend to be my photographer. Voila!  I AM a 6-ft tall model! 

There’s always a creative solution to be found, especially when putting one’s mind to work. The intellect doesn’t know that something is or is not possible – that’s Ego stepping in and putting the brakes on. Tell Ego to lay off the brake, while you entertain some unconventional solutions to your prickliest challenges!

It’s all about perspective and being open to possibilities, rather than shutting down and falling into the negativity trap. Think about what you can do to accomplish a goal rather than focusing time and energy on obstacles. Give yourself permission to explore new ways of making things happen. Start practicing on little issues and, as you get more comfortable, move up to bigger obstacles. 

Change your thoughts; change your focus and celebrate your creativity!

New Affirmation: I AM ALLOWING ALL POSSIBILITIES TO ENRICH MY LIFE!

Cheryl

IntuitiveGoddesse

Open the Door & Unlock Your Potential

You’ve got a key in your hand and it can open one of several doors. Are you willing to step up and go for it? Knowing there’s a prize waiting for you, why are you still hesitating?

Unfortunately, too many opportunities are lost in the hunt for instant gratification.  Just like the lottery, most of us are waiting around for a grand prize (usually a big pot of money) to literally fall from the sky.  Intuition isn’t like that, although it can help make your wildest dreams come true – if you learn how to listen, trust and use the information you receive.  

All you need to do is turn the key. Intuition is the greatest prize you could ask for and it’s just waiting for you to step up and open the door. Let go of any fear you’re holding and confidently stride over and put the key in the lock.

Once you open the door again, you’ll be glad you did. It’ll feel like you’re welcoming a long-lost friend. It’s just been patiently waiting, on the other side of the doorway for you to rediscover the magick. It’s part of your Divine human intelligence – an internal guidance system to help guide you along the journey path of the physical realm. This instinctive ability is unlimited and once acknowledged, it’s going to be there whether you choose to use it or not.

There’s a Universal Law that says you must get in touch with the source of your own intuition before you can start acquiring the wisdom necessary to move forward without benefit of others’ opinions. 

It’s not something you’ve got to go out and purchase. All you’ve got to do is dust it off – kind of like going out to the garage and finding the bike you stored away.

As an example, suppose you went out and purchased a fancy bike. At first you were excited by it, took it for a spin a few times and then, for whatever reason, put it away in the garage never to give it another thought.  That’s probably a good representation of what happened to your intuition as well.  Somewhere along the way, you started doubting yourself and made a conscious decision rely on the input of others.

Well, it’s time to blow the dust off, get back in the saddle again and reclaim your place as master/mistress of your own destiny!

Think about it, are you willing to live the rest of your life in the shadows based on what other people have to say about your best interests?  Think about how many missed opportunities and chances for success you’re giving away!

How would you feel if you could move forward, confidently and empowered, using your own judgment and instinct? I daresay, you’ll be in position to achieve a lot more goals and have more life satisfaction overall. That’s the gift of intuition.

Let me say it again – when you learn to use your intuition, you start validating and empowering yourself; no longer requiring approval and validation from others. YOU become self-empowered and confident – it doesn’t matter what others think because you KNOW what’s possible and you’ve got the tools to make the probable happen!

If you want to know more, click here to contact me. I love working with people interested in deepening their spiritual connections. IntuitiveGoddesse offers personal mentoring to facilitate these connections, allowing you to live a full, confident and empowering life.

New Affirmation: I AM OPEN TO ALLOWING MY INTUITION TO GROW AND DEVELOP.

Remember, always ask for "This or Better"...

Cheryl

IntuitiveGoddesse

Mirror, Mirror...

I was looking at a news article recently on the series of photos by Annie Liebovitz. What caught my attention was the actress Olivia Wilde as the Evil Queen from Disney’s Snow White from the “Mirror, Mirror” scene. This photo set my imagination on fire and got me to thinking about how difficult it is for most of us to look in the mirror and expect to see beauty reflected back. 

How many times over the years have you looked in the mirror and been afraid of the person who’s looking back?  Be honest – it’s happened to all of us at least once in our adult lives. I know what you’re thinking:

• This isn’t who I thought I was…
• OMG, do I really look like that?
• How did I get to this point... ughhh!

Maybe you’ve only briefly glanced – afraid you wouldn’t recognize the person looking back.  Whatever the rationale, stop and consider this is the person you are right here, right now in this moment.  There are a lot of life lessons to be learned from getting to know “you” and usually, it’s where you’ll find the answers to your deepest, darkest secret questions and the strength you didn’t even know you have.

This is one of the first exercises I always ask my clients to do.  Spend some time in front of a mirror. This would be especially good to do before you put on any makeup, or at the end of the day when you’re removing it for the night.  Don’t waste your time focusing on the wrinkles, sun spots, or any other real or imagined signs of aging. Your purpose is to see beyond what your eyes usually reveal. On a day-to-day basis, we see what we want to see and hear what we want to hear – it’s all about choices.

Make the choice to see your authentic beauty and gaze deep into the eyes of your soul self – go beyond the rational and start connecting on the spiritual level with the true person behind the visual façade.  The first thing I want you to say (out loud) is “I Love You!” It will sound forced and your voice may quiver, but you need to do this over and over again until you are comfortable and enthusiastic.

Your soul self is crying out to hear how much you love it and it’s time for you to make a commitment to loving and cherishing the body you are living in.

If you’re like me, you’ll probably cry the first time you do it. You’ll cry because you’ve never told yourself how much you are loved. Remember, before you can love others, you have to be able to love yourself. Withholding affection is akin to a mother withholding sustenance and nurture from her child. Your mirror self is your inner child – don’t be afraid. Saying “I Love You” is a very powerful and healing declaration to you!

It’s a means of releasing critical thoughts and feelings and allowing unconditional acceptance of who you are right now. Who you want to be will come later, but right now, you need to spend some time getting to know yourself and how wonderful you are – right now!

New Affirmation:  I ACCEPT MYSELF FULLY AND COMPLETELY!

Remember, be AUTHENTICALLY who you are and live your BEST life,

Cheryl

IntuitiveGoddesse

Stay True to You

Sometimes the hardest lesson is learning to stay true to yourself.

Walking the path to clarity and consciousness requires periodically evaluating everything and everyone in your life.

Most of your past is composed of people and things which you associate with great value – you fell in love for a reason and you bought that swell little black dress ‘cause you just knew you’d look so good in it.

People change and so do our life desires. Maybe you’re no longer in love but hanging onto the idea of being in love (for all the wrong reasons). Perhaps you never wore the dress and now it sits unused and abandoned on a hanger in the back of your closet. If the magick’s gone, it’s time to let go and move on.

Just because you’re deciding to end a relationship, concluding a business commitment, or clearing out stuff from your closets doesn’t mean “good riddance” – you’re not getting “rid” of anything. Instead you’re opening a new page in your life and passing along “magick” to others who might benefit from those items or relationships in the future.

The best time to do this is when you have the chance to sit quietly in meditation or contemplation. Put one hand on your heart and the other on your belly. Breathe in deeply and exhale forcefully a few times to clear your mind and then begin asking whether or not a particular person or item serves your highest and best purpose. In the stillness, you should easily receive your answer.  

When you get your answers, you have to be willing to release the outcome. To take the next steps on moving forward, read my Journey to Forgiveness  blog post.

There are hard choices to be made and your heart will weep as you discard that which no longer serves your highest and best purpose. Remember, there’s nothing which is truly good or bad, rather there are only choices to be aligned with principles – Self Love being the most important.

You will open yourself to more fully enjoying and participating in life. No more blame. No more unnecessary stress. The result of this fine-tuning will be enhanced creativity and the ability to be more consciously present in the pursuit your life goals.

New Affirmation:  I AM ALIGNING MY LIFE WITH MY HIGHEST AND BEST PURPOSE!

Remember, every day you have a new opportunity to live your BEST life,

Cheryl

IntuitiveGoddesse

Red Carpet Ready

Been thinking about all the awards shows and how people in the US thrive on watching and participating in the comings and goings of some notables and some not so notable persons in our culture. 

Imagine what a psyche boost it would be if you got to wear some of those fascinating gowns and attend some of the chi-chi parties. On top of the world, at the pinnacle of your career, how fascinating it would be to be so recognized and applauded by your peers and the general public. So, after giving it some thought, I hope you will put aside your rational mind and do this little visualization with me.

Every time you walk out the door, visualize yourself strutting down a red carpet somewhere. Let your imagination go wild and see yourself attending some wonderful opening night party. Flex those creative muscles and give them a workout. Put your own stamp on it, complete with all the bells and whistles - it's your visualization so you get to decide what it looks like.

My vision has me exiting a limo, suddenly surrounded by a thousand flashes of light. I’m wearing the most fab designer gown, a pair of those sky-high Louboutin heels and lots of bling of course!  Back in Texas, that’s what they mean when they say “GO BIG or go home”.

Sometimes you’ve got to believe your own press and just get out there and BE REAL, AUTHENTIC and let your light shine.

You don’t have to be a Hollywood celebrity to strut your stuff. It’s about having the confidence to hold your head high and stand apart from the crowd. Even if you’re not feeling it, take a note from the red carpet photos plastered all over magazines, the internet and cable. How many times have you seen a picture of someone – the next BIG STAR – only you’ve never seen this person or for that matter, heard much of anything about them.

For today, in this moment, I’m asking you to step up and BECOME THE CELEBRITY – the most important person in the Universe. Let the world know you’re ready to step up and be seen! This is where you truly get the focus on you.  When you are truly being AUTHENTIC, you attract others to you who want to be part of your orbit. 

Whether it’s an air of mystery or just an incredible attitude, if you are being authentic in everything you say and do – thought must be followed by action – people will react positively to the confident energy you exude. 

New Affirmation:  I AM CONFIDENT, FEARLESS AND AWARE!

Remember, every day brings new chances to be recognized and rewarded,

Cheryl

IntuitiveGoddesse