Spiritual evolution, cultural evolution

An evolutionary world view, transcendence in service of cultural evolution, appreciating evolution at the pace it’s happening.

Last night, I listed to this interview with Carter Phipps of EnlightenNext magazine, a part of the Beyond Awakening Series.  It served as medicine I was needing to step beyond personal challenges into a much bigger picture: my personal spiritual growth as a piece of the greater cultural evolution.  The perspective re-inspires me to move forward in my highest service.  I share this with the intention that others are also inspired to greater alignment.

Trust – Questions for a Birthing Mama

In the past year, my focus has increasingly evolved toward supporting mamas, partners and families in pregnancy, birth and postpartum.  My writings also increasingly focus on connectedness, empowerment and self-nourishment for mamas.

My intention for this Prosperity Blog has been that all kinds of people may find inspiration and connection to inner prosperity. I will occasionally share some of my Mama Care writings, such as this one on trust.  More of my Mama Care articles can be found on my website.

What can a pregnant mama do to set herself up for her best birth experience?  She can take a great childbirth preparation class.  She can invite her ideal support people to be at her birth.  She can fill her consciousness with images and stories of beautiful births.   One of the most fundamental – but sometimes overlooked – ways a mama can prepare is to acknowledge her doubts and fears, and cultivate trust in herself, her body and the birthing process.

Trust allows a woman to feel safe, which is integral for labor to progress naturally.  Birth is a rite of passage that challenges us to step up our ability to trust.  Before and during labor, fears and doubts can present themselves.  They can be anything from fear of making too much noise, to fear of drugs, to wondering if her body can really do it.  They may seem huge, small, serious or silly.  These doubts and fears offer the opportunity to overcome them and trust ourselves and our bodies.

Recognizing and stepping past fears and doubts can be both challenging and rewarding.  The process takes sensitivity, awareness and patience.  Support from someone with these traits – your partner, a doula, or a trusted friend or family member – can help you in the journey.

As you make your own path toward trust, here are some questions to ask yourself.  Draw pictures, journal or ask your trusted support person to listen as you explore these questions.

• What doubts or fears do I have around birth?  Whether they are big or small, put them out there in words or images.  This will help you to let go of them.

• Can I identify a belief or memory where each doubt or fear came from?

• Is it possible that this belief or fear helped me at one time, but no longer serves me?  (For example, a fear of big dogs might help a small child keep out of harm’s way, but that is less relevant for an adult.)

• How might I overcome these doubts or fears?  You might use as a starting point ways you’ve overcome fears or challenges in the past.

• Are there times in my life, or have I experienced times, when I can or could completely trust?  What do or did I feel like when I trust(ed) completely?

• What might help me trust my body and myself during birth?

• If I completely trusted my body and myself to birth my baby in the best way, what would that birth be like?

When you create an image or description that you like of your completely trusting birth, you can use it as a focal point.  As you as you prepare for birth and during labor, put the image in a place you’ll see it, or say or ask someone to say a key word that represents your description.  Regardless of whether the specifics of your birth match your image, it will help you reconnect to the trust you’ve cultivated through your process.

To Serve Others, Nurture Yourself

Many of us are givers – people who seek out ways to be of service.  To be in balance, a giver must also receive, including from him- or herself.  One must fill one’s own cup in order to effectively give of oneself to others.

Image used under Creative Commons (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jepoirrier/2487306490)

Emotions are an excellent indicator of whether we are receiving what we need to be effective in service.  If you are feeling irritable, angry or frustrated, that emotion is telling you that your cup is less than full. Consider how you can adjust your situation in the short and long term to give yourself what you need.  Some questions you could ask yourself are:

• Have I nourished my body physically?  Have I been eating food that nourishes me, in the way and the amount that feels good?

• Do I need rest?  Do I need a change in activity?

• Would I benefit from alone time?  Would I benefit from being with others right now?  Would I be supported by conversation with a trusted friend?

• Is there something I enjoy that has been missing in my life?  How can I reconnect with that joy?

Nurture yourself, and you will find yourself more easily and effectively giving to others.  When your cup is full, you will have plenty to give to others.  Make self-care a priority!

Seeds, harvest, life, relationships

Photo by Mimosa Burr

“Live your life for a new reason.  Understand that its purpose has nothing to do with what you get out of it, and everything to do with what you put into it.  This is also true of relationships.”  – Neale Donald Walsh, in Friendship with God, p. 174

“Judge not each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

What Do You Ask of Life?

What questions are present in your mind right now?  Take a moment and listen.  Are these the questions that often show up as you go through your day?

The questions you are asking yourself create your focus.  If you ask yourself, “What if I fail at this?” you will imagine scenarios of failure.  When you ask yourself, “How can I most enjoy doing this?” or “How can my work most benefit my community?” your focus will be on enjoyment or benefit.

Notice the questions you are asking yourself.  If you don’t like where they bring your focus, change them!  You’re the one living with your inner mindset, and you’re the one who can change it.

The questions you ask yourself are the questions you ask of life.  Listen to your questions and consider what you would most like to ask.  You will discover increased understanding of yourself and your life path.

From Overwhelm to Freedom

A few weeks ago, I posted about the journey from task-oholism (addiction to being busy) to heart-centeredness.  Here’s a followup, offering the busy-minded a weekly practice to turn “have-to”s into free choice.

http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/mindfully-navigating-through-overwhelm

Every Moment Is a Blank Page.

Image by http://flickr.com/photos/8078381@N03 Used under Creative Commons.

When you live every moment as a blank page, your life is imbued with a quiet power – the freedom to be exactly who you want to be, and to continually recreate yourself as “even better” than the best you’ve already been.

When every moment is a blank page, you have the freedom to make of each moment what you will your experience to be.

Habitually, we’ve chosen each new moment by looking at the past.  We’ve chosen by looking at what we already know.  This is why we often repeat the same patterns.  This is not a fallacy; this is wise.  We know we can count on what we know.

If you feel limited, turn to a blank page. In every moment, you can choose to take with you what works for you, and let go of what doesn’t.  “Letting go” may be a physical letting go, or it may be as simple as releasing a certain way of thinking about your situation.

If you feel stuck, stop for a moment.  Take a breath.  Turn to a blank page in your mind.  Ask yourself, “If on this page I found the best me I could be, the me I would most like to be, the highest expression of myself, what would that me look like?” Listen to your heart; feel for your highest truth.  Let yourself be who you find on that page. If you grant yourself that freedom, you are always free to live up to your highest potential.

On Judgement, Guilt and Punishment

Food for thought:

“In highly evolved societies, no members of those societies are ever judged and found guilty of anything.  They are simply observed to have done something, and the outcome of their actions, the impact of them, is made clear to them.  Then they are allowed to decide what, if anything, they wish to do with regard to that.  And others in the society are likewise allowed to decide what, if anything, they wish to do to and for themselves with regard to that.  They do nothing to another.  The idea of punishment is simply not something that occurs to them, because the concept of punishment itself is incomprehensible to them.”

- Neale Donald Walsch, in Communion with God, p. 151

Image by http://www.flickr.com/photos/oddsock/ Used under Creative Commons.

Be First, Let Doing Follow

What do you most desire?  Happiness?  Peace?  Freedom?  If your first answer is something you’d like to do or have – for example, build a successful career, have lots of money, or raise a family – ask yourself what what doing or having this would give you.  After a few cycles of this question, you will probably end up with something you’d like to be – such as be happy, be at peace, or be free.

Image by http://www.flickr.com/photos/thraxil/ Used under Creative Commons.

What if you could just be happy, peaceful or free, without having to go through all the doing or acquiring first?  Try this idea on for the extent of this article.  If it aligns with your inner truth, great!  If not, let it go and move on.

Consider that the world may really be altered by rose-colored glasses – or whatever filter you choose to see it through.  Consider that if you focus your attention on happiness, peace, freedom, or whatever you’d like to experience, you will most likely experience more of that.

Have you ever been in a foul mood and had a horrible experience, then later when feeling good, been in nearly the same situation and enjoyed it?  There’s no “truth” you’re ignoring when you enjoy yourself, nor are you wrong when you have a foul time.  You’re simply having the experience (foulness or enjoyment) that you were already being.

Here’s an experiment to try.  If you would like to be happy, notice happiness all day long.  Be aware of when you feel happy.  Notice other people who are happy.  Appreciate the happiness in you and around you.  Write all the happiness you experience and see in a journal.  Let happiness be your guide: when choosing, ask yourself, “Which feels happier?”

You can do this for any state of being you choose as your goal.  If you were choosing peace, you could:

• Notice when you feel peace in yourself
• Notice others who are experiencing peace
• Appreciate peace in you and around you
• Remind yourself of the many experiences you have of peace (for example, with a journal)
• When choosing, let the feeling of peace be your guide: “What feels peaceful?”

Have fun with this.  Play with it, and enjoy being!

Nurture Yourself: Self-Massage

I wrote this article for pregnant and new mamas, but much of it applies to all of us.  A regular ritual of self-massage is a great way to create prosperity for yourself!

The changes in a mama’s body during pregnancy, birth and postpartum can be a source of shame and frustration, or of excitement and celebration.  By nurturing yourself in ways that acknowledge and appreciate these changes, you gain healthy self-image and a positive outlook on the process.  Self-massage is one relaxing and pleasurable way to care for yourself in this way, as well as enhance your physical health.

Massage stimulates your circulatory and lymphatic systems, keeping a healthy flow of oxygen and nutrients into your cells and wastes out from them.  It releases physiological chemicals that relieve stress and maintain good health.  Mamas can benefit from its ability to improve skin elasticity and reduce swelling.  Self-massage provides an opportunity to regularly connect with your body, and appreciate its changes over time.

Self-massage as a regular self-care ritual is ideal for pregnant and new mamas who may be stressed by bodily changes, less sleep and new responsibilities.  Create a regular quiet time to indulge in your body – after a shower or bath, just before bed, first thing in the morning, or another time when you can focus on yourself.  Here are some ideas:

• Make this time special. Even if it’s just five minutes, make it sacred by turning down the lights, turning off your phone, and closing the door.

• Observe each part of your body visually and with touch.  Enjoy your curves.  See how your stretch marks, scars or other physical changes can be badges of honor, symbols of this rite of passage of motherhood.

• Try different kinds of touch: gentle strokes, light kneading, fingertip or full hand.  Feel the surface of your skin, and feel the shapes and textures underneath.  (Light self-massage is generally safe.  If you want to work more deeply in an area, or if you have any concerns about massaging during pregnancy, consult with a prenatal massage therapist or a health care provider familiar with massage.)

• Though self-massage can be done without it, you may enjoy using a massage oil or lotion. Find one that feels luxurious, or make one by adding a couple drops of therapeutic-grade essential oil to food-grade coconut, grapeseed or almond oil.  A few essential oils to try: lavender, ylang ylang, neroli or geranium.  (There are some essential oils to avoid or use carefully during pregnancy.  Check with an essential oil guide or a health care practitioner familiar with essential oils.)

• If there are areas you can’t reach, ask your partner or someone you trust to lightly massage them.  You can also use a long-handled body brush (available at natural health and health food stores) to gently stroke these areas.  The brush should be used before any oil or lotion is applied.

• If baby is in your belly, this can be a great time to say hello.  Gently massage your belly and baby while talking with baby.

When you spend time acknowledging and appreciating your body with self-massage, you honor yourself as a  mother. Pregnancy, birth and postpartum are sacred rites of passage in a woman’s life.  Celebrate yourself!