Empowerment, Nature and You

How do you define the word empowerment?  I thought I knew what it meant until I came to write about it for this months newsletter.  That was when I realized that it can mean different things to different people in differing life situations.  So, after ‘Googling’ it and not coming up with any clear cut definition here is my own interpretation:

“Empowerment is a multi-dimensional process of gaining positive control of the power we all have within us, enabling us to lead better lives to the benefit of ourselves, others and society as a whole whilst being in harmony with Universal Law.”

We all know the types of lives we want to lead; we all know the kind of environment we want to live in and we all want to live in harmony with our physical, mental and spiritual selves.  But unless we empower ourselves and allow our thoughts and actions to work at every level of our desires then they will never wholly come to fruition.  Self-Empowerment is a gift not to be wasted or abused, without it we can only live falsely as we would not be being truthful to ourselves.  Our ego’s and the physical outer world would be in total control.

Mother Nature is the embodiment of empowerment.  She plays by her own rules, the Universal Laws, yet embraces change to survive, develop and expand.  You only have to look around you to see empowerment at work, the forces of nature are continuously in motion with no days off, no procrastination, just pure energy in perpetual motion.  Day and night, the tides, the winds and the seasons are forever with us, if they weren’t, we and the world as we know it would perish.

It’s important that we empower ourselves by giving ourselves permission to be who we truly want to be, act and do as we truly desire and to learn how to work in harmony with not only our physical, mental and spiritual selves but with those around us and our environment if we want to gain the full benefits that empowerment can and will reward us with.  As with working towards enlightenment this is not an overnight process, it is a life times work and may not happen for us in this lifetime but in a future life in whatever multi-dimensional place that may be.  Accept and use the gift of empowerment, feel the vibrations of Universal Law working with and for you, the feeling of harmony coming into your life.

Steve Tallamy

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You Have The Freedom To Live Your Desires – Use It!

Article by Steve Tallamy

Happy New Year everyone, I hope that this brand new blank page of your lives is filled with everything that you long for and brings you the freedom of peace of mind, body and soul that we all seek. Nothing could be better than making that your goal for 2012 – Freedom!

In the coming year we will find ourselves in precisely the same position in life, unless we give ourselves the freedom to choose to live our lives in the way we truly desire. What do you want to achieve for yourself and your loved one’s? I don’t mean that you have to radically change the way you live right now in this very moment because that simply wouldn’t work.  What I do mean is that you must allow yourself the freedom to make small but powerful changes; let me explain ..

2011 was a truly ground breaking year for me in many ways as I decided not to chase after my dreams anymore, and to be honest with you I already have much of what I desire in my life; but for several reasons I wasn’t fully content. What I did was to allow myself the freedom we all have to concentrate on the things I didn’t want in the future but were in my life at the time.  I realized that by making this choice I could use the power of freedom to rid myself of the unwanted, leaving only the things I wanted.  I spent a lot of time in nature both here in the UK and in sunny California with Debra and her husband Cody (and many good friends, too many to mention here).  Mother Nature showed me in varying ways how she allows herself the freedom to be and do whatever she needs to be, ridding herself of all that she no longer needs to grow and expand.  Freeing herself of old constraints allows nature to recreate new life and although some of these periods of cleansing can often appear cruel and painful they are a necessary action, and that is exactly what it can feel like when we use the freedom we have to make the changes we too need to make in our lives.

Freedom is a difficult thing to achieve but if you really desire to have it in whichever area of your life you choose, the pain barrier has to be endured until you adjust.  It’s often harder to change what we don’t want in our lives than to obtain what we do, but believe me when I say that releasing yourself from the constraints of unwanted aspects of your life is real freedom and the feeling of wellbeing it brings can be as good as, if not better than reaching a desire.  Achieving a desire you want whilst still holding on to those things that you don’t desire is not true freedom and you will never be able to enjoy your desires until you have found that sensation of peace of mind, body and soul that genuine freedom brings.  So if you only write one thing on this blank page that is 2012, write ‘I Desire True Freedom’, and read it out aloud to yourself first thing every morning, and remind yourself of that simple but powerful statement the moment you see something in your life that you no longer desire; and make the choice, take road to Freedom  Take good care of your freedom, don’t hide it away, be brave and use it wisely and you will have a very happy New Year.

Steve Tallamy

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The Season of Gratitude by Steve Tallamy

Well, we’re almost at the end of another year; they seem to fly by these days or is that just me! I always like to use this season to reflect on the year and to send blessings of gratitude to everyone and everything that I shared it with, both the good and the bad, for there are lessons to be learned from each and we should be grateful for them.

Most of you will know by now that I love spending time in nature and I always include Mother Nature in my thoughts of gratitude as well as all of my family and friends, we are all children of nature after all. Giving thanks for the beauty, peace of heart and mind, the abundance of food and creatures she blesses my life with is an important part of my seasonal rituals, especially whilst gazing at the night sky, which at this time of year seems so clear and close that I could almost reach out and touch the stars.

Gratitude is no about just saying thanks for turning up, it’s much more than that; sending positive vibrations out into the universe with as much power and gusto as you can manage, doing it from your heart and soul. Hugging someone dear to you and telling them that you love them and are blessed to have them in your life and asking those you may have hurt for forgiveness, that’s gratitude. There is no half measures with Mother Nature and there is no half measures when it comes to gratitude, you have to give it your all to be heard and understood.

Meister Eckhart said, “If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, ‘thank you,’ that would suffice,” but think how much more sincere that prayer would be if you shouted it out to Mother Nature herself!

So it only remains for me to send out a loud shout of gratitude to You, the readers of my little life muses; to Debra for putting up with me for three wonderful months in her home earlier this year and for allowing me to share my thoughts in her newsletter. I could go on and on but here is not the place to do so, but if you stand outside one clear moonlit night you may not only see Father Christmas on his sleigh, you might hear my shouts of gratitude echoing around the universe.

Have a very Merry Christmas everyone and I’ll see you in the New Year – Thank YOU!

Steve Tallamy

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The Courage Advocate – Debra Oakland

I am honored to be featured in Life By Me this week. I would like to thank my wonderful friend Chris Cade for recommending me to Life By Me.  Chris is featured on their site as a writer, speaker and empowerer.  I am listed as writer, joyful experiencer and courage advocate.  In fact I like the sound of courage advocate so much I think I will call myself “The Courage Advocate.”

Life By Me posts only one question “What is most meaningful to you?” Every day there is an original answer from all people such as Gary Zukov, Michael Beckwith, Judith Orloff, Dean Ornish, Leigh Taylor Young, Seth Godin, Marci Shimoff, Jack Canfield and many others. It is a wonderful space to get lost in…a real gem.

Click the link below to read my answer to the question “What is most meaningful to you?”

http://www.lifebyme.com/debra-oakland-living-in-courage/

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Appreciation

Appreciation by Steve Tallamy

Maybe it’s the spring air but just lately I have noticed that wonderful feeling of appreciation bursting within me; whether it is family, friends or total strangers, I have noticed that I appreciate them for simply being who they are and not for who I think they ought to be.  It’s as if a veil has been lifted and I am seeing with my heart as well as with my eyes.

I liken it to walking into a beautiful garden for the first time and sensing the smells, colours and beauty all around, seeing the light playing through the leaves and branches of the trees, seeing and feeling it as it simply is.  No thought goes into labeling things so there is no association with other worldly images or preconceptions about why it is as it is, just an acceptance that … it is!  Without these labels to confuse my mind I am able to concentrate my thoughts inwards and glimpse the true meaning of oneness with the world and everyone and everything in it.

I know that this may sound a bit flowery (sorry about the pun) but I find it hard to describe the feeling in any other way and to do so wouldn’t do it justice.  When we unburden ourselves of the layers of preconceived why’s and wherefore’s handed down to us throughout our lives we are left with what is the absolute truth about ourselves and others and it brings peace and harmony into our hearts and minds; allowing appreciation to flow through our veins.

Germinating the seeds of appreciation inside of yourself now will allow them to grow and bloom before eventually self-seeding amongst everyone around you.  There is no precise time of the year to sow these seeds and there are no special conditions required apart from allowing, accepting, and appreciating them into your life; but as its spring, why not start your own nurseries of appreciation now, while I take another stroll around that garden.

Steve Tallamy

http://stevetallamy.com/

http://writeforyoursite.co.uk/

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Directions to Happy Lane

Image: Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

This is a guest article from Alan Cohen – From the Heart – February  2011

Directions to Happy Lane

During my Life Coach Training seminar in Ojai, California, I took a walk in that picturesque town. As I strolled along a back road enjoying a striking mountain vista, a car pulled up beside me.  A forlorn tourist rolled down his window and asked, “Can you direct me to Happy Lane?” I shrugged my shoulders and answered, “Sorry, I can’t help you. I don’t live around here.” As the motorist moved on, I recognized the humorous metaphor of the encounter: You can’t direct other people to Happy Lane unless you already know the town. You can’t help others find happiness unless you are happy. When you’re familiar with the area, it’s easy to show the way. If you’re not there, you can’t be of much help.

In February we celebrate Valentine’s Day, honoring lovers and relationships. While we tend to focus on the romantic aspects of relationships, ultimately they serve as powerful teaching tools. If a relationship helps you grow in self-awareness and take back the power you give to others to make you happy or unhappy, it has served you well. Your relationship partner serves as a mirror for your beliefs and attitudes about yourself. If you see beauty and love in your partner, that is what you see in yourself. If you see faults and problems, again you are meeting yourself. Wherever you go, there you are.

In the early days of motion pictures, a small group of cowboys in South Dakota got together to watch their first movie, projected onto a sheet on the wall of their bunkhouse. At one point in the film a band of war-painted Indians stormed over the top of a ridge, hooting and hollering, seemingly charging straight toward the audience of viewers. Suddenly one of the cowboys in the bunkhouse rose, drew his revolver, and fired six shots at the Indians. Moments later the lights in the room went on, the movie disappeared, and the audience laughed to find six bullet holes in the bunkhouse wall.

When you resent, resist, or attack your relationship partner, or anyone, you are firing holes in the screen. You are fighting an image in your mind. Rather than engaging in a war with a play of light on a screen, trace the image back to the film moving through the projector in your head. You made up a story and then dove into it. The issue is not about the other person. The issue is about you. With such a realization you are immensely empowered. You cannot change other people to meet your expectations, but you do have the power to change your mind. When you open, grow, and expand your consciousness, your relationship opens, grows, and expands. We see life not as it is. We see life as we are. Thus relationships are one of the best ways to facilitate self-healing and personal evolution.

This principle came to light when I coached an unhappy doctor in Japan. The fellow had been pushed into his career by demanding parents and he hated his job. Yet, due to rigid societal expectations and his parents’ continued pressure, he felt he was unable to leave. When I asked him if there was any other profession he would rather have, he lit up and answered, “I would love to be a party planner.” Stunned, I asked him, “Why would you prefer that over medicine?” “Sometimes I throw parties for my staff,” he explained, “and it gives me a great deal of pleasure to see them happy.” Suddenly the dynamic behind his dilemma became clear to me. I told him, “When you throw a party that makes your staff happy, in that moment you realize that you have the power to make someone happy. The someone you would really like to make happy is yourself. Now turn that power loose on yourself.” He and I explored ways he could take better care of himself and amplify his joy, and he left the session relieved and uplifted.

Likewise, a workshop participant told me, “I am angry with myself because when I was a child I vowed I would become President of the United States by the time I was 48 years old. Now that birthday has come and gone and I see no hope of me achieving my goal.”
“Why do you want to be President?” I asked.
“I would like to free the world of oppression,” he replied.
“Then perhaps you could begin by freeing yourself of the oppression of self-judgment,” I suggested.

This month as you consider your lover, or your desired lover, or any of your relationships, remember that to guide someone to well-being, you have to already be there. If you want more love from your partner, give it to yourself first. If you want more freedom, claim it. If you want more understanding, understand. Then, when someone comes to you looking for Happy Lane, you will be able to point them in the right direction.

Alan Cohen is the author of many popular inspirational books, including the metaphysical thriller, Linden’s Last Life. Listen to Alan’s weekly radio show Get Real on Hay House Radio at www.hayhouseradio.com, and join him for Life Coach Training beginning in September. For more information about Alan’s books, programs, or his free daily inspirational quotes via email, visit www.alancohen.com, email info@alancohen.com, or phone 1-800-568-3079.

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Inspirational – Reel Wisdom

Inspirational – Reel Wisdom

Every now and again something comes along that makes you go Wow and sends a tingle running through you.  That is how I feel whenever I connect with nature and the earth, a positive charge is sent through my system and my thoughts and senses obtain a newborn clarity.  But it’s not always nature that gives me these shots of positive energy; it can be almost anything from the sound of children’s laughter to the taste and smell of a beautiful meal.

I recently stumbled across a YouTube video called ‘Reel Wisdom’ and at first I thought, Oh No another rehash of film clips and watched it without paying any particular attention; then the words started to register and made me sit up and take notice.  The words seemed so powerful, so meaningful, positive lessons in how to live our lives that I simply had to turn the volume up and watch it over and over again.  When I had finished watching for the umpteenth time I knew I had to share it so posted it on Debra’s Facebook wall (which started some banter about who should write this post, and I apologize now to those FB friends who mistook our friendly banter for something else. – I won as you can see!)

There are particular phrases from the video which still stick in my mind but I won’t tell you what they are just now; as in all lessons each of us take something different out of them.  Perhaps after watching the video you would like to leave a comment about which phrase(s) meant most to you, or whether it was the whole combination of phrases that gave you a tingle, and then I and Debra will tell you which ones were our Block Busters!
So watch, enjoy and be prepared to be inspired.

Steve Tallamy

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The Creatures Of Your Soul

The Creatures Of Your Soul – Steve Tallamy’s Monthly Article

Think of the creatures of the woodlands and forests as your soul; they are pure, shy creatures that only reveal themselves when they feel safe and in harmony with your physical presence. Crash your way through the undergrowth and you will see and hear nothing of nature and her companions, but sit quietly still and wait patiently for a while and you will gradually be able to sense their presence. Wait a little longer and you will tune into your environment and begin to hear their movements and songs until eventually they will show themselves to you with no fear of harm.

As with nature as with the soul; crash your way through life, taking no time to connect with your inner self and you will feel nothing but pain as your soul hides in the shadows not knowing who you or your intentions are. The only way to get in touch with and be able to understand your emotions is to find a stillness of the mind, sit quietly still and patiently for a while and you will gradually be able to sense the presence of your soul.

There are many theories on how to get in touch with your inner self, to discover who you are and to bring your mind, body and soul into harmonious balance; but as with various religious beliefs they all boil down to simplicity, finding a place away from everyday life, to be still for as long as you can manage and drift inside of yourself. I do this through nature, others may find music or simple silence does the trick and I am not here to tell you the best method, only you can find that out for yourself. All I can do is to share my own experiences of nature with you so that you can explore that route if you wish, and that is what I hopefully do here thanks to Debra.

I think I have become closer to nature and in turn to my inner being as I have grown older; I used to go for long walks in the countryside which looking back at now were more like an army route march and to quote and old saying, ‘I saw but did not see.’ But nowadays I take leisurely strolls, often not even getting to my predetermined destination; I stop, look, listen, touch and smell the things around me so often that I find myself no more than a mile or two on my journey after a couple of hours, but I have experienced so much more than if I had marched ten or twelve.

Make time in your life to sit and sense everything about you, really listen to a bird singing, really listen to the breeze through the trees, really smell, feel and taste those herbs you use every day to cook with and gradually you and your soul will greet each other in harmony.

Steve Tallamy

http://www.ukecoproducts.com/

http://www.stevetallamy.com/

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A Lesson To Be Learned From Nature

Happy Holidays and Blessings to you for the New Year! I am looking forward with anticipation to the changes 2011 are bringing.  Steve Tallamy and I have decided to co-author a book together.  I have been working on my book for some time, yet it was missing an element I could not put my finger on. My “Ah Ha” moment came while reading the “The Ringing Cedar Book Series.“  These books are power packed with information that you will not find just anywhere!  Steve Tallamy has a love and respect for Mother Nature that is all consuming, in a kind and loving way.  As my writing is of a spiritual nature, I knew the book needed to include Steve’s insights into the lessons nature holds for us.  Co-creating is fun as well!

I would like to thank Steve for the articles he writes each month for Living in Courage.  Steve will be contributing to my Living in Courage Newsletter, and also shares a daily quote Monday through Friday on my fan page on Facebook for Living in Courage. Here is Steve’s December article and a photo of his garden in Poole, England.

A Lesson To Be Learned From Nature
Well, it happened again; Mother Nature sprinkled Poole, where I live, with a couple of inches of snow and the town came to a grinding halt.  Side roads were virtually impassable, schools were shut and transport system (I use the word loosely) disrupted.  It happens at least two or three times every year, but we never seem to be prepared for what some other regions of the world wouldn’t blink an eye at.  But I’m not here to talk to you about the deficiencies of my local council, (although if you’ve got an hour or so to spare then give me a call) I’m going to tell you about what I noticed whilst cocooned in my flat I watched the chaos outside my window.

The birds seemed to carry on as usual; the shrubs continued to bare their berries and looked even more striking with a dusting of the white stuff, shoots searching the light managed to break through the snowy crust that was my garden border and even the insects managed to scuttle around leaving their intricate tracks to show they were still at work.  Nature did not shut down, it continued on its cycle of life as if nothing had happened, despite the cold blanket covering the ground, it continued to do the only thing it knows how to do … survive and grow.

The whole scene seemed to put modern man into perspective, always wanting to have power and control over everything it touches, yet reduced to the role of a meek slave to Mother Nature’s elements.  As a race we tend to forget our real roles whilst here on planet Earth and I think there is a lesson to be learned from the way nature focuses in on itself and just gets on with doing what it knows it was designed to do, always giving its best effort no matter what the conditions, but maybe that would be better told in a book, who knows!

I would like to end by wishing every one of you a very happy, safe and healthy Christmas and a very special 2011.  As you will probably know by now, Debra and I are working together on a book and I will also be contributing to her Living In Courage newsletter so I know that my new year will be very special indeed, so Thank You Debra for inviting me to be a part of your life and wonderful new adventure.

See You all soon ….. Steve

http://www.ukecoproducts.com/

http://www.stevetallamy.com/

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Foraging in America

It is my pleasure to share Steve Tallamy’s Monthly Article “Foraging in America.”  We had a wonderful visit with Steve and are very grateful for his presence in our lives.

Happy Holidays Everyone from Living in Courage!

Foraging In America
Many of you will know that I have just come back from the colonies having spent a wonderful week with Debra and her wonderful husband Cody (even if he did drink my beer!) at their home in Laguna Beach, California and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them both for the wonderful time they gave me – Thank You Debra and Cody.

Although we did many lovely things together and I met a whole host of amazing people out there one particular morning will stick in my memory for a long time.  Debra and I walked into town to get some breakfast using the back streets and side roads away from the main coastal highway and along the way we stopped now and again to graze from people’s garden produce.  (Debra assured me that we had permission to do this but I’m not quite so sure!)

Debra and Cody are part of the Transition Laguna Beach scheme encouraging and helping people to grow their own vegetables and herbs, so there was plenty of foraging to be had and the peppery tang of the Arugula (that’s Rocket to us Brits) was definitely a hit with me and my taste buds. This walk into town enhanced my belief that everyone should be a part of a scheme such as Transition Laguna Beach.  Not only do you get to produce great tasting healthy food but it brings the community together in a wonderful spirit of kinship, and the exercise and fresh air does you good as well.

Foraging is fun and free and as you can see you don’t have to set off on a major expedition to do it, it can be done right in your own backyard, or someone else’s come to that!  Waste ground (I’m sure most of us have some of that close at hand) can be a great place to forage as Nature soon fights back against neglect and usually the first plants to take a foothold are herbs of some variety or another.  Most plants that we call weeds because of their rampageous habits are either culinary or medicinal herbs, but always make sure that you know what you are gathering is not poisonous or that the ground has not been contaminated in any way.

It really gladdened my heart to see a town being returned to Nature.  Connecting or re-connecting with Nature is the purest form of spiritualism I have found, it has to be, it is all around you, it keeps you alive and it brings so much joy to all of your senses that you just have to embrace it.  Small steps such as this trigger off an avalanche of positivity right around the world.  It’s the everyday folk like Debra and Cody, you and me (Yes YOU!) making small contributions that is creating an ever growing light at the end of the tunnel for the preservation our planet, and seeing this growing light Mother Nature will respond in kind.  And that’s a promise, trust me I know.

Thank You Everyone.

Steve Tallamy

http://www.stevetallamy.com

Visit Steve at – http://www.ukecoproducts.com/

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