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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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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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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Autumn Regeneration

Here is October’s monthly post by Steve Tallamy. Happy Birthday to you this month Steve! No better way to celebrate the beginning of fall than with a birthday. Steve has been such a source of inspiration for me over the years.  I am grateful to be his friend.

Autumn Regeneration

I love the month of October, to me it is the month of regeneration, a time for renewal after the heady days of summer. It also heralds the arrival of autumn here in the northern hemisphere which gives me a good reason to go into the garden and really get in touch with Nature (not that I need a good reason to get my hands dirty).

This time of year the earth is still warm and with the autumn rain it is damp enough to regenerate those plants that have yielded of their best throughout the flowering season. Many perennials can now be dug up and divided; giving the opportunity to take away the dead and decaying parts and to replant the young fresh new growth which is already developing.

By doing this you not only increase the plants winter survival rate but you get a lot of new plants for free, each with the soul of the original Mother plant living inside them to share with family, friends and neighbors. What better way of giving and sharing your love of Nature could there be?

Another reason for me loving October is that it is my Birthday! But I don’t look upon it as a celebration of my birth some 58 years ago: I look at it as a time of regeneration, just like it is for the perennials in my garden. I can chop out the dead and unwanted habits, thoughts and beliefs and give the new knowledge and consciousness I have gained over the past months a chance to grow and expand. To me the best thing of all is that it gives me the chance to share all of this with my family, friends and neighbors, like giving them a new plant I can give them a new and stronger me, I can share my expanded self, my ever growing love for Nature and Mankind with everyone in my life..

If more people took some timeout to regenerate themselves (and it doesn’t have to be in October or on your Birthday, any time will do, but the sooner the better), this wonderful planet we all share will soon become the place that in our hearts we all truly desire it to be. Why not give me the best Birthday present I could wish for and pop into your own garden of life and do a little regeneration. Not only will you make me happy, you will be giving your own survival chances a big boost and those of your loved ones and Mother Earth too.

Steve Tallamy @ Living in Courage Online

http://stevetallamy.com/

http://writeforyoursite.co.uk/

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Making Friends With Nature

The theme of Debra’s Newsletter this month is Friendship and whilst reading it I was reminded of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s line from his poem ‘Youth and Age’ that, “Friendship is a sheltering tree.” That makes me feel a warm glow growing inside of me, the same glow I feel when I am amongst my true friends.

The other friendship that gives me that feeling of warmth is my connection with Nature, a simple connection that helps to keep my feet on the ground and my head out of the clouds. It helps to remind me that I am a cog in the machinery life and of the whole grand scheme of things, so I need to be in sync with Nature to enable me to do my share of the work in taking care of the World I live in not just for myself but for everyone else and of course for future generations to love and enjoy too.

Whilst out walking the other day I watched a young family enjoying the countryside; taking for free what Mother Nature had provided for them, foraging for blackberries, elder berries, wild garlic and hazel nuts. The kids were having so much enjoyment and were amazed and thrilled at what their parents were showing them. I wished them all to “have a lovely day,” to which the young girl replied “Oh we will, isn’t Nature wonderful!” A tear came to my eye as I walked away thinking to myself that if more parents did things like that with their kids I could rest assured that our World was in safe hands.

That little girl had found a friendship, a friendship that will live in her heart forever. I can’t think of a better way of introducing kids to Nature than by taking them out into it, whether it be the back garden, a local park, the woods or even the seashore and letting them see it, feel it, hear it and taste it (under supervision of course) for themselves. Give them the freedom and opportunity to make a lifelong friendship with Nature; you could just be saving the World!

Steve Tallamy @ Living in Courage Online

http://stevetallamy.com/

http://writeforyoursite.co.uk/

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