My dramatic inspiration for investigating a different approach to living came, appropriately, from seeing the movie Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (adapted from the play by Edward Albee). For those who aren’t familiar with the film, it portrays the complex and often-vicious marital games played by a couple named George and Martha (Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor). It’s by no means an easy play to watch, for it reminds many of the dramas their parents and/or other close relative played and can give people uncomfortable insights into current relationships.

Who’s Afraid of Us?

The world abounds with Georges and Marthas. Unlike the actors who walked away each night from their roles in the movie, our real-life characters, because they believe that the parts they play are real, are locked into them. When we recognize that the roles we play are no more real than those of the characters we watch or read about, we, too, can step out of them or revise them according to our wishes.

When we view our lives as dramatic productions and ourselves as the authors or playwrights, we begin to live according to the law of attraction. With this approach, we believe that the power of our thought and emotions draws to us matching circumstances. In its simplest expression, if I believe I’m powerless in the face of circumstances, seemingly powerful circumstances will emerge to prevent me from having what I want. In other words, life will edit or tear up my script.

The difference between these approaches relates not only to the kinds of results we achieve but also to how we live our lives. The first approach creates a grim attitude that says, “I will do the best I can, but something is sure to strike me down. Maybe that terrible something will leave me alone if I show how serious I am, how determined, how willing to work hard and suffer and sacrifice.”

The second attitude is far more playful. Those who practice it recognize that when we believe we have the power to create the lives of our dreams, we don’t look over our shoulders, waiting for someone or something to punish us. We can relax and be playful, experimenting with our minds and emotions to design a variety of scenarios, choosing that which feels most pleasing to us on all levels of being.

Planning the Story

Sometimes the responsibility of planning one’s life, rather than lightening our steps, makes us worried about taking the wrong ones. Indeed, our lives become tragic or at least problematic when we take our roles too seriously and forget that we’re not only the actors but the writers of our particular plays, that not only can we determine how we play our parts but how the drama will develop, and how it will end.

The author John Irving (who wrote The World According to Garp, The Hotel New Hampshire, The Cider House Rules, and other novels, says that the first thing he write when beginning a novel is the last line. He further claims that he never changes that line.

It may be that in planning our lives, we can benefit from a bit more flexibility. I have always found that the phrase, “This or something better” covers a range of possibilities. Nonetheless, having the ultimate goal clear and firmly in mind draws powerful energy towards its manifestation.

Rewriting the Script

Keeping that intention in the forefront doesn’t mean that we have only one path available for reaching it. We can change settings and stage props without altering our chosen themes.

When we allow this theme to direct our drama, we are clear about the direction we want it to take; we create scenes and supporting characters that further the action. We can regard temporary impasses as comic relief.

Sometimes rewording your theme can make a difference. If you think your subject is “I can never find a job I like,” try changing it to “I’m exploring a variety of work situations in order to find the one I like best.” Look around to see if you’re casting actors from previous plays and rewrite the script in order to resolve these relationships. If your drama seems to resemble a tale told by an idiot, go within to ask what its meaning is.

Most of all, remember that it’s a play, that you are playing your life. When its reality seems all-too encroaching, step off the stage and become a member of the audience. And don’t forget to laugh at yourself.

Supporting Cast

Crystals

Sometimes the best way to envision the future is to be fully in the present. Carnelian, the “be here now” crystal, is wonderful to hold for the purpose of meditation or even a brief moment of calm focus.

If fear is keeping you from putting your feet on the path, consider charoite. This purple, black, and white crystal, interweaves grounding, spiritual energy, and psychic awareness. In meditation, it is best placed on the forehead.

One of the best ways to keep from drowning in the sea of current reality is to step into another reality and view life with a distant perspective. Green calcite can help us to do that.

Certain crystals help to remind us that all the elements of life are works of art. These include malachite, Picasso jasper, rhodonite, sodalite, and other stones with distinct designs.

Essences

For this subject, I’m focusing on essences from the Flower Essence Society (FES). These include:

Filaree: Restores a sense of perspective when one has compulsive worry over petty details, health, and an excessively critical attitude.

Cayenne: For those stuck in immobilizing habits, procrastination, inertia, indecision; catalyzes one to action.

Indian Paintbrush: Useful when one finds it difficult to act on or sustain the creative intuition; brings vitality and will to creative expression.

Iris: For frustration in creative efforts; helps to draw higher inspiration for creative work.

Madia: When one becomes easily sidetracked or distracted, restores mental focus, concentration, and ability to complete projects.

Shasta Daisy: For those whose knowledge seems fragmented, this helps to integrate diverse ideas or perspectives into an integrated picture.

What would you do if you were suddenly faced with the threat of losing your most important gift? What if regaining it required more effort and willpower than you’d ever imagined and forced you to rely on parts of yourself you never even knew existed?

Rick Allen became a rock star at the early age of 15 as the drummer for the group Def Leppard. After an explosion of success in the early eighties, his world was suddenly turned upside down in 1984, when a violent car accident caused him serious injuries and the loss of his left arm.

After a visit to the Remo factory in Valencia, California, Rick immediately insisted that his family members join him at a Remo drum circle that evening. Inspired by this experience and the philosophy of Remo’s drumming & wellness department -Health RHYTHMS, Rick agreed to share his personal story and information on his current project, Raven Drum Foundation, in an interview at his home in Malibu, California.

1. Could you describe your first memories immediately after the accident?

1. …………….I felt very lost. It was the epitome of chaos. Really in and out of belief and disbelief. But I think we all have an inner strength in times like those. You really can’t even say what you would do if it happened to you. But when you’re thrown into it – you are amazed at what you can do. The amazing thing was my family and friends. Throughout my hospital stay, I saw people around me dig into sides of themselves I’d never seen before.

1. When was the first time music came back into the picture for you?

1. In my first week in the hospital, I started hearing music that just seemed to be playing. I thought it was coming out of the air vents. Then I told my brother, “You’ve got to go home and get the stereo system and my music collection to see what I can do.” So I started listening to Led Zeppelin, Free, Bad Company, T-Rex, David Bowie – just throwing myself back into that whole era I grew up with.

1. What was it like when you first started to feel the rhythms?

1. It was interesting. I realized that I could play all the basic rhythms I ever learned just with my right and left foot. I played the rhythm by tapping this big piece of foam at the end of my hospital bed. I realized I could make a beat, using only my legs. And it was like – WOW – I CAN DO THAT. I can replace what I used to do with “left hand” with “left foot.” The information was still there, in the brain – I just had to re-channel it.

1. But is it just in the brain?

1. Actually, your entire body becomes a memory of how to play an instrument. You have to re-shuffle everything and ask, “what’s important now?” I’d rather play a basic pattern really well than try and play too much. It’s a constant learning curve. What I can do today with two legs is completely different than what I could do two years ago.

1. You figured out that the information was within you, it just needing to be re-channeled.

1. Well, you have to figure out ways of healing yourself. You let people on the outside influence you – but ultimately, the job of getting well is entirely up to you.

1. Did anyone doubt you – tell you that it wasn’t possible to play again?

1. One junior doctor came up to me and said, “You know you’ll never play drums again.” But I think it just made me more determined. Another guy said, “You know you’ll never be able to wave again,” since my right shoulder was severely broken. After I was released, I came down the hall and waved at him. Even today, I’m working with a trainer and my right arm is still improving. It helps when I use the aluminum drum sticks (Easton) to take some of the shock out of playing. When I’m playing electronic pads all the time, I feel like I need that cushion. I’ve also learned to constantly give myself that positive reinforcement.

1. What do you think is the role of the mind in rehabilitation?

1. It’s all about intention – what you set out for yourself. I keep pushing that boundary and seeing myself in a better physical condition. Being a better musician. Even just being able to tie a shoelace in a better way.

1. When you first started playing again – did it make you more aware of the loss? Was it a painful experience?

1. Actually being able to play my instrument again was enough. That was really the gift. It didn’t matter how good or bad it was. It was just, “OK – I can do this. THANK YOU.” I encounter people that are in worse situations who are so challenged, but they have the audacity to look up to me. I don’t even feel like what some people would say “disabled.” I don’t even feel like I miss anything. I think of some people out there who do so much more than any of us with so much less. When I think about them, I realize that I don’t really have a problem, do I?

1. What was it like playing your first concert after the accident? Your first time on stage?

1. It happened gradually, through an amazing series of coincidences. We were playing four shows at small pubs in Ireland with this guy, Jeff Rich who we affectionately called our “stunt drummer.” He played acoustic drums to back up my electronic kit. But, he had travel problems and missed half of our second gig, so I played it myself. And the next gig had a stage that couldn’t fit both our kits, so I managed it on my own. By the time we played Donnington, outside of London, for a crowd of 55,000 people, I felt great. When I was introduced, the crowd went nuts. My mom, dad and brother were there to support me. That was probably the greatest moment in my life – just sitting there with so much gratitude.

1. What helps you now?

1. It helps me to improvise and play for the fun of it, especially with a group of people. It feels good to do whatever I want. No right or wrong, just very natural, without any muscle.

1. Do you feel that drumming has been healing for you?

1. Yes, but only when I realized it. Not when my playing was forced. Sometimes when you sit behind drums, its all muscle. Very physical. Its not until you realize you don’t need that. The rhythm or the feeling can be found within. I’ve been in situations when I’ve felt it’s been damaging – because I’m over-playing and I’m in a place that’s uncomfortable. And there have been other experiences, where I’m very comfortable – like everything is RIGHT. It transcends the drum and becomes just the feeling.

1. What inspired you to create the Raven Drum Foundation?

1. Actually, Lauren and I want to bring more awareness of healing through the arts. We want to use our website to guide people to where they can go to learn about these tools and get more information.

(Joined by Lauren Monroe- Director of the Raven Drum Foundation)

1. The information is important, but the primary thing is the experience. We want to help people discover how to express themselves through sacred methods. We want to give people keys …to open up parts of themselves. The mission of the Raven Drum Foundation is bringing ancient knowledge through the arts for the purpose of healing. We want to support a collective of artists and facilitators who can share their wisdom and practice.

1. How did all of these events affect your outlook on being a performer?

1. I believe in intention and the connection between the mind and body. I’ve started setting intentions with the guys in the band, even before going in front of 10,000 people. And for myself, I just keep playing with the concept of simplicity and feeling good. I think it’s really about finding something that makes us feel good. If we can achieve that, we have a tool to cope with whatever life challenges come our way.

Rick Allen is President of the Raven Drum Foundation. Since the age of 15, Rick has been the drummer for the heavy metal rock band, Def Leppard. He is a REMO artist.

Lauren Monroe, M.A., CMT is Director of the Raven Drum Foundation. She holds degrees in Dance Choreography, Education, and Massage Therapy.

For more information on the Raven Drum Foundation, go to www.ravendrumfoundation.com or telephone (310) 456-5030. Raven Drum Foundation @ravendrum

Find Them On Twitter!  Rick @rickallenlive Lauren @LMBlaze

Also check them out at

Resiliency Radio

Inspirational stories of empowerment and overcoming adversity. Our audience includes veterans, their families , and all people who are interested in healing and finding balance during stressful times.

by Christine K. Stevens, MSW, M.A., MT-BC

Christine Stevens, MSW, MT-BC is Director of Music Therapy and Wellness Programs in the new HealthRHYTHMS division at Remo, Inc. She holds masters degrees in music therapy and social work and is a member of the Percussive Arts Society Health and Wellness committee, For more information on the use of drumming for health and wellness, go to www.remo.com, click on HealthRHYTHMS.

I was surprised to realize I hadn’t been asked that question in a long time. Out of curiosity, I searched on the Internet, using the keywords, “crystals good luck,” and I found a number of sites that claimed to sell good luck crystals. Because of the prevalence of these sites, I’ve decided it might be a good idea to explain why I don’t sell crystals for good luck.

The short answer is that, while I believe that holding, meditating with, and keeping crystals near you can have a variety of positive effects, BUT, I don’t believe in good (or bad) luck. The long answer follows.

Luck and the Law of Attraction

When we believe in luck, we believe that the distribution of life’s gifts, whether material or spiritual, is based on chance, an accidental and arbitrary unfolding of events in which some people come up with winning numbers, while the rest lose. When life looks this way, elements such as free will, choice, determination, and focus have neither point nor purpose. What will be will be, regardless of our best efforts to transform our world and ourselves. All we can do is hope for the best and be prepared for the worst.

I hold a different viewpoint: that what happens to us is determined by the thoughts and emotions we most consistently think and feel. If we think about good health and believe we can or do have it, we will. If we want good health but think of many reasons why we won’t have it, it’s likely that we won’t. This principle is now commonly known as the Law of Attraction.

Though it’s based on thoughts and emotions, the moving energy is that of vibrations. Every thought and emotion has a vibration that attracts like vibrations. The more intensely we generate these vibrations, the more we draw that kind of energy to us.

This belief has the potential to empower us and put us in charge of our lives. It is, however, opposed to the belief in the randomness of events. This can create problems.

In no way do I like all the things I’ve created in my life. When I’ve been careless in my reactions and when I’ve allowed habitual patterns of thought and emotion to take command, I’ve attracted circumstances and events that no self-respecting human being would wish to be accused of creating. At such moments, it’s far more comforting to imagine that somewhere a wheel of fortune slowly turns, rarely, if ever, stopping at my number.

Lady Luck

Envisioning this wheel of fortune, I realized that luck and fortune have historically been given female characteristics. The medieval philosopher railing against the heartlessness of Dame Fortune and the gambler singing, “Luck, be a lady tonight” agree that life seems fickle, changeable, inconsistent, and indifferent to the plans of the orderly mind or the well-organized life. These prejudices have also traditionally been held about women.

When positively viewed, this quality of bypassing the rules and regulations of logic and reason is called intuition, the knowing of things without conscious reasoning. Intuition is powerful because it’s connected to our deepest sense of knowing, to the eternal part of ourselves that doesn’t sense the limitations we’ve told ourselves we have. It doesn’t hear the habitual voices that tell us why we can’t. Intuition tells us why and how we can.

When we follow our intuition, our confidence generates positive energy that attracts our dreams to us. Intuition generates the kind of decision-making that can’t be explained in retrospect, and people who consistently follow their intuition often seem lucky.

They’re not, though; they’re just in their right minds (or brains).

Intuitive Crystals

With that in mind, I recommend some crystals that, while not necessarily lucky, help to develop balance between both sides of the brain, so that intuition has a chance to come out and play.

Sodalite

Right-left brain imbalances get aggravated when mental and emotional confusion short-circuit the natural connections between the two brains. This is where sodalite becomes helpful.

This stone is especially valuable for those who find themselves in states of mental confusion, especially when these states are intensified by emotional turmoil. Very often, when our emotions are whirling about in our heads we are tempted to seize at any decision which seems to promise that it will reduce our distress. Sodalite helps us to resist such temptation.

Tabular and Double-terminated Crystals

A tabular crystal is flat in appearance, with two opposing sides being much wider than the other four. (They are sometimes also double terminated). Their ability is that of connection and balance.

In a crystal layout they can be used to blend energies between two chakras. For example, if you feel something deeply but can’t seem to express it you might place a tabular crystal between the heart and throat chakras.

When you are leaving one stage of your life and apprehensive about taking the steps that will lead you to a new phase tabular crystals can act as bridges. Keep one with you, meditate with it, and program it for a smooth transition.

A double-terminated crystal has a point at each end. They can be used as tools for balancing energy in the way that tabulars are, and they have some additional meanings and functions. Their points are generally believed to symbolize the balance of spirit and matter, to teach us that we can be balanced in our expression of both qualities, and that all opposites or seeming conflicts can meet in the center.

Postscript: You might still want to know what the lucky crystal is. According to many sources, it’s aventurine, whose name comes from the Italian a ventura, meaning “by chance.”

Does it work? One of my employees bought an aventurine at my store and programmed it for winning an apartment a radio show was giving away. She meditated every night with the stone. She worked on visualizing the apartment as hers until she could do so without any interference from limiting beliefs. She carried the crystal with her every day.

She won. Was it because she had the stone or because of the focused thought and emotion she brought to her project?

You decide.

Inspirational stories of empowerment and overcoming adversity. Our audience includes veterans, their families, and all people who are interested in healing and finding balance during stressful times.

Resiliency Radio is a program of the Raven Drum Foundation, a nonprofit founded in 2001 by Rick Allen, drummer for Def Leppard, and Lauren Monroe, MA, CMT. Raven Drum’s mission is to serve, educate and empower veterans and people in crisis. The Veteran Resiliency Project is the foundation’s primary program and focuses on veterans and their families. This program guides participants and provides somatic and integrative tools that bring body and mind to a place of rest and balance. The foundation engages music as a tool for healing allowing participants to use rhythm as a form of release, an avenue for empowerment and a means to connect to others. This exciting new radio show taps into the very heart of Raven Drum allowing the message of resiliency to reach far and wide.

VISIT RAVEN DRUM @
www.twitter.com/RavenDrum
www.ravendrumfoundation.org
About The Hosts

RICK ALLEN
Rick Allen, Co Founder The Raven Drum Foundation Rick became the drummer for Def Leppard at 15. At the height of worldwide fame in 1984, he had a car accident that changed his life. Rick lost an arm, but turned personal tragedy into spiritual transformation and continued his musical career over the past 10 years Rick has reached out to Teenage Cancer Patients, Children with Special Needs, At Risk Youth in crisis, Families of Domestic Violence and Veterans who have served in Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan continues his work with others through RDF’s Veteran’s Resiliency Project.

VISIT RICK @
www.twitter.com/RickAllenLive
www.stikrick.com

LAUREN MONROE
Lauren Monroe M.A. C.M.T., Co Founder, The Raven Drum Foundation
Lauren has been a practitioner / teacher of energy healing and massage therapy since 1992. Her background includes specialized work with incarcerated teens, hospice care, and crisis healing. Also a singer songwriter, Her work is an integrative approach to wellness that combines music, massage therapy &energy medicine techniques. She is the creator of RDF’s Veteran’s Resiliency Project and the Resiliency Radio Show.

VISIT LAUREN @
www.twitter.com/LMBLAZE
www.laurenmonroe.com

This year, we will make suicide prevention a national priority. In 2009, the Out of the Darkness Overnight national walk comes to Boston. The Overnight is fund raising walk unlike any other.  Starting at dusk and ending at dawn, we’ll walk up to 18 miles,  a moving community of thousands of diverse individuals connected by a common goal. Please join our community.

We need your help. By joining the Overnight, you’ll send a loud, clear message, heard from your house to the White House, that it’s time to end the stigma surrounding suicide and shed light on the tragic consequences of depression, substance abuse, anxiety and other mood disorders that, left untreated, can lead to suicide.

Register now for the Out of the Darkness Overnight, Chicago June 27-28, 201o

The funds you raise will further the mission of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the leading not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide through research and education, and to reaching out to people with mood disorders and those impacted by suicide.

June 26-27 2010

I look forward to walking with you!

Register Now

Request Information

Find Us on Twitter

@LillyAnn

@afspnational

@NoStigmas

@overnightwalk

@CounterSuicide

Our Friends

@800273TALK

@Active_Minds

Suicides THIS year alone

Marie Osmand’s Son, Michael Bryan

Joe Stack (Tax Protester Crashes Plane Into IRS Office)

Hard Rock Cafe CEO

The Corey Haim

Andrew Koenig Connection

This is the food of the Ham Gods. No more boring cloves for our hams! This is a really easy recipe that is juicy and tastes incredibly delicious, but isn’t the ham your grandma used to make.  Great for a Super Bowl party too! Serve hot or cold.

Ingredients

* Cook’s Note: If you can not get hold of ginger preserves, you can use ordinary orange marmalade and add 1 teaspoon of dry,  ground ginger.

Recipe courtesy Nigella Lawson www.nigella.com

“At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities.” ~ Jean Houston

I would like to be someone you’ll remember
But not someone you can’t forget

Becoming aware of my presence should be like
Taking notice of a gentle breeze passing by

When i am with you

I would like to be as unobtrusive as the faint aroma
Of a freshly gathered bouquet

Waiting quietly to be
Enjoyed

When I arrive
It may be like a kiss from the morning sun
And when i leave

I hope you will be filled with reassurance that
Like the dim light of the moon

The consistency of the cycle is the promise
Is the cure

And all these things that I am

that are in
And of this world

are there
Just to let you know

If ever you wonder … emphatically yes
You are truly loved

For my first article in January,  I like to write about goals, resolutions, or whatever you call the list you make of intentions for the coming year. It’s well known that few well-meant intentions get realized. Often we become enmeshed in a pattern of pushing forward when action feels inappropriate. Then, discouraged, we begin to put off action. Simply described, procrastination is the act of putting off doing things we don’t want to do.

Students are famous for putting off papers or studying. Avoiding the completion of certain dreaded household tasks is also a popular activity. Many of us put off making phone calls we absolutely don’t want to make.

Even though procrastination can seem to be the avoidance of action, it’s an activity that consumes a great deal of energy. We don’t simply avoid the unwanted action and then forget about it.

The thought that we should do it keeps on returning, like a mosquito hungry for blood. We use energy to resist the thought. Then we blame ourselves for laziness, fear, or whatever inspires the delay. We may end up feeling worse and more exhausted than if we’d actually done the thing we didn’t want to do.

It may seem like the appropriate solution is to simply do it and get it over with. However, that can cause additional problems.

Act in Haste, Repent at Leisure

Say you know you need to paint the bathroom, and you haven’t bought the paint yet. You say to yourself, “That’s it; I’m going out right now.”

You go to buy the paint and realize you haven’t decided on a color yet. You’re not going to let procrastination stop you any more, though, so you pick out a color, hardly looking at it, come home, and realize the color is awful–maybe before, maybe after you paint.

You have a report to write for an organization. You’ve been dreading putting the words together, but the deadline is closing, noose-like, around your neck. You get on the computer and zip through the writing. Only when it’s time to give it do you discover you wrote on the wrong subject.

You’ve been putting off a possibly painful conversation with someone. The longer you wait, the more angry and upset you get, until you begin to feel like a soon-to-erupt volcano. You decide you have to say it, no matter how it comes out. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come out very well, and the other person stops speaking to you.

The Nightmare Journey

Sometimes both the resistance and the action that overcomes it are more subtle. You may not deliberately resist doing something, but you feel mental/emotional reluctance, which in turn creates energetic resistance. It’s as if you’re driving with the emergency brake on.

For example, you’re going to visit a family member out of a sense of duty, but no real joy. You half-wish something would happen so that you didn’t have to make the trip.

When you call to make the airplane reservations, the line is busy. You try making your reservations online, and the server is busy. You call again. After listening to the “Please listen carefully, as our menu options have changed” message, you push the wrong button. Then you try again, get the right one, and get put on hold. Finally, you hear a human voice and manage to work out a flight plan that doesn’t have you flying from New York to Nevada in order to get to Florida.

Later you print out your online tickets and see they’re incorrect. At last, you get the arrangements done to your satisfaction, but when you get to the airport, you find there’s no record of your reservations. Fortunately, you have your tickets, but it takes a lot of effort to get things worked out, and you barely make your plane.

Resistance can also hold back the fulfillment of what you think you really do want. You may want a better job, but don’t feel capable of fulfilling its requirements. You’d like to go to Europe, if only you could get there without having to travel. You’d like to have a show of your art, but then everyone would see it.

The Virtue of Struggle

I have come to realize that my not wanting to do something isn’t necessarily a measure of my laziness. It may, instead, be like the light on the dashboard that tells me my emergency brake is on. Procrastination lets me know that my energy is blocked from the easy fulfillment of an action.

I have also discovered that about ninety percent of the braking action stems from the belief that accomplishment should involve difficulty. A widespread belief tells many of us that we’re worthy people when we push through our resistance and do things we don’t want to do. Holding this belief can have the magical effect of multiplying—at least in the mind—the difficulty of an action.

I have heard people who love what they do telling others how difficult it is. If they are writers, they describe the agonies of sitting before a blank screen; if they are artists, they curse the paper or canvas that stubbornly remains blank. If they are teachers, their students have conspired to turn their classroom into the blackboard jungle. They believe this, because they’ve become oriented to the idea that for something to be worthwhile, it must involve struggle.

I’ve gradually let go of this perspective, but it’s a work in progress, and it can still blinker my vision. Right before I started writing this article, I was working on another. It didn’t seem to want to get written beyond a certain point, so I stopped working on it, feeling guilty that I was procrastinating, thinking how difficult it was to write.

Once I got over the misery that all that hard work would be wasted, I decided I didn’t have to write that article. Instead, I wrote this one, in about a tenth the time I spent agonizing about the other one.

There’s no virtue to suffering and struggling or in being blocked, frustrated, or self-critical about something that isn’t happening. That only blocks the smooth flow of energy needed to get things done.

The Virtue of Ease

Here’s a mantra you may find helpful: “Life is meant to be easy. Life is meant to be fun.” When you find you don’t have to mentally or physically add difficulty to a task, it can become enjoyable. For example, when I clean the house, I stop myself from looking for a badge of virtue for such drudgery. I give up the idea that I’m Cinderella scrubbing the flagstones. Instead, I listen to music or sing while I house clean. I tell myself this is good exercise. I think about how nice the house is going to look.

I’ve also noticed that some of the things I put off doing seem to get done by themselves. Try asking the universe to do some of the items on your list. The people you’re worried about calling may call you with the good news you thought you’d never hear. Instead of searching for an elusive reference, you may find a link for it in your email. The results can be miraculous.

The best result is that when I’m unburdened by guilt over procrastination, or the heavy burden of having to be a good and worthy attention, I have much more energy to give to the creative expression and fulfillment of those projects that really thrill me.

Energy Un-blockers

Meditation in general helps us to return to the core of being, especially when it interrupts a frantic stream of activity or an equally frantic avoidance of activity. In a state of deepened connection to our true selves, we can effectively ask the question, “What is most important to me right now?”

You might want to hold carnelian while asking that question. Known as the “be here now” crystal, it helps us to focus on what is of most immediate value to us.

Smoky quartz gives us the gift of both grounding and activating our energy. It can help to smooth out those push-pull energy spurts that say, “I’ll do it,” “I won’t.” It particularly helps in this process by disposing of psychic waste, those old beliefs and emotions that prevent us from being clear on what we want.

While it can be placed at the feet in meditation for grounding and energizing, you can also hold a clear quartz in one hand and a smoky quartz in the other. Contemplate those conditions and emotions you wish to release or change while mentally focusing on the smoky quartz; then ask for inspiration regarding accomplishing these changes.

Several crystals that, in their unpolished state have vertical striations or ridges, help energy move more smoothly. Among these are golden topaz, kunzite, danburite, and the tourmaline family.

The Essence of Timing

People are often confused about the differences between the FES essences, Cayenne, Blackberry, and Tansy. Blackberry is for those who feel stuck at the mental level. They feel unable to translate their ideas and goals into the actions that will bring them into being.

The properties of Cayenne are particularly suited to the subject of this article. It’s for those who procrastinate, and feel indecisive and stuck in inertia. This essence catalyzes one to action. You can think of it as building an energetic fire.

Tansy helps those who feel stuck in a laziness or lethargy that goes beyond procrastination. If you need Tansy you’re not thinking about doing something enough to procrastinate. The essence inspires one to take decisive action.

If procrastination itself is a pattern, it may have become a habit. Chestnut Bud (Bach) can help with unwanted repetitive behavior patterns.

All good things to think about (I think!) in this new decade 2010.

Live in Joy!

Lilly

May your body, spirit and soul ~ dance, laugh and sing!

My Wishes for you in 2010

12 Month of Happiness
52 Weeks of Fun
365 Days  of Success
8760 Hours Good Health
52600 Minutes Good Luck
3153600 Seconds of  Joy,  love,  peace and prosperity all year around.

HaPpy NEw YeAr!

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Lilly