21 day Fix

I have been on the 21 Day fix regimen now for 6 days. I have to say I was skeptical at first on this new found container eating.  My first few days I was experiencing low energy and headaches.  I have over come those and am not completing week one.

Here are some of my recipes that I have used to get through week one:

Breakfast
2 eggs cooked over easy with 1 scoop Shakeology with bananas or strawberries  (red/purple)

Lunch
Egg Fried Rice
vegetables - onions, celery, carrot, cauliflower (green)
2 eggs  (red)
Brown Rice (yellow)

Dinner
Pork Chops (red)
Salad, tomato, cucumber, carrots (2 green) you can add nuts or dressing (orange)

Snack
Fruit or if I am feeling I want a "sweet" treat I will have another shakeology with fruit.

I am playing with more recipes so stay tuned this week as I try to incorporate different treats and more delicious food!

Of course, you can't control other people. Not even a little; not a smidge. Every man and woman is their own sailing vessel powered by their own thoughts, emotions, and imagination. You can't improve their smile, nor even add to their woes, unless, at some level, they let you. 

So, does that pretty much clear up the effect others can have on you? 

Gratitude and Appreciation

There is a difference between feeling gratitude and appreciation for something, and feeling attachment to something. Appreciation and gratitude are states of pure love, while attachment contains fear - fear of losing or not having what you are attached to. When it comes to something you want in your life, appreciation and gratitude attracts, and attachment pushes away. If you are feeling afraid that you will not get what you want, or losing what you have, then you have attachment.To remove the attachment, keep shifting yourself into a state of appreciation and gratitude, until you can feel that the fear has gone.

Little Soul in The Sun

(EXCERPT FROM “Conversations with God”)

There once was a soul who knew itself to be the light.

This was a new soul and so, anxious for experience. “I am the light” it said. “I am the light”

Yet all the knowing of it and all the saying of it, could not substitute for the experience of it. And in the realm from which this soul emerged, there was nothing but the light. Every soul was grand and every soul was magnificent and every soul shone with the brilliance of God’s awesome light. So the little soul was as a candle in the sun.

In the midst of the grandest light, of which it was part, it could not see itself, nor experience itself as Who and What it really is. Now it came to pass that this soul yearned and yearned to know itself. So great was it’s yearning that God one day said, “Do you know little one, what you must do to satisfy this yearning of yours?”

“Oh, what, God? What? I’ll do anything!” the little soul said. “You must separate yourself from the rest of us” God answered, “and then you must call upon yourself the darkness” “What is the darkness, o Holy One?” the little soul asked.

“That which you are not” God replied and the soul understood. And so this the soul did, removing itself from the ‘ All ‘ going even unto another realm. And in this realm the soul had the power to call into it’s experience all sorts of darkness. And this it did. Yet in the midst of all the darkness did it cry out, “Father, Father, why hast thou forsaken me?” God replied: “Even has have you, in your blackest times. Yet I have never forsaken you, but stand by you always, ready to remind you of Who You Really Are; ready always ready, to call you home.

Therefore be a light unto the darkness and curse it not. And forget not who you are in the moment of your encirclement by that which you are not. But do praise to the creation even as you seek to change it. And know that what you do in the time of your greatest trial can be your greatest triumph. For the experience you create is a statement of Who You Are – and Who You Want to Be.

Part 2

God said to the little soul, “You may choose to be any Part of God you wish to be. You are absolute divinity experiencing itself. What aspect of divinity do you now wish to experience as You?”

“You mean I have a choice”, asked the little soul. God answered, “Yes. You may choose to experience any aspect of divinity in, as and through you.”

“Okay,” said the little soul, “then I choose forgiveness. I want to experience myself as that aspect of God called complete forgiveness.” Well this created a little challenge, as you can imagine. There was no one to forgive. All God had created was perfection and love.

“No one to forgive?” asked the little soul, somewhat incredulously. “No one,” God repeated. “Look around you. Do you see any souls less than perfect, less wonderful than you?” At this the little soul twirled around and was surprised to see himself surrounded by all the souls in heaven. They had come from far and wide throughout the kingdom, because they heard that the little soul was having an extraordinary conversation with God.

“I see none less perfect than I!” the little soul exclaimed. “Who, then, shall I have to forgive?”

Just then another soul stepped forward from the crowd. “You may forgive me” said this friendly soul “For what?” the little soul asked. ” I will come into your next physical lifetime and do something for you to forgive,” replied the friendly soul. “But what? What could you, a being of such perfect light do to make me want to forgive you?” the little soul wanted to know. “Oh,” smiled the friendly soul, “I’m sure we can think of something.” “But why would you want to do this?”

The little soul could not figure out why a being of such perfection would want to slow down it’s vibration so much that it could do something ‘bad’. “Simple,” the friendly soul explained, “I would do it because I love you. You want to experience yourself as forgiving, don’t you? Besides you’ve done the same for me.” “I have?” asked the little soul. “Of course, don’t you remember?

We’ve been All Of it, you and I. We’ve been the Up and the Down of it, and the Left and the Right of it. We’ve been the Here and the There of it, and the Now and the Then of it. We’ve been the Big and the Small of it, the Male and the Female of it and the Good and the Bad of it. We’ve been the All of it.” “And we’ve done it by agreement, so that each of us might experience ourselves as the grandest part of God. For we have understood that… ‘In the absence of that which You Are Not, that which you Are, is Not’.

‘In the absence of cold you cannot be warm, in the absence of sad you cannot be happy. Without a thing called evil, the experience you call good cannot exist’. ‘If you choose to be a thing, something or someone opposite to that has to show up somewhere in your universe to make that possible.’ ” The friendly soul then explained that those people are God’s Special Angels and these conditions God’s Gifts.

“I ask only one thing in return,” the friendly soul declared. “Anything, Anything,” the little soul cried. He was excited now to know that he could experience every divine aspect of God. He understood now, The Plan. “In the moment that I strike you and smite you,” said the friendly soul, “in the moment that I do the worst to you that you could ever imagine – in that self same moment…remember Who I Really Am.” “Oh, I wont forget!” promised the little soul. “I will see you in the perfection with which I hold you now, and I will remember Who You Are, always.”

Heal Yourself with Writing

Our lives may be determined less by past events than by the way we remember them. Memory can be either disabling or enabling. Dr. Viktor Frankl, holocaust survivor and author of Man's Search for Meaning wrote that "…everything can be taken away from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms: to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." What we think or imagine in fact is our reality, both individually and collectively. Healing and transformation is possible only through changing one's perspective from within. It is by making meaning out of memory that true healing and empowerment can occur. What story are you living? How do you choose to remember your story? The following allegory offers a clue. 

Two Wolves: A Native American grandfather is talking to his grandson about how he feels about a tragedy in their village. "I feel as if I have two wolves fighting in my heart. One wolf is the vengeful, angry, violent one. The other wolf is the loving, compassionate one." The grandson asks, "Grandfather, which wolf will win the fight in your heart?" The grandfather places his hand on his heart and replies, "The one I feed." 

Mercury Retrograde

What exactly is Mercury Retrograde?

By Sarah B. Weir

Is Mercury messing with you?Have you noticed that your carefully mapped out plans are going awry or your computer has been crashing at the worst possible moment lately? Maybe your credit card payment really did get lost in the mail. Have you and your best friend's daily e-mails suddenly turned sour? This spring's Mercury retrograde began on March 12 – so you could blame it all on your horoscope being out of whack.

And you could have an excuse for more annoyances. The planet doesn't do a U-turn until April 4.

Astrologists describe planet Mercury as the ruler of communication and transportation. Three to four times a year, it appears to stop in the sky and travel backward through the constellations of the zodiac for approximately three weeks. This retrograde motion spells bad news for all of us tech dependent, over-sharers who live, labor, and love in the age of high-speed connectivity.

Now would be a good time to send your inner control freak on an extended yoga retreat in Bali (since you will have to be home actually dealing with all the mess ups and misapprehensions). Astrologers recommend using Mercury retrograde as a kind of breather when you can reflect on your life and goals. It's a great period to let go of unnecessary activities and take a moment to think about yourself and your key relationships. Maybe consider what changes you might want to make in the future.

You can also use the downtime to evaluate your career rather than just spinning on the hamster wheel. Cleaning up your desk, reviewing old ideas, and organizing your files can help prepare you to make positive strides when Mercury does change its course. 

To minimize frustration during this period:

• Double check that you have everything you need before you leave the house. Keys? Wallet? Bag? Phone?
• Avoid making big decisions or signing contracts if you can.
• Finish half-done projects. Rather than taking on something new, tie up any loose ends.
• Hit "save" on your computer frequently and back up files.
• It's a great time to research making a significant purchase such as a home appliance or a car, but don't put any money down yet.
• Have a sense of humor. Mercury is known as the "trickster" and problems you encounter during this period probably aren't as dire as they seem.

The next Mercury retrograde will occur on November 6th-26th

Combating Emotional Vampires

Relationships are always an energy exchange. To stay feeling our best, we must ask ourselves: Who gives us energy? Who saps it? It's important to be surrounded by supportive, heart-centered people who make us feel safe and secure. It's equally important to pinpoint the emotional vampires, who, whether they intend to or not, leech our energy. 

To protect your sensitivity, it's imperative to name and combat these emotional vampires. They're everywhere: coworkers, neighbors, family, and friends. In Energy Psychiatry I've treated a revolving door of patients who've been hard-hit by drainers--truly a mental health epidemic that conventional medicine doesn't see. I'm horrified by how many of these "emotionally walking wounded" (ordinarily perceptive, intelligent individuals) have become resigned to chronic anxiety or depression. Why the blind spot? Most of us haven't been educated about draining people or how to emancipate ourselves from their clutches, requisite social skills for everyone desiring freedom. Emotional draining is a touchy subject. We don't know how to tactfully address our needs without alienating others. The result: We get tongue-tied, or destructively passive. We ignore the SOS from our gut that screams, "Beware!" Or, quaking in our boots, we're so afraid of the faux pas of appearing "impolite" that w! e become martyrs in lieu of being respectfully assertive. We don't speak out because we don't want to be seen as "difficult" or uncaring.

Vampires do more than drain our physical energy. The super-malignant ones can make you believe you're an unworthy, unlovable wretch who doesn't deserve better. The subtler species inflict damage that's more of a slow burn. Smaller digs here and there can make you feel bad about yourself such as, "Dear, I see you've put on a few pounds" or "It's not lady-like to interrupt." In a flash, they've zapped you by prodding areas of shaky self-worth.

This is my credo for vampires: Their antics are unacceptable; you must develop a successful plan for coping with them. I deeply believe in the merciful message of The Lord's Prayer to "forgive people their trespasses," but I'm also a proponent of preventing the unconscious or mean-spirited from trespassing against us. Taking a stand against draining people is a form of self-care and canny communication that you must practice to give your freedom legs. 

What turns someone into an emotional vampire? First, a psychological reason: children often reflexively mimic their parents' most unflattering traits. A self-absorbed father can turn you into a self-absorbed son. Early modeling has impact. Studies of Holocaust survivors reveal that many became abusive parents themselves. The second explanation involves subtle energy. I've observed that childhood trauma--mistreatment, loss, parental alcoholism, illness--can weaken a person's energy field. This energy leakage may condition those with such early wounds to draw on the vitality of others to compensate; it's not something most are aware of. Nevertheless, the effects can be extreme. Visualize an octopus-like tendril extending from their energy field and glomming onto yours. Your intuition may register this as sadness, anger, fatigue, or a cloying, squirrelly feeling. The degree of mood change or physical reaction may vary. A vampire's effects can stun like a sonic blast or make you! slowly wilt. But it's the rare drainer that sets out to purposely enervate you. The majority act unconsciously, oblivious to being an emotional drain. 

Let me tell you the secret of how a vampire operates so you can outsmart one. A vampire goes in for the kill by stirring up your emotions. Pushing your buttons throws you off center, which renders you easier to drain. Of all the emotional types, empaths are often the most devastated. However, certain emotional states increase everyone's vulnerability. I myself am most susceptible to emotional vampires when I feel desperate, tired, or disempowered. Here are some others: 

Low self-esteem 

Depression 

A victim mentality 

Fear of asserting yourself 

Addiction to people-pleasing 

When encountering emotional vampires, see what you can learn too. It's your choice. You can simply feel tortured, resentful, and impotent. Or, as I try to do, ask yourself, "How can this interchange help me grow?" Every nanosecond of life, good, bad, or indifferent, is a chance to become emotionally freer, enlarge the heart. If we're to have any hope of breaking war-mongering patterns, we must each play a part. As freedom fighters, strive to view vampires as opportunities to enlist your highest self and not be a sucker for negativity. Then you'll leave smelling like a rose, even with Major-League Draculas. by Dr. Judith Orloff [CD] Emotional Freedom By Orloff, Judith (Google Affiliate Ad)