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| © 2012 Paul Hood |
This Independence Day Paul and I find ourselves deeply contemplating the issue of freeing oneself (declaring our independence and liberation) from self-made chains. The soul has a need for spaciousness but frequently we create (unconsciously but sometimes consciously) work and/or lifestyle changes that serve the purpose of creating that space in a time-oriented way while plunging us into a way too limiting situation that is not in our highest benefit long-term. For example, a person might need time to recover from a sad accident, past mistakes, or unfortunate unforeseen changes in the political and socioeconomic landscape (the Great Recession, for example) that sends them into such a challenging state of mind they just need a break! They get an inadequate but unchallenging day job, a safe refuge, or pull all their money out of their retirement account and just take a time out. But this choice is never meant as a substitute for one's highest potential! And inevitably the day arrives when, to paraphrase Anais Nin, the risk to remain tight in a bud becomes more painful than the risk it takes to blossom.
We get calls and emails on that day. "What should I do? Where should I go?" and the decisions are so wrought with anxiety. "I've been out of the job market so long!" or "I don't know how to succeed at what I most want and I can't think of anything else I want to do." or "I just can't see the road ahead. Can you tell me what to do?"
Since we set the parameter of always working for the highest benefit of all concerned and only doing what can be healthfully integrated, we can't always do that right away. That's because the answer will become clear and more easily attainable when the person has 1) cleared a few cobwebs away through letting go / saying good-bye to the past failures, disappointments and broken dreams and 2) created a space for personal exploration.
This is actually a really difficult thing because frequently they're running out of money or think they have to speed things up in some way. But it isn't true. Scholarships and grants are available for going back to school. Work exchanges for housing are often beneficial for all concerned. There are often bank accounts they have been afraid to tap, arrangements with other people just a minor adjustment in thinking away. Kickstarter projects have funded many a person's dream on our Facebook list. Investment funds are available for all kinds of hopes and dreams.
More important than that, sometimes the mere act of changing the thought " I can't!" into "Other people do, I can, too" can flip the entire set of programming on its head. "I can! And this means... I can take time to make some changes, to take a class, to add one thing I've always wanted to do, to meet with that guy who is doing what I always wanted to be doing, to talk to that friend on my Facebook list." It doesn't have to be a HUGE life-changing decision. But each step opens a gate in one's consciousness and that can lead to some pretty significant changes that a person will be much more ready and willing to do, rather than hearing prematurely from somebody like us the same information but rejecting it instead.
Here's an example from earlier in my life when I was pining away for a better paying job while being exploited as a "freelance" graphic artist, working more than 40 hours a week on site for what was then considered low wages (now the norm in that field) and no benefits. I met a true freelancer who explained what being self employed really meant but I didn't think I could achieve what he did (double the pay, double the respect). Instead I stuck it out until the day came when I couldn't stand the disrespect I was putting up with anymore. I quit, borrowed my brother's backpack, and traveled by bus and youth hostel across the country to take time out for three and half months. On my trip I had my eyes opened to the beauty of this country while meeting wonderful interesting people I never would have met from all walks of life from all over the world. Most importantly, I met several freelancers running a variety of tiny businesses and loving it. And none of them were any more intelligent than me. They all said "Go for it!" They all believed I could do it, too, and I came back and went to work fixing up my portfolio, updating my resume, and cold-calling every graphic design, advertising and publishing company in the Boston Yellow Pages. In three months I had 15 clients, made double the money, double the fun, and felt happy and proud. That is, until the Mac was invented and made the job of paste-up artist obsolete. But once I recovered from the shock and trauma of that (and got a Mac and learned the software) I got a WAY BETTER job as a book designer at a New Age publishing company that I loved. And that led to learning the healing and spiritual counseling work we do today. Who knows what the journey we've been on will lead to from here?
Times change, people change, conditions change. Allow yourself the time to explore and acquire the knowledge or skills to do what you care about most in these new circumstances today. Paul and I have been providing regularly spaced spiritual counseling sessions to several people on our list lately. It's been a true gift to assist them step by step as they clear those cobwebs away and begin to recreate their lives once again.
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VIDEO SESSIONS -- FACE TO FACE EVEN IF YOU'RE FAR AWAY
Did you know you can do video sessions with one or both of us? It's fun, it's easy. All you need is a webcam and mic on your computer and a free Skype account! (https://login.skype.com/account/signup-form)
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WHERE TO FIND INFO ABOUT OUR SPIRITUAL COUNSELING AND HEALING PRACTICE
http://www.healingcommunication.com
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WHERE TO FIND MAMA LOVE
http://www.mamaloveproducts.com
http://www.mamalovehealing.etsy.com
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WHERE TO FIND OUR VIDEOS
http://www.youtube.com/user/healerteam
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YOU CAN FIND OUR ARTWORK...
In our joint Etsy shop... http://www.etsy.com/shop/PaulnSherylArt
In our new prints and poster Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/FutureSoBright
Beautiful Photographic Prints by Paul Hood... http://PaulHood.imagekind.com/
Beautiful Photographic Prints and Artwork by Sheryl Karas... http://sherylkaras.imagekind.com
Art notecards, T-shirts, mugs and other gifts featuring our images... http://www.zazzle.com/paulnsheryl*
On our brand new Facebook Page... www.facebook.com/paulnsherylart
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JOIN US ON FACEBOOK
We post little tidbits of inspiration and fun, information and news about what we're up to, things that don't fit in the newsletter and things that do. And it's an easy way to interact with what we post through comments and possibly discussions from time to time. Look up "Paul Hood" or "Sheryl Karas" or both. Mama Love has its own page. That's at http://www.facebook.com/MamaLoveProducts. Our artwork also has a brand new page at www.facebook.com/paulnsherylart. Become a Fan and be sure to let other people know about us, too!
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THANKS FOR ALL YOUR REFERRALS!
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