The Next Thing

I know a musician that just churns out music. It seems almost impossible to me to comprehend the rate at which he creates and writes songs. Several every week. And they are goooood.

My amazement is even stronger because when this man plays in his band(s), they all play so organically that the songs are never quite exactly the same as the last time they were played.

This is fantastic to watch and listen to and love, a true sensual delight, but it boggles my mind as someone who creates.

Sometimes it is like that for me, too. I can paint four paintings in a couple of days. I meditate and see pictures, and then I paint them, and I paint them.

It never really feels much like a choice, actually. It is more of a mandate. I see it, and I have to paint it. It stays there persistently in my head until it is out in the real world. Like that 40-week old baby pushing all your organs out of the way insisting you get SO uncomfortable you think giving birth would feel good, the paintings push around my head and my heart until I have to get up and paint them. Sometimes at 2 AM.

The most amazing things are born in the middle of the night, I find. Original artwork, music, babies, plans, great ideas.

But there are other times, when nothing comes. When there is nothing in the meditations and nothing in the mind and the next thing is just not there. And you see that, as hard as giving birth to new things is, that nothingness is even harder.

It can feel scary, this nothingness,  because it is so much like a loss. You get used to having your “next” sitting near you, hanging on your shoulder, always being there, poking at you to try to find a way out. Your “next” is your constant companion, with you even in the shower. 

So when “next” is gone, you feel sort of left. And as tough as it was to be so close all the time, you wonder what “next” is coming to take its place. Sometimes it is gone so long, you start going looking for it. You call for it, think about it, and think something is wrong when it doesn’t show up.

But that’s not how “next” likes it. It is finicky.

“Next” is like a cat: it doesn’t come when called or looked for, never there on demand or for as long as you like, and will dictate the terms of how it can be touched and approached. And as long as you know that, you will never be long without a “next.”

The best way to find your next thing, is to be ok with the fact that it isn’t here yet. Make the mind and body and space ready for the next thing: continue your daily practice of painting or writing or dancing or what have you and be loving to yourself. Be happy and content and grateful for what you HAVE created, and know that the next time you create, it will be even better, even more exciting. Make your world and life such a lovely place for the next thing to some into.

And then watch how it does flow in. One day, when you are admiring flowers or eating some fantastic new recipe, this entire project will rush into your mind and flood your senses and command your energy, and you will be consumed again. It will come. There is ALWAYS a next, if you leave room and relax.

So enjoy the down time of not having a project, and remember that part of the practice of creating is sometimes not doing anything at all.

 

Much love,

Laura

Artists Create

I spoke with a friend today about being an artist. I don’t spend a lot of time with people who paint, honestly, and I was very much enjoying the conversation. I really wanted to talk about the business side of art – which we did – and it was a pleasure.

 

Most artists have disdain for business, and I think it is a shame. I make art so I can share it with people. It does me no good to have it sit in my storage, and it does the world no service either to let it go unseen. Giving it away gains me no money to buy supplies and pay the bills so I can come up with and create the next work either, so there is no noble aspect in ignoring business. Business is – as always – what makes the world go round, and in the end I count that as a good thing.

 

My friend and I spoke of different experiences we had with submissions and shows and different ideas about sharing our art and getting it “out there.” We talked about various venues available locally and nationally and thought of ideas on how we could work together. We shared what had worked and what hadn’t for us individually and what we were not even wanting to try. At the end he said to me, “you know people ask what I do and I tell them ‘I am an artist’ and in the end it doesn’t matter if I have a venue or not. To me being an artist means creating, doing the work, because you have to, not because you have any idea what you are going to do with it.”

 

I agree. I love the business side of life. I have no claim to having figured it out totally, that is for sure, but  I do love it, and I really cannot fathom those who do not. But I agree that even though you have to have a place to take your art to, to share it, to change the world, NOT having a place to take it to should not be the reason you do not create. Even if you have no venue, no show, no gallery, no one to buy, creating is still in your best interest and the best interest of the world. Not only does it have the work ready for when you DO have a venue, but it lets you  express yourself, lets you grow as an artist, and move on. You are wither growing or dying, there is no in between, and if you do not express yourself through your art, then you are indeed dying. If you are dying, then those around you cannot help but be taken down a bit, too. So know that even without being seen, even without being sold, your art being expressed is helping others live their best lives and lifting up the world.

 

Go. Create. Grow. Live.

 

Thank you for playing.

Set to Receive

I recently started taking a class on wealth consciousness. I love learning, especially about things that really apply not only to my life but to the lives of those I work with and help, so this type of class is right up my alley. I love it!

 

The title of the class might strike you as odd, but since money is just energy, just an idea, it matters very much how you THINK and FEEL about it. Being aware, being conscious, of how you think and feel is of course the first step to changing how you relate to anything, including money. Since we have to change – we are always either growing or dying – it makes sense that in order to steer the change towards growth, you first need to become aware of where you are.

 

With books and movies like “The Secret” and “What The Bleep Do We Know” out there, as well as hundreds of great teachers like James Ray, Sonia Choquette, Wayne Dyer, and Jack Canfield leading people through talks, books, and DVDs to learn about universal laws, most of us have become aware of at least the beginnings of how to create what we want in our world. We see that we are in control of how we think and feel and that we can bring what we truly want and enjoy into our lives, and build a world of love and happiness. And that is GREAT! I love it that our world is gaining this knowing, this wisdom. Very exciting!

 

I noticed recently that there is also another side of the coin, though: receiving.

 

It seems obvious, doesn’t it? That if you ask for something you would take it if given to you. If you asked for chocolate cake at a store, you would pay for it, then take it and eat it. If you asked for water, you would drink it. If you asked for a pillow, you would put it under your head and rest on it. It seems obvious, but what I have come to realize this week, is that it isn’t. A lot of people don’t know how to receive what they asked for…and they don’t even know it. 

 

Most of what goes through our mind all day isn’t really “thought”, it is patterns and repetitive words. A lot of us have managed to pick up a pattern about receiving that doesn’t actually let us receive things very well. Like ordering steak at a restaurant, and then saying “oh no you go ahead and eat it, I couldn’t possibly” to the waiter when it comes, our patterns often allow us to know what we want and ask for it, but not get any benefit out of actually getting it. No wonder we are hungry! The answer isn’t asking for more or even asking better, but receiving that which we are given.

 

So I wanted to point this out to you, all my friends and people who are growing and moving and shifting, so you can check in with yourself and ensure that you are allowing your gifts to come in. Mark not only how you are asking and what you are asking, but make sure that you are set to receive that which you ask for. When the waiter brings your steak say “perfect, thanks!” and then dig in with gratitude and appreciation.

In other words, tune that radio of yours to RECEIVE the music you want your life filled with. And then…dance, dance, dance.

 

Much love,

Artists in Disguise

My Stepmother is currently rebuilding a home. The process has lasted a loooong time (in my opinion) and  now we are a few weeks away from moving them in. The finishing touches are coming together. These last few months she has let me play with her – for that is what I consider design – to bring the final picture together.

There is a painter that is in charge of painting the house inside and out. With a wide variety of wood finishes going on as well as painting walls, there is a lot to keep track of. Now I have known a lot of house painters. Some don’t really care about the work, some are energetic and friendly, some are quiet and fast, some are quiet and slow, and most – when asked- will give their opinion about a technique. Rarely, however, do you meet anyone who has an opinion about color or shape.

That may surprise you, given all the experience painters must have with color, but many of them don’t have a strong opinion at all, or at least are not willing to share it.

But not Dave. Dave not only has an opinion, and shares it, but talks passionately about why and how and the way things will feel and look when it is done the way he has considered it. I must admit, yesterday I didn’t want to hear it. I was sort of wishing for the quiet painter. I was in a hurry and tired and had a lot to do … and I disagreed with what he said. But he was happily passionate. Clear that it wasn’t his decision, but more than willing to state his vision.

Further conversation led to an interesting story about the numbers of artists in his family in all walks of life: musicians, painters, etc. Some were famous, some were quietly known in certain circles. It was a pleasure in the end, to discover that we were working with such a craftsman. Someone who had passion and knowledge behind his work, and behind homes.

Will anyone who visits the house look at the walls and see the paint and say “clearly the best of the best did this?” Likely not. They will notice the color and comment, and move on to something more concrete, larger.

But it is worth it to take a moment here and say that it does make a difference to me and to my stepmom to have him there. To hear his opinion and feel his caring and know his reason why he wants certain things a certain way. It is a pleasure to work with true artists, and you never know where they are. They could be cleverly disguised as an average person do a job that no one else wants to do. Keep an eye out for artists. We’re everywhere.

Little Signs

I am a psychic, an intuitive, and I help people live their lives with stronger intuition and greater clarity. A lot of times people wonder what that is like for me, and assume I have “all the answers.”

Well, short story is, I don’t.

I am getting ready to take a class tomorrow. An 8-week virtual class on wealth consciousness, and I am really looking forward to it. I love learning, and always have SOOOO much more of it to do, so I am excited to start. A lot of people have been talking to me about money lately, mostly with a negative or fearful mindset, and I am looking forward to being even better able to help them move ahead in the ways that they want to, as well as shift my own ideas further.

One of the things I was reading the other day for the class was reminding me to just trust. Not to think about money all the time, or the “how” all the time. Set your intentions out there with attention and then let go. So when I saw that  a mentor of mine was in Peru right now, having an intense shamanic workshop, instead of going into “oh I want to go, I wish I was there”, I thought back to the article I just read, and set my intention that I would be there next time. I thought it through, thought about how much I would like it, how it would feel, how it would help, sat in it a while, and then let it go.

All day long my mentor kept posting notes and videos and keeping me connected to his experience in Peru. I enjoyed it and appreciated it, and let it go. Just like I had been “coincidentally” reminded in the pre-class notes.

Going on about my business, I went to a meeting. Before starting, I ordered a smoothie, and the total came to $4.12. Not wanting a lot of change adding to the bulk of my wallet, I said to the cashier “wait, I have got the 12 cents,” and began looking for the exact amount. I had no dimes, it turned out, but spied two nickels to accompany the pennies and pulled them out. Or at least I thought they were nickels. As I double checked the amount I was handing over, I looked down and saw that one of the coins was not really a coin at all.

At first I assumed it was a token, since it had some gold in it, but I picked it up and looked closer. I didn’t recognize the words on it, and there was no logo like a token would have. I still didn’t recognize it and I was puzzled. I flipped it over. “Banco Central De Reserva Del Peru” it said. Peru?! I must admit that my breath caught. Now you have to know that I have never been to Peru, nor do I have physical contact with anyone who has been there either. There is no earthly reason for the coin to be in my possession, let alone sitting in my wallet like an average American coin. No earthly reason.

I had to laugh! I paid for the smoothie and came to sit down and enjoy the moment. This sudden and multi-faceted connection to Peru. Do I know exactly what it means? No, I don’t. Being psychic does not mean having all the answers all the time. What I do know is that I now am really paying attention. The universe has sent me some little signs, and fairly clear ones, about Peru. How it will play out, I do not know. I am being present, being clear, having faith. I am enjoying the ride and trusting that what needs to come will come, and when it does, it will be even better than I can imagine.

This, my friends, is what being psychic is like.

How Hard You Work – July 2009 Newsletter

I recently was talking to woman who was starting a new business. One day she sat down at a table with her business partner for hours and hours and they forced themselves to figure out many basics of their new company. They pushed past fatigue, hunger, and family needs to “make this happen.” Now they got some things done, but what they mostly ended up with was stress, a story, and some distance in their families. Since the reason they were starting the business was to have better family relations and more time, this was not a great way to start out.

 

I know a LOT of people like that, a lot of hard working people: mothers, people who work on farms, have ranches, run businesses, and build homes, among others.  For the people I know, all of these careers involve lots of overtime, overwork, and rare breaks let alone vacations. I also come from a long line of people who work hard. So it really isn’t a surprise to me that for a lot of people the word “work” and “hard” just absolutely go together, and that both are considered constantly necessary for life to be “successful.”

 

Now I am not suggesting we all sit around and expect things to simply come to us. Work is needed in our lives, but let me suggest that there is another way to think of this word that will help you more and get you closer to your goals faster and lighter. Change the word “work” to “action” in your vocabulary and notice the difference in where the words take you. “Work” is a heavy word that usually means a lot of energy out, and not much in. “Action” on the other hand, is thought-out, planned, and lighter. Action is crucial – nothing was ever achieved without some kind of action – and we need to understand what action is appropriate, because often the action that will help something happen is not the one we traditionally think of, is not the “hard work” answer that pops into our minds.

 

Often if we take more time, time that is filled with intuitive action, we can come up with something of better quality that builds our selves and our relationships. For example: what if instead of pulling an all-nighter, those two people starting a business spent a few afternoons walking and talking aloud with each other and a few evenings meditating on open ended questions they needed guidance on? They would have gotten their information while building themselves and their relationships up, instead of tearing them down.

 

Action like this may seem “too easy” for those of us who think in terms of constant hard work, but it moves you toward the answer in a way that is harmonious with what you love and is crucial. This is exactly how we use and trust our inner guidance system, our factory installed GPS, our intuition talk to us and guide our lives. This is how we listen. Giving space and allowing time for intuition is as much of an action  -and often a far more productive, higher quality, and faster action – than the dramatic and exhausting work we often find ourselves doing.

Remember, my friends,  that action is important to achieve your goals, but often it is less “work” than you imagine it to be.

 

Much love,

Laura

Color

My Dad and his wife had a house built this summer and are getting ready to move in soon. I have had the pleasure – for me it truly is pleasure – to help decorate the house with her. I love playing with texture and form and function and creating a wonderful energy, a great place to live. From light fixtures, to tile, to shapes of entryways, the decisions for me are all fun. What I really love doing, though, most of all is picking out the colors. 

My Dad thinks we’re crazy. He looks at the 568 paint sample strips spread out on the table and says “oh my gosh” and leaves the room. Sometimes my Stepmom feels that way, too, but overall we are both loving imagining the colors and what they will create. Because nothing creates energy and feeling like color, it is really quite stunning. It is so fun to watch sunlight change the appearance of each hue, create a different sense of emotion in everyone that looks at them, and to watch people’s faces as they look at different choices. 

I have to confess that I love having a project like this to work on, but colors can be fun to play with even when you aren’t in the middle of building a home or don’t have money to do something right now. Going to a paint store or three and get some color samples. Just stay there a while and let your eyes enjoy the feast of shades that are there, and play. Do not be too practical at first, just notice what comes to mind with the color. Do you find yourself remembering that you always wanted a bright apple green living room? Or wishing for a pink bedroom? If you drop the ideas about what rooms “should be” you will often find some great memories and associations with color coming up. Let them in! I always know when people really love a color because it will literally make them smile to look at it or remember it. 

Once you have chosen some colors, bring them home and play with them on your table. See which ones you really like, which ones pull you back over and over, which ones look horrid in sunlight, and ones that drop your interest after a week. Imagine rooms filled with these colors and let the picture in your mind be enough for now. Again, don’t think too much. Don’t say “that will show all the dirt” or “paintings look better on white walls” but go by feeling and memories and associations. 

Let yourself play with color today. This is great thing to shift your mood or energy, and if you are ever bored on a dreary rainy day, it is a fabulous way to spend the afternoon.

Think big, think colorful, and enjoy the process. (Paint the bedroom RED!)

 

Then notice how much lighter you feel after just being around color

Presence Aids Gratitude

I recently learned a new kind of bodywork called Zero Balancing. It’s been around for 40 years, but it’s new to me and I really love it. It’s very simple work with gentle pressure that helps the body heal itself. ZB is a wonderful experience and a great lesson in just gently nudging along the way nature is already perfectly working. Since it is new to me, I like to practice all the time so I can better learn it. This means if a person is around me for any length of time, it is likely I will grab them and start working on them to get in another session.

The other afternoon I was sitting around with my stepbrother and said “Hey, want a Zero Balancing session? Let me work on you right now.” He thought about it for .5 second, jumped on the massage table ,and I got right to work. After the 30 minute session, I asked him how he felt. He was very relaxed, he said, but that was it. This was great. I mentioned I was taking notes on the results so, to keep me in the know about his body for the next day or so. He agreed.

The next morning we were sitting around the dining table and my stepmom asked her son how he felt. He hadn’t thought to comment on anything to me, but took a moment to take stock and said “you know what? My neck doesn’t hurt. My neck always hurts, but right now it doesn’t. It felt so good I forgot about it.” Awesome! I was very excited for him, of course. Being out of pain, especially chronic pain, is a freeing and energizing thing. I did a happy dance, once again celebrated learning this bodywork, and I also noticed that my stepbro had NOT noticed this great experience on his own.

And this is the power of being present. Our world exists in an orderly universe, with laws that hold true all the time to govern the energy that makes up everything around us as well as us ourselves. Like energy attracts like energy, and one of the fastest ways to raise your energy, increase the frequency and vibration, operate at a level that feels better, is by having gratitude for what is in your life right now. Notice what you do have and how it does serve you and really truly feel in your heart how great that is.

But the thing is, most of us are moving forward in time so fast, that we don’t even know what we have, let alone take time to feel grateful. Here was a guy who had constant neck pain, and was able to get rid of it, but got no pleasure from it because he wasn’t present. He couldn’t be fully grateful for a wonderful gift and experience it truly, all the way. Because of that, he couldn’t let the act of receiving something great pull him forward into receiving MORE great things. Even after being nudged to be present, he stayed in the moment only for a brief second, and moved right on.

What about you? Are you being present enough to really feel the great things happening in your life? Feel them all the way? Find the time, daily, to do this. Help your friends do the same and have them help you. Let your ability to be present pull you toward more love and more wonderful things in your life. Remember, my friends, it is easy. Take a deep breath and be here now.

 

Much love

Trusting Time

A few months ago I ended up back in my home town. I was never particularly fond of the place, so it was sort of a huge leap for me to decide to be here for a little while. My idea of timing was to keep on going in the place I was living – and loving being in- but the universe had other ideas and brought me “home” to a place I hadn’t lived in 20 years.

It’s been a couple months now and I must admit, once again, that the universe is infinitely more intelligent than I am, even on my best days. The people I have spent time with here, both new people and those I have been reconnected with have all been amazing. I have enjoyed classes and experiences I was not able to enjoy where I was living. I have loved the bike rides and riding group I have met with. The skills I have added have been essential and just what I needed. Overall it has been fantastic. And yes, it has been perfect.

Now that is not to say I agree with everything that has happened, because even seeing all the perfection I would have written this script totally differently. And isn’t that funny? Isn’t that a silly thing? To sit down and note perfection, and value all that you have as amazing and better than you could have done it, and still insist that you want it differently. When I notice this in myself, this ego, I just have to laugh. Laugh as I would with my kids when they were little and learning about the world…with so much love and respect and non-judgment. For what else am I, even with all my learning, but a child of universe and still at the very very beginning? 

And what else is there to do but trust, and go with the flow, and be present to every moment for all the gifts that they bring? For one thing I have learned for sure is that arguing with the universe never works.

Stay loose my friends, and enjoy the ride.

Following

I have been thinking about following lately, and no I don’t mean on Twitter, though I am on there, too. (laughingdivas) I mean following other people’s leads, and how valuable it can be.

I am often put in position of leadership – or run to it – so one way or another I do end up setting the stage more often than not. That is a good thing, I think, and others seem to agree. It can easily become a habit, though, and one that is hard to break. I recently was reminded recently, however, of how wonderful it can when you do break it and follow others.

I love to road bike. It is my addiction. I love to get on my Specialized Allez and hit the road and go and go and go. Hardly anything feels better to my body, mind, and spirit than zipping through the countryside and pushing myself over hills for a couple of hours. I joined up with a group of local cyclists the other week to grab an evening ride in northwestern Pennsylvania. The 30+ women that showed up split into several groups according to ability, and off we all went.

My group, the “B” group, technically didn’t have a leader, but we all wanted to do the 28-mile ride of the group above us and nothing less, so we tagged on to the end of the “A” group (the hardest, the fastest, and a group out of my reach on speed) and hit it. The direction sheet outlined a route I didn’t know at all. The pace was brisk, even at the back of the pack, and it was good work to try and keep up. Then, over halfway through the ride, we hit a hill.

Now we had ridden a lot of hills of a good size the whole ride, since we were in PA. Having lived in Colorado for years my sense of “hills” is a little different than most people’s in the US, but this one, even by my mind was a HILL. It was one of the steepest I had seen. To look at it was alarming, and the first thing everyone said was “no way!” because what we were looking at truly seemed impossible form a cycling point of view. A 7% grade that shifted to a 9% grade at the end. Far from the longest hill I had ever seen, certainly, but it certainly wasn’t short. But even as we were protesting, we watched as our leaders went up – on bikes, no walking – over the hill. Clearly it was possible, and since momentum was our only friend, we got going.

Painful story short, we made it up. A tough hill, slow work, but to the top and over we went, lungs screaming once the hill was done. Gorgeous view. Wonderful weather. Laughter. People to share it with. Well worth it. A perfect moment well won.

After I caught my breath, I just had to smile. I had accomplished the climb, but best was the reward I got for having bothered to get out of my own way and follow, and trust someone else for a period of time. I never would have known about the hill on my own. I could have cycled the area all summer and missed that challenge. It felt so good … that sweet victory of the climb, and the wonder of following when the moment was right.

We are all in this together. Doesn’t it feel great?