Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Peace on Earth, Goodwill towards...



courtesy of www.goodwill.org


My husband of 20 years surprises me more and more these days. As my mental and emotional energy fluctuates lately, in these days of short daylight and cold weather, the drive to do a whole lot more than take life easy is waning...at least for now. In passing, I mentioned to my mother-in-law on Thanksgiving that I love to put our Christmas tree up on the day after turkey day, then to take it down immediately the day after Christmas. Not quite ADD, but a great article on organizing and holiday decorating while coping with ADD is HERE.

My mom always had a tradition of going into the New Year with a clean slate and a clean house. So we always did some deep cleaning and de-cluttering before December 31every year when most people are still dreading the idea of taking down those sad half-twinkling lights on the house. Most of our neighbors often still had little pieces of tinsel and pine needles in their clothes on towards Easter. Anyway, the tradition conditions now that I have my own home. This past Saturday, I came home from work to find the hubby had purchased, set up and decorated a beautiful Douglas Fir, with all the trimmings and created a holiday utopia in my living room with all the old "treasures" he found in my plastic tote in the garage marked "Christmas Decorations."

Ah, the garage. Or as we often lovingly refer to it "..the Land time forgot or Dustie's Treehouse..." with the accent on dusty. Oh sure, every single item in the garage seems to have some sort of "value," if you will. Of course most of that is either sentimental value or fear value. Sentimental as in "oooh, that's one of the baby's burping cloths!" (The aforementioned "baby" is 14!) Or fear value as in "Oh gosh, we simply CAN'T thrown THAT away!! What if we need it?!"

Hoarding can have an energy that begins so simply. Watching that sad show "Hoarders: Buried Alive" reminds me how easy it is, especially during times of extreme trauma, loss and sadness, to move into the energy of anxiety, OCD and depression. Just going into my semi-cluttered garage, as soon as I start to move items out and shift boxes and open containers...a huge flood of energy and emotion swirl around me and fill the space and my aura.

Last week, within five minutes, I found myself crying while searching for a few pieces of paperwork. "What the heck is this about," I asked myself? Fortunately, I have the energy tools to clear my aura of old stuck emotions, foreign energy and I also know how to do some major space clearing (energetically speaking) when needed. So I sat down, "ran energy" (a tool for shifting your consciousness and removing negative energy and bringing in good energy...like a psychic shower). Immediately, the cloud lifted, Archangel Chamuel and his angels helped my put my hand on a small pile of papers to be shredded and the lost papers "magically" popped out on top and into my hand. Whew, thank goodness for prayer, meditation, angels and my energy skills, or I'd really be a basket case!

So this Christmas, I made a commitment to check my garages "treasures" before purchasing anything else. It's amazing what valuable things are out there. We had out boys bring their neighborhood friends over this weekend and donated all of the sports equipment we've collected over the years. Thousands of dollars worth of "stuff" we don't use anymore was gladly carted away by their buddies. The joy and gratitude on their little faces was just priceless. It was bittersweet watching the baseball bats, helmets, tennis rackets, boxing gloves, diving sticks and who knows what else of our memories march away. Luckily, we got the experiences in our hearts and the pictures in our books that will remain.

So I'm busy preparing my yearly donation to the Goodwill, trying to hurry before the holidays come and go. It's so great to experience and remember what a blessing it is to bless others, now and throughout the year. Gratitude and appreciation are contagious and help manifest even greater things for all involved! Happy holiday decluttering!

~MiChelle Jeneen, Energy Skills Educator
www.spiritrefreshed.blogspot.com

Monday, November 29, 2010

Psychic Self ♥ Mental Wellness - Pt. 2 (Holiday version)



Every year around this time, I get really excited about the coziness of hibernation and the promise of a fresh start in the new year. Here in Southern California, today is a blustery, chilly 60 degrees farenheit, brrrr! Sounds funny coming from an East Coast girl, but the fuzzy boots are out and the heated blankets are on full force.

As a self-confessed air-fairy, it still amazes me how much I truly value my date planner. That doesn't mean I'm fully committed to penning every minutia of my everyday life. But as someone who loves the freedom of fluttering around like a butterfly, my Franklin planner has saved my life, on several occasions, repeatedly over the last two decades. As we speak, I'm busy working on my personal, business and family "mission statement" for 2011. Their system has helped me to remember to focus on what I value in life, when the grind (and "the man") starts to get me down with the endless myriad of "stuff" that always pulls at my attention.

Lately, it seems to take alot of my energy to get out there in the hustle and bustle of the world to get things done. I just came back from a mad dash to the Topanga Mall to pick up my yearly date planner. My head is throbbing, my blood suger spiked and dropped (even though ate a healthy lunch) and I drove around the San Fernando Valley an extra 45 disoriented minutes before my angels got me on the freeway to beeline it home. After starting dinner and throwing in a load of wash, I realize the best gift I can give myself (and my family) right now, is some solitude and meditation...even for a few minutes. Shortly, afterschool pickups and homework will take over, and I'm back on duty. It's a free, simple and loving way to self-care and keep that nasty holiday stress and depression far from my little love nest, so off I go! Have a great week!

MiChelle Jeneen, Energy Skills Educator
www.spiritrefreshed.blogspot.com

Sunday, November 28, 2010

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…stress!

xmasstress

“…everywhere we go…”  Well, if you’re reading this, you’ve already got at least one item of your list of things to be grateful for.  You lived to see another holiday season.  I could do the usual sappy “what are you thankful for this year” post.  But, I’m sure you’ve already beat over the head enough by that wet noodle. 

Let’s face it.  Life is tough right now…stressful, expensive and at times ALMOST unbearable.  Truth is, if you are still sucking in precious oxygen, you must still be here for a reason.  I might dare even say a very important reason.  A wise mentor of mine once asked me “What if the most important reason God wakes you up everyday is for you to shine Light on your own little corner of the world?”  Hmmm, that’s it?  Shine my little light?  No podium?  No platform?  No book deals or speaking engagements?  Just “shine my light?”  Sounds a little abstract and New-Agey, but I’ve learned over the last decade to savor and enjoy doing just exactly that. 

When looked at from that perspective, all the other silly-season accoutrements seem, well, silly.  When I look around at my life today, I already have everything I could ever really wish for this holiday.  My beautiful healthy kids, a (mostly) thoughtful loving hubby, a (mostly) sound mind and body and a new washer and dryer (thanks to Santa’s helpers) all complete my sense of well-being and give that “all is right with the world” satisfaction…for today.  Has it always been (or will it always be) enough?  Probably not. 

But the fact is, I have no room in my personal space to lament the bills, the cool gadgets I can’t afford to buy, the ticking time bomb that is my 12 year old car ready to fall apart, looming (potentially bad) report cards from those boys of mine and possible lay-offs and mean supervisors at work.  I love keeping stress at bay and maintaining a relaxed, calm clear aura. Like Jamie Lee Curtis in her article for Huffington post, gratitude and positivity are a big part of my daily diet. My daily goals and practices?  Pray, meditate, laugh (loudly and often), eat delicious food, plan for the worst and proceed as if life is ALREADY the very best…that’s all.  Have a great week, and happy first-day-of Advent! 

MiChelle Jeneen  ~Energy Skills Educator