Over the past month, my focus has been on “harvest.” There are many components to the harvest. It’s the shift from the Yang time of summer, to the Yin time of fall. The harvest comes from the seeds of attitude and perspective we plant each day with our words, thoughts, and deeds. Our harvest is affected by what we gladly give of ourselves to help others. And, the beautiful harvest moon we just had helps us shine the light on our lives as we go into the introspective, retreat-like Yin time brought by the Autumnal Equinox.

As we close out September, I’d like to take a look at “change.”
I hear so many people say they want to change their lives in some specific way, or even in many ways. One thing we should keep in mind if we truly want a change, or many changes, is to prepare and make way for it. When I offer a Feng Shui consultation at a home or business, I don’t just bring in the necessary cures and “plant them.” We have to prepare the space for the change we want the cure to bring. For instance, if there is an issue in an area that needs to be addressed, or cured, we discuss  the change the client is looking for. We prepare the area...does it need to be de-cluttered? Do we need to support the element of the area? Before we place the Feng Shui cure, we set the intention for the cure and state the change we envision.

Have you heard the old saying that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, but expecting a different outcome? Well, if we don’t prepare for the change we want to see in harvest of our lives - if we just keep things the same or keep doing the same things repeatedly, the chance of manifesting the change we want is pretty slim. There is a process to follow that helps us invite change into our lives and prepare for it. Since we’re talking about our harvest I’ll continue with the farming analogy.
 
First, we must clear the field and prepare the soil.
Then, we must choose our crop and seeds.
Once the field is ready, we plant the seeds.
We nurture the crop and wait for the harvest.

Just as farmers prepare the soil by weeding and tilling the earth and rotating crops so the soil stays healthy we need to prepare our “soil” for the change we want to manifest in our lives. One way to “clear the field” for our seeds of change, is through physical de-cluttering. How can we welcome change into our lives if there’s literally no room in our home or office? I guarantee you will see positive change when you take the time to de-clutter, or even just move and clean things that have been stagnant for quite awhile. What about that bookcase filled with your favorite books or knick knacks? How long has it been since it was thoroughly cleaned or reorganized? Remember, de-cluttering doesn’t have to be a major project. If you take just a few minutes each day to go through items in a specific area of your home or office and remove what no longer serves you or brings a smile to your face, before you know it you will have de-cluttered the entire space. Sorting through your things has another major benefit: when you decide to get rid of something you no longer want, love, or need, consider donating it to someone in need. Remember, by giving more, we get more.

Another important way to clear the field and prepare for change in your harvest, is to do a space clearing. Energy clings to us when we are out in the world and we bring it into our homes and offices. That energy can get stuck and it’s important to clear our space regularly. Burning sage is a wonderful way to clear the energy. While burning the sage, it’s important to be in a sacred state of mind and say a mantra or a prayer that helps focus on the clearing for the best and highest good. That clearing of energy makes way for positive change while allowing us to gain clarity, be open to new or different information, make decisions, and set intentions.

Once our “field” is clear and ready, we plant our seeds of change. We do this by placing Feng Shui cures, and by writing  or speaking the change we want to manifest. We plant the seeds of change, not only with physical action, but also with seeds of attitude and perspective that I described in the blog at the beginning of the month.

Finally, we nurture the seeds we’ve planted and wait. We nurture those seeds by setting our intentions. We can do this by stating our intentions regularly, or writing those intentions done and re-reading them regularly. We nurture those seeds by envisioning the change we are inviting into our lives, by seeing how our lives will look when the change comes, by feeling how we’ll feel when the change arrives. We nurture those seeds by having faith that the change we need will come and we wait knowing that the universe will bring the change at the right and perfect time.

If we want to change careers, improve our relationships, get healthier, deepen our spiritual practice and connection, travel more, be more creative, etc., we need to prepare for and plant the seeds of change. Our harvests can truly be bountiful and unlimited; we simplly have to plan, clear, choose, plant, and nurture. During this introspective, retreat-like time of the year, consider the changes you’d like to see in your life and begin making way for them. The new year will be here before we know it; this is the perfect time for preparation and invitation.

Namaste,
Carol

“Only those who sow seeds of change can hope to grow and reap a harvest.” - Andrea Goeglein, Dr. Success, coach, author, and motivational speaker

“Yeah we all shine on, like the moon, and the stars, and the sun.”
~ John Lennon

My theme this month is “Harvest.” How appropriate that, this afternoon at 3:05 pm EDT, the Harvest Moon will shine. The earth, moon, and sun move into a straight alignment so that the earth-facing side of the moon is completely illuminated by sunlight. (It’s so bright, it can appear to be full a day or so before and after the actual full moon.) The Harvest Moon, technically the full moon appearing closest in time to the autumnal equinox, gets its name because of the brilliant natural light that shines on the crops ,giving farmers more time at the end of the day to harvest.
That all makes sense, even when you think about the Harvest Moon in terms of Feng Shui. According to the teachings of Feng Shui, each season and seasonal transition has an element. This Harvest Moon time is the brief transitional time of Earth Energy that ushers in the Metal Energy of the Fall season in October. Just as the Harvest Moon literally shines bright, beautiful light on the crops, it also shines light on our lives. This transitional time allows for a period of introspection giving us an opportunity to look closely at our lives and contemplate what we’ve done and the seeds we’ve sown earlier in the year. In essence, the moon is putting a spotlight on our “personal harvest” as well as the traditional harvest.
The earth-facing side of the moon is illuminated and the element of the transition between summer and fall season is Earth. Because this transition begins the time of introspection, it’s appropriate to make sure you feel grounded, nurtured, and supported as you examine your life in the bright light to determine if there are changes you’d like to make. The fire energy of summer, which helps create the earth energy of the transition, has waned and the lightheartedness and somewhat hectic/frenetic movement of summer changes into a more quiet, subdued feeling.
Enjoy the quiet and the light of the beautiful Harvest Moon this evening. Pause and think about the turns your life has taken since January first. Are you doing what you want to do? Are you living the way you want to live, the way that feeds you soul? Throughout the  year have you planted seeds of attitude and perspective that will bring you a joyful, loving, compassionate, abundant harvest? Do you see changes you want to make? There’s still time. Every day we plant the seeds for the future harvest.  During this Harvest Moon, set your intentions and begin to plant the seeds for the harvest in the new year.

Namaste,
Carol

“Meditate. Live purely. Be quiet. Do your work with mastery. Like the moon, come out from behind the clouds!. Shine.”
~ Buddha

“We must give more in order to get more. It is the generous giving of ourselves that produces the generous harvest." 
~ Orison Swett Marden, an American inspirational author and founder of Success magazine.                           
Post-Labor Day September....summer is truly gone (despite straggling high temperatures). There’s a change to the breeze and the air feels different. As I cleaned the sidewalk in front of my house on Monday, I found a fallen leaf, still green for the most part, but with edges dipped in red and gold. The first of many I’ll clean from the front walk. For those of us who live in the north, it’s  the time of the year when we reflect on the warmth and fun of summer, and look ahead to longer nights and winter cold. I’ve lived in the south, too and although the temperatures don’t change much with the coming of fall in the southern climates, there is still a perceptible change in the air. With this change of season and perspective we begin thinking about the harvest and getting ready for winter.

People who have traditional vegetable and flower gardens may be focused on gathering the last bounty and thinking about how to preserve the vegetables for use throughout the winter. As a child, I clearly remember my Mother, Grandmother, and extended family preparing vegetables for canning and freezing - it was a yearly ritual.  But, even if we get our vegetables from the local farm stand or farmer’s market instead of a backyard garden, the harvest and winter aren’t far from our thoughts at this time of year.

Last week I wrote about seeds of attitude and perspective and how our harvest is determined by the seeds we plant every day. Going hand-in-hand with that thought is the idea that what we freely give comes back to us multiplied. If you’re concerned about getting through the winter, either because of cold, harsh weather or because of difficult circumstances like career, financial, or relationship issues (or a combination of both), try to focus on the quote attributed to Orison Swett Marden at the top of this week’s blog: “We must give more in order to get more. It is the generous giving of ourselves that produces the generous harvest.”  

It’s true! When we are struggling, our instinct may be to hold on tight to what we have....to gather more and more “stuff” in order to feel safe and secure. Take note - that’s your ego talking and it offers a false sense of security. That’s fear and insecurity encouraging a “that’s MINE!” sort of reaction. When you feel yourself reacting in that way, take a deep breath and recognize where it’s coming from. Perhaps even tell yourself, “it’s going to be OK. Don’t worry.”

Please understand, I’m not encouraging you to run around giving away all your money and possessions with the plan that you’ll get it all back and then some.    Another guiding principle of the Universe is that you must try and work to help yourself. One of my favorite stories from the Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Eat, Pray, Love”  is when she talks about the person praying to God and wondering why God will “never allow” that person to win the lottery. I’m paraphrasing here, but when God is confronted with this question: God, please, please let me win the lottery. Why won’t you let me win the lottery?  God responds: “Buy a ticket.”   Yes, if we want to win the lottery, we’ve got to buy a ticket.  In other words, we have to take steps to help ourselves (look for a job instead of waiting for one to come to us, watch our spending and curb our budget instead of expecting a miraculous event to cover all the bills that month, etc.)

But, taking care of ourselves and taking steps to help ourselves isn’t the same thing as being stingy, greedy, or fearful that you will have “enough.” When I say, give more to get more, I mean it. When you see a person or an individual in need and you feel called to help them. Help them! The good you do and the encouragement and friendship you offer will come back to you ten-fold. Perhaps you don’t have much money to give, but you might be able to give some of your time. Remember, whatever you give with a loving heart will come back to you.   

I’ve personally experienced this. After my mom’s passing, I felt called to volunteer with Project Keep Warm to deliver coats to homeless people. That program distributes coats from the same building my mom worked in before I was born. She taught me the value of giving and I felt that that volunteer time helped me grieve and was very healing for me.

Don’t give with an expectation of compensation in return, but give with the peaceful loving understanding and knowing that what goes around, comes around....what we give will come back.  We don’t know when our good deeds will be returned to us, but we can rest assured that they will come back to us when we need them most.

Volunteering in one way or another has always been a part of my life. When I lived in Florida and taught Feng Shui classes there, I would often take my students to a facility for women who were victims of domestic violence and we would “Feng Shui” their space. Creative, giving Dara, (of http://www.daradubinet.com ) was one of my students then. She gave of her artistic talents to help create a brighter, happier “home” for the women to live in.  We also visited shelters for homeless men. We provided a kindness and a service for them, but that time and expertise was returned to us in many ways.  Not only were life-long connections made among the volunteers, but our hearts were filled with the gratitude of the residents.

Take a moment today to consider what you can give to help another. Do you have clothes that are taking up space in your closet “just in case you need them”? I guarantee that there are people who need them today. Could you take some time that you spend watching TV or being on social media every week and offer to assist a local organization that helps others? Even an hour a week can make a difference to organizations that rely on volunteers. You may be strapped financially and struggling to pay your bills, but do you still buy a coffee out once or twice a week or purchase your lunch instead of brown-bagging it? I’m not suggesting you deprive yourself of the occasional perks (we all need those) but if you save the money you spend on your weekly specialty coffee (even one cup), or cut your “going out to lunch” by one, and put that money aside, you can made a donation at the end of the month that will make a difference to an organization or a person in need.  There are many ways to give: you can give your time, your treasure, or your talent - or you can give all three! Try it and I guarantee you will find joy. I also guarantee the kindness you share will come back to you when you need it the most.

Namaste,
Carol                                        

 “What are you planting today to harvest tomorrow?”
~ Lailah Gifty Akita, inspirational writer from Ghana.

September is upon us! 2016 seems to be flying by. With September comes (hopefully)
cooler weather, thoughts of the final harvest of the growing season, and preparation for
the fall and winter ahead. Even if we haven’t tended to a traditional garden through the
spring and summer months, we each still harvest what we’ve sown.

What have you sown since 2016 began eight months ago?
Every day we plant seeds. Maybe they’re not plant or vegetable seeds, but they are seeds nonetheless. Have you planted: Seeds of encouragement and confidence, or seeds of doubt and fear? Seeds of compassion and happiness , or seeds of scorn and judgement.? Seeds of empathy and kindness, or seeds of anger and insecurity? Seeds of gratitude or seeds of greed? Seeds of support or seeds of jealousy? I like to call these seeds of attitude and perspective!

How often do we find ourselves in a frustrating situation, when things don’t seem to be going our way? I am a firm believer that the Universe has a Divine Plan for each of us, and what seems to be negative, is opening the way for the positive. Just today, I saw the face of someone that I knew had been kind to me, just as I was kind to her. I couldn’t put my finger on how we knew each other initially, but, after we parted, it became clear. What I did know, was the seed of kindness had been planted between us in the past, and now, she will be working in a store that I frequent weekly. Our mutual kindness will be reactivated in a new arena.

Alternatively, there are some people that, try as I might to be positive, I receive seeds of anger, fear and/or jealousy in return. In cases like this, seeds of compassion are called for.  Generally, these people do not know what they are expressing, but I can see the fear and insecurities that lie beneath their actions. Perhaps, if I react with kindness, their fear will begin to melt away.

We can be sure that what we sow comes back to us. In fact, we have a harvest every single day. As the law of attraction states, what we focus on, we get more of. For instance, I recall a time when finances were tight, yet I stayed positive, knowing things would be flowing to me. Around that time, I started finding $20 bills on the street next to my car whenever I went to the post office This literally happened several weeks in a row. I knew my harvest was on its way! But, if we don’t plant positive seeds, our harvest will reflect that.   An alternative response for me can often be health challenges.  I know that if I do not eat healthy, balanced, wheat/flour/sugar-free meals, then my harvest will be very painful joints. Because I’m human I sometimes fail in this area, but, the pain I experience is strong enough to remind me to treat my stomach with compassion!

Seeds germinate at different rates, just as some flower or vegetable seeds sprout right away; others take quite a while to gather the strength needed to push up through the soil to the light. The same holds true with the seeds of attitude and perspective that we plant each day. When we show compassion and kindness to another person, that compassion and kindness will come back to us. It may not happen immediately, but it will happen. If we encourage others and have confidence in ourselves, that will pay off and come back to us. An example of this is whenever I teach; I typically will review and research, and rediscover information that perhaps I’d forgotten about. I love to teach and share information about Feng Shui. What many may not know is that I receive positive benefits through renewed insights about my own life – every time I teach! So I benefit from sharing my love of Feng Shui and encouraging others, just as much as my students benefit from the teachings I share!

The same holds true for the seeds of an idea or project. Do we sow those seeds by sharing them with others we trust, or do we ignore it or keep it to ourselves? The seeds of an idea or project can take months, or even years, to blossom and grow, just like some flowering trees and bushes who grow strong, but don’t bloom for several years.

It’s not too late. What will you plant today?

Every single day we get to decide which seeds we’re going to plant. We choose the seeds of attitude and perspective that we want more of. Take a moment to think about what you are planting today. It might be a seed that sprouts quickly and presents you with a harvest of new friendship, support, or a kindness repaid. Or, it might be a seed that has to live in the cold, hard ground of winter for several months before it pops through the soil into the spring sun with the
promise of a new season.

Let’s go about our days in a mindful way that allows us to create a daily harvest of joy, kindness, happiness, and success for ourselves and those around us.

Namaste,
Carol