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Gratitude & Inner Work

11/4/2016

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Last month, our focus was on recognizing our true essence and allowing our inner being to take the reins of our life. As I mentioned in my weekly October blogs, directing our focus inward and doing the inner work necessary to let our true essence shine isn’t always easy...the journey is unique to each person. Honestly,  I really love doing inner work. In addition to keeping up with my own Feng Shui, and helping my clients with Feng Shui for their homes and businesses,  I have been deeply immersed in personal, inner work for most of my adult life. It amazes me that, even after all this time, I can continue to go deeper and reveal more and more insight and hidden gifts. I’m grateful for each and every discovery.
With many celebrating Thanksgiving later this month, our thoughts naturally turn to gratitude. I’ve been thinking about the inner work I’ve done for so many years, and am so grateful for the many tools, teachers, and changes that that study and work has brought into my life. One of the modalities that I currently use, and have used for about 25 years, is Jungian Dream Analysis. Initially, it was a bit frightening because I didn’t quite understand the figurative meanings behind the symbols. But, over the years, I’ve learned a lot, and even to this day, I find that my dreams provide amazing insight and true gifts to help me lead a more ‘right-actioned’ life. I’m very fortunate to have dream analysis experts as members of my inner circle, and I appreciate each and every one of them. I’ve noticed that in doing this personal work with a group, we often realize that another group member’s dream is personal to us, too! There is such great value in community.
As I’ve mentioned, each and every person has a divine inner presence. The sad part is, most people don’t recognize this inner being, or, even believe it’s possible. It’s true that we can’t just flip a switch and ‘become’ our true essence. The journey to recognizing that divine inner presence is unique for each of us and in many cases, it means experiencing pain. Ultimately, that pain is most often replaced with joy. It means separation from our old, comfortable lives and venturing into unknown territory. While fear of the unknown might keep us from taking our first steps on the path or allow us to stall along the path, it ultimately leads us to a much more comfortable place. It leads us “home.”  This work takes commitment...a personal longing to be the best that we can be, and be our most authentic selves, during our short time here on planet earth.
Feng Shui is another tool that we can use to help us start on the path, or move us further on the path,  to reveaI our true essence. I remember returning home after participating in my first Feng Shui weekend class almost 25 years ago. Suddenly, I was able to “see” SO many things in my home environment that were red flags pointing  to the issues that I’d been living with!  After that first Feng Shui class opened my eyes, I began placing cures and making changes, one-by-one. Slowly and surely, life began to shift for me. I used to call my house a “Feng Shui Nightmare” because it shined a light on each of the problems I’d been dealing with and the uncomfortable, unsettled feeling I had, but didn’t understand. Feng Shui brought me the clarity I needed to truly see what was going on in my life and to understand the source of my unease.  What a gift, that “Feng Shui Nightmare” was! It allowed me to identify the issues and take steps to change them...it allowed me to begin the process of creating a better life for myself; to further reveal my true essence.
I’m grateful for each home that I’ve lived in. Grateful for the lessons that each one has taught me. Grateful for the new directions that I discovered every time I found and put a Feng Shui cure into place to deal with a problem. Grateful for the many friends around the world that I’ve met as a result of Feng Shui and my inner work.  Before I learned about Feng Shui, the state of my life seemed overwhelming. I’m so grateful that I found Feng Shui when I did. It offered me the way to resolve that overwhelming situation...movement along my path to revealing my true essence and letting my inner being take the lead.
This gratitude is why I continue to share the gift of Feng Shui with all of you: my friends, my chosen family, my clients. When I can help someone identify the source of their unease...when I use Feng Shui to help someone “cure” an issue that causing problems in their lives...when I help someone find clarity in the midst of the heavy feeling of being overwhelmed; then my true essence shines. I’m truly grateful for each person reading this blog, attending my classes, watching my videos, liking my facebook page, and following me on social media. Your trust and support allow my inner being to thrive.

Namaste,
Carol

PS - If you’d like an introduction to Feng Shui right in the comfort of your own home, you’ll be pleased to know that I’m offering a webinar series, Introduction to Feng Shui: The Ancient Art of Placement with Carol Cannon, that begins on November 9th. I’m honored that this webinar series is being hosted by The Theosophical Society in America. We’ll cover history, the evolution of various forms of Feng Shui, and how and why your land and buildings have an influence upon your life. I’ll go over the Five Element Theory and how it works in Feng Shui, as well as discuss the importance of furniture placement. Each week participants will learn practical applications that can be used in their homes and offices immediately.
The webinar series will be held on four Wednesdays, November 9 through December 7 (no class on November 23) 7:00 - 8:00 pm Central Time.
The cost of the series is $50 or $40 for Theosophical Society in America members.
To register, click here.



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Let Your True Essence Take The Reins:  Be the Real You

10/28/2016

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October has been a month of facing reality...the reality that we may be hiding our inner being behind a mask of expectations. We’ve been focusing on removing the mask to reveal our true selves, and that can be scary. It almost seems absurd; that we would even consider masquerading as someone that we’re not. But, the truth is, many of us hide behind a mask that we don’t even realize is there until we begin to consciously examine our lives and our desires. If we’ve been raised in a family and/or community that has certain expectations and offers “rewards” for fitting in, it’s possible to truly not realize that we’ve been leading a life that is not personally authentic. As the eastern mystic G.I. Gurdjieff noted, we are in a self-imposed prison, and most don’t even realize they’re in jail!
As my previous October Chaos to Calm blog posts have mentioned, this Yin time of year is the perfect time for introspection...to spend this natural time of retreat contemplating and questioning our purpose and lives. Are we truly happy with our professions, or is there a void that’s never quite filled? Are our relationships honest and joyful, or are we resentful and unsettled? Are we happy with the way we spend our time, or do we long to do other things? Are we feeding our souls and letting our inner beings shine, or are we begrudgingly living up to the expectations of others? Once we begin to tug at the mask, and lift it even a little, the sense of freedom we feel may be enough to urge us back for more “unveiling.”
Our true essence is always with us, even if it’s hidden by all the “shoulds” of our lives. Like an old, faithful friend, our inner being waits as long as necessary for us to do the questioning and lift the mask. For some of us, the mask has been in place for many years, so how do we get the courage to question our lives, remove the mask, and let our true essence take the reins?  It can certainly be scary, but the first step is pushing through the fear. What is more frightening: asking the questions and finding the true answers now or discovering near the end of life on this planet that you haven’t participated in your own life honestly and authentically?
Move through the fear and start asking questions of yourself to get in tune with your feelings. Do you really want to attend a certain event? Do you want to celebrate the holidays with extended family as has been the tradition? Is working towards that promotion going to bring you happiness? As I mentioned in early October, we often just “know” something is right or wrong for us. We may notice there’s a feeling deep inside that may contradict everything we thought we wanted. That’s our true essence providing direction to get us on the unique path that’s right for each of us. We may not always understand that inner voice or feeling, but we need to give ourselves time and opportunity to listen for it, acknowledge, and begin to trust it.
Quiet time and meditation are essential for “tuning in” to our inner voices. We spend so much time multi-tasking and rushing from activity to activity that we don’t allow ourselves time to really feel what we’re feeling. Give yourself the gift of just 10 or 15 truly quiet and still minutes each day. You’ll be amazed at the clarity and focus it offers.
Mindfulness will grow out of your quiet time. You’ll begin to think more about your choices and the outcomes. For instance, you’ll give more thought to what sort of food you eat (processed or fresh) and how it affects your body and mood. You’ll consider how your choices affect the circle of life whether it’s a matter of compassion for another living being or recycling and care for our planet. Just a momentary pause for consideration as you make decisions can make positive changes in your life.
Feng Shui will also help you remove the mask and reveal your true essence. Our homes are templates of deep understanding into our own personal psyche. We are attracted to our homes and furnishings for a reason and the flow of life energy through our homes can assist us as we question and seek guidance for living an authentic life. We simply have to stop, notice, and own that we have deep growth that is waiting to emerge.
Positive energy creates more positive energy. If you surround yourself with positive people you’ll feel the difference. Positive energy creates a positive environment for possibility. It supports you as you question and learn to listen to your inner voice.
Removing the mask and giving our true essence its voice is a journey along a path unique to each person. There’s no one “right way” to get to the destination where our inner being shines and we live a true, authentic life full of “I AM.” There’s no switch to flip to put things in motion and we can’t expect the change to happen over night. What we can do is invite the awareness and change into our lives. We can ask the questions and sit with the answers and our true, honest feelings. We can take care of ourselves and support our effort and intention with meditation, Feng Shui, mindfulness, etc. These small steps towards authenticity will serve you well. It’s not always an easy path because sometimes the truth is hard to feel and act upon. Sometimes others in your family or inner circle of friends will be dismayed by your efforts and change. Their fear may overcome the strength of your relationship and they may fall away. Sometimes the path is challenging, but you can do it one small step at a time. Listen to your inner voice, your “I AM” and let your true essence take the reins....only you can decide what is right for you.

Namaste,
Carol


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Face the Fear: Take the First Small Step to Finding Your "I Am"

10/21/2016

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Halloween is almost here. I know people who absolutely love Halloween and start decorating their homes and yards as soon as they flip their planners to  “October 1.”  
I have a secret – I’ve never really liked this holiday! Maybe,  when I was a kid I found it fun to get dressed-up and go trick-or-treating in my neighborhood. It was safe. It was fun, but I suspect our true identities were given away during the annual candy hunt because were always accompanied by our moms. As I got older, I outgrew the dressing-up part. I found the few Halloween parties that I did attend unsettling - I wanted to know who was really behind those masks. Even then, I didn’t like the idea of hiding, or not being myself. But, I probably never really was able to express that feeling clearly and out loud back then.
My focus this month is on removing the mask and nurturing our true essence to allow our inner being to shine. I’m not talking about the mask or costume some might choose to put on to celebrate Halloween, but rather the masks that many wear every day out of obligation rather than desire. As I’ve mentioned in my the last two blogs (October 7 and 14) there have been times in my life when I’ve realized that I was living according to false expectations for myself: the expectations of my family, my community, the world...and even the false expectations I put on myself because I was listening more to my mind rather than to my heart, soul, and true essence. Thankfully, I was able to recognize the source of my unhappiness...the source of the void I felt inside, even though, from outward appearances, I had it all. I was able to take off the masks and begin to nurture my true essence and allow my inner being to shine. 
Last April, I was in Salem, Massachusetts, for a conference entitled The All and Everything Conference. This annual conference brings together many people from around the world for the purpose of learning and sharing information on how to be who we truly are. It felt odd to be in Salem for this conference. Salem - the town where years ago women were burned at the stake after being labeled “witches”, because they were different and/or misunderstood. They didn’t fit the current culture norm of what a colonial woman should be or do. They didn’t wear the mask expected of them by their geographic or religious community. They weren’t allowed to throw off the mask and let their inner being shine without serious repercussions. Thankfully, that’s not usually the case in today’s world. We have the freedom to be who we truly are. Don’t get me wrong, I know there can be repercussions for discarding the masks we’re expected to wear, but they’re not typically deadly. In modern society, we carry so many expectations, not only from our own mind, but also from many people, communities, and institutions outside of ourselves. Society doesn’t make it easy for anyone to just be who they are...to let their true inner being shine in the world. 
Have you ever thought to yourself, “why can’t I just be Who I AM?” I think, deep down inside each, we each long to find that “I AM-ness” and nurture it and allow it to take the reins. If we’re honest with ourselves, we all long to remove the masks we believe we must wear to fit into our society, but we let fear keep us trapped behind those masks. Halloween is the year when many people find fear fun and with Halloween ten days away,  we’re in the thick of it. We go to haunted houses. We put up spooky decorations. We watch scary movies. Those things can be creative and fun, but this year, why don’t we really make an effort to Face the Fear that’s holding us back?  Take some time to consider what masks do you feel obligated to wear? How do those masks and expectations hold you back from who you are? How do those masks prevent you from living the life you want and need to live?
What if, during this increasingly Yin time of year, we take the time to listen to our true essence? You can learn more about the Yin time of year in my September blogs, but basically, it’s a time of quiet, reflection, retreat, and preparation for the new year.
Let’s take time to face the fear that’s holding us back and consider how we can be who we truly are and show our inner being to the world every day.

I wish someone would have handed me the answer to that question. I wish there was a road map to getting to the place where we nurture our true essence and our inner beings shine every single day without stress or fear. I wish I had those answers and plans for you, too. But, that one-size-fits-all road map doesn’t exist. That destination is a little different for everyone and the journey there is unique for each person.  I was told at a young age, “the answers are inside you.” I didn’t understand it then, but thankfully, I began to get clues to understanding early on when I got out on my own and discovered yoga and meditation. But, it wasn’t until recently that I truly understood what that meant.  We each must discover who we really are and no one can simply hand us that information or tell us how to reach that destination. The road to understanding and action is different for each of us. As I mentioned in my earlier October blogs, our inner being never abandons us. It’s always there waiting, like a loyal friend....waiting for your acknowledgement and your invitation for that true essence to step forward. The Universe gives us clues and a sense of knowing that, if we open ourselves to awareness, can lead us to the path we need to follow to remove the masks and nurture our inner being.
Many of us in the Feng Shui profession have a mission to guide people and help them see what the Universe is trying to share with us. I love helping clients uncover and understand those clues. Through Feng Shui and Himalayan Singing Bowl meditations, I can help you gather the information and begin to understand it. I can help you take action that will lead to more clues and information from the Universe and your true essence. I can lead you and help you find the beginning of your personal path, but you, my friend, must do your own work to remove the masks, just as those before you have had to do, too. You can do it. It won’t always be easy, but you can do it. If you take small steps, you’ll be well on your way before you know it.
 

Namaste,
Carol
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    Carol sends her peace filled thoughts out often, to interested parties!. Her 27 years of experience will benefit you in immeasurable ways!

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