Intuition (mostly every day, these days)

When I align my being with what I believe, think, and speak, my intuitive nature comes through. Life becomes more “in the flow”; everything from finances to parking spaces open up for me. I'm more open to my intuitive messages, and hope I can utilize those gifts to help others.

Sometimes intuition move through me as words I actually hear, loud and clear. Those are clairaudient (psychic ability to hear things that are beyond the range of the ordinary power of hearing) signs. I don’t always know what the messages I receive mean when they come through me. I just trust I will understand later. Most of the time, these messages show themselves to something that happens in the future, and sometimes it's about the collective consciousness, and sometimes it's personal. Intuitive messages also come through my dreams. Here are some recent intuitive examples.

Sunday morning, September 28th, between slumber and wakefulness, I heard the words “Put America First”. I thought those were odd words to wake to, but I trusted what I heard, and knew I would understand more. I’ve trusted the messages I receive, and know it’s a gift for me to “see” what cannot be seen with the five senses.


I also decided last week to volunteer for the presidential candidate of my choice that day, canvassing targeted voters, checking if those voters were registered to vote by mail, and collecting data to be used for the “get out the vote” time as election time draws closer. For me, to take action made me feel my energy was assisting in the building the America I want to live in.

Monday, the country found itself deep in a financial crisis, with Congressional lawmakers working toward a “rescue bill” to slow the train wreck of an economy teetering on the brink of collapse. Tuesday, a bill was presented to Congress to vote on, not a great bill, but one that would send a message to the financial markets that the government would steadfastly financially back the poor decisions of financial institutions for their risky investments and lending. Credit for businesses large and small has become increasingly tight, and the reality of more and more smaller operations going under will have a major impact on us all. Congress failed to pass this rescue legislation. On Tuesday, September 29, the stock market plummeted, dropping almost 800 points, its worst loss ever.

Suddenly, the words I heard made sense. “Put America First” meant to me, coming to an agreement that served Americans, not the egos of the Congressional body.

________________________________________________________

Last night, I dreamed I was having tea with a friend. My friend and I were sitting outside, and the weather was beautiful, with absolutely blue, clear skies, and leafy, autumn trees as our semi-shady canopy. Suddenly, ants fell on me. Large, red ants, and they were biting me. My friend and I shook them off us as fast and furiously as we could. And I woke up, remembering every visual and tactile detail of my dream.

I recently talked to my aunt, whom I love dearly, so I thought maybe that was some subconscious spill-over. I also am working rapidly on lots of creative graphic projects, and I know that the ant symbolizes the ant totem of the hard worker, as well as a creature needing community for its survival. The ant works for the good of the whole. Ants also are very strong, with the ability to lift 20 to 50 times its own weight. I feel strong these days, yet lighter in many ways.

This evening, when I came home, I started chatting with my next door neighbor. I didn’t park inside my garage, knowing I would be running out to the grocery store later. As we talked, I looked down on my driveway, and there was a solid mass of hundreds upon hundreds of ants in a paved divide of my driveway.



When I get messages from my dreams, or I hear words loud and clear, that couldn’t possibly be anything I would normally (or abnormally) think about, it’s definitely time to tune in deeply to my internal landscape, and notice my external landscape. As the two blend, I receive the message I’m on the path to discover more about my intuitive gifts.

Fiscal Responsibility

When I talk to people, there's very little certainty about the nation's economy. We've seen major financial institutions on Wall Street and in the banking sector disappear for risky investment decisions, to be bought and paid for by more solvent and solid companies, with some of these companies getting incredible deals, and looking toward their future expansion.

What I am noticing, when I view the current economic situation is fear. But what I understand in my education is the fear has been there all the time. At the time of crisis, people become "more" of what they are. 

FEAR: False Evidence Appearing Real

I've talked to people who are considering extracting tens of thousands of dollars from their 401K savings to put in the bank. I don't think they've taken a look at what's really happening with our country and the economic woes. They base their information solely on the media. Their choices are to operate out of emotions. Emotions can tell a lot of things about what's going on inside you. Sometimes our emotions revert us back to our wounded child. I don't think I would want my 7 year-old wound self making decisions that could impact my future opportunities. So I don't operate from my emotions, unless I've done my emotional "sit-ups". I ask the hard questions. I research. I tune in and don't numb out. And I definitely don't follow the herd.

Yes, I've seen my retirement savings lose about 11% in the past several months. If I were to "cash out" my savings, I would be losing a whole lot more than that, (more like giving the tax structure a great big present) and I would be operating under fear. I'm not in denial. I invested for the long term, not the short term (short term, risky returns is the reason this mess got started anyway). I actually know there's some big opportunities to be had in the current market, and my optimism isn't misplaced.

If fear or any other emotion drives your decisions, whether you are in a crisis, or moving through life with with no parachute needed, you are not in control. Your emotions are running the show. When you trust information from outside yourself, you are letting the environment you live in dictate your choices. I'm not saying to live in denial. I'm saying, conduct your life with due diligence, investigate, research, know how you emotionally operate, and why you do what you do. A life coach can help you see the big picture of yourself and your best life.

Look at how you respond to life and crisis. It's important to train yourself to be emotionally fit. Discover your emotional patterns, and when the news isn't what you'd rather hear, have the tools to handle life with creativity and live life on your own sensible terms, not living life by operating on how other people and the current environment look and feel.



Before I left for the last coaching intensive, we were asked to look at one area of our life, where we needed to improve. I chose my finances. We were asked to come up with an action step that was measurable, that we could take, to radically improve our life in that specific area. I chose to create a budget for myself, and a plan to pay my current debt down. I also challenged myself to spend money only where I felt it was important to, and although I would love to go to workshops where I can learn and grow, I decided to put my present and future first, stick with a payment plan so I could have stability to do the things I know I want to do later. Since much of my income was from freelancing, one of the other things I knew I needed to take action on was to find a reliable work position that paid me on a regular basis. I couldn't produce a budget if I didn't know what my income looked like.

It took some time, but I found the perfect work opportunity, and really am enjoying the work I'm doing. I threw a lot of fishing lines out to find the position I currently have, and was willing to do most anything in my field, but I also allowed myself to think bigger, and out of the box, and my work life is better than I could have imagined since I chose to be open-minded and look at unlimited possibilities, and not see myself doing something specific, and pigeon-hole myself and my skills.

It's important to build certainty in my own life, and make plans to succeed. That's why I am being trained as an integrative coach. I know I will be able to help others get what they want with my excellent training.

The best part about building certainty, is creating fun along the way, and knowing that life can be better than I ever imagined!

Safety in Community

Recently, I spent some time with the amazing community of coaches, participants, assistants, and staff of the Ford Institute for Integrative Coaching. And, of course, Debbie Ford, who always makes me smile and think with my heart. For four days, we immersed ourselves in the processes of revealing our individual “blueprints” of behaviors and actions, to uncover the gifts our habits, beliefs, patterns, and stories had to offer. To know my own story, and to know that I am not solely my story assists me to "step out" of my story, my limited perception in who I am and what I'm capable of, and I can understand the bigger picture of my part in the community of humankind. Allowing me to reveal my story, as well as opening up to others and hearing their stories by really listening with my heart, without judgment can unlock the shackles of limitation imprisoning us, keeping us stuck and small. When someone like a well-trained coach holds the global reflection to me of the “bigger picture” of my true potential, I am gifted with endless possibilities.

My blogs to come will reflect on thoughts and ideas planted and fertilized from the Blueprint Intensive. Four days of dwelling in many thought-provoking processes, allowing myself to feel connected to so many people (some on this journey with me since my first Shadow Process with the Ford Institute from September 2007) and having this family allow me to be a witness to extraordinary shifts in personal perception is both humbling and exhilarating. I love myself more, and I love all the people on this path. Internal reflection is, to me, a sacred journey, and I do my best to open that vast portal of sacredness in all I do. When even cleaning the cat litter box becomes a sacred act, there's not much to avoid, procrastinate on, or numb out to. (Maybe cleaning cat litter isn't my most favorite sacred act, but my sweet 17-year old cat Sturgis offers me such incredible unconditional love and fun, and he thinks it's a vital act, and so it is.) When we connect all the actions of our lives with deep holiness and reverence, every single act, sort of like connecting the dots on a piece of paper to reveal the visual picture that helps shape our understanding of this life, the shifts in perception become more noticeable and frequent. 

There are many people on this planet, walking this path of self-discovery, recovery, honoring their divine nature, and remembering. In this special community of the Institute for Integrative Coaching, safety and confidentiality is a paramount element, and hopefully my writings exhibit respect for those elements with humor and love. Debbie and her staff build a safe container of love, non-judgment, respect, and wisdom, and I have learned from my own "story", and other people on this path that feeling safe truly is the gift I can give myself, as well as hold the space for others and their safety.

Louise L. Hay's affirmation “I am safe, and all is well in my world” comes to mind. Allow that affirmation to become you in this moment.

My new web site

I have updated my web site. It's been a long time coming.

http://www.lorishin.com

There's still a lot of refining to do, but it's been more work and more fun than I thought it would be.

You Can Heal Your Life (The Movie)

In my last blog post, I mentioned the “free gift” when you join the Hayhouse Wisdom Community. When you join, your free gift is the movie about Louise L. Hay, founder of Hayhouse International. Check out the trailer from You Can Heal Your Life (The Movie).



There are two versions of the movie; one is the expanded version, (not the “free gift” version), with interviews from some of the inspirational and spiritual people seen in the movie. To order the movie without becoming a part of the Wisdom Community, click here.

Smack to the Present (as opposed the Back to the Future)

This morning I was making my bed, like I do most mornings. I guess I was in a rush to get on with my day, because I smacked one of my fingers against the brass and iron bed footboard. Something about intense, acute, physical pain snapped my attention, my body, my focus to the here and now. My hand hurt in the present.

Think about your life. What actions bring you to embodying the head, the heart, your full body, and presence? Are they pleasurable or painful experiences? Now, here's a deeper question... Is your head, heart, or physical body feeling the pain of the past, or the longing for the future?

As I stood there with my throbbing finger, I pondered that very thought.

Just for a short time, tune in to your body. Right here, right now. The fastest way to get present is to consciously notice your breath, and bring your awareness on how you breathe in and breathe out. Are you slowing down, with your thoughts and feelings? Can you feel your weight in the chair, or your back as it leans against the backrest? Are you feeling calm? Are you thinking “what’s the point”? Every experience could be your attachment to the past, or to the present moment and a pattern you've chose to accept in your life.

Listen to this excerpt from life coach Cheryl Richardson’s weekly call-in internet radio show, Coach on Call, taken from Hayhouse Radio.com. You can sign up to receive podcasts of each week’s show for free for seven days, or better yet, became a part of the Hayhouse Wisdom Community, and you'll have access to over 3,000 hours worth of archived shows, and I know something will pique your interest. And when you are a part of the Wisdom Community, those podcasts are commercial-free. Click on the Hayhouse link to get started. Hayhouse will even give you a free gift while supplies last. (You can check out your free gift with the blog post directly following this one.) You’ll also receive discounts on events and publications from the Hayhouse family of products.



My hand no longer throbs in pain, yet the memory of pain or painful experiences can bring me right back to that place of unwanted sensation in my mind and body. I have daily practices to bring me back home to my body, mind, and spirit. I still wonder; how often through years of habitual ways of being or thinking have we humans felt pain from our past? I know I don’t like smacking myself, yet I know I have had that thought pattern of beating myself up in the past. This morning, smacking my hand brought me to radical consciousness, but what patterns of internal “smacking” do I engage in on a daily basis?

Living my life from situations I grew up with, experienced as the years progressed, and with those opportunities from long ago and recent, I have schooled myself in unconditional love and acceptance. Those lessons weren't taught by my mother or my father. In fact, their offerings were of their own experiences; judgments and conditions they chose to adopt. I chose to believe more empowering ways of being, and living my life. It’s a recent practice for me to give that much love and respect to myself. I know you are loved and accepted by someone or something in your life, too. When you provide that gift of unconditional love to yourself, and you stop smacking yourself with your thoughts or actions of self-sabotage, you have the amazing ability to manage whatever life hands you, with grace and gratitude.

Water Crystal energized by the words
and thoughts Thank You (in Japanese)

We always have choice and we can repattern our lives to feel better than we ever could have imagined. Sometimes we need some assistance in feeling better about ourselves, and a certified coach can lend that helping hand to bring you back to the present. Then, the future becomes unlimited with potential.

Being Receptive to Nature’s Teachings

One of my daily practices to stay in balance is walking in nature. I’m blessed to live directly across from a lake, where I have a beautiful gift of glorious mountain vistas, plentiful vegetation and wildlife, and a path to walk within the magic of the natural world.

Do you walk in nature? What can the natural world convey to you?

Shamans receive messages from the natural world, and although the interpretations can vary, some essential and powerful elements provide the groundwork to integrate in daily life. The key is to pay attention. We humans are of the natural world, but with our busy lives, sometimes we forget. The spirits of the land and the animals remind us to slow down, take notice, and connect with the earth, air, water, and fire; the elements that make up what we see in the physical world. Our bodies are containers for those very elements, and when we recognize this connection, magical happenings take place.

Some of my sightings of animals and their totems (power gifts) and their messages to us humans are interpreted from the book Animal Speak by Ted Andrews published Llewellyn. Some are my interpretations after meditating on what the particular animal's message is for my life. You can check out those interpretations at the end of this posting. The messages I receive from nature come from the elements, directions, colors, natural behaviors, and internal knowledge that I'm experienced through six-sensory living.

I choose the early morning to walk in nature. The cool air of the morning reminds me that breath is essential for all life. I consciously fill my lungs with the fresh air of the morning. With the inhalation, I receive; with the exhalation, I give. The outer and the inner world meet in the pause between breaths. I greet the magic of the new day with this simple practice of conscious breath.

The water is alive. Water is the receptive element, and takes on its container. I usually see fish breaking the lake’s surface. Sometimes the lake is very still, like glass. Sometimes it’s choppy and full of movement on the surface. Water fowl of every kind make this lake their own watering hole. Today, I watched as a blue heron flew over my head, moving east towards a suitable landing. There is also a pair of white pelicans who are fond of resting near the western side of the lake. Sometimes in the mornings, I will see two sets of pelicans close to each other, near the shore, where the fish congregate.

The breaking dawn through the horizon (the fire element) moves me to walk a little faster (fire is a great inspiration element, and I choose to finish my walk before the heat of the day).

Walking a sacred path on the earth allows grounding and stability. The great mother Earth will always support me in this physical life, and I daily give thanks and gratitude, for each living being I come into contact with.

I always see young brown rabbits, with their soft, puffy cottontails, munching on grasses and predictability skittish when a dog and owner travel by.








Once in a while I will happen on a coyote. With plenty of rabbits as prey, the coyotes have no issues with going hungry.

All songbirds have the totem of communication and expression through sound. The morning air is filled with their beautiful songs.

Birds make their migration pit-stop at the lake, and I observe and enjoy. The most spectacular bird I’ve seen, color-wise, is the beautiful Western Tanager.

To me, the tanager offers me a message to say “yes” to passion and color in my life. I can reflect what tanager offers me by relishing in being seen, and even a little showy and flirtatious in the world.

Red-winged blackbirds and yellow blackbirds (black to me is the “shadow” color) remind me to look within my own energetic world to see how I can illuminate what beliefs, patterns, and habits I have disowned or disregarded. The male red-winged blackbird, has white bars, red, and yellow, reminding me that I can lighten up with each new day, and renew my passion any time I choose (white, yellow, and red).

• Black: the color of the shadow, and the hidden gifts to be illuminated, the ancestors
  
• White: the color of purity and integration; color of spirit
  
• Red: the color of passion; associated with the direction of south, element of fire; the healer
• Green: the color of fertile earth, the warrior archetype, the direction of north
  
• Yellow: the color of new beginnings, inspiration through inner knowing and intellect; associated with the direction of east, element of air; the visionary
  
• West: associations with the teacher; color association blue, element of water, the color of the sky, emotion;
• Pelican: Renewed buoyancy and unselfishness, coming up and staying on the “top” of the water (emotions) easily and effortlessly. Pelicans don’t lift off too easily from their watery habitat. Sometimes our emotions (when unexpressed) weigh us down. Pelicans work cooperatively with their kind to fish in tandem for the greater good of the community. Seeing two or more pairs of pelicans are common, and their ability to work without competition is a gentle reminder that our survival is dependant on common goals and working with teamwork.
• Heron: Self-determination, self-reliance. The long legs provide the stability in the deep waters where the heron feeds. The water element symbolizes emotion, and being able to stand on one’s own, in the middle of an emotional or fearful situation is a positive trait.
• Flying east: moving toward intellect and internal knowing.
• Brown: earth color, from the Mother Earth, maternal
• Rabbit: fertility, new life, fear, seeking protection, burrowing, quick to change direction, camouflage, adaptability.
• Coyote: Wisdom and Folly. Native American traditions refer to the coyote as the trickster, a fun-loving, playful predator. Coyote is intelligent and adaptable, and can be found easily in the city as in the wild, wide open spaces. Coyotes are social and cooperative when they hunt. Their family units are close knit, and often mate for life. The coyote totem is one of many contrasts. It reminds me to be focused, but not to take life too seriously.