12 Days of Prayer

Approximately 10 years ago, I realized just how crazy the month of December can get—from all of the expectations, “to do” lists and everything else that seemed to be building up around me, it was (very quickly!) getting to be over the top. I also realized that I was not alone.  So many of my friends and colleagues were feeling the same way.  Shopping, gifting, celebrating, servicing, donating, baking, decorating, planning, wrapping, churching, traveling, not to mention sick kids, sick adults, laundry, work, cleaning and all the forgotten day-to-day tasks that don’t get mentioned. Christmas and the holiday season started to become something I was chasing, trying to keep up with and more often than not, getting more and more tired from.  

By the time the 26th of December rolled around, I was left wondering what happened? Where did it all go?  The joy of the season was quite literally being sucked out of the “Season of Joy.”

So, I looked at what was important to me and my family and what wasn’t. I looked at what I enjoyed about the Season and what I didn’t. My husband and I cut back on the things or traditions that didn’t nourish our family unit and began to pace ourselves for the month of December. Furthermore, I not only realized how important my friends, family and colleagues to me, but also my spiritual practices and the holiness of the season. What could I do to support all of these things? That is when I came up with the 12 Days of Prayer—a time where I began dedicating a prayer each day to all my dear friends, family and others I met along the way.

Since then, I have extended the 12 Days of Prayer to whoever connects and finds comfort in it. This season, I will be posting my prayers on my blog, as well as other sources of media, but if you want them to arrive directly in your inbox, please sign up for my newsletter, the FireKeeper!

May the Joy of this Holy Season bring comfort to your Soul.
 

Blessings and Love,

Aimée

The Doorway

Here I sit on another plane, which surprisingly, is very relaxing despite the six hour delay we had with our flight. With this particular experience comes an epiphany: How incredibly impactful the way you choose to respond can be in overriding ego and unnecessary frustration.  

From the moment of the delay, every person who was affected by it made choices that either positively or negatively impacted the rest of their day.  

The doorway my family and I chose was the path of the least resistance, and for the four of us travelers, we had a delightful day—despite what could have easily been a long, frustrating day. Yes, we missed out on an afternoon and evening in New Orleans, but at the end of the day, what could we have realistically done about it?  While some people were huffing and puffing about it (and still receiving the same outcome of having to deal with the delay,) it was very empowering to see that choosing to respond in a positive way opened up doors to fun things that we didn’t originally plan for the day!

What doors have opened for you when you choose a positive response?

Next time you are at a crossroads of a seemingly frustrating situation, try choosing the positive response path, and see what doors it can open for you. Here is what I was reminded of today:

1. Let go and let God. Turn it over and bless the situation we all are in.
2. Be present, even if it doesn't feel good. This too shall pass.
3. When the ego wants to take over and mess with your mind, bless and let it go.
4. When anxiety wants to take over, keep moving through it.   
5. Notice the clouds and the sunset.  Beauty is always around us.
6. Life has turbulence and delays.  Make them an adventure ride.
7. Spirit is always streaming—let it flow.
8. In this moment, life's distractions can also be gifts reminding you that you are alive and here.

Love and blessings,

Aimée

7 Steps to Releasing Your Stress Right Now

Happy November, everyone!

As we enter the month where holiday planning and festivities really start rolling, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by (even just the thought of!) all of the the hectic moving parts and get-togethers. So what better time than now to start incorporating simple stress relief tactics into your daily life—the kind that will help keep stress at a minimum so you can better kick off the holiday season feeling relaxed, inspired and joyous!  

Although stress has seemingly become as much of a holiday tradition as Grandma’s famous cookie recipe, it is important to remember that stress is nothing to take lightly—no matter what the season. The fact of the matter is that the current leading cause to most of our illnesses is STRESS related, and the numbers prove it:

• In the US alone, there are more than 63 million diagnosed with some type of anxiety disorder

• 1 out of 4 women and 6 million men will be diagnosed with clinical depression this year—a component of stress

Folks, the stress-induced way of living is simply not working.

Yes, it can be scary to stop the wheel of madness. I have personally hit the wall 3 times in my own life, and it took the third time to recognize that I was living at a pace that was not my own. I was working so hard to live up to everyone’s expectations—including my own—that I was wiping myself out.  I came to realize, however, that each one of us is designed to walk or run at our own pace.

It’s never too late to take the steps to acknowledge and accept that the pace in which you are living your life may very well be sucking it right out of you. With that in mind, here are 7 easy-to-follow steps toward your recuperation from daily stress (during the holidays and beyond)!

Step 1 - Stay Hydrated:  

Water balances the fluids in your body and actually helps to keep stress levels down by reducing Cortisol—one of the main stress hormones that goes up when we get dehydrated. Keep drinking your water!

Step 2 - Deep Breaths:  

Deep breaths bring fresh oxygen to your brain and the rest of your body, and with one, a natural relaxation response is initiated in your body—including decreased heart rate, blood pressure, muscle tension and feelings of anxiety. My recommendation is to stop and take 3 to 5 deep, slow breaths the minute you feel stress moving through your body. According to the American Institute of Stress, deep, long breathing is the best stress reduction step you can take.

Step 3 - 5-10 Minute Walk Outside: 

This is your opportunity to let go.  Let all the mind chatter and the to-do lists go for just a few minutes.  Walking outside is the perfect place to focus on your deep breathing.  Take your attention out of your head and instead focus on the highest quality of fresh air flowing deep into your lungs. And when you exhale, release the stress from the inside out.  Nature is a natural stress reducer, a natural energizer and overall good thing.

Step 4 - Give a Hug, Receive a Hug: 

When was the last time you asked for a hug? Studies have shown the more we experience human touch on a daily basis, the better we feel and the longer we live. In fact, everything from a gentle touch or compassionate hand, to the simple act of hugging has been shown to relieve stress. So ask for a hug, share a hug and feel the stress melt away!

Step 5 - Gratitude: 

Think of 3 things you are grateful, and write them down or speak them out loud—acknowledge your gratitude in whatever way works best for you.  Allow the gratitude for your job, your children, parents, house, feet, sight, the water you get to drink, etc. overcome you!  With each thought of gratitude, you will increase your overall well being and open yourself up to waves of relaxing, soothing and joyful emotions and feelings.

Step 6 - Laugh, Let it Go and Lighten-Up:  

I used to work in the beer business, and when things got really stressful around deadlines and such, we would reminder each other this is just beer, not brain surgery.  Sometimes our minds want to make it more than just beer and build it into something bigger. When this happens, try to let it go and lighten up.  Letting the little things in life pile up to be something big makes it much harder to let go.  So start with now—what is causing you stress that you have no control over?   Lighten-up and enjoy as much of your life as possible—and laugh often!

Step 7 - Love Yourself:  

I always say, no matter what is going on in your life, even the mistakes, love yourself through it.  Through the ups and downs, stop beating “you” up and love yourself! It can be one of the hardest acts to do, but by and far, it is one of the most important. Just do it!

With light and love,

Aimée

The Sacred Self: You are the Light You See

A course in Miracles reminds us, “I am as God created me.” Jesus declared, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” You too can claim the same identity, and with equal authority, in the way that every great prophet has echoed this same message: You are the light you see.

The truth is, you could not perfect your self even if you tried. Your real self - your Soul self - does not need improvement. The real you is powerful, elegant and deeper than any aspect of your life that could be corrected. The real you is the truth and the innocence that is birthed from within. If something about you can be perfected, it is not the real you. Improvements or corrections are all aspects of your physical world, ego and personality - there is nothing to add to (or subtract from) your Soul, its Consciousness, or your Higher Self. All that you are and all that you will become is so extremely precious and sacred - it is your Sacred Self!

From the day we are born, society tells us how to be and act. We are taught to seek approval outside of ourselves - from our parents, family, friends, co-workers, pastors, principles, priests, boss, neighbors and God. The belief is that once we get their approval, we should be happy, and ultimately, our sense of self has become defined by society’s expectations of who we should be.

We’ve been taught to believe that if we follow all the rules and meet all the expectations of society, only then will we be successful, accepted and happy. We are to believe that the truth lies within books, other people and what the world knows, and to take caution when trusting ourselves over what has been defined by society as “truth.” Somewhere along the way, we began to accept external validation as a way to live our lives - all the while forgetting that our connection in oneness with our co-creator, God, is where our true validation lies.

So how has it worked for you so far? While you may have some worldly successes, you probably wouldn’t be reading this if you weren’t feeling there is some truth being said here.

The Sacred Self (Soul) speaks to you through the heart of your Soul’s Consciousness. Within your Sacred Self lives a being so radiant and magnificent that upon beholding it, you will receive a greater sense of peace, certainty and ease of the life you so desire. Be free to enjoy what and who you are. Give up your efforts to become perfect by accepting the perfection in which you were created.

Today is the day that you begin to know and trust thyself. In my book Heart & Soul, my hope is that you come to find your true self, not only by embracing your Sacred Self, but also by discovering what every religion and spiritual path in this world has said - that we all are the divine child of God, sacred and holy! Now is the time to return to your source and explore the depth of your true nature.

It doesn’t matter how you got to this place or the reason behind why you are reading this blog. It could be that everything you have believed about the world has failed you. You may have trusted the outside world to help define who and what you are and how to exist - yet now you find yourself exhausted and scared.

The truth is, we are scared of the truth. We have been scared to go where most men/women only dare to go - within ourselves to find the truth. We are willing to conquer great mountains, forge raging rivers, master mountains of money, fight to the death in war of neighborhoods, but to simply “Be Still and Know that I AM”, is what frightens us so. The path of reaching self realization through full enlightenment lies before us all. Our choice is, when do we walk the path? And if not now, when?

If you are feeling truth in these words, your Sacred Self is calling you. Go, and come to know yourself in the grandness and greatness you are born to be!

Love and Blessings,

Aimée

Choosing our Responses: Love vs. Fear | Self-Care and Service

No matter where you are at in this world of bliss and chaos, the truth is, it can be difficult to find a place of true balance if the energies that surround you are off. Are you taking steps to stay balanced and self-aware? Are you putting tools in place for self-care and compassion? Now more than ever, it is essential to have this set of tools in order to stay healthy in body, mind, emotion and spirit.

Something in our world has shifted big time. You might feel it as a weight, pulling you in an unfamiliar direction...but what is it you are supposed to be looking at? On one hand, feelings such as joy, peace and grace may be present (and happily welcomed!) Yet, in the blink of an eye, a dramatic shift can take place and feelings of chaos, war, riots, death, hurt and pain can quickly become the focus.

There are many factors in today’s world that cause this to happen. From the ever-present gloom and doom of the daily news, to the saturated world of social media, each of these factors have an effect on our lives and to some degree, promote feelings of pressure and anxiety. So, what are some steps that we can take to lessen the impact of these daily pressures? The first is tackling them on a deep and internal level. Although this may sound like an intense, and sometimes nearly impossible task, there are a few simple actions that we can take each day to achieve a more self-aware and centered state:

• Breathe deeply: Allow the breath to fill your lungs and body with love and joy. Then breathe out what is not aligning with these positive feelings, especially when feeling stressed.

• Spend time in nature: Allow feelings and emotions of gratitude to flow over you - even if it is for only 5 min.

• Bless and Release: When things aren’t going as planned, bless and release it. You can’t control everything, so why even try? What you can control is your response to whatever is going on. Learning to let it go is extremely powerful.

Factors of life that can often spiral our deep and internal emotions out of control are often found in the events taking place in the world around us. From issues happening within your own circle of friends and family, to the tragedies happening around the world every single day, there is so much to take to heart that even the thought of figuring out how to take a stand/help can quickly become overwhelming. There are, however, steps you can take to make this process less overwhelming and more achievable:

• Is there an area of service that is calling to you? Know that whatever actions you take in response to what is going on around you can be either from love or fear.

• The way you choose to treat others will greatly impact how you feel about yourself (whether you realize this consciously or not.) From in-person or online communications to actually signing a petition or rallying on the streets, know and choose where your response and responsibilities are coming from.

• Choose to do something out of love, not fear.

• Choose to view life in a way that puts all of us in the same boat - how do we keep it afloat and how will our individual actions influence this end goal? Instead of competing against each other for who is right, choose cooperation and the common ground for all.

• Tearing each other down is not working - it’s an old paradigm. It is time to make the shift to the new paradigm and resolve to see things with fresh eyes, new hopes, and new ways so everyone can walk their path with honor and dignity.

So, I offer you with a final thought and challenge: Choose to practice and embrace internal self-care and love in order to keep your base strong. From there, you will have a better understanding of why you respond to the world in the way that you do, and hopefully, feel safer choosing responses based on love vs. fear. In the end, knowing where you stand and feeling centered will help you take on and feel ready for whatever comes your way.

Love and Blessings,

Aimée