Monday, February 26, 2007

A New and Improved Definition of Succe$$

It occurred to me after a recent conversation with my brother that as we enter our senior years [according to AARP it’s now age 50] many of us experience some angst over whether or not we are a success in life. Naturally, success means something quite different to each individual and may be altogether different when judged by the culture into which we are born.

During our conversation we agreed that there are great unexplored possibilities between what society may judge as success, and what success means to each of us. We also decided that it was of vital importance to know what living a successful life means to you, otherwise you have no compass to help you stay the course, or to feed your soul when the going gets rough.

Our concept of success or failure can certainly change depending on our circumstances and our level of awareness. During my thirties I criticized myself severely because I wasn’t successful. When I look back, however, I realize this was an unfair indictment of my life. I was a divorced, single mother in survival mode tying to balance making a living, supporting and rearing three children and carving out a career.

After a few more days of mentally walking back through my life, I emailed my brother and announced that I was boldly declaring myself a success. I then listed what I considered solid reasons for this decision: 1) I had taken whatever came into my life and given it everything I had from a positive standpoint, and no matter how anyone else perceived it, it was the best I could do with my level of awareness at that time, and 2) Since it is a human habit to judge ourselves critically, and I was complete with that unhealthy behavior, I decided to cut myself some slack and be better to myself than I had ever been before.

As I clicked on the Send button, my entire body seemed to breathe a huge sigh of relief.

My brother responded with a request for further conversation. After some more soul searching and reflection, we reached agreement on the following: If you are fully living your gifts and talents and seeking to serve life, God, you are a success. I thought later that if many people chose to follow this concise and profound philosophy it could change the world.

I believe that those who courageously approach life in this way and who dare to actively seek Truth and conscious awareness should be candidates for a Cosmic Badge of Courage (C.B.C.). When I thought about how desperately our world needs such souls today, I realized I could count a small number among my friends, associates and family members.

The first one I would nominate for a C.B.C. would be my friend Shayla, whose bodacious pronouncement [paraphrased from memory] always brightens my day and brings a smile: It isn’t my goal to complete this life with my body intact, but to continue pushing the envelope of what is possible and to slide into that unknown with a smile that acknowledges that I felt every bump and bruise, thoroughly enjoyed the ride … and deliberately made a difference.
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Copyright 2007 by Fern Stewart Welch

The author's book, THE HEART KNOWS THE WAY -- How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit Within, is available from Amazon.com, other online booksellers, and through major bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and Borders.

Sunday, February 18, 2007

With a Tip of the Heart to Oprah---Here's the Rest ... of The Secret

I spent several decades of my life seeking to understand why some people are successful in achieving their heart desires and others are not.

Like millions of others I read all the books, heard numerous speakers and had the information spelled out for me many times by philosophers, visionaries and others. The concepts embraced by many of these individuals have been around since Biblical days and allowed them to achieve amazing goals and realize equally amazing lives.

I began hearing about The Secret a short time ago and was most interested in watching Oprah’s recently aired program covering the process. She and the wonderful team of assembled teachers shared highlights of an ancient and time-tested process [which in this latest incarnation is called The Secret] that has historically helped many people, including me, achieve their heart’s desire.

As I listened once again to the familiar “how-to” steps in The Secret, I realized that while something was missing that I considered a vital part of my success, I also was fully aware of something else. This program in and of itself was a gift to the millions of people watching. It may motivate individuals who desire to get on the path to self empowerment and to realizing more of their full potential as human beings.

I knew exactly what was missing from the presentation because I recently lived an experience that answered a really big, unasked question: If this information has always been available, which it has in one form or another for centuries, and it’s so simple, why aren’t more people realizing their dreams and desires?

The experience I lived answered this question and allowed me to realize my own heart’s desire, which I chronicled in my book “The Heart Knows the Way,” and which I now freely share to help others.

For almost three years I was unsuccessful in achieving my heart’s desire in spite of my in-depth knowledge of the process, my expertise in using directed, affirmative prayer and having the required clarity, focus and deep passion around my goal. Fortunately, I was also committed to never giving up or giving in, which led me to go within and use a technique to release invalid thoughts, life patterns, emotions and feelings, which were energetically held in my body.

I learned that these hidden “directives” residing in my subconscious had robotically pre-determined many of my decisions or lack of decisions, and often sabotaged my desire for life-enhancing actions, which included my heart’s desire.

Only after I had cleared enough of the hidden messages-energy was I free to open to accepting and allowing my heart desire to manifest in my life, which it did. My desire was to achieve a personal connection with God, and to receive the support and guidance necessary to consciously accompany my beloved husband through his lengthy decline and death in a way that was loving, life affirming and spiritually enlightening. It was.

I believe that this information may hold a key for others who seek to create the life they desire, and who may be tempted to give up when what they may need to do is clear any energy they have invested in unnecessary mental-emotional baggage.

In all my years of reading and listening to speakers about the process of fulfilling your heart’s desires, I have never seen or heard any reference to doing this type of energy clearance. I learned this secret by living it.

I wrote about this time-tested process in two recently published magazine articles, for which I also synthesized these ancient truths and the energy clearance method into two condensed lists of ten steps each. Since others may need to do this energy work in order to be successful, I have made the lists available on my website.

Simply click on my name on the left side of this column, which links to my website, and scroll down to the lists, or go to http://www.fernstewartwelch.com/.
—Clear Now and Create the Life You Desire.
—Ten Proven Steps to Fulfillment of Your Heart’s Desire.
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Copyright 2007 by Fern Stewart Welch

The author's book, THE HEART KNOWS THE WAY -- How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit Within, is available from Amazon.com, other online booksellers, and through major bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and Borders.

Monday, February 12, 2007

Fear as a Form of Crowd Control

When I was very young I wondered if being quiet in church was because adults thought God was afraid of humans speaking up. Later I decided the adults were fearful that God’s attention would be drawn to them and then some sort of terrible and long-overdue retribution would be meted out because everybody was guilty of something at some time.

As I matured I realized that people are afraid of a lot of things, not the least of which is the eternal and sublime energy that is called by many names including God. We are also fearful of anyone that is different in speech, looks or actions. We are afraid of life, death and everything in between. We are afraid of who we are so we spend our lives locked within a façade so that we won’t be rejected by others who are doing the same thing.

We spend our lives unaware and fearful of the incredible life force that is within us and focus instead on the external, which is filled with the non-fulfilling and crazy-making “reality” of a fear-based society.

The awareness of and ability to manipulate through fear has been utilized as a form of crowd control from the dawn of recorded history. It has evolved to a highly developed art form thanks to religion, politics and advertising.

Fear is based on a feeling of separation, and we have been living in an illusion that furthers that sense of separateness at the core of our being. The illusion is that we are separate from that which is called God, and that illusion is so powerful and overwhelming that all other fears known to man just build upon it like a house of cards.

Science and quantum physics have already proven that there is no separateness. Whether we like it or not, we are one with everything and everyone on this planet and in the entire universe. We can deny it, but it doesn’t change the fact. The eternal and sublime energy, no matter what it is called, is within each of us. It always has been and always will be.

Will we be able to open our minds and accept the fact that all the energy, power, wisdom, love, peace and goodness there is now, ever was or ever will be is centered in us right now? Can we grow past the illusion that has kept us mired in conflict and fear—and evolve into the consciously aware spiritual human beings we were born to be?

A lot of earlier myths and superstitions have long since been put to rest, including that the earth was flat. It is time for humanity to open its collective mind and heart and accept that we have the opportunity to direct the energy of the universe that individualizes as each one of us. It is time to accept our true destiny and become co-creators with this incredible power and create peace, love and cooperation on earth. The clock is ticking.
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Copyright 2007 by Fern Stewart Welch

The author's book, THE HEART KNOWS THE WAY -- How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit Within, is available from Amazon.com, other online booksellers, and through major bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and Borders.

Monday, February 5, 2007

The Great Gift in Listening

My sister was in town for a visit recently, and I hosted a small dinner party, which was the smallest gathering ever of my large birth family.

Normally at our full family gatherings there are anywhere from thirty to fifty people ranging from kindergartners to senior citizens. It is a lively and loving gathering, but usually there is little time for more than superficial fact finding about family members – the ritual breaking of bread – and the “see-you-next year” hugs.

Everyone in my family likes to talk, and we all think we have something decidedly important to say, yet what I noticed last night was a distinct difference. At first I think there was a little anxiety as they found it was such a small group, and realized that it wouldn’t be the typical hello-and-goodbye event.

This initial uneasiness soon passed, as conversations began to flow easily and the comfort level grew. It became obvious there was a new level of connectedness between the participants as the parameters expanded and they had the opportunity to know and be known, as well as to hear and be heard.

I learned that a niece and nephew are extraordinary parents who have guided their children to near-adulthood by living what they want their children to be. All four members of this particular family are involved in community service, devoted to their spiritual beliefs, environmentally and politically aware and actively pursuing making the world a better place for themselves and others.

What I later learned in unsolicited comments from individual guests was that they had discovered in two siblings a hither-to-unknown breadth and depth of knowledge and wisdom. Each person mentioned the conversations and what a joy it was to cover a wide range of national issues and have the focus be on brainstorming creative solutions rather than complaining about the status quo.

After contemplating this experience, I realized that the most important relationship of our lives—the one with self is not possible without going within and listening to that still small voice. Our culture teaches us to focus on the external and discourages listening to and knowing the true essence of who we are. By going within we can discover the sanctuary within each of us where in spite of the traumas of life there is the love we all seek, as well as peace, guidance, joy, wisdom and trust in life.

I also recalled that the indigenous peoples of the world have been saying for decades and with great emphasis that it is time we started listening to nature. Perhaps in listening, we will learn to understand and cooperate with this incredible force instead of trying to subdue it. Maybe if we truly listen to each other we will be more aware of our similarities and less focused on the differences—which allows us to objectify others so that we don’t have to care about what happens to them. Obviously there are great gifts for humanity in listening!
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Copyright 2007 by Fern Stewart Welch

The author's book, THE HEART KNOWS THE WAY -- How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit Within, is available from Amazon.com, other online booksellers, and through major bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and Borders.