It is the worst feeling in the world when you unintentionally cause someone else pain. You wish you could rewind, unsay, and erase, erase, erase.

It is like lightning striking your relationship, too. It hurts both sides.

I’m at a loss to understand or amend what happened between me and a very important person in my life. This morning, my emotions are crippling my ability to think straight, so I’m doing what any writer might do to pull myself out of it. WRITING.

Sadly, the situation keeps making me think of a dramatic story I read in one of those emailed-to-everyone-and-their-brother chain emails. With the email long gone, I’ll retell it here (and please let me know if it comes from a book with copyrights, thx).

Once upon a time, there was a boy and his dad, some arrows and a fence. The boy opens the story by picking on another kid with his friends, as kids do. He badly hurts someone’s feelings without, like most kids, fully understanding what he has done.

So the father asks the boy to shoot a few arrows into the fence, and the kid does. The father explains that the arrows are like the insults he lobbed at the other kid. The arrows damaged the fence, and those comments hurt the kid, too.

Light bulb starts to go on in the son’s head. He wants to run apologize to the other kid right away.

But first the father asks him to pull the arrows out of the fence. They leave gaping holes and splintered wood. “Can you fix the fence?” asks the dad. Horrified, the kid realizes no. Even if you fill the holes with putty, they are still there. The fence is permanently damaged.

Lesson: When you hurt someone, you have created a wound that, even though you smooth it over later, is still there in some form. Permanent damage. Therefore, do everything you can to never hurt someone on purpose. Bite your tongue. Go for a walk. Let the vitriol cool off. Get some healing. Make the better choice, and love your neighbor.

But what about healing?

It will never, ever get better? Omg, what a depressing story! But so is my personal situation, in its recent rawness. It feels irreversible. I feel like our relationship will never be the same because this horrible, awful misunderstanding happened. There will be holes in the fence. We will always remember this.

Wait.

Sure, the dad’s demonstration helped the kid better understand THAT he hurt someone. But is it really true? Do hearts and humans, like wooden fences, never heal?

Is this an outdated, incorrect story? Is this one of the common cultural myths we are learning to heal beyond?

Do you think it is possible, with forgiveness and genuine healing (not repairing), to fill those holes and restore the relationship? Do you think the dad is teaching his kid the wrong principle, which, in reverse is this: when you get hurt you will never be able to repair yourself?

I myself believe that this story is old thinking. After 15 years as a healer, I know it is.

I know that genuinely healing a harmful relationship event (not fixing, not undoing) can transform the relationship by taking it to a new place of understanding, deepened love, and appreciation. It’s not quite “learning the lesson” in the event — it is transcending it to a place where it does not matter any more.

It’s easier to understand this by thinking of little things that are easy to forgive and forget, like a toddler wobbling and spilling your coffee on your lap. Unintentional, easy to let go of (maybe after you change and mop up). So can the BIG rifts in life be, with healing, true healing. To begin, you just have to ask how you can get to that bright and healed place.

Thanks for the reminder. Thanks for helping me pull out of my old attitude.

I am feeling better already.

© 2012 Daria Boissonnas

Friends! The Sun moves into Aquarius today at 8:10 am pacific time. We leave the silence of Capricorn to rally our passionate troupes. Here’s the big question: Who do you want to be playing with this year? With whom do you feel most alive? Who inspires you, lifts you, awakens you? This month is the time to summon your allies.

Aquarius is the sign of the water bearer. Its phrase is “Water of life am I, poured forth for thirsty men.” Aquarius as the world server wants to pour forth its gift for all in need. But Aquarius is particularly interested in offering up this water of life with his true peers. This is the sign of group collaboration and nothing thrills an Aquarian more than the opportunity to build something together.

Cautionary note: It is easy to feel like the lone wolf in Aquarius as well. When we try to collaborate, all kinds of wretchedness can surface.

We might feel that there is no one that gets us, no one that sees as we do, no one as passionate about what we are passionate about. The moment we give into these inner monologues, we have begun to radically limit ourselves. We must dare to sound our most unique LEO note consistently, summoning those of like mind and heart. The response may begin with just one steadfast ally, but if our LEO song is true and generous and powerful and meant to “pour forth for thirsty men” then be patient and sing. Before you know it, you will have a whole “da-who-doray-Grinch-Who-Stole-Christmas” chorus of allies singing your song.

Carolyn Casey, one of my favorite astrological allies, suggests we speak this out into the world:

“Let the winds of change blow through my life, bringing the most radically enlivening thing that could possibly happen. I am hoisting my sails. Parasail me into the place where I can connect with my allies, and together we can do the most good.”

Here, she is writing about Uranus, one of the rulers of Aquarius. She speaks not only to the willingness to dance with change but to actually strongly invite change into our lives so that it can do its work without our resistance. Bring on the change! Bring on the allies!

And remember, Allies aren’t always our best friends. They may be someone like Carolyn Casey who whispers to me through her excellent writing and inspires me to forge ahead on my journey. And remember too the words of David Whyte as you begin to sound your call:

….anything or anyone
that does not bring you alive
is too small for you.

Aquarius is the final air sign and wants to distribute, circulate and gather. Stay open. Be curious. Talk to people. Join forces. Do it differently. Gather for salons and share your creative genius with your pals. SHARE. Come down from your mountain top and offer it up. Experiment. Improvise.

Be the lightening rod for your bolt out of the blue. Then speak that inspiration, share it, dance it, engage it, sing it. Take a breath and in that silent moment between inhale and exhale, listen for the sweet sound of your approaching allies.

Heidi Rose Robbins grew up learning the zodiac with her alphabet. As a practicing astrologer for over 15 years, Heidi takes a practical, sensitive, and inspiring approach to astrology. It is Heidi’s passion and commitment to speak to the depth of who we are and to help us grow into the next outrageous blossoming of our true selves. Her thriving worldwide practice includes transformative retreats for women twice a year in Ojai, California. GIA is pleased to offer Heidi as a regular guest columnist.

***************************

A Poem for Aquarius

Everything is Waiting for You – David Whyte

Your great mistake is to act the drama
as if you were alone. As if life
were a progressive and cunning crime
with no witness to the tiny hidden
transgressions. To feel abandoned is to deny
the intimacy of your surroundings. Surely,
even you, at times, have felt the grand array;
the swelling presence, and the chorus, crowding
out your solo voice. You must note
the way the soap dish enables you,
or the window latch grants you freedom.
Alertness is the hidden discipline of familiarity.
The stairs are your mentor of things
to come, the doors have always been there
to frighten you and invite you,
and the tiny speaker in the phone
is your dream-ladder to divinity.

Put down the weight of your aloneness and ease into
the conversation. The kettle is singing
even as it pours you a drink, the cooking pots
have left their arrogant aloofness and
seen the good in you at last. All the birds
and creatures of the world are unutterably
themselves. Everything is waiting for you.

Just who was it that said, “insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result”?

According to wikiquote, this quip is most often misattributed to:

• Benjamin Franklin (perhaps because he was insane for flying a metallicized kite in a lightning storm),

• Albert Einstein (because the internet believes Al was a Law of Attraction guru who said everything that’s cool), and

• Mark Twain (maybe because he had the same hairdresser as Einstein and we get the men mixed up).

But no, sorry, none of those wise men said it.

Don’t Seek and You Won’t Find

Seriously, according to wikiquote, the earliest occurrence of this quote is a 1981 Narcotics Anonymous booklet, and might have come from Alcoholics Anonymous. Next, it can be found in the writing of Rita Mae Brown, but to be polite we will not ask her where she got it.

This quote works when we are in denial or stuck in a negative loop, doing the same thing over and over, wishing our problem would magically go away. In this case, it is time for new tactics.

We could rewrite the quote in a catchy new phrase: “When your steps go round and round, another option must be found.”

Or make a great T-shirt out of: “Wishing is for fairy godmothers. Move your a$$.

A New Meaning

But hang on. Is it in fact nuts to keep doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result?

Maybe not. Not always, anyway.

In fact, I find we often need more of this kind of persistence-against-all-odds in our lives. Instead sapping our mental health, doing the same thing over and over while hoping for a new result can be an expression of our highest goals: healing, trust, and faith.

To attain healing, for example, you must think beyond the current situation and the results you expect to get. You must leap beyond them and expect, even if you don’t know what it looks like, a very different result — something new.

We celebrate the fact that Mark Twain, after receiving tons of rejections, sent out even more letters trying to publish his writing, expecting a different result from those same tactics.  Today, over 100 years after his death, his books are still required reading in high schools and sell like ice cream on a hot summer’s day.

Hooray for Einstein persisting in sharing his inside-out ideas until others could see  the world through his eyes and physics could evolve forward into a radical new paradigm that gave birth to quantum physics.

Thank goodness Annie Sullivan kept trying, over and over, against all odds and expectations, to help the deaf and blind child Helen Keller to understand sign language! By doing so, she helped enable Helen Keller to become a beloved writer and lecturer, winner of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, member of the National Women’s Hall of Fame, and the face on Alabama’s 2003 quarter coin.

Make the Leap, Step by Step

What kept them going? Hope? An inner knowing? Love? Inspiration?

Something did, something that helped them transcend all those rejections and failures, and shift into a new and better unexpected outcome. Add this magic into the mix and you no longer have insanity. You have faith, transcendence, and healing.

How about you? What new goal are you currently stretching for, or would like to reach? Do you need encouragement to keep going, to send out a few letters, or try one more time, even if your dream results feel impossibly far away?

Find the faith or a spiritual principle to hang it on. Identify a motive, a higher ideal, a reason why, source of curiosity, a reminder quote, or other fount of inspiration.

For me, I just reread Helen Keller’s story again. Wow. That helped me immensely. Where can you find your magic fairy dust to help you fly over the rainbow?

Yes, as you reach for your goal, it may be wise to learn and refine how you write those letters/teach your pupil/share your vision. But the advice is the same:

To create miracles, connect to the Potential within your dream (not the specifics) and take ordinary actions, over and over, while solidly and unfailingly expecting a surprising result, even a miraculous one.

This is what creates healing.

© 2012 Daria Boissonnas

What has helped you to transcend rejections or overcome old expectations? Share your story and wisdom with us in the comments!

I’ve been searching hard for a good quote about being a strong role model for others. It’s an important role to play. Role models shine their light brightly to help those behind them find their way. They uplift and inspire.

As healers, we need to be great role models for our clients and fans. We must walk in the shoes of our divine Inner Healer. We must care for and support ourselves so we can create as much healing as possible in the world.

That means if you recommend nutritional support, you should take it yourself. If you offer an energy healing technique, you should receive that method of healing from other practitioners yourself. If you are a lawyer, you should have your own legal ducks in a row.

The odd thing is that I discovered many of the celebrities and thinkers we admire do not want to be called role models. Keeping in mind that these are unconfirmed quotes from those junky online quote sites, here is the sort of thing I’m finding. (Do not quote these without confirming their source, just get the gist and be amazed:)

“Making me into a role model is placing too much importance on what I see as a work in progress.” –British musician P. J. Harvey

“I’m no role model.” –American athlete Charles Barkley

“In the right situations, I can try to help and be a role model, but I’m still gonna speak my mind, and if that affects the role-model deal, then too bad.” –American musician Toby Keith

I get their point. They are not perfect and do not want to be held up as such.

But who is perfect?

We seem to have a mistaken idea that role models have to be perfect. I tell clients all the time that I share their struggles, flaws, and regular dips into the dark night of the soul. What I have developed over the years, however, are strategies for catching myself earlier and pulling myself out faster and faster. I’ve also developed practices and mindsets to keep myself from falling down as often or as hard. That is the value of the role model.

What we really admire in our role models is this: they are not perfect, but in some aspect they have developed ways of being that we wish to develop, too. Practical tools, tips, and tricks like this are what we want from our coaches and mentors and role models. Ultimately, and ideal role model knows their flaws and loves themself anyway. They be themselves, their brilliant, fun salves. That creates charisma. That’s what we crave in role models: permission to be ourselves.

If you are a leading person in your field, be comfortable with the fact that you are a role model. Own it. And live it. Be yourself. Do what you admire in others. Look up to yourself. People won’t be able to get enough of you.

If you would like to inspire others, we are here help you walk your path. Our membership program offers the spiritual development and practical action steps to get you where you want to go, faster and easier. Click here for more information.

“I don’t want to be perfect, but I do want to be a role model. My mom always tells me that imperfections equal beauty. All of us are imperfect.”  –American musician Miley Cyrus

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”  –American author Mark Twain

© 2012 Daria Boissonnas

“I see the goal, I reach the goal and then I see another.”

Have things been a bit intense of late? Can I hear a hallelujah? Wow.

Everyone around me has been in the thick of transformation. The month of Scorpio is always a ride. It requires a full address of the darkness. It requires tenacity and it requires firmly holding a vision of the light.

But now…..Ahhhhhh. Now we welcoming Sagittarius. No matter how much we love Scorpio for its intensity and power, we are all ready for the  the optimism and freedom of Sagittarius when the Sun moves into this fiery sign.

(And by the way, the Sun moved moves into Sagittarius at  8:08 am pacific time today).

Sagittarius brings momentum. It brings forward movement. It brings the big, gorgeous goal and the white stallion even shows up for us to ride on toward it. Jupiter rules Sagittarius bringing good fortune, generosity and expansions of consciousness. Everything grows bigger, richer, fuller, stronger under Jupiter and the sign of Sagittarius.

The legs are ruled by Sagittarius allowing us to run, ski, jump, kick with vigor and passion. We STAND UNDER what we believe in with the power of our legs, our roots and our connection to the earth. And we UNDER-STAND the biggest ideas and visions and begin to make them our own.

Sagittarius is the physical philosopher. He wants to travel the world and come to understand who we are as Humanity. He wants to be free and unbounded and full of aspiration and desire. The KEY with Sagittarius is to gather all that gorgeous, vital energy and DIRECT it towards a tangible goal. This way we can become ‘the one pointed disciple’ of Sagittarius and harness all our vitality in the name of our vision.

Pay attention this month to Mercury Retrograde IN Sagittarius. Mercury goes retrograde on November 23rd and again goes direct on December 13th. (This might not be a ton of fun for Thanksgiving travel, but breathe and bring a good book). In general, during this time let the ride be an inner one.

Dream. Envision. Discuss. But don’t necessarily focus on huge outer action.

Mercury Retrograde is a time to turn inward and focus all your inner yearning, passion and visionary strength to rally around the goal. If you Do take action, be clear, one-pointed and lead with your JOY.

Heidi Rose Robbins grew up learning the zodiac with her alphabet, and has been a practicing astrologer for over 15 years. She has a practical, sensitive, and inspiring approach to astrology. It is Heidi’s passion and commitment to speak to the depth of who we are and to help us grow into the next outrageous blossoming of our true selves. Her thriving world-wide practice includes transformative retreats for women twice a year in Ojai, California. GIA is proud to have Heidi as a regular guest columnist.

Poem for Sagittarius

A (very) Sagittarius Song

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go

To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star

This is my quest
To follow that star
No matter how hopeless
No matter how far

To fight for the right
Without question or pause
To be willing to march into Hell
For a heavenly cause

And I know if I’ll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I’m laid to my rest

And the world will be better for this
That one man, scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star

Have you gotten stuck writing a book, workshop, information product, or finishing a big creative project? Struggling to finish? Feeling guilty? Missing deadlines? Worried you aren’t ever going to finish? Can’t find the time?

I know what it’s like.  For three years I worked on writing a book, then this year, I started and finished a book in about 5 months. Let me help you by sharing the three biggest spiritual insights and actions that got me through the rough patches and helped me finish quickly and easily.

If your big creative project is part of your Divine Purpose, we want to help you finish it!

Join us in December for this amazing FREE class.

FREE CALL: “Top 3 Spiritual (& Energy) Secrets to

Getting Unstuck, (Re-)Starting, and Brilliantly Finishing

Your Big Creative Project:

A Free Class for Creatives, Dreamers, Intuitives and Healers”

With Daria Boissonnas, Founder & CEO, Global Institute for Awakening

Completing a book or BIG creative project is a spiritual journey, and it begins in this call! Learn the three secrets that can make the difference between continuing to struggle (or be stuck) and allowing your book to practically finish itself. We will begin to implement on the call, and you will have even more steps to take when you hang up.

Date: Tuesday, 13 December 2011

Time: 2pm Eastern / 11am Pacific US time

…

Register FREE and Get the Audio Recording Too

Register here and you will get all the dial-in info:  http://giawaken.com/register-free-call

Yes, an audio recording will be available after the call, so sign up even if you cannot make the live call. You will be emailed the link for the free recording shortly after the call.

I look forward to connecting with you on the call!

~ Daria’s Wednesday Wisdom column ~

A client called reporting that her blood sugar levels, which had been stable and manageable, were starting to spike and change unexpectedly. “Should I come in for more healing work?” she asked.

Usually I leave that answer up to her higher wisdom. So I asked her body’s energy and higher wisdom that question.

“No,” it said. “Something in her environment has changed and she just has to change it back.”

Sounds easy enough! What was it?

…Something in the kitchen. Something having to do with sounds.

What new sounds did she have in her kitchen?

Well, as it turns out, a few weeks earlier she had started listening to right-wing radio shows in the kitchen in the morning.

“Are you enjoying it? Do you agree with what they are saying?”

No, not at all, was her answer. But it was entertaining for sure!

When we are stressed, we often think of higher blood pressure. But in this case, it was higher blood sugar. The energy of this stressful situation was disrupting her blood sugar energy, allowing it to become erratic. She thought she was entertaining herself, but instead she was stressing herself in a way that could harm her health and well-being.

She agreed to stop listening to the new talk shows, and later told me her blood sugar levels had become more stable.

You Are Your Environment

Your environment is not separate from your energy, your mindset, or your health. It is not merely a reflection of the state of your health, but completely connected to it. Your environment is continuous with (one with) the state of your physical, mental, emotional, and other energies and layers of your being.

Happily, due to this connection, you can change your environment and change your health.

Yes, really. But only if you change it in a healing way.

My upcoming book, Gift of the Healer, (due out in Decemberish) describes in detail the difference between healing change and general change, but here is one key to changing your environment in a way that positively affects your personal energy:

Permanently change how you do things. Change your method.

Cleaning up is one thing. Body cleanses and tidying up the house are lovely and important.  But I am talking about stepping beyond a cleanup. To change your energy, you must do more than just fix the clutter in a way that allows it to accrue again. You must change your process so the clutter does not appear any more.

For instance, right here and now, think of a small area in your life where things tend to accumulate. Now walk through these simple questions.

1. Find the process you are missing.

In addition to putting away or recycling that pile of papers, batteries, or broken toys, ask yourself these questions:

Is it OK for this to accumulate here? If so, put a basket, tray, or inbox there (or somewhere more appropriate. Let that be the official place for that stuff! Skip to step 2.

If it is not OK, ask: why is this here? What allowed it to languish? You may say: I need to pay this bill, I don’t know where else to put this thing, I have to file these, I have to make a phone call about this…)

What process is missing? What did NOT happen that allowed this? If there was a process in place that would avoid creating this clutter, what would that process be? You might say, “I don’t have a holding place for my “to do” papers or unpaid bills. Perhaps you used to forget about it when it was in the drawer, so you also need a reminder, either on your phone calendar, or a marker on your desk when you have unpaid bills in the desk. (You can store the marker in the empty bills folder when it is empty.)

2. Create a new process.

Write out the new “rule” for that area. For instance, “When I come home, I will decide within 24 hours where new things live.” Or perhaps, “Unpaid bills go in the red folder in the front of the desk drawer and every month on the 15th and 30th I will pay them.”

Commit to your new process. Get buy-in from roommates/family/etc. Commit to yourself, to healing this broken process that is draining and cluttering up your energy. Adjust your attitude and assumptions that are creating this problem. Yes, your home can be beautifully clean!  Yes, you are so worth it!

Put it in action. Implement what you have come up with. Mark your calendar for that bill paying, or write a sticky note to yourself to remember to do laundry every morning until you remember. It’s OK to forget once in a while when a process is new, but If the process does not work at all, review the steps that got you there. Is there a better process? Does your partner or friend have another idea?

Healing Heals

Healing other people and animals heals you.  Similarly, healing your environment also heals you. It is the healing that makes the difference, not what you are healing.

When you know exactly what turns positive change into healing, you can heal yourself and others all day long, in all that you do. Stick around here to learn more about that!

Please share the process you changed in the comments below. I LOVE to hear from you!

To receive announcements about the book’s launch and how you can get a sneak peek at it, sign up for our free kit, at the top of this page.

The first step to awakening your masterful Inner Healer is to Know Yourself. It is the oldest spiritual advice on the planet and the most important.

When you know yourself, you know what it is that you love to do that shares your healing gift with the world. You develop a groundedness and centeredness in yourself that pushes negative, draining, harmful energies and events far from you. You develop charisma and confidence. It is easier to love everyone and find miraculous solutions.

Knowing yourself connects you to the Universal Essence we all crave. This Essence or raw Potential is where all healing comes from. Knowing yourself — and holding open that connection to your greater Self as much as possible — opens your healing channels. It allow more healing and more powerful transformations to flow through you.

To be a better healer, that is, to create more permanent positive change in the world: know and love yourself.

Action Step for Healing

Yesterday, at the DreamU Inspirational Speaker conference I’m attending, branding expert Brad Stauffer shared an inspiring video from singer Jessica Andrews, along these lines. Take a listen below.

1. Jessica Andrews lists a few things in the chorous that help her remain anchored or centered in her true Self. What are they? How does she find herself by looking outward into the world? List them out for yourself and consider them.

2. Now list five things that keep you centered and grounded in yourself. Five ways you stay connected to your higher self or true self. They may be very different from Jessica’s, and that’s delightful.

3. For each of these, list two ways you can activate this more or more often.

4. Implement them.

 
You are a powerful healer. As always, I would love to hear what you say in the comments here!

“I choose the way which lies between the two great lines of force.”

The Sun moved into Libra today at 2:05 am Pacific time. The Fall is upon us. Libra is a cardinal sign which means it has a ton of initiative.  But unlike Aries which is a very solo, pioneering initiative, Libra uses its dynamism to create right equality and right relationship.

Libra is the mid-point of the zodiac. It is the cesura or resting point as we travel through the signs. The danger of Libra is that we hang out in the pause, that we don’t commit, that we weigh things endlessly, that we metaphorically SIT ON THE FENCE. It can be pleasant and relational and lovely, but can be hard to make choices that result in action.

So, how can we best welcome and use this beautiful Libran energy? Saturn is still in the sign of Libra for a few more months which puts extra pressure on all the relationships in our lives. This month in particular, we will be focused on RELATING. We choose those with whom we wish to relate. We build  partnerships. We ask if we could do something better — together. We marry. We unite. We hold hands. We try to live ‘the marriage in the heavens’ — which is in fact the marriage of the soul and the personality. Then too, we break up. We end relationships. We choose where to put our energy.

Libra also brings the qualities of fairness, justice, equality. It brings the Law. So, we could say we bring the Law to all our relationships. We weigh them. (But not forever). And then we commit whole-heartedly to those that speak most deeply to us.

The esoteric ruling planet of Libra is Uranus. Uranus is the planet that demands freedom and authenticity. It asks us to bring our whole selves and our soul selves to the relationships in our lives. It asks us to show up with the truth — not just pleasantries. It asks that those relationships that have been inequitable become more fair or balanced. It asks for radical relating — truth-telling, engaged self-expression and innovative collaboration.

The phrase for Libra is “I choose the Way which lies between the two great lines of force.” This is a razor’s edge. We find the Way only after oscillating for many many years. We swing in one direction fully and then the other with just as much commitment. We feel one way and then the other. We search for balance. The most important word here is CHOOSE. If a Libra is willing to choose with clarity and commitment ‘the noble middle path’, there will be tremendous support as he/she walks the Way. All manner of people and events will conspire to support the choice. The danger zone is in the endless oscillation between EXTREMES.

So, this month:

• Make decisions.
• Jump off the fence.
• Grab someone’s hand.
• Head down a noble path.
• Show up fully.
• Offer up your radical, full, authentic self.
• Again and again and again.

Heidi Rose Robbins grew up learning the zodiac with her alphabet, and has been a practicing astrologer for over 15 years. She has a practical, sensitive, and inspiring approach to astrology. It is Heidi’s passion and commitment to speak to the depth of who we are and to help us grow into the next outrageous blossoming of our true selves. Her thriving world-wide practice includes transformative retreats for women twice a year in Ojai, California. GIA is proud to have Heidi as a regular guest columnist and highly recommends her retreats and services.

A Poem for Libra:
Clarity Is Freedom by St. Teresa of Avila

I had tea yesterday with a great theologian,
and he asked me,

“What is your experience of God’s will?”

I liked that question –
for the distillation of thought hones thought in others.
Clarity, I know, is freedom.

What is my experience of God’s will?

Everyone is a traveler.  Most all need lodging, food,
and clothes.

I let enter my mouth what will enrich me.  I wear what
will make my eye content,
I sleep where I will
wake with the
strength to
deeply
love

all my mind can
hold.

What is God’s will for a wing?
Every bird knows
that.

St. Teresa of Avila

~ Daria’s Wednesday Wisdom column ~

The client called out of the blue. “You have to help me!” he said, “I’ve scheduled an important event and now my astrology says it’s a terrible day where everything will go wrong!”

While some people scoff at astrology, I find that as you step onto your spiritual path and further awaken your healing gifts, you actually become more sensitive to these background energies in the universe. In a sense, your readings can become increasingly accurate (especially with a good practitioner). At some point, you may become fearful of a negative prediction like Mercury retrograde, or a Saturn/Uranus alignment that makes you want to stay in bed all day and wait for next week to arrive.

Here are three key insights you are missing if you are afraid of the big bad astrologer, and how to resolve the problem.

1. As with all intuitive senses, much depends on interpretation.

Of course it helps to have a good reader who can tune into you and the meaning you need to hear in that moment. But even smashingly good intuitives and psychics often interpret the symbols they see through their own filters, and commonly make mistakes not in what they saw but in how they described it. That means there are many other valid interpretations of meaning, on many levels, whatever a reader or astrologer tells you.

This client was looking at a general chart of planetary energies and what they could, generally, mean. That means the astrologer did not customize the prediction to him. So we looked them over. Yes, I said, Saturn is the great teacher who brings lessons. When you are resisting his teachings, you might end up learning the hard way, ouch. Or, Saturn can mean that you will learn something wonderful and new from the event in question!

Uranus is an energy of great change and turnover–out with the old and in with the new. One way of interpreting that energy is that everything will go to heck in a hand basket. Another way is to say that transformation is coming. And I knew my client intended to create transformation with this event in question. He was relieved to hear these other, more specific interpretations, to say the least.

2. Events and forces in your personal spiritual journey may powerfully override astrological or other external forces.

I once had a dream where I was falling in love in a war zone. I was not fighting the war (was too young) and could hear it going on around me. Yet I was sappily, happily falling head over heels. In that moment, the environment of war was not affecting my spiritual journey with my beloved nearly as much as the forces of love and the hormones of youth.

Back to my client. Since I speak to bodies and higher selves, I asked his energy and received the message: “Yes yes yes, go go go! Having this event on that day ranks at a 10 out of 10 for him!” Something in his personal energy wanted that even then, no matter what was happening in the skies.

At this point in his life, the worrisome event represented a new, greater way of operating for him. He was stepping it up, moving forward. He would learn something new from this event and transform not only his own path but his students as well. His specific situation required a different interpretation from the negative general one.

3. There is ALWAYS something positive you can do in “negative” energy.

This is the greatest insight of them all. Don’t sit at home waiting for better energies to arrive next week! Whatever the prediction, there is some way you can turn it into something positive or at least something transformational. You are a natural born healer, and you have the gift to turn anything — anything — a positive way. That is the Gift of the Healer, which I discuss in detail in my book coming out this fall. We each have it.

If you must stay home, why not clean out the closet you’ve been meaning to? If you are going to postpone your event, how can you spin it to your advantage and do something extra with the time? Best of all, how can you stand firm in your intentions and move through the predicted negativity with aplomb and the eternal mind of a student? Even negative energies can have a purging effect when they take you through the darkness and out the other side.

There is ALWAYS something positive you can do in “negative” situations.

And it is your job as a healer to go find them. You can do this.

Wondering about the nutritional content of foods that don’t come in labeled boxes? Their caloric, sugar or protein content? Cholesterol or transfatty acid content?

This morning, in searching for the potassium content in your average banana, I happened upon this useful and information-packed nutrition website, from Self magazine, which I recommend you take a peek at.

Check this out:

http://nutritiondata.self.com

Why do I love this site so much?

1. So many listed foods!
You can find nutritional information for all kinds of foods: fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, condiments, generic foods, you name it.  Type in “pasta” and you get a listing of both general and brand-name foods. You can search by restaurant chain, too!

2. Choose your serving size!
I can see nutritional numbers for a cup of mashed banana, a small, medium or large banana, etc. It does the math for me. Love it.

3. So much more than calories!
In addition to the usual facts in the government “Nutrition Facts” label, you can see fascinating factors like:

• Estimated Glycemic Load™
• Inflammation Factor™
• Nutrient Balance Indicator™
• protein quality/amino acid score
• ALL the vitamins and minerals, even if zero
• calories
• DETAILED carb, protein, and fatty acid profiles
• sterols
• and a great “other” category including caffeine, alcohol, and theobromine!

4. Footnotes and explanations!
Footnotes include sources for data, so you can look them up yourself. There are links to more information about the fact they are listing, other names for some of them, and what they mean. Lots to learn.

Most tables do include the recommended daily values (DV). Just remember that the DV number tends to be how much of a nutrient you need in minimum to have fairly normal functioning or to avoid becoming deficient. I’ve found in my healing practice that some bodies need much more of certain nutrients, even 10 times as much as the DV. Listen to your body. 

Enjoy your research! Here is the link again: http://nutritiondata.self.com

And by the way, a medium banana has 422mg potassium, or 12% the Daily Value. (http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1846/2)

A Recommendation for Supplements

While we are talking nutrition, if you are looking to buy supplements, I use and recommend iHerb.com. Their prices are good, service excellent, and shipping is free over $40. They have many ways you can earn discounts, including volume pricing, specials, and affiliate recommendations.

$5 off your first order: By entering our affiliate code, NAS875, at check out, you can earn $5 off your first order!

After your first purchase, you can even sign up for your own referral code and email it to all your clients, family, and friends.  I love iHerb! in fact, it’s top of mind because I just ordered this past weekend. Try it out: iherb.com.

Note: we do earn affiliate commissions, at no expense to you, when you use our code NAS875 in your purchases from iHerb. Of course, we like iHerb so much, we recommend using it even if you don’t type in the code to give us a referral commission.

Today at  4:21 am PDT, the sun moved into Virgo. It’s harvest time, friends. Most of us don’t have much of a connection with sheathing wheat or gathering the bounty of the earth to prepare for the winter. The closest we get to a seed’s fruition is the farmer’s market.

But let’s take the harvest as a grand metaphor. What did you plant in the spring, that soaked in the summer’s heat and is now RIPE? Perhaps a great deal grew over the summer and your field is wild with abundance. Now you begin to gather what has grown and separate the wheat from the chaff. What will actually aid in your next life steps? Now you decide what you will store for future use. You come in out of the sun and see what you really have to work with.

The month of Virgo brings in the energy of hard work, discrimination and refinement. It works in and with the physical world to prepare the way for love to flow. It asks what systems, structures or rhythms are NOT working in your life. Virgo pays careful and systematic attention to what needs to be adjusted. It studies with care and executes with precision. There is no nonsense with Virgo. There is work to be done and Virgo loves work.

We go back to school in Virgo. We return from summer vacation. We buy new notebooks and new clothes. We prepare for the coming winter. We apply ourselves to what we love with great devotion and care. We cleanse, purify and pay attention to our health on all levels.

These are the days we sign up for a new yoga class, start to eat with great care or clear out patterns of thought or belief that no longer serve us. These are the days we assess what will need to be done in order for us to survive another winter. This is the time to clean up summer’s excess and buckle down for the work ahead.

Maybe it doesn’t sound like so much fun. But there’s nothing like making a few adjustments in our daily living that allow so much more beauty and life and love to pour through. There are many gifts that present themselves as we pay closer attention – as we freely give our attention – to what matters most in our life. Virgo pays attention. Virgo registers the most minute clue. Virgo offers herself in service to our greatest purpose.

I was always one of those children that LOVED going back to school. There was something about a fresh notebook and a fresh start. And a sense of growth and progression. Even if you didn’t particularly love to return to the classroom, ask yourself now where you’d like to apply your love, devotion and work. Let the month of Virgo launch you.

Heidi Rose Robbins grew up learning the zodiac with her alphabet, and has been a practicing astrologer for over 15 years. She has a practical, sensitive, and inspiring approach to astrology and a thriving world-wide practice that includes transformative retreats for women twice a year in Ojai, California. It is her passion and commitment to speak to the depth of who we are and to help us grow into the next outrageous blossoming of our true selves.

A Poem by Mary Oliver –celebrating the energy of Virgo

Flare
12.

When loneliness comes stalking, go into the fields, consider
the orderliness of the world. Notice
something you have never noticed before,

like the tambourine sound of the snow-cricket
whose pale green body is no longer than your thumb.

Stare hard at the hummingbird, in the summer rain,
shaking the water-sparks from its wings.

Let grief be your sister, she will whether or no.
Rise up from the stump of sorrow, and be green also,
like the diligent leaves.

A lifetime isn’t long enough for the beauty of this world
and the responsibilities of your life.

Scatter your flowers over the graves, and walk away.
Be good-natured and untidy in your exuberance.

In the glare of your mind, be modest.
And beholden to what is tactile, and thrilling.

~ Mary Oliver ~
(The Leaf and the Cloud: A Poem)

~I am that and that am I~

We roar forth into Leo today at 9:12 pm. Do you have a party invite for this weekend? Go! It’s time to cut loose. Leo is a fire sign and has much to do with the full expression of the Self. During this month, we can all take center stage in our lives and generously offer what we are here to give.

Recently I spoke to a potent group of artists who had taken the phrase, “No Apologies, Manifest, Be Seen” as their motto for the year. This is Leo incarnate. In the energy of Leo, we don’t mind being seen for what we are here to give. We don’t apologize for our gift and we offer our Selves up to tangibly express.

Leo is a sign of leadership. We lead the way through offering our particular gift — the gift we each have to singly give. We offer it to our community so we can all thrive. In Leo, we take responsibility for generously giving of ourselves, holding nothing back.

Use this month to warm those near you with your particular gift. Learn more about your true identity — who you ARE — through all forms of artistic expression. Cook, paint, act, sing, dance, write, create. Or for that matter, LIVE your life embodying a quality like grace or tenacity or courage. And let the living BE the artistry.

The phrase for Leo is “I am that and that am I.” In Leo, we discover we are always more than we thought we were. The “I” grows under Leo. The “I” grows into the we. We expand our ideas of identity and recognize that part of leadership is recognizing our oneness with those we lead. We recognize that any brilliance we express is part of the one brilliance from which we all emerge. That’s why Leo is also associated with the heart and with the true identification with another. Namaste — “I bow to the divinity in you” — is actually a very Leo greeting. “Hello Love,” my homespun Namaste, is likewise acknowledging the heart of another as part of the one heart, the one love, the love that connects us all.

So, during this month, be courageously YOU. Greet the lion of love in others and recognize it in yourself. Dare to express. Dare to stand in the light as a generous act. Offer it up.

Big love.

Heidi Rose Robbins grew up learning the zodiac with her alphabet, and has been a practicing astrologer for over 15 years. She has a practical, sensitive, and inspiring approach to astrology and a thriving world-wide practice. She offers transformative retreats for women twice a year in Ojai, California. It is her passion and commitment to speak to the depth of who we are and to help us grow into the next outrageous blossoming of our true selves.

A Leo Poem

Now I become myself. It’s taken
Time, many years and places,
I have been dissolved and shaken,
Worn other people’s faces,
Run madly, as if Time were there,
Terribly old, crying a warning,
“hurry, you will be dead before —–”
(What? Before you reach the morning?
or the end of the poem, is clear?
Or love safe in the walled city?)
Now to stand still, to be here,
Feel my own weight and density!…..
Now there is time and Time is young.
O, in this single hour I live
All of myself and do not move
I, the pursued, who madly ran,
Stand still, stand still, and stop the Sun!

~ May Sarton ~

“It is ALWAYS OK to heal.  Healing is not rejecting what was, but shifting into a new way of being that moves beyond what was.  It is always OK to evolve this way spiritually, physically, mentally, in relationships, with your environment, and in your self-relationship.  Always.”

–Daria Boissonnas, The Gift of the Healer (due out late 2011)

Avoid offering your services by your technique’s name(s) unless the vast majority of your clients seek your technique.

While this might work for doctors, acupuncturists and massage therapists, even those practitioners are still likely to get more clients if they also do the following.  (For healers who have learned more than three techniques, definitely do not advertise your services by your laundry list of techniques!  Read why here:  http://giawaken.com/2011/05/techniques1)

Instead, offer your services by the benefits they provide to clients. Most people do not wake up in the morning, smack their foreheads and say, “Gosh I really need a good Transmeridian Energy Clearing Heflapurple Nadissimo Intermatrix Quantum Extravaganza!”  Or whatever your technique is called.  Might as well be that, though — it doesn’t mean anything to new clients.

They are much more likely to wake up and say, “Gosh I’m tired of my pain and misery.”  Or, “I wish there was some way to minimize <my problem>.”

Offer Your Benefits

You offer services on your on your business card, brochure and website.  You want to convey your benefits to potential clients, plus make it easy for people to understand who to refer to you.

To be successful, your offer must immediately convey the benefits of what you do. Your specialty, your target market, and your healing gifts should be apparent. Consider these examples.  In each pair, which draws you in more?

1a. I’m a nutritionist and matrix energy healer.

1b. I help women ease into menopause and love their bodies by balancing their hormones naturally.

2a. I’m a chiropractor and I do Awakening Healing.

2b. I help people who have suffered major physical trauma, like an accident or surgery, to recover more quickly and completely.

3a. I’m a personal trainer.

3b. I help women love living in their bodies!

4a.  I’m an energy healer and spiritual mentor.

4b.  I help highly intuitive folks who are creative to make friends with their powerful gifts and find fulfillment following their calling to heal the world.

Surprisingly, being specific like this does not limit your clientele.  It usually has the opposite effect — it can expand it because people finally understand what you do!

Post your “before” and “after” offering in the comments and I’ll be happy to give you further pointers.

In the last month I have been in writing mode, focusing on finishing my first book under a tight deadline.  I’ve never done anything so intensively in my life.

Thursday, however, I wasted the whole day barely writing.  In fact, I’ve been struggling badly with productivity for the last two weeks, running circles rewriting or blanking out in the undone chapter.  I was at my wits end.

Finally, I applied my own intuitive Clear Wisdom process to the problem (a process I offer here at GIA).  I asked the Universe what time frame is most productive for me to write in during the day.  What a difference!

When Does Your Muse Strike?

You might know if you are a morning person or evening, but do you know exactly when your muse strikes? It may not even be every day.  The last time I did a productivity schedule for someone, it was a certain number of hours per day, three days a week, and it didn’t matter which days, his choice.

The answer for me and this book was 8 am – 11:30 and 1 pm – 2:30, seven days a week.  And WOW — today I stuck to those hours and got TONS of writing done!  Better, I remained enthusiastic about the writing the whole time.  If I start too late in the day, I can’t get the level of excitement I need to write decently.  (When it’s bad, it’s awful.)

Now I can see I’ve been losing productivity by starting way too late in the day, doing other tasks first.  Next, my three regular 8 am meetings each week have to GO!

With today’s busy schedule, it seems like a no-brainer to get the most out of the time you work.  Ready to hit your maximum creativity and productivity stride?  Sit in meditation for a few minutes and then ask yourself or the Universe what your ideal schedule is.

If you like, I would be happy to download a productivity schedule for you from your higher guidance.  Click here to purchase a Productivity Pop session with me.

Full Clear Wisdom sessions are available to members of the Global Institute for Awakening.  To join, visit http://GIAwaken.com/benefits.

Enjoy your creativity!  And go heal the world with it.

A few years ago at a health expo, a healer proudly showed me his brochure impressively listing over 25 healing techniques he learned.  Now that takes time and resources!

I smiled and asked if he used all 25 techniques in each session.  He changed the subject.

“Which ones do you use most often?” I asked.

He waved his hand noncommittally.

A Negative Message?

If you list techniques that you don’t use, are you in full integrity?  What energy are you putting into your business if you brag to impress and don’t deliver?

Healers take healing technique and related classes for many, many reasons.  Here are two expansive ones:

• You may learn a technique as a stepping stone to other techniques, practice it for a while and then move on.
• Sometimes you’ll take a class (like when a friend drags you along) and come to appreciate more deeply your current techniques.

If you don’t currently do it, don’t list it. If you’d like to list classes taken as background somewhere on your website, do so.  You might even explain how learning them broadened and deepened your understanding of healing, though you choose to use more powerful processes that speak to you more today.

I know, a long list seems impressive.  And I understand that certain techniques complement each other, like massage therapy and energy work, or hand analysis and coaching.

But a very long list also says you just didn’t get something after the first few classes. What were you searching for?  Why wasn’t 10 techniques enough to get results?  5?  1?  A long list can signal insecurity.

Techniques Don’t Sell

Most importantly: it’s not your technique that sells your services! It’s you and what you do for people.  If your business card and marketing materials described the benefits the client gets from working with you, you’re golden.  Most clients don’t understand techniques anyway.  They don’t care what you do — they just want to feel better.

Once in a while, someone will come to you seeking a specific technique.  You can register yourself with that technique’s practitioner referral directory to get those clients.

Or you may simply be a one-technique healer.  I love it!  Just remember you are never, ever merely a practitioner of a technique. That technique is expressed through you in a way unique from everyone else on the planet.  You are a healer. It doesn’t matter HOW you share your healing gifts as long as you ARE sharing them.

Many blessings on your journey!

Share your marketing blurb with us in the comments below and ask any questions.  I’m here for you.

In every moment, you are healing.  Your body tends constantly towards health, repairing, replacing, replenishing.  Your thinking and emotions continuously heal and you move on.  You are a walking and talking bundle of healing!  Once in a while, this process hits a snag, but think of how much healing happens in the meantime!

I was at a mind/body/spirit health expo recently and an older gentleman was observing our booth in stealth mode.  He lingered about 8 feet back reading my 7-feet tall pull-up sign. 

He was oozing “shh, don’t look at me” vibes. 

I hailed him brightly.  “Are you interested in healing, sir?” my inner imp asked.

Caught, he took a half step back, furrowed his eyebrows, and shook his head emphatically.

“No? Really?  You’ve lived a good 39 years and you’ve never had to heal anything?  I’ve never met anyone who is perfect – may I shake your hand and get your autograph?”

Finally, he cracked a smile.  He sputtered a bit longer, saying well of course he healed, he just called it something different.  Thought of it differently, you know. 

I said I was glad to hear that he was healing well. 

He left with much more friendly vibes.

What is the most important thing you do your whole life long?  Heal.

If you don’t heal, you die.

If you don’t heal well or quickly, you suffer.

It’s that simple.

Did you know – healing IS something you can learn to do better and faster, and learn to help others with.  You can improve the healing of not just the body but thought patterns, relationships, families, organizations, events, the environment and the planet.  Think of all the suffering we could all alleviate by learning to heal better and faster!

The Global Institute for Awakening was founded to bring more healing into the world.  Stick around with us while we explore what healing really is, how to heal yourself quickly and well, and how to help the most people (and organizations and the planet etc) heal the most. 

Here are two ways you can help now by finding out more about healing:

1. Sign up right now for our free interview series called “I Am a Healer”: 100 Inspiring Stories of Ordinary People Who Are Changing the World and How You Can Too.  We are just getting going, but already have five powerful interviews, three of whom did not consider themselves healers until our interview.  You also get our free class “Healing 101″ where you meet the three main types of the natural Inner Healer — which one(s) are you?  The more you learn about healing, the more healing you can bring into the world.

2. Leap directly into membership and spend a year self-healing plus learning about healing and the power of consciousness to create a better life and world!  Find more information at http://GIAwaken.com/benefits.  When you heal and learn about healing, you help others heal.

Suffering is not required.  How do YOU bring more healing into the world?

“The fool doth think he is wise,
but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.”
William Shakespeare, As You Like It, Act 5 scene 1

Though April Fool’s Day comes once a year, we are archetypal Fools every day of the year. 

What?  Did I just call you a fool? 

No, silly — a Fool with a capital F.  The archetypal innocent.  The one delving into new projects with optimism and enthusiasm.  The one that sees sunny skies without clouds.  The part of you simply enjoying being your genuine self.

At your best as a Fool, you life joyfully in the Now, without a useless worry.  You are present and inquisitive.  Heavy thoughts are not even on your radar — what will they think, what should I do, I don’t have enough, am I good enough, etc. 

Your inner positive Fool is excited about life, pushing forward into new adventures, fully digesting what you’ve learned, letting the icky parts go, and moving on.

This is a brilliant state of mind.  With the state of mind of the positive Fool you can find genuine fulfillment.  You can enjoy your life to the max. You can get things done! 

The Negative Fool

At its worst, however, your inner Fool can attempt to recreate these carefree feelings in negative ways.   The negative Fool is inauthentically carefree. For instance:

• Pretending things are fine when they aren’t.
• Using avoidance to goof off in a fun way and pretend you don’t have a problem that’s getting worse. 
• Using artificial means of feeling good, like substances and thrilling experiences.
• Giving up on yourself and following or conforming to others’ likes and dislikes.

Ultimately, the negative Fool blocks what brings you joy.  It blocks you from hearing and fulfilling your Highest Calling, the activity which brings you the most joy in life and allows you to help others the most. 

The negative Fool creates temporary innocence and joy, but brings worse suffering in the long run.

Your Assignment for this April Fool’s Day

You deserve to be happy, confident, and carefree.  You were born to enjoy your positive inner Fool.

I propose you take a moment today to consider where the negative Fool is showing up in your life.  The negative Fool pops up to save us from problems we think we can’t handle.  Spiritually, however, I have come to understand that if you have a problem, you CAN handle it.  And the sooner the better, so your negative Fool doesn’t foolishly make it worse!

How can you express your inner positive Fool more?  Consider just ONE tiny change you can make starting today. Look at the list of four negative strategies above and change something to stop relying on one of them. 

Whatever tiny change you choose to make, STICK TO IT.  That makes all the difference.

I’ve got my one tiny change.  How about you?