Simply Authentic...your soul voice is calling. Authenticity in the Office

Authenticity in the Office

I had a conversation on Christmas day with three people who have experienced what I would call “inauthenticity” in the office.

One said at her office the cubicles are no longer to be referred to as that. They must be called “productivity pods.”

 

 

The second said that the audit in her office had become SO picky (How picky was it?, you may ask?) as to require the sixth page of a bank statement (the same bank they work for) on which was printed, “This page left intentionally blank.”

The third shared something about an attorney she is working with on a big account, requiring language for a simple notice of acceptance that could be simply left knee contusion, yet required something like the anterior aspect of the left tibial plateau and perhaps several other large words.

Utter ridiculousness. We agreed these mandates seem to be coming from parties that either 1) have way too much time on their hands or 2) strongly need to prove their own value. We did get a good laugh over the whole conversation.

Yet we can remain authentic in the midst of the ridiculousness, by recognizing it, breathing, and saying this lovely Ho'oponopono prayer: I love you, I am sorry, please forgive me, thank you. It works even if you don’t mean it! Our souls recognize the message. It’s very powerful.

Happy New Year!

Authentically Yours, Laura

Simply Authentic...your soul voice is calling. Authenticity and Music

Authenticity and Music

Music has been a huge part of my life my whole life. I seem to have been singing since I could speak, took piano lessons from second grade through my senior year in high school. Played clarinet in concert band, the bells (they hurt) in marching band, electric piano in jazz band, and was in pretty much every singing group I could be in, including an “award-winning” girls’ trio called The Cadets.

 

 

This is a newspaper clipping Grandma Handke had saved from the Clark County Courier. You may not be able to read the caption: Winning the right to compete in the talent portion at the State Snow Queen Festival were three smiling and uniformed CHS girls. Performing “Bugle Boy of Company B” were Ruth Danekas (left), LeeAnn Fitterer and Laura Handke.

I worked so hard in swing choir to learn the dance moves, and to learn the vocal parts for The Cadets. This was before the digital age, so I would use an old-fashioned tape recorder to record each of the three part harmonies, so I could learn my alto part while singing with the two soprano parts when I was rehearsing at home.

Learning an instrument, whether it be wind, brass, string, keys, or our vocal instrument, which is our body, is not an easy thing to do. It takes commitment and practice, but most of all - passion.

I didn’t even start to understand what musicianship truly means (or that my authentic voice is actually dramatic coloratura soprano, not alto) until I became an apprentice voice teacher with the Transformational Voice Institute (www.transformvoice.com) in 2010, at the age of 46! I completed an 18 month apprenticeship program, while working a new full time day job, being at the voice studio three evenings a week after work, and completing regular homework assignments and assessments. I completely gave up on dating during this period, because I simply didn’t have the time.

 

But I simply knew that I “must” do this. Music is such a huge part of who I am in the deepest, most authentic part of myself.  

Here is a photo of my new “baby.” Finally, a full-sized keyboard that looks like a piano! I was so tired of running out of keys at the top of my mini-keyboard and needing to drop down an octave when I was playing, say, Mozart’s Sonata in C, that one evening I simply said – this is it. Going keyboard shopping tomorrow.

Fortunately, I had saved the money. But it was still a big decision. This is the most money I have spent since I bought my previously loved car for $7100 in 2010. We went to Classic Pianos in Portland and heard and played keyboards ranging in price from $1200 up to $16,000. I went with one for $1800 (usual price $2200) and have been thrilled with it. I made an investment in my authentic self, a wise and relatively frugal one.

Gina Williams said in a previous post, “I concluded that art will always be a hugely important part of my life – as critical to my survival as oxygen. Without it, I am broken.”  I said in a previous post to my 13-year-old self, “If you have a burning desire in your heart to create or do something, create or do it. Don’t worry about anything beyond that, just do the creating part and the rest will take care of itself.”

That is the way I feel about music, and about creating whatever is in our authentic hearts.

I wish you very happy creating.

Joy to the World this Christmas and holiday season! May the energy of Jesus Christ be within your heart today and throughout the coming year. I hope this doesn’t sound disrespectful…Jesus is a rock star. I think He would like my saying that. J

 

Authentically Yours, Laura

Simply Authentic...your soul voice is calling: Get Out of Your Own Way!

Get out of your own way!

For those of you who don’t know, I’m in a relatively new, passionate and unconditionally loving relationship with a man named George. G said something I want to share with you. He said it more amuzingly, but neither of us can remember his exact verbiage, so this is paraphrased. "It seems to me this relationship has a life of it's own, and it's creating itself despite us." And then later that day, "I've noticed as long as I get out of my own way, our relationship unfolds naturally without my having to do anything." Or something like that.

It just struck me what an awesome metaphor this is not just for my relationship with G, but life. Just get out of our own frickin’ way! Know what I'm saying? I know you do!!! We create our own problems, so just stop already!

G and I both shared how we have tendencies to offer help, compliments, assistance, etc., way more easily than we accept them.

Two examples: G has offered before to feed my cats. In the morning, especially, this requires sweeping up all the kitty litter that has been kicked on the kitchen floor, 'cause you really don't want to step on that and track it around. Once he offered the third time I took him up on it.

And then it dawned on me. "You just gave me three extra minutes to read!" I grabbed a cup of tea and went back to bed, reading for more like five minutes. I keep inspirational, spiritual reading materials on the dresser by my bed - almost done with both Richard Bach's RUNNING FROM SAFETY and Don Miguel Ruiz' THE VOICE OF KNOWLEDGE. OMG, what a start to my work week!

So, G took my offer of the travel pillow and blow-dryer when he traveled recently, but when I offered to water plants, pick up his mail, maybe do some light cleaning before he got back, his answer was - of course - no. (He lives a one minute walk from me.) Then he re-thought it, and said, "Of course. If that is something you would like to do, I would be grateful." Getting the art of receiving. We both are.

 

 

The art of authenticity requires allowing yourself to receive, with sincere gratitude in your heart.

Have fun receiving – not just this holiday season – but all throughout the year. Notice what you are receiving – really pay attention to all the wonderful things you are given. A smile, someone waving you over in heavy traffic, an expected note or card. With all of the violence in the world, it can be a very good thing to simply remember where, when, how and from whom we are so incredibly blessed.

Authentically Yours, Laura

Simply Authentic...your soul voice is calling. Synchronicity: Archetypes & Collage

Acknowledging Synchronicity: Archetypes & Collage

Several years ago I read or heard something about archetypes, and was struck by a strong feeling that I had started reading a book by someone, at some point, that had something to do with archetypes, but I couldn’t remember the book or the author.

About the same time, I had purchased Seena B. Frost’s SOULCOLLAGE book, prior to hosting a Wishweavers workshop dedicated to collage work.

The forgotten book about archetypes literally, serendipitously, fell out of my bookshelf one day. I am telling you…I don’t remember even touching that particular shelf, or the bookshelf at all…but as soon as I saw the cover, I knew that was the book I had been trying to remember. Caroline Myss’ SACRED CONTRACTS.

What is an archetype? I will quote Caroline here. “Carl Jung believed that archetypes live in a collective unconscious through which all souls are connected. The collective unconscious holds the energy of all who have participated in an archetype through the ages—the stories, myths, legends and prototypes.”

That doesn’t sound very specific now, does it?

Dictionary.com says an archetype is 1) the original pattern or model from which all things of the same kind are copied or on which they are based; a model or first form; prototype. 2) (in Jungian psychology) a collectively inherited unconscious idea, pattern of thought, image, etc., universally present in individual psyches.

I can’t say that sounds any more specific! I’ll let you come up with your own definition or conclusions, if the idea of archetypes interests you at all.

It did for me, that particular day, so I picked up the book again and slowly read it over the following weeks, highlighting certain sections and doing certain exercises.

And, then, I realized I could create collage cards representing my different archetypes. What a concept!

Here they are:

Source Card

 

Victim Card

Hermit Card

Addict Card

Nature Child Card

Visionary Card

Queen Card

I’m not saying you need to explore your archetypes or create collages to honor your authenticity. I’m just saying it worked for me at that time, in exploring all the layers to this complex, basically fun, authentic-as-I-can-be-in-any-given-moment, person that I am and am constantly becoming.

Authentically Yours, Laura

Simply Authentic...your soul voice is calling. That Is So Funny

That Is So Funny

I work with a woman in her mid-twenties named Jodi.

 

Jodi

 

Jodi has a great sense of humor and is quite a light in the office.

 

She said something a few weeks ago that had us in hysterics, and was wise and utterly…authentic. She was making a joke of sorts, but wisdom nonetheless rang true in her words.

 

This is one of those “you had to be there” moments; it isn’t going to come across in written words as if you had been there to overhear or take part in the conversation. But I’ll do my best!

In a nutshell, Jodi said one of her pet peeves is when people say, “That is so funny,” when they aren’t laughing. She said, “That is so funny,” with a complete dead-pan, unsmiling expression on her face, hence the hysterical element. It has become a joke in the office ever since. Well, at least for me! Every once in a while I make my face completely straight and un-smiling, and say, “That is so funny.” Which brings about laughter.

Yet, I can’t escape the thought process Jodi’s joke brought to me about authenticity. To be honest, there have been times since then I have found myself laughing to be “polite,” or perhaps to defuse a potentially uncomfortable situation.

 

Not that there’s anything wrong with that…

For the most part, I smile and laugh easily and often, probably over things other people wouldn’t even find funny. And things other people find funny, I don’t find funny at all!

Friend Ginger and I laughing with white wine and Italian food at Riccardo's, Lake Oswego, summer of this year  

Laughter is soooo good for the mind, body and soul. I would say as long as it’s authentic.

Here’s to authentic, belly-busting laughter. That is SO funny!

 

 

Feel free to share your favorite joke!

 

Authentically Yours, Laura

Simply Authentic...your soul voice is calling. What I would say to my 13-year-old self

What I would say to my 13-year-old self

Here I am on my 13th birthday. Nice glasses, huh? The cake looks better. :)

 

You may recall I asked four questions in the last post.

1. First, try and sum you up in about three sentences, if you feel you have a calling, that kind of thing.

2. What does living an authentic life mean to you? Where in your life do you feel the most authentic? The least?

3. Can you describe a situation you have experienced wherein you felt you were being asked to be less or different than who you authentically are? How did you respond? Do you have suggestions for others who may find themselves in a similar situation?

4. If you were to go back to, say, your 13-year-old self right now, and tell her what you wished someone would have told her or that she would have already embraced (maybe she already had) at that age, what would it be?

As I was writing these questions for Gina, I realized I had some answers of my own. In particular for my 13-year-old self.

-Always speak your gut truth, compassionately and respectfully.

-See, feel, honor, and respect your emotions, and allow yourself to express and release them, whatever those emotions are.

-Trying to make someone “like you” or to “fit in” is an exercise in futility. Just express sincere, compassionate interest in other people, and you will be fine.

-If you have a burning desire in your heart to create or do something, create or do it. Don’t worry about anything beyond that, just do the creating part and the rest will take care of itself.

Me, age 13, with my cousin Amy and horse Princess. 

 

Authentically Yours, Laura

Simply Authentic...your soul voice is calling. Authenticity. Four Questions: Gina Williams

What Does Authenticity Mean? Four Questions

The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers. But above all, the world needs dreamers who do. –Sarah Ban Breathnach

I asked Gina Williams four questions about what authenticity means to her. Gina is a writer, photographer and communications professional. She works by day as Public Affairs Director for the Oregon Business Association and enjoys a creative life as well, as a poet and photographer.

 

Gina then. :)  

 

The questions I asked are:

 

1. First, try and sum you up in about three sentences, if you feel you have a calling, that kind of thing.

 

2. What does living an authentic life mean to you? Where in your life do you feel the most authentic? The least?

 

3. Can you describe a situation you have experienced wherein you felt you were being asked to be less or different than who you authentically are? How did you respond? Do you have suggestions for others who may find themselves in a similar situation?

 

4. If you were to go back to, say, 13 year old Gina right now, and tell her what you wished someone would have told her or that she would have already embraced (maybe she already had) at that age, what would it be?

 

1.       I can best describe myself as a hard-working free spirit, artist, mom, communications professional & professional goof-off with a zest for life. There is a saying that I love: “Be a human doing, not a human being.” That pretty much sums up my life philosophy. I am married to an amazing and talented man who is also an artist who gives me the freedom to follow my dreams. I am the proud mom of two incredible teenage sons who are the loves of my life. I write sentences for a living and write poetry and fiction in order to fully live.  I love to play with my camera, ride my bicycle, run, roller skate & explore this amazing planet as much as possible.

 

2.       Living an authentic life, to me, means never giving up on dreams – not the outrageous ones, not the tiny ones. Living authentically means being honest with myself and others about the fact that I am a complex person, as most of us are, but none of us should settle, ever. Living authentically means being proud of things that others might not approve of or understand and living large, in spite of societal pressures. Living authentically means helping others achieve their dreams, as well. As for the least authentic part of my life, I suppose that would be giving in to fear or anxiety occasionally.  I can slip into “worst case scenario” mode at times. (I can hear my husband laughing right now). The disruption in positivity caused by my own fretting can be extremely frustrating.

 

3.       I’m not sure if I have ever been “asked” to be less or different than who I authentically am, but I have felt disrespected and caged in the past. I handled that difficult time by looking deeply within my soul and examining my goals and dreams from top to bottom, inside and out. I concluded that art will always be a hugely important part of my life – as critical to my survival as oxygen. Without it, I am broken. The fact that some people haven’t agreed and/or do not agree with this, I finally realized, was not my problem. Once I accepted the very real need that I have to nurture the creative spirit that I’ve had since I can remember, my wings grew back and I’ve never been happier. As for advice, I would tell people that they already know themselves and to honest with about what gives their life meaning. I would also tell people not to take themselves or others too seriously and have fun! Don’t let shame or fear dictate the direction of your life. Say yes more than you say no.

 

4.       If I could go back and speak to my 13-year-old self, I would tell her that I am proud of her, then and now.  I would tell her to never, ever let society, family or anyone else dictate the course of her dreams. But I also don’t believe in regret and although I have had some difficult times, even painful and soul-sick times as many of us have had, I wouldn’t change a thing. I would just give my young self a big hug and tell her to listen to that voice in her head that says, “fly, fly” and keep on, keeping on because the future is going to be amazing. I would tell her that yes, there will be some dark days, but in spite of life’s arrows, she will never lose her childlike joy and delight at the simplest of things.

 

Gina now. :)

 

I would love to hear your answers to these four questions!  

There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open. -Nehru

 

Authentically Yours, Laura

Simply Authentic...your soul voice is calling. Lasanga recipe

Lasanga Recipe (Great Aunt Martha Dale)

I had a couple of requests for the lasagna recipe, so here it is! I should tell you a little bit about great aunt Martha and uncle Don first, though. Both have passed now. They lived in Chicago, and every year they came to visit our farm in South Dakota was a celebration.

Don worked with the Coca-Cola company, and would bring us all this free shit (ie, promotional materials) every year…to this day I have a red button pin with white lettering that says, “I believe in elves.” I tend to stick it to my shirt every holiday season. I’m not sure where it came from, but…thinking back…I wonder if Keebler was a subsidiary of Coca-Cola at the time. Maybe it still is. None-the-less, I love that pin, and I do like a good Coke (regular, not diet) from time to time. Martha and Don also introduced our family in South Dakota to real honest-to-God bagels and Fanny May candy.

 

 

Don liked his manhattans; I remember that. He gave me a Carpenter’s album for my 16^th birthday when we were visiting them in Chicago. That was an utterly amazing trip for a 16 year old, I am telling you.

When they visited South Dakota, Martha would play cards with the gals while the guys were out pheasant hunting. She was always quick with a joke, smelled like leftover cigarettes, coffee and powder, and was an amazing, warm spirit. To me, she was like an exotic angel from another exciting realm. One of the fondest memories I have of Martha is while waiting for chicken at White Fence Farms restaurant in Chicago, and then after the chicken arrived. This was on my 9^th birthday, not the 16^th. I think! We just kept going “mmm, mmm, mmm.” It was an “inside” joke between us after that.

 

 

I am somewhat tweaking her recipe (like add more garlic!) but basically it remains true. Don’t be stingy on the salt.

 
Meat/tomato mixture:

1 lb. ground beef

Minced garlic (her recipe is one clove – I’d do more)

1 TBSP parsley

1 ½ tsp salt

2 cans tomatoes (or one large can)

2 cans tomato paste

1 onion, chopped

Brown the beef first with garlic and onion, drain, mix all together and simmer 30 minutes.

Cheese mixture:

3 cups small curd cottage cheese

2 eggs, beaten

2 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

2 TBSP parsley flakes

½ C parmesan cheese

Mix together and set aside.

Pasta:

9 lasagna noodles cooked in boiling water until just tender, rinse in cool water, dry.

Shredded Mozarella cheese

In 9 x 13 pan, place half of the pasta. Layer half the cheese mixture, then half the meat sauce, then half the mozzarella. Repeat the layers, placing the pasta sideways instead of lengthways this time. Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Love the food you make, and the people you share the food with.

Authentically Yours, Laura

Simply Authentic...your soul voice is calling. Lasagna Dinner

Lasagna Dinner

It seems to me that our three basic needs, for food and security and love, are so entwined that we cannot think of one without the other. –M. F. K. Fisher

We must eat. We inhabit bodies which require fuel in the form of nutrients to continue functioning.

Can eating be reverent? Can cooking be an expression of our simply authentic selves? I believe so, absolutely. 

 

I remember my ex-husband once saying, after we had woken up early in the morning as I was preparing for a family gathering and meal that day, “You are so completely in your element here.” He had a huge smile on his face.

My friend Stella, whose mother is Greek, told me the most important ingredient to put into the food is love. Amen! Have you read the book or watched the movie Like Water for Chocolate (Como agua para chocolate, Laura Esquivel)? I cooked once when I was angry. The menu was split pea soup and I nearly chopped off the end of my left little finger along with a carrot. I carry the reminder to this day with a scar and loss of sensation in that finger. When I cook now, although it’s not nearly as often, I prepare food with joy, love and appreciation in my heart.

For a dinner party recently, I made my Great Aunt Martha’s lasagna recipe, which takes about three hours to prepare before baking. This is not for the kitchen-feint-hearted! I typically prepare the lasagna a week ahead of time and put it in the freezer until the day before the dinner party, so I’m not rushing around at the last minute.

 

Tomato and meat sauce. When cooking for a good friend who is vegetarian, I substituted baked squash and eggplant for ground beef. It was fabulous, if I do say so myself! My friend thought so too.

 

Pasta.

 

Cheese mixture. Cottage instead of ricotta, and didn’t grate the mozzarella myself!

We can bring our simply authentic selves to any meal – fast food in the car or on the couch, a take-out pizza, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches – as long as we do it with love. But if you do decide to cook, please don’t do it while you’re angry! Trust me, you don’t want a bunch of blood on your cutting board alongside the carrots! That might be a pizza-ordering moment. J

Simple, good salad recipe: Spinach leaves, sliced strawberries, mandarin orange slices from a can, glazed pecans or cashews, raspberry vinaigrette dressing, freshly ground black pepper.

 

Everything is nearly prepared. The dinner party was meant to be for four, but turned into two due to unforeseen circumstances. I froze individual servings of the left-over lasagna, and it was just as good heated up a couple weeks later.

I inherited Grandma Handke’s china and silverware. The bouquet is from Artistic Flowers & Home Décor. www.artisticflowers-decor.com. The gold tapers are from Cost Plus/World Market and burned beautifully. I picked autumn leaves at a park, and put them in a large, heavy book to flatten. I will be able to use them again for Thanksgiving dinner.

As the holidays approach, have fun with any simply authentic cooking you may do, and definitely with the eating!

Soul food is just what the name implies. It is soulfully cooked food or richly flavored food, good for your ever-loving soul. –Sheila Ferguson

Authentically Yours, Laura

Simply Authentic...your soul voice is calling. Authenticity

The Definition of Authenticity

 

Dictionary.com defines “authentic” as 1. Not false or copied; genuine; real: an authentic antique. 2. Having the origin supported by unquestionable evidence; authenticated; certified: an authentic document of the Middle Ages; an authentic work of the old master. 3. Entitled to acceptance or belief because of agreement with known facts or experience; reliable; trustworthy: an authentic report on poverty in Africa. 4. Law, executed with all due formalities: an authentic deed. And then it goes on to talk about music and cadence.

Thomas B. Macaulay wrote that the measure of a man's real character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

 

I don’t know about you, but I remember many times I’ve done things when nobody is watching I would have never told anybody about! I don’t think I ever stuck a booger or piece of gum under the desk in grade school, but I did sneak cookies from my piano teacher’s kitchen cabinet while I was waiting for my lesson to start.

 

As an adult – good grief – it can be SO embarrassing to do exactly what you feel drawn to do in any given moment. I have felt held back so many times in the past, which is of course precisely why Spirit gave me the prompting to write about authenticity! I realize now no-one can hold me back but ME.

 

I’m thinking about this guy who regularly practices with a rope with weighted balls at either end (I’m Googling; it may be called a bolo) on the lawn outside my office building. He typically wears a fedora type hat over his dreadlocks. This may not seem unusual – especially if you are, say, on a college campus – but this is just outside a big complex of Shorenstein office buildings. There you’re more likely to see smokers on their breaks in business attire. This would also be unusual in my home town of Raymond, South Dakota, population 50. (No, I’m not kidding. As of the 2010 census.) 

 

This young man seems completely unconcerned with what anyone thinks about him, and completely free. I’m drawn to his spirit, and now know that I will stop and talk with him the next time I see him.

 

Personally, I’m okay with embarrassing myself at karaoke. Stretching as a singer and voice teacher. Taking on new clients at the office. Making a new dish I don’t know how will turn out for a dinner guest. Dancing like no-one is watching. Making dress designs just for the fun of it. I sure as hell don’t want to go sky-diving or bungee-jumping. I might want to learn to ride a motorcycle rather than just being a passenger. Maybe try water-skiing again. And do more with art again other than just collages. Although I totally love my collages!

 

 

This is the first dress I designed on paper that got made into a real dress!

 

 

This is the physical representation of that dress design!

 

 

 

A sketch I did in 1994.

 

 

 

A sketch I did in 1999.

 

 

 

 

Collage circa 2010.

 

 

 

 

At the Sacred Success workshop, after a guided visualization, we were invited to go on a walk-about and find something in nature that would be meaningful for each of us. I knew within a couple of minutes that my meaningful “thing” was a dragonfly. The dragonfly is a symbol of Archangel Michael, and has been meaningful to me for years now. So it was no surprise I saw one within a minute or two of starting my walk-about. It immediately flew away.

 

I had my camera with me and looked for other dragonflies, seeing another once…running after it, begging for a photo. No dice.

 

After that, I decided to be okay with whatever it was that I saw, and really see what I saw, taking photos of other things. It was completely fine with me if I never saw another dragonfly that day. I was at complete peace with this right up until I was told the walk-about had ended and it was time to go back inside.

 

Guess who showed up? Of course! Interesting enough, in a similar color to the “wise one” who had come to me earlier on a guided visualization.

 

 

What does meeting a dragonfly, asking that dragonfly to sit long enough for a photo session, and the dragonfly doing so, have to do with being simply authentic, you might ask?

 

 

 

That’s your challenge for the coming week. You tell me! Have you had a similar experience? What insights did it bring for you?

 

Be your authentic self. Your authentic self is who you are when you have no fear of judgment, or before the world starts pushing you around and telling you who you are supposed to be. Your fictional self is who you are when you have a social mask on to please everyone else. Give yourself permission to be your authentic self. –Dr. Phil

Authentically Yours, Laura

Simply Authentic...your soul voice is calling. Sacred Success

Sacred Success

 

The price we pay for authenticity may seem high, but who among us can truly afford to continue living as a spendthrift of the self? –Sara Ban Breathnach

 

In late September, I attended a Sacred Success workshop retreat hosted by Barbara Stanny (www.barbarastanny.com.) I have been following Barbara’s work for several years, since reading her book SECRETS OF SIX FIGURE WOMEN. This book so deeply reached me, I used it to co-create a women’s group known as ACE (Abundance Circle Experience.) We met twice a month for something like a year and a half. And then I read more of Barbara’s books. My relationship with money has changed dramatically (for the better) since then.

 

This is Barbara dumping out the water that represented all our "old shit."

 

 

This is the group, minus one woman who had to leave early to meet her ride.

 

But Sacred Success is about so much more than the number of zeros in your bank account balances, your investment portfolio, or your net worth.

 

In this Thursday – Monday workshop at the beautiful Cedarbrook Lodge in Seatac, WA, I developed and embraced a purpose statement (and way more else than I can possibly share here), stood in awe of the courage and beauty of the other 16 women in attendance, and walked out with a song in my heart and a fire in my belly. And several next steps to take.

 

Those of you who know me well know I am a list person, that I compartmentalize my time so I can accomplish all the things I “need to do.” And you all know the routine, right? We don’t want to be a human “doing” all the time rather than a human “being.” I don’t know about you, but it’s far too easy for me to slip into hamster-on-a-wheel mode.  

 

Yet, after Sacred Success, I am VERY excited about what’s on my to-do list, including getting back to writing. I now have a theme for this blog: Simply Authentic…your soul voice is calling.

 

Sweet, huh?

 

That came to me on a Godwalk. (For more information on the Godwalk, see the January 2010 Wishweaving Word issue #35, Take a Risk. http://wishweavers.com/ww/index.php?option=com_letterman&task=view&Itemid=32&id=44.)

 

Shortly after I decided to take a break from writing, themes from Sara Ban Breathnach’s SIMPLE ABUNDANCE started coming to me. This extraordinary year-long daily mediation practice is essentially an instruction manual on living in alignment with your authentic self. So…the word “authentic” was already in my consciousness this last spring.

 

 

We’ll get more into what Simply Authentic means, some Simply Authentic examples from my life, and some ideas for your Simple Authenticity, in future posts. For now I challenge you to reflect on: Where in your life do you feel the most authentic? The least? What does authenticity (either for you personally, or in general) at this juncture, mean to you?

 

Feel free to post comments – the juicier, the better! J

 

Many of us squander precious natural resources – time, creative energy, emotion – comparing the size of our talents to those of others. Today, ask Spirit to call forth your authentic gifts, so that you might know them, acknowledge them, and own them. Do you want to live more abundantly? Have you buried your talents? How can we live richer, deeper, and more passionately if we aren’t willing to invest in ourselves? Many of us have played it safe for too long and wonder why we are miserable.

 

Playing it safe is the riskiest choice we can ever make. –Sara Ban Breathnach

Blog members, after much thought - I've made a decision. I don't feel I'm in the right space, or that this blog has a consistent enough format, to continue writing the blog at this time. I'm going to take time off during the summer to reflect and regroup.

In the meantime, if there are any topics you would like broached, knowing my Wishweaver and voice training background, please feel free to pass along your comments.

Namaste, Laura

Remember that prayer circle I mentioned a few weeks ago? I've been waiting for the right time and right people to surface...and they just did this evening. The prayer circle will involve Muslims from Algeria and Christians from the States...and likely everything else in between, eventually...

Starting next Wednesday. I will keep you posted! I hope you will join us in becoming a part of peace...

Namaste, Laura

A Weekend of Relaxation

I felt like I didn't have anything to blog about this weekend, which is exactly why I should! I made a point of not making plans, not going anywhere, not having anyone to meet.

I feel a bit at loose ends, which is partially why I made the decision to spend this weekened without plans, without people - and also mostly without any kind of noise...although I did catch the movie At First Sight (Val Kilmer, Mira Sorvino, Kelly McGillis) on Ion. Things are changing in my relationships, and I felt a need to be very quiet this weekend.

The weather has been so awesome I got out for nice walks both days. Did some hula-hooping inside. Watched the birds coming to my feeder. (Here's a photo of one of two mourning doves...they are typically ground feeders, but have been coming to my tube feeder for about three days now.) Basically just rested, relaxed, napped, read, and hung out with my two cats. Made a big meal last night that I can take for lunch at work this coming week. Had a couple of phone conversations.

I feel rested. As you can see in the photos, my cats do too.

(The photo on top is a house I have been driving by basically every day since I moved to Lake Oswego in 2007. I finally stopped to take a photo because this is how I see my future house looking. Or at least it has that kind of a feel. Can you feel the feeling?)

Have a wonderful week!

Namaste, Laura

Readers, I am sharing this post because I happen to love Doug Fulton's CD, "Take A Look At Your Shoes." It's one of my favorites.

I'm considering this an Experiment in Creativity, and I posted $50, having never heard of Kickstart before. The money won't be charged to your account unless the entire amount is raised. I figure I can afford $50 for an artist I believe in. :) You may not know Doug's music, but you can reach Doug Fulton at dougscottfulton@yahoo.com.

Best Wishes, Laura

Hello Beautiful Family. I am thrilled to announce that today is official launch day for a landmark recording project. Yes... today, April 14th begins a 31-day fundraising campaign and we would love your help in spreading the word.

Randy Heddon, Curtis Cooper and Doug Fulton (aka The Taodogs) are heading into the studio to record a special collaboration called, "In Between the Notes". This music is different and represents a landmark for us.

A huge part of the inspiration for this project is the recent rediscovery of the ancient solfeggio tones. Knowledge of the healing power of these tones has recently been uncovered and it's an amazing thing! Did you know that

these original scales contain a note humming at 528hz which is being used by biochemists to repair DNA? It's interesting to note that our common use of 440hz 'A' to tune instruments is 3hz off from ancient tunings. I've retuned my guitar to 443hz 'A' and the result is a real surprise. The tone is so much more pleasing and satisfying to the ear and to the cells in my body. What does that tell you?

Something significant is going on here. It is our intention for this recording to transmit whatever energy lives 'within and between the notes' of these mystical and ancient tunings. It brings up some interesting possibilities. Wouldn't it be cool to fill the radio airwaves with these 'Good Vibrations'? Maybe it could help some stressed out drivers chill before they give in to road rage. Who knows what other possibilities await.

 

The Taodogs are ready to share what we discover with the world. With the help of Kickstarter.com we are set to raise $3,960 to fund this project.

Kickstarter.com is the world's largest funding platform for creative projects. Since their beginning in 2008 they have helped nearly 20,000 projects successfully raise funds. In that time supporters have pledged almost $150 million.

Here is the link to our fundraiser page: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1974254276/in-between-the-notes

I would so much appreciate if you would copy this message and link to your Email, Facebook and Twitter networks. Please add a brief invitation to check out what we're up to, spread the word and if inspired make a pledge to support us. With your help we have a great chance of reaching our funding goal.

We have until May 15th to raise $3,960 or more. We must reach our goal for the project to be funded. Once funded the money will go toward production, design and distribution costs.

On behalf of Randy, Curtis and myself, I thank you with my whole heart. May you know ever deeper love and goodness through all your days.

InJoy,

Doug Fulton
"Songs To Open Hearts and Minds"

Gratitude For Health

Last Saturday night, I knew I was "coming down with something." I woke up Easter morning with a fever - hot sweats, and then those chilly, chattering, clammy moments, total body ache, belly-wrenching coughs...I'm recovering from being Uber-Ill from the Super-Crud!!! I haven't been this sick since I was a kid. Maybe that one time over Christmas, 1992... I literally did not shower or change clothes from Saturday night through Tuesday afternoon. A good blog person would have a photo of this. You would not like to see. My hair was a grease-ball and pimples had formed on my chin from not washing my face. I managed to feed the cats, drink water and water with lemonade mix, go to the bathroom...and that was about it. Oh, I did brush my teeth each night. Not floss, though - too much energy.

Seems like every other person I know has gone through the Super-Crud (at the office, we've been dropping like flies) but it seems to have impacted everyone in a slightly different way. Some with ear infections. Some not with fever like I had. Some sinusitis. I don't know what is going on here, but I suspect Dr. God is saying we all need to rest more, and BREATHE. The minute I felt slightly better, after having gone into the office two half days...I found myself cleaning house, doing laundry, all the things that had gone by the wayside while I was flat on my back in bed for three days.

Not such a smart move...I only felt more tired the next day.

Yet I am recovering now. And I had some amazing technicolor dreams during the illness.

The big lesson in this is to be grateful for my health. I shared an elevator down with a temp named Zach at the office yesterday, and he reminded me of this. I think of people who live with chronic illnesses that seemingly have no cure. I think of Dani in my office, who is younger than me, yet deals with chronic pain every day from a severe form of arthritis.

I am so grateful for for my health. I am truly blessed. And I send out a prayer - BIG, HUGE PRAYER - for anyone who deals with pain and/or illness on a regular basis.

Peace, healing, and love.

Laura

Gratitude For Health

Last Saturday night, I knew I was "coming down with something." I woke up Easter morning with a fever - hot sweats, and then those chilly, chattering, clammy moments, total body ache, belly-wrenching coughs...I'm recovering from being Uber-Ill from the Super-Crud!!! I haven't been this sick since I was a kid. Maybe that one time over Christmas, 1992... I literally did not shower or change clothes from Saturday night through Tuesday afternoon. A good blog person would have a photo of this. You would not like to see. My hair was a grease-ball and pimples had formed on my chin from not washing my face. I managed to feed the cats, drink water and water with lemonade mix, go to the bathroom...and that was about it. Oh, I did brush my teeth each night. Not floss, though - too much energy.

Seems like every other person I know has gone through the Super-Crud (at the office, we've been dropping like flies) but it seems to have impacted everyone in a slightly different way. Some with ear infections. Some not with fever like I had. Some sinusitis. I don't know what is going on here, but I suspect Dr. God is saying we all need to rest more, and BREATHE. The minute I felt slightly better, after having gone into the office two half days...I found myself cleaning house, doing laundry, all the things that had gone by the wayside while I was flat on my back in bed for three days.

Not such a smart move...I only felt more tired the next day.

Yet I am recovering now. And I had some amazing technicolor dreams during the illness.

The big lesson in this is to be grateful for my health. I shared an elevator down with a temp named Zach at the office yesterday, and he reminded me of this. I think of people who live with chronic illnesses that seemingly have no cure. I think of Dani in my office, who is younger than me, yet deals with chronic pain every day from a severe form of arthritis.

I am so grateful for for my health. I am truly blessed. And I send out a prayer - BIG, HUGE PRAYER - for anyone who deals with pain and/or illness on a regular basis.

Peace, healing, and love.

Laura