Intentions and Synchronicities

The Perfect Christmas Tree

2012-01-05T11:51:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!!

As I waited for the clock to strike 9 p.m. (I live on the West Coast so cheated by celebrating at 9 p.m. my time while watching the crystal ball drop in Times Square, New York City) a wave of light and lightness washed over me leaving a sense of calm joy.

Will I have challenges in 2012? Of course.
Will I have doubts in 2012? Probably
Will I meet every goal I set for myself? No

I've had an Intention for some time now (two years on 01/17) that my life is easier and it takes less effort to experience joy and happiness. That is an Intention that has been manifesting for some time now.

No, every day is not 100% but every day does have its moments of joy, moments of happiness.

One of the things I'm involved with is Romancing The Genres group blog. I'm one of the co-founders along with Sarah McDermed. In January 2011 we came up with the idea of a group blog. On May 1, 2011 we launched RTG. And this week we most likely will hit 14K (right, 14,000) page views.

I'm inviting you to stop by Romancing The Genres (see, I learned to easily and effortlessly embed a link) and see my post. Look at the pictures (I popped those in as well as these with nary a problem in sight). Click around and read other Genre-ista's post. I'm encouraging you to check out Sarah's. (another embeded link). If you look at the right side of the page, scrolling down until you see our February Guests - I did that also. Click on Guest Page and you can see my work in September and October.

One year ago I had no idea how to do any of this.

Here I am with Gimi and Connie, my Intention Sisters. Each week we talk on the phone, encouraging and supporting each other. Each day we send Intention Energy to each other. Acheiving anything is easier when someone is there to support us. What is amazing is how important these daily and weekly practices are to me. They are written on my calendar and I take them into consideration as I look at other things I need/want to accomplish. My time with these women is a priority and I can look back over the year and see what

I've accomplished, what I've manifested because of their encouragement, support and their holding my Intentions on my behalf.

Check out my website www.JudithAshleyRomance.com I updated it in November and you can read the revised "In the Beginning" (Chapter One) of "The Dragon and The Great Horned Owl"; see what I've been up to, etc.

My wish for you in 2012 is that you find people who will support and encourage you as you manifest your dreams into your reality.

Up-date on Diana

2011-11-03T21:03:00.000-07:00

In June of this year, Diana came to live in my yard. She is a Dwarf Japanese Larch (tree) and what sets her apart from other types of trees is that she drops her needles. Yep, that's right - her needles, not her leaves.

This morning the sun was shining (it can be a rare event in the Pacific Northwest) and Diana was splendiferous with dew drops shimmering on her reddish needles throughout twisted branches. I attempted to take a picture to share with you. In one she is in shadow - the sun as the backdrop. In the other one, she hard to see because of the large tree in my neighbors backyard.

I'll try again and when I get a shot that does her justice I'll post it here.

It is amazing to see the green needles turn reddish brown and orange. They have yet to drop but I'm assured they soon will. Winter is coming and Diana is getting ready.

Connecting the Dots

2011-10-18T09:04:00.000-07:00

One of my Intentions is that everything that happens serves my highest good. That is a great focus when everything comes together and life runs smoothly.

But what do I do when life is not running smoothly, things are not coming together - is my highest good still being served?

As I type this, I'm in a place where I'm struggling to 'connect the dots' - to see the gift, the blessing in a string of chaotic, challenging life events. My plan is to take some time each day and just 'be' - no phone, no computer, quiet peaceful music, monitoring my thoughts and steering them back to the positive.

What do you do when chaos and negativity surrounds you?

How do you keep your balance?

How do you 'connect the dots' back to the positive in your life?

Serendipity

2011-10-13T11:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had some errands to run. It occurred to me that I hadn't checked my PO Box in awhile and I thought the rent was due in September (yes, it had been quite awhile). That task completed I decided to go to Sterling Bank because I'd yet again forgotten my on-line banking password.

Kim, the Branch Manager, was gracious and quickly fixed my problem. Something funny? When I told her a new password that I was sure I could remember, I couldn't use it. Why? Because it was the one I couldn't remember!

Now on to Serendipity - I met two readers at the bank and I am a writer. They read romance and I write romance.

Sometimes Synchronicity shows up as Serendipity. Does that ever happen to you?

Sometimes life happens!

2011-10-10T13:29:00.000-07:00

Yes, that is true. Sometimes life happens - you know those unexpected events that seem to derail us from our path. But is that true? Are we really derailed or is this The Universe giving us another perspective on where we are going?

For now, my plan is to look at these unexpected events as opportunities and not challenges, a chance to focus on a different perspective instead of seeing myself as derailed, delayed, disappointed.

What has happened recently in your life that you see as road block? What if it isn't a road block at all? What if it is 'lifes' way of pointing you in the direction you need to be going? Something to think about because sometimes life happens!

You can see what I'm doing with another part of my life at www.RomancingTheGenres.blogspot.com I post there on the 1st Friday of the month. Click around, there may be a Genre-ista whose post intrigues, entertains, or interests you.

Starting Again...

2011-10-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

Some of you may be reading Intentions and Synchonicities for the first time because you clicked on the link at Romancing The Genres. Yes, I'm a two blog writer! What do these two blogs have in common? Me!

Romancing The Genres is my writer blog. Sarah Raplee McDermed and I came up with the idea for a group blog and made it happen. We launched on May 1, 2011 and have had over 8000 page views since then. The 21 Genre-istas are from 9 states and New Zealand. Some are published authors and some are yet-to-be published authors but we've all completed at least one manuscript. (No, just finishing a manuscript does not get you published). You can read more about my writing on the blog (I post the first Friday of every month) or at my website.

Intentions and Synchronicities is my personal blog. I've been remiss at keeping up regular posts but am 'starting again'. At I&S I blog about things that interest me, share how Intentions and Synchronicities play a role in my life and invite you to join a discussion about these topics. I've friends who share these ideas and one of the things we're talking about is one or more of them joining me on this blog. Look for a post from Michele Lauren in the near future.

How do you influence events in your life? How does synchronicity play a part in your life? How do your beliefs in how the world works affect your Intentions and your perception of Synchronicity? Those questions and other topics will be discussed or ruminated about on this blog. I'd love it if you'd join me.

The Result

2011-07-02T14:00:00.000-07:00

When all is in Synchronicity our Intentions are manifested!

This past week was Busy! Wednesday, Charlie and Jim from Comfort Heating, installed my new heat pump and mini-split. The Ruud, shown above, was designed and manufactured for the climate of the NW. It is much more energy efficient than my old one and will heat my house even when the temperature is in the low 30's! That means I'll seldom use my oil furnace...

Hiding behind my blueberry plant is the outside unit of my Daikin mini-split. Small and Quiet, unless the branches of the blueberry are moving, you don't even know it's on! Next is the inside unit - also quiet. It is on the wall in my sleeping area, keeping it cool enough to easily and effortlessly sleep in the (it's finally here) warm weather.

Also on Thursday, my Japanese Dwarf Blue Larch - Diana - arrived and was planted in my backyard. I'd gone to Drake's 7 Dees Nursery Wednesday afternoon for Ladies Night and came home with geraniums and a couple of fushias to keep Diana company.

She'll grow to be 15 - 20 feet tall and with a spread of 7 - 10 feet. In the Fall her needles will turn red and orange and drop. In the spring new, green needles with a bluish cast will grow. Her branches are somewhat twisted so her bare limbs will provide an ever-changing pattern during the winter months.

It is wonderful to sit here at my computer and glance out the window to see Diana and her Geranium buddies getting to know each other and feel comfortable in my yard, to know that a month ago I had a clear Intention of making some changes (lessening my dependence on heating oil, enhancing the comfort of my sleeping area when it is hot, and finding a tree that speaks to my soul and my creativity). And here I am, on Saturday, July 2 sharing The Results! My Intentions made Manifest through Synchronicity.

The Gift of Synchronicity - Part III

2011-06-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

I'm looking out into my now treeless backyard. One week from today my Larch D. Diana will arrive. I've done what I can to prepare for her. The corkscrew willow is down, spindly limbs in my yard debris cans, thicker limbs ready to make into yard screens on which to grow flowering climbing plants.

Arrangements have been made for her delivery and planting. She'll arrive on the last day of the installation of my new heat pump and mini-split. By July 1 all will be in place.

Easy and effortlessly.
Intention and synchronicity

If you are interested in another of my adventures.

Check out www.RomancingTheGenres.blogspot.com

The Gift of Synchronicity Part II

2011-06-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

When we are focused on something we want, we attract positive energy. The same is true of what we don’t want. If we are focused on what we don’t want, we attract it.

I have a cork-screw willow in my backyard. It’s as tall as my house; its canopy takes up a goodly portion of my small backyard. When my Aunt Ruth died in 1993, one of the cork-screw willow wands sprouted. My mother planted it in a pot. When she died in 2002, I brought the pot to my house and planted the root-bound tree in my backyard.

This spring it leafed out and looked lovely. I know I’m not the most observant person in the world, but one day it dawned on me that my tree was no longer green! I made calls trying to find out what was wrong and what it would cost to save it. My timing was awful. I missed the first company that came out to check the tree. The note on the door: It needs to be sprayed, call ----.

Thus began over two weeks of calling different companies attempting to get answers on how much it would cost to save my tree. To be fair, it wasn’t all the spraying companies fault. Even though it’s June, our weather has been dismal – lots of rain and spraying in the rain won’t help.
A gift card I’d received in the mail from a local nursery caught my eye: $25.00 off any purchase of $75.00 or more. During this time of attempting to get an estimate on spraying the tree two people who’d been in Landscape Maintenance took a look. “Take it down” was their advice.

Monday I went to the nursery and toured their selection of trees and had discussions about my yard, my needs and most important my wants (not a messy tree that needs constant cleaning up after), I found Larix D. Diana. She is a Larch, a deciduous conifer. Her needles turn orange and red in the fall before dropping. New ones sprout in the spring.

Yes, I purchased her. I’d fallen in love. The Universe was guiding me. One of the heroine’s in The Women’s Circle series is Diana.

The Invisible Power of Intention

2011-06-06T10:25:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had a thought and then it seemed that the Universe opens up and what you need is suddenly there, in front of you? I’ve had the thought for some time of moving to solar energy for my house but I couldn’t figure out how to heat it without converting to electricity. My Intention was to lessen my footprint on the earth by lowering or eliminating my use of heating oil.

One day I got a Newsletter from a company I’d not done business with in decades. Curious, I glanced through it and lo and behold there was an article on a new ductless heating system that has been in wide use throughout the rest of the world. An inveterate watcher of Home and Garden Network’s House Hunters International I knew exactly what the article was talking about. I’d seen it and heard raves about how efficient this system was.

Before I had a chance to follow through by calling that company, Kevin, the person who services my furnace came by for his annual check-up. We got to talking and I mentioned my Intention and also that I needed someone to service my heat pump. He referred me to another company. I called and Jim came over the same day. Again, I got to talking with him. He knew all about the ductless system (mini-splits). A few days later, Charlie came over to assess my house and discuss options. Going fully with the mini-splits in my 1924 Craftsman-style house would be difficult but there were other options that would lessen my use of heating oil and give me more efficient comfort in either hot or cold weather.

I had the Intention of lessening my foot print on Mother Earth. I didn’t have to do anything overt. Everyone came to me with the information and answers I needed to make my decision.

The Invisible Power of Intention. The Gift of Synchronicity.

Like The Phoenix

2011-06-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Like the Phoenix

Intentions and Synchronicities blog was started because I wanted to start a conversation with like-minded people about the power of Intention and the importance of Synchronicity. Just over a year ago I posted my first message. In October I posted my last – until now. In the interim I’ve made some discoveries about Synchronicities and I’ve struggled with my daily Intentions.

Rising from the ashes of neglect, Intentions and Synchronicities is resurrecting itself. I’ve talked to like-minded people who will join me. Although posts will be fewer through June, they will become more regular in July.

My Intention is to post once a week. It is time, I believe, to re-energize this part of my life.

Connections and Intentions

2010-10-21T17:53:00.000-07:00

Connections take time, effort, and energy. Whether it is a phone call, letter, card, email, or visit, to stay in touch with, to stay connected with someone takes Intention.

I've found myself sending the energy of unconditional love to people I no longer talk to or write or visit. It is my way of maintaining some sort of connection because these are people who have been very important in my life but right now I'm not expending the time, effort, or energy to have more direct contact. I don't really want to totally let them go, so I don't.

Relationships take everyone involved to keep the connection. Of course there are times when you call more or they write more, but over a span of time it needs to balance out. And who determines the span of time? We do.

If our Intention is to stay connected at a direct level (calls, letters, visits), we find the time and energy and we make the effort. If our Intention fades because our focus is diverted we find reasons and excuses instead of time and energy.

From my point of view, it is better for me to take stock of my connections and be purposeful, to set my Intention on those relationships I truly want in my life. I can always send unconditional love to those who have been important in my life, to maintain our connection on a different level.

It is the time of year when people send cards and notes to each other, or call to catch up. The Holiday Season ... think about your Intentions with your Connections as you decide whether to connect with anyone, everyone, or a selected group. See if the decisions you make add joy, effortless, ease to your holiday celebrations and let me know what you find out.

An Intention and Then What?

2010-10-13T08:37:00.000-07:00

My Intention is to post once a week. If you look back at my last post, you'll see I'm within that time frame, however I started blogging on Thursday, then went to Monday, and then to Tuesday. Last week it was Thursday or Friday and today it is Wednesday.

Why is it so hard to follow through?
Why are things 'spaced' off? or forgotten?

If I had the answer I'd let you know, I'd write articles, I'd give speeches, I'd definitely share!

What I do know is that when we beat on ourselves when we slip up, when we don't meet our expectations, we only hurt ourselves and we only increase the probability that we'll mess up again. And more than likely sooner because Anxiety is not a friend of follow-through.

Life is about experiencing, growing, living, changing.
Life is about joy, happiness, grace, and gratitude.

If you are like me, you have problems being perfect. You may know on some level you are perfect just the way you are, but ...

Welcome to Life, Welcome to the Journey. Remember to enjoy the process, be kind to yourself. If you are, you're more likely to easily and effortlessly follow through on those Intentions.

Seeing the Synchronicities

2010-10-05T18:40:00.000-07:00

Had major technical problems last Tuesday, at least I thought I did. I couldn't figure out how to get in to post the following blog. By the time I did figure that out, Thursday, I was swamped with 'things to do' to get ready to go to Emerald City Writers Conference Friday through Sunday. This is last weeks thoughts and in a couple of days I'll post this weeks.

Each morning as I focus on my Intentions when I say my last one and ask for my day to be easily and effortlessly full of joy and happiness, I lift my arms and say

"I dedicate myself to be of service to those around me."

Simple words that I've said virtually every day since late January 2010. Last week I began a new experiment and I've paid attention to what those words mean in a different way.

Tuesday I had a person tell me about problems with a parent's estate. I realized I knew something about the problem and had some suggestions. What is the probability that someone would ask start sharing with me a problem they had and that it would be something I knew enough about I could make suggestions for solutions.

I've been paying attention and realize that almost every day something happens, usually not as 'big' as my Tuesday experience, where I am in 'service' to someone else. Helping with a minor chore, sharing some information, telling a funny story when someone needed a laugh.

It really isn't about servitude, it is about awareness. Being in the moment, looking for little ways to ease another person's life. Holding the door open for someone on crutches or using a cane or with arms loaded with groceries. Distracting the cranky child while the parent finishes checking out at the store. Little things...yes, as the old song goes...little things mean a lot.

Fall Equinox

2010-09-21T19:41:00.000-07:00

It is the Fall Equinox when our world is in half light and half dark. Tomorrow the dark will gain a few minutes and by December 21st, we will experience the longest night and shortest day.

It is also the official beginning of Fall. However, those of us who live in Oregon have been experiencing it for some time. Cool days, cooler evenings...not quite time to turn on the furnace but close.

Do you recognize the seasons? The changes in light and dark, the ebb and flow of life on our Earth?

This is a powerful time with Fall Equinox today and in two days a Full Moon. I invite you to stand in the power of the Full Moon and while bathing in moonlight, call in what you most want to add to your life. In some parts of the world, you may have to imagine 'bathing in moonlight' because it will be cloudy and you won't be able to see the Moon...but it is worth the imagining to call upon Nature to aid you in making your dreams your reality.

Let me know how it works.

Rebooting

2010-09-14T10:18:00.000-07:00

I think that is the term to use when the computer freezes up or stops working. We 'reboot' it and get it moving again. Right now that term seems to be accurate as it is now Tuesday and I'm just sitting down to write and post this blog.

When I started blogging in May, I posted on Thursday. Then I was unavailable for three weeks and had three guest bloggers. With some technical glitches, one post didn't make it on Thursday and one was posted on Wednesday.

So I began thinking about the day of the week I post and decided Thursday was not my best day as I have a standing meeting and work from 4 p.m. to 8 a.m. on Friday. What day would work? Monday!

Last week I posted on Monday but this week - nope. It's Tuesday.

Looping back to the title of this blog: Rebooting. Another slide in my life is my daily practice of stating my Intentions first thing in the morning. I've had several days when I've not formally said them at all. I will admit the idea of them flits through my mind and some of them are mentally repeated, but the formal practice I kept up for over six months has slipped away.

So I'm "rebooting". I could continue to let it slide, continue to be haphazard about my Intentions and when I blog. That certainly is my choice. But, when I thought about how hectic my life has been the past couple of weeks, how tired I feel, and how rushed (one of the reasons I've procrastinated) I truly do know I've not been more busy than at any other time since late January.

There is a balance between being rigid, slavish even to a routine and being sloppy, lax even.

When I stated my Intentions each morning, my days were smoother, my busy life easier, there was more joy and happiness and my life did feel as if it were easier and more effortless.

It's 10:30 a.m. I'll post this blog and do my Intentions. I'll think about the Synchronicities I've experienced in the hustle and bustle, and I'll count the blessings and miracles that have been a part of my life.

I've 'rebooted' and recognize that life will be and time will pass and more than likely I'll 'reboot' again.

Have you learned to 'reboot' when your life isn't working for you? Are you able to remain in gratitude with yourself as you do it?

The Wise Woman - Crone

2010-09-07T17:36:00.000-07:00

Intentions and Synchronicities are alive and well in my life.

My friend and editor, who lives in Arizona left this a.m. after spending a week with me. A few of those days were spent on the Oregon Coast and a few of them were spent at the Women of the 14th Moon Gathering.

The Women of the 14th Moon Gathering is a time and place to honor the three aspects of the feminine: Maiden, Matron, Crone. The Crone is the wise woman, the elder to whom the younger women turn for support, advice, counsel.

This year my Maiden granddaughter attended for the first time. This was the second Gathering for my Arizona friend, but her first as a Crone. In all there were nine Crones, women who had passed through menopause and were at a new stage in life. Crones are honored from setting up camp Friday until Sunday noon. Crones cut in line for the Port-O-Potty should the need arise as well as go first through the food lines. Younger hands reach out to carry a chair, help unload or load up the car.

Saturday evening the Crone's are given 'pride of place' in The Circle, special tea is brewed, their hands are massaged with lotion, and each Crone stands and speaks her truth, her message, something that she has learned from her life's journey. What makes this so magical is that the Maidens and Matrons listen. They listen to the message beneath the words as well as the words themselves.

It is a powerful to really be listened to, to be heard. It is affirming when someone comes up to tell you how your words spoke to her heart, how something you said will make her path in life a little easier.

Where are you heard? Who listens to your words and their meanings? If there was a message, something you've learned that you'd like to pass on to others, what would it be?

Finding a gem in my TBR pile.

2010-08-30T18:02:00.000-07:00

Have you ever bought a book thinking you were going to read it and then find it untouched weeks or months (perhaps even years later). Hopefully I'm not alone in this.

Taking a break from my general reading material (historical and contemporary romances) I turned to a book on my ToBeRead shelf---The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. The sub-title is "How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference". I'm about a fifth of the way through and am looking forward to reading more on 'word of mouth' and what 'stickiness' is...or more to the point, how to create 'stickiness' in my work. As I understand it, 'stickiness' is what makes us remember the slogan, ditty, book and tell our friends about it.

If I learn something about those little things that make a big difference and how to create stickiness, I believe it will add to my goal of my life being easier and effortless and containing more days of joy and happiness.

Did you know that two men rode out to warn the colonials about the British coming to Lexington and Concord? Why do we only remember Paul Revere? Check out Mr. Gladwell's website, read the book and learn the answers.

Pathways of Life

2010-08-23T21:51:00.000-07:00

One of the most difficult lessons I've had to learn in my life is that not only do I have my own life's path to live but those that I love and hold dear also have theirs. The challenge for me is when their path includes rocks, boulders, detours, slides, pot holes - well, you get the picture. It is easy to support someone when their life is going well or has a bump or two along the way but when a major sink hole or road block occurs then what.

My natural inclination is to charge in to 'help'. I'm very good at organizing, making appointments, arranging transportation, finding resources. And then advice...I want you all to know that the world would be a better place if it just followed my words of wisdom.
So finding myself in the place where there is nothing I can really do to make things better, to fix things has been a challenge. To see people I love face terrifying challenges and know that the best I can do is be their friend, listen when they need to talk, remind them of what they do have control over, send them unconditional love, keep them in healing light and prayers and know in my heart that it is all I need to do.

They are on their own path and it is not mine. I bear witness to their journey and keep to my own path, keep on my own life's journey, grateful for those times our journey is on the same path.

A Path to Change

2010-08-12T17:13:00.000-07:00

I've been committed to focusing the power of my Intentions toward my life being easy and effortless and full of joy and happiness. Each day since the latter part of January I've started my day listing what I want my life to be like and 'holding energy' for the Intentions of others. Many times I've felt the shift that comes from the process and seen what I want manifest beyond my dreams.

As I wrote last week, I've also had Intentions not manifest and, in fact, appear to go in the opposite direction. In my last blog, I talked about how I'd taken that reality and turned it into an opportunity to learn something about myself. That worked well and I came through the experience having a better perspective on what I want in my life.

This week I'm writing a few words about what happens when things don't work out and you can't find something that makes the experience worthwhile. Or at least not easily.

How far do I twist and turn my thinking to find something positive in a negative situation?
How long do I search for an answer that brings peace, hope, a smile?
When do I decide to give up?

These are my questions to myself. These are the questions that need answers. These questions hold my feet to the proverbial fire until I either find my path or stay mired.

Sharing our process in sorting through life's challenges is a gift we can pass on. I hope you use this blog as a means to share yours.

Getting Into The Vortex

2010-08-03T14:03:00.000-07:00

Guest blog by Gimi Garcia now that we have the technical issues worked out.

When a healer once asked me to visualize a time when I was very happy and feel that all over again, my mind blinked right back to our family's dining room, slightly shadowed from the summer sun by the bougainvilleas outside the windows. The comforting hum and damp, cool odor of the water cooler moved in the air. Center frame was my hand-me-down sewing machine on the old heavy wood dining table, and me at it, long hair braided and out of the way, wearing the short, fluorescent orange and pink horizontally striped dress, that was cut like a long tank top, and came to be known as my 'sewing shift' because I wore it any time I sewed, as I could whip it off quickly in one movement to try on and fit my latest creation. I was 17 years-old this remembered cay, making a wardrobe for my senior year, but it could have been any of a hundred days of my adolescence, when I was alone at my cutting table and sewing machine, and probably alone in the house while my parents worked, with a glass of ice tea next to me and snips of thread and scraps of patterns and fabric on the floor till I swept up at the end of my day.
My sewing machine was freshly oiled as my grandma taught me and it was singing as I stitched flat fabric pieces that would be unrecognizable to the non-seamstress or tailor into beautiful curved and fitted garments. I was blissfully happy combining textures and colors, and modifying store-bought patterns to produce garments that were truly my own creation. Time stood still and all my teenage angst had dissipated. Sewing was my best anti-depressant. Sewing was my best mind-altering drug. It was a Summer day in 1968 and I was in the Vortex.

Abraham via Esther and Jerry Hicks (The Vortex: Where the Law of Attraction Assembles All Cooperative Relationships), urge us to get in the Vortex, where we are truly co-operative components in the creation of our own reality. The Vortex, as I understand it, is a place of pure positive energy where we participate in the expansion of the universe as we intend, manifest, and receive our desires. I know that I have been in the Vortex thousands, if not millions of times, when I have had moments of pure happiness while creating, experiencing, or remembering. And isn't it interesting how from that place of pure, positive energy more rockets of desire are launched as we experience something that spurs another great idea f something to create or do?

So why I ask myself, do I not spend more time in the Vortex? It's really kind of silly when I think about it because staying out of the Vortex has a lot to do with "doubt", "responsibilities", "work ethic", and some hierarchy of duties that is 100% self-imposed! Here's an example: "Gimi, you can't get int the Vortex yet because you haven't paid your bills!" It's along the lines of, "You can't have fun yet because you haven't done your work!" But getting in the Vortex should be my work! Haven't you heard it said a thousand times, "A child's play is their work?"
When does that change? Who says it has to? Why can't I get in the Vortex and then pay my bills or write my case notes or do the dishes? Of course I can!

My most recent intention is to spend more time in the Vortex. This means raising my vibration of joyful thoughts, feelings, and actions to that place of pure love where I am creating myself and my life as I desire to be, just like that summer day in 1958 when I was riding currents of well-being and bliss to the music of my sewing machine, long before I had ever heard of the Vortex.

Technology, Intentions, and Synchronicities

2010-07-30T15:01:00.000-07:00

You'll be getting two blogs close together because of technology. One can have the Intention but what I'm learning is without the technical savy a blog can be delayed.

I've also just experienced that even a fervent Intention may not be answered by the Universe.

My three week trip to Nashville, Tennessee and Cincinnati, Ohio did not go smoothly and effortlessly. Delta changed my itinerary so I spent four hours in the Salt Lake City airport arriving in Nashville after midnight instead of 9 p.m. My return trip fared a similar fate for different reasons and I arrived back in Portland at 11 p.m. instead of 7 p.m.

However, there were lessons to learn because of the delays so perhaps The Universe knew better than me. If things had gone smoothly (my trip was easy and effortless) then the questions I pondered would never have been asked and answered and my life would continue in the old direction instead of a new one.

When we hold a clear and fervent Intention, it does not mean it will manifest. But that also does not mean we are not being heard. It may mean that what we want is not what we need or what will serve our highest good.

If you've had similar experiences, please share.

Communing in the Mystery

2010-07-13T18:09:00.000-07:00

Hello. I am a guest blogger for Judith's blog, Michele Lauren. Actually, this is my first time blogging.

The Mayans have a saying that Life is Art and we are the artists of our lives. There is the similar saying that it isn't what happens in our lives that matters as much as what we say about what happens. For me, ultimately, Life is a Mystery and within the Mystery, I am an artist creating with the tools I have, to the best of my abilities, through my actions, thoughts and feelings.

I remember several years ago, walking the beach near Lincoln City and repeating to myself the single word "connection". It was a request of the Universe, of the Mystery. I wanted to feel more of a connection. I had several people with whom I shared a loving relationship. It was not a lack of love with other people that made me feel somewhat disconnected. It was a lack of conversation with those life forces or energies that swirled about in the Mystery, linking all beings together. I wanted to feel connected to the grandeur of Life. And so I continued walking, voicing my yearning.

Years later, I would say I was setting an intention. A wise friend of mine said that intention is informed energy and when our intentions are spoken with our total being, our mind, heart and soul, they are powerful and are heard. (And when others support our intentions with us, the energy behind the intention grows.)

I learned that intentions, however, are only part of the conversation we can have with the Mysteries. Conversation involves talking, listening and awareness. Listening to our intuitions is a very important type of hearing. Listening to what isn't being verbally said, we know the meaning of what isn't spoken but is felt; that hunch or natural knowing. And finally, the part I personally like the most, is being aware of what appears to be coincidence, unrelated turn of events which subsequently are known to be related;synchronicities. Once I began to be aware of synchronicities, I found that they happen within my life on almost a daily basis.(Is this partly because I have an intention to be aware of syncronicities daily?) Every time I am aware of one, I feel this awesome delight and I know I am connected...as the artist and as the paint within the artist hands. And all is well.

I just finished painting a drum and as in all artist endeavors, I had an intention to create. I had an idea of what I wanted to paint but once involved in the creative process, the creation seemed to take on a life of its'own. As I painted, I listened to my intuition and I followed. I used my best skills and then, when it was completed, I became further acquainted with what had been created.

My drum now had an owl, a fox, a dragonfly, hands, fire and a tree. The meaning of the tree was clear, it was the tree of life, rooted in the earth, reaching into the sky, family....a very ancient symbolism. The hands were the hands of creating, of healing, of completion, a bridge between the world seen and the invisible realms we sense. The hands were blue and in the Mayan symbolism, blue hands are the symbol of the power of creativity and mastery...to bridge, to mend, to support and to lend. I looked up dragonfly and fox in Ted Andrew's book, Animal-Speak. The dragonfly represents the power of light and the fox is the feminine magic of camouflage, shapeshifting and invisibility. The owl, of course, is wisdom... the mystery of magic, silent wisdom, omens and visions in the night. And fire is many things, including creation, passion, purification.

And then I was struck with the synchronicity of it all. Before I had start painting, I had been wondering what I would write about on Judy's blog. I had a general idea but nothing firmly in mind. I decided to simply live with the question and not push myself into finding an answer. As I looked at my drum, I knew it was my answer.

There are many wonderful stories I've heard through the years about intention, intuition and synchronicities or the way we commune with the art of life. What's yours? I'd love to hear.

Intuition vs. Intent: Which One to Choose...

2010-07-08T09:47:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone, I'm Courtney, one of the guest bloggers for July! I'm so excited that Judith has allowed me to participate in this awesome endeavor. She and I met as writers attending a conference, but I think there was more going on by way of the universe... I got over my shyness, asked Judith for directions because hers was literally the only door open, and I have been glad ever since.

It's been said that a writer can tell more truth in fiction, than in non-fiction. I bring this up because I truly believe everything on earth (both the physical and the intangible) carries with it a vibration unique unto itself--and I make that 'outrageous' concept a reality in my fiction. When our emotions/intuition create the right vibrations, and align with our very personal intentions, there is not a more powerful manifesto to life.

The title of this blog has 'vs.' between Intuition and Intent, but in truth, I am one who thinks that in order to become what you were meant to become, what you desire to become, you have to pair the two ideas into a seamless concept--what makes you feel complete, and what will you do with that particular emotion once it is received. Once all that happens, intuition and intent turn into one word: purpose.

A couple years ago, I was single, living in San Antonio, had a salary, independence, etc. But I had little fulfillment, emotionally and intellectually. After two friends of mine died within three months of each other, I found the drive to find myself. Having to deal with loss, I was able to appreciate the valuable realization I made: that time-alive is more precious than any rare metal or diamond. I wanted to have joy and happiness in my life, and by focusing on what I wanted, I found my intent. My intuition aligns with it, too, because writing has always given me joy.

Once I accepted (emotionally) and received (intentionally) the revelation, my life changed and adapted to accommodate my joy. My purpose: to help people realize that they have control over their own happiness. Being angry and resentful and negative, is a choice. Even this blog is allowing me to express the absolute impact synchronicities have had and will keep having in my life and the rest of yours. Thank you for letting me share this with you!

Synchronicities and blogging

2010-07-01T18:14:00.001-07:00

Have you ever had a moment in time when if you had a fraction of a second you could change something. I'd just finished this weeks blog when the little finger of my right hand grazed some key and everything vanished.

My first reaction was AAAGGGHHH!!!! Then I looked at the title and thought, what is the synchronicity in having to rewrite this blog. The original post was introducing you to the three women who will be posting over the next three Thursdays (Courtney on July 8th, Michele on July 15th and Gimi on July 23).

Without Synchronicity, without Intention I'm not sure I'd have the relationships with them that I do. I met Courtney by 'accident' when she asked me a question when we were both attending the Desert Dreams Writers Conference in Scottsdale, AZ. If I hadn't had the door to my hotel room open, she wouldn't have been able to ask me a question and I wouldn't know her.

Gimi invited me to participate in an on-line class on Master Minding. I'd known Gimi for several years as we both belong to The William Glasser Institute's Northwest Region. In 1997 she was Program Chair and I was co-chair for that year's International Conference in Seattle, Washington. Through our weekly telephone calls, our relationship has grown and we consider each other to be friends.

Michele and I have been friends for well-over thirty years. Best friends for most of that time. We learned about the power of Intention and Synchronicity when we both attended Lifespring in the mid-1980's. The Intention to stay strong in our friendship, to put our relationship first over our individual needs (most of the time) is the foundation upon which we've built the longest lasting strongest personal relationship either of us has.

I invite you to look around you and see who you have in your life who adds a richness, a fuller meaning and analyze how that came to be. If you are like me, you'll see a plethora of synchronicities.

The Secret, Intentions, and Synchronicities

2010-06-25T09:56:00.000-07:00

In 2006 Rhonda Brynes published The Secret. The concepts I'd learned in the 1970's were back and a new generation of people were introduced to the power of their minds, the power of their Intentions, the power to manifest their dreams and desires.

Over the years I'd fallen out of practice in using those 'tools' I'd learned in Lifespring. The Secret gave me the opportunity to reconnect with what I knew worked. I'd been in a motor vehicle accident in 204 and the time had come to settle with the insurance companies. I used the framework Brynes lists in her book to write out what it was I wanted to occur during mediation. At least twice a day I followed the process and focused on what I wanted.

At the end of mediation, if all the concessions were added together, I was less than $5K from the figure I'd envisioned. The process was relatively effortless which was something else I'd asked for. How did that happen? Synchronicity. While Intentions and Synchronicities do not necessarily go hand-in-hand, they do compliment each other.

What was synchronistic was the mediator had had a similar medical issue to what I was experiencing as a result of the accident. Neither my attorneys nor I had to explain the effect those symptoms had on my daily life. He knew, he'd been there himself.

Do you look for synchronicities to support your intentions? I'd like to hear your story so please feel free to comment.

Being Present

2010-06-17T16:31:00.000-07:00

One of the main reasons I take five to ten minutes each morning, quiet my thoughts and body, and focus my awareness on my Intentions and the Intentions I hold for others, is that process brings me fully into 'the present'.

Being in the present, in the now is easier said than done as we live much of our lives in the past or the future. My need to live in the future is based on the myth that if I plan the future and know what is supposed to happen, then I'll be okay, safe, happy, peaceful, all right, etc. A reality is that the time I spend looking forward to what will be, I'm missing where I am and what is.

While our brains are wonderful things, they can only be one place at a time. When I'm thinking about the future or agonizing over something in the past, I'm missing out on what is happening right now. It may be the way the sun plays on the leaves in the tree outside my window, the beauty of the sunset, a neighbor saying 'hi', a child's smile and wave from a passing car; something simple or something complex. I don't know because I missed it, I wasn't here.

Our brains are complex. We can train them to do some things automatically so that they do something consciously. If you drive a car with a 'stick shift' you reach a point where you just 'know' and shift and you aren't paying much attention to those actions. When we are children and first learning to walk, we concentrate on every step; as adults we walk while looking at grocery shelves, talking to a friend, admiring a neighbors yard. However, to be successful in training our brains, in training ourselves, we must be 'present' during the training process.

Due to the accident I mentioned last week, I'm back in physical therapy. My appointment this morning points out that lesson. I'm having to learn simple movements again. Today my assignment was to step back and forth over a 2 X 4 board while counting backwards from 20. I got to 18, was unstable on my feet, and felt tears of frustration. It is very hard for me to do.

Tomorrow, I'll start my day in the present. I'll state my Intentions which will include "Counting backwards from twenty, while stepping over the 2 X 4 is easy and effortless for me."

Does that mean I'll not stumble, stagger, or lose track of the numbers? How I wish! The reality is that I will stumble, stagger, and lose track of the numbers but my level of frustration will be much less because I'll stop, pause, be in the present, repeat my Intention, and try again.

My Intention is to safely, easily and effortlessly master this exercise. If I keep my focus on that, if I stay in the present, I will succeed more quickly than if I believe it's too hard and I have to struggle. I don't mind stumbling and staggering as I relearn to 'walk and talk' at the same time again. I do mind struggling, making it harder and more difficult than it has to be.

Easy and effortless, joy and happiness, grace and gratitude, confidence and certainty are hallmarks of my life today.

How do you want to live your life? What is your Intention? Do you want to live a life of peace, a life of adventure, a life of productivity, a life of _________?

Please share your thoughts. I'd like to know how you use these ideas.

Intention and an Easy, Effortless Life

2010-06-10T08:08:00.000-07:00

I have a list of Intentions I focus on at the beginning of each day. I've been diligent (only missed one) since I started January 27th, 2010. And even on that day though I did not sit and read and ponder each statement, the ideas swirled through me as I sat at my computer working on my current novel.

My Intentions include words like 'easy' and 'effortlessly'. I've lived over half of my life from the point of view that if I work harder I'll have better results, I'll get ahead faster, I'll produce more, I'll make more money. This view of the world is a kindred spirit of 'no pain, no gain'.

The term 'hard work' is often associated with long hours, pushing through, getting it done which are not necessarily bad but when there is a heaviness, a 'have to' mind set that creates stress, then the joy of the work is lost. Think about the time you were engrossed in a project and the time just flew by. That is what living a life with ease and effortlessness is about.

At this point I want to have it all. I want a life of love, joy, happiness. I want to be productive, writing and publishing my novels. I want time to be with friends and family. And then there is the reality of working until my income from writing increases. With only twenty-four hours in a day, how does that come about? How do I have a life of effortlessness and ease and have all that, do all that?

Shifting my belief that life has to be hard to be good, that I have to struggle to be successful is my starting point. Since I've started my daily Intention work my life is easier, more effortless. I find myself leaving late for an appointment but arriving on time. I find ideas flow into my mind when I relax. I find people who are blessings to me show up without my having to search for them.

The experiment I'm committed to for at least a year is to see how easily and effortlessly I can live my life. How little effort it actually takes to have what I want if I'm clear about and focused on what I want (Intention). To be open to and aware of the world around me and the Synchronicities that support my goals, dreams, and desires.

I'd love to have you join me.

More thoughts on vibrations

2010-06-03T18:04:00.000-07:00

Where do you feel most connected to the energy around you? Some people swear it is by water, the ocean or waterfalls in particular. Others, find a mountain top their source.

Since we are energy, it is possible to be connected at any time, in any place. Do you have a place where you shift your focus and align with the energy forces around you?

Mornings I sit on my couch, facing south, looking out a small window next to my fireplace. The view includes the top of a tree that has morphed into the shape of a bird. My gaze passes through a selenite sphere and a glass ball I made myself. When the sun shines, the sphere becomes a glowing orb of fractures and compartments, drawing me into its mystery.

Where do you most often see energy? The aura of another living being. I was recently at writer's conference and watched one of the key speakers stride in front of his audience, conviction in his voice, his golden aura pulsing. His passion for his subject drew energy from his depths and from the audience around him.

Where do you most often feel the energy inside you expand and grow, reach beyond yourself to include the world around you? What are you doing when caught up in the passion of life? Figure that out and then concentrate your Intention to replicate that sense of connectedness to the source.

It can be done.

The Intention Experiment

2010-05-27T12:17:00.001-07:00

If you have a desire to be part of something bigger than yourself, you may find Lynne McTaggart's work inspirational.

The Intention Experiment by Lynne McTaggart chronicles her work to scientifically track the effects of Intention. The sub-title is Using Your Thoughts to Change Your Life And The World. Ms McTaggart is the force behind the world's largest 'mind-over-matter' experiment. In this book the author talks about and demonstrates that our thoughts have their own energy and they affect the world around us.

McTaggart is not the first person to suggest that every thought has its own vibrational energy. We all have felt 'vibes' (good and bad) when we've walked into a room or met someone. That vibrational energy can impact something, change something somewhere else in the world.

What Napoleon Hill was talking about is that when we work with two or more people, we can connect with a Universal Source that is comprised of vibrational energy and our Intention will manifests in the here and now.

Do you have a story to share? Let me know if you'd like to be a guest blogger and share your story with others.

Trust, Success, and the Mastermind

2010-05-20T14:39:00.000-07:00

Napoleon Hill's works "The Law of Success", "Think and Grow Rich, and the concept of Mastermind has been around for decades. For Mastermind to be successful the participants must come together in a spirit of harmony and good will, genuinely wanting the other people to have their goals, dreams and desires manifest in their lives. It isn't about what's in it for me. If you are not focused on assisting the other person in your Mastermind to realize what s/he wants, then the power that Hill is referencing is lost.

Trust comes into play here. We need to trust that if we are truly committed to the success of the other people, our success is ensured. So, being involved with other people you intuitively know will hold your Intentions on your behalf is important. You can be successful without that support, but when you have it everything works more effortlessly.

Have you belonged to a Mastermind? What were/are your experiences?

The Power of the Brain

2010-05-13T14:22:00.000-07:00

The power of focused Intention, the awareness of Synchronicities is not new. I became aware of the power of these concepts in the 1970's when I enrolled in Lifespring, a personal growth program that grew out of the work of Jose Silva's The Silva Method. Practitioners of The Silva Method learn to master their brains, function at a higher level of consciousness, use the power of the alpha brain wave to increase mental activity, tranquility, inspiration, creativity, intuition, etc.

After Lifespring I became acquainted with the works of Napoleon Hill, Denis Waitley, and other's who espoused the idea that we can use the power of our brains to manifest what we want in our lives.

I'd love to hear who has inspired you to look at how Intention and Synchronicities play a part in your life.

An Intentional Welcome

2010-05-06T14:44:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my blog. My Intention is to post once a week to begin with.

Were you intrigued by The Secret?

Have you read Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich?

Are you ever surprised when something easily and effortlessly comes into your life - unexpectedly?

If you answered 'yes' to any of those questions, this blog may interest you.