Lunar New Year – Fifth Principle Season

While January 1^st always marks the beginning of the Gregorian calendar, people use other calendars to determine when their new year begins. There is usually a more spiritual basis to celebrating a new year on days other than January 1^st , ie – Ramadan, Rosh Hashanah, Samhain are other spiritual traditions that celebrate a new year on a day other than January 1^st. These celebrations are about being a better person spiritually and being grateful to have lived another year, receiving the wisdom of the previous year’s lessons.

The Lunar New Year is that time for me. I set my intentions for the coming year for my Self. Taking place on the second new moon of the year according the lunar calendar, this year February 8. Unlike the more public and obvious declarations of save more, lose weight, quit doing something harmful, fill in the blank; which usually begin the calendar year. The Lunar New Year has become the time for me to dedicate my energy for living my intentions. This is when, I dedicate my Self anew to the life that I am manifesting.

This is why, for me, the Lunar New Year is the beginning of Fifth Principle Season.

Live Your Intentions – Fifth Principle, 5 Principles of Joy

Live Your Intentions – This is all about action. Are you engaging in thoughts, words and activities daily to create the life you want to live and manifest your dreams? This is about doing what it takes to harness your power, your light and make something happen

Lunar New Year is also known as Chinese New Year. Typically this coincides with a time of year when many people will be entering into the Lenten season of the Christian liturgical calendar, beginning with Ash Wednesday and ending with Easter. This time of year brings reflection and celebration of gratitude and abundance. Interestingly in the Chinese tradition they celebrate good fortune, happiness and abundance. In the Lenten tradition, it is about austerity and surrender before reward.

As a bit of a Heinz 57 as far as my spiritual background goes, I have collected bits of many traditions and created my own flavor of spiritual sauce. Beginning almost 20 years ago I decided to stop giving things up for Lent and began including things as a daily Lenten practice that I really wanted to have in my life. One year it was Prayerful Running. Each day I was to go for a “run for spiritual cleansing and clearing” so to speak. This is about being the person you have always wanted to be. It was about being a better me by Easter instead of proving I was worthy by suffering through denying myself some pleasure – no chocolate, no alcohol, no pasta, whatever. One year I decided I wanted to be more Bible literate and create a habit of journaling, so I decided to randomly choose a Bible verse each day of Lent and journal about what it meant for me. If we are on a spiritual journey, than we must understand what that means. We must find our own way. That is why it is about living our intentions.

A spiritual journey is exactly that, a journey. It moves along a continuum. The more I know my Self, the deeper the need for understanding of Self on a spiritual level. We create activities, rituals, maps to help stay connected to our Joy, our journey. We must make use of the things that serve our mission and leave behind that which does not serve us.

Where my journeying will take me this year is anyone’s guess. When I shut down my healing practice when we moved to California 3 years ago I did it because I had lost my connection to those gifts. I sought help from many people to understand where I needed to grow and be healed, only to finally realize I was simply turned a little too far in one direction. By shifting my focus, by slowing down, by focusing on my life not my busyness, I finally connected to exactly what had been missing. This month marks the first time in over 3 years I am gratefully ready to begin working with clients again.

The time I have spent over the last 5 years, since I first began writing the 5 Principles of Joy, was about learning, growing, certifying, and healing. It has brought me to this moment where I am ready to focus less on my journey and more on others and the illimitable possibilities in their lives and how I can help them through the teachings of the 5 Principles of Joy. My inner teacher, healer, mother, lover is ready to support others on their journeys and I am so grateful to have the chance.

I am grateful to introduce you to the Illimitable You! Happy New Year!

 

Gratitude Entry #1

I have begun putting the book back together. That means I spend A LOT of time with my journals, current and past. Recently, I wrote about my gratitude for my wusband’s love of electronics. Whatever new TV, DVD player, look like you live in your television thing that comes out, she’s totally ready to buy it…at a good price, of course.

While I may not be into these toys, I do benefit from them. Case in point, our current TV/DVD situation. I couldn’t understand why we needed cable and to be able to go online from the television. Well, life is funny. I discovered a great benefit for my joy journey from the tip of my remote…YouTube.

As previous posts can attest, I love yoga. It clears my mind, reconnects me to my Self, inside and out. It’s where I find my understanding of my mission and the courage (heart power) to act upon it.

By going online, from my television, I get to take a new yoga class every day right in my living room; big, with surround sound. When you aren’t doing yoga live with an instructor, you must find a way to get the energy going yourself. As much as I love taking class, there is something to be said for a solitary practice.

When I find myself drifting away from my practice for whatever reason, the internet provides a vast array of teachers of every modality. All I have to do is make it to my living room and there is a class available.

Today’s Kundalini class brought up issues around the book I didn’t even realize I had. I cried. The gratitude for that moment was overwhelming. I cried again.

Yes a live class is the energy of all of those bodies doing the same thing you are, taking their shit to the mat. Everyone is gathered ready to connect to their higher selves. Your instructor is there to guide you, to love you, to gently touch and help you deepen your connection to your Self; body, mind & spirit.

The thing about it is, it’s yoga whether it’s live or on the internet. It’s always your practice, your mat. You have to find your way there however you can. Do what works for you today, right now, for your life.

I will be in class again soon. In the meantime, I’m grateful for a butch, a TV, YouTube and my mat.

Love Your Self, Regardless – First Principle and my Yoga Journey

Greetings Lovelies!

On this very numeralogically balanced and abundant day (01+25=8, 20+1+5=8) I bring you thoughts from my yoga mat.

My very good friend invited me to try a 30 Days of Yoga You Tube challenge that this lovely young lady named Adriene was beginning in January. As I had been struggling a bit getting back to my mat, I decided to join in. I was going gangbuster for the first week. I had even found several of my favorite Kundalini Yoga instructor’s videos too. This allowed me to trade off between Hatha Yoga and Kundalini, expanding my practice in multiple directions.

Then I hit a snag. My schedule can get quite hectic at times and I missed a couple of days. Then I got back on the mat. Then I missed a couple of more days. It was beginning to feel like a New Year’s Resolution that I wasn’t keeping. I began shoulding on my Self. You should be on Day 15/17/22. You should be able to get up and get 30 minutes in some time during the day. You should have done it before your flight…you get the point. While encouraging words are quickly off my tongue for others, I often suffer judgement from this same tongue.

When I began feeling discouraged I remembered that I was the only one keeping track of my days. Although I may have had interruptions for a 30 consecutive day practice, I realized that the point of doing this was about getting me back to my mat. I remembered that life will continue to be life. While I may not get yoga in everyday, everyday I get it in is better. That’s when I gave my Self a break. I have my Self permission to be my Self. I reminded my Self taking that time in bed to snuggle with my wusband, was also a gift for my soul. I reminded my Self that I can count my days whichever way I choose. I reminded my Self that whatever I do is perfect because I’m the only me doing it.

So, although I am not on Day 25 of my 30 days just yet. I must congratulate myself on the ones that I have completed and on the fact that I didn’t throw up my hands in frustration and give up.

Remember this is your journey Lovelies. You’ve got the map. Each step is perfect!

Love and joy!

Robyn

A Joyful Gift for You

Love Your Self, Release Your Fears, Accept Your Gifts, Speak Your Truth, Live Your Joy

Quite some time ago, I trained as an image consultant while living in NYC. One of the most important lessons I learned in training was that sometimes people need help remembering the wonderful things that make them special. This is when I first learned about what I like to call a Joy Box.

Very often we receive compliments that lift our spirits and give us confidence, when we receive them. Then after some time has passed, often those feelings wear off. A Joy Box helps preserve those moments and will help remind you what there is to love about you. Here’s how it works:

Let’s start with the box. This is a special vessel that you have set aside to help you find your way back to alignment with your joy. What that looks like is totally up to you. It could be something pretty you purchase for this, or it can be something you created in arts and crafts. My mother makes these great ones recycling boxes golf balls come in.

Once you have the box, it’s time to fill it. Each time someone gives you a compliment, offers words of encouragement, says anything that lifts your spirits, write it down and put it in your box. There is no right or wrong way of doing this. You can use random scraps of paper or very specific paper, the HOW of this is all you. The point is to capture that moment. My suggestion is, whatever you use, be sure to have it with you at all times. Write it down as quickly as possible after it’s happened. Write down what’s important for you – who said it, when they said it, what they said would be sufficient. If you want to include other details, by all means, go right ahead.

The purpose of this exercise is to help remind you when you’re not having the best day, that you are in fact magnificent, wonderful and perfect. So, on those days when you are struggling you can take out this box and be reminded of all of the loving things people have said about you. Some days it will only take a couple of moments, other days it could take most of the box. I promise, the longer you read, the bigger your smile will get. The best part is, you’re taking care of two principles at once; 1 and 3 – Love Your Self and Accept Your Gifts.

If you decide to try this, send me some pics!

Hope you have a glorious weekend!

Joyfully yours,

Robyn

A Joyful Path

Love Your Self, Release Your Fears, Accept Your Gifts, Speak Your Truth, Live Your Joy

It began a lifetime plus four years ago, this path to joy. Now, I sit here after stating my life’s mission one day over burritos – I want to travel the world teaching people about joy living my life marveling at how I got here.

How I was going to live that joyful mission didn’t concern me. I just knew I would. When I gave my Self permission to live this path of joy, I could see what that joyful life looked like. I could feel what living that life felt like.

I had no idea what I was in for, I just knew it was going to be exactly what I wanted. This October I found myself living one of those joyful moments and it felt incredible; exactly the way I knew it would. I could feel my body vibrating with gratitude, radiating joy, I knew right in that moment, I was living the life that I saw.

I have so much to share with you about this path. The thing to remember, it is not our job to figure out the path. The path will be revealed.You must decide you’re ready to take that step.

Thanks for joining me!