The Joy of Reconnecting

Summertime brings us together.  And being together is a joyful gift! Last week, Tom and I gathered with dear friends to watch fireworks and laugh about old times. Our kids are all in college. How fortunate we are to share our collective lives! Our young adults arrived at the picnic with new boyfriends and girlfriends in tow, stories of freshman year drama, and plenty of hugs to go around. In the Michigan Midwest, being with people you love under a perfect sunny sky while something is on the grill, well, it doesn’t get much better.

The simple pleasures of jumping into a lake or time spent in a wicker rocking chair near the impatiens on a screened porch is one way I reconnect with nature. Every summer, I marvel at the stretches of hot, sunny days and how good it feels to have a cool lemonade in hand. On Sunday mornings, when I stroll through the Farmer’s Market in town to buy tomatoes and basil, I inhale the smells of newly picked produce. It’s good to reconnect with our food too! I try to pass by the cherry pie vendors, unsuccessfully of course, as I cannot resist fresh baked goods. But at this time of year, it’s important to wake up our senses too, and consciously reconnect with Mother Earth and her bounty. It feels good to enjoy.

Having just completed my new book The Oneness Gospel: Birthing the Christ Consciousness and Divine Human in You, I’m so happy to reconnect with you, my reader! And, I am now indulging myself in a few summer reads.  I am enjoying The Gentle Art of Blessing by Pierre Pradervand. As a blessing giver, this book caught my eye. Pierre writes about new ways of seeing our world and says we remain connected and in tune with our “world family” through the power of blessing. I couldn’t agree more.  Living life, Pierre says, is simply the process of removing barriers to experiencing Divine love. As a spiritual practice, constantly blessing people wherever we go brings us closer to humanity and the heaven within.  When we bless someone, we affirm the good (and God) that is within all beings. A blessing helps us be aware of our own inner perfection.

Let’s recognize that the whole world is one family. This month, when you meet friends or even God through quiet meditation, be aware of the perfection that exists in your connection though consciousness.

Summer Affirmation: I am at peace with life and nature, fully connected to the light that exists in everything and everybody. My world feels good and I radiate beauty. God’s love is reflected in me.

Summer blessing:  I acknowledge the universal presence and loveliness hidden from my eyes and the unlimited good in every person and situation. I invoke the Divine to provide my friends and family with abundance. From the bottom of my heart and with great love, I see their complete fulfillment and deepest happiness.

Every Blessing,

Charlene

Copyright © 2010 by The Goddess Network, Inc., and Charlene M. Proctor, Ph.D. All rights reserved.

The Rev. Dr. Charlene M. Proctor of The Goddess Network is the best-selling author of Let Your Goddess Grow! and The Women’s Book of Empowerment. A Blessing facilitator and a Minister of Spiritual Peacemaking, she is dedicated to helping awaken individuals from all walks of life to the magnificence of their own Divine gifts. Visit www.charleneproctor.com for many books, workshops, and recordings and her blog at www.charleneproctor.com/blog.

Are you reading this summer? Check out Charlene’s Shelfari for her favorite books! Love your Kindle? Buy Let Your Goddess Grow! and The Women’s Book of Empowerment!

My Shelfari

Are you on Shelfari? I’d love to share my Shelfari shelf with you! Connect or simply browse my favorite must reads: http://bit.ly/9YAeZL.

Divine Thoughts: Worry Less by Building Gratitude

In the current economic conditions, many people are worrying about how change will trickle down into their personal lives. If a daily exchange of fear, blame, or doom has replaced your daily affirmation, you need to say yes to the goodness life has to offer and build an attitude of gratitude.

Living in a true state of thankfulness allows us to manage worry with ease. No matter how difficult they are, life’s lessons are always learning opportunities. Spirit is attempting to get your attention in an area that is not serving your best interests. When we acknowledge the lesson, learn from it, and add gratitude to our daily life, worrying will fall away. Let’s practice six ways to build gratitude today.

1. Yes, You can cope. Affirm it! When the caca hits the fan, first learn to affirm your innate ability to cope.
2. Remember that you are made of Unlimited, Divine Spirit. Affirm that spirit is a part of your skill set. Invite the Divine Presence into each day and every circumstance and in whatever wisdom tradition or faith feels right to you.
3. Widen your perspective to deep appreciation.
4. Use the Law of Attraction.
5. If you want to be a person who is loved, continue to give unselfishly and thank others for all they do.
6. Get the energy to return to you by practicing gratitude.

Living in a continual state of gratitude for being alive and well and having a chance to improve the lives of others through your words and actions turns negative situations around very quickly. When you express gratitude in your words and actions, you’ll be among the most beloved people on this planet, and your worrying will fall away. Without a thankful approach to life, we do not have as great an opportunity to explore the limits of our patience and our capabilities as loving individuals have.

Did you enjoy this post? Read the entire article and expanded affirmations relating to building gratitude available to all as a gift by clicking here.

This Week's Char Favs

Russill Paul returns to the Detroit, Michigan area, August 20^th and 21^st, for a Satsang and a Yoga of Sound workshop, respectively.  Please visit www.rpdetroit.com for more information, including ticket information. Namaste!

Canadians: Visit Luc Sauvé at the Rama Lotus Yoga Centre (www.ottawayoga.com) in Ottawa.  He is a Oneness Trainer presently working at Omega Institute for Holistic Studies in Rhinebeck, NY. Deeksha sessions soon to follow!

Early-bird July Trunk Sale!

What is the saying, the early-bird gets the worm!

Be sure to check out our current July trunk sale with early-bird specials beginning now in June! We are clearing the way for the newest title, The Oneness Gospel.

Must-haves for any self-growth library include the bestselling books Let Your Goddess Grow! 7 Spiritual Lessons on Female Power and Positive Thinking and The Women’s Book of Empowerment: 323 Affirmations That Change Everyday Problems into Moments of Potential. And don’t forget the accompanying Transformational Journal and eCourses for life-transforming exercises and guides!

Inventory is limited! Visit our store today. Use the discount code: Oneness2010 to receive 15% off of your entire order. The discount will be reflected upon checkout.

This Week's Char Favs

I run across so many wonderful websites and online destinations throughout my week! Sharing the best with you today:

Linda Beal has a virtual place where awakened people can connect!
See www.liminalconsc.com or contact livinginoneness@hotmail.com

Need a true getaway to reconnect with your Source?  Having fun and being with Spirit happens on Sheri Rosenthal’s Journeys of the Spirit. This is a newsletter worth subscribing to: http://www.journeysofthespirit.com/newsletters/june2010/ These trips are amazing and have a lot of heart and soul. I will be doing one later this year!

The Spark, The Flame and the Torch: Lance Secretan’s new book offers a radical and imaginative plan for building inspiring lives and organizations.  Corporate spirituality for business leaders.http://secretan.com/torch/ Lance is a dear friend!

Graduation 2010: The Journey

I was honored to speak at the 2010 Commencement for the Hoosac School in New York. To see all of the graduates and families at this amazing moment in their lives, it was quite lovely. I spoke of the present moment and would like to share that with you now. Enjoy!

The Journey Begins Where You Are, Not Where You Want to Be
Commencement address by Rev. Dr. Charlene M. Proctor
Author and Spiritual Peacemaker
June 5, 2010, The Hoosac School, Hoosick, New York

Years ago, when I decided my career was writing spiritual and self-help books, I started paying attention to life a lot more. A good writer is aware of life’s unspoken dialogue because that’s where all the wisdom lives. Anne Lamott once said that all wise people say the same thing; that you are deserving of love, and that it’s all here now, everything you need. But when you pray, you are not starting the conversation from scratch, just remembering to plug back into a conversation that’s always in progress. So, great writing, like conscious living, is about plugging into what God says then paying close enough attention so you can tell the story. On Saturday, I shared many stories that helped these bright graduates on their path to personal growth and success. And, it was great fun to shake the dust off my old doctoral robe, and march in an academic processional with faculty, students and my son, who was graduating too!

One story was about knowing what you want in life. When I was a senior in high school I had a class ring. I loved this ring and treasured it dearly.  Everyone wore class rings back then. One day, I went to the beach. When I reclined on the sand, I took my ring off and rested it on my stomach because I didn’t want any tan lines around my fingers. I fell asleep and after I woke up, I had forgotten about the ring.  I stood up and packed up my things, and rode a couple of miles home on my bike. Much later that day, I realized I had lost my ring. I panicked. Then I remembered, “It’s at the beach.” Yea, at the beach but somewhere within a dune. Too much sand to even calculate. But I decided to set an intention, to focus on nothing but that ring and I went to look anyway. I rode my bike all the way back to the beach, and visualized finding the ring.

When I got there, I didn’t notice how vast a space this beach was. I chose not to see the obstacles. There were no markers, people, rocks, nothing… only miles of endless sand. But I saw myself finding that ring in my mind because I couldn’t accept any other possibility.  

I walked down the wooden steps to the beach, and focused. I walked about 300 yards to what I believed to be the spot, reached down and moved my hands through the sand, feeling for the buried ring.  And I found it. Statistically speaking, the odds of this happening are a kazillion to one that I could find this ring, but I did. So, my point is, no matter the odds, as long as you focus and have clarity in your life, you are going to be OK.  You can always beat the odds. If you have a three percent chance of being accepted into Harvard or beating cancer, so what?  Who is to say you won’t be in the three percent?  Learn to set an intention and follow through, and just don’t talk about it. And you need to have a passion for finding things. Don’t wander aimlessly. Set some goals!  And if you lost something that meant a lot to you, it is never too late to get it back.

Life’s wisdom always resides in-between the lines of the present moment – those are the everyday experiences we often overlook. Once, on a spiritual retreat in Fiji, Sri AmmaBhagavan said, “The journey begins where you are, not where you want to be.” It is the best advice I have ever received as a human being. Your journey doesn’t start at some future point, or even in your past. It is wherever you are right now, so choose to be fully present. Henry Miller, the American novelist and painter, said that writing, like life itself, is a voyage of discovery because it is a way of acquiring a total view of the universe. At the end of each day, you have graduated from one thing or another because life is such a rich learning experience. So, as you write your own next chapter tomorrow, and for each day after that, remember you are here to transform the world in some way. Work hard, challenge yourself, and seek a path that is true to your own inner voice because that is how you bring your light to the world. Be thankful for every experience and pay attention to the small stuff.

This month, and always, as you remain open, aware, and present, I wish you all the best that life can offer.

Every Blessing,

Charlene

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Here are the cards I handed out to the graduates and families. Click on them to view them full-size:

H.E.A.L. Series with Dan Hanneman

Thank you to Dan Hanneman, host of The Spiritual RockStar Community, for an engaging conversation! It was great to discuss transformation, the Oneness Blessing, spirituality and the link to personal awakening on Dan’s Spiritual RockStar Radio show.

Be sure to tune in and listen to my interview as part of the Highly Evolved Actualized Living (H.E.A.L.) series, hosted virtually May 23rd-27th.

GET your FREE copy of THIS E-BOOK!

Simply leave a comment on this posting (below) and I will send you a full complimentary download of my e-book:

How to Translate a Calling into Real-World Work with Clarity, Passion and Common Sense
by Rev Dr. Charlene M. Proctor

The Goddess Network, Inc.

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