• What do you want love to fill up or complete for you?  Can you name the underlying need that springs forth in your desire for love?

• Do you find it easier to give love or receive love? How can you begin to receive with as big a heart as you give? Or, give with as big a heart as you receive?

• What are you willing to change in order to open to more love in your life?  How can you begin right now to be more loving to yourself, to others, to strangers, to your life as it is?

Last week I went to Los Angeles for a week of business, pleasure, family, and friends.  I jumped on the opportunity to attend a marketing workshop specifically designed for solo-entrepreneurs like myself.  I circulated and learned a lot at the workshop and also had a ball spending time with my family and friends.  It turns out I know quite a few great people in LA and even got invited to a small Hollywood gathering!  Who me?  You just never know where I might end up!

My sister also did some recruiting to try and get me to move out to LA and I was open to exploring the idea.  I spent some time ‘feeling’ it and tuning into the question, “Would L.A. suit me?”  It certainly requires more research but it does have me wondering:  how do we tune in to our intuition to guide us in everyday choices as well as in making those big leaps like moving across the country?

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Earlier this year I spent an afternoon on a tour of art galleries in Chelsea with a dear friend. We were having a blast hopping from one gallery to the next to see the latest in photography, painting, sculpture and more.

About halfway through the tour we came to one of the largest and most famous galleries in all of Chelsea (our guide was sure to point this out).  In this large open space only two large sculptures were on display.  One of them was constructed with a series of metal security doors welded together to form a large intertwining rectangle of rusted metal.

It was a rather distressing piece and left me with a profound sense of despair and the feeling of being locked in or trapped by all these rusted metal doors.

Up until this point I had been having fun looking at the art but this piece made me feel gloomy and heavy.  Clearly the artist intended an effect, which was certainly not uplifting, and even leaving me a bit uneasy, but I was willing to keep checking things out.

The next piece by the same artist was a big coach-style bus.  The guide gave us some background about the piece. It turned out you could also walk through it to see how the had converted the bus, using the same rusted metal security doors as the first piece.

So I went through the bus and as I did, something really terrible struck me.  I suddenly felt claustrophobic and anxious. Something felt very wrong and the feeling took over my whole body.  Every hair on the back of my neck stood up and I had to get out!  Eeek!  I managed to get off the bus without pushing anyone in front of me but it certainly wasn’t fast enough.  Ahhhhhhhh, I immediately went outside to get some air.

How often to do you tune into yourself or your environment before moving forward?  When you sense danger or even just something that feels a little off, do you listen or do you talk yourself out of it?  Do you adjust your actions?  Do you slow down?  How willing are you to trust your own intuition, those internal nudges that subtly ask for attention or, when it’s really trying to get your attention – the hair standing on the back of your neck?

If I had slowed down for even a minute to tune into the feeling I got from that bus, I would have known that I didn’t want to go inside for the tour.  The bus was painted black on the outside and there was something very dark on the inside that was not anything I needed to learn more about.  For me, I just needed to walk away.

Now this was only a bus in an art gallery, but it’s a good example of intuition at work.  It could have just as easily been a potential employer, or a man asking me out on a date, or an invitation to a party.  So what can we do to better focus our ability to tune in to our soul’s messages?

Here are a few tips that I’ve found can bring me back to my own knowing.
1. Slow down. Walk slower. Talk slower.  Open up your awareness to notice the environment around you.
2. Breathe. Deeply. Breathe.
3. Feel your feet connect with the earth (even if you are on a bustling NYC street corner!).  Connect downward through your whole body and remember that we’re all connected to the earth, no matter how much concrete or metal may be between us and the soil.
4. Tune into all your senses. Use all your senses – sights, sounds, smells, sensing, even taste.  Allow your whole body to ‘speak’ to you.
5.  Intuition often speaks through the ‘imagination’ so notice what are you ‘imagining.’  Cultivate ways to allow it in without judging or demanding instant answers.

Intuition often comes through quietly.  It doesn’t demand or get pushy (that’s the mind) and it never gives you a list of ‘to do’s.’ So often we need to cultivate some quiet space to really hear it.

Some people meditate, some go running or rock climbing, some knit or engage in a hobby that allows the creative process to unfold.  Explore and cultivate activities that nourish your spirit and in turn, you will naturally and easefully strengthen your intuition.

After letting all that negativity clear out I joined the final leg of our art exploration. The end of the gallery tour came to a close with some hand-made pieces created from tossed beer labels. It was a great reminder of how to make beauty from what most would consider garbage!  This was spectacular and inspiring!

Do you ever wonder who you really are and what you are here for? If you have, you are not alone. I have asked myself these questions over and over! And in asking myself these questions, I’ve gone searching, asking, researching.

This insisting, nudging and tapping on my shoulder would not go away until it was satisfied and as a result it’s lead me around the world exploring – books, dvds, trainings and to the sources – the teachers, the gurus, the masters, the monks, and even the mountain (Kanchenjunga!).

At the time I may not have really been able to articulate what I was searching for and why – I just had to follow it. It may be that I went to the mountain so you don’t have to! I can show you how to tap into your own passions living your life right now (unless you are dreaming of going to the mountain yourself!).

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What’s your purpose? What are your passions?
Why is it important to even consider these questions?

Because, as you know, no one can answer these questions for you, but you. And, life is too precious to not know (or at least be experimenting) with what’s true for you.

Sometimes when we consider following our desires, it feels as if it will up-end everything in our lives and that feels too overwhelming. We freeze right there. We find a million excuses, reasons, or justifications to keep from taking any steps. It’s safer to stay where we are than to risk shaking up the status quo.

I also know how hard it can be to wade through all the expectations, teachings, learning’s, socializing, habits and beliefs of what you should do or what ought to be.

I doubted myself for a long time and tried many other things – careers, paths, and teachings along the way to get it ‘right’. But no other ‘right’ will satisfy you for long.

I have searched the world to understand my own calling. For nine years, I’ve journeyed to the far corners of the earth seeking out masters, mystics, and healers to teach me how each of us can open to who we are and what we are here for. I’ve been fortunate to study and train in techniques both eastern and western, ancient and modern. I’ve explored over thirty-four modalities in everything from Space Clearing, to Buddhist meditation, to Kundalini yoga, to Soul Awareness healing even Green Medicine.

Only you can discover what’s true for you by tuning into all of you and opening to who you truly are.

That’s it. Yes, being you. Uniquely. Perfectly imperfect. You.

Today is Valentine’s day.  A holiday of sorts set up around romantic love.  This day, maybe more than any other holiday throughout the year, can really bring up a lot of charge for people.  When I say charge, I mean, excitement, disappointment, romance, elation, dread, frustration, lovesickness, the glaring lack of romance and the list goes on. . . which camp do you fall into? There are the haters of Valentine’s day, the lovers of Valentine’s day, or the neutral (what holiday?).

Screeeeeeaaaccchhhhh!  Sttoppp. Freeze!  Right where you are!

I’d like to propose a re-framing of this day altogether.

Remember when you were in the 2^nd grade, you spent a whole afternoon turning a old shoe box into your valentine receiving box using construction paper, scissors and glue.  It was fun, pretty easy and the box could look anyway you wanted it to look.  It got you all ready to receive lots of Valentine’s from everybody.

Then the next day everyone in class showed up with valentines cards and you ended up with a whole pink shoe box of Valentine’s reminding you of many of the following. . .

Be mine.   I’m yours.

I’m cuckoo for your love.  Cuckoo!  Cuckoo!

No lion, I love you.  Roooaaarrr!

You appeel to me, Banana face.

Lots of silliness.  Lots of candy (which at the time you thought was fabulous). Lots of pink and red.  Lots of fun (you were skipping any real school subjects for cupcakes).

So given this is where you started with Valentine’s day at age seven, let’s just take you right back there.

Let’s make Valentine’s the day you just remind all those people in your life that you care about them and you love ‘em.  It can include your partner or the doorman, your friends and your family, your great aunt Lillian and so on.  Give ‘em one of those silly sappy cards just for the fun of it! Spread your love!

Make Valentine’s day a day to create random acts of kindness.  Better yet, make them anonymous.  Pass on fun, unexpected delights to a total stranger.  Pay ahead for the next five people to get a free coffee or cupcake.  Send an anonymous note to someone who is sad or lonely.  Send flowers to that cranky person at your office who never gives anyone credit for hard work.

When you do these fun little mischievous acts, you’ll notice it actually makes you feel good.

Today, one thing for sure is that you are receiving a BIG BIG Valentine’s greeting from me.  Because I love this day and I love you!  Trust me, I do, in a divine bright love sort of way!!

I’m truly CUCKOO for you!  Happy Valentine’s Day!

Much much love,

Elizabeth

Happy New Year! The transition into 2010 has been exciting, expanding and exhilarating. Usually the month of January is a tough time for me and I come into a new year kicking and screaming but this transition into, not just a new year, but, also a new decade, has felt really different. Many exciting new things are happening in my practice. My programs have reached a liftoff and my clients are heeding their soul callings!

My own 2010 soul callings are inviting me to step out through speaking engagements, launching my Live Authentically Tribe and more!

The question is, how do I make my soul callings come true?

Read on to discover a short, easy yet profoundly revolutionary trick to bringing in your dreams, wishes, and New Year’s resolutions.

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It’s January and you’ve made a list of resolutions, goals, desires, or, said to yourself something has to change. Maybe it is in your career, your relationship, or your health. You know what it is because it is clearly tapping you on the shoulder and when you ignore it, you can feel it. It actually takes effort to ignore it, to push it away. (If I had to guess, I might say you have a soul calling. . . .hmmmmm.)

So here’s a way through it without ‘figuring it out’ because that never works and it just makes everything feel even more difficult.

1. Set a timer for 3-5 minutes. (most phones have this option so you can do it anywhere that is relatively quiet)

2. Choose one area you desire to bring in change. For example, I desire to launch my Live Authentically Tribe with a live event. Or, I desire to bring in my own legendary relationship.

3. Be very clear about the desire or change without blending it. For example, I desire an amazing relationship, to change my career, and to receive a million dollars. This won’t work so choose only one area of focus.

4. Start the timer and for the next 3 to 5 minutes feel what it will be like when your soul calling, dream, or desire is manifested. Go to how it will FEEL to be you and have this already happening in your waking experience.

5. Allow the whole experience of how you would be, what you would feel like, imagine what you are wearing and how it feels to interact with others around you. Imagine feeling really supported and allowing what you want to come in easily and effortlessly. Have some fun, lighten it up, feel that smile on your face having what you always dreamed of! Imagine how much fun it will be for you and others when you are manifesting your soul calling.

6. Don’t go into the action steps, don’t try to figure out how to make it happen – just go straight into the fun part – the having it, the living it, the loving it!

7. Do this once a day. Stick to 3-5 minutes only. Step out of the way and let the magic begin!

When the fun stuff starts rolling in, please send me your story or post a comment so I can share it!