About a week ago I had the exciting possibility to go visit an ancient historic site where a Native American population once lived and thrived inside the dynamic cliffs of red rock in Bandelier National Park.  So we ambled along the path taking photos, visiting the various sites and negotiating the other onlookers who were taking the path with us.

At one point you have to choose to keep going further down the path about another ½ mile and from there you have the opportunity to climb straight up a series of ladders 140 feet to a restored kiva nestled right inside the side of the red cliff.  Now climbing up to the kiva is one of those things that is truly right up my alley – its adventurous, lands me right in the middle of history, surrounds me with incredible views and puts me in touch with an ancient, once very active, ceremonial space – exactly what I love to explore!

But what you always tend to do may not be what you are really feeling like in the moment. . . .read on to find out what happened when I was standing at the base of the kiva step ladder.

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When your destiny calls, will you hear it?

Stopping to heed the nudge of your intuition can disrupt how you think about yourself.  The thing is when you are following your intuition; you can’t just follow what feels comfortable or do what’s most like you. Your intuition is truly in touch with where you are and following it means being present in the moment and listening to what’s true – in that precise moment – not to how you usually feel or what you’d usually do.  So this is exactly what happened to me when I was standing at the base of the kiva step ladder.  I looked up and I saw a place that I would usually love to climb up to, a beautiful place that would leave me breathless from the views and the thrill of exploring a ceremonial site.

And yet, I did not feel it at all.

My whole body was giving me a very different signal to not climb up.  It wasn’t fear.  It just didn’t light me up.  My mind was telling me I should, but my whole body wasn’t feeling it.  I decided to not climb up to the kiva.  I decided I would turn around and head back down the path and enjoy myself and maybe there will be another day I will hike this same trail and seize the opportunity to climb to the kiva, but not on this particular day.

The 140 Steps lead to the Kiva

So I started heading back down the trail and it was really beautiful, shaded with tall strong trees, a flowing stream along the trail, cool and quiet as there was no one else around.  And then as I was walking I heard a noise and I looked over to realize that there was a Mama bear and her cub in the grass!  It was amazing how close she was just on the other side of the trail.  And then I realized there was a second baby cub.  So suddenly I was standing there on the trail watching three black bears just a few feet away!

My friend was much more concerned that we should get away but I knew we were safe.  I made a noise so that the Mama bear knew we were there and she made some sounds back but nothing threatening.  We just stood there hanging out with them and they hanging out with us!!!  It was AMAZING!!!

Just then one of the baby bears got spooked and ran full sprint towards us and climbed (ran!) straight up the tree that was directly in front of us on the path.  (Note – never try to outrun a bear and never try to climb a tree – they are very fast!)  Now it was time for us to move because if the Mama bear was concerned about her cubs she could become fierce so off we went to watch them from further up the path as they headed back into the forest.

Now my heart was beating, but not from fear, but from the sheer thrill of being so close and having this very intimate encounter with this Mama Bear and her two spring cubs.  I was sooo overjoyed!  How rare is it to see a bear and we saw a whole family??!  Incredible!  I believe my path that day was not to climb the kiva but to have this rare and intimate encounter with this Mama Bear and her cubs.  If I had just plunged ahead with climbing the kiva I surely would have missed them.  My destiny at that particular moment on that particular day was to meet with the three bears.

Soooooo here’s my question to you. . . .

Are you tuned into your life to recognize these moments? To pause and   really listen to what you are feeling and experiencing in the moment rather  than plunging ahead in old patterns, behaviors and the ‘usual’?

Are you ready to start to tune in and recognize your intuition nudging you on the shoulder on a more regular basis in your life?

Tuning into your intuition is a practice.  It’s just like building muscle strength.  When you want to build up your muscles you get a trainer who keeps you on track, you meet on a regular basis and you strengthen those muscles by using them.

Working with me one-to-one is just like that!  We meet each week and practice listening, tuning in and allowing your intuition to show up exactly as it works for you and you get to know how it works from the inside out.  I mirror back to you how it shows up and together we start to bring awareness to the many ways your intuition speaks to you and through you.   You not only hear it, but see it, feel it and know it through your whole being.  And it feels really affirming.  After all, this is your truest wisest self speaking through you and nothing feels greater!

Let’s talk about working together this fall.  You know the timing is just right to start strengthening your intuitive muscles and heeding your soul callings.

There are a couple of upcoming ways to work with me. . . .

Ready for one-to-one mentoring?

Sign up for a Soul Breakthrough today using the coupon code: feelinggood to get an awesome price of $97.  Follow that nudge now and let’s find out if working together is the next right step for you!

Ready to join a soulful community and a group tele-studio?

I’m gearing up to launch my next Alchemy of Joy series on October 5th, 2010.  Are ready to bring in change in your life and want to do so in community being supported and mentored along the way?  Learn more about what’s to come on Tuesday, Sept 7th.

Sign up here for more details: http://soulcallingsonline.com/events/

• 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.

I have to confess the last few weeks have been tough for me. I hit the wall. I had a health crisis. I lost my mojo. I’ve been totally stressed out. I’ve been utterly exhausted. And naturally, in the midst of all this my vision of what I truly want, wavered. It wavered so far away I couldn’t recall what I was really striving for or why. Hmmmmmm, have you felt this way?

Read on to hear more of my own personal story and learn about the opportunity to live soulfully on a month-to-month basis. (You decide when to start and stop!)

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Burned out! . . .
A few weeks ago my own personal wake up call arrived in my hand. Literally, in my left hand. It came in the form of this painful nerve tingling in my palm. It was so odd I had to take notice. I mean I don’t really have these types of things happen to me. I don’t really have lots of pains and aches and complaining in my body. So this was really strange.

Luckily, I already had an acupuncture appointment scheduled so I just decided to show him what was happening. Fast forward a few more acupuncture appointments and some intense and painful massage and the diagnosis, stress. Months of built-up stress in my neck and upper back.

After we started to unravel the knots and tension, I was hit with the exhaustion. Oh my! Now I have months of my insomnia catching up to me. I feel like everything was in slow motion and I can’t make any decisions. I was in the middle of my own standstill.

The timing couldn’t have been better since I’d already planned to spend a week in Las Vegas. Ha, did I catch you there? Yup, I said Las Vegas but no, not an ordinary trip to Las Vegas as I had planned to meet up with my family for a wellness week including out spring cleanse. Restorative. Yes, that’s exactly what I’ve needed to do the last two weeks.

With this has come some re-evaluation from inside out. And with it comes changes in how I will be creating my practice.

The exciting news is that I’ve created a new way of working with me that allows you to determine your own start and stop.
Have you wanted to try out my one-to-one mentoring without a minimum three-month commitment?
Have you decided you want support but you aren’t sure for how long and want to keep it open-ended?
Do you just want to flexibility work together throughout the year depending on what’s coming through and when you need it?
If you felt, “Yes!” then consider my new Soulful Living Month-to-Month Program!

It includes:
Three 75-minute one-to-one sessions per month.
There is one monthly fee. No deposit. No long-term commitment.
You decide when to start and when to end.

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Have you had a wake-up call in your life? How have you managed it?

I confess in the past I’ve just kept pushing myself. Yup, I’m guilty of it, too. We all are. There are endless to do lists, information to be processed, requests to respond to and that doesn’t include all your own desires and dreams that want to be manifested. It’s not like the world slows down just because you are exhausted.

But this time, I responded differently. I started listening much deeper. I literally laid my body down. And all my parts of me said, this has got to be more fun, easier, and feel more supportive. Above all, it’s time to start listening to me.

The funny thing about this is sometimes it feels too scary to really listen to yourself. Have you ever thought to yourself, I just do not want to go in there!

I had a friend call me the other day in a crisis. All of her defense systems were hard at work to keep her believing she was ‘safe.’ The last thing she could hear was her own wisdom. It was buried in all the noise trying to keep her away from the crisis itself.

And that’s the illusion. That if you don’t go in there, you will be safe but those are the exact places that want your attention – are literally demanding your attention.

Those are the exact places that will help you hear the whole story. And when you can start listening, it starts to shift. Big shift. Naturally. Sigh of relief. Now you can really hear what’s happening. Ahhhhhhhhhhh.

Ready to listen to all your parts more deeply? I can facilitate that process so it feels supported, natural and frees you from the old story that is holding you back.

Would you like post your own story or comment to this newsletter?
I’d love to hear from you so please share your own wake-up calls with me! Post a comment!

Lately I’ve been sharing with more new people what I do and trying out different ways of expressing it.  I am getting lots of fabulous questions (which I totally love) and it is stirring up all kinds of fun with each curious person.

Over the week-end, I was asked, how is what you do different than therapy? This is such a great question because many of us have had various experiences of modern day psychotherapy at one time or another to either see us through a difficult time or provide ongoing support. For me personally, I have had some fabulous therapists in my past who were instrumental in my being able to grow and move forward in my life.

So, just how is One-to-One Mentoring with me different than traditional types of therapy?  Read on to learn more and feel free to respond with more questions if your curiosity gets the best of you by scrolling all the way down this post and submitting it to me.

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When I was in therapy years ago I realized I really wanted to bring significant change through my whole life, my whole being.  I had a soul calling in that I desired to transform myself from the inside out.  How I was living my life wasn’t working and I wanted to find a different way of living that felt authentic and true to who I was.

I recognized that talking in therapy about my thoughts, feelings, frustrations, blocks, and limitations only marginally shifted things for me – it was merely a temporary shift until I was back in the old habits, behaviors, and thoughts – and disenchanted once again.  I realized the cleverness of the mind and working with the mind just created more cleverness, justification, excuses, and even suffering.  I knew I had to go around the mind . . . my hunch told me the change I sought was not through the mind, but beyond it.

There are many traditions, practices, and methods of going beyond the mind.  I’ve done my own exploring. . .including meditation, yoga, sacred places, gurus, workshops, and through it something kept tapping on my shoulder telling me:  it is direct (I can know it through own experience – even my own body), aligns with God/Universe (It connects me to know the truth of who I am) and is free of the usual spiritual trappings (Doesn’t have rules, rituals, leaders, or levels to gain access).

How is my One-to-One Mentoring process different than therapy?

First, you are already perfect as who you are – uniquely and naturally. Your journey is to allow that uniqueness of who you are to unfold and shine.  To follow your joy and create a life that fulfills your needs, desires and the authentic expression of you.  Simply, feel into the magnificence of who you are now. (If that’s the last thing you know how to experience, no worries, I can guide you there and help you discover it for yourself!)

The process is a whole being experience.  In each session, we are working with your physical body, emotional body, mental body, and spiritual body – this includes your energy centers and your life’s soul callings.  This allows the healing and changes you want to fully integrate into your cells, your mindset and your day-to-day life in a powerful way.  Traditional therapy tends to take place only in the mental field and limits any deep underlying transformation or healing that can take place.

Clearing out the gunk.  We clear the limiting beliefs, thoughts, and stories that have been holding you back.  Old trauma, foreign energies, entities, and past life experiences are released making room for you to feel more grounded, heart-centered, present and connected to who you are.  I’ll guide you on how you access your divine self and expand to know your true spiritual nature and purpose.  Therapy does not generally take place within the context of spirituality and spiritual connection and, thus, does not connect you with your true nature and the source of all life.

Each session is fully interactive.  Like therapy, we are both talking and listening on the phone.  I am asking you questions and providing you with feedback.  However, I am facilitating the process for you to open up to your intuition and channels of insight in an experiential way.  You are having a direct experience of your own spiritual nature with me and I am guiding you to notice and recognize the truth of who you are.

Training you to do this for yourself.  I consider myself a guide, facilitator, and a teacher. This is more than a means for healing but an opportunity to learn how to live authentically and relate to your life altogether differently – in joy, and ease with the freedom to be uniquely you.  I am showing you how to bring this into your life with the underlying belief that you can do this every minute, everyday, anytime.  I support you to be even more of who you are!

It happens over time.  I have specifically designed my programs to support your journey over a minimum of three to five months as a starting point.  The process keeps bringing you back to a grounded, centered, and connected place to live your life from as your daily existence.  Even with a commitment of three to five months, this is just a starting place.  All deeper, transformational change takes place gradually over time with the integration of your own unique opening to who you are, naturally and graciously.

Joy! You feel it. You experience it (in the sessions and then in your life).  It comes through the body, the cells!  You let the old stuff go.  You naturally open to your own gifts and talents!  You naturally open to relating and connecting with others!  You naturally feel more creative.

You start having more fun and freedom and ease by being YOU!  You allow your instincts to lead you, which naturally moves you to the best part of the sand box to play in!

Now, is everything perfect?  Possibly, but if life throws you a curve ball, you are able to acknowledge it, process it, and move on more easily and quickly.  You trust yourself. You trust the universe.  Waking up becomes a LOT more fun.

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Within hours of my first session, I got my first job offer.

“Two months ago I attended a Soul Callings event and met Elizabeth.  I was unemployed, uncertain about my career path, and unhappy with my weight; the idea of a regular centering practice appealed to me.  And I was curious about the stories I’d heard from acquaintances about her work!  I took the leap and signed up.

Within hours of my first session, I got my first job offer.  The day after my second session, my ex called me out of the blue to apologize for the way he’d treated me two years before.  These were huge shifts that I didn’t see coming at all!

Since then I’ve chosen a wonderful job from among the three offers that have come my way (within six weeks of starting my One-to-One mentoring with Elizabeth), and I’ve begun training for a half marathon.

The best way I can describe the process I’m undergoing right now is that I’m putting things in the right place: I’m aligning ideas, dreams, resources, relationships, and opportunities around a clear vision of self.  I’m processing some old stuff, and letting go of what I don’t need.  The shift in my emotional landscape has been subtle but real.”

Nancy R., Investor Relations, New York, NY

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Come play with me!!!

Join Jena La Flamme and me for a webinar scheduled for Wednesday, March 17^th at 8pm.  Who is Jena? She will focus on how weight loss can be a fun and easy process that returns you to your own power as a living, breathing woman. More details on how to register coming soon!

Taaaa daaaaa. . . . .The Live Authentically Tribe has a beautiful location!  Save the date for Saturday, April 10^th from 3-5:30pm.

I can’t wait for you to join me in living your savviest, soulful life.  Surround yourself in a tribe doing the same and your light only brightens!  Register now at The Live Authentically Tribe Event.

P.S. Become my friend on Facebook! Click here: http://www.facebook.com/elizabethjoymueller