Let’s celebrate the shortest day of the year!  Why? Because it means that starting tomorrow the sunlight lasts just a few minutes longer and that feels good to the body and the soul! This time of year also marks the beginning of renewal and expansion.  As the sun lingers longer in the sky so does our desire to create, imagine, and grow.

Right now growth is happening in the dark.

All the change and clearing and shifting is taking place in the dark.  I don’t just mean literally in the dark but in the deepest places within you.  It may sometimes feel like you ‘can’t see it yet’.  Yet the seeds are being planting down inside the ground.  The magic unfolds when we don’t ‘see’ it coming.  What is coming to fruition starts in the dark until its ready to emerge.

I know that you are finding your way – quietly, gently and lovingly – like never before!  It’s truly amazing.  As you grow and expand, so too, does the Universe, your loved ones, and everyone you encounter.  Trust me, when you shine your light, even from your sofa, it ripples out into the Universe sending a distinct message of love!

I am thrilled to be unveiling many new ways to support you and your journey, emerging as the shining, shimmering creator that you are, in 2011!

Ring in the New Year 2011

To start off the New Year (that’s next week!), I have created a unique and intimate experience to burst into 2011 embodying what you desire to create for yourself.

I invite you to join me for the New Year’s Eve Renewal Retreat in upstate New York starting December 30th, 2010.  This retreat isn’t for everyone, but if it speaks to you, then trust your instincts are guiding you for something much bigger in your life.

You can find more details at http://soulcallingsonline.com/services/2011-renewal-retreat/

Ready focus on your dreams in a more personalized way in a Santa Fe adobe?

After all, not everyone finds being in a group comfortable, so what about a one-day retreat designed specifically for a giant leap? Your giant leap!

What’s that big dream, big goal, big creative project, big move, big growth spurt you want to create in your life?  Let’s focus on it like never before.

In 2011, I am offering one-day personalized retreats in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  So not only will you have a life-changing day – your giant leap – it will take place in one of the most beautiful places in the country!

If this makes you sit up taller, email me and let’s find out if this should be you! Elizabeth@SoulCallingsOnline.com

Thank you so much for allowing me to support you and your journey.  Thank you for the opportunity to reflect on the shifting between light and dark in our days and nights and in our bodies and our souls.

I invite you to open to what is here for you at this place, at this time without trying to rush into spring, or push yourself into thinking “you should be. . .”.

Rather, slow down, retire early, get deeper, longer sleep, eat warm soups that nourish, enjoy the company of others and spirit of the season.

Happy Winter Solstice to you and your loved ones.

Each of us has natural gifts and talents that get activated in a more distinct way around the holidays.  Quickly, we slip into the roles that are most comfortable and, if we let it, these roles can be a real pleasure and a means of expressing who we are and how we feel connected to our community, family, and loved ones.

I’m here to encourage you to consider where your natural expression comes through at the holidays . . . are you a baker, builder, cook, gift wrapper, cleaner, playmate (someone has to keep the kids busy!), or, maybe you love to play Santa Claus? Do you enjoy giving out generous tips, paying it forward, buying gifts for children and giving lots away – how fun to just be a constant source of surprise and joy!

How do you create your own joy for the season? READ MORE

It’s been awhile since you’ve heard from me as I seem to have gotten caught up in my own tidal wave since my last newsletter and could barely come up for air.

November was filled with many starts and new adventures as well as some deep shifts and re-organization. . .and that doesn’t even include the Thanksgiving Holiday!

I launched a new workshop on getting unstuck that got everybody moving in new directions. I launched a weekly coaching circle with the Tribal Truth and Rochelle Scheick of Qoya. I attended the Ladies Who Launch Entrepreneurial Conference and the Sister Goddess Worldwide Reunion in Miami, supported Love Coach, Lauren Frances, on her NYC tour and still managed to take in Palm Springs with my family for Thanksgiving. Phew!

Now all of what I just listed was truly amazing and yet I must admit that I’ve also found my energy levels down, a strong desire to go back to bed most of the day, and a lot of hesitation as the end of the year nears. It turns out a lot of my clients are feeling the same way, too! That lead me to realize, we are all feeling it!

It’s my mission this month to bring in more ease and support for the holidays and graciously ending 2010! Are you ready for a lift in moving through the holidays and wrapping up the year in ease and grace? Maybe even tune into the magic and mystery of the season?

If you are feeling a yes! then . . .

Let’s reinvigorate your charm and get you back into your game.

I am introducing two new ways to lean in for more support – from your own sofa and in person.

Dial in, tune in, and feel better in an hour. Check out my four week tele-salon starting Tuesday, December 14th at 9pm (EST)/ 6pm (PST).

Gather in-person to complete 2010 and ring in the New Year with clarity, focus and the renewed sense of your purpose for 2011. Join me for my New Year’s Eve retreat in upstate NY starting Thursday evening, Dec 30th – Sunday, January 2nd, 2011.

Do you feel like hibernating?

We are heading right into the deepest time of winter in the Northern Hemisphere which means less light, more days of cold, snow and wind blowing through and the desire to slow down and turn inward. It’s ironic that this also marks a busy time of year of gathering, sharing, exchanging and celebrating with one another, our families, our colleagues, and our communities. Sometimes it leaves you feeling torn between doing what feels natural to you against getting stretched in too many directions and trying to make too many people happy, forgetting all about what makes you happy!

It’s times like this in our lives it’s so important to remember some good ole’ common sense:

Eat good food. Drink plenty of water. Get good sleep.

I know it’s not always that simple so for the more complicated things that are arising let’s welcome it all and bring it into my tele-salon where we will open to shifting and changing it instantaneously – in the live call, in an hour! I guarantee you will feel so much better after that one hour.

Don’t get me wrong, I can’t complete your shopping for you and you will still need to tackle your to-do list but it won’t feel like a carnival is following you everywhere you go and interfering with every decision you are trying to make! It’ll just feel easier and fall into place graciously!!

Join me for the . . .

Winter Blues Booster Shot! Tele-salon on Tuesdays, Dec 14th, 21st, 28th, and Jan 4th    at 9pm (EST)/6pm (PST)!

Get an injection of Divine Love, Divine Support and Divine Superblast to keep you moving through the holidays with ease and grace!

• Are you struggling to get out of bed?
• Do you have loads of anxiety coming in about the holidays?
• Are you overwhelmed with how to get it all done?
• Do you feel panicky that 2010 is ending and you still haven’t x, y and z’ed?
• This four-week tele-salon is the place to lean into for support and encouragement.

Come experience powerful shifts directly in your body and your mind – the two places that may be stressed, constricted or running in circles.

No more of that! Inject your holidays with some sacred self-care!!

Here’s the link to sign up now:

http://soulcallingsonline.com/services/winter-blues-booster-shot/

In this tele-salon we will:

• Blast through the sludge, the anxiety and all the fears and regrets that are suddenly constantly getting your attention.
• Provide a loving, supportive place to land and unwind the anxiety for you.
• Deepen into the meaning of this time of year, cultivating your own soul callings and true wishes that are ready to emerge.
• Come together in a powerful sacred community and lean in for support.
• You may be asking yourself, why should I do this when I am already overwhelmed?

Because you won’t feel overwhelmed after the calls. You’ll feel grounded and supported. You’ll move out the junk and open to the mystery and magic of the season. After all, isn’t that what this is all about?

Join me to tune into the magic and mystery that surrounds you now!

http://soulcallingsonline.com/services/winter-blues-booster-shot/

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Ring in the New Year with me!

Are you curious about joining me for a New Year’s Eve celebration and a two-day on-site workshop? Would you like to do something in an intimate setting focused on ringing in the New Year with intention?

I’m so excited to be offering this opportunity for an intimate gathering of amazing women ready to dream, scheme, and create a vision for their lives for 2011. I must admit this sounds like so much fun to me!

More details will be coming soon and if this sounds like something you might like to jump on, let me know.

Dates: Arrival and start, Thursday evening, Dec 30th. Live NYE celebration and workshop Dec 31st & Jan 1st. Closure Sunday, January 2nd at noon.

Location: Beautiful location in upstate New York. Transportation details coming soon.

Did I peak your interest? Was this on your secret wish list? It’s on mine and so I might just make it happen!

Email me at Elizabeth@SoulCallingsOnline.com and let me know to include you!

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I admit I’ve been ambivalent about diving into the holidays and the deep winter season. For me, focusing my mission to add support and ease into the season and creating spaces to bring us together to share, transform and rekindle our own magic fills me with the warmth and vigor I really need!

Looking forward to having you join me!

P.S. Remember the basics: Eat good food. Drink plenty of water. Get good sleep.

I’m really fortunate to know many of my clients both personally and professionally. I can honestly say I love this very much as through my work I see only the divine beauty and magnificence of each person exactly as who they are – it’s amazing!

So I recently sat down with Sylvia, whom I have had the pleasure of knowing as a friend and as a client, to gain more insight into what it’s been like for her to work with me over the past year and a half.

When Sylvia first came to me, she had a strong calling that she wanted to be able to stand up for herself, not in a shouting, listen-to-me sort of way, but by being truly herself and asking for what she needed in all areas of her life – work, love, community – all while amplifying the expression of her creative talents and interests.

During our sit-down she shared some powerful reflections on how her life has changed since we began our work together. She used the phrase “restored to me” – she feels she has integrated into being completely ‘herself.’ Along the way she discovered love – how to love every bit of herself: all of who she is, is perfect, even the parts that, in the past, she didn’t want to acknowledge.

As she shared with me, she said, “You know that cliché about loving yourself first before loving anything outside of yourself? Well, I totally feel it now!” Because she now loves every bit of herself – every wounded, broken, hurting, sad, angry, bewildered, struggling bit – and not just the bits that would make anyone proud, she can also wholly embrace others in love. She loves bigger now. Much bigger.

And her sense of wholeness has resulted in a deeper level of trust. First, in herself: the second-guessing is history. She feels confident in making the right choice at every turn, confident that each decision will lead exactly where she wants. Second, in dealing with others: she has started standing up for herself, something that had presented a terrifying, near-paralyzing challenge for her in the past.

Saying ‘no, thank you’ and stating her desires to her boss, friends and lovers were all cause for inner turmoil and conflicting, mixed-up feelings. No more. She tells her boss what she needs and has even asked for vacations – and been granted them – for times that might be considered inconvenient for her employer. She had never been able to do this before: she would always put what she thought should come first – outside obligations – above her needs. She now easefully sifts through offers, opportunities and invitations, accepting what feels right and turning down what doesn’t, no guilt and no explanations needed.

It must be said that Sylvia has been a strong achiever her whole life. She is greatly accomplished in academia, in her career and in her creative endeavors, and probably in everything she pursues – I know her to be an amazing and beautiful dancer. When she’s on the dance floor, everyone is captivated!

But those were largely solo pursuits; dealing with others usually took place with an undercurrent of fear and anxiety. Mind you, an outside observer would never have guessed this because she makes it all look easy. But now, for the first time in her life, she is actually experiencing her life and endeavors with great calm, ease, and peacefulness. She isn’t riding waves of fear and anxiety but has a deeper sense of trusting herself and confidence in only good things resulting from her standing up for herself – an act that as a child would result in a serious beating, physical and/or verbal. She feels safe and grounded in her body and is relating in her life from this sense of wholeness.

Much of what she shared with me isn’t quantifiable because it is a whole-body experience, a radical perspective-shift in living and truly being oneself on a day-to-day basis. But how we live our lives every day, how we relate as who we are, how we make decisions and choices, are all things that constantly affect our ability to feel grounded, connected, acknowledged, and alive, and to plug into our true sense of joy and happiness.

That said, it is still fun to share some of the extraordinary ‘quantifiable’ changes that took place for Sylvia during this past year. Can I tell you that she received two salary increases and one year-end bonus, all numerically significant and during an economic recession? That she has a new title, two new direct reports, and expanded responsibilities that directly align with her love of photography and design and that call for the use of her natural gifts and talents? And that she has taken three paid vacations in six months’ time? Holy smokes! (All this opened up to a woman who felt she couldn’t stand for herself but, as she did, everyone around her responded.)

She has explored relationships, received unbounded love like she never experienced before, and stood for herself in love, holding out for the legendary love that she is now certain she can create with a loving man. She’s currently joyfully and easefully building a relationship on her terms (and her terms are quite unique!) with a man who is also a great dancer – exactly what she’s been awaiting! – and this man tells her continually that her communication skills are phenomenal, and adores her for it!! Yowza!!!

Here’s more in her own words. . .

“I first did only four sessions with Elizabeth Joy, one per month. I enjoyed them so much that months later, when I sensed my life was gearing up for a significant transformation, I signed up for her five-month Soul Signature program. I figured the support would be nice. Nice? It was FUN! Huge fun!

Even better, I went through some intense life challenges fearlessly, feeling gently supported all along. It was awesome. But the best was this: I realized I was inhabiting my body differently, and I stood in this world differently. What a beautiful surprise!

I had been restored to the feeling of wholeness I had last experienced as a little girl. Best investment of my life, these sessions. Better than the top-notch, Ivy League education, better than living in Paris and Florence. Feeling like I never thought I’d ever feel again? Priceless.”

By watching Sylvia and other clients transform through my practice I have observed that deep transformational change occurs over time. As much as we all crave instant gratification – instant access to our intuition, instant change, instant access to great opportunities, instant new jobs and magical relationships – which all can truly arrive in seconds – the Universe is more likely to come through gently, gradually, as you openly allow the natural expansion of who you are in your life, right here and right now.

Does that mean we can’t work together in a series of short sessions to get your mojo back up and moving? Of course not! Every positive choice you make in your life counts and shifts and moves you closer to what’s truly calling through you and tapping on your shoulder.

But, if you are ready to make significant changes, moving beyond the usual patterns and habits that you’ve spent years living out, then giving yourself a significant amount of time to create the positive change you crave is the most supportive choice you can make for yourself.

It stops the urgency, the pushing, the anxiety to accomplish, start, stop or escape whatever is right in front of you. If this lands with you in just the right way. . .if reading these words resonates through your whole body, it may be time to reach out and speak with me about what’s calling your attention in your life and how I can support your journey.

I am aligning my programs to support you from this deep place of transformation. Contact me today and let’s get you scheduled for a Soul Breakthrough. You can reach me at Elizabeth@SoulCallIngsOnline.com or go directly through the website to schedule A SOUL BREAKTHROUGH.

How does Sylvia’s story resonate with you?
What are you ready to evolve in your life?
Share a comment in the boxes below! I’d love to hear from you!

Today I admit I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. . . maybe it was the haziness of the morning, or the Swedish meatballs I ate yesterday, or that it feels like there is so much to be done. . .who really knows the ‘why’ – it just happens to be how I feel today.

I’m not in the mood to try to will myself out of it so I sat with it and realized what’s really tapping on my shoulder . . .is APPRECIATION. . .the need to stop and appreciate everything I’ve been creating in my life, right here, right now. I’m telling you this because . . . this includes you!

Yes, I want you right smack in the middle of my soul’s calling for appreciation. READ MORE

My own journey of physical clutter clearing was prompted by my apartment renovations last summer, which forced me to pack up and move out of my entire apartment twice. Doing that forced me to question whether I really needed and wanted the stuff I was surrounded by.

Lucky for me I also had the help of a very good friend who happens to be a great personal organizer.  She got me started!  (Yes, I had help!  I didn’t do it alone and neither should you!)  She also told me that it would take me 12 months to go through every area of my life to clear and re-organize.  I thought she was crazy!  I just wanted to knock this out in a few week-ends.  (I secretly hoped to prove her wrong about the 12 months!)

The first thing I did was send out an e-mail to my friends to see if anyone wanted to trade helping each other go through the closets.  Surprisingly I had a lot of people willing to help me and that’s just what I did – I called in help for every major closet and major area.

Have you ever thought about when you really want to make change in your life you call in an expert or pull a support team together?

Often that’s what it takes to really push through and move through change of any kind.  There is no way that without encouragement and the eagle eye of my helpers I would have ever gotten through the vacuum closet – boring!  Or, the clothing closet – oh my I wanted to cling to my favorite yet very tired old shirts (but I look so good in this color!). And then finally, saying good-bye to the books. . the ones I had read and the ones I may eventually read. . . but haven’t so far.

And yet systematically going through every inch of my life brought everything into the light, made me either appreciate it enough to keep in my space, appreciate what it had already offered me, or appreciate that someone else could appreciate it even more than me!

I can’t tell you how much fun I had watching my book collection get swiped up from the book swap that sits in the laundry room of my building .  .  . every few hours I would take down another 30 books and boom they would fly off the shelves – I was having more fun watching them disappear than the people taking them home for sure!

All this external clutter clearing made me consciously consider many aspects of my life.  It opened up more space, which opened up more possibilities and, thus, when the opportunity came in offering me the chance to go west and live in an adorable adobe for the summer, I was ready to receive it and able to move quickly to make it happen.  I was ready!  Yahoooo!

So let me ask you this:

If your greatest desires and your secret wish list dropped out of the sky and was delivered to you from a great white winged owl will you be ready to receive the bounty?

I have this gift to help people clear their ‘clutter’ from inside out.  Yes, in an hour you will directly experience a full body shift and experience a profound clarity that is all yours!

If you know deep down you are ready to align yourself to what’s calling through you on a soul level, on a professional level, on a relationships level and beyond, then now is the time to clear your internal clutter, open up new space, and get your energy moving in new directions.

Become a vibrational match to your goals now. Quickly. Easily.

When you are ready to learn something new, develop new skills, or grow, you naturally reach out to find others who can teach you, guide you and support you and that’s exactly how I can help you right now.

How can you start clearing your clutter right now?  Maybe a drawer?  The top of your desk? The medicine cabinet?

Post a comment below telling me exactly what got you motivated and what you cleared!

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/

I’m so thrilled to share that this summer I made some giant leaps into my dreams.  All year long I planned to take the month of July off.  I even blocked it out in my calendar and yet as the time neared I still had no idea of ‘the what’ it would be – where would I go and what would I be doing?  Miraculously on June 28^th my plans fell into place and I headed west leaving NYC not just for July but August as well!

Read on to find out where I am and what I am up to this summer. . .there’s still a few weeks of summer left and have you stopped to consider, what would be exciting for you?

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I’m having tea at Georgia O’Keefe’s Adobe!

I admit that even while having these fun plans to leave my routine behind and head out west, it’s still easy to slip into old habits or thought patterns that can hold you back.  So just last week I was reading a book that asked me to consider what I thought would be exciting to me.  Now this made me stop and ponder a bit.  After all I’ve been making goals and working on them but really deep down most of what I was aiming for wasn’t really exciting me all that much.  (This was some of why I left my apartment to do something new.)  So I sat down and asked myself, what would excite me?  I came up with a list of 5 things that I could explore – nature, horseback riding, Georgia O’Keefe’s house tour, Earthships and dancing.

Once I had the list, I decided to move these into action.  Now ten years ago when I came through this area I tried to get on the Georgia O’Keefe house tour and it required a reservation months in advance.  I had already told myself I probably wasn’t going to get on it this time either but I thought, well I can call and just find out.  I did call and they had a single spot open the following Tuesday!  Thrilled!  Excited! Jumping up and down!  Yes!  Excitement is now in motion and more plans went into action since it required that I rent a car and go exploring even further than I let myself believe I could go.

So stop reading right now and do the same – just grab a napkin or a notebook and write down five things that would excite you.  (Summer is not over yet!)

1. Bake a pie with the Farmer’s market berries. Add ice cream and invite friends to share. Yum!
2. Go horseback riding in the mountains.
3. Plan a trip to Hawaii/Peru/Bali (fill in your dream spot) for the next year.
4. Walk thirty minutes a day with no destination in mind and no phone – be curious!
5. Start a new social club – book club or some other shared interest and bring people together over a passion you share.

What’s on your list??  Share it with me and inspire others to get excited this summer by posting your list in the comments below!

Now once you have your list, look it over and decide which one on the list you could take action on now.

What action can you do right now to make it happen or put it in motion?  Do it!  Don’t wait.

I had doubts about getting on the Georgia O’Keefe house tour but I called anyway.  When I got the reservation, I had no idea how I was going to get there as it is 50 miles away from where I am staying without a car, but that didn’t stop me from saying Yes!  Once I knew I had to be in O’Keefe country on Tuesday I researched other places to visited and planned my whole day around even more exciting places to explore – Ghost Ranch – where Georgia spent her summers painting – and Ojo Caliente – a famous mineral springs for soaking in iron, sulfur and arsenic baths.  So just by making that little ‘excitement’ list, I had the makings of a legendary day exploring nature, fulfilling on my dream to visit Georgia’s house and the areas where she spent her time painting as well as the mineral springs and more.

Want to see my photos?  Join me on Facebook where I posted the photos I could take using my iPhone.  Go to http://www.facebook.com/elizabethjoymueller

The photos are not very high tech I admit but stunning views nonetheless.  Of course, I couldn’t possibly capture the grandeur with a camera so maybe you’ll add this to your excitement list and come discover it for yourself.

By the way, who’s that guy in the photos?  He’s my new hiking friend, Ben.  When I arrived at Ghost Ranch the greeter asked me, Would you like to hike up to Kitchen Mesa?  Yes!  She said, that’s great because Ben would like to go as well and its best not to do the hike alone. Perfecto!

Don’t delay.  Your ‘excitement’ list may look completely different than mine but just put something down and let it start you rolling towards some fun and new exploration.

Are you ready to tap into a deeper level of excitement in your life?  Are you ready to feel supported and yet still navigate a life that’s truly authentic to you?  I’m accepting new clients for the fall!  Sign up for a Breakthrough session and let’s get you started at http://soulcallingsonline.com/contact/schedule-a-breakthrough/

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!

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!