The Lightning Within

Greetings in Gratitude!

Our building was struck by lightning at 3:30 this morning, setting off fire alarms and waking me from a sound sleep with quite a jolt. It struck on my end of the building, though so far no one has determined if any damage was done. The firemen came, of course, and staff arrived, keys in hand to shut off the alarm, but the system was damaged and could not be reset. Brian, our maintenance man, used the perfect remedy - duct tape - to hold the silence button in place, and we returned to our homes in hopes of more sleep. Ah, I hear foot-steps on the roof now, so will find out later what they found, if anything.

Waking with all these thoughts, Lao Tsu was walking with me as I made my coffee, and I invited his words if he has anything to say this morning. And so he does:

"Nature is a curious thing. It lives in you and it provides the environment in which you live. You cannot have lightning outside unless you have it within as well. Earthquakes, volcanoes, rivers and mountains, deserts and oceans, all in microscopic replication within you. You carry the planet and it carries you. All are born of the same stuff. Think, then, how you must also carry the genetic code of all other human beings within you. None are apart, none separate. Hate no one, resist nothing. You are only resisting yourself."

As I contemplate these words, it also occurs to me that if we are conflict with ourselves over one thing or another that we do not like, we are also sharing that conflict with the planet. So we are a part of the chaos we shun and fear. To be a peace with self is to contribute to the peace the planet is striving to achieve in this new age of Earth.

Until next time,

I am Phyllis, Becoming

The New Normal

Greetings in Gratitude!

Do you ever feel, when talking metaphysics with folks of like mind that you just may have edged past sanity; that you might now be considered eligible for legal commitment?

Join the club! We surely are exploring territory never known before. And we are surely committed!

It feels so magnetic, so compelling that there is no option but to continue the journey, trusting that whatever is around the corner we are equal to the discovery, the newest adventure. I've likened our trip to that of the earliest explorers who truly had no idea what they might find around the next bend, across the next divide or river. We are no less courageous that Lewis and Clark or Columbus. Consider what physical, mental and emotional energy it took for them to press on into the unknown, and know that our journey is no less challenging.

When a new vista opens to us, when things are possible that were never possible before, when suddenly we create outside known physical laws, we wonder. We celebrate, we are excited, and it may take a few breaths before we accept what has just unfolded in front of us. All these things are examples of the new normal. And we can expect more. The journey continues,

new ways that we learn to be human will become the norm, then yet another vista will open.

With breath we adjust, we adapt. With breath we open to new vistas. With breath we are inspired and vested in the energy it takes to continue. Breath supports in the new normal.

Until next time,

I am Phyllis, Becoming

Lao Tsu Continued

Greetings in Gratitude!

Once I heard the first message from Lao Tsu, reported in the last post, I felt that old tug of, "What right do I have to report messages from someone like this?" I didn't realize my deeper issue with it until this morning when I heard the word, "domain," as I woke. Since then it has been followed by "eminent," and "public." With some time to talk with him about it, I realize this message has more for all of us.

He says, "Your right to report is absolute. You have domain, and no permission is required. If I were alive and had public rights on published materials, the story would be different. It is not now true. Relax. Publish this to ask people to consider their own Wisdom. People shy away from interpreting the words of notable figures, especially those of a religious nature. Once a person has expressed a truth and it resides in the consciousness long enough, so many share it that it becomes public domain. Also, when I offer you a new thought, then it is yours, and you may publish it as you see fit."

This experience has shadows of wavering conviction about it. Sometimes we need to be challenged to recognize that our conviction is still stabilizing. Not only in a situation like this, of course, but in many life situations. We are challenged when we are still coming to terms with personal truth; when we are still learning to trust ourselves. The minor issue becomes a major as we test ourselves and learn to have faith, no matter how it may appear to another.

We have traveled so far, evolved to see the emergence of the Third Earth, and we are the bright colors in its tapestry. Our consciousness is expanding beyond anything we can yet imagine, and we are the means by which it expands. We trust more, we breathe and choose or take action based on faith. We have eminent domain. We acquire what will serve us best, knowing that such acquisition will also serve the greater good.

Well, that's been an interesting twist to what started out with a few words. Lovely how our Universe works when we let it. I am grateful.

Until next time,

I am Phyllis, Becoming

A Message from Lao Tzu

Greetings in Gratitude!

Just a short post this morning before going off to fun day with Anita.

Recently, Lao Tzu, father of Taoism, has been contacting me in dreams, then repeating the messages after I am awake. I thank him for his Wisdom, and offer this morning's message for all of us.

"When you stand by the river, your attention is drawn to the water. You see the activity of the water, the ripples and sometimes the turbulence. You may also notice the banks; the one on which you stand and the opposite bank. So you notice what is visible. But the wisdom is not in what is visible. The wisdom is the accumulated and stored richness at the bottom of the river.

Go to the depths; take your courage and with a deep breath, dive, dive, dive to the bottom.

Here you will find the wisdom that awaits you; the wisdom that has always been there waiting for you. The depths always holds your wisdom. The richness tells the oldest story, the most important information and emotion that will set you free, raise you up to the surface and return you to your joy." Lao Tzu

Until next time, Breathing and Diving with you,

I am Phyllis, Becoming

Homesickness and The Light

Greetings in Gratitude!

Some of the basics are so very basic that we may not talk about them much, but this blog is a perfect place for me reflect on elements of our journey that have meaning for so many of us.

Following the opening message for a new client a few days ago, she was tearful and a bit embarrassed. First tissues, then explanation, to say this is common when we feel the presence of Spirit. Whether we touch deeply into our God Space in meditation, during a dream, or in a session, we feel to the depths of us the satisfaction of a hunger we have carried throughout our human journey. And tears are a natural response.

This hunger is homesickness; a longing for that dimension or layer that holds all of our other realities or aspects. It also is home to those we have loved in this life and all guides and angels who are bonded with us on this journey. It's no wonder we tear up - even sob - when we surrender enough to visit there.

You know what I'm going to say next: Breath takes us there. Surrendering all of our denser realities we journey within to reveal the stream of consciousness, the bridge, to that Home we hunger to know again.

********

Repeating to Nancy a vision I had this morning, more clarity came that inspires me about our true Self. The vision was a repeated image I've been having lately. I am opening a door. At first, seeing it, my logic argues with the vision. I am opening a door outward with my left hand and the light is coming from within my room in an arc that penetrates the shadow beyond.

During all of our metaphysical journey we've heard teachings about the Light. We were taught that in our search for enlightenment we needed to follow a path to find the Light, to live a life worthy of that Light and so to enjoy our en-Light-enment when it we had earned it, when we "found" it. My vision corrects an old, conditioned response that the Light must be found.

Exactly the opposite is true. WE are the Light. It is within us and always has been. As we open the door to what is beyond, we share that Light and illuminate the shadow. We may have temporarily forgotten the Light, but overlooking it has not diminished it. We are IT. Nothing can deter us. We are on this path to recall this brilliant, original aspect of us.

We are recalling our own Light, and so, Becoming all that we can be; in our bodies, the Light from us illuminating the path we walk including the people and situations that can benefit from our energy. This is why I do not beseech any external source for help. When a person is in need of attention, I hold them in the Sacred, knowing that with breath and intention the Light becomes available to them and they will use it as they see fit. Each of the others is also a perfect being, carrying the Light of their own Divinity, taking the path that serves them best.

Until next time,

I am Phyllis, Becoming

Expanding Creations

Greetings in Gratitude!

An odd little idiosyncrasy popped up yesterday that gave me pause, so of course it prompted this posting.

In the process of posting to this blog, I occasionally get an email response from a reader, but the comment notation at the bottom of the posting shows no numbers, so I have assumed there were none. Yesterday I realized there is a "comments" heading I had never explored. Clicking on it, I found a number of lovely comments from many of you, and I thank you so much for taking the time to so thoughtfully respond.

This, in turn, reminded me of my 19th summer, working here in Minneapolis for what we then called, "Ma Bell," and living alone for the first time. After a falling out with my roommates, I moved to a two-room apartment in an old house on Nicollet Ave. I shared a bathroom with the 3rd floor tenant. This place was very inexpensive, so when I had no hot water the first day, I assumed it was a "cold water flat." This didn't bother me much since I had hot water in the bathroom, so I simply heated water for dishes, etc. I only lived there a few months, and when I prepared to move, I left the kitchen water running in the pail to wash the floors. I came back to find it full of steaming water!

These are only two of several instances of living within the confines of my own assumptions; living as if there were no more, as if my Universe had limits. I was born into a family that seemed perfectly happy to live in a very small house without running water for several years, as many of our neighbors did. So I learned to accept what was. And while I had dreams, I learned not to expect more than I could see. Of course, my Universe agreed with me. It always does.

Now, however, having moved into Third Earth, we are stretching our creational muscles, standing tall and asking what we have not yet considered. How may we expand our version of life on Earth? What have we not yet explored that lies in store for us in The All That Is?

My expanded version is bursting through the walls of my apartment these days. This morning I woke aching with the remnants of a dream that my life included a dog. The feeling is so real that I know it is a precognition that one day my life will change to include a new, furry friend.

So as I write, I wonder, what is in the expanded version of your life? Where have you, like me, sometimes settled for a version limited by conditioned, karmic perspective? How have you unintentionally created a narrow selection? Remember that dreams are not concrete and produce little but wistfulness. Our new creations may begin with a dream, but we need intentions, stated with breath and gratitude, to punch out the confining walls of our previous lives and open us into Expanded Creation.

Until next time, in Expanded Creation,

I am Phyllis, Becoming

The Shadow and the Light

Greetings in Gratitude!

This new phrase (for me), "a new human contract is in effect," is full of promise and excitement.

This new contract is a reason to celebrate that, "sacrifice contradicts Creation." If we can learn to recognize the part of us that has leaned into sacrifice, then the remedy is on the flip side, and it is eminently probable.

And this is true of any thing in our lives. Where there is any valley, any place of shadow and trial, we are gifted with the remedy. This is a law of cause and effect we can count on as long as we need it. Within is the promise that, recognizing the obstacle, the remedy is just as real.

How often, faced with what seems to be an insurmountable obstacle, do we shrink and even run to hide from it, shield ourselves and seek comfort. I am blessed to know some special people recently who have found the way into the remedy, often without even realizing what strength of character, faith and courage is within them. But they sense the alternative is there; the remedy is within and can be realized with breath and a depth of surrender still new to them.

Today, in the light of the full moon, truth is illuminated. Standing on my deck last night in that light, I was so relaxed in it. I realized how urgently I had felt the need for the rising of this moon, at this time, when we are so challenged and so gifted.

Not only are we gifted with the remedy, we are the gift. We are the remedy. And with breath we recall it. I am comforted by the message the Masters gave me back in '83, "You will learn nothing new. You will recall everything."

Breathing with you until next time,

I am Phyllis, Recalling

A New Human Contract

Greetings in Gratitude!

When the channeling began 27 years ago, the very first message from Mary and Jacob described how I would travel and speak to groups. But the message that is still alive in memory was, "You have much work to do." And I assumed it was work in service to others.

Over the years, speaking to groups and in session with clients, I know I have channeled wisdom that has served others. But the essential work that I had to do was to Become. And I learned early on that, standing apart and observing, my clients were and are my best teachers. Allowing me into their streams of consciousness, they provide me a front row seat to a Cosmic cast of guides and angels, Masters and family members who share astonishing Wisdom - and comfort.

Many years ago, talking in session with a distressed woman in Wisconsin, we were sorting out the roles of males and females. As we were speaking about the expectations she imposed upon herself and how she had suffered the consequences, exhausted and filled with anxiety, a flight of angels arrived with such impact it took my breath away. Having our attention, they said,

"Sacrifice contradicts Creation."

Centuries of traditional indoctrination have taught us that the most valuable, altruistic and spiritual of us are those who sacrifice ourselves to others. The angels report that this is one of our most damaging beliefs. This pronouncement hit me like a cosmic two-by-four, right between the eyes. We have been compromising the very essence of our human nature by denying ourselves in the name of service; service to what we believed had more value;

service to others at the expense of Self. I knew this was my belief. And I knew I had work to do.

The belief that sacrifice was necessary has served our human evolution. The karmic way was supported by this human dynamic. Sacrifice has been held up as the standard by which we "should" pattern our lives. Having now entered into this Third Earth, we are bringing into focus all that no longer serves us. These threads, so woven into our consciousness are now coming to light so that they might be transformed into a new creative energy.

So imbedded is this belief of sacrifice through service that it reveals itself in stages. My own journey since the angelic pronouncement has been (a sometimes not fun) adventure in revealing what I believe about sacrificing myself to the needs others. When I realize I've bumped into another layer of the belief, I breathe into the experience and ask it for its Wisdom. What relief I feel in releasing myself and the person or situation involved, recalling the Wisdom and making way for a new relationship to evolve.

I realize the way to service without sacrifice is a new way to be human. The pronouncement does not suggest that we cease doing service. It alerts us to our own beliefs about service. The layers of human nature can produce unconscious reaction that land us in big trouble. Service at the expense of Self leaches away our life force. It compromises our immune system and other human defense mechanisms.

When we contemplate our beliefs about service, let's be honest about what may have motivated us in the past and breathe into service accomplished with the mutually respectful approach that achieves exchange. When we serve, not in reaction but in Wisdom, we are renewed. When we are renewed by our service, the chi is sustained. And as we explore all the ways that we have contradicted our own Sacred Nature in the past, we can breathe and celebrate that a new human contract is in effect; a contract made concrete by each of us divining a new way to be - and to become all that we can be.

With Love and Respect,

I am Phyllis, Becoming

Chapter II

Breathing with Gratitude!

Yesterday a new client arrived with her life in much disarray, and while I was preparing for our exchange, I knew the true reason she was coming had little to do with her conscious expectations. This is not unusual. Over the years I've realized that the Wisdom that prompts a session reveals itself during the session and may be quite different from what the person expects. This can make a session difficult for the client, but I've learned to surrender and trust that, if not in the session, then some time, some way the counsel will penetrate and make a difference.

When life is hard we really just wish there were a magic potion we could take to make it all go away or at least relieve the pressure so that we can see our way to the happy outcome. This was the case with yesterday's client. The core remedy was too simple for her to comprehend, at least at first. And even when she could accept the counsel, she could not visualize how her life could change by simply breathing.

There is a magic potion, and it is free. Breath is the answer to everything. Not faith first, because breath releases us to our Spirit, so breath is the answer. Not Wisdom first; breath precedes our access to Wisdom. Not surrender first; breath.

You are probably very tired of me repeating myself. But I am not tired of saying it. I realize that this is my mission in life. Therefore, of course, it is also my own lesson. Thanks again to Richard Bach: "We teach best what we most need to learn." Breath is everything. Logic and emotion block our Wisdom. Breath reveals it.

Do you struggle? Breathe.

Still struggling? Breathe again.

Are you in trouble so deep you can't see your way out? Breathe.

Do people in your life still drive you crazy? Breathe.

Is there a physical symptom defying diagnosis or treatment? Breathe.

Whatever it is that reminds you you are still human, Breathe. And Breathe again.

Breathing deeply, focused only on the breath, is what I call breath with intention. When we breathe with gratitude, we become a magnetic force that invites powerful response. Breath becomes a channel through which we reveal our wisdom. Then, any symptom can find its matching remedy. All symptoms have a correlating remedy. The symptom and the remedy are stored in the Mind, and it is accessed with Breath.

All the dreams, all the aching desire for peace and simplicity, all the anxiety, all the urgency to find the remedy has led us down many paths. After all, we need no books, no workshops, no anything outside of ourselves to achieve the fulfilled life. Creation provided us all that we need. The miracle is in the Simplicity. Breath.

Until next time,

I am Phyllis, Breathing

You Trust Yourself HOW Much?

Greetings in Gratitude!

Some months ago I quoted an ancient Japanese haiku shared with me by my friend, Linda, who had just lost her job (which turned out to be a miracle). And this morning, reflecting on the changes people are reporting to me, I heard a phrase that also puts into true perspective the new way of being human.

When we are contemplating something that does not feel good, a difficult loss, a conflict, a challenge to balance, System says about us, "Wow, you trust yourself that much!"

I love this. Being System, all things are created by us. What if, when a thing we have created feels wrong, out of place, like a flaw in our Plan, instead of checking ourselves for flawed intention or accusing ourselves of losing track, what if instead we took a deep breath and said, "Oh, I trust myself that much."

All remedy, all understanding, all faith and Wisdom are wrapped up in this statement.

What a shift in planetary consciousness we would support with this personal, internal shift. This journey, this Becoming, is filled with such bright opportunities. I embrace them with you.

Until next time, breathing,

I am Phyllis, Becoming

Memories and New Creations

Greetings in Gratitude!

Saturday, the 14th, was the 27th anniversary of the day I first opened to seeing and hearing. Each year I celebrate in some way. I've sometimes returned to Bemidji to sit in the evening in Perkins, as Michael and I did so often in 1983, to meditate and write. My plan to do that this year shifted, and I went instead to the Perkins in Edina on Hwy. 100. A full pot of coffee later I had taken my nostalgic journey, channeled several pages and visited at some length with the Masters closest to me, Jesus and Buddha.

They offered personal counsel which I will be happy to share with all of you when the changes are more obvious. In the meanwhile, they report that we are all weaving together the threads of the past and effectively transforming human memory, bringing forward a new energy that supports the planet.

What does this mean in the practical? In part, it means we have revealed more of ourselves without shrinking. Accepting the parts of ourselves that make us uncomfortable; breathing through the pain, the self-consciousness and sharing with others who, in turn, have the courage to do the same. We have learned not only to accept, but to celebrate ourselves, not the self, "except for," but the whole self. We breathe better and react less to the world around us. But perhaps the greatest victory is reacting less to those closest to us; those who are so good at pushing our buttons. And even when we do react, we are so much better at breathing and reversing that energy to stand in greater objectivity. This release results in expanding creative energy, available to self and to all others who are affected by our energy.

Buddha says, "I remind you all that the past was perfect for the time, and it no longer serves except in reflection. Appreciating yourselves, having survived so much and persevering, you are barely peeking into the new dimension, and you are doing so well."

Christ reports, "Hope is born in people who share a belief in something unseen and seemingly greater than themselves. With hope, the body is recalling and expressing more of its own wisdom. You have breathed your way back to this wisdom. I applaud your progress."

Reflections help us to appreciate ourselves; how far we have come, how much we have accomplished. On the other hand, we can lean into the past as a means to identify ourselves.

When raised in pain - and who does not have some - the pain becomes a means to explain the person we have become. The next time you are thinking about yourself, or telling others your story, try a breath. It can become the release you need to move yourself forward. With breath we can change the story, promote ourselves into new thought, putting the past to rest.

I see so many of us doing just this, and those who are practicing the technique are expressing joy beyond anything they thought possible. This is possible for all of us.

Until next time, Breathing with you,

I am Phyllis, Becoming

Irony and Third Earth

Greetings in Gratitude!

Another condition initiated in the transit of August 8, is a Cosmic Timer. It makes a very odd sound when I listen, like, "pucketapucketapucketa." I know, it's probably my own invention, but I did hear it, and introducing an element of humor is probably the point.

The irony in the timer, of course, is that time is a human invention. Cosmic Consciousness is absent of time. But to inform us about the adjustment period we have entered, a timer is used to illustrate that we are gradually adjusting to Unlimited Source. There is no deadline. The timer indicates a pace that is generous and well within our capacity to adapt to a new way of being in this, the Third Age of Earth.

We became conditioned to everything in the Second Age of Earth. We've become so well-versed in the karmic way that considering the possibility of learning in a whole new format boggles the brain (not the Mind). And that is what we are considering now; learning not through brain function, but through Mind.

For the past year we have been exploring the concept of The All That Is, holding all in store that we need and desire. Describing it always causes me to lift my right arm and extend into the space that feels so unusual and expansive that words fail me. Since the past weekend, the Source through which all is made possible and real is so close now that I can feel it pulsing against the right side of my face.

What takes us into that Source is breath. It is the only way. We cannot think it and get there. We cannot get there at all. Breath allows The All That Is to merge with us, to become a part of who we are and who we are becoming. Thought will trigger emotion. Emotion will trigger more thought. That is the karmic way. It is not the way into the ease we deserve. Breath is the only way. To quote a group I channeled for a client today, "Breathe to rest within yourself."

Breathing with you,

I am, Phyllis Becoming

Energy as Consciousness

Greetings in Gratitude!

Energy is my subject this morning, and where we shall go with it is any one's guess.

My granddaughter was excited to show me her new room arrangement on Sunday. Entering, I took a deep breath and realized that the old location of bed and bookshelves on opposite sides of the room were contrary to free flow of energy. This feels open and inviting. And the girls love it.

We do not always realize why we do not feel comfortable in a place or with a person or group. The energy of the situation is most often the cause for our uneasiness. Yet energy is thing we cannot see, so we do the best we can and go on, often not aware that the prevailing energy was the cause of our dis-ease. Learning how to re-form our energy can ease our lives. If you are uncomfortable in some areas of your home, changing the arrangement might help. So can breathing into a new energy.

I related in an earlier posting how the energy transit we experienced while I was in Duluth last affected me. To adjust, I took long, shuddering, spontaneous breaths that helped me cope. I felt disoriented and unstable. I had to cut my time short and get on the road.

The planet is in labor and the effect on the human system is very real. August 8th was the pivot point for our latest transit. The energy was different from the earlier shift, and I handled it differently. I stood outside of myself a lot and observed. It was not a day for successful pie baking, but the human classroom was effective.

We are beings of unlimited energy. We are born of Source, therefore we have all the elements of Source within and around us. Reflecting on the thoughts of a channel in Las Vegas who is exploring the subject of expanding consciousness, I summarize first my version of our Earth/Human dynamic.

We are born of Earth. Our mental, emotional and physical bodies are born of the density that is Earth. Our energy bodies are born of Spirit; what we might call God, Creator, Cosmic Consciousness or The All That Is. The differentiation of Earth and Heavens is important if we are to comprehend our relationship to ourselves and to the planet. Our density provides us the means to take the journey. Our spirit is the essence that precedes physical life and continues after the body dies. It is our connection to The All That Is and a reminder that we do not take this journey alone.

There is a reason that through the ages we have called God "He," and the Earth, "She." This is not a religious indoctrination that we can now change to fit a more ecumenical approach. We are born of both masculine and feminine energies. I do not call God, "she," any more than I would call the planet, "he." It does not fit. We are intended to have a mother and a father. Just as we procreate as humans, the format applies to the planet and the birthing of life here.

The energy of Mother Earth is expanding and contracting, just as the abdomen of a female expands and contracts during labor. She is birthing a new Earth. These energy cycles produce more seismic activity, more meteorological events and more stress in people. Just as in human labor, some of these labor cycles are more pronounced than others. So it was in mid-July, and so it was this past weekend.

Just as breath is taught in Lamaze classes to expectant mothers to help them through labor, I have been taught to use breath to assist Mother Earth and to adjust personal energy. We release stress with breath, and expanding our personal energy field further also assists in stress release. When we expand our energy field through breath, we also collaborate with others to support the birthing.

If you have ever meditated to expand your consciousness outside of yourself, you already know how to do this. Breathe deeply and imagine your personal energy is expanding like a balloon or sphere around you. Continue to breathe and imagine your energy is expanding outward, enveloping any person, place or situation you decide to include. Your energy is your consciousness and it expands with Wisdom in service to others, multiplies and returns to you.

It's important that we do not confuse this with sympathetic relationship. We are not seeking to identify with the experience of others, nor are we there to change them or it. The person or situation is perfect in ways we cannot imagine. The breathing helps us to disengage from reaction or judgement.

The breathing event expands the neutral energy/consciousness to include whatever might cause us stress. Thus, we are no longer using our energy in reaction to the situation. We are acknowledging what has always been true: we are spirit first and our energy bodies are unlimited in their capacity to contribute to the Whole. Breathing with intention, we are living the expanded life of increasing ease. Expanding consciousness we bring increased ease to the planet and assist in the birthing of a new Earth.

The cycles will continue as surely as the mother completes the labor and births the child. How will we be and who will we be? We cannot know what will come with certainty. We are evolving, after all, and we have free will. We do know that we are fully equipped for what will surely unfold. We are equipped with breath. It eases the density and gives expansive meaning to the spirit. We are Earth learning itself, organizing itself, breathing itself.*

Until next time,

I am Phyllis, Becoming

* Paraphrasing here from Sister Mary Therese MacGillis' speech, "Wellness and the Earth."

The Universe Agrees with You

Greetings in Gratitude!

Yes, the Universe agrees with you, with me, with everyone. It always does, it always has. Then, why, I sometimes wonder, do we react as if what's going on is simply wrong, or not ours at all?

We're in the same boat about how it feels. I don't like it, either, when someone accuses me or acts out in front of me. It's uncomfortable to have the experience, first of all. Then it's even more discomforting when I have to face that the event is mine.

This was my experience last night. An old friend and client emailed his disappointment in the content of a session his former wife and I had a few years ago. I don't know how he obtained the information, but that is really not the point. His wife, as I remember, was counseled to trust herself, that her first obligation was to her children and herself as she looked at her marriage, deciding how to proceed, how to create the rest of her life.

His accusations briefly wounded me. I did not like being the object of his pain and denial. It hurt that I could be accused of compromising our friendship; I was hurt that my role could be misinterpreted. My initial reaction was to respond. Clearly, his email said, "do not reply."

And I knew this was the wisest course. Wisdom quickly kicked in to say, "His pain is not your responsibility," and "What is your wisdom in this?"

So here I had a composite event related to many things we've been exploring here in this blog.

1."People will only challenge me when my conviction wavers."

Time to meditate again on conviction related to my roles with people and residual beliefs that I carry responsibility for them. Time to surrender another layer.

2."Each person's Plan is perfect."

And so is mine and yours. He has a right to his beliefs and to his perfect journey.

Whose life is this, anyway?

3."I live independently, accountable to no one."

I reach into the old belief that self-consciousness has any place in my life, and release again.

Loving myself more I have more to share, especially with my old friend, shared in Spirit.

4."Wisdom prevails, and as I breathe, I recall it."

More wisdom equals more freedom and more joy.

5. "My Universe always agrees with me."

Thank you, my old friend. I know myself better because you share your pain.

We are all here on a journey to learn ourselves. This friend supports my journey.

Until next time, Breathing with you,

I am Phyllis, Becoming

Breathe the Journey

Greetings in Gratitude!

A lovely friend and client of many years has given permission to reflect on guidance offered her, and I am grateful.

What is life but a journey to goals, not the goal itself. It is peculiar to the human condition, that we set goals and become so focused on them that anything in between is secondary, even ignored or assessed as less than the goal we hold in such high esteem.

Yet the journey holds all the substance of life. It is the reason for being human. The journey is the substance of learning, achieving, of becoming all we can be.

We hold up in admiration the explorers who reached their destinations, their goals. Yet many of them were taking a journey without foreknowledge of the destination they would one day reach. Reaching it, they celebrated, and perhaps the difficulties of the journey paled in comparison, so their stories have been recorded to laud the goal and have set us an example we emulate.

Yet, if we were to read journals written by these brave souls, we would find the substance of human growth on those pages. We would observe how they overcame obstacles, how they managed relationships, how they managed their own loneliness, physical and emotional hunger and persevered against all odds. This, System says, is the reason for taking on the challenge of being human.

And further, we will never reach the satisfaction we imagine the goal represents. Being goal oriented, we will never reach a goal that satisfies. The goal reached will pale compared to the dream, so we will find another to pursue in hopes the next goal reached with at last satisfy the hunger we have to succeed.

Goals are fine, to set intention. But goals pale in comparison to the journey. Set a goal, then entirely surrender it. Tending to the goal is an attachment. Attachment to anything comes from fear; fear that we will fail. Breathe and surrender any goal, attending to the moment, trusting Self more with each and every breath. Live the journey wholly.

The goal is not the substance of life. Now we are awakening to know that the substance is in the journey; to live in the moment, honoring and respecting self for persisting, whatever the obstacles. The inner, true satisfaction is in the moment as you experience it; whole in itself and the reason for being.

Until next time, Breathing with you,

I am Phyllis, Becoming

Breathing the Journey

Greetings In Gratitude!

Hello, August! And hello, too, to some of the most compelling and mysterious energy the planet has ever known. We are learning more about letting go than we ever thought possible, and we are feeling it more deeply than ever. Thankfully, we have also accumulated our tools to support us in these times of change. We express our emotions more freely and reach out for assistance with more skill. We are also creating our new lives more effectively and abundantly than ever before. We are able better to stand objectively and to appreciate the view.

I am reminded that before one trip to Duluth to speak to my church family there, I asked God what my message should be, and the answer came with resounding energy,

"Tell them how well they are doing."

Most messages from the pulpit, from the teacher, from the parent, from any authority figure are geared to teaching how to do better. Do this, do that, and surely you will get to your goal. We are tired of striving in reaction to lessons we have learned; to the the external, scrutinizing authorities. We are tired of reacting to our own inner "conscience" that presses us for more. We have been schooled for so long to persevere that we hunger for praise. I look at all the competitions we have contrived from which we can earn praise; from academic grades to sporting events, from musical competitions to Trivial Pursuit, we have learned to measure ourselves and to earn praise by excelling. Our traditional world has not taught us well how to trust the Spirit, the Wisdom inherent in us. It has not taught us how to trust our Selves.

This morning I want to tell you how well I am doing. I want to tell you because I believe that we all need to be reminded that our efforts are paying dividends; that we are all in this together; that it can feel very hard, and we need a reminder of how well we are doing. The message deserves repeating, and we deserve to hear it.

My own progress sometimes feels like that orange that's hard to peel. I love oranges, but I can't tell always when I buy them whether they will peel easily. Some oranges just resist letting go of the rind, and no matter what tool I use or how I persist, sometimes I wonder if the outcome is worth the effort. Sometimes I dig in too hard and wound the flesh. Sometimes no matter how I try the white layer between rind and flesh remains. Will the flesh and the juice inside pay in sweetness for the struggle to get there? Ah, the mystery.

Learning to live in absolute freedom is like peeling that orange. It's paying off, and I see how peeling the layers is revealing more of the fruit. This weekend I had a revelation of grand proportions. I felt myself living free of accountability. Taking shuddering breaths to adapt to the revealed Wise Self, I observed and knew that I am closer.

Because I have never been here before there is nothing to measure it by. Of course there is no need to measure, but the old self surely lived in a state of measuring progress. Breathe, again, Breathe. This state of being is apart from any "me" I have explored before. She needs to be treated gently and with great respect. She needs not to be pushed. Any birthing knows its own timing. Breathing and observing we birth and we grow.

While on any journey we would surely expire if we did not pause for breath. And even if we did not expire, we would miss the sweetness all around us. Breathing, we take a look at the terrain and appreciate from where we have come and how lovely is the view.

Nothing matters except that we are on the journey; that it is worthy of us and we are worthy of it. Oh, how well we are doing.

Until next time,

I am Phyllis, Becoming