SUSTENANCE

Greetings. The days are getting long and Spring is on the way. I usually talk about Spring being about renewal. The theme of this particular letter however will be more about sustenance. What does it take to SUSTAIN you, your aliveness, your vision, your faith and your dreams? Especially in the experience of day to day life filled with it’s ups and downs, its twists and turns, its triumphs and its disappointments. It seems to me that we spend our lives learning to strike a balance between extremes. The center line between the highs and lows might actually be peace, but center is the operative word. Remaining centered or recognizing when you are not so that you can make a choice in favor of returning to the center, forms the ground of being for having your vision move from "a vision" to a reality. It’s more than "wanting". There is an interesting concept presented in Neale Walsch’s "Conversations with God". In prayer or affirmation when you tell God or the Universe "I want" then the Universe gives you just that. You get to want and you are left wanting. Frankly I never looked at it this way but it made sense to me. After all, if I take responsibility and say "I am creating" it becomes an active process and I AM creating. Even better would be "I AM" followed by a declarative. "I am prosperous!" may seem like denial when you have no money but it begins to create a state of prosperity. This principal is ancient and has been presented in "mystical" texts over and over again. I am not saying to go into denial about a certain circumstance but merely to tell the truth about it and return to your creative power. We could get into all sorts of deep discussion about creative power but suffice to say that how you feel about yourself can determine the extent of your access and full use of your creative power. For example, if on some level you do not believe you are "good enough" and your experience has mirrored that belief, then it may be that the restoration of your self-esteem is first order. To do that you may have to take a full look at what you are allowing to occur in your life- the way people treat you, what you put up with, where you place your anger. Many people work years to "recover" themselves. I always think a good measure of self-love is to ask yourself in any given situation if the following three things are present- HONOR, LOVE and RESPECT. You can ask yourself- "Does the current situation, or person HONOR me- are my opinions being heard, am I dealing with people of integrity, do I have MY integrity. Is this a LOVEing place to be and a self-loving place to be; and am I being respected, do I have my self-respect?" Of course you must first HONOR LOVE AND RESPECT yourself. I believe that faith and a belief in God ( whatever God is to you) form the cornerstone of the foundation of sustenance. Honor, Love and Respect form the foundation. When I speak of God I am speaking of my perception of God as a loving being who empowers us with free will to make choices in our lives. What we choose- how we believe, how we love, how we treat ourselves and others and what we choose to learn as we grow is up to us.

What other "conditions" need to be present to create and sustain your vision? For me- education and research are important, as is having wonderful mentors. When I seek to create something or do something new. I look for where it has been done before. I research and read. I stop look and listen. I find that there is always someone who has walked ahead of me and in many cases I do not have to totally reinvent the wheel. The process of creativity mirrors itself in all fields. Business is business, marketing is marketing. The question is one of what YOU will bring to the equation. You may think that innovation is an entirely different story. How can you find out "how to" if what you seek to do hasn’t been invented yet. Well, then I would look to the inventors. I would read biographies of innovators. (Most especially those that had a tough time convincing the "masses"). Examples are everywhere from Einstein who’s theory of relativity was mocked to Georges Seurat whose style of painting was ridiculed only to become the "pointillist" school of painting. Inspiration is everywhere- look for it! Mentors are can enhance and ease your experience tremendously. Currently in my life I am indeed embarking on uncharted territory and have the opportunity to be visionary. At the same time I have wonderful mentors. People I respect and trust who I KNOW know more about certain things than I do. And, I love to learn from them. Ask yourself what conditions you require to nurture and sustain your vision. So much is available the moment we begin looking. If you have an idea or vision begin to think in terms of all of the possibilities that will lead to its realization. You probably have more resources available to you than you realize. Lastly, begin it. Thought- word- action. Once you begin the process your commitment is behind it. Ask for what you need and move forward.

VISION

Lately, I have had several clients bring up "the vision thing" in readings. Your vision- how you see your creativity manifest in the world- is a very precious thing. Vision needs to be treasured, revered and nurtured. To this end, sharing your vision can be a delicate matter. If you are just beginning to formulate your ideas, you’ll want to share them with trusted individuals whose feedback you know will be constructive as opposed to destructive. Everyone has had an experience, probably at a very young age as well, when you shared something very special only to find it not valued or even mocked by the people you were sharing with. It’s that "not being gotten" thing that can sometimes keep people from risking rejection in order to share who they really are in the world, no matter how unique or different. The sad thing is that that fear of rejection robs the world of something very special that you have to contribute and it robs you of your aliveness. Indeed given our experiences as children who have failed or have been rejected, stepping out into the world to express yourself does seem like a risk, yet the rewards can be rich. Nobody can guarantee you won’t get hurt in the process. There really is no way to avoid painful experiences in life. Your decision in those circumstances has to do with how you relate to them and how you will use them to your growth and benefit. It is not so much what happens to you that counts as it is your response to it and handling of it. That old adage about getting stronger is true but what it forgets to mention is that you also grow wiser and less fearful. It is impossible to experience the heights of joy without knowing its opposite.

The more you get to know yourself the less fearful you will become about sharing who you are. Eventually you will drop the need for approval and the fear of rejection in favor of creating the life you know you deserve and the contribution you know you have to make.

We are really all the same replete with fears of rejection. Some of my clients are very powerful CEO’s in the world, leaders in their fields who have had the same experience as you and I when sharing a vision too early or too soon in its evolution. The results are misunderstanding and rejection. These people have learned to keep their own counsel or very trusted friends and associates who they know will help them refine and articulate their vision by asking the right questions and even playing a safe devil’s advocate until they get it to the point where it is truly ready to be introduced to the world.

Nurturing a dream can be a wonderful process. The process holds valuable lessons and opportunities and under the right circumstances (which you create) can be magical. In the beginning and in the end you have only to be who you are. You need no-one’s permission or approval and if you have nothing to prove the joy of creation can be experienced in all its grace and fullness. You will just FEEL and KNOW what is right for you.

Barry Manilow’s "I Made it Through the Rain" had an original lyric that was about having faith in yourself and your vision. It began "A musician has his ways, of facing rainy days and somehow he survives. He keeps his songs warm, protects them from the storm until his time arrives" I am doing that from memory so hopefully I have it right. It is so true however regarding creativity and vision. Timing is important. Knowing YOUR timing is everything.

READINGS ON SALE!

As always I thank you for your referrals and I appreciate your confidence in my work. To show my appreciation and to make "spring Cleaning" a little easier on the wallet readings are "on sale" during the month of March. This applies to in person and phone readings and is not available to new clients. Thanks for reading! And may Spring bring you Sustenance AND renewal! Brian

Reg Rate 1 hour session $125

Sale Rate 1 hour session $100

Reg Rate 1/2 hour session $65

Sale Rate 1/2 hour session $55