The other day I was thinking about the phrase trust the process. I realized the more I get out of my own way the more magical my life becomes. But where does the magic come from and what does it mean to get out of my own way?

All of my limitations originate in my filter system. What really gets in the way are my beliefs, agreements and assumptions. Magic is the essence of who and what I am.

When I first began my journey the idea of surrendering and letting go terrified me. Trusting the process seemed like pure folly. Now I know surrender is the gateway to my personal freedom and trusting the process is the only thing that makes sense.

For a long time I avoided my fear. I actually fooled myself into believing I was fearless when fear was the basis of all my choices. Once I realized how many permutations fear had I embraced it and chose to consciously move toward it. I found that time and time again freedom existed just on the other side of my fear. Eventually I realized my greatest power lies in my complete vulnerability and in my absolute surrender.

Moment by moment, thought by thought I’m either deepening my connection with my filter system or my spirit. And when I sincerely ask myself, “What do I want to create?” the likelihood of deepening my connection with my spirit is greatly enhanced.

I recently had a listener to my podcast ask me about controlled folly. I hadn’t thought about controlled folly in a number of years. When we are profoundly asleep to who and what we really are the only thing we can do is react to life. When we wake up to who and what we really are we realize one of the ways we can choose to be in life is called controlled folly. Once we realize we’re a spirit and not our body we realize life is just a game. What we create or don’t create doesn’t really matter.

Having a physical body is a wonderful gift. What we do with our life doesn’t really have a profound meaning it is just what we choose to do with our life. I like both chocolate and vanilla. I can choose to be happy or choose to be sad. I can choose to act from a place of love or fear, not because it’s the right thing to do, but because it feels better. As I awaken to my true nature to question, “what do I want to create” takes on new meaning.

There are no shoulds or have tos there is just what I wanted to. What do you want to do with your life? What choices make your heart sing? What would happen to the quality of your life if you chose moment by moment to create that which brings you joy? Controlled folly is to think that any of it matters to anyone other than you.

At first I had resistance to the idea, but now I see the freedom in it. When I’m connected to my spirit my choices benefit myself and others. Not because it matters but because another word for Spirit is love, pure, unconditional, unfettered, limitless love.

With lots of love and aloha,
Susan

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Trusting the Process

In this podcast I answer listeners questions about controlled folly, denial and affirmations as well as anger and resentment. Then I discuss the difference between choosing how we want to act rather than reacting to life. There is also a wonderful guided meditation about acting and reacting. I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoy sharing!

http://SusanGregg.com/podcasts.htm

With lots of love and aloha,
Susan

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Episode 19 of Food for the Soul is live!!!

Those times of transition between being asleep and awake are very important, our mind is most suggestible and we can really utilize those times in a powerful way. I always suggest people create what I call bookends for the day. Bookends arr something you do every morning and every night. Bookends will help you create what you want, feel how you want to feel and vastly improve the quality of your life.

The covers of a book protect its pages and in a sense your daily bookends enfold your life and can protect you from the old, familiar habits of negative thinking. If you wake up worrying about the day, feeling stressed about all the things you need to do or go to sleep feeling angry it not only affects your dreams, but it affects the next day as well. You do create your reality, or at least your experience of reality with your thoughts, beliefs, agreements and assumptions.

We have bookends already we just aren’t conscious of what they really are. Today you’ll think 95% of the same thoughts as you did yesterday and you make many of the same choices and take the same actions. So why not spend a few minutes and consciously create bookends that will really facilitate creating what you want and feeling good about yourself?

I’m a great believer in meditation and journaling. So each morning I spend some time meditating and journaling. I live on the gorgeous island of Hawaii so part of my morning bookend is to spend some time connecting with nature. Your morning bookend can be as simple as taking the time to take a long, slow deep breath. One of my favorite authors Thich Nan Hahn suggests you put a sign over your bed that says smile. What a wonderful way to start the day by taking a moment to smile deeply with your spirit as you awaken.

Take time to be conscious of your first thought and your last thought. Choose them carefully. If you want to make brownies it helps to have the proper ingredients. If you add a lot of salt instead of sugar you might not like the brownies. If you want happy, joyous life add happiness and joy first thing in the morning and last thing at night.

For my evening bookend I usually take a warm bath, write for a few minutes in my journal and before I fall asleep I review my day in reverse and let go of any unfinished business. Then I give thanks for the opportunity of having another day and surrounded by the energy of gratitude fall sleep.

I find it helps to ask myself, “What do I want to create today?” Once I answer that question I can create my bookends accordingly. So, what are a few things you could do for yourself every morning and every night? Make sure they’re small and manageable so you can easily do them and then take the time to do them every morning and every night. Having a wonderful day is definitely worth the effort.

With love and aloha,
Susan.

Take time to check out my new class – you’ll really enjoy it
Limitless Living
http://susangregg.com/teachings.htm

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Bookends

I’ve said this before, but this time I had a different image of what it meant. What if we viewed everything in life as an invitation from the universe? What if we saw everything as a personal invitation from the universe to remember our divinity? What if we viewed everything as an invitation to remember our perfection and to acknowledge to the world and ourselves that we are the creative force in our life? And of course we can accept the invitation or ignore it and immerse ourselves more fully in our illusion about life.

When I got a very clear image of how this might look in my life I laughed. How perfect! I could see my life as a series of invitations. First, the events in my life would gently ask me, “Are you done with that limiting belief yet?” The invitation might show up in the form of some minor event that reflected the result of holding onto that belief. My response is always based on my choices. At first my response would be, “Belief, what belief that’s just the way life is.” Then fast forward a few days, weeks or years and once again my belief rears its head in my life and the invitation is again sent. Once I become willing to see how my belief or assumption or agreements limits my experience of reality – poof my life changes to reflect my new and hopefully more expansive belief. Of course life can also reflect my new narrower and more limited vision of life too.

I really liked to idea that ‘god’ was sending me ongoing invitations to experience happiness, freedom and joy or if I wanted to hold onto my beliefs I could gift myself with any kind of limitation I wanted to experience. The sky was the limit either way.

So, if I choose to see life that way then each day the question becomes, “What do I want to do with my day? Do I want to argue for my limitations or see events in my life as an opportunity to set myself free?” Viewed that perspective everything in life becomes an incredible gift and an opportunity for me to create whatever I want whenever I want it. It is anyway, its just if I see it that way I can give up struggle, suffering and feeling like a victim. I can embrace what is and fully savor it. What a freeing thought! And I am also free to old onto my beliefs and experience the results they produce in my life as well.

So what are you going to do with life’s invitations today?

With love, aloha and a big smile,
Susan

Check out my upcoming class
Limitless Livinghttp://SusanGregg.com/teachings.htm

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What if . . .

Sometimes I am amazed at all the permutations our filter system is capable of creating. Ultimately there are only two options are love or fear but our filter system sure can dress fear up so it looks like love.

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Love or fear

Today it is warm and sunny and it reminds me of summer. I remember what the first day of summer break felt like when I was a kid. I certainly hated getting up early during the school year but during summer vacation it was a different story. I would get up long before any of the adults and wander around the neighborhood watching it slowly wake up. I can still remember how the first light of the sun looked as it hit the buildings and the coolness of the streets. Most mornings the streets would be wet because the street sweepers had just been by washing down the dirt of the city.

Summer seemed to last for ever. Each day was an adventure unto itself and lasted for years. Then evening would fall, the streets would be filled with families sitting outside, getting way from the heat of the day. Off in the distance I would hear my mother calling me to come in for the night. I grew up in New York City and what I remember most is the light, the sounds and the smells. The city of my childhood no longer exists. It has been replaced with air-conditioning, cell phones and cable TV.

My perspective of time has changed over the years as well. It is so easy to get so busy with life and forget to take time to notice the seasons. I just finished teaching my monthly teleclass about earth rhythms. I did a guided meditation for people to help them remember to embrace the gift of life, to notice the passing of the seasons, to feel the wind and to take time to smell the roses.

Most days I take some time to just feel the earth and give thanks. On Sundays I go out and simply enjoy the day. Maybe take sometime for yourself to notice the approach of summer or winter if you live down under. Today you have the gift of this day. It will never come again. Give yourself the gift of savoring each moment of it no matter what is happening in your life.

Take a deep breath and give thanks for your life just the way it is. May your life be full of balmy breezes and laughter and ease.

With love and aloha,
Susan

Would you like to experience a Limitless Life?
Check out my latest class
http://SusanGregg.com/teachings.htm

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The lazy days of summer

In this podcast Susan talks about how we can see perfection in a world filled with violence and mad gunmen. Susan also talks about how we invite things into our life.

http://susangregg.com/podcasts.htm

With lots of love and aloha,
Susan

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Food for the Soul – episode 18

When that awareness began knocking at the edge of my consciousness I resisted it and tried valiantly to ignore it. Once I finally acknowledge it and embraced it as my perspective my life changed dramatically.

Focusing on making a difference in my own life is what set me free. As I released my judgments I was able to connect with my limitless, expansive loving nature. Whenever I focus on externals I’ve given my power away. Out there only has as much power as I am willing to give it.

I love this quote by Peace Pilgrim:

The world is like a mirror. Smile at it and it smiles back at you.

Life is a huge biofeedback machine. We are such magical beings. We live in a world that clearly reveals our limiting thinking and gives us an opportunity to change our mind. Love or fear is always ultimately our choice.

The thought that I need to change out there instead of modifying my filter system is often driven by fear. Love allows me to embrace what is and change my perspective. This quote from Toltec Way sums it up nicely.

“You came here to remind people to love one another. You came here to touch them with your kindness. You did not come to judge them or to fix them. You came here to teach them to heal their hearts, but first you must heal your own”.

With lots of love and aloha,
Susan

Would you like to experience Limitless Living?
Check out my latest class
http://SusanGregg.com/teachings.htm

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Making a difference

Those were some of my thoughts when I sat down to meditate this morning. What came to me were some thoughts about great spiritual teachers like Buddha and Jesus and how we focus our attention as a species. For many years I believed my mission was to help create a world that would be safe for children and animals. I figured if they were safe the rest of us would be golden, but then I began to realize the world was perfect just the way it is. I still wonder how we can be so cruel at times but I have come to realize that seeing something as cruel is my judgment. I have now found greater peace and the capacity to be more loving.

Let me explain. When I look at people like Buddha and Jesus I see people who have had a direct spiritual experience. They connected with God or their spiritual essence at a profound level and lived their lives from that loving and expansive place. They did whatever was necessary, on a daily basis to deepen and maintain that connection. They lived from a place of love, free of judgment and a sense of separation. They knew the only thing that is real is God and that the external world was an illusion. They knew that, “You are me, I am you and we are one.”

When I listen to the ramblings of the Virginia Tech gunman, the news and people in the grocery store, I hear a common theme – OUT THERE. We want to blame someone or seomthing. They treated me badly, the government needs to do something, they are the problem, and something out there is the problem. I do the same thing at times. I can make statements like, “That really upset me.”

Life is, then we tell ourselves a story, and then we have an experience based on the story. My hunch is Buddha and Jesus looked within, to their connection with spirit more often than they blamed out there for their experience.

Moment by moment we are either deepening our connection with our spirit or our beliefs agreements and assumptions. We are either deepening our connectedness or our sense of separation. We are either focusing within or allowing our attention to be hooked by out there.

In a society that focuses the majority of its attention on externals events, like the shooting at Virginia Tech unfortunately make sense. They are part of the paradigm that embraces blame and judgment rather than encouraging self-exploration and personal responsibility. Even most of our religions teach us to focus externally. God is out there. We get our message from God from someone or something outside of ourselves – the minister, rabbi, the Bible or Koran tell us what to believe and how to find God.

What do you suppose would happen if more people began focusing within? What would happen if each of us did as Jesus, Buddha, and Mohamed? What if each of us did whatever was necessary on a daily basis to have a direct and profound inner connection to God?

Would we be able to judge one another? Would we choose to physically assault one another? Or blame someone else for our internally generated emotions?

I think not. If each of us learned to love, really love and live as Buddha, Mohamed and Jesus, violence would be a rare occurrence rather than an everyday event. Perhaps Cho Seung-Hui would have been able to reach out for help rather than think violence was the solution.

As long as we persist in judging anything or anyone we can’t experience our oneness. It is our belief in separation that engenders violence. When I make myself see the perfection in everything my heart expands and I can love. By loving I can live life in a more loving fashion and my sense of oneness grows.

Love or fear are our only two options. We know what kind of a world fear has built isn’t it time to see what kind of a world love can build?

With lots of love and aloha,
Susan

http://Shortmeditations.com

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Some thoughts on Buddha, Jesus and angry gunmen

If we really want to make a difference in our lives than we ask ourselves questions like:

What belief, agreement or assumption is operating in my life?
How can I see this differently so I can feel happy, joyous and free right now?
What questions would assist me in connecting with my ability to consciously create my experience of reality?
What do I really want to experience?
What actions can I take to create that?

It isn’t a race to get from one question to the next. Take time to fully explore one question in depth. Butterflies are pretty as they dance from flower to flower but I am not sure how in touch with the nature of reality they are.

When I explore a question I find each exploration leads logically to the next and to deeper and deeper awareness of how my filter system works. If I really want to get different results in my life I focus my attention on seeing my filter system. As I do that I will see how one thought leads to another and how my thinking colors my choices. Once I see my filter system it is easier for me to modify my thinking.

Questions are meant to assist you in seeing the magnificence of your filter system – how perfectly it fits together and how it consistently creates the same results. It is seamless and invisible to the naked eye yet it automatically and with no effort on your part drives all of your choices and hence the results you get in your life.

See its magnificence – see how your beliefs, agreements and assumptions fit together to create your experience of reality – once you really see the system, the entire system for what it is and what it creates change isn’t very far away.

My emphasis on coming from the perspective that there is ‘no out there’ came from a near death experience. Many years ago I had tried to kill myself by taking cyanide. I died and found myself swimming in eternity with all the emotions, thoughts and feelings I had run away from – talk about hell!! In that moment I realized there was no where, including death to get away from my filter system. At that moment I decided to do whatever it took to see my filter system and release myself from its bondage.

If you view life from a perspective that there is NO OUT THERE you will be able to see your filter system more clearly. As we clean out our filter system the ‘out there’ that we play in will change and life will become even more magical. Frame your questions so they will help you will see YOUR beliefs, YOUR assumptions and YOUR agreements. You can change them. If you focus on changing out there without taking responsibility for your creation you will doom yourself to creating more of the same old same old.

With love and aloha,
Susan
http://SusanGregg.com

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The questions you ask