Tag: faith

Mindfulness answers to life • faith • hope • mindfulness meditation • mindfulness practice • mindfulness trainig • mindfulness workshop • mystery • suffering June 28, 2016 By Christina de Valencia 0 Comments

We Are Suffering.

The world loves a person who speaks loudly and shows no doubt. Just take a look at what is going on in our political arena right now.

We want to follow someone who seems to have answers, seems to know. I think, secretly, we all long for answers to the uncertain things in life. Maybe, just maybe, there is that one person out there who really does know.

However, the answer never lies outside and there is never one solution that fits all.

The answers are always within!

Whether it’s about our relationships, attitudes, diets, spirituality, actions, way of life, or whatever. The answer is unique to you.

So it becomes an exercise of willingness, openness, introspection, and personal responsibility. (A good therapist, who asks the right questions, can help).

We try so hard to make sense of our humanity, our weaknesses, fears, doubts and hopes. Wanting to make sense of life. Always striving for strength of character, strength in front of others and within, looking like we are having fun. The hard part is that our lives just aren’t that simple.

Life is deep and mystical. Mysterious yet straightforward, complex yet simplistic, full of hope yet full of despair….Life is the greatest paradox.

We will never completely understand it.

Through the millennium many great minds have tried to analyze it, pick it apart….. only to find more questions.

And that’s ok.

We can never fully know ourselves or one another; we are as mysterious as the universe. We are so much more than what can be seen and heard. Our words can never fully convey what lies within.

The best we can do is work on the things that are essential to our happiness and leave the rest. Sometimes we wrestle with fears and frustrations, but if they don’t make a huge difference in our big picture, we can simply set those things aside.

One of my fears is to go under water. Diving under a wave or even just jumping in the deep end, that so many people enjoy, is torture for me. Some deep primal panic takes a hold of me on those rare occasions when it does happen. I’ve looked at it enough to recognize that it doesn’t significantly change who I am and how I feel about life, so I let it be.

The important parts, however, like my relationships, who I want to be in life, my spirituality….those deserve my full attention. Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction can end up being the biggest step in our lives. Sometimes we need to do more.

Recently, seemingly, from out of nowhere, I found myself hopeless. I had lost my faith in God. Everywhere I looked, people are struggling and suffering, animals are being mistreated, children are dying and I noticed all the pain everywhere. My own father, nearing the end of his life is in agonizing pain. I felt helpless, wondering who’s really in charge? Why all this pain? Life looked grim and pointless.

THIS needed my attention!

We can try to be present to ourselves and another, but within each of us there is a shapeless, shifting, deep inner being that is unknown even to ourselves.

So we often don’t recognize that we are suffering. We are simply doing, drinking, eating, talking, sleeping, gambling….. too much. We have no balance.

At times, when things happen to us….. losing a loved one, being confronted with something previously unimaginable or perpetual struggles with issues….. we just crumble. The turmoil of life, after many years on this earth, can bring with it an exhaustion so deep, like the pull of the moon on the tides, we cannot ignore or push aside.

Maybe our lives are not what we had hoped they’d be. We grieve the losses, the hopes, the dreams.

What I know for sure in all this, is that:

love and kindness toward ourselves and others, heals.
Receiving is as great an act of love as giving!
We must trust in a higher power.

Somehow, given enough time and willingness, we can regain some of our energy, find answers, hope and the courage to go on. That is our built in survival instinct.

However, I wish I had a magic wand to take all the darkness away and leave only sunshine.

Here is another good article: https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2015/05/17/how-to-stop-suffering-from-painful-emotions/

Please share if this was helpful.

Faith despair • faith • god • hope • new beginnings • simple things April 21, 2014 By Christina de Valencia 0 Comments

Hope and New Beginnings

It’s Easter Sunday and I am reflecting on life.

I have so many things to be grateful for. We all have so much to be grateful for, even in the midst of perceived lack, illness or unhappiness. Life is just a miracle.

But still, there are those moments when you feel deeply stuck in your despair, trapped in that situation or body you find yourself in. Those feelings are familiar to you; it isn’t the first time you are experiencing this anguish. You think: “Is it ever going to get better? Why does this keep happening to me? I don’t think it’ll ever change.” In those instances you feel so helpless, you can’t come up with a way to shift those sensations.

It can feel like a whirlpool that is sucking you down, down, down……Or you feel like a caged animal who can see out, but can’t figure how to get out.

You know, in those times, I have found simple things work best.

Do something physical. If you can, get up and go for a walk or exercise. Work in the garden, play with a child.

Pay attention to what you are eating. The foods we eat can cause a sense of well-being or add to anxiety. When we feel bad we tend to eat things that are processed; like comfort foods and chocolate; or we have one too many drinks. Too much of that creates stress in our bodies. We are all such finely tuned beings even if we are in denial about it.

Keep visualizing and making your positive statements. Creative, positive thoughts are more powerful than negative thoughts, because we are spiritual creatures. Get off the computer, your phone or any other gadget and sit still for a minute. Find that tiny seed of faith and hold on.

These troubling moments are a part of life. We temporarily forget that it gets better again, so stick to the simple solutions. Don’t try to figure it all out.

Sending you love and peace on this day of New Beginnings and Hope.

Christina

Book action • courage • faith • guidance • meditation • responsibility • soul • spirit • willingness October 14, 2013 By Christina de Valencia 0 Comments

Next book coming out soon

“Step On It”

Your search is over!! A simple 8 step process to lift off. You will overcome fear, get unstuck and plugged in to Spirit to live a purposeful, powerful, exciting life. The life you’ve been meant to live all along.

Don’t you long for more meaning, joy, abundance and purpose? Don’t you deserve more? What are you waiting for?

Here are the tools to make it happen. This is all you need to be in charge of your life.

You need to allow yourself to be you, not some copy of someone else. As you get to know your real, true self, as you peel off the layers of convention, the more inspired you will feel.

So who are you? How can you uncover who you are?

Look at your life now. What do you like to do? When are you your happiest? The answers are already there. It may not look like something tangible, like cooking or woodworking; it may be reading, or watching people. You may have an eye for detail in fashion or decorating. You may enjoy sailing, perhaps listening to others’ problems. As you are reading this you may be saying: Yes, that sounds great, but I need to make money. Look at the many ways people create income: Someone came up with stuffing a teddy bear with filling and a heart, giving it a name and birth certificate. There are professional waterslide testers, Storm Chasers, Video Game Designers, Coffee/Tea Tasters just to name a few unusual actual jobs. That doesn’t mean that you have to look at getting a job. You can design your life and get paid for it. People come up with new ways to make a living every day and you can too!

Pay attention and don’t dismiss anything. There are plenty of clues in your daily life. Let’s figure out what yours are!

There are 8 essential steps that are required for an Inspired Life.

Gratitude Counseling • faith • Gratitude • Happiness • having enough • love • soul • spirit • trust September 15, 2013 By Christina de Valencia 0 Comments

Gratitude

Gratitude turns what you have into enough. When you are in a grateful state of mind, you’ll feel more positive, life is better and you’ll start attracting more positive people and circumstances. Thankfulness is an attitude that you can practice and develop. The whole experience of gratitude—is really about forcing ourselves to pay attention to the good things in life, things we’d otherwise take for granted. Start a journal about feeling grateful. I don’t think it’s necessary or even all that good to write every single day. There is the tendency to get numb to all the good things in our lives. It is similar to the numbness we develop when watching too much violence and suffering.

Start by feeling grateful for being alive. Give thanks for your body, even if you don’t like everything about it. Imagine not having this body, imagine not being able to touch, see, feel and hear the life around you. Now look at your hands! Appreciate all they do and feel. Feel your skin as you rub that lotion in, notice as you touch that fuzzy blanket, your furry pet, that round stone from the beach. Hug someone in your family or a friend and really feel them. Do that with your eyes, your ears, your sense of taste and smell………..

So pay attention to your senses! What are you seeing? Notice the things you normally take for granted, like the colors of the flowers or the glistening of the snow. Notice the details in the landscape you see every day. Look at it with new eyes.

Listen, especially when it is quiet. Can you hear the wind rustling the leaves in the tree? Do you hear that dog barking? If he annoys you, imagine not being able to hear anything? That joy of hearing the birds in the morning. People laughing, a song you love, the sound of your kids’ voices……….notice the sounds of life all around you.

Enjoy the taste of your food. We usually gobble our meals without really considering what we are eating or drinking. Savor your food, anything can become a feast if you slow down and appreciate the flavors.

Smell that fresh coffee in the morning. The air right after it rained. The food, the flowers, that perfume you love, the smell of a newborn.

If it all gets to be too much, you are overwhelmed and no amount of goodwill is going to make a difference: get away! Leave the house, the job, the kids, maybe the country. Take some time off. Explore a different way of life. It’s ok, we are all just doing the best we can.

Avoid the trap of being grateful for something that is better than what other people have. Instead, compare whatever you are grateful for and imagine how you would feel if you didn’t have it at all. What if you wouldn’t have that family, those friends, or even your problems. What if you had Steven Hawkins’ problems, or President Obama’s or even your neighbor’s or friend’s problems? Practice gratitude and appreciation for everything in your life: people, abilities, experiences, our planet, plants…..the list is endless.

Usually our best memories are made when we are playful, light-hearted. Realize beauty in every moment, and in everyday activities. Make time for those moments. Be spontaneous. The most playful people are the ones who are most “tuned in” to the present. They’re so fascinated by the world at the moment that they’re always finding ways to engage it! For me one of the best ways to have fun and be completely present is boogie-boarding. It is pure joy to feel the water against my skin as I glide along on the wave.

People who have a strong sense of gratitude and count their blessings are generally happier and healthier. It is tough to feel thankful when things aren’t going right and you are stressed to the max. For that reason it is absolutely essential that you take a deep breath, get in the moment and find something to appreciate. You may tell me that I don’t understand because your deadline is in 5 minutes or the house is on fire……. but I maintain as long as you are physically safe – stop, breathe and find something good about your life right now. Like the old saying goes, “The past is history, the future is a mystery, and the present is a present”.

I love this prayer from Unity Church:

The light of God surrounds me;
The love of God enfolds me;
The power of God protects me;
The presence of God watches over me.
Wherever I am, God is and all is well.

It helps me to become present, to know that in this very moment I have all I need and everything is well. The world will not end because I am late for my appointment or I forgot to send that email. Choose Gratitude!

Become present. Know that in this moment all is well.
Relax! You can’t appreciate anything when you are stressed
Pay attention to your senses.
Every once in a while get away from it all.
Be playful!

To become a grateful goddess contact me.

Faith belief • faith • guidance • soul • spirit • trust June 13, 2012 By Christina de Valencia 0 Comments

Trust/Faith and Irregular Posts

Oh boy I was so caught up writing my second book that I neglected my blog.

I was given the opportunity to watch how trust and faith work in our lives this past weekend. I want to share that with you, because if you are like me you need affirmation and reminders.

My friend Amy hit a rough spot in her life. Her car (I think it’s a lemon) did not start, she still had no job offers, her laptop finally broke completely and her cell phone was falling apart (the back had fallen off long ago and now the battery had fallen out). That meant no way to apply for a job and even if she could get one, she had no way to get there. It seemed that it could not get any darker, unless she became sick.

To be honest, she was not doing well. Fear almost got the better of her. Somehow….I admire that woman…..she kept affirming her faith and trust in a higher power, God. I tried to be positive with her, but really I did not hold out much hope. This was Friday evening.

On Monday morning she called AAA and had her car towed to a garage, where they discovered a tiny little problem that kept the car from starting. The cost: $56. Two hours after that, she found her phone battery and listened to a message asking her to call back. It was the manager of a company she had applied to and she got the job.

To top it off, a family member had an extra laptop that he let her borrow.

In a matter of three days her life turned around completely. I was stunned. It humbled me.

My upcoming book “How to create Passion, Spirit, Adventure in your life” has many of those uplifting stories. It seems that I should keep reading it to not lose my own faith. How are you keeping your trust and faith? Do you have a ritual that helps keep you on the path?