Let Gratitude Infect Your Soul

Posted on November 21, 2012 by Jo delAmor

It’s the big Thanksgiving meal and everyone is gathered around the spread of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy just like every other year. And it’s time to GIVE THANKS. That’s what it’s all about, right?

But just like everything else of importance the gratitude tends to get lost in the hustle and bustle. Between the family drama and the stress of producing an elaborate spread of traditional dishes we can loose sight of our natural appreciation for life and its boundless blessings.

Reducing gratitude to the obligatory prayer that’s spoken over the annual feast robs us of the true essence of being alive.

In fact, if we don’t allow gratitude to infect our souls and rattle our bones on a regular basis we’re only going through the motions of life…skimming the surface, missing the point.

Without genuine gratitude our spirits atrophy and we become jaded. From this space of spiritual listlessness it’s difficult to do anything of true meaning…to activate positive change in a world desperate for healing, to raise empowered intelligent passionate children or to respond to the call of the Great Mystery with integrity.

At its best, Thanksgiving is an opportunity and a reminder to tap into the great well of genuine gratitude that yearns to spill forth from you. Why not go for the best this year?

Here are some fun practices to release your own genuine flow of gratitude…

Loose everything…

seriously. Let it all go. Your identity, status, accomplishments, your ideas of how the world works and what gratitude is. Let yourself off the hook of having to hold anything up, just for a moment, at least. Don’t try to be thankful for what you have and who you are. Forget about all the “blessings” you have in your life or how “lucky” you are. Throw it all out the window of your mind and just relax in the emptiness.

Telescope Your Perspective…

From this place of emptiness, from the lack of attachment to identity, allow yourself to zoom in. Bring your attention to something very small and observable. Hone in on an ant, a tiny pebble or a dewdrop. Marvel at this detail for a moment and appreciate it for the role it plays in the world…allow your imagination to wander. How far has this ant traveled? How old is it? How has its presence benefited other life forms?

Then, from there, zoom out and take a moment to appreciate the BIGness we reside in. Take in the hugeness of the sky and feel the expanse of the Earth extending beneath you…consider the oceans and the forests, the mountains and the deserts…consider the sun and myriad stars in the cosmos. Take a deep breath and feel gratitude for all of the factors (big and small) that combine to make that breath possible for you.

Abide in Presence…

Spend some time paying attention…to all the little details and nuances of your experience. Stay “close to the bone” and really try to stick to your own experience…to your senses and your feelings…don’t let yourself get distracted by everything that’s going on around you or the prefab stories your mind may have made up about the situation you’re in. Instead, notice what’s really going on there.

When you’re tuned in at this level the gratitude flows effortlessly.

Enjoy!

Note* These practices tend to be most fun and effective in a beautiful natural place. Get yourself outside over the holidays for some special time with Creation and play with letting the gratitude flow.

Share your gratitude epiphanies below…How is gratitude rocking your world this holiday season?

Are you ready for a gratitude breakthrough?
Schedule a Personal Transformation Strategy Session with me to get your gratitude flowing. 
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Do not let us be seduced…

Posted on November 20, 2012 by Jo delAmor


 This morning, as I settled in at my altar, this stanza jumped out at me from a prayer* I have hanging near by…

“Do not let us be seduced by that
Which would divert us from our true purpose,
But illuminate the opportunities
Of the present moment.”

 

In these words lies the source of an anxiety that has been growing in me for years…an anxiety that wells up in me when I feel I’m off track. This feeling is so uncomfortable that I’ve come to think of it as a negative thing and I wind up feeling anxious about the anxiety. But yesterday I had a mini-revelation…

This anxiety is here to guide me to my true purpose.

Seduction

It is so easy to be seduced by comfort and ease or relative success in this material world. If everything were rolling along smoothly I wouldn’t have a compelling reason to continue seeking my deeper work. This feeling of restlessness and anxiety is an indication that I’m not quite there yet. It prods me to dig deeper and find the truer expression of my purpose.

True Purpose

At a time when society is also being prodded in such a way with countless indications that “we are not there yet,” it is ever more important for each of us to wakefully follow the path to our own individual true purpose. We each have a specific purpose to fulfill and it is essential for us to go after it with diligence. Only when we each discover and take responsibility for our own true purpose can we come together in meaningful collaboration for the healing of the world.

Illuminated Opportunities of the Present Moment 

And only when we are centered in presence do we even notice the opportunities provided to us. Reclaiming our precious attention from all that would seduce, divert and distract us in the modern world is a huge labor, in and of itself.

The fruit of that labor is to be able to see and feel the opportunities that Spirit illuminates for us. The opportunities that lead us to our true purpose literally light up by giving us a sense of fulfillment, ease, joy, inspiration and excitement. These are the indications that we are moving in the direction of our truest purpose.

As I turn my attention to these illuminated opportunities in my own life I can feel my own purpose growing in strength and clarity. It is coming into form more and more fully as I offer it more and more attention. It is like a baby plant pushing its way out of the soil and showing itself to the Sun.

It has to do with reconnecting things that have been separated. It has to do with healing the wounds that have been left. It is a baby plant in a forest of plants. My personal healing and the work that I do in aiding others in their own healing, is being offered up as a part of the collective healing that is occurring as we all reconnect…as we reweave the places that have been torn in our relations with our Selves, each other, the Earth and Spirit.

*The Lord’s Prayer

An interpretation by Neil Douglas–Klotz from Prayers of the Cosmos
 
O, Cosmic Birther
Of all radiance and vibration!
 
Soften the ground of our being
And carve out a space within us
Where your Presence can abide.
 
Fill us with your creativity
So that we may be empowered to bear
The fruit of your mission.
 
Let each of our actions
Bear fruit in accordance with your desire
Endow us with the wisdom to produce and share
What each being needs to grow and flourish.
 
Untie the tangled threads of destiny that bind us,
As we release others from the entanglements of past mistakes.
 
Do not let us be seduced by that
Which would divert us from our true purpose,
But illuminate the opportunities
Of the present moment.
 
For you are the ground and fruitful vision,
The birth power and the fulfillment,
As all is gathered and made whole once again.
 
Amen.
Radiant Balance Holstic Health

You’re invited to schedule a Personal Strategy Session with me to receive loving guidance and practical support for your personal transformation and holistic wellbeing. Jo delAmor, Personal Transformation Coach.

Posted in Cultural Transformation, Spiritual Connection, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Intuitive Eating for Thanksgiving

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Jo delAmor

Here we are again…the BiG holiday season…the season of parties and family gatherings with plentiful platters of fancy food and drink. It’s all too easy to get swept up in the holiday bustle and the tradition of indulgence at this time of year.

Excessive sugar, alcohol and overeating weighs down your body and contributes to depression, lethargy and a compromised immune system. Struggling to free yourself from the sugar cycle and being susceptible to every cold and flu that comes along makes Winter a long difficult season to deal with instead of sweet time for creativity and self reflection.

The momentary pleasures we indulge in during the holidays can take all Winter to recover from. All the parties and celebrations can leave you with the burden of extra pounds and toxic overload to deal with. If you go overboard for the holidays you’ll likely spend the rest of your Winter trying to “get back on track.”

The best way to enjoy the holidays and preserve your health for the Winter ahead is to listen to YOUR own body about what to eat and what to steer clear of this holiday season.

So here are my three favorite tools for practicing Intuitive Eating…

  • Ask yourself if you really want it. Before you load up your plate or say “yes” to that drink check in with your body and find out if it actually wants it. Just because something is offered doesn’t mean you have to eat or drink it. And anything that goes in has to be dealt with in some way. It’s okay to be discerning and feed your body the special foods and treats that it actually likes in the quantities it can tolerate.
  • Stay alert and enjoy the process. During the holidays we often “check out” and just sit around stuffing our faces and not even really enjoying the pleasure of the food. This season practice paying attention. Look at the amazing foods you have access to and give thanks and praise each time you eat, really feeling your gratitude. Then take your time and enjoy your meal, chewing mindfully and receiving the flavors and nutrients of the food, feeling the food coming into your body.
  • Don’t stuff yourself…you’re not a turkey. Consider that you can only properly digest so much food at one time. Piling up a big plate and eating until your stuffed overloads your digestion. This often sets off a crazy downward spiral of indigestion, constipation, more overeating and weight gain. Be sure to choose reasonable portions, include plenty of fiber, eat meat and sweets in moderation and stay hydrated so that all that lovely food can pass through your digestive tract without causing trouble.
Using these three simple tools will help you enjoy your holiday gatherings without winding up feeling bloated and depressed. They’ll also help you preserve your health and moods so you can enjoy the Winter ahead.

In addition to using these practical tools for intuitive eating this holiday season, be sure to also have plenty of high quality healthy choices available for yourself and your family. Here are a few of my favorite Thanksgiving Recipes:

If you want an easily printable version of these holiday recipes and great selection of other delicious recipes for everyday eating you can download our 52 Delicious Detox Recipes ebook…


 Jo delAmor, Personal Transformation and Detox Coach, co-creator of Whole Body Detox Diet

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Living Your Knowledge

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Jo delAmor


Let me guess…you already know what to eat and how to take care of yourself for optimal health. You’ve read thebooks and listened to the lectures…it all makes sense. You know what you’re “supposed” to do to be healthy but you just can’t seem to stick with it on a daily basis. 

Knowing what to eat and actually eating it have two very different effects. Being knowledgeable about how to care for yourself isn’t enough in and of itself. You have to actually DO what it takes to care for yourself. All of that valuable self-care information becomes more of a burden than a blessing when it’s not applied.

Going along with a diet and lifestyle that contradicts what you know to be healthy creates an inner stress on your psyche that only compounds the negative effects on your health. It may cause you to worry or rationalize, or worse off, to be tortured by the knowledge that you could have done something to prevent your suffering but you didn’t.

Why take all that abstract information to your grave when it can help you in the here and now?

On my journey of bridging the gap between knowing and doing I discovered these 4 simple ways to apply all that fantastic knowledge I had been carrying around…

Get Curious

Free up your mind from all that stuff you’ve read and everything you’ve heard about how to be healthy. Then start paying attention to what’s working and what’s not working. Once you get all those ideas out of the way you can get down to actually taking care of yourself.

Get Real

There is so much fluff in the world today…whether that’s in all the superfluous information we’re fed through the media or the aisles and aisles of “food” in the supermarkets. Apply discernment to your newfound curiosity and sift through all that clutter to get down to the real information, the real food, the real facts.

Get Back to Basics

The “information age” has made health WAY more complicated than it needs to be. But no amount of knowledge trumps clean water, good food and joyful movement. Don’t waste your precious time and energy searching for the next supplement to cure your ailments if you haven’t already established a strong foundation of high quality hydration, nourishment and movement.

Get Active

All that information in your head is only helpful if you put it into ACTION. Make a commitment to yourself to apply what you know one step at a time and build on it day by day. As you build healthy successes into your life you’ll finally get to benefit from all that knowledge.

What this means for you is that you get free from the burden of all that unused information and start actually feeling better so you can move on with living your precious, beautiful life.

Of course, all this takes practice and consistent action. So I’ve created a special group experience to root these practices deeply into your life and provide abundant loving support for following through with your vital self-care this Winter.

The Balance Your Body 90 group program has already gathered an amazing group of women just like you who have decided that they’re ready to stop “thinking” about taking care of themselves and are ready to DO it!

The program has already begun and the doors close this Monday, November 12, 2012.

Don’t miss out on this priceless opportunity to receive support for putting your knowledge into action!

Register now for the Balance Your Body 90 day group program   

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Can Chemicals Make us Fat?

Posted on September 8, 2012 by Jo delAmor

I took a class* last week that confirmed with academic brilliance a simple but essential understanding that is actually the basis of the Whole Body Detox Diet approach. This simple truth is that chemicals are making modern people fat (and sick)…not calories! 

We are not just being overfed…we are literally being poisoned.

Certain chemicals that appear in common household items like cosmetics, detergents, furniture, dry cleaned clothes, drinking water, medications and food additives seriously interrupt and disturb many of our vital bodily functions. Many of these chemicals interfere with hormonal signaling that governs our ability to maintain a healthy body weight.

New research has identified at least 20 different chemicals that have the ability to alter fat metabolism and promote fat retention. They are called Obesogens!   

(I know…it’s crazy, but true)

So, if you’ve been “trying everything” to loose weight and get healthy but haven’t detoxed these chemicals from your system you may not be able to reach your goal.

If you’ve been dieting, counting calories and exercising and still struggling with those last 10 pounds…these chemicals may be the culprit.

And, of course, if these toxic chemicals can interfere with our hormonal systems, cellular function and even our DNA, they are affecting a lot more than the number on the scale. Beyond weight gain, obesity and diabetes, the toxic chemicals we’re exposed to on a daily basis are also the main contributors to:

  • All forms of Cancer
  • Thyroid Disease
  • Infertility
  • ADHD, Autism and other neurological disorders
  • Digestive Issues
  • Heart Disease
  • And many other conditions

This is why detoxing has become so important in recent years…and why the Whole Body Detox Diet approach is so effective.

Cleansing and clearing these toxins from our systems is essential for health and longevity. But in the Whole Body Detox approach we’re not just pushing the toxins out. We’re consciously stepping back from our normal toxic load and learning new tools and habits that promote a low-toxin lifestyle. We also use specific cleansing foods and herbs to support our organs in releasing the toxic chemicals we’ve absorbed and reversing their effects. And, of course, we have lots of fun along the way!

If you’re ready to truly get a handle on your health and free yourself from the effects of these insidious toxic chemicals then you’re invited to join in on this year’s Guided Fall Cleanse.

There’s a great group of people gathering from all around the country to focus our collective attention on high quality cleansing and loving natural self-care.

Let’s clear these toxins out together to reclaim our rights to natural bodily functions, ideal body weight and vibrant health!

*This class I took was Lara Adler’s “Chemicals not Calories- Uncovering Obesogens: How Toxins Are Making & Keeping Us Fat.” She is brilliant!!! Keep your eye out for more from her in the near future. We’re planning an interview to share some of her knowledge with all of you.
Register today for this year’s Whole Body Detox Guided Fall Cleanse to clear these chemicals safely and effectively from your body and learn how to easily maintain a low-toxin lifestyle.

Jo delAmor, Personal Transformation and Detox Coach, co-creator of Whole Body Detox Diet

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Soak up the Summer

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Jo delAmor

This weekend my daughter and I headed out for a Summer adventure with two of our best friends…because it’s Summer!!!

I mean, really, life is so beautiful and precious and amazing and our girls are growing up so fast…and right now, in the midst of Summer, is the time…to escape onto windy mountain roads…revel in the abundance of the cherry harvest…dive into cold flowing rivers…and run through a sudden afternoon downpour back to the safety and warmth of the car. So we did it!

We drove West, through the canyons and mountains of Colorado, letting our cute little town and the high alpine desert fade in the rearview mirror as we headed into the relative ecological diversity of the San Juans. Snaky rivers and happy cows meandered through grassy fields as we came up through Gunnison and Crested Butte. People relaxed on their porches with friends, rode their bikes through the sweet mountain towns and played games in the ball fields, soaking up the beauty of a summertime Friday afternoon.

Out of Crested Butte we went up Kebler pass, heading deep into the high alpine aspengroves where a huge herd of sheep roam free and wild flowers speckle the roadside. It was wet and luscious up there. A wild mountain paradise!

The long and windy descent lead us to our destination…into the town of Paonia…for a weekend of fine art and cherries. Paonia is the fruit mecca of the Colorado Rockies and the cherries are going off.

As a happy coincidence, an old highschool friend of mine…Hillary Emerson Lay…whom I hadn’t seen for about 15 years, was having an art show! yay!! So, we started out the weekend by surprising her and totally freaking her out…the show was gorgeous and it was awesome to see her.

Then, after a night of sleeping on the sweet summer earth, we dove right into the abundance and glory of fresh ripe fruit. It’s cherry season and the orchards are FULL of the most orgasmically delicious sweet juicy fresh cherries you could imagine. It’s like way better than Christmas…tree after tree after tree, loaded down with red juicy YUMMINESS.

We grabbed some baskets and headed out into the orchard, wide-eyed and wonderstruck. There were harvesting ladders to climb but I just wanted to be IN the tree, so I climbed and climbed until there was nothing but leaves and cherries all around me, held by the tree, embraced in her generosity.

 

As I reached out my hands to fill my basket with soft cherries I was overcome with gratitude for the gift of life…for scent, taste, sensation, fulfillment, inspiration…for the abundance and generosity of the natural world…for our ability to receive support, love and nourishment.

With each handful of cherries I gave thanks… “Thank you…thank you…thank you…” is all that was running through my mind…what else is there at the height of Summer when you’re sitting in a cherry tree?

Over forty pounds of fresh ripe juicy cherries, four very happy girls and a deliriously ecstatic sock critter, made by Hillary Emerson Lay
(check out her Etsy page if you want one for yourself)

 

PS…I got 17 pounds of cherries (OMG!! I just couldn’t stop) and I’m working on getting them pitted and frozen so they keep. When I stop just eating them whole and start making dishes and desserts with them I’ll be sure to post some recipes…so stay tuned. 

Radiant Balance Holstic HealthYou’re invited to schedule a Personal Strategy Session with me to receive loving guidance and practical support for your personal transformation and holistic wellbeing. Jo delAmor, Personal Transformation Coach.
Posted in Earth Honoring, Personal Transformation, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Re-Parenting Ourselves…

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Jo delAmor

During this time of global transition and societal transformation we’re having to do a lot of “re” work…relearning, redirecting…re-membering and re-collecting all the scattered pieces of our whole selves. And along the way most of us have to do some significant re-parenting, as well.

Many of us emerged from childhood without the confidence, clarity and empowerment needed to thrive as well adjusted adults. The unconditional love and supportive, compassionate guidance a young person needs to develop successfully was in short supply in most of our childhood households. It isn’t because our parents didn’t love us and do the best they could with the tools, resources and awareness they had at the time.

It is because, as a society, we are growing up and healing through generations of collective trauma…wars, genocide, oppression, sexism, racism, domestic violence, slavery, etc.

We each stem from a lineage that has been harshly wounded and has done its best to persevere in a troubled and violent world. Dysfunctional behavior patterns like authoritarian control, co-dependence, abuse, manipulation, addictions and other ways of limiting our brilliance are the coping mechanisms that have made it possible to survive through these troubled times. But they won’t be able to lead us into a functional and healthy future.

At a time when the old structures are falling apart it is our right and responsibility to create anew. It is time for us to re-birth ourselves and re-parent ourselves into thriving, well-adjusted, compassionate and capable adults so that we can be of service to the re-birth and healing of the world. Even if we weren’t nurtured as children, it is time to muster up the ability to nurture our children, our communities, our projects and our work in the world. If we allow it, this ability will arise out of our innate human creativity and our natural impulse to survive and thrive and pass a livable planet on to our children.

The best place to start is always the closest to home…

Right in our own hearts and minds. Each of us has an inner child and an inner parent. These are the voices that swirl around inside of us whining, complaining, worrying, nagging, criticizing and scolding. They can rule our lives and keep us from living into our full selves if we let them play out their patterns without awareness.

As we become aware of them we have the opportunity to treat them as our beloved and wounded children…to hold them gently and listen…to find out what they need in order to feel safe and comfortable. This may seem risky. Most of us just want to push them away, banish them, punish them or judge them because they cause us so much trouble. But this is just perpetuating the cycle of neglect and abuse. As we turn toward the voices and open our arms to them we often find that it wanted nothing more than acknowledgment, just like a child. Once we’ve embraced these aspects of ourselves they become our allies and they can help us move forward rather than holding us back.

The tides are turning…

As we approach the apex of the global transformation almost everything is upside down and inside out. We are in such a state of breakdown that we can no longer count on our elders to guide the way. Of course, there are some truly special elders on the planet that carry essential teachings and wisdom but the majority of those in older generations are stuck in self-limiting and dysfunctional beliefs that arose as a reaction to trauma.

Now is the time that we must take responsibility for our own personal development. It is up to us to heal the wounds of our lineage and clear the way for the young ones. No one else will do this for us. We can heal these wounds as an act of service to the future. The young ones that are being born into the world now are here to heal and restore the planet. If we can get most of the baggage out of the way for them, they will be able to do their jobs more easily and powerfully. We may even think of them as our elders as we serve them with honor and respect, looking to the future for guidance rather than the past.

Receiving divine lovin’ from the Universal parents…

Our own mothers and fathers may not have been able to raise us in a field of unconditional love and compassionate guidance, but each and every one of us has access to parents that can. The Divine creative LIFE force energy that moves through and supports all things is the Universal Mother/Father we all innately want to connect with. This parental force is as close to us as our breath and blood.

Many of us have lost our intimate and sustained connection to this LIFE force energy over the years of trauma and conditioning. When we are traumatized or disappointed by our birth parents or society our typical response is to withdraw and shut down in order to protect ourselves. This may help temporarily to remove the immediate threat or to harden against abuse but it also cuts off our ability to receive love and support from the Universal Mother/Father.

As we take responsibility for our healing and personal development we may choose to reopen ourselves to this supportive parental energy. This reopening requires diligence and deep courage. As we unlearn our dysfunctional patterns and re-learn how to tap into this powerful energy, we’ll re-create our essential intimate relationship with the Universal Mother/Father. In this relationship we’ll find that we are held, guided and filled with inspiration to prepare the way for future generations to thrive.

Radiant Balance Holstic Health

You’re invited to schedule a Personal Strategy Session with me to receive loving guidance and practical support for your personal transformation and holistic wellbeing. Jo delAmor, Personal Transformation Coach.

 

Posted in Cultural Transformation, Personal Transformation, Relating with Others, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Loving the Questions

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Jo delAmor

“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.” 

― Rainer Maria Rilke 

This quote has been sitting on my altar for the past 6 weeks or so. I read it everyday and it has been working me…working my impatience and anxiety…my desire to just “be there” already. It’s been teaching me to surrender at yet a deeper level…isn’t that always the game…deeper and deeper levels of surrender, relaxing into our paths within the Divine design.

As much as we may try…
we simply can’t force our destinies or our healing processes.

The healing or resolution we yearn for will come when it’s damn well good and ready…not a moment sooner. Or it will come when you’re damn well good and ready. Ultimately, all we can do to truly facilitate the process is to relax, align and get out of the way.

I’ve been living with a big unsolved mystery in my heart for the majority of my life. When my sister died in 1987 my heart got twisted in pain. Over years of grief it manifested into a significant structural twist in my rib cage, spine and shoulder carriage. About 9 years ago I finally let myself acknowledge it and decided it probably wasn’t healthy to walk around with this trauma imbedded into my bones so I set out to correct it.

 It became a mission. Over the last decade I have seen some of the best practitioners of bodywork, massage, polarity, cranio-sacral, structural integration, chiropractic, acupuncture…I have taken on a Chi Kung practice and worked with Pilates. I have experienced mind blowing and deeply transformative Theta healing sessions, shamanic healings, reiki and all sorts of energy work with an underlying, yet desperate desire to become “normal” again.

Sometimes I get discouraged when I look down at my chest or put my hand on my heart. I feel contorted…like it isn’t right to be all twisted up like this. Like I should have figured it out by now. Sometimes I even give up for a while and just resign myself to being this way forever. But I am always called back to the process…

And with each wave of healing intention I dive deeper and learn more about this creature that I am…I learn more about my body, my heart, my mind and my soul. Through all of these treatments and rituals I have learned the story of my unfolding…I have learned about the preciousness of life and love and body and heart…and I have learned about the process of healing…and I’ve learned that I can’t force my ribs to go back to “normal” before they’re ready no matter how much I want to and how much I work on them. In all these years of trying to find the answer I have come to love and respect the question, developing compassion and empathy for its every nuance…and patience for the little girl’s heart that is trying to heal.

But, in no way have I given up. Instead, I’ve come to feel that this deep longing to heal is a message from my destiny…pulling me forward into my future. I can feel and see my ribs opening, balanced and gently cradling my vibrant heart. I can sense the beauty and empowerment unfolding through this chakra as it’s healed. And I know now much more of what it will take to live this answer…to live open and loving…to trust Life…I’m learning to BE with the question while preparing myself to live into the answer…

Radiant Balance Holstic HealthYou’re invited to schedule a Personal Strategy Session with me to receive loving guidance and practical support for your personal transformation and holistic wellbeing. Jo delAmor, Personal Transformation Coach.

 

 

 

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Best Day Ever

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Jo delAmor

I just had another one of those “best day ever” kind of days. I feel so incredibly blessed that these kind of days have become more of a regular occurrence in the past several years and that lately there are more of them then not. There are still some “ho-hum” days and some fairly difficult days here and there, but these mind-blowingly awesome days are outnumbering them by far.

The gifts that the Universe offers to us in exchange for presence and gratitude are truly astounding!

As I become more present and am able to greet each new day/moment with gratitude and openness, my life becomes richer and more beautiful. I am able to feel more of the miraculous details of the Divine design, I get to inJOY more of each moment and I am graced with bountiful connections, outrageous opportunities and simple pleasures. This reciprocation is almost instant and is ever so generous.

I got to start the day off today with deep creative connection with my daughter. She and I have spent the last couple of days on an impromptu art odyssey. A few nights ago, we poured through one of Alex Grey’s books and talked in depth about every picture. Then, the next day, we explored Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dali, Vincent VanGough and M.C. Escher online, talking about their lives and marveling at their pieces. She was so inspired by these masters that she decided to make a painting for her dad for Father’s Day. She envisioned the piece and we worked together to pull it off, connecting, learning, laughing and thoroughly enjoying the collaborative creative process.

Once the piece was finished we headed out to her dad’s house (just a short walk down the road) to dive into another collaborative creative project with our sacred community. Today was the day to build our new community sweatllodge. It’s time to retire the one we’ve been praying in for the past few years and start fresh again.

We have been blessed with a most amazing community of deeply devoted people with open hearts who are willing to work hard and laugh loud in gratitude for all that is offered. Collectively, we put our heads, hands and backs into the glorious process of gathering willow and weaving our new lodge with prayers of thanks giving throughout the day.

Working together with my human brothers and sisters, following the guidance of the Creator and connecting deeply with the plants and animals of the natural world awakens and ancient and primal life force within me that feels more right than anything else I have experienced.

My favorite thing ever is feeling FREE to be human here on the Earth in deep relation to with my community and the Creator…wild and raw…loving, learning, growing, praying, sharing, singing and listening. Riding in the back of the pick-up truck stacked high with freshly harvested willow bows, singing thanks and praises, lifted my heart in JOY.

“Planting” the willows back into the Earth in respect to each direction and working together to bend and weave them back toward each other to create the sacred womb we will pray in nourished the depth of my soul. We worked hard today and built a beautiful lodge that will serve the prayers of our community for years. Now my body is tired and my heart is FULL.

This was a “best day ever” sort of day for me…What are yours like?

I’d love to hear what makes you feel whole and fulfilled in the comments below…what kind of blessings are being bestowed upon you? 

Radiant Balance Holstic HealthYou’re invited to schedule a Personal Strategy Session with me to receive loving guidance and practical support for your personal transformation and holistic wellbeing. Jo delAmor, Personal Transformation Coach.

Posted in Earth Honoring, Spiritual Connection, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Praise be to LIFE!

Posted on June 15, 2012 by Jo delAmor
Praise be to LIFE…
Humming teeming squirming tenacious LIFE
Praise be to Her courage
And unwavering devotion to growth.
Praise be to the urge that
Arises in each tender seed
And in each of our hearts.

 

Blessed LIFE,
You tear apart every containment,
Breaking through the concrete
And reclaiming your rightful dominion.
You rip the status quo asunder
With a fierce and thirsty
Impulse to evolve and expand.
 
Incarnation after incarnation
You keep coming back for more
Undaunted by the abuses you’ve suffered.
Crucifixions and witch hunts
Cannot scare you off
Oil spills and nuclear disasters
Cannot hold you down.
Praise be to LIFE eternal
Rising above and beyond all harm
Squirming teeming humming
Through the Universe to the
Beat of Her own drum.

Radiant Balance Holstic HealthYou’re invited to schedule a Personal Strategy Session with me to receive loving guidance and practical support for your personal transformation and holistic wellbeing. Jo delAmor, Personal Transformation Coach.

 

 

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