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The Gift of Tragedy

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Posted 15 Jul 2012

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— by Angela Artemis
Category Overcome obstacles, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual healing

Can tragedy become an unexpected gift in our lives?

This is a guest post for Powered by Intuition by Jennifer Boykin.

It’s been just over twenty years since I held my newborn daughter Grace while she died.

People will tell you that no one should outlive their child, and they are right. Nobody wants to be a member of the “parents of dead babies club,” but, we are out there. And, having lived through it, I can say – in fact I MUST say – that, if you really, really want it, you CAN find a way through your suffering, no matter what you’ve lost.

But I was ornery enough to insist that settling for just “getting through” that loss would not be enough. I wanted to TRIUMPH over the suffering, because I realized pretty early on that the best way to honor my daughter’s memory was to make it serve some good use.

When you “do your grief work,” you not only serve as a beacon of hope for others, you also uncover deep and lasting reserves of strength and resilience inside yourself. One way or another, your losses will shape you and the way you live the remainder of your days.

That’s because, when it comes to loss, you either Get Bitter. Or, you Get Better.

If you decide that better is better for you, here are some steps you can take to move yourself through your sorrow so that you can harness the amazing transformational power of loss and suffering:

In order to get through loss, you have to be willing to give up your “story.”

Really, really, it is a very dramatic thing to be the parent of a dead child. And there are individuals and even entire communities that will give you unlimited attention for this for the rest of your life.

But, is that really the kind of attention you want? Unless you are willing to give up your story of loss, betrayal, and suffering, you are doomed to carry it forward with you wherever you go. You become defined by your loss. To just the extent that you choose to hold the loss in your heart and mind, to just that extent do you squander the possible moments of joy that would have been available to you. The cost of martyrdom is joy.

In order to get through loss, you have to understand the duality of change.

Endings and beginnings are simply the yin and yang of change. One defines the other. And one can NEVER be present without the other. Thus, if you choose to spend the rest of your days with the love of your life, you “lose” forever the freedoms of your single days. Never again can you just do what you want to do when you want to do it. You trade that freedom for companionship. Loss is intrinsic in every joy that you have ever had.

Indeed, loss is intrinsic in all of life, and yet, as a culture, we seek to deny and avoid loss. Once you understand the futility of expecting a life free of sorrow, you are free to REALLY embrace loving and the absolute breathtaking JOY of LIVING! Sorrow is the bill that comes due for the price of loving. Accept that and you are free.

You can mitigate ANY loss by harnessing its transformative power.

Grief has an energy of its own. It will have its way with you, until it doesn’t. But you can help yourself through. Learn to set boundaries around your suffering. Make appointments with it, in fact, so that you begin to carve out some moments where you focus on reclaiming your joy and your light.

Your losses are going to change you.

What this means is that your losses are going to make new discoveries, new soul-places, new visions available to you that WERE NOT POSSIBLE before the loss. Before my baby died, I didn’t know what I didn’t know. And now I do.

Here’s what I know:
• All healing is possible,
• There is joy in loss because loss is borne in love,
• There is transformation in loss because the bereaved has a deeper capacity to love,
• Loss hollows out your soul and,
• You either Get Bitter,
• Or, you Get Better.
• But, you can’t have both.

BECAUSE I am Grace’s mother, I ABSOLUTELY KNOW that life is too short – life is too uncertain – to spend one moment living timidly. We are meant to embrace life, to wrest from it every exquisitely beautiful moment we can, to flower and grow and shape and change and serve those around us.

Still, even the most beautiful blossom has a dormant season. The next time you are suffering, fear it less. Know that this period can be a gift of transformation, if you choose life instead of loss.

The only way out is through. Love yourself gently. Love yourself more fully. Embrace and celebrate the love you feel for others. Yes, there will be suffering when love ends. But only because there was GREAT JOY while it was here.

Has your life been touched by loss? How did you heal? How did it change you? What helpful advice can you share with others about it?

Jennifer Boykin is the Creator of, Life After Tampons. Jennifer has written a free 5-part guide to healing from loss. If you’d like for her to send you the program, please let her know here.

P.S. Learn more about using your intuition click here.

For instant happiness Click here!

Tags: Grief Loss and Bereavement, Suffering

When Your Soul Speaks – Will You Listen?

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Posted 07 May 2012 — by Angela Artemis
Category Spiritual Growth, Spiritual healing

Today, I have the great pleasure of interviewing Jodi Chapman of Soul Speak.

Welcome Jodi. Thank you for sharing this healing information with us.

1. Jodi, tell us something about yourself and your blog, “Soul Speak.”

First, I would like to thank you for sharing your space with me, Angela! It’s such an honor to be here.

I began blogging just over a year ago after I experienced a spiritual awakening. In that moment, my entire world opened up, and I was forever changed. I used to be a skeptic and purposefully shut out anything that couldn’t be proven through the scientific method. And then in this moment of awakening (which I write about in detail in my upcoming book, Coming Back to Life: How An Unlikely Friend Helped Me Reclaim My True Spirit), I remembered that I had a soul.

I remembered that I was so much more than my mind and body. I remembered that I was a part of something so much bigger than myself. And I remembered why I was here: to inspire others and share my message of love through my writing. To remind each of us that it’s never too late to open up to all that we are – all that we always have been. So often (as was the case with me), life has a way of piling its pain and hardness on top of us, and we forget that we’re all here for a reason. We forget that we chose to be here. And so when I write, I do my best to be a clear channel and let this universal energy – divine love – flow through me and spread this love throughout the world.

I absolutely love my blog, Soul Speak! In just over a year, it’s grown into a beautiful community where we support each other in getting in touch with our spirit and spreading our wings to fly. I love that even though our external circumstances may not be exactly the same, our internal struggles are universal. And because of that, we’re able to help each other along this journey. I love that. We are able to get to the heart of it all and provide a space for authentic sharing and growing and supporting.

2.You are the creator of a best-selling series of journals titled, “Soulful Journals.” How did you come to create the “Soulful Journals?”

My husband, Dan Teck, and I started a gift business in 2005. Our very first products that we made were journals, but they were blank inside. Our customers used to tell us that the blank page was a bit too intimidating – they didn’t know what to write or where to start. We are both writers, and so we had the idea to come up with prompts and get them started. And so, Soulful Journals were born! The first book in the series, Journaling Within, flowed out of me almost faster than I could write it down. It contains 50 prompts to help you get to know your deeper self – your soul.

We have since created 10 other journals in this series – some focusing on gratitude and others on manifesting your ideal life. We have one for anyone who is currently facing a life transition – such as divorce or a move. We have two journals to help couples get to know each other better and share their love and gratitude for each other. We have two journals for teens who may just be starting to journal and would like a place to start. And we have one that helps you keep your commitment – it’s a 4-step program that really works! I followed the program when I started my blog, and I’m still writing over a year later.

The one thing that they all have in common is our belief that all of life’s answers have always been inside of each of us. And when we take the time to slow down and breathe, the answers will come. Our journals are a way to help get to those answers. They are soulful, fun, and great tools for self exploration.

3. Do you journal and when/why did you start?

I’ve been journaling all of my life. I recently found a journal that I wrote in when I was nine or ten. It’s so fun to go back and read what my heart cared so much about way back then.

I can’t even remember how I first started, but I do remember that I felt a strong urge to write my feelings down from a very young age. I have so many memories of sitting in my bedroom as a child pouring my heart out into my journal. It was the one place where I could share anything and everything. It was a place where I could truly be me. Oftentimes, I would write when I was too upset to even think – journaling allowed me to process it all in my own time. And it seemed like even when I didn’t figure it all out through writing, I always felt a release and could handle everything better.

5. Why is journaling important?

Journaling is such a wonderful way to get in touch with our feelings. Sometimes I have no idea what I’m feeling inside, and after I spend a few minutes writing in my journal or typing on the computer, the answer will come. Journaling is also a great way to get in touch with our soul – it’s our direct line. We can bypass our mind and go straight to our source. It’s a great way to get to the heart of what’s really going on. It’s also a place where we can be completely ourselves – it’s a safe place to go to.

Soulful Journaling Set

6. How has journaling changed you and/or affected your life?

I wouldn’t be where I am today without journaling. Not only has the practice of journaling helped me get in touch with myself and who I really am at my core, journals have become a large part of my professional life as well. It’s such a great tool to help us get straight to the soul level – I truly recommend it to everyone.

8. What advice do you have for “would be” journalers?

Just start writing. Don’t think about what you’re writing – don’t ever censor yourself. Write in the “stream of consciousness” style – keep your pen flowing or fingers typing.

Sometimes journals can turn into vent books – we tend to go to them when we are angry or sad, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with this. It’s a great way to get to the bottom of how you’re feeling about something and sort it all out.

However, when I went back through many of my journals, it seemed as though my entire life was horrible. Each journal page recounted another terrible event that had taken place. I always seemed to be hurt or angry or sad. And because I knew that my life wasn’t always this bad, I wanted my journals to be more representative of my actuality. This is where a gratitude journal and what I call, Soulful Journaling, came in. It’s where we look at the good in our life and write about that. It’s the practice of allowing our higher self to take the wheel when we’re writing rather than our ego. It’s a matter of letting the divine flow through us when we journal rather than staying in our human self and writing from there.

So if you, too, find that your journals are more like vent books, I would try Soulful Journaling. When you sit down to write, ask your soul what it needs you to know. Close your eyes, and start writing or typing. The truth will always come out. And listing 10 things each day that you’re grateful for is an amazing habit that will transform your life – guaranteed!

9. What’s next for you? Last words?

I would love for everyone to join me for A Month of Meditation on Soul Speak! Each day for the rest of the month, many of us are joining together to meditate. No time limits. No set way to meditate. We’re just promising that at some point in the day, we will take a few moments out to be still and go within.

There are so many paths that lead us back to our soul – journaling and meditation are two that work well for me. I truly believe that when we take the time to go within, we open up to the magic that is all around us and allow our souls to truly shine.

Thank you Jodi for this marvelous interview – Angela

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P.S. To learn to hear what your soul wants check out these books here.

Jodi Chapman is the author of the inspirational blog, Soul Speak; the upcoming book, Coming Back to Life: How an Unlikely Friend Helped Me Reclaim My True Spirit; and the bestselling Soulful Journals series, co-authored with her amazing husband, Dan Teck. She would love to connect on Facebook and Twitter. Click here to receive her free ebook: As If: 50 Prompts to Help Manifest Your Ideal Life.

Jodi created a special offer exclusively for PbI readers. Check it out here!

Tags: Gratitude, Journal

conditions

The Raven Who Spoke To God

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Posted 03 May 2012 — by Angela Artemis
Category Books, Change your thinking, Spiritual healing

I’m delighted to interview Christopher Foster, author and founder of The Happy Seeker blog.

Christopher is author of The Raven Who Spoke with God, an inspirational novel recently published in Kindle format at Amazon. This book was first distributed on 9/11 and has appeared in 11 foreign language editions.

1.Where are you from and when were your born?

I was born in London in 1932. My dad was a reporter on big London dailies and my mother was a teacher. I was an only child in a traditional middle-class British family and when I left school I became a reporter like my dad. I had a good career ahead of me but for some strange reason I just couldn’t fit in.

I longed to find the truth and when I was in my early 20s I give up my family and career and native country and went to British Columbia to find freedom.

2. What inspired you to write The Raven Who Spoke with God?

I’ve always loved animals, and nature. I wanted to show the connection that binds us to the natural world, and I also wanted to portray through the form of a story the longing that is in each one of us to answer the call of “The hero’s Journey,” as Joseph Campbell described it. I believe the Unknown is always where our true freedom lies.

3. Tell us a bit about the book. What lessons does it teach?

I wanted to illustrate through a story the importance of persistence, and courage, and listening to our own heart. Joshua is a brave but sensitive young raven with a big dream in life. He has listened to his grandmother’s stories about how the raven used to be honored as a messenger and guardian of humanity, and he wants to restore that ancient honor of his kind.

He experiences many difficulties and traumas but his own integrity will not let him give up his mission. The message of the book is: Trust life. Trust your own unconquerable spirit.

4. How would my readers benefit from reading your book?

I think they would benefit in two ways. First, it would be an opportunity to set aside the worries of modern life and immerse themselves in a charming and inspiring story.

Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, I designed the book as a blueprint to help people navigate through the challenges of their life and be reminded of the true meaning, beauty and happiness that is the divine birthright of each one of us.

5. When did you first realize you were destined to be a writer?

It was in the early days of the blitz in London in World War II. Bombs were falling all around the apartment block where I lived with my mother at the time. My dad was overseas as a war correspondent.

One day for some reason I just started writing a story in an old scrapbook, and the more I kept writing this story the more I realized what fun it was. I still find writing to be enormous fun and hey, it has this great advantage that you can pretty well keep writing at any age.

6. What have been some of your biggest challenges?

My first wife and I were returning from the Caribbean in 1991 where we had celebrated our 25^th wedding anniversary. She had a stroke on the plane and died a few hours after we arrived in Vancouver. It was devastating. Then two or three years later, the spiritual community to which I belonged for 36 years collapsed – this was after the death of its leader — and I had no option but to leave the community at 63 with no idea at all how I would live or what I would do.

Those were both very difficult experiences, but the biggest challenge of all came a few years later. I had moved to Colorado and remarried and I thought everything was fine, when suddenly, without warning, I fell into a deep and excruciating one year depression.

It was the most difficult period of my life, and yet the strange thing is that it also turned out to be a blessing. It was like I had experienced some psychic healing, because the depression just lifted one day and I felt a beautiful stillness and peace that has never left me.

7. Do you have a spiritual routine? What is it?

Oh dear, difficult question to answer Angela. I do and I don’t. I like to take a little time first thing in the morning and last thing in the evening just to sit quietly and commune with myself. And I like to include a bit of abdominal breathing in the evening, which helps to calm me in a wonderful way.

But above all, as I age, I find the true joy of my life is taking a few moments every now and again to simply be conscious of my own timeless presence. To love that. I love “looking at myself,” to quote a friend and mentor, John Sherman. I find that as I continue “loving myself” in this way life changes and transforms in magical ways.

8. There is a turning point in your book where Joshua finds a mentor. Has synchronicity played a part in your life?

Synchronicity has played a huge part of my life. I believe there is a hand of grace on each one of us. There have been many times when just the right person came into my life at just the right time and changed my life forever.

This is how it was, for example, when I met my wife, JoAnn, about 16 years ago. We lived far apart geographically, we didn’t know each other from Adam, and yet synchronicity – or the Angels, as I sometimes like to think of it – found a way to bring us together. It opened a door to a whole new chapter in my life including a move to this great country called USA.

9. If you could have 60 seconds to give a message to the world what would it be?

Listen to the nudges of your own heart and stay true to your own wisdom and integrity and everything will work out just fine.

10. What project are you working on next?

I do see some exciting possibilities but right now it’s time to stay calm and let what wants to emerge keep on emerging.

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P.S. to learn more about synchronicity check out these books.

For more from Christopher, please visit his blog at The Happy Seeker, where he writes about wisdom and personal growth. You can check out The Raven Who Spoke with God BY CLICKING HERE.