Journeys of the Spirit® Newsletter December 11th, 2013

TAKE ME TO: Events & Workshops | Guest Article
Our Upcoming Trips at a Glance | Post a comment!

WHAT’S NEW?

Love

Is all your holiday shopping done? I hope so! It’s time to settle in and enjoy your family, friends and all those folks you love with all your heart and soul. After all – what are the holidays for if not to celebrate love? As for me – I’m an advance planner, meaning I buy gifts way early!

Every time I’m out and about and see something that my family and friends would like I purchase it and put it away. Then by the time holiday time comes around I only usually have a couple of items left on the list. Ecstasy!

Heads up! Deborah Kagan (my Sensual Lifestyle Specialist friend who is co-teaching with me on the March Maui retreat) and I are doing a Google Hangout or Spreecast (not sure which technology we’ll be using!) on Tuesday, January 21st at 5pm PT + 8pm ET.

The topic?? Totally relevant of course: Enliven & Energize 2014: How to Create Real Abundance without Burnout! Put it on your calendar right NOW so that you don’t miss it!

Last of all we have a new trip up with facilitator Susan Gregg – Sedona: A Week of Sacred Renewal – March 29-April 5, 2014.

Now’s the time to start planning for next year
and the BEST way to see what’s happening is to
visit our Trips at a Glance page!

2014 is here: www.journeysofthespirit.com/trips-at-a-glance/

Blessings and love, Sheri Rosenthal

Connect with me: Email | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter

Picture of the hands complements of kirtaph

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EVENTS, WEBINARS, VIDEO-CLASSES & NEW PROGRAMS!

Unconditional Love in Action: Volunteer Journey – LAST CALL!
Siem Reap (Angkor Wat), Cambodia
Jan 22-Feb 1st, 2014

Child in Cambodia Join New Thought Minister Rev. David Ault for a profoundly heart-opening spiritual journey of service to Siem Reap, Cambodia – home of the incredible ancient temples of Angkor Wat.

To open oneself deeply, to risk feeling the suffering of others, and to wish to relieve that suffering – is the definition of compassion and the cultivation of the Buddha within us. As Gandhi once said: The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.

Volunteer travel is a powerful experience – you risk coming home with a clearer vision of what you want in life, a deeper sense of self-realization, and clarity about who you are and your purpose in life!

Volunteer travel Angkor Wat, Cambodia We’ll have the opportunity to explore the amazing temple complex at Angkor Wat – or at least a part of it (it’s huge!). Our home away from home in Cambodia is the Siddharta Boutique Hotel. It has a large saltwater pool in a tropical garden, and a restaurant with views over the Cambodian countryside to watch unforgettable sunsets.

All breakfasts are included in this itinerary and one dinner, along with tours of the temples, daily Sangha (gathering) with David Ault, a traditional Khmer dinner & show, helping in the schools with the children and in creating new wells, and so much more.

Trip cost: $1699 USD per person double occupancy.

Details for Cambodia here!

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GUEST ARTICLE

Freedom’s Just Another Word For Nothing Left To Lose

Sedona One day as I was meditating, I heard Janice Joplin’s raspy voice singing “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.” My first thought was, “What a negative idea.” But as I thought about it I realized it did have valid applications in my life. Over the years I have found that the harder I try to hold on to physical things the more rapidly they seem to dissolve. I have come to realize that the feelings of desperation or fear destroy our personal freedom.

When we desperately try to cling to things in life we push them away. It is similar to chasing a beach ball in a pool. If you lunge for it, the ball stays just out of reach and moves away from us. If we approach the ball gently it is easily retrieved. Fear and desperation have the same effect in our lives, as we lunge at things in our life, they move away from us.

For me, freedom comes when I have an attitude of detachment. I define freedom as a way of being in the world in which we experience joy, happiness, peace, and abundance in all areas of our lives. When I am trying to cling to someone or something I experience none of these states, instead I usually experience fear and unhappiness.

When I first began releasing fear and desperation in my life I began to view myself as the sky. The sky is always changing yet always perfect. I remembered flying out of New York City on a gray, dark, and dismal winter day. Suddenly the plane broke through the clouds and we were bathed in sunlight, surrounded by the beautiful blue sky.

sedona I began to view the people, situations, and emotions in my life as clouds. The clouds sometimes block our view and we forget our own perfection and the perfection of those around us. This exercise allowed me to develop a sense of detachment. The sky never tries to control the clouds or the sun; it just exists and experiences the changes effortlessly.

As I developed that sense of detachment I also began to experience life in an effortless fashion. Each day became an adventure. Children often awaken with a sense of excitement and anticipation for a new day. Our desperate need to control our lives as adults robs us of that sense of joy.

It sounds rather simplistic but try it for a week or two. Remind yourself that each event is just a cloud passing by and look for the gift it is bringing you. Remember you are an energy as vast and perfect as the sky, you are perfection, you are not the people, places, and things in your life. As a situation arises, detach, remind yourself it is just a cloud and remind yourself of your perfection.

I started this process by doing a simple meditation. I imagined myself as the sky. I allowed my energy to grow and expand until I could really sense myself encompassing the earth. I then allowed myself to experience events happening around me and imagined them as clouds. I allowed them to effortlessly flow by while I remained detached. I continued practicing this meditation until I could create that feeling of detachment in my everyday life. I watch the clouds often now and remind myself of my perfection.

Everything in our lives is temporary, it is only here for a time. As we develop that sense of detachment and release our fear of losing things, we can enjoy everything more fully. Freedom really is just another word for nothing left to lose.

With love and aloha, Susan Gregg

Join Susan in Sedona for her upcoming A Week of Sacred Renewal – March 29-April 5, 2014. Registration is NOW! This retreat offers an opportunity to lift out of habitual patterns, connect with fascinating new friends, write and fall back in love with your gifts.

Susan Gregg Ph.D. is the author of nine books including her two most recent are The Encyclopedia of Angels, Spirit Guides and Ascended Masters and The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Magical Plants.

She has spent over 20 years exploring various spiritual traditions and has been meditating since the early 70s. In the early 80′s she completed and apprenticeship with Sister Sarita and Don Miguel Ruiz. Susan lives on the beautiful island of Hawaii and has dedicated her life to helping people creating a life filled with happiness, love and abundance. Susan believes it is our birthright to be happy and she teaches people how to be happy no matter what is happening in their life.