Celebrating Your Achievements

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The Dutch culture that I grew up in, is one that has a dualistic attitude toward the celebration of your achievements.

When the Dutch soccer team became second in the World Championship they were honored with a grand party! They were praised by the prime minister, and had a meeting and a photo-op with the Queen. After that, their achievement was celebrated on a grand scale, with a canalboat ride through the canals of Amsterdam and a presentation on stage...

In many other instances, especially when the achievement is a personal one, the celebration of the achievement is often viewed as ‘tooting your own horn’ and as such it is something that is ‘not done’.

It is the downside of the very practical perspective on life the Dutch culture has.
Doing something really good is nothing to be celebrated, it is just you doing your job. And for that, not only do you not deserve any extra attention ~ standing out like that pretty much guarantees a lot of criticism coming your way.
Just as the Dutch saying goes: ‘Tall trees catch a lot of wind.’

Although this is understandable from an historic point of view ~ between the value put on commerce where ‘the customer is always right’ and Calvinism that has left its mark ~ it can well set one up to only value one self through others.
The job is well-done, not because you think so (or know so) yourself, but because someone else tells you it is. You are a good person, because you are doing what you think other want you to be doing...

And there is the problem!

In that line of thought we not only are not doing the things we want to be doing ~ we are not expressing uniqueness and our own potential ~ we can never do whatever it is we are doing well enough as we need that validation from others; and it is impossible to please everyone!

In the energy of this point in time, it is certainly an outdated perspective. One that deserves a re-evaluation as to how that works in our lives at least!

In the energy of today it is so very important to be who you are and to express that in your own way ~ through your own interests, potential, and ability. It doesn’t matter as much what you do or how you express yourself, as long as it is truly yours...
It does matter, however, that you feel good doing it!
That you refuse to let feelings of guilt hinder the expression of your Self.

And that you give yourself a pat on the back for doing it!
That you celebrate your achievements.
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Perfect Timing

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There are instances in our lives when ‘everything comes together’.

About two months ago, this happened for me.
I was already thinking about ‘doing things differently’ and rearranging my life accordingly ~ yet I had no idea as to how to go about it...

I had already started with giving our website a new look; making it obvious how to choose the language the information is presented in. I was considering putting together new products. What I was unsure about was how to go from there. Having new products is nice, but how do you let the world know about it?

Then the e-book ‘Getting paid for who you are’ was given to me.
And reading it was an eye-opener!

It became clear that what I want is freedom. This meant that my new products should give me this freedom, rather than taking all my time and tie me down.
And just as I realized that this was exactly what I had been looking for, the help I needed to ‘do things differently’ ~ but still was thinking ‘This is great, but now what?’ ~ the Get Paid University opened its doors and started a six week training course.

It was a matter of perfect timing!
Luckily I realized this ~ it had gotten my attention ~ and I signed up right away!

What I expected to get out of it was a roadmap on how to set up a website that would generate online business.
What I got out of it was a new perspective on how to go about things. Not just business related things, but also about what I really want to do, what my desires and wishes are, what my goals are...
It turned out I had embarked upon a journey that invited me to take an honest look at my life, to prioritize, and to step out of my comfort zone and into the world!

As the training moved forward, I found an entire new support system that would encourage me and help me take the next step. And with every step I took toward creating my business seemed to have repercussions throughout my life. My confidence started growing.

And pretty soon, people around me started noticing.
I started getting positive feedback from unexpected sources ~ from people I hadn’t seen for a while. I received encouragement to start teaching more classes.
All in all, as I stepped further out of my comfort zone, I seemed to become more ‘visible’.

To me, it is an example on how the universe works...
Through perfect timing, all the resources I would ever want or need were right at my finger tips, allowing me to take the next step on my personal (spiritual) path!
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Near-Death Experience

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The other day I watched a program on television in which people who have had a near death experience (NDE) were interviewed. Each of the people being interviewed had physically died from the perspective that their heart had stopped beating... And as they felt they were floating above the panic that ensued around their bodies, they recounted that all physical discomfort had left; they experienced no pain, no distress at that moment.

The imagery each person experienced is vastly different.
Where one person may experience the tunnel and see the whiter than white light, another person may experience a more conscious process where they are aware of what is happening and in their minds say their goodbyes to those they love.
Either way, it seems to be okay the way it is...

The thing that seems the same for each person is that their perspective on life has changed a great deal. Often, this sense that things are okay is taken back into this physical life. No matter what will happen, it will be okay!
On top of that there is a ‘knowing’ that life is built from two substances: Light and Love. And as such, we are all the same. We are all part of that oneness that is built from Light and Love.

Now, that doesn’t mean that all f a sudden life becomes easy. There are still hard choices, difficult decisions that need to be made ~ very much in the same manner it works for all of us who haven’t experienced a NDE.
It does mean, however, that how those are handled changes.

Somehow, an NDE turns out to be a major reality check!
A reality check that often results in different priorities. Doing things that aren’t important to the person, seems to become a more and more futile exercise ~ why do it?

Listening to the interviews it occurred to me that from the perspective of a person having experienced a NDE, the rest of us is way too busy with things that are not truly important. With things we feel we have to do, are obligated to do. Instigated by motivations that are often based outside of ourselves ~ making what others say, feel or think about us more important than how we feel or think about ourselves.
The rest of us seems to have lost touch with the qualities that are really important: the Light and Love that we all are built from, and things like peace and oneness.

For me, those are the things that tend to come up in meditations. And through the meditative experience they will often help me putting things into perspective ~ making them therefore easier to handle...


More information on NDEs can be found at: http://www.nderf.org/
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The Goddess

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The Goddess is referred to in many different ways. Purely factual, it is a female deity. Yet it also points to a woman who is adored for her beauty. The ‘Inner Goddess’ then can refer to a woman’s inner beauty ~ although it seems that more often what is meant is the inner strength; the highest form of womanhood.

Then there are Father Sun and Mother Earth. The vitality and fertility ~ and as such, the Goddess would be linked to the Earth Mother, to nature that is fertile. To those aspects of nature that feed and nourish us, that nurture and sustain us...

Following this line of thought, womanhood and nature, the earth, seem inextricably linked together.
Most obvious, women can bear children. Traditionally women feed and nurture their families (as opposed to men who ‘hunt and gather’).

In this point in time though, these traditional ‘assignments’ have become choices ~ at least in most Western societies. Women can choose to have careers, even in fields that were viewed as typically male professions. Women’s Lib has done a lot for us women!

So where does that leave this link with nature, with the earth? Have we forgotten about it? Have we pushed it aside in order to become equal to our male counterparts?

If we have, we may be overlooking the very source of strength that is specifically ours to tap into... The very strength of the fertile nature and the earth itself!

Now this makes me wonder, what would happen if ~ with all the choices we have in this point in time ~ we would reconnect with nature and the earth. If we would reconnect with the ‘Inner Goddess’; with that part of ourselves that permits womanhood to come alive in us... If we would again connect to that formidable power that we are innately part of...

Would we begin to feel differently about ourselves, maybe prioritize our own needs and desires before those of others? Would we start making different decisions? Would we feed and nurture ourselves differently ~ not only from a physical perspective, but also mentally and spiritually?

What seems clear to me is that it wouldn’t make us any better than the male half of humanity. It may bring us to a realization though that women and men are truly equal ~ very different, yet equal in value, equal in worth. To ourselves, to others and even to the society we live in.

Hmmmm...
Allowing ourselves to connect to our womanhood, to act from that very perspective, and permitting our ‘Inner Goddess’ to shine...
Now that is truly an awesome sight to behold!
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Commitment

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Yesterday I attended a class via conference call. It was the last class in a series of six, the topic was interesting, practical ~ although very condensed. With all the assignments and work involved, I couldn’t help but fall behind during the course of these six weeks. But I knew what I signed up for. And I have learned a lot and I am enjoying the process tremendously!
The package I could afford and signed up for allows me access to the resources provided for another six weeks. Which is a good thing as it gives me time ‘to catch up’. And after that I can become a member for a low monthly fee for as long as I want or need the resources ~ or want to be an active part of the community that has formed around the classes.

The whole program is well thought out. It starts with the offer of a free book that explains how to set up your internet business in easy steps: ‘Getting paid for who you are!’
And if that is all you want, it can help you a great deal!
There is also a blog, a chat room, and, as said the membership and the classes.

So far so good!

The thing that really caught my attention yesterday was an off the cuff comment on how a person had opted for the ‘high priced spread ~ class’ and already achieved a lot in setting up his internet business and that ‘sometimes, all it takes is to be around committed people’.

No doubt there is truth in that statement.
It really helps when you can share the path you are walking with others that are on a similar path. It inspires you, and can help you when you are not certain where to go from where you are at, at any specific moment.

The thing that didn’t sit well with me was the connection of a person’s commitment to having opted for the more expensive class. And the implication that those that opt for the (more expensive) VIP-membership are more committed than those that do not; than the ‘ordinary members’...

It makes me ponder the concept of commitment.

Surely, opting for any program involves a financial commitment, and/or a commitment of your time.
If you want to set up a new business, or even start doing new and exciting things in your life, it requires initiative and commitment. A mindset to ‘stick with it’ even when results take longer to manifest than you had hoped for...

The most important commitment, however, is the commitment you have toward yourself! The commitment to prioritize yourself!
Then, if you want to learn new things, do new things, take classes, join like-minded people ~ you do so because you are committed to yourself. Because you are committed to become the best you can be!

Now there is a commitment that I am truly happy to take on!
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Our Unique Rhythm, again

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I am not a morning person. If it were up to me, the daily activities would not start before 9AM ~ and things that require my focussed attention I hardly ever start before 11AM.
On the other hand, I usually have no problem at all working well into the evening...
Needless to say I feel very fortunate to be in a position where I can schedule my life accordingly.

So why change?
A major reason is when the energies of nature start pushing me.

That can be through the seasons; I feel an active anticipation in the Spring; I truly enjoy the long Summer evenings; I feel productive in the Fall ~ and I wouldn’t mind sleeping through the Winter...
I realized a long time ago that this follows the energy of the seasons: Spring is the time for new beginnings, Summer keeps that what has been started going, Fall is the time for harvest, and Winter is the time for rest and ‘dreaming up’ new beginnings...
And although this doesn’t mean that I won’t do anything productive in the Winter, or come up with new concepts during the Summer ~ I have learned that I get the best results when I permit myself to work with the energies of the seasons, rather than against them.

In a similar manner the weather can push me into a rhythm different than my natural rhythm.
And I am not talking about the odd rainstorm when I really hoped it would stay dry... But there are more extreme circumstances when it seems a good thing to do to ‘give in’ instead of stubbornly sticking with my own pattern. Like when the Winter weather is not just cold, but comes with lots of precipitation that stays around in the form of icy roads, or lots of snow. I may have plans for some activity outside; but under the circumstances, it that really the thing to do?
And Summer can bring a weather pattern that is so warm, that doing any activities ~ especially in the alert and focussed time within my rhythm, in the middle of the day ~ could put me at risk...

In our society today we have invented ways around pretty much everything nature can throw at us that might push us our of the accepted, productive rhythms of everyday life. We have lights that we put on to create longer days, heaters to fence off the cold, and air conditioners to keep our space and ourselves cool.

Yet, sometimes it makes me wonder, is it really such a bad idea to allow our natural rhythm to work in partnership with the rhythms of nature? Wouldn’t that make it easier for us to do the things we want to do in their right and proper time?
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Our Unique Rhythm

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Each of us is a very unique being! With special talents, our own potential, and a ‘one of a kind’ way in which to express it! And we do so according to our own rhythm...

The best known part of our rhythm is whether we are for example a ‘morning person’ or an ‘evening person’. This tells us what time of the day we are most productive; not from a perspective of discipline but from the way our energy works best for us. Where a morning person would likely choose to get up early and do the bulk of their work in the morning hours ~ the evening person, even when they do get up early, may find themselves having a ‘slow start’ of the day, gearing up to the evening when their energy comes to its ‘high point’.
This way we all have our specific time when we feel awake, active, and when the tasks at hand can be done in an easy flow.

That being said, there are all kinds of reasons why we ‘override’ this natural rhythm of ours.
Common reasons are jobs and family...
Looking at the job we may have ~ it will require us to get there in time, and be there for a certain number of hours while ‘doing our job’, whatever that may be. It doesn’t care whether we are a morning person or an evening person. Its natural rhythm is from 9 to 5 ~ and we have to adapt.
Having a family then means that we have to fit our energy not only around the natural rhythms of each family member, but also around the obligations each family member has, whether that is a job, daycare or school...

In other words, there doesn’t seem to be an easy way in which to organize our lives according to our unique, natural rhythm. So what good does it do; how can we work with it?

Being aware of your personal rhythm, your active times and quiet times, can help schedule the chores or the work you have to do...
You may have to be at your job from 9 till 5 ~ but knowing when your energy is most focussed and alert, you may want to use that time to handle intricate or difficult tasks.
On the other hand, when you know you have a decided ‘low’ or inactive moment in your energy at a certain time of day, you may want to give yourself 15 minutes to be balanced with it, rather than beating yourself up over it...

The thing is that although we can adapt to a more practical (or socially acceptable) schedule, our unique, natural rhythm will always be there. So we may as well benefit from it!
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Stress

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No matter where I am, it seems like people are stressed.
Between work and family ~ sports or fitness and social activities ~ most of us seem overcommitted and feel the results of that overcommitment as stress in some form.

Another source of stress are those things in our lives that have tension associated with it, like exams. But also things like changing jobs or moving house ~ and even the things we celebrate like births, birthdays and weddings can bring tension into our lives, and with the tension stress usually lurks right around the corner.

When we are stressed, we may be feeling hyper (even when on decaf). Or perhaps we discover that we don’t feel rested as we wake up ~ either because we have had trouble sleeping, or because we didn’t allow ourselves enough time to sleep; or because even in our sleep we were too busy keeping tabs on everything we committed to do during the daytime hours...

Our system, body, mind and spirit, were designed to handle a certain amount of tension, and the resulting stress. So when we feel ‘stressed out’ because of a specific event in our lives ~ something that is part of our lives now, but will not be after the event has happened ~ this is unlikely to cause us any problems.

But when stress becomes a fixture in our lives; when it is always there to some extend ~ we may find that at some point our system of mind, body and spirit start to protest this continuous tension.

This protest may start out pretty innocuous. For instance as a cold that is hard to shake, but that doesn’t give a whole lot more discomfort other than that we keep ‘sniffling’. Nevertheless, when something like that happens, it is a tell-tale sign that our system is under stress. So much so that it has trouble cleansing the body and get rid of the cold...

The wise thing, or maybe even enlightened thing to do when something like this happens, would be to step back, and take a look at what is happening in our lives. After all, our body is telling us it is literally ‘sick of it’.
So we may ask ourselves; are we burning the candle on both ends, overcommitting ourselves? Is the stress we feel due to a specific event, or is it something that we have been living with for so long already that we don’t even notice it anymore? Until we get something like a cold, that is...

On the other hand, it is just a cold. Nothing serious, so why cancel those appointments? And even though it is stressing us out, we keep pushing on!
Someone has to do it.

It does make me wonder at times what would need to happen to us in order to re-evaluate our lives to the point where we can begin to remember what life was like before stress was our continuous companion...
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Priests and Priestesses

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In its broadest sense, a priest is a person who performs religious ceremonies and duties. A priestess then is a female priest. And while priests can be found in both Christian as well as non-Christian religions, priestesses are almost exclusively found in non-Christian religions.

Throughout the ages priests and priestesses have had their own domain in the grand scheme of things. The priests were connected with the Heavens, the Universe, the cosmos even. The priestesses were connected to the Earth, to the fertile, nurturing aspects of our existence.
Both, priests and priestesses were our means to communicate with the Higher Forces; with the Gods and the Goddesses. Priests would call upon the active, vital energy of the sun to perform the rituals and ceremonies that were needed to communicate with, and appease the Gods. Priestesses would call upon the intuitive energy of the moon and the fertile energy of the Earth to interact with the Goddesses.
Because of this ‘hands-on’ approach, both the specific male and female abilities, and yes, also anatomy were sacred, and often used in ceremonies or to accomplish specific things, like for instance divination...
A well-known example of that is the oracle of Delphi where priestesses divined the future events.

With the growing interest in shamanism and the ‘old religions’ in this point in time, I am wondering, what would be the place of the priests and priestesses in this age? In our culture?

A number of the old practices are outdated, or from a cultural perspective are frowned upon in this day and age. Like animal (not to speak of human) sacrifices, the use of drugs, and to a lesser extend the use of our sacral energy, our sexuality for ceremonial purposes.

It seems easier to find new ways to bond with nature and allow a modern version of shamanism to emerge than it is to find approval for using Tantric practices to bring Heaven and Earth together in its most sacred way, to ensure an abundant harvest...
In this time, science seems to have taken over the responsibility for our crops to ripen.

We have for numerous years labeled our sexuality something that needs to be kept very private; and when we didn’t it has definitely been something to feel guilty about... On top of that, we have measured it according to a double standard, making sexual activity much more acceptable for men than we do for women.

So where does that leave the priestess of old?
It seems that in our world today, we would permit her to reclaim her very intimate bond with the Earth and with nature ~ but we disallow her the ancient sacred tools to express this bond...

Almost like we treat the earth itself! We depend upon nature for our nourishment, yet we don’t allow nature to express its fertility in her own way...
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