This weekend I read another great book.  It’s called A Song of the Heart, written by Calgarian, Jeane Watier.  www.jeanewatier.com  It’s the second in a triology of Self Help Fiction books focused on the Law of Attraction.  I haven’t read the first one yet, but I was told it wouldn’t matter, since the stories can stand alone, even though they involve the same characters.

There were several things that prompted me to pick up the book.  First of all, I was intrigued by the category of Self-Help Fiction.   How brilliant to present a self-help topic through an engaging story!  I hadn’t read a good ‘story book’ in quite a while (I tend to read non-fiction, i.e. ‘learning’ books), and it sounded like a treat to get the best of both worlds.

The second attraction was the title – no secret that Neil and I are all about living the way of the heart, so the title grabbed me.  The third was that I’d met Jeane at a booksigning and my impression of her was that she is an open, positive, and laid back person.  I was curious to see what she would write about.

I have to confess, I was really tired the night I started reading it, and my mind registered conflicting messages.  On the one hand, I was finding it to be a bit too simplistic in it’s explanation, while at the same time I wondered, “If I’d never heard of the Law of Attraction, is there enough in this for me to get it?  Like, should I have read the first book to get a little more explanation about what an emotional scale is?”  I personally knew what it meant to rise up the emotional scale, because I’ve studied Abraham and the Law of Attraction, but I wondered if I hadn’t, would I get what Jeane was referring to?  

I wonder if I can do this justice?  Here’s my explanation of ‘rising up the emotional scale’:  Taking step by step actions to make myself feel better.  I begin by recognizing that thoughts generate emotions.  Then I identify what I’m thinking and acknowledge how it makes me feel.  Then I make a conscious choice to focus on a thought that will generate a feeling that takes me one step up from what I’m feeling now.  Abraham (a voice of wisdom channeled through Esther Hicks) identifies 22 different emotions that one can slide through to go from depression to joy. You can find the full scale here http://www.contemplatethis.com/the-abraham-hicks-emotional-scale  

Anyway, I finally put the book down, deciding I was too tired to give it a fair try.

The next day I picked the book up again, and I had to read it right through!  The further I got into the story, the more engaging it became.  The cleverly interwoven perspectives of a mother and her two daughters coping with change are intertwined with delightful love stories.  The story stays fresh and interesting with a bit of suspense.  I really enjoyed the read.  

The single most amazing thing about reading the book, was that I could feel myself climb up the emotional scale as I read it!  I really felt good after reading it, and I realized that reading it had raised my vibrational energy. What a gift!  An enjoyable story with a lovely side effect.  I also realized that if I’d never heard of the Law of Attraction, by reading this book I would have been learning right alongside the characters in the book.  And even already knowing about the Law of Attraction, I still found value in reading it… it was a very useful reminder about how I can use the Law of Attraction to make myself feel better in any given moment.

Thank you for this beautiful book, Jeane!  I look forward to going back to the first one in the series to follow the early stages of Rachel’s development… and can’t wait to see what the third book will bring!

Last night I sat on my couch and read half of my friend Cori Ellingson’s book Vision Quest – A Spiritual Awakening.  The only reason I didn’t finish reading it was I listened to the voice of sensibility that told me to pay attention to my yawning and go to bed.  It wasn’t easy to listen to that voice… I felt quite compelled to keep reading. I was thoroughly enjoying vicariously experiencing the Vision Quest on the mountain through Cori.

Her story is well written and very engaging.  She alternately shares her experience on the mountain and her preparation for being there.  The desire I often feel to escape and be alone in nature was certainly brought to life as I read.  As a matter of fact, I was inspired to begin my day today that way.  I bundled up and headed outside, even before the sun was up, to walk to a nearby playground with big trees.  I stood with my back against a tree, closed my eyes and engaged in the 5 cleansing breaths ceremony I learned in June at the Dances of Universal Peace retreat I attended.  It was so fitting, for it is a ceremony handed down from the ancient peoples of our land, just as the vision quest is.  I don’t know how long I spent in the park, but I stayed until the sensations of cold and hunger encouraged me to walk back home.  

Yet as I walked away from the park, tears welled up in my eyes.  I can’t put a name to what I was feeling, but a great heaviness filled my heart.  I knew it was too soon to walk away from mother nature and go back to the ‘doing’ of my every day life.   I went back in the house only long enough to drink some water and put on more layers of clothes.  I grabbed my yoga mat and headed out to another area with large trees.  There I found a hollow in the snow amid a cluster of three huge spruce trees that gave me the impression that an animal had slept there for the night.   Perhaps a rabbit – there are a few in our neighborhood- although I didn’t see any telltale droppings to confirm that.  No matter, it seemed like a perfect place to rest my bum, so that my feet and head would be slightly elevated.  I placed my mat over the indentation in the snow and lay down.  Perfect! 

As I lay there breathing in the sweet smell of tree boughs, I thought of my friend Rita who first taught me to lay on the ground to connect with Mother Earth and smiled.  I hope she is enjoying her current stay in Costa Rica.  I wish I could be someplace so warm that I could lay on the bare earth with my bare body, instead of laying on snow in layers of clothing and coats!

The cawing of a bird nearby brought me back to thoughts of Cori and her vision quest.  I wished the birds would speak to me as they spoke to Cori.  But I recognize she was very ready for her journey, ready to listen to mother nature.  She had thoroughly prepared and was in a space of peace, appreciation and openness.  I was simply in a space of trying to recover from a rather sleepless night. Yes, despite the yawning that indicated I was tired, I experienced a strange and frantic buzzing of energy in my head all night.  My mind was not filled with the usual thoughts to keep me awake, but the odd sensation of buzzing energy kept me from sleeping restfully.  (Perhaps the effect of energy carried by the brand new pillow I was sleeping on?)

Laying on the earth always gives me a sense of rejuvenation. I probably gave up and came in sooner than my soul would have liked, but I have to confess that the call of the ‘things to do today’ became greater than the call of nature.

As I sit here and type, I note that I still feel a bit tired, but far more re-energized and renewed after my time on the ground.  As the sun begins to shine through my south facing windows, I feel my soul begin to smile once again.  I look forward to completing my tasks for the day so I can pick up Cori’s book and once again escape into the tale of her odyssey of discovery.

If you’d like to read a few chapters for yourself, visit her website www.heartproductions.ca  

Whatever you are doing today, I encourage you to take just a few moments to stop and connect with Mother Nature.  Whether it’s to simply stop and appreciate the feel of the sun on your face through a window, or to step outside and listen for the birds chirping, or breathe in the fresh, crisp winter air (that is, if you’re in Canada, like I am!), please take a moment and enjoy the calming sensation that is invariably gifted to anyone who takes the time to appreciate nature.

Allow yourself a beautiful, nature inspired day!

Last night I attended the monthly meeting of the Calgary Authors Group (www.calgaryauthors.com ).  I heard about the group for the very first time just the day before at a friend’s book signing.  As I talked to one of the authors sharing space with our friend, something told me I should go and check them out.  (I meet their qualifications for membership as a published author of a spiritually focused book with my self-published journaling book, Believe in Yourself- You Are Awesome!   See http://www.bestucanb.ca/Journaling.php for details on the book.)

I am very glad I did.  What a delightful group of people!  So warm and friendly and so committed to serving one another.  The group originally came together with the intention of helping each other sell their books.  I saw that they exchange books; reading other member’s books means that they really do know one another’s work.  They meet each month to share ideas about printing, marketing, promoting, etc, etc.  They share their resources to do group book signings, share booths at trade shows, etc.  They believe in ‘strength in numbers’, trusting that they can accomplish more as a group than they would as individuals.

It was such a wonderful reminder to me of the inspiration, encouragement and support that comes from surrounding yourself with like-minded people.  A group of people with the same focus can achieve so much more than any one person.  Every successful person will tell you they have a team of experts around them who have helped them succeed.  I see that this group will also succeed.

Last night I received encouragement to move forward and publish my manuscript The Magic of India- A Personal Awakening and just being around these enthusiastic authors renewed my interest in making my journaling book (which, I have been told by people who’ve used it, is very effective at bringing about positive life changes) more available to more people. 

I am grateful for the gifts I received by attending this meeting and am seriously considering becoming a member of the group.  I encourage you to involve yourself with a group(s) who inspire and encourage you to take action in whatever you are interested in.  It’s an integral part of keeping your passion alive.