Attracting Abundance

As I anoint myself with my Young Living Abundance essential oil, I specify to the universe the type of abundance I seek.  Think about it...if you just sent out a general intention of abundance, it could be an abundance of parking tickets, bruised bananas, popped buttons!

The last couple of weeks have been interesting in this regard.  I booked two private teaching events for May, I've welcomed returning private students, the gal at the car wash gave me a $20 bill that she said she found under my front seat, a friend gave me a generous gift, and I received a bonus from work!

So as today is rather windy and I'm a bit foggy from a very late night and early morning, I've decided to go through my mail.  I don't do this as often as I should.

A notice from Delta inviting me to use the last of my miles on magazines was one piece of unopened mail.  I've already used these on magazines but it seems using them before has somehow generated more miles because I just placed my order for 300 weeks of the WSJ (I miss that newspaper), a year of Entertainment Weekly and The Economist.  Shhhh, I whisper to you that the invitation had a deadline which had passed but the return message said my subscriptions were being processed.

There was an invitation from Nielsen to complete a survey on my television habits.  I started to tear it up for the recycle bin when it struck me as possibly a fun thing to do, so I opened it.  There were two very crisp $1 bills in there as a thank you for completing the survey!  I had missed the survey deadline it seems, but as they were kind enough to send me $2, I thought it my duty to attempt to complete the survey.

Another piece of mail contained a $20 discount on a seafood order from Omaha Steaks.  The Seafood Sampler would be far more food than I could handle, or rather my freezer could handle, but my friend April is happy to share the order with me so we each get a reasonable portion of good quality seafood at a very good discounted price, plus the discount!

Last night at Maverick's, in addition to the wonderful people I see there regularly, two students who have been traveling for over a month came in to let me know they were back and ready to resume lessons, my physician was there, and a student from four years ago was there.  Funny to have such connections all there on the same night.

So, I shall be very clear about my intentions for abundance as I would like time to read my new subscriptions and prepare for the next Nielsen survey, but not too much time!

Stop and Listen

There are some things that I just know.  I know them either before they happen or without being told.  What I don't know yet is how to truly listen for this gift all of the time.

The little things like seeing a friend in a vision out with her husband and later she tells me she and her husband are going out, or just knowing with conviction that I need to connect with someone, they seem almost benign.  It's when I give them thought that I recognize they are more than a coincidence because the message is so strong.

The big things, like death or waking up one morning knowing clear as a bell that my partner has hooked up with one of my friends, those never seem benign. Yet, how did I know?

These past weeks have been chaotic, ungrounded, physically painful.  I had a visitation from the Archangels and my house and I were turned upside down for five days during their stay.  I was experiencing absolute frenetic energy and it was jarring.

Then one of my hens, Dumpling, went missing.  She disappeared sometime within 2-3 hours in the middle of the afternoon.  That was Friday, April 5th.  I searched this ranch high and low and found no sign of her, like she just vanished.  And for the past two weeks I have continued looking for her, still resisting the reduction in the hen headcount of eleven, and asking Archangel Ariel, the protector of animals, to watch over her wherever she might be.

Last evening, I was out feeding the horses.  I kissed Hy Note and moved on to dole out the sweet blue grass hay.  As I kissed him, I had a strong recollection of his very intense and severe colic episode last fall.  He was in so much pain, he literally was walking into trees.  I immediately gave him Reiki while I waited for a call back from the vet and he managed to stand still for a few moments to receive the energy.  With this memory calling my attention, I turned back around to see Hy Note looking at me, and then he put himself down on the ground.  A horse does not lie down during feeding.  I ran for a halter, got him up, scooted him around a bit and the gas passed.  Thankfully, this time he had only a minor belly ache.  Before heading in for the night, I made sure I could hear his gut sounds and that he pooped, signs that his system is functioning as it should.

This evening, I was collecting the pearls from the girls.  As I picked up 3, I looked at them and saw a dark brown oblong egg, which really wasn't there because Dumpling is the only one who lays dark brown, oblong eggs.  

Earlier this morning, the goodles had knocked over a bale of hay.  Rather than pick it back up and restack it, I thought I'd take it apart and use it first.  This knocked over bale opened up a hole between bales; it was like a tunnel.  I looked at the hole with my head cocked to one side because it seemed strange that it would be there.  Carla and I had stacked the hay pretty well.  

This evening, I looked at that hole again and I even bent over to look in.  While it was light outdoors, it was dark in the hole and I thought I should go in and get my flashlight and see what this hole is about.  I didn't do that then.  Bodie was sniffing at the hole and for a minute I thought maybe the ranch bunny was in there.

I was out in the dry lot, again spreading out the evening feed, and Pinkie came up to me licking her lips and with a definite thought on her mind.  So, I followed her out and around the corner and there she was.  Dumpling was barely standing at the entrance of the hole!  Feathers were scattered around and she looked roughed up.  I imagine one of the dogs managed to pull her out.  I could tell something was wrong with a foot and I wasn't so sure about one of her wings.  I ran to the tack room to get a towel I have in there for the just in case moment, and I wrapped her up, grabbed a literal handful of hay and brought her inside.

First things first, I comforted her and thanked Archangel Ariel.  Then I shook up the NutriDrench and gave her some, undiluted, straight into her beak.  This is a syrupy liquid filled with electrolytes and nutrients and that no matter how much you wash your hands, you still smell it on your skin.  I put her in the kennel and ran out to get more hay.  The goodles were circling and calling me, Pinkie was hiding under the shelf in the garage because I had scolded her and Bodie wouldn't come close.   Dumpling's water cup was filled immediately and put directly under her nose.  I could hear Shadow and Pippin walking in the gravel, not where I want them to be, and as I went down to the hen house to get her some food, I found Shadow inside eating the grain.  Thankfully, he has become accustomed to being chased from inside and walked out on his own--it was easy, I needed that.

I left the goats out to browse and I went back in with the pellets and set them out for her.  I wet my fingers and put them to her beak.  And then I gave her a Reiki treatment.  She settled right down, closed her eyes and I watched her body rise and fall with her breaths.

Chores still needed to be completed, so I reassured her I'd be back.  She turned her head and looked at me and I could feel her gratitude.  I asked Hy Note, the guardian angel of my animals, to help her heal.  I told Alibi she was back--for the past two weeks I've been asking him if he saw anything.  Shadow is such an old soul. As I held him, I asked him to send all of his angels to give Dumpling strength.  When I locked up the hens, I told them Dumpling was in the house.  Truly, very truly, they reacted!  Heads up, chicken chatter amongst them.

With the flashlight, I went to look at that hole in the hay. It's only a bale-width deep.  I looked from above; could she have fallen in?  It was not likely.  The hole is on the bottom layer of hay, so it is on a pallet.  I suppose it's possible she got stuck, which explains her hurt foot.  And did the dog/s drag her out?  I think so.  Why isn't there a pile of chicken poop in there?  I don't have a very good explanation.

Just now, I checked on her again, and she is alert and looks directly at me.  Where was she for over two weeks?

Getting back to listening.  Her disappearance never seemed final for me and for these past two weeks I have been asking Archangel Ariel to bring her back, in one form or another.  My petitions didn't seem futile.

After the Archangels left my house, I understood the need for the chaos.  I had become so consumed by external events and influences in my life, that I couldn't keep anything straight in my mind.  I couldn't remember from one minute to the next, seriously.  So, if they couldn't get me to stop and go inward on my own, they were going to bang me up and bruise me quite a bit.  Kind of like being hit over the head with a frying pan--you certainly could not ignore that!

Recognizing this place of inquietude, I went for an acupuncture treatment last Thursday.  Everything shifted and lifted.  I felt joy again.  Last Friday, I really did dance for joy!

With that veil of heaviness and gloom shaken off, I could be available again to tune into this gift of intuition, of knowing, of seeing.

What did I learn?  Trust it.  It's real.

Happy Holidays

I say it. I say "Happy Holidays!"

Back when I was in my early 20s, there was a year that unique hand-made ornaments were the gifts I sought out for my friends for Christmas. I looked for weeks for the perfect ornament for each friend.

I had recently met a new friend, Suzanne. I admired her very much, as i still do, and was looking forward to giving her one of my carefully mined gifts. I went to her cozy apartment in Brookline one night and found her simple decorative lights charming and tasteful. No signs of wreaths or stockings or Santa wrapping paper though.

Suzanne opened her gift with grace and appreciation. She marveled at the delicate intricacy of the ornament, admired it for its artistic value. Politely she noted that she doesn't have a Christmas tree. Huh.

She had never had a Christmas tree; why would she? She was raised in the Jewish faith. Suzanne found a safe place on a shelf to mount the ornament that had no flat foundation, after all, it was meant to hang on a Christmas tree.

Needless to say, the Merry Christmas card which accompanied the ornament was a little out of place too.

From this year on, I became aware of the fact that not everyone celebrated Christmas. Obvious as it may seem now, 20 some odd years ago I didn't have too many friends outside of gentiles. I made a point to find cards that read something other than Merry Christmas.

Then Glenn married Rene and although they have agreed to have a tree in the house, it is not for the "Christmas" reason but for the beauty and elegance of a family decorated tree.

Stacey married Scott. And the list has grown.

Everyone has a right to celebrate something this time of year, be it a recognized holiday or holy day or just to celebrate the fact that consumerism is at its peak right about now and you can get some pretty great shopping done regardless of faith or practice.

My take is this: unless you are at work in a public office where church and state are in fact to be separate, say what it is you want to say during this season.

When you send your greeting out to someone, say it with the practice of Dana in mind. Dana is unconditional generosity or giving; it's a Buddhist practice of seeking nothing in return. This is believed to lead to greater spiritual wealth.

So instead of waiting for someone to trip up and not respond the way you are expecting them to, do not expect. Just send your greeting out with all the love, compassion, sincerity and the biggest smile you can muster. And that should feel pretty good.