I honor my energy by evaluating what worked, what did not; what made me feel happy, and what were the things/people/events that made me feel uneasy.  Those three hours shopping for yoga clothes drained me much beyond the fun of having found a few comfy and useful clothing items. A call from a friend who prefers to ramble off long list of complaints about the injustices of the world made me feel tired. Taking a walk on the beach with my beloved and playing with the cats increased my happiness index.

We all have a list of "to-do's", and sometimes just getting a chore done feels wonderful; completing a project I've pushed away for some time is immense relief. But when the 'doing' takes over the 'being', I know I am in trouble, because I am not honoring my need for quiet time and quality moments.

Here's a suggestion: I invite you to look at the 'energy zappers' in your life.
Make a list of all the stuff that is generating irritation energy and tackle the list, one at a time. Sometimes even seemingly trivial things, like replacing that burnt-out light bulb in the laundry room, can be draining if they show up on your planned activity lists for too long. When I take just an hour each day to finally sow on that button on a favorite shirt or clean out the 'miscellaneous' kitchen drawer, I feel clearer, lighter. There is more energy available to do the things that matter.

Tonight is a Full Moon. I tried to capture its beauty with
my camera, but the Moon eluded my clumsy efforts. Using an older, rather basic
camera, I tried it this way and that way. The moon just laughed and hid behind
the tree, or morphed into a luminous egg, or appeared like a tiny firefly
against a fuzzy dark night sky. So I gave up and just took in the Full Moon’s
beauty with my eyes.

Sometimes we take pictures with our heart. Technology may
fail us, or be absent in the moment we most need it. The heart is always there
to anchor the frequency of beauty and unique moments. Images that are stored in
the heart can’t be erased, they don’t fade, they cannot be copied. A lesson in
being more present to the moment, rather than giving in to the illusion that we
can just file away certain aspects of life, to be visited at another, more convenient
time?

By the way, the Moon’s face seemed to be half-smiling, half
pensive tonight. Is what we observe in the outer world really just a reflection
of our inner state? More food for thought…

Have you earned your Angel Wings yet? Does that thought frighten you a bit, since you might have been told that only upon our death do we earn our Angel Wings? What if you did not need to do *anything* to earn or deserve your wings, because you already *are* an Angel? Whoa, even scarier, isn't it?

We have all received so much programming from well-meaning people that wanted to orient us toward being good, kind, deserving humans; bless their heart for their intentions! AND, is is not also time to discard some of that programming that pushes the impossible goal always just out of our reach? What if we feel we are never good enough, loving enough, deserving of God's love enough to just BE? I suggest that this is the time to simply drop the conditioning and claim our highest good right now. If not now, when? If you are not measuring up to some extraneous and/or internalized standard, when will you ever be? Do we really need to transition beyond the veil before we can embrace our inherent oodness, our angelic essence? I say "do it now"! Angel wings feel wonderful, de-lightful, soft and loving, and they literally help us unfold.

Can you accept your angel wings now? Not out of false arrogance, just with a heart full of gratitude for the magnificent spiritual being you already are? If so, I congratulate you. If not, I send you my love and compassion so that some day soon you will accept your truth and trust your heavenly wings!

Read Uki's interview
by Sydney Murray of Vision Magazine!

"The Alchemy of Living"

Find out what brought me to my work, who or what is my greatest inspiration,
and what we can do to to assist each other in these challenging times.

Vision Magazine - Catalyst for Conscious Living :: In print or on-line

Are you one of the well-meaning folks who create big lists of New Year’s resolutions, only to find that so often the big balloons of good intentions quickly deflate? Deeply ingrained habits are not so easy to modify. How about making a few small, seemingly trivial changes, just to offer some fresh perspectives to your mind. Observe what happens, with great compassion for the self that has such strong likes and dislikes.

Here are some suggestions:
- brush your teeth in a non-routine way
- Tie your shoes with a new knot, or simply reverse how you tie the laces
- Switch to your non-dominant hand for eating with a spoon or fork
- Eat a food you have never had before

There are obviously advantages to the many routines we have created. Doing things on auto-pilot frees our brain to focus on other things, such as problem-solving. There is also comfort to be found in habits. Just remember: when you literally take the road less travelled, even in small ways, you may find that momentum builds for more significant changes. With sharpened awareness, we can find delight in the many gifts along the path, and even rekindle the joy of living.

1. Create some quiet time for yourself, away from crowds and partying. Start a fire for your burning bowl in an indoor fireplace or an outdoor barbecue/firepit. Get comfortable with your favorite warm beverage. Have some paper and a pen ready. Still your mind and ask for divine assistance in this process.
2. Now, make a list of any of your own actions in this past year on which you hold feel bad about. In other words, list all the things that evoke a sense of shame or guilt.
3. Offer that list to the fire and watch it burn. Release the judgments!
4. Now make a list of all the qualities within that you really like about yourself. Resolve to pin this list over your mirror where you can see it every day. Grow the good!
5. Release more negativity: list all the people or institutions you feel have wronged you. Add the why’s and how’s, if you like, but keep it short.
6. Offer that list to the fire and watch it burn. Release the judgments!
7. Ask the Angels to help you open up to compassion and forgiveness. You don’t need to like what happened, but it does not serve you to hold on. This may take some time.
8. Observe your feelings and tune in to your body. Do you feel a little lighter? Honor even subtle changes.
9. Wrap your arms around yourself with a warm hug of gratitude and appreciation. You have progressed on your path of letting go and thus made room for the new.

Welcome to a glorious 2012!

Spiritual remedies for the Holiday blues.

Feeling a little out of sync these days? Are you succumbing to the pressure of the season that is supposed to be merry and peaceful? Shopping at a mall or trying to meet all the external and internal demands of this time of year quickly tends to wrap us up in some sort of collective hypnosis. Festive Lights and omnipresent Musak, jingling bells and cash registers, Holiday parties, family gatherings and over-indulgence of foods and spirits – it all adds up to a merry-go-round that can leave us exhausted by the time the new year arrives.
Here are some proven preventions and remedies that help you stay grounded and in balance during intense times.
- Check in with your body. What does your physical self require? More rest, less sugar, more time in nature, fewer activities, more exercise and yoga? Listen, and add some loving care of your body-mind.
- Check in with your emotions. Feeling a little anxious or even depressed? Have changes in your family structure, like the loss of a loved one, impacted you? Are the uncertain economic and political perspectives affecting your personally? FEEL the feelings, allow for down time, bless the challenging family members, use humor to lighten the load!
- Check in with your spirit. Bless the people that push your buttons, forgive where you can, help others, so you transcend the ego mind and feel the reward of unconditional love. Meditate just fifteen minutes per day and allow the mind to calm down. Celebrate the return of the light in meaningful ways. Connect with the true essence of the Masters and know: YOU ARE THE LIGHT!
Happy time of rebirth to you all, and happy Holidays!

We all wear masks and 'garments' that are to hide and protect our true identity. We do this out of social convention, expectations placed on us at an early age, e.g. family environment, and internalized role playing. THere's nothing wrong with putting on protective masks and wearing different hats according to what we think is expected from us. We may try on the garment of successful business woman, and like that role a lot. Coming home, it might be pleasurable to slip into the role of loving wife and mother. The trouble is, we over-identify with those roles. When the rules of the game change, for example through a layoff at work or a divorce, we are at a loss, because we have lost our true identiy, our inner self. This Self is the silent observer who agrees to play the game of the moment, but does not give up its identity. It is not defined by our outer world. Your very core is your spiritual Self, the one that has always been and always will be.

How can we drop, even just for a while, the outer selves and delve into the true Self? This short meditation might help you experiment in a playful way with letting go of the superficial identifications.

Imagine wearing a garment of heavy wool. Maybe this garment looks and feels like a coat or cloak. It is warm and comforting. At times, it is wonderful to feel the protective shield of your cloak. But at other times, the cloak becomes heavy and cumbersome. It restricts your movements and self-expression. See yourself now dropping the woolen garment at will. It feels wonderful to drop the heavy weight for the time being. You know you can always pick up that cloak whenever you wish to. For now, see yourself dressed only in a light-weight beautiful wrap of transparent fiber. This garment moves with you, flows around you, soft yet shielding. This is your soul wrap, The color of this exquisite fabric changes according to your mood. Better yet, you can change its color to affect your mood! Feeling a little down today? Notice the color of your soul wrap. Is it a tone too dark and somber? By the power of your intention, change your soul wrap to a lighter, more harmonious tone. Immediately, your feelings shift towards a higher vibration, a happier note. You move more freely, your steps have more bounce. How fun it is to play with your soul wrap! At other times, we wish to drop any and all coverings and be just in our natural costume, the way we were born. Even our skin is a protective clothing, as is your entire physical body. All serves to house the Soul, your essence. Experiment with the feelings of being naked, open to all that is. There are moments when we need no hiding, no protection. We feel safe stripping down to the bare bones. Those moments are gifts, because they reveal more of our true being. We relish these times, and we also know when it's time to dress up again. All has its purpose. The liberating aspect of this exercise is to have a choice: to wear what you wish to wear, to drop what feels inhibiting at the moment and feel safe doing so. Have fun with this exercise and know that you are never defined by what you wear, visible to ordinay eyes or not. Blessings!

Sometimes I get tired about this topic of "letting go". Buddhist tradition tells us of our pain being caused by our attachments. We will know peace, we are promised, when we can let go of our need to hold on to people, places or things. Countless new-age or even mainstream writers inform us that letting go is a path to freedom. I do believe that is true. I have either consciously chosen to release what I held so dearly, or the Universe has given me a nudge (sometimes hitting my ego mind with a cosmic 2x4), that my grip on the known had to loosen, or else...

Today I had finally readied myself to give some of my cherished items from the past back to the Universe. I believe in recycling, i.e. offering up to others what no longer serves me. My former treasures may become someone else's delight. Over 20 years ago, I had moved to San Diego from Germany. At the time, I chose to bring only a few boxes of cherished items with me to the New World. One of them was a heavy old mending iron, the type that our ancestors filled with hot coals for ironing their clothes, in absense of electricity. During our most recent move, the iron had been stored in a cardboard box that was subsequently damaged by the winter rains flooding our garage. When I unpacked it, the iron was blossoming with rust from the dampness. With a heavy heart, I decided to give it away. At the Salvation Army pickup station I handed the iron and a few other damaged memorabilia to the attendant who was going to receive my stuff and place it into those huge containers. The attendant noticed my attachment and looked at me, with a compassionate smile. "Are you sure you want to get rid of this", he asked with a gentle voice. "I got to let go, it's just stuff, and it clutters up my space! But... but.. this item has such an amazing story", and I proceeded to tell the attendant the story that came with my mending iron, and why I had brought such a heavy item with me long ago. He smiled again and gently suggested "I think you should keep this iron. It has a great energy, and it holds special memories".

To make a long story short: I kept the mending iron. Not only that, but I polished it and placed it over the fireplace, where I enjoy its presence once again. Do we need to let go? Absolutely. And we also have the power to make a few deliberate choices which honor our memories and our past.