I am reading Lissa Rankin's book, The Anatomy of a Calling—great book, by the way. In it, she talks about being of "pure" service. Let's face it, being of service is part of the game that all our souls have signed up for, but balance is the key. Often times we give...
and give...and give some more until we literally can't lift a single finger. Giving too much, to the point of depletion, does not serve anyone. Instead of being self-empowered, the continuous giver follows the path of the victim. Who needs that? However, in the arena of pure service, we learn to set healthy boundaries and give with love and gratitude.
and give...and give some more until we literally can't lift a single finger. Giving too much, to the point of depletion, does not serve anyone. Instead of being self-empowered, the continuous giver follows the path of the victim. Who needs that? However, in the arena of pure service, we learn to set healthy boundaries and give with love and gratitude.
If I am to be honest then I have to admit that I have felt this victim mode during much of my road trip of Awakening and it's tiring. Forget tiring. It's exhausting. So, needless to say, her words resonated with me. I decided it was time to meditate to my version of pure service. How can I be of pure service without it depleting me? How can I be in gratitude and fulfill my calling all at the same time?
I put my book down and closed my eyes. I began my meditation by focusing on my breathing. I can easily feel the energy of relaxation flow through my body when I am present with my breath. An energetic tingle runs its course through every aspect of my being and it feels good. I feel connected. I am happy. When I reached the place of connectedness, I asked the Universe my question. How can I be of pure service in this lifetime?
I knew what the answer would be even before it came. It’s always the same answer. Always. Writing is the answer. Then the confirmation came in. Yep, I am a writer. The Universe says so. I say so. It’s only the literary agents who seem not to agree. I was recently told by one of them that I had a great first chapter, but since I don’t have a national platform it would never happen for me. What about J.K Rowling? She certainly did not have a national platform of any kind at the beginning of her career either, and yet look at her now. I think it's safe to say that the creative genius behind the Harry Potter series is laughing all the way to the bank.
That being said, if writing is the answer then when is the manifestation part of it coming in? Since I was ten years old, I have felt the drive to be a writer, but forty years later, I still haven’t been paid for it. I can't just continue writing and not reap the rewards of having funds in my bank account. I can’t continue down this road of overwhelming debt that I have created. I have been on the conscious writing path without pay for the last decade now. If I stick with it, was I bound to be forevermore chasing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow or was abundance actually going to show up for me?
When I asked this latest question I saw in my mind's eye an angel float down from the sky. Ethereal music accompanied her. What is it about angels and that kind of hard to explain and certainly not of this world music? It makes me want to thrust my hands into prayer position as though they are on auto-pilot every time I hear it.
It wasn't just the music either. Serenity was the name of the game. Quite regularly angels and guides show up in my mind wearing regular old street clothes, but from time to time, when the Universe wants to make sure I am really paying attention, they appear to me in the way I have been conditioned to see them, as was the case in this instance. Instead of jeans, this angel wore a flowing white gown that appeared to be gently waving in the air due to the non-existent wind. Perhaps there was a fan pointed directly on her to give off that whole angelic affect. They do it in the movies, so why not in my mind? Besides, it worked. She had my full attention.
The only thing that was amiss was that her customary wings were nowhere to be seen, but somehow I knew she was an angel anyway. Was she like Clarence? Did she need my help to get her wings? Was a bell going to ring once she got them?
She made it to "the ground level” and walked towards me. As she reached the threshold of my view, I clearly saw her face. It was a familiar sight. One that we all know. It was the face of Ellen DeGeneres! This actress, comedienne, animal advocate, anti-bullying campaigner, designer and queen of nice talk-show host, showed up as my angel. It wasn’t just her face I recognized either. Peeking out from underneath her gown were her trademark tennis shoes. Even in Heaven she makes sure to be her own person.
I figured since she was showing up as my angel we should be on a first name basis. So, Ellen lifted her arms in the air above her head and swept them down to her sides, forming a circle with the arms' path. She looked off to the side in an over the top serene expression, which was more comedic than serious. I suppose I was being told that I need to get back to not taking things so seriously. The truth is that laughing at life is far more fun. My problem is that I hadn't laughed much in months and I normally laugh a lot. This was a reminder to step back into my natural state. Laughter is the best medicine after all.
In fact, it's laughter that helps to create a shifting of our whole Universe. It's not just a feel good event. It moves us from staleness and into the Light. When the Light shines, it manifests all the goodness we deserve.
Upon this realization, the music switched gears from the ethereal sounds to the song Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) by C+C Music Factory. The familiar beat blasted inside me. One can't help but dance when that song is playing and my body began to follow suit. Even as I meditated I could feel my head gently bobbing back and forth. Of course, Ellen got her crazy dance groove on. I may have still been in bed, but in my mind I joined her in this silly escapade. Each of us moved to the beat, flapping our arms while pliéing. We may have looked like a ballerina's worst nightmare, but the point was to laugh. I can leave the graceful moves for Misty Copeland, thank you very much.
It was fun. And I realized that while I lived in Sedona I had silly dances in my house—All. The. Time. I mean it. While taking a shower. While brushing my teeth. While making dinner. Anytime at all I might bust a move. But since leaving the city filled with its famous red rocks, I don't think I have moved with the groove even once. Nyet. Nada. Zilch. That’s four months of silly dancing withdrawal. Well, that simply would not do. Accordingly, I plastered a funny look on my face. I slammed my eyes shut and showed off all the teeth in my fake smile and started to dance—and I hadn’t even gotten out of bed yet! I didn’t need to be vertical to dance when this horizontal position within the confines and comforts of this warm space was doing quite nicely.
That’s when I laughed. I guess that was the point...as for the rest only time will tell.
Thank you for reading and Namaste! (The Light in me recognizes the Light in you!)
I knew what the answer would be even before it came. It’s always the same answer. Always. Writing is the answer. Then the confirmation came in. Yep, I am a writer. The Universe says so. I say so. It’s only the literary agents who seem not to agree. I was recently told by one of them that I had a great first chapter, but since I don’t have a national platform it would never happen for me. What about J.K Rowling? She certainly did not have a national platform of any kind at the beginning of her career either, and yet look at her now. I think it's safe to say that the creative genius behind the Harry Potter series is laughing all the way to the bank.
That being said, if writing is the answer then when is the manifestation part of it coming in? Since I was ten years old, I have felt the drive to be a writer, but forty years later, I still haven’t been paid for it. I can't just continue writing and not reap the rewards of having funds in my bank account. I can’t continue down this road of overwhelming debt that I have created. I have been on the conscious writing path without pay for the last decade now. If I stick with it, was I bound to be forevermore chasing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow or was abundance actually going to show up for me?
When I asked this latest question I saw in my mind's eye an angel float down from the sky. Ethereal music accompanied her. What is it about angels and that kind of hard to explain and certainly not of this world music? It makes me want to thrust my hands into prayer position as though they are on auto-pilot every time I hear it.
It wasn't just the music either. Serenity was the name of the game. Quite regularly angels and guides show up in my mind wearing regular old street clothes, but from time to time, when the Universe wants to make sure I am really paying attention, they appear to me in the way I have been conditioned to see them, as was the case in this instance. Instead of jeans, this angel wore a flowing white gown that appeared to be gently waving in the air due to the non-existent wind. Perhaps there was a fan pointed directly on her to give off that whole angelic affect. They do it in the movies, so why not in my mind? Besides, it worked. She had my full attention.
The only thing that was amiss was that her customary wings were nowhere to be seen, but somehow I knew she was an angel anyway. Was she like Clarence? Did she need my help to get her wings? Was a bell going to ring once she got them?
She made it to "the ground level” and walked towards me. As she reached the threshold of my view, I clearly saw her face. It was a familiar sight. One that we all know. It was the face of Ellen DeGeneres! This actress, comedienne, animal advocate, anti-bullying campaigner, designer and queen of nice talk-show host, showed up as my angel. It wasn’t just her face I recognized either. Peeking out from underneath her gown were her trademark tennis shoes. Even in Heaven she makes sure to be her own person.
I figured since she was showing up as my angel we should be on a first name basis. So, Ellen lifted her arms in the air above her head and swept them down to her sides, forming a circle with the arms' path. She looked off to the side in an over the top serene expression, which was more comedic than serious. I suppose I was being told that I need to get back to not taking things so seriously. The truth is that laughing at life is far more fun. My problem is that I hadn't laughed much in months and I normally laugh a lot. This was a reminder to step back into my natural state. Laughter is the best medicine after all.
In fact, it's laughter that helps to create a shifting of our whole Universe. It's not just a feel good event. It moves us from staleness and into the Light. When the Light shines, it manifests all the goodness we deserve.
Upon this realization, the music switched gears from the ethereal sounds to the song Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) by C+C Music Factory. The familiar beat blasted inside me. One can't help but dance when that song is playing and my body began to follow suit. Even as I meditated I could feel my head gently bobbing back and forth. Of course, Ellen got her crazy dance groove on. I may have still been in bed, but in my mind I joined her in this silly escapade. Each of us moved to the beat, flapping our arms while pliéing. We may have looked like a ballerina's worst nightmare, but the point was to laugh. I can leave the graceful moves for Misty Copeland, thank you very much.
It was fun. And I realized that while I lived in Sedona I had silly dances in my house—All. The. Time. I mean it. While taking a shower. While brushing my teeth. While making dinner. Anytime at all I might bust a move. But since leaving the city filled with its famous red rocks, I don't think I have moved with the groove even once. Nyet. Nada. Zilch. That’s four months of silly dancing withdrawal. Well, that simply would not do. Accordingly, I plastered a funny look on my face. I slammed my eyes shut and showed off all the teeth in my fake smile and started to dance—and I hadn’t even gotten out of bed yet! I didn’t need to be vertical to dance when this horizontal position within the confines and comforts of this warm space was doing quite nicely.
That’s when I laughed. I guess that was the point...as for the rest only time will tell.
Thank you for reading and Namaste! (The Light in me recognizes the Light in you!)
***This blog entry comes from my e-Newsletter. If you would like to receive an inspirational story in your inbox every month, please sign up at www.LisaTunney.com.
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