NewRadianceBlog

Thanksgiving Prayer for Spiritual Entrepreneurs

Let us give thanks for good news about the economy.
Let us give thanks that as we raise our awareness,
The state of the economy becomes immaterial.

Let us give thanks for increased cash flow in this fiscal quarter.
Let us give thanks that as we raise our awareness,
All aspects of our life flow perfectly in all seasons.

Let us give thanks for loyal customers of goodwill and integrity.
Let us give thanks that as we raise our awareness,
We understand that we attract what we are.

Let us give thanks for the holiday spirit that lifts us above our cares.
And let us give thanks that as we raise our awareness,
We can feel lifted up in spirit any time we choose.

What's Coming Next?

As night settles on our "old" life, we might begin to wonder... "What's next?"

As we listen more and more to our inner promptings and less to logic and prior experience, we seem to enter a space of directionless vacuum. Can't go back because it no longer fits. Afraid to move forward because we can't see what's coming up.

So...

I guess this is what the faith of the mustard seed is all about.

The mustard plant doesn't fret about blooming, growing and going to seed. It just goes about its daily business of being a mustard plant. And its purpose is fulfilled effortlessly.

So, it would seem that our new examples for living are coming directly from nature. Do what comes naturally to you on a day by day basis and allow (as Abraham-Hicks would say) life to unfold easily.

The trick, of course, is to still ourselves enough to hear those soul promptings... and then take a little action in the direction they suggest. If we don't, and our soul is on the job... we get those 2 x 4s again, whacking us back into line. Sheesh!

So a few delays put us a bit behind "schedule." But what's a year or so when eternity is our playing field?

On the other hand, many of us are now feeling pressed to move forward to - what, exactly?

What is our energetic matchup right now? Are we living our truth enough to make the leap into what's being called "The New Reality" or "The New Earth?"

Can our faith love our fears away? We'll see.

Recalling The American Dream

The American dream is not a material one. Never was. The American dream was always about freedom.

In 2009, as we pinch ourselves out of the false dream, we might want to ask - Do the American people (do I?) prefer to be poor but free... or rich and enslaved? Long-term debt does not equate to freedom. Just ask anyone struggling to pay off credit cards.

Maybe we need to let the chips fall where they may and become more creative and supportive from the bottom up... rather than filling up the straw men of business and finance with borrowed dollars.

We are at a crossroads now, facing decisions that will affect generations.

Do we cleanse, clear and rebuild on a foundation of honor and freedom - or do we shackle future generations with uncaring institutions and burdens of staggering debt?

Both choices involve hardship - but would you rather make your own decisions on how to make ends meet - or trust the institutions to fix things for you?

What would you write in a personal declaration of independence, if that's the road you choose?

Twists and Turns for Lightworkers

Received January 24, 2009...

Q.  What is the future of "light work" and "lightworkers?"

A.  Lightworkers will find their one niche that they are really good at and well-trained in. It may have nothing to do with healing or spiritual teaching as such but, because they love to do it, it raises vibration all around. Work well done and with joy raises vibration.

Why I'm posting this today...

I don't know why I'm so surprised by the interesting twists and turns life takes when I really pay attention to my inner voice, but there are times when the pieces of the puzzle slide so easily into place and the unexpected situations from the past suddenly make all the sense in the world - that it's worth mentioning. Especially since so many of us are twisting and turning without a clear direction to go in.

For the past few years, I've been a marketing coach for lightworkers. This past year, I've been moving in more creative directions, particularly around inspirational writing. A couple of months ago, I felt strongly urged to acquire a decent digital camera (better than the basic version, that is). Lately I've been taking pictures of trees and flowers. And using my words and images to create mugs, t-shirts and note cards on Zazzle.com. It's been a blast... the kind of experience when time disappears and you and your creation are having the time of your life.

When I sat in the quiet this morning to learn more about this, I recognized that the desktop publishing I started doing for clients in the mid 1990s was my early "Zazzle training." The spiritual studies I began almost twenty years ago helped me to understand that everything is energy and vibrates according to its nature and environment. In 1994, I "suddenly" became a publisher of a metaphysical and holistic directory and taught myself to make ads and lay out book pages (and covers!).

And more recently I'm understanding in a deeper way that everything in the natural world (also everything that originated in the natural world) is sentient. (Thanks to Carna Zacharias-Miller for really driving that point home for me. And spirit for confirming so much of this.)

Capturing this consciousness on "film" and in words seems to be my new direction. I've been a writer for years and I've created images (ads, brochures, books, websites) for years. The pieces of the puzzle are coalescing into a new whole... at a new level.

Do I know where all this is heading? No, though I'm getting glimpses.

Am I excited about the possibilities? How do I count the ways?

I don't know yet how this will help me create something that would be like a dream come true for lightworkers at loose ends (see previous post) but this much inspiration has got to lead somewhere good.

Are your twists and turns straightening out yet?

Two Tough Questions

The marketing venues may have changed in this millennium, but traditional marketing "rules" still apply - if you want to sell products and services to make a good living.

Whether you're selling apples on a street corner or esoteric education to spiritual seekers, these are the questions that want answers whenever you launch a new product or program.

1. Who cares?

Identify your audience. Know what your audience wants and needs.

Selling apples outside a retirement center to folks with dentures won't get you very far - unless you slice, stew or bake those apples first. Do that... and the seniors are more likely to care about your business offerings.

When you roll out something new, ask yourself that tough question, "Who cares?"

2. What could I create that would be like a dream come true for the audience I just identified?

If the apple slicer/stewer/baker made home deliveries of a reasonably-priced quality product - and stayed to chat a few minutes with house-bound elderly folks... now that might constitute a dream come true.

These two questions - and their answers - can help you weed out what's not essential to your business and point you toward a much firmer business foundation.

Of course, as times change, your business will need to keep adapting, too. But these two questions will keep you from spending too much time and energy on your own ego's needs and instead highlight those products and services that people want, need and will pay for.

How do your current business offerings stack up in the light of these questions?

Who cares about the products and services you provide?

Are you creating "dreams come true" services for your target audience?

I welcome your comments and questions.

"Soldier On"

When times get tough, what do tough-minded people do?

They soldier on.

"Soldiering on" doesn't mean continuing to do what isn't working anymore. Especially when it no longer feels right to do.

No, in tough times we often have to leave the safety of the fort and venture into the unknown without a map, compass or direction.

For lightworkers at loose ends "soldiering on" means maintaining our faith in a divine plan - for ourselves individually and for the world around us - no matter how "bad" things may look on the surface. It means acknowledging oneself as the leader of our troop-of-one and trusting that our inner guide knows the way to our next destination.

Hunkering down is not an option for lightworkers.

Advancing into the higher realms, while at the same time accepting the physical, mental and emotional discomforts that seem to accompany these explorations, is what our soldiering on is all about.

As our physical bodies struggle to hold and incorporate the higher energies, we've got to sometimes wonder if this is how it's really meant to be.

Basic training hurts.

And as we condition ourselves to receive energies at continually higher levels, there will be some stress and strain as we move up the ranks. So we soldier on.

Along the way, we receive visions of our new life, our new work. If we begin to act upon these visions, more is revealed. It may not look like anything we've done in the past but, amazingly enough - we have all the talents and skills needed for the job.

But to get there, we need to do the work in front of us to the very best of our abilities; to find ways to stay out of the doom and gloom whirlpool of mass consciousness; and to acknowledge and accept the discomforts that accompany any trail-blazing expedition.

And, oh yes, to remember to raise our vibration at the same time.

Easier to say than to do.

Which is why sometimes we just have to "soldier on" trusting that the divine plan is in place - and that we're in it somewhere.

Inspirational Quotes from Abraham-Hicks

How many times have we needed to hear this one... from Abraham-Hicks daily Law of Attraction quotations:

"You cannot get it done, ever, and you cannot get it wrong. So you might as well relax and start having fun with this."

If you're not a subscriber to these inspirational quotes already, here's the link.

It's uncanny how often they've turned out to be exactly the reminder I needed for the day I received them.

Ducks in a Row

One way to tighten up loose ends is to make sure your business is structured as a business... getting your ducks in a row, as it were.

If you're still getting your home business off the ground, you may not want to take on the extra    expense of incorporating your company - but you can create a good business foundation with a "DBA," an IRS self-employment tax account and an easy-to-follow method for documenting your income and expenses.

"DBA" stands for "doing business as" and gives you the option of using a business name to collect fees rather than your personal name. It's also called a "fictitious name" in some states because it "stands in" for your real name when it refers to your business. Your checks would say, "So-and-So doing business as "Such-and-Such."

In Florida, for example, you can request a fictitious name online or by mail. The web page to complete or download the forms is http://form.sunbiz.org/fic_form.html.

To discover if the name you want to use is available in Florida, you can search here first: http://www.sunbiz.org/ficinam.html. The DBA fee is just $50 for a five-year period.

Sole proprietors who want to let the Universe know they're building a growing business should be submitting self-employment taxes on their earnings. You can download info and forms at http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/selfemployed/index.html.

To create an easy-to-follow method for keeping track of your income and expenses - so you don't pay more taxes than you have to - I suggest you call my friend Patricia Fogelsonger. She's a lightworker who is also an expert in sole proprietor bookkeeping systems.

Patricia is in the process of writing a step-by-step e-book to demystify business bookkeeping for lightworkers and other creative independent professionals who typically shy away from left-brain numbers-crunching.

Let's face it... it's expensive to hire a CPA to do your books - especially if you're also having them handle the simple bookkeeping tasks you could be doing yourself. With inexpensive software such as Quickbooks, you really can do most of your basic bookkeeping yourself... with some how-to help and maybe a quick consultation a couple of times a year. The savings could be significant.

My friend Patricia understands intuitives and artists. She's a talended spirit channel and mandala artist... with an extensive background in bookkeeping and sole proprietor systems set-up. She can also help you with your DBA application and self-employment tax payments. Patricia's business phone is: 727-643-7853.

These are just a few practical loose ends we can be taking care of - even if we don't see the full picture of our next level of work.

Steps like this are messages to the Universe that we are not giving up... that we are creating our storefronts on the dimensional borders and paving the way for new things to come.

Even if we don't like numbers-crunching.

Simplicity, Truth and the Changing Times

In one of my 3:00 AM spirit meetings, I asked this question: What do those who call themselves "lightworkers" need to do most urgently right now?

The answer came...

Be ready for a move. The energies are shifting rapidly. You don't need to have the details figured out yet; that will be revealed in time. But clear out old "stuff" on the physical and emotional levels.

Leave your 3-D complexities behind. You need the energy to learn new ones... at a new level.

Be mindful. If you awake in the night feeling the urge to get up and write - do so. If you see a person who could use a smile and some personal warmth, provide it. Our development doesn't depend upon rituals, expensive courses or big-name teachers. Evolving our selves happens through the little things... acts of kindness, noticing a tree's dignity, not taking anything or anyone for granted.

"Thou shalt be kind."

Life isn't about learning to manifest things. That's just controlling energy and not the point at all.

What can we do? Always take the high road, keep our vibration high, not lower other people's vibration through our words or actions. Simple stuff, really. Old-fashioned stuff, you might say.

And above all, finding that inner place where our "truth antennae" are the most acute, where we feel what's right more than we think it. We'll need this ability more than ever over the coming few years... as the world as we know it falls apart and the "rescue" plans start to be shouted loudly.

Whether the voices are coming from the physical or non-physical realms, we'll need to be discerning and attuned to truth.

Truth speaks softly.

Truth does not contain fear.

Truth does not control... it just is.

The simple truth will serve us well.

Lightworkers At Loose Ends

As we release the old energies in these times of rapid change, there often seems to be a time lag between what used to work for us in the past and -- what?

Whatever hasn't arrived and announced itself yet.

It can be frustrating... and even frightening... when it affects our income sources.

I've seen many spiritual entrepreneurs (including myself) come to a dead stop in their work and not know (yet) which way to turn.

We know we're on the edge of something new, but it isn't within our reach yet. We also know that what we did before doesn't hold the same attraction for us. Sometimes we try interim adjustments...  I was a soul niche marketing coach, then a teleclass teacher, a "Tutorial Lady" and now I feel like I'm getting closer to my real calling of inspirational writing. And that may change, too.

That's the trouble with "staying in the now" – a bunch of loose ends that don't tidy themselves up neatly.

Here are the strongest messages I’ve been getting lately, that have helped me keep relatively calm in the face of all these changes.

1. Simplify - everything.
2. Do the work in front of me (in my case it was a part-time job for a family business that suddenly became closer to full-time, with more pay).
3. Attune to the "higher" energies.
4. Write – inspirational, practical – doesn't matter.

I recently read Seth Godin's new book Tribes and resonated with his concept of like-minded people coming together to help one another advance conceptually (and vibrationally). His idea certainly makes sense as we progress toward the "new earth" energy.

When I meditated on who my tribe might be, the answer came: "Lighworkers at loose ends."

Lightworkers have much to share as we unlearn our old business ways and open up to what's truly possible NOW.

We'll be on the fringes of 3-D for some time to come. At the same time, we'll be exploring more widely in the higher realms.

Karen Bishop (www.emergingearthangels.com) says that our income-producing "storefronts" will be on the dimensional borders, because we need the practicalities of the mainstream to pitch our wares and collect our fees. At the same time, our new work will come through creating in the higher energies.

Sounds like a divine plan – except for that "loose ends" part.

Stay tuned.