You Do Not NEED to Suffer in Order to Grow…

Posted on December 15, 2016 by admin

Dear One,

You do not NEED to suffer in order to grow. In fact, it is through sweetness that you truly thrive.

Yes, Life will offer up its challenges–just like the wind strengthens the trunk of a tree so that it is able to rise toward the sky, life will bring the needed elements to strengthen you and align you with the power you possess to create new worlds.

And yet, you need not suffer. When you choose to make peace with what life brings, and turn your attention toward that which is most pleasurable for you moment by moment, you fertilize the soil for your inevitable expansion. When you focus on the needs underneath the fear and anxiety and commit to meeting those needs, you will find yourself flourishing in a state of peace.

It is not noble to choose the “hard” path. To be in the relationship that takes constant “work.” To put in the long hours at work when you truly desire to rest. To say yes for the sake of being “good” rather than saying no in honor of your freedom.

You will grow. This is what life does in its ever-reaching movement toward the light. Life is leading itself, so you can let go of the effort. Choose relationships that simply feel good, effortlessly. Choose to take actions that simply flow and that fulfill you. Make pleasure your first priority and like a tree with proper water and nutrients, you will flourish and rise.

So I ask: What would be most pleasurable for you in this moment? I invite you to go do that, Dear One, and open yourself fully for what unfolds.

<3 <3 <3

Letting My Longing Lead Me…

Posted on February 22, 2015 by admin

I find myself, right now, in a space between. There are new visions and dreams emerging and yet, there are emotional doors not yet fully closed, a recent chapter whose pages still call for review. There are longings to emerge, shining from the cave, visions of what lies beyond this current chrysalis, and yet, so much is not yet fully formed, much has yet to reveal itself.

I have gratitude for new awareness born to me over this past month…almost like a remembering of what matters to me, like cold water splashed in my face to WAKE ME UP from a dream. So now, I see what’s been missing in my life: Community. Spaces and activities that unleash my inner artist. A clear, tangible financial plan. There is a deep desire to embrace and be embraced as all of me, to be surrounded by artists who are doing their thing, to have groundedness, a clear sense of purpose, to walk in this city likes it’s a playground for my inner magical child.

What I find uncomfortable about this new awareness is being with “the gap” between my current experience and what I long to create: Loving what is while holding space for what is possible; trusting that the vision will inspire new actions to take at the perfect, right time; having patience with the current state of loneliness. There are moments when it hits me now, square between the eyes how lonely and bored I’ve become. Uggghhh. I literally groaned like that when I arose from bed this morning. And it’s ok. And it’s not. Breathing into this duality, right now, and the fact that it has me squirming to break free.

What I’m tuning into now are the paths that appear effortlessly, and trusting that my longing in itself is a prayer, an invisible thread pulling me toward that which I desire. It’s not that I don’t take action, I just take the action that inspires me, when it inspires me. Right now, there is a lot of breathing and listening: Now? (Nope.) Now? (Not yet, Honey.) How about now? (Breathe, Sweetheart, you’ll know what to do when it’s time.)

There is rich community coming into my life. There is a one-woman-show winking at me and sticking out her tongue from a distant horizon. There is a full in-person Soul Purpose Astrology practice here in NYC flowing in. There is aliveness, peace, connection, nourishment–seeds planted, growing steadily from within.

I find that when I’m being awake and open to the full range of my experience, I taste the bitter and the sweet simultaneously. This moment is no exception.

Dancing with grief and grace

Posted on January 27, 2015 by admin

I find myself in a dance right now between grief and grace.

My heart hurts upon waking and it seems to take the jaws of life at times to pull my attention away from the painful stories in my mind and shift toward my breath and the innocence of the present moment.

I get myself up and moving and at times throughout the day I am again overcome, filled with so many emotions, one after the other, and it feels like I will be tortured by this painful experience for eternity.

And then there is grace: little reminders here and there to bring me back to center, to remind me that I am loved, to remind me of the limitless capacity of my love.

There is grace as it shows up in my work–last night a phone session with a dear soul needing guidance and clarity as she processes the end of a significant relationship, and after an hour of deeply listening to her and calling forth what’s needed, it was as if *I* just had someone spend an hour holding space for me as I processed my own grief, and fears, and questions of “what now?” She walked away clear, connected and grounded in herself and so did I. Through you, my wisdom is called forth in ways that grace us both. There are no words for my immense gratitude for that gift.

I’m not a victim of another or of my circumstances, I am a powerful agent of grace, and as I step into that awareness, I am met by grace around every corner.

And so it is.

Melissa

Love is a continual practice of letting go…and letting go…and letting go

Posted on January 7, 2015 by admin

As I receive unconditional love and acceptance from my partner on a whole, new level for me, I am being confronted with inner demons that I didn’t fully know were there.

Because relationship is simply a mirror for our own relationship with ourselves, I find that as I experience love flowing in, that love is being matched by an equally powerful self-doubt and in all honesty, a self-loathing that is both painful and surprising. The mirror is being held up and I’m seeing all of the qualities that I didn’t even realize I find unlovable within myself, all of the ways that I reject myself. My ego is squirming this week and looking for cover…big-time. The mask is falling away and I’m coming face-to-face with my imperfection.

There’s a very young voice that comes forth inside of me wondering, “Have I gone too far this time? Have you seen too much? Is this the point when I make the love go away?” It is raw, vulnerable, down-right terrified.

I’ve found myself experiencing deep shame at various points this week, judging myself, feeling tremendously insecure, wondering when the stronger, empowered…get this…more lovable me…will return. You know, the me who “has it all together.” This week I’m being challenged to surrender a deeply ingrained belief about myself, about love–that I have to control your experience of me, that I have to act and operate in a certain way in order to be worthy of your love.

And as I’ve been the snotty, needy, victim-minded, emotional mess…ummm…not the me I wanted my partner to see, I’m having to face this fear head on: What will happen when I’m not playing the part? When I let the wounded little girl come out of the closet? What will happen when I’m not in control?

And well, I’m finding out even as I write.

I see now that the deeper the love, the deeper the surrender that’s required. Love is a continual practice of letting go, and letting go, and letting go.

And the most challenging and beautiful part of this whole process: It’s not my partner’s job to love me. It’s MY job. It’s MY job to heal this old wound and to hold myself gently. Right now, loving myself as I’m facing my “ugly” parts is in writing this post, it’s in creating spaciousness for myself, focusing on what matters to me, and it’s in allowing myself to be seen and believe in the love I’m receiving from my partner. Slowly, and steadily unfurling my petals despite how “unsafe” that feels. And breathing. And breathing.

Real love is no fairytale. It doesn’t just show up and good feelings abound happily ever after. It challenges us, stretches us, grows us…heals us. It’s so much more dimensional than a fairytale. It’s not perfect. It’s real life. It’s an opportunity to see who we REALLY are, and love what we find there…even when we don’t. 😉

All my love,

:)Melissa

There are no “right” rules to learn. There’s just love.

Posted on December 20, 2014 by admin

My heart breaks when I witness people jumping through hoops to “get” the love of another. I’m in some forums here on Facebook where I witness women trying so hard to learn the right strategy in relationships and it’s so clear to me that the only thing to “do” is to let all of those games go. And it hurts me because each of those people is holding up a mirror for the games I, myself, got tangled up in for years–my own unconscious version of self-torture. With each day that passes, I’m letting go of all of the strategy and getting that when it comes to relationship, there are no rules. There’s just love.

For years, I thought “If I can just stop doing this, or learn that, or love myself enough, or be feminine enough, or be more patient, blah blah blah” THEN I’ll get to experience someone REALLY loving me.

As it turns out, there’s nothing to get right. You don’t have to perform a circus act. You don’t have to worry about whether or not you’re “leaning back” or “leaning forward.” There’s no “too masculine” or “too feminine,” no “too much or too little.”

When it’s love, you just work it out…together.

As it turns out, through the eyes of Love, each one of us truly is enough with every edge and angle of imperfection.

The little girl me who was so convinced that she had to get it right and would inevitably mess up and make the love go away is healing, bit by bit, with every opportunity to feel and share and release. This week, I’ve had freak outs and made up stories, I’ve had moments of elation followed by deep fears taking over, and I’ve thrown some not-so-grown-up tantrums in reaction to all of the made-up stories. Not my proudest moments, dear hearts…AND I learn more and more each day that Love doesn’t leave when it knows the truth.

We, my loves, are here for connection. And the only way to connect is to get really messy, to get really vulnerable, to risk making “all of the mistakes.” And I will tell you that there is nothing more healing than letting it all hang out and discovering through the mirror of another just how lovable that you really are.

I am so damn lovable, it’s amazing.

When love is present, it trumps any rules, any moves that you do or do not make. After years of trying to figure out who and how to be to experience real love in my life, I’m now seeing that it was really more about my soul path and surrendering to divine timing. Because most of what I “learned” I’m now throwing out the window–it turns out all of those rules of how to be just get in the way of receiving what is real.

So, I dare you to throw away the strategy and stop trying to learn the “right way” to “get the relationship of your dreams.” It’s just bullshit, dear hearts.

So, will you join me in ending the games? In stopping the strategy sessions? In forgiving yourself for all that you are and are not?

Be you. Trust in God. All is unfolding exactly as it is supposed to.