Greetings and Happy Holidays!

This year, December 22nd is our Winter Solstice here in the states. The word "solstice" is derived from the Latin sol (sun) and sistere (stand still). So, winter solstice is when the "sun stands still in winter." This is one of my favorite times of the year.

For many years now I have spent the Winter Solstice night sitting quietly alone in the dark…while my family is tucked away asleep. I light a candle, take out my journal and begin to write. It is a very private time for me. I love the dark quiet time…the shortest day of the year…the longest night of the year…for me it is a time filled with peace and deep internal connection.

The next morning I am ready for the celebrations of Christmas. Since we are not Christians, our celebrations focuse on appreciation of family and friends, sharing gifts and enjoying a lovely meal together. We usually get out and take a nice long walk enjoying the magic that is in the air. Now that my sons are older, we take in a movie on Christmas Day. In the evening we spend time with friends.

We are all so different on this planet…we all have such wonderfully diverse ways of celebration. I would love to hear how you celebrate your holiday season!

I wish you a lovely holiday season filled with wonder and gratitude~

PEACE TO YOU ALL

Happy Holidays~

Hello fabulous readers!

I know it’s been awhile since I have written.  This last month has been filled with lots of energetic clearing and changes.  I am never sure how much I want to share about what’s going on with me personally in such a public forum.  I am sort of a private kinda gal!

But, I have decided to share some of it!

First of all, I am busy with a new design for my website…my fabulous friend Randie is helping me.  She did my first website with the "leaping lady."  Now, we are bring the leaping lady down to earth.  She stands strong and solidly on the ground.  Wait till you see her…she is fabulous:)  If you want to check out Randie’s work (she is a brilliant artist and web designer) go to: http://www.luckydogarts.com/
I will let you all know when the new site is up and running!

The other thing that I have doing is preparing to climb Mount Everest.  Yep, I am meaning that metaphorically!!!!  We all have our own personal Mount Everest and mine is being front and center.  I am much more comfortable being in the background, highlighting other folks who love the lime light. 

Here’s what happened:
I got a call from a woman who used to be a client of mine,  asking me if I would like to do a radio show with her focusing on New Year’s resolutions.  For some strange and bizarre reason…I said "Yes."  Well, this "yes" threw me into some serious anxiety…I had to do some major EFT tapping!!!  Daily!!!! 

The interesting thing about all of this besides feeling like I wanted to run down the street screaming and ripping my hair out…is that doing a radio show has been a secret dream of mine since I was a little girl.  I loved listening to the radio.  As a young girl, this was before FM existed, I would listen to KFRC radio (this was a bay area station in the early 70’s) and sing along with the songs that I knew.  I would pretend that I was the disc jockey talking to folks over the radio waves.

Strangely enough, (a cosmic joke, I presume) is that the radio station that I was to do the show at is KRFC!!!!!  Spooky and cool all at the same time:~)

I climbed this huge internal mountain on Tuesday night.  It took an intense act of will to get me to walk from my car into the radio station.  Once in there…I was taken into "the blue room," given a headset and off we went.  I must say that I don’t remember much about it.  I know that I was sweating so bad that I decided to leave my jacket on! 

When it was over, one of the women came up to me and asked if I would like to do a radio call-in show.  Seriously?  You mean I made some sense when I was talking?  Before I could shut myself up I said "YES!"  It just flew out of my mouth!!!!!  She also invited to come back on New Years day…I said "YES" to that too!   

As I was driving home, realizing the magnitude of what just happened…what I just accomplished…I felt an overwhelming sense of personal pride.  I had done it!  I  had just climbed Mount Everest!!!!  My Mount Everest.  Not only that…I signed up to climb again!!! 

I want to take a moment to thank all of my
friends who know me and know what a HUGE ENORMOUS deal this is for me.
They said supportive things to me and burned lots of stuff to create a
supportive space…we are all such pagans!  Love to burn things!!!!  I
also want to thanks my sons, Ethan and Corey, who listened in and gave
me such loving support.  Also my fella, Mike who acted casual all week
long so he wouldn’t spook me!

When I think about New Years Day…I feel that anxiety pounding within me!  It has not diminished yet.  But, I get a sense that it will…once I get the hang of doing this radio show the feeling of climbing a huge mountain will transform into a light hike in the woods. 

Until then, I think I will wear a light jacket!!!!  (In case of further sweating!)

So, my fabulous readers…

What is your Mount Everest?

When you take a peek at this remember this is YOUR Mount Everest…not anyone else’s!

Think of that experience which scares the crap out of you…but, you still want to do it! 

The one that gives you such an intense jolt of anxiety that its hard to breathe…yep!  Thats the one!

Oh, and if any of you feel inspired to listen in on New Years day…the show from 5:30-6:00 mountain time.  You can listen live stream through the internet if ya want.  Just go to this link:  http://krfcfm.org/stream/
~ click on the link that supports the kind of internet service that you have.  It is a call in show…so if you feel inspired…give us a jingle!

Have a fabulous day!

Greetings lovely readers.

I have been intensely internal lately.  Doing lots of journaling.  Allowing what’s bubbling under the surface to come out onto the pages…into the light.  One of the ideas that has been floating around is the awareness that we are all living the dreams of the past.  We are living the thought form manifestations of our ancestors desires.

This shows itself clearly in all of the modern conveniences that we enjoy.  Some babes a gazillion years ago were bangin their clothes with rocks and hating life…wishing there was an easier way.  As each generations came forth…easier ways where discovered.  And now, we walk to our fabulous washers and dryers, pour in detergent…push a button and Ta DA!  All done! 

Living the dreams of the past expresses itself in so many ways!

I was working with a client last week (I will call her Sarah).  Sarah was raised with the belief system that one needs to suffer to reach the gates of heaven.  An old belief system passed down the line for sure!!!  Somehow God is hangin’ out keeping score!  Anyway, she has courageously worked through much of this religious abuse.  She has created a wonderful life for herself where she can write and live the freedom she so desires…but there is still a fear that she is NOT suffering enough to go to heaven.  So she can’t fully enjoy this fabulous life that she has created. 

Deciding to explore this fear from a different direction, we took a peek at a couple of her past lives.  In one of the lives she was a pilgrim…a young woman…who loved to read and write.  She lived with her father and this part of the life was fairly content.  When her father died, she had to marry and then her small freedoms were gone.  God said that the woman had to marry.  She had to follow the beliefs of her religion and community.  As we moved this lifetime ahead, Sarah sensed that this young woman decided to leave instead of living without any freedom….dying in childbirth or something like that!  Living the life that her religion and community told her she had to live…was just too much to suffer through so she left.  Brilliant indeedy!!!

The next life time that showed up was during World War II.  Again, Sarah saw herself as a young woman who dreamed of doing her art, living on her own, going to school to learn…being free.  When the war broke out, she had to put these dreams aside and go to work.  Here again, she saw the young woman suffering and putting her dreams aside.  When the war was over, this young woman had to marry…again living a life of obligation and suffering.  This life didn’t last long either.

Whether you believe in past lives or not is not important.  It doesn’t matter if this happened or didn’t happen.  It’s the metaphors that are key.  For Sarah, freedom is key.  Freedom to do art and express herself fully is a top value for her.  When her sense of freedom is altered she begins to suffer.  What she was able to notice is that she was now living the life that she had always wanted to live.  These woman that she connected with, wanted the life she now has.  She realized that she IS living the dreams of the past!

As Sarah sat in stunned silence, integrating this new awareness…I took this a step further.  Maybe…just maybe the thought forms of our ancestors are still in the air.  Maybe they still exist within us…and if so, maybe…just maybe it’s up to us to fully and completely enjoy all of this amazing abundance and freedom that we get to experience.  Our ability to appreciate all that we have allows our ancestors to receive some of the "all that we have." 

Cool session indeedy!

As I thought more about this and sat with this idea in meditation, I had a flash of something else.  If time is a figment of our imaginations, what if our appreciations and gratitude’s speak to those past ancestral yearnings?  Soothing those ancestral yearnings?  What if, as we acknowledge the wonders and everyday miracles in this life…our ancestors breath a sigh of relief and gratitude?

I get this sense of these time lines,
connecting to ancestors…the past,
connecting to this life..the present,
connection and moving out into lives that will come after us…the future. 

As I hold the intention of appreciation and gratitude, I can see these connections being soothed and healed.  All the way back and all the way forward…the ability to appreciate and be in gratitude goes across time…in fact, in this vision that I had…time didn’t really exist.  It seemed more about placement (the placement of past, present and future) along a continuum. 

SO, whattya think?

What do you feel about the idea that this life-time is a continuum of our ancestors lives…that we are living the dreams of the past?

How does it sound to you, the idea of being in appreciation and gratitude and by doing that you may be bridging the past with the present and the present with the future?

Can you see how this all inner connects?

Would love to hear some comments!

Have a connected day!

Hello everyone!

I haven’t had much inspiration for writing over the last week.  Sometimes, I get in these spaces where my inner world is very quiet.  Lights are on…but, no one is home!

Until this morning….when I had a NEAR BRUSH WITH DEATH!!!!!!!!  At least that is what went on in my head!  That was my story for at least 10 minutes…it was a harrowing 10 minutes…let me tell ya!

Here is what happened.

Last week I had my…hmmmmm…how does one say this without being to personal…ummmmm…"ladies appointment."  The doctor did what the doctor does.  Such a fun way to spend an hour!  Anyway, when the whole thing was done, she said that they would call if there was anything to discuss with my test results.

Well, this morning they called! 

And left a message! 

This message said:
"Hi Lynne, this is Doctor __________’s office. Dr. _________ would like to see you as soon as you can to go over your test results."

Ah…….WHAT????????????

After I erased the message, I noticed that the room was spinning.  And I felt all weird and light headed.  As I called the Doctors office back….I began to do some….hmmmmmm….let’s just call it "embellishing!"  I imagined that she would tell me that I had ovarian cancer and that I would need to start treatment immediately.  Then, I would loose my hair and have to borrow my friend Alix’s wigs (she had breast cancer last year and was very fabulous with the wigs she chose to wear.  I, of course would ask to borrow the long pink wig!).

Finally, someone answered the phone:
"Hi this is Lynne Morrell and someone called me about an irregular test result"

"Oh, hi Lynne.  Hold on just a moment!"

Oh shit oh shit oh shit…she even remembers me.  This is REALLY BAD!!!!!!!!

After about 3 million seconds, she returns to the phone:
"Yes Lynne, the Doctor would like to see you as soon as you can to discuss your test results!"

"Ya, I know that….but, what ARE MY TEST RESULTS!"

"Well Lynne, the Doctor can go over that with you when you come in.  How is tomorrow for you?"

"Wait…can’t I talk to someone right now.  I am kinda FREAKING OUT RIGHT NOW!!!!!"

"Okay Lynne, hold on just a moment."

As I waited on hold…I jumped past all imagined treatments.  Somehow, I had died and was being buried in my back yard.    Ummmmmmm!  That’s not right!  I am going to be cremated.  Remember?  My fantasy was getting way outta hand.

After about 4 L-O-N-G minutes, someone came back to the phone:

"Hi Lynne?"

"Yep, that’s me!  Freakin’ out over here!"

"Oh…I am sorry.  Don’t worry.  It’s definitely NOT cancer!"

"Oh, I am soooooooooo relieved!  So, what is it?"

"Its called blah blah blah and although it is not very common we do have a treatment for it so blah blah blah you will be just fine.  blah blah blah."

I set up a time to speak with the Doctor and as I hung up the phone I realized that I just had a near brush with death….at least in my own head!  That was close! 

Whew!!!!!!

The room stopped spinning and I took a long deep breath.

I sat back.

Wow!  My thoughts sure did take me for a ride!  I think next time I am gonna head to somewhere a bit more fun and inspiring…like maybe Maui, or Alaska or Ireland…oh, Ireland sounds fun. 
…Mike and I hiking along the Irish coastlines…it’s a cloudy day and the mists come up and brush our faces.  We look at each other and smile…

Ah…that’s better!  Glad that I can bend this mind of mine to my will!  Off on my next mental adventure~

Have a groovy day!

Greetings everyone!

Here in the states, this Thursday is Thanksgiving. It is a time for families to get together, eat traditional family meals and celebrate what they are thankful for.

Now, we all have our ideas of how we WISH the holiday would be which contrasts (for some rather sharply) with how the holiday actually plays out.

The fantasy : Everyone gathers at grandmas house which is an old Victorian farm house. Located somewhere in the country. The weather is crisp and sunny with just the perfect soft breeze.
The house has been beautifully decorated with gorgeous leaves and pumpkins that the children gathered earlier in the day.
Everyone is dressed up in their Sunday best.
The children run and play together filled with joy and laughter. They all get all very easily and comfortably.
The generations gather together in front of the fire to enjoy conversation. Everyone is so excited to see each other…and to hear how lives are fairing.
It is a loving supportive mood.
The meal is a group creation, everyone doing their part with a smile and a wink.
As everyone gathers round the Thanksgiving feast, Grandpa leads a prayer of Thanksgiving…when he concludes everyone smiles and feels a warm sense of appreciation towards everyone at the table.
People enjoy the meal. No one is worried about calories. No one is noticing who ate what.

This is a wonderful homecoming for all.
As the evening comes to a close there is a sense of peace and contentment. It is so good to get together with family. They all look forward to seeing each other at Christmas.

The All To Often Reality: The holiday is held at grandmas house which is an old Victorian farm house. Located somewhere in the country. The weather is crisp and sunny. But since it poured all last night there is mud everywhere.
The kids were gonna gather pumpkins and leaves for decorations, but found playing in the mud way too much fun to pass up.
Everyone is in their Sunday best…but little Billy pushed little Mary into the mud and now she is crying and her dress is all ruined.
Mom forgot to bring a change of clothes.
The children have split up into two gangs…the boys verses the girls. So far only two kids have been hurt but little Mary won’t stop crying over her muddy dress.
Oh, she just slugged little Billy!
The generations gather around the fire. Uncle Fred is already drunk and Aunt Elma is on her way. Grandma is fussin’ with her daughter about her daughters choice of clothing. Grandpa is yelling at the TV…something about football. There is a tension between some and others seem in their own worlds.
By the time dinner is served, many are drunk, Grandma and her daughter are clearly in a fight, kids are cranky…but as folks start diggin’ in things settle down…just a bit!

As the evening comes to a close, some take stock of the fresh wounds…or the old wound reopened. Its such a relief to be done with that!

For many people Thanksgiving is very stressful. They may not feel free to choose the holiday that they wish. They have family obligations which are difficult to get out of. They have families that are difficult to be with. If this is you…there are some things that you can do to soften the emotional load.

Here are 12 tips for surviving a sucky family holiday!

1. Recognize that you have a choice. Either you can choose to skip this year or not. It is sorta like choosing the least of 2 evils. Either you can get harassed in person or have everyone harass you because you were too selfish to not show up. Damned if ya do…damned if ya don’t. But either way…it is still a choice.

2. Keep your friends close and your enemies far…far away …preferably drunk and watching football while you enjoy a fun game of tag outside with all of the kids.
Note: Hanging out with kids is usually a much better time then being fussed at by your mother because you NEVER call her!

3. Embrace denial!! Yes folks you read it right! If Aunt Elma is talking about how wonderful everyone is…while drinking her 3rd martini…go and have a sit with her. She has a great spin on the family. She never talks bad about you…at least not to your face. She is lots of fun even if she is a bit tipsy!

4. Get tipsy! Yes folks, you read that right! You and Aunt Elma can be in Denial and Tipsy together…are we having fun yet?

5. Let go of the need to be seen. Because let’s face it…they didn’t know ya last year or the year before…or the year before…chances are they ain’t gonna know ya now!

6. Lie Lie Lie. Yep, like a snake in the grass. When your mother corners you and asks why you won’t visit more often…This is not the time to "speak your truth." Just think of something nice to say:
"Oh mom, my work has been so busy and the baby has been sick….love your apron..where did you get that?"
Hopefully, this will change the direction of the conversation. If this doesn’t work you can always tell her that Aunt Elma is drunk again.

7. Flattery gets you everywhere. Being both courteous and flattering can really ease the tension. Saying "Please" and "Thank you" when appropriate tends to settle folks down. Making sure to greet everyone as they enter the house. Employing a liberal use of "you look so pretty!" or "Love your tie!"

8. Find your happy place. Finding some way to retreat and remember that this is not your real life. Remind yourself that soon you get to leave …and won’t it be nice to be back home!
There’s no place like home….
There’s no place like home…
There’s no place like home…
*Clicking heels together is optional depending on what kinda shoes ya got on!

9. Take pictures. Become the photo journalist of this blessed event. You can out of many difficult conversations by saying "Oh, look how cute Billy looks. I just have to get a picture of that!" And off you go!

10. If ya can’t beat em…bore em! Yes that’s right…start talking in a monotone voice about your stamp collection or the task-y details of your job.
"Ya know I have been filing lots of papers lately at work, and there are three types of filing systems that I like to use. They work so efficiently! The first one I use is…." (Snore)

11. Use direct sarcasm! Some of us have the embarrassing or inappropriate relative…you the know the one I am talking about! The one who has the racist remarks or tells creepy sex jokes, or talks about your body…(shudder). This is a tough one because sometimes you might find yourself trapped in a corner or sitting down on a couch with no way to get up and escape.

Here is a strategy that is very direct:
"You know Uncle Fred, that’s a pretty racist comment! What the hell is the matter with you?"

If you want to make it a little lighter you can try sarcastic humor:
"Oh Uncle Louie, so you really thought it was ok to comment on my weight?" and then laugh. Possibly even pat his arm condescendingly!
After this you might want to get the hell out of there and pursue tip 4.

12. Use the family gathering as material! Use some of the crazy and psycho anecdotes as conversation starters with friends.
"You will never guess what my mother said to me!"
Or you can use your families shenanigans for blog entries the very next day. At least you’ll get some interesting material out of the experience!

I know that I am being a bit tongue and cheek here…
my intention is to lightened a difficult situation that some of you experience during the holidays. I have used these myself in years past…with some mixed results! But it felt good to have something to play with!

For all of you though, stay centered and in peace. Find the things in your life that you are thankful for and focus as much as you can on that. Know that when folks say icky things to you or about you…or say icky things about someone else…those things tell you about them and the way they see the world.

And if by the end of the night, something has newly wounded you or an old wound was reopened…surround yourself with those folks who unconditionally love you and allow that unconditional love to flow through you.

Peace to you~ and may you have a warm hearted Thanksgiving!

*Thanks ALix for helping me with this blog post!

Hi there everyone!

I have been thinking lately about this idea that we are here on the earth to "do our work." To work on ourselves and become "better" humans. I am wondering lately if that is really true. Maybe we came here to experience being in physical form. That’s it! No lessons. No need to become "better." No being punished for some other life. None of that shit.

Maybe…just maybe we came here to experience.

To experience what?

Love
Pain
Joy
Despair
Desire
Frustration
Loss
Longing
Bliss

Maybe…just maybe there is nothing else to this.

Maybe…just maybe we are here to feel desire and then experience that desire fulfilled. To experience pain so that we have new desire. Desire is very strong when we are pain. The desire to be out of pain can be very intense. But isn’t that intensity part of the experience?

I am constantly evolving as a person…so are you.
But, what does evolving mean?

I think that it means that we learn new ways to experience this life. Finding the peace when there is war. Finding the compassion when there is so much sorrow. Finding the quiet when there is pain. Continuing to reach for some personal version of happiness even when there are challenges.

I think many people have the concept of "doing your work" kind of messed up. They think that if you have done your work you will not have challenging experiences. Some how evolving has translated into this sort of weird concept of perfection.

If you are doing your work you will have perfect health.
If you are doing your work you will have that perfect partner.
If you are doing your work you will have plenty of money.
If you are dong your work you will have a wonderful career.
If you are doing your work your life will BE PERFECT!

I just don’t think this is true. I think that growth happens.
We can’t help but grow.
It is part of our nature.

So, to make this conversation more personal to you…my reader…I would say…to BE fully in your life is all you need to do. Feel what you feel. Love what you love. Don’t love what you don’t love. Enjoy what you enjoy and let go of what you don’t.

It’s time to let yourself off the hook.
It’s time to acknowledge that ALWAYS you are doing the best you can.
It’s time to allow yourself to love YOU just as you are…with no conditions.
It’s time to allow yourself to love others…just as they are…with no conditions.
It’s time!

Wow! I guess I just needed to write a little rant. Its been bugging me lately. I am sick of this perfectionist…critical…eucky…view point.

Wew…I feel better.
I gotta fly…time to watch "Desperate Housewives."
I guess I will never be that evolved…because I love that show!!!!!