March 13, 2015 by Shelly R. Wilson

Practicing Mindfulness

Mindfulness helps you to touch the wonders of life for self-nourishment and healing.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (Tik · N’yat · Hawn) is a spiritual leader, author, poet and peace activist, who is respected throughout the world for his powerful teachings on mindfulness and peace. Among his many important teachings is that in order to heighten one’s awareness, it is essential to be mindful of all that is experienced in each and every moment. He teaches that incorporating enhanced awareness into our daily life will ultimately enrich our lives.

An influential and inspirational presence, Thich Nhat Hanh is affectionately known as Thay (pronounced “Tay” or “Tie”) by his students, which is the Vietnamese word for teacher. He influenced my own personal journey into consciousness as well as that of numerous others, and I have found that his key teaching is that, “through mindfulness, we can learn to live happily in the present moment, which is the only way to truly develop peace, both in one’s self and in the world.”

The Plum Village.org website talks about mindfulness as, “the energy of being aware and awake to the present moment. It is the continuous practice of touching life deeply in every moment of daily life. To be mindful is to be truly alive, present and at one with those around you and with what you are doing. We bring our body and mind into harmony while we wash the dishes, drive the car or take our morning shower.”

From my perspective, as we become more aware and mindful of our own personal power, we are better able to make conscious choices, and give ourselves permission to take control of our destiny instead of leaving it up to fate.

Life can be found only in the present moment. The past is gone, the future is not yet here,
and if we do not go back to ourselves in the present moment, we cannot be in touch with life.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh

By shifting perception of an experience, the experience itself will change, including those in the past, the ones that are presently occurring and those that have yet to happen. This transformation involves altering one’s mindset and attitude as well as being mindful of one’s thoughts, words and actions – the energetic emission that radiates from each one of us.

To learn more about Thich Nhat Hanh and his teachings, please visit his website at http://www.plumvillage.org and like his page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/thichnhathanh.

About Shelly
Intuitive Medium, Reiki Master and Spiritual Teacher Shelly Wilson would love to assist you on your spiritual journey. With respect, truth, integrity and love, Shelly honors your free will and recognizes that you are co-creating your reality with the Universe. She offers private readings, intuitive coaching, Reiki sessions, and teaches workshops. Shelly’s books, 28 Days to a New YOU, Connect to the YOU Within and Journey into Consciousness, are available in paperback and eBook.

http://shellyrwilson.com
http://www.facebook.com/intuitivemediumshelly

September 26, 2014 by Shelly R. Wilson

Journey with Gratitude

I recently had the pleasure of speaking at the Northwest Arkansas Center for Spiritual Living in Fayetteville, Arkansas on Sunday, September 21, 2014. To listen and/or download the talk, please click on this link.

September’s theme at the Center for Spiritual Living is Sowing Seeds of Abundance and discussing the principles and process of true prosperity with the focus on the community reading the book, Spiritual Economics by Eric Butterworth.

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary,
Definition of prosperity – the condition of being successful or thriving
Definition of abundance – a large amount of something
Definition of gratitude – a feeling of appreciation or thanks

Abundance is not just money, but it is also health, well-being, happiness and financial prosperity. In order to create prosperity and abundance in all of its forms, feeling and expressing gratitude is necessary.

Affirmation for the Week ~ I bring to each experience, a heart of appreciation and gratitude.

Gratitude quotes:

Gratitude is the best attitude. ~ Author Unknown
The struggle ends when the gratitude begins. ~ Neale Donald Walsch
A grateful mind is a great mind, which eventually attracts great things. ~ Plato
If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily. ~ Gerald Good
Gratitude is an opener of locked-up blessings. ~ Marianne Williamson
Appreciation is the purest vibration that exists on the planet today. ~ Abraham–Hicks
All that we behold is full of blessings. ~ William Wordsworth

Consciously choose to experience a grateful heart:
Eric Butterworth states, “If you carefully search within yourself, you may come to the awareness that your most important asset is the conscious control of your own life. Nothing else can satisfy or fulfill unless you enjoy the freedom that comes from the control of your inner world of mind and emotions.”

It is important to note that we only technically have control of our own thoughts, words, actions, emotions and reactions. We cannot control another individual, an experience or even the economy, but we can control how we choose to perceive it and how we wish to respond to what is perceived. With that being said, we can allow what is happening around us to affect our internal state of being or we can take control and allow the peace we have within us to affect our external circumstances.

By choosing to see all experiences, especially the challenges, from a Higher soul perspective, we will see them differently. Consciously choose to express your gratitude and acknowledge the blessings you observe within the challenges. Doing so will shift the energy of the experience. By focusing your energy on this present moment, in the here and now, rather than dwelling in the past or planning the future, you are in the flow of creation.

Eric Butterworth notes in Spiritual Economics, “When the appearance of lack shows up in your life, go to that high view point, be grateful, and then bless it. Once you have blessed it you can easily let it go and gain back the control of your own creative process, and thus the flow is opened.”

In addition, Charles Fillmore tells us that, “Blessing the substance increases the flow. If your money supply is low or your purse seems empty, take it in your hands and bless it.”

If you wish to increase the abundance in your life, focus on abundance and affirm “I bring to each experience, a heart of appreciation and gratitude.”

Simply speaking, gratitude is an expression of thankfulness. The simple words, “Thank you,” extend far beyond their utterance. They are an acknowledgement of appreciation. Thanking another individual for having completed a task, the extension of a hand in friendship, and even the recognition of a compliment reflect the gratitude you are feeling. The energy of gratitude is a high vibration and one of love. The Universe will reflect this grateful energy back to you in the form of blessings and abundance.

Consciously choose to emit this grateful energy out into the Universe and allow yourself to be in the flow of creation in this present moment in order for the manifestation to occur.

Questions to Consider:
What are you thankful for?
When do you express your gratitude?
How do you express your gratitude?

Affirm ~ My heart overflows with gratitude and joy. I am conscious of being present in this moment. I recognize that I am a creator, and I am creating my reality. I am allowing myself to simply breathe. I am surrendering to the Universe any feelings of lack inhibiting the flow of my abundance. I am releasing it now fully and completely. I choose to create my life and all of its experiences consciously.

August 11, 2014 by Shelly R. Wilson

Journey into Being Mindfully Present

The deeper I have delved into my spiritual work, the more I have realized the importance of being present. I have learned to appreciate each moment of each day as well as the necessity of balancing work with play and taking time for myself.

Being mindfully present involves living in the moment rather than focusing on the future or dwelling in the past. Focus on living, being and breathing in the moment. As you become conscious of being present, your awareness will increase and you will become more connected with yourself and with others. Your appreciation for each moment will increase as well.

Being present also involves acknowledging, recognizing and then silencing the voice inside your head, otherwise known as mind chatter – the flow of words in the form of thoughts and questions that stream through one’s mind continuously causing doubt and uncertainty. Your thoughts, words, and actions are energy. Therefore, this mind chatter would be considered an energetic emission much like a radio signal.

Individuals tend to replay scenarios over and over again and ask, “What could I have done differently?” or “What if…?” They also play the “should” game saying, “I should have done this or I should have done that….then, this would not have happened.” How can you be so sure? Hindsight, which is the ability of understanding later what was actually the best thing to do, is formidable. We tend to retain from experiences what is necessary for future growth. In reality, the decisions we make at the time we made them are because we have free will. Each one of us is having a human experience because we choose to. Learning from our experiences and not repeating them unless we choose to is a benefit to having them to begin with.

Consciously choosing to live in this present moment – in the here and now – enables you to be in the flow of creation. Choose to be in the flow of allowance rather than restricting or inhibiting this flow with fear, worry, doubt or the linear aspect of time.

May 12, 2014 by Shelly R. Wilson

Journey with Awareness

Awareness is the key to transformation. ~ Eckhart Tolle

Awareness involves both consciousness and cognizance. This includes being cognizant of our surroundings and the people coming into and leaving our life. The Universe will assist us in bringing people, teachers and experiences into our awareness so that we can learn, heal and grow from them.

For myself, I have noticed that certain people will come into my awareness at exactly the right time for me to receive a message. The message may not be directed specifically towards me, but I receive it loud and clear nonetheless. I can almost feel a switch being turned on and off enabling me to glean exactly what I need. I recognize these as opportunities for learning and growth for myself.

Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around in awareness.
~ James Thurber

Songs on the radio, television commercials, and even upcoming events are worth paying attention to especially if you keep seeing or hearing about them repeatedly. Check in with yourself and assess if there is an underlying message or if you are intended to take it literally. Symbols are everywhere. Our perception assists us in our individual interpretation of these symbols. A symbol may mean one thing to an individual and something entirely different to another individual. Practicing discernment and what feels right to you is essential.

Awareness Exercise
Increase your awareness level by focusing and tuning in with each of your five senses. Spend time each day being cognizant of your surroundings. Make notes in your journal of your experiences as you are guided to do so.

What do you hear?
What do you see?
What do you taste?
What do you smell?
What do you feel?

As you become accustomed to paying attention, it will be easier to notice when you are not distracted. Silence your mind chatter and sit in quiet repose. Take note of the guidance you are receiving and the signs you are observing. Remember that these signs may be in the form of cloud formations, found in nature such as birds or butterflies, songs on the radio, overhead conversations, etc. Do not second-guess if you are actually receiving a sign. You may not understand the meaning of the sign at the moment you receive it. Simply acknowledge it, express your gratitude for it and you will understand the meaning of the sign when you are supposed to.

About Shelly ~
Intuitive Medium, Reiki Master and Spiritual Teacher Shelly Wilson would love to assist you on your spiritual journey. With respect, truth, integrity and love, Shelly honors your free will and recognizes that you are co-creating your reality with the Universe. She offers private readings, intuitive coaching, Reiki sessions, and teaches workshops. Shelly’s books, 28 Days to a New YOU, Connect to the YOU Within and Journey into Consciousness, are now available in paperback and eBook. Her courses, Stop Existing and Start Living! and Opening Your Heart to Love are available through the DailyOM. In addition, she is the host of The Shelly Wilson Show on Blog Talk Radio, which airs live each Wednesday at 2:00 pm CST.

Journey into Consciousness: One Woman’s Story of Spiritual Awakening with Tools to Assist You on Your Journey is available as an eBook and in paperback.

February 19, 2014 by Shelly R. Wilson

Journey with Courage

courage quote

Having the courage to express your beliefs to others and not being afraid of what they might think involves faith and fortitude. Allowing yourself to be who you really are with all people requires that you stand in your power. Standing in your power simply means “owning” what you believe to be true. It definitely does take courage to be your authentic self and to emanate this power in your words and actions.

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. ~ e.e. Cummings

As I’ve stated before, there are two ways to view everything – through the eyes of love and through the eyes of fear. Love is a heart-spaced higher vibrational energy; whereas fear comprises every emotion that is not love, including worry, fear, doubt, regret, guilt, shame, frustration and so on. Choosing to stay in the heart-space and see every individual and experience through the Higher vibration of love is essential for our journey into consciousness.

We must all be the change we wish to see in the world. Continuing to remember that we are reflections of one another, let us have the courage to be who we are without fear of judgment. Ultimately, each one of us desires to love and to be loved. Acknowledge your fellow travelers as we each embark on our own adventure called life. Call upon Archangel Michael to assist you with accessing your courage and choose to consciously journey into consciousness with courage while releasing the fear.

Intuitive Medium, Reiki Master and Spiritual Teacher Shelly Wilson would love to assist you on your spiritual journey. With respect, truth, integrity and love, Shelly honors your free will and recognizes that you are co-creating your reality with the Universe. She offers private readings, intuitive coaching, Reiki sessions, and teaches workshops. Shelly’s books, 28 Days to a New YOU, Connect to the YOU Within and Journey into Consciousness, are now available. Her courses, Stop Existing and Start Living! and Opening Your Heart to Love are available through the DailyOM. In addition, she is the host of The Shelly Wilson Show on Blog Talk Radio, which airs live each Wednesday at 2:00 pm CST.

Journey into Consciousness: One Woman’s Story of Spiritual Awakening with Tools to Assist You on Your Journey is available as an eBook and in paperback.