Quotes from the Masters: Picasso

Robin Jean Marie issued a challenge on June 2, 2012 in one of her blog posts called Quotes From the Masters: Picasso and I have accepted the challenge.  Here’s the quote for this particular challenge: “Everything you can imagine is real” by Pablo Picasso.

This quote speaks to my philosophical nature.  I just love to think about “what if?”  What if, everything out there and right here was a shared illusion?  What if, we could change our lives by not limiting ourselves to what is the norm?  What if, we could imagine ourselves into a much better world?

There is a theory out there that this universe, world we live in, is a hologram. Our true selves have dreamed up this world so we could learn and grow stronger spiritually.   I recently was introduced to this theory when a friend cleaned out his bookcase and let me take what I wanted of his rejects.  I have only read the first few pages so I really don’t know what the author’s theory truly is, but I just had to put down the book and start thinking “what if?”  I’ll get back to the book shortly, but in the meantime I am having loads of fun stretching and wrapping my brain around the concept.

Here is my take on this theory – remember this is rough draft material here, because I haven’t actually read the book.   This theory is a twist on the movie Matrix. We aren’t fighting or struggling against an outer enemy like the characters in the movie; instead we are fighting and struggling with inner enemy – our self.

We are spiritual beings temporarily housed inside a human body.   I accept this truth.  I know each one of us is a powerful being, who can bring what is needed to this shared illusion to create the experience needed for our highest good.  Using our imaginations is a good place to start.

I imagined in the past, thus creating the future I’m living today.  I imagined that would own a house for years then came the day when I did.  I imagined that I would have a college degree; I applied myself and eventually became a college graduate.  I am in the midst of imagining my future and I know that this too will be real.

How I know that I can be happy no matter what happens to me or around me makes more sense.  The shared illusion can be that life is rough and you have to struggle to just get ahead doesn’t have to be my truth.  I can be happy, no matter what situation I find myself in.  I imagine me being happy and so it is.  That’s so cool.  I imagine me being joyous and so it is.  This is totally awesome.

Life is good!  God is great!  All is right in my world.

Blessings,

Genie

Reiki & Me

To me, Reiki is an active form of meditation that is allows me to be a conduit for God’s healing power. It is an amazing process that always leads me to experience incredible joy.  So much so, that I have called my business “Healing Joyfully.”

I was born with the gift to heal energetically, but didn’t realize what I was doing until I was 30. (I haven’t figured out if I’m unobservant or just a slow learner).  I always thought my friends were being kind and sweet when they told me that being around me made them feel better.  I finally figured it out with help from a distressed friend.  She came to visit me when she was at an emotional low.  At the time I was on a spiritual high from being able to meditate everyday for a couple of hours.   When she arrived I hugged her, thinking I wish I could take away her emotional pain.  Within a few minutes, she was giggling and I was crying.

Once I figured out that I was a healer, I actively searched for knowledge and training.  I eventually came across Reiki and it just speaks to my soul.   Reiki is not just a healing technique it is a spiritual path.  There are five principles to follow (see my jpeg or yesterday’s post).   Just in case you were wondering, now when I do energy work on someone I do not take on their pain, I observe it and let it go.

A little history: Reiki is a technique that was developed by Dr. Mikao Usui in the early 1920’s in Japan.  The word “Reiki” was formed from two Japanese words that together mean guided universal life force energy.  Reiki heals on many levels: spiritually, mentally, physically and emotionally.

As a Reiki Master I put my ego aside so I can become a conduit of God’s healing powers for my client.  My greatest talent as an energy healer is my ability to get of God’s way.   Because of limitations of the English language there isn’t a word other than healer to describe what I do.  I’m not the true healer, God is.

During a Reiki session, I gently touch my client’s body in various places such as the eyes, face, head, neck, shoulders, stomach, back, legs and feet.   I let God guide me as to where I should put my hands and how long I should keep my hands still so each Reiki session is different.  As God’s healing power comes through me and out my hands to the client, my hands heat up.  Sometimes both my client and I are sweating despite the fact my air conditioner is running perfectly.   Then there are the rare times, my hands become ice-cold.    It’s an amazing experience.

In order for me to be the best conduit I can be, I have to feel love for the client i.e. universal love.   We all know that some people are easier to love than others, so at times I have to call on God to assist me in feeling the love.  He always comes through for us.

Life is good!  God is great! All is right in my world!

Blessings,

Genie

Just for Today, I will…

Dream the Impossible

Your attitude pretty much sets up the way your life will go.  For example, if I had the attitude that I would never, ever get better I would still be in a wheelchair.  Worst yet, I would be lying in bed wishing I had the strength to use a wheelchair thinking it is an impossible dream.

Instead the impossible dream I choose to create was based on two facts I knew to my soul were true:  1. I am a beloved child of God; 2.  I am a healthy child of God.   My attitude was and is “it’s just for now” that I feel awful and unhealthy.  I went to bed with the idea: tomorrow, I will wake up and be able to live with joy in my heart, because I am a healthy beloved child of God.

I also did what I could to reclaim my health.  1. Had a support team that consisted of God, my family, friends, doctors and ME.  If I wasn’t part of the support team and I let everyone do for me instead of participating in my own medical choices; then I felt I would have been giving control to others instead of God and me.  Giving away my power to others is not an option.  2.  I followed the medical treatment that was prescribed to me.  There was no sense in spending money on doctor appointments, if I were not going to follow the protocol to wellness.  I didn’t follow blindly, I asked questions, did research and was an active participate in the final decisions.  3.  Prayed daily; on my bad days I prayed hourly.

It was a long slow journey (at least it was to me as I was living it), but I am here today sitting here writing this post with joy in my heart because I am a healthy beloved child of God.   Each night I look forward to tomorrow, because I can’t wait to see what else I can do, how far I can walk and how much joy I can spread.  I created the impossible dream, because I let myself be positive, be hopeful, and be strong until my vision of myself became reality.

What is your impossible dream?  What attitude have you adopted to create this so-called impossible dream?

Life is good!  God is great!  All is right in my world!

Blessings,

Genie

Bringing to Life the Impossible

Genie Goes

My access to the world is slowly opening up, since I’ve started walking full-time.  I’m reintroducing my feet to the pressure of my body and to the hardness of concrete floors, parking lots and walkways.  Recently my feet have decided to fight back, swelling up so I have to stop and rest.  At the end of each day, I prop my feet up and/or soak them in ice water – sometimes in the morning too.

I have news for my feet:  You might as well toughen up, because I am going to keep walking. So there!  Genie is going, going, going.

I feel like I’m waking up after a long hibernation.  I’m so interested in the world around me again and I’m taking photos.  I planned to post them here, but I decided a second blog was in order.  I have called it “Genie Goes” (http://geniegoes.wordpress.com/) for obvious reasons.   Right now it will be places around my town that I’ll be posting, but I expect to be moving about Middle Tennessee then the rest of Tennessee.   Eventually I will move about the United States.  I’m so looking forward to it.

I’m curious; do you have another blog or two?

Life is good!  God is great!  All is right in my world!

Blessings,

Genie

Genie Goes

Pain as a Spiritual Tool

For as long as I can remember the saying “No pain, no gain” has been part of my life.  I didn’t believe it so I worked just hard enough to sweat, but no pain was allowed when I did physical exercise.  I believed that you would get the same end-result, but it would just take a little longer my pain-free way.   I didn’t relate pain to spiritual growth at all – until recently.

As a result of my recent bout with pain, I had a spiritual insight.  My usual way of dealing with pain is to ignore it, in hopes it will go away.  I was applying this method, when I realized that pushing away my pain, pushed God out of my life also.  Isn’t that just weird?  When I needed a strong connection to God the most, so I could have hope and see a bright future, I accidentally pushed God out of my life along with the pain.

Let me explain.  When I pushed the pain aside mentally, I disconnected with the world a bit, which I thought until recently was a side effect I could live with.  Turns out I feel at my weakest spiritually when I disconnect to the world – the place God created for us to live, work and play.  So by disconnecting from the world at large, I was disconnecting from God.  Once I had that insight, I brought the pain back to my attention and was one with it.  Wasn’t fun as far as pain levels, but I enjoy life so much more.  I was back to being Sunshine Walking instead of having my lights dimmed.  I still have the pain, but it isn’t bothering me like it was before I reconnected.  I guess I just having too much fun to notice.

So pain is a spiritual tool.  I’m still working on this concept, so my thoughts are not fully developed on this spiritual principle.  Here’s what I have come up with so far:  If you go with the flow of pain and not fight it; pain can be used as tool for spiritual growth.

Am I making sense?  Have you already discovered this principle?  If you have, can you give me tips to fully understand this principle so I can grow spiritual?

Life is good! God is great!  All is right in my world!

Blessings,

Genie

Illustrating How I Felt:

I was just outside the world. Mostly me, but not fully me.

Feeling normal and able to interact with the world

Walking in Sunshine

It might be more accurate to say I am Sunshine Walking.  My face aches from smiling so much.  It’s a ridiculously wonderful problem to experience.

I love, love, love to walk especially these days.  I’m still glowing in the bliss of being finished with my wheelchair and am willing to walk anywhere, anytime.  Nothing stops me from walking, not even blisters, sore spots where my shoes rub my feet or grossly swollen feet.

Whether it is cloudy, raining or a gorgeous sunny day, I am walking in sunshine.  I radiate joy.  I’m doing an inner dance of joy to the refrain of “I’m not in a wheelchair!  This is fun!  I’m not in a wheelchair!  Look at me go, I’m having fun, fun, fun!”

I spend my days walking and my nights soaking my feet so I can go again tomorrow.

Are you walking in sunshine?  If not, why not make some changes in your life so you can join me and be a radiant force for good.

Life is good!  God is great! All is right in my world.

Many Blessings,

Genie

Genie aka Sunshine Walking

I Am

In my opinion the most powerful statement you can say about yourself always begins with “I Am.”  Without thinking about it, these two words are used carelessly every day by most people and not necessarily for their own positive good.   This phrase is so powerful that it can call into reality what is said after the words “I am.”

If you want to change your world, a powerful tool would be to start with this powerful phrase.  For instance, instead of saying “I am sick and tired” how about “I am whole” or “I am a healthy child of God” or “I am having a wonderful day; it wore me out, but all is well.”  I could go on and on with alternative “I am” statements, but I’m sure you have gotten the point by now.

Some of my personal favorite “I am” statements are:

“I am a radiant positive force for good.”

“I am a healer.”

“I am a spiritual writer.”

“I am a catalyst for positive transformation.”

“I am a healthy, wealthy and wise child of God.”

“I am joyful.”

“I am happy.”

How do you use the phrase “I am?”  How can you use “I am” to your advantage, rather than using it to express a negative thought about yourself?  Write down as many positive “I am” statements about yourself as you can; feel free to borrow some of my “I am” statements.  Remember, these “I Am” statements can include what you want to be rather than how you are showing up today.  Put your “I Am” list where you can see it so you can focus on bringing all your positive “I Am” statements to life.

Life is good!  God is great! All is right in my world.

Many Blessings,

Genie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today is the Day!

I’ve started my day off by sitting on my back porch.  I love to listen to the birds and be a witness to the sun coming up and seeing the flowers clearly for the first time that morning.  I missed coming out here the last two days, because it was too cold to sit out here.  Bundled up in my longest, warmest winter coat and I have learned that it isn’t too cold.  Though I must admit that I’m already making plans to wrap myself in one of my mama’s beautiful quilts and wear gloves in addition to the coat tomorrow if the weather is still cold.

I wrote the first paragraph early this morning, before I went off to work.  I expected to have an awesome day and be able to beam positive energy as I normally do.  Sigh, best laid plans and all that… I had an 8:20 doctor’s appointment and since it was so early, I thought I would actually have a shot at getting to work at a reasonable time.  Nope, between waiting for a long while just to be seen and the super low (49) blood sugar test result, I was kept there most of the morning.

I finally got to work and thought; now my day is back on track.  Not so much.  I ended up leaving work after two and half hours, because human bodies are just not designed to have severe blood sugar swings as the ones I was experiencing.  Usually, I just suck it up and push myself to keep going until the end of the day.  Today, I decided to be nice to myself.  I went home and took a three-hour nap.

That did it, now I’m back on my path of being a radiant positive force for good.  I fixed a fruit salad and tuna salad for supper tonight.  I had six different fruits, chopped up:  apple, pear, (a fruit that is a cross between an orange and a tangerine – forgot its name), mango, strawberries, and white grapes.  It was so good!  I also diced up a bunch of different veggies to go in my salad:  cauliflower, cucumber, tomato, celery, radish, green pepper, and yellow pepper.  What an excellent meal.  I like to chop and dice fruits and veggies; it makes it look like you are eating more than you are.

The lesson I learned today, sometimes it isn’t about pushing yourself to keep going; sometimes it is about taking care of yourself so you can keep going.  I’m no longer singing the blues; no I’m singing a song from a Disney movie “South of the South.”

“Zippity doo dah, Zippity yay,
My oh my what a wonderful day
Plenty of sunshine coming my way,
Zippity doo dah, Zippity yay.”

Life is good!  God is great! All is right in my world.

Many Blessings,

Genie

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Flowers from my backyard.  I took the photographs April 24th 2012 just after dawn so the dew is still on the petals.

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The Health Talk

I figure it is about time we talked about what being healthy really means.  I would like you to pause a moment and think about the definition of health.  What does being healthy mean to you?  Fill in the blank:  Being healthy for me, means that I can ______.   Write or type your statement then please read further.

We need to acknowledge that everyone is on a different path is this life; no matter how much it looks like the guy next door is on the same path as you, there is something unique to each of you that the other may not know.   Someone who has been free of disease their whole life will have a radically different point of view than a disabled person who struggling with diseases and/or disorders.  Also keep in mind that not everyone on this planet is here to experience the ideal health situation according to the mainstream view of health.

Being disabled for many years, more than I care to remember, changed my idea of what exactly does it mean to be healthy.  For example, in my article “Fading Away” (http://voices.yahoo.com/fading-away-524741.html?cat=5) that I wrote in 2007 as Genie Walker,  on this topic: “For me healthy is: getting up in the morning and getting on with my day without having to notice the effort it takes to actually get out of bed.”  If you want to know more about my past, please click on the hyperlink above.  Today, my idea of being healthy is walking up and down the four flights of stairs at work, just because I can.   At this point, I can only do two flights of stairs with a few rest breaks and lot of sweating.

Now, take a look at your health statement.  Do you still agree with it?  Do you need to make some adjustments?  Whether you keep your original health statement or you make adjustments, post it somewhere where you will see it each day.  If you are already healthy, your statement will be a positive affirmation; if you are not there yet, use your statement as a goal to attain.  Remember to stay positive.

I would love it, if you would share your health statements with me.  If you don’t want to make a public comment, send me a private email at geniespeaks (at) gmail (dot) com.

Life is good!  God is great! All is right in my world.

Many Blessings,

Genie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am the photographer of all the photos I post here.

Adds Up

I believe there is more than one aspect to being healthy.  I wanted to share my path to healthiness in hopes my story will help someone else find health.  Until last month, I was in a wheelchair. This month I’m walking and smiling; smiling and walking.

For me attitude is everything!  I KNOW I am healed because all things are possible with God.   Being positive is a necessary ingredient and you need to never ever  give up.  When I was in grade school, I read everything I could get my hands on. Certain tales from history stuck with me and help form my attitude.  I read nonfiction stories about pioneers dying a few feet from their home, because they couldn’t see it in the blizzard so they didn’t know how close they were.  I also read that a lot folks in the old American West died of thirst, just a few feet from a watering hole.  Those people died, because they gave up. I don’t know how to give up.  Even playing a board game, I will not stop playing, because it looks like I’m losing.  I don’t stop playing until I have totally lost the game, not before.  Then I will demand a rematch.  I do not give up.

Having a strong spiritual life is important. If you don’t know deep down to your soul that miracles happen and will happen to you; your mind may reject the healing. If you start feeling better and are able to do something you haven’t done in years, do not tell yourself or anyone else “I can’t believe it.”  That’s a one way ticket back to where you were.  Instead, tell yourself and anyone who will listen, how great God is today, yesterday, and tomorrow.  Expect more miracles. Be a believer.

Have an exercise program; I despised exercise until recently.  My attitude is different, now that I’m not in a wheelchair.  Exercise is fun; anything I do is fun because I’m not in a wheelchair. Starting Saturday, I’ll be doing water aerobics in addition to all the walking I’m doing.  My face is getting a workout also, because I can’t stop grinning.  Inside I’m doing a dance, chanting “I’m not in a wheelchair, woohoo!”

Don’t let anyone set limits on you.  I’ve lost count of the number of people, who have told me that I got rid of my wheelchair too quickly.   That I should use a walker or a cane; that I should rest more, and worst yet “Don’t push so hard. Take it easy.”  I’m not listening to any of these people.   The only thing that slows me down is blisters on the bottoms of my feet; blisters from walking so much.

Another thing to keep in mind, the old saying “You are what you eat” is so true.  I eat as healthy as I possibly can; using organic foods, staying away from processed food and drinking water or juice.  Tonight, I got a reminder that the food choices you make can determine your mood, energy level and ability to think clearly.  I tried a new food product that I purchased from the health food section.  I was careless and didn’t read the label, so I really didn’t know what I bought.  Tonight, I ate the so-called healthy food and within 30 minutes of my meal, I lost my joyous attitude, my connection to God felt weak, I lost the ability to think clearly (I’ve been working on this blog for hours; it usually doesn’t take this long), my energy levels are weak and I feel like tearing someone’s head off.  I hope my body rejects this toxic poison out of my system so I can go back to being glowing with happiness and feeling joyful to the core of my being.

All these steps were part of the whole that led to my healing.  We are all on a different path and have different need, but I believe I have given a basic outline that will add up to anyone being able to be healed.

Life is good!  God is great! All is right in my world.

Many Blessings,

Genie

p.s.  I woke up the next morning feeling that today is a wonderful day.  Its awesome to feel joyous.