What is “a Christmas Day?”  I invite you to consider an addition to the view offered by the Christmas story, a view that can make every day Christmas for you.

Can you allow yourself to accept that the significance of Christmas is even the birth of Jesus? It can be so much more. It can be that the Christ was revealed. It is a wonderful time of love, respect and gratitude for Jesus’ birth as he had the courage to reveal to the world the secret of a holy consciousness that is always present. 

 As we read and hear the Christmas story every year, eventually it goes beyond our individual minds to the part of us that can be awakened.  Many men and women go through their entire lifetimes without this area of consciousness ever being awakened.  It is available to them always.

A Christmas Day is a day of renewed dedication to the nature of God and prayer. We can live with our intellectual understanding, practicing it until we experience our own Christmas morning, a morning of spiritual rebirth, a dawning in our consciousness of the nature of the Christ.

An influential teacher in my life, Joel Goldsmith, wrote:

“The birth of the Christ is your Christmas Day and mine. It is that particular moment in which there is something in the nature of an awakening or in the nature of an awareness in which you realize that something is now functioning of which you heretofore were unaware. It may only be in fleeting glimpses. It may be in a few individual experiences, but for all, the experience is the same. …

Realize within yourself the Christ, the Christmas Day. Let every day be a Christmas Day of realization, and then loose that Christ into the world and let It touch those who are prepared.”

I wish you the joy and wonder of a Christmas Day, this day and every day.

Much joy and many blessings,
Rhoberta

Rhoberta Shaler, PhD
www.SoulWiseWays.com
www.Rhoberta.com

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Many of us were raised with the idea of God being somewhere outside of ourselves, a Being, an Entity, a Deity above and beyond us. Some see an anthropomorphic God pictured as a man with long silver hair, floating benevolently above on a cloud. Some adopt artist’s renderings such as Michaelangelo offered. All were beyond the individual.

Where is God to you?  If you are interested in the Bible, you will remember that it clearly tells us that “behold, the kingdom of God is within you’ in Luke 17.21.  What a huge shift it is for many to think that God is within and expressing through you. Everything changes.

Where is God to you?

Many blessings,
Rhoberta

Rhoberta Shaler, PhD
Consultant. Coach. Counselor. Catalyst.
Helping Businesses Prosper & People Flourish Since 1982
www.Rhoberta.com
www.SoulWiseWays.com
www.SpiritualLivingNetwork.com – Join in. It’s free!

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Have you ever seen a person so caught up in their spiritual that they seem to be a little odd, a little tipped? That happens sometimes when a person cannot seem to live effectively in the world, meeting his or her human responsibilities while retaining that inner area of consciousness open to spiritual impuluse. They seem to unable to maintain the spiritual balance of living in the world without being swept up in the world.

So, it’s a question for us to consider:  to what extent can we stay in the marketplace, surrounded by competition, struggle, strife and jealousy that sometimes characterizes business or work, and yet maintain an awareness of that Power and Presence that is unknown to the material world?

That take spiritual balance: the ability to maintain both your spiritual awareness and be effective in the world without veering to one side or the other, blending the two into one harmonious whole.  To do this, we cannot give our whole day over to worldly pursuits, but neither do we give our whole day to meditation.  Yes, we meditation frequently for a minute or two to maintain an awareness of the Presence and our best direction.  Then, we go out and live this awareness by meeting the daily challenges and opportunities the world provides. It is possible to be “in the world but not of the world” as it says in the Bible. And, it requires spiritual balance.

The mystical way is one of intense inner stilness in the midst of incredible outer activity. It calls for a nonattachment to ther things and persons of the world. Not the kind, though, that creates that “crackpot” way of being in the world! Not floating in a vacuum with no base on which to rest. Some attachment is necessary, and it is found only in the Spiritu within which becomes our anchor.  Knowing that we are inseparable and divisibile from Spirit, we can be less and less atttached to the constantly shifting changing picture of the human world.

It is not a good idea for anyone to attempt to live beyond his or her attained state of consciousness. We know we are not at the stage of walking on water, so, we wisely take a boat! We cannot let our egos push us to try to walk on water. That is true folly.

Every difficulty we face is, in some ways, a matter of imbalance. If we begin our journey on the Path by remembering the importance of spiritual balance, keeping our perspective with the vision always before us, with our heads in the clouds and our feet firmly planted on the earth, we can keep our spiritual balance and achieve our goals.

Many blessings,
Rhoberta

Rhoberta Shaler, PhD
Consultant. Coach. Counselor. Catalyst.
…providing you with success solutions for life, love & livelihood

www.Rhoberta.com

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©  Rhoberta Shaler, PhD
www.SoulWiseWays.com

I’ve learned that any focus on “getting” is a mistake.

In the last few years, many folks were brought to the awareness that their focus and thoughts make a huge difference in the outcomes in their lives. Unfortunately, films like The Secret (which wasn’t one)  make it seem like a magic bullet. You want. You focus. You get. That may seem like quite the neat trick to those new to the process, and, it certainly can seem to work that way…for a while.

Soon after The Secret came out, a former coaching client of mine gave me a mournful call.

“We watched The Secret. We read the book. We did everything it said and we got great results. We were able to sell our house in a down-turning economy and get a great deal on a new home in a much more upscale neighborhood. We didn’t think we could qualify and yet, we did. Now nothing is working. What are we doing wrong?”

Before I tell you my response, let me share something important with you: it is who you are and how you are in the world that counts in the big picture. It’s not what you are “getting.”  It is your relationship with God that makes all the difference. If you are simply trying to use a thought-system, the change in you will work for you for a little while. If you want a life that works, you have to do the work to change your consciousness…and, you have to maintain that change moment-by-moment.

My response to my client, a woman I had come to know absolutely prizes and measures her success by her possessions was:

“I’m delighted for you that you have experienced what changing your perspective and practices can do for you.  What are your current spiritual practices?  Now, I don’t want to hear about your affirmation rituals. I want to know about your spiritual practices. What do you now do differently in relationship to God as well was in relationship to people, circumstances and conditions in your life?”

She had no answer. She did nothing different except focus on what she wanted to buy more of, visualized it and believed she would simply draw it to her. That is NOT a spiritual practice.

When we are faced with the appearance of any discord, inharmony, pain, lack or limitation and we are tempted to make a mental effort to indulge in vigorous thought-taking, affirmations and denials in order to achieve the peace or supply we want, it is a good step. But here is a radical thought that stems from a commitment to remembering that you and God are One:

Whenever there is an appearance of discord, you can simply relax.  You don’t have to make any mental effort if you know and believe that your good does not come to you by force or mental power. It comes from the very gentle Spirit.  It doesn’t come from striving, by making big efforts, by engaging in vigorous positive thought or affirmation. It comes from the depths of your being, in the stillness, in quietness, and in confidence.

You are never separated from God and God can only do for you what God can do through you. So, give.  That’s your job. God will take care of the rest. I know this.

SoulWise Blessings,
Rhoberta

Rhoberta Shaler, PhD
Consultant. Coach. Counselor. Catalyst.
Catalyst to creating the life, love & livelihood that fulfills you & serves the life of the world.
www.SoulWiseWays.com
www.SpiritualLivingNetwork.com

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When we were writing Soul Solitude: Taking Time for Our Souls to Catch Up, I had to include my favorite question:

“For what might this be good?”

I call it “the magic question.”  It is simply the quickest shortcut from “Ain’t it awful?” to “Maybe I can do something with this?”

When something happens that could quickly take you down a rabbit hole, you can immediately shortcut that journey by asking “the magic question.” You’ve shifted your attention from why it is potentially disastrous to a broader perspective, acknowledging the bigger picture.

I don’t know about you but I know that I will never be up high enough to see the Grand Plan. What I do believe is that all is working itself out in the highest and best way for all concerned, even when, to my limited vision, it appears otherwise.  Hence, the power of “the magic question!”

Is it possible that I need to throw away my rose-colored glasses?  Certainly. Anything is possible. BUT, if I had a hundred dollars for every time I’ve heard someone say this of an event that, at the time, they thought was a tragedy and nearly the end of the world, I’d be an even richer woman:

“You know, it turned out to be the best thing that could have happened! Couldn’t see it at the time, but that’s the truth.”

We are just not up high enough to see all the whole picture. We see only our circumstances and conditions. And, believe me, I know that they are not the truth! We are so much more than our circumstances and conditions, yet, many folks react to them as if they were a)real and b)ours. Neither is true. It is simply our limited vision at the moment that leads us to think they are real and ours.

We can help keep our “eyes on the prize”, our focus on the larger Life, by using that simple question as early as we can in response to anything happening in our world:

“For what might this be good?”

Many blessings, much joy and great love,
Rhoberta

Rhoberta Shaler, PhD
Consultant. Coach. Counselor. Catalyst.
….leading you to create the life, love & livelihood that fulfills you and serves the life of the world
www.SoulWiseWays.com
www.ForWomenEntrepreneurs.com
www.SpiritualLivingNetwork.com

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We call people “spiritual seekers” and many are looking for God in all the wrong places…in my opinion. (Of course, I can only share my thoughts and conclusions about this after fifty years of walking the spiritual path through amazing experiences and beside still waters, and they are just mine.)

Why do I think folks are looking in all the wrong places?  Because they are looking for God outside of themselves.  You know there is an old story about sages arguing about where to hide the truth, each with his own idea.  Finally once suggested hiding it inside people.  When asked why he thought that was best, his reply was:

“Because they will never think to look there!”

God is within me, expressing in, as, around and through me and I know that to be true. Believe me, I’ve had ample opportunity to figure that out! As a young mom, I made my way alone with three children, a fulltime job, little child support and parents who espoused that infamous phrase,

“You made your bed. Now, lie in it!”

As I sat down with a pile of bills much higher than the pile of dollars each month, I would feel myself slipping into the “ain’t it awfuls” and have to remind myself–maybe even talk out loud very strongly to myself to get my attention–that God is, in fact, expressing through me and only I can stop the flow! And, oh, I had such supposedly rational ways to stop that flow.

What if you could wrap your head around the idea that God is within you, made you as the Bible says “in his image and likeness,” and you could live from that idea? God has poured everything out for you long before you went looking for it. Could you accept that?  Or, do you prefer fear, limitation, and struggle?

Believe me, I know it is not always easy to stay in that flow. I’m an expert at finding justifications for making plans and making things happen.  Foolish me. Truly, when I remember that God lives as me, then all is “added unto me.” It’s when I get my knickers in a knot, thinking I have to MAKE it happen, that anxiety, anger, frustration and fear take over.

Fortunately, after all these years, I’m quicker at remembering and getting back in the flow that has sustained and maintained me with manna all these years.

How about you?  How do you get yourself back into the flow?

Many blessings,
Rhoberta

Rhoberta Shaler, PhD
Consultant. Coach. Counselor. Catalyst.
…leading you to the life, love & livelihood that fulfills you and serves the life of the world
www.SoulWiseWays.com
www.Rhoberta.com
Enjoy free social networking for spiritually-minded people at www.SpiritualLivingNetwork.com

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It would be folly to think that we can go about in life doing anything we please. Many have learned that the hard way as the twig has been bent first one way, then the other. My mother’s generation seemed most concerned with

“What will other people think?”

My grandson’s generation has an entitlement mentality:

“The world owes me big time.”

This turned my mother into a chronic worrier, stifling her desires, ambitions and talents to keep other people from potentially making judgments that would upset her, and my grandson into a teenager with an underlying anger at the world. Unfortunately, my mother retained her position and spent most of her time making other people wrong. Fortunately, my wonderful grandson got out in the world and found that he was the one who was going to have to make his way.  I’m so proud of him as he has grasped the realities of sustaining himself in the world without letting go of his precious sense of self.

I recently had a mentoring client who came to the weekly call upset. He said that he had just had an encounter with a colleague that angered him to the point of yelling, swearing and throwing the fellow out of his office.  To his chagrin, I said,

“So, you are a CEO who yells, swears and throws people out of your office.”

He then became somewhat upset with me as he explained that his behavior was simply a response to the outrageous behavior of his VP.  He was clear that this fellow had overstepped all boundaries and had clearly no understanding of appropriate behavior. So, my client justified his behavior, and I said:

“So, you are a CEO who yells, swears and throws people out of your office.”

Again, he patiently tried to explain to me that he had never yelled, sworn or thrown anyone out of his office before, therefore, this was a special case. He plead his case that it was all about the VP and had nothing to do with him.  He was simply reacting–or, he preferred to think it was responding–to this unseemly, inappropriate behavior.

Slowly I did my best to lead him to see that his choice of behavior was entirely his and the proddings of the VP had really nothing to do with his response.  If he were the person he believed himself to be: kind, fair, encouraging and empowering, he had the strength and clarity to choose to respond to the VP from that place. Trying to justify his reaction by placing the power in the hands of the VP is simply crooked thinking!

There is no escape: who you are is what you do. That’s why it is so important to take the time–as I do with my mentees–to reflect, to discuss and to clarify who you are. Then, you will do what that person, the one you have defined, does. Then, you will not give away your power and allow others to “make” you do things that are outside of your values and your decisions about your life.

In my opinion, there is no escape: I am what I do in every situation.  How about you? Are you willing to take that stand?

Many blessings, great joy and much love to you,
Rhoberta

Rhoberta Shaler, Phd
Consultant. Coach. Counselor. Catalyst.
…leading you to the life, love & livelihood that fulfills you and serves the life of the world.
www.SoulWiseWays.com
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© Rhoberta Shaler, PhD

We have all heard the directive to “love your neighbor as yourself.”  It occurs in some paraphrase in each of the ten major spiritual traditions and religions of the world.  So, there must be something to it, right?

So, what is this kind of love?  Love in the spiritual sense is not something far-off and removed from us. It isn’t anything that can come to us. It is already a part of who we are, already well-established within us.  AND, it is universal and impersonal.  This wonderful love can pour out from us in abundance because we have a never-ending supply.

Now, that might seem contradictory to the evidence in your reality.  What about those people who seem to complain about everything and everybody?  Where’s that never-ending pouring of love through them?  Just because it’s available doesn’t mean folks avail themselves of it.  The electricity is always just waiting at the switch for you to turn it on, but some folks just like to sit in the dark.  Enough said.

Where does all this wonder, light and joy come from? In my opinion–and, that’s all I can offer you here after fifty years of study and practice, our receptivity to the understanding that God is Love, and God and man are one, leads me to the evitable conclusion that there is no way to love God without some of that love flowing out to our neighbor…all the time.  It’s flow!

Who are our neighbors?  Just the folks next door, in the next room or in the next town?  I think it’s important for each of us to think this through.  It sounds simple, but is it?  Is it literal, or, is there more?

So, who is this neighbor?  This may be a bit much to take in, but, I’m going to suggest that anything of which we can become aware is our neighbor, no matter whether it is a person, animal, place, or thing.  One of my favorite writers, Joel S. Goldsmith, wrote:

“Every idea in consciousness is a neighbor. …When we see God as the cause and our neighbor as that which is in and of God, then we are loving our neighbor, whether that neighbor appears as a friend, relative, enemy, animal, flower or stone. In such loving, which understands all neighbors to be of God,…we find that every idea in consciousness takes its rightful place. Those neighbors who are a part of our experience find their way to us and those who are not are removed. Let us resolve loving our neighbor into a spiritual activity, beholding love as the substance of all that is, no matter what the form may be.”   Practicing the Presence, p. 66

The good news about these ideas is that each of us now can simply be loving, no matter what the experience, conditions or circumstances. We do not have to think about it. We simply choose to be loving in all cases.

When I wrote Wrestling Rhinos: Conquering Conflict in the Wilds of Work, I did so because skills of communication, conflict and anger management and negotiation are essential to peace and productivity.  The same is true in the home and family, in fact, everywhere.  We find “our neighbors” everywhere, too.  Sometimes it is tough to be grateful for the many opportunities we get in a day–or a family–to choose to be loving.  That’s why I made it my mission when I created the Optimize Institute to teach people to communicate in ways that are totally kind and totally honest at the same time.  Doing that is loving.

I invite you to reflect on the neighbors in your life and how you can express love in your interactions.  I’m going to pet my dog, Mystery, for a bit…because I love him.

Great joy, much love & the recognition of the abundance that surrounds you always.
Rhoberta

Rhoberta Shaler, PhD
Consultant. Coach. Counselor. Catalyst.
…leading you to the life, love & livehood that fulfills you & serves the life of the world
www.SoulWiseWays.com
http://rhoberta.com

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Provocative question! So many people say they are looking for love. For you to know what to do with it when you find it, you have to BE a lover.

What does it mean ‘to be a lover?’ It is not about words, though they can be expressive. It is not about money, though everyone enjoys gifts. It is not about doing things for the beloved, though that is always appreciated. It is not about spending time together, though that is delightful. It is not about the warmth of a hug and the touch of a hand, although connection affirms our existence.

To be a lover is all these things and more. To be a lover is to demonstrate consistent enthusiastic devotion to the object of your affections through those loving behaviors, and want for your partner what your partner wants for him or herself.

That’s a tall order and a full-time commitment. That’s why I say that relationship is a spiritual path within your spiritual path. It calls forth all that you have. That’s SoulWise Loving.

I wish you SoulWise Love.
Rhoberta

Rhoberta Shaler, PhD
Consultant. Coach. Counselor. Catalyst.
…leading you to align your values, vision, beliefs & purpose to create the life, relationships & livelihood that you long for
www.SoulWiseWays.com
http://www.forwomenentrepreneurs.com/

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Would the world stop turning if I gave up my illusion of control?

That’s a big question with two important parts: my illusion and my control. Do I actually believe that I am in control of all that goes on here called my life? I think of the many goal-setting workshops I gave in the 80’s, so clear that there was a process that could regulate my behavior. Even then, I only paid it lip service in my own life because it did not seem right. Now, I laugh when I think of it. Intuitively, I think I knew that all my planning was simply time-consuming behavior the outcome of which I could not be attached to. But, it gave me the illusion of doing something, at least!

You might have had that experience, too. Please understand that I have no issue with myself or others having goals. I simply consider them to be what I think might be next or best. Not rules. Not formulae. Not “must-haves.” And, able to be let go of in an instant!

I’ve been in seminars and workshops where the supposed sage on the stage demanded that crystal clear goals be created with objectives, action plans and tasks, separated and at the ready as an arsenal for blasting through anything unlike achievement. In fact, it was suggested that you might just be choosing failure if that arsenal was not intact! Perhaps you have experienced something similar.

In our book, SOUL SOLITUDE: Taking Time for Our Souls to Catch Up, we say that surrender is one of the four most important steps in a soulwise life. That’s not a sometimes kind of surrender. It’s a bigtime, all-the-time kind of surrender. Are you willing to live surrendered in God? What do you understand by that question? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Many blessings,
Rhoberta

Rhoberta Shaler, PhD
Consultant. Coach. Counselor. Catalyst.
…leading you to align values, vision, beliefs & purpose to create the life you long for
www.SoulWiseWays.com
Find me on Facebook, Twitter & Linked in at RhobertaShaler

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