Stay Calm and Be the Love & Light of the World

Whew! What a difference 24 hours makes! Saturday, I was fired up, disgusted, and angry at yet another Trump rant, and ready to fight. Today, I am choosing to embody love, light, and forgiveness – because radical, unapologetic, unrelenting love is what will transform everything that needs to change.

We celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life today and I realized that we all have inherited the radical love and light he possessed. We sometimes forget this beautiful inheritance, when we see an out picturing of hate coming our way or when we, ourselves are acting out. But, as Dr. King said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

If I want things to change, things cannot change with the same energy that it already is. It has to change from the opposite of what it embodies. In this case, when someone is acting like an ass, I need not act an ass along with them. I show them the love that I wish to see and be.

What brought on this change? Two things – exhaustion and my loving Healing Reike Circle. I was mentally exhausted from all the news reports of a certain president elect acting un-presidential – yet again. All of this negative energy caused me to forget my own inheritance of peace and love. I was frustrated, hurt and felt like I was trapped in a country that is hell-bent on self-destructing.

Reike is a healing modality that combines beautiful intention, love, and healing hands to another. Each person gets a turn at having loving, healing hands sending healing love energy and the person on the table gets a chance to receive love. In giving love to my healing circle friends, I realized that just as I can give love to these lovely people, I can give love to others who may not like me or agree with my views. Love will boomerang back to me, because that is the Law of Cause and Effect and the Law of Attraction (like attracts like). What I put out into the world will boomerang back to me and what is attracted to me.

Here are a few tips on being the light and love of the world:

• Before responding to a negativity, ask yourself if this is even worthy of your energy. If it is, then ask how can love be infused into the situation.
• Pray for (or meditate on) the person or situation that is causing angst in your heart and life. The power of prayer transforms from near and far, and moves hearts closer.
• Remember and hold the vision of a peaceful, cooperative, and loving world. You may not be able to do this in the heat of the moment of a debate or rant, but when you have a chance (each day), take some time to envision all that you want to experience. We spend so much time focusing on what we don’t want, that little time or energy is directed towards what we actually do want.

By no means am I condoning suppressing your beliefs to make someone else feel more comfortable or less threatened by different views. But, I am saying to take a moment to ask yourself if you could benefit from hearing someone else’s point of view or at least empathize from where they are coming from. Perhaps once they feel they are heard, they will then be ready to listen. The only way we can move forward is through MUTUAL respect.

No matter what, we still have to keep our inheritance of peace and love close and near, especially because that’s what most of want to have in our experience. Brotherly, universal love was here before the election, and it will be here well beyond four years. We cannot lose sight of the big picture, based on others’ immaturity and ill-will. Even when we have to navigate into and through the negativity, we should remember our birthright and not be so fast to toss our love aside when it is that very thing that will save us all.  Our aim should always be to fly through and above the negativity, not to wallow and roll around in it.

I will try to follow my own advice, especially next time I see or hear something that is not in alignment with what I want to experience. I will ask – how can I be the love and light in this situation?

~Your Curator of All Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

I Am In a Supportive Universe

I am in a supportive Universe and ALL my needs are absolutely met.

I am in a supportive Universe… is one of my most favorite, powerful affirmations I say on a daily basis.

When you say (and believe) you are in a supportive Universe, you are activating all that will support that claim.

The Universe supports you in helping you to be the fullest expression of who you are. When you shine your light, in only the way you can bring forth the Light, the Universe expands and grows. Others are moved by your expansion. It is your love of life that pushes the folds of time and space to the edges of eternity. Your natural, curious, loving self is connected to the Universal Flow. Your raised vibrational energy helps to heighten our Collective Consciousness. It is vital to us all for you to have all you need to reveal more of your authentic self.

It is important to know that not only do you benefit from the Universe’s support, the Universe depends on you to be who it is you were brought here to be. The Universe will surround you with people and things to support you and your vision. Universal support is always there, always shaping and molding matter into what it is you need and want, directed by your thoughts.

Miracles happen all the time, why not be a recipient of all that is available to you? In order to receive, you have to first believe you are worthy, then you have to allow what it is that is trying to get to you. To feel worthy is to void all feelings of inadequacy and undeserving emotions, and instead filling up with self-love.

We tend to forget we have already inherited God’s gifts of life, love, and liberty. We wrongly believe there’s separation between ourselves and God or ourselves and that which we want. It is this perceived separation that causes our suffering. Old church doctrines of God being vengeful is where it likely started. This perceived separation is further fed by guilt and shame we hold towards ourselves. We suffer when we forget God dwells in and around us, not in some heaven mothership. We suffer when we focus on lack, instead of abundance and sustenance. We suffer when we forget to align our thoughts with gratitude, appreciation and thanksgiving.

You will get to a point in your manifestational journey when you recognize every thought is answered, every desire birthed and fulfilled. You will understand that all thoughts are creative and influential and will be careful on what you decide to focus on.

Even through your discontent and contrast (of not having what you want), there is a support from the Universe to bring you closer to contentment. You will get to a place of trusting in the Universe and God to provide ALL you need in abundant supply. Abundant supply in health, love, family, friendship, happiness, peace, and joy.

Tools to deepen your understanding:

Podcasts:

• Think, Believe, and Manifest Show. Constance’s April 24, 2015 show with her guest Minista Jazz, titled, “Turning Your Test Into a Testimony.”
• Everyday Attraction. Show date June 19, 2015, “Why Are You Going It Alone When Source Is Whispering in Your Ear?”
• Everyday Attraction. Show date June 26, 2015, “Can You Let Yourself Have It All?”
• Receive Your Life. Show date, June 25, 2015, “Deliberately Growing Your Faith Thoughts.”

Affirmation:

The church I attend, Center for Spiritual Awareness of West Sacramento provides weekly affirmation cards. When you find yourself feeling less abundant, shift your thoughts to the following message:

I live in an unlimited Universe. Unlimited in love, in money, in forgiveness, in next steps, and unlimited in connections with others. I am never alone because the Presence of God is within everyone I meet.

How do you know you are in a supportive Universe?

~Your Curator of All Things Affirmative and Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Cultivating Your Spiritual Practice

There are day to day activities we do that are chockfull of spirituality. Your spiritual rituals and rhythm can be found in your chores, errands, daily commute, daily work tasks, exercising and spending time with family and friends. Oftentimes, we think of going to church, praying, and meditation as the only means to cultivating a spiritual practice. But, when we recognize how natural and easy it is to carve out a spiritual connection, the world seems abound with many spiritual growth opportunities.

Here are some ways to cultivate your day to day spiritual practices:

• Stay on the lookout for pockets of time you can take to meditate or to think on what you’re grateful for. Book a conference room at work for you to turn down the lights and meditate. It only takes a few minutes for a mindfulness reboot. If you can’t book a room, go to your car, or do a walking meditation around the block on your breaks.
• Download phone apps, such as Calm or Nature Meditation Sounds to have on hand to easily meditate. Or, consider creating a YouTube subscription to all of your favorite guided meditation or nature sound videos.
• When you find yourself in a limiting or defeating thought, consider Esther Hicks/Abraham’s suggestion of the Seventeen Seconds Process where you countdown seventeen seconds as you shift your thoughts to something lighter and better serving. Rae Zander and Heather McKay Novak of Everyday Attraction Podcast’s June 5, 2015 show “The Most Powerful Alignment Practices of All Time” discuss the Seventeen Second Process in greater detail (http://www.unity.fm/episode/EverydayAttraction_060515). They sourced their information from the originator of the Seventeen Second Process, Esther Hicks/Abraham-Hicks of http://www.abraham-hicks.com/lawofattractionsource/index.php.
• Keep Your cell phone or MP3 player full of positive, New Thought, or inspirational Podcasts to listen to on your commute. I look forward to my twenty minute drives to work thanks to the inspirational Podcasts that spark my imagination and inspire me.
• There’s nothing more spiritually uplifting than calling an old friend to catch up on life and laughs. When you need a pick-me-up, call up a friend and be their pick-me-up.
• Take a walk. Even a brisk, ten minute walk in the sun is enough time to get mindful and connected to your inner thoughts. Say some affirmations, think of what you’re grateful for, or, clear your mind.
• Keep a little journal near you to capture random divine coincidences, things you are grateful for, or even ideas and sparks of interest you want to explore. Make sure its small enough to fit in your back pocket or purse so there’s no excuse to be without it.
• Read spiritual text and holy books. Read all there is – blogs, books, memoirs, poems and journals, just to name a few. Even if you can only manage a couple of pages a day, you will gain some spiritual nourishment and insight to any give situation.
• Let the music carry you away. What’s your favorite music genre? Why did you fall in love with that type of music? Fall in love all over again with a long lost genre you used to groove to. Spirituality can also be found in singing songs, so sing away.
• When exercising, have inspirational Podcasts, affirmations (create your own for a powerful experience), or music that allows your mind to run free playing through your earbuds. I like combining my workouts with spiritual practice because I’m a busy lady and I need to combine my activities.
• Play in the recesses of your mind. Daydream, get lost in your thoughts and fall in love with the Inner You.

Janice Campbell of Receive Your Life Podcast reminds us that all of us have a spiritual practice that feeds our soul and it’s up to each of us to nourish our spiritual selves everyday on her May 28, 2015 show, “Your Spiritual Practice” (http://www.unity.fm/episode/ReceiveYourLife_052815). It was Janice’s May 28th Podcast that inspired me to write this post to remind us to honor what it is that moves us and have our being.

Can you find spiritual fulfillment in the mundane, like housecleaning or your daily work duties? It doesn’t take a lot to indulge daily in what makes you spiritually connected and happy.

~Your Curator of All Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

It is Always Your Turn to Receive God’s Good for You

Sometimes we look at others’ lives and wonder when will it be our turn to receive all the good they are receiving. The question, “When will I get… a promotion, find a job, finish college, pursue my dream career, get married, have children, travel, or ____________________(fill in the blank)?” This line of thinking and this question signals that we may be lacking understanding of the most fundamental thing we must always remember.

That one thing to remember is: It is always your turn to receive God’s Good for you. Always. Not tomorrow, not yesterday, but today, right now, this moment. You have to turn to your Good and recognize that it is already here. Your Good is literally just a new thought away, like our friend Janice Campbell of Receive Your Life (www.receiveyourlife.com) says time and time again on her Podcast show. Her May 7, 2015 show, “There Is Nothing Wrong With You” and May 14, “A Glimpse of Your Value” speaks right to this subject. She delves into how we can turn resentment into power to create and receive all that it is that we want.

Another show that gives us more insight is Everyday Attraction Podcast (everydayattraction.com). The April 24, 2015 show “Dream Big and Let It Flow” reminds us there is no waiting on our desires. You can enjoy them in the entire co-creative process – from the birth of the desire, to the physical manifestation, to the memory of experiencing it. Your desire is a desire before it’s in the physical form. “Living in Receiving – How to Get Into the Receiving mode” May 8, 2015 show describes how we have to be in “receiving mode” and to be attuned to the “divine nudges” that God pushes you towards your Greater Good. The May 15, 2015 show, “To Perceive Is to Receive” shows us how sometimes what we are looking for is right in front of us – we just have to shift our perception to actually see what’s unfolding.

Your ability or inability to receive is what is allowing or not allowing you to get what you want. Your divine time to receive is right now! You are literally just a thought away from having it. The creative thought of what you want IS having what you want, right now. Now, mix some faith, knowing and understanding of the Universal nudges placed in your mind/heart and you’ve got yourself a gift to receive in the physical form.

~Your Curator of All Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

 God May Be All You Have…And That’s Enough

Who is your source? How do you tap into the God’s Universal Flow? Who do you lean on when things seem to be going awry? Who supports you? Who carries you, when you’ve finally surrendered?

As a child of God, you have an umbilical cord that cannot be severed from God. The only separation is the one that Man conjures in his mind.

From a manifesting standpoint, you have to know who your Source is. And, that Source is God Source. When you look to jobs, people, or anything outside of you and God, then you are not understanding the ever living and lasting supply God has for all of us. God delivers the means to support us through jobs, people and other ways, but it is never the other way around.

~Your Curator of All Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Freedom Consciousness: Part One – Spiritual Freedom

“I am where I am, when I am…” ~Kimberly Jo Cooley

While driving to work, I harbored anxious feelings for the start of my workday. I kept encountering every red light and slow moving vehicle en route, further increasing my anxiety. Then I thought, I am where I am, when I am. This affirmation calmed me and my ride to work became smooth and enjoyable.

“I am where I am, when I am” could pertain to being stuck in traffic, not getting to where I want to go, but later realizing I’ll arrive when I’m ready to arrive. I may not be there yet, but I am where I am, when I am, and that’s alright with me. There’s no race or finish line, other than the ones I choose to experience.

Spiritual freedom is when there are no limitations, leaks or misunderstandings about who we are and why we’re here. We’re living on purpose and we operate from an inside/out paradigm, instead of an outside/in. Everything we encounter and create, is either in alignment or out of alignment with our Greater Self’s Life Flow. Even when we have bumps in our journey, we stay spiritually free by turning within for the answers and for peace.

Religion is an outside/in paradigm and so is family, friends, work, money and anything else outside of our selves. We need to be able to tune into our Inner Knowing we all possess, instead of resting on outside entities to shape our spiritual experience.

We are not the sum of religious parts, yet we continue to relinquish our power to this “superior” outside force. In fact, our spirit is much bigger and more expansive than what any religion could ever hold or be.

Can I still feel a connection to God without ever stepping into a church? Could I love a person if they are not from my same religious background? Man’s law and the rules of all religions are smaller and more constricting than God’s Spiritual laws.

I will always choose to follow God’s Universal laws before man’s laws. Man’s law is stale the moment it is inked in the law books. Man’s law is not concerned with the spiritual and Divine. It is only concerned with keeping order amongst a society. Inherently, there is nothing wrong with man’s law. Man’s law holds only society’s interests and not the interests of each soul that fills every body. Man’s law can change over time as society changes. But, God’s Universal Laws never change. And, religion is born out of man’s law, not God’s law – no matter what anyone says.

I am not suggesting people become lawless and stop going to church. I am asking people to take a look at their spiritual beliefs and to see if they are aligned with their true values. Often times, we do religious practices because it was what our parents did, without any regard to whether or not it resonates with our own spirits. Spiritual freedom is when we can have an untethered connection to the God inside of us, and call on that connection at any moment, in any situation. It is a constant conversation between you and God. And, no amount of religion or sanctimonious practices will foster and nurture that continuous conversation.

* * * *

When I find myself feeling rushed, out of sorts, or not aligned, it’s time for a spiritual tune up.

I know when it’s time for my spiritual tune ups. There’s clutter everywhere, I feel a little scattered and divided, I haven’t looked at my spiritual books in awhile, or listened to my favorite Podcasts, or meditated. Instead of going with my intuitive flow, I am railing against life, not bothering to ask and listen to what God has to say on the matter. No amount of church attendance will get me back on track.

My impatience is just a symptom of not being in alignment with the Truth of who I am and why I’m here.

A Spiritual Tune Up

Some questions to jumpstart a spiritual tune up are:

What does it feel like to be spiritually free for me? Am I at peace? Am I going through the motions of religious ceremonies, or, am I fully present and inspired by my place of worship’s services or my own spiritual practices? Does my present day belief systems diminish, eliminate or exclude, based on old societal or religious belief systems? Or, are my spiritual beliefs expansive, inclusive and loving of myself and others? Even others who do not believe in God?

When I am in spiritual tune up mode, I listen to my favorite, spirit lifting songs. My favorite songs may or may not be gospel, but it is inspirit. I let my thoughts wonder, sometimes landing on images of what I’m grateful for, other times my life’s questions swarm and then receive Divine answers. Peace soon befalls me. I am spiritually free to receive and share the God in me.

~Your Curator of All Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Blog Series: Freedom Consciousness

Abundant Life Initiative’s next blog series explores freedom consciousness. We will explore the following:

1. Freedom in your spirit
2. Freedom in your affairs
3. Financial freedom
4. Freedom to dream big
5. Freedom to be who you want to be
6. Freedom to choose

So many of us know and experience the physical form of freedom, but are we toting that same freedom consciousness in other areas of our lives?

1. The first installment is Freedom in your spirit. What does it mean to be spiritually free? We will explore how many of our old belief systems adopted from our teachers and parents’ own spiritual interpretations shaped what we believed. Do these old beliefs still serve you, or are they limiting and minimizing who you are as an evolved person? Some beliefs may still work, while others may need to be let go. In this post, we will explore how religion and limiting beliefs shape and many times hinder a person’s spiritual growth instead of evolving or enhancing it.
2. The second post discusses freedom in your affairs. Your affairs include your personal and professional experiences. Are you enjoying your job and where you work? If not, why? What about your personal relationships and experiences in your everyday life? Let’s explore what makes you feel more restricted and less free in your business and personal matters. What will it take for you to feel a little more free each day?
3. The third blog installment discusses financial freedom. Some people seem to have it all and never have to worry about money. There are those who do not have a lot of money and express how rich they are anyway. Then there are those with or without money that bemoan what little they have. Abundance is more than just money in the bank, it is maximizing on what you do have, while making spiritual and physical room to receive more from the Universe. The best part of the abundance cycle? Sharing what you have with others! We will explore different ways to look at your situation so you can become more grateful for the financial freedom and abundance you do have.
4. The fourth blog post explores freedom to dream big. Dream big, but take measured, action steps to get to what you want. Dreaming big, then bigger, then biggest prepares you to receive more. Often people are too afraid to dream big, for fear of getting let down. Are you constantly dreaming too small or becoming too narrow in your search for what you want to manifest, limiting the Universe to give you bigger and better? Lets find ways for you to begin to dream big and dream often.
5. The fifth installment discusses freedom to be you in any and everything you do or encounter. Do you find yourself changing your tone and personality from person to person, and then losing your own voice in the process? What is it about you that makes you run away from becoming the person you truly want to be? Knowing your worth allows you to stay true to yourself and your values. We’ll explore how to always be your authentic self and why it’s good for manifesting.
6. Finally, the sixth installment deals with the freedom to choose. Choice and free will is God’s gift to mankind. My people, we can choose! Now, it is time to learn how to practice this freedom and to rely on your intuition to always guide you to where you want to go and where you need to be.

I will include blogs and Podcast recommendations to further deepen our understanding of ways to incorporate more freedom in every area of our lives. I love hearing from my readers, so please share your thoughts on the upcoming freedom blog posts or suggest other topics we can discuss in the future.

~Your Curator of All Things Uplifting, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Freedom and What it Means to You Today

America has summertime holidays of freedom – Juneteenth commemorates the announcement of African American Slaves freed from slavery; we also celebrate freedom from British rule on the 4th of July. As we look upon these holidays as reminders of our freedom, we should also review what freedom means to each of us today, in terms of physical, spiritual, emotional, financial and spiritual.

Have you assessed how free you are to be yourself? Do you feel restricted in any areas of your life? If so, what areas and where are these so-called restrictions coming from? Do they feel like outside forces crowding in on you or do you feel like it is yourself that limits the freedom you feel in a situation?

Make a list of what in your life right now allows you to feel as free as you can possibly be. Now, make another list of areas where you are restricted or feel in bondage. The things that make you feel free in some areas of your life has the ability to make you feel free in ALL areas of your life.

For example, you may feel free when you are writing stories, none of which are published yet. On the other hand, you may feel bonded and limited in your ability to make more money at the current job you have. When you start focusing your attention and intention on what is making you feel your true, authentic, abundant self, you are closer to living a life that is free and supportive of your desires. By sticking to writing your stories, you will get better and more confident to submit them to be published. Next thing you know, you are feeling free in a new area of your life – money is coming in from your publications! One area can bleed into other areas, both positively and negatively.

It is important to always check in with yourself on your freedom gauge in your life. How free do you feel in any given moment? How can you adjust that freedom gauge up in areas where it is turned all the way down? Visualize yourself turning up the freedom nozzle in your life and watch how your demeanor, mood and influence change.

The truth is, we are only as free as we believe or allow ourselves to be, no matter what outside forces are doing. Our beliefs shape how and what we feel about freedom. Yes, even those imprisoned can have a freedom state of mind.

In the spirit of freedom, assess how free you are today and what it will take for you to feel even more free from today forward. As God’s children, we are free. Now, it’s time for us to start expressing freedom in a new and powerful way.

~Your Curator of All Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Spiritual Buoyancy in Turbulent Waters

What does it take to be spiritually buoyant when the waves of life are choppy and turbulent? An influx of gratitude and an output of forgiveness. A knowing that all is truly well and suspending judgment of all situations and people.

These elements: gratitude, forgiveness, knowing, and suspending judgment are critical to maintaining a buoyancy or bounce back when the waves of life dunk you under for just a bit.

When you are going through something that is less desirable, remember to infuse gratitude for whatever is showing itself to you. Then, forgive yourself and others surrounding that situation. Know that all is well and that you were divinely guided to this moment. Finally, suspending or refraining from judgment, prevents labeling a situation or person as “bad” before seeing the good or even just looking at it/them from a different perspective.

Blessings come in many different forms and shapes. Oftentimes the “difficult” experience reveals the diamond in the rough that it was, as you glance at it in the rearview of life, while you are moving full steam ahead. In hindsight, you should be able to look back at a person or situation with loving gratitude and appreciation. Anything and everything that got you to this point in time IS A BLESSING.

We get in our own way when we block the flow of life, by not being grateful, being unable to forgive, forgetting the power of God and our own creative ability, and judging everything and everyone. Being buoyant in turbulent waters is what keeps you afloat enough to move into alignment with the flow of life, with ease and grace. Even seemingly outside situations can feel stormy, but in time, you will be naturally buoyant, while others flounder and even drown in the stormy sea.

God designed us to be spiritually buoyant, but sometimes we forget how to be. Here’s how to remember: Gratitude, forgiveness, knowing and suspended judgment.

~Your Curator of All Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Transcendental Hitchhiking

Very often I find myself experiencing serendipitous moments and will notice a theme emerging.

In this case, the theme emerged was hitchhiking. I realized God was speaking to me in a way for me to understand what He’s trying to say about where I am at spiritually.

I rarely see hitchhikers. In one day, I saw four! A woman and three men, on different occasions. On the same day, I merged onto Interstate 5, a highway I rarely travel on, and not only did I see yet another hitchhiker, I was traveling behind a semi-tracker trailer with a blue cursive label scrawled on the large rear door, “The Hitchhiker.” And, that’s when I knew God was having His say.

I asked my husband what the hitchhiker symbol could mean, what was the underlying message? My husband thought hitchhiking had to do with facing your fears as both the driver and the passenger. There is a level of trust in the unknown and the deliverance of all to come that makes hitchhiking very much like having your faith in God.

When I looked at what was going on in my life, I realized I was in a moment where I was relying on God, one moment or “ride” at a time. It was all an adventure. I had to hitch a ride, to get to my destination, trusting that I would arrive and in the process, be enlightened and titillated with the journey.

I know the general direction of where I want to go. I hitch my faith and trust in God to carry me closer and closer to my destination. There is uncertainty and wonderment on where I may end up, but I trust that my Driver will get me close, if not all the way to my destination.

What if God’s love and deliverance is like hitchhiking? Each of us having the faith and trust that He’ll give us the ride we need and want. The alternative is to never hitch a ride, to sit and wait for some bus that may never come. Or, we can signal to the Universe that we trust and are ready to go.

~Your Curator of all Things Spiritual, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Weaving Gratitude Into Deliberate Creation, Part Three

A dose of gratitude goes a long way in life, especially when we are affirming what we already have and what we want more of. The emotion of gratitude is how we communicate to the Universe our appreciation for what has been given.

Gratitude signals we are in a place of receiving and acceptance. To be in a place of receiving is a blessed thing – always. Even when we receive what we perceive as negative situations – like traffic, disease, debt, or divorce.

The trick to appreciating the undesirables that pop up is having compassion for yourself, recognizing when you created what is now a present day annoyance, you were using old spiritual modalities or not creating with intention, instead creating by default. Also, what may seem “negative” could very well be holding your biggest blessing yet.

Examples:

• A person who has to file for bankruptcy – on the surface seems like a devastating thing to have to go through. It would be easy for that person to get into a cycle of self-pity. But, after a fresh start, the person was able to rebound and find their true selves in the midst of what looked like turmoil and failure. I’ve known people who’ve faced bankruptcy and now live very abundant lives. The once bankrupt person is grateful for going through the valley of debt to reaching the mountain high of true abundance and prosperity. Just google success stories following bankruptcy – you’ll see countless examples of renewal.
• Or the cancer patient who prior to being diagnosed, was working sixty hour work weeks and chasing someone else’s dreams of what their life was supposed to be instead of following their own divine path. The patient survives and is now living their authentic life, healthier than ever. The disease signaled their physical body was no longer able to sustain a life void of real peace and purpose; a body and mind only motivated by trying to please others and keeping up with the Jones. The patient is able to be in a constant state of gratitude for what was and now is. The old them died and a new state of being emerged through the illness.

It is when we wholeheartedly open our hearts in gratitude, that our perception of what is widens. We can see the gift in every single thing and experience we have. We can see beyond bad days and heartbreak, because when we are open to receiving and grateful for what comes, the blessings buried in an undesirable situation is revealed and we are able to move in a direction towards what we want, versus staying in a place of constant reaction and despair. Be grateful for the journey as well as the destination.

As ever-expanding Beings of Light, we should understand the power of gratitude and its role in any and everything we do and experience.

Take Aways:

• Gratitude is paramount in manifesting.
• When saying affirmations, always infuse it with gratitude, whether you are affirming what you’ve already received or what is on its way to you.
• All experiences, whether we intentionally create them or was default creating, are shaping the clay of our lives into what we want to create.
• Just like molding clay, sometimes you have to smooth over and start pressing on in a new spot. The clay is bumpy in some areas, smooth in others – doesn’t mean it can’t still be shaped into what you want it to be (or don’t want it to be). Be grateful for having this experience to mold your life, even if you can only mold a small area.
• Remember to express gratitude for the big and small things that happen – be an example for others who may have a harder time experiencing gratitude. In time, you will find you cannot go through the day without feeling and expressing gratitude and neither will the people around you.
• Gratitude is a nice way to center your thought and intention. When you’re grateful, there is little room for doubt, anxiety, disappointment and frustration.
• Gratitude opens you to receiving more of good vibing feelings and peace.
• Gratitude helps with having compassion for yourself, so you don’t stay in a place of constantly trying to “right” something that seems “wrong.” No need to dwell in what was, be grateful for where you are now, so you can move on to bigger and better manifestations.
• If you have to start with something as basic as “I am grateful for each breath I take,” start there. In time, you will be able to show gratitude for what’s to come, because you practiced gratitude with what you know to be true.

~Your Curator of all Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Asleep and now Awake at the Wheel

Sunday, April 27, 2014 – Value: Family time and Keeping It Simple

Roads change, people change. We have to be awake and aware of where we’re going. If we’re not careful, we can be on course to an undesirable exit, a bump in the road or a collision. To stay on the highway of life, we have to flow in the right lanes and be awake and aware so we can adjust the speed and lane we’re traveling in accordingly.

I was driving down a once familiar road and realized at the last moment, it had changed. The exit that was once on the right was now on the left. I remained calm and became aware of where I was and where I needed to go.

I realized I had been asleep behind the wheel of life for a little while. I was distracted and complacent, despite my desires still percolating in my soul, needing me to rise up and merge into a faster moving lane. It is in the moments of near rear end collisions that we realize it’s time to adjust speeds and change lanes, so we can get to a place of cruise control, even better, control the speeds we want to travel in this life. That is also when we become conscious again and drive with eyes wide open, the same goes for how we move in this life.

Yesterday, I focused on all of the limiting beliefs and things I haven’t done. I haven’t meditated in a long time. I haven’t looked at my vision board in awhile. I haven’t focused on my values and desires. I’ve been spending money without really being dialed into my finances and values. But, that was yesterday.

The road can be wrought with ruts and new twist and turns, (some I saw coming, others that surprised me), but with awareness, I can take evasive action and keep on riding, through the bumps and all.

Today is a new day. I am grateful for yesterday’s sleep and today’s awareness. Today, I’m awake and present in the moment. Today, I have reclaimed my power.

~Your Curator of all Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Wherever I Go, God is With Me

Sunday, April 27, 2014 – Value: My Spiritual Evolution

“Wherever I go, God is with me. In the scary places, God is there. In the gorgeous places, God is there. In the places I swore I’d never go again, God is there. In the mirror, God is there with love and appreciation for who I am.” – Brende Lambert, church affirmation, this past Sunday at Center for Spiritual Awareness.

To help jump start my abundant life initiative, I went to church. My husband was out of town, so instead of leaving my three year old at home like I usually do, I brought her and my eleven year old son with me. She was quiet, thanks to slipping a few Cherrios to her from time to time.

I decided to do something different today and take notes of the church service so I can refer back to them later. Thank goodness I did because it felt like today’s sermon was directed towards me.

Here are my notes from today’s service and how it was so applicable to my life:

• Form follows thought.
• We can turn what happened to us into victory.
• We do not need other’s tragedy to feel good about ourselves.
• Watch the movie, The Secret by Rhonda Byrnes, every five years for reminders on visualization.
• Always have at least one active dream going in our lives. The pursuit of the dream spirals us upward and moves us into the direction we want to go.
• We can either be pulled by a vision or pushed by a circumstance, says Dr. Michaels. Love this! I’d rather be pulled by a vision.
• Gratitude is super important – we are open to receiving what we’ve received and more. We cannot hold gratitude at the same time we hold lack. Makes sense to me.
• Reverend Georgia also says to Act as if…you already have what you want. She also warned for metaphysical folks to not take this to mean “just spend it now, the money will come later.” It is better to manifest the money first, then spend it later. – It felt like she was ministering just to me.

Great timely lessons from church. God is giving me signs that I’m on the right track.

~Your Curator of all Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

The Happy Factor

Chances are, you’ve heard Pharrell Williams “Happy” song one, two, or 100 times and either love or hate the song. It seems an equal amount of people who love or loathe the song and I can’t help but wonder if it’s just more than the song being played over and over or if there’s an underlying consciousness that is driving some people to feel a certain way towards the entire subject of the condition called happiness.

Pharrell sat down on Oprah Prime on the OWN Network for an interview on Sunday, April 14, 2014. He was moved to tears over how his song had touched many people, and it gave me goose bumps. He loves what he does, making music that not only moves him, but moves others, too. He is a shining example of happiness.

Constance Arnold had author, Jonathan Robinson on her show, titled, “Finding Happiness” (iTunes air date Friday, April 11, 2014). Jonathan wrote “Find Happiness Now: 50 Shortcuts for Bringing More Love, Balance and Joy Into Your Life,” discussed ways to get happy in your individual life right now. He has researched the top methods for individuals finding happiness modalities. He suggest making a list of things you enjoy doing and then calculate how many hours are they spending each month on things they love and hate to do. By employing just a couple of minutes per day towards what and who we love will begin to shift us towards a higher level happy consciousness.

Happiness raises a person’s vibrational energy, and higher level feelings, such as love, feeling prosperous and abundance hangs out in higher vibrational energies. To be happy, is to be thankful and grateful for what you have now. When you can be happy in any circumstance and condition, you are more aligned and in a place of allowing more happy things to easily come your way.

Hanging out in lower vibrational energies, such as in envy, shame, guilt, defeat, rejection, and depression, makes it more difficult to be in a place of allowing things to unfold. When you’re depressed and busy trying to survive, you are likely not in a place of allowing. In low vibe frequencies, people tend to try and control what’s outside of them and feeling a sense of failure when they find that outside forces are out of their control and people are constantly letting them down. It becomes a vicious cycle of trying to dump more and more into feeling better from the outside in, instead of from the inside out.

When you’re happy, you don’t try to control things outside of you – you simply adjust your internal barometer to what you energetically need. Life is an ebb and flow of energies, and they are not defined as good or bad. Too much high flying energy can have you feeling breathless and unable to catch up with even the best of life and too low vibes can have you out of alignment as well.

Many people can’t stand happy songs or people they feel are too “chipper.” They liken these songs and people to being “fake.” Upbeat people genuinely feel happy and invest in cultivating more happiness into their lives. Cynics don’t wear their happiness outwardly and tend to cultivate more experiences solidifying that outward expressions of happiness are fake, while brooding and complaining is being “real.”

For those who don’t like the “Happy” song or understand why people do like it, I am curious as to why. If it is genuinely for taste reasons, I’d like to know that, too. But, I have a feeling it goes a lot deeper than a Top 40 hit being overplayed – I think it represents the belief many of us hold that no one can really be that happy. Well, Pharrell is showing us that we really can be that happy :-).

~Your Curator of all things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Stop Fearing What You Truly Want

A lady I know repeatedly told herself (and everyone around her) she doesn’t want kids, yet, that’s what she focuses on in many conversations. She has been telling the story of how she’s scared to become a mom and she’s received just that – no child or family to call her own. Her closest friends could see the pangs of jealousy cross her face when yet another one of her friends got married or had a new baby. Yet, she was so comfortable telling her story and too prideful to change it, that she’d rather hang on to that old fear rather than explore the possibilities of what her dreams could mean for her.

I used to fear to dream because I was scared of let down. I wanted to inoculate myself from the pain of not receiving what I really wanted in my life. I was limited in my understanding that what I want has already been created and I just needed to be awakened and to allow it to manifest through me. I failed to realize that when I focused on my fears, rather than my dreams, all I was getting was more of what I truly feared and less of what I wanted.

In the case of the lady, she feared being let down and alone, more than she feared becoming a mother, but she is not honest about where her fear is stemming from, and until she is, she will remain in a holding pattern, not able to reach the life she truly wants.

When it comes to your dreams, are you being honest with yourself on a) having a dream? b) are you wearing other people’s desires for your life, instead of wearing and embodying your own? c) are you moving through your fears, taking faithful, measured and even small steps towards your dream?

The answers will tell you whether or not you’re allowing fear to run your life and whether that fear is an accurate out picturing of what you really are afraid of. It’s okay to have and recognize when you’re afraid, but do not confuse that with trying to head off disappointment if your dreams don’t come true. Hedging your dreams all the time, fearing they will never come true will manifest exactly what you fear – not having your dream. Instead, shift your focus, envision and feel what it would be like to already have your dream fulfilled. Then, let go of the worry over the outcome.

~Your Curator of all things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Doorway to your Soul: What are You Called To Do?

Have you thought about what it is that moves and inspires you to be all you can and want to be? What feels like a natural extension of yourself? What is the one thing you could do that no one would have to pay to motivate you?

When you answer these questions, you become clearer on what is your divine purpose. For some, we are divinely called to do many things, and for others, maybe just one or two things.

As you start to think about your Divine Calling, you will intuitively be guided to the next step, and the next step, and the next…to what you are here to do. Your Inner Guide or intuition is always there, and you will never be separated from it. You are One with God. You have the free will and choice to listen to the inner voice inside you. You don’t have to listen to it, but you will bumble around in the dark. It’s really your choice!

Exercising your intuition muscles, especially when bringing forth the gifts you have to offer the world, is all about asking questions, and having an expectant, trusting and faithful heart that you will receive the answers. When I say questioning, I am not talking about questioning with cynical questions, although you can do that, too. You are not questioning God’s authority with questions, you are clarifying what you want. Sifting through the unwanted to get closer to the wanted. The wanted is the everlasting joy, gratitude and love that flows in and through this world. It is about embodying love that abundance bears fruit as an effect to the cause of being Love.

Ask the questions you want answered and let go of worry on how and when the answers will come. If the answers aren’t easy to see in that moment, don’t get discouraged. Trust the answers will be revealed in the most beautiful and timely way, specific to you and where you are in your journey.

I am now at a point in my journey where I can ask the Universe in a moment’s time to guide me to the path of least resistance, and the route I take is generally the easiest. I am divinely led and I stop and listen for the answers. I am also at a point where the answers move more quickly and with ease. There are areas in my life that is moving big mountains, so it takes times for difficult, more dense things to shift and change. But, I have already received Divine Guidance and know that I am on the road of least resistance.

Over time, your intuitive voice will be louder than the outside voices that tell you should do this or do that. It will become easier to strip away other people’s desires for your life, allowing your own divine desire to shine through.

~Your Curator of all things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Fellowship with Humanity

I had a lovely early dinner, dessert with friends Saturday evening. It started out as a late lunch and with all our talking, stretched from lunch to 9PM dessert. I was enjoying time with friends, and recognized I missed these marathon chat sessions. Remembering to “stay in the moment,” I realized why it felt so good to be amongst friends. What we were having was connection and fellowship – but not always of the church variety (we talked about everything; oftentimes, not sanctified).

Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could be in fellowship in every aspect of our life? Like at the post office, at the deli, or while waiting in a long line in an amusement park.

I bet it makes for a fun time, no matter who you’re with or where you go. I’m talking about fellowship with humanity, and letting it begin with you, your friends and spreading to all of humankind.

Last Thanksgiving Eve, I found myself, last-minute, picking up a ham at the Honey Baked Ham store – like hundreds of other people found themselves at 4:00 PM. The line wrapped around the building, snaking around the parking lot and doubling into itself. I groaned inwardly, and stared at the line, not sure if the ham was worth it. A business woman in a nice, black suit could see me thinking about leaving and she called out, “might as well join us!” I shrugged and walked over.

Soon, I was laughing with about five or six other folks in the line and by the time we reached the doors to enter the store, we seemed like old, best friends. In addition to the business woman, there were construction workers, a Comcast cable installer, a teenager who sagged his pants, and a couple of hipsters, too. Not one was glued to their cell phones, all was living in the moment.

We laughed when we saw an unsuspecting shopper come around the corner and to see the expressions turn from smiles to “what the hell?” We chuckled and teased when a car had a hard time maneuvering about the throngs of people, and then finally having to help the driver back out of the parking space without hitting something or someone. We helped a lady find a missing earring. We collectively felt and showed empathy for the family who unwittingly brought their five children to this “boring” errand, entertaining them with our jokes.

It turned out to be one of the highlights of my 2013 Thanksgiving holiday as opposed to a memory of when I had to spend an hour and a half in a line with strangers. Having fellowship in what seemed as an unlikely place – a Honey Baked Ham store.

Imagine having fellowship all the time. What would that feel like to be present in the moment and in the company of others, all feeling good and happy to be there?

Next time you’re around a group of people, allow yourself to fellowship and see the opportunities for happiness to unfold.

~Your Curator of all things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Just Be and Let Others Be

– exploring ways to be present and non-judgmental in every circumstance and situation.

When you remove the worry of the future and stop fretting and focusing on the past, you allow yourself and/or the person in your presence to grow up to a higher level of being, just by focusing on the present. Remember, our power lies in the Now. It is what we do and feel in the present that creates the future. Why hold on to past pains and hurts, just to carry it into the future?

When you remain focused on one’s less desirable qualities and the past hurts they’ve afflicted, you are placing your energy to that which you don’t want and living in the past.

Fundamentally, there is a loss of faith when one engages in not letting others be where they are in their journey. Or, not accepting where you are in your own journey.

Allow faith and trust that all things work out for the Greater Good. That state of being will wash over you and all who come into contact with you.

From a Law of Attraction standpoint, what you focus on is what you receive. If you are focusing on the negative in a person, then more of that will manifest on the physical plane. If you celebrate even the slightest of a positive attribute, more of that positivity will unfold into your experience.

People can change, moment to moment, but it will not be because you’re nagging, begging or fighting them into transition. People change when they are ready to change. That change can happen overnight, or it can take a lifetime or two.

You can always set the space and distance between you and that person, even if you’re married (or divorced and broken up). The space and distance I am referring to is not physical, but instead spiritual and emotional. No longer will you be the instigator of fights over change because you will accept them for who they are and where they are in their journey right now. Or, you will get to a point in your own journey where it’s time to grow on and upward.

If you find you can’t be around a person because their present state is not in alignment with where you want them to be, remember, they have a journey to walk, too. Your focus must ALWAYS be on where YOU want to be. All you can do is hold on to your peace and not lower your vibrational energy to the less desirable, but to maintain the knowing that you and all around you is rising up.

We hear the saying, “live and let live,” but are we doing this with our spouses, children, parents, exes, friends and co-workers? Or, are we sticking our judgmental noses in everyone’s business or up in the air in judgment? Let judgment go – it serves no one and it most certainly will not elevate. It only keeps the energy surrounding that relationship stagnant.

To be in the present means to focus on the very moment that is before you – not the past, not the future.

Infuse love in any and every situation. When you’re having a difficult time with a person or situation, ask yourself, “how can I bring love into this situation?” Love is the cooling salve that heals us all. Self love and Universal love has to be the center of your heart and your experience.

~Your Curator of all things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

A Blessing for You and Me

An Open Letter to Jahi McMath’s Family

Going Backwards while Learning to Ride Life

The Light Shines Through the Cracks of Your Pain

Do the Fool like Noah and his Amazing Arc

Jubilant Expectancy

My Passion+my faith=my life’s purpose