Peace and Connection
I spent an incredible weekend teaching in Phoenix at Celebrate Your Life. These multi speaker events are so meaningful as not only do they offer attendees a positive and varied inspirational experience they are equally a powerful time for the authors and speakers to connect. When we come together we typically find that we’re thinking in similar ways and even our content flows with a theme that is synergistic in ways we could never have planned. I love going and am always honored to be asked.
This event there was a special closing ceremony where we heard from authors Gregg Braden, and James Twyman “the Peace Troubador”, who were also joined by speakers/ spiritual teachers Denise Linn and Heather McCloskey Beck.
Their message was simple. Peace begins with us. We are the source of peace and it must come from us before we expect it to show up in our environment. We are powerful, and our focused intentions and prayers can shift the energy of many. But we have to make the choice to sacrifice our old thinking to see the world through a new lens.
We need to choose to see the world through our hearts.
I think what moved me most was a story that Heather McCloskey Beck shared about how trees in a forest appear to be separated, on the surface seeming to have no real relationship to the others other than being counted as one among the many individual trees. Yet the truth of the forest is that under the ground, deeper than what you see with your naked eye is a system of communication and collaboration, sharing of water and nourishment so that the many would flourish together as a cohesive unified community of life.
So if you look into a forest, you may not see this extraordinary system of connection but it is there.
Nature knows the truth.
We do too. Innately we know deep down about our place within the unity of life. And, if we stop moving and over thinking and be present to our hearts and bring stillness to our over stimulated stressed out minds, we can hear the heartbeat of the world.
We know we are intrinsically connected to all of life- to each other- to our present selves and to the evolution of our species, and yes the whole planet. We are part of a beautiful magical world and we’re accountable for its well-being as we are for ours.
Human beings are at their best when there is a galvanizing purpose that brings us all together. If we look into the past we tend to only do that in times of terrible tragedy. What if we could tune into the connection and make it our priority before tragedy hits?
I believe we can.
I will do this.
Will You?
This week you may be reading this before or after the presidential elections in the United States. No matter where you live on this planet you will be affected by its outcome.
Great changes are upon us. And uncertainty is the new normal and will likely remain so for a long time to come. How will we navigate these choppy waters?
If we could step into these Uncharted seas with peace, and love in our hearts (and yep I sound like a loony toons hippy dippy granola grinder crystal bunny and I don’t give a hoot) I think we will actually have a shot at a meaningful life.
Peace is an inside job.
Compassion, kindness, strength, forgiveness, caring, community, connection, collaboration, co-creation, etc are the operative concepts for a peaceful and prosperous life in an ever- changing world.
So if you look into the world it’s all a matter of perspective. You can choose to just see the trees. Or you can see the connection.
The choice really is ours.
Love to all,
WEEKLY ORACLE CARD FORECAST
Dear Colette ..thank you .. a deep knowing overcame me as i read this .. Lisa xox
A very thought-provoking blog post. Thank you, Colette. And by the way, you look lovely amidst the autumn colors.
I hope it’s okay that I share the following below. I feel compelled to do so given the movement I’ve come across in the past couple of years, and most especially at the point in time.
The excerpts below are from an online article, “Point of View with Barry Boyce”. It’s in honor of our US veterans, whom we celebrate in the US this coming Friday on Veteran’s Day, but I believe it applies to all who suffer from trauma.
Too often I’ve come across many of us in the “Positive Thinking/New Thought” movement (I don’t know a better term for it), being so focused on the ethereal, etc. that it appears we fear anything to do with suffering and trauma – something which we’ve all experienced as human beings to some degree or another. Just as there are survivors out there in the world, there are victims. It’s not just a mentality to many, (especially those going through it), but a real visceral experience.
Perhaps as we grasp part of the reality that peace begins in us, perhaps we can also remember our vulnerability, lest it make us indifferent to the suffering of others – which could one day be us (if it hasn’t been us already and could one day be us again as we are in human form here on earth). In any case, in the human condition, we all must leave the Earth Realm – a suffering for some, a relief for others.
Here are the quotes from Barry Boyce:
“Part of a real flower’s beauty is that it will wither and die—It’s vulnerable. It’s alive. To be alive is to be vulnerable and open. But it naturally carries with it the danger that we could be subject to a very extreme event or a repeated series a very extreme events.
So, I think it’s interesting then, when we think about us all sharing in this vulnerability and the possibility of trauma, and pretty much everybody at some level has experienced some kind of trauma or another in their lives, and some of us many more traumas. Where does the practice of mindfulness fit in? And I think that it’s important to recognize various phases of working with trauma—and they are identified differently by different people, but I think in terms of three basic phases: The acute phase of trauma, the trauma has either just happened or, in terms of post-traumatic stress, you’re coming to grips with it, you’re starting to deal with it. And the most important thing there is safety and stabilizing.”
“It’s really vitally important for all of us to never forget those others who are suffering around us, including those people who are suffering from trauma. We have a tendency, all of us, as human beings we’re so attuned to finding comfort that it’s very easy to forget the pain of others, and frankly, the more that we can appreciate the pain of others on a regular basis the more resilient we are all together, because we are not going around with the false notion that everything needs to be absolutely hunky-dory for us to have well-being.”
Peace to us all!
______________________
Original Article: Point of View: When Vulnerability and Trauma Collide
Love your blog today. I have always thought of humanity as a giant aspen grove. Aspen are actually one of the largest organisms in the world. A grove consists of clones as a main tree sends out roots that all the other trees spring from. So Spirit to me is the main trees and we are all part of that one. You can see that in an aspen grove some trees green or lose their leaves earlier than others. These are parts of a different main tree. But all of them live together in harmony.
The energy thread that binds us all is like those aspen roots.
Blessings to you Colette.
Thank you Colette. As always, the timing is perfection. I really love the reminder of the community of trees. If they can do it, so can we. If I can remember that connection, others will get it, and we can learn to help each other rise above the anger and separation. Count me in for the loony toons hippy dippy granola grinder crystal bunny club! T-shirts coming soon.
Aho
Read ‘The Hidden Life of Trees’ by Peter Wohlleben for the whole tree story. Written in German it appeared in September in English
Read ‘The Hidden Life of Trees’ by Peter Wohlleben for the whole story. He wrote it in German and it appeared in English in September.
This reading and perspective went down like a warm bowl of oatmeal steaming with the fragrance of cinnamon and raisins. Yum, yum yum!
Thank you , Colette.
I love you and what you bring to the world and look forward to reading your blog and watching your Oracle card reading videos.
(Auntie)Joannie
Thank you Colette. This was a perfect message to read this morning. I woke up feeling a bit anxious with all the election frantic devisive energy swirling around me here in the U.S. Your words and weekly card reading reminded me to tap into the stillness and wisdom of nature. Your excitement and fascination with the events this week gave me hope that something wonderful will emerge from all of this. I will be very mindful of my thoughts today and focus on the connection underneath and watch in fascination with you. xoxo Jeni
Awesome writing again, Colette! On spot with what I have been wrestling with- to maintain a sense of balance in an ever changing world. Your words about the General Election here in the states being held today, helped ease the tension that I felt around me at different venues that I go to daily. Being empowered from within helps each of us to shine our light that, hopefully, will give others inspiration for their lives
Thank you for that beautiful post Collette. I honestly “get it” and do my best to live my life by these principles, but this morning I needed that gentle reminder to come back to center and honor my connection to All That Is. Your words brought me to tears … in a good way 🙂
Thank you for your beautiful post Collette. I honestly “get it” and do my best to live my life by these principles, but this morning I needed a gentle reminder to come back to center and honor my connection to All That Is. Your words brought me to tears … in a good way 🙂
Love you Collette
Beautiful ???? I love it when you say things like hippy dippy .. You are so real and fun ! Thanks Collette don’t ever change your awesome????
Colette;
The message you have shared has a great impact. “WE” includes everyone, invites us all to play a part. Unity, diversity, and collaboration opens the doors to communication and co-creation. I witnessed something on Friday which was an example of this. Approaching a scene where there were a number of people gathered around a man who was lying on the sidewalk. He was not conscious. There were three paramedics working intensely attempting to restart his heart, and while I watched in solidarity and shaken by what I was seeing before my eyes, I focused on being as present as I could. I know it is our presence that strengthens the connection we have to Spirit. It is our reverence and kinship for all life that matters.
Then the fire department arrived, and the police, and although the identity of this “human” was unknown he was not alone. In his most vulnerable moments he was surrounded by the loving, caring presence of strangers. The paramedics were successful in igniting the heart connection. Whether he survived or not, I am not certain. It was a poignant reminder of the fragility of life and how bringing compassion and kindness with us wherever we travel will create the kind of climate we can thrive in. Not unlike the trees, we need nourishment and protection. Our attitudes and behavior toward each other, and absolutely toward ourselves first are the key to designing building a new blueprint for humanity. A painful, necessary reminder, that no matter where we are; WE ARE NOT ALONE!!!
Lots of love
Fortunate am I! I’ve come from an idealized nature where I’ve been able to step aside and be the observer. lucky was I to be born under a sky that allowed the vision of injustice to be a bright light on the stage we call life. Without knowing why, the role of observer has been where the Great Spirit placed me. I am ever grateful for this gift.
I am on an incredible journey that reinforces the moment the camera snapped the shutter for life to begin. I thank all my granola grinding – hippy dippy – crystal bunny – indigo child – pagan honored – followed by Archangels – talking to dead people abilities and chances to see the roots of the trees are a mass of tangled support that keeps the forest in tact. Love to all of you ????????????lings❣
A very insightful reading
thank you Colette for your sharing and such a feeling of love be well and know you are loved
Such truth here, Colette. Thank you.
Colette
I have met you a couple of times at different places, and you are more amazing every time. The weekly readings make me love you even more. The energy you exude is incredible and I can t wait for our next encounter. Seriously considering the cruise, even if I get motion sick swinging on a swing
Thanks for all you do
I am so honored that I got a chance to meet you at the conference. The entire weekend was very moving, but one highlight was in your Sunday session when the gentleman who had a near death experience confirmed exactly what you were teaching about the circular and connected nature of life. I think we all walked away with a deeper feeling of peace and connection that day.
LOV : )
Mild Winter Blessings
Lil’bud Blessings
Prosperity Blessings
Dreamboard Blessings
Healthy Pups Blessings
Safe Neighborhood Blessings
Work Commute Blessings
A Miracle!
Love the reading for this week and agree with you that peace and love is the ultimate way to go. Always inspired by you Colette!
Awesome positive message. This is my first time listening to you and I really enjoyed it.
Thanks Colette for the injection of positivity and hope. I almost didn’t vote but saw an early voting station next to the DMV. I said a prayer for right judgement and walked in.
As you say, spirit has got our back and through extrapolation the governance of our country.
I feel good that I quelled those demons that said I should abstain. No matter the outcome.
right that was so profound thank you for coming !
hope you come it will be a blast
thanx for sharing ..very meaningful
going to get it right now!
Praying that your words of peace rreverberate around the USA and the world. Fear of what might be will hopefully be quelled by prayers for peace!
I loved your comment above that the trees are all connected together. I do interspecies communication, I communicate with the trees on an individual level and in a group level, a friend of mine Nissan a cottonwood tree, I communicate with him singularaly but in other areas of the forest when I talk to the trees there is a spokesman for the whole area.
Thanks Colette you Rock
Well, I have just been stunned to hear that Donald Trump is our President now. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear 3 or 4 hours from now, that he may have found a way to rig the election. I am in total shock and disbelief over this situation, and if it’s really true, then you can bet that in a few months I will have moved to Canada or somewhere else. I apologize for getting political on here, I just don’t think there will be much peace to be had with him becoming King of America. I think I’m going to go outdoors to a forest or park today, and meditate and pray that this does not come to pass, although maybe it very well will. I’m extremely sad right now.
Hello beautiful shiny stars on earth <3
So.. Word is in! It's official! Donald Trump is the new president of the United States. How do I describe the energy I'm feeling around it All..
It's a sort of sombre and sobering acceptance, I suppose. (?) Not unlike the aftermath of an intense and jostling about from a seriius storm.. There's a certain kind of devastation, disappointment, and real uncertainty that is palpable. Yet alongside that, a wide open space that ushers in a real great big huge breathe of- Humility. The real kind. The kind that settles in deep. Every inhale. Every exhale. The kind that is capable of and perhaps necessary for the sort of deeply authentic inner transformation required for lasting and truly unified and beneficial change! Change that is TRULY purposeful in our rebuilding and remembering of what REALLY matters to US ALL and is TRULY for US ALL- to those that are willing to actively participate and see. .
One by one, two by two, stronger together.. We will get through!!!
Humbly. Intimate. Connected. Open. Strong. We..
We wilI.. get through!!
Sending bursting bundles and bushels of love & hugs to you ALL. <3
All ways. xo
-DW
DW- Thank you for that. I could not say it any better. I feel the same today. A relief that the election is over but a profound calmness for whats to come. I was anxious as I watched the numbers come in last night and sad for what our nation went through this past year and a half. This morning I woke up sombre as you had mentioned, both my husband and myself. But it was more like waking from a thrashing rain storm, realizing I am still here and its a brand new day. It’s up to me to be the change I want to see. What is done is done, now its time to take what we have and rebuild…together. We already know how it feels to be a Nation divided by the words and actions of our leaders, friends, family and the billions of comments on FB. Lets take what was, mix it with good thoughts, words and vibration, create our mulch and start planting seeds of reconciliation, peace, love and a generous portion of patience and humility. For those that are having difficulty accepting where we are today, lets make sure we hold space for them. We have to do this together.
xo Kim
beautiful post.. just beautiful..
Colette,
This is the first time I’ve written for a while; I’ve been settling into a new job, getting used to my new surroundings, and addressing my health. It has been an adjustment but I think I’ve fared well.
I’m actually home from work today; it is a holiday today but I’ve been put on bed rest for the past few days. It’s been about two weeks since I’ve had a migraine and it has been debilitating. This is the first time that I’ve had a migraine like this in years and I’m not sure what has brought it on, but I have a few ideas. Here in the United States we have experienced the climax of a very divisive presidential election. Being a genealogist I have looked at many historical documents that the public at large doesn’t normally see and I must say that I can compare this moment to other divisive moments in our nation’s history: the 1860’s and the fallout of the U.S. Civil War, the Civil Rights movement of the 1920’s and 1930’s, and the Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s. The only difference between these periods in U.S. history and today is the availability of information; we know almost instantaneously what is going on in our surroundings due to the Internet of Things. Sometimes that information comes to us filtered or unfiltered; in the case of the latter we sometimes have to apply our own filters and these filters are applied based on our own experiences. We communicate differently today and most of our correspondences come without the cues of body language and facial expressions. As I’ve mentioned before even though we are more connected than ever before we are the loneliest that we’ve ever been because we are void of these important visual cues. The Megaphone Effect, a term that I used when doing research in graduate school, states that the amount of validation we receive is directly proportional to the amount of people we can connect to. The more people that we can connect to the likelihood of finding someone who can validate us and our ideas, no matter how divergent, increase. We all seek validation; one of the first questions that we ask is “why am I here?” We all want to be validated by what we do, who we think we are, and who others think we are. We can validate ourselves by uplifting others or we can validate ourselves by denigrating others. It can be a disheartening prospect when we don’t get the validation that we seek. I have seen people looking for that validation from you in your blog the past few months and have expressed their disappointment when they don’t get it the way they think they should have; I have sought validation, from you and others. I have looked for validation from you Colette, and I truly apologize for it. We seek validation from our friends, our family, and in our personal relationships. When there are problems in these areas or we don’t think we receive the validation the way we want we seek outside sources. We seek validation in the sporting teams we support, the music we listen to, or the TV programs we watch. We can do something called “basking in reflected glory”, where the team or event we support is successful then we feel successful and validated, despite the fact that we had no direct involvement. We can also further validate ourselves by insulting the supporters of an opposing team or event.
In the past week I have seen so much vitriol and acrimonious rhetoric posted online in social media between friends. I have seen it online in news posts, on cable news, and among people in the community. It got so bad that I had to suspend my Facebook account; I’ve had to pull the plug on cable news and other sources of media that has fallout from this election. I’ve had to do this because I know something that a lot of people don’t know or don’t realize. It’s something that the readers of your blog already know and are conscious of: words are things. Words have power; words can be transformed into reality. With all of these things that are being said back and forth might come to being and that is a frightening prospect. It pains me to see friends and family at each other’s throats over this. There’s only one other time in U.S. history that pitted family members, neighbors, and friends against each other. The U.S. has currently been in active armed conflict for over a decade in two different regions of the world and there still haven’t been as many casualties as there were in those 4 years of the U.S. Civil War on U.S. soil. The times have changed but some of the topics remain the same. I’m afraid that in this past week that we have GUARANTEED that our children and grandchildren will still be at odds over these topics and I have seen it already in the children’s reaction to this past week’s events.
As I have been seeking my own validation I had an epiphany; I have been doing my genealogy research and I have made a discovery. I took a DNA test and as I was examining the results I realized that I have two sets of grandparents, 4 sets of great grandparents, and 8 sets of great great grandparents. In fact for each one of us on this planet, for each person you see walking down the street, for each person you see on TV, there is exactly ∑_(n=0)^∞▒2^n -1 people responsible for their existence. So, if you put in the generation of your ancestor , your great grandparents for example which is 3 generations, ∑_(n=0)^3▒2^n – 1 = (1+2+4+8)-1 = 14. If you go back one more generation that’s 30 people. One more is 62. If you gathered your great great grandparents in a room and your family leading up to them that’s a class room full of people! There are some people who have stage fright but if you had these people in a room who have “invested” into your existence what would you say to them? If you go back far enough the number of people who contribute to your existence actually mathematically converge to -2; I haven’t figured out the significance of this but it’s something to think about, but going back a few generations you actually have a lot of people who have contributed to your existence on this earth. What more validation do you need than that?
I don’t know if my headache is due to something that I’ve done or my illness, am I picking up the negativity of others, or both. Perhaps it’s significant that your new book is called “Uncharted” as we are venturing into uncharted territory. I haven’t had a chance to read it; I’ve only read the introduction but I’m looking forward to reading more about “Fred”. Sorry for one of my novels, but I will end with what I told my friend after the election results. Although I had to get away from social media for a while maybe this is the time where we have to validate our own existence. Maybe we have to realize that people of light have to combat the darkness, not with divisiveness but with compassion and love. Maybe this is the point where we learn to love each other more, but we must learn to love ourselves first; we must learn to validate ourselves. We’re going to be ok, with both Fred’s help and each other. I will hopefully get over this headache soon, both literally and figuratively. As I do I will pray for healing for everyone, as they seek their own validation.
Now, Trump is President, and I felt like the above poster, calm, reassuring to my friends, shining our light in times of adversity, and showing the path of peace…We are all connected, I agree with Colette, we need to come together, and teach connection and love…I believe and pray that our President will grow in 3 000 lifetimes of wisdom in this one presidency of 4 years…I made a spiritual practice of mine to pray for his discernment and wise action in every decision that he makes..Because we are all interconnected, if one suffers all suffer…It will be an interesting ride for us all…Good luck, wishing the best to all…Love, B…
well hi Eric! this is a beautiful and insightful post. Please stay connected. This is a place for Lightworkers … authenticity is key for that is the call to action now from Spirit.