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December 2006
Angelic Greetings!
I am sending vibrations of Love out to each of you who are
reading this. If you are used to receiving my monthly
newsletters, you have probably noticed that they have been more
like quarterly this year. That is just the kind of year I have
had. It's been a year of stepping forward in major ways and then
stepping back and needing to be quiet for a while. Looking back,
I am beginning now to appreciate this unique rhythm.
If you're like me, however, you question yourself in those quiet
times and think maybe you are not doing enough. You might even
try to force yourself to do more. But Spirit laughs. The angels
laugh. And looking back, we can laugh.
You cannot exert yourself against the cycles of the Universe.
And you cannot stay in one place, stagnant.
My husband and I were listening to a CD the other day by Pema
Chodron, an incredible Buddhist teacher. She eloquently
explained that everything -- everything, is constantly moving
and changing. Nothing stays the same as much as we would like it
to. And while we understand this conceptually, it is often
difficult for us to deal with this emotionally. So often, we
fight and resist in an effort to keep things the same, to keep
them from changing. Again, Spirit chuckles. It is not laughing
at us, not mocking us. It is just kindly and compassionately
amused by the efforts of our personality to fight what our own
Divine Self knows as the true laws of the Universe.
So even in those quiet times, in those times that you appear to
be standing still, you, indeed are not. I believe that in these
quiet, seemingly inactive times, we are doing more than ever. We
are integrating the lessons we've experienced and preparing for
more growth and expansion. We are in the cocoon stage of our
transformation.
The best way to accelerate this process is through meditation.
We are all learning how much our thoughts influence our
experiences. If you can relax, turn your thoughts off, and enter
the silence for even just a brief moment, you are gaining access
to unlimited power, wisdom, and love. It is in that silence, in
your allowing this connection to your Source that you find
inspiration, guidance, courage, compassion, whatever quality you
need to move through the cycle you are currently in.
Because eventually, you do have to move. You do have to emerge
from the cocoon. It can feel safe there in that warm, quiet
darkness and it can feel scary to come out into the new and
unknown world that awaits you. You'll know it's time to move
because the angels and the Universe start nudging you, gently at
first. If you ignore those signals, then the nudging may turn
into pushing.
Your soul just knows that it is time to move on. The changes are
coming whether you like it or not. You can go kicking and
screaming, or you can just relax, let go, and let it be.
Which brings me to my next subject.
LETTING GO - PART 1
Lately the subject of letting go has intrigued me. It is an
integral part of spiritual growth and a necessity for moving on.
We have to let go of our past, let go of our attachments, let go
of our emotions, let go of our expectations, let go of our
negative thoughts and beliefs, let go of unforgiveness, let go
of our clutter, there's just so much to let go of! How do we do
it effectively? And once we've done it, or convinced ourselves
we've done it, how do we keep from reeling our stuff back in?
It's a puzzle I really want to figure out for myself and others.
So I thought we could begin to explore it together over the next
couple of newsletters. If you have any
thoughts/suggestions/opinions to add, I would love to hear from
you.
One thing we all know is that letting go, really letting go --
is not easy. In fact, it is quite tricky. It is not an "all or
nothing" deal and definitely not black and white. I know that
sometimes in my angel classes when I talk about asking the
angels for help and then letting your prayer go and surrendering
the outcome, I get some confused looks. I have been asked,
Doesn't that mean you are giving up? What a great question! That
would make letting go much easier I think. But it's not quite
that simple, is it?
There's an old 38 Special song (am I dating myself?) that says
"Hold on loosely, but don't let go. If you cling too tightly,
you're going to lose control."
Aha! Especially when you are dealing with letting go of
something that you desire, that's the kind of balance that needs
to be struck. There's this subtle place that exists between not
caring at all and obsessing about something
24/7. It's like giving the right amount of water to a plant or
too little will kill it and too much will do the same.
You can feel it when you've found that subtle place, like an
athlete who is in the zone. You have a clear inner trust that
the prayer will be answered, or the conflict will be resolved,
or your dream will come true. And you are not spending countless
amounts of your time and energy mentally figuring it out,
worrying about it, or replaying scenes in your head. It's not
hugely emotional for you anymore. It feels like you are waiting
for the mail to come.
You know it will come. It might arrive earlier or later than you
expected but you're perfectly all right with that. You know it's
coming and you will get your mail, and it will be the mail you
were supposed to get.
You pretty much know you have truly let go by how your body
reacts when you think of the prayers, manifestation, situation,
or relationship. Think of something now that perhaps you are
working on releasing. Then pay attention to your physical body.
What is the reaction in your gut? In your heart? Do you feel
peace, anxiety, or something in between? Don't judge it. Just
use those feelings as a gauge that lets you know whether or not
you need a little more work in this area.
Letting go is a process. The more emotional or painful a
situation is or was, the longer it might take to get to that
point. So be patient with yourself and do pat yourself on the
back for the progress you have made. If something made you tense
up a few weeks ago and now that tension has lessened, you know
you are getting somewhere and are on the right track.
Letting go requires being utterly present to your thoughts and
emotions. It takes work, commitment, and a desire to truly let
go (which means being honest with yourself). It takes divine
faith and trust. When you find yourself mentally or emotionally
going over a situation or relationship, catch yourself and stop.
Then say to yourself: "Spirit is working this out perfectly. I
do not need to do anything except remain open to guidance and
follow Spirit's lead."
You can also use a process that Don Miguel Ruiz calls stalking.
First, you are present and aware of when your thoughts begin to
come up on that subject.
Then you begin to investigate. Why am I holding onto this? What
is this bringing up for me? What belief is causing me to hang on
so tightly? Does it touch a wound from childhood or a past
relationship?
That is why letting go is not always so easy. It is usually
about something much more than what it appears to be on the
surface. And when we can find that root cause, the essence of
what we are truly seeking to release, then miracles can occur.
We are not just letting go of a particular situation, but we are
letting go of a piece of ourselves that was ready to be
released. We are allowing ourselves to be transformed.
In the next newsletter, I will explore more specific ways and
methods for letting go. I would love your help. I know that
there are many of you who have worked on letting go and I'd love
to know what methods have been particularly successful for you.
If you have a method you would like to share, please email me at
ellenwv@aol.com. Together,
we can help each other conquer this mystifying and oh so
important spiritual principle. And then maybe, just maybe, we
can let this subject go!
ANGEL GUIDANCE PRACTITIONER COURSE FEB. 9-11, 2007
If you are interested in deepening your connection and your work
with the angels, I will be facilitating the next 3-day Angel
Guidance Practitioner certification course on Friday, Feb.
9-Sunday, Feb. 11. It will take place at the Courtyard Marriott
in Weston. Please note that it does begin on Friday morning so
you will need to make arrangements for a full day on Friday.
We'll share 3 fun, spiritual, and transformational days working
with the angels, sharpening our intuitive abilities, and
practicing giving angel guidance and healing to others. The cost
of $333 includes Colorgized yoga by Spectral Journeys every
morning and lunch each day.
If you are interested in signing up or finding out more, please
email me at ellenwv@aol.com
or call me at 786-877-6242.
AN ANGEL MESSAGE FOR THE HOLIDAYS
It was suggested that my newsletter include a mini card reading
so we'll give it a try this month. With the intention of what
the group needs to know and hear right now, I picked the
following three cards from the Saints and Angels deck and
received the following message. Please allow whatever other
messages come up for you to come through as you read it.
Card 1: Optimism / represented by a guardian angel
Card 2: Generosity / represented by St. Nicholas of Myra (Yes,
this is the saint known as St. Nick or Santa Claus. I promise
you I chose the cards randomly. Isn't it funny?!)
Card 3: Vision / represented by a guardian angel
"Hang onto your faith right now. You are urged not to give up.
Buoy your faith right now by focusing on all the blessings that
are in your life. St. Nicholas reminds you to share your love
with your family and friends. Be kind to them and to yourself.
Try not to get overwhelmed, stressed and lost in the hustle and
bustle. Don't worry about giving the right present. Instead,
focus on being present. Love, Love, Love“ the greatest gift of
all. Practice visualizing all that you want to create in the
coming year. If you desire peace, see peace. If you desire
romance, see romance. Then pay attention to the dreams, images,
and signs that appear before your eyes as they are the answers
to your prayers. Receive with grace all the gifts and blessings
that are coming to you and have gratitude for all the blessings
that are present in your life right now.
You are blessed and loved. Your angels are listening. Believe in
that. Believe in yourself."
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I wish all of you a love and light filled holiday season. I
cherish our connection with each other and the angels and look
forward to a year of working together in the physical and
spiritual realms. May we all be of service to all beings in all
dimensions, in all ways, always!
Angel Blessings!
Ellen Valladares,
Angel Therapy Practitioner®
www.connectingwithlight.com
ellenwv@aol.com
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