Happy Valentine's Day! I want to remind you that you are your most precious Valentine. You must languish your love on yourself and not wait around for others to do it. Indeed it is wonderful when someone makes you the recipient of their love. But even if you do not have a romantic partner or admirer, this is a time to be in a heightened state of love. Remember, you are a being of the fabric of love, and as such you are a touchpoint of light. Your own heart is grand. Treasure it. Love all that you are. Embrace your shadow and love it, for it is most in need of love and forgiveness. BE LOVE. 

Receive love blissfully in all its forms…support, gratitude, affection, passion. And then give all of those to yourself, too. Let your love overflow in all ways. Treat yourself with the utmost kindness and unconditional love. Start with letting go of self-judgment for just one day—Valentine’s Day–and then try it the next day, too. Revel in the gift that you are to your own heart, to your soul, to the planet and to the Universe. So today, I suggest write yourself a Valentine. Remind your heart why you are so special. And then live from a place of knowing you are a Valentine to all of us!

In light and love to all my dear Valentines!

Jackie 

Are you an Aural or a Visual? Each of us has a preference. We never consciously made this choice. It’s how we are wired. Think about how you learn best—from hearing information or advice from someone, perhaps a teacher or friend, from a CD? Or do you absorb it better if you read it, see it on a board or write something down?

I’m a visual. I need to see my trainer demonstrate what he wants from me. I memorize by viewing a name written or recalling information from a written page. (It’s much harder for me to remember someone’s name when I haven’t seen it written on a name badge or on paper.) I recall where I left an object by calling up a visual memory of it. My strongest skill is writing. When I listen to CDs it’s for entertainment–music or novels, not information–because I don’t absorb information well through my audio system.

My brother, on the other hand, is an aural. A musician, he learned to play the bass guitar by listening to music and hearing others play. Read music? Nope, not his style. He learned best from the teachers who captured his imagination verbally. He’s a natural storyteller and a great science teacher because he inspires and entertains his students in the classroom. He remembers what he hears far better than I do.

There seems to be nothing specific that determines whether you will be an aural or a visual, but if you are aware of this trait, you can take advantage of it both in maximizing your own growth, perception and memory skills, and in how you provide information to others. Best not to try to get an aural person to read a book; instead buy him or her the CD version for a birthday. By becoming more aware of your learning input system, you can improve your own Conscious Creation skills (visual vs. aural cues in your creative process) and help others to change their life for the better.

In light and love,

Jackie 

Are you an A.M. Bright Light or Nocturnal? I think I mentioned in my last newsletter that I am a morning person. That’s when I am most alert, filled with energy, creative, enthused, most attuned with the Universe and powerful. Throughout the day, these faculties slowly wane until 8 p.m. when I’m largely spent. Don’t ask me to undertake anything that requires clear thinking or lots of energy after 8 p.m. because, intention aside, it may not be my best effort. On the other hand, many people I know don’t even get going until 4 p.m. in the afternoon and they do their best work at midnight or later! So the point is to play to your strengths. Set up your day and schedule your appointments to fit your Circadian rhythm. Don’t try to force important activities into times when you are typically not at your best. Schedule to maximize your energy and sharpness when you need these at peak level. Clearly, you will want to eat right, exercise and take supplements to support you energy level and clear-headedness throughout the day, but even then, you’ll find yourself at your best for certain activities in specific time frames. For instance, I always try to schedule my most demanding business tasks or my writing early in the day when I’m sharpest. I also try to schedule business meetings in the AM when I’m fresh. My workouts are now at 5 p.m. after I’ve completed my intellectual responsibilities for the day. This gives me an added burst of energy at the end of the workday, without having to exercise my mind. Instead, I let my body do the work. Reading is more passive so I save this for 6-8 p.m. By consciously choosing your timing of specific activities, you will find yourself more energized overall because you will accomplish more and have less resistance or friction in the your flow. Find you Circadian sweet spot and exploit it!      

In love and light, 

Jackie 

Everything has its place and every IN it’s place!

This is one of the most wonderful lessons I ever learned from my father who practiced it religiously. Living this piece of advice has been the key to my success in business (my sense of organization) and the key to managing a wonderful home. It has been the gateway to freedom from feeling out-of-control or claustrophobic. Whenever I use something I either immediately return it to its designated place or –if in the evening—I do it first thing next morning. (I’m a morning person so I have more energy then.) You won’t find clothes laying around my house, old newspapers and books scattered around, anything cluttering my tables or dishes in the sink. My neatness gives me spiritual freedom. My soul is expansive, because no guilt exists over what I should have done or should be doing. When I want something, it’s right where is should be. When a new document arrives at my office, it immediately gets attention and when completed, it goes in the appropriate file. (This goes for organizing the files on your computers, too!) Whew! It’s so freeing! Taking the extra minute to find the right place for an object or return something to its place is a moment well-lived. I don’t have to spend time later on cleaning up when I could be laying in the shade with a good book! 

So if this is not already your habit, I urge you to adopt it And enjoy its wonderful spiritual benefits as well as its spatial ones!

In love and light…

Jackie 

I am a collector and organizer by nature. When I find something I like, I have a tendency to go a bit overboard. J My most recent collection is of pretty, colorful suncatchers; they hang from about every eave on my house! I currently also collect unique roses, crystal animals and mineral spheres. All of these bring me joy.

But probably the most valuable collection I have is the collection of wisdom that I have been amassing from the spiritual self-help books that I have been reading over the past four years. Each time I read something that rings true for me personally— something that I need to remember for my growth–I highlight it in yellow and when I complete the book, transfer it to a compilation on my computer. This list is such a wealth of gifts! I periodically re-read the list to brush up on ways that I can live a more conscious and directed life. Here are all the tips that I find most useful and vital all in one place. It’s like sorting through the grains of sand and picking out the truest gems that resonate with me, setting them aside just for my use. I can then open up my treasure chest occasionally and appreciate my riches. I hope that this suggestion is one that can allow you to hold onto and focus on the wisdom most useful for you, too!   

In light and love,

Jackie 

I was musing today about how much I love clear, beautiful windy days. The sky looks crystal clear and the greenery looks brighter, everything smells fresh, and there is no haze to obscure the horizon. I feel especially vibrant and alive! And then I hear my friends complain how they hate the wind—it makes their allergies go crazy, all the leaves fly around, the wind makes them feel edgy and– of course, in Southern California, there is the risk of wildfires. Isn’t it amazing how the same experience effects people so differently! The wind makes me feel happy. For others, it makes them feel uncomfortable. This shows how we each respond to the same stimulus in our own ways. Let’s not make the mistake of being myopic and assuming that others share ours views and viewpoints. Let’s be empathetic, conscious, aware and respectful of others—rather than expect them to be like us. It is the diversity that makes life interesting!

Jackie 

Jackie 

Sacred Sundays…After years of having to work Sundays to manage the work load on my desk, this past year I began a practice that I call my “Sacred Sundays.” Undoubtedly, there was wisdom in the biblical mandate to keep the seventh day for holiness and sacredness. And while I don’t go to a house of worship, my house is a house of worship. On my Sundays, I do the following things: treat myself to sleeping in, enjoy the pleasure of reading the full Sunday paper, meditate and dialogue with the divine, read books, exercise in the sun on nice days, and generally recharge my energy and reboot my mind. I’ve stopped reading emails and allowing outside intrusions. It’s my day for myself, to ease my inner mind, take a time out from the turmoil of life and remind myself of the Universal support I have around me. I know that many people have responsibilities that won’t allow them to spend a full day in self-care and self-regeneration, but I do encourage you to try to find at least a half day every week to pamper yourself and shut out your world cares. It makes you so much more ready to enter the new week with a calmness and peacefulness that can create a positive vibration that ripples forward. It helps prevent burn out, and makes you more centered, self-confident and aligned. And if you’re like me, it makes you happier! So here’s to Sacred Sundays!