Swim and swimming are words I like because they involve me being directly in the flow. I love being in water but have not always. I once had an experience where I was at a public swimming pool and midway across it, I simply forgot how to swim. I am not kidding. I was about to panic but I said to myself “Stay Calm. You can do this.”
I somehow figured out how to float and then make progression across the pool to the side. I was so upset, I swam to the ladder and immediately got out of the pool and left. I changed and went home. That was that.
I did not go back to water of any sort for a long period of time. Even taking a shower was kind of like a mini-crisis. I could not trust myself not to drown or so I thought. I am not sure what happened exactly. I was doing fine that day in the pool but perhaps I just was not focussed enough. I do not know what came over me. What had come naturally to me from years of lessons in swimming, now became a big time issue for me.
Fast forward a number of years and on many levels, I still had my fear. Then something switched in my brain again. I realized that water is good. I came to value it whether it was coming through internally when hydrating myself or through being in it for showers and what not.
I actually think I have to thank Wim Hof for this one. I reviewed one of his books where he suggested doing cold showers along with his breathing technique. I quickly implemented the specific breathing practice and loved the results so it was only natural to end my hot showers with turning on the cold for a few seconds and then longer. I no longer feared the water and had a new profound respect for it.
Now, when I go swimming in the lake again, I revel being in the cooler waters. It is enticing and engaging. Now, I am swimming in a pool again and I love the way my body feels immersed in the soft, luscious and fluid substance. I love the subtle feel of the water as it encapsulates and surrounds my body. I love the flow of the water as I take each stroke swimming. It is an incredible substance that can be a vapour, a solid as ice or fluid as water. I now and again love my H20.
Wow! This topic is certainly a doozy. It immediately brings up a lot of emotion and recollection. To admit that I have been depressed is something that I do not like to do but to admit that I have had severe depression is quite another.
I have fallen deep within the well of despair many times and otherwise fallen clearly down that rabbit hole. I have ruminated and worried about what is, will be or has been. Upon much self-reflection, estimation and analysis through the years, I see depression as all the worries we have had in the past time period while worries in the future arises as anxiety in us. In either case, the biggest problem is that we are not living in the present moment, realizing and appreciating with gratitude all that is great and good already in our lives.
Depression is cycling through all the old, negative guck. It is remembering all that which did not go as well as we had hoped or would want it to be. It is about holding on with a firm grip like your fingers around a pencil that you do not want to let go of but that we need to let go of. We need to unclench our fingers from the object that we have spent so much time being attached to.
The thing is that the past is gone. What happened has happened. Even if you were abused as a child or if you were mistreated by deceitful people with ill, malicious or involuntary intent, what can you do about it? If it is possible or necessary for your soul’s growth to do something legal, then perhaps you should. Otherwise, let bygones be bygones, release and let go.
If you learned a lesson, it was valuable. Perhaps, you need to share this message of warning with other people in which case writing a book or sharing in some respects may be in order. Even when you have done so, you will still need to let go of it all and forgive in the end.
I ask that you and I live in the “present now” as Eckart Tolle recommends and see the value of this powerful everlasting moment for that is all there is.
I can calculate the number of days I have lived but not the amount of days I have left. That is entirely up to God and the Universe. I guess I do have some choices as some say. I had some decision-making choices before I came down. Perhaps, I did choose my parents and my siblings. Perhaps, I chose my gender, my ethnicity, my religion and so much more beginning data. Perhaps, I did choose the lessons I would work on while in my Earthly suit. Perhaps, I do have a choice as to how I will fulfill my destiny-driven life as I have free choice from moment to moment.
I can calculate the expectation of an outcome such as if I do part A alongside part B and C, then D is the most logical ordered outcome but this is not necessarily the case. There are other players in the mix and as they have free choice as well, their impact on my life has to be considered. It is all about synchronizing my efforts for my highest good while the other involved parties do the same on their end.
I do not judge the outcome but I do judge my efforts. Acceptance is key to it all. It is up to me to entice myself to do better and better. It is for my better judgement to accept myself as I am while doing my best on the path of life.
The process of moving forward is more important than worrying about the hows as I leave those details to God. It is about taking appropriate micro-steps to engage in the process of living and forwarding my movement in an ongoing and upward motion. It is up to me to take the necessary action to fulfill what needs to be learned in this lifetime.
I will calculate the next baby step and then the next after that. These steps build upon one another to the point where I will not realize and recognize how far I have gone because the journey has been meaningful and appropriate for my development as a human being and more importantly as a Spiritual Being on a path towards awareness and enlightenment.
Book: “Trust Your Vibes (Revised Edition): Live an Extraordinary Life by Using Your Intuitive Intelligence,” Sonia Choquette, Hay House, 2022
Audio Book Review by Mary Mikawoz
I had listened to the original audio book called “Trust Your Vibes” a number of years ago. I am lucky to say that Sonia Choquette has rewritten this 20 year old book so that it is a newer version with updated information and experiences.
I was impressed with the first book and yet this one somehow tops even that one. I am not able to remember how many chapters the first book one had but this one has 34 chapters which are basically useable tips and techniques to increase you Intuitive Powers.
Overall, I am really impressed with this book and give it a 5 out 5. I highly recommend that you take appropriate actions and try to incorporate the practices into your daily life. Even if you only learn a few of them, you will be like the Chicago Businesswoman who was selected as the “Business Person of the Year” where she shared that her secret to success was using her Intuitive Intelligence.
In fact, I liked the book so much, I might listen to it another few times to glean more information and insights.
If you wish, you may subscribe to my WordPress site so that you get emails when I post new creative content. Thanks for doing so.
If you wish more information on Sonia Choquette, feel free to visit her online website at https://soniachoquette.net or on her Social Media platforms. She has written many books, appeared at numerous workshops and conferences through Hay House and other organizations like Mindvalley. She offers quite a few courses, as well. Finally if you wish to have more a inspired connection, she has a private members Facebook group called “Good Vibes Tribe” and offers personal readings.
Book: “Affirmations for Empaths: A Year of Guided Journaling,” Judith Orloff, Sounds True, 2022
Book Review by Mary Mikawoz
I actually read this book in a very short period of time but that is because it is a journal that you need to work at. The author, Dr. Judith Orloff, is a medical doctor who is a board-certified psychiatrist. Her passion in life is to help empaths deal with issues, problems and concerns as they go through life being highly-sensitive and aware.
The affirmations are ways of being energy shifters from negative to positive or to reinforce positive ones you have started or already have in your foundational being.
I like what she writes about and it is evident that she has direct experience and understanding with and of dealing with empaths. The book was quick to read because I did not do any of the writing parts. It is meant to be done over a 52 week period during the entire year.
The questions are insightful and self-provocative in a good way. I reviewed only the digital book but apparently the actual book is 248 pages so it should have enough room to write answers to the questions but I can not guarantee this as I do not have a physical copy of the book. For this reason, I would recommend buying the actual physical book and writing in it on a regular basis to help reinforce good belief systems of self-caring and self-acceptance.
There are eight sections which you progress through from treasuring yourself to honouring intuitions. With each affirmation written out that you are to reinforce, there are a series of questions that you ask yourself about it and journal on that topic.
One of the most important points Dr. Judith Orloff makes in the book that stood out for me was, “I do what’s possible to make a goal happen, then surrender the results to Spirit to work its magic in my life.”
I found the journal to be a very good self-awareness and transformational process that you can do at your own pace. I give the book a 4.5 out of 5.0.
Dr. Judith Orloff also has her website under her name with much more information. She is also the author of several books written in the same vein.
Book: “The Greatest Manifestation Principle in the World: How Quantum Physics and Spirituality Can Enable You to Manifest Your Best Life,” Carnelian Sage, Think-Outside-the-Book, Inc.,2nd edition, 2022.
Book Review by Mary Mikawoz
This second edition book by Carnelian Sage is worth it. The beginning of the book starts off with praise from various people but then overall, it is a very quick read and is full of very good information spread throughout.
I have found many of the points are based on my years of study into quantum physics, the law of attraction or manifestation and also spirituality. I have actually gleaned much of the knowledge from reviewing good NDEs or Near Death Experiences. Strange as this may sound, people come back from the other side with great insights, knowledge and messages. Once put together, they are a wealth of knowledge and information.
I found myself highlighting many passages in various colours not because the information to me was necessarily new because, I kept on saying, “Yes!”
I won’t give the messages away of the book. I think it is more important to read it and absorb the wonderful knowledge. It is, in many respects a culmination of gathered information over the years.
Based on how I feel on many decades of reviewing spiritual type of books, I give this book a 5 out of 5 and highly recommend it. Just so you know, Carnelian Sage is a pseudonym for her identity and she has written 10 other books along the same genre and vein.
For more book reviews, check out my wordpress website under Mary Mikawoz specifically under the category of Book Reviews.
Book: “Walking Through This: Harness the Healing Power of Nature and Travel the Road to Forgiveness” Sara Shulting Kranz, Harper Horizon, 2020.
Book Review by Mary Mikawoz
I found this book by Sara Shulting Kranz to be interesting. I found that her in-depth knowledge of trauma and PTSD is based on the fact that she has had to deal with it and go through it herself.
She understands more than just an empathetic listener. I won’t repeat her life story other than to say that she has gone through a lot. We all do but that is what is so wonderful about this book is that she gives you steps to deal with the trauma.
Sara gives you written meditations that you can read and then practice. After you are done the guided meditation, she gives you some questions to consider as you take your information gleaned from this process and reflect upon any and all insights. She asks that you write about it.
I find it interesting she mentions a little fact that since 2012, the number of people meditating in this world has tripled. That is significant and shows that there is value in following through with inner work including listening to your intuition.
After learning the six steps, she asks you to forgive yourself, the perpetrator and also the world.
In the meantime, Sara has also implemented a number of practical techniques of walking in nature including retreats through the Grand Canyon or standup paddle boarding on water. From Sara doing her work, she is able to give practical advice and not that just of a psychologist or counsellor who doesn’t have any personal terms of reference and can only reflect back to you what they have heard without any concrete suggestions or relevant life event experiences or tasks to pursue.
I give this book a 4.25 out of 5 for being a useful book that was interesting to read. She is on social media like Instagram and Facebook. She has her own website as well.
This is a photograph I took of the tower of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
I think of Joel Osteen who speaks of having a “Crown of Favour” if you believe in God. We are all children of God and as we follow the Holy Spirit, Allah, Jehovah, Buddha, Lord, Yahweh, Brahman, Universal Life Force or whatever God Force you may believe in with good intentions, many good things will happen to and for us.
May you have a blessed New Year of 2022 today.
With my art, I am often in a zen-type of mood and with my photography, I feel as if I am inspired by God or the Universe to capture these moments in time.
Thanks in advance for liking commenting, sharing and purchasing. Check out my other images and collections. Thanks for all positive feedback.
Many years ago, someone had created a beautiful sand statue of Jesus by the oceanside in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It is incredible in its detail and refinement in sculpture.
Tonight, is the eve of Christmas and we await the remembrance and celebration of Our Lord Jesus tonight and always.
Jesus was an incredible member of humankind who was a great spiritual teacher to many of us on Earth. We are sons and daughters of God.
With my art, I am often in a zen-type of mood and with my photography, I feel as if I am inspired by God or the Universe to capture these moments in time.
Thanks in advance for liking commenting, sharing and purchasing. Check out my other images and collections. Thanks for all positive feedback.
This is very impactful – affected my soul on a deep level. It is more profound in less than 5 minutes than an entire 3 hour Hollywood blockbuster.
It is called “The Life of Death” by Marsha Onderstijn.
It was so heart-breaking but beautiful. It brought tears to my eyes. Thanks to Marsha Onderstijn for being inspired to create it and Ramon de Wilde for the music.
Mary Mikawoz Creative Pursuits Blog 