Below I am offering a synopsis of a recent presentation and coaching forum for those who may not have been able to attend. This has been a vision of mine for some time, and it was an honor and a joy to see come to fruition. The fact that I was offering the presentation itself is evidence of its content! Enjoy.

This serves as a great introduction to the Law of Attraction, and how it informs SHiNE Coaching from a “soulular perspective.”



Soul Vibes: Vibrational Self-Mastery & The Law of Attraction
New Renaissance Bookshop, Portland, OR
Thursday, August 13, 2009
by Candice Schutter

This coaching forum focused specifically on a teaching that has gotten a lot of mainstream attention in the past couple of years – the Law of Attraction. It is my hope that you will leave here tonight with a greater understanding – not only of the Law of Attraction – but of HOW it relates to a deeper aspect of who you really are. We will explore the LoA from a soulular perspective in order to make it a meaningful and practical part of your spiritual practice. This gathering is about self-directing your energy. It is about consciously aligning with who you really are in each and every moment.

I was first exposed to LoA in 2000, through a daily martial arts (qigong) discipline. It was then that I was first introduced to the idea that my thoughts were powerful causal factors in my everyday life. I was hooked on learning more! Since then, I have been an avid student of metaphysics. In 2003, I was exposed to new thought ministries, and I studied how modern pioneers like Ernest Holmes created an philosophy and spiritual way of life that put this awareness to work through affirmative prayer. On my metaphysical journey, I have cycled through seasons of passionate inquiry, as well as times of intense skepticism and uncertainty. My recent studies – namely of the leading edge work of Esther and Jerry Hicks – have led me to understand LoA in a larger sense. Much of what I will be sharing with you is inspired directly by their work – along with my own experience and the clients that I see applying these principles.

It is important to remember that the recent buzz around the Law of Attraction in mainstream circles is only hinting at a deeper pulse. We live in a marketplace. As a result, media created to appeal to the mainstream is often a watered-down version of the truth. I am interested in expanding your definition of these unseen forces, placing them into a spiritual framework that can lead to a joyful and uplifting existence. Remember to smile often and have fun!

What is the Law of Attraction?

The Law of Attraction is based on a number of progressing premises:
(inspired by the teachings of Abraham-Hicks, among others)

1. Everything is Made Up of Energy
The universe is made up of energy – both visible and not visible. Everything seen and unseen is energy. By definition, energy is in a constant state of perpetual motion - thus, it is also known as vibration. The slower the energy is moving the more dense it is. The more dense, the slower it is to change. For example: thought is a faster moving energy than matter. From this perspective, materialization is the slowing of a continual vibration into form. Therefore, it is said that there is a vibrational reality that exists, proceeding all that we see in physical form. The vibrational reality is real – it is just unseen until a continuous holding of that resonance results in matter (or evidence in physical form).

2. Energy is Life & Life is Perpetual and Expansive
Everything in the universe is in a perpetual state of expansion and growth. All living things move towards greater thriving, and change form in order to do so. This expansion is constant and all living things are an aspect of this expansion. Since everything is energy, it can be said that everything is one energy - one pulsing, expansive force of life. Put in a spiritual framework, it is Source expressing and evolving itself through all form that it takes. It is all a part of the overall expansion of life - even you. There is no escaping expansion, it is an inevitable aspect of life itself.

3. Expansion Happens Through Polarity & Contrast
Expansion happens through the law of polarity. The physical realm is driven by contrast. And through contrast, all desire is born. In other words, in order to become more, all living things experience contrast – it is in the not-wanting of things that a new experience is born – when we have an experience of “no not that” we co-create a vibrational version that is better – it happens immediately, as the way of the universe it one of expansion and continual creation.

The Law of Attraction (mainstream, material perspective):
We have been taught, plain and simply: like attracts like. The Law of Attraction says what you put your attention on will continue to evidence itself in your life. Whatever you focus on will expand. Therefore, the more that you focus on “what-is”, the more of the same you will get. So we are taught, focus your attention on what you want instead.

The Law of Attraction (soulular perspective):
Put in a larger context, we can take the Law of Attraction much further. (Or rather, it takes US further). The Law of Attraction is working continually. We cannot apply it any more than we can apply the law of gravity. However, we can certainly understand it better! From a greater context, the soulalar perspective says this: Your desires are born of the polarity of life. When you desire something (as a result of contrast), you become a vibrational match to something greater. And regardless of the form that it might seem to take, EACH and EVERY desire that is birthed in you is a desire for soul connection. No matter what desires that contrast has birthed in you, there is only ever one desire at the root of it all – to become more of who you really are. Thus, when you experience contrast, you create a new version of YOU that simply must be experienced as a part of the greater expansion of life itself. As soon as it has been conjured, your soul begins to stir. Suddenly that potential is ripe and ready in you, and nothing less will do.

How can I “use” the Law of Attraction?

It is a bit of a misnomer, for the Law of Attraction is always at work in your life. In fact, IT is using YOU in the greater expansiveness of life. What you can do, however, is understand how it is working. You have all the guidance you need, built right in!

YOUR EMOTIONS – YOUR ENERGETIC GPS SYSTEM
You are hard-wired for expansion. You can very easily learn how to use the feedback of your emotions to understand where your vibration is at any given moment. If we use our earlier definition of energy, we are reminded that as an energy is contemplated over time, it becomes more and more dense. Until eventually, it will evidence itself in our physical reality.

Thought >>>> E M O T I O N >>>> Form

Therefore, emotion is the intermediary between thought and form. It gives us immediate and undiluted feedback about how we are vibrating.

The soulular LoA invites us to take this even further. Remember, upon desiring something it has become a vibrational reality for you. Not only that, YOU have become a match for that (on a soulular level) and nothing less will do. Thus, how you feel becomes an absolute indicator of how close or how far away you are from that NEW YOU that has become. When you feel “good” you are right on track, in vibrational alignment. When you feel “bad” you are holding yourself apart from your potential in some way.

In summary, the LoA (material perspective) says... think/feel/act in accordance with what you want. There is wisdom there. Sure. Yet people get what they want all the time, and then later wonder why it didn’t yield happiness.

I invite you to evolve in your understanding of this force of life. The LoA (soulular perspective) says... think/feel/act your way into vibrational alignment with who you have BECOME. Allow the perpetual expansion of self to guide you towards true happiness. You can still enjoy the ever-changing means through which ultimate happiness comes. Yet, you experience the joy of authenticity and soul alignment when you understand that the physical pleasures of life - enjoy them! - are wonderful containers through which expansion can occur.

Key Understandings in order to work WITH the LoA:

You Attract – The Universe Creates
It’s called the Law of Attraction for good reason. Let yourself off the hook when in comes to “creation.” You attract a possibility through your desire and subsequent ability to align yourself with it. Reality is subjective, and you experience what you are available for. Many different possibilities already exist. It is really up to YOU which of these realities you align with.

You Live In An Interdependent Universe
You are not the only show in town. Your thoughts are not the only ones out there, and your energy effects more than just you. The possibility of something is sometimes collectively determined... the probability (in your reality) is personally determined by your match to it. Likewise, trust in the unfolding. Your good is a part of the greater good. The perfect outcome is determined by a vantage point that far exceeds your own, benefiting all involved in the perfect way and timing.

Feeling Matters More Than Thought
You can affirm until you are blue in the face, but feeling is seeing. Therefore, it is MUCH more efficient to monitor your emotions over thoughts. Use how you feel to determine your vibrational alignment to your desires... then use thought to re-direct towards better feeling sensations (alignment). Here is a great tool for changing your primary vibration on any given topic. Click Here to learn about the Focus Wheel Process.

Energy Matters More Than Content
The energy of alignment is the only thing that matters, It matters far more than the content of your desire. Because the world is a marketplace, we are fed story after story of people manifesting exactly what they wanted. And you may just do that! However, the only manifestation that is ever occurring is alignment with true power (the soul) and how it can be best expressed in any given moment. When you get too caught up in the content, you MISS the point (and the power is lost). You distract yourself from obvious goodness.

Action is Essential on the Big Stuff
Action can help to shift a vibrational pattern. We have learned that action without alignment can be futile. Yet on the big stuff, alignment without action is a tall order! Action can be the missing ingredient to truly place you in vibrational proximity to your desires. Thus, action is not creating the perfect outcome... it is placing you within the vibrational vicinity of it. Likewise, if you don’t tend to your vibration, action can be the one thing that is making you a mismatch to the vibration that is at the root of your desire. Therefore, action when in alignment is the most powerful combination there is!

There are No Absolutes in an Expansive Perspective
What you don’t know can’t hurt you unless you pretend to know it all. This perspective is not meant to be all-encompassing. We are continually growing in our understanding of this force in our lives. Be willing to test it out and be willing to expand and grow in your perspective. Take what works for you, and leave the rest behind.

At the core of this message is this: follow your soulular compass to the life that expresses the continual you that is unfolding!

Do you want the nutshell version?
Your dreams are drawn to you, if you allow them to flow you in their direction. Embrace the moments of discomfort for the clarity they bring, and then release them by focusing on what they are birthing in you. Feel good, relax, accept, and enjoy the expansion of life. We all benefit from your willingness to smile.

Tags: law of attraction, life coach, life coach portland, candice schutter, Abraham-Hicks, portland oregon, new renaissance, soul

August 2009


It is never the idol that you want,
but what you think it offers you.
A Course in Miracles

Desire. Friend or Foe?
Let's face it:  desire has gotten a bad rap for centuries. With roots in both eastern and western religious traditions, renunciation of desire has penetrated the collective psyche as a noble aim in an ever-expanding material world. We are taught - through an onslaught of psychological, sociological, and spiritual influences - that desire is selfish and fleeting...and that the ego (desire's vehicle) must be defeated in order to experience true happiness. Yet despite our best intentions, desire remains a human epidemic we have yet to overcome as a species. Some might wonder, if we are truly evolving, why are we still yearning?
 
Humans are a species mesmerized by dichotomies. We continually do the dance of extremes in order to propel ourselves forth. Desire is a force hard to deny; thus, when renunciation of the material world wages a war within, we turn to consumption. After feeding impulse after impulse, we find we are still left empty. We pretend our hunger means nothing...we pretend it means everything...and now we are ready to stop pretending.
 
Every human longing points to a potential within. Our minds are magicians, continually whipping up potions that we think promise us the end we are seeking. We spend time and resources casting spell after spell in hopes to manifest the IT that will deliver us the sensation we so long for. Time and time again, the end-result is short-lived. Thus, we blame desire itself for leading us astray.
 
Yet, what if we are simply missing the point? What if desire is not the problem. Perhaps it is our approach to it that needs to be re-evaluated. I have come to understand that each and every desire (without exception) point us in the direction of a universally-desired sensation. Thus, at the heart of our desire is alignment with a potential that is seeking to be born through our life experience.
 
What You Really Want is YOU
The object of your desire is not the problem; the fact that you want IT is not the source of your mood swings. It is in the misunderstanding of these impulses that you find cause to suffer. Put simply, desire is an indicator that something more is calling to you. Life's struggles aren't a result of the cycle of incessant wanting. Suffering may be due to attachments to the many forms that your physical creation has taken, or may take in the future. Or, perhaps more commonly in our western culture, suffering is ignoring oneself and never fulfilling the potential buried beneath surface longing.
 
What you really want is to E X P A N D - to express more of your evolving essence. The objects of your desire are simply things that you believe will deliver the goods - the goodness that it your birthright. Desire is the eager whimper of a more expansive YOU that is currently hidden from view. To deny it is to deny your innate tendency for growth and expansion.
 
Paradoxically, it is the denial of our deepest desires that causes the ego run amok. Anyone who has ever stayed the course of a circumstance (or way of being) long-outgrown knows the blessed tantrums of the ego. Interestingly, when we finally let go and yield to what would feel better - in thought, word, or action - the tempest fades. Alas, could the ego be an ally on this journey?! Oh yes, indeed!! An ego-soul alliance is pulsing at the core of this message.

Metaphorically speaking, your soul is in a state of perpetual rebirth. (I mean, in this life, you are meant to evolve continually). Your ego and the world of form offer vessels of gestation through which you are meant to grow in and out of. And, it is the contractions of desire that deliver you forth. They ensure your expansion by pushing you towards greater degrees of love, joy, freedom, and well-being.

Expansion through Form
Some spiritual teachers have told us to seek the medicine from within. They say that if we sit still long enough...if we dive deep enough...and if we resist the dream of the physical world around us, we will be rewarded with limitless joy. Yet, is the point of this physical dimension simply to deny it? Or, can we have both? - the boundless joy of expansion and the pleasures of human existence? Rather than enlightenment in spite of the physical world, could this planet of ours become the container through which we express our collective enlightenment?
 
Every aspect of the living world is in a state of perpetual expansion. Growth and evolution of form is the way of the physical domain. At the root of this propulsion forth is - you guessed it - desire. The longing for something better. Desire is the catalyst for change. Change is a means for personal expansion. And personal expansion is the key ingredient in collective evolution. Accept and embrace your desires as reflections of latent potential within all of us.

Join the Dialogue
Those of you in the Portland area, join me this Thursday, August 13th at New Renaissance Bookshop. I am honored to be leading a coaching forum that will shed a new light on desire, the ego, and the metaphysics of creation. We will explore and evolve the Law of Attraction through the lens of the soul. Questions, comments, and contributions are welcome. Hope to see you there! Click here to sign up.

Note: CLICK HERE for a follow-up post on the Soul Vibes event.

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Tags: desire, law of attraction, ego, soul, Abraham-Hicks, wanting, candice schutter

March 2009



There is no excuse not to feel good
knowing what you know.
Abraham-Hicks, 2-8-09

You may have noticed that the February issue of theMessenger never made it out into cyberspace. I was on a personal retreat - a Abraham-Hicks Well-Being Adventure Cruise to the Mexican Riviera with a dear friend and nearly 600 like-minded souls. It was truly a pivotal and inspiring journey for me. I feel certain that I was forever changed by the inspired teachings I was exposed to, the individuals whom I met, and the hours spent steeping in hot tubs and transformative discussions.

Something was revived in me...something that I have known since my first dawn in this world...something that shapes everything that I choose as I walk through the world. Life was meant to feel good.

I so enjoyed being on the receiving end of a message that clarifies with such simplicity the essence of that which I share in every SHiNE offering. My commitment to our inherent right to feel good is the source behind each and every SHiNE creation. When we are in alignment with who it is we are becoming, we radiate contagious enthusiasm and creative inspiration. When we allow the natural expression of our truth and magnificence to shine, we feel fabulous and connected to all of life. However, when we dilute the fullness of our gifts or disallow our most honest self from evolving forth, we suffer from disharmony or dis-ease. My life has been - and continues to be - a navigation of this most basic principle of life. The path of my bliss dares me to step into alignment with more of my potential with each passing moment.

So what are common stumbling blocks for so many of us? Why don't we feel good more of the time?

Learning to Trust Yourself
In some cases, we navigate our course based on the opinions of those around us. We turn our attention away from our internal guidance and we fixate on how we are being received by our environment. Dis-empowerment is self-inflicted as we stray from our path in order to become what we perceive is expected of us or become stuck in being who we once were. This tendency often shows up subtly through our self-talk; we use words and phrases like: should and have to. The honesty of what is real for us is denied for the sake of what we think is right, rather that what we know is right for us in the moment.

Finding the joy that is in our very nature hinges on our ability to differentiate our desires from the desires of those around us. What turns you on is personal and unique to you. Let us all be reminded that the need to please others - and/or to fit into a way of being that is contrary to the essence of who we are - leads to suffering. It is a Loving Universe that guides us in this way. Through energetic imbalances - negative emotion and/or physical dis-ease - we are being guided to return to ourselves once more. It is nature's way of saying: Deny who it is you have become and I will remind you to make a shift. Realign with what brings you great joy and you will feel relief. It is always reminding us...in order to feel good, you must be true to the essence of who you really are - and who you are continually becoming. I can't think of a message more loving than that.

Relief As An Indicator
It is in the moments of disconnection from Who We Really Are that we feel fear and discouragement. It is only when we miss the point of such moments that we get stuck in the rut of despair. These 'low moments' are simply letting us know that we are not aligned with our deepest desires. Our inner guidance is providing us with feedback - in this case, negative emotion - that let's us know we are out of alignment with direction in which we are evolving. The more we feed this self-created reality of disempowerment (with self-defeating criticism or habituated actions) the worse we feel.

However, if we turn away from the discomfort and consciously seek a feel-good experience, we immediately feel relief. And relief is feedback that lets us know we are moving closer to Who We Really Are. Relief can come from shifting your attention from a topic that "brings you down" to a topic that is neutral and/or of a higher frequency for you. At other times, it is a matter of re-framing your experience so that you see the gift - the opportunity to develop into more of who you have become - through each and every choice you make.

As we move into spring, set the intention to make FEELING GOOD your practice. When you come face-to-face with a perceived source of discomfort, either shift your attention or shift your perspective. Allow yourself the freedom to choose how you want to feel in relationship to the world around you. Whatever you do, find a way to feel good. And yes...you can. You came into the world knowing how to do this. You are hard-wired to follow your emotions (internal vibrations) as indicators...you get better and better at it with time and practice. Life is supposed to be a process of continual improvement as you become a master of choosing more consciously over time.

Since returning from my travels, I have re-committed to this practice. And I have been exuding more enthusiasm and positivity than ever! So much so, in fact, that I was recently accused of seeing the world through rose-colored glasses. To this I responded, "Thank you! And if you'd like, I'd be happy to fashion you a pair!"

Seeing Pink Everywhere,
Candice


This month's feature was greatly influenced by the teachings of Abraham-Hicks. For more information, visit them online at www.abraham-hicks.com.

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Tags: law of attraction, Abraham-Hicks Portland, life coaching, Abraham-Hicks, rose colored glasses, shine coaching

May 2008 - Book of The Month
Transforming Fate Into Destiny: A New Dialogue With Your Soul
by Robert Ohotto

It's been awhile since I picked up a book that so truly spoke my language. There are so many gifted teachers out there, sharing powerful work... I am often struck by the potency a teaching. However, in this month's featured book, my appreciation was taken to the next level. I feel as though much of the knowledge that I have intuited on my own path is expressed so clearly here.

Excerpt:

We must understand that the freedom we have in free will is to align with our inner design, but we don't have the liberty to be anything other than who we're meant to become. Said another way, each of us eventually awakens to the terrifying reality that there is precious little we can truly control in life - that is, our ego is the caboose on the train of our being, and the soul is the engine that's truly in charge of our lives. The ego must humbly learn that it can only control the quality of our journey, not the destination, which was planned before we came here...

We must always be mindful of when we're seeking and chasing outer approval for our value. For the degree to which we believe in our inherent worth determines how much we can change the world through our Destiny.

Tags: robert ohotto

I just finished watching The Moses Code, a relatively new release by director James Twyman. Take the recent hit, The Secret, and add higher consciousness including a heavy emphasis on the role of service and interdependence in spirituality. Unlike the teachings of late that have paved the way, this film is not promoting a metaphysical message focused on empowering the self... instead it emphasizes a holy message intent upon empowering the soul. The movie centers around the words revealed to Moses at the burning bush... I Am That I Am... and offers a suggestion for an entirely new way of approaching this message. I will not go into the particulars... as the purpose of this posting is not to review the movie. There is much to be said about the film... yet, I am writing from a personal place tonight.

There is an undeniable truth that I have been overlooking in my life. It helped reveal itself to me tonight, and I have decoded a perception that is a recent source of great struggle.

Pictured above is me just a few months after I arrived in Portland, over four years ago. As you can see, I looked very different then. I had very short hair... and my body was tight and brimming with muscles from the diligence of daily pushing them to their edge. This was an important season in my life. Beginning in the year 2000, the body you see above carried me through many achievements and much growth. My streamlined physique above reflected my business ethic, my single-minded ambition, and my passion at the time.

This was the true beginning of a destiny that I felt called to embody. It stemmed from a reason for being that resonated within me for as long as I can remember. And in the years from the time of that photo to now, I have witnessed the miraculous. I have watched myself inch ever-more closely to my calling (and I know this, because the voice gets louder). And the primary way that I have done this to date has been to say "yes" to pathways that have enabled me to connect to the voice within. One choice at a time, I awakened to my soul's yearning... saying yes to heartbreak as a journey to self love.... yes to an insatiable spiritual inquiry... yes to the emergence of the leader within in job after job... yes to being unpopular to others in the pursuit of my truth... yes to movement as a vehicle for unleashing my brilliance... yes to hooping as a pathway to understand what enlivens me in the presence of others. Again and again, yes has been leading me home.

Now, I find myself standing at the doorway of my mission as a messenger in this time of great love embodiment. And, suddenly, "no" has stepped in.

I have been experiencing a great paralysis. I am no longer the same driven woman in that picture above... a young soul who manifested opportunity after opportunity... businesses, clients, and projects. The one who dared to dream of a life where she could work for herself. The one who worked endlessly, blasting through to-do lists and pushing through with a warrior mindset. I am the woman on the other side of the wall she busted through. I find myself standing at the point of entry, saying: "Ah yes, now... I know what I can and must do." And... I do nothing! Much unlike this decade of movement that propelled me into the now, anything other than stillness feels false to this new me.

And so, it was today that I wondered aloud to a dear friend, "What is it that stops me from the actions towards this next creation of my soul's deepest yearning?"

The pieces are coming together now. You see, I have felt conflicted in my heart. I have always been wired in such a way that I cannot step forth on a path where my heart does not fully align. I have experienced it admiration, resentment, and utter confusion from others for this inherent trait in me. Yet, I have come to accept it in myself.

The degree to which my heart has been halting the progression of my path as an aspiring author is becoming more clear. I now understand that an old paradigm has expired, and a new one has been forming. I am unwilling to take even a step forward with a worn-out energetic that feels out of integrity with who I am destined to become.

My Destiny in this life is Service.
And the gifts that I am blessed with are not commodity or product.
They are blessed pathways that require Grace and Humility.

The old paradigm is that of the Entrepreneur. Much of its energy hinges on the question of how to take skills and talents and make them a marketable and sustainable source of sustenance in my life. This mode of being is not good or bad, as it certainly served its time in my life. Nevertheless, it has been flipped on its head over the past few months, and I see it now clear as day. I don't know yet how this will change how and what I do... but I do know that a rapid and irreversible revolution is happening with me on a soulular level.

While I am not rejecting the ways of business development as we know them to operate, I am certain that my creative energies will continue to allude me if I continue to yoke them to dollars and cents. In this new world where I see us all benefiting organically from the way in which we are destined to serve this world, a financial plan for a path of transformation feels somehow forced. Certainly, I can set objectives! Yet, I know that what I must create I must create for the sake of serving a greater good.

I must serve because service is needed.
I must give of myself because giving is the only thing that matters.

Even to me it sounds a bit idealistic. How will I pay my bills if I take a month off to write a book? How can I energetically give away my time and energy to causes that need it without room in my budget? I will not go there. I leave such miracles to God. I only know that this is the simplification (however naive) that must take place as I move forward on my path. I opened myself to God through the path of the Entrepreneur... and now the Minister is stepping in to take her place.

It is not that I believe I have to live minimally (or go without the material pleasures in life) to be great in service.... yet I do know that, for me, service must start to proceed my monetary apprehensions and needs to feel secure. I fully appreciate and honor the ways in which the business-mind is shaping my reality and providing me with liberties to have choice over what I do with my time... yet, what AM I doing with my time? This may sound dramatic but everything aside from helping others to feel the light of their brilliance within feels like a slow death to me. Too much time is spent on complex business operations and not enough on the inspirations that pulse through me in the moment.

I am taking my life back now.
I pray for the divine guidance within me to show me the way.

Tags: the moses code, book review, i am that

As children bring their broken toys, with tears for us to mend,
I brought my broken dreams to God, because he was my friend.

But then, instead of leaving him, in peace to work alone,
I hung around and tried to help, with ways that were my own.

At last, I snatched them back and cried, "How can you be so slow?"
"My child," he said, "What could I do? You never did let go."

- Author Unknown

In a session today with a client, I had another realization regarding The Law of Attraction... and another reason why I experience some dissonance within when I read some of the popular conceptions about it. (This posting is one in a continual thread - See The Law of Attraction in the archives for more).

My heart tells me that there is a Force that guides my life. It is a Love beyond measure, and within it contains the Potentiality of my greatest good. I trust in this Guidance as, over the course of my life, I have learned that its Infinite Wisdom far exceeds mine. While I can dip into Its vastness in moments of clarity, I cannot pretend to comprehend Its Intelligence. I am but a small twinkle, a reflection on a body of water larger than any concept that a mind that rests in it can hold.

I have impulses and fleeting desires in the every-changing seasons of my life... and I may buzz within my very physical being (my cells) in order to bring forth experiences that I want. Such is the Law of Attraction at work. And yes... I experience one level of fulfillment; yet, my spirit may remains hungry. Why? Because I make the human fallacy to think that I actually know what's best for me on the highest levels. Perhaps I do. Perhaps at other times, I don't. But I am beginning to wonder...

What if I don't need to know?!

Today it occurred to me clear as day: What if in all this metaphysical mumbo jumbo, we have it all backwards?! What if I lived a life where it's really not up to me what will bring me the most joy, the most fulfillment, or the biggest paycheck?

Let's look at it in relationship to SHiNE.

The Law of Attraction = my desires are available to me to the degree with which I align with them. I pull my heart's deepest desires to me via my feel good vibration. = Some Effort To Feel Good


The Law of Attracting Fulfillment = true fulfillment is available to me to the degree with which I align with that which I am naturally most attracted to. My heart's deepest desires pull me towards a life where I am living my greatest good IF I am willing to allow my passions to guide me. = Little Effort To Feel Good

WHAT IF it's not that I need to learn to feel good in order to attract my greater good (whatever I think that might be)?... but instead, that by moving towards what inherently feels good I am, by perfect design, moving towards the greater good that already Life has in store for me. What if I just need to let go of the controls?

How is this different? It is subtle shift of awareness, sure... nevertheless, a liberating one! I don't have to magnetize my desires to me... my most heartfelt desires magnetize ME into Perfect Being. This is at the heart of the work of unleashing SHiNE.

For years a held a vision for the life that I desired. I had an picture of how I thought that would look... the specific pieces necessary to complete the puzzle, creating the image of fulfillment that I had in mind. In the career realm, I moved into a variety of positions that made sense and did everything that I could to make each piece of the puzzle to fit. I fought to feel good in circumstances that didn't. I battled with my mind that urged me to stay, even though my spirit withered. I created struggle when all that I longed for what ease in my heart. Eventually, again and again, I fell to my knees in despair and uttered a plea of surrender. It was then that my life transformed. When I said, "That's it! I give up!! I will stop trying... I will let go... I will follow the signals that I am provided... I will stop pretending that I have the formula for this miracle of a journey... and turn things over to The One Who Does." On these occasions, my weary body-mind literally fell to the floor and proclaimed: I give up knowing how. I am willing. I am ready. Show Me.

And each time my prayer has always, always been heard. After a good night's sleep and an ego sacrificed at the altar of Divine Wisdom, I am free of my agenda. Even then, I am usually looking in another direction at the time when Guidance taps me on the shoulder... it whispers to me (never with urgency, only as a gentle invitation): "See how the energy flows here... Ease... This is the way... Come, come this way, my dear." I have learned to go towards what moves me at the deepest level. I move eagerly now towards that which attracts me - not just superficially, but on a soulular level... the level of love and least resistance. And when I do... when I trust even the most minutely brilliant impulse, my life continues taking off in ways I might have never dreamed possible.

And your spirit likely strives for more out of life than what you can conceive in your own heart and mind. You may create a very satisfying life by feeling good... or you can allow an extraordinary life to create you by feeling God! There is no need to work to feel good... just follow what fuels the stirrings at the deepest core of you (whether it's an art class, a walk in the park, or a leap of faith). Let go of how exactly it will fit into your big picture, just trust that inspired moments always do - somehow.

Move towards what moves you. And trust the path of ease. And take care not to confuse ease with easy - sometimes our passion for brilliant living leads us onto a path to develop greater strength. Yet you will hardly notice in the end... as the life that emerges from such moments is truly glorious in every meaning of the word.

There is no effort in feeling good when you do what feels good to you.
The path of least resistance is the Journey of the Joyful Ones. Join Us.

Tags: law of attraction, letting go

Betrayal Is An Inside Job
The Journey to Forgiveness

It has been said that the first time someone betrays you, it is his fault. And that each time after is your own. I resonate with this at first glance; yet, in light of recent events, I have the urge to look closer. Perhaps, on some level, betrayal is always an inside job?

Today, I look back on the relationship that I most recently separated from and I am in awe of the fabrications that operated within my mind... keeping me from seeing clearly. In short, who I wanted this man to be, he was not. And I did everything I could to make him that someone other than who he was. You see, leading up to this relationship, I spent time and energy defining exactly what I wanted... mentally and emotionally constructing an ideal. I was committed to this image in my mind, and when a man came along who offered his heart (and his physical and energetic credentials) to me, I welcomed him with open arms. I was eager to love him as that which I wanted (for I naively believed that his presence alone confirmed that I attracted what I wanted, right?). So when indicators began to emerged from the very beginning that let me know certain somethings were out of integrity between us, I ignored them. I overlooked the times when our values were not in alignment. I overlooked our poor communication. I overlooked the most essential fact that truth was not present enough of the time. And mostly, I overlooked the reality that I was deceiving myself to the bitter end.

To sum up the destruction of our relationship:
I deceived me. Then he deceived me.

From the outside, given the dramatic turn of events and betrayal of trust, it could seem like I am a victim of his choices in the end. Neverthless, as of this moment, I take ownership my many self-deceptions that proceeded his. Each and every moment that I chose to overlook the truth about who this man could really be in my life... each time I re-invented him to live up to my ideal of who he could be - rejecting the truth of the moment - I lied to us both through my love. It was unfair. We could even go so far as to say that I cheated on him long before he stepped out on me (as I consistently made love to someone who existed mostly in my mind). What is staggering to consider, is how many times I reconstructed him... then felt myself as a victim of the pain of my own betrayal.

I know, it sounds a bit extreme. Of course there were ways in which I was extremely present and in love with the truth of him. There were a great many things that I loved - and still love - about him. Primarily, I was enamored by the potential man within him... his unique brilliance intrigued me (as I have been gifted the power to see it in everyone who crosses my path). Yet, as I have learned in my work with clients, me seeing it is not enough. Each person must do the work, for himself or herself, in order to do the sometimes painful untangling of the threads that bind us to habitual responses in order to free the power we have been granted.

To fall in love with who someone has the potential to become, versus who they are in the moment... well, that self-deception I take full responsibility for perpetuating. I suppose we all do this to a certain degree with those we love. Time and intimacy (in-to-me-see) in relationship always reveals the areas in which we need to grow in big and bold ways. That I expected. I know that the mystique that he had surrounding me had to be shadowed by my day-to-day realities and ego-dance. No one is perfect... yet, what I have learned without a doubt in the past few months?... In order for a relationship to work, honesty must be an active agent. And honestly with self comes first. It's the foundation from which all other truths emerge.

So as for betrayal... I do not I take responsibility for his choices in the end. I simply acknowledge that the deceptions that out-pictured in my world with me as the "victim" are but a reflection of an internal reality already present within. So looking into the mirror of my own manifestations I see...

I am no victim of circumstance... I am the image it reflects.

Creation Is An Outside Job
The Potential Within Bears Fruit

From my deepest core, I believe that no matter what decisions we make, our greatest good will eventually find us. So how is that, if we are the creators of our own realities? I am continually humbled by my meager attempts to create my life. At a a time when The Secret and The Law of Attraction are hot topics, I am a student and teacher of metaphysics who says "not quite." Don't get me wrong, I believe in these principles to a certain degree... and they are at work in my life. I have attracted so much of what my heart desires. Yet, it seems that Spirit is offering me an alternate perspective on it all. I can have everything I desire and more.. only to realize that what I want may not be what it is that I am really seeking. And when the best possible reality emerges in my life, it is often a far cry from what I thought I needed. I am but a humble soul, aligning with life itself and allowing creation to find me.

Let's look to nature for clarification, shall we?
Imagine the flower seed who is in charge of its own creation. Is it the seed that attracts the blossom? Or is it that within the seed exists the potential of the blossom? Perhaps the ultimate blossom comes from the seed aligning itself with the elements that most support its creation. These might include: a fertile environment, adequate nourishment, and exposure to light. The seed itself does not create the blossom, it aligns with supportive elements and then surrenders to what nature has in store. And when a storm blows through, destroying the very blossom that the seed had cause to turn into... all is not lost. The wilted and battered flower does not cry out "Woe is me! How could I have brought this destruction into my pasture?!!" On the contrary, there is an understanding in nature that all that is created can not be mono-referrent and self-initiated, as it is an interdependent and systemic organism. And that the potential that exists within the seed must have the grace to fit willingly into the larger picture.

Our place in that wholeness is no different than that of the flower. We align ourselves with the elements that bring about: the most fertile dynamics in relationship to our environment... the conscious nourishment of body, heart, and mind... and exposure to as much illumination and brilliance as possible. In doing so, our potential is ignited and creation happens to us and through us. And we learn to accept how each and every twist and turn shapes us into being. We learn to rely, not on the out-picturing of outcomes, but on the sensations that ignite our potential. THAT is creation happening... the stirring within. And we are actively involved (visualizing and connecting to what moves us is useful, and even more so is the courageousness of doing!), yet we are likewise receptive to looking outside of our ideals about what we think should show up in our lives. We welcome the unexpected visitors that offer us perspective and connection to our less superficial yearnings.

And so, today I am releasing my scripts around how I think life should happen next, and I am focusing on creating connection to the elements that feed me. As for a new creation in the aftermath of the storm? Ah, at this time I can honestly say, I have no romantic agendas or prerequisites in mind for the future. I leave my heart open to the SHiNE that leads me to more magnificence than my mind could ever dream possible. Pictures dissolve, and I am free to love purely again.

I trust that I am exactly where I need to be. In fact, I take it step further. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else than basking in the light of my own self-discovery.

Tags: betrayal, cheating on me, life coaching, relationships, forgiveness

Have you ever played the game where you sit in a circle and pass a secret around? One person starts... and whispers a phrase into the ear of the person next to them. The secret then travels from one ear to the next... around the circle back to where it started. The game typically ends with fits of giggles, as the original source of the statement proclaims the original statement. Often, the messages transforms as it moves around the circle... ending up to sound very little like the initial transmission.

Perhaps we might consider this as we practice The Secret. The transmission in its fullness brings us much to practice and integrate into our lives. Yet, when we seek to simplify, formulate, and/or become absolute in the application of such a powerful spiritual transmission... we are bound to be left in the dark at the end of the day. Let us treat this modern day miracle as a reminder that there is still so much possibility and that which is potently unknown to discover in the spirit realm. The Mystery is inviting us to begin to explore a new relationship with It. As with all relationships, we will be asked to evolve and refine our point of view in response to our own unique experiences.

I, for one, love that aspect of relationship. Transformation. Rediscovery. And the countless Deaths of Self that occur as I get closer to the Truth.

Tags: law of attraction, the secret, shine coaching, life coaching

Redefining Abundance

spiritual maturity = the evolution from egocentrism to interdependence

There has been a tremendous amount of buzz around the recent film - and subsequent book - The Secret. Upon the initial launch of the law of attraction into the mainstream, I was overjoyed. As a coach, I quite often witness people caught in limited ways of thinking (myself included... ah yes, we teach what we need to learn!) and I was inspired by the thought that the law of attraction invites us all to focus on choosing thoughts/experiences that feel good. I know that the ability to witness and own our beliefs and attitudes is the first step to living more consciously. Surrendering the Victim is essential for the Witness to step into place.

The Secret teaches us that...
Feeling good is a natural outpicturing of conscious choices.
In short, witness to know how you are vibrating... then choose to feel good.
That I resonate with.

However, recently, I have begun to ponder terminology that is thrown about liberally in metaphysical circles. Namely, the idea of abundance. Many teachers report that quantum physics tells us that there is a limitless supply of resources available to us. The only limitation that exists is our thoughts to the contrary. Our experience of limitation in life is a function of our vibrations (thoughts/beliefs/feelings). Lack attracts lack. Abundance attracts abundance. Okay. That sounds pretty straightforward, yes?

Yet, I am beginning to wonder. Are we not in the egocentrism of our development as a spiritual culture?
In early child development, around 3 years old, a child has a developed a sense of self. A sense that he or she exists as a personality apart from the outside world. They enter a stage marked by egocentrism - all that exists in that which I see in front of me. The "I" becomes the reference point for the world at large. If I can see it, it is there. If not, then it must not be there. Or, even if it is... who cares.

I am blessed with a wonderful man in my life, whose family so generously invites us to enjoy their beautiful home overlooking the Oregon Coast. Over Mother's Day weekend, we spent some time there. As always, my body and mind became spacious and calm in the presence of the ocean's sounds. Perfectly content, I spent some time journaling and flipping through books and magazines of interest. I stumbled across an issue of Vanity Fair... "The Green Issue"... that focused on further educating the public about the environmental issues. As I read about a culture in the Amazon, facing extinction due to their shrinking landscapes and drastic climate shifts, I realized (real eyes'd) that if I focus on abundance as it is currently defined in our culture, I may be doing a diservice to myself, my clients, and my culture.

I am not one to watch the evening news and stew in the negativity that I see onscreen. Nor would I suggest it. However, maturing in our spiritual awareness asks that we see the world at large - we can apply filters in order to receive as much information as possible - so that our personal choices in life are conscious and contextual. It is an egocentric society that ignores the world at large. I very much do agree that I must find peace within before I can have a peaceful impact on the whole. Absolutely. However, I am not an island of energy. I am an integral piece that impacts the collective on a scope we are only now beginning to understand. The Green Movement is a brilliant example of illumination. We now have a measurable experience of interdependence. The butterfly wings of one person's choices, being felt in a small Amazonian village in South American. Ah ha! The concept of "we are one" is no longer simply a metaphysical musing... it is a reality!

I am beginning to see that to misrepresent a concept such as abundance - framing it as a selfish freedom without limits or implication in such a consumption-driven society is ironic, naive, and spiritually immature.

The issue: In our modern world, consumption is too often confused with abundance. And abundance is confused with wealth. Let us seek to redefine these concepts which are, in their purity, holy and sacred responsibilities.

Do I want more money?... of course! How about more vacations?... and a best seller?... or two?... Okay. Sign me up!!

Yet it is not the money, or the vacation, or the book deals that will lead me to the wealth that I seek. At best, these will all serve as distractions UNLESS I am spiritually mature enough to handle the responsibility that such luxuries afford me. If I consider myself an island of energy that is... 1) uneffected by the choices and consciousness of those around me, and 2) who can will anything into being without consideration for the whole... I may achieve a rich and abundant lifestyle as it is promised. One that feeds my body with pleasure, and my emotions with a sense of satisfaction.

However, each passing day teaches me that the abundance that I want more than anything else is a sense of spiritual satisfaction. A deep and pure experience of Love. Fulfillment. Purpose. And, in essence, Heaven on Earth.

We do not have to surrender one for the other. We can have the joys of the physical world as well as the bliss of that which connects us to something larger than ourselves. Paradoxically, I believe that it is the investment in spiritual assets that brings us a wealth that nurtures us for a lifetime.

Since I have begun to challenge the narcissism of The Secret - and what has become near-mainstream acceptance of the Law of Attraction - I have been asked the question:

"Candice, are you saying that you no longer believe in The Secret?!"

Yes, I believe in The Secret. I believe that the Law of Attraction does indeed exist.

But I believe in The Force behind it more. And that my highest good is in the hands of an intelligence that far exceeds anything that my hands, my head, or my heart can hold.

And it feels good. Really, really good.

Tags: life coaching, shine coaching, law of attraction, the secret, Abundance

The Law of Attraction = Ask and It Is Given

The Law of Attracting Fulfillment = Trust and Receive Your Greatest Good

In my experience I have known that the secret of joyful living, fulfillment, and a wealthy existence is something that I can call forth. I have practiced the Law of Attraction. I have desired a great many things, relationships, and experiences... and have come to experience most everything that I have called into being. So much of that which I wanted to become I have become (teacher, black belt, performer)... so much that I wanted to experience I am experiencing (creativity, travel, loving relationship)... and so much of that which I wanted to have I am having more of (more money, a beautiful home, freedom to choose what to do with my time). And so I know that within me lies the power to make things happen. For this, I am grateful.

Nevertheless, none of these outpicturings have brought me the peace, joy, or fulfillment that I have been seeking all along. My process of creation has brought me many things... most importantly, the realization that none of these desires self-serving will ever bring me the fulfillment that my soul yearns for.

I don't mean to sound cynical. It's actually one of the most liberating realizations that I have ever had. I think back on the great moments when I have known true fulfillment. Right now, writing my truth to you. Lying in the arms of my lover in that space between this world and the dream state. Laughing joyously with friends. Holding my niece in my arms for the first time... or seeing her sweet face in an e-card from my sister. Watching my nephew come into the world. Witnessing as someone shares a dream with me, and holding space for the sacred power of a spirit unleashed. Feeling the boundless joy while watching students in blissful abandon through dance... or in presenting their uniqueness in union with another through a performance jam.

It is THIS that I wish to attract more of into my life. Fulfillment that comes from the everyday magic of relationships, co-creation, and meaningful interactions. I want to develop mastery in - not my ability to bring the material into the material world (I have sensed the transient satisfaction of this)- but my ability to take notice, appreciate, and rest into the ways in which spirit is present in the flesh of those around me. To attract more of the juicy richness of life. While I receive satisfaction and comfort from the many images that come to life through me... it is the unexpected and brilliant miracles of all that lies beneath the surface that bring me true fulfillment.

Therefore, I offer a shift in semantics for my practice...
from The Law of Attraction, to the Law of Attracting Fulfillment.

And I am committed to building a business where others are aspiring (and inspiring!) to do the same. Moments of brilliance acting as signposts that light the way. SHiNE ON!

Tags: law of attraction, the secret, shine coaching, life coaching

The Secret
Is Oprah a metaphysician? Are YOU?

The Secret...What is all the BUZZ about?!?! In February, Oprah Winfrey introduced millions of viewers to The Secret - a DVD that reveals the Law of Attraction and describes how it can be used as a tool to bring about fulfillment and a life beyond our wildest dreams! She shared her genuine enthusiasm regarding the material, and her belief that The Law of Attraction is what has enabled her so many successes in her life!! For some of us, the ideas contained within the The Secret are not new. In short, feel good vibrations create feel good outcomes. Nevertheless, no matter how hard we try to feel good, we are continuously drawing unfavorable outcomes into our life. Why is that? How can we apply the Law of Attraction to bring about positive changes? What can we do to shift our awareness away from what we perceive in our life as limitation...shifting it instead towards the frequency of a desired outcome?
Although The Secret has taken time to embody as a practice, it is certainly not new to me. Since 2002, I have been creating a body of work that makes the Law of Attraction both understandable and accessible. I call it, Sensation Matters. I offer individual sessions as well as small group engagements (it's fun to feel good with friends!) focusing on applying these practices in meaningful ways. Contact me to learn more about how The Secret can work in your life. Yes! You do have a right to the life you've always wanted!

The Secret - Consultations: Small Group or Private Sessions @ thePortal Home Studio

Tags: life coaching, law of attraction, the secret