This is a beautiful video of how things can be when we work together rather than compete or view others as “The Other” – hope you enjoy it on this happy Easter morning!

What is a contemplative practice?

It is a practice that can be active or still, religious or not, that brings you to the present moment, stills your mind chatter and helps you to focus, center and reconnect with yourself and the Divine.

Contemplative practices have many varied benefits, but in general, they tend to focus the mind and instill a deep sense of calm, peace and awareness. Every religion has some form of a contemplative practice within its arsenal of practices. Some of them include movement, such as the Sufi whirling dervishes or yoga; and some are much more still…such as meditation.

The benefits of incorporating a contemplative practice into your life include:

• Quiet the mind
• Develop Compassion
• Awaken consciousness
• Become aware of interconnectedness and unity
• Reduce Stress
• Enhance creativity and creative problem-solving
• Develop the ability to live proactively rather than reactively
• Ability to deal with the complexities of life

Some examples of Contemplative practices include:

Centering Prayer – this method has its roots in Christianity and the guidelines are as follows (taken from Wikipedia – according to Basil Pennington):
1.    Sit comfortably with your eyes closed, relax, and quiet yourself. Be in love and faith to God.
2.    Choose a sacred word that best supports your sincere intention to be in the Lord’s presence and open to His divine action within you (i.e. “Jesus”, “Lord,” “God,” “Savior,” “Abba,” “Divine,” “Shalom,” “Spirit,” “Love,” etc.).
3.    Let that word be gently present as your symbol of your sincere intention to be in the Lord’s presence and open to His divine action within you.
4.    Whenever you become aware of anything (thoughts, feelings, perceptions, images, associations, etc.), simply return to your sacred word, your anchor.

Remembrance – this is the standard practice of Sufism and is similar to Centering prayer in that a word (in this case, the name of God, Allah) is repeated over and over again, often done aloud. The focus is on the heart.  This technique is aimed to gently open the ear of the heart, to listen with the heart. With the ear of the heart you can hear the whispers of love from the divine.  The Ah sound opens the heart opens the crown chakra and the divine vibration flows in. The “La” sound, and the La sound splashes the love into our hearts, scooping it up and drawing the love into our center.  After several minutes the floodgates open and the heart is filled with divine love and mercy.   Old wounds are healed, old grudges are forgiven, fears melt away, and the heart leaps with gratitude before the awesome mercy of God.

Walking a Labyrinth
A labyrinth (unlike a maze) has only one path leading to the center and back out again. There are no dead ends.
When you walk a labyrinth, you meander back and forth, turning 180 degrees each time you enter a different circuit. As you shift your direction you also shift your awareness from right brain to left brain. This is one of the reasons the labyrinth can induce receptive states of consciousness. It can also help to balance the chakras.
Each person’s walk is a personal experience. How one walks and what one receives differs with each walk. Some people use the walk for clearing the mind and centering. Others enter with a question or concern. T

Prayer Beads these can include Catholic rosaries, Hindu/Sikh “mala” beads, Islamic “tasbih” beads, etc. The repetitive nature of the prayers associated with each bead tend to help you clear the mind and focus on the heart.

Some other practices I haven’t included her are yoga, tai chi, rituals and ceremonies, mindful walking…What kind of contemplative practices are part of your life now? If you have none, think about one or two that you’re willing to try. Even something as simple as a hot bath with scented candles once a week can do wonders for the soul!

I love this video from William Ury, the guy who wrote, “Getting to Yes” in which he describes the secret to peace.

He mentions how in any argument or conflict, there are two sides. The surrounding community is the third element in any disagreement. The community can remind the other two what exactly is at stake – it is easy to lose perspective when we are involved in conflict. “When angry you will make the best speech you will ever regret!” We must see the bigger picture and the third side can help to do that.

Where’s the third side in the Middle East conflict – he proposes a first step towards this. He proposes that Abraham is the third side – the common factor in this conflict. And Abraham stood for the unity of the family – the interconnectedness of it all and his basic value was Respect – kindness and hospitality to all.

Terrorism is taking a stranger and and treating them like an enemy and killing them; the opposite is taking a total stranger and treating them as a friend. What do you think of the solution he proposes at the end? Taking a walk with Abraham as the common identity.

Here is a link to this solution: http://www.abrahampath.org/about.php

Often I am asked what EXACTLY is it that I do? I mean I have a lot of “labels – life coach, energy healer, spiritual teacher, astrologer, workshop leader, Reiki Master, interfaith minister…etc. That’s great – but, what do I DO?!?!?

Well, what I “DO”, bottom-line, is this: I help people to find their life purpose and live it. When you are living the purpose that you were uniquely created to fulfill, you are happy, life flows easier and you are making the world a better place – it’s a WIN-WIN for everyone!

How I do it is through a unique combination of spiritual coaching and energy healing methods. I help you get connected with your spiritual source so that you can find the answers you need within you. Then, you have this tool forever and always and can always resort to it whenever you have decisions to make in life. Some of the tools for this connection can be prayer, meditation, dreamwork, journaling, etc.I don’t want to help you get your life purpose and then leave you hanging – not knowing where to go from there. When you are done working with me, you are clear on your purpose, you have taken steps towards living it within the context of your ideal dream life and you have the tools necessary to move forward on your own!

The energy healing provides a beautiful way of releasing old patterns and beliefs, so that you are better able to surge forward into the life of your dreams as opposed to getting and staying stuck as so many of us do!

And, if you are still stuck or unclear after all of that, I also can pull out the “big guns” and determine astrologically what your purpose is and any challenges and/or positive personality traits you may have in helping you achieve it. This can be a great source of information and support in moving you forward towards your dreams.

My all-time favorite Christmas song is “The Little Drummer Boy”. I think it is a beautiful story of being yourself, knowing your gift and sharing it with the world. Please be gentle with yourself and know that you are enough just as you are – and you have something that only YOU are uniquely created to share with the world. Do you know what that is?

This is a unique rendition by Bing Crosby and David Bowie. I love the message of Peace on Earth. It’s one of my missions and passions in life. I hope you enjoy it – and remember, we are all One – no matter our religious preference, race, gender, sexual preference or country of origin. We are all equal in the “eyes” of the Divine.

I believe that once we are all living and sharing our unique gift with the world – there will be hope for a better, more peaceful world. If you would like help with determining your gift and living it, please feel free to contact me at Patricia@TheBlissfulSoul.com for a F*R*E*E session to see how we can move you forward.

Merry Christmas to all our Christian friends and Peace on Earth to ALL!!!!! Many blessings during this very holy season.

Deep Love to you,

Rev. Tricia

Today I was interviewed by Terri Craig of the Houston chapter of eWomen’s Network. She has a radio show in which she interviews successful women. We had a really nice chat about my background and how I got to be where I am today – doing what I love! We also talked a little about the work that I do and at the end I gave a few words of advice to those of you still out there in jobs you’re not happy with, wondering if that is all there is to life.

Here it is: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/realwomenrealresults/2010/12/09/the-terri-craig-show-real-women–real-results-1

I’d love to hear from you what you think of it!

Love and Blessings to all of you!

Rev. Tricia

Painting by Marica S. Lauck & Deborah Koff-Chapin

How often have you been in the middle of a dilemma – unable to decide which direction to go in, which step to take next? How to choose?  Every day we are confronted with decisions to make – some big, some small. How do you decide? You could make a list of pros and cons, you could ask your neighbor what you should do, or you can follow a Higher Power that has your best interests at heart.

There is a perfect GPS for guiding you through your life and you have access to it at all times. It goes by many names – intuition, gut feeling, higher self. It can also be “externally” directed such as – God, Allah, guardian angel, or spirit guide.

It really doesn’t matter which if these you relate to and choose to you, the methods and techniques for hearing it are the same. Below are several techniques for gaining access to this important tool in your business toolbox.

Technique #1: Get quiet
Sit quietly in meditation or just silently a few minutes each day. Just taking the time to do this, can open up the sensitivity needed to “hear” the guidance you are seeking.

Technique #2: Clear clutter
This can mean physical clutter, such as in your home or office space, but it can also mean mental clutter or time wasters. Get rid of any menial jobs or tasks that can be done by someone else, or perhaps don’t need to be done at all. Guidance needs space to work; and you need space to hear it.

Technique #3: Journal
Keep a daily journal of concerns and questions. Ask questions of your intuition in Q&A format and see what comes to you.

Technique #4: Play
Do something fun that you don’t normally do – plant a flower, go for a hike, play tag with your kids. Doing fun, playful things can disengage the mental chatter that goes on and again, create the space required for the messages to come through.

Once you have received some information, it is very important to validate it. You need to be sure it is coming from this all-knowing source and not from your own mind or ego with all of its wishes, wants, and desires. Here are a few guidelines to help you determine if this is a valid message:

1.    It is not fear-based – If you get a feeling of fear from the message, it most likely is NOT valid; if you feel peaceful about the message (even though it might provoke some anxiety), it most likely is valid.

2.    “I” versus “You” language – The message came across in the second person. For example, “You need to take the job offer.” versus “I want to take the job offer.”

3.    Declarative language – The message came in declarative, strong language – not in weak, unsure language. For example, “You need to take the job offer” versus “Maybe you should take the job.”

4.    Surprising – this was not the message you “expected” to hear. If you went into the process expecting to hear a particular message and that’s not the one you heard, it is a good indicator that this is a valid message.

Please note that some of these indicators may or may not be present. The more of them you have, the more likely the message is valid. However, the most important one is the first one – if this one is not present, the odds of the message being valid are pretty slim. God or intuition does not operate using fear-based principles. You will be guided through a feeling of peace – not through fear.

Remember to take advantage of this readily-accessible system for guiding your business and your life through anything that comes your way.

Head over to www.charterforcompassion and join us!

One of my missions in life is to help spread peace on earth – I believe that the way to do this is to learn about people who are different from us and not judge things we don’t understand or agree with. This is a big reason why I became an Interfaith Minister.

The charter for compassion was created with the idea that we need more compassion in this world and towards each other. I hope you will find it important enough to sign along with the rest of us!

Peace and Blessings to all of you!

Rev. Tricia

Rest In Peace

by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
inspired by the poems of Thich Nhat Hanh

I am a World Trade Center tower, standing tall in the clear blue sky, feeling a violent blow in my side, and
I am a towering inferno of pain and suffering imploding upon myself and collapsing to the ground.
May I rest in peace.

I am a terrified passenger on a hijacked airplane not knowing where we are going or that I am riding on fuel tanks that will be instruments of death, and
I am a worker arriving at my office not knowing that in just a moment my future will be obliterated.
May I rest in peace.

I am a pigeon in the plaza between the two towers eating crumbs from someone’s breakfast when fire rains down on me from the skies, and
I am a bed of flowers admired daily by thousands of tourists now buried under five stories of rubble.
May I rest in peace.

I am a firefighter sent into dark corridors of smoke and debris on a mission of mercy only to have it collapse around me, and
I am a rescue worker risking my life to save lives who is very aware that I may not make it out alive.
May I rest in peace.

I am a survivor who has fled down the stairs and out of the building to safety who knows that nothing will ever be the same in my soul again, and
I am a doctor in a hospital treating patients burned from head to toe who knows that these horrible images will remain in my mind forever.
May I know peace.

I am a tourist in Times Square looking up at the giant TV screens thinking I’m seeing a disaster movie as I watch the Twin Towers crash to the ground, and
I am a New York woman sending e-mails to friends and family letting them know that I am safe.
May I know peace.

I am a piece of paper that was on someone’s desk this morning and now I’m debris scattered by the wind across lower Manhattan, and
I am a stone in the graveyard at Trinity Church covered with soot from the buildings that once stood proudly above me, death meeting death.
May I rest in peace.

I am a dog sniffing in the rubble for signs of life, doing my best to be of service, and
I am a blood donor waiting in line to make a simple but very needed contribution for the victims.
May I know peace.

I am a resident in an apartment in downtown New York who has been forced to evacuate my home, and
I am a resident in an apartment uptown who has walked 100 blocks home in a stream of other refugees.
May I know peace.

I am a family member who has just learned that someone I love has died, and
I am a pastor who must comfort someone who has suffered a heart-breaking loss.
May I know peace.

I am a loyal American who feels violated and vows to stand behind any military action it takes to wipe terrorists off the face of the earth, and
I am a loyal American who feels violated and worries that people who look and sound like me are all going to be blamed for this tragedy.
May I know peace.

I am a frightened city dweller who wonders whether I’ll ever feel safe in a skyscraper again, and
I am a pilot who wonders whether there will ever be a way to make the skies truly safe.
May I know peace.

I am the owner of a small store with five employees that has been put out of business by this tragedy, and
I am an executive in a multinational corporation who is concerned about the cost of doing business in a terrorized world.
May I know peace.

I am a visitor to New York City who purchases postcards of the World Trade Center Twin Towers that are no more, and
I am a television reporter trying to put into words the terrible things I have seen.
May I know peace.

I am a boy in New Jersey waiting for a father who will never come home, and
I am a boy in a faraway country rejoicing in the streets of my village because someone has hurt the hated Americans.
May I know peace.

I am a general talking into the microphones about how we must stop the terrorist cowards who have perpetrated this heinous crime, and
I am an intelligence officer trying to discern how such a thing could have happened on American soil, and
I am a city official trying to find ways to alleviate the suffering of my people.
May I know peace.

I am a terrorist whose hatred for America knows no limit and I am willing to die to prove it, and
I am a terrorist sympathizer standing with all the enemies of American capitalism and imperialism, and
I am a master strategist for a terrorist group who planned this abomination.
My heart is not yet capable of openness, tolerance, and loving.
May I know peace.

I am a citizen of the world glued to my television set, fighting back my rage and despair at these horrible events, and
I am a person of faith struggling to forgive the unforgivable, praying for the consolation of those who have lost loved ones, calling upon the merciful beneficence of God/Yahweh/Allah/Spirit/Higher Power.
May I know peace.

I am a child of God who believes that we are all children of God and we are all part of each other.
May we all know peace.

I just wanted to share this beautiful video created by several Interfaith Ministers from different seminaries. Remember what we can do together!

Remember to keep peace in your heart!

Love and Bliss,
Rev. Trish