Living "now"

One of the hardest things for me is to remember to live in the present moment.  As a single mother, I was always worrying about something.  As a writer, there's always a reason to fret.  I spend a lot of time wondering if I do such and such, or say such and such, what will happen next.  And usually, I can think of so many bad things that might happen next, I can scare myself right under my covers. 

Yet every time this happens, I "hear" the Angels, reassuring me, reminding me to breathe, to relax, to focus on the one small thing I might do to change or ameliorate my present situation.  My life is changing dramatically right now.  I'm standing on the threshold of a whole new phase of my life - and as exciting as that is most of the time, sometimes, it's really scary.  When I feel myself starting to become overwhelmed by the fear, I slow down and stop to the extent that I can.  Then, I take a few minutes and just breathe. 

Mindful breathing is a wonderful way to connect to your sense of the present.  According to the Angels, most of us walk around all day without giving much thought ever to the miracle of respiration that happens in our bodies every minute.  Connecting to the sensation of the breath entering the lungs, filling the deep spaces, enabling the essential oxygen to enter our cells, grounds us in the moment.  The breath can quite literally become a lifeline, or an anchor, stabilizing our emotions and the rest of our energy around the flow of air.  This image, of our physical bodies anchored to a pulse of flowing air is a wonderful metaphor.  When I remember that what flows in and through me and keeps me alive at every moment is that column of moving air, I become more aware of the other invisible aspects of my being as well as the invisible energies all around me.  Then I know I am not alone. 

The world can feel like a chaotic, ever-changing, sometimes frightening place.  The Angels urge us to take some time every day, breathing and paying attention to the intangible elements that sustain us. 

Coming Soon to The Angel Way Blog

In addition to our new post schedule (Annie on Wed., Karen on Sun.), we will be adding Pages to the ETAW Blog:

1. Annie's Page

2. Karen's Page both will feature bios and little known facts about each of us (or something to that effect!)

3. Angel Way Recipes -- ours and yours, so be sure to send your favorite dishes to Annie

In the mean time, if you would like to learn more about Annie-- she has a Facebook page. Karen has a FB page as well as a new website featuring visionary interviews with Caroline Myss, Wayne Dyer, Donna Eden and many others. Other topics include natural health, holistic parenting and metaphysical fiction/suspense.

june rainbow challenge

how many rainbows can YOU eat in a day? the Angels suggest - and i CHALLENGE you - to see how many you can fit! the MOST i've EVER been able to fit ... is THREE! so leave a comment here and let me know if you'd like to participate in the JUNE RAINBOW CHALLENGE - the person with the most rainbows at the end of the month... wins an Angel-approved Prize!

the Angels on being outdoors

it's important to spend time every day out of doors. our bodies need sunlight and fresh air. we know this, and yet for many of us, outdoors is something we experience in between rushing from place to place, from house to car to office to school to car to house to store... you get the idea. even i find myself very guilty at times, of not spending time outdoors.

i'm not sure what stops me - maybe it's a sense of all the things i feel i "should" be doing if im out there - maybe it's the sense i "shouldn't" be outside goofing off. but even here in chilly new england it's finally spring.

today the Angels suggest that we turn off our computers, put down our tasks and take as few as five minutes to simply sit outside. close your eyes, feel the light - or the rain - and breathe. if you are fortunate enough to live in a place where you can be relatively undisturbed, take whatever time you can give to yourself to release whatever stress you might feel yourself holding. with every in-breath, imagine yourself breathing in relaxation and love, and with every out-breath, imagine yourself breathing out any worries. do this every day, for at least five minutes if at all possible, and preferably, before engaging in any stressful task.

the Angels on water

water is what we are mostly made of, and water is an extremely important part of our diets. sometimes what we perceive to be hunger is actually thirst, and factors such as temperature, humidity levels and certain foods or ingested substances, such as caffiene, can dehydrate us without our awareness.

therefore, the Angels suggest we pay attention to how much we drink and what we drink as much as what we eat. while many diets urge us to "drink more water" or to drink a certain amount of water, convenient access to potable water is relatively recent in human history. therefore, it's not so much WATER we should pay attention to as LIQUID.

our bodies require a certain amount of liquid nourishment, just as they do solid nourishment. and as with solid food, there's a range from healthier choices to not-so healthy choices from which to choose. if you enjoy water, if you have access to a source of fresh spring water, for example, or you enjoy the taste of your local or filtered water, then by all means, drink water. however, teas - especially herbal teas, but be wary of any diuretic capablities - coffee, lemon- or limeade, seltzer water or club soda, and fruit juices are all acceptable alternatives for those of us who shudder at the thought of downing gallons of water.

for example, i brew myself a pot of tea every morning, and then another at lunch. i drink the tea throughout the day. my mother used to say i always had a glass in my hand - i still do, but now its usually a mug!

in terms of how much to drink, and when, the standard answer "when you're thirsty" is really the best answer; the trouble is that it can be very hard to know if you're thirsty before you're almost dangerously dehydrated! therefore, plan to drink something nourishing - a glass of water, a cup of tea, a club soda and cranberry - at least every three hours along with your meal or snack. then plan to take at least one extra cup or mug or bottle along with you afterwards to sip between.

and the Angels do gently suggest to avoid, if at all possible, water in plastic bottles. the plastic is not at all healthy and the water absorbs very dangerous chemicals.