Welcome to the Lake Tahoe Spiritual Living Center!

Once in a while I hear someone say that living a life totally free from fear is impossible.  They even illustrate that theory with a metaphor.  They ask, “when you cross the street, do you look both ways before you step out into the street?”

Well, of course we do!  But that’s not fear, that’s caution, and there is a difference.

Caution tells us to look both ways before we cross the street.  It tells us to investigate the company we are considering for our retirement plan.  It tells us to stick our hand under the running water in the shower before we step in.  It tells us to compare products before making a purchase decision, or to compare interest rates before committing to a loan.

Fear tells us to stop dead in our tracks.  Or it tells us to run like crazy.  Or it tells us to fight back.  When we are judging anyone else or anything else for anything at all, we are in fear.  Fear separates us from our fellow human beings, and it also prevents us from experiencing all the joy that life has to offer.  Fear tells us to believe what the dogma says, even if something inside of us is quietly telling us not to, because if we don’t something bad might happen.  Fear keeps us from being true to ourselves.  Fear causes us to do what everyone else is doing,  to wear what they wear and say what they say, even if secretly we don’t want to do that, or wear that, or say that.  Fear causes us to do things we would not otherwise do.  Fear is the activator of everything negative in our lives.

Can you tell I don’t much appreciate fear?

Some folks will tell us that fear is there for a reason, that it is genetically bred into us, because back when we were living in caves we needed it to protect ourselves.  Well, we aren’t living in caves anymore, and while I acknowledge the existence of that adrenaline rush that happens when we are threatened or excited, I still think there is a difference between fear and caution.

So what do you do if you recognize that there is some fear going on within you?  I’m assuming you want to be rid of the fear in your life of course.  If you like being judgmental, not doing the things you want to do, doing things you don’t want to, and limiting yourself, then stop reading here.  But if you want to be rid of the fear in your life, here are some helpful tidbits.

1.  Recognize fear for what it is.  It is what some people call the ego, trying to protect us.  But it disguises itself as judgment.  Or you will finding yourself saying “I can’t” when you really want to say, “I can!”  And the infamous “yeah but….” is a dead ringer for fear.

2.  Know that fear and love cannot exist in the same place at the same time.  Some people say that fear and faith cannot exist in the same place at the same time, but faith is a misunderstood term and the subject of another blog post, so I’m going to stick with love.   Love demolishes fear in one fell swoop.  I’m not one to quote the Bible, but I’m going to refer to it here, because in 1 Corinthians it says that one can have all the faith in the world, but if one doesn’t have love, one has nothing.  It goes on to say that love does not envy nor boast, it isn’t self centered, it thinks no evil.  “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.   It is eternal.”  So if you are feeling fear, stop, get quiet, find the love.  It is there within you.  It’s in the beauty around you, in the trees, the mountains, the oceans, the rivers.  It’s in your pets, it’s in the face of a smiling child.  It is in the warmth of the sun and the quiet of the snow falling. Love is everywhere, you have but to recognize it.

3.  Know that fear crops up when we are feeling threatened.  When you feel fear, ask yourself, “do I think I’m going to lose something or not get something I want?”  Notice those are outside things.  I think the greatest creator of fear is attachment to outside stuff, whether it be people, belongings or circumstances.  What part of you would change, or be less than, if you lost that outside something?  I submit that nothing would.  Your essence of goodness remains, always, no matter what happens on the outside.

4.  Practice forgiveness.  Forgiveness is probably the greatest spiritual tool we have.  Forgiveness does not condone other’s behavior, but it does provide you with relief from fear, especially if you forgive yourself.  Do not judge yourself harshly.  Do not judge yourself at all.  You don’t let others judge you, why do you allow yourself to judge you?

5.  I changed my mind.  I am going to briefly mention faith here, but just briefly.  I found I couldn’t not mention it in a discussion about fear.  Faith is not belief, nor is it something you get from belief in an outside entity.  That’s a faith that I find fleeting at best, and false at worse.  Faith is a feeling, a knowing, that is based on experience.  Faith is that feeling of comfort that comes from knowing that inside of you, all is well, no matter what happens on the outside.  Faith is that essence of hope that comes from seeing that, with all that has happened in your life, something good has come from it.

6.  Be open at the top.  If you are being called to make a change in your life, don’t be afraid of the unknown simply because it is unfamiliar.  Don’t stay with an abuser because it’s all you’ve ever known and that is more comfortable than the unknown.  Don’t stay in your addiction because you don’t know what it could possibly be like in your life without it.   Do honor any callings that come to you.  If you are being called to take a new job, take it!  In ministerial school, we are constantly thanking one another for answering the call.  Most of us, myself included, feel we are being called and we are answering the call.  Most of us don’t know where we are going to go with this, or what we are going to do with it, but we can’t not answer the call because we’ve done our spiritual work, we heard the call, and we are compelled to honor it.  If you stop and listen, your body and your inner wisdom will tell you where to go and what to do.  Don’t be closed to that wisdom.

Be open, practice and express love in your life, see the spiritual in everything you do and everywhere you’ve been, and you will be free from fear.  It’s a wonderful place to be!

One of the key concepts we will be discussing in the Money, Metaphysics and the Meaning of Life class is faith.  In the book Spiritual Economics by Eric Butterworth (which we will be studying for this class) the author says, “Faith doesn’t influence God ‘out there’ the send riches to fill our needs ‘down here.’”

Faith is an inner thing, it is a sense of inner wholeness, inner calm, an inner knowing that all is well, in spite of outside appearances to the contrary.  Faith is the knowing that God is good, all the time, and God is all there is. If this is true, then how can anything that happens in your life be less than good?  This might be a hard concept to accept, especially if you’ve just lost your job or your home.  But where, indeed, would you turn to find comfort in such a circumstance, if not to that Power within you?  And where would you find the strength to move forward in such a circumstance, if not for the Great Reality Deep Within?

I can tell you from personal experience that the most devastating crises in my life, the ones that literally had me on my knees in hysterics, turned out the be the greatest gifts.  I would not be here now if I had not traveled the very colorful path that I have traveled!  While in my earlier years I did not have the kind of faith I do now, and while I did not know at the time that my Soul was simply setting me up for me greatest good, I did have a sense that something better was out there for me.  And I am grateful that I did not allow my fear of the unknown to stop me from exploring what that could be, and from jumping in with both feet when the possibilities were presented to me.

And the concepts I will be teaching in this class will allow you a freedom that you never knew before, a freedom to be and experience life at its fullest!  I hope to see you there!

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Karen Linsley, RScP, is a licensed Spiritual Coach and current Ministerial Student at Holmes Institute.  She will be teaching Money, Metaphysics and the Meaning of Life on Wednesday nights in Carson City (for 8 weeks beginning October 13) and on Thursdays (beginning October 14) in Lake Tahoe.  For more information, email her at karen@laketahoespirituallivingcenter.com

What would you give to be able to do what you love, and make a living at it? What if I told you that you wouldn’t have to give anything?

What are your arguments against this?  Let’s hear them!

The trick to growth is not stepping out on a limb, but trusting the branch will materialize under your feet as you step into thin air. Larsen

The message today is to go for it!  Do not allow anything to get in the way of you accomplishing what your soul is calling for you to do.  Society sometimes has things to say about our dreams.  “It’s not practical,” they might say.  My reply?  “um, yes, and your point is?”  Another favorite is, “you can’t make any money at that.”   I loved it when the movie Field of Dreams came out, and the hero built his baseball stadium even though everyone told him it wasn’t practical, that he couldn’t make any money at it.  Sometimes I think society does not understand that if you are not happy, it doesn’t matter how much money you are making, it isn’t worth it.  Be happy, the money will come.

Go ahead, build it. They will come.  Come one, take that first step into thin air.  The branch will materialize.

“The spiritual life is not a theory.  We have to live it.”  Bill Wilson

“Faith is a lifestyle.”  Mary Morrissey

“Pray without ceasing.”  The Bible

All three of these quotes mean the same thing:  they mean that the consciousness of connection with the  One is not something that we cultivate once in a while, for example on Sundays when going to church.  Consciousness is, it happens 24/7, and when we cultivate the consciousness of awarenss of the Force 24/7, in everything that we do and everywhere we go, then that becomes a lifestyle.  And when that attitude, that energy, that  knowingness, is a lifestyle for us, we are then living in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Daily spiritual practices, going to church on Sunday or temple on Saturday or mass on Wednesday, all of that helps of course, but the true destination is not to feel at peace just when you are in these places at these times.  The very realistic goal of being at peace at all times, no matter what, is obtainable…you just have to make  spirituality a lifestyle.

Think of that god-stuff in everything you do, worship the wonder of Mother Nature in the beauty of the outdoors, acknowledge the presence of Spirit in all things, and  you will begin to have the lifestyle of a spiritual being.  And that is where the peace happens.

I wish you peace today and always!

The Course in Miracles says there are only two states of being:  fear or love.  It further tells us that we can only be in one state or another, the two cannot co-exist at the same time in the same entity.

The reactions we have behind fear are very non-productive and don’t serve us well at all: anger, lashing out, shutting down, a certain sort of immobility, indecision, anxiety;  all are symptoms that we are in fear.  And to add insult to injury, acting these ways tends to produce more of the same!

When we are in love, we behave just the opposite:  a sense of well being, all is right with the world, a calm, a sense of our own worth, acceptance, compassion, tolerance, trust, faith, a knowing that all is well.  We are much better able to function in life in a state of love, and the Law of Attraction works here as well, producing more of the same.

So, how do you get from fear to love?  It’s all inside work.  The state of being in love is not based on anything outside of us, although it may seem like the state of being in fear is caused by outside stuff like relationship woes, financial issues, health challenges.  But it really isn’t. Fear is caused by a lack of a connection to Spirit, and love happens when we have The Infinite in our lives.

The question then becomes a matter of making sure we are connected, always…24/7.  In order to be connected we must first define it. Trying to define The Great Stuff is a bit like trying to herd cats, it really can’t be done because Energy is infinite, yet we seem to need a definition.  So go ahead, define it. What is it, what does it look like, smell like, feel like?  What do you call it?   How does it operate in your life?  Where does  it  live?  What do you feel when you are connected, when you are aware of the Presence of the One?

You can change your definition later, for Light does not care what we call it or how we  define it, and as we grow and change, our concept of the Great Reality Deep Within is likely to change as well.

Once you have an idea of what it means to  you and how it works in your life, it becomes a matter of connecting, daily.  We do this by daily spiritual practices:  quiet time, meditation, visioning, journaling, reading of spiritual literature.  Sometimes we need to have a chat with a Practitioner to get past  fear and into love…sometimes several chats. 

Love is a state of being and we can be in that state all day, every day.  It only takes a few moments each day of actively and consciously connecting with The Force.  Being in a state of Love is not dependent on what happens in our outside world; and being in a state of Love will help  us deal better with what happens in the outside world.

So go within today, and make that connection, and keep it, and have Happy Loving!

Sometimes life can be like a deconstruction zone.  I say DEconstruction, as opposed to construction, because before you can construct, or build something new, you must first deconstruct what exists, in order to make room for the new.

Deconstruction is not fun.

Sometimes it’s forced upon us.  It might look like a partner wanting a divorce, a sudden dismissal from a job, or an accident.

Sometimes we see it coming, and take steps to avoid it, go around it, prevent it from happening, until we realize that really isn’t working so well.

But the bottom line is, if the Great Reality Deep Within is calling for something new in your life, that something new is likely to be preceded by a period of deconstruction.  Your soul knows what is best and it is your Soul that is One with the One, one with Spirit, and Spirit, like our Souls, will not be denied.

Sometimes deconstruction can manifest the most trying of symptoms:  you may feel anxious, to the point of anxiety attack.  You may not be able to sleep, or be sleeping too much.  You might be having some muscle twinges or odd aches and pains.  You might feel as if you are on the verge of insanity, with wide mood swings, going from tears to hysterical laughter to ”normalcy” in the space of an hour.  And you might be crying at all hours of the day, at the most unexpected things and the most inconvenient times.  You are likely to experience fear, depression, sadness, despair, frustration, anger and self pity. 

Really, the deconstruction period  is not very pleasant at all.

However! 

There are some tools you can use to walk through the deconstruction period with dignity and grace.

1.  Get support.  Professional help can be invaluable during the deconstruction period.   Although I might be a bit prejudiced, I happen to believe that Practitioners are great for times like this.  I’ve used my Practitioner during deconstruction periods and I can tell you that it’s been invaluable.  Other professionals like therapists, life coaches and counselors can also be helpful.  Mentors can usually provide a unique form of support that you can find no where else.  And of course, family and friends are a great resource.  In addition, you  might want to think about cluing them in on why you are behaving so oddly.

2.  Spend more time with daily spiritual practices.  If you don’t currently do them, start now.  If you do do them, add more.  If you journal and read spiritual literature, add meditation and visioning. 

3.  Make sure you take care of  your physical self:  eat right and get plenty of exercise.

4.  Don’t make any rash decisions.  Acting on negative feelings will usually just lead us deeper into the problem, instead of into the solution.

5.  Set your intention.  You are in the perfect place during the deconstruction period to set an intention for what you want your future to be. 

6.  Have faith.  If you can’t have it for yourself, have a Practitioner carry that faith for you until you can get there and pick it up.

I can promise you this:  good things are in store for you. Walk through this period with dignity and grace and you will come out of this period  with a sense of peace and joy and things happening in your life that you never knew possible.  Know.   Be Still and Know. 

The Universe is conspiring for your good, even if it doesn’t feel that way right now.  Hang in there, this too will pass into the Sunlight of the Spirit.

I’m hearing a lot of folks express lately that they feel challenged in their life. 

Some feel ashamed, some feel lost, some feel hopeless.  There is confusion and despair.

There is a way out of that, and it doesn’t have to do with changing the outside circumstances, although the outside circumstances usually change of their own accord when you do the work necessary to get out of feeling challenged.

The work starts within.  Within is where it always starts.  It starts with changing your thinking.  Sometimes that is difficult, I know.  The mind wants to always go to the worrisome stuff.  Don’t let it.  Bring it back to good, to positive.  And bring it back again.

And within is where our Great Reality lives, that One,  that Source that is All, that is part of  us, part of you and part of me and part of everything, in and through all, and as long as we have that connection, that knowledge, we can rest securely in the comforting arms of Spirit.

Make a gratitude list. Reminding oneself of the things one is grateful for will alwasy bring relief.

Make a phone call.  It’s not good to suffer in silence.   Call someone and talk with them, even if you don’t talk about the challenges in  your  life. 

Challenges happen in life, that’s part of  life I think.  But we have tools with which to deal with those challenges, and isn’t that great? 

Be with Spirit today, and Know.  Know that all is well.

What is faith anyway? 

I like to say that faith is knowing and feeling that all is well in my world, that I am whole and complete within, no matter what is happening on the outside.

In other words, no matter what is manifesting in my physical world, in the realm of health, finances, relationships, etc, I am well inside of myself, and always will be.

You might have a different definition of faith, or express it in a different way.  I’d like to hear about it if you do!

But what if you don’t feel ok?  What if you don’t feel at peace, well on the inside, whole and complete within?  

Faith is something that does not seem to come automatically, at least for me.  I think it comes from regular, consistent spiritual practices.  Daily connection with Spirit.  Daily meditation, journaling, quiet time or visioning.  For us Practitioners we include daily treatments as well. 

I’ve heard it said that  faith is trust with a track record.  Maybe so, but isn’t this simply placing our faith in outside stuff?  If we have a track record of good things happening to us in our lives, then we have trust with a track record, or faith.  But what if we have a history of some not so pleasant things in our life?  What happens to trust and faith then?  Does it not  exist for us?  Or perhaps we have trust and faith that things will always go wrong? 

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to have that kind of faith, that things will always go wrong.  I also don’t want to have the kind of faith that is based on outside experiences. 

I would rather have the kind of faith that  is based on that  timeless connection with Spirit, that connection that never goes away, as long as I continue my spiritual practices.

If you feel you are lacking in faith, try spending some time every day in some sort  of spiritual  practice.  It can be meditation, reading spiritual literature (you are the one that determines what is spiritual for you.  Browse the spirituality aisle at the bookstore and find something that calls to  your heart.), spending time in nature, journaling.  The particular practice doesn’t really matter, as long as you are mindful about what it is you are doing.  Consciously connect with your own concept of Spirit, and know….faith will follow close behind.

In my practice, I work with people who come to me because they feel some sort of lack in their life.  Most of them are from a very traditional religion, and feel shamed, abandoned and let down by their religion and by the God of that religion.  But they are seeking something, even if they don’t know what it is.  They know there has to be something more to life than what they have now.

There is a difference between religion and spirituality.  With spirituality, you get no rules, no dogma, no shame.  Just  peace.

There IS something more to life than simply abandoning your religion because it did not serve you well.  You can find a god that works for you, a god that has nothing to do with religion, if that is what you want.

Start by thinking about what a god would look like to you.  God is indefinable.  Yet we still try to define it.  I think we need to have a name for it, I think we need to know what it feels like to have a god in our lives, and I think we need to be able to describe it to ourselves.  It’s limiting, but it’s a start.  For once you have a description, you have the beginnings of a god in your life, and you  can start to get glimmers of peace.

Spend some  time each day in quiet contemplation and actively connect with that idea you have begun to formulate.  Know that whatever you think god is, whatever role you want god to play in your life, that is what is.  There are no expectations from god.  God wants for you what you want for  you, so go for it.  Dream big!

Consider using the services of a Practitioner to help you with this.  This is one of my specialties, and I’m very good at it.

Whatever you do, don’t go through life anymore with that feeling of missing something.  It’s not necessary, and you deserve better.