“Dream”©CatherineJust2012

Where Do Fears Come From?

There is so much helpful information on this site about facing fears, and I am signed up and excited to hear the valuable stories and guidance that will be shared on the topic of fear in the upcoming Soul*Full Summit. Fears aren’t much fun to have, but they can be very fun to face, so I like to give myself lots of tools to help me manage my own fears and keep moving forward with the life I want to live.

I’ve done my own “life overhaul” over the last few years and have uncovered many of my deeply buried fears – fears that were so unconscious I wasn’t even aware that I had them. Discovering and handling my fears has been the key to making the changes I needed to make to start fulfilling my long-held dreams.

It’s been such a wild journey that I wanted to share with you how I did it, since the technique I used isn’t spoken about too frequently. I did past-life regression therapy, and it really, really worked.

In chapter 3 of my new e-book, Conversations with Linda, I wrote, “In psychology we have what we call antecedent behaviors. There is always an antecedent behavior to anything, meaning there is a thing or event that existed before, that logically precedes a response. My experience has been that mostly those antecedent behaviors do not occur in any given one life. I believe this life is a direct response to other lives. I don’t believe we come in as a blank slate. We bring all our old stuff with us.”

Phobias are a perfect example of this phenomenon. I know people who are terrified of airplanes or terrified of water – so much so that they refuse to fly or swim – and they have no idea why they have such debilitating fear. These same people have also repeatedly dreamt about plane crashes or drowning in water. I’ve told these people that their dreams are past-life memories and their fears are stemming from those emotionally traumatic experiences they had in past lives that are stored in their unconscious minds.

In my book I also wrote, “Our unconscious mind holds onto every single thing we’ve ever been through in every lifetime. It’s like a bucket that contains all our memories – everything we’ve ever learned and every emotion we’ve ever had. The emotionally charged experiences we have had that are stored in our unconscious minds have to be dealt with in order to create emotional freedom and resolution. What we don’t know can hurt us.

The reason I do past-life work is I want to get in touch with and understand those unconscious memories, emotions, heartbreaks, fears, and whatever else I’m holding onto that is causing problems in my life. I don’t want to live my life in a response to other lifetimes, other experiences. I want to live my life free. For me, the freedom comes when I am karmically clear.

Past-life work helps us find and understand more about what we are FEELING. It helps to acknowledge the baggage we bring in from other lifetimes that keeps us stuck, whether we’re stuck in anger or fear or shame, or we’re just stuck. It helps us get to the bottom of things.

Past-life therapy is a resolution therapy. It tells us things we need to know about ourselves, and then it gives us information about how to deal with it. Simply doing a past-life regression without the resolution does not make the difference. The aftermath of the past-life work is as important as the past-life information that we gain.”

Essentially, what I’m saying is, if you have a goal in life that you cannot accomplish, there is a chance that what’s holding you back from making progress towards your goal is fear. You can do past-life work to help you understand your feelings, and when you uncover your past, you can resolve your karmic imprints and move forward in life without the damaging fear.

It’s powerful work, and the shifts happen fast, so if you decide to try this out, get ready to have some transformative experiences of your own.

Kim Patron is a Writer, an Online Life Coach and a Soul Mission Astrologer.  She helps her clients and readers learn about and live their Soul Missions.

Her first e-book, Conversations with Linda, is being sold as a chapter series on her website.

To read Kim’s blog, submit questions for her free advice column, or buy her book, visit her website at http://soulestialservices.com/.

****

I hear people asking about headshots. How to get more comfortable in front of the camera. What to wear. How to find the best photographer. etc….

Well, I start the conversation in the video above.

If you are ready to update your headshots give this video a moment of your time. You will find it handy.

Now I must admit – there are a LOT of other points to consider when going to get a headshot made….and so….

I’m creating a new eCourse

Soul*Full Photography for Entrepreneurs

photography + entrepreneurs = kick ass websites, blog posts and headshots.

A self paced 4 Module eCourse with Private Facebook group for photo support and feedback.

I’m working on the final touches of this eCourse as we speak. Stay tuned for the BIG LAUNCH!

xo

*c

Don’t forget to sign up for the Soul*Full Summit! It’s right around the corner.

The Secret Facebook group for the Summit is alive and AMAZING. once you sign up you’ll get the link to join us now!

Do you remember THIS?

Well…She has had some incredible success lately and I asked if I could do a follow up post about it today.

So here you go. Nicola entered a contest to be featured in a film and….she got in.

This film is moving. Take the 11 minutes to sit and watch these courageous inspiring stories of 4 incredible people….including Nicola.

I’m so proud of you Nicola. For entering the contest. Just that one brave action, created an opportunity for you to share your story and your gorgeous images and why it’s important to do what you do.

You inspire me.

wishing you even more actions toward your greatness.

xo

*c

Here is a little look inside what challenges have come up for me in my life and how I’ve tried to avoid the pain of dealing with them. What I learned by avoidance tactics. What I learned by shifting my focus on serving others. And how humor plays a role.

I’d LOVE to hear how you relate to these solutions. What do you do when you are confronted by a life or business situation that makes you feel like running? What has helped you MOVE THROUGH IT with ease ?

I want to know!

©Stacy de la Rosa

“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving… it remembers little things,  long after you have forgotten everything.” Aaron Siskland

© Stacy de la Rosa

When I am in a state of presence the world becomes my lover. We see each other in the vibrancy of a moment where it reads to me its poetry, in the art of nature so beautiful it brings tears, and in the light that sends shivers all the way through me.

©Stacy de la Rosa

I find so much beauty and connection simply by staying awake to what is happening around me – the way the afternoon light hits the table or the way the dishes are stacked in the sink, the vibrancy of life as it happens, or quietly observing my children.

©Stacy de la Rosa

I find when I am feeling irritable, overwhelmed or downright pissy usually just the simple act of walking outside and looking up with my camera can bring me back to a state of presence.

©Stacy de la Rosa

The act of recognizing vibrancy in the quiet of moments is a very sensual and spiritual act – mostly because it calls for slowing way down and paying attention to what is happening.

©Stacy de la Rosa

In this way photography becomes a form of meditation.

©Stacy de la Rosa

When it comes to taking photos, I don’t subscribe to the idea that one camera is superior to another. As an active mama I shoot mostly with my iPhone these days and I would encourage anyone who wants to stretch how they view the world to use whatever camera they can get their hands on, or feel called to, and get to shooting wherever and whenever.

                                                            ©Stacy de la Rosa

My photography is a very personal journey for me. I view my photos as a visual memoir, something I will one day give to my girls in book form as a way to know their own childhood and remember their mama.

Stacy de la Rosa is a mama, jewelry designer and soulecologist. She blogs at Clover and Sage and guides women on how to get naked with the now in her course Soulecologie: Picture Your World.

*****

Happy Thursday to ya.

It’s so interesting to me how my thoughts can dictate such huge physical reactions in my being.

If I think about my favorite salad at my favorite raw food restaurant, my mouth waters.

When I think about my husband and how he made me laugh last night with that witty remark he made to me, I feel something in my heart like it’s bursting open and my body feels warm all over from the love I feel for him and our connection.

When I think about my son and I sitting together this morning and taking self portraits

I feel JOY in my heart and soul.

And when I think about his future in school and the possible bullying, the possible isolation from his peers because he is different, the possible lack of acceptance for the way he learns from his teachers and the horror stories I read about aides who are abusive, and kids put in duffle bags by the teachers etc….. My heart races, I shut down inside and feel urgency to do something. Like keep him home and home school.

And that is a projection into the future and is what I call future tripping. I’m not present in this moment when I’m thinking about the future “what if’s”.

But my being feels the feelings associated with what my thoughts are telling me.

It’s pretty incredible how that works. How our bodies are so tied to what our thoughts are saying. Even if what those thoughts are – are NOT TRUE.

The video today is about an experience I had of paralyzing fear. And how my thoughts shifted due to having 3 things happen almost simultaneously.

These 3 tips can really help you on your way as you take that first step away from what your mind is telling you and into the unknown.

You can apply these tips to your business life, Your life at home with your kids and your concern for their future, and to stepping into the unknown with your creativity. I know that sometimes the blank canvas or the beginning of a new photo project can be riddled with thoughts of fear and uncertainty. Watch the video for ways to keep moving forward with ease and laughter if you ever find yourself in that situation but want to stop it!

Let me know down in the comments what you thought of the video and the tips.

What is it in your life that you can shift ?

And….

HAVE YOU SIGNED UP FOR THE SOUL*FULL SUMMIT YET?

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP. No gimmicks. It’s free.

Photo  “Community” by Amanda Oaks

You can listen to this poem here:

Or click here to listen or right click, save as to download the Mp3.

I Celebrate You

I see you there, eyes
resting above your cheeks,
holding every single thing
you have ever seen, the beauty,
the muck, the soundtrack
of booming laughter hovering
over your years like a warm
quilt pieced together by your
grandmother’s hands, the death
& the birth & the smiles that
you can so deeply feel
in your heart, a million dimples
dropping in at the same time to
cradle our memories, basins
of tenderness, valleys baking
in the sun at a bird’s eye view,

I see you

a million eyelashes clicking
together, synchronized,
in unfettered joy,

your stories, the ones
that you tell yourself,
the ones that are true,
the unfinished chapters,
the blank white page drawing
in the first pencil stroke of a
new beginning, I see you,
your creative gorgeousness
encircling you, an aura
of all the things that
light you right the fuck up,

I feel its connection
to mine

this is a jollification
of our spirits dancing
through the seconds
as they tumble off our
self-imagined clocks

this is our courage
unleashed, the moment
the word YES sat
on the edge of
our lips, pondering,
putting on her boots,
standing up to spread
her arms out wide

only

to let
go

—
Hi, I’m Amanda Oaks, curator of connection & provisioner of benevolent beauty at Kind over Matter & Words Dance. Mama. Lover. Poet. Multi-Passionate Solopreneur. Kindness Advocate. I love laughing more than most anything. Wanna rock this trip around the sun? Dig this.

—

WHAT!? ( this is what I expect you to be saying to yourself when you read the title of this blog post )

YES! you read it right.

This video is going to tell you how to get on the cover on National Geographic magazine.

Is there a twist?????

WHO ME? Twist it? um….just WATCH the video and see…..

…I’m waiting….did you watch it yet?

ok, here’s the dealio. The story above is true. And it was totally out of my hands. All I did was SHOW UP.

So that’s what I suggest to you!

You’ve heard me say it before….JUST DO IT. Submit your work.

So HERE is your CHANCE!

SHOTS magazine is open to receiving your work for possible publication.

( wait what? That’s not National Geographic…… well as you know I’m a BIG believer in just showing up and moving forward with opportunities that are in front of you – because you NEVER KNOW who will be looking at that magazine….did you watch the video yet? )

You have a week.

Pick your favorite photos and DO IT.

I’m watching you. Just pick your favs and DO IT.

Comment below to let me know that you did it.

I’m going to do it too – so we are in this together peeps!

Here is the link.

http://shotsmag.com/shotssubmission.htm

Then Click HERE to Tweet!

[@Catherine_Just says It's Time to Submit! http://www.catherinejust.com/?p=1343]

Or  click HERE to Tweet!

[I'm not afraid to get published! I just watched @Catherine_Just show me how! http://www.catherinejust.com/?p=1343]

Shots magazine is highly regarded by most of my photographer friends. I heard about this mag from my dear friend Douglas Beasley. Have you checked out his work? Oh my. http://www.douglasbeasley.com/

Speaking of Douglas Beasley he is one of the incredible people I interview in the upcoming Soul*Full Summit.

His words around fear and how to work with it and through it are so deeply moving. I cannot WAIT to share it with you.

Have you signed up yet? It’s *FREE* yo! Sign up!

If you want to learn more click here!

The Soul*Full Summit

So – the message today is all about showing up and moving forward with your dreams because you NEVER KNOW what things will happen out of the blue.

Has this ever happened for you? You take one action and something else even more incredible happens? Share below. I want to know!

xo

*c

who have been invited to share their heart felt experience and soul.

Rules Are For People Who Need Them

                               My first story quilt © Amy Cavaness

There’s kind of an inside joke in our family, that being my phrase “Rules are for people who need them.”  I know. Radical. But honestly, the best times I have ever had, the most creative I’ve ever been, the most fulfilled I’ve felt is when I’ve ignored “the rules.”  (If it sounds like I’ve done it a lot, it’s because I have!)

I took up line dancing in the mid-1990′s as a much-needed act of joy. The generally accepted formula is you take lessons for a couple of months and then try going to “real” dances. Well, I didn’t. I just started going to dances (not bars, but dances held by groups at community halls). And you know what? Those line dancers are a nice bunch of people. If they see you out there trying to do a line dance, someone nearby will start signalling or telling you what’s coming up so you can keep up (and out of their way! LOL!) I wasn’t there to impress people, I was there to have fun. And I did. And I learned A LOT of dances!

Story quilt in progress ©Amy Cavaness

When I got inspired to make my first “story quilt” (a fabric wallhanging that tells a story) there weren’t any instructions or books out there. (Again, this was in the mid-1990′s. Hmmm….I’m noticing a pattern here!) I was trying to make figures about 4-6″ tall out of fabric. I tried lots of techniques with materials I had on hand. It was challenging, and it was fun. I didn’t know what I was doing so I got creative. I’m pretty happy with the resulting wall hanging, and what I love is not only the memories of the story it tells, but the memory of the explorer I was while making it.

Dean as a toddler ©Amy Cavaness

When my son with Down Syndrome was born in 1988 it was a shock to say the least. And society had come a long way in respecting and supporting individuals with the disorder. There was early intervention and support groups and books (“My Son the Mongoloid” was still on the shelves at my local library!!!)  My son (my second) was a perfectly healthy boy with that extra chromosome. From the very first day I had to ignore the status quo. “Babies with Down Syndrome can’t nurse.” Well, he WAS nursing and did so for 18 months, thank you very much. “Babies with Down Syndrome can’t ________” or “won’t ________.”  Well, my son was lucky enough to have an independently minded woman as a mother. I wasn’t going to be in denial, but I wasn’t going to let someone else define my (or my son’s) reality, either. He did, and he could, and still does!

Dean today ©Amy Cavaness

There is nothing wrong with rules or instructions or advice. We all need them sometimes. And we all probably get more than we need at times. What I believe, and have taught my 4 sons, is that it’s OK to question. And it’s important to take stock of your reality, your abilities, and think for yourself. There might be a different way of doing things that suits you better. It might not be in the rule book, but it doesn’t make it wrong. Sometimes following instructions makes things easier, but it doesn’t stretch you as a creative, spiritual being. When we break the rules we create something new, something different. It may not always be the best, or perfect, but it’s ours. It’s how we find our authentic selves.

******

Married mother of 4 sons, friend to multiple house pets and a couple of horses. Besides sewing, I love country/western dancing and trail riding with my husband. We have what seems to be an ever-expanding household full of family and friends, so cooking large quantities of food and laughing a lot are daily activities.  I have been using a sewing machine since I was about 11 years old, making clothes for myself for about 30 years, then I began exploring other types of fabric art and embellishment. I love vintage textiles and design and create or embellish accessories and clothing with them. I have a nice collection of barkcloth, which was used as curtains in the 1940′s and 1950′s and has some really fun and funky patterns and colors. Now I am beginning to focus my business on creating memory quilts from clothing and story quilts, which can include imagery    from photos, symbolism, memories, and fabrics from clothing.

My FB page: https://www.facebook.com/AmyCavanessDesigns

**After I read Amy’s Post I wanted to see MORE. Here are examples of her recent Story Quilts.

  A.MAZ.ING!!

                                                                                                                                           ©Amy Cavaness

                                                                                                                                   ©Amy Cavaness

                                                                                                               ©Amy Cavaness

When I think about fear, I can recall many times that I let it get in the way of moving forward in my life. The feeling of fear can be really overwhelming for me. I remember being so afraid to speak – like just talk to people – that I covered up that fear by chain smoking, which calmed me down a lot, but sure didn’t help with my asthma! The lengths I would go to avoid situations that felt uncomfortable was pretty extreme. Of course you probably know by now that from the age of 13-18 I used alcohol and drugs to try to deal with my discomfort in my own skin. In stead of facing my fears and lack of self worth I tried to deny it and cover it up. Luckily it only took a few years before I hit bottom and went to treatment and have spent the last 24 years learning how to show up fully present to all sorts of life circumstances that honestly freak me out. I think the hardest for me has been social situations. And that holds true with relationships, being “seen” by a partner on a deeper level was terrifying for me. I thought if they really knew me they would leave. So I would try to project that I wasn’t who I was so to create smoke and mirrors and divert what I thought was inevitable.

This also shows up in my business. Putting myself out there. Taking the business to the next level, Putting myself in situations that feel BIGGER than I am. Etc.

When I was working with Miguel Ruiz, he spoke about something that made me stop in my tracks. He would say that you can either be in Love or in Fear. You cannot be in both at the same time. If I cultivate loving myself and really sinking down deeper into a knowing of who I am I feel love, fear doesn’t exist. When I focus on external “what if’s” fear is rampant if I am coming from a place of “not enoughism”.

It does take practice to move out of fear and into love. I won’t lie. Just reading a book and knowing that there is a way – doesn’t give you the keys to enlightenment. At least it didn’t for me. It is a habit that I am breaking of being fearful. So it takes practice just like going to the gym, to build up the Love to be stronger than the Fear thoughts.

Here are some tips to becoming more fearless:

1. Awareness. Whatever you put your attention on will get bigger. So If I decide to pay attention to my thoughts and any tension or tightness I feel in my body, I will start to become more aware of what is triggering the fear. Is it a thought? Is it an old negative belief about myself? Is it an actual danger or a made up danger? Is a Lion Actually chancing me right now?

2. Write down what you find out. When you have a thought like “I’m going to a business meeting and I’m not sure what to expect” and you feel the fear in your body. Write it down. Just notice the thoughts, the feelings and write them down. This will help you see patterns that come up through out the day or week or month. You can’t change what you aren’t really aware of.

3. Ask yourself if it’s really true. Is the thought you’re having really true? Really?? Be curious. Investigate this. Dig deeper into your past and see if you belief something about yourself that is actually a lie.

4. Replace the fear thought with a loving thought. You can say to yourself ” I totally hear you and I understand why you feel afraid, but I’m here. And It’s going to be ok” Seems funny to talk that that to yourself, but try it. See how it can be calming for you.

5. Stop, Breathe, Get really present in THIS moment. When you really get present and assess what is ACTUALLY happening most often there is nothing to be afraid of. It’s all up in your head! Being Present and really noticing is key to stopping the fear thoughts from becoming a steam train out of control running down the tracks without any brakes. On way to really get present is to go take photographs and really look at what you see in the viewfinder. Notice the light and how it’s falling on your subject. Look at composition, be on a hunt of power signs from the universe, take self portraits, slow down, take a photo walk right outside and look.

6. Take the Soul*Full Summit and learn from other life leaders how they move through fear.

um “WHAT” ?!

you heard me!

I created the Soul*Full Summit to investigate this very topic and offer you *FREE* tips from 24 inspiring life leaders on moving through fear.

All you have to do is CLICK HERE to sign up.

You’ll join the fearless movement and learn from all of these amazing Soul*Full leaders

how to really move through fear and reach your highest potential.

Once you sign up – click to tweet!

http://clicktotweet.com/q3sR2

[I'm so excited to be a part of the Soul*Full Summit with @Catherine_Just! Join the movement! http://ow.ly/alVkH #sfsummit]

This might be the first of many moves past your fear and toward your SELF that will lead you to personal freedom. Being stuck in fear is suffering. You don’t have to suffer. There is another way. Join us!