Sunday, December 27, 2015

A Story About True Happiness...


Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. Make sure you take some time to relax and recharge.

So...I decided to do an audio recording of one of the stories from Conscious Kids (an online mindfulness course for kids I've written). Just click on the video above to have a listen!

The deadline to sign up for the next Conscious Kids class is February 1st, 2016. You can register here: http://www.lisevilleneuve.com/#!consciouskids/ckgl

Don't be shy to tell your friends!

All the best,

Lise
www.lisevilleneuve.com
www.conscious-kids.ca

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

I'm Just A Nobody


This was me a few years ago (in the attached video). At least that’s who I thought I was. I wrote songs, performed, and toured in a lot of cool places. I won some music competitions and I received a grant to produce my own album. I was even lucky enough to record a duet with the wonderful Daniel Lavoie on my CD. I was young, ambitious and determined to “make it” as an artist in the music industry.

I guess there’s nothing wrong with that, except that in my case, I eventually realized that my relentless desire to “make it” and become a “somebody” implied that deep down inside, I felt like it wasn’t ok to just be “a nobody”. I was searching for something that would ultimately make me feel better. I wanted to feel loved, accepted and validated by others. I wanted to step out of the shadows and yell “hey! I exist!” I needed to prove that I was worthy. I truly believed that my success as an artist would make me feel happy and content. Boy, was I wrong!

I climbed up the ladder of success, but the higher I got, the worse I felt. Something was off. I couldn’t just enjoy singing and writing anymore because I became obsessed with the game.  My success or failure rested entirely in the hands of a few key players in the music industry: the radio stations, the record companies, the music producers, the press agents and the media. In order to move forward in a way that was significant, I needed their approval. In a split second, these people could decide if I was star material, or completely worthless. This made me feel insecure and powerless. I knew clearly by then this was not the road to fulfilment!

I started to look deeper for answers to my insecurities, and what I discovered was that I had spent many years strengthening and repairing my damaged ego. I was very attached to this idea of “me” being a girl with brown hair, an artist with certain opinions, feelings and experiences. I had never seriously considered that maybe we, humans, were much more than our physical form. It dawned on me that my deep longing for love and peace could never be satisfied on a material level. I realized that even if I played this game of society and succeeded on a very large scale, my ego would still find a way to make me feel insecure and dissatisfied. I would still feel like I needed to do more, be more and receive more love and acceptance.

What about you? Can you relate? Are you completely content with who you are right now, or is there something in the future that you need to do, or work on, or achieve first, before you can feel completely fulfilled and at peace?

Well, that feeling sucks, doesn't it! It’s sort of like your self-worth and power are largely in the hands of others, and you can never really be content in the moment. Even when you play the game and are successful in the eyes of society, you still feel like something’s missing, something’s not quite right yet.

I felt like that for many years, until I finally understood who I really was. And who is that? Well, it turns out I’m simply the light escaping through the cracks of my ego shell. I hate to break it to you but, that’s who you are, too.

I discovered what consciousness, or awareness, was all about, and it completely changed my life for the better. Things started to really make sense. I started to feel truly empowered on a whole other level. Consciousness was my ticket to real freedom. The search for that something or someone that could fill the void was over! What a relief to finally have some clarity.

It all comes down to two choices. Either we stay attached to who we think we are on the surface and we play the game of ups and downs, successes and failures, happiness and unhappiness, me versus you; or we recognize that we are the light shining through the cracks of our individual ego shells. When we truly see ourselves as the light, we’re ok with the idea of being “a nobody” in society’s eyes, because we already know the true value of who, or what, we are. We can play the game without getting attached to the outcome. Everything becomes lighter.

So yes, I’m working on being the best nobody that I can be. I have learned so much over the years and I now enjoy teaching others about consciousness and mindfulness. It’s a humbling but incredibly beautiful and liberating journey. I believe awakening to our essential self is our true purpose here.

Namasté,

Lise

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Peace Starts Today


This is my daughter Emma. I'm very proud of her for wanting to do this little video today. Normally on Sundays we go to the pool and this is something she enjoys very much, but she preferred to work on this video instead.

Peace!

Lise

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Just A Cruel Cosmic Joke?


It seems like a bit of a cruel cosmic joke to be born into this world as unified consciousness, then to grow egos that seem perfectly justified and socially acceptable, only to realize later in life that they are at the root of our deepest suffering. Then, once we become aware of our shackles, we commit ourselves to unlearning everything we have ever known to be real and meaningful. The little ‘separate self’ was just an illusion all along! We start to let go of the idea of ‘me’ and begin to let consciousness take up more space inside. Once again, just like when we were an infant, our life is no longer ‘ours’, but it flows effortlessly. We are at peace, we are free, we are “home”.

Lasting peace and freedom arise when we simply allow ourselves to Be who we truly have been right from the start. Who we truly are has nothing to do with our personality, our story, our thoughts, our emotions, our opinions, our deep conditionings or even our beliefs. Our egos prevent us from accepting and surrendering to our true identity because it threatens the very survival of our small, individual self. And who are we really? We are all part of the one unified consciousness. Nothing could be more empowering and terrifying than that!

“Home” is a state of being where our small self is no longer in control. When we are truly “home”, consciousness itself takes over, cleansing out all the remaining traces of the small, separate self that used to inhabit and restrict our being. We can finally feel at home when we wake up and recognize the illusion of ‘me and you’, ‘happy and unhappy’, ‘past and future’, ‘good and bad’, ‘success and failure’.

Once we realize that our small self was trapped in a world of superficial and limiting polarities, we can willingly surrender to who we truly are: consciousness. At this point, we are fully content being nobody. There is nothing to prove, nothing to fight for, nothing to gain, nothing to lose. We finally accept that we are complete simply by being. We finally stop creating suffering for ourselves and others. We are free from the drama of the world and our own minds. We are at peace. We are filled with joy. We are compassionate and loving. Isn’t that what we ultimately all want?


The truth is, at this stage in our evolution, arriving “home” is not likely to happen without an epic battle with the ego first.  The ego says “why on Earth would I want to become a nobody and give up all my attachments? I would get eaten alive in this world.” It’s true, there is so much letting go required, so much at stake for the little self. Our conditioning and our resistance run deep. “Home” seems utopian and unattainable. Yet at the same time, it’s within our reach right here, right now. We can only access it by allowing ourselves to be who we truly are. No amount of doing will show us the way back to simply being.

What do you think?

Lise

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Do You Get Daily Drama From Your Kids?


Lately, our house has been a Conscious Kids factory! We've been so busy preparing our free online mindfulness course for kids that starts October 5th, 2015. Emma has been doing the illustrations for each story I write -that gets reviewed by my ex-journalist husband Rob. Emma (who has loved to draw since she was a baby) illustrates the pictures inside mandalas that she also creates from scratch. All the children who are signed up for the course will be able to colour these, so that's pretty exciting for an 11 year old!

We have families signed up from all over, from Australia, to the UK, the US, across Canada, Bulgaria and more. The world is ready for mindfulness on a big scale, I have been feeling this for some time now. I feel extremely motivated and grateful to be able to share what I have learned about consciousness / mindfulness over the past few decades with others. I know how these essential skills can better the lives of children and their families, I see it with my own children. As they grow older, Emma and Theo increasingly need a roadmap to help them navigate the unpredictable waters of their emotions, thoughts and perceptions. Writing this course has given me the opportunity to really think about the best order in which to teach the basic skills to kids. The funny thing is, the majority of adults would also benefit from learning these! For example, here are some of the questions that are answered in the course:

-What creates your emotions?
-How can you tell if your thinking has been predominantly negative or positive?
-What can you do when you feel intense, overwhelming emotions?
-What are your emotions telling you?
-When you're stuck in a negative mood, what can you do about it?

Theo, Emma (and our cat Precious) participate in brief videos we make that explain what each weekly lesson will be about. I'm already pleasantly surprised to see how simply participating in the making of these videos has helped Theo and Emma deal with bursts of emotions and moodiness! It's one thing to teach them about emotional self-regulation with words, but it's an entirely different thing to teach them with real-life examples.

When Theo and Emma act out a scene for the videos, then watch themselves back and are asked "what would be a better way of dealing with this situation?" they really get it. When a daily drama outbreak happens in our home, as it inevitably does, I simply remind the kids of what they did in the videos, and they instantly calm down and remember what they can do to make themselves feel better! I honestly didn't foresee how these little videos we are making are probably going to teach Emma and Theo more about mindfulness than the weekly stories from the course! I read each story I've written to the kids and I carefully notice if they are looking bored, not paying attention, or loving every bit of it. They are my quality control process! So far so good!

Anyway, I won't be blogging quite as much for the next little while, there's just too much to do with Conscious Kids. You can still register for the course for FREE up until October 1st, 2015. We'll see you in virtual class! Thanks for sharing, the more the merrier!


Warmly,

Lise
www.lisevilleneuve.com

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Becoming a Mindful Superhero


I'll have to make this post short and sweet, but the video above says it all. I'm really excited about offering this free online mindfulness course for kids that starts October 5, 2015. I'm super busy preparing everything, and it's SO much fun! The kids are excited too, and they're eager to help out. I'm really enjoying writing short creative stories that explain the mindfulness concepts simply to kids. I think another book may be in my future...you never know!

Anyway, if you have kids, and even if you don't, I hope to see you in virtual class soon! The deadline to register is October 1st, 2015. Here is the page to learn more and register.

http://www.lisevilleneuve.com/#!consciouskids/ckgl

Warmly,

Lise
www.lisevilleneuve.com

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Why Most Relationships Fail

I had the pleasure of attending my parent's 50th wedding anniversary last weekend. It's hard to conceive just how long that is. My husband and I have 38 more years to go before we reach 50 years together! That's just crazy. Relationships are challenging, to say the least. Just today, Rob and I got into a ridiculous argument. That hadn't happened in a while -perhaps because he's mostly been out of town lately...lol. Anyway, it was nothing serious and we've kissed and made up now, but it inspired this post about why so many relationships fail. So here goes...

Unconsciousness is at the heart of every fight, every conflict, every breakup, every war. When two people don't see eye to eye and don't treat each other with respect and compassion, it's because they are unaware of the real motivation at the root of their hurtful actions. That motivation is always the same, regardless of the person or circumstance. Anything we do, whether it's perceived by others as altruistic or evil- we ultimately do it to make ourselves feel better and to reduce our level of suffering (which is mostly unconscious). If we didn't think something would make us feel good, or better, why would we ever bother doing it? Sometimes we pick the lesser of two evils, and sometimes our choices end up hurting others as much as they hurt us, but our initial motivation is always the same.

In a conflict, the "perpetrator" is only really guilty of not realizing that he / she committed the "crime" out of pure unconsciousness -conditioned by past ways of dealing with mental, emotional or physical pain. If he or she knew any better, the crime would simply not have occurred. The hurtful action shows that there is room for growth, for more awareness within the person.

The "victim" painfully reacts to the crime that appears to have been purposely directed at him or her. Unaware of his own conditionings and unconsciousness, he now wants to retaliate, defend himself, hurt the perpetrator.Wounded, he is unable to recognize the unconsciousness in his partner that has triggered his own unconsciousness. Often, both parties equally share the roles or perpetrator and victim.

Instead of breaking the cycle of violence with compassion for each other's deep seated pain, both parties feed the growing unconsciousness with resentment, guilt, shame, anger, despair. Sometimes, children are stuck in the middle of this waking nightmare and unfortunately, they observe and learn these unconscious behaviours. It's easier (and sometimes more thrilling) to point the finger at the other person rather than to admit the truth to ourselves. The truth is that nobody is responsible for our happiness but ourselves. The truth is that we all carry wounds from our past that keep resurfacing over and over again, until we acknowledge that we have some healing to do. The reason why intimate relationships are so challenging is precisely because our partners trigger us, they push our buttons, they know where our weak spots are and it hurts like hell when they poke them. Should we isolate ourselves to avoid this pain, then? Should we look for a different partner?

Those are options, but another option is to heal our wounds once and for all, so that they won't resurface again with the next partner. What if couples started to help each other heal? What if we told each other "I'm sorry you're in pain, I am too. Should we look at what it is we're both trying to escape from? I noticed you tend to act this way when..." In other words, why not allow the relationship to be an opportunity to grow into consciousness together? Things obviously wouldn't always be perfect, but at least they would be moving in the right direction.

Very often, couples seek to "solve their problems" either by assigning blame or talking it through with a therapist (which certainly can be a great way to open the lines of communication). Still, I'm going to go ahead and say it: the real problem is our individual unconsciousness. That's right, it's not your partner's fault! The key to a harmonious relationship is found when both partners become aware that they can, and must, transcend their ego-minds. From this perspective, there can only be Love, peace, joy and deep fulfilment.

If you become fully aware of how the ego works, you'll be able to stop feeding the drama and the conflicts by holding a space of presence, compassion and forgiveness for your partner. You'll understand where she's coming from. You'll know what truly motivates him, and you'll either have the patience and desire to help him consciously understand his own destructive behaviours, or you will be able to calmly decide that you are simply incompatible and walk away without all the heartache. But before you do this, ask yourself if you are completely aware of your own wounds and triggers, because it's only a matter of time until the next person who comes along in your life will reawaken your dragon!

Romantic love is a short-lived illusion born from a false world of duality. If the ego is no longer flattered and feels threatened, love quickly turns to hate, doesn't it? For as long as our identity is derived from our needy ego, a true, loving, peaceful relationship is not possible -no matter how much counselling we get! We each have to start working on ourselves before we blame our partners. How can we possibly experience a satisfying, lasting relationship with someone unless we fully understand who we really are first?

We are not that jealous, selfish, unlovable, unfaithful, angry, controlling little me. We sometimes display these behaviours because deep down, we are afraid, we are in pain, we are confused and conditioned by our ego. Breaking free from this illusion is only possible once we allow ourselves to become conscious of our true divine nature. Isn't it time to let go of what's no longer serving us? Haven't we suffered enough?

Lovingly,

Lise
www.lisevilleneuve.com


Thursday, August 13, 2015

Calling All Superstars of Spirituality...

What do all these beautiful people have in common? A strong desire to assist others as they heal into consciousness. To name just a few, Michael A. Singer, Byron Katie, Dr. Richard Moss and all the others above deeply understand that our individual awakening efforts directly impact the current state of our planet. Peace, harmony, love and joy, these all bloom from our hearts. As each flower slowly opens, its fragrance gently embraces other emerging buds. We are all divine flowers, even though many of us still think we are merely thistles. It's our purpose to rediscover the truth of who we really are. Haven't we suffered enough?

Lately, I have had the great pleasure of communicating with many wise souls via e-interviews on our website (Conscious Living Solutions). What an amazing opportunity to be able to get a glimpse of their unique perspectives and insights related to awakening and consciousness! I genuinely feel blessed to be doing this "work", even though it feels more like play. It's incredibly uplifting to reach out to others who are also passionate about awakening to their true essence! I consider many of these individuals "Superstars of Spirituality", as paradoxical as those words sound together! :)

We live at a time where we are ALL called to become superstars of spirituality. There is plenty of room on the stage. If you'd like to be featured on our website as an emerging or even an advanced "Awakener", here's how. If you are a spiritual teacher and you'd like to answer some of the questions we have received from our readers, click on the link above. If you have any questions related to living a more conscious life, we'd love to hear them! Thank you for sharing this post!

Warmly,

Lise
www.lisevilleneuve.com / www.consciouslivingsolutions.com

Saturday, August 1, 2015

I Have Some Exciting News!!!


In one of my previous posts, I was explaining how I wished to feature "Awakeners" on my website, from the novice to the expert. I wrote "If you're Eckhart Tolle, Michael A. Singer, Oprah or Eliza Mada Dalian, you can participate too, because you already understand the importance of supporting and encouraging the flowering of human consciousness on a global level."

You can imagine how THRILLED I was to feature best-selling, award-winning author Eliza Mada Dalian as an Awakener on our website just a few weeks after having written those words! Today, I walked to the post office with my daughter Emma and mailed my first letter to Eckhart Tolle. I'm keeping my fingers crossed! I also wrote to Michael A. Singer today, since I received his new book in the mail yesterday The Surrender Experiment and I am in AWE of the way he has been living his life. Yes, I'm almost done reading the book already! That leaves Oprah, and I think I'm going to let life orchestrate that synchronicty, if it's meant to be someday.

The beautiful thing about these spiritual teachers / Masters is that they have risen above the ego. They don't see themselves as superior to others, despite the international success and recognition they have achieved. They express a genuine willingness to help others and they make the time, even though they are extremely busy. They understand and truly live the concept of Oneness. I am extremely grateful for their presence and generosity, and I'm excited to say that I will be featuring quite a few more of these Master Awakeners! Spoiler alert: stay tuned for the very gracious Dr. Richard Moss!

I'm very aware that my own ego could easily get inflated from featuring such Gems! I am keeping a watchful eye on it, and so far so good! My intentions are to do whatever I can to accelerate the awakening of the masses. By presenting such beautiful, successful, enlightened role-models, perhaps others will want to join the consciousness party!

As I was writing to Eckhart Tolle, inspiration was pouring through me and something quite unexpected happened. A completely new initiative spontaneously took form. I was inspired to create a space on our website that allows anyone to anonymously ask questions about living a more conscious life. And who will answer these questions? Spiritual teachers and Masters such as Eckhart Tolle and many others! How do I know the questions will eventually get answered by the right people? Because I trust that when the student is ready, the teacher appears!

Do you have any questions / challenges that have to do with raising your level of consciousness? Don't be shy, you can anonymously ask them right here! I trust that the perfect answers will arrive at the perfect moment!

Warmly,

Lise
www.lisevilleneuve.com

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

What I Saw Broke My Heart Today...


Today I witnessed something that truly broke my heart. I was at the grocery store focusing on different kinds of Naan bread, to be exact, when I heard a woman next to me harshly yelling at her two or three year old son who was sitting at the front of the cart. She said "No, you're not allowed to touch that, now I have to bring it back and take another one." She then gave the little boy not just one, but three hard slaps on his left shoulder. Tears were rolling down the infant's big cheeks, as he was holding his shoulder in pain.

When the (pregnant) mother left to go grab another one of whatever it was her child had touched, the little boy looked at me and it's as though I could feel his despair all through my body. His little brown eyes were saying "help me, what's going on, why I am being punished, what have I done, am I bad?" My heart ached for him, and to be honest, I just instinctively wanted to rescue him and shower him with love and affection. The mom came back and off they went, but I could still hear that boy crying across the store for the entire duration of our shopping trip.

I asked myself what I could do (besides sending love and light to that child and his mother). I could give the mom my phone number and offer to babysit her boy once in awhile in order to allow her to get the proper rest and care she needs, but there's a strong chance that would insult and make her defensive. I could call the police (social services), but that wouldn't solve anything in the long term, and the sad thing is I'm sure there are cases that are much, much worse than what I witnessed today. So I decided to at least write about it.

What I feel towards the mom is compassion, because I know she can only operate from her current level of consciousness. If she were able to act differently, she would have, but many unconscious conditionings are still at work within her. Perhaps her own parents treated her this way. She is probably completely unaware that the anger she felt and directed towards a helpless child comes from deep within her, not from her son's behaviour. Nobody can make us feel anything unless that emotion is already present inside us. The many triggers in our lives make us react, they remind us that we have inner-wounds, but they are not the real cause of our feelings. They show us exactly where we have some healing to do. Nobody's perfect, but we can always strive to do better.

I know that beyond all the madness and cruelty of this world, everything is in Divine perfect order when it is perceived from a higher perspective. Nothing is random, including the family a soul chooses to incarnate in. Still, it's excruciatingly painful to watch beautiful, radiant, innocent, helpless children be the recipients of anything less than Love. My wish is that all parents make a committed effort to become as conscious as possible, for the sake of their own children.

Warmly,

Lise
www.lisevilleneuve.com

Friday, July 24, 2015

The Lemonade Sale That Changed A Child's Life...

My daughter Emma is quite the little entrepreneur. She started doing lemonade sales this summer and has been managing the entire process herself. She purchases the cups, jugs, lemonade and freezies with her own money and enjoys calculating the profits -which have been impressive, I must admit! Emma sets up her little stand and loves to spend hours out there, patiently waiting for customers. When it's quiet, she reads Harry Potter or hangs out with friends. 

The people in our neighbourhood have been incredibly generous and supportive of her lemonade initiative, it's almost embarrassing! Yesterday, Emma was trying to come up with a "good cause", or a fundraising idea that would give a little more meaning to her business. I suggested she sponsor a World Vision child, and she loved that idea!

It only costs $39 / month and the impact is life-changing for that sponsored child. I told Emma that if she was willing to contribute $20 / month, Rob and I would match our share. Of course, lemonade sales are challenging in -30 degree Celsius weather in the winter, so Emma will have the opportunity to come up with other fundraising ideas year-round. She loves the challenge!

I'm so proud of her instant willingness to want to share and help a child in need. Emma wanted to sponsor a girl her age, and so she found beautiful little Ravina, aged 10, from Kumarkhand, India (see picture above). Ravina's birthday is March 13, the same day as Emma's little cousin Ceona. That's pretty cool!

Here is some information we have received so far:
"Your sponsored child lives in India’s Eastern state of Bihar in a remote community close to the Kosi river belt. Most people earn a living from agriculture and livestock rearing, yet only 30% own land, the rest work as agricultural wage laborers. Thearea is low-lying and flood prone. Some sections underwater for up to 5 months. As a result, families here live in abject poverty, they cannot provide adequately for their children. Families are also routinely split as men migrate to other areas in search of work, leaving women, children and the elderly behind in the villages."

Emma, I'm so proud of you! I hope you inspire many others to sponsor children who live in horrible conditions around the world. If you can do it, many others can too!

Warmly,

Lise

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

I Turned 40 and Almost Shaved My Head!

Yesterday I turned 40. Whatever, it's just a number. I can still be as immature as I want for the rest of my life :)

Seriously, turning 40 made me realize how easy it is to get attached and totally identified with our bodies, our looks, our hair, our sagging parts. I think this is especially challenging for women as we get older. We look at ourselves in the mirror, and whether we like what we see or not, we think to ourselves "that's me". But is it really? Only on a superficial level. I thought it would be a fun "detachment experiment" to chop off most of my hair myself, in the back yard. I was prepared to shave my head if it got too ugly, but thankfully, I didn't get that far.

The physical body is just the shell holding our higher Selves, but Mr. Ego trick us into buying the expensive anti-wrinkle creams because he convinces us that WHO we are is, in fact, the bones, muscles, organs and skin, and IF we make ourselves look better, we will feel better, receive more love and ultimately be happier people. Right? Wrong. Let's be honest, the true motivation behind anything we do to improve our appearance is to feel better, to receive more love and acceptance from others.

There's certainly nothing wrong with wanting those things, it's in our nature, but it's good to become aware of what we're really chasing when we push ourselves to extremes at the gym, when we try to artificially change our bodies or wish we looked different somehow. All these behaviours are driven by Mr. Ego who tells us we're not good enough to be loved just the way we are, therefore we need to change ourselves to be worthy and to feel better. But when does it ever end? When do we reach that state of lasting satisfaction?

What if instead of trying to fix / improve our physical appearance, we worked on our self-love and acceptance instead? What do you think would happen? If we became so content with who we are as a spiritual being and started to radiate love, peace and joy to others, don't you think our bodies would naturally start to look and feel better? Do you think that if we aligned ourselves with our heart and spirit, we would intuitively know what to eat? Of course! We would also exercise because it would bring us joy and make us feel good, we would know exactly what to do to heal ourselves, and our aging process would automatically slow down.

Does this scenario seem too good to be true? Well it's not! Our society is simply conditioned to want to change things from the outside, to fix the symptoms, not the root causes of anything. You intuitively know that any lasting change happens from the inside-out, don't you? It makes perfect sense, because it is our thoughts that materialize into matter.

Being 40 is just a concept, a thought. I choose to not let it condition my body with any preconceived notions of "what's supposed to happen when you reach that age." I will diligently keep working on noticing how my ego tries to convince me that I am my body. It's much simpler than that. I am.

Warmly,

Lise
www.lisevilleneuve.com


Saturday, July 11, 2015

My Consciousness Boot Camp

This week was such a special treat for me, I feel very grateful. But first, let me describe what a "normal" week looks like around here.

A typical day for me is usually centered around my kids. I wake up when they do, prepare breakfast, guide them with their lessons (we homeschool year round), then I send them outside to play with the kids from the school across the street while I usually do some gardening (or shovelling), I prepare lunch, engage in various other creative / educational activities or outings in the afternoon, and then, if he's in town, daddy comes home and we shift into the evening routine. I love the flexibility we have, and I do try to fit in some time for writing, meditation and reading whenever I can.

The most important things I want to teach the kids don't come from books. I wish for them to become self-aware -to be able to understand, witness and self-regulate their shifting emotions. I want to give them freedom to follow their creative impulses and their natural curiosity. I want them to know that it's ok to trust and follow their inner-wisdom, their intuition and their spirit. They are encouraged to play, to be spontaneous, to laugh and to experience joy in all its colourful forms.

It is by filling their own hearts with overflowing love that they naturally want to extend this loving-kindness to others, regardless of their age, race, physical appearance or personality. I try my hardest to teach presence and awareness by example, and I hope that someday they will understand that their outer world is merely a reflection of their inner-essence. In short, what they are learning right now is how to prepare their inner-landscape for maximal growth. Topics like preparing the soil, selecting the right seeds, weeding, fertilizing, watering and dealing with pests are all on our conscious homeschooling curriculum!

As fun and varied as it is, our daily routine can get a little exhausting at times. What I find the most challenging is finding the necessary time / space to allow myself to get recentered and grounded in my own awareness. The kids have unlimited amounts of energy and they are like little buzzing bees swarming around me all day long with various requests, concerns and needs. If I want to stay calm and untriggered amidst the storms, I have to constantly wake myself up and recognize that children have developing egos that are by nature, unconscious. If I am lost in my own unconsciousness, things can quickly get ugly. In this sense, parenting is an extremely effective spiritual practice, because we as parents get immediate feedback when we become too identified with our ego-minds. I know, it's not a glamorous process...

The thing is, if I don't give myself that necessary time and space to breathe, meditate, to get a clear perspective and recharge my energy, my consciousness battery quickly gets depleted and I'm not as effective as a parent. However, when I get to strengthen my consciousness practice on my own -without the constant triggers and challenges from the kids- it gets stronger and more anchored in my being. Just like a muscle, we need to train our awareness gradually and turn it into a habit so that we'll eventually be able to take on more unconscious "weight" from the world all around us.

That being said, I've just had the incredible luxury of having an entire week to myself! Rob and the kids went to the cabin in Saskatchewan and I gave myself an intensive consciousness training boot camp! It's been absolutely wonderful. At first I thought "what will I do with all this time?" but it felt like time stopped completely. I read, meditated, exercised, contemplated, listened to inspiring audio programs, watched consciousness-related videos, coloured mandalas and just did whatever felt right in the moment. I allowed myself to be spontaneous, trust my intuition and live from the heart. This is the first time in my life I have been able to experience living this way, (completely alone) with such joy, for an entire week. I feel fully renewed and grateful. My babies are coming home in a few hours, I can't wait to see them!!!!!

If you can give yourself even just 15 minutes a day to breathe, meditate and become aware of your thoughts, you will feel the immediate and long-term benefits. Lock yourself in the bathroom if you need to, it's worth it!

Warmly,

Lise
www.lisevilleneuve.com

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

What Stage Is Your Ego Stuck At?


Lately, I've been finding myself challenged and triggered by my soon-to-be 11 year old daughter. The biggest change I've noticed in her is her developing tweenage ego. It really got me thinking about these questions:

1-What is the purpose of having an ego, since we eventually need to tame it to become conscious?
2-Is it necessary for children to develop their egos, or can they learn to directly bypass this stage?
3-What happens to us as adults when we don't develop a "healthy" ego?

Answer #2 came to me last week, as I was watching an Eckhart Tolle video. Eckhart basically said he was unsure if children of future generations would need to develop their egos before being able to transcend them, but for now, he felt that it was still a necessary step in our evolution. He went on to say that the ego is by nature "childish" and perhaps some time in the near future, we could have some kind of ceremony to celebrate the awakening of young adults who have transcended their egos! I look forward to that...:)

This brings me back to the first question, regarding the purpose of the ego. Basically, the ego protects us when we're young and vulnerable. It acts like a protective bubble that tricks us into temporarily believing that we are a separate, isolated physical creature that would not survive if we didn't look out for ourselves. When we were helpless babies -if we were lucky- our parents took care of us and we didn't yet need the ego. We were in fact pure consciousness, without being aware of it! As we grew older and became more independent and socialized, the ego in us strengthened and aided our normal development and self-esteem. It's only once we're fully mature that we're ready to shed the cocoon of the ego and fly away as an enlightened butterfly.

The ego has a second very important purpose, and that's to provide contrast for us poor souls stuck in this world of duality. You know how it goes...if you never knew what cold felt like, you wouldn't be able to understand hot. The way to know who you really are is by knowing who you're not. Who you really are is an extension of consciousness, not all the different components of your ego-mind (thoughts, emotions, reactions...etc). Unlike animals, plants and minerals (who don't have egos), we humans get a chance to wake up and really see what this existence is all about! You can thank your ego for that.

Your ego is like a balloon. When you're a baby, the balloon is completely deflated (no ego). As you grow up, it slowly fills with air (self-awareness / consciousness), and the membrane (your ego) stretches and stretches. Eventually, as you mature, you start to see through the membrane of the balloon and you realize there is an entire universe all around the limiting membrane that holds your self-awareness and consciousness. Then what happens? You guessed it...POP! Your consciousness merges with the cosmic consciousness of the universe.

Now let's get back to my tweenage daughter with the growing ego. If Eckhart says there's no getting around her ego inflating more and more, I'm not going to argue with him, he's the boss. What I might do with the kids, however, is show them the balloon experiment, so that they have a better understanding of what's going on inside them. What do you think happens to children who are not allowed to develop a healthy ego?

That's what I discovered this week, in Eliza Mada Dalian's wonderful book called In Search of the Miraculous, Healing into Consciousness. I always thought that in order to grow in consciousness, we could simply become more aware of our ego in order to transcend it, but I was wrong! We have to actually HEAL our way into consciousness. And what do we have to heal, exactly? The parts of our ego who were underdeveloped. In other words, if our ego balloon was not stretched to its full potential, we have to go back and fix our leaks, then fill it up again so it's able to burst. I've always known of the importance of healing ourselves, but I never associated it with healing our ego!

What's really interesting is that Eliza Mada Dalian breaks up the ego's development in 7 stages that correspond to our seven Chakras:

1. Formation / Foundation of life / Root chakra
2. Strengthening / Ensuring the survival of the physical body / Hara
3. Suffering / Developing self-power and decision-making ability / Solar Plexus
4. Contemplation / Transforming instinctual lust into unconditional love / Heart
5. Introspection / Developing individuality and freedom of expression / Throat
6. Healing / Developing wisdom and intelligence and discovering your being / Third Eye
7. Transcendance / Dissolving the ego / Crown

What does this mean, exactly? Let's use an example. Angie, a smart, creative mother of two wishes to completely transcend her ego to be freed of suffering. She meditates, witnesses her ego-mind and commits herself to the process, but she feels stuck and doesn't progress without understanding why. She had a pretty normal upbringing, although her parents were very strict and demanding with her. She grew up fearing authority and she had to learn to lie and hide her true feelings and opinions to fit in.

Angie's ego-mind and consciousness did not develop normally at stage 5 -Introspection, because as a child / teen she was not encouraged to express herself without fear of being ridiculed or criticized. Her 5th chakra, located by her throat, has blockages that manifest themselves physically as chronic tonsillitis and neck + shoulder pain and inflammation. Angie is self-loathing and critical of herself and others. She's afraid to look inside, to find her truth and speak it freely. In order to heal herself and move forward, Angie will have to take a good honest look inside herself and express her true feelings in spite of her fears.

Many of us still have blockages at multiple levels, and they often manifest themselves as physical discomforts / ailments located around the area of the corresponding chakras. Physical or emotional pain is always a sure indication that something within us wants to heal into consciousness. Will we be courageous enough to give it our full love and attention? Thanks for reading!

Warmly,

Lise
Health Coach / Reiki Master
www.lisevilleneuve.com

Monday, July 6, 2015

Should We Slay Our Inner-Dragon?

I had fun colouring this mandala today as I was listening to Pema Chodron's CD "Walk the Walk". She was talking about learning to be gentle and kind with ourselves, because so many of us have such a harsh inner-critic inside. Sound familiar? She was also mentioning how important it is to learn to be alone with ourselves, to be still, so that we can observe our ego-mind, and see how it's at the root of our unhappiness and suffering. Now that I think about it, the colours I picked for the mandala remind me of a fire-spitting dragon, and from now on, I think that's how I'll picture the ego.

Most of us do just about anything we can to keep ourselves busy and distracted from our inner-tyrant. For many, sitting alone in stillness is pretty much the equivalent of torture. Why is that? Why is it so difficult and painful to face ourselves? Because we've become completely identified with our thoughts (which are predominantly negative) and our emotions. We believe that we ARE what we're thinking, we ARE what we're feeling, therefore when we sit there, and our dark, compulsive thoughts and feelings start to make our heads spin, we conclude that we must be bad, or very screwed up people.

Fundamentally, we're not bad or screwed up, we're just confused about our true identity. We're not the dragon, it just happens to have set up camp in our psyche. The way out of this nightmare is to face that dragon and to shed the light of consciousness onto it. We'll never be able to completely kill it off, but we can domesticate him. We can learn to observe it fearlessly, and it will gradually lose its power over us.

We're experts at either tip toeing around the dragon so that we don't wake him up, or keeping ourselves as far away from him as possible. In other words, we avoid our pain. It's understandable because our hectic, largely unconscious society encourages us to suppress a lot painful emotions in order to appear "functional" on the outside. Unfortunately, suppressed thoughts and emotions don't just vanish into thin air, they remain in our bodies and resurface over and over again until we are ready and able to heal them. When all our outside distractions dissolve, we are faced once again with our dragon, and these painful signals suddenly emerge from the core of our being.

A profound transformation happens when we realize that the dragon we were so terrified of was our friend, all along. He was simply trying to get our attention so that we could heal our wounds. He knew from the start that any pain we allow ourselves to feel (whether physical or emotional) is an indication of a part of us that wants to heal into consciousness. It takes great courage to face that pain, but if we can embrace it, understand it, love it and release it, we will break free from its shackles.

Warmly,

Lise
Health Coach / Reiki Master
www.lisevilleneuve.com

Friday, July 3, 2015

Are You an "Awakener"? Time To Come Out Of The Closet...




-What exactly is an Awakener, you wonder?

An awakener is someone who is growing in spiritual awareness, who is becoming more conscious of his / her true essence beyond the ego. Awakeners understand the importance of becoming more present and still, and their growing awareness positively influences everyone they come into contact with (whether they know it or not). They inspire others to also awaken from the illusion of this physical world so that they may experience true freedom, peace, joy and love. Does this sound like you or someone you know?

-Awakeners, I'd love to feature you on my website!

Whether you are a novice or expert Awakener, I'd love to ask you a few quick questions and feature you on my website. Don't let your ego talk you out of it ("not me, I'm not advanced enough", or, "I'm too advanced for this kind of thing!") Chances are, if you're reading this right now, you have at least been flirting with the notion of awareness, and that qualifies you! And... if you're Eckhart Tolle, Michael A. Singer, Oprah or Eliza Mada Dalian, you can participate too, because you already understand the importance of supporting and encouraging the flowering of human consciousness on a global level. 

-What's my goal?

My goal is to feature as many Awakeners as possible to demonstrate and celebrate the huge impact their individual actions are making on our planet. I would like to help accelerate the awakening process by inviting all the newly emerging Awakeners to "come out of the closet"! It is my hope that those who are not yet familiar with consciousness -the friends, family members, colleagues of the Awakeners featured on my website -will be inspired by them. There is power in numbers, and I am eager to spotlight individuals who understand that by improving our inner-world, we directly improve the state of our planet.

-So you're interested in being featured as an Awakener. What do you have to do exactly?

It's very simple, and faster than you may think! Give yourself 15 minutes to spontaneously answer these questions (email your answers to me)

1. What's your name and where do you currently live? (1 line)
2. What does consciousness mean to you and how does it affect your everyday life? (2-3 lines)
3. What put you on the "consciousness path"? (4-5 lines)
4. In what way(s) do you help others become a little more awakened each day? (5-7 lines)
5. What's the most important / profound realization you've learned so far on your spiritual path towards increased awareness? (3-4 lines)
6. Are there one or two books you'd like to recommend to anyone on a spiritual journey?
7. Where can we learn more about you / what you do? (website...etc)
8. Anything else you'd like to share?
9. Please attach a picture of yourself and send your answers to consciouslivingsolutions (@) gmail. com

Thank you! Every single reply I receive is like a gift from the Universe. Remember to share this with anyone you consider to be an Awakener.



Warmly,

Lise Villeneuve
Health Coach / Reiki Master








Saturday, June 27, 2015

20 Signs That You Are Living in The Now

Thanks to Eckhart Tolle, we've all heard about the importance of living in the Now, but how many of us are actually able to fully stay present for most of our day? (besides cats and children!) I sure wasn't, even though I really grasped the concept mentally. How about you?

Lately, I find that I'm increasingly able to bring myself back to the Now for longer and longer periods, and I have to say that the feelings of well-being and empowerment that arise from being really present are pushing me to change the way I live even more. It's a little scary, I have to admit, because it essentially means nothing less than letting go of thousands of years' worth of collective conditioning, beliefs and socially approved behaviours that are all ego-driven. Nevertheless, I believe the time has come for us to make this quantum leap, we are ready. You are ready.

Having studied psychology, spirituality and holistic well-being for decades now, I am more convinced than ever that presence is the magic key we all seek. Fully entering and surrendering to the present moment is THE most important thing we can learn to free ourselves of our suffering and to experience true, lasting peace and joy. The beauty is that anyone can learn this, no matter what their past or future hold.

Living in the Now is such a simple concept, yet so very challenging, especially when our egos get in the way. We can certainly keep living our lives the old way, through identification with our ego, our personality, our image, our reputation, our separation from others, our story, but the price tag attached to this way of life is inevitably unhappiness and suffering.

Those of us who have suffered enough will gradually shift to a more enlightened way of life. But it requires courage, guts, effort and patience with yourself. You will be swimming against the very strong current of the majority. Sometimes you will get carried away in the waves, but you will always have another chance to turn around and swim towards that beautiful, peaceful island. Are you living in the now?

Here are 20 signs that you are shifting from an ego-based life towards living in a more awakened state in the Now:

1-You notice the voice in your head. You observe it with compassion and gradually, it gets quieter
2-You catch yourself thinking about the past or the future and you gently come back to the present
3-You forgive yourself when you get triggered and reactive, and you try again next time
4-You become more in tune with sensations in your body (emotions, discomfort, stress, hunger)
5-You notice your emotions and are able to release them without adding more mental noise to them
6-You accept what the moment brings you, even if that means resistance. You notice the resistance
7-You are less concerned with "doing" and more accepting of just "being"
8-You don't feel the need to talk as much, you become a better listener
9-Your personality, image, reputation and personal opinions become secondary
10-You don't need to be right all the time
11-You become more spontaneous and creative, you don't need to plan as much
12-You allow yourself to be curious, the world becomes your playground
13-You start to notice the aliveness all around you and it brings you lightness and joy
14-You give yourself permission to play and laugh
15-You feel drawn to nature, you increasingly enjoy silence and stillness
16-You become more loving, less judgemental towards yourself and others
17-You want to connect with others who understand the idea of Oneness
18-You become ok with your human ordinariness because you know you are a spiritual being
19-Your goals and ambitions change, you are drawn to things that bring you purpose and meaning
20-You see yourself as an extension of consciousness, not just your physical body and mind

Did I forget to mention any other important signs that demonstrate a growing presence? Don't be shy, add them to the comments below.

Warmly,

Lise Villeneuve
Creator of Conscious Kids and Conscious Health (try it for FREE!)
www.lisevilleneuve.com


Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Hitting Rock Bottom. Can You Relate?


I received this beautifully candid letter today (below). The author intended to share it with you on this blog. He's been going through some intensely difficult times and he had the courage to openly write about his experience and perspective. 

Writing is always extremely therapeutic, and it has the double benefit of creating connections -connections with people who are going through similar challenges and also connections with people who are able to offer words of support. 

What's amazing is that even if we never meet, or never even become aware of each other's existence, we are still all deeply connected to each other! Each of our individual perspectives alter our collective human experience. You may not know it, but the story below has already affected you on some profound level, and your personal story is also affecting others right now. Why? Because ultimately, we are all the One Consciousness, not just our individual bodies and stories. By relating to someone else's story, by sending them a thought of compassion, by understanding their pain and acknowledging that you too, have felt these emotions, you are actually nurturing your own self-love.

I leave you now with this brave tale filled with heartbreak, despair and hope. I know that you reading this story means the beginning of a new chapter for the author. May this inspire you to reflect upon your own story and empower you to rewrite your next chapter according to your heart's desires. You hold the pen!

Warmly,

Lise

*******************************************************
Since I can remember, it's been a struggle. Life was never the easiest when young, one of seven but so much younger than my other siblings, an empty house cold and unwelcoming, mother caring but burnt out, father hostile, a definite mistake on the human landscape as far as he was concerned. One that I paid for without realizing that my life was different from the other kids.

Growing up was an isolated experience. I did have great difficulty integrating with other kids and spent most of my time alone, harassed, maligned and bullied by it seemed everyone. I can clearly remember being afraid for most of my childhood, when high school came along it was to get even worse! It's only 4 years or so and so much was to change?

The age of 14 onwards was a turning point. Made some friends, avoided those I feared and got on with life. Leaving home was right up there in the to do list. Sports came as a surprise to me, I began martial arts and developed to the age of 16 into another guy entirely, knew my goals, had a plan.

Found a job locally in a garage, left home, began to really work at this thing called life, three jobs and money in my pocket, still alone, a little bit scared of the female form, unable to socialize in a way that mattered, needed to work at that. I began working nightclubs, doing my day job and working on the black for extra money. Life was good but still missing love.

Then by chance I became popular, gods knows why. I met some lovely ladies and in particular met one special person. Life was definitely changing, sex was fabulous, what had I been doing all this time without it! I was hooked on sex, women and lust, what a wonderful world we live in.

From the age 21 I was married, life was good, but not for long. Within 8 years its seemed I had attached a lot of responsibility to my life which was very uncomfortable, I realized this was not for me, old married life perceptions haunted me, mortgages, debts, kids, I would be my father ! NO WAY angry annoyed and bitter. Marriage over by unanimous default, loved that girl but could not live with her a pattern for the future ! If only I knew then what I know now.

Work filled my life, some highs, some lows. I was self employed, loved the independence and no complaints. As I grew older, sports were important, work was important and relationships were what I lived for. I loved too much? gave too much and left nothing for myself. Anything to avoid being lonely and alone. I had fabulous relationships, lovely girls, some more so on the outside than the inside, found love and lost it many times.

But still I felt insecure amongst others, uncomfortable and awkward. What's wrong with me? Little did I know that one day I would write this retrospective of myself.

I moved abroad, took my darling wife with me, seeking a new life for us in the sun. Had to leave my home, depressing, stuck and dead ended in an economy that was busted, business struggling, becoming very depressed with the position I was in.

I feared the move to end my self-employed life and the cutting of my arms and legs feeling it gave me. For some years my wife had been depressed deeply at times, she affected me down to the core, no amount of money, travel or material things helped, but she wanted sun at any price. I agreed so we left and headed to the Mediterranean. I worked my butt off contracting and missed my wife, my evenings, my weekends, my life! My self-esteem withered, worked in an industry of people whom I had nothing in common, made the best of it and suffered in silence. A nervous breakdown I think it's called. I knew I was losing everything in my life but what to do? Keep working, make money and get out of this game as soon as possible. Some plan,my spouse loved her life. A little lonely she said, but she had my fabulous dog and a few new friends?

Problem was what's next? I am 50 something and did not wish to spend years away from home as a lifestyle, nervous breakdown, stress and no help from my now very happy wife. She had money, no ties, a beautiful house, fancy car and men in her life with whom she could have fun. And I — was paying for it. This job was killing me, I had no sport, just pressure and a hole in my heart. I lost 22 kilos in weight! I needed to, but that was not the reason, I was very depressed, sad and lonely.

The end of my world hit hard, in January I came home to find all this out, quit my job and sat in an empty house alone in the middle of nowhere literally.

The house was spooky, half empty after the sale my wife conducted in secret whilst I worked. She played me well, became a new woman and ran off with some guy who would continue to pay for the lifestyle she craved. I loved her, still but divorced her, forced the issue and was shocked to hear that she thought I would never do it! I miss her, but knew she had to get out of my life, my decision not hers, we were toxic to each other.

Wow, I hit the floor hard, wished to die, cried buckets and for the first time in my life took all the time in the world to think and seek answers to the question. Why was I so sad and depressed? Why was I so insecure? What next? The phone was dead, I had so many sim cards people just gave up, which country code, when available etc, no one called, no one wrote, I was screwed?

Now 6 months later I leave for a new home, in a part of Europe where people live! A house of my own, my furniture, my car, my sanctuary. It's three weeks to move day and I can't stand sitting here any longer. For the past few months I have forced myself to get out! The house is haunted or cursed, not sure which. I travelled to Columbia, Cuba, Ibiza, UK and Turkey, UK. And now I think a short break to Palma sounds great from where I am sitting.

I lost my way many years ago, became subservient to my wife, a second class citizen, was made to feel inferior, uncultured, thick, unintelligent, lost respect for myself and like when I was young I let people walk all over me, use me and abuse me. I was angry, annoyed, panicked, every emotion in the same minute was the norm.

If you've read this far, your probably thinking what's the point of all of this? What did I learn about myself? How did I recover? What words of wisdom have I got for you to cling to?

I can say that I sought a different path. I promised myself to forget about work for a while and started to read self- help articles, I got social on line and one person told me of the book she was reading titled "Mindset Mastery". I bought it and went on holiday working through the new strangeness of manifestation, positive energy and divine guidance. I became religious (not) I wanted to believe, I needed a new path, and I can say it's working.

I read and wrote and synthesised my goals, changed my beliefs and carved my own path out of this hell hole that shelters me from rain. I can say that things started to happen. I met the most wonderful people, doors opened, green lights, I even got my bag from the baggage carousel number one on the belt! Synchronicity exists in my life.

My changing moment was standing in the hotel check-in in Cuba. I met the most significant person in my life ever, and she does not ask for anything from me. She changed my life in a week, mentored my new beliefs and listened to my horrible past experiences, advised and shared some very private issues and experiences with me. I felt that the Universe had answered me! Thank you so much.

I could write books about my thoughts and feelings but to be honest, all of us if faced with my kind of dilemma need help. Don't do this alone, speak to someone, seek alternatives, take time and learn to breathe slowly, it really works. Look upwards you'll feel better when you do.

I know that for myself I wished to die, I wished to cease to exist. Could neither go outside nor speak and in the end, I took time to accept that I have to be able to sit in the dark unafraid. I had to learn to talk to the spaces and fear not, as I would be ok, no monster was coming to eat me.

After this realization, I clung to the writings of the self-help gurus, met my mentor and began to plan for change. It was slower than expected, I usually don't ponder or consider too deeply, mostly due to peer pressure, debt and perceived responsibilities to my family and not to myself.

I'm not cured, I never will be. I have a sickness called acute depression, undiagnosed, hidden from the world and my doctor. Or do I ??????

My advice is don't be like me, don't take too much responsibility, consider yourself, love yourself ,forgive yourself, like yourself.

Luck is a big part of this also... or is it? You manifest your own future, I now believe. Choosing to be in a happy state or feeling is brought about by our own beliefs and expectations. If you believe it's going to be a bad day, it usually is.

It's also true to say that I shed a lot of my problems by moving, and leaving behind old friends who, in many cases, were not good for me, some actually capitalized on my kindness.

I believe so strongly now that I can make it! I even wish to change my name and build a new future without being followed or the subject of conversations about me, better to cut the past and look forward. I know when I move that I will have to integrate socially. Will do so by different name and build my new life around places and people I love to be with.

Lastly, I need a new job. I am working up some ideas, nothing solid yet, but the shoots are growing.

Most important, my sense of purpose must be served somehow. I still love the female form and seek that special person. I have formed new relationships but know that I will not allow anyone in my future to affect me so much as my former wife did. To be in love, in lust, be happy and seek adventure sure!

Thank you L for your love and kindness, without which I would no longer exist. Forever in your debt.

S.

Saturday, June 13, 2015

"No, I Won't Pick Up My Toys!"


As I sit down to write this blog, I hear the loud, whining moan of a siren coming from my son's fire truck a few feet away from me. Ah, yes, the perfect soundtrack for inspiration! I guess I am blessed, once again, with an opportunity to practice non-resistance of what is. Our children are really little gurus in disguise, even though it's hard to admit it at times.

We only react negatively towards our children (or anyone) when we fall into unconsciousness ourselves. When we realize that the unconscious behaviours of others is what triggers our own unconsciousness, then we can stop taking things so personally. "He did this to push my buttons, she did something unforgivable, unacceptable." Awareness allows us to see things in a more neutral perspective, as an observer who is not as personally invested in the challenging situation.

For example, if I ask Théo to pick up his toys and he starts to shout "no, I won't pick up my toys!", my ego might immediately feel threatened and think "how dare this little boy question my authority? I am the parent, I am in control and if my child doesn't do exactly as I say, I am failing as a mother." These unconscious thoughts might cause me to start feeling powerless and angry, and instead of keeping my cool and explaining calmly to Théo what the consequence of his actions would be (such as taking the toys away for a certain time if they are not picked up), I might fall further into unconsciousness myself. I could start yelling, or I might decide to withdraw from the situation completely, ignoring his defiant behaviour and therefore reinforcing a disobedient attitude next time.

For the record, Théo is still playing nicely at the moment, his temper tantrum was just a fictional example. He would NOT be happy with me spreading rumours about him on Blogger like that! ;)

Parenting is hard! I mean, our kids challenge us constantly, and we usually have a split second to react. It's obviously much easier to just get angry than to stop, breathe and think "the unconsciouness in my child is triggering my own unconsciousness. Can I stay calm and objective in this situation without feeling threatened, insulted, hurt or disappointed by my child? If my child was fully conscious, he / she probably wouldn't be acting this way. Can I help him / her navigate through these feelings without taking things personally as a parent?" Yeah, that just doesn't come naturally most of the time! Eckhart Tolle never had children, either. ;)

We can`t expect ourselves to always have this awareness, but we can certainly keep practising every day and pat ourselves on the back when we DO succeed. Do you have an example of a challenging situation with someone where you were able to stay fully present and aware? What happened?

Have a great weekend!

Lise
www.lisevilleneuve.com

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Grab Life By The Balls

Take a deep breath
Now look around
If you were lost
You've just been found

Pop the bubble
Of your thoughts
Break the spell
Release the knots

See the colours
Hear the sounds
You are awake!
Now life abounds

Feel the tingle
In your hands
Your mind is still
Your heart expands

Allow yourself
To laugh and play
Sing and dance
Your fears away

Do not assume
Any tomorrows
Embrace today
Without your sorrows

Come back, my friend
Back to the Now
Let the children
Remind you how

You're free to go
Beyond your walls
It's time to grab
Life by the balls


Lise Villeneuve :)



Sunday, June 7, 2015

Wisdom From a Local Enlightened Squirrel...

A few days ago, I looked out our dining room window and was ecstatic to see little Skittles hanging out around a tree right in front of our house! For those of you who missed the story about our little orphaned squirrel, you can catch up here:
http://lisevilleneuve.blogspot.ca/2015/05/my-love-story-with-rodent.html

The kids and I happily followed Skittles to the park across the street and spent about 30 delightful minutes with him. How did we know it really was Skittles? Well, for one thing, he let Emma pet him! Also, a mom (or foster mom) easily recognizes her baby! :) I can't express enough how happy I am to know that he is thriving back in his natural environment. The fact that he comes over to visit is like icing on the cake!

This squirrel story has allowed the children and I to experience a pure, simple joy of Being that emanates from deep within us. We feel overwhelming Love and a strong connection towards this little creature who needed a helping hand. Even writing about it now, I am intoxicated by this feeling of warmth and oneness. I wish I could upload the feeling right here on this blog and you could spontaneously experience it with the click of a button! But maybe you can think back of a time when you felt something similar? Holding your baby for the first time? Spending some time with your pet? Watching a beautiful sunset? Being with someone who loves you unconditionally? Are you able to tap into that feeling? Doesn't it feel incredible?

I gotta say, Skittles' visit was perfect timing this week, because I've been going through some pretty heavy stuff lately. I've been "purging" old emotions, letting go of past beliefs and conditionings, and it's been a little exhausting! Skittles (who looks a bit like Yoda at times!) reminded me that I always have access to this beautiful inner-peace, if I can simply allow myself to dive into it. When times get stressful and challenging (as they inevitably will, thanks to the ego), we can always find something beautiful and uplifting to focus on, even if it's a memory in our past. The simple act of going back to that feeling changes our mood, raises our vibration and improves our outlook on life. Skittles says " Breathe in the light, exhale the old, stale energy and imagine it going back down to the core of the Earth. Use the force." Lol.

Perhaps Skittles is an old soul who came back in this life as a squirrel to help us poor humans evolve! Or not. But here's something else he made me remember. Whenever we feel bad, overwhelmed with negative emotions and powerless, it means there's a gap between where we currently are, and where we want to be. In this "gap" that sometimes feels like hell, we hold on to many unmet desires (they may be conscious or unconscious) and the frustration we feel comes from our inability to meet these needs and to get ourselves to that "place" our souls know we want to be. Makes sense?

It's empowering to realize this because instead of staying stuck and blinded by our frustration and despair, we can start to ask ourselves "what would I rather experience instead?", "where would I rather be?", "what would I prefer?" By taking our focus off what's dragging us down, we stop hemorrhaging all our energy into negative thoughts and we can start to move towards our desires. Feeling bad allows us to understand what we really want, but we have to be able to get up, figure out what that is, and go get it. A good place to start is to gravitate towards whatever brings us a feeling of relief. What can you do today that will give you that sense of relief? For me, it's going outside, getting some fresh air and sunshine. Thanks for reading, have a good week!

Warmly,

Lise
Health Coach / Reiki Master
www.lisevilleneuve.com