I've written posts about signs and wonders on this blog before, Here, Here and Here. So when I received Jamie's newsletter about the very same topic, I just had to invite her to share it with us!

Take it away Jamie...

One of my family’s favorite movies is Monte Python’s Holy Grail. In it, an animated God cartoon often appears in the sky giving King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table the guidance they need to find the Holy Grail. (See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-iWe4qXUD8).

Wouldn’t it be great if we could get direct communication like that from God (or from whatever form you accept as the Divine) all the time? But it doesn’t really happen that way, does it? In the case of Monte Python, though, it makes for great comedy.
 
So, if God is not hanging around in the clouds, how does S/He/it speak to us?
 
This past June, I opened one of my reference books that offers predictive guidance based on one’s numerological personal year in any given month. (Life Cycles by Christine Delorey).
 
This is not to say that I want to talk about numerology, it just happens that Delorey’s book gave me my first June "hit." (A "hit" is when an insightful aha grabs your attention.)
 
So, here I am, looking through the book, counting on my fingers to remember my personal year—I’m in my "one" year—and turned to the given month, June. Right away, Delorey writes something to the effect of, "Hey, don’t bother trying to push anything forward this month because, no matter how hard you try, there is no way it is going to happen. Just give it up. Have a nice day" (Okay, it's not quite that cheeky.)
 
Ummm. Okay. So, what should I do instead?
 
Delorey goes on to suggest that I use June to plan or "step into some learning" (my emphasis) about whatever I hope to fulfill over the next nine years. (Nine is the length of each numerological cycle.) That’s a lot of pressure, though. I mean, do I really know what I want to be doing in nine years? (Not a chance!) But I do have some ideas as to the direction I’m moving toward at least for the present year (kinda — I want to keep writing books, set up some YouTube training videos, and do some live Q&A sessions with my following).
 
I don’t always listen to random advice, but nothing was really going on otherwise in June, so I just took note of Delorey’s words and went on about my day.
 
Next, I opened my journal to start the new month. I began reading the opening for June, and guess what? It also began with a projection.
 
June, it said, would be a month of learning. (Yup.) It offered other suggestions as well, but seeing as I had just read the previous notation about June and learning, it struck a chord.
 
It’s common to think of two "hits" or mentions of a thing to be "noticeable," and three "hits" as a bullseye, good-enough-for-a-lottery-pick, you'd-better-sit-up-and-take-notice, confirmation. This was number two.
 
Not long after, maybe the same day, I opened my email to find a newsletter with the opening welcome right at the top saying, "Welcome to June! The theme for June is 'Connect to Learning.’"
 
Hit number three. Okay, maybe I’d better take notice.
 
I don’t know how many "hits" YOU need about something to consider it "a sign," but I took this repetitive message to heart. I first set aside time to figure out what my focus should be, and then I thought about what I might need to learn to bring it about. I made notes, then more or less set it all aside, because, well, life is busy.
 
The next day, while surfing YouTube, a video popped up about June. Guess what it said? (Which just goes to show that if you really need a talkin’ too, God (the Divine, your angels, guides) will find a way.)
 
And that is the message I want to get across today. Are you paying attention to the signs and wonders all around you? Are you grabbing up the guidance freely given and designed to help you achieve your highest and best? Are you taking notice of those subtle coincidences that seem to show up when you least expect them?
 
Recently, I came across Conversations with God, by Neale Donald Walsch. Most people were raving about this writer back in the 2000s, but I had never read his books. I didn’t find them interesting back then.
 
Walsch (or God, depending on how you look at it), says, "My messages will come in a hundred forms, at a thousand moments, across a million years. You cannot miss them if you truly listen. You cannot ignore them once truly heard. . . I will bring you the exact right thoughts, words, or feelings, at any given moment, suited precisely to the purpose at hand, using one device, or several."
 
So often, we ask for guidance, for help, for a "sign" but when it arrives, we ignore it. Maybe we pass them off as insignificant. Maybe we think we are imagining them. Or maybe we are just so busy and unaware that they flit right by us like an unwanted gnat at a picnic.
 
One acquaintance of mine would continually ask for a sign during her prayers. Her heart longed to know that her deceased mother and son were with her still and watching over her. One day while sitting on the edge of the bed praying, a nearby calendar flew off the wall. Not straight down as if the nail had given away, but forward, towards her. She asked, "Was this a sign?" While I didn’t see this happen, she later related the phenomenon to myself and a friend, we both asked, "How much of a sign do you really need?!" Maybe she wanted her mother and son to appear in an apparition like in the Monte Python movie?
 
How much of a sign do YOU need?
 
Another friend, after losing her job of 30-plus years, related how she traveled all over the country for a year, always hedging. She claims she would always say, if this happens or that, she would go to chiropractic school. (The signs, no matter what she asked, always said, "yes," go back to school) She finally acquiesced and went to chiropractic school at age 50. She could no longer ignore the signs. She happily practiced chiropractic for 20 years.
 
Are you paying attention to the signs and wonders around you or are you letting them pass you by as coincidence and speculation? What would happen if you gradually, quietly, gently, secretly, tested them out? What if you picked one or two and paid attention to what they were telling you to do?
 
In my book, Hatch — a Change Your Life Guide, I share the story about "eggs." While at the store, all signs pointed to buying some, but I ignored my intuition. Turned out, I thought about making brownies later that day, but couldn’t. No eggs.
 
Start with something easy. Maybe it’s to grab an umbrella, take a different way home, or an unusual job interview. Are you seeing any signs? Don’t worry if you are making them up. Just edge yourself forward and give whatever is nudging you a try. Let me know how it works out.
 
Will they all pan out as 100% true? No. Sometimes you won’t know if it made any difference at all. But the more you listen, the more your angels/guides/Divine know you are listening, and the more signs and wonders will appear.
 
Another of my favorite movies is Michael with John Travolta and an all-star cast. In this 1996 classic, a rag-tag team of Chicago reporters and others are called to a woman’s house in Iowa as she claims Archangel Michael is living there. Although they don’t believe her, they decide to check it out, and indeed, he is there. But then they realize the only way to prove it is to take him back to Chicago, thus beginning an unusual journey for the troupe, each learning their own lessons along the way.
 
My favorite part of the movie comes near the end where signs are shown in such a way as they often happen in real life. Subtle and hidden among the ordinary in plain sight. I won’t offer up any spoilers, but this shows in grand fashion how the answers we seek are all around us and within us if we but become open to them, listen, and follow them.
 
For some, these times are often chaotic and filled with frustrations that many times are not of our own making. We are dealing with AI, autobots, lost missives, incorrectly filled orders, and much more. What if by simply watching for and following the signs we are given we could make each day just a little easier? Let’s give it a try.
 
I don’t yet know where my learning endeavors will take me. You’ll have to stay tuned to find that out, just as I will. I do know without a doubt I got the message—and yes I followed it.
 
What answers are you seeking? Are you paying attention to the signs and wonders?
 
 *~*  *~*  *~*  *~*  *~* 
​
Jamie Linn Saloff assists those seeking relief from grief, pain, and strife by empowering their internal guidance system. She is a graduate of the renowned Fellowships of the Spirit in Lily Dale, NY. And the author of twelve books including Hatch – A Change Your Life Guide. Visit her on the web at https://www.MarvelousMessages.com.

Going through boxes of stuff I moved from storage, I found a trio of battery-operated candles that said Faith, Hope and Believe. The ‘believe’ one was bent and when I took it out of the box to set it along with its mates on a shelf, it broke. I taped it but it’s still bent and broken.

This started me thinking…

How often are our beliefs tested so strongly we wonder what we’re believing for anyway?

Have you ever had faith in or for something so long, you’re tempted to just throw in the towel and forget it all?

Have you ever gone off on a spiritual tangent, clinging to a certain promise (or promises) in the Bible until you know them so completely and yet…nothing changes despite the ‘belief in your heart and confession of your mouth’?

Ever ask God, “what do you want me to do in this situation, or to help this along?”

Yeah, me too. I’ve been so high on my faith and belief, especially when I feel God has shown me something or given me a promise of something to come, that I doubt I’ll ever come down much less be disappointed.

I’ve also believed and waited so long for some things, I doubt the visions or promises will ever come to fruition. So long that I’ve gone from hope and faith to doubt and despair and then something will happen, or I’ll hear a message and go right back around to believing again.

So, what are we supposed to do in such situations?

In Mark, 9:23 Jesus said, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”

And in Mark 11: 23-24 He said, “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.” AND “Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”

Eintein said, "imagination is the preview of life's coming attractions." 

Psalm 37:4 says that when we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our heart."

Know that if you truly, honestly, deeply desire something that will not harm yourself or others, you are worthy to receive it.

So, when you’ve done all that you can do, the only thing you can continue to do is just believe.

Believe and Wait for it with patience, joy and expectation. After all, Habakkuk 2:3 reminds us that the vision is for an appointed time. 

Don't give up and trust in Divine timing.

Something to think about!
"Inspirational with an Edge! ™
"Coaching in Pjs" ™

As Christians we are encouraged to become more like Jesus, but how is that possible in a world where hearts have grown cold and mutual honesty, integrity and respect is almost nonexistent?

In his book, Just Like Jesus, Max Lucado offers us numerous examples. I own this treasure trove of encouragement and have read it numerous times, but I must say, loving as Jesus loved/loves and living as He lived, is not easy!

Sometimes it seems as though Life sets out to prove just how difficult a task this is. Not wanting to get into particular situations here, let’s suffice by saying I have never considered myself capable of emotions strong enough to actually hurt—I mean physically—hurt someone. But I have. I’ve experienced anger, so deep, so raw it nearly rendered me incapable of feeling basic kindness much less compassion.

I’m not proud of it and am certainly not advocating acting on those feelings! But there have been a few times in my life I can honestly say I’ve experienced something so fierce, so strong… so dangerous that it actually scared me.

I’ve seen social media posts that say when asked WWJD remember that turning over tables and taking a whip to someone is not out of the realm of possibilities.

Yeah, there are times when I’d like to do that.

Or worse.

Without a qualm.

Hard to believe, right? Especially for those who know me personally.

Hard for me to believe too.

Thankfully, I haven’t felt such intense rage like this often or in a long time.

So how can we be more like Jesus when we have such undesirable emotions?

Scripture gives us the answer… “But I tell you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…” Matthew 5:44 and Romans 12:14: “Bless those who persecute you [who are cruel in their attitude toward you]; bless and do not curse them.”

So that’s what I did and continue to do: Pray and trust that God has the entire situation under control and will show Himself strong on my behalf, help me see the people/circumstances in a different light, or change my heart completely. I’ve prayed, “Lord, I’m willing to forgive and I surrender this situation and these emotions to you, but only YOU can make the forgiveness true in my heart.”

Three other prayers have proven beneficial when faced with something like this…

• Ho'oponopono, the ancient Hawaiian practice of reconciliation and forgiveness, meaning "to make things right." I’ve studied and practiced this prayer and am a Certified Ho'oponopono Practitioner. With this prayer you take full responsibility for your emotions by apologizing to and asking forgiveness from the perpetrator(s), saying “thank you,” and ending with, “I love you.”

 
Which isn’t easy when our ego mind screams, “yeah, but…!!!” One thing that helped me was to add, “I forgive you and I release you to God,” at the end of my prayer. Another was to write the prayer in full using the person/people’s names. In her book, The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity, Edwene Gaines suggests writing your forgiveness statement 35 x twice a day for 7 days (70 x 7). I have this book and will discuss it at a later time. I want to re-read it first. 😊

Surrogate Tapping for those involved helped too.

• The prayer of St. Francis of Assisi and the Amni Christi are wonderful too because both help you focus on emulating Christ.

 
Have these things made me more like Jesus?

Maybe, a little, but I know there’s always room for me to learn, to heal, and to grow.

Something to think about...
PamT
​
“Inspirational with an Edge!” ™
"Coaching in Pj's" ™

​I'd LOVE to hear your thoughts so leave a comment!

This was brought home to me on a deeper level while reading Happier than God by Neale Donald Walsch. This book combines the best of Neale's conceptual truths uncovered in his nine book series, Conversations with God.

I'm not going to review the book here or try to break down everything Mr. Walsch says. Suffice it to say this is another great read and, IMHO, everyone should grab a copy.

What I am going to do is explain in my own way and give you a couple of ideas on how you can figure out what happiness means to you ​and how to infuse joy into your everyday life.  HINT: it's nothing outside of you!

In the world of "manifestation," and "creating your own reality," joy, bliss and happiness are fundamental principles. Even the bible talks about joy being our strength. Granted the scripture says, "the joy of the Lord is my strength." (Neh. 8:10).

What does 'the joy of the Lord' mean?

I believe this means that God finds joy in everything He creates, especially in us. And if God finds joy in us, we should find joy in ourselves as well as the life we co-create with Him.

How can we do this when there is SO much negativity in the world?

By understanding that you are the only one who can control your emotions! You have the choice to be positive or negative, happy or sad, etc. and happiness, or joy, or bliss, is an inside job.

True, there are any number of triggers outside of us that can send our emotions into a tailspin, but one thing I've come to know is that there is a pause between the trigger and my/our reaction. If we learn to lean into that pause, we can decide how to respond instead of reacting in our normal way.

And, as Dr. Joe Dispenza puts it,  "those strong, negative emotions are not loving and nurturing for your body."

But how can we change lifelong patterns of flying off the handle or spewing anger and frustration every time we're triggered?

Here are a few ways...

• You've always heard cout to ten. I'm telling you to count backward from five or ten if necessary Why? Because the brain is used to counting forward. By counting backward, you interrupt the normal pattern in the brain. Mel Robbins's is a huge proponent of the 5-second rule and I've that found counting backward from five or even ten makes a huge difference in my response.

 

• Take a breath. Or two or three. Not sharp, shallow breaths, but a soul deep inhale and slow, deliberate exhale - like blowing air through a straw. This too, calms the flight, fight or flee response that kicks in when someone pushes our buttons.

 

• Practice heart coherence on a regular basis by placing your hand over your heart and taking those deep breaths described above for 3 minutes as often as you can throughout the course of your day.

 

• Tap your way through it. Depending on who/what/when/where the incident occurs this may not be an option immeditely but, utilizing EFT practices as soon as possible will help move any residual or stuck energy out of the body.

These ideas will help when you are triggered. Below are a couple of ways to fill or replenish your joy/happiness well...

• Make it fun! No matter how mundane the task, find a way to make it fun. Sing in the shower and on the drive to work. Be silly with the kids while you get them ready for school and invite them to be silly with you. Hum your way through that stack of work piled on your desk. Dance your way through the house as you clean. Life is meant to be enjoyed not ploughed through like an old horse in a field.

 

• Pray your way through your day. Pray for yourself, your family, friends, coworkers (especially those who irritate you the most!), complete strangers, your community, state, the world at large. 

​

• Keep a running dialoge going on in your mind of what you're grateful for, or better yet change that to, what you love and appreciate. Love and appreciation are higher vibration emotions. It's been proven that positive emotions counterbalance the lingering effects of negative, and on an energetic and spiritual level, our joy helps heal the planet.

I guess this all boils down to the fact that, just as stress starts in the mind, so do peace, joy and happiness!

Something to think about...
PamT
​
“Inspirational with an Edge!” ™
"Coaching in Pj's" ™
​
Find out more about EFT by reading these articles.

​In her book, Pam mentioned, The Gratitude Jar by Josie Robinson. I read this book, and mentioned it on my book blog back in 2019, and decided to reread it.

Boy am I glad I did!

Ms. Robinson talks about how a simple gratitude practice she did with her four-year-old son, helped her evolve from a hopeless alcoholic to a woman of grace and power and changed the trajectory of not only her, but her entire family's, life. 

If you've ever felt grateful for something or someone, not just a fleeting "thank you," grateful, but a bone deep emotion that permeates to your very soul, you'll appreciate reading these two books.

According to teachers of the Law of Attraction, gratitude and appreciation raise your vibration, enabling you to attract more of the things you want in lieu of those you don't. 

Therefore, if your life seems to be nothing but headache and heartache, implement the practices in either or both volumes. 

I promise you won't regret it!

Something to think about...
PamT
​
“Inspirational with an Edge!” ™
"Coaching in Pj's" ™