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“Using Imagery for Insight” Part 1

“Using Imagery for Insight” Part 1

by Linda-Ann Stewart

In 1991, I strained my right shoulder by rolling over in bed. Not a very dramatic way of injuring myself.  Nonetheless, it was painful, and refused to heal. Even chiropractic adjustments didn’t ease it for long. After two months of pain, where just lifting a glass of water was almost impossible, I utilized nondirective imagery. I asked what was going on with my shoulder.

Immediately, I imagined a hand pushing my right shoulder forward, and another hand pulling it back. A tug of war. I didn’t understand the message, and asked for clarification. It communicated that I was holding myself back. I recognized how I’d been keeping myself from moving forward in life, and decided not to do that anymore. Within five minutes of my decision, just like magic, the pain disappeared.

Not all healing is so immediate, but imagery can help you along the pathway to resolution. Imagery is the language of the subconscious and the nervous system. You communicate your intention to the mind with directed imagery. By visualizing yourself successful or healthy, you give the mind direction in its own system of communication.

When you worry, you’re visualizing what you don’t want to happen. You use imagery in everyday language, such as “It’s killing me,” “I’m beating my head against a wall,” “He’s like a bulldog,” “I’m so angry I could just explode,” “I feel like I’m running in circles.” Imagery is the way the mind processes and stores information.

Imagery can also give you vital information about what’s going on within your body and your affairs. It can tell you where you might be blocking yourself, why, and what you need to do to overcome your restrictions. Dreams can give you this type of information.

Instead of telling your subconscious what you want, you can listen to its wisdom to discover what you might need. By paying attention to your subconscious, and what it has to share with you, you allow your challenges to become your teachers.

Copyright 2000, 2011 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

Book Review-“Your Infinite Power To Be Rich”

Book Review-“Your Infinite Power To Be Rich”

Your Infinite Power To Be Rich: Use the Power of Your Subconscious Mind to Obtain the Prosperity You Deserve
by Joseph Murphy

Joseph Murphy is one of my favorite authors, and this is one of my favorite books on prosperity. As with his other books, this one is full of affirmations and examples of how others have succeeded using mind principles.

He describes a three step process of refusing to think negatively, affirming your goal throughout the day, and imagining it as you go to sleep at night.

Dr. Murphy addresses various issues, such as feeling worthy to be wealthy, how God wants you to be rich, how God is your employer, how to use your imagination positively, the law of gratitude, the power of your words, and explains many of the mental laws.

His books are very easy and enjoyable to read, and I’ve learned something new from every one I’ve read. Over the years, I’ve used his affirmations to improve my life.

Copyright 2003, 2011 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

How do we discern what a situation is telling us?

How do we discern what a situation is telling us?

Question: How do we discern if a situation is the result of really deep subconscious negative thoughts/beliefs OR simply the ‘process’ we are in as the Universe brings us that which we have asked for?

Answer: Lots of things could be happening with it. If you’ve been doing a lot of intense releasing and inner work, your situation could be the subconscious clearing itself out. When a person transforms quickly, the subconscious tends to confront them with much of their old garbage, all at one time.

Imagine having a garage full of old stuff that you decide to clean out in a weekend. Lots of dust and chaos happens as you go through the process.

Another thing that could be happening is that you’re challenging a deeply held belief. It could be anything from “I deserve” to “Life flows easily.” Again, the old programming is unraveling and showing up very visibly in your life. You can pretty much tell if it’s either of these if the situation is similar to others in your life, but bigger.

Or if the condition is completely opposite to what you’ve been working on. For example, you’ve been affirming “I deserve,” and now people are coming out of the woodwork telling you how worthless you are. Just keep up with your inner work, and the outer will come into alignment.

Another reason this could be happening is that the Universe knows what you want, and is trying to move you out of a situation that you’ve outgrown and won’t leave willingly. So the Universe is making it so uncomfortable that you have to leave for something better.

No matter what, the situation is a result of old subconscious beliefs, either being released, fighting being changed, or having been outgrown and you haven’t let go of the outer experience yet.

Copyright 2002, 2011 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

“Cleanse Your Mind Of Resentment, Part 1”

“Cleanse Your Mind Of Resentment, Part 1”

by Linda-Ann Stewart

Mark was a simmering pool of resentment. Anything said to him he perceived as a slight. He felt that the whole world was given advantages denied to him, and that he couldn’t get ahead. No one wanted to be around his negativity, so his belief was a self-fulfilling prophecy affecting his personal and professional life.

Anger generally signals that some value or boundary has been violated and occurs during a single event. If anger prompts positive action or a decision to change, it can actually be beneficial. It can motivate you to stop smoking, eliminate a negative friend, or work for social change.

However, if there isn’t a resolution, release or plan to address the cause, then anger can curdle into the toxic emotion of resentment. When you hold a grudge or want revenge, resentment has gotten hold of you. It poisons your whole perspective and continually restresses you. This destructive emotion can become a habit and cause you to view yourself as a victim.

There are different types of resentment.

  • Do you feel someone has wronged you or treated you badly? If so, you’re simply rehearsing something that has already happened. Even if it’s warranted, resentment won’t change the past. But it will erode your self-image and sense of empowerment.
  • Do you begrudge people who have something you don’t? “Whatever you resent is a statement of what you lack,” says Robert Anthony. It’s common to resent co-workers who have been promoted, or a public figure who has fame or fortune. By resenting them, you’re indirectly telling yourself that you can’t have what they do.
  • Are you upset at having to give up a lifestyle or habit that has been pleasurable? Most smokers resent that they have to quit smoking even though it’s self-destructive. They also don’t like it when others pressure them to take that action. Unfortunately, their very resistance undermines their success.

Resentment doesn’t affect the person it’s aimed at. The only one it harms is you; your health and mental well-being. They’ll probably never even know how you feel and might not even care if they did. So it’s not even fulfilling a productive function.

Copyright 2011 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

“Life Is A Metaphor, Part 2”

“Life Is A Metaphor, Part 2”

by Linda-Ann Stewart

There’s an old saying, “What you are speaks so loudly, I can’t hear what you’re saying.” We can’t hide from ourselves. It’s painted on the canvas of our lives. All we have to do is be aware.

  • Are you eating until you’re stuffed? What else are you stuffing? Hint: Generally it’s an emotion.
  • Does your house look nice and neat and tidy, but your drawers and closets can’t be opened for the mess? You haven’t assessed the outdated stuff of your life and released what’s no longer helpful.
  • Do people treat you like a doormat? That’s because you treat yourself that way by not standing up for yourself.
  • Are you working so hard, doing so much, that you don’t have time for that hobby you love? It’s because you haven’t made time for the hobby that you have so little free time.

Whatever your issue, look at how it’s outpicturing in your life. You’ll be able to recognize it in several areas, because it won’t just be reflecting in an isolated spot of your canvas.  It’ll be reflecting in your entire environment.

Our outer experience is simply a metaphor for the thought energy that’s in our minds. For instance, I have raced ahead so fast, that I haven’t processed much of the information that I’ve accumulated. Not only in my business, but also in my life. My piles were old, outdated information that either needed to be tossed away or filed.

I’d procrastinated filing anything because it was so hard to fit anymore into the crammed drawers of my file cabinets. Recently, I expanded my file drawers. Another metaphor. I’d needed to expand my vision. Now, I need to take the time to finish going through my stuff before I go any further. When I do it in one area, it’ll begin happening in the other areas as well. Only then will I begin to break free of my old restrictions and really accept more of Life.

Copyright 2000, 2011 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

“Life Is A Metaphor, Part 1”

“Life Is A Metaphor, Part 1”

by Linda-Ann Stewart

Some time ago, I went through some piles on my desk. I’d been feeling hemmed in, overwhelmed, frustrated by them. I hadn’t had time for months to take care of them, and finally it got to a breaking point. I didn’t have room to work on my desk, and I couldn’t find things I needed.

Stymied, restricted, overwhelmed  Recently, this had been the way I’d been feeling about life and my work. And here it was staring me in the face. I’d been manifesting my feelings in my work area.

Life is a reflection of how we feel about ourselves. Since I hadn’t cleared away those piles, I’d blocked myself from moving forward. My own tendency not to file old mail and magazines had resulted in life not flowing easily for me. I’d been building a new business so fast, that I hadn’t taken the time to clear away the debris. And it was beginning to obstruct access to the new structure.

We all do this. However we act towards ourselves, comes back at us from our world. Life is simply a mirror for us. All we have to do is look at where we’re uncomfortable in our outer lives, and we can see where we’re uncomfortable within our own minds and hearts.

Copyright 2000, 2011 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

“Love Enough To Let Others Heal” Part 2

“Love Enough To Let Others Heal” Part 2

by Linda-Ann Stewart

I know I’m not alone in the struggle between loving others unconditionally and loving myself. Many of the people I meet, and my clients, struggle with this, too. How can we balance our spirituality with insisting someone treat us with honor?

With God as a loving Presence, God accepts all that we do without judgment. As we try to emulate that aspect of God, we forget that God doesn’t protect us from the consequences of our actions.

If we step on a rake, we get to experience the rake hitting us in the face. We learn from that to be careful around rakes. God doesn’t stop the rake from hitting us, but if we ask for help in healing our bruised face, God is there to heal us.

That is why there is cause and effect. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. This is to help us learn from our mistakes.

The core of this is, God doesn’t enable. The Universe is constantly growing and expanding. Unless we do the same, we get prodded along. Cosmic two-by-fours whack us.

When you allow people to put you down, humiliate you, belittle you, then you are contributing to making their inevitable consequences harder for them. Universal laws will eventually pull them up short, and the more they’ve run roughshod over peoples’ lives, the harder their lesson is going to be.

By setting boundaries, you are growing in love. Love of self, and loving the other person enough to put a stop to their breaking Universal Laws of compassion. Love them enough to allow them to experience the consequences of their actions.

That’s the only way any of us learn. In that way, you are emulating high spiritual qualities and reflecting the unconditionally loving Divine Presence within you.

Copyright 2000, 2011 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

“Love Enough To Let Others Heal” Part 1

“Love Enough To Let Others Heal” Part 1

by Linda-Ann Stewart

Over several years, as I grew spiritually, I discovered that letting others hurt me, and excusing them, hurt them as well. My intentions were to make them feel better about themselves. I was trying to reflect the Divinity within me by loving unconditionally.

When my friends would snap at me, I’d tell myself they didn’t mean it, that they were simply unhappy. Returning anger and hatred with love and compassion, I let my friends treat me like dirt because I knew they were wounded.

I wanted them to heal, and thought my loving them unconditionally would initiate the healing. It never did. It just encouraged them to remain wounded and lashing out at me.

In co-dependency terms, this is called “enabling.”  Some time back, when I was told that it wasn’t my role to be their whipping boy, I countered with “But, we’re supposed to turn the other cheek. Give the shirt off our backs. Love unconditionally. Be nonjudgmental.”

As time went on, I finally realized that I wasn’t helping them by letting them hurt me. I was enabling them to remain the same, and continue treating me with disrespect because they knew they could.

I wasn’t creating any urgency for them to heal. And sooner or later, they were going to get a cosmic two-by-four up side the head to force them to begin the healing process. The longer they continued their behavior, the worse their eventual crisis would be.

I was actually contributing to their woundedness by not setting any limits. I needed to value myself enough to stop them devaluing me. As I began to cherish my well being, and counter their humiliations, my life began to improve overall.

Copyright 2000, 2011 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

Don’t Sabotage Your Goals With Unrealistic Expectations

Don’t Sabotage Your Goals With Unrealistic Expectations

When you have a goal, you may set too many goals at any one time. This can overwhelm your inner mind, and cause it to undermine your progress. You’ll have to make some adjustments to gain your inner mind’s cooperation. Learn how to overcome this barrier and reach your goals.



Copyright 2011 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

The Symbol Of The Butterfly

The Symbol Of The Butterfly

by Linda-Ann Stewart

When we talk about transformation, the image that comes to mind for most of us is the butterfly. A beautiful, filmy creature that glides about the sky, bringing joy to our hearts. But we tend to forget what the butterfly has gone through, how it has struggled to reach its place on the breeze.

Our path of transformation can be likened to that of the butterfly’s. Generally, when we embrace transformation, we only want to think of the end result. We don’t want to think about the work that goes into it, or the sacrifices we’ll have to make to be able to soar. I know that when I went through a transformation some years ago, I thought “Wonderful. Things will be better.” They were, but in the process there were attitudes and behaviors I had to surrender that were central to my life.

Transformation begins with the Universe pressing us forward into desiring something better for ourselves. We may not know what it is that we want, just that we have this impulsion for something more. Originally, the butterfly was once a caterpillar, inching across the grass to climb up the marigold to reach its daily meal. Its main drive was to eat, to fill its stomach.

The same could be said of us. Before we begin to transform, we have a compulsion to meander around; reading books, listening to tapes, attending lectures, digesting information. We’re still in the old form, fattening our minds up to get ready to build a cocoon, where we’ll use all that we’ve digested to transform our lives into a greater reflection of the Universal good.

Once our appetite has been appeased, we’ll feel compelled to allow what we’ve learned to gestate. Letting it process is like the caterpillar inside its cocoon. This is the time to incubate. It may last for a few days or a few months. While it is happening, we’re changing. We may not see the change, but there are parts of us that are being released, transformed and altered. At this point, our lives will sometimes become very uncomfortable for us. During my transformation, I had an intimate relationship that got progressively difficult.

When its transformation is complete, the butterfly begins its emergence from its cocoon. It must fight its way out of the old form, through the silky shell it created, letting it go, into a new world. Just as we must struggle to move through our barriers and outmoded attitudes. Behaviors that served us when we were caterpillars are no longer helpful. We can’t live the way we used to. We’re transcending the old patterns. But since they were familiar, and successful in our old form, we resist discarding them.

I eventually had to release beliefs that were no longer in my best interest. No longer could I play a role that I had outgrown. The relationship came to an end. It was very painful to let go, and very scary to change the role. My whole life had changed.

As we emerge from our cocoon, we take time to adjust to our new circumstances. Things are different, and we have to learn how to handle our new selves. We act in new ways. The things we say are surprising to others, because it’s not what they’re familiar with. People respond to us in a manner in which we’re not used to. Because of my new attitudes, I lost some friends who couldn’t adjust to the shift. And I made new friends who were walking the same path I was.

Eventually, the butterfly climbs free and rests, spreading its wings. For the first time, energy flows through them and they expand, finally ready to carry the butterfly on the breeze. Just as we soon feel confident with our new self, and we fly free, a beautiful butterfly gracefully fluttering from flower to flower. A living jewel fluttering about in the sky.

Copyright 2000, 2011 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved