Living the Happy Life

by ClareShale Mountain Star

That heartwarming feeling you get when you help another, even just holding the door for a stranger, is connected to a deep place within your very humanity. As it turns out, scientists are discovering that humans share the impulse to help with chimpanzees, our closest genetic animal friends – and that impulse is connected to a well-researched brain hormone.

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Recently I watched a small segment of the PBS series The Human Spark (hosted by Alan Alda, yessss!). The video clip shows an experiment designed to compare the altruistic response present in chimps and human 18 month-old infants.  As you can imagine, the cute factor is quite high! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK8rKKp-vP0

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Basically what they found is that both humans and chimps will go out of their way to help another. Felix Warneken at the Max Plank Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology sums it up well: “Potential altruistic motivation to act on behalf of others is something that is shared between chimps and humans, and therefore something that maybe was already a characteristic of our common ancestor.”

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There are many reasons I can think of that this makes so much sense. Being of support for others is simply what being in community is all about. We are a social species and the well-being of those around us directly affects our own well-being.

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Another super-cool factor in this realm is the hormone that helps us build trust: Oxytocin, also called the “cuddle” hormone.

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This hormone is released during important social occasions such as communal meals, breastfeeding, parent/child bonding time, physical contact with other beings (humans and animals) and not surprisingly during moments of altruistic behavior.

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It is actually possible to increase your oxytocin levels by being generous! Check out this article for more info: http://www.sciencentral.com/articles/view.php3?type=article&article_id=218393041

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There’s a bit of science for your day.

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Here’s a fun exercise to try:

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The next time you are feeling anxious, stressed out or frazzled, you may be in need of a dose of oxytocin! If you can, get yourself into a cuddle situation as quickly as possible. If animal or human friends are not close by, try letting someone go ahead of you at the store, holding the door for a stranger or even making a donation to a trusted non-profit.

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What are your favorite ways to connect? Let us know if this exercise is helpful for you in bringing you through to a state of Trust in the universe.

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Astra Spider & ClareShale Mountain Star: 

THE EMPOWERMENT SHAMANS

Abundant Heart: Manifest Your Dreams

www.abundantheartliving.com

Blog – www.abundantheart.wordpress.com

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Quietude in Music

by Astra Spider

It can be seen as ironic that one of the things that brings me to stillness is music. Logically, music is the opposite of quiet – as it is made up of sound.

Energetically, however, everything is energy and has energy – including “quiet”!

And being brought into the energy of quiet allows for dreaming – and dreaming allows for creating – and music is one of the most innately creative things made by a soul.

So, intuitively, it doesn’t surprise me at all that the mesmerism of certain melodies often brings me deepest into the sound of silence.

A song which pops instantly to mind when feeling into the stillness of music is “Pandora” by the Cocteau Twins.

Listening to Pandora brings me directly into a state of feeling lightly blanketed by a sprinkling of snow in afternoon sunlight – only it is not a cold snow. It is tepid, healing, perfect; the illumination of the sparkle of each flake echoing through the mirrors of my soul.

This song performs a Soul Retrieval (a form of shamanic healing) on me each time I allow myself to fully relax into the harmonizing care of its trance.

I am snow. I am silence. I am the sun.

What brings you into your state of stillness?

Love,

Astra

Astra Spider & ClareShale Mountain Star: 

THE EMPOWERMENT SHAMANS

Abundant Heart: Manifest Your Dreams

www.abundantheartliving.com

Blog – www.abundantheart.wordpress.com

Twitter – www.twitter.com/abundantheart

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A Deep and Abiding Love for Bees and Raw Honey

ClareShale speaks from the heart:

When contemplating the bees and enjoying the feeling of being present in gratitude for all that they do for us, many spiritual truths are brought to life.

In choosing just one to focus on today, what comes to mind is – Abundance.  

We see Abundance demonstrated in the perfect way that bees collect their sustenance in beauty, from beauty; fully connected in community, individually brilliant and powerfully self-directed.

The bees’ gift to the earth is the propogation of green life. Their gifts to humans and animals are many and complex; however perhaps their most delicious gift is the production of the miraculous and magical: honey.

If you and I were to sit down and chat, it would only be a matter of time before I started talking about the many uses of raw honey. I might even share with you a story of how I used honey to cure my child’s sore throat overnight!

In the spirit of preparation for our future chat, let me share with you some awesome facts….Did you know that:

* Raw honey contains anti-viral and anti-fungal properties. 

* When collected from local sources, consuming raw honey can decrease symptoms of seasonal allergies as it introduces pollen to the human body in small amounts helping to gently accustom the body to what might otherwise cause a more intense reaction.  

* Raw honey has helpful bacteria (probiotics) that support human and bee health while decreasing the presence of harmful bacteria.

* Raw honey can be used as a cough suppressant, immune system stimulant, dressing for wounds, promotes excellent blood sugar control and is just super-yummy.

* Note – cooking or heating honey lessens or completely destroys these awesome qualities – it’s totally worth it to purchase the raw honey from your local farmer’s market. Let me know if you want support finding a good source!  

Enjoy this quote from fellow honey enthusiast:

‘ “Well,” said Pooh, “what I like best –“…and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn’t know what it was called.’

Love Each Day as a “Holy Day”

by Astra Spider

Here are my holiday thoughts – and many of you already do this – but, it crossed my mind today that we can give ourselves permission to celebrate each day – love our lives in each moment.

I observe people who stress being happy on the holidays, so much so that they are stressed out over being happy on the holidays!

I encourage you to think of every day as a holi-day, or Holy Day.

Rather than be grateful on Thanksgiving, be grateful each minute.

Rather than celebrate fellowship, friends and family on your “holiday of choice that falls nearest to the Winter Solstice,” have a daily party in your heart and dance with love for your BFF’s and your favorite blood kin and your soul mates all year round!

Rather than celebrate new beginnings at the start of the new Year, why not re-birth and re-define yourself daily, even hourly as you see fit – and as feels great in your heart, soul and Whole Self.

I am not dissing the holidays – if you love them and celebrate them, that is fabulous! Definitely include them in your dance of Joy!

I’m just saying – integrate that joyous cornucopia of happiness into your very cells, so that it weaves continuously into the daily quilt of your life – the gorgeous quilt you are creating every fantastic minute of each superb day.

Sweet Love!

Astra

Astra Spider & ClareShale Mountain Star: 

THE EMPOWERMENT SHAMANS

Abundant Heart: Breakthrough Success in Your Life and Art

www.abundantheartliving.com

Blog – www.abundantheart.wordpress.com

Twitter – www.twitter.com/abundantheart

Facebook – www.facebook.com/abundantheart

LinkedIn – http://www.linkedin.com/pub/astra-spider-clareshale-mountain-star/35/a05/598

To Judge or Not to Judge…I Choose Not to….

by Astra Spider

I have been “accused” of, and judged about, seeing only what I want to see.

This makes me smile. The statement is not accurate. But I do understand how it may seem this way!

The reason for this judgment is due to the Order in which I perceive things – it’s not that I see some things and do not see others; it’s that I first see the essence of a person or situation. And this essence is always beautiful.

This does not mean that I don’t notice underlying “issues” or darkness – it means that I am not bothered by these things. One of Earth’s “rules” has been: There can be no light without darkness. We would not know what to call light, had we not also witnessed the dark.

I embrace the beauty of both.

Now as the Universe is shifting and expanding, and more light is coming in, I feel it in my body – there is an almost constant vibrational buzz. I am told by the Universe this will be calming down a bit after the new year begins…that the shifts will continue, but that we will be feeling them in a more slow, flowing manner – rather than these almost shocking jumps and starts that I have heard many folks talking about – and that I myself have been experiencing.

With these Universal shifts come new perceptions.

My experience for some time, as I said, has been to see the essence of a person or situation – and love it for its beauty. However, the “old earth” aspect of my perception was that there was often still judgement attached. I would see and love the beauty, but then would fall into the old mind-chatter of judging the reasons why a person did what they did, or why something happened a certain way.

The new way that has been blossoming in me is that I no longer identify with the old way of judgment. This doesn’t mean I don’t “care” if something unhelpful is happening, or that I allow unhelpful people to enter my domain. I take care of my energy. But, no matter what is happening around me, it is not for me to judge. Judgment is a block to abundance – so I will no longer have judgment in my life or in my heart. This is my choice.

And when anyone judges me, it makes me smile – for I see that I am being a mirror for whatever they need to work out inside themselves – and that is their responsibility.

 

Astra Spider & ClareShale Mountain Star: 

THE EMPOWERMENT SHAMANS

Abundant Heart: Breakthrough Success in Your Life and Art

www.abundantheartliving.com

Blog – www.abundantheart.wordpress.com

Twitter – www.twitter.com/abundantheart

Facebook – www.facebook.com/abundantheart

LinkedIn – http://www.linkedin.com/pub/astra-spider-clareshale-mountain-star/35/a05/598

How My Mind Learned to Love Simplicity

by ClareShale Mountain Star

I’ve been interested lately in the more simplistic elements of life; I love that they are so easy to achieve and enjoy. A simple meal of soup and bread, a simple gathering with a few friends, a simple melody, my favorite jeans. Those are all pretty basic, but so deeply enjoyable.

On a spiritual level, Simplicity is currently my quest. I’m finding that walking my path with Simplicity is a very interesting challenge. In my experience simplicity at its core consists of being in the Present Moment. Nothing is required of me in that place but to be aware. No doing, thinking, planning – just awareness. This seems like it should be easy to achieve and enjoy (like the jeans), but wow – it’s so much more of a journey than that.

Being Present is of course an experience that connects all seekers on the path of “enlightenment”; practices to support experiencing Present moment awareness have been handed down from teacher to student for centuries. I love thinking about how this state is our birthright and as children we are just there already – it reminds me of that story about Jesus telling his followers that they needed to be as little children to enter the “Kingdom of God.”

About 8 or 9 months ago I came to a new level in my process of consciously creating my life. I realized that I had not taken the time to really deeply consider what my inner being actually wanted to create; it was like there was a dis-connect between my Heart and Mind. When I finally checked in with my Heart to find out what was there and ready to be brought into the world I received an answer that was very simple; my heart wanted my being to “Be Present.” Up until that point I had been endeavoring to create a life that resonated only with what my mind and personality wanted – it was very external and not Simple at all!

I wanted to be in Maui, I wanted to create a sustainable community, I wanted to have chickens in my yard, etc. It seems funny to think about it now, but that was what I was making my whole life about. Those very external things. The truth is that without looking within to find the true desires of my heart and soul, I would still be searching for the next thing and the next, no matter how awesome my sustainable home in Maui was. True happiness would have been just out of reach.

I’m so glad that I took the time to find and consciously connect with the Intention of my heart. My dream home will still be built, my vacations in Maui will be great and my chickens are going to be amazing, but enjoying those wonderful experiences is no longer what my life is all about.

My simple Intention for living in each moment is to Be Present – a challenge to be sure – but an Intention that I find deepens each day. Thank you Heart for sharing your deep wisdom with my dear friend: Mind.

Please add your comments here, we’d love to hear from you!

Astra Spider & ClareShale Mountain Star: THE EMPOWERMENT SHAMANS

Abundant Heart: Breakthrough Success in Your Life and Art

www.abundantheartliving.com

Blog – www.abundantheart.wordpress.com

Twitter – www.twitter.com/abundantheart

Facebook – www.facebook.com/abundantheart

LinkedIn – http://www.linkedin.com/pub/astra-spider-clareshale-mountain-star/35/a05/598

Love Universe-ity

by Astra Spider

If Earth is a school (and she is) – then the Universe-ity is Love.

Love is the finest institute of Higher Learning. Once we get an A++ in the subject of Love, everything else flows effortlessly.

Love has taught me not to judge and not to worry. Love has taught me to love my Self first, and fill up on Love energy so entirely that it has no where left to flow but out.

Love has taught me that animals are the greatest teachers of neutrality – which is the same as Universal Love.

Love has taught me so much! Has it taught me to remember it all, 100% of the time? Nope, because that is MY responsibility! That reminds me: Love has taught me that I am responsible for my life (and no one else’s).

Am I listening to my greatest teacher? I Am.

By talking to my heart, loving my Self, and remembering that I am responsible for my life, I am giving space for others to do the same.

It is a process – and when all is flowing, Woohoo, doesn’t it feel good!

When all is not flowing, I am quick to take a look under the hood and tinker with the equipment; till I remember to simply fill ‘er up with the most powerful and healthy petrol – the all-purpose, neutral, environmentally friendly energy of Universal Love!

What a gas!

LOVE,

Astra

 

Learning From the Pros – A Night at Victory Gardens Theater

by ClareShale Mountain Star – Abundant Heart’s Roving Shamanic Reporter

Oh wow – this past Monday night was the best! Astra and I have been so excited to check out Victory Gardens Theater, where our awesome client Jeremy Glickstein will be performing in “Waiting For Lefty” by Clifford Odets. (The show runs through October 2 so be sure to get your tickets!) We had the opportunity on Monday to attend the welcome reception and rocking presentation of Victory Gardens’ new Artistic Director, Chay Yew. The theater was lovely, the crowd was gracious and the refreshments were of course divine – however the best part was hearing Chay’s vision forward for what he would like the Victory Gardens Theater to be for Chicago: A meeting hall for the diverse communities of our city to come together and begin a dialogue. His hope is that through championing new works, diversity and young writers, bridges can be built using the transformational nature of theater. He is taking such a beautiful stand for healing in our city. Here’s Chay, third from the left, with other directors and artists talking about plans for the future:Another highlight for us was hearing poet Kevin Coval read from his new book,L-Vis Lives. It was so great to hear him share about growing up in the suburbs of Chicago during the 80’s and 90’s. I guess it’s because all those memories of early hip-hop and trendy breakfast cereal seem for me to be hidden inside my own heart – but there he was, weaving my memories into a stunning piece of poetry. Check out his website:http://kevincoval.com/kc/.

One last thing to share about our evening….We had a great chat with a Chicago actor who shared with us the title of a book (which you may be familiar with if you’ve studied acting): The Actor and The Target by Declan Donnellan. I definitely want to pick it up soon – but in the meantime there was one point that stood out during our conversation. Donnellan explains that there is no actor with greater talent or lesser talent – there are only performers who are less blocked or more blocked. He writes in the introduction: “The talent is always pumping away, like the circulation of the blood. We just have to dissolve the clot.” (p.6) That piece of advice is something I try to remember and apply in my life as a mother and shaman – I have everything I need in each and every moment, all there is for me to do is remove what is no longer helpful – what is not me, and I see the Truth: That the Universe is full of beauty and abundance and I am an integral part of that.

All in all it was a wonderful evening of sharing, learning and connecting. We are so glad we attended the event, and really look forward to some excellent theater this year from Victory Gardens!

ClareShale Mountain Star  – Empowerment Shaman

www.abundantheartliving.com

A Life of Your Own Design

The Artist is you. There is not another person on the planet who decides what your life will be, so you might as well design it to align perfectly with your desires!

Are you happy with your job, work, or career? Is it fulfilling? More importantly – is it the career of your dreams?

How do you feel when you walk in to your home? Are you instantly relaxed, knowing that all you need is at your fingertips? Are the colors of your decor pleasing to your eye? Are there clean lines which calm the heart and clear the mind? Do your chosen art and furniture pieces nourish your soul with their beauty, comfort and energy?

If you answered no to any of the above question, now is the perfect time to take stock of what needs to be transformed.

Exercise: Jot down the answers to the following questions in a beautiful journal or favorite notebook:

1) What brings me joy?

2) What hobbies and past-times have I thoroughly enjoyed since I was a child – and are still with me now?

3) Do I have any regular habits that do not thoroughly nourish me, heart and soul? If so, what new habits can I begin to replace them with, that make my heart smile and my spirit sing?

4) Am I feeding my body with my favorite foods that energize me and cause my whole self to tingle with life?

5) If I were living the life of my wildest dreams, of my own creation and perfect design, what would that look like? Feel like? Taste like? Where am I? How do I fill my days? How do I fill my nights?

Take stock of your answers, and see if you feel any different after fully experiencing what you have created by placing pen to paper.

Did you know that the act of simply writing something down is a powerful manifesting tool? So, how do you want to design your life?

Go ahead, write it down – we dare you!

With so much love and excitement for your creations,

Astra Spider & ClareShale Mountain Star: 

THE EMPOWERMENT SHAMANS

Abundant Heart: Breakthrough Transformation

for Creative Professionals

www.abundantheartliving.com

Astra: astra@abundantheartliving.com

ClareShale: 773-230-2144

Blog – www.abundantheart.wordpress.com

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Music

“Hey Mister D.J. put a record on

I wanna dance with my baby

And when the music starts

I never wanna stop

It’s gonna drive me crazy….

Music makes the people come together….”

~Madonna, Music

Music is a Universal invitation to come together. At a recent art fair here in Evanston, Illinois, ClareShale and Astra were enjoying a free concert of international-inspired music, sitting a bit apart from the bandstand and the audience, relaxing in the grass.

Suddenly Astra looked over at an elderly man who was standing near the audience and noticed he was trance-dancing! The music had captivated him so much, he had been guided to perform channeled shamanic dance – and it lasted through three songs altogether! He was deep within.

Wow, Astra thought, that is not something you see every day – at least not in public! It IS something which Astra does regularly in her own performances at a spiritual arts center in Chicago, but at this outdoor concert by the beach, Astra realized that her own thinking has been narrow regarding the realm of music.

What a realization: We can be Free, if we only allow ourselves to Be! And music helps make it so! Music really does break the chains that bind us, supporting us in realizing that the chains exist only in our minds, and only because we have been choosing to be bound.

We leave you with this: NEW SONG by Howard Jones from 1983 – these amazing lyrics still stand the test of time!!

NEW SONG

I’ve been waiting for so long

To come here now and sing this song

Don’t be fooled by what you see

Don’t be fooled by what you hear

This is a song to all of my friends

They take the challenge to their hearts

Challenging preconceived ideas

Saying goodbye to long standing fears

Don’t crack up, Bend your brain, See both sides,

Throw off your mental chains

I don’t wanna be hip and cool

I don’t wanna play by the rules

Not under the thumb of the cynical few

Or laden down by the doom crew

Don’t crack up, Bend your brain, See both sides,

Throw off your mental chains

Don’t crack up, Bend your brain, See both sides,

Throw off your mental chains

I’ve been waiting for so long

To come here now and sing this song

Don’t be fooled by what you see

Don’t be fooled by what you hear

This is a song to all of my friends

They take the challenge to their hearts

Challenging preconceived ideas

Saying goodbye to long standing fears

Don’t crack up, Bend your brain, See both sides,

Throw off your mental chains 

NEW SONG video – SO Awesome!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FagjnIgUk6Q

Love,

Astra Spider and ClareShale Mountain Star

Abundant Heart: Breakthrough Transformation for Creative Professionals

www.abundantheartliving.com

www.abundantheart.wordpress.com

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