Relationships are hard. There is no denying it. The question is, why are they so hard? You are probably thinking they are hard because people are complex beings, and two complex beings coming together can result in not so harmonious situations. You are right! But there's also so much more to relationships than what we are consciously aware of.
Have you met someone before and felt like you knew them in a past life? If the answer is yes, you most probably did know them in a past life. Even if the answer is no, it's likely that you have met the important people in your life before, as we tend to reincarnate with our soul-family. This concept can sound very romantic, and many people imagine that in a past life they lived a beautiful love story with their current partner. What they might not know is that very often past-life relationships had difficult aspects, and at times were simply destructive and even abusive. We reincarnate with our loved ones again and again, and often we switch roles so that the husband from this life could have been the father in a previous life, the current son could have been the sister, and so on. So not only are humans complex beings, with their subconscious minds compounding their complexities, but the human experience on earth is complex, compounded by lifetimes of changing dynamics between soul-family members. So how do we successfully navigate our relationships? A good place to start would be to remind ourselves that the Law of Attraction states that "That which is like unto itself, is drawn". This means we are attracting a match to our own vibration, and repelling whoever is not a match. Gaining the self-awareness to correctly evaluate our own vibration can take some time and some work. At a young age it is not always obvious when we are choosing a partner who triggers our unresolved wounds, or who is similar to one of our parents, in a manner which is unflattering. As we get older we might begin to notice relationship tendencies and patterns. Maybe we keep attracting partners who don't prioritize us. Maybe we attract people who are unavailable, emotionally or physically. I had a client who lived in NYC and always fell for guys who were only in NYC temporarily, so the relationships always had an expiration date looming in the background. Sometimes we attract partners who we can re-enact our parents' relationship with. I had a client who attracted a man who treated her like her father treated her mom, therefore casting her in the position of acting like her mom. She felt terrible in that relationship, ended it, but never solved her emotional wounds around her childhood. The next relationship she attracted, springing from that same point of attraction, was again just like her parent's one, only this time she attracted a man who acted like her mom did, triggering her to act like her dad. The answer, therefore, to having healthy relationships, is to heal our own wounds and to Align to our Higher Selves, so that our point of attraction is a positive one. Healing our wounds can entail healing childhood wounds, healing past-lives wounds, or both. Our point of attraction doesn't only refer to the time when we attract someone new into our lives, but to the interactions we attract on a daily basis with our loved ones. Relationships are exchanges of energy, like a dance between people, and we always choose our own steps, and even choose whether or not we are going to participate in the dance. As our point of attraction shifts, we change our steps, and our partner can follow the new rhythm, or simply walk away. When a relationship ends because one person transformed in a positive way and the other person chose not to follow, there is a natural sense of sadness and even grief, but with time the transformed person moves on and feels like the break-up was inevitable and was for the best. But when a relationship ends because the frustrated partners are blaming each other for triggering painful emotions, and do not use the opportunity of the relationship to gain awareness of their wounds and heal them, that's when there can be lingering feelings of sadness, resentment, confusion, and lack of closure, even after many years. Our relationships with other people are our final frontier. Our greatest growth opportunities can be found in our dynamics with others. The love we feel in our hearts and our natural longing for connection are great motivators in our quest to overcome our emotional obstacles and bond closely with others. As long as we remember that the key to healthy relationships lies in our own Vibration, we have the power to manifest relationships which are deeply joyful and fulfilling! Wishing you loving and harmonious connections, Sharon
0 Comments
"Ugh, that's the story of my life!" I was eating lunch at an Indian Restaurant with my husband and our son, when I heard the lady sitting in the table next to ours call out that sentence. She was in her 50s, had short white hair, was portly, and her face was red with strong emotion. I didn't hear what she had said prior to that, and since her conversation with her two sons ended with that sentence, I was left to guess what the story of her life was. At first, I tried to make up the story of her life. I find people's lives to be fascinating, and it's not for nothing that I became a Hypnotherapist who listens to people and guides them through their subconscious every day. Then I remembered that her "story" wasn't real. Just like my story isn't real, and neither is yours! We can all choose to consciously separate "what is" from the story about "what is". Your Story is nothing more than the combinations of your interpretations, your beliefs, and your resulting emotions around the experiences of your life. You can remain the objective witnesses and not get triggered by people and situation that reinforce your story. For example, Fred calls Stella and cancels their dinner. He tells her he is not feeling well, which is the truth. Stella's emotional wounds are triggered, and her negative self-talk begins. "He doesn't want to see me. He's bored with me, or maybe he's seeing someone else behind my back. Bob cheated on me, and now Fred is cheating on me too. My own father favored my sister over me. I never get the attention I want. I'm a loser. Nobody will ever love me". This is a strong example, but our wounds get triggered in small and in big ways on a regular basis. We get caught up in our stories. We are always the victim. We are always taken advantage of. We are too nice so we come in last. We have bad luck in relationships. And so on and so forth. A belief is just a thought that you keep thinking. Beliefs are easy to change, as long as you address them at their source- in the subconscious. Our actions stem from our beliefs, and our behaviors are the accumulation of our actions. Change your beliefs and your life will transform completely! Choose to not identify with your story. You are not your past. You are eternal (although not in this physical form). You are not your profession/ race/ gender/ socio-economical status, etc. Your Soul is so much more than your earthly characteristics. So choose to drop the story! And if you must tell yourself and others a story about you, script ourself a wonderful story! Tell it like you want it to be, as your words are powerful and are creating reality. For example, if you are having financial problems, you can say "I am working on attracting more abundance into my life by creating a mindset for success". And mean it! Your subconscious mind knows when you are lying to yourself, and it will jump out and say "yea right!" if you don't believe what you are saying. So make statements you fell no resistance about! Instead of saying to yourself "I have a wonderful relationship" whenever you feel that your relationship is having problems, say instead "I am focusing on the positive aspects of my relationship and am attracting more and more positive manifestations of these aspects". You are attracting to yourself manifestations of your thoughts, so make sure to have thoughts you want to manifest! Script yourself a positive story. Literally write down the story of your life the way you want it to be. If it feels too different than your current life, pretend it's a year later and you are writing the story of all that has happened in your life in the past year. Make it your best year yet! You are the creator of your own reality, so make it a wonderful one! Many blessings from me to you, Sharon I was 8 months pregnant and had just left my job.
It was Christmas 2016. I remember the thrill of freedom. I remember the excitement in the air. Yes, there were also pangs of doubts and fears trying to creep up, but I knew at that point how to ignore them until they went away. I had a strong vision, and a loose plan. I wasn't sure what I wanted, but I knew for sure what I didn't want. I didn't want to work from 9 to 5 for someone else. I didn't want to drop off my infant in daycare, and pick him up 8 hours later. I know that for many moms that's fine, but I knew without a doubt that it wasn't fine for me. I didn't want to struggle through my days so that I could enjoy my weekends. Or struggle through weeks and months, so that I could enjoy little "escapes" here and there. I wanted to ENJOY EVERY DAY! I wanted to bring MY OWN ideas and inspirations to life! Outrageous, right?! How dare I be so greedy? I was taught, like most of us were, that life wasn't easy. That I had to sacrifice and work hard, in order to "earn" crumbs of happiness. That life wasn't safe, so I needed a steady job, I needed stability and a boss that told me what to do and paid me, so that I would have retirement money in 30 or 40 years. Great plan! All I needed to do was to suffer 5-6 days a week, let daycare workers or nannies raise my child, and make money for someone else's business. My inner voice told me this couldn't be true. I didn't come to this life to make sacrifices and suffer. I came to EXPERIENCE...to GROW...and to ENJOY! I always knew that deep inside, but it took me going through a whole process of Aligning with my Higher Self before I could take that leap and go after my dreams. And I"m so grateful I took it! Fast-Forward 3 years. It's Christmas again. I"m on a 2 month trip, working on-line while traveling with my family. We go sight-seeing in the daytime, and I offer Hypnosis sessions in the evening. Today we saw the Baháʼí Shrine in Haifa, Israel, and took pictures of it in the pouring rain while our son sang "Jingle Bells" over and over again in the car, to my mom. I wake up inspired, create content from my heart, work on my projects, and then go to the beach. I am raising my son. He is almost 3, and only a few months ago did he start pre-school two mornings a week, to socialize and have some fun. The rest of the time he is with one of us, with both of us, or if we want some couple-time, with my mom. I get to help people. Like, actually help people find their ideal vocations, repair their relationships, improve their health, start a family, create abundance, and get rid of their emotional wounds. I"m not saying this to brag. I"m saying this to let you know that I too didn't know HOW to transform my life, or even WHAT that new life would look like. Are you hurting? If you are, please believe me when I tell you that next Christmas you could look back at THIS exact moment and realize it was the moment everything changed. Are you unhappy right now with one or more aspects of your life? If you are that's because your Higher Self is signaling to you that there is SO MUCH more available for you too! It might be nudging you lightly, or it might be shaking you firmly to get your attention. Just don't ignore your inner voice, because it won't go away. Don't wait for it to scream louder and to manifest more situations that will rid you (not always gently) of that which doesn't serve your highest good. Take the power into your own hands. You are the creator of your own reality, and you can create Deliberately, or you can create unconsciously. Creating Deliberately is much more fun. Trust me. This year Christmas falls on the 8 days of Hanukkah, like it often does. Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, symbolizes the Rebellion of the Israelites, the rededication of the temple, and the miracle of the small quantity of oil lasting for 8 days. I am extremely Spiritual, but not at all Religious, so although I don't follow religious interpretations and customs, I do often enjoy their symbolisms. Back in 2016, when I took my big leap towards manifesting my dreams, Hanukkah began on Christmas eve. I remember thinking about my own private rebellion, standing up for myself and going against the safe choice of conforming to society's norms. I also thought about "miracles" and how the extraordinary happens when there is a great desire for a specific outcome, combined with great dedication to the cause. So Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and many wishes of HAPPINESS to you and to your family! Sharon Abraham Hicks talks about the Emotional Guidance Scale a lot. This scale is a wonderful concept that helps us navigate painful emotions and reach high vibrational ones. I use the emotional scale often with my clients, and find that indeed it is a lot more manageable to climb a step up the scale, than it is to try and jump 5-6 steps at a time. This means that if someone is feeling depressed, that person needs to be guided up the scale and needs to experience the unworthiness, jealousy, anger, concerns, frustrations, etc., before beginning to experience hopefulness, enthusiasm, and joy. Many of my clients report having gone to conventional therapists in order to deal with anxiety, depression, and other low-vibrational feelings. The therapist most often prescribe medication in order to blur these feelings, instead of organically leading the person up the scale, or giving tools that can be used over and over to spiral upward. Using my unique Hypnotherapy methods, I guide people through all their feelings, in a way in which the negative emotions are not as powerful, allowing for the upward spiral. Under Hypnosis, the brain creates a grater connection between the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC), which is responsible for the executive functions (planning, inhibitions, etc.), and the Insula, which is responsible for the somatic functions (processing pain and emotions, etc.). This means that under Hypnosis it is possible to process painful emotions but to feel them less deeply! Also, under Hypnosis, the default mode network (DMN), largely responsible for a sense of self-awareness and episodic memory, and the executive control network (ECN), which controls cognition, are disconnected, allowing the individual to OBJECTIVELY observe themselves and others without judgment! This is a great tool to overcome shame, blame, guilt, and many more similar emotions. One suggestion I would make to anybody who is feeling down, is to have compassion for yourself and to give yourself time and space to move through the negative feelings. Anger is a good sign. It means you moved up from despair. But don't stay there! Take one more step up, into frustration/ worry/ negativity. Then slowly move into acceptance, and be ok with accepting that which is not your preference. You will notice how soon enough you will feel some hope, some optimism. Later, some enthusiasm. Eventually- Joy! Everything you want in your life, you want for one reason only. You believe that by having that thing/person/circumstance, you will feel better. But you can also train your vibration to be higher. You can feel better without the condition. Easier said than done, but there are many methods for feeling better, and the better you feel, the better reality is manifested by your own vibration. You are the Creator of your reality, and the single most important tool in your possession is your ability to feel good, meaning to be of a high vibration. One example of raising your vibration is focusing on good-feeling thoughts, and not engaging in negative thoughts. Literally saying to yourself (or out loud if alone) "cancel! clear!" and moving away from negative thoughts. This means you give a lot more attention to what is working well in your life, and very little attention to what is not. You do take actions, obviously, but you take inspired actions, not actions originating from negative emotions. This also means you focus on the positive aspects of yourself and of the people around you. Many of my married clients report that once they focus on the positives of their spouse, that spouse embodies more and more positive qualities when interacting with them. Same goes for your kids! Your relatives! Bosses! Co-workers! The Law of Attraction is Universal, and it states that whatever you focus on, that is what you attract more and more into your experience. So focus wisely! Blessings and good vibes from me to you, Sharon
1) I was born in Israel and spent my childhood between Israel and the USA. I love living in the USA (though I'm anxiously awaiting the end of the Trump era) so I immigrated here when I was 21.
2) I LOVE Ramen. Funny enough, so does my 2.5 year old boy. We go to Japanese restaurants and we both lose it. I dreamed for years about going to Japan and eating Ramen, and when I did I realized it was equally good to the Ramen in New Jersey. 3) Speaking of New Jersey, I LOVE New Jersey. Go ahead, judge me ;0) I think it's one of the most beautiful and diverse states, filled with lovely towns, beautiful country side, parks, amazing food, and great NYC views (and access). 4) My favorite color is Turquoise and my second favorite color is purple in all its shades. 5) When I was a child (and a young adult) I wanted to be a Veterinarian. I still ADORE animals and am OBSESSED with dogs, especially the very large ones. My superpower is to decipher dog breeds, even if it's a mix of 2-3 unusual breeds. 6) Travel is one of my greatest passions. I have travelled (so far) to 39 countries (multiple visits to many of those) and lived in 4 countries and in 5 USA States (my favorite one being New Jersey ;0). I plan to travel A LOT more in the future! 7) The picture in this post is from my 40th birthday. After we had to cancel our travel plans because the little one had the runs, I spent the day at the Spa while my wonderful husband changed diapers every two hours. 8) Halloween is my favorite holiday, though I am a big fan of Christmas. 9) I'm an ATV and Jet Ski enthusiast. 10) I"m married to the former Motocross National champion of Ecuador, and he and our son are obsessed with anything with wheels. 11) My dad was the owner of our's city nationally successful soccer team, and when I was 15 my family and I joined them on their summer training in Romania. I love soccer. 12) I danced Classical Ballet for many years growing up, and I still love watching Ballet. 13) My favorite singer/ song-writer is Alejandro Sanz. If you don't know him, please look him up! He is AMAZING. 14) I cooked professionally for a while (for up to 60 people!) in a Spiritual Retreat. It was lots of fun mixed with some stress! I was told (and am still told) that I'm a very good cook, but my mom is the reigning queen of the kitchen! She's the best. 15) My Sun is in Libra (conjunct Venus and Mercury), My moon is in Scorpio (conjunct Uranus), and My Ascendent is in Gemini. For those of you who know Astrology, this says A LOT about me! 16) I played the Electrical Organ for years growing up, but I don't have much musical talent. Luckily, my son inherited his father's incredible musical ear, and from a young age he could carry a tune, make up lyrics for known songs, and invent new songs. 17) My favorite season is Fall, with Summer being a close second. 18) I"m an avid reader, and in addition to reading books suited for my age, I've been having way too much fun lately reading children's books to my son. 19) I"m one half Moroccan with Spanish roots, one quarter Polish, and one quarter Russian with Siberian Shaman ancestors. 20) My favorite fruit is Durian, aka "stinky fruit". I got hooked on it in Thailand and I now buy it frozen at the Korean Supermarket, to my husband's dismay. I can't wait to go to Ecuador and eat exotic fruit I"ve never heard of before. 21) When I was 10 I sat on a venomous scorpion. I was on a school night-time field trip in the dunes, and we all sat in a circle when I felt something moving underneath me. When I get up there was a panic among the kids (and adults), but luckily I wasn't stung in the butt. 22) Coffee is my beverage of choice. I limit myself to 2 cups a day, and to mostly half-caffs. In my book Coffee is the beverage of the Gods. I research different coffees to find the best on, so if you have an amazing recommendation, please share. So far I am not able to recreate the wonderful drip-coffee with condensed milk I had in Vietnam, but I dream about it at night sometimes. 23) I enjoy greatly foreign movies. To me they are portals to other parts of the world and other ways of life, and for that they fascinate me. 24) I'm great at Math and I love it with a passion. When I had more free time I used to actually fill-out Calculus work-books like other people fill out cross-word books (or used to, before the era of smartphones and tablets.) When I was in school I used to solve Math problems I got stuck on while sleeping, then wake up and write everything down and relish on how my subconscious had the answers. It was an early sign of what was to come! 25) If I were an animal, I would probably be an eagle. 26) I have well over a hundred cousins, if you include second and third cousins. Wait, maybe you and I are related? 27) If I had to pick between living surrounded by forests, lakes, and mountains, or the sea, I would choose the former. In fact, I DID make that choice, and I only regret it briefly on some January days. 28) One of my favorite flowers is Peony. The book "The Language of flowers" spoiled that for me a little, but it was an amazing book non-the-less. 29) I am a level 2 scuba-diver and have dived in a boat-wreck and at night, as part of my certification process. Thrilling experiences! 30) I have a collection of G-Shock watches. Well, a shared collection with my husband, as they are Unisex. Love them. 31) I don't like Broadway shows. At all. I went to a few, including "Wicked" which was highly acclaimed, but I don't like the singing in the middle of the performance. It literally annoys me and I can't help but roll my eyes. 32) My alcoholic beverage of choice is an extra-dirty vodka martini. But since I'm a light-weight I only take a few sips of it and switch over to a light beer. I also like white wine and occasionally have half a glass for dinner and pretend it's good for my heart (it's all in the mind, anyway ;0) 33) My home-town in Israel is right on the Mediterranean Sea and is surrounded by dunes. In fact, my mom's home-office has an incredible front-line view of the dunes. I promise to do some LIVE broadcasts from there next time I go for a visit. 34) I make my own essential oil combinations and bath and body products. As a Biotechnology major who took many Chem classes, I thought for a minute to work for the perfume industry, since I love both chemistry and perfumes. I'm glad I didn't, but I still enjoy creating my own perfumes and buying fancy home-made bath and body products. 35) I"m a Roller-Coaster and Water-Slide fanatic. 36) My nick-name is Sharonika (Sha-ro-ni-ka), with a Russian affection suffix. Really only my mom's side of the family (the Russian side, obviously) calls me that, but I always liked it. Everyone in the US mispronounces my name to sound like the American name Sharon (She-rin), as opposed to the Israeli one (Sha-ron). 37) As a foodie, I recently decided I needed to step out of my comfort zone more. So a few weeks ago I tried the Ecuadorian National dish, Cuy, a relative of the Guinea Pig. It is an ancient food that goes back to the Inkas, and my husband's family (and probably most Ecuadorians) are obsessed with it. When relatives come from Ecuador they bring these cooked Guinea Pigs with them to share with loved ones. Tastes like chicken, but a little saltier with a note of herbs (they are only fed pure grass). 38) I love Ice cream flavors that are interesting, like Cappuccino with white chocolate fudge chunks or Strawberry Cheesecake. I'm definitely not a Vanilla person. 39) Confession- I loved the Gilmore Girls, and still watch that show on Netflix on occasions when I need a pick-me-up. 40) I am very inventive and am currently working on taking an invention of mine to market. Wish me luck! Though either way I have more inventions up my sleeve, and am an idea person in general. That's 40 fun facts! Now you know me better! Feel free to share a fun fact (or more) about yourself! Blessings and good vibes from me to you, Sharon I used to live for summers. Well, also for some other times of the year which involved time off school or work, but mostly for summers. The reason for that was simple- I wasn't living my best life, so I escaped it mentally and emotionally by escaping it physically. Obviously vacations are wonderful, and if you are able to travel somewhere far and exciting- beyond wonderful. But for too many years I accepted an everyday life which wasn't very satisfying, while daydreaming about my next break from that life. I did, however, have a feeling that one day this would change, as I was not ready to accept a long term reality of being bored at my job or living in a city I no longer enjoyed. That is why today I am surprised over and over again whenever I hear people say that they will stick to a job they don't like until retirement, or that they are planning on moving to their dream location 15 years down the road. Why is it that so many people don't allow themselves to manifest the life of their dreams?! Why is there a prevalent belief among people that life must be hard? And that you have to "pay your dues" before you can reap benefits? The answer is complex, and has to do with the conscious mind fixating on the familiar and the current visible situation, and with the subconscious mind harboring all kinds of fears and beliefs that do not serve us. The Law of attraction states that whatever we focus on expands. It's a Universal Law which never fails, much like gravity. You can test it for yourself, by simply focusing on something simple that you have no resistance to, like pink petals, or the number 55. Suddenly you will notice how whatever you call forth (and don't resist) is brought into your experience. Since we focus on the "what is" and not on the "what we want to be", we keep manifesting more of the same. For example, focusing on "I am bored at my job" will lead to another boring job. Whereas focusing on the aspects of the job which are satisfying will lead to positive shifts in the current job, or to another job which has even more satisfying aspects. The subconscious mind holds the majority of the influence on our actions. That's right! Most of our actions are derived from our subconscious. So it isn't a surprise that as long as we haven't healed our subconscious mind we will continue to act in a way which does not lead to the results we want. For example, if we were told as children that life is a grind, and that our job is to "work", meaning to put effort into something that feels like duty and not like play, then we will end up at a job that feels draining, not imagining at times that there is another way of living. I am happy to say that I no longer hate Mondays. I haven't hated them in years. I have the time-freedom I never imagined would be possible before retirement, and though I still love vacations, I actually enjoy my everyday life so much that I am excited to get back to it. How did I get "here" from "there"? I used the unique system I developed to direct both the conscious mind and the subconscious mind towards creating the reality I wanted. And it worked like magic! Blessings and good vibes from me to you, Sharon Three-ingredient pancakes have become a staple in my home. My toddler no longer likes eggs lately, and by eating these pancakes he is getting a good dose of protein, Selenium, Vitamins D, B6, B12 and minerals such as Zinc, Iron and Copper. Bananas are nutritious as well, and a good source of Vitamin B6, Manganese, Vitamin C, Potassium, Dietary Fiber, protein, Magnesium, and Folate. This recipe is my adaptation to a recipe I found on-line one day, only instead of bananas, eggs, and granola, which are my three ingredients, the writer suggested bananas, eggs, and quick oats. Basically you mash 3 ripe bananas, add 3 eggs, then add 1 cup of granola. I use granola with honey and almond slivers, but of course you have to consider your family member's allergies and age-restriction (for example nuts and raw honey are risky for infants). I then like to add different little extras each time to mix it up, like a berry (especially raspberries), and chocolate or peanut butter chips (if not allergic). Once you mix everything you simply heat some frying oil (I like grape-seed oil) on a non-stick frying pan and add half a cup of your "batter". You cook on medium until bubbles appear and the pancake is firm enough to flip it without breaking it. Once you flip it you cook it a little more until it appears solid. You place it on a plate covered with a paper towel to absorb the extra oil. If you have any pancakes left you can store them in the fridge in a sealed Tupperware for 2 days or so. Bon Appetit! Blessings and good vibes from me to you, Sharon It is easy to stay focused on physical reality and to forget about vibrational reality, or the un-manifested reality. After all, we experience physical reality with our five senses , and also the people around us usually support our perceptions of physical reality. But the Universe does send us signs. All the time. Some are subtle and easy to ignore. Others are BIG and compelling. A few weeks ago my husband and I received a BIG sign. It was a few nights before our road trip to New Hampshire, a road-trip we have been excited about for many weeks. I listened to an Abraham-Hicks recording while doing the dishes before going to bed, and they were talking about how the Universe sends you signs in the form of impulses to do something, and often uses lights to convey a message. I went to bed earlier than my husband did, and as I was laying down next to my sleeping toddler (yes, we co-sleep), I could see through the curtains that the outside light had turned on. The lights around our house have motion sensors so I went over to the window to see which animal was visiting us. Last time that light went on we got to see a chubby raccoon looking right up at us. We also receive visits from bears, deers, woodchucks, owls, rabbits, and many more animals. But this time I didn't see anything at all, so I went back to bed and quickly fell asleep. After some time my husband woke me up all excited and kept saying "You won't believe what just happened!". Apparently just as the light came on he had an impulse to eat something (even though it was late), and he could see the outside light at an angle from the kitchen's window. He didn't see any animals and as he was eating he noticed that the light never turned off. The lights are on an automatic timer so when time was passing and the light wasn't turning off, my husband decided to go outside through the basement and turn the light off manually. As he walked back into the basement he noticed the light in the linen closet was on. He had installed in that closet a hanging light with a switch earlier that day. He opened the door to turn off the light and saw that a blanket had fallen from the top shelf, right on top of the hanging light-bulb, and smoke had started to come out of the blanket as it was burning. Had he not put out the beginning of that fire, all the linens in the closet would have caused the fire to grow quickly. Even though we have fire detectors, the bedroom where my son and I were sleeping is directly above that closet, and a fire would have caused a huge scare and serious damage to the house. Also, we would have had to cancel our trip to New Hampshire, and as you can see in the picture above, we visited some spectacular places during that trip. Our Angels were definitely looking out for us and have turned on the outside light in order to bring my husband to the basement, and have also planted the impulse in my husband to walk over to the kitchen and see that light. The Universe doesn't usually speak to us in the form of a loud voice, because that would probably freak us out. It would have been scary to hear a voice saying "Fire in the linen closet, run downstairs!". So instead, we get signs, impulses, intuitions, and dreams. The more we align and respond to the Universe, the more signs we receive. Since the night of this big sign, I have been receiving more and more smaller signs, probably because of my gratitude and receptivity. I have found a black feather in the middle of a path (sign of higher protection), I have had a little white bird fly very close to me as I float in my pool in the forrest, and last week I had a premonition dream that my childhood best-friend gave birth, and in my dream I heard the name that was chosen for the baby. When I woke I ran to my phone, and sure enough I had a text message from my friend with the picture of her newborn, and when we spoke later that day she told me they named her Aria, just like in my dream. We all have stories about times when the Universe sent us messages, and I urge you all to be receptive and to expect the guidance of the Universe. You attract what you expect, so the Universe will have no other choice but to deliver. Blessings and good vibes from me to you, Sharon Today I discovered a new aspect of Mantra. I have studied Mantras in the past and understood the theory that certain sounds and words have a high vibration, and invoke an effect. I was given an every-day Mantra by Amma, and also a purpose-specific Mantra by another teacher of mine. I chanted the purpose-specific Mantra with great intention and saw the effect very quickly. Purpose achieved! The general Mantra was a little trickier. I approached it like brushing my teeth. I was told that I should chant it daily 108 times, so I would squeeze it into my schedule and then check it off my to-do list. I didn't see an effect, not surprisingly considering my lack of concentrated intention. After only a week or two, I dropped the Mantra. I already had a meditation practice and a Yoga practice, but I haven't incorporated my Mantra into either of them, and therefor a habit was never formed. Those of you who know me personally or professionally, know that I am a HUGE fan of Abraham-Hicks. I have been following their teachings for about a year or so, and they have inspired me more than any other teachings I have encountered. The group of teachers known as "Abraham" talks about the law of attraction in its pure, original form. The law of attraction states that whatever you focus on grows, whether wanted or unwanted. This means that our worries and fears manifest the exact circumstances we were afraid would take place, and it also means that when we focus on what is good in our lives we get more of the "goodness". This law is fantastic providing we are able to control the nature of our thoughts, but most people are quite incapable of doing so. There are different practices that help direct our thoughts towards a certain direction, and today I discovered how Mantra is a great tool for mastering the law of attraction. When worries start to come up and negative thoughts begin to pester, you can purposely direct your attention to something that is working out well in your life, or anything that makes you happy; your pet, a vacation you are planning, a funny movie you just watched, etc. But I found that when something worrisome is coming up again and again it is hard to keep combating it with more and more positive thoughts. It can be exhausting to scan your mind for nice-feeling thoughts, and it is easy for the mind to wonder to unpleasant places while you scan it. This is where Mantra comes to play. If you have a high-vibration Mantra that you associate with a positive and meaningful message to yourself, you have an Ace up your sleeve. Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night and a worry pops into your mind? Repeat your Mantra to yourself over and over until you fall back asleep. Are you ever driving and find yourself thinking a series of angry, complaining, self-pitying, envious, or guilt-fillled thoughts? Whip out your Mantra. You can even prepare a visual image, such as a huge red rose, and visualize it while repeating the Mantra. The brain can't do two things at once (though it may seem like it can when you quickly jump from one thing to another), so as long as you give your brain something positive to focus on, the negativity will go away. Wayne Dyer said "Once you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change". In my experience, it is astonishing how you attract positive people and experiences into you life, once you adopt a positive mind set. It is not about being in denial or accepting unpleasant situations, it is ACTUALLY allowing all the abundance and well-being that you have energetically summoned to show up in your experience while not providing an avenue for negative occurrences to reach you. Try it! Decide that for one day you will bring up your Mantra whenever you have a negative thought. if you don't have a Mantra you can use "So Hum", I am that (meaning I am all creation). Add to that a visualization of something you deem beautiful and relaxing, such as a flower or a rainbow. Watch how you feel better throughout the day, and then try this practice for a week to see how life changes for you. I will try it with you and we can compare notes at a later time. Blessings and good vibes from me to you, Sharon Preparing food, and more so consuming food, are huge passions of mine. So what types of food are most likely to appear in my blog?
Moroccan food because my dad’s family is from Morocco 🇲🇦 Polish food because my maternal grandfather is from Poland 🇵🇱 Russian food because my maternal grandmother is from Russia 🇷🇺 Israeli food because I’m from Israel 🇮🇱 Ecuadorian food because my husband is from Ecuador 🇪🇨 Italian food because my husband’s grandfather is from Italy 🇮🇹 Salvadorian food because I lived in El Salvador 🇸🇻 Indian food because I lived in India 🇮🇳 Vegetarian food because I was an Ashram cook 🥬 Kid-friendly food because I’m a mom 🍪 And miscellaneous recipes because my interest in food and different cultures spans the globe 🌎 I am not one of those people who have been cooking since they were three. My mom was (and is) a bit of a clean-freak so it never occurred to her to let me make a mess in the kitchen. I myself was not too curious about how all this delicious food she cooked actually came together, and between my mom's incredible cooking and that of my extended family and favorite restaurants, I never felt a need to prepare the food myself. Once I moved out of my parent's home at 18 and joined the Israeli Defense Force (a mandatory draft which is still active in my homeland), I still had almost no exposure to cooking, as soldiers were not allowed into the base's kitchen. My palate wasn't developed much in my two years of military service, eating the Israeli version of Spam (called "luf"), dry bread with a chocolate spread, and various snacks from the canteen. In addition, basic training did a number on my digestive system, providing me with only seven minutes to complete each meal. I remember coming home after basic training and my mom cooking a lovely dinner for my extended family who came to visit. As I began inhaling my food off my plate without looking up, my mom elbowed me and whispered "Sharoni no one is going to take your plate away, please slow down, everybody is staring". Oops. Once I finished my military service and began my studies at Tel-Aviv University, I still didn't learn how to cook. I was living in a rental apartment with my childhood best-friend, and between take-out dinners and my mom sending me back with containers filled with my favorite dishes (such as gnocchi pesto) every weekend when I visited , I still felt no need to cook. Only when I transferred to a University in Florida did I begin a gradual journey towards learning how to cook. I was now far from my mother and my homeland, and in order to consume my favorite comfort foods I had to prepare them myself. That was about the same time I became a Vegetarian, so I was also motivated to recreate my dearly-missed favorite dishes with meat-substitutes. They say that need is the father of invention, and I needed to eat a plate of meatless Spaghetti Bolognese. The internet, my mom's advice via phone, and some creativity, all resulted in pretty successful dishes. As an avid traveler I always made sure to try all kinds of cuisines, and whenever I met someone from another country I would ask them to share with me a recipe of a typical dish. This resulted in my personal little cookbook containing some exotic and complicated recipes, along with some simple recipes. For example, when a Portuguese friend told me about her "French Onion Soup" recipe, I didn't realize at first that for her "French Onion" was actually Leek. Needless to say that soup was pretty much universal (leeks, potatoes, zucchini, carrots, onion, olive oil, salt, pepper) and didn't seem either Portuguese or French to me. However, both times I visited that friend and her family in Portugal I decided that Portuguese food was my absolute favorite of the European cuisines. It might not be as famous as the French or the Italian, but to me it was the winner. I fell off the Vegetarian wagon on several occasions, usually for months at a time. But that's for another blog post. In 2007 when I became close with a group of mostly Indian Yogis back in Washington DC, I became enamored with Indian cuisine. I started cooking Indian dishes and eating at Indian restaurants frequently, and pretty soon my knowledge of that cuisine grew. I spent most of 2009 in India, and man was I in culinary heaven. I never wasted my time or calories on the "western" menu options, and went straight for the Idly and the Dahl. I knew the Hindi name of most fruits, vegetables, and spices, and when my mom visited me in India she was shocked to watch me eat very spicy Indian food (with my hands usually) for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She herself alternated between "Vegetable noodle" and "Vegetable rice", the staple "Western" menu options. Here I must interject that Southern Indian cuisine is in my opinion among the top three best cuisines in the world. I love it. My mom, on the other hand, gave the local cuisine a try on one occasion, and this resulted in a canceled tour and some Imodium. Don't think for a minutes that I haven't swallowed my share of anti-diarrheal medicine during the year I spent in India, but that too is for another post. Fast forward to 2010 when I moved to El Salvador. Everyone knows that Mexican food is delicious, with all it's tacos, burritos, and such. Among Latin cuisines, Peruvian food is also well known, and includes world-famous ceviches and chaulafan rice. But few people know that Salvadorian food is the bomb. Truly. When I visited El Salvador before deciding to live there for a while, I never expected my mind to be blown by the food. But it was. The seafood dishes are magical, the hearty chicken and meat dishes (I mentioned I am an on-again-off-again vegetarian) are like hugs from your grandmother (the nice one), and pupusas are the best invention since sliced bread. In El-Salvador I learned to cook Salvadorian food, and I also got to use incredibly fresh and delicious fruits and vegetable. They have produce there that seem like it was invented by fairies, such as Paterna, fava-bean-times-ten-like beans covered in a cotton-candy-like fuzz. No joke. My mom, once again un-wavering in her loyalty and love, came to visit me twice during the year and a half that I spent in El-Salvador. Though she fell in-love with the exotic fruits, and she scarfed-down the seafood like no-one's business, her exploration of pupusas resulted in yet another afternoon of canceled plans and Imodium. I guess not everyone can handle the rich cheese combined with the refried beans and washed down with a lager beer. But I sure can! After El-Salvador, I felt confident enough to work as the assistant manager of a Spiritual retreat's kitchen. It was in that year that I truly expanded my culinary repertoire, and started not only cooking a variety of dishes, but also started cooking for large groups. I felt great satisfaction cooking a meal start-to-finish and witnessing the visitors and staff leaving happy and well-nourished. One of the advantages of the Culinary Arts is that the result of your effort is immediate: the dish. I felt a sense of accomplishment every time I completed a meal, a feeling I didn't have when I used to perform long, tedious, and often boring scientific experiments. Even as a school teacher there was always a feeling of moving towards a further goal- quizzes, mid-terms, finals- and only at the end of the year was there a feeling of completion. But with cooking the goal is achieved usually within a few hours, and then you get to enjoy your creation with others. As a mom I am faced with new challenges when cooking. How can I appeal to a toddler's fickle, picky palate? How can I make quick dishes when hunger appears out of nowhere? How can I hide unliked ingredients in the dishes? Stay tuned for the answers to these questions, and for some toddler-friendly recipes which adults love too. Blessings and good vibes from me to you, Sharon |
Sharon AzoguéTransformational Leader, Hypnotherapist, Archives
July 2022
Categories
All
|