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Oct 31

Inner Guidance: Our Divine Birthright by Anne Archer Butcher

By heidi.skarie@gmail.com | Book Review | One Comment

Anne Archer Butcher’s book Inner Guidance: Our Divine Birthright was just released. I eagerly awaited this book when I heard it was coming out because I have heard some of Anne’s amazing stories and knew what a wonderful storyteller she is.

On the day the book came out, Anne gave a talk about it. Some of her talk is in “Chapter 7 – Ocean of Love: Inner Guidance during an Out-of-Body Experience” and “Chapter 8 – There Is No Death: Inner Guidance Assists with a Loved One.”

In the talk Anne said one night she got a headache. Her boyfriend Jon sat beside her on the couch holding her as she became dizzy. She sensed an unspoken communication from inner guidance that said, “Someone close to you appears to be dying.” She saw a black spot hanging in the middle of the room, and then felt pulled out of her body and sucked toward it. She crossed into the dark tunnel and flew through it at great speed. At the end was a golden ocean of Light and Sound that sounded like a thousand violins and bells. She knew she was home and wanted to stay there forever.

While in this inner world another inner message came to her that said there were ten things she must remember. She wanted to stay in this world, but was told she had much to do and she was sent back to the physical world.

When she returned to her body her eyes were bright red like they were sunburned. She wondered who close to her would appear to be dying.

At the talk Anne mentioned two of the ten things on the list she was given.

• In truth, there is no death—only the illusion of death
• Remember, everything is always happening exactly as it should, whether it appears that way or not.

The next day while Anne was teaching her high school class she was told to come to the principal’s office. Jon met her there and told Anne that her sister Debbie was dying. He’d already bought her a plane ticket to fly to see Debbie. When Anne got to the hospital, she was shown inwardly that there was a deflated balloon in Debbie’s head. Anne told the doctor about it. The doctor realized Anne was having a spiritual experience and that she knew more than he did. He thought the deflated balloon sounded like a ruptured cerebral aneurysm. Anne’s inner guidance confirmed that it was and the doctor performed an operation that saved Debbie’s life.

This is just one of the amazing stories in the book. One of my favorites was when a school of dolphins saved Anne from a shark and brought her safely to shallow water. Another was when she was teaching a high school class. One day she put her hand to the chalkboard, it was moved across the board, writing something that she didn’t recognize. She continued to write quotes on the chalkboard for her other classes. With the librarian’s help she discovered what she had written came from Plato’s Republic. She came to understand that the quote-writing phenomenon was a form of inner guidance to open a door to great wisdom.

Other stories include having a walk with a lost elephant and manifesting a hot air balloon rider. In each story she explains the spiritual principle she is learning and talks about the inner guidance she received.

After reading this book I don’t think I’ll ever look at life in quite the same way ever again. A lot more is going on in this world than we realize. Anne says:

“This connection with God is our divine birthright. Why? Because God has provided every blessing and gift we could even need. We just have to raise our awareness enough to be able to recognize the blessing and know we’re worthy of them. Why? Because we are Soul. A spark of God.

“It’s completely up to each of us whether we use this amazing spiritual tool, inner guidance. It takes attention, practice, and above all, trust—knowing that we’re worthy of such a beautiful gift.” (p. 260)

If you want to find out more about inner guidance so you can tap into this gift, read this wonderful book of adventures and experiences that are so incredible they seem like miracles. Yet we can all have them if we learn how to listen to our inner guidance.

Here is a youtube with Anne talking about her experience of being rescued by the dolphins.

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Sep 17

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Happiness Is a Choice by Barry Neil Kaufman
By heidi.skarie@gmail.com | Book Review | 2 Comments

Happiness is a Choice

I just finished reading Happiness Is a Choice by Barry Neil Kaufman. Kaufman’s perspective is that happiness is a choice and we can learn tools that will enable us to be happy. Many years ago he decided to make love and happiness a priority and it greatly enhanced his life as a result.

Kaufman is a therapist, author, speaker and the founder of Option Institute. His own life was profoundly changed when his third child was diagnosed as severely autistic. He and his wife turned to God to find understanding and inspiration on how to deal with this challenging condition. They decided to embrace their son’s uniqueness and worked with him every day for over three years. Eventually their son overcame his autism completely, which is nearly unheard of in the medical field.

Through his work at the Option Institute Kaufman discovered that people who are successful in finding happiness share certain character traits. In his book he goes over each of these traits and shows us how to use them to have a happier life.

The qualities Kaufman and his group found were: make happiness a priority, personal authenticity, let go of judgments, be present, be grateful and decide to be happy. Let’s look at them one at a time.

The first is to make happiness the priority and bring happiness and love center stage. In our society we make happiness dependent upon achieving our goals. If a child is asked what they want, they might say a bike; a teenager might say a driver’s license; and an adult might say a better job or relationship. It’s not until people are in their sixties that they begin to talk about health, peace, happiness and love.

When a person was asked why they wanted an event or item, they said it would make them happy. Kaufman challenges this idea and said, “Why not be happy now and then pursue whatever we want?” (p. 176). He goes on to say if we don’t tie our happiness to getting something, we are free to do anything we want. We don’t need love, recognition or praise to feel good.

Second is personal authenticity, which is the freedom to be yourself, rather than suppressing your thoughts. Kaufman let go of a ÷≥friendship where the other person wanted unhappiness and anger reinforced. Instead, he found new friendships based on acceptance, respect and love. He said, “We cherished each other as we were rather than as we wanted the other person to be” (p. 128).

The third trait is to let go of judgments and accept people and situations as they are. When we discard judgments, we can embrace people and situations more openly. “Judgments about people and possibilities limit our thinking and what we might try to accomplish” (p. 201).

Kaufman goes on to say that we can challenge and change the judgments we make. “The secret to happiness lies not in events, but in our responses to them” (p. 208). As an example of this Kaufman talks about a family whose child had cerebral palsy. The parents thought his condition was terrible. When they let go of that judgment, they were able to discover the beauty in their child and discovered God in the condition. If we embrace situations without judgment, we can find the elements in every event that serve and teach us.

The fourth characteristic is to be present by learning to discard regrets about the past and worries about the present. One woman discovered that only when she stayed present did she truly experience God. She released the pain of her past and chose happiness as a gift to give herself and her loved ones. “Our focused attention greatly enhances the power and pleasure of any event, as well as our ability to handle and draw lessons from it. When someone speaks, we can look at her directly and listen to her words. . . thus amplifying our appreciation and understanding of her commentary as well as honoring her attempt to communicate with us” (p. 237).

Next is being grateful by appreciating specific people and events, even during hard times. When people are happy, they have a sense of gratitude. Kaufman found that as he walked the path to being happier and more loving, he never ceased to be awed by the blessing of inner peace he’s found.

He’s also recognized inner guidance and a “user-friendly” universe that makes happiness possible. When we are grateful we enjoy and appreciate an experience and see the blessing and wonder of it.

Last is deciding to be happy. This encompassed all the other qualities, for if we prioritize happiness we will be authentic, present, grateful and nonjudgmental. Kaufman ends by saying we can chose to live in happiness and love and greet everyone around us with appreciation and delight.

For me the idea of choosing to be happy is an exciting one. I can make happiness a priority in my life. I can create my world and how I respond to it. I can be happy no matter what challenges I’m facing by not judging the situation as good or bad, and by being grateful for all of life’s gifts. This book can help anyone who wants to be happier and is ready to take the next step into a fuller, richer, happier life.

Here is a YouTube video with Barry Neil Kaufman  on Happiness Is A Choice- No Matter What

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Sep 16

0

Daring Midair Rescue
By heidi.skarie@gmail.com | Uncategorized | 7 Comments

The film below is too fun to not share. It’s from the 1920’s of Gladys Ingles who was a female aircraft mechanic and a member of a company of stunt pilots called the 13 Black Cats. In this film a biplane has lost a wheel so it can’t land. Gladys flies up in another biplane, climbs from one plane to the other and puts on a new wheel.

It’s hard to believe this event was captured on film and saved all these years. It’s a little grainy, but it shows Gladys remarkable courage and daring.

How would our lives be different if we had that much courage? What risks would you be willing to take to that would lead to a happier more fulfilling life?

http://www.flixxy.com/mid-air-airplane-repair.htm
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Aug 21

0

Appreciate the Blessings
By heidi.skarie@gmail.com | Uncategorized | 68 Comments

Geese crossing the yard

My last blog was on happiness and the book THE HAPPINESS ADVANTAGE by Shawn Achor. In the book the author gives techniques to be happy. One is to write down three good things that happened each day or that you are grateful for to stay focused on the positive in your life.

Fawn in our yard

Yesterday I was working at my desk when I had a nudge to check the mailbox. We have a long driveway on a wooded lot. The mailman hadn’t come yet, but as I started back up the driveway I saw a doe with three spotted fawns. The fawns were frolicking around and eating apples that had fallen from our apple tree.    The doe kept her eyes on me and stamped her feet. I stood still so as to not bother her or her fawns.

Fawn walking

As I watched them I was grateful for the gift of seeing these beautiful creatures. I was open to seeing the blessing. When they wandered away I continued up the driveway and a saw a garter snake. The light shone on its yellow stripe as it moved gracefully through the green grass. Seeing it reminded me of my childhood. I like garter snakes and played with them when I was young.

Butterfly on a Birch tree

Later, when I got the mail I saw a lovely Mourning Cloak butterfly on the orange daylilies growing beside the mailbox. At the end of the day I went for a walk and again saw the doe and her three fawns in a neighbor’s yard. Everything I saw seemed to shine with light and the love of life on this special summer day.

Butterfly

I realized that the technique of writing down three things a day was working for me. It was helping me see the blessing in my life even when things are challenging. I also realized I had gotten lax in writing down three things each day. I was reminded that we are responsible for our own happiness and that I need to keep looking for the blessings in my life that come in the form of flowers, trees, animals, family, friends and having a nice home.

A chipmunk

Tree frog
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Jul 29

0

The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor
By heidi.skarie@gmail.com | Book Review | 2 Comments

In this blog post I want to exam the topic of happiness. Happiness is one of the most googled topics on the Internet and depression is high around the world. What causes some people to be happy and others unhappy or even depressed? What contributes to happiness? Can people increase their level of happiness and if so how?

I was discussing this topic with one of my sons and he recommended a book called the The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work by Shawn Achor.

In the book I found the answers to my questions, including some great techniques to be happy. What stuck out for me about the book is the idea that we can be happier no matter who we are. Just as there are things you can do to have better health and/or improve your brain, there are simple techniques you can do to be happier.

In the introduction Achor says that most people have a formula that they have been taught by schools, parents and society. “That is: If you work hard, you will become successful, then you’ll be happy.” As a result of this thinking we believe that we have to have something good happen before we can be happy. I’ll be happy when I get a raise, reach a goal, lose weight or get a new house.

Achor tells us that this formula is broken because with every goal we accomplish we set a new goalpost for success. Moreover, the formula is backward. Happiness is a precursor to success not the other way around. “Happiness and optimism actually fuel performance and achievement—giving us the competitive edge that I call the happiness advantage.”

This discovery is based on thousands of scientific studies and Achor’s own work with Harvard students and Fortune 500 companies worldwide. Achor observed that Harvard students who felt that being there was a privilege excelled, whereas those that were focused on the stress and pressure missed out on opportunities.

Achor came up with 7 principles for happiness.

▪                Principle #1: The Happiness Advantage

▪                Principle #2: The Fulcrum and The Lever

▪                Principle #3: The Tetris Effect

▪                Principle #4: Falling Up

▪                Principle #5: The Zorro Circle

▪                Principle #6: The 20-second Rule

▪                Principle #7: Social Investment

In each section Achor explains the principle and then gives techniques for improving happiness. When talking about the first principle “The Happiness Advantage” Achor said that positive brains have a biological advantage over neutral or negative brains. If we capitalize on the positive we on are smarter, more motivated and more successful. Achor gave different techniques in the book to increase the happiness in your life.

One technique I’ve been using is to write down at the beginning of each day three positive things that happened during the last twenty-four hours. I found that this keeps me focused on the positive things in my life.

Another technique I’ve tried is to commit conscious acts of kindness. This can be as small as smiling at someone or opening a door for someone, to weeding my Mother’s garden or having a friend over for dinner. It makes me feel good to do something for someone else.

A third technique is to exercise. I try to do this every day. It’s warm in Minnesota this time of year and I enjoy swimming, biking, hiking, and yoga.

Achor also suggests meditation to calm the mind and step away from multi tasking. Instead I take time everyday to contemplate. I often sing the word HU to uplift my consciousness.

Here are a few additional ones

Write about a recent positive experience three times a week. By doing this you relive the experience.

Spend money on “doing” things that you enjoy. For me it might be on going to a play or going on a trip.

Make plans to do things that you can look forward to.

I highly recommend reading The Happiness Advantage if you’d like to be a happier, more creative, positive, successful person. We can all have the happiness advantage.

Here is a humorous Ted Talk YouTube with Shawn Achor. It’s worth listening to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXy__kBVq1M

To brighten your day here is a YouTube of a baby laughing.

I’d like to end with a quote on happiness.

“I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition.”

Martha Washington
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Jun 30

0

Thoreau on dreams
By heidi.skarie@gmail.com | Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Clouds in the countryside

“I learn this at least by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live that life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. He will put some things behind, will pass an invisible boundary; new, universal, and more liberal laws will begin to establish themselves around and within him. If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.”

-Henry Thoreau, Walden

Wind blowing across the field

Farm in Detroit Lakes, MN

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Jun 19

0

Success with Kickstarter, Do?U Adventures
By heidi.skarie@gmail.com | Book Review, Writing | 4 Comments

Last year Anna Skarie did a guest blog on Kickstarter. She and her mother, Joy Dey, wrote Just Another Monday (SWAK Publishing), a children’s book, and used Kickstarter to get enough money to publish it. I wanted to do a follow up on their ongoing adventure. Anna and Joy made their goal on Kickstarter and published their book! They are now selling and promoting the book thought fairs, museums, libraries, bookstores and schools. They made a large copy of the book so all the children could see it when they read it outloud. In the older grades they talk about publishing. Here is a picture of Anna with the large sized book.

The adventure begins.

Anna and Joy call their book a DoU (do-you) Adventure and have an entire series in production. On each page the child decides what to do and turns to that tab. There are 70 different adventures the children can have.

The story starts with:

A dragon lands right beside you! Yikes! Do you. . .

Run like crazy

Or

Hop on?

The child then decides what to do and turns to that tab.

Children reading the story with their father.

Here are all the paths the adventure can take.

Anna and Joy at Pease Elemary School , Joy is on the far right

The book is mainly for children who are old enough to choose their own adventures, but my grandson Asher who is only 5 months enjoyed the bright colors and turning the pages. The book is made with heavy cardboard so it is sturdy enough for babies.

Good book!

What is on the boat page?

If there is a child in your life who would like to have lots of adventures with a dragon you can order the book off Amazon.

Their website is sitwithakid.com

Future Events

Saturday, July 6th – Twin Ports Bridge Festival event and booth

Saturday, July 20th – Two Harbors Chalk-A-Lot

Saturday/Sunday, August 24th/25th – Austin Artworks Festival reading and booth
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Jun 19

0

Yoga: Happy Baby pose
By heidi.skarie@gmail.com | Uncategorized | One Comment

Happy Baby pose

Here is a photo of my grandson Asher. He is doing the Happy Baby pose that I do in my yoga class. I’m sure he looks cuter than I do in this position.
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Jun 18

0

Comedian Jeanne Robertson
By heidi.skarie@gmail.com | Uncategorized | 6 Comments

Today was a challenging day so a friend sent me a funny YouTube. We can all use a little humor in our lives so I’m passing it along. The comedian is Jeanne Robertson who has a great sense of humor and good, clean jokes. Jeanne loves humorous stories and so when her friends hear a funny story they call her. She said I’d much rather they do that than call me when they heard some good gossip.

We all benefit from laughing everyday so hear are some good stories. Enjoy!

Bungee Jumping in Canada. Left Brain is her husband.

Don’t get frisky in the tent.

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Jun 05

0

Spring at the Arboretum
By heidi.skarie@gmail.com | Uncategorized | 7 Comments

In Minnesota spring is a big event. After looking at bare trees for over six months I am always delighted to see bright colors. Some of the first flowers out are tulips. At the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum they always plant thousands of tulips. This year they had a wonderful display using the theme of orange and purple flowers. Enjoy the beauty of their rich display.

Group of Flowers

Tulips on Display

Tulips by a fountain

Unusual Deep orange Tulip

Purple Tulips

A Fest of Color

Orange Filly Tulip

Shades of orange and purple.

Pink Tulip

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