by Cynthia Bischoff | Jul 23, 2011 | Heartliving
Symbols are profound expressions of our intellect, emotions, and spirit. A symbol can represent deep intuitive wisdom that eludes direct expression and can be found in our dreams, but also in our waking state.
Through the centuries, symbols in their infinite forms have enriched people’s lives. Cultures in all parts of the world have built upon a universal understanding of symbols to better understand well-being of mind, body, and spirit.
Often in deep spiritual work, we are asked to identify and focus on symbols that appear in our dreams and in our waking lives. These symbols may, for example, appear in our drawings and over time become highly personalized, take on deeper levels of meaning, and come to help us express aspects of the psyche that may be difficult to put into words.
We find symbols in our daily life and in our dreams.
Did you know?
♥ THE RIVER ♥
Seen as a life-source, rivers carry potent meanings. They can represent the boundaries between life and death. In Hindu belief, rivers symbolize purification.
♥ ICE AND SNOW ♥
Ice symbolizes coldness, rigidity, and stillness, both in humans and in nature. Therefore, snow as a form of “softer” ice often expresses the return of life. Snow can stand for truth and individuality.
♥ THE MOUNTAIN ♥
The meeting place of heaven and earth, the mountain symbolizes eternity and our ascent on our life’s journey.
♥ FIRE ♥
Symbolizing passion and energy, fire can represent deep emotion, such as love, or alchemical transformation.
♥ TREE ♥
Wholeness, harmony, and family are reflected in the tree image.
♥ CAVE ♥
When a cave is found in a dream state, it may mean that this is a time of initiation, truth, wisdom, or readiness for going deeper.
♥ DOORWAY ♥
Is the door open or closed? Doorways symbolize opportunity, opening, luck, and progress.
Pay attention to the symbols that occur in your dream state and also in your daily life. Record patterns, spend some time journaling, and meditate on their significance as messengers in your life right now!
by Cynthia Bischoff | Jul 20, 2011 | Heartliving
Your partner doesn’t have to be wrong for you to be right. Often we think that if we can just change this or that about our partner, the relationship would finally work. Does this sound familiar?
Some common-sense guidelines can help you to improve your relationship. These guidelines are based on effective principles of communication and should be practiced by both of you.
♥ Maintain a friendship as well as a love relationship. Most couples who stay together do so because of a sense of friendship and respect that exists long after the romantic sparks fade. Friends generally like and accept each other as they genuinely are.
♥ Don’t expect your partner to satisfy all of your relationship needs.Take good care of yourself. Maintain healthy friendships outside of your primary relationship, and you will be less apt to feel that you need your partner to “complete” you.
♥ Practice active listening. Sometimes all your partner wants you to do is just listen. So listen carefully; then paraphrase back to your partner what you believe you heard him or her say. This may feel awkward at first, but it greatly helps to keep the communication clear. Talking over each other or not acknowledging what we’ve heard causes monologues rather than dialogues.
♥ Know what you do want and communicate that clearly. We sometimes get stuck in repeating what we don’t want or like and don’t communicate clearly what we do want. We can also use arguments as a way of getting attention or engaging in drama. Find a more productive way to be in relationship.
♥ Fight fairly. The language we use during a conflict is critical to our relationship. Calling each other names and blaming each other will dissolve trust and respect faster than anything else. And if this has already happened, you can commit to starting over now. Remember “up until now”!
♥ Commit to change. Know that a healthy relationship is one that continues to evolve. Establish regular conversations with your partner to be sure important issues are being addressed and understood.
♥ Soften your heart. Of all the tips, perhaps this is most important of all!
by Cynthia Bischoff | Jul 9, 2011 | Heartliving
Are you frequently engaged in a quest for your car keys? Do you fight with your closet to find what to wear? Is stress your daily companion?
An organized life will allow you to have less chaos, more time, and even better mental health!
Why do we become disorganized? First, the creation of physical chaos is a result that originates with your very thoughts. When you are distracted or overly committed, you are less likely to create or have order. You can clear your mind first or clear your clutter. If you are in doubt, start with clearing your closet! It’s amazing what that simple act can do to calm your mind and your life. And that’s just the beginning. . . .
While you may be attached to your clothes (even those you haven’t worn or those that don’t fit any longer), please know that weight and stuff are simply barriers against a world we think is threatening. When you shed the excess you reconnect with your life.
Here are some simple steps to get started:
Step 1: Choose one clothes closet and take everything out of it. If the closet is a walk-in or large, you can do this in stages.
Step 2: Decide the best and most efficient way to hang or store items (this may require some shelves or added pole).
Step 3: When you are set, add each item back one at a time after you have decided that you will KEEP it. In other words, if it doesn’t fit, isn’t the right color, you have two of them, etc., you need to let it go! There are wonderful charities longing for that piece.
Step 4: Decide on ONE type of hanger. Avoid thin wire hangers that are harder to line up or that get tangled with each other. Choose the same plastic style, preferably a thinner type to maximize space.
Step 5: Hang all blouses, all pants, all dresses, all suits—in the same section. This will help you figure out what you really do have, make it easier to find a particular item, and help you maintain order.
Step 6: Make sure that all items are placed facing the same direction. It’s easier to see the front of an item.
Step 7: Hang all colors together in sections if you prefer that method. It’s easier to color coordinate what you are wearing.
Step 8: Shoes and purses can be lined up in order on shelves by color.
Finally, if the closet is large enough or there is any wall space at all that is visible, hang a small framed reminder, like “I am beautiful!” (you and the closet).
by Cynthia Bischoff | Jul 6, 2011 | Heartliving
“It’s too much,” my client told me. “I just can’t deal with it all. I was able to do it for a long time, and I now simply don’t have the energy.” My coaching client (whom I will call Anna) was anxious, stressed, often unable to sleep. And she had become angry with herself for being unable to keep up the usual pace. The usual pace, of course, would tire an Olympian.
Although she wasn’t totally aware of it, she did know her problem: “There was too much.” As simple as it may sound, I introduced Anna to the concept and reality of “stopping.” As I pointed out to Anna, although it seemed as though her life had moved into “fast forward” rather suddenly; in fact, she had been gradually living a life of too much for a long time. But like all mountains that we create, it wasn’t until she reached her maximum point that she could no longer keep up the pace. It was like putting one more item into a too-full suitcase.
So when did it become “too much?” As Anna grew in greater awareness of what she wanted to invest her spirit in, she realized that there was little space for personal growth or nourishment. That’s when she became acutely aware of “too much.”
I began coaching Anna to practice “pausing”—which is the act of doing nothing for a specific period of time (stopping)—from five minutes to five days if desired.
Anna began with five minutes each day. Five minutes was painful for her at first. She associated the space with “wasting time,” “not getting something done,” etc. But by staying with it, the internal uncluttering that she did in the state of stopping for five minutes was very powerful. It required that she be alone with herself. It allowed her to see herself much more clearly and to remember over time who she really was—what she actually wanted. In other words, she began to see her real self—her truth.
To practice “pausing,” simply set aside five minutes a day to do absolutely nothing. Find a refuge—the bathroom if you have kids! Yes, I know they’ll knock, so wait until they go to bed. But do find the time and space. During that period of pausing, remain silent, do nothing—absolutely nothing—and see what happens. Continue this every day, and you will become more and more able to do it. Over time, you will remember important things about yourself.
Pausing will allow you to restore balance and energy to your weary spirit. It may cause you to feel sad, relieved, or even angry. Releasing the feelings within you is a beginning toward mindful living.
Sometimes, when we refuse to allow ourselves stopping points, our bodies make them happen for us. We develop migraines, colds, the flu—ways of making our bodies stop.
Instead, commit to conscious moments in which you pause and do nothing. It is then that you will really be doing something!
by Cynthia Bischoff | Jun 29, 2011 | Heartliving
Each of us carries from childhood a subconscious image in our minds that guides our selection of a partner. When we meet a person who fits this image, we experience a powerful romantic attraction. This process of choosing a partner can be problematic, however, because it is often based on a subconscious composite picture of our total experience (positive and negative) with our primary attachments–our mother and our father! As children, the imprint of our parents helps us to distinguish them from other adults so that we remain connected to them. These images remain with us into adulthood and often guide us to a partner similar to our parents with whom we re-connect to our past issues.
Our hidden desire is to get certain needs met by the partner that were not satisfied by our parents. However the partner, who has aspects of our parents, is likely to become a catalyst for some unresolved childhood issues rather than the nurturing source we had hoped (s)he would be. After an initial honeymoon period, we are likely to be confronted with the reality of our old issues! Still, the relationship represents a chance for both partners to heal their childhood issues by working them through to resolution with each other.
It is most important to create a conscious relationship with yourself and your partner and begin a time of growth and healing. We are called in the relationship to bring our adult awareness and learning to problems of love that we could not solve as children.
Symbols are profound expressions of our intellect, emotions, and spirit. A symbol can represent deep intuitive wisdom that eludes direct expression and can be found in our dreams, but also in our waking state.
