Looking for Inspiration in the Most Obscure Places

By Jillian Maas Backman

The world is running on an inspirational empty tank of fuel right now. An unknown source is depleting our natural energy resource of hope and desire for better days ahead. The good news is that inspiration is an abundant organic supply and available to anyone willing to take the initiative to re-fuel.

Stop, Look and Listen to those around you.

We all have friends or family that sense the negative in every situation. This can be more oppressive to your own energy source than imagined. It is like being slimed with “spiritual grey gunk.” It coats every emotion, thought and action with a tainted view of reality. If you live long enough in this state of slime it will separate you from all internal soul’s hopes and inspirations. In exaggerated cases, it can appear as if someone is walking around dead to the outside world. Recipients of this kind of constant aggressive harassment are also affected by second-hand negativity. You may take on their spiritual grey gunk and distract your intentions to live an inspirational path.

Know when to step away from the toxic energetic relationships.

We have become a society of relationship junkies. Always planning to be somewhere with someone, doing some kind of activity to occupy our minds, bodies and spirits. We stay in these unhealthy pairings out of obligation. Even when it means spending time with others who are inspiration and hope stealers. It never ends unless you make a decision to change.

Alone time is special time

We have adopted an all-or-nothing mentality to our personal relationships. Either we throw ourselves emotionally, mentally and spiritual all in OR we totally retreat with the same conviction. You do not have to make this abrupt turn-about and leave the relationship entirely, unless of course, physical harm is involved.

Instead, opt to minimize your time spent together. Know your energetic limitations. Set boundaries of how much time you spend in direct contact. I reference back to the last July post and the energy sphere diagrams. As demonstrated, close contact with this kind of energy will eventually suck your spiritual light right out of you. Not leaving an ounce of personal inspiration left and you will be the one searching aimlessly for hope. When this happens, text instead.

Host an Inspirational Intervention:

It is sad to be a witness to this kind of detached hopelessness. You end up giving in on everything that brings one happiness. Intimate connections of all kinds, career dreams and above all, the promise of a peaceful soul. When one reaches this point of emotional devastation, it is an uphill battle to conquer alone.

Of course, we all want to reach out and give them a healthy dose of hope and inspiration medicine, but know that is unrealistic. We can, however, bring a source of inspiration directly onto their path.

Intervention reality television is a favorite of many who watch shows regularly. You know the scenario. A professional, along with family and friends, stage a pretend outing with the potential “lost soul.” Upon arrival to the event enlist them into a pre-assigned program of wellness. This kind of intervention works for many who are dealing with their own inner demons of choice, drugs, alcohol and any other sad addictions.

Plan the same kind of intervention for those who have lost their inner connection to happiness. This kind of interventions should incorporate activities that encourage and stimulate both hope and inspiration. Think about your significant person. What makes them feel energetically alive? What kind of outing would bring your friend or family member peace again? Be creative with your ideas. Look for obscure and unique ways of triggering that hope button again for someone. Tap into your own inspirational pool of thought and share it with the world.

Positive People Unite

Those of us who have our inspirational energy fuel tanks full need to reach out and help those in inspirational need. We need a positive electric jolt to energize our communities. All human beings have an incredible ability to change the polarity of energy from negative to positive in an instance. For example, holding the hand of another human being while in prayer or singing circles can pass the energy from one person to another. A perfect example of how to light up a friend who is going through hard times. Share the energy, do not hold on to it. One human body can only handle so much before it start leaking out the sides.

I know when my energy needs an inspirational fill- up from a friend. If you need help to get motivated again ask those in your inner circle who are happy to share. The universe is ready to give at a moment’s notice to anyone who asks for this blessing. Search for a group that is willing to bring you into their clasped hands and make room for one more pair in their closed circle.

Healing circles of all kinds have been associated with cultures throughout the centuries. Walking intricate labyrinths in England, medicine wheels from ancient times and ceremonies of all spiritual backgrounds incorporate the sounds of music. They can mend emotional hearts and sooth a crying soul. I have included one of my favorites from the past few days. ………

 

Listen as many times as you can throughout your day and feel the goose bumps of hope and inspiration return.

“Music is a historical muse for many an inspirational healing. Unpredictable tones inner- woven by musician and melodic instruments, sending out sound waves that inspire the coldest of souls to peace. “

Living with inspired grace,

Jillian Maas Backman,

Author, Beyond The Pews, Breaking with Tradition and Letting Go of Religious Lockdown.

Music track provided by Michael Suess, Fire Circle Drum and Crafts, Drum Across America Movie, www.drummingforpeace.com

We are all out here on the Olive Branch of Trust together!

By Jillian Maas Backman

It feels like we are all suffering from one big national panic attack, a well -documented medical episode triggered by an onset of sudden fearful situations. We have hit a rough patch of “growing pains,” debilitating circumstances all around us: oil spills, wars, out of control domestic violence and natural disasters. This intense temporary attack affects every body system from head to toe; blurred vision, dizziness, the inability to breathe deeply and most importantly, brain function impairment. There is no quick- fix prescription from policy or politician that can stop this transition train from taking us to places unknown. So, I reference a common quote, “God only gives us what we can handle.” Does this saying apply for countries as well?

My answer to this auspicious question will always be YES. Even I have been feeling out of sorts the last couple of weeks with the constant bombardment of such spirit- testing state of affairs. We all have endured, for several years now, relentless assaults on our comfortable lifestyles. There is one consensual question many have asked: Are we going to be all right?

My honest answer is again, YES. I have this understated core sense of serenity right now. Unexplainable, but true! For some reason, I have great faith in my faith and more importantly, my fellow man/woman. Our greatest national strength resides with the diverse, complex convictions we hold sacred. This is what’s going to pull us through unstable transitional time.


My minister father told me years ago, “The mere fact that we are still arguing our points of view means we are still committed to an eventual conclusion. When we stop fighting for our beliefs and simply give up, then we should worry.” How true is this? Apply this to your own relationships. If you ever ask someone why he/she chose to step out of any significant bond with someone, their usual response is: I simply did not care anymore. I believe “It’s apathy that makes the world flat line in failure.” Instead of looking at the negative, as a nation of causational bickering among fractured entities, we should transpose our outlook and congratulate ourselves for understanding our quarrels are paying off. We do care enough about ourselves and others to keep striving for the goal of serene living. If I were capable of sharing one gift with the world right now, it would be to share a crumb of calmness I feel within my soul with each one of you, to soothe nerves and feel your way to the “YES” to the question yourselves. But of course, that is simply impossible, so the next best thing here is to help you discover your own peace within to stabilize frantic reactions.

A professional colleague and I were having a rousing discussion on the propaganda in the world of what we need to do to cure our epidemic slump: antidotal quips, re-tooled old school physiological ideologies with the latest buzz word weekend retreats on how to love better, eat healthier and live longer…. Great, all very pertinent information for anyone; unfortunately, attendees may leave more confused when they walk out the door.

Believe me; I appreciate the massive transcendental explosion as much as the next girl. However, I would label myself as a Practical Intuitive Life Coach. I cannot re-package simplicity in a shineier package to catch your attention. What we need right now are simple, old-school, true tested coping skills. I understand this is not flashy or super sophisticated stuff, just down to earth common sense reality check for all of us.

A common symptom of all fear- induced panic episodes is the feeling of having a “Heart Attack,” heart palpitations of magnificent proportions is exactly what we all are experiencing together at this point in time; an attack directly on the weakest and most vulnerable center of every human being on this planet- our, love foundation. The one elusive emotion we all crave, cherish and most importantly, DESERVE. It’s literally breaking down the compassion we have for others. Please do not buy into this kind of destructive stinking thinking pattern. There is nothing more sacred than this bond between all of us.

Every family has disagreements, as do countries, including ours. I am not asking any of you to change your beliefs in what you stand for in the world. But, I am asking for you to:

Trust: your fellow man/woman to follow through. The off-shore gulf oil spill is a perfect example. We are all feeling a tremendous amount of helplessness in many ways. We are all out here on the olive branch of trust together. Frustrations are heightened because we are a nation of “fixers.” We can fix anything if we put our minds to it. Granted, this will be the ultimate key to successfully solving this crisis. But, until then, we must be the watchful eye of others competencies.

All self-help books encourage the focus towards “healing yourself” first. For the most part, I believe many of you have embraced this concept with tremendous abundance. This event in particular is forcing us to our next evolution of complementary living, guiding us into the mind- set of “healing others.”

We have to train ourselves to trust. Easier said than done, I understand. We are fallible in our actions. Right now, it’s all we have. We practice this gracious gift everyday and it never consciously crosses our minds. If you ask anyone out on the streets if they trust our soldiers fighting in other countries for our boundless freedoms, with no hesitation, the answer is: absolutely! The armed forces are in charge of making universal decisions that have direct bearing on all of our lives. They are doing a commendable job over and above what is expected. I share this example to attest to the fact that we all have the capabilities to trust unconditionally. WE are simply out of practice in our own communities. For the majority of us, with the state of affairs we are dealing with, we have no choice BUT to trust others.

Inspiration: Divert your attention elsewhere. If you keep dwelling on something over and over again there is no room for the universe to create its magic. Find something else to occupy your mind, something or someone that represents hope instead of hopelessness. Seek out your inspirations. What gives you the motivation to keep progressing forward? Many people find holding onto a physical object can help calm nerves and re-focus attention onto more healthy choices. Remember, we are physical beings. I do not care how much we are grounded in our spiritual beliefs; we always have a deep connection to our physical world.

Physiologically speaking, our brains literally have a greater rate of success when we are able to use physical objects that help represent what we aspire to in our outside world. This is why so many of you have your bibles with you at all times. It gives you a sense of physical connection to your etheric beliefs. When you find yourself in a spot of turmoil, objects assist our thoughts back onto goodness. As for myself, I carry my prayer beads with me at all times. I find great solace in what they represent for my inspirations to be a better person, and better servant. What objects represent your strength and inspirational center?

The Three P Cocktail: Patience Passion and Practicality

I have been accused of owning too much patience. Who has heard of such a silly thought? To the outside world it would appear that way. I have dedicated my lifestyle patterns to embrace what I label as the “The three P cocktail; Patience, Passion and Practicality.” Americans are known for being the most prodigious “doers” in the world. If you want the job done right, knock on our door first for results. We are relentless problem solvers at our very core. An asset that has served us well for hundreds of years. Lately, our tactical maneuvers are not working. With this aggressive mindset, there is very little room for patience.

Passion and practicality do make good bed fellows. We all have our higher calling for a particular cause, but we cannot let our passion over take practicality. Both qualities are admirable, but timing is the essential ingredient that binds us to a higher education about ourselves. Convergence is in the air, spectacular visions of a new kind of America are being shaped in all facets of our reality. Persuasive enforcements for domestic violence accountabilities are being enacted. Alternative fuel economies are now seriously being debated. Freedom for oppressed people overseas is being successful and above all we are hashing our way through all of this with fortitude! We have the ability to dig down deep and stay committed through completion.

In loving gratitude, Jillian Maas Backman