Have you noticed some appointments were missed because someone wrote down the wrong day or time?

Did someone you were supposed to meet go to the wrong location, or you found yourself at the wrong location?

Do you feel you are not being heard and wonder; “Is it me”, or “What is going on with people”?

Have you been feeling like your wheels are spinning, but you are going nowhere?

Have you noticed people contacting you while in a panic about something that is wrong and they frantically want you to “fix it”? Once
you dialog with them, they calm down and say goodbye. You say to yourself, “What was that all about and why was I made to feel responsible for their problem?”

Have you been feeling as if you are carrying a heavier load on your shoulders and wonder where it came from?

Well, if you are empathic or energy sensitive, some of what I mentioned may be caused by Mercury being in retrograde. Mercury went retrograde
August 3^rd and will go direct August 19^th. The Pre-retrograde period began July 15^th. The Post-retrograde period runs from August 19^th until September 10^th.

The next retrograde cycle for Mercury begin with Pre-retrograde November 5^th to November 24^th. Retrograde begin November 25^th and ends December 15^th. Post-retrograde begin December 16^th and ends December 31^st.

If you were born while Mercury was in retrograde, like I was, you probably don’t notice. I tend to notice Mercury being in retrograde by observing behavior shifts with people I interact with who are empathic or energy sensitive, whether they are aware or not.

For you that are not aware, planets go into retrograde or appear to spin backward at various times. Mercury usually goes retrograde 3 to 4 times a year.

More information about planets going retrograde may be found by typing into any search engine, the name of the planet and add retrograde.

So, take a deep breath and know it’s not about YOU, regarding sometimes strange behavior with people’s behavior.

Learn more about LEOTHA Douglas by visiting http://TheRecalibrationProcess.com

Context for this Article

A number of people asked me where I got the idea for this article ‘Apology and Acknowledgment to Women’. Some wondered if I had an ulterior motive. Some thought I was labeling all men as abusive. Some thought I was trying to speak for all men. Some had a lot of emotions come up and had a big release or clearing.

Things I write about are usually caused by someone who asked me to, or someone who asked me to assist them with their personal growth. If I feel called, I go into meditation and see what materializes. In the case of this piece, a friend, Joanie, asked me to participate in her birthday ceremony where she was to marry herself. Another way of saying it is, Joanie had done lots of self-healing and came to a place where she wanted to commit to loving herself for who she is now and for her future.

With meditation and input from women and men, I decided to write this article. I understand everyone reading this will be at different levels of their personal growth or awareness. I am aware that some acts of violence, physical or psychological, may leave individuals so traumatized, acceptance may be out of the question. Therefore, I choose to preface that the apology I wrote pertains to any female who choose to hear or read my words, and those who are working through or have worked through their “being the victim” issues and come to a place of acceptance, gratitude and completion, or oneness and are ready to move on.

My History with Joanie

The events of this article began one day in late January 2011, when my friend, Joanie, called and asked me if I would participate in her fifty-seventh birthday ceremony. When I asked Joanie what it was that she wanted me to do during the ceremony, her response was, “Leotha, I don’t know. I just know you’re supposed to be there and you will know what to do.” Joanie advised me it would be a very intimate group and I would be the only male there.

Upon hearing those words, my first thoughts were, “I don’t think I want to be there. What purpose would I serve?” But, my heart or right brain told me to open up to what was being asked of me. In this space, I was open to listening to Joanie without thinking I needed to know at that moment what I would do at her ceremony. I knew this could also be an opportunity for me to practice humility and compassion. I accepted Joanie’s invitation to participate in some way.

After completing our call, I wondered what it was that I was supposed to do. I knew I just needed to meditate and I would be shown what to do. I also felt called to sleep on it, knowing I would have more clarity the next morning.

I recall about five years ago when I first met Joanie, she spoke from time to time about her relationship with her daughter’s father; during some of her sharing it was apparent that there wasn’t a good relationship between them. I had learned that Joanie raised her daughter alone after her daughter’s father abandoned the two of them shortly after Joanie became pregnant.

I admit, I saw Joanie as being someone who seemed to dislike men in general. I felt Joanie seemed deeply wounded as some of her conversations included making complaints about men in one way or another. Hearing those judgments, I did not feel comfortable being in Joanie’s presence.

Several years later, I remember hearing Joanie share about her daughter deciding to re-connect with her father. Joanie also spoke about how she had decided to participate in group counseling sessions with her daughter and her daughter’s father. I became impressed at how much Joanie had shifted from the way she was being when I first met her. Now she was moving to a place of acceptance and letting go of a lot of anger and resentment from being abandoned by her daughter’s father.

I thought to myself, “I wonder if Joanie has ever had an apology done by a man and been acknowledged for the inner work she had done.” I had done the exercise many times with women who felt a deep sense of relief and exhilaration after being apologized to and acknowledged. I thought, “Joanie has released a lot of the anger and pain associated with the resentment, guilt and shame that she may have felt while going through pregnancy and raising her daughter all by herself.”

Later that day, I went into meditation to get some insight or suggestions about what I might do for Joanie’s birthday ceremony. During the meditation it became clear that I was to write an apology and acknowledgment piece. The next morning when I awoke it was clear that I was to do the apology and acknowledgment. After doing the apology and acknowledgment, I would take Joanie through an exercise of calling back her life-force energy, because I was sure that she would release a lot of energy. By having Joanie call back her life-force, she would reclaim energy that would assist in bringing her back into balance.

It didn’t take long to write a quick draft and send it to several female friends and associates to get some feedback. Within a couple of days I had a finished draft and was ready to read it to Joanie during her birthday ceremony.

I was not prepared for the response I got in regard to what I was planning to do. Those women I spoke to in person, encouraged me to also write a generic apology and acknowledgment for all women. Several women sent me emails thanking me and saying just reading it allowed them to feel a release of emotional energy. I offered to write a personal apology and acknowledgment and several accepted.

Several days prior to Joanie’s birthday ceremony, I offered to send her a copy of the apology and acknowledgment, but her response was, “No Leotha, I don’t want to see it before the ceremony. I want you to read it to me, so I can I hear it for the first time.”

On the day of Joanie’s birthday ceremony, the setting was outdoors under a majestic redwood tree in Joanie’s yard. One of Joanie’s friends led the ceremony by setting a powerful space with an opening ritual honoring Mother Earth and the Divine Feminine.

Joanie chose to stand up during her ceremony while leaning against the redwood. I decided to place a chair near Joanie, just in case she needed to sit down later. Since I had done several spur of the moment apology and acknowledgments, felt Joanie may have an emotional reaction after completing the calling back her life-force exercise and might need to sit down.

When it came my turn to read Joanie’s apology and acknowledgment, I was apprehensive about how the exercise might go.  While reading the apology and acknowledgment I could feel a powerful heart-to-heart connection with Joanie.

Once I finished reading the apology and acknowledgment I told Joanie I was going to do an exercise that would allow her to call back her life-force or Chi. I instructed Joanie to create an imaginary Gold Sun above the top of her head about the size of a 10-gallon balloon. After instructing Joanie to telepathically call back her life-force energy into her imaginary Gold Sun above the top of her head, I asked her to imagine allowing the life-force energy to flow from the imaginary Gold Sun into her body through the top of her head. Shortly thereafter I could see Joanie began to reach out toward the chair that was sitting nearby. I reached over and brought the chair to Joanie so she could sit down. After the exercise was complete, Joanie looked at me and said, “Wow, that was really powerful, thank you.”

Another friend of Joanie’s then read the poem “Imagine a Woman” by Patricia Lynn Reilly, www.imagineAwoman.com The reading of this poem was naturally very powerful for all the women present.

At the close of Joanie’s birthday ceremony, I felt a deep sense of gratitude for being part of this special day she created. I expressed my gratitude to Joanie and the other women who were present.

APOLOGY

Joanie,

On behalf of men who have betrayed you, lied to you, abandoned you, refused to listen to you, been uncaring, emotionally detached, unconcerned, rude and mean, hateful, abusive emotionally, verbally, physically/intimately and/or did anything you feel I did to make life painful and difficult for you, I apologize.

You had every right and reason to become angry and frustrated at my being insensitive to your needs.

I apologize for violating your innocence as a child and continued to cause you extreme emotional and physical pain as you grew older. You had every right to hate me and be distrustful of me.

I apologize for dishonoring your trust at a time when you were vulnerable, leaving a gaping hole of disillusionment and feeling alone and betrayed.

I apologize for not responding forthrightly and compassionately to your authentic and trusting self.

I apologize for taking advantage of your willingness to open your heart and soul to the natural feeling of love, passion and joy you may have felt at any time.

I apologize for abandoning you at a time when you needed me the most, especially while going through your pregnancy and having to raise our daughter alone.

I apologize for lying and making uncalled-for excuses when you asked me why I was acting the way I was.

I apologize for not being able to say I was betraying you, because I was unable to connect on a deep heart-centered level to understand and feel your love.

I apologize for not knowing how to love myself, therefore I had no concept of how to love you.

I apologize for being so uncaring and not asking you what your needs were.

I apologize for not even taking the time to be fully present when you cornered me, trying to explain what your needs were.

I apologize for the countless times I could have just held you in my arms and said, “I don’t know what to do, but I am here for you and I love you.”

I apologize for not having the patience to hear you out, but instead I would run away and hide.

I apologize for being so unemotional and unconcerned about what mattered most to you.

I apologize for being so emotionally detached, self-centered and clueless about what was truly important in building a deep committed relationship with you.

I apologize for being mean, rude and always making you wrong, so I could be right.

I apologize for not honoring you as the Divine Feminine Goddess you are.

I now admit to using poor judgment while causing you emotional, and sometimes physical pain and suffering. What I choose to do is apologize.

 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Joanie,

I acknowledge you for being a beautiful woman, powerful Spirit and wonderful Soul.

I acknowledge you for your strength and courage to persevere during times when those who you assumed would be there for you, were not.

I acknowledge you for standing up as a Mother, taking on the responsibility and challenge of raising a strong, very intelligent, self-assured and beautiful daughter.

I acknowledge you for allowing your needs to take a back seat to the needs of our daughter.

I acknowledge you for doing the best you could with what you had.

I acknowledge you for having the courage to follow your Heart’s calling to leave home and family to experience what it is to discover one’s Soul’s desire.

I acknowledge you for setting up a daily practice for personal and professional growth.

I acknowledge you for having the awareness that life’s experiences are divinely guided in order for one to learn and grow.

I acknowledge you for being aware that life is not so much about right or wrong, but about the lessons one learns along the way.

I acknowledge you for following your desire for “being in community” and building “community” wherever you live.

I acknowledge you for being a “beacon of light” for those who are seeking and aware.

I acknowledge you for being committed to assisting your fellow Humans in teaching nutrition, sustainable living and well-being.

I acknowledge you for knowing “your job is done” now that our daughter is a capable and responsible adult.

I acknowledge you into the future as your visions become reality.

I acknowledge you into the future as having a life filled with abundance and wealth of Soul Qualities, to include LOVE, JOY, PASSION and SERENITY.

I acknowledge you, Joanie, into the future as you live your life purpose with responsible FREEDOM, GRACE and EASE!

Namaste…

So be it…

And so it is….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As I wrote in my book “How Life Happens For Me, Not To Me….When I STOP Playing SMALL”, unless one moves to a place of acceptance and gratitude for life’s experiences, they usually feel stuck and do not feel free of their past.

Whether you choose forgiveness or acceptance or both, it is not about the other person(s). It’s a waste of time and energy wondering if the perpetrator will ask for forgiveness and/or change. The experience affords you, who have felt victimized, an opportunity to accept the experience as part of your growth to becoming a strong and capable person who chooses to move to a place of acceptance and gratitude for the experience. The sooner one is able to move through the process to acceptance and gratitude, the sooner their suffering dissipates. For those who have gone through the acceptance process, myself included, we ask ourselves, “Why did it take me so long?”

Naturally, everyone moves along their life journey at different speeds. Some may shift more quickly, once they gain awareness of how beneficial acceptance can be in moving forward. Change requires one to let go of their “story” and take responsibility for creating a life they desire and deserve.

APOLOGY

 To all females: Mothers, Grandmothers, Sisters, Daughters, Stepdaughters, Aunts, Nieces, and Stepsisters:

On behalf of men who have betrayed you, lied to you, abandoned you, refused to listen to you, been uncaring, emotionally detached, unconcerned, rude and mean, hateful, abused you emotionally, verbally, physically/intimately and/or did anything you feel I did to make life painful and difficult for you, I apologize.

You had every right and reason to become angry and frustrated at my being insensitive to your needs.

I apologize for violating your innocence as a child and continuing to cause you extreme emotional and physical pain as you grew older. You had every right to hate me and be distrustful of my motives.

I apologize for dishonoring your trust at any time when you were vulnerable, leaving a gaping hole of disillusionment, and feeling alone and betrayed.

I apologize for not responding forthrightly and compassionately to your authentic and trusting self.

I apologize for taking advantage of your willingness to open your heart and soul to the natural feeling of love, passion and joy you may have felt at any time.

I apologize for abandoning you at a time when you needed me most, especially while going through pregnancy and raising our children.

I apologize for lying and making uncalled-for excuses when you asked me why I was acting the way I was.

I apologize for not being able to say I was betraying you, because I was unable to connect on a deep heart-centered level to understand and feel your love.

I apologize for not knowing how to love myself; therefore I had no concept of how to love you.

I apologize for being so uncaring and not asking what your needs were.

I apologize for not even taking the time to be fully present when you cornered me, trying to explain what your needs were.

I apologize for the countless times I could have just held you in my arms and said, “I don’t know what to do, but I am here for you and I love you.”

I apologize for not having the patience to hear you out, but instead I would run away and hide.

I apologize for being so unemotional and unconcerned about what mattered to you.

I apologize for being so emotionally detached, self-centered and clueless about what was truly important in building a deep committed relationship with you.

I apologize for being mean, rude and always making you wrong, so I could be right.

I apologize for not honoring you as the Divine Feminine Goddess you are.

I now admit to using poor judgment while causing emotional and sometimes physical pain and suffering. What I choose to do is apologize.

 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I acknowledge you for being a beautiful woman, powerful Spirit and wonderful Soul.

I acknowledge you for your strength and courage to persevere during times when those who you assumed would be there for you were not.

I acknowledge you for standing up as a Mother, taking on the responsibility and challenge of raising our children.

I acknowledge you for allowing your needs to take a back seat to the needs of our children.

I acknowledge you for doing the best you could with what you had.

I acknowledge you for knowing “your job is done” now that our children are capable adults and responsible individuals.

I acknowledge you into the future for seeing your visions become a reality.

I acknowledge you into the future for having a life filled with abundance and wealth of Soul Qualities, to include LOVE, JOY, PASSION and SERENITY.

I acknowledge you into the future as you live your life purpose with responsible FREEDOM, GRACE and EASE!

Namaste…..

So be it……

And so it is

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To allow for easier processing of emotions that may have come up to be released, I recommend you read Chapter 7; “Calling Back Your Life-Force or Chi”, from my book “How Life Happens For Me, Not To Me………When I STOP Playing SMALL”, available at http://www.booklocker.com/books/4570.html   Toward the end of the chapter is an exercise for calling back your life-force or chi. The exercise is listed below:

The Sequence for Calling Back Your Life-Force or Chi

Ground into the Earth and/or center yourself while breathing through your heart. Create an imaginary Gold Sun or bubble above your head. If you know your healing colors, imagine your bubble is one of those colors. Then telepathically call back your life-force energy into the Gold Sun or healing bubble, from the people and situations where you either gave your energy away intentionally or unconsciously, or had your energy taken from you, with or without your permission. You are not calling your energy back from your spouse/partner, children you are caring for, close family members, close friends/associates, current employer(s)/clients, co-workers. You are calling back your energy without judgment, guilt, resentment, shame, attachment, etc. You are calling it back because it belongs to you! Your life-force energy or chi will return cleansed and purified!

You may get visions or sense some of the people from where your energy is coming, but that is not the point. The point is you have asked for your highest good, that your energy be returned and your request is granted. You are calling back your life-force energy from people and incidents during this lifetime and if you believe, from past lives as well.

You will sense when the recall is complete. You can make the Gold Sun or healing bubble as large as you wish. It’s all energy, therefore you have access to unlimited space. When the recall is complete, expand the Gold Sun or healing bubble even larger so you can call back the energy of past “good time feelings.”

As you continue to breathe through your heart, telepathically call back the energy of the fun times you had during the years of childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. There is no need to try and force yourself to remember these times, just allow it to happen. You may or may not have instances show up in your mind/vision. Remember you are calling back the energy of the feelings only, not the people, places or things that were involved during these fun/happy times. This energy is cleansed and purified. You will sense when the recall is complete.

Once the recall is complete, imagine there is a zipper or valve at the bottom of the Gold Sun or healing bubble. You telepathically reach up and open the zipper or valve to allow your life-force and feel-good energy to flow down through the top of your head or your crown Chakra. Your life force and feel-good energies know where their place is within your body as they flow down through your Chakras. Your returning cleansed and purified energy remembers where it was originally, prior to leaving you. The energy flows throughout your cells, tissues and muscles, as well as your Auric field. The energy provides a seal around you as it flows into the earth around your feet and out the base of your spine. You will sense when the discharge from your Gold Sun or healing bubble is complete.

It is important to continue breathing (LOVE) through your heart to ease the reintegration process for your just returned life-force and feel-good energies. There may be some anxiety in part(s) of the body just after the download. If this occurs, just breathe LOVE into the area of anxiety to allow the returning energy more time to re-acclimatize itself. Some of our returning energy may have been gone since early childhood. I recommend you call back your life-force energy before going to sleep at night and when you awaken in the morning. For those practitioners performing body/energy-work, caregiver, counseling, or working with people who unconsciously use others as “energy filling stations,” you may wish to call back your energy after each session or several times a day. For those who know they are empathic, this exercise provides good practice for staying grounded. When we intentionally release energy that is not ours through meditation or some other exercise/ritual, we create a void in our body/energy field. By calling back our life-force energy at the end of the exercise/ritual, we allow the void to be filled with what we choose, rather than have energy that had become comfortable returning later.

Since our bodies can adjust to and accept almost anything over time, i.e., abuse through physical and verbal violence, unhealthy and toxic habits through peer pressure, media and cultural norms, we must be persistent in having a daily ritual where we retrain our bodies to function energetically without uninvited outside energies. Remember, there are many ways to get the same or similar results. So, feel free to change this ritual to suit what feels right for you.

 Optional exercise: Communicating With Your Inner Child

• Close your eyes and breathe normally through your heart, while remaining grounded / centered and in your Right Brain.
• Set your intention to connect with your Inner Child to make sure you both are in sync.
• You may visually see, or sense your Inner Child is with you and waiting for you to acknowledge him/her by telepathically saying how much you love him/her as you both embrace.
• Tell your Inner Child that you have everything under control and there is no need for him/her to feel you need to be protected.
• Telepathically ask your Inner Child what it has to say to you. Once your Inner Child has finished communicating with you, ask if he/she is complete at this time.
• Once your Inner Child is complete, give him/her another hug and tell him/her that you love him/her.
• When you feel it’s appropriate, open your eyes and come back into ordinary reality.

Copyright June 2011 by Leotha Douglas

http://TheRecalibrationProcess.com

A friend and associate sent me an email earlier today asking for assistance in performing a ceremony to protect her dogs from a Coyote that has tracked in her backyard. My friend’s (I will call her Sue.) voice was almost in panic mode, and understandably so since her two dogs are very dear to her and the rest of her family.  Sue’s home sits near the end of a cul-de-sac and has open space behind it which does not require a fence.

I reminded Sue that she was in a fear space at the moment and asked her to move into a space of love/neutrality, which would allow her to feel more centered and grounded. Plus, I told Sue she has more power being present in-the-moment. Sue understood what I meant right away and quickly became present in-the-moment.

Sue told me a Coyote has been walking (tracking) around her house, mainly the back yard. She was very concerned that it would not be safe to let her dogs outside off leach. Sue had noticed the Coyote watching her house for several days.  She asked if there was something I could do, something ceremonial, that might cause the Coyote to stay away.

I suggested to Sue that she might consider calling the County’s Animal Control dispatch to get advice about how to get the Coyote to stay away. Sue said she could do that, but she felt doing a ceremony would serve a higher purpose.

I offered to come over with my drum right away and perform a ceremony with Sue for the purpose of making peace with the Coyote.

Knowing that those of us who consciously communicate with nature and is aware that nature and animals can be powerful teachers, I was interested in what message the Coyote could be bringing Sue. Obviously, Sue was aware that to just be like a majority of humans who project entitlement toward Coyote and other animal species, was not the way to go about her problem. That was not to minimize the importance of others wish to protect their pets and themselves from Coyote and other wild animals at any cost.

Many people are aware that all animals have a specific behavior patterns that are nature oriented. By learning the natural patterns of animals, humans can use the patterns of animals to predict what changes to make in their lives that could benefit themselves and/or others while not being in fear of the animal’s presence. All the while respecting the animal, by being cautious of what may happen if Coyote comes in contact with Human or their pet(s).

I remember as a boy growing up on a farm in rural Mississippi, some years around the first of October the cows and other furry animals would appear to grow a stick coat of hair. My father would say, “It’s going to be a rough winter, I had better store more feed for the cows”. My father was warned beforehand by the cows to prepare for a colder than usual winter.

As a kid, I was always afraid of snakes. One day my father threatened to give me a whipping for killing a King snake. My father taught me that by leaving the King snake alone, it would keep all other snakes away from the house and barn. I must say that lesson did not cure my fear of snakes.

There were other things my father told me about animal behaving a certain way, being a sign of what was to happen in the future, but at the time I did not see any value in paying attention to the signs.

Every spring and summer there are news stories about mountain lions, coyotes and other wildlife encroaching into housing developments. Earlier this month there was a news story out of Los Angeles County about a small child being attacked by a Coyote while in the care of a babysitter in a park.

On Monday night of this week, I saw a story on a local San Diego station about a Coyote attacking a dog inside the yard of a house in a densely populated neighborhood. The dog’s owner ran the Coyote away and his dog luckily suffered only minor injuries. A neighbor told the reporter she saw the Coyote again the next day tracking the same yard where the dog was attacked the night before. She said the Coyote did not seem to be in fear of her making loud noises in trying to run it away. Usually, Coyote hunts at night, but their survival habits have shifted to also hunting during the day.

Research shows that Coyotes are very resilient. Over the years many have been killed by hunters and farmers. As their habitat has been overrun by human development, the Coyote has been able to survive by adjusting to their environment and continue to thrive. Coyotes are now living in areas of this country that many years ago they were not.

When I arrived at Sue’s home we did a prayer acknowledging Coyote and the Animal Kingdom on a Soul level. We asked Coyote for forgiveness for any harm we humans have caused them and their ancestors. We asked Coyote for permission to coexist in the area peacefully with the pets and humans. I humbly asked Coyote to seek out the abundant food source outside of Sue and her family’s property.

I drummed to the Animal Kingdom with the intention of grounding the ceremony into a higher realm for the higher good.

After the ceremony, Sue said she felt better and knew there was more to the Coyote showing up than just looking to her dogs as its next meal.

Sue and I discussed the meaning of coyote as Animal Spirit Guides and Teachers. Sue said Coyote is not one of her Power Animals.

Sue handed me a copy of Steven Farmer, Ph.D.’s book, “Animal Spirit Guides” which I read out loud the teachings of Coyote. Steven Farmer, Ph.D. writes;

If Coyote shows up, it means:

• Lighten up——-you’re taking things much too seriously.
• The resources you need are available.
• Something quite unexpected and not necessarily welcome is about to happen.
• Rather than fighting or running from this situation, it will work out better if you adjust to it.
• Look for the lessons in the turmoil you’re experiencing.
• Forgive yourself for any mistakes or errors, and look for the gifts that have come out of the experience.

Call on Coyote when:

• You want to simply something that appears complicated.
• You’re looking for the more subtle meanings behind a dream, vision, or recent experience.
• You want to stay poised and remain calm in the midst of any chaotic situation.
• You’re feeling down, and you need to regain your sense of humor about life.
• You’re feeling bored because life has gotten to be too much of a routine, and you want to liven things up.
• You want help in brainstorming creative solutions to a seemingly insurmountable problem.
• It’s unclear whether a decision you make will lead to peace or chaos.

One thing is certain; Coyote will continue to show up in neighborhoods and parks within heavily populated areas looking for food and water if their usual feeding habitat lacks enough food source. It goes without saying, parents of small children and pet owners must become more vigilant in trying to avoid a confrontation with Coyote. Becoming more educated about Coyote and their natural survival habits will cause humans to have a deeper respect for Coyote and approach their encounter from a place of power rather than from a place of fear.

A reference for learning about Animal Totems is at:  http://www.animalspirits.com/index1.html

I choose to take the dialog back to the question; “What has changed in one or both of your lives?”. There may be many things that have changed, whether unforeseen, conscious or unconscious, planned by one without the other one knowing, or life just happens. One thing to question is; “Are you both growing personally together, or has one stopped growing, or has one’s personal growth far exceeded the other?”.

One suggestion is to look at where both your energy vibration was when you first met or when the relationship was fluid. Obviously, one of the things that attract people to each other is the other’s energy vibration. If at some point, one person’s energy vibration shifts, there may be a personality shift in the other person. One person may unconsciously feel something is not the same about the other and do not have the awareness to communicate how they are feeling about the shift. If there is no awareness around how communicating one’s feelings authentically, we may shift into default mode, by acting out in the way in which was modeled by adults as we were growing up.

Be aware that when in a relationship, whether personal or professionally, when someone vibrates at a lower frequency than you, they have an advantage over you energetically, if you choose to lower your vibration to match their. They somehow figure this out at an early age and intentionally set you up to come down to their level (classic passive aggressive). They may feel they would be at a disadvantage if they choose to match your higher vibration. YOU have no power in their lower frequency! The more you go into the lower frequency and try to navigate within it, the more depleted, confused, frustrated and hopeless you will feel.

Look at it another way; “If you are trying to pull an injured (but very conscious) person out of a hole that is filling up with water and they appear to be ignoring you and the water, you may have a desperate time getting them out. If this person is larger and stronger than you, do you jump into the hole in an attempt to save them and risk two lives being lost?

Another scenario may be; “A person dig a hole and jumps in. He/she then yells for help, while complaining about why you didn’t come to help sooner. As soon as you pull the person out of the hole, the person digs another hole and gets mad at you for helping him/her out of the other hole.” The language I prefer to use when dealing with someone whom you can not reason with or who is intent on being a victim and making others wrong; I call crazy making. If you continue to play their game, you definitely will begin to feel like you are loosing your mind.

On another note; as many are aware, men are generally wired differently than women. Men are basically hunters and gatherers. Women are basically nesters and nurturers. For most men, we feel it is our responsibility to go out and provide for the family. If at some point something happens that prevents the male from being able to provide as he has grown accustomed to, he may began to feel inadequate, a failure. He may worry about what others think of him as a man who is now unable to provide financially for his family. Unless the man is able to allow himself to look at life experiences as lessons in how to cope, by being willing to adapt, by changing or shifting to a different survival mode, he may began to shut down and become angry, resentful and depressed. He may blame the closest person or persons to him, then others for his problems and issues.

Each day he awakens the first thought that comes to his mind may be, “She and the children are thinking I am failing them, because I can’t find a job so I can provide for them”. In other words, those closest to him are a constant mirror for him to view how he feels about himself. What he sees from his spouse and the children reflections is he is a failure. If the man is not comfortable with his spouse continuing to grow personally and professionally; especially making more money than he, then he may began to exhibit personality changes and close down the communication link with her. The spouse on the other hand, being wired to be a nester and nurturer, usually feels compelled to run her energy through her mate in an attempt to make him feel better. This energy is usually mostly feminine which causes the man to unconsciously resist, because it is coming from the spouse he feels he has let down. We could take it even further back to; the man unconsciously yearns for the nurturing feminine energy of his mother who he may feel abandoned him, but because he is so wounded he remains blind to what he is really seeking…..the nurturing and supportive feminine energy of his spouse. In his unconscious mind, he does not feel he deserve such love and nurturing due to his lack of love for self.

The moral to what I am saying is, anger, which is based on fear, can be used as an assertive emotional tool (coming from a place of personal power). But, if anger is used as a tool to play the role of victim (lack of personal power), we may be reverting back to our childlike stage, which feeds our deep seated fears. Fear attracts more fear. Practicing coming from the HEART usually brings light into the darkness of one’s fears, which allows the fear to become less controlling and creates an opening for healing the pain and suffering.

Leotha explains that after going inside of self he began to find who he really is, what his life’s purpose was and how he hadn’t been aware that his life was divinely guided by his experiences from growing up on a farm in rural Mississippi in the 1950’s with a middle name that he let define his life.

Today, after twenty years of self-discovery, Leotha has grown in his ability to determine what energy is beneficial to his life and what energy to release – with gratitude.  His insights have come from experiencing what happens when choosing to be in gratitude for all relationships and the gifts they bring, discovering how his energy vibration is one of peace and a balance between the masculine and the feminine, and learning tools for recognizing whether uncomfortable feelings were his own or caused by the energy of others that he had taken on.

Asked, by countless people, to share his findings and gifts Leotha teaches simple tools in “How Life Happens For Me, Not To Me…..When I STOP Playing SMALL” for transformation through self-discovery. These tools allow each of us to become aware of how the energy of others may affect our well-being.  By setting our intention for the outcome of our actions and learning how to become present to these energetic affects, we can communicate with this energy and release it with gratitude and compassion.

“How Life Happens For Me, Not To Me…..When I STOP Playing SMALL” speaks to how often we think about various life experiences, whether pleasant or not, and feel the energy of those times, while reflecting with gratitude on the gifts those experiences bring to our growth. Be prepared to discover new ways to learn more about yourself, experience greater peace, and live a balanced life each day.

You may buy “How Life Happens For Me, Not To Me…..When I STOP Playing SMALL”  online at http://www.booklocker.com/books/4570.html

Therefore, I have listed the seasons with my version of what the natural order of nature has taught me. Like the four seasons, life provides us many opportunities for change. If I resist change, I will use lots of energy which could be used for more productive purposes. If I choose to embrace change and be in gratitude for the experience as life happening for me, rather than, life is happening to me, I allow myself to flow with the universal laws of nature.

SPRING

It’s a constant cycle for most plants to come out of dormancy of winter, as their sap rises to create new leaves and blossoms to produce food source.

Farmers of all types prepare for another year of tiling the soil and planting various crops and preparing livestock for the summer. Referring to the Farmers Almanac by planting on days the moon provides for the best growing and production cycle.

The animals, some coming out of hibernation, began the process of preparing a safe nesting place for their offspring to be born. For some, they began their migration back to where they will spend the summer. Some animals slowly shed their thick winter coat of hair to stay cooler in summer.

I feel rejuvenated from flowing in-and-out of Bear Medicine during Winter. Having planted my seeds of intentions for the year, I choose to embrace the unknown possibilities ahead as personal challenges to learn and grow.

SUMMER

The plants may bear flowers, fruit or some type of food source, shade and most of all, clean the air of carbon dioxide, while providing the planet with oxygen.

Those who plant, till and nourish the soil as the plants grow and produce various food sources, while cleaning the air of carbon monoxide, while putting of oxygen.

The animals give birth and teach their offspring survival skills.

I cultivate and nourish my visions, while enjoying the delights of Summer.

FALL

Having gotten through the summer, those plants that have provided food sources are ready for  harvest, as they began to show less vibrancy.

Its time for the farmers and plant caregivers to finish their harvest and prepare the soil, plants and animals for winter.

The animals have prepared their offspring to be on their own, while getting ready to migrate to their winter home. While some prepare for hibernation, or began to grow a thicker coat for the cold weather that will come. Those who stay in place have stored (hidden) lots of food for winter meals.

The seasonally tuned throttle of my energetic body began to slow down as I embrace the change from the light of Summer, to the darkness of Winter.

WINTER

The sap in most plants drain into its roots which signals the plant to go to sleep and rest from another year of being in service. Resting and absorbing nourishment from the Divine Mother Earth as a way of preparing for next Spring.

The farmers and plant caregivers have prepared the soil, plants and their animals as safe a place as possible to rest and recharge before Spring arrive. It is time for the farmers and plant caregivers to celebrate and rest.

Some animals have migrated, some are in hibernation and some stay put and provide humanity with continued balance of nature.

It’s time to embrace Bear Medicine again, as I celebrate and reflect in gratitude for another year of personal and professional growth.

In the words of Oraibi, of the Arizona Hopi Nation:

WISDOM OF THE ELDERS

There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and swift, that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore. They will feel they are being torn apart and will suffer greatly. Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the ore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water. And I say, see who is in there with you and celebrate.

At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally. Least of all, ourselves. For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.

The time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves!

Banish the word struggle from your attitude and your vocabulary. All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.

WE ARE THE ONES WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR.