The holidays, traditions, and long tables filled with faces we love (and maybe a few we tolerate) are an integral part of sharing our lives. We bond through laughter, sharing sacred devotions, and eating specific foods that tie into memories. We love hard, cry, and even banter. It is the ritualistic aspects that make traditions meaningful.

But what happens when grief hijacks the holidays? Whether it’s a loss of a loved one, an animal companion, a lifestyle, a marriage, or the effects of living in an aging body. With new challenges, adapting change to tradition can feel like our heart is being led through the mud.

Maybe you hosted your family for decades, but now as your family grows in new directions and as you are experiencing some effects of releasing your tradition as someone else has offered to host. You feel lost, maybe even marginalized, without a clear purpose or place in the new dynamic.

Honor that things are not going to be the same because you are not the same.

Maybe it is the first year you’re experiencing the holidays without your spouse, partner, animal companion, or other loved one. The grief feels overwhelming, and the memories now feel like salt on an open wound.

Honor where you are in your grief, not where you or anyone else thinks you should be.

Maybe this year, your grown children and their children are breaking tradition by alternating holidays with their extended families. You may feel abandoned, hurt, and, even perhaps, a little embarrassed by these feelings that are not you.

Feelings as visitors, messengers, not always truth-tellers. Allow them to surface, have their say, then choose a perspective that serves the feeling with love, not pain, and release them. If or when they arise again, repeat.

Honor that it’s a natural familial shift knowing your loved ones are not abandoning you, the tradition, or the family unit at all. That their choices are reflections of how your roots gave them wings and shaped them to want to create something similar for their expanding families, that maybe it’s a sign you did well, very well, by them.

Embrace that the holidays aren’t the same anymore because you aren’t the same, either. You’re growing through what you’re going through.

Here are 3 ways to navigate the holidays while grieving “what was”:

1). Release the reins with love.

If your role has shifted from host to guest, find gratitude that you’ve earned it. Consider you don’t ‘have’ to be the one ‘doing’ because you ‘get’ to be on the other side of the kitchen wall, witnessing the conversations you have missed, observing how the grandchildren grew so much in one year, noticing the strength and grace that grief has shown you that you possess. Learning to transition from giver to receiver requires our permission, takes a little practice, some releasing, and offers significant rewards. Allow your loved ones to honor you by accepting.

2). Create new traditions.

Ask yourself, “How do I want to feel over the holidays?” Then try to match meaningful actions, people, and ways of being to support it. Allow your memories of past holidays and of loved ones who have passed to serve you, not deplete you. Memories are gifts, the gems left behind that remind us of what or who mattered.  The chances are that if you are missing a tradition or a loved one, someone else close to you is, too. What helps us is to navigate through the lens of our highest self and that we meet each moment with curiosity, not auto-deflect to any current pain.

Don’t make wide circles around grief, dance with it. It won’t go anywhere until it’s heard, seen, felt, and transmuted from its current energetic composition to an elevated composition. That’s not for us to know. It’s for us to experience. We can’t know or direct its exact course, but we are the leaders of the dance steps. We can do this by sharing and talking about happy memories and traditions, stories of significance, allowing the tears, and the laughter to flow. Be open to it all. Even water will not flow until the faucet is turned on.

We are the conduit of our own transformations and transcendences. We don’t need to be strong; we just need to be authentic.

So, how do you want to feel? On a sheet of paper, create two columns. In one column, write down the names of loved ones (family and friends), who you love, and who you want to see over the holidays. On the second column, write down how you want to feel. Loved? Seen? Grateful? Happy? At peace? Of Service to others?

Get creative imagining what new tradition or simple ritual you can make merging the two columns. Maybe it’s making one favorite dish and not preparing the whole meal. Maybe it’s spending time with a few loved ones at a time for a few hours, rejoicing and reminiscing about those who are no longer here. Perhaps it’s bringing a grandchild who is drawn to animals to volunteer at an animal shelter, teaching the value of respecting all beings and of being of service to others. Maybe it’s a hot bath at the end of a day well spent with loved ones. Once completed, you know who and what matters most to you.

If it’s meaningful, it qualifies as a new tradition. And any new tradition is the beginning of new ways to be and see, to give and to receive.

3). Accept that expectation and perfection don’t exist.

If we don’t express our feelings, desires, and needs sincerely, there is a pretty good chance they’ll never get met. Reach out, ask, offer, suggest. Don’t be afraid of rejection, be more fearful of not voicing your truth. Change is a natural part of our life cycle, and family traditions naturally change as people and circumstances change, move on, pass on, and expand their own families. Adult children of aging parents can’t know exactly how you feel, and they especially cannot help any parent who has difficulty expressing themselves. This is the time for family members to remember they’re on the same team in an ever-changing family dynamic. Start with your vision and use your voice to carry it into form. There are so many new, beautiful opportunities to seize as we move through the holidays differently, in grief, in grace, and in feeling lost.

This is an excellent time to re-choose your place in your own life, your family, and/or community and create new traditions and ways to celebrate the meaning of the season. Even if your role is different, pared down, your body is aging, loved ones including beloved animal companions are no longer beside you physically, and especially, if the size of your family has diminished or expanded.

The holidays are a personal, sacred time of the year. No two people can possibly experience loss or change exactly the same.

Remember who you are on the Soul level. You are a sacred being temporarily gracing the world.

You belong.

The post Thriving the Holidays: 3 Ways to Embrace “What Is” While Grieving “What Was.” appeared first on SUSAN MULLEN.

Happy, Beautiful New Year, Friends…

First, I am so grateful for you.

I love the concept new beginnings and intentions…there’s just something about the flipping over of a new calendar that brings a sigh of relief mixed with optimism. We humans thrive on new-ness, don’t we? New anything… new jobs, new friends, new experiences,  new beginnings and new opportunities. It’s really what life is all about. For me, my biggest rush has always been new ways of being. We don’t ever want to take old versions of thinking or of ourselves into the new year….I have a little story on that…

I’ll back up a month or so…

Right after Thanksgiving, My husband and I went away on sort of a second honeymoon slash retreat slash celebration. His intention was for us to just celebrate a milestone in his business as well as just plain old recharge in ways we never have before…or could here…now that our children are out of the house and after years of building a business…and all of the regular stuff life entails….this was different. This was to go away to just soak in clean energy and enjoy having the time to reconnect.  Not only could we talk over dinners we didn’t have to cook, we actually had dinner together. We don’t always at home. We didn’t leave this place for 10 days. We’d be fools if we did. My husband is one of the hardest working men I’ve ever met. He is smart as a whip with a good heart. {who could use more downtime in my opinion…} Remember the line from the movie ‘The Blindside” where Tim McGraw -the husband- says…’I’m working even when I’m not working’?  Maybe you don’t…but, I do because my husband owns franchise restaurants too…and it’s such a funny but oh-so true industry statement.  And, so he specifically chose an experience where he did not have to think. Our only criteria was to fill our cups and return replenished. Frankly, I feel honored he asked me to tag along. Just kidding.  Sort of.  He knows that with our youngest daughter gone from the nest, with me delving into my intuitive single sessions with clients {which I absolutely love} and being not only called to, but yanked into work with factory farming awareness…{I am so in the pull of this wake that I can’t ignore it anymore – discomfort, heartache and all…I care more about them than I care about my suffering or discomfort at what is happening to them…that’s how any of us can determine ‘is it worth it?’.} My husband saw that I, too, could use this time away to refuel. And, so we did.

I decided to use this opportunity to do a deep, spiritual & physical cleanse.  I nourished my body with a little yoga, lots of green juice and clean food…I walked miles of beaches every day…all to allow it to be quiet enough to hear and accept the downloads that have been trying to get to me for months….the knowledge and insights from my guides. This quickly and frankly, quite easily, boiled down to One question they asked me: ‘Who do you want to look in the eye when you look in the mirror when you return?’ Not talking about what you look like, Susan. This is about the integrity of your soul.

Who the hell ARE you and what the hell do you STAND for? Ugh…I knew I was purging. I just had no idea how much of  it was poison.

When I thought about what needed to change or be tweaked in order to make space for more meaning in my life for the new year, I started by looking at the areas that were screaming for my attention.  I found there were plenty of areas I was an expert at ignoring.  The incongruent areas were the loudest. I knew returning home to my life heading into a new year was going to be much more than just making a list of refreshed commitments. This ran deeper.

It’s so easy to play small, play dumb and let others handle the heavy lifting. And by remaining dim in a few areas serves no one. We are so much more capable than we give ourselves credit. When we create lives that are so noisy we can’t help but not hear the voice inside us – you know the one you showed up here with that makes sure you do, be, share or heal…what you came here for? When that is ignored other parts of our lives disintegrate simply out of confusion. And, then we wonder why life becomes harder. That’s the time to take inventory and check our integrity level. Do our actions match our hearts and words?  I discovered it was time for me to renew my relationship with integrity.

One of my favorite artists of all time is Alanis Morissette. Such wisdom in her lyrics. So, in honor of her song ‘Thank U’, I say Thank You Mexico…Where I was able to see where I was misaligned. I so resonate with Alanis as she eloquently states in her own words…

“I felt that I lived in a culture that told me that I had to consistently and constantly look outside myself to feel this elusive bliss. And I achieved a lot of what society had told me to achieve and I still didn’t feel peaceful. I started questioning everything, and I realized that actually everything was an illusion and it was scary for me because everything I had believed in was dissolving in front of me and there was a death of sorts, a really beautiful one ultimately, but at first a very scary one, and so I stopped. I stopped for the first time and I was overcome with a huge sense of compassion for myself first, and then naturally that translated into my feeling and compassion for everyone around me and a huge amount of gratitude that I had never felt before to this extent. And that’s why I had to write this song, ‘Thank U,’ because I had to express how exciting this was and how scary it was and all of these opportunities for us to define who we are.”

And, yes…I know…I oughtta know. {Alanis insiders get that}. So, although I returned home in the somewhat same body, it was definitely in a much more authentic soul level.

This year, my  2015 ‘To Be List’  looks like this:

• Stop using the word ‘wish’ and replace it with ‘will’.
• Stop asking ‘Who?’ (can fix or do something about…) and replace it with ‘Me’
• Purge. Every nook and cranny of my life to make space for grace. If I can’t use it, respect it or honor it – bye-bye.
• Renew, re-choose and re-member what and who is earning their keep in my life. If they offer clean currency– they’re in. If not, I release them, re-gift it, or donate. No exceptions.
• Focus on Forgiveness. Focus on Love. Myself more consistently and then upward and outward…Man, does the world need more of both.  And, so do I.  And, maybe, so do you.  It takes root from the inside first in order for the vibration of intent to be received. No one can serve from an empty dish. It will never not work this way.
• Connect.  I will focus on authentic connections. It is necessary to seek out and connect with the like-minded in order to soar. I’ve always said…’find your flock so you can soar…’ I truly believe that and intend to tidy up my flock.
• Release. It is just as necessary to release those who are not part of your flock so they can soar. Nothing is wrong with anyone. Give the gift of freedom to those who are not strong enough to leave.
• Wear my Perspectacles. Every day. Perspective is one of my favorite words. A tweak in perspective drastically affects how we experience. Every thing. Every body. By viewing the world through my perspectables, I know I will be a judgement free co-creator and contributor. {Thank you Lisa from our private facebook group for introducing me to this great word…if this blog speaks to you, you are invited to join our amazing group of women in our facebook group – To Join us… Just  ‘like’ my facebook page at Susan Mullen, Intuitive Living and private message me there to request to join us!}
• Thank & be grateful for every thing. Every ease and every dis-ease.  I know that which breaks my heart is there to crack me open even wider to allow my light to escape. I’ll work on bringing awareness to the legal horrors of  factory farming of animals for food because it breaks my heart and because I can.
• Embrace being fragile. Not at all to be confused with weak. I am extremely fragile and extremely strong. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I intend to leave the world better than when I arrived.

This is the year of infiniti. For those who are into numerology – 2 plus 0 plus 1 plus 5 = 8 which turned sideways means infiniti. It is the year we can all jump into the clean energy that will fuel our life’s work. But, we have to do two things first –

Take inventory to align with your integrity & then…simply… jump. There is a net. I promise. It’s called faith. 

All aspects of our lives will gain strength with less so we can create the space of integrity for a higher quality momentum. I believe in you. I believe in me.

With so much love,

Susan

The post New Year * New Me appeared first on SUSAN MULLEN.

 The holiday season is here & it’s in full swing!

Where did that statement land in your body and what did it feel like? You either felt a happy rush realizing that you are ready to roll with the holidays! Or, you felt a tight squeeze anywhere in your chest/gut area indicating that maybe you didn’t work the holidays into your life just yet! Either way, our bodies simply do not have the capacity to lie. It is our first response of truth. A few tweaks in perspective can ensure that you will not only survive the holidays, but that you can thrive through them!
Everything about this season affects us in mind, body and spirit. Our five senses are bombarded by all of the glorious tastes, sights, sounds, gift giving & receiving, busy-ness, choices and, did I mention all those amazing aromas? But, it’s our all important sixth sense…our inner knowing, that is designed to navigate & lead if we allow it.

But, intuition can be dimmed, or even shut off when we’re swimming in overwhelm & default to our minds to make on- the- spot decisions.

When we allow our spirit – our soul essence where intuition resides- to be the leader, our mind, body, spirit team is in alignment..and alignment = harmony. When we are in harmony, we are equipped to step up to the physical and energetic demands of carrying out our best intentions. But, without the right guardian, we will often feel behind the 8 ball just trying to survive it all.

What could you bring to the table to make sure you are able to enjoy all of the love and beauty this season offers?
What experiences do you want for yourself and your family? {what traditions are a ‘must’?}  How do you want to feel during the holiday season? {joyful, in control with clean, even energy?} And, what decisions can you make now to support this?

After all, it is hard to enjoy much of anything when our actions don’t support our intentions.

Switch the perspective from ‘doing’ to ‘being’ and from ‘should’ to ‘could’. You can’t really know what you want until you know how you want to feel & experience your holiday season. Give yourself a break from being afraid of disappointing or offending others. If you’re confronted with an irritated clerk or someone in heavy traffic…take nothing personally. Others are experiencing in their own energy, not yours. You can take a few deep breaths in while sending love & peace out. Why would you do that you wonder? Because you can. Because you do not randomly hand your power over, and because it works – in your favor. Kindness & negativity cannot exist simultaneously.  By diffusing negativity on the spot, you will less likely carry it home with you.

Tips for Thriving Through the Holidays – First, Set Your Table! {Set Your Intentions!}

• Bring your Body to the Table – This perfectly designed vehicle rules the show! Our bodies thrive on consistency & sink fast on inconsistency. Nourish yours with the same integrity you would your five year old child – with high quality fuel; don’t head out hungry to socialize. Focus on people and less so on scheduling your main meals around them. Pick and choose. Share a desert or cut one in half & salt the other half so you won’t be tempted. Keep alcohol consumption to a minimum and have a glass of water between each drink. The level of love & commitment you give your body equals the level of quality you can expect from her in return.
• Bring your Calendar to the Table. Allow your heart to choose. Accept invitations you truly feel pulled towards. Schedule downtime – so you don’t feel obligated or put on the spot to accept last minute invites. Saying ‘Thank you, but I have plans’ is not a lie. Honoring a planned night in IS a plan – Remember, rest & play supports your overall goal to have a joyful season! Shop at non-peak hours and online when you can. {don’t forget to google discount codes!} Create a ritual to wind down {not food or drink related!} My favorite ritual is a long soak in a hot bath with an added cup of Pink Himalayan sea salt. This affects our energy field on the ionic level. Salt is why we are drawn to oceans…it is truly therapeutic and is proven to reduce overwhelm.
• Bring You to the Table. You have come a long way to become fabulous you! The holidays tend to bring up lots of stuff, feelings, memories and traditions. You may find yourself falling into an old role. Let’s face it, we all feel 14 from time to time! But, by becoming aware you will have the opportunity to change it. Just don’t hide who you are or dim what you know. Bring your light, wisdom & laughter, and keep expectations real. You will empower others to do the same!
• Bring Your Heart to the Table. With consumerism at its peak, nothing can zap the true meaning of the season quite as effectively as the retail industry. A few ways to make sure you are keeping your reason in your season…give gifts within your  means that offer an experience and/or your time such as concert tickets or a special day out with the receiver. Buy local. Support your community, craftsmen and small businesses. {Maybe save the hottest gadget for other occasions}. Grab your favorite little person and volunteer at an animal shelter, retirement home or bring baked goods to neighbors who don’t get out so much. Giving from the heart that involves your time & hands, along with someone special to you from the next generation is a great way to pass it on. If  you tend to sort of resent holiday consumer-antics, choose gifts & activities that support your belief system. 
• Bring Your Why to the Table. Remember why this matters. Your Why is the only motivation you need. More on this topic over here -> blog

 Above All Else – Bring Your Joy, Gratitude & maybe a favorite healthy dish to the Table & You will be sure to Feast!

I send you peace & joy for a beautiful holiday season laced with love, health & harmony.

With love,

Susan

The post How To Thrive Through The Holidays! appeared first on SUSAN MULLEN.

What does the month of  ‘June’ bring up for you?

For me, it’s lilacs, transition, shedding the old and ushering in the new.  It’s also so much warmer here in Maine…. And, I love summer and walking on my beach.

But, the last few months I’ve found I’ve had to consciously work on walking my talk.

It isn’t nearly as easy (or fun. or gratifying.) working with myself as it is with clients. But, I had some unexpected visitors.

My youngest daughter, Emily,  is graduating from high school this weekend. (yes, that’s a yay!) It is a special time in her life. As an intuitive, an empath and someone who feels everything oh so very deeply, I’m one who has to watch out for porous boundaries and empathy overload. So, rather than hitting the mark, this hit me hard.

The last few months, I experienced it as ‘my second and last child is leaving’. Then it became …’…leaving me’. (When really she isn’t. She is graduating high school).

I have always been emotionally invested in each of my daughters lives. They’re great young women. I enjoy them. I love them. I’m so happy I like them, too. I’m pretty good at reading another’s soul essence and I fully realize I won the lottery with these two. They are two of my greatest teachers.

But, with my youngest graduating, I got a bad case of the  ‘Now, What’s?’

Even thinking…maybe a couple more cats would fill the space up in my empty house and heart.

But, you know what? I made someone else’s life path and journey all about me. Another’s positive and natural life transition presented as a loss to me, instead of a joyous occasion. Yep, apparently, I went there. I had to look at this carefully.

This much I knew: I didn’t enjoy grieving this as a loss because I know better. But, I was. It was uncomfortable and it did not serve me or suit my personality.

So, I did what I do with my own clients…I looked at this with an observer’s eye and not as the ‘me’ in the fire of emotion. When I did, I found there was a little more to it than my daughter ‘leaving’.

We cannot change what we do not acknowledge, right?

I was able to realize that by participating in a relationship with the lack, fear and loss triplets, I was cheating myself of a tremendous gift…enjoying the beauty that was going on around me in the now.

As I met each visitor head on, I did not judge them. Instead, I welcomed and honored each one. Just sat with them, truly feeling them out…until I understood who they were, where they originated and why they were visiting now. It was a process each time they showed up.

I sent love to the wounded parts of me that needed a hug.

I sent away the passed down or inherited thought patterns that were not mine. The universe has a way of getting our attention. And, sooner or later, it will.

Transmuting the energy with a tweak in perspective completely changed my experience. I’m participating in the present now. I am now able to show and experience what I truly think and feel: Happy! Proud! and Grateful for this young woman who is graduating with high honors and going to the college of her dreams.

This is all about her…. her path, and her journey. Not mine.

And, my journey is mine. I found, I will be fine, too. Not only fine, free to dig in to more of what it is I came here to do.

There is always so much to look forward to, to create and dream about..but it doesn’t mean it’s ‘where we live’….We must not live or hang out in the past either. The only point of power is now.

I’m incredibly honored to have the privilege to love and guide both of my daughters to adulthood. They have guided me as well.

They’re part of my forever flock. I haven’t lost a thing. 

Perspective really is everything.

It was all very real, but I found, little was true.

Be gentle with yourself.

What is true for you? How are you experiencing?

Love,

Susan

The post Transitions : Susan Mullen : Intuitive Living appeared first on SUSAN MULLEN.

We haven’t found it because we’ve been asking the wrong question.

The true, lasting, pants-on-fire motivation to do anything lies in ‘Why?’ 

By re-framing it to “Why do I want to change”? Your answers suddenly materialize.

You are innately motivated because….

• You will have a better quality and possibly longer life in a healthy and comfortable body.
• You want to sustain your body so it will work with you in health, not against you in illness. When you respect your body as your partner, the one who is working 24/7 to keep you alive, no matter how it is loved or abused by you, you suddenly know why…
• You want to leave the stressful job or relationship because you know it is not an equal exchange of your passion, time and energy. The discontent you feel is your wise soul speaking up whispering ‘You’ve stayed too long,  it’s time to go.’ It doesn’t mean it was wrong. It just means honor when it’s time to move on. Staying is giving our power over to fear.
• Because the only influence to ever ignite passion to change  resides inside us, not outside of us. And, you know outward motivation doesn’t last.

The three essences of fabulous You…either get along or fight for the starring role!

The Human You (ego essence), the Physical You (your body) and the Spirit You (Soul essence) are always vying for attention and to lead. By looking at the quality of your choices and thoughts you will see which one is the leader of your life. If you don’t like it, demote one and promote your spirit, your soul essence.

All three parts are designed to align to allow you to experience the life you signed up for. When they are operating in disharmony we feel a disconnect. We feel lost, stuck or confused. We also may feel the pull towards wellness, wholeness and authenticity. We just need to go back to our ‘Why?’ to realign and move forward.

 Life is like a spiral. We move forward and backward as we make progress. It’s all good.

Sometimes we take our eyes off our own dreams and hitch our wagon to someone else’s as we move forward. It doesn’t mean it’s wrong. It means it is right for now. As long as you are aware and that your ‘why’ is being honored, it is o.k.

Revealing your ‘Why’s’ are the only lasting motivation and real fuel that will incite you to move on, forward or change.

Look at what your imagination is showing you…Listen to what your intuition is whispering … Feel where your heart center is being pulled towards. When you align, you will naturally sustain it.

And, remember,

Your Why is different from My Why is different from Her Why is different from His Why…

Your ‘why’ is the only thing that has ever motivated you and that ever will.

Love,

Susan

The post Discover Your ‘Why?’ appeared first on SUSAN MULLEN.

What shows up when you hear the word ‘nourish’? I see a plate of my favorite root vegetables baked to perfection. Funny, isn’t it, what a word can conjure up in each of us?

We are designed to nourish what serves our journey, and lead, help or assist others to the same.

Nourishment is innate love; the fuel and oxygen that sustains a life force. At least, to me.

We all have plenty of relationships… with ideas, concepts, perceptions, institutions, people and animals, just to name a few…but the most important human relationship we can have is with ourselves. (not to compare or dismiss God, Source, Buddha…or (insert your word).

But, if we want to be the leader of our lives as active participants, the first human relationship to master is with ourselves. 

Part of leading others to live more intuitively is first looking at the whole picture of one’s experiences –  physically, energetically and in their perspectives. I will notice what parts are flourishing, keeping in mind that anything, even things like candida flourish….

So,  what is flourishing  in your life?  Wellness? Illness? Contentment? Bitterness? Harmony? Less than harmonious relationships?

Would you want a butterfly to only remember what life was like as a caterpillar?

I didn’t think so.  And, I do not want that for you.

So, spend some time thinking about the areas in your life that you sustain each day – that you literally engage in – in energy or thought.

You will see

Are you in a relationship with wellness or in a disordered relationship with food, your body or image? Are you in a relationship with the past, experiencing the present or are you always courting the future?

Has ‘now’ ever been good enough for you? Remember , ‘Now’ was once your future, too.

Would you choose you as a trusted friend knowing how you treat or speak of others… in the presence of others…?

You get it…

The flourishing  areas in our lives are those we give oxygen.

If you’d like things to be different right now, then allow things to be different. Allow means extinguish the oxygen line that sustains the past, the trite, the victim or the too- far- in- the- future self.

To arrive at an amazing future, we have to experience an amazing Now. 

Step back from areas you’d rather lay to rest. See what survives on it’s own without your participation.

Nourish respect ~ of your energy, boundaries, time, body, work, play and health and teach those in your custodial care to do the same- not to be confused with your extended family or inner circle. We must allow other adults the privilege to care for themselves in the same way, so we can meet our relationships whole to fully experience them. Even Lucy’s only 5 cent patient was Charlie Brown! Friends refer friends to wellness practitioners, so friends can truly be friends.

The experience of being fabulous ‘you’  is completely up to you!

Because, let’s be honest

We’re either the doormat or the polished shoe stepping across it, right?

No one gets walked on unless she is lying down. Command more for yourself and I promise,  you will get it.

Try this quick, but highly effective meditation ~

Imagine your life as a tree. Imagine….where is this tree and what does it look like? 

This is you as a tree. You are standing straight, tall and with a commanding life force. You have a strong trunk with a base of roots that reach far below the earth’s surface. You easily sustain high winds and storms. You weather seasons beautifully year after year. You do so because of your strong connection to the earth’s water supply and natural nutrients.  You produce fruitful limbs because of the clean energy you consume to nourish your body.

And, so you are.

If you can sit in imagination with this, ask this tree her/his name. Accept whatever name or word shows up. (Look this name or word up for more insight.)

Congratulations, you just met your ally!

Your higher self who is there to truly stand up for you now has a name and physical representation.

Conjure the image of this beautiful tree and call her/him by name whenever you need strength or to be reminded of what you’re made of.  Sit in meditation beside this tree once a day, at her base for just five minutes and you will feel more connected in your mind, body and spirit.

I’m curious, will you nourish differently now?

Please respond here,  I’d love to know!

Love,

Susan

The post What We Nourish Will Flourish : Intuitive Living appeared first on SUSAN MULLEN.

Many of you know I work from home but always have my hands in a few different projects at any given time. I love spending time with my friends and family, enjoy my life at home – with one daughter out on her own and one at home, along with a busy life with a loving and hard working husband and a few well cared for cats. Yeah, I’ve got a full life just like you.

But, ‘balance’ is not my favorite go-to word.

I resonate so much more with ‘harmony’.  

‘Balance’ is one of those buzz words from the 80’s when it was all about acquiring, doing, and having more. Women, especially felt it. It has a tipping of the scale feel where if one thing is up and managed, something else must be down. We know that no two or more things can be easily, equally managed. (I’m a coach, I know these things..that’s why we’re all tired!) wink.

So…something’s gotta give.

I admit, I loved the phrase ‘balance it all’! I tried. I failed. I learned. Those who tried to balance it all eventually started to feel they were always letting someone or something down, and many times, they allowed it to be themselves. They held everything and everyone else up…and, well, we know where that can lead.

So, maintaining ‘balance’ just doesn’t make sense or really even work.

It is a highly counterintuitive concept.

We can never really progress forward, enjoy the now, or live in ease when in the midst of striving for balance. Whereas, ‘Harmony‘ is that natural rhythm when everything is working together, in sync, at any given time. ‘Harmony’ is a support system concept more so than a teeter totter concept.

When I feel overwhelm, I know my trine –  my mind, body and spirit are in disharmony. I might also notice I suddenly seek out my feel-good detour behaviors or get cranky too easily. Those are my signals to…

…stop, feel & take Intuitive Inventory.

I will not think about the shoulds, woulds or coulds…I just feel ‘what is’. I’ll notice where the flow turned topsy-turvy….I’ll see where I’m overdoing & under-being, and mismanaging. I will keep what is truly mine and release what is not to the rightful owners.

You can take Intuitive Inventory right now. Take a minute to feel out your life this very minute (no thinking allowed).  Allow the images of the people, places and things in your daily life to bubble up and appear. You may sense a restrictive, unbalanced feeling around some of it or you will feel an openness around all of it.  If you feel restrictive, suddenly feel guilty, or tired, you may have too much on your plate and you may be striving to balance things that are not even yours, but you said yes. You, too, can return what is not yours to their rightful owners.

So do it..It is your privilege and responsibility to take care of your trine and allow others to take care of theirs.

There is a time for everything we could possibly want and desire. We are still loving, friendly and sincere people even if we have to decline and invitation now and then.

Having it all or balancing it all doesn’t have to come at once. And, it doesn’t mean forever ~

Strive for Harmony instead ~ It is found in maintaining the ‘now’.

Love,

Susan

The post Seeking balance? Think again. appeared first on SUSAN MULLEN.

Hello faithful Readers and Followers!

I know you are here…I see how you stop by each month to see what’s new on the blog, and I so appreciate your loyalty. I’m away working on special projects this month off and on… but in January – everything changes. So excited to offer something new!

But, first, I have a few questions:

• Are you ready to make 2014 the year everything falls together?
• Is it time for you to step into your power as you shed the layers that have kept you small?
• Do you want to reclaim the love you once had for your body and reveal a new appreciation for her?   
• Are you a Bride to Be who wants to zip up a smaller wedding dress and release overwhelm as you plan the most important days of your life?

I am kicking off 2014 with boots on & I’m offering this proven weight release series in a group environment for a small, select circle of women for January enrollment!

You are invited to join a select circle of smart, motivated women, who, maybe like you, are choosing to invest in their best future selves. Join us for my ReMap Series if deep down, after years of taking care of everyone else, you know on a soul level that it’s high time to pay attention to YOU. You want to live a stress free environment (meaning both your mind and your body) and you know you need to get this thing figured out once and for all. Could this be you or someone you know?

As a Certified Intuitive Coach© in Weight Release Energetix© I will be using the trademarked, ground breaking In-Vizion© Process founded by International Intuitive and MICI founder, Colette Baron-Reid in my ReMap &  Un-Veiled Bride Series.

Take a short Quiz!

Are you a woman who:

• Feels too much and who feels things deeply? You may know you are empathic, highly intuitive or a sensitive and the feelings and emotions of those around you cling to you.
• Has trouble defining where others end and you begin?
• Turns to food to feel grounded or safe after an argument, a bad day at work, or coming home from a crowded mall? You may also use food as a reward for yourself or others, and to escape feeling.
• During stressful times, can you gain weight without even eating extra food?
• Secretly fears success and the positive changes tidier thinking and a fitter body may bring to your life, to your ‘roles’ and to your spouse/partner?
• Wants to finally lose the weight & the weight of your world and regain control?

If you answered yes to three or more, you qualify.

By signing up for January enrollment You Get:

My full Weight Release Energetix© Series – The ReMap  or Un-Veiled Bride – Each, An Eight Week / Four -Step Series with individual attention as my private one- on- one Client. 

Added Bonus: Access to my Private Facebook Group with me and the select circle of women who are all starting at the same time! Enjoy a positive, supportive small group environment where you can chat and meet others on the same road to success at the same pace each step of the way! The group is available to you 24/7 to share inspiration and moral support, and once a week we will all meet up ‘live’ to chat and I can answer any questions you may have above and beyond your private one on one coaching sessions.

Please see the full ReMap description and pricing right here under  ‘Services’ on my website at www.susantmullen.com

You will:

• Reveal Love for the body you live in as you make peace with yourself and with food
• Discover it’s not just what you eat, but also why. Learn the differences between empathetic eating and emotional eating
• Learn techniques for setting and maintaining healthy boundaries and environments that support your overall wellness
• Learn energetic tools that are life long practices that specifically quiet your energetic field and stop overwhelm in just minutes
• Lose weight as the natural side effect being in alignment
• Be inspired, motivated and fully supported by me for the entire eight week series while having access to meet and chat with other women on the same journey as you.

What you need to know: Dates & Information:

• The ReMap – Weight Release Energetix Series kicks off the week of January 6^th, 2014.
• I will accept applicants who return the New Client Application to me by December 11th, 2013 on a first come basis.
• I will return the Pay Pal link to those accepted on DECEMBER 11^th, 2013 – by end of day. One half of the series fee is due via Pay Pal on DECEMBER 12^th, 2013 as retainer to secure a spot.

If this seems like perfect timing & a perfect fit for you, then it is for you. It’s why it’s under your nose.

Once registration and retainer is received, please Private Message me on my Community Facebook page Susan Mullen, Intuitive Living to receive the invitation to the Private Facebook Group. It is possible you may have to become facebook ‘friends’ with me at first. It’s OK, after you are entered into the group, we will un-friend to keep the integrity and your own personal privacy.

You may email the new client application anytime, as it is on a first come basis. I will notify everyone who applies either way of acceptance…and don’t worry, I will be offering this again in early Spring.

One last note: I am away working through December 10th, at which time I will be back and able to answer any questions you may have and to help get you signed up.

So, is 2014 the year you come back to life?  * This is not a new years resolution *  This is a once in a lifetime game-changer. 

If you think this would be perfect for someone you know, please feel free to forward!

Love,

Susan

The post Certified Intuitive Coach (c) : Weight Release Energetix (c) : In Vizion (c) : January 2014 Select Circle Enrollment appeared first on SUSAN MULLEN.

I studied for a year and a half in both a volunteer position and as a student under the direction of Colette Baron-Reid at her Master Intuitive Coaching Institute while earning my intuitive coach certification.

To me our purpose is in fact, our light. It is never really lost so it doesn’t have to be found. We veer off the path or allow resistance in, and sometimes we just need a new perspective. I walk and weave through my path as I change and grow, but I know this path now and I choose to stay on it.  It is not my entire skill set, because I am not one dimensional and I know my light is not a skill set at all. It’s discovering the right avenue. And when you do, life becomes the adventure of a lifetime!

Perspective is power and recognizing & listening is the key. 

Maybe your purpose is not your skill set either or the reason you went to college or even how you earn your living. It’s great if it is, but that part doesn’t always reveal our light. When we remain in the box of ‘I have to make my living by (…………) or I’m a failure!’ There’s no wiggle room to even explore. It may be a volunteer position or you may be the next Steve Jobs. One thing I know? It probably has something to do with sharing & caring for a greater good for people, animals or the earth, or to inspire others in your own reach – your own community…yeah, you get it. It remains buried when we ignore the whispers & detour towards comfort, safety to protect the status quo.

Recognizing our purpose (our light) lies in the ‘how it feels’ when we are truly participating in it, and in how our contribution & participation creates value for something greater.

You have your own light and path. Revealing it starts with being the Leader of your Own life. Ta-Da! —Taking you by your shoulders and gently turning you towards a beautiful, un-chartered path— There! A new path showed up just for you! We must be willing to step away from the crowd, drop dogma, conditioning or any inherited beliefs that keeps us from walking it.

Some choose safety to stretching. In this work, I see many who do have this search and agree that it feels like being homesick. It’s like staying too long in someone else’s house or passed down life.

So, You DO have an idea why you are here, don’t you?

Revealing it lies in our courage department. It takes courage to show up and be who we were born to be. Utilizing it lies in our trust department. When we try too hard to protect our vision, we are implementing control by hanging on too tightly to an outcome. That is a protection mechanism that prevents movement. If we ever feel stuck on this path, we must be willing to let go of, or even add to, something else in order to rise.

Remember that path I just introduced to you? It’s for you. You don’t see the entire road, do you? It’s because the joy is found when we en(joy) the path and not strain to see the destination or any material comfort it may provide; just focus on the next right step.

So, go. Smell the flowers, discover the forest…walk towards the sun.  Take your time; take someone else’s hand. You will meet up with many who are walking similar paths alongside you. That’s how you’ll know.

Your path is unlike anyone else’s. Blaze it.

Love,

Susan

The post What Is My Purpose? appeared first on SUSAN MULLEN.

Saying ‘Yes’ can sometimes get a bad rap in traditional coaching, but it’s one of the best vehicles for movement because it allows an energy exchange without blocking. I like to look for things to say Yes to rather than No because saying no is easy enough to become habit forming, and we lose the open door of opportunity when it’s easy.

I’m not talking about saying Yes to a bunch of cookies or adding volunteer hours to an already full plate. This is about intuitively discerning who or what to say Yes to while tidying up boundaries & strengthening our instinctive sensors. Our intuitive body can either be completely closed off, blocked, or strengthened & fine tuned with use.

The universe delivers who and what we’re made of, not just what we ask for. We experience & receive according to what we truly believe we already Are & Deserve. When we accept less from others, ourselves and the world, we can expect less. When we play small, remain dim, or stand in judgment, we’re saying ‘..Oh universe…over here…Less, Please’ from our lower vibration.

Want to attract more of what’s Really trying to show up for you? Then, Expect more, Be more and Seek more. Rumi so brilliantly says ‘What you are seeking is seeking you’. Say ‘Yes’ to the scary stuff. The experiences outside of our comfort zones make us stretch, and stretching is movement. If you tend to be scared or too proud too often, check in with your ego or inner critic. The scary stuff is often showing up as the vehicle for what’s really for you. 

I have ‘Yes’ days…Shhh..I don’t tell anyone of course, but there are days where I won’t block energy. If it isn’t illegal, why not? I know, my fun is odd! But it’s amazing to receive what shows up for me. I’m often happily surprised.

When abundance, the right people and circumstances start showing up, don’t write it off, write it down. Keeping an intuitive journal is a fun way to keep track of all the right decisions!

Seek, trust, receive.

Love,

Susan

The post The power of YES appeared first on SUSAN MULLEN.