Aha Moment!

All the Love and Support We Need

This past week I had a conversation with Kate Wallinga for her podcast, Ignorance Was Bliss. One of the things we talked about was spirituality and the difficulty some people have with the concept of God as a man with a white beard in the sky. I was a little surprised by my response to that. I said that to me, God was a feeling of love, acceptance, support, and protection. Kate liked that. And I liked it too. I’ve never talked about God in that way before.

Later I was thinking about one of the spiritual teachers I follow, Gregg Braden. In his work he combines science and spirituality and his main focus is on how powerful our heart is. Since everything is energy, love is the most powerful of all the energies. 

I often listen to Gregg’s videos on YouTube, or on Instagram and one of the things he talks about is how centering our prayers in our heart to send out powerful emotional energy, is much better than using words. 

Gregg tells a story in some of this videos to illustrate this fact. He was out walking with one of his Native American friends in the hills in New Mexico near his home. As I remember the story, they were experiencing a drought at the time and his friend was going to pray for rain. When they reached the location his friend had chosen, the two of them stood in silent prayer. After a few moments, Gregg’s friend said, “Okay, we can go now,” and they left. Later that day, the rain started. The weather reports had not predicted rain. But this was an extremely heavy rain storm which lasted for a day or two complete with flash flooding. Gregg asked his friend what he prayed for to get that much rain. His friend said, “I didn’t pray FOR rain. I felt, smelled, and heard the rain. I experienced what it was like to be in the rain.” To me that’s how God comes to us. We feel her/his presence. Our heart swells with love. We feel accepted and protected as if no matter what everything is going to be okay.

This past monsoon, I decided to try Gregg’s friend’s method of praying. We really needed a rainy monsoon season. Since I’m not very proficient in this kind of prayer, I took time every morning to feel, hear, and smell the rain and we did have good rains during monsoon. So now, instead of trying to quiet my mind during my daily meditation, I touch my heart and feel all the love and support that is always present. All I need do is tap into it and I’ll get the messages I need when I need them.

When I’m tempted to fall into fear, I remember Gregg’s friend and stop to center my attention on my heart. It can be daunting to live through times like now, when everything around us seems to be crumbling. I mean we get used to life being a certain way. But change is inevitable. We don’t have to panic. We’re never alone and are always supported even if we don’t think we are. All we have to do is ask for help and expect that we’ll get an answer.

Thanks to my new and old followers. I hope you will leave a comment, and share these posts with your family and friends.

Have a fantastic weekend.

Blessings,

Lucinda Sage-Midgorden ©2021

Lucinda is the author of The Space Between Time, an award finalist in the “Fiction: Fantasy” category of the 2017 Best Book Awards.

Have you ever experienced life shattering events? Yeah, most of us have. In The Space Between Time, Jenna Holden gets slammed by her fiancé walking out, her mother’s untimely death, and losing her job all in one week. But she receives unexpected help when she finds her three-times great-grandmother’s journals and begins the adventure of a lifetime.

The Space Between Time is available in all ebook formats at Smashwords and for Kindle at Amazon, or you can find the ebook at iBooks or Barnes and Noble. If you prefer a physical copy, you can find a print-on-demand version at Amazon. Stay tuned for news when the audiobook version is published.

Lucinda is also the host of Story-Power a podcast where she and her guests discuss their creative endeavors, and/or the stories that have changed their lives. It’s available here on Sage Woman Chronicles and on Apple, Google, and Spotify podcast apps. Please rate and leave a review. It helps people find me.

All Hallows’ Eve

Jim and Goldie Sage

This year I see Halloween in a whole new way. All Hallows’ Eve can be a celebration of our loved ones who have passed on instead of going trick-or-treating and partying. On Halloween, we have an opportunity to thank our ancestors for all they’ve contributed to our evolution.

I live near the Mexican border where Dia de los Muertos is celebrated on November 1st and 2nd. I didn’t understand this holiday at first and thought it was a morbid kind of ceremony but I was wrong. It’s a joyful celebration to gather, feast, and pay respects to and remember family and friends who have passed on. It’s meant to remember the good things about them and how they touched the lives of the celebrants. Now that I know more about it, I think it’s beautiful to take time to remember our loved ones and celebrate who they were.

This year I’ve been thinking a great deal about the things that my ancestors passed down to me. Maybe it’s different in other parts of the world, but in the United States, we tend to think of ourselves as pretty much self-contained. I’m reminded of this every time I watch shows like Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr. on PBS. There is always a point in the show where the guest says that knowing more about their ancestry helps them understand certain things about themselves and makes them feel more complete. It gives them a different perspective about who they really are. That’s the point when I cry with them. Our ancestors helped us become who we are in more ways than we might have previously acknowledged.

Not only did our ancestors pass down their DNA, they also passed down states of being, attitudes about life, and other tendencies that might be playing out in our lives. I only know a little bit about my ancestors. I do know this. Most of them were people who worked hard to sustain their families. Many had the courage to move hundreds of miles to find a better life because they didn’t have lots in the way of material goods or opportunities where they were living. Some of them were and are remembered as deeply spiritual people who ministered to others in very humble ways. Those themes run through my life. I inherited good tendencies and not so good ones, but one thing I’ve learned over this last year is that I can heal old wounds suffered by them, which allows me to stop repeating family patterns and head in a new direction.

Today, I want to honor and thank my ancestors for all the things they passed down to me. For the support I feel from them from the other side during this time when the veil is thin and we can communicate better. I want to learn from their mistakes and use what I’ve learned to change my life in positive ways. 

Here’s to those who preceded us! Here is to who we will become as we move forward on our spiritual journey! I look forward to winter, a time I use for self-examination and contemplation so I can heal more old stuff and start a new year fresh.

Welcome to my new followers. I hope you will take time to comment on my posts, or share them with friends and family. And thank you to all of you who have stuck with me all these years as I grow as a writer and a person.

Blessings,

Lucinda Sage-Midgorden © 2021

Lucinda is the author of The Space Between Time, an award finalist in the “Fiction: Fantasy” category of the 2017 Best Book Awards.

Have you ever experienced life shattering events? Yeah, most of us have. In The Space Between Time, Jenna Holden gets slammed by her fiancé walking out, her mother’s untimely death, and losing her job all in one week. But she receives unexpected help when she finds her three-times great-grandmother’s journals and begins the adventure of a lifetime.

The Space Between Time is available in all ebook formats at Smashwords and for Kindle at Amazon, or you can find the ebook at iBooks or Barnes and Noble. If you prefer a physical copy, you can find a print-on-demand version at Amazon. Stay tuned for news when the audiobook version is published.

Lucinda is also the host of Story-Power a podcast where she and her guests discuss their creative endeavors, and/or the stories that have changed their lives. It’s available here on Sage Woman Chronicles and on Apple, Google, and Spotify podcast apps. Please rate and leave a review. It helps people find me.

Story Sharing

Sam Thiara is a professional who has created a personal journey as a storyteller, writer, workshop facilitator, problem solver, educator and entrepreneur.  His goal is to engage individuals in their personal and professional development and was recognized by the Governor General of Canada for his work in the hundreds of individuals he has mentored and the thousands he has engaged. Added to this are the 45+ non-profits that he has worked with over the years.
Presently, Sam is the Founder and Chief Motivating Officer at Ignite the Dream Coaching and Consulting, a platform that engages his audience to define their path.  A key element is transformational practices where he is an expert in youth career coaching and supports teams and organizations in corporate alignment.  He co-founded a youth career platform that has gone nationwide.

He is a lecturer at the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University where he blends academic and professional experiences into a rich environment that captivates his audience.  Finally, he is an accomplished and sought after speaker and has two TEDx talks to his name and speaks at conferences, seminars and workshops about 30-35 times a year.  Added to his speaking is the book he recently wrote a book called, ‘Lost and Found: Seeking the Past and Finding Myself’.  It focuses on his journey to India to find his ancestral roots with little else than a faded photograph and determination.  The book is also about realizing one’s cultural identity because many struggle with understanding who they are.

Sam’s signature tagline is, “Everyone’s life is an autobiography, make yours worth reading.”

Lost and Found: Seeking the Past, Finding Myself, Sam Thiara

Personal Storytelling: Discovering the Extraordinary in the Ordinary

Sam’s WebsiteYou can access Sam’s TED talks, his blog, book and more through Sam’s Website.

Beth Hanson and Ceci Lewis Story~Power Episode 24 “Every Life is a Library”

Gemma Germán Story~Power Episode 26 “Finding Your Niche” 

Sam’s acronyms discussed in the episode

Carpe

Curiosity

Appreciation

Reflection

Perspective

Experience

Care

Collaboration

Adaptability

Resilience

Empathy

“Humans are not ideally set up to understand logic; they are ideally set up to understand stories.” ~ Roger C. Schank, Cognitive Scientist 

Grab Bag

Harvest Feast

Today I want to write about things I’ve been thinking about for a couple weeks. My thoughts are still evolving on these issues but sometimes I don’t know what I really think, or see errors in my thought process until I write them down.

We’re not seeing a whole lot of news coverage of about the whole Facebook scandal anymore. However, I’ve been ruminating about that situation and have some thoughts I’d like to share.

I’m never a fan of people, companies, or governments who put money before human beings. We’ve suspected, if not known for certain, that Facebook was really more into making money than helping their subscribers connect with each other in positive ways. We could blame Mark Zuckerberg, call him greedy, uncaring, and not willing to take responsibility for the havoc he’s caused by not quelling the extremists using his platform. Some of that might be true, I don’t know because I didn’t listen to the whistle blower testimony. I just know it’s not my place to judge him.

My point about using social media of any kind is that we must take responsibility for our own choices. If I’m going to use Facebook or Instagram, I need to be careful about the people and groups I follow. I’m responsible for how I interact with my contacts and for the things I consume on the platforms. It’s kind of like there is a whole potluck of possibilities and we must be picky about what we choose to pay attention to. If I want only positive things showing up in my Facebook and Instagram feed, I have to make choices about who I connect with online. It’s not that I don’t want to know what’s going on in the world, it’s just that I want to get my news from reputable news outlets. 

When I do read or listen to the news, I also get to decide if I’m going to descend into fear about those events or not. I choose not to go into fear because I don’t think that’s productive. I can’t help change the world if I’m paralyzed fearing about what’s going to happen next. It’s all kind of a balancing act. 

There ARE horrific things going on in the world, and I do experience fear from time to time. On the other hand saying prayers and sending positive energy is helpful. Scientists are proving that our universe is made up of energy and what we place our attention on does change things. Knowing that, I choose to focus on as many positive events and even my own emotions as much as I can. It’s challenging work, but I also monitor my thoughts. Am I being cynical? Do I use negative language or think judgmental things about others? When I realize my thinking is out of whack, I work on cleaning up my act.

The bottom line is, what happens to us personally and out in the greater world is a result of what we think and feel in our heads and hearts. It’s about the story we tell ourselves. So we have be diligent about clearing out the old conditioning to get to a happier place.

The second thing I’ve been thinking about is just how much assistance we have access to if we choose to ask for help. You can call the assistance God, or whatever you wish, but we are definitely not alone. I’m sad when people think it’s them against the world because in my experience that’s just not true. But, the entities who want to help will not act unless we ask for it. How many times in a movie, or book have we heard a character, who supposedly doesn’t believe in God, say something like, “God, if you’re there, I need help?” And the help comes.

Here we are with so many problems happening in the world, we can’t keep up with them. And yet, help is available. All we have to do is say, “I’m depressed and I don’t know how to cope with all the stress. Will you help me?” The key to getting the help is not just asking, but then looking for the signs that it’s there.

There is a character in Ted Lasso, Sam Obisanya, one of Richmond’s star players, who is wined and dined by a billionaire futbol (soccer) enthusiast from Ghana who wants Sam to come play for his all African futbol team. For many different reasons Sam’s on the fence about whether or not to accept. He calls his dad back in Nigeria for advice and his dad says, “Ask for a sign.” To which Sam says, “Ask for a sign? What do you mean?” And his dad tells him of a time when he needed to make a big decision. He asked for a sign about what he should choose and when he looked for the sign, it came and he never regretted following the guidance he got. Sam thanks his dad and hangs up. He says to himself,”I need a sign!” And there in the soccer pitch in the field next to the sidewalk where he’s standing are several players wearing Richmond jerseys with his name and number on the back. He just smiles. He got his answer only seconds after hanging up with his father. His good decision is confirmed when he tells the billionaire that he has decided not to leave Richmond. The billionaire throws the biggest hissy fit. Sam and everyone in the locker room just stare in amazement at one of the riches men in the world acting like a five year old. At the end of the episode we see that Sam has purchased a building which he is planning to turn into a Nigerian restaurant. 

If we’re open to it, signs for our welfare are everywhere. We just have to practice asking for and watching for them.

The third thing I want to do is ask for your help. I’m still in the exploration stage of this, but I’m thinking of starting a Patreon community where for a small monthly fee my followers can support all my creative endeavors and get exclusive extra content that only they have access to. I have a couple of ideas of what some of that content could be, like a story club, where once a month we can chat for an hour or two about stories we’ve consumed and share them with the group. Or maybe I’d share snippets of my novel and ask for your comments to help me improve it.

I’m interested to know, if you were to join my community, what kinds of things would you like to read, or participate in? I don’t know about you, but sometimes it’s just nice to hang out with like minded people and have a great conversation. It’s one of the things I love about doing Story~Power. I get to have fantastic conversations with people from all over the world. Let me know what you think in the comments below, or send me an email if you want to keep your thoughts private. Thanks in advance.

Welcome to my new followers. I’m happy you found me. Feel free to share this blog, or my podcasts with your friends. I hope all is well with you in your part of the world.

Blessings to you all.

Lucinda Sage-Midgorden © 2021

Lucinda is the author of The Space Between Time, an award finalist in the “Fiction: Fantasy” category of the 2017 Best Book Awards.

Have you ever experienced life shattering events? Yeah, most of us have. In The Space Between Time, Jenna Holden gets slammed by her fiancé walking out, her mother’s untimely death, and losing her job all in one week. But she receives unexpected help when she finds her three-times great-grandmother’s journals and begins the adventure of a lifetime.

The Space Between Time is available in all ebook formats at Smashwords and for Kindle at Amazon, or you can find the ebook at iBooks or Barnes and Noble. If you prefer a physical copy, you can find a print-on-demand version at Amazon. Stay tuned for news when the audiobook version is published.

Lucinda is also the host of Story-Power a podcast where she and her guests discuss their creative endeavors and/or the stories that have changed their lives. It’s available here on Sage Woman Chronicles and on Apple, Google, and Spotify podcast apps. Please rate and leave a review. It helps people find me.

Coming Out of My Shell

Cadfael’s herb garden

“Let go of your past, dwell not on your mistakes. If your playing small didn’t work out in the past, it most likely won’t work now. Release the fear, the anger, the troubles, the worries. They will only make you weak and unable to move ahead. Evaluate your life, discard what is not working. Shed your old skin and never look back.” ~ Asuni LadyZeal

“There is no passion to be found in playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” ~ Nelson Mandela

“Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me.” ~ Carol Burnett

For years I kept my head down, trying to navigate the scary and hostile world. I did this because I’m a highly sensitive person and situations that were perfectly normal to most of my friends, affected me much more deeply. For example, I have a really hard time being in situations, or even consuming movies and books, where people are being personally belittled. If I’m in a store and a parent is yelling at their child, I cringe. I want to intervene. And yet, I hesitate. Is it my place to say something? It depends on the situation.

Here’s what I’ve learned over the years. If I stay connected to Divine Oneness, and I feel prompted to keep quiet, I do. If I blurt out something, which has happened to me several times, I know I’m supposed to say something. Speaking up in those situations has been a good thing. 

This desire to remain relatively invisible has affected other parts of my life as well. At almost every job I’ve ever had, I kept my head down and did my work. Often, I appeared to be doing what I was told, but sometimes I fudged it. In the early 2000s the principal at the high school where I was working gave us the directive to take cell phones from the students we saw using them in class. We were supposed to take the phones to the office where the parents would be called to authorize giving them back at the end of the day. Right or wrong, I thought that was a ludicrous rule. The flood gates were already open. Almost everyone had a cell phone, we weren’t going to stop students from using them. I thought the rule would alienate the students, not a good thing when working with teenagers. The one exception to the rule I thought was valid was when the students were testing. 

So, I made up my own rule. I told my students at the beginning of the year they had three strikes before I took away their phones. If I asked them to put their phone away three times, I’d take it and put it in a basket. They could have it at the end of class. I think the students appreciated being treated as if they could be responsible because I had very few problems with students abusing cell phone usage during class.

Recently I’ve been thinking about my habit of trying to remain virtually invisible. Over these last few years, I’ve begun to speak up more and more often. I started this blog because I have lots to say about what’s happening in my personal life, and in the world around us. Maybe that’s also why I created Story~Power. I have lots to say, but I’m also curious about how other people experience what’s going on around them. I feel the need to get new perspectives and challenge what I think about the way the world works. It’s uncomfortable sometimes to shake up my belief systems. Yet, I know from experience, doing so is vitally important if I want to grow.

I’m going to work at being more open about my life lessons from failures and successes. Hiding in my shell isn’t an option if I want to share my creative work.

Having written that, I’m exhausted and maybe it’s from spreading myself too thin. I can’t be everything to everyone. As I wrote last week, I’m ready to break free from teaching and put all my efforts into building a community of people who are creative and want to make the world a better place in which to live. Creating something new happens one little step at a time. I have to be okay with that for now.

Welcome to my new followers. I hope you’ll share your wisdom with us.

Blessings,

Lucinda Sage-Midgorden © 2021

Lucinda is the author of The Space Between Time, an award finalist in the “Fiction: Fantasy” category of the 2017 Best Book Awards.

Have you ever experienced life shattering events? Yeah, most of us have. In The Space Between Time, Jenna Holden gets slammed by her fiancé walking out, her mother’s untimely death, and losing her job all in one week. But she receives unexpected help when she finds her three-times great-grandmother’s journals and begins the adventure of a lifetime.

The Space Between Time is available in all ebook formats at Smashwords and for Kindle at Amazon, or you can find the ebook at iBooks or Barnes and Noble. If you prefer a physical copy, you can find a print-on-demand version at Amazon. Stay tuned for news when the audiobook version is published.

Lucinda is also the host of Story-Power a new podcast where she and her guests discuss the stories in all formats that have changed their lives. It’s available here on Sage Woman Chronicles and on Apple, Google, and Spotify podcast apps. Please rate and leave a review. It helps people find me.