On God, Love and Life in Ease and Flow

I'm thrilled to share my journey of spirituality with my daughter. What a journey of expansion and awakening this has been - and continues to be. I am grateful for all that I am learning, in this time and space, this lifetime.

On each leg of my journey, I learn the love of God/Goddess/Source/Universe in new and unshakable ways.

I rarely endorse books because I feel that we often relinquish our power to discern, when we read, but I've recommended a few here that truly resonate with me. I invite you to read within a state of loving awareness - see if it sits well with you. Stop and ponder as often as you need to.

From God Directly

My journey began before the age of six (6), with a God who spoke to me all the time. Sure, we attended the Anglican church, but I seem to have blocked anything I might had heard of Christ from there. When I was scared, he (male at that time) spoke through thunder in the skies or a soothing voice in and around me, comforting me and reminding me of his omnipotence and unconditional love for me.

When those who should love me became dangerous, he revealed the root of their hurts and I learned compassion where those around me at the time only had judgment. He saved me from becoming a monster to protect myself from monsters. At eight (8) years old, I promised to never let this world steal my innocence - that I would honour his love for me by becoming love, myself.

Today, I believe this to have been God, yes, but through my inner being and, perhaps, my guide as well.

From God in Christ

At eight (8), I'd left private school to enter the (for me) tyrannical Roman Catholic primary school system. It was at that time that I finally started hearing, or noticing, Christ in the teaching of the Anglican (English Catholic) church we still attended.

Clear that no one was choosing my God for me - not after all he'd done for me - at school, I got quite a few spankings for refusing to say the sorrowful mysteries of Mary, mother of God and the intercessor on our behalf with Christ (to Roman Catholics). It didn't feel quite right, but alright, I began calling God "Christ".

I learned about fear (no, not respect; fear) - there were things that could keep me from God for eternity - I learned about guilt, shame, turning the other cheek, doormat politeness, the sin of sex, the evils of money and the rich, and being born a sinner. My God never said any of these things to me, nor did Christ, but suddenly, "what if I wasn't hearing him right? These people seemed pretty sure." Enter doubting my own ability to hear God.

THIS, I believe, is the most dangerous teaching of religions (and heirarchy-focused or authoritarian organizations, in general) - "as a flawed human, you're likely wrong. Leave it to us leaders to discern, and be sure to get 'confirmation' from at least two (2) leaders before you believe what you think you've heard yourself". In essence, "give up your relationship with God and with your intuition, and trust ours instead".

Today, I understand that as a direct creation of God, I (and each aspect of creation) hears God correctly. We may interpret based on our level of maturity, but even that has been stunted by our perceived inability to trust ourselves to discern God and to self-govern - something we did just fine in egalitarian societies.

There was no devil or serpent or sin that separated us from knowing and hearing God - there were only human beings driven by fear who presented the illusion of separation from God so that we would turn to them to connect with God again.

Money and / or the love of it is not the root of all evil. It's a convenient notion to instill a fear of it, so that it's left to the few fear-filled wealthy global citizens, as far back as ~2000 BCE periods and even further back. Still, when you shed light on money, you'll see that as long as you manage it, and aren't a slave to it (which ironically only the non-rich are, exchanging our best lives for money), it works with God for your good and the good of all you encounter. It's energy.

If you're interested, Wallace Wattles frames it well (for me) in "The Science of Getting Rich". "The Alphabet versus The Goddess" by Leonard Shlain (not at all a religious book) mentions that in egalitarian societies, money didn't exist! Egalitarian societies were feminine-based, designed around self-governance not central government.

Self governance, personal sovereignty and free will, all aspects of being human that we allow religion and hierarchy-focused or authoritarian organizations to take from us. I'm healing in those areas now, and taking my power back.

From God in Christ beyond Catholicism

Here, I learned more of the goodness of God. I learned a lot about how judgmental and controlling I had become, and began the journey of releasing that. Always introspective, this part of my journey took on greater maturity in viewing myself, not just looking at God. Enter "self" the sinner, but so much love too... a self capable of connecting with God myself, but that that must be seconded by wise counsel, of course.

I also learned, here, the evil of the mysterious arts, that women are the channel of sin and worse than men. Growing up in Trinidad and Tobago, exposed to multiple religions, I hadn't learned of one that clearly said something different. Coming to Canada to learn this - or to have it register on my radar - was a whole other smack in the face. Submit to your husband, be silent in Church... still, I stayed. I said, "because you are a God of Love, show me what this really means".

I'd accepted it - after all, the word of God is infallible, right? It was when the leadership began to silence my comments in bible study and in general, that I decided to leave. God in full love, of course, would not let me leave until I could fully release and forgive.

I had to accept that they were trapped and couldn't see Christ's real message of freedom in Love, for ALL of us as children of God. The politics of the Grecco-Roman era that decided the bible was infallible sealed their fate in fear. Loving them for all the good I had learned in the Church (this one and all at large), I finally left. This was when I left the Church for good.

Knowing God Today

You know how you keep living the same lessons over and over until you learn them - running into the same kind of boss, boyfriend/girlfriend, friends, fears, etcetera? That was my lesson with the Church - "release fear completely, follow me (God) in Love, and you will find the full truth of me everywhere", and my God, how true that has been.

Today, I know that the mysterious spiritual elements are feminine (or right brain) strengths shut down by modern religion. Intuition, psychic or clairvoyant gifts, the healing arts, must today all be explained to be valid. The masculine (or left brain) need things to be physical, tangible, explainable, and entire societies labelled their women witches and killed almost all of their women under the guise of a witch hunt. (How come no one has apologized for this?)

Did you know that the word "witch" is derived from the words 'wit' or 'wisdom' in the Greek BCE? Do your own Google search, of course, but this is also found in "Women Who Run With the Wolves" and a few other books that reveal the sources of our scary myths today. "The Alphabet versus The Goddess" by Leonard Shlain is another eye opener on the root of the witch hunt. Yikes.

Today, I know that we ALL, all of creation, return to God/Goddess/Source/Universe when we die, to be healed after our time on earth. We get to see clearly what we have learned while here, to remember all that was of Love and lovely about our time here. We also get to have a clearer lens (without fear) on what life is like when we avoid our light, God's light - what we call 'bad' or 'evil' is an absence of light. I know that God shows up to us as what we are comfortable with, as our current beliefs in this life. Books on this:

• https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25953787-the-unlimited-sparks-of-a-bonfire

• https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/104979.Journey_of_Souls

What freedom. I have never breathed more deeply, or relaxed and seen God in Love so clearly, as I do now. That keeps expanding.

Today, I know that we are born with no purpose except to learn and experience life fully and abundantly as we desire. I know that we have absolute free will, so we may choose a purpose or we may simply live to enjoy life or whatever we choose. We're free to change course, believe something else or hold firmly to our beliefs, to change lenses for a while or not. We're free.

I'm still learning, of course, so who knows what's next. I hope, whatever your journey, daughter of mine, that you remain free, overflowing in love and light, with a light heart that lets you soar and love being feminine. ❤

Love, Light and Abundance in all good things.

Crystal-Marie

What I Believe Today

What I Believe, Today

The one thing I've learned on my journey of love with God is that expansion never ceases. The Creator and Lover of our souls has created us all for the continued expansion of love and creation and that that Love includes everyone. That means that what I learn today can shift my understanding in major or minor ways, affecting what (and how) I believe tomorrow.

Be Still And Know That I Am God

As I observe my newborn baby girl, I cannot help but go even deeper in my knowledge of God, of my spirituality, as I consider the legacy of unconditional love, choice and free will that I leave for her. All I've ever felt from God was Love. All fear, doom & gloom, shame, judgement, perfectionism, etcetera, all came from people - never in my quiet moments with God. When I am still, I know that I am loved completely, endlessly, unconditionally - and that everyone else is too.

What I Know Today

What I know, believe, today is that:

Unconditional love, self governance and absolute free will are the basic gifts God gave all of us - no exceptions. We are all, each of us, direct children of our Creator, and that we thus create and further expand our world by our words.

Whatever we focus on expands. If we speak things into being, and thoughts become words and action, then if we are wise, we will choose words of Love, not of fear/worry.

No one - no one- can govern your connection with God but you. Beware of anyone who tells you

"how to hear and interpret God"

. I believe that boundary is as important to your health as being able to govern your own mind and body. In the same vein, know that these are my beliefs and that to discover truth, you must honour your Own beliefs. Of course, you must first find out what those are.

Babies, as souls, choose our parents based on what we hope to learn in our life on earth at this time and in this space. I believe we choose to be born in the particular place, space and time, to experience life on earth, as it can only be in this space and time.  As a parent, I believe that means I am to create the environment of security, sanctuary and free will, in Love, that will allow her to truly flourish during her time on earth.

We (may) choose to incarnate on earth (or elsewhere) multiple times during the life of our souls and that the Universe expands with our every thought, word and deed, here. We have the wisdom of intentional amnesia as souls to allow each incarnation to be lived without influence from the last, but that that life experience is still accessible.

One God, one Source, loves and covers everyone and all beings that exist, that we all return to that Creator upon death, to be healed, incorporate our life lessons and decide whether or not we want to return to grow more, as souls created by God.

Jesus Christ was indeed real, and really the son of God, but that he came not to make us stamps of him, but to let us know that we too are already also equally powerful sons and daughters of God.

The word "witch" comes from the word for "wit" and "wisdom" in Greek, and that if delve beyond the fear and control of "witchcraft" and religion, we will find a suppressed knowledge of a huge part of our natural abilities and knowledge as humans (

"Women Who Run With the Wolves"

, E. Pinkola). That no religion or spiritual practice has it all right or all wrong.

Bless You 

There's so much more to share. I hope I've inspired you to start truly assessing what you really believe (if you step out in Love and release fear), leaving behind what you should believe to discover your own truth- what God, the Universe, your inner being, is saying to only you. I dare say it makes for a more complete you, which the world really needs. ❤

In Love, Light and Abundance,

Crystal-Marie

A Beautiful Expression of Love in Spirituality

Such a beautiful expression of why I say "God is Love. Love covers All". Taken from my other blog -

http://lovecoversall-godislove.blogspot.ca/2017/11/an-expanded-view-of-god.html

My blog "Love covers All. God is Love" somewhat reveals my spiritual journey in small bits and pieces. As with this blog, "Protect Your Dreams", it's served as more of an occasional journal than as a blog, but I hope both have served to inspire you to simply Be & Love Yourself As Is, even if/as you continue to grow. I think today's find spans both.

My knowledge of God now certainly goes well beyond Christianity, or mere religion, for that matter. I don't believe all that's out there, but it is so absolutely true that we each hear God directly. I do hope you know and trust that this is true of you, as well - whether or not those around you agree.

This excerpt says a lot of what I currently believe - there's no one group that God loves or connects with above all...

"This spirituality sees that everything in nature has consciousness, and is therefore sacred. That the proper attitude of a human towards the Creator is gratitude. That all creatures are part of the family of life. And that no matter a person’s age or skin color or national origin, and whether living on Earth or resident out among the stars, the ancient Lakota [Sioux] saying handed down over the ages was entirely true: “Mitakuye oyasin!” Everyone is my relative."

Source:

https://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/vida_alien/starkids/starkids05.htm

What a journey of love and well-being this is!

Love, Light and Abundance in all good things.

Crystal-Marie

A Reflective Place, Rituals & Clarity

September,

November and January are always intuitively new beginnings for me.

I think how much I will miss summer and then fall sweeps me away on a beautiful and reflective spell. Any and everything is possible.

What seasons, activities, rituals, do this for you?

I'm learning: Empowering through Invitation, not Direction

Ever evolving, learning and growing, as I embrace my full self and all that that means,

I'm learning to be less directive and more inviting

not just in my writing, but in my workshops and speaking engagements, client engagements and, frankly, in conversation with myself as well. From what I've seen and personally experienced,

empowerment, with long-term commitment,

happens when the invitation is accepted at your core, 

within your comfort zone

(a taboo these days with the gurus and 'coaches'). You can commit long-term because

it truly resonates with the aligned you.

Rituals? What rituals?

As I begin to get gentler with myself,

making time to embrace, smile with and fill my 'cup' with self love every morning - in the mirror, while in bed, through my journal, support by my

"May You Know Joy"

cards

- I realized that each day I started that way was a day where I interacted very differently with each encounter I had,

where I stayed in the present.

That self love overflowed into my engagement with others, and re-framed each situation far more positively for me. Diffused some situations and exploded others with extreme empowerment for all involved.

Beautiful to watch.

I've found those morning rituals, particularly at this time of year,

keep me clear on my reality and my power to continue to create the reality I truly desire.

That is particularly important, when you're in transition. In my case, transitioning away from clients and community that don't embrace that thinking.

Transitioning toward clients and community who do.

It allows me to be gentle with myself, knowing that this transition reminds me of why right community matters, and to accept that all who are have a right to create their own realities in.

It's soothing, regardless of the situation.

On rituals, it took me a couple years to embrace them.

Coming from a religious background, I'd grown to resent the whole idea of

"having to do something to receive blessings"

, because the God (universe, force, whatever you believe) I have known even as a child

never had a price on the miracles s/he's bestowed upon me.

In hindsight, there have always been miracles taking me through life. As I am able to step back from resentment now, I realize it's because I allowed those "rituals" to be forced on me.

I've learned now that rituals are merely the acts that give each of us, individually:

1. Time: as much (or as little) as we each need, to get clear on our beliefs as we face the world. 

2. Space: to slow down enough to re-incorporate those beliefs more fully into our psyche. 

3. Sensory reality: whether your rituals are visual, experiential, auditory, intuitive or other, bringing them into your physical, day to day, reality, again to seal it in as real. This one is important, because we seal everything else in this way - at work, writing reports, engaging in 'realistic, intellectual' discussions that don't often align with those beliefs, etc.

Here, I want to stop to ensure you're clear that at all times, you've invited

to implement anything that resonates, in a way that works for you. No two (2) of us are exactly alike and need exactly the same things to keep us awakened in our beliefs, our values.

If you're not being true to You, then neither you nor the world benefits.

So whether you aren't ready for rituals yet, have rituals without even realizing it, practice your rituals before bed, on mornings, or as you desire throughout the day/week/when you remember (let's be honest),

please do what works for you.

Clarity as Motherhood Approaches

This year is particularly moving for me, perhaps because I'm becoming a mother in October of this year. Thrilled, as I've been planning for this since I was 12, but happy I've waited this long, because I'm now in a place where I plan less and am

thrilled to discover, more - who she is!

Even so, rituals fell away as focus became difficult during pregnancy - except with work for some reason.

I suppose, like I mentioned above, it's because work is what we've been trained the most on and what we spend most of our time on.

For me, making those rituals even more important.

September has seen a very natural re-awakening of my flow into those rituals, again. Motherhood, has shifted the focus from 'nice to do' to 'enjoy doing this, and

looking forward to how it my little one responds to rituals'.

Clarity has come in this season,

with my intermittent journaling, conversations with myself, etcetera, and I hope, whatever you do, you find that too. It means:

• You're clear on your priorities, regardless of what others may 'need' to foist unto you. 

• You find you're less resentful that they "asked for something so ridiculous", because you can accept that it's simply what they want, but that you prefer what you want and know you're only responsible for that.

• You're better at managing expectations too, after a while.

It's pretty amazing.

Plus, has anyone noticed that 2017 seems to be the year

everyone's getting pregnant and having babies?

It's happening globally - I have friends and colleagues everywhere sharing the good news! I hope you're enjoying whatever you birth this year -

my business

is also my baby, so I can relate.

Reflection. What moves you to reflect, find clarity?

Space, quite alone time and autumn, small un-forced rituals,

September (November and January, as well) awaken this within me.

I'd love to know what brings you into this reflective place,

as I seek out more like-minded community.

I'm always learning.

I hope to hear from you soon!

Warmly,

Crystal-Marie S.

www.instagram.com/Successiory

(Initially @cmaries08)

---

ABOUT CRYSTAL-MARIE SEALY, MBA

MBA, speaker, dancer, blogger, strategy consultant, author and - like all of us - so much more,

Crystal-Marie

is driven by her passion to see everyone

govern themselves in love, as individuals,

so they when they step out into the world, all of who they are is what builds

a greater global community.

 In all she does, her goal is to awaken us all to learn who we are individually, trust that being and live that authentically (not necessarily rebelliously) from a place of love, so that you're always operating in your truth.

It's the source of all confidence.

Founder and president of

Successiory

, Crystal-Marie

works with

premium-service solo entrepreneurs and professionals who recognize that earning in abundance positions them to make the difference they want to make in the world

- be it for themselves, their families or the world at large. She supports clients as they awaken to the realities of the impact on the

pricing, schedules and client community

(those who already know they need, value and will invest in them), so they have better quality of life and, therefore, are able to be living examples of that success with their own clients and all they encounter. 

Feel free to subscribe to this blog,

 to follow her journey and enjoy what resonates, or for entrepreneurship/small business support, her Successiory mailing list (

www.eepurl.com/Xoa_D

). 

Blogging on Instagram (Quick Interlude)

Hello my Loves,

It seems I've gotten swept up in the ease that Instagram has created in allowing my to capture my idea in a quote image then expand on it in the description below. Still, I miss writing to you - to myself - here.

Slowly but surely, I'll return that content to this blog, where it belongs.

So much growth, learning and grounded authenticity has come out of my journey, since we last connected here.

I'm looking forward to sharing this with you.

Warmly,

Crystal-Marie S.

www.instagram.com/Successiory

 (Initially @cmaries08)

Reflecting on our Beliefs. Releasing the Kool-Aid

We're all learning, growing, drawing lessons and blessings in each experience that we have in each moment that we're alive. We're all leveraging duality - the aspects of each experience that make you happy and those that are uncomfortable - to get clearer on what works and what doesn't. A part of that process is taking the time to reflect. What have you gotten over the past year? I'd love to hear. Here are a few of mine.

A Reflection of My Beliefs. Releasing the Kool-Aid

Some of what we believe has come from consciously selecting what truly resonates.

Still, some has been fed to us and sits in our subconscious mind, governing some of what we attract in our lives, whether we're aware of it or not.

As I share, I hope you see it as an invitation to see what governs our decisions - to pursue or quit, to step out or pull back, to love or fear. Each path is unique, so not all of these will resonate. Trust your gut. My lessons:

1. Abundance does not mean "redistribution of existing wealth". It means the availability of enough for every appetite - both your perspective of abundance and those who seem insatiable.

2. I deserve to be truly happy and successful in ease and flow, simply because I AM and have the ability to create anything I can think up. So I will be. No one owes me, I'm not "entitled" - a word folks use to berate millennials for having a different experience (and economic reality). 

3. Ease and flow doesn't mean drifting on clouds using no energy, but that when I learn to hear and trust my intuition, my only true 'work' is to listen to my intuition. All action required for success is, then, borne of excitement, an inexplicable certainty and serendipity, attracting mainly opportunities that serve that defined success. 

4. There is little I can teach but by example, and only to those with whom it truly resonates. Everyone is wise. While not all of their wisdom is meant for me, their wisdom is priceless.

5. Positivity is not a part-time gig. If "what you focus on expands" as Oprah says, then positivity would have to a way of life. As Mother Teresa said, she'll attend a pro-peace rally but never an anti-war. To that end, I will face my hurts and fears - absorb the lessons, acknowledge those lessons as blessings, then release any resentment or grudges - then, focus on the good. 

6. Focusing on what creates sanctuary and draws my goals closer, is not selfish. From community to activities, it is what will make me succeed so greatly that all I can do, in that state of success, is overflow, empowering others to achieve the same for themselves.

7. "No" is a complete sentence and requires no explanation. Those who push me in anyway to do what I have not expressly decided in my innermost self to do, good intentions or not, are to be released. 

8. The collective good is borne from the overflow of self care. Beware of any who go to the extreme, as to lose knowledge of what your own being means to lose any ability to contribute meaningfully to any collective. Whole, honoured individuals make for healthy community.

So much more has come to me as I wake up, but this is what has come out for this post.

What sits well with you? What doesn't?

Does it resonate (or not) because you've checked within and it doesn't, or because you were taught to accept (or reject) it? I invite you to freely choose what resonates within, and extend this list in your own journal, heart, art, however you best express You.

To a year ahead that truly serves you,

so that you learn to trust yourself and seek out what propels you, so that you inspire and empower others to step into their own truth, accepting that their truth will likely differ from yours, but be equally as valid - a paradox rather than a conflict.

If you enjoyed this,

there's a calendar for sale (20% goes to

www.aistoronto.ca

) with similar words of inspiration and invitation, to keep you inspired all year long. You can use it to map chores, if nothing else. 😉 [

Printable $10

|

Editable $15

|

Both $20

]

In peace, love, joy and prosperity in all things.

--

Crystal-Marie Sealy

Speaker, Strategy & Social Media Consultant at

Successiory