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Clouds and Clarity

This past weekend I set the intention to get clarity on a big decision that has been occupying my thoughts. The lease at my apartment is up on Halloween and I need to let my landlord know by the end of this month if I am staying or moving. There wasn’t a lot on my work schedule Saturday or Sunday and I purposely did not make plans with friends. I wanted to give myself the opportunity to be still without a lot of activities and distractions. One thing that ended up working in my favor was my choice to start a ten day cleanse last week. Since most social gatherings involve food, getting together with friends was not as tempting. That also meant my “go to” distraction – PIZZA – was not an option! My friend Carrie pointed out that the timing of this cleanse was no accident. Not only would I be clearing my physical body but also my mind. That hadn’t occurred to me, but it felt very true. I absolutely needed to clear my mind of those conflicting voices that were preventing me from hearing the still small voice of Spirit.
 
In the days leading up to the weekend I had spoken with other friends and prayer partners about this decision. They all shared great insights and offered wonderful questions for self inquiry. On Saturday, after completing lots of little projects that had been on my “to do” list for a while, I decided it was time to create the space to be still and listen. Since Mother Ocean is only three and a half miles from my apartment, I decided to go sit by her, breath the salt air, and watch the waves roll in. Late afternoon into early evening is my favorite time to be at the beach. Most people have gone home and the sea and sky turn magnificent colors as the sun gets closer and closer to the horizon. Being near the ocean is definitely a power place for me. I know that no matter what is going on in my life, Mother Ocean will gladly take my worries and carry them away in her waves. That evening I wanted her to carry away all of my fearful thoughts about the future so I could hear what my heart truly wanted.

This may seem obvious, but in order to listen you have to stop talking. When I noticed my monkey mind chattering again, I simply brought my focus back to the soothing sound of the waves. At one point I laid down on my back to look up at the sky. It was full of clouds in a layered pattern of wispy shapes and sizes. There was very little blue sky showing through. I noticed some of the clouds were on different levels and traveling in opposite directions. This fascinated me. How could the air be moving in two different directions at once? As the shapes drifted over one another I played the children’s game of looking for objects in the clouds. I guess it’s true you find what you are looking for because I saw lots of angels. I sure felt like I needed one.

It was during that time of listening to the waves and watching the clouds that I remembered some of the things my friends had shared. I didn’t have to figure out the rest of my life today. The only thing I needed to decide was whether or not I was going to stay in my apartment a while longer. I also remembered something I tell my coaching clients all the time. If it’s not a definite “yes” then it’s probably a “no” or at least a “not yet.” I certainly was not feeling a definite yes that it was time to move, so that was my answer. It was so simple, and it was right there in my heart all the time. I just needed to be still and listen. Now that I had clarity, it was time to go home and write an email to my landlord asking for an extension of my lease before I started second guessing my decision. I looked up at the sky one last time and couldn’t believe my eyes. All of the clouds were gone! Directly above me was nothing but clear blue sky. What a beautiful outward reflection of the clarity I finally felt inside.

Are you wrestling with a big decision? Do you need to quiet your monkey mind to get clarity? I invite you to take some time out in nature and create some space to listen to your heart. If you need assistance, it would be my great honor to be your prayer partner and Life Coach. I offer four, six, and eight week Life Coaching packages to help you through any challenging situation that is taking away your peace. Family Constellations is another great way to find peace. Join me for an upcoming workshop or schedule a private session in person, by phone, or via Skype. Please look around my website for more information about all of these great opportunities that will help you to experience more peace in your life.

Until next time, may your clouds turn to clarity before making any big decision. 

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When All Else Fails Try Nothing

Is doing nothing a spiritual practice? It can be. I had a wonderful opportunity to “do nothing” last week when I was trying to make travel arrangements to avoid Hurricane Irma. I was away from my Fort Lauderdale home as the storm made its way closer and closer to the Sunshine State. Her size and strength certainly got my attention and the attention of many others. I heard from friends back home that grocery store shelves were bare and there were long lines at gas stations. Highways were clogged with traffic as literally millions of Floridians tried to get out of harm’s way. Since I had no food in my refrigerator at home, and no pets or children to take care of, it seemed like the best option for me was to stay away and send peaceful prayers from afar.
 
On Tuesday the airline sent me an email advisory saying severe weather in Florida may impact my travel plans. The email also said they would accommodate changes with no additional fees. I had planned to fly to Houston for an event the following weekend. Since I had a place to stay there, it seemed like a good idea to go directly there to wait out the storm. The first leg of my return trip was from Montana to Dallas, so I thought getting to Houston would be easy. I could even rent a car and drive from there.

Late Tuesday evening after a full day of activities and positive messages at the Big Sky Retreat, I called the airline fully expecting that it would be no problem to change my final destination from Fort Lauderdale to Houston. I was shocked when the representative told me differently. Apparently my request was beyond the parameters of what she was authorized to do because of the distance between Houston and Fort Lauderdale. She could only make that change if I paid a $200 change fee plus the difference in airfare. The total would be over $600! This didn’t seem to be practical or in alignment with the email I received, so I asked to speak with her supervisor. I waited patiently on hold, all the while visualizing the supervisor hearing my situation and telling me it would be no problem to change my flight. I was stunned and a little indignant when the supervisor told me the exact same thing. She apologized and offered to fly me to another Florida airport, but that clearly would not solve my problem. Had she not seen the size and the track of this storm?

It was late and I was exhausted. I had no more energy to put towards a solution that night, so I politely declined her suggestion to fly to West Palm Beach or pay the $600 and hung up the phone. There was nothing else I could do in that moment, so I said a prayer of surrender and went to sleep. The next morning I was still in disbelief at the lack of cooperation from the airline. Instead of another frustrating conversation preceded by a lengthy wait on hold, I decided to do nothing about my flight for the next few days. Having lived in Florida for 25 years I knew a lot could change with the storm. I also knew from past experience that trying to force a solution never ends well. I went about my business and enjoyed the last two days of the retreat trusting it would all work out.
 
My plan was to visit Yellowstone National Park with my friend Katie once the retreat ended and I saw no reason to alter the plan. On Wednesday evening I received a second email from the airline telling me my flight had been cancelled due to the closing of the Fort Lauderdale airport. I decided to call the airline on our drive to Yellowstone on Thursday. Apparently the Universe had other ideas because I had no cell service the entire way or inside the park. Again I could do nothing.

We had a wonderful afternoon and evening exploring Yellowstone. We enjoyed a spectacular sunset at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and got caught in the midst of a herd of bison on our way out of the park. It was fantastic! By the time we had something to eat and got back to the hotel it was quite late. Now I had cell service so it was time to do something about my flight. To my surprise I only waited for about twenty minutes to speak with a representative. This time when I made my request the woman on the other end of the phone said, “No problem. Would you like a window or an aisle seat to Houston?” What a difference 48 hours made! I almost couldn’t believe my ears. I was in such a place of gratitude for this outcome and for the guidance to surrender for a few days and do nothing.

Is there a situation in your life where you are trying to force a solution? Maybe the answer is to do nothing right now. If you could use some help surrendering, perhaps now is the time to sign up for a four, six, or eight week Life Coaching package. It would be my great honor to assist you through this situation by sharing some of the spiritual tools and techniques that have worked for me. Family Constellations is another great way to let something go that may be preventing you from moving forward. It’s an amazing, one-of-a-kind process that you need to experience to believe. You can join me for an upcoming group event or schedule a private session in person, by phone, or via Skype. Please look around my website for more details about all of these opportunities.

Until next time, if it feels like you’ve tried everything to solve that problem maybe it’s time to try nothing.

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A Misty Mystical Walk

Have you ever had one of those experiences that felt more like a dream than reality? I had one early last Friday morning as I took a misty mystical walk with my dear friend Katie at Yellowstone National Park. It was our last day together after the Big Sky Retreat so we wanted to squeeze in one more adventure before heading home. We knew we were pushing it a little because we both had early afternoon flights. Although we were extremely tired, for some reason we both woke up very early that day as if we knew we had a date with destiny.

As we entered the park, the sun was still low to the horizon and gleaming an eerie red color due to the excessive amount of smoke in the air from the many wildfires burning in the area. Steam billowed out of the earth all along the road as warm air from underground geothermal activity met the cold morning air above ground. When we arrived at the Grand Prismatic Spring there were only a handful of cars in the parking lot. The early morning hour and cold temperatures kept most people away. Huge clouds of steam masked the giant turquoise blue pools and the wooden circular walkway that took visitors past them. The setting was quite surreal.

That was the day before Hurricane Irma was predicted to make landfall in my home state of Florida. Katie and I set the intention to send peaceful loving energy to the storm and all those in its path as we slowly and mindfully walked the circular pathway. As we began our journey, a flock of geese suddenly appeared through the mist and flew high over our heads. I stopped in my tracks and a few tears of gratitude rolled down my face. About ten years ago at a ceremony honoring my teacher, Grandmother Twylah, I learned that geese represent wise leadership in Native American teachings. When flying in their “V” formation, if the leader of the flock gets tired, he or she must fall back and let another take the lead or the whole flock could go off course.

Last week in Yellowstone, the appearance of those geese felt like Grandmother Twylah’s way of acknowledging that I had just been elected the new president of the board of the Big Sky Retreat. It is an incredible honor to be chosen for this leadership role, and I will admit a little scary, so I was very grateful for that sign from Grandmother Twylah. The Big Sky Retreat has been one of the biggest blessings in my life thus far, and I want it to be around for many years so it can bless many more people. I am committed to doing my best to ensure that it continues to provide an open space for spiritual exploration and transformation well into the future.

The rest of our walk was equally dreamlike. The sound of running water hidden by clouds of rising steam provided a soothing soundtrack. The sun continued to dance in the mist creating orange and red moving artwork. We could barely see the thermal pools through all that steam, but the steam itself took on the vibrant hues of the turquoise water it hid. It was like being inside a mystical, life-sized kaleidoscope. As we completed the circle where we began, planting tiny rose quartz crystals all along the way, it felt like we had literally and figuratively pierced the veil between realms and experienced something more significant than either of us could possibly know at the time. I’d like to think it had a calming effect on the storm, but I know for sure it had a calming and lasting effect on both of us.

If you have been looking for a place to connect with like minded people in a beautiful setting while taking your spiritual growth to the next level, I invite you to set your intention to join me at the 2018 Big Sky Retreat in Montana next year from September 1-6. We expect this event to sell out like this year, so be sure to make plans early. Please visit our website for more details. You can also give yourself the gift of Life Coaching or Family Constellations to live a more peaceful and joyful life right now. To learn more about these opportunities, visit my website at JohnHaroldMoore.com. 

Until next time, may all your waking and sleeping dreams be happy.

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Helpful Joy

It has been an interesting week to say the least. I’m in Ogden, Utah doing Family Constellations workshops and private sessions before I head to Montana for the Big Sky Retreat on Friday. It’s been wonderful to do the work I love while spending time with beloved friends sharing meals and hiking in beautiful scenery. At the same time my heart has been heavy watching the effects of Hurricane Harvey in Texas. Somehow it doesn’t seem fair for me to be having a great time in the sunshine while so many people I love in Houston are experiencing massive flooding and hardship.

Then I remembered a powerful lesson that I learned on this very subject about ten years ago. I had just spent an amazing weekend in South Carolina at a Native American ceremony honoring one of my teachers, Grandmother Twylah. There were more miracles than I could count during those three days and I was beaming with gratitude and joy as I continued my journey north to Maryland. I hadn’t been on the road long when I received a phone call from one of my very best friends. She was calling to let me know that her sister-in-law had just died in a plane crash during a humanitarian mission to Guatemala. The news was shocking. I had given her sister-in-law a massage once during a visit to Salt Lake City and liked her very much.

After we hung up I noticed myself feeling very conflicted. How could I continue to bounce around to dance music in my car feeling so good knowing one of the people I loved most in the world was suffering such a tragic loss? When I asked that question Spirit dropped this nugget of wisdom into my consciousness. Bringing my energy down to a lower vibration of sadness and grief would not help my friend or her family. It would be much more beneficial for me to stay in my high vibration of joy and gratitude and extend that energy to her and to the world. It made sense. How could I help lift her up if I was down too?



Now that doesn’t mean we don’t act appropriately or with compassion when someone is feeling down or going through a challenging situation. Of course we want to help if we can, but sometimes the only thing we can do is pray, be present, and let them express what they are feeling. I reached out to many of my friends in Houston through phone calls, text messages, and social media to let them know I was thinking of them and holding them in prayer. Since I allowed myself to experience joy and sunshine during my weekend, I was much better able to hold the high watch and be a support for them. From this place, I was also more open to receive guidance on what I could do to help and offer suggestions as well. One suggestion seems to be taking off and I could not be happier to have been the vessel through which Spirit planted that seed. It reminds me of this quote from the very first chapter in A Course in Miracles:

“Miracle arise from a mind that is ready for them.”


Are you in a situation where you could use a miracle, but your mind is not feeling ready for one? It would be my great honor to help you get there with a four, six, or eight week Life Coaching program based on the strong principles of A Course in Miracles and other New Thought teachings. You will be amazed what can happen in just a few weeks when you have some tools to use and are able to see things from a different perspective. Family Constellations is another great way to see things from a different perspective so you can experience a miracle. Please look around my website for more information about both and to read testimonials from others who have tried them.


Until next time, I invite you to experience as much joy as you can in every moment. You will be doing yourself and the world a great service!