"Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves, even when we risk disappointing others." Brene Brown

This week I have heard myself say the word boundaries quite a few times and whenever there is a pattern like that, I pay attention.  Sure it could be said that having healthy boundaries is applicable for all of us, and it is, but I feel like there is more happening here on the energetic level that is contributing to not only the subject but the practice I have put in place personally.

There is no doubt that 2014 is going to challenge all of us to figure out our own individuality and in doing so, reassess perhaps the ideas of personal space and tolerance. I see boundaries as a picket fence. They are there not to keep others out but to give an indication of what is my space and where I could set perimeters. I have not always been very good at boundaries. I would overwork, over offer my energy, over commit. You name it, I over did it. It wasn't until I reached a place of being fried and then not very effective to self and those around me that I began to see that I needed a picket fence rule.

You see, a picket fence is one that is pleasing to the eye, quaint even, as well as effective. I can see through it, over it and around it. I can also open the gate or leave the gate closed and have a conversation over the fence while maintaining my personal space. I've come to see the gate as a reference to whether I would let someone in or not. This is not only to my personal life but to my head space as well. It was up to me if they were permitted to be on my property or not. It was up to me if I gave too much or expected more from myself than of others. It was up to me if I answered emails or texts after a certain period of time or chose to wait until the next business day. I was in charge of my gate...what a concept!

People don't always mean to infringe on ones space but in this world of technology as well as perception that you have a vote on how I live my life simply because you "know" me, or share DNA or for goodness sake are my Facebook friend, boundaries have become very lax. I happen to agree with Dr. Phil that we teach others how to treat us. I will take full responsibility for that,even if I wasn't aware we were in class! I will also continue to respect myself by remembering I have a gate and teach those in my life now about my gate rules through my behavior and through examples of self respect. I see boundaries as a means to self care rather than a keep people out practice. I see it as a way to hear myself as well as have the space to really see others.

I had an opportunity to practice this just today when someone suggested I changed my prices just to make it so they couldn't book an appointment with me. Even a few short months ago I would have explained the reasons for the changes and justified the increase. Today, however, because my gate was in place, I was able to let the client know that I heard them but no, in fact, I do not base my business on someone I see once a year. I was polite but positive of my position and no longer in possession of swinging gate so the message could be delivered respectfully. When you know where you stand, another persons perception of how you should be no longer applies. It is very freeing! Try it sometime.

What do your boundaries look like? Do you have a nice space around you or do you have a ten foot high wired electric fence to protect you? Boundaries can go the other way too. They can be so rigid that even the ooey gooey heartfelt experiences can't get through. Being aware of your no fly zone can help to improve all of the relationships in your life, including the one with yourself!

If you don't have an awareness of your personal space, well, practice until you do have one. Start with a simple awareness of what matters to you and what you know about yourself. Don't be afraid to look inside to decide what is there, if you don't, you will never be able to apply the boundaries you think you want. Don't worry, they are completely portable. The line can be shifted whenever you feel it needs to be.

I hope you know you are worth a boundary or two and that in taking care of you in that way, you will connect to others in a more authentic and fun way! This is not something you put in place and leave. It will grow as you grow so don't make it difficult. See it as an exploration of you and a gift you give yourself and others. After all, isn't it good fences that make great neighbors? Now if you will excuse me, I have to go purchase the flowers that will compliment my fence line. :)

Blessings,
Vicki
www.vickibaird.com 

"Before the risin' sun, we fly. So many roads to choose. We'll start out walkin' and learn to run. And yes, we've only just begun." Carpenters

Admit it, you are singing the song now aren't you? Well, that is good. It can become a mantra for you when the energy feels like it is zinging you from your crown to your toes because it is only going to get zippier. I am so excited...and sleep deprived.

So, everything has a vibration right? Well, if the last five years have been been water simmering, we are coming to a full rolling boil.This is a good boil and will create the movement of energy that is necessary in manifesting as well as increasing your own vibration. You may be noticing that you are a bit more sensitive as well as a tad more tired than normal. This is all the integration of a higher vibration that we are reaching as a universal community. When the vibration of each individual goes up, the vibration of the universe goes up, when the vibration of the universe goes up, the vibration of each individual goes up. It is the ultimate recycling program.

What does this mean for you? Well, it means that if you pay attention to how you feel and what you would like in your life as well as where you are putting your attention, things will get easier. If you decide to buck the current boil and ignore the fact that whether you believe in energy or souls or the law of attraction, it is happening, then things could require a seat belt and a helmet. Which would you rather do, ride in a forward moving, sometimes turbulent ride or one that requires therapy for spiritual and physical whiplash? Personally, I am going with the first one. Turbulence can be fun and can shake off old habits and belief systems that are keeping us stuck in old patterns. Spiritual and physical whiplash? No thank you! Been there, done that, moving forward and doing it with a song in my heart!

Now this is not a one time thing. This is the new energy of our universe and time. If you are one that likes to bury their head in the sand and not move with the energy, then it has been nice knowing you, I gotta go! For the first time in all of my life the energy actually feels like home. I feel like I belong on this planet and I am not going to waste one moment lamenting or feeling bad about what is behind me or what others may think of me moving forward. I hope you are able to join me as well. With the support of the energy, your intuition is going to be much more available and you may experience all the fun I have been having for the last fifteen years. (Take note of the sleep deprived comment and do yourself a favor and get to like naps. I didn't learn that until very recently!)

While being in touch with your emotions, intuition and guidance system can seem foreign at first, I promise you, it is a BLAST when you realize that you are individual and no one else can do you, so you may as well!

If you are one of the ones that is realizing you can now feel things, see things, hear things and are a bit overwhelmed remember the most important thing ever....breathe! This is not abnormal, this is normal it just hasn't been talked about in the mainstream until now. Kids are particularly sensitive at this time so let's all have some patience and practice this line; "no honey, I don't see/hear/feel what you do but I believe you." Let's all raise a generation of souls that are connected to themselves so they don't have to find ways to disconnect later in life.

I wasn't kidding when I said it has only just begun. The energy is ramping up to a higher vibration in February and all kinds of wonderful openings in understanding as we learn to really hear each other and to respect that we aren't carbon copies and that if someone has something we don't, that is ok. We can be happy for them and create what we would like. No comparisons and no feeling like you have less than others. You have you, that is enough. You get to build on that and if you are smart, which I know you are, you will use the energy to help you.

Take care of you during this time and remember that you have a physical body that is trying to acclimate to it's new vibration and it may need to release some old messages via bodily fluids. That will put a spin on a cold that you hadn't thought of before, won't it? Be grateful for the fluids and remember to thank your body for the message that you may be resisting growing. Wheeeeee, fling that old limiting belief system into the hedges and celebrate being you, a limitless soul who was brave enough to do this human thing AGAIN! How great are you?

I am so excited to be alive at this time. I hope you are too so we can play together!

Welcome to my playground,
Vicki

www.vickibaird.com

There are so many ways to describe the feeling of a new year coming in. There is an excitement that is in the air, our emotions and the celebration of time moving on. This excitement can get mixed up with the reviewing of the previous year. While I do believe being willing to look at where you have been can be very rewarding, it can also be that pit of woe is me that doesn't get anyone anywhere.

I am going to challenge each one of you to take some time over this New Moon, New Year and create a list of the things that you have accomplished this past year. A list of the attributes you have expanded on and the milestones you have reached. Look into the essence of you and find all those really great things that get hidden because bitching is much more common then bragging. Remember to count each and every one that comes to mind. The walks you took instead of giving excuses, the ways that you stepped out of your comfort zone (Personal training in a gym full of people for me. You want to challenge a fear of being on stage, holy macaroni that will do it for you.I love a stage and it still caused some really big doubts.), the people you contacted, the breaths that you took before losing your temper or even the breaths that you took admiring the flowers and scenery. Whatever the movement, great or small, acknowledge it because they matter all. (Like that? It rhymes.)

Then, if you wish, you may do a list of what you would like to see in 2014. Please remember to include the emotional, spiritual and connective journey as well as the physically manifested one for in order to really appreciate the physical, the rest must be in attendance.

I wish all of you the very best and know without a doubt that you are amazing.

See you in the New Year!

Vicki

www.vickibaird.com

“For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice.” T.S. Eliot

I love this quote for the fact that it so succinctly points out how people see the new year. It is a chance to shift who you are and how you acted and somehow it is a magic eraser that takes away any marks of the last year too. While I am grateful we have such a great tradition, I believe that we have this ability every day. We can shift in any moment and we can be true to our language, even learning a new language, at any time. We have that ability. Everyone does, regardless of circumstances but for some reason we save it like prized dinnerware for the first of the year.

While this post is about using the time to help yourself as well as the energy of the coming year, universally, you are in charge of your own, I am going to encourage people to get the idea that they are magical and can decide on the spot to shift up how they are being and reach for that better feeling.

2014 is a year of opportunity. Now, every year is as well but this one has turbo fuel behind it. Energetically it feels like someone is manufacturing rocket boosters for all of us. Those that are willing to strap them on and do some clarifying and allowing are going to LOVEEEEEEEE this year. Those that are not so fond of change and accepting of others may not be so gleeful. As stated probably a hundred million times by myself, we have choice. We always have choice in how to respond to a situation, how to inspire ourselves and how to leave what does not resonate behind but how many of you are brave enough to stand in that choice? How many are willing to say, "this is who I am, how I operate and what I want." without checking in with the masses? I hope you are one of them because it is going to be a heck of a ride and you are going to want to check your limitations at the door in order to take advantage of the energy of this year.

What does this mean to you? Well, that is a personal thing but what it can mean is that you are showing up with who you really are and not giving a flying fig if others don't like it. I don't mean you are being confrontational, I simply mean you are able to say, I love me and this is who I am and I know that others opinions have no say in who that is. (If you have challenges with this, come see me, it seems to be a specialty of mine to help others see their own shiny self!) The ability to be willing to hold this vibration is what makes it really cool to be human, in my humble opinion. We have the drive to be better than last year with the intelligence to seek that out, whatever the mechanism.

Let's face it, we may be on this planet with billions of other people and beings, but we are still alone in the who we are as individuals. I don't say that to depress people but to encourage them to be good with that alone space and to truly love who they are so others can then love them too. You are the only you, do it up!

What does your voice say about you? Do you offer up kind words when talking to others and yourself? Do you hear yourself repeating how others feel and it isn't exactly how you do but you follow along anyway? Do you know what you really want in life, in this year, in this day, in this moment? If you don't, that's ok. Spend some time with you and ask those questions and don't be afraid to answer them. Honesty above all other traits is the most important when connecting to self and others. You may not like what you first hear and that is ok too! Often the things we don't like help us to get pointed in the direction of what we do like. Thing of clothing sizes, jobs that don't fit, friends that aren't real friends or relationships that don't light you up. All these things that aren't just right are helping you to figure out what you would like and hopefully you are open enough to hear them and chart a course of improvement.

The energy of this year is in complete support of our best selves. It is the most giddy energy I have felt since 2008 so I am so freaking ready to be in it! I, for one, will be adding to the energy by figuring out how I really want to be in my own skin and soul and creating movement to allow that to happen. Some may not like it but I am not going to hold back on my souls path because others are stuck in theirs or they just don't like what I decide. It may sound cold to some, but I know I filed a flight plan of my own before I got here and as the pilot, I get to decide where I go. Are you ready to fly with me? Have you tuned up your engine and checked your wings?

Grab your goggles and scarf, let's go see what we can create!

Loving the view from up here!
Vicki

"Being thankful isn't about taking inventory of what is in your life at any given moment. It is a way of being in your life in any given moment."vb

I do love this time of year. I love every time of year because we have amazing seasons here, but this year I am especially grateful for November. The last two Octobers have really been challenging and I was not sad to see this years pass by and segue into November. I am one of those odd ducks that really does believe that everything happens for a reason and if I am aware enough, I can see it and move through the parts that are a little squishy, faster and with more ease. 

I keep reading how everyone is thankful. Thankful for the week, the holiday, the snow, the sales, the vacations, the time with family, the coming hibernation (although I kick into high creative gear in the winter...I know...odd duck.) and the list goes on. I am so happy that people are grateful and being conscious of being thankful, but couldn't we do it every day? Couldn't we see what is there for us to be thankful for? Of course we could, but will we, that is probably the best question to ask.

Will you join me in a daily expression of thankfulness? Will you allow yourself to look around and be grateful for what you have in your life? Really grateful not just that platitude we post on facebook or the I'm fine that we give people when they ask. Really grateful for the ability to breathe and to be invested in life and to show up on a daily basis to be all we can be in this body, in this lifetime.

It really doesn't take a lot of time and I promise you, it takes less energy than complaining and ALL of us find the time and energy to do that. So, this is my challenge to you for this week. Every day, several times a day if you would like, find something to be grateful for and acknowledge it. Give it a high five or simply smile and know that you have the best secret ever; gratitude leads to more things to be grateful for. Amazing isn't it?

I am thankful for all of the experiences of these last two years and proud to know somewhere deep down I knew that lamenting wasn't going to get me anywhere but clicking into who I really am and being silly and enjoying the fact that life is everywhere would.

I am also thankful for all of you. However I have come to know you or even if we  have never met. The world does not exist without each organism offering its presence. That is very cool to me and I appreciate whatever balance your energy brings to this greater whole.

I wish you the best this week has to offer you and more!!!!!!!!

Greatly filled with gratitude,
Vicki

www.vickibaird.com

"When the inclination is to use Finally, insert Timely, because that is much more accurate." vb

If there is anything I have learned in the last few months, it is patience. During the process of the store changing hands and then coming back, there was a great deal of uncertainty. What were we going to do? What were our options legally? Should we sue and be caught up in the energy longer and tied to a situation that was less than pleasant? Should we let it go and take the road of class and integrity or scream from the top of our lungs about the unfairness of it all? A lot of what should we do and then I remembered life isn't about stuff. It isn't about who won or who lost and it certainly, in my world, isn't about changing who I am to join a lower energy of deceit so our only option was that high road while learning how to protect our assets a bit more, emphasis on the ass part!

So, here I am two months later and I could say it is finally done but as I remind a good friend of mine, timely is what it is really is because everything happens in the best time if we are able to be in the flow of energy. I won't lie, it has been one of the hardest times of my life but it has also showed me who I really am and that no matter what happens, I can shine.

I have heard that people miss the newsletters and blogs and trust me, I miss writing, but there was a need to take care of myself, and my immediate family, and make sure whatever I was offering was of the highest vibration and sincere. I have learned it is very healthy to say I am mad, sad, frustrated, not going to bend to your every whim and that others needs will just have to wait. This is HUGE for me so once again, I am grateful for an experience that is less than ideal but evidently exactly what I needed to get to the place of self care. Having said that...I'm baaaaaack! Ha!

I am sure it isn't a surprise to you that the energy has been INTENSE! I feel like I have been going through a wringer washing machine backwards and all my stuffing is coming out! Wouldn't that be nice if the stuffing came out, but I digress, it has been challenging lately. The full moon that we just passed was hugely gorgeous as well as pushing us to be clear about what we would like moving forward. This is not the time of indecision. You know those cosmic 2x4's I talk about in my book, well, here you go. If you don't listen to what your body needs, your emotional heart, your brain, there will be more wringing out going on and it will feel awful.

The good news is that once you make a decision, and it can be as simple as I want to feel good, the energy will shift into motion again and you will feel the relief of it throughout yourself. Keep reminders around you of reaching for that higher energy feeling. If you are angry, reach for neutral, if you are frustrated, reach for inspired.  A simple adjustment will have that radio frequency you are singing beautifully. There just isn't tolerance for fake any longer in this amazing universe we have. Relationships that weren't working before will show their cracks even more and decisions will have to be made. Careers that don't line up, even for those of us self employed, will reveal new layers or a complete packing up of the gig. Most importantly for me, the practice of putting off self care will no longer be tolerated by self.

Yes, people, we are moving into a healthy version of selfishness, which simply means to take care of oneself. Do it or experience your body, mind and spirit pushing you in other ways. How often have you not listened to self and then ended up on the couch with a full blown cold or flu or twisted ankle because you needed to stop and rest but wouldn't allow yourself to? Well, I'm telling you, you are going to want to listen so that this isn't created and so you don't have to learn through a limiting experience to embrace your expansion.

There will also be less tolerance in all of us for untruths. I had this experience this am. I had a practitioner that was giving me an excuse about why my prescription wasn't called in. Now, I am patient with these things because I know how overwhelming the amount of phone calls, emails, texts and facebook messages I get can be so I tend to give leeway. But when I can't breathe, the less tolerant Vicki shows up. I had to remind myself while I was there, in person because that always makes more of an impression, especially when you can't breathe, that pushing was only going to beget more pushing from their part. It is a natural energy response. So, I took the deepest breath I could and used my mama voice (The kids always said I was scary when I got quiet and emphatic, best info they every gave me.) and calmly stated, you can continue to lie or we can just speak the truth here and get to a solution that hopefully includes me breathing. Thank goodness I am aware of the energy or I could have gone a bit bitchy there. I do have that ability. ;)

I personally am a fan of honesty and am glad the energy is shifting so that more people will line up with their own version, wherever that may be on the scale. Take some time to assess where you are in your honesty with yourself first, because it always starts at home, and then pick a couple of items that aren't in alignment with your new honest Abe self and address them. You don't have to change everything in one day, that rarely works, but movement forward is necessary if you don't want to get swept up in this next wave of clarification the universe is doing.

I know the question from most of you is how long is this going to last? Well, good question, how long are you going to be a soul...eternally. This is not going to change. How you respond to it will over time. See it as an exciting challenge to always tell the truth. Be aware of your delivery, manners still count and remember your truth is not the other persons, so be respectful of others.

The energy is going to shift though within the next week, by next Thursday is what I am calling, Thanksgiving, how appropriate. Use it to help you decide what kind of life you would like to be living. It only hurts a lot if you swim against the current, it is a lot of fun if you get on the inner tube and ride it down the river!

I wish you the best in this process and am so grateful to those who hung in there with me during this last transition. Goodness gracious!

Blessings,
Vicki

"Release the demons and the allow the diamonds to show up."vb

This is a statement I said to a client today while in a session. We were discussing how cute we are as humans when we hold on to things that are no longer serving us. We are tenacious sometimes with who wronged us or things that didn't go our way as well as if it happened to a perfect stranger. I agree compassion is a lost art sometimes but so is moving on it seems.

There has been A LOT of moving for me over the last few months. I am sure you can tell because there has been less posts than even normal for me and there has been some periods of pure silence. This is not intentional to keep people out of the loop, this is so I can navigate the loop! There are these twists and turns and inversions and other loopdiloops that will not only turn your stomach, they will create a feeling of discombobulation. (I love that word. I have since it was on our vocabulary list in sixth grade!) Which end is up and where am I going?

As you may be aware, in August we sold the store and practitioner space at Connections. I stayed on for the transition knowing that in order for it to shift and grow I would have to exit stage left. I did this in the beginning of October. I found the cutest office just mere feet from the old location and settled in for what I hoped was a collaborative relationship. This did not happen. I found out, after some other people, that the new owner felt it necessary to close the store. While the reasons are not important, the hole I felt was. I felt a great loss of community and a great sadness for those that for three years had found comfort and a place of acceptance in Connections. Sure, some didn't have any money but the scent of incense was free and the feeling of being safe for just a few minutes was priceless. I also felt powerless to solve this. It is, of course, not mine to solve. This was a BIG realization for me. I would just have to let go and continue to move on.

I could hold on to the disappointment, the sadness and even the grief of something that we poured so much energy and heart into or I could realize this disappointment may be my greatest teacher yet. Things didn't go as I saw them going (enter other people's free will) and I wasn't in a place of power to do anything about it although I tried. I brainstormed with Howard, I cried, I yelled, I pouted (not proud of that one) and eventually realized I had to let go. I had to back up and let things come to a halt in order to go forward again. I can't speak for the store Connections because legally we don't own it but damn it, I can speak to the energy that was Connections and turn this demon into a diamond.

I can thank each and every person who came across our path in the process of creating the store from the suppliers, to the customers near and far, to our amazing practitioners, to the people who wandered in and didn't have a clue what we were. I can thank Spirit for whispering (yelling) in my ear to open a store on North Street. I can thank the employees over the years and the incredible support we received from community when people would call to check on Howard after each of his surgeries. I can thank our families for putting up with empty chairs at functions because we had to open the store and I can thank all of the little kids who ever played in the fountain. I can thank our neighbors in the Central Block for being so fun and for caring as well as our landlords for being great people and answering the phone when Vicki called and said, "did you know the water is running continuously in the janitor closet or Did you know the alarm is going off?". ahhhh, Rich will probably not miss me too much. :) I can thank ourselves for still showing up when we were exhausted and not sure we could go on or make a profit or even wanted to talk about incense and rocks ever again.

I have been thanking each and every aspect of this process and yes, if I hear one more time that I will know what the lesson is soon enough, I may scream but I'd be screaming at me because I keep saying it to myself. You see, I don't believe I am an effective intuitive coach if I am not willing to look at my own stuff and walk this walk of blending the physical life with spirituality!

I believe that the disappointment of these last two weeks are helping me to appreciate the beauty around me and all the things I have in this life and for that diamond, I am incredibly grateful. The demons of yesterday and many decades of issues have shifted and for that I am thankful. I am sure there will be other levels of releasing and perhaps even grief as we move through the next few months, but ya know what? I create diamonds wherever I go and I am so grateful for the knowledge that it is even possible.

I thank you for reading this and wish you great happiness and diamond gathering as well.
Vicki


www.vickibaird.com