"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

"It takes courage to imagine your life different." Lindsay TF

This is one of my favorite quotes because it really does take that courage to look and see that things could be different for you. It also takes bravery, a sense of adventure and a just a little bit of silly to start making those changes that you would like to see. It is also one of my favorites because I actually know the person who said it! It isn't just a random collection of words from someone afar, it is someone I have had the pleasure of seeing grow and use that courage on many occasions. 

I am seeing a lot of people lately who are digging deep into their own fears and moving forward in whatever form they would like to see their lives unfold. This is really exciting to me as a person, soul and coach. As a person it helps me to remember to look at challenges as a fun thing, as a soul it makes me happy to be part of this time in our universe and as a coach it excites me for it means we are growing as a people and I get to be a part of that! Sweet!

I said to a client yesterday that what if the feeling she was feeling wasn't doom and gloom, but rather a feeling that she was about to bloom? Using a plant as an example, they have to push through the dirt and the layers of Earth to show up and reach the sunshine. I bet that is uncomfortable at some point but the plant, knowing that stagnation is certain death, isn't going to just lay there and lament, it is going to keep reaching for that breakthrough. Nature is amazing isn't it? We are amazing aren't we? I believe so. 

So, the next time you feel like you can't do something, remind yourself that you have the same innate knowing as the plant or you wouldn't have come here to learn and grow. You would have remained an inert being simply floating around the stratosphere. I, for one, am glad you decided to push through that dirt and show up and we got to be in this garden together!

How are you riding this wave of energy? Do you feel like you need a seat belt for life? That is how I am feeling. A cross between a whoaaaaaa this is intense and wheeeeeeeeeeee, I want more. We are coming off of another wave of energy that went from the last week of June through the last week of July. THAT was intense! Things were cranky and we were being pushed to bring clarity to what wasn't working in our lives. Now we always have these waves of energy but they don't usually hang on for FOUR FREAKING WEEKS! phew, I feel better just yell typing that.

Hopefully you were able to use that time to clarify what you really want in life. For myself it came with a clarity of no longer wanting to run a retail store. I adore the customers, I love the product and hey, I'm pretty fond of the staff too, but phew, I was stick me with a fork done. This energy helped me be honest with myself first and then be able to formulate a plan to allow the store to grow to the next place and in turn, allow myself to grow. FOR FOR FREAKING WEEKS! oh, did I mention that already?

The energy that came in yesterday a bit like a freight train on speed, is much lighter but just as fast moving. It is propelling all the changes that were made during that time. It is fast and it is taking no mercy. The reason I came up with the wave is the visual I keep seeing is lying on my back with my head toward the vastness of the ocean and my feet facing the beach. I am lying on my back and just riding the wave into the beach. The interesting thing to me was that I was on my back. I wasn't boogie boarding or directing, I was allowing the energy of the wave to guide me in safely and totally trusting that I would end up where I was meant to be. A very cool feeling. The learning to put my head back and just ride may have taken some time to develop, but it is so worth the journey to get here to be able to look at the sky and listen to the ocean with my ears under water and to smell the perfect saltiness of our largest body of water.

This trust didn't come over night, I have really been conscious of where I put my energy and how I use it, especially lately and that clarity of what I want to do as opposed to where there is a perception I should do something is so freeing. Sure, people may get disappointed but what they think of me or how I am living is none of my business. You read that correctly, it is none of MY business. I want my wave to continue to move forward and to use that expansiveness at my head to my fullest potential. If I pay attention to them, that won't happen, so here I am floating away creating my bliss.

This is not to be considered a warning of energy, this is to be considered a helper. Use it wisely, the energy that is, what you do with the blog post is up to you.  Use the frequency of it to propel you forward to create the life you really want to have. Looking back and complaining will only turn you in circles, so why not put your head back and look at the sky with me.

This energy will phase out by Sunday ushering in a calm...for a little while. :) September is setting up to be another very fast month so please learn to slow down now and find the beauty in meandering, or floating or watching grass grow. Whatever works for you. If you are slow when the energy is fast, you can create amazing leaps and manifestations. If you get all wired up when the energy is fast, you will only create anxiety. I don't know about you, but I am not a fan of frenetic energy.

When you are feeling like the world is spinning too fast, just return to your breath or that meandering and be grateful you KNOW there is more going on then with you and if you relax you can reap the benefits. How nice to be in the know, isn't it?

Kicking back and catching the wave,
Vicki

www.vickibaird.com 

Doesn't this look absolutely Divine? Doesn't it just invite you in to take a rest and stare at the trees and water and whatever wildlife are around while you just veg out? It does to me. Too often in our culture we have to schedule the downtime. Think of the last vacation you took, did you vacate or did you run everywhere trying to cram as much into the time as possible and then needed a vacation from your vacation. Maybe you haven't taken a vacation and that could be the one thing you DO get done today, scheduling it!

I decided this summer I was not going to look back and have no quality of life and I also wasn't going to move through the warm months here in New England without enjoyment. The vacationing I like to do is a four day non scheduled, go with the flow kind of vacation. So, I scheduled one every month for the months of  May, June and July There were the typical critic head messages saying, you have to work, you have bills to pay and the what will you DOOOOOO? They were there, but I didn't have to listen to them. I decided that I was going to mix it up. So in May Howard and I went to Virginia to see family and friends as well as Washington D.C. In June I planned to go camping with some friends and July I planned on attending a wedding in California. I'm glad I had the go with the flow mentality because the camping trip was a washout! The wedding in California will be wonderful I am sure but I won't be attending as responsibilities will be creating a staycation for me, which I probably need more anyway. I didn't plan anything in August but the universe put one together for me in September combining work and play, which is the perfect scenario if you ask me!

What will  you do to relax this summer? To just lie around and not be on the go? I personally believe that we should have this every day, a little vacation in every single day, be it  meditation, a walk, listening to calming music or laughing with loved ones. Something in every day to allow us to shut off the mind chatter and to create a break in the noise and the rushing. I will admit that it takes practice to create this because it took practice to create the madness, but I know you can do it. Howard recently built a porch on the front of our house. I have been enjoying the being out and not running so much, I've fallen a bit behind in my writing but that is ok, because the break will create genius....I hope.

So, here is to longer days where we have more time to practice this time of checking in with self, breathing and perhaps an iced coffee or two! I wish you the best of summer seasons whenever it happens in your world and I wish you the relaxation of a summer day all year round.

Viewing life from my porch, wave if you drive by,
Vicki

www.vickibaird.com

Energy, Energy, it is all Energy and boy is it flying lately!

 

Isn't it? Are you feeling like something wound you up and is creating havoc in your electrical field? Are you crankier than usual, yet hopeful at the same time? Yup, we call that energy and I call it an energy upgrade. So, hang on to your shorts, or long pants and rain coat, if you are in the Northeast, as it is getting better and better and better.

 

I waited until today to mention this as I wanted people to not wind it up any further. It is all about me you know and the energy I perceive. HA!  So, the really cool thing about June 10th, besides my niece's birthday, is it is an opening or energy boost. We have these several times a year and they are getting closer and closer together. You can feel the momentum building if you are willing to step out of the perception that it is all about you. :) It will last for another few days and then balance out at this higher frequency. Cool huh?

 

Whenever there is an energy surge or opening, it amplifies what we are already looking at or working through, BUT, it also helps us to move forward. It is up to us if we use the energy in our greatest interest or if we use it to go further into our stuff. It is always a choice how we respond. We all have old tapes in our heads and they can be quite effective but eventually realizing the technology has moved us to digital and a faster medium is amazing and very freeing.

 

This energy is also bringing a great deal of change to people's lives. There are houses selling galore, people moving, businesses changing, relationships moving to new levels, getting clean, spiritual changes to the max and an amazing amount of letting go happening. GO YOU!

 

Take these next few days to be especially aware of your words and your mood. If it isn't forward moving or positive, please don't share it. If you have a hard time getting to a higher vibration of energy, take a walk, look at nature and it's amazing ability to be flexible and malleable. The energy will be intense for the next two days especially but your words will live on beyond that and so will anything you create in this time.

 

Also take these few days to really get clear about what you would like in life, or maybe your are like myself and would like to create a life! Get creative, get moving and allow the gift of possibility to be in your life.

 

With you on the roller coaster of energy life with my hands high in the air,

Vicki