Bringing in the Bodhisattva

A Bodhisattva is a being who has endured the path of suffering, has processed their karma and is in full realization of their darma. That is to say, now they are free to do their life's work which entails "going back" and helping others to attain that same freedom. They have transcended the need for death and rebirth because they have come to know themselves and consequently others so well, that there is nothing left to "die" to. In other words, they have come full circle within themselves. The illusion of physical reality has been put in it's place and the power of the Higher Self has been fully integrated into the body. For the Bodhisattva, what is occurring on the physical level is very real, but it is not the end of the story. The Bodhisattva knows that everything is energy, the power of the mind and the purpose of suffering.

Therefore the Bodhisattva's master purpose is to relieve the "needless" suffering of the world. This is done by becoming the embodiment or the "antidote" to a certain type of suffering, which arises as a result of the sufferer being locked into the mindset that physical reality is all there is. The Bodhisattva is well aware of and can work with non-local reality to hold the space for the suffering to move forward. The further along the Bodhisattva gets in grounding their energies into the physical, the more people they can assist to heal.

Opening to the experience of Bodhisattva is a very personal and powerful one on the path to healing, empowerment and enlightenment. You may think it is just for some. But let me assure you that this archetype is dead center on the path to freedom. So I'd like to show some practical ways to encourage and activate the energies of the Bodhisattva into your life.

My healing modality utilizes the power of archetypal energies, Light, color and visualization. One exercise to bring in the power of the Bodhisattva and to further develop and integrate those characteristics into our life is balancing, integrating, and interweaving the energies located at the Sacral Chakra. The sacral chakra holds in it's structure the gateway for us to express our creativity, passion and sexuality by activating our life force in readiness for manifestation. This is more or less where the Kundalini energy coalesces before it takes physical form, as is outpictured by the womb of a woman being the container for the growing human embryo.

There are two master archetypes that are working with us to teach us lessons and in layman's terms "running programs" within our psyche and energy body in the sacral chakra. They are the Martyr and the Emperor/Empress (or another name might be the Hedonist). These two powerful forces are neither good, nor bad in their own right. They just are. And yet, certainly one or the other can take dominance and help us spin our life out of control. The key lies in integrating these energies together. It might seem like an impossible task, considering how they seem to be polar opposites. It is important to understand that what will be created out of the merging of these energies within us, is yet a third thing: The Bodhisattva.

Imagine a venn diagram and you can see how this occurs. (A venn diagram is two circles which are drawn partially overlapping that creates a vertical eye shape where the two circles overlap.) This is exactly how these energies work together. Where we want to stay is in the space of that eye, where the two meet. This is where the Bodhisattva energies become active in our life. Sometimes we are moving into that space without consciousness. The purpose of this teaching is to help you move and stay in that space more often, ultimately operating your entire life from that middle path with full consciousness, focus and will.

The Bodhisattva has been there and done that....you can't play a player. It is very difficult to pull the wool over the eyes of someone who has admitted to the worst in their own self and has faced and continues to face their own fears and darkness. The Bodhisattva holds a great deal of light for this very reason; they are always shining the light of truth upon themselves. This release of their own suffering is what has made room in their aura and in their soul to hold these powerful energies. And it is in this way that they work with the archetype of martyr or the wounded healer. Yet, the wounded healer can be very dysfunctional all on their own. The wounded healer can help a great many people heal, but it is often at a great price and that is that this occurs sometimes through coyote medicine and they themselves are keeping their own woundedness in the dark by covering it with helping others.

The opposing force to the martyr is the emperor/empress or hedonist. The hedonist loves life, enjoys pleasure and makes sure that they are well taken care of, especially on the physical level. As you can imagine, the hedonist is a prime candidate for acting out addictions and aggression, while the martyr is the one who represses and "acts in", meaning most of their transgressions are committed against themselves.

Hopefully you can see how these two archetype could benefit by joining forces. The bottom line is that the martyr, who is willing to die for their cause needs to be balanced by the hedonist, who is willing to live for their cause. It is difficult to give what you do not have or know that you have. Therefore it is imperative in the development of the Bodhisattva that they begin to receive in order to share. This is where the power of the hedonist, put in check by the martyr can allow this new creature to emerge within: The Bodhisattva.

This is the middle way, the middle path and is a vital component to becoming a healthy altruist. These archetypes are very, very powerful. Working with an archetype is like downloading a program that bypasses sensory input. This is working energetically and on a soul level. Even if you don't understand, your soul or your psyche will.

A powerful method to integrate these energies is to do chakra balancing and healing work, concentrating especially at the sacral, root and solar plexis. Envision the color red at your feet up to your groin, now see the color yellow at your navel, allow these two color to merge at the womb area (below the navel) and see the color orange emerge. On your left side envision the martyr - even call to mind someone in real life or from history that you associate with this, and on your right side envision an emperor or empress. See each character in all their regalia. Allow these energies to permeate your mind. Now see them coming together in your womb area, and inside that color orange see them coming together and becoming one being. This is your Bodhisattva. Take this being and allow it to become as large as your physical body. See yourself heart to heart, face to face. Step into this being and allow yourself to feel the immense, wisdom, devotion, compassion and divine love as you mingle your energies.

You have now drawn the divine matrix for the Bodhisattva to emerge in your life. This will open the gates of glory in your life. The irony is that the word glory will take on a whole new meaning. The glory will be for the great work. The glory will be that you understand that you belong to the world and the world belongs to you. There is no separation and so there is no sacrifice. The giving and the receiving are inextricably combined. Abundance will flow and you will create or become a part of a powerful legacy. When the Bodhisattva, this royalty shows up in your life, you will be at a place where your loss of innocence, all you have been through will be coming full circle and your life force will be activated in a way that you can't possibly now imagine. The beauty of it all will be revealed and you will see the undeviating justice at work in the world as you fully claim your personal power for the highest good of us all.

May you walk in beauty. May you walk in peace. May you be overflowing with love and compassion as you create, integrate and embody your art, your work, your masterpiece in this world.

They key is to feel like an empress and think like a martyr and you will be guided onto the middle path every time. This is the becoming of the Bodhisattva.

by: Rev. Renee Bledsoe
AddictionAlchemy.com

Practices for Non-Violence

Sunday Healing & Enlightenment Circle July 26, 2009

Below are some practices to create and integrate the compassion of the Bodhisattva into your being.

Awe

Often we are so absorbed in our everyday life that we assume that this is all there is. We come to believe that the structure and horizon of the world we experience—at home, in the work-place, and through the media—is “reality.” By making this assumption, we often miss the fact that this social reality is constructed—it is a system of rules, beliefs and motivations that shape and limit our view of life. We tend, therefore, to overlook the fact that life is much more mysterious and unfathomable than the systems we manufacture to navigate through the world. When we cultivate a sense of awe for the great and irreducible mystery of our lives, we are able to see that life is more than the systems in which we live. We are also able to see that those systems can and must be transformed when they contradict or offend the great mystery that is our beginning and end.

One way of exploring this sense of mystery is to reflect on our encounters with other persons. On the one hand, these exchanges can be like following an agreed-upon formula. In that case, we are often like two billiard balls knocking against each other. On the other hand, our encounters with others can be experiences of deep communion. They can be holy moments where presence receives presence, experiences where, as phenomenologist Emmanuel Levinas says in Totality and Infinity, there is a “flow of infinity between one another’s eyes.” When two subjects encounter one another in this way—giving but not being destroyed, belonging but not “belonging to”—they experience in a momentary but tangible way the “ground of all being,” the inexhaustible mystery which creates, preserves and embraces us.

One way of cultivating this sense of awe and mystery is to take some time in a quiet place and call to mind a very important encounter you had with another person. After imagining this event in detail, consider how it happened and what some of its consequences were. Notice your feelings as you remember this event. Reflect on the ways that this exchange had an unpredictable quality, a sense of possibility, transcending prescribed social ritual or conventional scripts. Sense the mystery of the situation. Reflect on how this mystery comes in part from the way that the depth dimension of both people was shared. This depth dimension or inner mystery is that aspect of us that cannot be reducible to our assumptions, expectations or systems. Throughout the day, cultivate an awareness of this mystery.

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Gratitude

A nonviolent stance is one of deep gratefulness for our life and for all life. It is a posture which acknowledges the source of this life. It recognizes that each one of us is on a spiritual journey and that all of our experiences—happy or sad—teach and transform us. It salutes all the ways we have been gifted. way of cultivating gratitude is taking some time in a quiet place and recalling ten people who have given of themselves so that your life could be better. Call to mind their faces. Remember in some detail what they have done for you. Recall the ways people have lavished their time, energy and resources on you. Cultivate this awareness throughout the day, increasingly acknowledging how our entire life—and everything that passes through it—is a gift.

Receptivity

How do we cultivate our openness to those around us? One way is to practice letting go of the ego’s armor in order to receive and heal the world. Here is an exercise which you can practice in the morning before leaving for work, or at any other time of the day.

Stand up, dropping your arms to your sides. Allow your entire body to relax. Breathe in the power of life; breathe it out into the world. Then slowly raise your arms and cross them in front of your eyes. Feel yourself protected and guarded. Slowly extend your arms outward in an attitude of openness to the world. After a few moments, move them in a gesture embracing the world. Repeat several times. This ritual can be performed alone or with others.

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Compassion

Creative nonviolence opens us to the two fundamental dimensions of all beings: sacredness and woundedness. It teaches us to share the suffering of others, as well as their fulfillment. Active nonviolence seeks to put this form of accompaniment into practice as each opportunity arises.

One way of cultivating compassion is to imagine someone with whom you have an unresolved conflict or unresolved negative feelings. Imagine them sitting in front of you. Look into her or his eyes. Share your feelings about this conflict with this person. Then ask her or him to speak. You may want to write down the “dialogue” that unfolds between you. Finish this encounter by praying for one another.

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Centering

There is a spiritual tradition that says that the truth of our being lies in the center of our spiritual hearts, located a little to the right of the middle of the chest. And in order to contact this center, a cave is imagined within which a blue flame burns. As an opening ritual, let us imagine this cave within that physical position and a blue flame burning steadily and brightly inside it. Now hold on to this blue flame without allowing your mind to wander…hold on…. (Giving a few minutes to stabilize the image, the facilitator says the following prayer, asking the participants to repeat each line after it is first read):

May I dwell in the heart,
May I be healed,
May I be full of love,
May I be free from suffering,
May I be joyful and free,
May I be at peace
And discover the utter radiance
Of my own true nature.

The Peace Table

The Peace Table is a tool that is used in forward thinking educational settings, such as Montessori schools very effectively. My daughter attended Montessori school for the first few years of her early education and this is how I had my first brush with the Peace Table. What an amazingly simple concept. There was also something called, The Peace Corner, where children could give themselves a time out. Again, what a concept! In the peace corner there were all kinds of things to help them to get calm and relaxed, such as soft floor pillows, soft music, an aquarium, a bowl of pretty stones, magazines and books and journals.

Children need to learn conflict resolution if they are going to make it as adults. They need to be removed from the situation, find neutral territory, and try to talk it out. The Peace Table is the perfect place to do this.

In the classroom the Peace Table is a set of small child-sized table and two chairs that is set in a quiet part of the classroom. In the middle of the table should be a Peace Flower.

When one child is upset with another, he should invite the other child to the Peace Table. The child who does the inviting begins the conversation, holding the Peace Flower. He tells the other child how she hurt his feelings and why she was invited to the Peace Table. Then he must pass it to her so that she can respond. The children keep passing the flower back and forth, speaking respectfully to each other, until their conflict is resolved. Only the child holding the Peace Flower may speak. They must keep going back and forth until the conflict is resolved. When the situation is resolved, they can hold the flower together and say, “We declare peace.”

Some children may require mediation by another student or a teacher. Especially in the beginning, adults should demonstrate proper use of the Peace Table. They can also model appropriate words and problem solving skills. Adults may need to interpret each child’s feelings for the other one as they are learning to interpret the feelings of others.

This is a technique that should not be restricted only to children. As adults we could take a huge lesson from this and try to incorporate more understanding and less violence, even if it is "just" verbal violence or passive aggression, into our lives. I'm not saying it's not Ok to be angry. That can be an honest emotion. It's how we express ourselves that will turn that anger or disappointment into the light or allow it to stay in the dark. We don't have to become dispassionate beings, but what this will lead us to is channeling our passions into our creativity and even greater cohesion of community and relationships. After all, aren't those the things to truly be passionate about, instead of our anger?

Sanctuary Meditation

July 27th 6:30pm
presented by Shaman's Blessings

Join us and take an amazing journey within. Sanctuary meditation takes you on a journey deep within and to your inner temple, it is here that you will meet your biggest fan, your higher self. Your higher self is waiting to be known by you, longs to develop a relationship with you and will always guide you with love and honesty through your earth walk.

Hosted by: Church of Spiritual Light
1939 Park Meadows Dr. Unit 1, Ft. Myers, FL 33907
239-560-6314
Cost: $25

Love is a Decision, Sex is a Choice

Do you have the power to choose who you love? Do you have the absolute freedom within yourself from your purest essence to be able to connect with someone that really does love, honor and respect you? Can you choose to have sex, or not? Or are you bound up repeating old patterns, attracted to a body type, painted into a corner by a deep seated sexual or personal preference? Are YOU - the highest idea of who you are - really free to choose?

If you answered no, you may be unconsciously locked into choosing a partner based almost entirely on a chemical response, visual cue or a behavioral pattern. And if this is so, is it any wonder there are so many failed relationships. But that's OK, because it's all leading us to our self, to the part of us that wants the absolute best for ourself and isn't willing to settle for less. So how much free will are you willing to claim for yourself?

Personally, I got so tired of being ruled by my body chemistry, my distorted beliefs about relationship, and my own body image that I decided after the crash and burn of my marriage of 8 years to take a break and go down this rabbit hole with myself. I decided to be celibate for an undetermined amount of time.

As I see the fallout of this experience, it is slowly being revealed to me that this has been one of the healthiest things that I have done for myself. It is in many ways, like a detox. And that is exactly what it has been for me, among other things. Body chemistry is every bit as strong as lines of cocaine or a shot of heroin. Many, many people have identified love, relationship, romance and sex addiction in their life as being a destructive force. For many of us, it takes a long time and much heartache to come to the realization that we are addicted to love and we do not have our free will to choose. We think we do, but we don't.

Someone gave me a paradigm shift today. They said, don't "follow" your heart, "lead" with your heart. This truly says it all. If you are leading with your heart, then you are connecting with love AND having the strength to take your heart into uncharted territory. When you know that you ARE love and that sharing love is what makes us the happiest at our core, then you know that there is nothing to get. You already have it. You are it. It is what you are made of.

Pretty intoxicating stuff, isn't it? Love, romance, sex. All these feelings and sensations rushing around inside leave us open and vulnerable. And that's what their supposed to do. For without that open heart, there can be no sharing of love. Yet, we can't let ourselves be ruled by chemical love. We must keep going down the rabbit hole, falling and falling as far as we need to until we find ourselves in a strange land. And that place is ourselves, our own inner being. Falling in love with and meeting our core self or higher self is the great equalizer to love addiction.

When you can become clear enough, and for me this required a detoxification and abstinence from sexual activity for a significant time, then it becomes possible to make that connection with your higher self. Now don't get me wrong. I'm still a sexy, sensual being. I'm not this way right now because I think sex is bad or men or relationships are bad. I'm this way right now because I want to experience true love. I want to be able to see someone for exactly who they are and to love, honor and cherish them anyway without my addictions coloring my vision. And I am not willing to settle for anything less. I think the power lies, in that I would rather be alone, than in yet another superficial relationship.

I knew I was getting somewhere when I read my favorite Bible verse, Corinthians 13:4 and truly understood it for the first time at an even deeper level.

⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

⁸Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. ¹¹When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. ¹²Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

¹³And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

This is probably one of the most quoted Bible verses, but it is usually the first part that makes the cut and the last part is often left off. When I used to read the love is patient, love is kind... yada yada yada yada, I thought that was some impossible standard and how could that possibly work in the real world and this was for saints and angels. But now, since I have experienced the immense relief of having my free will returned to me, my power of choice to whom I will love and be with, I see that the wisdom is revealed in the second half.

For it is true...when I was a child...when I was innocent in the ways of love I acted like a child, but when I became a woman, I put childish ways behind me. I absolutely attracted all these reflections of something disowned by me into my life. It is like being in a horrible hall of mirrors and it surely is what you could call a poor reflection. Because this is not who we are! And the moment I knew myself, I had the powerful skill of being able to know others and became empowered to make myself fully known. I did know in part, and I prophecied in part, but I didn't have the whole story. I didn't see that the perfection lies within the imperfection. The vulnerability is where the true intimacy is born. I knew that your differences could bring you together, but I didn't know your differences are the mechanism by which you come together.

True love is eternal. It's just that simple. And I got to stand in the mouth of the tiger a little bit last night, at my beloved friend, David Essel's workshop and see just what space I am in and how much true love is present. Before I wasn't totally sure if I wasn't using celibacy as an excuse to stave off intimacy. I knew there was a chance that I was repressing, especially after what I had been through with my marriage, but I knew it wasn't just that. At David's Sexuality and Intimacy workshop I got to see that I have not "lost" this part of myself. I got to see how it feels to be reset into innocence as an adult. Almost like a virgin, incredulous as that might sound for a 49 year old woman whose been married twice and the mother of 2 children! Yet, it is possible.

And now I know that the gift I have given myself is the absolute freedom to choose. I am no longer ruled and fueled entirely by my chemicals. I have activated my high heart, the highest vision of my being and I am not willing to settle for anything less than true love. Now I can fully know and feel in my bones and take this into my being: Love is patient, love is kind. It is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. I see how Love rejoices with the truth. And when true love is present it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

I am that, I am.

Fire the Grid II Labyrinth Walk

July 28th 6-7:30 pm -Tuesday Night
(Love Offering)

Join us as we walk the Labyrinth to honor Fire the Grid II. Fire the Grid is a movement for change, and it comes from a place of love and integrity. It demonstrates how many we are and that there is great strength in numbers. It brings a united front for those who know that we can make a difference in this world.

On July 17th 2007 at 11:11 GMT, human beings from every corner of the world participated in the largest mass meditation the earth has ever seen, the first phase of Fire the Grid with millions of people simultaneously holding thoughts and bringing into the physical the vibrations of love, joy and peace. Now, nearly 2 years later their is another phase of this energy available to us on July 28, 2009 at 19:19 Rio di Janeiro time - 18:19 (6:19 PM) in SW FL time zone.

If the key component to the first FTG was joy and gratitude, then the main components to attend to during the second phase are to be present and accountable for who you are and your unique role in the cosmos. Visualize peace and abundance for all. This is the time we see the world we choose to live in. See it in all its splendor; you must see even that which you could not believe to be true. Imagine in your mind a community sharing and caring for all. Imagine a world of plenty using systems that work with our earth for a sustainable coexistence with humanity.

We are especially blessed to have the opportunity during this most powerful time to walk a Labyrinth. Kim Becker has created a project called A Purple Circle which educates and provides to the masses the most amazing and somewhat rare opportunity to walk the sacred geometry of a full sized 24 foot canvas Labyrinth. The walk is indoors at Church of Spiritual Light and this is how we will be honoring Fire the Grid II. Please bring clean socks to walk the Labyrinth. There are no words to describe the experience of walking a labyrinth. You must come and see for yourself. A big thank you to KIM BECKER!

You do not need to RSVP - Just please come as we want to build all the energy that we can. If you want to RSVP you may Call 239-560-6314 or email renee@weavestheweb.com
Location: Church of Spiritual Light, located at 1939 Park Meadows Dr., Unit #1, Fort Myers, FL 33907

For more information about the Labyrinth, please contact Kim Becker at www.apurplecircle.com
For more information about Fire the Grid, please visit www.firethegrid.com

Archetypal Energy Healing

Most of us work with archetypes all the time, even if we don't consciously know what they are or that we are doing it. For most of us it starts when we are very young as we emulated mom or dad or older siblings. Whenever we seek to wear the latest fashion, or look up to movie stars we are doing something far greater than mere idol worship. We are attempting to activate codes and ways of being within our own psyche. We are trying to "run a program".

Problems can occur with this when we are not conscious of the underlying power of the forces at work. Turn this into the shadow and this is the means by which "good people, go bad". Archetypes are very, very powerful forces and they hold a dimension all their own, which is very, very close to the physical realm. These are some of the most tangible, yet unseen, forces on earth. Yet, they are here for our edification, enlightenment, enrichment and advancement as a species.

Did you ever see an episode of Star Trek that features the HoloDeck? The HoloDeck (short for Hologram) is where the crew could go to have a virtual reality experience and become an actor in an existing play or a scenario of their own. This is not unlike how we work with archetypes. And there are people who are living and breathing right now on this earth who are human embodiments of certain archetypes. That is why potentially you may find your self so attracted to someone or something. And so this reveals to us that the archetypes that matter to us most may be out-pictured in our world according to what we value.

Wow, this seems to make it critical to discover and become aware of the energies and attitudes or the "programs" we are running in our life and to realize what we truly value. The power in this, though is not simply to see what we've been doing wrong. But to actually learn how to infuse our life with archetypal forces to help us create and run new programs in our life, open ourselves up to new ways of being in the world and creating ourselves and our experiences at a whole new level.

The archetypes were poignantly present to the ancient Greeks. And if you'll recall this was a pivotal point in history which unleashed and ushered forward untold amounts of discovery, invention and creativity all of which continues to impact us today. To the Greeks, the Gods and Goddesses were real. And in many ways they are just as real as anything physical, mainly because they are always taking physical form through our own psyches. So why not work consciously with the strength of Apollo, who some would liken to the angelic being Archangel Michael, whose strength and protection is an unrivaled force for the good of all mankind. Or why not work with the Bodhisattva and allow the power of this compassionate being to infiltrate your own being with love and forgiveness.

The amazing thing is that there are thousands of archetypes to work with. Some are very universal and pertain to us all and some are highly specialized, yet just about all archetypes hold some great universal truth in it's purest essence. Archetypes provide us with the means to interpret our reality without the influence of our sensory stimulation. Therefore they are very powerful to our psyche, because they are a pure energy download which can directly interpret our belief system bypassing subjective processes of thought, logic and reasoning.

Archetypes can bring us to a state of pure feeling and can affect our state, as well as reveal it. As we become aware of their influence in our life we can actively work with these holographic energies and multi-dimensional patterns to help bring us to the heights of our human potential. Who knows, maybe one day you'll emerge as an archetype... maybe you already are.

Source: Renee Bledsoe, Addiction Alchemy
http://www.addictionalchemy.com/addiction_alchemy_archeytpes.html

Backstage Prayer

Alcohol Recovery: An Amazing Success Story

Anyone can recover from alcohol abuse, or dependency, and there are millions of people right now who are walking success stories to prove this statement. And unlike some theories you may have heard about, you do not have to be fully ready to quit to be successful in sobriety. You do not have to truly want to quit to get sober. You do not even have to be at the absolute rock bottom of your life, as many will tell you, in order to live a free, happy, sober life.

I get so tired of hearing this crap about "if you're not fully ready to quit drinking, it will never work. " Hogwash. Baloney. What a bunch of drivel. How do I know that these statements are so off base? Because in the past 24 years of helping people to create the life they've always dreamed of, of helping people to get sober, most of my clients did not fall into any category of being "fully ready to quit, or at their absolute rock bottom."

Yes, a few were at rock bottom, but not the majority. A few were finally, fully ready to quit, but again, not very many.

Most of the people I have helped to recover from alcoholism, or alcohol dependency, were just like Randy, the man you are about to read about.

The day I first met Randy in my office, he was a mess. Filled with anxiety. His wife had recommended they come together the first session, to see if I might be a good match for him, to help him get sober. To get him off the anti-anxiety drugs he had been on for 10 years, and the alcohol that had been a part of his life for 38 years.

In all honesty, Randy told me he wasn't sure he was ready to quit drinking, and was not at all ready to give up his prescription drugs. As we've talked over the past several months, he told me recently he was about 30% ready to quit drinking, at the high end, but 70% of him as he sat in my office, wanted to keep drinking.

You see, you do not have to be ready to quit, you just have to be ready to meet someone who works in this field, and begin the process. That's all. One day at a time.

His anxiety was at an all time high due to his rocky marriage, his poor investments, the economy, as well as the fact that he might not drink again. I could see the nervousness in his eyes, how unsure he was just sitting in a recovery coaches office. I know those feelings all so well, as I once was in his shoes. I at one time felt the panic surrounding the fact that I might never drink again. Which is why I told them both, we'll just take this one day at a time.

Here's what Randy has to say about his decision to get into a recovery program with me:

"When I first meet David my entire life was total unmanageable and I was spinning out of control in every aspect of my life.

I had been using drugs and alcohol for 38 yrs.

Financially - I was at my bottom.

Personally - I was losing my wife and child after over a 1 ½ yr. of going through a divorce.

Health – I had lost over 30 lbs and taking many prescriptions drugs.

Spiritually – I was a lost soul.



David got me to agree to get sober off alcohol and drugs for one day.

I knew I had a problem with drugs and alcohol, however I could not go to rehab for 30 days and miss work as I felt like I would lose my job.



David put me on his 30 day program, for me it was like checking into a rehabilitation center. As his program held me accountable every day and night for 30 days.



TODAY I am sober and thinking like I did 20 years ago. Making clear and concise decisions.

My wife and I are working on reconciling our marriage.

I have a plan for my finances.

My health is improving everyday with eating right and exercise.

I am finding my soul and have surrendered my life to “My Higher Power”.



David’s program is not just a program that is pre-designed for one fits all. He customized a program that I personally needed for my life and it is working for me.

He is truly a life coach.

David has opened many doors in my life and helped show me the way to personal growth.

David is a VERY thought provoking person.



“Most important I am sober TODAY” with David’s program that was designed for me.



Randy

Randy's success is not rare, as a matter of fact it is becoming very normal for people who are at least ready to try. To try, and trust someone to help them build a program that fits their needs, lifestyle and personality.

There are many such programs available today, and we feel so excited about the future for anyone who is even the slightest ready to give life without alcohol and or drugs a shot. Over the years, I have gained so much insight myself as I see our clients free of addiction, free of the "gorilla on their back", that had prevented them from experiencing the amazing life they've always wanted.

I am so blessed personally to have found this path of sobriety, and it is now my mission to assist as many people as possible to let go of the "anchors" that are holding them back, and to become another success story themselves, as one other person who has recovered from alcohol abuse or dependency.

Slow down, reach out,and ask for the help you need today. Let go of the shame, let go of the guilt, and do what Randy and millions of others have done as their first step to sobriety from alcohol or drugs, ask for help today. Choose to get help, today.

Love, peace, David Essel http://www.davidessel.com
Posted by David Essel at 5:27 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: alcohol, alcoholics anonymous, anxiety, holistic recovery, recovery, success