abundance

058 | The Art of Allowing & Priestess Rising with Marin Bach-Antonson

 
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It is a great honor to introduce you today to a personal guide and mentor of mine, Marin Bach-Antonson. 

For the last year I have been participating in a 13 gateway Priestess Initiation Program led by Marin. It has been a truly transformational experience to embody principles of the sacred feminine in every area of my life. 

In this conversation, Marin shares about the role of the Priestess, the rise of the feminine in our collective consciousness and one of the most simple and profoundly life-changing practices we can bring into our life right here and right now.

"When you allow those feelings to be exactly as they are, then you have access to the feelings. You are not pushing the feelings down...you aren't trying to make them different,  yoga them away, journal them out, or juice fast them into dissolving. You're just being with them because you are allowing them. The only way out is through. It's the feeling of our feelings that ultimately gets us to the other side of them."
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In this episode we discussed:

  • How Marin found herself on the Priestess path
  • The 4 stages of feminine awakening
  • Allowing: why it's the highest expression of the divine feminine
  • A key secret to manifestation
  • Marin's personal practice for manifesting abundance
  • The archetype of the Priestess and how it is showing up in the collective
  • Marin's experience with Mary Magdalene
  • How to connect to your Dharma

Stay in touch with Marin:


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Marin Bach-Antonson is a women's spiritual coach, soul catalyst and creator of the Priestess Rising Initiation Program, a leadership program for women ready to embody their radiance, lead from the heart and claim their role on the forefront of the feminine awakening movement. She has over 20 years experience crafting ritual, leading red tents and bringing women together in sister circles which she believes is part of the new paradigm and how we western women are meant to change the world.You can find her at www.priestessrising.com

 

048 | The Art of Feminine Abundance with Meredith Rom

 
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Special Announcement: The Sovereign Circle begins on May 2, 2018: A 9 Month Feminine Leadership Initiation + High Priestess Sisterhood. Only a Few Spaces Left! Find All the Details At Risingwomenleaders.com

If you find yourself drawn to my work I imagine you have a calling to share your gifts and use your voice for the purpose of uplifting others.

I imagine you desire to birth something and be a part of the awakening of a new paradigm.

I also imagine you desire to be financially empowered AND have the time and space to do what you love ...

Most likely you are tired of pushing, forcing or sacrificing in order to get there.

I believe in you stepping into your fullest potential.

Financial empowerment. Thriving in your life’s work. And creating space to do what makes you come alive, everyday.

I believe this is possible for you.

In the last year the qualities of the feminine have been my greatest teachers... The qualities of BEING, FEELING, SURRENDERING, ALLOWING, MAGNETIZING, and stepping into greater TRUST.

I know it is not always easy to honor these qualities in a culture so focused on achievement and doing, but I believe the feminine is rising, calling us back into balance as a collective.

There are so many of us that are waking up at this time and many of us are feeling called to let go of the old paradigm of pushing and forcing. Many of us are quickly ascending beyond that.

The new way is seeing abundance as a state of being, an embodiment we can cultivate within ourselves...

So...I've decided to re-release of my most popular webinars from last summer on the Rising Women Leaders Podcast.

My intention in sharing this wisdom is to help you reconnect to your innate feminine essence and rediscover the innate abundance within you so you can begin to reflect that in everything around you...

In this episode you'll learn:

  • 10 Feminine Practices for an Abundant Life
  • Ancient Body Wisdom Teachings to Increase Your Magnetism
  • How to Clear the Space for What You Truly Love 
  • The Role of the Queen and Higher Self 
  • A Feminine Approach to  Manifestation
  • A Look inside my Upcoming Program The Sovereign Circle
"In the feminine model, it's all about responding to life with love. And with that we can take the art of manifestation a level deeper, using practices that involve not only our mind, but also our body."

As an added bonus, I'm including notes from the webinar for you below!

Opening: Deep breaths and welcoming you into the art of receiving. Receiving your breath. Receiving this moment. Femininity and abundance are so much about opening ourselves to receive. 

Imagine the web of other women here with you tonight. Beautiful women who are here to support you in stepping into your greatness. Women who are invested in you becoming the best version of yourself. 

We welcome our guides and teachers, anyone that has been important to you in your life.  I will call in the feminine teachers I have been working with Amma, the divine mother, Quan Yin, the goddess of compassion, Mother Mary, she of a thousand roses and Mary Magdalene, she of a thousand angels.

For the last few months I’ve been going to women circles with a mentor of mine where we hold hands and from woman to woman we Imagine as we gather we are turning to each other and holding each other’s hands, and we go around the circle and say to each other “Sister, I see you, I honor you, and I welcome you to this circle.” 

This space is now declared as safe and as sacred, a space where we can open to our highest callings and join in sisterhood in support of becoming our highest selves. Aho

I’m going to share:

  • Feminine Practices for an Abundant Life
  • Body Wisdom Teachings to Increase Your Magnetism
  • How to Clear the Space for What You Truly Love 
  • The Role of the Queen and Higher Self 
  • A Feminine Approach to Manifestation

But since you’re taking the time to be here:

Close your other windows, close the door, be fully present and stay the entire time…Because: At the end I’m going to give you a practice that you can start using in your life right now that will help you begin to create huge shifts in your life related to inviting in more abundance. 

WHY: 

If you’re here today, I imagine you:

Have a calling to share your gifts and use your voice for the purpose of uplifting others, a desire to birth something, the new paradigm,  Desire to be financially empowered  AND do what you love everyday

Are tired of pushing, forcing or sacrifice and are ready to let it be easy

I believe in you stepping into your full potential. Financial empowerment. Thriving in your life’s work. And creating the space to do what you love, everyday.

And I believe this is possible for you. And you can do it with ease and with grace, Honoring a feminine way of being and living.

So, a little about me:

Growing up in New York, I naturally followed a more masculine model of achieving and doing. I loved the feeling of checking my next “to-do” off the list, getting that A+ on the test I stayed up late to study for, and often sacrificed self-care in the name of “getting it all done.” 

While I do feel there’s an important place in our lives for structure, action and achievement, if our body starts sending us signals to slow down, I believe it’s important to listen to them. 

When I found myself with stress, exhaustion, and chronic pain as result of being overworked, I began to reevaluate my life. The yoga classroom became my sanctuary, a space to just be through feelings of stress, difficult emotions and pain in my body. Through allowing myself to feel, and to breathe, without the immediate need to fix or change my life, everything began to shift. 

Without knowing it, this was my first moment of discovering the sacred feminine, which has become a great teacher to me in this life. Just being, holding, loving myself as I am is such a powerful way of being in the world.

Through being, I discovered my intuition, my inner guide, who led me on my path to California, soon after to India, and back to California where I live today. 

Now living in California, my life’s work is of a coach and a yoga teacher, and I found that my masculine model of pushing and forcing really did follow me even though and there were some challenging moments in my business especially in the beginning.  

Recently I heard a metaphor, of a woman giving birth - when it is time for her to birth her baby - a universal force moves through her and she just needs to surrender. The more she can surrender the easier it will be - 

This is what I believe for our creative gifts, that when we honor the feminine we can be patient and surrender, wait for our ripeness, and allow our creative gifts to be birthed through us. 

I believe…

The feminine is rising, calling us back into balance as a collective. There are so many of us that are waking up at this time, and we feel a deep calling to join together as a sisterhood in love and support of each other. 

We are feeling called to let go of the old paradigm of pushing and forcing. Many of us are quickly ascending beyond that. 

The new way is Abundance is a state of being within ourselves and when we begin to live and breathe it, everything outside of ourselves will mirror that. 

My Intention today is to help your reconnect to your feminine essence and rediscover the innate abundance within you so you can begin to reflect that in everything around you. 

In our culture we have faced some challenges and conditioning around money and abundance:

~ How we are raised - all the conditioning we are given and how that conditioning created limiting beliefs in our psyche 

~ Many of you are probably familiar with the teachings of The Secret and The Law of Attraction - it’s based on the idea that your thoughts become your reality, and if we shift our thoughts to think more positively we will attract more positive things in our life.  

This helped me a lot in my life, but as a culture we have actually accelerated past these level of teachings that are all about the mind - which is very powerful but it does not take into account the power of the womb and the body.  These teachings were mostly about enforcing our power of will to command the forces of life to work on our behalf - what it doesn’t take into consideration is life is co-collaborative we are not always responsible - if something bad happens we think somehow we created it and are getting it wrong - we can actually feel ashamed like it is our fault which can lead to shame and self-blame.

The truth is life is always in every moment happening for us, not to us. And when we look at the model of the feminine  it is very cyclical — we are living a human experience - there are times of expansion and contraction - your spiritual path is not about how great you are manifesting but how you are responding to life. 

How you respond to what you are presented with. Sometimes bad things happen. But if you can really truly love yourself through those hard times, that is going to evolve you so far and you really open yourself to miracles.  The feminine model of manifestation the power of our thoughts are helpful, but it actually goes beyond into using your body, your womb and responding to life with love. 

The Solutions:

I’m going to share with you as much as I can today, and for those who want to go deeper, you’ll hear more about how you can do that at the end of the call, so be sure to stay for that.


Take a moment to meditate/journal - what is it I truly desire? What does my heart really long for?  Who is my higher self? 

1. Connect to Your Higher Self - Higher self meditation - how can I be more of this person right now?

When I first did this meditation I imagined the kind of home this woman lived in, I saw that she wore organic clothing, lots of light colors, she meditated in the mornings, her home was minimal. I began making decisions based on what my higher self would do. What she would buy.  And at the time it felt really far off but little by little I have been watching myself become more and more of her each day. 

Tip: Connect to your higher self and ask how you can become more like her

2. Tell the Truth:

What is not working for me? 

The moment you tell the truth to yourself - it sets you free

As soon as we tell the truth there is more space. 

When we bring your shame into the light - fear, rage, the moment those truths hit the light they can instantly transform, truth sets us free from the prisons we live in

Accepting our truth - we create the space for something new. 

Story - Last spring I wrote a letter of acceptance. I wrote out all the things that were not working in my life and I started it with I accept. I was having health challenges, some relationship challenges, money challenges, and I just wrote it all out. I accept that this is going on.  

I actually found this letter yesterday, and so much of what I was writing there has transformed. Taking the space to acknowledge and accept what was not working in my life was incredibly liberating, and taking that step actually created the space for everything to change. 

3. Clear the Space to Receive: 

Around this time, I found the book the Life changing magic of tidying up and I went to work. 

When we declutter our lives we actually create more space to receive. 

Face yourself with everything you own and ask - Do I love this? Does this spark joy? Does this represent who I am today?

There is a true alchemy that happens when we let go of what no longer serves us in our surroundings. It clears stuck energy and frees up space. 

Clothes, Books, Papers, Miscellaneous & Kitchen, Mementos

The funny thing is before I found this book I kept telling myself - I need a bigger home - I don’t have enough space, and I was driving myself crazy looking for a place to move. Now actually when I went through this book and cleared out so much, I suddenly stopped feeling that aching desire to move to a bigger house. My house transformed so much. It created new possibilities and my partner and I actually created an outdoor bathtub which we have been using so often. My home has been becoming more and more of a sanctuary. 

Another tip: Receiving compliments - a way you can practice opening yourself to receive - For example usually when we receive a compliment it can be so easy to deflect and immediately compliment the person who is giving it. it can actually feel uncomfortable at first to simply say thank you

4. Set Your Lens for Abundance:

  • Making more money is not necessarily going to make you feel abundant however, feeling abundant will very likely lead to you having and making more money …

- The feminine is so much about trust. Trusting; Money comes when we trust money is going to come - the universe truly wants us to be abundant, but life isn’t all about getting our way, it is a co-collaboration it’s about how we respond

Let money flow - Find a balance of saving and giving. Connect with your body and spend money on things your heart lights up about. That money will come back. TRUST.

- When you look for the abundance all around you, that is what you will find and that is what you will attract more of 

  • altar with things you have and things you want

5. Be the Queen: 

The Queen is a leader, she is sovereign, powerful, autonomous. But she is absolutely of service. She puts aside her fears in service to her people and something so much greater than herself. 

Much of my path has been about trusting in my voice. I have worked through some really tremendous fears and doubts around trusting myself and my voice. And I have known that this fear has absolutely been calling me deeper into my purpose. 
So what has really been helping me is the mantra: I am a Queen. I trust in my voice. Now when I step more and more into the role of the Queen, when I follow my intuition and I really deeply trust in myself, abundance follows.  This requires moving beyond our fears. This requires taking up more space.  There is an immensity of power that comes with being a Queen and as a Queen we accept that power. We step closer to our edge. We honor our power. And when we do that, abundance comes. 

Treat yourself with Exquisite Care: 

How would a Queen treat herself?

~ Body wisdom practice - Abhyanga - self oil massage - actually being aware and conscious and speaking to your body. I love you. Thank you. You matter. I bless you. Wow this practice has felt so loving, and literally makes me feel like a Queen.

~ Find your signature scent

~ Feed yourself delicious meals, take care of your body. 

6. Respond to Life with Love: 

~ Practice of Just Being 

~ Inevitably bad things happen - hard things happen - can you hold yourself with love 

~ How to Handle Comparison - story of Jillian - seeing other women as a reflection of your own greatness 

~ You are done with trying to fix your emotions and you are willing to feel them. That is the true invitation of the feminine to take her place in you. The feminine is all about wrapping her essence arms around the parts of you that feel separate or split from their wholeness so they can be loved back into being. 

~ If there is something you really want to manifest there is a good chance that part of you does not want it, see if you can journal with that part of yourself, hold her, understand her, listen to her and gain deeper clarity into why you haven’t been receiving what it is you want so badly

7. Save and Give

Having enough - saving and giving are two ways to tell your mind and your body, I have enough - you begin to create subliminal messages that i have enough - and when you are in a state of enough - you are not attached and more comes to you 

~ Think about the organizations you want to give to and give consistently. The organization I love to give to is Amma - amma.org - she has so many service projects around the world and I really trust my giving is put to good use 

~ I’ve also been practicing being more generous with friends, every time I do this, the opposite of what my fear mind wants to do - It feels so healing - Shifting a mindset of scarcity (Story of Quan Yin)

8. Surround Yourself With What You Love:

Pleasure is an antidote to our fear, doubt and worry. When we are in enjoyment - we expand our magnetic field and we attract the right people and situations to us

- Make a list of what brings you Pleasure 

- some items on my list include: raspberries, roses, a clean space without clutter, light, warmth, bubble baths, friend dates, clean clothes from the dryer, holding my cat, sunsets, leading calls like this one, singing, red lipstick, yoga, giving gifts and surprising people I love

9. Release Attachments:
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Story of Vipassana Center, I’ve been with my beloved for about 5 1/2 years, and for the last year I’ve had a pretty strong desire to get engaged. Vipassana Retreat - realized I was thinking about it so much - I was putting so much of my attention and energy on something I didn’t have, I was putting pressure on myself to make something different than what it was, and I realized the absolute misery I was putting myself through. So much about the vipassana practice is about PATIENCE. I allowed myself for hour after hour to be with my breath and I had a visceral experience that I was the cause of my own misery. I was causing my own suffering by focusing SO MUCH on what I didn’t have.  

Cried for a long time in one of the silent meditations because I just felt so sorry - I realized I had such a loving partner and the things I loved most about him and our relationship was: sharing our dharma of teaching and singing together, of spending time in beautiful natural environments and going out to dinner sometimes - that was what brought me true, genuine happiness. I realized instead of focusing on what I didn’t have that was what I needed to focus on. When I did, our joy increased our relationship strengthened, and low and behold 3 months after that retreat, my partner proposed to me. 

~ Feminine Abundance is about co creating with life - letting go and trusting

10. Practice The Art of Feminine Abundance (A Feminine Approach to Manifestation) : 

I recently heard this story from my mentor Marin Bach-Antonson: The Story of a man who was studying a tribe and the lead tribesman invited the man to go with him to the top of the mountain to perform a ritual for rain...

He was honored and went with him wondering what dance/instruments he would use. He got to the top and stood with his palms open - 5 minutes passed and he said - ok we’re done, let’s go.  What did you do? I felt the rain on my skin, I felt the puddles beneath my feet. I felt with all my senses.  

And it rained. 

Meditation - body prayer : Feeling your body, your womb and anchoring it into the Earth

Call to Action

  • So I know I shared a lot today, a lot to practice and to implement. Now some of you may run with the information and start using it and create huge shifts in your life - and I also imagine there are some of you that want to go deeper. You want community, you want a guide. You want the support and the accountability of a mentor. 
  • So for those of you who feel called to go deeper, I invite you to my latest program, The Sovereign Circle.  (Switch to Screen share)

 

Closing: 

May we join together as the sovereign women we are. May we honor the light within our heart, and step more and more each day into the role of our highest selves. 

I honor you sister for being here with us today, and I bow to you Namaste.

 

Do You Believe There's Enough? Insights on Abundance From My Travels in India

 
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Over the winter I spent two weeks in India at the ashram I wrote about in my book, Just Be. I was there at the busiest time of year, between Christmas and New Year's, and there were literally thousands of people...just see the photo above to get an idea of what the main hall looked like...

Every Tuesday at 12:30 pm we would all gather in the main hall for something called "Prasad Lunch." It was a delicious, abundant meal with rice, curry, papadam (a thin crispy treat), banana, and yummy dessert. This meal was offered by the ashram for free to everyone.

Oh yes, and every single plate was also blessed by Amma, the guru.

Our yoga teacher told us it is custom to wait until the guru has her first bite before eating the meal. And the guru would wait until every single person had a plate before she would take her first bite.

The plates were passed from the front of the main hall all the way to the people in the back until everyone had a plate.

The first time I experienced this I just kept thinking, "There's no way there is going to be enough. How can they feed all these people? They must run out at some point."

Everyone was singing "Om Namah Shivaya" while the plates were handed back.

As some people were handed a plate, I watched them grip their fists around it, holding on for dear life.

Some people began eating early, unable to wait until everyone had a plate.

But then I saw some people smiling, and continuing to pass whatever plate was handed to them off to someone else. They had complete trust that there would be enough. And they were so happy.

After about a half an hour of this handing-out-plates process, a man on the stage asked if anyone did not have a plate yet, to raise their hand. More and more plates of food were handed out.

This happened a few more times, until magically, everyone had a plate. 

I was in awe. 

The first time I went to this lunch, as soon as I received a plate, I held on to it, unsure if there would be enough. 

But the next week, I became one of those smiling people, handing off whatever plate was handed to me, having complete trust that there would still be enough for me.

Most of us have been taught that we live in a world where there just isn't enough. 

nd it is this very belief that is at the seat of so much suffering. It creates competition. It creates a mindset of scarcity. It teaches us that we need to fend for ourselves, that we can't give to others with generosity.

I'm tired of living this way.

It is certainly important to provide for yourself, and that is a necessary step in order to shift your mindset into one of abundance. But abundance consciousness is inclusive, it includes yourself, but it also includes everyone. 

This year I have been making a radical shift in consciousness to the belief, "there is always enough."

And it has not been easy!

So many limiting beliefs have been coming to the surface when I chose to act out of this new way of being.

This moment in India is just one of the times I saw how my own mindset of scarcity would play out. But over time, I have been choosing a new way. I am beginning to trust. To let go. 

Through that trust, I have been provided for. and through that trust, I have been so much happier.

One of the teachings I recently read about from Mary Magdalene (channeled by Mercedes Kirkel) is:

“There is enough for everyone but to realize this requires a grand shift in consciousness - you will realize abundance when you make the shift - and to make the shift you must assume this abundance - it takes great trust to do this.”

One of the ways I have been practicing abundance is through tithing. Tithing is the idea that all of our abundance comes from God/Source, and in order to honor that Source, we are invited to give back one tenth of every dollar we earn to the places that spiritually nourish us. 

This could be to friends, family, organizations, charities, teachers, authors, etc. 

The idea is that you can never "Out-give" God, so whatever you give, will come back to you, times ten. 

I have to say, from my experience of it, it's been pretty true. (Learn more about tithing in Edwene Gaines book, The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity)

I made a six month commitment to tithing about four months ago, and it has been a huge statement to the universe of I have enough. I believe there is enough. I believe there will always be enough.

Month after month I have seen that even though I am giving away a significant portion of my income, there is still, truly, always enough. 

In those moments when I was really uncertain if there would be enough, some kind of miracle happened.

Something about this new mindset, this new way of being, has been catapulting me into expansion in all areas of my life. 

I've hired an assistant and I'm getting ready to move to a new home, a dream I have been holding in my heart for years. 

Both of these steps have required a huge amount of trust. And the belief in an abundant universe. 

o I'm curious where you have been feeling closed or held back by money and abundance.  I've found the quickest way to shift into a state of abundance when I am feeling scarce is to GIVE. 

What are your thoughts on abundance? What actions could you take that show you believe in an abundant universe? Feel free to leave a note in the comments below.

With love, 
Meredith

 

039 | Resilience, Radiance, & Recovery with Elena Brower

 
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"Integrity matters. If you are in integrity, timing will be on your side."

It was an honor to sit down with renowned author and yoga teacher Elena Brower in the latest Rising Women Leaders podcast episode. We spoke of her journey: discovering yoga, becoming a teacher, finding her voice and more recently letting go of addiction, stepping into her power as a wellness advocate and team leader for doTERRA and the beauty that comes when you step into your highest alignment.  We spoke of the power when a woman steps into wealth and abundance, how to honor our grief and pain, and what to let go of to deepen our personal practices.

There is in an elegance and grace to everything Elena creates... Be sure to check out her new journal, Practice You as well as her other offerings listed below.

In this episode we discussed:

  • Discovering the path of yoga 
  • Finding your voice as a teacher
  • Being a mom and how that relates to spiritual growth and practice 
  • Elena's journey with addiction, sobriety and recovery
  • Her thoughts on stepping into wealth "...how absolutely perfect it is to be financially independent as a woman, and how important it is to be that example for many many thousands if not millions of other women, so I'm okay with that..."
  • Her love of essential oils
  • Elena's favorite morning rituals
  • The rise of the feminine & awakening of our collective consciousness
  • Her new journal, "Practice You"
  • Healing from the loss of her mother and thoughts on moving through grief and pain 
  • The importance of the early morning hours for personal practice

Connect with Elena: 


Elena Brower is a renowned author, yoga teacher and speaker. Influenced by several yoga traditions including Parayoga and Katonah Yoga, she is recognized internationally for her expertise in combining physical alignment and the art of attention. Since 1998, Elena has been offering these practices as a vehicle for approaching our world with realistic reverence and gratitude. She is the author of Art of Attention, a yoga workbook that has been translated into six languages and the creator of Teach.yoga, a virtual home for yoga teachers worldwide. Her new book, Practice You, will be out in September 2017 from Sounds True.

Elena is also an executive producer of On Meditation: Documenting the Inner Journey, a film that intimately explores meditation experiences, and has contributed to the Huffington Post, MindBodyGreen, and Yoga Journal. Experience Elena's filmed practices on YogaGl, and her Audio Meditations on elenabrower.com/meditation.

 

032 | Mindful Men Series: Money & Mindfulness with Spencer Sherman

 

Lately I’ve been reflecting on what it means to have “enough.” 

Last month I was lucky to sit down with a founding partner of Abacus Wealth Partners, an investment company that focuses on making the world a better place, Spencer Sherman.

I found it really interesting when he shared, “Giving and saving are two ways to tell your body and mind, ‘I have enough.’” 

Mindfulness and meditation have greatly helped me shift my relationship to money.  

I remember even just a few years ago when I had accumulated a large amount of savings, yet my mindset was solely focused on what I didn’t have. Because of that, I didn’t take a moment to reflect on everything around me. Instead I kept pushing myself. 

Now, I do my best to remind myself of what I have, with gratitude. A mantra I use often is, “I have everything I need, and I welcome so much more.”  (Thanks to Gabrielle Bernstein for that one)

Shifting my mindset around money and focusing more on generosity than on scarcity has helped me let go of the need to grasp on to the next prospective client, the bigger house, or next new item for my wardrobe.

And I have to say, it’s been so relaxing to take that pressure off. 

The funny thing is, the more I soften and rest into the trust that I have everything I need, I feel like so much more abundance is coming to me.

I’ve consciously been letting go of the grasping, the feeling of “getting the short end of the stick” and really honoring where I am at and what I have. 

It’s not an easy practice, I know, and sometimes I still get stuck in the mindset of “I don’t have enough.” So that’s why I’m excited to share with you my latest podcast episode all about Money and Mindfulness with Spencer Sherman. 

“The less attached I have been, the more ease I have found with money, the more it comes to me.” ~ Spencer Sherman

A few months ago it became clear to me that I’d like create a “Mindful Men Series”  to honor the perspective of the divine masculine and share the voices of men I see around me honoring their gifts and purpose while giving back to the world. 

After listening to the episode, I’d love to hear, what does enough look like for you? How do you cultivate a feeling of enough?  Let me know in the comments over on instagram. 

I’m also excited to share that this Fall Spencer and I are collaborating in an 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program locally in Sebastopol.

Save the date September 5, 6:30 - 9 pm at The dhyana Center for a free orientation to learn about the program.

In this episode we discuss: 

  • Discovering your true net worth 
  • The best day/worst day of Spencer’s life 
  • The missing piece one of his clients discovered to living a joyful life after having “made it” in the financial world
  • Meditation and how that has affected Spencer’s relationship to money and how he relates to clients in his business
  • The first step to take to bringing more awareness to your finances 
  • Abacus’ approach to wealth management and sustainable investing 
  • Our upcoming course, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (Save the date for Sept. 5 for a free orientation)
  • Spencer's book, The Cure for Money Madness

I hope you enjoy today’s show. It may be just what you need to earn more money, start saving and giving, or maybe to just cultivate more peace of mind.

With love,
Meredith

P.S. Join me this coming Wednesday August 9th for my next webinar, The Art of Feminine Abundance where I’ll be sharing more about my insights on wealth, joy and abundance. Click here to sign up.

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Spencer Sherman is a financial expert, public speaker, teacher and author. Spencer has taught classes and spoken to audiences across the U.S., including at Esalen and Kripalu. He has practiced meditation since 1983 and is a qualified teacher of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). He is a founding partner of Abacus Wealth Partners, an investment company that focuses on making the world a better place. Spencer and his wife Janine live in Sebastopol, CA with their 2 children.

 

What My Cat Taught Me About Abundance

 
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Last December I put on my high heels and red lipstick to go to a fancy holiday party at a beautiful modern home in Penngrove, CA.

However, this wasn't just any normal holiday party.  This was a Toastmasters holiday party, a public speaking group I have been a part of for the last year.  Three people were prepared to give a speech that night, and one of them was me. 

After much practicing in the back field of my home, I felt ready.  I was excited.  As I put on my jewelry and curled my hair, I reflected back on how much I had grown in just one year.

I remembered standing terrified looking out at the audience at a podium in front of thirty or forty people the first time I stood up to speak in front of this group.  Despite the fear of that first moment, I knew I was ready to grow, ready to face the fear, and over the last year, I have.  

Public speaking has become more and more familiar, and through putting myself on center stage, I have learned so much about myself and the craft of captivating an audience.

Over the last year, I realized there was a girl inside of me, ready to be SEEN, to be LOUD, ready to STAND UP and share her voice.

I was encouraged every step of the way by this amazing group of people of all ages and from all walks of life.  I delivered my speech, "The Gifts of Giving" at the Holiday party that nightand was on a total high.

Then just a few weeks ago, I was looking at the voice memos on my phone and discovered my boyfriend Michael had recorded the whole thing!

At first I felt shy about sharing it, but realized this magical story of giving and receiving could be inspiring for you to break free from scarcity and believe in the beauty, magic, and abundance all around you.  So here I am sharing it with you...

The speech is only 8 minutes long, so I hope you take some time to listen above.  You'll also learn how I ended up with a magical cat on my doorstep...

Warmly, Meredith

Photo by In Her Image Photography

 

Lessons Learned From a Week in the Desert

 
Burning Man 2015
Burning Man 2015

I just came back from 8 days in the desert at Burning Man festival where 70,000 people joined together from around the world to try on new personalities, dress up in fun ways, learn from experts on consciousness, and practice living in community.

So much happened while I was there, and I'm now taking time to integrate all the lessons.  When I arrived home, I wrote in my journal.  I realized that underneath all the crazy costumes and non-stop dance music, there were some deep spiritual insights I took away from the experience.  I wanted to share them with you here.

Relationship to Water

When you enter a space with a finite amount of resources, it completely changes your relationship to them.  This is what happened to me with water.  I arrived with 12 gallons of water and knew that was all I had for the week.  As the week went on, I saw how little water I really needed to brush my teeth, shower and wash my dishes.  I realized when we have unlimited access to clean water, we don't value it in the same way.  I now find myself turning off the faucet between washing dishes and putting soap on my hands.  Every time I am using water now, I find myself feeling so grateful for it.

Unlimited clean water is such a gift.How could you treat water with more mindfulness?

Burning Man 2015
Burning Man 2015

Relationship to Money

As soon as I arrived, my wallet was tucked away in the pocket of my car and I didn't look at it again. My thoughts were no longer concerned about the numbers in my bank account.  It was liberating.

I was given crystals, sunglasses, and numerous other gifts from strangers on the playa.  When I was riding my bike far away from camp and ran out of water and lip balm, it was provided for me when I needed it most.

An old mindset of scarcity began to drop away.  I found myself being more generous with my resources, trusting that they would come back to me when I needed them again.

One night I was talking to my camp-mate about what I was learning about abundance and generosity.  He shared that in Native American traditions you are encouraged to give away your most valuable items. I thought of my most prized items waiting for me at home and wondered if I would be able to give them away...

Burning Man is a practice in non-attachment. It is a space to experiment giving items away to strangers and see how it makes you feel.

However, you don't have to go to Burning Man to try this experiment.  I've come back with a different relationship to material things.  I plan to continue the experiment by giving away some of my most valuable items and see how it affects my well-being.  I invite you to join me in this experiment.

New Vision

When I arrived at the playa, I turned my phone off.  There were no computers around.  It was a complete technology detox for eight days.

I think it is generally  difficult to be connected to inner guidance and radical creativity when we are constantly receiving information from computers and phones.  In the days following Burning Man, I received so many creative ideas and inspiration about my business that I don't know would have been there if I was constantly looking at my phone.

Have you ever gone on a camping trip or vacation where you totally unplugged for a set amount of time?  I find that's when I can clearly make important decisions and receive insight and guidance on my next steps without distractions from the outside world.

If you are feeling uninspired, or have trouble connecting to your intuition, try doing a digital detox. 

Burning Man 2015
Burning Man 2015

Manifestation and the Mirror 

Manifestation and synchronicity happened more quickly on the playa.  I found myself standing next to a woman I met in Thailand two years ago, receiving an important message from a woman who attended my workshop and meeting people that I felt like I just knew without ever having met them before.

In times where my mind was getting negative, the results would show up in my environment immediately.  When I was feeling more connected and willing to step outside my comfort zone, again, I would be immediately met with an exciting opportunity.

This was my second time at the festival, and I could clearly notice what a different state of mind I was in this time as opposed to when I went five years ago.  When you do the work to let go of limiting beliefs and shift your thoughts, it really does manifest in your physical environment.  

What negative thoughts or limiting beliefs still repeat in your mind?  How do they show up in your environment?  If you're having trouble shifting your thoughts, try one of my yoga or meditation videos here. If you're ready to create a new reality, shift your awareness from the inside, it will help you reflect a new environment on the outside.

Burning Man 2015
Burning Man 2015

Leave No Trace

Black Rock City has a "leave no trace" policy which simply means whatever you take in, you take out.  This includes all of your trash, recycling, compost, and grey water (the leftover water from washing dishes, showering and brushing your teeth).  When we were consciously making space to take home all of our waste, I became highly aware of how much waste I was really making.

In addition to taking home our waste, we also searched the ground for any signs of "moop" - anything that was not the dust of the playa.  When we left, I found myself picking up trash even if it wasn't mine in other environments because my awareness was more focused on the greater whole and the natural setting rather than on myself.

The Beauty Way

In our camp, we used a practice from Native American traditions called, "The Beauty Way."  Our friends Rachel and Ben taught us how to practice it - leave a space more beautiful than you found it.  I watched myself let go of blame for others and rather took responsibility when I saw a space less than tidy.  As we all practiced the Beauty Way, I saw how it affected our relationship to each other.

I left feeling passionate about this practice, knowing if we can all begin this, the world will quickly become a more beautiful place.

Burning Man 2015
Burning Man 2015
Burning Man 2015
Burning Man 2015

Sisterhood

I was camping with an amazing group of women over the week.  I was with the ups and downs of my mind, noticing thoughts of comparison or jealousy and consciously releasing them.   Living in such close proximity with other women was both humbling and enlightening.  I saw as we were able to let down our guards and connect to each other with vulnerability and openness.

I left the week feeling refreshed with more authenticity in these relationships.

Are you craving a deeper connection to your sisters?  Maybe you can go on retreat together, or plan a women's vacation to connect and unplug with each other.

Burning Man 2015
Burning Man 2015
Burning Man 2015
Burning Man 2015
Burning Man 2015
Burning Man 2015

More than anything else, the whole experience at Burning Man reinforced my own belief that:

"It takes moving outside your comfort zone in order to grow." tweet it

Sometimes it takes getting dusty in order to see how strong you really are...

With love, Meredith

Burning Man 2015
Burning Man 2015
 

How I learned the real value of $20 (a lesson in abundance)

 
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Last week my partner went away for the weekend and I had the house to myself.  I found myself cleaning, making plans with girlfriends, catching up on emails and projects, and taking a closer look at my finances. As I dove into my bank accounts and credit card balances, I realized on my travels I was not as mindful about money as I usually am.  I bought what I needed as I was on my tour, but instead of tracking each expense against my income, I trusted it would all work out at the end of the month.

Years ago, this was my usual relationship to money, and I often found myself perplexed about where it all went at the end of the month.

Last year, I chose to get really honest with myself about my finances.  I read countless books about investing and personal finance and made a lot of changes in how I related to my money.

However, as I looked through my expenses, I realized I had gone back into my old habits and was feeling disconnected.

Then, I lost my wallet.  

I made a purchase online, and somehow between making that purchase and leaving my house for the farmer's market, my wallet had completely disappeared.  I knew it had to be in my house because that was the last place I used it, but I literally could not find it anywhere.

It felt like the universe was telling me, "You'd better pay attention before you spend any more money!"

I searched around the house and found a $20 bill that I had earned at one of my recent kirtan performances.   I was off to meet a friend at the farmer's market and thought, "This will have to do."  I knew my partner was away for three more days and I realized, "I may only have this $20 bill until he gets back - I need to make it last."

But I thought, "How am I going to manage with only $20?"

I knew I wanted to buy dinner, flowers for my solstice gathering, and to get fresh produce for my house as well.  I had to make the most with what I had.

Before making any purchases, I carefully surveyed each of the vendors, to determine what I could afford.

What happened next was magical.  I bought lemons and oranges for less than $2, a bouquet of flowers for $5, a large samosa for $5, strawberries for $4, I even felt I could donate $2 to the man giving away art on the side of the street.

And magically, I still had $2 leftover to save.  There was nothing else I wanted or needed at the end of the market.

I left that market feeling so abundant.  I had underestimated the value of $20 and was happily surprised about how far it could go when I was spending with awareness.

I saw, when $20 is all you have, you learn to work within your means... and you can still live abundantly!

Abundance is not based on the number of dollars in your wallet or bank account, it is a state of mind. {tweet this}

When I got home, I created a map of how I could spend within my means based on what I learned at the farmer's market.  I'd like to share it with you here:

Essentials (Food, living costs, gas, etc):  45%

Fun (Flowers, clothing, house items, going out, entertainment):  25%

Health/Well-Being (Essential oils, self-care items, supplements, yoga classes):  10%

Savings (Savings towards an emergency fund, travel, and bigger ticket items like a retreat or plane ticket):  10%

Donations & Gifts (Giving money to organizations I'm passionate about, donating to fundraisers, giving gifts, and in general money to feel generous with)  :  10%

That night, with a little more searching, I found my wallet.  I felt so much gratitude for the abundance at my fingertips, and had learned a powerful lesson about mindful spending.  Since then, I have been following my new map for the income I bring in, being mindful about where and how I spend.  The universe gave me a simple, yet powerful lesson that really showed me the value of what I used to take for granted.

Now I'd like to ask you:  How is your relationship to your finances? and Where are you lacking awareness?

I challenge you to make your own healthy spending map.  

Track how much income you earn each month in a spreadsheet and map out how much you would like to spend in each area of your life.

When you take the time to really look at your income and expenses, and choose to spend mindfully, abundance will soon follow.  Feel free to let me know how it goes in the comments below!

With love,

Meredith

 

 

Do You Value Yourself?

 
magic-prosperity-money

I just came back from an amazing weekend retreat, Live Free, a weekend designed for ambitious women ready to step into the good life by creating the lifestyle and success they've always wanted. We were coached and workshopped on everything from achieving our business goals and desires to how to make girlfriends, learn time mastery skills, and find the balance between hustle and flow all without sacrificing the time for self-care.

A common theme that kept coming up for me throughout the weekend was value.  It was a big investment for me to even be at the retreat.

One year ago, it would have never been something I would consider going to.  However, I've discovered, the investments I've made in my personal and business growth were the investments that paid off the most.

One day this weekend we were asked to journal about, "What isn't working in your life?"  In my writing, I realized in the past, I had been placing my value outside of myself.

I had the idea, I'll be valuable when: 

  • I get married.
  • I earn a six figure income.
  • I sign on the next client.
  • I buy a house of my own.

Even though I mentally knew my value, it didn't fully click for me until this weekend.

I used to be so afraid to invest in myself.  I was waiting to be validated from the outside world first. I was waiting for my value to be shown to me before I knew that I was worth it.

Then this year I began to see:

"No one else will ever value you more than you value yourself." - Kate Northrup  {tweet it} 

So today I simply want to tell you, your value is not based on how much money you make, how many clients you have, what you own, who you're in a relationship with, or where you live.

You are valuable no matter what.  Your value is inherent.

Say the affirmation out loud:  I am valuable no matter what.  

When you stop placing your value on the outside world and deeply connect to the value inherent in yourself, the outside world will in turn, reflect that.

Wednesday, October 29, I'll be talking more about this topic and I'll be giving key exercises on how to OWN YOUR VALUE. If you feel called to explore this idea further, I invite you to join the free series, "Financial Alchemy: 3 calls to create a money mindset."  

The first call is Wednesday, October 29 at 5 pm...and if you make it live, there will be time for questions and coaching at the end.

Love, Meredith

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About the Author:

Meredith Rom believes in the power of self-love, gratitude, and vision to create a life of magic. She is a women’s empowerment coach, yoga teacher, and author.

 

 

 

On money and miracles

 
prosperity-money-miracles-business

I've been reading this book: The Law of Divine Compensation by Marianne Williamson.

The wisdom of this book has been finding its way into my yoga classes, so I thought I would share some of my insights here.

One of the first lessons in the book is, when bad things happen, remind yourself, "I can absorb the loss," let go, and move on.

The day after I read this lesson, I got a parking ticket.  Not just some $15 parking ticket, but a $48 parking ticket.  That's almost fifty dollars!  I very well knew to move my car, but absentmindedly forgot.

Before reading this book, I would have made myself feel pretty bad about it.  But that day, something in me shifted and I said to myself, "I can absorb the loss."

I paid the ticket, and I moved on with my life.  I didn't let guilt build up or let my inner critic say negative things inside my mind.

Marianne reminds us that only love is real.  When bad things happen, whether or not you attracted them into your life, you can always realign yourself back with love to keep attracting more of what's good.  However, if we hold on to the pain, the anger, and the negative emotions, we block our next miracle to make things right.

That same week, 4 of my yoga classes doubled in size, and I signed on a new client for health coaching.  It was like the universe saw the loss, recognized my shift in consciousness and immediately realigned to make up for it (and some)!

 

The second insight that stayed with me was about forgiveness.  Forgiveness - especially to those we have worked with in the past is so crucial to clear our money consciousness.  Marianne suggests imagining a long line of people you are working with, or have worked with before and bow before every person standing in the line.

"Within your heart, bless, apologize, and forgive wherever necessary.  And complete forgiveness is necessary, if we're to attract and produce miracles."

Then she suggests creating another line of people:  everyone you're working with or could be working with now.  Again, inwardly, bow before the spirit of each one.  "Acknowledge their gifts and thank them for what they have done for you.  Fill your heart with an attitude of appreciation.  Pray to be a vessel of love that invokes their fulfillment and joy.  Pray that your energy expands to such an extent that it would be natural for you to find yourself in a room with such people, working and creating with them."

I did this exercise one night as I was falling asleep, and imagined funnelling love to the person I want to work with most in my life.  I prayed to be a vessel of greater good in that person's life.  Even though it seemed like an impossible fate - the next morning she called me.

I share this to remind you, miracles are real.  When you release negativity and shift your consciousness to align with love, and believe that only love is real, the universe will open to you and all you need will be provided.

The thing is, It won't always look exactly how you imagined it.  "God's promise is not that we will always get what we want.  It's that in all things love will ultimately prevail."

We must let go our attachment to form to realize form is limited, but spirit is not.  The universe is not invested in exactly what you want, but it is invested in your enlightenment.  When we let go of form, we often realize we are fine without it, which then either attracts it or something even better.

Whatever blocks are in the way of you achieving the life you want to live and the financial abundance you want to have, are in your mind.

As Marianne says, "Seek to remove your barriers to love, and miracles will replace them."

In deep gratitude for this work. ~ Meredith