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You Were Called to do This

7/30/2013

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Photo Source: sincerelyahopelessromantic.tumblr.com/
Writing is a sacred act, a sacred journey. It is communion with God and yourself. It is frightening and overwhelming, beautiful and freeing. It is a mirror to your soul, and through it you will find a piece of yourself you didn’t know existed. When you go inside and listen with every sense, you bring forth the kind of magic that heals the world.

If you’re afraid, that’s okay. Writing is an angel, a monster, a shadow, a thing we’ve never encountered in all its glory or frightening brilliance. The writing itself is these things, but also that which is before the writing. The blank space in the mind, on the page, the white beaming screen and its tiny blinking cursor.

It’s okay to be afraid, but know this: you were called to write and nothing can stop you. Not the critics from the past, not your own demons, not the fear of failing. When you begin, those things get locked away, muffled, so that only the faintest voice eeks through - one that is easily stomped and discarded.

And also know this: you have everything you need to begin. The words, the pen, the paper, the fingers on the keys. Even in the vast blankness you can access what you need. Just begin and the emptiness disappears.

You were called and set your foot on this path. Never forget that. Never forget the importance of your words, whether they’re for you or the whole world.

Get out your secret notebooks, open your laptop, scribble a sentence on a napkin at the cafe. Wake up at 5 a.m. to write in the dark because you can’t wait any longer. Write out your dreams, bad poetry, emotional breakthroughs, short stories, dialogue you pick up at the mall. Collect little pieces of drama that will make up your novel. Maybe the novel that ends up on a bookshelf or maybe the novel that heals some part of you.

Not everything has to be witnessed, validated, devoured by the world. Sometimes we write to the person who needs it the most. Ourselves.

Whatever your path, walk it with your heart forward, your head high because you are a writer on a sacred journey and your writing will guide you. It always has.
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The Secret is That There is No Secret

7/28/2013

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Photo Source: Ella Kovacs via Pinterest
Dreams are seeds planted in the heart, rooted in the mind. They require time to grow, unfurl in their own good time. Sometimes they're uprooted and other times never grow at all.

And it's not because the dreamer is doing something wrong. That is just the nature of dreams.

And that's what I want to tell you today. 

That if your dreams aren't coming true, you're not seeing progress, but you're following "the template" of dream manifestation, it's okay. Take a step back for a second. Stop reading all the self-help books, secrets, and blog posts that give you a laundry list of techniques.

Simply:

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.
There's an abundance of blogs, books, and movies that tell us how to make our dreams come true.

Gratitude, vision boards, daydreaming, action steps, fake it till you make it, and so on and so forth. Even I've written a post or two.

But here's the thing: there's no formula for success. There's no do-this-and-you're- guaranteed approach to dream manifestation.

Sometimes dreams just happen without any effort on your part. Sometimes dreams take years and a lot of hard work. And sometimes they fade away.
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Photo Source: smilingsoul07.tumblr.com
If your dreams come true easily, it doesn't mean you're a fraud. I can tell you that I didn't do much to make one of my big dreams come true. It just happened. There was no vigorous visualizing and weekly gratitude lists. There was no action-step calendar. 

There was just me, living day to day the best way I knew how.

At the same time, if it's been five years and your one big dream is still at infancy, it doesn't mean you suck at making stuff happen.

I've kept this blog for two years and I'm no (insert big name blogger here). I could, and have said, "But that blogger got big and started raking in the money after one year. I must be doing something wrong."

No. There's no template. No right path. Only my dream seed growing in the garden I've created.
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Besides, our dreams of money and perfect houses and what our life should look like is no comparison to what our life should feel like. 

One can still be miserable after she acquires the fancy house, the sparkly clothes, the $100,000 mark.

So yes, please, relax, breathe. Remember why you do what you do. Think about how you want to feel. Let go of ideal situations and external happiness.

Take care of your soul space. Tend to your dream seeds, but don't get bogged down in the how-to-do-it gardening manual. Don't get overwhelmed with everyone else's dreams come true story. Live your own.

Just start where you are and do what you can with what you have. 
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Caravan: Biz Bites, Writing Advice + 90s Cartoons

7/25/2013

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Photo Source: urbanoptimist.wordpress.com
No matter how difficult the task, trust the process.

An interview with Chris Brogan on how he built his content platform. Did you know it took him 8 years to get his first 100 subscribers?

Why “strong is the new skinny,” isn’t as great as it sounds.

90s cartoons that are still awesome as an adult. I would add Muppet Babies to this (such amazing imaginations!)

8 proven ways to get in the mood for writing.

Leah writes about what happens when we let the “how” of our dreams scare us away from actually bringing them into reality. Here’s the solution.

Are you still comparing your journey to someone else’s? Erika Lyremark offers some suggestions on how to get past the comparison game.

Who’s a part of your invisible power team?

Looking for a list of power words that’ll help your writing? Here are 317 of them.
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How to Live Life Like a Romantic

7/24/2013

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From the film Gothic. Photo credit: Sportsphoto, Ltd./Allstar
Higher still and higher 
From the earth thou springest 
Like a cloud of fire; 
The blue deep thou wingest, 
And singing still dost soar, and soaring ever singest. 
- Percy Shelley's "To a Skylark"
I was an English major in college, which meant I studied a lot of different literary forms and time periods. 

One of my favorites was Romantic Poetry, and although I love the poems from that period, I'm convinced the major reason I liked the class was because of how the professor presented that group of writers; essentially, they were the hippies of their generation. 

Which is why I think we can learn a lot from them. Wordsworth, Keats, Shelley (we share a birthday!)...they taught us creative expression, love for all things natural and spiritual, and positive rebellion.

Adopting some of these poetic hippies' attitudes can lead you to a whole new outlook on life! 

Here's how to work some Romantic characteristics into your daily routine:

Get down with nature.
Nature was deeply appreciated by the Romantic. Take time out of your busy schedule to admire the simple things Mother Earth has to offer. Observe the colors of a flower petal, watch the clouds drift by, really listen to a bird's song. Even one minute of "becoming one with nature" will help you gain a deeper appreciation of it.

Create, create, create. 
Write a poem, paint a picture, make a collage -- create something just for you and that means something to you. Let go of your inner critic. Anything that comes from your heart is something to be proud of.
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Do a little daydreaming. 
It's okay to let your mind wander every now and then. Letting your imagination take over helps you feel more at ease, happy and creative. The Romantics were all about existential meditation, so take a walk on the beach, walk through a secret garden or fly with the birds, all while lounging on the couch!

Become one with your spirit. 
The Romantics loved to let their spiritual self guide their physical self. It allowed them to experience pleasure that the physical world could not offer. It will do the same for you. Whatever task you choose to do, whether it's dancing, writing, cooking, cleaning house, or singing your child a lullaby, put your whole spirit into it. Focus on the internal self and you will experience something far deeper than any pair of new shoes can offer you.

Acknowledge your individualism. 
I'm not talking about showing up to work with spiky, pink hair. Although, if you're able to and feel the urge, please do! Just realize that being different is okay. We don't have to look like Angelina Jolie to be beautiful or paint like Picasso to be a great artist. It's our differences that make us succulent.

Be a little rebellious. 
Romantics were constantly breaking the rigid rules of the 18th century. Poetry didn't have to be in one distinct form and not everything had to make sense. By learning to break away from "the norm" and opening up your mind, you can appreciate what life has to teach you.

Embrace bad times. 
The good times are easy to take in and enjoy, but to become a stronger person you must walk right through the rotten parts of life. A Romantic would say that you can't fully enjoy happiness without having experienced sadness.
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21 Days of Abundance Starting Soon

7/22/2013

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Dearest Rebel Angels,

Just wanted to let you know that the only live round of 21 Days of Abundance for 2013 is starting on July 29th. 

This is a 4-week course to help you get unstuck, gain clarity, and put those big dreams into action!

What you'll get:

  • 4 e-books
  • 3 videos
  • 1 meditation
  • printable 21 day gratitude journal
  • discussion in the Wild Sisterhood
  • bonus goodies!

What you'll learn:

  • 10 ways to attract abundance
  • How to gain clarity on what you really want in life
  • How to let go of past hurts and make space for more of what you want
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I'll be taking the course and would love for you to come along on the adventure!

Click above to get the monthly schedule and more details on the e-course and the Wild Sisterhood.

Hope to see you there, darling!

P.S. I'm an affiliate for the Wild Sisterhood, so if you sign up through me I'll get commission. If you don't sign up through me, that's okay too! The WS is a beautiful place to be, so however you get there is just perfect :)
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Caravan

7/18/2013

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Photo Source: Wikipedia Commons
Pull up your pillow and a cup of chai and enjoy this week's caravan of links.

Have a product you want to launch? You’ll want to read this.

Advice from Neil Gaiman on claiming writing time.

Inspirational (and practical) advice from Anne Rice, Catherine Coulter, David Morrell and others...

“I encourage every writer to write the book that only you can write.”

Couples therapy...for you and yourself.

Have you ever taken a sabbatical from social media? Neil Gaiman’s taking 6 months.

Finding answers through meditation.

The gulf between fantasy and reality. Yes, your big dream come true will have its share of challenges.

Building an online following...one person at a time.

How to begin working with crystals and stones.

Stop waiting for creative inspiration and just kick in the wall..
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    ​Hello! I'm Cassandra, an American ex-pat living in the Philippines, writer, ballerina, and lover of all things magickal. I blog about happiness, self-love, and magical dream-life living.
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