Pacific Grove, Monterrey, CA

Posted on April 18, 2023 by Cecilia Steger

There are very few spots left on this earth like Monterrey. The seals are guarded, the otters are protected, deer munch while traipsing through the streets and whales are watched.

All the while, the walking trails and town center are walkable, picturesque and clean. Basically it’s a peninsula surrounded by a bay and the Pacific Ocean. So every where you look, there’s blue water and the air is pristine and refreshing.

Lots of quaint shops and boutiques, fancy custom homes and well-tended gardens. It’s spring and the flowers just burst with abandon up in colder climes at the first hint of warm sunshine.

Road Trip 2023

Posted on April 16, 2023 by Cecilia Steger

Orange Poppies scattered throughout California freeways with green backgrounds and blue skies.

Central California Coast – Lupines brilliantly and naturally popping with color after our deluge of rains.

And deer just munching on front lawns and people’s perennial flowers in Pacific Grove, Monterrey Bay. One of the best beach cities I have ever visited because of its abounding nature and serene energy.

True Peace

Posted on April 14, 2023 by Cecilia Steger

True peace lies in the spring budding leaves of the dogwood. Or, a blue jay busy squawking, a chickadee drinking rain water, a red hat wearing woodpecker pecking at a branch for insects, or tiny worms in the bark.

Nature is true peace. Order in my home is beauty and peace. The sitar music with soft beats is true peace. Listening to 963Hz sound vibes is true peace.

The allure of out door vignettes and views are true peace. A plate of food well distributed and colorful is true peace.

The anticipation of bedtime and reading a treasured or new book is true peace. Wonder, enthusiasm and gratitude is true peace.

True peace is not fighting anything or with anyone not even inside myself. True peace is the scent of sweet candles burning bright, sage and incense, perfumed rooms cleansed by essential oils.

True peace is holding a baby, petting a furry family member or hugging, comforting, embracing with intention, releasing tears or sharing the joy of being alive in the same time continuum.

True peace is raindrops tapping onto the roof, cleansing dust off trees, bushes and washing away debris – leaving foliage, buds and flowers scattered below green canopies.

True peace is noticing and being awestruck by life and natural beauty, changes and moments of transformation.

The sky darkens, the sky clears, the sky opens and the sky releases tears.

And I am overjoyed!

Vedic Astrology

Posted on April 12, 2023 by Cecilia Steger

According to Vedic astrology (Jyotish) which is a bit different from western astrology, I am currently in a new 9 year cycle. The sun represents vitality, energy and light. Apparently filled with confidence and willingness to start new projects, passions and adventures, I will be sowing the seeds of my next 9 year path, this year.

So, no procrastinating, sets the tone. Planning, goal setting and re-invention is key. Discipline is called for at this time.

I may fly solo or be in a leadership role, possibly very visible publicly.

I must control my ego and be fair to everyone on my path.

I absolutely, totally forgot this prediction and found the little piece of paper I used to write this on just two days ago.

It happens that two days ago, I came to realize my purpose on this planet, at least for now. And it was further confirmed by a serendipitous nod yesterday when a dear friend revealed her wishes I would start up a meditation group again.

I am happy to announce a new Goddess Circle wherein I create and hold space for women wanting to connect to their divine nature.

Disordered Eating

Posted on April 9, 2023 by Cecilia Steger

Strict dieting, portion control, eliminating entire groups of foods and timed as well as how many meals led me to binge after each and every bout of severe restriction. ALL of my adult life.

The weighing, measuring and counting triggered what I later learned was disordered eating. When I looked into Eating Disorders Anonymous after a friendly chat with a gen z-er who noticed I wasn’t ordering lunch during a lunch date, I realized my weight and body size meant a lot more to me and how in reality it was unimportant to others who liked or loved me and generally in the scheme of things.

I have used food as a substitute for feeling emotions as well as sabotaging and punishing myself. It was a comfort, a drug and an escape. It was a way to control, manipulate and judge me because as an immature adult I thought I needed that kind of discipline. I had body dysmorphia and loathing. No body shape or size was ever good enough.

Now I use intuitive eating and I have gained weight yet actually I like myself more and I am finding my voice. Because it wasn’t the outer me that had to morph, it was the inner me that had to love and accept herself exactly where she was at.

Journal Prompt: What are your food rules?

Discernment

Posted on April 8, 2023 by Cecilia Steger

Covid Lockdown had a silver lining. It made clear who and what mattered.

I have absolutely no patience for cruelty, greed and bullies. Never did, but I am not shy about how I fell about it any more. I do not agree with silence. I believe discrimination, unfair systems and wrongdoings against Earth and Humanity and Nature need to be spoken about, out in the open. Dialoging, informing and awakening to cultural changes are a must for me now.

I have more compassion, grace, tolerance and gratitude for self, therefore for you as well.

I dealt with anxiety on a deeper level after January 6, 2021. The day that will live in infamy for me like 9/11. I will not accept lies from those who are sore losers or try to frighten us anymore. More than ever, I believe in higher ground. You don’t have to defend truth, facts and science. They just are.

I respect and have tried to understand other points of view but not if it is tainted with fear, meanness and ugly behavior.

I’m done asking why did this happen? OR why did they do that? The answer is clear as a bell and it’s up to me to own my own attitudes and reactions.

I’ve become more discerning. I work on me and surround myself with uplifting, supportive and empathetic folks.

Journal Prompts:

What are 3 things you are grateful for that maybe you were not aware of before Covid hit or realize the importance of today?

What are 3 people, places or things you are powerless over?

What are 3 characteristics you like about yourself?

Distractions

Posted on April 7, 2023 by Cecilia Steger

It’s the distractions that have derailed me, mostly. Every time I commit to self, interruptions keep me from following through. Finishing projects, writing a book, completing courses and becoming all I could be is not because of a lack of time. It’s how I spend my time.

M gets up extra early so he can do all his paperwork before the rest of the world awakens, arrives and starts to sidetrack or intrudes on him.

I get busy, getting things done, sinking my teeth into a task and BOOM, I change course because I am easily led down rabbit holes or something or someone stops me. It happens either by an outside source like a phone call needing my attention or my own head wandering or flitting to another flower like a butterfly.

Mind control and discipline can be practiced with meditation. It regulates and concentrates your focus on the breath, for example, so you can ground yourself better. That’s YOGA in a nutshell. Using your body to breathe and move as if that’s all that existed in the world.

Sorry, M just walked in and I forgot my train of thought.

7 Affirmations

Posted on April 6, 2023 by Cecilia Steger

I subscribe to Insight Timer since waaaaaaay back when it first came out and a smart phone had first been put Into my hand. Insight meditation is an eastern style of contemplation and I was and am very much intrigued by it. Needless to say, tech was all so new to me that for years I thought the only application Insight Timer had was a timer with a singing bowl. And maybe that IS how it began, but fast-forward to the 2023 version, there are now over hundreds of thousands of guided meditations and musical interludes and divinely inspired courses from all over the world and by a host of teachers, artists and light workers of every variety and approach.

A few months ago I listened to Jonathan Lehmann, a French Investment Lawyer who was so disillusioned with his preoccupation with material gain that he turned to the study of happiness and is now on Insight Timer and leads silent retreats, immerses himself in meditation and helps others. His seven affirmations spoke to me and I wrote them down for my personal use. Here they are:

7 (Seven) Affirmations by Jonathon Lehmann

I make plans but I remain flexible, open to the surprises that life has in store for me. I try to say “Yes” as often as possible.
I cultivate patience and by doing so I also cultivate self-confidence.
I welcome the opportunity to step outside my comfort zones and I do NOT let myself be guided by fear.
I love myself unconditionally because it’s essential to my happiness. I love the person that I am and I do not need other people’s approval to love myself fully.
I am going to drink water, eat fruits and vegetables, walk, take the stairs, exercise. Today, I’m going to love my body.
I give everywhere I go, even if only a smile, a compliment or my full attention. Listening is the best gift I can give those around me.
I try to be impeccable with my word and to speak only to spread positivity, it’s counterproductive to my happiness to speak against myself or against others