One day, during a time when I was waiting for my divorce to be finalized, I happened to be doing yoga and listening to an online radio interview. Wayne Dyer was being interviewed, and right at the beginning of the talk, they mentioned that Wayne would be doing a Divine Love seminar in Maui in January 2014. Now, I had never been a Wayne Dyer follower, and wasn’t looking for a vacation. But when I heard the information, I literally sat up out of my yoga pose and said out loud “I’m going.” There was just a clear and unexpected “yes” that came up in me. I knew I was going and there was no question. Within 24 hours I had booked the flight and hotel and had paid for my ticket to the seminar. I gave it VERY little thought. In fact, it was almost like I was taking a back seat and Some-Divine-Something-Else was moving me. I was in a trance of sorts. One of the only thoughts I had about it came floating easily into my mind. It said “I am taking myself on a honeymoon.” Then, except for me being pleased that I was taking myself on a honeymoon, I didn’t think about it again. Cut to me, 6+ months later being driven to the airport and having my body start to shake uncontrollably. I got nauseous, I started to cry, I was out of breath, and had a sense I was about to step past a threshold that would change everything. Yeah. I was in for something Big.
The next 7 days were probably the single most transformative week of my life. The person I was when I left California was not the same person who went to Maui a week earlier. There is really no way to use words to describe all that happened. But know that every single event, person and circumstance I encountered was clearly and obviously part of a Divine plan for me. Everything was clearly revealed as necessary to create the specific journey I was taking – including the things I thought were going “wrong” and were really twisting me up at the time. You know how sometimes things go “wrong” or you hit road blocks, and then sometimes months or years later you realize that it happened perfectly? That it actually had been a blessing and it served you? In Maui, things were happening so fast and being revealed so quickly that almost as soon as an event played itself out, the clarity came about how it was serving me. In addition, I met many Earth Angels – people who I know I went to Maui for the purpose of meeting. The entire trip was a feast of Light, Nourishment, Release, Perspective and Clarity.
I was there on my Honeymoon with Myself. And Life rose up to shower me with gifts for my body and soul – gifts that indescribably surpassed any ideas I had about what was possible. For that 7 days of miraculous convergence, it could not have been more clear that The Divine loves me. That Life adores me. That given a chance, The Universe will show itself to me as my Lover beyond Lovers. I knew that before in my head, but now my Being Understands that the Universe cares deeply for me and goes out of its way to help me. To love me. To show me openings and freedoms. Existence is lavishing me with love always.
And when I decide to love myself, there is no resistance. The Divine is given carte blanche to arrange circumstances and rendezvous that gift me beyond measure. And when I decide to love myself, I can see the gifts being laid out for me. I can accept them.
Love is everywhere. But most importantly, Love is in each of us. We are the fountain head through which the River of Love pours unimpeded. Something in me was ready – to embrace a honeymoon with myself. To claim a Divine Love seminar. To step through and into the Loving Reality that is there all the time. I lifted my own veil so I could see. And again, Life, who loves me always and completely, helped me. With gorgeous abandon, life passionately rose up to meet me. It unfurled red carpets strewn with flowers, chocolates and angels telling me at every step how utterly Beautiful I am.
You are too. You are Utterly Beautiful. Completely Astounding. And Profoundly Radiant, Strong, Gifted, Unique, Exceptional, Powerful and Amazing. Life is a Lover waiting for any opportunity to catch your attention so it can tell you that. Life is sending you constant love notes and is always laying gifts at your doorstep, hoping you will see. Hoping you will step outside and into Its Divine Embrace.
I say start with you – you are Life. You are the Lover waiting for your embrace. All Life, All Love, will flow to you from that.
A small gallery
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Donec quam felis, ultricies nec, pellentesque eu, pretium quis, sem.
Aenean vulputate eleifend tellus. Aenean leo ligula, porttitor eu, consequat vitae, eleifend ac, enim.
Read more
Perfection Is Boring
Well, we all make mistakes. One of my most recent, spectacularly silly examples was that I ignored my screaming elbow. As in, pain in my right elbow every time I am on the computer – and especially while I am editing my doodles in Photoshop. Watch out for over-editing your doodles. I’m jus’ sayin.’
Also, watch out for the seduction of “getting stuff done” to the point of ignoring your body. Okay, maybe better just to go straight to listening to your body.
I know, some of you who are my clients are probably saying something like “What the F@!#, Chris?! Aren’t you like, always telling us to listen to the wisdom of our bodies? I want my freakin’ session fees back!”
Well, I’m making it up to you by clearly and colorfully illustrating how ignoring the messages of your body leads to no good! I’m suffering for you, folks! (No, not really. I’m suffering because I ignored my elbow, which started saying “ow” very softly several months ago. I ignored it and forced it to gradually kick the message up to: “HELLO?! OUCH!! Ouchey ouch-ness!! And while I have your attention, stop being such an anal-retentive perfectionist on Photoshop editing your sweet doodles to death and totally getting away from the whole POINT of the doodles, lady!”
Yeah, I’m definitely suffering because of THAT, not because I am bravely making myself into a clear example of what you all SHOULDN’T do. (Though if you’re smart you’ll take advantage of that option for yourselves too).
So here I am, typing with a wrist brace on, with an ouch-ey elbow. Geez.
The very good news is that though my elbow had to really hurt, it DID get my attention. And it really helped me reorient to my true intention with these inspirational cartoons -these fun images and words that have become such a huge, wonderful part of my life.
See, on Friday I actually signed on with Balboa Press to have their expert help as I self-publish 2 inspirational coloring books. Which is AWESOME! Yet over the last months, as I was coming up to that moment of signing on, I gradually and almost imperceptibly got more perfectionistic. Part of me got more uptight as it dawned on me that I would be sharing the doodles with so many people. My self-critical inner monster has gradually been overtaking my body! (Except for my elbow, which is bravely fighting off the attack in order to try and knock some sense back into me.)
I started getting caught up in “how it looks.” That fear is a pretty common one, if you’re, say, human and living in western civilization. I was forgetting the sweet reasons why I AM creating these doodles, and how much I believe in what they offer to you all. Well, and to me of course – especially if I stay true to the inspiration that is birthing them.
These drawings are accessible and inviting because they are not perfect. Their simpleness and innocence deliver their messages purely. No fancy wording, and no intimidating, high-skill rendering of images. We can embrace these simple, squishy figures and their unsophisticated matter-of-factness. We can see they have nothing to hide. They just want us to hug them and spend time with them, and for heaven’s sake get the message already that we are awesome. We are. And the doodles are. And nobody has to try. We can color outside the lines, make the figures purple or plaid if we want to, or we can even not color at all and just let these sweet little angels BE in our presence. These doodles have so much going on, and so much to offer in terms of upliftment and healing – whole bunches of which I’ll save for another blog. But still, these doodles – and I – and you – totally derail our original intentions, inspirations and life force when we try to get too perfect!
When I was 12, Jackie Valdez, local tarot, psychic and spiritual teacher extraordinaire, told me “perfection is boring.” That got my attention, since at twelve I had already been seriously uptight and self-critical for years. Jackie went on to say that being perfect or getting it “perfect” implied that there was some end-goal, and that there is some consensus about what this “perfect” state looked like. She said that basically means that when you get to perfect you are done – there is nothing else to strive for. Perfect is a totally static place. When I realized she was right, and that perfection ultimately IS boring, well, that felt good. I could relax a little. Perfection is boring – that was all the medicine I needed just then. But Jackie had more to say. And just in case there is juju in this second part for you all, Jackie also said that instead of perfection, excellence is a much more active, helpful idea to reach for. The idea or feeling of excellence is something you can always lean towards. There’s life force in that. Perfection, on the other hand, is basically boring and a dead end.
So my elbow, in a very round-about way, told me to stop nitpicking, have more fun, relax, trust the process, trust the muses that are delivering the doodles to me, and for God’s sake stop spending so much time on the computer! So I made an intentionally imperfect doodle for this week! And this blog is another experiment in not taking things so seriously. I had fun lightening up. And I am winking at my friend Sandy who, after my last post that included the story of “Badass Kisser,” told me it was so refreshing to see me step out my usual posts that are usually so “peace and love, man.” Thanks Sandy. You always show up in time to give me a gentle kick in the butt, heart, or in this case add additional oomph to my elbow!
So, my friends. Is there anywhere YOU can drop some perfectionism? Or, better yet, any body part or niggling feeling that’s been asking you out for coffee for a while? I bet there is. It doesn’t have to be coffee. Sit on your meditation cushion. Write in your journal. Talk out loud to yourself in the mirror. Make some art. Find some way to give your own intuition and knowing some air time. Me and my elbow really recommend it.
to see more fun stuff, please visit me on Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/ChristinaBrittainMFA
Love Travels Well
Love travels well. And so does Beauty and Thanks! Literally. I brought them home with me from Puerto Rico last month! When I was there I met a sweet artist who created simple, whimsical signs on scraps of wood. She had created all kinds of words! But “love,” “beauty,” and “thanks” just called to me to take home. They were the perfect souvenirs! They also inspired me to make a “doodle” out of them. So here’s the doodle and below is a picture of the signs themselves. Love. Beauty. Thanks. Three words I adore and invite to just keep expanding in my life!
BTW, thought I would let you know that my friend bought some other word signs! They were so cute that if she didn’t, I was going to! So I am glad someone did! She bought “badass” and “kisser.” Which are fun alone, but extra extra fun if you put them together. We both giggled for a couple days – and still are – at the idea that she is a “badass kisser!” And also, that she’s a “bad ass-kisser.” In my opinion, both of those are pretty good things to be!
😉
And just so you can enjoy it with us, here are the “badass” and “kisser” signs – placed together for the amusement of us all!
Also just fyi, you can actually email this artist a list of words you want her to create, and she’ll mail them to you! Find out about this awesome lady at:
http://lucky1upcycledfurniture.com/
or
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lucky1-Custom-Pallet-Signs/490335127740963?sk=info
https://www.facebook.com/ChristinaBrittainMFA
I Trust
I just got back from my trip to visit a friend in Vieques, Puerto Rico. It was amazing! Yet at the same time, I had a chance to flex my “trust muscles” on the trip back. Short version: because of the way my flights were set up, and because of customs, airline regulations about what boarding passes were allowed to be printed and when, (etc.), it was looking like I might miss connecting flights. It also looked promising for some mad dashing through airports and some possible difficulty in getting passes, and hopefully not but possibly some missed flights. Nothing tragic, of course. I knew it would all work out – but how SMOOTHLY and how BY-THE-HAIR-OF-MY-CHINNY-CHIN-CHIN I was unsure. I realized this the day before. I did what I could and called the airlines to get some information. But other than that, there didn’t seem to be much action I could take, except to show up at the airport the next day and see what adventures my day might hold!
Well, the, other, super helpful action I took was to consciously TRUST. The truth was I felt nervous, but I had a lot of compassion for myself about it, and I didn’t try to convince myself to NOT be nervous. Instead, I just said to myself:
“Well, okay. I’m nervous. That’s okay. I am where I am. All good. But I ALSO truly believe that the Universe is loving me. I truly believe that whenever possible The Divine will shower me with love and take care of me. And I truly believe that everything really does always work out in my favor, no matter how it might appear in any given moment.”
I reminded myself that I have faith that I live in a loving Universe, handed my trip over to a Higher Mind and Heart, and let it go. I enjoyed the rest of my day with my friend and the next morning I went to the airport.
I tell you what – I have never had a smoother, easier trip. In the first TWO MINUTES of being at the local airport, every single item that had been a potential “problem” with my flights home were all completely taken care of. In fact, that is what the nice man said as I checked in at the tiny airline ticket counter in Vieques. When I expressed that I’d been worried about some stuff, he said “Oh no ma’am! Don’t worry. We’re taking good care of you!” And they did. All the way home!
I met nice people. I passed the fastest, most pleasant 10 hours ever. Everything was as smooth and pleasant as chocolate mousse! Even my super-sweet-ex-husband-but-he’s-family-forever met me at the airport in San Diego by standing at the bottom of the escalators with a printed sign that said “Chris Brittain.” Like he was a chauffer sent to pick me up. Which, well, he was.
I realize that my trip as an example of practicing trust wasn’t the most challenging one me or any of us have ever faced. Still, it was a chance to practice trusting that the Universe really is friendly, loving, and smoothing our way. And it was a fun example for me to put out there to you all, some of whom have expressed to me some bigger stuff in your lives that is asking you to flex your trust muscles. So here you have one story of how handing it over to the Divine can help us get out of the way. And how we really can get out of the way and let reality unfold delightfully for us, as it naturally wants to.
And to end, here is that fabulous quote from the amazing Albert Einstein. That guy was pretty dang smart and tuned in. Maybe this quote will help you all trust even more, my friends:
“I think the most important question facing humanity is, ‘Is the universe a friendly place?’ This is the first and most basic question all people must answer for themselves.
“For if we decide that the universe is an unfriendly place, then we will use our technology, our scientific discoveries and our natural resources to achieve safety and power by creating bigger walls to keep out the unfriendliness and bigger weapons to destroy all that which is unfriendly and I believe that we are getting to a place where technology is powerful enough that we may either completely isolate or destroy ourselves as well in this process.
“If we decide that the universe is neither friendly nor unfriendly and that God is essentially ‘playing dice with the universe’, then we are simply victims to the random toss of the dice and our lives have no real purpose or meaning.
“But if we decide that the universe is a friendly place, then we will use our technology, our scientific discoveries and our natural resources to create tools and models for understanding that universe. Because power and safety will come through understanding its workings and its motives.”
“God does not play dice with the universe,”
–Albert Einstein
https://www.facebook.com/ChristinaBrittainMFA
A nice entry
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Donec quam felis, ultricies nec, pellentesque eu, pretium quis, sem.
Read more
There are a lot of us standing in the unknown right now. Many of my friends and clients are experiencing all kinds of limbo. Some lost jobs, are looking to find or change jobs, just got out of relationships, just moved, feel like they’re in impermanent living situations, are between homes, or have inner and/or physical quandaries yet to be resolved. Not to mention all the changes in relationships, beliefs systems, and paradigms! In the end, all of those things are GOOD.
I encourage you to cut yourself some slack if you are experiencing big changes and maybe feeling a little freaked out, unsure, and in need of some comfort. Please be kind to yourself! The changes you are going through really ARE wonderful! But sometimes change can feel a little unsettling. Take your time. And remember that it’s human nature to want to know what is going on. It feels safer to the animal body to have everything all pinned down, planned out and “known.” So snuggle in when you need to, even as you move forward into the Unknown.
But, you gorgeous beings of Light, it is also in the human, Divine nature to want to explore, be curious, and be adventurous. We can see evidence of that in everything from our nomadic beginnings, to early world explorers, to the pioneers, to technological innovators of every era, all the way to Captain Kirk boldly going where no one has gone before!
The things is, we get to choose to embrace and care for either – or both – sides of our human nature. And we get to choose how we view the changes and events in our lives. As Abraham-Hicks said in a workshop I attended yesterday, “We are in control of how we perceive life.” And it is that perception that makes our reality.
As I myself have moved through the many unknowns in the last 3 years of my life, it has VASTLY helped me to perceive (and feel into) the loving nature or Existence. I choose to focus on the reality that I am not alone. I am safe, held, watched over, guided and cared for by The Something Bigger. I can jump all I want into the void, because the void is not empty – the Void is Love. The Void is Loving. And I have been awed over and over at what rises out of the Void to meet me. A beautiful new home in perfect timing, amazing new friends, wonderful new clients, astounding inner developments and realizations, and signs that seem meant for even me get spray painted on the sidewalk , for God’s sake. For my sake! I am learning more and more to LOOK for the signs of the Loving Universe. To the best of my Highest understanding, Existence is showering us with invisible AND visible signs of support and guidance.
I got a miraculous phone call last week from a dear friend of my Mom’s. I haven’t spoken to Marjorie for easily over 20 years, I’m sure. But during a week that I was doing a lot of inner house cleaning about my family relationships, Marjorie was inspired to call me. We had a totally loving, expanding, WOW-ing conversation! She was an angel, telling me about how much my Mom loved me and was proud of me. It was fabulously, powerfully healing for me to hear what my Mom had proudly expressed to her friend before she died. Out of the Mystery and Void, seemingly out of the blue, the Unknown suddenly delivered some communication through Marjorie from Mom. And so that helped me clear up some unhelpful beliefs about my relationship with my Mom too, even though she’s “gone.” What’s more is that Marjorie told me that I’ve actually been on her mind for 2 years!
I’m saying that Marjorie not only popped out of the previously unknown and delivered a message from my Mom, but that she has been in “the void” loving me for 2 years. Seriously, folks. The Void isn’t empty. It’s full of possibility! And full of opportunity looking for its right timing for you. The unknown is loving, and however it shows itself to you, there are a billion more ways it keeps quietly invisible. Well, invisible as, say, the stars, your cells, the deliciousness of food…… But it’s also alive and real in even more vast and loving paradigms that we may never know about from our current human vantage point.
You might be facing some unknown components in your life, but the “empty space” in front of you is loving you – and is filled with magic about to happen. You can choose to count it or not, but for starters, I’m part of your “void” and I’m loving you. <3
Happy journeying within the Loving Mystery, my friends. Keep your eyes open for the Love.
https://www.facebook.com/ChristinaBrittainMFA
Don't Wait To Be Happy
I did the first version of this doodle several years ago. I’ve always liked it. I’ve been wanting to refresh this doodle a little bit and include it in the coloring books I’m working on. Last weekend I met with an awesome lady who has been following my doodles and inspirational signs for a while. She’s a doctor, and she told me that she has a printed copy of the original version of “Don’t Wait to Be Happy” in her waiting room! Apparently her patients feel happier and uplifted when they see it. I was so honored and delighted to hear that! Well, thanks to Sunny for the encouragement to revamp the doodle and once again remind us all we don’t have to wait to be happy! Life is now. Let’s enjoy all the moments that Life is made of. 🙂
For more blogs and inspirational images, videos and other goodies, please visit me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristinaBrittainMFA
Don’t Wait To Be Happy
I did the first version of this doodle several years ago. I’ve always liked it. I’ve been wanting to refresh this doodle a little bit and include it in the coloring books I’m working on. Last weekend I met with an awesome lady who has been following my doodles and inspirational signs for a while. She’s a doctor, and she told me that she has a printed copy of the original version of “Don’t Wait to Be Happy” in her waiting room! Apparently her patients feel happier and uplifted when they see it. I was so honored and delighted to hear that! Well, thanks to Sunny for the encouragement to revamp the doodle and once again remind us all we don’t have to wait to be happy! Life is now. Let’s enjoy all the moments that Life is made of. 🙂
For more blogs and inspirational images, videos and other goodies, please visit me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristinaBrittainMFA
Life Is A Lover Waiting For Your Embrace
One day, during a time when I was waiting for my divorce to be finalized, I happened to be doing yoga and listening to an online radio interview. Wayne Dyer was being interviewed, and right at the beginning of the talk, they mentioned that Wayne would be doing a Divine Love seminar in Maui in January 2014. Now, I had never been a Wayne Dyer follower, and wasn’t looking for a vacation. But when I heard the information, I literally sat up out of my yoga pose and said out loud “I’m going.” There was just a clear and unexpected “yes” that came up in me. I knew I was going and there was no question. Within 24 hours I had booked the flight and hotel and had paid for my ticket to the seminar. I gave it VERY little thought. In fact, it was almost like I was taking a back seat and Some-Divine-Something-Else was moving me. I was in a trance of sorts. One of the only thoughts I had about it came floating easily into my mind. It said “I am taking myself on a honeymoon.” Then, except for me being pleased that I was taking myself on a honeymoon, I didn’t think about it again. Cut to me, 6+ months later being driven to the airport and having my body start to shake uncontrollably. I got nauseous, I started to cry, I was out of breath, and had a sense I was about to step past a threshold that would change everything. Yeah. I was in for something Big.
The next 7 days were probably the single most transformative week of my life. The person I was when I left California was not the same person who went to Maui a week earlier. There is really no way to use words to describe all that happened. But know that every single event, person and circumstance I encountered was clearly and obviously part of a Divine plan for me. Everything was clearly revealed as necessary to create the specific journey I was taking – including the things I thought were going “wrong” and were really twisting me up at the time. You know how sometimes things go “wrong” or you hit road blocks, and then sometimes months or years later you realize that it happened perfectly? That it actually had been a blessing and it served you? In Maui, things were happening so fast and being revealed so quickly that almost as soon as an event played itself out, the clarity came about how it was serving me. In addition, I met many Earth Angels – people who I know I went to Maui for the purpose of meeting. The entire trip was a feast of Light, Nourishment, Release, Perspective and Clarity.
I was there on my Honeymoon with Myself. And Life rose up to shower me with gifts for my body and soul – gifts that indescribably surpassed any ideas I had about what was possible. For that 7 days of miraculous convergence, it could not have been more clear that The Divine loves me. That Life adores me. That given a chance, The Universe will show itself to me as my Lover beyond Lovers. I knew that before in my head, but now my Being Understands that the Universe cares deeply for me and goes out of its way to help me. To love me. To show me openings and freedoms. Existence is lavishing me with love always.
And when I decide to love myself, there is no resistance. The Divine is given carte blanche to arrange circumstances and rendezvous that gift me beyond measure. And when I decide to love myself, I can see the gifts being laid out for me. I can accept them.
Love is everywhere. But most importantly, Love is in each of us. We are the fountain head through which the River of Love pours unimpeded. Something in me was ready – to embrace a honeymoon with myself. To claim a Divine Love seminar. To step through and into the Loving Reality that is there all the time. I lifted my own veil so I could see. And again, Life, who loves me always and completely, helped me. With gorgeous abandon, life passionately rose up to meet me. It unfurled red carpets strewn with flowers, chocolates and angels telling me at every step how utterly Beautiful I am.
You are too. You are Utterly Beautiful. Completely Astounding. And Profoundly Radiant, Strong, Gifted, Unique, Exceptional, Powerful and Amazing. Life is a Lover waiting for any opportunity to catch your attention so it can tell you that. Life is sending you constant love notes and is always laying gifts at your doorstep, hoping you will see. Hoping you will step outside and into Its Divine Embrace.
I say start with you – you are Life. You are the Lover waiting for your embrace. All Life, All Love, will flow to you from that.
Entry without preview image
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Donec quam felis, ultricies nec, pellentesque eu, pretium quis, sem.
Nullam dictum felis eu pede mollis pretium. Integer tincidunt. Cras dapibus. Vivamus elementum semper nisi. Aenean vulputate eleifend tellus. Aenean leo ligula, porttitor eu, consequat vitae, eleifend ac, enim. Aliquam lorem ante, dapibus in, viverra quis, feugiat a, tellus.
Read more