Vision Board

I wanted to share with you a testimonial from a wonderful woman that attended a recent workshop that was presented at CNY Fertility Center, www.cnyfertility.com 

The center is own by Dr. Robert Kiltz who is a reproductive endocrinologist and a healer that practices science while incorporating the mind, body and soul into his process while he assists his clients during the time they are creating their families. Please visit Dr. Rob's site www.mindbodysmile.com to learn more about him. I want to thank him for allowing me to be part of his centers.

Kristy Lee writes with such graciousness about our time together. I am sharing her beautiful words on my blog because her actions demonstrates the power of a Vision Board and she is an amazing example of changing your thoughts and you change your life.

 It was really All God and  Her. 


From Kristy Lee:
"I signed up for Kristen's "Love & Infertility" workshops despite a lot of hesitation. I had just gone through a painful, but successful, HSG exam and I needed some kind of support and coaching. I had no idea what to expect: would I be in a room full of weepy, a barren woman? Would we hold hands and hug and eat chocolate? Would we all feel angry at yell at the fates? What could I possibly get out of this? At 25 years old, I was not a stranger to the effects of my PCOS/hypothyroidism/Luteal Phase defect, but I had no idea how to handle the overwhelming feeling of knowing my body was failing me. Despite my hesitation, I signed up for Kristen's workshops at the CNY Fertility Center. I knew I had to get the emotional and spiritual support that modern medicine couldn't give me.

Kristen's workshops changed my life. For months I had been angry at myself and was hurling hatred and insults at my body. I had always been a determined, driven young woman; and now I was failing at the most natural thing in the world. Kristen's workshops taught me to begin the healing process. I had to forgive myself, let myself grieve, and let myself hope. After the first session, I felt as if a ton of bricks had been lifted off my shoulders. The room was not full of angry, barren women. Instead, I saw myself in each and every one of the faces in the crowd. I was not alone. My entire way of thinking changed; I read Kristen's book in one sitting and put all her exercises into practice.

My husband attended the next two sessions along with me. Our homework after the second session was to create a vision board. We had to put out into the universe our dreams, our goals, and our desires. My husband and I worked on the vision board for weeks, cutting out pictures from magazines and scraps of paper and gluing them all together. I channeled my frustration at my unpredictable cycles and vague ovulation predictor kits into my vision board. When it was completed, it was - to my husband and I - a masterpiece.

One week before the final workshop, I found myself face to face with a pregnancy test. I was waiting for a new cycle to start so that I could start Clomid and, hopefully, my first pregnancy. My period was due tomorrow but then I realized...it wouldn't be due for another nine months or so. I was pregnant, without any medication or drastic medical intervention. My first baby, my miracle, the answer to many prayers, is due in August 2009.

Without Kristen's help, I don't think I would be pregnant right now. Kristen helped me tune into my body and my thoughts and, unwittingly, prepared me for this pregnancy. Kristen did for me what modern medicine could not: teach me to forgive myself, accept myself, and let life work out the way it's meant to."

Winter Sparkle

December! How did it get to be December?

Living in New England I should be so used to the snow, rain, sleet, freezing rain, wind gust and icy mess! But us New Englanders have amnesia! We forget about it over the spring and summer and seem to stumble back into the cold with shock as if it is our first "wintry" experience :) Or at least that is what happens to me.

I am struck by the dramatic quickness of the coldness and also the shift in people's perception of the here and now.
Maybe the energy of the New England weather is a reminder to care for yourself in a manner that takes some thought.
Warming up the car instead of jumping and speeding off, bundling up with hats, mittens and scarves brings attention to those important energy centers of your body and protecting them from the harsh nature of the wind and cold. Taking time for kindness.

Energetically, our world is changing and I feel shifting back to basics remembering that we are connected and we must be mindful of this fact with every interaction and decision, setting our intention on love, faith, hope and kindness daily to help this universal change in a more positive manner.

The simple act of calling in the gift of kindness: kindness defined as charity, compassion, friendship and sympathy without prejudice and for its own sake is what we need universally, can and will help at this given moment.

The energy behind kindness is love, connection, in direct contrast behind the energy of fear, which is disconnect.
By practicing our birth gift of kindness we will have on effect on the whole.
Even if you start with a pair of mittens for yourself! That energy will radiate from you, kindness and love!
Blessings, Kristen

Kristen Magnacca's Pearls for Fall 2008

It’s September already! The summer seemed to fly by. We had a great deal of transition over the summer, new home, new school for my children, new job opportunities and a great deal of visitors. Hanging in an open area of my home is this quote from The Dalai Lama. Could it be as simple as what he shares? “If you contribute to other people’s happiness, you will find the true goal, the true meaning of life”.

I fell back on his quote all summer long caring for others and trying in vain to do so without resentment, holding on tightly to the thought perhaps that this was my true mission-to contribute to other’s happiness. Very powerful and I’m still a work in progress.

The true meaning of living life: “We are visitors on this planet. We are here for ninety or one hundred years at the very most. During this period we must try to do something good, something useful with our lives. If you contribute to other people’s happiness, you will find the true goal, the true meaning of life.” H.H.The 14th Dalai Lama

Jayce's Pearls

“So be true to life by being true to your inner purpose. As you become present and thereby total in what you do, your actions become charged with spiritual power.”
Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth

In a world crammed with schedules, deadlines, timelines and utter chaos, I have learned that the way to stay focused is to be more mindful of the present moment. After all, this is the only thing we have ultimate control over. We as women play the ever changing roles of daughter, mother, wife, sister, employee, employer, etc. Although all of the roles are important to who we are and what we do, we often get lost in them rather than focus on the unique and individual moments for each of them. Women tend to continuously ask themselves what else needs to be done rather than enjoying the current task or moment at hand.

Not surprisingly, it takes complete concentration to retrain your mind to stay focused in the present moment. This is because simple tasks are interrupted by racing thoughts of the eight thousand other things that need to be done.

One suggestion would be to take one simple task and do it as if it was the only thing that needed to be done all day. When I do the dishes for example, I let the water run on my hands and enjoy the warmth, try to avoid any other thought except the dishes for the entire duration of doing them. You will find it is a true test of your ability to stay focused on the moment. If you can master this you will be on your way to becoming charged with spiritual power! I wish you well on your journey.
Peace-Jayce Hall
http://www.comfortcuisineinc.com/

Randine's Pearls

One of the best pearls I ever heard is encapsulated by the Tao te Ching:

“Be the fertile valley, so the whole universe will flow to you.”

Most of my retreat patients have struggled for years to reach the top of the mountain – to achieve their careers, their sought after children, the life they want… and through the struggle, their poor, weary, stressed out bodies and minds didn’t have an ounce of fertility left to spare.

Yet, we can learn to reside in the fertile valley, where life effortlessly flows in, based on what we are calling back to us.

When our thoughts and emotions revolve around what we don’t have, we call more of it to us. When we notice the simple presence of our own beating heart, and the rich sensations within our own body, we are calling more abundance to roll down the hill to be received by the lap of our own acceptance. Doesn’t that sound more fertile than fighting for a child, or any other creative expression?

Mothering is about learning to let go - sometimes even before the manifestations of our desires arrive, and certainly after. Let life flow to you. Be the valley.

Randine Lewis, MSOM, Ph.D., L.Ac.
http://www.thefertilesoul.com/
author of The Infertility Cure, and The Way of the Fertile Soul

Jackie's Pearls

"No matter where the problem is, how acute it may be, or how difficult the person may be, there is in the final analysis no one to change but yourself."
-Joseph Murphy

In general, I am constantly reminding myself to be in the moment -- really, truly in the moment and to appreciate how amazing everything is. Feeling gratitude for the sweat pouring down my face when I have the luxury of being on a spinning bike, for example, or catching a glimpse of the sun on my dog's face as he runs happily off-leash in the park. Finding joy in everyday moments that really are miracles.

Jackie Herskovitz
Teak Media Communications
www.teakmedia.com

Melinda Gates' Pearls

An Introduction to Melinda Gates' Pearls by Kristen Magnacca

The idea and word is spreading about Her Pearls of Wisdom and I am excited about the interest and the desire to share your stories. Stories about moments of insight that you hold onto that have created strength and grace for healing. Opening up the same possibility for others.

We have reached out to women in all different life circumstances coming from a place which feels that regardless of where you are in your life, your experience matters and sagely advise brings healing and comfort.

We reached out to the list of women in the Wall Street Journal who are labeled the 50 Women to Watch. We are honored to say that we heard from Mrs. Melinda Gates, the co founder of the Gates Foundation and the wife of Bill Gates. Although she does not grant interviews or speak about her personal life, her assistant shared with us some of her speeches and information about the profound work that the Gates Foundation is currently undertaking. When reviewing the speeches, this excerpt below spoke to me and I hope you find the sagely advice that I found from Melinda Gates’ words.

"The Other Side of the Mat" (excerpt from a speech by Melinda Gates)

Making our intention of the day to realize what is it like for the person on the other side of the mat?
So when we meet people in the countries we visit, we see what we have in common with them. Like us, they have hopes for the future. They have parents who love them and children who need them. They have intellectual curiosity, and an entrepreneurial spirit, and a determination to make life better for themselves and their children.

I am especially moved by the mothers I meet. They'll invite me into their homes, and we'll sit on the floor, often on opposite sides of a small mat. I have young children myself, and I try to put myself in these women’s position. What would I do, if I were on the other side of the mat? What would I want for my children?

If I were a pregnant mother in Bangladesh, I would be desperate for a skilled attendant to help me deliver my baby safely.

If I were a young mother in India, I would want to know the facts: that breastfeeding instead of using formula is one of the best ways to save my newborn from cholera.

If I were a mother in Malawi and my daughter got sick with diarrhea, I would hope that she could get the electrolytes she needed before it was too late.

Those would be my hopes, my dreams, my wishes. But in all likelihood, they would not be the reality of my daily life.

The reality is this: Every year, more than 10 million children die before they turn five, most of them from conditions we know how to prevent or treat.

In some countries I've visited, mothers don't give their children names for weeks or even months because they don't want to start caring about them. The chances are just too high that their children will die in those first few weeks of life.

When I hear a story like that, I am jolted back to my side of the mat. How can tragedy be such an everyday occurrence?

I am appalled that children are still dying of pneumonia today—a century after rich countries figured out how to treat it effectively.

On my side of the mat, when my kids are sick, they get antibiotics. On the other side of the mat, when a child gets sick, it can be a death sentence.

I ask you to put yourself on the other side of the mat—to see that these mothers love their children just as much as you love yours.When we empathize, we realize how urgently we need to make saving the children of the world a priority for the world.
[Printed with permission of the Gates Foundation]