It doesn't have to be a ripping and tearing.

It doesn't even have to be painful!

It can be more like waking up from a dream.

Here I was... walking around... thinking I did not possess any fear at all.

Then one day... my eyes were opened and I was shocked to see that I was living

in so much fear. It really surprised me because I had walked in so much faith

earlier in my life. (Read my story in progress if you have the time). But here it

was ..... staring me in the face.

I felt embarrassed, confused, disappointed in myself.

Then I learned that there are mountain tops and valleys in life.

At times we are on the mountain top:  thriving, discovering, shrouded in glory.

At times we are in the valley: alone, confused, depressed, shrouded in fear.

Don't be fooled... the mountain top is not a permanent thing.

There will still be valleys to go through because life is an ever changing journey.

While down in the valley one day I learned this about fear:

- it is not my enemy, it is here to teach me something about where I am right now as a person. Listen to it!

- it often exaggerates because of the way our society is set up. Examine it!

- although it feels very strong, it can be easily overcome. Control it!

- sometimes you can trust it, and sometimes you can't. Discern it!

- when caught in the grip of it you can replace it with faith. Overcome it!

In reality fear is just an emotion much like faith is.

It ultimately is your choice which one to entertain.

Learn to recognize fearful thoughts right away.They often contain:

- Anxiety, panic, dread, sorrow, doubt, indecision, shame, guilt, confusion, jealousy, hate, foreboding, and anger

Practice replacing these fearful feelings with feelings of faith: (even if you don't know the answer)

- patience with all, confidence in yourself, prayer for direction, assurance from within, forgiveness for others and yourself, peace, and love

It is when we learn to recognize our thoughts and what we are feeling that we can gently lead ourselves back to the truth.

An Old English Legend says,

Fear knocked at the door. Faith Answered. No one was there.

For your journal today:

Write the date and this:

I will practice recognizing my fearful thoughts and replace them with ones of faith.

Some of my fearful thoughts are: _________________________.

I can replace them with : ________________________.

Write as little or as much as you feel led to. Remember that fear can easily be overcome with thoughts of faith!

ps: if you are fearing something that might happen in the future and can't seem to replace it with faithful thoughts, simply decide to stop thinking about it! It works! Believe me .... I know! :-)

Practice Peace!

Original Digital Artwork with graphics from Crowabout StudioB at DeviantScrap

This piece of artwork is called, Bless the Child, and is named after one of my favorite songs from Nightwish.

Deep inside each of us is a little child.

Things have happened in life to bless and also curse this little child.

You know what these things are.... but I am here to tell you that you can rise above these things and look at them

from above as if they had happened to someone else!

From above you can meet this inner child, love this inner child, and heal this inner child!

My Wounded Child

Years ago the child in me was wounded by the world, well meaning as it was.

The scars of yesterday remain etched on my being,

taking their toll on all my days and nights.

Looking back I can see the errors of those around me. Little did

they know the pain and suffering they would bring me.

Now that I am older I search for that loving open child that was.

But he remains in hiding from the pain that today might bring.

I want to set him free, so that my life can be anew. But to reach him

I must look deep into the pain and the past. He protects himself with

games that he plays. Games of guilt and anger and fear and resentment.

There is no winner in these games. For me to be free he must be

free to act and react not as the world expects but as he feels is right.

Those around may not understand the turmoil and grief I feel for

his suffering. I'm not even sure who he is anymore but I know

when he comes forth that I will love him.

For he is the me I used to be and want to be again.

The me that is real.

I have missed him all these years and it is time for him to have

his say. To guide my feelings and my growth. It is time for him

to set my world right. He has been gone too long.

I welcome him now to brighten my future and change my ways.

To help me laugh and love again in ways only he knows how.

For when he returns, you may not know me. But that's ok,

for he will love you just the same. He will bring a smile to your

face and love to your heart.

- Tim Connor

What if all your past just blew away in the wind? What if NONE OF IT EVER HAPPENED?

What if you were just BORN TODAY?

What would that change?

How would your inner child feel now?

Free, curious, innocent, in the moment and wise?

There is a remedy for us... for all that carry around the pain of the past in their hearts

afraid to truly love.

That remedy is allowing your inner child to meet your ageless, Infinite Spirit!

Once the two meet you will become whole and complete.

The child will return you to who you really are, and your spirit will take care of the child!

Picture the meeting of the two! Picture how happy and secure your inner child will feel

in the protective arms of your spirit!

This is where HOME IS!

This is our destiny and reason for being here!

THE MEETING!!!!!

For your journal today:

Write the date and this:

MY INNER CHILD MEETS MY SPIRIT

This is how my inner child feels at this meeting: _________________________.

This is how my spirit feels at this meeting: ________________________.

Write as little or as much as you feel led to. Remember that now they will take care of each other!

Amen (so be it)

Beloved,

This is not a session. We are pausing for an intermission because I have a

really heavy session coming up next!

I want you to think about the word HEALING.

What does it mean to you?

I also want you to think about Honoring the Truth.

What does this mean to you?

For your journal today:

Write the date and this:

Healing means this to me ____________________.

Honoring the Truth means this to me _________________.

Brave hearts... brace for tomorrow.... we begin some real work!

Whatever worth having is worth working for!

Peace and Eternal Love to You Always! xo

Original Digital Artwork with Graphics from Crowabout StudioB at DeviantScrap

If this Free Workshop is blessing you, please consider sending it to someone you love!

Simply forward this message and share on FB!

Week 2 of the Recovery Workshop!

The other night I went outside and raised my hands to the dark sky, took a deep breath, and heard:

HAVE FAITH IN YOURSELF!

I had heard these words many, many times.... but that night they took on a whole new meaning for me.

Did I really have faith in myself? I was profoundly perplexed at the thought!

BY YOUR FAITH YOU ARE HEALED!

The Story

“A large crowd followed and pressed around Him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, ‘If I just touch His clothes, I will be healed.’ Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from Him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, ‘Who touched my clothes?’ ‘You see the people crowding against you,’ His disciples answered, ‘and yet you can ask, “Who touched Me?”’ But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and knelt at His feet, and trembling with fear, told Him the whole truth. He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering’” (MAR 5:25-34).

Most of us have faith in a higher power.... but do we have any faith in ourselves to heal us?

What Jesus told this woman was that her faith healed her. She did not have faith in herself... but she did have faith and it healed her.

What kind of healing could we achieve if we had faith in ourselves?

What would be different in our lives if we believed in ourselves so much that it freed us from our suffering?

What if we started to look at ourselves in a whole new way? What would happen if we truly believed our faith in ourselves was real and powerful?

Can you feel it?

Are you excited?

For your journal today:

Write the date and this:

HAVE FAITH IN YOURSELF!

What would be different if I had faith in my own healing: _________________________.

I am going to be free from ________________________.

Write as little or as much as you feel led to. Remember how very powerful faith in yourself could be!

And Always, Always, Always Practice PEACE!

Original Digital Artwork with Graphics from Crowabout StudioB at DeviantScrap

This is me! Growing... discovering... and healing!

Going to go easy today! We have worked through our first week! I don't know about you, but it was intense for me.

Whether you are going through your valley now, or went through it in the past and it is still effecting you, please know

that you are going to make it to the other side! You already are on the other side, your mind just does not realize it yet.

Keep on going... keep on moving... this is what is important to recovery.

Ignore the fear... the "what if's"... the pain for a moment and imagine your life without this valley.

What does it look like? What does it feel like? What does it sound like? Dare to dwell there for a moment each day.

My Journey to Recovery

In the beginning, I wondered if I would ever make it through.
There were periods of anger, sadness, pain, and grief; times when I wondered,
"Why me?"

But one day, there was a glimpse of light, and then another.
The clouds began to break apart, and I started to see beyond them.
The times when I felt happy and safe began to outnumber the times when I felt sad and frightened.
New friendships were formed; feelings of trust and resolution began to replace past feelings of hopelessness and self-doubt.
I seemed to emerge from the darkness into the light with a sense of empowerment.

I now realize that there are things about my past that I cannot change, but I can stop them from controlling my life and my happiness.
I know that this part of my life will never go away entirely, but it has begun to take a less prominent place in my existence.
I have begun to allow other thoughts to enter my mind, and I have a better understanding of myself - my strengths and weaknesses.
I'm not afraid to set limits.
I've begun to enjoy life again and to think about the future.
I can now look back on this time for what it was - a period of growth, self-discovery and healing.

-Anna Marie Edwards

For your journal today:

Write the date and this:

I am growing, discovering and healing! This makes me feel ___________________________.

I can leave my fear behind because __________________________.

Write as little or as much as you feel led to. Remember how very loved you are! Be brave... move forward!

Namaste

ps... thank you for going on this journey with me! xo

Original Digital Artwork with graphics from Art By January

"A whole person is one who has both walked with God and wrestled with the devil"

- Carl G. Jung

More Praying for guidance:

Wrestling with the Devil

Wrestling with the devil is futile. You will never ... ever ... win at this because the “devil” has control of your unconscious mind at all times.

This is time spent wasted. Stop battling and live from who you really are!

I know I make it sound easy and I know it seems like it is hard.... but truly you can do this with very little practice and experience.

Sit with your eyes closed. Take a huge, deep, breath and say out loud I AM PEACE. Let your shoulders drop, relax and smile.

Do this many times a day. When you are at work, at a red light, standing in line somewhere. Write yourself a sticky note to put at your desk or in your car.

You can copy and print this:

Deep Breath
Out Loud
I AM PEACE
Drop Shoulders
Relax
Smile

It is the conscious mind that walks with God. Do this small... seemingly insignificant exercise to put you back in touch with your higher self. We only battle the devil when we lose sight of who we really are. And we lose sight of this hundreds of times a day. How can we combat that except we close our eyes and realign with our True Self?

No one can do this for you.... you alone are responsible for your inner peace and happiness. Don’t spend time warring with your unconscious mind Beloved. Start finding out what power you have in your conscious mind. The power to create worlds. The power of life and death. The power to change your own reality and that of mankind.

For your journal today:

Write the date and this:

I am done wrestling with the devil! I AM PEACE!

Write as little or as much as you feel led to. Commit to connecting with your conscious mind... your True Self! This is where the peace lives.

Practice Peace!

I was praying and asking what "one day at a time" really means.

This is what I heard from my Higher Power:

It truly means that as you sit there right now you have everything you need to come through what you are going through. All the ingredients are there... inside you... now.

Just because you can’t see them does not mean they are not there. You cannot see the egg in the cake... but you know it is there.

One day at a time means learning to take care of the moment. It means focusing on the moment. It means learning from the moment.

There is so much to learn and you go from one moment to the next while missing the important lesson it contains.

Stop long enough to sit in this moment. What is it telling you? What are you here to learn from it? Do this before it passes and you will find the harmony in your moments you so desperately seek.

You'll Get Through This.... One Day at a Time

Try not to worry.

Try to look at what your going through as a challenge rather than an obstacle, a time to develop patience.

To achieve more objectivity, detach yourself from the struggle.

Have confidence in yourself,

and realize that you can change your attitude even if you can't change the circumstances.

Look Closely at your troubles.

Don't let them cause you to give up.

Befriend them and learn from them.

Feel them lose their power over you.

Allow them to teach you what you want to know and move on.

Try not to be afraid.

You're a survivor.

You're going to handle this.

You're going to find strength you didn't know you had and grace to deal with whatever comes along.

Pretty soon, you'll be on the other side,

and it's just a matter of time until you look back on this time in your life

and draw strength from the knowledge that even though the road was rocky,

you persevered and carried on.

- Donna Fargo

For your journal today:

Write the date and this:

This is what I am here, in this moment, to learn: _______________________________________.

Write as little or as much as you feel led to. I believe that life is about learning and that everything that happens to us has something to teach us.

What are you learning about right now? Take the time to learn it, or life will repeat it as many times as necessary!

Live Loved!

Ps... I don't usually enable comments.... but I did just in case you would like to share your thoughts and feelings with others.

This is from more praying about what to share with you about recovery.

Acceptance and Resistance:

Two sides of the same coin. When you accept you are not resisting. When you resist you are not accepting. Not accepting what is will lead you down the wrong path. This is a path to sorrow and sadness. Resisting will lead you down the path of frustration and loss of hope. Certainly there are things you are going to naturally resist. Physical pain is one. But when you start resisting the everyday occurrences in life, life can become unbearable. And when life becomes unbearable you are indeed walking down the wrong path for you.

Acceptance of what is will bring you peace. If you refuse to accept something or someone in your life then you must do something about that thing or person before it destroys parts of your heart and soul. This is a time when you must not resist what must be done. You must rise above the situation and see if from a higher perspective. While viewing it from above you can see the path over, under, or around the thing that must be passed by.

Believe in yourself. You DO have what it takes to proceed down your path unobstructed. You do have what you need to keep moving. You have everything you need inside of yourself. Self Discovery is what must happen. Self Discovery will eventually reveal the truth of who and what you truly are.

Acceptance

Acceptance means that you can find the serenity within

to let go of the past with its mistakes and regrets,

move into the future with a new perspective,

and appreciate the opportunity to take a second chance.

Acceptance means that when difficult times come into your life,

you'll find security again and comfort to relieve any pain.

You'll find new dreams, fresh hopes, and forgiveness of the heart.

Acceptance does not mean that you will always be perfect.

It simply means that you'll always overcome imperfection.

Acceptance is the road to peace - letting go of the worst,

holding on to the best, and finding the hope inside

that continues throughout life.

Acceptance is the heart's best defense,

love's greatest asset, and the easiest way

to keep believing in yourself and others.

- Regina Hill

For your journal today:

Write the date and this:

These are things I can learn to accept:______________________________

These are things I must go over, under or around: ________________________________

Write as little or as much as you feel led to. What have you learned about acceptance and resistance?

Namaste

Original digital artwork with graphics from Tumble Fish Studio at DeviantScrap

I was praying about this workshop the other day and I asked my higher power what I could share about recovery.

This is what it said:

"Tell them that recovery is a very simple thing. It does not have to be hard or involve great struggle. You believe this and that is why so many never enter the promise land.

Shed your belief about recovery. See it as simply simplifying your life. See it as washing yourself clean as you do your bodies. It is as simple as accepting the truth of your completeness..... your wholeness .... your health.

Your mind seeks to play countless, countless games with you. If you allow it to do this you will never know what true freedom is... what true recovery is.

When your mind starts to play a new game... see it for what it is. Recognize the fact that  the mind is very attached to this reality and so it clouds the True You; the You who is free and healed and whole.

Gently take the mind by the hand and lead it back to the truth of who you are, the truth of what you are, and the truth of what is.

It is not hard. It does not take endless practice. It is simple! Listen to what your mind is saying and simply put it back on the true path.

The true path will be revealed to you as the days progress. Listen, stephanie, to your heart. What is it saying to you? Be still and hear it."

I think we always see recovering as a problem... a very high mountain to be climbed. And while I do recognize it as a journey, I don't see it as being something that must be difficult.

What if we saw it as something that is dying to come to us... something waiting right at the very edge of our being... waiting for us to simply open our arms and hearts to it?

Here is what Donna Newman says recovery is in the book The Language of Recovery:

What is Recovery?

Rebuilding our lives,

Restoring ourselves,

Picking up the pieces,

Healing from past wounds,

Regaining our hope,

Obtaining self-respect,

Mending broken spirits,

Making amends for the spirits we've broken,

Reclaiming our right to be,

Releasing what doesn't belong to us,

Raising up what does without fear,

Repossessing our minds and our hearts,

Repairing broken thoughts and faulty behaviours,

Replacing them with thoughts and acts of love,

Renewing our faith, our minds, and our bodies,

Reviving life within and around us,

Realizing that there is good within us,

Growing in our ability to feel and express that good,

Renovating our broken dreams and broken hearts,

Increasing our ability to own our light,

Reaching out to lovingly share that light with others.

For your journal today:

Write the date and this:

Today I open my arms and heart to_____________________________.

Write as little or as much as you feel led to. What is it that you know deep within that is waiting for you to accept?

And always, always, always practice peace!

Orignial digital artwork with graphics from Crowabout StudioB at DeviantScrap

Recovery! What is it? What does it mean?

Dictionary.com com defines it as this:

The action or process of regaining possession or control of something stolen or lost.

I like that definition! What have we lost... what do we need to regain?

We are all in recovery from something.... and the entire human race is in spiritual recovery right now!

It does not matter what you need to recover from... the important thing is that you know you need to walk

down this path for a while!

You could be in recovery for drug or alcohol abuse, low self-esteem, low self-confidence, a difficult relationship,

a difficult childhood, depression, grief, of not loving yourself, of enabling the people around you and many, many

more things....

This free workshop is going to be a daily cleansing!

It is also going to involve journaling your thoughts and feelings.

So, grab a little spiral notebook and plan to venture into the recovery of what

has been lost or stolen in you!

I will be using the book "The Language of Recovery, A Blue Mountain Arts Collection" for this workshop.

You can get a used copy for $.01 here, though you don't need it for this workshop.

The lessons will be short! Do them on your lunch break, when you get home, in the morning, at night....

whenever you have a free moment for you.

Commit to giving yourself the most wonderful gift you could ever receive....

self-discovery and healing.

Please.... share this free workshop with your friends and loved ones! Subscribe to

receive the daily lessons in your email in-box, what could be easier?

Share by email... facebook... or by mouth! Care enough about them to share!

Give them the gift of regaining what was lost.

The first lesson begins Monday, February 13th! See you there!

Live Loved, stephanie xoxoxox

If you have any questions about the workshop feel free to contact me at joyuslion@gmail.com

Original digital art with graphics from, Outside the Box Designs