Radiant Clarity

I feel it, cleansing and releasing seems to the order of the season for many, that along with rest, renewal and reflection. It seems we have lots to let go of to make space for what is new and trying to come through. That may be what 2010 is about: clearing the space for the numinous to appear (in us, as us). I do hope this next decade is more glorious than you hope and dream.

Lets talk in mid-January for a way to support you in getting there, with a group of friends/colleagues or by your self.

DECEMBER  2009  NEWSLETTER

Solstice Reflection: Inspired Action

It’s officially winter here in the Pacific Northwest: Solstice is here. Brrrr, it’s been cold. But I love the cozy, inward quiet this season naturally inspires. Reading & writing by the fire, hot tea and self-reflection on the year just passing: mmm.

This season I am especially reflective and excited. At Solstice, the deep, dark time of year, it is natural that we turn inward, and reflect on our lives and the year that is passing, as we great another, anew.

“Taking inspired, imperfect action” has been the theme of the year for me. Source can’t course-correct if we aren’t moving. Recently we gave a few talks on Living Your Divine Life NOW and then Awakening Your Divine Connection workshop. I delight in the joy of participants having deeper connection to Source (however you know it). There is an explosion of interest in living a life of purpose and soul. The hidden blessing is how easy and synchronistic life gets from alignment and partnership with the Divine.

What insights and experiences are you harvesting from 2009? Is your life where you want it to be? Below are some ideas to propel you into a beautiful 2010, which portends to be a big one.

I invite you to carve out some time for yourself some afternoon or evening and create a self-retreat. It doesn’t have to be a big deal and is so nourishing to your spirit. Better yet, gather 10 friends (remember: you come free) and we can custom create one for you and yours. Who would you like to reflect and rejuvenate with? What’s on the minds and hearts of those in your closest circle? Turn these questions into transformative renewal and re-creation. It’s time for you to answer to your inner wisdom.

Hopefully, this inspires you on the path to your Radiant Clarity.

Blessings, Claire

Deepening into Self and Source

A reader of this newsletter (a prominent local woman business owner) inquired about creating a custom retreat focusing on holiday renewal. Her vision is a year-end “treat” for herself, her staff and some business associates and colleagues. The season naturally calls this out of us.

I feel inspired to offer YOU this Solstice Soul Spa Day Retreat experience in January, to support you in year-end review and renewal. Just after the busy holiday and some downtime, yet still in the New Year window. (see below)

Join us for an intimate gathering in a beautiful setting, to connect with your own source of guidance, awaken to your inner knowing, and get clarity on your intentions for the year ahead. Start the New Year with a day full of deep relaxation, nurturing play, creative soul-satisfaction and sacred space. Yum. Enjoy the opportunity to encounter and express your inner longings, dreams and visions, to inspire action and create momentum that fosters manifestation in 2010. I’m including a follow-up coaching session. Plus, there is even interest in this becoming a monthly package, with shorter day retreats and group coaching in opposite weeks.

Meditation Group News

Radiant Clarity Meditation group keeps getting better. I am thrilled to be invited to lead this meditation group weekly, Wednesday evenings at 7 at HeartSong Books in Grants Pass Oregon. There is a fee of $5-20. Please drop in and bask in the stillness and light.

We will do a few talks and mini-workshops about living your life with Divine Purpose, in January and a full day retreat, in February/March: Awakening Your Divine Connection. This is where we get to really dive in and connect with your personal divine guidance. And there are tele-classes coming, too!

Remember, I would be MORE than happy to come to you and your community.  Let me know, and we can cook up something amazing.

Manifesting Change: Big Dreams from Small Steps

I can’t help but wonder is your year ending the way you hoped? Are you feeling excited and on the path to your vision in 2010? If not, clear out the obstacles and blocks to living your divine life. It’s finally time to lose the confusion, frustration and yearning.

How do we succeed in creating the changes we desire? We start the year with so many hopes and dreams, and they fizzle fairly fast. Creating goals is not the hard part. Moving towards them cleanly, clearly and consistently, that is another story.

Why don’t we get where we want to go? Fear and safety. We do what is familiar. And new habits, patterns and experiences are inherently threatening and anxiety provoking.

Expand Your Comfort Zone

It is easier and safer to stay uncomfortable and even miserable.  When we become too unhappy, we attempt to create change. Maintaining change means learning how to tolerate the edgy anxiety of being outside your comfort zone. Your body will give you clues. Recognize when you are there and that you are safe. It is unfamiliar territory, not danger. Expand your experience of yourself.

All big dreams start from small steps. The most powerful tools are simple but doing them is not always easy. Creating change is a process, not “just add water” instant manifestation.  (See sidebar for my favorite agents of change)

Start Small

Create practices that nurture and support you in your intentions. Rather than focusing on the end-state, start where you are now. Take one small step. Start embarrassingly small. You will find sticking with it is easier, less threatening.  In small incremental ways, you almost trick yourself into growing larger.

Don’t go it alone

Surround yourself with people (friends, colleagues, family) who are living their hopes and dreams (or aspiring to). Take a class or join a group. Find a buddy and create accountability. Meet on a regular schedule to review and revise your progress. No friends that would support you in the new goals? That is sad but often true. Hire a coach. When you are paying, you better believe you get motivated and benefit.

When I wanted to lose 20 pounds, I joined a program that offered high accountability. They met with me regularly, reviewed my eating plan and coached me when I was off track. And it worked. (Yes, all of it.)

Get Connected

Finally, connect with your inner source of guidance. When our goals are backed by and aligned with Divine wisdom, they flow and manifest so much easier than when ego is pushing alone. (That may be the reason you are not getting any traction on your dreams.) As the days shorten, we naturally turn inward. Your purpose, intention and vision unfold more easily once that connection starts to flow.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Soul Spa-New Year Renewal Retreat

Date: January 17, 2010  from 10-4:30  Cost: $95   includes retreat, meal and follow up coaching session by phone

Location: Rogue Valley, Oregon

After the busy holiday, give yourself time for the renewal and reflection you crave. The Solstice Soul Spa Day Retreat experience. Start the New Year with a day full of deep relaxation, delicious food, nurturing play, creative expression and sacred space. Yum.Plus,  a follow up coaching call is included to keep you on your destiny.

Connect with your longings, dreams and visions. Get clarity on your highest intentions for the year ahead. Re-awaken your inner knowing to inspire action and manifestation in 2010. An intimate gathering in a beautiful setting, to connect with your inner truth.

This is the first in a 6 month package that will include group coaching at a price that is really affordable. More on that to come in January.

Living Your Divine Life NOW – January 9 from 3-4:30

Location: HeartSong Books, 6th Street Grants Pass, Oregon. Fee: $5

Does your life feel lacking in meaning or direction? You know you have a reason for being here, yet it keeps slipping away. Frustrated, lost, confused, disillusioned, you believe there is something more to your life, but don’t know how to get there. At times you feel connected, then your dream fades and your life is filled with yearning, again.

It doesn’t have to be like this.

You can discover who you are at your essence, the specifics of your life purpose and other Big Questions.

You can:

• Know your reason for being here & what you are meant to do
• Awaken new possibilities for your life purpose
• Clear limiting beliefs and get new ideas for old problems
• Make decisions directed by your connection to Divine Wisdom
• Many are finding joy, hope and clarity with answers they need to live their Big Dream. Why wait? Join Claire for a lively interactive discussion about finding and living your soul’s calling.

You will learn:

• Ways to mine your life experience for purpose information.
• Why obstacles prevent you from achieving your goals.
• Tools for success in clearing blocks and finding your purpose.
• Resources and support for getting clarity about your life questions.

Awaken Your Divine Connection- February 2010, 10-4:30

Location: TBA, Rogue Valley, Oregon   Cost: $95

You know the Divine is within-but are you in contact every day?

Your life feels guided by Source, but are the details clear?

It is possible to connect directly to Divine Wisdom. Whether you call that God, Higher Self, Jesus, Great Spirit, or Goddess: it is available to you.

Enjoy day to rejuvenate and connect to Self and Source. Explore ancient and modern techniques for accessing inner wisdom and guidance. Connect to intuition in ways that bring clear, direct information.

Discover methods to get answers to life’s big questions (like your divine purpose) and the guidance to move forward. Clear obstacles that are barriers to your highest good. Understand the reasons these are in place and how to release them.

You will learn:

• Tools to connect to Source wisdom (regardless of your personal spiritual path)
• How to clear obstacles or fears that prevent you from getting or using this information
• Common barriers that obstructs us from getting the answers we need
• Resources and methods to for on-going growth, after the workshop “glow”

CALL TO REGISTER OR QUESTIONS:  541.659.7284 or RadiantClarity.com

ON-GOING:

Radiant Clarity Meditation Class- Wednesdays @7pm,

Location: HeartSong Books, 6th Street Grants Pass, Oregon   NEW  Fee: $5-20

Connect with your divine inner being through meditation. Find the stillness where peace, clarity & joy all emanate.

Experience guided and silent meditations, from a variety of spiritual traditions, designed to allow you to slip into the centered place inside yourself. Experienced  and novice meditators from all faith paths are welcome. Join at any time. Align with a clear, rejuvenated, radiant you.

Questions? Call Claire Sierra 541/659-7284 or RadiantClarity.com

NEW IDEA:

Invite me to visit, YOU come free. Gather 10 friends at a location of your choice to a day-long, signature Radiant Clarity Soul Spa Retreat and you attend for no charge. (Travel and accommodations not included.) Themes are seasonally inspired for spiritual rejuvenation in weary modern life. This would include a series of activities woven into an experience, customized to your setting and group. Soul Spa Day Retreat topics include: Living Your Divine Life NOW, Awakening Your Soul Connection. Activities could include guided & silent meditation, Soul Art project (easy, fun and gorgeous), Body Wisdom Yoga and time in nature. The sky’s the limit, but I have some great ideas to start us off.

Better YET: Radiant Clarity VIP Days:

Hunger for your purpose and don’t want to wait? Don’t want to mess with groups or classes?  Here’s a better idea: just you and me, all day, finding your connection to Source and your Divine Purpose. It is like a day at the spa, for your soul. Just you, me, and your custom-designed retreat. Spa services, energy treatments, creative arts, spiritual practices and skilled guidance equal rejuvenation for mind/body and spirit. How cool is that? I have 3 slots available for January. EMAIL OR CALL 541.659.7284 TO DISCUSS

Could this be as good as it sounds?

Here’s what participants have said:

Just a belated thank you for the presentation that you did. I liked everything about it… you really hit the mark. Hope you have heard as much positive feedback as I have. K. Miller, Executive Director, Grants Pass, OR

I hung the collage we did at our retreat in the entryway, so that each time I opened the door it was the first thing I looked at. I realized the collage had real value in my life and served as a tangible reminder not only of daily personal aspirations, but also of a very special weekend with my dearest friends. It catches my eye and reminds me of the values to strive towards. A very belated thanks again for making our “bachelorette” weekend retreat so memorable.  Tamara G., Arcata, Calif

Thank you again for coming to Sage College and presenting a really special program. I hearing that many of the women who attended are still talking about it, and even spreading the “good news”. For me it was beautiful, touching and profound. T. St George, Troy NY

We are all very grateful for your direction and expertise with our daughters and appreciate your skill and patience with the mothers as well. Hope you are doing lots of the same type of ceremonies for other women as well. Marietta Y., Chester Springs, PA

My life changes for the better when I have participated in an event led by Claire.  She is a very talented Art Therapist with gifts leading guided imagery and collage. Martha S., Grants Pass OR

I admire Claire’s creative process. She integrates her own life’s path into her art work and brings the wisdom of her experience and intuition to her clients and workshop participants. She is sensitive to the process of others. She is a skilled listener and facilitator who is attuned to the spoken and unspoken needs of others and does not impose any belief system. She asks key questions and brings her observations tempered with compassion. I wholeheartedly recommend Claire Sierra as a person with integrity, wisdom and finely tuned counseling skills. Marcy T., Cave Junction, OR

Breathe: Sounds simple, but we rarely give ourselves the air we need. Breathing is one of the most powerful and overlooked tools to clear any negative thought or feeling. While we don’t need the “bad” feelings to go away (they are good information that something is amiss), we do not want them to hijack our day or life. Amazing what it does for depression, anxiety and other trauma-based conditions (Not to mention, it’s free and always with us!)

Walk: Get out of the box. Your home, work, wherever you are. Get outside and get a fresh perspective. Nature helps and heals in ways we can scarcely imagine.

Laugh: Rarely is it as bad as it seems. Most of what we worry about never comes to pass. Stop taking yourself and Life so seriously. We live on the pleasure planet: enjoy!

Notice: Put your attention where your intention is. That is what will grow. Focus on what you want, not what you don’t want.

Create: Do something with your hands that you love. 5 minutes playing with pastels or paints can change your reality. Or cook, sew, write or sing. You don’t have to be good and you don’t have to exhibit it!

Appreciate: Nothing will shift you from stinking thinking or foul mood like gratitude. 10 a day will change your thinking and change your life.

Pray: When in doubt ask your guides, god, angels or whomever to help. Spiritual law of free will says these angels are not allowed to step in unless we ask. Ask and you shall receive. Not always in the package you request, but it comes.

Trust: There is usually an outcome far better than we can see from our limited perspective.  God has a better, bigger view of you. Trust that it is working out for the better and it usually does.

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about tithing. I don’t get how exactly, but I love how tithing works in my life. (The basic idea is to donate 10% of your income to organizations that feed you spiritually. Traditionally this is your church, but can also be people: teachers, healers, kind souls on your life journey who give you a hand. Helping organizations count too, if you feel fed and inspired by what they do. Really, anything that feeds you spiritual food. ) So, I keep track of my income, sort out my 10% and give it away. To those who have given me soul gifts. The idea is giving back to God what is already God’s. (Or insert name of your own spiritual force here.) Not those in need or worthy, for we all are, (I fear the backlash of this post in the form of help-me requests, that’s not what we are talking about here, folks, sorry) those who have already given. The amazing thing about tithing is what it seems to do to the flow of money.
Like many, I don’t think I have all this extra cash to give away. I tend to be cautious,  not extravagant in spending.  But as an experiment I decided to give it  try. I just take it off the top every month, and the rest seems to take care of itself, and then some. And its amazing. I watch my bank account grow every month.

Its the best kept secret on abundance and prosperity. So give it away, to those who have fed your spirit. You can’t out give God, and the return shows it is true.

I love city living. While I loved my country life for many years, I am crazy about having access to amazing opportunities that living even in a small city allows. Last week I had the great pleasure of experiencing a great treasure in her element.

Author/teacher Ruth Miller, gave a great presentation at a local bookstore, Aquarius, on “Living in a Culture of Fear” . And as always she delivered content that was diverse, holistic, comprehensive, intelligent and scholarly. She really covers all the bases from her background as anthropologist, futurist, feminist, ecologist, and New Thought minister.(whew, she’s been busy!)

She shares the  viewpoint obvious  to many conscious thinkers: we live in a  fear based culture. The question she answered was: why? And boy did she have a lot to say. Spanning 5000 years of history, and yet highlighting the recent 50, (including recent research in neuroscience, epigenetics, anthropology and quantum mechanics) she defined how Western Industrial Culture (which is now everywhere) was seeded and sown throughout the world.

And how a few mindsets that she feels were put in place “way back then” are still  alive today. One  key belief woven into the fabric of our culture is: “more and better”. How many of us were raised with the idea that “you can be anything” so a young girl, wanting to be a nurse (like all the women around her) was told “yes, but you can be a DOCTOR too” “or president” (be a bigger and better you is implied here). So we are always ill at ease, stretching beyond ourselves to be “better than” our parents and others around us. Exhausting, and fear inducing, at a basic level.

Another thought paradigm she relayed was summarized as, “Take as much as you can”. This expansionist, one upping of the Joneses, that pervades our culture. We are all about acquiring what we can for ourselves and this is so woven into the fiber of our beings that we don’t even see this as strange. All this getting is tiring and implies lack of faith that we will be provided for. And that is fear based too.

I see these patterns in myself. I see how my quest to find and fulfill my purpose is in some ways a manifestation of these deeply held and internalized beliefs. I am curious to know how this new awareness will shift my thinking and being on this quest.

I do know that access to the Divine is critical tool for anyone in any culture. Having access to a deeper truth and wisdom that has my best in mind, and guides me towards my soul, enriches me by working with and around my ego and its drives from the culture.

I would like to think fear is not a big motivator for me. I am reminded of that fallacy when something in my life goes so-called “wrong”. I know, and consciously make that shift to NOT be afraid.  But it does take remembering to do so. And even then some work. Very few things are really worth being in fear about, and worry rarely improves any situation. Such a sly master, fear and worry.

Some days we get lots of opportunity to practice noticing the fear and contraction that can subtly run our lives. Take a moment to breath, notice and shift from fear to love, trust,  faith or whatever reminds you that this is not all there is. And truly, if you and those around you aren’t dead, everything is probably fine.

This fear can keep us from living our lives, awakening our dreams and living our purpose. it keeps us safe, which is good, but it keeps us too safe and small. This is a big distraction and easy to get swayed by. Don’t go there. And remember:  fear is just False Evidence Appearing Real.

Thanks, Ruth, for a great reminder and some excellent nourishment for heart, mind and spirit. I am truly blessed.