Welcome to The Seasoned Path

Welcome to The Seasoned Path. In each newsletter I will share some of my musings along the path as well as inspirations gained from those who have traveled this way before me. My hope is to tickle your curiosity, heighten your awareness, and encourage you to become an environmentalist for your soul.

In this Issue:

Quote of the Month 
"Believing Mirrors"
Nature's Coaching Tips
Going Green Tip of the Month
Readings for the Journey
Upcoming events: $100 Retreat Discount Ends April 1st!!! 

Quote of the Month

“I don't know if I continue, even today, always liking myself. But what I learned to do many years ago was to forgive myself. It is very important for every human being to forgive herself or himself because if you live, you will make mistakes- it is inevitable. But once you do and you see the mistake, then you forgive yourself and say, 'well, if I'd known better I'd have done better,' that's all. So you say to people who you think you may have injured, 'I'm sorry,' and then you say to yourself, 'I'm sorry.' If we all hold on to the mistake, we can't see our own glory in the mirror because we have the mistake between our faces and the mirror; we can't see what we're capable of being. You can ask forgiveness of others, but in the end the real forgiveness is in one's own self.”
Maya Angelo

"Believing Mirrors"

We all need people around us who see the beauty of our potential and believe in our capability. We need people who understand that the ultimate purpose of life is to flourish and fully display our unique magnificence. We need to see our highest self reflected in the eyes of someone who has faith in us. Julia Cameron calls such people “believing mirrors."
While it is tremendously encouraging and validating to have our self reflected in a believing mirror, it is equally gratifying to be that mirror for others. This is the beautiful, synchronistic relationship we hope to achieve as  parents, grandparents, teachers, mentors, personal coaches, spouses, muses, or friends.
How do we invite more believing mirrors into our lives and how do we become such a clear reflection for others? Here are some of the important qualities of a believing mirror?

1. Believing mirrors are optimists who always see the cup as half full. Because they truly believe in the ultimate goodness of life and your ability to reach your highest potential, there are no mistakes or failures, only lessons and opportunities for growth. They know for a fact that everything happens for a reason, and one’s purpose is only revealed by embracing the journey with all its twists and turns.

2. Believing mirrors are truth tellers. They reflect the reality of who you are, but always from the perspective of who you are yet to become. I love the picture of the little tabby cat looking into a mirror and seeing a full grown lion reflected back. Every kitten has the partial DNA of a lion. A truthful mirror will reflect both the heart of the lion and the potential for encasing that within the body of a kitten. The mirror's honesty is always framed with respect and polished with a generous heart.

3. Believing mirrors are clear and self- effacing. They do not muddle the picture with their own beliefs and ambitions. They do not project their needs and values upon you. Believing mirrors can step out of the way and provide the space and time for you to be center stage. They allow you to be both the director and the actor of the scene; plus they let you have as many rehersals as you need. 

4. Believing mirrors only reflect the present moment. Where you stand now is what you see. The past is not in the picture: the future is for you to forge. There is no 'should of,' could of,' 'would of,' only what is. Standing before the mirror allows you to be fully in the present, which is after all the starting point for every next step.

5. Believing mirrors allow you to see the best of you. They reflect your strengths and capabilities, your gifts and talents, your divine essence and ultimate potential. They see through the make-up and blemishes and bear witness to your core. They reflect your true beauty!

To stand before a believing mirror is energizing, motivating, empowering, and validating. To be a believing mirror is fulfilling, satisfying, and inspiring. Together you  experience the intuitive dance of a heartfelt connection.  Often in life, you need to become what you seek. So practice being a believing mirror to the important people in your life and ask others to play that role for you.  Purposefully, invite the grace and wisdom of believing mirrors into your life.

Nature’s Coaching Tips

 Nature can also be a wonderful mirror of your inner environment. Go out for a walk and notice what draws your eye or stirs your spirit. It could be a bird flying by, or the wind blowing in the branches, or the sun shining upon a boulder calling you to sit for awhile.
Look closely at the item attracting you. What pleases you about it? The color, the shape, the movement? It is having a magnetic effect upon you, so what is it in you that it is drawing upon? How is it a metaphor for your life today? How is it your believing mirror?
The other day I was drawn to this promising bud on a young magnolia tree. They day was cold, but it was a harbinger of things to come. It was  biding its time waiting for the right moment to display its glory.  Just that hint of red signaled to me that I was on the right path and just needed a little more patience. It also provided me with the joy of anticipation.
Nature is always there waiting to show us our reflection. We just have to take the time to look.

Going Green Tip of the Month

I recently returned from an illuminating convention in Pittsburg. It was titled Good Jobs/Green Jobs: A National Green Job Conference. I was perplexed to learn that it was being sponsored by both The Sierra Club and The United Steel Workers, an unusual couple to say the least. Their common ground I soon discovered was that by uniting their political clout and people power, they sought to conquer both the environmental and the economical crisis with a Green New Deal initiative. Just as the New Deal lifted this country out of the depression, a Green New Deal can  be the simultaneous solution for the two largest issues facing us today.
The most inspiring speaker was Van Jones, president and founder of Green for All: Green Pathways Out of Poverty. www.greenforall.org. He eloquently presented us with the moral challenge that the very communities pushed down by the pollution economy must be and can be empowered by the new green economy.
I encourage you to check out organizations like The Blue Green Alliance, www.bluegreenalliance.org. or The Apollo Alliance www.apolloalliance.org to see what is happening in your area.

Readings for the Journey

Finding Water: The Art Of Perseverance, by Julia Cameron

The Art of Possibility, by Rosamund Stone Zander & Benjamin Zander

The Better World Shopping Guide, by Ellis Jones

Upcoming Events: $100 Retreat Discount Ends April 1st!!

BAYSIDE REFLECTIONS: A WEEKEND TO RECLAIM YOUR LIFE
Friday, May 2 – Sunday, May 4, 2008



Come nourish your mind, body and spirit at a weekend gathering of Wise Women by the Chesapeake Bay. For 2 nights and 3 days Life Coaches Patt Osborne and Karin Marcus will provide you with the opportunity to combine outdoor adventures with personal growth activities. You are sure to find both inspiration and laughter while enjoying peaceful country walks, kayaking along the shore, sharing ideas with like-minded women, and savoring quiet time for self-reflection. Now is the time to spring forward, reconnect with your life’s passions, and reclaim your true purpose!

Where: Ransome’s Chesapeake Retreats, Fishing Creek, Maryland
(only 2 hours, 30 minutes from the Philadelphia/South Jersey area) www.chesapeakeretreats.com

Your investment: $495 if you register by April 1st, 2008 ($595 after April 1st)
Includes: Group programs facilitated by 2 certified Life Coaches and Retreat Leaders (Patt and Karin) and all materials,workbooks, accommodations, and outdoor activities.
Payment can be made by check or credit card
How to register: Call or email Patt to register
Phone: 609-953-0027 / Email: patt.adventurecoach@verizon.net

Visit my website to learn more about the agenda. www.SteppingOutCoaching.com.

The Small Print

To schedule a complimentary 30 minute coaching phone session, email me at Karin@SteppingOutCoaching.com or call 610-667-5247

Visit my website for more coaching info www.SteppingOutCoaching.com

A Note About My Recommendations
I provide links in this newsletter to products and services I am offering or I have personally found valuable. If you are ever disappointed with one of these recommendations, please let them and me know. If they don't make it right, I will.

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