TIPS For LETTING Go Of TOXIC People IN Your LIFE..!

“Sometimes the ONLY way to move forward is to revisit the things from your past that are still holding you back. You have to deal with them head on.  No matter how scary they may be.  Because when you do, that's when you will realize you can go further than you ever imagined.”
~~Barry Allen AKA The Flash   (THE FLASH)

~~  Jordan Belfort  (THE WOLF OF WALL STREET)

____________________________________________________________________________

For those of us on a path of SELF realization, who awake each morning and with great courage and strength, step forth into the daily process of committing to our life's PURPOSE, the villainous forces of unconsciousness we must confront can often be quite overwhelming.  And without some much needed self preservation techniques, the amalgam of such dastardly destructive energy can cloud our TRUTH, and steer us completely off course of our set GPS. (Grand Purpose from Spirit)

The number of recent conversations I have engaged with coaching peers and clients whose lives are being unnecessarily complicated and painfully damaged with TOXIC energy from a cacophony of individuals is off the charts. And by TOXIC, I am referring to those Souls who vibrate at various caustic levels of jealousy, shame, judgement, and are in turn controlling, manipulative and disrespectful. It is by far the biggest area for change and ‘renewed opportunity’ I am currently experiencing for those of us attempting to be greater Connoisseurs of Consciousness. 

And I have not been immune to this infectious epidemic that if left unchecked, often leads to depleted connection to your authentic self. And can corrode the remembrance of the infinite Spiritual Source that is your true essence.  In fact, some familial fractures that occurred during my father's prolonged illness have resurfaced recently, and I will humbly admit, such external resentment, jealousy, and judgement has wrecked some Heavenly Havoc on this New Age Nerd's Confidence of Consciousness.  Isn't it absolutely AMAZING how much work it takes to climb a few steps up the ladder of spiritual awareness, and how quickly we can fall back down through the triggers of toxicity.

While I was studying Spiritual Psychology at the University of Santa Monica, our professors were fervent in their declaration that at a CORE spiritual level ‘nobody can DO anything to you.’ (They were referencing your emotional disposition)  If you become triggered by the way someone engages you, they are actually showing you an area in your own heart that still needs to be tended to; an area where LOVE, care, and compassion can be applied to assist in healing a prior wound.  The fact that you were painful triggered is proof positive that there is still work to do around that ‘issue.’  And to a certain extent, I think there is a great deal of value in REFRAMING certain painful engagements using this paradigm.  I am not saying we should budget money from our weekly paychecks for tidy ‘THANK YOU’ cards for these individuals and our engagements with them, but I have learned to be hyper vigilant when being emotionally triggered as a guidepost for my self actualization 'TO DO' list!

However, since us New Age Nerds practice GROUNDED SPIRITUALITY, one of our tenets is not to vibrate in states that are ABSOLUTE.  And so why I accept the understanding that others TOXICITY can often assist us in uncovering areas of growth that still need attention, I also believe there are times when we must constructively engage this destructive energy and the individuals in our lives who deliver it. Especially for those of us who are teachers, healers, coaches, and artists. Our greatest strength and gifts come imbued within our extreme sensitivity and we must be especially vigilant in our own well being and self preservation.  

So here are some TIPS for how to handle the TOXIC people in our lives, so that we can continue on our  Superhero's Journey with more peace and grace:

1.  SET HEALTHY BOUNDARIES
Believe it or not, we actually teach people how we want to be treated with each and every interaction with them.  In fairness to them, until we compassionately communicate how their ‘antics’ affect our emotionally well being, they may have NO idea.  So the very FIRST time that someone behaves in a manner that makes you shrink, feel less than, or is hurtful in some way, it is so important to tell them how you feel.  I know, I know!  Easier said than done.  I get it!  But what is the more productive manner.  To have that potentially sticky and awkward conversation, or to say nothing and have to deal with these hurtful behaviors over and over again.  

2.  TAKE INVENTORY OF WHO THE TOXIC PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE ARE
We often allow certain toxic relationships in our life to continue because we have become conditioned that the dynamic of co-creation with them is commonplace. The negative space created becomes our ‘NORM.’ This is why it is Gi-normously important to take stock of how we FEEL after spending time with the people in our life. And I am NOT referring to ONE OFFS. Life is messy and complex and we all have certain times where, well, shit just happens. Having a couple of  experiences with someone where we feel emotionally drained or challenged afterwards is natural and organic part of human interaction. But, if you discern that most of the time, having a co-creation with someone results in you feeling unheard, less than, manipulated, or just plain tired, it may be time to do something about it.

3.  IT'S OK TO LOVE SOME PEOPLE FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROOM
After taking inventory of the people in our life, we are often left with a SELF empowering decision.  Are there some people who you have compassionately and with great understanding decided should not continue to be in your life. NOT because we are placing judgement of ANY kind upon them. But rather because the cumulative affect they are having on our emotional well being is just too TOXIC. Perhaps they don't hold you in the same reverential light that you hold yourself.  Or they are trying to keep you playing small, so they don't feel as bad about not playing large themselves.  

What would it look like to start loving them ‘from the other side of the room?’  Did you notice I said LOVE them from the other side of the room?!?  That's the secret sauce in this action of self LOVE.

You are not banishing them to the Phantom Zone. And you are still holding them in a complete space of reverence and care. You have just decided that having their direct energy in your life is not serving you anymore. Hopefully, this KNOWINGNESS will help remove any sense of guilt you may have by your decision.  

Loss can be a scary not to mention lonely place to be.  There will be a time when you have left your place among the crows to fly with the eagles.  And during that flight, there will be times in which you can see nothing but the clouds. Please DO NOT give up faith during this critical time. Lean on whatever support system you may have.  It can become quite natural to want to turn back and go back to what is familiar. DO NOT DO THAT! The Universe abhors a vacuum and it is part of its natural law to eventually flood your existence to FILL IN the space that you created by letting go of the unhealthy people in your life......

BE SUPER HEROIC!
LOVE-SERVE-INSPIRE

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

MODERN MYTH MESSAGES : X-MEN DAYS OF FUTURE PAST..!

 

Professor Charles Xavier is exasperated over failing to work his central system called Cerebro again after so many years. He has slowly fallen into a deep depression and has given up all HOPE in both himSELF and all of humanity. His team of fellow X-Men are trying to assist him in one last ditch effort to get the professor to Believe again!

Hank McCoy: I'll go check the generator.

Logan(Wolverine): It's not the machinery, is it!

Charles: I can't do this!

Logan: Yes, you can!

Charles: No, I can't!

Logan: You're just a little rusty.

Charles: You don't understand, it's not a question of being "rusty!" I can flip the switches, I can turn the knobs, but my power doesn't come from here [points to his head], it comes from...here [points to his heart]. And it's broken. I feel like one of my students. Helpless. It was a mistake coming down here , it was a mistake freeing Eric, this whole thing has been one bloody mistake! I'm sorry, Logan, but they sent back the wrong man! [Xavier starts to leave]

Logan: You're right! [Xavier stops, surprised to hear him admit this] Actually, it was supposed to be you. But I was the only one who could physically make the trip. And, uh, I don't even know how long I've got here. But I do know that a long time ago-well, actually, a long time from now-I was your most helpless student. And you unlocked my mind. You showed me what I was, you showed me what I could be. I don't know how to do that for you, you're right, I don't! But I think I know someone who might. Look...into my mind.

Charles: You saw what I just did to Cerebro! You don't want me inside your head!

Logan: [amused] There's no damage you can do that hasn't already been done, trust me!

Charles: :[reads Logan's mind and see his torture at the hands of Weapon X, his fragmented memories, the death of Jean Grey, and his hard life.] You poor, poor man.

Logan: Look past me.

Charles: No, I don't want your suffering, I don't want your future!

Logan: Look past my future! Look for your future. That's it. That's it.

[Charles reads Wolverine's mind and appears in the future, where Professor X awaits him.]

Professor X: Charles.

Charles: Charles. [looks around to see the dire situation that both mutants and humanity face with the Sentinels in 2023.] Is this what becomes of us? Erik was right. Humanity does this to us.

Professor X: Not if we show them a better path.

Charles: You still believe?

Professor X: Just because someone stumbles and loses their way, it doesn't mean they're lost forever. Sometimes, we all need a little help.

Charles: I'm not the man I was. I open my mind up and it almost overwhelms me.

Professor X: You're afraid. I remember. And Cerebro knows it.

Charles: All those voices…so much…pain.

Professor X: It's not their pain you're afraid of. It's yours, Charles. And as frightening as it may be, that pain will make you stronger. If you allow yourself to feel it, embrace it, it will make you more powerful than you ever imagined. It's the greatest gift we have: to bear their pain without breaking. And it comes from the most human part of us: hope. [shows Charles his school for Mutants, his own compassion, what he fights for which helps ease his past self's mind.] Please, Charles, we need you to hope again. 

HOPE! The Universal salve that when applied to our self doubt causes a magical remedy of inexhaustable perseverance that can move any mountain.  Hope builds our dreams, and carries us through the pain of our greatest nightmares. It allows us to see with TRUE PERCEPTION what others say cannot be accomplished! It is the very backbone of our inner will and intestinal fortitude to keep going against any odds stacked against us. 

Hope gives us the capacity to see that things happen FOR us and NOT TO US! And so we learn to fight on for another day. This time with more wisdom and hard fought knowledge. There is very little of significant nature that would have been created in this Earthly realm were it not for the steadfast application of "Heaven Sent Hope."

That's why SUPERHEROES, the ones you and I came here to be are so vital to our planet's continued vitality. At their very core, they offer us a valiant HOPE!  For when we are confronted with the most challenging of obstacles and challenges, the HOPE we carry in ourSELVES and all others will always prevail! Heck, the "S" on Superman's chest even stands for HOPE! 

In fact, I truly believe there are only two things stronger than FEAR; LOVE and HOPE! Sans none!

For when stared down directly in its eyes, FEAR becomes an unconscious coward. It is the "Devil's Mistress." And stays only when the party is to her liking. Chaos cocktails are her libations of devilish delight. And once they are in short supply, she leaves without even saying goodbye. Like an entitled, egotistical diva.

Yet HOPE never strays from our side. EVER! It will seek us out in the darkest of our nights. And pull us back into the light of our eternal essence. It will shield us from our own certain demise by re-minding us Who We Really Are! Especially when funds are running low, and bills are piled so very high. It injects into our imaginations the possibilities of all that can and will BE! If we just remain HOPEFUL!

The great Victor Frankel, while enduring the horrors of life in a Nazi concentration camp, discovered firsthand the extraordinary power of HOPE! He captured its empowering nature in his time tested tomb "Man's Search for Meaning." In one passage he writes, "The prisoner who had lost his faith in the future — his future — was doomed. With his loss of belief in the future, he also lost his spiritual hold; he let himself decline and became subject to mental and physical decay. Usually this happened quite suddenly, in the form of a crisis, the symptoms of which were familiar to the experienced camp inmate. We all feared this moment — not for ourselves, which would have been pointless, but for our friends. Usually it began with the prisoners refusing one morning to get dressed and wash or to go out on the parade grounds. No entreaties, no blows, no threats had any effect. He just lay there, hardly moving. If this crisis was brought about by an illness, he refused to be taken to the sickbay or to do anything to help himself. He simply gave up." As soon as all HOPE in the camps had been internally relinquished, so to was the will to carry on. 

But when even a just a spark of HOPE is kept burning within us, all things are possible! For she who carries the shards of HOPE within her being, shall sip from the chalice of Christ Consciousness. And his worries shall vanquish to the seas of serenity for all times. And your dreams shall carry the cherished vitality of valor! The welcomed appreciation of service done unto others, for you carried the belief in your own "God Given Powers!" Through the darkest of nights your torch burned brightly for all the world to see. An inspiration that now gives others the permission to do the very same on their Superhero's Journey! And create a world worthy of Heaven on this Earth!

BE SUPER HEROIC!

LOVE-SERVE-INSPIRE

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

ALWAYS Put YOURSELF FIRST.. It's ACTUALLY A Virtue..!

 

Back in the Fall of 2002, I was still settling into my new home in Los Angeles, CA.  While my physical body was firmly planted on the Left Coast, my heart was somewhere else.  And it had been for the previous 12 years.  The owner of what I believe to be a prized possession happened to be my best friend since college.  Living in a co-ed dormitory, her room was directly across the hall from mine.  And to say we become 'fast friends' would be doing injustice to the term!  She was a highly decorated athlete, absolutely gorgeous, and goofy as all get out.(just like me) She became my everyday partner in crimes of both the heartfelt and hilarious kinds!  

It didn't take much time for my feelings to heighten beyond being 'best buds.' But rather than giving me the key to her heart, I was bestowed with a permanent pass to the dreaded Friend Zone!  OUCH!!  And that is where I stayed for the next decade.  Sure, I dated other young ladies, but as Woody Allen said, "The heart wants what it wants."  And mine was no different.  So there I patiently stood, on the 'Sidelines of Smittenness'  for what seemed like an eternity.  On a quick side note, I have since deemed such amorous devotion 'BRAVEHEART LOVE," from the movie of the same name.   In which Mel Gibson's character receives the affectionate gesture of a single, handpicked flower from a young girl at his father's burial.  Twenty years later, he returns from his Hero's Journey and seeks out the attention of this dainty darling.  On their first date, he pulls out the exact same pristine flower, pressed caringly upon a hand made cloth.  And in a returned gesture of his alluring affection, gives the flower so gently wrapped and cared for, back to its original owner.  And THAT, my fellow New Age Nerds is what Braveheart Love is ALL about!  Back to original programming.............   ;0)

After college, we remained like 'peas and carrots' in similar Forrest Gump fashion! Over the next few years,  I reluctantly shepered her through a few relationships and we made sure to see each other on several occasions.  But deep down, I knew that my heart was not benefitting from its captive state,  by someone who didn't feel the same pangs for me.  Yet, my predicament was made even tougher by the fact she was still my very best friend.  And to give up that type of connection in any form is brutal!  And so I dug in with all my might.  Maybe, just maybe, her feelings would change, I often thought.  So I took advantage of every opportunity to meet, in the hopes that cupid's arrow would FINALLY make its mark!  

So in the fall of 2002, the San Francisco Giants were playing in the World Series.  Our birthdays are exactly 10 days apart in October, during which time baseball's top two teams battle it out for the world championship.   Being huge baseball fans, we decided to take advantage of this synchronicity and meet up in San Fran for a weekend of fun-tastic (yeah, it's a word  lol) thrills by attending the World Series!  

The week leading to the trip up north, my heart raced with anticipation.  Could this be it?!  The moment where we would connect on another level?!  It just seemed like a fairy tail setting and potential true story that could be told for years to come!  

I decided on driving the six hours to the 'City by the Bay' and pick her up at the airport.  As she stepped through the gates, my heart began to pound!  She looked better than ever!  Divine timing, I thought.  This is going to be perfecto!!  Yet, as we drove to the hotel to check in, she began talking about the guy she had just been dating.  A Hall of Fame football player no less!  No, I am NOT kidding.  REALLY?!?  How in the hell do I compete with THAT!! 

My stomach started to become upset and all my excitement quickly turned to dread.  "Get it together, Jeff." I thought.  But my mind kept racing with images of her and her beau.  It was getting more challenging to stay present by the minute.  And we were just at the start of a three day weekend together.  This isn't the way it was supposed to go!  At least not the way I had played it in my head a thousand times over!  I decided the only way to survive the weekend was to go into full on self protection mode.  

We cleaned up at the hotel and then went out to dinner.  I became emotionally distant, trying my damn best to keep my emotions in check.  But as the night progressed, I became ever more challenged with the notion of being in the presence of someone I was in love with, but who saw me through a much different lens.  Beyond painful!  Utterly gut wrenching!!  And it was when we were making our way back to the hotel for the night, when I made a decision.  I was going to leave the next morning and head back to LA!  

Once at the hotel, we rented a pay per view movie before turning off the lights for the evening.  Needless to say, I didn't sleep a wink!  How could I?!?  In just a few hours, I was going to leave my best friend in the city by herself, on her Birthday weekend!   With tickets to the World Series to boot!  I shuttered to think about telling her of my plans the next morning.  My mind went into full on 'Cray Cray' mode!  Playing out every conceivable manner in which this thing was about to go down!

It was then I remembered one of my favorite passages from the book 'Conversations With God.'  The quote basically stated to ALWAYS do what is in YOUR best interest.  Having FAITH that in doing so, it will also BE the best decision for everyone else involved!  Basically, by serving your SELF, you will also BE in service of those around you.  I ruminated on that passage until dawn.  At which point I gently woke my friend up and told her the truth!  I pulled no punches.  As you can imagine, it was not received well.   To be fair to her, that is quite a jolt to be bombarded with on what was supposed to be the start of a Birthday filled jamboree.  Still, I knew deep down in my heart and soul that it was the right thing to do.  This 'situation' had been taking a horrible toll on me for years, and it was time to cut the ties.  At least for a while.

My friend went to her car as I left to pay the bill for the rest of her hotel stay.  She brought back a bevy of birthday gifts and planted them tersely in my arms.  I began to cry as I watched her walk away.  "What had I just done?!"  "Who does that to a friend," I thought!  It took just about everything in my emotional tank to make it back to my SUV.  Before I started the car's engine, I closed my eyes and said a prayer.  I prayed to God that I was putting my full FAITH into that passage from 'Conversations With God.'  I was honoring my SELF, and in doing so, it would serve my best friend as much as it did me!  Amen!

This was just before cell phones had really come into fashion, so it was just me and my thoughts on the long, six hour drive back down to LA.  I tried to concentrate on being proud of myself.  For having the strength to actually care for my own emotional well being!  After the abandonment of my father as a young child, I had developed a pattern of 'if they need, me they won't leave me.'  As well as putting others needs in front of my own.  Ask me how well that was working for me?!?  Yeah!  NOT SO MUCH!  LOL

After pulling back into my LA carport, my thoughts moved to what might be on the home answering machine?!  I shuttered to think of the possible vitriol she might have left there! And as I entered my apartment, I saw the answering machine light blinking in a rapid fire procession.  Oh, boy!  Here we go!  I pushed the button and started to listen to the several messages on the recorders tape.  And while the first few were anger filled rants (again, completely understandable given my actions), the last one was........   a MIRACLE!

After me leaving, my friend found out there was an event dealer ticket exchange right across the street from the hotel.  So she decided to sell my tickets.  While waiting in line, she was approached by a great looking young man who had spotted her just as he entered the building.  My friend was a sports anchor in her city and he instantly recognized her from watching the local news sports casts!  They both lived in the same town!  She began to tell him the story of what had just occurred, and he was the perfect cure-all!  He happened to have tickets to the World Series as well, and told her to sell all the tickets in her possession.  He had extra tickets to the game and wanted her to be his guest, RIGHT BEHIND HOME PLATE!!  She ended up making a tidy sum selling back her tickets, and had found the perfect 'Heartbreak Hero'  to spend her Birthday weekend with!   I KID YOU NOT!! 

I later found out she had the time of her life that weekend with her new found friend!  And she actually sat next to THE Billy Chrystal during the game!  Truth, my dear amigos, is truly more far out than fiction, wouldn't ya say?!?!   

I know that weekend still holds a myriad of magical filled moments for my friend, and continues to remind me the importance of SELF LOVE and COMPASSION!  As for our relationship nearly 20 years later; I can say we are good, supportive friends.  She is in a very loving relationship and has built a small empire of a Soul Centered business that reaches millions of children around the world!!  Although we do not see each other much, our friendship will be eternally connected through our loving admiration for one another...................    


SUPERHEROES IN TRAINING TAKEAWAY

The moral of my story is fairly straightforward, but intrinsically powerful when put into action.  We are often told that putting ourselves first is selfish.  And while I do not believe in absolutes, this notion of self love being Egotistical does much more harm than good!
The greatest relationship you will EVER have is the one with yourself!  Many of us who come from trauma based childhoods, where LOVE was in short supply, if available at all, tend to be the hardest on ourselves.  The story called, 'Not Good Enough' is on permanent replay in our heads!  So we struggle in search of a balm to heal the hole within our hearts.  The LOVE to make us feel whole and wanted.  Usually at the cost of our emotional, physical, and spiritual demise!  

Please re-member that you can only have with another what you first have with yourself.  ALWAYS!!  If you ever feel you must prove your worth to someone else, it may be time to rethink the relationship.  For YOU ARE PRICELESS!  

Developing the SUPER HEROIC HABIT of putting your needs first, not only serves your Highest Good, but also the Highest Good of everyone else in your life!  As my story hopefully proves..
And how can it not?! For we are ALL ONE!  What you do for yourself, you do for another.  And vice versa.  

The key is to always make sure that your decisions are rooted in pure intention!  With the good of  your Super Heroic Higher Self in mind!  Actions based in pure Ego, such as greed and elitism, serve nobody but yourself!  But when you make a decision that is bathed from the Spirit, it will always SERVE US ALL!!


Be Super Heroic!
LOVE-SERVE-INSPIRE

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

HAVE You HIT ROCK BOTTOM? ... FANTASTIC .. Here's WHY..!

 

I have a voracious appetite for biographies.  It started around my late 20's when I had gone through the first, of what eventually became many "Rock Bottom" periods of this experience called life. Not that misery loves company in my book, but from an INSPIRATIONAL standpoint, I love to learn how far down the rabbit hole someone had to fall before they picked themselves off the mat and rebuilt their life.  It gives me hope and a fervent vigor that if they can do it, so can I, damn it! And so what have I ascertained from the comeback stories of so many iconoclasts and spirits of great reverence?  I have learned that HITTING ROCK BOTTOM IS THE GREATEST THING THAT WILL EVER HAPPEN TO YOU!  So if that is where you currently find yourself to be, BRAVO!  And if anyone happens to inquire about your current set of circumstances, may I suggest you simply smile and say, "Right now I just happen to be in between life successes!"  You are EXACTLY where you are meant to be! Now I am the first to say that being in this temporary situation is by NO MEANS easy!  In fact, it can be quite harrowing and even down right brutal at times.  But as the creator of the billion dollar Harry Potter franchise has repeatedly stated, “I built my entire life from the foundation of being at rock bottom.”  And utter LOVE

For those who don't know her story, she was a single mom, completely out of money and close to losing her home. One day, sitting in a cafe and in a state of utter desperation, she wrote down the basic outline for Harry Potter on a napkin. Even though she had never written a novel in her entire life. (and she was in her late 30's)  As we all now know, she has become one of the richest people in the world!  And her story is FAR from unique.  There are countless stories of individuals who have hit rock bottom only to scale the heights of abundance through blood, sweat, perseverance and plain old determination.    

Before fingers start being pointed in my direction, regular readers of The New Age Nerd know a great deal about the times I have hit my own version of Rock Bottom.  And I must admit, when you are in the middle of the storm, it can feel downright awful. As if life's oceans are bombarding you with spiritual shards of painful pieces of a life that now seems shattered beyond repair. And your FAITH seems to be no where in sight. For rather than dipping our toe into the illusionary pond of illusion, we JUMP RIGHT IN, sans any bathing/BIRTHING suit.  For when life brings us to our knees in this fashion, it usually means that we area about to birth a MIRACLE! And the birthing process is an arduous one. As any mother of such daunting deeds will fully attest to. ;0)

But as part of the process, you go through a period that I like to call a BREAK OPEN.  Others call it a BREAK DOWN, but I prefer to transcend that limiting energetic offering by deeming it a BREAK OPEN.  Because I have come to the realization that your own heart uses this period to completely shatter itself into something that can later be rebuilt!  Into a perfect painting worthy of any artist's awe and inspiration!  And when this transformation occurs, the ONLY thing that pours out is complete LOVE!  It is very much like the process that a caterpillar goes through during its transformation into a butterfly; for once that miraculous process occurs, THERE IS NO GOING BACK! And the collective whole of each precious SOUL sharing expanded loving energy  will eventually reconnect with the Grand Creator herSELF!  All to assist in the grand expansion that this Universe is currently desiring! How frickin' cool is that!  We are all Superheroes collecting shards of expansive love in a "Billion" different forms. All so that this Universe and the Grand Creator who gave it birth, can experience the passion, joy, kindness, peace, wisdom, and blasts of bliss filled LOVE that will forevermore expand the energetic FORCE of creation to newly filled heavenly heights of pure KNOWINGNESS! NO PRESSURE MY TEAM OF SUPERHEROES!

It is usually during this time that we begin the process of understanding our purpose.  Because as I have repeatedly stated in this blog, we all have the exact same purpose.  Which is to flood this world with a 'Billion Buckets of Love," all through being of service toward ourSELVES and all of mankind!  And so once our heart breaks open, the Love that gushes out can be channeled toward the manner in which you choose to share it! It's all part of the Superhero's Journey......

However, this period of our collective Journey will at times be filled with gut wrenching pain and Soul Crushing loneliness! And we will feel periods of angst imbued with the loss of everything that has come to define the existence of anything we once believed defined our individual reason for BEING.  And during this Earthly period of transformation, we let go of those things that no longer serve us.  This can be in the form of friends, relatives, jobs, and lovers.  Not to mention old belief patterns and paradigms that formed the old foundational systems of our life "pre-Break Open!"  And that is NOT AN EASY PROCESS!  It's also why so few SPIRITS hear the call of their own Soul and pick up the phone to answer the voice on the other side. That soothing voice that will guide your individualized Spirit back toward its earthly mission!  

In my experience, and those of SO many I have coached, heard and read about, the gifts that come from the courage to hit Rock Bottom and never give up are almost too many to list.  Here is the short one:  compassion, wisdom, empathy, patience, strength, perseverance, and remembrance of their earthly MISSION!  Pretty groovy stuff if you ask me.  :0)

Even the Bible has its allegory for the magic of being broken!  Jesus the Christ (The Christ Consciousness was HIS and OUR Superpower) would often BREAK bread. And that is when the bread would multiply to feed thousands!  I believe this is because it was HIS way of showing us that we must first be broken wide open before our own miracles can be birthed into the earthly experience.  For after every single time he conjured a - so called Miracle - he finished HIS Earthly deed with the following magical mantra. "One day, this, and SO MUCH MORE, one day, you too shall do!"  Please think about that for just a moment!

As we grace this experience of having our own 'Break Open,' it is absolutely crucial to have a good support system in place.  For there are times in which you are going to want to give up and throw in the preverbal towel.  This is when it is so important to have a group of Fellow Spirits who will step into the darkness and pull you back into the light after the pain you feel has finished teaching you the lessons it came to bring!  If you are struggling to find a fellow friend to assist you......please write my own name down!  My Super Heroic beacon call for all fellow Spiritual Gangsters is jeffmartinez@me.com. Just sayin....I answer EVERY single email I receive......   ;0)

One Gi-normous reason for that is because I have come to learn that there really is no such thing as a Breakdown......Instead, I have come to realize that there are only Break Opens! And they occur when our lives hit absolute ROCK BOTTOM!  Which I have hit on more than one occasion. ;0) But, once again, hitting ROCK BOTTOM is one of the greatest opportunities for a grand Spiritual Awakening that we can experience in this dense realm called life on Earth!   

As they say the TRUTH (proof lol) is in the pudding and I have personally witnessed the power of SPIRIT that floods into our existence when we suffer what I now deem a Break Open!  When we hit a period of absolute ROCK BOTTOM, which if truth be told, more of us experience than we are willing to admit!

And if this is the direction in which our life has taken us through a myriad of possible outcomes and experiences, oh too many of us surrender to our Ego and look for a way out of our PAIN!  Yet, if we just have the COURAGE to SURRENDER to our authentic self in the form of our Divine connection to source energy, we can begin to rebuild our lives with PURPOSE, and begin the process of finding our true CALLING!!  For while I DO NOT believe in ABSOLUTES, through over 20 years of personal self actualization acumen, and over 10 years of working with coaching clients, we often hit a time period of ROCK BOTTOM that coincides with our unique Break Open!

To quote Gabrielle Bernstein from her transformative memoir SPIRIT JUNKIE, "Hitting bottom and surrendering was the best thing that ever happened to me.  It cracked me open and led me to hear the voice of my ~ing again.  The willingness to hear this voice was all I needed to receive the guidance .  The Course(in Miracles) teaches that with the slightest willingness you will receive guidance from you inner guide.  Our relationship with our~ing is like having a mentor or teacher.  The ~ing's sole purpose is to guide us back to love." 

And THAT my fellow NEW AGE NERDS is what this post is really ALL ABOUT! LOVE!

For when you truly are in a vibration of ACCEPTANCE when life's torrential down pours have brought you down to your nightly knees, it is actually the greatest opportunity for you to have the Courage and Faith to Break Open!  And TRUST me when I tell you I speak from personal experience!  The process of surrendering to Spirit and allowing yourself to completely Break Open is perhaps the most transcendent experience that the Universe provides us in this dense realm! For when we lean into this experience with all our heart and soul, the only thing that pours out of us is the willingness to love ourselves and others!  I'm not saying it's a painless experience, but nothing worth while ever is on this side of SOURCE! Life is NOT meant to be easy. But rather meaningful and imbued with LOVE filled purpose...............

And through this process of Breaking Open, we find that the other side is full of what I call Blissful Boosts!   Now it doesn't happen overnight, but trust me when I say that IT DOES INDEED OCCUR!  For as soon as you make that shift from Fear (EGO) to LOVE, MIRACLES begin to flood into our daily existence. And life begins to take on a feeling of MAGICAL PROPORTIONS!  People who are in a similar vibrational energetic pattern begin to seemingly appear out of thin air!  New business opportunities show up as we take daily action steps toward what we desire. Our health begins to burgeon with healing hands.  And this experience we call LIFE no longer feels like a daily slog!

Rather, it becomes a daily opportunity to experience pure BLISS!  And after all, isn't that what we are all seeking...?


BE SUPER HEROIC~
LOVE  SERVE  INSPIRE

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

START ASKING TODAY... What Are YOU DYING To BE...!

 

In 2002, Anita Moorjani, born of Hindu descent was diagnosed with cancer.  For the following 4 years, her body valiantly fought this insidious dis-ease that was slowly shutting down her bodily organs one by one.  Until February 2, 2006, the day “I died.” Although in a coma, I was acutely aware of everything that was happening around me, including the sense of of urgency and emotional frenzy of my family as they rushed me to the hospital.  When we arrived, the moment the oncologist saw me, her face filled with shock.  “Your wife's heart may still be beating,” she told my husband Danny, “but she's not really in there.  It's too late to save her.”

By Anita's account in her transcendent personal memoir ‘Dying To Be Me’, although she was in a complete coma, she was able to hear and see everything that was happening around her body.  She was having an NDE. (Near Death Experience)  But unlike many of the other narratives I have consumed on this phenomenon, this one was less grandiose and usurped any sense of the traditional tropes usually found in such accountings. There are no ‘white lights’ or personal meetings with Messianic energies.  In place of these experiences, Moorjani's retelling of her NDE is filled with Re-membrance and HOPE.  And an incredibly powerful message for those of us still finding our way on this remarkable Journey called life!

“Know I have said it before, but it bears repeating: I now live my life from JOY instead of FEAR.  This is the one simple difference between who I was before my NDE and who I am today.    Before, without even realizing it, everything I did was to avoid pain or to please other people.  I was caught up in doing, pursuing,searching, and achieving; and I was the last person I ever took into consideration.  My life was driven by FEAR- of displeasing others, of failing, of being selfish, and of not being good enough.  In my own head, I always fell short,” recalls Moorjani.  

I don't know about you, but I can relate in many ways to her recollection of her life before her NDE.  And I have MORE than a intuitive feeling that many of you reading this even share many of her exact thoughts and feelings right NOW....  And as I have stated oh so often in many of my previous posts, EVERYTHING that happens in our experience is for our greater good.  And I do mean EVERYTHING!!  No Thing is ever wasted in this Universe.  Because everything is made up of pure and perfect energy and we are all a part of this ONENESS.  As Albert Einstein said, “The only thing you have to decide is whether we live in a compassionate Universe.”  The rest is just pure folly!! As Anita found out during her near death journey!

“My heightened awareness in that expanded realm was indescribable, despite my best efforts to explain it.  The clarity was amazing.  The Universe makes sense!  I realized.  I finally understand-I know why I have cancer!  I was too caught up in in the wonder of that moment to dwell on the cause, although I would soon examine it more closely.  I also seemed to comprehend why I'd come into this life in the first place-  I knew my true purpose.  Why do I suddenly understand all this,?  I wanted to know.  Who is giving me this information? is it God? Krishna? Buddha? Jesus? And then I was overwhelmed by the realization that God isn't a BEING, but a state of being....  and I was now that state of being!  Every single encounter was woven together to create the fabric that was the sum of my life up to this point.   I may only have been one thread, yet I was an integral part to the overall finished picture.”

And GUESS WHAT, so are each and every one of you.!! You are all a perfectly crafted concoction that encompasses all the beauty in the Universe.  And you DESERVE to be loved, cherished and adored beyond any measure previously fathomable simply because you exist.  Because we are all connected at every level, your every action has an effect on both YOU as well as the collective whole.  And it is this very Re-membrance that Anita Moorjani brought back with her to share with the world during her Heroine's Journey during her NDE!

“I became aware that we are all connected.  This was not only every person and living creature, but the interwoven unification felt as though it were expanding outward to include everything in the universe.  I realized that the entire universe is alive and infused with consciousness, encompassing all life and nature.  We're all facets of that UNITY-we're all ONE......” writes Moorjani.  

“I also understood that the cancer was not some punishment for anything I had done wrong, nor was I experiencing negative karma as a result of any of my actions, as I'd previously believed.  It was as though every moment held infinite possibilities, and where I was at this point in time was a culmination of every decision, every choice, and every thought of my entire life.  My many fears and great power had manifested as this disease.”

Moorjani's book is so full of such subtle insight and beautiful prose that I won't spoil any more of her Journey for those of you who may be interested in buying a copy for yourself.  I think you will be incredibly glad if you choose to do so!!  

So I ask you- are you living life or slowly ‘Dying to BE.’ Because there is simply no reason to do that.  We must simply BE STILL and search our thoughts and feelings for the answers to our greatest dilemmas and for the reason we came.  Please stop wasting the time of your BEINGNESS.  It is the most precious gift we have and musn't be wasted or it will be worn into the shards of time.

As Moorjani espouses, “I believe that the greatest truths of the Universe don't lie outside, in the study of the stars and the planets.  They lie deep within us, in the magnificence of our heart, mind, and soul.  Until we understand what is within, we can't understand what is without.” 




BE SUPER HEROIC!
LOVE-SERVE-INSPIRE

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

PROOF THAT Life Is Not A TEST...!

 

One late night back in 1997,  when I was in the hospital for the third straight month with major complications from a colostomy surgery due to Crohn's dis-ease, a priest walked by my darkened room.  I turned my head and my sullen eyes connected with his softened glaze. He had been making rounds into my room for weeks, during which time we had built up a mutual bond of confidence and serenity.  He asked me if it was ok to enter my room.  I softly shook my head yes and he slowly walked toward me. He brought out his bible and laid it out on the tustled sheets of my bed.  He asked me if it was ok for us to have a serious talk.  In too much pain to worry about what he may say, I said, “Of course, Father.”

He sat pensive for a moment, as though he was asking Spirit for the words to share with me.  He then grabbed my right hand and lightly squeezed it.  What he said next still informs my Purposeful Calling and paradigm for many of life's challenges to this day.  Leaning in close, he softly uttered, “Jeff, I don't know why certain people are meant to suffer.  And I have seen you suffer more than most.  What I can tell you, is that God is testing you my son.”  

While I certainly appreciated his attempt to offer me his LOVE, support, and kindness, his words just DID NOT ring true for me.  After he read some passages from the bible and blessed me, Father left to visit other patients.  And I spent the next few hours, prior to the sun's rising, pondering on the words he had whispered.  I knew that if I had a child, there is NO conceivable way I would put them through the many years of torturous suffering I had endured as a way of “testing” them. In fact, it almost made me angry.  

The next few days were incredibly daunting.  My mind kept pondering that night's engagement with Father.  I knew that his intention was absolutely ensconced with pure LOVE, but facing the endurance test of a several year battle for your own life causes one to go deeper.  There is NO meaning left in simply “punching in and punching out” with life's daily time card.  

About a week later, after my mid afternoon meal (though an IV bag of course.. Yummy!!LOL), a young boy about 8 years old passed by my room.  His parents close in tow.  They peered in, and the young lad asked me if I would like to challenge him to a race.  He was fraught, skinnier than a fritter on a frying pan, pale as Casper the ghost, and completely bald.  Although hooked up to an IV machine, he carried it with such grace, as if it were Harry Potter's magical staff.  

I felt like HELL and was in an enormous amount of pain. However, the courage and strength that this young SUPERHERO radiated, imbued me instantly with the gumption to hop out of bed and walk toward him.  His parents profusely apologized for their son having disturbed me. I assured them it was no bother what so ever.  I slowly bent down and asked him his name.  “Peter,” he said.  “And I know I can beat you in a race down the hallway!”  Never one to back down from a challenge, even from an 8 year old, I excitedly said,  “ You bet!  We are both going to need to get our strength back  for when we get out of the hospital. ”  

At which point, his mother touched me on the shoulder, and slowly shook her head NO as a small tear strolled down her face.  I knew exactly what she meant.  Peter was not going to be going home.  He was obviously dying from cancer.  It took every ounce of conviction I had to keep from breaking down right then and there. I took a few deep breaths of composure and addressed Peter again.

“Ok, Peter, you're on.  Let's race down to the edge of the nurse's check in office.  Whoever gets there first shall forever be known as the Race Champion King of George Washington Hospital!”  Peter's parents began a countdown and then we were off to the races.  I began with a quick burst, and then slowed down to let Peter catch up to me. And eventually let him beat me by a couple of feet.  I have witnessed kids on Christmas morning who were not nearly as thrilled as Peter was in that moment of BLISS.   He began spinning and dancing, and waving his arms in the air.  And then,  Spirit created an opening of KNOWINGNESS that stays imprinted within my Soul to this very day.  

LIFE IS NOT A TEST

God wasn't TESTING me all those months in the hospital.  He was showering my soul with the exact experiences I needed to learn how to be a Wounded Healer!  And the Universe has continued to bring such experiences into my life.  And although they have been beyond brutal at times, I BLESS THEM ALL!!  I wouldn't be half the teacher and coach were it not for every single experience that has been brought upon me!  Thank You Spirit! Perhaps next time our dances can provide less opportunities for stepping one one another's toes.   ;o)

We aren't made to suffer in vein and be utterly challenged because God is trying to TEST us. We are perfect emanations of the Divine Spirit HerSelf!  We have absolutely nothing to prove. And I do not believe that God has one judgmental aspect to his BEING!  All of life is a grand set of Blissful OPPORTUNITIES.  As Napoleon Hill said, "Your biggest opportunity stands exactly where you stand right NOW.”  For instance, perhaps the greatest thrill of my life that far was the OPPORTUNITY of letting little Peter experience the feeling of winning our race that day nearly 25 years ago!   Without our pain, suffering, and challenges, we would not have so many of the opportunities that carry with them the majestical miracles that life has to offer. Nor would our Souls be seared and stamped with the empathy and compassion that eventually assists every single one of us. For we all are indeed SUPERHEROES! And our collective purpose is to be of loving service! Can you fathom a better manner to learn the instrumental qualities to be a spiritual servant to one another?!    
For the most attuned of us on this planet come to see the beauty even in their deepest pain.
As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “ Never lose the opportunity of seeing something beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting.”

LIFE IS NOT A TEST

Please do not misunderstand me! I am not trying to condone or make light of the plethora of tragedy, loss, pain, and suffering we all endure at various points in our lives.  Life can be BRUTAL.  Even soul crushing at times.  We often lose our faith in any form of a higher power.  But rather than looking at them as TESTS, what would it look like for us to transcend our challenges as opportunities for MIRACLES to surround and support us.  And for US to BE THOSE MIRACLES for others. In the form of love, compassion, kindness, generosity of spirit, and understanding.  THAT is why we are here and without these OPPORTUNITIES,  we would not be able to experience the glorious feelings they afford us.  Nor gather the qualities to be a Super Heroic Servant!

LIFE IS NOT A TEST

Everyone will be challenged and endure times of struggle and strife on their unique SUPERHERO's Journey.  But the Universe wastes absolutely NOTHING!  Everything you experience is happening THROUGH YOU and FOR YOU, not TO YOU!!  Big difference!

Thinking things happen TO YOU is a mindset of Victim Consciousness.  And You Are Not a Victim! PERIOD and Mic Drop!!  And re-member that we are built for pain.  In fact, you will never find a better teacher than the Pain Professor.  It would serve you well to let Pain in, rather than resisting it.  Allow it to stay until you have learned what it came to teach.  For those lessons will prove to be the most valuable on your SUPERHERO's Journey!  

LIFE IS NOT A TEST

There is no such thing as FAILURE! (Unless you never try!)  Failure is simply Constructive Feedback from the Universe! It is always instructional in nature.  These are opportunities to grow and learn from.  The Universe does not work on a Pass/Fail basis!    Unlike the game of baseball, you get as many swings as you desire!  The Universe will give you Do Over after Do Over, but NOT to test you.  Please believe that 'Life is Rigged Completely In Your Favor!'  The Universe sent you here for a reason.  And it supports you in your Mission Possible!!  Do Overs are just the Universe's way of allowing you to get the lesson and wisdom you need to complete the next step on your SUPERHERO's Journey!  Ask and it shall be given, for the power and glory are all yours!  You are Never alone on your quest.  In fact, if you knew who walks beside you at all times, you would never feel FEAR induced stagnation ever again.........

LIFE IS NOT A TEST

It's not as if God cast you out of Heaven and then makes you pass a series of TESTS to 'Get Back In.'  We are Divine creations, perfect in every way.  Each of us is priceless.  Never devalue your sense of SELF!  In doing so you are insulting God HerSELF!   

Our collective MISSION has been Divinely Devised.  You each have a unique CALLING.  And it can only be fulfilled BY YOU !! The byproduct of its completion is nothing less than the rapture of a gateway towards Beams of Bliss flowing into our Collective Consciousness.  Expanding and infusing the energetic radiance of LOVE AND LIGHT, Peace and Wisdom, Compassion and Kindness back into the World!  And the stout KNOWINGNESS that as you spread these gifts of Blissful Boosts to others, so will this BLISS be brought back unto you!  For that which you do for others, you do for yourself!  The illusion of Separation will dissolve into nothingness.  Forevermore, You and I, will BE ONE!!

LIFE IS NOT A TEST:  by Steve Simons

God is not measuring you.  God is leading you.

God is not judging you.  God is instructing you.  

God is not condemning you.  God is picking you up.  Dusting you off, and saying, "You'll knock the next ball straight outta the Park of Potentiality!"

God is not testing you.  God is loving you, providing for you, blessing you, and giving you life.

Where you see yourself as a failure, God sees you as a grand opportunity to be a Devine instrument through which to share the gifts that are part of your very essence. 

Where you may see obstacles, God sees potential.

Where you see defeat, God invisions impending victory.

by Steve Simons END


Where you see yourSELF as a victim, God sees you standing victorious. 

You cannot SUFFER without the redemptive power of compassion that it brings in its painful wake. 

Even Jesus the Christ brought his closest followers to the Garden of Gathsemane. So that they could see him suffer in mental anguish before the eyes of his/our FATHER and question his own path. He desired only that his disciples understand that true humility comes from questioning your own heart and soul. He deeply desired his brothers and sisters understand that although they may fall, FAILURE is never an option. One of his last teachings was to FEAR NOT, FOR ALL IS WELL. For "failure is simply feedback." And each time you garner the courage to simply try, shall ye be truly fed by ME! 

So make every swing count........
Ask as though it was already yours....
Dream Big and think even bigger..
Re-member it is already yours even before you asked.....
Know that Miracles are Dreams already dreamt into Being.....
Always wait until your present is fully unwrapped before understanding what it is....

Then close your eyes and take a deep breathe!  And then Let It All Go!  Learn to RELAX!!  Always do your best, because your best will ALWAYS DO!  After all,  LIFE IS NOT A TEST.........

BE SUPER HEROIC!
LOVE-SERVE-INSPIRE

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez