Jessica Stover 0:09 [musical interlude] Jessica Stover 0:09 This recording is an offering of Networks for Training and Development's "Online University". Jessica Stover 0:26 Hello, everyone. Welcome to the January session of our monthly healing circles and networks. My name is Jessica Stover and I will be beside you during our time together today. So 2018 was an interesting year, wasn't it? I do say that with tongue in cheek because at least for me interesting doesn't even really do the past year justice. Jessica Stover 0:54 I think for everyone for the world. It was a year filled with heartache, despair. People seeking acceptance and not receiving it. People running from fear. A society seeing upheaval everywhere, and everyday in the news feeling a continuing sense of despair. And at the same time, urgency to take action for what one would believe to be right and true. Jessica Stover 1:24 But concurrently, it's also been a year of societies coming together, to share joy, heartache, to reclaim oneself, to stand up together and be heard, and truly support each other in our lives. Our sisters, neighbors, brothers, mothers, fathers, and others, dear friends, far reaching acquaintances - struggling together to make sense of the other, other points of view. Jessica Stover 1:56 It's been a year of soul reaching; soul-searching. It's been a year of soul-ripping and soul-healing. It's been a year of beginning to more fully see there is indeed beauty in the mess. And it's also been a year of nurturing, undoing, redoing, rebirthing. Jessica Stover 2:20 So, I know we're already beyond the official date to mark the new year's resolution, if you will. And if any of you may be like me, my past resolutions may have taken a week, or maybe a month, before falling apart. And I'm left staring at the pieces and feeling like I failed. Resolutions have never worked for me. Jessica Stover 2:50 Just very recently, maybe a year ago, I stopped making resolutions. I started slowly - not realizing what I was doing - but trying to approach the year instead with, "Eh, let's see what happens," and have an open heart, and as many say, say more of Hell yes. Instead of No, when faced with something new, daunting, scary or challenging. Jessica Stover 3:19 So this year in 2019, instead of looking at the year as a whole, I'm personally taking things week by week and setting my intention for each week. We have 52 - well, actually 51 hour in that first week - second week - huh - with the overarching message of Hell yes. And let's see what happens. So, what is all of this intention? So, I'm going to share with you some ponderings and thoughts I found, I'm going to read to you, while I was dabbling around on the internet today. And all of this puts it a little bit more eloquently than I ever could. Jessica Stover 4:06 So, "An intention is about applying thoughts towards what you want. Clarifying your intentions and honing in on how you want your life to be, intention allows your mind to focus and support you throughout the next year. Articulating your intentions creates space for manifesting your ideal state of being." [Reading from ICUC NJ, December 28, 2018] Jessica Stover 4:30 Additionally, "intentions are found (and refound) in the present. So just by making one you've already accomplished, what you set out to do - go You - and I think this is lovely - An intention cannot fail because it happens right now. So - With intention, there is no required result - we're simply connecting to our chosen course. So we could just say, I'm just going to practice so I'm just going to say, see what happens. So by saying that we invite curiosity and a sense of experimentation, we may say to ourselves, well, this is interesting. I wonder what's going to happen now. Intention has strength, and it's rooted in reality. But also suppleness, holding to an intention doesn't mean our actions can't change based on what we discover. Intentions come from the inside. (I have my hand over my heart right now). So intentions come from the inside, whereas goals are external. In connecting to an intention, we don't have to look elsewhere for satisfaction. What we desire is already here as a seed within us. We might need some guidance and some training to cultivate that seed. But the relief comes when we realize we don't need to try and be something we're not." [Reading from Ed Halliwel, December 15, 2015] Jessica Stover 5:58 So, I hope this is something you may consider. The resolutions, the goals the "do or die" mentality that we put upon ourselves each year can just be soul sucking. A kinder, gentler, and more fulfilling take is to examine our intentions. You may have already chosen this for yourself for the year or you're still figuring it out. If goals and resolutions are your cup of tea - do it! That's awesome! If intention setting is more of your speed - do it! That's awesome! It's really of no matter. Jessica Stover 6:36 Whatever the path you choose is the right one for you and trusting in that, and your direction will come to you, and shift and change and reimagine itself. That is the beauty of these lives that we have. We have to give ourselves permission to continue to shift and change. We're all works of art. Jessica Stover 6:58 So I'm taking My intention, week by week instead of the entire year as a whole. It just feels a little easier, a little less scary, a little less daunting. So each Sunday night, maybe into Monday morning, it's a way to start anew, and to either continue my intention for the week before, expand it a bit further, or to shift it completely. So this is what feels good and right for me, and I invite you to find what feels good and right for you. Jessica Stover 7:32 So, tonight's healing circle maybe a little shorter than usual, but I thought we would next do - It's just a lovely guided meditation for intention setting. It's completely lovely. You can find it online. I'm going to read it out loud here to you and we'll end our time together. So - a guided meditation for intention setting [By Tris Thorp - The Chopra Center] . Jessica Stover 7:58 First, minimize distractions. You know, getting yourself into a space - which you probably are now, that's hopefully quiet and at ease and calm. And then find a comfortable upright seat with your feet placed firmly on the floor or on a meditation cushion. Begin to breathe in slowly and deeply through your nose. Exhaling with equal depths - also through your nose. So let's do that a few times. Jessica Stover 8:35 Breathe in deeply through your nose. Jessica Stover 8:39 Exhale with equal depth back out through your nose. Jessica Stover 8:45 Breathe in deeply through your nose. Jessica Stover 8:49 Exhale with equal depths, also through your nose. Jessica Stover 8:55 When you feel as though you've settled into a calm, centered and relaxed state, bring your awareness to the area of life you'd like to transform. Imagine your highest vision for this area of your life as if it has already happened. And you're already living in this energy. So for example, let's think in our mind's eyes. How do you look? How do you feel? Again, this is your highest vision for this area of your life. What are you doing? Who's with you? Who's not with you? What is happening around you? What isn't happening around you? What are your daily practices to keep you anchored in this ideal vision? Jessica Stover 9:46 Make the vision as compelling and as real as possible. Your vision isn't something that needs to be created because it only exists within you. You just have to access it. So when you have some - have spent some time breathing into the "beingness" of living your vision, next ask your higher self - God, the universe, your intuition, whatever feels the most appropriate to you - to show you a goal, or a few goals that you will need to achieve in order to fully step into this vision of your life. Think of your goals as milestones upon your path. What you need to produce or gain in order to actualize your goals. Make a mental note of these things - take just a few moments. Jessica Stover 10:50 Now, knowing that this call must be attained for you move closer to living your vision. It's time to identify action steps to be taken each day or each week. Perhaps there's a practice or some other support structures you may need to put into place to assist you in getting to where you're going. And ask yourself, what do I need to do this week to move me powerly - powerfully forward in my life toward whatever the goal is? Is there a daily practice you can be doing - Meditation? Exercise? Clean eating? Conscious communication? Writing? - to really anchor you in your vision? Are there support structures you can put into place? Joining a particular group, getting together with a coach asking a friend and enrolling in a course to help fortify your resolve and maintain your focus. Jessica Stover 11:57 Within your action steps, support structures, and practices now in your awareness - it's now time to energize them. To set them in motion in your trajectory toward what you desire. Visualize yourself inside a picture or movie in your mind. We're seeing - you're seeing yourself take action. You're feeling inspired and empowered, because the momentum you've gained and the progress you're making is amazing. As you look around, notice how your life has changed as a result of achieving your goals. As it all merges together, you realize that you are now living your highest vision for your life in this area. Jessica Stover 12:43 So next, step out of the picture, and move in your mind and imagine that you're holding it in your hands (and I'm literally cupping my hands in front of me right now). Take a deep breath in through your nose and exhale the breath out of your mouth leaning straight into the image of you living your highest vision. Do this four times to energize your intention with prana, the life giving energy. So let's do this now. Jessica Stover 13:15 Take a deep breath in through your nose. Jessica Stover 13:18 Exhale the breath out of your mouth. Jessica Stover 13:22 We're going to send it straight into the image of your vision. Jessica Stover 13:26 Okay and again, in through your nose. Jessica Stover 13:29 Exhale the breath out of your mouth. Jessica Stover 13:34 Okay, we're sending out that prana. Jessica Stover 13:37 In through your nose, Jessica Stover 13:40 out through your mouth. Jessica Stover 13:43 And the last time - in through your nose, Jessica Stover 13:47 out through your mouth. Jessica Stover 13:51 Energizing your intentia - your intention with your prana. Jessica Stover 13:56 Next, imagine that you float up above where you are now. Take the picture of your highest vision with you. Float out into your future, and just let it go. Watch your picture flow right down into your future-based timeline. Or before the date you'd like to actualize it, it's important to trust that it's gonna land exactly where it's meant to. Jessica Stover 14:20 Notice how all the events between then and now reevaluate themselves to support you and bring about your goals and vision. Hmm, so back into the now. Jessica Stover 14:35 Spend a few moments - follow your breath, in and out, Jessica Stover 14:42 settling back into your body, Jessica Stover 14:44 back into this moment in time. Jessica Stover 14:48 And when you feel ready, slowly open your eyes and sit quietly for a few minutes reviewing your vision, the goals, whatever you'd like to call them. any action steps or practices you need to take or cultivate. Jessica Stover 15:06 Lastly, and you don't have to do this now, but maybe when we're done with the call or later today, take out your journal, a piece of paper, whatever works best for you, and just make some notes. Jessica Stover 15:20 What was the area of life you focused on? If you can write in detail about your vision, and what you saw as being possible. Make some notes, make some doodles about the goals or milestones you're going to need to hit to make your vision a reality. Prioritize them. And if there's more than one, set a start and end date for them. Jot down a few action steps, support structures and practices that will aid you in achieving your goals. Jessica Stover 15:52 Now, with that, I hope this has been incredibly helpful. I want to thank each and every one of you for joining this month's Healing Circle call for Networks. And again, we hope you found this to be grounding and beneficial as you move through your day. And we'll talk again next month. Take care. Unknown Speaker 16:30 Thank you for listening. We hope the information provided was helpful. Don't forget to stop by our website and take advantage of all we have to offer. [musical outro] Transcribed by https://otter.ai