We need to check your bag, ma’am.
Eyeing my royal blue suitcase, tightly packed, I move to the back of the security area.
I feel tension and frustration starting to rise. Arriving at the airport this morning has not been very smooth. Previously, I had gotten turned around getting off the commuter rail, and stood in the wrong line to have my boarding pass checked. Upon handing over my ID, I was met with a monotone,
You’re in the wrong line. You have to go back out and get in the line over there.
I felt like I was plowing through a long line of people just to backtrack, having asked for help for how to best exit. The TSA employee’s dead eyes moved to the next passenger, and all that escaped my mouth was,
Wow.
Now, I watched as my suitcase was opened, and the basic question asked,
Is there anything sharp or hazardous inside?
No, I answered.
The guard rifled through my suitcase and was watching a monitor to try and discern what was flagged. His fingers grabbed a square box, drawing his wand over the object and running it through the computer.
This is it!, he said.
And in his hands, my Louise Hay Power Thought Cards, a full 64 piece deck housed in a green floral box.
Discerned as a weapon.
At this, I had to smile.
One of the first coaches I worked with gifted me this same green box two years ago.
She encouraged me to use the cards however I wanted, and I created a special daily practice.
Every morning after I meditate, I hold the box of cards to my heart with my eyes closed, and feel my heart beating. I then shuffle the cards, and pull one.
That card then becomes my mantra for the day and I place it on my cabinet so I can see it as the day progresses.
Many times, I have pulled a card and had a very strong emotional connection to the message, feeling it is speaking directly to what I am experiencing right now, especially with challenges.
Other times, I will pull a card and not fully understand, but as the day moves on, something will occur that ties in completely with the card, and I just shake my head in amazement. It’s almost magical.
When I pull the card with eyes closed, my body knows exactly what I need to read and hear. It’s an incredible gift and the cards help me connect to my daily experience and in turn, live my life fuller.
The cards have felt like a loving hug when I’m hurting and a reminder of my inner worth when I am struggling. The cards have brought me back to my Creative Gifts and strengths.
These cards have had such an impact on my life, I gift them to all my private clients, who write back,
“I absolutely love them!”
“I love the cards you gave me. They are perfect for the day every time. The same ones keep showing up, about the process of change and forgiveness.”
Apparently, I am not alone in my experience, and these cards have helped my clients connect to their power and creative worth as well.
What helps you?
What do you have in place to connect you daily to your Creative power?
In February, I was getting ready for my Superbowl, the Oscar Awards. I was trying to see as many of the Best Picture Nominees as possible, and one evening, stayed in and rented a movie my friend had been dying for me to see,
Arrival
Arrival had been released back in the Fall and I had missed it in the theaters. In truth, I was afraid to see it, still nursing the little girl inside who was very afraid of scary aliens. My friend had assured me tons of times, this was a different kind of alien movie.
My friend seemed so hell bent on me seeing it, I was curious, and I really like the two lead actors, Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner.
So, Amazon Prime was loaded up, and at first, it felt very similar to other alien movies.
The aliens were seen as a huge threat by Earth. They had landed all over the globe, placed strategically in giant spacecraft. Humans had no idea if they were going to attack and specialists across the world were making contact and trying to discern WHY they were there. The whole world was in a state of panic and fear, military at the ready for an attack, and news stations covering every second.
And then the news broke,
The aliens had a weapon.
But they weren’t going to use it against us.
They were actually GIFTING it to us.
The weapon?
Words.
These words were unlike anything we had seen as humans, and would end up bringing about a total miracle,
World Peace.
Sound crazy? Maybe, but there is probably a very good reason that Louise Hay created a deck with the name,
Power Thought Cards
Much like my green floral box that was discerned as a weapon through airline security, these words have actually brought me great peace, as they have for my whole community and clients.
And I’m not alone in this. Louise Hay has been on the New York Times Bestseller List several times, her books reaching over 50 Million global copies, guesting on Oprah, and bringing about her biggest accomplishment, Hay House Publishing.
Our words as creatives are crucial, specifically the words we are using with ourselves.
When you are facing a challenge, what are you saying to yourself?
What are you creating in your mind this means about you?
What have you decided your challenges say about YOUR work?
And most of all, what words are you surrounding yourself with, and are they cultivating peace or attack?
Words matter, and can be the connector to you remembering your Creative strength. They can be the connector to thriving in your Art.
Many times, the alien we are fighting is actually ourselves.
Power words can take you from feeling like you are on the defense awaiting attack, to making the breakthrough you have been waiting for.
Instead of using them as a weapon, seek the gift.
And then pass it on.