METTA CENTER

One of my clients has taught me this simple and yet profoundly beautiful meditation. The instructions are simple: 1. Breath in love 2. Breath out joy 3. Repeat ad infinitum until you feel done Give it a try. I found that this meditation quickly aligns me with such delicious feelings of well-being! Thank you, R.S., for sharing this wonderful meditation with me.

It is winter here in the Bay Area. The temperature has plummeted, the rain has visited, the sunlight is paler, and many of  the trees have dropped their leaves. Mother Earth is making space for a new beginning. Winter inspires gentle stillness within me. In that stillness, I can feel the acknowledgment of what has been and the quiet excitement of what is to come. Winter teaches how we can hold a graceful balance between the old and the new. It teaches how we can honor the process of transformation. Take a moment to be still and go inward. Honor that place, where what has been and what is coming can come together in peace.

What are you happy with in 2009? What are you grateful for? What surprised you this year? I love using EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) to tap while naming what I am grateful for and appreciate in my life. This process allows me to embody the vibration of appreciation (which feels really good!) and also shifts my energy even more towards Love. Not only do I feel very peaceful, but I also notice that it is easier to attract what I want in life when I vibrate in this gratitude state! So, here's an example of my Gratitude Tapping that you can use to express your appreciation for 2009 as you welcome 2010! Of course, change the words around to fit what you are truly grateful for. I skip the Karate Chop point and go straight to the meridian points on the face, body and head. I also skip all the tapping points on the fingers, but you can definitely add them back into your gratitude tapping routine. For details on EFT Tapping Points, click here . Eyebrow: I am grateful for a li

The following post was first published as an article in December 2006 Metta Center Newsletter.   As the holiday season approaches, I couldn't help but read all the messages of peace, hope, joy and love everywhere I look. These messages delight me because, whether or not they are consciously noticed at all, they subliminally invite us to explore and experience these wonderful qualities of ourselves. Ask yourself: Do you give yourself the license to feel and accept these high vibration feelings, or do you shrink away from them? This season also brings me to contemplate the topic of faith, particularly faith in oneself. What is “faith” really? Is it a conviction, or is it trust? What does it feel like, to have faith in yourself? How do you know if you have enough of it? And, if you are short of it, where do you get more? To me, having faith in myself means having complete trust that I contain within me all the skills, talents, guidance and wisdom I need to manifest my spirit, m

On this coming Thursday, in the U.S. we will be celebrating Thanksgiving Holiday. A special day in the year that is set aside to appreciate our blessings. Receiving all the myriads of blessings in our lives with joy and gratitude is a powerful and uplifting spiritual practice that can be easily done on a daily basis. It is easy to be grateful when things are going our way but what about when the events in our life are not to our liking? Accepting our "fate" may feel like defeat and where's the glory in that? Here are some tips to help you to feel good (and grateful) about your life, even when things are not going well: Take the time to find something in your life that is going well . I found that when I pay attention to the beauty, the peace, the harmony, the quietness, the gentleness, the ease, the spaciousness, the safety, and the love that IS around, the ordinary becomes extraordinary. It is so helpful to remember that we are all worthy to receive grace by v

 "Gratitude is heaven itself." ~ William Blake Offering gratitude is way to open your heart. Gratitude is an outflow of positive feelings and, in return, you receive an inflow of positive feelings. This flow of energy exchange keeps your heart soft and open, ready for more blessings and giving. It improves your mood and attitude about life, and it opens you for more wonders in life. As we approach Thanksgiving Day and the holiday season, I invite you to take some quiet time for reflection. Just remember and appreciate all that you are, all that you have and all that you have done. Notice what that does to your heart chakra. About five years ago, I started my daily ritual of giving thanks when I woke up in the morning and when I go to bed at night. This daily ritual helps me honor and value the everyday blessings in my life. This practice also helps me be aware of the wonders of the world and be in the child's mind, open and receptive. Here's another gratitude p

Divine Energy, which flows through everything and all of us, is always accessible to us. Accessing the Divine Energy is quite easy. Just intend to do so. Take a moment now, and say to yourself, "I intend to connect with Light", or "I intend to connect with my Divine Source," and wait for an experience. Intend and decide that you can connect and align with your Divine Energy quite effortlessly and it will happen for you in that manner. Your experience will be different from another person's, for your connection and your relationship with your Divine Energy is uniquely yours. Please don’t compare what you experience with another person's experience. There are times when it is more challenging to connect with this wonderful, beautiful part of you, especially if you have been focused for a long time on that which is not working, what you do not have yet, or what you are doing wrong still in your life. How do you get from a place where you feel separated from you

I feel so very blessed indeed. Today, I saw the harvest moon rise over the hills on my right side as the sun set over the San Francisco Bay on my left side! I was witnessing a perfectly balanced moment in life. Later, my husband told me that on his flight out to Denver early this morning, he saw the moon set and the sun rose. What an amazing synchronicity! He, too, witnessed a perfectly balanced cosmos in motion. Wow. Yin and Yang, the sun and the moon, night and day, dancing in perfect harmony. I sighed in great awe and love for this great gift of an amazingly balanced universe. My heart is still singing with pure gladness! It feels so brilliant and expansive with joy! I simply LOVE this feeling!

Archangel Michael's name means "he who is like God" or "he who looks like God". To me, his vibration is one of infinite love and patience. I could be throwing a fit, angry at God, and he would still come to my side. I don't always hear him, but he always makes it known he is here with his vibration of love and faith. If you are in a pinch, or just want to try to connect with him, call him. You can say "Archangel Michael, please come to me now. I need to talk." and then just talk like you would with a friend. Don't worry, you are not insane when you hear him. He is very real and very gentle. Beloved, Much have you learned, o dear ones. You have come a long way since you began your journey home. Fear not that you must suffer more. Light is strong now on earth. We are preparing for the return of the Christ consciousness in each of you. Be willing to accept the Love within. There are sorrow in some of you. Please release them to us. We cannot take

This article was first published in Metta Center email newsletter (October 2, 2007 issue.) "Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself, and know that everything in life has purpose. There are no mistakes, no coincidences, all events are blessings given to us to learn from." ~ Elizabeth Kubler-Ross A while back, a client asked me, "Do you ever get overwhelmed?" To which I replied, "Of course!" I have come to understand the teachings of this emotion we call "overwhelment." I have learned to appreciate and celebrate its message, and its energy can be harnessed to gain powerful clarity into what is needed to bring my life back to balance. Feeling overwhelmed is an indicator that we are not centered in our being. Think of it as being out of the range of joy, love and appreciation that is our natural element. When we heed the message of this emotion and choose to apply its wisdom in our life, we can turn our situation around for the better,

Here's a simple and powerful meditation to help you connect with the true power and magic of your breath. Often we take our breath for granted. Do you ever wonder what you would experience if you spent time honoring and marvelling at each breath you took in? Ready to find out? Here are the steps: Get comfortable, either standing up, seated or lying down. Just allow yourself to feel at ease and deeply supported by the ground, the chair, or whatever surface you are on. Close your eyes and take several nice, deep breaths. Allow your mind and body to relax. Be aware of your breaths. Notice the temperature of your breath coming in and going out. Notice how your chest or your belly gently moves up and down in sync with your breathing. Notice that each breath is so unique and different. Spend some time doing this and you will feel even more relaxed. Next, allow yourself to do something different with your breath: honor it, marvel in it, adore it, love it, enjoy and appreciate it a

If you knew of a very sad, scared, lonely, or angry part of you, what would you give it to heal it? So very often we look outward for sympathy, for assistance, for support, for gifts of love. But we forgot to look inward and give what we want to ourselves. Recently, I was very ill. While lying in bed, I took the time to go inward and seek the root-cause of my illness and bring healing to it. In my inner journey, I met a very sad part of me deep inside, where both time and I had forgotten her. There she was suddenly, front and center, both a visual image and a knowing. I knew from reading the Abraham-Hicks books that if whenever I feel a powerful negative emotion that means there is something really important that I want. I noticed how sad this part of me was, so I asked her what she wanted to feel better. She just looked at me, confused, as if she didn't know what to do with that question. No one had ever asked her before what she wanted. She started wailing because she realized ho

There is no limit to the joy you can have There is no limit to the love you can receive This is the message I received from Spirit and I want to pass it along to you. Close your eyes for a moment, and take a deep breath. Just let yourself feel the great love that surrounds you and is available to you at each moment, with each breath. Yup, right now, if you want to. Go ahead, the world can wait... Isn't it simply delicious?

A client of mine recently e-mailed me, "Don't you think 'The Power of Now' and to-do lists are polar extremes?" I was struck by his astute observations. Sometimes I do feel that my to-do list is taking me away from being present in the moment. Interestingly, earlier that same morning, I was being presented with the opportunity to choose: go with the flow and do what I want to do (visit the U.C. Botanical Garden), or do what is on my to-do list. I decided that, since my priority in life is: my Spiritual Self first, my family second and work third, I chose to go to the Botanical Garden. It feels very good whenever I stick to my priorities and connect with my Self first. When I arrived at the garden, I noticed that I was feeling quite excited with anticipation of the wonders I would see there. By the time I reached the Garden of Old Roses, I was positively elated and giddy like a child. I wondered why aren't we more joyous as adults? I heard myself answering, &qu

I was sitting on the grass in my garden, looking at the blue sky, and I asked myself, "How am I feeling now?" And, the answer came, "I am happy." I was feeling happy for no reason at all. Just pure happiness. Simple and pure. I felt like a child, so delighted and in love with life! I laughed with such great joy! In that moment of clarity, I realized that there is no limit to how much joy we can receive . There is absolutely no limit! To top off this sweetness, we don't even need a reason before we can allow ourselves to feel so happy. We don't have to win, or to be right, or to be well, or to be whatever we think we need to be, to have or to do before we can allow ourselves to be in joy. We can be joyous because we are Joy incarnate. A client told me once that, to him, happiness is elusive like a butterfly. It never comes when you want it to. I think happiness comes when we allow ourselves to receive it without putting a condition on when we can receive i

Inside Michael J. Tamura's book, "You Are the Answer," there are several simple exercises to help you nurture your intuition and awareness. (To find out more about his work and his lectures, visit his website at www.michaeltamura.com .) For fun, I practiced one that is called, "Awareness Exercise: Seeking First That Which Gives Everything." It is so wonderful that I want to share it with you! When I do this meditation, eyes opened or closed, I connect to a beautiful energy of peace, love and joy. I can feel how deeply accepted and loved I am by my own Spirit. Not only that, I am aware that my awareness is aware of many things at once, which is simply amazing to me. So, here are the steps, adapted from Michael's book: When you are new to this meditation, you might want to do it with your eyes closed to help you focus more easily. Find a time where you can be free of interruption for about 10-15 minutes, and find a place to be comfortable in. Close your eyes.

H.P., whose story I shared below, has written a beautiful song that I want to share it with you (with her permission, of course.) I love her uplifting lyrics and soothing voice. I hope you find this song healing and inspiring for you as well. This is how she described her song to me, "I went out to watch the sunset and it was wonderful... I also felt inspired to write a song after our session, so i came home and recorded it... It is not done, I need to fine tune it, but here is what I have so far. I am not playing the guitar, it is prerecorded on garage band." Thank you, H.P., for sharing the beauty of your spirit. Click here to listen to it.

How would you like to care for yourself? How would you like to be cared for? What does caring for yourself look like? What within you is asking for your care and attention? We all care for ourselves, one way or another. We care for our physical selves in obvious ways like driving carefully, brushing our teeth, eating nutritious food, dressing and housing ourselves, and so on. There are also numerous ways we can care for ourselves emotionally, mentally and spiritually. My client, H.P., recently wrote me her insights about what taking care of herself is about. I hope you find it as inspiring as I do. I got to communicate with my dad. At first, I was just watching myself as a one year old playing with him... Christine then asked me how it feels to be with him... It felt safe, comforting,and free, like I was "home." Then Christine said, "He lives on a higher plane and h.e has a lot to teach you, what is he saying?" ... And then it got really quiet and I heard him say,

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." ~ John Muir I haven't been feeling well lately. Yet, I was inspired to go to nature for some sunshine and to celebrate life anyway. As I walked in the meadow up the hill from my home, admiring the gentle ripple of the grasses, I felt a gentle and peaceful energy enveloping me. It was as if Mother Earth had embraced me in her arms. As I walked down the path, I felt all tension and resistance just melt away from my body. I felt like there was a cocoon of softness around my physical body. It was a new and strange sensation, and I loved it! I allowed myself the experience and appreciated every sweet moment of it. The tranquility available in nature is so inspiring, healing and comforting. I invite you to treat yourself and go out there to commune with nature. May you feel yourself touched by Grace, and held in gentleness and love.

The following post was first published as an article in June 2008 Metta Center Newsletter. Sometimes we are afraid to say "no!" to the outside obligations that inch into our lives. I have learned to say "know," instead of "no": it is up to me to know what is most important for me at this moment. This strategy helps me set clear boundaries and create more space for me to focus my energy on being, having and doing what's truly meaningful for me. Creating space for yourself is creating space for your Spirit. It is really not difficult at all, actually. Definitely not rocket science. In only requires your commitment to the key concept that you are an important person in your life. When we make room for our Spirit, we make room for ourselves to remember who we are inside: joy-filled beings! We make room for grace, ease and light to be in our daily lives. We make room for being more in balance. Happiness is not just something that comes once in a while, but

I was contemplating the meaning of life when Spirit reminded me of the emails my clients have written me recently. They wrote about their amazing, powerful and wonderful insights and experiences as they found their connection to their Source. Here's what one person wrote, "After our class Tuesday, I went fishing on the delta and it was a spectacularly beautiful day... I saw a seal swimming slowly through the water close to where I was fishing... He seemed so totally blissful....so totally in the moment... I couldn't help but think back to our work together and how feeling and being joyFULL. Not only is good for the individual but to every one around the individual..." "Last night during a little bout of sleeplessness I decided to observe my breath... It felt smooth and easy, no constriction though I wasn't breathing deeply.... and then I began to be aware of the breather not the breath... that part of the involuntary system that is part of my physical self...

In my last newsletter, I wrote about my personal experience with the fear of feeling happier than I was already feeling. (Click here to read that article.) Here's what unfolded today, about a month since I wrote the article. The timing couldn't have been more perfect! As I was enjoying my day, adoring my dog and contemplating the meaning of life, feeling free and peaceful, I heard myself thinking, "This is the free-est I can be. I will never be free-er than this." I was keenly aware of a sudden sadness within. I sat with that information for a bit, choosing to just "be" with that part of me that spoke up. Curious, I did a TAT (Tapas Acupressure Technique) on that thought as I sat with it. I also allowed myself to think that the opposite is possible, "This is not the free-est I can be, and I can be free-er than this." Immediately, I encountered a confused part of myself, "Who will I be if I am freer? I will lose myself. I will not know what to

The following post was first published as an article in March/April 2006 Metta Center Newsletter. Let me tell you one of the stories of Milarepa. He is one of the most widely known Tibetan Saints. Milarepa had been meditating for years in a cave. The hairs on his body had grown green because all he ate was nettles that he found around his cave. One day, several demons came into his cave, growling fearsomely. They were frothy at their mouths and had red menacing eyes. Enthusiastically, Milarepa invite them to sit with him and offered them his meager sustenance of nettles and water. He treated them as his most honorable guests. Milarepa sang to the monsters he found in his cave, "It is wonderful you demons came today. You must come again tomorrow. From time to time, we should converse." I love this story because it inspires me to work with the “demons” in my mind. They are the negative voices that created the tensions in my body or beliefs that limit me in some other ways. This

While I was thinking about Math and the Universe, I saw how Law of Attraction works like an algebraic equation. What manifests in your life matches the vibration you give out. In other words, your vibration is on one side of the equation and it equals, on the other side of the equation, what you are living. To make it simple: your vibration = what your are experiencing and living. So, to change what you are experiencing and living, doesn't it make sense that you would need to change your vibration? How do you do that? Your thoughts and feelings are your vibrations. Think different thoughts than what you are used to thinking, you will feel differently. Better yet, as Abraham-Hicks recommended so eloquently: "Think better feeling thoughts." Then, as you practice thinking better feeling thoughts and feel better, you vibrate differently. How do you know what you are vibrating? You know what you think, don't you? Besides, your emotions and your experiences tell you that in

Well, my 12-year old daughter just taught me something wonderful tonight! She mentioned to me that .9 repeating is actually equal to 1. I was awe-struck: what a brilliant mathematical way to explain the paradoxes of the Universe! Even if you don't look or feel whole, you are whole! Even if you aren't perfect or don't think you're perfect, you are perfect! Even in variety, there is harmony Even in chaos, there is balance and order I simply love how mathematics explains the divine principles of perfection and wholeness! For those of you who are mathematically inclined, here's a link to a thorough explanation of this mathematical phenomena: http://polymathematics.typepad.com/polymath/2006/06/no_im_sorry_it_.html . What a brilliant Universe we live in!

I was sitting on a tree stump, listening to the wind and looking at the beautiful field of grass dancing in front of me. I felt divine love swirling within and around me. I was in rapture, soaking it all in. It was one of those glorious moments of being so tuned in with nature, one of my sources of joy. I asked Spirit, "Does it get any better than this?" Spirit answered, "Yes!" And I was surprised to feel, for a moment, a catch in my heart. I heard myself gasped. I realized that a part of me was scared by Spirit's answer. Interesting response. I held myself tenderly to comfort myself. A deep part of me was obviously afraid of receiving "better than this." What I had was good enough. Later, I checked in with this fearful part of me to find out what I was afraid of. I discovered that it was almost as if I didn't believe I could stand any more joy. This part of me feared that I might cry so hard until there would be nothing left of me. "There'

by Christine Metawati The following post was first published as an article in March 2005 Metta Center Newsletter. This story was given to me in a dream about a year ago. I feel that I am blessed with this incredible dream so that I can share this profound story, rich with symbolisms, with others. May you enjoy it as much as I have had. It continues to be a great medicine for me. A young man of was sitting by the river. He seemed busy working with his hands. On a closer look, he was busy working with a piece of wood, shaving the bark of the wood with his knife to reveal the smooth white inside of the wood. Earlier, he had a desire in his heart to make himself a walking stick. As he walked by the river, he found this piece of wood that was just perfect for what he had in mind. The wood was the right height and about the thickness he wanted. He wanted to have a walking stick that was smooth to his touch, and the bark on this wood was rough so he decided to smooth it out with his knife. He

On one of my walks in the beautiful nature, these encouraging words flowed right into my consciousness. May they comfort and inspire you as they do for me. "Find the Peace inside you It is always there, you never lost it nor can you You can connect with it Easier than you think Claim It Rejoice in It Celebrate It Adore It Honor It Love It Delight in It Protect It, not with fear But with gentle compassion and understanding Let your Peace guide you Surrender to It And It will show you what you are made of."

I love going to the meadow up the hill from my house. It's on a hilltop with clusters of monterey pine trees. It slopes down to a small lush forest in the valley and looks out to the green hills yonder. I was sitting on a fallen tree branch and looking out at the vista when the trees spoke to me and told me that they love me. I told them I love them, too. I told the wind that blew gently on my hair and face, "I love you!" I said the same to the sun that warmed and soothed me. I could feel love in the air. The grass shone brilliantly and I let them know how I enjoyed their fresh scent. The sky was blue with little puffy clouds, so serene. The birds sang happily as if joining in my delight. I saw a red-tailed hawk, nary 50 feet from me. First, it flew to rest on a 20-foot tall tree stump. (I wonder if it can still be called a stump being that tall?) Then, it flew down to the grassy area to eat something on the ground. This majestic bird stayed there and looked my way for a

I am glorious. You are glorious. He is glorious. She is glorious. They are glorious. Yes! We are all glorious!

Founder of Metta Center, Christine Metawati, CCHT, RMT, CET, offers energy therapy and spiritual coaching. Christine specializes in helping people to increase self-awareness, transform their consciousness, and deliberately create the life that they want . You probably have heard of the Law of Attraction: like attracts like. Where your attention goes, your energy flows. What you vibrate, you attract. What you give out, you receive. I really like the definition of Law of Attraction as defined by Abraham in the book "Ask and It is Given" by Jerry and Esther Hicks ( www.abraham-hicks.com ). This law is simply explained as "That which is likened unto itself is drawn." This law means that, as powerfully vibrating beings, we can mold our energy to attract our life experiences. In other words, if we choose to exercise our power to direct our own vibrations, we have total freedom and creative control over our life. Obviously, not all of us feel that way. How often do you tru

I was watching two blue jays in my front garden, and listening to the songs of larks and other birds. Oh, how beautiful they sounded as they celebrated the start of a new day! I was listening with awe and appreciation. I had a beautiful realization: "I am not alone. I am NEVER alone." My first response was, "Huh?" My second response was a deep smile from within me. I felt the new light of understanding unfolding from deep within. It was like watching a flower bloom after long winter days. With life so abundant and beautiful, how can I ever be alone? All I have to do is tune into whatever pleases me, and I am no longer alone. When I am admiring life, I am connected to the Life Force itself. I am connected to all the possibilities that Life offers. The truth is, I am never alone even if I am by myself or feel alone. If I feel lonely, it's because I have chosen to disconnect from Life for whatever reason. Life doesn't disconnect from me! This deep and comfortin

Nature is very healing. I have found that observing the wonders of nature can bring us into contact with our own spiritual qualities of love, peace, joy, creativity, abundance, wisdom and beauty. Wherever you go in nature, be mindful and acknowledge the spirits of the land. Sit or walk quietly and tune into the quality of the place. Breathe deeply, be fully present and notice the colors, smells, shapes, sounds, air temperature, wind directions, and sun warmth or lack of it. Allow yourself to become one with the land, the sky, the grass, the trees, the birds. Communicate gently, reverently, appreciatively and joyously with nature. Notice and feel your Spirit stir as it recognizes its own beauty and wonder. Allow yourself to feel the warmth of gentle love and the true joy of appreciation in your heart. You will feel renewed and replenished. Before you leave, take some time to express your gratitude. Bless nature with your joy and love. "I frequently tramped eight or ten miles throug

I have found that life is an excellent Teacher, always bringing me the most appropriate materials for practicing how I can better align myself with Spirit. In my healing journey, I have observed that when I feel stuck, very often I attempt to get unstuck on my own. It's a point of pride to prove that I can unstick myself. "Yes, I can do this myself, thank you. No, I don't need your help, thank you!" For some cases, sure, that's what I can do and is what I need to do to learn that I can help myself. But for other situations, insisting that I take care of the issue myself just plain doesn't work out. I found myself needlessly stuck by being determined to resolve things on my own. These are places in life where I have the opportunity to learn the beauty and joy of asking for help from another person, and that no man is an island. And in many such moments of crisis, I get to learn to surrender, ask for and be open to help from the Spirit. Asking help from Spirit c

I was using TAT (Tapas Acupressure Technique) to help myself soothe this anxious feeling in my chest this morning. (If you haven't checked out TAT yet, I recommend that you visit www.tatlife.com .) This anxious feeling was definitely all inside-driven. I am truly blessed with many good things in my outer life: beauty, harmony, love, peace, joy, abundance, and grace. So, the anxious feeling stuck out like a sore thumb. I was guessing that it was the "old shoe gonna drop" syndrome that I sometimes feel when things are going really well in my life. So, I proceeded to do Step 1 of TAT: "Everything that resulting in me resonating, identifying and connecting with this feeling happened." And I sat with that statement for a minute or two, just being with it. I was making space for energies, impressions, sensations, thoughts and feelings to move through me. I moved on to Step 2: "Everything that resulting in me resonating, identifying and connecting with this feelin

Happy New Year! My intentions for this New Year are simple: miracles, abundance and healing. Miracles are wonderful to experience and really not as hard to manifest as we often make them out to be. To have miracles, first we need to redefine and expand our definition of what a miracle is. Does it have to come with an angel voice, or does it have to be the impossible made possible? Is it enough if the miracle is simply a single tiny life in a barren landscape? I have learned that when we allow our eyes to open and truly see that there are miracles already happening right now around and within us, we invite even more miracles into our lives. Life is a miracle itself, precious and full of wonders. Our body is an amazing miracle as well! We allow more miracles into our lives when we allow ourselves to do something different than what we normally would, even if that difference is very small. Let me tell you about my miracle today. It was a beautiful and exquisite day today: the