To Plutoize

Seeds XI, 44

Seed: To Plutoize

In 1930, Clyde Tombaugh discovered the planet Pluto. For 76 years, it was considered the 9^th planet in our solar system. In 2006, however, Pluto got a demotion. It was declassified from planetary status to dwarf planet status, the second-largest after Eris.

Rev. Jesse Jennings writes of the creation of a new verb in Science of Mind Magazine. He says, “to pluto something is to dramatically and suddenly reduce it in significance.” Who knew?

I know astrologers who are up in arms about this, and I think there’s a spiritual lesson to be had here. Anybody else a zero-to-sixty reactor to events? A catastrophizer, as a friend of mine used to say? An end-gamer?

Here’s where plutoizing is helpful. Know your own tendency toward dramatics, and then call the problem—whatever it may be—a dwarf planet. How many times have you over-reacted only to sleep on it, and find that problem is far less significant than you’d originally thought?

One of my favorite astrologers, Melissa Stratton, says that Pluto is also associated with the esoteric symbol of the Phoenix Bird, that mythical creature who self-immolates, then rises triumphant, transformed into new life from its own ashes.

Plutoizing is highly recommended for a life lived in flow, harmony, serenity and elegant peace.

Be joy,

Susan Corso

Dr. Susan Corso

Seeds are remarkable gifts. Sown in consciousness, they bring you to the most important part of your being—your Divine Spark.

Check out the Seeds Archive for past messages of inspiration.

When you have friends you would like added to the Seeds e-mail list, send their addresses to me at susan@susancorso.com.

For spiritual nourishment, please visit my website www.susancorso.com

and my blogs Seeds for Sanctuary, God’s Dictionary,

Ode Magazine, and The Huffington Post.

Follow me on Twitter @peacecorso

Chalk It All Up to Experience

My title is a lyric from the delicious musical Legally Blonde. Elle Woods sings it after her boss makes a pass at her and she thinks he only hired her because she’s a gorgeous blonde.

Then this quote appeared on my Google page today: “Experience is not what happens to a man. It is what a man does with what happens to him.” Aldous Huxley. May I paraphrase?

Experience is not what happens to a person. It is what a person does with what happens.

In my case, one of the persons involved is a woman. Me. I often rewrite quotes to suit my own gender.

I’m in the midst of a huge ouch—there’s no other way to put it. Almost a year ago, I met a young IT wizard through the good offices of my wonderful assistant. They were friends, and she recommended him highly. I hired him to do two tasks. The first was to function as my home IT person. We negotiated a rate. Done.

The second was to upgrade susancorso.com to Web 2.0, an Internet protocol that makes websites much more searchable to search engines. That was in February. Part way through the year, I mentioned that I hadn’t “seen” any of his work, and that he rarely finished any of the IT work on my home computer. He walked out of my office in a huff. Then he had a temper tantrum via email; there’s no other way to put it—he even agreed with me when I said so to him. Things devolved from there.

One of the last emails I received said, “Please do not email me again.” I went to bed mad at myself and hurt. Wakened in a worse condition. So mad I wanted to cry.

And the matter was still NOT concluded. He still owned a domain name that I needed—for which I’d paid; for some unexplained reason, he’d put it in his name. I needed it transferred and put in my name so I could use it.

We initiated the transfer and he had to change the contact info and release the domain name. I paid the $8.99 to transfer it on top of the $1,800.00 for work the young man did not do and certainly did not complete. I looked into the process to initiate a legal action. I don’t wanna.

What finally happened? He changed the contact info so I received the “do you want to transfer this domain name” email, and released it as required.

To me, the most interesting thing about this process is that the domain name is for my new website, currently under development, called ToMePeaceIs.com.

As she was leaving this morning, my sweetie said, “Use this, baby. What’s in the way of peace?” as she sailed out the door. Her question flooded me with a feeling of power.

What IS in the way of peace?

Apparently, plenty. What I can tell you is what’s not in the way any more.

A young man, allegedly a former drug addict, but still behaving like a user, who took my money and did not fulfill his side of the bargain. Karma happens, dear one. To all of us.

The coolest thing is I can use my free will .… As an act of my will, I give him the money. It wasn’t an expensive lesson. I give it to him, clear the karma completely, and bless him to his own life. This is the way of forgiveness and release a.k.a. real-ease.

Once I did that, it was easy to find a new web designer and we’re right on schedule to launch just after Thanksgiving. So thanks be to God for showing me what was in the way of ToMePeaceIs.com and please expect an announcement some day in the not-too-distant future.

P.S. This came in the day’s emails as well!

Setbacks and failures mean little or nothing in themselves. The whole meaning of any setback — or any success, for that matter — is in how we take it and what we make of it. No mistakes!

Texas, Here I Come … Home

I wrote this long before I left, but I’m posting it the morning after I returned from Edna, Texas to officiate at a wedding. I love doing weddings. It’s one of my favorite parts of being an ordained minister.

Ideally, a wedding, like this one, is a happy occasion. Sometimes, however, they’re not. Those are the painful ones where someone in the family disapproves, or someone wants to ’speak now’ but chooses instead to hold her peace.

I have done weddings in all sorts of places on the planet. Once I officiated in a family-owned Laundromat. The bridal aisle lay between a wall of washers and a row of dryers! I’ve done a wedding on a mountaintop. In churches, in the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. In penthouse apartments, on porches, indoors, outdoors (nearly melted at one it was so hot!), dead of winter, height of summer. You name it.

This wedding is particularly sweet as these two lovebirds had a child together four years ago. I was the officiant for their baby-naming, and now four years later their friends donated the funds for me to go to Texas and marry the couple. I know plenty of the folks who will be there. It has to be a grand old time.

Anyway, it got me thinking about ceremonies and how there are so few in our lives any more, and the deeper truth of the matter is that we need ceremonies. Ceremony is the opportunity to “hold everything.” To stop. To notice. To think. To observe. The slow beginning of true ceremony invites everyone there to become present to the event.

About nine months ago, I officiated at the memorial service of a dear friend whose wedding I had also celebrated. I also christened her two children. All those ceremonies as well as our ongoing conversations made our connection particularly juicy. Ceremony is about that, too.

One of the things I always do around weddings is to make sure the bride and groom, or bride and bride, or groom and groom choose what will be said. I am doing a wedding, but they are about to embark upon a marriage. (Very different.) They should promise each other what they want to promise, not just hear the words that have been said for decades. They’re the ones who have to/get to live out those promises.

So I just spent the weekend on the way to, being in, celebrating a wedding in, and returning from Texas. My wedding anniversary is October 31^st; this year will be five years. My sweetie and I practice the Wiccan way of weddings, so we marry each year for a year and a day. On All Hallow’s, we revisit the last year, and renew our vows. So far, we’ve chosen to re-up every year. Some years our wedding anniversary conversation is six minutes; others, it’s six hours. We do our best to look at our promises to one another with Zen eyes and clean up any unfinished business from the year behind us.

I wish our Texas lovebirds a very happy marriage, and I invite you to get in touch if you’re ready to tie the knot!

Motivation

Seeds XI, 43

Seed: Motivation

When I used to give motivational speeches in corporate settings, the first thing I said to everyone was that I couldn’t motivate them. The presenters always looked askance at me when I said this, but it’s true. No one can motivate anyone else. Ever.

Here’s why: motivation is an inside job. Only you can know what will motivate you, and it’s quite literally unique to each person.

I love what Denis Waitley says about motivation. “Motivation is a contraction of motive and action. Just so you know, this is not what the OED says, but never mind.

Motive + Action = Motivation

Maybe I ought to change it to Motivaction!
(There’s a new word!)

Think on this. Every action has a motive. You’re thirsty, you go to the sink for a drink of water. You want a raise. You go to your boss and ask for one.

It’s worth examining our motivations for things especially for those I don’t wanna days. Just remember that even if you can’t get in touch with your motive momentarily, you can always take action and let your motive catch up to you.

Be joy,

Susan Corso

Dr. Susan Corso

Seeds are remarkable gifts. Sown in consciousness, they bring you to the most important part of your being—your Divine Spark.

Check out the Seeds Archive for past messages of inspiration.

When you have friends you would like added to the Seeds e-mail list, send their addresses to me at susan@susancorso.com.

For spiritual nourishment, please visit my website www.susancorso.com

and my blogs Seeds for Sanctuary, God’s Dictionary,

Ode Magazine, and The Huffington Post.

Follow me on Twitter @PeaceCorso

The Fearless Factor

Above my desk, on what my sweetheart calls my altar-cation, is a framed page from a Mary Englebreit page-a-day calendar from my birthday one long-ago year. It reads: “You must do the thing you think you cannot do. Eleanor Roosevelt.” It is my favorite quote.

You can imagine my pleasure at reading the quote in its entirety in the beginning of The Fearless Factor: Overcome the Fears, Doubts and Anxieties that Stop you from Being Your Best Self Now by Jacqueline Wales. “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face…. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.”

Looking fear in the face is exactly what Ms. Wales has done, and so have her Tales from the Trail compatriots. It’s really the only way to deal with fear, any fear, no matter how great or how small, once and for all. Despite the very human instinct toward flight, far better to stop, turn around, and face fear head-on.

All of us have fears of varying ilks and degrees. Fear is not really the problem. Wales assures us, “Fear is a learned response. We are conditioned into it so we can be conditioned out of it.” The book is a path through the jungle of fear into a boulevard of empowered, self-directed change.

Wales, to be sure, does not tell her readers not to fear. On the contrary, she affirms fear as a part of everyday existence. I so appreciate that. The self-helpers mean well who tell us we need not fear, but their claim is bogus. Wales talks about learning to embrace her fear as a lover. Isn’t that wise?

Turn toward your fear. Embrace it. Running from it only makes it, not you, stronger. Okay, Fear, what are you trying to give me? Stop. Breathe. Let that stitch in your side wane. Look Fear in the face, and then ask yourself a question: What am I willing to give up?

Oh yes, there’s a cost to releasing fear in this life. A dear one, but a worthy one. “The reason for fearing things is all about control. You fear that you have no control over an outcome. You fear that you don’t have the ability to do or say the right thing. You fear being rejected, abandoned, embarrassed, or foolish. You don’t trust. The underlying message of fear is, ‘I don’t know if I’m capable of handling this. It might be too much.’”

And what are the operative words in that last excerpt? You guessed it: I don’t know. They might just be the most liberating three words in English! So what?

So you don’t know. Cool. You stand a chance of learning something about yourself and life. Excellent! Proceed. By trusting yourself, your faith relationship whatever that might be, by watching the responses of the universe to your actions, by asking for guidance. Yes, by living life forwards as it unfolds and adjusting your choices just as a pilot adjusts course 85% of the time. It’s called steering, Beloved, and an authentic life requires it.

One of the things that makes Jacqueline Wale’s book so delightful is that she’s a 50-something. Yep, that’s right, a woman over fifty, without apology, without complaint, going forward to live the life of her dreams—because she wants to do so.

The seven stages that she used to transform her life are an acronym: P.A.S.S.I.O.N. I loved that right there! Here they are:

1. Permission
   
2. Action
   
3. Strength
   
4. Support
   
5. Inspiration
   
6. Owning
   
7. Nurture
   

Give yourself permission to create whatever you want regardless of the opinions of others.

Make a plan and take some action, any action, toward that plan.

Taking action gives us strength in ourselves.

Look for support to take you further along the path you want to travel.

Let those around you inspire you.

Owning who you are becoming gives you confidence.

Learn how to nurture yourself.

Muriel Rukeyser has been quoted as saying, “What would happen if one woman told the truth about her life? The world would split open.” Given our world at the moment, I think that’s a good idea.

There are a lot of us 50-something women these days. We are working to find our way to fully expressed living. Jacqueline Wales’ new book is a gentle, clear guide for that path.

Overcomers, Inc. : Always a Light at the End of the Tunnel

Yes, oh, yes, I am a believer in optimism. It’s simply easier to live life that way. The collection of authors in Overcomers, Inc. believe in optimism as well.

This new book is a collection of one-chapter essays about the whats and ways of living through adversity, of claiming the learning and the blessing, of finding light in the darkness. Their stories are perfect for those moments in which we all find ourselves on occasion … lost, hopeless, fearful and uninspired.

To give you a taste of this book, let me cite a few of their stories …

Mary Hays-Bridges creates a wonderful acronym for HOPE.

Happiness + Optimism + Perseverance _ Endurance = HOPE

Marthe-Lee Bohn finds the blessing in Hurricane Katrina after her husband’s untimely death.

Steve Rotz, commercial real estate developer, takes a huge risk and learns that “action, knowledge, and passion can combine to create magical results.

Founder of Envision Lifeworks, Julio Blanco learns that God will work perfectly in your life if you bring but one grace to the table: desire. If you crave your best life, your purpose will seek you.

Susan Hampton creates a magical acronym for the word now. New Omnipotent Ways.

Dr. Nelie Johnson, a practicing family physician, suggests that we give up brainstorming for heart-storming. (Ain’t that grand?)

Amelie Chance learns her greatest life lesson from the Airplane Safety speech and finds the courage to end a well-meant but fruitless marriage.

Each of these writers is some sort of life coach. Each has his or her specialty. What pulls them all together, other than the desire for legitimacy that a book gives any author, is their earnest belief in the processes they advocate.

It doesn’t really matter, dear one, how you get to heaven on earth. The point is that you can. We all can.

Many years ago a friend of mine quoted the wise urban shaman, Donna Henes, as saying, “Your mama never told you bedtime facts, she told you bedtime stories.” These chapters are perfect stories to keep us all learning, growing, and keeping on.

Chillax

Seeds XI, 42

Seed: Chillax

Here’s a funny word that a client of mine made up! It’s her combination of “chill,” a direct assignment to use a cooler head to think about something, and “relax,” a direct command to her body to cooperate.

I know it’s silly, but when I heard her murmuring this to herself one day as she arrived for a session, I remembered what fun it is to make up words, which I did all the time as a kid.

When he was a toddler, my youngest brother noticed our side-by-side refrigerator/freezer, and coined the term, “freezerator.” Which was much more accurate.

What words did you make up as a kid? Could they still be used today? Why not?

I think the freedom to create words is one the best freedoms we have.

So if you’re having menopause moments or senior moments grasping for a word you can’t remember at the moment, chillax! It’ll come, or you’ll just make up a new one.

Be joy,

Susan Corso

Dr. Susan Corso

Seeds are remarkable gifts. Sown in consciousness, they bring you to the most important part of your being—your Divine Spark.

Check out the Seeds Archive for past messages of inspiration.

When you have friends you would like added to the Seeds e-mail list, send their addresses to me at susan@susancorso.com.

For spiritual nourishment, please visit my website www.susancorso.com

and my blogs Seeds for Sanctuary, God’s Dictionary,

Ode Magazine, and The Huffington Post.

Follow me on Twitter @PeaceCorso

Blog Action Day Special Post: Climate Change

Today is Blog Action Day, and I am pleased to participate in a worldwide blogging event on Climate Change.

Many years ago, I wrote a book called God’s Dictionary. Tarcher/Putnam published it in 2002. It was about folk etymology, a way I developed of looking for the deeper spiritual meanings in everyday words.

When I got to thinking about Climate Change, it came to me that the etymologies of words had to mean something together. Consider this:

Climate

from Late Latin clima- via Greek roots

meaning inclination or slope

Interesting, isn’t it, that we humans have created quite a slippery slope in terms of our climate at this point. The pundits go back and forth about whether we’re in time to change things or we’re out of time and the hell with it. It’s doesn’t really matter because whatever we do, (and I know many, including myself, who do small, consistent things to help with climate change) it will change things. In fact, that’s the only guarantee.

So now, let’s consider Change from my book:

Change

cambire = to exchange, or barter

    We deal with change all the time often without even noticing it. When I order in dinner from a local restaurant and I tip the delivery person, I often say simply, “Keep the change.” What am I really giving here? When I say it unconsciously, I mean, “The balance of the money is yours to keep.” When I say it with intention, I’m saying a blessing as well: “May your life change as you wish it to change.” This, for a few coins! We even call them “small change.” Sometimes I wonder if there even is such a thing as small change.

    When clients come to me wanting a quick fix to change their lives, I tell them that human change isn’t like turning a row boat mid-stream which, if you’ve ever done it, you know is simple—put one oar in the water and pull. Instead, most deep change is like turning the Queen Elizabeth II. Stately, slow, majestic, and by God, once the captain has made that 180 degree turn, the ocean liner is turned for keeps.

    The next time you handle small change, remember that you’re the captain., and realize that real change is really barter. You exchange the small changes for the big change you’re seeking. Ask: How can I exchange small changes for the large ones I want in my life today?

Infinition: Change comes easily to me and I adapt well to all kinds of change. Small changes lead to the large ones I’m choosing for my life.

There’s a real simple and elegant solution to climate change on our planet: everyone must do their own little part. Small changes will shift the slippery slope of climate deterioration to climate adjustment, which is all the Earth wants anyway.

Afformation Creates Marketing Plan

God bless Noah St. John, and his open teaching of his new mind technique: The Afformation! Without it, I would never have been able to do what I needed to do for my new literary agent.

My agent is going to New York at the end of October on a sales trip. Part of her agenda is to sell my mystery series The Healing Mysteries of Mex Stone. In order to do that, she needed a marketing plan for the series.

When I read that email, my heart sank. Argh. Marketing. I’m really good at it for other folks but not so much for myself. I don’t know what happens to my brain, but something shuts down when it comes to marketing my own work. I know I’m not the only one with this malaise.

Enter my hero, Noah St. John. I’ve been using his Afformations for months so I was relieved that my brilliant brain came up with this one.

Why is it so easy for me to do the marketing plan?

And, like all afformations, I knew I just had to sit with the question; I didn’t have to answer it.

Here’s what happened: about two days after I starting asking myself this, I looked carefully at the sample fiction plan Nancy’s assistant had sent me. It didn’t look too bad. Then I opened a file and named it Mex Marketing Plan and typed in all the headings from the sample. Closed the file.

Two days more went by. I reopened the file, and voila! The first heading was Title. I changed it to Titles because mysteries are often sold as series. I knew the titles of my first three Mex books: Oklahoma! Hex, Brigadoon Moon, Butterfly Fan. Typed them in. Item #1 done.

Sometimes accomplishments are teeny, tiny steps.

Item #2 Author. Well, I knew that one, too. I use a pseudonym just for fun. Shulamith Burton (a.k.a. Dr. Susan Corso). Done! Breathing easier. All the while I kept afforming. Why is this so easy for me?

#3 Backstory. Hmm, I thought, I have already written this. I checked my original promo document for the series. Sure enough, there it was. Edit/Copy/Paste. Done!

#4 Descriptions. Those are already written, too. E/C/P. Voila!

I won’t bore you with the rest but it ended up 10 pages and I was really proud when I put it in the Priority Mail envelope for my sweetie to take to the post office and send.

The miracles that abounded were entirely amazing …

My friend the academic rewrote all the blurbs making them much more efficient and intriguing sounding … thanks, Rona.

My friend the marketing wizard added his two cents in … making me sound like I knew what I was talking about in the business part of marketing … thanks, Court.

My friend the comedian and author himself made the time to tighten the blurbs and descriptions even more … he also made some stellar online suggestions … thanks, Eddie.

My friend and press agent made the time to read the whole thing over before I sent it … her final comment was that it was a home run … thanks, Jen.

And it turned out to be a lot of work but ultimately very satisfying because I had a tool to use when I got the weirds, friends who stepped up to help me in awesome ways, and the courage to keep going.

So when you’re stuck, start to use your brain to help you. Afform!

P.S. Typical Libra. I sent my agent three different cover sheets because I couldn’t decide which one to use. She’ll know what’s right.

Columbus Day & One Other

Today is a special day to me. When I was little, Columbus Day was my birthday, and I was certain that the national holiday was all for me. That changed in 1971 on my 14^th birthday. It made me mad then, but not any more. Every once in a while, every seven years, the holiday falls again on my nativity.

I like the idea that I share my birthday with the beautiful country I live in. Interestingly, the history of Columbus Day is a checkered one. Wikipedia says:

“Many countries in the New World and elsewhere celebrate the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the Americas, which occurred on October 12, 1492 in the Julian calendar and October 21, 1492 in the modern Gregorian calendar, as an official holiday. The day is celebrated as Columbus Day in the United States, as Día de la Raza (Day of the Race) in many countries in Latin America, as Día de las Culturas (Day of the Cultures) in Costa Rica, as Discovery Day in The Bahamas, as Día de la Hispanidad and Fiesta Nacional in Spain, as Día de las Américas (Day of the Americas) in Uruguay and as Día de la Resistencia Indígena (Day of Indigenous Resistance) in Venezuela.”

Many years ago now, I was awakened by the words of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Rigoberta Menchú about Columbus Day. She wrote:

“One cannot really talk about a discovery of America. America and its native civilizations discovered themselves. The 12^th of October is a date that represents cultural plurality in the Americas.”

There are all sorts of celebrations and protests on Columbus Day all over the world for all different reasons. What it reminds me to do is appreciate the recognition of the place where we live from the microcosm to the macrocosm. My home, my street, my town, my state, my country, my planet. Appreciation makes things easier in daily life. I’m so grateful for the original inhabitants of this side of the world. I’m grateful for their centuries-old cultures. I’m so glad there are people who insist on preserving these traditions. Rigoberta is right.

I’m also glad that Christopher Columbus busted the Here There Be Dragons mythos and sailed around our round world to prove that he wouldn’t fall off. I’m glad he was so brave. I’m glad he kept going when he lost faith. I’m glad he went back and forth across the pond.

I’m so very grateful for all the people who live in the Americas with me, and especially for birthday siblings … Telly, Laurence, Aleister and Luciano, and I’m sure there are zillions more.

As I write there is a helium balloon anchored by a red plastic heart floating above my desk proclaiming ‘I Love You’ from my spouse. Two presents await me. I know I’ll hear from friends and family all over.

So happy birthday, Americas. And many more.