Simple Abundance

Well here we are in the middle of the holiday season with "ten shopping days" left until Christmas. I must say this is one of my favorite times of year, and I have enjoyed this Christmas season so much, but not for the reasons you might think. I have had some wonderful experiences this holiday season.

I was visited by my younger brother and his girlfriend in the beginning of the month and treated to Knotts Berry Farm which I had not been to in years! We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves looking at all the Christmas decorations and the highlight for me was getting on the "Accelerator," an 82 MPH rollercoaster!

The next week, my parents came down and stayed for a few days. The time went by so fast, but we enjoyed having them down during this holiday season. I know my daughter really enjoyed seeing her grandparents and I could tell she was sad when they left. While they were down we saw "The Glory of Christmas" at the Crystal Cathedral. I have always wanted to visit and I finally did with my family. It was really a very special performance telling the story of Christmas through narrative and song with seven angels and live animals.

Next I went with my wife to her company Christmas party. Every year we say we are going to go but something always seems to come up, but not this year. It was small but nice, and the food was good. I think just the idea of getting away for a few hours was a lot of fun. Well there have been party invitations as well. We attended a birthday party for a friend's son and it was so good to see old friends as well as meet new.

This year has been different though as we agreed with our family and friends not to give "gifts." We have a large family and decided we would not purchase gifts as is our usual custom. I have noticed that what is most important is giving the gift of our time or presence. I have not missed the stores, crowds, or rushing around to finish last minute shopping. We didn't even go out and buy a fresh tree this year.

We have a nice artificial tree that we usually put up in one of the rooms but is not our main tree. This year we put it up right after Thanksgiving and it was just enough. The same with the gifts. We made some things that we have given away and my daughter is forever making art and crafts to give away. I'm not sure if it is the recession or what, but we usually receive a lot of Christmas cards, but this year has been the lowest ever! The strange thing is that it felt fine. Everybody who wanted to has called or written or we have visited already.

Even when my family came to visit there was a sense of "fullness" and a feeling that we had everything we needed. There was no need to buy anything for we had everything: Our family, friends, health, jobs, dogs, a cat, I mean what else could we want? Even still there were gifts...not new mind you, but things that were given with heart-felt thought. I received a "new" coat that was given to me by an old friend of the family back in my hometown who thought I might appreciate it, and I did! Then there was the food that my parents brought...handmade pasta from a shop where people wait hours to get in just to buy their favorite foodies. Again not ham or steak, but pasta, ravioli to be specific, tasty and simple.

I've been counting my blessings since Thanksgiving and I continue to thank The Universe for all that it has provided this year. I feel truly grateful for all that we have this season. In a time when our country is faced with a recession and with people losing houses, businesses, jobs, and relationships, I feel truly fortunate.

This has been a Christmas of Simple Abundance. We have had an abundance of love, kindness, and simple things. No we did not buy a new car, t.v., computer, or anything that lavish, but we have enjoyed time with our families, friends, and with our pets. We have laughed, drank hot apple cider, and eggnog and sang Christmas Carols. I have built a fire that took me way too long and then burned way into the morning to keep us warm and toasty. My daughter decorated Gingerbread cookies in the park, and I'm still grateful for her wonderful homeschooling classes.

Again, simple abundance. And as they said in the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree Lighting the other night.

PEACE ON EARTH AND GOODWILL TOWARDS WO/MAN!

Thanks Giving

With Thanksgiving just a few day away, we have the perfect opportunity to really allow a feeling of gratitude to fill us. When we are grateful for all the blessings we have, we allow more to come into our lives. Feeling grateful for what we have is a feeling that all is well and that there is not want. For there is no "want" in The Universe" because it is all expansive and ever creating. There is no "need" for we are provided for everything we need. When we understand this at a core level we know that we are always provided for and looked after.

When we feel that we "need" something then we are living in a state of "want" and longing for what we do not have and this only causes pain and suffering. If we can change our thoughts to being grateful and having enough we will be begin to feel the abundance that surrounds us. Once we feel abundant we attract more abundance. There is not that anxious feeling of want but rather the feeling that we have so much more than we could ever use.

Many of us don't think about the fact that most of what we consider problems are really not problems, but abundance. When we have a full schedule and have "no time" and we have to clean up our house, and we begin to complain inside our heads about all the things we have to do. We have parties to prepare for and places to go and jobs to do, and the list goes on and on...these are all abundance.

Think about it! You have family and friends that keep you so busy...that is abundance. A job that you have to work at...yep abundance. A messy house that needs cleaning...yep abundance. Think of all that you have and how much you have and say a silent "thank you." Throughout the day see if you can reframe how you look at all these so called "problems" to one of abundance.

As you do, you will see miracles happen right before your eyes, because The Universe smiles on those who are thankful for all they have been given. The more you have the more you have to be thankful for and the more you have been given the more you have to give. As you begin to understand that the more you give, the more that is given to you, you will begin to witness a wonderful flow of energy that can be seen in the wonderful life that you will see before your eyes.

In Peace, Love, and Gratitude,

George

Visualization Pillow

As I prepare for Vision Quest 2009, I have an added element to enhance the guided meditation process. I have created "The Visualization Pillow." This is a wonderfully relaxing and refreshing pillow that rests over your eyes as you meditate or visualize on what you intend to manifest. It is made of crushed purple velvet and feels luxurious against the skin. Inside is where the real magic begins in that it is filled with high-grade French blue lavender and flax seed. This makes it very healthy and safe for children and pets.

The aroma this pillow gives off is amazing! It can be used to enhance your visualization experience or to relax your nerves, clear your mind, or to help with falling asleep as well. It is really quite amazing. Lavender is known to have healing qualities and this is certainly the case for me.

The other day, I had a rare tension headache and placed the pillow upon my eyes and inhaled deeply and after about a ten minute rest the headache was gone! These are also excellent for those of you that have trouble sleeping, nightmares or bad dreams. My daughter took one to bed with her and said she had only sweet dreams. I actually fell asleep with one and found my dream life quite active and enhanced.

These make nice natural gifts for the holidays!

The cost is only $15.00 + shipping and handling
For more information you can write me at gccoaching@yahoo.com or call 1-877-774-9333

Vision Board Play Day with George Castro, LMFT

Hello Everybody,

I've been so busy with all the wonderful things I have in the works that I forgot to post a short video from our Vision Board Play Day on September 20th, 2008. It was a very fun, creative, and productive day! We had a full house and the energy was very high. I was very impressed by all the wonderful Vision Boards that were created that day. Here is a very short introduction of the day.

In Peace and Love,

George

Success, Wealth, and Prosperity

The other day I heard somebody say that “she could not demonstrate prosperity unless she had a certain number of people to listen to her speak.” I was dumbfounded at this remark because her words were her personal affirmation and demonstrated her belief system. I am sure she has created exactly as she believes. This is a very interesting perspective and you could fill in the blank with whatever you want… “I cannot demonstrate prosperity unless_______________________.” You can see the fundamental error in thinking when you look at this example. First it is already affirming a negative and a lack so there is no way that this person “could demonstrate prosperity” with this mindset, but more importantly prosperity is so much more than financial gain. In this particular case the person was talking about money, but prosperity is not just about money. Prosperity is a spiritual principle that applies to health, happiness, wealth, good fortune, and yes money.

Wealth, Success, and Prosperity are often used to describe money but the truth is that there is so much more to Prosperity than money. We demonstrate prosperity whenever we are grateful for all that we have and we see that there is no lack in The Universe, not really, only in our minds and our limitations that we place on ourselves and others. When we understand that every individual is born perfect and has the potential to be, do and have whatever they want by their birthright and understand that there is no “lack” and hence no number needed to “demonstrate” prosperity. It isn’t a certain amount of dollars, clients, cars, relationships, houses, or whatever else our minds can conjure up. All that is illusion and what keeps us separated from our true selves and from happiness and true joy. When we put these kinds of expectations upon ourselves and others we can never be happy or prosperous. We will constantly try to fill ourselves and attain enough of whatever it is we think we need. We will continually seek happiness in things and others. True Prosperity is an inside job. It is an effect that overflows from the cause of our right thinking.

I felt very sad for this person who said this too because she works with others and money and really thought she had to have a specific number of potential clients in the room or it wasn’t worth her time. It was all about quantity and not about quality. This person did not understand the first thing about spiritual principles or the law of cause and effect or she would have understood that prosperity is a way of mind. A way of thinking that says, “I have all that I need” and “The Universe provides and gives me all I want and need.” To want or need affirms lack as opposed to gratitude which affirms abundance. When we are grateful for what we have we see the abundance everywhere and we overflow with Prosperity and Joy. We demonstrate Prosperity by living our life’s purpose and showing others our passion and allowing that which we have been given to flow back to others. We demonstrate our wealth by giving back what was given to us in time, energy, knowledge, money, or whatever it is we have to offer. When we put out into the world what we have been given The Universe rewards us ten times ten fold what we have given. We must in essence, give it away to keep it. Prosperity is about creating and adding value to the world through our loving kindness and letting that flow from us to others. It is about giving and not taking. When we are doing what we love we are prosperous, wealthy, and successful no matter the numbers. Nothing anybody can do or say can change that or take that away from you. You are living your life from your true purpose or core genius. Your success cannot be measured by the number of widgets you create, sell, or earn. You are successful by your very love for what you do and your energy and enthusiasm will attract whatever it is you seek be it clients, money, or things. It is a mindset that you already are successful. It is not a destination to be achieved. That somehow you are here but you want to be there. You are always here and you understand that the time is always now!

The idea that somehow we are waiting to have something or attain something is an illusion which keeps us further away from happiness. We demonstrate prosperity by our health, wealth, and thinking. The right way of thinking is what brings all things to us. A good question to ask is how have I attracted these results or lack thereof? When we take responsibility for all that we have created through our thoughts including the good, the not so good, and everything, we will understand the powerful position we are in to change things we do not like in our lives and to create and re-create at will.

Wishing You Much Prosperity,

George

George Castro, LMFT is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Life Coach, and Intuitive Healer. For more information you can write George at gccoaching.com or visit him on the web at http://www.georgecastromft.com

Vision Boards

Hello Everybody!

Well it has been awhile since my last post, but I wanted to write a little about Vision Boards. I will be giving a workshop on Vision Boards on March 28th, 2008 at The Core Your Perfect Center in Redondo Beach and thought it appropriate to write a bit about them.

Vision Boards are a very powerful tool that have gone by many names over the years. They have been known as Treasure Maps, Vision Boards, Dream Boards, and Visioning Boards. The idea behind the Vision Board is that we think in pictures and what we enter into our brains, our super-computer, the brain goes to work to try to attain or in the case of a problem to try to solve. This happens on a subconscious level and many times without us even trying. This is why many times we have our "inspirations" or "aha" moments when we are in the shower or right before we fall asleep or awake. We are in between the sub-conscious and conscious state that allows for a flow of ideas to take place. "A stroke of genius."

Athletes and coaches use the same process of "visioning" to help them achieve the results they want during a game or tough match. The athlete learns how to meditate and how to "see" or "vision" himself making the shot or making the play exactly as he would want it. You see the brain does not judge what we put into it, it just goes about the business of trying to solve problems and achieve what we ask of it. "What the mind can conceive the body can achieve" as was stated by Napoleon Hill and W.Clement Stone.

The Vision Board works much the same as we imagine or vision ourselves in our "perfect life." The way it works is very simple. We take a board or any material actually that is easy for you to handle and work with and we take images that we have collected from magazines, books, photos, text, print, artwork, material, or whatever you choose that represents the things you want to attain in your life. The more specific we can be with what we want and the clearer we are about our intention to receive it the easier it is to achieve the things we desire. So whenever possible try to personalize your board to suit you. This may mean putting your own picture in juxtaposition to the items you want to attain.

For some this will be easy and fun and you will have a blast just picking out the images you want to attach to your board. For others it may raise questions about what you truly want in your life. Remember this is your opportunity to create your life just as you would want it to be.

This may be more challenging for others as the possibility of actually attaining what we want in our life is a big responsibility. I have done this exercise for many years and you would be surprised with how many people are actually afraid of getting what they want in life. Many talk about the fear of failure but what it really is about is the fear of success of truly seeing who we are and what we want in life.

I would like to say that there is not a right or wrong way to create a Vision Board. Only you know what your ideal life looks like so you create it the way you want it! In my experience the true power of the Vision Board comes from the therapeutic task itself which is a right-brain activity which is the creative and intuitive side of our brains. When we engage this part we short-circuit the left-brain or the critical and analytical thinking brain. This is important for a couple of reasons.

One it allows us to connect with our intuitive or higher self, which some call Source, The Universe or God, but it also allows us to flow from a place that is not judging criticizing what we feel or want to attain in life. Too often when we take part in the process of working to attain what we want we judge it and it never gets off the ground. The ideas we receive from our intuition our God inspired and are our truth.

When we come from this place and listen to what we truly feel and act on it we feel powerful and successful because we are aligned with our highest good. We are doing that which brings us the most joy and happiness in the world.

I encourage you all to create a Vision Board with the things you would like to attain and put it in a place where you will see it and be reminded and meditate on these things to bring them to fruition.

If you would like to join us we will be meeting at The Core located at 4450 W 182nd St. in Redondo Beach, CA. 90278 from 7:00-9:00 PM.

I look forward to seeing you there!

In peace and love,

George

George Castro, LMFT is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Life Coach and can be reached at gccoaching@yahoo.com or visit him on the web at http://www.gccoaching.com

All We Need is Love

We have all heard the line that we must love ourselves before we can love another but do we understand the true meaning of this thought? The idea that we are all connected and bound together by the same creative force that connects the oceans and the stars is one that is mind-boggling, but when we accept that there is but one creative energy that runs through us and our neighbor then we begin to understand that what we think, say, and do to others we do to ourselves.

There is no getting ahead of our neighbor or the person in line or the person on the freeway. "Love thy neighbor as thyself" is a powerful statement. When we understand that their is no competition only cooperation we understand the true meaning of the statement. The converse is also true. When we love ourselves and give to ourselves all that we need without judgement and allow our best self to shine through we make the world a better place. We literally help others when we become the best person we can be. Now this may happen indirectly or directly but we literally make the world better when we live up to our highest potential.

So instead of waiting for somebody to give you something for Valentine's Day or to do something for you, try loving yourself and doing something nice for yourself first and then others. Write yourself a love letter and tell yourself all things you love about yourself. You can start by writing: Dear____________, I love__________, and I love________. See if you can make a long list that you can keep with you. Remember to sign it with a loving signature and put lots of X0X0X0.

You can also send out thoughts of love to all those that are not with you, and to those that are you can express it to them directly through your thoughts, actions, and words. You don't have to go out and buy anything. Make your love a gift or better yet do something nice for them. It can be anything from making them a cake to making their favorite meal, or doing something thoughtful like washing the dishes or other task.

If you're not feeling particularly loving then this is a clue that you need to fill your love tank. Go to the mirror and look directly into your own eyes and tell yourself, "I Love You." At first it will be difficult and your mind will resist, but keep saying it in as a convincing voice as you can. Tell yourself all the things you love about yourself. Keep doing this until it begins to feel true. You will notice a shift in your affect and your thoughts will change as well.

When we feel good about ourselves we feel good about others! Think good thoughts and do something nice for yourself and those around you.

Wishing you much love today and always,

George

George Castro, LMFT is a licensed marriage and family therapist and life coach. He can be reached at gccoaching@yahoo.com or visit him on the web at www.georgecastromft.com

The Thoughts We Think The Words We Speak

The words we speak are a manifestation of the thoughts we think. Want to know how somebody is thinking then just listen to him to speak. People who speak words of gratitude, love, and peace, are thinking these thoughts!

The words we speak are blessings and curses depending on how we use them. This is why we must be mindful of the thoughts we think so that we can speak the truth as we know it. The clearer we are in our mind and in our thoughts the quicker we will attain the things that we want. Listen to the things you say. Your words are very powerful. Do you affirm abundance, health, and success or do you condemn yourself and others and create more of the same?

Some people have been living without consciously thinking about what they are saying about themselves. They call themselves dumb, stupid, or fat. Think about how horrible this feels to hear and that is exactly what the sub-conscious mind does when we say these things. It records them and does not judge them. It is a like a super-computer whose only job is do what you tell it. If you say you are poor, dumb, and fat, so be it. Not only does it store the information, but it goes into action trying to attain what you asked of it.

Many don't even realize they do this to themselves daily. Many of us have been conditioned from such an early age about a multitude of things including how to feel about ourselves. Where did we get that conditioning you ask? From family, friends, teachers, mentors, the media, etc. When we are children we are very impressionable to wide range of influences and not all of them positive.

Over time we "believe" what others have told us on any given subject. We have not learned to critically "think" about anything. To think requires energy and conscious action it is not just responding to what we "think" we know. We respond usually with the information we have stored in the super-computer the sub-conscious. Now if all we have in there is negative thoughts and ideas then we need to start to clean house. Many of us have negative ideas about ourselves, our family, money, other countries etc. The list goes on and on and it is up to us to start to really think about what we want our lives to be like.

We literally can have anything we want when we use this wonderful gift we have and decipher what is true from what is not true. Many times the critical parent or teacher can have such a negative impact on us with just their words. Just by stating something in the negative is all it takes. This is like a poison and can infect your thinking for a long time. You see the sub-conscious mind will store this information forever. You can learn to replace these thoughts and ideas but the majority of people have them running like bad computer programs. Just like a virus these negative thoughts and beliefs slow us down and drain our energy.

The converse of this is also true! We can bless ourselves and others. We can think good thoughts and tell ourselves good things about ourself and others and we begin to actually feel good. Try it! Tell youself something good about yourself like, "I am a good____________" and see how you feel. Now imagine you did this all the time with the different areas of your life! "I have wonderful friends and a beautiful relationship." You get the idea. Our lives would be transformed. Want to have a good day then think positive thoughts of everybody! Give everybody the benefit of the doubt! Be grateful for everything you have and wish the best for others and you will see it comes back to you.

Wishing you health, happiness, and prosperity,

George

George Castro, M.S., LMFT is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Life Coach. You can reach George at gccoaching@yahoo.com or visit him on the web at http://www.gccoaching.com

Letting Go

We often don't think much about letting go, but rather gaining or attaining. The secret to really getting what we want is one of letting go. We have to be able to let go of ideas, things, behaviors and relationships that no longer work for us. How do we know if they work for us you ask? Well if we are not happy with what we have in our lives then they are not working for us. The paradox of the situation is funny because in order to gain more of what we want we must be o.k. with what we have. I know it sounds contraditory but it's not.

When we think we do not have something we create the feeling of lack or of need which does not attract success. Ask anybody who has been looking for a date or life partner. When we feel the energy of desperation we are not attracted, we usually run the other way. We must begin to feel o.k. with what we have and really come to peace with ourselves, our jobs, our cars, our pay.

Now just for clarity sake I'm not suggesting complacency by any means, I'm suggesting we come to accept where we are and to appreciate all that we do have. When we think, "I'm pretty happy" with myself, my job, my life, then we create feelings of love and peace and that's extremely attactive! Think about it. Are you more attracted to the desperate car sales man trying to make a sale or the high-end person who knows they have the goods and lets you make your own decision. See the difference. It is one of attraction and we are all attracted to loving and peaceful people.

So where do we start? We begin to cultivate the seeds of gratitude in our minds. We can begin by just being grateful for what we have here and now. Whatever your situation is you can be grateful and express this in a multitude of ways. You can consciously choose to think positive thoughts. Don't let negative thoughts enter your mind as they grow like weeds! You can also begin to slow down and notice the beauty that surrounds you and thank your creator whoever that may be for you. Lastly before you go to bed, run through your mind briefly the thoughts of the day and "thank" The Universe for providing you with everything you needed. You can start by saying "thank you for________," and "thank you for_________." You want to get to a place where all you are filled with is an abundance of gratitude. When we become so full that we fall off to sleep only thinking of the good that surrounds us we will be over flowing with love and peacefulness.

Another step we can take is to rid ourselves of things that no longer serve us or drain our energy. We tend to hold onto things much longer than is good for us. We need to flow more and allow good things into our life and this requires making space for those things to come into our life.

If we have a house full of junk and a garage full too we only clutter up our brains with thoughts that drain us. We want to be renewed and born again for the new year. This is our life and it's a celebration so we must be willing to let go of the past which only holds us down. Have a garage sale or give things away. We often hold onto items that we perceive have value when in reality they are costing us so much more in mental energy to support them.

Look at the storage business in the U.S. We've created large receptacles to hold our "stuff" until a later "time" when we will "use" them. This is crazy! The only time is now and we have to be willing to release what is not working if we want a different life. We must think differently and only then will we feel and behave differently. For everything that surrounds us started from a single thought.

Clear out all the cobwebs of your mind by taking care of your body, mind, and spirit. We need to be mindful of what we think and what we say. Even saying words like "dumb" "stupid" or "poor" or whatever negative word you may be using drain our energy to create. Say those words over and see how you feel as compared to "happy" "loving" "peaceful" "abundant" "joyful" "healthty" "prosperous". Feel the difference?

When we use our words we are putting into action all our thoughts and intentions to The Universe. We are literally creating our life by the thoughts we think of ourselves and others. Don't believe me think good things of yourself and the people in your life and they appear loving and god-like. Think negative and angry thougths and watch the re-action you receive. Lets live our lives on purpose and make conscious decisions about what we want for ourselves.

Wishing you much health, happiness, and prosperity,

George

George Castro is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Life Coach and can be reached at gccoaching@yahoo.com or visit him on the web at http://www.gccoaching.com

Vision Quest 2008 Attract Success Now

We are ten days into the New Year and in order to kick off this year right I presented the first of a three-part series entitled Vision Quest 2008: Attract Success Now. The first part was absolutely wonderful! The group was very high energy and we were talking away and getting acquainted and re-acquainted with one another. There were some new faces and some old friends that have been attending my Success Principles Coaching Circle for some time. It was great to see everybody and catch up with what was going on in our lives. Eventually we did the guided meditation and I have to say that it went very very well. I was impressed with the quality of the visioning that everybody experienced. We had some awesome experiences. Thank you everybody who attended and made this a very successful event. I can't wait for next week when we will do Part II which will consist of creating goals for the seven areas of our lives and affirmations to manifest them.

Wishing everybody much health, happiness, and prosperity in 2008!

George

George Castro, LMFT is a licensed therapist and life coach in private practice. If you have questions or thoughts you can contact him at gccoaching@yahoo.com or visit him on the web at www.gccoaching.com

Christmas is Everyday

I wonder if it's possible to keep that Christ-mas feeling all year long. I love the way people transform for a short period of time every year. And it's not just people who celebrate the holiday. It seems that for about a month during the year people are actually nice to one another and act like they love one another. They have the Christmas Spirit!

What if we could keep that feeling all year. Imagine...what would the world be like? Try it and see if you can keep that Spirit all year long. I try by leaving my lights up as long as possible and then I usually leave a few bits of Christ-mas out throughout the house to remind me to be kind and loving to others.

I know it can be difficult as we live in such a fast-paced world where we are on to the next holiday without even appreciating what we have in front of us. So while the stores rush to put out their Valentine's Day decorations and cards, I still am enjoying the beauty of my green tree. Christmas is over when I say it is over...ha ha.

The smell alone puts me in a good mood. I hate to throw it out and let the holiday go, but as I plan for next year and the lights I will put up and the decorations, I feel a peace come over me knowing that for one small period of time there is brotherly love and the hope that peace on earth really is possible. It renews my faith in the human race as I witness all the love that surrounds me.

Christmas is not once a year, but everyday in our hearts and in our minds. We can hold these positive thoughts and feelings of others for as long as we want.

-George

George Castro, LMFT is a licensed therapist and life coach and can be reached at gccoaching@yahoo.com or visit him on the web at http://www.gccoaching.com