Elizabeth Hepburn...The Blog

Greatful

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Hepburn) — Sun, 09 May 2010 10:15:13 PDT

For many years, I've held that the value of the two little words "thank you" is inestimable. Thank you - feeling and, more importantly, expressing gratitude. And today I'm noticing the word 'grateful' and I'm hearing and seeing the word 'greatful'. Hmmm. That's what makes us feel so good when we're full of gratitude, we're full of the 'Great' - The Good, Love, God. It's been said that gratitude is the ultimate heart opener and now, to me, this is why. Consciously or unconsciously, when we’re feeling grateful, we're directly connecting with the Divine, the very essence of us, of Life. What could be better! I invite you all to join me now in becoming ever increasingly aware of our Greatfulness.

What Gifted Men!

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Hepburn) — Tue, 11 May 2010 12:21:29 PDT

My friend Milla Ilieva gifted me mightily yesterday. She had invited me to join her at a Health & Wellness Day, that was part of an ongoing series called Times Talks. Tina Parker-Pope, consumer health columnist for The New York Times, did a great job of moderating fabulously informative and inspiring interviews with Dr. Deepak Chopra and Dr. Mehmet Oz. These men have long been heroes of mine.

I’ve already written with gratitude about Dr. Chopra. His ‘quantum healing’ work surfaced shortly after my intense indoctrination into the marvels of the body/mind/spirit connection as a student of the extraordinary teacher and healer, Hilda Charlton. This turned out to be an indoctrination that healed me and totally transformed my life. Our scientific community and Dr. Chopra were now making available to the masses what Hilda had been teaching, and the ancient wise ones espousing, for millennia – that the Universe and everything in it is energy. And that in the case of us humans, this energy pulsing unceasingly within us, is profoundly affected by our thoughts and the feelings they engender, as well as our beliefs and attitudes. These can be either healthful to our physical bodies or harmful to them. As Chopra tells us repeatedly our bodies are not frozen sculptures in time and space, they are pulsating energy, ever changing, ever renewing themselves. They are self repairing mechanisms, which is a constant message in my own work. He spoke of addictions yesterday and encouraged us to become increasingly aware of our choices. We always have choice. Expanding awareness is the antidote to addictions, along with finding ways to inspire ourselves. Inspiration always works, he said. His message was abundant with far too much wisdom and information to cover here, but his parting words for our ongoing wellness were:

1) Good Sleep
2) Awareness of everything we put into our bodies
3) Taking the Vow for Wellness (make one up for yourself)
4) Moving – the body needs to move!

Dr. Mehmet Oz appeared on my radar in the 90’s when the Magazine Section of the Sunday Times presented an in depth article about his prowess as a cardiac surgeon. The pictures showed him to be quite a young man, extremely attractive – movie star looks – with great respect for, and close affiliation with, healers. My heart smiled. Now, of course, he’s a really big star with his own TV show, which evolved out of his many appearances on Oprah where he educated the masses about health and well-being. He shared with us yesterday that although his surgical practice was wonderfully fulfilling, he lived for a long time with the frustration that his patients didn’t need to have arrived at such a difficult and painful place in their lives. So much of their disease was preventable. He finally decided to go outside the box and teach us how to truly care for ourselves, so that many of us won’t have to undergo such invasive treatments. Though the TV show demands a lot of his time, he still operates one day a week. He knows that this intimate involvement with his patients remains a big part of his purpose in life. He encourages us all to make peace with our purpose in life. Like Dr. Chopra, he emphasizes having good sleep each night – most of us need seven to seven and a half hours. He encourages developing eating habits that truly nourish our body/mind system as well as doing some form of exercise every day. He feels that first thing in the morning a brief routine of stretching will serve us tremendously. Once our many faceted days begin, exercise often falls between the cracks. I can relate to that one. Dr. Oz exudes enthusiasm and joie de vivre. His vibrant aliveness in person and on TV is totally infectious. I’ve thought from the first time I saw him on Oprah that this man would do more for preventative medicine than any one on the planet. He reaches millions with his message of taking responsibility for our own lives. He’s delightfully human and fun and brilliantly aware of the love and caring that are mandatory for our own well-being and the health and well-being of our world. My heart overflows with gratitude for these two divinely gifted men. Thank you, Dr. Oz! Thank you, Dr. Chopra! Thank you Milla!

Love

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Hepburn) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:38:44 PDT

Years ago I wanted to write a song about Love. Not romantic love, though that’s wonderful, but the glue of the Universe, Love, the essential energy, Love, the “God is Love”, Love. Though it had never occurred to me that I’d ever write a song, this would become my second composition. Amazing!– I sang songs, I didn’t write them. But I felt the prompting and for the next week went about my life with a tape recorder ever at the ready. I’d hum the melody into it – I’d get a few lyrics waiting for a bus. In very short order I had a song. Richard Shulman, my fabulous pianist at the time, added accompaniment to the melody and there we were – "Love Is The Answer" was a full blown song. The opening lyrics:

Love surrounds us every moment
Refreshing us with every breath we take.
Smell it in the beauteous rose,
Hear it in the sweet bird’s song,
See it everywhere you choose to look.

Since my spiritual immersion and healing with the extraordinary Hilda Charlton, I have resonated with “God is Love”, feeling and sensing, when conscious and in-the-present, that we all live in this sea of Love (God). This probably explains why the most oft repeated word in Hawaii is Aloha, which means far more than hello and goodbye. It means “The breath of God is in our presence”. Hawaiians also say “Thank you” a lot. These people know they’re living in paradise – they’re very grateful. As am I. Once you’ve slogged through life-threatening disease, you’re very grateful.

And now I find that my mission can best be articulated as gently guiding people to the experience of Love and Peace that resides within us all – as well as all around us all, always – in all ways – even in the throes of dark circumstances. So in my programs and meditations, there’s the encouragement to be grateful throughout the day for the most ordinary things that we all take for granted – the soft sheets that embrace us as we rest in our comfy beds, the water that gushes forth from a faucet at our every beck and call.

Which brings me to the graphic you see above. This picture that I’d clipped out of a magazine years ago suddenly surfaced, and I knew I was to share it now. Every spiritual teaching for millennia has taught us that God is everywhere, in our air, in our water, in everything. So, I suggest that every time we take a shower, we imagine that this is Love (God) pouring upon us – every color of the rainbow soaking into our pores, soothing, relaxing, renewing, revitalizing, healing every cell of us. How blessed we will feel. Why shouldn’t our daily ablutions be consciously healing? Albert Einstein said: Imagination is more important than information. Imagine. Try it.

DeLightful Spring

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Hepburn) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:42:45 PST

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never ending line
Along the margin of a bay;
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee;
A poet could not but be gay
In such a jocud company!
I gazed– and gazed– but little thought,
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie,
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye,
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

William Wordsworth's words danced in my head as I awoke this morning. Spring is more deliciously seeping into the light we see and the air we breathe each and every moment. And as I look at the relentless pace of our lives, I feel the wisdom of gifting ourselves with wandering, even "lonely", in nature. (Central Park or any city park works wonders.) The freshness, newness and abundance of this precious season revitalizes and renews all our senses, to say nothing of our hearts and souls who long to revel in this joy, these new beginnings. Allowing ourselves to open to this beauty is truly the gift that keeps on giving, as we subsequently allow ourselves the luxury of silence and reverie to be ever-nourished by this soul food over and over again at our slightest whim. Relax-Receive-Renew. May Spring's Light bless all.

Serious Illness - A Blessing in Disguise

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Hepburn) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 09:49:05 PST

“Matter is Energy. Energy is Light. We are all Light Beings."
Albert Einstein

Thank you for that profound statement, Albert Einstein. And thank you, Helen Keller, for: “The best and the most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.”

I had a stimulating discussion with a very wise friend recently. He had just read many of the writings from my blog, and though he appreciated them, he also felt that I wasn’t being specific enough. He opined that at times I glided over serious issues a bit too nonchalantly. I must admit that in re-reading some of the material I’ve noticed a glibness of sorts and, of course, that was never my intention. Perhaps in my enthusiasm to share information that had been life saving for me, in which I’ve been immersed for years, and which ever thrills and inspires me, I stated my case too perfunctorily.

Mainly what I write about is my own experience of the energy that we all share – that we all are – and the acknowledgement and embracing of that energy in its myriad guises. And I can hear my wise friend saying right now: “What do you mean by that? Most people won’t understand what you’re talking about. What energy?" Let me explain.

What brought me to my life focus on ‘energy’ was a challenging battle with cancer I had about thirty years ago, which entailed multiple surgeries and three years of chemotherapy. I spent the first four years of this seven-year journey in bewilderment, asking my doctors what I was doing wrong. “I take very good care of myself, why am I in the hospital every twenty minutes?” They didn’t have an answer to that one but were wonderfully skilled and kind and helped me immeasurably. Finally, around the time I was beginning chemotherapy, a deep insight awakened in me. I had to take responsibility for myself in this situation – something in me needed to shift into another gear. Out of the blue, wondrous guidance showed up. In retrospect, I see that I was led to all manner of healing modalities. We’re talking the 70’s here so a lot of this was really foreign to me – acupuncture, acupressure, shiatsu, rolfing, rebirthing. I was guided to health care professionals, seminars, books, and ultimately to my spiritual teacher, Hilda Charlton, who taught me and thousands of others about ‘energy’.

Our scientific community has been telling us for years that the Universe and everything in it – including every cell and atom of our bodies – is energy. Before Quantum Physics became part of our vernacular, Hilda was a living, breathing expression of the Universal Energy that has been the foundation of sacred teachings for all of recorded history. God, The Light, The Source, The Force, Divine Presence, Higher Power – however we wish to label It – that’s what she was sharing. She had us feeling with our hearts. She had us experiencing The Light. She was the catalyst through which many of us were healed. Though Hilda is no longer in her body, she's very much alive through her recordings and books (http://www.hildacharlton.com/) and through the many she inspired to go forth and share their own work in our world. I'm honored to be part of this list which includes Alan Cohen, Rick Jarow, Ron Young, Rita Heap, Lionel Fernandez, Garnette Arledge, Larry Heisler, Linda Cali, Jed Schwartz, Lois Slade, Allen Levy, David Pomerantz, Richard Shulman, Kathleen Donovan, and many more too numerous to mention. We're all so grateful to her.

Becoming attuned to this energy and how profoundly it is affected by our thoughts and feelings ultimately brought health back to my body and changed my life forever. I really ‘got’ that life is lived from within out, and that it's all about being ever-conscious of this connection – a connection to energy that we can’t see or touch or taste or smell – only feel. It has become my deep conviction, and the core of my work, that every arduous experience we attract to our lives is to serve that purpose – to usher us in to our own hearts and souls where this energy, despite any current physical disability, is alive and well and beckoning us to feel.

I realize that when we’re in the throes of critical illness, our natural reactions are to be angry, sad, depressed, and hopeless. And I don’t ever want to negate the value of those reactions. It's vital that we allow ourselves to experience these emotions. We can’t move to the other side of any situation until we accept what’s there. But I’m also encouraging acknowledgment of not only what’s there, but rising to the invaluable challenge that this scenario has presented to us. We are not simply these bodies. We are body/mind/spirit beings.

Rahm Emanuel very aptly states that “a crisis is a terrible thing to waste”. Whether we like it or not, illness provides a time-out from life as usual which strikes most of us as really bad news. However, the good news is that, if we rise to the challenge, there's a hidden agenda here that can open us up to a part of ourselves that, I promise you, longs to be embraced. This difficult, painful, intrusive dis-ease is grist for our life mill. It’s not an accident. It’s meaningful and purposeful. It has the potential to bring us to unfathomable riches within that will enhance every aspect of our lives.

Ok, so how do we get to the riches? First, it helps a lot to accept, and have the experience of, our bodies being energy systems. This can be accomplished by just getting still for a few moments and noticing the beating of our hearts. Our amazing hearts start beating about twenty-two days after conception and continue unceasingly until our physical bodies die. Their service to us is priceless, and I suggest that right this moment, we all feel great appreciation for our beating hearts. Notice energy pulsing all through your body as the result of this beating heart. Feel such appreciation. Next, acknowledging our breathing – take another few moments and slowly notice the inhale – the exhale – so natural, so automatic. Feel appreciation for this breath of life that breathes us every moment, day and night. Allow yourself to feel - really allow yourself to feel love for your very own body. I'm very big on tenderness these days. Feeding ourselves tenderness. What elicits tenderness for us? Holding a baby, a puppy or kitten – just thinking about the vulnerability of a baby bird? Feel the tenderness that lives within you and then offer yourself this tender love and compassion. Just let tenderness flow through you like a soothing river. This is oh so healing for us. This is one of the riches.

Then there’s the continuous flow of energy pulsing through all the vital organs and systems that are working relentlessly to sustain our lives. Even when they’re compromised, our bodies are magnificent and functioning tirelessly to re-balance and heal themselves. I refer to our bodies as healing machines. And for this I say “Thank you”. Thank you every organ – heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, gall bladder, spleen…. every system – digestive, respiratory, reproductive.... Thank you, my body. Thank your body every day. Thank it for being your vehicle throughout this life adventure. Gratitude and appreciation are enormous contributors to our overall well-being. Even when our road has become outrageously bumpy, consciously being grateful for as many things as we can think of each day is immensely salubrious. Feel gratitude.

Having started to feel the precious energy of our bodies, and the gratitude inherent in that experience, the next step is taking responsibility and totally committing ourselves to our own well-being. Commitment is essential for our success in any endeavor, particularly in regaining our good health. As soon as we're truly committed, guidance kicks in and it can open us to the vast array of healing modalities available. I'm not talking about eschewing traditional medicine. I'm suggesting that when critical illness has arrived at our doorstep, it behooves us to pull all the bunnies out of the hat – to try anything and everything that has the potential to make us well again. Modern medicine is astounding, surgical procedures, stunning. But, from my viewpoint, to make our recovery lasting and this whole process as transformative as it is meant to be, this is the moment to take to heart Hippocrates' wise words spoken over 2000 years ago: "Natural forces within us are the true healers of disease." This is the moment to claim the healing energy that resides within us all, always. This is the moment to realize that there's a wellspring of power within our bodies that would have gone unnoticed if this crisis hadn't crashed into our lives. This is the moment to embrace a new philosophy and thought process regarding our bodies and the way we've been living our lives. Commitment and taking responsibility mean rising to the challenge and using all the tools available – traditional and alternative – to set the stage for our own healing. Reading/listening to any inspiring information to which we’re guided is most important, as is enlisting the assistance of someone well versed in the mind/body/spirit connection. These few things are a fine start on the road to our inner riches.

In the midst of my own health crisis I was drawn to, and immensely nourished by, reading Ralph Waldo Emerson. The veracity in his quote “The first wealth is health” is undeniable. He assures us also that: “We lie in the lap of immense intelligence, which makes us organs of its activity and receivers of its truth.” Lying in the lap of immense intelligence and receiving truth there is always available to us. All we need to do is get still enough to feel – to quiet our breathing – to listen and marvel at our beating hearts and the Life Force moving through our bodies – to open to the heart and soul food ever-present in this stillness. Relax – Release – Receive.

I know that my illness drew me into a place of great blessing. It was a gift of inestimable value – a gift that truly does keep on giving. For anyone hosting serious disease, it is my ongoing prayer that this "illness opportunity" be grasped and inhaled and imbibed as the gift that it is. May it usher you in to finally feeling and relaxing into your precious connection with the Immense Intelligence – Universal Energy – Love – Light – God. "We are all Light Beings."

"True happiness is in the love-stream that springs from one’s soul; and he who will allow this stream to run continually in all conditions of life, in all situations, however difficult, will have a happiness which truly belongs to him, whose source is not without, but within."
Hazrat Inayat Khan
Sufi Teacher 1882-1927

Meditation - Delicious

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Hepburn) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 09:50:09 PST

As I've mentioned here before, I occasionally have the opportunity to lead Raven Keyes' Healing Light Meditation class at Equinox Fitness Centers. Recently there was a NY Times reporter in attendance. She was investigating unusual classes offered at health clubs. She was not a meditator but was looking forward to the experience. Afterward she spoke to a few of the class members and me. She had apparently enjoyed the hour, regretting only that she'd had to interrupt the flow to take notes. I thought it was interesting when she asked one of the women if she was ill in any way and needed healing. The woman responded that she wasn't – meditation just made her feel so good. I suggested the word delicious (how it feels for me) and she said: "oh yes, delicious". Another woman shared that she loved the feeling she got in the closing minutes when we were sharing all the Love and Light we'd gathered into our bodies with our world. She felt empowered (I think that was the word) to be doing that. Also there was a woman way in the corner of the room who beckoned me over after the class to ask: "Can we do it again?" Meditation is wonderful!

I woke up the next morning saying 'hello' to Spirit as usual (Wayne Dyer says in the morning to be sure to say "Good morning, God" not "Good God, morning!"), and I realized that all the people that come into meditation classes all over the world, or just sit quietly in their own practice, are taking the time to connect with Spirit, the most helpful and healthful thing they can do for their body/mind/Spirit system. They're also contributing to the health of the planet. Just by being willing to relax deeply into the Life Force, God, Spirit, the Divine Presence – whatever we wish to call It – we're uplifting the vibration of the world. We're connecting to this Energy that permeates all space and pulses unceasingly within every cell of our bodies. As I say in my previous blog – we're being Peace-breathers. It truly is delicious.

Peace

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Hepburn) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 09:51:22 PST

I closed my last blog with Paul Trueblood's lyrics from And Peace Begins: "An open heart, an open mind, just being kind and Peace begins". (I notice I'm always capitalizing Love and Peace these days - they're such sacred words to me.) And musings about Peace have been popping ever since. I'm reminded of Dr. Gerald Jampolsky, author of many books including Love Is Letting Go of Fear and Teach Only Love, being queried on a talk show about what really makes us happy. He replied very simply, Peace. I remember thinking at the time, what an interesting response that was. I'm reminded of Michael Beckwith on Oprah's Spirituality 101 show last week, responding to a women suffering in despair over the havoc in her life caused by her current financial losses. He asked her what quality she would have to birth to bring herself Peace of mind.

Then there was the Embrace Life group. Years ago I co-hosted a group for cancer and AIDS patients with a lovely and wise woman psychologist. It was a very intense and fulfilling experience for all concerned. We called it Embrace Life because we both agreed that, though critical illness is an important chapter in our lives and we have to take responsibility for doing whatever is required to assist ourselves through the process, we also need to be heartily involved with our lives, our loves, our interests above and beyond our disease. The men and women attending were all in treatment and a few of them did die during the course of our gatherings. It was always sad, and we would sit with such gratitude at how undeniably blessed we were by the meaningfulness of this person's life to ours. One evening, a group member arrived and shared that she had gotten results from her latest tests and that the cancer had metastasized. She was a thirtysomething woman and as we silently sat and received the blow, she went on to say that all was fine. She was so grateful to have been with us and had learned so much from the group, that she felt totally at Peace. It was perfectly OK - It was fine. She was fine.

Then there was the woman who approached me to make a personalized tape for a friend of hers who was dying. Embedded in his favorite music, I think it was Mozart, I lead this older gentleman in a guided meditation taking him deeply within to the place of profound Peace that we all share. He feebly reported to his friend before he died that he finally knew what life was all about. Peace.

In the light of the stunning outbursts of violence recently causing the deaths of Dr. George Tiller and the security guard at the Holocaust Museum, Stephen T. Johns, I'm reminded about being a 'Peace-breather'. Shortly after 9/11, Ryan Kelly of the NYC Ballet wrote: "I'm trying to breathe peace more than ever this year - like rain forests that oxygenate the earth, peace-breathers might pacify the planet ..." I feel that the healing balm of Peace is mandatory to defuse the very prevelant upset in our world's energy field at this time. And surely, committing to being a Peace-breather is a great way to birth and anchor within ourselves - Peace.

What to do?

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Hepburn) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 09:52:10 PST

I woke up this morning feeling a little queasy and when I questioned that within myself, I flashed on President Obama, Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Elie Wiesel speaking at Buchenwald yesterday. Clearly they had all been profoundly moved by their tour of this place of unspeakable horror. And we were all reminded of the potential within we humans to perpetrate such despicable acts upon each other. Moreover, we became sickeningly aware that such brutal behavior still holds sway in many pockets of our world. When will this cease? What can we do? I'm reminded of my musician friend Paul Trueblood's song "And Peace Begins" which opens with the lyric: "An open heart, an open mind, just being kind and peace begins". So simple, so obvious, so needed from all of us.

Run The Light

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Hepburn) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 09:56:01 PST

This phrase has taken on new meaning for me recently. To many of us it's always referred to zooming through a traffic signal that's morphing from yellow to red. Now, to me, Run the Light means something totally positive and invaluable. I Run the Light while meditating, while walking down the street, actually whenever it occurs to me to do it.

Running the Light is a precious tool because when we're upset, depressed, worried, anxious or just plain exhausted, the energy in our bodies contracts, and things are not easefully pulsing away in there with the harmony and balance that is native to our systems. If we're out of this orientation for long enough, we usually get sick. I'm sure this is coming up for me right now because during the holiday season I usually succumb to overwhelm and get laid low by some form of 'not feeling well'. The upside of this is it reminds me that I need to Run the Light. This year I've been fine and think it's because I'm automatically doing just that.

First and foremost, running the Light requires us to acknowledge that our bodies are energy systems. Just stop reading for a moment and notice your beating heart - notice your breathing - take an energetic deep breath and then exhale it slowly as if you were ever so gently blowing on a big candle to watch the flame flicker - begin to notice pulsations all through your body. As Deepak Chopra says: "Our bodies are rivers of energy." See if you can feel that. All the cells of our bodies are alive with energy. Feel a flow within you.

OK - so what is running the Light? I'm a heart person so my inclination is to go straight to the heart. In metaphysical terms, the chest cavity is referred to as the heart center. It makes sense because that's where our physical hearts are housed and where we feel love, joy, peace and gratitude and conversely, at times, profound sadness and grief. It is considered the gateway to our spirit. So I ask you right now to come with me - come home to your heart. Obviously, closing your eyes wouldn't be appropriate, but as you're reading, see if you can imagine taking your awareness gently down into your chest cavity. When I say gently I mean as if your awareness were a leaf wafting to the ground in autumn - that kind of float and ease. Allow yourself to come to rest in the center of your chest cavity in what seems to be a vast expanse of Light. This Light is dazzling bright, shimmering and glistening and there's a surprising calm in Its luminescence - you are enveloped in It and soothed by It. It's a very welcoming feeling. Stop reading for a moment and imagine that. Feel It. It really is home.

Now assign healing properties to this Light - that It is tender, compassionate Love (It is.) and then imagine that this wondrous Light is liquid Light and that It is easefully starting to run through your entire body. We've all seen enough graphics on film to imagine this for ourselves - healing Light bathing our lungs and rib cage, all our vital organs being embraced and suffused, liquid Light flowing easefully though our intestines, our sexual organs, our pelvic girdle, down our legs and into our feet. You're glowing with Light from within from your chest cavity to your feet.

Now bring your awareness, again gently, back to your heart center - and notice that the liquid Light is flowing up into your shoulders and down your arms into your hands. Then see and feel It in your throat and up your neck into your head - Light/Love compassionately easing and releasing the tensions, fears, doubts, worries - any dis-ease. Know that this Light can spread throughout the body in moments. As you become more attuned to It, you can see and feel It branching out from your heart center in every direction at once. This wondrous tree of Life/Light is streaming healing Light to every nook and cranny of you. This process can become the most natural thing in the world for us to do.

For millennia sacred teachings have told us of God being omnipresent - there is no place that God/Love is not. Running the Light is an acknowledgement of this Divine Presence being here constantly - in every cell, every atom, in every sub-atomic particle of us and everything else. This kind of surrendering to the Presence, which is our own innate healing ability, is the perfect antidote to the relentless, wearying and often destructive distractions of our daily lives. It's time to bless ourselves regularly with this Light - to remember and rejoice that It is ever-present with us - that we are one with It.

It goes without saying, that every time we engage this Light, we're raising the energy all around us and inadvertently blessing others. The next logical step then is to very consciously Run the Light to our beloveds, to anyone or any circumstance that is currently challenging us, to all beings on this planet, to Mother Earth and, ultimately, to the Universe. See all embraced in the Light - being soothed and healed by glorious Light.

As the New Year begins, let's make Run the Light a daily practice for ourselves. We can do it anywhere, anytime, though it's particularly delicious when we can sit or lie down and embrace stillness at the same time. It occurs to me now that maybe the yellow light morphing into red has real symbolic resonance here. Maybe, as 2009 commences, it's time to embrace Barack Obama's "audacity of hope" and move through whatever cautiousness stops us in our lives, and regularly Run the Light to the freedom, joy, fulfillment and vibrant well-being that are our birthright. Let's do that! Let's Run the Light!

Waiting Room

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Hepburn) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:01:07 PST

Last week I accompanied a friend to the hospital. She was to have surgery that day, and I'm a great believer in people having a loved one with them when they embark on this particular journey. All the pre-surgery agenda seemed to be handled smoothly, and she went off to the operating room 10 minutes ahead of schedule. I took myself out for some lunch and then joined a large, diverse group of 'the anxious' in the Family Waiting Room. I'm always so touched by the way we humans interact when sharing a common drama. Surgery's a biggie and the impact on everyone involved is enormous. I was acutely and gratefully aware of the communal compassion alive in the room that day.

It turns out that it was an extremely busy day at this major Manhattan facility, and, though my friend's surgery was completed in two and a half hours, all the recovery rooms were full. She had to wait in the operating room until a slot opened up in Recovery. Everyone on my side of these happenings was in the same boat. As all these patients remained stacked up somewhere in the vast labyrinth of this gigantic edifice, we were assigned to waiting mode for hours. The room was furnished with comfy sofas and chairs and coffee tables thoughtfully arranged in seating patterns to accommodate family groups or little niches where one could be more private. It was slightly overheated and airless, but everyone hung in quietly chatting or reading, with an occasional furtive dash to the restroom or Starbucks so as not to miss the surgeon's anxiously anticipated arrival. One by one they all came to inform us of the surgical outcome, though just when we could actually see our person was unknown. So we waited. There were lovely, dedicated volunteers attempting to keep us posted, but even they didn't know exactly where some of our people were. So we waited.

Through all this, I was greatly assisted by having inadvertently brought my very own support system. That morning I'd put on my iPod the Pre Surgery and Post Surgery Healing Support Programs from the Better & Better Series we'd produced a few years ago. I'd taken them to relax and inspire my friend as she waited for her procedure and subsequently to assist her in the healing process thereafter. She listened to most of the Pre before being whisked away, and seemed to be very touched by it. Then later, as I sat in this emotion-packed room, iPod in backpack, I was prompted to play the programs for myself. Since the post-production phase of the Better & Better project, I hadn't listened to them, and though my MO is to be highly critical of my own work, they really got to me. Despite all the upset in the air, I was able to succumb to the beach sounds, music and meditation (Pre) and the joyful, renewing ambiance of a waterfall in Spring, music and meditation (Post). It created my feeling so great that I found myself wanting to stand on my chair and proclaim to all the worry-wearied beings assembled before me that there's a better way. We can take a few moments, close our eyes and go to the beach in our minds. We can be comforted by soothing music, calming, inspiring words and the uplifting sounds of nature. We can take ourselves out of the tension and pain of this room. We can relax and de-stress ourselves. It's so wonderful and healing for us. This surgery thing is an arduous journey but taking care of ourselves in the process is mandatory and priceless. Clearly, we can't be the caregiver to anyone else if we're so exhausted and emotionally shot that we become ill ourselves.

Through my own health crisis (six surgeries in four year, then three years of chemotherapy), I was guided to, and subsequently gifted with, life transforming/saving insights. For the last twenty years it's been my joy to share these gifts with others. It's no news flash that stress creates most of our illnesses. Our bodies are simply not designed to be contracted and tight and harbor upset in them. Anything we can do then to get back to breathing and relaxing and connecting to the Peace within - and it is always within - always! - is our responsiblility to embrace. Life does not provide a wise counsellor at our side at all times, so it behooves us to awaken to the fact that there's boundless wise counselling to be had within. And there are myriad ways to guide us to this wisdom.

Having experienced this day, it's more clear to me than ever, that caregivers need healing tools as much as patients do. And they're ubiquitous. Of course, I'm partial to the Better & Better Series, which is for both patient and caregiver - but there are many others. Furthermore, even without crisis mode, do yourself a favor and discover the delights of your own inner self. It's the gift that keeps on giving. The Love, Joy and Peace of the ages are there for everyone. Day by day, let us become our own best caregiver and enjoy an ever-expanding experience of life lived from within-out. It's time!

Let's Start Getting Serious About JOY!

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Hepburn) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 08:45:03 PST

JOY!
On November 4, 2008 at 11PM EST the pilot light of joy was ignited within the hearts of many beings in the USA and around the world. This was more than the incredible high of a World Series win or moving into the house of our dreams. This was a much deeper, substantial and potentially life-transforming plunge into the infinite well of joy, love, hope, faith, compassion and peace that ever-dwells in us patiently awaiting our acknowledgment.

Many of us have long felt disheartened (Webster's definition - "a weakening of spirit" could describe us for sure) about our great country. The unjust and immoral policies that had been implemented by our government were so far off our personal radar, that we were stunned, incredulous and dumbfounded. At the same time, on some level, we had to feel that, wittingly or unwittingly, we had aided in the creation of this toxic scenario in the first place.

But a new day is dawning. And now each one of us has the opportunity to be very consciously responsible for getting our country (and ourselves) out of the proverbial ditch - for resuscitating it - breathing wondrous new life into its currently compromised state.

We were all gifted with an infusion of joy and hope and such love in the late evening of November 4th. We were gratified by Senator McCain's concession speech and then profoundly touched by President-Elect Barack Obama's purposeful and determined acceptance of this grand honor and awesome responsibility. We were delighted to tears by the adorable Malia and Shasha and by being witness to the genuine love and caring that flows between Barack and Michelle and their beautiful girls.

There remains great joy and hope in our air. Let us revel in them at this time, and let us commit to sustaining this deliciousness within ourselves that it may become our daily expression to the world. When the going gets rough and challenging, as it surely will with the rebuilding tasks ahead, let us be like exquisitely trained actors and call forth the sense memory of that November evening. Let us remember it - remember where we were, with whom we were celebrating - re-live the joy. Breathe it in. Breathe it out to the world. Be re-inspired. Let us refuse to let negativity highjack our country or us ever again. Refuse! Let us stand firm and tall and determined in that decision.

Joy is our birthright. It is within us every second of every day, regardless of the outward appearances of our lives. It wants to be acknowledged, embraced and become our constant companion. Let us, finally, and not a moment too soon, start getting serious about JOY!

At The Same Time

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Hepburn) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:03:38 PST

At The Same Time

I woke up this morning musing on my life's relentlessly blessed theme - the heart and the magnificent energy available to us there. 'Whenever in doubt, come home to your heart' is the signature on all my emails. I feel there's nothing more important for the health and well-being of each of us and our world than this heart energy.
And it's so accessible - the heart energy and the myriad aspects of love ever-present within us. Our physical heart is beating unceasingly, from approximately 22 days after conception until we shed this physical vehicle. When acknowledged it can be a constant reminder to us of our Oneness with all of Life. The energy is pulsing in trees and flowers and grasses and oceans and stars and animals and in each of us - in all things. Everything in the Universe is energy.

Ann Hampton Callaway's fabulous song At The Same Time, which is featured on Barbra Streisand's CD Higher Ground, embraces this theme. Just a few of her lyrics are:

Think of all our hearts beating in this world at the same time.

Think of all the love pouring from our hearts at the same time.

Think of all the Light our Love can shine around this world at the same time.

And the very last lyric:

There's a healing music in our hearts, beating in this world at the same time.

Just think and feel how much beauty and truth are in these words. Thank you, Ann. Yes, there is a healing music in the hearts beating within us. The healing ensues from the innate connection we have with each other and with the Spirit dancing within us and in and around all of Life. Let us give thanks to our beating hearts and the healing music flowing from them. Let us feel that these pulsations are flooding our body/mind/spirit system with Light and an ease to vanquish all dis-ease. Let our beating hearts constantly remind us of Who We Really Are.

Take Responsibility and LOA Shows Up!

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Hepburn) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:12:52 PST

Take Responsibility and LOA Shows Up!

Clearly the Law of Attraction has been in full swing throughout my entire life - throughout all of our lives. But my consciously becoming aware of it began one day in the '70s, when I had what was for me, at the time, a revolutionary thought. I was four years into a bout with cancer. I’d had six surgeries and was beginning a chemotherapy regimen that ended up lasting for three years. I was a working singer/actor, and was tap dancing as fast as I could to keep my illness quiet so I’d still get hired in theatre. Neither my doctors nor the few people I’d taken into my confidence could explain why this was happening. I took better care of myself than anyone they knew, so why was I in the hospital every 20 minutes? My medical team was terrific, and they were doing all they could to restore my health, but I began to feel that it wasn’t enough. I knew that something inside of me had to shift. And then out of the blue came this insight: I must take full responsibility for my own well-being. Unbeknownst to me, this was one of the axioms of the then-emerging human potential movement, and the energy was in the air. From that moment on I was fully committed to being responsible for my own wellness.

This famous Goethe quote always rings so true: “Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”

I began! And what we now refer to as the Law of Attraction became a palpable presence in my life. I opened up and the Universe moved in. I was guided to books and seminars and health care professionals. Modalities that I hadn't even known existed were thrown across my life path. I got rolfed, rebirthed, acupunctured, acupressured, shiatsued. It was so exciting and I was so grateful. Ultimately I was led to a spiritual teacher and healer, Hilda Charlton, and after receiving her teachings and healing energy for a year, I removed myself from chemotherapy. I just knew I didn’t need the drug anymore, and with my doctors fainting all around, I promised to come more frequently for check-ups. I did, and thankfully my intuition was correct; I’ve been fine ever since. (Please know that I never recommend that cancer patients do this.)

For 12 years I studied with Hilda. I knew that her wisdom and the blessings from her magnificent spirit had helped save my life, and I wanted to learn all I could from her. Her teachings were based in ancient metaphysical/spiritual traditions. It’s the same quantum mechanics material now being espoused by our scientific community and many of our doctors. It's all about the Law of Attraction. To summarize Hilda’s teachings very succinctly, here are three points that were life changing/saving for me

1. The universe, and everything in it (including every cell of our bodies), is made up of whirling atoms of energy or subatomic particles. (Regarding our bodies, Deepak Chopra says it this way, “Our bodies are rivers of energy.”)

2. Thoughts are “things”. They are constantly impacting our bodies, either uplifting them or disempowering them. “You are what you think about all day long.” Emerson

3. Disease is literally that ”dis-ease”, a lack of ease and harmony in the body/mind system.

My life was never the same again. Though I loved being in theatre, my passion for the healing arts took over. I longed to share all this wondrous material that had healed and touched me so and found myself dancing into what continues to be the most creative period of my life. I began presenting what we called Healing Concerts, in which I sang everything from Puccini to John Denver, punctuating the songs with inspiring information. And when the market would bear it, I’d lead a meditation. As I wanted to thank all my doctors and the people who had assisted in saving my life, we produced a recording of songs entitled Gratitude. It went onto the market, as did Beautiful Dreamer Awake, music and meditation to help people relax into delicious sleep at night, and to invigorate their awakening process each morning. This project was particularly auspicious for me in that I wrote the “wake-up” song. Amazing! It had never occurred to me that I could do anything but interpret someone else’s words and music, and suddenly ideas were coming to me straight out of the air. I was thrilled.

The Law of Attraction kept expanding in my every day experience. Taking responsibility for my own well-being had not only been the catalyst for my healing, it had opened wide a path of creativity that stretches before me as far as my mind can think and heart can feel. It’s true that in the past 10 years there have been many difficult and painful times. My beloved mother passed away, as did my beautiful Collie dog, and my husband and I endured a lengthy separation. We’re now happily re-united and surprisingly grateful for that estranged time. Everything happens for a reason!) However, through it all, the training I received from Hilda sustained me. My working knowledge of LOA and the profound connection to spirit that had been born and honed in me at that time relentlessly supported my well-being.

Of course, I've needed to take responsibility for the fact that the Law of Attraction was very much in play before my epiphany in the '70's. It was then frequently fueling a negative side of me. Though there are myriad reasons why we host serious disease, one of the huge contributing factors to my illness was not loving and respecting myself enough (though I ate right and got enough sleep, etc.). I was always an intelligent and gifted person, but I beat myself up all the time. Nothing I did was ever good enough. My MO was trying too hard to be what others thought I was or what they wanted me to be. Therefore, though it was usually couched in humor, there was a lot of self-denial and self-denigration. This lack of harmony within myself led to stuffing much sadness and frustration into this body. It's clear to me that these negative thoughts, and the feelings they engendered, helped set the stage for my illness. I attracted it. However, in retrospect, this most arduous time in my life was a blessing in disguise, a life chapter that taught me so much and opened me to wonders I probably would never have known. I think of it as an initiation, a rite of passage. I feel all our crises are just that. Everything is grist for the mill, part of the journey - in many instances, a journey of remarkable creative gifts.

Shortly after leaving my husband, I was walking in Central Park and these thoughts flooded my consciousness: sing these two sacred songs, put a meditation in between them, here's the cover art and you can produce this yourself (my husband had always produced my products). It was that clear. Within 24 hours I had contacted my friend Jeff Olmsted, a terrific musician who has a sound studio in my neighborhood, and we began working on the project. The fee for his services was the exact amount I'd just received for selling my Aunt Mary's bequeathed china. Hmmm. Talk about LOA. The project is called Come Home To Your Heart and, like all my other recordings, I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Creative inspiration is deliciously uplifting and humbling at the same time. It is so precious.

Over ten years ago I wrote on my projects-to-be-done list: Pre and Post Surgery Videos for Patients and their Caregivers. In 2004 Eric Brown, a retired lawyer, came into my life, loved the idea, most generously produced it and the Better & Better Series was born. It's so clear that the Universe wanted this project done and brought everything together at the perfect time to accomplish it. Hilda always reminded us that "God has perfect timing". The How is always up to the Universe - the What is up to us.

And now The Secret emerges. At this most critical/perfect time on our planet the Law of Attraction is introduced to the masses. What better timing than now to awaken people to their responsibility for the health and well-being of their own lives and for that of our beautiful Earth. My gratitude to all who participated in the making of this life-transforming video and book. My gratitude to Esther and Jerry Hicks and Abraham who have been teaching LOA for years. My gratitude to my beloved teacher, Hilda, and all the spiritual teachers who have been imparting these universal principles for millennia. My gratitude to Oprah for ensuring that millions all over our planet received this most significant and very urgent information. May it seep so profoundly into the mass consciousness that we and our world become steeped in gratitude, integrity and compassionate caring that, true to the Law of Attraction, keeps creating more and more of the same. Thank you. Thank you. Gratitude reigns.

Friends in Deed

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Hepburn) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:14:16 PST

Friends In Deed

Tuesday night I had the honor to attend a Big Group at Friends In Deed. This is an organization which provides a gloriously peace filled environment for the emotional support of those currently hosting critical illness, for their loved ones and caregivers, and for anyone in the throes of grief and bereavement. Located in lower Manhattan (Soho), the Friends In Deed home is spacious and wonderfully well organized to accommodate the many services and programs offered there. All are welcome; all is free of charge.

Co-founders Cynthia O'Neal and Mike Nichols opened its doors in 1991 in response to the HIV/AIDS crisis. Since that time, Friends has expanded tremendously and helped transform many thousands of lives. The Big Group, which is considered to be the heart and soul of the work at Friends, was facilitated last evening by Cynthia. Her warm, compassionate, wise presence easefully guided the group in a most fulfilling manner. I'm sure everyone in the room was touched and uplifted by the truthful, heartfelt interactions.

I could go on and on, I was so impressed by Friends, but their website will inform you better than I. Please check out www.friendsindeed.org. and tell anyone you feel could benefit from these most precious gifts Friends In Deed is offering to run not walk to this sanctuary in the midst of the ever-bustling Big Apple.

Aloha!

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Hepburn) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:15:08 PST

Aloha!
The breath of God is in our presence! That's what aloha means. The breath of God is in our presence. Is that not wonderful? Aloha!

Recently my friend, Garnette Arledge, gifted me with "Wise Secrets of Aloha", a book she'd just co-authored with Kahuna Harry Uhane Jim. It has been resonating in my heart and soul ever since. For one thing, about two pages into the book, I wanted to go to Hawaii! Yesterday! I never had that pull before. Garnette's very sensitive writing allowed me to feel the energy of these sacred islands - the fragrant breezes, the lush beauty of the flowers and plant life, the dazzling sunlight, the shimmering blue sea, and the warm, gracious, loving energy that permeates the air there. And her spiritual sensitivity made her the perfect author to bring Kahuna Harry's work to the world. These teachings were so touching to me and so in sync with my spirit that I knew I had to experience this man in person. Last weekend in Buffalo, NY I did just that.

According to Hawaiian traditions, a kahuna is the calm servant of those seeking higher evolution emotionally - "a keeper of the wise secrets" - an accomplished healer. There are several different paths of kahunas. Harry's lineage is the healing kahunas of Lomilomi - touch medicine. This medicine, which is all about comfort, sanctity and safety, comes by direct grace. So beautiful. So loving.

Kahuna Harry is a wondrous man - a large presence in every way - physically, emotionally, spiritually. His heart totally embraces one person or a whole room of people. His laughter is wildly spontaneous - his deep caring and integrity, never in question for a second - the healings attributed to his spirit, too numerous to be told. He teaches people to float in the Universe, trusting the ever-present Higher Self, that part of us that is one with all of life.

And I could go on and on! How laughter is so healing - how humility is great power and essential in healing work - how healing is all about emotional maturity - how gratitude is the most important prayer. Harry says that in Hawaiian traditions people don't beg and plead and supplicate in their prayers. They are so unquestioning of Spirit's constant presence in their lives, they simply say 'thank you'.

Of course, all is suffused with love. How delicious. How relaxed and easeful is this way of being and healing. My heart is full of gratitude for being graced with these de-light-full and sacred teachings. I intend that they become more and more integrated into my own work. As I'm always talking about 'setting the stage' for the body to heal, Kahuna Harry's terminology is 'creating a comfort zone' for healing.

I strongly encourage you to experience "Wise Secrets of Aloha" for yourself. It's currently available at B&N and Amazon. Aloha!

Say Yes!

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Hepburn) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:16:13 PST

Say Yes!

In the country a few weeks ago, my friends and I popped into a Kmart for a few things and to giggle together as we always do. And there were my pillows - perfect slate blue color - right size - not as elegant as I might have wished, but they'd definitely do for now. So back to NYC they came and, as has been the case with all the other cushions I've purchased and returned in the past six months, they didn't work. That meant one thing - this return involved a trip on the subway with three enormous puffy plastic bags of pillows. Not fun! I really didn't want to do this and put it off for weeks. But big puffy bags cluttering up closet space in a New York aparment is not fun either, so this morning I was determined to bite the bullet and take my cumbersome presence downtown.

As per my oft quoted Goethe quote on commitment, I committed to the task at hand and the Universe showed up in gracious support. An uncrowded subway came immediately and both me and my overly stuffed baggage had plenty of room to sit. I exited at 34th St. It was a crystal clear day, not a cloud in the beautiful blue sky, and brilliant light was crashing off the glass windows of the Kmart store which was right there - about 50 feet in front of me! (I hadn't known exactly where the store was.) The return counter was the first thing I came to in the store, the woman who helped me was lovely, and I was out of there with my paper work and no more pillows within three minutes. The subway uptown came immediately - an express train yet - and I was back home in less than 35 minutes. For you non New Yorkers out there, this was remarkable. And what I remember thinking and saying to myself, as I got off the train at 34th St. and noticed what a gorgeous day it was, was "Say yes to life." It never ceases to amaze me how supported we are when we stop resisting and are willing to flow with the energy. It's always there. Say yes to life!

A Cancer Healing Story: Full Responsibility

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Hepburn) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:17:58 PST

A Cancer Healing Story: Full Responsibility

One day, in the 1970s, I had what was—for me, at the time—a revolutionary thought. I was about four years into a bout with cancer. I’d had six surgeries and was beginning a chemotherapy regimen that, unbeknownst to me, would last for three years. I was a working singer/actor, and was tap dancing as fast as I could to keep my illness quiet so I’d still get hired in theatre. Neither my doctors nor the few people I’d taken into my confidence could explain why this was happening. I took better care of myself than anyone they knew, so why was I in the hospital every 20 minutes? My medical team was terrific, and they were doing all they could to restore my health, but I began to feel that it wasn’t enough. I knew that something inside of me had to shift. And then out of the blue came this insight: I must take full responsibility for my own well-being. Although I was unaware of it, this was one of the axioms of the then-emerging human potential movement, and the energy was in the air. From that moment on I was fully committed to being responsible for my own wellness.

There is a famous Goethe quote that rings so true for me: “Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”

I began, and Providence did indeed move in. I was guided to books and seminars and health care professionals. I got rolfed, rebirthed, acupunctured, acupressured, shiatsued—I was willing to do almost anything. Ultimately I was led to a spiritual teacher and healer, Hilda Charlton, and after receiving her teachings and healing energy for a year, I removed myself from chemotherapy. I just knew I didn’t need the drug anymore, and with my doctors fainting all around, I promised to come more frequently for check-ups. I did, and thankfully my intuition was correct; I’ve been fine ever since. (Please know that I never recommend that cancer patients do this.)

For 12 years I studied with Hilda. I knew that her wisdom and the blessings from her magnificent spirit had helped save my life, and I wanted to learn all I could from her. Her teachings were based in ancient metaphysical/spiritual traditions. It’s the same quantum mechanics material now being espoused by our scientific community and many of our doctors. To summarize Hilda’s teachings very succinctly, here are three points that were life changing for me:
1. The universe, and everything in it (including every cell of our bodies), is made up of whirling atoms of energy or subatomic particles. (Regarding our bodies, Deepak Chopra says it this way: “Our bodies are rivers of energy.”)
2. Thoughts are “things.” They are constantly impacting our bodies, either uplifting them or disempowering them. “You are what you think about all day long.” —Emerson
3. Disease is literally that—dis-ease—a lack of ease and harmony in the body/mind system.

My life was never the same again. Though I loved being in theatre, my passion for the healing arts took over. I longed to share all this wondrous material that had healed and touched me so, and I found myself dancing into what continues to be the most creative period of my life. I began presenting what we called Healing Concerts, in which I sang everything from Puccini to John Denver, punctuating the songs with inspiring information. And when the market would bear it, I’d lead a meditation. As I wanted to thank all my doctors and the people who had assisted in saving my life, we produced a recording of songs entitled Gratitude. It went onto the market, as did Beautiful Dreamer Awake, music and meditation to help people relax into delicious sleep at night, and to invigorate their awakening process each morning. This project was particularly auspicious for me in that I wrote the “wake-up” song. Amazing! It had never occurred to me that I could do anything but interpret someone else’s words and music, and suddenly ideas were coming to me straight out of the air. I was thrilled.

So “taking responsibility for my own well-being” had not only been the catalyst for my healing, it had opened wide a path of creativity that stretches before me as far as my mind can think and heart can feel. It’s true that in the past 10 years there have been many difficult and painful times. My beloved mother passed away, as did my beautiful collie dog, and my husband and I endured a lengthy separation. (We’re now happily re-united and surprisingly grateful for that estranged time. Everything happens for a reason!) However, through it all, the training I received from Hilda sustained me. My new sense of well-being was based on love and the profound connection to spirit that had been born and honed in me at that time.

A lyric from a song called “Lessons to be Learned” (by Allan Rich, Dorothy Sea Gazeley and Marsha Malumet on Streisand’s Higher Ground CD) says: “No matter how many times you stumble or fall, the greatest lesson is loving yourself through it all.” And in retrospect this was Hilda’s greatest lesson to me and all to whom she ministered—Love yourself.

As I was growing up, truly loving myself had never been part of the equation. I was quite naturally a “good” girl and was taught to be kind and loving to others, but love myself? I don’t remember being taught that one. And I know now that loving oneself is mandatory for a healthy, well-balanced and fulfilling life experience.

These days, I’m often counseling caregivers —those accompanying a loved one through the maze of critical illness. And the advice I give is: you must take care of yourself so that you can really be there for the patient. I feel we all need to be, and think of ourselves as, our own best caregiver. This is not being selfish! We know what we need and what we love, and as we begin to care for and love ourselves, our lives begin to blossom, and joy shows up. Then we’re a blessing to ourselves and everyone we encounter.

Though there are myriad reasons why one hosts serious disease, surely, one of the huge contributing factors to my illness was not loving and respecting myself enough (though I ate right and got enough sleep). I was always an intelligent and gifted person, but I beat myself up all the time. Nothing I did was ever good enough. My MO was trying too hard to be what others thought I was or what they wanted me to be. Therefore, though it was usually couched in humor, there was a lot of self-denial and self-denigration. This lack of harmony within myself led to stuffing much sadness and frustration into this body. I’ve come to realize that these negative thoughts, and the feelings they engendered, helped set the stage for my illness.

Come Home to your Heart is a CD that I was inspired to make during the separation from my husband. And “come home to your heart” has become my signature phrase. No matter what’s going on in our lives, I know, from very personal experience, that there’s a well-spring of peace and love and infinite wellness in what is metaphysically referred to as the heart center—the whole chest cavity that houses our physical heart. This is truly “home.” In my work, I encourage people to relax deeply into their heart centers and be soothed and nourished there.

This is what taking full responsibility for my own well-being looks like now. It’s coming home to my heart. It’s loving and respecting myself and others and all of life, and living my life from that context. Gratitude reigns!

--------------------
This article was published in print in Well Being Journal, May/June 2007, V. 16, #3. See "Back Issues" for full issue purchase information.

Elizabeth Hepburn’s victory over cancer shifted her career from musical theatre to the healing arts. She is now a Wellness Facilitator, and through her programs, CDs and the Better & Better Series she sets the stage to invigorate the magnificent healing power within us all. For more information:
~ ~ ~
To read this published article in the Well Being Journal, please follow the link below:
www.wellbeingjournal.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=72&Itemid=68

The Inspiring Elizabeth Edwards

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Hepburn) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:19:04 PST

I was so touched by Elizabeth Edwards Sunday night on 60 Minutes. To me, this beautiful woman is the embodiment of courage and wisdom. In the midst of her current health challenge, she's glowing. I'm very grateful that she's so visible and feel she's being a terrific role model for many.

Having traveled this path myself, I feel that we must do whatever needs to be done to care for our precious bodies when they're hosting critical disease, while, simultaneously, honoring our lives and all that we love and cherish. It seems that Elizabeth is doing just that. Obviously she'll receive the best of care at all times, but the most valuable course she's taking, in my opinion, is that she's embracing her life with passion and purpose. We are ultimately spirit beings running around in these physical bodies, and Elizabeth Edwards' spirit seems vibrantly alive and very well to me. This radiance and zest for life could very well propel her into being triumphant over any disease in her body. This is my prayer for her.

Elizabeth Hepburn's victory over cancer shifted her career from musical theatre to the healing arts. She is now a Wellness Facilitator and through her programs and recordings she sets the stage to invigorate the magnificent healing power within us all.

A Way Out

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Hepburn) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:19:47 PST

A Way Out

The first verse of Jacques Brel's song "If We Only Have Love" ends with this lyric:
"If we only have love for the hymn that we shout,
for the song that we sing,
then we'll have a way out."*

A way out! A way out of what? How about a way out of life-leaching fear – the mass hypnosis that has gripped our minds and hearts and bodies and souls for millennia; the 'born in sin' factor; the resignation to the inevitability of illness and violence and suffering and pain; the on-going ache weaving through the human condition that in the 21st Century has culminated in the proliferation of technologically sophisticated communication systems that bombard us relentlessly with fear of everything from the flu season to terrorist attacks. The spin holds us all within its sway, until we feel a way out. And it's here – always. A way out.

To quote Marianne Williamson's inspiring words: "We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us. It's in everyone. "And as we're making it our business to manifest this glory, this divine spirit within us, the fear dissipates. As we're accepting as Truth Jesus' words: "Even greater things than I do, shall you do", we are donning a mantel that transports us beyond fear. We're all here for a purpose, and, very basically, that is to love and care and share joy each in our own way. From there our unique creativity gushes forth. This is Truth. This is Love. This is a way out.

*Mort Shuman and Eric Blau provided the English translations of Brel's songs for the extraordinary musical "Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well And Living In Paris".

Meditations at Equinox Fitness

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Hepburn) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:20:41 PST

From time to time I have the honor of leading meditation groups at Equinox Fitness Centers in Manhattan. Here in the midst of this bustling city that never sleeps, at state-of-the-art facilities dedicated to the beauty, strength, power, and total well-being of the physical form, groups gather in quiet, darkened rooms to relax deeply into what they've come to realize is the most significant aspect of their well-being - Spirit. They make themselves as comfortable as possible with mats and blankets so they can lie peacefully for an hour. They close their eyes and let go of the day, the week, the year - whatever. They allow themselves to be guided to a place of profound serenity within and they open with great acceptance to the innate healing energy that pulses through all of our bodies 24/7. It is so beautiful! I'm very grateful.
http://www.equinoxfitness.com/

Be - Do - Have

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Hepburn) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:21:24 PST

Be - Do - Have

These three little words took on a life of their own during the Human Potential Movement of the 70's. Completely oblivious of the Movement, I was in the throes of my illness/healing challenge - six surgeries in 4 years followed by 3 years of chemotherapy. Then, just as I was coming into the "try everything and anything that might get me well" period, I heard about est. I signed up and found myself sitting in the company of two hundred and forty-nine other bewildered individuals in a huge midtown hotel ballroom for two excruciatingly long weekends.

Because I was on chemotherapy, I was assigned to the back row, which was reserved for the "special cases" who could actually leave the room to go to the bathroom if necessary. I never left the room; I barely moved. I was spellbound, fascinated, frightened, excited, confused, and speechless. Never once did I get up to share any one of the myriad experiences I was having, despite the fact that I was a professional singer/actress accustomed to being in front of large crowds. I was too intimidated and shy, and, on some level, felt that nothing I could possibly say would be the least bit intelligent or worthy of being articulated.

I actually did arise on the final day to thank everyone who had shared (we learn from everyone) and to apologize for not contributing by sharing myself. As I sat down I remember realizing, “Yup, that’s what I do - I say I’m sorry a lot”. The old "pardon me for living" syndrome. That was a biggie! That was a life long (till that point) state of being for me. How inhibiting. How strangling of the Life Force.

The only place I ever felt 100% alive was when I was steeped in a character on stage and could fully express my emotions and embody all the colors of my psyche with abandon. I feel that if this inhibited little Catholic school girl from PA hadn’t had the innate gifts that propelled her into the extraordinary and often outrageous scenarios of the theatre in NYC, she’d have left the planet a long time ago. On stage I had license to "be" - to truly express myself. So, I've come to appreciate that my theatrical experience, along with my disease/healing process, taught me a lot and probably helped save my life. We don’t get to stuff and stifle our Life Force. Life is to be lived in full color everyday in every way, keeping in mind Shakespeare's brilliant words: “All the world is a stage and all the men and women merely players.”

At which point the question arises: “As a player upon this world stage, what’s my role? Who am I really?” “What/how am I to be?” ("or not to be?") And BE is the crux of the matter. The Human Potential Movement illuminated this most invaluable life teaching: our BEing precedes and makes appropriate the DOing that leads us to our most bountiful HAVEing.

For four months following the est experience, which blew copious holes in my very well-structured defense system, I sat and read. My husband didn’t know who he was married to all of a sudden. The whirling dervish, the constantly doing person had her feet up, reading. And it was all metaphysics - my biggest hero at that time being Ralph Waldo Emerson. That’s who I was reading on the commercial set when I first heard about Hilda, the spiritual teacher of whom I’ve spoken so often. The rest, as they say, is history. The journey inward to BEing began in earnest and was so lovingly guided by this masterful soul. And the infinite journey continues to this day and surely for the rest of my life, ever inward and simultaneously outward. Oh, mysterious, sacred, wondrous Life. The journey of BE - DO - HAVE.

My personal path is that of the Heart with its unceasingly expanding experiences and expressions of Love. And I know for sure - (as per Oprah's final essay in her magazine each month, “What I Know For Sure”) - that surrendering to, and trusting in, the love in our hearts is the ultimate answer for our lives. As Wayne Dyer’s book title states: There’s A Spiritual Solution To Every Problem. I know this is truth. And the heart is the gateway to that Spiritual Solution. That's where BE -DO - HAVE begins. As we are BEing love and DOing out of love, the HAVEing of beauty, joy, love and abundance will be beyond our wildest dreams.
Elizabeth Hepburn

Beating Heart Meditation

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Hepburn) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:22:19 PST

Say Thank You To Your Beating Heart

For years I've been inviting people to Come Home to their Hearts. From my own healing experience, I know that the wealth of the ages is there - the love, peace, joy, gratitude, passion, courage - all the aspects of life that make it delicious abide in an infinite well-spring within us.

Though my current "knowing" is rooted in richly metaphysical concepts, which, by the way, are now the bedrock of scientific thought, there is a simple path to accessing the marvels of the heart. Acknowledge it! Say hello to it! Say thank you to your beating heart!

The physical heart is housed in the chest cavity, which is metaphysically referred to as the heart center. But, metaphysics aside, I simply invite people to become aware of their beating hearts. Read the rest of the article and then try this. Feel it as you read it. Pretend you're doing it.

Sit or lie down in a very comfortable position - and gently close your eyes, sighing out your breath as if you were sinking into a fragrant warm bath after a long, tiring day. Let stillness embrace you. Feel as though you're listening to silence. Despite the relentless stimulation of our lives, peace and serenity are always present and they are an overwhelmingly sumptuous place in which to relax. Just breathe as easefully and comfortably as possible allowing your sighing exhale to release your tensions and relax you more and more deeply.

Now just notice your beating heart. Listen to it. Acknowledge that you¹e not consciously beating your heart anymore than you¹e consciously breathing all day long. We are ever-pulsing energy systems - ever alive with the same Energy that¹ moving the tides in the oceans and blooming the flowers in Spring. Say thank you to the Source of your breathing; thank you to the Source of your beating heart. Allow yourself to feel the pulsations all through your body as the result of your beating heart. Awake or asleep this Energy is flowing unceasingly. Feel It.

Decide to name this energy God or Love (God is Love). And decide that this divine Love energy is bathing and soothing and healing every cell, every atom of you. Feel It. Allow It. Allow all resistance to It to melt away.

Feel loved and cared for. You are! Feel your Oneness with the very Spirit of Life. Say thank you to your beating heart for being your ever-constant reminder of this Spirit connection.. Say thank you to the loving Source of your life. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
by Elizabeth Hepburn

The Heart Is Where Home Is

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Hepburn) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:22:58 PST

The Heart Is Where Home Is

In all of my work, I encourage, invite, and cajole people to come home to their hearts -- to the love in their hearts. Ultimately, I feel it's the most valuable journey one will ever take.
It's no accident to me that in the romance languages the word for heart is cor, core, coeur, and that Webster's definitions of the English word "core" include:
1) the inmost part of something and
2) the most important part.

In the framework of my orientation, this leads me to conclude that the very core of us is our heart, the inmost -- the most important part. So as a paradigm shift from the adage "Home is where the heart is," I hereby offer, "The heart is where home is." It seems to me that until our life is aligned with our heart, we're a house divided against itself.

Strictly from a physical point of view, the incessant beating of our heart plays an inestimable role in the overall well-being of the body. And clearly, it's where we feel the experience of love -- romantic love, mother love, the bond we feel for a beloved pet. Now, to my great delight, research scientists at The Institute of Heart Math in Boulder Creek, CA, are telling us that the heart generates the strongest electromagnetic field produced by the body. Moreover, this field becomes even more coherent as the individual shifts to a loving or caring state. This data corroborates what metaphysicians have been telling us for millenia.

The physical heart is housed in an energy center referred to as the heart center. This center is considered our gateway to spirit and to the most powerful and creative energy in the Universe: Love . It's here that we connect with our Source. This is home.

Several years ago at a Dr. Brugh Joy lecture I received an exquisite gift. His theme that evening had been expanding our awareness of the heart energy. At one point, he had us sitting with our right hand on our heart center (the very center of the chest cavity), feeling the subtle variances in the energies of love there. Slowly, one at a time, he had us tune into Compassion. Tenderness. Gratitude. Joy. Each elicited a slightly different feeling. The next morning I was recapturing this glorious meditation process, and prompted, I'm sure, by this familiar "pledge" pose, these words came to me: "I pledge allegiance to the love in my heart -- to the wonder of wonders within me -- and to the divinity in all life -- One God, One Truth, One Love -- Now and forevermore."* I was so moved by the simplicity of this statement, I repeated it to myself several times and, before I entered into my daily routine, wrote it down.

It's my contention that this pledge is what we're up to now. What could possibly be more worthy of our allegiance than love and the deep caring and compassion that love engenders? It will enhance our lives; it will heal our planet. It's time we make a covenant with that intrinsic part of ourselves.

The Indian master, Sri Nisargardatta Maharaj says: "If we are serious about the sufferings of mankind, we must perfect the only means of help we have, ourselves." In this tiny village of a world we inhabit, all of creation is beckoning us to be a blessing to each other and to our earthly home each day -- to pledge our allegiance first and foremost to Love, the Love in our own hearts. Love is the power. Love is the healer. Love is the answer. Come Home to your Heart.

The pledge entitled "A Pledge to Love" is now a beautiful Post Card available at Elizabeth's website - http://www.elizabethhepburn.com/A_Pledge_to_Love.htm

Love is the power. Love is the healer. Love is the answer. Come Home to your Heart.
Elizabeth Hepburn

Be Here Now

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Hepburn) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:23:35 PST

Be Here Now

As a veteran of six surgeries in four years during a challenging tussle with cancer many years ago, I know from whence I speak when I recently proffered the concept of Surgery as a Rite of Passage. The ritualistic aspects of surgery- being plucked out of our familiar environment, being coerced into ingesting, or being injected with, mind and body-altering substances and not being in control of our current circumstances - are obvious similarities of both 'rites' and the surgery process. And it occurred to me that holding what is otherwise a very difficult and often painful experience in this light could be an extremely useful perspective. Rites of Passage take us through an uncomfortable period with the built-in outcome being transformation and the expansion of our consciousness into a better, wiser, stronger place. It seems to me a very worthwhile viewpoint from which to prepare for surgery.

Now I suddenly have a deeper understanding of why this is such a meaningful insight for me. In the past week, I've rescued 2 spiders from the bathtub as I was about to shower. This rescue mode is the result of a harmlessness attitude that I've been incorporating into my life - a respect for the life of all living things. Being a New Yorker I'm still wrestling with the roach population in this regard, but the spiders got my attention and I assisted them up and out to nearby plants. What I noticed when they 'saw' me coming was that they would roll themselves up in a tight little ball - like they really weren't there and if they made themselves tiny enough, I wouldn't notice them and I'd leave them alone.

This is often our very natural and instinctive MO when we're faced with a fearful prospect like surgery. There are few things more traumatizing than the anticipation of this ordeal, and our fear often takes us into such denial that we roll up into a tiny ball, figuratively speaking. Our bodies get tight and contracted and the body/mind system is being flooded by the anxiety producing chemicals that are so valuable when the fight or flight mode needs to kick in. However, in this situation, there's no dinasour chasing us. We're face to face with a date for surgery and, short of divine intervention, we're going to be a major player in this drama.

Here's where the Rite of Passage idea comes in to play. We let go and own the moment. OK here I am - I don't understand why this is here or what I've done to deserve this onerous ordeal in my life, but here I am. And really getting "here I am" is the start of being-here-now. When we're physically or emotionally running rapidly in the other direction from the hand life is dealing us we're totally disempowered. When we stand our ground and surrender to the situation and subsequent process, we open ourselves to the invisible energies that are an intrinsic part of every breath we breathe. A section of this very famous Goethe quote seems appropriate here:
"…….the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way…….." Obvioiusly this quote is all about commitment - embracing the here and now. I say, as challenging as this situation might seem, commit to the surgery experience. Be bold and honor it for exactly what it is - the next chapter.in your life.

Clearly, it's human nature to be terrified in certain circumstances. Not being fearful when presented with the prospect of impending surgery would border on the aberrant. Being heroic and brave is not about being fearless, it's about moving through the process, regardless of the fear, trusting, perhaps for the very first time in our lives, the essence of ourselves. We are body, mind and most importantly, spirit. Think Lance Armstrong. As I write this I see him so clearly winning the Tour de France over and over again, when he had been so desperately ill that his very life was in question to say nothing of his ever participating in a race again. Be very still for a few moments. Listen and feel the energy within you which is beating your heart, breathing within your lungs, digesting your latest meal, to mention just a few of its never-ceasing tasks. The spirit - the energy that championed Lance is available to all of us - at all times. And the more quiet we become, the more subtle and delicious is our experience of this ever-present energy.

Regardless of the challenges before you, be-here-now in the present and trust in this spirit, this energy that sustains us from the very first beat of our hearts throughout our entire lives. You are now acknowledging your connection to the Life Force of the Universe - God, The Source, The Force - however you chose to identify It. We are all intrinsically connected to It. Embrace that connection. Let It empower you. Be-here-now.

Joy to the World

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Hepburn) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:59:33 PST

Joy to the World

On WQXR this morning I was listening to an orchestral version of Oh Holy Night -- Cantique de Noel as it's formally known. This sacred song has been a staple in my repertoire for years and I've sung it in all seasons, feeling that it's appropriate to acknowledge that every night (and day for that matter) is a "night divine" (the last lyric of the song). This rendition began with cellos playing the melody and I had a feeling that the musical director was going for a very solemn, sacred interpretation. It lightened up a bit as the piece unfolded, but, to my ear, its overall impression was quite lugubrious. And it got me to thinking about how the sacred is so often portrayed as solemn, which often feels very dark to me. And I think it should be the opposite. I think the sacred is sublime and suffused with light, and that it's here in our cultures to ignite our hearts and souls and evoke pure joy.

Joy, joy, joy -- there was a time in my life when I remember telling people I was on a quest to find joy. Where the heck was it? I didn't see it in churches for the most part. I didn't see it at social gatherings/parties. I didn't see it in the faces of people on the street. Where is joy?

Well, I had a joy-ful experience during my healing process, that, I see in retrospect, paved the way for my meeting Hilda Charlton. I had been on my joy quest for a few years and had participated in several "consciousness raising" events. I was reading a lot of metaphysics -- my hero at the time being Ralph Waldo Emerson. And I remember lying on the living room rug one Saturday afternoon and imagining that I had light shooting out of every pore of me in every direction, reaching way up into space and deep into the Earth, (somewhere I must have read about a meditation like this); and when I came back from this imaging, I felt a joy inside me, the likes of which I had never felt before. This extraordinary state lasted for about 2 weeks. I was so open and feeling so wonderful and loving, and everything in my life was delicious, and not one thing had changed in my external circumstances. It was truly a time of grace for which I'm profoundly grateful. And I know it was a carrot that the Universe allowed me to munch for a while so that I'd "get" what the "goal" was -- that completely anchored and safe inner space of joy and peace.

It truly does surpass all understanding. It's a wow!

There was a magical voice teacher at one point in my career. He was a wonderfully insightful and playful man/musician and a world-class teacher of Carl Jung's work. He had the most eminent Jungians in town coming to sit and counsel with him. Our times together each week were astounding, I would be with him for about an hour and a half and sing for maybe 25 minutes. The rest of the time we were delving into my psyche and exploring my dream worlds. It was fabulous. These sessions seemed so out of time and space for me, that I once had the thought that if I went back to his apartment, having left my gloves or something, that he wouldn't even be there -- the apartment would look totally different and a complete stranger would answer the door.

Anyway, this is all preamble to his encouraging me one day to attend a prestigious Jungian event that was being held on the upper east side of Manhattan. I was thrilled to be in the presence of these outstanding therapists and to hear them discussing the works of the brilliant Carl Jung. And I could barely stay awake -- and I'm never bored! Talk about sacred and solemn and grindingly intellectual. Arg! Jung's work was transcendent/translucent -- he was talking about spirit most of the time. And somehow that got, and often gets, translated into solemn and heavy. And the joy is missing -- the light is missing. I feel that this has happened in many of our religious traditions also.

Whenever we sing "Let There Be Peace On Earth" at our peace meetings, I always loudly, as if to eventually turn the tide, insert the word joyful for solemn -- the lyrics of the second half of the hymn being:
Let there be peace on earth, let this be the moment now
With every step I take, let this be my solemn (joyful) vow
To take each moment and live each moment in peace eternally
Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.

I think joyful vows are much more "hearty" than solemn vows and much more liable to be honored. So I propose that we take all the furrowed brows out of our vows and other "serious" areas of our lives. There's no getting away from the chaos and darkness that seem to be prevailing in our world at this time, but our getting gloomy and heavy about it doesn't help one iota.

As Martin Luther King said: "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." I say: "Solemn cannot drive out solemn; only joy can do that." Think about it: Wouldn't we all rather be joyful than solemn? I do believe that we can "take life seriously" and live with great integrity and purpose and still be in joy. It's our birthright. To unleash it, we sincerely need to acknowledge its presence deep within us and allow it to bubble up. Surely, it'll take some practice and a commitment from us, but we can do it. And the rewards will be stunning. Let's all be Joy to each other and our World!

Whenever in Doubt, Come Home to your Heart,

Elizabeth Hepburn