Grandmother Knight Consulting: Wisdom for Life's Transitions
Contact Connie Hill at gmnite@gmail.com
Connie's FaceBook Pages: Connie or Money Stories or Grandmother Knight Consulting
Contact Connie Hill at gmnite@gmail.com
Connie's FaceBook Pages: Connie or Money Stories or Grandmother Knight Consulting
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December 30, 2013 -- Accomplishments & Visions
"...A pilgrimage can be to a place -- that's the best known kind -- but it can also be for a thing. Mine is for peace, and that is why I am called Peace Pilgrim." Peace Pilgrim from Money Stories Hi Friends Well, it's that time of the year again, we just had Christmas and tomorrow it will be New Years Eve. This time of the year I always begin looking back to what the year has been about. Did I accomplish what I hoped to. Or did I fall short? And second, what do I want to do for next year? One of my top accomplishments was that I published my book. I had wished and hoped and tried for a number of years to get it done and hadn't, and then all of a sudden in 2012 I knew it was time. It was finally complete and I got my first box of books in February 2013 on my birthday. Another accomplishment has been to have at least one event each month to talk about, and publicize my book, including a book launch party, a couple of book readings, several classes using the book's info, as well as a couple of radio shows talk about it. And I have more events coming up in 2014. Another of my favorite accomplishments was putting together a memory book for my Mom who turned 90 in September. I got almost all of her kids and grandkids involved sending photos and writing their memories of Gramma. Mom was totally surprised and loves that book. For several months afterwards, each time I'd talk to her she commented about another thing in her book. A third big accomplishment had to do with a volunteer event at the Tigard library. In 2012 the Tigard library hosted an event called Speed Date with An Author. At these events about a dozen local, self-published authors come prepared to talk one-on-one about their publishing experiences, and to give suggestions to potential authors. In 2012 I was on the "wanna-be side of the table." But a year later, in 2013, I was on the author side of the table! I could now talk about the process because I had published my own book! This time of the year I also begin thinking about what I want to focus on in the upcoming year. I never quite know what that focus will be until just before my birthday in February, but this year I'm already getting a feel that 2014 will be a year of pilgrimage. Not the walking kind, but a pilgrimage of seeking or opening. As of now my goal is to open to what spirit has to tell or give me, be it knowledge, acceptance, gifts, ideas, changes. I don't really know what that means. But I have been getting feelings that 2014 will probably be about opening up to the words etched on my two front windows: Love and Trust. Scary and exciting! As I said before I don't know what that will mean or even if that will continue to be my focus, but I'm sure I'll share what I learn along the way. I love the idea of a pilgrimage, but have no idea where it will lead me. Send me energy as I set off on this path. And I'll send it back your way. And I send you peace as you move into 2014 and as we all walk into the great and wonderful unknown. Connie Hill/Grandmother Knight November 28, 2013 -- Thanksgiving and Hanukkah "We somehow need to work toward a different relationship to money. A big part is to learn to cooperate." Lewis Mehl-Madrona, Money Stories Hi Friends I love to look at the symbology of events or occurrences. That notion of symbology was on my mind when I heard about Hanukkah and Thanksgiving being around the same day and will not be together again for another 70,000 years. What could that mean? First, I wanted to look at what else is happening. As all of you know we are in a time of change and fear. People hate each other just because they are from a different group or have a different way of viewing the world. And many of our systems and beliefs are crumbling. People who thought they were invulnerable have lost jobs or homes or other possessions. Many feel that they are on shaky ground and need to look for new ways to accomplish what needs to be done. Astrologically, Uranus (unpredictible change) and Pluto (death and rebirth) have been squaring each other on and off since June 26th of 2012 and still have three more exact squares between now and March 17, 2015. To me the dance of these two planets in such a stressful aspect over a 3+ year period signals that we are having to totally let go old notions to make way for new ones. Here are a few examples of the change that is being "forced" on all of us: *The old guard is trying to hang on while the new guard is trying to make changes. *Schools, businesses, religious, political, and financial organizations are vulnerable and seem to not just be changing but are destroyed because of scandals, greed, and because the old ways no longer work. *Family is not just traditional family any more. It is all types, single parents of both genders, gay women and men with children, grandparents raising children, older siblings raising younger ones, and so on. *Women and children are more powerful and at the same time can be more vulnerable. *And on and on... Now back to Hanukkah and Thanksgiving coinciding. On hearing about these two being together it felt symbolic of how things can be really different, but can blend and work together. The groups whose holidays these are are different, but both holidays celebrate overcoming adversity: Hanukkah symbolizes standing up in the face of dramatic odds and making it. And Thanksgiving celebrates the notion of gratitude and thanking God or spirit for bringing a group of people to a new land where they can have religious freedom. These holidays are celebrated by groups of people with different viewpoints, but they've overcome odds and want to share gratitude and thanks. To me this translates into us beginning to focus more on our similarities than our differences. I believe that we can judge and fight each other, or we can help each other and look for commonalities among us and to me the two holidays being at the same time asks us to choose the later. I send gratitude and harmony and wonderful Thanksgiving and/or Hanukkah wishes for you with friends and family as you walk into the great and wonderful unknown. Connie Hill/Grandmother Knight October 28, 2013 -- Worrying, Help or Hindrance "There again, it's catching those limitations. Worrying is a limitation, and so is believing that money or provision can come from only one source." Maridel Bowes, Money Stories Hi Friends This time of the year I always find myself pulling in, wanting to make soup, getting out my warm clothes and blankets, getting ready for a darker, colder time, and worrying. Is it natural to worry? Worry that the furnace will make it through the cold weather, that there won't be leaks in the roof or that any ice or snow won't make it dangerous to drive, that I'll have the resources I need, and so on. I can maintain my furnace, but I can't control the weather. Worrying won't keep the rain or ice or snow away. And I can't know in advance, except maybe a day or two what weather will actually come. I'm reminded of what my friend Maridel said in her chapter of my book, Money Stories. She had told me in a conversation about learning to stop worrying. I asked her about it and here's what she had to say: "It was one of those routine moments. On my way to Trader Joe's one day, I realized I was worrying about whether I had enough money for my purchases. At that point I had an epiphany that I had worried about money all my life, and yet provision had always been there, often well beyond my needs. At that moment it was apparent that worrying was useless and served no purpose. It wasn't contributing anything positive, and in fact, was detrimental. Trips to Trader Joe's have always been fun, but if I'm worrying, the trips aren't enjoyable."So I decided to teach myself to stop worrying."If I'm okay in the moment, and I was, and in reflection always had been, why give up that experience to not being okay? That was the basis of my learning to stop worrying. I kept coming back to the notion of being okay right now, and asking why it would be any other way in five minutes or five days?"When larger challenges came up, I found the same principles worked. As you know, when embarking on something new, challenges come up to test the new thoughts. Sometimes I'd need to touch into the feeling of being okay several times in an hour. But what I found, was that even if the challenge was formidable, worrying still didn't help."It was foolish to worry about money even when there was a sense that I might not be okay, like the scary time my partner Johnny lost his job, and it was up to me to create all our funds. Worrying contributed nothing. If I worried, it took away my capacity to create a solution, not from my head, but from my spirit." What would my (or your) life look like if we stopped worrying? In a recent Money Story class I asked each person to think of an animal that represented what their money story has been during most of their life. That animal for me was rabbit, which in the Medicine Cards means fear. Then we talked about the lessons our animals had for us. Rabbit's lesson is that what we focus on is what we draw. We must be willing to acknowledge and feel our fears, breathe into them and then release them to Mother Earth. I'm ready. Just writing this makes my shoulders feel much lighter! Ceremony time! What is it time to release? I also wanted to tell you about a retreat center my friend Charlotte Blair now has available on her property called Dolphin Seed Spirit Retreat Cottage. It's a wonderful space in Sherwood that feels like it's out in the country where you can go to be in silence and contemplation. If you are interested in more information contact Charlotte at blair_charlotte@yahoo.com. Highly recommended! I send gratitude and abundance as you walk into the great and wonderful unknown. Connie Hill/Grandmother Knight October 3, 2013 -- What is Abundance--2 "What does money really mean? If we are on a spiritual path, is the way we are handling our money, and our relationships with others concerning money, in harmony with our own belief system? If not, what changes do we need to make to be congruent?" Hal Zina Bennett, Money Stories Hi Friends Last email I talked about abundance and a friend who gave out $100 bills to people she didn't know. I said I was going to start giving smaller amounts to people I didn't know. Well, I didn't do this. I tried and just couldn't not make myself do it. So I begin again to think about abundance. Again, what does it means to me? And I realize that abundance means many things. Last night I went to a memorial gathering for a long time friend. I hadn't seen her in several year. Probably 50 of her friends and family gathered together to celebrate her life and accomplishments. Her ex-husband talked about her being able to have her family around as she passed and her being able to go back to where she was born for her passing. A co-worker of hers talked about how she used intuition and at times it felt like she had stepped over the lines too far into woo-woo-ness, but even those times eventually worked. The co-worker also felt our friend was able to listen to her intuition more than anyone else she'd ever known. Another past co-worker talked about how she encouraged people to set their sites much higher than they thought they could and that when the co-worker did this she even exceeded these expectations by many times. I knew this woman for many years while I was at New Renaissance and we used to get together several times a year to talk about what was to be published that year and what authors we should have at the store. I always loved to see who was coming and would be available for us to host. Other times we just got together and chatted about our latest "adventures." Having her as a friend is one piece of what abundance is for me. It's not about money, but having her as a friend always made me feel happy and eager to sit down for coffee or lunch. She tried things that most people would not take a chance on. And because of her I look around and realize the amazing abundance in my life. I have friends and family and students who care about and support me. Thanks to you all of you. I don't need to try to push what works for someone else on myself in order to feel abundance. I need to look at what is already there and what things give me a sense of joy and satisfaction and gratitude. And there are so many. September 3, 2013 -- What is Abundance? "I have to laugh. God sends help to my door and I try to refuse it! Now how does that show my trust?" Carol Redmond, Money Stories Hi Friends What does abundance mean to you? For me it has always meant lots or more than enough but it has also always felt like it had a taste of spirituality or consciousness to it. Dictionary-wise it only means large quantities of something. In the online Thesaurus there are about 20 synonyms for abundance. Some of my favorites are: lavishness, bounty, cornucopia, wealth, heaps, oodles, gobs and formal plenitude. But none of these words speak to the spiritual quality, so where does that come in? For me, the spirituality comes because I would love to have plenty or gobs or heaps so I could share it others. I'd love to be able to give to those in need. Last week I attended a gathering with a few women for another who was stepping out into a new venture. We started talking about abundance and giving gifts to those in need and one of the women said she had always wanted to give to others when she had enough, but enough just never seemed to come. She decided that she just needed to begin rather than waiting. So, she started giving out hundred dollar bills. She told us that just the thought of doing it brought up tons of fears. What if she gave out a hundred dollars and then didn't have enough for herself. But what actually happened is that every time she gave a hundred dollar bill to someone more came in, not less. I've decide to try giving out money myself. I may not begin with hundred dollar bills, I'll need to just see what my giving threshold is. The women who's been doing this said they also only gave to people they didn't know. I think I'll begin with smaller bills. And even thinking about giving the smaller amount of money away brings up my issues! But it feels like a really good thing. As I'm writing this the phone just rang with someone who wanted to schedule a reading for later this week and I already had another one scheduled and some drum making coaching. Interesting how just thinking about giving brings in abundance! So, my challenge is to step up to the giving plate. I'll let you know how it goes. I'm excited about this challenge! I also want to tell all of you that I'm grateful to have all of you in my life and that I'm send energy your direction. August 2, 2013 -- Memories "I'm realizing there's nothing wrong with having a million dollars, but you don't need to have a million dollars to have what is important to you." Maridel Bowes, Money Stories Hi Friends In the middle of September my mother is reaching the milestone of having lived 90 years. With the help of my family I'm putting together a memory scrapbook for her. It will include past and present photos of Mom, and stories of our memories of her. I've come up with several memory stories of what I have learned from my Mom. Here are a couple of remembrances: The first story that came to me was how she used to embarrass me when I was about 14 or 15--of course anything a parent does when we are teens is likely to embarrass us! My mother didn't drive until several years after I had left home. So when I was a teen we'd walk the few blocks to get groceries. I remember at least once she found fallen tree branches on our route home. She handed her bag of groceries to me and dragged the limb home for firewood for our fireplace. I was pretty mortified and sure that friends would see us and think we were totally weird. Writing about this memory I also remembered embarrassing my oldest daughter when she was around 14. She thought I was horribly embarrassing because rain or shine, summer or winter, I wore Birkenstocks. Why couldn't I wear normal shoes like all of her friend's mothers. At this particular time she had hurt one of her feet and was having trouble with shoes, so I offered her a pair of my Birks. I didn't drag a limb home like my Mom, but I got the same reaction I must have given. Another memory is of Mom's creativity. She always said she wasn't creative. But her artistry came with home renovations and making beautiful hand-woven baskets and for the last 27 years, each year she has cross-stitched a different Santa design for decorative pillows at Christmas (she's probably done several hundred of these pillow over the nearly 3 decades -- and I have about a dozen). But the biggest gift of her artistic expression is that it gave me permission to be creative myself. Not sure I would have allowed myself to open to that part of myself if I had not had her modeling. These memories are touching. The first one give me an appreciation of how funny we are as both teens and parents, how sweet these time really are, and how we do live through them, even though as teens we are sure we will not. And the creativity memory gives me a new appreciation of my mother's unappreciated talents. I also realize how grateful I am to my Mom for helping make me who I am now. Thanks Mom. July 5, 2013 -- Forcing Never Works "I like people making money; however, a lot of people don't make money that has meaning other than to get stuff and have a bigger this or that. It's about the quality, not the quantity. James Wanless, Money Stories Hi Friends Are you a person who needs to push for things to happen or are you a synchronicity person? I'm a synchronicity person. Any time I try to force things or try to make things happen, either nothing happens or things slow down or I get really frustrated and scared. I've found that when I allow universal forces to lead me, my life works much better. Case in point: I went down to Yachats Tuesday to check and see if they needed any more of my books at Toad Hall. One of four books had sold,but while I was there I started talking to two people who were "hanging out" around the sales counter with me and Valeria, the store owner. We were chatting and before long the subject came around to what we all did. When I mentioned that I had just published a book, both of the people bought it, and had me sign their copies on the spot. I was supposed to go to Yachats last week, but I just couldn't get the trip to work with my schedule. I tried to push to make it happen last week but after feeling stressed and frustrated I decided to cancel not knowing when I'd make it down. Then a friend said come for the 4th and this weeks trip came together almost by itself! Besides me having a much more open calendar this week, the temperature at the coast was almost 20 degrees cooler than in town when I left. It was comfortably in the 60's for the two days, while in town it was mid to high 80's. Last week it was cloudy at the beach; this week, gorgeous blue skies! Perfectly yummy weather! I often have to remind myself that not pushing and asking Spirit to lead me is the way for me to go. One would think that after so many generations in this body I'd get it, but I still have to, at times be reminded, and more often than I'm comfortable admitting! I even wrote an article about the value of procrastination many years ago, which basically said to look at procrastination very carefully, because many times it is the universe's way of getting us to go in the correct direction and with the correct timing. So, if you find that you are a procrastinator or that when things slow down when you find yourself pushing, maybe it's time to look at what these experiences are trying to teach you. Are you being told that the timing is not right or that you should look at another direction? If pushing things works for you, then by all means push. Make things happen. But if pushing brings frustrating results, stop and look at what messages the slow down has for you. You may find big gifts in slowing or stopping, and listening. I send love, peace, and mindfulness as you walk, slowly, into the great and wonderful unknown. Connie Hill/Grandmother Knight |
June 6, 2013 What Did You Dream of Being When You
Were 12? "I tell people to stand in their power. Knowing what you want is so critical in having a vision. If you focus on how you can give and help others instead of falling into your fear, step by step, day by day, you will accomplish what you want. You will get there!" Joanne McCall, Money Stories Hi Friends As a child did you know what you wanted to be when you grew up? I know, we all wanted to be ballerinas or superheros when we were really little. But was there something else you wanted to be, something you felt strongly about when you were ages 10-14 that you have forgotten about? Last week a friend interviewed me for her art blog (click to read her interview) and in the course of our interview she asked me about my childhood. I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to come up with anything important, but our interview was like two friends talking about our lives, and I remembered that between 11-13 our youth minister who was a charismatic guy, talked about missionaries and their work. I was bitten by that bug and dreamed about going to work with Albert Schweitzer. Alas, I didn't get to know Schweitzer, but in the interview, as I was talking about what I do now and my book, Cathy asked me if what I do now had any relationship to that "calling" to help people back in my pre-teens. I was totally amazed when I began to realize that I had moved unconsciously toward that calling or mission over the years. Maybe I was not working with Schweitzer, but whether through astrology readings, drumming, drum making, or through my book, my goal is to help people find their true path. Also, in last month's email I talked about the 19 year cycle of eclipses and looking at what we want to let go of or begin or continue working on. I just realized that this "calling" was three 19 year cycles ago! And now 57 years later I'm living that "calling"! What did you want to be when you were 10-14? Give it another look. Maybe that is what you are really supposed to be doing, and maybe, like me, you are already on that path! May 7, 2013 Spring Eclipse Season "There comes a point where peace does come and I know that whatever is happening in my life is for my highest good." Quirina Kryger, Money Stories Hi Friends We are smack in the middle of 2013's spring eclipse season. Thursday is a New Moon/Solar Eclipse, which means the sun and moon are in the same signs: Taurus. And that means a bit of a slow down from the frantic pace of Aries and Scorpio Moons (the last New Moon and the 4/25 Lunar Eclipse). So more about the eclipses. They come in 19 year cycles. As I write this I'm thinking back to 1994 to see what was going on in my life back then. I had just begun my job at New Renaissance Bookshop. My issues back then were pretty much what they are now: resources, energy, time, money. But now I feel on the verge of changing that. In the introduction of my book Money Stories. I say it's not a how-to-book, and it's not, but since publishing it my whole energy around these areas has changed. Some of the change is due to the process of publishing but at least half is due to the major shake-up aspects that we are and have been experiencing: Uranus square Pluto, Neptune conjuncting Chiron, the three Eclipses, Saturn opposing into these eclipses. These are causing me and us to look at life in new ways. Uranus and Pluto are shaking things up like a Mt St Helens eruption, helping us to release old issues and make room for new beliefs and ways of viewing the world. Neptune and Chiron are dissolving old patterns and view points, and making space for healing. The eclipses are helping us 1. look deep (Scorpio Lunar Eclipse) and "muck out" old stuff we have carried for years, and lifetimes; 2. love and value our lives and those around us (Taurus Solar Eclipse on 5/9); and 3. let go of old beliefs and push boundaries out so we can see the world with open eyes and an expanded heart (Sagittarius Lunar Eclipse, 5/24). With Saturn touching the first two eclipses we can either become the authoritarian, pessimistic side of Saturn or look around and begin to manifest and see differently. I choose the later. And a Solar Eclipse is a great time to begin new processes. Each of us will experience these energies, just from different areas of our lives. For me, my money and energy houses are being activated, as well as my vision and belief houses. My book has been eye opening for me. When I got the first copy I couldn't believe it was done. I even felt mixed up and almost depressed for a minute or two: it seemed anticlimactic. But then came feelings of pride and joy and a sense of accomplishment. Last month I predicted that the eclipses connecting with Saturn could bring."either a struggle or a manifesting of money, and the struggle could bring the seeds to manifesting." It feels like the struggle (the time and energy it took to finish my book) is in fact bringing the seeds to manifest better money karma. What have these aspects brought up for you? What are you ready to release as this cycle ends and the new one begins? If you need help figuring that out please email me and we can look at your astrology. But no matter what, I hope you will join me with the intention of opening our lives up to possibilities. Several other things: Last month I said my book would soon be available as an ebook on Kindle, and now it is, check it out (Amazon).And I'd be very grateful if you would write a review for my book on either the Amazon or Powell's website. And may your path be filled with love, peace, and mindfulness as you walk into the great and wonderful unknown. Connie Hill/Grandmother Knight April 9 Aries New Moon and Lunar Eclipse "I have a lot of compassion, and I also trust that our souls know what they are doing." Pam Oslie, Money Stories Hi Friends Tomorrow marks the first New Moon since the beginning of spring, which began on March 20. And this month begins the first of this years two eclipse cycles (the second in October and November). This cycle's New Moon is in Aries. One of my daughters has an Aries Moon and she exemplifies that energy to me. She can be very impatient, but is also forceful, adventurous, and very courageous. That is what you can expect with this New Moon. If you have a project you want to begin, the Aries forcefulness can give you the not so gentle shove toward starting your project. You can expect yourself to be impatient if obstacles come up and you will be more likely to push through than find a way around the obstacle. Watch for this impatient energy out on the road and in the news, and at the same time surround yourself with and send out the intention of courage and awe. April 25th's Lunar Eclipse will be in Scorpio, another sign of strong emotions: passion, desire, aggressiveness, moodiness. Like the secretive nature of Scorpio, this eclipse may be difficult to spot and it won't be visible at all in the US. Why are eclipses important? They bring change. Many times within a few days of an eclipse our planet experiences earth changes. And as an astrologer, I find that for many people these aspects will begin changes in people's lives, as well. Sometimes the changes/transformations are easy, but often they can cause fear and tension. A Lunar Eclipse signals a time to letting go of something. For myself, the stress comes when I'm too rigid and want to control what's going on too much. If I can maintain an easy grasp on life (sort of like holding the reigns when riding a horse, hanging on, but easing up when necessary) the changes seem to be less stressful and problematic. That does not mean that nothing stressful will ever happen, but I find my attitude toward the changes is most important. If I'm angry and unhappy about what is happening, I'm giving it too much energy and it seems much bigger. If I'm more positive, I'm more likely to see the lessons being presented, and usually those lessons, once visible, are the keys to handling what is happening. This eclipse, as well as the Solar Eclipse on May 9th, will be in the energy/money houses of my astrological chart. Since the Lunar Eclipse Moon is close to Saturn I expect to see either a struggle or a manifesting of money, yet the struggle could bring the seeds to manifesting. Right now I'm working with an exercise that Pam Oslie talks about in my book Money Stories. Her exercise is to visualize money falling like snow all around you. She talks about experiences she and some of her clients had doing this exercise, and how money from unexpected sources appeared. I've already found that doing this exercise is bringing in unforseen resources in the form of a surprising request for my services. I'm going to continue the exercise for the next month and see what happens. I'll share more about it next month.A couple of other things: First, my book should be available as an ebook on Kindle later this week. Second, I'll be updating my blog tomorrow and then will be posting weekly after that. You can sign up for an email each time I update by clicking on the Follow button in the sidebar at gmnite.wordpress.com. And third Money Stories is still available at New Renaissance Bookshop (503-224-4929) and Jacobsen's Books in Hillsboro (503-681-8243). May your path be filled with love, peace, and mindfulness as you walk into the great and wonderful unknown. Connie Hill/Grandmother Knight March 8, 2013 "There are traditional stories about the powerful Zen Roshi who is paddling his boat across the river taking passengers back and forth. People asked him how he could do such a mundane thing. He says that each trip across the river is unique in itself, and this is a great approach for life." Stan Madson, Money Stories Hi Friends Have you heard Mercury retrograde referred to as a bad time or a time when you can expect lots of issues? Have you experienced problems when Mercury was retrograde? Do you think that astrologers are immune to Mercury retrograde issues? Confession time: I, as an astrologer, have been known to do things I suggest my clients not do, during Mercury retrograde. I once bought a car during this cycle--and the car was a lemon! I had thought that since the person selling the car was (I thought at the time) a friend, that the car was good and he would take care of me. Wrong! And that time I didn't even check Mercury's position until months later. In January I planned a trip back to visit my mom while my sister and her husband were on vacation. At the time we were planning the trip I realized I had a short window of time for my return trip. I needed to be home no later than Sunday, February 24 and my sister was gone until late Friday, February 22. I needed to stay in Iowa until my sis returned in case our mom needed something and, I needed to be home before Monday, February 25 for a drumming circle at New Renaissance. Also, the airfare practically doubled on Sunday, so my return trip had to be on the day Mercury went retrograde. Mercury rules communication and connections. The day before my sis got back, the area I was visiting got 6 inches of snow. Next fear, was this going to keep me from getting to the airport for my flight (2 hours away in Omaha). Was Mercury retrograde going to block my on-time return? All week the TV news predicted a dire consequences of the storm: "It's gonna be terrible. Watch out; be careful! Plan to stay at home! Don't even think of going out!" the news people shouted. I got more nervous as the time for the snow got closer. Then it hit me. What can I do to stop it? Nothing. How was the nervousness and worry helping? The answer: it wasn't. I decided to put my mind on other things. Since I had brought my computer I worked on things that I did have control over and I became mindful of how the worry was not helpful and healthy for me. Just that stopping and focusing on something else took my mind off the fear and worry, and calmed me. Six inches of snow did fall, but those Iowan's know how to handle that kind of weather and in about 3 hours the roads were cleared--I was amazed! By the time my sis was back that night the roads were no problem and we made it to the airport easily the next morning. In fact, all legs of my flight were exactly on time or even a bit early. The landing in Portland was one of the smoothest I've ever experienced. I got my luggage and picked up my car and was home in less than two hours after the plane landed! For a day that Mercury went retrograde this was one of the smoothest and easiest flights I had experienced! Now I have another confession to make: Most of you know that I now have a book called Money Stories. Well, I'm having my Book Launch Party this weekend and Mercury is still retrograde. When I was picking a day for the party I looked at several potential days, but after lots of contemplation, meditation and consciously looking at astrological aspects I decided Sunday, March 10 was by far the best of the potential days. What I realized (again!), was that Mercury retrograde does not say stop doing everything, it says be mindful, be prepared, look at what you are doing diligently and carefully. It asks of me no less than I would like to be doing any day. My big realization was that Mercury retrograde is all about being mindful and conscious and aware of what one is doing and not being unconscious, as we often are. I'd love to hear any Mercury retrograde stories you have that you'd like to share. And remember, mindfulness is the key to Mercury retrograde. And may your path be filled with love and peace and mindfulness as you walk into the great and wonderful unknown. Connie Hill/Grandmother Knight February 6, 2013 Birth "I don't believe in victim or scarcity consciousness. It is my opinion that whatever we believe is what we create. Our beliefs and our thoughts create our reality." Pam Oslie, Money Stories Hi Friends Did you begin the year with a set of intentions you wanted to birth? How are you doing with them? I'm calling them intentions rather than resolutions because, I don't know about you, but when I was growing up and even later the thought of resolutions brought a bad taste to my mouth. Making resolutions was always about fixing something that was wrong with me. Though I do have flaws and things I want to tweak about myself, resolutions always felt too negative. So, true to my Aquarian, gotta do it my way, nature I started my year with intentions, which were something I wanted to add or enlarge or clear out so something new could grow in that spot. My biggest intention for 2013 was to birth my book. And I did that! On January 28th a proof was printed and on January 31st the book was approved and I placed an order. I'm really proud of my new baby. Books will be available at New Renaissance and on Amazon this week and from me after February 24. eBooks will also be available on Amazon. I've just started setting up book talks and the first ones are listed below in Connie's Classes. My book is called Money Stories and it's about "the paths that others have taken to transform the role of money in their lives." You'll find 18 stories from such people as Amit Goswami, Pam Oslie, Hal Zina Bennett, James Wanless, Jennifer Louden, Lewis Mehl-Madrona, Mark Dodich, Tama Kieves, Peace Pilgrim's, and even mine. Each story is totally unique and I hope you'll enjoy them as much as I have. I look forward to sharing this book with you! Birthing a project like this is, on one hand very exciting, and on the other is really scary. Other than birthing my two daughters, I have not produced anything this important to me. My biggest fear, that almost kept me from completing this book, was that people would not like it, but a friend kept reminding me of don Miguel Ruiz's second agreements: "Don't take anything personally." That agreement always calms me down and puts me in my place! Of course, I hope everyone will love the book, but putting it out there takes the control right out of my hands! Do you have fears that keeps you from doing something you want to do? Are these fears valid or just imagined? Another big one for me was that I was too old, but now I've proved that one wrong! What is the most important thing you have done or want to do? What will it take to make this something a reality? Do you want it bad enough? And don't disregard something because it feels small. It may seem that way to another person, but might be very significant to you. Honor each step you take toward making your wish or dream real. And may your path be filled with love and peace and awesome births as you walk into the great and wonderful unknown. Connie Hill/Grandmother Knight January 10, 2013 -- A New Year "To me the consciousness movement means we are always exactly where we need to be. If we recognized the truth of that statement then the constant hassle of 'Should I make more money' disappears and the important question becomes 'Am I happy with what I'm doing?'" Amit Goswami, Money Stories Hi Friends Well, it's a New Year and we all made it through Winter Solstice of 2012. Did you feel the energy shift on Solstice? I did. Ever since I have felt a sense of newness and opportunity in my life. I didn't make any resolutions, but am trying a new food plan and want to focus on making this a year of lots of healthy choices. I also finished the first draft of my book on 1/1 and sent it off to the editor the next day. Now I'm adding the editing suggestions, laying out the book, and taking care of a million little details that go into getting a book off to the publisher. It's amazing how many small but necessary details there are! At the beginning of December I thought I'd never get finished, but I can "see" and "feel" my book now. Today I'm off to the post office to get a PO Box, then I'll be back home buying a block of ISBN's. By next email I'm hoping to have books in hand and ready for you to look over, buy, read, and tell your friends about. By the way, my book is called Money Stories and it's about "the paths that others are taking to transform the role of money in their lives." I look forward to sharing it with you - in about a month! What new things are you undertaking in 2013? I hope yours are just as exciting as mine. And may your path be filled with love and peace and transformation as you walk into the great and wonderful unknown. Connie Hill/Grandmother Knight |
