I’m not proud of how this story starts. But I’m thrilled with what it taught me about how to apply the 12 Universal Laws in times of stress. May you learn from my experience.

I’d just come home from an evening of empowering stories during a Fearless Women’s Summit. I felt inspired, strong, and definitely ready for bed.

Instead of quickly drifting into blissful sleep, however, I checked my emails (first mistake).

A message from the organizer of CB Nuit (a Corner Brook art festival on Sept. 28) triggered my little-self into immediate overwhelm followed by hours of restless turning and tossing filled with anxiety, questions, a perceived lack of control, some excitement, and confusion at my unexpected and uncharacteristic state of being.

Here I was so easily thrown into reaction mode, even after a few weeks of recharging my batteries in the UK and an evening of fearless stories. I found myself far from being flexible and adaptable in my thoughts or my spirit. I was stuck in fixed ideas. I couldn’t see past my fear of failure to envisage the possibilities. Creativity was out the door. Instead, I was drowning in a perceived lack of control and capability, keeping me from my usual deep and restful sleep.

Where was that confidence, open-mindedness and open-heartedness I’d been nurturing these past few decades?

Why was I so easily taken out of my peace?

It certainly had nothing to do with the content of the email – details of a great location for my exhibition & workshops.

Sure, some of the parameters were different than what I’d imagined or experienced the year before when I got to share this same Enter the Mandala: 12 Universal Laws exhibition & workshops as godmother at the Atlantic Festival of Visual Arts (FAVA) in New Brunswick.

No big deal?! Right?!

For some reason, some small insecure part of me made it a big deal. I threw myself into a tizzy of frantic thoughts and emails. It was only hours later that I finally put on a guided meditation to help me fall asleep.

The next morning, I woke up with a fresher perspective and a few intuitive answers but still an undercurrent of stress. This time, I remembered to consciously ask for guidance on how best to plan my event and how to understand my mind’s  mishandling of the whole situation.

My strength had turned against me. Or should I say that one of my shadows that had always helped me excel was now taking its toll.

You see, one reason I climbed the ladder so quickly in my first career in recreation is that my detail-oriented mind is excellent at imagining worst-case scenarios. Fear had helped me compensate by becoming an excellent planner and over achiever.

Somehow, lying in bed, I got stuck in the fear and its negative byproducts.

My Team of Divine Helpers highlighted the irony of the situation.

Here I was getting ready to bring my Universal Law mandalas and teachings to Corner Brook, but I wasn’t practicing them to my advantage!

I had a good laugh at myself when they told me that – a welcome bit of comic relief. The answers I sought had been in the project I was presenting. Too funny!

“Let’s review” – they advised.

So I spent the next while reviewing each of the Universal Laws in my mind and how I could use them to my advantage in this situation.

It was time to practice what I preach. What a great way to align to what I’ll be offering at the end of the month. 

If you’re new to the 12 Universal Laws, the more you understand them, the happier you’ll be. They help you transform your life from the inside out so you can become the conscious creator you were meant to be.

The Enter the Mandala Collection was created over the span of a year in 2015 while my Team of Divine Helpers was teaching them to me. To learn more about the collection and access all 12 original blog posts with the intuitive reading recordings, click here.

Today, let me share how reviewing the 12 Universal Laws changed my internal experience and no doubt my upcoming results.  You’ll notice as you read that they’re interconnected and sometimes overlap.

1.  Law of Divine Oneness:  

Remembering that all that is seen and unseen comes from a field of infinite possibilities, I realized my reactionary thought stream came from an unwelcome “the world against me” point of view. Where did this feeling of not only separateness but conflict come from? There were many healthier perspectives and possibilities to choose from. I wasn’t seeing all the people and logistical details as moving together as one web of interconnectedness. Instead of adding beauty and harmony to the dance, my thoughts were like an out-of-control child having a temper tantrum on the dance floor. For me to move more harmoniously as part of the Divine Oneness, I had to reposition myself in my mind as a willing and joyful dance partner, trusting that everyone and everything (including myself) was moving together to make this festival – and my part in it – a success. Me as we and we as me…

 

2.  Law of Vibration:

Absolutely everything is alive with pure energy vibrating at different frequencies. As a vibration manager, my role was to reach for higher frequencies to attract more of what resonates at that same frequency. There’s no way I was going to have a positive experience or attract positive outcomes if I stayed stuck in that low vibe that was so far from my usual frequency. I might not have been able to  jump from fear straight up to love, but I finally used that guided meditation to feel better and fall asleep.

For my event to create a space of joyful manifestation for its participants, I have to bring more joy into my days and every step of the planning process. This means breathing deeply when I’m scared and doing what I need to do more quickly to raise my vibration. Since then, whenever I feel myself go into overwhelm, I immediately take time out for yoga, a backyard break, walk, prayer, affirmations, or meditation. My tolerance for ego-generated negative stress is much lower now. Or rather, my ability to recognize it as signalling a need for change is better.

 

3.  The Law of Action:

I’ve regularly experienced how, when fuelled by the fires of purpose and passion, each inspired step towards our dreams leads to the opportunities and tools we need to achieve them. In terms of this festival, I’d been guided into proposing new events, was chosen to participate, received funding to pay for my travels, and offered housing for my stay in Corner Brook. Through the continuous process of tuning in, communicating to the Universe, staying open and receptive, and following through on guidance, I’d been creating the necessary momentum to manifest my vision.

Fear on that sleepless night had cut me off from my intuition. When I was reacting in a state of stress, I sent off a series of uninspired emails about details that could have been better handled in the morning. Although the next day’s outer work started off much later than I like, I’m so glad I listened when I was guided upon waking to do some inner work with Derek Rydall’s Shadow Dancing meditation. Wisely investing the time to understand what was at the root of my fears helped me flow to the right questions to ask the organizer, the creative ideas of how to set up my exhibition, and more.

 

4. The Law of Correspondence:

The world as we see and experience it stems from our thoughts and feelings. The more you nurture and cultivate your inner world, the more your outer world will match your true essence. Moment-by-moment, are you choosing light or darkness – love or fear?

For me to be so easily triggered into overwhelm was both surprising and revealing. I had obviously chosen fear in that moment- showing me that there’s still a lot happening in my inner world that could use more love. Being honest about what happened – to myself, a confidante, and now the whole world via this blog post – is all part of cultivating love in myself and the world around me. I know how important it is to do the inner work. It’s made such a difference in so many areas of my life already. Whatever triggered that anxiety bout was an opportunity to heal something deep within. I’m glad to report that similar situations since have been met with greater trust, openness, and action vs. reaction.

 

5.  The Law of Cause & Effect:

Everything happens for a reason. Even that sleepless night.

My reaction was an obvious result of my shadows and fears developed throughout the years. I’d learned to be control-hungry as a way of coping with my fear of the unknowns. I’d also learned to be defensive because I’d been bullied as a child. My reaction was a leftover from my past.

My future, however, is being shaped through my thoughts and actions of today. By laughing with myself while embracing this seeming debacle of an evening was a start. Learning & teaching from my experience is definitely helping me become more flexible, adaptable and self-loving. The time invested in understanding & accepting myself so I can emerge more fully as my True Self is shaping my future.

 

6.  The Law of Compensation:

The more you give, the more you get. The opposite is also true.

With my ego having such set expectations and fear-based thinking, I was closing the doors to my mind, my heart, and the greater good of my participants. I’d made “me” the centre of my event. Yikes! As soon as I realized that, I asked myself  “How can I be kinder to myself and with others as I prepare? How can I be more generous in what I’m offering? ”  Once I remembered what I really wanted to contribute and build in the world by sharing this art collection and related events, my whole experience changed.

As my heart expanded, so did my vision for my role in CB Nuit. I know I’ll receive so much from leading my workshops and ongoing nighttime event on the 28th. I come alive in front of groups and get such joy from sharing uplifting experiences. May I be a channel of the Universe’s abundance for the thousands who visit this festival.

 

7.  The Law of Attraction:

Like attracts like. I know that if I follow my bliss, I’ll attract more bliss that helps me shine my Light.

The Universe is already answering my prayers.  My absolute thrill and gratitude for my role at the FAVA last years definitely led to this opportunity to expand on the same offerings.

By repeatedly accepting my Team of Divine Helpers’ invitation to stretch my comfort zones and grow, I open myself to more emergence into my True Self.  I know that if I dwell on the negative possibilities, I’m going to bring them into my reality. No thank you! Instead, I’ll keep on connecting to love, beauty, joy & peace every day. I’ll also focus on my gratitude for the art, the teaching, the travel, and the opportunities for connection at CB Nuit. I love my life! When I focus on that, I attract a lot more to love! 

8. The Law of Perpetual Transmutation of Energy:

Energy is constantly moving in response to our thoughts and emotions. By consciously focusing our attention, we can create the world we want. Turn your face to the sunshine, and watch your reality transform itself.

Through change comes growth, through growth comes change.  It never stops. As soon as I focused on all that was amazing about CB Nuit and my participation in it, the more I realized how I was freaking out about a few tiny pieces of the puzzle. By redirecting my thoughts, I shifted my internal and external reality and those pieces appeared in perfect timing. When I need help shifting my focus, I take the time to do do a guided meditation or hypnotherapy audio program.

If I’d ignored the experiences of that restless night, what triggered it would continue to fester below the surface. By changing my thoughts and emotions through self-awareness and choice, I changed the flow of energy.

 

9.  The Law of Relativity:

Everything is relative. We create our misery by comparing ourself and our life to what we judge as better people, circumstances, or times. Nothing has meaning except the meaning you give it. Use your judgements to guide you out of the darkness and into the Light. Love what is, and be happy.

Instead of loving what was, or even acknowledging it, I got caught in a deadly game of shoulds, coulds, and comparisons. I gave the uncertainties an unhealthy meaning. Instead of seeing the challenges as possibilities, my fear triggered anger & anxiety. I dove deep into my darkness instead of sleeping. I could have said “Fun, a new situation to explore and play with in the days to come”, but instead I said “I don’t know what to do with this and I can’t handle that!”.  Luckily, I eventually used this unhappiness to guide me out of my judgments and back into a more loving way to approach life. Yay!

 

10. The Law of Polarity:

We live in a dualistic world. It’s what makes existence possible. There’s no north without south, hot without cold, sweet without sour, etc. The beauty is that there’s a whole continuum of existence between those polar opposites. When we focus on the opposite of what we don’t want, we start moving along the continuum towards what we do want. Where attention goes, energy flows. You always have a choice. Which way do you want to tip the scale?

I spent hours focusing on what could go wrong, how it was too much for me to do alone, and how things were different than I’d imagined. Thankfully, the next day I was able to start visioning the magical event I wanted to co-create. That got me heading in the right direction. The details have continued to fall into place, one at a time as I aim towards what I want to open for my participants. I even recruited a skilled volunteer to help me. I’m not doing this alone!

 

11. The Law of Rhythm:

Nothing is random. There’s order in the Universe through the repetitive movement, patterns, and cycles in everything. This is as true about the seasons as it is about relationships and the economy. Don’t fight the cycles. Work with them to your advantage. Mastering the Law of Rhythm means finding balance and equanimity no matter which way the pendulum is swinging.  Are you riding an emotional roller coaster or are you in a state of inner peace and joy, no matter what?

Well, that night I’d jumped on the emotional roller coaster! I wasn’t respecting the fact I was tired and in need of sleep. Being a morning person is part of my fear – will I be able to enthusiastically lead events until midnight and get everything packed up / cleaned up by 2am ? I usually go to bed at 9pm because I wake up at 4 or 5am. Knowing this, however, I’ve planned my trip to arrive 2 days before so I can regulate my sleep and energy levels. I’ll make sure to have enough me-time to recharge my batteries, so I can be at my optimum to teach a morning & afternoon workshop before leading 5 hours of programming at night. I can do this if I eat well, sleep well, and manage my energy. Self-knowledge is key!

 

12. The Law of Gender:

First, gender exists in everything and on all planes: physical, mental, and spiritual. It takes both male properties (will, penetration, action, expression) and female properties (intuition, openness, allowing, nurturing) for all creation. Second, everything needs time to gestate and grow. The more you focus on and nurture your dreams, the faster they’ll come to fruition. Any doubt or negativity will stunt or kill their growth.

I didn’t need to know all the answers that night. Getting swallowed up by fear wasn’t healthy. If I’d stayed there, I’d have killed any chance of creating something beautiful at CB Nuit. Thankfully, I was guided to do what I needed to do to be what I needed to be – my true creative loving self co-creating the life of my dreams by helping others do the same. In the 2 weeks that followed that restless night, many of the details came together with ease & grace. I just had to be patient and trust. I still don’t know how many people will show up and exactly how I’ll set up the exhibition. I’ll prepare as much as I can (the masculine) and be open to the possibilities that present themselves once I’m on location (the feminine). I’ve led a fulfilling intuitive life so far by feeling the fear and doing it anyway. This is just another opportunity to do so and grow.

 

I may not be a master yet, but I’m an enthusiastic student of the 12 Universal Laws and look forward to teaching more about them through my art & events at CB Nuit in Corner Brook on September 28th. Join me!