Holding the Space for

FAITH and

SURRENDER

Nathen’s Newsletter

November ’18)

Warm greetings and blessings to you, dear Friend!
May you be filled with lovingkindness.
May you be safe and protected from all inner and outer dangers.
May you be well in body and mind.
May you be at ease and happy.

THIS MONTH’S TOPIC

(BIG thanks to all who joined me in 30 days of the Practice of Gratitude – in saying “thank you” IN ADVANCE for what is ALREADY yours – and who shared some of their experiences with me. If you’d like to join in on the fun, please do; the exploration is ongoing, as you’ll read below.)

My apologies for not having a newsletter to share with you in October – I was travelling (in Ontario and Quebec, for the THIRD time this year!) – AND, the gift of having more time between newsletters is gaining a clearer “view” of what’s unfolding. Let me go back…

My birthday is in early September, and it’s always a time of introspection for me (where have I been, where am I going, etc). Being the “Recovering Perfectionist” that I am (!), I got stuck in some limiting thinking; I was comparing myself to friends my age who had more of the external “markers” of accomplishment in their lives than I do (homes that they own, happy marriages, grown children). 

I shared these thoughts and feelings with an old friend and spiritual mentor, and his simple reply was, “I’d like you to ponder Simplicity and Security”.

WELL! Blessed and Grateful I AM for that advice, because it led me on a rich adventure which continues to unfold!

Firstly, Simplicity. As I pondered this, I was inspired to make some simple AND significant changes in my life: 1) I started meditating again (after many years away from “the cushion”); (2) I started getting up EARLY (between 4 and 5 AM); (3) I de-cluttered my office/studio by “releasing” some books and piles of paper; (4) I started prioritizing my time around playing my beloved instrument, the Chapman Stick, rather than around answering my e-mail.

Those simple steps opened me up to the Denzel Washington video that I mentioned last month (here it is again) – most importantly, to this idea within it: “Say thank you in advance for what is already yours.”

Secondly, Security. Denzel’s words led me to Marilyn Jenett’s powerful book, Feel Free To Prosper, and these words of hers: “I wanted to feel a sense of SECURITY (emphasis mine) – the feeling that I would always have what I need and that whatever I needed would be provided. I realize now in retrospect that what I really yearned for was to be connected to my TRUE (emphasis mine) source of supply.” Combining Denzel’s words with these words from Marilyn, I started saying thank you for FAITH – faith in my TRUE source of supply – God/Spirit/Infinite Source/All That Is/Perfect Love.

That led me to Marianne Williamson’s powerful book, The Law of Divine Compensation, and these words of hers: 
“Dear God, I surrender to you my work and and my desire for work.
I surrender to you my fear, I surrender to you my money, and I surrender to you my debts.
I surrender to you my sense of failure and I surrender to you my shame.
I surrender to you my dreams and my visions and my hopes.
Amen.”

On an early morning drive shortly after I read this, a gentle thought came to mind – in much the same way, I imagine, as a butterfly might land on your open hand, if you were still enough: “You know – if I were to REALLY be thankful for the FAITH that all is indeed well, I could probably “let go of the reins” a little more – not hang on to everything so tightly.” And as I had that thought, I cried some gentle tears as I felt myself SURRENDERING to that faith.

Simplicity and Security -> Gratitude -> Faith and Surrender.
Small Steps that have led me to the best birthday present I could’ve asked for.

So I now choose to continue to Hold the Space for FAITH and SURRENDER.

In honour of FAITH and SURRENDER, I offer you some of my music; may it serve you well.
More Than Enough (a song from my CD “Little By Little”, that GRATEFULLY celebrates the small AND quintessential things in life);
Here And Now (a song from my CD “Little By Little” that celebrates the only moment we truly have – the PRESENT moment);
The Faith Of God (a song from my CD “YES”, that celebrates living FAITH to the fullest degree);
To Love (a song from my CD “YES”, that celebrates living SURRENDER to the fullest degree).
(You can listen to my songs and chants here.)
(You can find the words to my songs and chants here.)
(You can buy my CDs here.)

I also offer you this pithy inspirational quote, which sums up all of the above quite nicely; may it also serve you well.
“Delegate it to the manager. You have this really good staff that will take care of everything for you. You just have to delegate it – and trust it.” – Abraham Hicks

How about YOU, dear Friend? What’s most resonating in YOU this month? WHEREVER you are on your journey, I’d love to hear from you. Please e-mail me here; we’re all in this together, and we have much to learn from each other. (BIG THANKS to all of the kind souls who respond to my newsletters; reading your comments is always a highlight of my month.)

(P.S. Along with my new commitment to meditation, I’m into my 7th month of tapping daily [EFT] while stating powerful intentions. If you’re new to EFT, here is the best place to start.)

APPRECIATION

Every Monday on my Facebook business page, I post messages of gratitude.
Please have a look, join the conversation, and SHARE the posts with your friends. 

UPCOMING AND ONGOING EVENTS

– PERFORMANCES

(For the most up-to-date information, please click on any date in my online calendar)

– VIDEOS

May I be of service to you and your organization or community with my words and music?
My KEYNOTE CONCERT presentation can be seen here, and my PERFORMANCE VIDEOS, including my LATEST ONE (“Learn, Share, Grow and Belong”) can be seen here.

– MUSIC

My very dear friend and song co-writer Becca Palm has created “Community Songs”, a songbook/CD package of 23 songs which includes 4 chants that she and I co-wrote (“Ho-oponopono”, “Listen”, “Small Steps” and “Turning Within”). To get your copy, please click here. (You can also listen to and/or download the songs here.)

As a very dear and wise friend in Montreal once said to me, “All I can offer you is my experience”.

My sincere desire, in every one of my newsletters, is to encourage us all to live our Big Lives one Small Step at a time.

Much love to you, dear Friend. May you Hold the Space for FAITH and SURRENDER, and may you go with LOVE. 

– Nathen