What Stops You

I have taken up a new hobby, knitting.  When I was young I tired it and hated it.  When I was in my twenties I tried it and hated it.  When the notion hit to teach myself to knit, I asked myself,why would I want to do something I had already tried, could never learn to do right and had always hated and had failed in doing?  I didn’t have a good answer to my question.  It was just something that was speaking to me to learn.  I have been knitting for about 2 months now and I’m loving it.  In fact I got so excited about it that I have started a group at the church that knits prayer shawls to send across the globe.  We are partnering with women 4 women knitting 4 peace. You will soon be able to find them on the web. 

This morning I was knitting and I made a mistake that I needed to “rip out”.  My piece had 108 stiches (great meditation tool), and they all needed to go, row after row had to be ripped.  I had ripped out a few stictches on another project just yesterday and I was sweating with just those few.  Now I had 108.  I was thinking all that work and time.  What if I lost it all?  I realized that when knitting previously in my life I didn’t work well with mistakes.  I considered them failures.  I learned I would rather quit than keep making mistakes.  I may not even try something for fear of failure.  I reflected back on the many things in my life where this was true.  At first I became very sad at all the thoughts and then I rejoiced.  I have changed my pattern.  Now I’m ready to step forward boldly and touch the greatness.  I recognize that I may not do it with a skip in my step and that’s ok.  I still step forward and that is the important thing. 

I don’t fear failure or frustration for they lead to dreams fulfilled. 

What have you let stop you from achieving the simple wonders of your life? 

What will you do to change your pattern?

 Peace and Blessings

Reverend Karen Paschal

Thomas Alva Edison
I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.

From Reverend Karen

Dear Ones,

In the early hours of the morning as it is for me so many mornings, I was not quite asleep and not quite awake. The thoughts of the Touching Greatness kept running through my head. Just as I do when I awake from sleep and reflect on my dreams I reflected on the weekend.

It has only been two weeks since we all came together in that great energy of transformation. As the days move from one to the next I wonder was it a dream? Did it happen? How could something that was that magnificent have been more than a dream? What I realize is, it was a dream. It was a dream that came true. It was a dream that was lived and experienced.

What is your dream? Is it clear enough in your mind, that when it comes true you will be able to say, “This is it!? This is every bit of my dream! This is all of it and even more!”? Will you be able to say, “I am living in my dream.”?

There are four keys to dreaming and claiming your purpose and passion. Over the next weeks I will talk about these keys. The first I hope we all discovered during the weekend. And that is finding something you care deeply about. For me it was making a difference in the lives of women and men. To create a space that would facilitate a remembering of the greatness that has been bestowed upon each of us by of our Creator, impressing upon each individual that their greatness is unique, special and necessary. And that, that greatness is to be lived and expressed in the world, for the complete and full expression of the Divine Plan upon our planet.

The second step is to declare. Declare with complete clarity what it is that you desire to create. A vision was written for the Touching Greatness weekend. Each person on the team spoke what their intention was for each participant to receive for the weekend, a quality they wanted everyone to walk away with. Some of the qualities were empowerment, courage, grace, passion, greater clarity. Our intentions were clear. Every week for months I visualized with our team what our event would look like. We saw the room set-up, the coming and going of all the people. We saw the smiles on everyone’s face. We heard and felt the excitement. After weeks of visioning and visualizing, our intention became clearer, and it became more and more real to each of us. The energy of the dream and purpose was living inside of us. We were able to declare with certainty the vision that we held for the weekend.

You have found what you deeply care about. Now it is time for you to declare how it will manifest? The clearer you are, the easier it will be for the Universe to create it for you. Remember we don’t have to create anything. We only have to allow the purpose and dream to come forth through us. The Universe, Divine Creator will do all of the work. When we know that and embrace that idea, it becomes so much easier to allow the big dreams to come forth because it doesn’t feel quite as daunting a task. That which has hung the stars in the sky will do the work for you. Declare your dream today.

I believe in your dream!

Reverend Karen Paschal

Women’s Wisdom Conference

Dear Friends,

I hope that you along with myself, have been reflecting on a most amazing weekend.  Every dream and every intention was fulfilled by the end of Saturday.  One dream was that each person would be touched at a deep level.  I have received so many comments, emails and phone calls affirming that this intention was manifest. 

We came together,  most of us strangers.  We left friends.  We know names now we didn’t know before, faces that will be imbedded in our memories.  We all left connected in a powerful way. 

The ripples of change are far-reaching.  We may never know the final impact of the solstice weekend of 2007. 

I invite you to spend this week in reflection to get more clear on your purpose and passion.  Then I invite you to share with us so we can stand in support. 

Many Blessings!

Reverend Karen Paschal
New Dawn Church