The Bliss Mistress Guide

After approximately 6 years of gratefully writing the interview column for Wisdom, having the joy of speaking with some of the most amazingly transformational folks on the planet, I am thrilled to be adding my own voice and that of my persona, who I call “Bliss Mistress” as well, to the wonderful online version of the magazine. In this community in cyberspace, I welcome you into the world of pure imagination (cue Willy Wonka music), in which you will have the opportunity to delve into your deepest dreams and desires, color with your creative juices, explore your edges, dance with the Divine, sing your soul notes, spread your wings, and courageously face your shadow. Transforming the Ordinary Into The Extraordinary is my passion and invite you to join me on the journey. What fun we will have together!

So, as we embark, I would like to offer you some definitions:

TRANSFORMING: “to change completely in form or function” and “to change as to make better or more attractive.”

ORDINARY: “commonly encountered or usual” “normal” “dull or unexciting”

EXTRAORDINARY: “highly exceptional or remarkable” “amazing, fantastic, astonishing, marvelous, exceptional”

Intrigued? I was when I initially considered the concept. Since change is inevitable, why not make it conscious and intentional? If you think about where you are in your life at this moment, I invite you to make a list of the components that create the person who gazes back at you (hopefully with a wink and a smile) in the mirror. I'm not just speaking of the roles you play, although that could be part of it. What qualities make you uniquely YOU? How were they developed and honed?

When you take stock of where your feet are planted at the beginning of each day, are they on fertile ground or sinking quicksand? If the former, dig your toes into sweetly fragrant grasses and if the latter, move on as rapidly as you can. Again, awareness is key. I encourage a ritual each morning that can set you up for success or suck-you-down-into-the-mud failure. Before my feet touch the floor, I set intention for 'connecting with amazing people and having extraordinary experiences.' and every day I do just that. At the end of the day, as I close my eyes, I express gratitude for the loving and supportive people who are in my life and the gifts from a generous Universe. It keeps me grounded when I am tempted to fly off into flaming fear or diving into debilitating doubt.

I'm sure that everyone who is reading this magazine has a vivid imagination and I ask you now to engage it. If you knew that in a year from now, your life could do a 180; and I can't say for certain what it would look like, but if you could see it, it might spread a smile across your beautiful face, how would you feel in this moment? When I've posed this question to clients and students, some have said “I wouldn't believe it.”, “scared.”, “excited.”, “hopeful.”, “encouraged.” I have then reminded them that it didn't come for free. It would cost them their limiting beliefs, doubts, self deprecating thoughts and sabotaging actions. We cling so tightly at times to our patterns as if our very existence depended on them. For some who have experienced trauma, particularly early in life, it may indeed feel like that.

In this here and now moment, as you are immersed in these words, you are in a circle of peace and safety in which you can plant seeds for the life that will blossom into a magnificent garden. What do you want to grow? If you would like ripe, red tomatoes, you won't be planting watermelon seeds, even though biting into either might send juice dripping down your chin. In order to have lush, fertile fruit, you need first to clear the lot, freeing it of rubble and weeds. Then it's important to turn over the soil, stirring up the nutrients and creating space to place the plants. Beaming sunshine and streaming rain; the laughter and tears of our lives, will nourish the seedlings, ongoing weeding out of discontent will keep them thriving. Being sure not to dig them up to see if they are growing is crucial as well; giving them time to flourish,

For many years, I lived as a co-dependent caregiver, who would often sleepwalk through life. I was referred to by my husband Michael (in Spirit for the past 12 years) as “an emotional contortionist who would bend over backward to please people.”, “a deer caught in the headlights when it came to making decisions” and “always looking over your shoulder to see if the propriety police were watching.” Now that I practice yoga and CAN bend over backward, I no longer need to do it in my relationships. I stay off the road, out of the glare of headlights and make responsible decisions that, for the most part, reap positive outcome. And I now know that the 'propriety police' were not even in the 'hood, let alone concerned about what I was doing.

Until next month, wishing you blissings and blessings.

Rev. Edie Weinstein a.k.a. Bliss Mistress invites people to live rich, full, juicy lives. She is a colorfully creative journalist and sought after inspirational speaker and Joy Coach. Edie is an interfaith minister, licensed social worker and PR Goddess. She writes a daily Bliss Blog for Beliefnet blog.beliefnet.com/blissblog www.liveinjoy.org