Love Be-ing A TeacHer!

I'm so lucky to be a teacher!

hEy tHeRe!

Many teachers and kids do the countdown to summer toward the end of the school year--so excited for summer, right? Well;, I'm at work this morning as an 8th grade English teacher at Valley Middle School and guess what?

I LOVE IT!

I mean, what could be better than 

hanging out with kids all day?

(the groWn-Ups are okay, too, I guess . . . LOL!)

Honestly, I feel super lucky and blessed to have a job I love, and to tell the truth, teaching actually found mE. Here's the super no-coincidence story:

Once upon a time in my twenties after college, I was in my room late at night reading a college course catalog (yes, I was working at a department store in the mall with a 4-year degree, living at home with my parents . . . and that's okay . . . I just didn't have a direction, or a focus, and I wasn't sure what to do with my life, hence the college course catalog). I turned a page open and vwah-lah (is that how you spell it?), out popped a section in the catalog for a teaching license program for English (which was my degree in college).

I was like WHOA! COOL! I could be a teacher! and looked farther down the page. I needed two letters on reference from college professors, a copy of my college transcript, an essay explaining my interest in the program, and a filled-out application form. Not a problem, really . . . but then I looked at the deadline: 

iT was 

DuE the

vEry nExT dAy at 5:00 p.m.

I didn't know it at the time, but this was one of the very first times I felt the Universe leveraging itself for me. I knew I was going to be a teacher after I saw this program, and I knew I was going to meet the deadline.  

So, I stayed up all might long writing my essay and filling out the application, and in the morning right away, I called two of my favorite professors the and asked for references THE VERY SAME DAY. They agreed! (of course) . . . 

That very same day (fewer than 24 hours since I had read about the program), I headed down to the University of Minnesota with my application; I picked up the references from my two professors; I went to the transcript office and got an authorized copy of my college grades; AND, I hand-delivered my entire application at (you guessed it!) around 4:55 p.m.

I made the deadline!

Anyway, that is the story of the beginning of my love affair with teaching. I feel so blessed to be a teacher and to have a job that I absolutely adore. Deepak Chopra, in his Seven Laws of Spiritual Success describes The Law of Dharma in this way:

"Everyone has a purpose in life . . . a unique gift or special talent to give to others. And when we blend this unique talent with service to others, we experience the ecstasy and exultation of our own spirit, which is the ultimate goal of all goals."

Do you think your work is connected to your dharma?

Let's continue tomorrow!

Blessings!

Dana

gOt bReaTh? jUsT bReAtHe . . .

Dear Ones;

As I was picking up my son from school yesterday, I glanced ahead of me and saw this bumper sticker and took a picture of it. It reminded me of another one I saw last year in Wisconsin while I was on a run. Remember this?

A couple of days ago, I blogged about PEACE, and how signs of peace seem to be showing up for me constantly lately. It reminds me that peace always has to begin with me as an inner state, and it's up to me to have ritual and routine in my life so I can maintain or return to a state of peace when needed rather than react to life. 

It's like I want to respond with intention (choice & power . . . yay!) instead of recklessly reacting (no choice and no power . . . boo!) In other words, . . . it's living from the INSIDE:OUT.  

I've noticed that there are some practices that can almost instantly help me find a state of peace; one is just returning my attention to the very thing that gives me life: my breath! 

Which brings me to my very first:

YoGa LoVebOmb!

A yogic practice for calming and cooling is sitali pranayam, or sitali breath. To practice, curl the tongue and stick it out of the mouth, like a little tube. Inhale slowly and deeply over the tube tongue, and exhale out the nose. If you can't curl your tongue, inhale slowly and deeply through the circle-shaped mouth.

  

Practice 3--31 minutes for relaxation, calm, and soothing. 

Loads of YoGa LovE,

Dana

Got Sign?

"The peaceful warrior's way is not about invulnerability,

but absolute vulnerability--

to the world, to life,

and to the Presence you felt.

All along I've shown you by example

that a warrior's life is not about imagined perfection or victory;

it is about love.

Love is a warrior's sword;

wherever it cuts, it gives life, not death." 
- Dan Millman

Go(o)d Morning All!

Above you can see me wearing my favorite ring . . . and there's a beautiful story behind it & the symbol it bears. The symbol first found me in my mid-twenties, a difficult time of transition for me: my dad was dying, I was working at my first teaching job, and I had been in a very toxic relationship that was coming to an end. I found this symbol first when I was in Mexico for spring break--it actually was a bangle that hung on a silver chain . . . a necklace. I've never been a necklace person, but for some reason it spoke to me and I bought it. 

Have you ever noticed that sometimes, things find us just at the right time? Like, a book practically jumps off the shelf to you, or you overhear a message from someone's conversation that's just what you need to hear?

Anyway, the necklace bangle used to be square and plain, with no sapphires, no diamonds, and no ruby in the heart space. Here's the story of how I made it my own:

A few  years ago, I knew a relationship was coming to an end and I had to make a painful leap; I was exhausted & depressed, and I had slowly lost me--for which I take full responsibility, by the way--over the course of the relationship. I had to save myself, but I was terrified. Looking back, I know now that I had been terrified for years--and instead of feeling my sadness and fear, I was medicating myself with working too much, jogging endless miles, running from activity to activity, eating too much, not eating enough, you name it. I was sleep-deprived, spent, and hopeless; I felt my spirit slowly shrinking to an invisible dot.

I saw my necklace one morning, and something nudged me to take it to my  neighborhood jeweler and ask him to make it into a ring. We chatted for awhile, and I decided I wanted to round out the edges to soften it a bit . . . I didn't even ask how much it would cost. A couple of weeks later, a counselor friend of mine noticed my new ring; she asked me whether I knew what it meant and I said, "No. Not really." She told me it's a Celtic rune that means spiritual warrior, and a strong  symbol of protection.

She went into a drawer and pulled out a piece of paper (above) with my symbol on it. I got the chills over and over. It had "Algiz" written on the top of the page, and read:

Opportunity for growth.

Rapid development.

Protection.

Safe refuge.

It is a powerful rune of protection and, spiritually,

it symbolizes reaching up to the divine. 

Even in the heat of battle you are protected; wisdom & vision are your allies

I knew that it was a sign from the Universe that I had to dig deep, and go to a place of strength I didn't know was possible for me. And I did go there . . . my ring has Celtic rune on it that means spiritual warrior, and a strong  symbol of protection. DO you have special symbols that have spoken to you in your life? The symbolic rune"Algiz" serves as a mirror for Spiritual Warrior, the one whose battle is always with the self. Here's a bit more about it:

*
Algiz:“Al-jiz”

Literally: “Elk”
Esoteric: Protection, Higher Self

PSI: divinity, higher self, the state of listening
Energy: protective teaching force, the divine plan, 

Mundane: protection, safety, spirituality

Divinations: Connection with the gods, awakening, higher life, protection.

* from RuneSecrets.com

When I look back at my life, I realize that this symbol has been with me for a lot longer than I was aware-- for example, I have been drawn to this image in art I have chosen for my home . . . 

in gifts I have received from family and friends . . .

 and I see this rune in many everyday sightings, like, for example in leaves and trees . . .

I even keep a special token with this rune in my pocket each day . . .

About my ring . . .  I had the necklace made into a ring, and then months later, when I had yet another challenge, I decided to have my jeweler add the ruby "heart" to the ring, surrounded by gold--, and the three white diamonds to symbolize my magical number, three--and the love among Chloe, Max, and me. Last year, the ring's final transformation was adding 9 (3+3+3) sapphires around the symbol, three of which were placed above the head of the figure, at the crown chakra.

I truly believe the Universe speaks to us quietly in powerful symbols and patterns that surround us everyday--and one of our highest callings is to pay attention to them and learn from them. For me this means staying conscious, present, and aware so that I can benefit from these quiet messages.

Do you have a symbol that has found you and has worked magic in your life? Leave a comment and tell your story behind your special symbol!

Have a beautiful day!

Love, 

Dana

WhAt's YoUr mAgiCaL nUmbEr?

I suppose I'm a pretty superstitious person . . . in a go(o)d way (not like a creeper or something)! I mean, I am always looking and listening for patterns and signs in my life . . . out in nature, in daily conversations, in animals that get my attention, in numbers, and in patterns in my relationships.

I guess I figure if something keeps repeating itself to me, the Universe is trying to get my attention . . . like, for example, when the same old problems keep coming up! . . . 

It could be yucky stuff like when something keeps bugging me, or when people keep treating me a certain way, or my body keeps reacting the same to something (one example is, if I have sugar, I feel kind of headachy and sick-like).

But it can also be good stuff! Like when I smile at a stranger and just feel better, when I help someone, or give them positive reinforcement, or when I just randomly laugh out loud and others join me, 'cuz IT JUST FEELS GOOD!

Anyway, my point is that I actually have a magic number--333. I see this number all the time--and I often wake up at 3:33 AM.                                                                                                                                             I knew that it was going to be an amazing day when I got to 3,333 hits on this bLoG one summer; I was patiently awaiting the day for awhile! I kind of took it as a sign that I was writing some stuff that folks could relate to, and that somehow helped people . . . including me!                                                                                                                                             There's a lot of power in the number three, and you can find out more about the spiritual meaning of different numbers by looking them up at Doreen Virtue's Angel Numbers. Here's what she writes about the 333 sequence:

333 - The Ascended Masters are near you, desiring you to know that you have their help, love, and companionship. Call upon the Ascended Masters often, especially when you see the number 3 patterns around you. Some of the more famous Ascended Masters include: Jesus, Moses, Mary, Quan Yin, and Yogananda.

My daughter, Chloe, has the number 64, but she also sees the number 32 (half of 64) quite often. Do you have a magic number?

What numbers and symbols speak to you in your daily life? Leave us a comment and share your experience.

lOvE! . . .

Dana, Dana, Dana