The 12 Keys of Spiritual Activism ~~~ by Humanity Healing Network

May these 12 Key steps activate your own activism, and help you to change the world one step at a time.  For when we can truly embrace these steps, we can truly change ourselves, our lives, and then those around us, which leads, to yes, changing the world....  and so I try, and I do, and I succeed, and I stumble - but I never ever stop!  


For I believe with my entire existence that THIS is the way to our salvation.  Those that do NOT follow these steps or steps like them will fail.  The old way is gone, this new way, the way of the feminine, is the only way to healing ourselves, our businesses, our country, our planet.  Cinda Stevens Lonsway 


THE 12 KEYS TO SPIRITUAL ACTIVISM
The embrace of the path of Spiritual Activism enables individual or groups to develop the noble qualities of compassion, wisdom and gratitude. It is in itself a Path of Transformation.

We can shift our perspectives of reality through seeking service beyond self by practicing the Gifts of Service.

The core dynamic behind the Spiritual Keys are creativity, adaptability, understanding and the peaceful resolution of conflicts.

#1 - All Action MUST Be Based on Compassion:
When championing a Cause, mindset must be altruistic and the motivating emotion must be positive. Spiritual Activism is action for the benefit of something, not against something.

#2 - Compassion Flows From the Understanding Of the Connection Between All Living Beings:
We are all connected through our shared Humanity. Our action shift from one of "us helping them" to one of "for the good of All" - We become One.

#3 - Compassion Must be Applied With Wisdom: 
There are more Causes that exist than an individual or group can possibly be involved with. It is important to choose your causes carefully. Learn to Act instead of React.

#4 - Apply Synergy and Teamwork to Accomplish Goals:
Synergy is the process where two or more actions combine to produce an effect greater than the sum of its indivual parts. Whenever possible, team up with others to acquire a multifaceted and more holistic approach.

#5 - Spiritual Activism Is the Pursuit of Service for the Good of All, Not for the Advancement or Benefit of Individuals or Select Communities:
The mindset behind your actions must be noble, holistic, Universal and non-partisan. Be mindful that ego and self-service have no place in Spiritual Activism.

#6 - Pursue Integrity, Honesty and Dignity in the Conduct of Your Actions: 
Embrace Mindfulness in the application of your activities and be aware of how your actions may be perceived by others. Practice Spiritual Transparency, allowing negative energies to bypass your system without harming it.

#7 - Do Not Defame Your Detractors or Those Who Doubt You:
A confrontational approach leads to a defensive reaction. Approach others with Openness and Compassion your heart. Aspire to always be a Peacemaker.

#8 - Raising Another Up Raises You Up as Well:
Helping another becomes a form of self-love as well as an expression of outward love. This becomes an upwardly spiraling cycle of increasing awareness, connection, compassion, involvement, capacity, and back to increasing awareness.

#9 - Learn and Listen to Your Heart and Not Your Mind:
Your mind may only see the problem. Your heart will always feel the solution. Learn to act with Faith and cultivate a loving perception when facing collective problems.

#10 - Search Out Viable and Sustainable Solutions:
Seek out solutions that maintain or restores the dignity of individual humans and their communities. The goal of Spiritual Activism is to raise another up, not make them dependent.

#11 Do Not Judge Yourself Simply By the Results of Your Actions:
Maintain a sense of detachment as to overall results. Learn to see yourself not on where you have reached, but on the Path you are traveling. There is real fulfillment in just being called to serve humanitarian and spiritual causes.

#12 - Let Metta Be the Motivation for Your Actions:
If you cultivate Metta (the practice of loving-kindness) in your heart, you will succeed. The Intention that is the motivating force behind your actions is paramount. Start from a position of pure and altruistic Love.

Spiritual Activism is about reconnecting the concepts of personal spiritual growth and societal action.



From Humanity Healing Network
(transposed from their inspirational video: 12 Keys Video )
(visit their website to learn more: Humanity Healing)

Today is the day of self promotion, I apologize, BUT!!!! Jack Armstrong posted this on his FB page Lessons from the Source and it is right on with the article I wrote in August's issue of Wild Sister Magazine, so I had to share!  The article's title is: JOY is not Happy. I think Lessons influenced my take on JOY..... I love this man and his book!

From Chapter Four of Jack Armstrong's book, Lessons From the Source:

"Start from a point of view of joy and gratitude—even if the circumstances on the physical plane do not seem to merit it. You can always express gratitude, for you will always be able to think of many things to be grateful for, and this expression automatically will call forth joy. A smile will come to your lips, and your eyes will reflect it.

From this perspective of joy and gratitude, it is easy to put yourself into the flow. Use affirmations that seem appropriate, and visualize yourself as being in the flow. This, in turn, should inspire additional feelings of gratitude, which will increase your joy, and you will find yourself in an upward spiral that will carry you forward and be an inspiration to others."

Jack's FB Book Page:  http://www.facebook.com/groups/206672295984/
Lessons From the Source Website:  http://www.lessonsfromthesource.com/

Subscribe to Wild Sister Magazine to read inspirational articles, including JOY is not Happy: http://wildsister.com/

Wild Sister Magazine and ROAR!!!

ROAR! with Cinda is now a monthly article in Wild Sister Magazine!!!!  I am so excited and honored to be part of such an inspirational group of women. You can subscribe here: http://wildsister.com/

Wild Sister is founded, created and edited by Jen Saunders of My Smiling Heart blog site: http://mysmilingheart.org/.  Jen is an amazing woman, who found meaning in her life by deciding to smile, now she makes others smile by inspiring them to follow their dreams.  Like writing for a new e-magazine!

Wild Sister went live on July 1, ROAR! with Cinda's first article was ROAR!!  Which you can read in this blog post and on Facebook where it got its start.  But all other articles I write for Wild Sister Magazine, will only be available for reading if you subscribe, see above link!!! You will not be disappointed!!!!  The Magazine is filled with wonderful, inspirational, creative, eye popping beautiful articles, pictures, questions, answers, and community......

ROAR! with Cinda's August addition is titled, "JOY is not Happy"  
(here is a segment I cut out of my article, to get the answer to the question below, well, you need to subscribe to Wild Sister):
As per wikipedia, "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness is one of the most famous phrases in the United States Declaration of Independence and considered by some as part of  one of the most well crafted, influential sentences in the history of the English language.  These three aspects are listed among the "unalienable rights" or sovereign rights of man".  

There it is!  It is our RIGHT to be Happy.  DAMN IT!!!

So why aren’t we?

It is $2 for the first issue and $5 for each following.....  They have sold over 400 copies in just two weeks!!!  Also, there have been so many requests from guest writers to join, that the entire year is already filled and they are now turning people away.  So do not get left out, please subscribe!! I know you will be glad you did!

Why I Wrote the Check!

The necessary flow of money; it is its own energy.

Why we feel money and spirituality don’t go hand in hand blows my mind.  In my life I have experienced the flow of money as being very similar to the flow of energy.  The flow of energy is most certainly generated from the flow and connection to and from Spirit.  Therefore, for me, if we honor the flow of money, we honor the flow of energy, and in doing so Spirit is honored as well.

There is a childhood song which comes to mind by Malvina Reynolds:

“Love is something when you give it away, give it away, give it away
Love is something when you give it away,
You’ll end of having more.
It’s just like a magic penny
Hold it tight and you won’t have any
Lend it spend and you’ll have so many
It’ll roll all over the floor”

From a business perspective, if we honor money as energy, recognize money as energy, and treat money as energy, we can create a flow which includes more than just an income.  When money is treated this way, we also receive an unwritten understanding between individuals; value is created, we receive a commitment, a dedication, an understanding, and a sense of pride and even gratitude.

Here are a few stories in how this has worked in my life.  First a story shared to me by my step-father, a very successful rancher in Central Oregon.  He is internationally renowned for his breeding of horses, llamas, elk, and other exotics.  When he started raising and breeding llamas, the first in the nation to domesticate them, he was unsure what price to ask when it came time to sell.  Another very established rancher, who appreciated my step-father’s talents in breeding horses, asked him, “What is the value you place on your stock and your breeding talents?”  My step-father said, “It takes just as much effort to breed llamas as it does to breed the Arabians. I give them the same care, love and commitment.”

The answer was given to him when this man wrote a check for an unbelievably high amount, equivalent to a mid range Polish Arabian horse.  That moment, that energy in that transaction set into motion the following years of success my step-father experienced with his llama sales.  It set him up as the leader in the industry, and future llama breeders set their prices on his success.

I take this lesson to heart EVERY time I have a friend or I meet a person who is starting a business, creating a workshop, or providing a service that I believe in (key point here, ‘BELIEVE IN’).  I write them a check, and as I write that check I put into it the energy of my belief in them and what they are doing. And consistently, money, customers, and clients begin to flow and increase for them from that point on.

For example, a friend had a great idea for a workshop to help women find balance in their lives, fliers and brochures were done and posted, advertised, etc, but no one signed up.  I knew I wanted to attend, but I waited to sign up to be sure there would be class.  But then I remembered my step-father’s story, I knew there was value in this workshop for me, so I needed to show this value through writing a check to hold my spot.  She gratefully accepted it, and the interesting part, the following week she had a full house, everyone paying the price I had paid. 

Another friend of mine, designs gorgeous cashmere cardigans in bright colors, and at fabulous prices, but she couldn’t sell them.  Amazing how many suggestions she followed in how to market, promote and where to sell them, but nothing was working.  Again, remembering that money is energy and energy is flow, I joined her at a Christmas Bizarre to help sell her sweaters from a booth.  I was the first to purchase one, and I wore it proudly. Over the next two days she had record sales.

A personal example was when I held skincare workshops in my house.  When I did them for free, the turnout was low.  People canceled last minute or didn’t show.  A lot of preparation went into these events, so it was so disappointing to only have only three people in my living room.  Then I remembered the importance of value, my value in preparation and presentation, the value in the information, and the only way to show and give value was to charge for it.  So I began to charge $20 per person, $30 for two, and it worked! I had to create a waiting list, which lead to future workshops. 

The biggest lesson I learned was a spiritual one.  A few years ago, I created my own spiritual jewelry line with a ritual practice attached.  At first I created an entire inventory which I sold for barely enough to cover expenses. When I went to shows, I raised the prices. In both cases, I hardly sold anything.  That is until I focused on the value of the jewelry, it wasn’t in the jewelry it was in the ritual that went with it.   But how do you charge for a ritual? How do you charge for spiritual work?  I didn’t think I should or could. So I didn’t, and I suffered for it.  People came to me wanting to get something sacred and special and not have to pay for it.  I began to notice that the spiritual work they needed to do, they wouldn’t take seriously until they found value in the process.  Like tithing, you pay just enough so you feel it, and this adds commitment to your practice.

It wasn’t until a business woman came to my house to pick out a pendant and hold ritual.  Afterwards, she wrote me a check for the value she felt it was worth to her, and my heart burst open in gratitude when I opened the folded check.  Like my step-father’s story, this transaction set the standard for my business.  Not one person has complained, as a matter of fact, the flow of money, and joy, and sacred sharing has grown more abundant than ever in my business.

The common denominator in these stories may seem to be me, but these stories could be yours.  The common denominator, the lesson I hope we all can embrace, is the importance of placing value to what we do, and we do that through money - by charging for our services and products, and by paying for the same and paying what they are really worth to us. 

When we pay for an event we are excited about, we show up.  When we pay for a product we find beautiful, we wear it proudly.  When we tithe in a church we are showing commitment to our faith.  Once we recognize that money is energy, and energy is a flow to and in our existence, and when we write a check for something we believe in, we transfer that belief from ourselves to the person we give the money to.  It is in that transaction between creator and client that the transfer of energy is passed on.  And it continues beyond that moment, beyond us. Success is sure to follow.

Life Observations by Andy Palmer

I would like to share with you the wise and wonderful "Life Observations" letter written to me from my beloved Cousin Andy Palmer.  She captures in such a simple way, the differences of women and men not only physically, but also within our own being - and yet how beautifully we can coexist.

Dear Cinda,

May I add another of my Life Observations (I should write a book with that title!), which is that this womanliness (that you're seeing in me, and that we all share) is something that always needs an outlet.  For the male world in which I've worked, it is either a tool that can be utilized (and as such, is sometimes challenged by one's moral compass!), or a liability that must be adapted to a different manner of expression in order to help keep any Neanderthals on a path of successful evolution themselves.  But in the non-working world of family and friends, this female 'outlet' is completely natural, and only varies in expression by our individual personalities.

What I most appreciate about our women's group is that I can let the 'heart parts' lead.  The brain will always follow, but the path is toward compassionate discussion rather than the efficiency of it.  We women get to be messy all over each other... because real women don't judge.  We love quite openly:  therefore we heal.  Men don't often understand that.  And I don't require it of them.  Most often their form of caring and seeking resolution comes from effective listening, analysis, and having an action plan... which doesn't always work.  Just as the way we sweep up or walk past our own messes doesn't always work either.  But when we love each other, regardless of how it's expressed, we have united with unselfishness and become ego free.  I believe that is what allows us to be successful as men and women... and able to cross over and be successful in either world!!

This brings me to another thing that I love about YOU.... I get to write out this kind of stuff to someone who, I think, is interested in hearing it!!!

Hugs,

Your lovely and ohh soo wordy Cousin ;-)  Andy Palmer

Protect Yourself from Negativity: THINK PINK! by Cinda Stevens Lonsway

With all the negativity going on in the world right now, we need to learn ways to help us deal with it!  If you have a sensitive ear and heart, you probably are the "go to" person for others to share with their fears, frustrations, internal battles, and emotional pains.  This lovely sensitivity of yours is your gift to the world, but it can and will become your curse to yourself if you don't learn to energetically protect your being.  It can make you SICK emotionally, physically, and spiritually - depending of the depth of the negative energetic attack and how often you are exposed. So protecting yourself is a healthy way to learn to live.  It is a habit we NEED to get into. 

So what are you to do when you find yourself surrounded by negativity, or confronted by an angry person, or even if it is a beloved friend calling to complain?  Protect yourself with the color PINK!  I learned this from Doreen Virtue and have turned it into a powerful, effective form of protection.  Here is how it works:

Doreen Virtue says our guardian angels are here right next to us, waiting for instructions, all we need to do is ask.  This includes all aspects of our lives, but for energetic protection, they got you covered too!!  The instant, and I mean the very second you feel the tiniest bit of negativity from a person, a situation, the environment you are in or about ready to enter, or even while watching the news, THINK PINK!  Your angels will respond.

The moment we THINK PINK a wall of pink surrounds us.  Why PINK?  Here is my theory why this works, and it does!!  PINK is the universal color of love, it is a gentle color, a peaceful color, a calm color.  Even the pink stone, Rose Quartz is the stone of self love, self worth, and gentle forgiving love of self and for others.  So when we THINK PINK, we immediately begin to send out messages of love back to the person/people/room /etc. without saying a word.  And here is the trick (although it isn't tricky) those messages that are getting sent out aren't ours, they are the same messages coming from the people sending them to us, bouncing back, altered by the love of the pink color energy and going back to them.

In other words, let's say I come to you all frustrated and angry about a situation, my energy is off the charts pissed off.  You being sensitive and loving want to listen and help, but my energy is overwhelming to you.  So you, THINK PINK!  An invisible shield of pink energy surrounds you instantly.  You will still hear my words but my energy will no longer penetrate your being.  My words will enter but  my energy will bounce back to me, but it will be altered by the pink shield.  The energy once negative, has been changed into a loving energy.  So when it reaches me, I will begin to calm down, until I no longer feel it is necessary to keep spewing negativity.  I will leave our conversation feeling more relaxed and grateful for your wonderful listening skills.  You will also walk away feeling better, without the weight of my negative dump staying with you. 

By surrounding yourself in PINK, you also benefit, not only from the protection stated above, but also from any negativity that may creep up within you.  Let's say you are emotionally attached to what I am upset about, perhaps it is political and you want to get upset too, your negative energy would normally increase (after all misery loves company), but the PINK shield keeps your negativity contained as well, and sends it back to you with love.  We both leave the conversation feeling better, healthier, instead of having our negativity feeding off each other and growing.  It also works if you are alone  watching the news, the moment you feel fear start to rise, THINK PINK!  You will find yourself instantly calming down and going back to center (by the way, you can also turn the TV off).

When we THINK PINK! we begin to heal the negative energy within ourselves, protect us from the negative energy of others around us, and why not say it, we can begin to heal the world of its own negativity as well.  So join me right now and THINK PINK!!!

With love and all the pinkness I can muster, Cinda Stevens Lonsway

Can I Really Do This?

If you read the blog entry before this one, you will have learned how I recovered from my paralyzing fear through the support and guidance of dear friends.  But the story didn't end there, it continues here….

That day at the Bodacious Goddess Breakfast and the intervention in my car, was a Thursday.  That following Monday, I had lunch with Francine Raften.  In my first blog, I mentioned that Francine had read ROAR! and approached me with the idea of having my own radio show.  Francine also has thirty plus years of experience in radio, TV, and standup comedy; in other words she is a rock star is this world of unknown to me. 

My purpose for lunch with Francine, was to ask her one very important question: “What about ROAR! made you think it could be a show and CAN I REALLY DO THIS?”

Her answer made me sit up an pay attention.  She told me that when she read ROAR! ((here), she couldn’t stop thinking of it.  It had awakened something inside of her, and that something was powerful, important and potentially altering.  If she felt this way, others had to as well, and if others experienced this same awakening, then what kind of impact could it have on the women of the world?  And, she believed that Earth2World Broadcasting Network was just the ticket to make this happen.

Francine’s sincerity and surface emotions could not be ignored.  I knew I had to listen, and listen I did.  I heard her on so many levels – the level of professional (“I know what the hell I’m talking about”), the level of friend (“trust me, I won’t steer you wrong”), the level of one woman to another (“this will change how women behave in the world”), to the level of Spirit (“this is bigger than the both of us could ever imagine”)!  By the time I left, I knew for sure, finally 100%, I was ready to commit.

That night, at 7:00pm, I emailed Trudi Morrison, founder of Earth2World, and quoted my Goddess friends from the car, “Yes, I have my own Radio Show!”  Trudi replied instantly, “We are filming tomorrow for the promos. Can you meet Wednesday or Thursday?  Congratulations on taking the leap.”

At 3:30 that next morning (a time of night I ritualistically wake up to meditate and pray), I heard an inner voice tell me, “You need to be part of that taping!”  Waiting until 6:00, I emailed Trudi and asked her, “I know you have your scrip already written and your schedule for the day is full, but do you think…..do you think, I could possibly be part of this taping?”  She replied with a heartfelt,”YES, join us at 11:00 and we will squeeze you in!”  This was a gigantic leap into the sea of bravery; I was diving right in, and hoping I could swim with the best of them.

When I arrived to Earth2World, the “ON AIR” sign was on and blinking, I could not enter.  Oh my GOD, this is F’in real!  What am I doing here?  Something about that sign landed in my gut and my insecurities decided to have a field day with it, fortunately, not for long.  Trudi, expecting me, open the door and quietly invited me in.  Francine Raften and Janna Lopez of the Fran & Jan Show were just wrapping it up; I got to see two pros at work.  Margie Boule, of The Oregonian journalistic and Portland TV celebrity, was there to help with the taping.  She immediately zeroed in on me, great, just shoot me now, is there a freakin’ “L” on my forehead or what?  Her advice to me, “Speak to the money Cinda!”  OK?.....

There were two cameras set up, run by Jim Griffith and Bob Pallotta, of the Portland Trailblazer behind the camera fame, and they knew what they were doing.  I had been there maybe 15 minutes when Trudi asked me to do my 30 second “I’m tuned in” promotional bit (E2W’s tag line is, Are You Tuned In? so they wanted us to repeat the tag line and let them know what we are tuned into).

Bob pointed the camera at me, counted down and without much thought and most certainly no practice, out of my mouth came, “Hi, I’m Cinda Stevens Lonsway and I’m tuned into ROAR! Are you ready to ROAR!?  Come join me and let’s ROAR! together!” or something like that and THAT wasn’t so hard.  Next, Trudi wanted me to introduce my show, which is what I thought I just did…. Oh God, I already screwed up, WTH? Can I really do this? So I just did it again….

Janna did her two 30 second spots, she’s a perfectionist and did them both twice (I didn’t know you had that ‘do over’ option, I took mental notes).  Francine was next, and she, in one take, decided to spice it up.  She said she was tuned into extraordinary shoes at great prices.  I didn’t know you could mention shoes? Hell, I would have mentioned I was tuned into dark chocolate and Oregon Pinot, had I known…..

Byron Beck, an online gossip columnist, and Karol Collymore, who ran for Multnomah County Commissioner, came in next.   They are doing a fun, gossipy, talk show called “Have You Heard”.  They were charming, funny, and just plain great!!  Genevieve Beatty-Tinsay was next, “Girl About Town”,  she was young, irresistible, and darling.  After a quick break for the camera crew, Trudi recommends that I go next. 

All these show hosts are known in their profession, they are respected, admired and qualified.  Genevieve might be young and new to the scene, but her youth made her unstoppable. I was now being asked to do a 20 minute sampling of my show, TWENTY F’IN MINUTES!!!  Having just agreed to do this the night before, I HAD NO IDEA what I would do. Nor what I would say, or how I’d possibly fake my way through this one….   

They positioned me to sit on the studio’s couch, put a microphone up my shirt, and pointed the two cameras at me. Jim, behind camera One, gave me the instruction, “Cinda, I want you to start by looking directly into my camera.  Then half way through your twenty minutes, I want you to look at camera Two, and right before you are ready to wrap it up, I want you to look back at camera One.  When you are done, look directly into the camera and smile for five seconds. OK? Ready?”

Ready, are you shittin’ me? Crap!  Can I really do this?  All I knew in that moment, was that there was no WAY IN HELL, I was going to remember to switch cameras, and that there was no way I had twenty minutes of material to talk about.

But, I also knew, and I could not deny, that I was here because I had invited myself, and it was MY time, right NOW (both literally and metaphysically)!  I took a deep, deep breath, looked into camera One and out came, "Hello, my name is Cinda Lonsway and last May my life was changed forever.  I remember the moment, late at night, I was inspired, motivated and moved, literally moved to the kitchen table at 1:00 in the morning. Frantically writing with pages flying off the tablet, I wrote down the words for an article, prose, poem, parable, whatever you might call it, but I call it ROAR!"

And so it started, this message - I spoke directly to women, to empower them to stand in their truth, their light,  to tap into their personal power…..  and then it happened, my nightmare.  (ROAR! is so personal and the power of that moment, speaking it out loud, well, the well of emotions got stirred up).  My voice cracked and I started crying – not that pretty cry with one single tear rolling down your cheek, no, that ugly cry where your face gets all distorted.  I was horrified, and yet no one came to my rescue, and I knew I couldn’t continue like this, so I stopped.  I said “Cut?” isn’t that what one says when they are on camera and need a do over?

I don’t know if Jim stopped the camera, but he told me it was alright, just to catch my breath and pick it up where I left off.  Surprisingly, I remembered just where I had stopped.  "Take TWO," Jim said, and with his fingers counting down from five, I picked it up right where I left it off.  My chest hurt, it burned as I tried to keep my emotions inside of me, my voice cracked and sputtered.  With much determination, I pushed through it.  With every swallow, I forced down a tear that was trying to creep up.  I stared deeply into the eye of camera One, and just as I knew I would, I totally forgot about camera Two. 

Somehow, someway, I came to the end, and I stared into the camera with a false smile plastered on my face for those 5 requested seconds.  It took Jim a few seconds to realize I was done, because I had only gone for seven minutes (yes, 7 minutes, not twenty!).  He mouthed to me, are you done?  I pleasantly nodded, yes, I sure as hell am!

Those five seconds, were horrific.  I sat there listening to an inner dialogue of which I hope to never hear from again.  Those five seconds of staring into the camera, knowing I would need to do it all over again and knowing I didn’t have a single emotion left in me to even try - felt intense, filled with disappointment, and the sick, sick feeling of failure. It consumed me. 

When Jim gave me the signal that the five seconds were over, I finally could breathe, something I hadn't done for those seven painful minutes. I released my gaze at the camera and focused on my knees. Well, Cinda, at least now you know, you know that you were not meant to do this, you tried, you failed, you can now go home. I wanted to throw up.

A small audience had stayed to watch, maybe six people, and they started clapping. I could hear them, I thought it was sweet, they had clapped for everyone that had gone before me.  But out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bob on camera Two, the camera I chose to ignore, dramatically flopping his arms backwards and I heard him yell, “That’s IT! You Nailed It!!!  That’s the Money Shot we’ve been looking for all day!” I raised my head slowly to look at him; did he not see how horrible I was?  Behind him, I could see Trudi dancing in her stocking feet, arms in the air, hooting it up.  Next to her, Francine was crying, wiping mascara from her cheeks.  She came up to me and gave me a huge hug, “You did it.  I am so proud of you!” she said.

To this day, to be really honest, I don’t know what they saw or heard or experienced, I have not seen the sponsor promo bit, and I am not sure I want to.  I do know this though, I couldn’t have been, or done, or behaved any differently.  I was as authentic and honest as I have ever been about anything I have ever done, EVER!  And if I can’t learn to embrace the feminine inside of me, the side of me that needs to cry when she speaks truth and taps into her genuine self, then how in the hell can I even begin to ask it out of others.  That moment, that was my ROAR!  Despite the fear, the tears, the shaky voice, I did it anyway.  Perhaps they could see all that, I am just now figuring it out for myself.

And you know what, I think it mattered.  I think it mattered that I wasn’t rehearsed, or polished, or professional.  I think it mattered that I was me, just plain me, a suburban stay at home mom, PTA volunteer, doing something out of her comfort zone, and without even being aware, I shined. 

And you know what?  You can too!  You have it within you to shine when you have convinced yourself that you are so unworthy of such light.  Within each of us is this power to be who we are meant to be.  To tap into the power of the feminine (women and men) and let our emotions show our truth, guide us to speak it, even when our voice shakes and quakes, people will listen, they will learn, and they will be altered.  They will throw their hands back as yell, “You did it!” or they will dance in their stocking feet and celebrate with you, or they will grab you, weeping tears right along with you and say, “Good job, I am so proud of you!”

It is all possible, I am living, breathing, freaking out proof of it!!  

Can You Really Do This? 

Hell, Yes You CAN!!!

Francine after the taping

Byron Beck and Karol Collymore getting instructions from Margie Boule

Trudi Morrison, Byron Beck and Karol Collymore

Janna Lopez, Margie Boule, Francine Raften

Fran and Jan doing their taping, Genevieve Beatty-Tinsay in the background 

A New Way of Being Me

I have always considered myself independent and pretty much a solo player for most things in my life.  I have found it easier to just do it, be done with it, and then talk about it later.  BUT recently something shifted in me, caused by an experience so foreign, so unknown to my ways, that I hope I never return to these old habits of Being Me.

It began in December, as an internal countdown began.  I intuitively knew that time was running out to finally make a decision about whether or not I should do my own radio show based on my article ROAR! here.  This realization of a decision needing to be made, created in me a sense of insecurity so unknown and unfamiliar to this independent player; I didn’t even know what to do with it, how to deal with it, but I sure knew what to call it – full blown FEAR!  This fear seemed paralyzing and petrifying, making it hard to breathe, dominating my free thoughts, and instead of being a level headed thinker, I had become a moody mess.  Just ask my family.

Well, the advantage of having highly intuitive friends is that they know things about you, when you aren’t yet prepared to say them out loud.  One such friend is Trinity, she is a dear friend and a mentor, and she could sense my fear.  To help me, she began to post quotes and Notes about fear and how to move through it, on her facebook site “Peace Resides Within”. Each day, I took to heart and practice what she posted.  Using them as guidance and counseling to work through my insecurities.   From a distance, Trinity had offered support, quietly typing one meaningful message after another…..  That is until January came.

New Year’s is a time when we state our resolution to be and become a better person.  Yet, I have never been successful with a single pledge made on this eve of new beginnings.  Therefore Trinity waited until the second week of January; at a gathering of women we call ‘The Bodacious Goddess Group’, where she clinked her glass of water with her egg covered knife and declared to the nine of us, “It is time to announce out loud, what our affirmations are for the New Year!”  And she stared right at ME!  Imagine what this did to my fear factor, it went straight to my throat.  I had to swallow hard to keep my breakfast down.

Sensing the pressure directed from Trinity towards me, a woman to my left, Julie, declared she would go first and we would go clockwise around the table (away from me).  Everyone laughed while I let out a huge sigh of relief, and quickly tried to compose myself.  I was being called out of my shell, put under the spot light, and I knew it.  There was no denying that it was time to speak out loud what I had been contemplating for months.  I knew when it would come to my turn that I would not only be asking for support, but I was about to, in front of these women, show my vulnerability.  I knew needed to ask those in this circle of sacred omelets and toast for grace and for courage, to please, please hold sacred space for.

This was a new moment for me.  A moment in time where I knew, if I could speak my truth, talk about my fear, and ask for help, the fear would no longer have such control over me…..  right?  Well almost…….

When you’ve played a certain role for years and finally open your gate and invite vulnerability in, it is as if the universe has you by your ovaries, right where it wants you, and it moves fast, real FAST (and it uses its players wisely).

 

I had carpooled to the restaurant and home with four friends, Karin, Julie, Terry, and Deanna.  When I pulled into my garage, Karin said, “Before you get out of the car Cinda, I need you to do something.  I need you to pull down your visor, look into the mirror and say to yourself, ‘Yes, I have my own radio show!’

I laughed awkwardly, but did as I was told, and found, as I looked into my eyes that it wasn’t so easy.  I quickly, shut the visor, and said, “You know, I am fine.”

Karin, who was sitting behind me, said, “No, we are not leaving until you say it.  Pull your visor down, look into your eyes and repeat after me, ‘Yes, I have my own radio show!”

Again, I opened my visor, and again I could not speak the words. Looking into my eyes, I could see the fear coming back.  I could also see and feel a building shame, and then embarrassment rising like a cloud over my retinas.  I couldn’t do it.  But before I could protest again, I felt four sets of hands on me as Karin recited and the others followed, with me slowly joining in, as bravery entered my soul, “Yes, I have my own radio show!” 

After five or six times of chanting together, with me finally speaking fully and boldly into my eyes, a clarity of understanding and internal (and eternal) strength set in.  We exited the car and stood in my driveway.  Holding hands in a circle, we yelled to the cloudy skies, “Yes, I have my own radio show!”

Cracked wide open I was, the fear exorcised out of me, ending up on the cement in a pile of useless dust; never to take form again inside of my spirit.  The curse had been broken!

Being an independent player, I have lived a life to avoid situations just like this one, where a group would be witness to my personal and private transformation from hell and back. But “this one”, was the most important “this one” I have ever experienced.  Why, would I have ever EVER wanted to deny myself such love and support and guidance and prayer???

Why, would I have lived such a life of false strength, when really true strength came in that moment of vulnerability? At that moment, we had invited the way of the Divine Feminine into our circle, the trust of true friends, pure intentions, and the presence of sacred ritual – it saved me from myself.

 

“YES! I have my own radio show!!!”  And the crowd goes wild!

WTH? How did I get here?

My story reads like science fiction or is it a fairy tale, without the Grimm’s drama and darkness, but where the fairy godmother waves her magic wand and grants all my wishes true.  So far it has been without any serious consequences, or are there?.....  ….. It is too soon to tell, it has just begun, this story of mine.  So as I blow a bit of fairy dust, or is it star dust, off my shoulders, let me catch you up on my story as of yet….

~ I am inspired to write ROAR! on Saturday, May 21, 2010 at 1:00am

~ An author/friend, Jack Armstrong, tells me I need to share ROAR! on Facebook.  I do on Sunday, May         23, 2010 at 5:29pm

~ ROAR! goes viral/international in a few weeks

~ ROAR! is published on multiple sites
~ ROAR! is acted out on stage in Canada/ used as a closing ceremony for a women’s workshop

~ ROAR! is used as a topic of discussion for multiple women groups

~ Francine Raften, Portland radio/TV veteran, approaches me with concept of ROAR! being a radio show on Wednesday, July 21^st at 8:00pm

~ I attend my first Earth2World Party, meet founder Trudi Morrison and other potential show hosts on Monday, August 2, 5:30pm

~ I finally agree, via emails, Yes, ROAR! should be a radio show on Earth2World.com, on Monday, February 17, at 7:09pm

~ First sampling of ROAR! the show taped at Earth2World on Tuesday, February 18, 2:00pm

~ First full hour show of ROAR! taped at E2W's studio on Thursday, February 28, 10:00am

~ ROAR!'s Facebook page and Blog created Tuesday, March 1

~ Earth2World and ROAR! (plus eight other shows) Launch on Thursday, March 3rd, 6:00pm

All this in only nine months!!!  WTHeck? How did I get here?  What does it mean? Who will I become?

My head is spinning, my gut is in knots, and I need to remind myself to breathe.  Literally, Breathe! 

So I decided to create this blog, “ROAR! with Cinda” to help me with two things: document my story as it unfolds, and to help me process what is happening (hopefully relieving me of some pent up nerves with the processing), but to be honest, I really want to share this journey with my family, my friends, and (is it fair yet to say) my fans.

After every taping or live show of ROAR!, my goal is to write about what took place during that event.  What did I experience, what behind the scenes events took place that I don’t want to forget, or things my followers might find entertaining to know?  I want to write about what I learned from the guests on the show, what emotions I experienced, and how it may have changed me.  I, also, want a place where I can thank the guests and the small audience who made an effort to come and participate, and encourage them to visit this blog and make comments of their own.

BUT, if I could wave my own magic wand and sprinkle some fairy dust upon this blog, as well as ROAR!’s Facebook site, and ROAR!’s Earth2World’s page, is that a community of fans, followers, guests, and experts all come together to share their own ROAR! story, personal experience, and supportive advice.  My wish is that this community will offer support to people who know they need to ROAR! but do not know how or are too afraid.  And, to come up with other show ideas for ROAR!, based on the needs of the community.  So let’s start a conversation…..

If you believe in magic, and trust me I DO, this site, this show, will not be about me, it will be about us, the ROAR! of the community.  There is a whisper coming on, a conversation which is beginning, a need to make a difference, and a desire to ROAR!  You are not alone, we will rise up together, united as one force.  I ask you now, do you feel it?     

ROAR!
by  Cinda Stevens Lonsway  © May 2010

It began as a whisper, of one woman leaning into the ear of another, "Do you feel it?" she asked. 


Then whispered to another, "Do you feel it?" and it began to spread, this whisper, from one woman to another, to another, whispering, "Do you feel it?  Do you feel it?"


The question was asked, once, then twice, then ten hundred whispers around the world; women wondering what it was they were feeling.  The whispering pulsed as the need for the answer grew.  "Do you feel it?"


The rhythm became stronger, bolder, as it spread to their hearts; knowing not which was the whisper and which was the heartbeat, for the two became one.  More and more women began to feel the pounding of a need, not yet understood, and the rumbling began to stir the earth under their feet.  
One woman stood, planting her feet firmly to the soil, raising her voice from a whisper and shouting, "Enough!".  "Enough!", yelled the woman standing next to her with her fists pumping the sky.

"Enough, Enough!!" shouted another and another; women holding firm in their stance, arms above their heads, "Enough!"  But it wasn't enough to stop the growing whisper, it is never enough when you are a woman, for women aren't always heard, they are taken for granted, too much is expected, too much is asked.  We give, we cry, and we shout, but it is never enough to be noticed, appreciated, worshiped. 


And the rhythm continued, it did not slow down, the pounding expounded, and the hearts of the women grew more restless. Their whispering was the beginning, their individual shouts were not enough.  Then one woman clasped the hands of her sister, who clasped the hands of her mother, who clasped the hands of her friend.  One solid sounding clasp after another, to another.  A sound of women bonding themselves together, united with the rhythm already sounding in their souls.  Hand to hand, heart to heart,  and then something happened in the comfort of unity, in the safety of numbers, another moment for another sound, but it came not from one, but from the consciousness of all women.


The sound came from the women of the now - mothers, grandmothers, sisters, daughters.  It came  from the women of the ancients.  And it came from the ultimate mother, the Mother Earth.  For the sound resonated with each and every woman, who had planted her feet into the soil to yell "Enough!".   And the women realized the rhythm they felt was not to be stopped, the rhythm was their calling, waking them up to their time.  Their time to yell, "Enough!" but not to stop the rhythm of their newly awakened hearts, but to the atrocities done to their mothers, grandmothers, sisters, daughters, their ancestors and their planet.


This understanding, this awakening, began to make their feet stomp, and in unison their voices raised, and what was once a whisper became a rumble, the rumble and grumble turned into a gentle roar.  But a roar is not meant to be gentle, a roar is meant to be fierce and powerful, and it grew in tones of base and treble, lows and highs, young and old throats creating a sound not heard in centuries of battle cries lead by priestesses and queens.  Until it no longer could be contained or ignored, and they roared, "NO MORE!" "NO MORE…!" and one by one, by tens, by thousands, they roared their loyalty to each other, to their families, to their sisters, their brothers, and to their Mother Earth.

"NO MORE!" said the Roar, "will I see myself as nothing worthy, of nothing beautiful, as less than more!"


"NO MORE!" said the Roar, "will I walk by hungry children and not feed them!"


"NO MORE!" they Roared, "will I ignore a bruised and battered woman and not invite her into my home."


"NO MORE! Will I send our children off to fight wars where there is no cause!" 


"NO MORE! Will I tolerate toxic waste being thrown out where only the poor can live."


"NO MORE, NO MORE!" the women roared, "will I know of children and women being sold into slavery, or tortured, or uneducated and do nothing!"


"NO MORE, will I stand by and let the oceans, mountains, air, forests, and fields be raped of their natural beauty or polluted with poison!"


This Roar grew, and the women grew stronger, and those who couldn't hear it before began to be stirred, altered, nervous, scared; for what did this mean, these powerful women roaring, demanding, pledging to change the world and the people around them?  It couldn't be good, this roaring, right?


WRONG!  For now, nothing could stop the ROAR of NO MORE.  And the women swayed, and the women stomped, and the women continued to Roar.  Men, good men, began to step into the circles and they too began to roar.  The youth, who once thought there was no hope for their future took to the circle, clasped hands with their parents, their teachers, their friends, and in the innocence of a new adventure, joined in the harmony of millions.  And the Roar of NO MORE, now one solid vibration, surrounded the world, and the earth began to rumble under their feet.


The planet began to shake, she began to quake, she shuddered and sputtered, she stretched and she pulled, she groaned and moaned, and then it happened.  Never before in the history of recorded events has the world ever shifted on it axis, in one bit of a final shoulder shake, Atlas turned this wonderful planet to the light. To the light of nurture, of nature, to the light of bravery, of truth, the light of change, of hope, to the light of Love and of Spirit, but it was to the LIGHT of WOMEN that the earth moved, to a brighter fuller moon in the sky shining among the masses of committed souls around the world.


Then all fell silent.... ... … as parents brought their children home from the streets and from war, as books were delivered to schools and girls entered their doors, fists and threats were no longer raised, and meals were shared with families.  Waste dumps were cleaned up, trees were planted, and oceans cleansed.  The power of the feminine moon shined equal in the sky to the masculine sun, and just like that, peace was formed, balance restored.  For when there is peace, there is room for the Divine, and when the Divine is with women, there is nothing we can't do... ... like rock the world on its axis or feel a whisper coming on. 


"Do you feel it?"


If you do, and I know you do, if you are woman alive today, you do...  I ask you to feel it, to unite with it, to help spread this whisper, create a stirring, and begin your ROAR of NO MORE!  Join me, please, I whisper to you now……