Skip to main content

Opening Up to Miracles ~ Gabrielle Bernstein on Creating More Happiness

Motivational speaker and bestselling author Gabrielle Bernstein knows the gravitational pull of addiction firsthand. Although introduced to spiritual practices from an early age, she turned away from that upbringing in her 20s, pulled instead into a vortex of drugs, alcohol and unhealthy relationships while running a public relations firm promoting Manhattan nightclubs. After hitting rock bottom at age 25, Bernstein made the unwavering decision to seek spiritual help and change her life.

The entrepreneurial young woman found her groove as a spiritual teacher, introducing millions to new ways of thinking and living through her books, lectures, blogs and videos. Her no-nonsense approach to spirituality and knack for making practices like meditation and prayer accessible to beginners and cynics have attracted a new generation of seekers. Bernstein’s latest book, Miracles Now:108 Life-Changing Tools for Less Stress, More Flow, and Finding Your True Purpose, offers simple, yet powerful tips to short-circuit unhealthy thought patterns and take a shortcut to transformational change.

Why do you reframe a miracle as simply a shift in perception?

Shifting your perception and choosing again is a core principle from A Course in Miracles, a metaphysical text that I study and teach from. When you choose to reorganize your belief system and align it with a loving, forgiving perspective rather than a fear-based reality, that’s when miracles can happen.

Some people shift away from a harmful relationship with addictive drugs and alcohol like you did, while others take such unhealthy behaviors to the grave; what makes the difference?

Often when we get caught in unhealthy behavior, we aren’t willing to ask for help. I think the reason I was able to leave those behaviors behind and create a new path was my willingness to live a different way. I was able to witness my life and see that it wasn’t working. It’s an ongoing process; I’ve been on my current path of turning to spiritual principles for many years, but I’m still constantly working to apply them throughout my moment-to-moment experiences.

How does meditation help create radical change?

I think meditation is a key tool for health, happiness and well-being. It can help reorganize the nervous system, lower stress levels, calm the mind and recalibrate energy. It can help us experience more synchronicity in our lives and a greater sense of interconnectedness, as well.

What do you struggle with the most and what personal miracle are you still trying to realize?

I’m in constant conversation with myself over my thoughts and beliefs about judgment and separation. People are programmed by society to believe we are separate and to judge ourselves and others. My practice suggests a reinterpretation of that general belief system in order to perceive things differently. I also try to choose to forgive limiting thoughts I was holding onto; for example, judging myself for not performing well at a lecture.

Talking too much in conversations is a big challenge for me. A practice in my Miracles Now book called WAIT, for “Why am I talking?” reminds me to notice when I’m over-talking, saying too much, commenting unnecessarily or not supporting the greater good.

How do you think about money and has that proved helpful in broader terms?

I believe that we have the power to attract healthier relationships in our financial circumstances in the same way that we have the power to attract healthier relationships with people in our lives. Some people think that you can’t both be spiritual and secure financial abundance; I think that’s nonsense. When you start to reorganize your beliefs around your self-worth and capacity to earn, and open up to your intuitive voice and the creative possibilities for earning, then your financial situation can change dramatically. I have lived that principle fully. I was brought up in a poverty mindset, but with a shift in perception, I was able to release my fears of financial insecurity.

Do you have a go-to practice that you reach for first when faced with a difficult situation?

When I’m faced with a complicated situation or feeling powerless, I say a prayer in stillness. Such a practice asks through prayer and listens through meditation. It’s in that stillness that I can hear the voice of intuition and the voice of forgiveness, and love can come forward.

Connect with freelance writer April Thompson at AprilWrites.com.

 

BOOST YOUR MASCULINE POTENCY with VIP FOCUSED STRATEGY COACHING

•  Ignite Confidence

•  Feel Fulfilled

•  Deepen Intimacy

•  Performance Success

•  Satisfy her

PRE-SESSION CALL: To understand your goals and challenges.

2 HOUR ZOOM STRATEGY SESSION: Step-by-step implementation plan, resources, and strategies. 

FOLLOW-UP CALL

INVESTMENT: $297.00

For more information contact Olga at 

[email protected] 

or TEXT 862-251-2444.

Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

Follow Us On Facebook