"Yeah, Yeah, I Know...Now What's For Dinner?"

.
Hello, dear Friends,

I'll start with a few announcements.

This Saturday
August 1st, 10am to 5-6pm

I am teaching a one-day workshop

"Manifesting the Life You Want.
The Secrets, the Tools, the Techniques."

The workshop is for the ongoing group of the School that meets every Tuesday night.
This morning however, responding to my intuition, I decided to make it available to a few more people.
I feel that there is one or a couple of you out there who have been wanting to come for a long time, yet haven't quite made it. You will know if this is you. You need to write to me right away then.
There is only space for 2-3 people.
For those of you who are coming: in preparation, think of something you want to have in your life, yet have been unable to create.

Also:

This Sunday, August 2nd, at 11am and 1pm Eastern Time, (8am and 11am Pacific Time) - on the 1st Anniversary of The World Wide Call to Forgive,
we will be joining people from all over the world in 2 time-synchronized meditations: one: forgiving yourself and another: forgiving someone else.

All the details are on WorldWideForgiveness.com

If you plan to participate, remember to download the 2 meditations.
They do work! It's true.

You can access them from the website above ( I created it just for this event) or from PowerOfThePossible.com (Home page, center right). People have been downloading them all week, so do it soon, let's avoid the computer crashing with the last minute rush:).

Event Info

The School of Hope and Inspiration

Tuesday, July 28
Gathering: 6:30PM -7PM
Class: 7PM - 9:30PM

We will meet at the same location in Southern Marin.

RSVP for address and directions. Auriela@AurielaMcCarthy.com

I appreciate if everyone RSVPs, so I know how many seats we need.
Please, be on time, we will start promptly at 7pm


ForeWord Magazine Books of the Year 2008 Award

I have been smiling so much this week. I am known to burst into laughter,
for no "apparent" reason, anyway, even as I record a radio show.
But this week, an especially larger number of wonderful emails have been landing in my inbox, making me very happy.

Just this morning, I discovered that, unbeknown to me, The Power of the Possible has been a recipient of ForeWord Magazine Books of the Year 2008 Award: Bronze in the Family and Relationships and Bronze in the Self-Help categories.

How did I miss this announcement that came out in late May???
This is not only a prestigious Award, it is also the book's 6th Award!
I learned about it perusing the Amazon list, and suddenly - there it was, the list of the book's Awards submitted by the publisher, including this happy surprise!
Wasn't it a great way to start the day?


Suddenly - I am getting many emails from India, where "The Power of the Possible" has been published this winter.
Almost every day new ones come.
Most of them from men, some of them bring tears to my eyes.

Through this correspondence, I have become friends with a pastor who works
with abandoned children and impoverished families in India and Nepal.
He asked my permission to quote a passage on forgiveness in his next sermon. He says it is badly lacking in churches...

Permission?? Always, of course. This is the second time a comment of this nature came my way.
Another one was from a deeply spiritual man of Christian faith. He wrote to me how doing the forgiveness meditations had helped him forgive his mother, and how he was finally able to let go of his anger at her and to relate to her as a person, and not just "his mother."

"Forgiveness, what a concept!" he wrote, describing to me how this pure act of Grace has changed his life, changed the life of his mother and opened the way for both of them to have a more compassionate and more appropriate relationship.

His comment made me pause.
How can forgiveness possibly be a new concept for anyone?

I thought about it. And then - I realized something.

Here is this week's food for thought:

It's not that the idea of forgiving is new to people.
But somehow it doesn't seem to have as much juice as, for example, good old revenge.

You hear people talk about forgiving... but unless you've experienced it yourself in a profound life-changing way, you can't relate to it. Not really. Plus, it seems too easy, to nebulous, too..."weak"?????

So often, you mention forgiveness to someone who is in pain, and suddenly- their eyes glaze over, they change the subject, they get bored, and you hear something like: "Yeah, yeah, I know...I need to forgive, ok, ok...Now, what's for dinner?

And you wonder: what just happened here?
Here is what I think just happened:

It is very a real phenomenon, and it happens with everything you begin to take for granted - and shouldn't.

Let's call it Familiarity.

This is how it works:

To stay with the example of forgiveness:
You hear about it so much and so often that eventually - you stop paying attention.
And soon enough, the very thought of forgiveness becomes too "familiar." When it does - it as if it has lost its punch.
Lost its ability to stop you in your tracks, to send a jolt through your body, to raise hairs at the back of your neck, to bring you the "aha" moments....

This happens with everything you allow yourself to get too used to. Like the every-day sunshine for those living in the sunny climate. Or the ocean - for those who live by the beach.
Or the love of your partner who is there beside you every day and every night...
There was once a time the very thought of that person made you catch your breath.
Now - you are used to it...now they too have become "familiar."

All these wonders in your life - wonders of nature, wonders of love...
You start taking them for granted. Stop valuing them.
Stop giving them attention. They become "ordinary," to be expected...

Forgiveness is no different.

When you dismiss it, shrug your shoulders, say, yeah, yeah, I know...I'll get to it..
What you are actually saying is the magic of if is lost to you.
The miracle of it is not something you can relate to anymore.
It's not something you have experienced.
And if you did, it was too long ago, and now it has lost its power to wake you up.

That's why you don't do it. Or - not do it with the intensity and power of choice that makes it really matter.

And that's why when suddenly, you do forgive, and the experience of it is astounding and life-changing - it shakes you up, wakes you up from the stupor..and all that's left are tears of gratitude and the astonished words:
"Forgiveness..what a concept!"

I say: Let's change that!

Let's stop taking it for granted.

Try this: Make forgiveness a "brand new" idea for you. As if it is something you have just discovered.
Learn what you can about it. There is such lack of understanding that surrounds it.
Even watching my video: Time doesn't Heal All Wounds. Forgiveness Will can make such a difference.
See The Video Here


It is one step that will change everything. Yet - it can be miles deep and decades long. Don't let it be so.
One step. But until you take it, until you cross that bridge to the other side, peace will remain unattainable.
That peace of mind we all want above everything else. Real and solid, unshakable, regardless of your circumstances.

The map to get there is through forgiveness. It has no shortcuts, but it works!

I will end by quoting a comment left on my FaceBook regarding the World Wide Call to Forgive

"What a wonderful movement.... it's so funny and simple, just practicing this one thing - just one - would literally pretty much end all the world's problems. Sounds absurd, but I challenge you to send me a problem which wouldn't be resolved by forgiveness - can you think of any? If so, let me know."

How can you say it better?

All for now.

See some of you tomorrow, Saturday, for the one-day workshop,
Or on Sunday as we connect energetically through the same meditations,
or - next Tuesday, as always...

Sending you all my love,
Auriela.