Awareness and Core Values

Happy Wednesday!

I hope you are happy, and in well-being today.

Today, I will cover the importance of awareness and core values, and then I’ll share another great frog spirit painting from Angie Lustrick and a little write up about the frog spirit and her experiences.

Awareness and Core Values

In my video blog today, I share the concept that “Awareness is the prerequisite for change”.

I explain that our awareness comes from a willingness to:
– Look
– Listen, and
– Feel

To achieve our functional capacity to be aware, it is important to remember that we must look, listen, and feel “inwardly”, not just outwardly.

I then explain the three key centers of awareness and body-mind integration, which are:

1. The head or ego-mind (the home of your ideas)

2. The heart

3. The gut, home of your biological instincts and your subconscious mind.

I then explain the importance of core values in at least four major categories. I define these categories by my 4 Doctors; we need values to define what happiness is, and how much quiet and movement we need, and what diet best serves us.

The importance of differentiating your “NEEDS” vs. your “wants” can’t be overstated when it comes to developing your core values. I give an explanation on this issue in my vlog.

Those of you that would like to dive deeper into your own dream-weaving, or healing can gain a lot more than I’ve shared here, or in any of my blogs by using the following resources:

1. PPS Lesson 1 – First Step
2. 1-2-3-4 For Overcoming Addiction, Obesity & Disease – MP3 Audio + Workbook
3. The Last 4 Doctors You’ll Ever Need – multimedia ebook

Frog Spirit and Nature Awareness

As I shared in my last blog, Angie was visiting Rory, Penny and I and she had a lovely visit from a tree frog.

That inspired her to paint two beautiful frog paintings. I shared the first one on my last blog, but thought it would be fun to share Angie’s thoughts and experiences about being aware of nature in your life, and what the Frog Spirit represents.

Here’s Angie:

Have you ever noticed certain animals or insects around you? I like to be observant of all living things throughout my day. If I see an unusual critter crossing my path, I like to google the animal and find out what it means to have this animal as your power animal or animal totem. You would be surprised at the messages you are constantly receiving from the universe and Mother Earth! Every living being carries a unique vibration, or energy, which defines its spirit. Some animals will forecast good news coming your way while others may warn you of tough times ahead. For example, I have learned in my own life that when the owl greets me, I will have a particularly challenging day but the owl is there to remind me that I am being watched over and protected.    

Well, this weekend, I was blessed with the frog spirit!  I didn’t just see a frog, I had a frog jump right on to my left shoulder!  Reflexively, I quickly brushed the slimy object off my shoulder, only to see in my peripheral vision that it was a frog! Some of the things I learned about the frog spirit when I googled it was that it is a symbol of transition and transformation and that this animal spirit supports us in times of change. I have had a lot of change in my life in the last two years. Perhaps, frog is there to tell me that , “I am not done yet!”.

The frog is strongly associated with the water element, which connects us with the world of emotions and feminine energies, as well as the process of cleansing, whether it’s physical, emotional, or more spiritual or energetic.  Frog also foretells rain – which may be an indication that it will be very rainy when I travel this week to Chicago to teach HLC1 with Ashley Mazurek. It also might foretell that Ashley and I, with our creative feminine energies, will inspire our class to become living testaments of health and vitality – the CHEK Way! Yeah baby!  

I was so delighted with my frog guest that I decided to paint it! The first frog I painted is sitting in meditation inside a lotus flower.  She is sitting in a pool of water. Frog’s medicine can wash away any negative physical and mental energies which deny us a balanced and peaceful life. Perhaps when we have allowed emotional toxins to thwart our outlook on life, or if we feel swamped. Frog also helps to nourish our own innate ability to heal ourselves on all levels. The notion of renewal is frequently linked with water, representing the unblocking and smooth flow of energy for healing. I chose the blue background to represent communication and being open to creative energies. I chose the purple color to represent higher self and our connection to THE ONE. The frog is in a position of reflection and complete openness to ALL.    

My second painting is of a frog climbing out of a body of water onto a bamboo shoot. This frog is emerging out of the sea of consciousness. I used the symbolism of the 4 doctors to show that this frog is living in balance with nature and itself. So here, 1 is the frog’s head – the mind, the ego, and our ability to choose what we want in life. 2 is the two branches which represents the two forces: yin and yang, that must be balanced in our life. 3 is the three bamboo branches, representing our three choices: optimal, suboptimal, and do nothing.  The optimal choice stands alone. 4 is being illustrated with the four hands of the frog. Each hand represents a doctor: Dr. Movement, Dr. Happiness, Dr. Quiet, and Dr. Diet. We must reach out, choose, and share with others these four doctors and that the only way to get a “handle” on life, is to live in harmony with these doctors.  

Thanks for taking the time to look at my artwork. I hope it inspires you to be more creative in your own life and to take the time to see what nature has to tell you! I would love to see you in one of my Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 1 classes with the CHEK Institute so I can share many fun and interesting ways you can be more in tune with your dream, your body-mind, and nature; not to mention some fun stories of my encounters with other animal spirits (maybe I’ll see yours too ).  

Yours in health,
Angie  🙂

Well, I hope you’ve all enjoyed the blog today.

I look forward to sharing again soon.

Enjoy getting your messages from nature .

Love and chi,
Paul Chek