Jessica Ortner – Pam Grout

Manna, pennies and umbrellas from heaven

February 20, 2018 18 Comments

“Our bodies resonate with the love and power of creative cosmic rhythms dancing through every cell in our beautiful beingness. “—Ramon Ravenswood

penny

Pete Holmes, one of my favorite comedians, created and stars in the HBO comedy, Crashing. I discovered him through my friend, Jessica Ortner, who interviewed him on her podcast, “Adventures in Happiness.” Holmes also produces a podcast (it’s called “You Made it Weird”), pens cartoons for The New Yorker and provides the voice for the E-Trade baby.

During the production of Crashing, a widely-praised comedy on HBO, Holmes noticed things like umbrellas showing up out of nowhere. If it started raining–poof!—an umbrella would miraculously appear. Whatever he needed—be it a set piece or a costume change or a yellow vase for a bouquet of roses—it showed up, almost magically. “I didn’t even have to ask for it,” Holmes says.

In his case, it was his crew that worked the magic. But it’s the perfect metaphor for ACIM Lesson 50—I am sustained by the love of God.

What I’ve noticed is that once we rid ourselves of the old “life sucks” paradigm, once we get it that the universe has our back, really cool things begin appearing in our lives. As you know, I get stories all the time from readers of my books who are miraculously bequeathed things like blue squirrels, Mercedes C300’s, 50 pounds of pork (these are just a few recent examples from my inbox).

I call it manna—gifts from the universe—that literally fall from the sky when we really, really let go of this idea that we need to be fearful, that we need to worry.

My dear friend, Annola, laminated a sign for me and everyone else in my possibility posse. When laid on the dashboard of my car, it reflects this sentiment in my front window: “Everything always works out for me.”

It’s my motto and today I repeat again and again, “I am sustained. I am sustained. I am sustained.”

Pam Grout is the author of 19 books including E-Squared, E-Cubed, Thank & Grow Rich and her new book, Art & Soul,Reloaded: A Year-Long Apprenticeship to Summon the Muses and Ignite Your Daring, Audacious, Creative Side.

Shazam or Suffering Succotash–it’s up to you

May 30, 2017 25 Comments

“Words are like eggs dropped from great heights; you can no more call them back than ignore the mess they leave when they fall.”
― Jodi Picoult

Last I checked, the Yellow Pages doesn’t have an entry for “Prophets” like they probably would have back in Biblical days. But if you want a glimpse into your future, listen to the words you use to describe yourself and your life.

When you say things like “This is going to be a great day,” or “Things always work out for me,” you are using your words to predict and foretell a positive future.

When you talk smack about your life, even little things like, “Oh, I wish I’d gotten up earlier and wasn’t running so late. I wish that idiot in traffic hadn’t cut me off,” you create a resonant field of problems.

Instead of playing beautiful symphonies with our words, instead of utilizing them to come to our aid, we too often waste them moaning about problems.

Like a fingerprint, each word is unique. It has its own frequency and creative power. Each word has a vibration, same as hitting a particular piano key produces say, a Middle C.

At this point, most of us have little control over the ticker tape of thoughts that run through our minds, but we can monitor the commentary that proceeds out of our mouths.

Since I believe in taking my attention off problems and animating a different possibility from the infinite field, I decided to rerun a blog post about two important words.

The first is “Shazam!” I’d heard this word before. Captain Marvel uses it when transforming into his superself.

Jessica Ortner (from the Tapping Solution) told me that she and her friends always “shazam” each other as a way of sending positive energy. So whatever great goals you have for today, I send you “Shazam!”

The other word I love (and need to remind myself of) was invented by Phil Parker. He’s a brilliant London osteopath who is able to transform we humans’ “issues” seemingly overnight.

And it starts with the word du with a ^ over the “u.” Instead of saying “I am angry” or “I am poor” or “I am…. (whatever you don’t want to be) say, I am du^ing anger or I am du^ing poor which makes it a temporary state. It reduces the charge.

The reason he chose not to use the word “do” is because that reeks of blame. Last thing any of us want to do is point finger at ourselves. That’s what started the “issues” in the first place.

Two tiny words—huge possible change.

Pam Grout is the author of 18 books including E-Squared: 9 Do-it-Yourself Energy Experiments that Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality and the recently released, Thank and Grow Rich: a 30-day Experiment in Shameless Gratitude and Unabashed Joy.

Being fearless is jumping even if you are afraid

June 9, 2015 24 Comments

“Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.”—John Milton

The Universe is even better than the post office at delivering blessings. In spite of my shortcomings, miracles just keep on showing up. My weekend at Omega couldn’t have been more perfect. Perfect weather. Perfect group (the 35 souls who took the Magic and Miracles workshop were all beautiful geniuses who helped make the workshop SO EASY) and I even got the perfect rental car at LaGuardia—a powder blue VW beetle.

As you regulars to the blog know, workshop and easy are not words I usually say in the same sentence. I’ve talked a lot about my discomfort and fears that, as I often say, get so active that I’ve considered buying them a training bra.

The other blessing in this regard is something the comedian Pete Holmes told my friend, Jessica Ortner, on her Adventures in Happiness podcast. He said it took four years before he was comfortable doing standup. Four fricking’ years! Which makes me feel okay that, even though “my year of speaking dangerously” ended in March, I can “deeply love and accept myself” even when I’m still scared.

AND most importantly, I can continue to jump even when I am afraid.

For those who are interested, here’s my TedX talk where I definitely jumped anyway.

Pam Grout is the author of 17 books including E-Squared: 9 Do-it-Yourself Energy Experiments that Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality and the recently-released sequel, E-Cubed, 9 More Experiments that Prove Mirth, Magic and Merriment is your Full-time Gig.

Shazam or Suffering Succotash: you decide

April 24, 2015 12 Comments

“Happiness is where you start from rather than where you go. God, I sound like Yoda.”—Simon Pegg

I’m so excited. I leave for Denver in two hours for my first North American “I Can Do It.” I’m speaking on Sunday if you can make it.

Another cool thing is my episode with Nick and Jessica Ortner on “Adventures with Happiness” went live yesterday. You can check it out here. I previewed it last night and I sound a bit daft, but, hey, I’m going for it despite my imperfections.

And speaking of Jessica (who I adore), I’m re-running a blog post with her magic word. Enjoy:

In E-Cubed I talk about the power of words, how we literally foretell and create the future by what we say. When we talk smack about our lives, even little things like, “Oh, I wish I’d gotten up earlier and wasn’t running so late. I wish that idiot in traffic hadn’t cut me off,” we are creating a resonant field of problems.

But since I believe we should take our attention off problems and animate a different possibility from the infinite field, I’d like to tell you about two words I have just added to my vocabulary.

The first is “Shazam!” I’d heard this word before. Captain Marvel uses it when transforming into his superself. But I just had breakfast with the awesome Jessica Ortner (from the Tapping Solution) and she told me that she and her friends always “shazam” each other as a way of sending positive energy.

For example, Anita Moorjani (who was at breakfast with us—Am I a lucky camper or what?) is finding out today whether or not her extraordinary person visa for the U.S. will come through. Jessica sent some Shazam her way!

The other word I learned is brand new, or was when Phil Parker made it up. He’s a brilliant London osteopath who is able to transform we humans’ “issues” seemingly overnight.

Two tiny words—huge possible change.

Sting, Deepak and Steve Jobs all had a Day One. The question is how do you get to Day Two

April 1, 2015 20 Comments

“What would constitute a perfect day for you? Why do we always go home and watch Netflix instead?”—Susanna Wolff

I love Jessica Ortner. We just recorded a podcast for her new series, “Adventures in Happiness.” Stay tuned. Our episode will run soon.

In the meantime, I decided to listen to Episode One which she recorded when her brother Nick woke her up at 7 a.m. California time.

The theme was “GET STARTED.” On your dream. Right now.

The reason most of us don’t is because we’re judging our Day One with everybody else’s Day 42 or 50. Every person you look up to—be it Picasso, Tony Robbins or Meryl Streep—started somewhere. Every person had a Day One. And I guarantee it probably sucked.

Jessica told the story of starting CrossFit. She threw herself into it, but even so, Megan, as she says, “smoked her.” Megan who had been training for 18 months. Megan who, of course, had developed the stamina to smoke her.

So the takeaway is quit comparing your freshman efforts with people who already have days two, three, etc. under their belt.

The point is. Get started. Today.

Pam Grout is the author of 17 books including E-Squared: 9 Do-it-Yourself Energy Experiments that Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality and the just-released sequel, E-Cubed, 9 More Experiments that Prove Mirth, Magic and Merriment is your Full-time Gig.

“Whatever you are doing, love yourself for doing it. Whatever you are feeling, love yourself for feeling it – Thaddeus Golas

October 8, 2014 6 Comments

“I am a beloved child of the universe and the universe lovingly takes care of me now.”- Louise Hay

We celebrate Abe and Martin’s birthday with a national holiday. I’d like to propose today, October 8, as an international holiday to honor another great soul: Louise Hay who has devoted her life to love and teaching so many of us that there is nothing more valuable than to love and respect ourselves—just as we are—no matter what.

I was witness to her legacy the past two weekends at I Can Do It!’s in Rotterdam and London. Over and over, I heard speakers reflecting back Louise’s words, from Anita Moorjani, author of Dying to Be Me, who said the most significant lesson she learned from her near-death experience was to love herself to Jessica Ortner, author of The Tapping Solution for Weight Loss and Body Confidence, who wisely pointed out, “We can never hate ourselves thin.”

So today, in honor of Ms. Hay’s 88th birthday, I’d like to encourage everyone who reads this post to get up, walk to the closest mirror, look yourself deep in the eyes and remind yourself how deeply and passionately you are loved.

Happy Birthday, Louise, and thank you for rocking the love.

Pam Grout, whose brilliant daughter Taz is also celebrating her birthday today, is the author of 17 books including E-Squared: 9 Do-it-Yourself Energy Experiments that Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality and the just-released sequel, E-Cubed, 9 More Experiments that Prove Mirth, Magic and Merriment is your Full-time Gig.

Why we’re creating an epidemic of love

October 7, 2014 21 Comments

“What is yours will come to you when you are ready.”—A Course in Miracles

Although I forgot to mention it to my power posse in today’s blessings text, I feel extremely lucky that I was able to get back in the country yesterday. I was so high from the London I Can Do It! that the drug dogs must have been wondering what I was on.

Hanging out with Anita Moorjani, Jessica Ortner, Mike Dooley, Dr. Joe Dispenza, Kyle Gray and all the other fabulous speakers was beyond spectacular. Who would have ever predicted (especially those from my college disco days) that I’d someday dance on stage? Granted it was with Dr. Robert Holden who conned all the speakers into joining him during his closing presentation, but still?

I plan to share here on the blog some of the awesome things I learned. But for today, while playing catch-up with my laundry and email, here’s three quick stories from London.

First, I learned there’s someone in British parliament that is a psychic medium—how cool is that?

Second, one of my readers told me she was in the Irish countryside while doing the Abracadabra experiment from E-Squared. She made the intention that the cows, grazing in clumps, would suddenly form a straight line. Well, guess what? No sooner did she say that then the cows looked up from their nibbles and moved into a line as straight as the Queen’s guard.

Last story came from Dr. David Hamilton, a Scottish scientist who as he says, uses science to inspire. He was doing one of the E-Squared experiments, feeling the love and, as a joke, said, “I feel so powerful I could probably stand here and a bottle of Dove deodorant would just fall into my hand.”

Believe it or not, a couple days later, while waiting for the Tube (the London subway), he helped a woman with her bags. And what fell out, right into his hands? Yep, a bottle of Dove deodorant.

Have a fantabulous day, my friends and stay tuned for lots of great inspiration from London I Can Do It!

Oh, and here’s a British take on “What a wonderful world.”

Shazam or Suffering Succotash: you decide

October 2, 2014 15 Comments

“Happiness is where you start from rather than where you go. God, I sound like Yoda.”—Simon Pegg

In E-Cubed I talk about the power of words, how we literally foretell and create the future by what we say. When we talk smack about our lives, even little things like, “Oh, I wish I’d gotten up earlier and wasn’t running so late” or “Ah shucks, I just spilled coffee on my tie,” we create an energetic resonant field of problems.

But since I believe we should take our attention off problems and animate a different possibility, I’d like to tell you about two words I have just added to my vocabulary.

The first is “Shazam!” I’d heard this word before. Captain Marvel uses it to transform into his superself. But I just had breakfast with the awesome Jessica Ortner (from the Tapping Solution—check out her new book on tapping for weight loss here) and she told me that she and her friends always “Shazam” each other as a way of sending positive energy.

The other word I learned is brand new, or was when Phil Parker made it up. He’s a brilliant London osteopath who is able to transform we humans’ “issues” seemingly overnight. He uses something he calls “the lightning process.”

And it starts with the word du with a ^ over the “u.” Instead of saying “I am exhausted” or “I am poor” or “I am…. (whatever you don’t want to be), he suggests saying, “I am du^ing exhaustion” or “I am du^ing poor” which makes it a temporary state. It reduces the energetic charge.

The reason he chose not to use the already familiar word “do” is because it smells like blame. Last thing any of us want to do is point fingers at ourselves. Guilt and its accompanying comrades are what started the “issues” in the first place.

Remember–whatever is happening now is only temporary unless you continue to harp about it.

Two tiny words—huge possible change.

Why I’m the luckiest person on the Planet, Edition 11 @MELondonHotel

March 12, 2014 19 Comments

‘Glide through life as if all of creation is yearning to honor and entertain you.’–Rob Brezsny

If you’ve ever taken a walk with a three-year-old (and if you haven’t, put it on your bucket list now), you know they notice and appreciate everything.

Look, a ladybug! Look, a pebble! Look, I can kick it down the street.

That’s how I feel right now. Like a three-year-old, in complete awe and wonderment at all that’s happening to me. I just got to spend the weekend at the Hay House Ignite conference with Mastin Kipp, Gabby Bernstein, Jessica Ortner (and her totally cool friend, Sarah), a handsome young monk from Scotland named Sandy C. Newbigging and lots of other young gurus that Hay House (and Oprah) call the next generation of spiritual leaders.

I got to dance to Pharrell Williams “Happy” with a whole bunch of people in Hamburg and London. And I’m actually getting paid to do this. Is life freakin’ awesome or what?

And if that wasn’t enough, I was just served breakfast in bed (a latte and a fruit smoothie) at the London ME, a five-story hotel in London’s theatre district that has become THE place to be during London fashion week. From the rooftop suite, you can see all of London’s icons: Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, The Pickle, the Shard, the London Eye, to name a few.

The staff at ME London is so good-looking that recruiters for Ford and Marilyn modeling agencies should rush here posthaste. Last night before seeing a live performance of “The Full Monty” I drank exotic cocktails at Radio, their rooftop bar that generates hour-long lines to get in. And it is rumored that today, my little group of travel journalists might get a sneak preview of the Banksy exhibit that’s opening here in a couple weeks.

So life is sweet, my dear friends! And I am so grateful that, like a three-year-old, I am still pointing and saying, “Look!!”

Pam Grout is the author of 17 books including E-Squared and the and the soon-to-be-released sequel, E-Cubed.