The Cassou Institute for Creative Freedom Board Member: Cherie Ray

by | Aug 17, 2018 | Being Human, What's Fresh

I was bitten, but by what?  It happened at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House in majestic Taos, New Mexico in the early 2000’s.  This is where I met Michele Cassou and directly experienced her Point Zero Painting Process.

I had put my name on the waiting list for my very first workshop, feeling confident that it wasn’t going to happen.  Two weeks before the workshop was to begin, I got the call that I’m in.  Yikes! What have I done!! Since I had dropped out of every formal art class I had ever enrolled in, I had great doubts about what I could possibly do for 9 days in front of a piece of paper!  It’s no joke when I say I didn’t have a clue what I would do. I meant it.  I was afraid AND had no art experience.  But something propelled me to show up anyway. The first few days were filled with doubt and skepticism. I really couldn’t wrap my head around the concept of “no right way “ to do this process — there was “no wrong way” to do this process; everybody in the studio “got it” but me; and there was nothing to “figure out”!  After the third full day of putting paint on paper, something inside me was deeply touched.  Something that had longed to be present in my life.  Something that I didn’t know I was missing. Michele’s process was an invitation to experience being me and to explore following my intuition with no consequences.

As I reflect back, I realize what I was bitten by — 100% permission, freedom, and natural creativity. And my life was transformed. That bite was the best bite ever!

This process continues to introduce me to the limitless nature of life and the benevolent spiritual intelligence that handles all of the details.

Cherie Ray, Point Zero Facilitator.Coach.Consultant

I’m committed to my clients in support of them following their internal spark while, seeing the simple in what looks complex, with a feeling of light-hearted learning. In my decades of exploring the spiritual nature of life while navigating life in real time, I see where real leverage comes from.  I support Michele Cassou in her workshops and trainings.  I offer painting workshops virtually and in Houston, Texas at True You Creativity Studio.
www.trueyoucreativity.com and www.cherieray.com

4 Tips for Stress-Free Solutions

by | Jun 14, 2018 | Being Human, Thought, What's Fresh

Hello Friends,

Today I’m writing you from Salt Spring Island, BC, where I’m attending a conference.  Preparing for this conference is where this story begins. Getting4 Tips for Stress-Free Solutions to Salt Spring requires taking a float plane. It all sounds fun until you get the news that you can only carry 25 pounds on the flight. That’s it, 25# for 6 days, including purse, mobile office, etc.  I’m laughing because my clothing takes up the least amount of poundage in this equation and my incidentals the most!

What occurred to me, through this process, is how often seeking solutions can bring additional stress.  In our innocence, we get to work on ‘figuring it out’.  This is where we start to resemble a dog with a bone; we chew on it until we’re exhausted or stressed out.  We just can’t let it go until we know the solution.  There’s another way.

Here are 4 Tips for Stress-Free Solutions:

1. Know that you have a factory installed Creative Process built into your design as a human being.  We all carry this feature.  What’s cool about this planefeature is; the more you enlist it, the more it works on your behalf, the more you experience it, your confidence in its presence in your life soars.
2. Stop ruminating or trying to figure out a solution.  This habit adds congestion to your head space and consumes your bandwidth for what’s requiring your immediate attention.  Too many things living in your head space is where the feelings of overwhelm and burnout come from.
3. Relax; know that you have an inner resource that will lead you to your solution. Listen for fresh insights and ideas that show up on the scene about your topic.
4. Engage with these fresh ideas. Don’t poo-poo on them, follow the thread. When you poo-poo on these next steps, your creative process interprets it as you don’t want help and it retreats.  Tip: these fresh ideas don’t always show up as logical.  Keep following the crumbs and you will arrive at a solution that’s a perfect fit for you. This approach to arriving at solutions is like a mysterious treasure hunt.  The discovery is fun and the bounty brings something brand new.  In addition to a solution, you will also experience a new found hopefulness and resilience.

Right about now is when I usually hear someone say, “Yeah, but the solution I need is bigger than a weight issue!”  No worries, the mechanics work plane2the same regardless of the topic.  Try it out for yourself.  I’d love to hear from you.

My packing journey turned out to be a very fun ride.  I woke up to new ways to travel with more efficiency, much less weight, and a whole lot more ease getting through my flight connections.  The process also offered me the opportunity to hop on 2 earlier flights, arriving hours earlier to my destination.  Following the ideas that occurred to me through this process brought me to the scales with a stress free 22.9 pounds and a big inner chuckle.

I encourage you to enlist this factory installed resource and let it work on your behalf.  If you’d like to learn more and be supported in discovering a multitude of unrealized internal resources, I’d love to work with you.  Let’s set up a time for a conversation.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sending smiles,
Cherie

Love

by | Feb 23, 2018 | What's Fresh

This morning the sweetest message came to me, out of the blue, “We came from LOVE, we are LOVE, and we will return to LOVE.”af6212c9-7090-4212-a19d-eff58b1b85ca

It appears to me to be a response to a recent inquiry with God about how my mind makes determinations, conclusions, and assessments. In addition to these assessments, they have a convincing tone while simultaneously feeling true. I find myself drinking the Kool-Aid of my own thinking as if it were the true definition of how life works. As a result, I am filled with a YUK feeling.

What appears to be TRUE to me now, is that my mind is not a reliable source of news. If it feels painful or critical, I must not be seeing things clearly. There must be a lack of understanding somewhere because if I came from LOVE and I am LOVE, it would feel loving. This creates a natural curiosity for me to listen for what I’m not hearing, looking for what I’m not seeing, and reminding myself that my thinking is not a reliable source of TRUTH.

I hope that you are having a wonderful day experiencing all types of LOVE!

Sending love,
Cherie