text: Healing and abundance is a natural function that occurs when we are connected to our divine source, God. All that is required is aligning ourselves with God and activating our intention.
  How do we get disconnected?
  When we allow our ego to determine our life path, we experience ourselves as disconnected. Our egos have a tendency to idolize or place importance on things that are truly irrelevant to the truth of who we are. By idolizing things, we misidentify ourselves and become separated from our divine, infinite, eternal source. There are six primary ways our ego idolizes.
  - What I have is the source of who I am/my power/my value. My possessions define me.
  - What I do is the source of who I am/my power/my value. My achievements define me.
  - What others think of me is the source of who I am/my power/my value. My reputation defines me.
  - My body is the source of who I am/my power/my value. My body defines me.
  - All that is missing from my life is the source of who I am/my power/my value. My life space is disconnected from my desires.
  - Pouring energy into all of the above is the source for who I am/my power/my value. I am separate from God
  An idol is a construct or focus that we pour energy into because we believe it is a source for what we desire; identity, power, love, money, peace, relationships, etc.
  If I have an attractive body. . . . . If I know more. . . . .
  If I have more money. . . . . If I could be more spiritual. . .
  If I had a great family. . . . If I am popular. . .
  If I was American. . . . . If I was perfect. . . .
  If I could do more. . . .
  Chronic problems/stress such as chronic money problems, chronic dieting, chronic relationship distress, depression, and chronic physical problems are most likely a form of idolatry.
  All your energy and power is poured into this “problem” that never seems to resolve. It is like a huge tornado that just spins all your excess effort and energy around in a circle, never really moving forward or changing.
  Example: Recently, I realized that I used money obsession: how to handle money better, how to make more money, how to get out of debt, if only my husband could make more money, worry about money, fear about money, too much energy about money, etc., as a source to take away my sadness about my father never wanting to give me anything or give my mother anything. If I felt that sadness, I would be more likely to go shopping. “It doesn’t matter if my dad doesn’t give me money; I can buy it myself and then I won’t care.” I had developed the same kind of relationship with my husband. I was idolizing money as the source to heal all this sadness. Rather than feel and accept the sadness and hurt and fear that no man would ever want to support me; I poured all my excess energy into “money and money problems”. My belief was that somehow more money would be the source to heal the real problem. When I realized that only God can heal and that He is my source and that money problems and money have no power to make this pain feel better or cease to exist, I no longer needed to pour my energy into a useless tornado to feel powerful. Tearing down this idol in my life, reunited me with God and I realized that I was not separate from the real source of love, power and money.
  Example: A woman with twenty years of marital instability and the past two years spent in marriage counseling discovered that she and her husband were pouring all their energy into constant marriage discussion that never seemed to move them forward. It was a distraction to avoid the depression her mom felt when she was two and her mom knew her marriage was over. Jill’s fear that her marriage was over and she made it worse, kept her pouring her energy into saving it, discussing it, being responsible for it, etc. She had to acknowledge that all the marriage obsessing in the world would not have the power to get back what she really wanted: her original family, happy and together. She had to accept the fear and depression that she may never get what she really wants in her family. She had to accept that what she has or does not have does not separate her from happiness, love and power. She idolized her family as the source for happiness, love, and security. Without it, she felt helpless and separated from all that she desires. When we tore down that idol, she immediately felt more at peace and connected. She no longer felt drawn into the endless worry and discussions about the marriage.
  - I forgive myself for idolizing money as my source for all that I desire.
  - I forgive myself for idolizing what I have (family) as the source for my happiness and fulfillment.
  - I forgive myself for using this idolatry of money as a way to feel better about the sadness I felt as a child.
  - I forgive myself for using this idolatry of family as a source to heal the depression and fear I feel that I will never get what I really want in my relationships.
  - I give myself permission to tear down the idol and I am no longer separate from all that I desire.
  - Without this idol, I am free to experience joy and love in my relationships.
  - Without this idol, I am free to experience happiness and security and support from the divine source.
  - Without this idol, I am free to stop pouring excess energy into an empty tornado of futile discussion and thoughts.
  - Without this idol, I am no longer separate from God.
  - Without this idol, I am connected to my divine Source.