Reaching Your Inner Knower 

Through Art, Song, & Connection

 Welcome

Joy is our natural state of being.

When we live from there, life responds accordingly. Analesa Berg 

Welcome. I am so happy you are interested in reaching your inner knower and living from
a more joyful place in your life.

As a little girl I was called “broigus” which means sullen in Yiddish. I felt alone and unloved
so yes, I did feel sad and confused. I remember saying to myself, “Some day I want to help
people be the best they can be.” When I look back, I believe that was my first experience in
hearing a wise inner knower, a voice of hope in the midst of a lonely childhood. While I
didn’t hear it that often, I believe that part of me kept me yearning for a more joyful way of
living. It helped me stay on the path of self-discovery.

If I had lived an idyllic childhood my own soul’s purpose might not have been served.
Maybe I wouldn’t be writing this, sharing ways I have learned to expand my perspectives,
clear away what is in the way of knowing and living from my truth, or experiencing awe.

You were born with an inner knower who is wise, loving, and wants only the best for you.
You know that voice that nudges you to call a friend, go this way or that, or to attend to
something in your life that is not in balance. With social conditioning and outside
influences, you may not hear it clearly, but with practice you can trust it more often.

My purpose in offering you The 7 Steps to Joy: Reaching Your Inner Knower Through Art,
Song and Connection, is to share some of the ways I’ve come to trust myself and live more
joyfully on purpose. I hope this will help you open your heart, connect to yourself and
others in more meaningful ways, and appreciate your life even in the midst of difficulties.

The journey to know oneself is not always easy. I continue to be on it for myself. I care
that you are well and I look forward to getting to know you as we travel together on this
most important path of self-realization and joy together.

The 7  Steps to Joy

Know Yourself Enter the Unknown

Expand Your Perspectives Clear Old Beliefs and Patterns
Surrender and Feel Awe Unleash Your Creativity
Connect In Community To Thrive
 Know Yourself

To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom.

- Socrates

I remember one of the first exercises I was given in graduate school for transpersonal
(spiritual) psychology was to sit across from another person and answer their question,
“Who are you?” At first I answered, a mother, wife, daughter, student…. Then they asked
again, “Who are you?” until time after time I got to an answer that came from beyond my
thinking mind and expressed more of an essence of who I found myself to be.

Who we are is influenced by so many factors. Who are you beyond your roles, your
personality, or even thoughts you have about yourself, your career, your religion?

One way to access the “you” beyond your thoughts is through meditation. You may have
heard about the importance of developing your “observer”, the part of you that can see
who you are - your essence, dark parts, inner critic, etc. - and not get identified with it.

Meditation is certainly an important way to discover the stillness inside. For me, active
meditations by Osho, an Indian mystic, have helped me drop into stillness more easily
than other methods of meditation I tried over decades. In these meditations stillness is
combined with humming, shaking, dancing, or jumping! In modern times when we are so
bombarded with stimuli that sitting silently is hard, you might want to give these a try.

Whatever method you choose to try, I suggest you practice observing and not getting
attached to your experience. 

What you discover may be pleasant and it may also be a revelation, such as discovering
that you really want loving relationships but you aren’t being so loving towards yourself.
No need to dismiss this. Just acknowledge that part of you and see it as good information
about what you need to clear in order to be more peaceful, productive and joyful.
 Enter the Unknown

No problem can be solved from the same level of

consciousness that created it.   - Albert Einstein, Inventor

In the 1990’s I spent five years in Tokyo, Japan, where I began my career as a cross-cultural
consultant. I helped corporate executives and their families learn to navigate working and
living in a totally new culture. I learned then that even when we leave everything we know
behind, if we have enough vision, open-mindedness, and willingness to try new things, fail,
and get back up again, we will find equilibrium and enjoy our new world.

Today our world is changing rapidly. It feels like we are moving into, or are already in, a
new world. Much of what we relied on - how relationships, government, education, health,
etc. operate - is shifting. We need new skills to help us ride the waves of change and be in
sync with new ways of being that are emerging.  

Now more than ever what helps me to stay mostly optimistic and steady in doing what is
mine to do without getting thrown by all the chaos around me is to remember that change
is constant. I do my best to see the apparent upheaval as part of transformational times we
are in. I envision the good possibility that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Here is an
exercise you can use to help you look to your future and face the unknown.

I created an art series I call The Alphabet of Vibration in

thirty days of silence (talk about entering an unknown space!)
I see these 24 inter-spiritual paintings as meditation tools.
This one is the Hebrew letter Tav in a mandala form.
As I painted I thought about the prophetess Miriam, Moses’
sister. She was a brave leader who displayed vision and
courage time and time again facing the unknown.

As you gaze into this image, feel yourself on the other side
of it with all the power to heal anything currently troubling
you. What does your new world look like, beyond difficulties
you may be facing now? How are you being courageous?
When you are done enjoying the new you, come back into
your body and write down what you saw and felt. Feel free to
share that with me. I would love to support you as you
navigate new worlds.
 Expand Your Perspectives

Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds

of ways to kneel and kiss the ground. 
Jalaluddin Rumi  11th C. Sufi Poet
I grew up Jewish. I enjoy and honor my heritage. I am grateful for the ethical principles I
learned, the holiday rituals, and of course, the food! I have also been fascinated by world
cultures and traditions throughout my life. Today I welcome the interconnectedness that
is possible at the intersection of the mystical traditions.

I witnessed many religious ceremonies over the years, but my first experience of a
mystical way of being in the world was at a Hindu ceremony led by medicine men. The
courtyard where we sat was filled with song, smells of incense, flowers, and beautiful
dancers. The shamans brought waters from various tributaries to transform negative
energies into positive ones. 
Something was happening here, but what?

At first I judged everything that was going on around me as it went against everything I
had been taught. “Really?” I thought. “No way. This is silly.” But soon I understood
there was something to it. That led me to a deeper exploration. I started with my own
tradition, studying with a Jewish teacher of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism). When I asked
him why these teachings sounded like Buddhism, he said, "Because there is One Truth."
Those words have meant a great deal to me as my deepest wish is that we all come
together beyond our differences.

Have you explored the mystical underpinnings of your own religious background, if you
have one? Whatever your beliefs, you may find Saint Hildegard of Bingen, 12th c. German
abbess, visionary mystic, and composer; Rumi, the 11th c. Sufi poet; Yogananda, Indian yogi
and guru who brought his teachings on self-realization to the West in the early 20th
century; or any number of indigenous teachings inspiring as I do.

Reading about inspiring people and teachings can open your mind to many ways of
knowing. Even more important is having actual intuitive experiences for yourself. Those
are unquestionable. How do we go about that? Clearing our ingrained beliefs and patterns
(which result in judgments like I had at that Hindu ceremony) is one step.

What book or experience might you try to expand your perspectives? I have some
suggested books on my website if you want to take a look.
 Clear Old Beliefs and Patterns

We cannot live in a world that is interpreted for us by

others. An interpreted world is not a hope. Part of the terror
is to take back our own listening. To use our own voice.
To see our own light. ― Saint Hildegard von Bingen  12 C. 

Throughout my life I heard from various people that I wasn’t good enough, I was fat, an
underachiever, too happy, too sad, too spiritual. I came to believe those things and more
about myself and lo and behold, even in my adult life, I attracted more people who would
put me down or ignore me.

What I didn’t realize was that those thoughts and beliefs about myself that I had taken so
deeply into my psyche were creating pain and suffering in my life. Not the other people!

I spent years looking outside of myself for solutions until I found The Dalian Method, an
advanced system that helps us heal and permanently erase patterns and beliefs that block
us so we can awaken to our true nature. The Dalian Method, designed by my teacher,
the modern mystic, author, and zen master, Mada Dalian, works with the physical,
spiritual, emotional, and mental bodies in miraculous ways. It's helped me release deep
wounds I held about my parents and others who I blamed for my unhappiness to a point
where those triggers are no longer present. I can access joy. This IS possible for you too!

To clear your own beliefs and old patterns permanently it is important to see and
understand how your mind works. Are you ready to take back your own listening, use your
own voice, and see your own light, as Hildegard von Bingen says?

 In her book, In Search of the Miraculous: Healing into Consciousness, Mada Dalian suggests
you choose one of the following questions, sit silently with it for at least twenty minutes,
and when you see something new about yourself, write it down. Do this for three days.
Then she suggests, for the next five days, mentally reconnect to your new awareness just
before going to sleep. Enjoy the new awarenesses that arises from your unconscious.

     How would my life be if I let go of struggling?

     How would my life be different if I was to always watch my throughs and emotions?
     How can I find my being and live consciously?
 Surrender and Feel Awe

We heal from ego into consciousness by surrendering. When

we stop struggling with what is, we bring peace to ourselves
and the world, and free our energy of the pain and suffering
the mind creates.  ― Mada Dalian, Modern Mystic

Slow down to speed up. That’s a phrase I used when working with young leaders who were
on fire, multi-tasking and creating multi-generational conferences around the world. They
so appreciated the space to stop “doing”. Slowing down helped them feel more peaceful.
They felt more energy as their minds stopped pushing them to do more and more.
Tapping into a part of themselves that was wiser and more expansive, they felt more
motivated and inspired to do their work. Imagine how good it would feel to slow down.

In a world as busy as ours you may find it hard to find time to just “be”. I know I do. My
mind is quite busy, often chattering away. I do get a lot of insights while sleeping. I joke
that my guides must be saying, “Great. Her mind is quiet. Now we can get to her.”

How are you at finding time to just BE? What works for you? A bath, a quiet walk in the
woods where you are present to your surroundings (as opposed to a power walk),
meditation, or prayer?  One thing that always helps my mind switch off is music. It
changes my mood.

In an online article, The Neuroscience of Singing, Cassandra Sheppard says, “The

neuroscience of singing shows that when we sing our neurotransmitters connect in new
and different ways. It fires up the right temporal lobe of our brain, releasing endorphins
that make us smarter, healthier, happier and more creative.”

I created a short meditation soundtrack for

you that I call Sunrise Meditation. You can
access it below. As you listen, imagine you
are surrendering to a beautiful sunrise or
anything else that helps you feel expansive
and filled with awe.
Enjoy and sing along if you like!

 Click the photo to enjoy a

three minute recording of
 "Sunrise Meditation"
 Unleash Your Creativity
Taking risks moves our energy into action and
creativity and our fear of the unknown
turns into excitement.
― Mada Dalian, Modern Mystic

Do you remember what you loved to do as a child? Was it fun, creative, imaginative? How
much of that do you still incorporate in your life? Did you come up with creative ideas
when you were playing games or trying to solve a puzzle?

As a little girl I loved to color, dance, and sing. I went onto music school and selling my
own artwork as a teen. Perhaps like you, once I got married, I stopped singing, painting
and being on stage to raise my children even though those things brought me joy.

I didn’t realize how much I was missing my creative self until I attended the first weekend
seminar of my master’s program where we danced, painted, went out into nature and
learned how to use the arts to heal. Reawakening my creativity felt expansive and joyful.

Your creativity it vital to your soul and happiness. Creativity is a way of thinking, learning,
and expressing yourself that goes beyond the arts into the entire way you understand and
relate to the world. The process of creation can help you experience the awe and mystery
of life and navigate challenging times successfully.

You don’t need to be trained in anything. You are a creative being. Take a risk. Try writing,
singing, doing artwork, or any creative venture. Try transcending your mind. Move your
body to shift learning from a mental space to an embodied sense. Let your unconscious
play. See if you can enjoy the process without worrying about the end product. Let your
inner knower guide the way.

One of my favorite things is free writing. I ask a question like, “What do I need to know?”
or  “What am I so stuck?” Then I let the words flow out from the pen.
Try it or any of the above suggestions and let me know how it goes!
 Connect in Community to Thrive

Without community, doubt and lethargy

overwhelm us. The community of the circle is how
we keep ourselves alive. The circle is where we
develop the skills that keep the Sacred in our lives.

Christina Baldwin, Author, Calling the Circle:

The First and Future Culture

You are likely quite busy doing your best at work and at home, trying to fit in yoga,
supplements, grow spiritually, exercising, meditating, spending time in nature, all while
caring for family, working. You may be doing your best to stay positive and not get thrown
by what is happening in your world. It is quite a feat. (I feel exhausted just writing this list!)

Suggesting you find even one more thing to put on your busy schedule may sound absurd,
but consider this. Committing to your own growth in these transformational times takes a
lot of energy. You are, in some ways, going against the “norm” of being overwhelmed,
angry, and rushing around at the expense of your health and well being.

Participating in a well-facilitated or “hosted” community, as I like to call it, where your

voice is equally heard and are invited to share from your heart is important. Look for an
opportunity to come together with others who are also committed to their own evolution
and the well-being of all.  

It doesn’t take a lot. Even meeting online once a month can become your life-line. The
relationships you make and the peace you find in those few hours can help you remain in
connection with your truth and give you energy in your day to day life.

Find a space locally or online (or create your own) where you can share honestly with
others. Look for a safe space where you can be witnessed as you dedicate yourself to this
important self-discovery work. Use your inner knowing to sense where you feel inspired
and where your unique gifts will be welcome.

Congratulations on taking these steps towards your own liberation and joy. I wish you
many blessings on your journey and hope to see you along the way.
 About Analesa

As I’ve explored my own inner journey and how to give voice to my soul’s purpose,
I’ve  learned from many wise teachers. In my travels as a cross-cultural consultant,
student of human potential and spiritual psychology, healing arts, and hosting circle
conversations worldwide I’ve met and become friends with extraordinary people.

In the past few years I have had the honor to be a student of Mada Dalian and one of 15
facilitators worldwide of her new-paradigm healing method. Using this method myself
helps me continue to personally grow and learn in miraculous ways.

My favorite thing is gathering in community. Since teenage years I’ve started

communities, including an international women’s club that is still vibrant after twenty-two
years. I also love sharing from my heart as a singer, artist, and stage performer having
written and performed in my One Woman Show, The 23rd Letter.

I enjoy meeting new people and I look forward to getting to know you!  

There are several ways we can work together: 

Dalian Method - Healing into Consciousness Private Sessions or Self-Healing CD

Celebration Circles - Community Connections to Awaken Your Inner Knower
Custom Events and Retreats -  Combine my One-Woman Show, The 23rd Letter,
with expertly hosted workshops, community conversations, art shows or retreats that suit
your group.

For further information or to book a 15 minute complimentary consult:

                                                        www.analesaberg.com

I’ve come to know something. Here’s the secret.

Underneath all the pain and suffering of life,

 our souls remain untouched, pure, joyful! 

Analesa Berg, from the one-woman show, The 23rd Letter