You Will Always Shine

When I see the bright light of the sun, I will remember your laughter.
When I hear birds singing, I will remember you merrily singing your songs.
When I feel the gentle breeze, I will remember all of those times you comforted me.
When I look at the stars and see their radiant beauty, I will remember your
bright spirit and know that you have gone to share your light with the world.
In  my heart you will always shine.

Will I Ever Fall in Love Again?

This is a question that commonly comes up in readings, and the answer to this question will always be the same for everyone who asks me, so I figured I might as well address it in an article rather than having you spend money on a reading. So the answer to the million dollar question is.......If you allow yourself to.

People tend to think that everything in life is determined by destiny, and sure it’s true that a lot of what we experience is brought our way by the universe. However, when it comes to what is sent our way we play a big part in what comes through to us, and what doesn’t come through to us.  A lot of it has to do with how open we are to receiving what the universe wants to send us, and when I say open to receiving it I don’t mean wanting or needing it. I mean having a state of being in which your energies are flowing freely without much blockage. Allow me to illustrate this with a real world example, your boyfriend has broken up with you and you’re devastated, your world has come crashing down and you feel like you’ll never love again. You try your hardest to just suck it up and move on like so many people around you are telling you to do, so you do that, but deep down inside you’re still holding onto a lot of the pain from that past disappointment. Although you’re being given opportunities to be with new people, nothing seems to ever move forward the way you want it to.

This is a classic case that plays out for many people time after time after time, and they always wonder “WHY????.  We have been taught from an early age that pain is bad, and we must avoid feeling it at all costs. We see crying and letting our emotions out as a bad thing, I can’t really comment much on how that came to be. I do however, think it has to do with us losing touch with our energy and not really being able to feel what’s going on with it. To answer the big “WHY???” above......It’s because your energy is being blocked by past “junk” that you have been conditioned to suppress, you’re not flowing as you are meant to.  By ignoring our energy and only focusing on the physical, we are giving up much of the power we have in deciding what quality of life we live.

So if you’re feeling stuck, not just in love, but in any area of life it would be very helpful to look into healing and contact an energy worker who can help you get in touch with your energy so you can see where things are blocked and what issues from your past you need to release. Keep in mind that it’s not a quick fix and it’s basically like learning a new way of living that takes a bit of dedication, BUT it will make a tremendous difference in your life, and allow you to have the opportunities the universe wants to send you.

The new change / consciousness/mostly spiritual teacher, yogis, psychic are the one that spoke about the change is it with in the nation, within our selves within the society, well its everywhere I have personally witness it, I am not a physic not a yogis but I am a spiritual person.

Well it all started for me before I turned 30, I was going through a personal change that was beyond my control,  (you see I use to control things). But this time it wasn’t up to me things that I have tried to control wasn’t much for me to manage anymore there was a magical force, the more I was trying to fight it the more I was tensed snappy and defensive, something which took me years to manage, (well another me) not to forget how more closed in my shell I was cause I wasn’t able to have a conversation anymore partly because I was studying and working at the same time so my head were filled with things to do long hours of work to cover my expenses and often I would caught myself staring not present, as a teacher /instructor I use to be a good listener and compassionate , patient. But I couldn’t even do my job properly and that was scary, and the best way was to not be with anybody and try to pray and asking god to help me figure out what was happening to me and often silence was the best.

The year before that, I read a book. A new earth by Eckart Tolle, and shortly after that the changes that he mentioned in his book started to happen the financial crisis lots of melt down, natural disaster, I started to observe how people were different, as if they were also taken by that change, some were rude, some were lost, I could also feel their tension and impatient. Some were showing a part that I never observe before .Was it the change he started to apply in his book? Could be, but from my personal experience it felt like a shift that needed to happen to change the way we have been leaving. I personal think that as long as we are on this earth there will always be a change a death for a rebirth. Do I know that to be sure, yes! I am sure there will be new change their will be new way of progressing to the good of all, evolving, I thank this magical force whatever it was that was pushing all my buttons that was breaking me open to embrace the new conscious.

I am still here, NEW we could say in so many levels embracing every moment, hoping to be a better person. After the turbulence the plane landed, after the big waves the sea is calm again.

So I survived, only to be more conscious, anyone experiencing that change? Hang in there it will soon pass. Stand still !

How Wisdom Comes

Alone ~

drenched in water jewels,

emerging from stream cleansed

to face sun, Giver of Fire, Giver of Life,

offering praise unspoken

to the Great Spirit breathing through

greenness of green,

blueness of blue,

rockness of rocks,

inspired to listen ~

all in abeyance

but spirit itself.

Wind, rain and stars are the Bible

for studying earth’s face,

Peace Pipe, the weapon to war

for a path run closer to God.

Smoke, drawn into lungs,

emerges through nostrils,

rises to mists of clouds

translated into prayer.

Visit Vivien’s website “Talking Paint” @ www.viviensteels.webs.com for Artwork and Poetry

Meditation
by Vivien Steels



Time holds out its hands

offering gifts, as fruit on trees,

gifts remembered as a child

when the world shone deeper
with the vibration of wonder,
filling fresh spring air
with silks of dawn
s
wirling over dewed grass

when you ran, feet bare,
listening to each birdsong
spiralling its melody
above a green, green garden,

flowers wide-eyed

to splash in sun,

perfume rising like incense,
colours moving like dreams.

‘Pear Drop’
by Vivien Steels

Rain falls, glittering its necklace
into my open hands
before copper sunset retreats
dancing into blue-black night

threaded with stars
to turn again,

calling me from safety of sleep
to receive another gift.




Visit Vivien’s website “Talking Paint” @ www.viviensteels.webs.com for Artwork and Poetry.

Colette’s article on ‘Humanity and the Butterfly’ really resonated with me.

In July 1980 I went on a Yoga and Meditation holiday.  During the week there I had a dream whereby I was a chrysalis encased in darkness.  There was a light glowing and shining in the distance, which travelled nearer and nearer.  Slowly I emerged from my case as a butterfly with wings slowly unfurling.  The light became brighter changing into cerulean blue.  My wings began to move and I flew up into the sky.  The butterfly wings changed into bone and feather and I was a bluebird soaring across sapphire heavens.  The bird became a star-baby looking down on the gently spinning world.  The images formed an eternal circle of life, rebirth and transformation. 

I went on to write the poem Unity included below and to paint the vivid images of chrysalis, butterfly, bluebird and star-baby, which is on my “Talking Paint” website @ http://www.viviensteels.webs.com/morepoetry.htm

Unity

by Vivien Steels

The body curled into a chrysalis,

slept for the darkness

soft within a womb of life,

suspended and silent.

The light fell onto the brittle case.

Energy flowed through the hidden form.

The head lifted,

the wings rose

drawn to the sky.

Patterns dusted with colour

filled each floating wing.

Life lifted and fell

with each stroke.

The wings strengthened.

Vein became bone,

dust became feather,

butterfly became bird.

The bird shimmered and sang,

sifting the air for food.

Blue pointed tail;

blue stretched wing,

diving and rising

The wings lengthened.

Bone became strong.

Feather became skin.

Bird became child.

The child sat, arms outstretched,

seeing the spinning world

marbled below her.

Patterns coated with colour

filled each eye.

She was one -

with butterfly, bird

and whole world.

For more images of the works & their meanings, my online gallery is:

http://www.ashe-art.com/Fine Art/fine-art.html

There is a selection of artwork photos below, with their titles.

Please pass on a BIG thankyou to Colette & yourselves for being so fun & offering such light to the global community!

All the best;

Asheley

Kaleidos Series: ‘Emerge’ – Detail

Kaleidos Series: ‘Spicule’:

Kaleidos Series: ‘Riffle’ – Detail:

‘Turn A New Leaf Over’:

‘Turn A New Leaf Over’: Detail:

Leading with Love

Everyone loves a good story. Great leaders are aware of this and inspire others to own and share their own unique and special story. They help us to see how our narrative fits into the whole to make a difference. Corporate employees rarely go to work each day pondering the CEO’s vision or Wall Street’s valuation of their company if they work for a corporation. Few people think about the owner’s vision if they work in a store or any establishment created by someone else. Ideally, we “go to work” to make a living as well as a life. We all want to express our gifts and talents in a healthy work environment even in nontraditional venues.

Once survival needs are met at varying levels, each individual wants to freely and fully express who they are through what they do. We all desire to have a say in creating our own storyline out of the circumstances and events of our lives. Of course, we all want to recognize who we really are as observers and witnesses to our stories. Yet from a higher level of being, we are here to play out our roles and enjoy the plot.

Reflecting on my own story, I’ve come to a few conclusions and have made some observations that might be helpful to anyone in a leadership role. You may or may not see yourself in that light right now. I believe leadership potential lies within all of us. How do you know if you are a leader? The best litmus test is simple. Is anyone following you? You don’t have to have a lofty position to be a role model. You can be the light at any level of any hierarchy in any organization. If people want what you are offering, you are doing something that has an impact.
On your way to becoming a more effective, inspiring leader, here are some pearls I’ve gleaned from my own experience as well as from watching others whom I admire. It comes down to LOVE. And love makes a great acronym for what I want to express. People want to feel your heart and know that you care about what you do and about them. This doesn’t mean you need to be overly nice or enthusiastic all of the time.

Here are 4 observations to consider:

L stands for lens. Everyone sees the world through their unique lens based upon their story. We have the story of our family of origin, our birth order, our culture, our beliefs and values and upbringing. There are many factors which shape and influence our perspective on life too numerous to mention here. We have an interpretation of how life has touched us until we become aware that this interpretation or story may or may not serve us. I used to listen to someone’s advice, complaint or interpretation of an event/circumstance without discerning how valid it was for me or for the present need. If we can discern where someone is coming from based upon their personal history, this can help us to see past their filters into what is best in this
moment. One of the first things I request of a new coaching client is a life story of significant events and turning points in their lives. It helps me to see the values and beliefs which have informed their choices in the creation of their present reality.

O stands for originality. Leaders let each person’s light shine and assist in assigning or allowing roles and responsibilities where individuals can fulfill their need to create, contribute, and express their unique strengths and talents. Notice I said assist and not dictate. Some people know at an early age where they’d like to play. More often than not, people go into a particular career or line of work because of what their parents, teachers, or peers think is best based upon external factors including their own unrealized dreams or the state of the economy. If you ask most people what their unique gifts and talents are, they will respond with what they can’t or don’t do well. In the past, many people didn’t even ask themselves the questions of “who am I?” and “what is my purpose?” This is changing dramatically in our modern world out of necessity. You can facilitate this awakening.

Ask them their story. You might ask: What did you love to do as a child? What were you drawn to and why? What did you receive praise for without effort? Owning our greatness is often a challenge. One tool I use is Marston’s DiSC model. Some people naturally know how to create a sense of urgency and get results, others naturally know how to connect with anyone at any time in a personal way. Some people are natural listeners and process creators, while others are naturally gifted at research, factual precision and diplomacy. When one knows how to interpret the language of DiSC deeply from a spiritual lens, it can be a powerful tool for leadership development and organizational transformation. I’m a bridge-builder and translator of talents. DiSC, when interpreted fully, provides a scientifically-validated way to bring spiritual principles into the everyday language of business.

With this and other tools, one can assist people in recognizing the patterns in their story regarding threads of strengths, talents and areas for growth. We can begin to chart a roadmap with consistent signposts with many variables around the main plot. Even more importantly, one can teach people how to understand and appreciate the talents and challenges inherent in other people. With that understanding, we can begin to find acceptance on our way to appreciation and celebration of our differences.

We all come into this world as an original. No one wants to leave it as a copy. Whose life are you living? I remember working for a series of large companies, commuting to work, driving a car that I had inherited from my father and wondering whose life this was that I was inhabiting. In my experience, many people reach their mid 30’s and begin to question the choices they’ve made in their past with less consciousness. I believe you can love what you do for a living and design a life that includes passionate self-expression. People follow those who are inspired by what they love and believe in. No one is inspired by just the facts on a Power Point slide. We might be convinced but we are rarely moved by data alone.

V stands for vision. Remember that leaders have followers or at least people who want what you have to offer. Vision implies clear sight and looking ahead on down the road. Vision also inspires passion. If you don’t have a long-term perspective and some idea of where you’re going, why would anyone want to follow you? Take a long-term perspective while being in the now.

E stands for empowerment. Empowerment, vision and for that matter love, are words that are bandied about. What I mean by empowerment is creating an environment with the appropriate balance of challenge and support. One of the challenges in organizational life is the gap between where the leadership team’s current reality is and what the current reality of the front line tends to be. There seems to be a pervasive belief held by both camps that neither camp has the best interests of the other at heart.

My coaching clients initially say that the senior leadership of their company doesn’t care about them and only seeks to take or get time, energy, and work from them. In some cases, this is valid. On the side of the same coin, I will hear those at the top of the “chain of command” say that employees don’t seem to care anymore and are only interested in a paycheck. This is true for some people. Where you stand depends upon where you sit and yet bridges can be constructed across the void.

What a successful leader brings to the table is a firm belief in the desire of individuals to fulfill themselves through expressing their talents. They recognize that people are individuals first who are then connected through relationships which create value for customers and for employees. There is a direct relationship between employee and customer satisfaction. If leaders can convey their genuine, authentic desire to have their employees feel fulfilled and creative in their work, the will to be fully engaged takes care of itself.

It is as if the leader creates a force field around them. They create a petri-dish-like environment in which only a positive culture can live. There still can be misunderstandings and break-downs in communication. There still may be performance issues. Yet, communication and conflict resolution skills and performance issues can be addressed if there is willingness and not just compliance. Skills can be taught and have a chance of being implemented if this attitude of caring exists.

Leaders go forth and love.

In the beginning there was light. That is how each and every one of us started, and that is what each and every one of us is. Light. We are all tiny sparks of God; we are all tiny pieces of one puzzle.  When put together the puzzle makes one magnificent picture.  We are all the puzzle essentially, but just one piece of that puzzle.  However, without even one of the pieces, the puzzle is incomplete.  The human ego has created a veil or an illusion to make us believe that we are all separate from one another. 

This is one of the main reasons why our planet is in the state of crisis that it is right now.  We have forgotten who we are and what our true nature really is.  Our true nature is that we are all spiritual beings having a physical experience.  We have gotten so caught up in ourselves and in our day to day lives giving no concern for the fellow man, that it’s no wonder why the world is the way it is right now.  As time has gone on we have drifted farther away from one another, making the conditions on planet earth worse and worse.  However, the good news is that it is going to get better! Everyone has heard the saying “It has to get worse before it gets better”, well this is true when it comes to the state of our beloved planet. 

Right now, we are witnessing the evolution of the human species.  No, we are not going to turn into monkeys or anything like that, but we are evolving or changing into something completely different.  We evolve to keep up with the evolving planet.  As humans, we adapt to our environment so that we are able to survive in it.  What is actually, physically happening on planet earth, also known as Mother Gaia, is that we are moving up and further away from the sun.  This phenomenon is often referred to as ascension.  So together, as one, we move up!  As our planet shifts or ascends, so do we, and so does society as we know it.  Everything is affected, nothing will be left out.  We are slowing getting rid of the old and preparing for the new to arrive. 

There are a lot of theories and speculations surrounding December 21^st, 2012, as this date marks the end of the Mayan calendar and many other prophecies point to this date as being the end of the world.  Many people wonder and fear just what that day may bring, and there is no one who knows for certain.  However, I believe that if in fact 12/21/2012 is the end, it will without a doubt be the birth of something brand new.  Perhaps this date and the prophecies surrounding it will mark a spiritual change for the human race, after all we are ascending, which intern will raise our vibrational frequencies, which will intern make us that much closer to “heaven” (or whatever you prefer to call it). 

Whatever does happen on this illustrious date is certainly nothing to fear or worry about because the Universe just doesn’t work that way.  We are all so blessed to be a part of this divine process, this is an extraordinary time that we are living in right now.  There are perhaps many who will disagree with me on that since on the surface it seems that there is so much suffering going on around the world.   Yes, there is a lot of “turbulence” right now, but everything is in divine and perfect order I assure you. 

When I refer to the “old” I am referring to the masculine energy that we have been living in.  When I refer to the “new”, I am referring to the feminine or goddess energy that we are transitioning to.  We are moving into the goddess era.  Living in the masculine era has been mainly about survival, greed, and every man for himself.  The human ego has been the ruler of this era.  With the ego running the show, it has taken us farther away from our spiritual nature.  The goddess energy being about nurturing and caring will bring us back to spirit. 

Until fairly recently anything of the spiritual or metaphysical nature was looked at as weird or woo-woo.  However, if you notice there has been a huge influx of books and topics about spirituality that have become more mainstream.  I think that we can thank Oprah for some of that!  We see people becoming more open to alternative ideas and methods, people are searching for something more.  That is the sacred feminine energy being slowly integrated into our planet.  That essentially is the change that everyone is feeling.  Some may feel it more strongly than others because they are sensitive to energies around them. 

We are all in this together and no matter how bad your circumstances may be there is always someone else who has felt the exact same thing you have.  When we begin to realize the truth of our oneness, we begin to experience the world in a whole new light.  So I say to you all; I love you and I am here for you, you are never alone.

You steal your oil from the earth

To suit your selfish needs

Anything to make a profit

Helps to fuel your corporate greed

What will we leave for the children?

Is that a question that plagues your soul?

The continuous raping of the earth

Will one day take its toll

All your brilliant ideas

Ended up to be nothing but failures

And the problems the ideas created

You weren’t smart enough to have answers

How many days will the oil spill?

Into the waters with a vengeance

How many more creatures will you kill?

As a result of your catastrophic failures

Ah, yes, appreciation.  Did you know that appreciation is a wonderful tool for manifesting? Yep, it's true. Try it. Try shutting down the inner critic. Well, that actually takes a bit of practice. Maybe to begin with you can try observing your thoughts and when you find that you're being critical of anyone else or even yourself (it's the same thing, really), turn that thought around. Instead of naming what's wrong, find something that's right. There, now. Doesn't that feel better? And when you feel better, when your energy is higher, the outcomes you desire can more easily manifest. Who can't love that?

To take appreciation a step further, make a list of things to appreciate. Obviously, this works better when you're in a groovy, flowy, non-judgmental  mood than when you're all cranky-boots about something. If you're in a bad mood, it will cheer you up FAST. If you're in a good mood, it will lift you up higher. I promise -- this is some serious magic!

First, get out your journal and  title a page "ME." Or "Things I Appreciate About ME." Number the rows 1-10, and start. Begin with something easy, like "eyes." Maybe you have beautiful eyes. Own that, you dazzling goddess! Then find something else about yourself to appreciate, like how you make the best hot chocolate in the known galaxy. Write it down. Keep going, you're on a roll now! If you get stuck,  write what your best friend would say about you. Not enough? Try "I appreciate the fact that I'm willing to write a list about things I appreciate about myself."

Self love is important. Especially if you're looking for love "out there" because after all, if you can't love yourself, how can you expect someone else to do it?

Oh, and, about the list? Here's an extra-credit challenge for you. If you breezed through the list of ten without a hitch, amp it up. Try a list of 20 or even 30. You'll find that once you get past the obvious, it's a little harder and you may even have to start appreciating those things about yourself that you had not previously been so kind about. You can do it ~ and let us know what wonderful gifts you discover about yourself. Love, C

My two cents: No one can be you like YOU. You're amazing!

Cynthia & Kelli are co-authors of a blog called Two Girls Take On Love. Life, love, relationships. . .yeah, they have something to say about that! Check them out at www.twogirlstakeonlove.com

The theatre was filled with anticipation. When Dr. Kevorkian was introduced by the president of HBO productions and stood to face the barrage of clapping I realized that Dr. Death was a tiny man, hardly someone to fear. The larger than life physician was frail from age and years of incarceration.

During the film, I was amazed as actor Al Pacino transformed into Dr. Kevorkian’s shuffling, stooped over persona as he lived the doctor’s life goal, “to release people from undue suffering and embrace death.” To his patients, Dr. Death was The Angel of Mercy –A doctor who listened to his terminal patients and respected their individual and human right to die with dignity before their suffering reached a level that was inhumane. This idea is still important today because at some point we are all going to die. That is the rule of life. I accepted this fact after my cancer diagnosis. What I would not accept was the idea of undue suffering until my final moment. Many of my friends in therapy wouldn’t either. Some of them knew that their treatment was designed to give them time, not a cure. They chose to use that time to look for a quicker way out, before it was beyond their control. The fear of suffering is closely followed by the fear of a botched suicide. The question, “Does anyone know of a way to commit suicide that really works and is not bloody or messy?” was asked more than once in our close-knit group. Unfortunately, death and dying by one’s own hand is still a messy ordeal. Although Hollywood has perfected suicide, the human psyche has not. Desperation breeds misery. Where was Dr. Death when we needed him?—In jail!

The movie showed that Dr. Kevorkian didn’t chose his patients lightly, and he turned down more 97 percent of them—his patients chose him. He did extensive video interviews and was selective in deciding whom to deliver from the grip of undue suffering and place gently into the hands of waiting death.

I’ve heard arguments against suicide because people can have miracles healings. The blind might see again and believe me, I believe in miracles! I am a walking miracle. But for certain patients, Dr. Kevorkian was their miracle.

It is not the hospitals or doctors who are to blame for undue suffering. They are bound by policy that is governed and limited by law. The problem is not in the medical field but in the law. If a doctor has his license revoked, how many other needy patients is he not able to help. This is a medical catch 22 that must be addressed. Disconnecting someone from life support and allowing them to die “naturally” from starvation is not humane. We don’t even do that to our pets. We humanely put them “to sleep.” Do humans deserve less? Did Dr. Death do less?

As Elizabeth Kubler-Ross wrote in 1969 in her book, On Death and Dying, “When a patient is severely ill, he is often treated like a person with no rights to an opinion.” Unfortunately, in 2010, I found that this is still often the case.

In the new age of Enlightenment with holistic and integrative medicine are we still in the Dark Ages concerning death and dying? Watch You don’t Know Jack, April 24^th on HBO and decide for yourself—Dr. Death or Angle of Mercy?

About the Author: Kathleen O’Keefe-Kanavos penned SURVIVINGCANCERLAND

            www.survivingcancerland.com

Additional Resources: THE NEW YORK POST, Friday, April 16^th, 2010, pg 30

I have come a long way in my spiritual journey. It’s been a wonderful ride and I never want to get off this train. Some days I do and those are long days where I fall back into the pettiness of my ego. I am now able to stop myself and recognize that I am acting like a victim- a crybaby and sometimes a downright BITCH!

I became conscious of my sign 33 in 2008 after an answered prayer specifically using that number. And I do not want to sound like I believe that prayer is a Christmas list sent to God. I simply asked for a clear sign using 33 and I got it- more than once. Ironically enough….3 times now.

First time was on a trip to Chicago in the fall of 2008 with my two dearest friends. We took the train from home to Chi-town and felt like big girls in the city. So we are on the train, reading magazines, chatting about nonsense..when I tell my friend Amanda that I have been having a series of “coincidences” with the number 33. And I tell her all the stories of waking up 3:33 or anything :33, A LOT. And the first couple times I heard my name spoken and I’d wake up and look at the clock and bam, there was the number. I had tested it a few times by NOT looking at the clock when I woke, but as soon as my temptation got the best of me, I would look and it would in fact be something:33 o’clock. Then I noticed it in license plates, cars would pull in front of me or I’d be driving thinking good thoughts about where I was headed and I’d look up and the car in front of me was BKV 33 or whatever…but 33 was there and my eyes were drawn to it and sometimes I felt prompted to look over and see it. I tell her that I specifically said a prayer last night and asked God to please put us in a room with 33 or on the 33^rd floor (if there are that many in our hotel) and I will look into Jesus a little more deeply.  So I tell Amanda this and she’s kinda feeling a little spooked and we are giggling making light of all the signs I was getting. And I notice that my friend Amy is sitting in seat 32 across from us. And I say……….what seat number and I in? And she looks up and says 34……no wait the window seat is 33. WE ALL GOT CHILLS. I had sat down in that seat because Amy got on the train first and stopped in a seat and started to get in and I said “I want a window seat and got in behind her”.  Weird?

We get to our hotel and Amanda checks in- reservation was under her name. As she’s walking towards me she has a “I just say a ghost” face and hand me the keycards and says…look at our room………3322. We were on the 33^rd floor and by the way, as a joke I asked God to also give us a room with a view…….and we had a gorgeous view of downtown and the Lake.

So I got tired of telling stories about it. I am pretty sure everyone around me was also tired of hearing me talk about it so I stopped speaking it for a few months but it never left.

I lost a dear friend suddenly, someone I considered my 2^nd mother. A year after her death, I decided to dedicate my first race longer than a 5K to her. When I got my number, it was 1331. I laughed and thought, perfect…Nola is here with me. It was rainy and icky and I kept saying….there’s a bubble over the race and we will have a good morning. And we did, the rain literally stopped seconds before the race started. I had prayed to Nola and God the night before that they please make this a good race and give me strength by keeping the rain at bay. So I am running, I get to the turnaround point where I start heading back to the resort. I am feeling good and I am nearly ¼ mile from finish and my favorite inspirational song comes on my ipod- Live like you were dying. And as I am running, I am getting teary because I know I am going to make under my goal time (loaded my ipod specifically so I knew that if I heard a song,  I had to haul ass because it was the last one). As I am running, the sun starts to shine through a very small opening.  I have to tell myself to stop crying because I am expending too much energy, lol. I cross the finish with my favorite song in my ears, this weird opening in the sky with sun pouring through it, knowing I completed my race under my goal time honoring someone I loved so dearly. I felt amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!

The rest of my group crosses and we head over to get water and food and check our official chip time. So my friends asked…did you finish with something 33 in your time, HAHAHA. And I didn’t but having that number on me was enough. So one girl asks…what was your place??? So I go back and check and I was in 33^rd place in my age division…….I LOST IT. I had to take a moment. I felt God’s energy coursing through me- or maybe it was a runner’s high…whatever it was, I felt blessed beyond a shadow of a doubt. (I later moved to 35 place but I have the sheet of paper that says I was 33 for a keepsake)

My second 33 prayer was when I took a trip to a conference in Tampa in Nov 09. I went to learn from teachers I had been reading at the I Can Do it Conference. I had planned this as a retreat for myself- 5 days of alone time to rejuvenate myself. I got off the plane and called the van company to take me to my hotel. They picked me up at 5:33 pm! So I knew this trip was going to be exciting….starting on a 33 note! I get to my beautiful hotel and check in and I am put into room….drum roll…..533!!!!!!! But what I forgot to mention is that I asked God to please give me a sign of 33 in my room number again to let me know that I am following my soul’s plan by coming to this conference.

And I get to the conference and the address of the convention hall is 333. When I walk into the hall and enter the main conference area, I see 33 above the ICDI sign. The room directly above this main entrance was conference room 33. I had to take a photo…As I started saying long ago……I can’t make this shit up (sorry I have a bit of a trucker mouth sometimes).

My most recent prayer happened in January 2010. I was in a funk and feeling very hopeless. I was still having 33 happenings but they seemed pointless and I was getting frustrated with what am I supposed to do with this? So I asked God to please show me a clear sign, one that I cannot deny or need any more proof that this was communication from spirit. I had also begun a healing course and recently read a book called “truth heals” and it brought up some daddy issues that I needed to address. So as I am going through this healing and finally recognize the truth behind my daddy issues, my father is taken to ICU. My sister calls and says that he’s in room 3, third floor. Ok. Yeah, whatever right 3 3. So it’s February 23^rd and my first born is having his 16^th bday on the 25^th and ever since I can remember my father had said “I won’t be around to see him drive” My father is intubated and so heavily sedated and going through withdrawls from both nicotine and alcohol that they have to also restrain his hands. After two long weeks we decide to honor my father’s wishes and not recessitate or extend his life any longer and we wait for his final day. I left the hospital after spending the day with him and our family on 3/2/10. I knew he would not die until the next day because well, it was 3-3. That morning I get up and get the updates from my sisters and tell them I will be up in the afternoon. I needed be with God that morning. And I do that in a nature park near my house that I run in. It was a gorgeous sunshining morning. I soaked up God and kept praying that my father leave peacefully and lovingly in an angels arms. We get back home eat lunch and we leave for the hospital. While I am on the elevator my phone starts ringing and it’s 2:33 and my sister calling. I didn’t answer since I was 50 feet from his room but she’s calling to say “HURRY UP”. I walk in the room and sit at his side holding his hand repeating hallelujah over and over and over and within 10 minutes my father died. I felt as though my father waited for me to arrive so he could be surrounded by his THREE girls and his loving wife. And that God gave me the undeniable sign that spirit is communicating with me through 33. My father was pronounced dead on 3-3-10 and his death certificate says at 3pm (although it was prior to that, a doctor had to acknowledge it). 

I see 33 as my guidepost that I am on my path or that spirit is telling me to go for it! So I look forward to my next sign and where it may lead.

Our pets are so very special and dear to us, and when they are sick, it causes us stress and worry.  It’s like an unending cycle because their illness can cause us to worry, which can then also affect the pet.  Animals are highly intuitive and when we are worried our pets can sense our worried energy.   Our furry friends can easily absorb the energies of their owners including stress, emotional balance, and tension and easily become unbalanced and unsettled from these negative energies. Reiki energy healing can remove these blocks and release the animals from this energy to regain optimal health and happiness.   

What is Reiki Energy Healing and how can it help my pet?  The name Reiki, pronounced ”Ray-key”, comes from the Japanese words ”rei” meaning “universal”, and ”ki” meaning “life force energy”. If this energy is blocked, it will result in physical, mental/emotional upset, injury or illness.  Reiki is gentle, natural, non-invasive and brings powerful results. Reiki is ideal for pets because they are very receptive to and accepting of reiki energy healing.  The pet controls the amount of healing energy they wish to receive and then reiki flows to where it is needed most.  Animal Reiki improves the health and happiness of our pets and helps to heal physical illness, pain, injuries, and emotional or behavioural problems. 

Reiki is effective for pets because it is not dependent upon physical contact.  The animal controls the treatment.  Reiki can be done either with hands-on, hands slightly above, from a distance, or a combination of these methods so that the pet is comfortable with the treatment. 

Pet parents are being drawn to natural and holistic ways to help heal their furry little friends.  There are times when the usual conventional methods to help our pets just don’t seem to give us the results we need.  Reiki Energy Healing has been around for hundreds of years and many people use this natural therapy to reduce stress, balance their energy, and increase their overall health.  Reiki can also help your pet.

Kathy Bilous is the Owner and Reiki Master at Paws for Wellness.  Please visit www.pawsforwellness.ca for more information.

1. Name the loss. While this may seem obvious, sometimes it is difficult to surrender to the fact that you are at a loss, particularly if you have tried really hard at something. Before you can heal from a loss you must count it as a loss.

2. Identify the negative aspects of whatever you have lost. This may be difficult especially if the loss is a death, because people will tend to be speaking only positively of the person in question. Perhaps you're relationship with the person was more complicated, a little rockier. Naming the negative aspects or situations surrounding the loss helps to point where you may have stored-up emotions that you'll want to release.

3. Locate in your body where your emotions are stored or blocked. While emotions may be stored in any part of your body, by placing your hands over certain chakras or energy centers in your body while in a relaxed state, you can tune into emotions that may be there waiting to come out. Place your hands over your sacral chakra (the energy center two inches below your belly button) to tune into anger or frustration; hands over your solar plexus (center of your body) to tune into fears; and hands over your heart center to tune into sadness or grief.

4. Allow yourself to feel the emotions. It may help to try to sense a temperature, or color, or sensation-- anger may feel like a volcano wanting to erupt; fear may feel like the color yellow, yellowish-green, or periwinkle. We all experience emotions a bit differently. Tune into how your emotions feel. Then feel the emotional energy leaving your body and washing away.

5. List the positive aspects of your loss. This may be difficult if you were laid off, for example, and you don't want to make yourself feel worse about having to leave a good thing. But naming the positive aspects will lead to positive memories and joyous or peaceful feelings. Put your hands over your heart and allow any joy, peace, or happiness you received from the relationship or lost thing to be stored there.

A video which explains the steps may be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkfIxI5wKx0

--By Mary Sue Penn, Reiki Master, Radiant Heart Therapy energy worker http://www.getmeinmetaphysicalshape.com

(Verse One)

Just an ordinary lady living her life

nothing to remarkable or so it seems.

Till one night she's sitting on her bed at home

and she starts to have trouble trying to breath.

Calls to her daughter to call an ambulance

then next thing you know she's laying on the the floor

daughter going crazy on the phone begging for some help.

doing cpr and waiting for them to finally reach the door. .  

(Chorus:) 

fly away beautiful soul, fly away from this world

leave behind all the pain that you may have felt

don't worry about those you had to leave behind,

for in the end with all the pain they will have dealt

So fly away to your new home, where you soul may roam.

Let the creator take you into his loving embrace.

Take in all of the love and light that is there.

Know in loved ones dreams they will still see your face.

(Verse Two)

She's laying in the hospital with doctors and nurses all around 

Trying everything they know that they can do

Things aren't looking good on machines to stay alive

Family waiting and wondering if she will make it through

Doctors run some test and they say her brain is dead

That she really isn't in there any more.

As the family watches the machines are pulled

It hits them hard straight to their very core.

(Chorus Two) 

fly away beautiful soul, fly away from this world

leave behind all the pain that you may have felt

don't worry about those you had to leave behind,

for in the end with all the pain they will have dealt

So fly away to your new home, where you soul may roam.

Let the creator take you into his loving embrace.

Take in all of the love and light that is there.

Know in loved ones dreams they will still see your face.

Light Switch

When God turned on my light

I woke up and realized that I have so much

To give to my earth family

So I woke up into this life and began walking along strange paths

Some were exciting but most were scary

When I was a teenager I realized that falling asleep would be one of my only escapes

From a family that disapproved of me and friends who could not understand me

Some said I was depressed and that sleep was the only way I could deal with my troubles

Others just looked away and categorized me as a gifted child, who was destined for something big

Every time I fell asleep, God reminded me that my life is a dream

And that I can live without fear of failing

Each time I woke up, I grew more and more powerful…

Now that I am grown, I do not fear what I see even when I dream

For I dream BIG in this small world

I am entitled to all that my heart desires

For what it wants is to live without fear of the next chapter in this incredible book that is my life

Thank you God for showing me that your Kingdom is inside of me

And that the castles that I build will never crumble into dungeons of fear

And that my dream machine is my mind

Thank you God for letting my eyes be the keys that unlock castle doors

 To GREAT fields of dreams

Blessed be this life, blessed be my will to live.

So I have something to propose to you: can we stop doing that to ourselves, right now, today? Personally I am tired of feeling bad about myself and beating up on myself for not looking or acting or being perfect or what I think perfect should be. Let's start looking at all the things to appreciate about ourselves. You have so many things that are great about you. Can we focus on those, start with one or two things a day?

Some friends and I did this with Gratitude for a few weeks before Thanksgiving: everyone posted something they were grateful for every day on Facebook. It felt to nice, shifted the energy completely. So I am going to continue that now with appreciation, of myself and all the wonderful things in my life.

If you have stuff you're going through now that is not wonderful, put it aside for a bit. There is probably nothing you can really do about it anyway, plus the fact is worrying isn't going to help, period. So for now, really look for things you like about yourself and let's focus on those. It's probably been a long time if ever, that you gave yourself a pat on the back for a job well done or noticed that you really do have beautiful hair, or that you really are a good friend and a great listener.

See what happens when you start out with one or two a day. It will take on a life of its own. And to quote Seal, "I want you to always feel you're amazing". xo-K

My two cents: When you put your attention on what you like about yourself, you will start to see more to like and so will others.

***

Cynthia & Kelli are co-authors of a blog called Two Girls Take On Love. Life, love, relationships. . .yeah, they have something to say about that! Check them out at twogirlstakeonlove.com

This Beautiful 24x30 Acrylicon Canvas sent in by Tana Conrad is called When Trees Dream. We welcome any kind of Art, Songs, Poetry, and audio (we can add an audio player to these pages. So please feel free to send in your artistic expression.

When Trees Dream

This Beautiful 24x30 Acrylicon Canvas sent in by Tana Conrad is called When Trees Dream.

MY ANGEL’S WINGS

These angel wings are a reminder of the power of My love

When you are in need of strength, courage, or hope

Call up My precious angels I’ve instructed to light your way

Trust in Me and your darkest hours will turn into the light of day

When you can take no more and cry out into the night

Don’t fret my child I AM aware of your plight

When you hear fluttering wings above your bed

My angels just placed a loving kiss upon your head

Close your eyes and whisper My name

Whatever the problem there is no shame

There is no prayer to great or too small

I will help you get through them all

My angels are eager to do their work and appease

All they ask is that you trust and believe

Let their warmth and love flow through you

Fear not as I AM here and will never leave you

Life Lessons

It’s funny when I realize

That truth can hide behind the lies

Of the things we wish to see

In our own twisted reality

Sometimes “love” is nothing more

Then something that we lusted for

Glitter makes the dirty shine

But it can only last a short time

Cause in the end we learn to see

What this life was meant to be

And we must accept the right and wrong

What knocks us down helps make us strong

We are all a collection of flaws

And must break free of perfections claws

Enjoy this life as it flies by

Remember all you have to do is try

Omg. I remember the day I realized I had married my dad. I was in therapy because I wanted to leave my marriage and like a good Catholic girl, felt totally guilty about it. He was the quintessential nice guy. Everybody loved him. Life of the party. Stable  career. Didn't stay out all night,  didn't cheat. And yet I felt that I would suffocate if I didn't go. My therapist talked about how we base our beliefs of how relationships should work by studying our parents. I was mortified. Not only to realize that I was acting out my mother on a subconscious level (nooooooo!), but that I had chosen for my spouse someone who resonated with me on the same level as my dad. I never had sex with my husband again after that quiet little revelation. Egads!

Harvel Hendrix has a wonderful book called Getting The Love You Want. It's an amazing guide that looks at the architecture of a healthy, nurturing relationship, and also looks at the spiritual health of a couple. Hendrix describes four levels of romantic love. The first is the feeling is one of deja vu -- like you've known each other forever. In a way, you have. You are each resonating to the feelings that this new person sparks in you that feel familiar to the feelings you felt from your original love objects: you parents. The next step is a feeling of  finding something you've been looking for. I call this the "oh there you are" syndrome.  We look and look for someone to make us feel the way we think love is supposed to feel. The third step is a feeling of completion, of wholeness. The final step is a feeling that you can't imagine a life without this person who makes you feel this incredible love.  When you're in the throes of these love steps, you are blissed out on romantic love. Endorphins are firing, you feel fully alive.

If you're exceptionally lucky, you and your beloved maintain these wonderful feelings and you live happily ever after. The rest of us go down the slippery slope of disillusionment and pain of a breakup, and look for the lesson in the chaos so we can avoid that mess forever and ever, amen! But disillusionment is tricky. It's sticky and seductive and its easy to get stuck there.

How about this. How about once your recognize your relationship pattern of choosing the overly critical person again and again, living out a Groundhog Day kind of romantic existence, you stop and sit with it. Maybe in addition to being highly critical, your dad has qualities that are good and noble and worthy.  You maybe want to jettison the critical guy, but maybe he's loyal, or generous, or would slay dragons to protect his family. Those are qualities your dad has too. Maybe those are worth keeping on your "man of my dreams" list.

Cynthia and Kelli are the authors of the blog, Two Girls Take On Love and can be found at www.twogirlstakeonlove.com

Elaine Bayley

We gladly welcome any art, poems, song lyrics, songs (we have a media player for them)

So add to your hearts content.

ART

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Soul Searching

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You know how it is. I took a much needed hiatus after my last relationship.  The one I thought was "the one."  I was excited for my best friend from So Cal. to meet him.  She and her husband were coming for the weekend  and we were meeting the b.f. for dinner.  I thought the evening went great and the reviews would be the same, but at the end of the night my girlfriend  looked at me and said "K, what are you doing?  "You're dating your dad."  As soon as the words left her mouth I knew she was right.

All the things about him  I didn't like seemed so comfortable and familiar.  You know what I am talking about, the things you are so drawn to yet almost immediately work to change.  All the things I didn't like about my dad, all the unfinished, unhealed pieces rolled up in one guy that I was totally crazy about.  And I do mean crazy.  I loved him but didn't really like him that much. Sometimes I even resented him.  He was just being himself having no idea that a critical comment or observation he was making left me feeling like I was 6 or10 or some other point in my childhood when my father made a similar statement.  Ahhh, unfinished business, don't you love it?

I always knew I had "stuff"  with my dad.  His anger issues made me nervous and uneasy, he always was a bit grouchy and critical and negative.  He was definitely a "glass half empty kind of guy.   He wasn't the type who was open to talking about this, or maybe it was me unwilling to talk to him about it. Yikes. . .scary. 

After my friend's revelation, I had to admit that I had been dating my dad for years.  I went back through all of my significant relationships and yep, there it was, a pattern.  Uggg, I hate when that happens.  

So what are these lessons?  Here's my Ken doll theory of love.  Until you get clear about your "stuff," you'll keep attracting the same relationship. Even though your current guy has a different job, different hair, drives a different car, he's the same guy. You think he's different, but he has the same issues, "your issues," that your last four boyfriends had.  It's the same Ken doll, you just pop a new head on. This new guy is "totally new," right? But the reason it didn't work out ends up being the same reason the last one didn't work out, and the one before him.  It just played out slightly differently.  This pattern keeps repeating for a reason, so you can see that this is your issue, your fear, your work you need to do.  Bottom line, it's just the illusion of something different.  Hi Ken, it's you again.   Give it some thought, maybe we can figure this out together. xo- K

To read more of the adventures of Cynthia & Kelli, visit our website

http://twogirlstakeonlove.com/

Any way that we can strengthen our connection with our higher power, spirit guides and angels will help us achieve greater peace, guidance and serenity. Even if it's taking ten minutes a day to relax, center and listen to our inner guidance will make a big difference. In conjunction with meditation is the importance of working on the negative self-talk that sabotages our movements and self-image. By transforming those thoughts through positive thinking, we can use creative visualization and the law of attraction to manifest the life we desire. The law of attraction works by envisioning what we want as already being a part of our lives. If we can see it in our mind's eye, we can manifest it. If we believe we are not worthy of a healthy and loving relationship, we attract jerks and emotional predators into our lives who feed on our insecurities and reflect back the impression of ourselves that is ingrained in our psyche. If we focus on lack of prosperity, we attract more of that through dead end jobs, financial struggles and more experiences of the poverty consciousness. So, it's all about changing our thoughts to match what we do want our reality to be.

With empowered thoughts comes great physical manifestation. If you have a toxic friendship or relationship, end it. There are better relationships out there for you if you are willing to let go of the ones that don't support your growth and who you are today. If you are in a dead end job, get involved in training and education programs to build the job skills necessary for better paying jobs that can lead to career advancement. If you have a negative body image and don't feel attractive because you've let yourself go over the years, work on developing a healthier lifestyle with a personal trainer and nutritionist through a balanced diet, exercise, and behavior modification techniques.

If you suffer from a lack of self esteem and find yourself in a pattern of unhealthy or destructive relationships, it's time to distance yourself from dating for a while to work on yourself and the issues that have caused the erosion to your self love and confidence. Reach out to support groups and counselors in your area for healing and empowerment. Need a boost to your social life? Don't wait for Prince Charming to knock on your front door. Get out there and mingle! Travel, get involved in a group activity, humanitarian causes, a class or check out social events in your area that bring people together. Every situation can lead to a spiritual awakening and be an opportunity to re-invent and empower yourself to create the life you deserve. Find your passions, experience new cultures, ideas and don't be afraid to open yourself up the possibilities. You are only limited by your own mindset. So get out of your own way and look to tomorrow as a bright new beginning. You just have to believe that it's possible and then have the courage to take the steps to positive change. Bet on yourself. You are worth it.


Zuri is an Angel Reiki Healer, Psychic Intuitive and Metaphysical Advice Columnist. For more information about her services, please visit http://www.AskZuri.com

Depression and illness was a way of forcing me to slow down and “look within” at memories (old baggage), events (cycles), people (relationships), and life styles (habits) that were unhealthy.

Without depression I may have continued settling for less than I needed and/or deserved.  

I learned that just because something is thrown at me doesn’t mean I have to catch and keep it, especially insults or negative relationships. I can choose to move out of the way. I came to the conclusion that how people treat me is their Karma, how I respond is mine.  However, not all relationships should be avoided.  And that is when I learned my most important lesson—the quickest way to change someone’s behavior is to change mine first. They must respond differently to the new me.

Illness and depression made me take time out for myself, taught me to respect, honor, put myself first, and change bad habit. I drew new boundaries with which I could live.

A friend once asked, “How can I just quit my job or leave my relationship if that is what is depressing me.”

I answered with another question. “Are you worried about letting your job and relationship down or yourself?  Will they survive tomorrow if you’re not around? Will you thrive if they’re gone? You cannot hold a gift if your hands are full. Put something down.”  

Whenever I feel overwhelmed, one of the first things I do is “check my inner baggage,” –the useless stuff I accumulate, because old habits are hard to break.  

As a care giver by nature I often thought that if I carried someone else’s troubles for them it would lighten their load. It doesn’t. It just makes mine heavier. That taught me a very difficult lesson—I cannot carry other people’s baggage or walk their path for them. I have to respect their life-lessons… to be learned by them… and my lesson was to respect and love them enough to let them learn those lessons, including mistakes. I will offer them my shoulder but not my back. Let me explain.

I learned the difference between being supportive and being a mule. A supportive person lends a shoulder to cry on. A mule carries the weight of the world while refusing to focus on their own life—this is avoidance.  Another challenge can be the straw that breaks their back and sends them spiraling into depression.    

Our mind is a beautiful thing. Experience has taught me that we manifest not only what we want but also what we need. Sometimes we need to slow down and reassess our lives. Depression served me in this capacity. I didn’t enjoy it and would not choose to go through it again. However, by facing depression rather than suppressing it, I learned from it, used it to change my life, and ultimately survived adversity and illness.

I am troubled though because I wonder if I am really helping them out or I am just enabling a person to continue down an already bleak path. Sometimes I wonder if I am working against some greater work if I give money and I wonder the same thing if I don’t. I consider myself a somewhat compassionate, caring person so this whole issue does trouble me deeply at times.
It occurred to me today as I was out and about that maybe I need to re-frame my thoughts about this issue. Maybe I don’t have to worry about if I am helping them at all or if I am part of a greater work of the universe. In other words, forget the big picture and just focus on the moment. Maybe in just that moment of giving money to a homeless man, it can be a meditation to remember that whatever wrapping we come in we are all on a journey and in the end we all wind up returning to where we came from. Maybe I can view it as a moment of mindfulness in an otherwise routine day. A reminder that we are all expressions of the Divine.

If you would like to follow my continuing adventures in the spiritual world, please visit me at  http://musingsrantsandraves.wordpress.com

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If you are an artist, song writer, poet, etc.... send your stuff in.

We can even add songs to this page so people can have their songs heard.

So whom ever you are, there's room for your expression here.

I moved here to fall in love and learn about myself.  I was afraid and I kept saying that the world might throw me off the ground and that I’d vanish, if I didn’t start living. So I did something about it.

I moved to New York City when I was 24 years old, and I never looked back. I just didn’t care about the pain that was in front of me. I didn’t care, I just wanted to live the life that I remembered that I KNEW I’d live, once I got here. 

When I got here, friends that I knew would change, did…and walked away. Some changed for the better, some remained the same and some are still too scared to make moves.

My at the time BF cheated on me viciously. It was of course in a roundabout way, his way of getting back at me for making a clean break from our toxic relationship.

When I was a little girl, I knew I’d move to NYC. I saw the apartment that I lived in Washington Heights (apt. 5A—staple alpha numeric label!) and knew that this was my city…  
I began working at Technicolor Inc. and learned a thing or two about the corporate/entertainment world and being…Alma in the spiritual sense and Alma in the physical sense.   I also learned that if I could make Jodie Foster laugh at my sarcasm, I could grab the attention of other great celebrities without trying too hard. I also learned that when you shine in front of the big people, the individuals who refer to themselves as “the little people” sometimes grow jealous…

When I worked at French Roast on 6th and 11th street, I met Mel Brooks who later gave me the stage name Alma Ravelle (I don’t use it but it’s all good;)Thanks Mel). I met Mandy Moore and she called me weird! Jay Hernandez expected me to flirt with him, whenever he came in for a bite...and I always did just for him! I remember standing there teaching myself German, in order to forget my ex-bf. One of guys from A Bronx Tale asked me out…I declined. On one of my last morning shifts, I walked passed Sarah Jessica Parker and she winked at me. Enough said.

SO many guys came into my life. Some good, some BORING, some who were really arrogant, some violent, some gangsters, some rockstars and 1 famous one. Some had sensationalized me and expected me to be something they had read about. Well, the closest they got was a cross between Alma Wade and Carrie Bradshaw. They had to learn that I can’t be bottled and packaged. I may be petite but I’m not small…

Then, I met my soulmate for this decade. The relationship that I had with him made me realize that not all soulmate relationships are fun to be in. We met in 2006, one day after Christmas morning and 1 week after I let go of the pain of being cheated on. Within 7 minutes, I knew that he was the one I wanted to marry. We dated for 2 mos., started fighting, stopped talking February 7th 2007 and since then, we haven't seen each other..but we always hear about each other. Strange thing, Virgos and Capricorns and...soulmate-ism.

I learned that even though some people like the idea of a mixed family, mine was often too real for them. And so was my upbringing. And so is the fact that I’m psychic.  As I would listen to ignorant comments about race, religion, cultures and sex, I realized how blessed I am to have my mind, my life, and a family that loves me. 

I’m not a victim to any of this. I asked for it. Some of it sucked ass clean, but most of it was as good as gold. There were times when I was so hurt, I could barely get up to go to work. But I got up and made that an adventure too. I loved my adventures and hated them…but I lived in them. I made sure I was Alma, no matter how many times I was told to shut-up, back off or do things differently.

Some people ask me if I get tired of being so happy. I tell them that happiness NEVER makes you tired, it gives you a thousand more lives and creates this incredible pathway to existing and living above anger and madness. It’s an untouchable zone.

People always say that you can’t have everything. This may be true for the most part, but I believe that the closest thing to having everything in the world, is to be able to laugh at yourself…even when shit is hitting the fan.  And even when people hurt you with their own tainted self image, or when you lose a job (I got laid off 2wice and then 2yrs later had 9 jobs in 2009--not even kidding! LOL! I also had 3 which were off-the-books.Yeah...).

I moved here when I was 24. I’m 28 now and I feel like I’m getting younger and younger. Strange but a blessing. I felt so old and worn out when I was in my early 20’s.  So much passed me by back then. But in 2007, so many of the things I had wished for in my early 20’s came flooding in. I swore they wouldn’t. I was renewed and the events that occurred showed me exactly what my life will be like, granted I stay on my path.

When I moved to NYC, I learn to let go. I had not been able to do that for so long. And even though I’m still learning that it’s O.K. to let go, I still feel happy. I feel good about the decisions that I’ve made. I’ve come so far.

I just keep saying “So what if ____ doesn’t want to love me the way I want to be loved? I will still be loved and since I have a great husband written into my life, my King will come through for me and love me for good when the time is right.” I just keep saying “So what if I’m not perfect for other people? I can show those people how to enjoying being imperfect (from a distance of course—I’m nobody’s saint!)” I keep saying “So what if I my favorite Nanette dress gets stuck in my panties, in front of a bunch of really hot guys? I’m known to pull people’s pants down, so what about that?!”  I just keep remembering the time that I partied like a rock star, slipped and fell flat on my bum, in front of Russell Simmons. I laughed so hard! After that, I stopped because a bouncer decided to pick me up off the ground and steal a kiss from me WITHOUT ASKING!!! It upset me but…I laughed at that too!;)

It’s all worth remembering because the more I remember who I am when I’m on an adventure, the more love I feel me, giving to myself. 

I learned that waiting for love to come around, is waiting in vain. Especially when love isn’t being reciprocated by that person, place or thing. To live really is to Love, for when you live as you in your life, you’re up for straight “A’s” no matter how many times you fall on your ass.

I learned to be a novice and a leader at the same time.  I’ve learned that the best love that you can give in New York City, is the love that you give to yourself.  Don’t love in vain. That kind of love won’t set you free.

In 2007,2 weeks before my aunt Sissy passed away, she said: “Remember everything”.  â€¨Don’t say “victim”. Just keep going. Everything is new all of the time. Nothing is repeated. Just learn and keep moving and loving. Amen.

My Love,
Traveling through distant lands.
Defying space and time.
The Earth,
Twisting and turning.
Knowing no beginning,
 no end.
Flowers in the field, caressing
 One another.
Two mountains kissing the
Sky.
Feeling lost,
Visiting you
only in dreams.
Yearning,
Anxiously awaiting
Loves return,
My Love.
Alas, there
Is awakening,
Remembering.
Realizing,
That you were
With me all along.
My Love.

Women have big hearts and are generally the universal care givers. Yet, they are also the last people to listen to or take care of their hearts. They follow their hearts in matters of love but seldom in matters of life.  If someone they love complained of chest and arm pain, or shortness of breath, the care giver who would run for the phone. However, when a woman has jaw pain, we rationalize it as having too many “balls in the air” as we juggle our social lives, family, friends, pets, dinner, laundry… . So, we sit for ten minutes (a long time in our busy schedule) and take it easy until the symptoms ease or pass.

Few women realize that jaw pain is a symptom of heart attack. If a busy family life can make you clench your fist and teeth, surely that is the culprit of the jaw pain, not a heart attack.  Think again! Our body is speaking to us.

As women, our bodies have been speaking to us since the beginning of womankind. Our bodies tell up when we are ovulating, menstruating, pregnant and when a family member is in trouble. This information comes to us through dreams, intuitions and symptoms. Symptoms are body language.

Speaking with our inner self is the spirit of our being. We must listen to ourselves- our inner voices- our intuitions and symptoms.

As a two time breast cancer survivor, I am especially cognizant of my heart. I have had chemotherapy twice. Chemotherapy is difficult on all body organs and parts but it is especially taxing to the liver and heart. My heart has been stressed emotionally and physically. It needs extra love, care and attention. My heart took care of me through my treatment’s trials and tribulations. So now I must take care of my heart, and I started by listening.

Listen to your heart and follow your female instincts. Take care of your heart and it will take care of you.

About the Author- Kathleen O’Keefe-Kanavos was born to a military family, raised in Europe, graduated from Munich International High School in Munich, Germany, has a degree in Special Education from Keene Teacher’s College in Keene, NH, and taught Special Education for 10 years and Psychology at the University of South Florida.

Kathleen is a two time breast cancer survivor, www.survivingcancerland.com, an agented author represented by Scovil, Galen & Ghosh Literary Agency and has penned the soon to be published book- SURVIVING CANCERLAND:  The Psychic Aspects of Healing. 

She is an inspirational speaker, phone counselor for the R.A. BLOCH Cancer Foundation, and a mentor for WE CAN- a women’s self-help group. Kathy contributes to CapeWomenOnlineMagazine, Twitter’s C4Women, Colette Baron-Reid’s Intuition Now,  Examiner.com National-TheGuidedPath, Examiner.com/Chicago-SelfAwareness-Examiner, Writer’s Digest Community, guest contributor to author Carolyn Howard Johnson’s SHRING WITH WRITERS BLOG SPOT, NCCS cancerversaey.org, blogs, National Wellness Community Online Support blog and discussion groups, Cancer Advocacy Now blog site. She is a member of the International REIKI Association’s blog and website, ACOR (Association of Cancer Online Resources) blogger and web chat,  NBCC (National Breast Cancer Coalition) journal and blogger, USA TODAY Community Blog, LinkedIn , linked to heal@healthcarewhisperer.com, http://survivingcancerland.blogspot.com/tweets http://twitter.com/PsychicHealing  and is a volunteer for many other cancer organizations and online cancer groups. She is currently working on her second book, SURVIVING RECURRENCE in CANCERLAND: The Dream World and Healing.  Cambridge Who’s Who Registry Executive Professional of the Year 2009-2010. Press release pending.

Most of the spiritual and self help books say the same things over and over again.

1. Be in the moment.
2. The well of happiness and well being is with us.
3. That one needs to of this balance of happiness every time we find ourselves unhappy.

If we read through the literature available happiness is not a goal achieved once in a lifetime. It is a constant process. As we breathe constantly the same way we make effort to be happy, calm and cheerful with each breath. Of course this happiness remains elusive many times in my daily life. Like for example, I find myself brooding about my work or relatives and worrying about the things that have gone wrong and may go wrong in future. Such thoughts naturally disrupt my peace and make me unhappy. Then after long struggle I come up with the following conclusions.

1. Things have gone wrong and may go wrong in future despite my intentions.
2. Is there an action I can take to make things better? If not then no point worrying about it. If yes am I taking the corrective action or do I plan to take the action.

The point is that I have to snap my self out of the unhappy situation and bring balance to feel better again. Does this mean that I will not begin worrying again? No! But my happiness depends on how quickly I figure that I am cornering myself again into one of those corners of unhappiness. The moment I figure that my mind is clouded with worrying or unhappy thoughts I think of restoring the balance once again. So the delicate balance of happiness is lost and found many times in a day.

I have found personally though with much practice that deep breathing or just thinking of my breath calms me down immediately. And after few breaths my perspective about a situation changes for a more balanced view point. This breath technique is useful when immediately confronted with questions or situation which can elicit sharp reactions from me. But once again the moment I sense I am about to be reactive, one calming breath later my response is far more balance. I have surprised myself many a times when I took a calm breath before reacting to an offensive remark or situation. At other times, I just leave the difficult task at hand and go read a book or water the plants or do dishes. Getting involved in an unrelated task changes the frame of mind.

As a human being we are innately happy and complete yet we have to constantly strive to be in that state all the time. It is like saying I was born as an apple but to remain ripe, delicious and juicy apple all the time I have to make a constant effort.

Sometimes it may be the quiet moment of a rabbit in the field in a peaceful mediation or the laughter we feel from watching the unusual antics of a pet.

Spirit speaks to all of us when we truly listen. We may feel Spirit through a particular piece of music, or through art, or poetry, or just mowing the lawn. No matter the method, how big or small

Spirit is always there and ready to guide.

I feel Spirit when writing. It is during this time that I am at peace and feel connected to nature, humanity, and the animals.

Spirit speaks to us in many languages. My language seems to be poetry.

The Language of Spirit

As I knelt by my bed and prayed
I asked Spirit to send me an Angel to guide me through this life.
As tears ran down my face,
I felt a gentle breeze caress my soul.
In the dark room as my heart ached,
Spirit sent light for me to see.
As I crossed my arms in the cold,
Spirit sent the sun to thaw my heart.
As I walked feeling alone,
Spirit sent a bird that flew overheard.
When I asked Spirit for a sign,
rain gently washed the tears from my eyes.
When I asked Spirit if it were all a dream,
 Love stood before me with open arms.
At that moment, I knew that my angel had been by side all along
But, until now I had not listened.

The room would be lit by the dim glare of an old color television with five channels.

I would crawl in the chair and sat with my Grandpa and we would laugh, at episodes of Andy Griffith, or just at the humor of life, it was from him that I got my sense of humor.

At the age of ten, my late night laugh sessions were shattered. My Grandpa died of a heart attack.

Suddenly, I was lost and uncertain. It was then that I was given a gift by Spirit, the gift of writing.

My tiny hands grabbed a chewed up pencil and starting pouring out my soul on the pages before me and I haven’t stopped since. Through my writing I am connected to Spirit and I spend hours lost in the silent meditation of writing; guided by Spirit and my Grandpa.

Writing has helped me get through my darkest times and just as when I was little and would have a bad dream and came running to Grandpa;  by writing, my tears are soon replaced with laughter. Writing helps place light into my periods of darkness. It is my sacred gift from Spirit, it is my light.

It is my belief that everyone has gifts that have been given to us to help us get through these dark times whether it be art, music, writing, gardening, or what have you.

Find your gift. Dig through the trenches of your soul, to the dark corners that have been ignored. Pray for guidance and you shall find your gifts. You will know what they are by the way that you feel and your connection to Spirit, if it feels good it is right. Don’t second guess, that is your ego talking. If it feels right, it is right.

So many of us feel like we’re on different journeys, but in the end, the only difference is the path we choose to follow and how we choose to experience it.  The bottom line is, our journeys and destinations are all the same.  We may call our destinations by different names and apply various definitions, but that doesn’t change where and what it is.

We travel down our chosen roads, separate but together.  Some may pick a circuitous route, while another decides the straight and narrow is the way for him.  Others may pick a path filled with complications or even joy.  The possibilities are infinite.

They say life is about the journey, not the destination.  I have to admit, there are times when life feels more like Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.  Yet even that is a unique experience for those who decide to hop on and take a chance.  Your dramatic, emotional friend is not going to have the same experience as the one who only views life through the eyes of fear.  Then, there’s that one person who is happy just because he is able to be a part of the experience.  He’s the one who notices the daisies on the side of the road, or stops his car to admire the sunset.  He’s the person who stops everything to truly savor his first sip of coffee in the morning.  He notices the scent, color, temperature, strength and the million other nuances that make that first taste a brand new occurrence every day.  He creates small moments of peace. 

Now don’t get me wrong, tragedy and chaos may still hit this person’s life.  The thing is, he’s got the resources, emotionally and spiritually, to deal with it when it does.  As he adjusts his path to fit the new circumstances, he may find a different flower to admire, or discover the wonders of the sunrise.  Or, he may simply continue to fully enjoy his first taste of morning coffee. 

When chaos hits, there will be occasions when we’ll only have time for a sip of peace.  Go ahead and take it.  It’s only a moment and certainly not long enough to get in the way of the rest of your day.  They payoff is immeasurable, especially when the moments add up.

Do your best to enjoy the journey, you’ll reach your destination soon enough.

Robin Linke

www.balancedhealingarts.com

2010

On February 14^th—St. Valentine’s Day—East will meet West. A mystical White Tiger will face Cupid’s arrow. As we celebrate the Roman god’s day of love, and Christianities St. Valentine, China will celebrate the New Year. Ancient Eastern mysticism will converge with Western modernism on the day that symbolizes love.  St. Valentine’s Day/Chinese New Year will celebration different cultures and embrace ideals of ancient sorcery and modern realism.  2010 will be a year of combined dualities that will result in a time in history that will be stronger than the sum of its individual parts.

According to the Chinese zodiac, 2010 is the year of the WHITE TIGER—“gyeong” means white and “in” means tiger.  The White Metal Tiger rules the Fall season and governors all metal elements. According to Chinese mythology there are five tigers that hold the balance of the cosmic forces in place and prevent chaos from collapsing into the universe. The year 2010 and the Chinese white tiger have strong numerical and symbolic synchronicities. In numerology, the year 2010 is 20+10=30=3+0=3. Three is the universal number for heaven, earth and waster. It is also the human body, soul and spirit. The month of the tiger is the third month of the year—March. And the tiger occupies the third position on the Chinese zodiac. The time of the tiger is from 3:00am to 4:59am—the Hour of Souls—a special time when the dying often chooses to free themselves from their physical bodies. The tiger is not only the emblem of protection for the living; it is the protector of the dead.

How does all this equate to what is in store for us in the year 2010?  Through sheer will power, 2010 will create balance and diminish chaos. 2010 will be the year of the protected free spirits. The elements of the tiger will herald in strength, power and wealth—Tsaishen Key.

When the sun sets in the West, love will have united East and West and conquered all.  The message is clear: religions, mysticisms and technology will be united and produce offspring capable of living in many worlds by transcending time and space. One of the biggest changes in life on earth will be technological innovations that will align ancient spiritual “truths and scientific” facts.  2010, year of the White Tiger, will be an interesting year, indeed.

SOURCES:

http://pages.infinite.net/garrick/chinese/tiger.html

http://wwwchinesezodiac,comtiger.php

http://english.donga.com/service.php3?bicode=040000&biid

http://joongangdaily.joins.com.article

http://www.ofesite.com/spirit/numerology/path9.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupid

http://ww23.rr.com/index.php?origURL=http://wwwchinesezodiac,comtiger.php/

About the Author- Kathleen O’Keefe-Kanavos was born to a military family, raised in Europe, graduated from Munich International High School in Munich, Germany, has a degree in Special Education from Keene Teacher’s College in Keene, NH, and taught Special Education for 10 years and Psychology at the University of South Florida.

Kathleen is a two time breast cancer survivor, www.survivingcancerland.com, an agented author represented by Scovil, Galen & Ghosh Literary Agency and has penned the soon to be published book- SURVIVING CANCERLAND:  The Psychic Aspects of Healing. 

She is an inspirational speaker, phone counselor for the R.A. BLOCH Cancer Foundation, and a mentor for WE CAN- a women’s self-help group. Kathy contributes to CapeWomenOnlineMagazine, Twitter’s C4Women, Colette Baron-Reid’s Intuition Now,  Examiner.com National-TheGuidedPath, Examiner.com/Chicago-SelfAwareness-Examiner, Writer’s Digest Community, guest contributor to author Carolyn Howard Johnson’s SHRING WITH WRITERS BLOG SPOT, NCCS cancerversaey.org, blogs, National Wellness Community Online Support blog and discussion groups, Cancer Advocacy Now blog site. She is a member of the International REIKI Association’s blog and website, ACOR (Association of Cancer Online Resources) blogger and web chat,  NBCC (National Breast Cancer Coalition) journal and blogger, USA TODAY Community Blog, LinkedIn , linked to heal@healthcarewhisperer.com, http://survivingcancerland.blogspot.com/tweets http://twitter.com/PsychicHealing  and is a volunteer for many other cancer organizations and online cancer groups. She is currently working on her second book, SURVIVING RECURRENCE in CANCERLAND: The Dream World and Healing.  Cambridge Who’s Who Registry Executive Professional of the Year 2009-2010. Press release pending.

My Angel

Angel of light

Come to me tonight

Relieve me of the horror I fight

Take away my pain

So all the remains

Is me minus the chains

Angel of love

Shining down from above

Show me that which I dream of

Take away the tears

That I have cried through the years

To you I release my fears

“Look,” I said to God, after rejecting another date. “If there is someone you want me to be with for the rest of my life please “bring him on” and if I am to stay single for the rest of my life that is fine too, but please don’t send me anymore losers. I’m almost thirty years old. I don’t have time for these weirdoes anymore. What must I do to find the love of my life?”

A week later, on Sadie Hawkins Day, I met Peter in a grungy bar.  A friend was having second thoughts about her impending divorce and asked me to meet her for a drink and a chat.  Attempting to have a private conversation was difficult as the chairs around our table filled with men who offered us drinks, dances, and their screws.  Yes, their screws! At the door women were given bolts and men were given screws for the Sadie Hawkins Day Party that has been held the first Saturday in November since 1938. Sadie Hawkin, the homely unwed daughter of the Mayor of Cartoonist Al Capp’s Lil Abner pursued the top eligible bachelors in a “run for your life” foot race.  The ultimate prize was matrimony for the spinsters.  And here I was… at the party for the spinsters.

But, the goal at this party is not to run men down but rather to find your partner by getting “screwed.” I threw my bolt away after a Neanderthal’s almost fit. Just when I thought I couldn’t take anymore, in walked handsome Peter, my future husband and love of my life. I was instantly drawn to this gorgeous Greek with sun streaked hair and the most beautiful soft brown eyes I’d ever seen. I fell in love with the “windows to Peter’s soul.” We spent the next three years together until the day my in-laws gave us a society wedding at Copley Plaza in Boston.  My father-in- law always said, “Kathy ran from Peter just fast enough to catch him.” If Peter was my Li’l Abner, then I was his Daisy Mae. With Peter by my side, I felt God had answered my prayers. “Ask and ye shall receive.” had worked.

15 years later my Li’l Abner stood by his Daisy Mae. I was diagnosed with breast cancer twice that was missed by the medical community both times but not by my female intuition.  We fought this disease together for ten year that included treatment , operations, and soul searching.

When your health is challenged your relationships are challenged. The closer the relationship the greater the challenge because deep emotions result in deep cracks.  Crisis causes relationships to either grow stronger or fall apart… but they never stay the same.

The way I see it, relationships are like bricks in archways; two or more entities fused together to become one. When an earthquake like illness and economic changes shakes those bonds to their foundation, cracks form.  If the cracks are ignored, perhaps from denial, they grow larger until they completely split.  However, if the cracks are scrutinized with soul searching and repaired with love and respect, the attachment can become so strong that when everything else is reduced to rubble, the archway survives. My illness registered a 5.0 magnitude on the Richter scale of Existence and although my life had tumbled down around my ears, my 27 year marriage is still standing.

Whenever I doubted my decisions concerning relationships I would reflect on why I made them in the first place and that would bring emotions back into perspective. My marriage was a prayer answered—a manifestation—L aw of Attraction in action.

NEW YEAR RESOLUTION: Want vs Need

“Kathy, what’s your New Year’s resolution?” a friend asked over lunch. “Mine is to give up sugar” she continued, while shaking two packets of sugar substitute into her coffee.
   

“Not to give up anything, and to put myself first,” I answered. “Then I’ll  refocus on the difference between want and need in my life.”
     

My friend stopped stirring her coffee, peered over her sunglasses at me, and asked,

“What do you mean by that?”  
     

The concept of care-giver first, and the difference between want and need can seem alien.  I learned about these during radiation therapy ten years ago while battling breast cancer.  I still see the side effects of emotional emptiness and burn-out in women who are unaware of self-care concepts.
     

Women are care-givers.  Many give unconsciously and unconditionally until there is nothing left to give. Consequently, their emotional-well runs dry. Lately, I’ve see an alarming pattern in my friends during these uncertain economic times.  Part of the problem is not distinguishing between wants and needs. Families have many wants, and the care-giver tries to meet them as though they are needs; a terrible burden to carry. Women become burned out from giving so much of themselves to those who want more than is available. When there is nothing left to give, the result is medication, and psychotherapy to fill the void, and dull the feeling of failure.
     

Today is the dawning of a new year. My first New Year resolution will be to allow myself to love, embrace, and always put myself first. I give myself permission to be number one in my life. How can I possibly share with others if I am empty? I want to be embraced by others but need to love myself first. 
             

During chemotherapy, my psychotherapist armed me with a powerful mantra to help survive the uncertainty of treatment. “You are number one. No one and nothing is more important than you.” She was right. Ten years later, as a cancer hotline phone counselor and mentor, that mantra is still important to me. If charity begins at home, and home is where the heart is, then an empty heart cannot give anything to anyone else. 
     

The importance of this mantra was even more evident during my Stitch-n-Bitch (as we liked to call ourselves) radiation therapy group. It broke my heart to see the care-giver suddenly discarded when their circumstances shifted, and they needed  family care.  These women felt that without family love and devotion they were useless. Their chances for recovery were challenged by their depression and feelings of emotional emptiness. Our little group spent hours discussing wants versus needs. We want a beautiful house, but we only need shelter. We want to eat in fancy restaurants, but we only need nutritious food.  We want others to love us, but we need to love ourselves. The list of wants versus needs is endless. Realizing the difference between them may be the first step in avoiding emotional and financial bankruptcy. When I see something enticing, I’ll ask myself, “Do I  need that, or just want it?” 
       

In 2010, I will focus on inner-balance by being kind, and forgiving to myself.  I will seek out and join a community “sister-hood of women” who can be my support system. Their strength will keep me from feeling alone during times of despair, and their resources will help me meet the needs of my family and friends. 
           

When my body is fatigued, I will rest. When my soul is tired, I will meditate, and give thanks for all that I have. I will surround myself with things I love; my husband, friends, pets, plants, music, and fragrant candles while taking a warm bubble bath. While I care for my body my soul will soar. 
        

Like the Chinese yin and yang, which are seemingly opposing forces bound together, intertwined, and interdependent in the natural world, we are complex creatures comprised of body and soul. These two diabolically different parts must be in balance as a duality for complete health of body and mind. Like yin and yang, male and female, body and soul are a dynamic equilibrium. If one disappears, the other must disappear as well, leaving emptiness. 
            

Too many of us have lost a part of ourselves and are experiencing  emptiness. The two faced mythical King Janus, patron of the new year, had two faces, one to see the past and one to see the future. We can also look in both directions, but tend to focus, and judge ourselves by past events that cannot be changed. It’s time to face forward into a new year of balance comprised of yin and yang. We can learn from our past to build a positive future. The good news is that a sisterhood of women is only a phone call or tweet away to help refill us with the love we deserve and NEED. 
           

Balance yourself. Know what you need. Take care of your soul and it will take care of you . . . then you can take care of others.

Change your MIND

I throw my pennies in a wishing well

To escape this living hell

But then I start to realize

The answer lies behind my eyes

In my mind is where change must start

My evil thoughts from me must part

The key to happiness is in me

It took so long for me to see

If you want to change your life

You have to change your mind

Forgiveness

It’s hard to forgive you for what you have done

It would be easier to look down the barrel of a gun

I no longer want to live this life

With pain that cuts me like a knife

You caused me years of misery

But now its time to set you free

In order for my wounds to heal

It is love not hate I need to feel

I forgive you for the pain you created

That caused me to become cold and jaded

I forgive you for not being who I needed you to be

I forgive you now and set you free

One Step

One step at a time is all I can take

Through all of the pain

My spirit wont break

Through it all I keep on a smile

You give me a foot and ill walk a mile

I hold my strength through all the pain

Even when I think I am going insane

I know that nothing in this life

Could ever give me as much strife

As I have already walked that path

And felt hates horrid and cruel wrath

But now I choose the path of love

I pull my strength from up above

And walk with my head held high

Knowing part of me must lay and die

But ill never look back to that place

The demons I no longer face

They are gone and not welcome here

I have cried my last tear

The sorrows are replaced with light

And I will win my internal fight

Happy

I don’t want to sing another sad song

Maybe this life really isn’t so wrong

Happiness has been here all along

I just didn’t want to see

That happiness begins with me

I don’t want to shed another tear

Or live another pain filled year

And I won’t as long as you are near

And now I am beginning to see

That happiness begins with me

Are you aware at the fact that we receive two million bits of information per second? Out of those 2 million we are only able to handle 134 bits per second. Only those are processed by the brain. We then group the 134 bits of information into seven manageable sets of information based on our memories, values and beliefs. From everything we experience throughout the day we leave a lot of information out and we only process that information that either relates to us or that is convenient to us.

In other words, we really cannot see anything other than who we are and what we perceive outside ourselves is who we are.

The people that we see are what we project them to be as we can only perceive a small percentage of information. We take our most unconscious believes and project them on to others and events around us.

What is the purpose?

To become conscious of them and change four our own good and better being.

Chaos creates chaos and peace creates peace. Where do you stand right now in chaos or peace? Your answer is a reflection of your own inner self. You must decide where you want to be and begin with yourself. You and only you can create value in your life. We tend to project all of our unresolved issues with the people around us and we don't see anything other than who we really are.

Every cell in your body is affected by what you think and the responsibility of change falls on you. The value of what you do and what you are solely depends on this. If you are surrounded by chaos, instability or confusion it is because that is what you are inside. The only way to modify this is by changing yourself.

Never underestimate the power to change yourself. Never overestimate the power to change others.

When you correct your mind, everything will fall into place. Think soft, think flexible and become humble. You have the power and capacity to change your being by changing the way you look at things about yourself. It is all based on beliefs of how we see ourselves and our life.

Begin by creating a blank canvas as you relate to others. Find peace in every relation and be open to listening. Benefit without the personal concern of your own benefit. Benefit by observing the way others relate to you as they are a mirror of your own self.

Meditation, Observation, Solitude, Silence, Humility

Be Mindful of your thoughts, actions and words. What your project on to others will be reflected back to you. Open yourself to the idea of creating a whole better version of YOU. The whole dynamic around you will change for the best.

born by a being we are said to resemble

A being that whispers the substance of creation

breathing life into the just delivered

A being who spits out rivers and salty oceans

and exhales atmosphere of earths vital gases

Who’s ominous breath sends hot air, smashing

into moist cold air, with thunderous results

Swirling, sucking the earth’s fabric to itself

Then, condensing those gases into droplets

thrashing, scrubbing, churning that fabric

Mixing this from here, with that from there.

Making it all new Yes! transformed is new

Then with its brilliance injecting a spirit

Or is that being itself that ebullient spirit

that touches and stimulates all of life’s cycles

spirit, spark, sparkling spirit that is life

almighty spirit that is love

interminable spirit that keeps love infinite

incessant love of life that keeps life eternal

Does it matter if we think of this spirit as a

ray of sun caught by a mythical warrior and cast

to the earth like an enlightened spear or the spirit

God, Allah, Jehovah, Yahweh, Qi or Shin of Jin-Shin-Do

Or perhaps, this spirit is simply left over energy

from a big bang, caused by a long ago binary mix up

Somehow, its infinite power enlivening vast galaxies

storing power in enumerable, seeming inexhaustible suns

Infinitesimal sparks energizing atoms in single cells

Shocking dormant DNA into performing their task

quantizing simple amoeba, as well as, complex creatures

without distinction yes! that includes us, you and me

A spirit none the less, timeless, mystical, beginning

A life loving spirit the ignition of life’s sustenance

What is the difference where it comes from, or it’s title

We are all of that spirit . . . however different our ideas
 

It appears like we will be celebrating more than the birth of Jesus Christ this holiday season. From a very personal standpoint, as well as a world wide aspect, I believe there is a group rebirthing happening at this time. This period will be talked about in years to come as a point in history that will forever be earmarked as the big shift, the great awakening, and I, for one, will be extremely proud to say I was a part of it. I am also proud of the depth of my courage and the strength of my knowing in spite of feeling like a misfit, and I have a great respect for my determination to see my way through to a different life. Change is most definitely underfoot and I will not be left behind in the dust of others forward movement out of fear or ridicule. Not happening, period.

Much of our past creations are being undone, seemingly falling apart from the view of outside existence, but what is really happening is a birth, a very intimate, personal re-creation that requires that a pre-existing form dissolve in order that a brighter, uninhibited version of self can emerge. This self is reborn as the innocence of one who has not been wounded in one way or another but has been given the opportunity, after all the hard work, to start over, only the birth process is much different than the first one! This time around, it really is up to us to choose what to do with this new life, and ignore those that can’t seem to even fathom that all can be new and bright again.

I have had many challenges along the path to this new life, did a lot of stumbling, crying, agonizing but it is getting easier, believe it or not! This latest glitch is about changing my approach to my dreams. In the past, I was the one to ‘get ‘er done’, if you know what I mean. I was the doer, the fixer, the go to person who could be relied upon to have a solution ready before something ever became a problem! Needless to say, this was mighty exhausting.

And now, if I attempt to move forward using that method, well, I gotta tell ya, it is so dang physically draining that I really almost can’t move. I am so grateful for the inner light bulb that eventually gets turned on and now know that the energy of life has changed so drastically that all that is truly required of us is intention. Put the order out there, so to speak, and let the universe take the plans out of our hands. It is not our job to figure out the ‘how’ but to decide on the ‘what’ that we want to create. We no longer need to DO anything but be open and willing to try something new, intend for the experience, anticipate, visualize and let the wave of that energy being expressed bring it to us. What a wonderful thing, this new mode of creating!

Now is the time when we are being given a chance to be heard, some of us for the first time ever, from the new self who is fresh and whole, untouched by wounding.  We may experience some fear and anxiety because of not being used to making choices from this new place as the residue of the old ways slowly disappears. For me, it is a time to stop pushing myself to somewhere, not knowing the destination, but pushing nonetheless! I am learning how to differentiate within what I like and don’t like, requiring that I learn a technique on how to tell the difference! Yes, isn’t that amazing??!!??! How I made it to this age without this skill is a real mind boggler! I guess it can only be described as ‘stumbling’ along the road of life, for a very long time!

My ‘get ‘er done’ days are over and in their wake, is what is truly in my heart, my deepest desires that I have denied for way too long. Now that is living. 

So I married at 18 and became very busy with marriage, children and church.

My life continued “normally” until the early 90’s. That was the most difficult decade in my life. I went through a very difficult second divorce that left me emotionally and financially devastated. I had no real profession to fall back on and I struggled to support my family. During this difficult time my mother who was my emotional support died of cancer. One year later my younger sister passed suddenly, leaving four children behind.  And a few years later my father died from congestive heart complications. I became very depressed and with only one sister left in my family, I felt orphaned and abandoned.

I questioned God’s purpose in these tragedies and the difficulties in my life but I didn’t give up praying. Yet I wondered if God was listening to my prayers because I felt so alone. At times I felt abandoned by God also… but I kept praying and calling out for help. In this spiritual conflict I developed a strong interest in angels. I started collecting them and had them all around the house. Even my friends gifted me with angels.

Suddenly an interesting spiritual phenomenon was awakening in my psyche. I started “hearing”, hearing the spirits around me. At first I thought it was my ego or my imagination… I was afraid of it. But soon I realized the “gift” I had developed as a teenager, my Sixth Sense was activated. I had opened a channel to the other dimension where angels and spirits communicate with us. Once I started to trust this communication without FEAR I began healing emotionally and spiritually.

With the help of the other dimension I started healing my life. All my religious training never gave me the full understanding of God. Now I was discovering God’s love and mercy and the unconditional love He has for all of us. Archangel Michael helped me to cut through my own darkness and ignorance to discover a new dimension where we are one with God and the whole universe. To heal my life was to know we are never alone!! 

This was ten years ago when the “awakening to angels” and accepting my “gift” put me on the spiritual path to my destiny. Today I am an “angel reader” on a mission to help others to connect to the other dimension for healing and finding a higher purpose in life.  You can learn more about what I do at www.awakeningtoangels.com .

F u l c r u m

I want to touch the sound

of my Self awakened in the morning light —

hold on to what cannot be held,

rest in what flows without resting.

I want to, but I won’t.

I’ll be silent for once, still —

listening finally without ears. Listening with

my breathing heart and beating wings.

Ripening like the sun rising inside the cedar,

like the rain falling to earth from tomorrow’s sky.

“Fulcrum” is excerpted from Soaring on Wings of Suffering, a collection of some of the writings that have been flowing through me for some time now. This “poem” arose out of a tea house writing partnership with my dear friend Chizuko. When we meet, one or the other of us reads a poem to set the kettles boiling. This day, the words that opened our hearts and sang our voices alive were, “What seems so far from you is most your own” from The Sonnets of Orpheus: II, 23 by Rainer Maria Rilke, translated by Stephen Mitchell. Recently I began publishing the collection as a book with the help of my handy archival inkjet printer known now as Cindereagle Press. To read more, go to web.mac.com/terimicco. (Safari & Firefox work best.)

w o r d s  &  i m a g e  ©  2 0 0 9  b y  T e r i  M i c c o

Science tends to dismiss mysticism as fantasy because it doesn’t conform to the scientific method. This ironically echoes charges the orthodox Christians once leveled against Gnostic Christian mystics in the first centuries AD. The common denominator is literal materialism negating spiritual mysticism.

The scientific method (hypotheses must be testable, refutable, and subject to empirical observation) is valid within its context. The thing is, there can be more than one context to life and reality.

We need to recognize and accept different standards for determining the validity of information. Though certain sciences such as quantum physics and aspects of molecular biology border on the metaphysical, hard science is limited to descriptions of the physical world and physical processes. We can call this the “objective” world for sake of discussion. Non-material phenomena are the provinces of psychology, philosophy, metaphysics, and mystical experience. These are more “subjective” disciplines exploring the psychic or abstract world, the world of images.

It would be hard to argue that valuable truths do not lie somewhere within each of the subjective fields of knowledge mentioned above. Should we dismiss all revealed or intuitive wisdom or the theories of philosophy and psychology because they cannot meet the objective parameters of the scientific method?

Many scientists and mystics concur that all reality stems from one source. Perhaps then a way to consider the validity of metaphysically as opposed to scientifically derived information is to say that the objective and subjective sciences are describing different layers of the same reality. Mystic wisdom employs different methodologies and descriptors than rational science because it is penetrating dimensions of reality that extend beyond the material.

The ancients arrived at their revelations through introspection using their intuitive and imaginative powers. They described facets of unseen dimensions that form the template for physical reality as we perceive it. Many points are emerging where these subjectively derived revelations are correlating to the newest and most advanced findings in genetics, molecular biology, and quantum physics.

As science creates new instruments to probe the quantum physical world, we are seeing how the symbolic mytho-poetic works of ancient mystics described, in terms of the available language and culture of their day, phenomena such as the Big Bang, Parallel Universes, Gaia theory, Information Theory and the Holographic Universe Theory to name a few correlates.

Many scientists, such as Einstein, used multi-standard methodologies by using non-material intuitive faculties such as imagination to visualize an instinctive truth then work it backward to a scientific hypothesis or theory.

So let’s not disrespect all channeled, mystical, philosophical, or otherwise “unscientifically” derived information as New Age drivel. Perhaps that elusive term, truth, is to be found at the emerging points of intersection between mysticism and science. If science is the y-axis of truth pertaining to the nature of reality then certainly spirituality is the coequal and necessary x-axis. Perhaps this is what Einstein meant when he said, “Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.”

People on both sides of the scientific/spiritual divide need to study and respect the works of one another for only with an integrated mind/heart, rational/mystical quest for knowledge will humanity find the answers to its most compelling existential mysteries.

AUTHOR BIO-- Peter Canova

Current Project: Pope Annalisa, Book one of the First Souls Triiogy

At the age of twenty-three, I first realized my abilities to do intuitive medical readings, remote viewing, psycho kinesis, and other “psychic” phenomena. This led me to a conviction that all of humanity, and all life, is interconnected at an unseen level. As I traveled four different continents for my work, a variety of spiritual figures entered my life unsolicited thereby reaffirming this belief.

I combined my love of writing with my spiritual background and my travels to produce a fictional work entitled The First Souls Trilogy. It concerns the first fall of spirit into material existence as told through the lives of characters whose incarnations appear over different epochs of history. Pope Annalisa, the first book, tells of an African nun who becomes the first female pope in a near future world headed for self-destruction. The trilogy deals with the origin, destiny, and purpose of humanity, the suppressed role of the feminine in spiritual history, and spirit transcending religion.

Website:  popeannalisa.com
Twitter: popeannalisa
Pope Annalisa Videos on You Tube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSxB8r3sYBM

Women throughout the country are justified in their angst concerning the New Mammogram Guideline Recommendations from the “Government Task Force.” This recommendation breaks with the American Cancer Societies’ long-standing position regarding early detection, and sound like a step backward in health care.  It is a fact that detecting cancer early can mean the difference between life and death. If mammograms are discontinued before the age of 50, how will early screening for breast cancer continue?  What about arguments concerning false negatives and the panel’s advice that women shouldn’t be taught to do or use breast self examinations?  Don’t despair.  There are solutions to these challenges.

Now, more than ever before in breast cancer history, it’s important for women to listen to their bodies concerning health. It’s time to discover our inner-voices and self-advocate for the tests we need in order to survive. Medical tests we relied on for early detection may be a thing of the past. Our doctor’s hands may be tied by Hospital Policies that are cutting back on medical costs. We must depend on ourselves because we cannot depend on others to put our interests first and policies second. Education through word-of-mouth and the internet can be an invaluable tool. Four years ago a friend told me about the use of sonograms for breast cancer detection.

According to researchers at the University of Washington and Harvard Medical School, during a 10 year period, 1 out of 3 women had mammograms and breast exams which yielded images of breast cancer when none was actually present—false positives.  Conversely, false negatives are common (up to 15%) with mammograms, especially in younger women who have dense breast tissue.  However, the fear of a false negative is nothing compared to the panic attack associated with a missed positive. I can attest to this from personal experience. At ages 44 and 49, both of my breast cancers were missed on mammograms—missed positives—but found by self examination, and confirmed by MRIs. Our first line of detection should always be ourselves with self examinations, especially as our healthcare system continues to undergo changes. And, rather than systematically relying on mammograms for early detection, we should be looking at more reliable options such as Breast Sonograms.

The Power Color Doppler Ultrasound technology has been used as an alternative to Prostate Biopsy for years. One of the benefits of the Power Doppler Ultrasound is that it can be used as a mammogram alternative to monitor breast health and obtain clear, accurate breast cancer images. It can provide early and accurate images of most highly malignant breast cancers, resulting in life-saving early detection, diagnosis, and intervention.

According to the American Journal of Radiology, sonography detects four times as many cancers as physical examinations and twice as many cancers as mammography. Other advantages are that they can be repeated to closely monitor areas of concern during treatment. Additional benefits of Breast Sonograms are:

• completely painless, safe, and non-invasive
• no harmful radiation used during the procedure
• inexpensive when compared with the costs of a mammogram or biopsy
• requires no post-procedure medical care or recovery time.

If I’ve learned one thing these past years it is that you seldom get anywhere waiting for someone else to take action for you. Hoping someone else makes the right decision for you is a half plan missing a vital component and your biggest resource—You! Be a squeaky wheel until you are acknowledged, don’t take no for an answer, don’t settle for less, and don’t be dismissed.  I learned that the best way to survive any crisis is to mix intuition and science, and then cross check them against each other.

I am not beholden to medical or insurance associations.  I don’t have a Ph.D. after my name, but I do have 10 years of cancer experience behind it.  Help others by passing the word. Take care of your Inner-Spirit and it will take care of you.

About the Author- Kathleen O’Keefe-Kanavos www.survivingcancerland.com is an agented author and has penned SURVIVING CANCERLAND:  The Psychic Aspects of Healing.  She is a phone counselor for the R.A. BLOCH Cancer Foundation, a mentor for WE CAN, a contributor to Cape Women Online Magazine, C4Women, Colette Baron-Reid’s Intuition Now, blogs http://kathleenokeefekanavos.blogspot.com ,tweets http://twitter.com/PsychCancerland and is a volunteer for many cancer organizations and online cancer groups. She is currently working on her second book, SURVIVING RECURRENCE in CANCERLAND  

One does not need to check into a monastery and become a master monk to know peace, grace or to have the appropriate amount of time to just chill out and be. As in a human being and not a human doing. Finding and making time for “YOU” is a doable choice and yes it is a choice, based on self care and self respect.

The newness of having time not filled up may be a frightening experience at first. As feelings and knowledge need to have the place to surface, inform and heal our spirits. Rare is the urban warrior and goddess who are completely comfortable in the emptiness and act of non doing. Trust me, the stress and the drama will wait while you wander off and reflect.

Checking out from the collective matrix of over doing, over busy, over people pleasing does not mean dropping out. Try it just for one day, give your soul the treat of extra space and time to do nothing.  As with all wisdom; this happens one day at a time, one breath at a time and one intention at a time. You will be amazed at the learning and energy you will gather from the art of non doing.

Abundant Blessings In Grace

Master Michael Alaska

www.samuraiofgrace.com

I've heard it said as darkness looms
Fears are the killer of mind
I steady myself by melodic tunes
Deep within, LIGHT do I find
For LOVE is the POWER and CHAMPION!
A Dove and a Flower and Stanchion
Breathing in fragrance pleasing, lighting my candle, my lamp
Breezes buffet me while underfoot serpent I stamp!
Duality comes forth, Principle of Gender!
Reality's Source and invincible Lender
HIS Bride and Consort, THEIR Sun and Sender
By faith THEIR TRUTH the eternal Mender
When we struggle our strength
Be tested potential evolved
If we stumble at length
Still our problems are solved
For there's mercy abundant
Within all of our souls
By THEIR Power triumphant!
If LOVE and TRUTH we have chose
So be happy, be grateful
Yes look at the skies
Be chosen, be fateful
Relax, close your eyes
Tis in our hearts all the answers are written inside
We're all part, like as lancers they're smitten-disguised
Illusions enamored away they fade
Mentally clamored fray in the shade
Our cleansing Love-Light shall be obeyed!
We rise above ruling all things that are made.
For it is only the darkness that is afraid!!!

How do I do this, you ask, how do I be brave, how do I change things in my life that are a burden and a mess and of misunderstanding? How do I stop being this puppet with so many handlers that have access to my strings?

One step at a time, we say. With each step you take from this point on, do so with integrity, awareness and responsibility for the steps you choose.

If you can own the steps you take that do not turn out so great, then you can make the choice to choose a new route. If you can own the lines that come out of your mouth, you can make the choice to speak with thought and care put into what you emote.

If you can listen for our voice in good times and in bad, you will have a compass of wisdom to steer your walk.

If you can invite blessings into your life because you feel worthy of receiving them, will your stage find itself adorned with roses. If you can feel calm when the audience is in an uproar, you will have found peace and stable footing.

And if you can open your heart and let it swell, until it feels it would burst simply because you are, will the show become a miracle, with boundless opportunities, magic in each note that you hear, and you will come to see that where you are really isn’t so bad after all.

And as you turn to the orchestra, waiting for your cue, you will find they are already playing the song of your heart, the song of your truth, and you will step onto the stage, ready as you will ever be.

Dance, for this is your life. Sing, while you have the chance. Smile and feel like the sunshine. Weep, for this gives honor to your feelings. And above all else, see, that you alone, are sacred, you are a gift unto yourself, with every right to be here, and that no one, not anyone, can take away your dreams ever again, if you have removed your permission for this to be so.

We are watching, we see you, and we applaud, whether you shine or fall, we applaud, for it takes a soul of mighty courage and valiance to walk onto the stage. We will always be in the front row, we will always be backstage, and we will always be your orchestra, ready to play for you whatever you so wish.

Cherish your role, cherish your self, stand up and be counted, for you are a vision in all of your glory, magnificent beyond belief, and we bow in honor of your very existence

Our love for the deceased is shown by talking to them in their burial place, lighting candles for them in places of worship, and displaying their pictures. On the anniversary of their passing we have moments of silence, song, and food where we live, work, and pray. So, is setting a place for the dead at our dinner table going too far? Those who practice the Dumb Supper on All Hollow’s Eve don’t think so.

The Dumb Supper is a reverent event that discourages conversation of any kind. Dumb Supper literally means quiet meal—mum’s the word. It takes place on Samhain, which is All Hallow’s Eve or Halloween.  This practice, celebrated worldwide, is one of the largest gatherings at the Festival of the Dead in Salem, MA.

After the family meal is cooked, the table is set with an empty place setting filled with food. This extra setting is for all the family ancestors to come and enjoy a meal with the living family members. Photographs of the deceased are often placed on the table.

 Dinner begins with a prayer and a welcoming of the ancestors, and continues with quietude for the remainder of the meal. Appliances and cell phones are turned off because it is believed that silence is helpful for the dead to be among the living.

No one leaves the table until everyone has finished eating.  The silence is broken when everyone thanks the ancestors for dining with them.

After the meal is over, the ancestor’s food is fed to the family pets, spread over the earth, or taken to the cemetery where it is left on their grave sites. It is believed that the dead ate of the essence of the meal and thereby shared in the celebration of life.

One of the largest gatherings for the Festival of the Dead’s Dumb Supper is held in the Grand Ballroom of the Historic Hawthorne Hotel in Salem; a haunted site featured on the SciFi Channel’s show Ghost Hunters.

Kathleen O’Keefe-Kanavos www.survivingcancerland.com and @PsychicHealing twitter

If I dive into sorrow,

will I meet myself there in the darkness,

shining

like the hummingbird’s wings

gathering the light of the morning sun?

If I fall into longing,

will she open the thorny walls protecting

the secret place in my heart,

like the moon-flower’s pod cradles the seeds

until they are ready to drop

like tears

into the broken and waiting earth?

Thanks so much for this opportunity to share! This “poem” is excerpted from Soaring on Wings of Suffering, a collection of writings that have been flowing through me for some time now. Recently I began publishing the book with the help of my handy archival inkjet printer known now as Cindereagle Press. To read more, go to web.mac.com/terimicco. (Safari & Firefox work best.)

w o r d s  &  i m a g e  ©  2 0 0 9  b y  T e r i  M i c c o

I know because I’m a two-time, ten-year breast cancer survivor who found out that not all cancers are discovered by conventional medical tests.  Intuition can play an important part in diagnosis.

I am a psychic who always suppressed her supernatural skills. Fortunately, I am under the watchful eye and protection of “spiritual-guides” from the “other side” who were at odds with my doctors and their tests. My story explores my search for a cancer cure by challenging medical authority with  information from the psychic realm, accessed by meditations and dreams.   This same process can be used by anyone concerning any life concerning crises.

The first time I had cancer, rather than believing the healthy test results, I summoned the courage to defy doctors and used everything available in this world and the next, to save my life.  The doctors and tests had missed the 2.1cm tumor and lymph node— Stage Two cancer—Invasive ductal carcinoma. 

It’s time to stop ignoring ourselves. Listen, believe, and then validate! My inner voice saved my life.  Listening to yours may save you.           

After multiple tests and exams, my lump was still invisible to the medical community.  However, my guides had armed me with an angel feather to fence with against the indisputable medical information. My feather-fencing won. I convinced my doctor to perform surgery that was against hospital policy and his better judgment.  The result was a diagnosis that shocked the medical community and changed my life, forever.

I remember the exact moment when I received the validation of my dreams, inner voices and spiritual guide’s information.

“Pathology didn’t like what they saw when they cut the tumor open,” my surgeon said after closing the security curtain behind him.

“So, is it cancer?” I asked, while holding fast to the hospital gurney, bracing myself for the answer I already suspected and feared.

“Yes, I’m sorry. I’ll be referring you to someone else now- a specialist.”

So my “voices and dreams had been right, the doctors and first tests wrong.  With my surgeon’s words, the first shop of my ensuing battle had been fired, and it was not a warning shot across my bow- it was point blank into my breast. I glanced down at my painful wound and wept. 

Thus began my Alice in Wonderland’s steady decent down the dark rabbit hole of breast cancer.  But fortunately, I knew that I was not alone.  I had spirit guides by my side every step of the way.

Author Bio: Kathleen O’Keefe-Kanavos is an agented author of SURVIVING CANCERLAND: The Psychic Aspects of Healing.  They are looking for a home in publishing houses for the book. She was born in Germany to military parents, and raised in Europe. She is a two time, ten year breast cancer survivor (1998-2008), retired Special Education teacher, taught Psychology at the University of South Florida; Fort Myers Branch and is a Reiki master. Kathy contributes to Cape Women Online magazine www.capewomenonliine and twitter’s c4women.  For seven years, Kathy has been a phone counselor to women throughout the US and foreign countries for the R.A. BLOCH CANCER FOUNDATION. She also works as a cancer mentor for WE CAN  www.wecancenter.org  She is has been featured  by the Barnstable Patriot Newspaper and by numerous TV channel shows.

Visit her at www.survivingcancerland.com and on twitter at PsychicHealing.

Remember that a projection occurs when you pin your flaws “out there” onto someone else, blaming the other person so that you don’t have to look at your own stuff.  You know that you’re projecting whenever you have a reaction – a “charge” – around what another says or does. 

While in Chicago a couple of weeks ago, my husband, Steve, and I had the chance to visit my good friend’s daughter and her new boyfriend, George. Throughout the evening, I was taken aback by George’s direct, abrupt comments that bordered on rudeness.  He appeared to have little sense for the niceties of small talk that I grew up believing were necessary in social situations.

At one point, George flatly stated to Steve, without apparent provocation, “I’m angry with you.”  It was an awkward moment.  I felt surprised and bewildered in reaction to George’s comment.  Even though he explained it somewhat, I couldn’t wait to leave, and I definitely did NOT like George very much!

While part of me wanted to focus on George’s bluntness and to make that wrong, I knew that the real “juice” in this situation lay in examining my reaction.  It was not about George, it was about me.

As I looked for what George mirrored to me about myself, I thought, “Well, I don’t speak that bluntly and rudely to people!”    

Then I remembered that projections can also occur if we see something in someone else that we lack.  Aha! That was it!  George had shown me something missing in myself: honesty with others, in many situations, about my true thoughts and feelings.  I make up that, if I express my real feelings, I will cause others discomfort. 

So I dance around my truth.  I pretend that I’m having the opposite feelings to what I really feel.  I put on a “nice” face.  And it’s so phony! I did it that evening with George as we left his place, pretending that I had enjoyed meeting him!

Now that I’ve owned up to my phoniness, withdrawing the projection, I’m having a different inner reaction to George.  I no longer feel angry with him, resistant to meeting him again, or resentful.  Instead, I feel grateful.

I imagine how I might have spoken authentically that night to George.  I would have said something like, “Y’know, I’m not used to being around someone who speaks what he really feels.  So I don’t know how to respond.  I’m uncomfortable because I don’t know whether or not you’re serious.”

The fact that I’ve been chewing on this lesson for two weeks tells me that it’s huge for me.  So I’m sharing it with you, trusting that you can glean something from it for yourself.  May you begin to see the Georges in your life as gifts instead of thorns.

Thank you, George!

Dr. Marta practices as a Life Coach in Communication in the Verde Valley.  She welcomes your referrals.  Contact her at drmartacoach@gmail.com

NOTE** We do not endorse Dr. Marta, but found this story very relevant and in alignment with some of Colette's teachings. There is some fascinating reading by the experts in the field of Voice Diolog, Hal and Sidra Stone, that you may want to look into if this resonated with you. The Voice Diolog method addresses an area of your personality called the dis-owned self. Colette has incorporated this method in her In-Vizion® Process at her Sedona Intensive weekend seminars and workshops. Everybody should look into this, as Dr. Marta points out, it's very liberating.

My friend’s father passed suddenly at work from a heart attack at a very young age of 61. I never met her father and had only heard a few stories about his love of traveling with his daughter and grandson. My friends father “Alan” was very proud of being a bachelor. We found a letter in his home he had recently written to his grandson bragging about his bachelorhood. He was single over 30 years and in his words he prided himself for being single and free. He had several motorcycles that he was very proud of and was planning on fixing them up upon his retirement next year. As I helped my friend clear his house and prepare for an estate sale, I was given the task to sell the motorcycles on Craig’s list. I became overwhelmed with sadness as I typed the Craig’s list ad. I tried to reason with myself to understand what I was experiencing for a person that I had never met and knew very little about.

Then, things shifted. I received a message from Alan. I was suddenly feeling unconditional happiness and extreme pride for his daughter and her son. Everything was “OK”, no worries about listing the motorcycles and selling his estate contents.  It was “OK”! His message to his daughter was joy and contentment and for her to live a wonderful prosperous and abundant life.

OK, I was a little overwhelmed at this point…..however, it gets better!  I finished the ad and submitted it. Before the ad gets officially listed on the web I had to type the confirmation code in the box. You know the infamous confirmation code that is usually very strange word combinations with numbers and symbols. The code I received was “Alan Bachelor” (picture attached).

Thank you Alan for sending me this message through the internet!! After receiving this message, his daughter is now at peace with her decisions to sell his estate. As a side note; I still prefer receiving messages through my Avalon Oracle cards. Thank you Colette!!

Infinite Love and Gratitude,

Billie

Giving up my son was the hardest thing I ever did in my life.  I never married and never had other children, as I made a promise to my son, myself, and God that if I couldn’t raise this child, I wouldn’t bring another one into the world. 

In the late 1990s, I decided to search for the records of my son’s adoption.  I started before I had a computer and wrote letters and filled out forms to release records, but the adoption record was nowhere to be found.  After about 3 years or so, I was still searching and still no record was found, when I tried meditation to try to remember things from the past to help in my search.  One day, I was meditating and dozed off and had one of those in-color vivid dreams and it was about Moses.  I woke up and went straight to the Bible and read the story about Moses.  One of the first things I read was that Moses found his birthmother when he was 40 years old.  I knew that was my message!  All I had to do now was to wait 10 years.  During the 10 years, I worked on myself to be a better person so that I would be ready when the day came to meet my son.

In 2007, I was getting nervous because his 40^th birthday was coming up in December.  I went to Kansas City to see Sylvia Browne and Colette was on the bill.  I didn’t get to ask a question then, but later I called in to Colette’s radio show and got to talk to her.  I told her about my son, and she said she saw a reunion and it would be a good and happy event.  I continued writing letters to Michigan, still trying to find the adoption record.  One day in February 2008, I got a call from someone who had come across my letter, and she told me to call the County office again, as they had found the record. 

I don’t know why exactly, but we were not supposed to meet until he was 40.  God told me that in a dream, and I was thankful even though I had to wait.  The adoption record was in the file, right where it was supposed to be, but no one could see it until it was time, according to God’s plan. 

Now, I have met my son and his wife and their new baby was born last summer.  For me, it has been a dream come true and later this year, I’m going to stay with them in California for a few months to help out, since my daughter-in-law is having a rough year with the death of her mother last spring.  It took me many years to fine-tune my connection with God, but I have learned to trust my intuition, and to trust God for the outcome.  In my prayers, I always asked that things would turn out the best way for my son, whether that meant meeting him or not.  If you get a message from God through intuition or dreams, be thankful that the message was sent to you, even though it might not be what you wanted to hear.  When I had my dream about Moses, I could have been angry that it was 10 years away, but I wasn’t.  I was happy to wait and get ready, and all was finally revealed, in God’s time.

www.samuraiofgrace.com    

Check out my site at www.janeltracey.com.

A series of images began to materialize before me as I watched and waited for the rain to stop or to slow down. It was fascinating. I was drawn in, mesmerized by the drops pounding onto the pavement. At times, I sensed a slight shift taking place before my eyes as another dimension opened itself to me. My eyes turned witness to a mass of individual raindrops starting to take on a life of their own.  Each one sparked of vitality hitting the pavement in unrehearsed patterns. A dance, yes, it was a dance furious and relentlessly energetic. For a moment hail joined in adding to the choreography. The raindrops continued to build on their strength leaving bubbles on top of puddles that were forming. In another area they danced and flowed downstream until the water’s depth swallowed them whole. I sensed the pure joy in their dance as they continued with sweet abandon. 

Above me dark heavy skies loomed while patches of light hung in the distance. Lightening flashed ripping a line low and across the sky missing Bell Rock to the right. The warm and the cold air fronts clashed into a thunderous sounding explosion.  Ah, the elementals were at it again. This time I had stayed present for their magnificent performance. A moment of elemental magic had me entranced in a veil of no space, no time. My senses filled up and I slowly disengaged shifting back to my 3D reality.

The performance was coming to an end. The pace of the dancing raindrops slowed obliterating all evidence of their creative effort. The rain stopped and I was free to move on. I left the post office feeling touched, elated and energetically cleared. The presence of elemental magic highlighted my day and transported me momentarily to another world.  Indeed, what better gift could I have received than the all encompassing magical present?

www.JoannieSaltanis.com

After breakfast we decided to do a little “yard sale-ing”, something we like to do on Saturday mornings. The second yard sale we hit was at our local county school office and they had lots of things donated by many families. Among them were boxes and boxes of books. I was gently perusing the books while my husband was checking out some electronics, when I found them; all three books written about Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. There they were, just waiting for me to buy them for twenty-five cents each.

I have a strong attraction to Avalon and the strong, spiritual women that lived there long ago. Whether it was through a past life—I don’t know, but I do know I am continuing to find amazing strength and wisdom through the stories and the use of Colette’s cards. It’s times like these that remind me that the universe supports me in all I do, including the smallest desires of my heart.

Wounded Angel (Written by Angel Moody)

(Verse One)

Teen age girl all mixed up and confused.
Doesn’t understand why she feels the way she do
All the other girls are interested in boys 
While she has feelings for the girl she knows. 

To afraid to tell her mom and her dad
Because they are always saying those feelings are bad.
So she goes through life just feeling the pain
Not understanding why people say she should be ashamed.

(Chorus:)

Wounded angel refusing to live her life in pain.
Trying real hard not to carry the world’s shame.
Doing her best just to carry on through
When there’s so much wrong and so much to do.

Hoping her wounds will heal in the end.
Wishing for something more than just friends.
Just hoping for the moment she can begin to fly
Instead of watching all the world pass her by.

(Verse Two)

Same sweet girl not too much time has passed
Hoping and wishing the world wasn’t a farse
She finally gives in and tells mom and dad
the yelling starts and the parents go mad

Being told to leave she has nowhere to go
no home left, confused and felling so low
scared and cold with no place to lay her head
Living under a bridge now wishing she'd not said

(bridge)

Wounded angel mixed up and so confused
Trying so hard but she has nothing left to lose
Doesn’t know where her life is going to go
There’s so many things that she doesn’t really know.

(Second chorus)

Wounded angel refusing to live her life in pain.
Trying real hard not to carry the worlds shame.
Doing her best just to carry on through
When there’s so much wrong and so much to do.

Even though her new situation isn't ideal

She can make it though and have a life that's real

Not looking for acceptance from her parents hearts

She goes on in life to make a brand new start,

What a transformative, fun and miraculous experience for all of us.  We began with sacred ceremony with our good shaman friend Uqualla on Friday evening.  He set the stage for us, and oh, what a stage it was!  We stood in circle formation, under the starry-diamond-studded Arizona night sky, in the heart of Boynton Canyon, as Uqualla called forth within us all the divine powers that were ready to be released.  His chanting, drumming and sacred oratory created the portal for initiation and liberation that all had come seeking.  This was the beginning of our journey.  We were all ready to dive into the depths of whatever was standing in our way of being our authentic selves.  We were Warrior Princesses, ready to embrace the battle, with Great Love.

Saturday morning everyone gathered for the day to begin, excited and anticipatory of what would be revealed.  Colette, in her true wisdom and wit, delivered teachings that provided the tools for uncovering, discovering, and discarding that which no longer served.  Bonds were developing in this group of women; as we were admonished not to talk about our jobs, families, or the “labels” that we identified ourselves with; but to talk about the mental landscapes that we repeatedly found ourselves venturing into; not understanding why we were in a repetitive cycle of wandering into the same place of disaster and pain.  Our lives had become a story to tell, but Colette brought out in us a new story in us all and a new author to do a re-write of the old story.  We could feel the hope rising as new ideas and perceptions were brought into awareness….the transformation was at hand. 

Saturday evening was spent in solitude, rest, healing treatments with an amazing healer Althea Gray, journaling and contemplation.  The deep sediments within had been stirred, and the most powerful part of the Intensive was yet to come. 

Sunday morning 6 am, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, we greeted the new day with a forgiveness meditation---followed by driving, in silence, to the Buddhist Stupa, to partake in rose ceremony and setting intentions for the highest good to come. 

It was the last day of the intensive, and everything was about to come spilling out of each and every one of us to make room for new story we were going to write for ourselves. Each participant bravely and unbridled shared pieces of themselves, and with the group holding space for the individual, we were able to help them transform. Colette was skillfully guiding each participant, one person at a time, through the final transformative journey of her In-Vizion Process. And it was a wonder to behold. Seeing all the participants being reborn and ignited with such freedom and love for their lives was an absolute tear felt  joy. ‘When we enter into the shadow, it is there we find that the shadow cannot exist without the light’.  The light of each and everyone in this group was being ignited into a blaze. And greatness is what emerged from within every single one of these women. Words are difficult to convey what inner journey transpired for each individual at this Intensive, but there was no doubt that it ended in beauty.  The courage, strength and willingness to chance looking directly into their beings, only to find out that we are all our own greatest heroes in our journeys.  It was an honor to witness such brave souls, returning home unto themselves, reclaiming the “wise one” who lives and moves in their very beings.  In healing ourselves, we heal the world.  God bless us all. 

Nothing frustrates me more when I hear someone whine ‘Oh god what’s going to happen? This is awful, I’ve just been sacked…it’s all her fault or if it hadn’t been for that idiot I wouldn’t have been given notice to leave.’ Firstly, you are in blame mode, which doesn’t do anything for anyone. In any case for everything that happens, there is an opportunity in disguise. Don’t rule this out. In fact think it immediately. It will help to transmute the fear into opportunity. It all depends on your state of mind. You think you can or you think you can’t, but that very momentous difference in thinking can contribute to the outcome for the positive or the negative.

Feeling bad leaves you stuck. Feeling bad doesn’t help you to move forward. It’s okay to feel emotions, but wallowing in it, just leaves you stuck in the mud getting all caked up for nothing. Perhaps, you are a compulsive drama queen, someone who needs the attention because its all poor me…

Life is generous, but you have to allow for that generous magic to occur, by getting out of the way, out of fear, out of feeling you can’t. How? Is good question to ask, because it allows for solutions to appear? No matter how dire the situation seems to be at the time,

• Just draw a few deep breaths and bringing your focus into your feet into your whole being (this only takes a minute or so). This helps to keep you grounded. Very important when something external shakes you off centre.

• Stay with the problem in an unpunished way, to allow for creative answer to enter into ones mind. Concentrate on your abdomen, breathe deeply and inflate the walls of your stomach with each in-breath, release and soften on the out.

• Do this several times to bring you back into your own power. Solar plexus and sacral plexus are the main domains for personal power and integrity. The former, of honouring oneself and the latter relates to creativity in every aspect of our lives.  Imagine the colours yellow, around the belly button and orange about 2 in inches beneath, as vividly as you can. Feel connected in that area with those colours.

• Shift your focus to the space between the brows and imagine a bright violet light. The point of intuition. Do this for several days until you feel more empowered. Make it a habit to think less (being out of your mind) and going with the flow.

• Focusing in these areas will help to strengthen their functions and qualities required to balance you and the situation. Once you are done, diffuse the colours in your minds eye and see them being protected with a band of light around the periphery of the corresponding areas of the body. This keeps them from further imbalance and by tuning as above strengthens the qualities within the soul.

Next time you are feeling bad about something, don’t be a victim and go into Poor me mode.  Smile and know you are going to be all right. Think of the possibility instead. Simply seeing it as an opportunity. Watch what will happen. Be the observer to the question and live into the answer. Create the opening for letting go. Tell yourself firmly I can handle this or there’s no challenge I can’t deal with and allow for magical solutions to appear.

Happy adventure

Liberty Lane

copyright  © Liberty Lane (Rafah Sabbagh) 2003

Animal Planet Article.

Over the past two weeks, the Jesusita wildfire raged near Santa Barbara, California, 90 miles northwest of Los Angeles, consuming over 8,700 acres of land and forest, and destroying or damaging nearly 100 homes. Some 30,000 people, over half the city’s population, were forced to evacuate their homes. While thousands of firefighters devoted their time to containing the blaze, one group of rescue workers gets scant media attention - animal rescue teams that work around the clock to help displaced pets and wildlife and save as many lives as they can.

“Don’t you dare!” I hear Julia Di Sieno say gently to someone in the background as I speak to her on the phone. She is Co-founder and Director of Animal Rescue Team, a nonprofit organization which has been inundated with animals they’ve rescued and calls for help since the fire broke out last week. Her organization specializes in wild animals, particularly fawns and mammals, while domestic pets they rescue get sent to the local Humane Society. Out of curiosity, I ask who she’s talking to, figuring it’s one of her animals. “It’s the bobcat! She was trying to pee on me!”

Di Sieno helped rescue the bobcat kitten in the photo a week before, near Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Ranch, where it was dehydrated and near death. Di Sieno nurtured it back to health. They rescued the fawn during last week's wildfire. Although wild animals, especially of separate species, are never placed together due to regulations, in this emergency situation, they had no choice. During the mayhem of the fire, they were forced to put animals anywhere they could, since they had run out of crates large enough for the fawn. The kitten ran to the fawn, and it was instant bonding.

Most wildlife knows instinctively to flee fires - to fly away, burrow, or run - but some don’t make it out in time. Rescue workers walk near the fire line with nets, searching for any injured animals or young separated from their parents. “Burn victims go to the local care hospital,” says Di Sieno. “We rescued bunnies, squirrels, two fawns. We’ve rescued I don’t know how many geese, chickens ducks, cats, birds, turkeys, and a baby owl and a baby raptor.”

Another local nonprofit, Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network, specializes in songbirds and seabirds, but during emergencies rescue workers help any animal that needs it. “All rehab centers in California work together as a team to help wildlife who are in need of care due to injuries often caused by man, dogs, cats, cars, etc,” explains Julia Parker, Director of Animal Affairs at WCN.

California currently faces severe drought conditions, which increases the chance of wildfires breaking out, and of spreading out of control. Just last year this same region had the Goleta Gap fire and the Montecita Tea Fire. During these fires, which can escalate and spread rapidly due to shifting winds, pets sometimes run from their homes, or alternately get stuck at home when a fire spreads rapidly and desperate homeowners can’t get to their homes.

All of these Santa Barbara area animal rescue organizations have put out a national plea for donations because of the overwhelming need for animal food, medicines, and space to house displaced animals. ART currently leases a 1.5-acre plot of land that houses rescued animals in enclosures on the property, which require around-the-clock care, and the organization is desperate to purchase the land. The morning after Di Sieno – along with an insanely cute bobcat cub and fawn photo – appeared on the Ellen Degeneres show – the landowner decided he needed to sell it and she’s concerned for the future of the animals she and her fellow workers just rescued. The WCN also seeks funds for their Oiled and Injured Seabird Rehab Center, and receive no City, State or federal funding. One of their volunteers, Nancy Callahan, runs W.I.L.D.E. Services which focuses on raccoons and opossums, had her home and facility burnt to the ground and must start over from scratch. After rehabilitation, the groups reintroduce rescued animals to the wild.

This deck is absolutely amazing. Not only is it extraordinarily accurate, it is also a beautiful deck. The art was painstakingly designed to perfection by world renowned multi-media artist Jena DellaGrottaglia. Each card was designed by Colette and then Jena went to town on them, exceeding our expectations. There is so much detail, and symbolism in each card that once you start using them, you’ll begin to notice all the little nuances and begin to admire to accurately discern any situation. These cards are truly a work of art.

But enough about the visuals, you have to use these to believe how great they are. Colette spent many hours conceptualizing the meaning of the cards and then put herself to task and wrote an entire booklet that describes not only every card and its meaning, but also the reverse meaning of a card. At 44 cards with 88 different meanings, the Wisdom of the Hidden Realms are sure to enlighten you on your journey.

Like all divination aids and oracle systems, these cards have a sacred purpose, which is to help you connect to the flow of Divine syn­chronicity. They are symbolic tools created to reflect the state of your present, the lessons of the past that still influence your choices, and the potential of the future. So when you choose certain cards, they’ll reflect the issues relating to your life that you may or may not be fully conscious of.

The cards will provide you with insight, as well as questions to consider, as you seek to understand yourself and your purpose in the world. When you use them, you should do so with the intent of connecting to the vast, unlimited, Divine consciousness. They will guide you to make choices that are in line with your highest good.

These oracle cards are designed to help you get in touch with the patterns that have mani­fested in your life. They’ll show you what influ­ences have brought you to your current state and will shed light on the potential direction of future experiences based on the path you’re currently on. They can also be used to help you change your way if you find that your current situation lacks clarity or if you’re heading in a direction that’s harmful.

Always remember that you have the capacity and the responsibility to shape reality in the best way possible, regardless of what challenges life brings. Destiny and Fate serve to bring the players together and set up certain situations on the play­ing field of your life . . . but you have to participate in the game in order to win it. The cards act as your helpers, bridging the worlds of the unseen and the material. They illuminate your path as you walk your own special journey of life.

How to Do a Reading

Say your prayer and quiet your mind; then think of a question. The best type doesn’t re­sult in a yes/no answer; rather, it is one that will provide responses to help you gain in­sight into your situation so that you can act in accordance with a card’s message.

For example, questions may be phrased in the following ways:

• “What do I need to focus on today?”

• “What do I need to know about my relationship?”

• “What is the evolving nature of my situation?”

• “If I take this action, what will be the result?”

• “What wisdom is here for me today about my job or career?”

• “How can I improve my situation?”

• “What can I expect on the path I’ve currently chosen?”

It’s also important to note that these or­acle cards weren’t designed to predict the fu­ture. Rather, they are meant to offer you the wisdom you need to create the best life now, which evolves into the most meaningful and productive future. These cards also invite you to go deeper into the question, and the mo­tives behind asking it, as the Wisdom of the Hidden Realms is revealed.

Feel free to let your intuition guide you as you gaze at the cards. Allow your higher con­sciousness to show you the deeper meaning of your personal stories as they’re reflected in the patterns of the cards you choose. Remem­ber that divination is about tapping into the world of the soul and receiving your answers in symbols, omens, signs, and the language of Spirit. Open your heart and see through the eyes of your infinite soul, allowing the magical helpers of the Hidden Realms to reveal their wisdom in mystical, wonderful ways.

EXAMPLE

The Ringmaster of scrutiny
discernment, clear vision, details

Ally
The Ringmaster of Scrutiny is all about the details. Look closely and pay attention to the smallest elements of what’s being presented to you on your path. It’s in these details, not the broad strokes, that you’ll find the breathtaking beauty and perfection in what you observe. This Ally is on your side to point to the deeper meaning of what unfolds in your life, and he reminds you that every moment counts. Staying present in this perfect moment, observing the minute things, leads you to manifest your highest good and greatest desires. Grand gestures are for other times. It’s the smallest acts that really count now.

Challenger (reversed)
When the Ringmaster of Scrutiny appears as your Challenger, he warns you to observe your situation with discernment and clarity. It’s time to see the flaws in the foundations you and others have built under you. It also seems that you may be getting caught up in the details of your dream when really it’s time to leave them to the Divine. Perhaps you’re worrying about the past and the future too much, forgetting that the dream is created in the Now time. Often the Ringmaster of Scrutiny also brings a warning to read the fine print and watch for hidden agendas when you’re involved with others.

My only tiny bit of nervousness came from wondering if I would recognize him when I got off the plane, but as I should have known, that too was not necessary. When I walked into the terminal and looked around a bit, my eyes went directly in Peter’s direction as I saw him walking back and forth across the terminal. “That must be him”, I thought, “he’s not sitting still!” My eyes had immediately been drawn to him.

I grabbed my bags and off I went to greet him, sharing a big hug before we headed off to the parking garage to find the car.

When we got to Peter’s, we sat and talked for a while and then we made dinner together continuing to chat all the while. Our conversations had an easy relaxed flow as if we’d known each other all our lives.

In the morning we had breakfast and coffee and then it was time to go to a potluck lunch with the people from Peter’s spiritual group.

Before we left, a huge fear suddenly swept through me. I was almost paralyzed by it. I lay on the bed in my room not knowing what to do. But it was if someone pushed me off the bed and said, “Go and talk to him.” I went downstairs and found Peter and explained how I was feeling. He took me in his arms and held me as I felt the fear dissipate into the air as if it never existed. It was the single most precious moment I have ever experienced in my life, to be with a man, to share that vulnerability and to have him be totally without judgment, criticism or blame and just hold the space for me to feel whatever I needed to feel without once trying to fix me.

It was this moment that defined our relationship, the moment when we both knew that we had found our perfect Beloved partner.

A year later we were married and live together in our beautiful conscious relationship – living and loving with compassion, strength and always taking care of our own issues and allowing each other the space to do the same.

We are now also working together, doing group sessions, relationship workshops and meditation classes.

And we are grateful for this arranged match that the universe so lovingly orchestrated for us.

Bettina Goodwin is a Conscious Living Coach, Reiki Practitioner and writer. www.thesoulconnection.ca

“It’s so easy to give our power away to oblige our partners or console our families. But if the choices we make rob us of too much of our private time, if they deprive us of our joy or our inner peace or prevent us from expressing our creative gifts, then ultimately they are violations we are perpetrating against our own souls. These violations do not affect just us in negative ways they affect all those around us.”

Stand in Your Power

• Do not forsake your own needs for another! Caring for another is different from pleasing another. When you genuinely care for someone, your actions take no effort. Pleasing another is giving your power away to that person. You do not feel good about your actions; resentment settles upon you. In order to care for another, you must care for yourself first!
• Make waves and speak your mind. Napoleon Hill said “opinions are the cheapest commodities on earth.” You have a right to speak your mind. Do not stay silent. Your thoughts and ideas can make a great contribution to society. Who knows, you may have the solution to a problem that a family, friend, or employer has been waiting for!
• Let go of guilt, feeling obligated, and the words “should and have.” Guilt can eat at you and cause tremendous stress. If you are going to help another, do so because you want to be of service. Feeling obligated to do something will not serve you or another!

In conclusion, ask yourself if you are standing in your power or trying to please another. Reclaim your power and life today! Parents, grandparents, former teachers, and others mean well, but do not realize how their words and actions will impact your adult life. Let go of old beliefs that you picked up from childhood which are not serving you today. As an adult, you have the right to change your thoughts, beliefs, and life. Live in the now and leave the past in the past!

Defined as “the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning”, it is precisely this right-brained approach that seems to alienate its usage from the mainstream realms of business.

Is there genuine, substantial value to be created by using intuition within the business world? Absolutely. And where exactly does intuitive business play a role?

Firstly, and arguably most importantly, with the people you choose to do business with; employees, suppliers, partners or contractors. Without a group of loyal, honest and trustworthy personnel around you, your business stands little chance of surviving let alone flourishing.

Trust and follow your gut instinct when it warns you about the too-smooth supplier whose misleading new contract you’re being pushed to sign, the secretary you’re about to employ who has sparkling credentials yet is unduly interested in the petty cash system, and the telephone salesperson who promises that parting with cash guarantees your business will feature on the first page of the online search rankings.

So often we brush these feelings aside - especially when business is slow and there are bills to pay - but your intuition is talking to you, are you listening?

Secondly, intuition plays a large role in the creation of ideas. These innovative gems can arise in relation to your re-branding exercise, online marketing strategy, a new niche service you can offer, or even your IT systems. It is irrelevant what area your intuition relates to, what matters is that you follow those inner nudges, because they will undoubtedly lead you to success.

At this point, it is important to note that when you receive an intuitive whisper from within, you may well be unaware of where it is leading. In fact, you most probably won’t. It’s comparable to driving at night and only being able to see the immediate road ahead that is illuminated by your car’s headlights, yet you trust that even though you can’t see it when you set off, in the end you will arrive at your destination.

Thirdly, intuition can help shape your financing decisions. This is probably the most emotive area of business, and as such, it is the one where the sensible “oh no, I can’t do that” voice is at its loudest. Deciding whether to expand or consolidate, invest or divest and other finance-based choices is not something to be taken lightly, and there is no suggestion here that you impulsively opt to re-mortgage your house in order to buy a shipment of rare Tibetan antiques. However, checking in with your gut instinct is highly recommended.

Sometimes this can be tricky, so an easy exercise is to sit quietly and imagine how your business would be if you chose Scenario A (for instance, expanding your operations overseas) – see how your gut instinctively reacts, does it tighten in fear or does it expand with confidence and belief? Repeat this exercise for each separate scenario and trust that your gut will lead you to making the all right decisions to nurture, safeguard and create your future.

There are numerous other instances where intuition is an invaluable tool, so why not allow yourself be inspired and challenged into a perspective shift – depending on the circumstances, maybe a broadening of your horizons and view of the world, or a narrowing of your focus and channelling of your efforts – with success the common denominator.

Here, all petitions to God said in prayer are received.' 

I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and scraps from people all over the world.

Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second section..

The angel then said to me, 'This is the Packaging and Delivery Section. Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for them.. 'I noticed again how busy it was there. There were many angels working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged for delivery to Earth.

Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the door of a very small station. To my great surprise, only one angel was seated there, idly doing nothing. 'This is the Acknowledgment Section,' my angel friend quietly admitted to me.. He seemed embarrassed 'How is it that there is no work going on here?' I asked. 

'So sad,' the angel sighed. 'After people receive the blessings that they asked for, very few send back acknowledgments .'

'How does one acknowledge God's blessings?' I asked.

'Simple,' the angel answered. Just say, 'Thank you, God.'

'What blessings should they acknowledge?' I asked..

'If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy .'

'And if you get this on your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the world who has that opportunity.'

'If you woke up this morning with more health than illness ... you are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day .'

'If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation ...you are ahead of 700 million people in the world.'

'If you can attend a church without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death you are envied by, and more blessed than, three billion people in the world. '

'If your parents are still alive and still married ...you are very rare .'

'If you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm, you're unique to all those in doubt and despair.'

Ok, what now? How can I start? If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you as very special and you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.

Have a good day, count your blessings, and remember to remind everyone else how blessed we all are.

Living your passion is only possible if you truly tune into your heart and your spirit for it is here you will find that which comes natural to you.

It may lead you on different roads for you to grow wiser and more solid, but ultimately you cannot live without it.

When you work with your true passion and your purpose, it will fill you up like a well that is never empty.

The excitement of getting up in the morning happy to be alive and feeling blessed that you are doing what you came here to do, is what life is all about.

If you follow your guidance, you will be given greater assignments as you climb up the mountain. Ultimately you can look down to see the magic you have been given along the way, and believe me you will never be pushed to do more than you can handle at any given point.

I was 37 years old until I found my true passion.

Working in different fields from delivering mail, being a secretary, cleaning luxuary planes, to starting my own successesful cleaning business and finding that in all of them was missing passion.

I was constantly drained and always tired, and I realized I had lost the connection to my spirit along the way.

I started doing exstensive energy work, learning about clearing energy, not only in myself but also in others and little by little I could hear my heart speak to me in soft whispers along the way.

Something had reconnected with me that had felt lost or gone for ages.

I started to trust my own senses and intuition and boy was I scared when I made the decision to end my business and start from scratch.

I even bought a new car to top it all off in starting my new adventure with all my senses and joy.

My new intuitive space design business was a reality.

I launched an exstensive website explaining what I do and how I do what I do.

I remember my husband saying that maybe I shouldn't tell anyone, that I was able to tune into peoples energy and spirit, and read from that what they so deeply desired in their homes and offices.

It was hard in the beginning, but the truth of the matter is ,that feeling my beating heart and how I felt alive again was all worth it.

I didn't care that I wasn't making that much money because ultimately, it was all a dance between me and my spirit, learning the different ways my intuition would speak to me and how much easier I could find colors for clients and how much better the designs became once I trusted myself more and more. It wasn't about me anymore but simply being of service to my client.

For me to be able to create their desires and inner sanctuaries, so that they could feel inspired and safe in their own spaces was reward enough for me.

I remember the day when I finally gave into the love for my work and became one with it.

All of a sudden I didn't have to hide my abilities anymore, despite what people would say or think.

I couldn't lie anymore and I know deep within myself, it was the most liberating feeling I have ever felt.

Once you truely step into your light there is no way back, only fields of dreams coming true and that is what passion and true purpose is all about.

What is your passion?

www.intuitive-space-design.com

Bettina Charlton