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Garnet – Harnessing the Sun’s Fire

Written by on July 20, 2011 · Leave a Comment

By Stacy GauthierCover Art - The Sun Card - James Wanless Voyager Tarot Deck. www.VoyagerTarot.com

Garnet

[W] ith the sun in Leo, a fire sign, we can further understand and explore the qualities of Garnet. Just picturing a garnet in my minds eye can produce a huge lifting of the energy in my body, stimulating the movement of the Kundalini.

Garnet is a “stone of health” extracting negative energy from the chakras, and transmuting the energy to the beneficial state. It provides for a stable connection between the physical and ethereal nervous system, energizing the total system to vitality. It is said to have been one of the stones used in the breastplate of the high priest and  been used as a sacred stone by the Native American Indians.

[R] ed Garnet has been linked to romantic love and passion, augmenting the sensual desire within us. She also grants us positive thoughts and inspiration as part of her general energizing affect.
The stone promotes the summoning up of ancient memories and therefore aids in recovering memories of past life incarnations. Garnet is also associated with career success and self confidence.

It is also been known as a *stone of commitment* to purpose, to others, and to oneself. It is helpful in moods of abandonment, allowing for one to realize and surrender to the letting go of the old so that new fresh life can enter. The solitude,  peace,  quiet, and the depth of well-being can be affected through the use of this stone.

[T] he pituitary gland is affected by the garnet, and also the base gland of the intuitive centers, for it is through this that great depth of perception can come about.

The red garnet represents the depth of love, the depth that is in all things. Know that the very visioning into this stone can give the feeling of eternity or eternal love.

[T] he story that garnet has to tell us is that we need to be more patient and constant. We need to learn the ebb and flow of our own being and to work patiently with it. The garnet is a symbol of greatest love and compassion, and as we use it we need to think of these same deep qualities within our own souls.

Each new day we are given the opportunity to embrace life, to live our dreams, become more authentically who we are, and I find that sometimes we reach too far outside of ourselves, ignoring the eternal fire that burns within each of us. It is there to draw on, and with the help of garnet’s lovely energy we can awaken to what is there and shine our own brilliant light out onto the world. May all be Well…

~~~

Stacy Gauthier is a Spiritual Counselor and Hypnotherapist.  She also combines   Reiki and laying on of stones for energetic healing.
She is the owner of Rituals Healing Arts “Little shop of Light” at 1015 1st St in Snohomish Wa.  She has studied healing with crystals and minerals for 18 years, and can be reached at 360-563-0580 or e-mail ritualshealingarts@msn.com

Cover art for this issue is The Sun Card from the Voyager Tarot Deck by James Wanless. Visit his website at www.VoyagerTarot.com

Categories: Archives, Crystals, Fun Stuff, Minerals and Stones - Tags: , , , , ,

Reach For Your Star

Written by on July 20, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Reach For YOUR Starby Kathy ‘Miller’ Lowden

[P] lease take the opportunity to read the words of Og Mandino – an author who excelled in motivating individuals to become their best and greatest selves. Though is works were published in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s and many of us may have put those books on a back shelf, in a box, or even given them away – their messages speak to the reality and possibility of choosing who and what we want to be. Available at most bookstores or online – do a search for ‘Og Mandino’ – you may be truly touched by the sincerity and simplicity he used to bring Truth to millions.

We tend to allow some of our greatest teachers to slip into a no man’s land of thrift store book shelves, continuing our search for brightly illustrated covers and trendy titles…. Mr. Mandino will not disappoint you with  his easy reading style and charm.
Og Mandino, an amazingly talented motivational speaker and writer  influenced the lives of many through his timeless tales. Most popular of his works have been “The Greatest Salesman in the World”  “The Greatest Secret in the World”,  “The Greatest Miracle in the World” and “The Choice”.  The following are excerpts from “The Gift of Acabar” written by Og Mandino and Buddy Kaye and published by Bantam Books. It is my understanding that, as this is being reproduced for educational purposes, and to spark new/renewed interest in  the wisdom of Mr. Mandino’s books, there is no violation of copywrite laws. Please visit your local bookstore, Amazon.com, Ebay.com, or any of the number of other locations where you can purchase Mr. Mandino’s books. They hold inspiration which has changed the lives of millions.

The Gift of Acabar

is the story of a young lapland lad, faced with seemingly insurmountable odds, who believes in a dream and ‘catches a star’, ‘his’ star. While many have reprinted portions of Mandino’s ‘Greatest’ series, little has been done with this moving story.

It is time that changed.

“Thank you, Star Acabar, thank you!  How wonderful you are to travel all the way down here just to help me warm and light our cabin during this terrible time!”

“Little man, I did not come for that – although I am willing to serve you in that capacity also, if you wish.
Actually, I have come with a gift for you… a gift that will be more valuable than a little temporary light and heat for you cabin.”

“Gift? I don’t see it.”

[A]  thunderous laugh shook the star tree. “My gift is not wrapped in pretty paper and tied with a ribbon, if that’s what you’re looking for, Tulo, just be patient and I’ll try to explain.”
“Earth people still have much to learn. However, for reasons we have never questioned, of all the planets with life in the entire universe, earth is the only one where people have been given a very special power: the power of choice. Only here, no matter how desperate your circumstances may be, are you allowed to influence your own destiny through the choices you make. Here you can choose to be kind or hateful, courageous or cowardly, rich or poor, lazy or industrious, sinful or holy … and of course suffer the consequences or reap the rewards for your actions. No one has ever been born on this planet without that power since the days of the Garden of Eden.”

[A] cabar’s light pulsated rapidly. “Well, ever since those two made the wrong choices we have watched your actions down here with great interest… and disappointment. When confronted with two choices people usually make the wrong  one. Although  there have been millions, through the centuries, who have used their power wisely, the majority choose to spend so much of their precious allotment of their life feeling sorry for themselves that they have no time to enjoy the paradise that was created here.”

More wisdom from the star Tulo captured with his kite….

“Nothing is too good to be true. That’s the same kind of pity we’ve been hearing for thousands of years from just about every part of this planet. You earth people are certainly fortunate that not everyone chooses to give up in the face of adversity, or you would have all disappeared a long time ago. And what do you plan to do about your debt?”

[S] urprised by the star’s harsh words, Tulo responded defiantly, “Debt? I owe no one, not even LaVeeg!”

“Ah, but you do, little man! Along with the power of choice you received the most precious gift our Creator can bestow: the spark of life. With it came an obligation to apply your own special talents, whatever they may be, to leave this world a better place than you found it. Billions of humans have failed in this obligation and wasted their lives. On the other hand, if you use your talent and repay your debt -”

Tulo could not contain himself. “What will happen, what will happen, Star Acabar?”

“Repay your debt, give something of yourself to your world each day, and your life here will be filled with harmony and satisfaction and love, followed by a joyful eternity in the Kingdom of Forever.”

Tulo frowned. “I have never heard of the Kingdom of Forever.:

“I know you haven’t. Earth people are still infants when it comes to universal knowledge. Look up, son! Look directly over your head.:

For the first time in more than a week the stars suddenly became visible. Tulo stared into the heavens and waited for Acabar’s next words.
The story continues as Acabar points out stars in the sky and calls them by the names of people who have shared their gifts with humanity.

“It is not necessary that you be wealthy or famous or a genius to fulfill your own destiny. All that is asked is that you use whatever gifts you have to the best of your ability. If your skill is with a hammer, build! If you have a knack with a hoe, plant! If you are happy on the water, fish! If a pen does your bidding, Write!

As Tulo listens, he feels Acabar is making fun of him. His life is so dificult, he cannot see the possibility of following the star’s advice.  The star continues on “There are other stars up there, stars like Beethoven, who was deaf.. Milton, who was blind… and Lincoln, who lived in terrible poverty, far worse than yours.  Hear me, Tulo!  Adversity is not a curse, it is a blessing. The brightest stars in heaven are those who have been tested in the furnace of tribulation.

[A] s the writer of this article, I must inform you it is now after 11:58 pm of the night before I must deliver Voice of Choices to the printers…. an hour and a half drive, beginning at 6:30 am tomorrow morning- then on to my ‘day job’. The magazine was ‘done’ except for final touches to the cover. I sat to read a book and take a break.

The book, by one of my favorite authors, was “The Gift of Acabar”  I know there is someone who will read this that desperately needs it RIGHT NOW. So I have removed the article that filled this space – to share with you just a brief glimpse into the classic writings of a best-selling author many have all but forgotton.

The Greatest Salesman in the World

[T] he following is from Mr. Mandino’s book, The Greatest Salesman in the World.  Again, my intent is to inspire you to read his complete book. There are 10 scrolls woven into   this  story. Each teach but one way. Failure is man’s inability to reach his goals in life, whatever they  may be. In truth, the only difference between those who have failed and those who have succeeded lies in the difference of their habits. Good habits are the key to all success. Bad habits are the unlocked door to failure. Thus, the first law I will obey which precedeth all others is—I will form good habits and become their slaves.

[A] s a child I was slave to my impulses; now I am slave to my habits, as are all grown men. I have surrendered my free will to the years of accumulated habits and the past deeds of my life have already marked out a path which threatens to imprison my future. My actions are ruled by appetite, passion, prejudice, greed, love, fear, environment, habit, and the worst of these tyrants is habit. Therefore, if I must be a slave to habit, let me be a slave to good habits. My bad habits must be destroyed and new furrows prepared for good seed.

I will form good habits and become their slave.

And how will I accomplish this difficult feat? Through these scrolls, it will be done, for each scroll contains a principle which will drive a bad habit from my life and replace it with one which will bring me closer to success. For it is another of nature’s laws that only a habit can subdue another habit. So, in order for these written words to perform their chosen task, I must discipline myself with the first of my new habits which is as follows;

I will read each scroll for thirty days in this prescribed manner, before I proceed to the next scroll.

THE SCROLL MARKED I

[T] oday I begin a new life. Today I shed my old skin which hath, too long, suffered the bruises of failure and the wounds of mediocrity. Today I am born anew and my birthplace is a vineyard where there is fruit for all.

Today I will pluck grapes of wisdom from the tallest and fullest vines in the vineyard, for these were planted by the wisest of my profession who have come before me, generation upon generation.

Today I will savor the taste of grapes from these vines and verily I will swallow the seed of success buried in each and new life will sprout within me. The career I have chosen is laden with opportunity yet it is fraught with heartbreak and despair and the bodies of those who have failed, were they piled one atop another, would cast its shadow down upon all the pyramids of the earth.

[Y] et I will not fail, as the others, for in my hands now hold the charts which will guide me through perilous waters to shores which only yesterday seemed but a dream. Failure no longer will be my payment for struggle. Just as nature made no provision for my body to tolerate pain neither has it made any provision for my life to suffer failure. Failure, like pain, is alien to my life. In the past I accepted it as I accepted pain. Now, I reject it and I am prepared for wisdom and principles which will guide me out of the shadows into the sunlight of wealth, position, and happiness far beyond my most extravagant dreams until even the golden apples in the Garden of Hesperides will seem no more than my just reward.

Time teaches all things to be who lives forever but I have not the luxury of eternity. Yet, within my allotted time I must practice the art of patience for nature acts never in haste. To create, the olive, king of all trees, a hundred years is required. An onion plant is old in nine weeks. I have lived as an onion plant. It has not pleased me. Now I wouldst become the greatest of olive trees and, in truth, the greatest of salesmen.

[A] nd how will this be accomplished? For I have neither the knowledge nor the experience to achieve greatness and already I have stumbled in ignorance and fallen into pools of self-pity. The answer is simple. I will commence my journey unencumbered with either the weight of unnecessary knowledge or the handicap of meaningless experience. Nature already has supplied me with knowledge and instinct far greater than any beast in the forest and the value of experience is overrated, usually by old men who nod wisely and speak stupidly.

In truth experience teaches thoroughly yet her course of instruction devours  men’s  years so the value of her lessons diminishes with the time necessary to acquire her special wisdom. The end finds it wasted on dead men. Furthermore, experience is comparable to fashion; an action that proved successful today will be unworkable and impractical tomorrow.

[O] nly principles endure and these I now possess, for the laws that will lead me to greatness are contained in the words of these scrolls. What they will teach me is more to prevent failure than to gain success, for what is success other than a state of mind? Which two, among a thousand wise men, will define success in the same words; yet failure is always described but one way. Failure is man’s inability to reach his goals in life, whatever they  may be. In truth, the only difference between those who have failed and those who have succeeded lies in the difference of their habits. Good habits are the key to all success. Bad habits are the unlocked door to failure. Thus, the first law I will obey which precedeth all others is—I will form good habits and become their slaves.

[A] s a child I was slave to my impulses; now I am slave to my habits, as are all grown men. I have surrendered my free will to the years of accumulated habits and the past deeds of my life have already marked out a path which threatens to imprison my future. My actions are ruled by appetite, passion, prejudice, greed, love, fear, environment, habit, and the worst of these tyrants is habit. Therefore, if I must be a slave to habit, let me be a slave to good habits. My bad habits must be destroyed and new furrows prepared for good seed.

I will form good habits and become their slave.

[A] nd how will I accomplish this difficult feat? Through these scrolls, it will be done, for each scroll contains a principle which will drive a bad habit from my life and replace it with one which will bring me closer to success. For it is another of nature’s laws that only a habit can subdue another habit. So, in order for these written words to perform their chosen task, I must discipline myself with the first of my new habits which is as follows;

I will read each scroll for thirty days in this prescribed manner, before I proceed to the next scroll………

Categories: Affirmations, Archives, Blessings, Healing, Love Notes - Tags: , , , , ,

Yoga for YOUR Body Type

Written by on July 15, 2011 · Leave a Comment

By Juliet Jivanti

Defining Ayurveda
Many people have heard the word “ayurveda,” but may have only a nebulous understanding of what it involves. A sister science to yoga, ayurveda is a 5,000-year-old system of medicine that first evolved in India but is becoming increasingly popular in America.  Ayurveda is referred to as the knowledge or science of life and is a conjunction of two Sanskrit words: ayur “life” and veda “knowledge.”

The roots of ayurveda stem from the Vedic culture of ancient India. Handed down through teachers and writings, ayurveda influenced Hippocrates and the Greek system of medicine and is believed to be the only complete medical system still in existence that has been continually practiced since its inception. It encompasses diet, medicine, astrology, lifestyle, herbology, yoga, meditation, breathing techniques and home design concepts based on sacred geometry that preceded and hugely influenced the Chinese practice of feng shui.

Ayurveda offers a path to optimal health and development for each individual through its profound understanding of natural laws. Living with the cycles of nature maintains health and a disconnection from those natural cycles leads to disease. Going beyond symptoms to the root cause of the disease is where true healing begins. Balancing the body, mind and spirit allows us to understand the language of nature so that we can live harmoniously. Ayurvedic practices restore holistic health, resulting in self-healing, vitality and longevity.

The Three Doshas
According to Ayurveda, everything in the universe, including the human body, is composed of five elements: ether (or space), air, fire, water and earth. These elements come together in three dynamic biological forces known as the doshas: vata, pitta and kapha. Each person is a unique combination of all doshas, although some elements are more predominant. Therefore, each person must be treated individually according to their dosha or unique constitution.

Ayurveda believes that by balancing the various mind-body functions the natural intelligence of the body will respond by rebalancing itself. When we understand our one-of-a-kind, genetic make-up we can make adjustments in our daily practices and diet which will return us to our natural state of wellness.

Take a fun, informative questionnaire to determine your dosha, or what combination of doshas you are, at www.AyurvedicHealthCenter.com.

Characteristics of the vata dosha
Sanskrit root of vata is “vah,” which means vehicle, to carry or to move. Vata is a combination primarily of ether and air elements. The classic description of vata individuals is that they tend to have dry thinner skin, a light frame, cold hands and feet, rough nails, coarse kinky hair, talkative, quick movements, hyperactive or variable stamina and tend toward darker skin and eyes. Keep in mind that these are only general tendencies and are expressed differently for each person.Vata governs all movement. Functions of vata include movement of thoughts, ingestion, circulation, respiration, peristalsis, elimination.
The gunas, or qualities, of vata are dry, light, cold, rough, subtle, mobile. Imbalanced vata exhibits worry, fear, anxiety, dryness, gas, bloating, constipation, muscle cramps, joint pain, insomnia.
Balanced vata exhibits creativity, enthusiasm, flexibility.

Characteristics of the pitta dosha
Sanskrit root of pitta is “tapa,” which means heat. Pitta is a combination primarily of fire and water elements. The classic description of pitta individuals is that they tend to have higher body temperature, strong appetite, sharp mind, light colored, light sensitive eyes (often hazel, green or blue), frequently thirsty, have oily skin and hair (usually straight and blond), are focused, organized, driven and athletic. Keep in mind that these are only general tendencies and are expressed differently for each person. Pitta governs transformation.
Functions of pitta include metabolism, digestion, body temperature, appetite, thirst, color. The gunas, or qualities, of pitta are oily, sharp, hot, light, spreading, liquid. Imbalanced pitta exhibits anger, criticism, judgment, indigestion, heartburn, inflammation, diarrhea, rashes.
Balanced pitta exhibits understanding, intelligence, courage.

Characteristics of the kapha dosha
Sanskrit roots of kapha are “ka,” which means water, and “pha,” to flourish.Kapha is a combination primarily of earth and water elements. The classic description of kapha individuals notes they tend toward roundness and softness in the body and facial features, with cool, thick, soft skin. There may be a tendency toward fluid retention or excess mucus, slow digestion and movements with thick hair and large soft eyes. Keep in mind that these are only general tendencies and are expressed differently for each person.
Kapha governs structure. Functions of kapha include lubrication, nourishment, support, stability, growth, strength, repair, retention, taste. The gunas, or qualities, of kapha are heavy, slow, cool, oily, smooth, dense, soft, stable.
Imbalanced kapha exhibits attachment, greed, possessiveness, slow digestion, colds, cough, congestion, mucus, weight gain.
Balanced kapha exhibits love, compassion, forgiveness.

Personalize Your Practice
Ayurvedic yoga is personalized for each individual. Practicing yoga tailored specifically for your constitution brings you back to your natural balance. According to the principles of ayurveda, like increases like. Therefore, you may be drawn to a yoga practice that will increase the gunas, or qualities, that are already predominant in your nature. This is contrary to what is naturally balancing. For example, a pitta person may be drawn to intense, fast power yoga, when what he or she really needs to balance their constitution is a more peaceful, tranquil approach.

Ayurvedic yoga provides the means to modify your yoga practice based on your individual prakruti (innate constitution), vikruti (current constitution) and the three doshas (vata, pitta and kapha). Ayurvedic yoga is an all-encompassing practice which is equally applicable for beginners and seasoned practitioners of yoga.

Complimentary Approaches
The sister sciences of yoga and ayurveda are have complemented and enhanced each other since their inceptions thousands of years ago. While practicing one without the other is beneficial, it is similar to eating a nutritious diet without exercising – an incomplete approach to health. The synergistic union of yoga and ayurveda brings a holistic approach. The ancient practices of ayurveda support a foundation of strength, vitality and longevity of body and mind. Yoga, then takes us onward toward the path of self-realization. Yoga provides the key to spiritual development, which is the knowledge of our true nature.

Together, ayurveda and yoga provide the insight for each person to create a way of life in harmony both with the world of nature and our higher self.

Juliet Jivanti is a graduate of the Lad’s Ayurvedic Institute in New Mexico, a Certified Ayurvedic Consultant, Registered Yoga Teacher and Touch for Health Certified practitioner. For more information  and to sample and  order her DVD ‘Ayurvedic Yoga – Yoga for Your Body Type’ call 360.734.2396, see AyurvedicHealthCenter.com, Facebook or e-mail Juliet@AyurvedicHealthCenter.com.

Categories: Archives, Healing, Healthy Choices, Library - Archives - Tags: , , , , ,

The Awesome Power of Fear

Written by on July 15, 2011 · Leave a Comment

By Peter Shankman
I like to think I know a little something about using your fear to create awesomeness. Back in the times of the caveman, fear was the one instinct that kept our species moving forward. When you were hungry, you had to kill something to eat. You didn’t have a choice. You went out and tried to kill dinner. If you didn’t, you’d starve.

History ….. Our Story
Of course you were scared. Saber-toothed tigers and giant wooly mammoths weren’t really looked upon as “friendly,” but you didn’t have a choice. So you went out and attacked. And if you were victorious, you got a kick-ass meal. If you weren’t, well, it didn’t matter. We used our fear to push us forward – to allow us to survive. And the chemical responses to fear – dopamine, adrenalin, they are just as strong now as they were then. In essence, fear gets us high. That “high” kept us alive, and helped push the species forward. You think it’s a coincidence that when we’re walking down a dark alley, our brains automatically dilate our pupils so we can see better? It’s built in. Back in the day, fear was considered a good thing.

However, as we moved from the era of the Mammoth to the McDLT, our concept of fear as a good thing changed, and today, has radically shifted. The majority of us don’t see fear as a good thing, we see it as something to be avoided at all costs.

Safe?
Examples of this abound – We take “safe jobs for the paycheck,” instead of striking out on our own. We quash our big ideas because we’re afraid they might fail. And probably more than ever before, we don’t follow our dreams because we’re “afraid what others might say.”

Sadly, we’ve become a society that’s crippled by the thought that someone, somewhere, (usually of much lesser mind) will call us out on what a bad idea we have, before we ever get the chance to prove it. As such, most of our great ideas die while still embryonic in our brains, killed by fear. The next airplane, the next space vehicle, the next life-saving device, or even the next brilliant marketing idea, all murdered by an unjust fear.

I came up with a name for this syndrome a few days ago, after reading an oddly vitriolic rant against me by a PR guy named Richard Laermer. He’d written a scathing piece against a new idea I’d come up with, an idea which had already been embraced by several high-profile, multi-million dollar companies around the globe. Because the idea was announced and hadn’t been implemented yet, he chose fear, sprinkled with inaccurate facts and slipshod reporting.
I call it “Getting Laermered.” (Rhymes with “hammered.”) Imagine coming up with a new great idea, and little ankle-biter mosquitos buzz all around you, shouting “this is bad. You’re stupid.” They’re nothing more than an annoyance, but an annoyance is still annoying.

You’ve gotten Laermered.
I believe that the fear we have of getting Laermered, whether by an angry old man, or even a real media outlet, holds us back from achieving the greatness that’s ingrained inside most all of us. I believe that the fear of getting Laermered holds us back as a people, as a country, and even as the human race. It’s time to change that.
With your permission, I’d like to offer some suggestions on how to get over the fear of getting Laermered.

Embrace Fear.
First and foremost, this is probably the most important piece of advice anyone’s ever offered. Note that I said “embrace,” and not “ignore.” As I said above, fear is with us for a reason. It’s built in to warn us against taking uncalculated risks. Mind you, not calculated risks. Calculated risks push us forward. Calculated risks are meant to be taken. The fear that our body involuntarily produces is designed to make us sharper, to make sure we’ve dotted all our “i’s,” and crossed all our “t’s.” Without fear, we wouldn’t exist. Calculated risks are the rocket fuel of our society.

Don’t ignore the fear.
 When you get that queasy feeling in the pit of your stomach, listen to it. It’s there for a reason. It’s telling you that you’re on the edge of something great, and you need to make sure all your ducks are in a row. You need to listen to your fear when you try something new. It’s not telling you not to do something, rather, it’s telling you to push forward, carefully, and without reckless abandon. Fear tells us to be aware, alert, and more cunning than our opponent. Embrace your fear, absorb its strength, and be stronger from it. Ignoring your fear is like being starving, and not eating the nutrient-rich meal placed in front of you. Eat your fear. It tastes good, and will make you stronger.

“Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.” -Albert Einstein. I can’t even begin to list how many times this rule has played out in my life, and in the world. “You’re starting a company and naming it The Geek Factory? What’s wrong with you? “You’re taking on PR News wire with something called HARO? You must be insane!” “You’re jumping out of a perfectly good airplane? Why would you do that?” “You’re training for an Ironman? What the hell is wrong with you?”

In the NOW
Remember – We no longer live in prehistoric times, and the general
consensus has become “play it safe.” This isn’t necessarily always good. When people don’t have the need to change, they usually don’t. It’s not until a fire is lit under most people’s butts that they ever consider abandoning their comfort zone. Want an example? When do you look hardest for a new job? When you’re unhappy with your current one, but still making a kick-ass salary, or when you’ve just been laid off, and you only have six months of savings?

If you want to achieve greatness, you can’t spend your whole life playing it safe. You need to take calculated risks, knowing that you might fail, but remembering that the upside to the possibility of failing is the possibility of succeeding beyond your wildest dreams. If the the options are risking getting Laermered, or not trying at all, I’ll take the risk of getting Laermered every single time.

If playing it safe works for you, if the steady paycheck and the cubicle suits your lifestyle, by all means, do it – I’d never have the temerity to tell you not to, as long as you’re happy. But if it doesn’t, if you believe you’re destined for more, then I can’t imagine anything sadder than not pursuing your dreams because of a fear of being ridiculed by a whiner.

Believe In YOURSELF
If you don’t first believe in yourself, don’t expect anyone else to believe in you, either. “As a composer, he is hopeless.” – A music teacher referring to Beethoven. After being cut from the Basketball team in high school, Michael Jordan locked himself in the locker room and cried. Winston Churchill failed the sixth grade. It goes on and on and on. The only voice you have to listen to without fail is the one inside. That voice silences doubt, it mutes the opposition, and it forces you to stand up and take action on your ideas. But only if you listen to it. All the examples above got Laermered, and they all rose way, way above it. You can too, but only if you listen to yourself first.

Pain is just weakness leaving the body. Jack Walston, a former Navy SEAL, and a man I’m proud to count as a friend, said that to me. It’s a quote from the Navy SEALs, and it’s so very true. A secret benefit to getting Laermered is the strength you can draw from it when it happens. Keep in mind, I’m not saying you should ignore everyone who offers advice. Some of that advice, that which comes from a trusted mentor, for example, is invaluable. But when it comes from someone who wants to keep you                  Continued bottom next page down for no reason, it’s up to you to draw strength from it. The intrinsic value you can gain from getting Laermered is worth a million times more than the person who Laermered you. But you need to be willing to draw out the value, and ignore the banal. Nothing upsets  a whiner more than finding out that you turned around the whine and became stronger from it.

Living a public life is more dangerous than staying private, but much, much more rewarding. I’ve always lived my life in public, to an extent. I talk about my ideas, I mention them for the world to see, because the reaction drives me. Good or bad, the reactions you get from announcing an idea can push you to a higher level of greatness.

As much as it pains me to reference any Tom Cruise movie, the fact is, Jerry McGuire didn’t achieve greatness until he announced that he had a better way of doing things. And the people who initially took great joy in mocking him? They wound up as roadkill. Great ideas always tend to prove the Tortoise and the Hare theory. In the beginning, the whiners are riding past you, shouting their insults. In the end? It’s you leaving them sucking wind on the side of the road.

Reaching Your Full Potential
Finally, If you weren’t doing something that could shake things up to begin with, you’d never be getting Laermered in the first place. Remember – thanks to the complacency we’ve created as a society, we’ve become ok with complacency. People fear change. That is wrong. Complacency leads to stagnation, which leads to failure. You must always keep moving forward. Use getting Laermered as a barometer. If you’re not getting Laermered every once in a while, perhaps you’re not reaching your full potential.

Visit Peter Shankman’s website at www.PeterShankman.com

Categories: Archives, Healing, Healthy Choices, Library - Archives - Tags: , ,

Meditation – Exposing the Illusion of Personality

Written by on July 12, 2011 · Leave a Comment

By Ken Lloyd Russell ©

We all believe so firmly in the illusion that we are our personality because this personality always seems to be there; it appears to be a constant in our lives. But it is a mirage, like the lake viewed in the middle of the desert. The personality has no independent reality; yet it appears to have one because of the constant motion of the mind, which just keeps rolling along with virtually no breaks. It is this momentum that gives the illusion of substance, of a reality where none exists. This is most unfortunate because our belief in this illusion separates us from our true nature.

But there is something you can do to begin exposing this illusion.

It is a very simple exercise: periodically, just put your complete attention on three full breaths. Stop whatever you are doing, cease your thoughts, and become fully aware of the physical sensations that occur when you breath. Feel the air moving in and out of your nose or mouth and then into and out of your chest. Feel your chest and stomach rising and falling. Your eyes may be open or closed, depending on the situation and what feels comfortable. You are not to visualize or think about the physical sensations of breathing, but to actually feel and experience them. The essence of this exercise is being directly in touch with the physical sensations of your breath.

What gives this practice its potency is doing it totally—with your complete attention. Just be with your breath for a full three breaths, putting aside whatever your mind had been engaged with and not allowing any thoughts, images, or emotions to capture your attention. Simply be there with full attention for three breaths.

Again, the key is putting your total—100 percent—effort into it. Before doing the exercise, you may wish to remind yourself that three breaths take but a brief time, that you have plenty of time remaining during the day to plan, worry, fantasize, be elated or depressed, imagine, or whatever else the mind likes to indulge in. But now you have chosen to do something to benefit your self: these few moments of attention to your breath. You can do this as many times as you wish during the day.

You may find it easiest to do this exercise when you shift from one activity to another. A transition affords a small window of opportunity when there is less resistance because the mind is not actively engaged in something. Some people find it convenient to do the mini-meditation when they first get into their car or as soon as they arrive at their destination. It only takes a few moments. You can do it before returning a phone call or right after finishing one. Other convenient transitions are before or after a meal, or when going to the bathroom. Or you can do it randomly, whenever you feel like it. However, your intent will need to be clear to get around the mind’s resistance, which generally takes the form of forgetting.

Resistance arises because the mini-meditation, when done correctly, throws a monkey wrench into the gears of the mind’s momentum. By stopping the mind, just for this brief period of three breaths, you temporarily suspend its control over you, thus clearing the way for your true nature to begin to assert itself. You may actually get an intimation of your true nature, which is apart from the mind and is akin to God or Buddha or however you wish to envision the ultimate. This exercise is a powerful assist in coming back to the reality of your Self.

However much you might benefit from this practice, the mind will not relinquish its hold over you without a struggle. Resistance will manifest itself as forgetting to do the exercise or, when doing it, drifting off into thinking about or visualizing the breaths. The more successful you are in doing the exercise, the more resistance you will meet. To counter this resistance it helps to keep in mind the value you receive from doing it. This value will be clear when you do the exercise consistently for five days.

While powerful, the mini-meditation is not complete in itself as a spiritual path. It is suggested as an enhancement for your regular practice. For instance, if sitting meditation is your basic practice, the mini-meditation will help your meditations to go deeper. It can accomplish this because it reduces the momentum of the mind that meditation has to work against. Whatever your path, this exercise will tend to bring up suppressed or repressed emotions, so it is best to have some way of allowing those emotions to dissipate in and through awareness.

Normally, the mind diverts your attention from feelings or emotions that it finds uncomfortable by distracting you with thoughts, or by channeling the discomforting energy into derivative or smokescreen states like anger, anxiety, or depression. By using the term “smokescreen,” I am suggesting that the mind finds anger or anxiety more acceptable than the underlying fear or pain which prompts anger or anxiety. If the mind is not allowed to distract you, then hidden emotions will surface. This is exactly what we wish to happen. Then, through awareness, those emotions can be released from your consciousness. The unconscious is nothing more than thoughts or feelings of which we are not aware. Hidden emotions tend to bind up a lot of your energy and covertly influence you in ways that are not beneficial.

If you do the mini-meditation exercise regularly, over time you will notice a shift in your life; you will most likely become more and more present.

 

©1999, 2004 by Ken Lloyd Russell.  All rights reserved.
www.thewayofseeing.com

For a schedule of Ken’s meditation classes click here

Categories: Archives, Healing, Meditation, Relationship Dynamics - Tags: , , , , , ,

Grounding – Finding Safety in the Moment

Written by on July 6, 2011 · Leave a Comment

By Pietro Abela

Looking into the eyes of a newborn baby, there is a profound sense of the child “not-yet-being-here”, of having not come into the full realization that they are in a place different from where they have come. In the first few weeks of a baby’s life there is the feeling that the child seems to be still coming in to “land,” that he or she doesn’t actually see the world in a purely physical way, but sees the colors around you. It is as if there is an acclimatization process taking place.

The Why of Out-of-Body
If trauma occurs at an early age before the child can walk, talk, and begin the process of taking care of his or her own needs, and has no other way of protection from the effects of the trauma, the child will make attempts to return to Spirit from whence he or she came. In so doing the child will lose his grounding in an attempt to leave his body, and return to the place where “this” didn’t happen — to “what was.” In the attempt to return to the past, the child is unable to be in the present. By not being in the present the child is attempting to avoid the trauma and its full impact.

 

Coping
Leaving the body is the first unconscious attempt to cope. It is numbing, distracting and disorienting. There can even be a sense of ecstasy from being out of the body, similar to the exhilaration experienced from drug and alcohol use. Most addictions are updated attempts to leave the body, and the ecstatic state of the “high” is often a mirroring of the childhood attempt to escape through out-of-the-body experience. If this pattern of coping is successful – meaning that it lessens or temporarily dulls the effects of the trauma — it often becomes the choice of coping, and will be used and re-used in later years as the first reaction throughout the person’s life. It is a reaction, or an automatic choice of coping that works similarly to the sympathetic nervous system response that stimulates a fight/flight response if danger approaches.

So losing grounding is an energetic “let’s-get-out-of-here” response that is an automatic behavior, one that we will most likely use in crisis as people tend to respond in ways that are habitual rather than conscious.

 

Standing Your Ground
Many wise sages of ancient times have stated in their own vernacular “if you need change do the opposite to what you are doing.” In this case, the opposite to losing your grounding would be to stand your ground. Most often as adults we would cope very well with the same traumas we suffered in childhood. We have more experience, greater self-reliance and other developed resources available to us that children don’t have in their early years. If we were to somehow go beyond this first “let’s-get-out-of-here” reaction and consciously choose a second response to stand our ground, we may, to our surprise, discover we are now bigger and stronger than the trauma.

To be grounded is to have full awareness of all that is occurring in the present. When someone is grounded, it means being present to you and to the situation at hand. Having this level of awareness allows relevant choices to be made for the current time and situation. Being grounded and in the moment can be an experience of ecstasy. A feeling of time standing still. Of being aware of everything there is and being conscious of your connection and relationship to all there is, of emanating from one and the same Source.

To be ungrounded then is being somewhere other than the present. When not present it is difficult to make choices for the current situation.

 

The Reality of it All
In reality we all lose our grounding many times every day. There are many situations that occur in our day that can remind us of events that took place in our past without us ever realizing it. The person walking toward you may remind you of someone who scared you when you were a child. Even though he is not that person he may resemble the scary man. He has the same black moustache, he combs his hair in a similar fashion and happens to wear a suit like the person from the past. Thus the extent of the similarities, but enough to cause a temporary internal confusion that stimulates the nervous system for flight, causing an energetic loss of grounding so that you are no longer present.

If we don’t become aware of losing our grounding, it will continue occurring for us as the first reaction. Becoming aware of this leads to conscious behavior, which entails conscious choices to be enacted rather than reactive coping behaviors. The key to this is coming to know yourself. What do you experience when you stand your ground and are grounded? You may feel solid, a tree-like sense of your feet being firmly rooted to the ground, a feeling of connection and balance inside.

Discover What is Balance For YOU
It is strongly recommended that you come to intimately know what balance is for you. To know this allows you to be able to identify when you are not in balance. To be ungrounded is to experience being too much in your head, of having mind-chatter, of disorientation, of being to preoccupied with the outside world, of having little body awareness, even of bumping into things.

There are as many examples of ungrounding as there are ungrounded people. As it is important to know our own personal balance, it is equally important to come to recognize what ungroundedness feels like for us. With this comparative knowledge there is the opportunity to address it.

Finding the Way for YOU
How do we address our ungroundedness? This is very individual. It is important to find ways that work for you personally. Becoming aware of your body in that moment is key. Awareness may be achieved through moving your body; dancing, touching yourself, stamping your feet — any means to remind you of your physicality. You could come into remembrance of your breathing and do breathing exercises. Meditation might work for you.

You could also address the source of the problem and locate the area within you that is traumatized and chooses to escape from the situation. This comes down to helping this part of yourself to feel safe. If you detect something unsafe in the stomach, maybe rubbing the stomach can help calm that part of yourself, giving verbal self-assurance, saying to that part, “Right now, I’m in charge and all is well, and if we ever need help we can call on all of the resources we know to help you feel safe.” The real question is, if you knew a child who was traumatized how would you help him or her feel safe? Now apply that to yourself, and watch as you begin to regain your grounding.

Checking In – Knowing Yourself
Prevention is worth more than the cure. Becoming intimate with yourself is the key. To know your sense of balance and to consistently check that within yourself gives us less potential of being triggered and greater possibility of retaining ourselves. In doing so, we become in tune with ourselves, self-observant and therefore present to our needs and the needs of others. If there are times that you notice yourself “losing it”, so to speak, rather than being present, you can make the necessary choice to do something alternative to the first reaction, and that may be to stand your ground, rather than “choosing” to lose your grounding.

When you learn to be present for yourself in this way you are creating a place of safety, for both yourself and for others too. In so doing you are demonstrating an alternative means of coping. Others will feel the safety of being in your presence. So the grounded person becomes the model for safety, functional ways of coping, and an example for others to emulate.

Pietro Abela is the founder of The ARC Institute. www.thearcinstitute.com
The ARC Institute teaches physical, emotional and spiritual care for self and others.

Categories: Archives, Healing, Healthy Choices, Library - Archives, Love Notes, Relationship Dynamics - Tags: , , ,

Blessings -Voice of Choices’ Story

Written by on July 6, 2011 · Leave a Comment

I’m often asked about the history of Voice of Choices. How did it get started? What is my background/training? What have I done to encourage and steward the magazine’s growth?

The answers are simple and reflect a willingness to continue living in acknowledgement of the ‘Power of Love’.  Almost 5 years ago, while looking for a personal definition of my purpose in life and offering a weekly Reiki Circle, I created a flyer to give to those attending,.  In high school I had been editor of the school newspaper so it was easy enough to put together a little fold-over peice of paper with some nice pictures and relevant information that could go home with the participants at the Reiki Circle.

While I was satisfied with assisting others on their personal healing journeys, I knew there was a wealth of information available which could offer so many more choices than what I was able to teach.  The flyer became a newsletter.

As I continued to refine the definition of ‘my purpose’ I discovered how much I truly enjoyed sharing information.With a   core belief that life is filled with endless possibilities and a myriad of choices, it became my passion to publish a sampling of articles which offer glimpses into alternatives in self-development, personal empowerment and spirituality without the boundaries often accompanying organized religion.

I have watched as thousands of lives are touched by the power of love  expressed in the articles featured each month. For me it has been an incredible journey. Beginning  with little more than an idea, it hasn’t always been easy to trust  that employing my interests, talents and intuition  and following  my passion could or would be enough.  Without formal training   ‘society’ could easily have convinced me to get another ‘regular’ job.  Yet, with a resume’ including the variety mine does, I had never found employment which truly inspired me. There was always something missing and I would often try to convince my employer to let me create promotional materials (ads, business cards, and even a website) as an oulet for my desire to be creative.
What I am learning through Voice of Choices is the amazing results possible when we tap into the Power of Love.  This month’s articles provide
inspiration and information you may find useful as you choose Love. Surrendering to Love, Being Gentle With Yourself, Honoring who you are and what you feel you have to offer the world  blesses humanity with your unique and individual talents in a way which empowers you and others. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Simple enough, Right? Sure.

In everyday life, no matter what direction our path takes, we constantly have the choice to remember the Power of Love. A little story illustrates the point.

A few weeks ago  I responded to an email about an upcoming workshop. Impressed by the content and intention of the group’s website,  I contacted them about  running an article. Easy enough? But the process became a little more complicated when I realized the information I had provided was not clearly understood.

Complications increased as this month’s deadling/lifeline rapidly approached and the details necessary for best representing their work became another set of  ‘tasks’ that had to be done at the last minute.  Throw into the mix a complete difference in communication styles, and the energy of a double gemini trying to get everything done. Or should I say, trying to get everything done perfectly and on time.

Thankfully a third party stepped in and we were all able to appreciate each other’s place in the overall picture. I was made aware that my frustration, which had manifested  as an energy beyond some people’s comfort zone,  was matched by that felt by the author. For a moment in time it seems we were both feeling inadequate – yet the expression of our  frustration was very different for each of us and it was only by returning to the Power of Love that resolution was reached.

In times of challenge, when we may revert to past patterns or hear old tapes playing in our mind, it is most important to find our connection to Love.  When details and specifics almost seem to  dictate a necessity for fear, that is the time to use The Power of Love and hold onto faith.

Each opportunity to expand and improve our response to challenge brings us a step closer to balance, a breath closer to peace. I am grateful that my purpose continues to allow expansion of  my interpersonal and business skills. I am grateful for my own increasing patience, tolerance and love  towards myself and others as I continue to solidify new and more effective attitudes and behaviors – based in and empowered by the most creative force in our world…… Love.

Categories: Archives, Blessings, February2006, Library - Archives, Love Notes - Tags: , , ,

Choosing Healthy- Natural Remedies for Summer Allergies

Written by on July 6, 2011 · Leave a Comment

By Kasara D’Elene M.A., LHMCA

It is difficult to write about allergies because there is so much reference material and so many therapies available that I don’t want to get lost in all the information. For the layperson, an allergy happens when “something” is taken into the body via the skin, respiratory tract, or digestive tract.  The body, recognizing this “something” as a being unfriendly or foreign, sends out antibodies to devour the invader.  In the process of eliminating and/or neutralizing the invader, histamines are released.  Histamines are responsible for all allergic reactions that involve swelling, itching, fluid production and retention, etc.  The liver must then supply antihistamines to neutralize the histamines.

Definition of an Allergy
An allergy in the Random House Dictionary is defined as an abnormally high sensitivity to certain substances, such as pollens, foods, or microorganisms. Common indications of allergy may include sneezing, itching, and skin rashes.  Many doctors define allergies as “any body reaction that cannot be explained by infection or injury…” This is topic very near to me as most of my life I have had allergies to many things, and also Hay Fever and Asthma.  In fact when I was a teenager my mother took me down to have one of those tests where they poke your back with all sorts of grasses and allergens to see what you are allergic to. My whole back inflamed – and fortunately for me they lost the test so I never had to take allergy shots.  My parents were nice enough to not make me go back and take the test again.  However, today they can often do this with a blood test.  The problem I have with allergy testing is; what is it really testing?  Our bodies have reactions to things for a reason.  When we sneeze – it is our respiratory’s systems way of cleaning things out. This doesn’t necessarily mean that we are “allergic” to that item – in fact; that item may be working to remove something bad out of us, via the skin, respiratory or other elimination system.  I don’t think anyone really knows the answer on this today –but I do know that we have options other than drugs and shots.

More than often in allergy situations health practitioners see weakened adrenals, an overworked and under nourished liver, poor digestion, and Candida (Yeast/Fungus), or parasite overgrowth.  Natural health professionals like myself find that working with the cause instead of just the symptoms provides much better long lasting results.

For many allergies, one analogy that people seem to relate to is; your body is like a large container – like a garbage can.  If you keep your garbage can clean with the food you eat, the water you drink the air you breath and keep your 4 elimination systems (respiratory, lymphatic, urinary, intestinal) flushing toxins at optimum levels – you may not ever experience allergies.  If however, any or worse more than one of your elimination systems is not working up to par, and the food, water and air going in your body is not the healthiest – when you are exposed to additional toxins from pollens or specific foods, your body or garbage container overflows with excess mucous, rashes, etc.

What you can do?
Watch what goes in your body – what type of food do you eat?  When you “burn” food, there is a chemical reaction that goes on in your stomach – from the food you eat, your body produces energy as a by product and also toxins are produced as a by product that your body then has to flush out in some manner.  Similarly when you “burn” wood this produces heat or energy as a byproduct and also toxins.  When you “burn” plastic it produces very little energy – and LOTS of toxins!  If you eat organic food, it is like burning the wood – if you eat non-organic food it is like burning the plastic (often they contain antibiotics, hormones, synthetic ingredients, etc.)– You don’t get much energy but you end up with a lot of toxins that your body then has to expel somehow.  And the more of this bad food you eat, the more toxic your body gets.  If you have allergies, it is best to avoid foods such as milk products, wheat, sugar and vinegar products.

The more toxic your body gets, the more the liver and adrenals are on the look out to protect you from harmful substances – if your body is toxic it tends to attract organisms just like garbage attracts bugs.

The same is true with the liquids you put in your body – if you put pure clean water in your body, your body can utilize that more than sodas, coffee, juice or even tap water.  I think of good clean water as a nice clean white wash cloth – when you use a clean wash cloth to wipe off a dirty counter, you can pick up more dirt –but if you use a dirty wash cloth, you can’t pick up as much dirt.  If you drink good water, your body now has a nice clean washcloth to use to absorb toxins and carry them out of your body easily.  If you drink sodas all the time,  your body doesn’t have what it needs to clean things up, but instead is being given more toxins – which only keeps things dirty inside.

As in all things, there is not cure-all for everyone.  However, if you make sure that your elimination systems are flushing properly – see box – this can often help reduce your allergies.

Herbs for allergies
Once you know these systems in your body are working as efficiently as possible, you may not even have allergies any more – that is what happened to me. If you do – or if you want some quick relief while you are working on improving your systems, here are some herbs that may help you.

Blessed Thistle (Cnicus Benedictus)
The term “blessed” was applied centuries ago to this plant because of its reputation as a cure all, a remedy even for the Black Plague of the Middle Ages.  Blessed thistle is useful for allergies because of its action on the liver and the kidneys.  I have seen many people have quick results using blessed thistle by itself or in formulas for allergies.

Yerba Santa (Eriodictyon californicum)
Another popular herb for allergies is Yerba santa, also known as holy herb, which was the name the Spanish priests gave to this aromatic shrub.  Yerba Santa has a distinct odor and flavor that have been incorporated into many bitter pharmaceutical preparations both as an expectorant and to mask other bitter flavors.  I have found it very useful and safe to clear the head of stuffiness. It is especially useful during seasonal changes.

Senaga (Polygala Senega)
Senega, also known as Mountain Flax or Senega Snakeroot.  Usually I see senega within herbal formulas for allergies or clearing the head and supporting the lungs and respiratory system, not so much by itself.  The Senega Indians used the dried roots to actively promote salivation, desirable in croup, bronchitis, asthma, and lung disorders.  It has since been used for Hay Fever, Pleurisy, Pneumonia, Whooping cough and Sneezing fits.

Pleurisy root (Asclepias Tuberosa)
This nice perennial herb is common in dry, gravelly and sandy soils. Pleurisy root is used for the condition, which the name comes from.   Used in formulas or extracts for the purpose of promoting perspiration and expectoration in illnesses of the respiratory system.  It mitigates the pain and relieves the difficulty of breathing without being a stimulant.  The root is also used for any bronchial congestions, acute rheumatism and dysentery.

I have a found that all 4 of these herbs are very effective mixed together for many people with allergies.  With everything from itchy eyes, dry cough, sneezing, runny nose and shallow breathing, you may want to give it try this year to stop your allergies without the harsh side effects of drugs – and to make your spring and summer more enjoyable.  All of these herbs are safe for children as well, especially Pleurisy root which was documented by Dr. Lloyd Feller “It is especially a child’s remedy.”

Nettle (Urtica dioica)
Finally there is nettle, also known as stinging nettle, which many of us have in our backyards, it is especially good for many allergic and inflammatory issues.

If you are looking to try an herbal remedy for your allergies, make sure you know the ingredients and the company you are purchasing from so you will only have good results.
Happy summer!

***This information is not a substitute for medical attention. If you are experiencing a physical medical condition please consult the health care professional of your choice.

Categories: Archives, Healing, Healthy Choices, Herbs - Tags: , , , , , , ,

Let Love Lead You Home – Guy Finley

Written by on July 4, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Published June 2005 – By Guy Finley.

Live the Dance!The search for enlightenment, fulfillment, happiness, even success- it is all inspired by one driving need: the longing for love.  The most potent motivator of all is the longing for Divine Love, for this is the source of all other loves.

Love exists. She is never not present although her life-giving presence is rarely perceived, much in the same way as we breathe in air moment to moment barely noticing the gift of life it sustains.

Nothing exists without Love. She is the secret Heart of all. These are not just words. They are an introduction to an Invitation created when Time began. To what are we invited? To know that we are already a measure of Love’s Timeless Life . . . if we will only agree to learn the lessons she has prepared for us, beginning with this:

Love knows whom She will, and none may come to know her treasures without Her decision to divulge them. Yet, though Love may not be coerced to bestow her Grace upon a person — regardless of even the most dedicated efforts — She does have one secret faintness: Love longs to be loved, so She loves to be courted. And it is because of this most unique feature that the universe itself (that She alone unifies) literally lines up for anyone who will embrace it for Her sake, gently guiding this same person to the realm of Her timeless Life.

Now in everyone is sown — into the center of his or her soul — some love. Of this we may be certain, even though many people today seem counter-testimony to this Truth. Nevertheless, as obscured as Love’s presence may be in someone we know or — and more to the point — as dim as She may shine within us from time to time — Love is there.

Love is that latent interior “hunger” we have to know whatever it is that we long to know. Love understands that whatever we will agree to draw near to ensures — given time — that we will come to know it; and then, transformed by Her magic through a marriage of a sort, we become as one with what was once unknown to us.

Don’t think this too strange an idea. The hidden Principle of Love is that only through Her do we find in the object of our affection something of ourselves: that proverbial missing piece of the perennially empty heart.

The beauty of Love is that She is already within everything; which means that there is nothing that we are drawn to know by Love’s invitation that won’t grant us for our journey itself the gift of a greater relationship with Love. Now here is what these last few ideas have been leading up to:

Giving to Receive
If we want to receive love we have to give it. What this means is that we must journey to Her before She will consent to be known. This is the courtship Love requires of those who long to possess Her. Of course it’s mysterious, but who doesn’t love a mystery!

Now, in far more practical terms, here are some ideas how to begin this journey of the Heart:

First, give your love to something. Do something with your love. Find something you love and then set out to make it your own. Never mind if you don’t have any one love for any one thing in this life. Forget the whole idea of love for the moment and ask yourself: “To what am I drawn? What is it that interests me?”

Whatever impressions you may feel from this sincere inquiry are the invisible magnetic impulses of a secret Heart, a pulse of Love that has been buried in you beneath layers — perhaps lifetimes — of misdirection. That is why you must take the next few instructions to heart.

Just Start!
Never mind if you are attracted to something but feel unable to start because you are afraid of failing in your quest. Be assured of this: Whatever it may be that you are drawn to know — whether it is to learn a new skill, grow a flower garden, develop an artistic skill, to help others, design clothes or cars, or set out towards a deeper interior life whose center is Love Herself — I tell you the only thing that matters is that you just start!

You can’t know this yet, but it is Love that calls you to Her side for whatever is your eventual choosing, and it is Love within you that feels this drawing. So do you know what this means? Just consider: Love will not, cannot fail Herself. It is more likely the sun would fall from the sky than for Love not to begin to shine through your nascent efforts. Your first reward will be to feel the warmth of knowing you are nearing the beginning of a whole New Life.

Do Love’s Bidding
Forget what others may think of you for your new aim to do your heart’s desire. Disregard those whose reality is a rut! Misery wants company. Do Love’s bidding instead. Persist with your working wish and Love will grant you the company of Herself. And as you gradually draw nearer to Her side you will know that nothing anyone thinks towards you could possibly add one cubit to your stature.

Brush aside any concerns you have (for whatever the reasons) of being unable to make a “big” beginning. Just start where you are and with what you have — even if this means taking a step so small that not one person on earth notices you have just left one world and entered another. Any beginning that you will make for the sake of answering the call of your heart is the same as a beginning whose happy ending already resides right within that same initial action.

Don’t be the least concerned if you can’t seem to find the time — or the energy — to get going because of life’s seemingly endless “duties” to family or friends. Drop these punishing (and false) ideas. Listen instead to this promise that Love makes to anyone willing to draw near enough to hear Her whisper Her secret:

Do what you must to make time and you will see that the energy you need to succeed will be given to you.

Love lends her force to the entire universe, so don’t you think that if you were to ask rightly for a bit of it — for Her sake — that She would give you the measure you need? Of course She will! All you need do is just make some time, give some moments to your intended journey. Even if all you can muster to get started with is two minutes a day, just place your attention on what you want to love, and it will love you back by giving you a bit of itself.

Persist with this new Work until you see — which you will if only you will stay the course — that the love you thought you had chosen was really Love choosing you. And when at last you realize that it has always been this way, then, for you, it will always be so . . . until the end of time.

How may you be assured that all of this is True?
It is Love that tells you so.

Excerpted from Apprentice of the Heart, © 2004 by Guy Finley, Published by White Cloud Press, Ashland, OR 97520.

Director of the non-profit Life of Learning Foundation, Guy Finley is the best-selling author of more than 24 books and tape albums on self-realization and higher success. His works have sold over a million copies worldwide and have been translated into twelve languages.  For information about Guy Finley’s books, booklets, tapes, and helpful on-going study groups call (541) 476-1200 or visit www.guyfinley. com

Categories: Archives, Love Notes, Relationship Dynamics - Tags: ,

A Throne To Call Your Own

Written by on July 3, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Tooo much fun not to post this one … Written in 2008 – Kathy Lowden.

Signs Signs…. everywhere are signs…..

Ahhh yes, there’s nothing like a ‘sign’ from the universe that we are on the right track.

As cosmic energy has been gifting me with new ‘awareness’ and opportunity for growth I am always grateful for those little signals that remind me I’m always at the place of perfection.
Just a bit of a giggle as we explore the perfection of asking for what you need.

After a wonderful visit with a dear friend I decided to take the scenic Marine View Drive home.

 

Pay Attention
A beautiful Eagle circling directly above ….. not unusual as I see them ‘everywhere’. I sent him my gratitude and blessed his appearance. A few blocks beyond the eagle’s path and in front of one of the deserted warehouses along the waterfront was another ‘sign’. The word FREE painted freehand on a huge’ piece of plywood sat propped against a pile of God knows what. Always open to the abundance of society’s desire for
new and improved, I pulled into the parking lot wondering if there was a treasure here for me.

Setting the Scene
(at that time) I lived in a cottage on five acres of beautiful and energetic land just outside a small town north of Seattle. Direct connection with Nature is available every time I looked out my windows or take the short hike to the main house to use the huge country kitchen and bathroom. A medicine wheel and circle grove of ancient Grandmother Cedar trees balance out the fact that modern amenities are not within my personal living space.

The RIGHT to Process
I have been actively open to ‘accepting (and actually looking for) a physical world thinga- ma-jig to assist in comfortable, timely release and processing of the bodily effluents I no longer need. On Spiritual level I’ve been claiming my power to ‘Process my poop’.

Giggle if you like, as human beings we all have mental, emotional, spiritual and physical doo doo that is no longer appropriate to hold within our energy field… or our body.

We’ve all got ‘waste’ to dispose of whether it be unproductive thoughts or patterns which no longer serve our highest good…. or just the truly physical poop left over after we assimilate what we need.

The Magykal Box
As I walked around the outdated light panels, broken desk and asbestos tile stacked next to the free sign wondering who would take those… there IT was. To most people it would be nothing more than a green box. Molded plastic colored that incredible bright almost lime green from the 1970’s and streaked with many years of dust from sitting in storage, the label said ‘Porta Potti Safari’ As I lifted the lid more treasures awaited inside. 4 8oz bottles of ‘aqua-chem’ portable toilet deodorizer sat unopened along with the instruction manual and ‘warranty’ for this magickal box.

Right Size – Who Cares What Color
God is indeed amazing! Most porta-potties you find nowdays have about a 1-2 gallon removable holding tank. Simple to use for brief/short-term camping trips, they look very nice and at the same time are not well suited to being an ongoing alternative to sewer or septic. While I had to look past the lack of esthetically pleasing curving lines and accept the rather simple operating design, it was also easy to appreciate the flushability feature
and a 4.5 gallon holding tank. Add to that the necessary chemicals and instruction manual …. What more could I ask for with an investment that included just a bit of hot water and elbow grease?

As you find yourself asking for and accepting assistance from your guides and angels remember anything is possible.
We never know what may be hiding in the ‘free’ pile when we open to receiving what best serves us on our path.

In the realm of All that is – Ask and you shall receive…. it is God’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom….
And a throne to call your own.

Kathy Lowden offers individual coaching, energetic clearing and balancing, Reiki Mentoring and intuitive consultations to assist you in living the passion that is your life.

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