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Praise Be! Conquer Those Blues With the Spirit of Gratitude!


Praise Be! I’m giving thanks today. For Everything!

I try to live with a spirit of gratitude every day, but today I’m going to try to be particularly mindful of giving thanks at every opportunity. I woke this morning with a heaviness in my heart, the early morning was gloomy and dark, and my senses felt stuffy and dull. I was just feeling off kilter in general, the kind of day where you feel like you have a cold coming on. Well to hell with that…something had to be done!

I’m a preemptive kind of person, and I’ve learned to listen to the little quiet whispers of warning, so rather than cancel all my plans for the day and stay safely ensconced in my home drinking herbal tea, I will face the day with light filled praise and a smiley face. If nothing else my sunny countenance will annoy the crap out of anything that wants to bring me down today!

I have learned that the easiest way to shift any negative situation is to give it praise and be grateful. The vibration of gratitude immediately discharges the negative charge and neutralizes the situation.

Living By Design not By Accident!

To give praise and gratitude are powerful affirmations of blessings received. Immediately the gap between wishing for something and having something is closed. Immediately we free ourselves from being distant from the qualities of life we desire. When we focus on the distance we get more distance.If it is important to you to create and live your life by design rather than by accident praise the moment. If you want to live in co-operation with the opportunity that is present in every moment you have to be open to it and you open that door by being grateful for it.  See it done – see it now.
Praise and gratitude are acknowledgments of positive life force flowing through your life. By expressing gratitude we recognize that there is an intelligent principle in the universe that exists omnipotently and of which we are innately part and parcel. As we give praise we simultaneously receive it and our own consciousness is uplifted. Once we understand that blessings are already received our psyche strives toward and resonates with that specific outcome because it knows no other way. Everything that exists is part of everything we are. We are not separate from anything. It is only our focus and our ideas of separation that determine how far away from something we are, and what other obstacles stand in the way. What ever we give the power to to limit us and prohibit our success will have it as long as it takes us to take it back.

The Nature of Praise…
i)    What you praise increases: Everything you give your attention to multiplies whether it is negative or positive. Bad becomes worse, good becomes great. If you expect to be lucky and blessed – you will be. If you expect the worst – you will have it. Be careful in what you wish for and affirm as the truth of your life. If you think one day your ship will come in then you will wait perpetually for ‘one day’. Decide that today’s the day. Praise this day as the day your ship came in!
ii)    Praise liberates and releases stagnant life force energy. By activating energy and freeing it up as available energy to your overall system of organs, muscles, and cells, the body gets to experience a surge of vitality and increased energy. A hopeful feeling washes flows through the system and so begins a process of restoration and regeneration and renewed health.
iii)    Thanks – giving neutralizes stress and un-does dis-ease. By realizing blessings received we instantly release ourselves from disease generating attitudes of worry, guilt, fear, criticism, condemnation, deprivation, hate and ingratitude. You can not be grateful and resentful at the same time. Choose your point of focus before you get sick.

In times of trouble:

Praise your difficulties.

Any experience that gives you new learning or a chance to see something differently is worth praising. The attitude of gratitude changes the dynamic charge of the experience from negative to positive. You instantly diffuse the negative charge, disabling its ability to mushroom into other areas of your life. Even if you are unable to see anything good from your current perspective there exists a possibility in every situation. Give praise, look for the lesson/teaching/value of the situation. If you can’t find it, just expect there to be a ‘blessing in disguise’ somewhere. Let go and let God! These are the lessons of blind faith. Don’t give up now! These are the toughest times. Remember that it is easy to have faith when everything is going great, but faith really doesn’t matter unless you need it.

“I praise the life I have! I AM grateful for the strength I have!

I glory in the life I have! Praise Be!

There is always something to praise. Look for it if you don’t see it! There is a solution to every problem. There is an answer to every question. Sometimes our greatest teachings lie in the vulnerability of not knowing, then when we finally surrender enough the answer is revealed and made clear, giving us another opportunity to be grateful.

Thanksgiving is always a special time of year for me. I love the autumn, the leaves, the pumpkins, the apples, the coolness of the days, all of it. Every year at Thanksgiving I make a list of all the people I know and I find a thing in them  – no matter how difficult – to be grateful for. I especially do this with my family. I don’t necessarily reveal the pieces but I have found that just holding that knowledge in my heart helps bridge any differences or conflicts we may have. And I AM intensely grateful for ALL my family, near and far, close or distant, blood or water! Have a blessed Thanksgiving celebration where ever you are!

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Metaphysics

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Who’s Driving as You’re Cruisin’ Through Life?


I think I got my driver’s license the same minute I turned 16. I had already been driving everything anyone would let me get behind the wheel of  but even so getting my license to drive on the road legally was and still is a cherished, thrilling privilege. It represents a powerful freedom for me and one I protect. To be able to drive means I have the power to choose where and go when the spirit moves me. As I’ve watched each of my kids get their drivers licenses I saw the same independence and autonomy instantly begin to flourish in them. Within moments of getting their permits each of them were transformed with an evident awareness of their newly expanded power and personal authority. Learning to manage that power and authority of course came next but that’s where we all face our challenges. While personal examination, growth and development are relatively new concepts in our culture, drivers have used cars for decades to access and play out their personal dramas and perspectives albeit unconsciously at times but accurately nonetheless.

From over 30 years of having them, repairing them, and driving them, I have come to regard cars and all that they entail as very effective workable metaphors for our lives. Consider your car to be the vehicle of your expression and the way you operate your car to be the way you navigate through and manage your life . The idea is that your car, as an extension of you, shows the world what you either think of yourself or what you want the the world to believe you think of yourself as you travel through life. As the vehicle of your expression it reflects to you and shows others your sense of self power.  Many people use their car to create an illusion of the personality they want to be understood as. By understanding what our car, maintenance issues and personal driving habits are we can come to understand a lot of how we function in the world and why. Often times just by using this metaphor we are able to understand things that we wouldn’t otherwise realize.

Get behind the Wheel

To work with this metaphor you actually have to see yourself as the one in control of the car. Ultimately the one at the wheel steers the car. The driver is the one in power. If it isn’t you then you are willing to sit and wait patiently until ‘they’  – whom  ever they are – decide what’s best for them and their charges. You can grumble and complain and sit there with your arms fold stubbornly across your chest oozing your displeasure – but unless you learn to take the wheel in your own hands you are left staring out the passenger window! Whole separate issue!

The power to change your life rests on the acceptance of one simple fact: you must assume full responsibility for the life you lead. If you don’t accept responsibility for the life you have, and instead choose to believe that someone or something else determines your fate, then you will never feel you have the right to change it and thus you become destined to keep repeating the same drama. The power to change the course will remain with the one you assign the power to make the decisions. Believe this, if you don’t make your choices for yourself someone else will. If you don’t stand up for what you want you will have to go along. And if you don’t speak up someone will speak for you. If you don’t choose to get behind the wheel you will have to sit somewhere else and if you’re not driving, you’re hitching a ride.

It’s OK to just go along to get along as they say, as long as it’s what you want to be doing. And of course, there are times when we simply don’t want to be driving and are perfectly content being the passenger. There are times in fact, when it is essential to surrender to the plans of others and to learn how to be peacefully acquiescent and quiet in the passenger seat. Sometimes we need to learn how to be an effective co-pilot. Just don’t go along and then constantly complain that it’s against your will. Make your peace with the decision before you live it. Can you sit quietly as a passenger, or are you a back seat driver always coaching from the side lines? Harassing the driver but never taking control yourself.

How Do You Handle Your Vehicle?

Good driving skills demand that we become good defensive drivers, on the look out at all times with a proactive approach. We must learn to  look ahead,  be prepared to take evasive action and hopefully be able to avoid possible problems. All to often however, people drive full force into a traffic jam, head on into oncoming traffic and fall asleep at the wheel. They drive too fast for the conditions, they ignore the challenges of their fellow drivers, and they recklessly bully and endanger others. So ask yourself: are you stuck? Are you on an imminent collision course with another driver? Are you driving a bumper car, steering like crazy, being jostled about and going nowhere? Do you run into road blocks, detours, or other obstacles that prohibit you from reaching your destination? Are you disrespectful of others rights and opinions? Are you being a bully? Are you asleep at the wheel with your eyes wide open? Is someone else always at fault?

Car Maintenance

Every vehicle needs consistent and regular maintenance. Our cars need oil, water, fuel, air, etc., just like us.

So…What do you drive? What shape is it in? What service issues is it plagued with? Each issue uncannily reflects a condition that is evident in your own physical body. For example is your car overheating – how’s your personal rage, are you hydrated? Are you constantly running out of gas, or do you have a fuel leak – what about your own ‘fuel’ requirements, what are you eating? Does your food intake support your energy requirements? Are you putting up with broken wipers – why are you comfortable not seeing things clearly? Etc.

Review your crazy car stories; accidents, adventures, calamities, and near misses. What do the stories have in common? Are there any recurring themes or issues with your cars? How do you relate to your car, how do you relate to yourself? To others? What is your dream car like? This is an interesting relationship worth exploring as a metaphor for your own life.

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Metaphysics

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Becoming Butterflies of a Different Kind


I know that you’re probably already familiar with butterfly analogies. I realize that butterfly references flit and flutter rampantly throughout the new age movement of thought. And I get that you get that butterfly is symbolic of transformation and metamorphosis. But I’m going to go through it again all the same; in detail, slowly, because although people talk the talk there is hardly a more potent set of images available to us mere humans than through the magical  synergy of the butterfly story. The real magic however lies in what is not often talked about. We usually talk about the transformation from caterpillar to butterfly; from humble beginnings to exquisite soaring potential. As humans we tend to like happy endings and butterfly wings are just plain happy making! But the real message of hope lies in the frenetic, arduous, and determined journey of the lowly Caterpillar.

4 Stages of Development:

1. The Egg (Conception): You are conceived, from fertilized egg you come into being. You enter into this life’s experience with a bevy of information that will all contribute to the path you must walk in this lifetime. From the moment of your conception you are immersed in this matrix of information that will metabolize into your own being, forming your own unique life’s expression. You grow, develop, and become the miniature form that will execute your life’s journey this time around. The concept of you is created out of karmic lessons, genetic opportunity, parental influence, environmental conditioning, and knowledge. When you are ready you will emerge through a  challenging experience of birth. Your first real experience of fighting for your life,  you break through the barrier that has kept you safely protected, to move toward an independent expression of your self. And this is where the real fun starts!

2. The Caterpillar: From the moment he breaks away from his egg, the caterpillar begins to hunt for and devour huge amounts of food. His physical rate of growth is fantastic. Four separate times he literally grows out of his skin. 4 times he must shed his old skin and live into his new potential.  4 times his skin splits, dries up and 4 times he must wriggle free of it, leaving it behind if he intends to survive; which is of course, all that motivates him.

Likewise there are four times in a human life that we change our skin, dramatically yet without realizing it from a daily perspective; infancy, adolescence, adulthood, seniority. But at each stage, before we can rightfully embody the next stage of life we must learn the value of letting go of the ideas, dependencies, perspectives and belief systems that have been relevant to life to date. Some of these experiences are emotionally devastating, earth shattering, heartbreaking. Although we think that we would be happy to leave these behind us, often these times of life are the ones we allow to define us and to influence how we move forward in life. Our ultimate success will be determined by how well we let go of our most challenging attachments, forgive and move forward toward the next stage. The caterpillar grows larger and expands with each stage right up until his ‘death’ time as the pupa. Human tendency, however is to slow down our growth once we move into middle age. Half way through our life span we tend to stop taking in new ideas, we indulge in routine, cultivate patterns of sameness, and reject thoughts of new possibility. We approach our death time with low energy, little creativity, and resignation to the inevitable.

As human beings we also have 4 aspects that must be simultaneously developed as we grow; physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. It seems an immutable fact that we are destined to grow, our choices in reference to each of these aspects will determine how well and gracefully we progress. Each aspect supports the others and encourages the others to stretch and reach for a higher opportunity at all times.

3. The Pupa (Transformation): When the caterpillar enters the pupa stage a profound cellular transformation occurs that will eventually allow the caterpillar to experience life from an entirely different, more lofty perspective than he had previously known. It is during this stage of human development that many of us choose to rest, believing that life has reached its climax and now there is nothing but a steady decline in vitality ahead. Transitioning from mature adult into senior is an enormously difficult shift in physicality, mentality, emotionality and spirituality for most people. Many people choose to spend this part of their development being ill, tired, listless, lifeless, uninspired and mournful. As fully mature adults we too begin to change chemically. The pharmaceutical companies must love this stage of development as they seem to provide more and more prescription drugs that cater to aging bodies and metabolisms to say nothing of hormonal deficiencies  and other chemical imbalances that happen with aging. It’s an all out effort to keep the population from believing what they see happening in the mirror. There is a time of retreat, isolation, and reconstitution that has to happen to allow the shift forward into a beautiful seniority. Mankind must learn to surrender to his maturity and allow the alchemical transformation to happen so that he too may emerge in a splendid possibility and symbol for hope.

4. The Butterfly(Seniority): The caterpillar instinctively follows his biological clock and surrenders himself willingly to the pupa stage of growth; man not so much. We fight it every step of the way. Every where we look we see seniors trying to recapture their youth. It is not however, the seniors that are trying to look and act young that capture our hearts, it’s the ones that joyfully and exuberantly embrace their age, their knowledge and their wisdom. The seniors that we adore and respect are the ones who have gracefully allowed themselves to embody the fullest culmination of their lives. When our elders joyously express their enthusiasm for life with flair and panache we see the human butterfly emerging. They have surrendered to their transition and have gratefully, with humility and profound wisdom accepted and embodied the journey of the butterfly. They have miraculously surrendered to the divine order of life to experience without fear or worry the fullest expression possible. The human butterfly has learned to leave the worries of growing, building and survival behind him and lives out the remainder of his life dancing with the breezes, enjoying the nectar of the beauty of life and living for the moments that remain. Butterfly nurtures the spirit of others around him, giving hope and inspiring the next generation to live their fullest life possible.

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Healing, Metaphysics

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Healing: Reconnecting to Your Sacred Geometry


The human being is a divine construction of geometrical shapes and patterns that resonate with all natural expressions of life. Each human-being holds within their DNA a signature coding and subsequent frequency that is in perfect alignment with his universe and potential. His hopes and dreams for his life will automatically manifest if he stays true to his original hologram. Life however, is full of contrived hopes and illusions that stymie our growth and potential expression, which if we believe in them will create fear, limitation and dysfunction.

In order to manifest the life of your dreams you have to become still, patient, and willing to heal whatever has come into your life that separates you from your potential. Only when you reconnect to the sacred geometry that presides over all life, to the order that governs your life, and to the order with which you have already co-creatively predetermined your place will you know yourself to be healthy and filled with a sense of well-being. That quiet, hidden divine order set the dream of your Self into your unconscious mind and it’s in the quiet hidden order of your sacred geometry that you will find the right path to follow to realize your dream. Your individual sacred geometry determines the building blocks of the stable, non-corruptible expression of your perfect dream.

This is a magical understanding, supported in esoteric wisdom. You may not want to hear it. That is to say that your left brain, goal setting side may not want to surrender to your inner inherent truth. We each have an inborn desire to be great and we have an outer fear that we aren’t good enough. We also though, have a deep knowing that we are profoundly powerful in our own right and yet feel that overwhelming fear of  vulnerability and weakness created by our environment, our karma and our life’s lessons. In a judgmental, critical, materialistic, media controlled world we too often see ourselves longing for everything we are told we should want if we want to be considered successful and powerful and yet at the same time we feel the niggling despair of not being able to achieve those prescribed goals.

Finding the Magic

Your dream lies in your truth. Your happiness lies in living your truth. Your truth is aligned in perfect wisdom with the Divine order of which you are an inseparable part. Your inborn desire to be great grows out of the perfection of your inherent construction; your sacred geometry. We intuitively understand the impenetrable strength that is divinely engineered into our most primitive unconscious being. A sense of personal weakness is created and experienced only when we witness ourselves as a product and reflection of the outside world. We lose our faith in our perfection when we start to identify with the crumbling impermanent world that has been built around us devoid of sacred heart and intelligence.

The magic happens when we allow our consciousness to reflect the magnificent ecological harmony of a forest, or the structure of a tiny sea shell, for in their reflection we know ourselves truly. In that moment we intuitively recognize the godliness locked within our own cellular being. Even looking upon ancient structures like the Parthenon, or magnificent cathedrals or the Sydney Opera House for example will fill us with a sense of awesome innate power because they too have been constructed using the same geometrical shapes, patterns and principles that we ourselves are built of. We naturally harmoniously resonate with all sacred constructions, and in the breath of a moment can be reawakened to our natural perfection.

Alchemy, Transformation & Perfect Manifestation

You are a magical, alchemical human being but you may not know it yet. You are as a butterfly wanting to become it’s full glorious self even when all you can feel is the sluggishness of the caterpillar. And just like the caterpillar, it will take an alchemical transformation to shift into a new way of being. Alchemy is based in understanding the laws that govern our universe and then stepping into the role of designer. By learning the necessary skills we can become the alchemist that seems to magically create the life of dreams and inspirations, from straw to gold.

Trust in the knowledge that there is an order in our Universe that is mathematically precise. All growth happens through the expansion of patterns.  The patterns are created by a sacred geometry that manifests throughout all natural expressions of form. We are part of those same expressions. The helix and swirling logarithmic spirals map out the basic structures that govern our physical universe. Simple geometric shapes and immutable patterns shape our physical reality. You, yourself are a mass of DNA helix on a cellular level, and swirling energy spirals that all operate with logical precision in resonance with universal patterns.

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Healing, Metaphysics

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Falling Down the Virtual – Spiritual Rabbit Hole


I explore my reality and hence possibility by contemplating the thoughts of others, reading, conversing, listening, meditating and personally experiencing new things. I am very aware that we choose how we want to be in the world. We each determine for ourselves how we want to negotiate our time, resources and energy, how we interact, how we make ourselves heard, known and understood. So I ask why, I listen, I watch, I stir pots, and I observe myself in these interactions. In this way I find out what makes me tick and where I want to focus my energy; most importantly with regards to my spiritual path.

The internet provides us with a lot of articles and opportunities to reach the world. People are searching to connect, to understand new things, to make others understand their positions, and there are an awful lot of people out there who spend an enormous amount of time on social networking sites! Wow…it’s staggering. I wonder why. I’m just kidding…I already know why. I’m there too after all. We want to meet people, talk about things that matter to us, find like-minded people, communicate, find our place in the world. Ultimately as we glean little bits about others we come to know ourselves better. I’m not out there to meet friends, I already have those – I’m out there to meet new minds. I want to know what people are thinking about, specifically with regards to spiritual growth, change and development. Navigating the internet and all the information on it is like embarking on a trip to Wonderland – Alice’s Wonderland that is!

Curiouser and Curiouser!

So with regards to this matter of spiritual growth and development I have discovered that there are a lot of people who seem to know the way! Very exciting! Many people have opinions which they are very eager to share, some people pass along other people’s opinions, some people just want to talk and aren’t interested in listening at all to what others are really saying.

You can slip down a rabbit hole pretty quickly if you don’t know what your spiritual intention is. There seem to be an awful lot of white rabbits out there wanting to lead us down one garden path or another – all equally reasonable, all spiritually ‘guided’ and most seem in a hurry to get somewhere. Presumably they are offering a happier, more peaceful, more enlightened place; a wonderland perhaps! But as we are aware, Wonderland is chock full of illusion and drama that tends to occupy our senses in a very nonsensical kind of way.

The airwaves offer us a plethora of spiritual rabbit holes. So many ways…so many things to consider…so little time! We’ve all learned that things aren’t always what they seem.  As our knowledge base increases so does our perception and our ability to see illusion. There is only one path – at a time – for every perspective. You can, of course keep changing perspectives and keep jumping paths but you will eventually get tired and frustrated. Or you can start where you are and heed the greatest words ever…Know thyself. What do you need, want, desire and know? This is a key purpose of your life; to know where you stand and to stand in your shoes satisfied that you are in the right place and the right time.

Navigating the Spiritual Wonderland

Remember why you embarked on the spiritual journey. Are you finding what you’ve been looking for? Give yourself a reality check. Are you happy? Is your life satisfying to you? Do you have and are you maintaining self-respect? Is the quality of your life improving? Is your spiritual path supporting your values and ability to choose?

As long as you are a walking, breathing, thinking, ekeing-out-a-living human being, you have a responsibility to be human. Does your spiritual rabbit hole make you a better human being? Are you more or less content to be a contributing member of society? If you can’t answer yes to these you might consider finding a new rabbit hole.

Ask yourself who’s attending the tea party? Are they sane? Are they followers? Are they committed to the highest good or simply adversarial?

Eventually Alice arrived home knowing herself in an expanded way, more content in her own skin, inner demons conquered, heart re-discovered. Does your rabbit hole lead you back home a better person?

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Metaphysics

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Something to Ponder


When I attended the Awakening the Dreamer – Changing the Dream Symposium brought out by the Pachamama Alliance we were each given a card with a quote on it by George Bernard Shaw. I just thought I’d share it with you.

This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.

I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community, and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.

I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me; it is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.

I like this – a lot! I think I want to burn as brightly as possible to. What about you?

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Metaphysics

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Give Praise to the Dreamers…Become One if you Dare!


I’ve been meeting some truly amazing people lately whose acquaintance fill me with hope and renewed energy to keep moving forward on my sometimes twisty convoluted path.

I’m concerned about the plight of our planet, the condition of our species and our prospects of survival. I meet many people in a day whose primary concern is their failing health and difficult life situations. As humanitarian I acknowledge and empathize with their pain and fear. As healer my job is to hold a torch of light that allows them to see the way out of their grief. This can be challenging at times.

The torch I choose to bear is not one I’ve personally created. The light I try to hold is the light that has been created over time by the healers, visionaries, wisdom keepers, peace makers, and builders of the past. Of course these people don’t go by these titles, they’re builders, architects, scientists, leaders, poets, artists, musicians, and dreamers of all descriptions. They are people who have been so profoundly moved by the potential of our possibility that they see beyond the limitations presented by our reality. They dream us forward, one vision at a time.

I like to align myself with the highest energies available in every moment, it’s why I practice Reiki daily – it’s my spiritual practice. But on a physical level it’s the great brilliant adventurers of our past and present. It’s the people who walk their talk. The ones who do something different out of the norm. The ones who aren’t afraid to stare down the demons of complacency and conformance. The ones who dare to blow the sides out of the boxes of uniformity. The dreamers can be a pretty motley crew on first glance but I assure you this is where the action is. Many of these powerful visionaries weren’t respected and appreciated in their own time for their path took them out of their current reality into ours of the future. They were often criticized, ridiculed, even jailed, hung and assassinated for their beliefs. While the masses may desperately cling to the ways of the present by their fingertips and dig their heals into the bedrock of popular society the dreamers take flight, sailing and free-falling into the shadowy realms of possibility. This is just plain too risky for most.

These dreamers dare to plunge into the vast unknown and surrender to the ebbs and flows of unformed consciousness. They bring back to us a dream, a vision for our possibility, that can manifest if we dare but follow with our own little bit. Every new dream allows the rest of us to experience and create a new manifestation of power. We have the chance to create with the tools of our respective trades a special something, that is uniquely our own yet symbiotic to the whole. And so history is reshaped, evolved into ever greater potentials.

The effect of the individual dreams is cumulative. Each one builds on another. Each dreamer is motivated by a unique combination of stimuli and the results reflect in the circle of influence of the dreamer. While each of us has our own circle of influence the circles connect in intricate magical designs and patterns that continue to form more and more dreams. The themes of expression, although unique in design all reflect the same values; love, freedom, creativity, equality, sustainability, harmony and peace.

Today is the day to give way to a dream. Don’t be afraid of failure. Don’t hesitate at the doorway that leads your mind to freedom. Step out and dare to be guided by a light that shines for you. The heart yearns to engage passionately with life.

When you dream be aware that many great people have gone before you and still cast tremendous light through the darkness of the unknown. Let their visions and accomplishments guide you. I walk in good company when I travel with the dreamers of our world.  I hope to see you there – in a dream for the future.

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Metaphysics

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Spirit Guides Come in All Different Skins!


Some people have angels as spiritual guides, I have Snakes.

This is no huge surprise, I have a love for the earth, her plants and her animal species. I love the myths of dragons and transformation. I love the philosophies of death and rebirth, of what goes around, comes around, of the renewal and evolution of life, fertility and egg symbolism. Serpent is the keeper of all of these ancient wisdoms. That said, it still took me a long time to see snake as a spiritual guide.

Many, many moons ago I took part in my first Shamanic workshop, it was an experience I’ll never forget. It was during that first workshop I met Snake in a very personal creepy way.

We were on a quest to meet our power animals. The first couple of times we journeyed I had trouble seeing anything. I was very jammed up in my linear mind. I hated looking stupid or falling for stupid things. So until I was crystal clear, I wasn’t willing to acknowledge anything. I was afraid of knowing what there was to know. I very much wanted to control the information that I received. My ego was also always getting in my way. If I had my choice I would have wished Eagle into my vision, or an Elk or even a Hummingbird, something pleasant, regal and easily accepted. So when I went on my journey and didn’t see any of these likable animals I apparently didn’t want to see anything. So the teacher lined me up with another classmate and we went on a journey to find my power animal together. In about 30 seconds flat I was covered in writhing, squirming snakes of various sizes and colors. Yuck…but I figured I could still be wrong, it could just  be a hyper active imagination. When we came back from our journey and I was asked what I saw, I said “Nothing.” My teacher was astounded.

Down we went again. This time one very large fat white snake cuddled up next to me – have you ever been cuddled by a snake? It wasn’t my idea of fun! We were quickly summoned back to the room by the drum and this time the teacher didn’t even ask me, and turned to my partner instead “well?” he inquired. Jody answered simply and matter of factly, “Snake.” The teacher turned to me with an inquisitive look on his face for some sign of my concurrence. I shuddered and confirmed Jody’s experience. That was more than 15 years ago. Today snake and I meet regularly for journeys, meditations and conversations. And no I’m not nuts!

Snake and I have an agreement. If I’m jammed up and trapped in my linear mind and can’t see something I need to be noticing, or if there is something I need to be paying special attention to, or if there is something I need to go through and I’m blind to it, He will show up in my path somehow. Now I know that when I see, feel or even just think of Snake I have to open my eyes, ears and other senses; something important is afoot. The rap on the knuckles is the same; get out of your head, ground, and pay attention.

It has been an interesting coincidence that almost all of my Reiki and metaphysics students also have a relationship with snake, not all of them friendly I might add, but they’re learning. I strongly encourage them to build a solid kind appreciative relationship with Snake. Snake teaches us to be flexible, on guard, on patience and on being quiet. He teaches us the value of shedding old skins of belief systems as we grow and learn. As we out grow our old way of being in the world to easily let go and move on.

Today Snake is once again making a very big appearance in my life. My cats keep dropping big garter snakes on my doorstep. Snake has appeared in my dreams, through the stories of my clients, through references in the books I’m reading and while working in the garden. So I’m paying attention. I notice the growth and letting go that is happening in my own life. I see how differently I cope with life around me compared to how I used to. These days I am happy to see Snake appear. I know that I am progressing through change. I am grateful for all my friends that also have snake as their totem, we’re a clan of a specific vibration.

What ever your special affinity with any animal is, make friends with it, build your relationship, embrace your ally. Recognize that this is a spiritual relationship to help you through your transitions. Not all spirit guides are beautiful angels with iridescent wings from ethereal realms, some are right in  front of our noses with all the reality of earth-bound living.

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Metaphysics

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In A Perfect World


Part of my job is helping people get to what they want in life. The other part of my job is helping people understand what they want to get. This is by far the most challenging piece. Amazingly, people usually don’t know what they want. And even more amazing is that they don’t know they don’t know!

So just to get the ball rolling, I like to pose the questions, “What does your perfect world look like? Who’s in it? What do you do? How do you live? Where do you live? What do you look like” Usually I get answers that paint a very different picture from the life being lived. Sometimes I get I don’t knows, but very rarely do I get the true answer, which is of course – “close to what I got”.

In a perfect world we are not enslaved to live the life we’ve got, we are free to make choices at will that guarantee our happiness every day. In a perfect world we have no worries, no anger, no fear. We are perfectly matched to the love of our life, and have purpose. The stuff of fairy tales and romance novels.

So here’s the rub…our world is perfect. Your world is perfect.

It is the perfect alignment of cause and effect. Like attracts like. What you have in your life is the result of the seeds you have planted and nurtured to thrive. How can it be any more perfect than that?

Your life today is the life you believe in. It’s the life you believe you deserve, it’s the life that makes sense of your choices. Your life today reflects all of the faith you hold in your self, your loved ones, your god, and your past. What ever the struggle, the torment, the pain you suffer you believe in it.

We live in a world of free choice. But instead of making our choices that support our happiness and happily ever after dreams  we do any number of things that screw us up and set us on ‘the wrong’ path. We lie, we cheat, we get hooked on various addictions, we compromise our decision-making by doing what other people want us to do when we don’t want to – from sex, to careers, to marriage, to schedules, to having kids, we give our power away. When you give your power to choose the quality of life away you immediately become aware of feeling that you no longer live in a perfect world. When you believe that someone else’s dream is more important or better than your own you start living in someone else’s version of life and dream.

Come to understand that even when you make a decision to follow someone else – it’s still your choice. Once you get that part, commit to it! Don’t wish otherwise! Accept where you stand! If you don’t like it – change it! Come to independently know your own mind. The world can’t be anymore perfect – you co-created it. You are living your choices. If you understand that and still think you feel trapped and can’t make changes to change your situation then accept it. Don’t torment yourself and others with self-pity. Self pity has a soul shattering dynamic all its’ own that works to serve victimization belief systems. Once you believe you are victimized you are doomed to follow along. Then the serious whining begins!

Instead congratulate yourself on being the master creator of your world – with the power to make choices, look for options, do what you can, understand the compromises you intentionally make and let yourself off the hook. Just stop complaining about it. Work hard at loving your life, at creating a life you love, finding the things you love about your life, and doing the things you love. Anywhere you spend energy in your life (which is everywhere) make it loving energy! Loving thoughts that support your choices will in turn create other options that create more love. Anger, fear, bitterness and resentment may still crop up but just to show you what is still out of alignment. In the loving of your life you will soon be living in a perfect world, all your own with everything you love in it.

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Metaphysics

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Opening to a Beautiful Mind


I woke up this morning, early, 4:45am. I got a ‘thought knot’ in my brain and couldn’t unravel it while I was lying there so I was forced to get up. On top of that, my dreams, all night, were disturbing to say the least. My life – in my dream – was eroding, earth falling away to gaseous fire pits, big snakes, rotting dying people, secrets, hiding. Obviously some deep messages to figure out…or not! My dreams were being affected by some bad TV watching (serial killers, snakes and mystery). My crazy collection of random thoughts were tying up in knots creating unsolvable problems. So I got up, planted my feet in the real world and made a coffee. As I sat with my coffee in the early morning gray, still mostly black, light, (did I mention it was really early?)  I found myself reflecting on how thought full my brain and life was. I know better than to try to figure my way out of a thought knot. Thinking only makes it worse. ‘Thought knots’ have to be untangled. Carefully. Slowly and deliberately.

As I consciously began to unraveled my ‘thought knot’, I became aware of the huge variety of thoughts that swirl through my brain in any given moment. Gradually, as the various ideas started to let go and flit away, I started feeling better and more centered. My brain stopped its’ swirling and my focus was restored. In the back of my brain I noticed feeling very grateful that I had the awareness to sort through my mind problems.

The mind is an amazing thing with enormous potential to trap us in useless circles or free us into beautiful dimensions of new possibilities. I prefer to spend most of my time in the latter state but occasionally find myself locked in the former. We all do. Fortunately, I have learned to have faith in my brain and in the power of my mind. It’s not always easy to shift your brain away from swirling patterns to useful ones but I have always considered it a very essential piece to my freedom and happiness to be able to access the power of my mind rather than be victimized by the habits of mindless spinning. Within all the mental madness, all the swirling under tow is clarity, focus and direction. Underneath all the muddy thinking hides a crystal clear beautiful mind capable of outstanding feats.

Learn to meditate, spend time contemplating life, play games, find things to laugh at, try new things, say yes instead of no, practice non-attachment.

I have come to trust that my mind is the interface between the outer world and my heart. What I want in my heart will be made manifest through the power I own to wrap my mind around what it takes to get it. If I never discover what I am all about mentally, my challenges are sure to overwhelm me and I’ll never be able to access my power to create the life I want.

My happiness, your happiness will be determined by the freedom we feel to exercise the choices of our mind and we can’t do that if we constantly get bogged down in ‘thought knots’. Happy untangling.

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Metaphysics

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