Just as we might gain new insight into where we are really heading by looking at what we are really reading, watching, and listening to, and we can see what is happening with our bodies by looking at what we are eating.
So too, our actions will shape our outcomes this next year.
Just as we review what influences are growing in our life, what actions are we taking? Do we put on our profiles that we enjoy hiking even though we have not done so in quite a while? So maybe our first action is to revise that statement to say enjoy walking, and then get up every day and do it.
Even on the days when we might feel lazy, notice that feeling, then get up and get going anyway. Even if we start modestly and just walk for a half hour, it contributes to our health. Then after a while of half hour walks, a one hour walk does not seem like too much. And then maybe one day, we will feel like hiking again, going up and down mountain or woodland trails for hours. But for now, simply adjusting the truth of our statements to the truth of our actions is enough.
When I was recovering from a heart attack 10 years ago, I had to begin my recovery by walking 5 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes in the evening the first day. Then 6 minutes in the morning and 6 minutes in the evening the second day. Then 7 minutes in the morning and 7 minutes in the evening the third day. And so on until after one month, I could get up to 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening. Every little bit of action contributes to the big picture, to the goal, to better health.
If one of our goals is to change jobs or change careers, we can take action by doing at least one thing to make that dream real. If we make one contact, research one opportunity, make on appointment or one inquiry, every day we step closer to our goal.
Each success is made up of taking one step after another, always looking for ways to achieve our goals, make our dreams come true. So making the transition may seem to be a large task, but every day that we add to our knowledge and make another contact and meet with another person or send off a sample or take some other action, that sharpens our focus and brings the result within reach.
Positive thinking is part of this process, but it requires action to be really effective. When we are taking action steps, we are also visualizing ourselves in the picture of our success. Being realistic about what we will do and then approaching it one step at a time will make dreams come true.
What do you want? What steps will you take to get there?
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Reality Check
Have you also noticed that when you listen to or look at year end lists of the best this, that and the other, that you find that you have not read many of the reputedly best books, been listening to the best music, seeing the best movies, eating at the best restaurants and so on. Perhaps you have done a few of these, but mostly not.
So here is a suggestion. Make your own lists of the things you enjoyed most this past year. You may discover that you have been changing but did not recognize it. Whenever we fill out profile forms, we write in our favorite this or that, and we may have stuff on the list that is no longer true or current.
For example, perhaps you used to read lots of self help books, but this year, you started to read a lot of mysteries. What might that indicate? What if you find yourself less in touch with popular music or rock, and more enamoured of classical music or jazz? What if you have been having fun exploring Netflix at home instead of going to movie theatres and you have been watching a lot of interesting movies that never were big hits? What if you have not been eating at restaurants that are reviewed in magazines and websites, but like the food and the prices at some small places close to home?
What does all of this mean to you? There are no right or wrong answers, just a reality check.
Maybe you have evolved this pattern because you felt it was time for a change, although the shift may have been subtle. Maybe what began with reading the DaVinci Code a few years ago led to reading other works of fiction involving characters from history. Maybe watching Shakespeare in Love or The Tudors whetted your appetite for books about interesting characters from Medieval or Renaissance eras. Maybe the love of a good story led to an interest in mysteries or fantasies.
Or maybe you watched movies that critics said were great, but you came across some others you thought were even better that no one was promoting. And what does it mean if your tastes run to extended pieces of music with lots of violins instead of short, catchy songs that simply repeat the same few lines over an over for three or four minutes?
Answering these questions might lead you to change your profile and allow you to see yourself in a different light than you used to see yourself in.
Looking over your own list, not of things you thought you should do, or things you used to do, but things you actually did, and actually enjoyed, you might change your goals for this year.
Just like your choice of books to read next or movies to see next or music to listen to next or place to have dinner next might be influenced by what you enjoyed recently, the actions you take next might well be decided by what has worked well for you recently. All of these little changes add up to bigger changes, influencing what you do for work as well as what you do for play.
Take a look, see what you notice. Then decide.
So here is a suggestion. Make your own lists of the things you enjoyed most this past year. You may discover that you have been changing but did not recognize it. Whenever we fill out profile forms, we write in our favorite this or that, and we may have stuff on the list that is no longer true or current.
For example, perhaps you used to read lots of self help books, but this year, you started to read a lot of mysteries. What might that indicate? What if you find yourself less in touch with popular music or rock, and more enamoured of classical music or jazz? What if you have been having fun exploring Netflix at home instead of going to movie theatres and you have been watching a lot of interesting movies that never were big hits? What if you have not been eating at restaurants that are reviewed in magazines and websites, but like the food and the prices at some small places close to home?
What does all of this mean to you? There are no right or wrong answers, just a reality check.
Maybe you have evolved this pattern because you felt it was time for a change, although the shift may have been subtle. Maybe what began with reading the DaVinci Code a few years ago led to reading other works of fiction involving characters from history. Maybe watching Shakespeare in Love or The Tudors whetted your appetite for books about interesting characters from Medieval or Renaissance eras. Maybe the love of a good story led to an interest in mysteries or fantasies.
Or maybe you watched movies that critics said were great, but you came across some others you thought were even better that no one was promoting. And what does it mean if your tastes run to extended pieces of music with lots of violins instead of short, catchy songs that simply repeat the same few lines over an over for three or four minutes?
Answering these questions might lead you to change your profile and allow you to see yourself in a different light than you used to see yourself in.
Looking over your own list, not of things you thought you should do, or things you used to do, but things you actually did, and actually enjoyed, you might change your goals for this year.
Just like your choice of books to read next or movies to see next or music to listen to next or place to have dinner next might be influenced by what you enjoyed recently, the actions you take next might well be decided by what has worked well for you recently. All of these little changes add up to bigger changes, influencing what you do for work as well as what you do for play.
Take a look, see what you notice. Then decide.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Reviews
Right about now, all kinds of media are presenting year end reviews, with their lists of the year's best movies, books, music, most important people, most important events and so on.
Our own personal year end review can be simple and powerful.
What is it that we have done this year that has moved us toward our vision for what we want in our life? Notice the difference between where we started the year and where we are now. So what needs to be done next? What action in the coming year will move us into our vision, or at least closer to it?
The other important component in this process is to give thanks to those who have helped us, and to have gratitude for all the good that has come our way, all the blessings we have received. Who does not like being thanked?
These two simple things will give us a powerful start on our new year.
Our own personal year end review can be simple and powerful.
What is it that we have done this year that has moved us toward our vision for what we want in our life? Notice the difference between where we started the year and where we are now. So what needs to be done next? What action in the coming year will move us into our vision, or at least closer to it?
The other important component in this process is to give thanks to those who have helped us, and to have gratitude for all the good that has come our way, all the blessings we have received. Who does not like being thanked?
These two simple things will give us a powerful start on our new year.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Revolutions, Not Resolutions
This year, instead of resolutions, make revolutions. What's the difference? Instead of talking about things you would like to change, just dig in and do them. Don't promise to do something because someone else wants you to. In the end, the only changes you will stick with are the ones you choose to do because you really want to make these changes.
It is far better to just have one or two things on your list that you really will do, three at most, rather than make a list of 5 or 10 things and then feel disappointed because you did not get them all done.
If you focus your efforts and you are successful in making even one change, you will feel proud of yourself for what you have accomplished, and then it will not be empty talk. When you actually make a change, you will have created a revolution in your life, whether your focus is to work out at least 3 times a week, build your business so that your income doubles, or whether your goal is to write something every day, only choose to do something that is so heartfelt and such a strong desire that you really will follow through.
If you want your life to change, you need to create revolutions, not make resolutions. Notice the difference and feel the joy that comes from taking action.
It is far better to just have one or two things on your list that you really will do, three at most, rather than make a list of 5 or 10 things and then feel disappointed because you did not get them all done.
If you focus your efforts and you are successful in making even one change, you will feel proud of yourself for what you have accomplished, and then it will not be empty talk. When you actually make a change, you will have created a revolution in your life, whether your focus is to work out at least 3 times a week, build your business so that your income doubles, or whether your goal is to write something every day, only choose to do something that is so heartfelt and such a strong desire that you really will follow through.
If you want your life to change, you need to create revolutions, not make resolutions. Notice the difference and feel the joy that comes from taking action.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
A Christmas Myth
I find it fascinating that our common concept of the mythical figure of Santa Claus as a fat man in a red and white suit originated with Coca Cola ads about 100 years ago. Red and white are the company's logo colors and the lovely, romantic, cheerful paintings and drawings of him drinking a Coke after delivering presents was all about reviving sales of the beverage to kids after the government forced them to remove the cocaine from the formula and sales to adults declined.
As a character to enter popular mythology from the world of advertising, Santa Claus is in sort of a unique position.
one of the components of all mythologies is magic. Characters are always described as being able to perform feats that defy rational explanation, such as personally delivering toys and gifts to every household in the world with the assistance of flying reindeer (or at least the parts of the world that believe this myth).
The resilience of this character may be due to the fact that he is intimately linked to this time of year when warm and fuzzy feelings abound and somehow many people seem able to set aside grievances and difficulties and show compassion for others in a greater than average way.
We also see outpourings of compassion when a tragedy occurs and people rush to volunteer assistance, but the unique aspect of this season every year is that these heart warming stories and occurrences are perennial.
Somehow the joy and magic of this myth, even though it originated as an advertising campaign, endures far beyond its original scope, generating real life stories such as the Secret Santas that pop up in the news at this time of year.
This is another fascinating example of the power of myth. Enjoy it for another day or so. We can all use a little more joy and magic in our lives.
As a character to enter popular mythology from the world of advertising, Santa Claus is in sort of a unique position.
one of the components of all mythologies is magic. Characters are always described as being able to perform feats that defy rational explanation, such as personally delivering toys and gifts to every household in the world with the assistance of flying reindeer (or at least the parts of the world that believe this myth).
The resilience of this character may be due to the fact that he is intimately linked to this time of year when warm and fuzzy feelings abound and somehow many people seem able to set aside grievances and difficulties and show compassion for others in a greater than average way.
We also see outpourings of compassion when a tragedy occurs and people rush to volunteer assistance, but the unique aspect of this season every year is that these heart warming stories and occurrences are perennial.
Somehow the joy and magic of this myth, even though it originated as an advertising campaign, endures far beyond its original scope, generating real life stories such as the Secret Santas that pop up in the news at this time of year.
This is another fascinating example of the power of myth. Enjoy it for another day or so. We can all use a little more joy and magic in our lives.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Lighting Fires in the Dark
Winter Solstice was Monday night. During this midwinter day, as we light candles to part the darkness, it is a perfect time to reflect on what fears we want to let go of, so that more light can come into our life during this coming year.
Mine is that I am letting go of all fears that limit my thinking about whether I can make my tarot business full time this year.
As the darkness recedes and the light grows, my determination grows stronger and my business grows. The returning sun shines on my labors, warms my energies and lights my path.
Letting go of fear is a process that we have to keep reaffirming as we replace it with joy, love and optimism.
There may also be habits that we need to change in order to be more successful, such as better organization and sharper focus. Right after the holidays, I will begin sorting out my receipts and preparing for my taxes, which will also provide a clearer time line and goals for actions during this transitional year.
What we lose in the dark is consumed by the fire, the fire of our passion, the fire of our vision. We have to set fires to burn away what we don't want and light our way to what we do want.
As we spend these cold winter nights staying warm with extra clothing, extra blankets, light candles to signify your desires. Let them burn brightly as the sun begins to grow again in the night. Each time you light a candle, let it illuminate a thought, a vision, a dream of your future. Let the lighting of the candles signify the willful actions you will take to achieve your goals and bring more of what you want into your life.
Let these little fires continue to feed the larger fire that burns from within. Light the fires that make this year the time for transition into greater success.
Mine is that I am letting go of all fears that limit my thinking about whether I can make my tarot business full time this year.
As the darkness recedes and the light grows, my determination grows stronger and my business grows. The returning sun shines on my labors, warms my energies and lights my path.
Letting go of fear is a process that we have to keep reaffirming as we replace it with joy, love and optimism.
There may also be habits that we need to change in order to be more successful, such as better organization and sharper focus. Right after the holidays, I will begin sorting out my receipts and preparing for my taxes, which will also provide a clearer time line and goals for actions during this transitional year.
What we lose in the dark is consumed by the fire, the fire of our passion, the fire of our vision. We have to set fires to burn away what we don't want and light our way to what we do want.
As we spend these cold winter nights staying warm with extra clothing, extra blankets, light candles to signify your desires. Let them burn brightly as the sun begins to grow again in the night. Each time you light a candle, let it illuminate a thought, a vision, a dream of your future. Let the lighting of the candles signify the willful actions you will take to achieve your goals and bring more of what you want into your life.
Let these little fires continue to feed the larger fire that burns from within. Light the fires that make this year the time for transition into greater success.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Attraction
Attraction is a powerful way to work with the energies of the universe. Attraction is the best way to get what we want. It is about making things happen, using your will to create results. Just as importantly, it is about sending out signals to those people in the universe who are on a similar wavelength will recognize us so that you can combine your energies with them. You have heard that old saying "you catch more bees with honey than with vinegar." This is how it works.
You do have to do things to get the signals out there, like talk to people, send them email messages, meet people live and in person, get involved in business, community, arts or charity projects that interest you. You have to stir up energies by being in action.
Signals can also be sent out in a very subtle way by thinking about your goals, dreams and desires, and focusing on bringing them into your life.
These signals can be enhanced with the use of Attraction Oil, which combines the power of aromatherapy with the magic of the Law of Attraction.
As you apply the oil every day, you reaffirm what it is you desire to attract more of in your life, whether it is business, love, relationships. health, new friends, more connection to spirit, whatever it is that you really want or need.
Then all throughout the day, each time you take a deep breath and catch the scent, you are reminded of why you are wearing the oil, and you restate your intentions, your affirmations, sending out these desires on waves and vibrations of scent.
Of course, the scent of the oil will also literally draw people to you. They will ask what you are wearing. In this way, Attraction Oil can literally help introduce you to new people.
When I create the oil, I hold the magical intention that it will enhance the purposes of whoever uses it. Then when you add your intentions to the application, it gets a second power boost to launch your rockets of desire out there and engage the Law of Attraction on your behalf.
We have to be creative and use every advantage available to us in order to succeed. What is it you want to attract? If you are ready to make this real, if you are ready to make changes in your life now, send out a signal so that everyone will know, and those who are of like mind can be drawn to you.
You do have to do things to get the signals out there, like talk to people, send them email messages, meet people live and in person, get involved in business, community, arts or charity projects that interest you. You have to stir up energies by being in action.
Signals can also be sent out in a very subtle way by thinking about your goals, dreams and desires, and focusing on bringing them into your life.
These signals can be enhanced with the use of Attraction Oil, which combines the power of aromatherapy with the magic of the Law of Attraction.
As you apply the oil every day, you reaffirm what it is you desire to attract more of in your life, whether it is business, love, relationships. health, new friends, more connection to spirit, whatever it is that you really want or need.
Then all throughout the day, each time you take a deep breath and catch the scent, you are reminded of why you are wearing the oil, and you restate your intentions, your affirmations, sending out these desires on waves and vibrations of scent.
Of course, the scent of the oil will also literally draw people to you. They will ask what you are wearing. In this way, Attraction Oil can literally help introduce you to new people.
When I create the oil, I hold the magical intention that it will enhance the purposes of whoever uses it. Then when you add your intentions to the application, it gets a second power boost to launch your rockets of desire out there and engage the Law of Attraction on your behalf.
We have to be creative and use every advantage available to us in order to succeed. What is it you want to attract? If you are ready to make this real, if you are ready to make changes in your life now, send out a signal so that everyone will know, and those who are of like mind can be drawn to you.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Explorers
It is interesting how perspective changes over time, and we suddenly are able to see things in a new light. When we were in school, we learned that centuries ago, explorers set out from Europe to try and discover whether the earth was flat or what they would find if they kept sailing west.
However, it would be more accurate to call these franchise developments. After all, when the old European powers found land somewhere, they declared them to be colonies of theirs. The obvious fact that someone else was already living there means that these entrepreneurs did not really discover those lands. And those developments were not really about simply finding more land to build homes on. It was all about sending back things to the home country that could produce revenue. Think, for example, of the early British explorers as the ones who got the tobacco franchise (Walter Raleigh) for all of Europe. Or other bands of explorers who secured chunks of land and positions for themselves as furriers (Hudson Bay Company) for Europe. You know what all those scuba divers busy searching for sunken ships? What were they loaded with that would make people want to scrounge around the ocean floor for years? Gold. These people were not just out there to see what was out there.
Explorers come in different varieties. There are explorers whose curiosity just drives them to want to know what is down there, deep in the ocean, or out there in space how the human brain works, what makes plants grow the way they do, the nature of romance, life after death, and other mysteries.
We can open ourselves to discovery simply by considering different perspectives. One of the starter ideas I used to give my creative writing students was to write a story that toyed with the idea of how we might have developed differently as a society if we would have taken up a native way of living, rather than continuing with the European model. Our culture and our country could have gone a whole different way.
When we explore what possibilities the world has for us, particularly when we are looking for ways to make money, we have to look at different perspectives to find our way. We might find ourselves sailing into uncharted waters to see if there is anything there. What we find depends upon how observant we are.
However, it would be more accurate to call these franchise developments. After all, when the old European powers found land somewhere, they declared them to be colonies of theirs. The obvious fact that someone else was already living there means that these entrepreneurs did not really discover those lands. And those developments were not really about simply finding more land to build homes on. It was all about sending back things to the home country that could produce revenue. Think, for example, of the early British explorers as the ones who got the tobacco franchise (Walter Raleigh) for all of Europe. Or other bands of explorers who secured chunks of land and positions for themselves as furriers (Hudson Bay Company) for Europe. You know what all those scuba divers busy searching for sunken ships? What were they loaded with that would make people want to scrounge around the ocean floor for years? Gold. These people were not just out there to see what was out there.
Explorers come in different varieties. There are explorers whose curiosity just drives them to want to know what is down there, deep in the ocean, or out there in space how the human brain works, what makes plants grow the way they do, the nature of romance, life after death, and other mysteries.
We can open ourselves to discovery simply by considering different perspectives. One of the starter ideas I used to give my creative writing students was to write a story that toyed with the idea of how we might have developed differently as a society if we would have taken up a native way of living, rather than continuing with the European model. Our culture and our country could have gone a whole different way.
When we explore what possibilities the world has for us, particularly when we are looking for ways to make money, we have to look at different perspectives to find our way. We might find ourselves sailing into uncharted waters to see if there is anything there. What we find depends upon how observant we are.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Labor of Love
It feels really good when you make something and after investing your time and energy into making it, you get feedback that it really has benefitted the people who have bought it and are using it? It feels wonderful. I love being able to get the acknowledgement. Wouldn't it be wonderful if all of us could get more of this kind of result from our work? What kind of world would it be if all labors were labors of love?
Testimonials for
Magical Awakenings Comfrey Reiki Salve &
Magical Awakenings Attraction Oil
Comfrey/Reiki Salve testimonial: "I burned my finger today on the wood stove, and I just put on your salve and the pain went away instantly! Your salve is awesome. I had a deep crack on my finger and it hurt. One day later it does not hurt and is almost healed! It’s funny how I got your salve yesterday and it has already healed the cut on my finger and the burn is healing!" ---Lora
Comfrey/Reiki Salve testimonial: "Loving it as an eye cream so far! I also use it under my concealer. Smooths everything!" Mary Michael
Comfrey/Reiki Salve testimonial: "Put the salve on my rough elbow and it is feeling much softer." ---Patti Auten
Comfrey/Reiki Salve testimonial: "Hi Dan! I got the salve yesterday and I love it! I have a problem with really nasty, dark, dry patches on my hands during the winter that sometimes crack and bleed. I'm already seeing much improvement, and the stuff smells wonderful." ---Harusami
Comfrey/Reiki Salve & Attraction Oil testimonial: "I do love the salve and feel its soothing energy; use it as lip balm for now. The oil smells terrific and it lasts all day long. Interestingly, my daughter is fascinated by it and follows me around the apartment, saying hmmm. She is normally picky but loves the fragrance. I am going to start wearing it with intention starting today.” : )Lilou
Comfrey/Reiki Salve testimonial: "I had really chapped lips after the Boutique Sunday and was using some other natural organic lip balm that I really like, but my lips were so chapped it just wasn't doing the trick. I tried the salve on my lips and a few hours later my dry cracked (and painful) lips were totally back to normal. Absolutely amazing results!" ---Cory Michelle Johnson
Comfrey/Reiki Salve testimonial: I put this salve on my dog's footpads to protect them from cracking in the cold weather. Since our cats go outside, I rub salve on their footpads too. It really works to help protect them because it penetrates the skin so well that even though they lick their feet, the salve has already gone in and done its work." --- Joanne
Comfrey/Reiki Salve testimonial: "A friend who got some of your salve said that it is addressing her condition of rosacea (don't know how to spell it!). Also planning to use your Attraction Oil for setting some intentions for 2010 -- tis the season!"---Lisa
Comfrey/Reiki Salve testimonials: "Your salve makes a soothing balm for my nipples. Thank you!"---R
Attraction Oil testimonial: I got your prosperity oil yesterday and have been using it. I just received a call from one of the stores where I sell my soap and they want more!, In the 10 years or so that I have been making soap I have never received a call from a store, I always have to go there and ask them, this time they had asked me! I believe it is your Attraction Oil at work! Thank you! ---L
Comfrey/Reiki Salve testimonials: "Your salve has worked well for me as a wrinkle cream around the eyes. I also use it on my lips. And it is great protection for my hands and face in cold weather when I am not wearing makeup."---S
Comfrey/Reiki Salve testimonials: "I had a hairline fracture in my heel. My doctor gave me steroids, but I did not like the feeling of taking those, so I stopped taking them. As soon as I started using your salve, my heel started to feel better. when I went back to the doctor and he took another X-ray, the hairline fracture was gone."---J
Comfrey/Reiki Salve testimonial: "It is incredible that the comfrey is grown by the same person who makes it into salve. Herbal medicine is always more potent when the medicine maker has interacted with the plant. It feels warming and soothing and helped my knee feel better right away." --- Elizabeth Willis
For ordering or more info, contact:
Dan Liss, 720-468-2624
pandan49@msn.com
Testimonials for
Magical Awakenings Comfrey Reiki Salve &
Magical Awakenings Attraction Oil
Comfrey/Reiki Salve testimonial: "I burned my finger today on the wood stove, and I just put on your salve and the pain went away instantly! Your salve is awesome. I had a deep crack on my finger and it hurt. One day later it does not hurt and is almost healed! It’s funny how I got your salve yesterday and it has already healed the cut on my finger and the burn is healing!" ---Lora
Comfrey/Reiki Salve testimonial: "Loving it as an eye cream so far! I also use it under my concealer. Smooths everything!" Mary Michael
Comfrey/Reiki Salve testimonial: "Put the salve on my rough elbow and it is feeling much softer." ---Patti Auten
Comfrey/Reiki Salve testimonial: "Hi Dan! I got the salve yesterday and I love it! I have a problem with really nasty, dark, dry patches on my hands during the winter that sometimes crack and bleed. I'm already seeing much improvement, and the stuff smells wonderful." ---Harusami
Comfrey/Reiki Salve & Attraction Oil testimonial: "I do love the salve and feel its soothing energy; use it as lip balm for now. The oil smells terrific and it lasts all day long. Interestingly, my daughter is fascinated by it and follows me around the apartment, saying hmmm. She is normally picky but loves the fragrance. I am going to start wearing it with intention starting today.” : )Lilou
Comfrey/Reiki Salve testimonial: "I had really chapped lips after the Boutique Sunday and was using some other natural organic lip balm that I really like, but my lips were so chapped it just wasn't doing the trick. I tried the salve on my lips and a few hours later my dry cracked (and painful) lips were totally back to normal. Absolutely amazing results!" ---Cory Michelle Johnson
Comfrey/Reiki Salve testimonial: I put this salve on my dog's footpads to protect them from cracking in the cold weather. Since our cats go outside, I rub salve on their footpads too. It really works to help protect them because it penetrates the skin so well that even though they lick their feet, the salve has already gone in and done its work." --- Joanne
Comfrey/Reiki Salve testimonial: "A friend who got some of your salve said that it is addressing her condition of rosacea (don't know how to spell it!). Also planning to use your Attraction Oil for setting some intentions for 2010 -- tis the season!"---Lisa
Comfrey/Reiki Salve testimonials: "Your salve makes a soothing balm for my nipples. Thank you!"---R
Attraction Oil testimonial: I got your prosperity oil yesterday and have been using it. I just received a call from one of the stores where I sell my soap and they want more!, In the 10 years or so that I have been making soap I have never received a call from a store, I always have to go there and ask them, this time they had asked me! I believe it is your Attraction Oil at work! Thank you! ---L
Comfrey/Reiki Salve testimonials: "Your salve has worked well for me as a wrinkle cream around the eyes. I also use it on my lips. And it is great protection for my hands and face in cold weather when I am not wearing makeup."---S
Comfrey/Reiki Salve testimonials: "I had a hairline fracture in my heel. My doctor gave me steroids, but I did not like the feeling of taking those, so I stopped taking them. As soon as I started using your salve, my heel started to feel better. when I went back to the doctor and he took another X-ray, the hairline fracture was gone."---J
Comfrey/Reiki Salve testimonial: "It is incredible that the comfrey is grown by the same person who makes it into salve. Herbal medicine is always more potent when the medicine maker has interacted with the plant. It feels warming and soothing and helped my knee feel better right away." --- Elizabeth Willis
For ordering or more info, contact:
Dan Liss, 720-468-2624
pandan49@msn.com
Friday, December 18, 2009
Cards on the Table
A card reading is a simple thing, really. Profoundly simple. People have a conversation while the cards are on the table. Images and symbols contained on the cards can help trigger something deeper in the subconscious and the conversation between the reader and querant brings this up to the conscious level so that something shifts inside the querant that helps them recognize developments on the horizon and how to approach them.
The art of the reader is to be able to pick up on the energies of the person who is asking for the reading and help see more deeply into the questions that person brings to the table. This ability on the part of the reader helps them to decipher the symbols in the way that is most relevant to the person who is wanting the reading. Experience with the cards and a fluid connection with their spirit guides is key to the success of the reader who has developed their art.
Even if at the beginning cards were created strictly as a game, somewhere along the line they were given brilliantly evocative imagery by a succession of talented artists and magical adepts who knitted together esoteric knowledge and wisdom to examine the larger patterns in life.
The fact that prior to the invention of the printing press, only nobles, clergy, and some merchants knew how to read and write or had access to manuscripts and libraries, the visionaries who helped shape the evolution of cards as a medium learned to pack a lot into the pictures so that everyone could access them. Yet, even for those of us who have studied them for a long time, new insights are always revealed even when looking again a picture we have seen thousands of times before.
Each person who comes to the table prompts different energies to be awakened and new visions to be revealed. Thus, the insights gained can be subtle, profound and immense.
Seeing the cards on the table in answer to your questions, whether asked aloud or not, is akin to having a real life experience and connecting it to a dream you had. Likewise, the cards can help decipher dreams and present keys to unlock those as well.
Looking back to the gaming origin of tarot, that spirit still permeates readings. After all, if card games are a combination of both chance and strategy, so is life. When we plot a new course for ourselves, we are taking some risks, and opening up to chance. We make plans and then there are surprises, and then we adjust, because those moments of chance could be the opportunities for greater opportunities, insight and the enrichment of our life experience.
It has never ceased to fascinate me how the drawing of cards can be both random and right on the mark. Once the cards are on the table, the whole scene is open and the story unfolds.
The art of the reader is to be able to pick up on the energies of the person who is asking for the reading and help see more deeply into the questions that person brings to the table. This ability on the part of the reader helps them to decipher the symbols in the way that is most relevant to the person who is wanting the reading. Experience with the cards and a fluid connection with their spirit guides is key to the success of the reader who has developed their art.
Even if at the beginning cards were created strictly as a game, somewhere along the line they were given brilliantly evocative imagery by a succession of talented artists and magical adepts who knitted together esoteric knowledge and wisdom to examine the larger patterns in life.
The fact that prior to the invention of the printing press, only nobles, clergy, and some merchants knew how to read and write or had access to manuscripts and libraries, the visionaries who helped shape the evolution of cards as a medium learned to pack a lot into the pictures so that everyone could access them. Yet, even for those of us who have studied them for a long time, new insights are always revealed even when looking again a picture we have seen thousands of times before.
Each person who comes to the table prompts different energies to be awakened and new visions to be revealed. Thus, the insights gained can be subtle, profound and immense.
Seeing the cards on the table in answer to your questions, whether asked aloud or not, is akin to having a real life experience and connecting it to a dream you had. Likewise, the cards can help decipher dreams and present keys to unlock those as well.
Looking back to the gaming origin of tarot, that spirit still permeates readings. After all, if card games are a combination of both chance and strategy, so is life. When we plot a new course for ourselves, we are taking some risks, and opening up to chance. We make plans and then there are surprises, and then we adjust, because those moments of chance could be the opportunities for greater opportunities, insight and the enrichment of our life experience.
It has never ceased to fascinate me how the drawing of cards can be both random and right on the mark. Once the cards are on the table, the whole scene is open and the story unfolds.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Food for Thought
I was listening to someone speaking on the radio the other night, and I heard a perspective that I had not considered before.
A point the speaker was making was that for a long time now in this country we have thought that bigger is better when it comes to farms. Fewer people produce all of our food now because of modern machines, pesticides, fertilizers and the other modern inventions. Achieving the economies of scale has created a number of hotly debated topics.
In order to be more efficient, things like huge barns have been built where thousands of pigs or chickens or cattle are kept in close quarters, force feeding them and not letting them run loose and exercise, making it efficient to get them to the weight for slaughter more quickly. Large operations like this also produce tons of waste per day, filling whole reservoirs in heavily concentrated areas.
Out in the fields where row crops like soybeans, wheat and corn are grown, efficiency is enhanced by huge doses of pesticides, fertilizers, irrigation and large equipment, which makes it possible for a few people to raise food crops on hundreds or thousands of acres.
The questions of the wisdom of genetic engineering and modern farming methods have been written about elsewhere, and it is easy to find more details if you wish.
The question of size alone is the part that strikes me as a new perspective. There is a current movement which you have heard about that favors supporting more local farmers, both organic and non-organic, with the idea behind it being that food that is grown closer to home will be fresher because it does not have to be transported great distances. And if the local farmers are managing a smaller plot of land, some of the better tasting produce might also be a result of their careful attention to all the things going on with their land, large and small, and that is how they get their results, tending a smaller operation and watching it very closely.
Right now lots of people are concerned about jobs, particularly the aspects of job security and meaningful work. Maybe it was not such a bad idea when most farms were smaller and it took more people to grow enough food for everyone. There are smaller farmers now who make a good living because they are known for the quality of their produce, honey, meats and dairy. There are quite a number of smaller vineyards all over this country producing good wines.
High quality goods can come from small operations where the owner has an active role in the process and a local crew of people helps tend to the work.
I, like you, get my food and drink from a number of sources, large and small. A combination of all these sources will continue to be needed.
This example poses the question for each of us about when is it good to be big and when is it good to be small?
Whatever your business is, do you want to grow it in a way that you run it personally, and it is only as large as you can handle? Or is your dream to franchise it, or hire others and delegate it to them, or simply grow it to a certain size and sell it?
Size does matter. Each of us will have to answer that question for ourselves, and each kind of business has different factors that contribute to our considerations about optimum size. How is our quality of life affected by these decisions?
Making a living by doing something we enjoy is the optimal situation, and that certainly is influenced by the answers to these questions.
A point the speaker was making was that for a long time now in this country we have thought that bigger is better when it comes to farms. Fewer people produce all of our food now because of modern machines, pesticides, fertilizers and the other modern inventions. Achieving the economies of scale has created a number of hotly debated topics.
In order to be more efficient, things like huge barns have been built where thousands of pigs or chickens or cattle are kept in close quarters, force feeding them and not letting them run loose and exercise, making it efficient to get them to the weight for slaughter more quickly. Large operations like this also produce tons of waste per day, filling whole reservoirs in heavily concentrated areas.
Out in the fields where row crops like soybeans, wheat and corn are grown, efficiency is enhanced by huge doses of pesticides, fertilizers, irrigation and large equipment, which makes it possible for a few people to raise food crops on hundreds or thousands of acres.
The questions of the wisdom of genetic engineering and modern farming methods have been written about elsewhere, and it is easy to find more details if you wish.
The question of size alone is the part that strikes me as a new perspective. There is a current movement which you have heard about that favors supporting more local farmers, both organic and non-organic, with the idea behind it being that food that is grown closer to home will be fresher because it does not have to be transported great distances. And if the local farmers are managing a smaller plot of land, some of the better tasting produce might also be a result of their careful attention to all the things going on with their land, large and small, and that is how they get their results, tending a smaller operation and watching it very closely.
Right now lots of people are concerned about jobs, particularly the aspects of job security and meaningful work. Maybe it was not such a bad idea when most farms were smaller and it took more people to grow enough food for everyone. There are smaller farmers now who make a good living because they are known for the quality of their produce, honey, meats and dairy. There are quite a number of smaller vineyards all over this country producing good wines.
High quality goods can come from small operations where the owner has an active role in the process and a local crew of people helps tend to the work.
I, like you, get my food and drink from a number of sources, large and small. A combination of all these sources will continue to be needed.
This example poses the question for each of us about when is it good to be big and when is it good to be small?
Whatever your business is, do you want to grow it in a way that you run it personally, and it is only as large as you can handle? Or is your dream to franchise it, or hire others and delegate it to them, or simply grow it to a certain size and sell it?
Size does matter. Each of us will have to answer that question for ourselves, and each kind of business has different factors that contribute to our considerations about optimum size. How is our quality of life affected by these decisions?
Making a living by doing something we enjoy is the optimal situation, and that certainly is influenced by the answers to these questions.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
How Can a Past Life Recall Help You Now?
After a relationship is over, we may find ourselves wondering why we ever got into that one in the first place. When we are still going through the pain of separation and moving, we may be unable to see clearly, so it is sometimes easier to review after some time has passed (but not always, some are ready to do it right away) but there are lessons to draw from every experience. We just may have a difficult time figuring out what that is, and having a neutral guide can be valuable in this effort.
During this season of big parties and family reunions, questions about the nature of our relationships may be on our minds as we reflect on our past and look forward to our future.
A past life recall session is uniquely able to help you get answers to these questions. A past life recall is different than a reading. In a recall, I help you remember your own stories. I do not tell you what they were.
Recalling past lives can be a valuable experience, because it can help you get answers to your questions. For many people, this allows them the proper perspective to see the patterns in their life.
It can be a tool to help you learn something from a past life that can explain how you feel about yourself in this lifetime.
It can also help you discover a hidden talent or ability that is revealed through a past life.
It can help you discover the origin of unexplained pains, fears or phobias in this lifetime, and possibly find some relief from it.
It can help point the way to resolve old karma.
Past lives can hold the key to certain dreams you have had or are currently having. There are patterns in our dreams, just like there are patterns in our past lives and patterns in our relationships.
Past life information can be helpful for writing, research and creative inspiration.
Recalling these stories can be fun, without any other specific reason except to have an interesting and positive experience.
The first time I ever had a past life session, I asked the person who was guiding me through it how I could tell if it was just something my imagination made up. She said "If you just go through this process with me and you come up with a story that teaches you a valuable lesson, or helps you in some way, does it matter where the story came from?"
Knowing our patterns by reflecting on our past can help us create a better future, and that certainly is worthwhile, isn't it?
During this season of big parties and family reunions, questions about the nature of our relationships may be on our minds as we reflect on our past and look forward to our future.
A past life recall session is uniquely able to help you get answers to these questions. A past life recall is different than a reading. In a recall, I help you remember your own stories. I do not tell you what they were.
Recalling past lives can be a valuable experience, because it can help you get answers to your questions. For many people, this allows them the proper perspective to see the patterns in their life.
It can be a tool to help you learn something from a past life that can explain how you feel about yourself in this lifetime.
It can also help you discover a hidden talent or ability that is revealed through a past life.
It can help you discover the origin of unexplained pains, fears or phobias in this lifetime, and possibly find some relief from it.
It can help point the way to resolve old karma.
Past lives can hold the key to certain dreams you have had or are currently having. There are patterns in our dreams, just like there are patterns in our past lives and patterns in our relationships.
Past life information can be helpful for writing, research and creative inspiration.
Recalling these stories can be fun, without any other specific reason except to have an interesting and positive experience.
The first time I ever had a past life session, I asked the person who was guiding me through it how I could tell if it was just something my imagination made up. She said "If you just go through this process with me and you come up with a story that teaches you a valuable lesson, or helps you in some way, does it matter where the story came from?"
Knowing our patterns by reflecting on our past can help us create a better future, and that certainly is worthwhile, isn't it?
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Always New Beginnings
As long as we are living and breathing, there is always time for new beginnings. One reason that life seems difficult at times is because an illusion is shattered, and that illusion is something that we used to believe in.
Look at our love life and relationships. Many of us were raised with the idea that people have one marriage and it lasts a lifetime. This concept was portrayed in movies, books, TV shows and sung about in popular music. So that was the standard that was held up for us.
Yet, in real life, what happened? How many of us watched family members get divorced or separated? How many of us have been married more than once? How many of us have at one time or another felt like a failure because of this? Compared to the ideal model that was held up for us, we did not measure up. Yet realistically, for many of us, it was simply the right thing to do.
How many people in earlier generations were taught that you don't get divorced even if you are married to a drunk, junkie, compulsive gambler or an abusive person? But a social stigma was attached to divorced people back then, and perhaps even more difficult economic times. I absolutely believe that if some of those same people had lived in our time, they would have gotten divorces too. I believe that the ability to divorce is a good thing.
So it makes for interesting family get togethers during the holiday season when people are getting introduced and sometimes it is hard to keep track of how we are related to each other.
It is also interesting how people can frequently get along well, long after the fact, and the living together time is long gone, but people are still able to socialize with their exes and half siblings and the whole spectrum of relationships. Extended families can be really extended.
As we celebrate the holiday season and perhaps get together with all our relations and friends, notice how it is possible to still share joy and good feelings. Sometimes the distance in time and/or geography helps nurture kindness and understanding.
True, there are break ups that are bitter and full of animosity, and for these people, perhaps there will never be a healing or civil interactions. It is my observation though, that it is more common that the people involved realize that their relationship only lasted for a part of a lifetime, they got their lessons from it, moved on, and are still capable of maintaining friendly terms.
Holiday gatherings offer countless opportunities to shed light on these relationships and lessons, and enjoy the new combinations we now find ourselves in, the new relationships, and having grown since we formed those earlier ties, we can look back and look forward with the same perspective, knowing that no matter what the reasons why the last relationship did not work out, there is always a possibility that the next one will.
During this season when people are wishing each other well and making plans for the new year, it is important to remember this. It is never too late to start over. There is always a way to bring more joy into our life. During the season of celebrations of light, light can be shed on our life, our path, and our prospects. If there is one thing that this season teaches us, it is that we all have opportunities to rise up from the dark and cold and bask in the warmth and light.
Come sit by the fire, taste the pleasures of the moment and toast the hope, joy and desire for what is next.
Look at our love life and relationships. Many of us were raised with the idea that people have one marriage and it lasts a lifetime. This concept was portrayed in movies, books, TV shows and sung about in popular music. So that was the standard that was held up for us.
Yet, in real life, what happened? How many of us watched family members get divorced or separated? How many of us have been married more than once? How many of us have at one time or another felt like a failure because of this? Compared to the ideal model that was held up for us, we did not measure up. Yet realistically, for many of us, it was simply the right thing to do.
How many people in earlier generations were taught that you don't get divorced even if you are married to a drunk, junkie, compulsive gambler or an abusive person? But a social stigma was attached to divorced people back then, and perhaps even more difficult economic times. I absolutely believe that if some of those same people had lived in our time, they would have gotten divorces too. I believe that the ability to divorce is a good thing.
So it makes for interesting family get togethers during the holiday season when people are getting introduced and sometimes it is hard to keep track of how we are related to each other.
It is also interesting how people can frequently get along well, long after the fact, and the living together time is long gone, but people are still able to socialize with their exes and half siblings and the whole spectrum of relationships. Extended families can be really extended.
As we celebrate the holiday season and perhaps get together with all our relations and friends, notice how it is possible to still share joy and good feelings. Sometimes the distance in time and/or geography helps nurture kindness and understanding.
True, there are break ups that are bitter and full of animosity, and for these people, perhaps there will never be a healing or civil interactions. It is my observation though, that it is more common that the people involved realize that their relationship only lasted for a part of a lifetime, they got their lessons from it, moved on, and are still capable of maintaining friendly terms.
Holiday gatherings offer countless opportunities to shed light on these relationships and lessons, and enjoy the new combinations we now find ourselves in, the new relationships, and having grown since we formed those earlier ties, we can look back and look forward with the same perspective, knowing that no matter what the reasons why the last relationship did not work out, there is always a possibility that the next one will.
During this season when people are wishing each other well and making plans for the new year, it is important to remember this. It is never too late to start over. There is always a way to bring more joy into our life. During the season of celebrations of light, light can be shed on our life, our path, and our prospects. If there is one thing that this season teaches us, it is that we all have opportunities to rise up from the dark and cold and bask in the warmth and light.
Come sit by the fire, taste the pleasures of the moment and toast the hope, joy and desire for what is next.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Old Seasonal Traditions
This time of year is laden with potent memories. Christmas trees, wreaths, the smell of mulled spices, music that you only hear once a year, family gatherings, playing in the snow.
Even if, like me, you are jaded about the sell-a-thon that begins as early as Labor Day now, there is a huger reservoir of sentimental feelings connected to this time of year.
If you feel that you have seen enough versions of Scrooge or Nutcracker for a while, you might check out the Christmas Revels in Celebration of the Winter Solstice at Boulder Theater. Website: http://www.rockymountainrevels.org/ There are two more shows this coming Saturday, December 19. If your tastes run to Celtic music, this is a show that draws on the traditional stories, songs and dance of Scotland, Ireland and Wales. The large chorus sings enthusiastically and there are some standout individual performers among them. What is interesting is that they call forth folk traditions that came long before we got saturated with White Christmas, Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.
If you are at all curious to taste something deliciously different, you can see Step Dancing, Morris Dancers, Mummers, See a Hebridean Weaving Dance, hear A Wexford Carol, Green Grows the Holly or see Children's Songs & Games. There are also familiar tunes such as Joy to the World, Amazing Grace and an older version of Auld Lang Syne. If some of these terms are unfamiliar to you, rest assured that this colorful show is full of life and enough warmth to radiate heartfelt energy to everyone within reach.
It was a delightful, joyous performance and if you are looking for something a little different in the way of seasonal entertainment, check this out.
Sometimes we can gain a new appreciation for the seasonal celebrations by stepping back and taking in a whole different look at it.
Even if, like me, you are jaded about the sell-a-thon that begins as early as Labor Day now, there is a huger reservoir of sentimental feelings connected to this time of year.
If you feel that you have seen enough versions of Scrooge or Nutcracker for a while, you might check out the Christmas Revels in Celebration of the Winter Solstice at Boulder Theater. Website: http://www.rockymountainrevels.org/ There are two more shows this coming Saturday, December 19. If your tastes run to Celtic music, this is a show that draws on the traditional stories, songs and dance of Scotland, Ireland and Wales. The large chorus sings enthusiastically and there are some standout individual performers among them. What is interesting is that they call forth folk traditions that came long before we got saturated with White Christmas, Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.
If you are at all curious to taste something deliciously different, you can see Step Dancing, Morris Dancers, Mummers, See a Hebridean Weaving Dance, hear A Wexford Carol, Green Grows the Holly or see Children's Songs & Games. There are also familiar tunes such as Joy to the World, Amazing Grace and an older version of Auld Lang Syne. If some of these terms are unfamiliar to you, rest assured that this colorful show is full of life and enough warmth to radiate heartfelt energy to everyone within reach.
It was a delightful, joyous performance and if you are looking for something a little different in the way of seasonal entertainment, check this out.
Sometimes we can gain a new appreciation for the seasonal celebrations by stepping back and taking in a whole different look at it.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Comfort, Humility, Quiet Moments
Comfort, comfrey, comfort. As I read over all the wonderful feedback and testimonials from people who have used the comfrey/reiki salve I made, there is a very satisfying feeling of having done something well and worthwhile. Observing all the ways it has done good for people, the word comfort comes to mind. Comfrey, comfort.
Herbs have a way of comforting while they impart their magic and healing. Feel the warmth radiate through your body as you sip a cup of hot tea on a cold night. Inhale the fragrance when you open the door and return home and the lingering scent of incense greets you. Feel the sensuous joy of a bath with Epsom salts and herbs as they saturate your body and you drift in the water, melting away pain and stress. Taste how good food is by simply adding a few herbs while it is cooking. With the addition of a few pinches of well chosen herbs, vegetables and meat go from being simply fuel to exotic palate pleasers. Plants have always been good companions to us, and all we have to do is learn how to use them. Of course, they also add to the visual beauty of our surroundings when we have a few houseplants in places where we see them as we sit and rest or entertain.
Comfort from the plants imparts a spirit to our place, to our life, adding quality in a quiet way.
There is another quiet sense that comes to me when I go to the recreation center. It is a sense of humility. I am exercising for my health. There are some people who work out just to look good. They put in many hours sculpting six pack abs and big biceps.
For myself, I simply walk and swim and perhaps from time to time do a little on an elliptical or weight resistance machine. I find that I have more energy and uplifted spirits after exercising.
I notice something else. There are other people who are making an effort because they are also fighting for their health. I smile and make eye contact with others who are making an effort to work with their body. Some people have a longer way to go than others in order to reach their goals, but everyone who is out here doing something is to be commended.
It is also an exercise in humility when you have to work your way back into fitness and good health. We have to use an act of will to come back from our habits that let us become too heavy or recover from surgery or reenergize and reshape ourselves. And sometimes it takes a while to notice the improvements.
In this way, it feels good to be quiet and keep moving, doing what it takes to achieve our goals. Working in this quiet state brings me a feeling of humility and a different consciousness, and these quiet moments are full of life.
Herbs have a way of comforting while they impart their magic and healing. Feel the warmth radiate through your body as you sip a cup of hot tea on a cold night. Inhale the fragrance when you open the door and return home and the lingering scent of incense greets you. Feel the sensuous joy of a bath with Epsom salts and herbs as they saturate your body and you drift in the water, melting away pain and stress. Taste how good food is by simply adding a few herbs while it is cooking. With the addition of a few pinches of well chosen herbs, vegetables and meat go from being simply fuel to exotic palate pleasers. Plants have always been good companions to us, and all we have to do is learn how to use them. Of course, they also add to the visual beauty of our surroundings when we have a few houseplants in places where we see them as we sit and rest or entertain.
Comfort from the plants imparts a spirit to our place, to our life, adding quality in a quiet way.
There is another quiet sense that comes to me when I go to the recreation center. It is a sense of humility. I am exercising for my health. There are some people who work out just to look good. They put in many hours sculpting six pack abs and big biceps.
For myself, I simply walk and swim and perhaps from time to time do a little on an elliptical or weight resistance machine. I find that I have more energy and uplifted spirits after exercising.
I notice something else. There are other people who are making an effort because they are also fighting for their health. I smile and make eye contact with others who are making an effort to work with their body. Some people have a longer way to go than others in order to reach their goals, but everyone who is out here doing something is to be commended.
It is also an exercise in humility when you have to work your way back into fitness and good health. We have to use an act of will to come back from our habits that let us become too heavy or recover from surgery or reenergize and reshape ourselves. And sometimes it takes a while to notice the improvements.
In this way, it feels good to be quiet and keep moving, doing what it takes to achieve our goals. Working in this quiet state brings me a feeling of humility and a different consciousness, and these quiet moments are full of life.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Creative Evolution
This morning, I read an article about Sting performing a winter Concert in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The photo showed a bearded man dressed in 19th century clothes accompanied by Northumbrian pipes, mandolin and other acoustic instruments. His choice of songs was drawn from European early music and old English composers such as Purcell, Southwell, Warlock and Schubert. They say that he even sang in a lower range than is usual for him. All in all, a far cry from the musician who became famous for his performances with the band the Police. Reading the review made me wish I had been at that concert.
Creative people often evolve in unexpected ways. Author Walter Mosley initially became famous for writing detective novels set in Los Angeles in the 50s and 60s, then branched out to write science fiction. That's an unusual shift, and no doubt there are fans of his detective novels who didn't follow him very far into science fiction. Then again, he picked up other new fans because he did. And, of course, some fans like all of his work. Just like some of the people who enjoyed the music of the Police in years gone by might now be savoring the sounds of him performing in the context of an early music consort.
Many of us go through similar evolutions by following our creative instincts and pursuing work and projects for which we have passion and enthusiasm. In my own case, I am happy to just be a tarot reader, tarot teacher, a tarot dealer, a herbalist, gardener, past life facilitator and reiki healer. When people ask me if I would like to be a magazine editor again, I can honestly answer no. I successfully created and managed publications for years, but that was then. I have no desire to do it again. I am happy to be of service to people on a one-on-one basis. My life is simple in that manner of speaking and very fulfilling. I do have a busy schedule, but it all revolves around my reading schedule. It is an evolution.
I know that many of you are doing things right now that do not look like what you were doing a few years ago. That may puzzle some puzzle some people, but it is all part of our learning curve, our creative evolution.
Creative people often evolve in unexpected ways. Author Walter Mosley initially became famous for writing detective novels set in Los Angeles in the 50s and 60s, then branched out to write science fiction. That's an unusual shift, and no doubt there are fans of his detective novels who didn't follow him very far into science fiction. Then again, he picked up other new fans because he did. And, of course, some fans like all of his work. Just like some of the people who enjoyed the music of the Police in years gone by might now be savoring the sounds of him performing in the context of an early music consort.
Many of us go through similar evolutions by following our creative instincts and pursuing work and projects for which we have passion and enthusiasm. In my own case, I am happy to just be a tarot reader, tarot teacher, a tarot dealer, a herbalist, gardener, past life facilitator and reiki healer. When people ask me if I would like to be a magazine editor again, I can honestly answer no. I successfully created and managed publications for years, but that was then. I have no desire to do it again. I am happy to be of service to people on a one-on-one basis. My life is simple in that manner of speaking and very fulfilling. I do have a busy schedule, but it all revolves around my reading schedule. It is an evolution.
I know that many of you are doing things right now that do not look like what you were doing a few years ago. That may puzzle some puzzle some people, but it is all part of our learning curve, our creative evolution.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Beyond Survive, Thrive
Excitement plays an important part in creativity and success. Excitement is what can bring our energy up a level. Excitement is what stimulates us to research and think of new ways to do things.
As one of the critical factors in helping us get more of what we want out of life, excitement is all about our aliveness.
Look at how it works. If we say that something is a goal of ours, but we have an attitude "it's OK with me if I get it, and it's OK with me if I don't" then how much fuel is there in the engine to drive us toward that goal?
Look at how much excitement a person has when they are showing their new product or service. Doesn't that excitement alone often inspire you to try that new product or service?
When a person is working on a project and they are totally focused on it, and happy to be creating, notice how the excitement fuels their work.
In the metaphysical world, it was excitement of rediscovering the value of ancient ways that led some people to embrace the renaissance of interest in paganism, tantra, shamanism, herbalism, feng shui, tarot, and many other subjects.
When you are deciding which career path to pursue, notice the energy attached to your choices. If one is simply a way to make money and the other is something you would really like to do, which one do you think will be more successful? Which one contains so much energy that you would want to excel at that?
Excitement is the sign that we are in touch with the elements of life that are most invigorating, most conscious, most alert and most in touch with our desire to not only survive, but thrive.
To get more of what you want out of life, notice how when you choose the path you are most excited about that you make greater progress. Excitement, inspiration and creativity travel hand in hand.
This is why when you do what you love, the money follows. The thing is to do it consistently. It is one thing to set your goal at the threshold of survive, but it is so much more intensely satisfying to set it at the level of thrive. And isn't that exciting? Go for it. Squeeze the juice out of life and drink it!
As one of the critical factors in helping us get more of what we want out of life, excitement is all about our aliveness.
Look at how it works. If we say that something is a goal of ours, but we have an attitude "it's OK with me if I get it, and it's OK with me if I don't" then how much fuel is there in the engine to drive us toward that goal?
Look at how much excitement a person has when they are showing their new product or service. Doesn't that excitement alone often inspire you to try that new product or service?
When a person is working on a project and they are totally focused on it, and happy to be creating, notice how the excitement fuels their work.
In the metaphysical world, it was excitement of rediscovering the value of ancient ways that led some people to embrace the renaissance of interest in paganism, tantra, shamanism, herbalism, feng shui, tarot, and many other subjects.
When you are deciding which career path to pursue, notice the energy attached to your choices. If one is simply a way to make money and the other is something you would really like to do, which one do you think will be more successful? Which one contains so much energy that you would want to excel at that?
Excitement is the sign that we are in touch with the elements of life that are most invigorating, most conscious, most alert and most in touch with our desire to not only survive, but thrive.
To get more of what you want out of life, notice how when you choose the path you are most excited about that you make greater progress. Excitement, inspiration and creativity travel hand in hand.
This is why when you do what you love, the money follows. The thing is to do it consistently. It is one thing to set your goal at the threshold of survive, but it is so much more intensely satisfying to set it at the level of thrive. And isn't that exciting? Go for it. Squeeze the juice out of life and drink it!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
The Herbalist's Path
I have long been interested in herbs and how they can help heal. So I learned how to blend herbs for teas. I learned how to make incense. Then I learned how to make bath salts. Then I learned how to make tinctures and salves. When I made things, I would give some to others to see how they liked it.
Each step of the way, people told me that they were enjoying the products I made. That was a double pleasure because I started out making these things for my own personal use. So to get these unsolicited comments when I was not trying to impress anyone or sell anything was a very satisfying development.
Enjoying working with herbs, in turn opened the path to gardening. Once I started gardening, I loved watching the plants and how they grew, and how they responded to the elements. I am still mystified by the way a seed becomes a plant and how they look when they flower, and the shape their leaves take. The textures, scents and colors are sometimes very subtle, and that adds to beauty.
It is fascinating the way the scent and taste change as you go from fresh to dried. As you make things, you notice how some herbs blend well with others,and how paying attention to their properties and characteristics. The folklore surrounding herbs is very intriguing.
The path to becoming a herbalist takes different turns for different people. The magic, healing and beauty of the plant world is a path of joy and discovery that rewards the traveler down this path in many ways.
Each step of the way, people told me that they were enjoying the products I made. That was a double pleasure because I started out making these things for my own personal use. So to get these unsolicited comments when I was not trying to impress anyone or sell anything was a very satisfying development.
Enjoying working with herbs, in turn opened the path to gardening. Once I started gardening, I loved watching the plants and how they grew, and how they responded to the elements. I am still mystified by the way a seed becomes a plant and how they look when they flower, and the shape their leaves take. The textures, scents and colors are sometimes very subtle, and that adds to beauty.
It is fascinating the way the scent and taste change as you go from fresh to dried. As you make things, you notice how some herbs blend well with others,and how paying attention to their properties and characteristics. The folklore surrounding herbs is very intriguing.
The path to becoming a herbalist takes different turns for different people. The magic, healing and beauty of the plant world is a path of joy and discovery that rewards the traveler down this path in many ways.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Many Routes to Gratitude
Little flashes of insight can lead to sharper focus on our goals and gratitude that things we don't like.
My goal is to build enough cash flow and momentum with my reading and healing business that I can quit my day job.
The universe provided me with a day job that I do not really like so that I would not get comfortable there and stay. My spirit guides are prompting me to get out and do more of the other work.
This prompts me to recall Carlos Castaneda's statement that "petty tyrants can be great teachers."
The feedback from clients on my reading and healing work is strong and positive. This encourages me to do more of it. I enjoy doing it and clients enjoy what they experience.
So I am grateful that my day job is working for a greedy corporation. It helps fuel my decision to pursue more meaningful work and inspire me to work harder to achieve my goal.
It is like the positive and negative poles on a battery. Positive reinforcement plus negative reinforcement creates energy.
One of these days, my transition will be complete, and my energy will be derived totally from positive influences, with the positive motivations taking up the space where the negative motivations used to be.
There are many roots to gratitude. And there are many routes to gratitude.
My goal is to build enough cash flow and momentum with my reading and healing business that I can quit my day job.
The universe provided me with a day job that I do not really like so that I would not get comfortable there and stay. My spirit guides are prompting me to get out and do more of the other work.
This prompts me to recall Carlos Castaneda's statement that "petty tyrants can be great teachers."
The feedback from clients on my reading and healing work is strong and positive. This encourages me to do more of it. I enjoy doing it and clients enjoy what they experience.
So I am grateful that my day job is working for a greedy corporation. It helps fuel my decision to pursue more meaningful work and inspire me to work harder to achieve my goal.
It is like the positive and negative poles on a battery. Positive reinforcement plus negative reinforcement creates energy.
One of these days, my transition will be complete, and my energy will be derived totally from positive influences, with the positive motivations taking up the space where the negative motivations used to be.
There are many roots to gratitude. And there are many routes to gratitude.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Pushing Buttons
What is really happening when we have the experience of someone pushing our buttons? Look here for the clue. When something pushes our buttons, it is because it reminds us of some unfinished business we have. We know that we should have finished it but didn't for whatever reason, and now when something reminds us of that, we feel irritable.
Our buttons can also feel pushed when we are reminded of things that we could have done better. Whether that feeling is connected to a job or a relationship, it still works the same.
So how can we disarm the button pushers? We can go back and set things straight for one. If that is not practical, or we choose not to reopen old wounds that were suffered years ago and far away, we can do a personal ritual to let go of those things. This way, the charge is blunted. When we do something symbolic and hearfelt, we can acknowledge this experience and put it to rest.
We all have some experiences and feelings that, when left unresolved, present stumbling blocks to future progress. Once we recognize the part that it has played in our life path, and learn from it, we can release the emotional charge that goes with it. Then next time a similar situation presents itself, we will not find our buttons being pushed. And that is a step toward freedom.
Our buttons can also feel pushed when we are reminded of things that we could have done better. Whether that feeling is connected to a job or a relationship, it still works the same.
So how can we disarm the button pushers? We can go back and set things straight for one. If that is not practical, or we choose not to reopen old wounds that were suffered years ago and far away, we can do a personal ritual to let go of those things. This way, the charge is blunted. When we do something symbolic and hearfelt, we can acknowledge this experience and put it to rest.
We all have some experiences and feelings that, when left unresolved, present stumbling blocks to future progress. Once we recognize the part that it has played in our life path, and learn from it, we can release the emotional charge that goes with it. Then next time a similar situation presents itself, we will not find our buttons being pushed. And that is a step toward freedom.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Driving Our Vehicles
I was in the doctor's office this morning, waiting to see the nutritionist. I've got to monitor my foods more closely and lose weight because I have diabetes.
Everyone going to a doctor's office has a problem with their body, it's just a matter of what part. We all have bodies and we all have things that need to be fixed periodically.
Sort of like our cars. They may run smoothly for a long time. Then one day you start to notice the brakes aren't working like they usually do. They squeal and take longer to stop.
Sort of like that with the other vehicle we use to get around in. We are cruising along smoothly when we notice that we used to exercise more than we do now or we are eating too many carbs, and suddenly our blood sugar numbers are spiking and not coming back down.
So we have stop and out some new brake pads on it, like a low fat diet. Of course, it is never that simple. We also have to have a low carb diet for greater fuel efficiency. Sort of like instead of just getting new brake pads, you now have to get new rotors and whatever those other expensive parts are they put in.
With our cars, we have to remember to change our oil, keep air in the tires, keep pads on the brakes and gas in the tank.
But sometimes we forget to do those same things with our other vehicle. I am not ready to trade this one in yet. I have some parts that still work real well, and still have a lot of mileage left on me. So it's time for some maintenance.
Kind of interesting to think of treating both vehicles the same. Sometimes it seems more like we think of body maintenance as a sudden occurrence that is unexpected, rather than planned maintenance.
Everyone going to a doctor's office has a problem with their body, it's just a matter of what part. We all have bodies and we all have things that need to be fixed periodically.
Sort of like our cars. They may run smoothly for a long time. Then one day you start to notice the brakes aren't working like they usually do. They squeal and take longer to stop.
Sort of like that with the other vehicle we use to get around in. We are cruising along smoothly when we notice that we used to exercise more than we do now or we are eating too many carbs, and suddenly our blood sugar numbers are spiking and not coming back down.
So we have stop and out some new brake pads on it, like a low fat diet. Of course, it is never that simple. We also have to have a low carb diet for greater fuel efficiency. Sort of like instead of just getting new brake pads, you now have to get new rotors and whatever those other expensive parts are they put in.
With our cars, we have to remember to change our oil, keep air in the tires, keep pads on the brakes and gas in the tank.
But sometimes we forget to do those same things with our other vehicle. I am not ready to trade this one in yet. I have some parts that still work real well, and still have a lot of mileage left on me. So it's time for some maintenance.
Kind of interesting to think of treating both vehicles the same. Sometimes it seems more like we think of body maintenance as a sudden occurrence that is unexpected, rather than planned maintenance.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Mystery of Mysteries
The enduring popularity of mysteries is as simple. We want to know why things happen and how things happen. Of course, at the end of it all, we may never know how or why things happen, although people like stories that wrap up neatly at the end.
We might not know why someone killed someone else. Was it a plot? Did the person just have a nervous breakdown and snap? Was the person simply amoral and killed for fun? Did they plan to do what they did, or was it just a crime of opportunity?
Were the people who stole other people's money through fraudulent scams simply looking for a way to get rich without working? Were they insecure people who wanted to become famous by committing big crimes? Did they think that amassing wealth would catapult them into a better or more important place in the world, no matter how they got their money? Or did they simply stumble into a loophole that they kept working until they got caught?
Of course, even in crime novels, just like in real life, the bad guys get away and the good people are not compensated and do not find that everything has worked out well for them. Then again, in some stories they do.
The mysteries of life are just as complex and confounding. Many of us have questions about why we were born into this time, into this family, into this place. And we may or may not get answers to these questions.
We may wonder what happens after we die, but all we have are anecdotal stories from near death survivors. All the rest is simply belief. Whether we prefer to think of the afterlife in terms of heaven and hell, Valhalla, the Summerlands rr reincarnation, we will not know if any of this is true until we get there.
The mysteries of what we are doing here and what kind of relationship we have with spirit are harder to unravel than why somebody committed a crime or how they did it. We love mysteries and that is why a person can always have a popular radio or TV show about psychic phenomena, ghosts, ESP, UFOs or ancient civilizations. We love to try and figure these things out. Even if we ultimately cannot, everyone loves a good story.
There is no culture on earth that does not have stories or mysteries. From creation stories and mythology, to ideas about heroes and their quests to what happens after we die, we have always had a hunger for stories. It is part of being human.
We might not know why someone killed someone else. Was it a plot? Did the person just have a nervous breakdown and snap? Was the person simply amoral and killed for fun? Did they plan to do what they did, or was it just a crime of opportunity?
Were the people who stole other people's money through fraudulent scams simply looking for a way to get rich without working? Were they insecure people who wanted to become famous by committing big crimes? Did they think that amassing wealth would catapult them into a better or more important place in the world, no matter how they got their money? Or did they simply stumble into a loophole that they kept working until they got caught?
Of course, even in crime novels, just like in real life, the bad guys get away and the good people are not compensated and do not find that everything has worked out well for them. Then again, in some stories they do.
The mysteries of life are just as complex and confounding. Many of us have questions about why we were born into this time, into this family, into this place. And we may or may not get answers to these questions.
We may wonder what happens after we die, but all we have are anecdotal stories from near death survivors. All the rest is simply belief. Whether we prefer to think of the afterlife in terms of heaven and hell, Valhalla, the Summerlands rr reincarnation, we will not know if any of this is true until we get there.
The mysteries of what we are doing here and what kind of relationship we have with spirit are harder to unravel than why somebody committed a crime or how they did it. We love mysteries and that is why a person can always have a popular radio or TV show about psychic phenomena, ghosts, ESP, UFOs or ancient civilizations. We love to try and figure these things out. Even if we ultimately cannot, everyone loves a good story.
There is no culture on earth that does not have stories or mysteries. From creation stories and mythology, to ideas about heroes and their quests to what happens after we die, we have always had a hunger for stories. It is part of being human.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Two Moons: Oak & Blue
Tonight, Wednesday night, we celebrate the December full moon which is known as the Cold Moon or Oak Moon. As we approach the longest night of the year, the days are cold and dark.
Oak Moon comes from the myths of the rule of the Oak King and the Holly King. At Winter Solstice the Oak King is reborn and rules until Summer Solstice when the Holly King is reborn and rules until Winter Solstice.
Although the changes are imperceptible to our naked eyes, the days do begin to get a little longer every day. Usually we can see the change by February 1, which is celebrated under the names of Groundhog Day, Candlemas, or Imbolc. At this time, it is a little lighter later in the evening.
Similarly, on the Summer Solstice, we do not see the light diminishing, and although the journey of the planets makes this true, we actually see and feel the difference by August 1, which is celebrated under the names of Lammas or Lughnasa.
In the old religions, Winter Solstice is the rebirth of the Sun and the Oak tree was often a symbol of strength and the energy of the male god. This made it easier for the new religion to superimpose its own story of the birth of the Son.
We also see the Oak stripped of its fullness, its foliage, at this time of year. We are looking at its skeleton, its bones, when we gaze out upon the landscape and behold its profile. After the buds awaken and it leafs out again, our line of vision will stop there, at that very place where we can find solace in the shade from the spring and summer heat and sun. As we contemplate this view, we examine our core strengths and we reflect on how much we need to strip down and how much we need to build up.
This month we also have a blue moon, which comes on December 31. Whenever there are two full moons in a month, the second one is always called the Blue Moon.
Why would this ever happen? The word month is a derivative of the word moon, and it originally referred to the cycle of a moon. If you look at your calendars, you will see that there are always four weeks from the new, or dark moon, through the waxing, full and waning cycles back around to the new moon again. So in old calendars, there were 13 months with one full moon in each month. Back then, a year was made up of 13 months of 4 weeks each, for a total of 364 days.
This all changed with the introduction of the Gregorian Calendar in 1582. So called primitive, rural, agrarian people sure had an easier calendar to follow rather than one in which some months have 30 days, some have 31, one has 28 except in leap year. Hence, the odd months with two moons.
For many reasons, I personally would prefer the old calendar of thirteen moon cycles lasting four weeks with one full moon in each. But we do have to be practical now, since so many people use the Gregorian calendar, and we needs to be able to coordinate our activities with other people. So our best mechanism for staying in touch with the cycles of nature is to use the full moons as markers of our shifts in energy.
After all, we know that it is not the date on the calendar that really moves energy in our world. It is the cycles of the moon that sways tides, coaxes seeds to sprout, and shifts consciousness in humans, animals and other living things, reminds us that these monthly rituals can speed up and slow down processes from growing hair to starting new businesses to doing deep psychic work.
We have two moons before the new year, and this could lead in to a very powerful year for manifesting.
Oak Moon comes from the myths of the rule of the Oak King and the Holly King. At Winter Solstice the Oak King is reborn and rules until Summer Solstice when the Holly King is reborn and rules until Winter Solstice.
Although the changes are imperceptible to our naked eyes, the days do begin to get a little longer every day. Usually we can see the change by February 1, which is celebrated under the names of Groundhog Day, Candlemas, or Imbolc. At this time, it is a little lighter later in the evening.
Similarly, on the Summer Solstice, we do not see the light diminishing, and although the journey of the planets makes this true, we actually see and feel the difference by August 1, which is celebrated under the names of Lammas or Lughnasa.
In the old religions, Winter Solstice is the rebirth of the Sun and the Oak tree was often a symbol of strength and the energy of the male god. This made it easier for the new religion to superimpose its own story of the birth of the Son.
We also see the Oak stripped of its fullness, its foliage, at this time of year. We are looking at its skeleton, its bones, when we gaze out upon the landscape and behold its profile. After the buds awaken and it leafs out again, our line of vision will stop there, at that very place where we can find solace in the shade from the spring and summer heat and sun. As we contemplate this view, we examine our core strengths and we reflect on how much we need to strip down and how much we need to build up.
This month we also have a blue moon, which comes on December 31. Whenever there are two full moons in a month, the second one is always called the Blue Moon.
Why would this ever happen? The word month is a derivative of the word moon, and it originally referred to the cycle of a moon. If you look at your calendars, you will see that there are always four weeks from the new, or dark moon, through the waxing, full and waning cycles back around to the new moon again. So in old calendars, there were 13 months with one full moon in each month. Back then, a year was made up of 13 months of 4 weeks each, for a total of 364 days.
This all changed with the introduction of the Gregorian Calendar in 1582. So called primitive, rural, agrarian people sure had an easier calendar to follow rather than one in which some months have 30 days, some have 31, one has 28 except in leap year. Hence, the odd months with two moons.
For many reasons, I personally would prefer the old calendar of thirteen moon cycles lasting four weeks with one full moon in each. But we do have to be practical now, since so many people use the Gregorian calendar, and we needs to be able to coordinate our activities with other people. So our best mechanism for staying in touch with the cycles of nature is to use the full moons as markers of our shifts in energy.
After all, we know that it is not the date on the calendar that really moves energy in our world. It is the cycles of the moon that sways tides, coaxes seeds to sprout, and shifts consciousness in humans, animals and other living things, reminds us that these monthly rituals can speed up and slow down processes from growing hair to starting new businesses to doing deep psychic work.
We have two moons before the new year, and this could lead in to a very powerful year for manifesting.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Helping Each Other
Networking is when we help each other out and move toward our goals due in part to connections we have made with other people.
If a relative helps you get introduced to a good business prospect or refers you to someone who will give you a job, or backing for your new business idea, that is something we would think of as normal.
However, if we meet someone, whether at an event where we are working or in a business networking meeting, and they help us just because they can, or just because they like us, that is an unexpected pleasure.
When we return the favor in kind, we keep this energy going, and we experience the feeling of abundance in our life. How is that? When we feel generous and help someone else out because we can, we reinforce the notion that there is plenty of success for everyone in this world and that there is room for all of us to do well.
Being helpful to other people keeps a lot of good energy going around in the world, and especially right here in our community. When we are generous with others, eventually that kindness and generosity comes back around to us. Helping each other brings efficiency to our efforts, greatly reducing the time needed to find good connections.
Conscious 360 is one organization that I participate in that sponsors such networking events. I would also participate in other events, when they fit my schedule. When you come to the Holiday Boutique, you can connect in a friendly atmosphere, with other people who can provide you with services or products that you may find useful or pleasurable. Public events like the Holiday Boutique can introduce us to things that we have not tried before. Every day is a new opportunity to get a new experience of the old saying, what goes around, comes around. Or as others might say, you get back what you put out. And what could be better than doing all this in an atmosphere of imbued with joy, fun, new ideas and optimism?
If a relative helps you get introduced to a good business prospect or refers you to someone who will give you a job, or backing for your new business idea, that is something we would think of as normal.
However, if we meet someone, whether at an event where we are working or in a business networking meeting, and they help us just because they can, or just because they like us, that is an unexpected pleasure.
When we return the favor in kind, we keep this energy going, and we experience the feeling of abundance in our life. How is that? When we feel generous and help someone else out because we can, we reinforce the notion that there is plenty of success for everyone in this world and that there is room for all of us to do well.
Being helpful to other people keeps a lot of good energy going around in the world, and especially right here in our community. When we are generous with others, eventually that kindness and generosity comes back around to us. Helping each other brings efficiency to our efforts, greatly reducing the time needed to find good connections.
Conscious 360 is one organization that I participate in that sponsors such networking events. I would also participate in other events, when they fit my schedule. When you come to the Holiday Boutique, you can connect in a friendly atmosphere, with other people who can provide you with services or products that you may find useful or pleasurable. Public events like the Holiday Boutique can introduce us to things that we have not tried before. Every day is a new opportunity to get a new experience of the old saying, what goes around, comes around. Or as others might say, you get back what you put out. And what could be better than doing all this in an atmosphere of imbued with joy, fun, new ideas and optimism?
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Finding
There is satisfying sort of pleasure that comes from finding what you are seeking. For example, suppose there is a book you want to read and you know that you can go to one of the chain bookstores and buy it new or order it online. But it can be fun to look through a few used bookstores and find a copy for a fraction of the price. You can be happy because you are going to read what you desire to read, and you can also feel good about getting a great price as well. When your hunt is successful, there is reason to celebrate.
Apply this lesson to other areas of your life. What happens when you are looking to make a business connection, and after much hunting for that, you succeed? The satisfaction that comes from a focused effort is more rewarding than a simple stroke of luck, because you cannot schedule a stroke of luck, but you can focus on a goal and achieve it.
How does this apply to how you find the kind of relationship you want? Do you focus on creating the kinds of relationships you want? In any of these quests, sometimes we have to redefine our goals in order to succeed.
For example, maybe we will find our success in business on a different path than we first imagined. Maybe we need to change what we expect of a relationship. And after we have found and read that book we wanted, then we decide what we want next. Different author? Different subject? Different work? Different relationship?
The process of finding the answer is part of the joy of the quest.
Apply this lesson to other areas of your life. What happens when you are looking to make a business connection, and after much hunting for that, you succeed? The satisfaction that comes from a focused effort is more rewarding than a simple stroke of luck, because you cannot schedule a stroke of luck, but you can focus on a goal and achieve it.
How does this apply to how you find the kind of relationship you want? Do you focus on creating the kinds of relationships you want? In any of these quests, sometimes we have to redefine our goals in order to succeed.
For example, maybe we will find our success in business on a different path than we first imagined. Maybe we need to change what we expect of a relationship. And after we have found and read that book we wanted, then we decide what we want next. Different author? Different subject? Different work? Different relationship?
The process of finding the answer is part of the joy of the quest.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Out of Your Head
A question people sometimes ask is how to get unstuck when they stay in their head too long. What do I mean by that?
Have you ever gotten stuck with your mind going in circles, kind of wearing out the same old groove over and over again? Have you been stuck in a funk because you are still getting over some major life change and you just can't seem to snap out of it? Do you ever have times when you need fresh ideas?
Here are two suggestions that cn help you get out of your head and into your body quickly. Dancing and laughter. Just get up and dance to some music that moves you. Put on a favorite recording and go for it. Move your body every which way and just limber up and sweat. After the first five minutes, you will be feeling better and your mind will no longer be stuck.
Playing a musical instrument can be good too, but dancing really gets you to release and shift gears faster.
My second suggestion that will lift your vibration and boost your energy is to put on some comedy. Watch some recordings of stand up comedians doing their thing. The good ones will have you laughing so hard that your mind will start kicking into gear on its own thinking of funny things, and help you find those fresh perspectives. One laugh leads to another once you get rolling. After your funny bone lets your body relax again, you will be amazed at how you are able to see things through fresh eyes and laugh instead of being upset at ironies and craziness.
Next time you need a mood swing that goes up instead of down, try these fasts acting medicines for melancholy. When you need to get a fresh start, get out of your head!
Have you ever gotten stuck with your mind going in circles, kind of wearing out the same old groove over and over again? Have you been stuck in a funk because you are still getting over some major life change and you just can't seem to snap out of it? Do you ever have times when you need fresh ideas?
Here are two suggestions that cn help you get out of your head and into your body quickly. Dancing and laughter. Just get up and dance to some music that moves you. Put on a favorite recording and go for it. Move your body every which way and just limber up and sweat. After the first five minutes, you will be feeling better and your mind will no longer be stuck.
Playing a musical instrument can be good too, but dancing really gets you to release and shift gears faster.
My second suggestion that will lift your vibration and boost your energy is to put on some comedy. Watch some recordings of stand up comedians doing their thing. The good ones will have you laughing so hard that your mind will start kicking into gear on its own thinking of funny things, and help you find those fresh perspectives. One laugh leads to another once you get rolling. After your funny bone lets your body relax again, you will be amazed at how you are able to see things through fresh eyes and laugh instead of being upset at ironies and craziness.
Next time you need a mood swing that goes up instead of down, try these fasts acting medicines for melancholy. When you need to get a fresh start, get out of your head!
Friday, November 27, 2009
Giving Gifts
All this talk about Black Friday and getting up to shop at 5 am is totally lost on me. I have never gotten up that early to go shopping in my life, nor do I relish the thought of fighting huge crowds just to get an item on sale.
Over the years, the shopaholic extravaganza has pushed back further and further until now you see some stores featuring Christmas trees and decorations and so on right after Labor Day.
I have always been a fan of savoring each holiday in its turn. All of our major holidays have traditions associated with them and there are special pleasures that go with each one. For example, we enjoy fireworks on July 4, Labor Day usually celebrates the last of the outdoor summer festivals and backyard BBQ, costume parties, trick or treating, and honoring the dead on Halloween, Thanksgiving is the big dinner with family and friends, and at Christmas we usually savor more festive gatherings of family and friends amid abundant decorations of evergreens, trees, lights, seasonal food, drinks, music and so on.
I feel that if we give people we know and care about things that they really want and need throughout the year, this is how we really show that we care about them. Then on Christmas, the Christmas stocking idea is quaint enough, and presents pleasures to members of our household, and continues the folkloric traditions in that way.
Although segments of the retail industry structures itself to encourage people to develop shopaholic habits every fall, I have long felt that holidays are best appreciated if we return to the roots of the festivities and savor each one in its season. Black Friday to me has always seemed like artificially contrived chaos.
With all of the changes our economy and our careers are going through, perhaps it is time to reconsider this madness. We will always buy and sell things, because that is the nature of human interaction - giving and receiving are part of every day life. We buy and sell things all year round. But it has not always been a holiday tradition to begin Christmas shopping just after Labor Day or stampede to malls on the day after Thanksgiving.
After all, what do we mean by giving a gift? Is it about providing someone something they want or need? Is it about investing personal energy into creating that which we give? Is it about showing someone that you love and care about them? Or is it simply about buying whatever is on sale?
Changing this rather recent pattern of behavior might add to the quality of life for all of us. At least, that is my opinion of it. Since attention was on this subject in all the media, I felt like offering my thoughts on it. I don't know how many of you feel the same, but certainly it is worth consideration.
Over the years, the shopaholic extravaganza has pushed back further and further until now you see some stores featuring Christmas trees and decorations and so on right after Labor Day.
I have always been a fan of savoring each holiday in its turn. All of our major holidays have traditions associated with them and there are special pleasures that go with each one. For example, we enjoy fireworks on July 4, Labor Day usually celebrates the last of the outdoor summer festivals and backyard BBQ, costume parties, trick or treating, and honoring the dead on Halloween, Thanksgiving is the big dinner with family and friends, and at Christmas we usually savor more festive gatherings of family and friends amid abundant decorations of evergreens, trees, lights, seasonal food, drinks, music and so on.
I feel that if we give people we know and care about things that they really want and need throughout the year, this is how we really show that we care about them. Then on Christmas, the Christmas stocking idea is quaint enough, and presents pleasures to members of our household, and continues the folkloric traditions in that way.
Although segments of the retail industry structures itself to encourage people to develop shopaholic habits every fall, I have long felt that holidays are best appreciated if we return to the roots of the festivities and savor each one in its season. Black Friday to me has always seemed like artificially contrived chaos.
With all of the changes our economy and our careers are going through, perhaps it is time to reconsider this madness. We will always buy and sell things, because that is the nature of human interaction - giving and receiving are part of every day life. We buy and sell things all year round. But it has not always been a holiday tradition to begin Christmas shopping just after Labor Day or stampede to malls on the day after Thanksgiving.
After all, what do we mean by giving a gift? Is it about providing someone something they want or need? Is it about investing personal energy into creating that which we give? Is it about showing someone that you love and care about them? Or is it simply about buying whatever is on sale?
Changing this rather recent pattern of behavior might add to the quality of life for all of us. At least, that is my opinion of it. Since attention was on this subject in all the media, I felt like offering my thoughts on it. I don't know how many of you feel the same, but certainly it is worth consideration.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Giving Thanks
Thanksgiving will always be one of my favorite holidays because at its core, it is so simple, yet profound. The essence of the day is to enjoy the company of family and friends over a great meal. There is no other expectation attached to it.
In a time where there are all kinds of demands on us, and people expect us to multitask as a normal way of life, to have a day this simple is wonderful.
Here is another extension of the idea. Are there people who have made a positive contribution to your life who you will not be seeing tomorrow?
Have you thought of sending them a note or calling them and telling them so. This could include teachers, mentors, neighbors, co-workers or others who have made a difference to you?
These days we are more likely to send an email note, but in the past, I have sent blank, all occasion cards that I could write in. Another time, I had a bunch of picture post cards that I bought while on various trips. They are big enough for a short sweet note, and I am also prone to buy humorous ones so they got a joke on the other side.
So if you don't get a chance to do this tonight or tomorrow, do it sometime in the near future, while still in the spirit of giving thanks.
Try it. See if you don't feel better for acknowledging people. And, of course, the people receiving the notes will feel good too.
Give thanks. Life will suddenly feel better. And you know there is a thought out there that when you transmit gratitude, the universe gives you more to be grateful for. Would you like that?
In a time where there are all kinds of demands on us, and people expect us to multitask as a normal way of life, to have a day this simple is wonderful.
Here is another extension of the idea. Are there people who have made a positive contribution to your life who you will not be seeing tomorrow?
Have you thought of sending them a note or calling them and telling them so. This could include teachers, mentors, neighbors, co-workers or others who have made a difference to you?
These days we are more likely to send an email note, but in the past, I have sent blank, all occasion cards that I could write in. Another time, I had a bunch of picture post cards that I bought while on various trips. They are big enough for a short sweet note, and I am also prone to buy humorous ones so they got a joke on the other side.
So if you don't get a chance to do this tonight or tomorrow, do it sometime in the near future, while still in the spirit of giving thanks.
Try it. See if you don't feel better for acknowledging people. And, of course, the people receiving the notes will feel good too.
Give thanks. Life will suddenly feel better. And you know there is a thought out there that when you transmit gratitude, the universe gives you more to be grateful for. Would you like that?
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Talking Tarot
You often hear tarot readers refer to how their cards talk to them. If you look and listen closely, cards are like a group of reliable old friends you have gathered around your table to discuss the subject at hand.
Picture this. When you are walking through a museum or art gallery, some of the pictures you see don't move you at all. Others you can feel right at home with. With a picture you like, you can easily imagine yourself going inside the picture and looking around, moving around. You can imagine yourself as part of the scene.
Some decks speak to us right away and some do not. It may have everything to do with how appealing we find the artwork, as to whether they speak to us or not. That is why there are so many designs available to us today. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of artists have created new versions of the classic decks and others gave birth to some decks that are totally new. In so doing, they are expanding their own abilities and finding satisfaction in their creativity, while at the same time providing us more choices for our personal use.
The expressive characters speak to us telepathically. Those of us who read develop a dialogue with our cards, and the art of the reader is intuitively selecting the appropriate interpretation of each card for each reading. Every picture tells a story, and when the cards are selected and shown, the way they come together tells a new story each time.
They tell you things like: Today, I represent this person's father. Or in this reading I represent this person's boss. Or in this reading, I represent the boyfriend. In this reading, I am a mentor. In this reading I am a good friend. In this reading, I am a teacher. In this reading, I am an old lover, who has come back into the picture. This time, I represent a stranger bringing new opportunities. In another layout, this card can represent an important person still to be met. The picture also tells when the person has something else to say, such as "I am angry, I am compassionate, I am easygoing, I am an expert, I am playful, I am soft spoken. And so on."
The characters on the cards can be familiar friends, advisors, and characters from our home territory. They can be new friends and lovers we have encountered on our journey through this life. They can be new people we will meet. They are traveling companions and partners. They are adversaries. They are people who will figure into our lives. We feel a comfort with them. We may feel familiar because when we see this image today, it immediately reminds us of a specific person.
Yes, every picture tells a story, and by constantly shuffling and reordering the pictures in a deck, the little pictures become parts of a bigger picture that tells a different story for each person, for each reading.
Getting familiar with a deck of cards and studying them until they speak to you is the art of the reader. Anyone can buy a deck and book and read what it says, but what the author and artist have to say are only part of what the images can mean, can do, can say, in a given situation.
It really takes a person working with a deck for a long time before the reader trusts their instincts and trusts the deck to bring up pertinent information. It is a constant process that is part of the dialogue. When you do not follow your instincts, you will be corrected immediately. For example, you feel an urge to say something, but for whatever reason, you censor yourself and hold back. within moments, the person you are reading for will say something to verify that instinct, prompting the reader to stay on track and trust the information the cards are telling them.
When you discover a deck that you can relate to immediately, do you jump in right away and pay attention to the dialogue, or do you put it off? Do you get a buzz that information is being passed to you quickly? Or do you let your skeptical self take over? Do you set aside what you are getting and take the position that you can really be sure of these messages until after you read the book? Or that you cannot have a different opinion from the person who drew the deck or wrote the book? well guess what? You can, and what you get can be every bit as valid.
When an artist paints a picture they have their own ideas about it. When you see it, you may very well get different ideas. The way you enter the picture may be different than the way they entered it. They are both ways in.
As the cards get turned face up on the table, do your thoughts connect immediately? Do you start getting feedback as soon as one or more of the images come into view? Or does it take a while until the story forms into words? Do you pick up a couple of viable options from the sequence?
The art of the reader is this ability to pick up messages intended for the person requesting a reading and relay them in a way that the person can understand. The spirit guides the reader works with, and the deck the reader works with becomes very fluid in this dialogue after a while. Different people take different amounts of time to tune in. Once the connection is made, you will always recognize it.
I always remind a person asking for a reading that their free will choices are always the final word. I just see the progress of events and the energy at play and then present it to them after talking with the tarot. The cards love to show themselves to people, and they are always willing to speak. How much or how well do we listen?
Picture this. When you are walking through a museum or art gallery, some of the pictures you see don't move you at all. Others you can feel right at home with. With a picture you like, you can easily imagine yourself going inside the picture and looking around, moving around. You can imagine yourself as part of the scene.
Some decks speak to us right away and some do not. It may have everything to do with how appealing we find the artwork, as to whether they speak to us or not. That is why there are so many designs available to us today. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of artists have created new versions of the classic decks and others gave birth to some decks that are totally new. In so doing, they are expanding their own abilities and finding satisfaction in their creativity, while at the same time providing us more choices for our personal use.
The expressive characters speak to us telepathically. Those of us who read develop a dialogue with our cards, and the art of the reader is intuitively selecting the appropriate interpretation of each card for each reading. Every picture tells a story, and when the cards are selected and shown, the way they come together tells a new story each time.
They tell you things like: Today, I represent this person's father. Or in this reading I represent this person's boss. Or in this reading, I represent the boyfriend. In this reading, I am a mentor. In this reading I am a good friend. In this reading, I am a teacher. In this reading, I am an old lover, who has come back into the picture. This time, I represent a stranger bringing new opportunities. In another layout, this card can represent an important person still to be met. The picture also tells when the person has something else to say, such as "I am angry, I am compassionate, I am easygoing, I am an expert, I am playful, I am soft spoken. And so on."
The characters on the cards can be familiar friends, advisors, and characters from our home territory. They can be new friends and lovers we have encountered on our journey through this life. They can be new people we will meet. They are traveling companions and partners. They are adversaries. They are people who will figure into our lives. We feel a comfort with them. We may feel familiar because when we see this image today, it immediately reminds us of a specific person.
Yes, every picture tells a story, and by constantly shuffling and reordering the pictures in a deck, the little pictures become parts of a bigger picture that tells a different story for each person, for each reading.
Getting familiar with a deck of cards and studying them until they speak to you is the art of the reader. Anyone can buy a deck and book and read what it says, but what the author and artist have to say are only part of what the images can mean, can do, can say, in a given situation.
It really takes a person working with a deck for a long time before the reader trusts their instincts and trusts the deck to bring up pertinent information. It is a constant process that is part of the dialogue. When you do not follow your instincts, you will be corrected immediately. For example, you feel an urge to say something, but for whatever reason, you censor yourself and hold back. within moments, the person you are reading for will say something to verify that instinct, prompting the reader to stay on track and trust the information the cards are telling them.
When you discover a deck that you can relate to immediately, do you jump in right away and pay attention to the dialogue, or do you put it off? Do you get a buzz that information is being passed to you quickly? Or do you let your skeptical self take over? Do you set aside what you are getting and take the position that you can really be sure of these messages until after you read the book? Or that you cannot have a different opinion from the person who drew the deck or wrote the book? well guess what? You can, and what you get can be every bit as valid.
When an artist paints a picture they have their own ideas about it. When you see it, you may very well get different ideas. The way you enter the picture may be different than the way they entered it. They are both ways in.
As the cards get turned face up on the table, do your thoughts connect immediately? Do you start getting feedback as soon as one or more of the images come into view? Or does it take a while until the story forms into words? Do you pick up a couple of viable options from the sequence?
The art of the reader is this ability to pick up messages intended for the person requesting a reading and relay them in a way that the person can understand. The spirit guides the reader works with, and the deck the reader works with becomes very fluid in this dialogue after a while. Different people take different amounts of time to tune in. Once the connection is made, you will always recognize it.
I always remind a person asking for a reading that their free will choices are always the final word. I just see the progress of events and the energy at play and then present it to them after talking with the tarot. The cards love to show themselves to people, and they are always willing to speak. How much or how well do we listen?
Monday, November 23, 2009
Cue Cards
Most people think of tarot as a method of looking into the future and finding answers to questions about situations. This is the most common use of tarot.
Here are a few other uses to consider. I use them as a way to transmit reiki, so that when a person is getting an insight into the question, they are also receiving some reiki energy with that answer to help heal and empower them in their choices.
If you are writing something and you need a fresh insight or idea, pull a card or a few cards to jump start your writing. It can be a great source of inspiration, because it is bound to stir things up.
For life coaching or relationship coaching, the cards can play a role in guiding the conversations and the insights. They can be used to facilitate dialogue. For example, to draw a few cards to identify strengths or weaknesses that need to be addressed. They can prompt examinations of relationships and motivations from different angles.
As a thought for the day, a great aid to meditation and reflection. Let your mind discover all kinds of meanings of each of the cards, just the first or most obvious interpretations. Stretch your mind.
These are just a few of the other ways of using the cards that most people do not think about.
In the best sense, they can prompt us, and give us cues as to our next best move.
Here are a few other uses to consider. I use them as a way to transmit reiki, so that when a person is getting an insight into the question, they are also receiving some reiki energy with that answer to help heal and empower them in their choices.
If you are writing something and you need a fresh insight or idea, pull a card or a few cards to jump start your writing. It can be a great source of inspiration, because it is bound to stir things up.
For life coaching or relationship coaching, the cards can play a role in guiding the conversations and the insights. They can be used to facilitate dialogue. For example, to draw a few cards to identify strengths or weaknesses that need to be addressed. They can prompt examinations of relationships and motivations from different angles.
As a thought for the day, a great aid to meditation and reflection. Let your mind discover all kinds of meanings of each of the cards, just the first or most obvious interpretations. Stretch your mind.
These are just a few of the other ways of using the cards that most people do not think about.
In the best sense, they can prompt us, and give us cues as to our next best move.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Moving at the Speed of Life
Right now I am thinking of all the things I can possibly do to speed up my transition into a full time tarot reader.
I have redone my poster, brochure, business cards and I am working on redoing my web page to focus the primary attention on tarot, and leaving everything else, such as the past lives, reiki, house blessings, handfastings, dream interpretation, sound healing, life coaching, writing coaching and everything else to a place of less attention on the website. This focus seems to be working well. I am now able to see how all of these things can grow out of the focus of tarot, and how tarot can also be applied in all these other ways, from moving energy to coaching to everything else I know how to do. New vistas are now open. New perspectives. New capabilities.
This blog will continue to be open in terms of the range of subject matter, just as the readings I do for people cover a wide range of questions about the whole spectrum of life, rather than just articles about cards themselves.
At the same time, I have been giving lots of attention to bookings for the coming year and planning ahead as much as possible. My plans include both travel to selected places to work and building up my phone reading business.
Examining all cash flow and planning accordingly is essential. Still another essential part of this process is manifesting enough business and enough bookings to render the day job unnecessary. Part of the successful transition then is planning, and another part simply requires trust that more opportunities will continue to open up.
Part of this process involves brainstorming with others, and part of it is simply meditating on this myself.
Interestingly, I have also noticed that these meditations about the progress of my business involves drumming, chanting, playing harmonica, walking and swimming as part of the process of welcoming in clearer thinking and focusing energy on the goal.
I have cleared my schedule of other activities and now focus more tightly on how to bring the transition into the nearer future. Every day is another step closer.
It is all a process of having a dream, then walking into the dream and taking my place in the picture. Step by step, I bring myself into the picture until everything is moving at the speed of life.
I have redone my poster, brochure, business cards and I am working on redoing my web page to focus the primary attention on tarot, and leaving everything else, such as the past lives, reiki, house blessings, handfastings, dream interpretation, sound healing, life coaching, writing coaching and everything else to a place of less attention on the website. This focus seems to be working well. I am now able to see how all of these things can grow out of the focus of tarot, and how tarot can also be applied in all these other ways, from moving energy to coaching to everything else I know how to do. New vistas are now open. New perspectives. New capabilities.
This blog will continue to be open in terms of the range of subject matter, just as the readings I do for people cover a wide range of questions about the whole spectrum of life, rather than just articles about cards themselves.
At the same time, I have been giving lots of attention to bookings for the coming year and planning ahead as much as possible. My plans include both travel to selected places to work and building up my phone reading business.
Examining all cash flow and planning accordingly is essential. Still another essential part of this process is manifesting enough business and enough bookings to render the day job unnecessary. Part of the successful transition then is planning, and another part simply requires trust that more opportunities will continue to open up.
Part of this process involves brainstorming with others, and part of it is simply meditating on this myself.
Interestingly, I have also noticed that these meditations about the progress of my business involves drumming, chanting, playing harmonica, walking and swimming as part of the process of welcoming in clearer thinking and focusing energy on the goal.
I have cleared my schedule of other activities and now focus more tightly on how to bring the transition into the nearer future. Every day is another step closer.
It is all a process of having a dream, then walking into the dream and taking my place in the picture. Step by step, I bring myself into the picture until everything is moving at the speed of life.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Late Night Listening
Late at night when I am chilling out before I go to sleep, there are two radio shows that I enjoy listening to, and you might too.
For music, there is Echoes, hosted by John Diliberto. Great music, a combination or new age, world, fusion type stuff, with really creative musicians. Because of where I live, I can pick up the broadcast on the KUNC radio station from Greeley, at 91.5 FM, Mon-Th 10pm-1am, Fri 12mid-1am, Sun 9pm-12mid. In other cities, you can pick it up too. You can also get it on your computer. website: http://www.echoes.org/
John has been doing this show for 20 years. He has a soothing voice and a gentle manner and you can tell he does this because he really loves the music. I feel like this is some beautiful music. You can tune in and see what you think.
The other show that is sometimes amazing, sometimes amusing, is Coast to Coast AM with George Noory which specializes in paranormal topics like ghosts, UFOs, ETs, near death experiences, time travel, ancient civilizations, crop circles, remote viewing, psychic predictions, metaphysics, science fiction and other topics. It is broadcast from 11 pm - 5 am on KHOW, 630 AM. website: http://www.coasttocoastam.com/
Depending on what day you listen, it's a mixed bag. You might think some of this stuff is crazy, but then again, our government just exploded a bomb on the moon to see if there is water under the dust. And I don't think that we got an answer to the question.
One night recently, I was listening to a speaker talk about his opinion that there are humanoids living on Mars and about his experiences with time travel. I have no idea whether this is true or not, and actually I don't care. I just think that it is interesting. Nothing like a good storyteller. There are a lot of crazy things we cannot explain. And of course, if you have ever enjoyed reading a science fiction book like Ray Bradbury's Martian Chronicles, the subject of life on other planets is plausible. There are things we just don't know, and there are some crazy things that are true. And yes, there are some things I would question as to whether they are true or imaginary, or just made up by paranoid minds.
That movie Contact with Jodie Foster comes to mind where she sees her father after he dies, and he comes back to her in the way she remembers him, not as he really is now, because that is the only way she can see him. Her mind was not ready to see him in some other form.
Then again, you have Kurt Vonnegut's character in Slaughterhouse Five going on late night radio talk shows after he came home from WWII, talking about how he visited other planets. His kids in the novel asked him to "quit doing that. You are embarrassing us, Dad." But his character responded. "How do you know I haven't been there?"
So if you are up late and looking for something intriguing to listen to, chill out with these two shows. Both shows have the ability to entertain and stretch your mind.
For music, there is Echoes, hosted by John Diliberto. Great music, a combination or new age, world, fusion type stuff, with really creative musicians. Because of where I live, I can pick up the broadcast on the KUNC radio station from Greeley, at 91.5 FM, Mon-Th 10pm-1am, Fri 12mid-1am, Sun 9pm-12mid. In other cities, you can pick it up too. You can also get it on your computer. website: http://www.echoes.org/
John has been doing this show for 20 years. He has a soothing voice and a gentle manner and you can tell he does this because he really loves the music. I feel like this is some beautiful music. You can tune in and see what you think.
The other show that is sometimes amazing, sometimes amusing, is Coast to Coast AM with George Noory which specializes in paranormal topics like ghosts, UFOs, ETs, near death experiences, time travel, ancient civilizations, crop circles, remote viewing, psychic predictions, metaphysics, science fiction and other topics. It is broadcast from 11 pm - 5 am on KHOW, 630 AM. website: http://www.coasttocoastam.com/
Depending on what day you listen, it's a mixed bag. You might think some of this stuff is crazy, but then again, our government just exploded a bomb on the moon to see if there is water under the dust. And I don't think that we got an answer to the question.
One night recently, I was listening to a speaker talk about his opinion that there are humanoids living on Mars and about his experiences with time travel. I have no idea whether this is true or not, and actually I don't care. I just think that it is interesting. Nothing like a good storyteller. There are a lot of crazy things we cannot explain. And of course, if you have ever enjoyed reading a science fiction book like Ray Bradbury's Martian Chronicles, the subject of life on other planets is plausible. There are things we just don't know, and there are some crazy things that are true. And yes, there are some things I would question as to whether they are true or imaginary, or just made up by paranoid minds.
That movie Contact with Jodie Foster comes to mind where she sees her father after he dies, and he comes back to her in the way she remembers him, not as he really is now, because that is the only way she can see him. Her mind was not ready to see him in some other form.
Then again, you have Kurt Vonnegut's character in Slaughterhouse Five going on late night radio talk shows after he came home from WWII, talking about how he visited other planets. His kids in the novel asked him to "quit doing that. You are embarrassing us, Dad." But his character responded. "How do you know I haven't been there?"
So if you are up late and looking for something intriguing to listen to, chill out with these two shows. Both shows have the ability to entertain and stretch your mind.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
We See What We Want to See
We see what we want to see.
Have you ever had the experience of suddenly noticing something for the first time, even though you drive the same route to work every day? If that building was not built overnight or that tree and garden did not get planted over night, then what accounts for the sudden appearance of this thing in your consciousness? How did it avoid your field of vision all this time? Why did you not see it before?
Have you had the experience of looking at a person and seeing more to them than you usually see?
How much of what we are trying to do is about seeing the person inside instead of the person outside?
When we see a person, do we see the blonde hair, blue eyes, red hair green eyes, brown hair, brown eyes, short, tall, thin, full bodied, or other descriptions of their outer shell?
Or do we see a spirit gathering the momentum to come out and express itself? What happens when we feed that spirit being encouragement? Affection? Compassion? Kindness? Creative suggestions? Erotic energy? Enthusiasm?
Does the spirit inside start to express itself by expanding to include every inch of its being, its body, and then reaching beyond that to touch all those in its presence?
Does the person begin to smile and continue to smile as we feed it these vital nutrients? When we see who is really there, what happens next? When we set the spirit to dancing, the body follows. See if you can feed the spirit until it breaks free of its restraints and fully inhabits its body, and reaches new heights of experience in its every day life. Try it on yourself. Try it on others. See what a difference you can make by encouraging the spirit in a person to live up to its potential. All of us benefit when this happens.
There is an electricity in the air when you encounter a truly alive person. We see what we want to see in others. There is a contact high when we encourage them and they feel free to act and express rather than to hold back. Do we want to see more aliveness all around us? When we recognize it in others, they become more conscious of it in themselves. What do we want to see? How do we bring it about?
Have you ever had the experience of suddenly noticing something for the first time, even though you drive the same route to work every day? If that building was not built overnight or that tree and garden did not get planted over night, then what accounts for the sudden appearance of this thing in your consciousness? How did it avoid your field of vision all this time? Why did you not see it before?
Have you had the experience of looking at a person and seeing more to them than you usually see?
How much of what we are trying to do is about seeing the person inside instead of the person outside?
When we see a person, do we see the blonde hair, blue eyes, red hair green eyes, brown hair, brown eyes, short, tall, thin, full bodied, or other descriptions of their outer shell?
Or do we see a spirit gathering the momentum to come out and express itself? What happens when we feed that spirit being encouragement? Affection? Compassion? Kindness? Creative suggestions? Erotic energy? Enthusiasm?
Does the spirit inside start to express itself by expanding to include every inch of its being, its body, and then reaching beyond that to touch all those in its presence?
Does the person begin to smile and continue to smile as we feed it these vital nutrients? When we see who is really there, what happens next? When we set the spirit to dancing, the body follows. See if you can feed the spirit until it breaks free of its restraints and fully inhabits its body, and reaches new heights of experience in its every day life. Try it on yourself. Try it on others. See what a difference you can make by encouraging the spirit in a person to live up to its potential. All of us benefit when this happens.
There is an electricity in the air when you encounter a truly alive person. We see what we want to see in others. There is a contact high when we encourage them and they feel free to act and express rather than to hold back. Do we want to see more aliveness all around us? When we recognize it in others, they become more conscious of it in themselves. What do we want to see? How do we bring it about?
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Wild Spirit
Today, I was reading another story about a tribe in Africa that is being displaced. I have seen shows on the Travel Channel on occasion, where camera crews go out to some far off place in the Amazon jungle or a Pacific Island or other remote place where there are still some tribes living in forests that are far from any cities or developments.
What will the world be like when there are no more wild ones? Will it ever really be possible for the forces of civilization to bring everyone in from the outdoors? We have already seen what can happen to a country when deforestation becomes rampant. We think of countries like Brazil in this regard, where thousands of acres of rainforest have been cleared. There are also reports that the rainforest has reclaimed land that was bulldozed and roads that were seldom used became overgrown again.
Scotland today is also a country with few trees for the same reason. A long time ago, their trees were cut down for buildings, furniture, ships and firewood and not replanted. How different it would be if it were thickly forested as it was in the past. And if you have ever visited places in the US where areas have been clearcut and not replanted, it has a sad and devastated look to it, and you can see how it forever changes all life in the area.
When we look at the life these people lead where their subsistence depends on hunting, honey gathering, fishing and picking edible plants and daily life consists of things like getting up in the morning and talking about their dreams or creating ceremonies to celebrate coming of age of their young ones, or funerals for their elders and the selection of a new leader, we cannot help but note how, for better or for worse, that contrasts with our own lives.
Even now that people can book vacations to just about everywhere, from the Amazon to the Antarctic, it is interesting to note that there are still some pockets in mountain valleys or rainforests that are still like they were in prehistoric times.
These last undeveloped places also harbor life forms that may play important parts in our world, even if we do not know exactly what that is. It is not just about a certain type of fish or bird becoming extinct, we have also discovered plants that grow in these places that can be made into medicines for cancer and other diseases.
In some way, maybe we need to know that there are still places on our planet where humans still live according to primal instincts, simpler lives that are plugged into knowing what plants and animals they share the world with, instead of being plugged into cable TV, computers and cell phones. Ironically, we would not know about these tribes without our modern communications.
What will this world be like when the last of our wild places are gone?
Or is that even possible? I remember also seeing stories and photos of homeless people homesteading in underground tunnels in big cities, or in tent cities under highway overpasses. In the midst of our biggest modern cities, there are campgrounds and squatters living in abandoned buildings and forgotten public places. No matter
whether they got there by choice or by circumstance, these wild urban places are home ot tribes of people living by their wits and survival instincts.
Dating back to the 60s, their were and still are rural areas where hippies set up communes, or their more sophisticated descendants, which are now called "intentional communities."
It seems as though we always want to have some wild places and some wild people, even if most of us will simply look at them as tourist attractions, like the wonderful national parks, which most visitors only drive through, rather than walk through.
This primal need we have is why events like Burning Man and other pagan festivals appeal to so many people, even though it is only a temporary event. For a week every year, these post modern settlers can create a temporary village completely apart from the rest of the world, and they make their own rules.
Will all the people living in the wild lose their places? Will they all move into cities, leaving the forests, mountains and jungles strictly as wildlife preserves and national parks? I don't think so. There will always be some who crave the wild, and will venture back into it. What will happen is that those older ways of living may be altered forever, tribal peoples will be scattered and relocated. But part of us never forgets.
The world needs the wild spirit.
What will the world be like when there are no more wild ones? Will it ever really be possible for the forces of civilization to bring everyone in from the outdoors? We have already seen what can happen to a country when deforestation becomes rampant. We think of countries like Brazil in this regard, where thousands of acres of rainforest have been cleared. There are also reports that the rainforest has reclaimed land that was bulldozed and roads that were seldom used became overgrown again.
Scotland today is also a country with few trees for the same reason. A long time ago, their trees were cut down for buildings, furniture, ships and firewood and not replanted. How different it would be if it were thickly forested as it was in the past. And if you have ever visited places in the US where areas have been clearcut and not replanted, it has a sad and devastated look to it, and you can see how it forever changes all life in the area.
When we look at the life these people lead where their subsistence depends on hunting, honey gathering, fishing and picking edible plants and daily life consists of things like getting up in the morning and talking about their dreams or creating ceremonies to celebrate coming of age of their young ones, or funerals for their elders and the selection of a new leader, we cannot help but note how, for better or for worse, that contrasts with our own lives.
Even now that people can book vacations to just about everywhere, from the Amazon to the Antarctic, it is interesting to note that there are still some pockets in mountain valleys or rainforests that are still like they were in prehistoric times.
These last undeveloped places also harbor life forms that may play important parts in our world, even if we do not know exactly what that is. It is not just about a certain type of fish or bird becoming extinct, we have also discovered plants that grow in these places that can be made into medicines for cancer and other diseases.
In some way, maybe we need to know that there are still places on our planet where humans still live according to primal instincts, simpler lives that are plugged into knowing what plants and animals they share the world with, instead of being plugged into cable TV, computers and cell phones. Ironically, we would not know about these tribes without our modern communications.
What will this world be like when the last of our wild places are gone?
Or is that even possible? I remember also seeing stories and photos of homeless people homesteading in underground tunnels in big cities, or in tent cities under highway overpasses. In the midst of our biggest modern cities, there are campgrounds and squatters living in abandoned buildings and forgotten public places. No matter
whether they got there by choice or by circumstance, these wild urban places are home ot tribes of people living by their wits and survival instincts.
Dating back to the 60s, their were and still are rural areas where hippies set up communes, or their more sophisticated descendants, which are now called "intentional communities."
It seems as though we always want to have some wild places and some wild people, even if most of us will simply look at them as tourist attractions, like the wonderful national parks, which most visitors only drive through, rather than walk through.
This primal need we have is why events like Burning Man and other pagan festivals appeal to so many people, even though it is only a temporary event. For a week every year, these post modern settlers can create a temporary village completely apart from the rest of the world, and they make their own rules.
Will all the people living in the wild lose their places? Will they all move into cities, leaving the forests, mountains and jungles strictly as wildlife preserves and national parks? I don't think so. There will always be some who crave the wild, and will venture back into it. What will happen is that those older ways of living may be altered forever, tribal peoples will be scattered and relocated. But part of us never forgets.
The world needs the wild spirit.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
White Noise
We hear what we tune into. When we have music on for white noise, it is simply so that we can focus attention there, rather than to machine noise or other people's conversations.
White noise helps provide privacy and focuses our attention. And it can provide a warmer feeling to a place. Consider how simple a process shopping is. We go to the store, choose what we want, then pay for it. How would the experience change if the store only contained the sounds of people working and people shopping?
Notice how even in a restaurant, coffee house or bar, we do not hear other people's conversations. Of course, if the music is too loud, we cannot even hear our own. How would the experience be different without that white noise?
Now when we come home, do we still treat music as white noise? Sometimes I like silence. Other times I will pay more attention to the music I choose to put on the sound system. I follow the sounds of the instruments and voices and I can hear nuances that I do not hear in white noise.
White noise provides us with a certain amount of insulation, privacy and comfort. But it is so prevalent in our atmosphere that we have to remember to shift back into more conscious levels of listening.
If you have ever practiced just sitting quietly in nature, you can hear birds, insects, wind rustling through leaves, water running down a stream. When it is quiet in the building where you live, do you find yourself startled because you are unfamiliar with the sound of water in the pipes, wind in the chimney, the hum of electricity, or the house settling?
When you resist the temptation to turn the stereo, radio or TV on as soon as you come home, how does it feel? When you get up in the morning, before you go to work, how would it feel to reenter the world of consciousness without any stereo, radio or TV? Try it and see what happens in a world without white noise.
White noise helps provide privacy and focuses our attention. And it can provide a warmer feeling to a place. Consider how simple a process shopping is. We go to the store, choose what we want, then pay for it. How would the experience change if the store only contained the sounds of people working and people shopping?
Notice how even in a restaurant, coffee house or bar, we do not hear other people's conversations. Of course, if the music is too loud, we cannot even hear our own. How would the experience be different without that white noise?
Now when we come home, do we still treat music as white noise? Sometimes I like silence. Other times I will pay more attention to the music I choose to put on the sound system. I follow the sounds of the instruments and voices and I can hear nuances that I do not hear in white noise.
White noise provides us with a certain amount of insulation, privacy and comfort. But it is so prevalent in our atmosphere that we have to remember to shift back into more conscious levels of listening.
If you have ever practiced just sitting quietly in nature, you can hear birds, insects, wind rustling through leaves, water running down a stream. When it is quiet in the building where you live, do you find yourself startled because you are unfamiliar with the sound of water in the pipes, wind in the chimney, the hum of electricity, or the house settling?
When you resist the temptation to turn the stereo, radio or TV on as soon as you come home, how does it feel? When you get up in the morning, before you go to work, how would it feel to reenter the world of consciousness without any stereo, radio or TV? Try it and see what happens in a world without white noise.
Monday, November 16, 2009
The Magic of Words
When we read, we enter into a meditative state, in which a private communication transpires between the written words put together by the author and the images, and stories that we create in our mind as a result.
How many times have we been disappointed when a book that we enjoyed reading is made into a movie? Why? Because as we read, we pictured the person described by the author, and that may look nothing like the actor selected to play that part.
Another thing that can happen is that a subtle sequence of events that leads to some important plot twist in the book might be left out of the movie altogether in favor of some scene that lends itself to easier graphic depiction.
Then, of course, when actors, directors, script writers and cinematographers are busy doing what they do, they may invent things that were not in the book, or even shift the emphasis from what the author intended.
When we find a quiet spot in our schedule and in our living space, spending a little time with a book and savoring the printed word is like a mini-retreat, engaged in slowly watching a movie that plays in our mind.
Our favorite authors are also mentors to us, when we are reading them to learn something. When we study a subject through their eyes, we learn from their point of view, and if they have communicated with us effectively, we find ourselves taking their books off the shelves for advice.
This is obviously true of non-fiction books particularly how-to books, but works of fiction have their value in another perspective. For one, a novel can help us see the world through the eyes of another, which can help us to understand people and events that we know nothing of first hand. Fiction can also help us journey through time and imagine what the world was like for our ancestors, as well as helping us envision possible futures.
It is magical when you think about it, that one person can write something and those who read it can share the experience individually, yet different readers can find different understandings from reading the same book. The magic of the quiet moments of reading and writing parts the curtains between worlds.
How many times have we been disappointed when a book that we enjoyed reading is made into a movie? Why? Because as we read, we pictured the person described by the author, and that may look nothing like the actor selected to play that part.
Another thing that can happen is that a subtle sequence of events that leads to some important plot twist in the book might be left out of the movie altogether in favor of some scene that lends itself to easier graphic depiction.
Then, of course, when actors, directors, script writers and cinematographers are busy doing what they do, they may invent things that were not in the book, or even shift the emphasis from what the author intended.
When we find a quiet spot in our schedule and in our living space, spending a little time with a book and savoring the printed word is like a mini-retreat, engaged in slowly watching a movie that plays in our mind.
Our favorite authors are also mentors to us, when we are reading them to learn something. When we study a subject through their eyes, we learn from their point of view, and if they have communicated with us effectively, we find ourselves taking their books off the shelves for advice.
This is obviously true of non-fiction books particularly how-to books, but works of fiction have their value in another perspective. For one, a novel can help us see the world through the eyes of another, which can help us to understand people and events that we know nothing of first hand. Fiction can also help us journey through time and imagine what the world was like for our ancestors, as well as helping us envision possible futures.
It is magical when you think about it, that one person can write something and those who read it can share the experience individually, yet different readers can find different understandings from reading the same book. The magic of the quiet moments of reading and writing parts the curtains between worlds.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Music for Bold Behavior
This evening, one of the pieces the symphony played was "Fanfare for the Common Man" by Aaron Copeland. To me, there is something very rousing, exciting and inspiring about this music. Every time I hear it, the sensation that engulfs me is one of uplifted energy.
One explanation for this effect is found in the title itself. The celebratory brass motif is intended to call to ther brave, creative spirit of each one of us. What he is saying to each of us is that we are all capable of greatness and bold achievements, that rising to the occasion, going above and beyond, are not just within the reach of special people, that majestic feats are not reserved only for certain ones, but rather, within the grasp of all of us. His sounds inspire me to reach. Another word that comes to mind is compelling.
If you cannot call this piece to mind, try this. It has been used frequently as a theme music in broadcasts of the Olympic Games.
We all have our own favorite pieces of music. What pieces of music do you find uplifting and inspiring? Would it work as well if you played it more frequently? Perhaps it would be good to play the music that uplifts us and calls to our spirit, and inspires us to pursue our goals with fierce determination on a regular basis. What do you think? Is this something you do?
One explanation for this effect is found in the title itself. The celebratory brass motif is intended to call to ther brave, creative spirit of each one of us. What he is saying to each of us is that we are all capable of greatness and bold achievements, that rising to the occasion, going above and beyond, are not just within the reach of special people, that majestic feats are not reserved only for certain ones, but rather, within the grasp of all of us. His sounds inspire me to reach. Another word that comes to mind is compelling.
If you cannot call this piece to mind, try this. It has been used frequently as a theme music in broadcasts of the Olympic Games.
We all have our own favorite pieces of music. What pieces of music do you find uplifting and inspiring? Would it work as well if you played it more frequently? Perhaps it would be good to play the music that uplifts us and calls to our spirit, and inspires us to pursue our goals with fierce determination on a regular basis. What do you think? Is this something you do?
Friday, November 13, 2009
Bouncing Off Walls
When we build personal walls because we have been hurt by our involvement in a relationship that failed or have been disappointed in love, we can block ourselves from receiving love and affection from others.
All relationships are an experiment. No one can guarantee that they will always come out well. We must ask ourselves this question. If we build defensive walls and refuse to let other people in, we block ourselves off from receiving love and affection. Is is worth doing that just to make sure that we will never get our feelings hurt or be disappointed by love again?
In this way, building personal walls does us more harm than good. Blocking connections with other people in order to prevent another hurt also blocks us from many good experiences. The many connections that can be made can help outweigh any negatives.
Resilience is a factor that is found in people who survive difficulties. If you feel defeated, you will be. If you feel that there are solutions and that you will rebound, you will. Resilience refers to our ability to bounce back in every area of life. People who start a business that fails and go on to start a second one that succeeds are resilient people. People who are divorced or have a long term relationship end but get out, meet people and become involved with others again, are demonstrating resilience.
Instead of picturing a wall around your heart, around your self, try this. Imagine an egg shaped ball of energy surrounding you. Create it so that positive feelings and ideas can come through to you and that negative ones bounce off.
When you have connections to others, you have a support system. When you close yourself off, difficult people may not be able to get close, but then neither will new friends, new lovers, new acquaintances.
An energy shield like the eggshell is permeable, so that you can both defend against the negative and be open to receiving the positive.
Building personal walls may seem like a good defense, but it may end up hurting you more than helping you. Being able to feel helps us become more resilient, better able to respond, better able to not just survive, but prosper.
All relationships are an experiment. No one can guarantee that they will always come out well. We must ask ourselves this question. If we build defensive walls and refuse to let other people in, we block ourselves off from receiving love and affection. Is is worth doing that just to make sure that we will never get our feelings hurt or be disappointed by love again?
In this way, building personal walls does us more harm than good. Blocking connections with other people in order to prevent another hurt also blocks us from many good experiences. The many connections that can be made can help outweigh any negatives.
Resilience is a factor that is found in people who survive difficulties. If you feel defeated, you will be. If you feel that there are solutions and that you will rebound, you will. Resilience refers to our ability to bounce back in every area of life. People who start a business that fails and go on to start a second one that succeeds are resilient people. People who are divorced or have a long term relationship end but get out, meet people and become involved with others again, are demonstrating resilience.
Instead of picturing a wall around your heart, around your self, try this. Imagine an egg shaped ball of energy surrounding you. Create it so that positive feelings and ideas can come through to you and that negative ones bounce off.
When you have connections to others, you have a support system. When you close yourself off, difficult people may not be able to get close, but then neither will new friends, new lovers, new acquaintances.
An energy shield like the eggshell is permeable, so that you can both defend against the negative and be open to receiving the positive.
Building personal walls may seem like a good defense, but it may end up hurting you more than helping you. Being able to feel helps us become more resilient, better able to respond, better able to not just survive, but prosper.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Walls
I don't know if it struck anyone else as ironic when this week we saw Europeans celebrating the tearing down of the Berlin Wall, while at the same time some Americans are advocating building a new wall all along the Mexican Border.
Yes, we have a lot of illegal immigrants here. Would I like to see this situation handled better? Yes. But is the decreasing amount of good paying jobs in this country a result of Mexicans coming here to work? Or is it that so many corporations have found it more profitable to outsource jobs to India and China, where they can pay people a lot less?
Perspective: The people in India who answer our calls about our credit cards, bank accounts, cable service, computer problems and so on, and the Chinese people who now make our computers, TVs, phones, music players and so much else get paid a lot less than the Mexican gardeners, maids, construction laborers, busboys, waiters and cooks and others working here. Manufacturing of everything from clothing to shoes to furniture to appliances used to provide good paying jobs for a lot of Americans. A great many of the new jobs corporations have created in recent years are lower paying jobs.
Building a wall across our southern border will not bring back plenty of good paying jobs.
Walls can act as a defense mechanism. Of course, a wall will not keep out all immigrants, it will just slow them down as they figure out ways around it. This is still the country most people on earth want to come to, and that says a lot about us, and the quality of life we enjoy.
I am thinking that more good paying jobs will be created when corporations act differently. That will raise our standard of living more effectively than building a wall.
As the Berlin Wall anniversary reminds us, all walls eventually come down. If you need another reminder, visit any European country, and notice that most of the old castles with their defensive walls came apart a long time ago.
In the meantime, the more creative we are, the more we can find ways to improve our own standard of living. Nobody said it would be easy, but it is possible. Building walls is old thinking and we need new thinking.
Yes, we have a lot of illegal immigrants here. Would I like to see this situation handled better? Yes. But is the decreasing amount of good paying jobs in this country a result of Mexicans coming here to work? Or is it that so many corporations have found it more profitable to outsource jobs to India and China, where they can pay people a lot less?
Perspective: The people in India who answer our calls about our credit cards, bank accounts, cable service, computer problems and so on, and the Chinese people who now make our computers, TVs, phones, music players and so much else get paid a lot less than the Mexican gardeners, maids, construction laborers, busboys, waiters and cooks and others working here. Manufacturing of everything from clothing to shoes to furniture to appliances used to provide good paying jobs for a lot of Americans. A great many of the new jobs corporations have created in recent years are lower paying jobs.
Building a wall across our southern border will not bring back plenty of good paying jobs.
Walls can act as a defense mechanism. Of course, a wall will not keep out all immigrants, it will just slow them down as they figure out ways around it. This is still the country most people on earth want to come to, and that says a lot about us, and the quality of life we enjoy.
I am thinking that more good paying jobs will be created when corporations act differently. That will raise our standard of living more effectively than building a wall.
As the Berlin Wall anniversary reminds us, all walls eventually come down. If you need another reminder, visit any European country, and notice that most of the old castles with their defensive walls came apart a long time ago.
In the meantime, the more creative we are, the more we can find ways to improve our own standard of living. Nobody said it would be easy, but it is possible. Building walls is old thinking and we need new thinking.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Random Life
Our fascination with mysteries is all about the randomness of life. Why else would we ever try and make sense of our lives? It is about pattern recognition.
How often does it appear that it was mere chance that we met a person, and yet, later on, that person plays an important part in our life and helps us make it through some critical juncture.
Why the fascination with tarot, past lives, ghosts, ufos, new insights into ancient history and so much more?
It is because we really do have a deep inner knowing that life must consist of something more than the mundane things that consume our lives. That is why we hunger for explanations of why a ghost is in a house. Or what ancient people knew that we don't that led to the construction of Stonehenge, Newgrange, the Serpent Mounds or the pyramids.
We all know that there is a spirit connected to us, although it would seem that the journey it takes is better known to metaphysicians than scientists.
People often wonder how something so random as picking cards out of a deck could reveal anything meaningful about their life or anyone else's. The way I see it, randomness is the opposite of order, so when a person may be wrestling with issues like the meaning of life, what they are really asking is if there is any order to all of this energy we live feel and are part of.
There are patterns in our lives, but we do not always recognize them, especially from up close. Every night, while our bodies are resting, our spirits are traveling, like scouts we send out, and they bring us back information, but this information may be all jumbled up and the presentation looks like some chaotic, absurd, surrealistic movie. It is only when we make an effort to remember these over time that patterns are visible to us.
It is by going to the opposite that we make sense of chaos. Randomly choosing cards from a deck reorders the patterns of our thoughts, our way of seeing situations.
Our free will choices reflect what we see in this moment as what we need or want to do. When we flow a bit further downstream, a different choice becomes more appropriate.
It is by examining the seemingly random events of our life that we begin to sense the order within it. Those who work with these random influences develop a finely tuned appreciation for life.
We have seen the wheel turn, and people who have declared their interest in subjects like past lives, tarot readings, ghosts, ufos, magic, spirit communication, animal communication, astrology, palmistry, energy healing and so much more were ridiculed. Yet people keep wanting to know more about these things.
Why? Each time we examine one of these random frequencies breaking through into our consciousness, and we experience a moment of truth, we immediately get a feeling, a gut reaction that this makes sense, but we struggle with accepting it because our conscious mind cannot explain it all in a neat, orderly fashion. Yet, we feel the truth that resides within the randomness. And in that, we feel alive. Alive with possibilities when we consider that every random act is rich with meaning, magic and potential.
How often does it appear that it was mere chance that we met a person, and yet, later on, that person plays an important part in our life and helps us make it through some critical juncture.
Why the fascination with tarot, past lives, ghosts, ufos, new insights into ancient history and so much more?
It is because we really do have a deep inner knowing that life must consist of something more than the mundane things that consume our lives. That is why we hunger for explanations of why a ghost is in a house. Or what ancient people knew that we don't that led to the construction of Stonehenge, Newgrange, the Serpent Mounds or the pyramids.
We all know that there is a spirit connected to us, although it would seem that the journey it takes is better known to metaphysicians than scientists.
People often wonder how something so random as picking cards out of a deck could reveal anything meaningful about their life or anyone else's. The way I see it, randomness is the opposite of order, so when a person may be wrestling with issues like the meaning of life, what they are really asking is if there is any order to all of this energy we live feel and are part of.
There are patterns in our lives, but we do not always recognize them, especially from up close. Every night, while our bodies are resting, our spirits are traveling, like scouts we send out, and they bring us back information, but this information may be all jumbled up and the presentation looks like some chaotic, absurd, surrealistic movie. It is only when we make an effort to remember these over time that patterns are visible to us.
It is by going to the opposite that we make sense of chaos. Randomly choosing cards from a deck reorders the patterns of our thoughts, our way of seeing situations.
Our free will choices reflect what we see in this moment as what we need or want to do. When we flow a bit further downstream, a different choice becomes more appropriate.
It is by examining the seemingly random events of our life that we begin to sense the order within it. Those who work with these random influences develop a finely tuned appreciation for life.
We have seen the wheel turn, and people who have declared their interest in subjects like past lives, tarot readings, ghosts, ufos, magic, spirit communication, animal communication, astrology, palmistry, energy healing and so much more were ridiculed. Yet people keep wanting to know more about these things.
Why? Each time we examine one of these random frequencies breaking through into our consciousness, and we experience a moment of truth, we immediately get a feeling, a gut reaction that this makes sense, but we struggle with accepting it because our conscious mind cannot explain it all in a neat, orderly fashion. Yet, we feel the truth that resides within the randomness. And in that, we feel alive. Alive with possibilities when we consider that every random act is rich with meaning, magic and potential.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Business Coaching
Nothing focuses the mind like an impending hanging. -- Samuel Johnson
We have heard this quote with various twists over the years. It is powerful because it contains an elemental truth. When our energies are scattered, nothing gets done well, many things are left undone and good ideas get bogged down among lesser ideas.
However, when a bigger, more urgent issue emerges that needs to be addressed, suddenly we can become highly efficient. Here is a practical example of business coaching I did with a person who has started and is expanding a new business.
This friend had several unrelated ventures going, but one concept has emerged as the clear winner, the best opportunity. Yet, this friend was dawdling over clearing out the less successful ventures because one day, those businesses might work out and produce income.
However, it would take a lot of work to make any of those other ventures successful at the level of supporting a person, and in the meantime, the effort to make a second concept profitable would just drain energy from the first idea.
Once my friend cleared the detritus out the office relative to all the other undeveloped and under-developed ideas, all the facts and information about the best concept were easier to focus on, and already, ideas for how to improve that business are easier to spot, and the steps to implementing those ideas are clear.
A related issue this person is facing is raising capital to fund the new business. Lines of credit are already maxed out. Taking on partners or investors means surrenduring some control of the business. The business owner does not want to share the decision making, or the profits, with other people.
An obvious solution is to sell some assets that had been acquired over the years that have some resale value. There was some sentimental attachment to these collectibles and at first, a reluctance to part with them. But once the important question was posed, letting go was clearly the solution. How much do you want this to succeed?
After all the goal is clear. Is this business viable? Does it have realistic prospects to increase to the level of supporting a person? Is this business one that you would like to be in? Can you get up every day enthusiastic about doing the work?
Then turning the collectibles into cash is a solution to the capitalization problem that allows the person to retain control of their business. If that person would have let sentiment win out over progress then the growth of the business would have been stunted, and all the timetables set back, causing the owner to struggle to live on the cash flow. Choosing to underfund the new business in order to hang on to the collectibles could ultimately result in a decision down the road to need to sell them anyway, under less favorable conditions, should the business stall or just crawl along due to lack of cash.
Sometimes we have to face the hard question of whether we are willing to give up whatever we have and strip down to a simple life in order to fuel the growth of our best business idea. It is about having confidence in our own ability. It is about putting forth a great effort with nothing held back, focusing all our attention and energy on our heart's desire in order to create a successful new business. Every business owner must take risks in order to increase their chance of success.
If we do not, we run the risk of dissipating our energies and not having a success in any venture. Yes, these are tough decisions, but when faced with the question, "What do you want to do with the rest of your life?" the necessary action focuses the mind.
We have heard this quote with various twists over the years. It is powerful because it contains an elemental truth. When our energies are scattered, nothing gets done well, many things are left undone and good ideas get bogged down among lesser ideas.
However, when a bigger, more urgent issue emerges that needs to be addressed, suddenly we can become highly efficient. Here is a practical example of business coaching I did with a person who has started and is expanding a new business.
This friend had several unrelated ventures going, but one concept has emerged as the clear winner, the best opportunity. Yet, this friend was dawdling over clearing out the less successful ventures because one day, those businesses might work out and produce income.
However, it would take a lot of work to make any of those other ventures successful at the level of supporting a person, and in the meantime, the effort to make a second concept profitable would just drain energy from the first idea.
Once my friend cleared the detritus out the office relative to all the other undeveloped and under-developed ideas, all the facts and information about the best concept were easier to focus on, and already, ideas for how to improve that business are easier to spot, and the steps to implementing those ideas are clear.
A related issue this person is facing is raising capital to fund the new business. Lines of credit are already maxed out. Taking on partners or investors means surrenduring some control of the business. The business owner does not want to share the decision making, or the profits, with other people.
An obvious solution is to sell some assets that had been acquired over the years that have some resale value. There was some sentimental attachment to these collectibles and at first, a reluctance to part with them. But once the important question was posed, letting go was clearly the solution. How much do you want this to succeed?
After all the goal is clear. Is this business viable? Does it have realistic prospects to increase to the level of supporting a person? Is this business one that you would like to be in? Can you get up every day enthusiastic about doing the work?
Then turning the collectibles into cash is a solution to the capitalization problem that allows the person to retain control of their business. If that person would have let sentiment win out over progress then the growth of the business would have been stunted, and all the timetables set back, causing the owner to struggle to live on the cash flow. Choosing to underfund the new business in order to hang on to the collectibles could ultimately result in a decision down the road to need to sell them anyway, under less favorable conditions, should the business stall or just crawl along due to lack of cash.
Sometimes we have to face the hard question of whether we are willing to give up whatever we have and strip down to a simple life in order to fuel the growth of our best business idea. It is about having confidence in our own ability. It is about putting forth a great effort with nothing held back, focusing all our attention and energy on our heart's desire in order to create a successful new business. Every business owner must take risks in order to increase their chance of success.
If we do not, we run the risk of dissipating our energies and not having a success in any venture. Yes, these are tough decisions, but when faced with the question, "What do you want to do with the rest of your life?" the necessary action focuses the mind.
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