Periodically I collect and post testimonials from clients. Here are some of the most recent. I love what I do and I love getting feedback.
"I was very touched by the level of spiritual understanding which you conveyed in my reading, it was perfect." --- Margot
"What I understand now about my experience with Tarot that I did not truly get before my class with you is that it is essentially an inner journey. The answers I want will be discovered as I go within. You did help me to get to this resolution, so in that sense your class was very successful for me." --- M
"I can't believe how much your Comfrey Reiki Salve helps and how fast it works." --- Bernadette
"I had an outbreak of herpes on my lip and put some of your salve on it. Now it has gone away and my lips are smooth. It usually takes much longer than this to heal." --- L
Magical Awakenings Attraction Oil Testimonial: "Since I have been wearing your oil, I have been meeting more people and opportunities have been opening up. And all this has happened in just a couple of days. It is definitely having an effect." --- J
"Dan's reading really helped me clarify some areas of my life that I had been challenged with. He is truly gifted and insightful and his readings have given me perspective on the choices that I make in my life- both personal and professional. Thanks Dan, for your genuine compassion."
~Lynn P (Minneapolis)
"Thank you for your very insightful reading. It has given me hope and the inspiration I need to move forward. You are truly a wonderful and kind healer.
Have a great night! Talk to you soon!" --- Amal
"Thanks for the reading yesterday! You're gifted." --- Katie
"Thank you Dan! I was just able to verify that what you told me in my reading was true. Now I can move forward." --- N
"I wanted to let you know how much you helped me when I went back home to visit last year, 600 miles from here. I had hurt my hand and it was in great pain and I was worried about infection. You sent me reiki healing energy and the same day, it started showing improvement. I went to the doctor the next day, but the healing had already begun by the time I got my appointment, and it was the first time in a week I felt relief. I just wanted to get in touch and let you know since it was this time last year, and time went by so quickly that I am just now remembering to let you know how much you helped me." --- Shelley
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Gain Control by Losing Control
It takes a lot of courage to trust that things will work out without knowing the answers to all your questions. It also takes a lot of courage to be open to possible developments that you had not anticipated.
Face it, it can be unnerving when you have a plan and it unfolds in a different manner than you expected because it took a different turn.
We all like it when things go according to our plans. But sometimes, it just happens that someone else makes a decision or takes an action that sets in motion a chain of events and next thing you know, your schedule has changed.
Be patient. Sometimes the changes work out just fine.
Sometimes we gain control when we lose control. Things that we had not planned on fall into place and we are happy with the result.
It's also interesting how sometimes pieces of information come to us that help us make decisions that we were not even searching for. Guess all you can say is that spirit must have intended for us to have those. So here we are. Once again making a decision that veers off our original course.
If we allow things to come to us, they will. Sometimes not being certain will get us where we want to be.
And we can gain control by losing control.
Face it, it can be unnerving when you have a plan and it unfolds in a different manner than you expected because it took a different turn.
We all like it when things go according to our plans. But sometimes, it just happens that someone else makes a decision or takes an action that sets in motion a chain of events and next thing you know, your schedule has changed.
Be patient. Sometimes the changes work out just fine.
Sometimes we gain control when we lose control. Things that we had not planned on fall into place and we are happy with the result.
It's also interesting how sometimes pieces of information come to us that help us make decisions that we were not even searching for. Guess all you can say is that spirit must have intended for us to have those. So here we are. Once again making a decision that veers off our original course.
If we allow things to come to us, they will. Sometimes not being certain will get us where we want to be.
And we can gain control by losing control.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Karmic Paybacks
Our life experiences are not always for our own benefit. There are times when we are going through our tests and difficulties so that we might help other people.
Example. You got laid off from your job and were feeling down for a while, then found your way out of it. So now someone else you know got laid off. Maybe sharing your experience with them will help them find their way through.
Career transitions are usually a very difficult and challenging experience. Depending on a person's frame of mind, it can be discouraging and more than a little demanding. The only time it is not is when it is planned in advance, you have a comfortable cushion for the transition period and you already know where you are going next and are looking forward to it.
In every way, actually, we are always learning and teaching. How many times have you been asked to teach someone else something that you had to wrestle with when you were learning to do it?
So we get one life lesson from the experiences we live through and come to realize what is important. Then we get another life lesson in another way when we help someone else by teaching them how to find solutions.
Have you ever noticed how the change of perspective offers sort of a karmic payback system?
Example. You got laid off from your job and were feeling down for a while, then found your way out of it. So now someone else you know got laid off. Maybe sharing your experience with them will help them find their way through.
Career transitions are usually a very difficult and challenging experience. Depending on a person's frame of mind, it can be discouraging and more than a little demanding. The only time it is not is when it is planned in advance, you have a comfortable cushion for the transition period and you already know where you are going next and are looking forward to it.
In every way, actually, we are always learning and teaching. How many times have you been asked to teach someone else something that you had to wrestle with when you were learning to do it?
So we get one life lesson from the experiences we live through and come to realize what is important. Then we get another life lesson in another way when we help someone else by teaching them how to find solutions.
Have you ever noticed how the change of perspective offers sort of a karmic payback system?
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Pirate Booty
Today I visited the Denver Museum of Nature and Science to see the Pirate exhibit. While there, we stayed and saw an IMAX movie and saw some of the other exhibits. It is a beautiful museum and a great way to spend a day.
The pirate exhibit was based on a ship that was excavated off of Cape Cod, the story behind it and the larger subject of pirates and who they were and what they did.
A few facts that surprised me included these. Pirates were egalitarian in their membership. At a time when slavery was still practiced, pirate crews included people of different races and ethnic groups who elected their officers. They also included women (although far fewer in number). Captains and officers shared the same living conditions, food and sleeping quarters as their crews.
Another biggie is that at the end of the voyage, the pirates shared the treasures equally. Officers might get a share and a half or a share and a quarter to everyone else's share. They took risks together and shared the proceeds together.
What would our world be like if our corporations today were run like that?
The pirate exhibit was based on a ship that was excavated off of Cape Cod, the story behind it and the larger subject of pirates and who they were and what they did.
A few facts that surprised me included these. Pirates were egalitarian in their membership. At a time when slavery was still practiced, pirate crews included people of different races and ethnic groups who elected their officers. They also included women (although far fewer in number). Captains and officers shared the same living conditions, food and sleeping quarters as their crews.
Another biggie is that at the end of the voyage, the pirates shared the treasures equally. Officers might get a share and a half or a share and a quarter to everyone else's share. They took risks together and shared the proceeds together.
What would our world be like if our corporations today were run like that?
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
The Price of Being Stubborn
In the press conference about his retirement as Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates expressed an opinion that I whole heartedly agree with. He finally agreed with what I have been saying for years, namely that we should only go to war as an act of self defense and that he regrets the human cost of waging the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our world would have changed for the better if he had expressed that opinion years ago.
We have wasted trillions of dollars on those wars and ruined who knows how many lives. And since we are talking about the cost of wars, we should note the passing of another anniversary: 40 years of the totally fraudulent "war on drugs," another war that has cost trillions of dollars and ruined millions of lives.
Funny how when misguided politicians decided to pass a law making it illegal to drink alcoholic beverages, it took less than a decade for them to admit what a colossal mistake they had made, and repealed the law, and turned alcohol sales into a revenue producer rather than an expense.
So why can the politicians admit to the same mistake and take the same actions after 40 years? Over these years, millions of people have been arrested and imprisoned for the "crime" of possessing and using drugs. Many of our prisons had to be built just to house all these people.
I am all for imprisoning violent criminals, but how absurd to imprison someone because they choose to smoke rather than drink, or even snort something. Whatever. Treat it like alcohol and tobacco, let it be sold in stores and fund government programs with those taxes. Only arrest those who commit violent crimes.
The same lessons came from prohibition of alcohol. The modern mafia became powerful because they geared up to sell everyone the stuff that they could not buy legally.
Today's prohibition has had even more sinister side effects. Various terrorists have funded their operations through drug sales. Where would they be if all those poppy fields were legal? All that violence along the Mexican border would disappear overnight since it is all about controlling drug traffic. Once people could buy their drug of choice in stores just as easy as cigarettes or a six pack, there would be no traffic to fight over.
And what did our trillions of dollars buy us in Iraq? They never were a threat to us. Afghanistan? Do we really need to control that country? What did our trillions buy us there?
Plus we cannot forget how many people died there, or how many disabled veterans will require extensive medical care for the rest of their lives and can no longer function as ordinary people.
So when I hear politicians and heartless greedy people say that we cannot afford a single payer health care system because it is expensive or that we should cut teachers pay, Medicare or Social Security because they are expensive, I see these as obvious lies.
These people are simply stubborn. They decided to have these wars and they will not change their position in the face of overwhelming facts. It is a perfect example of what results we get from being stubborn. Being stubborn just leads to stupidity, which compounds the error.
If we were not spending trillions of dollars on these pointless wars, we could spend that money on health care, which would be a much better use of it. And we could afford to build a greater percentage of our power grid with clean, renewable energy. And we could afford to pay living wages to all kinds of people, including teachers, sanitation workers, food inspectors, cops, firemen, and others without begrudging them a decent salary.
And perhaps all that would affect the private sector as well. Instead of getting jealous of the fact that public employees have paid holidays, we should be questioning why that is not the norm for all working people.
Look at all the huge benefits that can result when we quit being stubborn.
I was pleasantly surprised at the candor of the views expressed by Robert Gates upon his retirement. Perhaps that moment of enlightenment will rub off on other politicians and inspire other voices. One can only hope.
We have wasted trillions of dollars on those wars and ruined who knows how many lives. And since we are talking about the cost of wars, we should note the passing of another anniversary: 40 years of the totally fraudulent "war on drugs," another war that has cost trillions of dollars and ruined millions of lives.
Funny how when misguided politicians decided to pass a law making it illegal to drink alcoholic beverages, it took less than a decade for them to admit what a colossal mistake they had made, and repealed the law, and turned alcohol sales into a revenue producer rather than an expense.
So why can the politicians admit to the same mistake and take the same actions after 40 years? Over these years, millions of people have been arrested and imprisoned for the "crime" of possessing and using drugs. Many of our prisons had to be built just to house all these people.
I am all for imprisoning violent criminals, but how absurd to imprison someone because they choose to smoke rather than drink, or even snort something. Whatever. Treat it like alcohol and tobacco, let it be sold in stores and fund government programs with those taxes. Only arrest those who commit violent crimes.
The same lessons came from prohibition of alcohol. The modern mafia became powerful because they geared up to sell everyone the stuff that they could not buy legally.
Today's prohibition has had even more sinister side effects. Various terrorists have funded their operations through drug sales. Where would they be if all those poppy fields were legal? All that violence along the Mexican border would disappear overnight since it is all about controlling drug traffic. Once people could buy their drug of choice in stores just as easy as cigarettes or a six pack, there would be no traffic to fight over.
And what did our trillions of dollars buy us in Iraq? They never were a threat to us. Afghanistan? Do we really need to control that country? What did our trillions buy us there?
Plus we cannot forget how many people died there, or how many disabled veterans will require extensive medical care for the rest of their lives and can no longer function as ordinary people.
So when I hear politicians and heartless greedy people say that we cannot afford a single payer health care system because it is expensive or that we should cut teachers pay, Medicare or Social Security because they are expensive, I see these as obvious lies.
These people are simply stubborn. They decided to have these wars and they will not change their position in the face of overwhelming facts. It is a perfect example of what results we get from being stubborn. Being stubborn just leads to stupidity, which compounds the error.
If we were not spending trillions of dollars on these pointless wars, we could spend that money on health care, which would be a much better use of it. And we could afford to build a greater percentage of our power grid with clean, renewable energy. And we could afford to pay living wages to all kinds of people, including teachers, sanitation workers, food inspectors, cops, firemen, and others without begrudging them a decent salary.
And perhaps all that would affect the private sector as well. Instead of getting jealous of the fact that public employees have paid holidays, we should be questioning why that is not the norm for all working people.
Look at all the huge benefits that can result when we quit being stubborn.
I was pleasantly surprised at the candor of the views expressed by Robert Gates upon his retirement. Perhaps that moment of enlightenment will rub off on other politicians and inspire other voices. One can only hope.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Our Conscious Choices
How much of our lives are shaped by conscious actions? How much of our lives are shaped by unconscious actions? How much of our choices are actually the result of affirming that we do indeed, want to bring more of this or that into our lives? How often do we look at credit card bills and have a hard time remembering what we bought that added up to this amount?
When we strip it all down, what are the choices that really drive us? Have we ever really stripped down to what we most want?
How many times have we settled for a job that is not really what we want, but we just needed to do something to get some cash flow? And how many times are we motivated to try and create a way of making a living that would suit us better?
How many times have we made the same mistakes rather than making changes? How consciously do we really live? How many of the choices that we make every day are coming from the perspective of this is really what I choose, rather than just letting our actions default to our usual habits?
When we strip it all down, what are the choices that really drive us? Have we ever really stripped down to what we most want?
How many times have we settled for a job that is not really what we want, but we just needed to do something to get some cash flow? And how many times are we motivated to try and create a way of making a living that would suit us better?
How many times have we made the same mistakes rather than making changes? How consciously do we really live? How many of the choices that we make every day are coming from the perspective of this is really what I choose, rather than just letting our actions default to our usual habits?
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Second Guessing
When we second guess ourselves, we are expressing doubt in following our own intuition. Why would we do that?
Perhaps we doubt our choice because we do not know what lies ahead. If we believe that there are spirit guides and ancestors who are looking out for us, then they probably prompted us to skip this opportunity in order to be positioned for a better one later.
Even if we are not thinking in those terms, sometimes we doubt our own gut instinct maybe because we did not spend a long time analyzing, just going with the feel. I find that often, my intuition just rapidly digested my choices without an out loud discussion, so that the final decision simply felt comfortable. If you dig, you will probably find reasons that support your intuition. Going the concise route has become my preference.
Could be our suconscious mind just automatically processed it for us so that we can acknolwede this intuition and just move ahead. Saves a lot of time and energy that can be used for other things.
Times when we need to gather data and analyze it, do this part first and then along the way our intuition kicks into gear.
We need to train ourselves not to second guess. We have to keep reminding ourselves that these are our choices and they will turn out well.
Instead of second guessing, use that energy to look ahead and plan our next move.
Perhaps we doubt our choice because we do not know what lies ahead. If we believe that there are spirit guides and ancestors who are looking out for us, then they probably prompted us to skip this opportunity in order to be positioned for a better one later.
Even if we are not thinking in those terms, sometimes we doubt our own gut instinct maybe because we did not spend a long time analyzing, just going with the feel. I find that often, my intuition just rapidly digested my choices without an out loud discussion, so that the final decision simply felt comfortable. If you dig, you will probably find reasons that support your intuition. Going the concise route has become my preference.
Could be our suconscious mind just automatically processed it for us so that we can acknolwede this intuition and just move ahead. Saves a lot of time and energy that can be used for other things.
Times when we need to gather data and analyze it, do this part first and then along the way our intuition kicks into gear.
We need to train ourselves not to second guess. We have to keep reminding ourselves that these are our choices and they will turn out well.
Instead of second guessing, use that energy to look ahead and plan our next move.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
The Fiction of Time
Yesterday as I was walking around the indoor track at the gym, I noticed the big orange sun starting to set behind the mountains. By the time I got around the track, it was a little lower in the sky, and by the time I had made a couple more rounds, it had completely disappeared behind the crest line.
In my mind, I thought it would take longer to set. In clock time, it only takes me about 2 minutes to go around the track one time.
I have had lots of thoughts about time lately and how our perception shifts in subtle ways that we don't always notice.
You know how it is when you are waiting to hear back from someone, whether it is about a job, a date, a car repair, a test result. Is that time fast or slow?
Remember how when we were growing up 30 seemed old? Remember how when our grandparents got to be 65 and retired, they really looked old and tired?
Now how many people have you met in recent years who are in their 60ss, 70s and 80s who are still going strong, still active, still lively?
Attitudes make all the difference. Did you ever notice how people who enjoy life, laugh and smile a lot don't seem as old as their age?
Awareness changes our perception of time. If I had not been looking at the horizon while I was walking, I would never have noticed the sunset.
What about awareness of past lives and present consciousness? It is common for people who do a past life recall to be able to remember ancient lives as if it happened recently, and then their consciousness shifts again when they realize how patterns of relationships from these past lives still exist in their present life.
Like the old question of whether the glass is half full or half empty, notice when time moves slow and when it moves fast. We have obvious examples of how when we are really enjoying ourselves, and we are really focused and involved in what we doing, time just collapses, and when something is boring, it seems to take forever.
So how much of a fiction is the whole concept of time?
In my mind, I thought it would take longer to set. In clock time, it only takes me about 2 minutes to go around the track one time.
I have had lots of thoughts about time lately and how our perception shifts in subtle ways that we don't always notice.
You know how it is when you are waiting to hear back from someone, whether it is about a job, a date, a car repair, a test result. Is that time fast or slow?
Remember how when we were growing up 30 seemed old? Remember how when our grandparents got to be 65 and retired, they really looked old and tired?
Now how many people have you met in recent years who are in their 60ss, 70s and 80s who are still going strong, still active, still lively?
Attitudes make all the difference. Did you ever notice how people who enjoy life, laugh and smile a lot don't seem as old as their age?
Awareness changes our perception of time. If I had not been looking at the horizon while I was walking, I would never have noticed the sunset.
What about awareness of past lives and present consciousness? It is common for people who do a past life recall to be able to remember ancient lives as if it happened recently, and then their consciousness shifts again when they realize how patterns of relationships from these past lives still exist in their present life.
Like the old question of whether the glass is half full or half empty, notice when time moves slow and when it moves fast. We have obvious examples of how when we are really enjoying ourselves, and we are really focused and involved in what we doing, time just collapses, and when something is boring, it seems to take forever.
So how much of a fiction is the whole concept of time?
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Storytelling and Listening
Last night I had the opportunity to attend a program which featured ordinary people telling stories without notes. When I say ordinary people, I simply mean that they are not famous, not in the politician/athlete/pop star/movie star/famous author kind of sense. In this age of celebrity hyper-hype when people Google by the millions to find out trivia about frivolous more than they do about the significant, some people may wonder why they should listen to ordinary people telling stories about their lives.
Each storyteller was interesting because they were telling stories from their own lives, and there were numerous moments when I could relate to what they were saying because their experience was similar to my own experiences in some way. From the audience reactions, this was also true for the others as well as myself.
Yes, of course, some storytellers were better than others, because they had a tighter focus and didn't go off on tangents, and some had a flair for drama, effectively using voices, gestures and facial expressions to great effect.
When I used to be a freelance writer and magazine editor, I used to regularly interview people for publication, and I always considered it a challenge to find something that was not in the press kit that was fascinating to discover, to unearth some perspective or experience that would offer the reader something fresh and worthy of consideration.
Drawing stories out of people is the art of the interviewer. Prompting people to step forward and tell their own stories is about nurturing and encouragement. Both teach us about listening.
This is an experiment you can try for yourself. What you will find? How much richer is your life when you discover these stories? How much do other people appreciate it when you do?
Each storyteller was interesting because they were telling stories from their own lives, and there were numerous moments when I could relate to what they were saying because their experience was similar to my own experiences in some way. From the audience reactions, this was also true for the others as well as myself.
Yes, of course, some storytellers were better than others, because they had a tighter focus and didn't go off on tangents, and some had a flair for drama, effectively using voices, gestures and facial expressions to great effect.
When I used to be a freelance writer and magazine editor, I used to regularly interview people for publication, and I always considered it a challenge to find something that was not in the press kit that was fascinating to discover, to unearth some perspective or experience that would offer the reader something fresh and worthy of consideration.
Drawing stories out of people is the art of the interviewer. Prompting people to step forward and tell their own stories is about nurturing and encouragement. Both teach us about listening.
This is an experiment you can try for yourself. What you will find? How much richer is your life when you discover these stories? How much do other people appreciate it when you do?
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
The Scent of Things to Come
I have been making perfume and aftershave for years now. When I have periodically gone back and tried using commercially prepared products, they seem to have a sort of metallic feel to me. It might be the chemicals that I sense.
I like making fragrances. For years I have enjoyed the pleasant encounters with people who inquire about what I am wearing.
It is interesting to me that most people will settle for whatever is on sale as their perfume, when making your own is a bit challenging, but a person can learn to do it. Tons of money is spent on jewelry and hair, trying to make a memorable impression, but relatively few venture into the area of crafting their own fragrances.
What I use are a blend of mainly essential oils on a jojoba carrier oil. There are no chemicals used as fixitives or emulsifiers in what I make, simply oils, and because oils will separate themselves by weight and viscosity, you have to shake them before every use to get them to mix up again.
Actually I have had a lot of fun learning to do this, the same kind of fun that a person can have nurturing a garden or using herbs from the garden to cook and create new recipes.
Perfumes can be conductors of great magic. Perhaps the most magnificent gesture (Leo like, I might say) was when Cleopatra perfumed the sails of her ship so that Mark Antony would know she was coming.
On a more subtle level, we can project our thoughts and intentions out into the world on the wings of the perfumes we wear. The magical uses of oils is a very powerful tool when used effectively.
Perfumes can simultaneously connect us to history and to the enerrgies of things to come. Try it. I just happen to have some personally handcrafted blends that you might really enjoy.
I like making fragrances. For years I have enjoyed the pleasant encounters with people who inquire about what I am wearing.
It is interesting to me that most people will settle for whatever is on sale as their perfume, when making your own is a bit challenging, but a person can learn to do it. Tons of money is spent on jewelry and hair, trying to make a memorable impression, but relatively few venture into the area of crafting their own fragrances.
What I use are a blend of mainly essential oils on a jojoba carrier oil. There are no chemicals used as fixitives or emulsifiers in what I make, simply oils, and because oils will separate themselves by weight and viscosity, you have to shake them before every use to get them to mix up again.
Actually I have had a lot of fun learning to do this, the same kind of fun that a person can have nurturing a garden or using herbs from the garden to cook and create new recipes.
Perfumes can be conductors of great magic. Perhaps the most magnificent gesture (Leo like, I might say) was when Cleopatra perfumed the sails of her ship so that Mark Antony would know she was coming.
On a more subtle level, we can project our thoughts and intentions out into the world on the wings of the perfumes we wear. The magical uses of oils is a very powerful tool when used effectively.
Perfumes can simultaneously connect us to history and to the enerrgies of things to come. Try it. I just happen to have some personally handcrafted blends that you might really enjoy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
