Pan Dancing in Magical Awakenings

Going with the Flow

2012-01-17T14:20:00.000-08:00

Have you ever made plans for your life and then kept running into stumbling blocks that frustrated your plans? Many of us have.

One approach is to keep on revising the plan and trying different approaches until you break through. That kind of persistence will eventually pay off, but the price required will be to narrow your focus until there is only ever one goal in sight, to the exclusion of virtually everything else. Single mindedness of this type can exact a deep personal toll. However, it is a price that some people gladly pay.

Another approach is to be flexible and go with the flow of whatever seems to work. For example, one person who gets a great deal of satisfaction out of creating her art said that the act of creation is so important to her that if people don't want to buy her work, she would still do it as a hobby and make her money doing something else. For her, the act of creation is the important part.

For one person the goal is the most important part, and for the other, the process is most important.

Your greatest measure of self satisfaction is contained in knowing which kind of person you are. It's not like one way is the right way and the other way is the wrong way.

I have actually tried it both ways myself. Years ago, I self published a couple of poetry books. It cost considerable money to print them and it was a lot of work to think up different promotions, get them into stores on consignment and think of ways to sell them.

Later, I wrote a couple of nonfiction books and shopped them around to various publishers, figuring that this time around, I just wanted to do the writing part and let the publisher do the printing and distribution part. But first you have to get them to want to publish them, which I was unable to do. So I just put them away and have been considering other ways to continue expressing myself, and this blog became one viable option.

There are other avenues on the Internet these days. Artists can sell their own art on sites like Etsy or their own websites. Writers can sell their books as downloads off their websites or make arrangements for on demand printing. Musicians can offer downloads of their songs on their own websites or music websites.

Of course, sales may be sporadic unless you can get lots of people to visit your website.

There are possibilities. It is primarily a matter of deciding how you want to approach it, and which kind of approach you want to take. Go with the flow and see which way feels right for you. Either way, you can still enjoy the satisfaction of your creativity.

Remember, the first person to enjoy the fruits of your labor it you. How others regard it and what they are willing to pay for it is a separate question.

What Brings You Peace of Mind?

2012-01-14T16:37:00.000-08:00

Questions like this can prompt us to make lists or try hard to remember, but it really is a simple question.

What are the things that you do that allows you to enter into a state where you experience peace of mind?

Just notice what you do. Often it is a simple thing, perhaps reading a book, sitting by a window watching the clouds change color at sunset, enjoying a cup of tea while listening to some soothing music.

Perhaps it is just going for a walk or singing a song or chant. How about swimming, feeling the water all around your body, and how even your thoughts seem cleansed while you are going through the simple repetitive motion.

If it has been a while since you did any of these things that bring you peace of mind, ask yourself, why? Why don't I do this more often?

Wicked Fairy Fun

2012-01-11T09:15:00.000-08:00

After attending the White and Wicked Fairy balls this past weekend, there was absolutely no comparison. The White Fairies were pretty anemic, while the Wicked Fairies really came out to play.

Certainly the wicked fairies were more creatively inspired, with costumes or without. Without, you ask? The body painting was superb!

Wicked fairies certainly turned out in greater number than white fairies, and it is a certainty, that the wicked fairies certainly had more fun.

Wicked fairies are most colorful and tantalizing, and so they linger in our memories the same way as notable villains in crime stories, or the bad boy detectives that track them down.

So if you find yourself with an invitation to a wicked fairy ball, take it. And if you have to choose between white and wicked, choose wicked. You'll have a great time.

Relax and Enjoy It

2011-12-21T00:23:00.000-08:00

This is the time of year when we gather with family and friends simply to enjoy their company. It is also a time of reflection when we think about what has happened this year. Yes, there are many things to be concerned about, and there are also developments to be happy about.

Relax and enjoy this moment with family and friends. Then after you have enjoyed the holidays, approach your endeavors for the new year with renewed vigor and do what it takes to create this next stage of your life in a way that works for you.

Enjoy the festivities of the season. Savor these moments. Relax and enjoy them. Then after the holidays, do whatever it takes to do what is most important for you to do. Start with a clean slate, and make this your year.

The clearer your vision, the stronger your will, the more burning your desire, you can make things happen. Take a moment to consider your situation from every angle, and then perhaps you may need to adjust your vision. It is a good time for such things, as you reflect and enjoy the company of friends.

List, No Bucket

2011-12-13T10:26:00.000-08:00

Why do people always want to know about the future?

One reason may be to recognize the patterns in our life to see where they will lead. Patterns are often invisible to us until we are able to step back and see them with an objective view, which another person may be able to offer us.

Another reason people want to know about the future is that they are seeking hope. A person may simply need encouragement to move forward and do the things they want to do. Sometimes that may require taking a long simmering desire off a back burner and moving it to the front. An encouraging word from a neutral party such as a professional reader can prompt a person to take action, validating the intention which may have been held back for a variety of reasons.

People like to look at their future to find a reason to make their bucket list.

This is not as grim as it sounds. You do not have to be facing a terminal illness to decide that it is time to set new priorities and quit putting off those things that you have had in the back of your mind for a long time.

How would your life look if you decided that you were going to move everything else aside to do those things that you have been thinking about or daydreaming about for a long time? Wouldn't it feel invigorating to decide to either do it, or forget about it?

If it never was important enough to make it a priority, it would feel cleansing to unburden yourself of that thought and give yourself permission to move on to other ideas. Some things may have seemed like a great idea several years ago, but since you have changed and grown, that may no longer be of great interest to you.

Then again, there are those other things that you have said that you really want to do, and you still feel that way. So why not get on it now? If you cannot get it done today, you can at least move in that direction, so that the goal is within your grasp, and a realistic timetable is in play.

Wanting to know the future is our first step in creating our future.

What Place Names Say

2011-11-29T20:47:00.001-08:00

It strikes me as ironic when I drive through different states and come across a town name that is identical to a place on the other side of the country. For example, Montpelier. There has been a city by that name in Vermont for as long as this country has been here. Then there is one in Idaho. What about Manhattan, Kansas? Were they homesick for Manhattan, New York? I wonder what was going through the minds of the settlers when they named the second one. Were they trying to evoke the spirit of the first place? Or did they just get stumped trying to think of a name for their new town? Or did somebody just like the sound of the name, and it was no more complicated than that? Or did some of the settlers come from families in the first city by that name? I don't really know. I am just fascinated by the obvious questions sometimes, the ones nobody else thinks to ask.

Of course, common place names probably inspired by geography, like Rock Springs or Springfield seem to pop up all over this country.

Some are obviously tributes to history, such as Paris, Cairo, Moscow and so on. Of course, New York, New Orleans, New Jersey and New Hampshire are all salutes to old York, old Orleans, old Jersey and old Hampshire.

I wonder what choosing place names says about the people who choose them. Are they imagining the future? Setting a vision to inspire?

Real Estate developers often ironically name their new places after what is not there any more, like a subdivision named something farm, something woods, or something pond. Usually those get wiped out to build the subdivision.

Just a thought. I get curious about the oddest or obvious things sometimes. There are thousands of other examples we could choose, but you get the idea. Maybe this thought will help you see some other places with new eyes.

A Tight Skirt

2011-11-09T22:15:00.000-08:00

This year I have lost 30 pounds and my plan is to continue in that direction. As part of this initiative, I am also working out more than before and more rigorously. Thing is, that means trying methods that are new to me, like Nia, Zumba, Water Aerobics and so on, with the idea of trying a variety of methods until I find one that I want to continue with.

Earlier in my life, I played a lot of basketball, racquetball, tennis and bicycling until tennis elbow and my knees told me that they didn't want to keep doing that.

I have been walking, swimming and dancing regularly, but decided that more intensity and determination were needed if I wanted to get down to the weight my doctor recommends.

Funny thing is that I notice that in these various classes that I am trying, I seem to be the only male. One of the women remarked to me that "it takes a bold man to come to these classes." Not that I mind being in a class that is mostly women. My life has been mostly women between my sisters, my clients, and so on.

And that jogged a memory of when I had a roommate years ago, a recently divorced architect who did aerobics classes regularly to keep fit. My women friends kept asking me if he was gay. "What makes you think so?" I asked. "An architect who does aerobics?" they responded, "How many straight guys do you know who fit that description?" I just smiled at their assumptions, because I knew that he wasn't, but it was funny to hear their take on things.

So here I am in water aerobics tonight, once again the only guy, and the instructor is describing to us how to do a certain exercise "Move like you are wearing a tight skirt" she said.

I had to pause for a minute to try and picture that. I mean I am certainly familiar with tight skirts, but I am never the one wearing them.

Just had another flashback, thinking about my experience in Zumba. On the old TV series, "Taxi" the character Jim came in all frazzled one night, well, more frazzled than usual. He laid down on the wooden bench and one of the other characters asked him what happened, and asked if he was alright. With this befuddled, exhausted look on his face, Jim replies "Jazzercise! I never want to hear that word again!"

Funny, the things some of us do to get healthier. And, yes, water aerobics seemed to suit me fine and will be one of the things I will continue with, and I think Nia is something I will return to as well.

OK, so sometimes the price of progress is pretty strange. But I feel good about it. After all, I am not known to shy away from things just because they are strange, different, or unusual. After all, the strange, different and unusual make life interesting.

4 Card Mystery

2011-11-08T10:15:00.000-08:00

In the oldest intact tarot deck, a Visconti from 14th century Italy, contains 74 of the 78 cards. Devil, Tower, Knight of Pentacles and Three of Wands are missing. Imagine who got that reading. Perhaps they kept those 4 cards to remind themselves of it as the events in their life became unveiled.

Depending on the order in which they were drawn, these cards could have warned of a business venture coming to sudden ruin. Or it could have been that having overcome obstacles, a business venture was about to take off. Or it could have been that the querant was being warned that self created obstacles would interfere with their enterprise. A fourth possible interpretation might be that the person was recovering from a tragic setback and was going on to greater success.

Perhaps like some of us do today, when we have a particularly powerful reading, we take a photo of it, or let the cards stay out on the table for a while. Maybe they never got put back in the deck because the person tacked them to a wall.

Of the oldest intact deck known, 4 cards are missing. Do you also wonder who got that reading and how things turned out?

Ghost Towns: Old Bubbles

2011-11-06T00:45:00.000-07:00

One way of looking at ghost towns is that they are the reminders of previous eras of bubbles. Just like we had an Internet and tech stock bubble, real estate bubble, and so on while earlier eras had a gold bubble or a silver bubble.

Lots of people jumped into the same business at the same time with unrealistic expectations, and then came the shakeouts, leaving some whole towns just empty. Guess that's a major difference today. Banking bubbles didn't leave cities vacant. Not whole cities, anyway. Strange thought, eh? At least ironic, I would say.

Masking and Unmasking

2011-10-27T22:28:00.000-07:00

Costumes at Halloween are always intriguing. Of course, people have costume parties throughout the year, but Halloween is probably the biggest holiday across the board for people to host or participate in costume parties.

Masks and costumes can reveal part of a person's personality and secrets that usually stay hidden. A costume bestows an opportunity to live out a fantasy, even if only for a little while one evening. For that brief event, a person can be someone they have always wanted to be, and that can be an exciting experience.

Wearing a costume or a mask can encourage a person to expand their ambitions in life to become more of who they want to be.

Of course, masks and costumes will not affect everyone that way. Some will simply put it away in a closet and regard it as an aberration, something they did at a party for fun.

How does the process of selecting a costume start? By entertaining ideas of what you would like to be? Interesting, isn't it?

What might that suggest about future directions for you? Or, for that matter, about our present state of mind?

Why So Many Kinds of Decks?

2011-10-14T08:44:00.000-07:00

The most obvious reason whey there are so many kinds of decks is that there are many tastes in art and there are many artists who enjoy the challenge of creating a set of 78 images that convey a range of emotions, ideas and situations.

Whether you prefer art from the Renaissance period, or something more modern, there are decks to satisfy your taste. Some artists have totally changed the traditional suits and the familiar images. Some decks are created according to a theme. For example, you can find decks built around the Greek myths, Norse Myths, Arthurian Legend, Egyptian myths, Native American stories, dreams, vampires, romance, UFOs, fairies, angels, animals, birds, fairy tales, astrology, manga, impressionistic art, abstract art and cave paintings to name just a few.

A brief definition may be in order here. There are tarot decks and oracle decks. A tarot deck, by definition, has 78 cards, featuring the 22 major arcana, 56 minor arcana, the court cards, the cards in 4 suits numbered from 1-10. An oracle deck does not conform to any of these formats. An oracle deck can have any number of cards, from a dozen to 30, 40, 50, 60 or more. They may not have any suits or numbers or be divided into major or minor arcana. There are some that are simply a variety of images and you are free to make of them what you will. Some are just geared to positive thinking and affirmations and offer you thoughts or ideas to meditate on each day to reinforce good habits and changes in our lives. Of course, you can do these with a regular tarot deck as well.

Plus, you can regard any of these decks the same way you would a coffee table art book, and decks have the advantages of being less expensive and more portable than art books. Picture yourself coming home from work and just wanting to relax for a little while. So you sit down and start looking through a deck of cards. You are intrigued by the images and they stir creative thinking and introspection. And there are some decks available for as little as 10, 15 or 20 dollars. Most come with some kind of book or booklet that offer explanations or ideas to meditate on with these images. Quite a bargain for a useful tool. In this way, they become a tool for self teaching rather than fortune telling.

How do you pick from among all this amazing variety? I would suggest one very simple way. Simply choose according to the art you like. What is best for you? What is best for you is whichever one you think you will like working with.

These are some of the reasons I enjoy working with a number and variety of decks, and why I offer people who come to me a choice of decks that they want to use for their reading. For many years, people who were interested in cards only had a few designs available to choose from, but today we have many beautiful options.

The Rare and the Funky

2011-10-10T23:11:00.000-07:00

I have made a modest change to my tarot reading technique. My tarot collection includes several rare and hard to find decks as well as a number that are unusual designs. I enjoy using a variety of them for reading at home, but like many other professional readers, I got into the habit of simply using one for all my readings when I set up at fairs. Many collectors would never take out a rare deck to read with in a public setting, and I used to think of my decks that way. Then one day I decided that they really were created to be used and sharing the pleasure of reading for clients with them would add a little sparkle to the usual approach, and I am happy that I am doing it now.

So I recently decided to take a number of them with me each time I go out and let the clients choose one to have their reading with. It is interesting to observe their choices.

For example, one of the more rare and beautiful ones is the Victorian Romantic and one of the more funky, grotesque designs is the Deviant Moon and one of the most unusual the hippieish, humorous, black and white Morgan's Tarot. It didn't surprise me at all that the Morgan only got picked once in a while but it did surprise me how frequently the Deviant Moon was chosen.

Another reminder that you cannot always tell what people will go for. Like any other field, there are decks that collectors have really embraced, but they never caught on that big with the general public.

Bringing different decks to read adds a fresh twist to the readings when I keep changing decks according to requests. Artists and authors often make changes for philosophical and artistic reasons which also color the readings. I keep on rotating the decks that I take out just to give more of them a chance to play.

There is a difference between trying to keep a collection in pristine condition for possible future resale and going ahead and putting them to regular use with whoever wants a reading.

When people ask me what the difference is between decks, I advise them to simply choose the art that appeals to them most. Some days it is very surprising what that is. This simple change has added an extra bit of fun to the process, and I am glad that I am doing it.

Open Space

2011-09-21T09:18:00.000-07:00

Too much open space is too freaky deaky for me. When I drive across these large expanses of land where there are no buildings, no people, nothing but open land from horizon to horizon, it is just as freaky as being out on the water with no land in sight from any direction.

I have come to realize that I am one who is much more comfortable in urban environs. A public park is a nice amount of open space as far as I am concerned. I like being around people. I like watching people when I am in public spaces.

Of course, not everyone thinks this way, and that is how the west got settled. A couple generations back, I had uncles who came out west to work on ranches, and eventually own them. I remember one uncle telling me how he didn't have any neighbors for 20 miles in any direction and he liked it that way.

But others of you who are reading this may have had one of those incidents in their past when your car broke down in the middle of nowhere and you could do nothing but sit and wonder when someone might stop who would be able to help you.

That happened to me when I was moving from Los Angeles to Atlanta. I had just passed through Barstow and the sign that lets you know that there are no services for the next hundred miles. And yes, 50 miles beyond that was where my car decided to quit running. Barstow is one of those town on the edge of nowhere. Once you leave it, you head into high desert. Nothing but rocks, sand, little shrubs, cactus and rattlesnakes for as far as the eye can see.

The best thing I can say about this kind of landscape is that it is one place where you can set your cruise control for 90 mph and not worry about getting a speeding ticket.

So I was standing by my broke down car, wondering when a cop or tow truck or any kind of help might wander by. I had some water, but there was nothing resembling shade and the sun was relentless.

Finally, a young man on a motorcycle pulled up behind me. He told me that he had been riding his motorcycle around the country and he was tired of it. So he told me that he would give me a ride back to Barstow so that we could find some help.

Of course, this was back in the day before cell phones had been invented and there are no pay phones in the middle of nowhere. And as uncomfortable as I am riding on the back of a motorcycle, it beat frying out in the desert. This was also way back when gas stations still had mechanics who could fix cars. I know that some of my younger readers might think that gas stations were always convenience stores, but no, once upon a time gas stations were also called service stations because their business included servicing and repairing cars.

So we found a gas station that also had a tow truck and they went out and hauled my car back 50 miles and then I got to sit around waiting all day while they found parts to fix it with. The young man parked his motorcycle there and just left it, and we were driving back through Oklahoma when a blizzard hit, the roads were icy and interstate traffic was suddenly going a whole 10 mph. For those of you who enjoy such contrasts, that probably would have been a regular Disneyland of the senses.

Fortunately, I got out my little black book and looked up a woman I knew in Oklahoma and she let us stay the night. By morning plows had made headway on the snow and we continued on east. We just kept on going until we found arrived in the humid, verdant south, and did that ever feel good.

I know that others of you may be like my uncles and feel that wandering around in places where everywhere you look in any direction is nothing but miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles.

We each have to find our comfort zones and mine is definitely in a town or a city where there are people all around, and normal life consists of places where a person can stop and meditate on the joy and beauty of being with others even if you are alone. There is comfort in human interactions and I find navigating a sea of people far easier and more preferable, no matter how difficult it can be at times, than being in a place of all landscape and no people.

Now being a resident of the west once again, my life has opened up in unexpected ways, and I feel that the towns on the front range of the Rockies have a different kind of spirit of adventure. This mix of hippies and cowboys, enclaves of eastern religions in the midst of evangelicals, artists and musicians mining the territory that used to be populated by gold rushers and those who want to drill and mine anywhere and everywhere are interspersed with the snowboarders, triathletes and people whose idea of heaven is to trek up and down every 14er they can find.

This heady mixture makes for a strange brew perched between endless open spaces and urban developments. And for the last several years and who knows how many more years to come, it has been very invigorating.

This is one of those moments when remembering the past can lead forward, even if it is not clear what going forward means or where exactly it leads.

There are lifetimes within lifetimes. Sometimes, it feels like what Hemingway said at the end of one of his books "all of this happened long ago and in another country" even though we know we are still in this same country and long ago can often resemble the present, although we may have these moments when the present may feel like exploring the unknown, the open spaces, no matter how big or small they are.

B is for ?

2011-09-15T15:05:00.000-07:00

Today I went picking through the bones of the Borders that is closing for good. I didn't buy anything because there was not much left. It was a strange experience to be standing in a hollowed out space that used to be a store where I enjoyed shopping for books. In the Borders stores in other cities, I sometimes attended talks by authors or meetings of discussion groups with kindred spirits.

Cycles are happening so fast that it is easy to watch them come full circle. Back when Borders (and Barnes & Noble)began their rapid expansions in the 80s and 90s, that put the squeeze on lots of small independently owned bookstores. Quite a number of them went out of business as one of the Bs opened a store in every mall and strip mall in the country. If they were not everywhere, it seemed like they were. And they appeared to be a permanent fixture on the American retail landscape.

Ironically it seemed that way for another vacant property right next door, Blockbuster. During the same time frame when Borders was putting a store in every mall, Blockbuster was at least as prolific, and they too, seemed like they would be a permanent part of American retailing. Now most of their stores are closed and some of the remaining ones appear to be focusing on video games.

What the B named stores have in common is that they failed to evolve with the markets. Amazon and Netflix came along and ate their lunch. At one time, parking lots were full of people waiting to pay $5 to rent one video for 3 nights. Now a person can watch all the instant download movies they want for $8 a month, and you never have to drive to a store to exchange hard copies. Most customers made the obvious smart choice.

There is another former chain that began with a B which also is now just another empty property, adjacent to the former Blockbuster and Borders sites, Boston Market. Guess it is just irony that there is so much going on in that part of the alphabet.

Similarly, there were times when I would go to Borders and want to buy a book that was not in stock, maybe a harder to find title. So they would tell me that I could get it in a week or two and that it would cost full retail. Of course, it didn't take long to figure out that I could go online and get it for less than full retail and in less time. Once again, the choice was obvious. Customer loyalty had switched before Blockbuster even tried to offer a competing strategy.

The smaller bookstores held their own for a while by having deeper selections of titles, community bulletin boards, hosting local group meetings and local authors, and the survivors still do such things to establish a place in customers hearts.

So even though I have no plans to open a retail store of any kind, there is a lesson here for everyone who owns a business. Survival requires that we constantly modify our offerings and tailor our services to our customers. We might have started off doing things one way years ago, but reevaluation is necessary, even if we decide not to change anything. There are some businesses that may not need to change from what they have been doing, but increasingly, those seem to be rare.

Small businesses can be fragile because they have less operating capital, but small businesses can also be more nimble, more capable of changing course to adapt to new market conditions.

It is fascinating to watch how rapidly trends evolve. It is a lesson in raising consciousness to recognize how exactly a business cycles through from an idea to a dominant market force to a defunct entity. Even though my business is unrelated to these other businesses, it prompts me to think, and it has strengthened my resolve to alter my overall strategy.

There are valuable lessons in these retail ghost towns. It is up to us to discern what they might be for us.

Making Music

2011-09-09T10:12:00.000-07:00

Years ago, making music was the most common kind of invitation to get people together. People would invite each other over to make music. At that time, guitar was the instrument most commonly brought. Plus, of course, singing. In later years, people would bring drums and we made music that way. Sometimes it was just singing and chanting.

Recently, I have had these kinds of opportunities coming up again. Quite a good mix for meeting people and having fun. Recent experiences have included people getting together to sing old popular tunes, some gatherings for doing chanting, some for drumming, and others more old timey music featuring mandolin, piano and fiddle. no matter what the format, music is always a good way for people to meet and have a good time.

Music has always been an active part of my life. It's just that it takes different forms from time to time. And of course, I still like to dance every week.

Music never fails to lift my spirits, no matter what form it takes. After years of letting these types of social gatherings slide, they seem to be coming back around. I am sure that I will be doing more music. It has never left my life, just gone back and forth from being a major part to a minor part, but never gone.

The End of An Era

2011-08-28T22:16:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, I have worked all kinds of festivals during the last several years as a way of meeting new clients.

And although that has been a grand experiment and made it possible for me to meet many great new people, I have decided that the time has come to sharpen the focus of my business, and develop it in a different way.

From now on, the only public events I will do are psychic fairs, holistic fairs and metaphysical fairs and events. Simultaneously, I continue to build my offerings to private clients, small workshops and private parties.

Those of you who used to see me for readings at county fairs, town fairs, harvest festivals, music festivals, food festivals, holiday fairs, art fairs and so on, will need to call me for a private appointment if you would like another reading or one of my other services.

Or you can see me at one of the metaphysical fairs where I will be. No more getting up at the crack of dawn to set up a tent somewhere and hoping for good weather. Everything I do from now on will be indoors.

For most of you, I feel that this change will work as well for you as for me. I look forward to all the new opportunities and experiences this change of direction will bring.

All of us who create our own business have to experiment with different formats, offerings, pricings and all the other variables to see what works. This next stage of evolution will be exciting. Change always is.

Awakening from the Dream of Everyday Life, part 6

2011-08-10T16:37:00.000-07:00

Have you ever looked at a credit card statement and found yourself wondering what you bought that came to that total? That's an awakening too.

Access to credit does that to some people. Something strikes your fancy and you just hand over your card and let them swipe it, but if you had to take the cash out of your pocket, you would have passed on it.

There is something going on, some kind of endorphin rush or something that makes us feel good to just buy things. For some people that rush obviously does not last beyond the actual time of purchase. The thrill wears off in some cases by the time they get home.

How would I know such a thing? Have you ever shopped at yard sales, garage sales, thrift shops? Ever see brand new garments there with the store tag still on them? I have known people who have clothes like that still in their closet, dresses that they bought a few years ago, but never wore.

I have also seen guys buy stuff on impulse that they never use. Not just clothing but books that have obviously never been read, tools that have never been used, sporting goods that have no wear at all.

How about home exercise equipment? People are zoned out from watching TV when the late night commercials come on telling you how you have be transformed into the fit and beautiful in just 30 days if you just get on this gizmo every day for a half hour or 15 minutes. But then the stuff just sits there collecting dust until one day it is also in the yard sale or a consignment store or listed on Craigslist or Freecycle.

That certainly is some kind of dynamic happening that makes a person spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a thing, and then they get bored with it after a few tries, and they never get transformed into fit and beautiful and now there is this hulking piece of machinery taking up space until one day they just want it gone.

When we are conscious about money, our shopping habits change and it affects everything about our relationship to money. For some people scarcity is created simply because they keep spending too much. How much more relaxed do you feel when you are comfortable with your cash flow and feel confident that you have made wise and useful purchases? Even when you splurge you appreciate it and are content with your purchase. If it is something you use and enjoy, contentment replaces regrets.

This refers to decorative things as well as functional things. For example, if a person buys a piece of art and they enjoy looking at it every day, they will have good feelings about the purchase, while the person who bought a home gym they never use will have bad feelings about their purchase.

The dream is sometimes that if we buy things that are heavily advertised or are popular that somehow our life will be happier.

Awakening is realizing that we are the source of our happiness.

Awakening from the Dream of Everyday Life, part 5

2011-08-09T21:41:00.000-07:00

What goes through your mind when you are coming home one night and for some reason you notice a house that has been there at least as long as your place has, and you suddenly notice it for the first time?

Does it make you wonder what else you have been missing? Not only the house, but one day you notice a beautiful garden or landscaping job for the first time, but what you are amazed at has been in place all year.

So what else are you missing?

Sometimes we may miss things deliberately. For example, I do not buy cable, so I do not watch TV. When people talk about what shows they have been watching, I have never seen them, so I am totally out of the conversation. And I am happy with my decision.

On the other hand, you and I might talk about some very popular book and people who don't read much will probably feel just as out of the loop.

Awakening from the dream of everyday life certainly is about conscious decisions and conscious action. We stimulate our awareness to tune into what we feel is important, and in this way, we sharpen our focus.

What we tune into has something to do with awakening too. There is always an alarm clock going off. Some people respond, while others always think that the wake up call is for somebody else. So if we hear it or not depends on if we are ready to hear it or are open to hearing it.

So, yes, if you think you are hearing something, it is probably true. This one's for you!

Awakening from the Dream of Everyday Life, part 4

2011-08-08T14:14:00.000-07:00

The peek behind the curtain of everyday life is often startling. The particulars are different for every person.

Sometimes it looks like this. You meet someone else or read about someone else who has had an adventure or an experience that you have thought about on many occasions, but never done.

What is your reaction this time? Do you promise yourself that you will do whatever it takes to try this for yourself? Or do you let go of it, noting that it was an interesting idea, but not important to you now? Or do you let it be vague and tell yourself that you might get around to it one day?

If you consider that possibility to still be important to you, and you act on it, you have just entered another level of reality.

Another way of awakening presents itself when we see things with new eyes. We have a certain dream of everyday life when we are tuning into when we get swept up in media hype. News, game shows, "reality" shows, and whatever celebrity gossip is being spotlighted at the moment. There is a dream of reality among those who get all their information from political talk radio shows. There is a different dream of reality on late night talk radio that focuses on the paranormal. Unless, of course, you think of modern politics as just another horror show or freak show, or think of some recent news events as being on a par with UFO visitations.

Great comedians, great artists, writers and visionaries are all gifted with this same ability to see behind the dream that is projected for our entertainment like a huge movie screen.

We can all see it if we choose to. We can either sit there in the darkness of the theater and wait for the movie to be rerun or we can go outside and see what else is playing. And what do you know, once outside, we find out that we are what's playing!

Awakening from the Dream of Everyday Life, part 3

2011-08-07T02:38:00.000-07:00

Awakening from the dream of everyday life often begins by noticing how things work. For example, how many people feel like failures because they have had a divorce or more than one, or some kind of different living arrangement?

Why would people feel that way? Perhaps because so much popular literature, music and movies promote concepts like finding your perfect partner or soulmate and marrying forever, when the reality has been that half of all marriages end in divorce. So, in reality, being divorced is as normal as being married.

Even some metaphysical people buy into the old hype, promoting the notion that there is a twin flame or soulmate out there for us, setting off some people on a wild goose chase searching for "the one."

Actually, with all the millions and billions of people on the planet, there are any number of people who might be great partners for us. We choose from among the people we meet, and one partner might be just as good as another when we consider the various aspects of compatibility.

There are many different types of relationships that work for people. Varieties from open relationships to long distance relationships to sharing housing with other like minded people work for lots of people in lots of different situations.

You have heard that old expression that politics makes strange bedfellows. Consider that polygamy was outlawed when Utah became a state. It was part of the deal. But Mormons were controversial and not well liked in lots of places. The government named Utah after the Ute Indians just to give the finger to the Mormons, who wanted to name the state The Kingdom of Deseret.

Think for a moment about the issue of gay marriage. Why do states even issue marriage licenses at all? If it is just another way to make money, then they ought to be happy that more people want to buy marriage licenses.

I do not bring these points up because I am a polygamist or gay. I am neither. I am simply pointing out that some of these role models are political inventions.

Awakening from the dream of everyday life involves using your free will to choose an arrangement that works for you. You can feel better about yourself when you quit accepting a definition of yourself as a failure because you have done the same thing that half the other people have done. Oddly though, for a period of that dreamtime, there was more social stigma attached to divorced than to staying married to an alcoholic wife beater. I would go so far as to say that there would have been lots more divorces years ago, had more people been willing to awaken from the dream. Once you awaken and choose what is next, one of the things you might change is instead of referring to yourself as divorced, refer to yourself as single.

Once you awaken, we find ourselves rich with possibilities for creating ways of forming our relationships in ways that work for us that satisfy us.

Awakening from the Dream of Everyday Life, part 2

2011-08-06T15:53:00.000-07:00

Another part of our awakening comes when we realize that abundance and joy can come to us in many ways. Perhaps we used to dream that having some kind of job where we spent all week in somebody else's place of business and we would trade the money we got for that for things that we want.

Many of us were forced to reconsider that model as businesses have changed, partly due to new technologies, partly due to the way businesses have chosen to operate, and partly due to our own desires to awaken from the dream and move into a new dream where we create our lives in a different way.

For example, years ago I worked for a corporation that moved me around the country. After my first major relocation, I went to a furniture store and bought furniture. It took me quite a while to pay for it. You can also get to a point where it costs more to move your stuff than it is worth. And when you try and sell it, you may get a rude awakening when you find out what it will bring on the free market.

The last time I moved, I checked out Freecycle and Craigslist and furnished my place for almost nothing. I only had to buy a few things, like a new mattress. This is an abundant universe we live in. A friend recently moved and had the same experience. For an investment of simply doing the work of moving the stuff, here is your new place, attractive and functional. Anyone can do this.

What about how we make our money? Yes, there are difficulties if we get laid off with no severance and no insurance. So we have to just hustle and do without for the time being. Meanwhile, we can take some of those ideas off the back burner that we always thought we would like to get to some day. I have met many people who were initially dismayed when they got laid off and their career plan hit a seismic road bump, but then they recovered from the shock, created a new plan and acted on it. I have heard many such a person say that they are happier with their new life than their old life.

As we use our creative vision to assess our situation, we take a look and see what we can do, and would enjoy doing that other people would pay us to do. Now, I am not going to say that it is always easy to implement this step, but when we can find a way to do it, joy and aliveness are part of the compensation.

Part of the dream we are awakening from is the dream that we have to let someone else decide what we will do for a living and how much we will be paid, and then try and buy everything we need with whatever amount that is.

That was one dream, and we can change it.

Awakening from the Dream of Everyday Life, part 1

2011-08-05T11:45:00.000-07:00

Our world, and our lives, continue to evolve in ways that awaken us from the dream of everyday life.

In our lifetimes, we have witnessed old beliefs and old ways of seeing wither and fall away. There are both good and bad aspects to all of this.

It was not that long ago that we were raised with the assumption that whatever religion or church our parents belonged to would also be the one that we belonged to, except that many of us became dissatisfied with those older models and chose various spiritual paths that looked at life in new ways.

Exact numbers are hard to come by because even the most respected surveys of religions in contemporary America have built in flaws. For example, many surveys used to offer multiple choice answers to the question about what religion you practice. However, when all the choices were mainstream religions, many seekers chose the only box that made sense to them: no religion. Of course, that was not exactly true. Perhaps they followed a kind of religion that was not listed, and so their answer might have been more correctly interpreted as: none of the above.

There were also people who might not choose to answer such surveys who might follow religions that have been derided, harassed or persecuted, such as various forms of shamanism, witchcraft and paganism.

And then there were those who would fall under the rubric of eclectic. There is no name for someone who chooses to use various practices from different spiritual paths because they feel like they work for them. For example, many now do some kind of meditation, chanting, holiday rituals and other practices, without being part of any one religion. Some find their greatest connection to spirit while hiking or sailing a boat. Still others might find ample spiritual rewards in drumming circles, trance dance and poetry readings.

Awakening from the dream of everyday life has everything to do with recognizing our choices, especially choices that we might not have seen before.

John Barleycorn Must Die

2011-08-03T23:28:00.000-07:00

This is an old folk song that addresses the spirit of the season, the harvesting of grains, wheat and corn. The melody has stuck in my head ever since I heard Traffic's abbreviated version of it, and enjoy singing the song. I thought you might appreciate having the words to the full version, as collected by the great Scottish poet, Robert Burns. Burns did not write the song, he simply wrote down the words for us, because the song had been around for a long time before him. As a person who enjoys folklore and old music, I find myself feeling like hearing some of these at the same time every year, as the seasons turn.

When I first heard the song, I thought it was a ballad about a murder. It was later that I appreciated the metaphor of the way the plants have to die so that we can live and the metaphor for both the hard work and the gratitude for the results. One of the harvest rituals was to bake and bless a loaf of bread from the new harvest, and another was to toast the spirit of the alcoholic beverages made from the grains, the spirit that was given the name John Barleycorn. Although corn and wheat are bigger staple crops for us, in some places, barley was very important.

So let's appreciate what we have received this season, and raise a toast to old John Barleycorn.

John Barleycorn Must Die
traditional, collected by Robert Burns

There were three men came out of the west,
their fortune for to try;
and these three men made a solemn oath,
John Barleycorn must die.

They plowed, they sowed, they harrowed him in,
threw clods upon his head;
and these three men made a solemn vow,
John Barleycorn was dead.

They let him lie for a very long time,
till the rains from heaven did fall;
and little Sir John sprung up his head,
and so amazed them all.

The sultry suns of Summer came,
and he grew thick and strong:
His head was armed with pointed spears,
that no one should him wrong.

The sober Autumn entered mild,
when he grew wan and pale;
His bending joints and drooping head
showed he began to fail.
His colour sickened more and more,
as he faded into age;
'Twas then his enemies began to show
their violent deadly rage.

They hired men with the scythes so sharp,
to cut him off at the knees;
they rolled him and tied him by the waist,
serving him most barbarously.

They hired men with the sharp pitchforks,
to prick him to the heart;
and the loader he has served him worse than that,
for he's bound him to the cart.

They wheeled him around and around the field,
till they came unto a barn;
and there they made a solemn oath,
on poor John Barleycorn.

They hired men with crabtree sticks
to cudgel skin from bone,
and the miller he has served him worse than that
for he's ground him between two stones.

Then they filled up a darksome pit
with water to the brim,
Then they heaved in John Barleycorn
to let him sink or swim.

They've taken his very hero blood
and drank it round and round.
Still the more and more and more they drank,
their joy did more abound.

John Barleycorn was a hero bold,
of noble enterprise,
For if you do but taste his blood,
it will make your courage rise.

'Twill make a man forget his woe,
'twill heighten all his joy,
'Twill make a widow's heart to sing,
though tears were in her eyes.

Here's little Sir John in the the nut brown bowl
and he's brandy in the glass
and little Sir John in the nut brown bowl
proved the strongest man at last.

For the huntsman he can't hunt the fox,
nor loudly blow his horn;
and the tinker he can't mend kettle or pot,
without a little Barleycorn.

Unveiling a New Idea

2011-08-02T22:29:00.000-07:00

Creating your own business is an evolution. We try different ideas to see what works, and then change course when needed. If we are alert and observant we can even see new opportunities in the efforts that failed.

Some people put their ideas into action and get a new business off the ground right away, and it follows their plan, but even they need to make adjustments as they grow.

I am always trying new things and always looking at new ways to keep growing. Creative challenges can be exciting.

Once these new ideas are in process, it is good to hold the energy of the new idea close to your chest until it is time to present it to the world. The unveiling will have more energy and be more effective if you do.

Some people talk a lot and never do all the things they talk about. They may be dissipating their energy by sharing the idea before they are ready to take action. It is far better to put everything in order and then launch a new initiative.

This is different than talking to people to get support for your idea. There are times when that is necessary, but even in that case, a well thought out model or proposal has to be laid out before others will give it serious backing.

Think of the stages of the growth of a plant. You have to put the seed in the ground, water it and feed it with fertilizer or energy before a green shoot makes its way up out of the ground. For a time before it sprouts, there is nothing to see, although there is plenty of action taking place out of view.

Failures can provide us our greatest challenges because sometimes it is these very challenges that cause us to rise to a higher level. By kicking our creative response into high gear, we often discover strengths and talents that we have been underutilizing.

Although needing to change course because our plans did not work out as well as expected can lead us up to a higher level, which is both more satisfying and more creative. And the silence before the unveiling can be a very potent time which will fill us with energy, fuel our dreams and lead to more joy and success.

Perfect Moments

2011-07-28T11:47:00.000-07:00

Have you ever experienced one of those moments in life where everything fell into place, where you were really in the flow and everything unfolded beautifully?

An important thing to realize about that is that each perfect moment cannot be duplicated. Each is a result of the confluence of people and events that contributed to its creation.

One way of thinking about those wonderful successes that you have enjoyed is to try and replicate them over and over as the path to success, yet this might only be appropriate for mass produced products or generic exchanges, such as eating at a fast food restaurant.

When you take the time to reflect on some of the perfect moments you have enjoyed, whether they were business or personal, notice how some timing, or interaction or opportunity opened a window that you jumped through and landed in such a way that you found everything coming together.

Successes can be repeated, and upon close examination, you will notice that each subsequent one was the product of other combinations of perfect moments, unique opportunities and personal interactions.

Being in the right place at the right time is of the essence. There is an old saying that luck is the place where hard work and opportunity intersect.

Be very aware, highly conscious, and note exactly where those perfect moments are presenting themselves again. There are no two moments exactly alike, no two opportunities exactly alike, any more than there are people who are exactly alike.

Heightened awareness is what brings forth more perfect moments and today's successes. Whether it is business or personal, aren't we always ready to savor those perfect moments?

Can a Detective Novel Help Your Business Grow?

2011-07-26T23:40:00.000-07:00

For a good number of years, I read mostly how to, non-fiction books, biographies, histories and so forth because a lot of it was business related. I would make time for a novel from time to time, but not usually the popular stuff like detective novels.

Then one day a few years ago, just for the pure fun of it, I decided to read a couple of them, just for a change. And I started to listen to more books on CD to make the long commutes less frustrating.

I was surprised. I liked the detective novels. For so much of my non-fiction reading, I was trying to go slow and absorb and remember the material. So to read a story just for the fun of the story, without trying to labor over it became a pleasure that I had known before but forgotten about for a long time.

In addition to simply enjoying the stories, I also notice that my reading speed picks up so that when I go back to reading other kinds of books, my speed is up when I tackle the other materials.

And there is another bonus. And there is another bonus. In these kinds of books, there is a focus to the story, also a puzzle to solve and the story encourages you to be more observant. Other kinds of books are more likely to go off on tangents than a detective novel. I find that this orientation helps me to think about my business creatively. Focusing and problem solving a skills we can always use, and these stories can train our mind to be alert to them and use them more sharply.

It has worked for me. Perhaps it will work for you. Try it and see for yourself.

Changing Thoughts, Changing Bodies

2011-07-25T21:10:00.000-07:00

Can we just change our aging patterns by changing our thinking about it? To me, the evidence seems to point that way.

When my grandparents retired at 65, they really looked beat and they did not live to enjoy more than a few years of retirement before their health failed.

After a lifetime of working on farms and factories and doing other manual labor, they were just plain tired by the time they got that age.

Now my mother, on the other hand, also worked a long hard life, but she always kept busy with her friends or her volunteer work, and later in life even took up things like yoga and water aerobics, and now she has outlived her parents by quite a number of years.

How many of us have accepted as a fact that as we grow older, we will lose various functions and abilities and that these diminish to the end?

And how many of us reject that thinking? How many people are still doing things they enjoy doing in their 70s, 80s and beyond? Quite a few I see.

Consider this as a very real example of how our thoughts can shape our lives.

Bringing Out the Beauty

2011-07-22T23:27:00.000-07:00

Have you ever really noticed how beauty shows itself in a person?

Have you noticed how people who are always grouchy or bitter look unattractive compared to someone who is smiling and happy? Which kind of appearance draws you to them? Which one is more comfortable to be around?

When someone does what they love for a living, or they do what they love for fun, that joy seems to radiate out from the core of their being and the smile is not just on their lips but in their eyes.

Beauty is the sweet attitude invites other people to be comfortable in a person's presence.

And this kind of beauty treatment is something that anyone can access.

Since it occurs naturally as a result of other things that you enjoy, think of it as another benefit that comes from following a path that you really want to be on.

Letting your light shine through is a beauty treatment that is available to you right now, at no cost, and it works wonders.

Greatness: Is It That Simple?

2011-07-20T20:02:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the relationship between fate and free will is simpler than many people think. How many times when people have done great things, were they simply doing what needed to be done next?

Yet at some later date, it may appear that they were destined to do something great. Perhaps it always was a matter of survival.

Consider that even the monumental achievements such as the construction of the pyramids or Stonehenge were simply examples of those people doing what they felt needed to be done next. They felt a need to construct gateways between worlds and these structures were places for transformation.

These, plus many other examples of fascinating developments on our world continues to pose an obvious question. It is a common belief that humans have become smarter over time, in a linear progression.

But what if earlier humans really focused on things that we have forgotten how to do?

Take another example. The well known and familiar cave paintings where we see a shaman doing hunting magic. They knew ways of communicating that seem far out to many people today. Ancient men and women painted pictures as a form of visualization and manifestation and telepathically communicated with their prey before the hunt and some think that far fetched. Yet today, people seek out horse whisperers, dog whisperers and bird whisperers when they need them, just like they call for a dowser when they need to drill a water well.

These things only seem fanciful when we don't need them. And there may be the key. When something needs to work, we need to find a way to make it work. And in one instance, that may involve walking the ground with a forked willow branch while in another instance, need may have required the building of pyramids.

Doing what needs to be done may indeed signify greatness and magnificence, and other times, it may seem that only a simple task by unnamed individuals got things done.

Simple tasks can remain simple, or they can rise to great heights. And as we all know, sometimes the simple things aren't really that simple.

Attraction, No Law

2011-07-13T22:45:00.000-07:00

Attraction is part of what is always at work. We are drawn to people, places, events or things that we feel connected to.

If we make it clear what we want, then we magnetize ourselves to our desire and we feel drawn together.

Sometimes we see results quickly. These are the times when we are stating our desires most clearly. That clarity helps us attract because when someone knows exactly what you want, they can respond.

Attracting what we want in our life is not a law, it is simply the way things work. Like gravity. We don't need anyone to tell us what we like or what will suit us. Once we state our heart's desire, focus on it, and take steps in that direction, we start to notice what appears in our life that is related to those desires.

Look at how smoothly everything flows when we are full of confidence and clarity and radiating out joy. People are drawn to that joy.

That is why the response to what we are attracting may look different than we planned, but it is our response, so the next thing to do is to figure out the best way to make use of it.

The call and response determine the outcome. It is a large responsibility to think of ourselves as the cause leading to an effect, but there it is.

A Dancing Fool

2011-07-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

When I was younger and rock was most of the music I listened to or danced to, dancing was whatever you did when you got up off your bar stool. Sometimes it was hot, and sometimes it was kind of wobbly. Which one might depend on how late in the evening it was, and how many drinks it took to get ready to dance.

Then a number of years ago, a woman who I was working with at the Renaissance Festival suggested that I try contra dancing. I had never heard of it until that moment, but upon her recommendation, I went and tried it, and I liked it right away. The musicians playing acoustic instruments, the caller keeping everyone moving in beautiful patterns together. Yes, with this kind of dancing, it is not a free for all, it is dancers working together to create something beautiful. And when I was nervous about starting my first dance, a woman came up to me and asked me to dance. And I have kept dancing ever since. I like it that in this kind of dancing women ask men to dance just as commonly as men ask women.

One of the guys I met there was picking up flyers for all kinds of dances, not just contra, but swing, salsa, Cajun, Irish, waltzing, all kinds. I asked him if he really did all that.

He said yeah. "I used to be over weight. Then I took up dancing, lost weight and I have kept the weight off just by dancing as much as I can. This is my whole fitness program. Dancing. I don't go to gyms and lift weights or chase balls around courts, run races or any of that. What's more fun, lifting weights or dancing with women?"

There are lots of good reasons to dance. This is one of them.

Could your life use a little more music?

2011-07-07T21:04:00.000-07:00

Music is our common currency. Even though some of us may hold opposite views on some political, economic or social matters, it is amazing how all those people could come together to sing some song that we all know.

If you have not been singing or dancing in a while, look for an opportunity to do so, because it will boost your spirits and brighten your outlook on the world.

Personally, I seek out opportunities to dance and sing every week, and consider it just as important to my well being as walking or swimming.

Making music and dancing are not just funny human tricks. They are among the most sublime creations mankind has ever come up with.

When beginning the evening's music, perhaps there is a feeling a hesitation, especially if you are new to it or haven't done it for a while. Then once you begin, joy starts to weave its way through the room so that by the end, you feel like you have been in the company of some warm, friendly people rather than strangers.

Music is very powerful at dissolving those boundaries, bridging gaps, and spreading joy like a contact high.

Could your life use a little more music?

The Music of the Spheres

2011-07-07T00:13:00.000-07:00

Recently, I had the pleasure of attending a few parties where making music was a central part of the entertainment, as well as conversation.

I love to go chanting and dancing and used to play in a lot of drumming circles. And there is a different feeling that comes from those activities.

It is the difference between giving yourself to the music with an intensity and devotion and a relaxed atmosphere where there are lots of guitars and voices and suddenly you find yourself singing songs that you had not thought of in years.

We used to do that a lot, years ago. People would come over for the evening and we would go around the circle, different people taking turns starting a song. We spent many evenings that way.

While guitar was the most common instrument then, there would be other instruments in the mix, like harmonica, flute or another wind instrument. Hand drums didn't get popular until later. At some parties, there is a piano and if there are people who know how to use it, then the piano will lead.

There are so many ways to bathe yourself in music and enjoy the sensation and the energy boost that comes from making music, singing and dancing with other people.

It was a great pleasure to remember some of the other ways we used to enjoy music and have great parties. The more I conjure up magic through music, the better I feel. It is one of the fastest ways to bring a group of people together, creating an aura of unity and joy. And it lasts a long time. How many people were singing all the way home and when they got up the next day?

More music in your life will bring all kinds of good results. When I used to play African style drums, there was an oft repeated saying. "There are three things that make the gods happy: drumming, dancing and singing. Any two are good, but all three is best."

The music of the spheres connects us in ways that conversation and other techniques can never match for speed and closeness.

Music is the secret code for connecting us.

Fire Signs

2011-07-03T16:14:00.000-07:00

We assign meanings to things, giving ourselves direction when we do, along with indicating where our thoughts and actions are heading.

Huge wildfires throughout the Rocky Mountain region this last year opens a huge window for us to look for omens.

Last year there were several huge fires in Colorado between Boulder and Fort Collins, and now this year, we are seeing huge fires in Arizona and New Mexico.

These wildfires are amazing creatures, jumping and running with the wind, engulfing huge swaths of land. Yet within these huge areas, there are amazing sites, like where there were two houses across the road from each other, and one got burned and one didn't.

Twice in the last year in Boulder, and last week in Santa Fe, I was able to look up at the horizon above the mountains and see only dark clouds, with ashes raining down like gray snowflakes. From behind the dark clouds of smoke, the sunsets were spectacularly colored orange balls, the moon also being colored when you could see it.

After sunset, the skyline would be invisible, except for the flames of the wild fires licking up over the crest lines, nothing but black with orange spilling out of the sky. I imagine that is what a volcano looks like when it is erupting.

Some people say that it is only nature going through her cycles. Some say it is because we need to do more logging in the national forests.

Then, of course, you can find those who love to dwell on catastrophes predicting that this is some kind of sign that we are punished for being such sinners, and that is one of the signs of the end of the world. Of course, some people are always looking for such signs, so of course, they proclaim that they have found them.

Not me, of course. As I write this I am looking forward to going to a party later this evening, enjoying food, beverages, socializing with friends and meeting new people. And since I do not believe in sin, I am sure the party will be fun.

How do the fires make me feel? They stoke my thirst for some big rainstorms. I would love it if we had more of those. Even in normal weather conditions out here, I would like to feel more rainstorms. Firestorms just make me wish for them more.

What do the fires mean? I don't know. What do you think they mean?

Feeling Your Way to Where You Want to Be

2011-07-01T23:32:00.000-07:00

Our feelings are important to our progress, so pay attention to keeping them stoked. When we feel happy about life in general, we can open to more possibilities.

That is why I look for opportunities to sing and dance. it lifts my spirits, and when my energies are stirred up and my spirits are lifted, I tend to think of more good ideas.

When we are depressed, disappointed or discouraged, we don't usually come up with our best new ideas.

When business is going well, it is easier to project out that aura of success and good will.

One of my teachers pointed out that revolutions never come when we feel at our lowest ebb and have no hope. Revolutions come when people see some improvements coming and then press for more.

Making some progress gives people encouragement, and so they are motivated.

So what is the revolution you want in your life? More business? Better relationships? Breakthroughs in your thinking? Fresh ideas? Alignment between your inner life and outer life?

Get rid of everything that will not help you get where you are going. Do whatever it is that gives you energy and inspires you, and soon you will find more of what you really desire strongly coming into your life.

If we are not sending out clear signals, we cannot get clear results. If our energy field and our residence are cluttered, we will send out cluttered signals.

When you are feeling good, in many ways, you are at the top of your game. And when you are at the top of your game, there is a flow between concept and execution.

So get rid of everything that will not help you get where you want to go, and stir up energies that lift your spirits. Whatever it takes is what we need to do.

Recent 2011 Testimonials

2011-06-29T23:20:00.000-07:00

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

Gain Control by Losing Control

2011-06-28T19:31:00.000-07:00

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.

Karmic Paybacks

2011-06-27T22:48:00.000-07:00

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?

Pirate Booty

2011-06-22T23:09:00.000-07:00

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 Price of Being Stubborn

2011-06-21T11:37:00.000-07:00

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.

Our Conscious Choices

2011-06-18T07:33:00.000-07:00

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?

Second Guessing

2011-06-14T09:35:00.001-07:00

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.

The Fiction of Time

2011-06-09T14:59:00.000-07:00

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?

Storytelling and Listening

2011-06-04T19:30:00.000-07:00

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?

The Scent of Things to Come

2011-06-01T23:41:00.000-07:00

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.

Nurture Local Talent: It's a Good Deal

2011-05-29T22:43:00.000-07:00

Last night, John William Davis played an acoustic music concert at a great local bookstore, Barbed Wire Books in Longmont. He told humorous stories and picked guitar and sang beautifully too. It was a very enjoyable evening. And it was affordably priced at $10 per person. It is good that we have other options for entertainment, and it shows creativity on the bookstore owner's part to feature acoustic music as well as book signings and talks.

Contrast that to another recent concert experience. Another singer/musician I am really looking forward to seeing will be playing at a concert venue downtown. So I went online, chose my seats, paid for them by charge card. It was a totally humanless interaction. Yet, they automatically slapped on a $22 "service charge" for the 2 tickets, over and above the price of the tickets plus taxes. What service? There was no flyover or pop-up that would explain what the service charge was for. No one answered the phone and advised me about the best available tickets or took my card number or did anything else. If it costs more to put on the concert, simply price the tickets that way, rather than slap on a bogus charge which produces sticker shock when you see a final price that is significantly different than the advertised price.

Another recent evening, I went to a comedy club to hear a big name, big ticket star who had been featured on a TV show. He was not nearly as funny as the same club on another night featuring local talent, and again, at a much more moderate ticket price. More dollars does not always mean "mo' better."

Look around and see what other options you might be overlooking. Supporting local musicians, authors, artists, comedians and actors is a good value, both ways, in terms of entertainment for the dollar and valuing the talents of others.

It is akin to buying produce directly from local farmers, whether they feature organic or heirloom varieties or otherwise. And buying beer from the smaller local/regional breweries. Plus, all of it helps create and support local employment, another great benefit.

Nurture local talent and we all benefit in all kinds of ways.

Provocative Art

2011-05-26T22:11:00.000-07:00

One of the provocative aspects of art is its ability to help us, or sometimes, demand of us, that we see things a different way.

Art has always done that. The best artists cause us to do double takes and reconsider what we are seeing by presenting us with different perspectives.

As a person who deals in a particular kind of art, tarot decks, I see many more than the average person. I see more than the biggest retail stores because I deal with private parties and that is how I often come across art that his hard to find and out of print, so I get to experience, and sometimes own for a while, art treasures that are unusual and rare.

What I have noticed about being exposed to all this art is that there are many decks that follow the traditional designs and concepts. Then there are those rare decks that really push the boundaries and demand to be taken on their own terms.

That is why I change the decks I read with every once in a while. It is refreshing to follow the flow of the cards and be pleasantly surprised when a fresh perspective by the artist prompts the reading in a new direction. The visions of some artists are gentler and more compassionate. Others can be disturbing and direct.

When presented with a radical redesign, you have to let go of your preconceived notions and deal with this new art on its own terms. Sometimes it can open us to experience and interpretation that may even surprise us.

It is good to do this every once in a while in order to see the world through new eyes. It is very enlightening. New art can be challenging, and it can also be a doorway to meetings with new spirit guides, new realms of imagination and most importantly, new perspectives on ourselves and what we do.

Encouragement

2011-05-25T23:03:00.000-07:00

How much difference can words of encouragement make? Sometimes that's all other people need from us in order to move forward with what they really want to do?

Starting your own business always takes up a great part of your consciousness. So there is one place where a person can use encouragement. There are so many things to do to create a successful business. So when someone makes a useful suggestion about how to promote your business, or helps you find a better way to sell, or even suggests another possible source of vendors, that person will get a second wind and tackle that suggestion, and maybe that is a suggestion that helps them turn things around, or at least provide a partial solution that gives them hope.

Even for fun, people need encouragement. Those who have always been shy about their dancing might not let themselves relax and give it a good try without words of encouragement. The first time I went dancing, I was very unsure of myself and holding back a bit more than normal. Then a woman asked me to dance, and I was hooked. All of a sudden, I felt like I could. I mean I had to, because now I had this dance partner and I had to do something. So I stepped right in and got the hang of it quickly.

It was common, back when I led drumming circles, for a person to come and say "I don't know if I can do this, but I would like to try." So after a few words of encouragement, they would listen for a few beats to see what was happening, and all of a sudden, they were drumming along with everyone else.

When I used to teach creative writing, I watched people blossom, going from shy and self censoring to great stories, once I encouraged them to get out of their own way. Sometimes at the beginning of the class, they would identify themselves as someone who just wanted to try doing this because their job was boring and they needed some kind of creative outlet, and maybe somewhere along the way someone suggested they try writing. Maybe it was because they could tell stories and jokes when they were loosened up, but for some reason when they sat down to write, they started telling themselves that they shouldn't say this or if they say that they might offend readers. But not everyone will like what you write, no matter what you write, so just say what you want. That's why people like listening to you when you get loosened up, isn't it?

Sometimes when a person gets a reading, they find encouragement in the reading and things they had been putting off are suddenly things they are ready to do. When a person finds validation and understanding in a reading, encouragement is a common traveling companion with those.

So that is one other good result that can come from a reading, and it can be the very factor that helps transmute the fortune telling into a tool for the person to use in their own fortune making.

A Professional Kite Flyer

2011-05-24T22:08:00.000-07:00

There are so many realities out there right now that we can just tune in to the ones we care about and tune the rest out.

Every once in a while a subject will catch my ear and it is something new to me, but then I realize that this is huge to someone else. Suddenly you realize how we adjust our field of vision and what is not in that scope becomes invisible.

That is why what we focus on is so important. Every once in a while I will come across something and I will be thinking that I didn't even know that anyone did that. Today I just happened across an article about a professional kite flyer. I didn't that anyone could be a professional kite flyer.

So then my mind starts wandering again. I wonder what else we could do.

Accepting Ourselves

2011-05-22T16:04:00.000-07:00

Sometimes what a person really wants from a reading is to be understood, to be validated.

How many times have you wanted to do something, but others tried to discourage you, and after you let them convince you, you felt as if you missed a good opportunity?

Or on the other end of the spectrum, have you ever had friends and relatives encouraging you to do something that you felt was not really your best choice?

That is what is happening sometimes when a person wants a reading. By going to someone who is completely unattached to the outcome, and not familiar with all the individuals and all the background, they can get an unbiased second opinion.

When that second opinion agrees with their feelings, there is validation. "Someone else agrees with me and sees the sense in my choice, they understand me," and that is a good feeling. After all, when people you know all around you are telling you that "you would be stupid or crazy not to do this" you can start to wonder if you are not wrong in your assessment since no one seems to agree with you.

But the fact that you have a different point of view does not make you crazy or wrong. How many times have you intuitively felt a certain way even though it may be contrary to what seems to be the popular opinion around you?

Sometimes this neutral second opinion can be very uplifting when we find ourselves encouraged to do take action and take heart. Sometimes a person will say, "I keep thinking about that and have wanted to do it for a long time. It's interesting that you mention it. I take this as a sign that it is time to at least try it."

Acceptance is something all people want and need, and self acceptance is a great place to begin. If we believe in ourselves, it makes it easier for other people to believe in us.

This is one of the many valuable reasons to get a reading. It is not always about fortune telling.

Why Didn't I Think of That Before?

2011-05-18T22:51:00.000-07:00

Because you weren't ready yet.

Do you ever get the feeling that there is just one more thing you might do that might help your business make giant steps forward, but you can't quite put your finger on it?

You try all kinds of things and have some success, but want more. Some of the things you try work well and some do not. And you keep getting the feeling that there is just one more tool, one more strategy or one more approach that you could add to your array of offerings and that perfect solution just seems to elude you, like something you see in your peripheral vision, but when you turn around, you don't see what you thought you saw.

What we have to do in this situation is to just keep our eyes and ears open, keep our psychic awareness open, notice what else is going on that is working. Notice what opportunities may be available. Perhaps only a few of them will be suitable for you and your business, but that's fine. You don't need all of those things, just one that really works for you.

Just one idea, one tool, one whatever, is all that it will take to open up new levels of success for you.

And it is often that one thing that you finally recognize and AHA! that is it, and you say to yourself, "why didn't I think of that before?"

That delicious moment when you turn around and the thing that has been tantalizing you in your peripheral vision suddenly comes into focus.

When you feel that feeling, take a second look at everything and trust your intuition.

Rhythms to Magically Shift Our Spirits

2011-05-13T10:01:00.001-07:00

The rhythms of our days vary. Some days we get up and feel eager to get going. Other days we wake up slowly and we welcome the slow pace of a day with no urgent appointments on the agenda.

Rather than force ourselves to be one or the other, we can either increase our pace and speed things up or we can slow things down.

When we match the pace of our feelings, we are in sync with our spirit.

Have you noticed how some days it seems to take a while to get in sync? How the rhythms of our day may take a while to catch up with our feelings? Or how are feelings seem to be brought into line with our pace?

It is always a matter of fine tuning. After all, we do not just have one pace all the time. It fluctuates, just as our mood does.

Sometimes when we are down, we can play directly into it to lift ourselves out, singing blues, dancing slowly with ourselves, maybe drumming a little or reading a good book until we move into another rhythm.

So the rhythms we work with can alter our moods. We could be feeling out of sorts, but then by simply taking a walk, we can come back refreshed and come up with fresh ideas.

We could even be discouraged or disillusioned, but after going out to dance for a few hours, come back with a whole new attitude.

We can use rhythms in our life to lift our spirits, improve our health, find inspiration, grab a hold of the joy of life and clasp it to our chest, so that we are heart to heart with our aliveness.

Consider the ways in which we establish and shift the rhythms in our days. It is a magical energy that is always at our fingertips, at our feet, the sparkle in our eyes and the sweetness of discovery. Every day has new things to discover, if we just open our senses and engage with them.

We always have the power to bring things into alignment with movement, and rhythm is the tuning fork for what drives us.

Enlightenment Can Be a Tricky Process

2011-05-11T23:35:00.000-07:00

Enlightenment can be a tricky process. You make some progress forward and you slip back a bit, then go forward again, then maybe sideways some.

Several years ago, voters in Colorado decided that legalizing marijuana for medical use was a good thing.

So then lots of people invested time and money and went to work and started growing, some put their savings together to open shops where marijuana products would be legally sold.

New jobs were created in towns all over the state. Green jobs. Local jobs. Sales taxes were generated.

Then some towns decided that they didn't want any of those businesses in their town. Last night, Longmont became one of them. Conservative city council members decided that if people need to go to dispensaries, "they can just drive over to Boulder."

Some people got relief from health problems jobs were created, taxes were paid, local people were employed and yet, the council members just decided that they didn't want these kinds of businesses here.

Win some battles, lose some battles. I predict that eventually the laws will change and we will just have legal marijuana period, not just medical.

It is just foolish that it has taken this long. The experiment with banning beer and liquor didn't last for 80 years. After about 10 years, they admitted it was a mistake and repealed the law, let businesses open legally again and then taxed them.

I think that some people know that the enlightened approach would be to just do it that way, it's just that they have been stuck in their anti-drug position for so long that they choke on the idea of saying "oops, we made a mistake, so let's correct it."

But one of these days, the tide of public opinion and votes will sweep them aside. Too bad we wasted so much time haggling over it, and they will finally come out and admit that they know it is a beneficial plant and people want it, so let's just go ahead and sell it and tax it.

It will be like the day when naysayers in the field of green energy finally get up and say "yes, let's just go ahead and build more solar, wind and geothermal energy generators and run more power lines to them so that we are not so dependent on fossil fuels. It takes time for stubborn people to come around, but one of these days you will see the turn of the tide.

They will get up and say "yes, it will work. Let's do it." I am hoping this agreement comes sooner than later. I keep holding that thought.

What Will the World Look Like in the Morning?

2011-05-10T00:30:00.000-07:00

How will the world look in the morning? It all depends on what you were thinking about today.

As we all work to make our dreams into realities, there is a pattern that eludes our vision because the final pattern is the result of so many different individuals with so many different visions who are all acting independently. So when we see the final product there is some of our handiwork in there, plus bits of what everyone else is doing.

Visions of the future are rarely unanimous because everyone looks at it from different angles.

Look at how the Internet has evolved. It went from being a way for academic and military researchers to share information to being a place for everyone.

We use it to exchange personal messages with friends, to set up a place to shop for products we want, a place to look for work or create our own work. It is a place for artists, writers and musicians to show their work to the world without going through an agent, gallery or corporation. It is a place to research anything.

Its immense popularity then created new problems. Once these avenues were opened up that let anybody create any kind of website and put it out there, the next thing that happened was that the person searching has to wade through all kinds of stuff to find what they want. And the person posting has to learn all kinds of tricks to get people to come to their website.

The web is the biggest single example in the world of people all over the planet with competing and conflicting visions all working together without really working together.

Old myths often speak of order being created out of chaos, and here we have right in front of us a perfect example of that. And of course, it is not done yet. It is still order emerging from chaos.

There is something goofily ironic about the fact that at a time when some politicians are proposing to do away with Medicare that the topic most searched for was Charlie Sheen's drunken buffoonery. And now while there is still much confusion in the world about the uprisings in Arab countries and more jabbering instead of decisive leadership in the field of increasing our ability to develop and use solar, wind and geothermal energy to replace fossil fuels, among the most researched topics today were Chastity Bono's sex change operation, Schwarzenegger's divorce and the trial of a mother who murdered her daughter.

Perhaps the explanation is simply that people love a good story, and as tragic as it sounds, what all this may tell us is that people who tell stories about developing better sources of energy are not telling stories nearly as well as the people telling these other stories. I think that in order to make real progress in the world, we need better storytellers.

What will the world look like in the morning?

Transforming One Moment at a Time

2011-05-06T00:30:00.000-07:00

Removal of self doubt is one of the greatest ways we can advance our own cause. How many times have we come up with an idea only to let it drop because we don't think that we can do it? Or we share our idea with someone who discourages us.

Those are obvious interferences. But often our failure is subtle. For example, when we tell ourselves that one day, we will do what it takes to get in better shape, or one day, we will have our own business. Or one day, we will have a relationship that works well. One day we will dance. One day we will sing. One day we will walk with someone who shares our dreams. One day we will make love like there is no tomorrow. Today is that one day, if we choose it to be so, and then follow through with action.

All it takes to shift the energy on these desires is to keep reminding ourselves that there are things we can do to make a difference now. That we are becoming what we have been thinking about, now.

As we remind ourselves that we are transforming now, becoming our future now, then the changes begin to take place immediately. Perhaps we do not get everything the way we want today, but we can feel our progress towards it today. Keep remembering to thank our spirit guides and the universe for all the good we have received so far, and be open to whatever they can do for us going forward.

And with each bit of progress, our dream becomes reality. Bit by bit, moment by moment, we make it real.

Celebrating the M Days

2011-05-03T13:47:00.000-07:00

May is the month of M days. After kicking off the month with high spirited Mayday Maypole dances, the month then brings us Mother's Day and we wrap it up with Memorial Day.

With each of the M days, we return to the heart of matters. Each of the three M days is about heart. We begin the month with exuberant energy pouring off us, dancing for what we really want. It makes a difference. When we work up a sweat going for what we want, we are following our heart's desires. Is it even possible to work up a sweat for matters that we do not really care about? So we work up the energy to bring our dreams into reality.

Mother's Day is an opportunity for us to express gratitude to our mother. The purpose is simple yet profound. You don't really have to buy anything to express your feelings. It is simply taking the time to do so. As we examine our own story on this planet in this lifetime, lessons can be derived from the story of our mother and father. Reflecting on this story and the related stories can be useful in sharpening our vision of our own future. When Mother's Day is an opportunity to tell stories, there is an opportunity for enlightenment.

As we wrap up the month with Memorial Day, we give honor and pay our respects to those who have died in war. Begun as a day of healing after the Civil War, it was later expanded to include those who died in all wars in which Americans were involved. Then it also expanded generally to remembering our dead. It was a natural progression. I suppose many people who were going to the cemetery to place flowers on the graves of military veterans also figured it would be a good time to stop at other family members graves.

Memorial Day is a potent holiday because of course, we cannot conjure up the memories of wars without also bringing up feelings about why we ever got involved in those wars. I have hope that in the future we will be much more reluctant to go to war and much more skeptical of those who urge us to do so. Of course, I, like John Lennon, imagine different futures for us all.

In fact, those of us who are seers have accepted the challenge of seeing things differently, of being able to interpret the stories differently, of being able to see what others are missing. It is what we agreed to do with our abilities.

We do not always want to see what we see, and sometimes we do not like what we see, but as seers, we take a look and then report back to the one who is asking us questions.

It is our nature to like questions. I started out by picking up a deck and asking myself what can a deck of cards do? I started doing energy healing on others because I asked if people really could do that. I started to learn about past lives after I asked the questions about whether it was real and whether it mattered. I found the answers to the questions were extremely gratifying.

And here we are, celebrating the magnificent M days in the month of May.

So do a little dance to energize your dreams. You can start right where you are. Right there, in the privacy of your home, move around to call to your spirit guides and send your intentions off into the universe. Funny how the whole world seems a little brighter when your clear intentions are empowered by energetic movement. Signal to everyone that you are ready to get moving.

And if you enjoy dancing with other people, there are always places to go and do that too. Take time to reflect, then get up and move, stirring up the energy that will advance you in the direction of your dreams.

Everybody Dies, But Not Everybody Lives

2011-04-26T23:40:00.000-07:00

When we put off doing something we really feel a connection to, it can suck the life out of us. If there is something you have felt compelled to do, that may be part of your destiny.

So when that happens, that you keep on pushing something that keeps coming to mind to the back burner, you may feel drained of energy because spirit keeps sending you messages and showing you omens and you keep ignoring them.

Of course, we can always exercise our free will and say that other things are a priority for us now. We can always decide that the idea that seemed great some time in the past is no longer as vibrant or powerful a motivator for us.

If that is true and we are really ready to let go of the old idea, we need to send a clear, conscious communication to spirit and to our selves. A good way to do that is to create a ritual to let go of the old dreams, the old ideas, and clear the space to make way for the new, for what is important to us now. Then we will no longer carry around the baggage of intentions that are not sincere, not acted on, and we let go of those things and move to the front burner that which we really are going to do.

When I was getting out of the advertising business, I gave my portfolio to another freelancer so that she could use the actual display case and try and get business from any of my former customers. I took all my suits and ties to a Goodwill store. I have never had a need for a suit and tie again in all the years since then. When decided to no longer play the sports I used to play, I sold all that equipment. It was very cathartic to do these things.

Another guy I knew burned a drawing of a planned real estate development he had been working on when he got out of the real estate business.

When I used to teach creative writing, people used to sign up for my classes all the time because they had been thinking about writing, but in many cases, not doing it. Actually coming to a class where they had to bring in something they wrote every week created the opportunity to either do it or drop out and forget about it.

I have seen people who changed their spiritual path, so they reorganized their personal library to reflect the path they were currently on, and traded in their old books to used book stores, so that what they had at homes was very focused and supportive of their new direction.

The actions we take reflect what is really going on within us. When we do a personal ritual of transition, we free up our energies to move more swiftly along in the direction we are going.

Let us not live a life of regrets. Let us live a life that reflects our aliveness and the fulfillment of our destiny. If we are not clear on the direction we will take next, we can also do a personal ceremony to ask for direction.

The Power of Enthusiasm

2011-04-25T12:50:00.000-07:00

It has been said that to enjoy swing dance, all that is required is joyful enthusiasm and a ready partner. Much of the pleasure and adventure in life only requires these same two ingredients.

How many times have you wanted to try something new but hesitated because you didn't want to go by yourself?

But sometimes, that beginning of the new journey is all about you deciding to get up and go, and in so doing, finding others who enjoy the same things as you do.

Part of the adventure is simply being willing to get started and trust that you will meet others who share your enthusiasm.

How many of the things in life that give you pleasure and satisfaction are things that you simply had to learn by doing? Yes, most of them. Of course, at times we need teachers to show us the way to do things and give us knowledge about subjects we want to learn more about. But in the end, it is still all about getting up and putting one foot in front of the other.

How many things can you do that only require joyful enthusiasm and a ready partner?

If we remove all the other considerations from the picture and just get going, how much more joy would there be in our life?

Shadows Don't Make a Sound

2011-04-24T21:30:00.000-07:00

Shadows are silent partners that witness everything we do. The light that shines on us allows the shadow to mirror all our actions, sometimes in larger than life images.

Our shadow follows us. We are the ones who make decisions, take the actions, and lead the way. Our shadow simply repeats and reaffirms our movements. A shadow can provide an outline that emphasizes our movements.

Now some people use the term shadow in an entirely different context, meaning the dark side of a person's personality, their bad behaviors or wrong choices. But I am not a fan of this theory.

You see, I think that everything we do, we consciously choose. If we choose to engage in a behavior that others think of as dark, it may simply be that our reason for choosing was formed in a way that others may not agree with or understand.

There is no "Devil" that made me do anything. Or you. We make us do things. We choose. We always have free will.

This shadow, you see, is simply the space in which our actions are seen. Shadows are one dimensional. The light we are facing lets a phantom image of us linger. The shadow is not an image of us in living color. It is not the person explaining why they did what they did, or why they thought this was a good idea. The shadow is simply trailing after the fact. If you see a shadow, it is not the same as seeing the person.

Have you ever noticed that even though we might be singing, our shadows don't make a sound?

Mysteries of Energies

2011-04-21T03:15:00.000-07:00

Monday evening kirtan was a great way to get in touch with the spirit within that loves to sing. After a few hours of singing, there is a very mellow vibe that is upbeat and enlivening at the same time. Voices blended in the traditional Hindu style of chanting is a delicious experience. The call and response rhythms is similar to the blues, except with a different intention. Chanting the sacred chants which are embedded with bits of wisdom and lots of love invokes a sacred presence and a presence of mind into those who participate.

Tonight, I went to hear Stan Romanek speak about his experiences with UFOs and alien abductions. Quite fascinating to see the photos and hear voice recordings of other beings in his life. One photo in particular sticks in my mind, that of a girl attending one of his talks who is a hybrid human/ET. She had human features and those distinctly large almond shaped eyes that are common to depictions of ETs.

And there were also quite a number of photos and film clips where the ETs were in and around his house. Then who would not be impressed with his story about how he fell off a ladder and tore his ACL (muscles around the knee). The doctors were prepared to operate, but then one night he got another visit from his ET buddies who fixed his knee for him. His doctor didn't believe it when he called in and said that he no longer needed surgery. The photos showed a line of little scars, sort of round, like puncture marks.

Listening to Stan speak, I get the same impression I got when I heard Whitley Strieber speak, which is that these are normal people who have been exposed to highly unusual adventures, rather than just people who made stuff up to get attention. Clearly, when you read their stories, you can tell that they did not want all this attention from their visitors.

I find a lot of this stuff interesting. I have no idea what it all really means. No idea how it all happens. When I look at presentations like this, or photos of crop circles, or the photos released by the British government of their sightings, it just all seems so amazing. I think it all has something to do with our evolution. I love a good story, and these stories are full of mysterious things and mysterious doings. There is plenty of food for thought in all this. By now, who hasn't seen photos of UFOs?

But that hybrid girl photo is absolutely stunning. That one image is the counterweight to the goofy end of the spectrum. Remember those two old geezers who got on TV several years ago and claimed that they made the crop circles by dragging pieces of wood around fields on ropes? I suspect they had a few snorts of whiskey before coming up with that one, and it would probably would be fun to have a drink with those old guys. That's part of what I like about this stuff. It contains the full spectrum from the silly to the spectacular and sublime.

On Friday, I go back for another joyous jolt of energy contra dancing. The fiddle music, the foot stomping, the whirling and swinging bring the energies back to earth so that we can ground and take off again. Dancing leaves me the same way as singing after a few hours, energized and euphoric and somewhat spent from the effort.

Every bit of it is worth it. There are all kinds of ways to tap into energies, and all kinds of ways to experience them. These are some of the ones that work for me. If you are looking for ways to perk up your energies, there are lots of other ways out there as well.

Earlier in my life, if you would have asked me, I would have told you that all this stuff is too far out for me. Years ago if you would have told me that I would be devoting my attention to doing readings for people, I would have thought you were mistaking me for someone else.

Then again, it is a strange and wonderful world we live in isn't it?

Returns

2011-04-18T23:15:00.000-07:00

When we find ourselves wondering what happened, the answer is probably that you did ask for this, even if you didn't know it.

You see, when you decide you want something, there may be more to it that you hadn't thought about. So here it is, with all of its parts, and you are surprised.

This phenomenon turns up in many ways. Sometimes when people come to me for a reading, the reading tells them everything they wanted to know and they go on their way. Some people come back for more readings because the reading may have raised more questions in their mind and now they want to ask about that.

There are also returns when we ask one question and the answer seems to answer a different question, but that answer goes to the real root of the problem.

Often we have to return to the questions that we are asking to see what it is we are really asking. The surprise when we realize that we were asking something one thing when we thought we were asking something else might give us a jolt, one of those enlivening wake up calls to our self.

Return to the question and ask, what is it I really want to know? Validation of the choices you have already made is also a good result, because it answers your question when others who are not attached to the outcome are confirming your decisions.

When the cards are turned over, what you see is the answer to your question. You just have to look at it with different eyes.

Feeling Your Vision

2011-04-13T12:07:00.000-07:00

When you are visualizing what you want in life, do you also feel it?

It is one thing to visualize your success, your future, your desires, but is it only a picture in your mind? That is only the first step.

Desire is a powerfully important ingredient. When you think of your vision for your future, do you feel it intensely? Like a gut level feeling? Or do you just see a picture?

Try this experiment yourself. How much more power and energy is there behind your vision if you can actually feel it? Can you sense that time and place where it is real?

Isn't it true that we know something is real when we can feel it?

If we only think we can see it, it could be a hallucination. If we can actually feel ourselves experiencing that vision, living in that vision, then we know it is real.

Test this technique on yourself to see if you can verify what I am saying.

Picture yourself having what you want in life. Now see if you can feel it.

Your vision can be about whatever it is that you want. Prosperity, business success, career change, a new relationship, vibrant good health, new friends, a satisfying spiritual path, absolutely anything you want to include.

So picture it. Now feel it.

What happens? What's the difference?

Blue Healing

2011-04-11T22:00:00.000-07:00

The blues has a way of lifting your spirits by taking you down to the bottom and letting you bounce up. I love the blues. Something about the urgency of the music, the gut level feel of it has the power to energize and move. It's also kind of sexy, seductive and playful.

Wonder where you get that feeling when you are hearing the blues? Considering that blues inspired some creative soul to draw eerie, edgy sounds of out a guitar using a beer bottle neck, the earthy vocals fit nicely alongside it. That primal feel is what grabs your attention when the singer not only sings sweetly but mixes it with a range of sounds, growls, shots, and sensuous moans mixed in. And if at some point you don't find yourself laughing or smiling over some of the lyrics, you haven't been listening.

And some nights, that's exactly what I want to hear. The visceral feel, going straight for the emotions, and kicking it into gear with those rhythms that just call you up to dance. Dance, and let it stoke the fire of seduction. Let it bounce in those playful ways you like to do. I see that sparkle that comes with that smile. Funny that works, isn't it?

On those days and nights when you feel like you need some medicine to lift your spirits, bathe yourself in some blues. You might be having a drink while feeling funky about the way things have been going. But after you soak in that music for a little while and feel it moving you to dance, you will be feeling better.

Blues can heal. What sweet medicine.

The Old Dog

2011-04-09T16:38:00.000-07:00

One day an old German Shepherd starts chasing rabbits and before long, discovers that he's lost. Wandering about, he notices a panther heading rapidly in his direction with the intention of having lunch.

The old German Shepherd thinks, 'Oh, oh! I'm in deep doo-doo now!' Noticing some bones on the ground close by, he immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat. Just as the panther is about to leap, the old German Shepherd exclaims loudly, 'Boy, that was one delicious panther! I wonder, if there are any more around here?' '

Now, the old German Shepherd sees the panther coming with the squirrel on his back and thinks, 'What am I going to do now?', but instead of running, the dog sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn't seen them yet, and just when they get close enough to hear, the old German Shepherd says...'Where's that squirrel? I sent him off an hour ago to bring me another panther!

Hearing this, the young panther halts his attack in mid-strike, a look of terror comes over him and he slinks away into the trees. 'Whew!' says the panther, 'That was close! That old German Shepherd nearly had me!'

Meanwhile, a squirrel who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree, figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the panther. So, off he goes, but the old German Shepherd sees him heading after the panther with great speed, and figures that something must be up.

The squirrel soon catches up with the panther, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the panther.

The young panther is furious at being made a fool of and says, 'Here, squirrel, hop on my back and see what's going to happen to that conniving canine!

Now, the old German Shepherd sees the panther coming with the squirrel on his back and thinks, 'What am I going to do now?', but instead of running, the dog sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn't seen them yet, and just when they get close enough to hear, the old German Shepherd says...'Where's that squirrel? I sent him off an hour ago to bring me another panther!'

What Makes Us So Mysterious?

2011-04-08T09:51:00.000-07:00

What makes us so mysterious? Why do we sometimes not know why we chose what we did? All of us have had some experience in life where we find ourselves thinking that if we had a chance to do something over, we would choose differently.

Our lives are full of moments like this. Yet, every choice we have made has altered the course of our lives. For better or for worse? Those are judgements we make. When one door closes, another opens, and we are the ones opening and closing doors. Sometimes we just want to see what is behind one of those doors. Other times we get help when someone else opens a door for us.

We are complex. All kinds of factors go into our decision making process. Why we choose what we choose is often not even known to us. We do what we like. We do what we want. We do what makes us feel good. We get feelings and we act on them. We get thoughts and we act on them. Sometimes we choose wisely. Sometimes we choose impulsively. Sometimes strange choices can turn out magnificently. We are mysterious.

We change so frequently in the course of our lives that careers, relationships and choices we are making now, we didn't even imagine years ago. We are living experiments, evolving, always evolving.

Our dreams often foretell of things to come in our lives. We also have experiences of how powerful we are when we have a strong desire and focus on something and our actions, even the little subconscious ones, lead us in that direction. Then, poof! One day we find ourselves exactly where we thought we would be.

We weave in and out of levels of consciousness, sometimes recognizing the correlation between our thoughts, desires, actions and where we find ourselves, and sometimes wondering how we got where we are.

We are mysterious because we weave in and out of these levels of consciousness and that makes life look mysterious, as well as making ourselves look mysterious to others. That is exactly what makes each one of us a work of art, a work in progress.

We all love mysteries, and that is why we are fascinated by each other.

Fortune Telling Is Not As Mysterious As We Are

2011-04-07T20:34:00.000-07:00

We live in the present, but the future is all around us. Everywhere we look there are choices we can make that will shape what is to come next.

If we take a look all around us, we find the seeds of what is next. The choices we make each day determine what options will follow. We can track where our energy flows. Once we place our attention on something, we will either get confirmation of that choice or an omen to choose something else.

The flow of energies follows the patterns we set and we have the ability to alter that flow with every choice we make.

So in a reverse sort of way, the future has left clues all around us to what is in store for us later.

Consider that what we like to do now. There are indications of that all around us. So what happens if we pursue that course? Consider the kinds of activities we enjoy. Will we keep on doing them, or choose something else?

Are we open to adventure? Are we ready to embrace new concepts, new friends? New relationships? What are the things we are going to finally get up and do, and the things we will scratch from our list? There are clues in what is right here, right now about what is to come next. We might not always recognize them, because maybe something will happen that causes us to choose differently later today or tomorrow.

Fortune telling itself is not as mysterious as we are.

Winter A Little Further Into Spring

2011-04-05T23:26:00.000-07:00

It can be easy to forget what season it is here. Sunday it was snowing, cold and windy. Today it is sunny and windy. The turning of the seasons from winter into spring is always kind of jerky, a sequence of shifts back and forth before finally opening up into planting weather and blossoming into the new growth.

Some of that new growth has been poking up for a while now, but the dips back down into low temperatures and snow remind us that we are still in winter.

I keep thinking that it is time to garden, but last year, it snowed until the end of May.

And this reminds me of how our own progress looks sometimes. We start moving forward and we have setbacks and speed bumps, then we get going again. Even though we may have a clear vision for ourselves, our path, our plan, our work, our pleasure, we still have to redouble our efforts at times to keep us getting to where we are going.

Our growth, just like the return of spring, is not always smooth. It goes in fits and spurts until finally the new growth gains momentum and stays up.

A Moment at Sunset

2011-03-31T19:43:00.000-07:00

This evening I was sitting by the window facing west, having a drink and watching the sunset. I am feeling quite happy with the progress of events right now. No, no sure things, but delicious opportunities.

I have opportunities again to do more of the work I love most. I am relaxing, knowing that tomorrow will be a long drive to the next gig. That's fine. I am ready.

For now, things are moving forward. New friends. New work. More dancing. More music.

It is always a good thing to toast the setting sun, and feel gratitude for what is going well.

For now, I offer you this one simple thought. Nothing more complicated.

Just toast the setting sun and feel gratitude.

Manifesting Magnificently

2011-03-30T00:28:00.000-07:00

One of the important things to remember about manifesting is that it is the goal that is important. We need to state what we want in clear terms and be open to creative solutions.

At the same time, we want to state our desire in such a way that we rule out ways of manifesting that may be detrimental to us.

Focus on your goal, take action steps to get there, and let the strength of your desire shine through.

When magic is happening, manifesting can take mysterious shapes.

It is not tricky. You just have to be clear.

Your action steps, willfully expressed, help define, as does the desire. As a result, we may find that at times we need to redefine our vision.

When those three sides of the triangle are firmly in place, they are powerful. If you are not getting what you want, check those three sides to see how strong they are and if one or more of them needs to be rebuilt or reinforced.

Different Kinds of Oneness

2011-03-28T22:09:00.000-07:00

In metaphysical circles, you often hear it espoused that a goal of enlightened people is to bring about unity and oneness among people.

In the best of ways, what we see that demonstrated when a catastrophe strikes and people spontaneously contribute to help those who are suffering. That kind of oneness displays compassion and a sense of empathy with other people.

In the worst of ways, we see a different kind of oneness expressed when corporate execs dump thousands of employees while rewarding themselves with multimillion dollar bonuses. There is something wrong with this picture. What is it? It is that in one situation, the oneness is expanding and in the other oneness is contracting.

But what if those execs who profited hugely from these changes in the corporate structures were to contribute to making the world a better place by creating new businesses in the US? What could be a better use of millions and billions of newly acquired wealth than helping to create new businesses? Rather than expect those people to start all the new businesses themselves, fund organizations to provide seed money for entrepreneurs.

We have seen banks in countries like India and other countries provide micro loans for people starting new businesses. How much is that practiced in the US? Maybe in a less developed country, a few hundred dollars can launch a new business, but here it might take a few thousand.

Years ago in this country, people got together to form labor unions to create better working conditions for people who worked in factories. That was another expression of oneness, and it lifted our standard of living.

Now it is a different time, and perhaps what is needed now is for more people to be encouraged to create a job rather than focusing on finding a job.

So if we are to encourage this kind of thinking, what well known, wealthy exec will step forward to set such an initiative in motion?

After all, doesn't the difference between having a good idea and starting a new business often come down to funding?

And aren't the people most likely to start a new business the motivated individuals who are trying to create a better life for themselves and others?

Isn't it time to emphasize a new kind of oneness?

What We Are Capable Of Doing

2011-03-27T12:46:00.000-07:00

Many of us are feeling called by the situations of our lives to rise to a new level of awareness, to a level of being more, doing more. Why now?

We are now at a new level of evolution and it is time to look at not just what we have done, but what we can do.

Just like job hunting on the web has changed the way people look for work, with robots scanning resumes to decide who might get the job, we cannot do things the way we used to. Used to be that you had an opportunity during an interview to make the case for why you should get the job. The resume stated your history and experience.

Today, robots scan for keywords, and if they are not on your resume, you will not be interviewed. Yes, I share the opinion that this is an inferior way to find the best person for the job. But there is another choice. We can choose to create a better way of doing things, by not participating in that system and charting our own path.

That may be the whole message of the changes in a nutshell. The universe may be encouraging us to do things in a way that makes sense for us. That requires extra energy, but the rewards are greater, not just in terms of money, but in terms of how we spend our time and energy.

By choosing to go to the next level, we do take risks, and we challenge ourselves to do things we have not done. We may find ourselves calling on reserves of strength and resources we did not know we had, but this is part of our initiation into another world.

Every time we ask to go to the next level we are expressing our will and desire to engage with the universe in a new and different way. It is another way of breaking new ground and presenting ourselves so that the world can see what we are capable of, not just what we have done.

It is new every day when we re-create ourselves. It is always about what we can do now, not just what we have done in the past.

Validation

2011-03-24T00:14:00.000-07:00

In some of the old ways of doing things, it was harder to get validation for what we were creating. You had to find an agent to represent you and then they would try and find a publisher or gallery or music label that might be interested in making your creations more visible to audiences, customers, readers.

Today, we can write what we want and post it and then try and draw people's attention to it. We can post photos of our art and videos of our music.

Then it is just a matter of getting other people to take a look at it. With all the billons of websites out there, finding things can be real hit or miss.

But at least it is possible to get validation of our work sooner rather than later. That vote of confidence might be all it takes for someone to be encouraged to continue on with their work.

Of course, that is not to say that a person would not like to see their books published and sold, their art sold or reproduced or their music being bought and listened to by appreciative audiences. Who wouldn't like greater success?

At least the chaos of the Internet is a place to start. We no longer have to wait for a middleman for at least some people to consider our creations. For that, I am grateful. Aren't you?

Out of Context

2011-03-22T14:57:00.000-07:00

The story of Augustin Hadelich, who I wrote about yesterday, touches on the story of another great young violinist, Joshua Bell. Some experts see the two as comparable talents.

In 2007, Joshua Bell was put on a baseball cap and ordinary clothes and stood playing Bach on a Stradivarius in a Washington subway station. The thousand or so people who passed by while he was playing obviously thought he was just a street musician playing for tips.

He was in Washington to play at the Library of Congress and he regularly sells out symphony halls, commanding $100 a ticket. Yet, that morning in the subway, no one recognized him.

The Washington Post put him up to the idea to see what would happen.

How often do we fail to recognize talent when it is out of context?

Is a musician only good if they are booked into a concert hall? Is an artists only good if a gallery or museum features their work? Is a writer only good if a major publishing house publishes their books? Can we recognize true beauty when it pops up in unexpected places? Do we have trouble recognizing true beauty and true talent when it pops up in unexpected people?

Fire Outside, Fire Inside

2011-03-21T23:16:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, I went to the Colorado Symphony, and the featured soloist was a young violinist named Augustin Hadelich. Prior to this, I was not familiar with his work. He was stunning. Just my impression? Consider this. Someone else thinks so much of his playing that they let him use their Stradivarius.

The audience was so appreciative of his performance that he also did something quite uncommon. He returned to the stage and performed an encore, solo.

But there is more to this story than just the fact that a superb musician can create phenomenal sounds using a rare and valuable instrument.

When he came on stage, my first impression was that his makeup was very strange. As he cradled the violin, I could see scar tissue on his neck. Suddenly it came to me that he must have been burned in a fire.

So I looked him up on the web when I got home. He has been playing since he was 5. His family is German, and he lived on a farm in Tuscany with his parents. When he was 15, some diesel fuel caught fire and burned his face, his body and his bow arm. Doctors thought that he might never be able to play again. He had 20 operations and spent 2 years healing. Now, he performs with great orchestras all over the world. Perhaps there is a touch of irony to his selection of works by Beethoven and Paganini that evening, reflecting the roots of the German family living in Italy. I choose to think that there are no coincidences in this story.

And all this has happened just in his first 27 years.

It is stunning, isn't it? What humans can do, even in the face of great adversity exceeds stories that the imagination could conjure up.

How strong must a person's will be to come back and make world class music after surviving such intense damage and pain?

Of course, the doctors must have performed their roles exceptionally as well. Yet, even though they restored his body, his spirit had to be restored in order to be able to perform at this level. Was it the power of music that helped him recover? Or was it something else? Maybe this will remain a mystery.

Or perhaps the fire inside was even more powerful than the fire outside.

Committed to Memory

2011-03-19T00:55:00.000-07:00

Once, when I was studying music, all these things were known to me. There were names for a special place in time where the placement of a fingertip made the sound of a note, a space in time between other sounds, and just the right sound made the note I wanted.

It was precise work to get exactly the note I wanted. Then memory took over after many repeated efforts, the notes flowed together until they made a melody.

It is like that to learn a bit, to learn a note, then a sequence of notes, then more patterns and more notes until it all sounds like songs. The notes flow like they are melodies.

And some melodies become short little songs and others become symphonies.

Either way, it still begins with finding one right note, then venturing further out until it forms something larger.

One note, exactly the right touch at the right time, and a song begins. So sweetly they begin, and then it is committed to memory, so that the whole of the tune can be recalled at once. All beginning with a single note.

How Else Can Tarot Heal?

2011-03-18T00:32:00.001-07:00

In the same way that looking at beautiful art calms and soothes while at the same time getting the mind working, tarot can be used as a pocket sized gallery.

How is that healing? Just take it out and look at it for a little while every day. Maybe pull one card a day, or a few. Whatever you feel like. Looking at a picture intensely, meditating on the image and what it might mean, and next thing you know you have an uplifted spirit, or at least an inquiring mind. Either way, you are now entered into a heightened state of awareness.

How can it be healing to meditate on profound thoughts? How can it be healing to gaze on pictures of beauty and clever composition? Can shuffling through a deck and looking at the cards help put the world back in order? Does that calm the nerves and help lower the blood pressure?

When you have a busy schedule and you are feeling like you need to catch up, taking a deck out and looking at it can be like taking a mini-vacation to a great art museum or gallery. Nothing like fantastic art to help create a higher awareness of our present state, is there?

The Healing Energy of Readings

2011-03-16T23:57:00.000-07:00

There is an energy in every reading that is unique. It is always a combination of the energy of the reader meeting the energy of the querant. When the energy of the querant is engaged and open, more pathways open up and the reading accelerates, covering the territory more deeply.

Readings can help heal a person. Remember that thoughts can influence feelings and energies, and if a person comes away from a reading with inspiration, hope, or a more robust and vibrant outlook, a healing has begun, and will be continued by the application of free will on the querant's part.

Neutrality gives the reader a bird's eye view of what is going on. Many times I have seen the enlivening effect that comes when a person gets validation in a reading. That can also be healing given that a person gains peace of mind when they know that there is some agreement with their point of view even though everyone else seemed to share a different point of view.

Because of empathic powers, some readers are more adept at transferring healing energy during the course of a reading.

Reading energies can also stimulate a person to look at their situation in novel ways and other perspectives, thus opening them to creative solutions to their predicaments.

Readings can also be unique tools for helping view a situation clearly, because the art is both abstract and has a bearing on what is real.

Healing must sometimes begin with a different perspective before the new energies are allowed to enter and welcomed in.

Healing comes in many ways. A reading is one good way to experience it.

Asking

2011-03-11T23:58:00.000-08:00

In the process of making our transitions and achieving our goals, we can get help from other people simply for the asking. It is good to be reminded of this in a simple elemental way. It feels really good when our task just got made easier because someone helped us.

People like to help other people. That is why when disasters hit, people suddenly and spontaneously to see what they can do to help. It is as much human nature to be compassionate as it is to be concerned about survival.

Sometimes what another person might need to achieve their goal is something that we can easily provide. However, if we don't ask, we will never know.

Of course, nobody really likes someone who is always asking for something and not giving anything in return. Gratitude is an important aspect of giving and receiving. But returns do not have to be in terms like money.

For example, there is an old Celtic tradition that if a stranger is given food and shelter for the night, the stranger repays the kindness with a gift of song, poetry or storytelling.

Once again we see the traditional emphasis on the exchange of energy.

So on your way to creating your new life, your new career, your healing, your art, your whatever, remember that it is fine to ask. Then also remember that it is appropriate to offer something in return.

Sometimes the giver will not ask for anything for themselves, so the payback comes in more general terms of showing a kindness to someone else.

You know the old saying. What goes around, comes around.

There Is No "Right Number"

2011-03-08T13:56:00.000-08:00

When planning ahead, many of us are trying to save enough money to start a business or for some other major change. But when circumstances beyond our control change quickly, we find ourselves needing to launch that next phase without the "right number" we were hoping for.

So if we have to act now, then we just have to go with what we've got. We may wish we had more, but suddenly we find ourselves hustling to make things work with what we have. Even in a well thought out plan, opportunities or difficulties can present us with costs we had not planned on.

We might find it a bit scary, but not having the "right number" can make us more creative. Having plenty can make a person complacent. Why hurry up and do something if you don't have to?

Every person who starts a new business has some touch and go moments when tight budgeting sharpens focus and causes a person to check out all kinds of wild and off the wall ideas, and can put a person in the position of needing to borrow to meet obligations. It is an invigorating challenge.

Truth is, I think that we are rarely as fully prepared as we would like to be, and so we find ourselves having to launch without our right number, doing our best to make a go of it with what we've got.

The right number may be out of reach when we find ourselves pressed into action, so we proceed with the clear objective in mind of making a profit. And if we did wait until we had plenty to more than offset any difficulty, we may delay getting started forever.

When the world throws us a challenge and we hit the ground running, there is no right number, just working numbers. There are ideals and then there are pragmatic choices. In the absence of the "right numbers" we look at the picture from every angle and look for ways to make it work with whatever numbers we've got.

Yes, Following Yes

2011-03-07T00:06:00.000-08:00

One of the secrets of success is to go with the flow. How many times have we received those intuitive impulses to do or not do something, but didn't heed it and later regretted it?

How many times have we not picked up a clue and missed a good opportunity?

Some people learn quickly and ride the currents of energy, while others keep overriding or ignoring the directions being sent in by spirit guides.

For some of us, it may be just a bit of stubbornness. For others, we are just not used to tuning in.

Don't believe me. Just test it for the next week. Take note of every situation where you got that gut feeling and you either paid attention or did not. Note what the result was.

After observing these results, see what happens if you start tuning in more and following the yes. Follow the yes and see if you don't get better results. If you get a gut feeling that the answer is no, leave it. Watch and see. Do your own experiment for a week. Then apply the lessons and see if your life does not get better.

Paying Attention

2011-03-04T23:34:00.001-08:00

Paying attention is key to enjoying life. Of course, enjoying life includes getting what we want.

Examples. If a person is not paying attention to the music, all of a sudden a beautiful dance turns into a chaotic mess.

If a person is driving a car and not paying attention, accidents happen.

If a small business owner does not pay attention to excellent performance or making use of every opportunity that comes their way, they fall short of their goals, or worse, lose it all.

If a person does not pay attention to their physical well being, they can create consequences that make their own physical comfort decrease.

What makes one person a better lover than another? Paying attention.

What makes one person more creative than another? Paying attention.

Malidoma Some, an African shaman, says that "A person who has a problem learning to drum is a person who has a problem with listening."

Carry that thought out to those things which are important to us. We can never become excellent at anyting without paying attention.

If we pay attention to the things we say are important to us, success has got to come to us, in larger or smaller amounts.

Paying attention is the true cost of success.

All Kinds of Ghost Towns

2011-03-03T11:02:00.000-08:00

Recently, I had to catch a flight at 6:30 am at Denver Airport. Rather than try and wake up early, I thought it might be better to just head over there in the middle of the night when there would be no rush hour traffic and I could just get the do it yourself boarding pass and breeze through security. I figured I could just nap by my gate and I would be all set.

I was quite surprised to discover that the airport was basically closed during the early morning hours. Even the do it yourself boarding pass computers displayed signs that said that they would not be available until after 4 am. The security gate did not open until 4:30 am. There was only the Burger King open at that time of day, and other than the other lost traveler like myself, the only other people there were the cleaning crew.

There was an eerie feeling to being in the middle of what is normally a very busy public space with all the stores, bars and restaurants closed, no ticket agents at the desks, no throngs of travelers milling about trying to find their gates, or checking the boards to see if their flight will be on time.

A place like this is never really empty. There is always a residual energy from all of the people who have used the place. It can never really be empty because all of those energies and emotions leave a residue that still flows through the place even in the middle of the night when there are no flights taking off and no one appears to be there besides the cleaning and maintenance people.

It is a different sort of ghost town, sort of like one of those old mining towns that went bust a hundred years ago, except that this one comes back to life every 24 hours.

Or maybe it is just a result of the 24/7 world that we live in that we think of certain places as never shutting down. Of course, when the silver mines and gold mines were booming and everybody seemed to be heading for the mountains with a pick, a shovel, a pack mule and a gun, the little towns that outfitted them looked busy all the time too.

Amazing the things that come to you when you simply arrive in a place at an odd time and you sleep in short bursts awakened by energies that seem both familiar and strange before dozing off again. There are all kinds of ghost towns.

Leaving Marks

2011-02-18T23:37:00.000-08:00

We never know who we will dance with when we are open and enjoying the dance. Our partner could be someone we set our sights on and went for, and she can also be someone who we just happened to meet who suddenly clicks with us.

When the music is playing so beautifully and we are moving together with the music, it is effortless and we blend with the sound until our bodies move through space as dreamers who get from here to there without seeming to exert and muscles, simply flowing with joy together. Music, people, all one.

The music is always part of the background except that we are not always conscious of it. We get so used to white noise that we don't hear the dance of life that is going on all around us.

After the dance, we leave the public space and we come home. There were times when we left marks on each other's bodies, times when we were so hot for each other that we did not notice anything except the feelings that were penetrating our souls, consuming our entire consciousness as we consumed each other.

At times like these we were holding each other so tightly that we didn't even know how hard we were touching. We just wanted all the touching we could get. Our nails and our teeth were reaching to touch the part beyond the physical. If we left marks or drew blood, it was not because we were seeking pain, it was because we were seeking pleasure and we were holding tight so that there was nothing between us.

It is always about closeness and it is always about the heart. Long after the skin has healed and the marks disappear, the only marks left are the ones on our hearts.

Going Within

2011-02-18T03:19:00.000-08:00

The quiet is rich with promise as we meet at the border, hesitating before going within. There is nothing sweeter once that line has been crossed.

Even the gentlest touch can lead to uncovering that place where the treasures are buried when we go within. There is sweetness and light even in the darkest of places, tenderness moves fear out of the way. Passion and vision accelerate the flow and light up the night. There is only darkness where we do not move and stiffness sets in.

Going within we warm ourselves by the fire that only we can see. Our fire is invisible to those who are not part of it, but the glow illuminates our path and the warmth signals to all who are within range of our senses and announces our triumph in the realm of the senses.

Spirits rise with the embers of the fire we built going within, but the bed of orange coals is ready to expand on the wings of our breath. Breathe into the place where these embers glow and our creativity reaches for ways to build bridges to wherever we want to go. Breathe deep into your belly and feel the flames consume all doubt and propel us to the water's edge, and we sail forth on our second wind, relishing the waters that show our feelings while the juicy orange glow illuminates our horizons and the pulsing drives fire and water to make steam.

Past Lives Are Our Whales

2011-02-18T02:47:00.000-08:00

Have you ever gone on a whale watching trip? You rarely see the whole whale come above the surface because their mass is just below the surface, so when they dive, you see just a little bit of the top of their back and their tail. Of course it is there, you just can't see it all, unless you want to snorkel or scuba.

Past lives are our whales. Long ago connections tweak our consciousness and surface offering just glimpses, but the glimpses break the surface and hint at what is below.

When do we need to know more? When do we want to know more? Is this fragment of memory adding to our connection, to our pleasure?

What is it that is signaling to us, breaking through the surface of our awareness, calling to us to look?

If there is this elusive bit that is tantalizing us with bits of memory that are just out of reach, we can not grab it. We have to swim around with it. We have to snorkel or scuba and dive beneath the surface to see the big picture.

Dreaming, Breathing, Quickly, Deeply

2011-02-16T15:35:00.000-08:00

What is it that you want now more than anything? What would you do if you if this moment could be exactly as you wish?

Would you turn to see the face that goes with the voice you have been hearing? Would the touch you desire be soft? Would the comfort of the touch open to a whispered sound only audible between the two of us?

Do you know what I was dreaming? I had a feeling that your dream overlapped with mine. That is why when we talk, there is a similarity in our visions, and the things you want to say I say, and the things I want to say, you say.

When we dream and then it comes true, it is precognitive, and these dreams can become stunning in their intensity as we breathe deep and digest the idea that we are here now and we swim toward each other in this liquid atmosphere that surrounds us when we are engulfed in a feeling we savor. It totally surrounds us, this feeling, and we swim in it, and we breathe without effort, quickly, quickly as we look all around to see if we are really swimming, then deeply as we know we are here, and the waters part and we walk through them together, feeling the lifting of water, the lifting away of whatever we were thinking of a moment before we were here.

For You

2011-02-15T20:59:00.000-08:00

What we have always desired flows close to the surface in this Valentine tide of energy cascading through the atmosphere.

When we hug, I can feel your desire. In your eyes, I can see the fire. In all the torrents of feelings pulsing through the space between us, there is a sweetness on the air and an earthy sound coming from your throat.

There is nothing so much as as the silvery moon, reflected on beads of sweat. There are outlines of excitement making themselves visible as well as audible on your breath.

What are those things you say without saying, you know without knowing, you feel even now, in memory, in spirit. Your hair is electric, picking up signals from the small sounds of evening, where the singing of all the creatures forms the words I want to say. They give voice to our feelings. Your hair brushes my skin as you lean over me, and you feel me tremble when those wisps stirs the edges of my spirit and the landscape of my body.

I feel your desire in your embrace. The scent of your true desire has escaped from under your perfume and made itself known just as our eyes met again.

The moonlight on your calf ascends your thigh and traces a silken path invisible to the touch, but everywhere to the eye.

I ask you again your name just to feel the way you pronounce it with your tongue.

Cosmic Do-Overs

2011-02-13T22:32:00.000-08:00

Karma or as others call it, fate, is often hidden in plain sight.

Consider the obvious fact that we are here. Sometimes people think that we need to rise above the sensory experiences of our bodies to get to some etheric level that they envision as floating somewhere above this physical world.

No, I don't agree. We are born into these bodies because they are the best vehicles for us to learn our cosmic lessons. There is no better place for learning cosmic concepts or applying them than right here. That is why we are here.

And I certainly believe that the fact that we have these bodies means that we were created to experience them to the fullest. As long as we are here, make the most of it.

All the greatest and most delicious parts of the human experience are right here, along with the worst and most odious aspects.

Reincarnation is a gift. We get do-overs. Those of us who still have lessons to be learned get a chance to do them over.

When we truly appreciate our bodies and enjoy the experience of living here, that is the best method of appreciation for the opportunity we have been given.

If there were some better place for us to be, wouldn't we be there?

Look around. Look at your self. Look at your life. What would you like to get out of your experience inhabiting this body next?

You know for sure that it is some kind of cosmic do-over. You don't have to wait until after you die to sense ways to answer this question. We get multiple chances to get a taste of it within this lifetime we are living.

Maybe the fist step is to have gratitude for being here in this body instead of thinking that we need to rise above it.

Body Magic

2011-02-11T02:43:00.000-08:00

I am liking the energy of renewing my dedication to getting more exercise. I like the feel of the energy that the basketball players and volleyball players are stirring up as I do my workouts.

I look around and see other people who are also exerting the effort to strengthen their bodies by shedding the extra weight as I am, or rebuilding after various injuries that may make them limp as they gather the courage to keep moving around the track, swim or use the various machines. Yes, of course there are also those who are already fit, perhaps working on being superfit.

The energy of the whole place is kinetic and inspiring.

At first it takes an act of will to get up and go. And the more often we do it, the better we feel. Yes, sometimes I would rather stay in my comfortable chair and watch a movie or read a book, but I make myself get up and go anyway.

That act of will is our necessary way to break out of lethargy and make magic with our bodies.

Magic is defined as change according to will, and we are working magic on ourselves as we express our will. Then the more we do it, the more resistance to this change fades away.

Not everyone looks glamorous as they work their magic on their bodies, but all of them are showing a lot of heart. Gratitude for survival, the intention of health and healing, desire for creating a better life. All are visible.

Amazing things happen when we do magic with our bodies. Change according to will.

Drawing Our Own Map

2011-02-08T22:16:00.000-08:00

As we take action on what we need to do next, we may draw on things we have done before, but in a different way. We may recall people we have known, and suddenly realize different lessons they have taught us, lessons we may not have realized we were getting at the time.

Retrospect offers different lessons than the present. Perspective adds to what we know. There are things we have learned that we didn't know we learned. It is cumulative.

That is why we might feel that a choice or a decision is familiar. We may have visited this choice in our thoughts many times in dreams or in real life experiences, and now we are perceiving them in a whole new way.

Perhaps I am a good reader because many jobs I have done in my life required that I be able to read people, but in different contexts and different settings.

Our ancestors had some guidance on what plants were good to eat by watching the birds and the animals. We get some lessons by observing what other people are doing that works. We have developed some skills by hard lessons, and some by easy lessons.

As we sense the flow of energy, we make our way. We choose to abandon efforts where we feel thwarted, and go with the flow that takes us forward.

Staying open to guidance and picking up clues from our guides, we notice fresh opportunities. We will usually have attachments to things we have done before and things that are comfortable. Survival means being willing to leave some of that behind, even clear it out, so that our path ahead is open.

Watch how you feel, and watch what happens when we draw our own map. You may be surprised at which way you are heading.

Gratitude As a Survival Skill

2011-02-07T09:36:00.000-08:00

Job searches can be very frustrating. Here you are perfectly willing and able to work, but nobody is calling us to come to work. What is even more frustrating is that today, often companies tell us to email your resume and cover letter and they never acknowledge us, interview you or let us know if the job is already filled. At least if we had a chance to interview for something we are qualified to do, we could feel that we had a chance or we might get some inkling that we didn't get it because they are looking for something else in the candidate, and if we knew what that was, we could learn it. It is frustrating if we see something listed that we know we can do, but the employer never even talks to us about it. A person can start to fill with self doubts.

The other thing that happens is when there are no jobs paying anything like what we used to make and you find ourselves competing for a minimum wage job that requires no special skills and we still don't get hired. Or we decide to try for other kinds of work and we are competing for jobs that pay far less than what we were making, and totally unrelated to our education and experience.

Yes, those are frustrating and discouraging experiences. I have been there too.

In the face of all this, incorporating a gratitude ritual into our lives can really help turn positive energy your way. Other people are drawn to people who smile.

To counter all this frustration, take a few moments to be thankful for the good things we have received today. Say it out loud to yourself. Make list and write it down. Reinforce the notion that things will get better and somewhere we will find an opening and an opportunity. Express gratitude for any good development at all.

This keeps the mind open. That is what is important. Focusing on where we got shut out or screwed over blinds us.

If we keep running into walls instead of openings, negative feelings will be the dominant landscape of our thoughts. So rather than dwell on them, look to other places where there are openings and kindness rather than walls.

Yes, sometimes that means accepting the fact that we have to change our career path even if we don't want to. Accepting that fact allows more time to explore other options. Sometimes when we are busy being grateful, we find useful thoughts. For example, perhaps a hobby or other activity we enjoy can be turned into a source of income. Even if it is only a source of some money rather than all we need, that is helpful.

Look for the things that went well. That could be the support of friends and family. This could be a bit of helpful advice from a book or article we read. We could express gratitude for new leads we have found, and the people who are kind to us even if they didn't hire us.

Gratitude for having a place to live, heat that keeps us warm and food to eat. Gratitude for good health and the ability to get up and go for a walk.

Gratitude for spirit guides who are looking out for us and are helping us, even if they seem to be taking a long time. I find the thought of ancestors as spirit guides particularly helpful because those who came before us figured out what they had to do to survive, and they would like to see us survive too. Since we are their offspring, I tend to think that good breaks and anything helpful that comes along could be something that they are moving my way.

Remembering to incorporate this simple ritual of gratitude in our life will open up channels to receive and help to attract more good attention our way, even if it is little by little.

Gratitude is a kind of survival skill.

Supercharging the Rituals of Career Change

2011-02-06T23:30:00.000-08:00

When we come to major crossroads in our lives, we need to take both practical and symbolic actions to help with our transition into the next phase of our life.

For example, if we are changing career paths, or changing jobs, it is a good time to de-clutter and clear our living space of the old energies and invest it with new energies.

Job hunting can be depressing if you let it get you down, so make time to go for a walk or swim or dance, or whatever form of physical activity you enjoy, because it will help keep your spirits up and keep your body energized by getting your heart pumping and the oxygen flow can stimulate new ideas.

Taking time for meditation every day helps restore calmness and clarity too.

Many people like to put up a poster board and place words and pictures on there that express what they want and even just glancing at that is a form of visual affirmation every day.

Another powerful step is to get in touch with your spirit guides, God, Goddess, guardian angels, ancestors or whoever you call on for help and do something symbolic to ask them for their help. By that I mean choose some physical symbol of the successful change you want to make and keep one with you and keep one where you see it every day.

We have to call on every bit of help we can when we need it. Every one of these exercises dovetails.

When you clean your space and discard what is no longer important, you have room for what is important. When you reaffirm your intentions and do the rituals that keep mind and body strong, you keep moving forward. When you ask for help, you acknowledge that you don't have all the answers, so you trust that your helpers will provide some for you.

Communicate your desires to everyone you meet, not just close friends. People like to help other people, and they will be better able to help if they know exactly what you are trying to do, what your goal is, what you are open to, and what might work.

We all have rituals that we follow every day. In your time of need, find a way to supercharge them and gear up so that the changes work in your favor. There may be doors opening that we have not seen. There may be opportunities that we have yet to unearth. There are connections yet to be made. Put in place a set of daily rituals that really support you. If you need help with this, ask me.

Stellar Connections

2011-02-01T02:02:00.000-08:00

I wonder what prompted the first people to look at the stars and see constellations. There are millions of lights in the sky and they have always been stimulating to our imaginations. Is that because we have some ancient memory out there? Or is it because the sheer immensity and beauty that extends wider than our field of vision and suggests the limitless possibilities of the universe?

So then what was it that showed people the constellations? Were they simply looking for their gods and goddesses in the sky? What made those ancient seers relate those alignments to people and their personalities?

Now that we have had how many generations of people working with this model of thinking, and we see how the planets relate to our personalities and the constellations represent archetypes in people. Today it is common conversation for peoples to talk about the personalities of Leo, Scorpio, Pisces, Virgo, Aries, Aquarius and all the rest.

What was the thought process that led early people to look up at the sky and make these connections? Where else might we find connections?

Creative Thoughts

2011-01-30T00:56:00.000-08:00

Did you ever stop to think about how amazing certain aspects of evolution came to be? Have you thought about how or why it might matter to you right now?

Imagine the early days of history when the first people thought of making holes in a reed to make the first flutes. Or when the first people thought to make a drum. Imagine the progress, or process they went through making the first music with their inventions. From all indications, these instruments first had ritual uses, and making music just for fun came later. Who was the first person to make this transition? No one knows the answer to that, of course, but try and imagine what that process might have been like.

Seems like we might need to reimagine how various aspects of our evolution happened. Why? For one, it is interesting to think that we did not evolve all that slowly from people who could just manage to kill a wild animal with a spear and roast it over a fire to being people who could create complex architecture and understood complex concepts, or at least approached them if they did not understand them.

Consider, for example that Newgrange in Ireland, which was build thousands of years before the pyramids, is made from stones fitted together, and the roof of the inner chamber, which is vaulted, and has no mortar, has never had a roof leak. Can any builder today claim such success? Another feature that was built in was an opening over the front entry that allows the inner chamber to be illuminated by the rising sun only and exactly on the Winter Solstice every year.

Or how about all the various ancient people, all the way back to caveman days, who somehow just knew that when a person dies that the invisible part of them that kept them alive has left the body that the person was going on to some other level of reality, and so they developed rituals to recognize the death and somehow through their symbolic acts help the person transition into whatever is next. Imagine the thought processes of the first people who began to grasp this.

If we can begin to grasp these concepts, among others, it may offer us other ways to see our own evolution. It is often the far out thoughts that can create results close to home.

Right Time, Right Place

2011-01-28T00:10:00.000-08:00

Tonight I had a great time listening and dancing to some reggae music in a great theatre in Boulder. What makes it more interesting than just a night out with some good music was the fact that it was customer appreciation night sponsored by a company that sells supplies to indoor gardeners.

Of course there are all kinds of things that people take pleasure in growing indoors, like orchids, tomatoes, herbs, fruits and vegetables, but the real boom in gardening entrepreneurs came with the legalization of medical marijuana in Colorado.

After enjoying the pleasures of smoke illegally most of my life, it feels very interesting to be living here while this happens and watch the cultivation and consumption of smoke become on the one hand, a gourmet experience, and on the other, a sort of every day above ground business.

Growers have advanced their art so far that smoke is no longer referred to simply as smoke. It now has names for the various strains that these geniuses have cultivated.

Other companies may have customer appreciation golf outings or customer appreciation banquets, but how appropriate for the growers to have a customer appreciation night in a theatre with reggae bands.

I am just smiling about the whole thing. How lucky I got to happen to be living in a state just when legalization happened. It's a weird reality. A whole new crop of green entrepreneurs are doing their part to create local businesses to boost the economy. The reality kind of zings again when talking someone in another state where these things are not legal and they are still worried about hiding everything and not getting caught. And when you remind them that it is not that way everywhere any more, they go "oh, that's right. You're in one of the states where it is legal.

Eventually it will happen. Just like beer could not remain illegal forever. Eventually, politicians will wake up and decide that it is smarter to legalize it and make money taxing these new legal businesses instead of spending tons of money trying to prevent people from doing what they want to do and will do, no matter what their status is. One of these days there will not be legal and illegal states, and there will be customer appreciation concerts featuring reggae bands everywhere.

Light, Shadows and Love Without Measure

2011-01-26T23:30:00.000-08:00

When you see a face that looks familiar, what do you do? Do familiar faces make you feel like you are getting a "do-over" or a reminder of a past experience that provided a powerful lesson? So if this face belongs to someone else, it stirs feelings in you, but different feelings in them.

It is the play of shadow and light that illuminates our visions. When we see what is on the screen that plays in our mind, how many of these shadows form the movies that we watch?

It is all shadow and light, you know. Movies, they are all shadow and light. Memories. They are all shadow and light. Look at how we look when we think we see something and we are awakened to the possibilities.

Have you noticed that look that sometimes lights up another person's eyes when they think they have recognized you? You know that puzzled look like they are trying to remember where they saw you before?

Then after you speak and you know that you don't know this person, they still have this look in their eyes like they still are remembering who they are remembering even though you are not the one they were thinking of.

It is all shadow and light.

How much of the world we inhabit is shadows and light? Who is remembering what? It is all shadow and light.

Do you ever feel like you are walking through a forest and cannot find your way out? Do the trees look like the ones you passed coming in, yet the more you look, the more you cannot tell? Is there an in and an out?

What frequency is normal? What does it mean that we recognize but do not recognize? Is it that we are finally getting the lessons?

There are names that go with every face. There are faces we associate with all the phases of our life. There are times when we get an opportunity to do it over, and do it right this time.

There are faces of light and shadow, there are sorrows of great depth, and loves without measure. In our waking moments, our aliveness brings us to a new state of awareness, constantly. They speak to us of second chances.

The wheel turns, but not without giving us another look. Karma, coincidence, sorrow, joy, light and shadow. It is your movie. It is my movie. It is our movie.

Yes, there have been sorrows of great depth, and these shadows are the reminders that we are still alive and that there is also love without measure, and with these we can fashion new pictures, new images, new movies. It is all shadow and light. And love without measure is the only balm that lets us start over with a clean slate.

There are no ghosts in our shadow land that do not respond to love. Yes, it takes some of us longer than others to recognize the true faces of the shadows.

Walking Between the Worlds

2011-01-26T00:22:00.000-08:00

One of the old expressions that is used for a shaman is one who walks between the worlds.

Picture yourself as one who is completely conversant in one world and learning to navigate others.

The shamanic reference is to the worlds of spirit and matter. We also find ourselves balancing between worlds when we are trying to reorganize aspects of ourselves, whether it is starting a new business, changing careers, beginning new relationships, starting a new workout schedule and eating habits.

Any of these tasks can have us balancing between two worlds as we set our course.

That path between the material and spirit worlds is pretty thin. We get glimpses over the fence when people close to us are dying. And as we periodically peek over the fence on either side, we can also see the other places where there are connections between the two worlds.

Walking that path between the worlds gets easier when you know that it is there, and when you know that you are walking it. How many things change, how many decisions get easier, when you know you are on the road?

Second Wind

2011-01-22T23:49:00.000-08:00

How many times have you been nearly exhausted, and then got your second wind? Where does it come from? Can you summon it any time you want?

Maybe it is not a mysterious force. Maybe the second wind comes from our determination to complete the task before us. It's what happen when you press on after your initial burst of energy has been used up. It's what happens when you get tired and then remember all the reasons you want to succeed.

Suddenly that burst of strength and fresh energy fills your body and we resume our task with renewed vigor.

Perhaps that first wind that nearly exhausted us was necessary to test our will. The second wind is the universe sending us what we need to keep going.

After all, if we have decided that our task is important, we find the courage to keep going. Second wind is the breath that courage summons.

Progress

2011-01-20T22:58:00.000-08:00

So today, I finally figured out how to do the newsletter. The guy at the help desk was helpful and we got the problem solved. So soon you should be seeing it in your email.

Just as I was wrestling with the curve ball from the mailing list, then came another one. The organizer of the the event I was going to read at this weekend fell and broke his neck, so the show is canceled. Hopefully Charlie will have a successful surgery and the event will be rescheduled.

In the meantime, I got my newsletter out and tonight I dance again.

There are always setbacks. The question is how to bounce back from them. As I book my events for this year, I am taking some off my calendar and replacing them with new ones. Got to keep trying new things. Booking more private parties now, more private sessions, more everything.

This year is already full of surprises and it is only two weeks old.

I have been laid off my day job for a month now, and I am pursuing new options. Perhaps I am done with that forever. This is not how I pictured my transition, but it is what it is.

What a perfect time to invest more energy into making dreams come true.

Curve Balls, Curve Balls

2011-01-19T22:39:00.000-08:00

Even for those of us who are comfortable using computers and know some shortcuts and things, there are still times when getting something done seems more cumbersome than it needs to be.

So I am trying to set myself up with one of those companies that will email your newsletters and manage your email list for a reasonable monthly fee. It is a great idea. Some people I know use them and they look very organized and polished.

See, the thing is that once you have more than a couple hundred names on your email list, it becomes difficult to keep in touch with people. Web based email services generally only let you send 200 emails a day, and after that they will block you from sending any more messages for 24 hours because they suspect you are spamming.

Of course, the problem is that just going by the numbers like that, they have no way of knowing that I have more names than that on my list because people gave me their emails so that I could keep in touch.

And here I am trying to upload my address book to this mail manager. Except that they say they cannot just tap into my email account to load the addresses. Facebook was able to do that. But apparently the email management firm can't, so we have to load our address book onto an Excel spreadsheet.

I did that, and the mail manager still wants me to provide it something so that it can do the download. Except that I have no idea what it wants and the help desk is closed for the night.

And here I thought I was going to be more efficient. Maybe I will get lucky and they will have a quick fix for this. One can only hope.

Why do they always ask me the questions I don't have answers for? I know all kinds of stuff they are not asking me.

Even though you keep your eye on the ball, they will still throw you curves.