How to maintain good energy when times are difficult

I have always felt that there is good energy in the building where I live. Now I know why. Recently one of my neighbors told me that long ago, the local hospital was just a couple of blocks from here and so this building was built as housing for the nurses who worked there so that they could live within walking distance. No wonder I always feel lots of good juju here.

There is now a large sign more than 6 feet tall out front advertising the property for sale.

Every day I wake up, I express gratitude for having another day. I also express gratitude for being able to live here and affirm that for today, and for as long as it lasts, I will be happy to be here. When the time comes that someone else buys the property then I will know whether I can stay or have to move. Since I cannot afford to buy the property, that decision is not within my hands. I maintain my peace of mind by affirming that I am happy today. Other decisions will be made in the future.

Sometimes it is hard for us to stay in the present at times like these. I know that some of my clients have had difficult transitions finding new jobs after being laid off, or getting out of problem relationships and finding new ones.

We have to remain confident that there is a solution for us, even if we cannot see it right now. Sometimes it takes time, and sometimes we may not be able to see it because our attention has been focused elsewhere.

In the bigger picture of our lives, sometimes we need to take a step back and reflect so recognize why we are where we are and where we are going next.

What did we get out of being here? How did our life change for the better? What is the next thing for us to do? Do we have a plan for our progress? Do we have a burning desire to change our direction?

Each time we come to one of these important transitions, we have an opportunity to choose again.

As we look back, note how the choices we made then were made with the best information we had at the time. We acted on it in a way that made sense to us. So now we act with the information we have now. At each birthday, we look at our future through the lens of experience and wisdom we have acquired since our last birthday, and then we apply that going forward.

The current situation of my possible move has motivated me to really start a deep house cleaning so that if and when I need to move, I am only taking with me what I really want and need, and also rediscovering things that it would be good for me to either use again, discard, give away or learn from again.

Staying calm, staying present, we are able to enjoy each day and able to make the best of every opportunity in life.

Enjoy the playful spirit of the Summer Solstice this coming Monday. Savor the beauty of the longest day of sunlight in the year, and celebrate in whatever way you feel best.

Gaining Control by losing control. How does this make sense?

We have all heard of that expression "one day at a time." I am getting an exercise in that right now as I continue to live where I live without a lease and without knowing what will happen until someone buys the property and announces their intentions. So each day I get up and give thanks for the opportunity to live here and for having another day of life. Whether I get to stay or have to move will be a decision that is out of my hands at this time. I appreciate each day for what it is and I do what I need to do every day.

It takes a lot of courage to trust that things will work out without knowing the answers to all our questions. It also takes a lot of courage to be open to possible developments that we had not anticipated. Actually, doing some research now is revealing some patterns that I had only been vaguely aware of before. At this moment I am keeping those discoveries to myself until I see how they all add up and how they may influence future choices. Suffice it to say that I am making discoveries because these factors are causing me to research and reconsider what I know and what I prefer.

Face it, it can be unnerving when we have a plan and it unfolds in a different manner than we 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 and your plans have changed.

Be patient. The changes work out just fine. Just like that old saying about when one door closes and another opens.

Sometimes we gain control when we lose control. Here is a simple example of a fun way to experience this. I used to lead drumming circles and still use the drums with people who want a different kind of meditation experience. By just listening and following what we hear, we feel the music and our minds are just following that track. Malidoma Some, an African drummer and shaman whom I had the pleasure of encountering says that "a person who has trouble with drumming has trouble with listening."

Consider that for a moment. When we become more aware and pay attention to the signs we pick up from all around us, we find new paths. We learn melodies that we did not know. Fresh thoughts come to us. And we learn to work with others more beautifully, more harmoniously. We play together, listening to each other, we find a groove and that frees our mind to travel. And we would never have discovered those paths had we not opened our ears to listen.

So you are not drumming, you say? All drumming comes back to the first drum, our heartbeat, our breath. As we are more observant and aware of our surroundings, we perceive in ways that were once not visible to us. Hidden in plain sight is also revealed by listening to things that we have not been tuning into before.

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 the guiding influences in our life must have intended for us to have those, whether we call those guiding influences God, Goddess, spirit guides, ancestors, angels or something else. So here we are. Once again making a decision that veers off our original course. Is that bad? No. Making changes often leads to finding a better way to do things.

If we allow things to come to us, they will. Sometimes not being certain will get us where we want to be, except that the process of discovery reveals that we are in a place that we did not know we wanted to be but it is working out well although it was unexpected.

And we can gain control by losing control.



* A note about the photos. The image on top is the 4 of Wands from Ciro Marchetti's Tarot of Dreams which is one of the decks I read with all the time. The bottom photo is Layne Redmond, one of my teachers in the world of drumming.

Is Your Heart As Light as a Feather?

In the Egyptian mythology, the goddess Maat weighs a person's heart, which they equated with the soul, at the time of their death, and if their heart is light as a feather, that person gets to move on to the next level of consciousness, the next level of existence.

Is your heart as light as a feather? Do you do the things that make your heart sing? Or do you plod through life not believing that you could be more or do more? Have you ever said things like "I hate my job, but at least it's a paycheck?" Have you ever said "My marriage really sucks, it has been that way for years but I don't want to leave until I get a better offer?" Have you ever said "I have always wanted to dance, but I don't think I am coordinated enough?" Have you ever said "I have always wanted to see that place, but no one wants to go with me?" Have you ever said "I have always wanted to learn more about that, but I never seem to have the time?"

Your heart will never be as light as a feather until you ask different questions and get different answers.

All of us can make our hearts light as feathers if we choose from love instead of fear. We can make our hearts lighter if we are kind to other people. We can make our hearts lighter if we do things that bring more joy into our life.

When we are living with joy and love, we are radiant and others can see that inner light glow through us. When we are living with light in our hearts, we enjoy all aspects of life: our work, our relationships, our play, our life in this world.

Changing our thinking is the first step on the way to lightening our heart. Positive thinking can light the light. Would you like to make your heart as light as a feather? How do you think it would feel to live that way?

Mentoring Your Manifestations

I have been thinking about how we can continue our relationship in the most flexible and useful way.

What I mean is this. One of the main types of service I offer at metaphysical fairs is tarot card readings.

However, for steady growth and development, you probably could use other of my services, beyond tarot readings.

As a mentor, there could be a number of things I can help you with. For example, perhaps you would like to spend some time looking into your past lives to see what you can learn in this way.

Then again, maybe you would like to spend time doing some energy work, learning about your chakras, learning ways to clear, strengthen and heal your energy fields.

Another beneficial thing would be to spend some time doing meditation with light percussion or visualization.

Maybe you would like to do some dream work.

Mentoring can also include sessions where you simply want to explore possible paths and life choices that are presenting themselves. A combination of discussion, accessing my clairvoyant abilities and insights based on experience. During major life changes in career, relationships, spiritual development and more, this flexible mentoring approach can be most helpful.
 
I am offering a special bundles of sessions at a significant discount as a way of expressing my gratitude to you and to be able to offer you a variety of ways to help.

There is a maximum amount of freedom here. You are buying some of my time and energy, but how you use it is totally flexible.

Package of 3 half hour sessions for $129 (my normal rate for these would be $150)

Package of 3 one hour sessions for only $199 (my normal rate for these would be $300)

Package of 3  90 minute sessions for $299 (my normal rate for these  would be $450)

If you would like to engage in a mentoring program that encompasses a larger view and a longer term of development, consider this:

A series of 24 one hour sessions, consisting of 
2 hour life assessment session to clarify your life purpose
2 sessions on your vision for your directions, your goals
2 sessions to explore pathways to achieve your dreams
2 sessions focusing on your spiritual gifts
5 sessions on personal energy development
5 sessions of developing intuitive skills
4 sessions on self healing practices specific to you

This is a total of 21 sessions, and 2+1 = 3, the number of manifestation, the power of change in your life. The initial session would be 2 hours, and all the other sessions 1.5 hours each, or 32 hours of my time, for a total of $1899. This same amount of time, purchased one session at a time, would normally be priced at $3200.

If you would prefer to make all of your sessions one hour each (after the initial 2 hour session) for a total of 22 hours, the tuition would be $1299, compared to the normal price of $2200.
 
Because of the huge discount I am offering to mentoring clients, I am requesting payment for these bundles of sessions in advance.

Are you ready to manifest your dreams?

If you have any questions, please ask.

Transforming One Moment at a Time

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.

Everybody Dies, But Not Everybody Lives

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

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?

Feeling Your Vision

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?

Fortune Telling Is Not As Mysterious As We Are

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

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

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

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

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

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.

There Is No "Right Number"

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.

Drawing Our Own Map

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

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

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.

Creative Thoughts

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

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.