How to Increase Your Joy, Love and Abundance

In order to experience some of the biggest shifts in your life, moving you forward in a bold fashion, all that is needed is one shift in perspective which applied consistently will having you feeling greater joy and satisfaction in all aspects of your life. What is this shift?



It is simply adapting the point of view that every decision that is made from love rather than fear will bring better results.



Perhaps you think that this is too simple, that it cannot be correct, but let us stop and consider the situations we usually find ourselves in.



For example, how many commercials are we exposed to where the real message seems to be that if we do not buy this new thing that we will not be attractive enough or successful enough, that without it, we are exposed to dangers or simply be inadequate.



So what happens if we ignore these commercials and simply purchase what we really feel that we need or really want? We end up with things that give us greater satisfaction which leads to a greater feeling of self confidence because we have just made a choice that suits us very well. We feel like we have acted wisely. By comparison, how many times have we found ourselves cleaning around the house and coming across a thing we never use and remarking that it would sure be nice if we had the purchase price of that thing back in our pocket. Getting the lesson from that experience simply means that we resolve to follow our own best judgment in making future purchases.



Now let's take a look at how this same dynamic influences other important choices in our life.



Have you ever decided to go out with someone or form a relationship with them because you feel like you don't have a better offer pending, rather than affirming to yourself that you really enjoy being with this person, and therefore enthusiastically embrace your choice? Sometimes in readings, a person will reveal that the relationship that they are in does not work for them, has not for a long time and they have been unable to turn the situation around due to a lack of willingness on the part of their partner. In response to the question of why not leave the situation that is not working and start over fresh with someone different, they may respond that they are waiting for a better offer to come their way first. But of course, it is unlikely that you will get the best results that way. The energy all around you reveals that this person is not really available because they are enmeshed in something else and are not really available. They stay in an unsatisfying situation out of fear. Different options appear when we choose out of love.



The other biggest decision that we make is what we will do for making money. Whenever we hear someone say that they really don't like their work, but at least it is a paycheck, we are listening to someone allow themselves to get bogged down and enmeshed in a poor quality energy pattern.



It is true that many of the changes that have rippled through our economy in recent years has disrupted our lives and in many cases made it difficult for individuals to find work that satisfies them and treats them fairly. Staying in such a situation is once again, letting fear dictate our choices. Choosing from love opens up the questions about what a person would rather be doing, and how would they go about getting there? Inspiration can be found in the stories of other people who have successfully changed their lives, which could be contained in things we read on the Internet or new people we have met who tell us stories about their life experiences.



Another source can be those things that have been pushed to the background. Do you have any books on your shelf that you have been meaning to read for a while? If you had made up your mind that you didn't really like them, you would have gotten rid of them. So the fact that they are still there means that you still want to read them. When you do, you suddenly have those flashes of recognition that there are ideas in this book that you can use, or perhaps even new career paths that appeal to you and look like things you could learn to do.



When we choose from love, new potentials open up. When we feel inspired, we find new ways to do things. When we are inspired, we see opportunities we had not seen before. When we feel inspired, we are in more active communication with the spiritual aspect of our life. When we are inspired, and when we are unhappy with the way things are going, both are good times to increase our communication with our spirit guides. These are ways they can help us choose out of love so that we not only find work that pays, but work that we enjoy. By tapping into spirit and choosing out of love, we can find ourselves in better relationships, and in this context I am not only referring to lovers, but friends, acquaintances, co-workers, people who share recreational interests with us, all of it, the full spectrum.



Choosing from love rather than fear affects all aspects of life. Recently, for example, I chose to change the way I eat and increase my workouts at the rec center in order to strengthen my physical health. At first, making such changes can feel challenging, but then once I got rolling with it, the feeling of satisfaction with the new ways keeps increasing as I get more signs that it is working. People do not change their personal habits because other people tell them they should. They only make real changes when they feel like it, and choosing from love rather than fear is a powerful way to make the shift.



Here is another small change you can start making today to increase the joy in your life. It is tempting to judge other people and their choices and we also waste a lot of energy even thinking this way. Instead, with every person you meet, simply look at them in a new light and tell yourself that they must be choosing out of what they love. It remains to be seen for all of us how well things work out later. But at least in the meantime, you can at least hold this person in a positive light, and you will experience the encounter with that person as more enjoyable. Yes, there are some bad people in the world who are all about doing bad things, but that is not most people. Try the more loving attitude with those you meet, even in brief encounters, and see how much lighter and brighter every day feels.

Finding Our Way with Our Spirit Guides

As we go forward with our lives, we often have a desire for a second opinion from someone we trust. Sometimes we want to hear not from our buddies or our girlfriends or even close family members. Often we desire input from spirits who are on a higher plane when we are contemplating big decisions.

Who are our spirit guides? There can be quite a variety of them. For one, those who were raised with a belief in guardian angels or saints often see them that way. In many cultures around the world, people ask for the guidance and protection of their ancestors.

I have had many instances where a person had someone near to them who crossed over recently and they still feel that that person's spirit is still near them and sometimes communicating with them.

Of course, there is always God or Goddess in that role for some people, and that of course, will vary according to your view on religion and spirituality.

Another kind of spirit guide often takes the form of totem animals or spirit animals. As a person notices that they have a connection to a specific bird, animal or other creature, these may show up in person or in visions when that person is asking for a sign or an omen that will help them make a decision.

We all have some sort of spirit guide and their job is always to help us and protect us. They would like to see us succeed. Then why don't we always succeed? Because we have free will. We feel that gut reaction that is unmistakable when we consider going out with this person or doing this work, and yet, there are always some people who will over ride that gut instinct and they always regret it.

We can ask our spirit guides for advice. If we just sit quietly, perhaps in the morning before we get busy or turn on a TV or computer or talk on the phone, and make notes in a notebook where we might make note of whatever we can remember from our dreams. And then we also just get these random thoughts. But where do those random thoughts come from? Who do you think plants those seeds? You know, the kinds of thoughts like I should call so-and-so today. Or I really feel like it would be good to go to this place today. Or maybe it is time to read that book that I have had sitting here for a long time now.

We can also ask our spirit guides to show us things that we need to know in our dreams. Before going to sleep, program that in asking to be shown answers to your questions. Sometimes you may need help understanding your dreams and that is something people have been doing since ancient times. My name is Daniel. Who was Daniel in ancient history? The interpreter of dreams for the king of an ancient society.

When we keep in touch with our spirit guides and express our appreciation to them for all the good things we have received already, we are cultivating valuable sources to help us make the best of our lives.

Spirit guides may ebb and flow in terms of their importance to us at certain times. For example, one who was highly interactive at one phase of our life may fade to the background as another becomes a stronger presence at this time of our life. We don't get rid of one to get another. We have more than one, so those who were with us when we were little children as still with us, although there may be a different one who we are communicating more with now.

This is all part of our evolution. Others help us now, and when we evolve and have learned our major life lessons, it will be our turn to be spirit guides for other people. I know, some of you got a little bump in your coffee because you hadn't thought of that angle yet. But it makes sense, doesn't it?

We are never really alone. If you haven't been working with your spirit guides very consciously, these are some ways that you can get started with as soon as you like. Like today. You can start by simply sitting quietly in some place you feel comfortable and open your mind to your spirit guides. Welcome them in and open the dialogue. Remember, spirit would not send us a messenger and then refuse to deliver the message. Start however you like and discover a whole new dimension to your journey.

The Power of Enthusiasm

Have you ever noticed how contagious enthusiasm is? When someone is doing something that reveals excitement and joy, other people want to participate with them.

Enthusiasm is an energy that attracts others by sheer magnetism and draws them closer. Enthusiasm is a vibrant display of life affirming activity.

So how can you get more enthusiasm in your life? It would be worth it, wouldn't it, to feel that level of support or attraction working for you?

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.

It has been said that to be a good swing dancer only requires enthusiasm and a ready partner. How many things can you do that only require joyful enthusiasm and a ready partner?

Now, I know that not everyone wants to be a swing dancer, but the same principles apply to other things. When I used to lead drumming circles, once someone got a rhythm started other people were eager to join in until everyone was playing or dancing. When I was teaching creative writing, once one person told a good story, others were eager to share a favorite story too. How many times have you been chatting with a group of people and once one person tells a joke that makes everyone laugh, other people suddenly have one to tell too? How many times have you bought something because the salesperson was enthusiastic? How many times has someone else showed you something they made and your response is that you would like to make something like that too? When we see street performers, isn't it their enthusiasm that draws us to them?

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

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

Optimism is at the root of getting more of what we want

In order to attract the kinds of change you want into your life, a
person must be an optimist. The common thread in positive thinking, The
Law of Attraction, manifesting sympathetic magic or whatever other
terms you are comfortable using, optimism is an essential ingredient in
positive thinking. It makes sense, doesn't it? And that is all the more
reason why it is important to shift our way of thinking in order to
create more of what we want in our life.

By restating our goals
in positive ways and keeping them in the present tense, we are creating a
structure to our efforts that is strong from every angle, and thus,
engineered to work.

Once a person's hopes and dreams are
awakened, that person must be able to visualize their life becoming
populated by positive developments. A crucial ingredient must be added
to the optimism, and that is will, or the actions a person takes to make
their dreams real. The third crucial ingredient is the desire a person
has to bring about change.

A person who is cynical or negative in
their outlook can not be a successful person, because in order to
desire a change in their life, they must believe that such things are
not only possible, but that they have the power to influence or create
such changes.

Someone might say that a person who is constantly
cynical or pessimistic in their outlook is also drawing more of those
influences, energies and results into their life, and this is true.

However,
my focus is on creating a better life. Those who are interested in a
worse, more negative or more depressing life will not get any help from
me. These ideas are being presented for the benefit of those people who
want to move forward in their life and may have had doubts about their
own abilities to make things happen.

Have you ever noticed that
when you focus on looking for opportunities, you find opportunities?
Have you noticed that when you are happy you attract other happy people?
Have you noticed that when you focus on doing something well that you
get better at it?

Practice, it is all about practice. The person
who wants to become a good musician practices every day. The person who
wants to be an artist is always making art. The person who writes every
day gets better at writing. The person who wants to be a successful
engineer studies the ways of engineering and keeps practicing. The
person wants to be a better gardener keeps practicing it. The person who
wants to be the better realtor, salesperson or anything else, keeps
practicing until they get better. The person who plays a sport every day
gets better at that sport. The same is true for all our endeavors.

Making
real change in our life is about focusing on a goal and going for it,
with full consciousness and confidence that we can do it. In the process
of driving toward our goals, we make discoveries and find out about
things we did not know before. We may not know exactly how we will
achieve our success, but if we proceed in that direction with our eyes
and ears open for opportunities, then we are always moving toward making
our dreams real.

We have to be optimistic enough to believe that
our life will get better, then we have to really desire it, and finally
take action on it.

Optimism is an important ingredient because
it always involves positive thinking and creativity. A person can do
make change much more effectively when they are optimistic. Does it
bring a smile to your face when you think of what you really want? See?

 

Does life have a meaning? Or a purpose?

 

 

Often, I hear people asking about finding their purpose in life. It's almost as if they are looking for a ledger or a box where these things are kept and as soon as they can find it and open it up, they will find theirs there, right next to their name. But there is no purpose that someone else assigns us. We choose our own purposes. I have used the plural because we can have more than one, same as we have more than one career or more than one relationship, or more than one cause we believe in. 

It is almost the same question when people are asking about what the meaning to life is. There is no meaning. Life just is.

We have the delicious opportunity to make up that answer and live with it, and if we change our minds, we can do it again. When we have choices, we often need clarity to help us see our best path. This is something I have helped people to do many times.

What do we do with our lives? The two biggest choices we ever get to make are the questions about who we are going to love and what we are going to do to make a living. Those are the two biggest questions on everyone's mind and the two most popular areas of concern among people who get readings.

There are other spiritual concerns and people who request personal clearings, house blessings or reiki healings are often seeking rebalancing and peace from upsets that have caused them grief all the way to the spirit level, even though those may have originated from problems with relationships and work.

We do not find purposes or meanings. We create them.

Think about this for a moment. People often say that they have found a sign or an omen that helped them make a choice or answer a question. How exactly does that happen? A person may have as their totem a red fox, and as they are driving out one evening, a red fox crosses the road in front of them. What does that mean? Or perhaps a person is simply out for a walk and suddenly a robin is flying near them, singing. What does that mean?

Ultimately, if two different people are seeing these same things and have different problems or questions on their minds, then they get two different answers to what does it mean to see a fox cross my path or have a robin fly around me and sing.

Look at art in a museum. Some of it you love and some of it you don't care for at all. However, as we walk through the museum, certain pictures, carvings, sculptures, photos or artifacts grab our attention and we stand there looking at them for a while, with all kinds of thoughts running through our heads. These are the ones that mean something to us. We assign meanings to things. Sometimes we do not know what was on the artist's mind when they created those things, we only know if we like them or not. Do they speak to us?

Think about some of the noble causes that some people work hard to achieve. They want to help the injured veterans who have returned from war. They want to clean up the environment. They want to help house homeless people or find cures for diseases. They want to feed starving people or rescue stray animals. These are things that people choose to focus on.

There is no meaning to life. The choices we make form the direction our life takes and the path we follow. There is a cause and effect relationship between choices we make and what happens next.

I wonder if some people think that there is a little gnome sitting somewhere with a ledger who will look up their account for them and tell them what they are supposed to be doing.

What we do is the result of our free will. Let's agree that a person is born with a talent for musical ability or is keenly interested in art or science or baseball.

What a person does with those talent potentials and preferences is to refine them into skills. If you ended up doing art, it is because you like it and you spent more time learning how to do it well. Same for everyone else. Whatever it is that they enjoy doing they took the time to learn about it and apply it.

You find a common thread when you read the biographies of successful people. The person who became a great athlete practiced a lot. The person who became a great musician practiced a lot. The person who invented new computers spent enormous amounts of time working at inventing new computers. The person who becomes a successful realtor, home builder, hairdresser, massage therapist, auto mechanic, comedian or chef spends a lot of time developing their skills and building their business.

That then, is a product of using our free will to make a decision and the persistence to follow through with the necessary actions.

Even in the more playful part of our lives, where we choose to become a dancer, a drummer, a singer, a skiier, a skater, a potter, a knitter, a beader, a writer, or anything else, we discover that we become good at it with lessons and practice, and those who invest more time in practice get better and better.

My reference to a gnome with a ledger was intended to use a little humor to make my point. To me, the notion that there is a meaning to anyone's life implies that someone is assigning meanings to each individual, such as "You will be a plumber, you will be a doctor, you will be a pottery maker, you will be a musician, you will be a whatever."

Clearly, that is not true. How many people, for instance, were encouraged to be in a particular business or profession, but they choose to do something different? How many people were perfectly content doing their job until their company shut down or got taken over, reorganized and they got laid off and now they have to do something else?

Aside from work, is our meaning determined by whether we have children? Some people choose to have several, some choose to have one. Some people choose not to have any. What does that mean? It doesn't mean anything. It is simply their choice.

And of course, our choice of people we have relationships with. We seek to form relationships that we feel fit us well, that the people we are connecting with are those with whom we feel a special bond. But who decides which one we have a special bond with? We do. And for many of us, there is more than one instance like this in life, and more than one relationship. Some last for less than a year, and some last for many years. Looking for that person that we feel really special with is a factor that we decide. We decide what sorts of qualities and characteristics are important in the other person. Once again, we are making up the meaning, the purpose.

Is meaning related to a choice of religion? Obviously many people choose to change religions or not to belong to any. Is meaning related to our choice of hobbies or the charities we support? People change these during the course of a lifetime too. All of these are free will choices too.

In each case, free will choice determines the outcome. So, no, there is no purpose or meaning to life. We are born and then we decide what to do with that life. Life just is, it does not mean anything. We assign meanings to things.

I don't know if this will come as a shock to anyone who gives it a little thought, but I notice that some people like to start discussions in forums about such questions.

Viewing meaning and purpose as a matter of choice really makes it much more powerful. We can state our preference to the world and then get busy with it and suddenly we are in charge of our life and going full speed ahead. Yes, I know, some people will choose to go slow speed ahead, and that is simply their choice too. 

If you are sorting out your choices and can use a little help, just ask me. I do these kinds of sessions for people all the time. It is amazing how light and energized you feel when you have a clear sense of direction, isn't it?  

All Knowing, All Healing, Comes from the Heart, Part 2

In what way does the heart really lead us? Should we trust it? How do we know?

When you feel that you want to change what you do every day so that you can be involved in work that is more fulfilling, is that your heart moving you in that direction? Yes, it is.

Where do you feel it when you are doing something that makes you happy? The heart, of course, because that is another way of sharing love. When you are doing work that makes a difference to other people and you see, hear and feel their appreciation, you know that this is an experience you want to repeat over and over.

This does not mean you have to be doing something mystical in order to have this experience. You can be fixing people's cars, working in a grocery store, take care of the elderly, help people get their computers working properly or take care of their pets and get this feeling. Anything you do can come from the heart. The important question in deciding if you are in the right place, is does it? Can you change how you feel about what you do? Or do you need to do something else?

Creativity brings happiness. Have you noticed how you lose track of time when you are enjoying your creativity and are expressing yourself through that medium of activity? Any time we do this, we are connecting with spirit, and that is why our sense of self grows larger.

Helping to bring people peace, clarity and opening their eyes to what direction their heart centered path will take them are results that lead most of us to want to be readers or healers. The actual meaning of the word heal is to make whole. It is in our heart that we feel that joy when our lives are whole and connected, rather than fragmented parts. A person who is happy with their choices feels expansive, like the world is full of good people and good things, and they are glad to choose them.

When we feel that we are in a good relationship, our heart is smiling. There is no pressure, only contentment and joy. Notice that I did not say when we are in the one perfect relationship, because I think that is a thought that brings more sadness than happiness.

There are many people on this planet who could be an excellent relationship for us. At some point, we simply choose to be happy in this relationship. And this is true whether you are in a hetero or gay relationship or whether your relationship is exclusive or open. Who we choose to have a relationship with is simply a matter of free will choice.

I see more frustration among people who are searching for their perfect soulmate because they can always find some imperfection or way that the other person does not measure up to their idea of perfection. So they are constantly coming up short in their search.

If, on the other hand, you check with your heart and find that you can be expansive, happy and at peace with the other person, then it doesn't matter much if they choose to do some activities that you do not care about. You allow each other enough freedom to have some aspects of yourself that are not identical matches, and you can be fine with that. As long as your heart is smiling with them most of the time, you can be in a good relationship with them.

When there are things we want to know more about, isn't it your heart that is moving you in that direction? Whether it is wanting to read a book that has caught your attention or you want to play a musical instrument or spend more time engaged in a physical activity, are these not heart driven initiatives?

Following this lead is often what takes us into further studies. We read a book or meet a person and then we find ourselves asking the question, can they really do that? And so our life follows that path and we practice, or apprentice or consider it our hobby until we get an answer to the question, can we really do that?

I remember reading a short story years ago about a man who was in poor health who watched martial arts movies for entertainment. As he watched the martial artists do incredible feats, he asked, "Can they really do that?" So he began taking martial arts lessons to find out if he could really do that, his health improved, and he lived a long and happy life.

In my own life, curiosity has fueled my quests. I saw a deck of cards and I wanted to know how people could know things from shuffling a deck and looking at cards, so I began a long journey of familiarizing myself with them, asking people if they were interested and then seeing what happened when I shuffled the deck and laid our the cards. It feels very good to be able to do that.

When I experienced other people who could do energy healing, I wondered how that worked. How could just being near a person and moving the energy around them help them feel better? I didn't know, but I wanted to find out. So I found someone to teach me, and I found out.

Curiosity comes from the heart. It is about openness. When we are curious and want to know, it is our heart leading us on another adventure. A person with a closed heart says "I don't know what that person or experience is about and I don't want to know." A person with an open heart says "I don't know what that person or experience is about, but I want to know."
 

Take a look at how you are navigating your life. Are you allowing your heart to lead you to greater knowing, to new experiences, to increased joy?

 

Be willing to ask questions, approach people who you feel drawn to and follow your heart. You will be glad you did. 

 

 

Spring and What's Next?

 

So once we have enjoyed the spring celebrations of Mardi Gras, St. Patrick's Day, Spring Equinox and Easter, then comes the sustained and persistent effort to cultivate those seeds that we want to have grow in our lives this year.

There are obvious applications to that if we are working on our bodies in the gym or taking on new responsibilities at work. but underlying everything else are those spiritual elements that strengthen all of those other efforts.

The spiritual quests that we explore are connected to the other important developments in our life.

Remembering every day to state our goals in a positive way keeps us on track. Stating our goals out loud in a positive way like "I am becoming more successful in my business, and more good opportunities are coming to me all the time. Every day more customers are satisfied with the service I provide for them. I am happy for the opportunities to provide these services and I am growing more prosperous every day by doing this."

These thoughts strengthen our determination to do what we do and keep us on track with a clear vision of our goal. The combined process of daily affirmations and positive thoughts combined with daily actions helps us to accomplish our goals. If you observe closely, you will notice that there is a difference between when you do this and when you do not. Because we are creatures of habit, sometimes we just forget to stick to our new habits and if we don't see something huge happen immediately we forget that these new habits, if applied persistently, will bring new results.

Positive thoughts like "I am happy to be exercising and strengthening my body because it feels good and helps me enjoy my life more. I choose the types of exercise that are fun and I look forward to doing it. I choose to do these things frequently and they increase the joy I feel in my life."

Similarly our pursuit of new spiritual quests is a path that offers us more riches and rewards as we travel.

For example, let's say we find ourselves curious about a subject like reincarnation and past lives, so we start to read about that. Then we decide that we want to experience a past life recall, so we contact someone who does that. Then we digest the life lessons we learn from that experience. It is a journey we choose from reading to experiencing and then processing the insights we have gained.

Or let's say we find ourselves curious about how to relieve stress, so we decide to try drumming, and we drum along with recorded music or we drum along with music we make up and we find that after a while, we are smiling and this exercise has lifted our spirits and so we do it a little bit every evening. Maybe down the road, we even decide that we would like to drum with other people and see how that feels, so we look for opportunities to do so. Once again, it is a journey from being curious and looking up something about it, to trying it out and then enjoying the results.

As we are exposed to more drumming, we may become aware that there are other spiritual traditions and activities that give rise to great drumming. But again, being who we are, we may just choose to keep this piece that works for us and skip the rest. But then one day, further down the road, we might start to ask some questions, and suddenly, there you are, trying something else new and different.

Dancing is another way for a person to find joy, stress relief and exercise, right in your own home, right after you read this. Simply put on some music you enjoy and dance to it, any way you feel like dancing to it. Within a few minutes you will feel how the movement alone lifts your spirits, and how inspired you feel to flex in different ways. Once you experience this, you will probably feel like doing it again. And after a while, you may find yourself doing this every day. Then at some point you may feel like going out and dancing with other people. Once again, it is a journey from the first time you try it until you feel like expanding the experience by dancing with other people.

After having heard about the Law of Attraction for a while, you decide that you would like to learn more about this, so you look up some Abraham-Hicks videos on You Tube and as you watch you find that some of their ideas resonate with you right away. They help you see things that have happened in your life in a new light and they give you some fresh positive thoughts to add to your daily routine. As a result, you notice that things are changing in your life and you are getting happier with the results. It is a journey that takes a while. You are happy watching the videos for a while, then the feeling grows on you that changing your thoughts can change your life, and you decide to see how far you can go with that. Maybe you don't do that at first because you think it is silly, and you argue with yourself that it cannot be that simple. But then one day, you really want to change so much that you decide to see what changing your thoughts will do for your life.

All of our quests take a while. You see, on an eclectic road, there is no driver to keep us moving in one direction toward the next level of achievement, so we find ourselves looping back around to those things that interest us most after some time has passed.

Even when simply adapting parts that we like from various traditions, there is a sort of evolution that takes place even before we notice it. For example, if a person simply goes to a kirtan session, which is the Hindu type call and response chanting, you will no doubt feel in an altered state, lighter and happier than you were when you arrived. And so you ask yourself, how can this be? How can just singing for a couple of hours make me feel this good?

And that experience might plant other seeds, such as the thought that music can also be a healing modality. There are people who include this in their healing practice. Now having this positive experience might be enough for many people. The fact that this is part of a whole variety of Hindu religious practices might be something that you don't really care to study further, but you enjoy the singing so you keep on doing that.

At some point, you may choose to explore this further or maybe some other aspect of that tradition, but for now, this is just a small piece that you feel comfortable traveling with. That piece works well when we use it, so that offers some satisfaction without further investigation.

The development of our spiritual path is a continuous journey. For example, you feel connected to a path of spirituality that embraces the concept of doing rituals every full moon. You feel very good about these rituals and you know that there is more connected to them about ancient gods and goddesses, dancing, singing in the woods, sharing food and wine. And having experienced that, you may feel that this is enough and that you are happy to do the full moon rituals and only mildly curious about what else might be connected to that.

Then at some future time, you ask about some other aspect of doing magic or ritual and then you open yourself to other possibilities. Or perhaps you simply make up something that feels right.

It is quite common for people to come up to me and say "I have had this deck of tarot cards sitting around the house for years and I keep thinking I will learn to do something with them. Or I have been wanting to work with someone to help me keep on track with my plans. Or I am wanting to learn how to heal, or I want to learn how to change my thinking. I'm feeling that now is the time. Can you teach me how to do that?"

Yes, I do. And your continuing your journey along your spiritual path is always rewarding. Sometimes we appreciate it even better after we have had some years of life experience and that makes the lessons even more powerful.

What we are doing when we do this, is looking further underneath the masks to discover what is underneath. Mysteries and excitement abound in our journey, just waiting for you to take a peek.