A Wise Soul Once Said...

Thought To Ponder

2011-07-18T11:58:00.001-07:00

Your eyes won't show you what you are seeking and your words are tainted from your mind...close your eyes and turn off your mind and everything you ever desired will be much easier to find! ~LMS

What Are You Complaining About?

2011-07-15T14:58:00.008-07:00

Do you ever catch yourself while in the middle of complaining to someone and actually hear what you are saying? What are you complaining about? Why are you really complaining? Do you even know? Is it really that important? What service is it providing you to be complaining yet again? I can tell you what its doing its creating toxic noise pollution! Its creating a negative atmosphere and the person you are talking to either wants you to stop because your bringing them down, gets all worked up right along side you and doubles the toxic atmosphere, or retaliates and returns your toxic noise pollution with animosity that maybe you didn't even intend to create! Was all that complaining really worth it? Could you have instead looked at the situation that ticked you off from a different perspective? Maybe you were just caught in the domino effect of toxic pollution. Maybe the person who pissed you off was pissed off by someone else's complaining! Sounds like a vicious cycle, when does it stop? Our poor polluted world! If we change our perspective on what happened and try to step away from the anger maybe we can justify why the other person or situation upset us. If not then we need to find another way of releasing other than the awful domino effect that makes our world out to be one ugly place.
Let's say for example someone cut you off on the road and almost caused you to get into an accident. What are you gonna do about it when you get home and talk to your significant other or get on the phone and call your best friend? Are you gonna complain? Are you going to bring them down with you? Are you going to feed your own fire and feel validated that you are angry that someone cut you off by sharing it with someone else? What's the point? What are you gaining?
Or when you get home are you going to ask your significant other how there day was? Your partner may instead be able to share positive news and lighten your load. Or they may complain to you too! Could you imagine if you had started complaining and then they started complaining and then it turned into one big bitchfest?!!! What a way to end your day!
The point is what are you really complaining about? When someone irritates you, makes you angry, or disrespects you it is human nature to react and it is human nature to release those emotions. But when you chose to complain you are looking to another to share in those emotions with you when instead you need to take those feelings and release them on your own. Maybe you could go to the gym, for a jog, or a nice walk to unwind. It's always relaxing to pet and love your animals. Take a hot bath and read a book. Do something pleasurable and release that negative feeling but don't spread it by complaining! FYI venting is complaining! It spreads the animosity it is pure toxic pollution! Instead deal with the complaint on your own and come to your friends and family with the intention of enjoying each others company! Spreading anger, passing it on, creating it to grow is what complaining does. Releasing the energy it created in a healthy manner other than bitching will create a much happier world!
So the next time you hear your self complaining ask yourself, "What are you really complaining about?"!

Understanding The True Meaning of Compassion

2010-11-12T13:30:00.003-07:00

In life we are taught to be sympathetic to those in need or who are suffering. Sympathy means to share the feelings of another and in the dictionary even uses the states having compassion. When you "share" the feelings of another you are not being compassionate towards them or yourself. There is no need to take on the emotional feeling of another persons’ pain in order to be compassionate towards them or to care how they are feeling. Sympathy is the opposite of the true meaning of compassion.

The true meaning of compassion is to have a deep awareness of the suffering of another without the need to relieve it, feeling total appreciation for it's value, all while being in a state of non-judgment.

Being compassionate seems to go against what we have been conditioned to believe. For some reason as humans we feel the need to take on the pains of another to truly understand what they are going through. There is the tendency to think if we see one suffering we must do something to help relieve it or make it better. How dare us walk past a starving child on the street and not help in some way. It is in humane of us. How can we not feel the anguish of the family down the street who just lost a family member to a tragic unexpected death?!

I ask you this, what good are you doing anyone by feeling their pain? If someone is going through pain they need light around them not more worry and misery. If you take on their pains you are doing no one good at all. In life everything happens for a reason and we must respect that everything happened just as it should have. It has value. If it did not happen many other things, thoughts, feelings, emotions, lessons would not have followed as well. Including this one learning how to be truly compassionate.

We see the evening news and think how horrible our world is becoming. Thoughts of judgment and negativity swell up inside us because what we see on TV is so horrible and makes us feel badly. We are judging the people, situations, and events based on what we are being shown is happening in the world instead of sending love and being compassionate towards the divine plan playing out in front of us.

How can the president, the people, or god allow this to happen in the world?! Everything happens for a reason even if you do not mentally comprehend it. Right now though your lesson from all seeing and experiencing the bad you see in the world is teaching you a lesson grander than love, you are learning to be compassionately detached. By allowing the world to unfold, as tragic as it may be, you are practicing true compassion. You have detached yourself from the pain, the emotions, and the judgment of a situation and stayed within the faith of the overall divine plan. Instead of taking on the pains and adding negativity by being truly compassionate you do not feed the situation more negativity and are capable of allowing a situation to heal quicker and service its purpose.

Being a compassionate person is not easy because we are humans and we have deep emotions and we by nature are sympathetic but if we are to heal the world we must allow it to play out as it may or we are only adding to the misery and sinking along with it. True compassion takes practice. We need to be compassionate for ourselves and imperfections as well as others. We must realize that good and evil do exist in our world and one can not be with out the other. If we can not have black without white or lightness without darkness then we must accept it and understand the value in it and learn from it instead of dwelling within the agony of what is inevitable. Compassion is what the meaning of true love is. If you can be compassionately detached you are shedding light on the situation instead of unneeded worry, anger, and sadness.

Bring Your Self To Awareness

2010-11-09T08:12:00.002-07:00

When you are a child all you know is what you like and what you dislike. As you get a little older you begin to understand what you come to believe "right" and "wrong". Soon thereafter you discover what it is others do not like about you and then you begin to question if you are "right" or "wrong".
When in your life do you begin to bring your "self" into your awareness? At about the age of 18 you feel as though you have it all figured out. You rebel against authority and go out into the world to make your dreams come true. When you are in your mid to late 20's you finally realized your parents are human too and you can not blame them for your problems. So how did you become so dysfunctional and end up so confused? As you enter your 30's you are overcome with needing to meet your goals you did not take advantage of when you were younger and wish you had listened to your parents or those older and wiser with life experience. You are only growing older and wiser everyday aren't you? Is life experience teaching you everything you need to know? Or is life just making you get old faster? Is life passing you by?
More than likely over the years you were always too busy with outside stimulation, action, and distractions that you never had the opportunity to bring your true inner self into awareness. If you had taken the time over the years to get to know who you are from the inside out instead you may have been able to avoid many years of needless worry, pain, and anxiety.
When you were young you were just learning what felt right and what didn't. Your language and form of communication was very limited. You weren't sure who you or anyone else was just yet but you had your sensors on and your awareness open to new things. As you got older and you learned what felt right and didn't you then began to notice when others put pressure on you to be a certain way. This was the stage that self awareness should have begun. Children should be guided to get to know themselves and become aware of their behavior and actions early on in life. If we teach children to be self aware and get to know them selves we are teaching them early on how to deal with life’s problems.
By knowing who you are you are able to easily steer away from the negative things that trigger failure for you. If you know yourself you understand how you react to things and how you may need to change in order to align yourself with the highest good. If you know yourself and you can learn to express yourself with or with out words and life would flow.
Instead we go through life blindly and many painful obstacles are placed on our path. Because we are so asleep and unaware of ourselves these obstacles appear to be giant mountains that are treacherous to conquer. A lot of times you climb that rough mountain and get to the top and are so proud of yourself only to turn around and find another placed right in front of you just as hard and just as painful!
What if you were more awake! What if you knew yourself better?! Do you think the mountain would be just as big? It would probably seem like a little hill once you had the tools to climb over it properly. It wouldn’t be as painful because you would know what to expect how and how handle what would be on your path don’t you think?
No one gives you a handbook in life and says this is how you live. We all go about it in different ways and some choose the roughest paths while others choose easy paths but get nothing out of it.
There may be no written handbook but we do have many ways of bringing ourselves into awareness. We can begin by looking to the stars. They have been there since before we were born. In ancient times they were used to navigate not only the planet but ones self. Numbers have always been in our lives. It is the earliest form of counting and has many coded meanings that even the most ingenious mathematicians are still trying to break. But they have a magical purpose in our lives and helping us understand who we are. We can use both astrology and numerology to help bring to awareness that we are. Once we have done some self exploring and opened our minds to who we are we can begin to learn how to open our hearts. We being to understand that we need alone time, silence, and reflection in order to go within. Once we take time to reflect on our lives and quiet our minds we soon learn that we are on the path of self transformation.
Life does have handbooks! There are symbols, signs, and prayers that can lead you within so you can begin to know who it is you really are. Once you open your mind your heart will being to open natural. Wake up and look in the mirror. Stop worrying about the horrible things life has dealt you and start empowering yourself on how to conquer those obstacles by going within and bringing your true self into awareness! If life is truly short then why waste time and energy worrying about goals and what others are doing and thinking? Instead stop wasting time and energy and empower yourself by KNOWING yourself!
If you would like further guidance and knowledge on how to bring yourself into awareness please feel free to email me, Lori Marie, at whtsursgn@gmail.com or visit my website at http://Emissaryofligt.weebly.com

The Samuri's Pride

2010-11-01T11:27:00.002-07:00

The samurai's pride

Heaven and hell are not geographical, they are psychological, they are your psychology. Heaven and hell are not at the end of your life, they are here and now. Every moment the door opens; every moment you go on wavering between heaven and hell. It is a moment-to-moment question, it is urgent; in a single moment you can move from hell to heaven, from heaven to hell.

Hell and heaven are within you. The doors are very close to each other: with the right hand you can open one, with the left hand you can open another. With just a change of your mind, your being is transformed --from heaven to hell and from hell to heaven. Whenever you act unconsciously, without awareness, you are in hell; whenever you are conscious, whenever you act with full awareness, you are in heaven.

The Zen master Hakuin is one of the rare flowerings. A warrior came to him, a samurai, a great soldier, and he asked "Is there any hell, is there any heaven? If there is hell and heaven, where are the gates? Where do I enter from? How can I avoid hell and choose heaven?"

He was a simple warrior. A warrior is always simple; otherwise he cannot be a warrior. A warrior knows only two things, life and death--his life is always at stake, he is always gambling; He is a simple man. He had not come to learn any doctrine. He wanted to know where the gate was so he could avoid hell and enter heaven. And Hakuin replied in a way only a warrior could understand.

What did Hakuin do? He said, "Who are you?"
And the warrior replied, "I am a samurai."

It is a thing of much pride to be a samurai in Japan. It means being a perfect warrior, a man who will not hesitate a single moment to give his life. For him, life and death are just a game. He said, "I am a samurai, I am a leader of samurais. Even the emperor pays respect to me."

Hakuin laughed and said, " You, a samurai? You look like a beggar."

The samurai's pride was hurt, his ego hammered. He forgot what he had come for. He took out his sword and was just about to kill Hakuin. He forgot that he had come to this master to ask where is the gate of heaven, to ask where is the gate of hell.

Hakuin laughed and said, "This is the gate of hell. With this sword, this anger, this ego, here opens the gate." This is what a warrior can understand. Immediately he understood: This is the gate. He put his sword back in its sheath.

And Hakuin said, "Here opens the gate of heaven."

Hell and heaven are within you, both gates are within you. When you are behaving unconsciously there is the gate of hell; when you become alert and conscious, there is the gate of heaven.

What happened to this samurai? When he was just about to kill Hakuin, was he conscious? Was he conscious of what he was about to do? Was he conscious of what he had come for? All consciousness had disappeared. When the ego takes over, you cannot be alert. Ego is the drug, the intoxicant that makes you completely unconscious. You act but the act comes from the unconscious, not from your consciousness. And whenever any act comes from the unconscious, the door of hell is open. Whatsoever you do, if you are not aware of what you are doing the gate of hell opens.

Immediately the samurai became alert. Suddenly, when Hakuin said, "This is the gate, you have already opened it"-- the very situation must have created alertness. A single moment more and Hakuin's head would have been severed; a single moment more and it would have been separated from the body. And Hakuin said, "This is the gate of hell."

This is not a philosophical answer; no master answers in a philosophical way. Philosophy exists only for mediocre, unenlightened minds. The master responds but the response is not verbal, it is total. That this man may have killed him is not the point. "If you kill me and it makes you alert, it is worth it"--Hakuin played the game.

This must have happened to the warrior--stopped, sword in hand with Hakuin just before him--the eyes of Hakuin were laughing, the face was smiling, and the gate of heaven opened. He understood: the sword went back into its sheath. While putting the sword back into the sheath he must have been totally silent, peaceful. The anger had disappeared, the energy moving in anger had become silence.

If you suddenly awake in the middle of anger, you will feel a peace you have never felt before. Energy was moving and suddenly it stops--you will have silence, immediate silence. You will fall into your inner being and the fall will be so sudden, you will become aware.

It is not a slow fall, it is so sudden that you cannot remain unaware. You can remain unaware only with routine things, with gradual things; you move so slowly you can't feel movement. This was sudden movement-- from activity to no-activity, from thought to no-thought, from mind to no-mind. As the sword was going back into its sheath, the warrior realized. And Hakuin said, "Here open the doors of heaven."

Silence is the door. Inner peace is the door. Nonviolence is the door. Love and compassion are the doors.
Osho Zen
Transformation Tarot
36. The Gates of Hell
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I could add a lot of words and make a great commentary for this post but the message is clear! Enjoy!
~Lori Marie

Love Thyself and Heal the World

2010-10-26T21:18:00.007-07:00

We are all mere reflections...when we allow ourselves to shine we help others see through their own darkness and guide them to their light...we must be the change we wish to see the world...we must allow ourselves to shine.

I wish there was a way for me to peel away your layers

and expose you to the love and light that dwells deep within you

so you would know that the light doesn't burn

and that love has nothing to do with pain

so that I can show you that all those layers were just

mountains of fear tricking you into thinking you knew what was best for you

tricking you into thinking the layers were protecting you

I can not peel those layers off for you

but I can expose you to the love and light that dwells deep within you

because I am your perfect reflection...

I will be the love and light that dwells within you so you can know

who and what you truly are

so you can know that the light doesn't burn

and that love has nothing to do with pain

I will reflect so you can seen beneath those layers

I will reflect what is beneath those mountains of fear that is tricking you into thinking you know what is best for you

I will reflect and show you that love is your only true protection
~Lori Marie

Are You Happy?

2010-10-25T08:54:00.003-07:00

The reality is, if you can not say you are happy, you are choosing not to be happy.

We all have pain in our life but we all choose how we deal with it. We often blame things on hormones, or our past, or DNA, or something! But none of that really matters because in life we have choices and we CHOOSE to be happy or sad.

When we wake up in the morning we choose to get out of bed or to lay in it and whine how we are tired and do not want to get up and go to work. This often starts our daily ritual to where we dread our day and the things we have to do and in the end we are just plan UNHAPPY. We chose to start our day this way! We chose to lay there and be upset and dwell on how horrible the day was going to be. If you want a change in your life and you want to be happy then you need to be that change! How can you expect to have a good day and have the abundance you desire come to you when you do not even want to get out of bed in the morning?

If we have choices why would you torture yourself with negativity and have a miserable day when you can start it off with a smile?! Maybe if we have choices and we want to have a good day we could instead chose to wake up and say to ourselves, "Yesterday was a hard day but today is going to be different. Today I am going to have a good day because I want to have a good day. I am choosing to have a good day!" So you go about your morning with a smile and a kick in your step and you are off to have a good day!

OH BUT WAIT! Oh no! There is traffic and I'm going to be late to work and some idiot is bound to cut me off and almost make me crash. I don't want to go through that mess. I don't want to deal with Mr. Road Rage today! I don't want to go to work! Guess you just ruined your good day you started off with huh?!

No because this isn't about just starting your day choosing to be happy. The point is you choose everything! You have so much control over your life and you just give it away to misery every time! Why do you do that? If life has you down, if traffic has you down, if work stinks, if your marriage stinks, if you just aren't happy then you need to be responsible for how you feel! You need to take control of how you feel and MAKE yours choices so you are happy. Yes, your choices do have consequences. You may lose something you cherished in order to be happy. But that's when you need to get your scale out and do some weighing. Which is more important to you, your overall happiness and sanity, or the other thing you need to let go of that more then likely has its own lessons to learn and has nothing to do with you.

Basically in life you are not powerless unless you give your power away! You are in complete control of your life and your choices and how you react and feel about things. If you do not like something change it. If you do no like an emotion change it. Its up to you! You have the choice to make! So what do you choose? I choose happy!

Understanding How The Moon Effects Who You Are

2010-10-23T19:08:00.002-07:00

As an astrologer I love to see how the planets effect us in life. When we were born the moon, the most nurturing planet in our universe, was in one of its phases and inturn can tell us much about what phase our soul incarneted into this life. After reading about how the moon phases work contact me and I will gladly give you a Natal Moon Phase Reading. It will help you understand what phase you were incarnated into this life and what you are hear to do as well as what phase the moon is in your life at this time. You can contact through http://Emissaryoflight.weebly.com. The power of the moon in our lives should never be underestimated.

The two most fundamental energies in our birth chart are the Sun and the Moon. While
the Sun is the most yang, projective, giving us our sense of individual self and purpose, the
Moon is the most yin, receptive, providing us with the application of our purpose. The Sun
is the light and life of our system. The Moon being the closest heavenly body to us controls
the rhythm of the sea and all its creatures as well as the flow of blood in the human body.
As the Moon distributes the light of the Sun each night, we experience this partnership and
are able to understand their relationship in forming the personality of the human being.

Each night a different amount of light is given off by the Moon according to its changing
relationship with the Sun. Within an approximate twenty-eight day cycle the Moon will have
passed through eight phases, each phase lasting about forty-five degrees or three and a half
days. These phases each have their own unique characteristics which influence all life on the
planet. The first phase is the New Moon at which time no light is emanating from its surface.
Beginning at zero degrees it will have completed its cycle at three hundred and sixty degrees.

One way to describe these phases is to use the analogy of the plant.

At the New Moon the seed is in the ground preparing for germination. It is implanted in
a new beginning.

In the early degrees of the Crescent Phase, the sprout is drawn up from the earth by the
initial impulses of light. During the remaining stages of the Crescent Phase the plant goes
through a strengthening process, mobilizing its energies against the elements of nature.

When the First Quarter comes about, the plant has passed the initial stages of survival
and is now sending down roots. By firmly anchoring its life force, the plant is able to
concentrate its energies in the growth of stems and leaves with the tiny buds appearing by
the beginning of the Gibbous Phase.

During the Gibbous Phase the plant is focusing on the reason for its existence. By ridding
itself of everything superfluous, the culmination of its entire past from its beginning is brought
to the moment of its achievement by coming into bloom.

The phase of the Full Moon is the completion. The work has been done and the
gardener can stand back and assess his efforts. As the Full Moon progresses through its
forty-five degrees the flower becomes the fruit.

The Disseminating phase is the harvest. The purpose of the plant is to now give back to
the earth, to those who brought it into being and to nurture others.

By the time the Third Quarter comes around, the harvest is over, the abundance has
been shared and what is left in the fields begins to decompose. The cycle is beginning to end.

During the Balsamic Phase the seed capsule is buried underground. It is clear that what
was, no longer exists in its original form. This is the time of transition. The light of the Moon
has grown very dim and by the end of this phase will have disappeared into darkness.

When we are born we come in under the influence of one of the Moon's phases. The
degree will pinpoint its intensity.

NEW MOON

When a person is born under the influence of the New Moon it is thought that in terms of
reincarnation, this person has been born into the first incarnation of an eight fold sequence.
This person possesses a quality of spontaneity, thus, planning ahead is not always met with
success. They view life as a grand adventure with unlimited possibilities. Living in the
moment, the past is not important to them. Being born when the Moon sheds no light, they
have come to learn to respond instinctually and to act on intuition. They are able to navigate
without maps and arrive at their destination with time to spare. They are often criticized for
being overly self involved, but there is a need for them to learn about who they are and to
project it into the world.

Initial urge Instinct Projection

CRESCENT

A key word for the Crescent Phase is breakthrough. It is a time when what was begun
during the New Moon is carried forward. It is a time of struggle because it often has to
wrestle with the ghosts of the past which were in effect before the new cycle began. This
new identity needs to overcome old standards, attitudes and structures in order to become
fully functional as a whole and free individual. People born during a Crescent Moon often
find themselves emotionally tied to the past. They may be drawn to habitual behaviors,
wanting to stay within their comfort zones, feeling the need for security. They can be
vulnerable to emotional blackmail, falling victim to those who want to "keep them the way
they are", not supportive of their growth. Crescent Moon types may find it difficult to leave
home until well into adulthood. It is imperative that they establish their life force in
independence. It is important for them to understand that the first step is the hardest, but
that once it is taken new opportunities will open up. Their final challenge is to take those
opportunities and act on them.

Activation Striving Future

FIRST QUARTER

The First Quarter Moon can be referred to as "crisis in action". It is a time in which the
challenge is to manage the energy which is released by crisis and then to restructure it into
its new form. People born during this phase are able to rise to the occasion of any
emergency. They are able to make split second decisions and act on them. They have the
ability to tear down old structures and to recreate new ones. They are the pioneers, the trail
blazers, the hero and the heroine. It is important not to unconsciously create havoc in their
lives just for the sake of excitement even though the crazier it gets, the better they get. It is
likely they will create conflict in the lives of those entrenched in the status quo. You may find
them working in emergency rooms and driving ambulances.

Clearing Action Building

GIBBOUS

Those born during the Gibbous Phase have an innate desire for perfection. Having
sharp, analytical minds, they have a need to understand. Looking at a subject from all
angles, they experience sheer joy when delving into the core of the matter. Bringing things to
the essence of their being, the truth will be revealed. They live their lives in anxious
expectation augmented by the breath of the coming revelation. Children born at this time will
not be happy with the answers, they will want to know why and how the answer came
about. Gibbous Moon people make good apprentices as their goal is to learn all they can
and become as good as they can get.

Perfecting Analysis Interpret

FULL MOON

The Full Moon brings about the completion of all the hard work that came before it. It is
the time in which the structure having attained perfection experiences the urge to become
infused with meaning and purpose, the breath of life. It is time when all that was instinctual
becomes deliberate action, all that was felt before will now be made visible. The ideals are
to be realized, brought forth into the world for all to have. It is the debut. People born under
the Full Moon are idealists. They may spend a lot of time searching for belief systems that
they can relate to. Relationships are important to them and they need to be fully conscious
of the effects their words and actions have on others. It is hard for them to find the ideal
relationship in this material world and they will often turn to religion or an ideal cause. In
looking for the right relationship, one needs to proceed through the clarity of the light of
consciousness and not get caught up in the emotional bog of sheer desire.

Perfection Completion Conscious Illumination

DISSEMINATING

The Disseminating Phase of the Moon is the second phase of conscious operation. That
which came into completion at the Full Moon is ready to be distributed now. People born
during this phase are natural communicators. They are what they believe and their purpose
is to spread it to the world. They share and communicate information acquired from their
own experience. They are the teachers and philosophers. If they have no message to share
they can become despondent. It is their lesson to realize that they are not responsible as to
whether the message is received or not. It is not the role of everyone else to act on what
they say, but it is the role of the person born in the Disseminating Phase to say it. They
make good publicists and reporters as long as they believe in what they are saying.

Imparting Convey Awareness

LAST QUARTER

The key word for the Last Quarter is readjustment. It is the hardest to identify as many
of its characteristics are hidden. As the First Quarter experiences "crisis in action", the Third
Quarter experiences "crisis in consciousness". Old systems and values are becoming
useless. It is hard for people born at this time to relate to life in the here and now. They
often appear to be living in a world of their own, when in actuality they are going through an
internal process of reorientation. They will present to the world an acceptable face as they
are quietly developing on the inside. At the point when their own internal self has been
completed, a brand new, fully developed person emerges. This butterfly is quite different
from the caterpillar it had been, and is quite the surprise to those who thought they "knew"
them. These people need the time and space to find themselves. If pressured to conform,
they may revolt causing others to regard them as uncooperative and rebellious. As children,
they require a lot of "alone" time and may need more rest than others as they process much
in their sleep and in meditative states.

Readjustment Correcting Disillusionment Elimination

BALSAMIC

The Balsamic Phase is the last phase of the Moon's cycle. This is the time of adjustment
from one cycle to another. It is the bridge between the past and the future. People born at
this time are finishing an eight phase cycle of lifetimes. Therefore, this lifetime is a very
karmic one. There is a pattern of very intense, all-consuming although short term
relationships with people from the past including other lifetimes. These karmic ties are in
need of resolution before continuing on into the next new cycle. These people often have
pronounced psychic abilities. They are the visionaries seeing years ahead of their times. As
children they often feel apart from their peers; they are loners. Balsamic Moon people are
able to take the true meaning of a situation, distill it into its wisdom essence and plant it into
the awareness of others. They are the gurus. Their job is the transmission of essential
knowledge which will germinate at the next level during the next Lunation Cycle.

Incubation Preparation Closure Surrender

THE PROGRESSED PHASES

The progressed lunation cycle lasts for approximately twenty-eight years. This is in effect
a macrocosmic illustration of the microcosmic monthly lunar cycle.

During a progressed New Moon people instinctively begin a new phase of their lives.

As in all new beginnings, the Crescent Phase will bring about challenges during the
struggle forward in this new enterprise. Old friends may fall away, while new opportunities
will present themselves, helping them get on with the business at hand. Sometimes they will
feel as though they are moving in blind faith as old values and outmoded systems fall to the
wayside, being replaced by new approaches acquired through inspiration.

The progressed Third Quarter presents a time of action in which the building stage is in
full force. At the onset of this phase, sometimes still without tangible form, one instinctively
forges ahead in a creatively progressive mode, until towards the end of the three and a half
year period there is a sense of being grounded in the process now having something to
work with.

The progressed Gibbous Phase brings about the stage of refinement. The techniques of
the process which was begun is perfected now and fine tuned during this time.

The crucial stage comes with the phase of the progressed Full Moon. It is during this
time that the fruits of ones labor are made obvious. The structure has been built and it is
time to find the meaning, purpose and content of its creation. If one doesn't allow for a
change in the way of operations from here on, the structure usually breaks down, for it is
useless without a purpose. This time usually marks a turning point in ones life in which he
realizes that he must gradually disengage from the way he has been doing things for the next
fifteen years.

During a progressed Disseminating Phase, one is living out ones values accumulated
through the period of growth prior to the progressed Full Moon.

When the progressed Third Quarter comes around feelings of dissatisfaction with the
way things are begin to emerge. Perhaps a lack of interest in a once compatible system of
living. Change is in the air although it is not in ones consciousness as of yet. Things just don't
fit the way they used to and may feel like they are already becoming a part of the past.

The progressed Balsamic Phase is the time when one begins to sense the future and
dedicates themselves to it. It is the transiting ending to all that was. Old issues and loose
ends may come for review. As this phase progresses it becomes a time of enforced
isolationism. One may feel like they are going crazy as it is hard for them to identify with
things in the so called real world. They may think they have made a mistake, that there must
be something wrong with them. Try as they may , they just can't seem to get with the
program. It is at this time that one needs to understand that those things that are no longer
valid or have passed away had a purpose, and that part of the fulfillment of that purpose
was to make way for what is to be born. The Balsamic time is a time of meditation, of inner
searching. It is a time of transition from DOING to BEING. People need to realize that it is
O.K. to do nothing, to become receptive and allowing. People often retire during a
progressed Balsamic Moon and sometimes pass on from physical life.

For a Natal Moon Phase Reading contact me at http://Emissaryoflight.weebly.com

Guilt, Sorrow, and Envy

2010-10-20T14:02:00.003-07:00

"I shed no tear for thyself but tears of joy and happiness for the ones I love. And if they are so very happy then my tears are streaming with smiles that all their dreams are coming true. One must live life to fullest, make everyday the life they dreamed it to be, and let no other soul impose upon your dreams with guilt, sorrow, or envy." ~ Lori Marie

When I was younger I learned a hard lesson about love. I learned that when you love someone unconditionally you let them go and allow them to follow their dreams. We have no right holding someone back because we will miss them, or love them, or need them financially. No one owes anyone anything when true love is involved. The gift of true love is learned through freedom. When we can let go and allow the ones we love to spread their wings and be who it is they want to be we are showing teaching them how to be unconditional.

There are many examples this plays out in. If a lover has a dream job offer and it will take them far away you have no right to place guilt upon them or to be envious their dreams are unfolding. If you love them you let them follow their dreams. Your best friend chooses to marry the love of their life. This someone happens to be a person you dislike and you feel is bad for them but true unconditional love for your friend is allowing them to go live their life as they chose. As humans we have a great responsibility when we chose to love another. If we truly love them then we must show them by allowing them space and freedom to be the person they feel they truly are. We are not going to agree with everything someone we love does, says, feels, or believes in but we love them anyway.

If we are to evolve as loving beings on this planet we must learn that no one owes anyone anything and that true love is found from a forgiving, open, and unconditional heart. If we are unhappy with our universe we must be the change we wish to see in the world. If we want to be happy we must allow others to follow their own divine plan and love them anyway.

The Enlightened Ones

2010-10-15T13:28:00.001-07:00

No one knew what to do...
so they walked...
Soon they came to a beautiful river...
it was just what they needed for their walk was long and hard and they were very thirsty...
as they bent down each scooped water into their hands and began to indulge....
one child looked up and said,"i am blessed for i needed water and here it is and i didn't even ask for it".
Another child added, "and i am blessed for the sun was so hot and harsh and this beautiful river nurtures the most beautiful grand trees and i can nap in the shade".
And the last child said nothing for he was busy starring at his reflection in the water. He was darkened from the sun, dirty from the treacherous walk, and thinned from no water or food...but he smiled...for he knew that at one time he had no answers and did not know what to do...but in his reflection he saw the world come to life. He knew there was nothing he needed to do. He realized there was nothing he needed to ask for. He knew that it did not matter how he looked or how hard his life had been because in his reflection he saw his something he never seen before....everything. He was a part of everything. Nothing was separate from him. He was the trees and the wind, the water and the air, the birds and flowers. He realized none of those things ever asks for anything. None of those things know what to do....they just are...they just do.
The moral of the story is: Be who and what you are. Do not worry about what to do in life for it will naturally unfold in front of you. Know you are provided for and have no need to suffer...and remember you are a perfect reflection of what already is.

What is an Emissary?

2010-10-14T10:40:00.002-07:00

I first learned what an Emissary was from the renowned author James Twyman who wrote the book "Emissary of Light". Mr. Twyman explains that for thousands of years Emissaries of Light have prepared the world for this time and their only function has been to keep the doors of heaven open, or to keep the flow of Divine Light conscious and strong.
Before I read this wonderful book, which I highly recommend to everyone, I was already on my path to becoming an emissary and did not consciously realize it. When I was 18 I became a YMCA camp counselor and it was by far one of the best experiences of my life. Our directors encouraged us to be fun counselors and create a camp name for ourselves. I chose the name Heaven. I was enchanted by the feel and love that eminated from the name and felt that since I was someone who always looked at the unknown side of life it fit me perfectly. Little did I know I would grow to be a person so divinely connected and a true emissary of light.
My goal here on this planet is to be the change I wish to see in the world and help each and every person remember who they are and that they too are divinely connected to all that is. In our crazy world we have found ourselves lost and unable to connect to the truly important things. We reach for money, lust, and obsessive cravings and desires which are all big bright illusions of what we are really searching for. So as an emissary of light I am on a mission light many others to spread my wings and soar through the world reaching out and reminding you of who you are and the power that lies within you. If you feel that life has a horrible hold over you and you would like someone to help redirect you feel free to contact me at any time. If you are hesitant, shy, or merely just an observer come back often to my blog space and see if there are any messages that will help guide you deeper within yourself on your path to personal transformation and love.
Peace, Love, and Light
Lori Marie

A Wise Teacher Asks Good Questions

2010-10-14T08:02:00.002-07:00

We are all here on this planet merely as catalysts to move each other forward in evolution. We reflect one each others behavior, mannerism, and take on the same morals. If we are catalysts for one another that makes each of us a teacher if we are conscious of it or not. We are role models for everyone we come in contact with and create long domino effects with the littlest things we do like smiling or saying a unpleasant statement. So as humans we have a responsibility we never realized we had before. As humans we are the change we want to see in the world. Our words, actions, and feelings effect more people then the ones we come into immediate contact with so if we have this great power of change and we are all powerful teachers we need to now be wise ones.
Paul Ferrini stated in his book "Love Without Conditions" that a wise teacher asks good questions, but she gives very little advice.
Mr. Ferrini explains, "one who masters the mind is not valued by society. He may be the most powerful being alive, but you will not find him in a position of power. In truth, even if such a position were offered to him, he would not take it. Such a person is not concerned with the manipulation of outer events." He continues by saying, "For him there is only one question 'Are you happy right now.' If the answer is 'yes' then you are already in heaven. If the answer is 'no' then he simply asks 'why not?'.
What Mr. Ferrini is saying is basically no one person outside of yourself is going to give you any advice or teach you anything that you already do not know. So as humans we have a responsibility to one another to ask 'why not' instead of preaching 'why'. We are all going through different things and have different perspectives and we may have a fresh out look we could add to someone else's problems but the best advice we could give is to help the other person go within and find their own answers.
As a healer and Astrologer my goal is to help those who come to me find their own answers. I feel as though I am a catalyst who can see things within you that maybe are not clear to you just yet. My goal is to ask you the right questions and take you within yourself to help untangle the complicated web you have created thus far in life. I do not have your answers but I can see where your issues are tangled and help you untie your knots and find yourself again.
As Mr. Ferrini says, "All the master can do is encourage you to that the responsibility here and now." If you are having trouble going within and standing outside your emotions and current life situations or know someone who does remember the object is to help the other see their own light and find their own solutions we are merely catalysts to help them do so.

The Power of Intent is The Real Secret

2010-10-10T16:49:00.003-07:00

If I asked someone 5 years ago if they ever heard of "The Secret" I would more than likely be presented with a very peculiar look followed by a, "what secret?". Thanks to Oprah and some wonderful marketing agents who happened to see the underground video circulating the Myspace posts "The Secret" has become a household name along with the determent of what the secret really is. Once a new age spiritual epiphany for many has now become a popular self help fad. The key word in that statement is fade. Fad's fade away but for those who understood what "The Secret" really is will carry it with them the rest of their life.

The concept of the secret is if someone believes they "will" get a million dollars it will come to them. If I send out to the universe to send me my soul mate before I am 35 then it will happen. If I create a board with all the things I want the universe will know I want them and give them to me. It I believe it will happen it will. Is this true? Yes and No.

Yes, as the bible says, ask and ye shall receive but no it does not mean everything you ask for you will get. Do not let this new self help concept disillusion you like it has so many others. The real secret and the meaning behind the biblical quote are both trying to teach that the power of your thoughts, your true intent, will manifest. Siddhartha Gautama Buddha say, "your thoughts become your reality". Most people are not aware of their true intent. A lot of the time we walk through life living in automatic mode. We automatically wake up and go through our routine and we automatically respond with disgust as people cut us off as we drive. How often have you automatically greeted someone as you passed them but never even really registered in your mind they were there because you were thinking about some other distant thought?
Until we live from a perspective where we are consciously aware of our intent we will not get the things we ask for. We may be going through hard times and decide that if we ask and pray for a big lump sum of money to come our way all our big problems in life will go away. That isn't likely. If you focused your intent in a more refined way you may see some success. Instead you may ask and pray for the solution to your money problems be solved in the healthiest and least painful way possible. What manifest would depend on each person but maybe you figure out a better way to budget your money you never thought of before and suddenly you are saving a lot of money or maybe you get a bonus at work that you didn't expect and it helps relieve you from added anguish.
Intent is easy to control if you are first aware of it. How often have you been in a conversation with someone and not heard one word they were saying because your mind was somewhere else? Have you ever driven all the way home and once you got there realized you don't remember any of the trip? You weren't aware. How can you think that if you say, "I want a new car" your full awareness is in that statement when you can't even remember your drive home?
Intent is in everything we say and do as well as the things we do not say and do. Our actions show our intent, our body language shows our intent, and our thoughts clearly show our intent.

If we are saying yes to something but we really want to say no our intent is sent out in the universe as a very stressed signal and obstacle's are instantly created. On the other hand when you say no and mean it the intent is pure and the signal it send is loud and clear. So lets take what we have learned from "The Secret" and from the Bible and add in what we have learned about intent and try to ask for what it is we feel we need. When we are asking for that million dollar check more than likely our unconscious is really saying will you please help me get out of my financial stress so I can have nice things and go nice places. The statement "send me a million dollars" stems from being stressed over money not "needing a million dollars".

Intent is a very tricky thing and that is why it is such a secret. Most people do not know their true intent is and it remains a secret. If you can become aware, conscious, of what you are really saying, thinking, and feeling then you have mastered "The Secret" and you have the control to make life exactly what you want it to be in accordance to your highest good and your truest self. So if you are amongst the many who try to live like the self help book and movie teaches but find it has yet been able to manifest the things you desire then maybe your intent remains the true secret.

Life Minus Expectations Equals Unconditional Love

2010-10-08T10:17:00.003-07:00

In love and life we find ourselves in many different types of relationships. We have friendships, family, co-workers, supervisors, neighbors, lovers, partners, etc. The one thing in common is that within each and everyone of these relationships we have likes and dislikes. But the one thing that determines this common aspect is "expectations". What would happen to our relationships if we eliminated expectations all together? If we had no expectations of the people we have relationships with we would never have pain or disappointment.

In our minds we have created an unconscious set of expectations that we place on all humans be it if we are in a relationship with them or not. If we eliminated those expectations and had compassion for people as they are we would never experience disappointment in them. If we have no expectations of others we have take the first step to understanding unconditional love. The key to bringing happiness, joy, and love into our lives and experiencing it at every moment of every day is as easy as eliminating the expectations you hold on other people.

In our daily lives we become easily frustrated and angry at the way people drive when we are out on the roads. Why do we do feel this way? We already know that not everyone is a good driver, we already know some drivers are very inconsiderate, and we already know that there will be at the very minimum at least one accident a day on our city streets. So why do we have the expectation that when we go out and drive that every person needs to be a perfect driver? Yes it is important to be safe because lives are at risk everyday but we already know it as a fact that everyone isn't a good driver, and not all drivers are considerate, and that there are accidents everyday. If we want to make our driving experience less stressful and remain happier people we need to stop expecting that every person on the road be a perfect driver because it just isn't reality.

Children are not perfect and do things to upset us all the time. When they get bad grades we still kiss them and tuck them in at night and make them feel safe. We understand that they are children and they are not perfect and we love them anyway. Our pets and animals do not speak the same language as use and often anger us and frustrate us because they did not listen to our rules or they ruined something that belonged to us. When we see them at the end of the day we still love them and feed them and understand that they are animals and meant no real harm.

So why can't we have this understanding with every other relationship in the world? Why can't we understand that the clerk at the grocery store is a human too and that she may be having a bad day because her boss was rude to her, and her boss may have had someone cut them off on the road right before they got to work? Why can't we understand that our husband, girlfriend, mother, or neighbor are human and make mistakes too? Why do we place such great expectations on people to be something they are not? People are not perfect and always kind. People get crabby when they are mistreated or disrespected. People have bad days they have the right to be upset. So why do we have such high expectations?

When we are single and out looking for a mate do you find yourself turning someone away because they do not fit one of your expectations. Maybe you think men should always open the door for you, or maybe you think if a woman is dressed a certain way she isn't good enough to be your partner? It is all because of expectations and all expectations do are make you unhappy!

Imagine life for one hour out of our day where you had no expectations of anyone! If you are able to envision this you should be able to feel great happiness all around you. If you can eliminate expectations you can begin to understand how to have compassion for other humans in life and you are able to experience the true miracle of unconditional love. Unconditional love does not exist in a life of expectations so take some time to recognize when expectations begin to control you and release them for a much more pleasant experience in life true unconditional love.

Complaining Gets Negative Results

2010-09-21T07:44:00.004-07:00

Complaining seems to be an epidemic in our world today. More than likely it is something that has always exsited but in our day and age everyone is trying hard to get positive results and when they do not, one resorts to complaining. Everyone complains and no one person can say they do not it just is a part of how we have adapted to dealing with life and venting. But if you have noticed complaining really gets you no where.
It is obvious complaining gets your no real satisfaction that is unless you are one who fights for your rights and everyone elses but this is different than complaining. Complaining isn't standing up for yourself that is a whole different issue. When you stand up for yourself you are asking another person to respect you and to correct a wrong they have aimed your direction. That is alleviating a negative. Complaining though is merely stating a dislike you have for something you are experiencing. What good comes out of stating the negative? When you state something that is bothering you you are not just venting you are releasing anger and adding more fuel to the fire. If something is already burning you up doesn't make sense to put the fire out instead of making the fire bigger? The only way to put a fire out is with something positive. Instead of complaining we need to be the change we wish to see in the world.
When we send out positive energy into the world by being what it is we wish to see around us we attract those situations to us. If we constantly yell at the cars and drivers around us for driving crazy more than likely we are going to become so agitated we drive the same way. Instead we can put out the fire by being the change and chosing to be courteous and looking at the situation at hand differently, with compassion. Everyone has to be somewhere and everyone has had a different day then the next person but how you respond to those people makes a world of difference. If we want positive surroundings we must send the same out into the world. Like attracts like.
Being the change is much easier said than done but it is definitely worth the try. If you are wanting a more peaceful life then maybe the next time you hear a complaint come out of your mouth you can take a few seconds to see if you are fueling a fire or if you are putting one out. If you see that you are just fueling the fire it really does not take much effort to try and see the situation from a different perspective and inturn be the change you wish to see in the world.
If you on the other hand are the one who caused someone to complain instead of returning the fire with fuel, because you did not like their response to you, apologize and smile. Often the power of a genuine smile will put out the largest of flames.
All in all if we want change in our world around us all we can really do is be that change. We can not force others to change but we can be the walking example.

RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS
Just one good way to be the change we wish to see in the world!

The Meaning of Life

2010-09-18T09:39:00.002-07:00

What is the meaning of life? It's one of those life questions everyone strives to answer. It's one of those questions people write chapters and chapters, novels upon novels, and articles and articles about. It really is not that complicated of a question. The meaning of life is not some hidden secret but it may pose to be. Life seems to be such a mystery because we have filled it with so much unneeded nonsense. We pile on drama after drama and worry about things that really have no need to be worried about. Of course life is a mystery when we are so bombarded with things we think are important but really have no real purpose in our life.
We turn on the TV and see talk shows about this and that, we walk through the grocery store and see magazines about this star and that celeberty, and we get caught up in the office gossip or the family spat that had nothing to do with us. Sometimes we get carried away with obsessions. We become addicted to emotions, drugs, alcohol, work, exercise, spiritual practices and beliefs, anything to take us away and hide what life is really about. Life is not a hidden mystery or secret encoded in a ancient far away tablet or a buried scroll that the wise ones once knew. Life is not a mystery you have just hidden it from yourself.
What is the meaning of life?
The meaning of life has no real words but I will do my best to help you remember because that is what the meaning of life is to remember who and what you we are. We live life as who we have evolved into through circumstances both good and bad. We are both a product of our environment and our minds. We have to dig deep inside to even know who we are. Many of us feel compelled to go out into the world to find ourselves when we were right there the whole time. We only went out into the world to find ourselves to escape everyone and everything else so we can focus and find our true selves and be who we are. Sometimes we find what feel best but usually we just find something that feels better. Its just another form of escape. Other times we find our true self and we live authentically and do not allow outside forces to compromise who we are. We remember that there is nothing to fear but fear itself and we live life from our hearts. This is what the meaning of life is. To be who are and live from our hearts. All in all we are human. We make mistakes, we fall prey to fear, and we fall in love with things and people who are not good for us. But when we sit back and ask why and we wonder why we are hear and what the real meaning of life is all we have to do is realize the real meaning of life is to be our true authentic self. Live from our hearts with good intentions if we fall and make mistakes its ok were human but as long as we always remember who we are our life will go along with much more meaning.

No Need To Take Things Personally

2010-09-14T08:06:00.002-07:00

We have all had someone hurt our feelings before. It happens everyday on a daily basis to just about everyone. When someone says something that offends us or we see as disrespectful we take it personally. Why is that? Why when we are in line at the grocery store and the cashier is distant and rude and possibly even snaps at us do we take it personally and allow it to hurt us? Why if our mother, brother, child, or partner says something with a bad attitude, calls us a name, or intentionally does something that they know will upset us do we take it personal?
Our human hearts are bruised easily but we can avoid this if we can remember one thing. If we did not intentionally do something to someone to provoke a negative response and they lash out at us in a negative way then it is their problem not ours! If the cashier had a bad morning before work or was just reprimanded by her boss more than likely she took it personal and is having a hard time interacting with customers therefore when she is negative to you it is her problem. We need to have compassion and realize something in that persons life isn't right for them to be behaving this way towards you. If you purposefully did something to provoke the cashier and they respond this way then it is expected and therefore it really is your problem and maybe you need to reassess how you deal with them in the future. Or just plainly admit it to yourself and apologize to them. You may even get a smile for being the bigger person
There are many different scenarios for this and in everyone the outcome is the same. If you did not intentionally provoke a negative response you have no need to take how you were treated personally and be hurt. If you go to a party and you are feeling so good because you have a new dress and you had your hair done and the hostess sneers at you how does this make you feel? Most people will take it personal and feel rejection and allow it to ruin their evening or even go as far as being a bad mood and taking the emotion out on someone else. But what if when the hostess sneered at you, you laughed inside. Oh my goodness she is being so silly. I bet she is jealous and loves my dress or maybe she thinks all the attention will be on me and not her because I look so nice to night. I think I will compliment her on her dress. Even if she doesn't respond positively you made it a point to be the bigger person and you realized that the other person had a problem and there was nothing wrong with you or the way you looked.
Here is another one. It's time for dinner and your child has to come in from outside to wash up. You call them more than once and finally you have to go out and get them. He or she is so upset that you tore them away from having a good time you hear a response like, mommy why do you always ruin my fun I hate you, or daddy you are so mean you never let me have fun with my friends when I want to you I like mommy better. None of these responses should make you feel bad especially the one where your child tells you they like the other parent better. Kids are smart and they begin at an early age what to say to make their parents feel bad. Its your child's problem not yours. You did not bring your child in because you are mean you want to feed them. You are not the bad parent because you went out to bring them in for dinner. Guess what though, a lot of parents take what their kids say personally.
There is not one case you can bring up to me where you should take a negative emotion given to you by someone else personal if you did not do something negative to provoke it.
Once you begin to realize not to take other peoples statements personal you will start to feel very empowered. You will realize you are happier more often. You do not eve have to bring it to the other persons attention when they behave this way all it will do is start a negative fight. If you merely have compassion for the other persons response and realize it is their problem and not yours you have let it go and you take no responsibility for it and you are the happy one!
Remember there is never a need to take something someone says personal if you did nothing intentional to provoke it!

Hidden Messages

2010-09-09T14:15:00.003-07:00

There are people in this world who like to "read between the lines". They do this because a lot of time there is more going on than is actually being said. The problem is when people read between the lines they tend to read with their mind and the mind has a way of misguiding. Have you ever stopped to think about how our minds and communication really works? We know words because we see them attached to images, sounds, or smells and collect them in our brain in different categories. This type of communication is very limiting because not everyone has the same memories or experiences and can not always properly relate to another person. So there is a need to read between the lines but not with our minds. The object is to learn to feel between the lines. When someone can detach themselves from an emotional response to something and open their heart and their mind they are able to sense things that do not have words. These are were hidden messages can be found. A persons "intent" is a hidden message as well. When someone says, "I love you" but do not really mean it a person can feel their true intent. You have a sense that they do not literally love you but care for you or they feel the need to say it because it is what you are wanting to hear.
Hidden messages are everywhere! They are hidden in the Bible, on the tongues of politicians, in fairy tales, and even in the conversation you hear from the people standing behind you. If you really want to know what is going on in the world you need to turn off your mind and turn on your heart! Your heart is the key to all hidden messages. Nothing can be hidden from someone who lives from their heart. Will your heart open the nearest bank vault and make you an instant millionaire? Probably not. But I bet you your heart can teach you that money was never the answer in the first place its just a catalyst to get you to where you need to be in life.
Opening your heart is the key to the universe and in time you will come to learn how to read hidden messages with ease. If you want to learn to find these hidden messages in the world you need to dig through your inner self all the way to the light you have bright inside you and let it out! You need to be true to who you are! You need to be authentic! You need to be you!!! And you need to allow yourself to shine bright! The brighter you shine the louder the messages are for you. Open your heart! Its the key to all hidden messages and their is a universe ready to be revealed to you!

How To Watch The News

2010-09-08T11:32:00.004-07:00

For about 3 years I decided I was not going to watch or read the news. All that I ever saw was negative. The fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan was continuous and never ending. Serial rapists, snipers, and murders were plastered all over the papers and TV. Why do I need to expose myself to all this negative energy it made me so upset? I decided it was needless torment. When my friends and coworkers would ask me if I had heard about something in the news I always responded no I hadn't heard. They were flabbergasted that I was so in denial about what was happening in our world. Everyone would feel the need to tell me about how important it is to know about what is going on in the world around me. I said why would I want to waste time within my day feeling sadness, sorrow, fear, and anger at the outside world around me. Most of the responses would be but there are good things in the news too. I knew this to be true to but I wasn't going to waste my time waiting to the end of a 30 minute news cast to hear about the local children who rallied around to help the elderly in the neighborhood. I chose to just not do it.
As time went on I met my current partner and in the time we have been together the news started to become a daily activity. It would come on in the morning and again in the evening. The paper started being delivered every Saturday morning as well. Soon I started to realize how distraught and angry I was becoming at the politicians in my state and community. I was constantly feeling anger and fear about the world around me. Yes, I thought my friends were right it is important to know what is going on around me. There is so much I have missed and our world is going down hill right before my eyes. I was breaking my own rules and allowing the worlds problems to consume me.
Then one day I went to lunch with an old friend. I started talking to her about the corruptness in our politics and what was going on in the world right before our eyes. She was shocked. I never watch the news she said I had no idea.
::DING::
::DING::
::DING::!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I could not believe what I was hearing. I used to be the same way. When I didn't watch the news or read the paper I was a much happier person. I may have not known what was going on around me but I never let little things bother me as much as I do now. I decided that there needs to be a healthy balance. I need to learn to face our world with compassion.
I have a strong philosophy in life. I believe that everything happens for a reason and is in perfect divine order. If I believe this how can I be angered or fearful of what is happening around me? If everything truly is in divine order then I need to be able to look at our sometimes dark and corrupt world with complete detachment and compassion. Compassion does not mean I need to "feel" the pains of the world. Or take the pains of the world on physically within my being. It means to be able to have a deep awareness of the suffering of another without the need to relieve it. It means being able to have a total appreciation for its value in the divine plan. It means being in a complete state of non-judgement.
Now when the news is on I do not pay too much attention to it but when I happen to get a glimpse of someone murdered and they are interviewing their family I send out love to them and pray for their guidance and freedom of pain. I do not feel the need to pass judgement on any of the story or situation and I do not take on their pain and suffering and became angry at the world. I fully understand that the energy I feel is sent out into the world. If I am feeling anger it adds to the anger that is already in the world but if I am feeling light it brings this world closer to feeling love.
If you would like to learn how to watch the news without adding to the weight of our world, watch it with compassion and continue to shine your inner light bright!

We Are All One...Listen to the children!

2010-09-01T10:44:00.002-07:00

Sometimes it takes listening to the children to remind us who we are and what we are doing here. Please take a second and watch this video clip of some beautiful children reminding us, "We are all one!"

Coexist

2010-08-26T14:34:00.004-07:00

A dear friend of mine has been displaying her "Coexist" sticker lately and it reminds me clearly of this story about Moses. This story explains that you are to love, pray, and cherish the way it feel right to your heart. No one has superiority over you in the aspect that they know the "right way". There are many religions who teach you do things the "right way" in accordance to God but this story clearly shows they are misleading you. God knows there is no such thing as right and wrong as long as you are living your truth and from your heart!

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A famous story about Moses:
He was passing through a forest and he saw a man praying. The man was saying such absurd things that Moses had to stop. What the man was saying was profane, sacrilegious. He was saying, "God, you must be feeling sometimes very alone--I can come and be always with you like a shadow. Why suffer loneliness when I am here? And I am not a useless person either--I will give you a good bath, and I will take all the lice from your hair and your body..."

Lice?! Moses could not believe his ears: what is this man talking about? "And I will cook food for you--everybody likes what I cook. And I will prepare your bed and I will wash your clothes. When you are ill I will take care of you. I will be a mother to you, a wife to you, a servant, a slave--I can be all kinds of things. Just give me a hint so I can come..."

Moses stopped him and said, "What are you doing? To whom are you talking? Lice in God's hair? He needs a bath? Stop this nonsense! This is not prayer. God will be offended by you."

Looking at Moses, the man fell at his feet. He said, "I am sorry. I am an illiterate, ignorant man. I don't know how to pray. Please, you teach me!"

So Moses taught him the right way to pray, and he was very happy because he had put a man on the right track. Happy, puffed up in his ego, Moses went away. And when he was alone in the forest, a thundering voice came from the sky and said, "Moses, I have sent you into the world to bring people to me, to bridge people with me, but not to take my lovers away from me. And that's exactly what you have done. That man is one of the most intimate to me. Go back and apologize. Take your prayer back! You have destroyed the whole beauty of his dialogue. He is sincere, he is loving. His love is true. Whatsoever he was saying, he was saying from his heart, it was not a ritual. Now what you have given to him is just a ritual. He will repeat it but it will be only on the lips; it will not be coming from his being."

The other side is right in front of you

2010-08-25T22:23:00.002-07:00

Everyone has a thought on what happens when someone dies. Some people have very strong religious beliefs and other people have thoughts that seem to feel safe and comfortable for them to believe. I myself have been blessed with many experiences that are not explainable. I have been visited by friends family members after they passed over as well as old friends who have come to tell me everything will be ok.
With the personal experiences I have had I have come to believe that the only thing keeping us from being with our loved ones who have passed over is our personal awareness and our eyes! It’s very easy to remove the veil and speak to those who have "crossed over" you just have to realize they haven't gone anywhere at all. Their physical self is not in your presence anymore because they have been blessed with a new consciousness. They do not see life anymore like we do they are in a different awareness and they are experiencing pure peace. We too will be there one day but in the mean time if we are to be closer to our loved ones who have passed all we need to do is look and listen. They are right there with you, in front of you, next to your bed, or behind the television. Sometimes they try to send messages to you like smells and pennies. They want to do whatever it is they can do to show you they are there without making you feel scared.
Some who have passed over do not feel the need to contact you because they are so enjoying their new awareness and since they do not experience time as you and I do, they know you are by their side already. If you need help in easing the pain of their absence know they are happy and free! Trust me. The next time you suddenly start thinking of them, or hear a song that reminds you of them, or words, or sights, or anything, more than likely it was them showing you they are right there with you.
Keep your heart and your mind wide open for the ones you love are still with you!

You Are Boundless

2010-08-19T15:15:00.004-07:00

A wise soul once reminded us that we have an unlimited nature and that we need to remove any doubts and fears and move forward in faith knowing the only limits we will ever experience are ones we imposed and created ourselves. He stated that a world without boundaries or limits is open to us and anything and everything is possible.

When I get lost in the illusions of daily chaos and confusions I often look my right should at this Osho quote posted on my wall. It reminds me that if I believe it, I can create it. It keeps me motivated and empowered to know that if I am down I have what it takes to change how I am feeling and make things lighter and easier again. Sometimes the weight of the world weighs heavy on my shoulders and I begin to allow doubt and fear to over take me. We are all human. We have emotions and we are going to have bad times as well as good times. Sometimes we feel as though we just can not dig ourselves out of those heavy dark holes! That's when we need to step outside of ourselves reach up into the invisible mass of the universe and take back what belongs to us! Our faith, power, and love! It is great inspiring people like Osho and Rumi who remind me of who I am and the power that I have lying inside me.

As the fear and doubt disolve I awaken with great strength and want to shed my new found happiness on everyone around me! The power of goodness spreads a long way! Rumi has been dead for centuries and Osho's words have been spoken and documented since long before I was even thought of. Those two men took time out of their lives to spread light in the world and little did they know how far their light would shine.

Now it is our turn! If everything we feel enlightened we took a moment and spread it to someone else the length it goes is boundless! If we just smiled, or let the driver in front of us through, or helped someone with the door, or even made the effort to share their loving words with a friend that light will do our world more good then you could possibly imagine. I have made it my personal goal in life to shed light where ever I see fit. I want to remind people of who they are and what they are capable of! No one is greater or more powerful than another! We all have the capacity within us to be loved and loving beings and we all are pure by nature. It is the chaotic and negative moments that we allow to sink us into the hole and not feel strong enough to pull ourselves out of.

Today challenge yourself to allow your unlimited nature to move you forward! Have faith in knowing the only limits you have are imposed and created yourself! Then when you up high on your mountain top shinning bright spread that love out as far as you can! Our world needs a hug and you have the boundless power to open your arms and squeeze!

Why Look To Astrology

2010-08-18T13:25:00.002-07:00

Not a lot of people know what astrology is really about. It is sort of a foreign language to them or a religious taboo. Astrology is actually a very useful ancient tool that has been passed on and perfected over many many centuries! The stars are in the sky for a reason no one can deny that, but their mystical glow can do more for us than just tell us what direction we are going while sailing the ocean. Astrology is a map of our lives as well. Some people have the misconception that Astrology is a fortune teller but the powers astrology hold are much more precious than that. It is as unique as the finger prints on your hand and the collection of information you can get is just as revealing.
Instead of using astrology to show you a picture of your fortunes for the future you will gain much more from using it to take a picture of the real you! When I began my journey through the realm of the astrological world little did I know I was taking a journey through the realm of my own unknown! We are often not conscious of our actions or how we are perceived by the outside world. Not until you actually see it written on paper can you really begin to see inside yourself. Of course there is always meditation and breathing chi, but not everyone has the patience for that and if you are like 90 percent of the rest of the world you are easily mentally stimulated. When you delve into your astrological birth chart you will begin to see sides of yourself you weren't completely aware of. You will have the tool to change ways about yourself that you do not think are necessarily healthy, and you have a tool to make your life the way you truly want it to be. If you do not have the capacity to go within on your own then use your birth chart to take you within instead.
I have used astrology to my advantage for many years. I learned who I was and was empowered to be who I was meant to be in this world. When I had major issues it pin pointed why I have them and helped me find solutions to eliminate them from my life. You cannot get any self help book out there on the market that is better in healing you than you own personalized astrological natal chart!
Once you have delved into the depths of self exploration you can take life a step forward and use astrology for many other things. I personally love to us astrology to help me understand people. When I find out just a few valuable details about someone’s birth chart I instant have compassion and understand why they are the way they are. It helps me to adapt easier to people and to know what to say and not say to people according to how they may respond.
If you are looking for love or are in love astrology is great to help you understand the dynamics between you and the person you are interested in or in love with. You can see why you sometimes argue about certain things and why other times you can talk into all hours of the night.
As time goes on you can begin to use astrology as a tool to help you see what kinds of things you need to do in order to make your current year ahead of you work best for you. With a Solar Return chart you have the opportunity to see how the stars are laid out for you for the year to come. You are not destined to have a horrible or good outcome but you are shown what you can do to make things turn out the best! I have been following my own Solar Return Chart for over 5 years now and it has been so helpful in seeing what things I will be going through that year and how I may need to change something in order to make the dreams I want actually happen. It also shows me where something may potentially not be good and I have the free will to arrange the circumstances or the very least have a compassionate and healthy outlook on the situation and not be surprised and shocked.
All in all astrology is the number one accurate tool to helping you understand why things are the way they are in the world. Astrology never lies and it is always dependable...the stars aren't going anywhere anytime soon!
If you would like your astrological natal chart drawn up and interpreted for you feel free to contact me at your convenience! My rates are cheap and interpretations insightful!
~Lori Marie

The Answers to All Our Questions

2010-08-17T08:24:00.006-07:00

Most people have a lot of unanswered questions about life. Where do we come from? Who is God? How was the world created? Why do we have dreams? Are there such things as ghosts? We never find scientific answers to these questions we collect assumptions and small facts and come to our own conclusions. We live from these conclusions but never really know the truth. As you look at our world around us, globally, we see it crumbling. Disaster after natural disaster, war after religious war, we are seeing every safe haven around us fall and we are living in a very insecure world. No one will deny that change is among us we see it happening every day. It is hard to be shocked when we see the devastation around us and we are left feeling that there is no hope left in the world.
If we are going to survive in what seems to be an ever dying world we need to wake up and remember who and what we are. These changes are among us for a reason to shake us awake. If we were to go about living life in a peaceful and happy go lucky world we would continue to be asleep and never learn the lessons we were sent here to learn. We asked to be here. We chose to live our lives here on this planet and because we chose to be here we also agreed to be sound asleep. We have known that the only way we are going to remember who and what we are was by devastation because being human consists of us having emotions and feelings. Pain is not the devil and is not evil pain and scary things are projections to remind us of what we are not.
As humans we live very mental lives. We have words that are attached to images that creates thoughts and memories with deep emotions. We are not simple beings as least as far as we have learned. In actuality we are very simple beings with the capacity to live on this dying planet with great compassion and faith but we have to first turn our minds off and open our hearts.
If we were capable of changing our perspective on what is happening around us and see not with our eyes but with our hearts we would not see the world as dying but beginning again. Change is good and change is inevitable. We need to change so that we can learn our lessons here on earth and move forward in our evolution as a planet. As long as we see our world as a dying and evil place, we will continue to be plagued with pain and destruction. The day you change your perspective and see with your heart you will see we are living heaven on earth. Those who pass over are right here in front of us we have the capacity to see them but not with our eyes. Our eyes see the image memories create but if we close our eyes we can see and hear them with our heart as if they never left. If we really listened to those who passed over we would see that in the end everything is going to be ok. If they are telling us everything is going to be ok who better to know this then those who have already passed on.
Time and space are an illusion created by our minds to help us keep track of the lessons we learn here and to keep us trapped in the mental illusion of pain. Once we realize that time does not exist and that everything is happening simultaneously have taken the first step towards stopping time and seeing who we really are.
I am sure right now you are asking, "Who are we then?" Our minds cannot properly conceive who we are but the easiest way to explain it is like this. We are multi-dimensional beings living simultaneous lives on many different levels of dimensions. They are rotating so fast it gives off the illusion of standing still. When we try to tap into what is happening with our 3D minds we get lost in the complexity and shake our heads to this being another sci-fi fantasy movie but in reality all our consciousness on all the different levels and planes are united as one light and one source. We have just split off in order to experience things and remember it is we are and to it is a constant repeating pattern and cycle that is never ending until we shut the mind off.
As our planet evolves we have no choice but to evolve to but what we do have a choice in is how painful of an experience it is. We need to shut our minds off and turn our hearts on. The more hearts that open at this time of evolution the quicker and less painful the transformation is. It all sounds so hard to believe and so hard to fathom so my suggestion is not to do so. Do not try to understand, do not try to believe, do not listen to anything I say except one thing!
OPEN YOUR HEART and SHUT OFF YOUR MIND!
None of the things you learn will matter expect how to use your heart. When destruction is among us the only thing we can do is be free from the pain by loving and detaching from the earthly emotion of pain. We are love, we are light, we are one! People always say these things but I am not sure they know what it means in the literal sense, this is because they are using their minds and it’s time to use our hearts!

Nothing is this whole article really matters except that we use our hearts. That we understand the true meaning of compassion and let the world go through the things it needs to. So that when we see destruction, pain, and evil we know that they are just obstacles placed there for us to learn how to hurdle over and detach from. If we truly want to be free we must allow life to unfold exactly as it is planed and we must not intervene but do our part in the speeding the process up. We must be the love that we are. Love is what we are and that is how we are supposed to be living our lives. NOTHING ELSE MATTERS! It’s that simple! Life is that simple! LOVE!

The Child Is Born Wise...

2010-08-16T21:39:00.003-07:00

Children are born with all the wisdom. Instead of teaching them too much we must nourish what they already know and unlearn what we have been taught!

If the Children are our future we need to listen to them more!
<3

Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it.

2010-08-16T13:55:00.004-07:00

Charles R. Swindoll stated that Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it. If life is only 10% of what happens to us we should feel extremely empowered at the notion that we have so much control over our lives. Everyone at one time or another has felt at the mercy of life, chance, and circumstances but you always have a choice in how you chose to respond to them.
There are some really evil things that happen in our world and knowing how to respond to them will make a difference on how we chose to be in our lives. Everything starts with our perspective on a situation. If how we respond to a situation is 90% of what controls our lives it’s important we have a good solid faith to live by. A person with a negative attitude or the assumption that only bad things happen to them or they are destined to fail and be dumped on is surely not going to succeed in making their dreams come true. But a person who has a strong faith system installed will always have something to give them hope that everything happens for a reason and that evil is not in a dominating force in our lives.
Faith is a word that means one thing but is based on many different belief systems. Faith means you know what you believe deepest in your heart is true. What your definition of truth is may vary. But by merely having faith in something higher than yourself you are in control of how you chose to view life instead of life choosing how you view it. Why do you want outside circumstances and events to chose how you feel and how you make your decisions. Shouldn't your heart and faith do this for you.
If you are living in a place where there is war and death all around you how do you survive? With your faith. If you are constantly being kicked while you are down what are you going to do to get back up again? Some people do not chose to get back up they are the ones who have no faith. They are the ones who let circumstance and life chose how they feel and live. But if they were to have a healthy faith system within them they would be able to get back up every time and move forward in their faith.
So what if you do not have a faith system developed and you realize your response truly is what controls your happiness in life? You then need to sit down and decide what it is you believe in. You need to find your heart and what it truly believes in. It does not have to be a symbol or a religion or even an entity. It just needs to be something that comes from your heart and that you feel at the deepest level of who you are. You can make it up but as long as you believe in it and it is true and of pure intent it will get you through the hardest of times. It will get you through those times because your response will be positive when life deals you a challenging hand. It will get you through the tough times because your response is 90% of how you respond to life and you have chosen to follow it from your heart. Your religion, your beliefs, your views on life do not matter to me nor should they matter to the person standing next to you but matters is how you chose to express them. Be true to yourself and live life from the heart. You will never fail if you are true to who you are and you live your faith, whatever that faith may be.

Be A Fool

2010-08-14T08:32:00.002-07:00

The one who is the fool is the one who is truly free in life.
I believe one of the toughest lessons for some people to learn is how to be vulnerable. What does vulnerable mean anyway? According to dictionary.com it either means capable of or susceptible to being wounded or hurt or playing Bridge and having won one of the games of a rubber. I have no idea what the second one means but I do understand why its important to be susceptible to being wounded or hurt. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying setting yourself up for disaster so you can be hurt what I'm saying is I know why allowing yourself to be vulnerable is important.
Lets take this common scenario for instance. Two friends Marie and Tanya are sitting in a coffee shop chatting about their love life or lack there of. Marie has had a rough time with her boyfriend and has recently broken up and Tanya hasn't dated anyone is months because her last relationship was so bad. Marie is asking Tanya if she'd like to go for a girls night out and Tanya is apprehensive summing up all men to be dogs. Yes, this is a common scenario! Tanya is scared! Her heart was broken. So was Marie's but she is living from the perspective where she is going to get back out there and have a good time. She realizes that if she sits back and lives in fear of being heart broken again or fear that she will just have the same thing happen that always happens she will lose out on life. Yes she won't have her heart broken but guess what she also won't experience the joys of love. So what if the love ends some day! Change is good! Yes it hurts! Sometimes a lot! Sometimes so much so you feel like you will never be able to love another! But why would you chose to limit your life just because of fear?
Being vulnerable, capable of or susceptible to being wounded or hurt, means you go out and experience life for all that its worth. When you fall you get back up again. Which life would you rather live one where you experienced everything and enjoyed yourself fully even at the price of heart break, or one where you were too scared to move forward and try anything new. One were change was the devil and you were scared of being in hell? I think I know which one I would chose.
Being vulnerable allows one true freedom from fear. You are limitless in life if you allow, trust, and have faith. You will be truly free. Being free does have a price. The price is allowing whatever life deals you to happen and not feeling the need to control or stop it. Change is inevitable either go with it or against it. But I guarantee those who go with it will be much happier in the end. If were are all going to die someday wouldn't you want to die happy?

Looking past Corporate America and the illusion of the 'American Dream'

2010-08-12T08:24:00.000-07:00

This article is not going to say what you want to hear this article is going to say what needs to be heard. As Americans we live for the idea of fulfilling the "American Dream". The key word in that quote is 'dream', the misleading part of that quote is 'American'. The "American Dream" is one big illusion it should be called the "Human Dream" because all humans want the same things from life. We want to be financially secure, we want to travel and see the world, we want to be free to come and go as we please, and we want the choice to do and be what we want to be. In Corporate America has capitalized on the human dream as well as everything else in our reality! They made it the "American Dream" so they can have control over a large nation of people from all over the world. We are one big melting pot and we are all from somewhere and because Corporate America has us believing we are free in America to reach for the American Dream they are the in complete control. We are not free. We are not invincible. We are not the richest nation in the world. Corporate America is.
While we try to reach for this so called dream we are becoming greedier and more ego oriented than any other time in history. The more we reach for our dream the more we put corporate America in control. If we don't have our TV, our cell phones, our fast food restaurants, our gyms, our air conditioning, our lights, our swimming pools, our airplanes, then we are lost! If we took away corporate America we would have nothing.
DING DING DING! We will have nothing! That is our problem we constantly want more. Once we have achieved something we want the next bigger and better thing and we are never happy. I am not writing an article about things you do not already know. We all know this already! We are all aware of the game. We are becoming aware of it because our nation is in the state of disaster! Corporate America got greedy and who has to pay for it? Hmmmm
Now that the dream has been popped the trickledown effect is taking a devastating toll on everyday people. We want everything to be ok again. We want everything to be safe. We want to go back to sleep and keep dreaming. Nope too late you have already been slapped in the face with a reality check.
So now that we are wide awake and can see what is going on how do we shake ourselves out of this "Spiritual 9/11 emergency"? We know no other way to survive! We only know what the media and corporate America has trained and conditioned up to know and believe. What do we do? There is only one thing we can do. Have compassion.
Have compassion?! You mean we have to stand here and have compassion while millions of Americans and people all over the world are being screwed by millions of selfish Americans?! YES!
This morning I had the humbling experience of being screwed once again by a corporate bank. I have had many cases where this happened and I have seen many others around me going through similar things. Banking and most businesses used to be about the customer. Help the customer the customer is always right we want to keep the customer happy! Where did that go? Out the window once the banks and other businesses started feeling the shake of a financially unstable nation. Everyone is about getting their head back above water right now and no one cares how they are hurting the other person. It’s just one big giant circle of screwing each other. So how do I say this was a humbling experience? I had no power in the situation and nothing else to turn to except my faith. I was mistreated and spoken to very condescendingly. When a person is in strife and struggling the last thing they need is to be treated in this manner. Why kick a dog when he is down? I was very angry at first so much so I hung up the phone and screamed louder then I think I ever have in my life. I could not control my rage and I realized if I did not get a grip on myself that my energy was going to affect many other people and so on and so forth. It was my responsibility to control how I reacted to negativity. I had to step back and look at the situation with no emotions at all.
When I stepped back and reassessed the situation I was able to see what our world has come to. I remembered that I am just one small person in a very big world and my anger wasn't going to do anyone good. How am I going to make things better?! I have to have compassion and realize that everything happens for a reason. I can see what is happening because I allowed myself to step back. Everyone is feeling the horrible effects of what our nation and world has become and I am no one special I am not alone but how I chose to deal with it is a whole different story. I chose to have compassion. I am choosing to send love out to the world instead of anger. The lady on the phone was only reacting to hundreds of other people who have had the same problem. That lady has to conform to her corporate job or she will not have food on her table to make her "American Dream" come true. And since I cannot diminish the American dream for an entire nation I must have compassion that people do not like change and are having trouble dealing with our world as it is becoming. I must be the change I wish to see in the world. I must have compassion and be light instead of rage, anger, bitter hatred, and darkness. I did not deny that I felt these emotions. I went through them step by step and released them the only way I knew how but when I was done I allowed myself to love again.
We will only make a difference in the world if we change within ourselves. We will only change this world if we can stare into the darkness and still see the light. Remember when you were a kid and you were outside when it was really really dark. You weren't able to see well at all but you knew your friends were out there and you wanted to be too? Do you remember staring really hard into the dark night and before you knew it your eyes adjusted and you could see almost as clear as day you just had to get used to the darkness. That is what we need to do now. We need to stare into the darkness until we can see just as clear as we do in the light. We must live within the light as darkness surrounds us because it is the only way our world will be able to withstand the challenges we have upon us and that are yet to come!

Your Task is Not To Seek For Love...

2010-08-11T12:02:00.000-07:00

A Wise Soul Once Said...
Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” Rumi

Jalaludin Rumi was a mystic poet who had the most elegant way of sharing his connection to the divine. With his poetic words Rumi has been able to remind the world what love really is. The rest of us are all here on a mission to find love and when we discover Rumi we suddenly feel we have unlocked a secret door to the answers. What Rumi is trying to say in his famous quote above is that we do not go through all this pain for nothing. It is the pain that teaches us what love is and what love is not. Those who feel the deepest are the ones who understand the clearest but because of the society we live in we often question our sanity. We all have the answers and we all have built walls upon walls to hide us from them. The more we search for the answers the more walls we build. Our focus should not be on looking for answers to finding our love but tearing down the walls we have built that will not allow true love in.
If each and every person stopped blaming someone or something else on why love is not felt in their life they will realize that love is existing right there inside themselves. If we all could turn off the noise, the tapes, and the badgering words from the outside world for only 5 minutes we would be able to hear the heart of love beating inside us. Love exists! Its not hiding and its not a trick or complicated question. You merely have to tear down your walls and turn off all the world around you and see it with open arms. You know how we all have this image of God reaching down and loving us unconditionally? You can see him not caring of all the sins and crazy thoughts, emotions, or actions you have experiences and he just reaches down and gives you a big hug and all the problems of the world melts away?
That is what you need to do to yourself. You need to find that place within you were you can let the rest of the world go and reach your hand down and hug yourself unconditionally! For you and God are one and if God is capable of loving you then you are capable of loving you too. If you are capable of loving yourself then you are capable of living a life free of pain and complications. Life suddenly seems simple. Because it is.

Your INTENT controls your life.

2010-08-09T09:41:00.000-07:00

What is intent?

Intent is the actual feeling you have when you have a thought. If your intent is not properly expressed it will create obstacles, dysfunctional habits, and pain. Living in accordance with your intent will literally solve all your problems. Let’s explore this a little further.

How can living from your true intent really solve all your problems?

You are invited to a party of someone who you firmly dislike. You feel obligated to go because all of your friends seem to like this person and you do not want to be left out or frowned upon for not going. The party requires you to pay a cover at the door of $10 and everyone is bringing a gift.

Let’s look at what happens if we do not follow our intent first.

The phone rings and it’s your best friend Sally asking if you are going to the party tonight? You contemplate telling her no because Jack is an ass but you say yes because you know she is going and you do not want her to be upset with you. Sally gets all excited and hangs up. The day drags on you drag yourself to the store to buy Jack a gift and spend all afternoon trying to find something cheap but acceptable. When you finally get home you sit down at the computer procrastinating to get ready. It’s now one hour until the party and you haven’t even showered yet and you do not even want to go. You think of all kinds of reasons to cancel and you cannot find a good enough one and decide to get in the shower and suck it up anyway.

You take your time getting ready and show up to the party an hour later than all your friends. Throughout the evening you are disgusted being there and just want to go home. The drinks are overpriced and Jack is being an ass and you can’t believe no one is saying anything to him about it. Finally the club is closing and you go home relieved it’s finally over. You sleep in the next day and waste the day away drained from a long evening out. At least your friends aren’t mad at you. Good thing no one told Jack how rude he was it may have spoiled his night.

It’s all over now and you sigh relief. How do you really feel?

Now let’s change things a bit and make life a lot easier.

It’s Saturday and you wake up excited it’s the weekend. You have been so exhausted from the long week and extra hours you put in at work. All you want to do is relax and enjoy yourself. Suddenly you remember that everyone is going to Jack’s birthday party at Club Innuendo and your heart sinks. Jack is not a nice guy and you do not want to go.
The phone rings and it’s your best friend Sally asking you if you are going to the party. Sally seems very excited and cannot wait for the evening. You tell Sally that you do not really care for Jack because he isn’t the nicest person to be around and you do not really want to spend your only day off celebrating someone’s birthday you do not even like. Sally understands and tries to convince you to go anyway but you explain to her that you will hang out with her Sunday and for her to go enjoy herself at the party.

Look at how much pain you saved yourself! You did not spend an entire day trying to buy a gift for someone you do not like instead you took your dog for a walk at the park and treated yourself to a movie you have been excited to see. Your friend Sally came over the next day and you went to lunch and you heard all about Jack’s party and how he ended up being escorted out for being overly obnoxious with the waitresses.

Now how do you feel?

This scenario can be played out a million times over with any seemingly complicated situation but as long as you follow your hearts true desires and stay true to yourself and not worry what others think you will be the winner in the end.

As the mystic Osho said be courageous enough to take responsibility for who you are and live your truth!

Even if you have broken your vow a thousand times...

2010-08-06T13:06:00.000-07:00

Osho wrote a wonderful article about how it doesn't matter what you have been through or what you have believed there is always time to rejoice and be happy!
True freedom lies within the essence of being able to forgive yourself and release the past and live in the moment happily. When you sit in despair over your miseries all you are doing is sitting in despair in your miseries. If you can allow yourself the freedom of imperfection and the joy of being happy as you move on in life you will truly be free!
~Lori Marie
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Even if you have broken your vow a thousand times…

Sorrow and suffering and misery--everything has to be taken nonseriously, because the more seriously you take them, the more difficult it is to get out of them. The more nonserious you are... you can pass through the suffering, through the dark night, singing a song. And if one can pass through the dark night singing a song and dancing, then why unnecessarily torture yourself? Make this whole journey from here to here just a beautiful laughing matter.

There is a beautiful statement of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, one of the greatest Sufi masters ever. He says: Come, come, whoever you are; Wanderer, worshipper, lover of learning... It does not matter. Ours is not a caravan of despair. Come, even if you have broken your vow A thousand times. Come, come, yet again come.

Remember this beautiful statement: "Ours is not a caravan of despair." I can also say this. Ours is not a caravan of despair, it is a celebration--it is the celebration of life. People become religious out of misery, and the person who becomes religious out of misery becomes religious for the wrong reasons. And if the very beginning is wrong, the end cannot be right.

Become religious out of joy, out of the experience of beauty that surrounds you, out of the immense gift of life that God has given to you. Become religious out of gratitude, thankfulness. Your temples, your churches, your mosques and gurudwaras are full of miserable people. They have turned your temples also into hells. They are there because they are in agony. They don't know God, they have no interest in God; they are not concerned with truth; there is no inquiry. They are just there to be consoled, comforted. Hence they seek anybody who can give them cheap beliefs to patch up their lives, to hide their wounds, to cover up their misery. They are there in search of some false satisfaction.

Ours is not a caravan of despair. It is a temple of joy, of song, of dance, of music, of creativity, of love and life. It does not matter. You may have broken all the rules--the rules of conduct, the rules of morality. In fact, anybody who has any guts is bound to break those rules. I agree with Jalaluddin Rumi: he says, Come, even if you have broken your vow a thousand times. Intelligent people are bound to break all their vows many times, because life goes on changing, situations go on changing. And the vow is taken under pressure--maybe the fear of hell, the greed for heaven, respectability in society.... It is not coming from your innermost core.

When something comes from your own inner being, it is never broken. But then it is never a vow, it is a simple phenomenon like breathing. Come, come, yet again come! Everybody is welcome, without any conditions. You do not have to fulfill any requirements.

The time has come when a great rebellion is needed against all established religions. Religiousness is needed in the world but no more religions--no more Hindus, no more Christians, no more Mohammedans--just pure religious people, people who have great respect for themselves.

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2010-08-03T20:00:00.000-07:00

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You Are My Perfect Reflection

2010-06-02T17:22:00.000-07:00

We are viewing this world from our human ego perspective. There really is no debate about this. We are humans who are self involved all looking for the same thing. That one thing. We go about so many ways of getting it. Most of us do not even know exactly what it is. For some they think its money, for others, sex, some its dominance or control, and then there are the ones who wander wanting and needing and not knowing for what. We use words that are correlated with images that we have stored in our minds memory bank. One word may trigger a totally different thought for one person than another but create the exact same stimuli. So we use words, thoughts, and images to take us to a place where we feel and have that one thing we really want. We go to extreme lengths to gain it even committing some of the most heinous crimes. It all becomes one big complicated convoluted disaster of a life. It creates horrendous cycles of pain and agony, moments pleasure and temporary fulfillment all for that one thing! That one same thing!
If I had to put a word to it, and it seems the only way some of you will be able to fathom what I am speaking of, I will have to use the four letter word LOVE. When we are all reaching for that one thing we use our brains, our thoughts, and the images to make us think its something other than LOVE.
Let's do an experiment. Close your eyes and think of that one thing it is you think you want so badly. Awwww, you are envisioning money. It will solve so many of your problems. It will pay your bills and debt so you do not have to worry about it and you can focus on the real things that matter in life. What is that one thing you'd rather be worrying about and taking care of if you didn't have to worry about money? Finding LOVE, giving time and LOVE to your spouse, children, and friends? Ohhhh, so you are actually envisioning that one thing to be a job. If you had a job then you would be able to pay your bills, and in turn focusing on finding a mate, loving your spouse, children, family, or friends? No? Ok then you were envisioning a new car, a roof over your head, world peace, no more war or fighting, a new wardrobe, or a brighter social life?
It doesn't really matter what it is you are wanting it is all going to come down to the same common denominator, LOVE.
We are all humans and when we look inside each other we are perfect reflections of the person next to us. It doesn't matter if that person is a murderer or Mother Theresa we all want the same things. The images, thoughts, and words have all trained and conditioned us to see life as a complete and utter illusion and make our lives more complicated then needed. We are all perfect reflections, we are all the same, we are all one, and most of all no one person is higher or lower than another.
With the recognition that we are all each others perfect reflection we take on a whole new awakening. Our consciousness is changing as we read this. We are starting to remove the rose colored glasses and see life for what it is. In recognizing ourselves in each other we have empowered ourselves to conquer feats we never imagined were possible. If I am the same as Oprah then I have the same ability to change my life and others and still succeed in life. If I am the same as Obama or George Bush then I am still capable of making great changes both positive and negative in the world at large. If I am the same as Charles Manson the I have the power to manipulate and control other to kill. If I am the same as Buddha or Jesus then I have the capacity to love unconditionally and with compassion. If I am the same as all them then I am the same as you and you are my perfect reflection.

Is It Human Nature To Be Self Absorbed?

2010-05-28T08:53:00.000-07:00

This morning I was driving and reflecting on some of the changes I have going on in my life. I was thinking how grand it was to see life has lead me in the direction toward my deepest passion, writing, and I was pondering how the people closest in my life are the one's least supportive of my current ideas and goals. I was thinking that I know I am loved by them but why is it the one's you think are closest to you are the one's least likely to help push you forward to your dreams. This was the basis of my contemplation but what it lead to was are all the people I attract closest to me consumed with themselves, and if they reflect me and I the same way, or is it just human nature or what we have evolved to be as human beings in this day and age?

While I was thinking this my girlfriend sat in the seat next to me and I thought why is it I am in my head right now and not comfortable enough to talk to her about this? Why am I having this whole conversation in my head and not with her? Of course she spoke up as if she was reading my thoughts. She said, "Hello are you there?" and I took it as a sign that I need to get out of my head converse and socialize. I said, "Yes I was just contemplating on the people I have attracted most in my life and if they are self absorb or if it is our human nature to be so into the self."

We had a great conversation and I have come to the conclusion that over time we have been taken away from reality and put into our heads where its safe. In the real world we have to deal with pain and rejection. Sometimes we get sucked so deep into our own mental wars and dramas we forget that there is a real world going on outside us. With the internet and popular reality TV shows we follow the lives of others and put their dramas into our heads. Its easier to live in that world then in the real world. So as a result when we are relating to each other on a social level we are forgetting there is someone in the room with us. Our heads are stuck in our phones, or in our laptops, or on the tv and there is a person sitting right there next to us with whom we could be living our life out with.

How many of you can honestly say that when someone is having a conversation with you and talking to you about a problem or something going on in their life you do not have your own mental conversation going on in your head along with it. You aren't saying the things going on in your head because they are either judging the other person or judging and thinking about only yourself. How do we get out of this viscious cycle of self absorbtion?Our spiritual leaders tell us all the answers are found withing. If that is true then why is it bad to be self absorbed?

Going within is going to be the only way we will learn to come out and see life like it is. When you shut off the dramas going on in your head by going within and making a conscious effort to do so you will be able to finally hear and see life going on around you. Without the conscious effort of what you have playing in your head you will never be able to really see what is going on around you. That is where the statement life is an illusion comes from. You do not see life for what it really is you see it colored through your thoughts and dramas.

If we can learn to not be scared of silence we can learn to turn off our minds. If we can shut off the tv, the radio, the internet, and close the book and just sit in silence and listen to nothing then we have taken one step closer to getting intouch with reality. I can hear you now. When I sit alone in silence I hear all these thoughts in my head and I can't shut them off. Yep that happens to everyone. Those are the exact voices you need to become aware of in order to turn them off. You need to first listen to them. What are they saying? If you heard them from someone elses mouth would they sound different then in your own head? How are you treating yourself with these voices and dramas? More than likely all the pain you feel on a daily basis and all the fears you have in life are created from that voice you can not shut off in your head.

Now you are saying I know you are so right but what do I do? Well let me start with saying something all my friends hear me say, "Knowing is half the battle." By just making yourself aware that you have those tapes going on in your head, by just becoming aware that there is a life you are avoiding outside your mind, and by just being aware of the harshness these dramas in your mind have created you have fought half the battle and that is one huge step! Many people all around just go through life fully asleep taking the pains and woes as they are tossed to them and feel pity for themselves and have no strength within to move past them. They die this way, how sad is that?

I can not answer the next step for you. I learned about those tapes in my head and the dramas and I realized I was causing myself much unneeded pain and drama so I changed those thoughts. I didn't like what my life was becoming so I created one I felt whole, safe, secure, and fully alive and authentic in. If you want to free yourself from pain, fear, and devastation then recognize who is creating it and make life the way you want.

So to answer the question is it human nature to be self absorb? If it is what needs to be to show us who we really are then so be it. We have evolved to this place and now as we face the darkest of days we have a choice do we stay there or do we face our mental demons and grow towards the true self we really are? If we have a choice in life then I chose happy!

Your Heart is Your True Self

2010-05-26T13:09:00.000-07:00

In each moment a thought passes the heart, and in that moment the heart either listens or choses its own direction. Sometimes people believe the heart can lead you astray inturn creating painful experiences that could have been avoided if the heart had just listened to that passing thought. But without those painful experiences you'd never be able to tell what true love is. Your head can not know love. Your mind can not give you what you are eternally searching for. The mind is attached to the material world an the mind is blinded by things, object, looks and glamour. The heart knows not of these things therefore you have a conflict of heart over head. Which do you listen to? Which will make you most happy? Sometimes it feels like neither being they can both take you down just as painful paths. If you take the time to reflect on your life experiences, which are the most memorable, which did you learn the most from, which has shown you the way to you, and which has taken you one step closer to knowing what love really is?
When I look back moment to moment, day after day, all through time all I know is what I feel. I went with the heart and its taken me down roads I never planned to take. My mind too, has goals and ambitions that do not match my heart, and pain is around me often. The heart trips over the mind, but I remember its the heart that will show me the way, and I will follow it until I have learned what it has to teach me. The heart can be a lonely path but will lead one to the most important treasure of all...SELF...LOVE...and when I finally learn it, I promise to return to help remind others. Always follow your hearts my friend...<3

The Giving Project....I NEED YOUR QUOTES!!!

2010-05-26T08:48:00.000-07:00

For those of you who know about the book project, "A Wise Soul Once Said..." Here is a second coming. For those of you who do not know the book has been an ongoing project for just under two years now. With constant emails coming in I know this book will be able to change the lives of many people and here is how.

The Giving Project is the new title of what is to become. "A Wise Soul Once Said..." is merely the catalyst. The idea behind TGP is that it gives everyday people a voice, it give inspiration and motivation to others in their times of need, and it gives back to the community.

TGP is a book compiled of quotes from everyday people like you and me. Everyday people are the mailman, grandma or grandpa, the neighbor, the lady at the check out stand at the grocery store, the homeless man in the park. TGP is here to show the world that you do not need to be a guru or a high profile person to make a difference in the world. Words go far, very, very far! TGP wants everyone to be heard and wants everyone who reads it to have the opportunity to turn to their peers, community, family, and friends and just listen. Because the wisest words may come from the least expected place.

The last part of TGP is to give back to the community both locally as well as internationally! This book is not about profit! It is about giving. A large precentage of all proceeds for every book sold is going to be given back to the world. So if you feel you do not usually have a source of giving to those in need then here is your chance because you do not need to spend a dime! I just want your wisdom!!!

Everyone has a personal philosphy, sarcastic WISEcrack, religious or spiritual advice, or words to sooth and nurture others. Tell me what goes through your head in the times of need, motivation, or tragedy! Do not be shy or hold back at all!!!!! Just give it to us!!!!

Lastly if and when you fill out the information below if you would be so kind as to pass this on to any and everyone you know! Everyone has a voice and everyone deserves to be heard!

Much love and peace to you all!

Lori Marie

whtsursgn@aol.com

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Personal Quote:

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Name: (real or not it doesn't matter)

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Location and age: (once again put what you like)

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Disclosure:

All rights of The Giving Project belong to Lori Marie Silva. Please respect the concept behind the project and pass on with positive intent and love.

Nothing is what it seems but is its all exactly how its supposed to be.

2010-05-19T15:48:00.001-07:00

Nothing is what is seems but is its all exactly how its supposed to be. How is this possible? Ego. With our consciousness we view life from the ego perspective therefore we do not see life or who we are in its real essence. We see through our eyes (I's) not our heart. But we are all exactly were we are supposed to be? Due to the fact that we are living a human experience from the ego perspective the end goal is to learn through our humanness who and what we really are. Evolution has never stopped. Our intellect has excelled immensely over the last 2,000 years! But evolution hasn't stopped. Our egos have grown and are in the process of gradually changing our consciousness from perceiving and creating life with eyes (I's) to the perceiving and creating life from the soul heart level. If you must go through the pain you are going through, the anger, the jealousy so you can continue evolution! Therefore life is unfolding exactly as it is supposed to be. We live in a grand divine order! Everything happens for a reason. All you have to do is wake up!
So the next time you are in pain feel it from a different perspective. Know your pain is growing you! Learn from it! Feel it to its fullest move past it and love life! Life is changing as we speak it's empowering to know it doesn't end in pain. We are in the process of evolution and we are recognizing our divinity in us as one!
Love life!

What does it mean to be your Authentic Self?

2010-05-03T12:26:00.000-07:00

Everyone has a persona, an image they show to the outside world. But the question is, is that persona really you? Not too many people can say they are their authentic self. Why is that?
Because everyone is worried what everyone else thinks of them. Why does everyone worry what everyone else thinks of them? Fear of rejection. Why are people scared of being rejected? It goes back the natural instinct of survival. If you are not excepted within your clan you will be rejected and all alone.
Let's explore being alone. How bad could it really be? If you are alone you are isolated from others who have judged you and love you conditionally. Do you really want to be loved for anything other than who you really are? I think that if I had to chose I wouldn't necessarily mind being alone.
Now let's look at the reasons why people are rejected by others. Either their is a control issue and someone posing to be superior to you is asking you to be or do something that is not in perfect alignment with who you are, or you were not behaving as your true self. If you were rejected because you weren't being your true self all you can do is learn from the situation. Admit to yourself where you went wrong and correct it and move on with your new life. But if you were rejected for being your authentic self then It was a blessing in disguise! You are now free! You now owe no one an explanation for being you. In your new life you will only attract those who are in perfect alignment with your real self. You will not tolerate nor attract conditional and controlling people. Like attracts like.
So now which do you chose? Follow your heart and be your authentic real self at all costs? Or be who everyone around you wants you to be at the price of living a life that is not your own?
I chose freedom. I chose unconditional love. I chose being my authentic self at all costs!

Here is a great excert from Osho. Written very eloquently it allows you to see what authenticity means.
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Only one thing has to be remembered: be authentic, be sincere to yourself. Declare your truth, whatsoever the cost. Even if life is risked, risk it, because truth is far more valuable than anything, because truth is true life.

I am reminded of Bodhidharma, who introduced Zen into China... The emperor had come to receive him on the border--and if it had been somebody else in Bodhidharma's place, the emperor would have cut his head immediately, because he was behaving in such an unmannerly way. The emperor had created hundreds of temples, made thousands of Buddha statues. One thousand scholars were continuously translating Buddha's words from Pali into Chinese, and ten thousand Buddhist monks were fed by the imperial treasury. He had done much to make China Buddhist. Obviously, he thought that he would be appreciated, so he said, "I have done these things. What do you think--what will be the virtue attained out of all this?"

Bodhidharma said, "Virtue? You idiot!"--in front of the whole court, because the court had come with the emperor. There was silence. He said, "You will go directly to hell!"
The emperor could not understand. He said, "I don't see why you are so angry."

Bodhidharma replied, "You are destroying a living word, and you are feeding these scholars who have nothing to contribute to the consciousness of the people. Still you have the nerve to ask if you are doing great virtue? You will suffer in hellfire!" The emperor thought, "How to get out of this man's trap? I have entered in a lion's den and now it is very difficult to get out..." The emperor went back, and Bodhidharma remained in the hills just outside China's boundary. Sitting in a temple, facing the wall for nine years, he declared, "To talk to people who don't understand is just like talking to a wall. But talking to a wall at least one has a consolation that it is a wall. I will turn my face only when I see that somebody has come who is worthy of listening to the living word."

Nine years is a long time--but finally one morning the man came. He said, "Listen, I think I am the person you are waiting for." As a proof he cut off one of his hands with his sword, threw the hand into the lap of Bodhidharma and said, "Turn towards me; otherwise I will cut off my head and you will be responsible for it!"

Bodhidharma turned immediately. He said, "This is enough. This is enough proof that you are as crazy as I want! Sit down. There is no need to cut off your head -- we have to use it; you are going to be my successor."

A man who cuts his hand just to give proof of his sincere search... and there was no doubt in Bodhidharma's mind that if he did not turn he would have cut his head. Unnecessarily, he would be burdened with the responsibility of killing a man, and such a beautiful man, so courageous. And certainly the man was Bodhidharma's successor.

But what happened between these two, nobody knows. Not a single word--Bodhidharma just turned towards him, told him to sit down, looked into his eyes... snow was falling and there was an immense silence all around. Not a single question was asked, and not a single answer was given. But something must have transpired, otherwise Bodhidharma would not have chosen him as his disciple.
~Osho

How to tell what the hell is going on around you.

2010-05-01T07:43:00.000-07:00

It's SIMPLE!

It truly is. You hear people say, "life is what you make it" and "everything is about your perspective you don't like it change it" or "people are reflections of one another". When you were in school don't you remember your teachers trying to teach you about how Shakespeare's stories were metaphorical? You could not really understand his writing unless you changed your perspective and the only way to learn from the tale was to look at it metaphorically. Many poets write the same way. I personally feel the bible should be looked upon from this perspective.

Basically if you really want to know what is going on around you all the above applies but its easier then that. Everything and I mean EVERYTHING is a mere reflection of what is going on within you. The saying life is an illusion is meant to show you that what is going on in your mind is being played out right in front of you!

Look at your opinions. Look at your judgments and prejudice. Don't tell me you don't have any because everyone does. Take a look at the people in your life. All of them. The ones you love, the ones you hate, the ones who irritate you, the ones who mean nothing to you, the ones you look up too. Look at the car you drive and the home you live in. The inside of your home the outside of your home. Each room within your home. Look at the job you have and the area you live and work in.

If you really want to know what the hell is going on around you! Look inside you! You need to learn how to recognize yourself within everything. Yes it is true you are separate from nothing. You created it. Its your life playing out in front of you. Every little thing is a reflection of what is going on inside you. Reality is just this illusion reflecting in front of you so you can become conscious of who you really are.

If you do not like something in your life then change the thing it is reflecting inside you. It's that simple! All you have to do is have the guts to admit to yourself your flaws, your fears, and your idiosyncrasies. All you have to do is be brave enough to look in the mirror at a face you feel is ugly and change it. That is why they say there is nothing to fear but fear it self! Because what is the worst that is going to happen? Your gonna see something you don't like. So what you look at it everyday reflecting back to you in other people, situations, and things.

You have no one to blame in the world for what is going on around you. No one. It is only a projection. It is an illusion. And guess what you can make that beautiful illusion look however you want.

So I answered your question...I told you what was going on around you. Now you need to decide if your going to do anything about it. It's all in your hands now!

Be Vulnerable And Fear Loses

2010-04-30T08:27:00.001-07:00

I believe one of the toughest lessons for some people to learn is how to be vulnerable. What does vulnerable mean anyway? According to dictionary.com it either means capable of or susceptible to being wounded or hurt or playing Bridge and having won one of the games of a rubber. I have no idea what the second one means but I do understand why its important to be susceptible to being wounded or hurt. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying setting yourself up for disaster so you can be hurt what I'm saying is I know why allowing yourself to be vulnerable is important.
Lets take this common scenario for instance. Two friends Marie and Tanya are sitting in a coffee shop chatting about their love life or lack there of. Marie has had a rough time with her boyfriend and has recently broken up and Tanya hasn't dated anyone is months because her last relationship was so bad. Marie is asking Tanya if she'd like to go for a girls night out and Tanya is apprehensive summing up all men to be dogs. Yes, this is a common scenario! Tanya is scared! Her heart was broken. So was Marie's but she is living from the perspective where she is going to get back out there and have a good time. She realizes that if she sits back and lives in fear of being heart broken again or fear that she will just have the same thing happen that always happens she will lose out on life. Yes she won't have her heart broken but guess what she also won't experience the joys of love. So what if the love ends some day! Change is good! Yes it hurts! Sometimes a lot! Sometimes so much so you feel like you will never be able to love another! But why would you chose to limit your life just because of fear?
Being vulnerable, capable of or susceptible to being wounded or hurt, means you go out and experience life for all that its worth. When you fall you get back up again. Which life would you rather live one where you experienced everything and enjoyed yourself fully even at the price of heart break, or one where you were too scared to move forward and try anything new. One were change was the devil and you were scared of being in hell? I think I know which one I would chose.
Being vulnerable allows one true freedom from fear. You are limitless in life if you allow, trust, and have faith. You will be truly free. Being free does have a price. The price is allowing whatever life deals you to happen and not feeling the need to control or stop it. Change is inevitable either go with it or against it. But I guarantee those who go with it will be much happier in the end. If were are all going to die someday wouldn't you want to die happy?

Lets have a little chat about FAITH and TRUST

2010-04-29T07:28:00.000-07:00

We all go through our trials and tributes. We all have traumatic painful experiences and phases we go through in life. We have all found ourselves sitting in the dark and seeing that there was no way out. But what if there was a way to at the very least eliminate or decrease those experiences from happening. What if there was a way when you were in the middle of that dark place to suddenly see the light from the crack of the door and we able to walk out into the sunshine.
In life we have heard the words Faith and Trust thrown around to us from spiritual leaders, friends, and family members when they are trying to cheer us up and lift us out of that dark place. But raise your hand if you are one of those people who let those two words slip through your ears and back out again. Until you are completely tired and feel there is no other way to lose in life you may never really try and grasp the concept of Faith and Trust. I personally got to a point in my life where I was tired of always finding myself back in the same place in life and I came to realize that no one was going to make it better for me but me.
So what did I do? I learned to Trust and have Faith. I force feed myself the definition of what it meant to trust life and what it meant to have faith everything is happening as it should. I'm not going to sit here and write about how easy it is and leave you with no tangible guidelines. We have all read tons of those types of articles. Plane and simple I am going to show you how it worked for me over and over and how it shocked me each time!
~Leap and the net will appear~
Yep that's what you do! There is only one thing stopping you! Only one obstacle! Fear.
So lets boil it down to the lowest common denominator. What is the very worst that can happen when you decide to take a leap of faith?! Death. Is that so bad? If that is really the worst thing that can happen then you have absolutely nothing to lose!
I have learned that when I need something in life I simply ask for it. Ask and you shall receive. I don't say to the universe, god, or whomever you show to pray to "I need a million dollars can you send it straight to my bank account." But I do say, "My car is not doing so well and if it breaks down I will be in a lot of trouble. Would you please find a way to bring a good car into my life." And then I forgot all about it! I told the universe and never looked back. About a month later Arizona heat hit and my air conditioning in my car was out and I sucked it up and took myself to the dealership. I came home with a beautiful brand spanking new car and my car payments were only $7 more a month than I was paying and a piece of junk!
Oh I have many more stories of how I randomly take leaps of faith! But to spare you all the details I will come down to my most recent ones! The biggest leap I feel I have ever taken!
Last month I was tired of the way I was being treated at work. I had been avoiding the leap. But finally I took it and quite my job. I was raised never to leave a job when I did not already have one lined up. But I never allowed fear to take over! I felt deep within me that it would be ok so I quite!
A month later my bills are due and my car is LOW on oil and needs a change. I have $19.25 in my personal bank account. So I said to the universe yesterday, "Please line up some work for me. Money is getting very tight. I do not need anymore than I need to pay my bills and get by. I am willing to work in the places you need me most so just send it my way. I have only a few weeks before my big bills need to be paid and I have had no luck in getting jobs." Then I let it go! I did not worry one more time about it!!!!!!
I came home and guess what. I got a phone call for one side job the very next day! I was so excited because I would be able to put that money away. And then I prayed for a little more work so I could make my bills on time. A few hours later due to a typo on my supervisors part I had to contact her and she just so happened needed someone to do a second job with random dates and hours for more pay then the other job! Guess what I did the math and I will have enough money exactly in time to pay all my bills! Simply because I asked. Simply because I had faith I would be taken care of. Simply because I trusted in the universe that my needs would be met. Yes it is risky! But remember what do you have to lose?
If you believe it then so be it! If you know then it is so! Have faith and trust! Ask and you shall receive! These are not just words to make you feel better. They are solutions to some of life's toughest most painful issues!

I Am My Own Hero

2010-04-27T16:10:00.000-07:00

I have no heroes because there is no one outside of myself that has the answers I search for. There is no book, no guru, no humble person, or genius, no religious practice or meditation. They are all mere catalysts, perfect reflections, there to help me go inside myself turn my mind off and understand what is going on beyond words, beyond the mind, beyond the illusions playing out in front of me. I am my own master as you are. And yet, I am your reflection. In whatever light you see me, it is reflecting something deep within you that is begging for you to become aware of. And vice versa. You are my reflection. I chose to see you for what you are and realize it is not separate from me but something within me as well. If we are not separate how can I call anyone or anything outside of me my hero? I am my own master as you are. If you love yourself you are able to love me.
I want to share an inspiring excert from one of my favorite mystics who may be able to take you deeper within on your journey of self mastery. I have often said, "We are all on imaginary journeys to a place we have never left!"
<3 Heaven

Beyond mind, there is an awareness that is intrinsic, that is not given to you by the outside, and is not an idea -- and there is no experiment up to now that has found any center in the brain which corresponds to awareness. The whole work of meditation is to make you aware of all that is "mind" and disidentify yourself from it. That very separation is the greatest revolution that can happen to man.Now you can do and act on only that which makes you more joyous, fulfills you, gives you contentment, makes your life a work of art, a beauty. But this is possible only if the master in you is awake. Right now the master is fast asleep. And the mind, the servant, is playing the role of master. And the servant is created by the outside world, it follows the outside world and its laws. Once your awareness becomes a flame, it burns up the whole slavery that the mind has created. There is no blissfulness more precious than freedom, than being a master of your own destiny.
Osho From the False to the Truth Chapter 7

No One Knew What To Do

2010-04-26T09:45:00.000-07:00

No one knew what to do.
So they walked.
Soon they came to a beautiful river.
It was just what they needed for their walk was long and hard and they were very thirsty
As they bent down each scooped water into their hands and began to indulge.
One child looked up and said,"I am blessed for I needed water and here it is and i didn't even ask for it".
Another child added, "and I am blessed for the sun was so hot and harsh and this beautiful river nurtures the most beautiful grand trees and I can nap in the shade".
And the last child said nothing for he was busy starring at his reflection in the water. He was darkened from the sun, dirty from the treacherous walk, and thinned from no water or food, yet he smiled for he knew that at one time he had no answers and did not know what to do but in his reflection he saw the world come to life. He knew there was nothing he needed to do. He realized there was nothing he needed to ask for. He knew that it did not matter how he looked or how hard his life had been because in his reflection he saw something he never seen before...everything. He was a part of everything. Nothing was separate from him. He was the trees and the wind, the water and the air, the birds and flowers. He realized none of these things ever asks for anything. None of them knows what to do, they just are, they just do.
The moral of the story is: Be who and what you are. Do not worry about what to do in life for it will naturally unfold in front of you. Know you are provided for and have no need to suffer, and remember you are a perfect reflection of what already is.