Bring Your Self To Awareness

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

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

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?

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

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://facebook.com/whtsursgn or leave a comment below.

Guilt, Sorrow, and Envy

"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

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.