How Do I Talk to My Angels?
by Cheryl Dusty
cherokeeangel.com
I'm often asked "can I speak to my angels and how do I do it?"
It's not science, but there are some basic principles that will help you. You've probably heard from your angels at some time, you just didn't realize it. It's that feeling or voice that says "watch out" or makes you feel like you just have to do something.
But how do you actively converse with your angels? First you need to get into the right frame of mind and spirit. What you expect is what you can manifest. That's the law.
Angels don't operate in a world that is governed by the same limitations that we live with on a daily basis. First you have to believe that angels are real and that they are there to help you. Make a clear decision that you are going to invite the spirit of the angels into your life. If you do not faithfully request their presence, then you may not receive it. Part of the law that governs angels is that they may not interfere with your free will, except in times of danger when your life may be threatened and it is not yet time for your soul to transition.
First you must find a quiet time and place in your day. Go somewhere where you know that you will not be disturbed. Take the time to sit and relax. Take a few deep breaths and let any negative thoughts or feelings drift away. You will find this simple breathing exercise helpful in relaxing your body and mind. Take a deep breath from deep in your diaphragm, in through your nose. Hold this breath for a count of 4. Then slowly exhale through your mouth to a count of 4. Repeat this at least 3-4 times.
Try to keep your mind alert but peaceful. Now make a point to personally invite the spirit of the angels to enter your heart. You may simply say "angels, I invite you into my heart and into my life." Focus on the areas you require guidance in. Make up your mind that you will receive whatever guidance it is you're seeking. Believing this will help you to receive it. Just be patient and let it happen.
Remember that angels are gentle spirits. You must listen carefully for their quiet, inner voice. Let your heart and mind go with the spirit and allow their gentle presence and that quiet, inner voice to speak to you. You may feel a sense of peace and clarity, a quiet energy, and sometimes a chilly or warm tingling coming over you. This all depends on how much you are able to let go. You may want to have a notebook or a journal handy so that you can write down any thoughts or words that might come to you.
Just try to record what comes to you, whatever pops into your consciousness. If you have a particular need, ask a question and just listen. Remember that, like everything else that's worthwhile, it might take a little bit of time for you to become comfortable enough with the process for it to be able to fully work for you.
Be grateful after an angelic experience. Let the angels know that you will be contacting them again and that you will try to become more aware of them in your daily life. Invite them to bring peace, protection, healing and guidance into your life. You may find that if you seek their presence on a regular basis that your relationship with them will only continue to grow and become an even greater benefit to you.
SaturnsLady
Five Pathways to Listening to Your Inner Voice
by Claudette Rowley
metavoice.orgIs your life out of sync with your priorities?Do you feel like you're a hamster running on a wheel?Have you forgotten who you are? If you answered YES to any of these questions, read on. Learn to listen to your inner voice - the essence of who you are - by following these five steps: 1. Check in with your heart. Social conditioning teaches us to be logical and "use our heads". When you only use your head, your experience of yourself and the world is limited. You miss out on the vital information the rest of your body, heart and soul is giving you. Benefits: The same neurological tissue found in the brain is found in the heart. The heart is a second "brain" and our emotional center. Listening to your head and your heart is crucial to good decision-making about your life, your business and your relationships. New Focus: Put your hand over your heart and focus there - what is it telling you? 2. Connect with your body. Your body gives you a tremendous amount of useful information that you may not be conscious of. For example, when your mother-in-law visits, does your stomach tie up in knots? When your boss yells at you, do your shoulders turn into stone? When you feel passionate and alive, does your chest feel warm and open? When we ignore the body's message, we lose out on valuable information designed to let us what works for us and what doesn't. Benefits: For many people, fear manifests as a tightness in their chest. This is valuable information, especially if you aren't aware that you are afraid. Your body alerts you to what makes feels passionate and what doesn't. The body is a fount of wisdom designed to tell you when you're on the right path and when you aren't. New Focus: Notice the messages your body is giving you right now. Try a self-massage to find areas in your back, neck or shoulders that are tense or knotted. What other areas of your body feel tight? Which ones feel relaxed and loose? Use this information as another key to listening to your inner wisdom. 3. Listen to your intuition. Intuition is simply knowing something without knowing exactly how you know it. Connect back to a time that you had a "gut feeling" about something - the job that you knew you shouldn't take, even though it looked good on the surface or the relationship that just felt right for you. That's your intuition talking to you. Benefits: Gut feelings are a wealth of information. Remember, your intuition is never wrong, although your interpretation of it may be incorrect. When your intuition calls to you, trust it. Practice makes perfect when it comes to using your intuition effectively. New Focus: The next time you need to make a decision, check in with your intuition. Experiment with trusting it. When you follow your intuition, what happens? When you hear it and disregard it, what's the outcome? 4. Notice your self-saboteur*. Each of us has our very own special saboteur. The saboteur is the voice in your head that says, "You are not good enough." "Who do you think you are?" "If you take this new job, everyone will find out what a fraud you are." The saboteur's job is to "protect" you from taking risks and making changes. Benefits: Learn to distinguish between your voice and the saboteur's mumbo-jumbo. Notice how the inner critic drives the choices and decisions you make. New Focus: Simply notice the negative voices playing in your head. Notice the times when they crop up. Recognize that the voices aren't you and they aren't true. Learning to separate your own voice from that of the saboteur is a powerful and life changing tool. 5. Identify limiting beliefs. We each carry a set of beliefs that we live by. Certain beliefs you hold consciously, while others are mainly unconscious. Beliefs develop out of past experiences and our interpretations of those experiences. Some of the conscious and unconscious beliefs that you develop limit your ability to grow and move forward in your life. For example: One of your goals as a successful entrepreneur is to make a lot of money. You discover that you have a belief - a limiting one - that it's wrong to make a lot of money. Until you begin to alter your beliefs about money, it will be more difficult for you to achieve that financial success you desire. Benefits: Learning to notice a limiting belief allows you to become conscious of it, and then change it. Releasing a belief that limits you puts you back in the driver's seat of your life. You, rather than an old belief, make the choices that are right for you and allow you to fulfill your potential Ways to spot a limiting belief: * You tell yourself that you only have one or two choices in a situation, or "no choice" at all. * Your inner critic expresses his or her opinion. The inner critic's opinion is generally based in a limiting belief. * A decision may appear to be black and white to you, or an either/or situation. * You have decided that "this is the way the world is." * You make a decision based on fear. * You feel constricted and notice that you lack clarity about a specific situation. New Focus: How does a particular belief allow you to attract what you really want in life? How does it prevent you from attaining your goals? When you reach an obstacle in your path, make sure that it's not an old belief in your way. When important questions like "What do I want?" or "What's the right choice for me to make?" surface in your mind, consult your inner voice. You possess the answers you need to live a life that feels successful and fulfilling. Listening to your inner voice can lead you on a path that feels deeply satisfying. Your business and personal lives will flourish with this new level of trust in yourself. SaturnsLady
Your Angels Want to Help You!
by Mary Soliel
marysoliel.com
You probably know that you have at least one angel with you at all times, your guardian angel, right? And there are also many angels and guides that come in and go out of your life at various times, there to help you and comfort you? They can give you nudges, little whispers, send synchronicities your way, and they can comfort you during difficult times, but they cannot interfere with your free will unless you give them permission to help. Yes, by simply asking your angels for help, you give them the permission they need. And as you speak to and work with your angels, watch this relationship change your whole life in ways you probably never dreamed or imagined.
My friend and working partner Jeannie Barnes, Angelic Channeler (you can learn more about her at www.angelicchanneler.com), channeled this message from the angels:
We are always around. That just is. Many of us are surrounding you during times of crisis or when the need is great. We can comfort without permission. Our presence in itself is comforting. But if you have a specific issue or problem you are dealing with, we cannot come in and fix it without your permission. We can be there to comfort and gently nudge and give you signs of what to do, but we cannot go in and interfere without your permission.
They also said they can "step in" if there's a life-altering situation that was not part of one's life contract, especially if one's life was at risk and this person was not destined to leave the earth at such a time. In these cases they can intervene without permission.
Jeannie also channeled the words:
A miracle is nothing more than God’s love in action. This is why prayer works.
Remember that when you give your angel permission to help you, it is a partnership. You are working hand in hand with your angels for your highest good. You cannot and must not expect your angel to do everything for you; it is a partnership, a most beautiful partnership. Sometimes they do step in and completely intervene, but usually you are working with them.
Speak to your angels as you would to a friend, out loud, or you can do so in your mind. They hear your thoughts as well as your spoken words. You don't need to get in some yoga or meditation position and have complete quiet or anything. You can talk to them while shopping at the store (okay, you may choose to speak in your mind in this case) or when waiting for the kids to get out of school, or while doing the dishes. You can ask them right now in this moment!
Ask them to show you signs. They will show you they are indeed listening and will grace you with guidance. If you feel unsafe, they can protect you. If you are sad and depressed, they will comfort and bless you. Expect magic and miracles when working with your angels. They often work through synchronicity, meaningful coincidences, to give you messages.
For instance, they may whisper to you to turn right instead of left, and you meet a stranger who becomes your new friend. They may whisper a song to you when you wake in the morning, and in those lyrics is a message that will guide you that very day. They may tell you to look at the clock now! And it may be 4:44 (known to be the angels' sign of the power of God's love) or 11:11, or any number in triplicate to get your attention, or another meaningful string of numbers for you.
More and more people are waking up to signs from the Universe as well as their angels. After I published my book, I Can See Clearly Now: How Synchronicity Illuminates Our Lives, scores of readers have shared their synchronicities that are miraculously mirroring my own synchronicities shared in the book. Not only are their angels nudging them awake at 4:44, as I describe in the book, but they are showing in many ways that this is real, and they are really here for us.
For instance, in I Can See Clearly Now, I speak of the many signs I've had with Chihuahuas. One reader said that "since I have started your book a Chihuahua mix dog keeps appearing at the end of the driveway," and she had "never seen it before these last few days."
Also, I shared the story of how I almost hit a dog while in my car at the very same time Don Henley sang on the radio, "it's about forgiveness, forgiveness," just after I got angry and hurt over a friend's phone call. A reader, shortly after perusing that chapter, had a similar experience of a dog cutting in front of her car. She heard a "light thud," but when she got out found that the white dog was fine and had "almost 'pink' eyes." There was no tag on the dog and the kids who witnessed it said they had never seen the dog before. Earlier that day, she heard Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now" on the radio, and the very next day she heard another song I shared that I also experienced powerful synchronicities with, Seal's "Kiss from a Rose."
And yet another reader when in the car stated she was going to look for 444s (meaning on license plates, address, signage, etc.) while riding, the moment she stated it, she saw my last name on a building.
Our angels are showing us in magical synchronistic ways that they are very real, and when we experience the magic again and again, we reach a point where we realize that there is so much going on behind the scenes that we've closed our minds to. It is time to open our minds!
Yes, our angels are working hard to get our attention. They most want us to know that we are loved, we are not ever alone, and they want to help us. Again, all you have to do is simply ask...
Jeannie Barnes and myself are leading "Meet Your Angels!" Workshops to help spread the messages from our angels. We have joined forces to bring about greater awareness of God's messengers. Soon after we formulated a plan to do so, synchronicity validated our decision and partnership as I was led to re-read one of my favorite books, The Light Shall Set You Free, by Dr. Norma Milanovich and Dr. Shirley McCune.
It stated that "the angels grow especially restless for they have so many gifts to bring. Their full potential lies as dormant as the trees in winter while they await the calls from Earth's Spiritual Warriors to join forces with their strength." It voiced a call to "reduce the unemployment rate in the Heavens." For all of you who this resonates with, may we work to reduce the unemployment rate in the Heavens.
SaturnsLady
Co-Creation: Reclaiming What Is Rightfully Yours Through Love
by William Frank Diedrich
ofspirit.com
In order to co-create we have to clean up blaming and resentments. Co-creation is creating using the guidance of your Inner Being, your Higher Self. Anything you are holding against another is holding you. Anything you are holding against yourself is holding you. Power is found in complete responsibility.
Complete responsibility is your ability to respond to what is. You can respond to negative emotions by releasing them. Your release does not come from being against them, fighting them, or demanding that they leave.
The way to release negative feelings is to increase your positive feelings. As you increase your ability to carry positive thoughts and emotions, as you place your attention on that which you appreciate, and as you see more of your life from the perspective of your Inner Being, your love and light increase.
Imagine a hot air balloon. As it is filled with helium it rises higher. As you are filled with love you rise higher. You rise into the higher and finer vibrations of spirit. You rise into this higher vibration by opening your heart. When you feel the joy of loving you feel lighter, alive, and expanded.
Your willingness to open your heart, to feel unconditional love and acceptance toward self and others, dissolves your sense of separation. Love is the doorway to your vision. It is the doorway to becoming your Inner Being.
Love heals; love prospers; love uplifts; and love makes whole. It is difficult to define something so all encompassing as love. Love is the essence of the Source, and it is your true nature. You are love. Your Inner Being is love. When you are in a state of love, you are in alignment with Source. Love is unconditional appreciation and acceptance. Love is not something you give so much as it is a way of being.
To look upon a person or situation with love is to accept it completely and to see perfection in it. Loving yourself is accepting yourself exactly as you are and at the same time, seeing your perfection. As a human, you are imperfectly perfect. As a divine expression, you are the expression of perfection.
When you create without love, you are separating yourself from the Source. You are cutting off the pure positive energy of love. This creates lack, illness, or disharmony. When you open your heart, by focusing your attention on what you appreciate, by forgiving self and others, the pure positive energy of love again flows into your experience.
The flow of love never went away. You were never really separate from your Source. All that you have ever needed has always been available. These conditions of fear, lack, disease, and disharmony were created in your mind. Your mental creations then became your experience. You closed off your heart. You decided to hold back or to withhold from yourself the love that is your natural state.
Your journey to well-being is a journey homeward. You are reclaiming what is already yours. Abundance is already yours. It always has been and always will be. Wholeness is already yours. It always has been and always will be. Harmony and being well loved are yours. They always have been and always will be. Being one with your Inner Being, with the Source, with all creation, is yours. It always has been and always will be.
Your task today is to love your negative emotions. By loving them, you raise their vibration. You are shining a light in the dark corners of your being. You cannot create prosperity by hating poverty. You cannot create wellness by hating your disease or by hating your body. You cannot create a loving relationship by hating being alone. You cannot create peace with anyone by resenting their way of being. You create prosperity, wellness, loving relationships, and harmony through love.
People often believe that God is withholding from them. God never withholds. We withhold from ourselves. Our decision to close off our heart and withhold in any part of our life manifests as lack in our experience. Resentment, bitterness, disappointment, blame, frustration, unworthiness, condemnation, and other judgments are evidence of our withholding.
Breathe deeply and imagine a glowing ball of light in the area of your heart. Imagine you are radiating love from this area. See this love as a warm and powerful light. See this light expanding and radiating throughout your body. Continue to breathe deeply. See and feel this pure energy moving throughout each and every cell; each and every organ; and each and every system. See and feel it moving into your arms and legs. See and feel yourself filled and surrounded with this radiating light energy. Allow yourself to bask in it.
Are there parts of your body that have been unwell lately? Allow this pure energy to radiate into this area. Feel it and see it permeating this area of your body. energy to radiate into this area. Feel it and see it permeating this area of your body.
Are there any parts of your body that you have been negative or critical about? Radiate this loving energy into that part or parts. Love your body and all of its parts exactly as it is. For example, if you have always been critical about your teeth, love your teeth. If you have hated your shape, love your shape. Send loving energy into all of your body. You are opening your heart to the body that serves as your instrument in this life. Care for it and nurture it right now. After you have spent some time in this loving state with your body, ask it what it needs right now. Ask it what you can do right now to nurture it. Write down what you feel from this inquiry.
You are completely responsible for the body you occupy. Respond by loving it, accepting it, and giving it what it needs. You are not your body, but you need it to be well in order that it may serve you well.
If the body has been an issue for you, you may want to continue working with this energy to heal the way you feel. When you can stand before a mirror, naked, and appreciate and accept what you see, you are making good progress.
If you cannot do this, you may want to consider working up to this goal. As you continue to increase your love for your body remember that your body is not you. It is an instrument that serves you. You are your Inner Being.
The same can be said for issues of finance or relationships. Radiate the energy of love from our heart to the situation. Where do you feel discomfort in your body over finance or relationships? Radiate love to those areas. Open your heart to your present situation and see it as your opportunity to expand your world. Each situation you encounter is an entrance through which you may walk into your greatness. Blaming and resentments are blocks to receiving the good that is already yours. As you let go of negativity and focus on love, you allow the natural joy and love of your Inner Being to expand in your mind. As your joy and love expand, you attract situations in life that resonate. This is co-creation.
SaturnsLady
Auras How to See Them,
And What The Colours Mean
by Linda Preston
thespiritguides.co.uk
Everyone has their own aura. An aura is a pocket of energy that surrounds you. You have an aura, your partner has an aura, so have your children, friends and even your pets have auras.
You may never have seen or felt your own aura but that doesn’t mean that it doesn't exist. You can if you want establish a strong connection with it.
See your aura as your own personal energy shield. It protects you from harmful influences from people and the world around you. So the sooner you recognize and honour it, the better you will feel.
TUNING INTO AURAS
It is much easier to see an aura, whether it is your own or someone else's than you might imagine. For most people, it takes only a couple of minutes to detect an aura. Once you have made this initial leap from seeing nothing to seeing something, you are on a fascinating path to seeing auras in more detail. You will begin to notice them surrounding everyone you meet.
HOW TO SEE AURAS
There are two ways you might see auras. The first is by simply noticing it with your eyes, and the second is by observing it with your mind's eye. Some people find they get better results from working with the latter i.e. inner vision.
It doesn't matter which method you use - there is no right or wrong way to see auras. It's just whichever method works best for you.
HOW TO SEE AURAS WITH YOUR INNER VISION
You already use your inner vision, often without being aware of it when you think of something that triggers your imagination. For example when you remember an event you are seeing it with your inner vision. You don't make any special effort to do this - it just comes naturally.
This method works equally well with auras. All you need to do is look closely at the person or animal whose aura you want to study, fix their image in your mind, and then look away. Next, close your eyes and remember the image. You might see it in detail or simply in silhouette. Can you see the aura surrounding it? Believe in the image that comes to you and resist any temptation to alter it in any way if it does not match what you were expecting to see. Write down what you've noticed either in words or pictures, so you can compare notes for next time you practice this exercise. Keep practicing and it'll become second nature to you.
WHAT THE COLOURS MEAN
Although auras can change colour according to our moods and our physical and emotional well being, we generally have one colour that is always present in our auras. This colour says a lot about us, because it describes our attitudes and beliefs. The interpretations given below are only suggestions but I have found them useful; however you may begin to develop your own ideas once you start to develop your aura reading skills.
RED
This is a vibrant colour to find in anybody's aura. It indicates that the individual is enterprising, dynamic & competitive. Often they enjoy being active and have a love of sports. Clear red indicates someone who loves life and lives it to the full. However, a dull red may indicate anger or resentment.
ORANGE
Orange is a lovely warm and energising colour and someone who has an orange aura is very positive and confident. This person goes through life believing all things will go well. But beware, of someone who has an overly bright orange aura has it often indicates an egotistical character.
GREEN
A clear green aura is found surrounding loving and affectionate people they instinctively want to create harmony for others. This may make them overly anxious to please and they may be taken advantage of. They have a great love of the outdoors and nature. But watch out for someone with a harsh green aura - they are often stubborn and inflexible to any new ideas.
YELLOW
People with yellow auras tend to be life's thinkers. They would never rush into a decision. You may find them outgoing and very sociable. However, beware of someone with a murky yellow aura as they may be less than truthful.
BLUE
Blue is the colour that belongs to someone who is idealistic and who has strong beliefs about what is right or wrong. They are often a seeker of spiritual knowledge and could be drawn to practice some form of healing. However, a dark blue aura indicates someone who is conservative in their views and afraid of change
PURPLE
People with purple auras right through from pale lilac to rich purple indicates someone with a strong sense of spiritual purpose. They are humanitarian and care deeply about the fate of others. A clear purple indicates a strong psychic ability.
GOLD
A gold aura is rarely seen. Someone with a gold aura has a tremendous amount of potential and the ability to make a big contribution to the world. They have a deep sense of spirituality and visionary qualities. But, if someone has a dirty gold aura - take care. They have a strong materialistic streak and will stop at nothing to gain power.
BROWN
A person with a rich brown aura is very practical and down to earth, and often has a strong love of animals. They enjoy working out of doors and are often very talented at growing plants. A red-brown aura indicates someone who likes to take care of others.
BLACK
Don’t be worried if you find someone with a black aura, it is not necessarily a negative sign. It usually indicates the person who wants to hide away from the world for a time. A black aura, whether it is completely black or with streaks usually indicates someone who is physically exhausted. A dense black aura indicates a needy person who may leech energy from others.
By learning to read and interpret your own and the aura of others, you will find it opens up a new understanding of the people who surround you in your daily life. It could transform your relationships, career and health.
SaturnsLady
Relationships: Mirrored Reflection of You
by Valery Satterwhite
InnerWizard.com
"Each relationship you have with another person reflects the relationship you have with yourself." ~ Alice Deville.
You have a lot of personal and professional relationships in your life. Some relationships are loving, satisfying, uplifting, supportive and enrich your life experience. You love spending time with these people. They motivate and inspire you. Other relationships are tense, adversarial, problematic, strained, and exhausting. You don't like, or avoid, spending time with the people who drain the life energy right out of you.. The funny thing is that all of your relationships, good and bad, are a reflection of you!
How can that be?
It's very simple, really. You love the good relationships that you have because these people reflect what you like about yourself. They're kind, giving, nice, loyal, fun to be with, and all of the other attributes that you enjoy when you're involved in a good relationship. You dislike the people you have difficulty with because they reflect the parts of you that you don't like. In these people you see something in them, however tiny or large, that you don't like about yourself. If they're needy, they remind you of the times when you have been needy. If they're rude, they're a reminder of the pain you caused others by your own rudeness. If they're annoying they bring out the annoyer in you. If they are liars, they remind you of the time you lied, how that felt and the damage that lie may have caused you or others.
Pay particular attention to the people who bother you, get under your skin, for no apparent reason. These people reflect something within you that you have been unwilling to see.
I'll give you an example.
Several years ago I had a business associate, Naomi, who irritated the heck out of me. Naomi was a nice enough person, never hurt me, but every time I saw her my skin crawled. If she said, "Hi. How are you?" I wanted to run in the other direction. Any time she called with a business related question or invitation I couldn't get off the phone fast enough. Naomi frequently invited me to networking events and I always found some excuse to decline. For some unexplained reason I just didn't want to be around this woman.
Yes, I Found Excuses And Reasons (F.E.A.R.) not to like her. To me, Naomi was a pushy, needy, wishy-washy person who just wanted to cling onto me to advance her career. What I didn't realize at the time was that I had been a pushy, needy, wishy-washy person who clung onto other people to advance my early career. I'd grown up a lot since then and was no longer that person, yet I definitely once was that girl. And now Naomi was reflecting that behavior back to me. And it bothered me to even think of her. I did not want to be reminded that I, too, was once at that very same place in my personal journey of self-awareness and development.
You love what is reflected back to you that you love within you. You dislike what is reflected back to you that you dislike within you. You are neutral to what is presented to you that is not a reflection of you.
Examine your relationships with the people in your life. Identify the attributes you love and like in the people you have a good relationship with. You hold these attributes too. Acknowledge and own them. Love that part of you. Identify the attributes you don't like in the people you have a bad, or troubled, relationship with. You hold these attributes too. Acknowledge and own them. Have compassion and forgiveness for that part of yourself and of the other person for each of you are only doing the best you can given the light you have to see. Granted, some people have fewer batteries in their flashlight than others! Yet they are still doing the best they can. No one deliberately decides to exhibit unwanted behavior. Learn the lesson to add a few more volts to that flashlight of yours. Every relationship, good and bad, brings gifts in the lessons and the light they offer to you. Cherish the gift. It will empower you as you continue to move forward in the direction of living your rich delicious life.
"Life is a succession of lessons, which must be lived to be understood."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
SaturnsLady
Balancing Your Yin And Yang Energies With Color
by Mike Z. Wang
thespiritualfengshui.com
Have you ever wondered what feelings you have when you look at a bright red rose in the garden? Can you imagine a garden that does not have colorful flowers, but only green foliage? Early in the morning, when you see a newly opened flower in your garden, your heart is filled with joy and happiness. Each flower in the garden has a different color and hue that affects you differently. While the white lily touches your soul for its serenity, the red rose with its vibrant energy elicits a feeling of love and passion. The feeling is different because the flower is reflecting a different color and Feng Shui uses this natural magic of colors to transform your life.
A rose is red because it reflects red color, and Feng Shui makes use of this reflected energy to create a balance between yin and yang energies that suit your personality or your environment.
You may be aware of two types of energies (yin and yang) that the colors in Feng Shui represent. You can think of yin energy as being like a plant growing from the earth. It comes from the soil, raising itself upward and moving toward the sky. As yin energy moves up to the sky, it becomes diffused and dissipated. Yin energies have an element of dreaminess about them, and the colors like blue, white, green and purple, according to Feng Shui, are believed to have yin energies.
If your home office is full of creative and dream-inducing objects or colors, Feng Shui may ask you to get rid of them (at least some of them) and introduce more vibrant colors in their place. These changes will help you get in the right spirit to do some work and be enthusiastic.
Every association you have with a color contributes in some way to how you are. That is why colors play a meaningful role within the practice of Feng Shui. It is very essential for you to understand why toning down or playing up certain Feng Shui colors in your home will help you to achieve the goals you have set for yourself in your life.
The guiding principle in using Feng Shui Colors should be to achieve balance rather than excess. Whether you are planning the color scheme of your home, office, garden or personal appearance, the following characteristics of the colors in Feng Shui practice will give you an insight into how they can be used in Feng Shui design.
Yin Colors and Feng Shui
Yin colors according to Feng Shui are the colors which bring about healing and relaxation. The relation between colors and Feng Shui can be better understood by taking the example of some colors as given below.
Blue: Blue color according to Feng Shui has yin energy and it is calm and soothing. This color has great significance in Feng Shui, as it reflects love as it heals and relaxes. Blue creates a feeling of peace and trust. Since it is the color of the sea and sky, Feng Shui associates it with adventure and exploration. Navy blue is the color of intellect and wisdom.
Black: Black color in Feng Shui symbolizes money and income. Black is great for careers, especially when combined with metal. It is the Feng Shui color of emotional protection and power.
Purple: Purple, the color which lies at the end of the spectrum, has a great significance in spiritual Feng Shui. The color is excellent for physical and mental healing, and Feng Shui associates it with spiritual awareness.
White: The color in Feng Shui represents poise, confidence and purity. Because of its yin energy, Feng Shui uses this color mostly in combination with gold or silver to generate an atmosphere The other yin colors of Feng Shui are pink and green, which also have their individual properties that are used in Feng Shui practice.
Yang Colors and Feng Shui
Yellow: Yellow color in Feng Shui is considered to be as auspicious as red. Yellow represents sunbeams, warmth, motion, cheerfulness and friendliness. However, according to a noted color Feng Shui consultant, prolonged exposure to large amounts of intense yellow can cause anxiety.
Orange: With a lot of yang energy, the orange color has great significance for spiritual Feng Shui practice, as it strengthens your concentration. You might use this color when your creative well runs dry. Orange color in Feng Shui is used to give you a sense of purpose. Orange is the color of organization.
The other yang colors of Feng Shui are tan/beige, brown, red, mauve, maroon and lavender and gold. Each color has its significance such as money, luck or romance. These colors can be used in different combinations with Feng Shui elements for balancing the chi of your Feng Shui home, Feng Shui bed room, or Feng Shui office.
Colors and Feng Shui also have a lot to do with the direction in which your home sits. There are different colors that Feng Shui defines for the use in exterior facades of your house. Exterior colors of your house in Feng Shui practice can be used for matching or enhancing the basic house type that you have.
For example if your house is facing towards the South, painting its exterior with white, grey or blue enhances the flow of chi in your home. For houses facing towards the East, the colors in earth tones or metal tones are thought to be of much use for enhancing the positive energies of the house.
The above article has been written with the sole aim of introducing you to the significance of relationship between colors and Feng Shui. But in actual Feng Shui practice, there are many other factors which need to be given importance; it is very essential for you to understand the core of Feng Shui.
Once you know what is Feng Shui, you are in better position to understand the significance of Feng Shui tips. Remember that opening your heart to the universe is more important than knowing the meaning of colors and Feng Shui practice, because it is from there that you allow the healing energies to flow through your heart and living environments.
SaturnsLady
Your Imagination is your Greatest Untapped Resource
by Mina Irfan
theuniverseguru.com
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For while knowledge defines all we currently know and understand, imagination points to all we might yet discover and create.”
–Albert Einstein
Have you ever watched a movie based on a book you like? What was your experience? Chances are you were disappointed. You were disappointed because the director/producer could not capture the book in the same manner your imagination had done so. He/she used their own imagination to interpret the book- your imagination is just as unique as you are. It is an important part of you and your life.
It amazes me how little adults use their imaginations. Ever notice how happy, and alive children are? How they value simple things? We lose the ability to fully enjoy life and the simple things because we lose our imagination as we get older. I am asking you today to find your imagination. find it, embrace it, and use it to make your desires come true. Your imagination is a great resource that you can tap into to achieve all that you desire in life.
Here are 6 reasons why your imagination is your greatest untapped resource.
1. Your imagination is what gives birth to your ambition, dreams, and desires. If you lose your imagination – you lose the ability to see yourself as someone bigger. better, deeper than you are today. Imagination is mental imagery, either real or imaged, and can be the past, present, or future. It can be linked to our greatest desires or our biggest fears.
“You see things; and you say, “Why?” But I dream things that never were; and I say, “Why not?”
–George Bernard Shaw
2. You can instantly use your imagination to trick yourself into being happier than you really are. Yes, I know it is wrong to lie, but look at it as make-believe, or pretend play. The human brain values imagination so much, that it can’t tell the difference whether you are actually happy or just pretending. Of course, you have to do it correctly. Here are some ways to fool the brain into happiness – thus attracting more happiness
* Pretend you are happy by not letting a bad day or bad circumstances spoil your mood. Feel the sad or unhappy emotion, acknowledge it and then let it go.
* Feel good – even when you are sad or down- remind yourself of something that is positive in your life – however small it might be. Create a gratitude list to refer back to as needed
* For an instance lift – do something nice for someone else when you are feeling down yourself. This will add an instance uplift to your mood, while giving you the confidence to imagine even bigger acts of kindness.
* Take mental time outs by imagining yourself overcoming your current problem or taking a vacation (real or imagined). Go to your happy place so to speak. You might feel silly in the beginning, but soon you will trick you brain into feeling instantly happy by doing this trick.
3. Use your imagination to create goals and desires – believe that if you have the ability to imagine it, you certainly have the ability to achieve it. Play with different scenarios in your mind. Good, happy, cheerful ones, don’t focus on creating more worry or stress. Imagine yourself accomplishing your goals with tact, grace, and ease. Imagine being well liked and praised in your circle. Practice doing this on a daily basis.
“If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it, I know I can achieve it.”
–Jesse Jackson
4. The number one reason people often fail at the law of attraction is because of their inability to use their imaginations. They get caught up in the “how will I” instead imagining themselves achieving their goals and leaving the rest up to the Universe. Successful athletes use mental imagery to improve their performance during games. They form mental pictures of themselves playing and winning the game and see themselves enjoying the game rather than worrying how they will win it. They use their imagination to motivate and familiarize themselves about the game plans. Your imagination is the best tool you can use in planning.
5. Remember you are the hero of your imagination- always imagine yourself doing and achieving great things. Have confidence in your imagination and soon you will notice confidence in your ability. I use my imagination when I have to do a task I’m dreading. I will close my eyes and see myself effectively and quickly completing the task and then focus on enjoying the “life after” the task. How it will feel to cross that item off my to do list? Focus on the future instead of the past – you already know the outcomes of your past experiences and can do little to change them. Live in the present and imagine in the future
6. You can change the way others perceive you by changing the way you see yourself in your imagination. Like it or not, we determine how others respect or treat us. Our verbal and non verbal communication give off subliminal clues to others on how we expect to be treated. If you are unhappy with the way others think of you or treat you – start imagining yourself the way you would like to be treated. Practice this on a daily basis – seeing yourself in different scenarios being treated with respect and admiration. This exercise will start building the confidence you need to get those results.
You deserve it.
SaturnsLady
Sense of Gratitude
One Woman's Prayer of Appreciation
by Marlene Buffa
ofspirit.com
Every morning, I take a walk for a half hour. I usually follow the same route through my neighborhood and greet the same neighbors and dogs on their daily ritual, as well. I use my walk as a time of reflection and preparation for my day. I honor myself with time for prayer and gratitude so that my day begins with a focus and perspective which serves to buoy my spirit in the sea of rough water and tides of daily life. Rarely do I make frivolous requests of spirit, or even ask for guidance. Rather, I begin my day with gratitude by recounting all my blessings and inviting more good into my life.
Vision
Thank you God for my eyes. Let them remain clear and my sight true. I'm grateful that I see the full colors of springtime, the smiles of those people I encounter in my life and the panorama of this beautiful country. Also God, thank you for my vision. Beyond my physical sight, I thank you for my spiritual sight. I'm grateful for my ability to imagine and to see in my mind, all the things possible and not yet manifested; all the work I want to accomplish and all the abundance this life offers me. I'm grateful I can see-through misperceptions as well as take note of joy in observation. Thank you God for my optimism and strength and the natural inclination to see the half-full glass and know that life always works out.
My thanks to you, God, for my inward vision. I see my role in the world and I look inside of myself so I may clearly integrate your gifts into life surrounding me. My inner focus allows me to grow stronger as I take note of my truth and recognize all the talents and abilities God instilled in me. Here, as I look inward, I acknowledge all that I see with grace and realism. I accept my strengths and take note of my weaknesses knowing that this self-actualized telescope serves to embolden my observation and allows me to reach for the stars inside of who I am.
Sound
Thank you, God for my ears. Sounds of nature float on the wind into my range of hearing, only to repeat in my mind over and over so that I can relive and enjoy the earth's expression. I'm grateful for hearing a pin drop as well as lightning strike. I'm grateful to hear music and laughter and animal-speak. I appreciate the comforting sounds of my friends' voices, as the tonal familiarity provides love and comfort from close and far away. I remember the voices of loved ones passed on and the resonance of their spirits engulf me with a vibration of memories, both fond and precious.
Even more, thank you God for my ability to listen intently to life and hear in the still small voice of my heart, your whisper of truth for me. God, your voice inside me protects me from harm, serves as my intuition and brings me comfort in times of strife. Thank you, thank you for allowing me to hear you as my soul grows ever mindful of the sound of my life's heartbeat.
Scent
When I breathe in the aromas of life around me, I thank my Creator for my sense of smell. Smell, the unspoken and invisible travel guide and memory evoker, provides me with my positioning in life with every inhalation. I enjoy the spring blossoms, the impending storm, the waft of baking cookies and I breathe life in deeply through the filters of scent. In addition to olfactory sensations, smells also bring us awareness of the presence of life around us. From the favorite perfume of a passerby lingering the air, to the warning smells of a gas leak, I thank God for the window of smells which enable me to experience the past, present and future in one elementary sensory input. Smells touch our memories by reminding us of our youth and return us to a time of security and familiarity with an emotional impact.
Thank you God as well, for my ability to discern life's ups and downs. From "smelling a rat" to stopping to smell the roses, I accept that life operates out of the unseen beyond what appears as true. With this discriminating ability, I trust that life poses a more aromatic experience so that I can fully enjoy a sense of understanding and intuition.
Taste
Perhaps the most enjoyable sense is that of taste. We remember how food tastes and yearn to enjoy it over and over again. Thank you God for responsive taste buds so that I may experience the robust flavors of your bounty. From bitter to sweet, sour or salty, I lavish a palette of flavors on my palate! I'm grateful I eat foods that taste good and are good for me.
Even more, thank you God for the panache of personal taste! Often we identify others by the style of their personality they choose to present to the world. Taste, or flair, or personal charisma, our choices speak loudly to our self-consideration. Our taste in fashion, color, style and even the company we keep, loudly eludes our sense of individuality and confidence in the choices in our lives.
We can want something so much we can taste it, or something may leave a bad taste in our mouths. Assuredly, our sense of taste affords us a richer interaction with our life experience through a ripened appreciation of a well-lived life.
Touch
Our body's largest organ, the skin welcomes the touch of another with thousands of nerve endings responding accordingly. Thank you, God for my marvelously profound armor that both protects my spirit and reacts lovingly to life. As I often take my touch for granted when my body carries me down the street, I thank God I can feel the impact of the hard pavement beneath my shoes. I'm grateful for the wind brushing against my cheek and my hair tickling my forehead. These alarmingly small interactions with life bless us with sensual enlightenment as we know, for certainty, we are of this world and in it.
And God, I'm grateful for my loving heart. I'm so happy to react with sentimentality and emotion when I allow loving experiences to blush into my life. Sometimes life grazes me with wisps of change and other times profound spiritual bruising occurs when I resist a life lesson. Thank you, thank you for a grateful heart that continues to be touched by the miracles of life around me and basks in the sunlight of the Universe.
Lagniappe
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language defines lagniappe as: NOUN: An extra or unexpected gift or benefit.
Thank you God for the "little something extra" you give me every moment of every day! My intuition mellows my fears and guides me through tough times and provides me with accurate hunches. Thank you for my cognizance of the world I live in and the recognition of the beauty of time spent alive and well.
When you flow with appreciation, you live an abundant life through observations of vision, reverberations of the mechanics of life, aromas of evidence of things newly released, the taste of the good life and the touch of the human spirit.
SaturnsLady
Brush with Greatness
by Alan Cohen
alancohen.com One evening when I picked up my voicemail I heard a message from my friend Kinnie, who works as a massage therapist at a luxury hotel: “Call me ― I have to tell you about my brush with greatness.”
I phoned Kinnie immediately and asked what had happened. “I massaged Dustin Hoffman today,” she reported proudly.
Well, that was cool. Yet something bothered me about her phraseology, “My brush with greatness.” “Dustin Hoffman is a great actor,” I told her. “But when you say, ‘my brush with greatness,’ it sounds as if he is great and you are not, and you were lucky to touch greatness for a moment. In my opinion you are just as great as him. You are an outstanding massage therapist and an awesome person. It saddened me tohear you portray yourself as less than him. Who knows, maybe after his massage he phoned a friend and reported, “Let me tell you about my brush with greatness . . .”
Kinnie thanked me for my affirmation of her worth. Yet the lesson goes far beyond that one encounter. We have all have been taught that greatness lives outside of us and we need to rub up against it or import it so we can become great. That’s exactly the opposite of how true greatness operates. Magnificence resides within all of us, and we need but tap into it and bring it forth. We don’t need to brush with greatness; we need to simply brush from greatness.”
We give our power away when we bestow exalted attributes upon people we worship, at the expense of recognizing our own. Former child star Shirley Temple Black recounts, “I gave up believing in Santa Claus when I was six. When my mom took me to see him, he asked for my autograph.” You can imagine the child running to be validated by the god of all children, only to find the god dashing to be validated by the star he adored. While we seek approval from the outside world, if we do not respect ourselves, the gifts bestowed by others fall on barren soil. Rather than importing affirmation from those we adore, we need to claim the good we seek right where we stand. Then we can appreciate and celebrate others’ magnificence side by side with our own.
You cannot acquire greatness by association; you can recognize it only by identity. People who habitually name-drop or flaunt photos of themselves with famous people do not appreciate their inherent worth. It’s not who you know that counts; it’s who you are. When you stand firmly and unapologetically in your own dignity, you attract powerful and worthy comrades. They are drawn to you magnetically, and your conversations are not about what you can get from them, but what you can co-create.
People who brush from greatness, not toward it, are simultaneously humble and powerful. They recognize that the talent that flows through them is seeded from a Source far grander than their ego. When a reporter asked twelve-year-old tennis sensation Jennifer Capriotti, “Do you intend to be the next Chris Evert?” she answered, “No, I intend to be the first Jennifer Capriotti.” Ten-year-old art prodigy Alexandra Nashita, called “the next Picasso,” affirmed, “The difference between me and others is that I am willing to do what I am good at.” Mozart put it this way: “It is when I am, as it were, completely myself, entirely alone, and of good cheer . . . that ideas flow best and most abundantly. Whence and how they come, I know not, nor can I force them.”
Many years ago while Ram Dass was under the influence of mind-altering substances at the Newport Jazz Festival, he found his way backstage. There he noticed a hole in the tent and decided to peer out of it. To his surprise, he saw another eye looking back at his. The other eye had obviously ingested similar substances, and the two eyes just stared at each other for a long, long time. Finally a voice accompanying the other eye spoke from outside the tent: “Wanna get in?” The irony, of course, was that Ram Dass already thought he was in. Yet the other guy perceived himself as in. So “inside” and “outside” are relative indeed!
In high school I envied student body president Dick Brown, who was good-looking and popular, offered everyone a smile and kind word, and had a cheerleader girlfriend. I liked Dick but envied him for being in the in-crowd ― actually its leader. By contrast, I judged myself as a less-than, dithering on the outskirts of coolness.
Years later I bumped into Dick and we hashed over high school days. I confessed that I envied him for being in the in-crowd. He laughed and told me, “That’s weird ― I always thought you were the in-crowd and I was out. I envied you.”
How powerfully we upgrade all of our relationships as we let go of seeking external validation, and recognize that the only in-crowd worth penetrating is the one that lives inside us. There and only there will we find the artist’s hand that brushes with greatness.
SaturnsLady
Discovery On An Icy Bridge
by Judy Ringer
JudyRinger.com
"the impossible challenges of life are the best teachers."
– Amy Mindell, Metaskills
Driving home late one night during the first snow of the season, I hit a patch of ice on a slippery bridge and collided with the barrier that separates the bridge from the air and the water. I careened off one side of the bridge, slid across three lanes of Interstate 95, and scraped along the barrier on the opposite side. Luckily there weren't any other cars were nearby.
As I slid on the frozen surface, my first awareness was fear. Then, as car connected with the barrier, I was jolted into a powerfully present state of being. What flashed through my mind was: I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’m going to be here for it. Then deep calm, peace, and presence.
The car’s forward momentum played itself out as I hung tight, watching, waiting, and thoughtless for what was probably a few seconds but seemed much longer. Then a second forceful awareness: I am not in control. And it’s fine. Though it may seem a contradiction, this was an amazing and wonderful moment that remains with me and continues to teach. I still savor that instant of “not knowing,” and the weightlessness of not being in charge. The timelessness of total presence took my breath away.
The sliding eventually stopped. I was miraculously alive and, as far as I could tell, in one piece. The car had come to rest with wheels and underbelly up against the right side of the bridge. The bottom edge of my door was wedged against the roadway, and I saw and smelled smoke. I was still calm. I heard the radio and thought maybe the window controls worked, and they did. As I rolled down my window and looked out, standing before me was a kind and gentle man, whose name I never got, offering me his hand, asking if I was okay, and helping me out to safety. Yes.
State troopers arrived, my guardian left, and I began the path of coming back to the reality of a totaled car and finding my way home on a snowy evening.
Discovery
It took me many months to fully understand what happened that night and to make sense out of those brief moments of heightened perception and power. What was this place I had inhabited for such a short but meaningful time? How did I get there? Can I find it again?
In his book The Magic of Conflict, Thomas Crum describes a magical domain that "allows us to move beyond the fight, beyond success, to an open realm of possibility," which he calls discovery. By any other name, it would have smelled as sweet that snowy, cold night, when I was able to fully appreciate its essence.
Although I had been in this magical realm before, previous circumstances had not thrust me into it so completely. I had never experienced to this degree how little I know, and how not in control I am. With the sideways slide, the crash, and the loss of control, I lost me for a moment – my sense of past and future, and the unconscious assumptions I make about the way things are. Although that night I slid into discovery by accident, I decided later that I wanted to go there on purpose and more often.
Choosing Discovery
One of the best places to practice discovery is in conflict – when you think you are right about something but are opposed by someone else's idea of right. To choose discovery in that moment is to intentionally put yourself in the land of not-knowing, to be interested in someone else’s story, to let go of the need to control the outcome, and to give yourself the gift and power of seeing the world through other eyes.
In dialogue, instead of arguing and making assertions, you ask your conflict partner questions to which you do not know the answers, and invite her to talk about and clarify her position. Rather than excluding options, you seek to expand them. In discovery, you and your partners in the conflict become explorers, searching for and creating meaning together, problem-solving, and seeking the best solution for all. You understand that you can win only if all win.
When you enter relationship from discovery, you remember that you know nothing about other people (even if you think you do) and you seek to uncover their truth as they see it. As if entertaining visitors from another planet, you inquire how things look to them from their cultural perspective. You don’t try to convince them of anything, even when you see the world differently. You realize that the world is so huge compared with your understanding of it, that you might easily have different stories about what is out there.
You may, of course, reveal the landscape on your planet so that others can better appreciate where you live. However, from your space of learning and inquiry, you know deep in your bones that others may never be able to see your view. You give up trying to make that happen and become interested instead. Suddenly, people you have known your entire life appear brand new, old situations are altered, and life is more fun.
Daily Practice
The realm of discovery is available everywhere—you needn’t wait for an icy bridge. Confronted by the unexpected or unwelcome, you become fascinated with the moment and accept it as if you had chosen it. You decide to suspend judgment and open your mind to what is.
In the middle of a contentious meeting, when you hear yourself blaming coworkers for a problem, shift into discovery instead and ask: “What is it about this issue that’s important to each of us?”
The next time you arrive home and find your loved one upset, notice if your first reaction is to put up walls of justification or anger. Instead, minimize defensiveness and ask yourself what you might learn. Say to your partner: “Honey, you seem upset. Anything I can do to help?” You may find that the problem has nothing to do with you. And if it does, you’ve opened the conversation in a useful way.
Life Happens
When life happens suddenly and unexpectedly in ways that throw you off balance, discovery invites you to be fascinated, curious, and interested. Instead of spending energy in resistance, you find your equilibrium through acceptance and acknowledgement. You watch, listen, feel, and learn. The event becomes your teacher as you find your way through new, unimagined territory that you would otherwise never have known.
We all experience moments of discovery when we break through to a new understanding of our world. Sometimes the breakthrough happens by accident. Our ongoing challenge is to choose to go there on purpose. Thomas Edison’s famous words after many attempts at inventing the light bulb show a man in discovery mode: "I have not failed. I have only found 10,000 ways that won't work!" Katharine Hepburn, who lived a life of stardom but never lost her childlike fascination with people and life, has been quoted as saying, “Wouldn’t it be great if people could get to live suddenly as often as they die suddenly?” Shifting to discovery is one way. Try it. Discover for yourself.
SaturnsLady
Whats The Value Of A Miracle?
Author Unknown
A little girl went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet.
She poured the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Three times, even. The total had to be exactly perfect. No chance here for mistakes.
Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall's Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door.
She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention, but he was too busy at this moment. Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise. Nothing. She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster. No good Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it!
'And what do you want?' the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice. I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven't seen in ages,' he said without waiting for a reply to his question.
'Well, I want to talk to you about my brother,' Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. 'He's really, really sick...and I want to buy a miracle.' 'I beg your pardon?' said the pharmacist.
'His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now So how much does a miracle cost?'
'We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I'm sorry but I can't help you,' the pharmacist said, softening a little. 'Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs.'
The pharmacist's brother was a well dressed man. He stooped down and asked the little girl, 'What kind of a miracle does your brother need?'
' I don't know,' Tess replied with her eyes welling up. I just know he's really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But my Daddy can't pay for it, so I want to use my money.'
'How much do you have?' asked the man from Chicago 'One dollar and eleven cents,' Tess answered barely audibly.
'And it's all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to.' 'Well, what a coincidence,' smiled the man. 'A dollar and eleven cents---the exact price of a miracle for little brothers. '
He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her mitten and said 'Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let's see if I have the miracle you need.' That well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in neuro-surgery. The operation was completed free of charge and it wasn't long until Andrew was home again and doing well.
Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place.
'That surgery,' her Mom whispered. 'was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?'
Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost...one dollar and eleven cents....plus the faith of a little child.
SaturnsLady
Peace Begins with Us
by James F. Twyman
healyourlife.com
Make every thought and action count. We are One—love and service connect us.
Saints and mystics agree that we are not the separate beings we believe ourselves to be, but that we are in reality—One. Miracles are occurring all around us every day and all we need to do is recognize them to share the blessings of harmony and connection for ourselves, our families, and our world. In the end, what we are seeking is not the riches of the world, but the richness of our souls. Here’s a conversation I shared with spiritual teacher Anakha Coman on fostering peace and love by learning to be a minister of Oneness:
James: When your ego hears the word servant, it usually thinks of someone who is less than, or subservient to, another. As with most things, the ego’s vision is completely the opposite of your Soul’s. Your Soul knows that by offering yourself in service to others, you’re serving the world, God, and, of course, yourself. It’s all intertwined, and the more you give, the more your life is filled with the riches your Soul really seeks. This is your ministry, and it’s the only thing that will truly satisfy you.
Anakha: I’m thinking about the importance of this and also its simplicity. The ego loves complexity! But if we allow it, our lives can become filled with grace, ease, clarity, and devotion when we realize that we’re here to be in service to Oneness. We’re here to assist in the unfolding and blossoming of Oneness on the planet. And when we begin each day with that intention in our hearts and minds, we can then place our attention and energy toward its fulfillment. It doesn’t matter what interactions and experiences we have throughout the day; we’re rooted in the knowledge that our sole purpose is to be a servant to Oneness, to expand the field of love and compassion everywhere we go.
James: The ministry of Oneness is also the “ministry of the moment.” Oftentimes when I’m working with people to help them discover what their path of service is, they struggle because they think that ministry is about doing rather than being. Yet we can only be present to this moment, and this is where our real ministry lies: in looking at what’s in front of us and asking, “Who can I serve right now?” That service may be as simple as a smile or holding the door open for someone, yet we never know how much our actions impact another person’s life. If someone has been on the verge of a psychological or emotional breakdown, a simple, heartfelt gesture may help him or her turn the corner. And it comes about by our willingness to be present in that moment, willing to see all people as a perfect reflection of the Divine, of Christ, or however else we wish to express it. I think this is really the key: the ministry of Oneness is being open and aware to how we can serve at any given moment.
Anakha: I believe that we should continually emphasize that if Oneness seems far-reaching or too difficult to understand, it becomes absolutely clear and available to us when we’re fully present. When we simply keep our hearts and minds focused upon the love of God and each other, then there’s no grandiose action we need to take. It’s as simple as being in the moment, asking, “How do I live and expand Oneness, how do I create more love here, and how do I flow more compassion and tenderness to this person going through this experience?” And you’re right, James—it can be as simple as smiling or holding a door open for someone or opening our arms in an embrace. And those seemingly small acts are actually miracle moments that ultimately create the wave of Oneness that’s sweeping across the planet.
Practice Cultivating Your Ministry of Oneness
Remember the words of Mother Teresa: “We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” The following exercises are simple and provide you with an opportunity to cultivate your ministry of Oneness…one moment, one prayer, and one act at a time, with great love.
Cultivating gratitude: In your journal, write down one thing that you’re grateful for every day. Keep a running list. At the end of the week, create a ritual in which you read all of the items and offer your gratitude to the Divine for all of the blessings of Oneness in your life.
Cultivating vision: Spend a full minute today in loving communion with something in nature. This could be a rock, leaf, tree, cloud, wind, dirt, flower, bug, bird, and so forth. Give your complete attention, and allow yourself to fully perceive Oneness contained in this creation.
Cultivating service: Engage in one intentional, loving act of service for another person today. For example, this could include making a friendly phone call, writing a cheerful letter, preparing an extra plate of food or folding laundry for someone else, or offering a listening ear. Offer your service from a place of unconditional love, in service to the growing Oneness.
SaturnsLady
Water Knows Best
Love And Gratitude Are Just A Sip Away.
by Dr. Masaru Emoto
healyourlife.com
How to imbibe the harmonious stream of life.
Approximately 70 percent of a human body is made up of water. At the embryo stage, we are 98 percent water. Water supports our well-being by transporting necessary energy and nutrients throughout our bodies, and helps us remove toxins via blood and other bodily fluids. As we age, the percentage of water within our body decreases. That’s why we start to notice wrinkles, and why our backs may start to hunch a bit and we appear shorter. Ultimately, when the body contains less than 50 percent water, we die. In this way, we can say that humans are water itself.
If we believe that water was sent from the Divine, then we can say that our original father and mother is God. Yes, we are all “children of God.” This doesn’t only pertain to humans, though. Every life was created from water; it is the origin of life and the Almighty’s gift.
All of God’s intentions were contained within water that was somehow sent to Earth. There must have been blueprints set as vibrations in the water. In order to access this information, I believe that salt was the next thing sent to earth. Thus, the sea becomes the womb of all beings. By combining vibrations, the sacred blueprints, and salt, a positive chemical reaction slowly started as the energy materialized as different forms of life.
Despite sex, nationality, personality, or any other differences, the fact that a human being’s body is 70 percent water does not change. God distributed water equally to all humans. When thinking about this, it becomes quite clear that we should be true to the message of water (which occupies the majority of our bodies) and live according to God’s will.
But what does God want us to do? The answer lies in the pictures. Water (the messenger of God) created a miraculously beautiful crystal with the term love and gratitude. This is proof that these concepts are at the root of the creation of the world. The water that received the vibration of the original intent of God expressed and revealed itself to us as that spectacular crystal.
Of course, if we exposed water to just love or gratitude, we would still see a beautiful crystal. However, when the two are combined, the result has this mysterious, sacred aura. The fact that we live on Earth, which exists in a three-dimensional form, has a lot to do with this. Our world is width, length, and depth, and possesses shape and mass.
It can be understood roughly as “the real world that contains materials.” In our world, nothing materializes without the two opposite energies of positive (plus) and negative (minus)—for example, day and night, yin and yang, male and female. Without these bipolar energies, nothing can exist. One is giving positive energy, and the other is receiving negative energy.
When looking at things from this point of view, it becomes easier to explain why the water that was exposed to love and gratitude created such a beautiful crystal. As a representation of the giving energy, God created the concept of love; and as a representation of the receiving energy, He created the concept of gratitude. So love is the active giving energy, and gratitude is the passive receiving energy. If we were to express these two energies in colors, love is pink and gratitude is green. We need to openly give our love at all times and receive everything with gratitude. As these two aspects maintain their balance, the Earth will work just as God had designed it to.
SaturnsLady
Act On What You Know Is True
byGuy Finley
positivelypresent.com
Truthful principles can only act as agents of change for us when we choose to enact them. Their capacity to restore self-command, grant us a mind at peace, or deliver us from fearful dark states is only as great as our willingness to call upon their powers. That’s why we must do the personal work it takes to put higher principles into practice. Napoleon Hill, one of the early great pioneers of personal development, asserts: “We can become complete masters of ourselves, if we so desire. The main thought to hold in mind is first to gain the knowledge, and secondly to act upon it.” And then act upon it! Wisdom is the seed of freedom, but only in action do we see it flower.
Study the special lessons that follow closely. Welcome their insight by allowing the wisdom they contain to remind you of their corresponding part in your own consciousness. Little by little, but surely as the acorn becomes the oak, you will know and grow into their power. New courage will flow into all of your actions, and the change will be unmistakable. Instead of reliving old reactions that take you nowhere, your path will become one of ceaseless transformation. And the fuel that drives this upward spiral of self-renewal is simple. You are learning to act on what you know is true about negative states, instead of allowing them to tell you what is true about you.
1. Understand that any lingering sense of discontent belongs to an inconsolable level of self that believes it can escape its pain by reliving it. Giving yourself over to this kind of unconscious suffering is like falling off a boat at sea and hoping that a great white shark will save you if you promise to feed it a small sardine. You know what happens next! Now, have the courage to act on this knowledge: Refuse to ever again hand yourself over to a nature that loves to complain about its circumstances, even as it does nothing to change them. Your reward: Being released from the false belief that dark thoughts or feelings have any power to improve your life.
2. Understand that there are parts of you that always want to take the easy way—to do things half-way, to avoid unnecessary challenges, to coast whenever possible and pedal only as needed. Now have the courage to act on this knowledge: Deliberately choose to take the more difficult path, and finish whatever you start. Walk into what you’d rather walk away from, and persist with what you know is true for you until all resistance to your new actions proves itself a lie. Your reward: Discovering that on the other side of the resistance is the flow that always takes you, effortlessly, beyond yourself.
3. Understand that being anxious—rushing to or through things—does nothing but drive you nowhere faster! When you find you’re in a mad rush, remember that what you’re really trying to get to is a quiet mind—that peaceable state of your original Self reached only through this realization: There’s no place more empowering for you to be than in the present moment. Now have the courage to act on this knowledge: Deliberately slow down your life. Dare to stand directly in the stream of your own rushing thoughts and feelings—instead of allowing them to carry you away. Your reward: The deeply refreshing realization of what it means to be “washed clean” of anxious states.
4. Understand—in spite of the highly polished performances to make you believe otherwise—that everyone you meet suffers in much the same way as you do. No one wants others to know the weight of their unspoken pain. And yet, all are burdened with broken dreams, shattered hearts, and whatever other sorrow walks with them through their day.
Now have the courage to act on this knowledge: Refuse to ever again add to the pain of another, even a small measure of your own. Whatever suffering you agree to shoulder in this way not only helps to lighten the load of those in need, but also serves to awaken within you the strength you need to be a real “friend in deed.” Your reward: The birth of a whole new kind of compassion that not only flowers when faced with the weakness of others, but whose fragrance helps heal all those who are touched by it. Always remember: Your original Self cannot help but act from what is right, bright, and true any more than the sun has to remember to shine each day.
SaturnsLady
