No Small Meetings

No Small Meetings

by Alan Cohen

alancohen.com

How much is a kind word worth? How deeply can a touch heal? How important are your little interactions with your family, friends, and clients?

Hairdresser David Wagner learned these answers from a customer who came to him regularly every month. One day she phoned David in between her regular visits and asked if he would style her hair for an important event that evening. David fit her into his schedule and gave her his usual loving attention. He talked amiably with her, laughed, touched her kindly, and told her how beautiful she looked. After her session, she smiled and thanked him.

You can imagine David’s shock when a few days later he received a handwritten letter from the woman explaining that the important event she wanted to look good for that evening was her own funeral. She had planned to commit suicide later that day. When she spent time with David, however, the kindness he showed her influenced her to change her mind. She decided that life was worth living, and she could go on.

This extraordinary feedback inspired David to reconsider what he was doing with his work and his life. He realized that his purpose with customers went far beyond cutting hair. Within his own sphere of influence he had the power to make people’s days - and even lives. So he adopted the vocation of “Daymaker.” Now, as owner of ten successful spas that treat thousands of people each day, David teaches his employees to see themselves as daymakers. His inspiring book Life as a Daymaker chronicles his adventures and techniques.

Never underestimate the power of a kind word or thought. It may affect one or many, many people without you even knowing it. Even a gentle touch can make a huge difference. My friend Rick Jarrow was participating in an intensive Zen meditation retreat that required him to meditate many hours a day in rigorous conditions. One morning Rick decided this was just too hard, and he would leave the retreat after the morning silent walking meditation practice. During the walk, a student behind Rick gently placed his hand on Rick’s shoulder. “In that touch,” Rick told me, “I felt totally comforted and encouraged. It was as if my friend was saying, ‘I know this is hard for you. I believe in you. You have what it takes to do this.’ So I decided to stay, and I went on to gain tremendous strength from that retreat. That touch was the turning point.”

You don’t even need to speak or touch someone to help them. You can serve simply by the energy of your being. Emerson noted, “Who you are speaks to me so loudly that I can hardly hear what you are saying.” Indeed at every moment we radiate empowerment or discouragement simply by the feelings we dwell in.

One day while I was standing in line at a deli counter, I noticed a woman in a line beside mine. She kept looking at me as if she knew me. I didn’t recognize her, so I just kept moving ahead. When we finally arrived at the counter at the same time, the woman turned to me and asked, “Why are you so happy?” Her question took me by surprise. I wasn’t thinking about being happy or even trying. “I guess I’m just glad to be here and alive,” I answered. “How about you?” I asked her. “How is your day going?”

She thought for a moment and then answered, “Well, it wasn’t going so well. But now that I saw you, I feel a lot better.” With that, we both smiled and went on our ways. As I thought more about her comment, I realized it was the most meaningful compliment I could ever receive. Just being was healing.

I have experienced such healing simply by seeing a peaceful person for a moment. One day I was rushing through an airport when I noticed a man who looked unusually serene. His face was soft, his gait was light, and his demeanor felt comforting. In that moment my energy shifted from anxious hurry to deep peace. Though he will never know it, he taught me that airports are not necessarily stressful. Stressful thoughts are more dangerous than airports. If we choose healing thoughts, we become a beacon of peace in apparently dense or dark places.

A friend went to pick up a revered rabbi from the airport. As the two drove toward the tollbooths to exit the airport parking lot, my friend had to choose between an automatic payment lane and a lane manned by an attendant. “Take the lane where you pay a person,” the rabbi urged him. “Why is that?” asked my friend. “Because any opportunity to make contact with another human being is a blessing from God,” answered the rabbi.

In this light, every one of our interactions is a prayer. There are no chance encounters and no small meetings. Everyone we meet is sent to us by God for a noble purpose. Every relationship, no matter how brief, is an invitation to connect. As we remember to keep love first, we have our priorities in order and we might even save someone’s life - beginning with our own.

SaturnsLady

On Being Purely Human

On Being Purely Human

by Dr. Frank Kinslow
QuantumEntrainment.com



“A great silent space holds all of nature in its embrace. It also holds you.”

--Eckhart Tolle-

Not one sparrow falls from the sky that our heavenly Father does
not know about - so much does he love the creation he made.

--Matt 10:29-

This may seem an obvious question but have you ever noticed how nature makes you feel
good? Did you ever ask yourself why? We love to watch billowing clouds slowly
transform into lions or gnomes or a blustery Uncle Fred. The power of the ocean draws
us to its shore to watch waves tumbling over each other like playful kittens, only to
surrender exhausted at our feet. We feel more complete, somehow more human, when we
acknowledge nature. How does that work?

We humans are self imposed prisoners of concrete and steel, cut off from the vibrancy of
nature. We compensate by bringing plants and animals into our coffin like quarters, and it
works, in part. Through them we are reminded of how we were in childhood when we
were most like nature. But, what is it that nature has, or is, that we have lost?

Nature is our partner in evolution. It fluidly expresses, what we strive so hard to attain;
effortless being. A bird acts without forethought or volition. A sparrow doesn’t say,
“O.K., now I’d like to eat those berries but I’ve been gaining a little weight lately, maybe
I shouldn’t. Besides, the purple ones give me gas and ...” A bird naturally eats or doesn’t
eat according to its nature. An elephant sleeps when it is time, a coyote hunts, a leopard
leaps and a whale sings in perfect cadence with the singular beating heart of creation.

Nature is a tuning fork. It resonates at the perfect pitch for human harmony. It is always
resonating, waiting for us, like a loving mother waiting for her children to return. When
Nature does enfold us in her peaceful embrace the human mind gives up its mental toys
and settles into the bliss of being purely human.

Then it happens. We prodigal sons and daughters of nature return the favor. We inspire
nature to become conscious of its own existence; a completing of the Self-awareness
circuit as it were, a reunion of Self with Self.




Several days ago I was leaving home for a meeting. I heard a rustle high in the tree
overhead. My eye was drawn to a pair of blue jays flitting along the top branches. The
male led the way to the next tree but the female hesitated as she looked at me, looking at
her. She was ever watchful for predators, twisting her neck this way then that, in jerky
motions as birds in the wild must. She cocked her head to one side for a long second and
our eyes met again. This was no accident. She dropped down a few branches and began
watching me more closely. I felt a strange sense of familiarity in her, an ancient
camaraderie. I stood, neck bent, looking up into the branches. As she descended limb by
limb, a sense of peace settled over me. She was less wary now, checking for threats only
occasionally, content to calmly connect with me. By contrast her mate nervously scanned
sky and earth while pacing between branches, giving little peeps and hurried chortles. But
she remained steady on a branch now just above my upturned face. As I stood looking up,
slightly swaying, she pulled one leg up under her and fluffed out her feathers looking like
a blue-white snowman with one twig leg and two fathomless dark eyes.

I don’t know how long we bathed in that communal silence, ten or fifteen minutes I
suppose. I was the one to break it off. My neck was getting stiff and besides, I was now
ten or fifteen minutes late for my appointment. I bade a silent goodbye to the jay, but
what we shared could not be left behind. Our forms could separate and resume life in our
alternate and alienated worlds. But we could not leave the silence behind; or the Knowing
that had fathered it.

Walking away I turned to see if my friend was leaving too. She was, easily working her
way back through the branches to console her harried mate. He met her among the leaves
of the highest tree, scolded her lightly, looked both ways as if crossing a street, and flew
beyond the roof of the building next door. Before following, she hesitated briefly and
looked back over her shoulder. Our eyes met for the last time and stirred the still lively
silence between us. Then she dropped into space, unfolded her wings and left our world
behind.



SaturnsLady

Are You Being Visited by a Ghost or...

Are You Being Visited by a Ghost,

a Loved One From the Other Side

or an Angel? ..


By Melissa Van Rossum
theirwayhome. com



Everyone receives visits from ghosts, loved ones from the Other Side and angels. Even though many of these visits are meant to be comforting, sometimes the presence of an otherworldly visitor can be unnerving and even frightening. Knowing who these guests are, however, and why they're visiting you can make their visit easier and often, even comforting.



Here are three ways you can tell these visits from one another:



1.Ghostly Visits -
Visits from a ghost, or the earthbound spirit of a deceased individual, usually bears several tell-tale signs. First, their presence is typically not comforting. When you're around a ghost you feel watched - even if you're alone in the room. You might even begin to feel unexplained nervousness, sadness or depression. You may feel sudden cold spots in the room or, in some cases, you might even see a ghostly human image - if only for a moment. Some people have seen a kind of blur or a flash of movement when no one else is in the room.




2.Visits from Loved Ones from the Other Side -
A visit from a loved one who is on the Other Side is a very different experience from a ghostly visit. While you can also feel a cold spot or a temperature shift when a loved one is around, you typically don't feel nervous or uncomfortable when it happens. Along with the slight temperature shift, you may begin to reflect on memories of that loved one. Our loved ones often bring messages of encouragement when we need it, so you're more likely to feel loved and comforted when they're around. When a deceased loved one is around, we often start thinking of them and feeling their presence and reflecting on our memories of them as a result. For example, Tony, a hairstylist, feels his grandmother nearby whenever he is thinking his way through some of his life's challenges. He smells her perfume, remembers her advice, and begins to feel the comfort she offers him. Visits from loved ones are a very positive, healing experience.




3. Angelic Visits -
Angelic visits feel a bit different from when our loved ones visit. There is definitely a shift to a cooler temperature and often a slight breeze. You might even see sparkles of light where they move. Sometimes, because their energy is so pure and their vibration is so high, you can even feel a bit dizzy. Angels are available whenever we need them - they help us ease through conflicts and protect and comfort us through frightening times, though they most often respond to our calls and requests for their help. Angels are present with newborns and small children to comfort and protect and to pass on messages to their parents and caretakers. After my son was born, an angel appeared to me and gave me a message about his life purpose. While she was with us, the air around us felt as though we were on the top of a mountain. Unlike ghosts, an angel's presence always has a purpose. They often bear a message or ensure protection and because of this you usually feel comforted, assured, loved and happy.




SaturnsLady

Find Your Life Purpose

Find Your Life Purpose

by Keith Varnum
thedream.com


"What Am I Doing Here?" It's ironic that one of the questions people on this planet ask themselves most is also one of the questions that goes most unanswered. After a few years of fruitless inquiry, many people resign themselves to never knowing their own unique Soul Vision for this lifetime.

Most people know they are here on earth for an explicit reason. They know they have something specific and special to bring to the party on Planet Earth. And most people also know in their heart they will never be truly happy or healthy until they find a way to express their signature vibration, their unique gifts and talents—their Birth Vision.

I've discovered that the happiest and healthiest people on the planet are the people who are living their dream—that is, fully expressing their Soul Vision. Would you like to find more purpose, prosperity and a zest in being alive? You can. By connecting to your Soul's Design!

Your soul is in charge of your life. Your soul has been running the show from behind the stage curtain since the beginning of time. You can become aware of the ways your soul design influences the actions of your personality and directs the spiritual unfolding of your unique destiny. You can uncover the brilliant strategies and scenarios of your spirit—and break free of old patterns that keep you from having what you truly desire.

How do you discover your Original Intention, your Heart Path? It's a lot easier than most people think! A major key is learning to ask yourself the right questions. A further assistance is to approach the subject from a radically new and different angle. A third aid is a safe, supportive environment in which to ask the questions.

The right questions activate your soul assignment. Fresh questions spark personal insights that have never surfaced before. Feeling safe when you ask allows you to go deep enough to get authentic soul answers.

For example, getting an insight to a question like "What is the spiritually beneficial purpose of going bankrupt, being betrayed or losing my job?" can reveal your Soul Vision.

You can also use the power of peak moments of clarity you've had earlier this lifetime to trigger the same lucidity now. Re-experiencing the vibration of these past moments of clearness creates the same vibration of clearness in the present. From the space of this clarity, you can receive accurate, satisfying answers to all your life questions.




In addition, through meditation you can intuitively identify the common thread running through the relationships, jobs, hobbies and activities of your life. Recognizing this theme allows you to capture the essence of your soul's expression this lifetime. Knowing this essence is the key that unlocks the mystery of the challenges you face this lifetime.

With this factual information, you can restore your natural ability to recognize the people, opportunities and activities that will lead to a soul-satisfying life. You can get invaluable guidance on how to attract more magic, meaning and money in your world.

As you get clear on your Life Path, you can then align your personality with this Soul Blueprint. When you synchronize your actions and attitude with your Soul Blueprint, you begin to receive all the support and love you need to fulfill your destiny. By the Law of Spiritual Attraction, your clarity vibrationally draws to you the resources and good fortune to achieve your dreams.

When you harmonize your daily life with your Soul Vision, you're also automatically in alignment with the Soul Vision of every other person on Earth. Through natural synchronicity, every other person on the planet will then assist you to achieve your goals and happiness!

A life journey "with soul" is fun, exciting and fulfilling. With this new clarity, you see where you walk in balance and where you are missing the mark. You find your own true circle of truth. You discover the prosperity and peace in following the guidance of your Higher Self and the Heavenly Helpers—Archangels, Spirit Guides and the Ascended Masters.

You now can answer your Life Calling. You can uncover what you're being beckoned to do this lifetime. And you can translate this true calling into right action. Then you move into a new arena of personal creativity and self-expression!



SaturnsLady

The Mysteries of the Crystal Skulls

The Mysteries of the Crystal Skulls

By John Van Auken
johnvanauken.com



Over the years, many mysterious "crystal skulls" have surfaced but many have been proven to be fakes. There are however, a few skulls that truly are mysterious wonders. The most famous of these is the legendary Mitchell-Hedges skull, named after the British archaeologist F. Albert Mitchell-Hedges. Its origin is believed to be in Central America.


The incredible thing about the Mitchell-Hedges skull is its craftsmanship. Much like the Great Pyramids of Egypt, it is impossible that it was crafted by the people of its time. Hewlett-Packard, the big computer company, actually did a study on the skull starting in 1964 which showed that the skull was capable of creating unusual optical effects through a system of prisms and lenses. Even more amazing, the 11 pound skull was made of one whole crystal and no scratches could be seen on the skull, even through a microscope! That proves that no metal instruments were used which is perplexing considering a crystal is only slightly softer than diamond. The skull is quartz crystal, meaning it does not age. This specific type of quartz crystal also has the ability to generate electricity due to the fact that it has a positive and negative polarity, similar to a battery. Hewlett-Packard also concluded that the skull is actually carved against the crystal's axis of symmetry, meaning that it positively should have shattered in the process of making it, even using modern technology! This discovery prompted one member of the team to comment, "This skull shouldn't even exist!" Even if it were possible for ancient man to create this skull, Hewlett-Packard concluded it would have taken "300 man-years of effort"!


There are other skulls similar in the mysterious Mitchell-Hedges skull, including the Rose Quartz Crystal skull, the Aztec skulls, the Texas Crystal skull, the Mayan Crystal skull, and the Amethyst Skull. Besides the fact that many of these skulls contradict the laws of physics, they are also known to have mysterious effects on those around them. The Mitchell-Hedges skull has actually been said to crash nearby computers! Anna Mitchell-Hedges, Albert's daughter, claimed that when she slept near the skull she would dream about ancient Indian civilizations and could describe them in great detail. At the Museum of Man, in London, there's a crystal skull known as the Aztec skull. Apparently, both workers and visitors have claimed that it moves inside its glass case! Workers even asked that it be covered at night because it caused anxiety in the workers. It is no longer on display.


The Edgar Cayce psychic readings explain that to the ancient ones, the human skull represented the perfectly designed structure through which consciousness comes into this world, and through which consciousness reaches into other worlds. (1602-3) These electrically mysterious skulls may have been devices to help humans reach worlds beyond Earth.


Who could have carved crystals without leaving tool marks? How could they shape such perfect reproductions of the human skull when the stone would have cracked if modern methods were applied? How do these stones retain content like a computer hard drive? We are left with a mystery, a mystery that has spawned a new Indiana Jones movie: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.


The more we discover of the ancient world, the more mysterious or origins appear.


John Van Auken is a Director at the Association for Research and Enlightenment. He is considered an expert in spirituality, reincarnation, ancient mysteries, and rejuvenation of the body, dream work, meditation, prophecy, mysticism, and Edgar Cayce concepts.




SaturnsLady

Learn from Your Fear

Learn from Your Fear

By Dr. Tim Ong
theselfimprovementsite.com
Nobody likes to feel fearful and because of that, most people will habitually react to fear by avoiding, repressing or suppressing it. It takes courage and wisdom to see that our fear can be our greatest teacher.


When we examine our fear, we will often discover that it is irrational. There is no real basis or substance to our fear. That is why fear is often described as "False Evidence Appearing Real". Fear is a self created illusion built upon past experiences or imprints. The situation may have changed but the imprints compel us to react in a knee jerk manner without proper examination and re-evaluation of the new situation.


The good news is that this habit or tendency CAN be transformed.


The Fear of Rejection


One of the most common fears is the fear of rejection. This fear comes in many forms.


For example, a person with this fear often feels it a challenge to talk to authority figures, whether these be their parents, teachers, superiors or even government bodies. They are especially fearful to ask for or request things from these people. The feeling of fear of rejection is an automatic response that arises from past experience of rejections from these same authority figures.


Another manifestation of this fear of rejection is in the inability to say "no" to other people's requests. This is the other end of the spectrum and arises because of the fear of being rejected by the person who made the request.


Confront Your Fear


The best way to overcome your fear is to confront it. However, there are two opposing ways to confrontation. You can confront your fear with great compassion and gentleness, or you can confront it combatively. The more skilful and effective way is naturally to confront it compassionately.


When you confront your fear compassionately, you'll soon discover the underlying false belief that gives rise to that fear. You'll learn that the external situation is merely a mirror reflection of your inner mental state. That false belief gives rise to a correspondingly false perception of reality, thus the irrationality of the fear.


Confronting your fear compassionately means to see it without any judgment and blame. It means to take responsibility for your emotion and even to embrace it with love. When you can do this, you'll be grateful for your fear because you know it is there only as a teacher. It is there to help you see your real self.


So the next time you experience fear, pause for a moment and examine it with love and compassion. Allow this teacher to show you the lesson you need to learn.


As they said, "Do the things you fear and the death of fear is certain."






SaturnsLady

Trouble Is What I Make It!

Trouble Is What I Make It!

by Hal Manogue
shortsleeves.net


Oh, a trouble's a ton, or a trouble's an ounce,
Or a trouble is what you
make it.
And it isn't the fact that you're hurt
that counts,
But only how you take it.


Edmund Vance Cooke was born in Canada in 1866. He is known as "the poet laureate of childhood." The verse above is from his most famous work "How Did You Die?"


Trouble or contrast as I call it now is one of the main ingredients for being human. Out of the contrast comes growth and expansion and I learn a little more about myself with each episode that challenges my fortitude. It's not easy accepting a situation that creates so much turmoil, but once I understand that it's in my experience because I put it there, a new outlook begins to surface through my thoughts.


Why would I cause myself so much trouble? Why would I put myself in strange situations where the only way out is to go within? It seems that the contrast I create through my thoughts brings me a closer to understanding who I am. From the pain I experience I can move to another place within myself if I accept what is in front of me. If I fight it or try to control it, more of the same comes into my world. I continue to rage a war against myself and blame someone else for the mess I find in my physical life. Day after day I struggle with fear and anxiety hoping that this will be the day that everything goes well. Of course what happens is more contrast, more fear and more heartaches.


Edmund's message is right on the money; a trouble can be a ton or an ounce depending on how I think about it. It is me who can change how I experience pain and suffering; it only takes a thought to do that. My thoughts create my world and how I react to what I have created. By thinking about trouble in a positive way I transform it into a positive. The trouble is the same trouble but my thoughts about it make it a lesson instead of a death sentence.


I have four important tools to use on my journey through time: Freedom, Awareness, Connection and Contrast.


Freedom allows me to use my will and my desires to make thoughts into things. I use it all the time, but don't realize I do. I can think any way I want to think and that is what I experience.


Awareness brings the light of unity into my physical journey. I feel another aspect of myself living within me and it guides me through intuition and emotions when I allow it to function.





Connection is the bond between my ego and other aspects of myself. It is knowing I am always connected to my source of energy no matter what my physical world looks like. I am a whole part of another whole that is complete yet incomplete, perfect yet imperfect joined in a union of love and expansion.


Contrast is the tool that makes me grow; that makes me expand into a grander version of who I am. It is fuel for change and the essence of being human.
Contrast is the vehicle that re-introduces me to the aspects of myself that I have forgotten and a reunion takes place. Without contrast I would stagnate in my own pool of complacency.


With these tools and the ability to use them I travel through this time/space adventure testing myself, remembering different aspects of who I am, and growing from the experience. I am a spirit having a human experience and I can live accepting contrast as my friend rather than my foe. It only takes a thought to make it so. So it is done.




SaturnsLady