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Ode to My Dear Family and Friends

I love your laugh—and the easy way you make me laugh.

I love you because your face lights up when you smile.

I love that you’re goofy.

I love the way you tease me, and that you know me so well.

I love you because your passions run deep.

I love your gentle, loving soul you wear on your sleeve.

I love your hands, the long, slender fingers that are so opposite of mine.

I love you because you have taught me through example.

I love you because of your commitment to kindness and that when you slip up, you commit yourself to kindness all over again. I love that you hold the door for other people and when someone drops something, you pick it up for them.

I love you because every time you get down, you pick yourself back up again.

I love that you never stop trying to be a better person, and that you know you’ll never stop growing.

I love you because you are a rock of strength.

I love that you’re so unique.

I love you because of your compassion for others. I love that you pray to make a difference.

I love that after you lose your temper, you let it go.

I love you because you love others unconditionally; it is a godlike quality.

I love that you are such a good friend to others.

I love you for your courage and honesty.

I love that you are a peacemaker, especially in tough situations.

Your life experiences have made you better, not bitter, and I love you for the light you reflect in the world.

I love you because you may not have a lot, but you are generous with what you have.

I love you because you share your life with me.

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Through the Gateway

You know those stories that have portal-magic in them, where the characters can open a gateway, pass through it and escape to another world? I love those stories, even the modern ones, because they affirm my sense that other dimensions and worlds do exist.

Not every story boils down to the battles between good and evil, but the best ones do. They’re important to us because they mimic the struggles we have within ourselves and those between us and the world. We are made of cells, but we are also cells of the body of the loving universe and that’s where the portals come in.

Should everything in this world begin to crumble, including the Earth herself, it’s time to open our portals and pass into higher dimensions. How do we open a portal? I only know the way is somewhere deep within the quiet and peace of our centers. We can’t open a gateway with fear or rage, only with loving confidence. Remember in the Fellowship of the Ring when Frodo, the hobbit hero, decides they will continue through the mountain and everyone waits for Gandalf to open the door? No matter what the great wizard does, the door won’t open. (I have wondered if this was because he knew what he must confront inside–a metaphor for us facing our most frightening inner demons.)

It was Frodo who used the word ‘Friend’ and the door opened. Isn’t that interesting—that the answer lay in friendship? I believe that’s because we must learn to make friends with ourselves, sins and mistakes all, and then make peace with those around us. From there the peace spreads and together, we open portals to higher places.

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Something Eating at You?

It’s very easy for us humans to use anger like a weapon. I guess it is a weapon, if you think about it. Anger makes us feel powerful for a period and we tell ourselves we’re justified—“She shouldn’t have pissed me off”—but in the world of ‘walking in another’s shoes,’ there is never any good reason for letting loose on someone else. Anger is a flashing neon sign that says: “You’re thinking only of yourself.”

There were times with my children that I had to raise my voice to get their attention—but twice I completely ‘lost it’ and scared them. Does that mean there’s ‘good’ anger and ‘bad’ anger? Maybe so, but if there is, the world could use a lot less of the bad anger.

Bad anger is the dangerous one—the one that can flare over little things, leaving even us wondering what happened. It makes us feel guilty, too, and we think we have to make up for it somehow, but if it’s happened too much, it may be too late.

Anger is a chain we add a link to every time we feel the heat rising in our bodies and decide to aim it at someone. The last link may have been over something small, but it was added to hundreds of links and the heat travels the metal chain, gathering memories and momentum until: “Bam!” we’re at it again.

The only person who can save us from anger is ourselves. It’s no way to live—the out-of-control emotions ruin lives and that’s not why we’re here. We’re here to live and love, to care and grow and make a positive difference in the world. Sometimes when things are eating us up inside we have to seek answers. Ask sincerely for help and you shall receive it. It’s a universal law.

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Valentine’s Day Expectations

This morning, Valentine’s Day, I dreamed of my sons’ father, who died in 1991 of an aneurysm just above where the brain connects to the spine. I dream of him once in a while—we’re definitely still connected. I still miss him, too. But I had to laugh—apparently some things never change. We were walking along a beach hand-in-hand and I said, “You know, if you could just spend an hour with me every day, I’d be happier.” And he said, as he typically did, “I know. I’m going to try.”

We females tend to have a lot of expectations around romance and Valentine’s Day. Yet we are often disappointed due to unrealistic hopes. (We never give up, though!) Our guys generally don’t think and feel at the same level we do. They tend to think, ‘Let’s get in and get the job done,’ while we’re thinking, ‘Could you just hold me for a while and tell me how much you love me?’

What’s likely true is that Valentine’s Day is now a day set aside to sell cards, chocolates and flowers and to boost business at local restaurants and hotels. But the deeper meaning is not about getting the romance we want on this one night—it’s about learning to listen, to give unconditional love every day. It’s not about expecting a night of perfect romance–it’s about giving what we’d like to receive and seeing what unfolds.

If you have a partner who happily comes home every night, who loves you (and your children if you have them), and whose company you enjoy, you are blessed. Remember that when you lay your head on the pillow tonight. And, if you don’t have a partner like this, it is within your power to change your life. Have a happy Valentine’s Day either way.

 

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Fear is a Handicap, A Guest Post by Michael Brine


By Michael Brine

In 2004 I wrote the material (below the poem) to a friend with whom I was having an exchange. In 2006 it was later published on a website who had asked permission to use it. I have decided that perhaps the time has come to give it a wider audience given the times we are living through. Also, may the wisdom of the poetry of Baha’u’llah touch your heart. Enjoy! M. B.

“Oh Son of Spirit!

I created thee rich, why doest thou

Bring thyself down to poverty?

Noble I made thee, wherewith dost

Thou abase thyself? Out of the essence of

Knowledge I gave thee being, why seekest thou

Enlightenment from anyone beside me? Out of

The clay of love I moulded thee, why doest thou busy

Thyself with another? Turn thy sight onto thyself,

That thou mayest find Me standing within thee,

Mighty, powerful and self-subsisting.”

              Baha’u’llah

There are many voices out there as you are aware. It remains I feel, for each of us to use our intuition as to what we are drawn to explore and indeed listen to. Personally, I have for years felt that we have been seeded from other star systems and that our different races represent the particular star system we may have come from. I do, however, feel there is a different story for the indigenous peoples of the earth, but I am not sure exactly how, for they are very much more in tune with this planet than are us ‘others.’

Getting out of the “Box” of our conditioning is the first big step. Once we have done that it remains for us to look around at this new unfolding landscape (as we rub our eyes and get used to this new light) and see/feel what we are drawn to explore and pursue.

As you well know, we have been ‘ruled’ by fear and it is this that has controlled us over millennia by forces that have not operated in our best collective interests. (Religions have done it very effectively through ‘judgmental’ motifs, et al.) Who the ‘controllers’ are behind the scenes is a matter of speculation. There are ‘takes’ on this and I’m sure you’ve heard them. Again, intuition here is the best guide – at least for me. It is, however, very important not to get caught up in any fear motif for this only muddies the waters.

Awareness is one thing and throwing light on a negative situation is very valid to help inform – but never get caught up in acting out of fear itself. Indeed this whole epoch we are traversing through is an incredible time of discovery about who we really are. While we may see desolation and tragedy taking place everywhere around us, it is perhaps a prelude to a new unfolding discovery about our very existence and what it is all about! You cannot build a new structure on a crumbling foundation —so the ‘old’ must be exposed and removed to allow for the new growth. I feel that is what is taking place as we move through these disturbing times and most importantly – for me at least – is that we have the support of our Star family at this exceptional time with the codicil, of course, of non-interference unless we collectively ask them to. I suggest that the amazing Crop Circles are coming from the concerned beings who surround us. They come in Love.

Other articles by this writer maybe found on:  www.missionignition.net/btb

Michael Brine’s e-mail address is: wild.brine621@gmail.com

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The Spirit Helper, an old Cheyenne Indian Prayer, a Guest Post from Tom Mills

It’s good to remember every now and then that we are never alone:

“When you are alone, or troubled, or need a helping hand

Close your eyes and think of me and speak my name out loud

And I will come.

Look for me in the sky of a summer day,

Listen for the sound of my footsteps on the path,

Lift the rock and I am there.”

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Will You Accept This Mission? Yes, I Will, She Said

Inelia Benz, Woman on a Mission

My online buddy, Michael Brine, sent me an email several days back with a video interview of Inelia Benz, by Bill Ryan of Project Avalon. It’s movie length, 105 minutes, but, wow, it’s way, way more interesting than any movie I’ve ever seen. The camera stays on her the whole time and he’s in the background asking questions and commenting. I can’t call it riveting, but neither could I not continue to watch.

She explains that she is not one of us humans who’ve incarnated time and again, making slow progress on the evolutionary scale toward enlightenment. She was at-one with the Source, asked to become an individual and accept a mission (she says there are millions like her) to go to Earth, take on a human body and, simply by her presence, raise the consciousness of people and the planet. She doesn’t judge anyone, her assignments or the process. She simply goes and does what she is told to do, which is to focus a hundred percent on the assignment. The loving energy of the Source does the work, through her nearness and focus.

Most interesting to me was what she said about free will. She and the others like her have been sent to Earth to mitigate the dark energy of those manipulating what happens on Earth solely for financial gain. We humans can’t make real free will choices because of the pressing-down power of the dark forces. (Free will was the deal, so to speak.) As she/they are used to raise our consciousness and Mother Earth’s energy, we are given a window of opportunity to freely choose whether to stay in this dark timeline or move to a parallel timeline where there is no war, no dark forces, no manipulating—only light and Love and life. She adds, though, that Love will eventually encompass all on Earth—it is our destiny. The more of us who tune into our ‘helpers’ to reject fear and negative thinking, the less traumatic the impending shift in consciousness.

I know this sounds like the plot of a good movie, or that she is crazy. But just watch. Grab a friend and some popcorn and watch. Maybe it is riveting after all. I promise, you will feel the power of Love and you will not forget what you have seen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=feZqzZUV19w

 

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Oh, Please, Let ME Stink Up the Place

I read about a spiritual pathway in India and I can’t find it right now in Autobiography of a Yogi, but it was something like a path of self-examination. A man who lives this path tells young Mukunda Lal Ghosh (Paramahansa Yogananda) that there is no rest, in the sense that he must be ever watchful of his motives, thoughts, desires, and so on, because there is no outer guru guiding him. I have come to believe that because of my own misuse of power as a spiritual teacher in a previous life, I was (having earned the karma) rejected in this life by my former teacher. It almost killed me, but it was when I set upon this self-examination path.

Knowing this, I should not be surprised at the depth of the torment I am now experiencing, but I am. I’m shocked. All my life, I’ve been thinking after every deep uncovering of some aspect of my dark side, ‘Whew! I made it! I’ve passed through the worst of that imbalance or perspective.’ This is true and not true at the same time—sure, I passed through something—but, how could there still be so much more?

Dan Millman, in THE LIFE YOU WERE BORN TO LIVE, an insightful book on numerology, says of those with the number six Life Purpose:

“If they do slip, the regrets and guilts they suffer are usually worse than any punishment. Even when doing very good work, they have a little voice inside that says, “It could be better.” They try too hard, feel too responsible, and are generally hard on themselves. When they criticize other people, they are likely to judge themselves for judging others.”

I was so extremely self-critical in the past, I had no room for criticizing others. How could I judge you, say, when I was crawling on my belly through life? Apparently, I had to get up and off the floor to even see other people and unleash ‘the judge’ on them.

I had an unexpected run-in with a neighboring apartment dweller last week. I had put a note on her car window that said: ‘Please, don’t park in my parking space,’ which she had been doing for months. (I don’t use the car very often; my daughter has it because she attends college five days a week and works. But when I do have it and the apartments fill up at night, there are no open parking spaces.) She took my note as an opportunity to make an insurance/theft claim and called the police and told them she suspected I broke into her car and stole her stereo equipment. When the police came to the apartment office, the assistant manager wouldn’t give them my name because she knew I didn’t do it. My inner ‘judge’ had already been busy for a couple weeks, judging here, there and everywhere, but, my, oh, my, did the real ‘judge’ come roaring to the surface!

It was a test and I tripped. I’ve felt desperate, thinking, ‘I’ve been writing here about non-judgment, mutual respect and tolerance for 2-1/2 years. How is it possible that all this is still inside me?’ I think it’s because we can only see our dark sides so much at a time. If the real judge had awakened any sooner, my heart might have cracked. But I am stronger now, surprised, but stronger, and it is my duty to work this through. Being hyper-critical of myself, the only way I’ll get through this is to simply ‘let it go’ whenever I become aware that another zinger about myself or someone else has come into my mind. It’s been so bad these past days, it’s no longer just ‘judgment eye bubbles.’ There’s been an awful smell coming from my kitchen sink; I called the office and asked them to come ‘unplug’ it, but the only way the smell would go was self-realization: ‘As your attitude stinks, so does the sink,’ my Higher Self said. ‘Oh–like the rhyme?’ she asked. ‘I do try to oblige.’

‘Real funny,’ I thought back. ‘The eye bubbles aren’t enough?’

‘Apparently not,’ she added. ‘But don’t worry, I am always with you.’

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Green Your Home with Houseplants

From Caelus Green Room: 7 Tips to Cleaner Air at Home

Here are some air-cleaning house plants recommended by Feng Shui practitioners:

Golden Pothos, courtesy of bhg.com

Peace Lily courtesy of ftd.com

Peperomia courtesy of growing-houseplants.com

 

Dwarf Banana Plant courtesy of bananaplantcare.com

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The Marks of An Angel and Why We Should Pray, from Sophy Burnham’s A BOOK OF ANGELS

I took Sophy Burnham’s A BOOK OF ANGELS from the shelf again last night. I didn’t even get through the Introduction before I grew too tired to continue, yet I felt loved, warmed, stronger. If ever there was a down-to-earth book filled with stories about how much our guardian angels love and care for us, it is hers. I thought I’d share a few paragraphs, hoping they will make you feel stronger, too.

She has interviewed/received hundreds of accounts from regular people like you and me who were visited by angels. The way it happens is always the same:

  • “They always say, “Don’t be afraid. Fear not. Leave everything to us.” They never say, “Look at the mess you’ve made of things now!” They never scold or criticize.”
  • “Second, you are filled with joy. With warmth, light, a sense of safety. Of home. Or Mother—the mother of your heart. Indeed, so many people report this feeling and always in the same words that it’s worth noting.”
  • “Third, you may not believe it happened—that an angel came to you—but you cannot forget it. And here’s another curious thing. The memory not only does not fade but it gets stronger with the passage of time, and this is unlike normal memory, or dreams, which fade with time.”

In the following story, Sophy learns about prayer. One day she was talking with her angels and asked a question. The answer was, ‘Pray;’ and she said to them, ‘You already know what I want. Why should I pray?’ The answer came at once, then divided itself into three sections. Continue Reading »

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My ‘Intolerance’ Eye-Bubbles Returned

I’ve been having lessons about judging others lately and it’s pretty uncomfortable. Sometimes I feel I’m going the reverse of where I want to. I believe we should grow wiser as we age but instead, sometimes I seem to be growing crankier and suspicious.

On the other side of my apartment’s walls lives a Muslim family from the Middle East and sometimes they’re noisier than I’d like, but that’s not a significant problem. The older man, husband and father, rules with absolute authority (I hear his demanding, raised voice). If he and I cross paths when I’m walking my dog, he snaps his fingers and gestures to dismiss me, to stay away, I guess. I don’t like being told to stay away or behind him, even though that’s what I do with everyone who doesn’t want contact. I don’t like being less than him and I don’t like that he rules his wife and daughter. His daughter and I smile and say hello—she’s a very nice young woman and I’ve spoken with his wife, who seems worn down to me, but maybe that’s only my perspective. (I don’t live with them after all or understand their native language.)

I’ve mentioned here before that when I fall into judging someone, I get an irritating bubble on my eye (the Universe’s sense of humor) which I take as a reminder of, “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?” The moment I realize what I’m doing, the bubble goes away. (Who would I be without eye-bubbles?)

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40-Days to Real Forgiveness

Forgiveness. Jeez, what a subject. The deeper the shock of betrayal, the more we need to experience and process our pain—and the more we need to forgive. But forgiveness is hard. After years of therapy, I know that forgiveness is strongly recommended for our own healing, but it goes against who we are and what happened. “You hurt me; you broke my heart. I will never recover!”

Though I had read the November/December 2007 issue of Edgar Cayce’s Venture Inward magazine when it arrived, I had forgotten its contents. I pulled it out of a stack one day and opened to an article called The 40-Day Forgiveness Prayer By J. Everett Irion. “Hmmm,” I thought. “Forty days? That’s gotta be a serious forgiveness prayer. Could this work?”

Continue Reading »

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Connection is Everything, by Clare Evans, A Guest Post from Seri-Worldwide

Clare Evans asks us to build our trust, our love and our gratitude, so we may connect with each other and all of life. Enjoy this gentle and compassionate letter from a truly beautiful soul. 

By Clare Evans

http://www.seri-wordlwide.org/

This Article: http://www.seri-worldwide.org/id647.html

“All energy is matter, and all energy matters…”

Today I would like to talk about Trust. About blind faith, believing and in doing so, healing. So much of the world is in torment, a living nightmare in everyday lives – never knowing where the next meal may come from, or if the weather will be kind to them today. People are suffering, hugely, and not just those in poverty stricken or war-torn countries – those in big business, they have also lost touch, with the land, with the earth, with the sky – they are as lost and lonely and fearful as the child alone in the desert, hungry and confused.

And why? Why this state that the world’s in? Why has it happened? And what can we do?  People lost their connection, to Mother Earth, to one another, to Spirit, to Love – the pure joy of love that is all things – the creative energy that is the Universe, that is each one of us, that is the plants and rocks and animals – and yes, even buildings, and clocks and computers. All energy is matter, and all energy matters. Without a connection to that we are just floating, aimlessly – no wonder people feel that they have no purpose in life, that it’s all hopeless, that this is it, and if it ends good riddance. They have forgotten, that is all… it is there in the memory of each of us, as spirit beings, as energy – we all have the opportunity to remember, to reconnect, if we so desire.

Trust.

That is a big word in today’s society, where no-one trusts anyone – not with thoughts, not with feelings, not with money, nor with friendship. We have forgotten, or decided that life is better alone – really? Is it really better to push away all that you hold close? All potential friendships and loves? To protect oneself? From what? From living? Then what is the point? Connection is everything, it leads to Love and it comes from Trust.

Continue Reading »

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No Matter the Times We Fall, We’re Meant to Get Up Again

When I was 23, I met the woman who would become my spiritual guide. At the core of all of her beliefs and feelings was this simple prayer: “Your will be done, Lord.” At the time, not understanding what this prayer requires, I thought, “Well, okay. I’m going to trust her on this.” Life marched on and I was 30, divorced and childless; my inner clock, it turned out, was ticking quite persistently and I could not abandon myself to God’s will. What if God doesn’t want me to have children? I thought. I began my search for a husband who wanted children and tried really, really hard not to think about God’s will on the subject. It’s not that I believed God was certain to say no; it was that I didn’t want to take the chance. If I asked, and God said, “Not this lifetime,” I would have been consciously going against God’s will, which would have been very hard. Not asking was me playing a trick on myself; God knew all along what I was thinking, feeling, planning and doing and gave me full rein. My children and I escaped the self-generated, and most severe, of the repercussions of my juggling by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin.

I wish I knew back then what I know now: We are born to fulfill our hopes and dreams, the ones that sparkle in our eyes on our first birthday—before we are bumped and bruised by life. We all make stupid decisions, experience bumps, falls, accidents, and if we don’t try to understand who we are and where we came from, and why we’re here, we can grow old and bitter pretty early on. That’s definitely not why we’re here. We’re meant to get up, no matter how many times we fall, and try again. We’re meant to learn from our mistakes and grow into more conscious human beings, meaning that we’re operating from the place within that sees the best for us and for everyone else, too. We’re meant to love and give and serve, whether that begins with our spouse and children, or we end up making the world a better place in some amazing way. God, by whatever name you call Him or Her, is happiest when we are God-like: loving, creative, compassionate and forgiving. God wants the very best for us and knows the promises we make between lives, and that we choose the circumstances we do to become the best humans we can be. We know it, too, even if we don’t remember.

It is never too late to stop being afraid there is a giant man in the sky with a hatchet who intends to inflict vengeance upon us. God is Love and we are seeds of Love. If we are feeling separate from God, know we are given the free will to separate—but it is we who turn away, not our Creator. May Love fill your heart in this moment.

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A Journey

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Your Part in the Great Cosmic Story

If you knew you had an important part to play in the unfolding world drama, would you change anything about the way you live? What if you—what you thought and felt and did—were the last person who tipped the scales in one direction or another? This is how important we each are, how important you are.

It’s true we’re individuals with free will, but we’re also child-souls of the Force that created the universe and that means we’re an integral part of something much, much larger than ourselves. Isn’t this an amazing story? What better parts could we have? Earth holds her position in space for us, providing us with food and water and shelter and awe-inspiring beauty that reflects our Creator. Our sun keeps us from freezing and the moon lights our nights, whispering to those who will listen her secrets of the magic in the world.

We are made of both light and darkness. Our days are light and then dark. The colors of our world are light and dark. What does this mean? It means our life journeys are a mixed bag of light and darkness and that, until we ask, we will stumble and fall, a lot. Is the waking world the real world? Is the dream-world of sleep the real world? Is the real world a place we do not yet see because we’re caught up in this story?

We each need to find out, because history bears witness that we’ve been warring—sometimes animal-like—people. We are more than war, or power-hungry monsters who must have our own way. We are child-souls of the Force that created the universe, and we each have an important part to play in bringing peace to our lives and to our planet. Why not seek the truth? Why not get along with others? Why not care? Why not love?

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Be Gentle With Yourself

If I could leave only one sentiment at Notes Along the Path, it would be, “Be gentle—with yourself and with others.” Why? Though we all deserve love and tenderness, they are not ours unless we believe we deserve them. Deep within, we all long for these blessings, no matter the masks we wear. Love and joy are our ‘natural’ state and the reason we were born—to touch each others’ lives, to bring healing wherever we are.

For many of us, guilt gets in the way of our birthright. We’ve all made mistakes—granted, some more serious than others—because that’s what people do. We make mistakes. It’s what we do afterward that matters. It’s about getting up again, forgiving ourselves and sincerely asking for forgiveness from those we hurt. It’s about looking within and healing what is off-kilter, and if we are blessed with the opportunity, healing what is out of balance between us and others, too.

Decide now to observe your inner critic and the damage it does to your belief in yourself. When you hear the ‘corrector,’ choose instead to be gentle with yourself. Say, “No big deal. I did the best I could,” or, “I love myself just as I am.” Then pass that kindness on to those you love and even to those you don’t. Be a peacemaker.

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To Make the Transformation Our Greatest Desire

Last night I was thinking of all the non-profit organizations that serve the underserved, those that work to change the quality of life for people who live in poverty or disease or terror. No matter how we may judge others—the homeless, the addicted, the violent, the starving, those dying en masse—deep down, we know that we would likely do no better if we lived in their circumstances.

I am amazed by people who care so much that they establish and work in non-profit organizations to make a difference, to do something that matters, something beyond themselves. Their trials and fears and even hopelessness might at times overtake them, but they do what they can, one day, one person, one family, one village at a time. The Generation We’s, born 1978-2000—they are the ones who are left mopping up the horrors created by my generation, the Me-My-Mine-Boomers. We thought we were so cool—too cool—and now we’ve nearly destroyed our planet and our country, the once-United States.

I hope the Gen We’s are strong of heart and that they will really listen to each other so that all the world’s children may someday live in stable, happy communities on a healthy planet. For this to happen, it’s become obvious that a general shift in consciousness is necessary. It’s not enough for small groups of people to dedicate themselves to doing good while the tidal wave of corruption crashes over the world, destroying everyone and all that is beautiful in its path. For this shift to happen, some percentage of us must make the transformation our greatest desire—above all else in our lives. In this way, we become portals and help to stabilize the Love, the healing ‘Force,’ amongst our populations, wherever we are. May I choose to do so, may you choose to do so, for never has the need been so great.

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The Urge to Merge

Before we embark on a spiritual journey, it’s very easy to feel like we’re stuck, spinning out of control. There is a veil between us and the Light and if we never get to the point where we need answers, we’re distraught and feel abandoned. Why the veil? Good question; I think it has something to do with our free-will status. We choose to live in the separate state of being until we decide we want—we need—to merge. But, merge with what or whom?

I think of each of us as two beings, one personality-based, a Little Self; and one our Divine spark, a Higher Self. Our Little Selves desire, demand and spend their energy figuring out how to get what they want. Our Higher Selves see far beyond me-me-me and seek the embrace of the Divine, however we are nudged. We each have a pathway to the Light, specifically designed for us. That’s why non-acceptance of another’s life or spiritual path is Little Self behavior—how we return to the Light is between each of us and God (Love/Universe/Great Spirit/Goddess/ Allah.)

Continue Reading »

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Our Friends Don’t Have To Look Like Us

Creatures of the natural world know the times–they are a changin’. It’s time to come together.
Photos received in an email: 

How you been?

You look familiar. Have we met before?

Don't worry; I've got ya!

Mom said you HAVE to share!

Share a nuzzle?

My little buddy

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Which Side Are You On?

From Mike Hopkins of the blog Stranger in a Strange Land:

Inspiring music from Jackson Browne and Dawes: Will YOU Occupy?

Electrons Making Energy–The Future is Almost Here!

Video: Future of Energy

 

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But, I’m Only Human!

Have you ever wondered what the Garden of Eden was like—what Paradise is for humans? It must’ve been breathtaking in its beauty. Were trees and plants heavy laden with food that was always ripe? The water had to be running clear and strong and probably had healing properties. Did scorpions and mosquitoes and rats live there? Did God’s children live for hundreds of years in this place where there was no fear or danger? Can you imagine the sky—the sunrises and sunsets? We descendants may have polluted our atmosphere beyond recognition compared to the original, yet our sky still looks like a master painted it every day.

I believe there is something in the Edgar Cayce readings about ‘the fall,’ the temptation being to mate physically like animals for the purposes of pleasure. (There may also be readings about humans actually mating with animals, thus the mythological centaurs and the like. Cayce says our Creator reconfigured our DNA so that we couldn’t do that anymore. Can’t you just hear certain angels saying to God on the subject of free will, “We told you so!”) And isn’t there something in the Bible about woman’s punishment Continue Reading »

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Love and the End of Domination, A Guest Post by Michael Brine

A Guest Post from Michael Brine:

“Only when you drink from the river of

Silence shall you indeed sing.

And when you have reached the

Mountaintop, then you shall begin to climb.”

 ~Kahlil Gibran

 What is “God?”

What God is can best be described as the collectiveness of mankind, whether seen or unseen, and in the virtue of mankind’s existence, God, through that description, is unconditional and open-ended Love – because in the realisation of what God is is the realisation of what we are – that we are God and we always have been. That we are not evil or corrupt in our souls, as we have been taught. That we are really divine in our souls and with that learning – that profoundness of learning – it allows us the vision, the hope, the desire to become all that we can be, which is unlimited probability. That gets us out of the harshness of our own creations and gives us hope.

It teaches us how to love!

~Author unknown

Quoted from Servers of the Divine Plan:

Male/Female Imbalance:

“It is evident that there has been an extreme patriarchal imbalance upon Earth for a very long time. The innate creative and intuitive qualities of the feminine spirit have been long-feared by distorted male perception, and as a result women have been repressed, dominated and persecuted throughout history. In order to bring equilibrium in a world that has known so much control by the male force, the majority of Server-souls upon Earth at this time have chosen to incarnate in female bodies. As agents of change, these valiant envoys of the New Spirit bring to the planet a very high concentration of feminine power that will presently resolve the  patriarchal problem upon Earth once and for all, restoring much needed balance and harmony that will benefit everyone in the New World, both women AND men. During the time leading up to the Great Transition, however, and since male authority is still presently the controlling power, female Servers will continue to experience something of the anguish of the collective persecution endured by so many women over the ages. Nonetheless, they are assured that their long awaited time of liberation and victory is today at hand.”


From Michael Brine:

I fully realise that some of the material I present in my columns may cause some readers to feel uncomfortable – even annoyed. It is not done to annoy but to suggest that perhaps there are other ways to view life. The world is passing through very disturbing times and much of this disturbance is being caused by severe religious differences. These differences are mostly caused by some of the more extreme followers of the three Abraham based religions – Islam, Judaism and Christianity. I imagine that the persons who originally gave of their wisdom those many years ago must be shaking their collective heads in great sadness when they witness how men have so corrupted their simple teachings such as, “Love ye one and other,” and “Judge not.” Sadly, judgment would seem to have become a constant in all three.

Let me leave it at that – but I ask you to think about it.

Be well,

Michael Brine

If you wish to comment my e-mail address is: wild.brine621@gmail com.  Other writings of mine may be accessed at: www.missionignition.net/btb.

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When Goodness Overtakes the Darkness

I was flipping TV channels earlier and stopped for a period at one of the Alien movies. Finally, the creatures were so truly hideous, I had to put on a music channel. And their unfettered focus on power, control and destruction was frightening— but the movie did get me thinking. Are we humans so different from those horrible monsters?

We truly are mixed bags of thoughts, emotions, judgments and beliefs. We spend our lives searching for others most like us and deciding what we will and will not tolerate. For many of us, what we won’t tolerate defines us. We make a stance behind our lines in the soil–and life teaches us, all of us. This is simply how we are.

We are surrounded by human ‘walls’ at home, work, in our synagogues/mosques/churches, cities and states, our country and in the world. Claiming territory and ‘father knows best’ has always caused us to go to war—WAR: annihilation of enough of the living that the point is made: I’m the king/prince/ president/pope/senator/dictator; I say what goes. Until the next king/dictator can kill enough of the living to make his point. Back and forth, forth and back.

And what about evil? Should we stand by when men who controlled by their dark-selves try to take over a neighborhood, a city, a country, the world? I believe the Catholic Church calls wars to stop evil ‘just’ or moral wars as in, ‘Evil takes over when good people do nothing.’ So, sometimes we have to go to war. Sometimes ‘war’ is a whole bunch of us practicing civil disobedience because changing banks or ‘not spending’ isn’t enough. Why? Because anywhere men grow their power until its hurts everyone else, they won’t just step down. They step it UP.

The election process in America is flawed, because our laws allow corruption to flourish; thus the ‘Occupy’ movement was born. Who are the Occupiers? People who want to take down the fences, open the windows and let in some fresh air and light. People who want goodness for every child in the world and the world, too. People of new beginnings, fresh perspectives, and healing.

We Americans won’t elect People of the Light in November, because there are no People of the Light running for office. They’re in the streets. Maybe we can open up and join them, meet together and start something—changing laws for the good—at the local level. Let’s make Talking Sticks and pass them around our circles and only the holder of the Stick talks–one at a time, no shouting. The rest of us listen. From these kinds of circles, Spirit moves and heals and lights the way.

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New Year, New Energies

A couple of days ago when I was walking my dog, I was suddenly overcome with the sense that I WAS a character in a movie—the plot being the battle between a cabal of mad men who have hidden the real world and people who were beginning to wake up and smell the coffee, so to speak. I felt like I was stuck under a tightly woven, thick, sticky web, but I was desperately stretching my arm toward a couple of specks of light I could see. I had to punch through!

All the writings of Paramahansa Yogananda, the beloved guru who established the Self-Realization Fellowship in 1920 in L.A., are about how to make the journey from the dark world of the little-self to the real world of light and Love. Each time I’ve read his famous book, Autobiography of a Yogi, I’m struck again by his devotion to the Divine, to Love, and to showing others the path Home. His tremendous Love washes over the reader and for a while we’re left with the sense, “Ohhh! So this ISN’T the real world? I see! I see!” Then, of course, comes the most difficult of journeys–the journey of lifetimes–the learning to let go of what we hold most dear to ourselves, to trust in our Higher Selves and in the Higher Plan. Which brings me back to punching through that sticky web!

It’s a new year tomorrow, 2012, the beginning of a new cycle in time. And, as Paul Walsh reports at his blog, http://imagineight.wordpress.com/2011/12/27/long-year-coming/, February 3rd marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year, the year of the dragon. Unlike the evil, destructive European dragons, the mythic dragons of China represent good luck, wealth, potent power, strength, ambition, passion, self-assurance, and fearlessness—a tendency to act without thinking of, or even caring about, the consequences.

It will likely be an intense year for most of us in one way or another. We’ll need to consciously keep our balance and remind ourselves that this world of drama, money, politics, disasters and superficiality is not the real world. Beyond that awful sticky web is the world of Light and Love, a beautiful place where our souls are right at home. I believe that when we die, after a period of transition and help, we go to one of the levels of ‘heaven’ and that ultimately we will become fully aware of our oneness with God/Love/Universe. I hear we can achieve that state while we are alive, also, through meditation.

Whatever Father Time brings us in 2012, we can be fully confident that we are far more than the animals we have often been throughout our remembered history—we are the sons and daughters of God/Goddess/Great Mystery and knowing God is our birthright. May you be blessed with insight and Love in 2012. Thank you for reading here.

 

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Enter the Portals of the New Year with New Hope, A Guest Post by Paramahansa Yogananda

By Paramahansa Yogananda

This is my message to you for the New Year:

Your cup of life within and without is filled with the Divine Presence, but because of the lack of attention you do not perceive God’s immanence. When you are in tune, as one tunes in a radio, then you receive Spirit. It is as if you take a bottle of sea water, cork it, and put it in the ocean; although the bottle floats in the waters, its contents do not mix with its oceanic surroundings. But open the bottle, and the water inside merges with the sea. We must remove the cork of ignorance before we can come in contact with Spirit.

* * *

Infinity is our Home. We are just sojourning awhile in the caravanserai of the body. Those who are drunk with delusion have forgotten how to follow the trail that leads to God. But when in meditation the Divine gets hold of the prodigal child, there is no dallying anymore.

Enter the portals of the New Year with new hope. Remember you are a child of God. It lies with you as to what you are going to be. Be proud that you are a child of God. What have you to fear? No matter what comes, believe it is the Lord who is sending that to you; and you must succeed in conquering those daily challenges. Therein lies your victory. Do His will; nothing can hurt you then. He loves you everlastingly. Think that. Believe that. Know that. And suddenly one day you will find you are immortally alive in God.

Meditate more and believe in that strong consciousness that God is always with you regardless of what happens. Then you will see that the veil of delusion will be taken away and you will be one with That which is God. That is how I found my greatest happiness in life. I am not looking for anything now because I have everything in Him. Never would I part with That which is the richest of all possessions.

The excerpts above are from a talk given by Paramahansa Yogananda at the International Headquarters of the society he founded, Self-Realization Fellowship, on New Year’s Eve, 1934. The entire talk is published in Journey to Self-realization, Volume III of Paramahansa Yogananda’s Collected Talks and Essays. (Self-Realization Fellowship, copyright©1997, Los Angeles; reprinted with permission.) For more information about the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda, visit www.yogananda-srf.org.

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Change Bad Habits with Determination, A Guest Post By Paramahansa Yogananda

Paramahansa Yogananda; Photo courtesy of Self-Realization Fellowship, Los Angeles, Ca

By Paramahansa Yogananda

The following excerpts are from a talk given by Paramahansa Yogananda at the International Headquarters of the society he founded, Self-Realization Fellowship, on New Year’s Eve, 1934. The entire talk is published in Journey to Self-realization, Volume III of Paramahansa Yogananda’s Collected Talks and Essays. (Self-Realization Fellowship, copyright©1997, Los Angeles; reprinted with permission.) For more information about the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda, visit www.yogananda-srf.org.

Bad habits are the worst enemies you can have. You are punished by those habits. They make you do things you do not want to do, and leave you to suffer the consequences. You must drop bad habits and leave them behind you as you move forward. Every day should be a transition from old habits to better habits. In this coming year make a solemn resolution to keep only those habits that are for your highest good.

The best way to get rid of your undesirable tendencies is not to think about them; do not acknowledge them. Never concede that a habit has a hold on you….You must develop “won’t” habits. And stay away from those things that stimulate bad habits.

* * *

Do not limit yourself with the narrowness of selfishness. Include others in your achievements and happiness, then you are doing the will of God. Whenever you think of yourself, think also of others. When you think of seeking peace, think of others who are in need of peace. If you do your utmost to make others happy, you will find that you are pleasing the Father.

To live in harmony, to live with strong will power to do the will of Him who sent you, is all you should be interested in. Never lose courage, and always be smiling. Have the smile of the heart and the smile of the face completely in harmony. If your body, mind, and soul register the smile of the inner consciousness of God, you can scatter smiles about you wherever you go.

* * *

Be always with people who inspire you; surround yourself with people who lift you up. Do not let your resolutions and positive thinking be poisoned by bad company. Even if you cannot find good company to inspire you, you can find it in meditation. The best company you can have is the joy of meditation.

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Make New Determinations: Be What You Want to Be! A Guest Post By Paramahansa Yogananda

Note: The inspiring guru from India, Paramahansa Yogananda, who lived from 1893 to 1952, and who established the Self-Realization Fellowship in Los Angeles in 1920, lived to share the ancient teachings of yoga with Westerners and promote understanding between people of differing religions. (An image of Jesus Christ appears with P.Y.’s line of gurus at all SRF centers.) 

by Paramahansa Yogananda

The following excerpts are from a talk given by Paramahansa Yogananda at the International Headquarters of the society he founded, Self-Realization Fellowship, on New Year’s Eve, 1934. The entire talk is published in Journey to Self- realization, Volume III of Paramahansa Yogananda’s Collected Talks and Essays. (Self-Realization Fellowship, copyright©1997, Los Angeles; reprinted with permission.)

Make new determinations as to what you are going to do and what you are going to be in this next year. Set a program for yourself; carry it through, and you will find how much happier you will be. Failure to keep to your schedule of improvement means you have paralyzed your will. You have no greater friend and no greater enemy than yourself. If you befriend yourself, you will find accomplishment. There is no law of God preventing you from being what you want to be and accomplishing what you want to accomplish. Nothing detrimental that happens can affect you unless you sanction it.

* * *

Let nothing weaken your conviction that you can be whatever you want to be. There is no one obstructing you unless it be yourself. Though my master Swami Sri Yukteswarji again and again told me that, it was hard to believe it at first. But as I used the God-given gift of will power in my life, I found it to be my savior. Not to use the will is to be inert like a stone, an inanimate object—an ineffectual human being.

* * *

Constructive thought will absolutely, like a great hidden searchlight, show you the pathway to success. There is always a way to be found if you think hard enough. People who give up after a little while bedim their power of thought. In order to gain your end, you must do your utmost to use thought until it is luminous enough to reveal to you the way to your goal.

Cast away all negative thoughts and fears. Remember that as a child of God you are endowed with the same potentialities as the most excellent among men. As souls, none is greater than another. Attune your will to be guided by the wisdom of God as expressed in the wisdom of the sages. If your will is yoked to wisdom, you can achieve anything.

The Beautiful Glowing Man

Cosmic Christ

Dear Readers,

I send you blessings for a Merry Christmas (or the holiday you are celebrating) and pray that God/Love/Great Mystery will bless you in the brand new year.

P.S. — However these memories happen, this is how I think of Jesus, the Christ:

God, he was beautiful. His skin almost glowed; his features were perfectly symmetrical. It was impossible to look into his eyes without your heart skipping a beat. Was he a magician? Some thought so, because he looked into their souls and they felt it, a measuring of sorts. “Who are you?” his eyes asked. “What is important to you? How have you lived?”

He was a teacher of Life, with a capital L–the things of permanence. Oh, he loved his family, even had a profession and friends, but only a few wanted to be with him. He was from another world and sometimes things got spooky, like when he read their minds. It took courage to stay with him, and a desire to see beyond what we humans can see with our physical eyes.

Life was hard, but he didn’t seem to care. He wouldn’t listen to rants; he talked only about love and forgiveness, beauty and joy. “Let me show you,” he’d say, and they’d sit together around a fire and listen to his stories. He seemed to be asking them to ignore their problems, to live and think in a whole new way, to express thanks to God for everything, even their suffering. Someone always stomped off then. “I will not!” they’d shout. “If God loved us, these things wouldn’t happen!”

“This world,” he would say with a sweep of his arm, “is not the real world. This is only a play, created by all of your thoughts. Only those who believe in this world are born here, for we are what we think, what we believe. How could you be born elsewhere when this is what you believe?”

“Close your eyes for a moment,” he’d say. He spoke and stories unfolded in their minds’ eyes. “Love and peace are gifts of your Father. Once you open your minds and hearts to what I am showing you, you will go and show others and they will show still more. My Love is your love. My work is your work. In this way, the world will be healed of warring.”

“The world will be healed of war?” a man said, astonished. “That’s impossible!”

“Love is irresistible, as is compassion. They spread in waves and when the waves hit, hearts and minds are made anew. Does this answer your question?” he asked.

“It is an answer, but I’m not sure I believe it.”

“Stay with me,” the beautiful, glowing man said, smiling, “and you will see it.”

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