The Painful World

According to the dictionary aspiration is a - hope, dream, wish, longing, yearning, aim or an ambition to achieving something. However spiritual aspiration is by the will of progress the urge towards perfection.

Spiritual aspiration is a permanent inner cry that arises from our heart, our spiritual heart. The spiritual heart's very nature is to inspire the individual to discover higher and higher realizations, until they ultimately develop their unconditional oneness with the Creator, God.

Those who devote their attention to their inner aspiration shall undeniably develop complete union with the highest consciousness, God. The intensity for continued aspiration is developed through regular prayer, meditation and quiet contemplation. These virtues keep the individual focused on their inner life where realization, true fulfillment, wisdom and peace shall ultimately be attained.

So a spiritual persons aspiration sees them constantly seeking to overcome their imperfections, to become a better person. Where doubt, fear, jealousy, selfishness, frustration, ego or negativity are just some of the qualities that they are seeking to have illumined. The ability to clearly identify which negative qualities they seek to overcome is revealed through their daily prayers, meditations and contemplations.

These virtues by their very nature are positive for they keep the individual's awareness within the spiritual heart. The spiritual heart's illumined reality stems from the individual's unique inner connection with God, the soul. The spiritual heart is fed with the soul's qualities of joy, contentment, fulfilment, hope, happiness, kindness, unconditional love and sincerity. The qualities they seek to overcome arise from the limited part of their nature, the physical mind.

The transformation of the negatives of the physical mind into positives of the spiritual heart is one of the greatest shifts within human consciousness. The mind can however resist, it is very powerful and stubborn, but your determination and patience shall overcome these initial difficulties. The soul has infinitely more capacities than the unillumined mind. The mind's activities are only shallow, whereas the soul's perfection lies within a much deeper and vaster reality. We have to give the soul time to illumine the mind. That is why we focus on the heart through our regular meditations. The spiritual heart is the vessel through which the soul offers its illumining, pure and divine qualities to the mind and body. This gradual transformation brings increased aspiration and divine illumination.

Sri Chinmoy the meditation teacher says, (1) "Aspiration is the mounting cry, the climbing cry inside our heart. We can enter into the divine consciousness through our inner cry. This cry is not for name and fame. This cry is for our total, unconditional, unreserved oneness with God, who is the Inner Pilot of our life-boat".

Ref: (1) From Sri Chinmoy's Book - The Wings of Joy

As I was preparing to write this week's ezine a bit earlier than usual, because of my travel plans, I listened to Ben Stein's opinion piece on the TV show, Sunday Morning. His conclusion, in the aftermath of this past week's shooting in Virginia, was that there is no place that is safe.

Wow, I thought, what a foreboding thought. Is there really nowhere that we can be safe any longer? This was a troubling thought at first. Living in Flat Rock NC, a small village quite similar in many ways to Blacksburg, VA, I've always thought I lived in a safe space, and then I remembered a comment from Albert Einstein.

Einstein once commented that the most fundamental question we can ever ask ourselves is whether or not the universe we live in is friendly or hostile. He hypothesized that how you answer that question would determine your destiny.

I think friendly with safety and closely akin. So, I'd like to suggest that from a Life On Purpose Perspective, there is a place of ultimate safety and it's within ourselves. It's described in many different ways -- as the Christ Center, the soul, spirit, our connection with the Cosmic Consciousness, etc. I describe it also as 'clarity of purpose.' When we know our true, divinely inspired purpose, we have determined that, indeed, the universe is a friendly and safe place, because we know that we are surrounded by Universal Love.

Now, this isn't to downplay in any way what happened in Blacksburg, VA. It is to suggest that as we all process what happened, we do have a choice whether to approach it from a place of fear or from a place of Universal love.

During the same Sunday Morning program, they showed the memorial that had been spontaneously created on the campus as people left flowers and other mementos, including notes of forgiveness for the shooter. For me that was a sure sign that we are making progress in spiritual evolution. With forgiveness the healing process can begin. We need not forget what happened to forgive. We need not condone what happened to forgive. We need only forgive in our own way and time.

When somebody ask you this question, what will be your answer? Can you answer right away? Or you have to think for a few seconds before you can answer? Others will need a lifetime to answer this.

One of the reasons why when a person being asked this question think before answering is because he/she is not sure if he/she is happy with his/her life now. He/She might need to think and balance things up to come up with the correct answer. But all should learn how to get the answer. All of us should keep in mind that happiness is not just being happy with the things we have now or how much money we saved in the last few years but what we have accomplished. Happiness comes after contentment. And we should first need to find this contentment before we can find happiness.

Having so much problems and so much pain in life shouldn't stop us from saying: "I am happy." We have to find a way to make ourselves be able to say this short but meaningful statement. We need to walk on the road that leads to contentment so we can find happiness which is next to it. Very easy to say but it's very hard to be done.

In life, we will always find someone who can make us laugh. He/She might not be the one who will make us happy for the rest of our lives but we should treasure and take good care of this someone who comes along the way. As he/she might not be there in the end but he/she is with us to help us along the way.

In the next few weeks, I'll be submitting some more articles on how to make ourselves be contented and happy afterwards, not just looking happy but feeling happy inside out.

Did you know that there is a simple, two-step process by which you can know God's will for your life?

Think about it! According to Ephesians 2:10, the God who created you has prepared good works for you to accomplish:

Ephesians 2:10 NASB

(10) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Now, here's the key to a fulfilled life:

• Find those good works that God has prepared for you, and do them!

Jesus said that the thing that nourished Him was to do the will of the Father who sent Him (John 4:34), how much more is this true of us?

I honestly believe that we are born with an innate sense of purpose. I believe God puts into the heart of every person the knowledge that He exists and intends to have a relationship with that individual. It's up to us to seek Him out.

So how do we go about discerning God's will for our lives? Look at Romans 12:2:

Romans 12:2 NASB

(2) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Notice the two-fold method for proving God's will:

• Do not be conformed to this world

1 John 2:16 NASB

(16) For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.

Paul admonishes us to not allow ourselves to get caught up in this worldly mindset. It's difficult to keep one's mind and attitude right when we are bombarded every day by sinful appeals to the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life. It permeates nearly every song we listen to and every television show we watch.

So how does one keep his or her self from being conformed to the world?

• Be transformed by the renewing of your mind

And so, in fulfillment of the promise in this verse:

• as you grow in your relationship with God . . .
• . . . and your mind is renewed . . .
• . . . and you resist the corrupting nature of the world . . .
• . . . you will have a greater understanding of His will for your life!

The best time to give a psychic reading is when your mind is mostly free from distraction and free from disruption. This can be late at night or in the mid day when most people are at work and you are mainly at home. You may want to allow yourself to open your heart up to someone that may be in need of your services. The psychic hotline if full of people wanting to receive a personalized psychic reading. You can open your heart to understanding someone who may be in need of hearing about a psychic reading. The psychic reading is an art that needs to be expressed when you feel prepared to do so.

If you are feeling nervous, then you should not give a psychic reading because it will most likely mess your psychic reading up. Psychic readings are never supposed to be given when your spirit is feeling a mess. The psychic reading is an art that needs to be expressed when you feel mostly at peace. If you are meditating and feel like giving a psychic reading after a meditation session, then it would really work for you. The psychic that meditates is the psychic that can stay mainly focused on the psychic reading it. Meditation is the key to any psychic's success. You must pray to God at least once a day if you want to give good psychic readings.

Many people don't realize that there is a lot of spiritual work that must be done for a person that seeks a psychic reading from a psychic. The psychic must be able to channel into any given situation and he or she must feel like there is something to be addressed. The psychic reading is best given when the psychic feels like they are tapping into something. You have to be completely honest with yourself and you will be able to see that the psychic reading is very intriguing for you. You cannot allow yourself to be afraid of the psychic reading because it can best guide you when you least suspect. You have to really say to yourself that you want to be open to whatever it is that the spirit guides have for you. The more open that you are to the psychic reading, the better you will feel about yourself. The psychic reading is best given when the psychic doesn't know exactly what to say. It's best given when the psychic is well aware of where their prophetic words are coming from. A true psychic always has a sign from a spirit or from someone of a higher nature of where they are connecting with you from. The spirit world is always going to be coming together for you over time. Allow your spirit guides to speak through you. To become a master psychic, you must always allow yourself to channel with someone that may be able to understand you completely. The spirit world is full of surprises and you have to allow yourself to become one with the spirit world as often as you can. The spirit world has a lot of opportunity for you and in the spiritual realm of things; you are going to feel as though things are really working out for you. You have to allow yourself to see you for who you are and at times you may feel like this is risky, but you also have to realize that you are going to be part of something that the spirit world wants to give to you. Always allow yourself to give another person the opportunity to come towards you for the psychic reading. When you are giving the psychic reading, just make sure that you are giving it with your full heart and that you are not looking to make money off of it. You can charge for the psychic reading but never let that be your motive for doing it.

This is in continuation of the articles, 'Sri Sathya Sai Baba on Himself', published earlier.

20) Let Me tell you, it is only those who know the scriptures, that can understand Me. I am determined to correct you only after informing you of my credentials. That is why I am now and then announcing My Nature by means of miracles – that is, acts which are beyond human capacity and human understanding. Not that I am anxious to show off My powers. The object is to draw you closer to Me, to cement your hearts to Me.
Getting to know Me is also part of your destiny.

- Discourse at Prasanthi Nilayam on 24-11-1961

21) Remember, Sai does not live in structures of stone or brick and mortar! He lives in soft hearts, warm with sympathy and fragrant with universal Love.

- Discourse during Installation of Shri Sai Baaba idol in the Mandhir, Repalle, on 2-12-1961

22) I gave Kasthuri and Thirumalachar shawls and blessed them at the beginning of this meeting since they wrote My life in English and Thelugu: the book called "Sathyam, Shivam, Sundaram." Some of you might have wondered why I liked the publication of this book on My Life. Well, I like the production of all kinds of things and so, why should I not like this? I responded to the prayers of devotees and allowed them to write it. "Ramayathi ithi Raama" – He who pleases is Raama. The joy of the bhaktha (devotee) satisfies the Lord; the joy of the Lord is the reward of the bhaktha.

The title "Sathyam, Shivam, Sundaram" is full of meaning. It speaks of Me as immanent in every one of you, remember. Sathyam (Truth) is the basic reality of you all; that is why you resent being called a liar. The real "you" is innocent; he will not accept an imputation that is false. The real "you" is Shivam – joy, happiness, and auspiciousness – but not shavam (corpse). It is Sundaram (beautiful), Nithyam (permanent), Anandham (bliss). How then can you bear being called otherwise? The real "you" is Beauty, and so you resent being called ugly.

- Discourse at Prasanthi Nilayam on 4-3-1962

We will see many more of His sayings in the ensuing article.

Doris Helge, Ph. D. is author of many books, including, "Joy on the Job" and "Transforming Pain Into Power," now published in four languages. After a decade of research regarding employee morale and motivation issues and providing training in organizations ranging from Microsoft to Vanderbilt University, Dr. Helge, "The Joy on the Job Coach," has became the #1 authority on happiness at work.

"Joy on the Job" is The Bible of Happiness at Work. Although the book is fun to read, I couldn't find any filler or fluff in this comprehensive work. The book is packed with hundreds of proven, easy-to-implement strategies that create joy and fulfillment at work. Material was drawn from interviews with employees, managers, and entrepreneurs in 21 diverse organizations. Strategies were validated during "Joy on the Job Seminars" conducted by the author.

When the Joy on the Job strategies were evaluated, Dr. Helge's work produced significant improvements in:



* Teamwork


* Job satisfaction (whether workers were self-employed or employed by a company)


* Employee motivation (whether people were working for themselves or a company)


* Productivity


* Employee retention


* Customer service


* Leadership ability


* Employee morale (whether people were working for themselves or a company)





Over 100 user-friendly exercises in "Joy on the Job" help us integrate new knowledge and skills.

A book based on over ten years of research could be dry, right? Not "Joy on the Job!" It's filled with positive surprises. The book is written in a warm, conversational style and the content and exercises are so useful that the book definitely maintains your interest. The answer to "What's in it for me?" is simple -- happiness at work -- so people I talk to read the book over and over. It is their reference book regarding happiness at work.

For the HR manager or other serious researcher, "Joy on the Job" has a complete appendix with an extensive index. I was amazed that even the References and Notes Section of "Joy on the Job" is interesting to read.

I enjoyed reviewing this book because I agree with Dr. Helge that everyone deserves to enjoy their work as much as a fun vacation. People I've recommended the book to have been delighted by how easy it is to improve their lives at work. HR managers, entrepreneurs, team members, and employees appreciate the no-cost strategies that have been proven to produce positive change.

One of the next best steps on Planet Earth will be to create work settings in which people have so much fun that work becomes like play. This book and Dr. Helge's seminars are a giant step toward that goal.

What a gift it is, and how appreciated the speaker or writer who can communicate spiritual things and remain very human. People are hungry for encouragement and spiritual wisdom. They just don't want to be preached to. Can you blame them?

I remember one particular speaker who I happened to know had a very shallow personal life in which he often tried to make himself look good at the expense of denying others the credit for their good work. I was in a worship service in which I had to listen to him preach about being self-less. I was in agony.

How much more effective he would have been if he would have shared his ongoing struggle with needing for others to see him as successful. He would have had my complete attention. I would have been able to empathize with his truthful self-revelation by relating to my own needs for recognition and we together would have had a moment of personal growth.
If you would like for people to really be tuned into your spiritual insights be real. Take a risk. Reveal struggles you have faced and share how God is blessing you. Don't try to be the hero of every story; instead reveal by your example how others don't have to be afraid of their weaknesses and failures.

Here is an example from a book I recently wrote: A Down to Earth God: devotionals for the nature lover.

The Three Goats from Hell

My dream of owning land has finally come true. Sure, it's along a busy highway, under the approach to the runway of the Fortuna airport, next to the railroad tracks, and on the side of a steep hill but it's still land—God's, the bank's, and mine. I sometimes walk over to the little orchard planted too close to the overshadowing redwoods and sugar pines and pick a diminutive apple or pear and eat it with the relish that only landowners know. Munching between the holes and bites already made by other critters, I smile deep inside, acknowledging that God and I made that pear grow. Isn't it good?

But with this expansive, Lord-of-the-domain feeling also comes the awareness of having to care for the place. Oh, I wish I had cut those huge, thistly-looking purple flowers before they exploded into the seedy beginnings of next year's weeds. And what about keeping the grass and brush down? Horses have no income-producing value but would be so much fun. Cows would work very well with the sketchy fencing I have but eating them wouldn't be very good for my cholesterol. Goats would eat the brush, poison oak, and grass just fine but my fencing isn't adequate. Oh, what to do, what to do. I really don't have much time to spend on this, with pastoring a new church and so many people to visit.

So you can see why I would be delighted to look out one morning to see three little white goats munching contentedly on my thistles and weeds down in my lower field. I later went down to visit them and we negotiated a fifteen-foot relationship consisting of my talking soothing nonsense and their staring at me blankly and chewing. It was so country! I immediately began praising God for taking care of even this smallest of needs.

The next day the furry threesome felt more comfortable and ventured even closer. After a couple of days I looked out my bedroom window and the three cute goats were kneeling in the shade of the nearby maple tree looking as comfortable as could be. What have I done to be so loved by God and so blessed without even asking?

The next day I noted with satisfaction that the goats came even closer. They were eating the patch of weeds watered by the leech lines in front of my house, where the rains will eventually reveal a lawn. The goats looked extremely well fed. I walked gently around them toward my tiny orchard to grab a pear for Suzanne and an apple for myself. The solitary red delicious apple I had been leaving to grow a little bigger near the top of an otherwise bare dwarf tree was missing! It screamed of violence like a bank vault door hanging crookedly off its hinges. My apple was missing!

And my pears—the whole tree full—were all gone, except for a few half-eaten ones! The upper branches were broken and hanging down at sickly angles. And those blasted goats, looking bloated, smiled nearby and practically belched with satisfaction. Later that evening my neighbor stopped by and said the highway patrol had found those same three goats stopping traffic on Highway 36 after having almost caused who-knows-how-many accidents.

Why do we interpret anything that appears to be positive as a blessing from God when the same blessing may soon turn out to be a curse? It occurs to me that instead of relying on the better hope the scriptures promise, we let our spirituality hang in the balance of day-to-day events. If this or that happens in my favor God is blessing me. It suddenly seems more mature to keep in mind …for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust (Matthew 5:45).

God promises that all things work toward our good, if we love Him. We need not ride the crest of positive events as if they are evidence of God's love in our lives any more than we should allow the negative events, the death and disease which surround us, to become indicators of God's disfavor. Let the goats in our life be neither the goats from God nor the goats from hell. Let them simply be goats, and let God be God, yearning to lead us home, and able to use ANY circumstances in our life to our long-term advantage. Isn't that the real miracle?

Did you notice how the author carefully avoided making himself look better than anyone? His realization that people attribute motives to God based on their own fears and desires, thinking God is cursing or blessing them, that are not necessarily from God at all, is easy to accept. The author wasn't afraid to reveal his own foolish assumptions and shared what he had learned with the reader as an equal. We all are, after all, equal in the eyes of God, all children learning from our mistakes, and, if not preached to, learning from the mistakes of others.

For us, humans there is no such thing as unforgivable. Although in the New Testament Jesus has mentioned one thing for which God never forgives: if anyone makes fun of the manifestations of the Holy Spirit. But we are not God... We should forgive everything. Even up to seventy times seven for the very same thing.

If somebody says: it is an unpardonable thing, do not be enticed by it. In most cases the person who says so thinks subconsciously himself higher than God or let's put it this way: he is ruled by a rebellious spirit. There is no such thing as unforgivable. We are obliged to pardon to each other no matter what he or she did to us. It is one of the most important spiritual law ever.

If you are perpetually resentful, this state of mind sooner or later undermines your health in a direct or indirect way and keeps you and your offenders in bondages. Besides you poison the people's life around you causing them tremendous sufferings. God intends to avoid all of these.

Think about it this way. Unforgiveness is like an invisible causative agent which would literally blasts your immune system and you become unprotected from many diseases. We can not underestimate the harmful effects of unforgiveness to our health. It is like AIDS, the plague. It alarms your inner body, organism, hormone system and keeps the level of stress hormones permanently high which effects your immune system unfavourably.

There is no proven direct connection between certain disease and unforgiveness but if we indulge resentment we could open the door even to a terminal illness.

So how someone could forgive a seemingly unforgivable offense? The first and arduous step is to become determined to do so. You should deliberately want to forgive. It is the key step toward forgiveness. Sometimes you nurse for months, even years that intent until it ripens. But do not give up even when you get totally weary to do so. Say loudly again and again: I want to forgive him or her no matter what. And you get closer to the awesome moment when you sense that wish springs up from the bottom of your heart and it is not just a verbal practice anymore. The hard part is over. You have tuned your mind to forgiveness, and this new setting will tune your whole attitude toward the unconditional forgiveness. Now you can relax, it works just like that. Let your renewed spirit conquer your emotions and manifest itself in a new attitude.

After that do whatever is necessary to get your freedom back. So many great books are available, read and apply the truth. In some cases we might need councelling, don't be embarassed to share your battle, do whatever is needed. But be aware success without God is impossible. He is the One, who plants the desire in your heart to forgive, which sometimes is unquenchable. This planted seed in you then works well but calls for an established and close relationship with the Lord. Without Him you are not able to forgive completely, with Him you can not stay in the trap of unforgiveness.

The roots of unforgiveness sometimes are so deep it manifests in anger and hatred even you do not know the reason of them. Yes, some kind of weltschmertz. It is an evil feeling toward almost everything and everybody. Get rid of it! Surrender your life to the Lord and get on the journey which will take you to the complete healing.

Finally here is a practical advice.

How can one tell: I made the first step, I am ready to forgive surely. Isn't just a feeling without determination?

Picture your offender or the situation for a moment, then remember the picture flashed into your mind.

Is this person impressed on you even a bit? A smile on his face or a kind look? Was he or she in dark, or a little beam scanned the head or the body? Did you feel any joy or peace seeing the picture? If you answered yes to any of these questions above, you are on the way to forgiveness. You complied with the first and hardest task of the mightiest spiritual process induced by God between humans.

I was amazed to learn recently that the most popular course in colleges today is a Psychology course on happiness. Martin Seligman is the Positive Psychology guru who has written the book Authentic Happiness. He says that happiness is more of a pursuit ala Thomas Jefferson rather than something we can acquire. Here are some tips to help you in your pursuit of happiness.

1. Happiness is a choice – You are able to take a positive or negative approach to issues. Do you find what is good about something or do you focus on what is bad about it?

2. Be grateful – Find the things for which you are grateful and focus on them.

3. Avoid negative self talk - Monitor what you say to yourself. Do you tell yourself you always screw up things, you'll never amount to anything or you are bad at ______? Change your language. Be kind to yourself and forgiving. Avoid using the words "always" or "never" because they have permanence to them that signal you that there is nothing you can do about it.

4. Enjoy relationships with others – People who have friends and a community to support them feel happier. If necessary build your community.

5. Know your life purpose and your values – Find ways to use your purpose and values in your work and in your life. When you know your purpose you know the work you were meant to do. When you define what most important to you in life you know your values. Using your purpose and values gives meaning to your life and work. Doing meaningful work makes you a happier person.

6. Find a cause or an interest that engages and excites you – When you are excited and engaged in what you are doing it can become a passion. Use that passion in your work or in a volunteer activity.

7. Find your own specific work-life balance – Make sure you achieve that balance on a daily basis. If you have a day or two where the balance is off, refer to #3 and forgive yourself.

8. Avoid perfectionism – Perfectionists set themselves up to be disappointed. That disappointment leads to negative self talk. Strive to do your best work and forgive yourself if it is not perfect. Remember that mistakes make you human.

9. Don't take yourself too seriously – Laugh at yourself and see the humor in your humanness.

10. Take 30 minutes a day for quiet reflection – Recall a time and place when you were very happy and spend time in that memory. Use this time for quiet meditation too. Today's life is busy and hectic. Allow yourself to slow down. Appreciate yourself.

Do you know why you're here and what you're meant to be doing with your life? Well, your soul has the answers! In a soul journey, you use your imagination and intuition to help you open up to your inner guidance and uncover your innermost desires. This is something that anyone can do. All you need is an open heart and an open mind -- your soul will do the rest. In this article, I describe how a soul journey works and reveal how you can apply this technique for yourself and discover the treasure buried within your soul.

A Treasure Hunt...


So what's a soul journey like? I'll begin by sharing with you my very first experience of tuning into my inner guidance. It still resonates with me today, decades later, and inspired my life-long interest in journeying with the soul...

When I was 16 years old, my high school English teacher lead my class on a guided visualisation exercise -- he called it a "fantasy journey". As this was my first attempt at meditation or visualisation, I had no idea what to expect. After getting us to relax, the teacher guided us in imagining we were going on a journey across the ocean aboard a great sailing ship, travelling to a faraway island. In the middle of the island was located a treasure of some kind -- whatever we most wished for in our lives. We were instructed to take our treasure back with us onto the boat, and then return home to the dock.

Afterwards, we shared with one another what had occurred on our journeys. The exercise had worked really well and was enjoyable for all of us. Each of my classmates had discovered wondrous treasures like chests full of gold and precious jewels, fabulous mansions, priceless artworks and so on. Some had even found their perfect partner and family. But my experience was somewhat different. The only thing in the middle of my island was a pond with a duck swimming around on it! So, for lack of anything else to do, I had picked up the duck and brought it back with me as my treasure.

As you might expect, this provoked considerable hilarity amongst the group. How could a DUCK be the thing you most wished for in the world? I certainly had no answer for that -- this secret passion for ducks was news to me! And I must confess that, after hearing about everyone else's, I wasn't feeling like I'd ended up with much of a treasure.

Fortunately, my teacher suggested I investigate this more deeply and gave me a book on Jungian symbology. When I looked up the meaning I discovered that, according to Jung, a duck swimming on water was actually a truly profound symbol -- signifying inner peace. Ahhh... it seems that I had been gifted with a most magnificent treasure after all. The soul knows best!

So that gives you an idea of the power of the soul journey... From time to time I imagine myself revisiting my beautiful duck pond, and it never fails to nourish my spirit and remind me of what's really important in my life. A soul journey can help guide you in many ways, such as this exercise to uncover your inner treasure, or as a tool to help you envision and manifest your goals and desires. Why not try it for yourself?

7 Tips for Tuning into your Soul...


Ready to go on your own inner treasure hunt? Embarking on a soul journey is as easy as relaxing, setting your intention to tune into your inner guidance, then unleashing your imagination and opening yourself up to receive the messages from within... Here are some tips to get the most out of your soul journey experiences:

1. Relax thoroughly... It might sound obvious, but make sure you take the time to fully relax before undertaking a soul journey. Pay attention to your mind, your body and your environment. The more you can create a state of being in which you're calm and receptive, the better your results will be.

2. Maintain a positive mindset... Trust that the journey works only for your highest good. If you are feeling anxious or nervous, take more time to relax -- breathe deeply and release any negative thoughts before you begin. Simply by holding a positive intent, you set the tone for an enjoyable experience.

3. Let go of preconceptions... A soul journey works well when you go into it without any preconceptions or expectations of what "success" might look like. Don't put pressure on yourself to create a particular outcome, or you'll set yourself up for disappointment if a message comes to you in a different way.

4. "Seeing" is not important... Many people encounter difficulties with meditation or visualisation because they assume they're meant to "see" a mental picture. This is not the case. A soul journey experience will be different for everyone -- you may see images, hear sounds, discern scents, experience feelings in your body or an inner knowingness, or perhaps a combination of several of these things. Know that however a message comes to you, it is in the right form for you at this time.

5. Release all judgement... Rather than leaping immediately to conclusions or judgement of an experience, be open and accepting of what unfolds. It doesn't matter if you can't figure it all out straight away -- it may take time to fully grasp the significance of a particular journey. Enjoy the surprises that your unconscious mind serves up to you. Go with the flow as it is revealed to you -- and have fun with it!

6. Stay with it... Like anything, it helps to keep practicing. Be gentle with yourself, and know that it will become easier the more you do it. There is no need to "try" too hard though -- the more you let go of controlling the experience, and allow yourself to simply be in tune with your inner self, the more easily images or feelings will come to you.

7. Honour your own experiences... This is the most important thing to take with you. Allow yourself the time to come to appreciate the depth and uniqueness of your own vision -- your inner treasure. Always trust your heart and your own instincts... and enjoy the journey of discovery!

Are only leprechauns lucky enough to find the pot of gold? Absolutely not. You have a pot of gold right there at your fingertips. It's your life. By taking the time to stop and look, you will notice all the riches around you and within you. Let's go on a journey to find your pot of gold.

Finding your Treasures

Your treasures are those people, places or things that are near and dear to your heart. What's important to you? Certainly your children or a spouse would make this list. Maybe it's a friend that always remembers your birthday, or the Starbucks coffee girl that always brightens your day with a smile. Besides my own family, I love my church family. Anyone who shares their heart with me is held close to me. This past weekend I led a women's retreat, and my heart was filled from all the wonderful women I met throughout the weekend. What places in your life bring you joy or peace? Maybe it's nature, a special room in your home, or a favorite restaurant. For me, when I lay down in my bed to read and relax, I feel blessed. My bed is soft, cozy and warm. What values strike a chord with you? Perhaps it is achievement, trustworthiness, or faith. Or maybe it is creativity, companionship, or spirituality. Connect with and protect those ideals in your life and you will experience richness.

The Precious Moments

Everyday, there are moments in time that are just like pieces of gold. However, most of the time, we are too busy to capture them. Yesterday, I had many of those moments. I watched my five year old perform silly tricks with silly names on the bed. I enjoyed moments of relaxation because I gave myself the gift of a housecleaner. While shopping for medicine at the drugstore, I realized the Easter candy was out. One of my favorite candies is Robin's eggs. I indulged and bought a bag - it only happens once a year! I marveled at my teenager's fashion sense. He is picking out his own clothes now, and I must admit, he has sharp taste. Gone are the days of shorts and t-shirts, and me telling him, "That doesn't match". Now, he meticulously selects the perfect pair of cargo shorts with a matching "Apt. 9" polo shirt. Slow down, take a look around, and savor those precious moments.

Identifying your Gifts and Talents

Other pieces of gold in your pot are all the gifts and talents you have within you. What are your strengths? Maybe you great at sewing or decorating. Perhaps you're a great cook or you have a deep sense of empathy for people. Make a list of all the strengths and talents you have been blessed with. Stretch yourself and don't stop until you have reached 50. Now, ask several close family members and friends to add to your list. Chances are, they will see things in yourself that you don't. Have gratitude for your strengths and believe that your gifts and talents are just as important as anyone else's.

Creating and Protecting Your Memories

Everyday, we have the opportunity to create special memories. We can turn an ordinary day into an extraordinary day just by focusing on creating memories. The other day, my best friend sent me pictures of her three little girls all having a tea party at home. What did it take to create this memory? It took a little imagination, a lot of love, a few moments of time, and a digital camera. My five year old loves cars! One day I had an idea that delighted him immensely! We separated all his cars (and he has a lot of cars) by type of car and then took pictures of all the different categories…emergency vehicles, pick up trucks, sports cars, race cars, etc. Time goes by so fast, and if we are not proactive about creating these special memories, you'll miss them. So get out your creativity, a camera and a journal, and start filling your pot of gold.

Giving a Voice to Your Dreamer

As memories represent the past, your dreams represent the future. What do you dream of being or doing one day? I talk to so many moms who have lost their ability to connect with what they are passionate about. It's not that the passions and dreams are missing - they are just buried. Maybe that critical inner voice has discouraged you from dreaming. Our dreams and passions give us hope and joy! Don't let that part of you die. I dream of becoming a popular speaker and inspiring moms wherever I go. I dream of owning a motor home one day and traveling all around the country. I dream of writing a book one day. I am passionate about reading, singing, and personal growth. Dig deep and find your dreams and passions that are lying on the bottom of your pot of gold.

Did you find your pot of gold at the end of the rainbow or is it right there with you? Focus on and have gratitude for all the important people, places and things in your life and your life will be blessed. Slow down and savor the precious moments that slip away when you are too busy to see them. Honor your gifts, talents and strengths by seeing them for what they are. Realize your pot of gold contains all your special memories, dreams, and passions. Dig deep and pull out those pieces of gold so you can live a rich life.

There are different kinds of dreams that we dream, and each has a value in its own right and must be taken seriously as a representative of an aspect of our consciousness.

Some dreams seem peripheral to everyday life. They have fantastic characters, absurd plots, and linger in our minds for a very brief period of time because they seem to make no sense at all to our conscious waking experience.

Other dreams have a strong emotional message that can be felt in the body, even if the actual content of the dream is not entirely understood. Often, the emotional component of a dream message is the central aspect of the teaching, and so it is often not necessary to understand the content further, no matter how much it might add to our knowledge.

Finally, there are dreams whose emotional content and meaning is very clear and very relevant to our conscious waking state. These dreams also fall into several distinct categories: There are those that have to do with everyday life – with relationships, past or present, with longings or fears that we are aware of, with repetitive themes in our mental or emotional experience. These dreams seem to offer a commentary, directly or indirectly, on the life we lead.

There are other dreams, however, which seem to catapult us into a different life and often into a different reality altogether, where space and time feel different, where we experience ourselves on a deep inner level as different from our normal self-perception, and where a message from the beyond may come through to our consciousness that is as real and as potent as anything that we might feel or think that is more familiar to us.

These messages from the beyond are not all fashioned out of words. Some come in the form of visual displays of things that have no correlates on the human level. Some come in the shape of sounds that affect our consciousness with a meaning that only our deepest self can translate. Some come with words that arrive as a thought or as a voice that conveys a purposefulness and a direction that we are being asked to follow. These dreams can be premonitions. They can be glimpses of our soul's essential nature. They can be visions that we have carried into the present lifetime which have lain dormant beneath the threshold of awareness. These awaken during sleep when the ego and mental processes are less in charge.

The dreams that are visionary or that bring us into a different reality are not always dreams. Some, are the visual translation of messages that were seeded into our consciousness prior to incarnating into a human body, containing things that we were supposed to remember at a particular time. Others are wake up calls that are sent from helpers and teachers with whom an association exists, whether or not it is known to the more conscious self. Still others are actual events that are taking place primarily on a different dimensional level – events which are being translated into our semi-awake mind, even while we sleep. These other-dimensional events may be happening to our physical self or they may not. We may be taken somewhere or carried somewhere in what seems to be an energy body that is very close to our physical body. Or we may exist in a dream as pure awareness, simply in touch with a knowing that could never have occurred in a waking state.

The 'akashic chronicle' of the world's life and the akashic chronicle of our own individual life are often made known during dreaming, especially when one has embarked upon a spiritual path and is pursuing a deepening knowledge of the sacred. These chronicles contain the history of our actions and consciousness and of the world's actions and consciousness. Both chronicles reveal the moral and spiritual weight of events that have been, are, and will be. Both convey to the self that is aware, a possible or probable future, or an actual or alternate reality of the past. When we sleep, the absence of mental vigilance can lead us to experience our own akashic chronicle that contains our soul's memory existing outside of time. This ledger extends both to the past and to the future. It brings to us experiences that have already happened at another level that have yet to happen at this one.

All that we know of dreaming cannot fathom the mystery of intertwining multiple realities which dreaming can provide a doorway into. Far from being just a commentary by the psyche on the psychological aspects of our inner life, dreams can create a world of their own and a life of their own which in many ways may seem more real to us than our everyday life. They can engage us with a larger reality that we are already living, though our conscious waking self may not be aware of it. The experience of other-dimensional realities in which we also seem to be living and that we feel touched by is increasing now, as the distance between planes is simultaneously decreasing, and as the physical plane is being drawn closer to the higher realms. Because of this increased proximity, there is a 'bleed through' that can happen more easily now from one plane to another, both during waking hours and while we sleep.

When we become able through time, effort, and the illumination of our total being to experience our multi-dimensional self in a waking state as well, it is then that our dream life can become just another layer of our being - one that can easily be incorporated into the ongoing sense of self that lives within time, and one whose other-worldly experiences can be accepted as having equal validity to those we experience during our more awake states. To accept the experiences of dreaming as an extension of our ordinary self into the multidimensional self that we already are, is to recognize the great complexity and expansiveness of the human psyche which, while fully present on the earth, has yet one foot in worlds that are far away which dreaming brings closer.