The Wheel is Turning

Greetings dear ones,

The season has turned and with it comes the rebirth of light. But let's not forget the journey that brought us to that moment at the Winter Solstice when the wheel of the year turned, the longest night passed, and we began our return toward the Summer Solstice and the festival of the Celtic sun king Lugh.  As it has only been a matter of days since the winter solstice, take a moment to reflect on what it is that you are creating at this time in your life, and light a candle for it. Set your intentions, and watch them soar in the early spring when the first seedlings begin to spout on Feb. 2nd or Candlemas, the celebration of art and beauty. My intention was for peace and love and I am seeing more and more of it in my life every day.

Expect Change: Uranus Goes Direct

When Uranus, the planet of revolutions and change, stations and begins forward movement again, you can expect the unexpected. Being the third and final planet to begin it's year end forward motion following on the heels of Pluto and Neptune, now also direct, there tends to be a feeling of resolution to events and issues that we have been processing since early summer. Next week Mercury will go retrograde again, giving us (another) opportunity to revisit communication issues and daily activities that tend to get muddled during Mercury's RX period until the end of December. Still, with Uranus moving direct today, look to see where it is in your natal chart and where there is forward movement in your life. If change visits you today, embrace it!

The Unraveling

In August I wrote about what happens when life presents us with experiences that at first don't seem to be what we ordered.  On November 3rd we had a flood in our home that is now requiring extensive repair work including a complete dismantling of my home office. I can't honestly say I am thrilled about this! But the process has helped me clear out 9 years of papers, books, and other objects that I no longer need in my work. Imagine my surprise when I found tax returns from 1998 in my closet as well as photos from the 1980's.

As I continue in my sorting process, I have the opportunity to evaluate what is truly meaningful for me and what is just stuff. Those priceless treasures that I carefully wrapped and stored in my garage cabinets are those that have personal history and significance, and full of energy. There are also papers, books, and knick-knacks as my John calls them that simply take up space. There is no longer room in what will become my new environment for anything superfluous.

I chuckle when I think that I was compelled to write my book starting Sept. 1st and completing it in late October just before the flood. Could essence see what was coming? Did it prompt me to get going with the writing so I would be ready, or not, for the next challenge? Probably so. Regardless, I am grateful that Spiritual Turning Points is safely at the publishers and that I can look forward to the spring and renewal while appreciating the beauty of this unraveling.

Notes from the Underworld

Scorpio. Pluto. Descent. Shadow. Purging. Letting go. Powerlessness. Power. All of these words describe the essence of what happens when Pluto comes knocking at your door.

I am not unaccustomed to Plutonian events and have had more than a few during my almost 56 years. They come as unexpected rumblings in the night, shocks that hit at the least convenient times, always leaving us stunned and then paralyzed, unable to move. No longer is there predictability and instead we find ourselves in survival mode as Pluto uncovers a nest of emotional "issues" that need revisiting, often through what looks to the outside world as obsessive penetration, rooting and digging into areas that we usually prefer to keep behind closed doors.

Pluto brings upheaval, and also heralds rebirth. After the release of whatever does not belong to you comes the regenerative aspect of this planet, giving the opportunity for the birth of a new form.

Right now Pluto is transiting through the early degrees of Capricorn so it's a good time to take a look at what if any planets you might have from 3-7 degrees of Capricorn, Aries, Cancer, and Libra for these signs are being aspected by conjunction, square, or opposition by Pluto during 2010 and 2011. Here you will see what area of life Pluto is seeking to transform and when you do, let go.

Announcement: Upcoming Book Release

ANNOUNCEMENT  Upcoming Book Release:

SPIRITUAL TURNING POINTS   A Metaphysical Perspective of the Seven Life Transitions by Victoria Marina-Tompkins
c. 2010 All rights reserved

Scheduled for Spring 2011

Will be available at
www.flightofthehawk.com
Ibooks, Amazon, Barnes and Noble or through your local bookseller.

In Trade paperback, hardbound, and as an EBook.

Publishing Update

Hi All,  

After having written 47,000 words for my upcoming book, I realized that it was starting this blog over a year ago that got me in the swing of writing. And, after the first year came to a close, I was compelled to write in a way that I had never experienced before. I had always said that the reason I created Flight of the Hawk Shamanic Songs and Ritual Chants, my 1994 Music CD, was because I had something to say. Our monthly drumming circles had been meeting for years so the CD seemed like a natural.

Now as I am nearing completion on my 20 year plus life task, I again have something to share. This time it has to do with what I have learned during the course of my work both with clients and on a personal level. My book is now close to being submitted to my publisher for copyediting and then production, culminating in the spring if all goes well.

An astrologer friend of mine recently took a look at my progressed chart and said that in May 2011 I would be "stepping up to the microphone" as progressed Mercury stationed on my 5th house (of creativity) cusp. He mentioned this in January and at that time I had no plans to write a book. In retrospect I see that he was, again, spot on! That transit along with Pluto currently conjunct my North Node in the 3rd house (publishing/communication) seems to be moving me right along toward the completion of my task. In fact, the Sabian Symbol keyword for my north node is "completion".

All the very best,
Victoria

Your Daily Tolle

"Suffering is never caused by the situation but by your thoughts about it"   Eckhart Tolle


Artwork by Daniel Holeman www.awakenvisions.com

Life as a Writer

I knew it was time to begin writing when I realized I had something to say. Not that I don't talk all the time, I do in fact! But beginning in late August it became clear to me that it was time to draw upon the last 20 plus years of life as part of the completion of my life task. Sound daunting? At first glance it might seem so with an extra hour or more each day devoted to my book along with my usual client meetings and personal life, thereby making my full life even fuller. But as I continued, I learned something really valuable.

"Don't worry about the story, it will find you".

I heard this quote driving home late one night and after a particularly deep writing session that day
having to do with personal stories from my client's lives that I am including in my manuscript. I had reached a bit of an impass, albeit a brief one, and then I heard an interview with a reporter who had been in Iraq. He was captured by the Iraqis, then released and he was struggling with finding a way to tell his story to the world. One afternoon he had a chance encounter with a shaman from a local tribe, and the shaman wisely patted him on the shoulder saying "Don't worry. The story will find you".

True indeed isn't it. We are each filled with personal stories, our memories of life. Today ask yourself the question "What story is trying to find me?".

Your Daily Hafiz

The Lute Will Beg


You need to become a pen

In the Sun´s hand.

We need for the earth to sing

Through our pores and eyes.

The body will again become restless

Until your soul paints 

all its beauty upon the sky.

Don´t tell me, dear ones,

That what Hafiz says is not true,

For when the heart tastes its glorious destiny

And you awake to our constant need

for your love

God´s lute will beg

For your hands.

-Hafiz

True Study and Life Task

Hi everyone,

I've been immersed in my book project and tonight I was thinking about my own chosen true studies and how they point in the direction of my life task quite succinctly!

Here's the list of mine:
1. Esoteric Studies including the Michael teachings and astrology
2. The study of History through Romance (think Wuthering Heights)
3. Weaponry
4. The study of Ritual, especially the Japanese Tea Ceremony.

Take a look at your own and see how they provide focus for your own Life Task. My particular life task has to do with personal power and next spring you will all see how these studies go together when my book is published!

Have fun!

Your Daily Emerson

"This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Why the Tape Recorder Stopped Working

I was reviewing old transcripts as I am writing and came upon the answer to a question which has been the topic of conversation for years: Why does the tape recorder that I used for personal sessions not work all the time? On more than one occasion there was nothing, nada, zip, on the tape after an hour session. Here is what they had to say:


From a private group circa 1990
"Camille" was the medium for this session

"As to the difficulties of electronic devices, the very focused and unwavering singularity of the electronic application of energy is often disrupted by the presence of energetic chords in that the "harmonic structure" of essence and related energies can and occasionally does cause vibratory
misfunctions to the singular "vibration" of the electronic application of energy. It is of course not a question of fault but one metaphoric tonality. There is no "easy" method to accomodate these problems except to shield the single note from disruption. Of course as science becomes more complex, it may be that there are those who will choose to address these energetic issues."

Blog Update September 2010

Greetings All,

I have embarked on a very exciting adventure as I am writing a book. I am about half way into it, and am finding that it requires loads of time in order to keep it moving along, not to mention my usual work with clients. So, it's likely my blog posts will be a little sporadic for the next few months, but I promise to write as often as I can. Thanks in advance for your understanding and I will look forward to sharing my book as soon as it is published.
All the very best,  Victoria

Your Daily Muir

Let children walk with Nature, let them see the beautiful blendings and communions of death and life, their joyous inseparable unity, as taught in woods and meadows, plains and mountains and streams of our blessed star, and they will learn that death is stingless indeed, and as beautiful as life. 
~John Muir

Taking A Life: A Song about Reincarnation

TAKING A LIFE

Lyrics by Brendan McCarthy

recorded 7.10 by Something Left Unsaid

I will walk once more when i have died 


Be born again to breathe new life, 


Subterfuged, I'm blended in 


as trail of ash through the ruins of Pompei 


i've heard the whip crack, i've takin my lashes 


a gladly paid price for what i now 
know,

i'm somewhere far away, farther than ive shown 


You will look but you'll never find me 


i'm someplace they wont go 


deep within decay 


i hope one day you'll see 


that there is life 
amongst your dead

ive begged with paupers and ive conquered with kings 


ive danced with demons takin my refuge in my veins 


a symmetrical shift in the structure of bad brains 


through carnage we sift, to retain what remains 


but i will walk once more when i have died, 


will be born again to breathe new life

i'm somewhere far away, farther than ive shown 


you will look but you'll never find me 


i'm someplace they wont go 


deep within decay 


i hope one day you'll see 

that there is life 
amongst your dead

We're plotting the course and charting the sky 


With the infinite wealth of the three warm and wild eyes

Cards that we're dealt are by our own design 

The path that we walk is the meaning of life

But we will walk once more once we have died 


Born again we will breathe new life

i'm somewhere far away, farther than ive shown 


You will look but you'll never find me 


i'm someplace they wont go 
deep within decay 


i hope one day you'll see 
that there is life....

c. 2010 Brendan C. McCarthy Al Rights Reserved

When the Unexpected Happens

How many times do we set our sights on a specific outcome only to find our later that there is not only little likelihood that the result will be exactly as we had hoped, but that the outcome that does occur might in fact be a better one than we had envisioned? It is human nature to want to know and this includes knowing what, when, and how something will happen followed by the inevitable why did it happen or why might it happen this way or that?  All in the future and ripe for confusion and fear at worst and avoidance of the moment at best. Our minds seem to wander easily to an unending labyrinth of possibilities many of which may be based on fears, some on hopes, but all on thinking of what may occur which lands us in future trippin' or caught up in the past.

Take for example a young woman who wanted to enroll in the college of her choice. She was bound and determined to study at UC Berkeley and was profoundly disappointed when she was not accepted due to over enrollment. One scenario here is that she then regrouped, applied to another college where she had several major agreements waiting and saw in retrospect that this college was a better fit for her. Another would be that when she was denied entry into her first choice college, she decided that she was going to become a lobbyist for education reform and based on her experience chose a different life plan.

We are only limited by our inability to be in the moment and to accept life as it is. The next time you find yourself in a situation where the unexpected happens, take a breath and remind yourself that all is well.

End of Summer Note

It's the end of summer and I am taking a week or two off from writing. Just wanted you all to know that in September I will return to writing my twice weekly blogs. Have a wondrous
August and all the very best to you!

Victoria

Patience

"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience." 


Ralph Waldo Emerson

Body Types: Here Comes the Sun

As some of you know, I live on the coast of northern California about 20 miles south of San Francisco. What is often referred to by locals as "heaven on earth" about 9 months of the year becomes a fog laced haven of summer weather, often times bringing cold spells that are good fortune for those folks who live over the hill on the peninsula as they come here for relief from the heat but become weary days for those of us living by the ocean. Now of course I don't speak for all coastal dwellers, but it is common theme in July and August.

Facing another Sunday of fog, I realized that I was perhaps quite sensitive to the lack of sun and that this sensitivity might relate to my chosen primary body type, Solar. Give me a mildly sunny day, not too hot and not too cold, about 72 degrees and Im a happy camper! Today even with the prospect of sun which began with increased light, I began to feel much improved both in terms of energy and attitude. I am thinking then that the various body types of which there are 7 and include Solar, Lunar, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Saturn, and Mercury (quite planetary aren't they)each respond more favorably to certain conditions than others, with Solar needing both light and warmth. The positive pole is Radiance with the negative pole Ethereal which has an insubstantial or fragile quality to it with Solar body types tending toward delicate features including bone structure (facial, hands, feet)and overall frame. When Solar types are in the positive, they tend to have a brightness about them which comes from within and when in the negative they can appear sickly and almost breakable.

The body types are usually chosen in pairs with one being the dominant for a person; for example 85% Solar, 15% Mercury or 75% Jupiter, 25% Mars. The choice of specific body type combinations are made in order to support completion of the Life Task and genetic predispositions from the parents are then used as the template prior to birth; in other words, the available genetic body types are part of the decision making process prior to birth and the body type emerges as the fetus grows, fully in place at the time of birth. If you need say Mars and Venus for your life task, then choosing parents who have those types in their genetic makeup will be useful. Efforts made during the course of the life to adhere to cultural standards of beauty which may or may not be your body type are likely to lead to frustration as the body is what the body is. But that topic is a large one and another blog.

Your Daily Tolle

"If peace is really what you want, then you will choose peace. If peace mattered to you more than anything else and if you truly knew yourself to be spirit rather than a little me, you would remain nonreactive and absolutely alert when confronted with challenging people or situations. You would immediately accept the situation and thus become one with it rather than separate yourself from it. Then out of your alertness would come a response. Who you are (consciousness), not who you think you are (a small me), would be responding. It would be powerful and effective and would make no person or situation into an enemy."

Eckhart Tolle from Oneness With All Life

Michael on Intimacy Part 2

"All sentient species experience intimacy and such is not limited to this physical earth and propels fragments forward in evolution on every inhabitable planet or every spacial area where ensouled life exists. Individual fragmentation may not appear to you and to your human eyes as ensoulement but we will assure you that there is truth here. Other avenues also practiced by other sentient species and which are a direct avenue to intimacy are the "Trues" – including Rest and Play. We cannot emphasize this enough. You might in fact learn much from Cetaceans, many of whom have become expert in the experience of true intimacy through True Play. Unfortunately, many human fragments consider play a waste of time because it is not work. We assure you it is relevant and should you choose to express the true personality you have chosen in this incarnation."

Michael on Intimacy Part 1

"Michael on Intimacy"

Michael: We will begin today by addressing the issue of validation. It is useful here to share personal information which can be elaborated and offered to this group for discussion, for indeed all fragments here present can utilize such information for self reflection and comparisons. To clarify by comparisons we do not mean to suggest that fragments will hold themselves up one to the other but rather that it is useful to understand the process through which validation occurs. And it can be in the most simplest of matters, such as the artisan's comments being told today.

We think many times fragments are reluctant to share personal insights for fear of personal judgments, criticism, and the like, and that the chief feature's interference is more than negligible and in fact can become persistent and all-encompassing. We would recommend for those fragments here present, especially those relatively new to this work, that you might expect some chief feature interference, for the validations and perceptions which are available to you at this time could, and we underline could be life changing.

The introduction of Universal Truths into an individual fragment's life can either be embraced, denied, or left discarded without due attention. Therefore you might wish to consider today's information in the light of the following weeks rather than under the guise of potential misinterpretations by fear.

Intimacy is a Universal Truth and is one of the primary mechanisms for progress of the individual soul through the levels. There is much misinterpretation of the term specifically related to requirements which are often based around potential encounters and exchanges, and which of course often times prevent true intimacy. It is in the simplest moments that true intimacy occurs. For it is in these moments that fragments one to the other are able to let down their barriers and allow for the penetration which occurs when they meet essence to essence. This is not necessarily a sexual experience although this can occur of course. Essence contact begins to occur more readily in the later levels of the soul evolution when there is much experience under the belt for the evolving fragments. And there is less need for expectations and pleasantries of the sort, and when such structures are discarded and fragments are more willing to be in the moment rather than in the past or in the potential future, then opportunities for true intimacy become more easily accessible.We would remind all here present that some discussion can occur here today having to do with the exchange of perceptions having to do with intimacy, including those times when such occurred, times when fear prevented validation, and times when fear prevented the experience. Homework for those so inclined might include making a personal inventory which could then be studied and reviewed for greater clarification and understanding."

All rights reserved c. 2004

Your Daily Tolle

"Acknowledging the good that is already in your life is the foundation for all abundance."

Eckhart Tolle from Oneness With All Life

The 9 Needs: Security

As I started on this blog, my intention was actually to write about freedom as a need but no matter how I tried, I couldn't wrap my mind around a definition that was satisfying to me. No wonder, freedom is my last need on the list for me!  But security.... now that I can talk about :)

Those with security as a need want to feel safe and snug, all tucked in without a care in the world with all the monsters outside the door. Security often takes the form of collections of people and things which create the false sense of stability and security- of course, true security only comes from inside but try to tell that to someone with security as a need! This need tends to stockpile with loads of tangible goods- houses, money in the bank, a financial "plan" which includes saving for retirement, a need to know that everything is "ok". Folks with this need often play is safe, unwilling to risk their safety net for the chance of a pie in the sky adventure or thrill.

Security also plays out through relationships as this need seeks stability in marriage and long term partnerships. Remember the Tortoise and the Hare story? The tortoise was slow, stable, patient, and grounded. Yep, that's security. The Hare is a risk taker but not our Tortoise!

Security likes to build its nest and save for a rainy day. Better to be safe than sorry might be it's motto.
Or something about a penny wise and a pound foolish.....

It's the Same Doorway

This week we heard that a longtime friend of John's died July 4th of brain cancer. She was 49. Yesterday I spent the day at the hospital with my (unofficially) adopted daughter Holly who is pregnant and due any day now. 

Sunday I was blessed to facilitate a ritual for Holly, her mother, two close friends, and a baby honoring the upcoming birth. How amazed we were to find a large cave which was perfect for our birthing ritual and just steps from the ocean. A ritual to welcome the new soul coming soon. A Goddess cave.

There will be another ritual of transition but this time honoring the life of Marsha. Friends will gather and stories will be told, stories of her life and of her passing. A life lived in contrast to the life about to be lived.

Both of these souls are entering and leaving through the same doorway. The Gateway of souls through which all of us pass.

Artwork by Daniel Holeman

Your Daily Thoreau

"Let us spend one day as deliberately as Nature: and not be thrown off the track by every nutshell and mosquito's wing that falls on the rails".



Henry David Thoreau

When Will You get out of Your Boat?

"After you row your boat across the river, get out!"    

-Byron Katie

Yesterday my husband John reminded of one of Byron Katie's best reminders to not only do out internal work but then to apply it to the way we live. It's one thing to discover our personal truths which range from how we feel about our current relationships to the way we cut our vegetables, but another thing entirely to make the changes that bring our insides in alignment with our outsides. Say you have been in therapy for years, talking about all the difficulties of your relationship with your mother, the demise of your marriage, all the choices you have made. And in the course of your work, you also find that you are in need of a career change, a major relocation, or just a few adjustments, but rather than making those changes, you stay in your little boat where you experience what is known to you. You know so well the comfort of your safe harbor, the grooves along the sides of the boat which are worn well over time. You identify with them. Looking outside of your boat you see sand which you have not walked on before- will it provide solid footing or will I sink as I walk? We can't know can we? But what we do know is that staying in our boats will not provide us with the opportunity to apply what we have learned about ourselves.

Alice in Artisan Land

"I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is 'Who in the world am I?' Ah, that's the great puzzle!"   Alice from Alice in Wonderland


Last night I watched the new Tim Burton film "Alice in Wonderland" or, as she so often says in the film,
Onederland.  How delightful to see artisans at play!  Director Tim Burton collaborated with fellow artisans Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter to create a (somewhat) modern version of the Charles Dodgson (writing under the pen name Louis Carroll) classic complete with a blend of acting and animation which helped to create a new look at the magical world of Wonderland. Burton continues to look through his cynical lens, offering a darker version of the 1865 book as Alice explores all manner of fantastical creatures and landscape while seeking to understand who she is and perhaps more to the point whether she can find her lost "muchness" in order to slay the Jabberwocky. Oh, and possibly not be so mad after all.

Complementing the trio of artisans you will also find as the Knave of Hearts Old Sage Crispin Glover from Back to the Future fame (George McFly), Sage Ann Hathaway as the White Queen (with black lips) and the voice of Alan Rickman as the Cheshire Cat. All of this might seem a bit campy, but if you look at this film through (my) 1st entity eyes and interest in Groundbreaking Work in the Fine Arts, then you will see a new vitality in this entertaining and highly creative film. How IS it that Burton creates a Red Queen with such an enormous head? Alice is smaller, then bigger, then smaller again; you all know the story I'm sure. Have fun tonight and bring expression polarity home while you watch Alice. You won't regret it.

The 9 Needs: Communion or Life as Temple

COMMUNION

Middle English, from Latin communion-, communio mutual participation, from communis

Date: 14th century

1 : an act or instance of sharing
2 a capitalized : a Christian sacrament in which consecrated bread and wine are consumed as memorials of Christ's death or as symbols for the realization of a spiritual union between Christ and communicant or as the body and blood of Christ b : the act of receiving Communion c capitalized : the part of a Communion service in which the sacrament is received
3 : intimate fellowship or rapport

Communion is one of the 9 needs psychological needs according to the Michael teachings and this need has to do with creating connection with others which can be met through one on one contact, with groups, and, in the larger sense, with the Cosmos or God. Communion is not the same as conversation which tends to be more like the exchange need where information is traded back and forth, but is experienced as a blending of energies, a release of the individual personality and an opening to one-ness.  Group rituals including music, drumming, and dance can be gateways through which the communion need is met as is sensuality and sexuality where the mind is set aside in favor of feeling and movement.  Communion is all about feeling!

The quoted definition is partially aligned with the Michael definition in terms of feelings of rapport, but not in terms of religious affiliation which is not at all related to the Michael's definition of communion. The original intention of the sacrement of communion is similar in that the ritual was designed as a way for the individual to interact with the Divine, but in most cases the scripting involved did little to allow for a pure experience to occur. We have the opportunity now to experience communion on a daily basis by expanding our conscious awareness of our connection with all that is, by feeling our breath and the sun and moon on our skin. Open your awareness!

The 9 Needs: Expression

Those of us, myself included, who have chosen expression as one of the three primary needs need to find ways of expressing ourselves in order to maintain psychological health. With expression in the lead position or one of the top 3, it is important to allow for personal expression in as many ways as possible and which could include

* Artistry in the life  Any number of ways to express in daily life such as how you dress both yourself
and your environment
* Creative outlets   Music, Art, Drama, Writing, Dance  These expressive venues can include both doing them yourself or going to hear music and other expressive arts.
*Verbal expression   Yes, those of us with expression as a primary need seem to need to talk alot!  It's ok, it's just part of who you are.

Question: What are the ways you choose to express yourself?

Art by Brendan McCarthy

On Music

"Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent."


Victor Hugo

Michael on the Tapestry

Michael: "In the larger context here each and every fragment is part of the larger tapestry in that no choice is separate from any other choice and each one is part of the weaving together of life experiences while extant on the physical plane. A single fragment could be seen as a single thread of the larger tapestry of human life, weaving in and out with other fragments who all together create a picture of life on your planet Earth. But we think that while this larger picture is of course relevant and true, we also think that in terms of this study, that consideration of the individual “mini” tapestry might serve purposes more efficiently.
That said, from the first life for a fragment, choices are made which in effect become part of the fragment’s personal tapestry and which together over time create a picture of all experiences. Should a fragment perceive reincarnation as a valid personal truth, then there is an automatic acceptance of the validity of prior experiences and these include both birth and death. The awareness that many types of death including of disease, accidents, karmic incidents, old age et al have occurred for the fragment can and we emphasize can allow for a more relaxed view of the eventuality of death in the current life. This awareness can also be extended to various life experiences which may be considered challenging such as financial woes, geological catastrophes such as hurricanes and earthquakes, and the ravages of war and through the lens of the larger picture and greater tapestry, a fragment may begin to see that many threads of experience are woven together to complete the totality of life on the physical plane."


Excerpted from a private session with permission  All rights reserved c. 2010

Dreams

"Once we know what the dream world is, to be without it is to be rudderless.  The dream continually corrects our waking course."  

-Marion Woodman

Peace

"Each one has to find his peace from within. 

And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances".   

 -Gandhi

What Do You Love?

"You will enjoy any activity in which you are truly present, any activity that is not just a means to an end.

It isn't the action you perform that you really enjoy, but the deep sense of aliveness that flows into it."

Eckhart Tolle   from Oneness With All Life




What Tolle is speaking to here is being alert in our daily activities in such a way as to promote stillness within you that is "the background of the activity". (Tolle)  Immediately my mind went to the yea buts which included things I don't like to do ie how can I possibly enjoy them? But upon looking more closely, I found that many of the daily activities which can be tedious and which could include driving, laundry, dishes, chores, even obligatory email exchanges can in fact be far less stressful, even positive when bringing alertness into the picture.

One of the most simple ways to begin this process is to bring your attention to your breath. The act of shifting attention to our breathing brings us into the present moment and allows us to become more alert and centered. Once we become alert, then we are no longer resisting the activity in which we are engaged and we can enjoy the flow of conscious awareness into our actions and we may even begin to enjoy life more fully.

Michael on Entities

Michael: "Fragments of the same entity which is composed of some 1000 plus individual fragments or souls tend to share many physical plane incarnations, are linked from the beginning of ensoulment to the end, and have an underlying focus which serves as a thread of continuity. In this case, the entity is in the 4th position of the cadre (of seven entities) and resonates to the scholar number 4 which is single focused, interested in study and education, and gathers information which is then compiled into a database of sorts.

We understand that it is difficult to validate the entity theory when looked at abstractly, but we do think it possible to validate the pull toward other fragments with whom a bond is shared as well as commonalities of interest. For example, those fragments in a 1st entity would share a common good focus or service oriented theme as part of their life plans, a second entity would include interest in the creative arts and structure as related to the artisan role in essence and so on. Here the 4th entity has been gathering information through varied life experiences and many of these members work in the educational field of some sort or another both in actual libraries, schools, publishing, and cataloguing such as in museums.  Fragments in a 3rd entity would have a warrior or enterprising theme, a 5th entity would be communications oriented, a 6th entity tends towards religious or spiritual pursuits, and the 7th entity positions of leadership and other kingly projects.

Fragments have described the relationship with members of the same entity as comfortable, easy, “like family” in the positive sense of the word. Of course, other influences can change these positive feelings such as karmic interactions, but in general members of the same entity experience comfort and ease due to not only their physical plane interactions of which there are many, but also their ongoing astral plane interactions which occur both during lives and “in-between”.  Suffice it to say there is ongoing contact much in the way childhood friends can choose to remain in contact through the years and thereby share many experiences which serve to bind them together through perceptions."

Excerpted from a private session with permission  c. 2010

Contentment

"Everything has its wonders, 

even darkness and silence, 

and I learn, whatever state I may be in, 

therein to be content."   

Helen Keller

Perceptions

"When we perceive without interrupting or mental labeling, which means without adding thought to our perceptions, we can still sense the deeper connectedness underneath our perception of seemingly separate things."         Eckhart Tolle from The Oneness With All Life

Reactivity and Response

"If peace is really what you want, then you will choose peace. If peace matters to you more than anything else and it you truly knew yourself to be spirit rather than a little me, you would remain nonreactive and absolutely alert when confronted with challenging people and situations. You would immediately accept the situation and thus become one with it rather than separate yourself from it. Then out of your alertness would come a response. Who you are (consciousness), not who you think you are (a small me), would be responding. It would be powerful and effective and would make no person or situation into an enemy."


Eckhart Tolle from Oneness With All Life

Reaction to what is happening "to" us versus thoughtful response based on our active participation in life. Gut reactions as opposed to calm. Possible?  Yes. Simple?  Yes, that too. Easy? Not so much.....

At the core of this principle which is so eloquently stated by Tolle is detached awareness, the ability to maintain perspective in the midst of what might be an onslaught of challenges thrown our way by people, places, and things.

We can begin to change our old patterns of reactivity by first becoming aware of and accepting the world as it is rather than maintaining how we want it to be. Faced with a stressful situation, we become alert and aware of our essential selves which are not reactive, not fear based, but instead are responsive and peaceful.

Our essential selves do not need to be right, to be understood, to be heard, to be accepted, to be perfect, in the way our "little me" does. Rather, our essence sees the divine in everyone and knows that we are are connected and that peace and harmony exists in all moments. The mantra "I am aware" is a good starting point for redirecting your attention to essence and away from gut reactions, promoting acceptance of what is and creating more harmony in life which is all to the good.

More Michael on True Rest and Fear

More Michael on True Rest as an Antidote to Fear
excerpted with permission from a private session

Location: 20th century America  A mature sage, female, experienced ongoing stage fright which became more than overwhelming and threatened her career. She was a well known stage actress performing primarily in Off-Broadway plays and some summer stock. At the age of 19 she got her “big break” and was cast as the understudy for a young artisan who was prone to illness and while highly talented, was not always reliable in her ability to perform. The sage was “all nerves” every night as she awaited news whether or not she would be called upon to perform and it was during this process that she discovered knitting which was true rest.  Each night she took a small handbag filled with knitting supplies to the theater and once in her dressing room, began knitting which relieved the stress and allowed her to remain calm. Interestingly enough, she did become a well known actress and used this technique throughout her career.

More Michael on True Rest and Fear

Michael on True Rest as an Antidote to Fear
excerpted from a private session with permission

Michael:  Location: 17th century France  An old priest was prone to depression and the responsibilities of daily life became difficult due to war time influences. She had married at a young age and was forced into maternal duties which were in fact against her desires but “required” by the husband at the age of 13, and by the time she was 20 she had 5 offspring all quite young. The living environment was in squalor and food was scarce. The priest found a nearby chapel which she sought often to escape to, and when it was possible she would sit quietly, reflecting on the nature of God and compassion. Although these times were infrequent, they were true in nature (contemplative repose) and provided a much needed relief to stress and fear for the survival of herself and her children, following which she was able to return to her “duties” with more calm and grace.

Michael on True Rest and Fear

Michael on True Rest as an Antidote to Fear

excerpted from a private session with permission





Michael: We will utilize the following examples as a means to illustrate the restorative nature of true rest and the release of fear in the process:

Location: 4th century Indonesia  A young male king was promoted to the position of rulership when the father fragment was killed during a raid. The king was eager to accept,  but at the age of 14 was inexperienced and this fact was well known including by those who wished to usurp his power and take it for their own. This king was an early mature soul and prone to some depression and anxiety as he wrestled with his inner “demons” which were in stark contrast to the young soul family and advisors save one old soul sage who took him under his wing. It was at the suggestion of this old sage that the king took early morning walks in a nearby orchard, accompanied by his canine companion and it was during these walks which was by nature true for him that he was able to release his fear and relax, often times experiencing what would be called solutions to his problems, both personal and professional. Noted that this king continued this practice through his long reign which was in fact over 20 years."

Your Daily Tolle

"The mind is more comfortable in a landscaped park because it has been planned through thought; it has not grown organically. There is an order here that the mind can understand. In the forest, there is an incomprehensible order that to the mind looks like chaos. It is beyond the mental categories of good and bad. You cannot understand it through thought, but you can sense it when you let go of thought, become still and alert, and don't try to understand or explain. Only then can you become aware of the sacredness of the forest. As soon as you sense that hidden harmony, that sacredness, you realize you are not separate from it, and when you realize that, you become a conscious participant in it. In this way, nature can help you become realigned with the wholeness of life."

Eckhart Tolle from "The Oneness With All Life" 

Times of Peace and of Transformation

Today I have been musing on the idea that there are times in our lives which are peaceful by all accounts and those which might be considered challenging. Looking back on my own life from my mid-50's, I can see that life has been wavelike with movement and never static, always changing, always bringing new opportunities for growth whether or not it seemed like that at the time.

Some of my friends and clients tell me that they wish for more peace and hope that the next challenge will be far off in the future so that they can get on with their lives. Yet others say they welcome whatever life brings to them, seeing all experiences as opportunities for personal growth and essence evolution. These folks do not resist life and instead accept what comes their way and for the most part seem far more content than those who avoid challenges. Both responses are valid, of course and up to the individual to choose what is right for them.

I do however find it curious that life is much like the waves of the ocean; movement never ceasing, sun always rising and setting, storms coming and going, each of us in our human bodies, riding the waves in our little boats. That is until we realize that we are part of the great ocean and jump in.

Home

"Where thou art, that is home."

Emily Dickinson

Your Daily Tolle

"Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at the moment."

Eckhart Tolle

Your Daily Rumi

"Lovers share a sacred decree –
to seek the Beloved.
They roll head over heels,
rushing toward the Beautiful One
like a torrent of water.

In truth, everyone is a shadow of the Beloved –
Our seeking is His seeking,
Our words are His words.

At times we flow toward the Beloved
like a dancing stream.
At times we are still water
held in His pitcher.
At times we boil in a pot
turning to vapor –
that is the job of the Beloved.

He breathes into my ear
until my soul
takes on His fragrance.
He is the soul of my soul –
How can I escape?
But why would any soul in this world
want to escape from the Beloved?

He will melt your pride
making you thin as a strand of hair,
Yet do not trade, even for both worlds,
One strand of His hair.

We search for Him here and there
while looking right at Him.
Sitting by His side we ask,
“O Beloved, where is the Beloved?”

Enough with such questions! –
Let silence take you to the core of life.

All your talk is worthless
When compared to one whisper
of the Beloved."

Michael on the Moment Before Birth

"There is always however choice, and fragments have been known to change plans even at the last possible moment before reincarnating, or later.The seventh and final stage of the transition between lives is the moment before birth, as the fragment prepares once again to leave the astral interval.This is much like waiting for the airplane to take off, for there has been an anticipation of this next life as essence prepares for the next go around on the physical plane and there has often been communication between the new mother and the soon to be born fragment, although we will say again that the soul does not enter the body until the first breath, which is the first phase of the first monad."

excerpted with permission from a private session

Michael on the 1st Monad

MICHAEL ON THE 1ST MONAD
excerpted with permission from a private session c. 2010

"The completion of the first monad heralds the entrance of the soul into the physical body and in most instances occurs at the first breath and not before. When this monad is first initiated, the mother fragment begins the labor process in earnest and from this point there can be a slowing down through the stages, or a speeding up which results in the birth or monadal completion. In this case it is more obvious we think that a transition is occurring both for the infant who is soon to be born and also experiencing the monad from inside the mother, and for the mother who is making the transition from caring for the fetus internally to caring for the infant externally which is also part of the monad itself. This transition from internal to external viability is key to a successful completion of monad one, and without it the monad can land solidly in the negative pole. As is true with other monadal transitions, it is not always clear if success will be the outcome, and in fact even in the last moments before birth a fragment can die for lack of oxygen, for example. The birth process is a delicate one, and the health of the mother fragment also plays a large part in the result as does the health of the fetus. In fact, it might not be amiss here to say that this is the only monad where it is necessary for a physical collaboration to take place, for even with the second and third monads where interaction with a parent fragment is preferred or even required for a successful completion, it is only with the first monad or birth that a very real and tangible collaborative and tandem experience occurs, and one which is key or central to the well being on all levels for both mother and child in the years that lie ahead should the birth be completed. We think this truth is not defined clearly for there is an energetic link from the mother to the child, or the father to the child depending on who hosted the fragment prebirth (reference here to other life forms where males are host parents) and this link remains intact and cannot be unraveled even if the fragments do not form a close bond due to circumstances which may have prevented such a bond from being secured. Suffice it to say that what occurs during the birth process and the experience of each fragments colors each subsequent monad, and a positive birth experience will do much to support subsequent monadal transitions during the course of each fragment's life."

How Important is it Really?

What's a different approach that may help us all develop the proverbial roll off a duck's back approach to life?

Gratitude. Patience. Understanding. Flexibility. Awareness.

Today I went with a friend to see a movie called "How to Train Your Dragon". Not my usual kind of movie choice, but the reviews were good and this weekend happens to be the Coastal Dream Machines
event where noisy airplanes fly over my home and the coast is flooded with well meaning and enthusiastic folks who are looking for a fun time, all of which to many of us locals means go find something else to do if you don't want to hunker down. So off we went, and did I ever enjoy this movie; great animation, good message, fun, and I didn't think about anything else for 2 hours while I watched the movie. A short break from life. And entertaining too!

Most things aren't really all that important in the long run. The challenges of today will be forgotten soon enough as we move forward in life, focusing on something new. So when you find yourself in a bubble or a little bit of turmoil, find something else to focus on for awhile and see if your mood improves. I know mine does.

Dreams

"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."    Henry David Thoreau

God is Awake

"Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones;  and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake."

Victor Hugo