Three Sizes of Truth

It was in the spring of my 28th year when I remembered that reincarnation was true.

Several days prior I had asked a family friend if one had to believe in reincarnation to send your kids to a Waldorf school. His response was puzzlement! Looking back on the months before that conversation I had actually been asking some questions but with no definitive rational answer which I could wrap my mind around. I couldn't think my way to an solution! Then one morning I woke up, opened my eyes and thought "Reincarnation....Yea, that's right".

What I have just shared was the intersection of what the Michaels call a Personal truth (my own perceptions), Sleep or a World truth, and Reincarnation, a Universal Truth. 

They call this the 3 Sizes of Truth:

Personal Truth: What is true for an individual including preferences, perceptions, attitudes, their personal history. Can change during a lifetime.

World Truth: What is true on this planet Earth. Examples are gravity, atmospheric conditions, exchange, the Sun.

Universal Truth: What is true throughout the Universe. Love and Fear are examples of Universal truth as is Reincarnation and the number 7.

One of the most significant points of conflict between people has to do with varying personal truths or what Michael calls "Perceptual Differentiation". We see through our own eyes and what one person sees is not necessarily the same as what another sees, yet both are sure they are correct! A helpful study is to compare and contrast what is true for you, what you can validate through experience, study, and observation as well as what is true for others. The next step is to allow them to have their own perceptions without the need to change them in any way even if you think you are right! Recognizing where perceptual differentiations of personal truth exist is the first step in reducing conflicts and creating more harmony in our lives and in our world.

Peace to Us All

We Share Our Fragile 

and Beautiful Planet 

with All Living Things

Peace to Us All

That Which We Witness

"That which we witness, 

we are forever changed by,

and once witnessed 

we can never go back."

Angeles Arrien, Cultural Anthropologist and Author of "The Second Half of Life"

Your Daily Tolle

Be free today my friends in all that you do...

“The past has no power over the present moment.”   

― Eckhart Tolle

The Secret Garden

"And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye."      

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Your Daily Hafiz: In the Morning

"In the morning 

When I began to wake

It happened again.

That feeling 

That You, Beloved,

Had stood over me all night.

Keeping watch,

That feeling

That as soon as I began to stir

You put Your lips on my forehead

And lit a Holy Lamp

Inside my Heart."

- Hafiz

Searching for God

"I searched for God and found only myself

I searched for myself and found only God"

Sufi Proverb

Coming Back Down to our Fragile Oasis

Take a moment to listen dear ones....

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/shuttle_station/features/Peter_Gabriel_Oasis.html




note: Music by Peter Gabriel, video c. 2011 NASA

Your Daily Hafiz

"I do not

Want to step so quickly

Over a beautiful line on God's palm

As I move through the earth's

Marketplace

Today.

I do not want to touch any object in this world

Without my eyes testifying to the truth

That everything is

My Beloved.

Something has happened

To my understanding of existence

That now makes my heart always full of wonder

And kindness.

I do not

Want to step so quickly

Over this sacred place on God's body

That is right beneath your

Own foot

As I

Dance with

Precious life

Today."

Hafiz, Sufi Poet

From the Archives: Going with the Flow

Clients will often ask me how they can create what they want in their lives. They believe they are clear on what they want because they think about it all the time, write about in a journal, seek advice, recite affirmations and so on and yet whatever their goal is , it remains elusive.

The solution is deceptively simple: It is the "Wu Wei" of Taoist thought or "The Way" which is non resistance to that which is. Accept the moment with the knowledge that it is perfect.

How do you know that this moment is the "right" moment for you? Because it exists.

Take for example a day when you want to sit in your garden and enjoy the beauty of nature yet you struggle internally with the need to work. Accepting that there is time to work with joyousness and knowing that there is time to sit in the garden also relieves us of the struggle that ties us up internally. There will be another time for the garden or work, just as there will be time for many other things.

A helpful question might be "Which way is the River flowing here"? This is to say the natural flow of energies are in the direction of work, then accepting that as a positive choice can relieve one of the anxiety of struggle. If it is flowing in the direction of the garden, then you can make a choice to fully experience that moment with openness and delight without another thought of work! 

Each and every thought is a choice, you can choose to think positively, or not. It's up to you.

Navarro River Photograph by Victoria Marina-Tompkins

Lao Tzu Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

"Brim-fill the bowl,

it'll spill over.

Keep sharpening the blade,

you'll soon blunt it.

Nobody can protect

a house full of gold and jade.

Wealth, status, pride,

are their own ruin.

To do good, work well, and lie low

is the way of the blessing."

Lao Tzu Chapter 19

Raw Silk and Uncut Wood

Stop being holy, forget being prudent

It'll be a hundred times better for everyone.

Stop being altruistic, forget being righteous,

people will remember what family feeling is.

Stop planning, forget making a profit,

there won't be any thieves and robbers.

But even these three rules

needn't be followed; what works reliably

is to know the raw silk,

hold the uncut wood.

Need little,

want less.

Forget the rules.

Be untroubled.

Translation by Ursula K. Le Guin

Tao Te Ching 37

The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu

Chapter 37

"Eternal Tao doesn't do anything yet it leaves nothing undone.

If you abide by it, 

everything in existence will transform itself.

When, in the process of self-transformation,desires are aroused, 

calm them with nameless simplicity.

When desires are dissolved in the primal presence,

peace and harmony naturally occur,and the world orders itself."

Taking the First Step

"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, 

just take the first step".  Martin Luther King 

Beauty

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful,

 we must carry it with us or we find it not."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Walking the Land of the Grey Clouds

"Those who have shared their near-death experiences say that yes, there is life after death and that we do return for another life after the present one is over. Still, people remain puzzled and unsure as to what the truth really is. Will we return in another life, or is this all there is? Many of us decide what we believe, some don’t know for sure, and some don’t even care, leaving those who do to proclaim that they know the truth. As long as we are alive and on this Earth, we will continue to “walk in the land of the grey clouds” until we die and only then will we remember the truth of what our souls have known all along."

Excerpted from Spiritual Turning Points A Metaphysical Perspective of the Seven Life Transitions (Life Transition Seven: Death)  All rights reserved c. 2011

Photo from Hubble Telescope 2 Galaxies Collide "The Rose"

Your Daily Rumi

"Do not be satisfied with the stories 
that come before you. Unfold your own myth".    
-Rumi

The Life Focus (Book Excerpt)

note: This excerpt discusses the time period following the completion of the mid life transition, a significant change usually occurring sometime between the ages of 35 and 50. It is during this transition that the individual comes to understand the true personality and discards the false self, aligning with the life task that begins in earnest after the transit is complete.

"As the fourth transition comes to a close and if it has been completed in the positive, then the Life Focus begins to manifest as a desire to align with the soul’s purpose for this lifetime. The next twenty plus years will now be devoted to accomplishing this task and without fear obstructing progress, the life will begin to unfold in a way that allows the authentic personality to express itself clearly with the task in the forefront.

The task is not necessarily work related and can include themes

such as personal power, teamwork, the application of personal truths,

stability, and structure, all of which could be experienced through

personal as well as professional relationships. I often remind clients

that the life focus is the life focus, not the work focus! There is often a

strong desire on the part of spiritually motivated individuals to manifest

their true work through their daily job, but that is not necessarily the

plan of essence. Fortunately, there will be many years to explore

and develop the task with many options to choose from.

The years following the midlife transition are not always picture

perfect. A wise sage once told me, “Honey, I tried to tell you that

everything won’t be roses after you finish the monad.” How right

she was. Life happens, challenges come your way, and you do

your best to deal with them. Still, after a positive outcome, the true

self is available and expressed in a way that it was not before, and

fears can be more easily recognized for what they are rather than

the truths that they present themselves to be. It may take a few

years to reach your stride after completing the monad for while the

official integration period may take several months, the process of

inculcation of this monad is an ongoing one and the application of

perceptions grows over time. Once the seeds have been planted,

they will continue to grow over the course of the next several decades

and bloom when the life focus has been completed."

Excerpted from Spiritual Turning Points: A Metaphysical Perspective of the Seven Life Transitions c. 2011

Your Daily Rumi

"Only from the heart can you touch the sky".   -Rumi

Michael on the Astral Plane and Dreams

Question: Could Michael please say more about why we need the astral plane for dreaming?

Michael: "The astral plane is as is known here composed of malleable materials that allows a fragment to experiment with various forms in such as way as to promote the expansion of ideas as well as the revisiting of previous experiences.


In addition the astral plane is the area where fragments who not physically extant are present in between lives and with whom dream contact may be made. And, this plane also presents or serves as a meeting ground for not only humanoid fragments to interact but also other species to convene with both their own and others such as humans. This plane is for all intents and purposes extremely flexible in its adaptability and thereby provides humans and other sentient species with opportunity for learning through experience which is not available while physically extant.

For example, a fragment may dream of constructing a simple piece of furniture and during the course of several dreams try various solutions to the puzzle of what is the best approach. If this task were approached during waking hours then the solution might then remain elusive due to the need to try many different variables, some of which could in fact be delayed due to lack of physical plane materials but readily available if worked on with astral plane materials. This is not to say that the astral plane is the only method through which to solve problems for this is not true, but it is an effective one.

Another example is a fragment who died a tragic death, short circuited in the recent past by warfare. The newly extant fragment could then use the astral plane to reconstruct the past event of death and this might include various metaphors such as falling off a bridge or being trapped under a house, each references to the past life ending. These dream images can then be brought into conscious awareness where the fragment might process the emotions brought on by the dream, and through which some of the intensity of the emotions could be released. Another type of astral plane interaction would include with the fragment’s own essence who might choose to appear as a wise man, gypsy woman, artist, or other archetype in order to communicate information to the personality and this is especially true during times of transition. Fragments who are deceased and astral plane focused may also use the dreamscape to communicate to extant fragments. As you can see, there are many uses and the astral plane makes available constructive malleability that the others planes do not. We find this truth to be of benefit to many fragments." 

c. 2011 Victoria Marina-Tompkins Excerpted from a private session with permission

The Enneagram: What it's like to be a One

I woke this morning to another chilly autumn day on the coast and, after brewing a cup of hot Peet's coffee, settled down with my Cavalier Spaniels Gracie and Jazz and opened my laptop. I like to review my recent blog posts and think about if I have anything that I'd like to write about and today several past posts on the Enneagram jumped out at me. I wouldn't consider myself an expert on this but I do appreciate the system that gives us insight into how we respond under stress, showing us the roots of our fear based responses as well as how we can bring more joy into our lives.

So today Im going to talk about being a One on the Enneagram but would first like to give you a link where you can read about the system including it's history:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enneagram_of_Personality

Years ago when I was first introduced to the Enneagram I studied it to determine where I fit in. It is a very complex system, and I didn't find it easy to see my place in it although I understood the concepts. Finally I decided to ask my friend Jach Purcel, the Lazaris channel, if Lazaris could shed any light on it for me and they were happy to oblige: "You, Victoria, are a One." I could see that this was true! I then set out to understand the nature of the One archetype and realized soon that the glaring signal that allowed me to validate this piece of channeling was that it is true, I always look at what is out of place in any situation first. If I walk into a room, I will notice if the flowers are wilting, if the carpet needs vacuuming, or if there is dust on the tabletop. But, this is true only if it is MY room, not someone else's. My perfectionistic viewpoint applies (usually) only to that which I am in control of, and not of someone else. I look for error because the ideal of the One is perfection. Let me tell you this is a lot of work to keep everything perfect!  I'm kidding of course, but the desire or perhaps the compulsion of the One is to control his or her environment. And when this isn't possible, when others don't live up to this perfection ideal then resentment builds.

Once I understood the nature of the One in myself, then I could validate how I respond to stress and how I respond when in joy. The One disintegrates to the number Four when under stress, withdrawing into melancholy. I am not a depressed person in general, but under stressful situations I do see this tendency in myself. In fact, when people look at the Enneagram for the first time, sometimes they see the number of disintegration first as it is a powerful influence in their life. Also useful here is noticing the Enneagram number which is demonstrated when a person is healthy, which in the case of the number One is Seven.  When I am experiencing the energy of seven, I feel social and outgoing, fun loving and enthusiastic, not looking for perfection or noticing error. What a relief! Noticing the stress and health points are very useful and can help you to move out of fear responses and toward integrated health.

Take a moment or two today to look at the Enneagram, it may bring new insights into your day.

To Love Unconditionally

"This is the point where love becomes possible. We see the other with the eye of the heart, an eye not clouded by fear manifesting as need, jealousy, possessiveness, or manipulation. With the unclouded eye of the heart, we can see the other as other. We can rejoice in the other, challenge the other, and embrace the other without losing our own center or taking anything away from the other. We are always other to each other — soul meeting soul, the body awakened with joy. To love unconditionally requires no contracts, bargains, or agreements. Love exists in the moment-to-moment flux of life."

Marion Woodman, Jungian Analyst and author of Addiction to Perfection.

Your Daily Hafiz

"And for no reason I start skipping like a child.

And for no reason i turn into a leaf that is carried so high I kiss the sun's mouth and dissolve.

And for no reason a thousand birds choose my head for a conference table, start passing their cups of wine and their wild songbooks all around.

And for every reason in existence I begin to eternally laugh and love!

When I turn into a leaf and start dancing!

I run to kiss our beautiful friend and I dissolve into the Truth That I Am."  -Hafiz

The Second Saturn Return

The following excerpt it is from Spiritual Turning Points Chapter 5, The Life Review. This period of time following completion of the life task or life work chosen for this incarnation is one of reflection, a review of the life lived. The years just prior to the review are active ones astrologically as the second Saturn return sets the stage by reminding us what we have accomplished in the years since the first return at age 28, and what areas are left to be explored. 

Saturn returns typically are challenging to begin with as Saturn brings real world structures up for scrutiny and, depending on where Saturn is in your natal astrological chart, will push hard on you to rework those structures that are in need of repair and redefinition. Areas typically affected are legal affairs, financials, dentistry, and karmas owed to you and by you. Whatever is presented requires a thorough examination in order to see what needs attention, or simply what it is time to let go of. When Saturn comes around to your door, it's time to let go, again, in order to start building a new foundation for the next 28 years.

Here is a brief excerpt from my book:

"More Astrology and the Life Review 

During the years between the fourth and fifth transitions, there are

several important transits that help lay the groundwork for the fifth

transition when it begins. The first is the second Saturn return that

happens at age fifty-eight, with the first glimmering coming into view

about a year before. At the first Saturn return at age twenty-eight, the

young adult entered into full adulthood with added responsibilities

and a new life direction and the second return once again reviews

what has been accomplished to date and sets the stage for the next

twenty-nine years.

Second Saturn Return

Another Report Card, Age Fifty-eight

Saturn has a firm hand and clear eyes, not caring much for

touchy feely reasons why this or that didn’t happen, tending instead

to view events in terms of black or white. 

Did it work, or did it not? Is it time to let go of what you have

been dragging around for the past ten years? Will you need this in

the next phase of life? Saturn looks at what you will require to create

a solid foundation upon which to build over the next three decades

and doesn’t particularly care how you feel about it! The fifty-ninth

year is a time for review, not quite time (usually) for the fifth transition,

but it does a thorough job of culling what isn’t necessary. It also

is a time for achievement as rewards of recognition are bestowed

at work, books are written and published, and advancements and

promotions are made. If you have done the work, this is the time

you reap the rewards."

Thought for Today: The Universe

"Though this hut is small, it contains the universe."

 

Sekito Kisen, Zen Master

Unity

"In the monastery of your heart and body, you have a temple where all buddhas unite."  Milarena 

States of Being: Bliss

"We will remind you here that the state of bliss is the most natural state of being and one that essence exists in as a matter of course."   

The Michael Entity

The River

THE RIVER

"There is a River that flows through us.  An ancient, eternal river, unchanging since the beginning of time. 

We glide across its surface, we splash in its shallows and dive into into its depths.

It scalds us as a desert hot-spring, and freezes us as an ice-choked arctic stream.

Sometimes we forget, for a moment, to do Good Work.  We forget to know how others should live.  We forget to fight against evil and injustice.  We forget to fear loss and even death.

In these moments—fleeting and ethereal yet essentially beautiful—we may catch a genuine glimpse of the river itself.  We see it winding peacefully and undisturbed through the green and tangled undergrowth of our many lives. 

It may, for an instant, look like a baby’s smile, a lover’s touch or a flaming sunset.  It may sound like a tiny bamboo wind-chime, the wail of a saxophone or the nearly-deafening roar of Niagra falls.  It may, for the briefest moment, taste like chocolate or smell like fresh-roasted coffee beans. 

We think of it as the one, or two, or one hundred, or ten-thousand things.  It is none of these, and all of them.  We try to think it looks, sounds, feels, tastes and smells like something, because this is what we know, what we think we need.

The River needs nothing.  It carries us always, and invites us to float easily along its shallows or to thrash mightily to survive its rapids—whatever we prefer.  It has no messages for us, no secrets, no instructions or duties or threats or restrictions.  It flows unceasingly, generously, without thought or opinion.  We drink of it as we wish.

It has, of course, no name, but we—often preferring words—might call it Love."

-Anonymous

Stories of Conscious Dying (Book Excerpt)

Art’s Story

"A sterling example of living life to the fullest during its final stages

was Art, a close friend of my husband, John, and the officiate for

our wedding. He lived a rich and robust ninety years, dying just

a week or so after his birthday. When we first met, he was living

with his second wife, Judith, on the coast near Half Moon Bay, and

while long since retired from the work-a-day world, he was active

and engaging, usually busy with projects that he continued until

just near the end. Art was a modern day Renaissance Man. He was

a storyteller, poet, and believer in the rights of all humans to live

their dreams as he listened closely to what anyone had to say. You

always felt heard by him.

Then, several years before his death, he began to have serious

heart trouble. His active days began to slow somewhat although

he still continued to attend spiritual study groups, local plays, and

enjoyed the company of friends and family. He knew well that he

was dying, but he chose to live each day to the fullest. In fact, just

several years before his death, he recorded a music CD, “Hero,”

which he then gave to his loved ones.

A ninetieth-birthday celebration was planned, and Art was by

then unable to attend, and even though he did get dressed and was

determined to walk across the street to the neighbor’s home, he

wasn’t strong enough. His friends instead dropped by, chatted with

him, and then returned to the party albeit without Art’s presence. A

few days later, he was admitted to the Veteran’s hospital and by the

end of the week he was slipping in and out of consciousness while

remaining peaceful, knowing that his time was drawing to a close.

He did not struggle nor did he complain but instead allowed the

natural course of events to unfold. It was a Saturday afternoon when

John and I went to say our good-byes, and by then his breathing

was more labored, his attention no longer on the physical elements

around him. Judith and friends had brought music that played in the

background and the whole “vibe” was calm and serene.

I had brought my drum, and we formed a small circle around

Art’s bed as I began to sing “We Are the Old Ones,” a chant I wrote

in 1989 while sitting on the Bell Rock Vortex in Sedona, Arizona,

and later recorded in 1994 on “Flight of the Hawk: Shamanic Songs

and Ritual Chants.”

“We are the old ones,

We are the ancient ones,

We are the old ones

And we bring you peace.

Lay your body down

Lay your body down,

Lay your body down

And rest, and rest.”

Soon his wife, Judith, John, and one other close female friend

who had been in spiritual circles with Art all joined in, singing

quietly and helping him find his way back home. Art showed no

resistance at all as he entered the final stages of the transition and

took his last breath several hours later. We will all remember those

last moments with Art, one of the most amazing men John and I

have ever known."

excerpt from Spiritual Turning Points A Metaphysical Perspective of the Seven Life Transitions
All rights Reserved c. 2011