Flight of the Hawk: January 2011

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Letting Go....Every Day

Each day we have a multitude of opportunities to face that little demon called the fear of the unknown. Think of it, how many times a day do you find yourself trying to figure out what is going to happen, what may happen including all of the ways you may respond to what may happen, all designed to quell your fears of not knowing. Our mind races and our pulse quickens as we think of this, then that, then this again. How can I avoid what I don't want to have happen? How can I be sure that I will be safe, secure, and less anxious?

Sounds familiar doesn't it.

What if instead of trying to control, we begin to notice our urge to hold on, our compulsion to grasp. And, in that moment, we allow the grip to loosen if just for a moment. We can then breathe, and return our attention to the moment. We are no longer held captive by the future nor mired in our stories of the past.
We can be free.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

LIFE TRANSITION SEVEN: Death (Book Excerpt)

"Once the last breath has been taken, the soul has left the body through the crown or head chakra and is on its way to the astral plane. In our culture, it’s not uncommon to hear stories from those who have had “near-death experiences” detailing how, when they were dying, they saw “a white tunnel” or “my friends and family were there to greet me” or “I saw absolutely nothing.” All are true and all are valid in that each person creates their own version of reality following death.

Because many of us are fearful of death and what lies beyond, it is natural that we try to grasp the “hereafter” from the vantage point of the physical plane, listening to recounting of various experiences from those who have journeyed there and back again. From the time we are small children, concepts of heaven, hell, purgatory, and limbo, all well-meaning religious explanations of what happens when we die, are presented as being absolute, undeniable, and unquestionable. Or, depending on who you are talking to, you may hear that nothing happens, or “this is all there is.” Lots of folks talk about this with as many questions as answers. Many spiritual teachings include the fundamental concept that you are part of something greater

and that there is a higher place you go to after you die, but while we are alive in human bodies, the illusion of separateness is very strong, and you usually can’t see beyond it except during moments of stress or expanded consciousness. It is not until after death that these illusions drop away, and we can all reconnect with “all that is” or “the infinite spirit of the divine” of which are all a part".

Friday, January 21, 2011

The Reviews Are In!

BOOK REVIEW by author Tessa Jones

Spiritual Turning Points: A Metaphysical Perspective of the Seven Life Transitions by Victoria Marina-Tompkins
(spring 2011 release)

Some books, once read, resonate with a powerful truth, leaving you with a perfect moment of utter clarity and you realize if you'd known about this long ago, the knowledge would have made it so much easier to deal with various issues and crises, and outcomes would probably have been accepted with a lot more grace and understanding.

This book, Spiritual Turning Points: A Metaphysical Perspective of the Seven Life Transitions, left me with just such a realization.

Author Victoria Marina-Tompkins writes from a unique perspective, filtered through three metaphysical studies: causal plane (which includes reincarnation), astrology and shamanism. This distinctive blend gives a keen insight into what it means to travel this human path.

The book is structured simply and flows flawlessly from beginning to end, revealing a progression of the human experience from birth (and even before birth) to death… and beyond. Ms. Marina-Tompkins devotes a chapter to each of life's spiritual turning points - life's crossroads, if you will, and gives examples of how those pivotal and transitional moments provide the necessary structure for that person's life plan which helps them advance to the next phase. These become units of experience in the rhythm of life.

Our past lives also affect life choices and current experiences, adding another layer of complexity for why we're here and what we wish to accomplish in this lifetime. Although our soul may know the reasoning, our brain may not, and when uncomfortable situations arise, or the inevitable failing of our physical body occurs, it can be a truly frightening experience. The author successfully shows how to embrace these spiritual turning points and navigate our life with less fear, more anticipation, and a greater appreciation of the lessons we set out to learn.

The writing is fluid, concise, and compassionate. Spiritual Turning Points: A Metaphysical Perspective of the Seven Life Transitions affected me in ways I am still reflecting upon. I highly recommend this intriguing book for anyone who wants an understanding of why and how we choose to weave the myriad tiny threads that become the tapestry of our life.

Tessa Jones is an author of psychological suspense and young adult fiction

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

LIFE TRANSITION FOUR: Mid-life Spiritual Crisis (Book Excerpt)

Excerpted from

SPIRITUAL TURNING POINTS: A METAPHYSICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SEVEN LIFE TRANSITIONS

by Victoria Marina-Tompkins

LIFE TRANSITION FOUR

Midlife Spiritual Crisis

Part One

If you only knew what darkness I am plunged into.

—Saint Theresa of Lisieux, Nineteenth-Century Carmelite Nun

"The years following the completion of the third transition are filled with new experiences as the young adult ventures into the world, building foundations for home, work, relationships, and leisure-time activities. This is usually a period of excitement as ideas are implemented, doors are opened, new relationships begin, and the life moves forward at lightning speed. All seems right in the world. Then, somewhere between the ages of thirty-five and forty, a feeling of discomfort begins to creep into what has become an idyllic life in many ways, a dissatisfaction that is perplexing. Or a sudden event such as losing a job, divorce, or other family issues may provoke changes that are not welcomed and spin the now full-fledged adult into a vortex of self-questioning. Resisting these new problems, it’s common to try to keep it all together, maintaining

external appearances but facing sleepless nights, worry, fear, and anxieties which are rooted in what will soon become a midlife crisis, a time when what isn’t working becomes unavoidably clear even if what to do about it isn’t.

St. John of the Cross, a Roman Catholic mystic of the sixteenth century, called this process “the dark night of the soul” in his poem “La Noche Oscura del Alma.” He described how the soul must face hardships on a journey through the dark night in order to separate from worldly concerns and eventually reunite with God. During this dark journey, comforts that before would bring solace no longer work; prayer, meditation, and time with loved ones feel empty and without meaning. It is as if God has abandoned you. Night and day blend together, and there is little respite from feelings of loneliness and desperation, which may appear as depression and isolation, or as a lack of energy or interest in life.

Soul Loss and Disconnection

Shamanic cultures describe this process as “dismemberment,” a time when a person is dragged down into the depths of the underworld where a surrendering process must occur before the healing can begin. The personality that has been created from birth to middle adulthood was based on family expectations, which now begin tofeel false and hollow. The initial stages of the fourth transition do indeed feel like one is being torn apart as the personality faces an onslaught of unconscious material sometimes in the form of dreams—earthquakes, tidal waves, and other dark unseen forces out to get you. This phase can also feel like falling into a great pit or hole where one is unable to climb out. “

Victoria Marina-Tompkins

LIFE TRANSITION ONE: Bonding: Excerpt from Spiritual Turning Points

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

by Victoria Marina-Tompkins

spring 2011 Release

CHAPTER ONE

Bonding: The First Moments after Birth

"....So let’s go back to that moment of first contact between mother and infant. If all goes well, the infant has now been placed into its mother’s arms and is in the early stages of bonding. Eye contact, nursing, feeling the love and warmth of the mother are all necessary components of the first monad or life transition, which began with the first breath and will end when the infant is breathing on its own following the delivery of the placenta and the cutting of the umbilical cord. A successful transition will result in a healthy baby, a “10” on the Apgar scale, who is dependent on his mother for survival but is breathing independently. The positive of this transition is vitality with the negative life which is the distinction between simply being alive as opposed to being filled with vigor.

Not all infants make the transition smoothly. Some need external help such as ventilators to aid in breathing or warming units to keep the temperature at a healthy level. Modern medicine has made great strides in the past fifty years, reducing the infant mortality rate from 152 in 1,000 births worldwide to 57 in 1,000 by the year 2000. More specifically the highest infant death rate is currently Angola with 182 out of 1,000 with Singapore, Sweden, and Bermuda averaging 2.5. Some contributing factors to infant mortality include congenital malformations, complications of pregnancy, and respiratory distress, all leading to an incomplete first transition. According to the Free Dictionary, “vitality” is defined as “the capacity to live, grow, and develop” and “the characteristic, principle, or force that distinguishes living from non-living things” Other descriptions include “good health” or “Chi,” the life energy that in Chinese medicine is the essential ingredient for life. Colloquialisms include “he was full of beans” or “such a live wire,” both apt metaphors for a child full of life. On the opposite spectrum, life is defined as “the condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects” and “a living being.” One might ask what is the difference between these positives and negatives? The key is in that vitality is vibrant and energetic while life describes more the bodily functions of breath, heartbeat, and muscle reactivity, all rote physical processes.

The Maoris of New Zealand sing traditional lullabies or Orioris not only during the birth itself, but post-birth as well. The mothers sing these soothing songs to the infant during pregnancy to offer comfort, and continue after the infant is born. Practices such as these aid in the overall process and help the newborn make the transition into the new body with less stress and discomfort than might otherwise be the case. Western labor and delivery has in many cases a far less gentle approach though there have been great advances made in recent years to a more mother/child-centered childbirth experience with fewer medical interventions. Still, the percentage of soon-to-be new moms choosing a birth environment with soft lights and no drugs is small in comparison to those who choose the “tried and true” method of physician-directed obstetrics.Whether or not the birth process goes smoothly does not determine whether this specific life transition is completed, or in the positive as an infant can be born under many different circumstances, both positive and negative, and still emerge healthy."

Victoria Marina-Tompkins

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Excerpt from SPIRITUAL TURNING POINTS: INTRODUCTION

Excerpt from

Spiritual Turning Points: A Metaphysical Perspective of the Seven Life Transitions

by Victoria Marina-Tompkins c. 2011

INTRODUCTION

"Spiritual (adjective): Of, relating to, consisting of, or having the nature of spirit; not tangible or material.

Turning Point (noun): The point at which a very significant change occurs; a decisive moment, a crossroads.

The human evolutionary process includes a series of seven spiritual turning points that we all have the opportunity to process in every lifetime. At each threshold, we are challenged to move from one state of consciousness to another as we make the transitions that are the cornerstones of the human maturation process in physical, psychological, and spiritual terms.

Spiritual Turning Points is based on twenty-five years of experience with both clients and personal studies. Each chapter includes authentic stories that illustrate how the transitions were engaged, ignored, left unfinished, or completed, providing a complete look at the transitions from many different viewpoints. This metaphysical perspective is based on a combination of causal plane studies, astrology, and shamanism that together have served as the anchors in my private practice, providing a lens through which to understand the process of life. While the human being is maturing in tangible, physical, and psychological ways, the soul is also evolving as it experiences all there is to learn on the physical plane before returning to the Tao, the universal creative source from whence it originally came. The cycle of reincarnation includes experiences of separateness while in human physicality, but you are always connected to the divine through your own essence even if you forget during the course of your everyday life.

The Greeks used a literary device, deus ex machina, or god from a machine, when they would lower actors playing gods and goddesses on a crane onto the stage, thereby solving human dilemmas with divine intervention. Later, Horace, a first-century BCE Roman lyric poet, would argue in his Ars Poetica that using a technique such as this actually defied logic and that the resolution of the conflict needed to come from within the characters themselves rather than by the intervention of a god. It is human nature to look outside the self for reassurance, but learning to resolve the conflicts, to move through the discomfort, and then to emerge with a new state of awareness is an integral part of the evolutionary process. The seemingly random events of life are in most cases not random or accidental, and we always have the choice of how we will respond to any external stimuli, eventually learning through the totality of human experience.

The ideas presented in Spiritual Turning Points are to some controversial and to others, reassuring. Many of the concepts may be thought-provoking, encouraging the readers to contemplate their own relationship to the universe and the choices they make. The stories may then be considered tangible evidence of soul evolution in action, illustrating metaphysical concepts that can serve to open the doorway for increased personal awareness and the validation of higher spiritual truths."

Victoria Marina-Tompkins

El Granada, CA