Dealing with Change: Life’s Natural Transition Points by Barbara Taylor

Barbara Taylor, the owner of the Institute for Management Excellence, has written a wonderful article based on excerpts from Spiritual Turning Points, chapters 3 (Independence of Spirit/Adolescence) and Chapter 4 (Mid-life Crisis). She has then expanded the ideas presented in the book into the business world, providing insight into transitions within business for both individuals as well as groups. Take a moment to read her article here:

Dealing With Change

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Thursday, October 1, 2009

Addiction as a Spiritual Illness

FROM OUR BLOG ARCHIVES


This is the first of an ongoing blog exploring the origins and nature of addictions.
From the time we are very young, we are taught social and cultural standards of behavior and acceptability. We begin to look outside of ourselves for approval, seeking the smiles and coos of our parents, looking for the mirror that tells us that we are "ok". We fear their absence as well as their negativity knowing that our very survival depended on their care. We looked for the eyes of our mothers, fathers, and other "nurturers" who would hopefully give us unconditional love and acceptance, making our world safe and stable and without which we would experience abandonment and death. This was our fear.

The pure and unconditional love which we sought from our parents is the same love which is the Highest Truth of the Universe and even with their most sincere efforts with love and care for us, they could never achieve the perfection of Universal Love which is enduring and unwavering, without conditions and expectations. Our parents are humans just as we are humans.

When, in those wondrous moments, we did know love and all the positive feelings that came with it, we began to experience need as we looked to the Other, something outside of ourselves which would fill us with such sweetness. We began to the lose conscious memory of our innate connection to the Divine, to God, to Universal Love, as we continued to seek the external remedy for our separateness. We began to feel a sense of emptiness without the external to fill us.

Years pass. The child becomes the youth who becomes the adult. The adult who still seeks to be filled with Universal Love and Acceptance. The adult who has forgotten how to find his or her connection to God which exists in every moment without any effort at all...And often times, these feelings of deep separation are painful ones, and pain that must be soothed if only for a moment. The external search, the Grasping, becomes paramount in life and finds The Perfect Thing, just The Perfect Thing, that if only for a moment makes the pain go away.

The deep desire for the sweetness of Love becomes an addiction. This Longing is a Spiritual Illness.
Food
Drugs
Alcohol
Sex

Rage and Anger
Work

Depression
Relationships
Intensity
Attention

Acceptance

Drama

Lying

Stealing

Information

Body Image

Music
Worry
Shopping

Success

Achievement

Crime

Smoking

Television

The Internet
Gambling
Compulsive Activity
Exercise
and
People or Codependency

Anything at all which takes us away from our natural connection to the Divine.

Anything that becomes destructive and Soul Stealing.

Anything that is out of balance and becomes more important than living the unfettered life.

Anything at all.

Think about it.

Question: How can I connect to the Universal Source of Love today?

Upcoming topics include Healing Addictions, the Role of Emotions, and Compassion.

Artwork Kuan Yin, the Chinese Goddess of Love, Compassion and Mercy.

LIFE TRANSITION SIX: Preparation for Death

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

"Western culture does not embrace the concept of aging, so why would it embrace death and the dying process as more than rituals of sympathy and remembrance? Talk of impending death is often accompanied by condolences and feelings of loss that, without a larger perspective of the natural return to another life through reincarnation, focuses on the sadness or grief and not on what is a very natural process. Of course, when the call toward death arrives prematurely as through illness or in some cases the taking of life, the

initial response is usually shock and disbelief. When the transition begins later in life, there can be feelings of relief, wanting life to be over due to the restrictions of physical decline and intellectual confusion while in some cases, denial that anything is happening at all is the primary response and one that maintains safety from the margins of death that are inevitable.

From the moment of birth, we are aging and the eventuality of death cannot be denied. Still, as a culture, we dote on youth and are surprised when old age creeps up on us. “This surely can’t be happening to me!” and “I’m too young to die” echo throughout hospitals, nursing homes, and offices of private physicians who bore the “bad news.” Police stations inform families of the early death of their son or daughter, victims of a freeway automobile accident. Death is everywhere, yet we remain oblivious to it unless it knocks on our door.

There is, however, another way as nature shows us the natural process of birth, growth, decline, and death only to be followed by another cycle the next year. We wake in spring to enjoy the beauty of our gardens only to be disappointed when the flowers begin to die, as we wish for more time with our irises and tulips. The same is true with life as we cling to youth, resisting the natural beauty of the aging process. How easily nature gives way to decline following a bountiful harvest and the waning of the moon following the full. We could learn so much if we recognized that resistance to this process only brings emotional pain and could instead allow for transformation."

c.2011 All rigthts reserved

Archetypes of the Soul Book

A very interesting read for students of the Michael teachings written by Varda Hasselmann, a German scholar channeling "The Source". She credits CQ Yarbro's books as her original inspiration and then bases this book, first published in German in the 1980's, on transcripts of her own communication with the Source as well as the original overleaves structure channeled by Sarah Chambers.

The Source according to Ms. Hasselmann is a causal entity composed of scholars and sages.

There are chapters devoted to the basic overleaves with good, solid information, especially useful for those new to the teachings or who would like to help others understand their overleaves. While there are other books out there, I found this book to be very accurate save for a few changes in the words of the positive and negative poles for example which could have to do with the translation from the original German. Here is a link for your convenience and happy reading!   Victoria

LIFE TRANSITION FIVE: MAKING PEACE

LIFE TRANSITION FIVE

MAKING PEACE   The Positive and Negative Polarities

"When this transition has been completed in the positive, then appreciation of life becomes the mainstay of the new perspective. No longer wrestling internally with the events from the past, the rest of life opens in a new way allowing for a more relaxed approach to life in general. Of course, the outcome depends on whether an appreciation of the life has been fostered or if one became stuck in evaluation. And as noted, since each transition builds on the earlier ones, the eventual sixth and seventh transitions can be made all the more positive if the life review was a success."

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

c. 2011 All Rights Reserved 

Your Daily Rumi

‎"Go on a journey from self to Self, my friend . . .

Such a journey transforms the earth into a mine of gold."

~ Rumi




"Transcendence"
Artist Unknown

LIFE TRANSITION FIVE: The Life Review

NEW BOOK EXCERPT!

LIFE TRANSITION FIVE: THE LIFE REVIEW

from "Spiritual Turning Points" Chapter 5 

"Twenty years have passed since the completion of the fourth transition, during which time many experiences have contributed to the study of the soul’s purpose. The natural time for this monadal transition to begin is usually sometime between the ages of sixty and seventy-five, which in modern society is not always near the end of life. Still, when this transition begins, much of the life has been lived in terms of significant milestones: Children have been raised and now, hopefully, are out on their own; retirement has occurred or is on the horizon; and the physical body has now officially reached maturity and is starting its decline. Sound a bit morose? Not at all—it is simply the natural progression of life on the physical plane. This transition can, however, be startling to some, and many may resist the idea that eventually they will die and that they are mortal.

The changes that have begun to occur in relation to physicality are clear, yet the internal shifts toward a more balanced and even-tempered life take root sometime in the late fifties and early sixties as the work focus reaches a peak and then begins to wane. For years, the individual may have focused on work as the primary means of support as well as depending on status in the world as a way to define the self. Of course, not all people experience life this way as there are some who have chosen to live off-beat and creative lifestyles while avoiding the pitfalls of a nine-to-five job and so the shift which occurs during the fifth transition may not feel as unsettling. The onset of this transition feels a little like standing at the top of a mountain and looking back at the entire life.

Life had been going along pretty smoothly for years with my job at the local library and Tom’s work as an attorney. I was nearing retirement and then the economy nearly collapsed in 2008 and I got a pink slip within about two months. I was shocked! My sixty-fifth birthday was just a few months away, but I had literally given no thought to what I might want to do once I had more time on my hands. I could only do so much needlepoint, and besides, I was still a young woman at heart! I found myself thinking a lot about the past—where I went to school, what happened to my friends, things I had always wanted to do but never did. I did a lot of daydreaming that year. (Sophie, age sixty-seven)"

c.2011 Victoria Marina-Tompkins All rights reserved
Hendy Woods Photo by Victoria Marina-Tompkins

In Appreciation

Writing my book Spiritual Turning Points was one part of the process.

Publishing STP was the next part.

And now, getting the word out may be the most energetic and rewarding part to date as every day I read about how much people are enjoying it, often times not able to put it down.

I knew I was an author when I felt a deep sense of pride when I heard those words and it is gratifying to know that not only I learned so much doing my life work and task, but that others may benefit from it also. 

So thank you one and all for your support during this process!  I am ever so grateful to each and every one of you.

Victoria and John Marina-Tompkins

Alaska   

LIFE TRANSITION TWO: Establishing Personal Identity *Book Excerpt*

Excerpted from

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

by Victoria Marina-Tompkins 

LIFE TRANSITION TWO

ESTABLISHING PERSONAL IDENTITY (ages 2-4)

Identity Is Established
 
"The positive of this transition is self-identity and the negative is narcissism, which has to do with self-absorption. A child who is narcissistic believes in theory that he is separate but does not create an identity for himself in relationship to the parent. Children who do not complete this monad around the age of three in Western cultures and somewhat later in non-Western do not have a clear sense of their separateness and can experience serious emotional and psychological problems as they move into middle childhood. With a child who has not centered himself, there can be a constant internal conflict concerning where personal boundaries lie; and this struggle looks, to the external eye, as having a lack of focus or presence. On the other hand, young children who complete this transition with a clear sense of personal identity have sorted through who they are in relationship to the mother or primary caregiver, no longer believing that they are the mother.
 
As the personality develops, the family icon begins to become more apparent as the child learns that if he behaves a certain way, i.e., “the curious one” or “the entertainer” that he will receive approval from the parents. Even when the icon is more negative, the parents still expect the behaviors associated with it, and the child learns that he is seen in a certain way and in order to be accepted in the family he must act according to the iconographic projection. This correlation between the icon and the developing personality is an integral part of the new persona as the child uses it to interact with both the parents as well with as the world at large"

c.2011 Victoria Marina-Tompkins All Rights Reserved
Photograph of Zander Merrill by Whitney Merrill

New at Amazon and Barnes and Noble!

Our book Spiritual Turning Points is now available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble!


http://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Turning-Points-Metaphysical-Perspective/dp/1456825704/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1297229882&sr=8-16

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Spiritual-Turning-Points/Victoria-Marina-Tompkins/e/9781456825720/?itm=1&USRI=spiritual+turning+points

New Book Review!

"Marina-Tompkins offers up plenty of metaphysical food for thought in this in-depth look at the spiritual transitions humans engage in from birth to death, including the “terrible twos” and the “mid-life crisis.” Marina-Tompkins discusses each turning point in an easy to read style, and uses her years of experience and a multitude of perspectives to strengthen her points. Astrology and soul-level viewpoints are incorporated, but Marina-Tompkins has a knack for well-rounded representation, and also includes psychology, anthropology, shamanism, cultural studies, historical examples, and personal stories from clients to give readers a holistic sense of each phase and the different ways it can manifest in individual lives. Focusing on the process of life through this breadth of frameworks, Marina-Tompkins has created a fascinating collection of information that isn’t limited to one metaphysical area. Its appeal should stretch across a range of spiritual interests."
Melanie Thorne, Author

Spiritual Turning Points now has a website!

My new book, Spiritual Turning Points, now has it's own website. 

Check it out!

spiritualturningpoints.com

ANNOUCEMENT: BOOK RELEASE!

SPIRITUAL TURNING POINTS: A Metaphysical Perpective of the Seven Life Transitions
by Victoria Marina-Tompkins


Now available through the publisher XLibris!


http://www2.xlibris.com/bookstore/bookdisplay.aspx?bookid=87547


In Hardback, Trade Paperback, or as an Ebook.