The Gift. Happy Holiday's To All

An older story, but still relevant.  I hope you Enjoy it!



A little boy sat on the living room floor with legs crossed, deep in thought.
Colorful scraps of paper, glittering confetti and curling ribbon attached to pieces of Scotch tape lay crumpled and strewn in chaotic piles around his knees. He stretched out a slippered foot and sullenly kicked at a bit of the stuff, turning it
over with his toes. The call of discarded wrapping paper shown red, green and gold. It glimmered cheerily in the lights of the tree and the fireplace, but did nothing to brighten his mood.
Another happily squashed wad of paper landed nearby and the boy looked up to the source of the litter. All the other family members had already opened their presents, and how it was his mother's turn.

"Oh John! It's Beautiful!" she exclaimed with delight. "I have wanted something like this for just the longest time!" She held the box in her hands, lovingly pulled out the expensive bracelet inside and held out her arm to her husband who was
sitting next to her on the couch. "Put it on me, wont you dear?"
The diamonds winked and twinkled on her wrist as her hands moved across the various boxes and packages still arranged in neat piles within easy reach. One by one the festive wrappings were torn away to reveal their wondrous contents. There was a big, fluffy bathrobe with matching slippers in just that shade of blue that matched mother's eyes from sister Amanda. They sat on the boxes of matching note-cards, pen and address book from Grandma which were covered in pansies; his mother's favorite flower.
There were pearl earrings from Aunt Julia, and a new, fine leather brief case from brother Jim. At last there were only two items left. The woman smiled as she reached for a tall, square package; this one wrapped neatly in silver paper covered in blue stars. The box was topped with a loopy blue and silver ribbon so huge that it nearly covered the entire top of the box. The whole family oooooohed and ahhhhed over the magnificent wrapping; but that was nothing compared to their reaction when the box was opened. Inside the beautiful paper, swaddled in confetti and bubble-wrap, was a china plate.
This was not just any porcelain plate, but a very expensive and delicate one. It had cranes painted on it. Oriental ladies fanned themselves and strolled under blossoming cherry trees, across a bridge that spanned a lovely little river. Water lilies floated in the water, and their blooms were painted in colors so delicate that the little boy thought he could almost reach out and pick one. The inside of the plate was creamy white, and the rim was painted in gold that shone brightly in the light of the
fireplace.
"This is too much," said mother. She ran her hand over the edge, taking in the smooth coolness under her fingertips. She turned the plate over in her hands, watching the way the light played across the translucent finish.
"I have never seen anything so beautiful!" she cried. "This is the best Christmas ever!" She stood up and gently lifted the plate and placed it on the mantle in between a pair of silver candlesticks. She stepped back to admire it and smiled. Then she sat down once again and reached for the last present.

This package was different from all the rest. It had a bow made from many bits of different colored yarn that was tied around wrapping paper made from a brown paper grocery bag. Stars and swirls of color were drawn all over the paper in crayon; the artist seemingly determined to use every color in the crayon box. This box was not wrapped as neatly as the others; its corners were not perfectly crisp and the tape stuck out in places. Nevertheless, she lifted it gingerly into her lap and opened it with care.
Inside the rather sorry-looking wrapping was an even sorrier-looking item. It was a pot made of clay.
"What's this?" she asked, lifting the pot from its box and turning it over in her hands. "Is this for me?" The poor little pot was thicker on one side than the other and was painted with bright yellow and orange flowers that could only be described as "noisy". The rim of the pot, if indeed the pot had a rim, was painted blue with yellow spots. There were thumb-prints dried into the bottom and it didn't sit quite straight on the table. It leaned to one side in a way that looked
to the little boy as if the clay had partially melted.  Mother held it out at arm's length, blue eyes scanning the lumpy clay. "Did you make this for me?" she said, smiling to the little boy.
"Yes", he nodded looking nervously at the floor. He had spent a whole afternoon on it. His eyes traveled to the mantle where the china plate sat, gleaming regally.
"But it.s not very good". He said.
"Not very good?! Well I think it.s wonderful." Said mother. She reached out and ruffled the boy's unruly hair. She carried the little pot to the kitchen where she placed it on the table. It wobbled just a little, but otherwise stayed put.

In time the holidays passed as holidays do, and the little boy grew up as little boys do. Through the years, the beautiful china plate with the cranes and ladies on it stayed on the mantle; and the little boy.s mother dusted it once a week. When
people visited, she always took them to see the mantle where the plate stood between the candlesticks.
"This is my beautiful china plate", she told them. "I got it for Christmas but we mustn't use it. It's much too delicate." The company nodded solemnly and moved on.
When the children grew up, and left to start families of their own, Mother and Father decided to move to a smaller house. The beautiful china plate was lovingly and carefully wrapped up in its bubble-wrap and confetti and placed into the new
attic along with the candle sticks, and other boxes filled with photo albums and baby clothes that had long been outgrown. When the little boy, who was not so little any more, came to visit he found the old, lumpy clay pot filled with apples
and sitting on the dining room table. The noisy little flowers were faded now, and somebody had glued a little piece of cork to the bottom so that the pot no longer wobbled. "I didn't think you had kept this", he said thinking sullenly back to that morning with the tree and the china plate, where was that plate anyway?
He looked around.
No plate.
"Oh dear!!" Mother laughed. "I don't know what I'd do without my little clay pot!"
She removed the fruit and turned the pot over lovingly. "It still has your little thumb prints here all over the bottom! This pot used to have all my paper clips in it. Do you remember when it sat on Father's desk?"
The young man nodded.
"And I planted grandma's pansies in it, before they got too big in the Spring."
She went on, "And last Summer we filled it with sand and used it to prop open the
screen door! I kept my gardening supplies in it this Fall and it held down the paper
on my desk when I was working on the Christmas cards. Last week I had it filled
with pens and pencils by the phone! This pot has been the best present I've
ever gotten, and you made it for me all by yourself!"
The young man smiled and put the pot back on the table. He took a bite out of an
apple, then, whistling happily, he followed his mother into the kitchen for something to drink.

On Meditation

"Many people think that meditation is the process of training the mind. I prefer to think of it as a process by which we learn to percieve with the heart without the conscious or unconscious judgement and self-editing of the human mind. When someone says "keep this in mind", I think "Take this to heart" because I think that the heart is really the seat of Human intelligence and the key to global consciousness."
-Grace Gemini

Faith

"It is inconceivable to me that a Universe in which anything is possible could present us with a life full of challenges without also giving us the means to overcome them."
- Grace Gemini

Positive Thinking is an oxymoron

A dear friend on Facebook posted this article:

http://www.salon.com/2012/11/25/positive_thinking_is_for_suckers/


 I was moved to post an answer, then again inspired to post it here.   Enjoy!

 ***********************************************************************************
The assumption that all people are at the mercy of their cyclical, negative thoughts with no hope in sight is very typical of Western brain-centric ideology. I agree that to approach the concept of happiness from that perspective is an uphill battle on wheels.
However, from a Spiritualist perspective-my perspective- thought exists to be used as a tool to generate the feelings of happiness that we aim for. This is why affirmations don’t work for most people. We can stomp across a stage or read positive statements til we’re blue in the face but if we don’t feel them; and more importantly train ourselves so we carry the positive feeling until it becomes habitual, they won’t work to make us happy. The less effort; the better. This “short circuits” those ruminant patterns of thought that can sabotage us. ( meditation is a great tool in helping individuals break these habits)

Author Gregg Braden has a very interesting story about his visit to a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery where he asks the abbot t about the importance of all the paraphernalia around the monks during their prayers. He was told that all the accoutrements are meaningless since they exist to generate the feeling, and “The Feeling is the Prayer.”
http://unslavedmedia.net/unslavedmedia/watch_video.php?v=Y4YKNMSAAOA8 (check around timer 8:18)

A good book that approaches this subject is called “The Heart’s Code”, by Author Paul Pearsall. Pearsall describes the American belief in the superiority of the brain, and puts forth a very convincing argument that it is just this kind of “positive thinking” that keeps most of us from the happiness we seek. He states that for most Americans, any kind of sentiment- and by that, I mean what is felt, not purchased from Hallmark- makes us very uncomfortable.

Happiness is effortless.
This is not to say that it does not take some focus to get there. Those who achieve it are those who have conditioned their "ambient thoughts" to a place of neutrality and acceptance-with a healthy dose of your Buddhist "non-attachment".

Where modern Spiritual seekers run afoul of concepts like the Law of Attraction, “Motivational Speakers” or The Secret, is by

1) Aiming for something that they think will make them happy (instead of aiming for the happiness itself)
2) assuming that it is the words alone that will give them the outcome they desire.

Therefore, Secret behind the Secret, and what I think Burkeman is saying here, is that what you are, in effect, reaching for (though “reaching” may be too active a word in this context) is the feeling of well-being in spite of the prevailing circumstance. When you are already enjoying the feeling, suddenly the outcome doesn’t mean as much.
Whatever gets you there is irrelevant.

For Those Of You Who Are Becoming Real

FOR THOSE WHO ARE BECOMING REAL:

 “Real isn’t how you are made,’ said the Skin Horse. ‘It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.’

‘Does it hurt?’ asked the Rabbit.

‘Sometimes,’ said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. ‘When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.’

‘Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,’ he asked, ‘or bit by bit?’

‘It doesn’t happen all at once,’ said the Skin Horse. ‘You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”
― Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit


 
All higher consciousness asks the same question; “Who are you, What are you?”
To answer this, we often begin by applying the appealing qualities of others onto our self-image like a patch on a pair of jeans.  This is who I am.
When we realize that, in spite of our efforts, those parts we emulate in others remain outside ourselves, we begin to search for the qualities that are truly embodied within ourselves.
Sometimes we discover within us the same facets we admired in others; and sometimes not.  But we always feel a little silly when we realize that we have lived life in its most superficial sense.  It is exhausting, because we are taking unto ourselves, the weight of those things that do not belong to us.
There is no shame in this.
We are designed to learn through our associations with others.
It is your experiences that teach you-words do not teach, connections teach.  When you are waking up, and carrying only what truly belongs to you, other connections do not drain you, and you suddenly realize how important those connections truly are.
They become your wings.

 

You Don't Have To Like Me

You are under no obligation to like me.
You don’t have to like everything I do.
Feel free to like only some of the things I do, or some of the things I believe, or think or feel.
Or none of them.
You can organize and categorize every aspect of me, and pick and choose from any column and in any combination.
You can completely customize your vision of me, and then you can toss it all back and choose again.
You can like most of me, some of me or none of me. It’s your choice.
You can like me, or you can like what you think I am.
You do not have to know me at all.
It doesn’t matter.
Though what you think about me may, temporarily, peripherally or superficially cause me some sadness, it doesn’t make me a bad person.
In fact, it says nothing at all about me.
I choose whether or not to hold onto that sadness.
I release any need to have anyone choose anything in particular. I relieve you of the responsibility of pretending.
I do this because *I* like me.
I can do this because I know who I am.
I can do this because I take responsibility for my own happiness.
I know that happiness is a choice.

How much happier would you have been if you could say the same to your friends; your lovers? To your family?

In All Growth There Is Some Pain

Many people ask me why there is such pain involved in Spiritual Growth. The answer is simple, though difficult to hear;

In order to experience yourself as what you are, you must first experience what you are not.

This is part of the duality of the Universe and even Einstein was aware of it when he conceived his theory of relativity. In order for something to know itself, it must have something

to compare itself to.

In order to understand something in this Universe, there must be a starting point, and a point of comparison. To destroy something, it must first have been created. And to create something, it must be able to be created from a point of “being-not”.

In simple terms, this means that in order for you to know that you have the power of creation within you, you must first create. In order to create yourself, you must first un-create yourself. So what you were, must first be destroyed in order for you to create it.

Got it?

This is what is meant by the “Alpha and the Omega”, the beginning and the end. The two are connected and dependent on each other.

“But if I am a part of God, how can I not be what I am?”

I’m glad you asked that.

You can’t.

But you *can* forget, and in coming to this physical Universe to know experientially what you had previously only understood conceptually, you did just that. We are here to experience the process of coming to know who we are (or not), and to make the choices (or not) that lead us there.

This is why, what we experience is termed “re-membering”, because we are becoming again what we were. We are re-joining the whole of All-That-Is (which previously was “All That Was” until we added to it).

You exist.

You choose.

You emerge (here)

You experience

You destroy

You create

You remember.

You already know.

I’m just here to re-mind you.

On Repeating Numbers

 I've seen so many sites and it seems that a whole lot of people have put a whole lot of time into "defining" just what these numbers mean-books, websites, pamphlets, angels, specific meanings, blogs. wow.
Some of the "meanings" aren't really that positive from my perspective, "Your agels aren't with you" or "brace for change"-and sometimes that brings me down; so I decided to do it this way;
I told the Universe that coming across repeating numbers is simply an indication to me, sent by my higher self, that I'm ON THE RIGHT TRACK.
Thanks to all those people who spent so much time and effort in breaking it all down, and I'm sure that it works for them, but I'm not going to worry about what 9's mean, or if I prefer 3's to 5's-if I see them, I just know I'M DOING THE RIGHT THING, and I smile.
I have noticed that since I decided that, they are coming up a LOT more often!
I think I did the right thing.
:)

When Life Gets Rough, Remember Why You Are Here.

You’re here to *learn* things.

Not to know things.

That’s a very important distinction.

You’re not here to *know* lessons-you’re not here so that this information magically appears inside your head.

...

It was the *process* of learning that was important to you, with all it’s delays, issues and effort and pain. Have faith that everything you experience is a part of that learning- the reason that you are here.

The journey *IS* the destination. So relish it.

On Change

“I don’t waste time thinking about how I changed, what I changed or why I changed, I’m too busy being glad that I changed.”

—	Grace Gemini

So What Did You Really Love?

So, What Did You Really Love?

Let’s say that you go to a restaurant.
This place advertises that it serves the best nachos on the East Coast.  It’s advertised in the menu, and it might even be on that little lighted board that they sometimes put out on the sidewalk to catch the eye of people passing by.  You may have had them there before, or known someone else who just raved about them!  Either way, you are smiling on your way in the door.
When you get to a table, you feel pretty good!  You’re *really* looking forward to this meal.   And when you’re in a mood this good, everything else in life just seems to line up too.  So you sit down, and order the nachos, the waiter says “Coming right up.”
But they don’t show.
So after thirty minutes or so, you might ask again about the status of your order.  And again the water apologizes and says, “Just a few more minutes.”  This goes on for the better part of two hours, and finally you ask to see a manager who tells you “Oh, sorry-you see, that was a special occasion, we don’t make those any more.  In fact, we fired the chef who did, and the owner has such a thing against that jerk that we will never ever serve nachos again just because they remind the owner of the chef he didn’t like.  Sorry-but if you had asked, we would have told you so it’s really your fault for wasting your own time so don’t go thinking that you’ll get any discounts on something else.”
If the restaurant does not offer you what you wanted, and is unwilling to work with you-what do you do?
Do you continue to sit there, hoping that SOMEDAY they *might* decide to serve them again because they used to do it?  Do you blame yourself for believing in something that was promised to you. Perhaps you think that if you had been a better person, they might have made them for you anyway?  You might sit there, remembering the time you had the nachos, and order something else; pay more-enjoy it less, and think that you were lucky to have had nachos once and you should settle for what you can get now.  Some people might grab the menu, point to all the things advertised and yell “YOU PROMISED!”  Maybe they think that will guilt the manager into producing the food.
But that’s really sad.
You want to get up and go to a place that promises what you want-and comes through with those promises right?
Why then, do we hold ourselves in relationships that no longer come through with what was promised in the beginning?
When you ask someone why they remain in a relationship like this, they are likely to say, “Why, because I’m in love!”
But that begs the question-if what you are in love with is no longer a part of the menu-or what was offered is not, in truth, available from the partner-or never was; then just what do you love now? (not then, but now?)

You love the illusion of what you were being offered.  You love the memories.
You loved the way you felt.
Sit down for this one-
You loved the WAY YOU FELT.
You loved your vision of them.

BUT YOU DO NOT LOVE THEM.

You wanted to be with them because you felt better about yourself when you were.

But now you no longer feel good about yourself.
So now what?

The key is to realize that feeling good about yourself has NOTHING to do with them.
What a partner may do, temporarily, is motivate you to connect more strongly with your Inner Be-ing and it’s that CONNECTION TO YOURSELF that makes you feel good. Returning to our poor friend at the table, what happens is that eventually the menu changes.  The person changes.  And you are left without access to your connection, sitting around waiting for something to change so you can get it back.
Realizing that what you once loved no longer exists is hard.  You feel like a fool.  You want to do *something*-anything-to get back to that good feeling place you were once in.
This is a hard truth for many to stomach-no pun intended.  But the truth is; the ONLY one responsible for your connection is YOU-and once you practice a little, you can make that connection yourself, BY YOURSELF, any time you want regardless of who is with, or not with you.  And via Universal laws, once you are able to Love yourself-you will see that love reflected back to you in the people around you.
To put it as clearly as I can (at the moment):
You do NOT fall in Love with people.  You encounter people who remind you to fall in Love with yourself. And if they no longer do that, let them eat cake.

For a Wise man

Pain creates Empathy.

A Walmart Tale

Several months ago, while I was sitting on a bench waiting for a friend to complete her shopping at Walmart, I had a chance to chat with a lovely older lady who was sharing my seat.  We discussed our day and it came up in conversation-as it often seems to between perfect strangers and I- that she had been having a bad time recently and I said, ” I’m so sorry to hear that.  Do you have anything pleasant to focus on at all?”  Unfortunately she answered “No.”
So I gave her my bracelet.
It was a silly thing I had made, a coil-wrap wire bracelet with bright beads and charms on it.  It had a little guy in a space suit on one end and a charm of the space shuttle on the other and I chose the beads because they reminded me of planets.  I said, “Well, now you can say that you got a gift from a complete stranger!”  And she smiled.
A few days ago, I was at Walmart again, and a somewhat younger lady was at the pharmacy waiting in line with me for medicine and I happened to look at her wrist and noticed my bracelet.  I asked her where she got it, and she said “My mother gave it to me.  I was having a bad day and she said she got it from an angel on a day when she was having a rough time, and it would make me smile when I looked at it too.”
Everything is working out just the way it’s supposed to.

You choose

Someome who challenges you, surprises you, makes you question your life and your beliefs-someone who changes you and makes you grow-loosens your hold on life and makes you feel out of control- someone who knows you so well that you wonder if there is any secret you could keep-someone who infuriates you, keeps you guessing but accepts and loves you for all that you are and always will, is either the worst thing in the World for you; or the best.

Sometimes...

"Sometimes, a Soul mate comes to teach you something you need to know, but sometimes a Soul mate’s job is to let you go so you can experience something alone, then reconnect and help you heal again after the lesson has been learned."
-Grace Gemini

A Thankless Job

Last night, I did a distance healing for someone who I know will never thank me for it.  I opened his heart chakra, pulled out all the gunk and replaced it with Love, Peace and Clarity.
I think it worked.

To all who lost a loved on on this day

My thoughts are with you.

The Three Pearls

Goodness only knows how this started--I think it had something to do with watching all those episodes of "The Tudors"
My apologies for the formatting- it's a tad messy.



"Cry me a river." said the Witch Queen to the Elvin King, and he did, which carried them away to distant shores."My heart is your compass", said the king;"Given freely, and without remorse"

Then she kissed him on his kingly brow, her lips were warm against his skin, her love to show for all the world; a golden spark to kindle flames that flickered deep within.

"Your eyes, my stars to guide us by", the Witch Queen lay the words upon the night, "your breath, the winds to fill the sails and that which brings all things to set aright."

And up amidst the roiling, spewing wat'ry coil arose an island bright whereupon the travelers lit and thought to spend the night.The ship which carried them, in which they held great store; brought them safely through the waves, and to the grainy shore.

Wrapped in velvet black of sunless sky, did they lay themselves upon the sand,which served to cradle them as flowers held within a gently curved hand.  And lo- from heaven to softly kiss each sleeping Fey on creaseless brow,did bend the Lady Moon, within whose silver net, the lovers rested now.


Presently, Nature's gentle alchemy turned subtle silver to radiant gold, and great Helios loosed his rays from the vault that was their's, within to hold.On flaming horses drew he, his chariot across the blue which caused the lover's waking world to once again renew.

And from within empty bellies did roar the memory of food, and that which wanted more.  Into the hills they did pass, lock'd arm in arm with heads whispering together in search of that which sustains and grows in places made easier to gather.

Said the Elvin King to his Lady Fair "you are my bounty, and all good things that gods to men do bring" and with these words occurred a strange and marvelous thing; for before them upon a stone which sat atop the fertile ground they did spy,a table strewn with all manner of things in whose design were meant to satisfy.

And there on the table, set to grace the display of Fairy fare,upon a scalloped shell, three pearls of varied hue lay shining there.One of copper, bright as flame, one of silver in Luna's way and the third of gold, and each of a size to match the round wonder in lovers' eyes.

And wonder they did, at the gleaming treasure so then at last, with hunger satisfied according to their pleasure they took for themselves, this regal gift and our Lady secreted the pearls within the bodice of her flowing shift.

But all was not well, for in a tree that grew across the glen, perched a creature with a taste for the riches of mortal men.  And knowing benefit of neither hope nor heart within his hollow chest this wizened being did scheme for ways by which the shining orbs away from the lovers, he might wrest.

With naked hatred did he jump upon the groundand waved his black and twisted arms in circles all around and where his evil, jealous flesh did cast its shadow on the heath another dark and sinister thing would crawl up from its den in reaches underneath.

"I'll have those pearls!" growled the twisted elf intent on taking all the lustrous riches for himself. His gibbering, spitting horde did move to carry out his will and encircle the lovers, now arm in arm though standing defiant still.

So from her gown the Witch Queen brought forth the pearl as red as flame and the Elvin King said "You, black and twisted thing who has no name,can have this pearl, by my leave and without redress, for I would rather have the copper of my lover's curling tresses."

The evil thing held aloft his hand with fingers curled into a dark foreboding ring and made as if from air to catch the luminous thing but as he closed his greedy fist around the pearl of reddish hue suddenly it was a pearl no more and like it's shade in name, did burst into a gout of copper flame.

"What trickery is this!?" he cried, letting loose the elemental sprite upon the ground as dancers dancing, did the fire circle dark and muttering host, on all sides 'round.When burning terpsichorean had gleaned the final stick, and wind had wiped the hillside clean the foul and choking smoke retreated from his eyes to show, the shining couple nowhere to be seen.

Half-mad with fury, taunted by the image of the gem that circumstance had caused him to eschew The greedy gnome said "Very well, if one pearl has been denied me, then I shall have the other two!"So reaching, grasping, clawing, spurred on by crazed ambitions yet to be fulfilled he aimed his forces skyward, ever climbing, driving them with stinging blows and foul curses on to take the summit of the hill.

Three days hence, the loving Fey found themselves upon a rocky ledge above a valley spread below like a length of autumn-colored silk.  A clear view, their vantage point afforded from farthest east to western edge with no sign of twisted goblin or others of his evil ilk.

A river flowed, woven through as a ribbon of blue to hem a lady's gown, along the verdant valley floor and food aplenty leaving them to think they could not have wanted more.But in the misty hours of grey morning, in numbers seemingly without measure they saw the dark and fiendish hordes arrayed along the valley, and intent on gaining their remaining treasure.

Below the ledge, the hateful thing held a vision of the silver pearl before his eyes,and knowing it to be possessed by those whom, in his esteem, there was no equal to despise he stood with legs apart, anchored firmly to his chosen spot, and sent his orders out upon the moving air that they should leave their rocky nest, to bring the pearl unto him while he waited there.

"Give me the pearl of silver" said he with his face a mask of boundless greed,"And should you not comply, your brightness will be ended!" he gleefully decreed.This time, it was the Queen whose words fell like a gentle rain from rocky place above"I would sooner have, than all the silver pearls under Heaven, just one silver tear of joy from him, who is my treasure, and my joy to Love!"

"Take your pearl, and begone!" she said, and drew the jewel from within her gown and with a radiant smile, threw the silver pearl down.And from where it struck, a fountain sprang up tossing water droplets bright high into the sky, to cast a veil of colors across the riverbank as they fell and caught the light.

But much more than this, the water fell and as it ran across the valley, did it join with it's sister, the River, causing it to swell above the tracks which had held it fast,rushing across the land, where the evil horde had passed.

The angry roar of water surged forth in suffocating waves and swept before it, those spiteful goblins who went gasping to their graves.The silver flood spared none, save the twisted thing alone and when he looked to the rocky ledge, his shining quarry, King, Queen and pearl, were gone.

Fled to open spaces, high atop the mountain range,and to its rocky spine whereupon they fell to their knees and called to Spirits both Earthly and Divine"Oh save us from this Evil thing who seeks to settle some imaginary score!"The only sound, the whispering wind who answered not, and nothing more.

‎"You cried me a river," Said the Witch Queen to the Elven King "And it took us here, to distant shining shore.""And dance we did" replied her lover bold"under smiling stars and silver moon, though we knew not how many trials we would face,nor what fickle fate had put aside in store"

And as she smiled, a smile more radiant and rich than ever had before graced the lips of any witch they understood the lesson to be learned so when the Evil thing at last approached, each took the others hand and turned.

‎"Give me the pearl of gold!" the jealous creature spat""And I'll have no more of your spells, I shall not fall for such cruel trickery as that!But pearl in hand, the fey atop the grass did throw and as he reached for it the golden orb began to glow.

"Treasure we have always had!" they looked into each other's eyes as gentle as if speaking to a child, the couple did advise.In unison, they said, "My love is mine, and I am for my love which is valued, and more precious than any earthly trove."

The creature shrieked, for now he understood the greatness of what he would never have the ground beneath him rumbled, then shook and split the great fissure opened up before him and his pearl and swallowed him along with it.

Knowing now that true worth lay within their love and not in precious rings that earthly men covet and, in their greed become twisted evil things.A rainbow formed a sturdy bridge across the sky to be a path for them to follow according to their will and home they went, hand in hand and hearts entwined, and if they have not died, they exist there still.
Fin.

On Children

"We absolutely must allow our children to be who they are, and love them regardless of whether or not who they are matches up with who we would have them be."
-Grace Gemini

Fate

Fate doesn't give us what we want.  We get what we didn't know we needed.  When it happens, you will look back on all that you have suffered and you will not want to change a single thing that got you to this place because in the end, all that matters is your own peace.
The most precious gift of life is the peace that stems from loving all of who you are.

Exercise: What I Like About You

The Universe sends us reflections that match our vibrations.  Consider this list of positive aspects each morning, pausing after each word or a group of words to feel what the word means to you.  If it's a good feeling, keep the word.  If it's a bad feeling, replace the word with something that feels good or eliminate the word altogether. 
Remember, that it's the *feeling* of the word (it's vibration) rather than the word itself that is what will draw the reflection.  When you say the word, does it make you smile?  Do you get a warm, and relaxed feeling in your solar plexus (good feeling) or do you tighten up somewhere, feel angry or sad (bad feeling).  You can have a particular person or circumstance in mind and use words that apply specifically to them.  But remember, you're not trying to "change them", you are trying to add this vibration to your own so that it will come back to you. And yes, if the aspect is not something you have experienced from the situation, you can just make it up-remember, this is what you want reflected back to you.
You can also use lists like this to attract things into your life that you aren't experiencing now. I wanted to stop at 100, but thinking about the situation, I got so caught up in it I had to add more!  I might add to this list from time to time, and feel free to post suggestions in the comments!
(this is taken directly from my journal so please pardon any duplicates, and I'm using this blog entry to actually reinforce the vibrations so thank you for allowing me to do this!)

Then, be aware through your day for reflections of the words coming back in the events, circumstances and behaviors of the people around you, and be sure to record them all!
HAVE FUN!

1. jolly
2. jovial
3. loving
4. caring
5. sweet
6. gentle
7. kind
8. compassionate
9. happy
10. joyful
11. truthful
12. honest
13. open
14. generous
15. giving
16. intelligent
17. educated
18. smart
19. magnetic
20. attractive
21. personable
22. friendly
23. warm
24. genuine
25. patient
26. dedicated
27. devoted
28. loyal
29. focused
30. attentive
31. sensitive
32. stable
33. sure
34. trusting
35. trustworthy
36. beautiful
37. blissful
38. bountiful
39. handsome
40. fun
41. sophisticated
42. worldly
43. spontaneous
44. child-like
45. calm
46. peaceful
47. serene
48. mellow
49. centered
50. balanced
51. content
52. protective
53. supportive
54. sexy
55. sensual
56. demonstrative
57. affectionate
58. charming
59. playful
60. intelligent
61. connected
62. aligned
63. confidant
64. friendly
65. easy going
66. carefree
67. cooperative
68. multi-faceted
69. complex
70. evolving
71. curious
72. artistic
73. talented
74. creative
75. imaginative
76. visionary
77. considerate
78. relaxed
79. refined
80. funny
81. encouraging
82. big hearted
83. grateful
84. appreciative
85. punctual
86. delightful
87. sincere
88. resonant
89. youthful
90. interesting
91. flexible
92. fair
93. innovative
94. resourceful
95. clever
96. romantic
97. in the moment
98. harmonious
99. wise
100. uplifting
101. fascinating
102. enjoyable
103. positive
104. insightful
105. entertaining
106. perfect
107. spiritual
108. responsive
109. competent
110. mature
111. accepting
112. clear
113. enlightened
114. brilliant
115. light-hearted
116. gracious
117. graceful
118. Understanding
119. vibrant
120. vital
121. strong
122. joyous
123. interesting
124. empathic
125. radiant
126. courteous
127. honorable
128. decent
129. comforting
130. tender
131. sympathetic
132. amiable
133. aware
134. helpful
135. vivacious
136. open minded
137. inspiring
138. inspired
139. cheerful
140. intuitive
141. fascinating
142. approachable
143. out-going
144. refreshing
145. optimistic
146. sure
147. versatile
148. forgiving
149. exciting
150. thoughtful
151. witty
152. comforting
153. encouraging
154. soothing

On prayer

"The most powerful prayer a person can offer is simply to say 'thank you'; and mean it."

-Grace Gemini

The best of us

"Do not thank someone in your life for bringing out the best in you, because that feeling will only last as long as they do. Thank the one who teaches you to bring out the best in *yourself* because that will last long after they're gone."

-Grace Gemini

There is no Hate.

"We Love. We are Love. We can't help but Love, and in a Universe of attraction all the can happen is that we allow Love in our lives or we do not. Hate is the disallowing of Love."

-Grace Gemini

The reason it ends is sometimes the same reason it began

I believe that experience is the best teacher, and I have been criticized in  the past for drawing from personal experience which resulted in writing that the was "too personal" or uncomfortable to read. 
Good. 
If it strikes a chord in the reader, then it stands a better chance of making the reader think.  That is the mission of a teacher, and I'm not afraid of the possibility of making myself look a little worse to help someone else become a little better.  That being said;

I lost the love of my life today.

 Not like it wasn’t expected, and this relationship has been dragging on and off really for the last year anyway but this morning it ended abruptly, with a phone call- his choice.   

But…

I’m a tuned-in, turned on, tapped in member of the Leading Edge of Creation!  Doesn’t this fly in the face of all those Universal laws?  I’m good at what I do!  I’m a Shaman!  How did this happen, then? 

Well, I took a look at the kinds of things I was putting out to the Universe when we first met 4 years ago. 

In 2009 I was made homeless by a flood, diagnosed with COPD, lost my job; and had a minor stroke.  So I was a mess, it’s no surprise looking back that the worst of my own characteristics came back to me in the form of this person (and others) as that was my dominant vibration. 
It worked at the time because we were both angry and carried a mostly pessimistic view of the world.  I spent a lot of time trying to stay in that vibration because I wanted to resonate with him, I “wanted it to work”, and that attracted things and people that were even worse.  It was not pretty, there was anger, jealousy, blame, suspicion, neediness and more.  I'm not proud of who I was.

Then, I discovered the teachings of Abraham, and Bashar and several others, it made sense to me;  so I chose to work on my vibration.  Those teachings did not appeal to him, and so the result was that his vibration stayed the same.  This was his choice and he has every right to it.  
But even after I began my serious vibration work, he couldn’t see me in any other way.  He and I were the strongest of mirrors, and everything negative I put out seemed to come back with a fury from this man, but he didn't reflect back "the good stuff" as I was putting it out there. In vibrational work it is said that one cannot percieve the vibration of what they are not.
I tried to buck the current of what he expected from me, but he was too strong and we just kept pulling this stuff out of each other. We sunk, in a manner of speaking, to our lowest common vibration. He interpreted everything in the worst possible light.  All the *other* stuff I had attracted, the other people and the other situations eventually cleared away, so I knew it was working.  But he stuck around and we still interacted like water and sodium no matter how hard I tried.  So his anger, the anger that originally brought him into my life, got the better of him.  He used that old vibration to focus on and reinforce the worst possible view of reality, and he ended the relationship.  He treated me as though I was the way I was when I met him.

But…

I wasn't that person any more.  I haven’t been that person for 2 years now. 

So what had kept him in my sphere all this time- in spite of all our attempts to separate, and why did it happen today?

I think that it has something to do with this:  about 3 days ago, I finally made the connection that everything around me is a reflection.  II sort of knew it then, but now I really REALLY finally put it together.
So I understood that there was something in me (and in his reality, there is something in him) that was still reflecting something back to me.  I had changed the overall vibration so it couldn't have been that-so what then?
I took a good look at myself, and after some soul-searching, I decided that I had done the best I could and made the conscious choice to forgive myself for my behavior over the years.  (Thank you to Don Miguel Ruiz and Eckhart Tolle whose works I have recently found)  I had forgiven him long ago but this time, it was for *me*.  And on that day I felt my vibration rise to a higher level than it had been before, and stay there.
You see, it was with that action, I let go of the last vestiges of the old vibration and in doing so, gave it the release it needed to finally end.  Being such a perfect mirror as he is, he picked up on it and said goodbye right away.

But...
A strange thing happened.
After I did that, I realized that this relationship would not have worked with him, as he is, anyway.
And that's OK.
As he is now, he will be drawn to individuals that are more like he is now; Maybe more like I was then. He simply isn't capable of reflecting me as I am now.  I know why he couldn't see me.  And that's OK.  He is the best mirror I've ever known and I'm sure there will be many more who need to learn the lessons he can provide at the frequency at which he provides them.
But *I* am waking up to something different. 
For me, there will be different people- and that's OK.   As he is now, we do not resonate and that’s OK.  As he is now, he will not hear anything I have to say anyway.   Because you cannot percieve a thing that you are not the vibration of.
And that's OK.

As he is now, I Love him. But I know that though he is in my heart; he no longer belongs in my life.  And that is fine.
Nobody failed here.  The Laws of the Universe are intact and working perfectly. 

And…

I'm OK.
Sure, it stings, but I also can’t help but be amazingly grateful for this experience.   What a magnificent Soulmate he is to have taught me so much!  How fearless he was to reflect back to me everything I needed to know, no matter how unpleasant or painful.  Even though I know he doesn't understand this in his physical form, what a gift he gave me from Spirit when he agreed to do this.  How lucky I was to have someone as funny, smart, handsome, giving, selfless, truthful and worldly.   I may have started writing today with tears of sadness, but now they are a great flowing stream of appreciation and I shed them in his honor, and in mine. 
I know it was a good experience.  I've recieved the benefit of clarity and I'm expanding!  I can see the positive aspects of this, and I'm really challenged to find a negative one!
That's how I know I've truly changed.

Looking back on the past three days, I can see how , with so many things to be enthusiastic about, as my vibrational work had really picked up momentum in other areas of my life; the one thing that didn’t fit was…well…for lack of a better word “ejected” from my life. It's no longer the shock it was.

I understand why it happened now, I take it as a sign of great progress.  There is something better coming. I have been honing the idea of what I really want all this time  My vibration is purer than it has ever been before.  I'll be attracting people who are at this new vibration, they're already showing up!  What is on the way is much better and fuller and more complete than what has passed, and when it comes it will be spectacular!
I have him to thank for that. 

So...

Thank you, Be happy, Be well.  I Love you. Namaste.

When a relationship doesn't work out

"The laws of the Universe work perfectly; without exception. We are vibrational beings and we attract those things, beings, relationships and situations that match our own vibration.
In other words, if that thing you think you were looking for was a perfect vibrational match to what you really wanted, there would be no obstacles to it, and it would still be there. If it is not there, it was not what you were really looking for. The only obstacles in our lives are the ones we put there ourselves. What matches us stays in our lives- what does not match us moves away. Perfectly; without exception."
-Grace Gemini

What is meant to be

"There is no "meant to be". All that determines what happens in your life is what you want, how much you want it, and how purely you believe in its happening."
-Grace Gemini

If you're brave enough...

"Forgive yourself all of your past actions and mistakes. Decide that loving yourself is the most important thing in the world-make the decision that you will no longer accept abuse from anyone, even yourself. Decide you will no longer use others to punish yourself. Then see who leaves your life-and who stays."
-GraceGemini

"Real Love doesn't save you-it cheers you on while you learn to save yourself."

-Grace Gemini

After today's request for emergency healing for a friend's cat

"Hey Grace, "THE CAT" JUST ATE!! yeahhhhhh....i just got done cleaning her face and eyes and giving her meds. the swelling on her face even looks a little better... AFter her meds, she groomed herself as usual, cleaned her face and then curled up and is sleeping peacefully now...thank you so much for all you help.. Wow,..."

YAY!

On perfection

"If someone tells you that a relationship is perfect for them "in spite of the shit", then it's not perfect. If they truly thought it was perfect, it wouldn't even occur to them to say "in spite of"."

-Grace Gemini

True Teachers

"The greatest Teachers do not say "Worship me". They do not say "Follow me."
The greatest Teachers said "Be LIKE me."
They are not interested in creating "followers", they are creating EQUALS."
-Grace Gemini

Fear

"Fear is what takes us out of the present moment. When you are afraid, you are thinking about something that has happened, or worrying about something that may happen.
When you are out of the present moment, you are off your path. Your mind will play tricks on you. The rational mind will begin to search for reasons and evidence to support the fear it feels. You become reactionary instead of responsible.
Don't worry about this, it happens from time to time. You are always able to stop, take a breath and re-focus on the present moment. You are always able to begin again."
-Grace Gemini

Truth and Lies.

When people lie, it often stems from shame, fear or guilt. Shame comes because we can't, or won't except the truth.  Fear occurs when the truth is something we might not want to hear.  Guilt happens when we expect that the truth will hurt another.

But the problem is that all words carry energy; lies, especially so.  Even if the person being lied to does not know on a conscious level that they are being lied to, they do feel it; and that energy eats away at the foundation of the relationship.

So, step into your truth.  Take responsibility for the choices you've made.  Act and speak with integrity.  Do not focus on the opinions or actions of others.  Letting go of dependance on the feelings of others brings you freedom.  You will no longer be bound by the fear of loss.  You will be free of having to maintain the lie.  You release the shame that comes when you know you have not acted properly.  You will be liberated from the fear of discovery.  You will be free of worry about who knows what information and you will have no potential shame at being "found out".  You will no longer have to pile lies on lies to maintain the status quo. 

Be equitable with others, but above all with yourself. And be aware how a torrent of suppressed "truths" about another may in reality be unresolved issues you have within yourself.  Understand how our "rational" minds can often deceive us.  Being honest is about allowing ourselves to feel vulnerable.  As with all paradox, this contains great power for transformation because only then are we genuine in our dealings with others; and only then can we change resentment into connection.

"Manipulation is trying to convince a person that your opinion of them is more important than their opinion of themselves."
-Grace Gemini

Not all who Wonder are lost.

"Sometimes in life you feel as though you have lost.
But that is never the case. You never, ever lose. Eventually, the Universe will show you that it was listening all along.
The thing is- you just don't get the things you thought you wanted, you get the things that you didn't know you needed- and were already there. You just couldn't see them for what they were, but they were already there.
If things are cleared out of your life, or inaccessible, they are that way for a reason. Have faith that what comes of it will be even better than you imagined and you won't even miss what you thought you lost."
-Grace Gemini

Channeling from Anghara

We are Anghara, and we have accessed this channel to disseminate information pertinent to your growth as Spiritual Beings. With that goal in mind, we submit the following:


All energy flows along the path of least resistance, and this can be the shortest path or simply the least obstructed. These pathways are also made of energy but they constitute the channels or boundaries which, in turn, direct the flow of energy. Think of it as the underlying structure or grid which can determine the ultimate expression of that energy- in much the same way that one may extrapolate the eventual appearance of a building by examining its framework.

Likewise, the sum total of our Life experience to date forms the framework that determines the flow of energy through our lives. This flow brings us joy, or frustration depending on what pathways have been established and how we direct our attention. Our emotions (Emotion = (E)nergy in Motion) are the indicators of the clarity of that path.


Unfortunately, most humans have been trained to approach a problem from the head, which effectively short-circuits this guidance system because there is little place for feeling in rational thought. The fantasies that are generated from this place of thinking cause rumination and stagnation. We are trying to function in a place of disconnection. Energetically speaking, is the metaphysical equivilant of banging our heads against a brick wall. Being attached to these fantasies saps the energy that could be joyfully flowing in the all the areas of our lives. This energy is not only the Universal-God-energy that Spritualists refer to, but our physical and psychological energy as well. Being lost in the fantasy means we are not tuned in to reality-and when reality eventually resurfaces we find that we have caused real damage to ourselves by our actions. The frustration and despondancy created by this paradigm can make us sick-in time, it can even kill us.


If there are many obstacles in the path to what we think we want, we dig in our heels and "try harder". We wrack our brains playing out scenario after scenario-we drive ourselves crazy with envisioning solutions and we give in to fear, anger and despair. We retreat to our heads and tell ourselves that our feelings do not matter as long as we reach the goal. We shame ourselves for those feelings, and that shame often spills over onto the others in our lives and we do not see them clearly. We are given to fits of paranoia and distrust. We see nothing clearly when in this state, and reality becomes grossly distorted. Even when the situations at hand cause us more pain than pleasure, we hang onto the hope that by holding ourselves in this place of stagnation we will somehow earn access to the desired object because we have been taught to equate success with suffering.

Many of you reading our words will even grow angry simply by reading them. Your ego will step in and you may become angry and lash out at the channel in your minds for posing information that puts the validity of your goals into question. This is a symptom of ego-control. Though the ego has its place, and we have given information previously through this channel to that effect, it was not created to be in control of Human Life. The ego makes a poor structure to promote the true flow of life.


We must learn to distinguish between our true path and one that we have chosen because it defines our ego in the manner that is indicated by the underlying structure of our adopted energetic pathways. We must understand that our ego will fight to perpetuate these fantasies and definitions even as that practise restricts the flow of energy and blinds us to the things that we do have access to. The ego forces the psyche into survival mode, and any attempt to change the ideas and beliefs that constitute the foundation of our struggle will cause us to manifest physiological symptoms-we may even feel as though we're dying. This is a trick used by the ego to hold us in the structures which do not permit the flow of energy.

When the importance of attaining the goal becomes dominant so that even our own suffering is not taken into account, it is time to re-examine the path.


A well known principle, sometimes known as Occam's Razor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam's_razor), when applied to this concept of energy flow, may give some insight into the underlying structure we are dealing with. In it, we are urged to examine other hypothese, or structural pathways for those which contain the fewest obstacles, or assumptions.

Understand that though all experiences occur ultimately for our benefit, becoming attached to a specific outcome, especially if you have had a negative emotional reaction to the words of the channel, is an indication that your ego is attempting to take control. You are, in effect, damming and constricting the flow of Universal forces through your Life.

In other words, when the path to a goal or desired outcome seems so cluttered with obstacles, debris, pitfalls and prior assumptions; and when we prefer the obsession of attaining the goal over the best way to re-access the flow of energy; the best option may be simply to choose a different path.

We realize that this may require more stringent self-examination and honesty than you are comfortable with. This will change with practice. Do not judge yourselves. When you begin to free yourself from the bondage of ego-control, other paths will become visible to you.

Thank you for your time and attention to this channel. Anghara hopes that this has been helpful and relevant and we look forward to re-emerging in your future.  We are your servants.

Just something to think about...

  Next time you read a book, take a few moments to write a thoughtful and honest critique about it. Then go back to the bookstore, find a copy of the book you just read and slip your written opinion inside. Replace the book on the shelf, then leave.

"Real Love is steady, existing in the midst of what it must withstand radiating its light with quiet intensity. Real Love is like a candle, it shines to show your path; it shines to becon you home. It reaches out to you, but it does not make you come to it. Love does not deny the darkness. In shining its light, it draws your attention to the darkness so that you may see your path, and know the darkness for what it is. Real Love allows you the choice to follow it, or become lost in darkness; and even if you choose the darkness; the Light still shines for you."

-Grace Gemini

Just A Note:

When we say "I Love you.", what we are really saying is "you are someone who helps me to feel the joy that comes from being connected to the Infinate." This often leads us to believe that we must be in a relationship with someone to be happy. We believe that without this person, we would lose our connection and therefore, our Joy.
And, of course, since from our perspective it is that person who c...aused us to feel joy; we expect and pressure them to perform to be what it is that keeps us happy.

The Truth of it is, that you are *always* connected to the source of your Joy.
And the Irony is, that you are **really** only ready to Love someone when you can feel that connection to All-That-Is regardless of whether you are "with someone" or not.

Anything else is just fooling yourself.

A Channeling On Love

Love is selfless.
Love does not request for itself that which is not given by itself.  Love sees no difference between things.  What you give to others, you are also giving to yourself.  Do not ask of Love what you are not willing to provide yourself.  The Universe will reflect in equal or greater measure than what is given.  The Universe will also reflect in equal or greater measure than what is held back.

Love does not ask for sacrifice.
Imposing self-denial or limitation is not Love, it is seeking to be worthy of Love.  Love gives in equal measure.  Love does not limit possibilities; Love simply chooses without judgement that which is in accordance to its path. 

Love makes no promises. 
Love knows it is eternal.  Promising is not Love; it is an attempt to validate your worthiness of Love.  Love expands.  Expansion is growth.  Promises are static, statements that conditions will not change.  Lack of growth is not Love.  Love is constant, not static.  Love contains within itself the seeds of its future expressions.  Love evolves.  All that is contained within, evolves with it.

Love accepts.
Love does not apply itself to certain things and not to others. Love is inclusive and expansive.  Love honors all possibilities.  Love honors all expressions.  Love includes all aspects.  Love sees all experiences as a valid part of the whole of itself.  It does not forgive because does not hold to one experience over the other, so in its essence there is nothing to forgive.

Love allows.
A Love is about choices, not limitations.  Love provides all paths and holds you to none.  Love knows that the path you choose most naturally is the closest to who you are.   Adherence to a particular path; when presenting this action as proof of Love; is not Love.  It is an attempt to prove yourself worthy of Love, but not Love itself. 
Love inspires you upon a certain path because it is who you are, not because the following of that path proves your worthiness of your Love. 


Love is honest.
Love does not give value to one while holding onto another.   Love does not give itself to one while withholding itself from another. Love is consistent with itself.  Love does not choose circumstances or convenience over expression.  Love does not make expression dependent on its own state of being.  Love inspires honesty in all its dealings.  Seeking to support Love by practising self-denial is not Love-it is striving for worthiness.  Seeking to support Love by being dishonest with others and yourself is not Love-it is obsession.

Love supports.
Love does not seek to tear down what it does not understand; Love seeks to understand.  Love supports all-even if what is desired is to experience its own lack.

Love Inspires.
Love does not force itself on others; it leads by example.  Love creates the desire for harmony with itself and harmonizes effortlessly.  Love creates for the sake of itself, and what it inspires creates in kind.

Love is a mirror of ourselves.  Choose a Love that reflects the quality of unconditionally, for that shows you that this is what you feel for yourself.  Conditional Love accepted means that you have imposed and accepted conditions on yourself.  Unconditional Love accepted means that you are the embodiment of unconditional Love.   What you wish to see reflected to you must first be embodied by you.

Jumping to Conclusions, Landing With Your Foot In Your Mouth and Unconditional Love Starts With YOURSELF

We all know that kids will be kids.  This seems particularly true for the kids on my street who I have observed giving visitors to our area a difficult time.
Several weeks ago, my good friend Della visited with her 4 children.  While Della and I talked, her kids went outside to play and spotted the local children riding their bikes up and down the street.  Della has raised her children to be very open and giving; so it never occurred to them that the locals wouldn't simply welcome them into the games with open arms. 
Unfortunately, that was not the case.  You can imagine how this ended.  There was name calling, posturing, threats, lots of tears and some heart-to-heart between Della and her kids about differing vibrations, compassion, forgiveness and such.  All in all it was just the behavior I had expected from Della, her kids and the children who live in our neighborhood.

Now, there is one exception to the kids I see here and I'll call him Michael.  Michael is 13 years old and we have become good friends, so he was here when Della again visited with her children yesterday.  He had met her children briefly on that other day, they became friendly, and so it was natural that they all hung out together while they were here.
About two hours into this, Michael came back inside looking pretty upset.  It seemed that the local kids were out on the street, and though both groups wanted to him to play with them, they were refusing to play together.  He went on to relay that one of the kids had actually demanded he choose between his old friends and his new ones, and which side of the street to remain on.

Now when you're on the outside looking in, it is clear that those who try to force you to choose sides are on the side that you should avoid. And being familiar with the general disposition of the children on our street I was pretty liberal with the advice.  "Of course they would try that.", I said.  "That's the way they are, and though I understand that there really isn't anyone else around you have to think of what are you really missing if your friends treat you like that..."
That's when he said, "It was one of Della's kids."

Oi.

Now, given the prior treatment they had received at the hands of our neighbors, I wasn't surprised that a "yes vote" from Michael would be seen as a validation of their worth with regard to the ones who had dealt with them so rudely.  Of course I could understand, etc etc etc...but then I said to myself.....
"Gracie, think."
Why did I automatically assume that the problem stemmed from the other children?
Sounds pretty judgemental to me.
And in expecting their poor behavior, wasn't I, on some level, doing my part to perpetuate it?  Were there other things was I automatically passing judgement on?  Was I holding them in a negative pattern too?  And was I blythly offering advice in situations that were not as they seemed?

To be honest, I was pretty ashamed of my automatic reaction here.  I've studied Shamanism for 15 years, and I still get tripped up by ego-judgements and patterns of negative expectation.   I could certainly forgive kids for being kids, but I found it difficult to forgive myself.  I had somehow misplaced my Love for me.

Well, sometimes these Life Lessons come with a free ego-smack-down as a bonus and after some soul-searching, I chose to see this as a good thing.  As it turns out, Della's kids, the neighborhood children and Michael all taught me a very valuable lesson by highlighting my room for improvement.  From now on, I'll do my best to listen *first*, and try to hold ALL parties involved in an attitude of Love.  But perhaps more important, it offered experience in the process of forgiving myself.
That's where it all begins. 
If you can't love yourself unconditionally, you just can't love anyone else.  One follows the other. 
Forgive myself...ah yes, *there's* that Unconditional Love!
*sigh*
Found it...

How Attached Are You To Your Paradigm?

About a year ago, I got into a discussion on FaceBook with someone who was complaining about the way her bank was treating her. Also, she didn’t have this, and she didn’t have that etc. So I made some suggestions-like close your bank account if… you don’t like the fees-Don’t want to carry a lot of cash? Carry traveler’s checks (they spend like cash and are replaceable if stolen, and the fee to buy them is a LOT less than bank fees can be.)

Car payment $300 a month? Buy a car off of Craig’s list for $300 (that’s what I did and she lasted me 4 years). Shop at dollar tree, join freecycle. Don’t have a washer? Don’t want to pay for laundry? Trade babysitting for laundry privilages (that’s what I do). Pre-paid debit cards, to purchase online, Join a food program like SHARE where you trade community service for food packages (I tutored highschool kids in Biology for that). Get movies from the library or watch series on Hulu- the episodes generally come out a week behind.
Sound ideas, or so I thought.
She said she wouldn’t drive a “crappy car” or bother with traveler’s checks, no time for service as SHE was working. Only trailer trash shopped at Dollar Tree, she would absolutely NOT wait a week to see her favorite shows and be behind all her friends and there was no way SHE was going to “take care of anyone else’s brat for free”. Then she called me a beggar and unfriended me.
No big loss- to me. ;)

Many of our money troubles are caused by the economy to be sure, but moreso than that, many are caused by our reluctance to change. The point is, money is more than just a currency, it’s a paradigm. And it’s a paradigm that’s awfully hard to slip.

Turning The Other Cheek: A Vibrational View

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turning_the_other_cheek
It is said that everything old is new again- in other words- we, as humans quickly grab onto an idea, and forget about it just as quickly. Eventually, in our search for something "new", we rediscover the older idea and-behold! We have discovered the next "new" thing.
Weellllll........

Perhaps that is an oversimplification, but with regard to "ancient" wisdom, I think that phrase is strangely appropo. The more I look into what I call "Alternate Consciousness Reality Theory"; (channels like Bashar, Abraham-Hicks, Cheif Joseph, etc.) the more I see that what they espouse as a "New Awareness" is really just this ancient wisdom that is "re-packaged" in terms that are more easily understandable given the times in which we live. So many spend their time trying to define and interpret these old messages, but they do so without really taking into consideration the difference between the mind-set and life paradigm changes between those people that were, and those that are.

I was thinking about this when something came up in a video concerning the phrase "Turn the other cheek". Just the briefest of internet searches turned up thousands of different interpretations from people all over the world. Obviously, they take a look at it from the viewpoint of the ancient world because that was when the phrase was created. As so-called "modern" people, we take random stabs at applying it, in its ancient form to our modern world. No definition seems perfect and we just love to dicker over the inconsistantcies, and play with the loose ends, we're human after all.

Well, what if there is another, Universal, "hidden" meaning that, once we have a basic understanding of the ways in which we create reality, we can apply to that phrase- and many others- with a nearly perfect fit.

First, in order to understand where I'm coming from (and it's OK if you don't) you have to take a few things for granted.

*I believe that we are all Divine.

*I believe that we are all projections of Universal energy into the physical world.

*I believe that we are here to create and experience, not to observe.

*I believe that we create our own reality. By this, I mean, that the vibrations that we embody determine what we experience in our worlds.

*I believe that matter is not solid, it is the manifestation of various vibrational frequencies as interpreted by our sense organs and brain.

*I believe that the things "out there" are projections of things in our own minds.

*I believe that by changing the way we feel, we create change, as opposed to what most people believe that the things we encounter create our feelings.

This is the basis for my interpretation of "Turn the Other Cheek".
Sure, it could mean reacting to violence with non-violence.
Sure, it could refer to the idea of forcing someone to hit you with the open palm thus designating you as an "equal".
Sure, it could be interpreted as another way of saying "Love thy neighbor."

BUT WHAT IF-

What if Turn the Other Cheek really refers to the idea what when we are confronted with violence in our environments, we should simply look away (in a manner of speaking). What if it means that if we continue to carry the idea of this violence in our minds, and vibrations, we are actually perpetuating it? What if we are attracting it to ourselves?
I have taken this to heart, and do not allow outside violence to touch my life to the best of my ability. I am very careful about what I put into my vibrational frequency. I don't watch TV. I don't listen to music with negative lyrics, I don't watch violent sports. I am at all times aware of the thoughts I carry around with me, and if they dip into a range that I consider to be negative, I redirect them to something that I feel good thinking about.

I can't make anyone believe me, or change their behavior. I can only tell you what a difference in feeling this has imparted on my life at this time. I can't tell you that, physically, much is different-yet. But I can tell you that this simple shifting of emphasis from what is immediate to what is important and eternal has made me happier than I have ever been. Things are beginning to turn in my favor-I see evidence of this every day. I have faith that I am loved by the Universe, and that faith has helped me to correct many of the inconsistantcies that have created things I did not want in my life.
These things have simply stopped showing up.

Now, I know, many of you will be nearly offended by this idea. You will say things like: "HOW can you ignore the suffering in the world?", "You can't ignore reality!", "I'm living in pain and THIS is reality- I KNOW reality and reality SUCKS!"
I can hear you now.
And I'll not argue with you.
But, remember what I asked you to keep in mind. According to my view, and those of other channels, it is our thoughts that come first, and the reality comes after. Why is there war? Because people believe it has always been there and always will be there. I No longer want a part in perpetuating this vibration in my world.
What if an end to war was simply a matter of doing the same thing? changing our individual beliefs, turning the other cheek, one person at a time?

What if, indeed....

The True Story Of Creation, or, Don't Blame The Snake

Once upon a time, the great void gave a sigh and noticing itself for the first time, said, "I am."  In that instant, the no-thing-ness became some-thing.  

We call this "Awareness"

This some-thing was All-That-Is, for it had always existed and always would; and for the moment it truly was "all that is" and there was no-thing else.   But, as omnipotent as it was, it could know nothing of itself for there was nothing for it to relate to. The All- That- Is was perfect in every way.  But in that perfection it knew that it would never change or grow.  

Fortunately, there was a secret power to this thing.  You see, since this thing accepted itself as All- That- Is, it's acceptance was unconditional, and that unconditional acceptance goes by another name that we know well.  

It is called, "Love".

In that moment, there was a great shattering, for it is in the nature of Love to create.  Having nothing else to work with, Love created from itself and sent forth pieces of its own, infinite Being into the void.  These pieces were parts of itself, but also whole and complete so as to be itself expressed in parts.  Each part carried within it a spark of original Love which caused them, in turn, to send forth more parts.  

Now, there were plenty of pieces in the void, and they began to relate to one another.  Relating to each other enabled the pieces, which retained the ability to create, to  have the first experiences.  

We call this "Consciousness".

There were some states of being that for various reasons, were more desirable.  

We call that "preference".  

Preference gave rise to creations that were more in keeping with the desired state of being, which in turn gave rise to new preferences.  In this way, the original Love experienced all of what it could not conceive of in its original form. It expanded across the original void in rolling waves.

At the time, all things happened in a single instant, meaning there was no process by which they would come to Be.  All was created with the speed of thought.  

We call this "manifestation."

The simplest things came first.  "Light" is the energy which carries information and suddenly, there was much more information to be had.  So inherent in that initial shattering, was the first experience of the contrast of light and dark.  Then out of this, the elements eventually took shape. More and more cohesive forms became according to the preferences and agreed preferences of those sparks  But soon, the sparks recognized that true value was to be found in the process of creation.  They thought "We will be like the Creator Love and send forth pieces of ourselves into these beings to experience what we cannot."; and so they created, all from pieces of themselves, other Be-ings for whom the process of creation would happen more slowly.  

They were called "souls".

These versions of themselves were tethered to denser stuff in individualized units.  The units were designed to process and interpreted the vibrations of the stuff around them into experiences.  The denser forms of matter ensured that there was a process to all of creation which could be observed.  The act of tethering themselves to physical matter also created a framework which the physical mind used to gauge the relation of events to other events.

This was called "time".

Each tethered entity created its experiences from its own being according to its desires, and at first, there was contentment.  Each maintained a clear connection to the All That Is and so each existed in a state where there was no suffering or struggle.  They knew their place in the All That Is, and they knew that they were Loved.  They also had no doubt that they were being provided for and that everything about them had a reason for being; which they accepted without condition.

We call this "Paradise".

All Be-ings brought back their experiences to the All That Is, who accepted it all with gratitude, for it was in this way that the All- That- Is grew to encompass even more.  But because the Be-ings were created from Love,  it was their nature to expand because expansion is also part of the nature of Love. 

Eventually, a certain group of these tethered beings saw that they could achieve even greater experience with even greater contrast.  So they decided to make a change for the benefit of all the others. 

"What better platform from which to create preferences?" they thought.   And so they took this idea back to the All That Is.  And for these souls,  The All-That-Is made a sacrifice (which is another part of the nature of Love).   You see, the All That Is loved these parts of itself so much, that it agreed to let these tethered beings experience existencewithout conscious knowledge of their connection to itself.  

These Be-ings are called "Human".

To accomplish this, each Human Be-ing, before it incarnated into the world, agreed to forget about its previous existence and make its way in the World we know, on its own.  In essence, they removed themselves from Paradise.  This World would provide the contrasts that would generate new preferences.  New preferences would result in new creations and the cycle would continue and the Universe would continue to expand through them.  Because each body needed to relate to others, and by this relationship, come to know more about themselves, they were created with inherent duality.  Both male and female became separate incarnations but each retained some characteristics from both polar points.  This contrast served all of creation.

All- That- Is, and when they were not.  Though this system gave them the knowledge of positive and negative, it was their choice as to how they would interpret the signals-if indeed they chose to listen at all.

This is called "free will".

When they existed in harmony with the All -That- Is, they simply felt better.

To function as a mechanism to activate this sense of positive and negative, there was also incorporated into each physical body, a thread of energy.  This energy was like a snake, and its job was to rise up within the entity and open the energy portals through which information from the Higher Selves could enter.  You could say, that this is the snake which gives knowledge-or at least makes knowledge available. 

Over the eons, many of us have tried to re-create that sense of connection outside ourselves.  We have imposed outside rules and regulations to govern our lives, and set up outside sources as those we turn to for our own guidance. We judge our progress by what we see outside ourselves, and we have given our power away to those outside us and allowed them to determine the value of our existence.  Human Beings removed the importance of their own inner guidance systems and replaced them with man-made, artificial frameworks.  We have chosen to experience ourselves as separate individuals with no connection to one another.  But somehow, that tiny, snakelike voice within us is constantly calling us back into alignment with our Source.  It is always there, because Love is also patient.  It will not give up on us.

We are being given a choice.  It is as simple as paying attention to your own guidance system-the more you do it, the better you will become at gathering and interpreting the information that is constantly being offered.

Human Be-ings can choose to re-establish that connection, or not.  We are nonetheless loved no matter what choice we make, but the history remains the same and makes for a pretty good story.

Does this story sound familiar?

You might know it by another name:  "Genesis".