Are you? Am I?

Someone on a dating site recently told me that I was “Emotionally Unavailable” because of the way I worded my profile.
Specifically, he took issue with my identification as “monogamous” and “seeing someone” relative to the fact that I still had a profile on the site in the first place.  He said that by maintaining an active profile, I was doing nothing more than “setting up other men for eventual disappointment when they find that they can not occupy a place in (my) your emotions”
This guy has no idea who I am, and so this kind of pissed me off.  But he struck a nerve-and after my shock at the strength my own reaction, I took another look at myself.
Was it true?
My partner (for lack of a better choice of labels) is not monogamous, and I accept him completely and without reservation.
Being monogamous myself, this means I get challenged emotionally.  
A Lot.
It’s not easy to be brave, or to stay positive; and sometimes frankly I get frustrated.  Sure, I could conceivably go searching for someone who thought exactly the way I do.  Perhaps I’d even find him, and maybe it would be pleasant.  Add that to the other issues involved in living my life-financial, health, and emotional  woes included, and maybe it *would* be easier to function by shutting down completely. 
But I don’t.
I asked myself “What would it be like to have an easy life?”
And my immediate thought was; “But where’s the growth in that?”
Where’s.
The.
Growth.
In.
That.
I chose this relationship, as I’ve chosen many other things in my life, in part for the growth it provides.  I choose because I see and understand that there are many different ways of living a life.  From his comment, I see that “Mr. Unavailable” sees things in more rigid terms.  If A is correct, then B is incorrect-so to speak.  There is nothing really wrong with that, but I have a different perspective where both A and B are correct, nothing is really exclusive.
I’ll be the first one to admit that monogamous and non-monogamous creates an unusual pairing.  My partner and I catch static from both sides. It takes some work.  In order to communicate my needs to someone who is occasionally focused elsewhere, I need to be in touch with my own feelings.  I need to know what stems from a situation and what might be concerned more with some insecurity on my part.  I need to be alert and sensitive to his signals when perhaps more space is needed.  I need to be adept at identifying the thought patterns that do not serve me, and finding the things that I really enjoy doing to stay centered.
In other words, in order to function on all these levels it is absolutely essential that I remain aware and open emotionally
I have to have the strength to realize who I am and admit it, even though it might be more comforting to bow to outside pressure, or fool myself into believing that I’m something I’m not.  And I see my partner for who he is, though it may be tempting to soothe myself with the thought and false hope that somehow I could “change” him.
Sure, I’m scared. I could get hurt.  But I’m learning as I go.  So is he.
So far, so good.
So, you see, Mr. “Emotionally Unavailable”, I understand where you are coming from.  I understand that your comment was an expression of fear-nobody wants to get hurt.  And hopefully now you see that my profile here is less of an attempt to “set people up for failure” and more of a testament to my belief in the value of all individuals to add to a life-even if it’s not sexually.
It’s not easy, but I do it and have faith that whatever happens will be for the best.
Can’t be more open than that.

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".

The Story As A Tool For Creating Reality

Stories have been used since the beginning of humanity to impart information and to entertain. As a Shaman, and conscious creator, I write stories to help illustrate certain concepts.   Shamanism recognizes that the "story world" is akin to the "dream world", and as such, is just as real as the physical reality you exist in at this moment.   But have you ever thought about why the story, as an entity in itself, has become such an integral part of human development?  Sure, we often identify with the characters in a story as other facets of ourselves.  We like to see them succeed and imagine that we are the ones coming out ahead.  If we are not presently "ahead" then we might prefer to see their struggles and relate them to our own.  In addition to, and separate from, the archetypes and characters, we are also drawn to certain themes, or "plot lines" (such as boy finds girl, loses girl and finds girl again, or the Greek model of tragic figures who fall and then rise again) over and over again because there is something about the reality that they create which speaks to us on a deep level.  The story structure itself becomes the archetype, and because this resonates so strongly with humans, it makes the information conveyed by the story that much easier to remember.

But it is the story itself-meaning the creation of information based on the imagination- that has a much more powerful meaning in the inclusive Universe.  

Life is a story:

Look at it this way,  each moment you exist is the next moment in the continuing adventures of you.  If you were to take a few moments to examine your life as you have experienced it to this point, you would see certain themes, habits, illustrations, actions, reactions, feelings and patterns emerge- in other words, a story.   Your story is utterly unique to you, and is playing concurrently with any number of other stories generated by the people around you.  You may play a major character in some of those stories or be relegated to a minor, supporting role.  But your own story exists as a complete and self-contained vibration and this is what gives you such power in it.

The Story As Magic:

Telling a story involves all 3 components of creation; Physical mind (the body-mind), The Thinking Mind (the Ego), and The Higher Mind.  This is similar to what those practitioners of Magic might call "Intent-Focus-Belief"-Identification of the desire, the focus of energy on the desire and the belief that the desire will come to fruition. 
Law of Attraction fans may define the process as "Want-Ask-Allow"; The Thinking Mind identifies a desire and focuses attention on it while the Physical mind (tied to the body-mind) summons up deep feelings and passion about the subject which are taken and interpreted by the Higher Mind, which in turn takes care of the details and arranges the circumstances needed to bring that desire into manifestation.  Run-on sentences aside, both are simply different ways of referring to the same thing. ;)
When seen in this context it becomes clear that all "spells" are simply ways of convincing the practitioner that the present story (the reality of the moment)  has, in effect, been re-written into a story which is more representative of the practitioner's desires.

The Story As Creation:

When we put forth a particular story, is it said that we are vibrating at a particular frequency.  You support and sustain this frequency by living your story- behaving and believing in such a way that supports your vision.    Something as simple as looking at your life as it exists now, in other words, the story that it represents; and deciding to change the story, can have profound effects on what you experience in reality.  This is another tool that has been given to us, "hard wired" by the Universe to help us become conscious creators in our own Lives.  You may be happy with your story as it is playing out, or wish to make changes.  If you wish to make changes, then envision your story as you would prefer it to be and live as though it has already happened.  You can do this because you have ultimate control over your own story, even to the meaning you attribute to the events occurring around you.  

The Story is Meaning-less:

All events, all stories, are neutral.  They have no intrinsic meaning in and of themselves.  It is the observer who assigns the meaning to the circumstances and therefore, it is the observer who can choose to change the meaning that they had previously assigned.  If someone doesn't call you when they say they will, how many of you choose to believe that it means they dislike or are avoiding you?  How many of you will choose to believe that it means they simply lost track of time?  What you choose is determined by your habitual beliefs (belief is a vibration).  If you choose to assign a positive belief and meaning to an event, then that event must ultimately serve you in a positive way because you have changed the vibration.  

Life does not write your story, YOU write your story.  You have only to imagine it, and trust that your Higher Self knows the way to make your story happen.  

Change the story, change the vibration and change what is being attracted to you.  

                                                     

Labels Are Limits

Some time ago, a friend of mine told me that the Priestess of his Wiccan Circle had confided in him that she was an Agnostic. Then she said to him "Now, tell me where the power is in that."

An answer sprung to my mind instantly and involves the following;

One of the 7 basic principles of Huna (the Shamanic tradition in which I was trained)  states "There Are No Limits", meaning that the only true limits that exist are the ones we put in place for ourselves. Another states that "The World is What You Think it is" meaning that we create our experience of reality from our own thoughts.  More recent information, coming from the field of Quantum physics indicates that the basic components of matter (as we currently are able to define them) respond to human thought.  

It is our vibration which determines what we see, experience and attract to us- and having a definition of a thing within that vibration influences that thing to conform to a certain framework.

The word "Agnostic" was coined by the 19th-Century British scientist Thomas H. Huxley. He made up the word from the prefix a-, meaning "without" or "not", and the noun "Gnostic" which comes from the Greek "gnosis" meaning "knowledge" in the esoteric and spiritual sense.

Huxley was often labeled by outsiders as a "Gnostic", a group of his fellow contemporaries, or "intellectualists" as he called them, who had eagerly embraced various doctrines or theories that explained the world to their satisfaction. But Huxley considered himself to be "...a man without a rag of a label to cover himself with.."

Although Huxley believed that what was "truth" was manifested in the physical world, he would not adhere to any one specific theory or philosophy about things unseen.

The Shamanic Traditions believed that we do create what is our truth in the physical world every day. But in resisting any particular philosophy or dogma we keep the possibilities open.  

That is the key...

By refusing to "label" himself--i.e. take up an association of belief to the exclusion of all others--he was also not excluding possibilities.

To project this a bit further, we could say that he believed that anything might be possible.

My friend's Priestess, by considering herself Agnostic, was also functioning in the belief that anything is possible--and going back to Reality Theory, and "The World is What You Think it is" we know that to believe something is possible, is all that is needed to make it possible.

That is the essence of true magic, this is the true meaning of power.

My friend's Priestess was indeed very wise. 

Living "In The Moment"; The Structure of Reality

There is an ancient, Buddhist sayiing that goes;

"When you take care of each moment, you take care of all time."

Many people equate this saying with the popular phrase "Live In The Moment", and more fatalistic individuals or those devoted to non-attachment often define it as enjoying what is because there is no guarantee of more.

We look at time and envision a string of moments, occurring one after the other from some distant beginning to some equally distant end.  Modern physics, however, has put forth the theory that time does not exist in the way we have traditionally thought of it.  They surmise time as an endless series of moments which all exist simultaniously, in the same place.  Each moment, is then, a self contained parallel reality , and distinguished from it's neighboring moments by a difference in it's vibrational frequency.  What we see as "moving through time" is in reality a steady series of shifting from vibration to vibration.

Suffice it to say, that Reality as we percieve it is more like a series of film frames that click  into place one after the other.  Click-click-click-click  we are here, here, here, here.  Each moment, really then, is all there is since there is nothing technically "before" it and nothing technically "after" it.  When you believe something to be true, your vibration, or frequency can be said to be in harmony with that reality, and so the vibration of the next frame pulls you towards it (The Law Of Attraction).  Each moment is it's own parallel reality and the version of "you" which buys into the belief of its existance moves to that next moment and you feel as though you are moving through "time". 

Even what you might consider to be "past" or "future" lives are all happening concurrently.  The Human mind creates the illusion of time in order to understand what it observes.  As I said before, human beings must learn by relating a thing to another thing.  Separating time into past, present and future allows us to hold one up against another and say "I like this", or "I didn't like that".  Once we determine a preference, changes can be made, but MORE than that--

The Expanding Reality

When a preference is expressed-consciously or unconsciously, ANOTHER parallel Reality comes into being that takes into account the preference and exists, in its own self-contained vibration.  If you want to change your reality, you must first change your vibration in order to be pulled towards the reality which exemplifies the kind of experience you want.  The simple act of wanting it, imagining it or desiring it creates it.  Everything that exists today, began as a thought, which began as a preference-I'd like a better way to do X, I would rather have Y.  This is the way our Universe expands, through thought as focused by the mind (see note "The Ego Is Not The Enemy")  By having your preferences, you act in concert with the All That Is in creating expansion in the Universe. 

"Living in the moment", then means to, in a sense, see the SAME MOMENT from a different point of view, so it is your perspective that is shifting, not the segments of time.   Indeed, we shift through billions of parallel realities every second. The time it takes for us to shift one vibration is sometimes referred to by physicists as "plank time", but I'm not blessed with an intellect which can wrap itself around the finer points of theoretical physics so I just won't go there.  ;)  (if you are interested in more on this subject read "The Field" by Lynne McTaggart (sp?) )  Each moment is different from its neighbor in such an infinitessimly small way that are barely aware that we are shifting at all.  But if, in that moment, you can somehow change your patterns of belief, you can be drawn to a different perspective of that moment which creates a different Reality.

This structure of the reality shifts (no pun intended) the responsibility of change to the individual as the changes we create in ourselves and our beliefs are the way by which we experience the reality that represents our preferences.  We do this by "taking care of"- or evaluating each moment according to what we believe and what we want.  The Shamans were aware of this.  There is a Huna principal that says "Now is the moment of Power".  

We cannot change our past, and we cannot act directly on our future.

The only period in which you are able to act is in that self contained moment.  In our human existence, we have only now in which to institute any change.  "Time" is Now.  If you desire to make a change, you must do it now, and in doing so, you are indeed addressing "all time".

Indeed, there is nothing else.

Why The Journey To Spiritual Growth Often Makes It Look Like The Sh*t Is Hitting The Fan.

Many People have asked me why things often seem to go crazy just when they begin their studies of Spirituality. In order to answer this question, you have to take a look at the ways in which humans have establish the quantification of "learning".

When we teach a worldly subject-math, science, literature-anything really-there are certain criteria that we must fulfil before we are considered expert enough to teach these things. These criteria are put in place by "experts" in the field, mathematicians, artists, writers etc. who have come before, and we assume they have earned a certain amount of prestige and credability via their struggles.  When we are done, we get a pat on the back, and a piece of paper that says "congratulations, we think you're competant." and sometimes, we are treated to dinner.  Then if we're lucky, we are provided with students and the whole process begins again with someone else.  

But when the subject is spirituality aka self empowerment aka unconditional Love; there is no certificate, and no trophy because, unlike an academic pursuit, the study of one's Self and our connection to the Universe is never-ending and ever-expanding.  

You are never finished. 

And who, ultimately, has the right to judge how far we've come?

Even if you read all the writings of Buddha, or memorize the Bible, or the Koran, eventually you will realize that these texts, no matter how ancient or acclaimed, are simply the writings of someone else's interpretation of what worked for them.  Beginning your journey by following them will help you start out, but eventually, you realize that it is the Universe-God-Ohm or your interpretation of the All-That-Is which tests us, teaches us and gives us its blessing for us to continue.  This is given to us directly, so that only your interpretation is what matters.   This is a tremendous honor, a blessing, and a big, big, BIG responsibility. (of course *that* particular point is not often stressed)  This is because the lessons are *always* tailored and perfectly designed for the person who is learning them.  No one lesson is appropriate for every person. Lessons must be given to encompass the whole of possible experience-no one lesson can contain all of that.  the Universe expects you to strike out on your own eventually- so take the chance.

What do we have to go through in order to be considered "competant" or "wise" or "accomplished enough to teach?

Being a Spritualist does not mean that I am automatically given wisdom.  

What I am given are opportunities to "be wise".

I am not given serenity; I am given the chance to maintain my serenity in the face of conflict.  

I do not get courage, love or joy nicely garnished on a plate-instead, I get opportunities to be courageous, the chance to choose the loving solution over the unloving one, and reminders that the joy I seek ultimately comes from inside me.  

These things appear in the form of people, situations, and happenings.  We may not get "classrooms" as we envision them, but we do get people with lessons to be learned showing up around us.  We will be able to help some of them, and unable to help others.  The ones we cannot help will go on to find other teachers.  The ones we can help will go on to teach others.  The ones who do not hear us, may end up hating us, but when I took this path, it was with the understanding that the process of growth was not always easy-and that the things I do not need would often be stripped away.

I also had to trust that what was taken, would always be replaced with something better.  I learned through experience that if what was taken-circumstances, resources or even people, didn't survive the process, it was not something I needed anyway.

So, if in your studies of your inner Be-ing, it suddenly looks like things are starting to unravel, remember that you are only being given the lessons that you asked for.  Understand that you are more than what you seem on the outside, but some people are not yet ready to see the real you.  

Others may blame you for their problems, but it is really only that there is something you reflect in them that they are not able to accept seeing. What others cannot understand they often react to with anger.  

In their anger, they may point out things in you that you will have trouble seeing and you will be sorely tempted to react with anger- but this never, ever works.   

Be grateful for the increased clarity and bless those who bring it to you by whatever means.

Things will happen.  

People will change.  

You have tossed a pebble into a pond-there will be ripples.

Keep in mind that you are being tested at your own individual level, and that no matter how you do, you will pass the class.  As Human beings, we are all given this Grace, but the only lesson that matters is the one that teaches us to reach, and hold onto, that inner connection with the All-That-Is.  This is your connection to the "stillpoint"-the "void"- the point at which all things are possible and from which all things spring.  Sadness fades with time, but this connection is eternal.  This is your clarity, vision and sustenance.  

And if, at any time, you feel overwhelmed with more questions than you can handle, the answer to all them all, is Love. The kind of unconditional Love that comes from holding a strong connection to your Source.

No matter what.

The Power of Mindset

MAKE UP YOUR MIND!!!!

I can't tell you how often I've heard those words. But I never understood how important it was to do just that...in a manner of speaking.
Most people have one of two mindsets about their core attributes; an open mindset or a closed mindset. An individual with a closed mindset might look at themselves, their talents and their attributes--like intelligence, and assume that these trates are immutable. They see themselves as having been born with a certain qualities that will never change, carved in stone. Problems in their world mean that they somehow dont merit anything better.
Those who have an open mindset are much more likely to see themselves as a work-in-progress; someone whose talents and knowlege can be cultivated and grow over time. Set-backs do not destroy them.
Which are you?
The most likely answer is; both. Depending on the situation or the time, we all exhibit traits of either, and that's just fine.
But at the same time, it is important to keep in mind that when you have a fixed mindset, everything reflects on you. You feel that everything in your life makes you seem worthy or unworthy. You look for mates who are perfect and make you look perfect. Most importantly, however, you limit yourself and your growth.
When confronted with a problem, those of us with closed mindsets will think "Well, I dont have the skills to cope with this, so I wont bother." Those with open--or "growth" mindsets might say "I havent seen this before, but I've prevailed in challenges before so maybe I will solve the problem this time too; or perhaps I can learn something here even if I dont succeed."
In simple terms, this mindset is beneficial for the Huna practitioner because

1) A Huna practitioner looks at everything and judges it by one thing only--Is it effective?

2) She is willing to try something new if the old methods do not work

3) She understands that Life is a process of growing and stretching.

4) She knows that the world is a reflection of one's self so perfection is entirely in her own hands.

Think awhile on your approaches to challenges and try to figure out how you most often approach them.
Think about your partners. Do you expect them to be perfect or do you consider them "works in progress"?
Do you feel that the works of the people around you somehow reflect on your worth as a person (especially when they're doing something stupid)?

Life really *is* a process of growing and stretching. If you feel as though you've stagnated, or that you have not had the opportunities you wanted; instead of looking for outside sources that you think are in your way, or blame other people who can't seem to get their act together, look inward and make a note of *your* mindset.
There is no success without risk, therefore, an individual who can cope with risk, assumes responsibility for her own thoughts and is willing to try a different approach until success is reached.

Take a good look inside...and "make up your mind."