Outer World is my Inner World

After decades of study I have personally integrated the realization that my outer world is created from the vibration of my inner world.

Transforming Mistakes into Opportunities

From my experiences managing Mom's health care crisis over these last 3 weeks, I see how I have learned to turn mistakes into opportunities. This is a very powerful competence to have. I recognize the good that came from the errors made by others. This makes me realize I am not a victim of other people's false beliefs and gives me confidence to act bolder in the world.

Being at Peace

I am thrilled to be able to write words to say I am at peace with life, with love, with God and with my self.

If you are reading these words and are on the journey of peace, I happily can report healing of past pain and hurt is within your reach if you too don't give up. You have within you the wisdom to guide you. You have to turn to it and trust it.

I am most grateful for my perseverance and determination to heal myself. And I have more to go and I go deeper into my healing enveloped with peace.

I see you you being at peace.

Flooded with Gratefulness

Tiger, one of my cats, went missing from 1:30pm to 5:30am this morning when my partner heard him crying to come back into the house while I was upstairs praying for his return. I breathe in a sigh of relief and joy having my family back together safe and complete.

Breakthrough In Not Taking Others Personally

I am happy to be able to say I am able relate to other people's behavior in a more conscious way. In the past, I would act as though what others said was the truth. Now I can see what others say may not be the truth but merely their ego perception being in control of what they see.

This awareness now stops me from taking what others say about me personally. It is such a relief to realize what they say may have absolutely nothing to do about me. I am now free of what others think.

Not taking other people personally is truly an essential teaching to embody!

It's Time to let Go

For Lent I am doing Charles Fillmore's program called "To Keep a True Lent". In today's lesson, the second day of Lent, he talks about the power that comes from speaking our word. He says there is great power to be developed in our larynx. The energy of Spirit coalesces in our throat.

I am now back living in a city I left 27 years ago. Memories of how my life used to be come with feelings of sadness that they are no more and I now am ready to say goodbye to them. Through the power of my word, I now turn to the present, I lovingly let go what was and turn my attention to this new day.

Many Kinds of Belief

It is my opinion the English language does not adequately describe what the word belief means. We all know for instance Eskimos have many different words to describe the different kinds of snow there are whereas in English we just say snow to refer to all the varieties.

That there are varieties of belief comes to my attention as I become more aware of the levels of belief I have passed through in my journey to believe in God.

I can say I believe in God yet I now understand that if I did embody the belief than because life constantly reflects what I believe my life would be always wonderful. I don't think my life is always wonderful so this means my belief in God is not complete.

I shall undertake this search for the nuances in the experience of believing.

Laws of Love

A revelation: I now open to be aware of the laws of love and am governed by them.

When Bad Things Happen

Do I have the courage to look within for how I take part in what happens to me when I call something bad? Do I block healing when I call things bad? Maybe it is a misperception to even call things bad and the misperception detracts me from getting free of what I call bad.

I Claim Life is for Fun

I now give myself permission to believe life is for fun. All my beliefs in struggle disappear. I daily awake with an anticipation of having a wonderful day.

Daily I Deepen My Union with Life

Breathing in, I embrace my union with Life. Breathing out, I release my fear of Life. I practice this breathing exercise for 15 minutes.

I Create My Life

I accept the power of creating my life as I choose it to be.

Being in the Heart of God(Life)

As a Catholic, I took the words "God is Love" superficially. I never was able to apply this teaching practically to my life. In my previous entry I ended it with the question, "Where does God fit into all of this?" My question was answered last night.

I woke up around 2 am and the insight came to me to turn the whole situation I was dealing with over to God's love. I centered my attention on my heart area and emotionally was able to open to experience love. A moment passed and I felt bathed in love energy. This experience of love I call being in the heart of God. I felt at peace and felt protected by love. I feel insulated from hurt.

What is there to see?

Now that I have taken on the philosophy that I am ultimately responsible for everything that happens to me, it has changed what I see. A condition arose this Christmas that gave me an opportunity to see aspects of my inner life in a way I haven't seen before. This situation gave me the chance to become more aware of who I am being. I am able to see it really makes no difference how others are being. What is important to me is how I am being. I was surprised to see who I was being. I am wondering how God fits into all of this.

Crossing Over into the Realm of God

I have spent decades attempting to know God personally. I am very grateful I was interested in pursuing this adventure and journey because it has made living more peaceful, secure and happy. My experience of believing in God seems to have come from a place deep within my consciousness. Actually I really don't know how it happened. The doubt has disappeared. I know there is something beyond my five senses. I also know this journey and adventure has just begun.

If you too desire to know God personally but are filled with doubt and scepticism, I encourage you not to give up. In the midst of the doubt, keep asking your intuition for guidance. A key understanding about intuition is the more we turn to it consciously, the more it responds to us. Experiment with it and see what happens. Let me know what shows up if you want.

Freeing my Body from my Mind

As I was sweeping my bathroom floor the inspiration came to me to love what I was doing. Because of all the purification of my mind I have done over the years, I was able to experience love while I swept the floor. It felt really good to feel the love in my body. I was very thankful and appreciative.

It occurred to me there was a time before I learned how to process my mind when my mind would judge sweeping thinking it was simply a menial task. I didn't realize this judgment interfered with my ability to experience love.

I had become disconnected from my body. Through the various purification techniques I've used, I have learned how to heal my suppressed emotions and from that now have more positive energy available to me.

I strongly encourage any one to take up a purification journey because the joy released is wonderful and daily life becomes a pleasure. I have a preference for Breathwork as a purification method but there are others out there to pick from. Find one that resonates with you and experience the power and joy of purifying your mind. Much love.

Infinite Intelligence Moves Fast

As I was organizing a box , I came across my Father's obituary that was laminated and on the other side was the prayer "There is a Season" from Ecclesiaste 3:1-8. I read through it and paused when I read the words ...A time for killing. I reflected and wondered how that applies in my life devoted to peace. I finished emptying out the box and moved to another area of the room when a mosquito flew in front of me. I didn't blink and slapped my hands together and killed it. I got to see how I do kill life.

Prayer for World Peace

I know there is but One Mind, which is the Mind of God, in
which all people live and move and have their being.

I know there is a Divine Pattern for humanity and within
this pattern there is Infinite harmony and peace, coopera-
tion , unity, and mutual helpfulness.

I know that the mind of each person, being one with the
Mind of God, shall discover the method, the way and the
means best fitted to permit the flow of Divine Love between
individuals and nations.

I know there shall be a free interchange of ideas, of cul-
tures, of spiritual concepts, of ethics, of educational systems,
and scientific discoveries-for all good belongs to all alike.

I know that, because the Divine Mind has created us all, we
are bound together in one Infinite and perfect unity.

In bringing about World Peace, I know that all people and
all nations will remain individual, but unified for the com-
mon purpose of promoting peace, happiness, harmony, and
prosperity.

I now declare that in each person and in leaders of thought
everywhere this Divine Pattern moves into action and form,
to the end that all nations and all people shall live together
in peace, harmony, and prosperity forever.

So it is now.

by Ernest Holmes
founder of Science of Mind

God Meditations

God is Good.
I know myself to be an expression of this Good.
True power is a moment by moment recognition of God.
I choose to be in my power.
I choose to recognize God is the midst of all my activity.
And so it is. Amen

Rev. Dr. Kathianne Lewis, 7/14/97

Welcome Meditation

Father,Mother,God, use me as an instrument of your love.
Help me to truly SEE people, that they may feel acknowledged.
Remind me to smile that others may be cheered and reminded that life can be joyful.
Speak through me that others will feel welcomed.
Open my heart that all might feel loved.
I know that in all that I do this day I am a blessing and I am blessed.

Rev. Dr. Kathianne Lewis

Emma Curtis Hopkins' Meditation for Forgiveness

Father-Mother God, Here is my mind-
I spread it out before thee,
You forgive its foolishness and its ignorance
With Thy bright wisdom

And here is my life-
I offer it to Thee,
You forgive me its contrariness
You forgive me my willfulness
You forgive my egotistical nature.
My belief in my own lacks and limitations,
You forgive me.
You forgive me that I may know your Wholeness,
Your Perfection, Your Ability to do great things
Through me for the good of others.

And here is my heart-
You forgive its restlessness and its dissatisfaction.
You forgive it its discouragements. You forgive its resentments,
You forgive its hates and its fears.
And may I know your Strength,
May I know your Love, may I know your Ability to see the
God within all people.
Make my heart an instrument of Thy great work upon this planet.
May I be a healing force in my family,
And in my work, in my neighborhood, in my city and in my world,
Do great things through me, for this heart is your heart.
May it beat with eternal love.

And here is my body-
You forgive it its imperfection with thy own Perfection.
May my body reflect the spiritual nature of all things
Whole, Complete, and Perfect.
And you forgive me altogether my smallness.
You forgive my belief that I am nothing
That I may be the SOMETHING you created me to be.
That I may reflect the glory of God, The Goodness of God
The Peace of God, the Love of God, The joy of God, The Life of God.
May I speak my word and people are healed.
And people are reminded of our unity and our common ground.

Father-Mother-God
Make me an instrument of Something Great and Powerful
Happening on this planet.
You forgive me my smallness with the largeness of Thy Life.
That I might see Thy Light everywhere,
That I might hear Thy voice everywhere.
That I might reveal Thy Goodness everywhere.

AND SO IT IS---AMEN

Death is a Dream

"Death is the central dream from which all illusions stem. Is it not madness to think of life as being born, aging, losing vitality, and dying in the end? This is regarded as the 'way of nature', not to be raised to question, but to be accepted as the 'natural' law of life. The cyclical, the changing and the undependable- all this is taken as the WILL of God. And no one asks if a benign Creator could will this."

-A Course In Miracles

Healing Pain with my Inner Life

i have developed exercise habits over the years and sometimes while exercising i sprain my hip. In the past i would immediately turn to Ibuprofen for relief even though naturopaths and my spiritual healers supported the practice of healing the pain naturally. More recently a warning against the use of Ibuprofen from my chiropractic cousin Kathleen Fusco hit home because this weekend i have experienced a major breakthrough in healing the pain without Ibuprofen.

When the pain arose, i did not bend to the urge to rush for the pain relief i get from Ibuprofen but instead let myself be with the pain, breathe into it and experience it. I knew cold packs helped so i placed some on the area.

The first day i was in uncomfortable pain. Because i believe the idea that physical pain may be an expression of deeper emotional pain and by processing the physical pain, by experiencing it and opening up the energy in it, the emotional pain is resolved. For about a day and half the pain hurt me. I stayed conscious of the pain, letting it be, even loving it. i also put my hand over the area and sent love energy into it.

I was amazed when on the 2nd morning, i awoke being almost pain free. There was just a very little soreness but the most part of it disappeared. This is very exciting to me to actually experience how i am able to heal physical pain through the powers in my inner life. I did it all without the use of an artificial pain killer.

In the past when i used the pain killer, it took much longer to heal.

Breath Spirit

The native Hawaiians thought the missionaries who attempted to teach them about God were very peculiar because when the missionaries prayed they paid no attention to their breath. The Hawaiians on the other hand used their breath to connect with the spirit within them. They believed by keeping their breath open and flowing as they prayed, they awakened the God within.

The World Needs Your Feminine Power

It's hit home personally for me just now. The consensus of many writers is that the world will be saved through feminine power. I am ready to be guided to play my part. Are you?

Please remember, we all have feminine power as we all have masculine power so this call applies to men as well as to women.

Raising Your Vibration with Jonette Crowley

If you are interested in ways to raise your vibration, I'd like to introduce you to the work of Jonette Crowley, www.JonetteCrowley.com. I strongly recommend you check out her work if you are looking for a teacher to help you experience higher spiritual vibrations you know are possible for you.

I will be interviewing her this weekend for "Being with Rosemary"(see my profile for air times), my television show that also streams live on the web.

We'll be talking about her book "The Eagle & the Condor'" where she writes about her spiritual journey in becoming an international spiritual teacher who is able among other things to activate people's heart chakra.

Jesus' Teaching on Problem Solving

There is a story about Jesus in the Bible that goes like this. Jesus is out in the middle of a large body of water with his disciples in a boat when a huge storm arises that threatens to topple their boat. His disciples become very frightened and tense and turn to Jesus and plead for his help. The guidance he gives them are these words "Be of Good Cheer for I am here with you".

What we all must come to understand about ourselves is our inner wisdom can only be accessed when we are in a calm state and trust the Higher Self to guide us, the "I" Jesus was really referring to when he said "I am here with you".

The Christian religion in its effort to teach its members who may not have been educated or able to devote long hours to spiritual training, created the dogma that this "I" who could be relied upon in all circumstances is Jesus when in fact what Jesus taught is this "I am here with you " is the "Being" within us who is available to us 24/7. This "Being" is referred to in the Bible as the the Holy Spirit.

If you were raised as a Christian, you may have to unlearn the conditioning from this dogma that your salvation resides in someone outside of you. The key is to convince your mind that what you are to trust to guide you is the "Being" within yourself, the Holy Spirit within yourself.

This new conditioning may take a while to connect with but the effort is priceless. Once this trust is found, you will be able to remain of Good Cheer in the face of any challenge and access the infinite Wisdom within you to handle any worldly condition.

Accessing the Power of the Sign of the Cross

I like calling the God within the Holy Spirit. I am very much aware of how my consciousness has shifted over the years in understanding what the Holy Spirit means to me. I think of myself as a being who is consciously open to a higher realization of God and I am not attached to a particular dogma as my path on this journey. I began my religious training as a Catholic and now find myself reframing some of the spiritual practices I learned.

Here is how I have come to experience the Sign of the Cross which I practice almost daily because making the sign of the cross brings great inner calmness to me. As I reach up to touch my forehead, the physical experience of raising my arm and hand lifts my consciousness above the facts of my worldly conditions and into the realm of the divine. Pressing my finger tips on my forehead in the region of the third eye chakra, I touch the energy of intuition. Bringing my hand down and gently pressing my finger tips over my heart , I touch the energy of love. Then as I move my hand to touch my left shoulder and then right shoulder, the movement of my hand channels the energy of love and creates a shield of love.

I realize I am scratching the surface of the power that is released when making the jesture that has come to be called the "Sign of the Cross".

Being with Loss

I am feeling very sad. This morning I went to get gas and got agitated when I had to go inside to get assistance from the attendant. This past week has been a struggle for me to be with what is happening instead of fighting with it. I've been doing a lot of fighting with what is.

I went inside the gas station and there was a part of me that wanted to scream but instead I managed to calm myself and take care of what needed to be taken care of. The attendant's friendliness helped me to get over the imposition.

As I walked out the door to my car, my eyes drifted across the street and there saw the entrance to the cemetery I drove into just last week today to experience the burial of Rose lattanzio's body. It jarred me and brought perspective to what I was complaining about. I've made a habit of looking for the lesson life may be offering me and this is what I am learning from my sadness.

It's okay for me to just be sad and miss the people and animals no longer here in physical form. I can just take time and be sad. To miss them. Feel the loss and accept the loss. I can guard against my mind trying to find meaning in what happened and instead just give myself conscious permission to be sad. I know if the grief becomes too intense I can call out to the Holy Spirit within for help but it is important for me to experience my sadness until it naturally heals itself.

My old way of dealing with emotional discomfort was to escape from it through alcohol or pot. I want to do that now but the part of me that wants to heal is strong enough to convince me to bear the pain, to yield to it. I also know from my spiritual study that it is up to me to reframe my pain and to look for the silver lining. I believe it is up to me to see the good in everything. Metaphysically I even know I have the choice to call forth the Good in anything I may be experiencing. This is me facing the existential moment of free will.

2:46pm Eastern time As I grapple with my resistance to things happening today, I am becoming aware that the source of my struggle is coming from my attachments. It is an interesting journey to gather awareness around my attachments. It has taken me a very long time to know when my pain is coming from an attachment because I was so caught up in the drama of life as if it were real. Reality is a function of my attachments any way what i think is real.

This is really the question I ask myself. What is real?

Angela Saturno's Eulogy for her sister Roselinda

 

A letter to Roselinda, also known as Rose, Rosebud and my favorite Rosie

 

When we hear your music we will think of you

When we need strength we will call on you

When we eat your favorite food (mom's homemade pasta) we promise to savor every bite

When we are uncertain we will remember your confidence

How is it that when we wear your hand me downs we look more stylish?

How is it that you were able to take not only your pain but ours as well?

How is it that you learned to give so much and take so little?

How is it that we are in our place knowing that you are fine in your place?

It is you who taught us how to live with grace

It is you who educated us about the finer things in life

It is you who confirmed our trust in God

It is you who demonstrated that the transition into the spiritual world can be done with peace and gratitude.

Rosebud, my love

While you may have taken a piece of every heart in this church, you have given each one of us a part of your spirit and we thank- you

Karen Convertino's Eulogy for her cousin Rose Lattanzio

As I explained in my blog on Wednesday, I had a numinous experience while attending the funeral of Rose Lattanzio. Posting the eulogies spoken for her by her loved ones is my way of expressing love and gratitude.

Karen's eulogy:

"The miracle of family - my family in particular - never ceases to amaze me. Over the past 15 years, we have been tested more times than some but much less than many. However, each time my family has faced the potential of devastating circumstances; they not only rise to the occasion in their own “unique” way, but somehow seem to emerge stronger than ever.

In every family there are a wide range of roles to fill – the leader, organizer, care-giver and so on. In her last days, Rose selflessly took on multiple rolls as our leader, uniter and healer. Her strength, fearlessness, humor and wit allowed us as a family to create memories of her and each other that will tie us together forever. And herein lies the miracle that none of us expected or could have even hoped for...the sorrow was a given, the broken hearts were unavoidable, but the laughs, smiles and memories that were created under Rose’s orchestration in the last four days of her life are nothing short of a miracle and I will be forever grateful to her for this amazing gift.

We have all experienced loss in some form. I think as we search for reasons why, we must look at what was given to us by those who left this world sooner than we would have liked. As I look back, I think that the strongest among us leave first and they pass their strength to those of us remaining so we can be better prepared to face future challenges.

None of us knows what the future holds, but I am confident that whatever challenges arise, I will have the miracle of family to carry me through.

Rose, your life was a gift to us and I hope the strength you leave behind will be used as wisely and effectively to continue the ever increasing bonds that always make this family a miracle for me."

Cameron's Eulogy for his Aunt Rose

As I promised in a previous entry, here is one of the eulogies written for Rose Lattanzio by her nephew and Godchild Cameron.


"I’ve never delivered a eulogy before. As I considered what I would say though, I thought about that word, eulogy. It’s a compound word, literally meaning good word. In eulogies, we say good words about loved ones or friends who have passed from this life. We recount life lessons we’ve learned from them. We tell of our happy memories of them.

Helen Keller once said, that “What we once enjoyed, and deeply loved, we can never loose for all that we love deeply becomes a part of us.”

My Aunt Rose was a no nonsense women who loved deeply, devotedly, sometimes fiercely, and wasn’t afraid to reveal the intensity of her feelings. My Mom tells us that Rose was so much like our father, and grandfather. All three loved to talk, talk, talk, and had an enormity of friends, more than most people would experience in a life time.

One of the things I learned from Aunt Rose was the importance of telling the people we love how much they mean to us and why. I had this opportunity often with her over the years, especially the day before she died. One of the things I shared with her was how much she meant to me, and how much my brother and I appreciated her being there for our mother. They say it takes a village to raise a child, and I am grateful mine, my brothers, and my cousins included my Aunt Rose.

I recall when I was younger, she would say……Cammy my Love as she would suck in her cheeks, and pucker her lips into this odd shape, and they would start to wiggle. This was hers and my trade mark kiss the infamous Fish Kiss. As she would leave our home when my Dad was sick, I would remember her saying can I get a hug and a kiss, and my brother and I would always say a Fish Kiss of course. I think I will have to copyright it now.


Politics and Jazz! Before I could even talk I knew every thing there was to know about politics. Republicans Democrats… my head would be spinning. You could never win, with her so I would just nod my head yes to everything she would say. (But it wasn’t like I could understand anything in the first place. Boy did I have her fooled). Now Jazz! That was a different story, we would dance, and sing, and pretend we were playing the trumpet, and move to the sounds. When we would try to change the station it was a slap of the hand. It’s a good thing I have my own car now. I can’t say that I have learned to love Jazz yet, but perhaps some day I will.


During our time together at the hospital Aunt Rosie said to me “that many say that she has never known love”. I think what she was trying to tell me was, that just because she never married does not mean that she never knew love. She did know love. She was married to her nieces and nephews, to her friends, to her family, and most of all to life.
As a teenager I can relate to wanting to sleep in and not get up until two in the afternoon. But when we would go over to Grandma’s for Sunday dinner, Aunt Rose would still be in bed until well after noon. At the time I would think what is up with that, but Rose I completely understand why now. If only our mothers would agree.


A Godmother. It is an honor given to a person by the parents with their belief that they can full fill some aspects of life that parents can not. She was so happy. She was happy to see me, she was happy to see you, and she was happy to see your neighbor, and I know she was happy to see God. Her love for life has rubbed off on all of us, and it would behoove all of us to share in her joy.


She was my Godmother, and I will cherish and respect what she has taught me. She was our childhood, she was the coolest. We were her children. In the fairy tale story Cinderella, Cinderella asks…Do you love me because I am beautiful, or am I beautiful because you love me. I believe she, and we, are both. We are all beautiful, when we are giving love, and we are all beautiful, when we are receiving love. She truly knew how to do both.
We will all toast to you Aunt Rose as, we eat your favorite French Bread Pizza tonight. We love you dearly, and you will always have a special place in our hearts.

All of our love, your Godson, and all of your nieces and nephews."

Feeling God's Presence

I went to Roselinda Lattanzio's funeral today and felt God's presence. I never had the chance to meet Rosie, as she was lovingly called by her family and friends, but I knew of her because our parents were best of friends. As I experienced the tradition of saying goodbye to the death of a loved one, I cried remembering people I have lost to death. I particularly remembered my father Mariano and Rose's father Rocky, SR. The deep respect they had for each other always inspired me and I truly loved Rocky.

I felt so appreciative to be able to see God through Rose's families' tears and my tears. I was especially touched by the eulogies written by three of her family members so touched I asked if I could post them to share the inspiration I received from hearing them with you. As soon as I receive them, I'll post them. I could feel God's love hearing these words.

Blessings Rose on your next adventure into eternity.

Going Where No Woman has Gone Before

As a female, I have been on a life journey of breaking free of the limited roles designated for my gender. I came out of a culture where men where the bread earners and women were the care takers. It surprises me to see how deeply ingrained these ways of being were to me. I acquired belief systems that made it a struggle for me to identify myself as a person who is worthy to make a lucrative income and to run a successful business.

To be part of history witnessing a woman run for the Presidential nomination, is having a profound impact on my deeper subconscious expectations for the place females are to play in life. I am personally appreciative of Hillary Clinton's leadership, courage and faith in herself to go where no women has gone before. My perceptions of what is possible for myself are shifting out of her vision. She has encouraged me to look within and trust the vision that appears for my life.

Relying Upon Conscious Prayer

Knowing my mind connects with Infinite Intelligence as I draw my energy to a focal point, I envision every person who votes tomorrow in the Washington state caucus is guided to select the candidate who will be best capable of making policy decisions that moves Life to a higher level of peace and love.

God and Sex

I just had an insight that has opened a new window to see other people. It fascinates me to realize almost every person I meet originated in some kind of sexual experience. I say almost because there will be more and more people who have their origins in a test tube. It interests me that the God of all creation coupled a most pleasurable experience, an orgasm, with how life is created. This insight gives me a new appreciation for the wonder of life.

Understanding God as the Eternal Now

We are at the time of year when many different religious traditions are celebrating some holiday of significance to them. I mention this because I recognize those of you reading this blog who may not relate to using the word God to signify anything important in your understanding of life and yet it is all around you. I caution you not to let your judgment of the use of certain words deny you of the discovery of a power that you can use to create the life you desire. Such a power is God in my use of the word.

As I look back at my life, it interests me to see my progression in being able to relate positively to my now. I admit I still can get trapped by unconsciously judging and resisting my now but I am very much thrilled and magnetized to keep my mind open to my now. I encourage you to take on the journey of going into your now consciously, mindfully and see what is there for you to discover.


I have found to be in the Now opens me up to dimensions and realities of myself I never knew existed. It truly is a grand adventure to learn how to move through your judgments, resistances and fears of the now in your life regardless of its nature and receive the gift waiting for you as you open your mind to let be what is.

Cookie Cutter Step in Manifestation

I now see it isn't enough for me to simply think about what it is I desire to manifest. It is vital that I also take the time and create the inner feeling of having what it is I desire to manifest. I call this the cookie cutter step. It is important to practice experiencing my desire within my emotional body. I like to think of it as bringing it home.


I encourage you to make sure you too practice being a person who has the desire you are thinking about. This may take some purposeful attention on your part. Turn within to your intuition and ask for guidance in creating this inner experience. You will know when you have accomplished this inner experience because your desire will be made physical.


This is the step where healing past traumas and wounds makes the most impact. In order to create an inner emotional experience of your desire, you ned energy to draw from. Your energy may be locked up in your insecurities, doubts and fears. If you find it is difficult for you to bring forth an inner experience of your desire, that may be a sign you want to put your attention on healing your inner life. It may also indicate a lack of faith and so you will want to go about widening your possibilities.

Overcoming Superstition

A little while ago, I received an email from a friend of mine that turned out to be a chain letter. The person sending the original message claimed to be associated with the Anthony Robins' Association and when I read that I didn't believe it thinking Tony Robins wouldn't have anything to do with chain letters.


The message threatened that if I didn't send it out to other people within 6 minutes I would get an unpleasant surprise. I want to say I wouldn't have even read the message but it was misrepresented by a title that intrigued me. Something like Lotus Touts and the word Lotus caught my attention. The message had to do with emailing around 16 ideas that supported friendship to other people.

As soon as I read about the ominous outcome if I didn't send it on, I stopped reading and immediately decided not to pass this on to my friends. But my mind was influenced by the threat of an unpleasant surprise. It turns out, a second memoir I am writing is about transcending superstitious thinking and I thought this circumstance would give me a chance to practice not bending to superstition. However, there was a part of me that was concerned and went about my day.


I decided to call a publicist handling an author of a book that I wanted to interview for my TV show "Being In Seattle" to set up arrangements. As I waited on the phone to be connected with the publicist, I read the author's dedication and was unpleasantly surprised to learn about the transition of someone whose work has influenced me greatly. The person is Richard Carlson. I loved his work and got to interview him twice. I highly recommend any of his books.


There I was left with the experience of receiving an unpleasant surprise shortly after the 6 minute ultimatum that I refused to adhere to in the chain letter. The reason I am taking the time to write a blog about this is because it gives me an opportunity to remind us that we are at choice in how outer circumstances affect us and more importantly have the power to change what race consciousness says is so. I not only have the freedom to respond in a way that works best for me but I have the freedom to stop believing in the existence of unpleasant surprises.


Because I am deliberately attempting to move beyond superstition, I now use this experience to reclaim my power to call forth the Good in this condition. I claim the power to see everything as an expression of a Higher Good. Knowing the power of Word I deny the existence of unpleasant surprises. All of life is Good when seen through eyes that see Spirit and Love.

(I am including this email I just received from the publicist I mentioned above that gives a sense of who Richard was and a tribute Oprah will give to him Dec.5. 2007.)

THE RICHARD CARLSON MEMORIAL FUND:
Administered by the East Bay Community Foundation

MISSION STATEMENT:

Richard Carlson was a man of heart. In honor of the lifetime achievements brought to the world through his writing and teachings, the Richard Carlson Memorial fund was set up by friends and family to support non-profit organizations and programs that foster and nurture value system, education and the betterment of mental and physical health of our nation’s youth, as well as those groups that envision Change and World Peace. This fund will be distributed by Kristine, Jasmine and Kenna Carlson with additional guidance from Laura and Jim Hulburd.

Dear Friends and Family;

It is hard to believe that we are coming upon the one year anniversary of Richard’s passing. I was initially dumbfounded that there wasn’t a National tribute to Richard, so I am publishing a personal gift he gave to me on our 18th wedding anniversary called: “An Hour to Live, An Hour to Love: The true story of the best gift ever given.” (To be published Jan. 15, 2008) My dream of a Tribute came true, as the Oprah Winfrey show called to work us into a show promoting one of Mitch Albom’s book “For One More Day.” Then, the segment grew to include a tribute to Richard’s life and work! It was very emotional for us, but the girls and I just arrived home from taping the show in Chicago; it will be aired on December 5th.

I would like to share with you that there has been a Memorial Fund established in Richard’s honor. We have an anonymous donor that has offered to match the first $100,000.00 contributed to the fund. In other words, if contributions total $100,000 the size of the fund will start at $200,000. We would be touched and honored if you would consider giving a tax deductible donation; each donation will be matched. This type of fund can only accept donations greater than or equal to $1,000. You can choose to contribute cash or securities.

Please consider remembering Richard’s legacy, and the memory of the incredible man of heart that he exemplified for the world through his books and the way he navigated life offering 100% of himself to everything he did and everyone he knew. Richard said: “You will not be remembered as much for your accomplishments in life as you will for the amount of love you carried in your heart.” Richard carried enough Love in his heart to heal the world.

Five percent of the net profits from “ An Hour to Live, An Hour to Love: The true story of the best gift ever given” will be donated to this fund.

Thank you and remember to treasure the gifts of Life and Love this holiday season,

Kris, Jasmine and Kenna Carlson


To contribute to the Memorial Fund

CHECKS make payable to: The Richard Carlson Memorial Fund
C/O Merrill Lynch
ATTN: Tricia Kramer
101 California Street, STE 2100
San Francisco, CA 94111

SECURITIES please call: Tricia Kramer at Merrill Lynch
Direct: (415) 288-2597
Toll Free: (866) 214-6887

Paying Attention

It just happened a few moments ago. I was conscious of being in between two beliefs, one more expansive than the other. This experience inspired me to write this blog.


I find my life becoming more organized and at peace as I stay conscious that the source of my experience of reality is thoughts. I want to be clear that I have come to see that I don't have to identify the thought and analyze or try to change it. My awareness is the key.


Yesterday I had the urge to write a blog entry sharing my ideas around what it means to live consciously. I didn't follow through and later in the evening I came across Nathaniel Branden's book "The Art of Living Consciously" on my bookshelf as I was organizing it.


I have had this book since it was published in 1997 and have been meaning to read it all the way through having only read so far parts of it. What caught my attention is chapter 3 entitled "A Conscious Life-Knowing What We Are Doing While We Are Doing It" and read well into the wee hours of the night. I am blown away by his ideas and am totally inspired to amp up being mindful and paying attention.

Talking about Nathaniel brings back this memory I had with him and his then friendship with philosopher Ayn Rand. Back in the mid 60's, when I was living in NYC and studying to get my master's degree in psychology, I was dating a man who was an ardent fan of her philosophy. He took me to dances her people organized and I would enjoy watching Ayan Rand and Nathaniel Branden dance together. The energy in the room was always exciting in their presence.


I am excited to rekindle my interest in being conscious of being present to my life experience and pay attention to what I am paying attention to.

A Rose by Any Other Name

Yesterday I wrote a blog reflecting on an experience I had in the morning of deliberately practicing accepting "what is". I was reminded of what I wrote when I was walking Mishu a little while ago. Mishu is a very little dog who doesn't like to walk. I am told "by authorities" he needs to have exercise and so I attempt to give him opportunities to exercise and this has the potential of ending in a war of wills. This morning when he wouldn't walk, I noticed I was able to remain calm and not have an emotional reaction. I was able to have my energy be in alignment with what was. When he didn't want to walk, I gently gave him a little tug and when he still resisted I simply picked him up and carried him. In a relaxed state of mind, the realization came to me that he does sometimes walk and it may not mean he has to exercise every single day. I let go control.


Here is an insight that came from this experience. I am aware that when my mind is able to let "be" whatever "is" in the moment, I get access to a wisdom, an intelligence, within me that is able to provide guidance to me. I could call it the Holy Spirit, my Higher Self, my Self, intuition, free flow thinking, but now I see it doesn't matter what I call it. Gertrude Stein said, a rose by any other name is still a rose. It took years of study to get to this point where I don't confuse the label for the experience. In his teaching on this subject, Werner Erhard used the metaphor of people going into a restaurant and eating the menu instead of the food.

A Victim of My Own Mind

This morning as I went about doing what I thought needed to be done to take care of a health condition my dog Mishu has, I became very aware of how the responses of my mind to this experience was making the situation much worse. Before I began practicing noticing how my mind was relating to the conditions of my world, I was a victim of my mind. It took years of practice to have this awareness.


This morning it was hard work to shift my perception and be at peace with my circumstances. I caught my mind not wanting to deal with the situation, with wishing it wasn't the way it was, with wishing Mishu didn't have the condition, all ways of thinking that added stress to my experience. I got to see it is true that awareness opens doors to new ways of being. Each time I became aware of how my mind was fighting what is, a new perception arose. Gradually I was able to settle in to what needed to be done and as I took each step my mind let go its resistance and accepted what is.


I realize part of my struggle comes from my need to control my life and having to give my attention to Mishu was not what I had planned to do this morning. Choosing to move into the flow of my life, to the what is, is assisting my mind in letting go control. I totally forgot until now my new practice of seeing Life as Love(I wrote about this in a previous blog). Although it was my love for Mishu that allowed me to persist and take care of him and put aside my original plans. Now having going through the experience and reflecting on it, I have grown in my trust of being with and accepting the "is" of life.

A Sign of Love

From my earliest years, I longed to be able to write. As I expand in my awareness, I now see writing as a way to connect with my deepest nature. As I reached my 20's, I was caught up in external matters related to writing such as the elements involved in writing what would be considered publishable. Now I see that criteria as not the main concern. I see now that my love of writing is connected with my ongoing discovery of who I AM.

I'd like to share this occurrence I now see as a sign of how much life loves me. When I moved into my first apartment by myself, I was around 22 years old and moved to New York City from my home town of Utica,N.Y. I was about to begin a master's degree program at the New School University to get a master's degree in personality psychology. The woman who had been renting the apartment was an English major and left behind for me to have hundreds of classics that I always wanted to read.

A New "I"

I'd like to share this discovery with you. As I am able to free my attention away from the part of my mind entrapped by fear, the "I" of me senses a presence waiting to guide me. It's difficult for my rational mind to realize this reality. I don't know what pronoun to use. I don't know if its an it, a she or a he. This may be an instance when our language is inadequate to describe reality. I sense I am in process of taking on a new identity.

Practicing Life Being Love

Here is what I am now going to practice. I am going to stop using my mind to poke at what my life is doing from moment to moment. Instead I plan to trust and have confidence that my life knows how to do itself without my harping and meddling. I see a past where I totally lost sight of the natural flow that life is. I am excited to see what shows up in my life as I practice letting my life evolve in its innate natural way.

This is a brand new possibility I now see. I was never able to realize intrinsic to the nature of life is a natural positive progression. I was caught up in behavior, in activity, in what other people are doing, what I am or am not doing. I never had the perspective that I really don't have to do anything for Good things to appear in my life. I'm here to create a space for them to be. And I create the space by teaching my mind to loose itself from its habit of attempting to control what happens to me. For me nonresistance means realizing life is God.

Destroyed the God of my Childhood

I think it was Emerson who said in order to have a mature relationship with God in our adult years, we must destroy the God of our childhood. I truly have devoted my life to developing a practical relationship with God. Maybe the most accurate way to describe my experience is to say my path led me to want to know a reality beyond the physical, logical realm. I chose to focus a lot of my time on my spiritual experience.


What I'd like to say in this blog entry is I am most thankful for my persistence and determination to have in my conscious awareness a knowing of something beyond what my 5 senses know as real. I have a trust now in life that I never had before and it makes my whole experience of being alive more peaceful and relaxed. I really don't know what words to use to describe this trust. What I can say is that my trust gets stronger as I sense an intelligence/love operating in my best interest.

The word God carries with it a lot of meanings that detract but I use it to describe a relationship I now have with being alive that is very fascinating to me. I consider it an enormous accomplishment for me to have escaped from my intellect. I end with saying to you from my personal experience it is well worth the time to develop a trust in Life whatever path you choose to take.

Surprised by My Visceral Response

To set a context for what I'd like to write about,  I hold a vision for humanity to find ways to solve our conflicts that don't involve killing others. Yesterday, Sunday, while driving on I5 North I saw in front of me two very large unfamiliar looking, totally green army vehicles hauling unusually shaped green boats.  As I approached to pass, I had an inner urge to make a friendly, respectful connection by waving to the people in the trucks.  I waved and out of the corner of my eye I saw one of the people to be a very very young man.  While waving and my eyes seeing the young man,  I began shaking and started to cry.  Even now as I write, an intense emotion wells up inside of me.   

Thank You Life for the Convenience

In an earlier blog, I shared about how I have been guided to attract blue jays so that I get to enjoy seeing  them on a daily basis.  Today I experienced another  breakthrough.  It was getting at times an effort to have to go downstairs to feed them peanuts.  I would do it sometimes 4 or 5 times during a day.  Yesterday I started experimenting with lining up the peanuts on the railing of the porch outside my door. Sometime during the day they  came and took the peanuts.  Today 3 of them arrived and I simply had to open my door and place peanuts on the railing.  I can now see them right outside my bedroom window and one of my cats can enjoy watching them from the laundry room.  

Diane, my neighbor, told me her father who lives on Catalina Island off L.A. also fed peanuts to blue jays and got to a point where they took them from his hand.

I am so impressed by how smart they are.  For instance, just now one of them landed on the gutter of the house next door that I can see  as I work at my computer.  As I watched her/him, I wondered if s/he knew of my presence.  I got up and as I walked toward the back door, I could see her/him prancing along the gutter as I moved.  When I walked out doors, there s/he was in the tree seemingly waiting.  I didn't know if this blue jay was one of the one's who knew enough to get a peanut from the top of the railing.  I waited for her/him to see me place the peanuts and sure enough as soon as I went into the house, s/he started eating them.  It appears they see me sitting inside the house and they associate me as the one who feeds them.

As I finished the last sentence I looked up and sure enough there was one of them in a position on the gutter so I could see her/him.   I wondered if they ate all the peanuts and was wanting to get my attention to put more out there. As I opened the door, s/he flew from the gutter to a tree branch right outside the door, and sure enough all the peanuts were gone. All of a sudden I heard a lot of cackling and another blue jay appeared and the two of them were "fighting" to get in position.  I left more peanuts.  They got me trained.

Randy, My Father and Me

Last Saturday night, September 1st, my father who died in 1988, appeared in my dream. I can't remember the last time he was in one of my dreams.  It was great to see him but I have no memory of the  particulars of the dream.  I do remember sensing an intense energy in his face although I didn't know what to make of it.  When I woke up and thought about seeing him, I immediately became concerned that it was a sign that someone close to me may be making a transition from the earth plane. Believing this way came to me from cultural lore.

Because I'm writing my second memoir now and it is about me transcending my superstitious state of mind, I'm always looking for signs when my mind is being superstitious. I consciously chose to see my father's presence in my dream as meaning something else.  I spoke to my brother Frank later in the day and told him about Dad coming to me in my dream. Once I said it, neither of us made any comment about it.  I actually was excited that I got to see him because I miss him.  I may have told Frank I loved seeing Dad and  being with him.   

   

This past Sunday, September 9th, at about 12pm Pacific Time I was driving to pick up my partner.   Out of the blue, I started thinking about an experience I had with my cousin Randy many years ago that I thought would be interesting to write about in my blog. I hadn't thought about this experience for a very long time.   It  happened when I was 27  and he was 19.    It was summer time  and we decided to get together to catch up.  

We went to a local bar.  It was a lively crowd with a lot of drinking and laughing going on.  I think he was on leave from the Navy and he suggested we drink a drink he learned about while he was in the Navy.  As I was thinking about these things, I couldn't remember what the drinks were called so I decided it would be fun to give him a call later, he lived in Utica, New York to see if he remembered.  I hadn't talked to him for a long while.

There was something in me that wanted to continue thinking about this time with him  as I drove to pick up Liz.   That night, we got a kick out of the name of the drinks and the drinks themselves.  It was something like Zombies.  Whatever the name, it was a potent  drink.   Randy and I loved them and each had at least 3 or 4 of them.  We felt no pain and had such a great time.

I didn't know any better not to drive while I was intoxicated.  I trusted my driving skills and in  those years  there was no talk about naming a designated driver.   Randy and I  got into my brand new 240z and drove away.  It was the year when 240z's were first introduced. I was one of the first people in our city to buy one.   I didn't have the car very long.  At that time of my life I was a car buff. Before the 240z, I  owned a green convertible Mustang the year it first came out and  my very first car at 17 was an Alfa Romeo, a high school graduation gift from my Uncle Vic.

To get to Randy's house, we had to go up sort of a windy hill that was in the outskirts of the city.  It was dark with not very many houses around.  I can still remember coming around a curve and the front right wheel getting caught on the edge of the road.  I lost total control of the steering wheel and the car went flying.  I must have been driving fast enough for the car to plunge forward the way it did.  I don't remember any of the rest of the experience.  I only know I totaled my beautiful new car when it rammed into the tree in a lady's front yard.  Randy wasn't hurt at all.  I had to go to the hospital to get stitches for a cut over my lip. I had to wear a bandage over my nose as well but I don't remember breaking it.

These memories were flowing through my mind as  I drove past some of the buildings of the University of Washington on Montlake here in Seattle.  When I saw the buildings my mind was jarred away from thinking about Randy and the incident and the images of animals suffering in the research facilities of the University got my attention.  I then thought how trivial it would be for me to write in my blog about Randy and my drunken driving when there are so many other important things to focus on.  I let go any thought of writing about the experience.

About four hours later at my home I received a call from my brother Frank who lives in Utica, New York.  He told me Randy died of a heart attack earlier in the day.  I was stunned. I got off the phone with him and made a call to my Aunt Bea, Randy's mother.  She was too upset to talk and put Thad on the phone, Randy's brother.  He told me what had happened and I was curious about the time.  It turns out Randy was going through his transition almost exactly at the time I got the inspiration to think about him and our near death experience together years ago. 

I told Thad about my earlier experience of thinking about Randy and our encounter together. Thad told me last weekend Randy and him went to visit their Father who is in a nursing home and to get  there they had to drive past the property where the accident took place 37 years ago.  As they  drove past the tree  that totaled my car, Randy said to Thad  he will never forget the time Rosemary and him  hit the tree and the lady who owned the land the tree was on was only worried about who will take care of the tree. 

I love you Randy.  I know you are God's infinite being.  And Dad thank you for preparing me.

Living Into Instead of Away from Life

I'm writing this blog after reading deep into last night the books of the authors I will be interviewing tomorrow, Saturday, for my TV show "Being In Seattle". A part of me longs to be able to put down into words how deeply...I was just interrupted by my cat Lana who was crying in the kitchen to get her something to eat. When I went to feed her I noticed I had forgotten about the water boiling on the stove to make tea. After I gave Lana some food, put more water in the pot for my tea and got out a tea bag, my dog Mishu came into the kitchen wanting to be fed. Just a few minutes ago he rejected the food I laid down for him. But I took the time and took that food out of the refrigerator and put it in front of him again. Again he didn't eat it but I at least felt I gave him my attention. Then I caught myself taking time to tidy up the counter all the while thinking about my absolute need to write about what happens to me in life. I came to the conclusion that ultimately it seems I need to write as I need to breathe.


What happened to me on the inside that I had an urge to write about was my experience of noticing a new way of being that has become a habit for me. When I was in the kitchen, having to deal with all the tasks that arose to keep me from writing, I felt myself getting upset that I had so many distractions working out of my home. I had the awareness I wasn't being happy with what was taking place. My old way of being would have been to turn to alcohol or pot to find relief from my emotional reaction to my outer conditions. That would be me living away from life. Now I find myself able to turn into my being state however it is, not fight with it or try to change it, fix it, but experience it, and letting it be. This would be me living into life.

What I love about HD TV is how its vividness lets me see life's spirit in the images being shown. When I live into my life, a dimension of vividness comes into being. It makes my life HD. I experience living into life a powerful practice that allows my mind to be free from its past conditioning.

A Wonder Experience

I have an inner urge to tell you about a mysterious encounter I had with a
presumed stranger decades ago when I was a graduate student at Syracuse University. I was in a local cafe; and sat down at a booth alone. I was in my late 20's. A man walked by dressed in long robes. When I looked into his eyes, I had a sensation of knowing him personally although this was our first meeting. He smiled at me and I at him and he asked to sit down. I gestured yes. I was somewhat frightened by my feelings of intimacy with him, a perfect stranger.

We talked though I don't remember about what. What I distinctly do remember is the moment when we became silent and as I watched he turned one of his brown hands so that the palm was facing the table top and I saw thick liquid drops fall onto the table. He didn't say anything about it and for some reason I didn't say anything either being so spell bound. He then got up and left.I now see that he was materializing form from nothing.

The meeting took place at the time in my life when I was opening up to my spiritual nature. Since I left my Catholic upbringing at 17, I had been a firm agnostic. I never saw that man again although I frequently went to the cafe I know he opened me up to a level of connection with Reality and other people that I wasn't ready for until being with him. As time progresses I think of that meeting as a preparation for my going deeper into the true nature of Reality.

A Blue Jay Being Present Experience

In a previous blog entry I spoke about my love for blue jays and how my encounters with them are a spiritual experience. I have gotten into a routine with at least 2 of them that as I sit at my computer and notice them perched on the gutter of my next door neighbor's house, I go downstairs and feed them peanuts.

Today when I did this, I remembered something enlightened master Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda said during a recent interview I did with him for my weekly TV show "Being In Seattle". We were discussing what it means to be in the moment. He gave as an example of our not being in the moment our habit of taking pictures of the sights we see when on our vacations and forget to enjoy what we are seeing as we are experiencing them in the moment. The blue jay was less then 6 feet from me when she flew down and went from peanut to peanut to select which one she would take. Instead of running to get a camera to catch the beauty of the moment, I took a deep breath and just enjoyed being in the presence of the blue jay. It was a special moment for me. I captured the energy of it within my being.

You can see my interview with Nithyananda by going to his YOUTUBE site at http://www.youtube.com/Lifeblissfoundation and scroll down to favorites.

Taking Time out for my Emotions

It's been decades now that I have known about making sure I practice feeling my feelings and not suppressing them. I've gotten to a new appreciation of what this means on an every day level. Yesterday, when I picked up my partner she said something that I let trigger me. I was aware of my feelings and felt myself wanting to shut down.

In the past, I would have attempted to let her know what I thought about what she said and would go on and on and on. I was inspired to take a different approach. I took a time out as we drove home and I consciously let myself "be" with how I was feeling. Instead of EXPRESSING my anger I let myself experience how my anger felt inside of me.

I knew intellectually that such a practice integrates the emotion meaning the emotion which is energy goes through a cycle and completes itself. Depending upon how suppressed we are, all of our emotions if experienced internally turns into love. This essentially is what takes place during a meditation practice.

Well sure enough, in about 20 minutes I was able to be with my partner as if nothing had happened. On a feeling level I was calm and relaxed. The emotion completed itself as I gave it my attention. This takes time. I don't think most people take this time to care for their feeling nature. I am inspired to encourage you who read this to take the time to be aware of your emotional life and give it care.

I can tell you from personal experience that learning a bunch of skills to manage our emotions comes in handy to keep our relationships strong and healthy and loving.

An Experience with the Law of attraction

I love to look at blue jays. I call them my beloved. For the past 2 to 3
years, I've actually kept a journal of my sightings as a spiritual practice.

Today is a wonderful day in my quest to see my beloved blue jays regularly.They now land in a spot on the gutter of my neighbor's house which I can perfectly see as I sit here at my computer. They appear almost at eye level because my home is located on the second floor next door to this house. They are about 12 feet from me so I get a real up close look at them. They land on the gutter as they prepare to fly down on the grass to grab one of the peanuts that I place there.

We have developed a routine. In the morning, when I see them land on the
gutter, I go downstairs and take the bag of peanuts out of a container I keep on the porch. They can see me do this and hear the noise it creates. I then throw a handful of peanuts on the grass. It took a series of trials to get to placing them in a spot on the grass where when my beloveds land on the gutter to see which nut they will eat, I can conveniently see them.

What interests me is how I came to take the actions I took to get to the
point where I can now regularly see my beloveds as I sit comfortably in my home at my computer. The actions came very intuitively. I didn't create a plan or think through logically what needed to be done. I just stayed present to my vision of seeing them and acted when something inside of me prompted me to act.

This happening is a dream come true and in my mind is a clear demonstration of the law of attraction. I now have more confidence in creating outer realities that my mind may have doubted in the past. I am understanding on a personal level how to work with the laws of Life.

Celebrating Life

I was just playing with Tiger, one of my cats, and listening to music that always entertains and inspires me when I realized how much I love life. For me, it is all to do with being aware I am alive and being aware I am aware. A minister in her talk I listened to yesterday said our brain is only aware of 1/billionth or some gigantic amount of what is actually there to be aware of. Isn't that a staggering notion?

As I look back on my life's journey, I see I have always been a student of life. What dwells up inside of me as I write is my adoration for life. I see what a privilege and gift it is to breathe, to love and to be. I devote this life I am a bearer of to the preservation of all life as I currently know it to be and the forms it is to be and has been.

Knowing you are reading these words and they are touching your inner life in a good way is a fulfillment of a dream.

A thought to ponder

An important spiritual principle to understand and practice is "What we resist, persists. " Having known about this principle for years, I'm very interested to become aware of the ways I resist, and to let them go. I came upon this quote about resistance that is fodder for my mind. You may want to wrap your mind around it as well and see where it takes you.

Resistance does not mean walls and fences, nonresistance does not mean open space. If you can understand in this way, mind and matter are fundamentally the same.-Tsu-hsin

Ciao Rosemary

Being with tip

Being with our present now may be easier said then done. As I think back over my past, I see a steady progression in my ability to be present, to embrace whatever is occurring in my now. There were years when I turned to alcohol or pot to help me do this. Although at the time I wasn't conscious that is what I was using these substances for.

The tip I'd like to share today to being with our now is developing a confident, positive, ongoing relationship with our intuition. I know from personal experience, our intuition does respond when we make requests from it. If you don't have an ongoing relationship with your intuition, I encourage you to develop one because it is one of the most important relationships for you to have.

Here is one of the powerful tools available to open you to your intuition. Keep your breath open! This means making sure you are breathing freely and deeply throughout your day. A practice that helps me with this is to remind myself during my day to check in with my breath. When I am breathing shallow, I make sure to take deep breaths. The oxygen and life force that is drawn in with each breath keeps our life flowing. If you like plants, you know how much they love water and light. Plants depend on them. Our connection with our intuition depends on keeping our breath open.

Here is what intuition has to do with being present. If there are circumstances in your life that are difficult for you to be with, you can turn to your intuition for assistance. I have developed a habit of speaking to my Self and asking It for direction. I invite you to do the same. Actually ask your intuition to give you guidance in the matter that troubles you. You will receive the guidance. The more you do this, the stronger the connection becomes, so don't give up.

Being with the now

In my personal coaching practice, I'm always looking for ways to show my clients how their suffering can be eliminated by teaching themselves to practice being with whatever is happening to them in their now.

Today I am having to remind myself to practice this principle. I am in the 10th day of a 28 day detox fast and I am, metaphorically speaking, climbing the walls. This is my first detox fast that lasts over a long period of time and I didn't realize my body would experience "weird" kinds of physical sensations during it.

I find my mind wanting to look out into the future days and get all upset thinking how my precious days of summer will be ruined by the physical unease from the detoxing. I have until August 30th. Right now I have the awareness I am at a choice point. I can choose to let my mind dwell on all kinds of thoughts around the suffering I will have to endure until the 30th arrives or I can choose to make sure my mind is focusing on what is happening to me now.

I find when I focus on what is happening now I then have the responsibility to handle how I am experiencing this now. I wonder what I am aware of as I experience this now. As I dwell on this question, I am able to say my symptoms from the detoxing are of little consequence. They are there and my mind isn't bothered by them. From the view I have right now, August 30th has no pull on me. I'm too caught up in this moment of time.

The Blue Angels and being conscious

I'd like to share with you how the Blue Angels have assisted me to become aware of a shift I have made in my consciousness . As those of you who live in Seattle know, each year at this time the Blue Angels make their presence known throughout the region and people come from far and near to be mesmerized and entertained by their performance.

I am no longer impressed with the power and speed and precision of this political marketing of war. What once thrilled me now repels me. When I heard their noise this year, compassion boiled within me for the people who are horrified when they hear their sound. A sound that signals death, destruction, and pain.

The first year I saw them, one of my beloved companions Lily was petrified by the deafening sound they make.

Ciao!

The first words I want to say on my blog is a heartfelt thank you to Paul Stokstad for setting up this blog for me. I want you to check out his websites... They'll really uplift you:

http://www.stokstad.com
http://www.sanskritquoteoftheday.com
http://www.altpresident.com
http://www.whiterose.us

-Rosemary