Horizons Magazine
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NOVEMBER 1997
Hello everyone and welcome to November! Boy, I'm ready for some cool weather, how about you? It's been a busy, steamy summer and we've been growing and glowing!
THE CONFERENCE WAS GREAT
We just returned from The Universal Lightworker's Conference in West Palm Beach where the speakers included Jon Marc Hammer, Gregg Braden, Jani King (P'taah,) Alan Cohen, Linni Greenman, Swami Beyondananda, Tony Stubbs, Jon Mundy and many more, with music by Dwain Briggs, Ani Williams. One speaker I became acquainted with for the first time was author Doreen Virtue, Ph.D., whose book The Lightworker's Way: Awakening Your Spiritual Power To Heal and Know has been published by Hay House, as has her latest book, Angel Therapy: Healing Messages For Every Area Of Your Life.
A REAL ANGEL IN OUR MIDST
Dr. Virtue writes and speaks from the heart, and her talk was meaningful and uplifting. She says that, as Lightworkers, “we're ready now. Don't wait for God to show you the money, walk in faith” that you'll be directed each step of the way. “There is no competition,” she states,” no one can beat you to your purpose. We are all unique and we all have a purpose.” She asks us to “expect miracles, ask for guidance, receive it and affirm it” in our lives. On awakening your spiritual power, she says, “Clairvoyance comes when you begin to heal your present life.” Doreen Virtue has graciously agreed to share more of her writings with us next year and I encourage everyone to get her books and read them with an open heart ~ she has much to say to help in our unfolding. She reminds us, “With everyone you meet, it's a holy encounter.”
LIVING IN WONDER
It was the first time I'd seen Jon Marc Hammer and what a delight he was! Full of energy, always smiling, living in wonder, as he calls it, watching my life unfold as a daily miracle. “You don't have to be a Know It All,” he says, “you just have to be a Trust It All!” He asks, “How deeply are you willing to receive?” And, reminding us that “the one that needs our love is always right in front of us,” he says, “BE the Light that lights the world.”
WE DETERMINE OUR OWN EXPERIENCE
Gregg Braden spoke of many things and said “our emotions hold a geometric pattern that turns our genetic codes on and off, so you determine your genetic pattern - and immune system - by your emotions.,, This determines how you see your world.” He also reminds that “each soul survives the darkest moments of life to return home once again, intact and with grace.” He speaks of blessing those who have wronged us. “Blessing them acknowledges the divine, holy and sacred nature of their action, and allows you to move forward with your life. At first the blessing will be only a mental exercise,” but eventually holds much meaning for us. He spoke at length about the Shroud of Turin and I encourage you to read his books and watch his videotape, he is interesting, engaging and knowledgeable and his material goes far beyond the scope of these few lines I've written.
ANOTHER ANGEL ON EARTH TODAY
Alan Cohen held the audience captive with his compassionate wit and purposeful anecdotes. He suggested, in one instance, writing down all your troubles and then holding them in your hands as you pray, “God, let me be wrong about all of this.” What a powerful prayer! He also affirms, “I'm always doing better than I think I am!” That an affirmation many of us could benefit from. Alan Cohen has numerous books in all the bookstores, each of which is a treasure, he's a personal favorite of mine, also with Hay House (yay!)
EVERYTHING IS A METAPHOR FOR LIFE
I was surprised to hear a women say afterward that she thought Alan's talk had gone on too long. Alan Cohen sees everything as metaphor and analogy for life, i.e., he spoke of reading toothpaste labels and finding "the active ingredient. It's like Life," he says, “there's one active ingredient yet so many other additives” that are helpful (or not) yet not essential. I also see everything as a metaphor for life, so perhaps that's why I like him so much. I feel that anyone who got bored with him was merely missing his deeper message.
IF YOU'RE BORED, YOU'RE PROBABLY BORING
But then, that too is like the rest of life, right? If we get bored then we're merely missing the deeper message... I used to think I was just smarter than most of my friends and needed more intellectual stimulation than most to hold my interest. I used to pride myself on all the things I got easily bored with, thinking well, I've been there, done that, let's quickly get on with the next round of stimuli. Then as I began to truly awaken, I realized that although I'd had many experiences, I'd not yet begun to drink deeply of Life. I'd gotten bored with things because I'd only skimmed their surface and, in my self-absorption, I'd not reflected deeply on anything.
VERBAL SKILLS vs. DEEP REFLECTION
Sure, I'd become very articulate and knowledgeable on many subjects, which was great for impressing my fHellow smug Know It Alls at cocktail parties and discussion groups, but in my haste for acceptance and recognition within my peer group, I'd completely missed the point of what Life was all about. I began to get bored with the same routine over and over. I began to notice that lots of people I knew talked about the same things over and over, like it was the only script they knew in a never-ending play that was ultimately meaningless and really had only superficial entertainment value. That was when my true awakening began.
AWAKENING THE SLEEPY MIND
Like in Helen Reddy's, I Am Woman, I began to "know too much to go back and pretend." Because now, the truth began to dawn within me, I came to know all that stuff wasn't real, whereas before I just went along with the rest of the pack and did what they did because I didn't know anything else. Then I suddenly got a glimpse of greater awareness. Now suddenly I began to know more than a lot of the people I associated with, and began to realize if it was truly my intention to help uplift others and empower them into their own Selves, I'd Stop Pretending I Didn't Know something I was clearly becoming to realize and I began to share my findings with them.
NOT EVERYONE WANTS TO WAKE UP
For that matter, not everyone even knows they're asleep! You know how it is when you're having a really good dream and as you start to wake up, you burrow yourself deeper in the covers and try real hard to stay asleep? We do that all the time (and that's like Life...) I used to think I had to convince everyone of My Truth For Their Own Good, when in reality all I had to do was listen deeply and allow my own self to be convinced. I used to think I had to be the maverick willing to go up on that cross and crucify myself by saying, "Hey, I want to STOP this hypnosis. I've been hypnotized along with the rest of you for my whole life and I've just awoken from this trance a little sooner than you did, so I'm telling you what I just learned." Oh, how laughable and arrogant a time that was! I share these personal tidbits since I've learned that whatever I'm going through in my life is generally what everyone around me is going through as well, and we all learn from each other as we share our experiences. Plus, it's part of my own sadhana, my own spiritual discipline, to recount my past humbling experiences to help friends reconcile and integrate their own.
WE EACH HOLD A PIECE OF THE ONE PUZZLE
We all seek the Holy Grail of Consciousness when there are really 10,000 whispers of reality. As we share our truth with others, our truth adds pieces to their puzzle and makes it easier to assemble. And there's only one puzzle we all share in the building of. We spend our whole lives gathering information and not knowing what to do with it; then suddenly it hits us that maybe all these pieces add up to something, so we start the sorting out process, so we can figure out what the Big Message, the Big Picture is.
WHAT PIECE ARE YOU HOLDING ON TO?
The wisest of us gather pieces from every part of our lives and try to fit them in lots of different areas to see how many uses we can get out of each. Over time, we learn to put in abeyance whatever fails to serve us as we gain our broader perspective. The curious and more ambitious will stop engaging in pre-patterned behaviors that no longer serve them, and move onto to projects that are fueled by energies found only in the higher chakras. They've spent a lifetime collecting many, many pieces for the puzzle, so they have perhaps a greater glimpse of The Big Picture than the rest of us. And, once having seen The Big Picture, responsibility often weighs heavily on the shoulders of He Who Would Dare To Know, so he finds his greatest fulfillment in sharing his glimpse with others.
ANYTHING CAN BE A TRAP IF WE LET IT BE
The most unknowing will take the first bit of truth as gospel and reject all subsequent pieces because he's already built a mental construct of His Own Personal Reality and even though it's a shaky puzzle at best, to his limited vision ~ if he doesn't look at it too closely or ask too many questions ~ everything seems to fit just fine, thank you very much.
THE ANTIDOTE FOR BOREDOM & ENTRAPMENT
The antidote for boredom and feeling trapped is to take the time to reflect deeply on everything around you; take the time to understand - under stand. Discover what is standing under, or holding up, a thought or belief that you have about an area of your life where you experience less than blissful serenity. What stands under that thought and convinces you of its truth and validity?
BEGIN A SEASON OF DEEP REFLECTION
The holidays are historically a contemplative time, usually for sentimental reasons. It can be a very depressing time for some, yet a real healing and cleansing time if we'd let it be. It's usually around the holidays that we most notice and miss those who aren't with us any longer, and in allowing true friends to comfort us, they help us perhaps not so much to get over it, but to get on with it.
DEDICATE THE COMING MONTHS TO YOU
As we come into November, begin to be more gentle and playful with yourself. Dedicate the coming few months to going deeper within yourself, go buy a journal and spend some time each day just writing your thoughts down, you may be amazed at what unfolds.
MAKE IT A TIME OF FUN
Cultivating a personal practice doesn't have to be all serious contemplation, there are many paths to discovering what is inside of you. Buy a little watercolor set like the kids have and go sit in the yard and paint the flowers next to the driveway. Paint every tree and bush and bird you see. Draw the house on your page with a giant red crayon. Glue a pine needle or leaf on the bottom and sign your name over it. Then keep it as part of your journal or, better yet ~ leave it in your neighbor's mailbox (you get extra bonus points for learning to let go!)
ISN'T THAT GOOFING OFF?
Everything we do can be part of our spiritual practice if we let it be. Caring for your family and pets, maintaining your home and yard in an orderly fashion, these are a strong yoga for many of us. You don't have to sit alone under a tree praying to God, He hears as His own every word you speak to your mate, He is fed by how you treat your family, He is comforted by how you feel about your co-workers. Hmmm, interesting concept, huh?
TREAT EVERYONE AS JESUS IN DISGUISE
The easiest way for me to be kind is to remember that everyone I meet may be Jesus in disguise and to act accordingly. It's not as hard as you think to do this. This is a practice that will liberate you from many unnecessary emotional and psychological traps, like anger and judgment.
HE? SHE? ARE WE ONE OR AREN'T WE?
One trap is allowing ourselves to be so reactive to certain words or phrases that we miss the message that's being conveyed. I'm 45 and I grew up yes, in a male dominated society and the word “he” and “his” ran rampant throughout all text, so I use it myself today because it's the most comfortable to me. I see all humans as my brothers, regardless of gender. It's in stopping the separation in our minds that our freedom and true power lies.