What a wonderfully mild storm season we’ve had, although if you’re a news watcher, you may disagree. Beginning September 2nd, we began getting warned about Tropical Storm Ike, which within 2 days was a Category 4 hurricane waaaaaaaay out in the ocean. I’ve learned to keep track of the storms NOT by watching the local news or the weather station, but by going every 12 hours to The National Hurricane Center website at www.nhc.noaa.gov. It gives the location and all statistics and advisories, MINUS all the media hype.

By avoiding the media hype, I don’t get anxious every 10 minutes when the anchor person keeps describing the "dangerous" storm, when people in Texas and New Orleans were being told to "evacuate or risk sure death in the impending killer storm". Yes, it’s good to know in advance to stay prepared, but there is no need for the reckless sensationalism. There’s no need to get everyone in an uproar. I have several elderly friends who think they need to stay glued to the tv and listen to every word, so they can "stay informed." They were all out of their minds with anxiety and worry, 3 went to the hospital with heart attack symptoms, and who knows how many more were home alone, worrying themselves literally sick? And there’s no reason for it. Would you want your mother worried like that? Your grandfather scared to death like that?

If you’ve lived in Florida and know the weather trends, you know that a mild summer here means a mild storm season for us. Despite what the weather and news tell you. They love to use phrases like "no one knows where it will go next, it can change paths anytime and head straight for us." That is just their theory. Who wants to know their theory? The National Hurricane Center website at www.nhc.noaa.gov will give you all the facts, show you the projected paths, give you all the advisories.

In 2004, both Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne made landfall just 50 miles south of me. I succumbed to the media hype and evacuated for Frances, which was only a Category 2, and stayed home 3 weeks later to ride it out for Hurricane Jeanne, which was a Category 3. The winds were 115mph and it was moving at 12mph. The storm roared all night. A big oak in the backyard came down and I lost power about midnight, but I felt perfectly safe in my home. My windows have burglar bars, which are great deflectors from the oak and pine branches always dropping from my trees, and also allow me to have bird feeding ledges right at my windows. I have a frame house, so I boarded up by simply screwing plywood into the walls over my windows, and under the bars.

So when I hear the media hype about the killer storm out there, I remind myself that I felt safe and comfortable riding out a Category 3 hurricane with 115 mph winds at home alone.

Our own local weather forecast for the week of Sept 7-13 was heavy rain and thunderstorms all week, of which we got none. Zero. Zip. Yet during that time, even people in my neighborhood began boarding up, although Hurricane Ike did not come near us and was not forecasted to come near us. Earlier, yes, on August 19, Tropical Storm Fay moved slowly through and rained on Brevard County/Melbourne for 24 hours, and by August 25, we were still getting some daily rains and some areas got flooded.

What a great display of cause and effect. We allow developers to build on our flood plains, we remove trees like Melaleuca, Brazilian Pepper and Australian Pines, all labeled invasive since they soak up a lot of water. Hello? Karma, anyone?

I am not one to write the news media, but last month I sent out this email to several local stations:

1. We each have a hand in creating our own reality.

2. Our point of power is in the Now moment.

3. Our place of power is where we stand right now today.

4. One person, connected to Source/God with focused intent, is more powerful than many who are not. Two or three or a group like this has much power.

5. Our thoughts (and prayers, our holding of a vision for ourselves and others) profoundly contributes to the outcome. Mainstream science tells us that when an observer looks at something, it causes the observed object to react to the observer. That means we can use our observation time to produce a preferred outcome. That means viewers can help calm these storms even while tracking them on tv.

6. It works whether you believe it or not. A fish doesn’t have to believe in the ocean.

This is the process I use with a group and we historically have success:

DRUMMING TO CALM THE STORM
My musician pal Janine Chimera and I organized several drummings on the beach. The last time we did that was to drum for rain in Brevard County, and it rained 2 days later, after a record dry spell. So we figured we’d drum to calm the storms. On Sept 6th Ike was a Category 3 with 115mph winds. That evening we had a drumming circle on the beach at Millennium Park in Indialantic and set the intention that we would focus ourselves on calming the storm. A group of us say daily prayers during storm season, and do dissipation chants and songs. Three days later, Ike was down to a Category 1 with 80mph winds, and Ike hit as only a Category 2, with minimum damage.

So is it real or not? Did we help or not?
Did our group intention and daily thoughts and prayers add to a collective ‘whatever" and make something happen? I believe so. That has been my experience in the past and it is my expectation and belief today. It has been my experience that we each have a hand in creating our own reality. It has been my experience that my point of power is in the Now. It has been my experience that my place of power is where I stand right now, today. It has been my experience that me staying connected to Source with focused intent, is more powerful than anyone around me who is not, and that I can help orchestrate what our collective experience will be.

And you can do the same. Whoever you are, right now where you stand.

A small group has just begun doing active prayer and visualization work relative to the economy and the stock market. If you’re in a good feeling place about the future of the economy, please email me and join us. If you feel hopeful that you will be financially secure, no matter what the media is telling you about "the state of the economy", let me know. If you‘ve made an informed decision whether to stay in or get out, and can keep yourself resonating in a hopeful place, you’re adding to the solution and you could be part of our group mind. If you watch the daily market reports and believe every freakout minute by minute account of what’s dropping, well that’s no different than the weathermen scaring everyone to death with their overacted hysterics about hurricanes that may not even affect you. It’s a cycle, and our hopeful thoughts make a difference.

So can we help or not? There’s no evidence that we cannot. Can our group intention and daily thoughts and prayers add to a collective ‘whatever" and make something happen? I believe so. I’m excited and hopeful about the future. I see evidence of good things happening all around me. I’m thrilled to be a part of that, even way behind the scenes.

And hey, since our thoughts and words DO make a difference, let’s start calling him MR. PRESIDENT right now, every time we see him on tv or in the news *grin*