9-22-08
Yesterday I made this really good salad.  I didn’t want to have any meat, but I wanted substance, since the salad would be my entire dinner.  So I opened a package of chopped romaine and chopped it even further, then I added some sliced red onion and chopped black olives, tomato and capers.

Then I chopped a giant Golden Yukon potato and cooked it in a nonstick frypan until the pieces were almost crisp.  Halfway through, I added a bunch of drained, cooked garbanzo beans and kept tossing them all together.

At the same time, I sauteed a sliced onion in another pan until it caramelized and that went on top of the potatoes.  If you cook the onion with the potato, the potato will steam instead of saute, and I wanted to trick myself into thinking the potato pieces were meat, so I kept them crisp.

Then just dump the potatoes on top of the salad, then the onions on top of the potatoes, then mix with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Half the people I know are in the process of writing a book that they feel is being channeled through them. Each wants someone else to promote it for them.  We are all vibing in the same place.  We have come forth in a “cluster” as Abraham-Hicks calls it, to find ourselves in a powerful group of people who have truly amazing and inspiring stories to tell.  Maybe 90% of them wait and hope that someone else will discover their brilliance and promote them, so that all they have to do is show up and tell their story.  Wouldn’t that be nice?   That’s not how it works, though.  And they may stay at that stage for 20-30 years before they realize Hey, it’s my story.  Maybe I was just meant to write it for myself, because the writing of it will teach me so many lessons along the way.  That’s what experience taught me. My experience is that when the chanelling starts to flow and we think “Omigosh I HAVE to get this information out there!” that is just the Universe giving us the body chemicals for inspiration, dangling the carrot before us, at a time when we’re still programmed to think that some fame and recognition would be kind of cool.  So the first 10-20 years I thought I was writing for the whole world, then realized it was to help me change me and learn what I needed to know to become who I am now, and keep me on the path to who I can be.   Continue reading →

Janine emailed me that our drumming to calm the storms seemed to be working.  She suggested making up some chants for the media to get them to back off a bit.  I replied:

“I totally think it’s working.  I am loving getting to spend time doing the storm prayer work, at Unity’s noon prayer service today it was mostly about the storms, seeing them slow down and spin in clockwise direction.  I shared the storms chants with Beth earlier and at her suggestion we did it at the noon session – there were only a handful of us there but it felt very powerful! “
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Email to Rev. Beth “I was so glad I came to prayer service today.  Thank you for incorporating the storm chant into the prayer offering.  Did I email you the storm chant words?

CHANT TO SLOW THE STORM (to the tune of The River is Flowing)
The storms, they are slowing, Slowing and slowing.
The storms, they are slowing, Out in the sea.
Spirit, cover us, With your love, your Mother love.
(for my Christian friends, Jesus cover us, with your love, your Father’s love)
Spirit, cover us, Keep us safe and free

As we do the chant, we see the storms circling clockwise at your great suggestion.

This is the chant I did earlier today:

Sarva mangala mangalye, Shive, sarvartha sadhake,
Saranye triambike Gowri narayani namosthuthe.

Phonetically:
Sar’ va    man’ ga la     Mahn’ ga lay
Shi’ vay    Sar’ vaa tha’     Sad’ ee kay’
Sha’ ran yay’    Tray am’ bee kay’   Gowri
Na’ raya nee’     Na mos’  too tay
Na’ raya nee’     Na mos’  too tay     (repeat the chant in sets of 3)
It basically is a Hindu version of  “Blessed Mother who oversees the material world, bless us and protect us.”
Andrea

9-1-08
I forgot I have to pay all the bills today which means
I have to balance the checkbook which means
I have to open the mail  and log it in before I can make a deposit,
Which means I can’t finish billing till all that is done.

They are out there preparing to pressure clean my driveway so who knows how long that takes.  As soon as I can finish this bank work, open mail, pay bills, finish billing, I am running out for a couple of hours, have no idea when that will be as what I think should take 2 hours may take 5.

Mark from the ashram emailed me his vision statement.
“ I envision a World of Peace, Harmony, and Well-Being for all.   I envision Health, Well-Being, and Harmony between Mind, Body, and Spirit for all..   I believe ancient Wisdom and Practices of Yoga, Meditation, are the ways of achieving Peace, inner and outer.    I see this Peace as a missing, yet integral, part of the Educational environment now!   I believe we can integrate this Peace into our current educational paradigms, transforming the paradigm, empowering students and teachers.  I believe that, if we, as teachers and educators, are to prepare students for their lives, careers, in this world, we must have them find Peace and Power within themselves, and take that out into the world.”

I emailed him: “ Hi, I think you expressed yourself well.  I liked the Intention.  Not as criticism by any means, but I am interested in that living at your sister’s seemed a more conducive environment for working toward peaceful resolution of daily matters that come up, and we can’t work on them if we’re away from them.  It reminds me of Karuna Das who in the beginning lived at the ashram, and he would always flip out when someone would slam the a door because it “disturbed his meditation”.  A yogi learns to maintain his center no matter what is going on around him, and he places himself in troubled times to bring peace to it.
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end of email

My personal checkbook just balanced on the first try
for the first time ever.  Nice!

The Horizons checkbook came within $40 of balancing on the first try!  Yay, close enough for me.  I round deposits down to nearest dollar and round checks up, so $40 is darn near right on, I’d say.

Ok, now I know what I have, on to the bill paying portion of the day…

Later in the day:
I got my driveway pressure cleaned today, first time in years.  It looks good, I must horrify my across the street neighbor, who has to look at my Addams Family house while I look at his cookie cutter brick box and flat lawn. He cuts his trees down because the falling leaves are too much work to keep raking up…  Then he puts those leaves in a plastic trash bag for the landfill… go figure!

A friend asked my process for a dollar script visualization.  One thing I find most helpful is envisioning checking my email and seeing a long row of Paypal purchase notifications, since I take Paypal.  I feel myself getting giddy with joy that I have so many of them!

I envision myself checking my bank balance online and seeing the balance growing and growing, even as I watch it.   I feel myself getting giddy with joy over that. Continue reading →

A story, circa 1970, listening to George Harrison’s My Sweet Lord at a friend’s home while tripping on orange sunshine acid.  Looking for the bathroom, I went into the master bedroom where a small Hindu (I learned later) altar was.  Baby Krshna began dancing on the altar and the mantra from the song, hare krishna, resonated in my head for days before I caught up with the friend whose house it was and asked her who the blue baby on the altar was.  She was glad to tell me and I went with her the next Sunday to the dinner given by the local ISKCON, who are the Hare Krsna. I spent the next two decades in and out of what some would call the cult experience.  I was glad to be in the experience as it taught me a lot about myself and about life and it opened a new, meaningful world around me.   Every time I hear George Harrison’s song, it takes me back to baby Krisna dancing for my delight as I tripped on orange sunshine.   Continue reading →

8-4-08
Today’s headline: Hurricane Eduardo eyes Texas coast

Seems kind of ominous, doesn’t it?  It should. It was worded that way to make people cautious, not just to sell newspapers.

But let’s take a look at what that headline triggers.  For people in Alaska, it may mean nothing.  For people in Texas, and Louisiana, and Alabama and Florida, well it definitely means something.

It means everyone who keeps themselves glued to that kind of news, is putting a lot of intense focus on the Texas coastline, and its proximity to their own coastline.  The more they keep themselves focused on that topic with fearful memories of what happened during other hurricanes, the more they are vibrating in the place of attracting another.  Get 3-4 whole U.S. states of people emotionally riled up and anticipating a fearful event, and you’ve got a very powerful vortex of attraction happening.

8-3-08
Once again I’ve let my sleep get all goofed up.  I’m beginning to cocoon and am seeing the pattern.  Wanting to stay home and cook is a disaster for me and has led to me weighing 5 extra pounds in 2008.  So I need to make myself get out of the house, especially on weekends.  There’s no reason not to.

People who don’t walk their talk.  Metaphysical teachers acting badly.  This seems to be the topic of the season.  We’re all on this path together.  The mere process of stepping onto the path means you know you will be put to the test.   What does that mean, “stepping onto the path?”

To me, it means becoming aware of your unconscious thoughts and behaviors, and wanting to take steps to change them.   To me, it means becoming aware that we are all connected and taking steps to be kinder and more helpful to those around us.

To me, it means recognizing that the universe will give you lots of opportunities to work on an issue and overcome it.   Each time the issue comes up, that is another chance for you to react differently in the new situation.  To react consciously, with a desire for a different outcome than had been your past pattern.  And to the extent you understand this, to that extent will you understand and work through that lesson.

There’s always some drama going on whenever groups of people get together, and the body/mind/spirit communities are no different than any other genre.  In any group, you will always get people who are more interested in exerting influence for personal gain, and you also get their detractors.   Then a division takes place, sides are taken and friendships get rocky.  Only the conscious survive.

If I’m lucky, I’m conscious enough to recognize when that is happening and when a new opportunity to react differently is being presented to me.  I wasn’t always that lucky.  I used to be a “fixer”.  I felt that since I understood both sides of the situation, I would jump in and help them fix it.  Often unsolicited. How aggravating is that?  I’d get caught up in the drama and forget why I was there.  I’d align with one side and the game was on.  I wasn’t fixing anything, I was adding fuel to the fire and too blind to see it.

As enlightened thinkers on the leading edge of thought, we know better – much of the time.  But we have our blind spots, issues we could work through and overcome if only we were aware of them.   Good friends point out to loved ones their blind spots, and they find a diplomatic way to do this.  Good friends look past the ignorant words of the speaker to discern the true message they are trying to speak.  They don’t take personally as hurtful any criticism.  They don’t fault the speaker for not softening the words, indeed maybe they don’t know how to.  Sarcasm and cynicism have become so much a pattern of social talk that it’s not easy to think before talking, and not blurt out a quick snappy response.  Look past their words, it may not be easy for them to say to you for fear you will get angry.  But friends call friends on their stuff.

“But what if this person is a self-proclaimed teacher and is not walking their talk?  As metaphysicians, we all know better.”  Yes, we all know better, so maybe this is your opportunity to do things differently.  In this instance, maybe take your focus off what the teacher is doing wrong and think about what benefit the teacher is.  Maybe this time don’t gossip with friends about the situation.  Maybe this time take the situation into prayer and meditation and ask what you personally can learn from it.  Maybe this time, keep some distance from the parties and don’t discuss it, and suggest others don’t discuss it either.

See, that’s the problem.  It’s never just that  A and B have a difference of opinion.  It’s the people who align themselves with A and think they are working in A’s behalf while gossiping and spreading misinformation that gets the B camp all riled up.  A himself may not know any of this is going on.  However, now all the people who hear the gossip and have aligned themselves with the B camp, now are at odds with the A camp.  Meanwhile B, like A, may not yet know any of this is going on.  He and A are basically friends having a difference of opinion.  Until someone in B’s camp shares some misinformation, purporting to have come from A.  B reacts to the misinformation as if it’s truth and the game is on.

Sound familiar?  From 7th grade on, it was an everyday occurrence but we’re a long way from junior high and it’s time we get it.  It’s time we get this lesson.

People act surprised, “She should know better.  She has watched The Secret and read Abraham-Hicks and she teaches metaphysical classes, yet she doesn’t walk her talk.  She drinks, she smokes, she eats an unhealthy diet, she is mean and hateful to her mate and other family members, she spreads mean spirited gossip among her in-crowd, and takes financial advantage at every opportunity.”

Well, wait, why is “she” any different than anyone else?  We all get hooked back into old patterns of control when we feel we’re losing our grip.  Ok, she’s a teacher not setting an example that you agree with.  But take responsibility for your part in this scenario.  Why are you talking about her behind her back to a third party?  Maybe this new situation is the chance for you to NOT pass a juicy story along, if the story is meant to divide and not bring together.

It’s not just your mind but your muscles that have memory, and what feels like the path of least resistance may just be your muscle memory entraining you into habits you’re rather be free of.

Some opportunities to do it differently and break the pattern:

Nighttime.  On the couch.  TV on.  Ah, your muscle memory is wanting you to reach for something to snack on.  Every 2-3 minutes you want to get up and get a snack.  So that means every 2-3 minutes you have a chance to react differently, a chance to remind yourself that your after sundown meals are empty calories.

In your favorite social crowd.  A friend begins to tell a story that is critical of an absent party.  That is a clear opportunity to speak up and say you’d rather talk about something else.  A clear opportunity to remind everyone present that what we speak about keeps us held in that vibration.  You’re just giving them a heads up that they are about to enter a different vibrational place than they have said they want.

Or maybe someone is retelling a juicy story from their recent past where they had a conflict with someone who is not present.   Again, you’re entering dangerous territory if you’re part of that scenario, whether listening or telling.  You’re entering a vibrational place where all sorts of things you don’t want will begin happening, and you won’t realize that you’re attracting it all to you.

There are always two sides to every story.  If you are on someone’s side, it’s is sometimes more because they are a friend than it is that you’ve heard both sides objectively and come to the decision before taking their side.  You’re usually hearing one person tell their story, and often it is not only the one who tells their story the loudest and longest that ends up with the most people on their side, but the one who provides the most social benefit or celebrity status.

7-30-08
I keep getting calls about a conflict in town between several sets of business partners, each with a different story, no one acting particularly conscious.    I wish I didn’t feel compelled to jump into this with them and make everyone come clean and stop the hating and bad mouthing.  It’s not my job to do,  And everyone is passing along stories that they don’t know are true.  All they know is this is what their “friend in the know” told them.  And then everyone takes sides.

I have been “betrayed” by my share of “friends” in my lifetime, and each time it happens it just serves as a springboard to even higher understanding.  The closer the former friendship, the greater the karmic weight to drop, allowing your balloon to soar higher and higher.

It gets scary when we drop our weights.  When familiar people begin to fade from our life, or when friends and lovers betray us, we can tend to see it as being abandoned if we don’t recognize that we were growing vibrationally apart from them for a long time, and this was a blessing in disguise,

Email to an under-employed  friend suggesting she put some mp3 files of her guided meditations on her website and a Paypal “Pay Now” button.  She’s also a great cook, so I also suggested she give cooking workshops, something like “How to cook for your own party” which doesn’t require meeting catering guidelines for occupational licensing.  “That’s something you are awesome at and already do and are already known for.  You could prepare a few menus, script out your cooking plan and get your ingredients measured out and displayed ahead of time and everyone gets to experience the workshop in “real time”.  So when they see how quickly YOU get it all done and fill the table with goodies, that is a test run for them thinking if you can do it, they can do it.  And for those who can’t, well you have peaked their interest and maybe they will beg you to cater their next party.  Either way you win.”
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end of email

I got up at 7am and went out and mowed my yard.  It took 20 minutes!  I love this new mower and I don’t mind sweating when I am out there.  I even for some of it didn’t use the drive lever, making me have to push it.  I figure that is equivalent to using the arm/weight machine at the gym.  I have so little lawn though, I also went out on the street and mowed the easements on either side of me.  My neighbor Francis across the street will look out his window when he gets up and be shocked.  He’s used to my shaggy yard 🙂

A Horizons reader wrote in and asked:

Once a month I attend Peruvian shamanic ceremonies held by American friends.  They have a potluck meal before the ceremony.  I know that’s a big Western social tradition, but it feels more like a cocktail party atmosphere than a sacred gathering to me.  I’ve done other sacred ceremonies with indigenous groups, and the fasting that’s always done before ceremony is important.  What is your take on the topic?

I replied: “I spent decades following a primarily Eastern faith path, which I realize is very strict in traditional “rules” for ritual, fasting, and no idle talk at ceremony time or in the temple.  I think the payoff for that laser focus is measurable in terms of personal growth, understanding and outcome.  I think if it resonates with you, then attend and be open to what might come of it if you don’t judge it and think it should be anything other than it is.  Keep me posted.”