Thank You for Your Visit, Have a Nice Day (Wearable Sculpture) by Agata Olek / Art in Odd Places 2009: SIGN, New York City / 20091010.10D.55121.P1.L1 / SML: See-ming Lee 李思明 SML

Author: Rabbi Simcha Weinberg

Standing on the corner of 95th and Broadway, I had a perfect opportunity to observe peoples’ faces. I love the fact that New York provides a glimpse of people from all over the world. I tried counting how many different countries were represented by the people climbing up from the subway, when I noticed that no matter where these people came from, they had assumed the New York Face: no one was smiling. People didn’t look happy.

I stopped counting countries to begin counting smiles. The only people smiling or laughing were children. There were smiles of pure joy. There were smiles of satisfaction. I saw guffaws, belly laughs, giggles, and chuckles. The kids were the only ones who looked human.

Just as I began laughing with joy at the sight, I saw a mirror of my past when two parents were struggling with a screaming child. The children may be the only ones laughing, but they certainly were the only people having tantrums. No wonder so many people choose to stop laughing: Raw emotions come at a price. When we feel free enough to wholeheartedly express our joy, we usually have to deal with raw sadness and anger. To live with the freedom to laugh with such abandon, we must live on the edge, right where all our emotions bubble and pop, laughter and anger, happiness and sadness. I guess most New Yorkers already feel that they live on the edge, and smother their smiles to prevent themselves from venting their fury.

Reuben, the Bechor – First Born – of Jacob and Leah, lived on the edge. The Talmud (Bava Batra 126b) teaches us that a Bechor has special gifts: There was once a certain man who came before Rabbi Chaninah and said to the Sage, “I am convinced regarding this individual that he is the firstborn of his father.” Rabbi Chaninah said to him, “From where do you know this?”

The witness said to him in reply, “Because when people would come to the son’s father with eye ailments, he would tell them: ‘Go to my son Shichas for he is a firstborn son, and his saliva can heal eye ailments.’”

Rabbi Chaninah accepted this proof, and awarded the son in question a double portion of his father’s property.

Firstborns have great power, but they are also susceptible to stealing, hatred and resentment. (Yalkut Shimoni, Vayechi #157)

Reuben lived this conflict: He moved Jacob’s bed to prevent him from fathering more children and further diluting Reuben’s inheritance. (Ramban, Genesis 35:22) He liked money.

Yet, he also was careful not to steal, “he went during the harvest and found mandrakes growing wildly in a field,” he would not take anything from another’s property. He would only collect wild flowers for his mother. The Alshich says that Reuben intended the flowers to help Leah attract her husband and bear more children!

Reuben was impetuous (Genesis 49:3-4), enough for Jacob to fear that if rebuked by his father, he would turn away from Jacob and join Eisav! (Rashi, Deuteronomy 1:3) Reuben impetuously moved his bed directly in front of Bilhah’s tent to make his father uncomfortable (Ha’amek Davar) and yet he planned to repair his sin by saving Joseph.

Reuben lived on the edge of greatness and terrible evil. Yet, he did not assume the New York face; he thrived where he was, learning to derive greatness from his challenge.

How would Reuben look as he came up from the subway? He would either be laughing or screaming, but he would certainly never be neutral.

About the Author:

Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Living On The Edge

Title: Journey Through the World of Spirit / God, Gaia and Guardian Angels
Author: David L. Oakford
Media: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Reality Press
Date: 2007

This review originally appeared at Earthpages.org as a voice-over video on December 28, 2007. When recording I had no notes other than the memory of what I’d just read. As such, there’s a certain live quality to this review that I hoped to preserve in this transcript.

The soundtrack was spontaneously composed and recorded just before I made the review. The book was inspiring and plain text just wasn’t enough.

In editing the transcript some extraneous material (e.g. “ahh” “sort of”) was removed.

So here’s the original voice-over review and its much overdue and slightly edited transcript.

Original Introduction

I had a choice… spend hours trying to get something representative down in writing or have some fun doing a video review. I chose to do a video review.

This is my first video review and it’s been a while since I was a DJ but I think it gets the message across: “This is a great book…”

Transcript

This is a great book! I really enjoyed this book. I read it during the hustle and bustle of the pre-Christmas shopping period. And I just found it was a wonderful way to be reminded of things I already believed in. But I think I needed a little refresher course–and this book was it.

It starts off with David’s very honest and frank account of teenage angst and disillusionment. He’s planning on ditching out on his parents at about age 19 to go find himself. He’s going to, I think, live in a tent and travel around and live on the cheap and find a deeper meaning that he couldn’t find in his teenage years.

But before he plans to leave he wants to say farewell to all his friends. So he goes to a party, a farewell party, and one of his buddies comes up to him and gives him some pretty dangerous drugs. The buddy warns David not to take the drugs until he’s instructed on how to use them but David doesn’t listen and proceeds to slip into a coma. At that point he starts to have some pretty interesting experiences.

He starts off by seeing his friends – if I remember right, they’re in a car – but his friends can’t see him. Then he’s back in the house, looking at his motionless body; and he’s still fully awake and alive, moving about the house, sort of hovering like a spirit.

He notes that he can’t move objects. His hand goes through the faucet. And Jim Morrison and the Doors are playing and the music is very irritating to David, which I found interesting because I’ve always liked the Doors — as it deals with otherworldly themes — but it all just sounded like noise when he was in this refined consciousness.

He then proceeds to bigger and better things. A spirit guide comes to help him, one of several otherworldly beings whom David claims to meet in this account. And the spirit guide, whom David calls “Bob” – [laughs] it’s just so much like this book; it’s so unpretentious and straightforward and incredibly well-written, to boot. Anyhow, the spirit guide shows David a scene of the pyramids in Egypt, how they stand today and how they stood around the time of their construction.

One thing I found very interesting about this is that David claims the past and the present interact in some kind of mysterious way, like interacting, overlapping fields.

I think that’s fascinating. To read that in a book… that kind of thing is quite rare. You find it a bit in the Jane Roberts books, the Seth Books, and you find it I believe in Emmanuel’s Books if I remember right (I haven’t looked at those for a few years).

But it’s a fascinating idea that time is interactive, and I found that present in this book. I also found the idea that the heavens are interactive with our Earthly reality. David saw, as a matter of fact (after the Egyptian experience)… his guide took him up to a spiritual city. And this spiritual city apparently interacts with our Earth, and life on Earth, in ways we don’t fully understand.

The bottom line is the spiritual beings (and David outlines quite a few of them)… their basic message is that we should love one another. And I really can’t find any fault with that message whatsoever.

On page 74 David writes:

The unvarnished truth is that I went to heaven, or at least one of them, that is connected to Earth and brought back the simple message to love one another.

You know, I find there’s no conflict here with my Catholic faith. Some of you may know that I, myself, converted to Catholicism in 2001 and some Catholics might not like this book. There are a few swipes at organized religion and I understand that perspective. I used to be like that when I was a kid, actually.

I never went to Church or anything like that. If I didn’t have spiritual experiences within the Catholic Church I wouldn’t go. The whole reason I converted is because I do have spiritual experiences. But for those who don’t have spiritual experiences in the Church I understand how they can just see it as seemingly wooden and formulaic—it’s not, it’s not just that.

And I think this is one point I would disagree on but other than that, I mean… hey, Earthpages is about dialogue so I try to look for the interesting and the good and if I disagree with something I just say so.

I would highly recommend this book. I think it’s incredibly well-written, honest and there’s such a complexity to the account that it really makes one feel that it’s not just a hallucination. Some materialist psychiatrists will say that all near death experiences are just the brain’s way of trying to make you feel good before you die but, I don’t know, I just think that this book… the complexity, detail and duration of the near death experience really tends to make one think there’s something to it.

–MC

Empowerment: Lincolnian (Brian)

Author: Pamela Wells

When life is going smoothly, it is easy to go into automatic pilot. You are fully and gainfully employed, all your bills are paid on time, you can even take vacations, all your primary relationships are happy and you are otherwise enjoying life.

What happens when there is an unexpected loss or inevitable setback? What do you rely on as a source of your strength to sustain you?

We are constantly fed messages that we need something outside of us in these challenging situations. We become accustomed to hearing that we are lacking something and whatever “it” is can be bought or sourced externally.

It is during these times of transition that there could be an opportunity for growth and insight into the source of what empowers you. The invitation is to change your vantage point and see that all the resources for you to navigate your challenges are sourced by plugging into a Universal presence inside of you.

Here are the steps of self-empowerment:

When faced with a challenge, start by honoring yourself. Take the time to pause and just breathe. There is no need to do any deep breathing. Instead, take a comfortable seat or even lay down with one hand on your belly and another on your heart and simply enjoy your breath. Let yourself feel anchored into the chair or into the earth if laying down. By merely bringing consciousness to your breath, you initiate a process of awareness to the presence that supports you. You can enhance this process by gradually softening the layers of resistance, stress, tightness and hardness manifested in your face, jaw, throat, chest, stomach and other areas of your body. By beginning to let go of physical clinging, you further the process of yielding to an inner support. Breath by breath you drop deeper into your every expanding source of that which sustains you.

You reinforce a process of reclaiming the source of your power by reflecting and determining one quality of heart or mind that could enable you to effectively handle the situation you are facing. Take the time as you continue to breathe to reflect on what quality of heart or mind would make a meaningful difference in your life. Perhaps you could cultivate more courage, sensitivity, clarity, more patience or whatever you deem to be appropriate. You then set this seed of intention in your heart and mind and then infuse it with your breath so that there is a unity in your body, mind and heart. You literally call all aspects of yourself into attention as you tap into this wellspring of energy inside of you in service of your intention.

Interestingly, in this process of reflection and then engagement, you will experience inevitable internal shifts. As you draw closer to your heart and what is meaningful, then what you say and do will be aligned with your own wellspring of energy and resources.

If you begin to feel like you are forcing yourself in this process, check to see if are holding your breath or you have been breathing in a shallow way. There are patterns that are both conscious and unconscious that we follow that resist this process. Such patterns may not always be life affirming and may appear as chronic tension in our body and tightness even in our minds. All of this manifests in the breath and blocks us from accessing our source of sustenance.

You may need the assistance of a wise guide to facilitate in accessing your inner resources and optimizing the way you use them. However, ultimately, what enables you to effectively deal with what you are facing is inside of you.

You are completely free to either reinforce old patterns of thought and action or choose to awaken to the realization that the ultimate source of your fulfillment is as close to you as your breath. It is a process of remembering the source of that which sustains you and then taking action to align with it so that you can continue to shift and grow in ways that bring more beauty and love to our shared planet.

About the Author:

Pamela Wells authored and illustrated a Collectors Edition guidebook and card set for women called Affirmations for the Everyday Goddess – Spiritual Guidebook & 22 Wisdom Cards for Contemplation and Prayer. This boxed set is available now at http://www.ArtmagicPublishing.com.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – The Steps of Self-Empowerment

Statue: bluemoose / Ian

By Rhoberta Shaler, PhD

Developing an authentic lifestyle–one that truly reflects what is important to you in all areas of life–is a work of art. It is your personal statement to the world. Are you creating your masterpiece with both the intention and attention a great artist gives her creation?
Reflecting on the ideas and manipulating the materials over time, the artist begins to clarify the vision and, as the piece emerges, watches, refining her ideas, adding this, discarding that, reworking, until the materials begin to match the vision. Once the realization of the dream is glimpsed, work accelerates, and joy and passion carry the piece to completion. Isn’t that much like our lives?

Few artists receive their inspiration from attempting to fulfill someone else’s idea of what the clay, paint, rock, notes, words, fabric or wood might become. Imitation in art is only the tool of the student as the techniques are learned. The truly authentic work of art must come from within the artist, through the techniques and media, into reality.

Similarly, you cannot live the dreams of your parents, the desires of your friends or the visions of another with passion and integrity.

Great artists understand that their art is their personal expression, and is, therefore, unique. The artist values the medium for its potential to express the idea. The artist works diligently with it– keeping the vision in view, making small adjustments, learning new techniques, experimenting–until the vision emerges in concrete form and becomes an extension of the artist. It is visible then to all who care to look. The piece bears the artist’s name and influences all who view it.

Sometimes, pieces do not please the artist and they are reworked, painted over, melted down, unraveled. These pieces have great inherent value. The artist’s vision is clarified, the materials better understood. This contributes much to the next project, the next work of art.

Sometimes, pieces become a legacy and influence many by their existence. These are the authentic works, the true expressions of the artist. These are the quality pieces, as Willa A. Foster, says, “Quality is never an accident; it is the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives.”

You want your life to be of quality, filled with wise choices. Therefore, approach it with high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution.

When creating a work of art, you must be present with it, fully engaged each moment, totally absorbed by the possibility you are actualizing and the potential you are exploring. This intense focus is required if you are not to be distracted by the myriad of seductive, and easy to justify diversions. It is a powerful process uplifting, inspiring, sometimes frustrating, satisfying, and, most of all, creative. When you are making a success of something, it s not work. It‘s a way of life.

Now, if by chance, you are thinking that viewing your life as a work of art, or a lofty contribution to the world, is impractical compared to a factual time-management, goal-oriented, bottom-line approach, please consider this. Every successful business, organization and corporation has two types of leaders, visionaries and administrators. Both are required. You need to be both visionary and administrator in your own life, to live a life of integrity, of wholeness.

After all, would you prefer your life to be a fleeting statistic, or a memorable piece of performance art?

By Rhoberta Shaler, PhD
www.SpiritualLivingNetwork.com

Source: http://www.articlecircle.com/ – Free Articles Directory

About the Author

Rhoberta Shaler, PhD, has helped thousands to see life differently. Dr. Shaler connects people with their authentic selves, their purpose and values, and provides insights and inspiration to overcome the challenges of personal, family and business life. To learn more, visit: www.Rhoberta.com. and join www.SpiritualLivingNetwork.com It’s free.

like a drunk... in a midnight choir...

Blind Leading the Blind
by Anagarika Eddie Rock

If we become involved in preaching to others or teaching religion before experiencing Ultimate Truth first hand for ourselves, we teach from ego and not true compassion. Only when we personally touch Ultimate Truth with all its subtleties does universal love replace ambition. Then, our only concern is the residue of hatred and competitiveness that still may remain within ourselves, and the suffering of our fellow human beings that is now so clear to us.

One who teaches, yet has not experienced Ultimate Truth, is in effect faking it. They know that they are faking it. They pretend otherwise, however, so that support will be provided by the faithful. This is grand deception at the cruelest level.

The fakers lifestyle usually gives them away. They simply do not have the restraint that an experience of Ultimate Truth imparts upon a teacher, an attitude of humility and humbleness as a result of touching this great, Ultimate Truth. The pretender, alas, still believes that they are the center of the universe. They can’t keep the pretending up for long, however, because their underlying desires will give them away every time.

Touching Ultimate truth does a number on the true teacher. Desires fade away and lifestyles becomes very simplified and ordinary. This is not because of some meaningless austerity, i.e. trying to prove that they are holy or some such nonsense, but because of something much deeper. They simply lose interest in the playthings of the world just as a little girl puts away her dolls or a little boy his toy trucks. They grow up, and their attitudes change.

This restraint is also reflected in the true teacher’s words, which are always truthful and insightful and never straying from the central theme of spirituality by helping people find their own ultimate truth. They might talk about politics or business but only from the viewpoint of politics’ and business’ hypnotic effects that keeps one from ever experiencing Ultimate Truth for themselves.

So the restraint exhibited by a true teacher is not some kind of grandstanding, but a reflection of the peace and gentleness of mind that was instilled by touching Ultimate Truth.

Conversely, the pretender’s speech will consist of second hand information and quotes from other sources other than from their hearts. This is because, not yet having touched Ultimate Truth, their hearts are still caught in the world of forms and excitement. It can even get to the point of losing interest in spirituality all together and jumping into politics or business related discussions in order to attract more supporters. That is a certain give away that the teacher is faking it. Without restraint caused by an authentic religious experience, the true colors eventually come out because pretenders cannot duck their karma forever. They can only pretend for so long.

These kinds of teachers can be quite dangerous. Many people who can’t see through these people blindly follow them. They are usually people not equipped to think for themselves, resulting in a quintessential predicament of the blind leading the blind. This is where the danger comes in because blind people may drink the Cool Aid, or go off the deep end politically. Thus we have the extremist groups of religion and ideology that creates so much hatred and suffering in the world today.

We usually develop our particular religious and idealistic beliefs based upon our heritage, our own experiences, our level of awareness, and on our particular ideas of spirituality based on what we hear and read in church or through the media. As these beliefs become personalized and solidified, we dig in our heels and it becomes increasingly difficult to change our conclusions. If we have formed these conclusions before we have had that consciousness shifting epiphany that changes our perspective from one of ambition to love, then we set out to spread the word as pretenders. This is the basis of the vast majority of teachers and preachers.

The problem is that although proselytizing is effective in uneducated, poverty stricken third-world countries or among the very young, it is not so successful with mature adults in educated, discerning societies. Discerning individuals have enough confidence to think for themselves. Are Christians open to becoming Muslim? Are Buddhists tripping over each other to convert to Catholicism? Not really. We are mostly satisfied and comfortable with our own particular beliefs.

If we are secure within those beliefs and find that loving kindness and virtue result from practicing our religion, we tend to be happy and quietly live our own religion, leaving others alone. We don‘t worry about converting them, confident that they will find their own way depending on their inclinations and level of consciousness. But if we, who quietly practice our own religion without fanfare or notoriety, are disrespected, then there is a backlash.

What we are seeing in the world today is sectarian, fundamentalist aggressiveness in many religions. This is troubling. We are seeing more and more of it; from sects such as the Taliban, to the proponents of a 6,000 year old earth. Religions, per se, which are perceived to be based on gentleness and peace, seem to be moving toward political, aggressive agendas, all fueled by teachers and preachers who are pretenders of the Ultimate Truth.

Please. This is not in any way a disparagement of true spirituality or many religious followers, but simply a reflection, an observation, and a chance for overzealous proponents of various movements to perhaps take a long look at themselves. Not only at themselves, but perhaps at other religions as well from an attitude of respect rather than judgment; a respect for the peaceful and truthful ideals of all religions. Then, maybe we can find a gentler, more respectful, more peaceful way to spread our particular, sectarian doctrines by example instead of causing self-inflicted animosity. Religious beliefs shouldn’t spin out of control into war. War is not love; war reflects fear.

There are good, wholesome, and harmonious qualities in all religions where a common ground can be found. It begins by accepting different beliefs that foster peace and harmony and finding that peace among ourselves instead of competing with each other, even spiritual, idealistic competition which is of the most dangerous kind. This is the beginning of living together in harmony.

Be sure that you can trust your teacher. Look them over carefully; their lifestyle, their attitudes, and especially their compassion. Are they caring and relaxed; or are they restless and ambitious? Choose them as carefully as you would choose a mate, because their influence might affect your every relationship.

And if you are not sure about them, better to strike out on your own.

—

Anagarika eddie is a meditation teacher at the Dhammabucha Rocksprings Meditation Retreat Sanctuary www.dhammarocksprings.org and author of A Year to Enlightenment. His 30 years of meditation experience has taken him across four continents including two stopovers in Thailand where he practiced in the remote northeast forests as an ordained Thervada Buddhist monk.

He lived at Wat Pah Nanachat under Ajahn Chah, at Wat Pah Baan Taad under Ajahn Maha Boowa, and at Wat Pah Daan Wi Weg under Ajahn Tui. He had been a postulant at Shasta Abbey, a Zen Buddhist monastery in northern California under Roshi Kennett; and a Theravada Buddhist anagarika at both Amaravati Monastery in the UK and Bodhinyanarama Monastery in New Zealand, both under Ajahn Sumedho. The author has meditated with the Korean Master Sueng Sahn Sunim; with Bhante Gunaratana at the Bhavana Society in West Virginia; and with the Tibetan Master Trungpa Rinpoche in Boulder, Colorado. He has also practiced at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, and the Zen Center in San Francisco.

Article Source: amazines.com

Inside Garden 360: Paulo Brandão

Spiritual Center in the Garden

By Irwin Myers

Among the beautiful flowers and healthy vegetables you can grow in a home garden, you can also help to cultivate your spiritual center. With the reward of having beautiful plants, you can also use the garden space for meditating. With the proper planning, well-chosen plants and attentive care, your yard can become a peaceful haven. You can turn a standard back yard into a colorful, inviting space.

If you plan on having a drastically transformed garden, it may be best to contact professionals. If you are interested in installing a fountain or other large feature, professional services of some sort are practically necessary. Hiring someone to install fountains or ponds assures a beautiful appearance. An adept landscaper will also provide a beautiful appearance with advice on where to place plants for optimum eye appeal.

The ancient Chinese principles of feng shui can help create a positively-charged space that will help you achieve a spiritual center. Flowers whose colors are in the “warm” section of the color wheel (red, orange and yellow) are good for raising energy and stimulation while the cool colors (blue, green and purple) are more soothing. Think about your needs and how you intend to work on your spiritual center. A fountain is not going to fall within all budgets, but it is a great addition to a relaxing space.

Tending a garden yourself can be a wonderfully rewarding experience. If you have not done much gardening in the past, taking up a garden can be a baffling challenge, but taking up this quest will stimulate your mind. Having this new stimulation set in a relaxing space can help unite two seemingly disparate entities, such as mind and body. This will help you achieve a greater sense of balance and calm, as well as a spiritual center.

Once the primary work for your garden is complete, being able to enjoy the space is of the utmost importance. Having a few pieces of patio furniture will provide a place to sit, relax, read and unwind. A chaise lounge style chair will allow you to sit up and read, or to lie down and take time out from a tiring day. Be sure to purchase patio, outdoor-safe furniture for such a purpose.

Working on a garden can be an extremely fruitful procedure that gives you the perfect opportunity to improve your spiritual center. No matter what you choose to grow, it is the gardening process that can help you gain the greater feeling of calm and self-unity that you are looking for.

Article Source: Articles Engine

Irwin Myers is the president of Wellness Engine, a company that is dedicated to teaching wellness through multimedia. Our first production is Psychic Smarts. Visit us at our website at Visit our website at Psychic Smarts and our blog at Psychic Smarts Blog

Shekinah: Mystic Lens / Sadiq Alam

By: Kiernan Antares

Are you hearing talk of 2012 and wondering what all the hype is about? Are we on the verge of Armageddon as doomsday sayers are spouting? 2012 movies are starting to come out and many of them will support this theory to strike fear in the hearts of many or just for the sensationalism to attract people’s attention and dollars.

When I started to write my book Phoenix Star in 2004, I was struggling to understand what I believed surrounding the prophecies of 2012 and the end of the Mayan calendar. My research had revealed that there is a rare astronomical alignment known as the ‘Dark Rift’ that is predicted to occur on December 21, 2012 but the logical part of my brain couldn’t seem to grasp its meaning. What exactly is going to happen?

Did it mean the planet would implode or explode? Would humans as a race simply disappear as the planet travelled through the Milky Way Galaxy? Or would some, who had attained a certain level of enlightenment, survive and then exist on a higher plane?

Inspiration led me to craft a story weaving in elements of transformation, divine spirit, and magical gifts that culminated in a moment of time that stood still on the planet. When I completed writing the final scene something extraordinary happened to me. Something more mystical and divine than my imagination could conjure up.

I experienced an awakening of light and sound and spirit radiating throughout my entire being. I experienced the power of the Divine Feminine.

The sound of angels singing within, through, and around me was almost deafening.

It left me sobbing, shaking, and vibrating with intense divine love.

There were and are no words to describe this experience that I still remember as vividly as when it happened in 2006.

Since being touched with this power of the Divine Feminine my life has changed irrevocably. The process of transformation has been deep at work, awakening and healing my heart to what feels like back to the source of my creation.

Spirit gifted me with inspiration and a vision for all that could be that is being validated with each passing day, in my life and the world at large.

Getting back to December 21, 2012 for a moment, let’s contemplate what the ‘Dark Rift’ is and what I believe it may mean. The Mayan long calendar ends on this date, marking the end of a period of 5,200 years and it also happens to align with a rare astrological alignment that only occurs once every 26,000 years.

The scientific community has concluded that our planet, sun and our entire solar system originated in the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. They are also now convinced that at the center of the Galaxy is a massive black hole. The ancient Maya believed that this black hole is the ‘birthing place’ for all life and the bulge in the center of the Galaxy was termed the Cosmic Womb. Within the center of this womb there appears to be a dark corridor and it is this place that has been named the ‘Dark Rift’.

The December Solstice Sun of 2012 is expected to align with and arise out of the back side of the ‘Dark Rift’, passing through the Galactic Equator as if it is being birthed anew. This period marks the end of the Fifth Mayan Sun and the dawning of the Sixth; a New Galactic Cycle and the transformation of our world or what I call the Phoenix Star.

What is not widely known, however, is according to recent astrological calculations the Solstice Meridian began aligning with the Galactic Equator between 1998 and 1999. The Sun because of its size moves very slowly and will not fully cross the Equator and emerge onto the other side until 2018?a full 20-year cycle.

Meaning, that we are already smack in the middle of this birthing process and need not wait until 2012 to see that the world is changing and urging us to let the power of the Divine Feminine energies of love transform our lives.

2012?will it be death or the midway moment of our journey through the Center of the Cosmic Womb?

I believe it is the latter and I believe we have the power, strength, and fortitude to ride the waves of labor pains and raise our collective consciousness to witness the birth of a New World, if we embrace the power of the Divine Feminine now and let it reawaken our hearts.

Whether or not you believe this is real, something is going on. Millions of people around the world are meditating, participating in world peace initiatives, turning to healers, coaches, spiritual teachers and holistic or alternative modalities to help them find greater health, more meaning and purpose to their lives?an awakening is occurring on a global scale.

We are living in these times to experience and master what is known as the Hero’s Journey?or rites of passage, something every single one of us must endure, in one form or another.

Some of the elements of the Hero’s Journey include experiencing and transforming:

• Lack of self-worth and self-love
• Lack of courage and focus
• Pain and patterns of illusion and programs from past lives
• Overwhelming guilt and shame that suppresses our gifts
• Taking responsibility for one’s life and actions
• Healing our wounds
• The Dark Night of the Soul
• Finding our ‘voice’ and purpose
• Reclaiming and standing in our power

As we clear the layers of the past we become open and receptive to heart and soul activations which translate into feeling great love for ourselves and humanity. We are able to experience true freedom, become leaders, and step into our divinity that is waiting for us as our birthright.

This may seem overwhelming, but if you have the desire and invite the Divine Feminine into your life miracles can and will happen.

Watch for signs, listen and act on inner guidance and you will be shown the way. Pay attention to what you are resisting because this is often the very thing you need to do to master the next step on your path. Explore new avenues previously feared or ignored.

No one knows for certain what is really going to happen but I’d rather live each day as if it was my last and treasure each moment in the eternal bliss of my heart.

SAY YES! To life and let the Divine Feminine awaken, bless and activate your heart and soul.

About the Author:

Kiernan Antares is an author, healer and spiritual teacher dedicated to awakening the hearts of humanity. Whether through the written and spoken word or through her healing touch this modern day mystic and visionary is becoming widely known as a pure source of Divine Love. She has an uncanny ability to get to the core essence of any matter and transform it into an expression of infinite love, beauty and wisdom. Contact:
Email: kiernan@kiernanantares.com
Website: www.kiernanantares.com
Website: www.divineblessings.ca

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – The Power of Divine Feminine and the Great Awakening

Feng Shui Desain Interior Warna Cat Rumah yang Cocok dengan Fengshui: Anna Hape

FENG SHUI BY FISHGIRL

William Morris, England’s most famous designer / craftsman who inspired the Arts & Crafts Movement in the mid 1800’s said “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” Whether he knew it or not, Willam Morris was practicing Feng Shui.

One of the first things we learn when studying Feng Shui is to get rid of anything that is broken or that isn’t working. A clock that sits on your mantelpiece that no longer tells time may be a beautiful antique, but, if it is in disrepair it is not helping your ch’i (energy). And if it isn’t helping, it is most likely hurting. It may be the reason why your romance has stalled. Or your business contacts have dried up. Or your diet isn’t working. The mischief it is causing for you would depend on exactly what area of your home that your broken clock is located in. I would recommend that you take your broken clocks to an horologist immediately (look in your yellow pages, not your bordello).

I love a good challenge, don’t you? So, let me give you The Feng Shui By Fishgirl Challenge…this is an exercise not for the weak of heart. You must be willing to go the distance. To evaluate with brutal honesty. To discard with ruthless abandon. To commit to paying for routine maintenance on anything broken that you have decided is worth keeping. I want to challenge you to go through your home room by room and make a list (or a pile) of everything in it that falls into the William Morris catagories of either [1] Not Useful, or, [2] Not Beautiful. Let me give you some examples of both.

IF IT AIN’T BROKEN…

Remember the old adage,’ if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it ‘? Well, I’m telling you if it IS broken: FIX IT! If it can’t be fixed, junk it or give it away to the Salvation Army. Some of the “Not Useful” things I have seen in client’s homes which you may also have in yours are:

• Clothing that doesn’t fit, or is stained or ripped.
• Stacks of old stereo equipment that doesn’t work anymore.
• Dead plants, or plants with just a sickly little stem poking out of a huge pot.
• The aforementioned broken clock, or watch, that no longer keeps time.
• Books…. ie: toss out the old computer manuals at the same time you upgrade your computer.
• Broken/cracked glass still in picture frames or mirrors.
• Newspaper bundles waiting to be read or recycled.
• Lamps needing light bulbs.
• Curtain rods dangling.
• Candles that are melted beyond use.
• Various electrical appliances that no longer work.
• Bath towels that are tattered beyond belief.
• Wallpaper peeling down.
• Faucets dripping.
• Doorbells that don’t ring.

IF YOU DON’T LOVE IT, SHOVE IT
There is always some example of something that is not beautiful, yet, it is cherished and we love it so we will keep it. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. We love something, it becomes beautiful because we love it. So, do not think I am asking you to throw away anything that is not “good looking”. Or conversely, to keep things only because they are beautiful.

If you do not believe it to be beautiful, it doesn’t belong in your house. That means, if you don’t love it: shove it! We’ve spoken in past newsletters about how we imbue either positive or negative ch’i onto objects and spaces. Think about all the negative ch’i buildup being created by that Limoges nut dish your Aunt Bessie gave you last Christmas. Now, there’s nothing wrong with Limoges (and hopefully, there’s nothing wrong with your Aunt Bessie !). And chances are, she spent too much for it. This tends to add to the guilt we feel if we don’t really like it and don’t want it in our home. However, if your crib is furnished in 1950’s Modern, the fancy Limoges nut dish looks totally out of place; you probably do not like it but feel some obligation to keep it, right?

We all have a version of the nutdish. It’s time for all of us to let go of our attachment to keeping anything in our sacred home space that we aren’t absolutely in love with, or at the very least, anything that doesn’t please us. I hereby give you permission to remove those items from your home today!

Some examples of things that people hang on to that fall into this catagory:

• Gifts (especially given by family members).
• Inherited objects (furniture, paintings, etc) that aren’t your taste.
• Plants that aren’t flourishing.
• Expensive things (we have a harder time letting go of things we paid a lot of money for even if we hate the piece after we’ve bought it).
• Things that connect us to our past and who we once were, but that no longer represent who we are now and where we are going.

By the way, if you now have a pile of unwanted things in your space, be sure to donate them to charity or have a yard sale. If you have a pile of things you intend to repair, make sure you take care of it quickly. If you must leave the pile there for awhile, you want to be sure your pile is in a benign area of your home. The last thing you want to do is gather up all of your broken down items and stack them in your Health Area, your Love & Relationship Area or your Wealth Area until you get around to it. As always, if you are unsure of where these areas are located within your home, contact Feng Shui By Fishgirl for a professional assessment.

About the Author:

KATY ALLGEYER (a.k.a. Fishgirl) has twenty+ years of Feng Shui expertise, which she blends with her highly developed intuitive ability, metaphysical shamanic healing methods, and formal art and design training that make her uniquely qualified to help people realign their environment to support their full potential.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – IF YOU DON’T LOVE IT, SHOVE IT!

Katy Allgeyer’s blog: Feng Shui By Fishgirl

KABBALAH (with TAROT): Adam Crowe

By Dr. Jennifer Howard

The word Kabbalah means “to receive” and flows out of the Jewish mystical tradition. The Kabbalah systematically breaks reality down into a clear understanding and a potential path to wholeness. Most religions have a mystical tradition, but they don’t necessarily break it down into bite size concepts. By “mystical” we don’t mean some weird magical or supernatural “ooga booga,” but rather attaining an experience of union with God, Spirit or Universe.

It is the pursuit of achieving communion with the divine, spiritual truth, or God through direct, personal experience rather than rational thought. It is an experience of the existence of realties beyond perceptual or intellectual comprehension. The Kabbalists would call it “G-d-cleaving.”

In the Kabbalah, we learn about the creation story. In the creation story, we come into manifestation from what the Kabbalah calls the great Ayn-Sof (Ein Sof or Ain Sof), which literally means without end or boundlessness. This is the unknowable nothingness aspect of God. In this understanding, we then differentiate from the oneness of the Ayn-Sof into duality. This is the creation of opposites. That is how we have night and day … happy and sad.

Most of the focus of religions is the belief in a Supreme Being. Belief itself means you believe in something and that automatically separates you from the something in which you believe. Much of the content of most religions has the emphasis on a God that is still separate and distant or looks at ideas about God.

The Kabbalah is the mystical interpretation or the hidden meaning of the Torah. The word Torah means “teaching”, and is a key document of Judaism. For the Christians, it is the first five books of the New Testament. The Muslims’ believe that the Torah is one of the fundamental tenets of Islam.

In contrast, any mystical path connects us with our direct experience. This is usually out of one’s ordinary experience and in the most profound sense is a direct embodied experience of unified consciousness or oneness. Other traditions might call this enlightenment. This experience of wholeness, which Kabbalistic studies and other mystical traditions can provide, is not just to be intellectually understood. These teachings are considered to be transmissions of the embodied experience of the teacher. This is why the Kabbalah was originally an oral tradition and not written down.

The Kabbalah is a spiritual framework that can aid you through to your spiritual growth and contentment.

About the Author:

Jennifer Howard, Ph.D. is an internationally known licensed psychotherapist, Integrated Kabbalistic Healer®, Integrated Energy Healer, life coach, author and professional speaker. She is a co-founder of the Healing Path Center and maintains a private practice with offices in New York City and Huntington, L.I., New York, as well as an extensive phone practice. As a psychotherapist, Dr. Howard brings together her more than 20 years of experience, extensive training and expertise in mind-body psychology, meditation, and a variety of the healing arts. She has been a faculty member of the graduate studies program of A Society of Souls and is currently a supervisor.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – What is Kabbalah?

“Post-Rational Leadership, Lao Tzu,
and the Tao Te Ching“

From: THE WAY OF LEADING PEOPLE: UNLOCKING YOUR INTEGRAL LEADERSHIP SKILLS WITH THE TAO TE CHING

by Patrick Warneka and Timothy H. Warneka

http://www.wayofleadingpeople.com

Lao Tzu, or Master Lao as we in the West would call him, was a Chinese sage who lived around 600 B.C. and whose life story has faded into semi-mythical status. As legend recounts, Master Lao, renowned for his wisdom, repeatedly refused to write any of his insights down, mistrusting the confinement of the written word. Toward the end of his life, saddened by people’s unwillingness to live in accordance with natural law, Master Lao decided to retreat into the wilderness. Heading toward what is now Tibet, Master Lao passed through one of the many gates in the Great Wall of China. A gatekeeper, Yin Xi by name, persuaded old Lao Tzu to record his teachings. The result was the 5000-character Tao Te Ching (pronounced Dow Duh Jing)-one of the most important texts in human history. This book, the title of which translates roughly as “The Book of How Life Works,” is an instruction manual for living in accord with what Chinese philosophy calls Tao, the ultimate ground of being-the Eternal.

In his wisdom, Master Lao understood something 2500 years ago that we in the West are only now just beginning to appreciate: that rational thinking is not the final stage of human development. While the Western world has long held rational thought to be the epitome of human development, new research is in agreement with Master Lao, pointing to other ways of thinking beyond (read: better than) rationality. Scientists are eagerly investigating these newly identified “post-rational” ways of knowledge, describing them by many names: contemporary philosopher Ken Wilber speaks of vision-logic; Malcolm Gladwell refers to “the power of thinking without thinking” with the adaptive unconscious; in the Emotional Intelligence literature the movement is categorized under several names. Indeed, this post-rational stage of knowing have been under observation for some years: Swiss psychiatrist C. G. Jung and his Jungian followers call it intuition; the great martial artist Bruce Lee referred to this higher stage of awareness as “It”; and Zen masters throughout the ages simply use the term mushin (literally, no mind, as in, “beyond rational thought”). For interested readers, current research into post-rational ways of knowing can be found in Malcolm Gladwell’s best-selling Blink; Gary Klein’s The Power of Intuition; Ken Wilber’s Sex, Ecology & Spirituality; and Goleman, Boyatzis & McKee’s Primal Leadership, among others. For an actual experience of post-rational development, practice Aikido, or Yoga, or T’ai Chi, or meditation, or a similar bodymind practice for five to ten years … or more.

Post-rational awareness is beyond words: paradoxical, mysterious and powerful. If post-rationality could be easily conveyed in words, there would be no need for the strict meditative practices of Zen, for the sweat and exertion of Aikido or Yoga or countless other body-centered practices. Written over 2500 years ago, the Tao Te Ching is one of the earliest recorded attempts to describe this post-rational way of living in harmony with the world. Wisely, Master Lao understood that, where prose fails, poetry succeeds. While prose is unable to fully capture these post-rational developmental levels, poetry’s strength emerges by not even trying. By allowing space for metaphors to expand, poetry taps into the wisdom of post-rationality in ways that allow our rational minds to glimpse that higher level of knowing. Since Master Lao wrote most of the Tao Te Ching in poetry, the present authors have tried to stay true to his legacy.

Today, more than ever, leaders need the wisdom of Lao Tzu. Master Lao recognized the importance of personal transformation for leaders. Simply reading new material or being exposed to new ideas is not enough for today’s leaders. In order to be successful in today’s global economy, leaders must have the courage to change–to step forward into the post-rational realm, thereby becoming better leaders … and better people. The human race is at a crucial crossroads, and nothing else will suffice in today’s world.