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THE ANCIENT PATH OF
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CONTENTS • OMTIMES
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Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee Sufism: The Ancient Mystic Path Interview by Liane Buck
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Essential Oils to Tame Your Wild Heart
58
The Timeless Bhagavad Gita
64
By OMTimes Staff
By Isaac Bentwich, MD
How Do You Say Goodbye to a Loved One? By John Holland
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64
What is Moksha? By Brahmarshi Patriji
June B EDITION
84
CONTENTS • OMTIMES
74
7 Actions to Manifest Anything you Want in Your Life
80
Become a Spiritual Life Coach
Table of
84
Life Passages: Trusting the Process
Content
90
Your Emotions Are Your Greatest Allies
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Table of Contents 96 102 108 112 118 126 130 134 140
Spiritual Roles of Our Pets Understanding the Five Stages of Dying Can the Energy of Your Nickname influence Your Destiny? How Video Games Explains the Unexplainable: Past Lives and Synchronicity Special Teas Recommended for Each Astrological Signs Your Body Is Always Talking To You What Matters Most To You Why Hope is Trustworthy Including the Earth in Our Prayers
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OMTIMES | JUNE A
The Ancient Path of
the Mystic
LLEWELLYN VAUGHAN-LEE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
OMTIMES | JUNE A
Interview with Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee
Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Ph.D. is a Sufi teacher in the Naqshbandiyya-Mujaddidiyya Sufi Order. Born in London in 1953, he has followed the Naqshbandi Sufi path since he was nineteen. In 1991 he became the successor of Irina Tweedie, who brought this particular Indian branch of Sufism to the West and is the author of Daughter of Fire: A Diary of a Spiritual Training with a Sufi Master. He then moved to Northern California and founded The Golden Sufi Center. He has authored a series of books that give a detailed exploration of the stages of spiritual and psychological transformation experienced on the Sufi path, with a particular focus on the use of dreamwork as inner guidance on the journey. Since 2000 the focus of his writing and teaching has been on spiritual responsibility in our present time of transition, the awakening global consciousness of oneness, and spiritual ecology (www.workingwithoneness.org). He has contributed to several other books, was featured in the TV series Global Spirit, and was interviewed by Oprah Winfrey as a part of her Super Soul Sunday series. His most recent book is Including the Earth in our Prayers, which links together his work in the emerging field of Spiritual Ecology, the need for a spiritual response to our present ecological crisis, with the practice of Spiritual Activism.
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OMTimes: It is an honor and pleasure to have you with us; Can you tell us how you started on the Mystical Path of Sufism. Was it a specific situation? Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee: When I was sixteen, I was awakened spiritually in the most unexpected way by reading a simple Zen Koan, “the wild geese do not intend to cast their reflection, the water has no mind to receive their image.� This saying opened a door I did not even know existed, and instead of the grey world of my boarding school, I found myself in a place of color and light and laughter, sunlight sparkling off the waters of the nearby river. As a result, I started to meditate, sitting present in emptiness, and began to have inner experiences of a reality beyond the mind. I practiced Zen meditation on my own for the next couple of years but realized in order to go deeper, I needed to find a teacher. I met various teachers, for example, Krishnamurti, who gave me gave me a very powerful experience of a space of pure freedom beyond the mind, but no way to really live that experience. Then, one evening, I was invited by friends to a spiritual lecture and found myself sitting behind an old woman with her white hair tied up in a bun. After the talk, I was introduced. She gave me one look with her piercing blue eyes, and I had the physical experience of becoming a piece of dust on the floor. I had no idea what it meant. I had no idea what was happening. Only years later did I read the Sufi saying that the disciple has to become less than the dust at the feet of the teacher. This is the ancient process of the annihilation of the ego, the loss of the small self so that one can realize the true Self. The old woman was Irina Tweedie, who had recently returned from India where she had been trained by a Sufi master. I started attending the small meditation group in her room beside the train tracks in North London. I had found the place where I belonged.
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OMTimes: What is Sufism, and how is Sufism is connected to Islam? Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee: Sufism is the mysticism of the heart, a way back to God through the mystery of divine love. There are two schools of thought. One says that Sufism is the mystical heart of Islam and that in order to be a Sufi, you need to be a Muslim. The other school of thought, to which my teacher and I belong, says that Sufism is older than Islam. It is the ancient wisdom of the heart. But it flourished under Islam where it gained its name. Sufism developed into different paths or tariqas, with different spiritual practices to make the journey back to God. For example, the Mevlevi path founded by Rumi uses music and dance, while my own Naqshbandi path practices a silent meditation and a silent dhikr (repetition of the name of God).
One great Sufi said, “Sufism was at first heartache, only later it became something to write about.” I feel that certain souls are attracted to having a love affair with the Divine—they need this quality of love to realize the Truth that is present within the heart. They often become Sufis and are attracted to the path and practices that best suit their heart, their spiritual nature; for example, some souls need music, while for others, silence is best. OMTimes: In Practicing a Mystical Path that is not necessarily associated with any Religion, how can one feel authentic to oneself? Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee: A mystical path takes one inward to the “root of the root of oneself,” where one discovers one’s true nature, which for the Sufi is a state of union with God, or the Beloved, as the Sufi describes the Divine. Lover and Beloved are united in the oneness of divine love.
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With simple and powerful imagery, this man the Sufis call the Greatest Sheikh speaks of a space that knows no boundaries but belongs to love. For the mystic, for the lover, everywhere is a place of devotion, a place of meeting our Beloved.
In this experience, one discovers one’s complete authentic self, and then learns to live from this divine core of one’s being in daily life, as expressed in the saying, “Outwardly to be with the people, inwardly to be with God.” It is a deepening sense of divine presence and oneness that is alive within one’s heart and daily life. This journey to love can include religion and yet is also beyond any constriction of form. The great Sufi, Ibn ‘Arabi, wrote about the divine unity that is the foundation of life. And he also spoke about love, and following the path of love that embraces all the apparent divisions of humanity:
This world—with its myriad forms, light, and darkness, sadness and joy—is a sacred space, a place where love reveals its secrets, where divine oneness comes to meet us. All around us is an unending revelation, the wind whispering the secrets of love, messages from our heart’s Beloved.. My heart has become capable of every form: it is a pasture for gazelles and a convent for Christian monks, and a temple for idols and the pilgrim's Kaa‘ba, and the tables of the Torah and the book of the Quran. I follow the religion of Love: whatever way Love's camels take, that is my religion and my faith.
“Every spiritual path leads the sincere seeker to the truth that can only be found within. The Sufi says that there are as many roads to God as there are human beings, “as many as the breaths of the children of men.” Because we are each individual and unique, the journey of discovering our real nature will be different for each of us. At the same time different spiritual paths are suited to different types of people.”
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― Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Sufism: The Transformation of the Heart.
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OMTimes: Would you say that there is a common ground to all the Spiritual and Mystical Practices, as an “Atlas of Ancient Wisdom”? Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee: “Truth is one. Learned men call it by different names,” the Rig Veda, one of Vedanta’s earliest texts, declared thousands of years ago. In the core of every human being, there are simple, essential truths that can be experienced through any mystical path. The most basic truth is oneness, what the Sufis call the unity of being. All of creation—all the plants and animals and oceans and peoples—are a living expression of divine oneness. We are one. Another simple mystical truth is the love that is our essential nature, and also the essential nature of everything that exists. All of creation is an outpouring of divine love, and the mystical path is a way to experience this truth within the heart. Within our spiritual heart, what the Sufis call “the heart of hearts,” we can have a direct experience of the love and oneness that belongs to the divine nature of everything. In this experience, this unio mystica we lose our sense of a separate self, it is dissolved in love “like sugar in water.” This is the shoreless sea of divine love, the ocean to which the drop of our individual self-returns.
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“Those who wish to enter this path must accept that they can never explain either to themselves or to others the mysterious inner unfolding that is taking them home.” ― Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Catching the Thread: Sufism, Dreamwork, and Jungian Psychology
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OMTimes: You say that the Human Soul has a natural longing for God. Can you
The minute I heard my first love
explain to us the Sufi concept of “Hearts
story, I started looking for you, not
of Hearts,” and how it relays to the
knowing how blind that was.
Longings of the Human Soul? Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee: Love expresses itself as a masculine and feminine quality.
Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere, they’re in each other all along.
The masculine side of love is, “I love you.” Love’s feminine side is, “I am waiting for you. I am longing for you.”
The Sufis say it is this longing that takes us most directly back to God. Why? Because in the depths of each of us, in our soul, there is a longing to be reunited, to experience the oneness that is our true nature. Rumi, the great Sufi poet, begins his most famous poem, the Masnavi, with the cry of the reed torn from the reed-bed, longing to return to the Source. St. Augustine called it “divine discontent.” Most people project this feeling, this longing for love and oneness, onto another person. But the mystic, the one who is drawn deep within the heart, discovers a fundamental truth. Again to quote Rumi,
Deep within the heart of each of us, the place the Sufis call the “heart of hearts,” this secret of love and oneness is present. The Sufi wayfarer suffers the pain of longing that draws them to the fire of love that burns away all traces of separation, revealing the truth that we are always one with God, lover and Beloved are always united in love. Sufis are known as “the people of the secret” because they discover and live this divine secret.
OMTimes: In some other interviews you mentioned the three Journeys in Sufism, can you explain what they are? Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee: The Sufis say there are three journeys: the journey from God, the journey to God, and the journey in God. The journey from God is the journey of forgetfulness, as we grow up and forget our divine nature. As the American poet, E.E. Cummings wrote so poignantly: and down they forgot as up they grew autumn winter spring summer Young children often remain aware of the divine world that is around them, until, surrounded by adults who have forgotten, they too forget. Going to school, competition, and life’s outer demands take us on a path further and further away from remembering where we came from, from our soul and the light of the divine. We become more and more immersed in the “ten thousand things” of this world, thinking that this outer reality is all that exists. Until one day, in a moment of grace, we awaken, we remember our divine nature. It can be through the beauty of nature, a star-filled sky, or a broken heart, or a meeting with a spiritual teacher. But it is always a moment that is given, an act of grace. The early Sufi saint Rabia’ was once asked, “If I turn away from the world and turn towards God, will He turn towards me?” And she replied, “No, never. First He has to look towards you, and then you can turn towards Him.”
As I have mentioned for me, it was reading a Zen koan that awoke me out of the grey world of my middle-class background. It was an unexpected, unexplained miracle, opening the door to light and laughter. Then the spiritual search begins, the search for a teacher or a path to lead us home. Sadly many who awake for an instant, see the light or love around them, then turn back to the world of forgetfulness, and never make the journey. The doors of this world close so easily, its distractions are so many. Some people even create an illusion of the spiritual path, filled with images of what they want, rather than any deeper selfless truth. To live the light of the heart is not easy. The mystical life is love’s greatest adventure, but also the most demanding journey on which we have to face our darkness even as we are drawn towards the light. In Rumi’s words, it is:
Not for brittle, easily-broken, glass-bottle people. The soul is tested here by sheer terror, As a sieve sifts and separates Genuine from fake.
But through determination, devotion, love, longing, and a sense of humor, those who persevere are taken by love back to love. In the Sufi tradition, they are taken through the chambers of the heart, the esoteric secrets of our human and divine nature, until, in the heart of hearts they discover their essential state of divine oneness. This is where the journey in God begins, as our individual self is slowly dissolved deeper and deeper in the states of the union, and the Beloved reveals in the heart of the lover the intimacies of love’s tenderness, the states of ecstasy and bliss. Little can be said of these later stages of the journey because our footsteps that have taken us to the shore of love’s ocean are lost, just as the lover becomes more and more lost in love. This is the “dark silence in which all lovers lose themselves.” OMTIMES
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OMTimes: T.S. Elliot Said: "We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." Does the Quality, the intensity of the Longing for God change with time, or circumstances and can be differentiated according to different life passages or phases of life? Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee: The heart’s longing, the homesickness of the soul, is often what starts us on the journey. This primal sadness turns us away from the desires of the senses and the world of the ego, often making outer experiences and attractions tasteless, without value.
JUNE 2019
We cry and cry, knowing only the absence of our Beloved. My teacher came back from India with a blue handkerchief that had been bleached white by all the tears she had cried. We know nothing except the depths of our longing and heartache. But then, imperceptibly at first, something changes. Something is present within the heart that was not there before. There is a sweetness, a sense of presence. In the beginning, these tender moments are fleeting, and we are thrown back into states of abandonment, longing, our tears flow again. But as the months and years pass, the times of pure pain grow less, the longing turns into love. Yes, longing can often remain, but a nearness also becomes known. Our Beloved has not deserted us, has not betrayed us. One we love is alive within us. The states of love change, the mysteries of the path unfold. Longing can return, unbidden, unexpected. But once we have tasted the truth of divine presence, once we know how much we are loved, something fundamental shifts, even the cells of our body are altered as love becomes more and more permanent. Then one day, unexpectedly, we realize we have come Home, back to where we belong. Yes, it is always the same place from where we started—the oneness to which we truly belong. But now we know it. We have paid the price of separation and are able to rest in the union. Our Beloved is always with us. OMTimes: What is the role that the Ego plays on the Journey back to God, and why it is Important to have an Ego? Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee: The ego and the mind are necessary to live in this world, and yet they are the two greatest obstacles on the mystical journey. The mind, with its constant chatter and recycling patterns of thought, cuts us off from the direct experience of the higher levels of reality.
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SUFI WISDOM
“Sufis Know the Secrets of Love "Longing takes us back to God, takes the lover back into the arms of the Beloved. This is the ancient path of the mystic, of those who are destined to make the journey to the further shores of love. Why we are called to this quest is always a mystery, for the ways of the heart cannot be understood by the mind. Love always draws us back to love, and longing is the fire that purifies us. Sufis know the secrets of love, of the way love takes and transforms us. They are the people of love who have kept alive the mysteries of divine loving, of what is hidden within the depths of the human being.”
― LLEWELLYN VAUGHAN-LEE, LOVE IS A FIRE: THE SUFI'S MYSTICAL JOURNEY HOME
The ego—with its illusory sense of a separate self, and all of its patterns of identity—isolates us from experiencing our divine nature, our oneness with God. In the words of an early Sufi, “Between you and I there lingers an ‘it is I.’ Oh God, through Thy mercy, lift this ‘it is I’ from between us both.” Much of the work of the journey back to God is to free oneself from the limitations of the ego. In Sufism, this is described as the process of fana, annihilation, that leads to baqa, abiding in God. My first experience when I met my teacher, of becoming a speck of dust on the floor, was a foretaste of this process, this loss of self. Initially, the ego fights any loss of control, and it is a painful process. But slowly we learn to surrender ourself, our desire for control. And in these later stages, as the ego is dissolved in the greater power of divine love, it is a great relief to lose this limited sense of self and experience the vaster dimension of our divine nature. These experiences mainly happen in meditation or prayer, where one leaves the mind and the ego behind and awakens to a very different dimension— states that can initially be very confusing and bewildering. But then one does have to return to the “reality” of the outer world, for which one needs a mind and an ego. Otherwise, it is too difficult to function in daily life. This is why the Sufi is often known as “a soldier of the two worlds”—we live in the outer world while being inwardly more and more deeply immersed in a formless reality of light and love.
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OMTimes: How can a Human Being (a Seeker) develop a heart with no Judgement? Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee: Judgment belongs to the mind and the ego with its patterns of division. As one goes deeper into the heart, one experiences a reality where there is no judgment, just the all-embracing acceptance of divine love. This is reflected when one first comes to the teacher and is accepted unconditionally as oneself, often for the first time in one’s life. True love is by its very nature unconditional, and acceptance is one of the qualities one develops along the path. Also, as one confronts one’s own darkness and human failings, one realizes that one has no right to judge another.us. OMTimes: You have said that The Journey through God is Oneness; it is to be with all as One. The Zen Concept of Bearing Witness is to embrace both Joy and sorrows; it is to be one with suffering we may encounter, without Judgement. In doing such, we actively contribute to the healing of the situation. How does the Mystical Path of Sufism interpret the Practice to Bear Witness? Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee: There is an important Sufi practice of witnessing, just to watch without judgment. This belongs to the spiritual tradition of watching and witnessing: that events in the inner and outer worlds need to be witnessed. Through watching and witnessing one brings a certain light, the light of one’s higher consciousness, into a situation. This, as you say, can contribute to the healing of the situation, and also stop a certain darkness from encroaching further.
JUNE A 2019
The ego—with its illusory sense of a separate self, and all of its patterns of identity—isolates us from experiencing our divine nature, our oneness with God. In the words of an early Sufi, “Between you and I there lingers an ‘it is I.’ Oh God, through Thy mercy, lift this ‘it is I’ from between us both.” Initially, you learn to watch yourself, you become aware of yourself just through witnessing. You watch your reactions; you watch the patterns you live by. You don’t try to change them, because only too often when you try to change patterns you use the same attitude of consciousness that created them—then you just create a variation rather than any real change. It is actually a very important step on the spiritual path not to want anything, not to try to change, but just to be aware. This gradually creates a quality of consciousness, or awareness, separate from the ego and its patterns, desires, and fears— similar to the Buddhist practice of mindfulness—and is the beginning of bringing the consciousness of the Self into your life. Then you learn to use this light of consciousness in service to life as a whole. We watch our self, and we watch the world. Nothing is separate, everything is interconnected. Sufis are sometimes known as “a brotherhood of migrants who keep watch on the world and for the world.” I feel that there is a vital need to witness what is happening in the world at this time
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We are living in a time of fundamental change, a period of increasing divisiveness, tribalism, isolationism, even as a global consciousness of unity struggles to be born. And we are also participating in the catastrophic exploitation and destruction of the Earth’s ecosystem, the fragile web of life that supports us all. I titled one of my books Darkening of the Light: Witnessing the End of an Era to reflect this work of witnessing. It can be very painful to watch in full consciousness what is happening to the Earth at this time, the living being who gives life to us all with endless generosity, how our consumer-driven materialistic culture is killing Her species, ravaging Her beauty and wonder. The Buddhist teacher, Joanna Macy, talks about feeling the grief from this experience, and how this grief can break open our hearts to feel the love that is needed to help to heal the Earth. I also have been made to witness the effects of our actions and attitude in the inner worlds, what I have called the loss of the light of the sacred. There is a spiritual teaching that what happens in the outer world is reflected in the inner world of the soul and in the world soul. Our culture’s forgetfulness of the sacred nature of creation and its continued patterns of exploitation and greed are creating an inner wasteland as devastating as the outer ecocide, more tragic because this inner darkening is unrecognized, unnoticed.
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OMTimes: Giving sequence to the last question; do you believe that the practice to “Bear Witness” is part of our “Spiritual Responsibility” as Humans Beings; and does it present elements of Spiritual Activism, in your opinion? Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee: I believe that we have a spiritual responsibility, especially at this time when the light and love of our spiritual self is desperately needed to help heal and transform the world. In the words of Thich Nhat Hanh, “Real change will only happen when we fall in love with our planet.” Spiritual Activism is an emerging field that calls for a spiritual response to our present global crisis—to our self-destructive identification with an old story of separation
rather than embracing the living story of life’s interdependent wholeness. Yes, we desperately need to reduce carbon emissions and pesticides, to stop turning rainforests into ranchland or palm oil plantations. But there is also a call to reconnect with the sacred within creation, with the spiritual lifeblood of the planet. Otherwise, we will just be continuing the same onesided conversation that has caused this devastation. We need to work together with the Earth, to include Her wonder and wisdom. And both our hearts and our hands are needed for this work. OMTimes: About the Transformative Environmental Crisis we are facing, and evidently, have failed as natural caretakers of this Planet; I have two questions for you: How can we regain the role as rightful guardians of the planet, both as individuals and as a Race?
Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee: Firstly, there is a primal need to recognize that we are not separate from the Earth. That we are separate from the Earth —that it is just unfeeling matter, a resource to be mastered and exploited—is a painfully destructive story of the last era. We are part of the living being of the Earth, interbeing with all of creation. We are interconnected with every bee, every butterfly, every dewdrop on an early morning spider’s web. And spiritually our soul is part of the soul of the world, our light part of the light of the world. Only from this place of oneness can we respond to our present predicament without constellating the same patterns, the dynamics of separation that have created this situation. The Earth is not a problem to be solved, but a living being in distress, and we need to reconnect and learn to listen to Her.
The Earth will continue. We are now living through the sixth mass extinction of species in Her history. It is our shared future that is uncertain: whether we will keep to our ancient promise to witness Her wonder and beauty, honor Her sacred ways; or whether we will continue our present path, stumbling through an increasingly soulless wasteland, until the sea levels rise, the air becomes too toxic, the oceans too acidic, our souls too desolate. The real question is whether we can put aside our addiction to consumerism, our false myth of continued economic growth, and return to a place of simplicity that honors all of life, that remembers the Original Instructions given to the First Peoples: how to get along with all of creation. Only then can we find a way to redeem what we have desecrated, bring the world back into balance, and step into the shared future that is waiting. OMTimes: How does Sufism see the Role of the Divine Feminine in the Dance of Creation? How can the Rebalancing of the Sacred Feminine influence the mystical transformations of the heart?
Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee: All around us, in all of the colors, sounds, fragrances, and textures of life, we experience the dance of the divine feminine. She comes to meet us in so many ways, and part of the tragedy of the present time is how we have forgotten Her sacred nature. We no longer recognize Her presence in our daily life. For the Sufi, there are two aspects of the Divine: the transcendent, masculine aspect; and the immanent, feminine dance of creation. For the lover the Beloved is both the unnamable, unknowable, “beyond of the beyond”; and also manifest in the world around us, in every touch, taste, sight, and sound. In this world of, multiplicity, the Beloved reveals Herself— “I was a hidden treasure, and I longed to be known, so I created the world.” In every in-breath we return to the source, to the innermost essence; and with every out-breath, we come back into the world, in its beauty and sorrows, where the Beloved takes on form and dances around us. The work of the mystic is to recognize the face of the Beloved in the wonder around us —“Wheresoever you turn, there is the face of God.”
At this time, there is a pressing need to remember the sacred nature of this feminine dance of creation. For too long, our monotheistic religions have banished the Divine to heaven, leaving this world desolate of divine presence. We no longer recognize the immanence of the Divine in the rituals of our daily life, in our cooking or our lovemaking. We need to bring the sacred feminine back into life, because She is the matrix of creation, and without Her presence, nothing new can be born.
OMTimes: What are the Spiritual Precepts of Sufism referring to the Art of Dying? Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee: Death is the friend of the mystic. In our prayers and our practice we aspire to “die before we die,” to leave behind our physical, emotional, and mental bodies, and directly experience, if only for a moment, the clear light of our divine self, the bliss, peace, or endless love of our true nature. Most people only experience their divine self after they physically die. This is the light at the end of the tunnel in near-death experiences, our soul waiting for us to pass over. But the mystic longs to have this experience while still present in this world. I remember sitting, praying, at the hospital bed of a friend. Suddenly she opened her eyes, which were full of bright light, and she smiled a radiant smile. Then I knew that she was ready to go Home. The mystical path is a continual preparation for death; we die to our ego into order to be born to our true self. Again, and again, we die to our limitations, the patterns and constrictions that surround us. We also prepare for our final passing so that we can go into the light with “clean hands and clear eyes.” We aspire to leave behind the grip of desires or the burden of any resentments or other unfinished business. Having lived fully, we surrender fully into the light. I often say that when we come to this place, we should be able to say, “I have lived, and I have loved.” Death is our friend, a passageway that completes this life. OMTIMES MAGAZINE
JUNE A
Health & Wellness Innovative new approaches to Healing as well as holistic methods for dealing with health issues and personal growth
Essential Oils to Tame Your Wild Heart OMTimes staff
Aromatherapy is known to be a form of complementary therapy to the conventional ones that help us to deal with our emotional imbalances.
What does that mean? It means that through scents and perfumes that please our Omtimes.com
olfactory system, we get rid of the toxic feelings and traits that disrupt our lives and our general well-being. Aromas & fragrances can mitigate our wounds, even those from physical trauma. They don’t stop there. When you smell a perfume or scent that does you good, it affects your mind, soul, and body, bringing everything into the perfect harmony between concentration, calmness, and lightness. When we are feeling good about ourselves, we have more courage to expose everything we have inside, everything that is in balance and everything in us that is good. Whatever may be bad, the aromas help us eliminate. For people who find it difficult to demonstrate their true feelings and difficulty opening the heart, aromatherapy can be a helpful resource. See below how this technique can help you.
The Opening of the Heart We may have locked our hearts after suffering losses from people we love very much. The losses could be through death
or other challenging emotional situations. We speak of loss with suffering, which can lead most of us to close ourselves within ourselves. Sometimes our hearts become wild, and we may refuse to love again, especially when the wound, caused by pain, sadness, hurt, resentment or anger has not been treated or appropriately healed. Often, these feelings create cold and fearful behavior. Essential oils offer us the opportunity to work with hurtful emotions at the core of our heart. These emotions prevent us from being happy and loving again freely. As we use the essential oils to open our hearts to love, we will feel at first, an opening of love for ourselves, (if we do not love ourselves, who could come to love us?). The most indicated Essential oils are Geranium, Orange. See bottom of the page: Property, Negative and Positive Aspects, and Usage
The Fourth Chakra In Sanskrit, the front heart chakra is the Anahata chakra.
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The heart chakra is known as Yu tang in Taoist yoga. It means the ‘Jade room.’ The posterior part of the Heart Chakra is known as Ling Tai, which means ‘divine or spiritual platform’ or ‘temple of the soul.’ The heart or Anahata chakra is the epicenter of higher emotions like Gentleness, Kindness, joy, peace, and compassion. The lower emotional energies can be transmuted into higher forms of emotional energies by activating the vortex energies of the heart chakra. One of the many essential oils known to activate the heart center is Rose Oil. Rose, this wonderful flower, is sacred to lovers and mystics. To the Sufis, mystics of the Islamic tradition, the elegant flower upon the thick, prickly branch illustrates the path to God. In the same way, the rose represents the arduous journey of true lovers, whose thorny efforts towards intimacy are at last rewarded by the blossoming of the grace and beauty of love, the flowering of the heart. Rose essential oil is very good to be used at the beginning of a loving relationship to Omtimes.com
gently attenuate the fears that accompany the opening of the heart, fears that can rise again at any stage of intimacy. The rose allows us to access our emotional field, and with that allows the heart to transform itself by the feeling of pure love. Rose oil is an oil that reaches into our emotional body so that we can work our Angel of Compassion, our greatest love. The Rose essential oil is a powerful resource to the attunement of our heart. The Rose oil is a renowned sedative for the nerves in times of suffering and sorrows caused by losses. It is used for irritability, palpitations, and frustrations. It is oil that exerts a deep psychological effect after traumas and shocks. It has the power to dissolve the pains of the soul. It comes to heal the emotional wounds that poison the soul; It can alleviate melancholy and soften the pattern of grumpy behavior. Rose oil soothes the sad heart, helps relieve anger and despair by opening precious doors so that
love, friendship, and empathy can manifest.
You are healing all the emotional wounds that are poisoning the soul. We know that the rose helps open the heart and soothes all feelings of fear, anger, and anxiety. The rose is the perfect choice for those who carry marks obtained on the battlefield of love and who may find it difficult to surrender unreservedly to the blazing fire of love itself.
Essential oils that work on taming feelings Lemongrass essential oil is great for people who feel suffocated by their feelings. For those who feel this way, the scent of lemongrass brings the necessary strength to put out exactly what oppresses you, like anger, sadness or good feelings - like repressed love, for example. Pine essential oil is indicated for people who are already in loving relationships and who need to improve communication - always in a respectful way. Pine helps to have the courage to talk about what is needed.
The essential oil of patchouli is good for those who have obsessive characteristics with things and people. Obsessive behavior is toxic and needs to be an object of change and elimination. The scent of patchouli helps in this process.
How to use them Essential oils To use the essential oils described above, simply have an automatic diffuser, in which you will find dewdrop one to two drops of the desired essential oil. Do this daily. If you do not have a diffuser, you can also drip the oils in sheets, pillows or curtains.
Aromatherapy as Complementary Therapy Aromatherapy should not replace conventional treatments already elaborated for you. Talk to your doctor or therapist to see the possibilities of using the aromas technique as a complement to the work already being developed. You may also talk to an aromatherapy professional to develop more specific techniques for your type of emotional difficulty. Enjoy aromatherapy in the best way. Omtimes.com
Simply Spiritual To perceive reality from a different perspective is to open oneself to the wonders and unlimited wealth of creation. Simply Spiritual offers the opportunity to visit new places, new methods, and different ways to perceive the vast human knowledge of our Universe.
The Timeless Bhagavad Gita by Isaac Bentwich, MD
What is it about the Bhagavad Gita, a 700-verse Hindu scripture in Sanskrit that has captivated so many of the world’s most brilliant scientists, musicians, poets, thinkers, and spiritual teachers? For two and a half millennia, the Gita (meaning Divine Song) has been one of the world’s most trusted guides for inner spiritual growth, beloved by spiritual seekers worldwide. Beethoven, Leonard Cohen, Carl Jung, Emerson, Thoreau, Mahatma Gandhi, Deepak Chopra, Michael Singer, and so many others credit the Gita
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as a magnificent source of wisdom and inspiration. Robert Oppenheimer, a theoretical physicist, considered one of the “fathers of the atomic bomb,” is quoted as saying the Gita is “the most beautiful philosophical song existing in any known tongue.” Bestselling New York Times author Eckhart Tolle praises it as “one of the greatest spiritual treasures of humanity.” I join these people in their great devotion to the Bhagavad Gita. In contemplating how the Gita has been so beloved by so many, I found that just as Arjuna and Krishna were on the “battlefield of the soul,” I believe that this ancient inner guide is more relevant than ever in addressing the unique challenges we face in the modern world. Gita’s message is meant for ordinary people, like you and me, who are living in this hectic, troubled, yet beautiful world, at this time of great evolution. I spent twelve years translating the Gita—which felt much like peeling layers of an onion— focusing on one layer at a time. I’ve intended my translation
to be a simple, practical guide for inner development by crystallizing the key messages of each verse, as they apply to our time, peeling away distracting layers of complex terminology and foreign culture. If you seek a practical, Wisdom-guide to facilitate your inner journey, I invite you to explore the Gita. I know that Gita’s lofty ideals are not at all exaggerated or utopian—I’ve had the incredible fortune to sit at the feet of Teachers, who for me are shining examples of Gita’s principles in action. When you meet men and women like these, their humility and kindness melt your heart, and the clear light that flows through them enlightens your soul. May we all continue to learn and evolve, and to help and support one another on our inner journeys, toward our Inner-Self. Living Life Wisely Gita teaches the art of living life wisely. So, our journey starts from the most pragmatic aspect of our lives — Action. Our lives are so immersed in Omtimes.com
Action (and more so in reaction) that we tend to be mesmerized by our current drama-of-the-day, and therefore miss the bigger picture, the dynamics of Action itself. Our actions (and thoughts!) are so completely driven by Ego that a false conviction sets in that we are Ego and that there’s nothing we can do about it. Gita’s Action Path helps you better understand the nature of Action, empowering you to transform your activity from ego-driven actions and thoughts that shackle you, to selfless ones that gradually set you free. You cannot avoid activity, says the Gita. But make sure you work selflessly. Work for work’s sake alone. We each have our life’s-work, our Calling. Find and embrace your life’s Calling. Enjoy work itself, thereby enjoying the present moment. It is futile to obsess over the past, or fret about work’s future results – says the Gita – “but one who works, unattached — senses and mind held under rein; merits highest
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regard, O Prince”— this is true Yoga-of-Action.
Yoga of Action PRINCE: But Master, if you assert that Wisdom is better than Action; Then why do you tell me to do Such dreadful deeds of destruction? [1] Your words seem contradictory, The confusion they stir in my mind; Tell me one certain way, Master, By which one may reach the Divine. [2] MASTER: Seekers of enlightenment, in this world, Prince, Have two paths, for two personality types: Wisdom Path for the mature, reflective, And Selfless Action for those who’re still active. Non-action can never achieve The action-less state on its own; Nor can perfection be attained By renouncing action alone. [4] No one can rest for a moment From the action of body and thought;
Nature’s-Facets compel us to act Hence our life with action is fraught. [5]
Upon you – God’s light will shine; By honoring one another, One attains to – the Divine. [11]
One who curbs action of body But harbors desires in thought; Is a deluded hypocrite, Wisdom in this – there is not. [6]
* * * If you would like to read all of Chapter Three, click here: www.newgita.com/ chapter3
But one who works, unattached, Senses and mind held under rein; Merits highest regard, O Prince, This is true Yoga-of-Action. [7] Action surpasses inaction, Act, from natural Duty, don’t abstain; Why even your very own body, Without action, you cannot sustain. [8] This world by its actions is chained, Save when the action’s performed as prayer; Perform all acts as prayer, therefore, And for action’s fruits never care. [9] At creation’s dawn, each soul was given A natural-born Calling, its own ordained part; ‘Your wishes be granted’ said the Creator, ‘If your Calling’s Duty you perform, pure of heart’. [10] Pursuing your Calling honors God,
Isaac Bentwich M.D. is a longtime practitioner and teacher of Yoga and Meditation. Trained as a physician in Western and Ayurvedic medicine, he founded three life-science technology companies, leading revolutions in medicine, genomics, and environmental conservation. Bentwich has studied the Bhagavad Gita for thirty-four years. The purpose of his new translation is to make the Gita more accessible and relevant to contemporary readers. He presents the mesmerizing melodiousness, meter, and rhyme of the Sanskrit original, and this version is crafted for both men and women. For more information about Gita: A Timeless Guide for Our Time (June 21, 2019), please visit: NewGita.com
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How Do You Say Goodbye to a Loved One? By John Holland
Goodbyes are never easy. Saying farewell to a loved one who’s dying can be one of the toughest things you’ll experience in this lifetime. No matter how ready you think you are, it’s never easy when the time comes. If you’re dealing with this at the moment, my heart goes out to you. When my mom went into longterm palliative care, I received a small booklet by Hank Dunn called Hard Choices for Loving People. It prepared me to cope Omtimes.com
with one of the most emotional and arduous times in my life! I share the following excerpt in the hope that you’ll find some comfort in the words now or in the future: There are two ways to hold on. We can grasp tightly as we would a coin in our fist. We fear we will lose it, so we hold it tight. Indeed, if we open our hand palm down the coin falls from our possession, and we feel cheated. The other way to hold
on is by opening our hand palm up. The coin may sit there, or it could be blown away or shaken out of our possession. However, while it is there, we are privileged to have it. We hold on with an open hand. Our hand is relaxed, and we experience freedom. This small passage gave me comfort and bolstered my strength so I could get through those last months of my mom’s life. I was lucky enough to spend much time with her. As I perched beside her bedside, we laughed, cried, and shared stories and special memories. With a sense of openness and acceptance, we chatted about the end of her life, the OtherSide, and what to expect. I told her how those who have gone on before he would be there to welcome her home so that she wouldn’t be alone on her journey. We talked about the signs she would send me, which to this day have been beautiful and heartfelt. I’m not going to pretend that it was easy, but my mom lived the last part of her life with grace, peace, and dignity. She brought me into this world and held me with loving arms; in return, I held
her in mine as she exited this world. I have no regrets because we said and did everything we needed to say and do.
JOHN’S LESSON I’m sharing one of the most personal moments in my life to get across what I believe is an important message, namely: It’s possible to accept an imminent passing with love and acceptance. I was able to enjoy my time with my mom while she was here instead of holding on tightly and refusing to let her go at the end. Please say what you have to say to the people that are in your life now so that you never have to say “I should have, could have, or would have . . .” or, “If only I had . . .” Try to live your life with an open hand, and enjoy and appreciate every moment you have with your loved ones and friends. If you have a heartfelt story you feel might comfort others, I welcome you to share either on my Facebook page, or you can call into one of my Spirit Connections radio shows. Live a Soul-filled life! Omtimes.com
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OM Living For those living a more Conscious Lifestyle
7 actions to manifest anything you want in your life
What does it mean to manifest something? According to Webster’s Dictionary, it is “to show or display something.”
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Anything can be manifested. It is your intention realized. It is the process of asking, believing and receiving which brings to you what you wish to create in your life. “To manifest” is a formal way of saying that something is apparent to your senses and is synonymous with evident, apparent, or clear results. If you have a strong feeling about something, it will manifest on your face. It is the result of an action. A manifestation is an example of emotion or feeling, or something theoretically made real or possible. The origins of manifestation come from religion and spirituality as it is something spiritual that becomes real. It is said to be a manifestation. The word’s usage has spread to include all aspects of life. So manifesting is the process of bringing something from a desire to reality.
Here are Seven actions to manifest anything you want in your life. Action 1: Be very clear as to what you want. Set your intention. Create your perfect scenario. Be specific. Look at the details of what you are asking. Let your intention be true in thought and manner. Action 2: Ask the Universe. All it takes is to ask. It is the step that releases your intention outward. It is releasing and letting go of your dream. Now, it is up to you to show that you support, trust and believe in what you have coming to you. Action 3: Stride toward your goal. Every day does one thing to inspire (help) in manifesting your intention. It shows yourself (and the Universe) that you are ready for it. It supports the fact that your intention (wish) is something you want for your life. It is the process of
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grounding your intention into a real and tangible purpose. Action 4: Trust the process. Without trust, there is no real belief in what you are doing. It is time to believe it. It is time to have faith in your conviction and to honor the process with assurance. Action 5: Keep Your thought vibrations positive. A positive outlook (along with that trust) is an important element to manifesting what you desire. Staying in that “higher vibration” allows you to look past the doubt. It keeps you moving to a higher state of consciousness. A higher vibration gives you strength and the patience to see your intention through. Action 6: Remove resistance. Let go. It is time to trust, stay positive and do not allow the negative, self-doubt or voices in your head to take over your actions. If you are saying, “it’s easier said than
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done”... you are still resisting. Let it go. Remember, Universal time is not always occurring when WE want it to happen. What we wish to manifest occurs when we are truly ready to receive it. Action 7: Receive what you asked. Appreciate and acknowledge what you have attracted to you. It is what you have manifested. What you have received is no fluke. It was not dumb-luck. You have taken the steps, put in the hard work and fought off the negative, self-doubt, and nee-sayers. Give thanks (repeatedly) for being shown that anything is possible. 10 Tools for Manifesting I am often asked, “why do I need tools to help me manifest something?” The short answer is, ‘you don’t.’ However, think about some added support. Wouldn’t it be great to go through the process with means to help you improve (and intensify) your purpose? Here is a short
list of my favorite “tools” for manifesting. 1. Meditation is a timehonored tool for helping us connect with our inner thought. It can be used to help relieve stress, lower blood pressure, find focus and come into ourselves. The practice of meditation helps us temporarily let the physical world go so that we can begin to see ourselves as we truly are – spiritually enlightened beings. Use meditation for reinforcing your intention. 2. Candle Therapy: The candle’s flame has always been a metaphor for the soul! It possesses a tranquil and almost hypnotic atmosphere to those who allow its power to take them to a very special place. A candle acts as a “self-object.” A self-object is an object that is a reflection of our self, a reflection upon which we can act. The candle reflects the spiritual and ethical changes
we would like to bring about in ourselves. It burns as a reminder and symbol of our desires. Use a candle to enforce your purpose and burn with the desire of your intention. 3. Crystal Healing: Crystals and gemstones are great energy tools. Many aspects of stone come into play when using them for healing! Their mineral properties, color, shape, the location from which they came, as well as their psychological effect, can engage us. Use crystals for manifesting as a reminder of your goal, as a positive force in your life, and as a tangible tool to recall that anything is possible. 4. Music Therapy: From celebrations and ceremonies to proclamations and processions, music marks the empirical reference we associated with time and place. Music is a magical medium that has always been a metaphor for our
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spirit! For manifesting purposes, play music in your life that supports your positive outlook, your desire to make things happen, and a force behind you, giving you empowerment. 5. Color Therapy: Color influences us daily. It color experience provides the opportunity to discover for yourself; the impact colors can have on your well-being. The need for a particular color’s vibration seems to differ from day to day or even from hour to hour. When you absorb a color vibration it travels, via the nervous system, to the part of the body that needs it. For manifesting, each body has an optimum state of well-being and is constantly seeking ways to maintain or restore a balanced state. Use colors that support your desires, dreams and create a positive outlook. 6. Guided Imagery: It is the visualizing of images,
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scenarios, or symbols that support a visual reason for moving forward. Because it uses the symbolic language of the right brain, it allows you to communicate with your unconscious mind. It can help you “read” the body signals we call symptoms so that you can give yourself precisely what you need to heal. Used for manifesting, it can make you deeply aware of how your thoughts, feelings, and habits influence your outcome. Imagery lets you play an important role in your healing and is also a remarkably powerful tool for self-awareness. 7. Aromatherapy: The power of scent is stronger than any mind/body connection we can associate. It connects us with our olfactory nerve, bringing to mind how we associate a scent with a life event. Essential oils are the nectar of nature and can bring joy and great memories with the simple accent of oil touched to the inner palm, diffused into
the room or sprayed over any intimate or healing place. Light some incense, burn some resin or ease back as you diffuse scent throughout your room. 8. Yoga Therapy: Incorporating yoga into your life can be one of the most rewarding and fulfilling experiences you can take on your journey! A nurtured yoga practice can transcend you by creating a disciplined mind a strong and physically fit body and no matter what religion you practice, like any religion, yoga can be a bridge to enhancing your spirituality. For manifesting, practicing yoga is associated with establishing harmony, equanimity, balance. 9. Feng Shui: Using the “ancient art of placement” is a great way to add to you, exactly what you need. An intention starts with a clear, focused purpose. Look around. Is your life cluttered with things that you have not used in years? Are you
dragging around “things” (objects, people, beliefs) that no longer serve you or make your heart sing? For manifesting, Feng Shui can help us clear the clutter, focus on the “flow” of our lives and bring about positive feelings of hope and new beginnings. 10. Writing/Journaling: It tool of self-expression allows us a private and personal space to release our fear, encompass our joy and allow us to sort out what we want and don’t want. For manifesting, it can be used to define your intention or purpose. Writing or journaling can help us express (on paper) the ideas we may not necessarily be able to express “out loud.” Journaling brings your voice to the forefront and helps you define your beliefs. Now is the time to manifest! In happiness, Andrew Pacholyk MS L.Ac https://www.peacefulmind.com “Living life, consciously.” Therapies for healing mind, body, spirit
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Life Passages: Trusting the Process by Andrea Mathews
The life scenarios pass by oh so quickly, run through the filter of our absence or our presence. We are either there, or there. Alternatively, we are vaguely absent as the breaths, the heartbeats, the rhythms of life pass us by. Is there something going on in the background, the underground, the basement of our lives? Something making meaning of our messes? Something that is meaning itself? Is there some process, some illuminating movement, like background music playing to crescendo our magnificent meanings? Are we a part of the Universal Intelligence managing the consciousness of all that is One with all?
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If we are, what is that process? It is the foundation of Beingness. It is the force behind our breath. It is the soul energy present in each moment, accomplishing its task even as we make a mess of things. Is it possible to live a life fully unaware of this process? Certainly. Does It mean it only exists for those who are aware of it? Or could it be that each incarnation, regardless of the consciousness of the experience, is, nevertheless, a part of a bigger schematic, a larger, much more meaningful story? If everything we do, say, think, feel, try, fail, is sourced in a deeper region of the living experience then we can, indeed, trust that process to carry us to the soul’s destination. We can trust that regardless of our experience there is something the soul is gaining from each experience. We tend to be measured, us humans. We measure things. Perpetually. We measure — no other species on earth measures-only humans. We constantly measure our worth, based on human-made concepts about
good and bad. Therefore, we think that only so-called good thoughts, words, actions, feelings can be sourced in greater Intelligence. The bad ones, well, they come from us, or worse, from some evil entity known to some as Satan. What if ALL things work for the good? What if there is nothing, nothing that can separate us from the Oneness we are--One with the deeper process, the soulful source of Beingness? Isn’t it possible that there is nothing that cannot be used by the Source of all to illuminate our souls? If that is so, then perhaps we need to stop measuring. Stop measuring and start trusting the process. Start trusting that the Divine Source, the Ultimate Intelligence can be trusted to get us to where we are going--ever toward the Oneness we are. Andrea Mathews is the author of four books, the latest of which is “Letting Go of Good: Dispel the Myth of Goodness to Find Your Genuine Self.” She is the host of the very popular Authentic Living Show and a therapist with over 30 years’ experience. Omtimes.com
Relationships
The interconnectedness among all human beings and, consequently, the relationships among us are the focus of this section. The dynamics of the web of connections we make is one of the most prominent aspects of human existence: how we interlace with each other’s existence in a meaningful way.
YOUR EMOTIONS ARE YOUR GREATEST ALLIES By Monica Berg
Our emotions range from joyousness to abject despair, and everywhere in between. We may see our emotions as random and uncontrollable, but they are an incredibly attuned guidance system, giving us valuable Omtimes.com
data if we stop and examine their sources. Simply by bringing awareness to what is happening when the feelings arise, we move away from being ruled by our emotions and instead become empowered by them. Our emotions are one of the greatest assets we have in creating our most fulfilled life— that is when we know how to use them. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that most of us see negative emotions as something to be avoided at all costs. We enact all sorts of self-care practices and elaborate avoidance techniques to ward off feeling “bad” in any way about anything. But what a missed opportunity! Our feelings, even the ugly, uncomfortable, and downright infuriating ones are only here to help us. The same goes for our positive emotions. Like a giant feedback loop, our body and soul communicate with us through a broad range of emotions. For example, unhappiness is often an indication that something needs to change, while feelings of joy or delight indicate that we are on the right track. Analyzing our emotions from this perspective shifts us into a more empowered
position. Through the lens of evaluation, we inspect our emotions; we do not become our emotions. For instance, one can be angry without being an angry person. With this perspective we are no longer at the mercy of whatever feeling may arise, now we are working together with our emotional body, keenly aware of internal and external factors that contributed to the emotional state. Give it a try: throughout the day, notice what feelings arise. What thoughts or actions preceded positive feelings? Conversely, what was happening when negative emotions surfaced? Emotions can be powerful, so if needed, wait 10 minutes, then revisit. There is no right or wrong answer; it’s just an exploration. It is how we begin to use our emotions as data. When we spend time compiling the data, we then can look for patterns. We can see where we’re in alignment and where some changes need to be made. The goal is not to eliminate bad feelings, which is an impossibility, but rather to change where we spend our time and energy to bring more happiness into our lives. Omtimes.com
An argument with a loved one or a difficult day at work can take us from joy to frustration in an instant, destroying our levity and perspective. We are humans, and we will always experience a broad range of human emotions. In difficult situations, we will still feel powerful emotions, but stepping back and making an assessment of our emotional state gives us the opportunity to choose a new perspective, and take positive action. In assessing why a scene was so upsetting, begin by asking questions, did it feel personal? Did it feel like the conflict was unfair, and if so why would that person have responded in that way? Many times conflicts come down to miscommunication. Perhaps, there is something that can be easily clarified. Other times we are simply in the proximity of someone who is not having a good day. Rather than attack them, a healthier approach may be to respond in kindness. A simple act of kindness can dispel even the most charged of situations and can completely alter our own emotions. Begin by taking a few minutes every day to bring awareness
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to how we’re feeling. Noticing how we spend our time, whom we spend it with, and how our environment affects our mood. What patterns stand out? What relationships energize and support us? Which ones make us feel lacking or exhausted? How do we feel after each activity in our day? Do we feel inspired? Do we feel numb? Starting a journal or tracking notes on the phone is a great way to see patterns of emotions. Do this for a week and study the data. Instead of seemingly random feelings rolling in and out, emotions become clues, assisting us in our growth. By starting to see our emotions as the data that they are, we set ourselves on a path to Monica Berg is a teacher and writer who specializes in assisting people in living their most fulfilled lives through the wisdom of Kabbalah. She is the author of Fear Is Not an Option and serves as Chief Communications Officer for Kabbalah Centre International. Follow her weekly blog at rethinklife.today and stay in touch via Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
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Metaphysics
Spiritual Roles of Our Pets By Cathedral of the Soul
The connection we share with our pets can be intense and powerful. Ask anyone who has or has ever had a dear furbaby, and he will attest for the connection. Although we
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cannot communicate through speech; we are often much closer to them than to people who live with us every day. The dogs have a mediumistic way to view our lives “without the sensor,” that is. They can see spirits in the same way that they see people. They capture their energies, just as they capture that of us who are alive and when this energy is not good, they usually have that strange behavior, growling, and barking.
Animals and their Spiritual Purpose Dogs come with a charged purpose; these loving beings are here to help us and to defend men. In addition to defending people in our physical plan, they defend their owners and the people they love, especially of curses and spells. Your puppy will try to stop heavy energies coming to you, so he tries to absorb the most of it to get his owner. How many times do you have a dog, did not you see your pet having diarrhea out of
nowhere or having a sudden malaise, until it died suddenly, without explanation? They protect their owners from the visible and the invisible and are rewarded for it when they die. Since the kittens are a little different, they are also charged in the upper plane to help humankind, but their function is different. Cats have no sensor in sight; they see people, spirits, and caste beings even lower. What they do most is to clean the environment that their owners live, they see where the energy is bad, it’s heavy, and they go there and clean up those energies. When it’s too heavy even for them, the reaction is that of being terrified and running away (who has never witnessed this?), Or else they often run away from the house. It is like a job for them, and it’s a job that takes all day. When you see your kitten lying down and especially catching a sunbath, do not call the poor guy lazy. He works hard to maintain everyone’s well-being. When he does this, he is only regaining his energy, and then continuing his cleansing. It is no wonder Omtimes.com
that the ancient Egyptians worshiped them so much.
Cats are Master Reiki Healers Also, cats are also considered reiki specialists. Reiki is a technique of spiritual healing using the energies of the heart through your hands (when applied by people). Kittens have the ability to align the chakras that are misaligned in their owners, using their own body (when they rub themselves in a certain part of the body of someone), as with their paws (you must have seen kittens “massaging� people with their paws). Is your pet always sick? Already went to the vet, uses drugs, but does the problem always return? Do not you understand why, in many cases, pets have the same diseases as owners? Know what negative energies may be present in your home - far more than you realize. No doubt we are spiritual beings inhabiting a material body, and We also have a soul, a unique and exclusive Omtimes.com
personality that sets us apart from other people. All that we observe and feel with our five physical senses are only 5% of all that exists in this immense universe. 95% are things invisible to the naked eye - energies, spirits, atoms, molecules, beings of light, thought-forms. At all times we are coming in contact and exchanging energies with the objects, environments, and people around us. This interaction has the purpose of keeping bodies with balanced energy. Therefore, those who have a lot of positive or negative energy, donate to those who have less of it, and vice versa. If we do not learn to protect ourselves energetically, especially from the lower energies, we will tend to absorb and accumulate large quantities of them in our energetic bodies. In the long run, we will tend to feel certain unpleasant pains and nuisances, which will somatize to the emergence of the various types of diseases.
Animals are Natural Empaths Animals are very sensitive to energies. They can detect a change in the vibratory pattern of a body very easily. As they love their owners, they tend to absorb for themselves any strange energy that their owners present. If he does not take the Pet constantly to walk, get in touch with new people or contact with nature, the animal will be overwhelmed with harmful energies. Like us, pets cannot stand so many negative emanations in their body and the living environment. There are also other issues that can influence your health - genetics, diet, physical inactivity, abuse, physical and emotional trauma. A very frequent question is the fact that the Pets end up manifesting illnesses equal or like those of the owner or of the family in which it lives. It does not only occurs with our Pets, but with any Being in which we spend much of the day interacting. This greater energy exchange means that members of a family, very
close friends, or any group that meets frequently, have very similar symptoms. Our pets love us; they do everything they can to make us happy and to please, for us to be in good health. Thus, unconsciously, they absorb our negative energies or any other energy that come to us, not leaving us depressed, sick or tired. Who does this a lot are dogs and, especially, cats. If you do not have the habit of practicing any technique of energy protection and cleaning because you do not have the time or do not believe it, I recommend that you continue to take care of the physical part of your houses such as cleaning, and dusting. Then, from the spiritual part - incenses, sprays, crystals, plants, songs. In this case, if you only have one animal, beware, for there may be a certain point that they will not be able to transmute so many dense energies that you bring about. If you do not want to see your Pet sick, take care of your Omtimes.com
inner world - your emotions, thoughts, feelings, attitudes. Then, daily protect your body from energetic attacks from the outside world, study, meditate, connect with more subtle sources. So, your body, your Pet, your home and your family will thank you deeply. Animals may become sick in contact with these harmful energies of the environment. Our animals are like dry sponges that absorb energy
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from the environment we live, present some negative impression. The Spiritual meaning of wanting a cat
In the astrological field, the cat is associated with the moon and represents the maternal feeling, affection, care. Generally, people feel the urge to have a cat in their lives when those feelings are missing in their lives or when they are in disarray.
If a child desires to have a kitten, she probably needs to feel more familiar with their home. When this desire awakens in adults, it may be due to amorous dissolutions or new family beginnings. Spiritual Meaning of wanting a Dog
The dog, unlike the cat, is associated with the energy of the sun. People who wish to have a dog usually seek
more independence, freedom, energy, want to be in touch with the world in an active way. When children have a strong desire to have a pet dog, they need attention and companionship. It is an ideal time to encourage them to develop their skills and talents and work harder on themselves. When this desire manifests itself in adults, they need to seek new beginnings in their lives.
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LIVING INTUITIVELY: Understanding the Five Stages of Dying Robyn M Fritz MA MBA CHt
Abstract: We all know that death will ultimately claim our loved ones and us. In modern times we’ve removed ourselves from the process, so neither we nor our dying beloveds understand how our bodies
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and souls separate in death. Here I’ll explore the five stages of dying by relating them to ancient mystical traditions that connected our lives with the planets through the five elements of earth, water, fire, air, and spirit. While we all know that death is inevitable, and many of us have lost beloveds, most of us are not familiar with the actual process of dying. A common theme in my mediumship practice is how confusion about the dying process compounds grief—for the living and the dead.
Mystical Tradition and the Dying Process It is understandable since a death has been hidden away from us for decades. Fortunately, we are now encouraged to be present with our beloveds as they die, as our ancestors were with theirs: they knew that it helps the dying on their journey to the afterlife and helps us live on without them. Our ancestors also understood
how we die, recognizing death as a sacred process tied to mystical traditions that connect our lives with the planets through the five elements of earth, water, fire, air, and spirit. These elements are incorporated into our bodies when we are born and separate of us in stages when we die. Death, then, is the separation of the soul from the body, or the dissolution of the body as the soul leaves. Yes, it can be scary to see this happening to a beloved, but it is the process, both stunningly beautiful and heartbreaking to witness. I learned about the five stages of dying from research, from Betsy Bergstrom, a Buddhist shamanic practitioner in Seattle, and from being present with my dying father. As we review the five stages here, remember that death isn’t a lockstep process: we don’t always experience real boundaries between stages, especially in sudden death. However, if you’re with a dying beloved, understanding the stages will help them, you,
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and other survivors. Stage 1: Earth The earth stage is connected to our skeleton, our physical body. In the early stages of dying, the body weakens. Your beloved may be shaky, unable to fully stand up, or may slide down in bed, even when supported. Pay attention. Stage 2: Water When your beloved starts having trouble communicating, the water stage has arrived. As water dissolves the body dries out, and even acts thirsty, resulting in chapped lips, papery skin, dull hair, and flat eyes with an opaque or filmy appearance. Stage 3: Fire The fire stage is connected to blood—the circulatory system, including the heart. Here the hands and feet become cold as the body tries to keep its organs warm by pulling heat back to the torso. The dying begins to lose consciousness, either becoming unconscious or losing receptivity.
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It’s critical to be prepared for death at this stage because this is when “existential angst” can set in: as the emotional body begins to die, worries and fears arise, and cultural conditioning, or cosmology, can be tested and broken. Doubt tests faith, so whatever our beliefs in spirit guides, guardian angels, deities, or religious traditions maybe when we’re fully functioning, this stage challenges belief and certainty. If this happens, the likelihood of becoming stuck after death, and not making it to the afterlife, dramatically increases. While we can and should offer body, mind, and spiritual support throughout the dying process, in the fire stage we should get proactive and ask our spiritual team and our dying beloveds to step in and help (yes, we can all do this). Dying is confusing: the dying may refuse their team’s support because they no longer recognize them (if they ever did), so it’s critical to get all hands-on-deck, because this is when active dying begins.
Stage 4: Air As the element air recedes, the dying person cannot breathe normally. The time between breaths increases, breathing is intermittent, or it is shallow and fast paced for a few beats before it slows. Very little air is going in at this point, and it leaves in gasps or gentle waves. It ends in a final exhalation: death. Stage 5: Spirit The body is dead, but the soul may temporarily remain, perhaps for hours or even days, even though in the spirit stage there is a complete dissolution of the body and soul. However, our work as survivors isn’t over, because the soul may need guidance. In my mediumship practice many of the dead tell me they were still able to see and hear the living, so they didn’t realize they had died, or they were conflicted, both relieved to be free of the dying process, but grieving that they died. Whether your beloveds have just died, or you’re reading this year later, you can still help
guide them to their afterlives by telling them point blank that they are dead: explain what happened, tell them you love them, urge them to accept their spiritual team, which is surrounding them to help, and encourage them to move on. You can do this while performing whatever death ritual works for you, especially if it’s one you worked out with your beloveds ahead of time. The ritual will help both sides by offering closure to the dying process and hope for an eventual reunion. It matters to them and you. Robyn M Fritz MA MBA CHt hosts the OM Times radio show, “The Practical Intuitive: Mind Body Spirit for the Real World.” An intuitive and spiritual consultant and certified past life regression specialist, she is an award-winning author whose next book is “The Afterlife Is a Party: What People and Animals Teach Us About Love, Reincarnation, and the Other Side.” Find her at RobynFritz.com.
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Can the Energy of Your Nickname inf luence your Destiny? By Humanity Healing
Many of us received nicknames while growing up, many are terms of endearment from our loved ones, or some came to be as a word that brings a memory of a time or a significant event in our lives.
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Often the nickname we use creates problems that we may ignore. For example, the vibration of 5 is a difficult vibration for a child to carry, because they make him feel rebellious against regulations, restraints and negligent about responsibilities. It may not accept limits, which greatly hampers their current and future personal development process. Child shocks and conflicts may occur with parents and educators. The longer we use a nickname, the greater its influence in our life. That is why it is very important to analyze in depth the nicknames we give to and receive from others. It is essential to analyze the complete numerological map because, a nickname can be disharmonious, blocking our chances of success, being compatible and beneficial, leveraging our potentials and achievements. Many people are only known by their nicknames, not by their real names. This greater identification with the nickname than with the name generates influences on the numerology
of the person. Learn how to calculate your nickname’s vibration.
THE VIBRATION OF YOUR NICKNAMES IN NUMEROLOGY Some people have the nickname so remarkable powerful that we usually think that they do not even match their real name. The nickname in these people is so strong that they eventually determine traits of your personality. Learn how to calculate the influence of the nickname on your personality. Note: we remind our readers that when we speak of the nickname, we are dealing with the affectionate name with which we call people like we call Antony, Tom and William, Bill.
HOW TO CALCULATE The calculation of the influence of the nickname is very simple; each letter has a corresponding number according to the Pythagorean table. See the number of each letter of your nickname, reduce each of them until a number from 1 to 9 appears. See the example below: Omtimes.com
things you won’t fall from the sky. Numerology Of Number Three
Bill = 2+9+3+3=19 10= 1+0= 1
INTERPRETATION OF THE VIBRATION NUMBER FOR THE NICKNAME Numerology of Number One It brings dynamism, creativity, and agitation to the personality of the person. It is a nickname of active, perfectionist, and determined people, but it tends toward authoritarianism, selfishness, and stubbornness. Numerology of Number Two A nickname of people who are good friends, loving, loyal. It also has characteristics of passivity and fragility, careful with this influence of the nickname, which can make you wait until the Omtimes.com
The number three produces a nickname that brings the energy of communication, joy, and creativity. Whoever has this nickname tends to be extroverted and high-spirited, you need to be careful about distorting values in situations that suit you. Numerology of Number Four This nickname brings energy to a serious, observant person, focused on work and stability. You have to be careful not to let this energy make you too limited, without the courage to achieve your goals. Numerology of Number Five This nickname has characteristics of freedom, curiosity, and charisma for the person. They are communicative, seductive and also quite jealous, can indicate frequent mood swings, full of ups and downs.
Numerology of Number Six
Numerology of Number Nine
The number 6 represents the nickname of people with great artistic sensitivity and very emotional. They are romantic, very dear and with a strong connection with music and culture. They tend to be stubborn and argumentative as well.
Number 9 brings the energy of optimism to your nickname. He is a person dear to everyone, very supportive and humane; however, who knows you deeply know his tendency to aggression. He likes to show solidarity and generosity, but he has a selfish plot in his heart.
Numerology of Number Seven The vibration of this nickname brings the characteristics of independent, introverted, overly analytical and observant people. It is the one who likes to acquire knowledge, to be intelligent, to be recognized for his intellectual abilities. They are safe from each other, but they may seem disguised and depressing. Numerology of Number Eight The vibration of his nickname brings a strong tendency toward material attachment and excessive pride. You need to be aware of this and be sensible, lest you become too practical, uncaring and materialistic. They are organized, frank and ambitious and pass the image of being snobbish.
Does the vibration of your nickname match your personality? So probably the energy of your full name is not much more influential in its characteristics. When the vibrations are not in tune with the energies of the numerological map, it is possible to harmonize its vibration, balancing the letters that make up the nickname, for example, PAT so that Patrick can become PATT. Adding an extra “T,� which complements and balances with his original influences from his numerological map. It is a possibility of eliminating the conflict that was within him. It is important to note that any change must be carefully studied according to the energies of the complete numerological map. Omtimes.com
How Video Games Explains the Unexplainable: Past Lives and Synchronicity By Rizwan Virk
“Know all things to be like this,” says the Buddha, “A mirage, a cloud castle, a dream, an apparition, without essence, but with qualities that can be seen …” –Buddha
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This year marks the 20 years since the release of the Matrix, the groundbreaking movie that popularized an idea that has come to be known as the simulation hypothesis. The concept that the physical world is based on information and light is not new in the spiritual traditions, though it took modern science some time to catch up with them. In this article, we explore how the metaphor of a video game may be the best explanation for some areas of the unexplained phenomenon – including karma, past-lives, and synchronicity. By using this metaphor, we can learn to find and accomplish our quests in this life while we play the role of our character.
Past Lives & Karma As Quests Mystics of the Eastern traditions have been telling us that the world we see is a kind of “illusion” or Maya and that all of our actions have repercussions which must be played out (albeit in future lives). According to the Hindu Vedas, the nature of this illusion is that we get
caught up in the Lila, the grand stage play. Of course, a stage play is a metaphor that would make sense at the time – each subsequent generation uses the technology of its time to describe religion. Today we might say that Lila is an interactive movie that we get caught up in – which would be a video game! In the Eastern traditions, the tenet of reincarnation, or transmigration of the soul from one body to the next - is one of the fundamental precepts that underlie various religions. The basic idea in these religions is that there is a soul that “downloads” to a physical body. We then “inhabit” this body and in so doing, we create new karma as we go through the actions in this “play.” The Buddhist philosophy expresses this in Buddha’s endless wheel, a depiction of which is shown in Figure X. The reason we reincarnate, the force that keeps the wheel spinning, is karma, the law of cause and effect. Assuming for a moment that Omtimes.com
these religions are describing a real phenomenon, how would it work? How could it be implemented? There would need to be a place outside the rendered world which kept track of these “tasks” – these “causes and effects” and then the Lords of Karma need to create situations in our lives based on our previous karma. Reincarnation is describing something so similar to playing a video game today that we barely have to draw an analogy. In video games, we are players who live outside the rendered world, and we play “characters” in the rendered world. When a player dies, we can start another life in the game. Quests are used as a way to focus a player on a particular task- and sometimes these quests involve multiple people. We can think of Buddha’s endless wheel as an endless stream of quests. As you play, you create more quests for you to fulfill. It turns out that we don’t need the “Lords of Karma” at all. In my book, I describe exactly how a dynamic quest engine would work that could
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pull our previous karma and create new quests with other characters who are playing the game now (based on their previous karma) and then
Synchronicity Switching gears again, the term synchronicity was first introduced by renowned psychiatrist Carl Jung in an attempt to explain many aspects of life that bordered on the paranormal. The definition today of a “meaningful coincidence” is when a mental event corresponds to an external event. You are thinking about someone, and they call. It was originally an “acausal connecting principle,” and Jung gave a famous example of his patient who was describing a scarab (an Egyptian beetle) when a beetle tapped up against the window. Jung opened the window, and it flew in, causing him to remark that here was the beetle from her dream. This synchronicity helped her in her therapy. Synchronicity, along with a funny feeling that we have
about people and places such as déjà vu, has been described as a “glitch in the matrix.” In my last book, Treasure Hunt, I described how these were “clues” that needed to be followed in life to lead you to the “work you were meant to do.” Expanding on the Matrix analogy, if the world consists of information, then this information could be arranged based on meaning, and these “funny feelings” were meant as clues that we should pay attention to a certain person, place or thing. Why? It is where the idea of karma and quests come in. Synchronicity and déjà vu in this model are the “clues” that are guiding us in this life. If you were going to build an all-encompassing video game like the Matrix, you would need a way to guide your players towards certain tasks and people. Jacques Vallee, a well-known computer scientist who worked on Project Blue Book and for NASA, has theorized that information is stored associatively in the world
beyond the “rendered world.” Philip K Dick, the famous once stated that we were living in a computer-generated reality and that feeling of déjà vu was evidence that something in the game had changed. We can start to think about our life as if it were a video game. What quests are calling to you that need to be accomplished for your character to level up? If you don’t know, start paying attention to clues – “glitches in the Matrix,” which can guide you not only to the next clue but to your major work and tasks in this life! It can even guide you to other players that you need to accomplish tasks with – your guild of characters in the video game of life! Rizwan Virk, a grad of MIT and Stanford is an entrepreneur, video game designer, bestselling author, and independent film producer. His new book, The Simulation Hypothesis: An MIT Computer Scientist Shows How AI, Quantum Physics and Eastern Mystics All Agree We Are In a Video Game. www.zenentrepreneur.com
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Astrology & Numerology
Special Teas Recommended for Each Astrological Signs OMTimes Astrology
Have you ever wonder how such a simple and traditional drink spread from China to the entire planet can? Well, besides, to be an excellent diuretic and promoting health,
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tea is also good for the soul, giving us the well-being that we hope for today. We all know that there are several types of teas, and each of us is a different type of person, with particular needs and diverse taste. We found and compile the teas that shape the flavor of the stars. That’s right, today we will see the tea of each sign.
Aries For the Arians, chamomile tea is the best choice. Studies prove that the soothing effect decreases over time the anxiety and headaches, perfect for those who live flaming. It is also recommended the passion fruit tea, which in addition to the benefits of chamomile, promotes an end to dark circles around the Aries ‘eyes
Taurus Mint tea is excellent for the people of Taurus. Besides relieving any kind of cough, it also gives the mind a refreshing rest. Blackcurrant tea, also very indicated, is
great for health, preventing cardiovascular problems and leaving the skin always clean. Incidentally, some rumors still say that this one may help you get slim.
Gemini Geminis will love ginger tea, even more, if the cups carry some honey. Ginger, in addition to stabilizing mental tension, is great for the throat. To complement it successfully, also drink, alternately, the peppermint tea. They will help you to calm your nerves down, when needed!
Cancer The tea of the Cancer sign is made from the artemisia or Tea infusions of wormwood plant, from one can use everything, its leaves, stems, and flowers. This powerful ingredient is perfect for Cancerians, it regulates and rests all sorts of worry, driving away negative energies and lightening the soul.
Leo Well, ginger tea and chamomile tea are great for Omtimes.com
Leo, but a very recommended tea is orange. It brings calm to the hectic personality of the Lion sign and, over time, teaches the lion to lie down and take a deep breath.
Virgo For the health of the Virgos, we offer the Salsa Tea. Many people believe that parsley is used only as a seasoning, but its use in infusion is great for the body, bringing healing of various diseases and promoting regulation of the body, just like healthy incline Virgos like.
Libra To the Librans, the tea of white roses is ideal for a great balance of the body, bringing peace and reducing possible anxieties. The rose-white tea keeps the shape of the Libra balanced and in order. Besides this tea has a beautiful taste, the smell of the petals will perfume your life.
Scorpio Carqueja (Baccharis trimera) is a native plant found
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throughout South America. The carqueja tea is lovely for the aura of the Scorpios. This plant improves blood flow through the body and soothes all high spirits. It is great for regulating the anxiety and impulses of the Scorpio’s life.
Sagittarius As far as Sagittarians are concerned, Lemon Balm and pomegranate tea are essential for their rest. The properties contained in these teas are allied perfect for Sagittarius people. Lemon Balm provides a complete rest since even Sagittarians deserve moments of calm. And the pomegranate, in its powerful husks, causes a rejuvenation throughout the body.
Capricorn Capricorn is a sign that needs exceptional teas. The two we do recommend are jasmine tea and beetroot. Both of these teas improve physical and mental performance, but also slow down the aging process, giving them a life full of breath and good energy.
Aquarius It is said that Ginkgo biloba was the first plant to sprout after the bombing of Hiroshima in Japan. This potent plant is incredible for Aquarians because it invigorates memory and becomes lovely for the brain, eliminating any nausea or labyrinthitis. The truth be told, Aquarians cannot interrupt their imaginations!
Good teas and great energies!!
Pisces Ah, the Pisceans. For these, we have a delightful and sensitive tea: the rosemary tea. This tea is mighty fitting for the sign, perfecting the studies and giving vigor to the daily thoughts. Besides being a light tea that can be consumed several times a day, rosemary has a superpower in health, granting us the cure of several diseases! From this, try out and learn what the tea of your sign is unique for your life. Never forget that we need to take them in a quiet and quiet environment.
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Personal Growth & Development We grow as individuals as we face challenges and overcome life’s obstacles. This section is dedicated to helping you chart your course.
Your Body Is Always Talking To You: Are you listening? Dr. Dain Heer
I have a question for you: When was the last time you paid attention to your body? In a world fraught with judgment about how we should look, it might have
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been when you last caught your reflection. Alternatively, maybe you noticed a particular pain somewhere like your knee, back, or shoulder. Too often, we only pay attention to our bodies when they’re not behaving how we want them to. I believe there’s more available to us: a natural, symbiotic connection to our bodies, where two-way communication is the key. Our bodies communicate in energy — and that’s your first language. The issue is, many of us don’t have this awareness. Let’s take a closer look. Why don’t we listen to our bodies? In essence, we’re practiced out of it. Think back to your childhood: who decided what you ate, and when you ate? Was it ever okay to skip vegetables and head straight for dessert? What about now: how often do you eat just because it’s
dinner time, and how often don’t you eat because you’re anxious about nutrition or your weight? The truth is, your body knows exactly what nourishment it requires and would enjoy at all times. It also knows what clothes it would like to wear, and the activities they would like to do. It has awarenesses and a gentle insistence around everything that concerns it. In short: it has a point of view. Would you like to tune in to it? Step 1: Recognize you’re an infinite being Here’s the thing: your body is your vehicle for this life while you, the being, are infinite. You each have your awarenesses and points of view, and you can exist together, in harmony. Try this: Here’s a quick exercise to help you get the distinction between your body (the vehicle) and you (the infinite being).
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Close your eyes, and expand your energy out into the room you’re in. Reach the walls of the room … then go beyond them. Notice you can. Notice that if you choose to, you can go further. Expand 100 miles out in all directions. Notice how easy it is. Notice you can circle the planet if you choose. It’s not your physical body that’s expanding; it’s your being. See how infinite you are? I have to ask: If a being can travel so far in an instant and be that big — could it ever fit inside of a physical body? Step 2: Recognize your body is conscious Every plant, every person, every structure on the planet has consciousness — and your body is no exception.
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Your relationship with your body is deepened by asking questions from an open and present place. Then listening. Try this: Start with food. At breakfast, instead of auto-piloting your way too granola ask, “Body, what would you like to eat?” Then: be open, be present, and listen. What do you sense? What are you picking up? Start to ask your body about everything that concerns it: food, clothes, movement, even the people it gets intimate with. Be patient. Like an old friend you haven’t spoken to in a while, sometimes it takes time to rebuild your connection; sometimes it happens in a beat. An idea to play with: Your body is a psychic receiver If you’ll forgive the comparison, your body is
like a sponge. Why? Because it can absorb the energies, thoughts, and judgments of everyone around it. Furthermore, it can try to heal the pain and suffering of everyone around it. It means that when you experience pain, it might not be your pain. When you feel sad or angry or afraid, these may not be your feelings. Now, this is a huge concept that goes beyond the scope of this article, but I want to invite you to play with it. Recognizing that what you feel in your body may not be yours paves the way for letting go of any solid energy that might be limiting you. For some people, this piece of information is world-shifting and comes as a huge relief, while also deepening their understanding of what a gift their body is. Try this: For any pain, you experience in the next three days, ask, “Body, whom does this belong to?”
You’re not looking for conclusive answers. Just being open to the notion that what you’re experiencing may not be yours and being willing to let anything go that doesn’t belong to you, is a wonderful start. Your body is such a gift. Be with your body with total presence and with zero judgment. Take care of it. Get to know and enjoy it — and enjoy breathing life back into your natural connection. DR DAIN HEER Dr. Dain Heer is a body whisperer, healer, chiropractor and co-creator of Access Consciousness, a global movement dedicated to an exploration of possibilities! He is the author of eleven books translated into multiple languages including his best- selling book, Being You, Changing the World- (Is Now the Time?) Sign up for his free tour of consciousness video’s on this website https:// drdainheer.com/
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What Matters Most To You? by Leigh Burton
Even though we are diligent every day to focus on what’s important, if asked what matters most, many of us must stop, pause and think about the right answer. We May Chose to:
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• We surround ourselves with responsibility, and as a result, we feel pride and worthiness. • Surrounding ourselves with friends and loved ones, we feel cared for. • We support a cause, a mission to satisfy our need to be a part of a successful and healthy nation and the planet: • Backing organizations that build a safer place for others. • Reinforcing ideal behaviors to align with groups that are doing everything they can to save our planet. We have become a society that is more than willing to engage in the cause that we believe will support our freedom and well-being. Rightly so, we celebrate the opportunity for mankind to thrive. In doing so, we feel that we are focused on what matters to all of us, and each of us individually. Once we surpass the basic
needs of survival, we seek the opportunity to embrace freedom and the individual right of choice. In doing so, we can easily confirm the well-stated fact that what matters most is a connection. For women, it’s said to be friendship. For men, it’s said to be committed. While this is all so very true, there is far more beneath the surface that is often overlooked. Is it because we live the life of a busy-bee, constantly moving to achieve our industrious goals? Maybe. Is it because we are conditioned to believe that life is meant to be experienced a specific way? Possibly. Whatever the reason, it is deeper than we are allowing ourselves to experience. The depth of an iceberg is an analogy often used to express where the truth is. The “I’m flying” scene in the movie Titanic is iconic. Two people are embracing how the external world makes them feel bonds them in a way that they become wide open to freedom and possibility. We have all felt this high at one time or another. When we do,
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we are curious and filled with the bravery we need to go after more. Like the characters in the movie, with open arms, we embrace freedom, love for others and a new found love for ourselves. It’s a wonderful experience that can easily encourage a belief in magic or wonder. Part of the storyline in the movie, deep beneath the surface, is often overlooked. While standing in a place of great freedom, the characters engage in gratitude for one another, connection and commitment. In doing so, they are unable to see the danger ahead. The part of the iceberg that is beneath the surface-the part that matters the most. We don’t live in a scene from our favorite movies. We don’t live within the storylines written for us. We live in a world that we individually create and share with others. Be it family, friends, missions, or the dream of the planet; we live in a world that we create to satisfy what matters most. What matters most is that “we” matter. What matters most is
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that “we” matter. In all that we do, we can achieve a sense of gratitude for service, charity, receiving, and giving. We feel gratitude for love because that’s what is beneath the surface. Love. When we give, we receive. When we serve, we receive. When we love, we receive. In receiving, we are rewarded with the knowledge that we matter. Life can seem like a cruel joke to some. To others, it’s a journey, filled with experiences that share wisdom and knowledge. The know-how in what works and doesn’t work in our never-ending quest for joy and happiness. To all of us, beneath the surface, is the innate desire to matter. Why else would we be here? Leigh Burton: Author, International Speaker, NLP Practitioner, Cognitive Behavioral Therapist, Emotional Health Coach, Acceptance Commitment Therapist, an expert in letting go, and a lover of life. www. leighburton.com
Why Hope is
Trustworthy
My coaching client Sara had agreed to a business dinner with a fellow she found quite difficult to work with after she made the appointment. Now, the morning before
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the dinner, she was looking for a way to get out of it. “When I went to the store this morning, my car had trouble starting,” she told me. “When that happened, I found myself hoping it wouldn’t start so I would have an excuse to not show up for the meeting.” I told Sara, “You don’t have to create a broken car to avoid the meeting. You can just cancel it if you like.” “Yes,” she concurred. “Now I see that my hope for the non-starting car was showing me what I really wanted to do. I just needed to find the courage to do it.” Business leader and philanthropist David Mahoney said, “Trust your hopes, not your fears.” If you have a difficult decision before you, ask yourself, “What am I hoping will happen?” In the answer is your guide to your likely best path. You don’t have to create
adverse circumstances to find a reason to do what you wish to do or avoid what you do not wish to do. Just be honest. A caller phoned my radio show (hayhouseradio. com) and explained that after her messy divorce a few years earlier, she had put on a bunch of weight, and even though she had tried various diets and exercise regimes, she couldn’t get the weight off. I asked her, “Is there any way you believe the extra weight serves you?” She thought for a moment and answered, “Since my divorce I don’t really want to get involved with a man. Maybe on some level I believe that the extra pounds make me less attractive and I won’t have to think about having a relationship.” I thanked her for her honesty and suggested, “If you don’t want to be with a man, you can just say no. You don’t have to use the weight to speak for you. You can claim your choice directly.”
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The question, “What would you like to do?” is one of the hardest questions for many people to answer. We have been conditioned to think about what our parents, religion, spouse, boss, or culture want us to do, leaving our true choice buried under a massive pile of “shoulds.” On the first day of a weekend seminar a fellow told me, “My exwife wants me to do one thing, my kids want me to do another, and my girlfriend is pushing me in another direction. I don’t know what I should do.” I asked him, “What would you like to do?” A stunned look washed over his face as he answered, “I never thought about that.” I told him to give that important question some thought and let me know what he came up with. At the next day’s seminar meeting he stood and reported to the group, “Alan Cohen healed me yesterday! When I thought about what
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I really wanted to do, I got totally clear and found a path that was satisfying for me and would work for everyone as well.” I don’t claim any credit at all for healing that man. All I did was ask him what he really wanted to do. His honest answer opened the door for his awakening. Truth heals. We don’t always achieve the situation we are hoping for, but stating our intention definitely ups the chances to attract that result. We do best to state the experience we are hoping for, and allow the universe to arrange the details. Rather than demanding the physical characteristics, age, or income of your desired mate, you can state, “I want a relationship that is harmonious, mutually supportive, joyful, and based on shared spiritual values.” That kind of request gives the universe far more latitude to bring you what you want
than narrowing your hope down to specifics that leave out what’s really important. The key to getting what you hope for is to know that you are worthy to have it. Your hopes represent a pipeline to the place deep inside you that knows you deserve good. That inner well of worth may be buried under years of training to the contrary, but it cannot be lost. It is there. The part of you that hopes for your good indicates that you remember you are here for a good purpose, you are loved, and the universe can and will deliver your blessings. Reality can be submerged, but never destroyed. Trusting your hopes and acting on them increases the size of that crucial pipeline such that it becomes easier and easier to tap into your worth and live from it. Acting on your hopes is the greatest investment you can make in yourself. You don’t have to manufacture problems as
shields to keep what is unattractive or detrimental at a distance. You can claim your right to your good without playing games or making excuses. Honesty is your best friend on your spiritual path. While telling the truth may be uncomfortable at times, if you are sincere, it will take you to where you want and need to be. Then you won’t have to just hope for your good. You will be living it. Alan Cohen is the bestselling author of the newlyreleased Spirit Means Business, illuminating how you can successfully merge your career and financial path with your spiritual life. He will present a program related to this book on the US Mainland (west coast) in August. For more information about this program, Alan’s books and videos, free daily inspirational quotes, online courses, and weekly radio show, visit www.AlanCohen.com.
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