ONENESS Transformation Magazine

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Section Title

SPIRITUALITY 10 The Weave of Oneness 13 Practical Spirituality: Unity or Separation?

15 Reflections... One Human Family 16 Angels & Inspirations: Through Your Lens 19 The Way It Is: If We’re All One...

24 Crystals & Gems: Power of Shapes 29 Beyond Being: Return to Union HEALTHY LIVING 14 Becoming One with Nature 17 Captain’s Compass: Greater than the Sum TOOLS & TIPS 8 The Power of Intuition 12 Awaken through Spiritual Meditation 25 Light, Love, Laughter: We Are One 26 Ask Dr. ZZ 30 Past Life Therapy Healing Method TRANSFORMATION 4 Awakening: Making Sense of it ALL 7 A Connection Among All Things 22 Oneness 27 Being One with the Divine INSPIRATION 6 Eternal Life through Facebook 20 Enlightened Relationships: Happiness 23 Learning to Fly 28 Aligning with the Truth of Oneness 19 Holy Mole Cartoon © Copyright 2012 Transformation Magazine. All rights reserved.

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Transformation

Awakening

spend 18 hours a day wallowing in the water to give their heavy bodies a rest. Lizards and turtles spend a lot of their time basking in the sun. They do not need a purpose to drive them. They do not feel as though there is no point to their existence if they aren’t constantly accomplishing something.

withD.Rev. Marla Sanderson Natalie Amsden With Carol Roberts, M.D. with MarciaBender

Just being alive is enough of a reason to live.

An Apple Spiritually Enlightened Relationships Speaking Dr. with the Editor aZZ Day Ask

Natalie, Publisher of Transformation Magazine, has worked with thousands of people seeking to live a life of purpose and genuine relationship with their true selves, others, and their world. She is the former Director of a counseling center for at risk teenagers and their parents. She is also a public speaker and leads workshops and retreats on Practical Spirituality, Finding Joy, Discovering Your Purpose, and Enlightened Relationships.

•••••••••••••••••• Making Sense of it

ALL In one of my recent articles I was extolling the virtues of living a purposeful life, and yet today I will tell you to let it all go— to just be—to just experience the Oneness that you are. This month’s focus, Oneness, is deep, profound and mind-boggling.

Most world religions, large and small, have teachings of oneness at their core. We experience life as individuals, however at some level, we are told, we are all One. I believe that Eckhart Tolle captures this concept best when he says:

“Imagine a ray of sunlight that has forgotten it is an inseparable part of the sun and deludes itself into believing it has to fight for survival and create and cling to an identity other than the sun. Would the death of this delusion not be incredibly liberating?”

Indeed it would be liberating to awaken to the remembrance that we are not an isolated fragment, we are the light of the sun. We could ease into a life of pure bliss as we release the frantic grasping most all of us experience as we fuss about in a frenzied state of desperation, clinging to our possessions and identities, in a never-ending search for purpose and meaning.

Occasionally some of us glimpse Oneness—through meditation, a moment of beauty or an experience of deep compassion.

Even those of us with the best intentions for living a spiritual life spend more time discussing and pondering such abstract concepts than actually experiencing them.

I do not know what to tell you that will increase your experience of “Oneness.” One thing I can tell you is that hippos

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They just ARE—they seem to experience Oneness— and they enjoy it. As humans we have the gift of critical thinking and conscious thought, which means we can intentionally evolve ourselves and improve the world around us. But, there are times I think we all need to take more time just to BE—to experience Oneness like the animals do. I think we need to make it okay to wallow in the water all day or bask in the sun. Too many of us are on overdrive too much of the time.

Modern science tells us that we—and everything in our universe—are all made of the same stuff: star dust. Actually, we are often told that it is not “dust,” but rather energy that comprises everything. Others, including many religious and spiritual perspectives, point out that there has to be a Source (known by many names) of all of this and that this Source is our composition. They say that the “something” we’re made of came from “nothing.” So, perhaps that means we find our “Oneness” in “nothingness.” Like I said, this topic can really make your head spin.

“I have observed the power of the watermelon seed.

It has the power of drawing from the ground and through itself 200,000 times its weight. When you can tell me how it takes this material and out of it colors an outside surface beyond the imitation of art, and then forms inside of it a white rind and within that again a red heart, thickly inlaid with black seeds, each one of which in turn is capable of drawing through itself 200,000 times its weight—when you can explain to me the mystery of a watermelon, you can ask me to explain the mystery of God.”

—William Jennings Bryan

I say that if the life of a simple watermelon seed is so difficult to comprehend, we can ease up on ourselves if we have difficulty wrapping our brains around Oneness.

I often wonder why we, myself included, put so much pressure on ourselves to live a spiritual life. I guess it’s because we’re often afraid. We are, after all, a piece of sunlight trapped in an illusion of separateness. Although Oneness as an integrated experience in my life still eludes me, I do know—and have experienced—that there is nothing to fear; we have everything we need and love is all there is.

We are One: There is nothing to fear All fear has its origin in the illusion of separation. We feel like we’re under constant threat, feel incomplete, feel abandoned. However, if we are all One that means there is nothing outside of our self. It would mean that there can be no bad or good, since it is all Source. It would mean no harm could be

done, which means there’s nothing to fear.

You have it All: Look within “A beggar had been sitting by the side of the road for over 30 years. One day a stranger walked by. ’Spare some change?’ mumbled the beggar, mechanically holding out his old baseball cap. ’I have nothing to give you,’ said the stranger. Then he asked, ’What’s that you’re sitting on?’ ’Nothing,’ replied the beggar. ’Just an old box. I have been sitting on it for as long as I can remember.’ ’Ever looked inside?’ asked the stranger. ’No,’ said the beggar. ’What’s the point? There’s nothing in there.’ ’Have a look inside,’ insisted the stranger. The beggar managed to pry open the lid. With astonishment, disbelief, and elation, he saw that the box was filled with gold.”

“I am that stranger who has nothing to give you and is telling you to look inside. If you haven’t found the joy, peace, and abundance of your true self, you are a beggar even if you have great material wealth.”—Eckhart Tolle If we are Oneness, then we contain and are part of the Infinite Whole. Our point of connection is within, so as we seek inward we can open to and reconnect with the core essence of what we truly are—the All—in which case there is absolutely nothing that we could possibly lack.

There is only Love: All else is illusion

“Your love is not outside; it is deep within you. You can ever lose it, and it cannot leave you. It is not dependent on some other body, some external form. Love is not selective, just as the light of the sun is not selective...”

“There may be one person who reflects your love back to you more clearly and more intensely than others... but the bond that connects you with that person is the same bond that connects you with the person sitting next to you on a plane, or with a bird, a tree, a flower. Only the degree of intensity with which it is felt differs.” —Eckhart Tolle That bond that connects—that love—that is Oneness.

You, me, the beggar sitting on the box filled with gold and the watermelon seed—we are all Oneness. Compassion and hatred, violence, and tenderness—all are Oneness. Poverty and riches, equality and oppression—all are Oneness. The good, the bad, the magnificent, and the heinous—all of which are labeled as such by our collective egos, yet at the core it is all Oneness. It is easy, for some, to know Oneness when sitting in meditation or seeing one’s reflection in the beauty of the setting sun; however, the true challenge is to look Oneness square in the eye of it All and Know within the depths of your being that it truly is all good.

It is all LOVE. It is all ONE. 5

Inspiration Forms of relationship may change, but the energy that joins people in their finest moments cannot be destroyed.

By Alan Cohen I was surprised to receive a Facebook friend invitation from Eric Butterworth, a respected author and minister who introduced me to the new thought movement many years ago. The astounding element of Dr. Butterworth’s invitation is that he is dead. He passed away eight years ago. How he found his way onto Facebook is a matter of great interest to me.

The Internet and Facebook bear huge metaphysical lessons.

In truth no one ever dies and we are capable of communicating interdimensionally. In the movie The Last Starfighter, a young Jedi-like disciple grows sad when he learns that one of his heroes has been killed. His mentor tells him, “He is not dead.

He is just battling evil on another dimension.” On a more earthly plane, a friend of mine told me that his mother had just passed away. When I offered him my condolences, he explained, “She really just changed addresses.”

Just as the essence of a person never dies, neither do relationships.

All real relationships are eternal. You might break up, get divorced, move away from each other, or one of you might pass on. None of these logistical shifts diminish the relationship.

Only the love is real. Everything else is just story line. A Course in Miracles tells us, “Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists.”

One of my favorite John Denver songs is Annie’s Song.

When I attended one of John’s concerts, he mentioned that Annie’s Song is the most popular of all of his compositions. “When I went to India, people would stop me on the street and sing to me, ‘You fill up my senses. . . .’” he recounted. When I read John’s autobiography, Take Me Home, I learned that he wrote the song for his wife Annie, from whom he later got divorced. Initially I felt sad that such an exhilarating romantic song yielded to divorce.

Then I realized that the love John expressed when he wrote the song was genuine. What happened after that is less important than the passion that flowed through him at that moment.

Though the marriage ended, the passion that inspired the song is eternal and available to anyone choosing love at any time.

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I met John Denver when I was walking along a remote road on Maui. Driving a rental car, he pulled over and asked me if I wanted a ride. I was enjoying my walk, and much as I would have liked to ride with him, I told him thanks but I would continue walking. I took John’s hand and told him how much his music had inspired me over many years. He smiled, told me “Thank you,” and continued on his way. A few years later I learned that John had died in a small plane crash. Upon hearing that news I was so grateful I had that moment to touch him and say thank you. Like John’s music, that moment is mine forever.

If you have gone through a breakup or divorce, parted ways with a friend, or experienced the death of a loved one, take heart. The precious elements of the relationship are yours always. People and circumstances come and go, but your connection in Spirit is inseparable.

That’s why and how dead people can friend you on Facebook. They don’t really go very far from you, just behind a curtain. You can’t touch them with your fingers, but you can touch them with your mind and heart. That’s why I’m establishing an alternative to Facebook. I’m calling it Faithbook. We’re making a movie about it called The Spiritual Network. On Faithbook you are connected to everyone everywhere all the time and you don’t need a computer to communicate. There are no annoying ads or silly games, and the organizers don’t keep changing the rules. You make friends only by the Law of Attraction, and messages that you would have to block on Facebook never get to you on Faithbook because they don’t match you. You can easily communicate with departed loved ones because on Faithbook no one ever dies.

All relationships offer us the opportunity to discern between reality and illusion. We make up all kinds of stories in relationships that cause us pain and sorrow. The relationship journey evolves from the stories we made up to stories that are true.

Contrary to what soap operas, romance novels, and movies tell you about relationships, the only real purpose of relationships is to experience deeper love. That love does not depend on what our bodies are doing. It depends solely on what our heart and mind are doing.

When Facebook became popular I resisted joining because I did not want to spend any more time on the computer.

Now I like it. Where else can you get messages from dead people you love? In the old days you would have to go to a medium to get messages from the departed. Now you go to social media.

It’s kind of cool when you think about it: No one ever dies. They just move to Facebook.

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Alan Cohen is the author of many popular inspirational books, including the newly-released Enough Already: The Power of Radical Contentment. Join Alan for Metaphysics and Miracles, May 30June 3 at the Sunrise Ranch in Loveland, CO. For more information about this program and Alan’s other books and free daily inspirational quotes via email, visit www.alancohen.com, email info@ alancohen.com, or phone 808-572-0001.

Transformation Some say we make our own reality. In my little plot of reality, I pray that through divine alchemy my babies grow big, hearty, and wholesome. The planting begins. Since no one is around to think ill of my behavior, I talk softly to each plant as I surround it with energy and soil and encourage it to grow.

Afterward, I sit at the end of my garden and reflect on how it looks. The green, yellow, and orange stand in brilliant contract to the midnight soil. I think it is beautiful. As I gaze upon the garden a thought appears.

A garden is a reflection of love.

A garden is a result of the light of your love shown through the prism of Mother Nature.

By John Mathis The early morning’s embrace is cool and comforting. Both my house and neighborhood are still quiet and set the tone for my excursion into the garden. Silently, I gather a few garden tools and my babies, still standing straight in their plastic flat, and take them to my raised garden box—a humble alter where good intentions and Mother Nature meet. As I kneel before the black space of possibilities, my focus shifts.

What appears to be an empty space is actually teeming with activity. I am momentarily absorbed in the activity of ants, spiders, and worms, scurrying about with intentions of their own. I admire their energy and tenacity.

My focus shifts more frequently than it used to. I remember having to use a force of will to take a moment and smell the roses. Now, I can be in the middle of a task and suddenly my focus shifts. I am then presented with a deeper meaning to whatever I would have formerly considered a meaningless activity. There is now a connectedness. I attribute this to a near death experience I had. Since then, I can see a connection among all things where before I saw none. Because of this, I believe I approach things with a new mindfulness. I know this year’s garden will be quite different.

My focus shifts again. I think about the soil as I move it and shape it. How long has it been here? Over the ages, what other plants and animals has it been a part of? Will it end up staying here or becoming part of a tomato plant? Will it then become a part of me? I have never before considered the many paths of existence a speck of dirt might follow.

With a tender touch, I gently release each plant from confinement. I hold each plant in my hands for a moment and close my eyes. I envision a healthy plant growing to its fullest expression. As I sit there in that moment of expectation, I feel the energy start to flow. In the 17 years I have been practicing Reiki, I have never used it while planting. It seems silly that I had not thought of this before now. In fact, in the past, gardening was a chore: turn the dirt, plant the plants, water the whole mess, and move on to the next task. My...how things have changed.

The moment when I am sitting in a quiet garden with a living thing in my energetic hands has both reverence and mystery.

I don’t know what to call it, but in my mind it is where religion and magic intertwine. It is where a good intention begins its manifestation into reality. The symbols and colors I see behind closed eyes tell me something dynamic is going on here.

You give of your time, energy, and hope and what comes back to you is magnified, manifold, and colorful. Your garden reflects pure love without any human dissonance. Your love isn’t questioned. Your love’s sincerity is not challenged. Its motives are not in doubt. Love spent in the garden actually comes back to you as more love.

We could learn a lot from plants.

Here’s my advice—skip the near death experience. Plant a small garden and visit it daily. Give yourself permission to experience a connection where previously you though there was none. Soon, you too will see that all things are intertwined and that a moment in the garden may be the most important part of your day. You may take away from it more than a bunch of vegetables.

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John Mathis is an award winning bassbaritone vocalist, author, nurse, pharmaceutical researcher, corporate trainer, reiki master, and paranormal investigator. He has survived a coma, a near death experience, bankruptcy, divorce, welfare, and the death of his last family member—all within the last 7 years. John’s hobbies include writing, carpentry, biking, and combining Reiki & astral projection. Contact John at alchemists.heir@gmail.com or visit www. alchemistsheir.com.

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Tools & Tips

By Andrew Appel

“The problems of the world will not be solved at the same level of thinking that created them.” —Albert Einstein Of all of Einstein’s famous quotes, this is one of my favorites. Coming from arguably one of the smartest people in the world, I think it takes great courage to admit that there are certain limitations to thinking, logic, and all the other gifts our minds have to offer.

There is no doubt that our minds can be very useful, and the accelerated industrial and technological growth that we’ve seen over the last century is certainly a testament to that.

But it also seems true that, at times, thinking can be overrated, and one might argue that the accelerated inequities and continued sufferings of the world, despite our technological and industrial advancements, can be seen as a testament to that.

Personally, I find it very hard to reconcile the continued sufferings of the world with the ongoing material improvements and achievements of the last few centuries that have come from the intellect and creativity of mankind. Despite these achievements, the problems we face today seem in many ways more difficult and challenging than they did even a decade ago.

Thanks to the power of the Internet, there isn’t anything that any of us can’t find or acquire within the instant click of a mouse, and yet I don’t know too many people who would honestly say that any of this has made us any happier or more fulfilled—perhaps it has made us even less so.

If it is in fact true that the problems of the world can’t be solved at the level of thinking that created them, then where are we to turn?

My own childhood education, generally speaking, set out to sharpen my mind as much as possible, in hopes that I would be able to utilize my intellect as best as I could once thrust into the competitive adult world that awaited me. Getting the best grades would hopefully gain me entrance into the best schools, which would hopefully help me make the most

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money I could earn once I graduated. I recently saw Michael Eisner, the CEO of The Walt Disney Company from 1984 until his ouster in 2005, interviewed on Charlie Rose. He commented on how he didn’t quite understand why as young children we were taught to share what we had with others, whether it be our toys or our sandbox, etc., but at some point we reached a certain age where all of that went out the window. At that point life became more about being the best, often at the expense of others, as opposed to how we could best help, share, and cooperate with those very same people.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to realize that there are two voices operating inside of me, often giving me very different messages.

The first is certainly that of my mind, which is ever present (if perhaps even too present), and it continues to help me navigate my way through this challenging world. The second is a bit of a quieter voice, also ever present, and it patiently waits for me to hear, should I find the time to listen beyond the loud and incessant chattering of my mind.

For me, this voice seems to localize somewhere between my solar plexus and my stomach, or more simply stated, between my heart and my gut. I believe this to be the voice of my intuition. At first, our intuitive voice often isn’t so easy to hear. We weren’t taught in school how to hear it, or for that matter, even to listen to it at all. But I do believe that this is perhaps where the problems created by the mind might be solved. Our intuition often scares our mind, as its messages can be non-linear and illogical. But my sense is that it very well may be the compass

that can bring us back into alignment with a deeper intelligence and knowing that is much greater than that of our ego based limited minds.

How to Access Our Intuition There is a very simple yet powerful exercise to help people better access their intuition. Let’s say you are torn between two options, say A and B, and truly don’t know what to do.

Option A has its pros and cons, but so does option B, making it hard to know how to proceed. Perhaps you’ve been going back and forth for some time now between the two, seemingly caught in “no man’s land”.

What I would recommend is this. Take a few moments to calm yourself down—and quiet your mind as much as possible. Then either ask yourself, or have a friend ask you, in the most simple and direct way possible—is it option A or option B? You will need to be as aware and honest with yourself as you possibly can—in order to hear the answer that comes first—usually in a millisecond—if not sooner.

The intuition usually knows instantly. Our challenge is to be quiet, centered, and aware enough to hear it.

shouldn’t listen to your gut instinct. My advice: Don’t listen to anything that follows the “but…” This is just your mind trying to talk you out of what you intuitively know to be true.

Sometimes answers are not easy to come by, and if this is the case, take your dilemma into your meditations, and to keep asking yourself questions until the right direction becomes clear.

If unsure, try to wait until you are. There is no rush. Our minds often tend to move much faster than our intuitions want to or are willing to go, so learning to slow down can often be an essential part of the process. As overrated as thinking can be sometimes, perhaps silence and stillness are too often underrated.

Listening to our intuition often takes a great deal of courage and faith, as it can involve a dramatic departure from the messages and thinking mechanisms we’ve been taught to use since the earliest of ages. But my sense is that in time and with practice, learning to access and follow our intuitions may in fact be where we find many, if not most of the solutions to so many of the personal and collective problems we face.

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Andrew Appel is the Creative Director for Beyond Success, a coaching and consulting firm that blends holistic and socially responsible ideas with the world of business and wealth management. For more information, please visit www.BeyondSuccessConsulting.com.

Usually, after this millisecond, most intuitive answers are followed by a “but...” containing all sorts of reasons why you

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Spirituality

The

WEAVE of

By Donna Pinkston and Lisa Clift We are all woven from the same cloth—the fabric of our shared reality and its universe—but we must not forget that each individual also represents a single piece of yarn on the loom of creation. If just one strand is removed or altered, it changes the pattern of the weave.

The illusion (or Maya, as it is often called) of our perceived world is a dualistic composite—an interlacing that includes feelings, perceptions, thoughts, and consciousness—which creates the physical realm.

Looking at it this way, it’s easy to see that we are BOTH individual threads and part of the whole fabric, the source of all that is— the Oneness. We may even want to look beyond this conclusion and recognize that we are NEITHER finite individuals or fused completely with the infinite because ALL is in a constant state of flux. Regardless of the view that suits our current level of spiritual awareness and belief system, recognizing that there are no absolutes can allow us to become more objective in exploring perspectives on Oneness and individuality.

The Great Duel

“Polarity is paradoxical. The two poles of a polarity are irreconcilable opposites, yet indivisibly one because they can only exist together.”

which appear to be two but are essentially one. Existence is an essential oneness appearing as duality. The life-dreamer is the oneness of unconscious awareness, which is the potential to experience everything. Its polar opposite is the infinitely various forms which comprise the life-dream. Awareness becomes conscious through these different forms.” Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy, The Laughing Jesus.

“A yarn” also can be defined a story, the tale of each individual, each “aware” person as a unique thread or perspective viewing the Oneness from its position in the weave.

If looked at from the angle of quantum physics, we are awareness in the NOW, with the possibility of existing in different states. “For example, most of us tend to think of an electron as a tiny sphere or a BB whizzing around, but nothing could be further than the truth. Although an electron can sometimes behave as if it were a compact little particle, physicists have found that it literally possesses no dimension. [It] can dissolve into a blurry cloud of energy and behave as if it were a wave spread out over space. When an electron manifests as a wave it can do things no particle can. If it is fired at a barrier in which two slits have been cut, it can go through both slits simultaneously. …The electron, like some shapeshifter out of folklore, can manifest as either a particle or a wave.”—Michael Talbot, The Holographic Universe This chameleon-like phenomenon illustrates the essential and continuously changing nature of reality, which makes it impossible to classify “absolutes.” If we can embrace this philosophy when it comes to understanding the nature of our own existence, it will make our world more expansive, more exciting, and offer us unlimited opportunities to explore our own awareness with acceptance of ALL. “What we generally fail to appreciate is that it’s simply by our holding onto a specific view—believing in it, relying on it, clinging to it—that it becomes frozen and extreme. Because [such] views are by nature conceptual, they attempt to freeze the world into solid, separate entities, whether those entities are Goodness, Evil, selves, nonselves, books, light, enlightenment…or any thing or thought whatsoever. Of course, all such attempts fail. The world of experience simply isn’t frozen. Reality won’t be condensed into concepts. Our immediate, direct experience bears this out.

“Every atom, every miniscule part of the universe, is nothing other than movement and change.”

“What appears as either/or is essentially both/and. The primal polarity which “The same is true of our mental experience, our feelings, thoughts, and forms the foundation of existence is the lifeimages.

It’s an indisputable fact of experience—of our direct, immediate perception— dreamer [you, the yarn] and the life-dream that all things are empty of self. …Reality is simply thus—immediate, direct experi[the Maya or reality, the fabric of existence], ence, prior to any ideas or explanations at all. To explain reality is to box it up and cart

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it away. It’s to ignore the territory for the map.”—Steve Hagen, Buddhism Plain & Simple Exploring the Territory Often, we tend to identify “going with the flow” as the best way to manage our awareness of how we connect with the Oneness and still maintain individuality at the same time. However, this insinuates that we are a finite raft on the water’s current. In truth, we are the river.

“We are as a drop of water in the ocean— bonded in Oneness to it, being of it and unto it, yet having identity and self-perception.”

The perception of self would be as the totality. The allencompassing. The antithesis of limitation, in all respects. It is toward the pinnacle of focus that you strive in the present moment, regardless of whether you are aware or unaware of such concepts.”—Rasha, Oneness From another perspective, Tibetan Buddhists recognize Two Truths, which are complementary: conventional reality (the appearance of things as separate) and ultimate reality (the way things really are, their interconnectedness). “Geshe Rabten uses the analogy of two planks of wood that are propped up against one another to form a triangle with the ground. These planks support one another and neither can stand alone. If one falls, so does the other. The ability of the planks to stand is conventional reality; their dependence upon each other is the ultimate reality.”—Rebecca McClen Novick, The Fundamentals of Tibetan Buddhism.

For those ready to build upon their own personal understanding of Oneness and explore new territory, we look to the Buddhist view that the direct experience of meditation is the best way to gain a clearer understanding of the true nature of reality.

The following mediation is designed to expand our awareness of the interconnected nature of all that is: Picture a cross. This is our body. The apex of the vertical and horizontal axis is at our heart. This is the present, the ever-changing NOW, the intersection point of our personal weave in the fabric of existence. If we zoom into the apex, we see a black dot. If we zoom out we see not only the cross but the suggestion of an infinity symbol: the number 8.

The vertical line of the cross is the divine/spirit descending into thought. As it rounds the corner and becomes the horizontal line, thought comes into physical form. Where the two intersect, at the heart, is the portal between Ma (truth/ultimate truth/Cause) and Maya (illusion/conventional truth or reality/Effect).

According to Jewish Kabbalah, we each have 613 desires in our hearts. One of those desires is the return to “Oneness.” Imagine we exist 99 percent in the Oneness, the Ma (Cause), and 1 percent in separa-

tion, or the Maya (Effect).

Focus on polarity dissolving as these two truths are united through the breath. Simply breathe in and out visualizing the cross becoming the infinity symbol at the apex of the heart.

With each breath comes the blessings of life, and we receive the truth of Cause. Then we get to experience it in the world of effect. With each breath we also remember that all is impermanent and created anew in every moment.

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Donna Pinkston holds a Bachelor’s degree in psychology and a Master’s degree in counseling from the University of South Florida.

Her goal has been to bridge multiple realities through Carl Jung’s work with the collective unconscious and archetypal identification.

With 30 years experience in mysticism, Donna’s studies have focused on ancient mythologies and systems of magic, shamanism, astrology, and the tarot. She is based in Sarasota, FL, and can be reached at 941-993-7478. Lisa Clift is a writer, editor for Transformation, and former editor-in-chief who is an active member of the spiritual community is Sarasota. She can be reached at lisa@ suncoasttransformation.com.

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Tools & Tips door to the eternal silence beyond the mental realm and effortlessly awakening the divine within.

Living in confusion, practicing various forms of meditation, people fail to realize that the mind-as-thought is rather clever. It can create the illusion that it has found silence to keep itself alive.

For example, so many are trapped in the latest phenomenon of positive thinking, and many different techniques of meditation that don’t actually deliver what they promise.

To be spiritually free is to be totally liberated within, and the freedom that comes through spiritual meditation is not a response to anything. Spiritual liberation is not the outcome of any means, nor is it the result of any action.

By Adonis Alexander What will wake us up to the real life beyond this existence? Perhaps you have given this question some thought and could not discover the true path to reach this divine aspiration. Perhaps you did not understand the working of the mind, and without this wisdom there is no means of achieving true spiritual awakening.

Spiritual meditation, which is beyond the mind, does have the power to awaken you to the divine reality. This meditation is not man-made. It enters one’s being and brings stillness, which is complete order.

Many human beings all over the world sit in solitude trying to meditate with the mind. In these practices a certain illusion is taking place—the illusion that various techniques and methods of meditation can use the mind to free the mind. In universal truth, any meditation that is of the mind is limited by the mind. Attempts by the mind to stop itself are futile because they force you to struggle within yourself to halt the noise. This creates conflict within duality, not spiritual transformation. Somehow, this simple fact has eluded most people.

There is nothing to be gained by trying to stop the mind from thinking.

A mind that suppresses its noise and causes conflict is not free in quietude. To arrest the mind from thinking can be brought about by artificial means, but this only creates superficial effects, not a true awakening.

Therefore, all such means of using effort to meditate creates mental suppression, which is not the real silence beyond this life. This divine silence comes only through the process of understanding oneself. In this regard, spiritual realization is not a mental attainment. It is an awakening to the sacred.

Moving Beyond the Mind To engage in spiritual meditation is to understand that consciously there is nothing for you to do. This practice comes into your essence and acts of its own accord.

There is no meaning and no need to fall for the illusions of learning any kind of mindbased meditation to attain true realization.

How does it happen? Spiritual meditation comes when you are seriously interested in understanding yourself. This keen watchfulness awakens within you, without conscious intervention. It is the creative essence of the divine, which brings order to the mind.

Spiritual meditation actually dissolves the movement of the mind, opening the

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To be free of the mind and its illusions is to awaken to life beyond sorrows.

Sorrow is the outcome of a noise-filled mind, which is destroying the essence of our lives. In this regard, many of us are imprisoned by our daily lives. We are trapped in our mortgages, our marriages, and the endless desires of our mind. As long as the mind is conditioned, it is enslaved. It is up to each individual to see the light of insight and to understand the importance of spiritual meditation to be free of the darkness that permeates life.

Can a mind that is noisy understand such a thing, or will it simply try to imagine what it means? The mind-asthought is noise that prevents clarity and understanding. Therefore, your problems remain as long as you do not understand yourself.

To realize spiritual meditation, you need to open yourself up and inquire into this doorway. Empty yourself for the divine (which is beyond yourself) to fill your being. Spiritual meditation cannot be formulated or practiced. It contains its own movement and can bring order without any kind of effort.

In other words, there is no meditator in the mind when it comes to this meditation. It is the purity of meditation that awakens within. It does not tap one’s own mental skills, knowledge, or abilities.

Spiritual meditation comes within you and transforms your life. Living then becomes a rather simple expression of unconditional love.

Because spiritual meditation is beyond the mind, it starts when you begin to understand yourself and your life. Can you live free of being conscious of yourself?

Spiritual awakening is to come face-to-face with the truth for oneself.

There is no intermediary to come between you and this realization. No Buddha, no Christ, and no Guru. It is your own

responsibility to understand your life and to free yourself from sorrow.

If one person can spiritually awaken without any form of meditation, prayer or whatever else the mind can come up with, anyone can. Seeing this truth for oneself the divine mystery awakens within.

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Adonis Alexander is a spiritual teacher who resides in the United States. For more information visit www.spiritual-awakening-now. com or email guest@adonisalexander.org.

Spirituality acs all have explained our human plight through myths and religions. Some have been helpful. Some have been devastating.

Marla Sanderson has been a student of spiritual practice for more than 35 years. She began as Assistant Director of The Next Step, a psychic and spiritual community in a New Mexico ghost town.

As workshop leader, teacher, practitioner, and minister, she has led relationship and personal growth workshops, taught psychic development and meditation, Living Love, and the Science of Mind.

Marla is available for workshops and speaking engagements. She recently founded the New Thought Center for Creative Living at the Unity Peace Cottage in Clearwater (see ad ). Attend the Mid-Week Faith Lift service, Wednesdays at 7pm. www.newthoughtctr.org

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Unity or Separation?

Three Thoughts to Change Your Life

“Unity passes into variety and multiplicity without division.” Ernest Holmes, How To Use the Science Of Mind In some way or on some level, don’t we all wonder about our place in the universe?

We come into this life and see we are separate beings.

We all wear our own skin, have individual experiences, and think our own thoughts.

We forget where we came from and who we are as we get caught up in the Game Of Life. We get distracted by the stuff around us and adopt other people’s knowledge and opinions to fit in. Some things work and some don’t. Hopefully, we learn from our mistakes.

As we try to cope, we use aggression, competition, and control to deal with our circumstances and conditions. It’s easy to develop the “us” and “them” mentality. We suffer the pain of separation and may even believe that some deity is punishing us.

Saints and sages, religious leaders, tyrants, and mani-

Consider this: No. 1 – It’s not out there The more you try to control conditions and circumstances in the outer world, the more you forget that within you lies the peace, power, love, and the truly important qualities you seek.

You can never control people or situations enough to feel happy and secure. Have you noticed that?

No. 2 – There’s just ONE thing going on and you’re IT The Life we live and the Mind we use to think together are just one thing—and while each of us is unique, we all are part of this one Life. The universe and everything in it exists within this ALL-INTELLIGENT CREATIVE MIND. Its nature is Love. Its nature is Harmony, Wisdom, Peace, and Abundance. It is the source of Life Itself, and we all partake of that nature. You cannot exist outside this One Life because there is no outside—there’s no place else to go.

Call it God, call it Goldfish—it doesn’t matter. You only need to look around to see that Something greater than we are created it all. I didn’t do it. You didn’t do it. But we can see that there is some kind of Intelligence running the show. Some limitless Source that keeps providing—Life and stuff—ever abundant. Think about it. Get to know it. Call it anything you want.

No. 3 – Your thoughts become things There is a Spiritual Principle at work whether you know it or not, and the thoughts you think and the way you think directs the events of your life.

You’ve been given complete freedom, and you can use it to make yourself happy or miserable, prosperous or poor, healthy or frail. You can wrestle with the world or you can create your world from within.

If you could realize, absolutely and completely, that you create your world with your thoughts, what’s the first thing you’d stop thinking? What’s the second? Keep asking yourself that question.

Then ask, “What’s the first thing you’d start thinking?”

Good work. Keep it up.

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Healthy Living The Elements of Balance Within our environment there is a natural ebb and flow. It’s up to each of us to recognize when something has become unbalanced either internally or externally.

So how does one achieve this harmony and homeostasis? We must learn to know ourselves, which includes understanding when to make corrections using our mind and to also recognize when it’s time to let the universe guide us to the solutions through intuition.

“The most difficult phase of life is not when no one understands you; it is when you do not understand yourself.” Author Unknown As we step into the active phase of the year, learn to listen, to trust, and to act

By Dolores J. Gozzi on your inner wisdom to bring your whole self back into balance. In this process we We are constantly seeking balance in our lives. We look to our homes, jobs, can look to the elements as our teachers, the environment, and contemplate ways to find a connection that will bring peace, and connect with their ancient wisdom help happiness, and harmony. Striving to become one with nature and the elements is a open our being to its highest potential. wonderful way to move toward this serenity.

Tapping into the forces of the elements—earth, water, air, fire, and Spirit—can help to bring new perspective to our quest.

All life has value and purpose, yet many of us do not even take the time to sit outside in nature and receive the healing qualities it offers our body, mind, and spirit.

We are all part of the web of creation, but we don’t always recognize its powerful influence on our well-being. We unconsciously think we are separate.

Think about this for a minute: Most of us already use nature for its healing qualities through the natural elements we select for our home, office, or outside in the yard. Do you have a water fountain? Do you have plants outside or in the house? How do you feel when you are able to sit down in a park or outside on the porch and just listen to the sounds of the birds or crickets as they create a harmony and dance the dance of life? Does this relax you? What do you do when you are juggling a million things at one time?

We might say, “I am going home and just turning it all off.” However, in this case we most likely will go within ourselves and use some aspect of nature to balance and recreate harmony in our being. Now is the time to become aware of this tendency and use it to our advantage!

Being in nature encourages us to see ourselves as part of the oneness of all Life and to live in sustainable ways that care for Earth, our home, and the well-being of all creatures.

Our ancestors relied on the rhythms and cycles of nature to survive. The change of seasons, weather, food crops, and animal migrations all provided signposts.

They used the cycles of nature to enhance and enrich their lives. To feel connected to the oneness today, we need to feel that same pulse of nature. We must feel in harmony with life and the world around us. Nature has no labels, no judgment. Take advantage of its unconditional acceptance and love!

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Earth. Earth is the foundation that holds and contains all of the other elements. A foundation is a starting point that everyone needs; it helps to ensure a good structure.

Look to the body as the foundation for carrying out our life plan. Earth is the physical realm that can ground and root us to understand and learn about the world in which we live. Earth individuals are sensible and can be task-oriented. The trick is to leverage the earth but not to get “stuck” or too rooted so that you cannot or will not see the other elements or situations in life that will help us to expand and grow.

Water. Water teaches us about the emotional realm. We learn to understand the depth of our emotions and how they can overrun us to the point of no return. Water teaches us not to “react” but to “respond” to situations to help ourselves or those around us process emotions. Water is the only element in which we can see our reflection, and it is a mirror to our soul. Water can help cleanse us physically and emotionally. It also can show us how to magnetize our desires! Water individuals need to “feel” their choices and decisions. If it feels right they do it; if it does not feel right they do not do it.

Utilize water to help exercise your intuition.

Air. Air teaches us about intention, communication, and the mental realm. It assists us in working with thoughts, focus, and eloquent speech. Air is an element that we cannot see, but we can feel. It travels around the world. Our thoughts can be communicated via air from one state to another or even from one country to another. Air is the breathing mechanism we all need. In a symbiotic relationship, plants produce and filter air for humans to breathe, and humans exhale carbon dioxide to help plants breathe. We become one within the web of life in this process.

Air individuals love to communicate with others and crave an expressive environment. Use air to connect with others and share ideas through nature!

Fire. Fire teaches us about transformation and balance. Its process is like the Phoenix rising up from the ashes to transform into a new and balanced being. However, beware of too much fire because it can burn us out. Not enough fire and we do not feel warm, lacking the energy we need. Fire also is about action and having passionate energy. It is used to help us ignite actions with passion! Fire individuals need a constant balanced movement internally and externally. Changes can come in rapid succession when you tap into fire and individuals who hold its flames.

Spirit. Spirit teaches us about our unique essence and what has brought us forth into this world. Understanding Spirit means we understand our own unique inner gifts and learning to work with them to guide us on our life path. Ask your Spirit to lead the way!

We all can awaken our inner gifts through nature and learn to work with these divine forces, which are both internal and external to our existence. Not only can the elements guide us to make choices and decisions for a better life, they can help us experience the eternal cycle of creation, which repeats the never-ending pattern of “as above, so below.” Embrace their essence and thrive with each coming season.

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Dolores J. Gozzi is a nationally certified Licensed Massage Therapist and the founder of Healing Thru Bodywork & Nature’s Cycles (www.naturescycles.com). The company incorporates several modalities including aromatherapy, massage, bodywork, element bodywork, and meditation. Through continued education, Dolores is able to perform holistic therapeutic services and offer classes and workshops that promote healing. The mission of Healing Thru Bodywork & Nature’s Cycles is for each individual to be able to reconnect with his or her inner strength and guidance and create a personal world that is harmonious with the elements and guided by nature. For more information call 239-826-6960.

Spirituality

Ricky Roberts III is the author of three books, an internet-radio host, youth advocate, inspirational speaker, and founder of YOU ARE VALUED, an organization devoted to promoting the value of the individual. His volunteer work includes Life Rolls On – a surfing program for individuals with spinal cord injuries and Surfing for Autism – a surfing program for individuals and families affected by autism. Ricky resides in St. Petersburg, Florida with his wife and their two dogs. www.rickyrobertsiii.com

•••••••••••••••••• One Human Family

Often times we let labels, heritage, religions, and job titles separate us from one another. We allow the categories in which we fall define who we are. Not only do we let them define who we are, we also allow them to dictate how we treat one another. In truth, no matter what separates us in the social constraints of our society, when you peel it all away we are all a part of the same family—human.

This is not to say that we must like our differences or even have the same beliefs. However, there is something we all share—human emotions. If there is one thing we can

all relate on it is what it feels like to be hurt, let down, or misunderstood at some point in our life. If we can all appreciate that commonality we can appreciate the value in one another, despite our differences.

We are all bound by the human existence. Regardless of where we live, who we are, and what we believe, we are all people. I am no more valuable than someone in Africa who goes with out clean drinking water, but my resources allow me things they may only dream of.

The more we are able to appreciate the needs of others as much as our own, the more we will experience the oneness in who we are.

We are all people doing the best we can to sustain in the reality in which we live in.

True equality in regard to human rights will only exist when there is no us or them, there is just ONE. We cannot dictate who needs our help more than the other because of a geographic location or any other reason that we deem necessary to distinguish who gets help and who does not. All people deserve the same rights to fairness and well being regardless of who or where they are.

As a humanity we must learn to see the needs of someone in Africa, Egypt, Haiti, etc. in the same way we see the value of our own needs. If we are ever to experience peace in our world, we must honor the oneness in which we all share as a human family.

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Spirituality

Emily Rivera Andrews is a certified Angel Healing Practitioner, Reiki Practitioner, and an Angel Manifesting Master Practitioner. Emily shares techniques that have helped her become a Gifted Intuitive, Intuitive Channeler, Healer, Manifester, and Angel Communicator. To ask your Angels a question, attend one of Emily’s local events or email emily@LivingtoInspire.com

•••••••••••••••••• Seeing Life through

Your Own Lens

Everything you look at and experience through your senses is not seen or experienced in the same way by other people. If you and a friend were to look at flower, you would each see the flower, but the details that give life to the bloom would vary based on your personal perspectives. It’s a paradox that I am reminded of often. We are all one and have the ability to experience life in a way that can be labeled by words and expressions; the problem is that words and expressions hold limitations at many levels.

I may call a flower by its name, but what I see and know to be the flower is not the same “flower” seen by another.

No matter how similar our observations happen to be, I could never fully KNOW what the other person perceives in the “flower.” To do so, it would require me to step into the other person’s shoes and be a witness of the “flower” through the lens of his/her eyes. The new eyes that I would be looking from would guide my mind to interpret the reality of the flower through the filters that have been brought forth by the individual’s unique and personal experiences, teachings, beliefs, and understandings about life.

I find it challenging to put into words the concept that I am being guided to share this month. I would love to personally be showing you through a combination of words, gestures, and hand movements the knowledge being shared to me regarding this truth, which is part of the many paradoxes that make up our reality. However, since that is not possible, I will convey the truth in this message through the limited use of words.

As I sat down to write this column I heard the words,

“The images and the life seen by your senses is seen through your lens in a unique way.”

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“You each see your own version of reality. Your limited perspectives guide your perceptions and understanding of things.” These words are in no way insinuating that we are limited, but instead that we are each being guided and governed by limited experiences that do not give us the ability to accurately gage another’s way of perceiving reality. We can try and do our best to understand, but to fully know would require us to re-live our lives in the other person’s body with the same experiences they had.

I like to think that we could do this or at least intuitively connect to it, but since it’s not something that we collectively have mastered yet, let’s assume we can’t. The reason this is being discussed is to remind us that we each have to do our best in remembering that the way we view a situation, experience, another person, an object, an idea, a belief, lifestyle, etc., is not how it will be viewed fully by another person and vice versa. So it’s essential for you to take time to consider this truth and take the steps necessary to honor others’ perspectives and points of view while still maintaining an honoring space for yourself.

In truth, if you were in disagreement with another person in regards to a situation and/ or a topic, and you were taken back in time and given the opportunity to live life exactly how it was experienced by this individual, it is highly likely that you too would feel the same as this person and hold the same perspective.

It’s not that you are being encouraged to agree with others all the time, but you must be open to the understanding that other people’s views and way of looking at life may be right for them, since it’s their experiences and uniqueness that have created the filters in their reality that determine what they perceive and understand.

On that note, remind yourself that you too are being governed by the same factors, and then sincerely step back and look at how your unique way of looking at life may be limited.

It’s not that your view of life is negative, but it is important to periodically take time for introspection to determine what views about life are fully honoring you as an individual and which are serving as deterrents for growth, peace, love, joy, and success.

Which filters color your world in ways that inspire and encourage enlightenment, and which ones are preventing you from seeing what you are meant to see?

You have a set of views and truths that make up who you are, how you respond, and what you feel guided to strive for in life. Words and the knowledge of things give you insights into understanding life, but please remember that words and perceptions don’t fully encase the fullness of what something is, who someone is, and what reality truly is.

I hope I have given the adequate words to explain this truth that reminds us to take time to notice and be open to the unlimited potentials within our reality and the unlimited perspectives available to our mind.

Healthy Living

Christina Captain, DOM, AP, SLP, FSC is a board certified acupuncture physician and the founder of The Family Healing Center. She earned her degree in Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine from the East West College of Natural Medicine, Sarasota, Florida, where she is now a senior faculty member and advisory board chairperson. Christina received additional training in acupuncture injection therapy and earned a Masters degree in Speech Language Pathology and Communication Disorders and is an expert Feng Shui practitioner and teacher.

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Greater Than the Sum of Our Parts

By Lauren Rathvon, DOM, AP As the old song goes, “The leg bone’s connected to the knee bone.” It turns out we’re (thankfully!) a lot more wellconnected than that. We are truly greater than the sum of our parts—and we are part of something even greater than us.

Within the 50 to 75 trillion cells that make up our body, there are tiny organelles working specific jobs to keep each cell running like a miniature factory. Each of the cells in our body is reliant upon another for its optimization and health—no cell is an island, so to speak. It takes millions and millions of cells to form our muscles and organs; pan back a bit further and you have the connection between all of our muscles, organs, and vessels—our fascia.

What is fascia? If you’ve ever handled raw chicken and seen that very thin white membrane surrounding the flesh, that’s fascia. Fascia is connective tissue in the truest sense, forming long, unifying lines in the body, quite literally from head to toe.

In fact, some believe this may be one of the reasons why acupuncture is so effective; many of our fascial lines, as studied by Thomas Myers, closely follow the route of ancient acupuncture channels. One such fascial line starts around the eyes, covers the head, runs down the back and into the legs, and ends in the feet. This is just one reason why an acupuncture pin near your

ankle can help relieve neck and back tension.

We can see that structurally our body’s “oneness” actually comes from the coordination and cooperation of an almost countless number of components.

Oriental medicine illustrates how there is also a system of actions that keep us whole. According to this theory, each organ system in the body is responsible for helping to generate or gently control another organ system. It is this intricate system of checks and balances that keeps our bodies humming along healthily. For instance, when stress is managed properly, the liver remains in balance. When the liver remains in balance, it allows for the smooth digestive function of the spleen and stomach. Unfortunately, many of us have experienced that particular relationship when it’s out of whack and undue stress creates digestive turbulence. We can see how important it is, then, to keep each of our organ systems happy (via diet, acupuncture, supplementation, and exercise), as they have a direct influence on their neighbors.

Together, these physical components and their actions create us—they’re what make us alive! The integrity of our cells reflects the state of our organs, and the health of our organ systems expresses our health as a human being. Likewise, our general health and integrity reflect the wellness of the larger organizations that we create—our families, churches, communities, and nations. Just as we are made up of numerous building blocks, we are the building blocks for everything we see around us. It is crucial to keep our cells, tissues, and organs functioning at optimal capacity in order to ensure a long, happy life. We, too, must take care to preserve our body’s health and integrity in order to create stronger ties and effective action in our communities.

It’s said that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. In order to build robust, flourishing families and communities, let’s make sure we’re fortifying our own good health first.

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Lauren Rathvon, DOM, AP is a nationally board certified Acupuncture Physician and Doctor of Oriental Medicine. She received her education at the East West College of Natural Medicine in Sarasota where she earned her degree in Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine.

Certified in acupuncture point injection therapy, Lauren has also been trained in Constitutional Facial Rejuvenation. She currently serves on the Oriental Medicine faculty at Mountain Meadow Massage School in Ruidoso, NM, in addition to being an adjunct professor at the East West College of Natural Medicine.

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Spirituality free will or it wouldn’t be creative. We thought up some “rules to live by,” made a couple of mistakes, and voila! A cosmic mess.

Gregg Sanderson has a rare view of the metaphysical universe. He traveled the road from Christian Science through Judaism, Agnosticism, Atheism, Living Love, Psychic Development, Spiritualism, Teaching of the Inner Christ, all the way to the International Centers for Spiritual Living where he is a licensed practitioner. He is the author of What Ever Happened To Happily Ever After? and Split Happens – Easing the Pain of Divorce. Gregg’s latest venture is Spirit With A Smile — The Way It Is (Unless It’s Something Else). Email to gregg@spiritwithasmile.com.

•••••••••••••••••• If We’re All One, Who Are All Those Others?

Let’s start with the premise “God is all there is.”

Each of us is an individualized expression of the One Infinite Intelligence so often anthropomorphized into a limited Being that looks like a person (white robe and beard ubiquitous but optional).

I prefer to think of The One as an unlimited multi-dimensional Power. I call It BOB, the Being of Bliss. No anthropomorphism, please. Our other premise- Thought is creative.

Our thought is an appendage of BOB’s thought. The thoughts and beliefs of each of us and all of us create the experience we call Life.

Since Love—a dimension of BOB—is the stuff out of which we’re made, where did all the other stuff come from? If BOB is infinite, then there’s no room for OTHER. Back to the first premise.

As we express the Creative Mind (BOB), we must have

Mistake number one—Righteousness: The need to be right as allegorized by the Tree of Knowledge. Unconditional Love knows no such thing as good and evil, or it wouldn’t be unconditional. No evil, only consequences.

Mistake number two—Approval: Seeking validation from others, allegorized by Cain and Abel competing for their father’s favor. It’s as if my big toe has the power to make my right pinkie. OK. How silly.

I call these mistakes the “RACE Trap.” “RACE” is an acronym that stands for “Righteousness and Approval Complicate Everything.” We can’t NOT be Spiritual because that’s the stuff we’re made of. Our connection with BOB doesn’t change.

Wherever we may be, we’re Spiritual beings having a human experience (even those folks in the opposite political party, or that ascribe to a different belief system.

The next question is, “If it’s all Love, and BOB is all Power, why bother with the RACE Trap at all?” My answer: Entertainment.

We are all expressions of BOB, the Being of Bliss, an Infinite Intelligence beyond time and space. Just hanging out was dull, so It got creative and made up the Game of Life in Space/Time. It made its Love the prize, and hid it in each of us.

The object of the game is to find the prize. For a game to be interesting, it has to have obstacles. The RACE Trap is the obstacle.

When BOB lives through us with the RACE Trap, It has an infinite number of comedies, tragedies, dramas, horrors, and sitcoms to amuse Itself. It lives them all through us at the same time as we all try to get back to Love in our own way according to our individual Belief Systems (appropriately abbreviated B.S.).

Our lives are pixels on Its infinite view screen, providing infinite entertainment for the infinite Being as we try to figure out a way to get back to Love—and we’ve been there all the time. Ha ha. The joke’s on us.

If that ain’t entertainment, I don’t know what is.

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Inspiration the absence of problems we have a momentary experience of happiness. That is, of course, until we experience emptiness and begin seeking more problems. I have people ask me all the time,

“How would I connect with others and what would I talk about if I am not talking about my problems?”

Joeel A. Rivera, M.Ed., Ph.D. (ABD) holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling and is currently completing his dissertation for his Ph.D. in Psychology. Joeel’s extensive career as a relationship coach includes certifications in P.R.E.P, a 30-year research-based program for couples, Nurturing Father’s curriculum, and Parenting 21st Century. Contact Joeel at joeel@transformationservices.org

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Your Relationship with Happiness We all want happiness—and not just temporary happiness from an experience such as pay raise, a new toy, or because we just went on vacation to a remote island and had a week without any stress. This is not to say that these things are negative or that it is wrong to experience happiness when such events happen in our lives. However, it can be detrimental to our well-being when we are dependent on such exterior experiences to experience happiness. Realistically, most people want to feel happier in daily living. So, how do we achieve that?

In our culture, we are constantly bombarded by messages telling us what creates happiness. We are told that if we drink a specific drink, have a certain car, take a vacation to Happyville, wear a brand of cloths, or eat a specific type of food then we will magically become happy. Undoubtedly, these things can make you feel elated for a brief moment—but only while the novelty of the experience is still there. Shortly thereafter, the experience loses its newness and our level of happiness goes down.

Many studies show that people in nations that have the most are also the most unhappy compared to those in less plentiful countries.

This does not mean that you have to live in lack to be happy; it just points out that marketing has done a great job of telling us how to be happy when in fact, they want us to be unhappy because the unhappier we are the better consumers we become.

Another thing that commercials and advertisements have sold us on is that happiness is the lack of negative experiences or stress in our life. However, it is unrealistic to think that we will go through life without obstacles, and if we are waiting until there are no obstacles before we can be happy... boy are we in trouble. At the same time, the media has glorified problems and drama in our lives. This creates a belief that happiness and unhappiness have a dance—when we have one (positive) emotion then we should have the other (negative). So, if we have a problem in our life it may give us a sense of purpose and, at some level, a connection with others. Therefore, at an unconscious level we associate happiness with problems because in

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So why choose to be happy? Happy people live longer, have overall better health, are more productive, receive more promotions in their career, and have better relationships, just to name a few. However, it is important to know that happiness is a choice, a state of mind that a person must commit to achieving.

Part of this commitment is recognizing when we are going back to a particular pattern that creates unhappiness in life. There are some key factors that research has demonstrated create longterm happiness in a person’s life, regardless of culture, gender, where they reside, family background, or genetics. In fact, the external situations and items listed above only account for about 10 percent of our happiness.

Principles of Happiness Let go of expectations: This is critical. Across the board, studies have demonstrated that the more expectations people have on their experiences in life the unhappier they are. I know that everyone has heard of the Law of Attraction, and you might say, “Don’t I have to have expectations and intentions in order to attract what I want out of life?” Well, there is a difference between intention and expectation. Having a vision of our life and an intention is critical. However, we cannot be attached to the outcome. Having attachments to the outcome is the same as having expectations. In other words, we can create a vision of what we want in a relationship or how we want to experience abundance, but where people get stuck is that they have an expectation of how it should happen.

There are times that we have to learn certain things along our path and create experiences that will help us get to our intention. Another way expectations can cause unhappiness is when we place them upon ourselves. For example, we may have a negative experience that we thought we had released or overcome and then something happens that triggers the same emotional reaction. This is normal and will not stop us from being happy in the long-term; however, placing unreasonable expectations on ourselves about overcoming something permanently may. If we don’t meet our own expectations, we can’t beat ourselves up over it; instead we need to release the expectations and be grateful that that we are aware of them and can work on releasing them until the wound is completely healed.

Create meaning and purpose from experience: Each experience, whether negative or positive, is there to give us tools that can help us develop what we need to get to our intention.

We need to see what we can take away from every experience and how it can improve our life. Sometimes our biggest challenges can be what transforms our life in the most positive and powerful ways. We are destined to live the same experience over

and over until we learn the lesson from the experience that life has to give us. Trust me, life is persistent in that way.

Learn to appreciate the smallest things in life: People who have the most gratitude are the happiest. In fact, some research studies have found that one of the side effects of being appreciative is that not only does it amplify our happiness it also amplifies the happiness of those around us. We must change words from “I have to” to “I get to”. We get to pay the bills! That is great because some people are unemployed and can’t.

Be present: Stop and smell the roses! Our only reality is what happens in the now. We need to take the time to truly engage with our environment and those around us. If there is nothing that we can do to solve something at a given moment then let it go. For example, if we are late and in traffic we can decide to be frustrated for an hour or choose to spend the hour observing the surroundings, listening to our favorite music or just relaxing.

Develop intimate relationships: Whether someone is an introvert or extravert, that person is a social being. We need a connection with others. That connection is healing for our body, mind, and spirit. The happiest people are those who develop true intimate and meaningful relationships with friends and family. At the same time, it is important to remember that the relationships we choose also will impact our overall happiness. For example, if we are around someone that is negative, even without that person talking to us we can feel the bad energy. Actually, it has been proven that we feed off other people’s energy. How do you think your presence makes others feel? If it is not positive, what should be changed?

Have a spiritual belief system or path: Regardless of culture or belief system, what matters when it comes to happiness, according to research, is that we find a spiritual path that works for us. In other words, find your own truth.

Accept YOU: You are at the right place in your life that you need to be at right now. Accept yourself for who you are and love yourself. We need to look at the things we want to improve and slowly chip away at them, but we must not beat ourselves up over them. Also, we must know what happiness means at a personal level.

Remember happiness is a state of mind in every experience that we have. This not to say that some experiences won’t bring about sadness, anger, fear, or anxiety. However,

How long we allow negative emotions to be our reality ,and what we learn from them, is up to us.

So ask yourself, “What relationship do you have with happiness, and how do you define this state of being?”

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Transformation backyard, and the grandfather’s backyard was connected to our backyard. Whenever these children played in their grandfather’s yard, which was filled with all kinds of exotic birds and perfectly manicured gardens, they would come to my side of the fence and talk to me, wanting to know who I was.

One day their mother found them talking to me and immediately started telling them that I was different then they were, that they were better then I was, that they should not talk to folks like me. I was not rich like they were! I was only 7 years old.

Even though their mother did not like for them to become friendly with me, they would sneak and come to talk to me through the fence.

That is when I realized “differences.” I never thought of myself as being “less than” anyone until then. We did not stop talking until the girls’ mother came to talk with my mother.

Was it fear? Was that it?

Much later in life I learned that by facing my fears I open myself up to a much Higher Self within me, something that is much greater than what others may observe externally.

By Elena C. Jones

There are many spiritual paths that lead us to what I call “home”—to our Creator.

Regardless of what term we use to refer to this higher power or creative force, our ideas and beliefs are more similar than we realize. However, our choice of terminology may divide us and cause us to segregate into exclusive groups or denominations.

Once we see how connected we really are and how we are all trying to reach the same destination, we can learn to accept our oneness with God/ Goddess/Source and learn to coexist peacefully with each other and accept our differences. We all have different ways of expressing our spiritual nature, whether it is through music, art, religion, meditation, etc. We are each unique in our own making, and we all have one thing in common—that is to live in joy and harmony.

I truly believe that fear is what keeps us from that realization that we are all one.

As a result, we spend way too much time looking for our differences instead of celebrating our oneness.

We teach our children to be with people who are just like them, in the same society, not realizing that we are creating separation instead of unity.

When I was a little girl living in South America, there were two little girls that lived on another street. Their backyard was connected to their grandfather’s

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We are holding ourselves back by believing in the opinions other people have about who we are.

This results in solidifying a need to be apart from others, to not let them get too close for fear of being hurt or fear of being different.

Our differences keep us from realizing how much alike we are, that we all want peace, love, understanding, joy, abundance, prosperity, and a better life for us and our children.

It’s time to come home to our Higher Self.

•••••••••••••

Elena C. Jones is the author of the 7 Simple Steps to Creating My Intentions, which was published in 2011. In addition to being a published author, she is a motivational speaker, Reiki master healer, spiritual life coach, Certified Access Consciousness Bar Practitioner, mentor, teacher, and spiritual counselor. She is the founder of Alma Quest and the “Creating My Intentions Conference,” which was held on October 15, 2011. Elena is an internationally Renowned Psychic Medium, a clairaudience, and clairvoyance. For more information please visit: www.almaquest.com or call 727-321-3366.

Inspiration

Lessons from the Condor

by Gayle Lawrence In the mystical land of Peru, the Andean Condor flies high in the mountains at the Temple of the Condor. With a wing span of 12 feet, it is the largest flying land bird on earth. There are not many of them left in the wild, but the Spirit of the Condor dwells in this ancient stone temple at Machu Picchu.

On a recent spiritual quest with a wonderful group of women, our shaman guide Jorge told us that that the Condor would teach us how to fly.

Everyone assumed this would be a guided meditation until Jorge led the group to the Flying Rock on the side of the mountain and proclaimed, here we will fly with the Condor! As everyone gazed at an outcropping of rock sticking out into midair from the side of the mountain, high above the Sacred Urumbamba River in the valley below, I saw signs of panic on their faces!

I had been to the Flying Rock on Machu Picchu on previous trips to Peru, so I was well aware of what the Condor’s teaching was about—how to overcome fear. Fear of flying can keep us tethered in the same place, stuck in the same rut, never experiencing the exhilaration and freedom that spreading our wings and soaring high can bring us. This transformation is about spreading our wings and flying high, soaring to new personal realms in our lives.

The Condor is the sacred spiritual bird in Andean cosmology, the messenger of the upper world. He soars at great heights and views the world from a lofty perspective. He sees the bigger picture and teaches us how to see with spiritual eyes. Flying with the Condor is a lifting up of the Spirit, a time of action and salvation through linking the physical with the spiritual in powerful new ways.

Fear is an interesting teacher and immediately begins to tell us we can’t do it, better play it safe, don’t take a chance, don’t even try it, and don’t trust the process.

Jorge took the hand of one of the women and helped her sit backward on the Flying Rock facing him. He encouraged her to face her fear as she tentatively moved out further onto the rock. She sat quietly as he gave her two long beautiful Condor feathers; she now had her wings.

Jorge had her close her eyes and lay back onto the rock with the feathers across her chest. I could see her begin to relax as she realized she was very safe and not going to fall. He told her to open her arms and spread her feathered wings, then to move them up and down and begin to fly like the Condor. A slow smile spread across her face from the pure pleasure of feeling the freedom of simulated flight. Jorge then told her to open her eyes and see the world from a new perspective by looking upside down. Now there was no fear, only laughter and words like “wow,” “awesome,” “this is amazing!” I could sense the feeling of pride she had in moving beyond her fear and allowing herself to spread her wings, open her heart, and fly with the Condor.

As I watched each woman learn to fly, an ancient Hopi prophecy came to mind. When the Eagle of the North and the Condor of the South fly together, wing to wing, then starts the healing of the earth. I felt a sense of this happening as we brought the Spirit of the Eagle from the North to join with

the Spirit of the Condor of the south. In this moment, each woman who went out on the rock and allowed her Spirit to soar with the Condor was offering a healing to herself and for our great Mother Earth.

As Jorge helped the last woman in our group inch out backward onto the rock, I felt a deep sense of sadness for her. She had been born without her left hand and would only be able to hold one feather. I saw her as a wounded bird, attempting to fly but struggling to do so with only one wing. This was to be my personal and very powerful lesson from the Condor about seeing limitations where none really exist.

She obviously didn’t see herself wounded in any way, as she confidently told Jorge to tie the other Condor feather to her left arm. My eyes filled with tears as I realized this was exposing a deeper layer of my own set of beliefs about my personal limitations. With a beautiful Condor feather in her right hand and the other elegant feather tied to her left arm, she lay back onto the rock and began to move the feathers in great sweeping arches. She was flying with all of the energy, beauty, and grace of the magnificent Condor, showing me that the only limitations that keep us stuck are those we allow our minds to project.

That day the Great Condor taught me how to take wing and soar above my own self-limiting beliefs.

When I feel stuck in the muck of life, I visualize spreading my great feathered wings. I take a leap of faith and jump from the mountaintop. I feel the air currents lift me up as I soar in pure delight, knowing I do not fly alone. I am joined by the Great Condor of the south. We fly together, strong and free.

••••••••••••••

Gayle Lawrence is the owner of Journeys of Discovery Travel, a company offering worldwide specialty tours to mystical sacred sites; eco-nature retreats; facilitated tours and workshops with noted authors, healers, and workshop facilitators; unique wild dolphin swim retreats; and snorkeling encounters with humpback whales. For upcoming 2012 tours visit: http:// www.ajourneyofdiscovery.com, call 727-785-5563, or email info@ajourneyofdiscovery.com.

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Spirituality forms as time passes. If you find a peculiarly shaped stone, let it speak to you. What does it look like to you? What are your associations with that form? Sense its energies and work with it to discover its powers. My personal collection contains a mixture of natural stones, polished and cut stones.

Shape Glossary Marcia began her career as a school teacher, working with preschool through inner city high school students. She has worked with all aspects of Metaphysics for over 40 years and specializes in Tarot and Numerology. Marcia’s clients and students are in every state and throughout Europe. Marcia has taught over 400 students to “read” the Tarot for the purpose of self-guidance and to use the powerful symbolism of the Tarot to reach higher levels of spirituality.

Her column, Spiritually Speaking, originally ran for 8 years in Attitudes Magazine in the Sarasota area. Email marlou2000@aol.com

•••••••••••••••••• Crystals and Gems, Part 1: Power in Shapes

This is part two in a series of columns devoted to crystals, stones, and their properties and metaphysical uses. Last month focused on color, this month will be shape, and next month will address semi-precious stones. If you miss any articles in the series, you will find them at www.suncoasttransformation. com. If you are one of the growing number of individuals who are beginning or expanding an existing crystal/stone collection, I hope that this series of Spiritually Speaking will aid you in deciding which crystals to obtain. If you just enjoy the beauty of wearing jewelry, perhaps you might choose your next purchase by understanding that color, shape, and the stone itself have a purpose besides just being attractive.

I have an extensive collection of crystals, and I personally believe in their healing powers. If you are open and receptive to the world of crystals, then you can expect the same results.

I am not an expert on crystals and stones, but I have used two excellent books in preparing this series: Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Crystals, Gems and Metal Magic, by Scott Cunningham, and Crystal Enlightenment, by Katrina Raphaell.

Now let’s delve into the shape of stones, regardless of color, consistency, and the special powers common legend and lore say they contain. Some of these shapes are formed by natural processes and some are shaped by skilled craftsmen. It is said that stones that are naturally formed have more power than those that are artificially shaped and polished. Natural stones that are found in the ground and on the ground are often shaped and formed by the elements of water and wind, which alter their

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Round stones: Round stones symbolize the universe, female energy, and receptive powers. They are used for increasing spirituality and psychic awareness. They “attract” good things to you—health, love, success, fertility, etc.

Square stones: Square stones symbolize the earth, male energy, and stability. They are said to increase prosperity and abundance. They can be used at times when life is too scattered or when one needs “grounding.”

Egg-shaped (oval) stones: Egg-shaped stones are said to promote fertility and were carried by women to promote conception. These stones also are said to stimulate creativity and fresh ideas. They are ideal for writers, performers, etc.

Long, thin stones: Long, thin stones are obviously phallic symbols, and are said to aid in fertility. They are believed to be protective and represent electricity. As energy stones, they are carried and worn for protection and physical well-being.

Heart-shaped stones: These stones are used to stimulate and draw love to the wearer. They can be carried to bring love into the life, to magnify the love within, and to allow you to give and receive love. Precious stones, such as diamonds, rubies, etc., are often formed by a jeweler into heart shapes.

Triangular stones: Triangular stones are worn or carried for this purpose. Legend suggests that they will guard the home when placed in the window facing the nearest street.

L-shaped stones: These stones are thought to bring good luck and good fortune, as this form suggests the joining of the spiritual with the physical. They often are carried as good luck charms.

Stones shaped like parts of the body: Stones that resemble parts of the body are said to strengthen or heal the body part that they are formed like. Kidney-shaped stones for the kidneys, etc.

They are good stones for visualization of health and wellness.

Pyramid-shaped stones: The pyramid shape is a very powerful form for a stone or crystal. It is rare to find natural stones of this shape, but many fine craftsmen are forming all types of precious and semi-precious pyramid stones. This shape is good for prosperity and for any meditation purpose. It is also considered a very spiritual shape and enhances psychic ability.

Diamond shaped stones: These shapes make us think of the precious gem, the diamond, and any diamond-shaped stone is said to attract money and material success.

Holey stones: Stones with naturally occurring holes produced by erosion, wind or wave action, sea creatures, or by other means have long been prized as protective objects. In ancient times, they were hung on the bedpost to prevent nightmares and to protect the sleeper. They are often worn around the neck or hung from the front door of a home or from a tree to protect the property. Holey stones are used for health purposes, as they are said to absorb the disease and are still used in healing rituals.

They are also said to enhance psychic capabilities, aid in visualization, and improve eyesight.

Holey stones are found in areas where there are large bodies of water, and coastal areas are abundant with them. They wash up on the beach on a regular basis and are very interesting in shape and size. Next time you are near any body of water, look for them—they are not hard to find, are always interesting to

look and maybe, just maybe, they will do some of the things that legend says they can do.

Depending on your particular wants and needs, obtaining stones can be easy or difficult, inexpensive or costly. Your own needs and interests will affect your choice of stones, and finding your own stones at the beach or on the ground is a very rewarding and inexpensive way to begin a collection. Take some time and look at the stones that you already have. You may find a whole new way of looking at an old ring that was passed down to you from your great grandmother if you examine the color and shape of the stone.

Next month our discussion will be on semi-precious stones. Until then, remember, Knowledge is the greatest power, so walk in the Light.

Tools & Tips

An Intuitive, Author, and Storyteller, Staci shows other how to remove the blocks that keep them from knowing who they really are. She’s the author of the novels The Fifth Goddess and Where Fat Girls Haven’t Gone, and created the Out Your ego! book and card deck.

Staci offers messages of Light, Love & Laughter at events and gatherings and can be heard every Wednesday at 4 pm on GSHRadio. com. For more information, visit www.StaciB.com

•••••••••••••••••• We Are One

Oneness comes in glimpses—at least for me.

Sometimes it happens while I’m staring into the Gulf or listening to a symphony of birds. Other times, it occurs during an intimate conversation or a moment of laughter.

My most intense experiences of oneness always arrive on the heels of forgiveness.

My brother and I are very different people. Our relationship has been volatile, and although I’m certain we love each other, that has not always been evident. As I’ve traveled my path, the anger and hurt I’ve felt over slights, both real and imagined, have surfaced to be healed.

The pain from past memories ranged from the sting of a paper cut to the agony of a third-degree burn. At times it felt like I was being swallowed. Over the years, I recognized how much his lashing out had nothing to do with me. I felt the pain he’d been in, and it softened my anger, eventually dissolving it.

Gradually, I found my way to forgiveness. The road was winding and included visits home, private temper tantrums, eliminating contact, and eventually exchanging perception for peace.

Just when I thought I had completed this leg of my journey, I realized there was someone else to forgive: me.

Although this took a shorter time, it was just as painful. To look in the mirror and take responsibility for how I participated—how I’d provoked, challenged, and at times antagonized him—was a challenge. I also realized that I’d personalized a lot of his actions, causing my own suffering. When I finally accepted that had I known differently, I would have acted differently, forgiveness for myself began to settle in. And again, I exchanged perception for peace.

During this time, I became friends with a man who reminded me very much of my brother. Mike chewed tobacco, hunted, and could be more than a little gruff—all qualities my brother possessed. Through getting to know and love him, I released judgment about some of my brother’s choices: particularly the hunting.

Because I could talk to Mike without any emotional charge, our conversations showed me that his trips to the family hunting cabin in Georgia were really spiritual retreats. He spent hours in nature. While on the platform, he was completely in the moment. He hunted much like a Native American, thanking the animal for sacrificing its life and not wasting any part. My brother hunted the same way. In solitude, Mike found peace, a prerequisite for feeling oneness.

The next time I heard my brother was going hunting, I connected the dots and the oneness came into focus. Although my spiritual path looked quite different from my brother’s, our desire to commune with that which is greater than us was mutual.

The methods were different, but the yearning was the same. For a moment, there was no difference. There was only “oneness.”

My brother and I don’t speak often. We are still very different people. We don’t discuss politics, money, or religion. But our oneness still lives in my belly, rendering the “reality” of our relationship irrelevant.

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Dr. ZZ’s bold, upfront, directive style plays an inspirational role in the lives of people she touches. Drawing on a non-traditional Ph.D. in counseling and natural healing, ZZ works in Sarasota with shaman elder Jack Alexander (“Golden Feather”), who offers land blessings, shamanic training, Life Purpose readings, and all-faith, community-based spiritual guidance. This forum proposes potential solutions on health, emotional, and personal matters. For more, see www.shaman.mosaicglobe.com.

•••••••••••••••••

Question: I have a wonderful boyfriend who I love very much, but I find myself hooking up with other guys whenever I go out and he’s not around. I don’t know why I do it. I struggle with whether I should clean up my act or cut him loose. Do you have any thoughts on this?

Dr. ZZ: You cannot clean up your act without understanding the reason for your behavior. Although you say you love your boyfriend, chances are something is missing in your relationship. On a deep level that you would probably prefer not to acknowledge, you may be hoping that one of the other guys will rescue you, or that your boyfriend will find out and break up with you. In other words, by hooking up with other people, you may be indirectly trying to avoid the responsibility of breaking it off with your boyfriend, hoping he’ll do that for you. If this is even remotely possible, then you and he need to talk seriously—not about your infidelities, but about what each of you expects from the relationship, and if you want to continue. In spite of your love for him, you may not feel ready to commit to just one partner. If so, you would be wise to face the facts, and let things cool down with him until you are more certain.

The promiscuity you describe is often an act of low self-esteem.

There’s a possibility that you don’t think you deserve such a great guy. You may be messing around and messing up to prove to him, others, and yourself that you are unworthy. If this is so, you will need to concentrate on areas of your life other than romance and do things to make yourself proud of YOU. Everyone deserves to love and be loved. I encourage you to think long and hard about what is going on for you before you either commit to a long-term relationship or decide to separate.

Question: I am a 16-year-old junior in high school who would like to know how to ask a girl to be my girlfriend. I don’t know because I’ve never done it before. Is it OK to just go up to her and say, “Will you be my girlfriend?” I would like to know.

Please tell me the best way. Thank you.

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Dr. ZZ: You sound like a polite young man, and your question is an excellent one. It gives me a chance to talk about the “Oreo cookie” cycle which I find helpful in approaching almost anybody about almost anything. The first thing you want to do is make sure you have the other person’s attention. Opening your conversation with a sincere compliment or two is a handy way to do that. Girls, in particular, put a lot of energy into their appearance, so you may want to start by telling her that you like something about the way she looks: her new hair-style, the dress she is wearing, the book covers she made for her books.

Telling her that you like the color she’s wearing is a fairly neutral place to start.

Once you have her attention (the first layer of the cookie), it’s time for the filling (the reason why you’re talking to her in the first place.) This is where you approach the difficult stuff and ask her if she’d like to go out with you sometime. Rather than ask a question to which she can reply yes or no, it’s better to phrase the invitation in a way that gives her a choice between two positive results. Say, “I’d like to ask you out sometime, and I was wondering if you’d rather go to the movies or go to the beach?” If her reply sounds even faintly like an acceptance (“I like the movies. My friends to go the beach a lot, but I’m always getting sun-burned.”), then you’re ready to close the deal. If you’ve done your homework, you can tell her what’s playing and ask her to choose between two films or two show times.

Then exchange phone numbers and close on a positive note (the final layer of the cookie). Reinforce the idea that this is going to be fun, and that you’re looking forward to it. Let her know you’re glad you asked and even more glad she accepted.

Leave her with a smile on her face, and you can give yourself an A+.

Question: My husband is an alcoholic who doesn’t want to be cured. Our relationship is dead. As I am 45, I don’t have any hope of finding someone else. Besides, I don’t want to leave him. We’ve lived together for over 20 years and have three children. He seems to have never loved me, and I feel lonely and humiliated. Work is the only thing I have. I’m used to feeling the positive attitude of people towards me everywhere but at home.

What can be done?

Dr. ZZ: The answer to “What can be done?” is “What would you like to do?” You’ve come to terms with your marriage and seem to feel that life would be worse without your husband.

You’ve also found fulfilling work and have good relations outside the home. The best you can do is probably to capitalize on your positives and accept the choices you’ve made. Whatever it takes, enjoy your life.

Disclaimer: All information provided in this article is intended as general information only and is not to be misconstrued as medical or psychological advice, or as diagnosis, treatment or cure for any condition or ailment. Send queries or comments to askDrZZ@ yahoo.com. All identifying information is kept strictly confidential.

Transformation

Being

ONE

with the

Divine

By Maggie Batt

We are all aspects of the Divine Source. Our purpose is to go through each lifetime evolving until we are enlightened enough to join completely with the Divine Source again.

For instance, all of the water on this planet is the same water. However, when we look up into the sky and see the different cloud forms we may not realize they are all made up of the same water particles. The clouds float over the mountains and put a piece of themselves out in the form of rain and snow. This water then goes through the streams, rivers, and lakes until it is emptied out into the ocean, where it is once again evaporated back up into the clouds. This recycling process is the way that all of the water keeps itself clean and pure.

Using this analogy, it is also our jobs to become cleaner and more pure—lifetime after lifetime—until we are ready to be absorbed back into the Divine Source again. The more that we can remember that we are a piece of the Divine Source, the quicker we can evolve.

To be ONE with the Divine Source is recognizing the Oneness in everyone and everything—including you. This is the key to conscious healing.

In my ARCH Kahuna training I learned these common Hawai’ian beliefs: 1. All are part of the Creator.

2. All are one.

3. All life is founded on love.

4. Everything has mana (energy) in it.

5. When the mana is strong and people accept themselves as the powerful beings that they are, all things are possible.

According to some mystic teachings, when early beings inhabited this planet they knew that they were not separate from the Divine Source.

They first went to the area that is now Egypt and some traveled to the Polynesian Islands that formed the ancient land of Lemuria. They had rainbow bodies of pure chakra centers. They could communicate telepathically, clearly express their truth, come from the heart, manifest on the physical plane easily, and live ultimate bliss and joy.

They were not separated from Source. Eventually they began forgetting their divinity and became unbalanced. They began to rationalize and suppress their feelings as they ran less energy in some chakras and more energy in others. This caused some to be greedy, willful, and controlling. Intuitively the Priests and Priestesses knew it was time for them to leave with their knowledge so they went to other locations in the world. They vowed to go throughout lifetimes to remember the ancient wisdom.

Now is the time when the world is ready to reconnect to our Divine Source and see the divinity in everything.

Similar to when we fall asleep at night and lose consciousness and then wake up, civilization is also going through a cycle of falling asleep and reawakening. This occurs over a 26,000 year period known as the procession of the equinoxes.

We are now at the end of this cycle and a new awakening is here. The resurfacing of ancient knowledge is not only coming to us through news, lectures, books, and the Internet, but also intuitively. There is an inner awakening among us. Some believe the end of this calendar (26,000 years) is the end of a cycle and may be catastrophic. Rather, I believe that it is an opportunity to reawaken and be ONE with our new levels of consciousness.

Are you ready to make this quantum leap to the path of enlightenment?

•••••••••••••••••

Reverend Maggie Batt is a spiritual and holistic health consultant, certified TriYoga® teacher, herbalist, Certified Advanced Kahuna ARCH® practitioner, Usui/Tibetan Reiki Master, and a Certified Karuna Reiki® Master Teacher from the International Center for Reiki Training. She has been practicing and teaching her knowledge for 11 years. Maggie’s yoga teaching paths are Hatha Flow, Kundalini, Kids, Parent/Child, and Prenatal. Her other practices and studies include meditation, ear coning, flower essences, holistic health and natural medicine, feng shui, natural childbirth, natural mom counseling, and magic. In 2003, she was cast in “Health Cops: New Orleans.” for the Discovery Health Channel. She also appears as an alternative practitioner helping to change someone’s life in 12 weeks on the FitTV channel. For more information, email info@ wheelsoflight.org or visit www.wheelsoflight.org.

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Inspiration If we are judging ourselves, we are creating separation by not accepting our own perfection in the expression of One life; thus, separating ourselves from wholeness (in our mind).

By Andi Schenbeck In any conversation regarding non-duality, it becomes difficult to discuss the Truth because ultimately our language has been constructed from a dualistic perspective. There is a belief in separation; that there is a me and there are others. Even the word “we” suggests more than one. Scientific research today now fully supports this idea of Oneness, and while it has not yet been adopted by the masses as the Truth, it has served to initiate a vast shift in perception with regard to the connectedness of us all.

When we attempt to interpret the concept of Oneness through the eyes of duality we can truly become frustrated, confused, and lost. We have come to rely heavily on our five senses and thus defining ourselves by what appears to be outside of us—this is where the paradox comes into play, and where our unconscious belief systems and conditioning keep us attached to the illusion of duality. In our attempt to view the concept of Oneness through the lens of our existing beliefs, it is interpreted as “unattainable.”

We view Oneness as something we have to create or get to…when the Truth is, Oneness already IS. When we have released all of the belief structures we have created to manifest the illusion of separation, Oneness will no longer be something we strive to understand intellectually… it will just be our experience.

How do we shift our point of view to align with the concept of Oneness? If there is ONE presence, ONE life that appears to be currently expressing itself as billions of points of view, how do we begin to release the attachments we have to this paradigm of separation?

First, we can stop reinforcing the idea of separation, day by day, and thought by thought. Being mindful of our thoughts, we can choose to not identify with them and replace them with thoughts that align with the Truth of Oneness. One simple way to do this is to notice when we go into judgment about something. Ultimately, since no thing exists “out there” for us to judge, the idea of judgment in and of itself is a tool to create separation because by its very definition we see ourselves as separate from that which we are judging.

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All of this happens in the Mind. It is an illusion that humanity has identified with, and it is perpetuated each time the separation is reinforced by the mind and we choose to accept it as truth. We each have the free will to stop this cycle if we choose to: This cycle of the mind that feeds our perception of separation.

Presence is essential: As we remain aware of thoughts and emotions as they arise, we can simply allow them to express themselves while NOT identifying with them and not resisting them. When witnessing emotions as reactions to situations that arise in our experience, we can become an awareness (which is our natural state) that just allows them to be and to express; breathe, and allow them to process and integrate themselves. The key here is acceptance: non-judgment. It truly is about releasing the story that our mind would have us identify with in regard to the thoughts and emotions. When we do that, like clouds in the sky… they come and go, and we abide more fully in our natural state of peace, neutrality, and allowing.

The tools of non-judgment and presence are amazing ways to retrain the mind and to release emotional conten; however, they take time and practice.

Humanity is ready to shift NOW! It is no surprise that many new powerful processing techniques have recently emerged that can assist us in shifting the unconscious mind swiftly and releasing limiting beliefs, paradigms, and emotional content that appear to be perpetuated in our current experience. The cycles of the mind can be brought to rest in seconds, making it easier for us to choose again without the distractions of the old ways of being. So while there is only One life, we can enlist the support and assistance of other aspects of ourselves (aka: other people) to shift our awareness more quickly and to bring into balance the various polarities we have attached ourselves to in the illusion of duality. With that comes Peace. As we become aligned with our natural state, the appearance of the world will change.

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“It is my highest intention to support you in remembering your True Self” ~ Andi Schenbeck is a certified ThetaHealing® Practitioner, and Spiritual Advisor. Her ability to connect with The Divine, while in a completely non-judgmental state of mind, allows for an opening of “sacred space” through which The Divine can be expressed. This is facilitated through energetic transmutation and release of belief structures, paradigms, and emotional content that do not serve the Highest Good. Andi offers private sessions and facilitates a group session, Inspiring Your Journey, once a month in St. Petersburg, FL. For more information visit www.ChooseToInspire.com.

Spirituality

A Return to Union

By Jim Toole

Each facet of life, unique in its own way, is amazing. If we are open, discovery and exploration of our existence stir the energies of curiosity, fascination, and awe— and it is these forces that help us to move beyond ourselves and merge with all things in the universe.

There is a continual longing in the heart of mankind to further examine and understand life in an effort to experience it more deeply.

We have a continuing desire to “take it all in.” It seems within our grasp to reach enlightenment if all aspects of life are discovered, explored, and “integrated.” This quest has been the motivation and inspiration for many to “wander and wonder” through life looking for new openings and portals into deeper and deeper inner wisdom. The goal is to find that place where it is possible to tap into and draw upon the most profound reservoir of inner knowing that exists at the very center of the soul.

Many believe that now is the time to become devoted to a discipline or philosophy that facilitates access to and provides experience of the purity of the soul. They feel that once the essence of Being is experienced and becomes the focus of human expression, the world will become a better place. It would be as if all of mankind ac-

cessed the sacred temple at the core of Being—which is filled with pure love, light, power, wisdom, and beauty—and then surrendered into it.

The world would most certainly be a better place. There would be much more peace, balance, and harmony. Although each individual would exist within a place of solitude, judgment and perception would dissolve, allowing true unity and oneness to serve as a catalyst for pure divine connection.

It would be a natural return to Communion. Not to be confused with a religious sacrament or ritual, Communion simply defined means sharing. By looking more closely at the word, we find it means common union. By looking more closely ourselves, we will see it is the basis of community or common unity.

What appears to be retreating inward to connect with the deepest and most divine presence and spirit within becomes the salvation of the external world.

This is not because of redemption or forgiveness. It is because as each of us “returns home” within our own heart and soul and, as a result, there is a remembrance of the connection to everyone and to all things. It is through this remembrance and the natural re-emerging of the awareness of common union and unity that the bridge between one another AND the other realms and earth is completed. We cannot attempt to understand this with our mind, as it cannot be contained in thought. It cannot be contained at all.

As we reach the completion of a great cycle in the procession of the equinoxes, the veils are lifting, the walls are dissolving, and the structure that has held “life as we know it” in place is “coming apart at the seams.” This is not a pattern of destruction; it is a cycle of loosening and opening within the very fabric of life. This aspect of evolution “opens the door” to allow for the essence of our soul, the presence of our being, and the perfection of our radiance to be reflected directly into reality we have co-created.

No matter what is occurring in our world, take a deep breath and let out a huge sigh. Allow the tension to fall from our bodies. Let emotions flow like an endless stream in whatever direction they seek to travel. Release thoughts in the mind to the winds of change, to be carried to where they are drawn. Release, if only for a moment or two, into pure consciousness.

By choosing to live from this place, within the world, the natural splendor and beauty of our being shall find its way into the cracks and crevices, the nooks and crannies, of the very foundation of life itself. The essence of our being, in its pure and perfect form, will naturally penetrate into and alter the structure that “holds it all together.” In this moment, there is nothing to do, feel, think, or concern ourselves with; for we have entered into the state “Beyond Being.”

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Jim Toole is the director of Radiance of Sarasota, a nonprofit community-based inspiration and wellness center. A native of Sarasota, Jim has devoted more than 25 years to understanding, teaching, and facilitating techniques and principles that heal and change lives. Blending various modalities of energetic healing with counseling and intuitive abilities, Jim offers a full spectrum approach focusing on the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual levels.

For more information, visit www.radianceofsarasota.com or email ccc1jim@aol.com.

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Tools & Tips

By Carol Wentz Randaci Generally, we are unaware of the scripts that direct and motivate who we are and everything we do. As if participating in theatrical productions or movie screenplays, we appear to act out various parts throughout our life. These pre-existing scripts become available for resolution at the conception of each incarnation, and healing can take place using Past Life Therapy.

The memories we bring with us into this world exist as cellular or soul memory at birth. In the theory of reincarnation we live many lives. Each time we take a new incarnation we bring with us remnants of previous incarnations that we then unknowingly proceed to act upon in our current life. Sometimes these experiences seem harmless, almost good, but then others can be particularly troublesome.

Past Life Therapy can resolve the scripts that cause our life’s patterns, which are the root cause of everything from illnesses, to addictions or obsessions, to unwanted personality traits and characteristics.

The mind is a phenomenally intricate device. It works from multiple planes. There is the conscious mind, which is used to decipher and decode the world, decide on actions, make decisions, and is responsible for our basic thought processes. This conscious processing is what we call the rational mind, the objective mind, and the reasoning mind. With the rational mind we navigate our daily lives, dispute ideas, and establish concepts. But where do the programs for these intricate calculations come from?

Along with the rational part of the mind there is the unconscious mind, the unrecognizable, the irrational component.

What we think with our conscious mind filters into the unconscious mind, which does not have the same ability to argue, decipher, calculate, or decide right from wrong as the conscious mind does. The unconscious mind perceives by intuition and recorded impressions. It is the repository of memory. Whatever the unconscious mind is told it accepts as fact. The unconscious mind acts as an infinite recording device. It records everything we hear, sense, and feel. It’s all there, recorded, and sealed.

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The unconscious carries all the events, feelings, thoughts, and emotions as a library of impressions. This library is our memory. It stores without discernment. It is like a handprint pressed into fresh concrete. The concrete does not make any thoughts or decisions about the handprint; it simply accepts the impression and records it.

One of the most amazing aspects of the unconscious memory is how easy it is to access. In Dr. Morris Netherton’s method of Past Life Therapy, for example, de-hypnosis is used to allow the unconscious mind to open its records and bring the information to the forefront. Dr. Netherton’s work begins with the premise that any traumatic event creates a type of hypnotic state, and it is the hypnotic state that seals the event behind the conscious mind. He says that to hypnotize over a hypnotic state does not always present the best results, which is why dehypnosis is a more effective option.

De-hypnotizing accesses the unconscious mind to reveal the source of unwanted habits, patterns, illness, or unhealthy behavior that obstruct one’s life by revealing and resolving the event that caused the patterns to begin with. This process of Past Life or even Past Event Therapy has many very useful and helpful features. The most advantageous being that it is a deeply healing therapy created to bring a person to a resolution and release unwanted obstacles—instead of simply viewing past life adventures.

A belief in past life is not necessary. It does not matter where the story or information comes from that is held in the unconscious mind. Just the fact that the mind has a story to tell indicates that it has its own reason for having that particular story.

The origin is not important. The critical issue is that the tale has caused some type of obstacle blocking a person’s ability to live in a state of peace and completeness. The Netherton Method’s genius is the ability for an individual to access their unconscious mind in a relaxed, self-aware manner.

Past Life Therapy is a process of self-knowledge and intuition based in the thought that at the core of any illness or condition there could be a trauma that established the patterns of behavior that currently is obstructing further development. What makes this process effective is that by accessing the memory and bringing it to the conscious mind we inevitably honor true feelings, emotions, and perceptions without being judged, criticized or subverted. The person is guided to stay focused on all the sensations and feelings that come with the experience without being re-traumatized.

This is a gentle therapy that has changed many people’s life, allowing for deeper happiness and peace. The objective is to move through the point of conflict, confusion, fear, anger, sadness, or any other sensation. Healing then can take place by releasing, resolving, and understanding.

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Carol Wentz Randaci, DOM, is an Acupuncture Physician and Energy Therapist offering the Netherton Past Life Therapy, Lightworks Healing method, Oriental medicine, Meditation classes, Medical Qi Gong treatments and Distant Energy transmission. She hosts “The Way To Wellness” on WSLR-fm 96.5 and can be reached at EnergeiaHH@comcast.net or 941-284-8894.