FAITH Transformation Magazine

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Section Title

2012: PERSPECTIVES 12.12.12 A Blueprint for Peace 5 The 2012 Gateway Trajectory 9 16 Debunking Doomsday 27 End on a Positive Note 28 2012 And the Soul’s Journey SPIRITUALITY Psychology of the Soul 6 7 Practical Spirituality: Faith it Til’ You Make It The Way It Is: Question Authority 8 13 Personal Numerology for 2013 26 Angels: Connecting with Your Soul’s Intentions INSPIRATION 4 Awakening: Faith is an Inside Job 10 Allowing Success: The POWER of FAITH 12 The Guru in Your iPod 15 Seize the Moment 23 Positive Change: Rebooting Faith 25 Reflections... Faith in Action TOOLS & TIPS Fear: the Siren Call to Change 11 20 Enlightened Relationships: The Faith to Change 22 Ask Dr. ZZ 24 Our Faithful Friends HEALTHY LIVING 18 10 Ways to Survive the Holiday Season

Without Weight Gain 19 Captain’s Compass: We All Need Faith 19

Holy Mole Cartoon

© Copyright 2012 Transformation Magazine. All rights reserved.

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Inspiration Being the nerd that I am, I like to look up the meanings of words in the dictionary. I started with “faith” to see what insight I could glean from the meaning of the word, and I inadvertently opened a can of worms.

Faith: belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion: firm belief in something for which there is no proof: complete trust or confidence in someone or something: something that is believed especially with strong conviction.

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 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. www.transformationservices.org

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Faith is an Inside Job When I was a child, faith was a dirty word to me. It wasn’t that anyone told me it was bad, it’s just the association I had created about it. I grew up in a multicultural home, complete with a Channamus Tree for the holidays. One side of the family was Jewish, the other Christian, and both sides were relatively openminded and non-traditional. My family was spiritual, to a degree, but certainly not religious. Throughout elementary school I was the only “Jewish” kid in a school full of Christians. It was uncomfortable at times, and from what I saw at Sunday school when I attended with my friends, “faith” was not something I wanted.

From my childhood perspective, this faith they talked about just didn’t make sense. Not only could I not understand why they would believe things that went against what we were learning in science class, such as how the earth was formed, but I also couldn’t understand how they could justify all of harm that had been done to people in history in the name of “faith.”

In high school I had the following quote on my wall:

“Faith is a belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel.” ~ Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary At that time, had you asked me if I believed in God I would have said “no,” but the truth was that I certainly did believe in a higher power that created it all and a higher purpose for our individual lives that was more than a pointless, meandering existence. I just wasn’t willing to give others the pleasure of thinking I believed in God the same way they did if I had answered “yes.”

I was a skeptic, I was cynical, I was too intellectual for my own good, and I was determined to understand why people thought the way they did about religion and about life in general.

Starting in my late teens I began my spiritual quest, devouring books about spirituality, and over time my stance softened toward the rigidity of others’ thinking as I realized the rigidity of my own. I came to see how religious and spiritual ideals and beliefs overlap and intertwine in unique ways for each individual, and my concept of “faith” took on a multifaceted viewpoint. I came to know faith and to see faith as one of the most powerful forces in the world

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Well, that really narrows it down! So, I dug a little deeper into those numerous and highly varied definitions of faith. I skipped over the first one, as this is the one that was a road block for me in my youth and was the most likely to lead me down a never-ending rabbit hole.

Firm belief in something for which there is no proof: Certainty: dependable, reliable: known or proved to be true: indisputable

“Science has proof without any certainty.

Creationists have certainty without any proof.” ~ Ashley Montague For left-brained, concrete-minded people, faith can be a stretch. It is easy to have faith in something for which there is undeniable evidence, such as science, but does certainty even exist? The quote above points out that in truth, science may have what they consider “proof,” but as scientists continue to learn more and more about the nature of existence they realize that the things they were “certain” about previously were, in fact, incorrect or incomplete. Even through rigorous scientific inquiry we do not arrive at certainty, and so faith certainly (pun intended) cannot be dependent on proof.

Complete trust or confidence in someone or something: Trust: assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something

“Faith isn’t believing without proof – it’s trusting without reservation.” ~ William Sloane Coffin Okay, so if we can’t prove that which we want to have faith in, perhaps it’s simply a matter of trust. We assure ourselves that we can trust the information we have and trust the leaders who provide the knowledge. This can get hairy, though, because looking at human history we see how many times our leaders were, let’s say, less than trustworthy and the resulting information we were given was anything but complete. So the question is, then, if faith is trust who are we trusting?

For each person this answer is different dependent on their personality and experience. Trust as a synonym for faith leans toward implying a trust in God or the Divine, rather than trust in people or ideas. For many “faith” is a matter of trusting in a higher power and that there is a divine order to the world.

For others, faith remains within their grasp only through more concrete evidence of trust. Since trust in authority and validity of knowledge is often limited, many people seek to find faith in themselves.

Confidence : a feeling or consciousness of one’s powers or of reliance on one’s circumstances So, you can’t find faith in the outside world (which is often quite understandable), the solution may be to turn within.

How empowering it is to know that you can find your way to faith without relying on anything outside of yourself! You can always rely on yourself, and if you look back through all of the things you’ve accomplished (and survived) it’s easy to find faith in yourself (See the Enlightened Relationship column this month for more about this.)

Those of religious conviction may discourage you from this self-reliant attitude; however, this is a common misperception. To find a true faith in God, through a deep inner knowing rather than blind faith in an unknowable external object, the only way is to follow the path that starts within. Even if originally your inward journey toward faith is for practical self-reliant reassurance, if you continue to seek deeper and deeper within yourself you will one day reach the center of your true Self beyond your own identity. You will come to Know and trust and have faith in the higher power that creates and is contained within us all. Any path to faith is a good one.

Something that is believed especially with strong conviction Belief: conviction of the truth of some statement or the reality of some being or phenomenon especially when based on examination of evidence Notice that the above definition does not require evidence as a prerequisite of belief—it is optional. As with faith,

belief is based on our free will to choose our own perspective.

Ah, and so we come back full circle to a place where faith is a multifaceted, individually determined phenomena.

I guess I didn’t avoid the rabbit hole after all. Throughout my process of mind-expansion and spiritual growth, as well as my perusal of the dictionary, I have come to understand two things about faith. One is that it is and will forever be determined by each individual and that each viewpoint is equally valid. The other is that ultimately faith, as with God and all greater meanings and inner-workings of existence, cannot be fully understand by the faculties of a human mind.

“You can only apprehend the Infinite by a faculty that is superior to reason.” ~ Plotinus As always, the spiritual quest for understanding has led me to know more and more about less and less. One thing I have faith in for sure is that I will never stop learning and growing, both because I am certain I will never cease to seek and because the Truth will infinitely elude me. I believe Scrooge from A Christmas Carol said it best when he stated:

“I don’t know anything. I never did know anything; but now I know that I don’t know anything.”

2012: Perspectives

by Jo Mooy

12.12.12 brings to a close the last of the once-acentury triple-digit calendar dates in the momentous year of 2012. All of these dates, (1.1.1, 2.2.2, through 12.12.12) hold deep significance for those on the spiritual path where symbolic and esoteric meanings are assigned to the numerical combinations. Most people outside the metaphysical communities have no awareness that the triple-digit dates are precise energetic focal points that open portals from the physical into the spiritual and ethereal realms.

The much-anticipated 12.12.12 is particularly important because it coincides with the ending of the Mayan Long Count calendar and the start of a new cycle. The number 12 has historical, astrological, religious, and mystical connotations.

It is said that 12 governs space and time in the Cosmos. In the Bible the number 12 is featured 189 times and in the Koran seven times. The Bible speaks of the coming times of change on earth, calling out the cosmic implications of an alignment in the heavens on this date. It tells of the 12 gates to the Celestial kingdom (Astrological signs), 12 precious stones in the new celestial city (breast-plate of the heart center), 12 stars (constellations) in the crown of the woman (Divine Feminine) that will rule the celestial city, and the creation of the 12 stones on the “altar” of Elijah representing the 12 tribes of Israel who finally unite in a holy place. When the numbers are magnified three times as

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they are in these dates, spirit, matter, and individual consciousness align in harmony.

There’s general consensus that something unique is happening at this time on earth, and that we need to step up our intentions of purpose and goodwill. An elderly rabbi in Jerusalem recently suggested that world peace was not illusive. He proposed that moderate spiritual and religious leaders come together to craft a workable solution for peace in the Middle East. He was convinced that if there was peace in Jerusalem there would be peace between Arabs and the West—and if there was peace between Arabs and the West, there would be peace on earth.

Sands of the World Mandala Four years ago leaders in the spiritual community of Southwest Florida believed in the promise of the “new Jerusalem” that the rabbi spoke about. In a powerful ceremony on the summer solstice of 2008, they embraced a vision known as The Prism of Light. These leaders, along with 350 participants, anchored an ethereal diamond shaped formation across 65 square miles in Southwest Florida. From Anna Maria Island in the north, Warm Mineral Springs in the south, Myakka State Park in the east and Siesta Key Beach in the west, they held the etheric Prism of Light intact for several hours. They imagined the creation of a New Jerusalem of Light emerging from the center of the Prism where all the world would finally unite as one.

Those thoughts, held in consciousness by the anchors for more than four years, inspired a blueprint for the physical manifestation of the world coming together as one. In 2012, that blueprint, which is known as the Sands of the World Mandala, will be constructed by the Sarasota, FL, community using sand, earth, stones, and sacred objects from holy, mythic, and historic sites from around the world. Collected and brought to Sarasota by hundreds of people who traveled to these sacred places, this sand, the fabric of our earth, will set into form a pattern for unity for generations to come. The Mandala’s geometric form, infused with the very mineral essence of Mother Earth will impress upon the viewer in a tangible way how world diversity within unity might look one day.

The sands have come from Machu Picchu; Angor Wat; the Great Pyramid of Giza; Mt. Everest; Haleakala; Mayan Temples in Central American; Hopi, Pueblo and Aztec lands; Stonehenge and New Grange; Arama Muru portal in Peru; Maori Tribal lands; Tiwanakku in Bolivia; select volcanoes; Tibetan monasteries; Kwan Yin’s

Temple in China; and Capernaum; among many others.

As we endure unpleasant discourse in the general population, fear and negativity between governments and those in need, the Mandala has emerged as a reservoir of hope on behalf of the citizens of the world. It’s evident that as the sands from around the world are placed side by side in a sacred mandala, so too can individuals of all religions, races, and belief systems be brought together to live in beautiful harmony. All it takes is people believing it can and will be done. If small groups come together worldwide, holding the ideal of the raising of human consciousness, a gentle groundswell will create a force field where the ideal will take form. This is the formation of the New Jerusalem. It is an ethereal Celestial City of Light that governs the world through peace, balance, and harmony. It’s within our grasp to create this for the future generations of earth.

If you are inspired to be part of the creation of this sacred project, join the gathering at South Lido Beach in Sarasota at 12:12 p.m. on December 12, 2012. The creation of the Sands of the Mandala will take several hours to assemble and will be followed by a ceremonial blessing at 4:12 pm. Everyone is invited to add intentions into the sands for themselves, their families, and the planet. Tibetan and Crystal Bowl players, drummers, singers, dancers, and children will participate. At the end of the evening, the completed Mandala will be blessed by spiritual leaders, swept up, and carried in a ceremonial procession for release into the waters of the Gulf Stream.

Jo Mooy has studied with many spiritual traditions over the past 40 years. The wide diversity of this training allows her to develop spiritual seminars and retreats that explore inspirational concepts, give purpose and guidance to students, and present esoteric teachings in an understandable manner. Along with Patricia Cockerill, she has guided the Women’s Meditation Circle since January 2006 where it has been honored for five years in a row as the “Favorite Meditation” group in Sarasota, FL, by Natural Awakenings Magazine. Teaching and using Sound as a retreat healing practice, Jo was certified as a Sound Healer through Jonathan Goldman’s Sound Healing Association. She writes and publishes a monthly internationally distributed e-newsletter called Spiritual Connections and is a staff writer for Spirit of Maat magazine in Sedona. For more information go to www.starsoundings.com or email jomooy@gmail.com.

Spirituality

By Jesse Herriott

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How do you study your soul? What does it look like? What does it feel like? Does it “feel” at all, and does your soul look like other souls? The best way to find answers to these questions is to approach Spiritual Psychology as a practice. The word psychology (psych-ology) originates from the Greek word “psyche,” which in essence means soul, breath, or wind , while the term “ology” simply means “the study of something.” Spirituality has the same definition because “Spirit” originates from the Latin word “spiritus,” which is literally translated as “soul or breath” as well. So, if you look at Spirituality and Psychology in tandem, then you are actually studying the “soul.”

One of the easiest ways of feeling, exploring, and looking at the soul with Spiritual Psychology is to start by looking at yourself. Close your eyes

and imagine a red car, then imagine a pretty little girl, then imagine your favorite sandwich. Now turn your attention to the presence inside of you that is doing the “imagining.” Congratulations, you’ve just met your soul. In many traditions, this presence is called your holy guardian angel, your higher self, the God-within, or it may be the “voice that told you about something and you didn’t listen to it.”

According to the famous psychologist and mystic Carl Jung, man’s next phase of discovery will not be found in the depths of the ocean or in outer space—these transformative discoveries will come from inner space, or the exploration of the unconscious.

The unconscious aspect of yourself, or your “soul,” is vast, deep, and somewhat mystical. Have you ever spoken to someone and in the midst of the discussion forget what you’re saying? How about when you are driving and you forget where you’re going. The truth is that information doesn’t “go” anywhere. It just shifts and falls into another room within the storehouse of the mind.

One would ask, “Why would your soul/unconscious do that to you?” It’s because the soul is both conscious and unconscious. At times you are aware of it...and other times you shift into autopilot, and everything that you do becomes unconscious.

When we can learn to integrate both those conscious and unconscious impulses within ourselves and our souls, we will discover a deeper relation with the source of all being, which most

people throughout the centuries have called “God.” And then we will understand that the source of being we’ve been worshiping has been residing within us the whole time!

The real work of spiritual psychology isn’t discovering why we behave the way we do, or what’s influencing us from “out there.” Spiritual psychology is all about personally discovering how what’s “in here” is actually controlling, influencing, and creating what’s “out there.” And whether we know it or not, our soul nature is having a fascinating time doing it.

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Jesse Herriott is an Atlanta, GA-based spiritual psychology lecturer and Unity.FM radio host. He is an educator, public speaker, and practitioner in the ancient traditions of psychology, which shape mind and body health. Currently, Jesse is a doctoral candidate in social psychology at Walden University, and his personal research is focused on cognition, perception, states of consciousness and the intersection between spirituality and human potential. He also holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in political science and criminology. Jesse has merged his academic training in psychology with the teachings of the great Eastern and Western Wisdom traditions, in order to help individuals make the switch “from barely living to living on purpose.” He can be reached by email at jesse. herriott@gmail.com and online at www.jesseherriott.com.

Spirituality

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. www. newthoughtctr.org

•••••••••••••••••• Faith It ‘til You Make It

I have faith that life will always get better for us if we treat our challenges as stepping stones rather than obstacles.

Some years ago, we lived in a small California town and were, quite frankly, broke. With no chance for employment and a bleak outlook for our business, the best bet seemed to be to leave town. But we were too broke to move.

To remove any doubt, our absentee landlord decided to sell the house we lived in. Was it an obstacle or a stepping stone? Surely it was a challenge, but we knew there was something good in it.

We worked out an arrangement with our landlord to sell the house for him, and split what would have been an agent’s commission. This would provide enough money to move to Nashville, our place of choice.

So we thought.

To get to the point of this story (which is FAITH) I’ll have to save the many “miracle” stories for another time. We found a buyer, and scheduled the closing. Two days before the Friday closing date, we rented a huge U-Haul truck for the move with our only credit card. Friends helped us load, and our plan was to leave on Saturday, the day after we were to get the check.

On Friday, around noon, with our beds already deep in the truck, we got a call. The closing was postponed until late Tuesday afternoon.

It only took a few seconds to decide. What choice did we have? We would leave as scheduled and trust that everything would work out fine. The accountant agreed to deposit the check in our bank account the day after closing.

What could happen? Would the Infinite Creative Spirit that had supported us all our lives—the same one who’d provided miracle after miracle to get us this far actually leave us stranded by the side of the road somewhere? The idea was ludicrous, laughable, impossible!

So with nothing but faith and a credit card that might get us half way, we took off on Saturday morning and didn’t look back. To indulge in fear and doubt was way too scary, so we fo-

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cused on gratitude for what had happened so far and for arriving safely at our destination.

Truly and absolutely I knew we were safe. God would not let us down. I was exhilarated to feel so free.

It was the hottest week of the decade in most of the country, so we took the northern route. I remember standing in a gas station somewhere in Wyoming, with the wind blowing hot and dusty across the wilderness. Something in the back of my mind said “Yeah, I could live here.” But we went on.

The money appeared in our account as expected, and

we celebrated with a fabulous dinner somewhere in the heart of cattle country. Our faith allowed us to claim a higher good and to move out of a bad situation. We knew we’d done the right thing; but more than that, we learned a priceless lesson about how Life works for us.

I have faith in the upward spiral of Life and an Infinite Loving Power that propels me always toward something better.

It got us from Northern California to Nashville, and if I ever feel doubt, I can look back at that summer and let the flow of Life move me on.

Spirituality

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 book is Spirit With A Smile — The World According to BOB (www.Transformation-Publishing).

Email to gregg@spiritwithasmile.com.

•••••••••••••••••• Question Authority—That’s an Order “Practically the whole human race is hypnotized because it thinks what somebody else told it to think.” — Ernest Holmes, Love and Law, The Unpublished Teachings

The foundation of Faith is Belief. You can’t have faith in something unless you first believe in it, and there’s a plethora of well-meaning and not-so-well-meaning people just drooling to offer us their Belief System (hereafter referred to by the instructive abbreviation, B.S.).

BOB, the Being Of Bliss with many aliases, gets Its entertainment by expressing through each of us. Our goal in life is to be as happy as we can, just for BOB’s pleasure.* Everybody tries to tell us how to live our lives. Our problem is we listen.

This month, we’ll look and laugh at some of those who tell us WHAT to think. In coming months, we’ll talk about HOW to think. The first authority in the lives of all of us is our parents. I know those of us who are parents find it hard to believe we have any influence at all on our children, but trust me, we do.

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We tell them fairytales, which let them know all they have to do is find their prince or princess to live happily ever after.

We also demand obedience, so they learn to do as they are told.

Good thing we love ‘em, or it would be their first experience with dictatorship.

Oh, wait.

Then to get another helping of B.S. it’s off to church we go. There we find out about good and bad, reward and punishment, and eternal damnation. Perhaps a “helping” of B.S. is not the most accurate description, since it doesn’t really help. Can you think of a better word?

Amazing! We’re already confused, and we haven’t even been to school yet. That’s where we get our social beliefs from peers and teachers. We learn how important it is to fit in and get along with “others” so we’ll act right, think right, and wear the right sneakers.

You’d think our teachers would warn us about that, but they’re busy loading us up with selective history, political fads, and intellectual snobbery toward those with a different outlook.

Who has time for incidentals like living a happy life?

Don’t get me started on the world of entertainment.

Oops, too late. I’ve already started. Welcome to the land of stereotypes, all of which instruct us in beliefs of good, bad, and best.

Here are our role models—caricatures of life sold to us as life itself, and each promoting more B.S. The good guys in their white hats always get the girl, after defeating and humiliating the bad guys. They’re trim, honest, hard-working, self-sacrificing champions of the underdog.

On the other hand, the bad guys in their black hats are the ones who abuse the girl after proving they aren’t as good as the good guys. They lied, cheated, and stole their way to greedy wealth and generally bully their way to more. More often than not, they’re also overweight.

There’s a whole lot of B.S.’n goin’ on.

The question is, are you putting your faith in the B.S. you’ve been fed all your life? If so, how’s that workin’ out for you?

Can you make it better? How? Tune in next month for the beginnings of a solution to this cosmic quandary! *If you aren’t familiar with BOB, check earlier columns at suncoasttransformation.com or that wonderful book Spirit With A Smile — The World According to BOB, which is available almost everywhere.

2012: Perspectives

by Owen Waters Under intuitive guidance, I have learned about a principle called the 2012 Gateway Trajectory. This states that the pattern of consciousness that you have on December 21, 2012, will influence your trajectory through experience for many thousands of years into the future.

The 2012 gateway is rather like a vortex. You enter it from one side, pass through the eye of the vortex where your pattern of consciousness is stamped or fixed within your aura, then you exit the vortex into a whole new set of multi-millennia cosmic cycles bearing that pattern.

Many times your challenges in life are not all that they seem. As a spiritual seeker, you are a lightworker and therefore a leading thinker in the advancement of consciousness. You may have adopted one or more challenges to work through in this life so that you could create a pattern in the mind belt to make it easier for others to follow and heal their own lives.

You’ve borne those challenges, not so much because you need the experience, but because other people need pioneers to resolve the issues that are important today. The more the pioneers succeed in resolving their issues, the easier it becomes for the rest to follow.

The point of knowing this is so that you may resolve whatever challenges still face you before December 21st, 2012. As you head towards the 2012 gateway, it’s time to take inventory and see where you stand on matters of unfinished business.

Whatever gives you discomfort—even so much as a nagging doubt that all is not right—now is the time to address those issues.

Anything that gives you a feeling of being out of harmonious alignment of mind, body, and soul should be addressed and resolved.

Remember, you’re not the challenge that you are facing. You adopted it as something to master in order to make the way easier for others to follow the pattern you set in the mind belt. The average lightworkers have already mastered those challenges in previous lives. They took the same challenges upon themselves in these critical days because they knew they could rise above and resolve those challenges in time to help set a pattern for others to follow and set themselves free.

If you are currently working through a major life challenge and feel as though you’re going round in circles and getting nowhere, stop and look for the gift in that challenge. The gift is that, by loving yourself and others more, you can rise above the challenge and become more of who you really are. Then, the experience changes from one of challenge to one of self-empowerment.

The solution to a challenge in the material world is typically not to be found in the material world at the level of the problem. The answer is found when you rise above that frequency and gain from the resources of the higher aspects of your mind. Fear-based challenges, for example, are always resolved by connecting with the strength and security of your inner being.

Real strength does not lie anywhere in the outside world. It lies within you. Once you find that inner power, you rise above any limitation and stand as a self-realized wayshower in a world desperate for spiritual freedom.

We can look forward to December 21, 2012, as the gateway that marks the close of many cosmic cycles and the end of the old way of doing things on Planet Earth.

The 2012 gateway is the beginning of a whole world full of opportunities. Positive action will come very easily when all the cycles begin anew and are running in their constructive, ascending mode. Most of all, decide before then to make Spiritual Growth your number one priority and you will harvest an ever-increasing joy in the years ahead.

Make the 2012 gateway everything you want it to be. Make it a beautiful event opening into a wonderful future filled with joy and enlightenment!

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Owen Waters is an international spiritual teacher who has helped hundreds of thousands of spiritual seekers to better understand the nature of their inner being and their infinite potential. For more than 40 years, his life has focused upon gaining spiritual insights through extensive research and the development of his inner vision. Owen writes a spiritual metaphysics newsletter at InfiniteBeing.com which empowers people to discover their own new vistas of inspiration, love, and creativity. His first book, The Shift: The Revolution in Human Consciousness was published in November 2005. Beginning in 2013, Owen will cease his book publishing operations and switch over to active tutoring through online courses. For more information on existing books visit http://www.infinitebeing.com/ebooks.

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Inspiration

Terez Hartmann is the President/CEO of ALLOWING Your Success & BEYOND!, LLC, author of the book ALLOWING Your Success!, a professional Keynote Speaker, Retreat and Workshop Facilitator, Coach, Recording Artist, Show Host and Singer-Songwriter. For more about Terez, access to FREE Allowing resources and “Words, Music, Adventures & BEYOND for LETTING Good Happen and ENJOYING the Journey!” visit www.AllowingYourSuccess.com To order her book, ALLOWING Your Success! visit www.Transformation-Publishing.com

•••••••••••••••••• The POWER of FAITH

FAITH brings thought to life.

EVERYTHING that exists was once but a thought.

Laptops, smart phones, flat-panel TVs, you name it, were once considered only science fiction or fantasy, and much of what was once thought of as “impossible” is indeed a reality today!

Just last week, I stumbled across a video featuring “The Human Spiderman,” a man who climbs mountain walls and skyscrapers using only his bare hands! Another gentleman set a new skydiving record by diving from space at 24.2 miles above ground and reaching speeds of 525 miles per hour! Morris Goodman, “The Miracle Man,” sustained such prolific injuries after a plane crash that he was told he would never be able to do more than blink his eyes. He now makes his living traveling the world (walking and talking) as a motivational speaker!

More and more stories like these are cropping up every day and with the (also once impossible dream) of the Internet, we now have access to volumes of stories of positive life transformations. The common denominator is this: Every invention, intention, life transformation, new record, great love story, miraculous healing experience, etc., was once only a thought that was simply nourished, nurtured, and brought to fruition by the awesome Power of FAITH.

FAITH is the water and sunlight that transforms the seeds of intention into realized form: FAITH brings thought to life!

FAITH and THE Ultimate Event Planner On my way home from the new Atman Center last week, I heard the song “Faith,” by George Michael. Granted, the context of the song differs from the big picture of FAITH, but when I listened closer, it dawned on me that this fun, bouncy tune actually contained a lot more wisdom than what I believed it to contain. Even though something may look inviting on the surface, it’s good to wait until it (or something else) feels right or is in alignment with what you TRULY want. George Michael,

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You GO Boy! Take a moment right now to recall an experience when the ideal thing came into your life at the ideal time.

When we remember just how well things can flow when we allow THE Ultimate Event Planner (AKA Source/God/The Universe) to handle the details, there’s just no reason to ever settle for anything less!

We’ve all had our moments when we think we need to micromanage our Source, but have you noticed that this is THE very thing that slows everything down and makes for anything BUT enjoying the journey? I can only speak for myself, but EVERY time I follow the call of joy and inspired action, rather than forcing things into place to fit my timeline, I’m amazed by the “fabulousity” that transpires! I think it’s fair to say that the energy and intelligence that created EVERYTHING that exists, along with an ever-expanding Universe, knows a thing or two about manifestation.

FAITH is a Habit OK, so all manifestations were first only thoughts, lots of people have allowed amazing things to happen in their lives, and THE Ultimate Event Planner is on the job. This is all well and good, but why does it seem like some people have an easier time working with this FAITH thing than others? Is it because they’re lucky or simply a “chosen one?” I once wondered this very thing myself, but later discovered that just like anything else, having and maintaining FAITH is nothing more than cultivating a habit of thought, and with a little practice, EVERY one of us can embody an attitude of FAITH if we choose to do so!

Here are some Allowing Power Tools™ you can use to activate the awesome Power of FAITH in your life: AFFIRM FAITH. Start with the big picture and remember YOUR part in it!

Start and end your day by affirming what you know in your heart. Read and let yourself “sit” with the feeling of these statements: We live in an ABUNDANT and INFINITELY CREATIVE Universe where ALL things are possible.

I am a part of this Universe, therefore I live in an ABUNDANT and INFINITELY CREATIVE Universe where ALL things are possible.

The more we focus on thoughts and ideas that empower us by remembering that there is a bigger picture of which WE are also a part, the more we open ourselves up to the infinite possibilities that surround us!

CULTIVATE FAITH: Replay the Trust Tapes.

Fan the fires of FAITH by revisiting your own evidence of success. On a daily basis, or as needed, revisit past experiences when you really wanted something and had no clue how it would all go down, but then it DID go down just right!

The more you remind yourself that things can and do work out, even when they once seemed insurmountable or impossible, the more you increase your belief in what is possible— with the added benefit of getting to feel good now!

Feeling good consistently AND believing that something can be true for you is THE magic formula for Allowing Your Success!

The Bottom Line on The Power of FAITH No matter where you may be in your journey of Allowing Success, the fact that you chose to physically pick up (or download) this magazine, flip through the pages. and dedicate the time to read this means that you have already set very powerful wheels in motion.

Love and guidance are all around you all the time. The Power of FAITH simply gives you the eyes to see, the ears to hear, and the heart to feel the love and joy that has always been

your birthright, for THIS is THE very stuff that all fabulous intentions and solutions are made of! Joy to the world, baby!

“Believe that there’s always love by your side and it will be with you all of the time!”— “Groovin’ on LIFE!” ©2010-12 TTRH Wishing you a magical holiday season and FAITH-filled Fiesta!

Tools & Tips sand and expecting the problem to go away, allowing others to control our life because we may not have the courage or confidence to control our own. And fear always leaves our life messy, miserable, and myopic (limited in scope).

We may not actually be aware of the grip fear has over us, and even if we are, we sometimes feel powerless to change because of past, tightly held beliefs.

But fear can be our ally. If we feel it, it is a siren call to change! When we bump up against fear, we know we are called to move forward, be bolder, take a wellcalculated risk, flow with the change imposed on us, make the course correction we’ve been resisting, cross the seemingly impenetrable barrier, strike out on our own, or act in our own self-interest.

By Howard Peiper As the New Year approaches, and the anticipation of keeping promises to make resolutions and changes comes to the forefront, fear often grows like an insidious virus that our minds and emotions create to stop us from moving forward.

Compounded with all the “2012 hype,” predictions, and end-of-time prophecies, this sickness can spread like wildfire, and we risk becoming paralyzed and forgetting that the energy of fear can be redirected into a catalyst for action.

Fear is the minds/ego’s way of saying, “I’m not going there! I like being right where I am. I’m familiar with my current state [comfort zone]. If I plunk myself right down here, nothing can hurt me because I already know this territory. I’m not worthy, and if I stretch myself I might get rejected.”

Fear means we are not willing to venture into the unknown, not willing to take risks, not willing to accept and adjust to change. Fear is about ignoring imperatives to change, putting our head in the

Moving Beyond Fear When fear is knocking at our door as we look to open it and walk through the threshold toward 2013, we can do the following to turn it into a positive force of change: • The flip side of fear is faith. If we are experiencing fear, then something is pressing us to change. Where does that urgency for change originate—in our heart, in our spirit? Let go and trust. Allow faith to spring forward and trust the process.

• Get clear. If part of our fear is confusion about what steps to take or where to head, spend time in silence asking questions. Reach out to someone else who can counsel us through the process of getting clear or put our options in writing.

• Bring it out into the light. The more we look at fear from an objective standpoint, as if we were not in our body—bring it out, hold it to the light, and examine why it’s making us crazy—the more power we have to eradicate the fear we are harboring.

• Recalibrate our limiting beliefs and go for expansion. Look at the beliefs that are causing us to hold onto our fear. What’s real, what’s not? Make a list of these limiting concepts. Then list the opposite possibility and unlimited belief that we could be holding.

• Talk it out. Find a positive, good-listener friend, someone who is used to stepping through fear, or perhaps a counselor or advisor. Talk about what we are feeling. Be open to feedback. Be inspired by other people’s courageous acts.

• Fear is just thoughts and emotions—those can be changed! Fear is just something we created in our mind. It is not real. It is simply a virtual prison that we can choose to make disappear by hitting the delete button!

• Stop clinging and start living—embrace the unknown! Life is an exciting eticket ride with everything we want if we will simply embrace the unknown. But if we persist on clinging to the known, we will never experience it. Greet the unknown future with a warm welcome and magical things start to happen.

• Remember who we are. We are an unlimited being with a mandate to live in joy. Fear has no place in our abundant, richly rewarded life.

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Dr. Howard Peiper, N.D., nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, has written several bestselling books on nutrition and natural health. His website is: www.walkthetalkproductions.com.

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Inspiration

By Alan Cohen While watching the documentary film Stephen Jobs, Hippy Billionaire, I was tickled to learn that as a young adult Jobs was significantly influenced by Baba Ram Dass and his book Be Here Now. I also credit Ram Dass as one of the most valued mentors in my life. He led millions of spiritual seekers to higher awareness and is considered by many to be the “Father of the New Age.” As destiny would have it, eight years ago Ram Dass moved to Maui, where he now lives a few miles from my home. I see Ram Dass often at local social and spiritual gatherings. A few nights ago I told him about his inspirational influence on Steve Jobs. He smiled.

I told him, “Just think—there’s a little bit of Ram Dass in every iPod.” While spiritual guides and teachings are not always known or acknowledged by the masses, higher-dimensional influences shape our world more than most people realize. When Steve Jobs showed up in the computer industry, it was terribly dry and left-brain heavy. He changed that by adding flair, art, beauty, and user friendliness. If not for him, we might all still be pecking at keys working DOS on mouseless devices beneath green-on-black monitors. Jobs’ foray into eastern spirituality expanded his mind and lifted him into multi-dimensional vision, which he passed along to billions of people through his inventions that are as tasteful as they are useful.

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Abraham Lincoln, considered by many to be our nation’s greatest president, was a deeply spiritual man. He held séances in the White House, overseen

by D.C. psychic Nettie Meinhard, and he had a psychic premonition of his death.

Nikola Tesla, the genius who gave the world alternating current electricity, wireless technology, x-rays, and neon lighting, received ideas and inspiration for his inventions in clairvoyant flashes. Albert Einstein declared, “Imagination is more important than knowledge,” and “I have not arrived at my understanding of the universe by means of the rational mind.”

I met Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, the courageous neuroanatomist who completely overcame a stroke and went on to author the bestselling book, My Stroke of Insight. An expert on brain function, Dr. Taylor often speaks to audiences of contrasting proclivity, such as left-brain scientists and right-brain new agers. “The left-brainers want what the right-brainers have,” she told me. “They know there is magic and wisdom in the intuitive self, but many of them don’t quite know how to access it.” For that reason, Jill is a great bridge builder.

That bridge is available to all of us if we are willing to cross it. The movie Regarding Henry depicts a hardball lawyer who is transformed after a head injury. (“Lest ye become as a little child, ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.”) You don’t have to have a head injury to be transformed. You just have to bring your intellect into harmony with your spirit, and let the mind serve Higher Power.

If you read between the lines of some of the most popular business books of our time, you will recognize a strong spiritual influence. Stephen Covey has translated lofty concepts into practical application, as has Ken Blanchard.

Blanchard is upfront about his spiritual beliefs. He has dubbed himself “CSO” of his company: Chief Spiritual Officer.

I was invited to speak at a spiritual conference sponsored by the Sufi Order, a mystical branch of Islam. On my way from the airport to the conference I found myself in a limo with another speaker. “How did you get to be invited to speak here?” he asked me. I told him (somewhat proudly) about some of the books I had written. “What do you do?” I asked him. “I’m a brain surgeon,” he answered. Oh. “What moved you to go into that profession?”

“In Sufism, everyone is required to have a skill or profession in which you work with your hands,” he answered.

I guess brain surgery would qualify. Behind this doctor’s sophisticated surgery was a spiritual influence, as there is behind many people who excel in medicine. Dr. Larry Dossey has done a great deal of research on the power of prayer. He recounts that in a survey in which 1,000 doctors participated anonymously, 59 percent reported that they pray for their patients, and 55 percent said they had seen miraculous results of prayer. “The key to this survey is that it was anonymous,” Dr. Dossey concludes. “The doctors would have been less honest if they had to identify themselves in a profession that does not generally recognize the power of prayer.” So spirit is behind a significant portion of medical success.

You do not need to be a guru, healer, or brain surgeon to allow higher power to influence your work. You just have to be willing. The next time you listen to your iPod, surf on your iPad, or talk on your iPhone, remember that the man behind those adventures had one foot in spiritual reality, and another in uplifting the world. And so do you.

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Alan Cohen is the author of many popular inspirational books, including the newlyreleased Enough Already: The Power of Radical Contentment. Join Alan this February 10-15 in Hawaii for the extraordinary program Miracles, Metaphysics, and Maui. For more information about this program, Alan’s other books, and free daily inspirational quotes via email, visit www.alancohen.com, email info@alancohen.com, or phone 800-568-3079 or 808-572-0001.

Spirituality To figure YOUR personal year for 2013:

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. Email marlou2000@aol.com

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Personal Numerology for 2013 I am going to use Numerology to show you how to look at the Personal Year vibrations for yourself and loved ones for the coming New Year. Numerology is a combination of the Sciences of Astrology and the ancient science of Acrophonology.

The latter began as a study of the letters found in the Kabbalah, a record of the teachings of the ancient Hebrew mystics. Even in this new millennium, Acrophonology is a lost art and there are very few Acrophonologists.

Astrology is a science based on the date, time, and place of one’s birth. This knowledge is also found in Kabbalah, in the Book of Numbers in the Old Testament of the Bible. Numerology shows that we, as humans, go through many nine-year cycles in a lifetime, and each year within the nine-year cycle (one of which is YOUR personal year) has its own special needs and gives advice to be listened to as the year progresses.

1) Take the single digit for your month of birth (Jan.=1, Feb.=2, Mar.=3. Apr.=4, May=5, Jun.=6, Jul.=7, Aug.=8, Sep.=9. Oct.=l, Nov.=2, Dec.=3) 2) Take the single digit of your day of birth (for birthdays from the 1st through the 9th), or derive a single digit by “reducing” a double-digit birthday to a single digit. For example, both the 16th and the 25th reduce to a 7, since 1+6=7, and 2+5=7. Thus, the 10th reduces to a 1, and the 29th to a 2 (2+9= 11, and 1 + 1 =2).

3) Add the two single digits for your month and day of birth to the single digit for 2013, which is 6 (2+0+1+3 =6). The digit for the year 2013 is the same for everyone, a 6.

4) If necessary, reduce the sum of these three single digits in the manner described above to obtain a final single digit.

As an example, I was born on June 27th. June is 6, 27=2+7=9, and 2013 = 2+0+ 1+3=6. So 6+9+6=21, 2+1=3. I am in a number 3 Personal Year in 2013.

Remember, in Numerology there are only nine numbers and a zero, so all must be reduced to a single digit. The rest of the column will be devoted to a brief description of what each personal year means. I have also added the Major Arcana Tarot Cards, for you Tarot Readers, that I believe belong to each of the nine personal year vibrations, and some “key words.” Figure carefully and slowly and ENJOY!

FIND YOUR NUMBER BELOW:

I always tell my clients and students. forearmed is forewarned.

#1 Personal Year Major Arcana Tarot Card: The Fool Key Words: Major change and new beginnings.

This is the beginning of a new nine year cycle of life.

A time to let go of things pertaining to the past (Actually, you should have done that last year, during your 9 personal year.) in order to take advantage of new opportunities in all areas of your life. This is a “seize the day” year. A time of beginnings and decisions for a new life cycle. Not an easy year, but a rewarding one. Avoid being impulsive and headstrong. The next 8 years of your life depend a lot on how you handle this one. The Fall of the year is especially important and can open the way to new opportunities.

The personal year shows you how to avoid trouble, how to direct your personal affairs, and how to get the best from the experiences scheduled to be lived through during the 12 months of the year. It is possible to know in advance what to expect, what is likely to occur, and especially how to prepare for the experiences and obligations to come. We share the personal year vibration with others who are going through that same personal year, and thus we have compatibilities with all others who are in the same personal year as ourselves. What I am going to share with you is a “capsule summary” of each of the nine personal years. Much depth and detail is lost when we look at a paragraph for a period of time that can cover 30 to 35 pages of information.

#2 Personal Year Major Arcana Tarot Card: Temperance Key words: Cooperation, diplomacy, harmony, relationships.

The happiness and success of this year depends on how well you deal with others. Grow quietly this year and meet delays patiently. This is not a year to force issues! It is a time to cooperate with circumstances, even if you do not feel that things are moving as quickly as you would like them to. A year of new friends, new partnerships, new study, new spirituality. A need for compassion, tolerance, and understanding. A slower pace than the last two years and an opportunity to rest more and renew energies. Around August look for new arrangements, new living conditions, new agreements.

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#3 Personal Year Major Arcana Tarot Card: The Empress Key Words: Creativity, inspiration, imagination.

This could be one of the happiest years of this 9-year cycle. Your charm is at its peak and you can develop your dreams. This can be a very emotional time where relationships are concerned and you must try to not be overly emotional. This is a year for self expression and an active social life. Be optimistic and cheerful in this year of opportunity and pleasure. Summer and Fall bring quick opportunity and helpful friends. #4 Personal Year Major Arcana Tarot Card: The Emperor and Strength Key Words: Order, system, organization, management, application, work.

This is a practical year. A year of evaluating material things. A time to manage well. Stick to things and accomplish goals. A time to put ideas into concrete form. This is a year for building resources for future security. There will be more work than play this year. Avoid carelessness and accept responsibility.

Not a time to trust to luck. #5 Personal Year Major Arcana Tarot Card: The Chariot Key Words: Forward movement, progress, change, versatility.

There will be more freedom in your life this year, but also an inner restlessness and something pushing from within to make life changes. A good year for travel for both business and personal reasons. You must be prepared for the unexpected and unusual. Be progressive, but beware of burning bridges behind you that should be left to cross back over at some future time. Do not act in haste! This is a time for new study, new friends, and the old and outworn being replaced by the new. Late summer brings opportunity for thrilling change and new freedom. #6 Personal Year Major Arcana Tarot Card: The Lovers Key words: Love, bonding, responsibilities, relationships.

A year of the “warm fuzzies.” This is the best personal year vibration for marriage, love, relationships, and service to others. Harmony is important this year, and more is gained by being loving, sympathetic, and generous, than by being selfish and self-centered. Give more generously than you receive. Keep ideals high and accept responsibility to loved ones and friends.

The action of this year is slower than last, but it is only in this way that the ultimate good can be attained. Renew energies this year, as well as relationships.

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#7 Personal Year Major Arcana Tarot Cards: The Hermit and The Hanged Man Key Words: Psychic and spiritual growth and development, reevaluation, mental house cleaning, self-reflection.

This is a sabbatical year and it is very important the “right state of mind” is pursued. Spend more time in quiet pursuits, be introspective and connect with your personal thoughts and intuitions. There will be many interesting and unusual experiences this year, most of which you will have no control over.

Your “Guides” are really trying to connect in this year of psychic growth and development. You are truly in the “school of life” and it is a waiting year, but if you are on a high spiritual path, it can be one of the most wonderful and rewarding years of your life. #8 Personal Year Major Arcana Tarot Card: The Wheel of Fortune Key Words: Ambition, opportunity, organization, advancement.

A year of physical/material realities. A time to better financial conditions. Be businesslike, efficient, and practical in all dealings. Take care to direct your energies properly. A time to organize and reorganize. This is a business year, and there is mental strain involved, but if properly directed, it should be a year of improved finances. Use good judgment, avoid emotion, make wise decisions, and let Fate and Higher Forces guide you.

It is important to try to find time to rest during this period, as the pace of this year is fast and sometimes there do not seem to be enough hours in the day to complete the necessary tasks. #9 Personal Year Major Arcana Tarot Card: Death (a card of changes and transformation) Key Words: Change, endings, renewal, rebirth.

This is a completion of a 9-year cycle of your life. If something goes out of your life, let it go, for it is clearing the way for future opportunities. Not an easy year, and not a time to start new things. Tread water and wait for the #1 Personal Year (next year), or at least the Fall of this year, to make major changes.

However, change comes suddenly this year and often it is not in your control. Try not to be overly emotional at this time. Keep busy and be generous in your thoughts and feelings. This is such an intense vibration that the “right state of mind” really will help you to make it through the changes that are necessary in order to progress to the next 9 year cycle of life. “Let go and let God.”

Inspiration then but rather restarted your future/past thinking again. During that brief silence, while you were pondering my question, you had no problems.”

We all have circumstances that challenge us. Not having a home or job are circumstances. Circumstances are not problems. They do not become problems until our mind attaches useless and damaging emotion to them. It is the mind that has created our pain. How much is being jobless helped by worry? How much is being homeless helped by lamenting the home we used to have? Circumstances are real. Problems are made in the mind.

“Let me ask you again, Thomas, where are your problems right now? What circumstance is so overwhelming that you cannot enjoy this moment with me?”

By Frank Kinslow

“Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?”

Matthew 6:25, 27 Not long ago I was approached by a homeless man.

Some time earlier I would have turned away, or handed over just enough money to make me feel better. But this time was different. I stopped to chat with him as if with a friend. He asked me for money to buy a hotdog at the 7-Eleven. I asked his name. Slight surprise registered on his face, and he told me his name was Thomas.

I asked Thomas some questions to learn about him, and he was eager for the conversation. He told me how he had lost his home and about his fears for the future. He said his life was full of anxiety, guilt, and mistrust. I told him that I have friends who are millionaires who have the same fears.

As he told me more about his life I listened intently. He talked about his past, then his future and then more about his past.

From his past he dredged up guilt, remorse, sadness, and grief. His future vision reflected anxiety, tension, and dread. These feelings from his past and future were alive in him as we spoke. His eyes focused past me as his mind played the movie that was his life.

After some time, he stopped and looked at me for words of consolation. I smiled and asked him, “Where are your problems right now?” He stood a moment in silence. Then he replied, “I lost my home and I have no job, and I….”

“Right now!” I said. “What problem is causing you to suffer this very moment? When you stop thinking about your past and future you are left with just this moment. How do you feel right now?”

“Okay, I guess.” He mumbled.

“When I asked you, ‘Where are your problems right now?’ you paused for a second and then started playing your ‘problem’ tape again. You didn’t pay attention to what was happening just

He paused longer this time as his vision turned inward. Soon his face relaxed, a reflection of the shift in his thinking. Then, tears began to well up and he said, “I feel good right now. I know I still have problems, I mean circumstances, but right now I feel lighter and peaceful.”

“Right now, we are sharing what it means to be human,” I told him. “We are right here with each other, free for this very moment. By paying attention to what is happening now, our minds come to rest on this moment. And this moment is always more peaceful and productive than the fear-driven fabrications that our mind dreams up. The night sky is clear, the breeze is soft, and the sounds of the city are soothing.

“What is the use of worry? To stop it, you only need to embrace this moment.

When your mind runs from the past and races to the future it forgets the present. And, the present is the balm that heals the mind of problems.”

We spoke a little longer and then Thomas gave me a big hug, turned on his heels and disappeared into the night, completely forgetting about the hotdog.

Several evenings later our paths crossed again. We began to speak as old friends. He told me that he had secured two part-time jobs and started going to church again. I told him that he had changed my life as well.

“It feels good,” I told Thomas, “to rediscover my Self in your eyes.”

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Dr. Frank J. Kinslow has been researching and teaching healing techniques for more than 35 years. He draws from his clinical experience as a chiropractic physician, in-depth studies into Eastern esoteric philosophies and practices, and an ardent love of relativity and quantum physics. In 2007, he created the Quantum Entrainment process of instant healing. Since that time, his books and teachings have helped tens of thousands of people around the world. Based in Sarasota, FL, Frank continues to write and teach extensively. For more information visit www.kinslowsystem.com.

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2012: Perspectives “To understand 2012 you really have to have a grasp of Mayan astronomy, mythology, symbolism, prophecy, and spirituality. They all go together. If you can embrace all of those things then you are going to have a better understanding of how the Maya world view works. They saw that everything is interwoven and interdependent.”

By Lisa Clift The mystery about the most fascinating date in modern history—December 21, 2012—is about to unfold. Will it be the end of the world, just another winter solstice, or a milestone in consciousness that signifies the end of a great cycle in time and the beginning of a new era filled with opportunity?

The answer to this question depends upon whom you ask. Many self-pronounced prophets, Hollywood producers, and doomsday advocates have been promoting the end of the Mayan Long Count Calendar as an impending end-of-days apocalypse for years.

However, the true historical Greek meaning of the word apocalypse is to “uncover what is hidden,” a process that includes revelation, judgment, destruction, and rebirth.

Mayan calendar expert and Mesoamerican researcher John Major Jenkins has been supporting this less-sensational perspective over the past 25 years, and through his in-depth studies of Mayan cosmology and culture he has set forth 2012 theories including the ancient Maya’s understanding of a rare galactic alignment that occurs at the end of the Long Count Calendar cycle. He emphasizes that this alignment takes place during a window of time that provides an opportunity for renewal and transformation; it does not mark a target date for the destruction of the earth and its inhabitants.

“Being the guy who says the Maya did not predict the end of the world in 2012 does not make you very popular,” Jenkins says.

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Keeping Track of Time One of three main components in the ancient Mayan culture’s calendar system (along with the 260-day tzolkin and the 365-day haab), the Long Count Calendar and its 13-Baktun cycle is based on the cycle of time known as the procession of the equinoxes, which is caused by the earth wobbling slowly on its axis. As a result of this movement, the celestial position of the sun on the equinoxes and solstices changes as viewed from earth. The motion is about 50.3 seconds of arc per year or 1 degree every 71.6 years. A complete procession cycle covers a period of approximately 26,000 years. During this timeframe, the equinox regresses 360 degrees through the 12 constellations of the zodiac, which determines the length of an astrological age.

Through his research, Jenkins believes the birthplace of the Mayan Long Count Calendar is in the pre-Mayan city of Izapa, which is located in Southwest Mexico close to the Pacific Ocean and the border of Guatemala. “The earliest Long Count dates were recorded in the first century BC around Izapa, and astronomy is in the iconography,” explains Jenkins. The calendar signifies a “World Age.” This almost 26,000-year cycle has a beginning, a middle, and an end. However, according to teachings that have remained intact to this day through the modern Quiché Maya, “Time as a total construct doesn’t have an end, but it does have a middle, and that middle is always located right dead center in the now,” explains Jenkins. We need to understand that the Long Count Calendar cycles are continuous, not finite.

The Maya also knew that at the end of the Long Count Calendar’s “Great Year” the earth will come into an alignment with the dark rift in the center of the Milky Way galaxy, a feature that is caused by interstellar dust that runs along the Milky Way from the Galactic Center northward past the constellation of Aquila. This event takes place over a 36-year time period, from 1980 to 2016, and it marks the time when the December solstice sun is in alignment with the galactic equator.

“What people need to understand is that the galactic alignment is real astronomy. The galactic center is a nuclear bulge in the Milky Way that is noticeable to the naked eye,” says Jenkins.

“The Maya were excellent astronomers. What I add through my research is an interpretation of what the Maya thought and understood about the alignment’s significance.”

In Mayan mythology, the dark rift is the birthplace of the great mother, and when the sun lines up with this birthplace on the solstice, it is the joining of “mother” galaxy with “father” sun, explains Jenkins. “It’s a way of explaining the union of creation forces,” the masculine and the feminine energies that represent the ultimate duality and creative intelligence in our universe. When this happens, a period of rebalancing occurs in the world and renewal can take place if people embrace these energies.

Lost in Western Thought Unfortunately, it’s difficult to displace the tendency of Western

culture—especially in the United States—to focus on finite points in time that loom on the horizon as “doomsday.” Jenkins did his best to get the message across at the red carpet preview of the movie 2012 Doomsday by wearing a big button printed with the words “The End is Always Near.” It was a pithy statement that hinted at the underlying problem the Western world has in delineating between a self-centered, ego-based existence and a world view that is perennial in nature. “Western civilization really is the only cultural tradition that doesn’t see the holistic situation associated with cycles of time. The movement of the universe is cyclical and spirals. It is not linear.”

One can look to concepts such as Carl Jung’s archetype of the Apocalypse to understand this phenomenon better.

In simple terms, an archetype is a primordial energetic pattern of behavior that is universally understood through symbology and typically experienced through instinctual behavior patterns.

The archetype of the Apocalypse is the activation of the Self (higher self, or the collective unconscious) that is bringing with it some new worldview, a new God-image, a new relationship to the Divine, and/or a new stage of psychological maturation for the whole earth. Because our culture is very much driven by the small self, or the ego, we have become myopic in our vision of existence and see the world as finite and self centered upon the time of our own physical life. The ego doesn’t want to change or let go, so its fear drives the feeling of impending doom.

In contrast, the Mayan philosophy is on par with all of the great spiritual traditions of the world that recognize a higher, unified intelligence or unity consciousness that oversees the great cycles of life. “The Maya people did not have a problem with the ego orbiting around and being in service to the Self,” says Jenkins, “while most of our Western society is based on dualistic beliefs that are unhealthy and unsustainable. Apocalypse, properly understood, is a good and necessary process, and our Western ego framework can learn a lot from the teachings of the Maya long after the event horizon of December 21, 2012 has passed. We can consciously surrender or sacrifice the illusion our egos have created.”

For those ready to take this step, it’s important to understand that Mayan culture uses mythology to convey significant astrological and spiritual concepts through sacred vehicles such as the Popol Vuh. This document was recorded by the Mayan elders in the 1550s, and it recounts the Maya’s World Age doctrine or creation myth, which is the story of the “Hero Twins.” Similar to other great epics such as India’s Mahabharata, it represents Gnostic (esoteric or intuitive knowledge) teachings of an allegorical nature that integrate all aspects of existence, values, and belief structures about the cosmos and our place in it.

“The Mayans were shamans and they understood that the microcosm reflects the macrocosm,” notes Jenkins.

“They implicitly understood that this connection goes on through the heart and soul of all humanity.”

As 2012 comes to an auspicious end this month, it’s not time to close the book on the Mayan calendar and its teachings.

“I have been working with the Maya Conservancy (mayaconservancy.org), and the message from the modern-day Maya leaders is that we need to work together now to plant the seeds of peace,” says Jenkins. “The world is in a crisis and we are all interdependent. We need to incorporate all good teachings from the past and utilize them in the present to create a positive outcome for the future.”

Editor’s note: John Major Jenkins has been studying Maya culture and writing about 2012 since the mid-1980s. As an independent scholar, he is the author of over a dozen books on Maya cosmology and calendrics, including The 2012 Story. He is an advisory board member of the Maya Conservancy and Director of The Center for 2012 Studies. He is the originator of the “2012 alignment theory” and has taught at the Institute of Maya Studies, Naropa University, Esalen Institute, the Universidad Francisco Marroquin, and many venues internationally. His latest book is Time Conscious Kingdoms: How Maya Rulers Used 2012 in their Rhetoric of Power.

John’ latest film project “2012: The Beginning” was the most-watched documentary at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.

For more information or to purchase a copy, visit www.suncoasttransformation.com.

To learn firsthand about the Mayan culture and its teachings, join John for the “Great Return” tour, which will take place at the Copan archeological site in Honduras from December 16-22, 2012 (http://www.jbjourneys.com/content/Maya_2012_Tour_Copan_Honduras).

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Lisa Clift is the editor for Transformation. Contact her at lisa@suncoasttransformation.com.

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Healthy Living

By Rena Greenberg With the holidays approaching, you may be anticipating, with a bit of trepidation, all the food temptation that you are likely to experience. It’s no doubt the time of year when boxes of chocolate and cookies inevitably appear on your doorstep or in the office, and you find yourself at parties where endless spreads of sweets and high-calorie dishes abound. Cheery faces thrust rich food and drinks into your hands—and it may feel like you are clinging to every ounce of willpower you have, but only by a thread.

Relax, and cast your worries aside. With the following 10 tips, you’ll be able to survive the holiday onslaught with a smile, while still fitting into your clothes easily.

Tip #1: Avoid excess hunger. Do not let yourself become ravenously hungry. Make sure that you plan regular, healthy meals for yourself so that your stomach is comfortably full. You’ll be less tempted to binge if your blood sugar isn’t plummeting, so also make sure to include enough protein in your diet.

Tip #2: Take time for physical exercise. Exercise will keep your blood sugar stable, reduce stress, increase your metabolism, and improve your overall sense of well-being. Find an activity that’s fun for you that you can really enjoy and look forward to doing—perhaps a long walk while pumping to the beat of your favorite music, racquetball, or in-line skating.

Tip #3: Have foresight. Plan a strategy for those situations where you know your willpower will be tested. If you know that you will be at a party where sinful treats are likely to be plentiful, plan your course of action in advance. Keep in mind that if you totally deprive yourself, you’re very likely to binge later. Make your strategy one that you are happy with and can accept. Perhaps you’ll al-

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low yourself to indulge in a certain number of hors d’oeuvres, but steer clear of the dessert table.

Tip #4: Be assertive: Mentally rehearse challenging situations that are likely to occur before they happen. Create mental movies where you are the heroine or hero—overcoming any temptation to sabotage yourself by overeating in social situations or giving in to outside pressure to eat foods that you know are harmful to your goals and your health. Practice using phrases of assertiveness such as “No thanks, I’m not hungry,” or “Everything was delicious, but I’ve had enough.”

Tip #5: Be prepared: Carry around healthy snacks such as celery, cucumber, or carrot sticks to munch on during the day. The fiber in the vegetables will help you to have a full feeling in your belly, and make it easier to walk away from the junk.

Tip #6: Keep your eye on the goal. Even the most difficult situation is transitory so keep your focus on your ultimate desire for yourself to get you through any challenges. Don’t forget your goal! Maybe it’s achieving and maintaining your ideal weight, fitting into your clothes comfortably, or feeling happy and confident in your relationship with food. Frequently visualize yourself at your ideal weight, wearing your favorite outfit, and engaging in an activity that you really enjoy.

Tip #7: Reward your successes. You got through the entire evening by focusing on and enjoying the people you were with, drinking bubbling water with lemon or lime, and only nibbling on some cheese, crackers and veggies, followed by a healthful dinner. Congratulate yourself! Treat yourself to a full body massage and revel in how good it feels to truly honor and care for yourself.

Tip #8: Be gentle with yourself. So you couldn’t resist, and before you even realized what you were doing you gobbled down three homemade cookies.

Now the old self-talk starts creeping in, encouraging you to just throw in the towel and eat more (since you already blew your “diet”). Resist the temptation to agree with that negative voice, give yourself a moment to recover, and make a new choice. Remind yourself that if you were carrying two plates and one fell you wouldn’t just drop the other one, too. Walk away from those cookies…take a deep breath, and find a more healthful activity.

Tip #9: Stress busters are essential. The holidays can be a time of added frenzy. Prepare for that by engaging in stress-busting behaviors. Take some time everyday to center yourself with self-hypnosis or meditation. Become aware of your breathing throughout the day, and make sure that you are taking full, deep, life-affirming breaths. Drink lots of water and make sure to stretch throughout the day to help release some of the tension that’s accumulated in your muscles.

Tip #10: Use positive self-talk. When you become aware of inner voices that sabotage you, choose to not listen to them. Practice giving yourself positive suggestions instead. Speak to yourself the way you would imagine that the most loving, caring friend would talk to you. Praise the progress you’ve already made such as avoiding hanging around by the food table at parties, and give yourself gentle encouragement to help yourself avoid any pitfalls you may encounter.

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Rena Greenberg is the author of The Right Weigh: Six Steps to Permanent Weight Loss, which is used by over 100,000 People (Hay House Publishing) and The Craving Cure: Break the Hold Carbs and Sweets Have on Your Life (McGraw-Hill).

She conducts weight loss seminars using hypnosis at hospitals throughout the country and has a private hypnosis practice specializing in gastric bypass hypnosis. She can be reached online at www.EasyWillpower.com or at 800-848-2822.

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.

••••••••••••••••••

We all need faith, don’t we?

Faith is one of those super buzzwords that can push buttons for many of us.

For this column, I asked 10 people to tell me the first thing they thought about when I said the word “faith.” Without any other context, every person said religious faith and the skewed way that some fundamentalists use it politically. What about faith in the context of belief and understanding that all is well and it will all work out? In general, my respondents said, “Yeah, ok I have faith in that.” On the whole, it wasn’t a very convincing response.

When it comes to an optimistic worldview about how events will unfold in our lives, what kind of faith are we talking about? In whom or what do we have faith? What does it mean to keep the faith? George Michael had a pretty cool song about it….so did Billy Joel. In George’s case, he was having faith about ending a relationship to wait for something new and

better. In Billy’s case he was being nostalgic about his youth and in remembering those times he was “keeping the faith.”

We all need faith, don’t we? Faith that the switch will turn on the light, faith that there will be the right doctor for the problem we have, faith that our kids will grow to be people who make a difference and contribute in the healing of our world, and even faith that the country will be in good hands regardless of which candidate we supported in last month’s election.

My dog Max is one example of how faith shows itself in my life. I know he will always be happy when I get home, ready to play or just to be with me. He has faith that I will come home, let him out and, of course, feed him. Since he is a dog he does not have the burden of “what ifs.” Instead, he holds fast to what he knows to be true, and that knowing keeps him in love with his life and with me.

My personal experience of faith has been one of trials, tests, and tribulations, and throughout my life I believe my faith has helped me to survive. I have faith in myself as a deliberate creator of my reality, and that faith helps me know that all and everything in my experience is of my creation. That’s also a bummer, right? How could I create the car accident, failed relationships, and other not-so-great contrasts? Sometimes there is a descent into the mindset, “Maybe all that I have faith in is wrong.”

“Maybe I should be someone other than who I am.” “Maybe it doesn’t matter anyway since we are all living to die.” “Maybe….”

And then I stop and reset my thinking: “Oh yeah, for a moment I forgot who I am. I forgot that I can do anything. I forgot that I make a difference everyday and I feel awesome about that.

I forgot that I am a deliberate creator, and I create my reality. It comes from me and not outside of me. I forgot that I am love, and that it flows through me when I allow it. I forgot, simply that I do have FAITH.” So, dear reader, find your faith and then live deliberately, without fear, out loud, BIG and in the moment. Ignore the mental chatter of what ifs and register for that next class or half marathon, apply for that job you want, make a move with that special someone. Just do it and keep the faith.

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Tools & Tips more you put the tools into practice, the more natural they will seem, and the more smoothly they will function.

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. Joeel is now taking a select number of Life, Relationship, and Entrepreneurship Coaching clients. Contact Joeel at joeel@transformationservices.org

•••••••••••••••••• The Faith to Change

We were not born knowing how to walk, tie our shoes, use words to communicate with others, or ride a bike, yet we probably are good at doing these things today. As a child, we had to learn and change in order to acquire these skills, yet somehow as adults we tend to resist learning new things or changing. So what is the difference between embracing those major changes in our early lives and opening to change today? The distinction is that as children we continued to work on mastering new skills whether we believed we would accomplish them or not, while as adults we fear and doubt the process, even though we have all of the evidence of our past successes.

The way the mind learns and deals with change: How often do you have to think about how to tie your shoes when you lace them up? Most likely you put no thought into it, and your hands and mind do the work. It just happens.

When the mind learns and practices something enough times, it automatically does it when required. In psychology this phenomenon is called implicit memory. We won’t get into the technical side of it, but I’ll give you another example: Have you ever driven home or to work and spaced out? When you finally got to your destination you realized that you did not remember how you got from point A to point B. This happens because your unconscious mind knows the way, so there is no need for your conscious mind to pay attention. In other words, you are on autopilot. These experiences happen in all types of scenarios, from having a job that is repetitive in which you perform tasks without thinking to waking up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom without opening your eyes.

The benefits and importance of implicit memory are natural and effortless achievement of a task after prolonged practice. That said, the hardest part of the change process may be the period of time when we are learning and consciously implementing the skills to get us where we want to go. So whether you are developing the tools to be a successful entrepreneur or working to improve a relationship, you must have faith that the

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What is Faith?

When most people think about faith they tend to associate it with religious beliefs. However, we neglect to think about faith as a belief in ourselves that is crucial for us to achieve goals. There are several definitions of faith that can be found online and in dictionaries, and we can refer to some of them to better understand how important faith is in creating the change we want to see in our life.

Faith is the confident belief, loyalty, and trust in the truth or trustworthiness of a person, concept or thing with strong conviction.

Just as we did in childhood, we develop faith, or confidence in ourselves, through the small steps we accomplish, and proving to ourselves that we are capable. When setting goals, break them down to smaller steps and celebrate every time you achieve those milestones. You will not only feel good about your accomplishments, you will develop true faith and trust in yourself and your journey.

Faith is firm belief in something for which there is no proof.

Even though it’s easy to see some of our greatest accomplishments, often we remain discouraged, fearful, and without faith because of past instances in which we believe we failed. If you have doubts and use failure in your past as a reference point to predict your future, you may have a hard time achieving your goals. However, your past does not define your future. Instead, you need to summon faith from deeper within. When you remember how much you have accomplished and how powerful you are, you will have faith in yourself because you know at your core that failure, for this particular area of your life, is NOT an option.

For example, in my first year of college I failed and dropped out. After my brother’s death the following year, I decided to go back to school. I had unconditional faith that this time I would succeed because I had a purpose to help people, and therefore, my faith in myself and my capabilities was unbreakable.

We may lack proof at times, but we can always make up for it if we have a vision that does not waver. Many people who have gone from rags to riches will tell you that they had no idea how they would reach their ultimate success, but they knew that if they just kept working toward their goal every day the right doors would open up.

We don’t need to see the other end of the tunnel, we just need to have faith that the light will guide us to the end.

Good will prevail: We can have faith in ourselves when we focus on our past success, and we can have faith out of sheer determination, but we can also find faith in our ability to change our life by remembering that good always finds a way to prevail in the end.

The change guarantee: From this situation, something good will come if I believe it will happen.

Rest assured that no matter what transpires you will be okay. Everything in your life has always worked out, fallen into place, healed, or resulted in something better. Even when a bad event has occurred, you have survived it (you are here now, are you not?) and it has most likely resulted in something good or helped you to grow into the person you are today.

The parachute always opens: We need to take this opportunity to remind ourselves of the times the parachute has opened and prove to ourselves that we have no reason to believe that it will not continue to do so!

• List any situations in your life when you could not see the solution to the problem but it somehow worked itself out.

• List any time in your life in which a change “happened” to

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you, you didn’t see how it was going to end well, but the parachute opened just in time.

Take a sheet of paper and divide it into two columns, labeled “Bad” and “Good”. Make a list of any “bad” changes that have happened in your life. To the right, list any good (a better circumstance, a miracle, your own growth, etc.) that resulted from the bad change.

Now, after seeing how life has always taken care of you, is there really anything to fear? Plus, this time YOU are the one choosing to make this change, so there is even more motivation to have faith that things will turn out the way you hope.

Have faith; life is good!

With New Year and the holidays coming up, I want to wish you a year of transformation. Take the time to write down your intentions for 2013 and place the list somewhere visible.

Have faith in yourself and in life knowing that all will unfold if you remain faithfully focused on your vision.

Gifts for Mind, Body and Spirit!

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www.transformationmarket.com 21

he is interested in me? I’ve been hesitant to think that he may be. Also, would it be appropriate to ask him over for dinner?

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 with shaman elder Jack Alexander (“Golden Feather”), who offers land blessings, shamanic training, Life Purpose readings, and all-faith spiritual guidance. This forum proposes potential solutions on health, emotional, and personal matters.

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Question: Last week, I read my teenage daughter’s diary. Now I know all kinds of stuff I wish I didn’t, mostly about her sex life.

She didn’t write about anything dangerous or off the wall, but I am shocked at how mature she is. I still think of her as a child and can’t imagine her carrying on this way with boys her own age. If I tell her I read her diary, she’ll be furious and she probably won’t listen to anything I say. But if I don’t tell her, I have no grounds to confront her and voice my concerns. Please help. I am beside myself and have no idea how to handle a situation like this so that it doesn’t get out of hand.

Dr. ZZ: Young people today are more mature and a lot less naïve than kids were in previous generations. Many teens are having sex without being prepared for the potential physical and emotional consequences. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t advise telling your daughter that you read her diary. The breech of confidence is apt to demolish her trust in you and alienate her to the point of shutting you out of her life even more than she already has. Confrontation is not the solution. The goal of parenting is to be so close to and supportive of your children that they feel comfortable telling you the very same things your daughter is writing in her diary. My advice is that you stay out of her room and, unless she asks for your counsel, don’t give it. You may want to make some literature on teen sex available throughout the house and approach your daughter from the viewpoint of what you’ve read in magazines. Unless she decides to fill you in on the details of her sex life herself, it’s none of your business. Strive to be a buddy, not a bodyguard.

Question: After 10 years of marriage, I am now divorced and living in Florida. In the rush and uncertainty of all the changes that have taken place, I also think that I may be falling in love with my next-door neighbor. He is a wonderful man, also divorced, who’s been very supportive of me as I have been back and forth between here and family up north several times, while coming to terms with the possibility of living here. He phones me to say hello and, when he sees me outside, he comes over to chat. He’s also asked my plans for the future. Does this mean

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Dr. ZZ: Yes, it definitely appears as if he’s interested—at least he’s behaving as if he is— and it’s fine to invite him to lunch or dinner and to let him know how much you appreciate his kindness. Even so, this probably is not the best time for you to plunge into romance. Divorce is emotionally bruising, no matter how relieved you may feel once it’s finalized. Depending on how much time has passed for you as a single person again, you may do well to give yourself some additional time to regain perspective and to think about whatever is next for you now in your life.

One of my favorite stories about this “gap time” that takes place during the transition between relationships has to do with a trapeze artist. As the audience, we are not exceptionally impressed when the trapeze artist is secure on platform A, preening, and showing her muscles. Nor are we immeasurably thrilled when she’s on platform B, bowing for applause.

What captures our hearts and makes her a star in our experience takes place when she leaps from either platform into the unsupported moment, knowing that the universe will send her a trapeze at the exactly right moment, and trusting herself to know how to catch it and continue gracefully when it arrives.

Then, voila! She leaps into thin air, grabs hold of the trapeze at the nick of time, and off she goes to her next adventure, winning our admiration and approval for her bravado.

Likewise it is with the interim between relationships. Unless you are willing to trust the universe to provide, and able to trust yourself to survive until the next right opportunity comes along, there is no degree of skill or personal growth in falling in love again with the first wrong version that comes along. Without allowing yourself an appropriate period of recovery and growth between the throes of a relationship, you run the risk of staying stuck at the level of relationship you were in before you divorced, remodeling the very same mistakes you have already just been through.

People often repeat romantic patterns. Thus, it is imperative that you take time to analyze your behavior as well as your husband’s in the marriage you just finished. When you feel steadier, you’ll certainly want to pursue a relationship. In the meantime, you don’t have to hurry into anything just because the man next door is interested. There is no rush; and, unless you do your homework and go through the gap space of handling your life on your own for a while, you may well attract a situation that will be a repeat of the same ol’ same ol’.

Disclaimer: All information provided in this article is intended as general information only and is not to be misconstrued as medical or psychological advice, diagnosis, treatment or cure for any condition or ailment.

Send queries or comments to askDrZZ@yahoo.com. All identifying information is kept strictly confidential.

Inspiration

Randy owns Triple 3 Marketing. He’s a long term advocate for positive change, having owned community magazines since 1999. Randy sold Positive Change Media in April 2009 and took a year off before launching Triple 3 Marketing. In addition to helping business owners, he also provides private coaching. Randy has a masters degree in communication arts from the University of Wisconsin at Madison where he studied persuasion and attitude change. Contact Randy at randy@triple3marketing.com.

•••••••••••••••••• Rebooting Faith

I reread the draft of my column for Transformation and decided it was a good time to take a break. I walked into the kitchen and boiled a cup of edamame before adding it to a bowl of Thai potato soup along with fresh spinach. I turned on the television to watch some college football. My mind continued reflecting on the theme of faith. I realized that something was missing from my article; it was not personal enough and that’s always one of my goals. What could I share about faith from my own life?

After about an hour I decided to read my article again with a renewed sense of purpose. I walked into my office and was surprised to see that the screen was blank. Even more surprising, my computer was off which seemed odd. I rebooted the computer with no response. I tried again and again and again, but no power.

I went from mildly concerned to alarm in five minutes as the ramifications of a dead computer took hold.

It wasn’t just the completion of my article that filled my mind. We were also one week from the Sarasota Bay Water Festival and most of the essential information was parked as files behind the veil of the dark computer screen.

I called my computer consultant, who I’ve known for many years. I used to joke that Eddie was like the cavalry coming to the rescue; anyone that depends on computers can relate. I left a voice mail message for my friend and hoped most of the evening that he was in town for the long weekend instead of camping.

It was getting later in the evening and I realized I would be going to bed without any certainty of the problem or its prospective solution. It was a moment of quiet angst as I considered the implications.

I would love to tell you how confident I was that everything would be fine, but you know better. I worried about the worstcase scenarios and that included the prospect of getting a reasonable night of sleep. The hardest part was not beating myself up for not making a copy of essential files I needed for the week ahead.

In the moment of despair, I called my son Bryan who was in Clearwater getting ready for a disc golf tournament the following morning. He told me everything would be okay and reminded me that Eddie would fix whatever needed to be fixed. I relished his optimism. It was just enough goodwill to help me fall asleep.

I woke up at dawn and immediately returned to the computer hoping to see that little red light and to hear the familiar sound that’s easy to take for granted. The computer remained stone quiet. I made a cup of coffee and continued working on my list of how to finalize planning for the water festival with the prospect of not having access to various files. The best thing I did is make a list of what was good about the situation. I learned that trick many years ago as a way to cope with difficult circumstances.

I realized that most of the tasks in support of the water festival were done and much of the final coordination could take place via telephone or text messages. That was the emerging plan under the worst case scenario of losing all of my data from the computer crash.

It was still early and I decided to put my angst to work. I attacked the piles of papers and other clutter on and around my desk. Within an hour the area was transformed into a place of order and more open space than I ever had before. I was surprised to see all the junk I was holding on to because I was often too busy to consider its longer-term irrelevance. The experience reminded me how a real or perceived crisis can force us to be more realistic.

Eddie called and I explained what happened. He calmly told me to bring the computer over. Six hours later, I returned home with a new computer. The fan in my computer had given out and it fried the mother board. I’m summarizing the recovery process, but it entailed two trips to a local store for parts and lots of time setting up the various programs. The best news is that all of the files were still on the hard drive.

Working with Eddie was an opportunity to discuss a variety of ways to enhance the performance of my computer and its user. I had heard the same advice many times before, but I was motivated and more focused than ever before.

In the period of 24 hours, I went from feeling total angst to a sense of inspiration.

This is the story of life and it’s a reminder that faith is a process. It is a participatory experience requiring our positive activity and reliance on each other. Our goodwill as humans enhances the faith of others. Each of us can help each other through difficult times—big or small. Thank you Eddie and Bryan; happy holidays everyone.

This feeling of angst is often the nursery room for faith; it’s that sense that our circumstances are out of control and that the consequences might swallow us whole like Jonah in the whale.

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Tools & Tips •

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By Martha S. Lyon In the midst of the season’s whirlwind and excitement, it’s important to remember the spiritual meaning of the holidays so that we maintain an attitude filled with gratitude and appreciation. My most beautiful moments at this time of year have been spent with our faithful friends from the animal kingdom. A pet’s unconditional love and true companionship can never be packaged and gift wrapped. These creatures continuously show God’s love in motion, and inspiration from the animal world expresses itself through our soul connections with these wonderful creatures. Pets always seem to find a way to open that special place in our hearts and make our lives richer every day. With their highly attuned senses, our faithful friends protect us from harm and anticipate our needs in advance, always uplifting our souls. In return, we humans need to be respectful of our pets and acknowledge them as God’s children, special guardians that need our kindness and assistance to feel safe, secure and loved in our world.

With this dependent relationship in mind, here are some helpful tips to honor our faithful friends and keep them out of harm’s way this holiday season: •

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Involve everyone. Before even considering adopting a family pet, make sure that everyone in the household is involved in the selection process so that your lifetimes together will be a loving and happy experience. This also includes other pets because they play an essential role in ensuring that a new family member will fit seamlessly into the household dynamics.

Adopt from a shelter. In these troubling economic times, many families have been forced to give up their beloved companions, and the shelters are filled to capacity throughout the Tampa Bay area and surrounding cities. Make the decision to adopt from a shelter and you will be saving a loved animal, one that is used to human company, from a lonely and restricted life. However, it’s imperative to make sure that the shelter or agency your family selects is a credible and responsible

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nonprofit. (For a list in the Tampa Bay area, visit www.suncoasttransformation.com.)

Refrain from surprise pet presents. Bringing an animal into a household is big responsibility, and guessing if an animal and a person or family will be compatible should never be an option. If you want to give a pet as a present, consider giving a gift certificate to a local shelter and then accompany the person or family when the time comes to select the perfect (or purrfect) pet. Additionally, if the recipient is living in a condo or is a renter be sure to check with the governing body or landlord to make sure pets are welcome.

Make health a priority. Although most shelters and breeders provide health guarantees, it’s imperative to immediately take a new pet to the veterinarian for his or her first complete checkup and county registration/microchip. Remember that you are investing in a new family member for a lifetime, and you want to ensure that any health problems are detected early and treated before they become life-threatening.

Evaluate your budget. Having a pet is an ongoing expense. Before making the decision to bring one home, make sure that the household can support it financially. Do you want insurance for your pet? Veterinarian visits can be as expensive as doctor visits for humans, especially if there is a serious problem that requires surgery or advanced treatment. Can you afford food and other supplies, such as a pet bed, toys, cat litter, pet carriers, and a leash? Will grooming or boarding be required?

Once you have welcomed an animal into your life and your heart, it can be devastating to let that faithful friend go to a shelter or another home because you cannot afford food or other necessities.

Make your home pet-proof. Whether you are bringing a new pet into the house or just rearranging and decorating for the holidays and/or the arrival of guests, it’s important to safeguard against hazards that could injure our faithful friends. Remember that electrical cords, holiday lights, poisonous plants such a poinsettias, decorative balls and tinsel, and lit candles can be dangerous, especially to dogs and cats that roam free indoors. Take measures to ensure that animals are not unsupervised around unfamiliar holiday trappings. Also introduce your pets to any guests who may come to visit this

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season so everyone is comfortable and happy during this joyous time of year.

Avoid human food treats. Veterinarians have their hands full around the holidays dealing with damaging and often fatal problems that result from feeding pets human food. On their potential hazard lists are the following items, which should never make it into furry mouths: chocolate, grapes, onions, tuna fish (because of mercury), alcohol, water from a live Christmas tree, and bones from meat and fish.

Make donations. Give the gift of love this season through universal service as a volunteer at a local shelter. Your time is the most precious gift you can give to animals who are lonely and in need of human interaction. Many shelters also are in desperate need of supplies and other forms of tax-deductable donations year-round. Take the time to find out what your local shelter needs and purchase and deliver some of these items if it is within your budget this holiday season.

My faithful friends have been angels in my life, and they have blessed me more than I can express in these words. They are now in the afterlife with my other loved ones, and the holiday season always brings to mind the wonderful stockings full of gifts I used to make for them each year. The gifts they gave me in return were priceless, and in their honor I pass along these tips to help make this holiday season the best ever for you, your family, and your animal companions.

Namaste to all with love and light.

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Martha S. Lyon is the founder of The Sir Simba Lyon Memorial Fund, which was established to benefit all companion animals. Sir Simba, Martha’s Egypian Mau cat, was adopted from the SPCA in March 2003 and passed away on November, 11, 2011. He left his paw prints on the hearts of all he touched. For more information, contact Martha in Port Richey, FL, at 727-597-2444.

Inspiration

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. www.rickyrobertsiii.com

•••••••••••••••••• Faith in Action

Faith—the general meaning of the word itself is to believe in something. In many cases, Faith is associated with a belief in God, or whatever name may be given in reference to a source beyond our self. First we have faith that he, she, or it is real. Then we build our faith by experience, through reading the religious text(s) of our choice and through the supernatural happenings, or miracles, that we witness, hear about, or participate in. In most cases, it is much easier to maintain our faith in a higher power when all is well. However, as it goes with anything, simply maintaining something will not actualize the fullest potential of what it is meant to be, faith included.

Although our faith may survive when all is well, it thrives when it becomes a conviction in action through the hardships we

face in our life. Ultimately, we have a choice to allow the adversities we face to nurture our faith, make it stronger or, on the contrary, diminish it. A true testament of our faith comes at some of the darkest hours of our lives. Through experience, I have learned that the challenges in my life not only teach me lessons, but they root me deeper in my understanding of what it means to not only have faith but to live in harmony with it, always.

Faith is the ability to find peace in our hearts, knowing all things work out for the highest good, especially when we are in the midst of struggle, pain, loss, confusion, fear, anger, resentment and/or turmoil.

This is not to say you will be happy about, or enjoy, the hardships you face. However, if you stand firm in your faith at all times, you will find in your heart a sense of knowing that is beyond all things—and that knowing will tell you everything will be okay no matter how hard this time may seem. You are not alone. All things that are given are given to you in grace, and as they are given in grace they are here to guide you and bring you deeper into your faith.

May you find peace in your life, in all ways at all times, as it is unraveling in perfect harmony with the divine perfection in all that is.

YOU ARE VALUED – Ricky Roberts III

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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, email emily@LivingtoInspire.com or visit www.

LivingToInspire.com.

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Connecting with Your Soul’s Intention Life is a beautiful journey that we can all enjoy. Yes, we do face obstacles and challenges at times, but we can find comfort in knowing that we are ALWAYS LOVED and GUIDED by our beautiful Angels and the Divine presence. A truth we can always celebrate.

Before birth our soul is planted within our precious bodies, and we are gorgeous.

We all came here with beautiful soul intentions that continually desire to unfold. Some of our soul plans require more action than others; some of us have fewer or more lessons to learn than others; and there are those of us who remain sleeping as their souls do all the work behind the scenes.

You too have a precious soul intention, as well as gifts and talents to assist you along the way. These soul intentions are your unique blueprint that is made up of a distinctive energy and a natural design representing who you are. As you started to experience life as a child, who you were to become in life began to be molded by people’s reactions, expectations, and judgments. Soon you started to change, limit, or alter who you really came to this world to be.

Most of us forget, and completely lose touch with our true nature and the soul’s intentions.

Our Angels desire to help us reconnect with our soul’s intentions and realize the precious jewel that lies inside us. As they help us in this reconnection, they know they are helping us to connect with peace and joy, since we are realigning to our unique blueprint. By doing this we are powerfully connecting with our true selves. We shift into a state of being that releases us from trying to be something we are not—a state of being that releases us from blaming ourselves for who we are, and instead encourages us to celebrating our unique presence.

It’s time to release the illusion that if we can fix our imperfections we can fix who we are. Through openness and truthfulness, we can begin to fall in love with who we are, and with this love life falls into place more effortlessly and our journey transforms into harmony and balance. Our Angels assist us in achieving this harmony, and with their Divine guidance we get

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to a point in which we remember to live in alignment with our design. Our Angels help us peel away what is not part of our soul intentions, which reveals the underlying pattern to our inherent energy that has meaning and makes sense. To discover our original design frees our energy and helps us become who we came here to be. We must truly look at ourselves with love and then we can look at others with love. This love creates a new way of relating to ourselves and with others.

Our souls are pure and radiant sparks of the Divine. They are energetically and collectively interconnected with everything.

The light that is our soul is never changing; it is the aspect of ourselves which always offers truth and clarity. The energy that fuels our soul is love. As we connect to this love we begin to reconnect to the beautiful essence and gifts of our life journey.

Our Angels are magnificent helpers that commune with us. They know our soul’s intentions and how they powerfully impact everyone and everything. Our unique intentions impact an aspect of the whole, as we are intricately connected and needed.

Our Angels understand our needs and how our individual needs are important links to the whole. They want to help us connect to our soul’s intentions, and as we do this they know we can more perfectly connect to the peace and love that is supposed to be part of our experiences here on earth.

We all have aspects of ourselves that we desire to hide, but do understand that within these parts of ourselves we can also find the treasures of our soul’s intention. As we take steps to face these aspects of darkness within, we can then nurture them with love rather than shame them, so that through this love they can be transformed into enlightened gifts for our journey. As we take this empowering step, we allow ourselves to more fully open to loving and honoring our journey as well as that of others.

Choose to open up to the truth and see past the surface.

It is time to choose to see the truth within ourselves and all that surrounds us. Through this truth, we can see that there is so much more to our life and our surroundings. As we purposely connect to truth we start to see the world differently.

In truth you take off the blinders and get to see the whole truth within yourself and others. Things change and instead of noticing the emotions on the surface you clearly recognize the driving forces behind the emotions. For example, instead of seeing anger you see the true causes of this anger as being pain and hurt; instead of greed you notice fear; instead of just sadness and sorrow you easily know there is more to the story. In truth, you know that we are all people with talents, passions, and with so much to offer. You come to understand that the faces that people show us don’t tell us the whole story, and by looking further into whom they are and where they have been, you can open up to the truth of whom they are with love. To connect to the whole story in truth awakens one to harmony, peace, and compassion.

We all clearly see what the Angels and the Divine see— that we are all doing the best we can with our unique talents and gifts, wounds and challenges, and fears and judgments. As the Angels help us through this process we come to eventually see clearly the Divine spark within ourselves and everyone we meet.

By recognizing a person’s gifts and light within, we become healers. We become healers as we love and honor people where they are at, regardless of their journey and the false facets of themselves they choose to portray to the world.

2012: Perspectives good things the more they occur. When we release, embrace, and open to becoming filled with love, it makes everything so much better. This is my faith, hope, and belief for the closing of the year 2012.

By Maggie Batt There is a lot of controversy over whether or not we will “be” here on earth after 12.12.12. The date is of much debate in itself, as some say the end of time will be 12.21.12, and others believe it’s 12.3.12. In any case, something dramatic and important is supposed to happen in this historic month of December 2012, which marks the end of the procession of the equinoxes.

At this time, there also are those who are stocking up on grains by the barrel believing that our crops are destined to perish through another dust storm like the one experienced in the 1920s. Some theorists say that we will have a pole shift, and yet others believe that all of the energy shifts will be spiritual in nature. What we theorize seems to stem from our faith—what we believe to be true, and what we expect to happen plays important roles in defining our global state of consciousness and attitude as we approach the end of a great era in time.

My favorite speculation is that the Goddess is returning to the planet. Native Americans believe that the “Phoenix is Rising.” The Earth Goddess is emerging, purging, and clearing the negative impact upon Her body and soul. Others envision a Goddess Light Energy from far, far, away arriving to help us heal the hatred, greed, and suffering that we are experiencing on this planet. Some believe that this arrival will be “alien” in nature, and those helpful beings will make themselves available to us at this critical time.

I believe that we are shifting to a time of great expansion and awareness, where we are becoming connected to all sides of ourselves.

This includes using the parts of the brain that enable us to envision clearly beyond the illusion of “maya” and see things for what they really are.

As part of this evolution, we have the capacity to become more and more like the crystal and indigo children often labeled with attention deficit disorder (ADD) or as being autistic, those special beings who often can use the power of their mind to communicate telepathically.

As we go through this realization process, we need to be aware that all negative thoughts, emotions, and actions bring our vibrations down.

There is indeed an awareness sparking amongst most of us—an awareness that we create our own world, and that the more we focus on

The Planetary Lineup From an astrological perspective, we are coming into some interesting lineups as the year winds down. For instance, the planets of Orion’s belt are aligning with the Giza Pyramids on December 3rd. This may signify the chance of financial disasters. Will the banks fail?

There is another planet alignment that has to do with Ceres, akin to Demeter, the Goddess/ planet of crops and abundance. This may be stimulating some of the projections around crop failures.

Given these happenings, preparations may be in order, but I recommend staying in a mind of preparedness rather than a state of utter fear.

Look at the task as if you were preparing a hurricane/earthquake kit just in case. Stash that cash and have plenty of food on hand, but don’t sell off all of your belongs and head for the hills just yet.

There is no doubt that there are increased occurrences of earthquakes and other storm patterns. Just look at the magnitude of Hurricane Sandy, which was unseasonably late and unusually large, causing much devastation in states including New Jersey and New York. Remember that fear creates more fear that then resonates with Mother Earth. When we consider the concentration of population in the Northeast United States, the state of our current economy, and the whirlwind of negative campaigning around the presidential election, it makes one wonder whether a high volume of negative vibrations drew the weather pattern to that region.

Vote for the Goddess As we see events such as this happen, it’s a signal to continue to follow the path of our higher selves. We must listen to our inner callings, and strive for a close relationship with our “self,” guides, or Source. The key is to stop and listen. To be extroverted and constantly moving is a masculine expression, which represents the general energies of our planet at this time. To shift into balance, we need to be more feminine in nature (yes, we all have both sides), develop intuition, and the capacity to be more introspective and compassionate.

It’s time to work together. If we have faith in a better planet, develop stronger global community, become more caring about our fellow humans, and establish a closer connection with Mother Earth, we can heal all that threatens to prevent the blossoming of a higher consciousness on our amazing planet. Let’s make the end of 2012 the beginning of a new era. Our dreams can become

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reality if they connect the love in our heart with the belief in a coming age of compassion and enlightenment. In the meantime, I plan to cast my vote for the return of the Goddess and the balance and harmony she can bring to us all. Let’s end this year on a positive note!

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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 Ka-

runa 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.

Transformation

2012 and the Soul’s Journey

By Spencer Rouse

As we approach the end of a great cycle in time, the completion of the 25,920-year procession of the equinoxes*, we are experiencing a reawakening of consciousness throughout the world.

Many on earth now long to reconnect with their inner divinity and embrace the multidimensional nature of existence in our cosmos. There is a growing feeling that they have been born specifically to be present and of service to humanity at this historic moment, with leading-edge intuitive capabilities to help others, if only they can “get it right” themselves.

Pressure is building as a perceived “end time” draws very near, thanks to much promotion around the possibility of a catastrophic event on December 21, 2012. However, this pressure is largely self-inflicted. It comes from fears of all descriptions, drives of the ego, and feelings of inner disharmony. To overcome these challenges, we must clear the clutter of our minds and let go of negativity and self doubt that hang over us like dark clouds.

Understanding the Soul

Our souls, our higher selves, are already prepared to guide us through our fears, as well as the transition of cosmic energies from the end of this astrological cycle into to the next.

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It is up to us to tune into this guidance. The soul is who we really are. It is the immortal essence of our being that captures wisdom and experiences from lifetime to lifetime.

The wisdom gained from these varied incarnations enlarges the soul and elevates its vibration. It is distinct from the physical body, but it works with the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of who we are in each lifetime. It is part of us, and yet it is distinct from what we consider ourselves to be: a physical, mental, and emotional human being. Some consider it to be our spiritual selves, but it is much more than that. It is the eternal component of man that is fashioned in the very image of God (Gen. 1:26) and that can exist apart from the physical body (Mt. 10:28; Rev. 6:9).

We can align ourselves with the soul through meditation, prayer, and physical exercises that promote inner harmony and balance.

Self-judgment, blame, guilt, resentments, and other dense, heavy energies block our efforts. Rather than holding onto all of this or trying to force these energies out of our systems as 2012 draws to an end, it is much wiser to focus on whatever brings in more happiness, more laughter, more wisdom, more peace. As we continue this practice, we elevate our personal vibratory makeup and become lighter. As a result, the denser energies no longer have a secure home within our psyches. They become vibrationally incompatible and are released. This is enlightenment, and it begins with accepting each aspect of ourselves, including the traits we do not admire. Once we recognize ourselves, we are better equipped to energetically move towards what works well for us, which automatically brings about a movement away from what no longer serves us.

Raising our Resonance As individuals, we are raising the resonance of our being at varying levels and we all function at unique vibratory rates. However, as a group, we are elevating the overall vibration on earth. The new energies are flowing in, and we are reaching out and up for something better, a calmer inner self, a more serene existence that connects us to nature and

to each other.

Nature is undergoing some of the same changes. For eons we have been dumping our emotions and waste into the earth; clear cutting and destroying the forests; and polluting the waters for short-sighted financial gain. This creates negative energy that is incorporated into Mother Earth. We have used nature for our own purposes and thrown much of it out of balance. It is responding with its own efforts towards realignment, and the results are hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, tsunamis and the like. Balance will be restored.

In parallel, people are experiencing financial difficulties, political turmoil, relationship breakups, anger, hostility, and frustration, and our ever-present fears continue to build. The incoming energies are beginning to shift and even collapse the systems we have come to depend upon. Those who struggle to hold onto what they have always known, who build barriers against each other, and who attach themselves emotionally to their possessions will experience change—and it will come with stress and tension. The old may be torn away with harshness, a harshness that is not necessary to endure.

Those who seek to work with the new frequencies and balance their emotions and energy fields will allow the light to enter their being smoothly without much stress and angst.

This group will begin to experience more joy, more peace, and more unconditional love than they ever have before as a result of releasing the denser areas in their energy fields as they open up to more light. For example, they will experience more telepathic communication, see auras more clearly, feel in sync with their fellow human beings and generally accomplish more with less effort.

This process disseminates the culmination of the wisdom that we have accumulated through centuries of incarnations. As our soul’s vibration increases we encompass all the vibrations below. Rather than struggling with our faults at this critical time, we need to embrace them as we come into this new golden age and more forward.

Once we accept this, the best preparation for 2013 is to laugh long, loud, and often because when we are in joy we are embracing ourselves and our soul. When we get the message, “I should be doing more, I should be doing more,” we need to let go and move into acceptance knowing that we are where we need to be on our own personal journeys.

Then we can ease the transition for ourselves and everyone and everything on the planet through prayer and meditation. Releasing the busy-ness of the mind and listening to the guidance of the soul and wise masters will bring about changes in wonderful ways that are beyond the ability of our own human minds to conceive. In stillness and quiet we will find our peace.

By finding our peace, we will touch others and set the butterfly effect into motion: small actions creating a ripple effect on larger systems.

We won’t feel any different the day after the “end of time” than we did the day before. On December 22, 2012, we will simply continue to grow in peace and harmony—if we choose that path—as we observe the passing away of the old systems.

Some things will pass in the blink of an eye, but most will shift over time, even if it takes several lifetimes. As for our own spiritual growth, it’s up to us. The soul will wait. The soul is infinitely patient. It has eternity in which to work. *The great cycle of time that ends on December 21, 2012, is caused by a top-like wobble in the earth’s axis that moves one degree every 71.6 years and changes the backdrop of the stars in the constellations of the zodiac in relation to the equinoxes.

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Rev. Spencer Rouse has been a psychic medium, teacher, counselor, writer, and healer for more than 25 years. She recently completed her Level 1 and 2 studies of Acoustic Sound, Color, and Body Movement with Fabien Maman (Father of Vibrational Sound Therapy) at the Tama-do Academy in Malibu and Switzerland. For more information visit www.psychicspencer.com, email PsychicSpencer@yahoo.com. Transformation editor Lisa Clift also contributed to this article.

We are divine with our faults, for we cannot learn without them.

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