Voice of Choices The Great Invocation From the point of Light within the Universal Mind Let Light stream forth into the minds of men. May Light descend on Earth. From the point of Love within the Heart Divine Let Love stream forth into the hearts of men. May God/dess return to Earth. From the center where the Will of God/ess is known Let purpose guide the little wills of men. The purpose which the Masters know and serve. From the center which we call the race of men Let the Plan of Love and Light work out and may it seal the door where evil dwells. Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth.
Monthly V OICE OF CHOICES Magazine
Publisher: Kathy Lowden info@voiceofchoices.org 1-877-236-4080 206-715-2824 Copy Editor - Jim Bacon Maui Distribution - Russ Reina
www.voiceofchoices.org Whether you define ‘spirit’ as enthusiasm or spirituality, Voice of Choices supports you in exploring the many options for creating and enjoying your life! We feature articles on alternative healing, personal development, spirituality and a wide range of topics focused on spirited living. Giving voice to the myriad of choices available in every moment, information is not intended for diagnosis, treatment, or prescription regarding disease, illness or injury. We recommend you see a licensed health practitioner if you have concerns about your health. Voice of Choices is not responsible for any situations arising from participation in or application of anything written or advertised in this publication. We welcome your contribution of articles and artwork, to be published on approval as space permits. Articles do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher.
Celebrating Life... With Spirit!
May 2008 Online at www .V oiceOfChoices.org www.V .VoiceOfChoices.org
Features 4 The Value of Humility Ellen Lamb 7 Honoring the Gift Walks With Thunder 8 Birthing the New Earth Victoria Liljenguist 9 Feeding Fairies - Gifting Gratitude & Goodies 10 Important Tips Mom May Have Forgotten Paul Figueroa 11 Prenatal Health - Your Baby Deserves It! Kasara D’Elene 15 Getting Un-Stuck - Healing Ourselves & Our Animals Dr. Dain Heer & Gary M. Douglas 16 The Mother Daughter Dance Judy McAllister 17 Escape to Freedom Guy Finley 18 Love, Compassion & Tolerance The Dalai Lama 19 Handwriting: Change Your Signature, Shift Your Energy Carolyn Leeper
Monthly T reasures Treasures 6 Better Than This - Living In the Question 14 May Astrological Influences
Cover Art
Kathy Lowden Carol Barbeau
‘Mother’s Day Angel’ by Karissa D. Rangel
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The Lord’s Prayer - Translated from Aramaic O Cosmic Birther of all radiance and light! Soften the ground of our being and carve out a space within us where your presence can abide. Fill us with your creativity so that we may be empowered to bear the fruit of your mission. Let each of our actions bear fruit in accordance with our desire. Endow us with the wisdom to produce and to share what each being needs to grow and flourish. Untie the tangled threads of destiny that bind us as we release others from the entanglement of past mistakes. Let us not be seduced by that which would divert us from our true purpose but illuminate the opportunities of the present moment for you are the ground and the fruitful vision, the birth, power and fulfillment as all is gathered and made whole once again. Editor’s Note: This translation was given to VoC several years ago. I am not finding verification that it is authentic. If you have that validation - please contact VoC. We may continue to print this - but can only do so as ‘the Aramaic translation’ with verification.
Subscriptions to are available for $25.00 per year / 12 issues (U.S. - inquire for International rates) We accept MC/Visa. money orders and personal checks. Thank you for all your good work. Blessings in all your choices. Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
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Voice of Choices May 2008
The Value of Humility Ellen Lamb For some local spiritual seekers, one of the living beacons of true humility has been Mata “Whenever a situation arises, if you can Amritanandamayi, also known as Amma, which means “mother.” pause and be patient, your problems can be This diminutive lady from southeasily solved. But it is our habit to react. ern India has become known as a Most of us would like to be more loved, world leader in spirituality. Clad in When anger arises, we cannot pause and see yet we are not always eager to become a simple white sari, she sits for more humble and unassuming, that is, clearly. Don’t be abusive, don’t react. Pause. hours receiving all who come to without vanity. It may seem extremely During this pause, try to think of something her and bestowing on them her difficult to cultivate this quality of hublessing in the form of a sacred mility. Perhaps some know a person who positive, something elevating, a pleasant event embrace. Her humility is such that is truly humble, but many would have or memory. If you can, try to make this pause never has she been known to turn to think long and hard to identify someaway even the most difficult, longer and longer. In due course you can one they believe has true humility, troubled or unstable person. which is selfless and giving, putting othslowly begin to test yourself in more trying Never has she cancelled an apers’ needs and wishes before their own. and serious situations” pearance or gotten too tired to finMany egoists would not even notice the humble persons who cross their path. ish the hugging sessions. Her Yet it is virtually impossible for the truly humbleness and compassion flow humble to drive rudely on the freeway, to insult another, or to continuously as a river of light and love to all mankind. insist on having one’s own way. Most of us might agree that the world would be a better place if only humility were a more widely Amma has spoken many times about the value of humility. “Think distributed quality. of yourself as God’s servant. Then you won’t feel angry with In one of the world’s great Indian scriptures, the Mahabharata, Dharma, who is the personification of duty and virtue, asks the prince Yudhisthira, “When is a man loved?” Yudhisthira replies, “When he is without vanity.”
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Amma anyone. You will become humble.” She often uses examples from nature to emphasize her point. “Huge trees are uprooted and buildings collapse in a cyclone, but no matter how strong a cyclone is, it cannot do anything to a blade of grass. This is the greatness of humility.” She also says, “Bow down low and be humble; then you will know life’s meaning.” Allowing ourselves to think about the components of humility might be helpful. What is the essence of humility? Two words come to mind: acceptance and patience. Acceptance of what comes must be the initial stage of humility, but patience is also needed to sustain a truly humble attitude. Amma has said, “Contentment comes only when you have the attitude of complete acceptance. It arises only when you can welcome impartially every experience in life.” Now that’s a tall order. But we can start with the small things in life and work towards the larger challenges. A good place to start might be in traffic. When someone cuts you off on the freeway, can you accept that with equanimity or do you become angry? Does the light turn red when you are in a hurry? What is your reaction? Does someone you know have an annoying habit? How do you handle it? Amma has advised people, “Whenever a situation arises, if you can pause and be patient, your problems can be easily solved. But it is our habit to react. When anger arises, we cannot pause and see clearly. Don’t be abusive, don’t react. Pause. During this pause, try to think of something positive, something elevating, a pleasant event or memory. If you can, try to make this pause longer and longer. In due course you can slowly begin to test yourself in more trying and serious situations …” We live in a world today where it seems that people desire power,
Amma will visit Seattle and give free darshan (sacred embrace) on Friday, May 30, at Seattle Center’s Fisher Pavilion. All are cordially invited to attend. A three day retreat with Amma will be at the Puyallup Fair & Events Center from May 31-June 2. For more information: visit www.seattlesatsang.amma.org or call 206-799-6846.
financial success and the ability to hold sway over others. Otherwise peaceful and well-intentioned people often war with words and thoughts. But Amma’s goal in life is to serve others with humility. She would agree with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when he said, “Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve.” Trying to adopt humility is a small way that we can change ourselves and transform our relationships. If even a few people try to change themselves in this way, perhaps the example of their humility and service will spread to others, making our world a more humane and considerate environment for ourselves, our families
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Blessings From the Publisher Aloha and Happy May from magnificent Marysville Washington! Thank you for picking up Voice of Choices- the only ‘locally owned and operated publication of its kind’ reaching like minded souls --whether they live in Washington, Sedona, Maui or find their copy on the internet. Our readers are thrilled with the practical application information included in each article; thousands of lives have been touched with the insights and inspiration in each issue. And I have to ask....’How can it get even better than this?’ As a publisher I receive what we call ‘blind submissions’- articles from authors around the globe, books on a variety of subjects, and artwork from gifted artists. Last month I received a book with simple tools for directing energy work that is changing my life. Being human, I sometimes feel the ‘value added’ concept of publishing ‘big name’ author’s work that has been deftly written to serve as advertising rather than offering you, the reader something tangible you can ‘work with’ is unfair to those who pay for advertising. I’ve tried to figure out why those who have created financial success for themselves believe someone else should pay to promote their work. The book I received in the mail was given the same response as the rest - “Voice of Choices doesn’t print book reviews”. A new paradigm of CHOICE rather than opinion allows for you, the reader, to sample an author’s work and decide for yourself the level of it’s relevence and value to YOU. Thankfully I was given permission to excerpt anything I chose from ‘Talk to the Animals - an extraordinary conversation” by Dr. Dain Heer and Gary M Douglas. It’s ‘good stuff’ and the refreshing concept that I would be trusted to print what I felt would serve you best - awesome. You’ll find the most potent ingredient of their recipe for healing on page 15. And if you choose to buy the book the details it includes are excellent for working with both animals and people. In the emails back and forth between their publicist/assistant and myself I kept seeing a sentence that intrigued me. “How can it get even better than this?” Curious as to the reason for what felt a bit like it could be sarcasm, I visited their website at www.accessconsciousness.com and discovered the phrase’s intention. WOW! Ok, so I’m going to fall back on astrology again for a moment here. Almost 50 years living the life of a ‘virgo rising’ (and your rising sign is said to be what your soul is ‘becoming’ in this life) has been spent ‘figuring out’ the how, why, where, when, who and filling in the details for best possible results. I’ve thinked and planned my way through each new opportunity..... with results that stayed within the humanly limiting boundaries of what I could conceive. Gee - maybe there’s another way? Ya Think? Who knows. What if, as my daughter believes.... we’re just not smart enough to know what ‘runs’ the universe. And what if there are answers, pathways, gifts and blessings beyond our capability to understand. Well if there is - I guess I’d like to employ that energy to assist in creating the bless’d possible outcome, in every area of life. So ‘How can it get even better than this?’ I really should have caught on to the concept 4 years ago. As my intuition told me there was a bit of a ‘shift’ in my primary personal relationship a dear friend suggested I ask ‘what is the truth of this relationship?’ Her recommendation was to wait for the answer
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Better Than ‘This’?
Living In the Question Kathy Lowden and be aware that the first or immediate ‘response’ might not be as accurate as the ‘AHA’ that would come ‘soon’. Hmmm, that would be the next day when I saw ‘her’ driving my car and realized that my husband did not have the same level of interest in our marriage as I did. Ouch! And Thank You dear ‘universe’ for the guidance to be where I could get the visual answer to a question of such importance. Nope, I didn’t get it then. Solutions, logic, plans, ideas and all the ‘real world’ practical steps and details have been my forte’. Sure they have. Gee, if you’ve been reading this column for a while you (and 35,000 others) have been privvy to the results of all that effort. Maybe living in the question - without placing limiting parameters could better accomplish my highest and greatest good. After all if we, as humans, don’t have the capacity to fathom the ‘All That Is’ ‘putting it in God’s hands’ could produce some pleasant results.. and a few incredible surprises along the way. I guess, (darn it) I don’t have all the answers. That would be why this magazine is called Voice of Choices - not ‘Here’s YOUR answers’. And that would be why the articles on these pages are not allowed to claim they have YOUR answers. You read them, you’ll find out for yourself if the information is appropriate for you. How will you know? Just ask. Pay attention to your response. Sometimes it’s a mental or emotional feeling and occasionally it’s a real, physical reaction. BTW - did you know the Hawaiian Mana Cards have a card named ‘GUT’..... as in pay attention to your gut feeling. As holistic beings our body, mind and spirit are connected... who said that? How can it get even better than this? The Thursday before my May deadline I still had no cover image. Through fitful sleep my brain tried to figure out ‘what to do’. One idea, well since it is the Mother’s Day issue... maybe a child’s drawing. Next thought - gee I wonder if I have one of my daughter’s drawings that would work. Right - after moving to Maui and back, then 4 more moves in this last year... not likely. Ok - so where do I find a peice of kid’s artwork, get permission ... yadda yadda yadda in time for the Sunday night file transfers. Go back to sleep. Sure. With no cover. On Friday it snowed - the 18th of April and 3 inches of snow. Tried calling Karissa, my daughter, no answer. Another attempt at bedtime.... checking in to make sure she was ‘home safe’ - no answer. No worries and little sleep. The return call from her Saturday morning shifted my thinking again. How can it get even better than this? Seems that on Thursday she had an inspiration to draw. An incredible artist, her focus has been on other things and it was all I could do to keep from immediately rushing over to her house to see her latest image - untitled and referred to as ‘Mother’s Day Angel’. How can it possible get even better than this? Living in the question. God only knows and life is filled with endless possibilities when we ‘Celebrate Life.... With Spirit!’. Blessings in all your choices and Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Kathy ‘Whyte Wynde’ Lowden
HonoringThe Gift Walks With Thunder It’s true — mothers are a gift. Now your mom might be the kind of gift like mine was: one you’d return if you got the chance. But did I learn from her? You bet. Some mothers are truly gifted. Chérie Carter-Scott articulates these 10 truths that gifted mothers know: 1.) Having a child changes your life. 2.) Motherhood is an experience unlike any other. 3.) A mother has many roles. 4.) Children blossom when you honor their essence. 5.) Love shows up in many different forms. 6.) As your child grows, so will you. 7.) There will be highs and lows. 8.) Remembering to care for yourself is essential. 9.) There is no such thing as a perfect mother. 10.) Motherhood is a journey that never ends. — from “The Gift of Motherhood: Ten Truths for Every Mother” Wow. Well said. What makes a gifted mother? A few examples float to mind. A gifted mother wakes from a deep sleep when her child is coughing; knows something is wrong before she gets the phone call; asks her child, “Are you OK?” after her favorite vase has been broken.
You’ll be amazed at how quickly you will get it when you clear your mind of thoughts and just listen. Just like in sports, some people are instantly gifted and others get better with practice. Same with mothers. Some are naturally gifted, some take practice and others choose not to try. The thing about it is there is no training manual. It’s like that old cliché: Some people come to us for a reason or a season. I’ll add to that the “No Excuse Rule”. When we picked our mother, it was because we knew she could provide the exact opportunities and experiences we needed for this lifetime. But only you can decide if she’s a mother for a reason or a season. If you didn’t have a great mother, find one. They’re everywhere. Now it’s time for me to reinforce Carter-Scott’s advice in Truth Number 8: Remember to care for yourself. I’ve seen moms struggle repeatedly with that truth and wind up needing serious intervention. Take good care of you. Your children are watching and listening, and they’re quick learners. So, a blessing to all the gifted mothers I know and the many mothers who will read this: May the Universe bless you with all that you need and everything you should ask for but don’t; with the ability to listen, take care of yourself, and know there is no such thing as a perfect mother (just gifted ones); and may you rest in the beauty that as your child grows, so will you. This month we honor the gift of motherhood and mothers everywhere. Walks With Thunder is a “nontraditional shaman. To learn more about him, go to www.walkswiththunder.com or www.blogtalkradio.com \walkswiththunder.
A gifted mother enjoys the highs and rides out the lows- carefully choosing when to be firm and when to give in. She knows how to “discipline” with a stern talk, understands when she’s out of patience and tries to find laughter in any situation. A gifted mother quietly lets her child’s essence shine, embracing her child’s unique gifts without changing who she is. She reads her child’s storybook as though it were a fascinating novel (accents and voices included); and she knows it’s never too late to try something new. Whether it’s an injured elbow or broken relationship, a gifted mother always knows the right thing to say and takes the pain away whenever she can. She stands by her child even when the child has turned away, and she knows when it’s time to say “Enough already.” Above all, a gifted mother knows that each child needs to be mothered differently. How do you teach someone to be a gifted mother? You teach them how to listen to what was said, but especially what was not said. This is something I teach apprentices so they can hear what the client didn’t say (or wouldn’t say, but should have). Apprentices (and gifted mothers) learn to listen to their inner voice, no matter what odd things it may have to tell them. For practice, have a friend start a sentence that you will finish. With kids it works to make it a game. Start with small impersonal stuff, like a thought about a movie or show. Your friend might say: “In the movie, ‘Horton Hears a Who,’ I liked the how Horton sets a good example of persistence, but I was frustrated that …”( the person will just think the next part). Then, listen to your inner voice and complete the sentence. Practice awhile until you’ve received a comfortable amount of validations. Now, you’re ready to move on to your teenagers. You’ll know what they are not saying the next time they come home late. Even they will be impressed (well, maybe shocked might be a better word).
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Birthing the New Earth Victoria Liljenquist We are traveling through “The eye of the Needle”. Our inner “remembering” is searching for something greater than what is seen with our eyes. We are longing to return to home, like unto Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, we are starving for a new kind of joy. Truly that home we are searching for, is within us. As we go inside, there are new keys, to re-unite us with our Divine Intelligence, the stars, and with the Universe. As you look into the night sky, you feel as if a particular star is blinking right at you, communicating with you. Well it is! There are activations and transmissions being sent to us as we star gaze. There are gifts to be activated from Non-Earthly Heavenly Vehicles (UFOs, Merkabahs and Orbs) whose Lights transmit beautiful manifestations. It is much more than just seeing, it penetrates deep within the core of self, calling to your soul, to reclaim your star seed origin. We are the Children of the Stars, the Light Workers. With unique features and behaviors, we feel foreign in the mainstream of the 3rd Dimension’s acceptable behaviors. We are Souls who are here in embodiment, and are very sensitive as we straddle between the worlds. Does this sound familiar, if so, you may feel stuck in between the fluidness of our ever-shifting reality. Feeling as if we are dying one moment and being birthed the next…over and over…waiting for Oz to reveal our destination. We have all traveled that road, and now are very close to Coming Home! We must remember to embrace each day, the tests and lessons, allowing the wisdom gained to be savored within our soul as food for our transformational process, to carry us to the next level of our planetary evolution. As the 2nd Earth is ready to merge with us like unto the Universal Marriage of the Shakti and Shiva, humanity shall experience a rebirth and new beginning of a reality, which
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until now, has only been shown in our dreams. We are moving from living the dream and graduating to living Universal Reality. The photos from personal encounters with Double Orb Vehicles demonstrate significant message regarding this Merging of Two Worlds. There are answers, lying deep within each of us, waiting to open up like flower opens up to the light. Realizing we are not just living in one dimension...there are portal shifts within us individually, as we all have our own personal journey of awareness and sensitivity. The earth has traveled thru major portals during the 11:11 and 12:12 Opening Gates. These portals are doorways, allowing us to feel higher frequency energies, clearer, psychic intuition abilities, as well as experiencing enhanced telepathy, prophetic dreams and visions. Understanding how to unlock this potential is a key to be integrated within our cellular structure and light body transformation. As we think we are in our beds, truly we are in a holographic image of our bedroom as we sleep. Our bed is a “Star Gate Portal Window” we can travel through every night. This phenomenon has actually transpired on film. Within that “dream time”, the language of light is brought forth to us. It is encoded in our light bodies so we may work with it, in our awakened state of consciousness. Vital keys encoded within ancient symbols, angels, and images of people are revealed and transmitted from the Light ships (Merkabahs) which we see in our evening skies. As they come closer, they download a profound new “Blueprint” pulsating into our Third Eye, preparing us for future events of our transforming Earth. Many miracles await us to “see beyond this reality” through light, sound, music, meditation and New Thought Forms experienced in our ONENESS. These are ingredients to expedite our ascension process into our WHOLE Light Bodies. Learning to cope with Brain Cramps. Every day we feel the roller coaster of navigating with our moment-to-moment thoughts. Intricate frequencies are felt, such as missing time; losing our thought within just minutes of having the thought and finding ourselves wandering around the Continued bottom next page
Feeding Fairies Gifting Gratitude & Goodies In recent years, many people have learned how to tune in to angels, fairies and other spiritual beings to ask for guidance. Spiritual beings do have much to offer us and we can benefit greatly from their input. The current environmental and Earth changes have created a vital need for us to reciprocate, to give back to spiritual beings, to help them as they also deal with these changes. This is especially true of the Fairy realm, those who are closely connected to the physical planet and its well-being. There are many things that we can do for the fairies, both energetically and physically. One of the most powerful and simple things we can do is to give them offerings. The traditional offering gift is one of food, such as bread or cake, or a fermented beverage, such as wine or beer. The idea is to give them something from nature that has been transformed by human energy, so that we are giving them something of ourselves. A gift of wine can be poured directly into the ground; one of food may be left out for the fairies to partake of its essence. Since the fairies do not consume the physical part, you should return later to remove the remains. If you are leaving an offering in a wild area and aren’t able to return later, it is good to leave healthy, organic food that won’t be harmful to birds or other small creatures. Some people make special cakes just for the fairies. You can also give them a portion of something you make for yourself, like a slice off of a loaf of bread or one cookie out of a batch. Traditionally you are supposed to give to the fairies before you partake of it yourself. I have found the fairies where I live aren’t too picky about that — if I’m hungry and happen to eat one first before I go out to offer one, they still appreciate it. Factory-made foods don’t have as much vital energy and generally don’t make very good offerings. Different cultures do have different traditions regarding offerings. In the Native American tradition, tobacco and cornmeal are often used. In my experience, these are appropriate if you have a personal connection with that culture, or if the spirits in question specifically ask for them. Listen to your own intuition for what feels right. Fairies also enjoy spontaneous natural art as an offering, like creating a small sculpture out of twigs, lichen, small rocks or pinecones — any natural material that may be found on site. Remember that fairies like color, so incorporate rocks or leaves of different colors to make it beautiful. In general, cut flowers are not an appropriate offering, as they are nature’s creation and not ours to offer. Dried flowers can be appreciated, however, especially in winter when
Birthing from previous page house in confusion! These are indications of the dimensional shifts within our day-to-day life. So how do we “lasso the fleeting thought” so we can still be productive? Focusing on the current moment is the first key. Staying in the moment and breathing in this transition, even though a person is tempted to push the panic button Breathing in the energy of life and joy of living breathing out the past, yesterday’s frustrations and tomorrow’s uncertainties. The rigid schedules of the Third Dimension must now be surrendered, in order to be flexible in transforming and changing how we operate to create new patterns of feeling and thought. Life is like hanging onto your “boogie” board as we surf the Tidal Waves of a new thought, as our present Earth is melting into the New Earth, we are creating now.
there isn’t much other color around. A favorite offering for the fairies where I live is a circle of dried flowers on snow, with a stick of incense in the middle. I use a mixture of lavender, rose petals and calendula or marigold for a nice color palette. Another idea, if you have a yard or live in a natural area, is to light a candle in the window at night, offering the light to the fairies. You can also go into nature and offer a song especially for the fairies. They like flute and melodic instruments, as well as voices singing in harmony. Crystal bowls, chimes, a harp, bells — use your imagination. But it should be live music and not electronic. Playing heavy metal on a boom box isn’t appropriate. Offerings can also be energetic rather than physical. A very basic one is to find a place in nature, take time to notice and observe the beauty around you by using all of your senses, then focus on sending out waves of gratitude and appreciation. Speak to the fairies (you can do it silently if there are other people around) and let the energy flow from your heart. One of my favorite offerings is to go sledding in winter, and as I am sliding down the hill I send out all my energy of fun, joy and happiness to the fairies. They love that one! An important element when giving offerings and building relationships with fairies is to be consistent. Making repeated offerings, especially at the same place, works very strongly to build potency in your relationship. Just like with human friends, if you meet someone once, that person is an acquaintance; it takes time and repeated meetings to become friends. Frequent, small offerings are more important than large, fancy occasional offerings. These offerings support and nourish the fairies, strengthening their presence and making it easier for them to withstand and transmute some of the negative environmental impacts they have to deal with. In this way we are reestablishing the alliance that once existed between humans and fairies. Interested in fairies? Come to the 8th annual Fairy-Human Relations Congress, June 27-29, at Skalitude Retreat in Washington’s beautiful Methow Valley. The congress features in-depth fairy education, communication and cooperation in a fun, festive and family atmosphere.and includes workshops, circles, a costume parade and organic food. For more information go to www.fairycongress.com or call 509-997-1032.
Each of us has our own personal choice to discover those special keys to open us up to the New Reality upon us. We can support each other through personal challenges, overcoming and conquering our fears. It is time TO REMEMBER our Star Lineage, who we are and where we are returning to. We now celebrate not only Peace on Earth, but Peace in the Universe. Victoria is a featured speaker at the Earth Transformation Conference: www.earthtransformation.com Victoria Liljenquist, UFO & Angelic Contactee, Award Winning Documentary Film Producer of, “Encounters with Angels, UFOs and Divine Messages”, International TV/Radio Guest Lecturer, Clinical Therapist, and Recording Artist from the U.S. shares her inspiring story & Live film clips of personal Encounters with Angelic Beings, Diamond Merkabahs, and UFOs.
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Voice of Choices
May 2008
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Voice of Choices May 2008
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Paul Figueroa
1. You are not the choices that you make. What this means is that you are an awesome person, no matter what you do. You can make the biggest mess, break the biggest thing, accidentally back a car down the driveway over a huge hill.. okay it was a cliff,… or you name it. You are more than that accident, that poor choice or that mean thing you did. It allows your parents to say “I love you, I care about you and I didn’t like the choice you made.” It’s so we get we aren’t our behavior. In the workshops and trainings I do for kids, companies, parents, you name it.. this one is a sticky one. Remember, you are more than your choices.
3. Consider there is no such thing as GOOD and BAD. This is effective because it helps break up the illusion of #1 and #2. If you look at and remember that mistakes, or choices have results – then you get to not think of yourself as a BAD PERSON for messing up, for doing this or doing that.. or sometimes even for THINKING this or that. (By the way, thoughts are merely thoughts, neither good or bad, just thoughts.) So, if you look at things as Positive (what worked) or Negative (what didn’t) that frees up a whole lot of mind space, relaxation space and being who you wonderfully are space!
2. Mistakes happen, welcome to being human. I’ve yet to meet ANYONE, young or old, that is perfect! Ever! So when we mess up, and we do, we get to remember that we are more than that. Often times we are supposed to make mistakes. YES, I’ll say it again, often, we are supposed to make mistakes – it’s all about the learning process. At one of the schools I work in right now one of their learning objectives, that “Mistakes make new learning.” Nice.
4. Blaming doesn’t work. It may be a lot of fun. You may get lot’s of attention by blaming others and friends may even agree with you. But blame doesn’t create change. It can even entice you into thinking that it is powerful. Getting a large group together to gripe about the other people, how bad it is, how awful things are is spinning your tires and not getting anywhere. You’ll look back and realize nothing has changed. That’s because we are the ones with the power of choice - that is the real power. Blame is often the mud that keeps us stuck where we are and stands in the way of personal growth.
The “Supposed to make mistakes” comes up when you’re learning something new – something you’ve not done before. For a youngster this may be about riding a bike, writing a paper or learning about the internal combustion engine. The fact is, we don’t know because it’s new. Mistakes create new learning.
Mom’s are amazing, aren’t they? They do billions of things at once, (Don’t ask me to multi-task – I can’t!) Moms drive you to soccer practice, the rehearsal, make you breakfast, pack your lunch, do your laundry, often times they work a regular job too. They are truly unbelievable. If you can, give ‘em a hug right now and come back! Sometimes, Mom’s are so busy nurturing and loving us that we may get some wrong ideas in our heads. Above are five things we may have forgotten, they may have missed OR that we just need a reminder about. Feel free to post them where you’ll see them every day! Paul Figueroa of Peace Enforcement LLC is a consultant specializing in communication skills, conflict resolution and self esteem improvement for people young and old. He also increases
5. You are an awesome, amazing, wonderful human being. Let no one, even your own thoughts, try to convince you otherwise!
productivity in the workplace. A 12 year police veteran, he brings over 20 years of expertise to all he does. He speaks and trains internationally and his audio product with Tips on How to Be an Effective and Compassionate Leader are available on his product page at www.PeaceEnforcement.com. These tips will improve your effectiveness – and your staff’s too! Also available - for free – for Parents and Kids are his Gossiping and Bullying Prevention tips from his interviews on Radio Disney. On June 28th, 2008 he is providing his Positive Choices for Bullies at Shoreline Parks for kids age 7-12. Call 206-418-3383 for information. On May 19th, 2008 he is providing a complimentary sample training for people who work with kids and staff of companies in Longview, WA. Call 206-650-5364 for details
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Prenatal Health Kasara D’Elene
Your Baby Deserves It! up to three months before we even get pregnant, can affect the baby. This isn’t rocket science. It is just common sense. Eating correctly can make the mother and the baby stronger, help with the natural stress that happens during pregnancy and prevent complications.
Kasara D’Elene Having a baby is a happy and yet stressful time. As many women know who have had a child, your brain pretty much goes, and so below is a list of helpful reminders for women going through this amazing time. Eating Right Eating right is very important when you are pregnant. How anyone can think that eating poorly will not affect a child should have their head examined. In fact there was an article in Discover Magazine in May 2004, called “The Good Egg” (http://discover magazine.com/2004/may/cover/?searchterm =diet%20affects%20the%20baby) that explains that what we eat,
An article in Newsweek last Sept. 17 stressed the same issue. If you eat correctly when pregnant, you and your baby will be healthier. In addition, a study was done by Dr. Doug Odom, an obstetrician and gynecologist in Jackson, Miss., on 350 pregnancies within his group practice over a three-year period. He documented the use of a product called Juice Plus, which contains 17 fruits and vegetables, and the results where amazing. He documented fewer premature deliveries, fewer C-sections and fewer incidences of preeclampsia. He also noticed the newborns had higher birth weights, fewer admissions to neonatal intensive care units and a lower incidence of respiratory distress syndrome. Eating right also can help your moods, energy and sleep patterns, and prevent other pregnancy side effects. Avoiding Toxins In the March Voice of Choices I wrote an article about all the many places in the home that are toxic and how we are exposed to them. When you are pregnant this can cause damage to the baby and also bring about annoying side effects. When I was pregnant the guy across the street kept spraying his yard with weed killer. Every time he did it, my hands and feet broke out with rashes. I used bentonite clay internally and topically (soaked my hands and feet in it) to naturally help absorb the toxins. It is very important to not cleanse when you are pregnant — but taking something that absorbs toxins is fine and can help make you much more comfortable. Pay attention to what you are putting in, on and around yourself. Your baby will be healthier because of it. Drinking Water One of the biggest mistakes I see new pregnant moms make is they don’t drink enough water. This can lead to bladder and kidney infections, toxic levels in the body and rashes. Think of your body as a river. Then think about what it is like when the river dries up. You are left with residues, toxins on the side, and create an environment for organisms that live off of a dying river. If you keep your river flowing with fresh water, then that prevents it from happening. Think about how high the toxic conditions can be in your body if you don’t drink enough water. Picking a Good Prenatal Vitamin In May 2006 I wrote an article about choosing a good multivitamin. (http://www.truhealth.com/May2006-ChoosingaMultiVitamin.htm) The same issues apply to a prenatal. In addition, you will want to make sure the multiple has folic acid and that it won’t make you sick, as many of them do. Helpful Supplements With limited space here I can talk about only a few of the most popular supplements that we recommend for pregnancy: Red Raspberry: This has been called “the female herb.” It helps to strengthen and support the uterus, strengthens the heart, is high in manganese and magnesium, and helps relieve morning sickness and delivery pain. If you can take only one herb, this would be it. It is often available in teas, tinctures and capsules. Iodine: Iodine has helped many women prevent post-partum de-
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pression and insomnia. It provides energy and relieves iodine deficiencies that prevent the body from naturally detoxing on its own. I have seen this help many pregnant women get through their pregnancy much easier. Check with your health professional to find the best source of iodine for your body. In addition it has been proven that many women have trouble getting pregnant because they are deficient in iodine. You can read more about that in “Iodine: Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It” by Dr. David Brownstein. Progesterone Cream: All kinds of progesterone creams are available. These creams are typically very helpful to balance hormones that can affect your moods, prevent stretch marks and help some skin problems women get when pregnant. Some of these creams are wild-yam based, some contain USP progesterone and some contain preservatives (try to avoid those). They also come in different strengths. Each person may react differently based on their body chemistry. See if you can get a sample to try or that you can return something to the store if it doesn’t work for you. Yarrow: Yarrow is a wonderful herb for delivery. It typically isn’t recommended for use during pregnancy as it can stimulate the uterus. It is great, however, to help stimulate the uterus for delivery. It also boosts the immune system, stops internal bleeding, kills infection and flushes the lymph system — all things that are beneficial for delivering a baby. Yarrow made into a tea is very effective to help stop vomiting and calm the stomach. When I was delivering my son I started throwing up, and it worked great for me. Doulas: If you don’t have a doula, I highly recommend you get one. It can make this amazing time in your life much more special. A doula is there to help do anything and everything you need to make you as the birth mother more comfortable. It isn’t that the other people present (daddy, grandma, aunty, etc.) don’t want to help, or that they can’t, but typically they are busy in those roles and aren’t getting paid to make sure everything
is perfect for you. Check with your midwife or health professional to help find a doula who is perfect for you. There are so many things to think about when having a baby. Keeping yourself healthy and your baby healthy should definitely top the list. Kasara D’Elene is a Traditional Naturopath who, in the State of Washington can only legally call herself a nutritional counselor, a master herbalist, an intuitive herbalist and/or wellness coach. President of Tru-Health,Inc located at 1803 Bothell-Everett Hwy Ste. L, Bothell, Wash., a health food store specializing in all natural products. Visit her website at www.truhealth.com
Editor’s Note: There are 2 types of naturopaths. 1. Traditional Naturopaths are typically trained in small schools or by apprentices to use natural food, and plants to help nurture and educate people to optimum health. These traditional naturopaths are in the majority as they have been for hundreds of years. 2. Naturopathic Medical Doctors that must go to one of 4 schools controlled by the FDA. They can prescribe drugs and even do minor surgeries, and must be licensed by the state because of the potentially dangerous “medical” offerings. In the US there are several licensing/certifying organizations that help to control the standards of naturopathy and board certification of Traditional Naturopaths. In the State of Washington, none of them are considered legal as they are in other states. In fact, Traditional Naturopaths, regardless of any certifications or licensure of any kind are not allowed to call themselves Naturopaths in any way in Washington State. Many people feel that this is taking away our health freedom – if you feel this way, you can contact any of these organizations that are in place to help prevent our health freedoms from being taken away: http:// www.healthfreedomwa.org/ http://www.naturalhealth.org/
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are our symbol. Gemini, which is an Air (ideas) sign and mutable (able to go with the flow sign) asks us to be open to new options, ideas and new and innovative ways to do things. Gemini wants us to laugh more and connect more with others, so watch your life loosen up a bit as planets enter this sign.
Happy birthday Taurus and Gemini sun signs! May is a very busy month for us all, and astrologically we have a great deal happening in the sky that is attempting to help us create dynamic shifts and changes within our material world. I believe this is in order to shift our spiritual world and bring the two together. So, expect life to be asking a bit more of you with the sun in the sign of Taurus until the 20th when the sun moves to the much livelier sign of Gemini. Taurus, after all, is an Earth sign, which is about building, and a part of a grand trine of earth planets in the sky right now assisting us to build a new future for ourselves and the planet. Saturn, the planet of accountability, has been retrograde and will move direct on May 2. Pluto, the planet of transformation, is moving backward in Capricorn. Jupiter, the planet of faith and abundance, also will move backward in Capricorn. We begin the month with Pluto retrograde and Jupiter joins the backward trip on May 9. What does this mean in English? Well, what plans, projects and dreams are you building that now need to go back to the drawing board for additions and renovations? What is not working out as you planned? Retrograde Jupiter asks us to believe we can build it. Retrograde Pluto asks us to look at our plans and make sure this is what we want. And Saturn moving direct says “let’s get going” and begin to do the work involved in reacessing and rethinking our plans. All this Earth energy added to the Taurus energy this month makes for a great many shifts and changes for us all. This fifth month of a No. 1 year makes this a 6 month of love and service. Lots of us are working harder than we could have imagined as we reach for our dreams and reconnect with our passions. Six is about love and often love given freely with maybe not as much coming back as we are giving out. But next month we shift out of this, so be patient and get ready for more than you thought you could ever have. Colors for May are green for growth, pink for love and blue for clarity of thought, word, and deed. Use the stone emerald to improve psychic powers and sharpen intellect, intuition, vision and memory. The plant sacred to this time is the Hawthorne, also known as the May tree, which blooms only in May and is used for clarity, visions and psychic ability. May 1, which is also Beltane and a fertility time, opens us to all that is rich, luxuriant and abundant in our lives.. So, whether you are planting ideas, projects, business, babies, relationships or just a greater sense of peace, you are planting a crop that you will harvest over the next few months. Take great care this month to encourage the plants and not the weeds in your life and your mind. May 20, when the sun enters Gemini, through June 20th, the Twins
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New moons are a time of increase and the new moon on May 5 in Taurus brings Cinco De Mayo in with a wonderful energy of growth and abundance. The 72 hours prior to this are called Balsamic moon or dark of the moon. This month the 2nd, 3rd and 4th carry very powerful energy if we use these days to make intentions. With the new moon, the energy grows as do our ideas and projects until the next full moon on May 19 with the sun in Taurus and the moon in Scorpio. Then the energy dissipates and we begin to let go of what is not working for us. We have a Mercury retrograde from May 26-June 19 in the sign of Gemini. Expect lots of new ideas to come to you, and remember with Mercury retrograde, redoing, reconnecting, replanning, reanything. And new stuff, well, sometimes it has to be redone: Major May events are: May 2: Saturn, the planet of responsibility, goes direct in Virgo. May 2, 3 and 4: dark of the moon wish days. May 5: new moon at 5:18 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time. May 9: Jupiter retrograde in Capricorn; time to reconnect with trust. May 9: Mars finally moves out of Cancer into Leo and passions are high. May 19: full moon with the sun in Taurus and the moon in Scorpio. May 20: The sun moves into Gemini and things lighten up. May 25: Chiron, the wounded healer, is retrograde in Aquarius, helping us to find new and unique ways to heal ourselves and others. May 26: Mercury is retrograde in Gemini until June 19. May 26: Neptune is retrograde in Aquarius, asking us to reconnect to Source. The energy of May asks us to reconnect to self, to our higher power and to our passions. Reconfiguring plans will be a huge part of this month in order for them to work better and for us to have more of whatever we desire. So, be patient with yourself and others and remember that although our bodies are limited, our minds and our souls are not. To enlarge our world we just have to think outside the box and keep on growing, believing and changing. Chiron and Neptune retrograde in the sign of Aquarius, as they travel through the universe together, say new ways of thinking are coming to help us heal the past and recreate a new future for our planet and ourselves. One of my favorite sayings is, “Sometimes we have to let go of what we thought we wanted in order to have what we really do deserve, which is often more than we could have imagined.” So, be ready to let go of what is not working and bring in the brilliance of new ideas and new people and new joy in life. I truly do think that most of us underestimate what we truly deserve and overestimate what we feel are our limitations. Wish, hope, believe and do the work necessary to make your life grow. Let us all open up and fly high in May 2008. Carol Barbeau is a professional astrologer who teaches and works in the Seattle area. For more information about retrograde planets, free articles and much more, visit Carol Barbeau’s Web site, www.carolbarbeau.com, or e-mail her at carolastro@carolbarbeau.com.
Getting Un-Stuck
Healing Ourselves and Our Animals Animals and people can get stuck in decisions they make. We all do this. Something unpleasant or painful happens and we make a decision in response to it. The decision then ‘sticks’, or stays in effect through time, even though it’s no longer appropriate for what’s going on in the present. When a condition or injury doesn’t correct itself almost immediately, it may be that the animal has made a decision that is holding it in place. Emotions, feelings and thoughts that are created in painful or upsetting moments can also be held in place by decisions.
Point of Creation and Point of Destruction Every condition and situation that we are interested in changing was created somewhere throughout all time, space, dimensions and realities. We call this the point of creations (POC). For people, this often involves a judgement or a decision. How and why it was created doesn not matter, nor does any other part of its story matter. We only need to know that it was created. One Day my son was telling me that he was sick. I asked, “So, what are you sick of, son?” He said, “Well, I’m sick of ________.” I asked, “Okay, what else are you sick of?” He said, “I’m sick of___________.” I asked, “And what else are you sick of?” He said, “I’m sick of ___________.” Then I said, “Okay, would you destroy all of your decisions and judgments about being sick?” (These were points of creation) He said, “Sure!” The next day he was well. The point of destruction (POD) is the point where we destroy our beingness with a decision that is based on a limited point of view. We literally undo our beingness with a decision and put ourselves into a destruct universe. An example of this comes from a woman I worked with recently. This woman had made the decision that her family meant everything to her. At the time I worked with her, the woman’s mother was dying, which meant to her that her family was ending. She got exactly the same disease her mother had. Her decision about family was a point of destruction.
Dr. Dain Heer & Gary M. Douglas nected with the condition that’s being cleared. It also refers to the ways we made the condition meaningless, all of our own creations, all the things we accedpted or ‘bought’ from others, ways, means, methods we use to maintain and create it, decisions, emotions, thoughts, pure feelings and more, that we have ever had throughout all of time and space on that issue. Going to the point of creation is very effective in undoing the after- effects of trauma. When we go to the point of creation of the trauma, the polarity that holds the condition or situation in existence is erased. If an animal has been traumatized, ask for the feelings that are connected with the trauma. Then go to the POC and POD of the feelings immediately preceding the trauma, torture, caprure, surgery, drugs, medication or whatever it was. When you do this, the feeling ceases to exist and the trauma that has been locked up in the body starts to break apart for the animal. When you aks for the point of creation of something, it is implied (and the Universe understands) that this includes the thoughts, feelings and emotions immediately preceding the decision to be, do, have, create or generate whatever condition we’re now stuck with. Excerpted from “Talk to the Animals - An Extraordinary Conversation” by Dr. Dain Heer and Gary M. Douglas and available at www.accessconsciousness.com. Join Gary Douglas, author of ‘Talk to the Animals’, for ‘Conscious Horse, Conscious Rider’ , a workshop May 17 & 18 on Whidbey Island. Other Seattle events Wednesday, May 14: ‘Talk to the Animals’, Noble Horse Gallery, 216 S. First St., 4-6 p.m. ‘What Animals can Tell Us about Earth Changes’, East West Bookshop, 6500 Roosevelt Way, 7-8:30 More information is at www.accessconsciousness.com.
The point of destruction, like the point of creation, includes energetically the thoughts, feeling, and emotions preceding the decision. Whenever we create anything from a positive or negative viewpoint, or decide that something is good or bad, right or wrond, perfect or horrible, we creat a polarity. We tend to think of the positive polarity as good, but it can create as much of a limitation, if not more than a negative polarity. For example, if you decide that you have the perfect relationship, and you’re with someone who is not kind or caring to you, you end up letting them destroy you because you’ve made the decision that your relationship is perfect. You’re stuck in your decision that it’s perfect and you’re not willing to see where it’s not perfect
Erasing Decisions, Emotions, Thoughts and Feelings To erase a decision, we ask the energy to go to the point of creation of the decision, emotion, feeling or thought that immediately preceded it. In turning- or reversing - the polarity, we undo the positive and the negative and the decision ceases to exist. This is done by using a clearing statement, which allows hundereds of points of creation or destruction to clear at one time: Right, wrong, good, bad, POC and POD, all nine, shorts, boys and beyonds. The clearing statement is an abbreviated statement that allows hundreds of points of creation to clear at one time. It refers to all the meanings, rewards, punishments, layers, entities, implants, and energy fields con-
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The Mother Daughter Dance Judy McAllister Mothers and daughters become the mirror for each other in so many ways. In their daughters, mothers discover potentials they never developed. Sometimes that leads to resentment or jealousy or even attempting to fulfill our dreams through our children. But it may also become the impetus to achieve our dreams or potentials. In a similar process, as daughters we can visualize our own potential by looking at our mothers. Mothers model for us what we can do or be. They give us hope and confidence that we can achieve what they have done if we choose.
Mothers and Daughters: Rarely an easy relationship, but a unique opportunity to define ourselves.
Therein lies the counterforce that defines mother-daughter relationships. As adolescents and young women, we look at our mothers and say to ourselves, “I don’t want to be like that!” This does not have to be negative for either mother or daughter. It is a golden opportunity! Here we get to see that we have choices. We do not have to take the path our mother chose when we can see that it had negative consequences. Our mothers have given us examples of what to avoid, and we can then experiment with other paths. What a gift it is to be able to see in advance that a certain path is a dead end or simply that it is not our path. The danger in this path is a judgmental attitude which we can correct easily by thanking our mothers for the gift of allowing us foresight. Another dynamic of the mother-daughter relationship is that many mothers and daughters come to feel that they did not get what they wanted from the relationship. Sometimes we feel we did not get enough nurturing or encouragement or love or _____? You fill in the blank. Did you ask for it? Ironically, many times we did ask in a soul contract for the very dynamic we have gotten. We set it up to learn certain things by choosing a mother who would present that issue for us. I believe it is no accident that many women of my own generation have felt unsupported. It has made us into the movers and shakers we have become. We have created our own support. Surprise! Here is another gift of the mother-daughter connection. Mothers also end up feeling unfulfilled and unrewarded by their daughters. We ask ourselves, what did I do wrong that my daughter feels so distant? Or we take their failures on ourselves. But remember, our daughters have had to experiment with new paths, just as we did. They will not always be successful, and neither their mistakes nor our own are failures. They are simply experiments in living and opportunities to learn. When we feel unfulfilled by our daughters, perhaps we need to look for other ways to fulfill ourselves. Perhaps it is time to stretch our own wings. In all cases, the mother-daughter relationship presents us with endless opportunities to define who we are and what we want to be. It is a sacred relationship, no matter how conflicted, and a sacred trust. We can always ask ourselves, “What can I learn now from this relationship?” My own mother is 96 and I have 4 daughters and 5 granddaughters, all of whom give me multiple marvelous opportunities to see more about who I am and what I can do and be. I am grateful for the mirror. Judy McAllister, MSW, is the owner of Vision Quest Educational Center and Bookstore in Everett and has done mother-daughter and women’s workshops for 20 years. She is doing a Mother Daughter workshop May 30 through June 1. You may contact her at 425-750-5023 or at Vision Quest, 425-252-1591.
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Escape to Freedom Guy Finley An evil sorcerer once hypnotized a group of captives into believing that whatever he wanted was what they wanted. It was a powerful black spell. Not only did it keep each of his psychic slaves unconscious to his own unhappy feelings, but it also made him believe that he had no choice but to feel that way. And so these poor men and women worked willingly for the sorcerer even though they were often commanded to act in ways that made them go against their own true nature. Year after year they went on hurting one another as they continued to toil unknowingly under the evil influence of his cruel spell. Then, one day, right in the middle of carrying out one of the sorcerer’s wicked wishes, one of the captives had a startling insight. It came to him like a bolt of lightning. He wondered why he had never before thought to ask himself such a simple question. Here is what he wondered even as he was struggling to complete his unpleasant appointed task. “If I am doing what I want to do, how come it hurts me to do it?” There was no way for him to know it right then, but this seemingly unimportant question was the beginning of a great miracle that would one day allow him to command his own life once again. From that point on, every day and every time he would find himself unexplainably unhappy he would ask himself this same question: If I am doing what I want to do, how come it hurts me to do it? What he didn’t know was that each time he asked this of himself, he was, at that same moment, delivering a smashing blow to the hold of the sorcerer’s evil spell. Soon the happy day arrived when he just couldn’t find any more good reason, in his own mind, to go on hurting himself. This final realization spelled the end of the evil influence in his life. He escaped his unhappy existence and fled home to freedom.
matter how inwardly convincing it may feel to you that you will be betraying yourself or someone else if you don’t. The only way that any suffering feeling can prove to you that you need it is to hypnotize you with a flood of itself. Step back from yourself. Learn instead to listen to the quiet stream of higher insight that runs softly through your True Nature. It sees through sorrow. Let it show you that suffering proves nothing. If you want to receive some special help for helping yourself escape yourself, always remember the key question that freed the hypnotized hero in our story. It freed him from his psychic captivity. Let it do the same for you. I’ll repeat it for you: “If I am doing what I want to do, then how come it hurts me to do it?” The truth guarantees you will stop doing what you don’t want to do once you know what you have been doing against yourself. (Excerpted from The Secret of Letting Go by Guy Finley, Rev. Edition, Llewellyn Publications) Guy Finley is the best-selling author of over 30 books & audio albums on self-realization and founder and director of Life of Learning Foundation, a nonprofit center for self-study in Southern Oregon where he gives talks four times each week. For more information visit www.guyfinley.org, and sign up to receive a free helpful newsletter emailed to your desktop once each week.
No one really wants to talk about it, but the truth is there is a kind of “evil spell” hanging over each of us and our world as well. In fact, part of this global spell is our denial of its existence. It is called suffering. Everyone does it—and like the hypnotized captives in our story—everyone believes that their suffering somehow benefits them. That’s how the spell works. Why else would anyone punish himself with unhappy feelings unless he had been tricked into somehow perceiving self-hurt as self-help? Let’s examine one of these instances. First of all, to be angry is to suffer. It doesn’t help anyone to get angry. Anger hurts whoever is angry. It burns. Anger ruins relationships, causes heartache and regret, and devastates health. And yet, in spite of all of these facts, when we are angry it feels right. Somehow, in some unseen way, anger proves to whoever is experiencing its heated feelings that he or she is right even though, in the eyes of reality, nothing could be further from the truth. The same scenario holds true of worry, anxiety, resentment, doubt, guilt or any other dark state. How can something so wrong seem so right? Here’s the answer: negative emotions feel like they are in your best interest because, at the time of their intrusion into your life, they temporarily fill you with a powerful false sense of self. However, just like the sorcerer’s evil spell in our story, this sense of self born out of fierce but lying feelings can only exist without your conscious consent or awareness of its being there. Why? Because this negative-self’s interests are not in your best interest. This conjured-up temporary identity is nothing but a self-of-suffering. No one chooses to lose. This lesson may seem difficult at first, but with your persistent wish to understand it, you will one day wonder how you were ever tricked into feeling bad about anything. Truth wants you to know that it is never in your best interest to unconsciously suffer, no
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Love
Compassion & The Dalai Lama before Receiving The Congressional Gold Medal from Pres. Bush. The honor is the highest civilian honor awarded by the U.S. Congress. Getty Photo
“Love, compassion, and tolerance are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.” The essence of all religions is love, compassion, and tolerance. Kindness is my true religion. No matter whether you are learned or not, whether you believe in the next life or not, whether you believe in God or Buddha or some other religion or not, in day-today life you must be a kind person. When you are motivated by kindness, it doesn’t matter whether you are a practitioner, a lawyer, a politician, an administrator, a worker, or an engineer: whatever your profession or field, deep down you are a kind person. Love, compassion, and tolerance are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive. If you have a particular faith or religion, that is good. But you can survive without it if you have love, compassion, and tolerance. The clear proof of a person’s love of God is if that person genuinely shows love to fellow human beings. To have strong consideration for others’ happiness and welfare, we must have a special altruistic attitude in which we take upon ourselves the burden of helping others. To generate such an unusual attitude, we must have great compassion — caring about the suffering of others and wanting to do something about it. To have such a strong force of compassion, we must have a strong sense of love that, upon observing sentient beings, wishes that they have happiness — finding a pleasantness in everyone and wishing happiness for everyone, just as a mother does for her sole sweet child. To have a sense of closeness and dearness for others, use as a model a person in this lifetime who was very kind
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Tolerance His Holiness the Dalai Lama
to you. Then extend this sense of gratitude to all beings. Deep down we must have real affection for each other, a clear realization or recognition of our shared human status. At the same time, we must openly accept all ideologies and systems as a means of solving humanity’s problems. One country, one nation, one ideology, one system is not sufficient. It is helpful to have a variety of different approaches on the basis of a deep feeling of the basic sameness of humanity. We can then make a joint effort to solve the problems of the whole of humankind. Every major religion has similar ideas of love, the same goal of benefiting through spiritual practice, and the same effect of making its followers into better human beings. All religions teach moral precepts for perfecting the functions of mind, body, and speech. All teach us not to lie or steal or take others’ lives, and so on. The common goal of all moral precepts laid down by the great teachers of humanity is unselfishness. Those teachers wanted to lead their followers away from the paths of negative deeds caused by ignorance and to introduce them to paths of goodness. All religions can learn from one another; their ultimate goal is to produce better human beings who will be more tolerant, more compassionate, and less selfish. Human beings need spiritual as well as material sustenance. Without spiritual sustenance, it is difficult to get and maintain peace of mind. The purpose of religion is not to argue which one is the best. Over the past centuries, each great teaching has served humanity, so it’s much better to make friends, understand each other, and make an effort to serve humanity than to criticize or
argue. Buddha, Jesus Christ, and all other great teachers created their ideas and teachings with sincere motivation, love, and kindness toward humanity, and they shared it for the benefit of humanity. I do not think those great teachers created differences to make trouble. Our human mind always likes different approaches. There is a richness in the fact that there are so many different presentations of the way. There are two ways to enter into Buddhism: one through faith and one through reasoning. Faith alone may not be sufficient. Buddha always emphasized a balance of wisdom and compassion: a good brain and a good heart should work together. Placing importance on just the intellect and ignoring the heart can create more problems and more suffering in the world. On the other hand, if we emphasize only the heart, and ignore the brain, then there is not much difference between humans and animals. These two must be developed in balance, and when they are, the result is material progress accompanied by good spiritual development. Heart and mind working in harmony will yield a truly peaceful and friendly human family. I feel that my mission is, wherever I am, to express my feeling about the importance of kindness, compassion, and the true sense of brotherhood. I practice these things. It gives me more happiness, more success. If I practice anger or jealousy or bitterness, no doubt my smile would disappear. The real troublemakers are anger, jealousy, impatience, and hatred. With them, problems cannot be solved. Though we may have temporary success, ultimately our hatred or anger will create further difficulties. Anger makes for swift solutions. Yet, when we face problems with compassion, sincerity, and good motivation, our solutions may take longer, but ultimately they are better. When I meet new people, in my mind there is no barrier, no curtain. As human beings you are my brothers and sisters; there is no difference in substance. I can talk with you as I would to old friends. With this feeling we can communicate without any difficulty and can make heart-to-heart contact. Based on such genuine human relations — real feeling for each other, understanding each other — we can develop mutual trust and respect. From that, we can share other people’s suffering and build harmony in human society. Richard Carlson, Ph.D., was considered to be one of the world’s foremost experts on happiness and stress reduction. Benjamin Shield, Ph.D., is an educator, lecturer, and therapist. In Handbook for the Spirit, they gather some of the most revered teachers in religion, psychology, and spirituality to provide much-needed spiritual nourishment. Excerpted with permission from the book Handbook for the Spirit: © 2008 Printed with permission of New World Library, Novato, CA. www.newworldlibrary.com or 800-972-6657 ext. 52.
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Voice of Choices May 2008
Carolyn Leeper The way you sign your name, write a letter or even the way you doodle on a scrap of paper can reveal aspects of your personality that you may not understand yourself. Handwriting patterns are indicators of your conscious and unconscious desire, attitudes, strengths and weaknesses. Every time you make a stroke, you may be supporting and reinforcing a habit, attitude or belief, positive or negative. Handwriting, even in this day of e-mail and text messaging, expresses your personality, mood, stress and even your health. 1.) Your signature is your “calling card”, telling the world how you want to be known. If it hasn’t changed since high school, take some time to practice a new signature style until you find the right one to reflect the new you.
2.) Open yourself up to improved self-esteem by changing your writing from small and cramped to larger and more flowing. Writing size indicates the size of your place among other people. Claim your proper place with more open handwriting. 3.) Make a conscious effort to write your sentences across the page in a slightly upward-slanting style and you will allow your subconscious to lift your mood and attitude from pessimism and depression to optimism, anticipation and excitement. Even if you seldom actually “write” on a piece of paper because your communication is normally by computer, e-mail, and text messaging, take some time to actually practice your handwriting. 4.) While you’re practicing, take a look at the lower-case letters that go into the lower zone (g, j, p, q, y, and z). Are they tight and cramped? Open them up! Full, long and wide lower loops indicate an active imagination. Open your mind to new ideas. 5.) Do you have any issues of “balance” in your life, and find it impossible to be organized? Notice how you are forming the lower case letter “f”; it is the only lower case letter that occupies all three zones (upper, middle and lower). Practice getting it well balanced and centrally placed. You will find your moods and attitudes becoming more stable and easy going and being organized will become automatic. Graphology, or handwriting analysis, is fun, interesting and informative. Graphology is used for everything from solving crimes to finding the right employee, to even finding the right “significant other.” Your handwriting expresses your personality, your moods, your stress and even your health. You probably haven’t even thought about practicing your handwriting, taking it for granted that it is what it is. No so. Your handwriting can be improved simply for the sake of making it more legible. But it can also be changed in ways that will instruct your subconscious to change and brighten your attitudes and moods. Let your handwriting reflect the person you want to be. Carolyn Leeper is a writer/editor and past president of Washington Business & Professional Women (BPW/WA). Her email address is cdleeper@hotmail.com.
Voice of Choices May 2008
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------------------------------------------------------------ASTROL OG Y ------------------------------------------------------------ASTROLOG OGY Soul Centered Astrology - Carol Barbeau
Hand Cast Astrology Charts Relationship - Solar Return - Monthly - Relocation - Children’s Charts Tarot - Runes - Color Therapy - Chakra Work - Numerology
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Voice of Choices May 2008
YOUR CHOICE EVENTS
YOU TOO CAN LEARN TO TALK TO THE ANIMALS! Join Gary Douglas, author
EARTH TRANSFORMATION: NEW SCIENCE, CONSCIOUSNESS AND CONTACT CONFERENCE. May 16-18. Kona, Big
of ‘Talk to the Animals’, for ‘Conscious Horse, Conscious Rider’ , a workshop May 17 & 18 on Whidbey Island. Other Seattle events Wednesday, May 14: ‘Talk to the Animals’, Noble Horse Gallery, 216 S. First St., 4-6 p.m. ‘What Animals can Tell Us about Earth Changes’, East West Bookshop, 6500 Roosevelt Way, 7-8:30 p.m. Check out website: www.access conscious ness.com or call 414 302-0163 today.
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Island, Hawaii. 11 International Speakers, Keynote Banquet, Music, Guided Meditations & More. Contact: 808 323 3400. Website: www.EarthTransformation.com
8TH ANNUAL FAIRY & HUMAN RELATIONS CONGRESS. June 27-29. Skalitude Retreat, Twisp, WA. In-depth faery communication and cooperation in a fun, festive, and family atmosphere. Workshops, Circles, Costume Parade, Organic Food. www.fairycongress.com 509-997-1032
a n o d e S
ATTENTION LIGHT WORKERS & HEALERS! Are you seeking the next develop-
mental step that will expand your consciousness and activate hidden wisdom within you? Learn & Teach Angelic Reiki in Just One Week! June 21-28, 2008. Visit www.AngelicReikiMagic. com/sedona.html or contact Raphael at OCEAN SHORES BODY & SOUL FESTI- RedRockRaphael@ yahoo. com or 928-282VAL August 16 & 17 in beautiful Ocean Shores, 3993 WA at the Shilo Inn Ballroom - 707 Ocean Shores Blvd. www.oceanshoresfestival. com for more MORE LOVE, MORE JOY! Learn how to information. find or create the most balanced and enjoyable relationships imaginable! Workshops beginning soon throughout Seattle Metro, Port Townsend, RAW SPIRIT FESTIVAL and Portland . Tuition starts at only $59.00. To Sedona, AZ Sept. 12-14 learn more visit www.MoreLoveMoreJoy.com The Grandest Raw Vegan Festival on Earth! or call 1-800-936-0036.
www.rawspirit.com
CLASSES & WORKSHOPS EVERETT PAGAN MEET-UPGROUP 2nd Friday monthly 7 pm at Moonflower Magicks 1618 Hewitt, Everett 98201. Free bring a snack to share if you like. Search at www.meetup.com
Voice of Choices May
2008
Gnostic Psychology & Meditation Ongoing transformative classes
The Seattle Gnostic Center 2427 NE 143rd St, North Seattle Information & registration at www.gnosticcenter.com 206-365-0826 All classes offered on donation basis
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ONGOING OFFERINGS NEXT FRIENDS AND FELLOWSHIP INTENTIONAL Living and Intuitive Arts Fairs: Everett June 22. To participate: please visit http://friends andfellowship. byregion.net for information and then call Frances at 206679-0316.
PSYCHIC & HOLISTIC HEALTH FAIRS Free admission 10-5pm. KENT: First Sat. monthly New Woman Books 213 W. Meeker St. MILL CREEK - BOTHELL 2nd Sat monthly at Grange Hall corner of 35th Ave. SE & Seattle Hill Rd. From 1-5 head east on 164th St. SW follow til it crosses 35th. BEL-REDOVERLAKE 3rd Sat. monthly. Maitreya Education Foundation 2260 152nd Ave. NE. Redmond 98052Call 425-562-4777 for more information or directions.
A BEAUTIFUL TELEMEDITATION RETREATEXPERIENCE Feel the heart-connecting power of group meditation via telephone from the comfort of your own home. Direct the energy of soul-clearing transmissions to heal yourself, others and the planet. www.TeleMeditation Retreats.com 1-800-617-6314.
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I HAVE THE WORLD’S MOST POWERFUL WEIGHT LOSS SECRET. As a Perfect Body Shape Coach, I can share them with you. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee! Go to www.mannaworld.perfectbodyshape.com or call 808 573 1352.
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ON WINGS OF LIGHT ~ Shamanic, Medicine Wheel, Earth based Spirituality. Drumming, Journey Circles, Vision Quests, Weekend Encampments, Soul Retrievals, Healing & Rituals. Please visit our Trading Post for your supplies and gifts. www.onwingsoflight.com email Tana Hamiter info@onwings oflight.com 360-856-1428 (78)) THE UNDEFENDED HEART IN LOVE & LIFE - Low Libido, difficult childhood, doubt, conflict hurting your relation-ship(s), dating, self-esteem? Counseling, Insight, Support and Solutions with ALEXANDRIA O’SHEA, MA, LMHC. 20 years experience; insurance - out of network; Seattle office; and long distance telephone session Individuals, Couples, Women’s Group. For a therapist you can trust, call 206-729-7284.
WESTWOOD HEALING ARTS provides clairvoyant reading and healing, trance mediumship, soul retrieval, therapeutic massage, and Reiki. With compassion, tact, skill, caring and directness. Most services $60/hr. Amy Elkins, LMP 206-933-0407 NEEDING A READING? PSYCHIC READINGS from master fortune teller, “The
WANTED - READERS AND VENDORS for Psychic and Alternative Health Fairs. Great opportunity to network and show your Products and Services to the Public. Call Lori at 425-562-4777
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Voice of Choices May 2008
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