Michio Kaku

Illusion Rocks

Reality, as we know it, is what we allow ourselves to know of it.

     If science is correct and we only see 2000 bits of information per second vs. the 400 trillion bits available AND the the universe is really 99.99999% (let's just round up and say 100%) not here, not solid, not visible, then we must come to the conclusion that we don't really "see" anything. What we see is our beliefs about what we should see, our skewed perceptions and limited beliefs, our hopes, fears and desires. Reality, as we know it, is what we allow ourselves to know of it.
     We are standing in our own self-created illusions every hour of every day. I call this standing on an illusion rock. We can choose to believe something different, hop to another rock, but are we still seeing only 2000 bits? Still under illusion? If I can stand on the rock of belief that says I am good enough rather than stand in the illusion that fears I am not, why not choose the rock that feels good? If I am going to lie to myself, I'm going to choose to stand in a lie that makes me happy! Why not?!
     The moral of the story is about perception. We can choose to look at the positive side of things or we can choose to see the negative. But there is also a third option which is to recognize and accept both as a part of a whole. Life is good and life can be challenging but life IS life and I choose to love it!

Choose your perception. Choose what you feel. Choose how to think and choose how to live.

It's YOUR life! Claim it!!

Unknowable Joy

I AM the very joy I seek !

     I spent  five years, from 2004 to 2008, studying joy.  I learned to create with joy, to transform into joy and to be joyful. Ultimately, I learned that I am the very joy I seek. I was content with that knowing until a few days ago when I received a message that said 2012 would be a year of "unknowable joy". These words intrigued me, as words often do, because it brought to mind so many questions. Is this a joy we have never known?  Or that we can't comprehend? Is it a joy we won't allow ourselves to know? Or perhaps the Unknowable is working to bring us joy? I believe the answer is, yes!
     If you feel joy when you think about this, think about it just because it feels good. If you feel pain when you think about it, think about that too! Think about what brings you joy and what takes you away from it. Think about every aspect of it and what it means to you. Joy is the end result of every thing we seek so aspire to it, befriend it, learn to know it and let it know you. Know that IT is inside of you waiting to be discovered.
   

      I seek to know joy like I seek to know God: in all forms, in all things, in all parts of my life; every moment of every day, all day long!

Drops in the Ocean

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

     A single drop of water often symbolizes the Atman, a Hindu concept for Self. This Self is transcendent to the lower self and exists even though we are unaware of It's doings. Brahman Atman is the "God-Self" or to know oneself as divine and connected to the Oneness of the universe. It is to know we are all drops in the ocean of eternal Life, part and whole at the same time.
     Dharma, or purpose, is to act in accordance with this Oneness. It is to know our place within the body of the One is unique and important. We tend to minimize our gifts and talents because they come to us with such ease. This is because it is our natural way; what we were born to be. We tend to see ourselves as nothing special, just another drop in the ocean while still believing we are alone, separate, from others and all that is. How can this be so? Tell me you're special or tell me you're not but don't tell me both!

 When intention is aligned with the purpose of the cosmic plan, of Oneness, it increasingly bears fruit.

 

Expre$$ion

Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune. 
Jim Rohn.

     I had a dream the other night where someone asked me "Why is it ok for you to be greedy with words and not ok to be greedy with money?". So many thoughts streamed through my head before I was able to respond: I love my greed for words. I don't like greed with money. The word greed is so loaded. Why did she use that word?
     I realized that I held an artist, musician or poet with great esteem but a good businessman, eh? I had respect for their accomplishments but it was definitely not the same admiration I held for an "artist". Why? I tap into the infinite source of creative energy to write stories or classes or blogs. I believe this is the Source energy that creates life, babies, health, everything! But I had money, in my mind, as something separate. Again, I had to ask myself, why?
     Money is an expression of energy just like words or paintings or your life. It's like an infinite supply of  water and you can turn on the tap anytime you want. You don't need to stockpile it in your refrigerator. All you need to know is how to turn on your tap, ready the vessel and receive.
     Why is this so important? Because stress is the #1 killer in our culture and money is our #1 source of stress. Because we allow fears around money to pull us away from the things we value the most, the things that bring joy and the very things that make life, life. We put money in opposition to purpose and joy and creativity when in reality they are one in the same and we can have it all!

 

TAP IN!

The Voice of Ego

Life is a travelling to the edge of knowledge, then a leap taken.
David Herbert Lawrence

     People often ask me how to differentiate between the voice of Spirit and the voice of ego.  I describe the voice of ego as the loud, obnoxious guy who stands on the table and tells everyone he's right and you should be afraid; "something out there is going get you, you better play it safe, you're going to lose everything and it's not worth it to even try because you're not good enough and you don't want to feel like a failure". The ego doesn't want to be questioned either because it NEVER has a logical answer. It talks you in circles and keeps you afraid so you won't make changes that disrupt the status quo.
     The voice of Spirit, on the other hand, is a whisper. She sits quietly at the edge of your mind and waits for you to come to her. The voice of Spirit is so soft. One must be still in order to hear it. Because of this, most times her voice cannot be heard over the clamoring of the ego and the constant external noise to which we have grown much too accustomed. But Spirit patiently waits, ever-present , always vigilant should you ever need comfort or counsel.
     Ego tells you what you might lose and Spirit shows you what you'll gain.  Ego speaks of all head or all heart while Spirit lives in the balance of the two. Ego says you are different and that makes you separate. But Spirit affirms your uniqueness and its place within The One. When ego speaks you feel alone, depleted and when Spirit speaks you feel energized and inspired. Spirit speaks of truth while ego speaks of illusion.
     There's an old story about a grandfather teaching his granddaughter about life. He tells her it's a battle between the light wolf who sits on your right shoulder and the dark wolf who sits on your left. One will take you down the road of darkness while the other will lead you up the path of light. "Which one's going to win, Grandfather?" the girl asks.  "Which ever one you feed" he replies.

Metamorphosis

Never does nature say one thing and wisdom another.
Juvenal

    
      I was sitting in my backyard one beautiful summer day when I noticed a caterpillar dangling, upside down from the back of one of my lawn chairs. He was wiggling around, swinging to and fro and I was fascinated because I knew he was about to change into a chrysalis. This was an experience I had never witnessed so I decided to stay and watch.
     I couldn't take my eyes off of him because the contortions were just so uncanny. He seemed to be bubbling from the inside out, like something else was moving under his skin. Then, all of the sudden, his back split open and his little caterpillar body dropped from him like a worn out coat. All that remained was a gelatinous blob that resembled neither caterpillar nor chrysalis. I always thought caterpillars "wrapped" themselves in a chrysalis but the change I was observing was happening from the inside out!
     I watched for several hours as this amazing little being tightened itself into a perfect turquoise package complete with the typical Monarch's strand of golden droplets around its crown. I moved the chair to the back of the house to ensure the chrysalis would have a safe transformation and, strangely enough, I was lucky enough to witness the moment the butterfly emerged.
     Metamorphosis is a profound and mysterious experience. Change is encoded in us and therefore cannot be denied. Change happens from the inside out, starting with the tiniest chromosomal spark, rippling it's way to through the vastness of all you are and all there is. It just goes to show that with some time, and little internal wrestling, small changes become life-changing experiences!

We are not just manifestations of something divine,

but the Divine made manifest!

Afraid of My Own Shadow

A human being is only breath and shadow.

Sophocles

     Carl Jung borrowed the term "shadow" from ancient philosophies which describe the dark part of the psyche. The ancestors taught that there are three phases one goes through when dealing with the shadow. The first is that we don't know the shadow exists. The next is when we discover the shadow but we don't like that it. And the final stage is when we embrace the shadow. Because we know it is a part of all of us, embracing it not serves a purpose, it makes us whole.
     The shadow holds the secrets that have the power to set us free because it is the part of us, of life, that we always avoid. We see it reflected to us in our relationships and we feel it as the emotions we don't want to feel. Embracing it means that we run towards our fears so we can be liberated from them. It's when we choose to trust our truth in the midst of a cloud of doubt and walk forward with faith in our selves and our power to create our worlds. The shadow is our gateway to freedom.
     Don't hide from the feelings and the fear but embrace them! They are the opportunities you're waiting for and they are the very peace you are seeking. They have the information you're missing and they want to be found. They are the symptoms that warn of imbalance and they want you to succeed. They will not stop until they are heard and they are here to serve you so why not make fear your ally and shadow your friend? A fearless life of unlimited potential may just unfold before you!

Know yourself as all that you are and not just what you allow yourself to be!

    

Clogged Filters

A man sooner or later discovers that he is the master-gardener of his soul, the director of his life.
James Allen

     We live in a universe of information. We are constantly flowing through time and space and, like driving cross-country, we are gathering information as we go. What you see and what I see on the road-trip of life is relative and, I think, meaningful. Why is it that you see one thing and I see another? What happens to this information that makes it appear so relative, so indiviual to each one of us?
     I like to explain this phenomenon to people as what I call "filters". Filters are made up of belief systems, past experiences, fears and desires. Filters "skew" the universal information, clouding our vision with doubt and insecurity, desires and attachments, until we heal the wounds that create these emotional weak spots. The universe is always working for us in this way, constantly steering us towards balance.
     I believe we "choose to see" based on the experiences we need to advance our souls in their development. The more we clear our vision, take control of our mind and emotion and truly understand our Selves, we free ourselves to receive pure and accurate information from the universe and All there is. Then we can make life decisions based on accurate information and we begin to take control of our worlds, internal and external. It is in these moments that we recognize ourselves as powerful co-creators, masters of our world.


 

1-Day Challenge

Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge

   
    
     I was driving to work the other day when I realized I had forgotten my phone. An immediate sense of panic came over me, quickly followed by the internal correction of "Oh, come on!".  I usually check my email, text and voicemail before I enter the shop to start my day. But that day, it wasn't an option. So I sat on the grass and soaked in the sun and thought "Wow! How did I end up here?!" I realized that day by day, hour by hour, I had become accustomed to the constant barrage of  noise and activity, technology and toys; distractions from MY life and what it means to just BE.
     Since then I have practiced a day a week with no cell phones or computers, no TV or newspapers. The silence is wonderful and the information, profound. I listen to the wind instead of the radio and live my own life instead of watching other people live theirs. We have fallen so far away from our natural way of being that we are unfamiliar, and sometimes uncomfortable, with the simple act of living.

LOVE LIFE & IT WILL LOVE YOU BACK



Internal Worlds

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see.
Henry David Thoreau

     We all live in our own internal worlds. Made up of thought and perception, creativity and emotion, dialogue and will, our internal world seems so "real" to us that we easily forget the population there is ONE. The universe, as we see it, is 100% "not there", with the visible making up only .01%. Yet we call this invisible universe and our internal world "reality" and claim, and many of us fear, that we have no power over it.
     People often ask me how to go about making changes their lives. Most of us want change because change means growth and growth means life but too many of us have grown fearful that we "can't" change. We fear we are too weak or that some thing outside of ourselves will force us down a path we have not chosen. We forget that the internal world and the external world are one in the same.
     If you want to make changes to your external world, your life, your environment, your body or your bank account, don't look to outside sources first. Take the time to examine your internal world to see how it's affecting your experience of life. This is the first step.

Anything you want to change in your life is possible but you must first change the way you think

The Arrow of Time

Anybody who has been seriously engaged is scientific work of any kind realizes that over the entrance to the gates of the temple of science are written the words: 'Ye must have faith.'
Max Planck

     The Arrow of Time is a term used to describe the ever-constant, seemingly forward motion of time. It's hard to comprehend Einstein's relative concept of time, dependent on motion, massive objects, gravity etc. but the truth of the matter is that time is different for you than it is for me. Time is different for everyone. We like to think that we all have the same experience of time but it is actually time itself that is fixed.
     We tend to think that it is time that's moving forward but in reality it is we that move forward through time. Every possibility, everything that has ever been or ever will be, is contained within the frozen stream of energy we call time. Our awareness of it, our present moment, moves through time and space and where we end up is entirely up to us. Where we hold our minds is where the river will "take" us and there is no thing that is impossible.
      Everything we want has already been written within the fabric of the space-time continuum. There is no need for us to "create" it. The only question, the doubt that plagues the mind, is whether or not we can "hold" our minds long enough to "arrive" at that which we call our wildest dreams.

Happy 11-11-11 !!

    

Beautiful Work

Nature and books belong to the eyes that see them.
Ralph Waldo Emerson 

     I was watching a clip of a Mayan elder talking about his work. His name is Hunbatz Men and he's a Day Keeper which means it is his purpose to learn, and pass down, the traditional Mayan teachings. He did not attend public schools as a child nor did he grow up as a part of a church or political group. These things, he said, teach things very different from the traditional Mayan ways. Instead he learned "how to talk to the wind" and he wondered why major universities fail to teach such important things!
     It moved me when he talked about his work, "my beautiful work with Father Sun and Mother Earth". He asked that we pray for humanity to "weaken ill purposes and to plants seeds of good in all living beings".  It reminded me that it is the work that I love, the connection to Spirit and the sharing with others that is at the true center of why I do what I do. This is my beautiful work.

If you're searching for your own beautiful work, perhaps you should ask the wind!

2-Dollar Bill

Memory is the mother of all wisdom.
Aeschylus

     I have a memory of being 6 years old, out to dinner with my family. My father presented a 2-dollar bill to us, something I had never seen before, and I asked him if I could have it. He smiled, with tears in his eyes as he gave me the bill, and said "You have never asked me for anything". I kept the 2 dollar bill until I was 21, when it was stolen with my purse the first night we arrived in LA. 
     It was a happy memory of my father, but a painful one. It was one of, perhaps, only a half a dozen "real" experiences I ever remember having with him. He had so many demons, so much fear and so many feelings of inadequacy that he couldn't be present with us, his family, his wife and six kids. We were not enough to pull him from the depression that eventually took took his life. I didn't realize that I had tethered pain, love, family and money together, but indeed, I had.
     About 15 years ago my husband came home with a "new"2 dollar bill for me. When he presented it to me it was I that was moved to tears. I realized that this "thing" really meant something to me and I was determined to find out what. The process that followed allowed me to identify and release all grief from the past and in doing so, the negative emotions I experienced in my current-day life also vanished. It's a process I still use to this day to help my clients free themselves from painful, negative emotions.
     I still carry the 2 dollar bill with me all these years later. It is no longer folded into 8 neat sections, tucked neatly away along with my pain. It is no longer a symbol of fear and inadequacy but of joyful love and gracious receiving. I no longer succumb to the negative feelings as I now know they were nothing but memories. My love, my abundance, my health and happiness are finally free to BE just as I AM.


    

Soul & Spirit

He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.
Friedrich Nietzsche

     Someone once asked me if I thought there was a difference between the soul and the spirit. To me, the spirit can be "broken" but the soul lives on forever. The soul is something that is eternal, ever-connected, always intact. Spirit, on the other hand, is a state of of mind, a way of being. And that again, for me, seems to come and go like the wind, with the mood, with the seasons.
     I believe the question was really about the Self; who am I really, and what part of me is constant? What label do I give to that part of me that never changes in the midst of this ever dynamic, always changing multi-verse? And how do I grasp that in a way that can bring me peace?
     Carl Jung said "Whatever you fail to bring to the conscious mind will later emerge as fate." I believe this process of creating that to which we do not aspire allows the soul to progress in that we create opportunities to learn. In doing so we find our way to our own true heart's desire.

Sometimes the best teachers show us what not to do.

Let Go & Hang On!

All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.
Henry Ellis

     I can see why our elders chose water as the symbol of emotion. The reflective nature of water creates an illusion of reality that appears "real" but is not solid. Emotion and water are both twin-forces of creativy and destruction. Both desire to flow through the path of least resistence until a quell comes that's so large it jumps the banks of its preiously forged channels. But this destruction usually creates new pathways that will allow relief when the waters rises again.
      Biology tells us that emotion is really a molecule. Every time we have a new experience our bodies create a molecule that contains a chemical recipe and an electro-magnetic signature. This electro-chemical cocktail creates the physical manifestation in the body we have come to know as emotion. And these molecules are all strung together to create our neural net, a warehouse of our memories, experiences and percpetions.
      This system creates an instantaneous connection between our present-moment perception of reality and our past experiences. Over the coarse of our lives these memories and connections become very intertwined making it difficult to discern whether the emotions we are experiencing today are the result of experiences today or if they are just memories of past experiences.
      As it turns out, the majority of the emotions we experience throughout the day are really just memories. For many it is memories of past wounds, injustices or regrets that fill their present days with feelings of loss, anger or inadequacy. But for more and more it's becoming the freedom to live in joy and gratitude right here, in the present moment. All you have to do to get there is Let Go & Hang On!!

Choose to live in joy today and joy will be waiting for you tomorrow!

    
    

Information Universe

Every man dies. Not every man really lives.     William Wallace

     The universe is an endless flow of energy which means it's an endless flow of information. J.A. Wheeler even called the universe "an expression of idea which is information made manifest." How we take in this infomation has everything to do with our beliefs and past experiences, which act as filters to this universal information. Our filtered perceptions then drive our behaviors which untimatley create the fates to which many of us feel a victim.
     The only thing we are victim to is our lack of information. The information is always available to us but by the time it gets through our filters of past experience, fear, jujdgment, desire, control etc, we have a very limited view that seems to offer very few options.
     If we want to find new information we are forced to address the filters: pain from the past, old belief systems, illusions about Self and fears that take the form of self-imposed limitations. We need to set aside the 2000 bits of information that we do see to open the door to the 400 trillion bits that we do not. Life begins at the edge of your comfort zone. Beyond that, FREEDOM!

The things we try to avoid the most are the very things that hold the key to our own personal freedom.

Conversation with a Dragonfly

When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained.               Mark Twain

     I was sitting on my deck the other day, enjoying the autumn sun, when a bright green dragonfly came whizzing by my ear. "Hello, Grandfather Dragonfly!" I said gleefully (I love dragonflies!). "How are you doing on this beautiful day?". "I am well" he replied, "Hunting bugs. That's what I do".  It seemed I was not enough of a distraction to keep him from his task so continued on with my questioning.
     "What illusion am I under?" I asked as he scooped up a mosquito that was hovering around my head. "You (humans) are under so many- always under so many illusions" he answered as he continued his hunt.  Then he flew up from the grass and I lost sight of him in the trees.
     A moment later he "re-appeared" and said "Here I am!" Then he laughed as he flew back and forth, from the grass to the trees, from the flowers to the sky. "Now, I'm gone! No! Here I am! Oh, now I'm gone! But here I am! Silly humans!" he said as he zipped over the house in hot pursuit of a ladybug.
     I enjoyed the sun for a few moments longer then I turned to go inside. A small part of me wished he would have returned and I said to myself "Goodbye Grandfather Dragonfly". His tiny voice boomed with laughter in my head "And what makes you think I'm not here?!"

Gratitude helps me see the true meaning of life and love is what makes life "Real"

Capture the Moment

A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.                                                                                   Charles Darwin

     The weather here, in Minnesota, the past two weeks has been glorious. The 80 degree sun against the backdrop of fall colors has been interrupted only by a strong, steady wind; the winds of change. We feel it coming, winter, but the beauty of the moment allows us to forget the driving snows and freezing winds that could capture us, will capture us, any day.    
     When we are able to capture the moment and still accept the inevitable change is when we learn to allow ourselves to live. It seems so difficult, at first glance, but it is really very simple. The energy of the universe, of life, is constantly moving forward and the only moment we have to affect it, to experience it, is this one; the Present Moment.
      Don't let a single moment slip away, unnoticed, untapped because you're worried about the future or stuck in the past. Each moment contains the power to change your life, change the world! It's the only moment that is real and truly, the only moment that IS. Capture it, and you will hold the secrets of the universe.

Natural Healing

The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.
Henry David Thoreau

      Healing is a Natural State of Being. If I cut my hand with a knife, my body immediately moves to heal the wound. How is this so? How does the body know what to do? Both science and the ancient mysteries teach us that there is an underlying intelligence that governs all things. This conscious force is constantly moving us towards balance, peace and abundance. Healing, whether it's healing or bodies, our relationships or our bank accounts, is simply getting out of the way of this Life-Force and allowing IT to bring us to our naturally balanced Self.

Flash of Genius

I think I've discovered the secret of life - you just hang around until you get used to it.                                 Charles M. Schulz

   Imagine standing in a 1 million acre warehouse and all the lights are out. You stand there in the darkness with no way to navigate your way and then, FLASH! The lights turn on for half a second and turn back off again.You become alert, aware and you begin to rely on all your senses to interpret these flashes of insight. After spending some time here, in the cosmic consciousness, you will realize that these flashes of genius happen, available to us, always. We just have to be quiet enough to listen, patient enough to wait and determined enough to understand.

Fear & Grief: The Chicken & The Egg

The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing.
Marcus Aurelius

     I had a client once ask me "If God loves me, why don't I have what I want?"  Because I understand that relationships are reflections of me, I found this very interesting because I had a father who showed his love by giving me money. Did I believe "love equals money or to have"? Or did I believe they were at odds; love or money?
     After years of introspection I realized that I had many emotional tethers to money, love and family. What the experience taught me was that grief, sadness, feelings of inadequacy etc are really what's at the center of our sorrow. I first believed it was fear that drove our behaviors and created limitations in our lives but I now know its the grief. The fear of experiencing it, or in some cases even remembering, it, is what stands in our way.
     Example: It's not failure that we fear. We fear feeling like a failure. We feel like a failure if we don't try but we won't try because the thought of failing is too much to bear. You see how we entrap ourselves? Silly humans!

CHOOSE TO FREE YOURSELF!

 

Invisible Forces of Nature

"Let those who have ears, hear"

Jesus

     I love to show children the invisible forces of nature. They are still in awe that the pins stick to the magnet. They believe in the Spirit of Nature, the Soul of the Universe, and seek to commune with it just for the fun and experience of it. They feel and sense things that adults are too busy, too "educated" to observe. I think that's funny because educad is the root word for education and it means "to live an ethical, family-centered life ".  I guess the invisble forces of Truth evade us sometimes as well.

Abundance IS

Just as Truth IS

Whether you know it or or not 

Abundance IS.

We don't "create" it.

We tap into it, attract it, receive it.

If you can just ALLOW abundance,  IT will come to you

Truce

"If you can't make peace with the conflicts in your mind , at the very least,  you can call a truce"

     Transformation is upon us. It's time to give up our sorrow and sadness. It's time to give up the illusion of powerlessness. It's time to retrain our minds from the fumbling thought of limitation to aspiring thoughts of something more, everything more. It's time to change our selves, our beliefs, our lives, and its time to change the world around us because the world around us is changing.
     True success is the same as true health or abundance. Our wildest dreams come in the form of inner peace and true power. It comes in the form of control, a sense of coherence and contentment with our place in the universe. It comes when we know our Oneness because then we can lay down the fear, the competition and constant comparison and follow the destinies we were born to.
     Its what we think that makes is happy or unhappy. We aspire to create happiness and peace but THAT requires finesse. IT cannot be forced. IT come to us when we remember who we really are, what we really know and why we're really here.

Make it a point to REMEMBER!

Breaking Barriers

 I exist as I AM and that is ENOUGH                          Walt Whitman

     Scientists announced this week that there is a sub-atomic particle that moves faster than the speed of light. Because of this, our understanding of the laws of the universe is about to change in very big ways. Who would have thought 4 nano-seconds could make such a difference!
     We are breaking barriers is science, technology, physics, medicine, every day and we are all seeking ways to break down our personal barriers to peace, abundance, health and freedom.  If there was one personal barrier I would want to see everyone master it would be "I'm not good enough".
      Fear of judgment, fear of failure, fear period, stops us from even trying to live out our Wildest Dreams because most of us can't face the feelings of being "less than" that go along with the battle for Self and success. This barrier exists only in the mind but it's the one thing, I think, we can all identify with, the one symptom that we all experience, the one wound that we all share.
      This illusions of seperation and weakness can be dispelled with one decision; knowing that what you do, who YOU ARE is GOOD ENOUGH. It is the simple choice to  love and accept  yourself where you are, warts and all, in the process like everybody else.

God doesn't make mistakes!

Meditation

Meditation is painful in the beginning but it bestows immortal Bliss and

supreme joy in the end.                              Swami Sivananda

     A client asked me today, "What do you mean by meditation? What IS meditation?". My first thought was that meditation is the gateway to enlightenment, the doorway to peace, but I knew that wouldn't answer her question. So I responded with my usual answer: "Meditation is just listening. Prayer is when you speak to God and meditation is when you listen ."
     Meditation has always been a core structure in my learning. It was one of the first things I was directed, by Spirit, to learn. It revealed to me the many layers of my mind and how they communicated, exchanged information with one another.  It taught me to calm my mind so I could understand my world and my emotional reaction to it. It elevated my consciousness enabling me to understand huge bodies of information easily. And it has been a daily practice of mine for nearly 20 years and a part of every gathering, group and class I’ve facilitated since the day I began teaching. It is the one tool that everybody loves, anyone can practice and everyone can learn. Meditation has the power to change your life and your health forever.

Link to KYMN Radio:The Quest w/ Danelle: Topic: Meditation

http://kymnradio.net/2010/05/12/quest-danelle-magtibay-meditation/

More Energy - Less Matter

Everything is based on mind, is led by mind, is fashioned by mind.                                   Buddha

   There are ancient teachings that say there will come a time when we will no longer have a need for a physical body. That may sound incomprehensible but modern science is now saying that the universe seems to be expanding towards more energy and less matter. What does that mean? I don't think there's anyone who can answer that for us right now. So, the next question is "How can we use this information to improve our lives?"
     We are starting to grasp the idea that we are nothing but energy and information, consciousness made manifest. We know that our minds, our thoughts, beliefs, perceptions and emotions, create reality, our bodies, our relationships, our health, our bank accounts, life as we know it. Matter isn't so immovable as we once thought. We can accomplish ANYTHING we set our minds to! It's so simple it's hard but we we do have a tendency to over-complicate.
    

DO WHAT BRINGS YOU JOY!

    

Navigating Opportunity

"You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today."               Abraham Lincoln

     We all know there is an infinite possibility available to us at all times. The universe responds to us, the observer, matter follows mind, thought becomes reality.  So the real questions seems to be how do we understand and navigate opportunity. How do we maximize the infinite fields of possibility that are so cleverly placed out before us?  I think the trick is to understand how opportunity makes itself manifest. It's hard to act on opportunity if we don't "see" it.
   We've all heard "Time is money". I have lots of thoughts on time but the one thing I do know is that time is opportunity!  I don't think it's that we don't have enough time but rather that we make choices that are inefficient. If you really want it, you will MAKE the time!
     Space also offers us opportunity.  A client recently lost a tenant but saw the opportunity that the space offered. They are very excited to explore the pure potential that lies before them. This new potential came through some chaos but most things do. The nature of opportunity is chaos but chaos is just information. That, too, offers opportunity.
     But the greatest potential, as always, lies with people. We gain everything in this world through relationship and WE hold the greatest potential on this planet. It's all about coming together. Can you imagine, really imagine the awesome power we would hold if we were united?
   

     How do we access the infinite power of the universe?

Work for Peace.

The Grasshopper & the Ant

Many people die with their music still in them. Why is this so? Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live."                                                        Oliver Wendell Holmes

     Have you ever watched a grasshopper leap? He doesn't care where he lands. He may tumble, land backwards or run into things but he doesn't care. He just wants to leap again! Some people like to navigate their lives this way. Some because they just like to leap, others out of need or fear.
     Then there are the ants. They are focused and steady, constantly working towards their goals much like the people who carry ant medicine. Ants think grasshoppers are crazy! They can't even comprehend leaping and they see this way of living as risky and unwise.
      If we look to Nature, as Einstein did, we see that the universe does both. The temperature may steadily drop, without major change, until we hit 32 degrees and then bang, (or could I say Big Bang) freezing. The universe creeps along, moment by moment, but we all know that our whole lives can change in an instant. Life happens in the only moments that IS - This One!
     So, which is the best way? The simple answer is "Your way!" But we humans aren't in the habit of keeping things simple. I see alot of discord happening in relationships as a result of misunderstanding who we are all born to be and allowing ourselves, and others, to be just that. I've never heard of a grasshopper who was happy pretending to be an ant. But then again bugs are smarter than that!
    
    

Observation

  "When you master the mindset and you have already mastered the environment."

     Lots of people ask me "How do I know if I have become a "master". My answer is always the same;"Observe your environment. Are you happy? Are you healthy? Do you have fantastic relationships with lots of love in your life? Do you live in abundance that results from work that fulfills you? Are you at peace?" The way to know what's going on inside is to look at what's happening outside.
     It's easy to forget the 99 steps we've just climbed when we obsess over the one we haven't mastered. The trick is to recognize that this is a process. We can be blissfully content with the present moment AND still gleefully anticipate the growth ahead. You're where you are because of a choice and you're one choice away from being anywhere else you'd rather be!

The Flow of Reality

Reality is information constantly flowing through the universe in the form of energy. Peace comes when we see what is real and abundance comes when we honor it.

A Rose by Any Other Name

"My experience has shown me that the people who are exceptionally good in business aren’t so because of what they know but because of their insatiable need to know more.         Michael Gerber

     When I first started in real estate I was intimidated by the the purchase agreement. It was 20+ pages of details and I was afraid I was going to make a mistake. After missing out on several deals I told myself "Just write the deal! If you make a mistake, we'll fix it later!". Things went much smoother after that.
     Those of you who work with me know that I say the same thing when you're afraid to "step out". You have to take a step, any step, as long as it's forward! It doesn't have to be perfect because it won't be. You'll gain information along the way and as long as you're willing to follow it, the path will lead you to where you want to go: your heart's desire.
     The transformation of Paradiegma to Akasha has been a great example of that. We stepped out. We experienced, learned and have grown. And now, because we followed the path before us, we are reborn with new focus,clearer vision and sharper tools! Thank you all for following us down this winding path. We are blessed and honored to share it with you.


Namaste

Anti-Matter

"All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree."
Albert Einstein

     When the universe first began, the Big Bang created both matter and anti-matter. Since they destroy each other on contact, one particle of each creating as much energy as the Hiroshima bomb, it would seem logical that they destroyed each instantaneously. But this an illusion.  Anti-matter still exists but science doesn't know what to call it yet. The most likely label, for now, is dark matter. What it is and how it affects us remains to be seen.
     This fascinates me and also makes me think. What about yin and yang and the battle of good and evil? In the first instance, the forces of light and dark balance one another and, together, create a whole, a One. In the second, the war  between the two seems never-ending and unsolvable. I have to ask myself the question "How are we, as a humanity, creating separation in a universe that is built on inter-connectedness? "
     I believe this is a battle, we fight in our minds, made manifest every day when we make judgments of "good" or "bad".  The sun can't shine every day or we have drought just like rain every day brings floods. If matter follows mind, which appears to be true, the world is in dire need of balance!

Infinite Possiblity

"Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire. "
Arnold H. Glasow

     I'm not sure what "normal" people do on Labor Day weekend but  I watched a Discovery Channel a special on parallel universes. What can I say? It's my bliss! Anyway, the jist of the deal is that scientists now know there several versions of reality that exist all at the same time. We yogis have known this for quite some time but it's absolutely exciting to watch humanity evolve right before my eyes. Fun stuff!
     The thing that struck me the most though, was not the thought of dopplegangers that may exist several light-years away, but the limitless potentiality of it all. All possibilities exist, always, all at the same time. That's crazy! The moment a decision confronts you, all possible outcomes exist. What comes into reality is your choice and you get to choose from a field of infinite possibilities. Wow and WOW!
     What will you choose from the universal catalogue? What do you really want your life to be? Whatever it is, there is not law in the universe that says you can't have it! That's amazing! And yet we don't have IT. Why?
      I guess the real questions are 1. What do you really want? 2. Can you imagine it? 3. Do you KNOW you can have it? 4. Are you willing? 5. How will you answer when the heart is calling and the world is in need?

Change

                                   "When it comes to change there are only two choices:

                            You can choose to change or choose to let change happen to you."

     A friend and I were discussing the change of seasons today. She was telling me about her 4-year old daughter's questions about the changing leaves. My friend explained that autumn didn't begin until September so it wasn't "really" fall yet but the brilliant child begged to differ! She looked around and saw all the trees around her changing color, placed her hands defiantly on her hips and said "I think fall-time is here now!"

     Change is a funny thing. It happens all around us whether we notice it or not. We can make it happen but the process is gradual, like summer turning to fall, and we don't like to be in process so we struggle against it. But change will happen even if you choose not to change at all. Change just IS.

     The real challenge is to know the seasons and how they change. To do this we must be able to observe the information in front of us, without skews of fear or attachment, and discern if it's appropriate to wear Bermuda shorts or ice skates. Observe your changing seasons and prepare yourself for the next phase of your life because the winds of change are upon us. The world is changing and we will be changing right along with her. We can choose to change or we can choose to let change happen to us. The choice is, and always has been, ours.

Perspective

If you can see the past without regret, you can look to the future without fear.

Signals

Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex... It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.                    Albert Einstein

     Many of us who live a patterned life practice observation at a heightened level. Synchronicity reveals the algorithm of idea that can be found within the chaos. It is here that the mysteries of the universe reveal themselves and we touch on genius that has the power to change the world.

     In the complexity of all there is, the challenge is to find the simplicity. Einstein said" I know God's talking when the answer is simple". I've discovered a very simple idea recently that most of us have lost and that is to watch for signals of disruption of your joy. What interrupts your happiness? What keeps you from it or takes it from you? Simply put, what is making you unhappy?

     We complicate the answer to that question and THAT is precisely where our happiness lies. Understanding why we need to complicate something so simple will help you break through as your True Self. We think we know what we want and that may or may not be true. But I believe we all KNOW what will make us happy. SEEK HAPPINESS! Everything else is gravy.

Jaguar Medicine

If you speak and act with a pure mind, happiness will follow you, as a shadow clings to a form. 

Buddha

     I first came to know I possessed a kinship with Jaguar 18 years ago. She was my guide for many years, teaching me about re-claiming power that was lost in my youth, the mysteries of silence and the never-ending cycles of death and rebirth. My friend, whom I have not seen for over 15 years, returned to me last night in dreamtime.

     She brought messages of awakening, of the return to the True Self and of new cycles, worlds and opportunities that are now unfolding before us. Transformation, shape-shifting, happens from the inside out and that call from within is getting louder and stronger. She is a reminder of the Divine that dwells within all of us and I just wanted to pass the gift of that remembrance on to you.

     Leopard is tied to hero mythology that teaches us that no matter what the obstacle, there is always a Light that guides us back, that supports and protects as we overcome the limitations of our own minds. She is a symbol of the promise of the return to power that is destined for all of us.  

The Slippery Slope

Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right."     Ralph Waldo Emerson

     We all know the sound of the small, still voice of Spirit, of Higher Selves, of intuition. It's not just a sound. Most times, in fact, its not a sound at all but a feeling, a knowing, and a sense that we feel we must listen to, that we must follow. It's important but we don't know why. Sometimes, it is so strong that we defy our reasoning minds and follow it no matter what.Sometimes, the logical mind takes over, speaking louder, but not always wiser, than the voice of Spirit, and we choose not to follow the voice of the small, still voice of knowing. I've discovered that life changes at these moments; Destinies are defined by these moments.

     When I first started following the voice of Spirit, I felt like I was walking on a slippery slope. I could see the way but it was tricky, seemingly trecherous at times. I had to hang on. I had to manuever and claw and fight. What I ultimately discovered was that what made it tricky was that I was in conflict. I knew what was right but the outside world told me I was crazy. They told me it was risky. They told me it was unsafe to follow the voice of the heart and not the voice not the head. What they didn't tell me was that I could honor both. That I had discover on my own.

     We are at a time, on this earth, when we are facing a slippery slope. We know what's right but we're afraid to let go of the old ways, of conflict and duality, things we've told ourselves were safe even though we could see that they are not. We now see that those things do not offer the security they promised and now it's up to us to find out how to take that power back. It's a time for integration, new ideas; a new world. It's time to find our True Selves and reclaim our Real Lives with what WE value at the center. That moment is now!

     At a moment of clarity we see the path and we know our truth but we doubt. We begin to doubt our knowing, we doubt our selves, our abilities,  our vision, we doubt our Gods. We label this space as bad because it is uncomforatable, outside our comfort zone. But it's really a moment of ecstasy as our conflicts meld together and create something new, a Oneness, from the infinite field of possibility. 

     The limitations you see in your life are your creation and therefore changeable. Each moment offers us a field of infinite possibilites and the only moment you have is right now. If you want to change your life,  DO IT NOW. Because there is no other moment but this one.

Moments of Clarity

"I give you all that you need to become. And I give you all that is your undoing. The rest is up to you"     Spirit

     The past 6 weeks have been a very powerful and amazing time. I have taken this time, as I often do, to reflect upon my life, this universe and my place within it. And, as always, the time has been well spent and offered me many moments of clarity. These moments, thick with information, help me make choices that will shape my life-path for the next few years.  I look forward to sharing my insights with you over the next few months.
     There is a time to move and a time to be still in this universe. There are static, constant forces as well as dynamic, ever-changing forces and it's up to us to discern what we need at each moment. We become attached to what we think is right leaving us oblivious when it's time for change.
     True personal freedom comes when we know the difference between power and the illusion of control. Freedom comes when we choose to think and feel as a Master and act in accordance with our truest desire, knowing that this is our True Will.    

'I know exactly what I'm doing, I just don't know what that is yet"

LIVE FREE

Heart-Mind Connection

"To find peace of mind, the voice of the heart must be heard"

     We live in a world where heart and mind are divided. To follow the heart means that we relinquish the path of the intellect. It's a scary road, unsafe and unconventional, but worth it if we find "success" at the end of the journey. To  follow the path of intellect means we trust only logic and the heart, emotion, is scary because it's volatile, unpredictable and therefore untrustworthy.
     In the past, I trusted only the intellect. Not because it was my nature, because by nature I was very intuitive and sensitive, too sensitive I was told. So I "altered" myself to find acceptance. I then prided myself in how smart I was but I found I couldn't think my way out of my own unhappiness. Emotion meant pain to me, at this point, because when I expressed my true emotions I was told I wasn't good enough, too sensitive, inappropriate, not right. So I shut down emotionally. But that DID NOT stop the emotion from coming and the result was a depression that lasted almost a decade.
     In the first year of my study, Spirit instructed me on how I might master my mind. The 2nd, 3rd  4th, 10th and 15th  year, I spent trying to understand and master my emotion; what is was, where it came from, how it affected by life, my body and my environment but mostly how to deal with it in a way that left me feeling whole and powerful. The end result was a revelation about the power of heart and mind united.
     The internal battle, the dialogue that goes on between heart and mind, is something with which we are all familiar. The battle begins when we want to make change in our lives but can't bring ourselves to do so. The war wages on, every day, between what we want and what we fear. The hearts desire, denied, creates sorrow in our lives and sickness in our bodies. Only when I mastered my emotions did I find the peace of mind I was seeking. Funny how that works!

Warriors

                                        Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak;
                                    courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.                         
                                                                Winston Churchill


     I was approached a while ago and asked if I supported the war. I had to be honest and say no. I was then reprimanded to not supporting the troops and the scolding became so heated, I found it difficult to not interrupt. " I have the utmost respect for the soldiers who fight in the war", I said when finally given the opportunity to speak. "I revere warriors and hold them in the highest esteem. I think what they do is awe-inspiring and I am very grateful. But there's something I do not understand so perhaps you can help me. Can you please tell me why you believe the warriors are the war? I support the warriors but I do not support war. Why can this not be so?" To this, I received a blank stare.
    I hope I do not offend anyone by posting this blog today but I'd like to say thank you to all the warriors of the world. Not just the men and women who fight for freedom but also the all mothers and fathers, husbands and wives and children. Thank you and may peace and Light be with you always.

Namaste