Behold the Turkey Vulture

(Repost from 2011):
A few years ago, when I felt led down a new path of a deeper spiritual journey, I encountered a turkey vulture, not on the roadside cleaning up remains of a dead animal, but up close and personal, diving and circling all around my house within about 10 feet of me. This went on for several minutes before the bird soared away, and somehow I knew that this unusual display was more than chance, that some higher power was trying to get my attention. I had had several previous odd, direct, and profound encounters with birds or animals several times. With each occurrence, I had known from the feeling that came over me that there was some deeper connection or meaning, some presence and power surrounding the event. This time, I did not even know what kind of bird this was as it soared like an eagle in front of me, because I had never seen a vulture so close up in flight, had never imagined that a vulture could be this graceful and beautiful, but I was able to ascertain what it was because of it's distinctive red head that looked a little like a turkey (hence the name).

Ancient cultures understood how God and Spirit can speak to us through animals. Native Americans also used animals in their spiritual practices, or looked to them as symbolic messengers. I knew deeply that these birds and animals that came to me in unusual and undeniable ways were calling me to a greater purpose, each providing some sort of guidance or wisdom. My discerment has not led me incorrectly, rather it had connected me to deeper serendipidous events or guided me down my path. Knowing this, I started reading about the Turkey Vulture to derive more meaning from my messenger.

I learned that the turkey vulture's wing span is approximately 6 feet wide (I can vouch for their incredible size from this animal soaring within 10 feet of me on my deck!). Their task in life is to clean up the mess, but an even more interesting aspect of the turkey vulture is that it is the only bird (or presumably only animal) whose feces is disease free. So the turkey vulture kindly cleans up dead carcasses or rotting flesh, then purifies them from any bacteria - making them perhaps natures most perfect cleansing animal. They struggle with take off and appear awkward in early flight, but once they are off the ground, they soar like eagles (often mistaken as such at a distance), and can fly for hours without ever flapping their wings, riding thermals and currents. The turkey vulture that appeared to me did absolute acrobatics around me, looping effortlessly in glorious flight.

They are gentle and non-aggressive creatures, never killing, only cleaning up the mess of what has already been killed. A turkey vulture's means of protecting itself is not to fight or caus harm, but to regurgitate on itself in order to keep its attacker away, it makes itself undesirable to keep harm away. It is a meek and gentle being. Since this up-close visit from the turkey vulture, I have often pondered how we tend to judge this animal on its outward, "ugly" appearance and its "gross" habit of being drawn to and eating roadkill, not taking the time to be grateful for its continued deed of being nature's garbage man, gladly cleaning up the messes that others have left behind. We usually fail to see its absolute beauty - glorius flight, peacefulness, and contributing to the good of the earth. I have wondered if some of those "less desirable" humans (in our judgmental eyes) are our turkey vultures, knowing secretly how to soar...knowing things, doing thing that we never take the time to see.

The turkey vulture is symbolic of soulful cleansing, reaching a higher spiritual place...overcoming obstacles that we may encounter when trying to fly, but then soaring like an eagle when we get off the ground...cleansing the world bit by bit, day by day, by offering ourselves in service...being peaceful and non-aggressive, defending ourselves from attack, but only in ways that do not harm others. We should all be more like the turkey vulture. I see the turkey vulture as being much like Jesus and other great spirital masters - peaceful, cleansing, non-agressive, often considered down-trodden or less than desirable by society at large - all the while being a Divine model for us to emulate.

The next time you encounter this bird, see it as beautiful...be grateful to it...acknowledge and thank it...then be more like it in your daily life. The world will surely be a better place if more of us do so.

Waiting On the World To Change

Singer John Mayer had a hit song a few years ago, Waiting On The World To Change, which most of us are probably familiar with. It expresses how we, as mere individuals, wait around on the world to change because we feel powerless to make a difference. In a sense, our system and our society have made us feel that we are unable to make any measurable change by telling us that we need them to make our troubles go away.

Our politicians and leaders do it by making us believe we need their programs to solve our problems (when many of their programs and their deals create our problems)...our churches do it by making us think we need them to touch God (when some of their restrictions actually restrict our experience)...the mass media does it by making us think we need their products to make our lives worthwhile or their opinions to form our thoughts (when their products make us unhealthy and their opinions make us cynical). By telling us repeatedly that we are powerless without them, these entities create that reality in our minds...our thoughts produce our reality. In relinquishing our power to others, we become dependant upon them and beholden to their desires. We forget that we are powerful creators made in the image of God - the universal life force energy, the energy of creation.

This energy is the basis of miracles. These miracles are formed by our beliefs...again, thoughts creating reality. If we believe something, we are contributing to its creation. This is the foundation of faith, and why we have been told that if we have the tiniest of faith in something, it will transpire. Our doubts are all that prevent us from creating miracles and claiming the joy that we deserve, reclaiming Eden. Jesus tried to help us understand that we each have the power of miracles within us, but religion took "us" (the individual) out of the equation and usurped that innate power by convincing us that we needed them or needed to do it their way in order to reach God and claim our power and glory.

John Mayer's words express many of our inner sentiments and fears:

Now we see everything that's going wrong
With the world and those who lead it
We just feel like we don't have the means
To rise above and beat it

But a new day is dawning, as many of us feel called to search for more, to open our minds to a better way, to take our place in helping change the world rather than waiting around for someone else to do it. Our problems will not be solved by a president, by Congress, by organized religion, by the media, or other power-seeking groups - they may only exacerbate our problems, by becoming too caught up in maintaining their own power to be truly effective. Individuals will change the world, as the collective efforts become exponentially more powerful with each additional person who joins in new thought, or decides to lay down previously ingrained ideas to see a better way.

We do have the means to rise above and beat it- to rise above and beat the negative energy that prevents miracles and abundance - if we will only set ourselves free from the shackles and commit to thinking in a new way. If we will individually take the steps to embrace change, both within our own lives and within society in general. Let us take these steps to shake up the world - one thought at a time, one person at a time, one miracles at a time - by stepping outside our boundaries and deciding once and for all that we will no longer limit ourselves through weakening thoughts, that we will longer imprison our souls with doubt and fear.

You can be part of changing the world, if you will simply allow yourself to be open to new thoughts and new ideas...you know you have a purpose and place in this endeavor that is beyond living in the routine. We can make a difference, but it will only come through hearts willing to return to their own power through the force of pure love. Open up your heart and mind to seize the opportunity.

Facebook Communication Difficulties

For those on my facebook fanpage "Seeing Miracles Every Day: A Course In Miracles," or my personal facebook page, those accounts were disabled today and I do not yet know why. It has been frustrating to say the least! I do not yet know if my page will be retrieved, and if it is, whether or not any content or any of the 13,000 plus fans on the page will still be connected to it. I have come to rely on that page as my touch point - a place where I not only share info that seems to uplift others, but where I get uplifted as well, so I hope that it will be restored soon to its previous status and members intact. This has been a trying week on several fronts, so please hold me in the light and say a prayer to rejuvenate me!

With much love and gratitude,
Sherri

NOTE: For those interested in the "Awakening the Angel Within" mentor program, please scroll down to info below.

Awakening the Angel Within

A mentor program for greater connection with your Higher Self…your inner angel.
Facilitated by Sherri Lane

Last week on my radio show, Awakening to Angels & Spirit, I announced a mentor program that I was contemplating putting together for those who wished to open up to spirit in a guided way, with a little "spiritual hand-holding" from me. This idea was brought to me by a dear friend who has been a hand-holder to me on my path, and I to her. At first, I balked at the suggestion. I did not particularly care for the label of "mentor" or the pressure that it might imply! She gently reminded me that I have been acting as a mentor to many for several years, just not in a formal way of a program. I realized that is may be the answer to my asking for the means to continue the work that I do, which has been financed almost entirely out of my own pocket for several years now, but which wouldn't be able to continue without some other revenue. As I released my own fears and hesitance, the program began to unfold. I realized that so many aspects were exactly in alignment with some of the visions I had seen and held at earlier times, as I moved down my own path of growth. So I will be offering this program beginning in early October through early December - and I see it as a push toward all the energies of 2012 - and using the already intensifying energies that are here now to help us through that portal.

The purpose of this program is provide step-by-step guidance to allow participants to open up to angels and spirit in a greater way in their day-to-day lives. It will be held via phone/conference call/internet, so anyone anywhere who has access to those connections will be able to register and participate. By being committed to the program and exercises, participants will be declaring to God, Spirit, Angels, and the Universe that they are ready for more – and are willing to take steps to allow and promote their own growth. There is no doubt in my mind that lives will be changed and life paths redirected. Those open and sincere about their progression will be guided for better alignment with Higher Self, to get more on course with their Soul Purpose. As we approach 2012, energies are intensifying and shifting. We can feel it – but we don’t always know how to get aligned with it. Doing so brings upon miracles, so for those who step up in this way—-to offer themselves as vessels, there will be miracles and new gifts that open. Join us….We are each stronger by our connection…Now is your time to answer the call. DUE TO THE PERSONAL NATURE AND ONE-ON-ONE TIME INVOLVED - SPACE IS LIMITED!! Register soon!

Following is a tentative schedule. It may be altered as Spirit leads, but the crux of the course will follow this general plan or focus. Group calls will be done via Skype (which is free to join, making the calls free for participants) with specific dates or times TBD…but calls will also be recorded/recordable for those who cannot make it on that particular call or at that time. (Sunday afternoon is a likely time for group calls, since it may be a time when most people are free to listen live). The program will begin in early October and run through early December….allowing perfect timing for celebrating over the holidays and welcoming in 2012 from your Higher Place!

Week 1: Personal Intuitive Reading from Sherri
During this week, I will conduct intensive one-on-one personal intuitive readings with each participant via phone. These readings are about 1-1/2 hour total and will allow messages from Angels and Spirit revealing your path or what you most need to focus on now for your spiritual growth. Through this reading you will be able to declare your intention to move forward, as well as set the intention for what you wish to gain from the course. (For more info about readings, visit my site, www.angelstouchtherapy.com - and read about "Manifesting with Angels" sessions).

Week 2: Clearing Your Energy and Your Space
Group call that will work through space clearing and energy clearing. We will focus on clearing the third eye…energy blessings for our space, water, & food. A buddy system will be coordinated to pair up participants for some of the exercises in the course. Our connections in these pairs, as well as the group activities will strengthen us… "where ever two or more are gathered.” Each of our intentions will be strengthened by the whole, and each participant will add to the power of the whole.

Week 3: Cord Cutting – Releasing to the Light
Group call to cut those cords that hold us back, as individuals and collectively. The cord cutting exercise will be through guided meditation. It will be preceded by necessary space/energy clearing…and followed by grounding and protection, that we might bring light into our lives and into the world more powerfully. Many transformations can come when we decide and declare that we wish to break free from the negative “chains” that bind us or hold us back, and when we ask for help from Angels and Spirit. This is another area where the group energy and the collective “asking” will bring great power, as each person asks for themselves, for their “buddy” and for the group.

Week 4: Past Life Regression
Another guided meditation which will allow us to touch on past life experiences for growth. Participants will first practice their own ability to see/feel past lives – first with their buddies and then as a group for a deeper look. In the “buddy exercise” participants will “see” and “feel” images or info for their partner…this info can then be emailed to Sherri for further insight into the meaning. This exercise will bring out each person’s intuitive abilities, as we each have that ability, but it goes dormant from misuse. This will awaken that gift – and by doing the exercise, each person will again be asking for more in the way of gifts and awakening. Glimpses of past lives can not only give us insight and clarity into our current situation, but they also allow us to “change” or heal the situation, sometimes instantaneously. Growth can be immense.

Week 5: Developing Greater Intuition
This week’s exercises will also begin with a “buddy exercise” where we coax out intuitive abilities. Images from these readings can be shared in the group call and interpreted or expanded in that group call (Sherri will assist to give examples of how images might be interpreted).

Week 6: Sacred Space & The Power of Group Intention
A “Sacred Space” will be visited or created by each participant to absorb, meditate, and revive. We will each offer up our own intentions (privately or openly) to be supported by the group in intention. We will also choose a “world issue,” or perhaps more than one, to focus on during our sacred space time, to send healing in a big way – to acknowledge the pain that is behind the problem, love it, and release it. We will also have other exercises on intention and manifesting – to make us not only more aware, but more committed to being clear on what we are creating.

Week 7: Using Tools to Enhance Our Communication with Spirit
This week’s focus will be on using tools to enhance our gifts or allow easy communication with Angels/Spirit. These may include oracle cards, pendulums, crystals, angel books, or nature symbols to open our channels of communication.

Week 8: The Awakened Angel
I am very much looking forward to this week, because it will allow me to use healing energy and symbols that were given to me by angels in visions several years ago. At that time, as I saw glimpses of my purpose and path, I had already begun studying Reiki and had reached the Master and Karuna levels. I was given new symbols that were to connect people in healing angel energy. It is much like traditional Reiki, yet has some nuances – and is made very simple and non-intimidating to those who may be unsure about Reiki or intimidated about what it means or what the symbols mean. It will also enhance any Reiki or energy healing that someone has already opened up to. I have attuned a few people with this energy and it has worked well…but I knew that it was not time to really put it out there….This course is the perfect timing and the perfect venue to bring this energy to others who are ready to more fully Awaken the Angel that is already within them.

Week 9: Follow up call or correspondence with Sherri
Following completion of the course, each participant will have the opportunity to schedule a private follow up session with me– approximately 15-20 minutes – to revisit their intentions and adjust, or receive any new messages to guide them in the next step. At this point, most should be able to feel their own messages in a greater way, so this time can be to simply affirm or direct what is already being revealed from Higher Self, from Angels, and from Spirit.

COST OF PROGRAM: $444
(Can be made via paypal in two payments of $222 if necessary….first payment as a deposit to register and hold space….second payment due before the beginning of the course). Not only did this number come to me instantaneously when I began laying this out – and of course, the “444’ makes sense in “angel number speak” because it means thousands of angels are surrounding you or surrounding a situation…. But it was also the immediate response that I received when running it by the friend who had suggested I do a mentor program…without her knowing what I had felt. Not only do I think it is a fair cost, but I think it is a great value at this price, especially when I look back on the workshops and courses that I did when I sought similar growth opportunities on my own path.

Ask, and it shall be given. If you put your pure intention toward participating in this course and you mean to become a greater light for the world around you, I believe the financial means to do so will unfold.

SPACE IS LIMITED!!!... and is on a FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED basis. To register, email Sherri at sherrilane444@gmail.com to hold your space. Information and an invoice will be emailed to you to confirm your spot!

Navigating the Storms

I have not posted on this blog site for quite a while. My book, Setting God Free: Awakening to Miracles was published a few months ago, and in almost exact synchronicity, complications arose in my life (or at least in the lives of some around me) which caused me to feel pain, grief, and frustration. It seemed that the closer I got to some sort of victory, or the more I gave of myself, the more strife came toward me. In the spiritual world, the ideas of the laws of attraction tell us that we attract what we put out, but another element of the laws of attraction is that the closer we get to what it is we desire, the more opposites will also come our way, as opportunities to give some final release that will open new doors and gateways. Just when we are about to touch what it is we have set out to create, its opposite will show up. Perhaps this is to allow us to dig down into our faith to fuel the rest of the miracle, or to fuel a greater one. It is easy to talk about faith when things run smoothly, but to remain steadfast to our purpose even through rough waters, through repeated storms, is a different kind of faith.

After my book came out, my faith was tested, not only with deeply emotional issues, but in looking at my response to those things and what they might be teaching me. These events required me to be able to love without getting drained. There were financial struggles, calling for me to navigate a sea of obligation while still steering my ship in the direction of my purpose and my dreams. My journey for the last several years has required faith, required going against the grain, taking leaps that might not make sense in the worldly ways, quite often feeling alone and without much support. All of that got ratcheted up when my book was published - getting in the way of my focus. I bounced between clarity and confusion, determination and defeat, but I never totally left my course.

Two month ago, through these difficulties, I started hosting an online radio show that would allow me to share my gifts further, and also to put them "out there" in a bigger way, not worrying about what others would think. On the show, Awakening to Angels & Spirit, I give spiritual insights and then devote most of the show to intuitive "readings" for callers, helping them rely on angels & spirit for guidance, offering myself as a vessel for those messages. The show, like the book, required financial investment from me. It was at a time when I had drained myself financially on this journey of discovering my gifts and sharing them. This was an even greater leap, because it put me on the spot, where I publicly stepped into an arena that is often criticized and mocked. Even though I had fears about whether or not I could do it, I felt such a force and energy behind me that I readily committed to it and didn't look back.

So many times, I have been told that I have changed someone's life. That is uplifting and humbling at the same time - humbling because I know that it came from a Source that is greater than my imagination or my ability to comprehend at this point in my evolution. But as I stepped forward and began the radio show, it seemed that even more hardship came my way. More doses of heartbreaking experiences, more doses of financial upheaval. But I have stayed the journey so far.

Throughout these latest twists and turns, one part of me that has been affected significantly has been my writing. I have been able to post small things on my facebook fanpage (Seeing Miracles Every Day: A Course In Miracles), but have not been able to comprise anything of measure. I have been in a drought. This last week brought another disappointment. I felt broken, but rather than fighting the feeling, I surrendered. My surrender was not in the way that we often think of surrender - of giving up, howiever; what I surrendered was not the goodness, but the fear. I surrendered to a higher power and to all the miracles that can work from that space. I let go -- again! -- of elements of fear that were still inside me, lurking and trying to hide so that they could come out later. I dug into myself to find more traces of doubt -- more traces of unworthiness -- more lingering bits of some belief that I did not deserve the wonders of heaven. I purged. I asked God to once again strike me with the lightning bolt of enlightenment - and this time in an even deeper way because of the growth that I had already received on this journey. I asked to again be lifted up to that space of all-knowing peace that set me on this ride to begin with. I promised I would be willing to share or make myself available for that if it was meant to be.

I asked and I received. A peace and joy came over me where I could see the path - see the miracles and the promise ahead, and this time, it has stayed. It has not been moments that have flashed and then dwindled -- it has lingered and grown. So I continue on my journey for now, not knowing exactly where it will take me, ready to shift and change direction as needed, but here -- and feeling on course again -- at least for the moment, and that is all I can concern myself with. The moment is where our power lies.

As Louisa May Alcott said, "I am learning to sail my ship." The storms may come and they may scare me, but each one teaches me. And each one gets me closer to the Promised Land. It is within my glimpse and it is beautiful beyond expression.

The Prayer of the Beautiful

This morning, a post on facebook made me think about how we often attach to the idea of our sin, our mistakes, our perceived flaws so much when we think about God. Through our conditioning, we sometimes focus on our shortcomings when we connect to Him, rather than our goodness. I believe that doing so creates a detachment and a separation, rather than a greater connection. I think perhaps it is why so many in the world feel empty or are searching to fill some void.

So I thought about what the best and most immediate methods for changing those thoughts might be, and how we can most easily and directly shift our relationship with God. I wrote this little prayer that can serve as a reminder to come to God in our best form, thinking the very best of ourselves, so that we might remember our own perfection and thereby connect with God more effectively. Say this when you pray and it will set up a new avenue of positive connection and will open you more readily to the pure love that God always showers upon us, if we will only learn to accept it and believe that we deserve it:

The Prayer of the Beautiful:

God, thank you for creating me in perfection, and for helping me see my own beauty when I turn to fear or doubt about who I am, who you created me to be. Help me to see my beauty in each moment, knowing that you love every part of me, even the things that I have come to think of as bad. You know why those thoughts are there, and know what their purpose is or what challenges I have faced, and you are with me always in helping me remember. Help me also to see the beauty in others, and in every situation which I am presented, feeling gratitude for every experience, knowing that You and your angels are my guides. I promise to seek to see good in everything and everyone, knowing that doing so will show me the way home to You, the way to eternal joy. Amen.

Say this in your prayers and feel yourself lift up, feel the empowerment that comes with it, and then use that energy to fuel you to do something good for the world. Share that light another in your kindness, in your willingness to see each person as beautiful, just like you.

Have a blessed and joyous day. You are beautiful...So choose to see beauty, and behave beautifully.

Parasite or Pearl?

When we go through hardships in life, it is easy to feel broken or battered. Sometimes it is difficult to see any possible benefit from the hardship, especially when struggles seem to follow one after the other. But our difficulties help us create pearls from our lives - pearls of both wisdom and beauty.

Consider how a pearl is formed in an oyster or mollusk. It is from a parasite that presents itself within the oyster - an irritant that the oyster must protect itself from. By protecting itself from the parasite or irritant, by forming a barrier around it, the pearl is made...beauty comes from within the oyster, and from what was previously just a parasite.

If we apply this to our lives, we can more easily understand and appreciate our own hardships. We are the oyster. We are given irritants in order to bring out our gifts of beauty to the world. Our hardships allow us to create magnificent works of art from our lives. Without the parasite, the oyster would still leave a lovely, even if more ordinary, shell behind; but with the irritant, it produces a rare and wonderful jewel for the world. Our irritants help us produce pearls that enhance the beauty of the world.

One thing that stands out to me, beyond the usual pearl analogy, is that the oyster must protect itself from the parasite. It cannot just live with it as is and produce a pearl, but must form a barrier to protect itself from the harm that might be done by the irritant. In forming that protective barrier of calcium carbonate, the oyster produces the beautiful pearl. If it had not protected itself, it would become diseased and die.

We sometimes feel guilty for shutting out the parasites or irritants that surround us, those situations or persons that attach to us and hold us back, causing us dis-ease. But each such obstacle allows us to produce a work of art if we protect ourselves from it, and essentially shut it out from harming us. We should not feel guilt for creating barriers of protection in our lives. Our purpose is to create beauty through love and through finding our gifts and using them. If irritants attach themselves, it is also our responsibility to shield ourselves from their harm. When another has introduced friction or situations that can hurt us, we must protect in love, not attack. Like the oyster, if we simply isolate the parasite in such a way that it can no longer harm us, we are forming pearls in our lives, we are using the abilities and gifts that God gave us in a way that brings beauty. We are not only helping our own situation, but we are turning a parasite, an irritant, into a work of art. We help ourselves, and we transform another to a state of beauty.

Find ways to peacefully and lovingly address the irritants in your life, things that you might only have seen as parasites or difficulties that you were burdened with. Consider that each is an opportunity to build a pearl, if you will only see it as such and quietly, peacefully shield yourself from its harm. Create the pearl through embracing your hardships, through seeing them as gifts, as foundation for your unique work of art that will contribute breathtaking beauty in the world. By seeing in this way, you can release yourself from being a victim and understand that you have everything you need within you. You can be grateful for your hardships, realizing that they are gifts - and that realization is the greatest gift of all.

May love and light shine upon you today. Namaste.

God's Will Be Done

I was thinking about the phrase, "God's will be done" and what it really means. It is one of those phrases that has been pounded into our heads through repetition, but that we may seldom really think through in any way other than on the surface. I truly believe that God's will is for us to have joy, and that we are fully connected to God only when we are in that energy of bliss. But when we are confused or not committed to that, or sending out mixed messages about what we want (or thinking that we don't deserve blessings), God still tries to get us to joy. His vision or perspective is much greater than ours - so the path may be different from what we see. When the path seems foreign or unlike what we envisioned, we think it is bad, that things are going wrong - or that we are being punished - but it is really just God's direct route to get us there.

If we remain in joy no matter what is happening around us - if we find that place of peace within our souls knowing that God is always with us and is trying to send us deeper happiness and love - then we can cruise through the difficulties much more effectively. We don't need to ask "why me?" because, on a deeper level, we know that we are safely on the route to that joy that is Heaven within our souls, that place we have become so detached from in this world. God's route is the most direct and quickest path. Along the way, we may have upheavals, but these are merely signs of things that we need to address, or perhaps change in our lives, letting go of baggage or things that are holding us back from that heavenly peace.

If you begin to look at each hardship as a sign, or something that you need to learn or to let go of, then the path becomes so much more clear. These negatives will pop up to give you a chance to release them, or to change your thoughts about them, each one as a gift to allow you to progress in your consciousness, to allow you to more quickly be what you came here to be, do what you came to do -- to allow you to find your joy to fuel it. When the "problems" get more absurd, or seem as though you keep having the same sort of issues pop up over and over, then it is God's message to you even more loudly and clearly.

For example, it may seem to you that others take advantage of you regularly...but what you should ask yourself is why you keep getting in that position, then learn to say no once in a while. It is not about them, it is about you. You may also feel intensely negative vibes when around certain people that seem to get stronger and stronger. Consider that you may be progressing to higher vibrations, making their negativity more noticeable and less tolerable to you. Instead of getting angry at them or expecting them to change, remove yourself from its vicinity, even if only from the standpoint of emotional attachment. Begin to release yourself from these old destructive patterns, and you will feel your spirit rise.

Remember that each piece of this puzzle is God speaking to you...the things that frustrate you may be God showing you where you need to shift your own thoughts or attention. When you step out of the victim position and feel empowered by setbacks, knowing that they are guideposts for your change and your awakening, your world will change. From that, you will also change what you are putting into the world and will begin to make a more positive contribution from your new energy of joy.

God's will be done!...Be joyous! BE LOVE! THAT is God's will, and the will that you should have for yourself in order to align with God and experience the miracles that he offers. Go out and have a joy filled day, listening to God's clues for the direction toward your bliss.

Peace on earth begins with the joy and peace in your heart.

The Beauty is in the Doing

I have been absent on this blog for the last couple of months, but I have not been dormant. I have been completing something that was important for me to complete. I have finished writing my first book, Setting God Free.

Sometimes the importance of doing something is simply to have done it. It doesn't matter the accolades or the outward rewards, what matters is that you went beyond the place where you might have given up, that you stayed committed to something you believed in, even when the odds were against you or the cost was high. I feel that way now. This past week I completed the book that I have been writing, off and on, for over two years. The process has been hampered by all kinds of obstacles that made it seem I might never get it finished. Many times I wondered why I was still at it, why I was putting so much on the line. My finances were thin, my support system slim. But then I realized that the obstacles were all part of the book itself, part of my growth, part of learning things that created spiritual expansion.

We are always given the lessons that we most need to learn from in order to complete our purpose more effectively. I think we have tests, but not in the sense of passing them or failing them as we have come to think of tests -- with that negative feeling if we fail them -- rather, that we have opportunities to gauge where we are in our journey or readiness. These obstacles, if we look at them with an open mind, are really gifts to help us know where we are on our path or purpose, to help us understand where our faith is.

It would be hard to write a book about faith and letting go if one could not continually demonstrate greater faith and a greater willingness to let go on every step of the way. My journey has been such. I had powerful and awe inspiring spiritual experiences that began a few years ago, and from the first moment, I knew that I would write about them - knew that doing so was part of my calling. But also from the first moment, I had fears...Fears of challenging religious thinking, fears of backlash, fears of being different. I also faced fears of what it would mean to my livelihood if I continued on that path. All of those fears have been fed and challenged greatly over the last few years - to the point that I know my conviction, no matter how it may have wavered in moments, is deeper than ever.

My book will be available for distribution in about two months. My doubts have settled, my mind instead fixed on the beauty of the journey. I DID IT! I finished this task, this important hurdle along my journey - I made that step even through doubts, even through obstacles, even through moments of uncertainty or fear. It feels good!

When we are living out our true purpose, we feel good. It doesn't matter if the world is falling apart around us, we feel good. I have experienced this along the way. When I would retreat from focusing on my purpose, or this particular aspect of it, I was miserable, fearful, waiting for the next shoe to drop. When I stayed committed to my purpose, I was joyful even amongst the chaos. It has been an important lesson, a valuable test that has left me more confident on moving forward, excited about what I might bring to the world from here on out. My book is about Setting God Free to be all that He can be in our lives, rather than a limited version, but writing the book set ME free, released my own ideas of limitations.

Think about the things that make you feel good - the things that give you joy. They will help you figure out what may be a better path for you in living who you really are or finding what you are really meant to do in this life -- because we all have a contribution to make, and one that will help make the world a better place. It does not have to be grand on a worldly scale because sometimes the smallest gestures tip the balance in the right direction to cause great impact, like a domino effect. Be part of it. Find something that makes you joyous - no matter how small - and do it. That energy of joy will lead you to another thing, and another. Soon, you will begin to see what your calling is...You will find your soul, you will reunite with God and your own perfection and beauty.

That will bring Heaven on Earth. You may not think it is possible in your current surroundings, but try it, sincerely, and you will see how very possible it is. You will create Heaven in your life, and bring Heaven to others. Collectively we will shift the world.

Namaste.

Growing Young

It takes a long time to grow young.~Pablo Picasso

Tomorrow is my 47th birthday and it is already the best ever! Through our conditioning, we have been taught to dread birthdays or not be too celebratory once we are "of a certain age," but I embrace them as growing young, not growing old. Life gives us many opportunities to overcome...to get to a place of realizing that we are victims only of our own fears, our own illusions that have been handed down to us and which we have readily accepted. But when we realize the Truth about our voluntary imprisonment, and that freedom is there for the taking, there is a joy that is beyond what we ever could have imagined. In that moment, we begin to grow young again. I have experienced this vividly, especially over the last 3 or 4 years, and I have watched it in others, so I know that it is there for each of us, as soon as we are ready to accept it.

Through letting go of the need to control, be right, or live life in that carefully measured box of what society says we should strive for - by being willing to color outside the lines, truly and not just superficially -- I have been given a new lease on life. Gifts have been opened up within me which were there all along, but I could not see, or that I was afraid to release because of being different. I have seen some relationships drift away or change or be revealed in greater light, sometimes painfully at first, but always resulting in the peace of Truth...and that void has been filled with new friends, new discoveries, and heightened relationships that are ensconced in real love, joy, and acceptance.

Living as our true selves makes us young again. It no longer matters what numerical age we are, because our real age is within our hearts, shining through the love we share with one another. God restores our youth and vitality in the instant we remember our perfection, our true beauty, our Oneness with Him and with the Universe.

Today, feel young again. Whatever your troubles or cares, whatever your financial worries, whatever your job stress, or whatever load you have upon you today, let it go, even if only for a little while. Let go, and let God renew. Grow young again, laugh for a moment, remember joy, and be grateful for all that the Universe has brought you, knowing that all of it is supporting your journey back to your highest and best self.

Happy Re-birth-day to all!