By Darrel Hammon

Mountains in our lives seem to engulf us,
cause us to shrink from even starting,
lulling us into self-pity and wallowing in our woes
to the point of spiraling and stumbling.

Surely, we must realize:
All that does not become us.
That is not who we really are.
Yet, once we rise up,
eyes focused on the way,
we will know what we need to do.

Once we choose to face that challenge,
our own personal mountain,
with faith, not fear,
we begin the steady, arduous ascent,
step by step, scrambling up and over
boulders and even small rocks,
the minutia of our everyday lives,
that hide the view from us
because we place them
so close in our line of vision
as to obstruct the big picture,
even the view of it all.

At each corner of our journey,
if we look carefully and sometimes quickly,
we catch just a fleeting glimpse
of the mountain top,
our ultimate goal.
But now we know
what the summit looks like,
that vision filling our minds
of what’s to come.

As we continue forward,
steadfast, diligent, persistent,
waiting in hope and striving to endure,
we ultimately hear those penetrating whispers
and songs of exclamation and praise
from Him whose love we seek.
Then, our hearts and minds overflow
with gratitude for this more excellent way.

What propels us now is hearing
and feeling and knowing
that yes, we are enough
and that we can move mountains!

Darrel L. Hammon has been dabbling in writing in a variety of genres since his college days, having published poetry, academic and personal articles/essays, a book titled Completing Graduate School Long Distance (Sage Publications), and a picture book, The Adventures of Bob the Bullfrog: Christmas Beneath a Frozen Lake (Outskirts Press). He also was the editor of the Journal of Adult Education (Mountain Plains Adult Education Association). Most of his essay/article writing has focused on topics about growing up, leadership, self-awareness, motivation, marriage/dating, and educational topics. Some of these articles/essays are in Spanish because Darrel is bilingual in Spanish/English, having lived in Chile, Dominican Republic, and southern California, and having worked with Latino youth and families all of his professional life in higher education. He has two blogs, one for personal writing at http://www.darrelhammon.blogspot.com/ and one for his consulting/life coaching business (http://www.hammonconsults.blogspot.com/). You can listen to a poem titled “Sprucing Up” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihTmuOUIAEI.

By Marnie Schneider

When we energize and uplift others—and do the same for ourselves—we become leaders and make the world a better place.

We all need an advocate to cheer for us! I believe that what makes a true leader is the ability to energize and uplift others. I have been a cheerleader for those I care about and for people I don’t know, but I have also had times when I needed support.

I’ve had some really unbelievable experiences growing up with a grandfather who owned an NFL team, the Philadelphia Eagles, and a mom who was by all accounts the original glass “field” breaker when she became the general manager, vice president, and legal counsel of the team.

One of my most significant memories started with lots of tears and the kindness of a stranger who could sense I was in need of some encouragement, wisdom and kindness!

What I recall about that day was that we were in the “Lone Star State” watching the Dallas Cowboys play my football team, the Philadelphia Eagles. I was in my preteens, a mouth full of hideous braces, still sporting my baby fat, and proudly wearing a kelly-green sweater dress—it was the 80s after all. Little did I know, when the out-of-bounds stranger entered my life, our connection would wind up having a lifelong impact on me and become a game-changing moment!

We were at Texas Stadium cheering on the Eagles. There I was sitting in the visiting owner’s box, with a heaping plate of barbecue ribs on my lap and crying hysterically over another heartbreaking Eagles loss, when a stunning platinum blonde, with a warm smile, outfitted in that amazing Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader (DCC) eye-catching sparkly uniform approached me. Miss DCC, who had been watching the game with us and cheering along, leaned in and whispered in my ear, with her full-on southern drawl, “Sweet girl, when I was your age my granny gave me some advice, and if you follow it, you’ll see that the stars of the universe will always shine on you.” (By the way, it’s no coincidence that the Cowboys logo is a bright blue star.) She continued and said, “My granny said, ‘Be your own head cheerleader! Every year you will have to work hard to make the squad! Grab your pom-poms and get out there! Promise me you will always go the distance, be there for yourself and others.’” Then the cheerleader added, “We have a saying around here that is a direct quote from Roger Staubach. ‘There are no traffic jams along the extra mile.’” She made me feel so much better. She hugged me and was gone.

I was mesmerized by that moment and committed to following her granny’s advice. I’m a huge fan of those Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders! Some kids decide they want to be a doctor from seeing their pediatrician give a shot and make it painless or a lawyer from watching Law and Order. My role model now was a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. It was then that I knew my calling after her encouragement! Cheering for others is a skill, and it can make you a leader, a CHEERLEADER!

Be Your Own Cheerleader

What I didn’t know then, and would have never thought as a mother would happen to me, was that several years later my first-born son would be diagnosed with neuroblastoma, an often life-threatening type of cancer that affects young children. As a strong woman, I can chew glass and think it’s ok, but when your baby even has a hangnail, it hurts.

This was major, and I knew I had better be prepared for the worst. My innate cheering skills were at the max. I was ready but any extra reinforcements were always welcomed! At the time, I was living in Los Angeles. I was driving up La Cienega Blvd. after a rough day for my son at Cedar Sinai Hospital, when I noticed in a storefront window a mannequin that was a perfect replica of my sparkly Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader! I parked my car and immediately entered this kingdom of costumes. I felt like I was cheating on my home team, but it was a superhero costume to me. I had to have it! The costume helped give me the boost I needed to get back on the field to kick some cancer ass!

It is more than ok to be your own cheerleader. In fact, it is ok to yell and scream and jump around and know in your heart that you will be a winner when you surround yourself with a team of cheering champions. It may be awkward at first, but it’s good to feel confident and cheer for yourself. To this day, the greatest victory I have experienced is getting my son well. Thanks to amazing doctors and nurses and a lot of cheering and praying from my family, loved ones and strangers, he is a healthy, thriving young man, my coauthor on Football Freddie GameDay in Atlanta, and definitely dreaming of those Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders! That is why I leave my costume locked away in my closet. Only I know where it is hidden.

The Value and Importance of Cheering

Cheerleaders make the world a better place. It is an outstanding support system for you that leads you in as part of the crowd. It is a thrill to cheer!

I love everything about football, and really all sports! I pray for the health and safety of all the players who played and are currently playing! I love speaking sports and watching athletes and coaches bring everything they have to give us fans something to cheer for!

I want to thank all the leaders out there who have cheered for me; the list is long enough to fill up a few NFL stadiums! It includes my three spectacular, amazing kids, my extraordinary loving friends (old ones and new ones all over the world from Paris to Philly), a close friend of mine who was a former NFL cheerleader who gave me the chance to cheer for her while she was going through cancer treatments, all the brave first responders, veterans, and military out there who keep us safe. Thank you!

And I ’m super lucky to have outstanding parents—especially my MVP mother who is the captain and head cheerleader for me! I am honored and humbled!

Marnie Schneider is CEO of the nonprofit Gameday and an inspirational speaker, author, podcaster, philanthropist, certified Happiness Life Coach, and—best of all—daughter and mom. A Philadelphia native now living in the Carolinas, she consistently devotes her time and resources to help others achieve their own victory. Marnie thinks of this as “showing up” on life’s playing field, with positivity and energy, day in and day out. Her passion for sports shines through in her book series, Gameday in the USA, which is in the Top 100 Kids Sports Travel books by Amazon. Marnie’s pride is her three kids—Jonathan, Goldie and Leo—and she has a heart for animals and has two rescue dogs and her handsome pony, Billy. For more information visit: https://www.marnieschneider.com and https://www.gamedayintheusa.com.

By Emil Nazaryan

Simple and effective strategies for dismantling psychological fear in your life.

Have you ever stopped for a moment to take a bird’s-eye view of how much fear is in your life? I bet you might be astonished when you do. From the smallest things to the biggest, fear affects our daily lives in multiple ways.

What if the traffic is heavy and I’m late? What if my boss is not happy with my work? What if I get fired? What if there is a shooting in my neighborhood or at my child’s school? What if I can’t make my rent payment this month? What if we get a strong hurricane this season? What if I run out of money? What if war spreads? What if I die? What if… What if…

All these simple examples illustrate the amount of psychological fear running in our lives. None of us are entirely immune to it, but fear levels vary by person according to their understanding of how fear evolves. Are you up for the task of taking a deep dive into the origins and nature of fear? What is it? How does it arise? How can we handle it better?

The first and most important thing to remember is that psychological fear is an illusion that exists only in your head. In itself, it has no existence. Think about it. Where do you experience it? Is it ever outside of your mind? Isn’t it always a thought that triggers a negative reaction? But how can something that is nothing affect you or hurt you when you know it’s not real?

Here is an example. Imagine you are walking by the zoo. All of a sudden you see people start screaming and running in every direction. You know something is wrong. Then you see a humongous Siberian tiger that escaped—running straight at you with its razor sharp fangs exposed. It’s so close to you now that you feel the tiger’s heavy breathing and see its fiery eyes. You know it’s about to jump at you. What do you feel? Afraid? Now, stop and realize that you imagined this whole scene based on my example. It was never real! How do you feel now? Relieved? Maybe even a little laughter comes out of the thought that you just got scared from a scenario you entirely made up in your head. Thought provoking, isn’t it?

Here is a revelation that may be life-changing for you. All the examples in the beginning of this article are no different from the imaginary tiger charging at you. The same exact process creates it, only this time without you being conscious of it. See it as an imagination, and it disappears like the tiger that never existed! Does that mean that the topics of your fears will never emerge? Who knows? They may or may not. But the point is that there is no point in being afraid of something that is entirely imaginary and may or may not happen.

For the sake of safety and release of liability, I do want to make a disclaimer: If a real tiger is charging at you, disregard everything you just read and run!

Now let’s look at some strategies for handling fear. Through the above example, you already are familiarized with the most effective strategy of annihilating fear, which is to simply become aware of it.

Another method is to counter it with its opposite, positive thought. For example, if you just got on an airplane, and you are scared that it may fall from the sky in flight, replace that thought with seeing yourself sipping down a margarita at the airport bar after you land. Or, if you are afraid that you may die soon, why don’t you imagine that you live for 100 years? Do you see the idea? No one really knows what is going to happen next, but it’s far better to live with positive expectations than with fear.

And last, but not least, there exists yet another super-effective strategy. It is the surrender of fear. Think of fear as heavy luggage that you are carrying on your shoulders while you are on a train. Why not put it down? The train is going to carry it anyway. The same way, release your fears to the universe, to a higher power, to God or to whatever name you’d like to choose for that which runs this entire show. Let the all-powerful deal with your fears while you enjoy your life.

Yes, start enjoying your life! Start living your life! Think about how much those poisonous thoughts were taking you away from enjoying the current moment. With the fears gone, you will start appreciating your life for what it is. You will get satisfaction from the smallest things. You will feel peaceful. Will there be no pain? Of course not. Pain is a part of the package of life and is unavoidable. The big difference is that you won’t be afraid of pain, and when it comes you will handle it courageously, enduring the pain but not suffering mentally.

There is one more important disclosure to make. As you were reading this article, your level of fear presumably went down, at least temporarily. Because of that, you will notice a little candle that starts burning deep inside your heart. As gentle and fragile as it may be in the beginning, it turns into a flame in proportion to the reduction of the fear. As time goes on and the flame gets stronger, there is no extinguishing it any more. It’s going to be shining bright in the world, giving light and igniting candles in so many other hearts.

Go shine bright!

Emil Nazaryan is a motivational writer and a contributor to the monthly Motivational Corner column of HR Realtor Magazine. He has undergone a spiritual transformation which has led the way to sharing the insights he has experienced with the others. He is well acquainted with all major spiritual traditions of the world, but it is the direct experience of the essence of these teachings that is responsible for the altered life outlook and the motivational articles that stem this. In his daily life Emil is a successful REALTOR and he resides in Norfolk, VA, with his wife and two children. Contact him by email at emil.rw@gmail.com.

By Linda Commito

In the walk through life, what will create ripple effects in your wake?

As I prepare to leave my home, not only for a trip to visit my mom in New England, but in awareness that this is hurricane season in Florida, I have no idea whether I can fly out safely and whether my home and belongings will be intact when I return.

I look around at the one-of-a-kind art work that I have carefully chosen over the years, my own art creations, the special jewelry given to me by loved ones, and even more valuable, are the gifts, cards and letters, most of which hold cherished memories, especially of those no longer here.

I give less thought to the closet filled with clothes and shoes, some kept “just in case”—in case I lose or put on weight or I might need it for a colder climate. . . Somehow it seems trivial, given the conditions of others across the world who flee their homes with little or nothing and may never be able to return.

Yet, planning for any travel requires decisions. What I take for my trip has to fit into one carry-on—room only for “essentials” or at least what I consider them to be.

I glance at the bookshelves filled with those books unread or worthy of a second “read” –hoping one will make it into the carry-on that would help me to forget the cramped surroundings on my flight.

And if on that flight, the plane malfunctions, what would it matter what cherished items were stowed under the seat? What would be of greatest importance would be my loved ones, whom I would be leaving behind on both ends of the journey.

I am reminded of what would always be the most valued on my final trip to “the other side”, whenever and however that will be. It would be every precious moment and memory of who I loved, who opened my heart so wide that it could allow more love in, who “was there no matter what”, who taught me the value of my life—measured by who I was, what I gave, inspired or shared, and not by what I owned.

And later, upon landing safely, it will fortify my resolve to be more compassionate, appreciative, kinder—so that when I experience my final moment for real, I will have no regrets.

What do we leave behind every day in our walk, through life? Do we leave a warm smile, express a kind word, a caring text or email, or give someone a hug, a helping hand…creating ripple effects in their wake? I don’t leave it up to chance. It’s why I never walk out the door or end a call without an “I love (or appreciate) you”to those whom I hold dear.

Many blessings you and your loved ones.

Linda Commito, author, speaker, entrepreneur, consultant and teacher, is passionate about her vision to leave this world a kinder, more loving, and interconnected place. Linda’s award-winning book of inspirational stories, Love Is the New Currency, demonstrates how we can each make an extraordinary difference in the lives of others through simple acts of love and kindness. Her latest project, the card game Just Ask 1 2 3, was inspired by a desire to connect people of all different ages, beliefs and lifestyles to share our individuality and find commonality. Linda also created “Kindness Starts with Me,” a program, book and website for children. For more information visit http://www.LoveistheNewCurrency.com or visit the Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/Justask123game.

By Mary Boutieller

When we quiet down, the joy of those sacred moments stay with us long after the physical experience has gone.

I’m just returning from six days backpacking in the woods—hard to believe that I once did that for five and a half months! My body is sore and tired, but my spirit lifted by cloud-covered mountains, green in more shades than I thought possible, and the little things, like my husband making me coffee in the morning, in hopes of coaxing me out of the tent.

Gratitude finds many forms, but the essence of it is still the same…that upwelling of oneness, of seeing past the nonsense that can consume our days to the truth that these experiences can expand who we think we are. Recently, I listened to a podcast about a woman lost in the woods for four days in wintertime. As she spoke about her experience and contemplated the real possibility that she would not make it out alive, her overwhelming thoughts were of gratitude and love for her children and what they meant to her. She saw the beauty in her surroundings and felt joy—at the same time as she contemplated her death.

It seems those things would be in opposition—feeling joy and contemplating one’s death—but apparently that is not the case. We often hear of people who laugh with others while getting chemotherapy; of those who lose a limb and find themselves stronger a year later. It reminds me that we are more resilient and flexible than we think we are. We are not “one thing or the other.” Our capacity to hold more is vast, and we rise to the occasion, over and over again, whether it is surviving a tragedy, raising a grandchild, or helping a community devastated by disaster. We rise.

Mark Nepo, in his poem Swordless, wrote, “They say the old samurai, tired of being on guard, gave his sword away. It took months to accept a life without armor, months to let his wounds turn into blossoms…”

Those six days in the woods allowed me to lay down my armor. No news, no protection beyond a thin veiled tent…just me and John and nature—to heal and surrender for a little while, before coming back to civilization.

I know that we don’t lose what we gain when we quiet down. The joy of those sacred moments stay with us long after the physical experience has gone.

Go to a place that fills you up and calms your spirit. Find a tree that is worthy of your time and contemplation (they are all worthy). Share the stories you know and listen to others’ wisdom. Let go of the armor as often as possible and feel your joy, even in the midst of sorrow. It is there.

Let’s all rise together.

Mary Boutieller is a Registered Yoga Teacher through Yoga Alliance. She has been teaching yoga since 2005. Her work experience includes 22 years as a firefighter/paramedic and 10 years as a Licensed Massage Therapist. Mary’s knowledge and experience give her a well-rounded understanding of anatomy, alignment, health and movement in the body. She is passionate about the benefits of yoga and the ability to heal at all levels through awareness, compassion, and a willingness to explore. She can be reached at: SimplyogaOm@gmail.com.

By Owen Waters

Pioneers in the advancement of consciousness often adopt certain challenges in order to work through them and, by doing so, create a pattern to make it easier for others to follow.

We are in the midst of a revolution in consciousness that is affecting everyone. Even the most staunch traditionalists in society are being dragged into a vortex of ever-increasing change. The 80-20 rule states that 80 percent of any change is typically caused by 20 percent of the people. The 20 percent consists of the leading thinkers of the day.

In spiritual matters, these leading-edge people are sometimes called lightworkers or old souls, indicating that they have learned more from their experiences through many incarnations. This advanced learning is stored as wisdom in their souls, and they benefit from it consciously through intuitive inner guidance.

Today’s leading-edge thinkers planned ahead to be incarnate at this time in history to help make the essential positive changes in society possible. Social science has now begun to recognize them as a major group in today’s society.

More than One in Five Adults Have Made a Shift

A survey in the 1990s by researchers Paul Ray and Sherry Anderson found that 26 percent of American adults had become what they termed “Cultural Creatives.” Over 50 million Americans now fit the definition of a newly emerging type of humanity that has made a comprehensive upward shift in worldview, values and way of life. In Europe, a 1997 survey conducted in 15 European countries showed figures that are very similar to the United States.

So, in a social setting the term “leading-edge thinker” actually applies to more than 20 percent of the people today. Most of them don’t think of themselves as leading edge, nor do they typically realize how many other people are just like them.

The term “lightworker” is synonymous with “spiritual seeker.” You may or may not think of yourself a lightworker but, if you’re reading this, then you fit the definition perfectly.

The two categories of Cultural Creatives identified by Ray and Anderson fit exactly into the consciousness patterns of lower and upper fourth density. While our physical bodies are currently located in upper third density, our minds are free to soar through heart-centered fourth density and into fifth-density soul consciousness.

When a person moves from the third-density function of developing basic intellect into lower fourth density, their worldview expands and they become more aware of the needs of society. They take into account the local and global effects of their own actions and the actions of others that they support. Environmental, organic and peace-making concerns all come under this frequency band of consciousness.

Then, as outlined in my book, The Shift: The Revolution in Human Consciousness, when people move from lower to upper fourth-density consciousness they pass through the gateway of the heart. This brings them into the first level of spiritual awareness and they become more concerned with inner development and enlightenment.

Leading thinkers are simply people whose normal frequency of consciousness is higher than average. The higher your frequency, the greater your awareness and the greater your ability to lead change by showing others how to resolve the challenges in life.

Freedom from Control Issues

Two popular issues today are control issues and self-empowerment. People who were raised to feel the need to be in control are now recognizing that this was just another form of fear that has no substance in reality.

Reality comes from your soul’s intuitive guidance because, at a soul level, you see everything that you need to succeed and achieve your purpose in life.

The opposite side of the same coin is the issue of self-empowerment, which is learned by people who break free of control by others and establish their own sense of inner strength and self-dependence.

The issue of self-empowerment is being explored at a societal level, as well as an individual level. Every person who begins to realize that they are being deliberately disempowered and turns off the fear-inducing news broadcasts leads the world another step towards liberty from the chains that are designed to bind people to a life of servitude. Thanks to the awakening of lightworkers and leading thinkers, the world is waking up to a whole new standard of personal power and dignity.

Lightworkers often choose to experience major challenges in their lives, not because they need the experience, because they have mastered those challenges in previous incarnations. Instead, lightworkers choose to experience challenges because other people need leading thinkers to show them how to resolve these issues. The more the leading-edge people succeed in resolving these issues, the easier it becomes for the rest to follow.

There is a global mind atmosphere or “mind belt” of human consciousness around the planet. You are subconsciously linked with the mind belt 24 hours a day. It affects you and you affect it. Your contribution to the mental and spiritual health of the world is made every second of every day.

The Lightworker Objective is to be a pioneer in the advancement of consciousness, often adopting certain challenges in order to work through them and, by doing so, creating a pattern in the mind belt to make it easier for others to follow.

If you are currently working through a major life challenge and feel as though you’re going round in circles and getting nowhere, STOP and look for the gift in that challenge.

The gift is that, by loving yourself and others more, you can rise above the challenge and become more of who you really are. Then, the experience changes from one of challenge to one of self-empowerment.

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

Owen Waters is author of the Indie award-winning book, Spirituality Made Simple and a cofounder of the Spiritual Dynamics Academy and InfiniteBeing.com, where a where a free spiritual growth newsletter awaits you at https://www.InfiniteBeing.com. He is an international spiritual teacher who has helped hundreds of thousands of spiritual seekers to understand better the nature of their spiritual potential. Owen’s life has been focused upon gaining spiritual insights through extensive research and the development of his inner vision. He has written a spiritual metaphysics newsletter since 2004 which empowers people to discover their own new vistas of inspiration, love and creativity. Spiritual seekers enjoy his writings for their clarity and deep insights. Contact Owen via email News@InfiniteBeing.com.

By Jo Mooy

Many years ago, in the corner booth of a late-night diner, I learned that journaling is an alternative way for spirit, or the soul, to communicate directly with you.

Drive through any major road in New Jersey, and you’ll find a diner every few blocks. It’s the state with the highest number anywhere in the United States. Hearty breakfasts are served at any hour, as the diners stay open 24/7. Those breakfasts at 1 or 2 in the morning popped into my mind recently when I found an old journal that missed the big purge of dozens of other journals when I moved to Sarasota, FL.

In the 1970s, my first significant spiritual teacher was a Rosicrucian adept who held metaphysical classes in her home. I was her student for over three years, going to her home at night after work. By the end of the second year, all the other students drifted away to follow their own pursuits. I ended up the last and only student being taught by her and her close friend, who was the New Jersey Rosicrucian Lodge Master.

Classes with the two of them often moved to a diner in New Jersey. In a corner booth, in the wee hours of the morning, over omelets or homemade pies, they taught me the philosophies and mystical teachings of the Rosicrucian Order and of two other esoteric schools. Late one night, the Lodge Master predicted three “psychic” events would happen to me in rapid succession. He did not tell me what they were, but said I’d understand what they meant and would tie them together after all three happened.

He was the first person to tell me to start a journal. At the time, I thought a journal was a diary, but he explained it was beyond that. Writing in a diary was more mechanical, like recording your day’s events. Journaling, however, was an alternative way for spirit, or the soul, to communicate directly with you. It took you from the mechanical to the spiritual. The journals were to be handwritten, as the spiritual messages descend from the crown through the heart, down the arm to the pen carrying the information uninterrupted onto the page.

He suggested I take notes on our diner sessions and let them “sit for a while.” In time, greater insights would develop from those notes. He said I should pay great attention to those insights and record them in the journal without editing because those insights were elaborations on the teachings from the “true spirit that was actually teaching me.” I dutifully did as he suggested, filling 15 spiral notebooks in my time with them.

He was right in every case. The notetaking may have been mechanical, but the insights that came later elicited a much deeper spiritual understanding that was specific and unique to what I was learning. The three “psychic” events he predicted spontaneously occurred, two in meditation and one while driving my car to work. All three experiences would later become a springboard to my own metaphysical classes. I wrote in one of the diner Journals that my Rosicrucian adept teacher told me I would begin teaching at age 60. I was surprised when she said that, but it was exactly the year I began.

A life-changing event occurred 30 years after I studied with them. Attempting to erase all remnants of my previous life, I gathered up all the journals and books and took them to the town dump. As each notebook was dropped into the jaws of the giant garbage chewing arm, I released what had been. I figured I’d start over with fresh ideas and journals when I began my new life.

But somehow one journal survived by hiding itself behind some keeper books that were making the trek south. As the pages of the journal opened, there was that familiar smell of a diner in New Jersey. Reading the passages I could still “hear” the voices of the Rosicrucians. Their cadence, inflection, passion and humor were in the notes I’d taken.

Then an asterisked section caught my eye on the teachings of listening to your intuition: “I was going to CVS for a prescription, but something kept telling me—NO—take a shower first. I took the shower then called CVS. The phone kept ringing a long time. Finally someone answered the phone and asked if they could call me back. He said the store had been robbed at gunpoint 15 minutes earlier and someone had been shot. I would have been there at the same time.”

Someone once asked me if I regretted things in the past. I usually reply, “never.” But, rethinking that question after finding this journal, I regret not keeping the other 15 Journals from the diner in New Jersey. The books are gone, but their late-night teachings and the memories of my time with them are still here. They’re being written in new journals that have since replaced the old ones.

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