By Emil Nazaryan

Turn your attention from the lives of others, and start seeing all those blessings you didn’t know you have.

“My friend just bought a new car, and it looks so good! Not like my ancient half-broken one.” “John just got promoted to the CEO position. How come I didn’t?” “Why is Mary’s daughter a straight A student excelling in all fields, but my son barely gets by with Cs and Ds.” “Tony always travels across the world with his family, and we’re lucky if we make it to North Carolina once a year.” “Jennifer is such a good planner. Her days always stick to her schedule, and she gets so much done. I still haven’t folded my laundry from last week.”

Now, be honest with yourself. Have you ever had similar thoughts? Let’s not call this jealousy, but there is an awkward, uncomfortable feeling that dawns upon us with these thoughts. We feel pressure. We feel like we are underperforming. We feel left out. We feel insecure. At times, even an inferiority complex may descend upon us. And these are just from comparing ourselves to people we know, let alone celebrities, famous people and all those other overachievers. Oh, if we could only have the life they have… Then we would be really happy.

What a marvelous concept! How is it working out for you? Have those thoughts ever led you to positive changes in your life? Have they added anything good in your life, other just misery? There is only one exception. If those thoughts develop what W. Clement Stone called “inspirational dissatisfaction,” they can lead to positive changes. That dissatisfaction may motivate you to change yourself, grow and transform your own life. Otherwise, wishing you were living somebody else’s life is just a big poisonous waste of time.

But not just that. Think about how much these feelings take away from enjoying your own life, however unsatisfactory you may think it is. This is like a curtain that keeps you from seeing the blessings you already have, and I can guarantee you those blessings are far more than you ever thought.

So, what’s the solution? The first step is accepting yourself as you are and your life as it is today, right now, in this instant. Let the motto be “It is what it is.” Make peace with the fact that you are not sipping down a cold margarita in the Bahamas like your neighbor, just like I had to make peace with the fact that I’m not George Clooney!

The next step is to start embracing your life. Fall in love with it. Turn your attention from the lives of others onto your own. Start seeing all those blessings you didn’t know you have. Start feeling gratitude for even the smallest positives. You live in the country of dreams, you probably have shelter, water, daily food, clothes, a car—even if it’s a beat up one. You may not have a job that pays a million dollars a month, but it likely provides some comfort for you and your family. Isn’t that marvelous? Treat your current situation as if it’s the most wonderful life anyone can ever have. Pretend that others are jealous of you. Love your life with your whole heart.

“Why? What does this accomplish? Isn’t this denial? Isn’t this living in La La Land? Am I not cheating myself?” These questions may pop up in your mind. My answer is, try it! What do you have to lose? How can this hurt? What if it does work? What if this mindset, this abundance consciousness completely transforms your life? Wouldn’t it be such a small price to pay? And the best part is, it doesn’t depend on anything or anyone else in the world! It has certainly worked magic in my own life and the lives of so many people I know. So, go ahead and start living your own life today. After all, it’s the only one you will ever have!

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 Darrel L. Hammon

We have been told

that we need momentum

to cross the finish line.

It’s that last ten or twenty feet

that often matter most!

We can slack and fall back,

or we can surge and feel the push

in our lungs, mind, and body.

It isn’t about winning or losing.

It isn’t about doing or not doing.

It is all about the push

and momentum that force us

to do things we wouldn’t normally do.

We know we need to do them.

We worry whether we might crumble

and stumble along the way.

But we lack the momentum to make that surge—

out of our beds, up from the couch,

out of our slumber, away from our phones,

out the door, and down the steps.

It’s that first step, then second,

then the third, faster and faster,

adrenaline coursing through our veins.

We can feel the burn, the majesty of it all,

the feelings of accomplishment

as we complete the task

that we have been procrastinating.

It is momentum, the flowing forward,

ever forward, pushing ourselves

to our limits and even beyond.

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 Linda Commito

Saying goodbye to those we love.

I have never been good at saying “goodbye” and especially when I wondered if it might be the last time that I might see a loved one. I remember the yearly visits from my mom, when we would go on a vacation together and I would take her to the airport. I would hug her and tell her “I love you” so many times and yet was still unable to drive away . . . without just one more! Fortunately, I have had many more opportunities to tell Mom how precious she is to me, to wish her “Happy Mother’s Day” again, and to let her know how much I appreciate our daily phone calls and twice-yearly visits. But not so with my dad, whom I will be forever grateful that I was able to be with him as he drew his last breath.

There is a hole in one’s heart when someone we love departs this earth plane, a sadness that permeates every thought and interaction, a realization that who was once a part of our life is gone forever—no more phone calls or physical connections.

I have recently lost a good friend, have two friends who are receiving hospice care and another who is facing a cancer diagnosis. This morning in meditation, I wrote about BREATH.

BREATH

The gift of life, the sign of life, so fragile, so easily stopped or taken away,

often taken for granted, as though we had an endless supply that would always be available—until it’s not!

And one day we will realize—perhaps in panic, but hopefully, in peace—

“this is our last and final one!”

Whether prepared or taken by surprise—our life as we know it in this earthly body will be complete.

May we experience gratitude for each precious breath—this gift of life—NOW in this moment. We never know when it will be the last time. And how we choose to be present will help us to ensure that each day and each person whom we are with is as cherished a gift as we will likely ever receive.

And to those loved ones in your life . . . tell them how precious they are, what they mean to you every chance you get. Tell someone “I love you”—even if they have to hear it 100 times before they can believe it.

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 Mark Pitstick, MA, DC

Noted researchers have compiled a compelling body of evidence that supports reincarnation.

Past Life Regressions

Hypnotically induced past life regressions (PLRs) explore the possibility of you being in other times and places by facilitating deep relaxation, a calm but clear state of mind and less mental chatter. Quieting the brain’s frenetic analysis can enhance awareness of information not usually accessible in the waking state—and the findings with regards to reincarnation have been astounding.

To skeptics who charge that PLR subjects are deliberately lying about their experiences, Edith Fiore, Ph.D., author of You Have Been Here Before, responded: “If so, most should be nominated for Academy Awards. I have listened to and watched people in past life regressions under hypnosis for thousands of hours. I am convinced there is no deliberate, nor conscious, attempt to deceive. The tears, shaking, flinching, smiling, gasping for breath, groaning, sweating and other physical manifestations are all too real.”

Brian Weiss, MD, author of Messages from the Masters and other books, has received thousands of phone calls and letters from psychiatrists, psychologists and other therapists who have done past life regressions for up to 20 years. Dr. Weiss states, “The letters describe detailed accounts of past life recall, of patients recalling names, dates and details of lifetimes in other cities, countries or continents. Some patients have found their ‘old’ names in the official records of places they have never even heard of, let alone visited, in this lifetime. Some have found their own tombstones.”

As described in Reliving Past Lives, Helen Wambach, Ph.D., evaluated over a thousand cases of detailed past lives and stated: “I reasoned that if past life recall were fantasy, my subjects would include material in their regressions that I could prove could not have been true. They might have seen anachronisms of one kind or another—clothing and architecture that were completely wrong for the time period and place they had chosen—or a climate and landscape that would not match the map they flashed on. To my surprise, I found only 11 data sheets out of the 1,088 I had collected that showed clear evidence of discrepancies.”

Wambach analyzed these accumulated past life recollections and compared them for historical accuracy in the areas of social class, race, gender, clothing, diet, population ratios, and causes of death in particular time periods. For example, she found that 49 percent of past lives were lived as women, while 51 percent were those of men—what one would expect in a random distribution, not a hoax. She concluded, “All the data described…tended to support the hypothesis that past life recall accurately reflects the real past rather than that it represents common fantasies.”

She also found that the number of lives reported around 1600 A.D. was twice that reported around 400 A.D. This number doubled once more around 1850, mirroring the actual increase in the world’s population. It is difficult, if not impossible, to believe that a group of randomly selected participants in past life regressions could have co-coordinated their efforts to pull off such a colossal statistical hoax.

Joel Whitton, MD, Ph.D., was a professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto Medical School and coauthor with Joe Fisher of Life Between Life. They related Whitton’s clinical work with a client named Harold who, when hypnotized, described a former life as a Viking raider. Although he had never studied a foreign language in his life, the man spoke comfortably and confidently in a strange tongue that experts identified as ancient Norse.

Working independently, linguists who spoke Icelandic and Norwegian identified and translated some of these words. Several other words seemed to have a Russian, Serbian or Slavic derivation, and these were also identified. One language expert stated, “It would be appropriate for a Viking to speak a language which contained words and phrases of other tongues in that period. I would say this could fit the language pattern of the roving Viking.”

During another past life recollection, Harold wrote what looked like a bunch of scribbles. The alphabet he used was identified by researchers as a long-extinct script used in Mesopotamia. That language bears no relation to modern Persian and hasn’t been spoken for more than 1300 years. Of Harold’s past life regression experiences, Dr. Whitton stated, “To me, the case remains one of the most convincing arguments I’ve seen for evidence of reincarnation.”

One final example of a PLR with validation features was provided by Dr. Weiss. Diane, an RN, had been looking without success for a soul mate relationship. During a past life regression with Weiss, she recalled an earlier lifetime as a pioneer woman who hid with her baby from Indians. To keep the baby quiet, she covered his mouth with her hand. Her baby, who had a crescent shaped birthmark beneath his right shoulder, died as she accidentally asphyxiated him. Several months after this regression, she treated a man with asthma at her hospital job. Diane nearly fainted when, while listening to his lungs, she saw a crescent shaped birthmark below his right shoulder. Both experienced an instant familiarity and connection that led to dating and a happy marriage.

Dr. Ian Stevenson’s Research

The massive amount of objective research by Ian Stevenson, MD, is the most impressive reincarnation evidence to date. His books include Children Who Remember Previous Lives, Cases of the Reincarnation Type, Twenty Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation, Where Reincarnation and Biology Intersect, and Reincarnation and Biology. The world’s leading authority on the subject, Dr. Stevenson is the author of more than a dozen scholarly books and 250 articles.

Stevenson, who headed the department of psychiatry at the University of Virginia, spent most of his 60-year career perfecting methods for verifying past life memories of children. His work is not better known because he writes for other academicians, a fact to which anyone who has read his books can attest.

He and his staff compiled over 3,000 cases from Asia, Europe, Africa and North America. Nearly 900 of these were stringently verified; 35 percent of them had birthmarks or birth defects that matched injuries from previous lives. Eighteen of these cases involved two or more matching birthmarks. Stevenson calculated the chances that two matching sets of birthmarks—from a purported past life and the present one—would randomly occur to be only 1 in 25,600 times. The odds against this happening by chance eighteen times in this group are astronomical.

Stevenson’s stringent standards of research rely heavily on private and repeated interviews over time. He wrote a clinical textbook for psychiatrists based on methods used by attorneys to reconstruct past events as accurately as possible. Dr. Stevenson and his team investigated children who remembered possible past lives and their families, as well as the family and circumstances of the alleged past life. Given the exacting methods of these professional researchers, it was virtually impossible for anyone—especially third-world villagers—to conceal a hoax.

Here are three summaries of Stevenson’s cases:

•          Parmod, a 3 ½ year-old boy from India, remembered owning a soda and bakery store in another town. Upon arriving in that town, he led his family directly to the shop. Parmod knew how to repair a complex soda machine that had been intentionally disconnected to test his memory.

•          Michael, a 3 year-old from Texas, remembered exact details of a fatal auto accident in his previous life. His recollection, although no one in the family had ever told him about the incident, was that of his mother’s high school boyfriend, who had died just as Michael described.

•          At just 1 ½ years of age, Sukla, from India, cradled a toy and said it was her daughter Minu. During the next several years, she remembered more details of her past life and her family took her to that village. Sukla directed them to her former home and enjoyed a reunion with Minu, whose mother had died when she was a baby.

Jenny Wade, Ph.D., author of Changes of Mind, noted parallels between perinatal memories and accounts by children about past lives. (“Perinatal” refers to time periods just before, during, and after human birth.) She viewed these as supporting an argument for consciousness independent of a physical body. Wade stated that Stevenson’s research withstood every serious challenge to date because of the impressive documentation and rigorous scientific methods used. Especially convincing, said Wade, was the high incidence of birthmarks and deformities in this life that corresponded to injuries in a former life.

Of these correlating birthmarks, John Algeo—author of Reincarnation Explored—commented: “For example, a child may remember having lived another life including enough details about it (names, places, events) to permit investigators to identify the earlier personality. That personality died from a gunshot wound, and medical or coroner’s records establish the location of the entering and exiting wound marks made by the fatal bullet. The child who remembers the earlier life has birthmarks on places that correspond to the wounds of the prior personality. Moreover, the birthmark corresponding to the exit wound is larger than the birthmark corresponding to the entry wound, just as the wounds themselves were, that being the normal pattern for bullet wounds. That is one type of case out of many involving birthmarks and defects.”

In Stevenson’s book Reincarnation and Biology—an eight pound, two volume work with 2,268 pages—photos show rare birth marks or defects that correlate with previous lives. One Burmese girl, born with her right leg missing just below the knee, remembered the life of a poor teenage girl who sold roses to passengers at the railroad station. A train ran over her and severed her right leg. The girl made detailed statements and recognitions that convinced the family she was the reincarnation of the teenager who was killed by the train. She also had a marked phobia of trains.

Other examples of correlating birthmarks offering physical evidence of past lives include an Indian boy who recalled being killed by a shotgun blast to his chest. On this little boy’s chest was an array of birthmarks that matched the pattern and location of the fatal wounds as verified by the autopsy report. Another shotgun victim was hit at point-blank range on the right side of the head as confirmed from the hospital report. The Turkish boy who remembered this life was born with a malformed ear and an underdevelopment of the right side of his face.

One woman had three linear scar-like birthmarks on her back. As a child, she remembered being killed by three blows to her back with an ax. Another boy in India was born with stubs for fingers on only his right hand—an extremely rare condition. He remembered a past life when his fingers were cut off in a fodder chopping machine.

Regarding the evidence about birth marks and defects correlating with alleged past life injuries, Stevenson stated: “I accept reincarnation as the best explanation for a case only after I have excluded all others—normal and paranormal . . . I regard my contribution as that of presenting the evidence as clearly as I can. Each reader should study the evidence carefully—preferably in the monograph (Reincarnation and Biology)—and then reach his or her own conclusion.”

Mark Pitstick, MA, DC is an author, master’s clinical psychologist, holistic chiropractic physician, frequent media guest, and webinar/workshop facilitator. He directs The SoulPhone Foundation and founded Greater Reality Living Groups. Dr. Pitstick can help you know and show—no matter what is happening to or around you— that your earthly experience is a totally safe, meaningful, and magnificent adventure amidst forever. Visit http://www.SoulProof.com for free articles, newsletters and radio interviews with top consciousness experts.

By Terez Hartmann

From “Impossible-Ever-Now” to “Happily-Ever-After!”

Once upon a time in the fairy tale kingdom of Brooklyn, NY, there lived a little girl who believed in “happily ever after.” She had read countless stories, seen a gazillion movies, made annual trips to the dreams-come-true-mothership Walt Disney World in Orlando and knew that her vision of being in an extraordinary, wondrous love relationship was so utterly real, true, and sure for her that no one could tell her differently.

As the little girl grew and her attention moved from focusing inwardly to observing the outer world, she started to notice that virtually no 3-D humans were living happily ever after with each other, and soon her own experiences began to match what she was observing.

With this, doubt became far more prevalent than knowing, and her dream began to wane. After all, if almost everyone she knew had difficult or less-than-stellar relationships—including everyone in her immediate and extended family—and her own personal experience was showing her that relationships were always lacking.

How could she possibly believe otherwise?

After taking a break from many years of relationship ups and downs, the girl decided that she would once again allow herself to dream, envision and consider what could be. She made lists of what she wanted, cut out words and images to place in books and on vision boards, and spent whatever idle time she had thinking about the possibility of what could be. She was determined and willing to do whatever it would take to realize her dream and was working very diligently at the process—for the world most certainly taught her that any worthwhile dream could come true if she was willing to put in the time and work hard. But, oddly enough, the more “required” action she invested, the less effective her results turned out to be. With this, she decided that instead of waiting for Mr. Right to whisk her away on adventures, she could give these as gifts to herself. She stopped waiting, really started living and had some of the greatest adventures of her life; and, lo and behold, she discovered that for first time in her adult life, she truly enjoyed the pleasure of her OWN company.

As she gradually entered the dating world again, she found more and more awesome traits and experiences with her lovers. Though none of them turned out to be “the one,” she came away from each of these relationships with greater insights about what she really desired and, most importantly, went beyond the work of making lists or adding to vision boards to finally reach the heart of how she wanted her relationship to FEEL.

Throughout this time of exploration, she shared many conversations with her best friend, a fellow musician and deeply intelligent and spiritually open-minded man. To help each other along their respective journeys, they exchanged music, books, audio recordings, and movies that moved each of them.

The most amazing thing occurred when the girl heard her heterosexual male friend speak the words her heart had once shouted as a child, “I want the fairy tale. I want happily ever after.”

Perhaps her dream was not as crazy or impossible as she had made it out to be? Perhaps she was not the only one who wanted this?

Once again, she went forth to sample the buffet of relationships and unfortunately managed to sink her teeth into a particularly bitter dish, which got her attention in a strong enough way to inspire her to make a very powerful decision: She decided she was done searching, would never again settle for less than the whole badda-bing of what she truly wanted, and that if she was not able to experience this in her lifetime for whatever reason, she really could be okay and live a happy, full life as a single woman. She then got off the subject of love and relationships altogether and resolved to do her best to get back to living her own version of happily-ever-now.

A month or so later when her heart became lighter, she accepted an invitation to meet her best friend to check out an up-and-coming blues band. On her way, she was inspired to stop at a book store for no good reason, where she struck up a conversation with a lovely woman. After feeling compelled to share her relationship stories with the stranger, the woman gave her a very helpful piece of advice and planted a seed of hope by saying:

“Whatever you do, do not close your heart, for the one you’ve been waiting for may be just around the corner.”

Upon hearing this, she realized that there was still something inside of her that knew that what she wanted could be possible, some way, somehow, someday; but this time, she had no stake in it. There was no urgency, no must-have, and no desire to chase, try, search or pursue. She thanked the lady and took these sweet words with a grain of salt.

When she met her friend that evening, there was a whole new sense of electricity in the air. Though she had felt this when she first met him two years prior, the timing and circumstances were not conducive to anything more than friendship at that time (since she had just ended one relationship and started a new one). Those feelings had long been swept under the rug and tucked away, but today the rug had been lifted, and boy, the sparks were flying! By the end of the night, she and her best friend, John, shared a truly magical first kiss that was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. It felt like all time had stopped, like the entire Universe had converged upon this moment, yet at the same time, it was the most natural, easy, beautiful thing in the world. In less than 24 hours, this already wonderful friendship had evolved into something deeper and more and, with this recognition, the words she had heard from the kind stranger only hours before rang truer than she ever could have imagined!

Approximately 30 days after giving up the search and a month and a half after kissing her best friend, the girl—yours truly—said, “Absolutely!” to his question of, “Will you marry me?”

We have since shared over 22 years of friendship, 20 years of marriage, and an ever-expanding, amazing, fun, natural, passionate, joy-filled, awesome adventure beyond anything I once thought possible. And when I recall the words he spoke to me all those years ago, “I want the fairy tale. I want happily ever after,” I am again reminded that the Universe has the power and resources to deliver even our deepest, truest, hearts’ desires—even down to the most exact, specific detail!*

The Bottom Line: From “Impossible-Ever-Now” to “Happily-Ever-After!”

When I began my journey of allowing true love, there really was a time where it felt utterly, completely ridiculous and impossible. Like most of you, I was taught to be realistic and do my homework by researching and observing the world around me, yet the more I did this, the further this took me away from realizing my dreams. I also discovered that trying too hard to “make it happen” was not the answer because the more I searched for what I did not have, the more life (Law of Attraction) brought me more of the same via more searching and more not having. Yet, with a willingness to let go, along with being open to allowing a little seed of hope and possibility to germinate, it was astonishing how quickly everything fell into place: In less than 24 hours I had moved from impossible-ever-now to starting the journey of happily-ever-now AND after!

If I could find that wonderful woman who gave me those words of hope at the perfect time, I would give her the most epic hug imaginable! So just as she said to me all those years ago, it is MY hope that you take this story and these words to heart:

“Whatever you do, do not close your heart, for the one you have been waiting for may be just around the corner!”

Here’s to open hearts, happily-ever-nows (and afters!), and to remember that dreams really can also come true for beautiful, fabulous YOU!

*BTW—If you LOVE the idea of helping yourself and others also experience “happily-ever-after” NOW, cultivate self-love, and manifest, attract and allow YOUR ideal, authentic relationship, check out the new course, “Attracting Authentic Relationships Life Coach Certification” at https://www.terezfirewoman.com/shop2

Terez “Firewoman” Hartmann is a Visionary Creative & top-rated instructor, Law of Attraction & Allowing YOUR Success specialist, published author, speaker, singer-songwriter, recording & performing artist & composer, “Catalyst for Fab-YOU-lous” and true Renaissance Woman who has already helped over 10,000 students in over 130 countries allow success and live life on FIRE. She is deeply passionate about helping other Powerful Creatives and Leading-Edge Thinkers live unique, empowered lives on their terms by cultivating the courage to dream, to express themselves boldly & authentically, and to focus Onward, Upward and Forward into new possibilities. http://www.terezfirewoman.com

By Arielle Giordano

The deeper meaning of being in your body.

Being in your body is your gateway to the universe. When you are in your body, you have the capacity to merge with the universe—but it is completely dependent on you being in your real body. The truth is that your body is already one with the universe, and it holds within it everything in the universe.

When you are not residing in your body, you separate from the universe, and you protect yourself from what is real. The teachings we receive from our world today of “being in the now and being present” have some truth—but it is not the whole truth. This narrative is attractive for those who reside in the mental realm because it offers power, self-control and presence. However, our real power is known and recognized as love, and, when we think it’s something else, that creates the illusion of wants and needs.

Wants and needs equal self-interest, which the mind perceives as a great advantage of being in the now. The process becomes spiritually sophisticated, and this makes the mind’s illusion worse. Self-interest is not truly in the present; this state is not in the now or in the body. It is dishonest.

However, as soon as we become honest and drop into the body, self-interest dissolves and illusion disappears. We enter the universe and find the ultimate truth.

Transformational Life Coach Award-Winning Author & Speaker, Professional Dancer. Arielle’s Award-Winning book for Best Self-Help Award: Dancing With Your Story From The Inside is available on http://www.Amazon.com. Her professional career includes the Lead Faculty Area Chairperson and Professor for the College of Humanities, History and the Arts at the University of Phoenix. She is a published co-author of Transform Your Life Books 1 & 2 and author for Tampa Bay Wellness, Conscious Shift & Transformation magazine. She has published her 4th book, an Instructor’s Manual for Barlow Abnormal Psychology 4th ed. and authored Psychology, A Journey 3rd.ed. Study Guide published by Nelson Education, Toronto, ON. She has also studied philosophy at the College of Integrated Philosophy with John DeRuiter for twenty years. Arielle has been a featured guest on radio and television, in newspapers, and the media across the US and Canada. She is a certified Essentrics Stretch and Dance Instructor. Arielle offers coaching sessions, classes and workshops and a free 30-minute Consultation. Arielle’s new book Dancing with Your Story from the Inside Out is now available on http://www.Amazon.com. Websites: http://www.dancingfromtheinsideout.com, http://www.ariellegiordano.com. Email: agbeautifuldance@gmail.com

By Owen Waters

Intuitive insight is evolving from its former, dream-like status into the verifiable world of rigorous, scientific control.

Mystics are visionaries. That’s what gives them the edge in scientific research.

Newton, Faraday and Einstein were all examples of mystics. Most of their research occurred, not in a laboratory, but within their visionary consciousness.

Mysticism is a learned skill, just like learning to ride a bicycle, and it is an exact science. You can develop this incredibly useful skill and gain that visionary edge, not just in scientific research, but in any endeavor that you plan to undertake.

Mysticism is the act of going within. Our brains are entrained upon the external universe, which they perceive through the five senses. The act of going within means to withdraw from the exterior senses and allow inner perception to come forth.

It is a paradox that higher frequencies of consciousness are obtained by lowering the frequency of the brain. Brainwaves are electrical activity. The more the outer senses are slowed down, the slower the brainwave activity. Basically, we have to reduce outer-directed conscious activity in order to reach inner consciousness.

Higher consciousness is a frequency of mind, not a higher electrical brainwave activity. However, both consciousness and electric energy do resonate within the same universal magnetic field.

This primal, carrier field is the fabric of the universe. It is essentially a static magnetic fluid that fills all of space. It does not, however, appear static when viewed at the quantum level. Continuously fed by solar radiation, it appears as a hotbed of continual electromagnetic activity.

In her ground-breaking book The Field, Lynne McTaggart weaves together a compendium of how this primal, universal Field underlies virtually all phenomena in life. Every type of electromagnetic energy, including light, has its magnetic component. This magnetic component is the Field, the fabric of the universe.

Higher energies, in the form of etheric or life energy, also resonate in the Field just as electrical energy does. Furthermore, mental energies resonate in the Field and emotional energies resonate in the Field. The Field is the underlying link that allows all actions to play out in the universe. It is, as Lynne points out, the reason that the universe is a connected wholeness rather than a collection of isolated people and objects.

The Global Mind

The Field plays host to the mental/emotional atmosphere of humanity around the Earth. This global mind of humanity links us together. Every thought that you think, and every emotion that you feel, pass into the global mind and affect everyone else on the planet.

Who says that one person can’t have an effect in this world? We all have an effect, and if your effect is an inspired one, then it will inspire countless others around the world!

This global mind phenomenon also explains why scientific discoveries often pop up around the world in several places at once, even though the discoverers were not in physical communication. These discoveries are ideas whose time is right, so the thoughts circulate to those capable of receiving and interpreting their frequency.

Life Energy

The study of etheric energy, or life energy, is about to become a larger specialty of physics than electromagnetism. Lynne McTaggart’s book lists many manifestations of etheric energy, including healing energy, scalar waves, homeopathy, and acupuncture treatments of the human energy body.

Etheric energy is a pre-physical energy. Some would call it non-physical, yet it appears solid enough to people in the afterlife, or astral realms. Their “spirit” bodies, and the solid-looking articles around them, are made of etheric energy.

Because etheric energy is responsive to mental pressures, objects in those surroundings can be materialized and altered at will. According to out-of-body expert Robert Monroe, some newcomers to the afterlife get very excited about this ability to instantly create and modify thought-forms. So much so, that they redecorate their homes daily, using their minds to create any decor they can imagine! Such is the power of instant visualization, at least in the afterlife.

Moving back to the physical realm, another example of etheric energy is the substance of Rupert Sheldrake’s morphogenetic fields, which determine the shape-to-be of growing plants and animals. When we can more easily generate and measure etheric energy, then this new branch of physics will open and grow.

The practice of mysticism involves contemplation, which is a state of mind beyond concentration. When you study an object in front of you, you concentrate upon it. The state of concentration then allows insights from your intuitive faculty to enter the picture, so contemplation is a combination of concentration and intuitive insight. These intuitive insights come from the object of your attention because your mind has traveled into the object and acquired information about it.

Let’s say, for example, that the object of your contemplation is a subatomic particle, the electron. The nice thing about consciousness is that it can downsize its focus to the subatomic level. If you were to tune into such an actual subatomic particle, what would your impression be of its shape?

Would it be a sphere of solid matter? No, we already know that is not possible because Einstein proved that matter is energy, and therefore its solidity is an illusion.

Would it be a point of electromagnetic energy? Yes, but what would be its shape? What would be its function as it interacts with the rest of nature?

What kind of motion would be present? Would it be an vortex of electromagnetism, spinning and radiating, speaking to all of the rest of Creation? Would it have an etheric template, like a morphogenetic field, acting as a waveguide as it continuously cycles between the Field and physical expression?

Intuitive insight is evolving from its former, dream-like status into the verifiable world of rigorous, scientific control.

The Early Days of Science

This is similar to the transition of another discipline, the one from alchemy to chemistry that occurred 300 years ago. That was the time of Robert Boyle (1627-1691), one of the founding members of the early scientific research establishment, The Royal Society.

In those days, there was little or no industry to fund scientific research, so King Charles II was approached to fund research into the wonders of those days, hence the name, The Royal Society. After Boyle published his magnum opus, The Sceptical Chemist, the vagueness of alchemy was shifted irrevocably into the precision of modern-day chemistry. All thanks to his intuitive insights.

If Boyle had not possessed a sound, intuitive grasp of the subject matter of alchemy, then he could not have extracted its potential for growth—the growth which became modern-day chemistry.

Isaac Newton (1643-1727)was 15 years junior to Robert Boyle. After a difficult upbringing, Newton attended Cambridge University to earn his Bachelor’s degree and then trained in alchemy under Robert Boyle.

Michael White, in his biography of Isaac Newton, refers to Newton as an obsessive, driven mystic, deeply involved in alchemy and a subscriber to a “heretical” sect of Christianity, i.e. one with some ideas of their own. Newton spent a large part of his life intensely involved with alchemy, leaving behind over one million words on the subject. A mystic to the core, he also spent a considerable amount of time studying biblical prophecy, Rosicrucian mysticism, astrology and numerology.

White concluded that Newton’s search for the philosophers’ stone and for scientific fundamentals such as gravity are inextricably linked. Newton was a mathematical mystic, devoted to finding out how God had constructed the universe. He was an obsessive character who searched for an understanding of the universe by whatever means possible.

During his life, Newton headed the Royal Society (1691-1727), invented calculus, and gave us an understanding of gravity and light. He formulated the three laws of motion upon which all of mechanics is based and, famously, narrowly avoided being hit on the head by a falling apple.

Michael Faraday (1791-1867) began his work in science researching chemistry, where he discovered benzene and succeeded in liquefying a number of gases. He soon moved ahead into the new and fascinating realm of electricity. Most of his colleagues doubted even the existence of “such a phantasie as electricity.” Surely, they said, there could be no serious connection between such diverse phenomena as lightning, static electricity, battery cells and electric eels?

While Faraday’s Victorian colleagues were, by comparison, unimaginative materialists, he proved to be a true mystic scientist. He actually saw, in his mind, a dance of energy in electromagnetic fields. In Faraday’s mystical vision, ahead of even today’s mainstream view, he saw matter as consisting of tiny electromagnetic fields. In his Experimental Researches in Electricity, he said “Each atom extends, so to say, throughout the whole of the solar system, yet retaining its own centre of force.”

With Volta’s invention of chemical batteries and their ability to produce a controlled current, laboratory experiments in electricity became much easier to perform. Prior to Volta’s chemical batteries, experimenters had used Leyden jars, which only stored a small charge of static electricity. Volta was later honored by having the unit of electrical potential, the volt, named after him. It is fortunate that the inventor of the Leyden Jar, Pieter van Musschenbroek, was not chosen for this, as we could have ended up today with houses wired, not for 115 or 240 volts, but for 115 or 240 musschenbroeks!

Faraday’s successful decoding of electromagnetic behavior led him to invent the transformer, the electric motor and the electric generator. Later, James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879)

became his student and friend.

Maxwell, another true mystic, could see the field structure of electromagnetism clearly in his mind’s eye. He went on to develop mathematical tools for calculating the behavior of electromagnetic fields. This enabled him to calculate the speed of traveling electromagnetic waves, which was—surprise, surprise—the speed of light. From this discovery, a realization unraveled that light was electromagentism.

Albert Einstein (1879–1955) was another deeply mystical figure, one who had the vision to see that space and time are compressible. His realization that “solid” matter was really just energy, created a global paradigm shift.

Einstein said that, “The most beautiful emotion we can experience is the mystical. It is the power of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead.”

Einstein is also known for making statements such as:

“God does not play dice with the universe.”

“Religion without science is blind, and science without religion is lame.”

“The Field,” he even said at one point, “is the only reality.”

Perhaps the most mystical statement of all came from Michael Faraday who, referring to life in general, said: “All this is but a dream.”

The practice of mysticism is the practice of going within. Any meditative practice will help you develop this skill and gain that visionary edge in any endeavor.

Author’s Note: For the ultimate meditation, see the article, Infinite Being Meditation.

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

A midyear astrology check-in, and how we can best respond to the planetary forces in play.

The midpoint of the year is a good place to review the 2023 astrological predictions from well-regarded practitioners around the world and see how they’re panning out.

The astrologers said 2023 would be “a year of upheavals, of revelations, revolutions, and of awakening to real truths instead of creative lies.” They predicted that “whatever was holding together the old rules and structures or governments would be demolished.” The astrological planets and aspects also indicated there would be “extreme tornadoes, volcanoes, earthquakes, fires, floods and unprecedented heat” that would create unmistakable marks on the planet’s geography and human psyche.

Those predictions are on track at midyear and reveal the chaos that’s evident around the world. A cursory review of the last six months indicates the word “upheaval” that was used by the majority of them barely covers what’s happened. Instead of listing chapter and verse, this is a summary overview.

The astrologers focused on the five outer planets, which have greater influences on global affairs. Those planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, and each one takes years to move through the Zodiac. Saturn is the astrological taskmaster of the Zodiac, governing rules, authority, structure, discipline and law. Uranus is the “shock planet” that influences upheavals, rebellions and natural disasters. Pluto is the planet of transformation, of birth and death, creation and destruction.

The findings below come from well-known and well-respected worldwide tracking sources.

Government changes (Saturn): Of the 193 countries recognized by the United Nations, 32 percent have new leaders. Some leaders came from the far right, while others were moderate. Government by one-man autocracies are in direct conflict with emerging citizen democracies and those two forces are creating ongoing strife. The changes seen in governments were not only “Third World” but have also occurred in many “stable” western countries.

Revolutions by the People (Saturn & Pluto): Over 400 anti-government protests have erupted worldwide. Twenty-five percent of them lasted more than three months and created significant economic impacts on their countries. Protests, numbering from the thousands to millions, were started because of inequality, food and water shortages, religious control, election fraud, truth vs. falsehoods, politics, disregard for the climate, personal freedoms and governmental corruption. These protests are harbingers of the coming Aquarian generational changes.

Earthquakes, volcanoes, fires, floods (Uranus, Saturn, Pluto): Seven major earthquakes (6.5 to 7.8) have struck so far in Turkey, Indonesia and Afghanistan with high death rates. Record-setting heat waves and drought began much earlier than normal in countries around the world and are continuing to intensify. Unprecedented flooding or extreme heat is affecting food crops in the world’s growing regions. The magnetic North Pole moved 15 miles eastward in the last six months with scientists trying to understand the impacts. Fierce solar flares are casting rare aurora borealis sightings far down into the southern United States and the Mediterranean. The flares reach Earth in 8 minutes. If your moods go wonky and out of sorts, or you feel exhilarated or energized, monitor the sun flares as these extreme photonic bursts of energy can cause that.

Taking Stock

With that as a backdrop, what do we do? An attentive gardener knows when it’s time to prune trees or plants that have grown out of control. Sometimes the tree branches have to be cut back because the withered parts no longer flower or thrive. But, once they’re pruned, it’s amazing how quickly the branches re-bud and put out bright green shoots again. Each individual must take stock of their personal space and decide what needs pruning back or eliminated so that new ideas and behaviors can blossom in their metaphorical gardens.

It’s very important to remember that every bit of the chaos we’re seeing is necessary. Without these disruptions planetary and human evolution stagnates. We chose to come to Earth at this point in time knowing we’d be called upon to hold space and maintain balance during the upheavals. There are things we can do that don’t require too much effort. Stay calm and exercise personal discretion whenever there’s a mob reaction to a news event. It’s awfully seductive to jump on the bandwagon with everyone. But unless you’re personally affected, it’s a better course of action to ignore whatever it is and move on with what you do best. Work with whatever brings you a sense of joy or peace as that vibration is much more uplifting and positively energizing than the chaos around you.

Just like a house has doors and windows, you also have entryways that open into your energy fields. Unwanted or unnecessary things can come in to them, so be very careful who or what you let in. Unless the persons or things or the events uplift your spirit, don’t let them in to disrupt your peaceful state or upend the values that you hold dear. Calmly hold your own counsel, and stay true to yourself and your ideals. Prune your own garden so what you’ve planted will continue to thrive. From that place and space we’re much more effective in doing the work we’ve agreed to take on.

Every morning when you awake, say a prayer of gratitude for those things in your life that are pleasant and meaningful. End each prayer with the expectation that the universe will deliver to you a most benevolent outcome. The prayer of gratitude and benevolence works and triggers a cascading magnetic attraction for more goodness to come your way.

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.

By Mary Boutieller

Know that you worthy and amazing and already have all that you need within you.

I love Yogi brand teas and the little messages that are attached to each teabag. These small pieces of paper are filled with reminders to carry us through our day. A couple of days ago, I received this message: “Gratitude is not about what is received; it’s about how you receive what is there.”

In this very moment, I feel gratitude for the ceiling fan keeping me cool, the sweet music playing on my little portable speaker, and the sun shining through the skylight in the living room.

Just naming these things helps me realize that there is nothing else needed to feel gratitude in my life. What is already here is enough.

Most of the time, it’s easy to feel gratitude—to see the abundance in our lives and watch spring move toward summer in both subtle and brilliant ways. And then I’ll have a sleepless night, wake up cranky, and see only the things that I perceive as bothersome, letting these small details ruin an otherwise pretty awesome day.

I realize that this is what we do, with ourselves and with others. We forget our abundance, our privilege, our lives well lived. We allow little irritations to become the biggest thing in our lives instead of the smallest. We zero in on a mosquito bite’s itch and scratch it until it festers, forgetting about all the places where it doesn’t itch!

If we are lucky, we catch ourselves. We shoo away the mosquitos in our lives and remember the butterfly landing on the big red pedal of the begonia plant, and we smile, again, at how damned lucky we are to see a butterfly and have a begonia plant because so many can’t see or are stuck in their own small details taking up too much space in their lives.

It’s not always easy, I know. A health scare, a bad turn, an unexpected, unplanned event, can move us away from gratitude if we let it. It’s up to us, then, to turn back toward the sun’s rays and follow the light through the trees to the truth of our lives.

The great James Baldwin said, “One discovers the light in the darkness, that is what darkness is for; but everything in our lives depends on how we bear the light. It is necessary, while in darkness, to know that there is a light somewhere, to know that in oneself, waiting to be found, there is a light.”

Take a moment, right now, to find the light. Take a few deep, purposeful breaths and feel a sense of calm abiding overtake you. Then shine the light of gratitude on all that you have and all that you are and all that you are meant to be. Close your eyes and feel it deep within your bones. Know that you worthy and amazing and already have all that you need within you.

Mary Oliver, in her poem Wild Geese, says, “You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.”

When might we stop the repentant march of “not enough-ness” and begin to love what we love? When will what we have and who we are be enough?

Our fullest lives depend on finding the dance within the storms that come and go, breathing in and out with the rhythm of a life that is uniquely our own, yet in synchrony with every other living thing on the planet. Sway with it, move with it, smile, and notice all the things in your life for which you are grateful.

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.