My “Two-Minute” Video for this Week: Tools for Self-Knowledge-What’s in Your Toolbox?
ROSEMARY’S NEWS
August 18, 2014 — Rosemary
Our newest family Leo, Tristan
Our last days for the Sun to be in Leo! This is our birthday sign (Richard & I are Leos) so we continue to celebrate. I hope you do that for yourself, too. Don’t confine your celebration of your birthday to just one day! How about the whole time the Sun is in your sign? Or the whole month? Our family has a lot of Leos, including the newest member who was born 3 ½ weeks early so he (our latest grandbaby) could be a Leo, too. (Here’s his most recent picture!)
Did you ever wonder about babies who are preemies or late ones? How about the ones where Mom labors for days before delivery? My mom was in labor for 3 days before I was born and, in my natal astrological chart, my Moon is at 0 degrees Cancer – I was waiting to have a Cancer Moon! My granddaughter did the same thing to her mother, although labor only went into the second day. There’s something that the soul knows about this lifetime that is reflected in the astrological configuration of the Solar System at the time of one’s birth. The new astrology teaches about the lessons to be learned and the resources to learn those lessons as they are shown in the chart. It is a fascinating way to learn about yourself.
And Scientific Hand Analysis teaches that your handprints give you a lot of information about how you process data, how you relate heart and mind, what your Life Purpose is, where your Blind Spot is, and a whole lot more.
I would love to help you learn about yourself and show you how many tools you can use to help you to Live Your Richest Life!
The place to start is to come to the Possibilities Playshop in Severna Park, Maryland on Saturday, September 20th, meet your Guide(s), create your Playbook, and get ready for the coming ‘moonths’ where you will learn to relate the cycles of the Moon to what is happening in your life.
These Playshops are great fun and some wonderful people gather around the table to play at them. We limit the number of attendees so that it can be an intimate, in-person experience here in Severna Park. I hope you’ll join us as we shift into Autumn – come play with us on September 20! Here are the details: Playshop Link Register early to take advantage of the Early Bird Investment level!
If you can’t share the Playshop with us in Severna Park this time, then tune in for The Oracle Speaks on Wednesday, August 27 and learn what The Divine Feminine have to share with us about the energies of this time. I will be channeling a general message and then attendees can ask questions, both general and personal.We’ve been getting some amazing information at these events so I encourage you to be live with us: in person in Maryland, online via videoconference, or by telephone. I don’t know what we will learn but it will be relevant and important! Here’s how to register: Oracle Speaks Link
Remember that self-knowledge improves all your relationships. Focus some attention on delving more deeply into who you really are. And working on yourself is working on your relationships, your business, your finances and your life!
Have a great week of discovery!
ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: Know Thyself – Tools for Self-Knowledge
August 15, 2014 — RichardHow well do you know who you are, really?
Of course, you know your name, your physical history, where you were born, etc. You might know your Sun sign to look up a horoscope in the newspaper. You probably know your parents’ names and your grandparents’ names. But who are you, really?
Do you know your thinking style? Do you know where your attention goes when you are presented with a situation or event? Do you know your Life Purpose, your Life School and your Life Lesson or Blind Spot? Have you examined your limiting beliefs? How about those negative self-talk thoughts you carry around with you? Are you clear about your values and your priorities?
I could continue the list but it is too long. There are so many facets to a human being, so many aspects to the personality, that we often think we are simpler beings than we really are.
And what is true for you is true for everyone around you.
For example, you have a certain learning style. Most folks are visual learners. They process information by seeing it. Have you noticed that you remember something better if you see it written than if you just hear it? That’s because your preferred learning style is visual.
Some people are auditory learners. They need to hear material so that they can better learn and remember. For these folks, just seeing the written word isn’t good enough – they need to also hear it spoken or to speak it aloud themselves.
Now if you are a visual learner, you use phrases that reflect this, like ‘Do you see what I am saying?’ or, ‘How does this look to you?’ If, however, you are an auditory learner, you resonate better with language that reflects hearing, like ‘Did you hear about this?’ or ‘How does this sound to you?’
Can you see/hear how this difference can impact communication between two people?
This is only one example of how important it is to know something about yourself.
What about other tools for self-knowledge that give you more detailed information about your tendencies and inherent energies? Astrology. Numerology. Enneagram. Myers-Briggs. DISC. Scientific Hand Analysis. Chinese 5-elements. Your Chinese astrology star number. There is a long list of ways that you can understand yourself more deeply.
Have you explored tools to help you understand where you are coming from? What about where others are coming from? Do you value the differences in how people approach learning, or life, or do you expect everyone to see things as you see them? To listen and to hear exactly what you hear? To feel the way you feel?
Remember that:
All Love Flows from Self-Love.
To love another you must first love yourself. Learn more about yourself and love it all. There is nothing better about one Enneagram type over another, but the more you understand about your tendencies the more conscious you can be about choosing how to respond to stimulus as it is presented to you. One Astrological chart is as good as another but they can carry very different lessons for the person to learn.
I can often shift a person from feeling conflicted to being more peaceful simply by pointing out how differing human beings can look at the same scene and describe differing points of view. This is most beneficial if you know your own point of view first.
Explore tools for self-knowledge and get to know yourself better. It can change your life!
Trim It Up! – Richard’s Commentary
August 13, 2014 — RichardTransparency
This is a word, a feeling, a state of being I am working with this week. It came to me as a card from the Mayan Oracle deck that I referenced in my Monday post. It is a “lens” card – a diagram and a word to help us with perspective. And it seems I am gaining a very new perspective through this lens. Here is some of the writing I’ve done so far from a perspective through this “transparent lens”:
Transparency is about trying on new roles, new personae. It is about dropping the mask of illusion and stepping into a clear and blissful vision of the egoless self.
This takes tremendous trust! It is a vulnerable opening process backed by the belief that the Universe is completely benevolent, safe. We are safe to be anyone we can choose. This is Divine Bliss.
This clarity allows the light to radiate in, from and through with no filtering by the personality. It is a pure radiance…
And,
Robin Williams died on Monday. Did he derive his talent, skill, genius from being as transparent as any human can be? When Gurudev speaks and writes about the “witness” is he not talking about becoming transparent?
Rise out of the ego state and look, observe from that higher platform of transparency. This is a “dark mirror.” This is a “black hole” as Gurudev states. And it is completely transparent. From this vantage Truth can be seen.
Gurudev is Yogi Amrit Desai, an amazing man who has written of the importance of rising out of ego and personality into the state of being as “witness.” I compare this to moving into a state of complete transparency.
The process of becoming transparent to this level seems akin to “trimming it up.” Rosemary’s image in her post used trimming the dead branches of a tree in our yard to illustrate her point. The process cleared our view, brought in more light, made the yard more transparent and lightened the tree of its dead weight. Trimming to the point of transparency lifts us to new levels of vision and greater heights of bliss. Why is this important? Rosemary’s answer:
The guidance I am receiving is that we have no time now to pussyfoot around. We are focusing on growth, on expansion, on moving into deeper territories where we live the examined life, not an unconscious one. If you have relationships, situations, ‘stuff’ that doesn’t support you, that you feel holds you back or, worse, is toxic for you, then it is time to trim that out of your life.
“Live an examined life.” Become more transparent, especially to yourself. This is the call. And from that high vista you can be anyone you choose!
ROSEMARY’S INSPIRATION: What Needs Trimming in Your Life?
August 12, 2014 — RosemaryMy “Two-Minute” Video for this Week: What Needs Trimming in Your Life? 
ROSEMARY’S NEWS
August 11, 2014 — Rosemary
We’re back home in Maryland – hurray! It was a wonderful road trip to Florida. We saw dear friends and family, participated in a great event in Orlando, visited the ashram where our nephew lives and had a special meeting with Gurudev (Yogi Amrit Desai). We stopped in North Carolina each way to spend time with our son and his girlfriend. We made lots of new friends. And our beautiful new grandson was born in California while we were on the road. (Oh, and we celebrated our mutual birthdays while on the road.Thanks for all the birthday wishes!)
I hope you have been having a Summer filled with some amazing experiences like the ones we have had! It had been decades since I drove to Florida, something we did several times a year when I was growing up. Ah, nostalgia!
And the idea of old patterns, old beliefs came up again and again. I used to say I didn’t like road trips because my childhood was filled with hot cars (pre-air conditioning) and long days on the road. I changed that belief! Richard and I had a great time, planning shorter driving days and longer visits along the way. We listened to music and teaching CDs, sometimes turned off the CD player and just chatted. I had several long phone conversations that I don’t usually have time for – and it was so nice not to have pressure to get to the next event on the schedule. Do you let yourself have long connections with loved ones?
So I have heard a couple of times, in the few days that we have been back home, that I look ‘radiant’ and ‘glowing.’ I have been trimming away what is not important, moving self-care up on the list of priorities, relaxing, and dreaming big dreams. Had an epiphany about my Life Purpose while at the Stand, Speak & Profit Event that brought tears to my eyes. You’ll be hearing more about that soon!
I invite you to do some trimming in your life, too. The Full Moon in Aquarius occurred yesterday, August 10 at 2:09 pm Eastern Daylight Time; we are still in that powerful energy. This is the perfect time to TRIM! Let go of what is holding you back. Trim away the excess in your life so you can focus on what really matters to you. Do a little ritual around the Full Moon and RELEASE!
AND, If you’d like some help in clearing that old baggage, I am still offering a special reading with me to uncover limiting beliefs and negative thoughts and RELEASE THEM! Here’s where to go to register for a special session at the investment of only $150: Purchase Here
SAVE THE DATE: SEPTEMBER 20, 2014! The Fall Equinox Possibilities Playshop is coming! The earlier ones have been such fun, you’re definitely going to want to join us for this one. If you attended before, come again and update your Playbook! More info later.
Happy Trimming and Clearing!
ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: Trim It Up!
August 8, 2014 — RichardYou can trim your hair. You can trim your waistline. You can trim the bushes by the front door. But do you ever think about trimming what is surrounding you in your life?
Sometimes we assume that something, some person, or some situation, must stay with us simply because it is already in our life. The truth is that you can eliminate whatever does not serve your personal growth or your highest good.
What relationships in your life are you holding onto because they are long-term and familiar, even though they no longer serve your growth? Are you in a job that feels as if it robs you of joy but you feel that you need to go there every day anyway? What possessions do you surround yourself with that steal your energy because they require so much care or space or attention or money to maintain?
The list of questions to ask yourself goes on and on. Maybe it’s time for a trim.
Do you ever find yourself indulging in negative self-talk, the kind where you put yourself down or tell yourself that you are not good enough for something? Self-talk is another candidate for a trim.
What about beliefs that are holding you back? If you have unconscious beliefs that you made as a child they may be keeping you from the forward momentum in your growth that you desire for yourself. You can clear limiting beliefs and trim the ropes that hold you back.
When a client tells me a story, I am listening not just for the content but also for the way they are telling the story. The language gives me a lot of information about the meaning behind the story they are telling. Often the ‘trimming’ occurs when I suggest a different way to language the story. You can trim away the old energies and move beyond the way you habitually interacted with those facts. This is a huge benefit to someone who wants to leap forward in their life but feels their story is holding them back.
Just as Spring Cleaning is a way to clear the clutter – in the house, the closet and the mind – this Summer Trimming is called for when subtle or insidious forces are acting on us and our growth depends upon our trimming away what is holding us back or keeping us stuck.
Look around at what is in your life and make a conscious choice to keep it or discard it. Sometimes this requires a painful choice, but your personal growth depends on it.
The guidance I am receiving is that we have no time now to pussyfoot around. We are focusing on growth, on expansion, on moving into deeper territories where we live the examined life, not an unconscious one. If you have relationships, situations, ‘stuff’ that doesn’t support you, that you feel holds you back or, worse, is toxic for you, then it is time to trim that out of your life.
Think of the big tree that has all those dead branches trimmed off so that now all of its energy is focused on new growth. Think of how freely you’ll breathe when you’ve trimmed away the weight of the dead branches that are hanging on you!
ROSEMARY’S THROWBACK THURSDAY VIDEO: Examine Your Expectations
August 7, 2014 — RosemaryThis video is from the Spring, 2013 about expectations. It corresponds well with the messages for this week on plans and planning. The phrase “this or something better” applies to both plans and expectations!
Enjoy this replay:
How’s That Planning Thing Going for You? – Richard’s Commentary
August 6, 2014 — RichardWe are on the last leg of our journey to the south, visiting family and friends all the way from Maryland to the “main event” in Orlando, Florida and back again. Today we are leaving Raleigh, North Carolina where we have spent some time with second son’s family, to head home and plunge right back into our “normal” lives. In fact we arrive just in time to lead our Consciousness Exploration Group scheduled for the first Wednesday of every month.
It has been a “busy” trip with one-night stands in several places as we drove south. Planning and coordination was key to keep us relatively on track to get from place to place. The trip has gone really well. And I expect our last leg will go well.
We did get a little tangled up in navigating between Orlando and the Amrit Yoga Ashram, where we spent a delightful time with our nephew. Our Google Maps were not in complete agreement with our GPS guidance and we made some wrong turns on the toll roads. We spent a couple extra dollars backtracking, and, yes, my reaction was anger and frustration. I failed to take the advice Rosemary offered in her Exploration post:
Event happens. Then you React. And then you CHOOSE how you will respond.
Event (Plan seems to go awry). What is your REACTION? Anger? Upset? Depression? Denial? So many different emotions can arise and they can stem from previous experiences, even from your childhood. Reactions start at the unconscious level. But your RESPONSE is chosen consciously.
The key here is choice. The initial reaction is OK; we all react to missteps, to little, and big mistakes, to detours in life that annoy. It is the next step that matters. It is the conscious pause to move into our higher brain and consider an appropriate response, choose that response and act.
The second key is to work on shortening the time from reaction to chosen appropriate response. This seems to be the main work of my lifetime. My primary lesson is patience; and I get many opportunities to practice! Highway detours are just an example.
We will likely need to change our plans for visiting our new grandson in California. We had planned to go out for second son’s birthday, a few weeks after planned birth of Tristan. Son’s plans went into a sharp detour when Tristan decided to come into the world three and a half weeks early! Sometimes other people’s choices affect our plans!
Son Andrew seems to have handled this big change in his plans relatively well. He and Mom are home now and Tristan will follow soon when he is eating well and gaining a bit of weight (he was four and a half pounds at birth).
Of course we are easy with this change in plans; it means we get to see him that much sooner! We have to rearrange some scheduled events and reschedule the trip; fortunately we had not yet made flight reservations.
Some detours are good, even wonderful. This is what Rosemary means by “this or something better.” The best plans include this line!
Mystic Messages 
Know Thyself – Tools for Self-Knowledge – Richard’s Commentary
August 20, 2014 — RichardAs I was writing my “morning pages” today I realized after a couple of paragraphs that I was writing today’s post and commentary on Rosemary’s Exploration article. I began my pages, as I often do, writing about the passage of time; here’s my entry:
We are running out of Leo fast; and then August. Everyone seems to be noting how fast time is now passing.
Of course it is all perception – as everything is. One effect on our perception is the amount of information we are bombarded with moment to moment. 24-hour news, FaceBook, email, the never ending stream of websites and blogs is literally overwhelming. When we are overwhelmed we can go into a spin, a dive that seems endless, frightening and high-speed. Time melts away in the dive – it almost feels like a death-defying dive!
And it is all perception! The only reality is of our own making, our own perceiving. To change our reality all we need to do is change our perspective. And this is a matter of intention and attention.
It begins with intention: what is going on inside. If we feel we are in free-fall, take a breath, maybe two, deep cleansing breaths, and then put the brakes on. Stop the fall. Sink into the dantien (the lower abdomen area) and breathe there. It is possible to float here. And as we float we can get a sense of flow, of going with the flow. The current doesn’t have to be a raging rapids; it can be a slow, lazy summer river taking its time in search of the sea. It can take on any speed we give it because this is our reality. We can imagine it to be any rate of flow we desire!
It’s good to take time out of a busy life to slow the pace. There really is no place to go. There’s nothing to do. Oh, OK, there are chores of life, tasks we set for ourselves, responsibilities we sign up for and lessons to learn. But we can be and breathe through all of these.
The “being part” is the witness who rides above all of the rapid pace, the wild passage of time, the endless stream of information. Rise up to that level and watch it all. How serious does it all appear to be – how real? How important?
From that vantage the passage of time seems almost irrelevant. Yes, we have our lessons to work out, our karmic Lesson Plan. Here’s where attention comes in. There are external influences that come to play in our lives. We have other people’s perceptions to take into account and to process. When we pay attention we can see and learn the lessons these interactions hold for us. This is a matter of shifting our perspective from “encounter” to “classroom.” We shift from “other” to “mirror” – how is this person mirroring me, my interactions and my behavior?
Inner perspective, intention, and outer perspective, attention, are always relative, which means they are adaptable, transmutable. The simple technique of using breath to do the adapting is all that’s needed. One breath can stop the fall, gain a fresh perspective and shift reality.
I have moved now well into my birthday month, working on my 70th year! To many, and sometimes me, this sounds old! And from this perspective that time is speeding up, I may not have much time left! So, I take a breath and try this on: “70 is the new 50”! Ah, that’s better and about how I feel! And soon enough 100 will be the new 70!
Rosemary asks: Have you explored tools to help you understand where you are coming from? What about where others are coming from? Do you value the differences in how people approach learning, or life, or do you expect everyone to see things as you see them? To listen and to hear exactly what you hear? To feel the way you feel?
My answer, as it is for many things these days, is “I practice Qigong.” Breathe deeply and gain a new perspective on your “reality.”