My “Four-Minute” Video for this Week: Playshop Preview
PS: You can learn more about the Possibilities Playshop, scheduled for June 14, 2014 here on my website. You can join me from anywhere in the world!
THROWBACK THURSDAY VIDEO: The Daily Muse-Live Your Message
May 22, 2014 — RosemaryWe have been asking questions over the last few weeks:
What is your “Big Why”?
What is your “Message”?
Who do you serve?
Here’s a throwback to ask the question a different way:
Find your message inside, then live your message!
Ask Yourself… – Richard’s Commentary
May 7, 2014 — RichardSo, why DO you get up in the morning? My answer to this question has changed over the course of my long corporate career. I had the opportunity to work on and lead a number of exciting technical projects, from space and earth sciences exploration to commercial software development and logistics planning and management. I always enjoyed my work, its challenges and rewards.
But for all that time I had a bigger “why”…family. Rosemary and I raised three fabulous kids, now in their 30s; they are off doing their own “family things” now. Yes, we have grandkids – a wonder! But they are their parents’ responsibility and their “why” now.
So as my family dynamics have shifted my “big why” is also shifting. Of course I still have family responsibilities to Rosemary but she is fully capable of taking care of herself. It is true that I am taking care of much of the “back-office” obligations of managing our businesses together, Rosemary’s The Scientific Mystic enterprise and our church and consciousness study center, Church of A New Alliance. And these efforts are fun and fruitful. But they are not up there with a “Big Why.”
I love to write. I write lots of things, including blog posts, like this one, poetry which I share selections on my blog (MenandtheGoddess.com), morning pages, sales copy for websites…I spend a lot of my time writing. But writing is not up there with a “Big Why.”
I love bodywork. Currently I am practicing both yoga and several forms of Qigong. In fact I am teaching three classes of Qigong now and really enjoying the sharing the physical “energetic” of the forms, the breath work and the Taoist philosophical underpinnings of Qigong.
This gets at another love: my love of world religions and spirituality. I am an ordained “Interfaith Minister” – by a seminary of Pebble Hill Church, Doylestown, PA. And since my ordination in 2000 I have continued to study, absorb and practice many of the world’s spiritual traditions, from Taoism, to Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Sufism to Judaism and Christianity, not to exclude indigenous cultures and their spiritual traditions. My emphasis in understanding these traditions is to gain insight through practice, not just learning the beliefs and reading the texts. It is through practice that we truly get in touch with one another.
I love community. I enjoy the dynamics and give and take, the yin and yang of community, of people sharing their gifts, their understanding and wisdom. How else can we get in tune with the world around us than through community.
I guess the bottom line of what gets me up in the morning is love. I’ve said before in this space that my highest value is PRACTICE –> LOVE. I’ve also mentioned that my fingerprints tell the same tale; my 10 loops for prints point to my purpose: LOVE.
So, yeah, love gets me up in the morning. It keeps me going through the day. And it’s often the last thing on my mind and in my heart as I drift off to sleep.
Big Whys are important. If you don’t know yours do some soul searching. Get your hand and fingerprints read by a Scientific Hand Analyst. Get help eliciting your Big Why if you need it. Knowing makes it fun to get up in the morning!
Commitment and Solutions – Richard’s Commentary
April 30, 2014 — RichardWe are just returning from the West Coast and Suzanne Evans’ Be The Change Event she hosted in Las Vegas. This event coupled with the Cardinal Grand Cross bookended by two eclipses has truly been a transformative time for both Rosemary and me. However, one of the key take-aways from BTCE and Suzanne’s teachings is, there is no transformation possible without commitment!
In her bigger-than-life style, from both her power center and her heart, Suzanne demonstrated over and over what commitment means. If you don’t know her, look her up. If you do know her there is little I can say to emphasize my point about her and her events. She is committed. And she teaches the need for that level of commitment if we are to make a difference, to “Be the Change”, to transform ourselves in any meaningful and purposeful way.
It takes commitment. Not lip-service, not half-hearted acknowledgement that we are all here for a purpose, not even dedication of time, resources, energy and money. We have to be all in!
But how do we know what to commit to? If we are called to action, to commitment, how can we be sure that our path is the right one and our choices lead to fulfillment of our commitment?
In her Exploration article Rosemary channeled The Divine Feminine and here’s what they say about that:
For so many of you there have been problems in your life that you have struggled to handle. Money, relationship, children, career. These problems exist in the 3-dimensional world of Planet Earth. Your pain, whether only emotional or a combination of emotional/mental/physical, is also a 3-dimensional pain.
But we would tell you that there are many dimensions beyond the 3 you are considering and your solutions lie beyond where you are searching for them.
Do you look for solutions that lie beyond the 3-dimensions? Do you go inside and ask for guidance from your “Inner Knower”? And when you ask do you listen? And trust the answers?
The key to this examination of 3-dimensional problems solved by multi-dimensional exploration is trust. This is one of the key components to Rosemary’s teaching. As a man this is one of the key teachings I pay attention to and learn from. I am still learning this key. I go inside for answers often. And I do hear and sense the advice I seek. And I am still learning the trust part!
The secret here is gut instinct…trust your gut. Too often I get that feeling that something is about to happen; I need to prepare or participate. But then I ignore the sense of it and go about my business as I PLANNED IT. This is the downfall: to be so stuck in “the plan” that there is no room for trust!
And the secret to this trust is to go through and beyond the fear. The Divine Feminine say:
Focus on what you DO WANT and commit your energy to making that happen, even if it scares you.
Suzanne echoed this advice many times through this past weekend conference; when your next step scares the hell out of you then you know you are on the right track!
Are you that committed?
Conscious Relationships Start with Self-Love – Richard’s Commentary
April 23, 2014 — RichardHumans are social beings. It is all about relationships. Last week I wrote about our interdependence with others, what Thich Nhat Hahn calls “interbeing.” We are especially dependent on and interdependent with other humans. Here’s what Rosemary says about that:
Human beings are relationship experts. We are constantly adjusting relationships, in one direction or another. Relationships with significant others, with parents and with children, with co-workers, clients, neighbors, hairdressers, waitstaff at the local restaurant, checker at the grocery store. Every interaction with another human being is an element of a relationship.
And every relationship begins on the inside of ourselves. This is why it is so important to have that relationship in the first place! Do you have a good relationship with yourself?
In her post Rosemary writes about choices we have and we make moment to moment. The first choice is to have that inner relationship. How do you do that? It’s as easy as breathing! And we all need to do that!
The “conscious relationship with self” begins with conscious breathing. That’s right, bring your consciousness to your breathing pattern. Don’t try to change it or make an effort, just bring your attention to how your breath feels; think about the inhale; feel it as it comes in through your nose, down your throat, into your lungs. Where does it go there? Does it fill up your chest? Does it go down into your belly? Just notice. And on the exhale, how does that feel? What happens first? How much air do you exhale?
Shifting just our focus on our breath, with no change at all in rhythm or style, changes our body chemistry and our mental awareness! Imagine what might happen if you actually, consciously begin to control your breathing. Maybe your in-breath goes a bit deeper and is longer; maybe you hold it for just a moment as you sense it, notice the feeling of expansion. Then as you exhale maybe you do this more slowly, deliberately. And maybe you expel more air, even flattening your belly, back towards your spine as you push out more air – to make room for a bigger in-breath.
And you can continue in this manner, watching your breath, taking longer, deeper, slower breaths. This is the beginning of a relationship with yourself, your deeper self.
I’m not writing here to teach meditation. But I am echoing Rosemary’s intention that your best relationship is with yourself, inside. Here’s what she says about you:
Who you are, deep in your core, is a beautiful being of Light. Who you are, inside, is a spark of divine energy. Who you are, in the essence of you, is a person of access to great wisdom and love. THIS is the person that you really want to show up in every relationship, isn’t it?
I would like to have a relationship with this being of Light – you! Wouldn’t you?
Connect! – Richard’s Commentary
April 16, 2014 — RichardWe are all connected in so many ways. Do you ever consider just how connected we are? Thich Nhat Hahn speaks of this as interdependence. I heard him speak years ago about this concept of interconnectedness, not just with humans but with all things. It’s his way to begin to explain shunyata, or the Mahayana Buddhist philosophy of “emptiness.” We are interconnected with and interdependent on every atom and molecule on earth (and beyond)!
So as Rosemary writes:
Your life is all about connecting. You were born into a family or chosen by one. You have chosen friends and partners. You bore children or sired them. You have worked with people, paid some for services, gone to the doctor, bought groceries. Every thing you have done has contained an element of connection.
How deep does your “connecting” go?
All of these external, intricate interdependencies at the material, physical level are only a small (maybe miniscule) part of our connectedness. Rosemary urges another way to “Connect” – to the inner you:
When you connect with the inner you, you are tapping into your own power, your essence. When you have a strong connection to your inner wisdom, your guides, you gain clarity and confidence.
How vast is this connection for you? When you let your imagination run free how much ground does it cover, how many worlds do you visit?
Rosemary mentions many ways to connect to the inner you: meditation, contemplation, visualizations, writing. For those who don’t have a formal practice even daydreaming is a way to connect. Prayer is also an excellent way to connect and listen!
But how many of us resist this inner connection? How many even blot it out through various means of escape? Even in prayer it is easy to externalize the conversation making appeals to the Almighty out there somewhere in the Universe! Do we ever stop to listen, to keep this conversation bidirectional? When/if we do listen, where do we hear that voice?
Often people need help with this inner connection. For many indigenous peoples they relied on shamans as intercessors with the Spirit World. Western people rely on their priests and/or psychologists to facilitate the inner dialog. This is a wonderful way to begin the conversation. Sometimes we need translators to interpret the symbols. Sometimes we need validation that what we are hearing/feeling/seeing is true for us.
If you need help to jumpstart your inner connection, get it. The inner world is vast beyond belief. The inner connection, the inner dialog can take you on journeys beyond your wildest conscious imagination if you allow and listen. Your purpose calls you to this and your passion is waiting for you, just there, inside!
Have fun; have a great ride. And don’t worry about sending postcards!
ROSEMARY’S INSPIRATION: Connect! To Your Passion & Purpose
April 15, 2014 — RosemaryMy “Two-Minute” Video for this Week: Connect! To Your Passion & Purpose
ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: Connect!
April 11, 2014 — RosemaryYour life is all about connecting. You were born into a family or chosen by one. You have chosen friends and partners. You bore children or sired them. You have worked with people, paid some for services, gone to the doctor, bought groceries. Every thing you have done has contained an element of connection.
Do you love to walk in Nature? Aren’t you connecting with Mother Earth, with the plants and animals as you walk?
Do you go to a job? Eat in a restaurant? Go shopping? Get together with friends for lunch? Spend holidays with the family?
It’s always about connecting.
And how much time do you spend connecting with the inner you? Have you connected with your inner wisdom, your guides, your angels, your intuition? This is the most important connecting you can do.
When you connect with the inner you, you are tapping into your own power, your essence. When you have a strong connection to your inner wisdom, your guides, you gain clarity and confidence.
People today seem to be searching for connection but looking outside for a place to ‘plug in.’ The real connection that they are seeking isn’t outside; it resides inside. Are you one of the seekers of an outside connection or are you remembering to connect to the inner you?
You don’t need to have a great love interest to be connected. It isn’t having a great job or a best friend or a perfect family that will give you the feeling of connection that you seek. All of those connections might be nice, but the most important one is the one that reaches inside you, into the depths of your inner essence, and brings forth the passion, your purpose, your inner divinity and shares that with the outside world.
It is a tall order to make that inner connection and then to share what you find with the world. Your inner light shines so brightly that it can dazzle those who wish to stay in the dark. Your inner guidance will point you in the direction of manifesting your dreams. The inner gifts that you reveal when you reach inside might frighten you with their intensity.
Are you ready to connect?
There are many ways to do this connecting. Your inner light is always shining. If you feel disconnected it is merely a forgetting, not a true disconnection. Meditation, guided visualization, working with a counselor, journaling – all of these techniques will help you to make the connection.
Many of the clients I work with are seeking the wisdom that they cannot hear from their own guides. Often I speak what they think they have been hearing and the guides are using me to confirm the message. It is a matter of trusting what you hear.
Do you trust the inner guidance that you receive? This is the most important aspect to the connection.
If you receive guidance after you connect but you do not trust the message, you will continue to stay stuck where you are. And isn’t the point to move forward, to grow?
Trust me when I tell you that you will have the energy to grow, to move forward, when you are connected to that inner YOU. Your passion, your purpose, your inner wisdom – all are ready for you to connect.
Are YOU ready? Connect!
ROSEMARY’S TEACHING WITH THE OTHER SIDE
April 10, 2014 — RosemaryDuring a recent interview on Mind Body and Soul Food Radio with Tonya Parker, there were several callers who wanted to talk with loved ones on The Other Side. It is always fun to connect folks with someone who has crossed over. We never know what they will say! But one thing that comes up over and over is this comment:
“It’s not what they tell you!”
Have you talked with someone who has crossed over to The Other Side? Have you lost a loved one? There can be a lot of healing when we get to reconnect to that loved one. They tell us that it is as if they are still alive but without a body. They visit us. They continue to love us. They see what is going on in our lives. And they are happy.
Here’s is the link you can use to access the interview. It is 90 minutes of good teaching!
Mystic Messages 
What’s Your MESSAGE? – Richard’s Commentary
May 14, 2014 — RichardOne of the catch phrases we heard at the Suzanne Evans’ Be the Change Event a couple of weeks ago is “turn your mess into your message.” This can be an interesting approach to answering Rosemary’s question! What does this mean?
If we examine our lives we will no doubt find some “messiness” under the surface. We all live with stuff. These messes, this stuff, is what Rosemary and I have called “lessons” over the many years of writing these articles, and publishing Rosemary’s Ezine. In fact we are here on the planet to learn lessons, right?
So, as we learn these lessons maybe it’s important, even part of our purpose, even our whole purpose, to share what we learn from our lessons – our messes! Our mess can become our message. This is story telling with a purpose.
But this advice needs to come with a warning: “Be sure your mess is cleared up, and be sure you have learned this lesson well, before you share the message you have gained”!
There’s a corollary to this approach to finding your message: we often learn what we are to teach; and the best form is mastery is to teach what we are working to master.
When Jeff Primack certified me to teach Qigong, his advice was to go out and teach the forms as soon as possible. “The only way to master the forms is to teach them.” Now, I was still shaking from the experience of being watched, judged and corrected as I “taught” the form to my little training group. Picturing myself teaching a group of strangers, even friends, was not a scene I was ready for! But I was soon offered the opportunity to lead a group and I have been teaching regularly for over a year now. Have I mastered the forms? No. But I am moving in that direction! I turned my messy form into my message.
Rosemary’s questions are the place to start to find your message:
Sit with yourself for a few minutes and ask yourself these two questions:
1) What is MY MESSAGE to the world? And, then,
2) Am I living MY MESSAGE in my daily life?
Or backing up a short step you could ask: What is the MESS that I have worked through in my life that would be helpful to share with the world as my MESSAGE. But only share that message if you are living that MESSAGE in your daily life!
The real trick is in the answer to that second question; you must be living that message to be effective in sharing it. In my case I practice Qigong almost every day. I am currently teaching three classes a week, attending a fourth and practicing in between. I am “living Qigong.” And Qigong is only part of my message!
So, look at your messes – the ones you have worked through, learned, even mastered – and ask if the world will be a better place if you share that mastery. Your message is there!