What Is Your Spiritual Practice? –Richard’s Commentary

May 2, 2013 — Richard

We just got back from our local Spiritual Exploration Group here in Maryland. This is a monthly meeting of like-minded folks who we bring together to discuss spiritual topics of many colors. Our mantra is we get together for Discussion, not Dogma.

Tonight’s topic was Prayer. And we explored the many dimensions of what this means for people both as a word and as a practice. We began with our childhood remembrances of what prayer meant to us and our experience of prayer. We considered the Wikipedia definition:

Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with a deity, an object of worship, or a spiritual entity through deliberate communication.

And we discussed where we are now with prayer as a way of “connecting” to something greater than ourselves but that we find inside ourselves. We spoke of prayer as a way of generating and offering our energy for positive connection and transformation, or “lifting to a higher vibrational frequency.”

We even discussed the possible existence of “dark prayer” – negatively focused energy to counter the evolutionary path of human consciousness; and we wondered if prayer can be judged in this way if it is truly a “deliberate communication with a deity”! Is a negative prayer even a true prayer?

I bring this up because prayer is certainly a spiritual practice. For me the word sometimes has a negative impact because it is overloaded with memories of childhood when reciting the “Lord’s Prayer” seemed so rote and lifeless. As a young child required to memorize the prayer I wasn’t even clear on the meanings of the words.

Then it hit me! I, with 46-thousand of my closest friends, am tuning into Deva Premal & Miten every day to chant ancient verses from Holy Scriptures. They are offering a 21-Day Mantra Meditation Journey that began April 23. Today is Day-10. (You can sign up for this free daily practice here: Deva & Premal. And you can catch up because all of the chants they have shared so far are still posted.

So, I sit, eyes closed, each morning in a very open and loving state to chant, often Sanskrit, words I am not familiar with, over and over in a “rote-like” way. How is this so different from my childhood experience of reciting the Lord’s Prayer in a rote-like way?

OK, here’s the thing about that: I am in an altered state when I chant “Om Shanti Om” 108 times. I move into that state of true inner peace invoked by this mantra. I remember where my mind was when I “prayed” the Lord’s prayer as a kid – anywhere but on “Our  Father”! I wasn’t seeking to develop “rapport” with “Him”; but with these mantras I am seeking to develop a rapport with the energies invoked by their vibrations, their words composed of sacred syllables, the transcendent quality of the constructs and how they sound when chanted, whispered, or just thought and felt as they vibrate through my being.

One of my Spiritual Practices is to chant. I have learned a number of chants from different traditions using languages from Sanskrit to Navaho. I have been ritually initiated into several. And they all transport me to another “place” where I can transcend this physical dimension of time, space and my body and commune with Spirit. And for me this is the best form of prayer to which I can aspire.

If you are at all interested in chanting and mantra meditation as a form of prayer I invite you with all my good wishes to tune in to Deva Premal & Miten. Here’s the link again:

21-Day Mantra Meditation Journey

All blessings!

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INSPIRATION FROM ROSEMARY: Your Spiritual Practice

April 30, 2013 — Rosemary

My video for the week: Your Spiritual Practice

PS: Last Day, today, April 30! Spring Book Special: Get Your Woman On!  Embracing Beauty, Grace and the Power of Women – TheAmazon Best Selling book that I co-authored with some amazing women – is available this month at a very special price –$12 with free shipping in the US and some great bonuses!  This would be an inspirational gift for Mother’s Day for a woman who would like to read 39 stories of transformation.  Here’s how to get your copy: Book Sale

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Will the REAL YOU please stand up? – Richard’s Commentary

April 25, 2013 — Richard

I don’t know about you but I was really struck by this message from The Divine Feminine posted yesterday! And I realize part of this message’s impact is the “memory” it hits. I think anyone reading this post knows the truth of this message about themselves! We are all here, now, in this time for a very specific purpose. We are here to be part of an enormous transformation. And it is time for the REAL Us to stand up! Here are the specific instructions from The Divine Feminine:

Expand your Consciousness to embrace the biggest version of YOU that you can imagine and then allow that to continue to expand.  The Universe sees YOU as large as you REALLY are.  Dissolve the limitations that you have put on yourself and BE THE BIGGER VISION OF YOU.

What does this mean? I have a perfect example of a couple of people doing this very thing. You may or may not know of Deva Premal & Miten, two artists who have made chanting mantras, both in Sanskrit and from other cultures in other languages, not only beautiful art but moving, spiritual experiences. Rosemary and I have all of their albums and listen to them regularly. We have attended their live performances and have been truly inspired. Here’s what they are now doing to embrace their biggest vision: they are offering a completely free 21-Day Mantra Meditation Journey over the internet. It just began on April 23rd and it is fantastic. What a wonderful way to start the day, with 15 minutes of these beautiful human beings introducing and then chanting a new mantra. Deva and Miten have stepped up to a higher level of offering Divine Chanting for the world!

You can still join us in on this journey; sign up here: Deva & Miten

We are all called to Stand Up! The Divine Feminine requests this and Deva Premal & Miten demonstrate a perfect example of what it means and how to do it.

It begins with an expanded consciousness; it begins with a “bigger vision of you.” We all have dreams, wishes, desires. Are these true visions of who we are and what we can be or are these fantasies of the “if only” category? Visions are dreams that can be actualized. They require motivation, planning, resources, scheduling and action. The Divine Feminine are not calling us to dream, they are calling us to Vision and Action. They are asking us to Stand Up!

What is my vision?  I have outlined my first Qigong class! I plan to teach a 10-week program beginning in May. I have a marketing flier completed, class syllabus ready to go, sign-up/release form to print and a few ideas for marketing the class to local groups here in Maryland. I am excited not only to be doing this but with the notion that I am moving in a new direction and beginning to “stand up.” OK, a Qigong Class may not sound like a big leap, but it is a step.

And Rosemary and I are moving forward with other plans to expand programs and offer more to our local groups, followers and clients here in the Maryland area. We are also continuing to develop our online plans to bring what we offer to a wider, global audience. Rosemary’s voice already reaches around the world with her services to select international clients. She too, as the “Voice of The Divine Feminine” is stepping up and moving into a much bigger Vision of her Service to Humanity.

It really is time for all of us to Stand Up, to live into that greater vision we all sense about ourselves and the Universe knows about us!

Are you ready to Stand Up? 

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ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: Will the REAL YOU please stand up?

April 24, 2013 — Rosemary

This week’s article is a message from The Divine Feminine:

Dear Ones,

Your work now is to be fully YOU.  Who are you?  Independent of your roles, your relationships, your duties and obligations.  Who are you when no one is looking?  Who are you in your dreams and fantasies?

What do you wish you could say?  Say it.

What do you wish you could do?  Do it.

Who do you want to be?  Be that person.

There is nothing stopping you except you.

Who is limiting you?  Only your beliefs and thoughts about you hold you back.

What is your relationship with money?  If money seems to be a limiting factor in your life then you have cut off the flow of money to you and through you by defining a limiting belief about HOW money operates.

If, for example, you say, “I would like to travel but I don’t have the money,” then you are defining how you cannot travel and you are correct.  If, however, you say to the Universe, “I would like to travel to ________ and I am grateful and eager to see how you will provide that trip,” then you allow the Universe many options for making that happen.

If you believe that you cannot make the money you need then you are only looking at a particular method of receiving money and, again, you limit the ways in which the Universe can bring money to you.

Be grateful.  Be curious.  Be open.

Be yourself.

Who must you BE to receive the money you desire

Be the powerful manifestor that you already are.  Be in the flow of your Life Purpose.  Be constantly grateful for the reality that is your Life, for the lessons you are learning, for the people who are helping you to learn those lessons.  Be in touch with your Inner Child who is trying to feel safe, happy, protected and playful.  Be creative, for you may have forgotten how to play and create.  Be joyful, for Joy is a powerful magnet to attract more Joy into your Life.

Be who you are behind the limiting beliefs you have created about yourself.  Stop defining yourself by the money you do or do not have.  Stop confining yourself to what you used to believe and think.

Leap forward into possibilities that hold the most Joy for you.

You are there.  You are here.  You are the Light of the World.  You are the Delight of the Universe.

Expand your Consciousness to embrace the biggest version of YOU that you can imagine and then allow that to continue to expand.  The Universe sees YOU as large as you REALLY are.  Dissolve the limitations that you have put on yourself and BE THE BIGGER VISION OF YOU.

And so it it.

Rosemary’s Comments:

I don’t know about you but I need the reminder to stop playing small.  It seems much easier to focus on what seems do-able then to stretch into the bigger visions.  Take a leap of faith!  Reach for something that really scares you!  Trust the Universe to support your bigger visions.

And I have learned that it is important to ask for help.

We asked the Universe for a house to rent and our friend asked for someone to rent her house.  Voila!  We move in August.  It happens just that way when you trust.

PS:  The final week of the Spring Book Special: Get Your Woman On!  Embracing Beauty, Grace and the Power of Women – The Amazon Best Selling book that I co-authored with some amazing women – is available this April at a very special price – $12 with free shipping in the US and some great bonuses!  This would be an inspirational gift for Mother’s Day for a woman who would like to read 39 stories of transformation.  Here’s how to get your copy: Book Sale

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INSPIRATION FROM ROSEMARY: Who Are You REALLY?

April 23, 2013 — Rosemary

My video for the week: Who Are You REALLY?

PS: Book sale! Spring Book Special: Get Your Woman On!  Embracing Beauty, Grace and the Power of Women – TheAmazon Best Selling book that I co-authored with some amazing women – is available this month at a very special price –$12 with free shipping in the US and some great bonuses!  This would be an inspirational gift for Mother’s Day for a woman who would like to read 39 stories of transformation.  Here’s how to get your copy: Book Sale

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The Story is Not the Person! – Richard’s Commentary

April 18, 2013 — Richard

“The story is not the person.” And often the story is not the story, at least not the whole story. I think that is one of Rosemary’s points.

I had the great privilege over a number of years to “sit at the feet” of Robert Bly. One of his “lessons” was to examine a story or poem on at least three levels: the concrete, the psychological and the mythical. And even then large swaths of a story can be glossed over or missed entirely.

At the concrete level, the story is never the person. You can’t know much at all from this level. It is superficial at best. To use a well worn cliché it’s like judging a story-book by its cover. I am a great fan of science fiction; I can never guess what a book is about from looking at the typically lurid cover! These days you certainly can’t judge anything from clothes. Styles are all over the map and casual is becoming formal in many venues! For those who are well trained and experienced in sensory acuity there are deeper layers to the concrete level that can be observed. Milton Erickson pioneered the use of body language in his hypnotherapy work and could utilize a subtle movement, twitch or flush to take a patient into deeper trance. And this brings us to the psychological level of the story.

Rosemary’s point that “the story is not the person” is much about this psychological level, the back-story, the underlying elements to a person that are buried behind the external persona. Sometimes this deeper part of the story is hidden even from one’s self. Our layers of beliefs for example are not necessarily something we dwell on to determine our current motivations or reactions to situations. It is this psychological level that gets protected, especially the shadow components of our makeup…and we all have them. Our boundaries protect this area and need that respect Rosemary urges us to observe.

And it is this level that we need to take into consideration when interacting with people. We all have our psychological stories. Some we can feel free and even good about sharing. Some remain hidden, protected behind our walls of privacy. The point here is to realize every one of our encounters with a person involves a hidden layer that needs our understanding and respect. We have our boundaries and they have theirs; let the unrevealed layers be a part of the mystery of the encounter.

It is at the mythic layer to the story where we can have some fun. And I don’t mean to make fun but to be inventive, creative in our approach to interacting with others. At some level we humans are all archetypes; we embody all the mythical gods and goddesses, the legendary figures from history, the stories of golden ages with mythic heroes and heroines from pre-history. Bly’s approach to analyze a poem or a story at the mythic level is to look for the archetypal, the over-arching theme that holds deeper meaning beyond the superficial and even the mental levels; the god-like meanings that underpin the entire arch of the story. And we can apply this approach to our encounter with others. Ask, what part of the greater mythology of human existence is this person playing, in his life, in my life, in the greater context of human evolution!

That’s right! Every one of us is playing a role, our personally designed role, in the expanding story of human evolution, the evolution of consciousness! This is exciting, scary, sobering, even mind-boggling. And it’s true.

So, next time when you meet someone, a friend, an acquaintance, even a stranger, ask yourself what role that someone is playing in the unfolding mythology of humanity!

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ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: The Story is Not the Person!

April 17, 2013 — Rosemary

Everyone around you has a story and you have only heard the part of the story that they want you to hear.  Everyone has a part of themselves that is hidden away, being protected, staying safe by not being revealed.  Behavior is not the story.  Behavior is often the cover-up for the story.

When you understand this about the people around you it is easier to be gentle with those folks.  What if that person just lost a loved one and doesn’t feel comfortable sharing that with you?  What if that person was so horribly abused as a child that they cannot bear to be hugged by anyone because it re-traumatizes them?  What if that person just got off the phone from a very disturbing conversation and they are in the middle of processing the information when you try to talk to them?

There is an endless list of possibilities for what is going on in another person’s life and most items on that list have nothing to do with you.  Do you keep this in mind when you interact with other people?  Can you be sympathetic to the part of the story that they are protecting from exposure and give them the benefit of the doubt?

Each of us has a responsibility to ourselves and to others to learn how to live in community with the people around us.  We are not private islands with ‘No Trespassing’ signs on our foreheads!  The most important lesson to learn about living in a civilized society is to learn what healthy boundaries are.  Learn what to let in and what belongs to the other person.

Asking others to respect your boundaries includes allowing them to ask the same of you.  Some people have very private stories behind the fence of their boundary and that is theirs to protect.  By the same token, you are allowed to hold parts of yourself private from public scrutiny and anyone who doesn’t respect that boundary does not get the privilege of interacting with you.

In learning how to interact with others in a healthy way it is important that you know your own story.  What motivates you?  What has happened in your past that is influencing your present?  What parts of you have you disowned that are lurking in your shadow bag waiting to be rediscovered and reintegrated?  With whom have you had an interaction that might influence your current relationships with baggage from the past connection?

Study your story.  Write it out.  Do a timeline of your own life.  It can be useful to do a timeline of your parents’ lives as you know them, or as they can share with you, and compare that with your own.  Sometimes we can uncover hidden beliefs about ourselves by noticing what has moved onto our timeline from our parents.

Notice when you get stuck in your story instead of continuing to create it.  Are you in a loop that has you repeating a part of your past story that is holding you back from growing in the present?  Are you re-traumatizing yourself by repeating that story over and over again and never giving yourself a chance to open to new possibilities that allow you to release that old story?

What parts of your story are you hoping no one else will discover?  Why?

Part of being on the path of personal growth is expanding your consciousness to encompass ALL of who you are.  Every part of your story is important in shaping you to be the person that you are today.  And this is true for everyone around you.

Own your story but do not be governed by it.  Be conscious of your responsibility to continue to grow.  Help others to grow by allowing them to have their own stories while keeping healthy boundaries for yourself.

And you can change your story!  There are many techniques available to help you to do this.  Empower yourself by taking the first step – write your story.  Then the work can begin.

PS:  Spring Book Special: Get Your Woman On!  Embracing Beauty, Grace and the Power of Women – The Amazon Best Selling book that I co-authored with some amazing women – is available this month at a very special price – $12 with free shipping in the US and some great bonuses!  This would be an inspirational gift for Mother’s Day for a woman who would like to read 39 stories of transformation.  Here’s how to get your copy: Book Sale

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What’s New with You? — Richard’s Commentary, and the I Ching for the New Moon

April 11, 2013 — Richard

One of the thoughts that caught my attention in Rosemary’s “Exploration” yesterday is:

“And what new stimulus is there in your environment to keep you growing? Or are you content with the status quo and resisting forward motion?”

We live in a totally dynamic Universe supplying our need for new stimulus constantly. All we have to do is pay attention to what’s going on and assess and respond to the stimulation around us. For example we are just now in New Moon energy (as of April 10, 2013 at 5:36 AM EDT) and we are just now in a new astrological year with the Sun in Aries. And Aries, the House of newness and action, is really full of stimulating planets right now. This is from our friend Gloria Hesseloff:

“The New Moon in ARIES holds special promise because 5 other celestial bodies are also in Aries! It can rock your world!

“(Note: Seriously, you may have noticed this unique Aries time is impacting many of us or our friends and family, especially those who have prominently in their charts Aries, Libra, Capricorn or Cancer. This energy can feel aggressive, angry, domineering, etc…)”

There is plenty here to stimulate growth, change, expansion, evolution. With all this energy in Aries, Spring time in the North, New Moon, it will be difficult to remain content with the status quo! It is a great time now to capture this energy to assist us in moving forward! Gloria goes on to say now is the:

“Time to reflect on:

  • What am I ready to bring to life at this time?
  • Where do I need to take a stand?
  • How can I take advantage of the unlimited possibilities available to me?
  • How can I make changes that are real, not just superficial?
  • The Universal energies are supporting courageous action with this New Moon.”

Gou-EncounteringIt is with all this Aries energy supporting me that I cast my I Ching Gua for this New Moon to take a look at how the month may play out and how I can best interact with these energies. And I received a surprising pair of Gua. Here is the first:

Note that the second line is a changing line (a nine) which yields a new “Approached Gua”. The initial Gua tells us something about the current energies, the status quo if you will, and the approached Gua tells us something about the changes we can expect. Since I cast these Gua for the month (the nextDun-Retreat moon cycle, or “moonth”) we start out with the energy of Gou (Encountering) and end with Dun (Retreat). Here’s the Approached Gua:

And here is my interpretation:

Gou is about encounters with other people. The I Ching expresses caution here, to be careful of these encounters, to not take people as they first appear; not to distrust, necessarily but to reserve judgment. And it is better to meet people in person rather than at a distance (indirectly, e.g. via email!).

The Approached Gua, Dun, indicates a retreat after this or these encounters. This is a positive retreat, one to gather strength for another time (next month perhaps).

Both of these Gua offer caution about “little people” and to avoid inappropriate or unproductive encounters with them. The wise retreat to gather strength and reinforcements. This tells me to not get bogged down with small stuff. Advance by retreating!

And note that if you are following my I Ching readings each moonth that my last Gua was Heng/Long Lasting, which is the Gua immediately preceding Dun. So, after remaining steadfast during the previous month it may now be time to step back to assess and regroup!

With the I Ching timing is everything. I also note that while both of these Gua this moonth urge caution, Gou corresponds to the 5th month (June) and Dun corresponds to the 6th month (July). These will be very productive months for the year. Now is a time to be watchful of encounters and to retreat into planning to prepare for the summer months.

Considering all this energy in Aries, these are very cautionary Gua to received. I will be storing up this energy, putting it into plans and getting ready for a big summer!

Do you use any divination tools in your life? They can help you with the ever-present influences from the environment, help with interpretation and with guidance on using the energies for forward motion, but only when it is advisable!

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ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: What’s New with You?

April 10, 2013 — Rosemary

Where is the newness in your life?  Are you in a rut?  In a routine that doesn’t allow you time and/or space to grow?

Now is the time to explore the ways in which you have gotten stuck and are holding yourself back from your expansive greatness.  Sometimes it seems easier to stay put, to stay where things are simple, uncomplicated, the same.  But are you growing?

If you are alive in a human body then there is something more for you to learn.  That’s what the human life is all about.  We are learning machines, from the moment we’re born and we have to figure out how to get around in this physical world.

Babies are growing and exploring and trying new things all the time.  All those ‘No!’ messages are helping the baby to learn what can and can’t be done, what’s safe and what’s not, what’s accepted and what’s not.  As we get older we start giving ourselves those ‘No!’ messages for very different reasons.

What would you like to learn or explore that you are telling yourself ‘No!’ so you will stop exploring?  What learning experience are you denying yourself because of a list of reasons that might, possibly, be excuses for maintaining the status quo?  How are you holding yourself back?

Brain science is discovering fascinating things about how we think and how we can change our thoughts.  Every thought either reinforces a previous thought or creates its new pattern in our brain.  The thoughts we repeat deepen the groove of that thought and make it easier to revisit.  New thoughts must be repeated to create a deeper pattern and, if left unvisited, will wither away.

What are your patterns of thinking and what would you like to change?  There are techniques for making those changes, and to change your mind you have to be conscious of your old patterns and the new patterns that you want to reinforce.  You can do this!

And what new stimulus is there in your environment to keep you growing?  Or are you content with the status quo and resisting forward motion?

Living a Conscious Life requires that you accept yourself on a path of growth and that you are proactive about seeking to expand your awareness and advance your understanding.  You are not the kind of human being who believes you are done learning new things and are content to sit around without exploring any new ideas.  You challenge yourself to grow and to explore.

This task is not as easy in a vacuum as it is with a like-minded tribe.  Who is your Consciousness Tribe?  With whom can you explore ideas, share thoughts without concern about judgment or condemnation?  Where are the people who will challenge you to consider a viewpoint that you haven’t considered before?  Do you have these folks in your sphere?

Or are you content to hang out with people who represent the ‘you’ of decades ago, who will not challenge you to think outside the box of your old ideas?

Your tribe is yours to find.  Sometimes we need a new tribe.  Sometimes our tribe grows with us and we can stay with the same explorers while we all expand our consciousness.

Are you being challenged to find something new in your life?  Ponder this thought today and then look around you and your day-to-day life.  Maybe it’s time to try on something new and see how it fits.

What’s new with you today?

PS: New! Spring Book Special: Get Your Woman On!  Embracing Beauty, Grace and the Power of Women – The Amazon Best Selling book that I co-authored with some amazing women – is available this month at a very special price – $12 with free shipping in the US and some great bonuses!  This would be an inspirational gift for Mother’s Day for a woman who would like to read 39 stories of transformation.  Here’s how to get your copy: Book Sale

Posted in Commentary on Mystic Messages, Guidance for Conscious Living, Mystic Messages. Tags: , , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

INSPIRATION FROM ROSEMARY: What’s New?

April 9, 2013 — Rosemary

My video for the week: What’s New?

PS: Book sale! Spring Book Special: Get Your Woman On!  Embracing Beauty, Grace and the Power of Women – The Amazon Best Selling book that I co-authored with some amazing women – is available this month at a very special price – $12 with free shipping in the US and some great bonuses!  This would be an inspirational gift for Mother’s Day for a woman who would like to read 39 stories of transformation.  Here’s how to get your copy: Book Sale

Posted in Guidance for Conscious Living, Mystic Messages. Tags: , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment »
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