To all my favorite valentines, I am hoping that on this Valentine’s Day, you give a wonderful gift to the person that should mean the most to you in your life – YOU!   Cheryl Richardson had a wonderful idea for a New Year’s Resolution (and how many have you kept thus far?)  Her idea was to love self more. A wonderful idea for the new year!  I thought at Valentine’s Day, this would be a special gift to the one you love, or should love most – you.  If you cannot love yourself, how can you truly love another?  If you don’t respect yourself, how can you respect another?

How many ways do you berate yourself during the day and where and when does it begin?  When you look in the mirror first thing in the morning (I hate my hair, I’m too fat, I need a face lift, I have too many freckles, I am going bald, blah, blah)?  Or is it as soon as your feet hit the floor getting out of bed (I’m getting old, my joints hurt, my feet are so ugly, I hate getting up for this job, I’m tired)?  All these thoughts take away from self-love.  You know why?  Because all these thoughts will create the very thing for you that you do not want in your life.  Would you do that to someone you loved dearly?  No.  You would say things to them that were positive, do things that were positive, speak of them in a loving way.  Then why don’t you do that for yourself?

Without getting too metaphysical, as I wanted to keep this particular blog along the basics, if we truly are Divine within, as I believe and many of you do, why would you say I AM fat?  I AM not worthy.  As Wayne Dyer says, when you use the words “I AM” in any sentence, you are truly declaring the God within.  Would you put God down when it comes to your own self?

Mike Dooley, whom I adore and lifts me up each morning with his “Notes From the Universe,” (and if you don’t get these, you should - sign up for them for free on his website www.tut.com), teaches that thoughts become things, so choose the good ones.  It is a given truth that we create our own reality through our thoughts.  So if you keep saying, “I can’t lose weight,” guess what – you won’t, for the Universe interprets the vibration of your thoughts, what you focus upon, positive or negative.  Abraham and many others have taught this for years.  Thoughts become things.  A simple, yet profound statement. 

So this Valentine’s Day, choose to give yourself a gift you would give to someone you love, and I don’t mean chocolates (though that is a nice gift, so splurge if you are inclined).  When you look in the mirror in the morning, as hard as it may be, see yourself with love.  You are a manifestation of Divine Consciousness as YOU.  Love yourself (Louise Hay’s most famous line) and be kind to yourself with good thoughts, loving thoughts.  Feel the joy of being unique. 

The other thought I had today was that many people suffer from self-worth.  But each one of us is part of the whole and is a necessary part.  Imagine a body without a particular cell.  Every body has all the cells it needs to be whole.  If you cut yourself or lose some skin from a scrape, what happens?  The body fills it in with new cells because it needs them all.  Just as a body needs all the cells in the microcosm we are, the macrocosm of the Universe needs each soul, each being of energy to make it whole.  Rather like George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” we are all necessary for all other things to be as they need to be.  So consider the importance of Self, as you are one of the necessary components of the whole of Divine Consciousness.  You would not have been created otherwise, so you must be needed.  How does it feel to be needed by the Divine Consciousness of creation?  It should make you feel somewhat more worthy, I would hope.

So give yourself a gift of love this Valentine’s Day, and forever after, for when you love yourself, you open up to all the gifts the Universe has to offer that will bring you joy. When you love your self, you can be in joy, and the vibration of joy is very high on the scales.  It allows the Universe to bring to you exactly what would make you even more joyful.  Dr. Dain Heer has a wonderful line in his teachings that opens the doors to all the wonderful things the Universe has to offer.  No matter what is happening, whether you perceive it as “good” or “bad,” ask yourself in a positive way, “How does it get any better than this?”  Then the Universe has to show you something better!  That is how it works.  Perhaps I’ll go over the other three questions he likes people to ask about challenges, but today’s only challenge is looking in the mirror and seeing how beautiful you are, and asking that question about your life with a feeling of positive expectation – how does it get any better than this!!??  Trust me, it works. 

Happy Valentine’s Day, with a very special blessing of love and thoughts from Archangels Chamuel and Seraphina, the Twin Flames that deal primarily with love.

“Many do not understand the saying that if you do not love yourself, how can you truly love another.  The explanation of this is that if you do not love yourself, you cannot feel whole, and so look for wholeness outside of self.  When this happens, the love is conditional, not unconditional.  If you are whole within self, which means you love yourself, your own company, then you can love another unconditionally, without strings attached or constantly fearing the of the loss of them.  People need to come together to celebrate love, not have it bind another.  So perhaps this will help you to understand the meaning and importance of loving self first, so that you can love another and feel the freedom that flows through that love, without conditions, without judgments, without fear.  Unconditional love is sacred love.  So love self and feel wholeness within, then you can truly love another and be in joy over that love and not have it attached to fear.”

Spring is coming!  The days grow longer!  Stay positive, especially about yourself!

Love and blessings to you all ~

     Hello to you all.  Here we are at the crux of the Mayan calendar with the upcoming Solstice, Christmas, Hanukkah, and chaos in Connecticut and Afghanistan where the innocent seemingly become victims, and us left wondering where it will all lead.

     We stand at a gateway in each and every one of our lives at this moment, and it is your choice what vibration you choose, what thoughts you have, what words you speak that will determine how you will walk through this gateway on the Solstice.  It is easy to be in anger and hold thoughts of despair when the news brings us what it has this past week.  But anger only fuels more anger and despair will not solve anything.  Love and compassion are the only vibrations that will change the anger and despair and turn it around.

     I would ask you to stretch your mind in order to perhaps see things from a different perspective.  It is difficult in this dimension of density to see beyond the body, the material, and duality such as good and evil, up and down, in or out.  However, the soul sees beyond all this into the truth.  So for a moment, shut out any feelings of anger, despair, justice seeking, or hopelessness, and look into your soul for answers.

     It is said, and becoming understood and believed, that the soul plans its purpose before it comes into form.  There are times when groups will get together as a collective to do this as well.  This is what I understand from my soul’s perception.  No matter how heinous things are in appearance, there has been a soul’s choice, or in the case of Connecticut or Afghanistan, a collective choice, to have such a thing happen.  And because the soul is immortal, there is no such thing as death, only in the appearance of form, which is transient and a vehicle for the soul to bring its message to this world.  The soul sees its human life as temporary.  Do not think me callous, but our bodies to our souls are rather like our cars are to us – when they have served their purpose, wear out, or we tire of them, they get traded in for new ones.  Such is the body.  It is the soul that carries on with relationships and love throughout many lives, as love is all the soul knows and is.

     Even in knowing this, it does not help the grief or trauma of those involved in any tragedy, but thoughts from the heart and soul will heal the wounds faster and in a better way.  Instead of pointing fingers at who is to blame as an individual, a parent, a system that isn’t working, perhaps we need to ask ourselves why would a group of souls bring such a thing unto themselves, including the shooter, and their families.  If you come up with the answer for the highest good of mankind, you are seeing through the soul’s eyes and not human eyes.  It is incidents such as these that unite us, that allow us to experience compassion and oneness instead of separateness.  It is always the disasters that bring the best out in people, bring out the prayers, the helping hand, and the generosity.  Perhaps the lesson is that if we did this on a daily basis and treated all as brothers and sisters, these disasters would end, for the lesson would be learned.  It is something we bring to ourselves for our souls to grow into the love that they are in truth, and to bring our consciousness into that same focus.

     And so, with thoughts of love and compassion, I wish you all, dear brothers and sisters of the One, to love one another, to love this planet we share, to look beyond appearances before casting judgment into what might be our own lessons, to share what you have in order to open yourself to even more abundance, to give love freely from the heart without conditions attached, and to move through this gateway on the Solstice with joy in your heart, which will raise up the vibration of this entire planet.  Love is all there is, so express it whenever the opportunity arises, even if it is merely to touch someone upon the arm without words, just compassion.  And hold all those suffering through grief and trauma in the Light – wrap your love around them and wish them peace in their hearts.

     Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Yule, and Joyous Solstice, or whatever words you use to express a kind and loving sentiment for this season.  And may peace and love prevail in the new year and into the new Mayan cycle of this world.

Love and Blessings,

Magdrael and friends of the Higher Realm

Happy Autumnal Equinox and hello to you all!  I hope your summer has been a good and joyful one.  And now we find ourselves at the equinox, bringing us fully into autumn, as some of the temperatures of late remind us.  Autumn is busy with harvest, gathering the fruits of labor over the summer.  It is also the gathering and harvest for the self-work we have been doing; the time for the realization of what we have created through our own inner planting, and how we nurtured it and fertilized it. 

Autumn also finds us busying ourselves preparing for the winter.  It is such a transitional season.  Like spring, transitioning into birth and growth, autumn is the transition into harvest, dying, and toward the silence of winter.  As is the cycle of nature, so is the cycle of all life on this beautiful and wonderful planet.  It has been a planet of the third dimension (though changing), bringing with it limited sight through the belief of duality, limited hearing, self-inflicted limitation of what we are capable of, and conditioning of the kind that makes us work to find the divinity that we are - that is truly our birthright.  But it is time to break out of that conditioning and realize the fullness of who we are, the energy of the All That Is within us, for how can we be anything else?  If you believe that there is a Divine Consciousness and Ultimate Source of All Things, are you not part of that?  You can’t be outside of All That Is.

Being who I am and the energy I carry, I love the autumn.  The mystery of things once alive, now going back to the earth to create a new spring after the long, seeming death of winter, is a reflection of who and what all beings are.  There is no end, there is no death, there is only a resting place in the seeming death of things that creates new life in the season following.  We are no different.  We are a part of the cycle on this planet, and when autumn comes and we slow down toward our “death” and then pass, we are spending time re-creating ourselves on the soul level, of which the only truth lies - to be reborn again with the strengths we brought into the dying season.  (And you do not have to die in a literal sense to do this).  All life is like this.  We are akin to the trees, the grass, the butterfly, the birds, the stars moving through the heavens.  It all cycles around again and again.  And so why should we be different?  We are not.

Moving forward here, this blog is not so much about truths and philosophy as it is about picking your brains.  I see myself doing workshops and talks in the near future, but there is so very much to talk about that I feel I am at a smorgasbord and don’t know what to choose from.  I need your help.  Some of the things I would love to work with are as follows (and not in order of preference so much as the order of thoughts coming out):

Transitions of life;

Transitions into death;

Bringing spirituality into hospice work and seeing the sacred in death;

Grief and bereavement: how to allow oneself to be with it, regardless of what others think

How to support (companion) someone going through grief;

How changing your story can change your life/Affirmations/What you feel, think and say, and how it affects your life;

Universal Laws: knowing, understanding, and living them for the benefit of your soul and your life;

The keys to the Universal Laws: All is energy, forgiveness, self-love, strength of will of the emotional and mental bodies;

The meaning of the soul’s purpose;

Three words to live by: Believe, Surrender, Trust;

The ability to receive (which most people think they do, but do not) as well as give;

Creating a circle of what you wish to allow in your life vs. what you do not;

Fabric of the soul – what it is and how it works;

So there you have some of the topics that can be discussed, or that can be turned into workshops, either for a morning, afternoon, or all day.  I am asking for feedback on this in what you would like to hear or learn more about, to delve into more deeply.  All are good topics, but where are you with regard to where you would like to be?  What would benefit you the most?  Some of the above topics would overlap a bit, but it will give me a much better idea of where to focus for bringing something to a talk or workshop.

As we prepare for the stillness of winter, let us celebrate the bounty of the harvest, not only in our gardens, but also in our lives.  I’m sure many of you have made great strides forward over the past few months.  I would love to hear about it.  Or hear about where you might be stuck.  Those are the things we need to have talks or workshops about!

Much love and many blessings to you all and thank you for your feedback on this.

In closing, Haniel came forward to say a few words.

"Greetings to you all on such wonderful paths toward the Light.  Each one, in your own time, your own way, for your own purpose, will eventually come to a crossroads in your search for your life’s purpose, truth, and love.  Your choices should honor who you are and for the highest good.  And know that everything comes in cycles, as that is the way of all life, whether on this beautiful planet, or elsewhere.  Energy is ever moving, ever changing, ever expanding.  Nothing is stagnant.  As is often said on this Earth, the only constant is change.  That is evidenced by the cycles of the moon.  Things move constantly forward, ever expanding, as thoughts add to the whole of the One that all things are.  Thoughts create new thoughts, things become manifest, and then new thoughts and desires are derived from that very manifestation. 

"Work with the cycles of the moon.  The new moon is a time when things are fresh, blossoming.  Think about what you would love to create for the highest good of self and others.  Talk to the moon of these dreams. At the full moon, let it go unto the Universe for collaboration, remaining unattached as to the hows and whens this manifestation might occur.  You’ve put it out there, so let it go, rather like a helium balloon that rises into the light of the sun.  See it as done through the fullness of the moon, the all-light in the darkness.  You might be surprised if you study the cycles of the moon and your own attitudes and energy as to where these cycles in your life fit in with regards to the moon cycles.  And for women of childbearing age, a woman’s cycle has been revered by so many native people to be magic to the point of allowing women to go to another place at that time, so that the power they are wielding will not affect the rest of the tribe until it is meditated upon.  It is a time of honor.  It is the same with the moon cycles.  Revere them for their power.  Learn to work with them, for it will bring your consciousness into focus for what you do want instead of what you do not want.  And allow the light in the darkness to shine also within your soul.  And know in speaking with the moon of your desires and standing in that light, you are talking to the energy of Divine Consciousness and will be heard.  You do not pray to the moon, as the moon is a part of the same energy you are, the Divine energy.  You talk with the moon asserting Self and acknowledging its unique power in the scheme of the One.  You work together.  Be positive in your statements and not plaintive.  Be strong and ask for your highest good, and for the highest good for all, for God’s will needs to be your will.  See it as accomplished.  Yeshua said that all those that ask, believing, will be answered.  Much love, encouragement, and support is here for you."

           As Carl Jung said, there is self (small “s”) and Self (capital “S”).   It is our soul’s purpose to move from “s” to “S.”  The small “s” is seeing ourselves as human, limited, stuck in the ruts we create and that life brings to us through that very belief of ourselves.  The capital “S” is seeing the I AM of ourselves, the Divine within, the power of the spirit we are.  As Wayne Dyer states in his new book Wishes Fulfilled, there is an outer self-concept and an inner self-concept and how they can be changed to grow into the greatness we are.  But what if you are autistic?  What is the self-concept?  What is the self versus Self?  Temple Grandin knows, and this is the inspiration she gave to help me to move from “s” to “S.”

            I recently watched the “Temple Grandin” movie and was astonished at the learning I gained about my own self vs. Self.  There is a huge difference, and Temple showed me a way to move into Self from the smaller self.  Temple Grandin, for those who are not familiar with her, is an autistic woman born in Boston in1947, graduated from Franklin Pierce College in 1970 and got her master’s degree in animal science from Arizona State University in 1975.  She also got her doctoral degree in animal science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1989.  Quite a record for someone who did not speak until she was four.  She has also, and still does, conferences on autism and animal husbandry.

            This movie played a two-fold part for me.  I have always been interested in autism to the point of going to a conference on autism in 1993 or thereabouts, at Syracuse University.  I was fortunate enough to actually see Temple speak.  She blew me away.  This woman not only understands the various levels of autism, but also shows so much hope in what autism can bring to society and to help others understand this so called mental illness.  I never saw autism as a mental illness, but as a mystery that needed to be solved in the way autistic people think; that they are here to teach us something from a very unique perspective.  After hearing her then, I was convinced.  After watching the movie, I was even more convinced.

            For those interested in autism, or that know someone diagnosed as autistic, it would behoove you to watch anything by Temple, read her books, and also watch the DVD entitled “The Autistic Revolution: Children In the Time of Awakening,” by Esther and Jerry Hicks, which is a collection of talks by Abraham over a six week period in 2008.  Talk about a new way to see autism!  But it would also be worthwhile just to gain a bigger view of what they have come to teach us.

            What I took away from the movie about Temple Grandin was not only a deeper understanding of autism, but also a strong lesson for myself.  Temple had a difficult time socially, which I do not, but when it came from speaking her truth, from her heart and what she knew, she could be outrageous, fearless.  That is what I am not.  I have social skills, but to think about talking in front of people unnerves me.  Once I get started I’m fine, but the anticipation of it is fearsome.  Watching her, through all the ridicule she had to deal with, showed me that being outrageous and fearless is a lesson we all need to learn.

            Autistic people do not have the same kind of ego fears we do.  We are always concerned about being socially acceptable, especially within the groups we deem important to our lives.  Autistic people do not have this concern, which is one great lesson we can learn from them.  They feel hurt through ridicule at times, depending on the level of the autistic person, but will continue to try to befriend someone, bring forth a truth they hold, and continue to want to be heard regardless of being ridiculed.  But this blog is not so much about the various levels of autism as it is about seeing life from the perspective of autistic people that can help us to become more like them – without ego.

            It was so refreshing to see Temple speak her truth to those who thought they knew so much more about animal husbandry than she.  But they were wrong.  And because she spoke in a way that could convince them they were wrong, showing them her drawings, showing them her “proof” of what the cattle needed, they began to listen – and to learn.  She re-created the dip pools so cattle could enter them calmly and not drown.  She re-created the slaughterhouse, bringing cattle to the point of quickly dying without the built-up angst of walking through a place to that point before death that rendered them totally traumatized.  Her way brought them in their own natural way - circular and peacefully.

            Not only am I grateful for her understanding of animals in this way and her devout drive to create such slaughterhouses with more respect for the animal and their natural way of being, but also for her doing this with such passion, such fearlessness, such daring!  When she could not get into places she wanted because she looked different than the cattle people and drove a car that stood out, she went to town to buy cowboy clothes, an old pick up, and rolled in cattle dung.  She got in. 

            She was never stopped by thoughts of what others would think.  She followed her passion, no matter what, and has changed the face of animal husbandry, ranching and slaughterhouses throughout the country.  The drive, determination and just not caring about self, but caring about the greater good and coming from more of a Self, allowed her to create these changes.

            We are all capable of that if we can let go of the ego that constantly reminds us through fear of not fitting in, not being liked, not being acceptable… the list goes on.  Through Temple I was able to say to hell with the little ego issues and step into something more grand, more meaningful and with greater depth – like soul’s purpose.  She taught me that it is wonderful to be outrageous, to be on purpose without fear, to come from the heart of your beliefs, to be in the strength of your inner power when it is for the highest good.  Thank you, Temple.  The energy of Archangel Ariel has come with a few words.

            “I am called Ariel.  Most equate me with courage, and that is so.  Courage is the willingness to commit to a truth, whether or not it is everyone else’s.  Courage is the willingness to stand apart from the crowd to speak your own truth, no matter what.  Courage is the conviction that regardless of what others might think, you will live your truth.  All of this should always be for the highest good for your own soul, those of others, and for the betterment of the community of beings upon the earth and out into the Universe, for what you do here has an effect throughout.  And the community is made of all living things, as all is energy.  Never be afraid to be the different drummer, for your rhythm brings more harmony to the Universe, especially this earth planet.  And we need your rhythm more than ever to fill out the chorus of those raising the vibration of all.  Find your beat and play it out with conviction, determination, fearlessness, for it might be that it is your beat that carries the tune.”

Love and blessings,

Magdrael

           

            

This morning, the simplicity of truth came back to me again, as sometimes through the busy-ness of life the sight of it can get lost.  Love is the only real truth, and therefore, the rest is illusion.  This morning I said to myself that if I choose to see only love, I will see only truth with the knowing that we are created from Divine love.  Through that knowing comes the understanding that all else doesn’t truly exist except in our minds.  This is a strong theme in A Course In Miracles and the basis for most teachings handed down.  Every now and again, when I find myself in that place of knowing and feeling only love, nothing else matters - nothing.  What a world it would be if all we could see was love!  Not human love, but total, unconditional Divine Love.  The rest would melt through this perception until all there truly existed was love and oneness.  It is our choice, our perception in every moment to come to this illumination, this feeling of what I consider, bliss.

            The other thought I had is that we are so very gifted on this earth, and nothing brings that more to the heart than spring.  The renewal of life after a harsh winter is a miracle.  Green buds grow out of seemingly dead wood, hummingbirds travel thousands of miles and arrive at our feeders (many of the same ones at that!), the sun which set so much closer to the south now is setting again just about due west, and rising just about due east.  I can watch its path closely due to my open view of the mountains.  It widens and narrows through the year, rising in this notch to the southeast, then moving from notch to notch toward the east.  The same going from more southerly to due west as the days grow longer.  The Winter Triangle of the stars has moved off to the west and is almost below my horizon now.  But the Summer Triangle is making its way; Arcturus is high in the southeastern sky at night, along with Saturn and Spica in the south, and the constellation of Corvus, the Crow.  The changes are constant and consistent.  Nothing in this Universe is still.  All energy, and all motion in a circular pattern.

            I see all of these miracles of the seasons, especially spring, as a gift.  And as many gifts from Source, some of these, too, might be ignored.  I believe gifts are ignored for three primary reasons:  1) people are too busy living their un-real lives to see the truth of the reality of God around them; 2) people do not know how to receive gifts from God, or even other people for that matter; and 3) people do not perceive a gift as being just that – a gift.  Here are a few examples. 

1)  Many people see reality in the wrong places.  Our bodies are not our reality, our soul is.  Taking the time to feed the soul with the gifts of beauty all around us connects us with the truth of what we are.  The old saying, “Stop to smell the roses,” was coined for a deeper reason than merely telling you to slow down and relax.  See the miracle in the aroma of a flower, the smell of electricity during a thunderstorm, the return of far away birds.  Just stop for one minute and look and listen to the Source all around you and breathe it in.  Your soul will thank you for it.  It might make your day more joyful!

            2)  Many people don’t even know how to accept a compliment, let alone a gift from God!  Many do not feel worthy enough, but we’ve gone over that concept in more depth in a previous blog.  But that is the problem as I see it – people do not receive well due to self-worth issues, self-doubt, fear, whatever.  But remember, receiving allows you to give.

            3)  Due to perception, many do not see gifts for what they are.  Seeing something as a trying time can actually be an opportunity to learn.  Pushing past fear to try something new can give you the gift of freedom by jumping off the cliff and flying, realizing that there was nothing to fear in the first place.  Seeing a homeless person is giving you the gift of realizing your fortune and being in gratitude, learning that that person, too, has a purpose, for it allows others to give or feel from their heart.  All things have reason, and most always, what one might perceive of as bad fortune is a lesson in disguise, an opportunity to grow and to realize the importance of seeing things from all sides, not just one limited view.  These things are gifts if seen in the proper light.

            We are gifted every day in so many ways.  Just the air we breath, the water we and the earth drink, the fire of the sun that warms us, the earth supporting our feet upon her and growing our food with the synchronicity of the other elements.  All gifts.  Some are small, some are huge when considering the synchronicity it takes to have it all work together to create seasons, rain, sunlight, the movement of stars by which man has navigated around the globe, the growth of food or trees from a tiny seed.  Everything you see around you is a miracle.  Tomorrow morning when you wake up, before you get out of bed, sit for a moment and look out the window on the new day and say thank you for it; for the miracles it brings and for all the opportunities of the day to experience growth, love, giving and receiving.  People who make this a practice find their lives changing, for it puts them in a more peaceful and joyful mood, and changes their perception of events as they happen throughout the day.  If you don’t already do this, give it a try.  Anne Frank stated that she began her day by smiling at herself in the mirror, not unlike Louise Hay’s advice of looking in the mirror and telling yourself how much you love you!  Anne knew, as Louise does, that this small thanks for who you are to begin your day can change your world.

           

            I am finding of late that even with more hours of light during the day, I feel the days are shorter due to all the busy-ness at my day job (a large nursery full of plants and people buying them), more need to travel, people and groups I wish to visit with, workshops I wish to hold, that a weekly blog is one thing that puts a bit more pressure on than I need.  So instead of forcing it with a weekly routine, I am choosing to honor myself and the realm that works with me.  I will not try to write a blog from that place of pressure, but to work with the blog when it feels right, in order be in that enlightened space, so that meaningful words can come from that place.  I will email you when a new blog is posted so you don’t have to wonder about when it is happening.  I thank you all for your continued support and feedback.  We are a tribe of seekers and the best way for all to find the destination is to share the map.

            This is a thought from my higher being about tonight’s new moon and annular eclipse, along with the transit of Venus across the face of the Sun on June 5^th.  It is a metaphor, which is how I receive things from that other part of me.

            “As the moon crosses in front of the sun this night, creating a coverage except for the outer edges, it is also pulling in the light of the sun, absorbing energy, becoming one with that energy as it overlays the sun’s brightness.  This is a metaphor –as above, so below- for we, too, are taking in the energy, the light, to add to our own brightness.  This may sound rather poetic, but as you know, we are the poet, and that language holds truth for it is a transcendent language.  It, too, is a language of metaphor in which there is great power.  The moon and sun create a shift of power this night, as the darkness of the moon covers the brightness of the sun, and then both bring again, their own light.  It might seem the darkness holds more power, but just for a moment.  So too, any darkness that shadowed the light within, will be illuminated and overtaken by the light returning moments later.  Do you see this?  And then the new moon, the renewed journey begins - this time with more stamina, more clarity, more heightened awareness and intuitive knowing.  It has essentially touched the sun and takes with it the illumination of that energy.  So, too, with this soul we share.  With all souls if they have the awareness to allow it. 

It also is the pairing of the negative (moon) with the positive (sun) – the yin and the yang coming together as one.  So much symbolism in all of this!  And when the moon becomes new shortly before this event (EDT), it moves forward with more balance having gained from the sun, and the sun having been touched by the moon, as it were.  It is like watching a sacred union.  Though this form (in NH) will not be able to see it, as the sun will have moved below the horizon, it will be felt.   The fact that Venus is involved in all this, you can see where it is headed – more illumination on the one truth – Love.  It will transit across the sun on June 5^th and will be visible as a speck moving across the brightness.  This concludes the eight-year cycle of Venus in this transit begun in 2004.  With this culmination begins a new journey – the harvest of what has been planted will begin to make itself manifest.”

             With that, until next time, love and blessings.

            You have no doubt, read someplace in some book, or heard someone say, that you are your story.  Have you stopped to think about how you create your story, and therefore, create your life to fulfill that story?

            It is given we are all energy and put out a frequency that the Universe answers at the exact same frequency.  So what is your story?  What frequency does it carry?  The story you need to be telling is the one that holds the vision of your dreams, the image you wish to be, the joyfulness of your life, the perfect health of your body, and the loving relationships you share with others, including yourself. 

            As has been said in this blog more than once, your feelings, thoughts, words, and actions create your life.  Your belief in who and what you are creates your destiny, as Gandhi so rightly said.  Do you think about what you say to people in conversation?  It can start with someone asking how you are.  What is your response?  “Fine.”  Are you just fine or are you terrific?  How you answer is part of your story.  Personally, I’d rather be terrific than just fine.  Then the conversation begins.  It could be about family, work, neighbors, or the world situation.  What do you say?  Is it the conditioned response of how bad the economy is, how you wish your spouse would (whatever fits into this slot), how you hate your job, or that you feel underpaid?  How you see all these things becomes your story.  Is it a happy story, the story you would like to be living, or is it a pat answer?  “The economy is terrible and so many people are in debt, including me.”  I wish my husband/wife would (again – whatever you are wishing they would be or do).”  “My boss is a jerk and never appreciates what I do for the small wage I earn.”  What do you say when someone asks how you are?  Do you begin the list of maladies afflicting you?

Everyone knows someone, or more than one someone, whose identity is their illness or problems.  The sad truth of this is, once you allow an illness or problems to become your identity, it is truly what is given to you.  People who feel that they are their illness, and it is most of what they discuss, will continue to have that illness, for it is what they believe about themselves.  The same is true for those who “wish” their spouse was different in some way.  They will keep on wishing.  Or complaining about how your boss treats you is allowing him/her to continue to treat you that way.

The way you look at things, your very own perception and how you broadcast this out to the Universe through friends and family, is exactly how the Universe will allow your life to be.  You get what you believe, focus upon, put a vibration out upon, and perceive things as being.  How would you like to feel about your health?  Do you want to continue to become your illness, if that is how you see yourself?  Wouldn’t you rather be strong, healthy, vibrant, and have a zest for life?  If so, then see yourself that way.  When someone asks how you are, tell them you are well, you feel great!  Or take smaller steps.  Begin by saying you feel better!  You may not believe what you are saying at first, but over time things will turn in that direction.  It is Law.

How would you like to see the world?  Stop believing all the media tells you, or the politicians tell you.  Everyone has his or her own agenda to manipulate the collective consciousness.  If you want the world to be a better place, begin to see it that way and stop watching all the hype.  See it as you would like to see it - a heaven on earth, a place where there is total trust and friendship around the globe, everyone having all they need.  When you begin to see your own desire for this world, you drop the collective consciousness perspective, and stop being the sheep.  Be the leader.  If people talk about how bad things are, turn it around and reach for something that is right with it all.  There is much right with things – the media just doesn’t talk about it – it doesn’t sell news.  There are heroes in this world; there are some wonderful things happening around the globe, but no one focuses upon those so they are lost to the collective.  Look for the good.

What you speak becomes your truth and your life.  What kind of life do you wish to have?  Begin to tell that story instead of the story about the life you do not like, which most people speak of as a rote thing, out of habit.  The Universe loves stories; and if you want a more joyful life, healthier life, prosperous life, or more love in your life, begin to tell that story and the Universe will create things for you in alignment with that new energy you are putting out.  It is Law.

I am going to use an example of something I recently experienced to describe how this can work for you as well.  It has to do with how I chose to perceive what appeared to be a crisis, in order to tell the best feeling story I could muster.  My home flooded a few days ago, which was the first drop of any water in this house, ever.  Water was coming into three sides of my basement apartment at an alarming rate.  I called for help in dealing with it from my landlady’s friend, who showed up with a wet vac, along with the one I had.  We stemmed the tides all day.  He had to leave eventually, so I was on my own through the night.  Twenty-seven straight hours of wet vacuuming and carrying heavy gallons outside to dump.  Yes, I cursed a few times after my back was aching from carrying all that water.  But I knew there was a lesson in this, so what I focused on was what it meant through each moment; what I could learn, what opportunity for growth there was.  Water means going with the flow.  When a man resolved the issue with an excavator, finding a clogged drain pipe, I had to ask what I had been blocking that finally purged.  This was the reflective perception I needed to understand the metaphor.  Because I saw it as an opportunity to grow, I found the stamina to deal with vacuuming for 27 hours. 

I came to know it was a test of initiation, which happens when you desire and choose to walk a path of enlightenment.  I know that when something happens in the physical, something is also happening at a higher level where true reality lies, like a reflection.  I wondered what it was I was supposed to be seeing in this reflection.  I discovered it was surrender and trust that all is truly well on an even deeper level than I had worked to get to.  And the tests of initiation come from the Universal Law of Relativity, which deals with how we manage thoughts as we face problems.  We can go through self-pity, or see them as opportunities.  We have a choice in every moment as to how to perceive things.

Seeing this as an opportunity allowed me to tell my story, not from self-pity, but with a wondering, an excitement of what I was to learn through it all.  I maintained neutrality (Law of Polarity) and was able to smile through much of it, for the anticipation of learning was foremost to me.  When it finally came to a conclusion, I had learned a deep lesson of trust, a deep peace that I was totally taken care of by my own higher being and the higher realm.  It all came from a choice in perception and the more positive story I told family and friends. 

This is true for all stories, not just mine.  When crisis arrives in one form or another, look upon it as an opportunity and gratefulness (seems crazy I know), but if you can see the lesson in the metaphor, tell the story with a smile, think positively before you speak, and see a chance to grow, your stories can also have a happy ending if you tell them in a positive way.  It IS the Law of the Universe.  

            Many people who have had a near death experience have come back telling those around them that they were greeted by their family dog, or cat, or other animal that had been part of the family.  Many people believe that animals have souls.  There are those, however, that do not.

            I remember working with a young woman long ago, who was a self-proclaimed born again Christian and believed that animals do not have souls.  I asked her if she believed that God was all around her, in all things, as God created all things.  She agreed that God created all things, but wasn’t too sure about God being in all things.  What it came down to for her was that only people were God-like and the rest was put here for us to enjoy - that animals were here to serve us.  I felt badly for her, for she was not seeing God all around her, everywhere she cast her gaze, and to me, missing a great deal.

            She also said that is why she thought Native Americans were pagan because they prayed to everything, and therefore believed in more than one God.  I told her that Native Americans believe in one God, but saw God in all things, and therefore could pray to all things, but there is only one Wakan Tanka, or Great Spirit.  Having lived with and studied Native ceremonies and teachings for many years, I felt I had a bit more knowledge on this than she did. 

            I find it odd that some truly believe that the earth was created only for man.  What kind of privileged thinking does that belong to?  I believe, and also have been told by higher authority, that God (call that force what you will) is made manifest in all things (as the Native Americans believe).  And so, animals have souls.  I never doubted that for an instant.

            Animals treat their young as humans do, with touch, love, affection, and raising them just as thoughtfully, giving them the skills they need to survive.  They are mostly social creatures, and if treated kindly, the wildest beasts can become friends with man.  I have a book that I bring to read to the residents at the nursing home where I volunteer.  It is titled Unlikely Friendships, by Jennifer S. Holland.  The stories are two to three pages long with remarkable photos about oddball relationships between different species; how one will take another under their wing, sort to speak, and become best friends.  Birds with monkeys, lizards with cats, dogs and cats together with baby ducks and chicks, leopards with cows.  The list is striking.  It truly shows the need and willingness for love in all species, and how far animals are willing to go to give and receive love. 

            Animal love is unconditional.  Anyone who owns a dog certainly knows that.  What they are teaching us is how to also achieve that unconditional love.  They set an example for us in how to be more loving, no matter what.  Love comes from the heart and soul, not the brain.  Animals have put themselves at risk over and over again to save lives.  So how is it if they behave this way, willing to give their own lives for a human, they do not have a soul?  And these are not trained rescue animals I’m speaking of.  These are creatures who seem to have it in their DNA.  There are so many stories, especially of dogs and dolphins, who have gone out of their way to save a life.

            I believe the deeper meaning to all this is that Source is in all things, for Source is energy, and all things, especially souls, are manifested from this energy.  Therefore all things hold the energy of Source. 

            Those saying that animals are here to serve might be correct if they take that one step further and say, “Man is also here to serve - serve each other and all things on this planet for the highest good.”  Animals seem to know that when they are born.  They are here for a purpose, live that purpose and then go on.  Look deeply into the eyes of an animal and you will see more soul reflected there than in most people’s eyes.  They are born loving unconditionally, whether the family dog, or the gorilla in the wild.  They love their own as we do, and our domesticated animals love us as their own, (especially cats who do think they own us).

            I have received an email a few times about a very young boy’s thoughts on the death of the family dog.  He said people live longer than animals because it takes people longer to learn how to love.  Animals are born knowing, so they don’t have to be here so long.  How astute!

            Both Ariel and Sandalphon have come forth to bring some thoughts to this.

            “We see much interaction between souls in the form of man and souls in the form of animals; some so very loving, some so very harsh.  However, animals do choose and make contracts prior to being born as well.  As cruel as someone might treat an animal, that animal’s soul knows why it is here and how it is serving the very person that might abuse it.  We do not say abuse is therefore okay, for there needs to be only love.  What we are saying is there should be no judgment, for anyone judging does not understand or know the contract between the soul of the human and the soul of the animal.  And the animal, in taking on this task is serving its own soul, to perhaps rise to a higher or better level of being. 

            “Serving does not mean they are slaves, anymore than serving God makes slaves of mankind.  It is all done with love.  Even the animals that are slaughtered to be eaten know their path.  They have a survival instinct and will run if possible, but their souls know they were put here to serve in that way and choose to do so gladly, believe it or not.  Again, it helps their souls to grow.  But if you do eat of an animal, do so with respect, mindfulness, and gratitude.  This is how many of your tribes from early man, and still within many cultures, see it and act upon it.  They will slay a deer for food for their family, but do so with thanks, ceremony, and offerings.  This is the respectful way – being present with what the animal has gifted you with – it’s body.  But it, too, is just a body, as the soul has gone on.

            “Also know that animals know when you grieve them, as humans also do when they cross into another dimension.  None of them want you to grieve, for they, being in the other dimension, better understand what is illusion and what is reality.  Animals certainly do not want you to grieve them, as they are closer to Source in understanding this cycle than many humans are, for they do not have the ego to contend with.  They know they go on, return, etc.  They still watch over you, as any loved one would, for not all of their soul is in their form either.  So even if that soul is born back, there is a part of it that is still in the higher realm and will greet you when you arrive.  It is rather like when they greeted you when you came home from work.  No different, just in another place.

            “All is God – animals, trees, insects, air, water – ALL things.  Treat all things as you would treat God – with deep love and respect.  Know that for the survival of species there is sacrifice of the body, one to the other, but the soul goes on, and if that sacrifice is done with respect, there is no trauma whatsoever.  The soul has done what it came to do and is thankful.”

Love and blessings,

Magdrael