Here I am, a 50+ year-old woman living alone (with my pet cat - a Zen Master) in an apartment building full of college age adults. I call them "kids." They're half my age and young enough to be my children. New energies...body piercings, tattoos, Mohawks, Dreadlocks, Gothic clothes, baggy pants, metal studded leather collars, metal disks stretching ear lobes, entirely new language. "Rad," "bitchin'," and "dank" all mean the same thing. Depending on your generation or phase of vernacular, they mean that something is really "cool" or "hot." Or they could mean that something is "groovy," or really "smooth." I LOVE the new energies! The young adults are all so full of vibrant life and are fearlessly heading off into directions and horizons I've never dreamed of, and I've learned tremendous, valuable lessons from all of them.

I often sit out in front of the building and smoke and catch tenants walking in and out. Many often stop to share a smoke and brief conversation with me. For me, the four-floor elevator ride and clamor of Main Street traffic are well worth the sojourns. This morning was no different. At 9:30 on Saturday mornings the city is already wide awake and on the move. Aromas of hot waffles, bacon and coffee along with the hum of conversations drift to me from the patio diners in front of the cafe 10 feet to my right. The font door of the apartment building swings open-and-shut as tenants come and go.

A young man steps out. No tattoos or body piercings, but definitely new energies surround him. We don't know each other's names but we're on weather update speaking terms. The sky is overcast with heavy but broken clouds. Glare and sudden bursts of streaming sunlight await all who emerge from the dim recesses of the building.

"I didn't know it was so bright out here," the young man said to me in passing.

"It's the glare," I confirmed.

"Actually, people get more sun on a cloudy day like this than on a sunny day. They don't realize how much they get. It's because sunlight comes in at odd angles between the clouds, it hits and bounces off all kinds of things. You can be sitting under the shade of an umbrella..." he nodded towards the diners in front of the cafe, "and you can still get burned from the reflected rays."

For some reason, that caught my attention. I asked him if he'd read about it somewhere and he said, "I'm a lifeguard at the pool. I know all about the sun."

This brings me to my point. New Energies.

We've read about them, talked about them, and experienced them. Yet, how many of us really know what's going on when we're so often confused or troubled by them; when we're bounced from highs to lows, from feeling joyful to feeling miserable? The energies seem to be hitting us from all directions with no sense or definition...Just like the reflected glare of the sun.

From my perspective, I see all humans as spiritual beings. Each soul is brilliant, like a magnificent sun. But for many, there are layers of separation between their conscious thoughts and spiritual awareness. You can call these layers "veils of separation," or "the dark night of the soul," or "ego." You can call the layers anything you want. I think of them as clouds, obscuring the sun. They're all the same thing. And, to coin an old (very old) term, we're going through another "Age of Enlightenment." (The other "Age" that I'm referring to occurred in the American Colonies during the Industrial Revolution, mid to late 1700's). Spiritual light is breaking all around us. Layers and clouds are starting to shift and separate. In ever-changing patterns, they're breaking up, reuniting, and moving on. The light around and in us is growing and reflecting, resonating with, and responding to the refracted rays. Light is coming at us from all directions. Each of us, as a spiritual being, is radiating more from whatever position we happen to be in at the moment. Energies are colliding and coalescing in all kinds of wavelengths and from multiple directions, at all speeds, faster and faster.

Can we slow it down? Sure, but I wouldn't advise it. Can we alter the courses? Doubtful. Do we want to? I don't. Even though I also rise and fall with the wavelengths and get confused or discouraged from time to time and get banged around a bit, I'm learning to recognize when I'm bombarded with multiple energies from multiple directions. I'm learning to trust myself to deal with what I can and let the others drift or zoom or bounce by. I'll catch them on the rebound. Throughout all these changes, I play different roles.

Sometimes, I'm like a lifeguard. I understand what's happening and I make allowances and sidestep pitfalls. Sometimes, I'm like a sun-bather, not fully understanding all the actions of UV rays, but understanding enough to manipulate them to get a desired tan. Sometimes, I'm like an "unseasoned" seaside visitor, not knowing anything about what all the sun can do, but loving how it feels, and getting burned to a crisp in the process.

What do I do when this happens? First, and foremost, I love myself - with my heart/soul, not with my mind or through the veneer of emotion. I recognize that I am the Blessing of God that I have created myself to be. I am a human being. With this love, I find self-forgiveness. Through self-forgiveness, I experience my innocence and purity. From this purity, I come to experience my Birthright of Nobility - that of being human - or that of human being. With this, comes spiritual growth and enlightenment, in whatever way or form that I choose and that I can handle. Through Love, all things are possible.

Love yourself.
Enjoy.
BE!


(c) Ronnie Carroll
August 2008

http://ronniesperspective.bogspot.com
www.soulsolutionshealing.com
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As is true with certain moments in our lives, when a baby is fussy she wants to be somewhere other than her current position or place, somewhere other than in the arms of her parent. Although she is in the safe and potentially comfortable place of her parent's arms, due to her emotional distress, she lacks the clarity that would allow her to see the undeniable result of falling asleep, whether she resists or relaxes. She can choose to fall asleep in comfort or she can choose to resist it - kicking, screaming and squirming, until she falls asleep or escapes from the comfort that could exist if she were to accept the moment and be at ease.

This concept can be applied to countless circumstances throughout our lives. For example, when working on a homework project, a student may be exhausted and uncomfortable, emotionally and physically drained from his efforts of the day. The thought of completing the project induces a state of emotional distress. In comparison to the tired baby, the end result is that the project will be completed just as the end result for the baby is that she will fall asleep. The student can choose to stress about completing the assignment and although he may not physically kick or scream, he experiences internal turmoil symbolic of the baby's physical expressions. This turmoil inhibits his ability to comfortably complete the assignment just as the kicking and screaming inhibits the baby from falling asleep comfortably.

The student can alternatively choose to accept the moment, see with clarity that the assignment will ultimately be completed, and relax. If struggling with the assignment, the student can utilize his teacher as a resource to help him comfortably complete the assignment just as the child can utilize her parent as a resource to comfortably rock her to sleep. When the student elects not to consult the teacher for guidance about the assignment, this is symbolic of the baby choosing not to consult her parent for the guidance exhibited through rocking her to sleep. Consequently, the turmoil intensifies. Yes, babies can fall asleep without being rocked, and yes, students can complete homework without consulting their teachers. However, moments exist when babies need to be rocked and students need to be guided, especially when they are exhausted and their clarity is clouded. These moments, if timely identified, can be tolerated with relative ease by avoiding turmoil when the end result is definite - the baby will fall asleep, the student will complete the assignment.

As spiritual beings, we are all students, and God is our teacher. We must be aware of His guidance to avoid resistance and turmoil that result from lack of clarity. We must listen to His word to ensure that we complete the homework that has been assigned to us. Applying His instruction will allow us to work on our assignment in the comfort of His arms, just as the baby can fall asleep in the comfort of her parent's arms if she is aware and accepting of the offered guidance and support.

Accept your assignment. Live, in comfort, the life that you were designed to live.

Copyright 2008

Nathan Anderson



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It is interesting how we play the game of picking out the differences among our brothers and sisters of the world. I remember playing that type of game when I was a young child. The television program, which I will leave un-named, wanted you to pick out the differences in the pictures. This was for basic cognitive reasons.

However, we also go through the same thing when picking out differences in people. This can be born of natural curiosity just from being a child. Somewhere along the way though, that natural curiosity is fed by other people, from something we see on television, and basically just by society itself, into something entirely different than childhood innocence. Suddenly, these differences in people has magnified into something we label as good or bad. So many labels are thrown out there, and so many of them hurtful towards our families in this world.

We, as humans are not as different as many believe. We may have been born in different parts of the world, we may have been born into different genders, we may have different colors of skin, we may have different hair, different eyes, different languages, and so on and so forth. With so many differences to be seen with our eyes, can you look past that and notice that there is still nothing that sets us apart?

If you were to sit in a room with a mixture of people, and get to know each one of them, how would you feel about that? If you got to know those people, and found out that they have a story, just like you do, would you see them as so different any longer? There is a way to turn back to that innocence of childhood.

We must use our spiritual vision to see others for who they really are.

We are one race. We are the race of humanity.

In the Light,

Leslie

Copyright 2008 Leslie D Smith All Rights Reserved

http://soulsolutionshealing.com/lesliesmith.html

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The ways of the past are no longer the ways of the present.

The past is held as real only in your thoughts.

You hold them there, you keep them there, and you don't want to let go of them.

If you can slowly let go of those thoughts that come back to haunt you over and over again, you will find freedom. If you can slowly let go until they are all gone, you will have a clean slate. Let go of those thoughts that haunt you, and cause you to stumble upon your path. They do not serve you.

However, hold onto those thoughts which bring you joy, hold onto those memories that put a smile upon your face. Those are gifts to you, gifts from your Self.

See not into the future. Stay focused on this very moment. You will find that by staying centered, balanced, and focused on the here and now, the path will be lit for you, your footsteps will be steady and sure.

Should you stumble and fall, get back up, dust yourself off, and continue on your way. Don't stay lying on the ground. Again, it serves you not.

There may be those who offer you assistance upon your path. Take this assistance if it feels like Truth to you. If it does not, keep moving. If you do take their hand, don't hold it for too long. Doing so serves you not.

Wisdom will be found within the inner sanctuary of your Self. Take the time to go within and find it. You are your own Master.

End of Transmission.

Copyright 2008 Leslie D Smith All Rights Reserved

http://soulsolutionshealing.com/lesliesmith.html

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The cosmic joke is that you were born sinful. There are some religions in this world that believe that when you are born, you are automatically sinful. Does that ring as truth to you? Or, do you believe it because it's what you've been taught? The cosmic truth is that you were born completely innocent. You chose to come here before you entered the wind of life. You are not a physical body experiencing in a physical world. You are a Spiritual Being who temporarily inhabits the particular body you have chosen to experience in, in this physical world.

The cosmic joke is that we think we can find all of the answers in the outside world. We pick up all the self-help books that we can find, we read all of the spiritual literature out there, and yet, we still have that feeling that something is missing. Of course, books and such are great guides, and can help us when needed, however, when searching for Spiritual Truths, those things can't always be found in books or through another person. That is because each person has their own experiences of Truth, and Jane's experience and Joe's experience will not be the same as your experience. The cosmic truth is that all spiritual knowledge is floating freely for all to grasp, for all to reach, yet we sit idly by and watch it pass before us. All knowledge you yourself are privy to. If you want to know something, there are ways in which you can access this knowledge on your own. The simplest way is asking for the knowledge to be given to you. Ask and you shall receive. For those of you who are Bible readers, this simple truth can be found in the in the Book of Matthew, Chapter 7, Verse 7. This is what it says: "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." This is also one of the Universal Laws.

The cosmic joke is that you are not worthy of anything. How often, as you grew up, did you get compared to others as far as grades went, regarding the clothes you wore, the way you looked, the friends you had, or the house you lived in? This could have created low self-worth, or low self-esteem. Still today, as an adult, these comparisons still take place, whether from the mouths of others, from television, from magazines, or most likely, the own self-comparisons that you make. The cosmic truth is that you are worthy of everything. There is nothing that compares to you. You are already perfect, no matter what you look like, no matter how smart you are, no matter what kind of job you hold, no matter what kinds of ‘things' you have acquired through life.

The cosmic joke is that our minds must conform to whatever society says. The cosmic truth is that we must release our minds, free them from the eternal prisons that we have created for them. Once we free our minds, we will be able to see those things which once seemed invisible. We will see with our spiritual vision all of those answers that we have been seeking.

The cosmic joke is that in order to have a meaningful life, you must grow up, get married and have a family. You must have someone to love and to love you back. This teaching causes pain in so many young people and adults alike. They constantly search and search for this perfect love. That perfect love cannot be found outside of you. The cosmic truth is that the only love that matters is the love you have for your Self. If you cannot love yourself, then you are unable to fully understand what love is. If you cannot love yourself, then no one will be able to love you because you will be looking for something in someone that does not even exist, and you will not be able to love another human being because you don't know what true love is. Love is more than an emotion, more than a word.

The cosmic joke is that God is a person, that we must fear him, that we must do right by him or else! The cosmic truth is that God is not a person. He (and I use this term loosely for ease of description purposes only) does not inhabit a physical body. God is Love. Love is Energy. God is pure and infinite energy. God does not possess human emotions such as fear, jealousy, guilt, or anger. God does not wish to punish his child. You are his child. You are him, and he is you. You are the only one that seemingly punishes yourself.

The cosmic joke is that we must have a belief in something. The cosmic truth is that we must release all of our beliefs. Instead of believing in something, we already have an inner knowing of what Truth is. Many people call this intuition. How often do we listen to that voice of intuition, that gut feeling? When we choose to believe in something, we are creating yet another fancy box to put our minds into. There is a vast difference between belief and certain knowing. We must accept it and know it instead. When we release our minds, we will experience what we are in its entirety. When we only have belief, we have trapped ourselves into an idea of limitedness. We are not small. We are indeed quite grand.

The cosmic joke is that your success is dependent upon how much money you have in the bank. We think that we must forever climb the corporate ladder in order to be successful. We think that those who are seemingly powerful are those who have money. The cosmic truth is that it does not matter what role you have in the social work place. It does not matter how much money you have or do not have. It does not matter if you are an employer or an employee, or if your husband or respectively, your wife, is the president, vice president, or receptionist, etc. of any company. Success has nothing to do with money. Success is a matter of the heart.

The cosmic joke is that you are the victim of your past. There may have been people who you think wronged you, and you have not forgiven them, and you may not plan on forgiving them. The cosmic truth is that you are not a victim, but unto yourself. The truth is that no other person can make you feel anything that you don't want to feel. The truth is that no one can take your own power away from you. The truth is that forgiveness is the medicine you have been looking for to help heal yourself. You are responsible.

The cosmic joke is that there are individuals running around this planet, and a select few we call ‘guru' or ‘master'. The cosmic truth is that we are not here to bow to anyone's feet, or to kiss anyone's hands. There is only ONE guru, ONE master, and that is YOU. You are all there is. You hold all of the knowledge.

The cosmic joke is that you only live on Earth, and you are separate from everyone else. The Cosmic truth is that each and every person and thing that you see are all reflections of yourself, parts of your own creation. When you judge another person, you are indeed placing judgment upon yourself. When you laugh at another person, you are indeed laughing at yourself. When you love another person you are indeed loving yourself. When you give to someone else, you are indeed giving to yourself. The cosmic truth is that only part of your vibration resides on earth, and your other energy signatures are existing simultaneously within all dimensions, and in all galaxies and all universes experiencing and creating. The cosmic truth is that you are within everything, living within every individual that you see, within every plant, within every animal, within every object, and within the unseen. The cosmic truth is that you are Consciousness. You are the whole she-bang.

The cosmic joke is that you have to look outside of yourself to find God. Because of this cosmic joke, you have been on an endless journey of seeking something that you'll never find. The cosmic truth is that God has always been within you, as you have always been within God. You've never been separated from God, Source, Spirit, Mother, Father, Goddess, Infinite Being, whatever name you wish to call Consciousness. The cosmic truth is that God is not something to be found. God IS. The Cosmic truth is that you have just fallen asleep for a while. It's been no time at all, outside of this physical world since you fell asleep. Outside of the physical, there is no such thing as time. God had a thought, and that thought created everything which you are seeing now. Within this thought, there was also another thought of being separate for a little bit. God (you), wanted to experience things physically, and so he (you) thought about it. That thought is what you are living out right now. But that thought was only a thought! God (you) has all of these seemingly separate individual lives, all experiencing different things, which was what God (you) wanted to do. In reality, you are where you began, never apart from God (you). All parts of the Whole are together, right now. If you woke up fully, at this very moment, you would see that you never went anywhere at all!

The cosmic joke is that death is something to be afraid of. We spend so much time worrying about death, that it seems like we're actually wasting our lives instead of living them. Look at all the danger signs on the roads, on medicine, on everything that we eat or do. Look at all the safety rules. If you have kids, I'm sure you always tell them, "Be careful...(fill in the blank)" The cosmic truth is that death is not to be feared. To all things physical, there is a beginning and an end. Yes, you should take care of your physical body, for it is an honor to inhabit one. However, death is only a transition. When we leave this physical life, our Being is free again, free to flow wherever it wishes to flow, still quite alive, and absolutely beautiful.

The cosmic joke is that everything you deem as your reality is really happening. If you've ever read A Course in Miracles, the first thing you will read is this profound statement: ‘Nothing real can be threatened, nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God'. Wow. Try to wrap your mind around that one! The Cosmic truth is that everything you deem as your reality is an illusion. You are simply asleep right now.

The cosmic joke is that as you sit here, you read the words upon this page as if I were writing them. Yet, the cosmic truth is that you have written these words yourself, and you are also reading them. How can that be? Well, it's the truth. You are speaking to yourself. For I and you are One.

In the Light,

Leslie

Copyright 2008 Leslie D Smith All Rights Reserved

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Life is like...a parent and child getting ready to leave the house in the morning

When getting ready to leave the house in the morning, the parent knows that he should put a jacket on his daughter to ensure her warmth. Although the daughter knows that it is time to leave, she is unwilling to put on the jacket and consequently chooses to run away from her parent. The parent follows her with the jacket, around corners and through various rooms of the house until the child backs herself into a corner and has nowhere left to go. She cooperates and puts on the jacket. Following multiple occasions of backing herself into a corner, the child cooperates in the beginning because she realizes that, ultimately, her parent will put the coat on her. She realizes that running away from her parent results in the expense of unnecessary effort.

In life, we often find ourselves playing the role of the parent and the child. At times, when we know that we are capable of completing a task, we act as the parent acted in this scenario and persevere until the task is completed, until the jacket is put on. In other scenarios, however, we play the role of the child and try to avoid certain inevitable circumstances, and no matter which way we turn or how fast we go, the circumstance that is meant to happen to us will happen, as we will eventually back ourselves in a corner. We can choose to avoid or reject the inevitable when we are in the corner, but that only results in undue effort expended towards an entity or a force that will eventually prevail. In moments like these, we must accept the inevitable and utilize our energies toward efforts that contribute to the greater good. Too often, we find ourselves contesting circumstances that we are unable to control. When we focus our efforts on controlling the uncontrollable, we curb progression and may even prompt regression.

We must have the confidence to persevere through challenges that may appear unattainable on the surface, but also have the ability to identify circumstances that we cannot control and, in those instances, choose to expend our efforts on more productive tasks.

Copyright 2007
Nathan Anderson

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‘Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.'

Countless times we have heard this phrase chanted, mostly by children. This mantra was given to them so that they could overcome the effects of would be bullying.

When a person says something hurtful on purpose towards another human being, this is a sign of their own inner insecurities and weakness. In order to make themselves feel more powerful, in order to raise their ego up, they must gain control over your emotions. If they can see that they have hurt you, their power has risen. If, however, you do not show any outward sign of emotional response to their words, their balloon has then deflated.

Well, that takes care of part of the issue. The other part is what happens when those words actually do hurt? Once you've successfully deflated that ego balloon of the other person by not showing any outward emotional response, you then have to take care of the pain that it actually caused you. Pushing it inwards is not a good idea. We all know people who bottle up their emotions and at some point, the bottle explodes into fits of anger, temper tantrums, and in countless other ways that serve no one.

You must let the pain flow out, like water running through a screen. You must be the observer of these feelings. Watch them, let them run their short course through, and say good-bye to them. There is no point in keeping them within you, for the words that have caused you pain will only live as long as you keep their memories alive in your thoughts.

So one lesson we can take from this is that we need to be extremely conscientious with our words, whether they be spoken or written. We, as Spiritual Beings, are using these physical bodies, dressing up in them to play and dream and live and experience.

We have been given many useful tools to use in this world. In the case of words, we have been given mouths to speak with, eyes to read with, ears to listen with, and fingers to write with. In every case of written or spoken expression, words are extremely powerful!

You can see the power of words in some of our great historical presences. For instance:

"There is nothing to fear, but fear itself," by FDR.

"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country," by JFK.

"And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened," by Jesus.

"We must be the change we wish to see," by Ghandi.

Use your words wisely and lovingly to all within your path. In the same way, use your words wisely and lovingly towards yourself.

In the Light,
Leslie

Copyright 2008 Leslie D Smith All Rights Reserved

http://soulsolutionshealing.com/lesliesmith.html

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Life is like...a dinner plate.

The items you place on your plate represent the responsibilities that you undertake in life. Carefully choose the responsibilities to ensure that you live a well balanced life just as you carefully select the items for your plate to ensure that you eat a well balanced meal. Our eyes sometimes deceive us to believe that we can eat more than we are actually hungry for just as our perceptions sometimes mislead us into believing that we can take on more responsibilities than we can handle. Time, accompanied by trial and error, strengthens our ability to accurately identify the amount of food we can eat and also our ability to accurately identify the level of responsibility that we can handle.

Fill your plate slowly. Take what you know you can eat, and if you're still hungry go back for more rather than overfilling it in the beginning and finding yourself unable to finish every bite. Overfilling your plate can prompt some items to spill off the side which could, in turn, cause the entire plate to spill, resulting in the loss of all items. In the context of life, assume responsibilities that you know you can manage and as you satisfactorily carry out those responsibilities then add more. Exceeding your capacity for responsibility can result in poor execution of some responsibilities and may ultimately yield the loss of all responsibilities.

Another consequence that may exist when the plate of food becomes too full is that some or all of the items might merge together to create a new flavor. The flavor of the newly discovered food combinations may appeal to certain individuals, while others may be turned off by the taste. The new flavor represents the result of a merger of various responsibilities that are added to the plate of life. And, just like the plate that is loaded with overlapping items, the overlapping responsibilities may appeal to some people, while others dislike the newfound combination.

People have individual taste buds for food, and also for responsibilities. The flavors and responsibilities that induce pleasure in one person can vary slightly or dramatically from the next person. It's important to identify others with similarities to you and analyze and/or sample some of their combinations to determine if they align with your taste. But, caution yourself to avoid commitment to the new combinations until you know that they are a good fit for you, until you know that they will fit well with the other items on your plate. If you fill your plate too quickly with food based solely on another's recommendation, you risk the chance that you will dislike the flavor, yet lack room for alternate choices. Similarly, if you rapidly assume responsibilities based solely on another's recommendation, you risk the chance that you will dislike the outcome, yet lack the time required to undertake responsibilities that are designed for you.

Copyright 2008

Nathan Anderson

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Plenty is being said about The Law of Attraction these days. Books are being written by the droves, Movies like "The Secret" and "What the Bleep do We Know?" have mega-millions of avid fans, a veritable global cult of new age thinkers who have seemingly been starved for this kind of message - the divination of humanity - a reclaiming of an inherent birthright of godhood that has been kept a "secret" by organized religion for centuries. But now the cat is out of the bag, and surprise ... we are Gods! Yay!

Easier said than done, however, this realizing the god-nature within us. My intent today is not to go into a tutorial or explanatory expose on the do's and don'ts of how to make the Law of Attraction work for you. And, truthfully, you have no choice in the matter anyway ... it is ALWAYS working for you, but if you are only vicariously aware of it, it probably feels like it's working against you rather than for you. Ignorance is deadly. But there are plenty of great books, essays, websites, life and spiritual coaches and the like to do that type of teaching. I would rather focus here on why IT isn't "happening" (in a good way) for the vast majority.

I call it The Law of Distraction.

Jesus said, "The Kingdom of Heaven is spread out upon the earth, but you do not see it." He also said, "Ask, and ye shall receive." I could go on and on quoting, but for the sake of brevity I won't. Clearly, there is abundance everywhere, right before our eyes, and all we need to do is ask in order to experience heaven here on earth, while incarnated in these bodies, while having the human experience. I'm using Christian images and scripture, but those of other walks can read identical (in spirit) passages from the Koran and the Dhammaphada, the Upanishads, and so on. The Word is everywhere, even secular world. To quote Yogi Berra, "You can see a whole lot by just lookin'."

So why aren't we attaining to an enlightened society? Because, for the most part, NOBODY'S PAYING ATTENTION! We live in cyber worlds of imagination; we seek to be entertained constantly or we become quickly bored and despondent, even depressed. Suicidal. Walkmans adorn our ears, displacing the real world sounds of nature with thunder decibels of the rap of distraction. (I've seen people walking through the woods with them on) We warp along at mach four through our lives, never stopping to see, hear, feel, smell, and taste God. In every "right here," every "right now," if we but take the time to stop and not be distracted, there is a ubiquitous universal love enveloping each and every one of us. God speaks to us through the whisper of the winds in the trees, the lap of the waves on the shore, the tap tap tap on the rain soaked window. The majesty of creation, the wonder of the heavens, the inexplicable intricacy of the body - one could spend an entire lifetime in a state or wonder and worship, a thankful state of bliss.

But we have bills. We have toothaches. Our marriages aren't working out. Our bosses are all jerks. Gas prices are too high. There's never enough time in a day to get everything done. We're always so tired and frustrated; what with all the responsibility and demands on us in this rat race we call life.

That's crap. You know it, I know it. Excuses. Reasons to keep the distraction going, paying abeyance to the Law of Distraction. We can't blame the churches for keeping a "secret" from us any longer. We can't ask God for any more than IT has already given us. We just have to kick the habit, stop obeying the Law of Distraction, and then the divine plan, the Law of Attraction, will bring us what God wants us to have and be. But first we have to pay attention and listen, with an undistracted mind.



Copyright 2008 Marvin D Wilson All Rights Reserved
AVATAR Award-Winning Author - http://www.owenfiddler.com/

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I was sitting in the cockpit for Take Off and Landing and I observed the First Officer take out the T/O and landing Checklist and read it out aloud. Even though they probably know the procedures like the back of their hand they still refer to the checklist each and every time they land or takeoff to ensure that we arrive safe and in "better Shape".

As a student of positive psychology (a branch of psychology that focuses on positive behavior and happiness and optimism), I thought to myself, how wonderful would it be to have a checklist for happiness.

Happiness is a very arbitrary term and one person's happiness may differ from another, but having said that, I think there are a few basic tenets that could be universally applied to happiness.

Those being: good health, fulfilling relationship, satisfying work, enough money and the ability to indulge in one's passions.

Many of us confuse feeling good with feeling happy. Recently a study was undertaken, whereby students were asked to do something that gave them pleasure and then to perform an act of selfless kindness. Most students approached the first part rather eagerly and recounted their pleasurable activities that included going out for a great meal, hanging out with friends, drinking and getting hammered and having sex.

Interestingly, the second part of the assignment had a more lasting effect. When the students were asked about their experience, they spoke with the jubilation of a five year old. One of the students who was afraid of needles, went and gave blood. Another brought a homeless person home and fed him. Yet another left a 50$ tip for a waiter at Denny's and one spent the whole day at a community farm covered in horse manure.

When asked to compare the two activities, almost everyone rated the second to be higher in terms of lasting happiness. This experiment was then repeated in other institutions and the findings were unanimous.

So what really is happiness?

Webster's and Oxford dictionary describe the word happiness as a state of feeling great pleasure, and contentment. Someone who is happy is said to be favored by circumstances; is lucky; fortunate etc. The thesaurus uses words like pleasure; gratification; enjoyment; fruition, oblectation ; relish; zest; gusto; well being; joy; gladness; enchantment; rapture; ecstasy; heaven; honeymoon.

I once sent out an email to my friends asking them to define happiness. I got some lovely responses, some rather simple and some extremely profound and insightful (too many to list here), but most said it was appreciating what we had, living in the present, showing gratitude and giving without expectation. No one mentioned money, sex or food. Rather interesting isn't it? We all know or at least pretend to know what happiness is but when it comes down to really being happy we forget and run after all the things that only lead to pleasure and not towards lasting happiness.

Jonathan Haidt, professor of psychology at the University of Virginia has a simple formula for Happiness;

H= S+C+V where H is the level of happiness you actually experience ; S is the biological set point ; C is the conditions of your life; and V is the voluntary activities you do.

It was believed that we all had a particular set point beyond which we could not become happier. Positive psychology is now able to show that if we change the two variables C and V we can actually raise our happiness levels.

So without much further ado, here is a list of things that can lead to lasting happiness.

Make happiness a worthy goal, for achieving it is entirely within your power. Abraham Lincoln noted, "Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." It isn't what happens to us that determines how happy we are, it's what and how we think about what happens to us, that determines the state of our happiness.

Let go of what you cannot change: other people, the past, the future. Reinhold Niebuhr once wrote. "Grant me the serenity to accept what I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." Only focus on what YOU can change: your thoughts, beliefs, expectations, and behavior. There is absolutely no point in wasting your time and energy in blame or on other people and circumstances beyond your control. Rather than fume at other people's "selfishness" and inconsiderate behavior, remind yourself that you have no control over what others choose to think or do. Simply refuse to turn into a whining child because of situations and events beyond your power to alter or fix.

Appreciate the moment. Notice the good things that are happening to you right now, whether it's a beautiful sky, a happy child, a gorgeous person giving you his phone number, a lovely meal with your friends. Who knows how many years or days one has so live this moment fully. Most of us dwell on the past be it pain or pleasure. We hold on to the past, plan the future and forget the present. However the only moment of truth is this moment. Every time you feel sad or depressed, think about what is wrong with this particular moment. Very often it will be nothing wrong in the moment, only in our thoughts.

Focus on what you have and not on what you want. One of the definitions of happiness that I received said, "Happiness is wanting what you get and success is getting what you want". I read it and ignored it, but now that I am writing about it, it makes perfect sense. We have to accept that we won't get everything that we want. So why insist on making ourselves miserable by wanting instead of enjoying what we have. Do not turn your wants into needs.

Choose to see the best in people and the world. You are the maker of your own destiny. You will always see what you choose to see. Try this- Next time you are out shopping, think of a red car and before you know it you will spot a red car somewhere on the road. Why? It' s because now you were looking for a red car. Unhappy people choose to see the worst. They weigh themselves down with a very dim view of the world and forget the joys of appreciation. We tend to see only the "evidence" that confirms our beliefs, thereby convincing ourselves those beliefs are "facts." So choose to see the best and only the best will appear.

Be grateful and write a gratitude journal. Take stock of all the good things in your life and be grateful. Remind yourself all of the people who have less than you have, whether it is health, resources, family or friends. Every night before going to bed, remember three good things that happened and write them down. Do this exercise everyday without fail. Eventually your brain will get hard wired to appreciation and gratitude and lead to happiness.

Stop assuming you know what others think and feel. I've discovered that I'm a poor mind reader. Studies comparing eyewitness accounts invariably reveal that no two people see things exactly the same way, and that each of us interprets what we perceive in a different way. We all have different beliefs, which weave into a complex web or system of beliefs. Therefore we see the world differently, behave differently, and show our love differently. So don't expect others to behave as you would in a similar situation.

Remember that other people's actions are almost always about them, not about you. I remember meeting a lady on on the plane once, she was the most obnoxious, ill-tempered woman I had ever met. She was out right rude and nasty to her fellow passengers and the crew. Eventually I gathered courage and asked her anybody had done something to upset her. At first she was being rather evasive and deigned to talk, but eventually came out with her whole life story about her impending divorce and her children's custody and her new lovers inability to provide a comfortable home. All her anger was basically self directed and she had no clue how to handle it.

Lower your expectations. High expectations set us up for constant disappointment. I would much rather be surprised and delighted by things turning out better than I expected, instead of expecting more than I get, and being disappointed. I remember dating this one guy who would talk about bringing the moon and the stars and leaving me rather disappointed due to his inability to fulfill even the most basic phone call need. On the other hand I met someone who would send me flowers even when he was flying in the air (thanks to airphones). Obviously, I was flattered as I least expected it.

Always remember that "being human" means being imperfect and making mistakes. And that's all right. Rather than becoming critical and angry at yourself try to be gentle. Remember what Einstein said, "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."

Take chances. Be bold and take a stand. In interviews with nursing home residents, a study found that people's biggest regrets were not things they did, but things they didn't do. Susan Davis says, "Joy comes from taking risks around your deepest values." So I am daring to write this checklist on Happiness...............

Live by your values. Think about what is important to you and the kind of person that you want to be. Then make everyday decisions based on which actions are most in alignment with who you want to be and what you value.

Remember to breathe. Really breathe. When you feel stressed, take a few deep breaths. Focus on filling your belly with air, then expelling all the air from my body. When you feel totally empty of air, take a new, full breath. This breathing exercise refreshes your mind and body.

Try to cultivate the practice of mindful meditation. Experiments on meditators have shown that meditation has a profound effect on raising our happiness levels. If you find meditation difficult, just start with 5-10 minutes a day with relaxing music on stereo headphones.

Get enough sleep. Now, that one is a real bummer for me. I can only sleep well on my bed and with my pillow. Sleeping in strange hotels and at strange times plays havoc with my system, but what the hell, I am preaching right now, so I shall write because it is really important. You figure out your own way of sleeping. I did. I carry my pillow and my teddy around!!!

In this era of instant gratification, I get asked often as to what can one do to get in a better mood right away. So I will also give you a short list of instant mood elevators.

When feeling down, contort the right side of your face. Vigorously contorting the right side of the face will release positive emotions by increasing activity in the left frontal hemisphere. Left frontal hemisphere has been linked with verbal skills, orientation in time, rational, logical, analytical thinking, happiness and positive emotions. (Do not contract the left side as that may make you sad !!!!!)

Grab a piece of dark chocolate .....Just one small square is enough!!! Try and go for over 60% cocoa. It releases serotonin in the brain, which produces a feeling of pleasure and satisfaction. Studies show that melting chocolate in one's mouth increases brain activity and heart rate. What are you waiting for?

Smile!!!!! Fake it if you have to. Again it is about cheating your brain into releasing endorphins.

Knead dough or clay, knit, paint, or do pottery, wash and rinse your clothes (no washing machines) gardening, sewing, massaging, ironing.... anything that will make use of your hands. Now I understand why the Pilipino helpers are always smiling!!!!!

Go for a swim or go for a hike, (enough trails around) any form of exercise. Kissing is also considered exercise as it burns 26 cal per minute, releases endorphins and prevents facial wrinkles!!!!!

Light some incense or spray some aromatherapy oils on your pillow or put some in your bath. According to research the amygdala is affected by smell. Differing aromatic rings are contained with essential oils. When we smell these, the odor is transferred into a nerve message. The message is sent to different parts of the brain where the process of stimulating different hormones is undertaken.

Play Mozart or any music that you like. I listened to Barbara Streisand when I was really depressed, but I can't do that anymore. Our taste in music changes with the change in our moods and we can also change our mood by listening to the appropriate music. Music has an amazing ability to lift our spirits, give us new insights and stimulate our mind.

Another interesting exercise that works for me! Massaging the point of the Amygdala. Simple way to locate the amygdala gland is by placing your thumbs in your ears, and then place your middle fingers near the inside corners of your eyes. The amygdala gland is found about 1" into the forehead where your index fingers fall. The frontal lobe of the brain can be located by placing your palm on your forehead. The entire area covered by your palm is where the frontal lobes are located. Massaging this area stimulates a release of endorphins. Try it.

Watch a silly comedy. Laugh your head off. It might be difficult when you are already down and depressed, so before sitting down for that comedy, get yourself a piece of dark chocolate....maybe a glass of red wine , spray your surroundings with beautiful smelling oils and get ready to lift your spirits.

Phew! That was bloody long for a checklist...... Just choose what you like and ignore the rest. If you want more, read my blogs at http://www.happinessisaskill.blogspot.com/

Remember, big thinking precedes big achievement. If you can dream it, you can do it. So get into the habit of being happy.

Luv/luck/happiness

Shveita S.

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Monday morning, 7:15 am-

Cameron rose early. He fixed a cup of tea, walked out onto the terrace, took a seat and gazed across the lake. A fallen cloud was giving up its life as it spilled over the lakeshore and crept across the waters in a jagged array of vaporous wisps, half floating over and evaporating and half melting into to the water. Sun rays painted the cessation with colors brighter than a newborn's first look; the waters shone with lavender and orange and lit up the extended foggy fingers with a rainbow of hues. Cameron didn't pray often, but the majesty of the morning's creation was such that he spontaneously sank into a worshipful meditation. Moments later, he broke the silence with a whisper, "thank you," and rose to begin his day with a song in his heart.

***

Monday morning, 7:15 am-

Marcus was pissed. And impatient. "Damn fog," he muttered, driving on M14 along the lakeshore with impaired vision. "Knew I shoulda got up earlier. Now I'm running late for work and there has to be a fog so dense I can't see a damn thing." Foot sole pressed down on gas pedal, the anxious choice of acceleration against reason in favor of frustration. Clenched fist met with dashboard in a slam. "Where the hell is the sunlight when you need it?"

Suddenly the fog split apart and the sun's glare blinded him. He flashed one hand over his eyes, jerked the steering wheel with the other and ran his car into the ditch. Marcus didn't pray often, but he was complaining to God now for His obvious lack of concern for him. Rocking the car back in forth in a futile effort to get un-stuck, he swore a sarcastic, "Thanks a whole helluvalot, God."

***

Present time, wherever you are here and now-

How did you start your day? Did you pause to look around you? Did you wonder at the immense complexity and beauty of creation? Did you give thanks, or no-thanks for the precious gift of another day?

Marvin D. Wilson

Copyright 2008 Marvin D Wilson All Rights Reserved
AVATAR Award-Winning Author - http://www.owenfiddler.com/
Blog: Free Spirit

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You are always in the Holy Presence of Now. You always have been and you always will be. You are standing on Holy Ground right now. But, many of you do not recognize this Holy Presence. You have filled your left brain to the brim with puzzles upon puzzles that lead to nowhere. This is your way of protecting yourself from the Truth. It is the Human Way. The Truth is not some ‘thing' to be afraid of. However, when the Truth becomes brighter, it can cause many to shrink away. For you feel that you are not worthy of such Presence. For you feel guilt, remorse, fear, and pain. The Truth does indeed set you free, and it is your choice to hide, or to let the light inside of you come out from behind the shadows that your ego has placed before you. Have the courage to take a peek at the wonders that life is holding out to you. Take baby steps if it makes you feel better. Ask questions if you have them. The Holy Presence of Now is not fleeting. It is always here, but the human way is to completely miss it, as you spend so much time in the past and in the future. Take note of those moments in which you know that you have chosen to experience this Presence, the moments when you have chosen not to turn back and take a look. Take note of those moments when you have chosen to not worry about the future. When you step into the Holy Presence, even if for a few seconds, you will know you have been home. You have the ability to be in this Holy Presence right now. You may go about your daily activities and be in this Presence. It is only a matter of ‘how?' When you have been so used to living in the past, and jumping into the future, how do you become aware of this moment? Become aware of simply all that you do, and make a choice to BE fully aware. If you notice that you are aware, you have just taken that step, you have been inside of the experience of the Holy Presence of Now. This Presence is your essence. It is who you are.


End of Transmission Copyright 2008

Leslie D Smith All Rights Reserved


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channeled by Todd Schaefer

:This was originally channeled in January of 2008. We decided to pull it out and post it again, as it has a great message.:

Greetings Dear Loved Ones. Today, we speak to you with reverence and love. You have brought forth such love into these times of change! You are the lighted ones; the Christed ones.

We welcome you to this new year. It will be much different from previous years. In this light that we shine together, dear ones, we have learned to come forth through the many layers of change. You have led this consciousness change in your hearts and by your brave decisions to endure. Times are changing and it will be fascinating to watch, for humans have never done such work as you will be doing this year.

Many shifts and changes, as usual, you have explored and participated in. No longer is the walking of your spiritual path an individualized process, but a collective one. Yes, of course, you've always worked together. But the ways in which you have generally worked with energy have been more of an individualized process prior to now. You have been teaching yourselves differently in recent times. For now the slate is clean. The foundations have been moved into a new echelon of forgiveness and protection. You are the leaders of this time, dear friends. With every step that you go through, you will go through a bit more closely together, as a whole. More consciousness is awakening during this time; more awareness, and more shared experience.

Those who have come through this with you are now waking up to themselves because of the Great Shift from September of 2007, and many of your own ideas and feelings and spiritual work also begin to change. Many of you will feel the call to teach, to form or join consciousness communities in which you draw the light in others to you, and share yours with them; formal or informal, through large groups or small. The need for healing is great at this time, and those of you who are answering the call - whether it is in your heart to teach others as a group, or whether you are opening up to experiencing an emotion that you have not allowed into your experience for many years - the growth is the same. The purpose is the same. You are evolving consciousness.

For many, many years, it took a coalition of energies so great to move forward shifts in consciousness. Consciousness was moving slowly for eons of time. After this time - after the Quantum Leap - you have found that many of the energies have changed a great deal, including many of the energies within yourself. You are now an instrument of the shift, having allowed the experience of it to come through you. As you continue to allow yourself to have these experiences - these feelings of who you are - you will continue to experience this greatness in you.

So many of you have questioned yourselves for such a long time, wondering how you would recognize such change that you had been working towards in shining your light to others. You have experienced doubt and pain, and what you had believed to be a loss of your self. These are characteristic changes of the great shift, and how your human mind reacts to them. For as we have spoken, many of you had begun taking the shift upon your self, doing the only kind of spiritual work that you had initially outfitted yourself to do. Ah...but even that changes.

You all decided to step into a new realm of being, a different potential, where all energies could be made available without efforting their arrival. Arriving at this process has been a challenge for the mind to accept, for you had chopped your wood and carried your water the same way for many years. But when the collective was ready, the entire Sonship shifted. Your soul knew to shift as well, and so you did.

You find yourselves in unfamiliar territory now; with new feelings and awareness, with new emotions that don't quite respond as predictably as they once had. But we remind you not to judge. Your instrument is much more advanced than you realize, and you will be channeling your conscious experience through this ever-evolving instrument of consciousness. Be sure to feed it well and exercise it well, as many of you are feeling the urge to do already. We call your conscious presence an instrument instead of a body because you can play an instrument any way you wish, and you may create songs that have not yet been written in your biology textbooks. There is much more to you than what you can perceive.

You wonder when you will shift more and how things in your life will change, and the answer will always be: "As quickly as you allow things to change." Most of your energies have evolved faster than your mind has been able to adjust and identify, causing confusion and resistance. However, more of the confusion had arrived when your soul wanted to continue doing the spiritual work of moving energy and carrying the healing of the world with you. Knowing no other way, you decided to move the energies as you always had in order to move consciousness forward, lifetime after lifetime.

We now draw your attention inward as you feel the message now. The new light of the Sonship has been established, and you now feel the nature of your life changing; perhaps still feeling a bit confused, perhaps occasionally opening up more and feeling like your true self. As you cross the threshold with more awareness, you will learn that you had participated in the great shift, and that more of what you are and what you came here to do will be arriving back into your feelings.

The call within will become clearer as you continue to listen inward to your own feelings. You will begin hearing the voice of your soul calling softly to your waking mind, gently urging you to become silent, to turn this way or that way, as if your connection within has been tempered and made stronger. You will still be walking in between two worlds - the world that has always existed around you, and the new earth that is manifesting within the infiniteness of your truth instrument.

The New Energy will continue to be the conduit; the paint with which you will create anew with. You have a canvass before you that appears to be what it has always been: your television, your couch, your traffic and smog, your markets and workplaces. Yet, as you paint with what is now available, you will perceive brand new colors arriving on your canvas. This is not merely piercing the veil - this is perceiving more of the Truth. Colors, angelic beings, visions, places, historical times, future possibilities - and most importantly, deeper awareness and truth within your own being about who you truly are.

This new paint palette that you invite with you in your life experience will help you to see yourself and the world around you more clearly. How do you use these new wonderful paints, you ask? You use them through becoming silent and allowing your feelings. It is quite beautiful to paint how you feel and to see new colors come together in new arrangements which illuminate something you didn't see before. You might say that these colors are like the energies in you, waiting to become known to you through your embracing of them. These colors are quite potent and may reveal to you some truth about yourself that you had not yet known upon your last introspection. But you use the new energy paint! So you then allow into you the new experiences. The colors weave and blend together into your moment to moment state, creating an elaborate and beautiful experience that could not have been achieved from a mental effort alone.

Ah yes, there is a grand difference between being open in the mind, and being open in the being. Openness is not simply an idea or a mental decision. It is an allowing - a melding in - a willingness to be receptive and at peace with all parts of yourself. True openness is feeling truly free in your feelings. When you feel an old wound surfacing into your experience, your soul is trying to tell you something. "Let's be open!" it says. "Let us feel and experience this so that it may be given to the light and reveal its true gift to us." Indeed, you are being truly open when you allow yourself to be emotionally open, and allow your feelings to come forth. What is maturity? Is it controlling those feelings? Or is it allowing them to become a part of your journey back to your Self?

Many of you believe you know how you feel about things, but you do not always recognize that what you believe in is something that you've borrowed elsewhere. You can only truly know what you believe about your self when you allow yourself to feel your experience. There is no need for ‘effort' in this New Energy. Simply allow the experience. The ego-mind may want to work frivolously to cover up the pains that may surface, believing that it is remaining even keeled and balanced. So we ask you, what is openness? Are you allowing all parts of you to be a part of your experience? How do you feel?

Watch for the changes in the feelings you have. There is so much to be gained by allowing yourself to explore this canvas that urges you to paint on it. We have found that many are moving into creating, feeling the call within to service, to the new passion that is uniting within them, carrying them into the new earth, expanding the consciousness of what you have all been working with so diligently.

The slate is once again clean. Many beautiful experiences of your self are around the corner. We are here to tell you that you may allow them in - now. You need not be haunted by pain anymore, holding it back, and believing it has made you strong. You need not weather the storms any longer. You need not lose yourself to the truculent layers of the mass consciousness. There are indeed many parts and you may choose your experience.

The light within you is ready once again. You can shine this light with true self honesty, allowing the feelings that you had tucked away in judgment and guilt to become a part of your experience, so that they may also be released to the light, guiding you to the very place that you have been asking to go. Your perfect instrument has the ability to guide you even while you are blind to your own light.

You have done so well, Dear Angels. There is a new world that is emerging from a cocoon of incubation. This new world is your own guiding light. Start within, and allow the colors you paint to take you to the places that you've only dreamed of.

And so it is.

Copyright 2005-8 Soul Solutions Group. All Rights Reserved.


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My journey began with doubt.

Rene Descartes said, "If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things."

I was raised in the Unity Church; never clinging to the dogmatic rituals of Christianity, but accepting its tenets. I couldn't have been more than 9 years old when my belief system - or rather, my thought system began to change. I no longer viewed Jesus as the Son of God. From my perspective, at the time, he was more like the son of the devil; an impostor and a fraud and representing all that was truly ignoble in mankind. I was so uncomfortable with the image of The Christ that I couldn't even speak his name, nor could I look anyone in the eye when they said the name, "Jesus."

I carried that image into my early 20's when I began thinking for myself. After grappling with a lot of guilt about it, I concluded that Jesus wasn't all bad. After all, how many millions throughout the ages lived their lives in homage to, or seeking the grace of The Christ?

So, o.k., I finally admitted that Jesus was a good man; if nothing more than a wise and wonderful prophet. I was comfortable with this image not because it was what I was taught to believe, but was what I came to feel in my heart on my own terms. This image stayed with me well into my 40's until it began to change yet again.

Today, I have an image of Jesus that's far different than what the typical Christian icon presents. I've often thought about what his physical characteristics would be - having been born a Mediterranean Jew, and what his personality would be like, having lived in a society and country oppressed by Roman occupation.

But, I've come to see that my images of the man mean nothing. What matters is how I feel in my heart. Can the same be true for the vast majority of today's American Christian populace? How many people would still see Jesus as the Son of God if they were shown an image of him as an olive-skinned man with a hook nose and an unruly, unkempt tangle of black wavy or curly hair, who might be a bit hollow-cheeked from a poor diet?

From all this, I've asked myself, "What do people love more; Jesus the man, or their image of Jesus as a man? The same question applies to God. Do we worship God or merely the image we hold of God? Are our beliefs nothing more than glorified thoughts? What is the dividing line between a belief system and a thought system? Is there a dividing line at all?

Over the years, I've held many beliefs. In recent years, I've come to experience many spiritual truths. Each truth I experience becomes, in part, who I AM. These truths are as much a part of me as the color of my eyes or the sound of my voice. I no longer have to "believe in" them. Belief is not an option. So, when I ask myself if I believe in God, my answer is "no." What I have come to experience goes far beyond what any amount of belief could ever hope to achieve.

What do you believe? What have you come to know? How has it made you who you are?



(c) Ronnie Carroll

September 2008

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