Carnival of life

When people get a health scare, they often begin to pay attention to the things that they took for granted before. This time it is my turn to learn some lessons and maybe even teach some to the people around me. Faced with uncertainty (no definite diagnosis yet), I find myself looking at the world a lot closer. How amazing everything is, and how much is offered to us. We can do so many things, choose so many paths. Sometimes we tell ourselves that we are bound by our culture, work obligations, family, means, but it is not true. We can do any amazing thing at any moment we choose. The opportunity is there for us, provided by this world, by this Earth. You reality can be transformed completely at request, and provide the experiences that you need. You could say “I am burned out and down, lets charge the card, call the boss and fly to the Amazon river for 2 weeks”. Or you could say “I know I was meant to something greater. Where is the opportunity for greatness?”, then take 2 weeks off and fly to Africa with Red Cross, or volunteer at some local organization. Countless possibilities to evolve in any way you want! And on top of that each person is different from the next right? So we have as many realities at the same time as we have people in the world. And each has something to offer, if you let it to. We just have to suspend the judgment for long enough to simply hear how others see their world (even if we strongly disagree with their view).
I suddenly get amazed by the way trees look, and the complexity of flowers, how bees build their houses (much respect to those creatures, true architects!), that our body is a smart self adjusting mechanism, that universe is stretching in all directions and at all points at the same time as I write this, that there is ice on Mars, that a stranger can be the kindest warmest soul to you when you are down, that baby begins to grow in mother’s womb so magically and secretly, that we are capable of such beauty and such terror, and ocean is such a powerful force…and more, much more. It is all amazing. Everything around us. Even that I can write and you can read those weird looking lines, and therefore I send my thought to you for consideration. Physics, chemistry and other science will explain the laws behind what we see and experience, so there is another world under the world we see. And another world above the one we see. Have you read abound multiverses, that our universe may not be the only one out there? There is so much in this world, and outside it, and there might be other worlds! So much to see and feel! It’s like a carnival, and we are right in the middle. Although sometimes we are too concerned about our costume or snack instead of running around, dancing and watching the show. That’s all right, the carnival is not going anywhere, no harm in taking our time with the costume.
Do I sound crazy? I think I am becoming a child again. Simple things suddenly look wondrous and all meaningful. Life is such a creation, no words can describe it!

Be careful what you wish for or you just might get it...

Early this morning we have arrived from our trip to Jamaica and after a sleep deprived work day I gather what strength I have left to write a new post.  (...then I took a long break and finally decided to post it weeks later :))  The trip was great and we had a blast.  It was also full of wonderful opportunities for spiritual analysis.  Here is one example...

On the first full day of our stay I realized that I didn't have enought T-Shits to last a week and thought it would be nice to win some.  Thus, I entered into a bee-bee gun shooting competition. There were a number of good shooters that got pretty high scores.  We were each given 6 shots into a target with the maximum points totaling 60.  I was on target and shot an impressive 48. Everyone was thrilled and the guide said he has not had anyone get all shots in the black including a bulls eye.  My ego was enthralled and I was declared a victor.  People left the location talking amongst themselves about the great young shooter they had just had the privilege of standing next to (see what I said about the ego :))  Anyway, winners of each competition (archery, shooting, bachi ball, etc.) were invited on stage at 9:30, awarded with cheers, prizes and a song.  I was excited about the upcoming recognition.  I made my family get there in time, sat in the 2nd row and eagerly awaited my moment...

The winners were brought up one by one and congratulated.  Oddly enough, I was not a part of that group.  They had fogotten me!  I was.....a bit upset.  I asked one of the "Fun Directors" (the one that supervised the shooting) why I hadn't been called...he apologized and gave me a T-Shirt.  Disapointed I sat down, received multiple pats on the shoulder from the ones who knew and got ready to watch the entertainment for the evening.  What I didn't realize was how strong my desire was to get onstage, because I was about to get the full taste of it...

2 guys from the entertainment team got onstage and announced the beginning of the show. They said they needed 10 man from the audience for it.  I had no intention of participating remembering my previous experiences of utter embarrassment.  However, the "Fun Director" pulled me and my friend up on stage (how opportune it was that we sat in thd 2ND ROW????)...

Anyway, 10 men were onstage and awaiting instructions.  After a few hints we understood that our task was to do the Limbo.  There were 2 thoughts going throuh my mind at that time.  One was "OUCH" and the second was that I will probably loose to older fatter man and it will suck! The first comment was due in large part to my degenerated disk in the lower back.  The second...you know....To fast forward I will share that I made the 1st and 2nd cut and almost made the last.  My back was bent enough to get through but my feet froze and wouldn't move forward enough to carry me.  I fell.  However, I was ushered into the 2nd round (4 men total) to compete in something even more fun.  Thankfully my friend was right there with me.  

For the second round they asked each of us who our favorite female artist was.  Of course I answered my wife reveling in the chance to have her join my party and be put on the spot herself by having to sing.  (she has a very good voice but with microphones one never knows.)

Fortunately for her and unfortunately for me they made each man do pushups with his wife laying on his back.  Needless to say I was working my triceps out in the gym mere hours before this fun event...I barely did 8.  But the fun wasn't over.  

They made everyone go backstage and perform as either Elvis, Michael Jackson, Celine Dion or Whitney Houston.  Fortunately I was Michael Jackson.  They dressed me appropriately and handed me the mic.  There I was alone on stage dancing to the beat.  I should mention that before we went on vacation I was telling myself to review the basic dance moves of Michael Jackson, Elvis and Disco to be ready in case I had to dance....I DIDN'T.  Thus, I was stuck doing the only 3 moves I remembered...

The story does end well as I was voted the victor by the audience and received a T-Shirt, Hat and a bottle of Rum.  My back was sore but intact, I had 2 T-Shits,  and for the rest of the trip everyone I met called me Michel. 

Tetris is like Life and Life is like Tetris

Dear Circle, 

I am assuming you are all familiar with a very popular game of Tetris.  I have played it as a child and recently have gone back to it as a part of my train-the-brain exercises.  What I have found make me appreciate the game much more...

We often wonder how to live our lives and sometimes feel like things are being thrown at us way too fast.  The "problems" just keep coming and coming and we feel overwhelmed.  However with Tetris and with life you start to excel only then, when you realize that every forethcoming block is there to assist you.  Tetris is designed to help you get the wanted result.  No matter what you do and how wrong you fit the pieces Tetris is there with upcoming blocks to get you out of the situation.  You just have to understand how it is helping you and instead of panicking - thank it for its assistance and make it work.

Tetris is a wonderful metaphor for the life itself.  Experiences we bring on are there to help us and instead of rejecting them we need to realize the significance of the "blocks" and deal with them.  Life is designed in much the same way as the game is and once you give up the struggle with each individual piece you can succeed.   

Taking things personal...

Dear Circle,

During a meditation class today our instructor mentioned in passing people taking things personally and a flashbulb went on for me.  The reason we take things personally is because we have a very low understanding of who we are.  If we understood who we truly are we wouldn't take things others say to be true.  For instance, if someone calls you an "Idiot"....if you know yourself well (and hopefully don't think of yourself as an idiot) you wouldn't pay attention to that because it doesn't matter what others say, you know the truth.  If you don't know yourself you will get offended because you will think ...well He thinks I am an Idiot I need to prove I am not or worst of all you will think that perhaps he knows you better then you do and maybe you are an Idiot so you take it personally.  I realize this is simplistic but it leads to the same point - get to know yourself and you won't take things so personal!

Competition is the answer???

Dear Circle,

As my wife and I were driving yesterday she asked me a question...As I look at people, she said, I see them trying to do what is best for their children, spend time teaching them, driving them around, working hard in order for them to live better...We are all fundamentally good at heart, why don't we get along better? To which I responded with an answer I didn't expect. I said it and then thought about it after I said it, it was a bit odd, kind of like the saying that I don't know what I think until I say it.

My answer was - The reason why we don't get along is competition. Let's look at schools and see what is the main theme of our education starting very early in our lifetimes...one must compete. We are being graded for everything...praised for being the best and punished for doing poorly. We are judged on everything, the homes we live in, cars we drive, clothes we wear, music we listen to, friends we have, etc, etc, etc. Then we turn on the TV and see that reinforced - athletes, celebrities, lawyers, doctors, White Color, Blue Color...we are being programed that in order for us to have the things we need we must "be the best" even if that means others suffer. And then we are surprised at all the people behaving negatively towards each other. We think of others as competition not as one of us. That underlying thought form permeates our whole life. Even in marriage when we are supposed to be thinking of each other as ONE we compete (one of the reasons I suppose why divorce rate is so high).

Please understand me correctly. I am not against all competition. I love sports and I want to compete. However, we fail to realize that the drive we so long for shouldn't come from incentives of a grade or money, it should come from deep yearning to learn and experience from within. Only then we will truly drive ourselves to become better not inspite of others but with them....and maybe make this world a better place to live for all.

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde theory at play in our Economy...

Dear circle, I realize that my blogs lately have been political in nature and for that I ask you forgiveness.  However, since politics and human structure are innevitably linked it is rather interesting to analyze. For instance, the idea of top-down economics or trickle-down economics is fascinating to me. It presumes that by giving money to the wealthy we will enrich the poor since the wealthy will invest their earnings in businesses that lead to jobs, etc. To me this is the same fundamental issue of Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde. Trickle down economics assumes everyone to be Dr.Jekyll but just like the book we keep proving ourselves wrong. Just like Communism that assumes that everyone will be kind to one another so does this idea within Capitalism. Even though it is not dealing with emotion but rather the drive of individuals to make money and for that they need others that will eventually benefit, I think it is flawed. A quick example, who will ensure the police and the teachers will make decent money? I don't think those who are wealthy will care to provide good education and protection for all, they would hire for themselves. Such is the idea of laissez fair.
And that leads me to spirituality and realization that again we as society are very immature and are only concerned with the good of the individual and not all individuals. Politics and the antics we see on TV are just another indication.

Why does it take us 20 years or so.....

As I look upon the spectrum of issues we are facing as a people I keep asking myself the same question...why? For instance, if you listen to the Presidential debates you are hearing about our over-dependence on foreign oil and need for alternative sources of energy. It sounds wonderful if you stay on the surface but to me it raises a question of why are we discussing this now and not 15 years ago when electric car technologies were available and killed by big business? Also seems a bit hypocritical of us to talk about being dependent on oil when we ourselves gave the power to nations that now have a fun time controlling prices. Why does CDC keep prancing around the issue of vaccine safety and it's link to autism when it occurs in 1 out of 150 children? At what point does it stop....1 out of 75? Why does Merck give money to study how to sell its cervical cancer vaccine to lower income families instead of studying the effects of its vaccines on girls that die after taking it?

How long does it take for us to stop shoving things under the rug? The trend is everywhere and to me it is unbelievable. We live in a country that seems to be run by Big Business that is only concerned with profit. Are we really that immature or greedy as a people to accept what they are feeding us (pun intended)? We only seem to change out of necessity when the amount of information is so overbearing that we cannot ignore it anymore. Why does it take so long? We know the truth, we always do and yet we choose to ignore it until it is no longer convenient.

When I read others that say people as a race haven't evolved past a child I now understand what they are referring to. However this child has nuclear weapons and lagging morals and that, at least to me, is very worrisome.

Lazyness...the final frontier.....

I find it "ironic" looking at myself from the side that I behave in such a way. For instance, I have put the thought out there that I am ready and interested in communicating with my angels, spirits, etc. I read the books, I spent money talking to an entity that shared a good way to get a "clear" signal and then I ......decide to watch the CUBS instead of doing it. Or surf the web for nothing spiritually fulfilling because I don't energetically feel like it ( or that is what I tell myself anyway). I wonder how the angels and guides are feeling and am happy they are not human and don't have expectations or judgements, otherwise they would quit a long time ago. So, my angels and guides, thanks for sticking with me and my lazyness. I will get there....hopefully soon.

Feedback to the Universe

I am going to ask a question we’ve heard many times. And we all can find an answer, including the wise Trigor. If God or Universe suddenly tuned to us completely for a moment, what would we ask or ask for? If you had one question to ask or one thing to request, what would it be? Or would you not bother asking anything at all, and instead would simply make a statement or a suggestion?
Triggor, what would you do? Silliness aside, how about this purely hypothetical question? How about some performance feedback for the Big Guy? :-)

Exercise in sleeping....

I am not certain whether it is the lack of sleep or the ease with which I fall asleep but as soon as I close my eyes to medidate, I drift off...Just tried it a half hour ago, I lay down with full intention of going to a "safe" place in my mind and try to communicate with my angels. I distinctly remember opening up, protecting myself, going to that safe place and then...awakening. This time it was better because I wasn't drifting off for long and would repeatidly try to focus again to that place and begin the conversation only to drift off again...and again and again. I do feel the progress and look forward to that moment when I could allow my mind and body to relax without sleeping. Perhaps I will try to do this without lying down. Will let you all know...

Vicky, Christina, Barcelona...Life Personafied....

Dear Circle,

What a wonderful example of the human condition that movie is. We saw it yesterday and loved it. It is skillfuly done and I would love to discuss it here. However, I don't know if you have had the pleasure of seeing it yet so I don't wish to spoil anything. Please let me know when we can chat.

When the student is ready the teacher will appear....

Dear Cirle,

Today my guides yet again let me know of their presense, but I will return to that in a moment, now for the setup...

Every Sunday I have been going to the gym to work out. Lately I have gotten into a habit of shooting a basketball for 10-15 minutes as a way to warm up the muscles and then shoot after the workout for 5 minutes as a way to strech. In doing so I wanted to get good and actually make the shots so I started to work on it. Over the past month and a half I have gotten to be quite good. I have figured out what works for me and am now consistent. And I have been "rewarded" by shooting with a number of guys and beating them. That made me feel very special and only further reinforced my belief that I could be good at anything (I had to put that in for Trigor, Janice, and Masha...enjoy)...I have been sharing the stories of my basketball prowess at work and have people dully impressed...(now we return to the beginning of the story)....

Today like Sundays before it I went straight to the gym and warmed up with around the world shots. Feeling "in a groove" I continued until a young man walked in and started to shoot on the other end of the court. He was about 6'2" and had a very good stroke (Trigor..that was a layup for you buddy). I complemented him on his form and he came by asking if I wanted to play. I responded that we could shoot together if he wanted and he agreed. Unlike the previous times my form disapated and while I didn't embarass myself I proceeded to make 25% of the shots compared to my "usual" 70%. He on the other hand made about 75% of his. We shot around for 40 minutes running drills on 2 and 3 pointers leading to a great workout. He also gave me a few techniques on improving my shot and eventually left the gym...

What I find interesting about this experience was that I come there at the same time for a while now and have never seen him before. Also in the beginning I didn't see anyone else in the gym until I wanted to shoot against somebody and people started to show. First I "attracted" 20-25 year olds who were good but worse then me in order to get my confidence up and to inspire me to continue to work on it. Now, apparently I am onto the next level and my guides sent a teacher along to get me further, for which I am very thankful.

Thus, my dear Circle, be on the lookout for teachers, they are everywhere!

To have or not to have? Who cares...

I always get mixed feelings when taking or ordering photographs. Life is so short and next generations are so removed that a picture seems pretty unimportant. The highlight of every picture’s life is the time when it is taken and developed, and it’s all downhill from there. It is stuck in a dusty album, viewed 5 times in its lifetime and thrown out after people on the photograph have passed on.
And as I continue thinking about life being short and things being temporary, most possessions loose meaning. And I start understanding what Buddhists say about striving not to want anything as being path to happiness. It’s not that you teach yourself not to care about something you want otherwise, it’s about understanding that you really don’t need those temporary things and therefore not caring for having them. If you have something - be happy, if you don’t have it - be happy too. Because if you had it, it would only be for a short time anyway, so what does it matter. And this doesn’t mean that you need to wear old clothes, live in a horrible looking house and not comb your hair. To me it means not stressing out of your mind to get something you do not yet have, not stretching yourself thin to get something because you want it so much that your stomach is all nuts and not being afraid to loose what you have. Not being afraid to loose what you have is the difficult one, isn’t it? Although everything will be lost eventually one way or another, letting go is still hard to do. Yet it might be the path to true happiness. Let go and be happy with whatever comes our way.

I hate to meddle in politics....

To have an educated opinion on politics one needs to do research on candidates, undertsand the issues at hand, emmerse themselves deeply into the debates and then be afforded an opportunity to elloquently express their views. By those standards I do not qualify. However as an observer I find it increasingly hard to filter out the political rhetoric in order to get to the real views of the candidates. All I see is shifting of perspectives and speeches focused on low hanging fruit. I see Vice Presidential running mates apointed solely based on winning a campaign. I see polititians bent on bringing each other down only weeks ago embrace in solidarity and stand behind the nominated winners praising their fine qualifications. And I see millions of dollars spent on brainwashing Americans in order to get elected.

Sitting at my parents house yesterday I uttered, "The President is like his people" and then I thought long and hard about that statement. Are we so gullable as to accept the information being fed to us daily by the political machine? Are we really that simple a people not to be able to discern the truth from digital imagery? Who are the people we put in power to run our country and do they really represent us and our real views? Because from my uneducated political perspective...if the representatives from Republican and Democratic parties are trully a mirror into our souls, then we are in trouble.

Angels have a sense of humor...

I have heard that eating a big breakfast, reasonable lunch and a small dinner is a good way to eat. That way you burn off access calories throughout the day and don't pack on weight before going to bed. I thought I would give this a try....

Yesterday I grabbed some food and ate it in the car on the way to work. By lunch I was not hungry, which I was very happy about, and planned on just eating an apple. However by 1 PM my friend came by to go to lunch...I needed to run some chores and pick up food for a co-worker...so I agreed to go. When we got to the restaraunt I still wasn't in the mood for a large meal and was contemplating a salad when my eyes noticed a small thin crust pizza that looked delicious and very convincing. That became my "reasonable" lunch. In my mind I was convinced I would do a small dinner but at 7 I met a friend and he was hungry so we ate a big dinner. On the way home I promised not to eat anything more and promptly upon my arrival our babysitter came in with cherry cake which she "kindly" offered and I "couldn't" refuse. Needless to say I brushed it off as one of those days and promised to do better tomorrow...


Today I ate a big breakfast, wasn't hungry at lunch but my friend offered to go to Chipotle, which I love and had to go to. But I again told myself that dinner would be small. To my dismay, after work my wife was hungry and we went to a pancake house where I proceeded to eat one of my favorite fattening things...I could almost hear my angels laughing as they successfully seduced me with food. So starting tomorrow I won't have breakfast at all and hope to eat a salad for lunch...unless they come up with another irrisistable offer.

Need inspiration?

In my search for interesting books and documentaries, I came across Dalai Lama. And I am hooked. Buddhists ideas are very similar to what we, "spiritually inclined", are talking about. Dalai Lama is a truly remarkable man, and I highly recommend reading or listening to some of his kind and wise speeches. It rings good and true.
There are many phrases to think about. Every one of them is worth thinking over. So what do you think this wise man believes to be the purpose of life on Earth? To be happy!
Here is a link to his official website/list of speeches. You can choose a topic close to your heart and see what Dalai Lama thinks about it. Very inspiring
http://www.dalailama.com/page.8.htm

And the future goes to....

We are always fascinated by the future. We gravitate to those who say they can predict it. We ask them to look into their crystal ball and tell us what's in store. We read Nostradamus and try to interpret his visions and transpose them onto the events of the past to see if he's accurate. We huddle around to hear stories of dreams that turn out to be true. Thinking of this I am reminded of a verse from Jesus Christ Superstar..

...Why should you want to know?
Don't you mind about the future
Don't you try to think ahead
Save tomorrow for tomorrow
Think about today instead...

This leads into another discussion about living in the moment but, some other time. As to the future there have been many I read and spoke with (including entities) that state that future isn't "written". Confusing to me was the fact that I have also heard that everything that will happen has already happened. So if everything has already occured what is future? And while I had a version of the "truth" I was comfortable with before, the "answer" clarified itself today. It has been bubbling up in pieces for quite some time and now it seems to make sense (at least to me and at least for now.)

Both explanations are but pieces of the same puzzle. When put together they present a picture of reality. There is no future that is defined for an individual however all possible outcomes are determined. A person has a myriad of choices to make and based on those one can demonstrate direction and a number of possible outcomes. For instance if you were to imagine yourself on top of the Sears Tower looking down you would see many buildings and streets. If you saw a car pulling onto the Michigan avenue you could see that by the time this car passes 5 blocks it would hit construction thereby slowing it down significantly. However if this car turns right after 3 blocks it would have a clear lane all the way to the highway. If Sears Tower is a metaphor for higher perspective able to see "the future" and you were in the above mentioned car, a seer could tell you where to go and the probability of hitting traffic.

However, extending the example further, if the car decides to turn right after 3 blocks to have a clear path to the highway, it might find that the clear path (as it looked 1 minute ago) has been indeed blocked by an accident that just occured. And that is the fun part which to me states that your future is not up to you alone and is directly affected by others in your path. Therefore, although inquiring minds want to know..."Don't you mind about the future...Think about today instead!"

I am a tree hugger....

Reading Sonia's book made me become more aware of nature. She talks about the "elementals" or nature spirits of the elements (water, fire, earth, and wind.) And I have tried to take her advices to heart. For instance I am teaching a class next to a city plaza with beautiful willow trees and a pretty waterfall. Ordinarily I would have walked past but now I stop and emerce myself in their beauty. I stood by the fall and immediately felt a rush of energy that was invigorating. I thanked the water spirits and asked them to cleanse me and imagined being in the water. It felt wonderful. Then I passed the lunch croud and went over to the large willow trees and as soon as I entered their domain I heard no more noise and felt calmness drape over me like a blanket. I stood on the ground and felt the energy from the earth rise up through my feet and even though others were looking I put my hand on the trunk and stood there quietly soaking it all in. What a refresher - nature is trully magnificent!

The air was an interesting story as well. I went outside the classroom into the lobby and sat down onto the couches awaiting a phone call. Immediately I felt the chill of the cold air blowing through the vents above me. I thought about changing the spot and tried others but felt the breeze. Then I suddenly felt a wave of warm air and continued to feel it (as well as the cold air from the vents) throughout my conversation. So I thanked the air spirits for making me comfortable.

God blessed us with so many wonderful dieties around us who are willing and ready to help in an instant shall we only ask and notice them. I will do my best from now on.

A glorious mascarade....

My wife and I went downtown Chicago on Saturday night. It was the day of the Air and Water show so the streets were a buzz and people of all sorts were strolling down the Michigan Avenue. There were the fancy guy types dressed up in Armani...Women gracing passers by with their model good looks and 5th avenue fashions... There were the casual types in jeans and t-shirts... There were the very casual types with flip flops and cargo shorts and every possible type in between...they were all there. We stoped by Trump Tower and gazed upon the "upper class" pulling up in expensive cars and eating 50 dollar steaks....we took the architectural river tour and sat with tourists from all over marveling at the beauty that is Chicago....

Taking all of this in I realized that life on this planet is but a glorious mascarade and felt why souls just LOVE coming down here. Why wouldn't they? They can chose to be born anywhere, dress up anyway, try being rich or poor, strong or weak, intelligent or no so much... They put on a suit and dive into the ocean of feelings and emotions and they love every moment of it.....it is us who don't truly understand our soul's intentions that "drown" in everday life. We don't have to. Life is EXCEPTIONAL. And when we try to realize our soul purpose we forget what seems to me to be a main portion of it which is experience itself. Our soul wants to try things it knows about but never tried on for size. It wants to play, it wants to take things for a spin. Let's let it! Listen to your soul and find things that make it sing and then do them!

P.S. In the interest of public safety keep karma in mind before you begin to do anything :)

Protect yourself

Yesterday was an interesting day to say the least. I spent a lot of time dealing with a business issue that centered around our partner not servicing a large training client. Because of this the client wants to leave the partner and go to us directly. So I swam in negativity for most of the day and by evening I was feeling it. I felt drained and almost sick. Finally I stood in the shower and didn't leave until I was energetically clean. I asked angels for their assistance and forgiveness of everyone that thought I wronged them. I also forgave those whom I was still hanging onto...thankfully I was feeling almost 100 percent upon awaking. What this is showing me is how strong the energies are. I wasn't completely unprotected yesterday and it got to me with such force. So please protect yourself thoroughly.

The spirits are coming...

A few days ago a friend on recommendation of another friend asked for my help with his brother. He sent me an e-mail saying that a few years ago the brother got into a bit of trouble and needed to get going with his life. He was told by a friend that I could help. I remembered that the brother of my friend had some personal issues and didn't know how I could assist but was willing and interested to try. I had the feeling that I am embarking on the spiritual path and the forces will be using me to help others and felt very empowered.

Yesterday I did speak with my friend and he wanted to know how his brother can get out of a speeding violation that occured a while ago. My name came up because someone remembered me dealing with issues in the same realm...That made me laugh and showed not to take myself too seriously and assume the role of the Messenger too quickly.

The signs are all around us...

...I bought a new book on communication with Angels and Guides. And I was looking forward to reading it soon and beginning the conversations....I would have talked to them sooner but I didn't know the right way...and then something dawned on me....WHAT RIGHT WAY!!!!!! There is no wrong way! They have been communicating with me since before I could remember. They did it using songs on the radio, movies I "just happened" to turn on, books, a stranger's word in passing, fortune cookies, horoscopes, arranging specific situations so I can deal with an issue, talking to me through my writing and even thoughts in my head. They have been communicating all the time I just didn't always notice.

The key is just to realize it and pay attention. Yes, there are techniques and meditaions that allow for clearer communication in the conventional sort of way but there is no need to wait until they are mastered, just be aware and you'll see the messages everywhere!

I find myself...

After the trip I had gone back to work. There lately I was experiencing a lot of frustration with the software that is buggy, deadlines to meet and high expectations. Today greeted me with issues that needed to be resolved, seemingly no interest from the software company to help us and opinionated co-workers trying to impose their will...but there was something distinctly different...I felt no anger. It bubbled up once as if by habit and I reminded myself to be the light...and felt no anger. No frustration occurred when angry e-mails came trying to push me around, just a calm realization that we were all in this together and I wanted nothing to do with negativity coming out of me. And for the first time in a long time at work I was at peace.

I went about my business of trying to resolve issues and seemed only annoyed by my brother (who at this point proved to be the only one resiliant enought to shake me off my cloud...) Other then that I was serene and calm and loving it. I am not certain of the reason behind this metamorphosis but the sense is that I am finally awakening my other sides which have been dormant for so long.. and in the wholesomeness of it I find myself.

Ask and belive and you shall receive

I walked into the Richmond airport knowing I had a couple of hours to wait until my flight home. I ate, checked in and on the way to the gate decided to walk into the bookstore. As before I searched for the Inspiration section and casually looked down. There I saw a book by Brian Weiss titled Many Lives Many Masters. This was the third sign I was given to read the book. First was Masha, second was Danel and now this. I picked it up even though I wasn't done reading my current book by Concetta.

I then proceeded to go to the gate and in looking for a place to sit I saw a young woman and something drew me to her. I sat close by and took out my laptop to do some work. However a voice in my head told me to take the book instead. I asked which book (I had 3 with me) and was told Many Lives Many Masters. I sensed that the woman needed to see it and there is something I need to talk with her about. I listened and started to read the book all the while wondering how in the world would she see me reading it if I had it resting on my leg. Every so often I would see her write something or pack something into her suitcase. I knew I needed to speak with her but was hesitant. Finally I decided to just go for it and struck up a conversation which led to me showing her the book and stating that there was some reason she needed to see it. She found it fascinating and mentioned that she knew of reincarnation but didn't read much about it and was interested. She also said that lately every flight she took led her to meeting a person that would expand her horizons a bit and recommend a book she needed at the time. To keep this post short I will mention that she turned out to be a delightful young lady and we talked for most of the flight about listening to "voices" in your mind, numerology, etc. I also got the feeling that I needed to give her the book and to mention page 85. We read that page and from the sound of things there was a message that was important for her on it....Also something that was "coincidental" ..in doing her name analysis she noticed there were repeating 8s and 5s :)
This was once again an eye opening experience for me. I asked my guides to keep talking to me and I would listen. They obliged and I did what they suggested leading to a very rewarding experience. Also our discussions made me take a look at all the signs I had since birth and there were many. I am really looking forward to where this is going.

Angels please keep talking, I am listening!

Do I hear dead people?

I had purposfully booked my seat to be the middle just so I can have the best chance of meeting someone interesting. Although something told me to go into the bookstore in the airport just in case I find something that jumps at me. I went straight for the inspiration section and looked up...my eyes immediately found a book titled "Do Dead People Watch You Shower?" I understood then and there that I was probably not going to meet anyone on the flight but instead would be reading. Of course that is how it turned out, I sat next to a gentleman with countless tatoos who had as much interest in me as I do in death metal. Fortunately the isle seat was unoccupied and I quickly moved. Then I opened the book....

It was by Concetta Bertoldi who is a medium and this book is answers to most of the questions she gets asked repeatedly. It is a fascinating read that is very light and funny. Most of the things she says about the Other Side I tend to agree with (some exceptions... I will let you find out on your own) I read over 100 pages on the plane ride alone and plan to finish it tomorrow on the return leg. Something interesting did happen during the flight as one of the questions she specifically mentioned flying and I closed my eyes and tried to hear if anyone was talking to me from the Other Side. I don't remember the specifics but I do remember all of a sudden getting an image of my grandfather and seeing a room where he used to live and the chair he used to love sitting in. He was calling me by the name he used to call me and he was very loving. It seemed quite real and then he was gone. It only lasted a few minutes.

Rising above the clouds

One of my favorite moments during the flight is rising above the clouds. Especially if the weather is gloomy, overcast sky's and then ....you rise above it all to see a bright sun bathing in the bluest sky you have ever seen. And then I am reminded of the fact that everything is relative and rising above it all makes your problems seem...well....small and insignificant.

I wish I remembered that today as I struggled to keep my brain from exploding with ideas of what to do with my business, my life, and my job. My head seemed to be tuned into at least 7 different channels all playing at the same time. It took me a while to "come down" and relax. I think I need to have reminders plasted everywhere I can turn that point out that this is just a "game" and to rise above it all, to look at situations without emotional attachment and then come to a simple obvious decision (which of course is right there in front of me hiding behind the thin self created vail).

So here's to rising above!

A place in the world

Well today was fun. I began by reading the morning e-mail only to discover that one of my key employees had resigned. She had done so for health reasons which prohibit her from traveling. Keeping everything in perspective, me trying to find another employee is a lot less important than her dealing with a health issue. However, this really puts me in a bind. My little company had invested a lot of time and money into growing the training part of the business and now that we are finally ready to reap the benefits she is gone leaving us with a void and a rush to backfill. Finding a trainer that can travel is very difficult in my profession which brings about a question about the long term prospects of the business itself if we don't find one.

So here I am questioning what will happen in my "business" world while another part of me that doesn't care about that at all is saying "Hey Hey! Shut this thing down so I can focus on energy work" And there inlies my dilemma...(and I bet I am not the only one asking this) but how can I continue to privide financially for my family while at the same time do the work that I truly care about?

Negative Thoughts

Dear Circle,

Working in the IT field specifically and in Corporate American in general could be a pretty stressfull thing. It gets compounded when you encounter factors that throw off your balance. It could be a person at work, a computer issue, a program not working. As previously stated being in the moment is tough enough but being pissed in the moment really makes it hard. For instance day in day out I deal with a computer software that is buggy and feel like a beta tester instead of a developer. Thus I find it difficult to keep my cool when I encounter problem after problem that makes my job nearly impossible. Every deadline or projection is more of a dart throw blindfolded because one never knows what lies ahead. Thus my dilema...I know that thought is energy that can never be distroyed and everything comes back to you. If you say negative things about someone (such as the developers at the software company) it is bound to ricochet right back. I also try to be positive and understanding and to minimize the negativity "spilled" onto the world. However on the other hand one needs to let go of this negative emotion in some way. I have tried pushups at work, relaxation, etc. Has anyone found an effective way to deal with this?

Being in the moment

As I was driving yesterday I remembered a scene from "Peaceful Warrior" where Socrates slowed things down for Dan and allowed him to pay attention to everything. There was a discussion about being in the moment with nothing distracting you, no thoughts of the past or future, judgements, etc. - just being.

I tried to replicate that state and suddenly noticed the dark blue sky, green grass, man walking a dog and shadows playing in the field. I felt as an observer more then the participant and became very calm. It was a very interesting feeling. I imagine the trick now is to be able to be in the moment in every moment and in anything you do.

Any experience in this or advices?

Welcome to the Circle

Dear circle,

The idea for this blog came to me today as a vehicle for keeping in touch with those of similar interests. I want to build a soul circle in which we can learn from each other and discuss what we are experiencing. This also reminds me of something that happened recently...

In doing a past life regression I went "somewhere" where I saw what I believed to be my soul cirle. They were situated around a "burning" circle of light and were looking through it. I sensed that that is how they were looking at us. One of them gave me a gift - a small globe half covered in small mirror pieces. As I looked into the mirrors I was transported above the Earth and saw a reflection. I knew it was me but not in this life. I felt great power and was one with all but in a sense above it all...

Thus, my first question to the group is what are your experiences with Past Life Regression and what interesting things have you experienced.

Thanks and God bless all of you.