HEALING WITH ENERGY

    Anybody can work with healing energy. It is not as difficult as some may believe, and you do not need any formal training. One of the first techniques that I learned in energy healing, was to imagine a funnel of pure white energy coming down from the cosmos and entering my body through the top of my head. Once this healing energy had filled my entire body, I could direct it and concentrate it to any part of my physical body that needed healing. I could also direct that energy to someone else in need. It didn't matter whether the person was right in front of me, or on the other side of the globe, I could send them healing energy and they would receive it. This form of energy healing can be used for physical ailments, but also for mental or spiritual ailments as well. It is an easy technique that is very effective and I still use it in my personal practice. You can also channel this energy into the future, to surround a certain event or place with a powerful, peaceful, loving and healing light. You might be surprised at how many times this practice made a chaotic work environment more peaceful for me, just by sending energy to the place and people every night. You don't have to be a spiritual master to work with healing energy, all it takes is the desire and a little bit of practice. I am confident that this technique will work for you as soon as you begin to use it, just as it did for me.

CYCLES AND SEASONS

    There is a thought in Buddhism and also in paganism, that all things have their season and cycle. If we apply this reasoning to every circumstance in our life it will surely help us to gain a new perspective. In our modern world, we often panic when change comes into our lives: If we should lose our job, a loved one passes away, or we find that we have to move to a new location. The occasions for change are many, and often we dread them more than welcoming them. And then there is the case of chronic worry of things that have not yet happened. For example, what if I lose my job? What if my husband or wife leaves me? What if I were to become ill or die. Whatever the case may be, if we apply the principle of seasons and cycles we can begin to trust in the course of nature in our lives. The seasons change, the cycles of the moon come and go. The many creatures and critters that thrive in the summer months, pass when the autumn approaches. But this does not stop them from living their lives and doing what nature has programmed them to do. And it should be so for all of us; we know that nothing will last forever. None of us will live forever, at least not in this world anyway. So why worry about loss and change? Why feel so defeated and sorrowful when people or things exit our lives. When the clouds come, we know the sun will shine again. When the winter snow covers the ground, we know that spring will eventually come. To every ending there is a new beginning. We should not fear these changing seasons in our lives, but rather trust in the cycle of nature. We do not know what lies over the next horizon. But we see, in the wisdom of the universe, that where there appears to be death, new Life emerges. Trust in this fact, and do not let the fear of change paralyze you or the cycle of time leave you in ruin.

FOLLOWING YOUR BLISS

    Follow your bliss, it is a statement that has almost become trite in our day. But it is one of the most important statements you will ever hear. It tells you to follow your path, pursue your happiness and construct your life in a way that brings you joy. Society has a way of casting us all in the same mold. There is what we are expected to do, there is what other people want us to do and there are those things that are outside the norm that everybody labels as pipe dreams. But how many people have followed there, "pipe dreams," and became famous musicians, actors and poets. All souls are not the same, and all minds do not think alike. What is it that drives you? What is it that you mention occasionally in conversation that starts with the words, "I always used to want to..." You can still pursue the dream, you can follow your bliss. Even if it is not realistic that you can make a career out of it at this stage in your life, I can still become a part of your life. You do not have to live in the status quo. You can rise above it and be something more than you ever thought you could. Don't let the words, follow your bliss, be just a redundant statement to your ears. Let it become something that you do and it will change your life.

FEAR OF SICKNESS AND DISEASE

    Each morning when I read the daily news, I see more and more articles on the topic of sickness and disease. Some of the headlines I have read over the last few days have said, "16 signs of an impending heart attack." "10 signs that you may be ready to experience a serious stroke." "19 signs that tell you that there is cancer growing in your body right now." The list goes on and on of fearful warnings about what dreaded infirmity maybe befall us next. And the serious warning signs are things that most people experience almost daily, such as: tired achy feet, fatigue, acne or gas. This is certainly a way to get people living in more fear and worry than they already have in their lives. On top of all this we have the numerous prescription drug ads we see on television. It would seem that we are being bombarded with images and threats of disease at every turn.

    As mental and spiritual beings, we have a choice to make about what we are seeing and reading in the news. All of the great spiritual leaders of the past have resonated with your message to come out from among the mass mindset of the world and be not like those in it. I myself do not believe that they were talking about every little thing in our existence being taboo as some religious leaders may teach. But rather, I believe they spoke of the mindset of greed, fear, violence, hatred and the like that permeate the world of mankind. There always seems to be the report of a tremendous disaster of one sort of another coming our way according to those in charge and the mass media. If we immerse ourselves in that hectic/fearful mindset, then we will become a part of that disaster. But we have a choice, we can step outside of it all. We can choose to live a life of peace and higher thinking. We can do what is right for us and not let the latest fads dictate what we eat, what we wear and how to think.

    I believe it is the same with sickness and disease. If a worried, anxious mind makes the physical body more susceptible to all forms of sickness and disease. Then a quiet, peaceful mind promotes health, well-being; and there scientific data to support this claim. I sometimes wonder if the big pharmaceutical companies and medical industry does not use these worrisome articles and advertisements to make us more nervous in our daily lives. After all, if we are more stressed out than we already are, then we're more apt to become ill and will be in need of their services and products. But the good news is, that we do not have to participate in their campaign of illness and anxiety. We can come out from among them, and live our lives in a different way. We can leave all of that negative noise behind and live a happier, more peaceful and healthy life. Just because the rest of the world is in turmoil and focusing on terrible things, doesn't mean that you have to. It is your world, your mind and your health. Take responsibility for yourself and create it the way you want it to be. And a more peaceful mindset is the first and most important step in creating health and longevity.

 

THE ART OF NON ATTACHMENT

    It's difficult not to feel angry or heavy hearted when we see those around us making terrible mistakes in their lives. It is never easy when we see a friend or loved one change before our eyes, and become something other than the good person we always thought they were. It seems that for most of our lives, our states of mind and mood are dictated by the actions and words of others. But there is a way that we can safeguard ourselves against the negative impact of such circumstances. And that way is through non attachment. In Buddhism, we are taught to love others and be kind, but also not to be so concerned with what they are doing or the choices that they make. We are taught that our own life is the only one that we can truly change. We are told to focus on the moment, and be present. We are not to be so focused on the people around us that it pulls us out of our own inner peace and present moment. It takes some practice to develop this kind of mindset where we love others deeply, but are not affected by their actions or poor choices; but it can be done. You can become more of the observer of life, rather than a character who has a part to play in someone else's drama. To develop this kind of non attachment we must practice it moment by moment in our day. A good exercise is to imagine yourself as being transparent. The negative actions of others pass through you rather than find a place to lodge within your heart or mind. By doing this, overtime, you'll begin to realize that you are not being so dragged down by the things that other people do or do not do in your environment. But we also must remember, that non attachment is not having the mindset of just not caring what other people do. It is caring, and helping when and where we can. It is just not letting ourselves become emotionally wounded or burdened by the actions of others.

DEVELOPING PSYCHIC ABILITIES

    To experience flashes of psychic insight, and strong intuitions we must get our own opinions out of our way. Let your mind be a blank slate that is able to catch images and impulses that it might not otherwise be privy to. There is always more to a situation than meets the eye, but when our own thoughts about the circumstances are allowed free rein, we can often be mistaken about the deeper issues at hand. In order to see with the nonphysical eyes and hear with the nonphysical ears, we must learn to sense things on a deeper level. Clearing our thoughts and just allowing the impressions to come to us is the first and most vital step of developing psychic ability. A good rule of thumb to check and see if you are using your psychic senses is to ask yourself, "what do I think about this situation?" Then ask yourself, "what do I feel about this situation?" It is what you feel that is important here; that odd feeling or inner sense that is deeper and beneath the rational thought process. When you are tuned into that feeling... you are seeing, hearing and sensing with your psychic abilities.

SCIENTIFICALLY MINDED?

    Many people claim to be scientific in their thinking, yet some of them can be as hung up on their personal ideas as the most devout religious person. I have spoken to a number of very well educated people in my day who never heard of certain scientific discoveries or experiments that have been done in the laboratory. Some have said, "I've never heard of that, but if that is true, this changes everything. I will have to look that up." But then time goes by and they still have not looked it up. They're still adamant about a certain opinion that has been harpooned years ago. If we are going to truly be scientific individuals, we must have the presence of mind to look at both sides of the story. To read a favorite theory that strokes our ego and inflates our personal belief, and then ignore all evidence to the contrary, is not honest scientific research. Take for example, the topic of the near-death experience. Many still tout the belief that the NDE is nothing more than the symptoms of an oxygen deprived brain. They are completely unaware of the new research that has been done in this field that opens up many more questions on the subject than the old blanket theories can answer. Some say that science and religion are diametrically opposed to one another. Other say that they walk hand-in-hand. The truth is, sometimes they strangely agree, and many other times they do not. It is our job as individuals to do our own honest research. We cannot just settle on the opinions of a few or seek out the information that makes us feel good about our pet beliefs and perceptions. With the invention of the Internet and search engines like Google, anyone can have a plethora of scientific information at their fingertips in a matter of moments. It is up to each of us, to find that information and make his/her own decisions on the evidences given. And when we do this, it will not extinguish our faith and kill our spirituality. But rather it will broaden its horizons and make us even more open-minded as individuals.