OFFENSIVE HOLIDAY GREETINGS?

    We hear a lot about people being offended these days. It seems that no one is able to say what's really on their mind, or even be themselves, without someone becoming offended or insulted. Over the past decade or so, we have even seen this defensive way of living creeping into the holiday season.  We have to wish everyone, "Happy Holidays,"  because if we label the wrong holiday to the wrong person it can inspire anger and defensiveness.  I believe that this phenomenon has come about because of the spiritual decay of many.  I say decay,  because so many people have made their spirituality nothing more than a heightened glorification of self. It seems that many spiritual paths, these days, do not live by the universal law of love. They, instead, promote materialism and a healthy dose of egotism. The mantra of the day is, "if you're not like me, there is something wrong with you."  Therefore, many have become less tolerant of others who are not a clone of themselves. This is a sad state of affairs;  for I can't remember a time when Jewish people wished Christians a happy Hanukkah and vice versa, and no one was offended. Instead, they would smile and returned the greeting. I can remember a time when those who practiced  a more paganistic path would explain the details of their Yule celebration to a group of traditional religious people, and no one criticized or condemned. Naturally, there have always been those individuals who would criticize or point fingers, but they were in the minority, at least where I came from.  I think in the modern world, we have forgotten that we are all brothers and sisters. It doesn't matter what our religion is, it doesn't matter the color of our skin, we are all here for reason and all on the same path towards our ultimate return to the Divine.  It doesn't matter whether we celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Yule or Ramadan. We should accept one another for who we are, and if someone wishes us a Merry Christmas,  a happy Hanukkah or a festive Yule,  we should be polite and return the greeting. Be who you are, but let others be their authentic selves and express their faith in their lives the way that they desire.  To become offended at such a trivial thing is not spiritual, it is not even logical or reasonable. And it is a trend that needs to be put away in our societies...  By doing that, we would be giving ourselves the greatest gift of all this holiday season;  the gift of peace and acceptance of one another.

HEALING WITH SPIRIT

    Many people are seeking healing, whether it be physical, emotional or even spiritual.  The quest and amount of money spent trying to find the perfect healer can be quite astronomical.  What most people do not realize, is that it is not the skilled person who does the healing;  but rather it is spirit working through the individual.  You have every right,  and are just as qualified to call upon spirit as anybody else. One simple technique that you can use to heal  with spirit is as follows: fill a glass or small receptacle with water.  Place the water on your nightstand or small table next to your bed. You can also place next to the water any statue or figurine, prayer card,  crystals or whatever else represents to you the person or being you will be calling upon to assist you with your healing.  For instance, if you will be asking the angels to assist you with healing, you can simply place a picture or a small figurine of an angel next to the glass of water. If you do not have any pictures, prayer cards or figurines; that is absolutely fine, the water alone will suffice.  After you have placed the water and other objects next to your bed,  make your request to spirit for healing and cleansing. Ask spirit  to remove any pain or impurities from your body and place them in the water. After you make your request for healing, lay down and either visualize all of the negative energies flowing into the water or simply close your eyes and allow yourself to drift off into a peaceful sleep, having faith and knowing that spirit will do the work even as you slumber. Once the session is complete, or you wake up from your sleep. Thank spirit for their assistance and dump the water somewhere outside. This is important, because the earth will absorb and transmute all of the negative energies that have been trapped in the water.  Whether you are seeking healing for a physical ailment, a spiritual crisis or a broken heart...  this is a technique that can bring wonderful results.

YOUR TRUE SPIRITUAL PATH

   The spiritual path can be confusing in our modern day. In fact, the spiritual life, has always been one of the most difficult roads for an individual to walk. There are, and always have been, so many voices on the sidelines that try to define spirit for everyone. They tell us we are wrong, damned for all eternity or even enemies of God if we happen to choose the wrong religion. All of this can be very disheartening, and even confusing and anxiety inspiring for some. But the truth of the matter is, that we are all not the same. We are all individuals and we all identify with the Divine Source in different ways. The right and true spiritual path for you, is the one that makes you feel personally supported and peaceful. No one can tell you what spiritual practice is right for you, nor can you inherit a religion from someone else. It is a personal decision and quest. It will be right for you, when it feels right to YOU and YOU alone. It doesn't matter what label you choose to hang on yourself, or maybe no label at all; as long as you're living by the universal law of love and being kind to others, there is nothing more that is required of you. And don't let the behavior of some religious people discourage you. There are those individuals in every group who are violent, judgmental and filled with hatred. But their actions do not define the religion. If a person is inherently violent and hateful, they will interpret anything to support their narrow views. In just the same way, the person who is loving, compassionate and kind, can interpret anything to support their peaceful views. Always remember, it is not God who makes us better people, it is we who choose to become a more loving individual, and then Spirit shows us how to deepen that commitment. In closing, I would just like to say that it is perfectly fine for you to mix and match various spiritual ideologies. There is truth in all of them, and there may be some appealing factors I  several spiritual traditions that catch your attention. Do not listen to those who are limited in their thinking, or legalistic and tell you that it is not right to mix other philosophies with a particular religious path. These individual are usually folks who think they know a lot about God, but do not know God in their hearts. Thus, they clutter the spiritual path with humanistic thinking that is burdensome and divisive. This quest is yours, and you're free to incorporate any philosophies that you wish as the Spirit leads and guides you.

MEDITATION FOR WELL BEING

   Meditation is one of the greatest tools available to the human race at this time. It can promote peace of mind, better health, feelings of happiness and joy, and an overall sense of well-being. The holiday season can be very stressful or depressing for a lot of people. It is a great time to begin a meditation practice to defeat those holiday blahs. One of the easiest and profound meditation practices that I have used is as follows: sit quietly on the floor or in a chair, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Then become aware of your body, how it is positioned on the floor or in the chair. Focus on this for a few moments, and then begin to expand your consciousness into the room around you. Just focus on the calm, peaceful empty space around you. Feel the presence of the divine in that space, or the presence of your guides or angels. Just focus on those higher spiritual energies that are alive in the air around you. Try to keep your focus on those energies and just rest in their presence. If you find interesting or pertinent words or phrases floating up into your mind, that is perfectly normal, do not fight it. This meditation technique is more about focusing on the presence and energy of the higher beings, and receiving comfort and guidance from them during this time of mental relaxation. Of course, you do not want to focus on any distracting thoughts that come into your mind, if they do arise, simply acknowledge them and brush them aside. Then go back to focusing on the higher presence or angels in the room around you. If you like, you can expand your consciousness even further and go out beyond the room you're in and into nature. You can even expand your consciousness into the cosmos and just feel that divine presence among the stars and galaxies. If you so desire, you can even ask for guidance and advice for a specific situation during this time of meditation. Simply state your desire before beginning the meditation process, and then just see what comes to you during the session. You do not need to meditate for a long time to reap its benefits. You can set a timer for as little as 10 minutes, or go for 20 or 30 minutes if you wish to do it longer. But just by doing this for 10 minutes a day, you'll begin to notice how much more positive and light you will begin to feel in your everyday life. It is also perfectly okay to light candles or play relaxing, celestial music or nature sounds lowly in the background as you meditate. Anything that enhances the experience for you is important and permitted. Try this technique, and you will notice a difference in the way you feel within the first 1 to 2 weeks; happy meditating!

RELEASING THE PAST

    It is very easy, at this time of year, to remember and hold onto the hurts of the past. The memory of cruel treatment at the hands of a family member, or friend can still inflame us with anger and resentment. The recollection of stinging words spoken to us can open the wounds of the past, and cause us to hurt all over again. The memory of a departed lover who still holds a piece of our heart, can drown our spirit in an ocean of sorrow and bleakness. There can be an end to this painful cycle. But the first step is assuming responsibility for ourselves. We have to realize, we are the ones who are holding onto all of these painful memories. We are the ones who allow these thoughts to swirl through our minds throughout the day. No one is making us hold so very tightly to the thorns of yesteryear. It's never easy or pleasurable when our hearts are broken, and the actions of some people in this world can shock us beyond belief. But we have to realize, some people just make bad choices. Do we really want to enter into fights and arguments with those who have hurt us? Usually, by doing so, it is like fighting a fire with gasoline. It just erupts into more drama and worsens the situation overtime. Generally, when we go on the attack and seek revenge on those who have hurt us; we find ourselves always wanting to get in the last word in an argument. But that last word never comes, because the other person is just as bent on getting in the last word as well. It is a cycle of anger that goes on and on. Some people are just selfish and damaged, they will never understand what you're trying to say. Therefore, it is best to just walk away from the situation and set yourself free. The same goes for those infamous former lovers who we are pining for and wanting back into our lives. These people are often out of our lives for a reason. They've abandoned us, cheated, lied and a host of other things. We must realize, that by taking such people back into our lives, will be bringing back the same old problems as well. Leopards do not generally change their spots, and the boyfriend or girlfriend who devastated your life for some inane reason will most often do it again. It is best to close the door, heal and know that you are better off. It is not always easy to release these situations. If you find it extremely difficult, you may want to seek counseling, spiritual help or even take it to the higher realms in prayer. But again, the thing to realize is that you have to make the choice. Do you want to hold onto the pain, or do you want to release it? Do you want to be happy again, or do you want to live in a perpetual state of misery? The first step is always a decision... and then you must follow through with what ever work must be done to heal your life. You can release the past, it's pain is not a life sentence in a prison of sorrow...

ALONE FOR THE HOLIDAYS

    The holiday season is upon us, but for many, it is a time for feeling lonely and blue. The memories of what once was, can look over us like a dark cloud making us feel like our best days are behind us. But it needn't be this way. There is a way to rise above the holiday blues, and feel like life has meaning again. There were times in my own life, when there was no one around and no place to go for the holidays. But always being a bit of a spiritualist, I always communed, the best I could, with the angels and departed loved ones. I was surprised at the messages I would get, and the inspirations that would come to mind. The spirits are always around us, and we can feel their presence if we just try. You do not need to be a master medium to be able to communicate with spirit. The most important elements of spirit communication are a sincere heart, the desire to do so and love. Sometimes, people just talk to their angels and loved ones in prayer while reading a certain holy or spiritual book. Other times, individuals close their eyes, and just ask questions and listen for that still small voice within to answer back. Yet others, will use an oracle deck, the Tarot or some other divination tool to commune with the spirits. These are all techniques that you can use to communicate with your guardian angels, and those who have crossed over. Even if it is your first time in doing such a thing, you might be surprised at the messages you receive in the warm feelings around you. You do not need to be alone for the holidays, and the more you practice your spiritual communications, the stronger they will become. I can honestly say, some of the most awesome holidays that I have ever had were spent completely alone with my heavenly family of spirits. The memories that were made during those times, are just as important and precious to me as some of the memories I have made with those special people who are still living upon this earth. Of course there are other ways in which one can chase away the holiday blues. But I have found spirit communication and invaluable tool in my personal past. It is one that I would like to pass on to you at the beginning of this holiday season. Perhaps it will bring as much joy and comfort to you, as it has for me in years gone by.

THE WAY TO HEALING

    In working with the Angels, I have learned a great many things . One of which, was a message that came to me one day in meditation about the true way to healing. It doesn't matter if the healing is physical, mental, spiritual or circumstantial; the technique is always the same. But before we get into the mechanics of how to heal, let us talk briefly about what it is that heals us. The Angels have shown me that any person who ever experienced a miraculous or true healing, all experienced the same thing. And what they experienced was first a feeling of overwhelming love that filled their entire being, and then a pleasant warm feeling flowed throughout their body like a gentle healing balm. What the Angels have shown me is that it is the power of divine love that heals us and can change any situation. We have heard it said from all spiritual paths that God is love, and that love is the most powerful force in the universe. We have heard this truth for many years and have never truly comprehended its meaning. When we come in contact with the power of universal love, it is like touching the hem of the garment of the divine. When this happens, miracles can truly happen. The way to get in touch with this power is to simply calm your mind as best you can and relax your body. Think for a few moments about what it would feel like to truly be in the presence of an all-encompassing and unconditional love. Don't be afraid to use your imagination and just let yourself fantasize about how that kind of love would make you feel. Once you begin to have the slightest inkling of what that feeling would be like, ask the angels to come to you and just merge with you. Let the angels slip into your physical body as if they were putting on a suit of clothes. Let their body of light be your body, let their hands be your hands. And do not worry, the angels will not possess you or take over your body, they're simply there to help you channel the energy of divine love to the area of your life that needs it most. So just to visualize and imagine the angels stepping into your body. Once they have merged with you, ask them to channel the energy of divine love through your hands to where it is needed. Place your hands on your body if you need physical healing and just imagine a golden light flowing into the area that is ailing. If it is a situation or another person that needs healing, simply hold out your hands or place them on the other person and channel the golden energy of love to the person or circumstance that needs healing or change. This should be an effortless practice, do not strain or struggle or try mentally to make things happen. Simply relax and let the angels channel this energy through you. The greatest thing you can do during this process is to keep in your mind on the feeling and warmth of divine love. This is important, because surrounding and filling yourself, the situation or the other person being healed with that overwhelming and healing love is what matters most. During this process, you are not doing anything or even exercising your will to try and make something manifest. You are simply feeling, surrounding and trusting in the power of love. You will be surprised at how powerful this can be and how quickly circumstances will sometimes turn around. I believe that this is because we get out of our own way and not worry so much about the outcome. We entrust the situation to God and the angels and they're able to work things out in ways which we do not comprehend. Once you're healing session is over, thank the Angels for their help and allow them to disconnect from you physically. This technique of channeling divine love can be used in any religious or spiritual belief system. You can call upon any great healer, Saint or ascended master to help you with this process. Or you can simply allow the divine to channel directly through you. The important thing is to channel the love, feel the love and believe in the love. Blessings.