AHIMSA…

My favorite word of any language (so far)

Ahimsa (Sanskrit: अहिंसा; IAST: ahiṃsā, Pāli: avihiṃsā) is a term meaning “not to injure or harm”. The word is derived from the Sanskrit root “hiṃs” meaning to hit or strike; “iṃsā” meaning to cause injury or harm.

A-hiṃsā is the opposite of this, meaning to cause no injury, do no harm. “And it harm none, do what ye will” reads the Wicca Reed.

Lovely is the thought of ahimsa, nonviolence, no harm and only peace that pounds throughout the hearts of men. Unfortunately, in this Kali-Yuga era of existence, violence seems not only inevitable, but guaranteed, to show up in our lives from people and places we would not expect.

In my generation we were taught that war equaled violence. But violence today shows up über all – it’s not just in the form of killing or war.

There are many avenues of violence – not just physical on the street – but ways of words and emotional drives that can land us crashed and at a dead end. How many times does violence beat its way into our lives through text messages, e-mails, phone messages and phone calls?

What is so astonishing to me is the realization that I have not only chosen my own path with such difficult people, but I have also agreed to endure the suffering that’s required for me to learn the lessons I must learn from these difficult relationships. It’s just so heart wrenching and questionable that it even sucks to write about it.

So….what is it that we must learn in order for the violence to stop? Well, I am really working on this and not sure that I have the answers but I have written a poem entitled “Teach Me to Whisper” because I know that I, too, am also guilty of spreading my own version of emotional and verbal violence.

I believe that non-violence begins with learning to be kind to, to respect, and to love one’s self. It’s a foreign concept to many but the following are some suggestions just to get started:

Begin with being nice to yourself (whatever this means to you). For me it has become relying on my keystone habits (enough sleep, meditation, yoga, exercise, eating healthy and overall balance of responsibilities in my life (those I want and those I have).

It is also important that our mind, body and spirit be aligned (like a triangle). The body is the best place to start because when you can bring your body into submission to your own will (that which will best serve you), it gets stronger and healthier. And so yoga and exercise and meditation become your allies. They assist in helping you achieve your goals because what keeps you focused has value, what burns fat after age 50 has value, and that which calms the mind in blessed reassurance of victory is priceless. Really, what would you be willing to pay for the peace which passes all understanding?

Anyway, I intended a very different post. But I guess I didn’t feel that ranting about a cell phone being used to torture and terrorize would feel very inspiring.

PLEASE, just be careful what you allow your eyes to see, what talk or music you allow your ears to hear, what food, drink or other you feed into your mouth, be careful with the smells your nose must devour, and what you allow your skin to touch. Because what we allow into our hearts, our minds, and our bodies influence who we are and who we will become.

The Prayer/Meditation Polarity

It’s early morn and the rain beats softly onto the ground. Wind chimes whisper in harmony with the wind and, with each breath, the vibration within plays an octave higher. My mind is off in meditation seeking answers within and without. Whoa… there’s a trap. Meditation is a daily necessity but, as most meditators know, there are moments in and outside of the space-time continuum (four dimensional space) as we progress into the 5^th dimension. Polarity loves to strike when we are literally trying to straddle the fence of choosing to connect with the inner and seeking answers from a force or source that is not within our own self. Don’t misunderstand. I do believe in prayer and its power but, in my experience, prayers serve one better when they are aligning harmoniously with our intentions, although outside of meditation. My guess is that many will disagree and they may have good reasons but, with me, prayer(s) tend to get in the way during meditation of me connecting with spirit/soul/higher self. And this may come from being raised with the teaching that prayer is communicating with a powerful source outside of myself, e.g., up in Heaven. This is a belief that needs to be altered just a bit in order to reach true transcendental meditation. Jesus said: “The Kingdom of Heaven is within you” and these are words that the Church did not/does not emphasize. So, until I am successful in altering this belief/behavior pattern, I am making a conscious choice to keep prayer and meditation on 2 separate dimensions until my prayer naturally merges into my meditation. After all, prayer is talking to God and meditation is listening to God. Difficult to talk and listen at the same time.
I just thought I would post this in the event that anyone else has had or is experiencing this block.
Until the next magical moment, may your prayers be pure joy and may you find your answers in meditation.

Just Open Your Mouth and Say “AH”

The word vibration took on a new meaning in the USA after The Beach Boys’ famous hit “Good Vibrations” hit American radio. As most of us know, the decade of the 60s was the dawning of a new era. With the arrival of gurus from the East, the western culture of America opened itself to the wisdom of ancient cultures and a generation was born that took on a persona of its own. But, as with any child, the teachings of the parent, while influential as they may be, tend to accumulate within the child as a mixture of what is taught combined with the energetic expression of the life form in which it has been birthed to create its own individual expression of its life purpose and a reflection of the age in which it’s living. So not only was this a time of insightful meditation, but also a generation of truth seekers who even used experimental drugs for tapping into parts of the brain not cognitively used, and the onset of several substantial movements (most notably Women’s Lib and Civil Rights). Much great media has been produced from and about this era and rightfully so, but I would like to write about the word “VIBRATION”.

As beings of light we, as humans, have our own individual and unique vibrational energy which contributes to the universal whole of cosmic energy and what’s wonderful is that this little tidbit of information is not just some hippy dippy mantra of a bygone groovy generation but has been proven scientifically as well. This blog post, however, is not an attempt to spew forth scientific findings.

What’s important to realize is that vibrations are not all equally strong or on the same octave so to speak. Some are slow and low while others are faster and higher. A cosmic example of this would be to compare the energy of the Sun with that of the Moon. While both provide light, they do so at opposite times and, although the Sun may burn your skin, the moonlight casts shadows on your skin. The Sun provides warmth and light for growth, the Moon regulates the tides while also providing light for growth. Many examples of various vibrational energies can be seen throughout nature and can be easily identified as similar or different especially when examining different species of life. I love both eagles and dolphins but one is of the air, the other of water.

And although we as humans are of the same species, we also vary in degree and range of vibration. One of us may exude a happy, positive, and friendly vibe while another pulses with hatred, fear, and negativity. This is simple enough for even a naïve baby to realize but what many do not know and never realize is that the vibrational energy that we produce, are, and project out into the universe can be manipulated, altered, and the range of expansion increased with mindful practice.

The principle of Divine Compensation demands that in order for the universe to grant us access to the desires of our hearts we must be in vibrational alignment with the energy of those desires. Herein lies some difficulty. However, with mindful practice we can focus our energy, thoughts, actions, words, and lives in a manner which will cause our vibration to align itself with our soul’s purpose and we will be rewarded with the desires most eminent within our spirit.

One way of increasing our vibrational energy to a higher level is to quiet the thoughts of our mind and focus on connecting our mind to that of the Divine through meditation. There are many forms of meditation but one I have found most easy and effective is a meditative practice taught by Dr. Wayne Dyer.  You simply sit in a comfortable position, take in a deep breath, open your mouth and say “AH” (holding this vibration as long as your breath will allow), and repeat for approximately 20 minutes.

Here are some further suggestions for increasing your vibration to a higher level:

If you awake early in the morning and cannot fall back asleep, get up, light a candle, and meditate.

Take a spiritual/ritual morning bath in sea salt, essential oils, or your favorite soap and meditate or say morning prayers.

Spend some time reading sacred texts or books spiritual in nature.

Listen to mp3 audio books on topics that inspire you.

Do something you love to do for an hour or so.

Focus throughout the day on thoughts that invoke positive good feelings within your mind and body. (If you are not feeling emotionally well/happy/at peace this is a signal to you that you are not in vibrational alignment with your higher self/purpose and you need to replace your thoughts with ones that make you feel good).

Sing and/or dance in joyful celebration of your life.

Take a walk outside surrounded by as much nature as possible all the while being mindful of your breath.

Before falling asleep, recall your thoughts and actions of the day and tell yourself to remember what you dream.

When you awake try to recall your dreams and how they made you feel and try to understand the correlation of the activity of your dream to how it made you feel.

There is a vast array of ways for us to raise our vibration but just remember if what you are thinking and doing are not making you feel good, these are negative vibes and are not helping you to achieve what you have come to accomplish.

Until the next magickal moment, may peace, love, and light burn brightly within your hearts and may your vibes always be GOOD VIBES!

So much for the (Holidays) Holy Days…

Have you ever met a Christian who did not celebrate Christmas as Christ’s birthday? Weird, huh? Welcome to my world and I’m not sure I can adequately explain or if I even have to but here goes …

If you’ve read my blog, you know I’m a preacher’s daughter (which are rumored by many to be the worst) but, unlike most Christians who celebrate Christmas as a spiritually miraculous night in history when the prophesied Messiah was born of a virgin (half Holy Spirit of God/half woman), my parents taught their children that Christmas had nothing to do with the birth of a Savior and Messiah nor with some made-up fake Santa Claus who had a sleigh with flying reindeer that delivered gifts to nice children. And so it was the hard core reality to my brothers, sister, and me that Santa was nothing more than mom deciding if you were good enough to get your gun or game or the baby doll you dreamed of loving under the tree or if that Christmas you were to be so sick that you could only dream of tasting the candy in your Christmas stocking. I can only remember being too sick every Christmas to even imagine enjoying all the sweets.

As much as I revere and adore this holy day, it remains a challenge to me even after 50 years. SURPRISE!!! I am over half a century old and I still am having difficulties understanding all this.

But I have celebrated Christmas over the last 3 decades how I choose and that’s progression, I think (although almost always alone). Each day is what we make it – whether a holy day or not – designated or not – each day is what we make of it. Choose the day, choose your gratefulness, choose your holy day (preferably every day) but choose a day to honor and glorify the spirit within your heart. The true meaning to me of Christmas is not what I was taught – it is lovely and nice when mom and dad buy toys for their children who have been good boys and girls – but nothing can compare to the glory of spirit in all its rejoicing of knowing that the night Jesus Christ was born was truly a Holy Night. Blessed Be this Season.

The Spirit Within

The Spirit Within

Ever taken a survey? Almost every questionnaire will require that you specify your religion: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism; and many don’t even give that many choices. However, living in the 21^st century has afforded us the luxury of having a vast amount of ancient wisdom and teachings, as well as an oversized portion of propaganda, at our fingertips and, at that, almost instantaneously. Of course how we choose to use the Internet is a free will decision. But, if used wisely, it can become a gift of divine will. When used correctly, our free will and the decisions we make can open the doors and gates to divine will.

Well I have taken many, many surveys and the question still stumps me today. What religion am I? Well, I almost always answer Christian because I was raised by a Church of Christ preacher and his wife. Religion, in some respects, is business, so if we are asked this question to determine where 10% of our income may be going, then maybe it’s a useful question. But what I’m getting at is that we can be very spiritual, live a life that is set apart from the ordinary, and serve a higher purpose without adhering to the tenets of one single “religion” or belief system.

I believe in the spirit within that, when accessed by our conscious mind, is able to guide us to our chosen path so that our soul’s destiny may be reached.

So, what religion is behind Candle Charms? There are Christian candles, candles honoring the heroes of Hinduism and Eastern theology, Greek God and Goddess candles, Egyptian God and Goddess candles, candles dedicated to the legends of the historic Celts and even animal spirit candles. Many may ask the question, “Did she just get confused and couldn’t make up her mind?” The answer to this question is that I am a spiritualist, one of the most ancient of all belief systems, mysticism being the most often practiced form of worship within this temple, my temple, first within my heart and also within my home which has become an outer manifestation of my soul’s worship.

Do I pray the Lord’s Prayer, chant the rosary, celebrate Christmas and Easter, read the Bible and pray constantly to my beloved Lord Jesus? Absolutely and would recommend this to anyone. Do I light incense and offer food and flowers before Buddha and do I light a flame to the most ancient Hindu deities and honor the tradition of Japa, chanting, and meditation? Yes, daily. Am I so bold as to honor sacred Sabbats in Full Moon ritual? The answer is yes, yes to all.

The path of the spirit of Candle Charms is in finding unity, beauty, truth, and divine inspiration among the vast array of the choices out there. To honor divinity is to honor the spirit within that guides us and leads us to our own path towards our individual calling and destiny. We are given a gift through the powerful, loving will of our creator, and how we choose to honor Him or Her, or them, is a gift that we can use to give to the Light by becoming all inclusive when it comes to the Light.

Even within the esoteric realm of light workers, we will find differences of opinions and methods of worship which we may or may not feel comfortable being a part of, so the spirit within must prevail in love and respect instead of biased, prejudicial, judgmental attitudes.

In choosing to walk a spiritual path, our lives, lived through short and long moments, become our daily worship. Home becomes sanctuary but also a realm of worship/a temple. By retreating from the hum-drum of the world into moments of deep silence and contemplation, the sounds of our hearts beat like ritual drums invoking a transcendental state, where we can step out of time into a shamanic dance and trance which is self-healing at a core level.

By choosing to allow ourselves to receive the golden rays of God’s light of love, we allow ourselves to surrender to this love and trust it will lead us on the path that’s meant for each of us in claiming the destiny of soul purpose, rather than having to limit our choices based on religion.

May the spirit that is within you guide you to your soul’s path.

Until the next magickal moment, may peace, love and light burn brightly within your hearts.

(Photo by Z Tech Studios)