Give, Give, Give

Summer 2010 came and went so fast, I can't even believe it. It's already Halloween and retail stores are clearly focused on getting through that and heading straight into their busiest, most profitable season, Christmas.

I just want my Summer back.

I really am a Summer baby. The sun hits my face and it makes me stop, pause, breathe deeply.

Winter tends to draw me into myself futher...a hibernation of flesh, body and spirit if you will. I really need another Summer right now. It's been such a stressful year and Winter promises, based on today's winds and leaf blowing, to be long, dark and cold. I pray it's not lonely too. That, can be too much to bare sometimes and I do get lonely, even with all my work and socializing. Do you ever feel like that?

That's why it's so important to surround yourself with people that understand and get you. Recognize the spirit of a person that is negative, or compulsively selfish, or self loathing, or all of it. They may tend to take you down with them if you're ill prepared.

There are a lot of good people struggling right now, for various reasons.  Praying for one another, lifting each other up, going out of our way for our neighbor...these are the types of things that are edifying and worthwhile.

Try not to pay too close attention to what someone else has and what you lack. Be grateful for all that you have, for your clarity, for your ability to help your neighbor.  If you look closely at you're life, you will see that you are richly blessed and have more than enough and probably enough to help someone else in need.

Everyone needs friends, family, and a community to share and communicate with. Reach out into yours.  Help the homeless.  Help the hungry.  Share your wealth and knowledge and prayers and time. 

Give, give, give.

It all comes back to you in the end.

Live To Learn

"I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well."  Diane Ackerman

Life has so much to offer, not just in it's longevity of days which at times feels like it could last forever, but in it's subtle width that if we're not careful, we'll overlook.  We sometimes tend to carve out an existence and get into a groove that can be repetitive and dull.  We may stay the course even more since we've carved out that path but why?  Maybe because it seems easier to stay the course rather than to try and make a new way.

That reminds me of driving down an old country road.  Sometimes, there are grooves in the road that can actually interfere with your ability to drive in a straight line.  You pop out of the groove and then you sink back into it over and over until you just give up and stay the course until a better patch of roadway pops up and when it does, you're relieved especially when you realize how hard it actually was to stay inside the groove.  Turns out it's much easier to come out, stay out and charter a new course rather than stay inside the groove of that which you clearly do not fit into any longer.

But how do you know when something 'doesn't fit' any longer?  I guess it depends what 'it' is.  For me, whenever I was on a road that was either coming to an end or starting to get into a sticky groove, 'it' had something to do with my mind, my body or my spirit.  I realize that covers everything, as it should, but God in Her mercy always would present me with one challenge at a time, albeit a tough one.  I would come to recognize the area that I needed to change and would draw from my past experiences to devise a plan of attack or action or whatever the situation called for. 

For instance, I quit a terrible, cigarette-smoking-addiction cold-turkey over seven years ago and never looked back!  Yeah, that's a big one and I'm quite proud of it.  When I realized that that part of my life needed to fall by the way-side, I made a conscious, deliberate decision to stop smoking.  I prayed about it, received the grace to change my habits immediately and made a plan to succeed and then, I stepped right out of the groove of addiction onto a new path of freedom and I paved my new way.  I stayed the new course and have had a lot of success with it.  When looking back, I realize that it all worked together for the good.  All of the thinking and decision making and habit changes all worked together to help me gain the success that I had envisioned long before I decided to quit.  I had a goal in mind and I pursued it with all that I had, and I was and still am successful in this regard.  It parlays itself into other areas of my life and helps me to be successful when I set the course in my mind first and then act accordingly and build on my past successes.

But, that's a pretty simple example, I suppose, when it comes to major life changes or challenges in life.  I've had many more difficult ones but the simple principle of the above example really does play itself out in a way that is very useful.  Deliberate action brings deliberate results when planned and executed, right?  At least one can only hope. 

Life sometimes gets a chuckle out of the way we over-simplify it.  We think we've got it all figured out and then the 'rug' gets pulled out from underneath the deep groove we've made for ourselves.  We think we've 'seen it all' and then we get an eyefull of something we've never, ever seen before and that makes us go - uh oh.

I have tremendous respect for the true mysteriousness of life and for life force energy.  Just look around you at all that lives, breathes and grows.  It truly is amazing, magical and precious that we are all part of this magnificent, life-force frequency-emitting-orchestra sending energy simultaneously to each other and beyond. 

We're doing all of this without ever even trying.  We're mostly unaware of the energy that we emit to one another and we are mostly unaware of how insync and connected we are to everyone and everything.  We have the ability to change our state of mind, our circumstances, our health, our relationships, our karma, our state of being, our world.

We can take a bad situation and turn it into something wonderful.  We can use our past experiences to learn from them and to teach others that perhaps there is a better way to live.

Once we embrace the notion that everything is temporary, and all life eventually transcends into something else, we can embark on a journey of respect and mindful elevation that brings the spirit into a love pattern that creates a groove on a much higher plane.  A groove that does not limit or restrict, but broadens and helps growth.  Love is the vehicle I believe, to enlightenment, to change, to health, to spiritual, mental and physical wellness.  You must love yourself first, then you can see fit to love others.  Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew:

3"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

You really have to love yourself in order to discipline yourself.  The Bible also says that 'the body is at war with the spirit', so it stands to reason that you would need to discipline yourself at times, to say no, to not give it whatsoever it desires and to keep your body somewhat pure to inhabit the grace of God.  Hmmmm.

The body is the temple of the Spirit of all creation.  In my humble life, I have come to learn that.  Sure, I've heard that said before but it was not until I reached a certain level in my spiritual life that I realized certain things about the body and the mind.

And what have I learned?  Quite a few lessons along the way, most of which I wouldn't trade for all the world.  What good is the world if you've not figured out a way to truly navigate through it. 

I thought that life was a little less fragile than it actually is.  I thought that life was a little more predictable than it really is.  You only need to be rushed to the hospital once or hear really unexpected news about a friend or a loved one to appreciate that.

The challenges that sometimes lay ahead are not for the faint of heart.  You need to be as prepared as you possibly can be and then hope, pray and work really hard for the best outcome.  You know the expression, put your best foot forward.  It may sound corny but believe me, warriors wear armour and train for a reason.  A battle can sometimes be just that...a war or a confrontation with something in your life that stands to take from you that which must not be taken or that which you must freely give...like your life.

Death, illness, destruction, war, hatred...these are real things in the world and we must be prepared to deal with them if and when we happen upon them. 

On the contrary, I want to be ready for sunshine and flowers and a salt-filled ocean breezes, but those things seem easier to prepare for. 

You can never really be prepared for some things in your life, but most things perhaps.

Be Careful Little Ears What You Hear

Truth.  It's just how I live my life. 

Unfortunately, there a lot of players out there in this world. 

From corporate America, to the governments of the world, to religion and it's faithful followers, to marriage and the vows of monogamy, to those who are wise in their own conceits, the corruption and lies are rampant.  I always knew there was a better way.  Did I lie when I was younger to keep myself out of trouble?  Yes of course, but there comes a time when you put childish ways behind you, you mature and you deal with consequences - you do not run from them as a child might.

1 Corinthians 13:11

"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me."

What good does deceit do anyway?  Do you really think you're sparing someones feelings by telling little white lies?  Do you really think that the truth will not eventually come to the surface?  What is this illusion surrounding us?  Why do we think that we can say one thing while our entire being is saying something else and no one will notice?

Are we so ignorant to believe that we have mastered this life and we have it all figured out - and 'lie till you die' is a real option?  Are we that weak?  Are we that superficial?  Are we that lazy?

Do we loathe ourselves so much and are we so self sabotaging that we've convinced ourselves and now, we're even believing ourselves - our lies, our half truths? 

How did we get this far off course?

Using British Petroleum as an example....BP is insane. 

Insanity and all it's glory looks something like this: 

BP really believed that the ocean is so vast that it would and could hide their little indiscretion. 

BP really believed that this oil spill would be a minor hiccup in their profit margins.

BP really believed that they were in bed with the right parties, so any indiscretions could be overlooked.

BP really believed that YOU would believe anything they told you.

BP and the government and the federal judges and the truth are a long, long way from the surface.  BP really believes you are not paying close enough attention to figure this one out...until now.

This article is taken from the Associated Press - Saturday, June 6, 2010:

and this is the headline:  Many Gulf Federal Judges Have Oil Links

MIAMI – More than half of the federal judges in districts where the bulk of Gulf oil spill-related lawsuits are pending have financial connections to the oil and gas industry, complicating the task of finding judges without conflicts to hear the cases, an Associated Press analysis of judicial financial disclosure reports shows.

Thirty-seven of the 64 active or senior judges in key Gulf Coast districts in Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida have links to oil, gas and related energy industries, including some who own stocks or bonds in BP PLC, Halliburton or Transocean — and others who regularly list receiving royalties from oil and gas production wells, according to the reports judges must file each year. The AP reviewed 2008 disclosure forms, the most recent available.

Those three companies are named as defendants in virtually all of the 150-plus lawsuits seeking damages, mainly for economic losses in the fishing, seafood, tourism and related industries, that have been filed over the growing oil spill since the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded April 20, killing 11 workers. Attorneys for the companies and those suing them are pushing for consolidation of the cases in one court, with BP recommending Texas and others advocating for Louisiana and other states.

A Washington-based federal judicial panel is scheduled to meet next month to decide whether to consolidate the cases and, if so, which judge should be assigned the monumental task. The job would include such key pretrial decisions as certifying a large class of plaintiffs to seek damages, a potential multibillion-dollar settlement, whether to dismiss the cases and what documents BP and the other companies might be forced to produce in court.

The AP review of disclosure statements shows the oil and gas industry's roots run as deep in the Gulf Coast's judiciary as they do in the region's economy. For example, one federal judge in Texas is a member of Houston's Petroleum Club, an "exclusive, handsome club of, and for, men of the oil industry."

Federal judicial rules require judges to disqualify themselves from hearing cases involving a company in which they have a direct financial interest, and some Louisiana judges have already done so. For example, U.S. District Judge Mary Ann Vial Lemmon in New Orleans, who reported ownership of BP stock, issued an order in early May that the court clerk not allot cases involving BP or related entities to her docket.

Another New Orleans jurist, U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier, said in court Friday he is selling his oil and gas investments — which included Transocean and Halliburton — to avoid any perception of a conflict. Barbier is presiding over about 20 spill-related lawsuits and some attorneys are recommending that he be chosen to oversee all cases filed nationally.

Still another judge in Louisiana, U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon, recused himself because his attorney son-in-law is representing several people and businesses filing suits against BP and the other companies over the rig explosion.

In many ways, the financial conflict rules are murky. For example, a judge does not have to step aside if the investments are part of a mutual fund over which they have no management control. Mere ties to companies or entities in the same industry, no matter how extensive, also don't require disqualification, according to legal experts.

"The specific rule forbids judges from hearing a case in which they have a financial interest. The more general rule forbids them from hearing cases in which their impartiality might reasonably be questioned," said Charles Geyh, an Indiana University law professor who has closely studied judicial ethics.

So a judge like U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval of New Orleans would not have to disqualify himself even though he reported royalties from "mineral interest No. 1 and No. 2" in Terrebonne Parish, La., on his 2008 forms. Likewise for Senior U.S. District Judge William Barbour Jr. of Mississippi, who listed at least 30 oil and gas interests in three states including "McGowan Working Partners" and "Petro-Hunt Bovina Field," both in Mississippi.

Some judges have close ties to the energy industry that aren't for financial gain, but could still raise questions of potential bias.

The judge BP wants to hear all of the spill-related cases, U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes of Houston, for the past two years has been a "distinguished lecturer" focusing on ethical issues for the 35,000-member American Association of Petroleum Geologists.

Hughes is not paid a fee but does receive reimbursements for travel, food and lodging, said association spokesman Larry Nation. Hughes has appeared at petroleum geologist meetings in several Texas cities, in New Orleans and also in Cape Town, South Africa. He is scheduled to give a lecture later this month in Calgary, Canada, the oil and gas capital of that country.

"Under the circumstances, I can see why the questions are being raised," Nation said. "But one of the reasons Judge Hughes was chosen to be a lecturer is that he is known as a very ethical person. I would think his being an ethics lecturer for our organization would be a positive, not a negative."

Hughes said at a hearing Friday that his work for the geologists poses no conflict and that his other oil and gas investments — which include royalties from several mineral rights interests — are not connected to BP or the other companies involved in the spill lawsuits.

Florida attorney Scott Weinstein, whose firm represents charter captains and other companies suffering economic loss from the spill — including the owners of the Ripley's Believe It or Not museum in Key West — said people might think it's unfair for BP to win its wish with a Texas judge rather than one seated in Louisiana or Florida, where the spill's impacts are greater.

"I would never assume that a judge is biased because of the jurisdiction that he or she sits in," Weinstein said. Still, "if this case winds up in Houston, many of the victims will feel very distant from where that justice is being handed out. It will not make sense to them."

Another Florida plaintiffs' attorney, Stuart Smith, was more blunt about the companies' aims.

"They would get much more sympathetic judges and perhaps a more sympathetic jury," Smith said.

In court papers, BP says that Hughes has the "experience and capacity" to handle the lawsuits and that Houston is the ideal location because most of the defendants' companies have headquarters or major operations there. BP spokesman have repeatedly declined to comment on pending lawsuits.

Some attorneys have come up with an unusual assertion: import a New York federal judge with a strong background in environmental lawsuits to Louisiana to preside over the cases.

They are recommending that the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation appoint U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin. Scheindlin presided over settlement of some 200 lawsuits brought against BP and other oil companies over a toxic additive called MTBE that contaminated drinking supplies nationally — and she has no oil and gas investments, according to her financial disclosure forms.

Attorneys with the Weitz & Luxenberg firm in New York said they recommended Scheindlin rather than a Louisiana judge because "most or all of the judges in the (Louisiana) district have a conflict and cannot preside" over the consolidated cases.

Scheindlin's deputy said Friday she was out of town and unavailable to comment on whether she would accept such an appointment.

The judicial panel meets July 29 in Boise, Idaho, to hear arguments on consolidation of the oil spill cases. Recommendations also have been made for sending the cases to Alabama, Mississippi and South Florida.

Wow.

What have we done? 

Do you think this bird wants to hear BP tell it that everything will be okay and the damage to the environment will be temporary and that they will clean up their mess? 

Do you think this bird will believe them?

I don't.

No New Thank You

My bones are still tired from all of the "Spring cleaning" I did yesterday. I could see the day coming off in the distance for weeks before it got here. I could see it and I could hear it. It would say "gotta clean out my closet", "gotta put away the winter clothes and take out the summer clothes", "gotta straighten out the linen closet", "gotta do the floors (all of them)" "gotta wash the windows", "gotta go through the drawers and under the sinks", etc., etc.

Suffice to say that mostly all of it got done and today I feel my age. I'm moving a little bit slower than I was yesterday. Nothing a few days of yoga can't fix if I can squeeze it in. Lately, I've not had the time to do it 'all' so yoga has suffered and so have I. I have made it to the park though and out of all of the things that I do, that one seems to be the most important. I must take time out to reflect and exercise and walk in the park. It centers me as does meditation and yoga and cleaning, as it turns out. The ritual of cleaning and organizing and reducing clutter and waste...it is important to me. It's necessary. And I'm really okay with it. I've been asked several times to hire someone to come and clean my house and I did it when I broke my arm a short 10 months ago, and it was helpful. But I'm so much better now and I can do it myself and I need to do it myself. I'm not just surface cleaning...I'm going through everything. Eventually, like my life, I hope to have no clutter.

Yesterday I realized that over the course of my life, I've accumulated a lot of 'stuff'. Stuff that I really don't need so as they say 'out with the old'.

As far as 'in with the new' ... no. No new thank you. I'm making space once again (unless we're talking about shoes, then - okay, let's see 'em - shoes make me feel good)!

It felt so great waking up and realizing that finally all of 'those' chores that called to me from afar were now ghosts. Quite an accomplishment and a good feeling. I'm interested in good feelings lately...the more the merrier. I mean, you "gotta" clean right? But you gotta have fun too!

Life is so fragile and short. "In this world ye shall have tribulations, but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” Jesus said that in John 16:33.

Simplify so that you have less worries about less important things.

Joy and laughter come easier to those with less worries. How can joy emanate from a worrisome soul right?

Don't get me wrong. We all go through life's most amazing challenges. We all struggle with chores, with work, with family, school, bills. We're not unique in this way.

We're unique in how we overcome these challenges. Being positive is underrated. Being truthful is underrated. Being healthy and fit is underrated as is being spiritual or Godly.

The Dalai Lama was here recently. He says things are improving. I am also hopeful and pray that the world becomes happier and in turn, we become kinder to one another.

We can all afford to clean up our acts a little bit, inside and out, be better, smile more. Don't you think?

There are a few more things I see in the distance coming into my reality. I can hear them too. They're saying things like "what about the garage", "what about the basement"?, "what about the "OTHER" closet"??? Yeah, I still have some work to do. But today?

Today is Sunday. A day historically, symbolically and spiritually expressed in giving praise to God and resting. The former I do constantly, and the latter well, I shall begin after these very next key strokes.

Be love, be light and while there is still breath in your lungs, get out there and have fun!

(This post was written last week...I haven't been posting because I'm having difficulty posting pictures and I'm frustrated not being able to do that...suffice to say, I posted this because it's better to post without pictures than not to post at all).

love love love

I Cherish The Day

I cherish the day and deep breaths that I find myself taking.

I feel like I've been working non-stop, and it's such good work that I can't and won't complain. Truth be told, I have nothing to complain about and why should I be looking for something to complain about? I'm healthy, I'm working, I'm prayerful, I'm alive...funny how our society can be so bitter that we look for the problems instead of the blessings.

If we spent more time focused on blessings and light, we wouldn't even notice or realize that there were any problems. I've been working my whole life on one thing or another, but I don't think I've ever enjoyed it more now. Perspective perhaps.

God knew what I needed way before I did because I landed in quite a sweet spot. I really do have what I have because God has given it to me. I will always give God the glory for all things in my life, good and maybe not so good. Bad? Nah. Challenges? Yes, definitely. Some seem quite insurmountable, "seem" being the operative word here.

Things are always only what they 'seem' to be, so why shouldn't I see them as moveable?

I believe that all things are possible through Christ, through the light of God, through the universal life force energy that we are, so I believe that nothing is impossible.

I realize with that thought process, it's much easier to 'cherish the day'. Most people do not think this way I've come to find and I'm not quite sure why not, but speaking only for myself, I do have a large amount of faith in that which I cannot see.

Scripture says that to each a portion shall be given and I think it's important to respect that portion and develop it into more. So, through my portion of faith I truly believe that I can make a difference. I truly believe that I can manifest anything that I want if I work hard enough at it and if God is in it and for it. If God be for me, who (or what) can be against me?

In my life, I can testify that if God was in it - my path was made straight and direct. Sometimes miraculously so, especially with this most recent acquisition of blessings in my life. Just a humble job, but is there really any such thing?

Perspective.

For me, I imagine it, envision it, feel and sense it - it's there if I want it to be - the possibility that is and when I focus on that and play with that - the universe and God get in line with it and bless my circumstances to bring that which I am manifesting into reality. Can you hear me?

The rest? Well, there are many parameters when it comes to the power of attraction but let's just say that if you need a friend, and you envision a friend, and you pray for a friend, you just might get one.

I overcome and I learn so much about myself in the process of dreaming, hoping, growing and learning some hard life lessons. I've always had growing pains, I've been here before and I'll be here again as long as I have the desire to be the best I can be in my spirit first, my mind second and my body last, but certainly not least (and I know that on some level all things are equal).

I realize that refining is a continual process and because things have changed so drastically for me in my personal life recently, I know from experience and living this faith filled life that there is so much more that I can't see that I'm growing into, that I'm manifesting, that God is giving to me.

I believe in balance. I won't be afraid.

Life is what you make of it.

Light The Way

I took a long ride recently with some good friends down to West Virginia. It was a fun trip although the weather was horrendous. We've had so much rain here in New Jersey and we thought if we went south it would be better. It wasn't.

It pretty much rained the whole time we were there, but on the way back home, this appeared in the sky.

Coincidence? I doubt it very highly. I see rainbows everywhere all the time. Rainbows, shooting stars, miraculous wonders of God's mercies and love reminding me that I am not alone, there is hope, there is an amazing power source available to all if they only embrace it.

I am living my life embracing that which brings light and illumines and I saw this as a direct sign to my heavy heart.

You know I've had a rough time of it, who hasn't? But, I'm looking forward toward that which guides me toward righteousness, love, peace, kindness, calmness, humbleness, even-mindedness, balance, centerdness and I'm hoping that this sign is the beginning of things turning around for the better.

Change is at the door.

I have a new job. I am considering moving, where? I'm not sure yet. I am considering changing just about everything in my life - except - my foundation. My love of God, and my love of love will never change. Or at least I should say, if it does change it shall change for the better. With God and love there is always growth and healing - the kind of change we embrace even if it hurts a little bit...after all, when the rain stops and the sun comes out, amazing things can happen.




This light that shines is not just for me, it is for you too. I can see it in your eyes if I look closely enough and I pray that you can see it mine.


Genesis 9:13
I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

Inner Pearl

Here I sit trying to decide just how much of my inner pearl I want to share with you. Life, it seems, has thrown me another curve ball to deal with, this one having to do with more emotion than one person should have to handle.

Interesting since working with energy has so much to do with emotion. As soon as I became involved with Reiki, unresolved emotions from my past, fears and concerns about my future and the present unsettled moment kept coming into focus. The time to clean house had come whether I welcomed it or not. This was a good thing, though at the time, quite gut wrenching.

I dealt with all of it, so I thought.

The lessons I should've learned from some past similar experiences have come around full circle. Truly, what goes around comes around. Even if you try your hardest, sometimes somethings are coming for you and they're going to hit you squarely so take them when they come so as to avoid repeat fire.

I've taken this one squarely.

I'm still standing and I'm emotionally wounded, but I'm beginning to heal and move forward. It may look like I'm standing still, but if you look closely you will see that progress is being made.

What is the elephant in the room you ask? Well, I really don't want to get into specifics, but I will say that trust is something that I value, that and truth now more than ever.

I feel that I am a very trustworthy person. I have been known to say that I am a safe bet. Why? Because I know the value of the truth. It's priceless. When no one else will speak the truth - when the whole world has convinced itself that to lie is better than honesty - I will be there saying 'hell no'. I can't help it. I'm not even known to sugar coat. Personally, I think I've gotten better at it - telling the truth that is.

Perhaps when I was younger I needed to express 'my' truth - even at the expense of other people's feelings. I've since learned to be more sensitive than that. I was young and learning. Now, I'm seasoned and have had enough of life's experiences to know that the truth can set you free and really hurt - so be gentle with it - but, speak it at all costs.

Which brings me to trust.

One of my favorite things to tell my cat Cricket, a.k.a. Crispy Whispy, is that she is 'safe, loved and protected'. I tell her that because she clearly has anxiety at times from some kitten hood trauma she had experienced before I rescued her. I've had to convince her for the past ten years that she's safe. She's loved. She's protected. She's starting to trust me I think after all these years, but she still has a lot of anxiety. I've had to build a relationship of trust with her. I work really hard at it. My heart breaks for her since it's such a deep rooted emotion for her not to trust.

I can so relate to that. I've had my share of disappointments as it pertains to my relationships. I had to learn to trust again. Which I did. Until now. Again.

Now, I'm going inside where there's stillness, and quiet and clarity and remembering what Jesus said about humanity and that He knew what was in 'us'. I think He was speaking of the fact that sometimes people will let you down and take your trust and make you regret giving it away. Let's be clear. It is a risk - trusting. Where I come from anyway.

It is a risk but one that I am willing to take. I believe in myself and in the core values that make me who I am. I believe in faith, in trust, in truth, in love.

My eyes, however, are wide open. I've seen enough in my humble life to know that not everyone has your best interest at heart. Sometimes, you have to figure things out for yourself. Protect yourself. Make sure that you are loved, safe and protected, by yourself! I trust me. I am a sure and safe bet. I will not let me down.

That is a good place to start. Again.

'Try Reiki' Dr. Oz tells millions on TV

This is too incredible not to post. I've only posted a few times in the past several months, and here I go posting twice in one day. Go figure.

This story was forwarded to me yesterday from a Reiki website. By the way and co-incidentally, Dr. Oz successfully performed open heart surgery on my dad several years ago and before he had his show. I remember shaking his hand at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York, he glowed as most surgeons do.

Check this out ----->

Dr. Mehmet Oz, a renowned cardiovascular surgeon and host of the third (or possibly second) most popular syndicated television program in America, this week introduced millions of viewers to the natural healing practice of Reiki as part of a program on alternative and natural remedies. The Dr. Oz Show included not only a segment featuring a demonstration by Reiki author Pamela Miles, but an emphatic recommendation to "try Reiki" as the #1 "Oz's Order" at the show's conclusion.

In a related (and unsurprising) development, the audience member who received a brief Reiki chair session from Miles told Oz and his viewers (an estimated 3.5 million people) after only a few minutes of Reiki that her headache was going away.

By week's end, the Reiki segment of the show had made its way to YouTube, where it found even more viewers. Click here to see it for yourself.

Oz, whose wife, Lisa, is a Reiki Master, called Reiki "my favorite treatment that could change the future of medicine forever." Reiki was the last of an assortment of featured alternative remedies, including mud baths, herbal remedies, aromatherapy, yoga, saunas, and cupping.

"If we put cupping in the hybrid category between biomanipulation and energy," Oz said as the Reiki segment began, "It provides me with a good segue to what I think may be ultimately the most important alternative medicine treatment of all. And we are embarking on this whole new vista of opportunities, it broadens dramatically the spectrum of where we might be able to go in our bodies, and this is the area of energy medicine." At that point, the camera pulled back to reveal Pamela Miles and the audience member.

"And joining me today is Pamela Miles," Oz continued. "Pamela has actually been to the operating room with me where we have done Reiki. He pointed out that, like Pamela, "my wife Lisa is a Reiki master, so when the kids get sick, or when I'm out of sorts, she actually comes by, I can't even tell when she's treating me, sometimes she secretly treats me, if she thinks I'm in a bad mood" -- everyone laughed -- "and I see hands moving around, but I actually feel the heat."

As the session began, Oz asked Pamela to explain a little about Reiki.

"Reiki is a balancing practice," she said. "And so rather than addressing the headache or whatever else is the problem, what it does is it influences the person's overall system toward balance, and then as her system becomes more balanced, symptoms tend to fall away. Then over time, for example, if you get headaches, you may find that you get them less frequently."

"Do you feel anything?" Oz asked the Reiki recipient.

"Yes, my headache's going away," she said.

"Let me show you why I think energy has been overlooked," Oz continued, turning to reveal a large microscopic image. "This is an image of a cell. And it's beautiful, isn't it? You see that cell there, and it looks colorful, and look at the blue pattern on the outside. That's the membrane of the cell. That blue area on the outside differentiates life. Because it separates no energy on the outside from energy that's present on the inside. So if you think about it in that way, if the membrane of a cell keeps an energy balance between inside and outside, which is what defines life, if we put those cells together, into an organ, shouldn't the organ have energy? And if you put those organs into a body, shouldn't our bodies have energy? And so many of the ailments that we suffer from can be treated through energy therapies, which will become become much more prevalent over the next few years."

At the show's conclusion, Oz did his usual "Oz's Orders" segment: "Here are the three things I want you to remember from today's show. First off, try Reiki. This alternative medicine treatment can manipulate your energy and cure what ails you." And he recommended that viewers boost their metabolisms and check their blood pressure. "Those are my doctor's orders."

*** www.thereikidigest.com

Beauty For Ashes

As far as blogging goes, I've not been great at posting on a regular basis. It's not that I don't have the time or that I don't have something to say, I do most days. I guess life just gets complicated and my attention can only move towards that which gives me energy on a more immediate basis. Don't get me wrong, I love this blog and I'm amazed at how much I've changed since the first entry. I am definetly not what I used to be, but then again who is?

This blog is a testament to my life or at least what I choose to share about it. You must know that I keep really personal stuff close to the cuff because being completely transparent scares me, but what I learn I usually do try and share. I'd like to think that that's what my life is about or at least that's what this blog is about, learning and sharing, but there are so many people 'out there' that are not listening so I wonder sometimes what the point is?

Have you ever felt like that? Like no ones listening? Sure they hear, but the deep understanding that brings change, healing and life...is that message falling on deaf ears?

I mean, humanity has learned so much on this planet and we're still at war with one another. We war on all levels. When we're not out and out killing one another with weapons we're killing each other with lies and deception. What becomes of all this?

Scripture says God will give us beauty for ashes, but there are just too many ashes wouldn't you say? At some point, wouldn't God say "Okay, people! I thought each of you might burn one thing and sense the destruction and forever banish the burning"! "I thought you would learn from each other's mistakes". "But you've chosen to make bon fires four times a day to destroy that which I have built up, get behind me Satan!"

We've made sport of it now.

Destruction for destruction's sake?

Are our hands dirty?

Is anything sacred anymore?

Well, of course the answer is yes, but you have to search for it sometimes. God, and the peace that transcends all understanding, is something you must earnestly search for. You must be in attendance, in prayer, in contemplation, in silence, in stillness so that when the trials and tribulations of this lifetime come clearly into focus, you can stand firm on your foundation of truth and not waiver in the sight of such confusion.

Beauty for ashes? Of course. If you think hard enough you will see that your life has always been about that.