Keep On Shining

Oftentimes we (and this includes me!) take people, objects and very special things for granted, and we forget to share them. I realized this today in regards to my sharing of an extremely uplifting, inspirational and free online movie. Perhaps others may not have discovered this movie or had someone forward it on to them I considered. Perhaps it was time I shared this movie...a no-brainer!

Thus it is that I am bringing this shining movie to your attention. It's called Light Movie Don't let the simple title fool you for this is a profound movie--short and to the point. It was created by Mary Robinson Reynolds, and I've been inspired by her for some time as I long ago joined her mailing list and receive her newsletter.

Here are a few quotes from the movie that I really adore:

"You don't need the world's permission to shine the light on the dark."

"Light is injured by nothing."

And the theme of the movie: "Just Shine Your Light."

May you live long, shine your light and thrive!

Technorati Tags:Light Movie dot com, Mary Robinson Reynolds,Movies Online, Shine Your Light

Divine Mother....from the Archives

Artwork courtesy of Josephine Wall

Journey To The Beloved

A number of years ago I attended a re-birthing workshop with Sondra Ray. Sondra is considered by many to be one of the early pioneers and authorities of this technique. She had spent many years studying in India with a man who claimed to be the latest embodiment of Babaji, and through the years studying with him, she had become an ardent devotee of Divine Mother. On the final day of the workshop, she created a puja with an invocation to Divine Mother. Each of the workshop attendees were provided with a bag of flower petals and a piece of paper that listed the 108 names of Divine Mother. With each name called-out, we threw flower petals towards the direction of the beautiful altar which had numerous statues of many forms of Divine Mother, candles and other sacred objects. The total invocation lasted perhaps thirty minutes.

After completing the invocation, we were told to make a bed on the floor to lie upon and begin our final re-birthing exercise. For those who aren’t familiar with re-birthing, let me share with you: it is a special breathing process which alters your consciousness. Quite often emotional issues which have long been buried within the psyche surface to be expressed and released. Thus the technique clears the nervous system, and from my multiple experiences using this modality through the years, I have received immense benefits from it. Re-birthing can be done in groups (as ours was that day), or it can be done individually. Facilitators of this technique attend you, and they encourage you to keep breathing and keep going, whispering in your ear, and nurturing you through the often times emotionally charged experience.

On this occasion, and perhaps because of the invocation to Divine Mother, I had an amazing visitation/merging with Divine Mother. She had been successfully invoked for me, and even as I write this many years later, I have chicken skin! In my altered state I could sense Her Presence moving through the room. The love was palpable, and Her extraordinary loving, unconditional loving essence filled the room. I cried buckets of bhakti tears (tears of joy) and merged with Her. The download I received was that She was merging with every person in the room, and that She had never left any of us for she was everything and everyone. She said that when I opened my eyes, I would see Her everywhere.

Thus it was when I eventually began to come back into my body, I opened my eyes, rolled over to look at my neighbour re-birther (who had been a total stranger to me when we had laid down on the floor), and I saw Divine Mother looking back at me. Even though I had been told by Divine Mother this was to be, the 3-D experience of actually experiencing Her eyes in the eyes of another person blew me away. I began crying again. And the experience continued as I walked around the room! Divine Mother kept gazing at me through the eyes of one and all. To say this experience was a turning point in my life would be putting it mildly! Even though I was still in a somewhat altered state, the experience of Divine Mother in all went far beyond the intellectual comprehension of God/Goddess within us all. Many philosophers have speculated upon the 'shattered mirror' concept which is: everyone and everything are shards of this same being which was shattered-- perhaps for the experience of exploring the adventure of duality or perhaps because of a cosmic catastrophe or for other more diabolical reasons. In any event, many people throughout history have had outrageous experiences where they remembered unity and reunited with Oneness. This experience is sometimes termed Cosmic Consciousness. This experience inevitably changes a life, as it did mine (once again) that day. Since that time, I have had other experiences of remembering unity and Divine Mother. Two years later, I wrote about another life altering personal experience and revelation I titled “Precious Precious.” As it is so easy to do, I fell back to 'sleep' and fell back into the separation game. Falling asleep and/or remaining 'asleep' is where most of us habitually 'live'.

FAST FORWARD: I am on a train traveling to Machu Picchu, Peru in the summer of 2000. The train is packed with a cross-section of people: backpackers on their way to trek the Inca Trail to the fabled Crystal City of Machu Picchu, Peruvians, and international tourists enroute to multiple destinations.

My emotional self was troubled, and I was attempting to process specific, disturbing experiences. Across from me sat an attractive mother and daughter who spoke only Spanish, and since my Spanish was limited, I didn't communicate very much, nor was I eager to as I wanted to be left alone with my thoughts. The Mother and I smiled at each other whenever our eyes met.

As the train moved into a warmer climate, people began shedding their layers of sweaters which had provided warmth for chilly Cuzco, the city we had recently departed. As mentioned earlier, I was dealing with emotional issues, and as I was doing so, I prayed to Divine Mother to help me. I noticed the friendly Mother had taken off her multiple sweaters to reveal a bright green t-shirt that read (in double!) Precious-Precious! My mouth flew open, and I began giggling about this synchronicity. This was my 'aha' moment, for the message on the t-shirt was my response from Divine Mother related to my prior experience with "Precious-Precious".

I gazed into the Mother's eyes, and once again, I saw Divine Mother looking back at me with such amazing compassion and love that words can not come close to describe. Once again, bhakti tears of joy streamed down my face. I remembered Unity and remembered there is Only Love and all else is illusion. For the remainder of the three-week pilgrimage, I was whole and One-Self.

Technorati Tags:re-birthing, Sondra Ray,Divine Mother, Peru

Healthy Food For Babies

Knowing what junk and toxic substances are in mass-produced food in America, it's heartening to read that Homemade Baby in Los Angeles is producing homemade baby food that is freshly prepared, nutritious and certified organic.This company delivers to homes in the Los Angeles area, ships to Las Vegas and has it's own Tasting Room where babies can sample free food. I discovered this wonderful resource on the blog Rookie Moms, a blog by Los Angeles Mom's Heather and Whitney. They have come up with one activity a day to challenge them and try something new. In the process, they discover healthy resources and fun things for mommies and babies to do together.

When I was a young mother (many a moon ago), I always prepared my own fresh nutritious baby food and never used Gerbers baby food or packaged, prepared baby foods. I used a simple food-grinder which allowed me to easily

grind food to the right consistency. As well as grinding, I juiced carrots, fruits and vegetables, and thus, I introduced children to healthy eating from the get-go. It's my belief that if chidlren's tastes get accustomed early to nutritious, healthy food (as compared to candy and junk food), they have a head start on leading healthier lives.

Technorati Tags:Homemade Baby, Rookie Moms,Blog Jolt, Blog Traffic

Health News of The Week

Photo: terragalleria


These are the Three TOP alternative health articles of the week in my opinion:

The Ten Top Things Food Companies Don't Want You To Know

Major Win For Alternative Medicine

Water Shortage A Global Problem

Technorati Tags:Alternative Health News, Water Shortage,Courtroom Win, Food Companies

Turn Around The Life/Death Cycle

I received this funny email, but the author wasn't named. If anyone knows who wrote this, please inform me, and I'll give them credit. I couldn't resist posting this for multiple reasons.

Life Cycle

I think the life cycle is all backwards
You should die first, start out dead and get it out of the way.

Then, you wake up in an old age home feeling better every day.

You get kicked out for being too healthy; go collect your pension, then, when you start work, you get a gold watch on your first day.

You work 40 years until you're young enough to enjoy your retirement.

You drink alcohol, you party, you're generally promiscuous and you get ready for High School.

You go to primary school, you become a kid, you play, you have no responsibilities, you become a baby, and then,

You spend your last 9 months floating peacefully in luxury, in spa-like conditions......central heating, room service on tap, larger quarters every day, and finally you finish off as an orgasm.

I rest my case.

Technorati Tags:Life Cycles, Life,Death, Orgasm

Spiritual Must-See Movies

Artwork courtesy of Josephine Wall

I received an email today with the trailer(s) for the upcoming movie (due to open in theaters nationwide Oct. 27) Conversations With God. This movie looks so good! As most of you probably know, Neal Donald Walsche was living the life of a homeless man when God began speaking to him and he began writing down what God said to him. The end result was a book publishing deal, many follow-up Conversation With God books in print and an amazing turn-around in his life. NDW is now an inspirational speaker and awesome spiritual teacher to millions. This is just the cliff notes mind you. Read the books and see the movie for the real deal.

2006 has been THE YEAR for the release of spiritual movies made from best-selling spiritual books. The first movie I saw was "Celestine Prophecy" from the book of the same name by James Redfield! Loved it!!! Go HERE to see trailers and all sort of other goodies about the book and movie.

Then came the film "Peaceful Warrior" from Dan Millman's book with the same name. ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!! Here are the theaters nationwide where you can view it.

Now if they finally end up making a film from one of my favorite writers, Gloria Wendroff of Heaven Letters fame, I will be overjoyed. Making a film from her God-letters might be a little more challenging, but I don't see why not! The dawning of the Now Age is a-happening! I didn't make a spelling error with the word NOW. I prefer this spelling as there is a somewhat negative connotation with using the word New Age. Actually NOW is a very positive word, and just like the title of the book "Practicing The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle, there is incredible power in the now.

Technorati Tags:Peaceful Warrior, Conversations With God movie,Celestine Prophecy Movie,Heaven Letters

Passion AND Purpose

About a year ago I signed up for one of the free teleseminars that I'm constantly being offered through email. This teleseminar was with Jack Canfield, the well known self-help guru, coach and author of many books including the ultra-successful series Chicken Soup For The Soul. At the time I signed on for this teleseminar, I needed some pumping-up, inspiration and direction. And Jack really delivered! No wonder he has been so successful at coaching and writing. He knows his stuff.

One of the tools I received from listening in to this teleseminar was this: write down twenty one (21) goals you have on index cards and read them consistently for twenty one days. Apparently there has been scientific research that proves this technique works to successfully alter your thinking/programming. Since first employing this technique, I have experienced wonderful changes in myself and in my outer world. I highly recommend it. Reading these cards before going to sleep is especially powerful as the information goes with you to your unconscious where most change begins.

Self-help books abound in my home, and I am drawn to those with tips and ways to improve myself. Of course, I subscribe to many online newsletters of this ilk as well, and I have discovered a new website Passion Meets Purpose through the Blog Jolt group of which I have now signed up for her newsletter. Hey, what can I say, but I love to be inspired by those that have it going on. And certainly Coach Kammie does!

In Kammie's last posting on her Passion Meets Purpose blog, she asks three questions, and so I am going to answer them here. First, Kammie asks, "What inspired action steps are you taking to follow your own brick road?" Second question: "What tools do you need to get on track?" Third questions, "What could you do today to step more fully into YOU?

And the answers are: #1. I am staying focused on creating new blogs and my writing. I created two more blogs this week, and some may say that my blogging has become excessive, but so far, I find that with each new blog, a different part of me finds expression. Creating blogs and hooking up with others online brings me so much joy. My new blog titled Wailea Daily Photo is allowing me to see the many cities of the world through the eyes of multiple photographers. Even though I am certainly not a professional photographer and have zero desire to become one, I have a passion for photography and marvel at gorgeous photos by others. With this new blog, I am now linked up to all these marvelous photographers--how khool is that?!

The answer to question #2 is: I could use a digital camera with more megapixels, at least eight. Thus, I am shopping online and comparing prices of various digital cameras. Having a camera with more pixels would allow me to do a lot more things and submit photos to certain online sites that require a higher megapixel.

And finally the answer to question #3 is: When I speak to others, I am not going to hold back anything. I will speak from my authentic self and feel unfraid of how someone else might perceive my remarks or chosen words. I will be the most honest me I can be in any given moment, and especially with myself. There's an expression which is very popular and for a good reason. It is, "Get Real!" There is something fabulous about a person who is authentic, transparent, and with zero agenda for people pleasing that appeals to others. And so it is! And so it will be! And so it is me!

Technorati Tags:Blog Jolt, Passion Meets Purpose>

Image Wars

It's very clear to me that the 21st century wars are fought as much with images as with explosives, guns and other lethal weapons. Yes, Image Wars are now the name of the game for images have penetrated to the core of our society through media. There's probably no place on earth where images are not making their presence felt. Images are utilized for propaganda, marketing, publicity and politics. There recently was a major news article about faked photos in the latest Mideast conflict between Israel and Lebanon. The reason for these photos: The Image Wars. How does one sort- through all the hype and images of the Matrix? How can one not buy-into this manufactured reality? How do we free ourselves and others from being 'sucked-in' by images? These are profound questions we need to consider.

In certain high profile areas such as glamourous Los Angeles, for instance, where Image Is King, stepping into this image-conscious-world from the mommy-world is an eye-opener for the blogging-mommy of Fish and Family. Thus, I read her latest posting on Fish and Family where like Alice in Wonderland she steps into the alternate universe of the rich, famous, beautiful, trendy, and celebrated as she travels to the sophisticated shopping mall called The Grove. This alternate-Grove-world is promoting the curent HOT images in the Image Wars and comes complete with the paparazzi stalking the celebrity shoppers and a television show being filmed about the ultra-celeb Beyonce by Tara Banks. How does a Mom living in another reality with small children meet & cope with this world? Read her post to understand her reflections.

Article from the New York Times "An Impressionable Age" to consider.

Technorati Tags:image wars, family,consumerism,blog jolt

Alternative Health Newsletters & Sites

For many a year I have subscribed to free alternative health newsletters which offer a different opinion than what you might read in most mainstream newspapers. I offer you some of my favorites to check out:

1. Crusador Blog with a free newsletter subscription offer and interesting articles by many authors

2. Dr. Mercola with a free newsletter subscription offer and the latest alternative health news followed by Dr. Mercola's insights and opinion on this news with other related links

3. Thrivetribe Sage Stewart is always on the cutting edge with new health products, information, articles, and affirmations.

4. The Women's Pharmacy Dr. Susan Lark is one of America's most trusted alternative doctors for women and an authority on rebalancing your hormones for radiant health.

5. Global Light offers a free newsletter, interesting alternative health articles and great products. Check out their new straws!

6. See Clearly Again Dr. Gottlieb created a method to see clearly again and read without glasses.

7. Dr. Janet Hull offers a free newsletter and information about the dangers of aspartamae and splenda.

8. Flourish Wellness offers a free newsletter and alternative health news and articles.

Jump For Joy

Hoorah! The Carnival is Coming To Town and To This Blog!

Expresion of JOY is the most powerful evidence of thriving!

What I Love About Blogging is the theme for the Blogging Chicks Carnival:

1. I get to write as much as I want and have instant gratification with publishing!
2. Blogging is a dialogue, and it's better than a monologue which would be a website.
3. I love to see how others dress their blogs....such AMAZING creativity!
4. Bloggers are extraordinary, creative beings which I have been having the best time getting to know. Now I have an even wider circle of friends.
5. My world is enriched by sharing and by participating with others through blogging.

May you all have a thriving, joyful weekend!

Motivating Moms To Move

Photo: terragalleria

I always have to laugh when I read the answers which so many thin women celebrities with children respond with when interviewed about their slender (or even skinny) figures. These answers are generic and nearly identical, and they read something like this: "I am always running after my children. They keep me in shape." You must have read these responses and wondered WHY is it their children keep them in such good shape whereas your own children don't! Hmmmmm...... What is their secret to being so slender and fit?

We may never know unless we become a fly on a wall in their homes, BUT Sarah Zeldman of Solutions For Busy Moms has come up with a great solution in her August 1st posting on her blog. And it's as simple as this: Motivation is delivered right to your computer! Sarah suggests a podcast called Motivation To Move which helps her and others to follow through on their exercise resolve.

Exercise may be on many of our "To Do" lists, but somehow other things intervene...like children, family, phone calls, must-do errands, and...well, if your lists are like mine, they are long ones! I get great satisfaction on marking through them as I accomplish each one, and then I throw the list away! Done! However, if all-out exercise is on this list, this is the one task that often gets shoved aside by me because of matters of higher priority even though I know HOW VERY IMPORTANT exercise is for health and well-being.

Sarah is a Life and Business Coach, and so she knows how to find ways to inspire people and keep them on purpose. This is a great suggestion she made--a coach called Scott who motivates you admidst all the distractions. I haven't tried it yet, though I am adding this suggestion to a list.

My girlfriend G. recently gifted me a two-week pass to her gym which I will be forced to follow through on because how can I turn down a gift? G. is a bona-fide 'gym rat' and keeps in great shape. One of the classes she is enrolled in at the gym is a "How To Strip" class, and so come next Monday, I will be peeling off several layers of work-out clothes to disco music under the tutelage of a strip teacher and a full-on stripping, rocking-out class. Gulp! Talk about motivation to work-out before I even attend this class!

Since we have a lot of fresh delicious pineapple here in the Hawaiian Islands, my plan is to eat a lot of pineapple chunks. Pineapple is known to be a great cleanse and helps one to loose weight. Some of my other get-fit- before -Monday- resolutions: take a long beach walk this weekend; use my in-home treadmill and elliptical machine; and get down on the floor with my chi machine to move my chi. I purchased this chi machine many years ago, and it still works perfectly. Everyone I know that has a chi machine or has tried mine loves the relaxing feeling it brings as their body undulates back and forth. Some people say it helps them to loose weight too, even though they are just lying down and undulating. This may indeed be the perfect solution for a frazzled Mom after chasing the kids around, exercising and taking care of business!