Spirituality
The Transformative Power Of Silent Meditation
Spirituality is perceived in the East with many similarities to what is believed in the West, but with an entirely different way of talking about it. For example, in terms of Easter philosophy a person’s individual identity is not their ego.
Identity is the journey of self-discovery that consists of affirming one’s individuality and being able to express everything that we are. This can be achieved through meditation, prayer, or various other spiritual and recreational practices that clear the mind through engaging in an activity that soothes us and brings us into silent contemplation.
Silence does not detach us from our soul essence. On the contrary, it allows us to be fully present and completely ourselves, without the limitation of words and actions. It is not aimed at denying our true spiritual nature. On the contrary, it is a time of authentic self-awareness and beingness.
Different Buddhist traditions refer to the natural state of mind as a state of enlightenment. In the Sanskrit and Tibetan traditions, we also find terms that speak of a clear, open mind. In Tibetan philosophy, enlightenment or awakened energy is called byang-chubs – literally purity and wholeness.
Being calm, at ease, and silent constitutes a state of mind that would happen naturally unless something is bothering us. These internal obstacles cannot be blamed on others or our external reality. Life is always complex and rarely calm.
In fact, these obstructions are seen as being nothing but habits, the result of karma, that obstruct the free and unconditional luminosity of the mind, like clouds that cover the sun on a summer day. Karma does not mean punishment. It is the result of previous actions. They are the result of what we do and what happens to us.
Setting Intentions Successfully
I have discovered at different times in my life how powerful intention, when guided from the heart, can be. Again, more recently, I experienced this when it was important for me to manifest some prosperity for my family and get my own health issues back on track.
I was specific in setting my intention regarding the amount of money I needed to manifest in order to meet my family’s needs. I also set the intention to attract to me the information which would help me heal and return my sense of well-being.
Intention is a motivational force of energy and it’s a force to be reckoned with when our intention is for the highest good of all individuals involved. When we set our intention, we are focusing on positive visualizations and affirmations to help steer our lives in a desired direction.
I see intention as a process of becoming, a desire, or a longing to achieve a specific result. When you wish to help bring about better circumstances for others, and your intention of wanting the best things to happen for them, it works like mass prayer.
Every morning, before I begin work with clients, I stand in one corner of my work room and set the intention for the day by asking my spirit helpers to assist me in helping others on their pathway through life, and to help me to help customers find clarity and direction with their pressing concerns. Doing readings and healing with good intention works wonders, because one has the best interest of the client at heart, as opposed to working purely to make money.
Actually writing down your goals make them feel more real. In other words, ‘if you see it, you will believe it’. It is more than likely your goals will change in time, and as you surpass them you will be making new and higher goals. There are plenty of negative people (often relatives), who say this is not the time to dream, including the media who say it’s time to be realistic. Granted, we have to be sensible and make reasonable arrangements to meet our worldly commitments, but the greatest challenge is our ‘attitude’ about reality.
Finding Comfort In A Healing Circle
It seems like every day is a psychic adventure. From the moment I wake up until bed time my brain is working psychically. Except sometimes, when things do not go according to plan – then I know something must work out karmically.
My health is not always the best. It is funny, with my illnesses; I never expect them to come on the way they do. When I was younger, I was always healthy as a horse, because I was a dancer practicing three or four hours every day. I also did readings, and I waitressed for breakfast and lunch in restaurants. I was very strong and active, and for many years there were no sick days for me!
My psychic mentor, Grace Cade, was a reader and also a healer. She looked at me one day and said, “Go and see a doctor, because I see a blockage inside of you.” At first she said it looked like the problem was with my heart, then she said it is the gallbladder. I was not sure what to think, but she turned out to be right thirty years later, when I had to have a gallbladder operation and some surgery on my stomach too. I also had spots on my right kidney.
At the time, I prayed to the Mother Mary and Saint Raphael, the greatest healer. I also continued to attend the healing circle that was established by Grace. We are a group of people who found each other through this healing circle. We worked together in past lives. I feel we are all connected spiritually, and always will be. Grace always said anyone who requests the help of the circle and needs it will never be turned away.
My father had a bad stroke years ago and he wasn’t expected to live. My mom thought I was fantasizing too much, but I called my healing group. We took about a half hour with him, praying, meditating and sending a beautiful light energy to him. He was in the hospital when this took place, but psychically he was in the center of our circle. Well, he did heal up very nicely, faster than any doctor thought he would, and he went to live for another 15 years.
Stones For Metaphysical Use
I use stones to change the mood in a room, to set intentions, to retain information, to direct energy, to shift patterns. The ways to use stones are as many as there are stones.
You can use just one, or a combination to get just the right results. You can put them on a charm bracelet, in a bowl, on the coffee table. One time, I wire wrapped 30 of them and hung them from a foot-high Yule tree in my tiny studio apartment.
While I was learning how to use stones, I hit a tough time in my life. One night I decided to go out with some friends and on the way out the door grabbed a stone from the table, didn’t know why, didn’t ask. During the evening I felt what I can only describe now as a shift in balance.
When I got home, I was listening to my answering machine and got to a message from someone I had just disconnected from. When I counted back the time, I realized he made that call when I felt the shift, and the stone I grabbed was a star ruby, which is useful in psychic protection.
My home is littered with crystal balls, polished and unpolished quartz crystals, amethyst clusters, geodes, and all of them have their own story.
Here’s the list I currently use to decide which crystals and stones to use. This is a work in progress, and I’m constantly adding to it. Use it to make some memories of your own.
AGATE (variety of colors and tones) – Strengthens body and mind; facilitates chakra work according to colors of stones.
ALEXANDRITE – Aids external and internal regeneration; soothes the nervous system.
The Transformative Power Of The Moon
Does your energy change for better or worse when there is a Full Moon? Every person has some notion of what a Full Moon means to them.
When the Moon is full, it has an energy pull and charging capability that is unlike the new or quarter moons. During a Full Moon, I usually find it difficult to sleep – no matter how hard I try. The energetic pull is powerful. This is when my mind is most active.
A Full Moon is in fact the best time to open yourself to receive healing or spirit messages, to recharge your energy, or set intentions for manifestation to transform your life for the better. Crystals can also be put out under the Full Moon to charge them up and bring new life to them.
The Full Moon is a time to breathe in the good, release what does not serve you, and allow the Moon’s energy to take lighten your worries and lessen your burdens. A simple clearing ceremony becomes ‘super-charged’ under a Full Moon. Write down what does not serve you: your hurts, your disappointments, your anger and so on. Then burn this list outside, under the Full Moon, while asking the Universe, Source, God, Spirit, the Divine to cleanse the energy from your being.
I live close to a lake and when the Moon is full, no matter what time of year, it reflects off the lake in its various hues and colors. I always take a walk to the lake to allow this energy to feed my soul. It uplifts my spirit and makes me smile. Gazing at the beauty of the Full Moon brings new energy to you if you do it properly.
The next time there is a Full Moon, venture outdoors, look up and contemplate her beauty and power. Ask yourself, how do you feel standing there under the Full Moon? Ask yourself what you want to accomplish or change in your life? You need not do anything further. The manifesting and healing powers of the Moon will carry your intentions forward.
Moon Transits In Your Daily Spiritual Practice
There are many additional ways to apply Astrology in a spiritual lifestyle beyond the customary horoscopes and birth charts. For example, following the lunar transits is one of my favorite methods for working on my personal growth and spiritual development.
The Moon is the fastest transiting planet of the Zodiac, as it moves into a different sign every two and a half days. The Moon’s monthly journey through the constellations, enables us to reflect on the qualities and pertinence in our charts of each of the twelve zodiac signs.
How does one use the energies of lunar transits as a guide for personal and spiritual growth? In my work as a professional astrologer and psychic reader, I have found the following aspects useful:
Natal Chart
Do you have a strong natal Moon? How is it aspected? Have you struggled with any emotional issues in your lifetime? A Natal Moon with a lot of squares and oppositions can predict issues such as emotional lability and impulse control. Gaining insight into one’s struggles through astrological interpretation can help a person find spiritual healing.
Also, consider the transiting Moon’s current aspects with your natal chart. Is the Moon, for example, in a conjunction with your natal Mars? This aspect may create an emotional need to connect with your inner warrior on that particular day. Or perhaps the Moon is transiting your midheaven sign today, which is the highest point at the top of your chart that says, “I’m here!” to the world.
Karma, Dharma Or Lesson?
Karma is defined as the sum of our actions which will determine our fate or destiny. I choose to see karma as a reprimand from the Universe. We can see how people who are uncaring or cruel in their words or actions will suffer a fate similar to the those they have been unfeeling towards.
A good example of this is Scrooge. Mr. Scrooge was a slave driver, never had a good word for anyone, saw the worst in every situation whether it benefited him or not. The ghosts who came to visit him in the night showed him what his fate would be because of his thoughts and actions.
Dharma is defined as the principles that regulate the cosmic order or purifying the souls of human beings. I choose to see dharma as the other side of karma. That’s not to say that karma is negative, but that dharma is more positive, and the more we strive for the positive, the more we live in the light, the more we align with the Universe, the more dharma we incur. The easiest way to incur dharma is to live your life in a “’ it forward’ sort of way. Do for others just for the sake of doing, not for whatever you think will come to you because of your good works.
Then we have lessons. I believe that when we choose to be born, we contract with deity, spirit guides and certain people to learn certain lessons while we are here in this life. A lot of times, the relationship is karmic in nature, a situation in a past life that you need to do over, and most of the people involved now were involved then.
I’ve discovered in my years of reading people that we learn the best about ourselves, our limits, our feelings, our capacity to love, while in relationships with others. Whether sibling, child, parent, co-worker or mate, the lesson learned in the relationship will shape the way we deal with others for the rest of this life, and possibly into the next life.
