childhood
Put Your Phone Down, And Start Living!
I was blessed to be born before the arrival of the Internet and smart phone technology.
It was a time when kids were playing outside all day, and we often did not want to go home, because we were having too much fun.
It was also a time when people still connected with each other in person, and on a deeper level. It was a time when we lived life in a much simpler way.
Since then the rise of digital technology, smart phones and social media seemed like it happened overnight, and everyone was instantly hooked, including myself!
It was exciting, because information was now ‘just a tap away.’ Communication was faster and easier, and you could ‘connect’ with just about anyone, anywhere, anytime.
But then social media and smart phones came along, and before we realized what hit us, it began to gradually cripple our ability to focus, to truly connect, to be present in the moment, and to be in touch with our spiritual nature.
To make matters worse, we started comparing our lives to others: friends, enemies and idols… only to diminish our sense of self-worth.
Last weekend, I was playing the board game Monopoly with my teenage son and his best friend. His friend seemed unable to put his phone down and pay attention to the game. I asked him why, and he said it was because he was addicted to knowing what others were doing, and that he didn’t want to feel “left out.”
Calming The Stormy Waters Of Your Inner Child
I walk on the beach daily, near my home. In fact, I often walk multiple times a day. This is my meditative and contemplative time, to reflect and see what areas in my life I can improve or change, what areas are working well, and what shifts are going on.
In the morning, the water can be as smooth as glass. This represents true peace, clarity and reflection.
In the afternoon, the water can have three-foot to ten-foot waves, and the beach space that was so abundant in the morning, is gone. This represents the turmoil that is happening in my life and on our planet, or just what comes and goes in the daily news.
In the evening, the water settles down. It’s not quite as glass-like as in the morning, however it has a small and calming wave. This represents all the cleansing that happened during the day and the cleansing that is to happen through the night, bringing me full circle to another calm again in the morning.
This daily spiritual practice brings me a sense of awe in how the water and nature can take something so beautiful and at times turn it into something so destructive and ugly. It is so close to human nature!
When we are born, each one of us is a beautiful soul. No matter how we were conceived, or how we came to be, we are born an innocent being and all we seek initially is the love of a parent, and to then continue to be loved as we grow in our life.
My Mother’s Prayers Still Carry Me
I still cry when I hear that beautiful song Mamma by Claudio Villa.
Growing up on a small island in Central Italy, I remember my mother’s daily prayers and all her sacrifices. Those examples have always followed me. They are still my daily support and strength.
I cried today in church as well, while singing the Ave Maria. My lovely mother Margherita passed in the early 90s and although she is not with me physically, she is here in my heart, supporting and guiding me from above. She has been my spiritual guide since my first girl was born and I named her Margherita too.
I always loved my mother’s name, which in Italian is the name of a flower known as “Daisy” in English.
It was during that very difficult pregnancy that my mom came to me for the first time. She spoke to me and I knew her when she walked into my room. I smelled her perfume. She loved the Vele Al Vento fragrance and I that way I knew she was there for me.
Being almost 40 years of age, going into a first pregnancy was scary. I had many medical problems. It was a difficult time and I needed her so much, and she was there for me and always reassured me I was having a beautiful baby girl.
Yes, I did not need the ultrasound to confirm this, she had already told me! When I held my bundle of joy, my first words were: “Grazie Mamma per la mia piccola Margherita,” meaning “Thank you Mom for this lovely flower.”
Set Your Soul Free With The Power Of Forgiveness
I remember watching The Greatest Story Ever Told with my mum and dad when I was a little girl, way back in 1965. The film is a classic biblical epic that dramatizes the life of Jesus of Nazareth from the Nativity through to the Crucifixion and Resurrection.
For me, the most harrowing scenes were those of Jesus on the cross, praying and asking God to forgive his executioners because “they know not what they do.” As he was mocked and tortured, enduring unimaginable pain, he made this simple, yet extraordinary request.
I remember wondering: how can someone even begin to find forgiveness at such a moment? And why would Jesus want to forgive those cruel torturers at all?
For Jesus, dying was not only about salvation; it was also about demonstrating unconditional love for humanity…even for those who condemned him.
He was embodying the very teaching he had shared so many times: to love one’s enemies. His plea for mercy on behalf of his executioners remains one of the most profound examples of that teaching in action.
In this way, Jesus stands as the ultimate role model for forgiveness, tolerance and unconditional love, even in the darkest hour.
But how can we possibly follow such an example in our everyday lives? And what are the true benefits of doing so?
Give Yourself The Grace Of Forgiveness
If you are an empath you may believe that forgiveness should be easy for you, or at least easier than it is for others. But I’ve spoken to many empaths and highly sensitive people over the years who all struggle with forgiveness.
One of the main issues with forgiveness for the empath is that we feel another’s emotions intensely, literally as our own. This muddies the waters considerably, because it tends to blur boundaries. Blurred boundaries can often lead to a closed mouth for an empath. Why? Because it is difficult for us, especially in childhood or in romantic relationships, to know where we end and another begins.
It is easy for others to manipulate appropriate boundaries with an empath, or to erase them altogether. All the empath knows is that there is pain, sadness, a sense of frustration, or anger. If you are an empath, then the question becomes are you angry with them, or yourself? Should you have been able to foresee the catastrophe happening, the relationship ending, job imploding, and so on. This leads to self-doubt and the rehashing of incidents that occurred years ago…with no resolution.
In the meantime, every time an empath thinks about the situation, past or present, we feel it…and the cycle continues.
Yes, you are empathic, intuitive, even psychic, but that does not make you immune to being human, neither does it make you all-knowing or all-seeing, especially when it comes to your own life, childhood or relationships.
My Grandfather’s Selfless Gift Of Love
Cherubic looking, my grandfather had a round face that was quick to reveal his kindness and empathy. He was just as fast to tell a joke, which he frequently did.
His tummy always shook when he laughed out loud… like Santa Claus. He was a little, round Irish man that doted on me when I was deeply in need of this level of parental love and nurturing.
It’s not too bad a story, as stories go. I was simply born to a couple of kids. My mother and father were naive country folk, and very young. Much too young to be responsible parents.
I think that children back then, especially at those tender ages, were even younger than their years, as compared to today’s worldly young people on TikTok. The world was a little more naive then, compared to today.
Anyway, when I was a baby, my parents left me with my grandfather, for him to raise me. From what I know this arrangement was not forced on him, he volunteered.
He passed away when I was 23 years old, and he was only 62.famil
Granddaddy didn’t want to go, and I had experienced so little loss in life at that age that, even as I watched him slowly slip away, I wasn’t quite understanding the process. I realize now that I simply couldn’t imagine my life without him. My grandfather and I were togetherness personified. I was his hero and he was mine.
Take Out The Toxic Trash With A Self-Love Meditation
I’ve been teaching meditation for over 30 years now, and it is something that has been widely misunderstood. It has also been hijacked by people with nefarious, materialistic agendas.
Meditation is not about emptying the mind or having no thoughts. Rather, it is about removing and replacing negative thoughts, repetitive patterns, abusive programming from childhood, and conditioning imposed by sadistic or wounded individuals.
Meditation is about inviting God, Spirit, Source, the Divine back into the heart, soul, and mind.
When we are children, everything begins with love. Children are eternal optimists, even when they have been traumatized.
But almost every child encounters at least one parent, relative, teacher, classmate, or authority figure who is abusive. These individuals attempt to rid themselves of their own overflowing toxicity by dumping it onto others: verbally, emotionally, or physically. Their words become programming, much like a computer virus.
Meditation is designed to replace that negative programming. Instead of hearing “you are worthless” looping in your mind, meditation allows you to consciously replace that tape with “I am loved.”
Think about the hurtful words that were spoken or screamed at you as a child. Then, during meditation, repeat the opposite.