faith
Dare To Find Your Way Again!
Why should there be a yellow brick road? The answer is simple: everyone should have a personal path to Oz.
In the classic movie, The Wizard of Oz, after losing her way home, Dorothy was advised to follow the yellow brick road. Along the way, she was given a pair of beautiful ruby slippers. She was also cautioned not to remove these special shoes and not to lose sight of the yellow brick road.
There were times when Dorothy threw caution to the wind and walked away from the path. I recall watching scenes from the movie and holding tightly to the edge of my chair in anticipation of the perils faced by Dorothy. There was the Wicked Witch of the West and her army of dutiful, misguided monkeys. There were wind storms and spells in which day was cast into night. There was even a cranky old man who pretended to be the omnificent power of the Universe.
Much like Dorothy, each of us has faced difficult times in our lives when we have found ourselves without direction and far from home. Some of us have even forgotten where home was, while some never want to return. But within the metaphysical context, home is akin to the center within each of us that is the dwelling place of the soul, which links us to our life purpose and mission.
The Spiritual Counselor’s Vision
Many years ago, I encountered a vision of a smiling toddler. The child’s joy was overwhelming. As I hung out in a rim state of consciousness to see more, the image faded as quickly as it came. Several years following this glimpse, I found myself staring into a photograph of my best friend’s two year old daughter. I realized at that very moment that the vision I previously experienced was a foreshadowing of my closest friend’s daughter, who is now an adult.
Throughout her childhood, I continued to receive spirit messages about her well-being. As each one emerged, I shared details with her parents. One message in particular came to me during meditation. I envisioned her standing on the grounds of what appeared to be a prominent university. While I could not make out the name of the school, I could see old stone buildings that were situated atop a beautifully landscaped hill.
She was smiling in the vision, as she proudly stood with her backpack in place between her shoulders. I interpreted this vision to mean that she would someday attend a great university and that any anxiety her parents held with regard to her future would soon dissipate in the blessing of a perfect match between student and university.
Spiritual Power And Spiritual Practice
We are spiritual beings having a physical experience. This is important to remember when considering the nature of spiritual things. The root word for spirit is ‘breath.’ This means that every person that is breathing is equally spiritual.
Too often people think that there is a hierarchical system within spirituality; that some people are ‘more spiritual’ than others. This is simply not true. There may be individuals that have a more intentional spiritual practice, with more understanding, knowledge, or wisdom. However, this does not make them ‘more spiritual.’
The nature and purpose of spiritual practice is also something that can be misunderstood. Whether it be prayer, meditation, invocations, or other sacraments, these practices are not just to get what we want. It can be a byproduct of authentic spiritual seeking and practice, but in nearly every tradition, true spiritual power is often summed up with three principles: Love, Joy, and Peace.
All spiritual practices are intended to lead us to tap into these three qualities. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, Love, Joy, and Peace are the first of many “fruits of the spirit.” Authentic spiritual practice is meant to lead us to the experience of these three things.
The Truth About Manifesting
Spiritual seekers often ask, “Why am I struggling to manifest what I want? Why is it taking so long?” Many books and workshops on the Law of Attraction and the practice of manifesting, tend to give people the false belief that they can simply say something like, “I want a million dollars,” and then it will show up in their bank account.
I have attended many of these manifesting workshops in my lifetime, and I have watched many webinars on the subject. Most of them have one thing in common: the people leading them are charging a fee and are certainly making money. But I have yet to see their students achieve the same!
Manifesting is tricky. You have to learn to allow, and to keep your thoughts, your free will and your ego out of it. Manifesting is also guided by what you are meant to have, or the lessons that you are meant to learn from past lives, current or past karma, and even your desire to have it all ‘right now.’
We have all had experiences of thinking of a person… and then suddenly you run into them, or receive a phone call, text or email from them. Is it just coincidence, or is it synchronicity, or did you actually manifest it? Take a moment to consider this.
Finding Justice With Archangel Raguel
Often referred to as the Angel of Justice, the name Raguel actually means ‘Friend of God.’ However, Archangel Raguel is considered to be the overseer of not only justice, but also of fairness, harmony and redemption. It is his job to see that God’s will is done on both Earth and in Heaven. Furthermore, he wants you to have the best earthly experience possible. Here’s how to recognize when he is around.
Order In Chaos
Do you feel that your life is a little chaotic at the moment or not ‘in flow?’ Should this be the case, then you may well find that new ideas of how to turn chaos into calm, and thus bring a sense of order into your life, may pop into your head courtesy of Archangel Raguel himself.
Raguel is the leader of a band of angels otherwise known as The Principalities. This group of heavenly beings are known to assist others in the creation of order in their lives. They often do so by recommending spiritual practices, such as meditation, prayer, reading religious texts, connecting with nature on a daily basis, helping those in need, and attending places of worship – all of which would help them grow closer to God. Furthermore, when necessary, they may offer this type of advice to you.
When Your Inner Guidance Loses Direction
No matter where you are in life, you are never without direction. Within each of us dwells a special voice that serves as a compass. This instrument of higher direction is always poised to guide us, especially when we need it the most.
Some call this inner guidance intuition or a sixth sense. It has been written about in the sacred texts of multiple faith traditions, and is often described as a special gift that some are born with or develop through life, when one’s belief in the celestial realm is augmented by a deep faith. For some this gift is also said to be cultivated over time through diligent metaphysical practice and study.
Whatever the origin is for intuition, we can affirm that this manifestation is a gift from a realm of higher consciousness that is accessible in the here and now. We can also rejoice in knowing that each of us has a capacity to tap into this amazing ability to guide ourselves, and each other.
Magic And Manifestation
Every human being has powerful magic inside of them, and part of my job is to teach people how to use that energy. I understand that ‘magic’ is somewhat of a loaded word. So, let me re-frame it for you. Jesus called if faith and told us that with a small amount of faith we can move mountains. Buddha called it thought manifestation and explained that our conscious thought produces our reality. How we focus our energy will eventually manifest in one way or another in our lives.
One thing that concerns some people with this kind of talk is the idea of darkness, or evil. Darkness does exist, but I believe that it exists only as a catalyst to increase our vibrational frequency, if we are ready to do so. My personal belief is that darkness cannot stick if there is nothing for it to stick to. This is why when discussing lower vibrational frequencies the best action is to increase our vibration.
There is really no war of light versus dark. We can turn on the lights and then if there is something that needs to be cleaned up, we can clean it up. The darkness does not struggle when the lights come on. It just goes away. For nearly all problematic circumstances our primary goal should be to change our consciousness and increase our vibrational frequency.