spiritual lifestyle
The Babysitter’s Near-Death Experience
While I was working out at the gym one day, I saw a little old lady who used to babysit me and my brothers when we were little children. I will never the wonderful times we had with her. She was always making it so much fun. She wasn’t on the phone all the time or watching television. She wasn’t ignoring us kids like so many of the other babysitters my mother sometimes hired for us.
When I spotted her and her daughter in the gym, I walked over to greet her, and told her that I remember her very well. I also thanked her for giving me some wonderful memories and teaching me so many valuable life lessons. The one thing I specifically remember her telling me was to always be careful about what we “put into our minds.”At a young age she had already made me realize that what we think about can either help us or harm us. I have always held on to that wisdom in my life. Because it is truly worth more than gold.
One time, I asked her how she knew so much about things. She looked at me and said,“Moon, you know what, I died once.”
“What? No way!” I responded. I went to catholic school growing up, and near-death experiences were certainly not the kind of thing we were learning about in class.
“Yes, I was in the hospital,” she continued. “I had a major operation and I could not wake up afterwards.” Apparently, she had flatlined during surgery and they had struggled to revive her.
“I am very lucky to be here,” she said and then shared some very interesting things with me about her near-death experience (NDE). I still remember that when she first left her body her parents were both there to meet her and she could hear loved ones on the other side of the tunnel having fun. I also remember she said she felt like a ball of light at the time and that it felt so good. The next moment she was being pulled back into her body. Continue reading
The Spiritual Path Of The Wandering Nomad
A recent chat with a relative about my plans for the future reminded me of a first cousin who once remarked on my nomadic lifestyle, “You really don’t seem to stay in one place for more than ten minutes!” A friend once also pulled my leg about needing to buy a new Rolodex, because I was filling hers up with all my constantly changing addresses from all over the world (those were the days before contacts could be more easily stored on a smart phone).
According to Astrology, I was supposed to get settled early in life as a Cancerian, by creating a permanent home and haven, and having a family with several children. Well, this was never the case. I thought the desire to settle down might come as years passed, but it never happened.
I also never became broody. I would become motherly over a puppy, kitten or other young animal, but I never felt the desire to have children of my own.
Over many years of personal growth and spiritual exploration, I have gained a deeper understanding and greater clarity regarding the choices I have been making in this lifetime.
Astrologically, for example there is a strong Gemini influence in my natal chart which is contributing to my restlessness, as well as Leo fueling my creativity and my sense of determination. I am not am expert astrologer by any stretch of the imagination, but the way it was explained to me by a professional astrologer made perfect sense.
A past life regression session also revealed that I had conceived many children in previous incarnations and that the desire to have offspring of my own this time around was not a part of the blueprint.
I found the matter particularly challenging when I was younger. I would be dating a wonderful guy who really wanted to settle down with me and longed to have a family, but the mere thought of having my wings clipped by marriage and motherhood was always unthinkable to me. So, many good relationships ended because we really were not on the same page about settling down and having children.
Dream Big This Summer!
Summer is a perfect season for welcoming happiness. It brings out a spirit of joy in everyone. Invitations arrive in the mail for outdoor parties with friends, beaches officially open, and outdoor markets beckon with fresh produce, conversations, laughter, and music. Summer is also the culmination of the seeds planted during the early spring. It is the season when connections are made with friends and loved ones and a time for renewal and self-love.
As we witness certain events unfold these days in our cities and towns, some positive, some troublesome, and some with more profound lessons that stir our souls, we must hold fast to the joy that summer promises. We must not be discouraged. The world’s weight can be a heavy load to carry, but the burden does not belong to us as individuals. It is time to change the station on your internal radio, and replace the gloom and doom with a deep resonance of peace.
In choosing light over darkness, we signal to the universe that a shift has occurred in our minds and spirits. The universe will respond with similar energy and usher in our lives more love, joy, forgiveness, peace, solitude, and all we desire.
Each of us can live a life free of heavy anchors that only serve to weigh us down. Each of us can soar high above the mundane world that challenges our hopes and dreams and sometimes sends a message that our most important goals do not matter. Do not allow anyone or anything to stand in the way of manifesting your heart’s desires!
This summer, I invite you to create a vision board with your most precious dreams, boldly outlined from border to border. Place a photograph of yourself in the middle of your vision board and connect your desired outcomes to your photo, like tree branches.
Let Us Be Kind To One Another
We live in a strange world where we place so much importance on who we know, what we own, what we be believe, who we vote for, and (as silly as it is) what we look like. Instead, we all should be placing more value and importance on how we treat one another, and not be so unkind, selfish, and judgmental. Not to mention all the distractions created by modern technology and materialistic pursuits.
It is very hard for anyone to be truly spiritually aware and live a life of higher consciousness in today’s mad world. Living in a holy way, like the Saints of the Catholic faith, is almost completely out of reach these days. The Saints got it right first time around, and they are an example of how to live in a selfless, ‘do unto others’ kind of way.
We will ultimately be held accountable for every thought, word, action and deed. I think it is very egotistic to think that all that is needed is one lifetime around and then ‘ta-da,’ you get granted entry to eternal bliss. Just for claiming your are religious, a ‘good person,’ or spiritually ‘evolved’? Never! Doesn’t work like that.
Do you consider yourself a saint? None of us are. I certainly don’t consider myself one; not by a long shot. But one does notice the self-righteous attitudes of some among us, like they are better than the rest. Spirit doesn’t condone that kind of pride one bit.
Faith and spirituality is indeed a personal choice for every person. But there are some undeniable, eternal truths and universal laws that apply to all of us, no matter what we choose to be believe or who or what we worship.
For me faith and spirituality is about believing and doing what the Bible recommends. But it is not just about attending church services on Sundays, and then going against God’s Word the other six days. It’s about being humble, being pure of heart and mind, and being kind to one another. We are all connected and until we begin treating everyone as our neighbor we shall know no lasting peace or harmony.
Finding The Light Within
When we rely on codependent, toxic relationships, materialism and possessions, and other superficial sources of ‘fulfillment,’ it creates a weariness within us. It weighs down the soul. It drowns out the inner light.
Material things and human beings by nature cannot be perfectly reliable all of the time. Material items deteriorate and lose their luster. Friendships and relationships come and go. All that ever truly remains is spirit, and what we do to take care of ourselves. As the world is in dismay in the wake of a pandemic, we can choose to turn to spirit and to take better care of ourselves instead.
While others may choose to descend into lack consciousness, greed or an attitude of entitlement, we can choose an attitude of gratitude, inner peace and joyful living instead.
We have a tremendous opportunity right now to expand our spiritual growth and to empower ourselves with self-care. Many folks don’t realize how useful taking just a few minutes out of their busy day can be!
Adopting a new daily spiritual practice, or simply reading an inspiring book, taking a soothing bath, or buying an aromatherapy diffuser can be uplift the spirit and heal the soul.
There is also crystal energy work, nature walks, prayer, and meditation by a body of water to enhance our joy and connect with the Creator who envisioned all this and brought it all into being.
What we can’t control, we can simply turn over to a Higher Power of our understanding. We can surrender to hope and joy, and let go of our fears. We can say, “This does not have to happen on my timeline, let Your will be done in my life.”
The Hidden Blessings Of Retrograde Reflections
During the most recent Mercury retrograde, there was a day when my phone simply stopped working. I signed onto Psychic Access to do readings, but my landline failed to connect. Later that week, something similar happened. My landline was now working again, but when I tried to sign on to Psychic Access to start my shift, I was unable to connect. Technical issues twice in one week. I felt like I was going to lose it!
Planetary retrogrades are prime times to experience setbacks and frustrations. This has been especially true over the past two years due to the pandemic. Vibrational energy across the planet has been very low in recent times.
It is vital to stay calm, centered and grounded during retrogrades, and to not be too hard on oneself. Retrogrades are times for reflection, validation, and analysis of how we may improve ourselves. It’s a time of seeing where our personal energy frequency may need some adjustment. Opportunities for healing, growth and self-care abound if we take the initiative!
Carving out a little ‘sanity time’ each day is paramount. Time to oneself provides clarity and purpose to reflect upon personal growth and life’s lessons. It also gives us the opportunity to make lemonade out of lemons; something sweet out of life’s sour and bitter. In time, the sweet joy of our ‘spiritual lemonade’ can be served to the world by being of service, while inspiring our family and friends with our courage and perseverance.
To gather my thoughts after the two missed work shifts on Psychic Access, I decided to take time out for a walk. I love walking, but due to persistent back pain that has been plaguing me for years, it’s an activity that I fail to do on a regular basis.
But the retrograde setbacks with my phone line led me to start walking again. I had to start slowly, and it took some time for me to regain the necessary physical strength, but now I thoroughly enjoy my daily walks in the great outdoors. What a lift for the spirits! Thank you retrograde.
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.