spiritual traditions
Raising Your Vibration Changes The World
When I was a Yoga teacher, I often had students invite me for dinner or a social visit to help them clear the energy in their home. I would always remind them that, while I may be able to improve the vibration of their home and clear any negative energy, the results would only be temporary.
Attaining an improved energy frequency in this way, of feeling light, happy, hopeful, and positive, can be like a ‘quick-fix crash diet’ to get some weight off quickly. The instant, easy results may motivate one to lose weight more permanently with a sustainable, sensible nutrition plan and fitness routine, but it will never be a long-term, lasting solution on its own.
I have been practicing energy work and raising my vibration since I was teenager. My practice intensified when I began to study Kundalini Yoga in my 30’s.
Raising one’s energy vibration is a basically a process of expanding and strengthening the aura – our personal energy field. Various energy influences can cause our aura to retract and become diminished, for example as we grow older, or when we are traumatized in childhood. The aura ‘pulls in’ to protect us, much like someone might hunch over when they are being physically attacked.
Poor posture is often the result of the fourth (heart) chakra and the aura retracting to protect the self. Our energy vibration is a combination of the aura and the chakras or energy centers. When you realign and balance the chakras, you basically ‘take out the psychic trash’ and your vibration is heightened.
Having a consistently high vibration, however, can come with its own set of challenges. For example, I cannot wear a watch, for because my vibration tends to make them break down or stop moving. I often have problems with machinery and technology in my environment. I have also been told that went I walk into a room, the vibration changes.
Just like when a really negative person can bring everyone in down, or even make you feel ill, a positive, high vibration can make a room light up. People literally get high off the energy. The feeling is similar to falling in love or after one has given birth to your child. A raised vibration is a kind of low-level euphoria anyone can achieve.
The Origins And Journey Of The Soul
Where do souls come from? Souls are created in a place I know as the Guf, or the ‘Tree of Souls.’ In Jewish mysticism this Tree of Life is located in the Garden of Eden. When this tree blossoms, it produces new souls.
This ‘Treasury of Souls’ is said to be located in the Seventh Heaven. I have seen this place in a dream vision. I could go up to the gold and emerald gates, but could not enter. It is my understanding that all souls are created here by God.
Souls in the Guf are in different stages of evolution. There are young souls and old souls – a diversity of spirit energies waiting to incarnate, reincarnate and ascend.
I can usually distinguish the young, new souls from the wiser and more experienced, because they tend to be a bit ‘wild’ and unrestrained. Young souls are typically eager to experience as many things as possible, and sometimes rush in ‘where angels fear to tread.’ If they are exceptionally gifted, they also need to be guided properly. Many old souls reincarnate to the earth plane to help ground and guide these younger souls.
The old souls also return to provide the physical world with the many things needed for us to thrive, such as advancements in the arts, sciences and technology. Sadly, some greedy, spiritually unconscious humans abuse these gifts to the world for their personal gain. This causes much unnecessary suffering in the world.
When we decide in this life that we would like to have a child, it means our soul wants chooses to take on another soul contract. However, such a soul agreement, like any other contract, is always a two-way process. There cannot be a pregnancy unless the soul of the unborn child also chooses you as parent. In the Guf, souls can decide if they want to join a contract, or not.
Seeing Yourself As You Truly Are
The art of ‘being seen’ begins within. It is not in the eyes, or heart, of an external beholder. It is the grace of being able to see oneself through the Divine Eyes of our Creator.
Every soul is unique. No two are the same. Each soul emanates from the Supreme Loving Source to offer its unique beauty and pleasure to God in an incomparable, individual way. When we look at ourselves through this lens, the true beauty, light, and power of the spiritual spark of our being shines upon our inner vision.
Relationships offer mirrors too. But what they show vary according to the quality of the reflecting surface. And what we see in them depends upon how well we know, see, and stand in the truth of our own higher self.
For example, if I look at myself in a broken mirror, do I see a crack in my face? I might…if I am not sure of who I am. However, if I know myself to be whole, I can readily recognize that the crack is in the mirror, and not in my face.
Similarly, there are relationships in life that reflect broken images back to us. That does not mean that we are broken, nor that the other person or people involved are broken either. We all have wounds and scars and other gaping holes yet to be healed, or not.
Whatever the case may be, it is the relationship itself that offers up the reflective element. It is the dynamic of exchange that shows itself as either clean, clear, balanced, cracked, smeared, skewed, and so on.
Knowing oneself in truth and wholeness is thus extremely valuable. If we do not possess such certainty of self, we may accept a broken or distorted impression projected by an ill-functioning relationship to be a reflection upon ourselves.
Fun Facts You Never Knew About Your Zodiac Sign
The zodiac signs we are born under afford us certain personality traits, talents and gifts in our lifetime. Over the course of one’s life you can typically see these traits in an individual’s personality and life choices.
Astrology has been around for centuries and offer us a special insight into our life path. The Zodiac signs can be a lot of fun to investigate, even for the lay person. If you look closely at the traits of your own sign you will most likely discover many accurate descriptions of your personality in your sign that may be hard to deny.
You may also come across certain traits and fun nuggets of information that may surprise you. For example, it has been noted by astrologers that some of the zodiac signs tend to lean more towards having stronger psychic ability. These are known as the so-called ‘psychic signs,’ namely Cancer, Pisces, Scorpio and Libra.
If you were born under one of these signs, but do not consider yourself psychic, then you may want to take another look. It could be that you are more gifted than you realize, but you are not making proper use of your psychic talents.
Another fun principal of astrology centers on those who are born on the cusp between two signs, meaning they have trails of both signs. For example, those born on April 19 or 20 on the Aries-Taurus Cusp are literally ‘born leaders’ because they have the natural leadership traits of Aries combined with the inner strength and bullish perseverance of Taurus.
Another interesting ‘born leader’ is the Pisces-Aries Cusp born March 19 to 26. They strike the perfect balance between being a dreamer and idealist, while also being a determined, tough, and sometimes highly opinionated ‘go-getter.’ They bring the best of both worlds to innovative leadership positions that require imagination and an unconventional approach.
The Mystical Cycle Of The Moon
Traditionally many cultures worldwide centered their spiritual practices around the Moon and the phases it cycles through once approximately every 29 days. These phases reflect the Moon’s journey around the Earth, revealing a little more or a little less of this mysterious satellite.
Much like the cyclic seasons of the year, the Moon’s phases represent different aspects of personal contemplation for the spiritual practitioners and metaphysicians. The Moon represents our intuitions, hidden aspects of self, and the nurturing empathy a mother would show a child.
The New Moon begins and ends each lunar cycle. As a ‘blank canvas’ it suggests new beginnings, or the completion of a full circle. This is the starting point for working with the Moon’s phases. Time your lunar calendar each month around the New Moon. Note, it will not be visible, but instead a dark circle. Use a white candle or another source of light to represent the fully illuminated Moon that is to come and start new ideas or projects.
As the Moon grows in size it goes into its ‘waxing’ phase. It will first become a crescent shape a quarter of the way in its orbit around the Earth, and later a wedge shape called gibbous. As it grows, so too will you and your ideas. Each day, ask yourself what is going right. Ask the Universe for guidance and inspiration, and remember that it’s all right to change plans or make revisions.
As the Moon is in its growing phase, each day a little more of its surface is cast in light. The Moon also rises an hour later each day in the cycle. Its many craters are a reminder that despite perceived flaws, something can be wonderful when illuminated.
We are all awed by the sight of the Full Moon glowing in the sky. This is the time in the cycle when we can enjoy the fruits of our efforts, and also examine what worked or did not work in practice. This is also the time in the lunar cycle when emotions run at their highest, so be careful of acting too impulsively. Be sure to also show gratitude and humility for what you’ve accomplished so far.
The Three Laws of Grace
There are three primary Laws of Grace that function under the overarching Law of Attraction. Grace is generally associated with divine support or spiritual help, but in this context it simply means that we are always free to choose again.
The Law of Love
The first Law of Grace is the Law of Love. The Law of Love does not refer to feelings, sentiments or emotions. Too often it is assumed that love is a feeling we get when we are with someone, but in metaphysics and spirituality love is not a feeling.
Instead, spiritual love is choosing to accept others as they are and to want what is best for them. What most of us know as ‘love’ today is actually ‘like,’ because to like someone or something is conditional. Real love, on the other hand, has no conditions. It is unconditional.
There is also a common belief about ‘love’ that can be very damaging to relationships. Sometimes we create emotional attachments to future events and declare that “this is love.” Yet, it is impossible to love a future other – either you love a person, or you do not.
When people conjure up extensive images and stories about a future version of another person and attach their mental and emotional attention to these things, they often create a strong sense of painful longing, which creates within them the desire to change the other person.
It is this painful yearning that is the key to understanding, because with the Law of Attraction like always attracts like. Painful longing can only ever attract more pain. It does not even matter how compatible two souls are in this life, if one of them is participating in such a painful longing, then pain will inevitably become the result of the relationship.
Love is unconditional acceptance and there is only one love. Therefore, Buddhists believe one cannot have friends and enemies. If you have enemies then eventually all of your friends will become enemies, and vice versa.