Technological Balance?

There is so much good, even great, that has come from the internet and the new age technology. But with the good, has also come the bad. Who's winning.  As I see it, this new world of incredible speedy technology is not going in a most favorable direction. Up to the minute news reporting is often based on conjecture and personal opinion and many are mesmerized and often blinded by the dishonesty. Perhaps because it is wrapped up with such a grand bow. A Red White and Blue Bow sitting on top of the 1st Amendment in what looks like a nice neat package.  
Really, the package is complex.  There seems to be a blinding faith in this Amendment. The 1st Amendment is the most well know and versed of this 'Bill of Rights'. It contains some of the most familiar phrases in political and legal discussion, such as the freedom of religion, speech and press. 

The 1st Amendment reads like this:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

The Amendment stands to protect each persons right to believe and practice whatever religious principles they choose, as well as, an individual's rights to say what one believes, even if it is unpopular or against the will of elected officials. That sounds all fine and good, but I am not sure anyone saw the direction that this crazy world was headed.  

It also protects the right to publish any information you want, join together with whomever you want and ask the government to correct its own errors. Well. the first part of that is pretty broad and the government typically isn't going to admit to any errors. 

So, I wonder, is the 1st Amendment truly reflective of what the people of America want? And Does it have relevance with regards to today's society? I am pretty sure that when this Bill of Rights was constructed and written, it had NO idea of where technology would take us or how it would be interpreted in future generations. 

Brought to us courtesy of the 1st Amendment are a rampage of personal opinions that are flying high and low all at an unlimited cost. The chaos and damage in the wake of some of these storms is unbridled, relentless and with few consequence. There is often little accountability. In the past,   this was the job of the 'tabloid' magazines, but with the help of technology and greed, it has seemingly bridged over to the major television news shows and papers everywhere. Because there is a large and willing audience. But of course, these are my thoughts and my opinion.

Perhaps there is a message in all of this. Perhaps what we are meant to see, to understand, to know, to be, and to feel, is that we are all in this together. That every single thing, event, word, has an effect on another thing, event, word. That there is an intricate woven balance that must be adhered to because there is a cost. It used to be said that the whole world is a stage. This has never been truer than it is now. And for some reason, we believe that we actually know so much more than we did before because of this. That doesn't necessarily make it so. 

If, however, instead of speaking from a place of fear, anger, hurt, greed or ego (which I would challenge most of these types of reports are coming from), we spoke from a place of truth, love and honesty (the highest good of all), even if that place was searching for answers, this Amendment could work. I would hope that the Amendment was put into place to allow for Freedom. Free to Be You. Free to Be Me. The You and Me minus the Greed and the Ego. Because really, Greed and Ego are at the root of all of this. As I see it, the world is ready for to change.  

The new wave of technology has allowed us to to spend too much of our time judging people, assessing the situation, talking about the what-if's, what I would do if that were me's, when the reality is, the truth gets so buried down, the climb out is almost impossible. What we know about another is what they choose to share with us only; mentally, emotionally, physically and that's it. 

If we could be consciously mindful of the impact of statements and judgement that we are making, then perhaps we can begin to make a difference. 

just where i am feeling today. Let it Be. 

It's a MaDMaD World

This is a picture of the waterfall that I want at my Retreat, My Sanctuary. Looks quite beautiful and serene. I love that feeling.

My coach and I did a meditation to visit the place that I call My Retreat. It is a place for people to come to celebrate life, spirit, the Divine within. This is a new life that I am seeking. One that offers enlightenment and a peacefulness within.

There truly is not enough peacefulness or unity in the world. We are coming out of an era that was based on Greed and Ego. It is a tough climb out of a world that was created around us, in us, and through us, and one that we all knowingly participated. But I do believe that the climb can be achieved.
Saying that we knowing are accountable to our role in the Banking/Wall Street Extravaganza (Free-For-All) with our hard earned money, mearly means that we bought into what they were telling us. We wanted to believe. It's a Mad Mad World. Visions of twinkle dust and fairy sparkles danced in our heads. When reality finally set in, we were all left wondering, 'how could we have let this happen to ourselves?' and 'Why'. The How is the Ego and the Why is Greed.

Everyone wants a piece of the pie. I just finished watching "The Inside Job." What an incredible illusion that swept many away on a spiral journey downward. Good people, too. We all dream of a piece of that pie. That pie, however, was being offered to a few. And those few were rewarded by the Billions.

The truth is that there is enough. There is always enough. It is meant to be shared. The biggest part of what transpired and what I personally find the most heartbreaking, is that many goals turned from the 'Dream,' to the Greed. It did not matter how or what, as long as it made lots and lots of money. It also mattered little where that money came from, as long as it was there. This is the essence of Greed and Ego.

The truth is, that only Love is Real. Everything else is an illusion of love, manufactured here by our lack of or abundance of. My challenge is to live outside that box. I believe and have said many many times that if you truly love to do something, then you will have an abundant life. I still believe this. The essence of this is Love. Love is not a thing, that being, in many cases, money. We each have to define what Love truly is to us. We have to search our inner being to discover the truth, what is lacking. It is that which is lacking that is holding on to us from reaching our potential for true abundance. During my meditation, I was asked to see myself seated on a hillside. To see myself in pure love, without ego. What does that feel like? As I sit on the hill, to then look over and see my own place, my sanctuary. What does this feel like? What does it look like? If we can embrace this thought process, this feeling of pure love, without Ego, we can find a place of peace. That is the place to find the truth of abundance.

We were lost, help us be found. We were hungry, give us some food. We were alone, bring to us comfort. And Do so with a pure heart. Together we will rejoice as one.  We are each accountable for this life that we are living. We chose to live a life of the illusion of false prosperity, not on our terms, but on theirs. It's time to take back that power. It can be done, internally, on an individual level and then on a universal one.

It is a MadMad World, but it doesn't have to be if we choose to make the change. I am on that journey and it is an exciting one. Blessing to all to find that love that is inherent in all of us. Be kind, be generous, be creative, go conscious, be free.

Turbulence and Itchy Palms

There's an old superstition that says that when your palms itch it means money, a Giving and a Receiving. An itching left palm means money is to be paid out, while an itching right palm says that money is coming in. To stop the left palm from itching, the superstition says to rub the palm on a piece of wood. The left hand is the passive or receptive, and the right is the active. When the left palm itches, look for new energy or services coming into your life. The right palm itching means energy or services going out, meaning what you might get paid for.

My mother whole-heartily believes in 'old wife's tales.' Naturally, this is passed down to me, who naturally looks for a deeper meaning.  The 'metaphysical' explanation to this superstition would be interpreted as new internal energy moving through the hands. Of course, this makes sense to me, as we and everything living is made up of energy. This is instinctual, a sense that most humans have long since let slip away from us.  

Me, being the intense true Scorpio that I am, believe always that there is a hidden meaning behind everything, always trying to search for what is going on behind the scenes. 

That being said, I have an itching right palm today. Batter Up! I am ready to receive! The Lottery would be great.... 

just sayin'

Which brings me to a story of what happened almost one year ago today. (My ADD always leads from one story to another, almost everything is relate-able, although my husband doesn't either agree or follow along so great!) 

For the past 4 years, I have gone on a trip with my sister to watch my nephew golf. He was awarded a golf scholarship to a New Orleans University, and that was our destination for 3 incredibly fun years. Last year, it was Florida.  The trip took place at the end of some crazy storms in the southern states. The first plane that we boarded was smaller than a Popsicle stick, so I was actually excited to see that we were flying on a 'real' plane for the 2nd leg. 

As I nervously boarded the plane, my thoughts were all over the place, but mostly in a place where the plane comes crashing down. I am admittedly afraid of flying. There is no substance for this, just another part of my irrational fear of heights. This irrational fear brings forth an irrational thought process. My sister and I booked separately, so we were not seated together for any of the flights. As I approached my seat, I became acutely aware that I would be sitting between 2 men with dark sunglasses on, who would most surely blow up the plane! Oh well, then I would be the first to go. I timidly sat between these 2 men. I intensely set my heals into the book I was reading. About 1/4 of the way into the flight, we hit our first bump! and it was no minor bump, it was rather significant, such that many passengers exclaimed out loud. Immediately following this, the pilot asked the flight attendants to go to their seats and for all passenger to restrain from using the bathroom and keep their seat-belts fastened. Now this cannot in any way, shape or form, be a good sign. It was indicative to the shake rattle and roll that the plane was due to experience. The plane was in store for a bumpy ride. Perfect. Upon the next 'fall' sensation that we experienced, I immediately and instinctively grabbed for the arm of the sun-glassed man to the left of me. 

What happened next, till this day, still surprises me. Upon grabbing his arm, the man began, in a very soft, low voice, speaking to me words of encouragement and wisdom. Really. He continued to do this for the next 45 minutes or so (and it did seem much longer!), until we were out of the turbulence. At one point, when the plane bounced down and back up again, I grabbed the gentleman on my rights hand. Crazy but true, he began to do the same thing! Words of wisdom and encouragement  about life. Life's lessons and how at the end of the turbulence, the sun will come out and shine brighter than before. It will be calm and celebratory. Really? How so. Can I not just jump out of this plane right now? That thought only crossed my mind momentarily, because, to be honest, I was absolutely and intently memorized by the words that both of these kind strangers with dark sunglasses were saying.

While I was experiencing this, and me being me, I couldn't help but wonder if this was some 'vision' or 'fore-telling' from a stranger as to what my life was about to experience. It was at a time in our life when we seemed to be headed to a good place. The business was going well, we had good customers and our home life was good. After safely landing, I thanked both men, rather in a state of awe and departed the flight. Upon picking up our luggage and walking through the airport, we did not see the men again, but their words have remained with me to this day.

(As it turned out Cindy had a pretty amazing experience herself. The lady that she sat next to was very anxious about the turbulence, but for different reasons.  Cindy did her best to calm the lady and kept her occupied with what she does best and that is talking. The lady relayed that she had just completed a book and is in the process of filming a movie title, 'Soul Survivor,' which focus on plane crashes in which there is only one survivor. She said to the lady, "You think you are nervous look at my sister! She's holding onto two men's hands that she doesn't even know!")

The holiday was wonderful! My sister and I had a fantastic time and it was wonderful to have my mother-in-law show us the town! On the last evening of our trip, my husband called. He was having some problems with a customer. I would be home the next day and we can settle whatever needs to be settled and move forward. 

Upon arriving home, the turbulence began. Turbulence that has knocked us both down with experiences that we could never have anticipated. It's been a tough year, really tough. Some days I feel like a punching toy, one that you hit and it bounces back up. I do keep getting back up. Some days it is really really difficult. But I do. We have done much during this time with very little. But I cannot help but wonder when the turbulence is going to end and the sunny skies appear. I often think back to my flight and what the strangers with the dark sunglasses were saying to me. Hope. That is the true Gift that those men gave me. I am most grateful. Hope that there will be a big celebratory sun dance at the end of all of this craziness. 

What I do know is that you cannot push through the plane, jump out of it or make it go any faster. You just have to experience it, knowing that it will  come to an end, that the sun will shine. trust. Going around the turbulence may take one off course, after all life is about Lessons and Learning. Sometimes we must Experience the turbulence,trust your instincts, the signs, what our bodies feel, know that there are lessons, some that are more difficult than others. Let go of the struggle, let it be and Rejoice in the wake of the Rainbow.

For today, I have an itchy palm.

13th Day,Sunday the Day of Rest and Rejeuvenation

I've had more than my fair share of sleepless nights over the last couple of weeks, last night not being an exception. Part of this has to do with the course that I am taking. It is a learning process. I learn by continually thinking about something until it finally resonates within. And then how to apply it to everyday life. It is challenging.

The Id,the Ego,and the Super Ego. These are the terms that Sigmund Freud uses to describe and explain the functioning of the human mind. The id is the set of uncoordinated instinctual trends; the ego is the organised, realistic part; and the super-ego plays the critical and moralizing role. There are many varying perceptions of his theory and different adjectives and they are all thought provoking. This is where my journey has taken me this week. 

Colette Baron Reid describes her theory in terms of the Goblin, the Persona and the Higher Self. The Goblin is the wounded self, the wounded Ego. As the Goblin sees it, he is trying to protect you. He is the voice inside your head that says "You can't do that!" or "Who do you think you are wanting that!" Memories, thoughts that keep us locked in the past. We often listen to that voice of 'reason'. This is the fear within ourselves. I've listed below Colette's 12 Goblin Archetypes. He’s actually trying to protect you by repeating false ideas about your self and others to keep you in what he believes is the truth. We let him in until we make the choice to love him and then put him to sleep. When you own your Goblin and give it unconditional love, you hand the wheel over to your higher self and reconnect with your soul. 

So what's the trick to all of this. There is no trick, it is a conscious effort. The Goblin, the Id, the Trickster, whatever you choose to call him, will not be silence until we make that decision to give him the love that he so desires and then put him to rest. He is very tired after all. That's a lot of saving and protecting going on. For me during my weeks work, I have made a conscious effort to be aware of the Goblin in my thoughts. As they appear, I call out to him, thank him for his protection, wrap him up in a warm blanket, give him some love and ask him to go back to sleep. It is time to move forward. He will always be along for the journey, but right now his is tired. 

As I understand it to be, the Persona is the person that people see as "You," your best foot forward. If controlled by the Goblin, it listens to the voice within, knows and wants more, but doesn't yet know how to silence (or love) that Goblin within. The Goblin is the reason that your Persona gets mixed up. By giving your Goblin the love it needs, you can move forward out of the fear and protection and step into your Persona, the person that your Super-Ego, Higher self, knows exists. What an amazing journey. We are all meant to be this person and it is only for each of us to give ourselves. This is the Intuitive Person, the person of thoughtfulness and reason, the healthy person.  

You Higher Self, is the God within, your connection to Spirit, to God. Your private self, quiet self, meditative self. We all have a direct connection to God, each and every one of us. It is up to us to discover that connection, to know it and to then live it. The Higher Self connection to Spirit says, I can do it all, have it all, be who and what I choose to be. Step into the world of ME. 

The Higher Self is not, as some may see it, an egotistical being. The Higher Self, as I see it, is pure love, thoughtfulness, kindness, compassionate. The egotistical being is wounded. For me, I know that this is often where the Goblin comes running in. Our journeys are separate and unique and we all have the ability to choose anything that we want and move forward towards that light. To put out someone else s light is more a judgement upon yourself, your light, your truth. If we can truly see and understand this as the bigger picture, it's pretty incredible. There are so many wounded souls out there, so much hurt. The Higher Consciousness of self asks us to move along our own individual journey from a place of love and compassion. 

12 Goblin archetypes. You will find that you strongly relate to one of these as your main Goblin and then two to three more as smaller tricksters:

The Judge: Critical of others, puts others down to make himself feel better, and looks for flaws in everything. Experiences cynical symptoms of low self worth sometimes masked as arrogance.
The Controller: Needs to be the leader at all times, unable to hear others’ ideas, and must have security. Acts out of underlying fear.
The Pleaser: Co-dependent and lacks a clear identity. Will do whatever the other person wants but resents it later.
The Rescuer: Distortion of healer. Needs someone to be less than so he can fix or help. Yet, ultimately, it’s him who really feels less than.
The Victim: Needs to be known as violated in order to not move forward. Based on fear, needs attention, and has repressed rage.
The Invader: Will hurt you before you get to hurt them, fear of abandonment, and no boundaries. He is disrespectful and has repressed rage/fear.
The Prostitute: Willing to give up integrity for the possibility of love, no self worth, and sees sex as a currency to get what they want (i.e. love or security).
The Manipulator: Never moves in a straight line, never says what they really mean, and doesn’t know how to ask for their needs for fear they wont get them. Covertly coercive or sneaky and can lie.
The Debater: Uses language to diminish another, always needs to argue, and can be self-centered. Talks at you but cannot hear.
The Gypsy: Cannot commit, always looking to leave and go somewhere else. Fears exposure through potential intimacy.
The Drama Queen: Everything is a TO DO. Focus is stress, stress, and more stress. Use drama to get people to pay attention to them and the dust cloud their hiding behind. All about distraction.
The Addict: Continues to do the same thing over and over but expects a different result. Flourishes in longing and yearning and chooses partners to set the stage for longing and yearning. Experiences low self esteem, repressed rage, and can be manipulative. In constant state of denial.

Have a Wonderful, Peaceful, Insightful Day! Be true to You and not that Goblin within! (Give him a day off!)