Category: Spiritual Writings

There Is No Death

“We’re not wanting to be insensitive to what so many of you are feeling, but we are very much wanting you to put this death thing in the proper perspective: You are all going to die! Except there is no death. You’re all going to make your transition into Non-Physical.

It is time to stop making your transition into Non-Physical sound like a subject that is uncomfortable and begin acknowledging that it is something that happens to everyone. This death thing is so misunderstood that you use it to torture yourself never-endingly and just absolutely unnecessarily. There are those who feel such fulfillment of life and such Connection to Source Energy, who understand that there is no separation between what is physical and Non-Physical; who understand that there is not even a lapse in consciousness, that “death” is a matter of closing one’s eyes in this dimension and literally opening one’s eyes in the other dimension. And that, truly, is how all death is, no matter how it looks, up to that point.. The re-emergence into Source Energy is always a delightful thing.”

Abraham-Hicks, 9/25/01

Oprah.com’s Advise On “How To Feed Your Soul”

        6 Things You Need to Do to Feed Your Soul

“Recently, I told a frazzled client that she needs to take time each day to nourish her spirit. “I’m not even sure how to do that,” she said. “Can you give me a balanced spiritual diet? Like the old food pyramid?” Well, sure, I thought—except the food pyramid never worked for me. I’m gluten intolerant and have trouble absorbing fats: Once, my doctor wrote me a prescription for “less quinoa, more peanut butter.”

No one diet plan is right for everybody, and that goes for our metaphysical needs as well. But some spiritual practices are so nourishing that they’ve been recommended throughout history all over the world. I’ve outlined a menu of these “food groups” here. Add one of them at a time, the way your doctor might introduce a food to see how your body reacts. If a practice nourishes you, adjust the amount to find your own minimum daily requirement. Then add another practice. Eventually, you’ll create the perfect spiritual diet for you.

1.  Hold Still

The most powerful nourishment is also the simplest: shhhh! Practicing stillness is a venerable art in many spiritual traditions, usually in the form of meditation. You may want to try formally meditating by focusing on your breathing, a mantra, or a question. If you want a more Western approach, follow the biblical instruction “Be still, and know that I am God.” Eckhart Tolle believes this is actually one concept, our ultimate spiritual truth, expressed five ways: Be. Still. Know. I Am. God. Contemplating any one of them provides nutrient-rich sustenance.

I used to hate meditation. Dropping my mind into stillness was like dropping a cat into a washing machine. Nevertheless, I could feel the practice feeding me, and between sittings I grew noticeably healthier and more peaceful.

Talk It Out

You may have been raised to recite prayers before eating, sleeping, entering battle, or whatever. Myself, I’m not a formal-prayer girl. My favorite invocation is silently shrieking Help help help help help! (I also like to write whiny letters; I figure if there’s really an omnipotent force reading them, I can just let it all hang out.)

Prayer means talking to your higher power, in whatever way feeds your soul. Pray the rosary, or kneel by your bed, or just riff. Two friends of mine spend every morning chatting with God out loud, as if the Almighty were sitting happily at their coffee klatch. The only thing that matters is that you speak from your heart.

Wise Up

Generally when we pray, our higher power doesn’t get right back to us—but that doesn’t mean we can’t find answers. Some earthlings can listen so deeply that they actually hear the divine. They receive guidance and comfort to share with the rest of us, like spiritual receptionists passing along messages. Of course, there are plenty of frauds who only claim to hear higher wisdom—but I’ve found that when someone’s got a direct line to the universe, their words have such a profound resonance, you immediately recognize them as truth.

I recommend consuming a wide variety of foods in this group; you’ll discover amazing similarities between the words of different masters, whether they’re from Tibet or the Middle East or Mexico. The lessons are simple: Indescribable peace is possible. Love is our highest purpose. We’re all one. Once you taste the sweetness of true wisdom, you’ll crave it every day.

Feel the Beat

Music is another form of divine communication, one that transcends language. According to some scientists, the rhythm and resonance of music activate areas of the brain that help us feel we belong to something larger and are connected to each other. The effects are even stronger if we sing or hum and let our bodies follow along. What music do you feel deep down in your soul? Gregorian chants? A lone flute? The soft sounds of the ’70s? Whatever form you choose, sing, dance and sway. Let the music move you, literally. It’s a joyful way to absorb spiritual nutrients.

Come Together

We all need solitude, but we also need times of connection, when we can talk to one another, help one another and love one another. This doesn’t require moving to an ashram or even going to church. You simply need to connect with another human being who shares your spiritual point of view. It could be a friend or a family member, or you might find someone in your book club, a 12-step meeting, or your African drumming class. The important thing is having a chance to feed someone else’s spirit and be fed in return. Miraculously, giving and receiving are equally nutritious.

Go Natural

If there is a Creator, then we can see that being’s self-portrait anytime, right outside our window: It’s called nature, and you can start to appreciate it right now just by looking up at the sky. Or take a drive through the countryside or a walk in the park. Contact with the natural world calms our nervous system and quiets us enough to hear our inner voice of wisdom and intuition. Trust me, it’s there. To coax it out, just breathe the fresh air, open yourself to nature and wait.

When you give your body healthy food, you feel more vibrant and alive; the same is true for your spirit. Sample a few portions of everything on this buffet and you’ll instinctively find the diet that will help you thrive. What could be more delicious?”

Written by Martha Beck

Lao Tzu’s Four Rules for Living

“Many centuries ago, Lao Tzu, spoke of the four cardinal virtues, teaching that when we practice them as a way of life, we come to know the truth of the universe. The ancient Chinese master said that living and practicing these teachings can open you to higher wisdom and greater happiness, as they realign you to the source and enable you to access all the powers that source energy has to offer.  Those four teachings are ‘Reverence For All Life, Natural Sincerity, Gentleness and Supportiveness.’

1. Reverence For All Life

This virtue manifests as having unconditional love and positive regard for all creatures in the universe, starting with ourselves, then this will naturally flow out to all others. This reverence is for all life, not just some forms. It is honoring all forms of life, and at its core has an innate spiritual understanding of how the universe truly works – that we are all sparks of the one fire. When we live with reverence for all life, we surrender our need to control and to dominate. We naturally come into heartfelt appreciation and gratitude for all of life. This first virtue is the key to diminishing the ego.

‘Affirm this as often as you can, for when you see yourself in a loving way, you have nothing but love to extend outward. And the more you love others, the less you need old excuse patterns, particularly those relating to blame.’ ~Wayne Dyer

2. Natural Sincerity

This virtue encompasses kindness and authenticity. It has a feeling of compassion and an all-encompassing love for all beings. When we are sincere and act with integrity, we move towards peace and inner tranquility. Our conscience clear, we don’t have the inner niggles over our dishonest actions that can erode a peaceful mind. Much of these four pillars relate to karma, the law of cause and effect, and maintaining equilibrium and impeccability.

‘This virtue is honesty, simplicity, and faithfulness,’ says Wayne Dyer. ‘It is about being true to yourself and walking your talk.‘  According to Dyer, if you find this challenging, try affirming, ‘I no longer need to be insincere or dishonest. This is who I am, and this is how I feel.’

3. Gentleness

Gentleness is a deeply powerful trait. Often interpreted as weakness, gentleness is sensitivity, respect, and reverence for all life. Perhaps this virtue can be summed up by the Dalai Lama who often says; ‘my religion is very simple, my religion is kindness.’ In life, it is far more important to be kind than to be right, and to be kind rather than important. Gentleness is an umbrella for forgiveness, acceptance and love. It is much like the yogic term ahimsa, or non-violence. When we give up being right and being superior, we start accepting ourselves and others, and so much conflict in our lives drops away.

‘Gentleness generally implies that you no longer have a strong ego-inspired desire to dominate or control others, which allows you to move into a rhythm with the universe. You cooperate with it, much like a surfer who rides with the waves instead of trying to overpower them. Gentleness means accepting life and people as they are, rather than insisting that they be as you are. As you practice living this way, blame disappears and you enjoy a peaceful world.’ ~ Wayne Dyer

4. Supportiveness

When we are supportive of ourselves, with kind words, loving actions and self-care, we are naturally supportive of others. This virtue is the basic tenet of humanity. We are naturally social beings and, at our core, we want to be with others and to help others. Many experiments show how humans are motivated by connection and will move towards this rather than other things. When we give to others, share and support others, we become happy.  Our lives become meaningful and our hearts full. Supportiveness is about service. Open hearted service for the sake of helping others and benefiting others, with no thought to our own gain. Supportiveness is also about holding space for another, listening to another, and being there for others. It is radical loving kindness in action. This quote by the poet, Hafiz, sums it up: ‘Even after all this time, the sun never says to the earth ‘you owe me.’ ‘

Let these four virtues fragrance your life, and notice the grace and ease that will come your way. For each one of these virtues brings in a way of being that is light, graceful and flowing and will help you shed destructive, self defeating patterns that sabotage your inner peace and happiness.

‘The four cardinal virtues are a road map to the simple truth of the universe. To revere all of life, to live with natural sincerity, to practice gentleness, and to be in service to others is to replicate the energy field from which you originated.‘ ~ Dr Wayne Dyer

Lao Tzu means ‘Old Master,’ and he was believed by some to be a God-realised being.Lao Tzu means ‘Old Master,’ and he was believed by some to be a God-realized being.

“The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The Tao is both named and nameless. As nameless it is the origin of all things; as named it is the Mother of 10,000 things. Ever desireless, one can see the mystery; ever desiring, one sees only the manifestations. And the mystery itself is the doorway to all understanding.” ― Wayne W. Dyer, Change Your Thoughts – Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao

The Tao Te Ching is the basic text of Taoism, but it has also influenced Confucianism and Chinese Buddhism, and is among some of the most translated works in world literature. This powerful text of the Tao, road or way of life, reflects the force of the universe and even the universe itself. While many have tried to make sense of its mystery, one man immersed himself in this text, literally living its wisdom, and then distilled the essence of these ancient mystery teachings for a modern audience.

In 2006, the late Wayne Dyer was inspired to spend his entire 65th year reading, researching, and meditating on Lao Tzu’s messages, going into retreat to practice them and ultimately write down the insights he felt Lao Ttzu wanted us to know.  Dr Dyer researched ten well respected translations of the text and the result of that life-changing year was his best-selling book Change Your Thoughts—Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao.

Affectionately known as the Father of Motivation, Dr. Dyer says Lao Tzu’s four cardinal virtues represent the surest way to leave habits and excuses behind and reconnect to your original nature. ‘The more your life is harmonized with the four virtues, the less you’re controlled by the uncompromising ego.’ ”  By Azriel ReShel, upliftconnect.com

 

 

Attracting Wonderful Results

“As you look for a better-feeling way to approach whatever you are giving your attention to; as you continue to ask yourself from your ever-changing vantage point, ‘What is it that I do want?’… Eventually you will be standing in a very pleasing place—for you cannot continually ask yourself what it is that you do want without your point of attraction beginning to pivot in that direction. The process will be gradual, but your continued application of the process will yield wonderful results in only a few days.”

Abraham-Hicks, Money and the Law of Attraction

Write About It!

Writing Prompts for Recovery from an Abusive/Toxic Relationship

By
~ 4 min read

Journaling is a powerful tool for healing from childhood trauma and toxic relationships.  Once you make the decision to begin the healing process from a toxic or abusive relationship, you need to do many things to heal and it’s often not obvious what to do.

One thing that is very therapeutic is the journal.  Following are a list of exercises you can do every day to help yourself reflect, feel, and heal from an abusive past and present. Remember this recovery truth: “You must feel your way through the pain; you cannot heal by going around it.”  Writing helps you feel.

Day 1:

Where are you today?  What areas of your life are causing you the most concern and emotional pain?

Describe how you feel about your early childhood.

Day 2:

What emotional needs are you trying to obtain from someone else?  List the biggest needs you feel are not being fulfilled in your relationship.

Write the feelings you experience as a result of these unmet needs.

 Now, think back to your earliest memories and think of a time when you had the experience of having these same unmet needs and the resulting emotions.  Write about that time in your life.

Day 3:

Draw your feelings.  Once you draw them using descriptive pictures and metaphors, observe them, notice them, and validate them.

Day 4:

Write your feelings of anger. Write a list of everyone you’re angry with and why.

Begin writing a letter to the person you are most angry with (this is not to be given or read to the person; it is for your eyes only and is a tool to help you process through and express your anger in a healing way.)

Day 5:

Continue writing your letter to the person you are most angry with. Write as much as you need to, until you feel complete.

If you have anger towards others, begin writing a letter to those people as well. Continue writing anything down regarding your anger until you feel complete with each person on your list. This may take many days to complete.

Day 6:

What unmet needs do you experience that you don’t believe you can fulfill yourself?

What prevents you the most from living life on your own terms?

Day 7:

Draw a picture of your family in your childhood. Draw the rooms in your house. Where was each family member located? Show who was violating boundaries; who was abusive; who was not present.

Draw a picture of your current family using same criteria as above.

Day 8:

Write a list of every negative thing you can think of that you tell yourself. Think of every self-critical and condemning message you repeat over and over in your head.  Once you’ve completed your list, write a second list with a positive statement that is self-accepting and loving to counteract each negative message.

Day 9:

Write a list of positive, self-affirming mantras to start memorizing and internalizing in your life each day. Use these to replace the negative messages you’ve grown accustomed to.

Day 10:

Write a letter to your younger self—the self that went through a loss or trauma—from your today self. What would you say to comfort him/her? What advice would you give? Offer your past self the acceptance, validation, and nurturing that he/she needs.

Day 11:

Sit for a while and think about the different “parts” of yourself. Do you have a “young self,” a “party girl,” a “rebel,” etc. Identify the different aspects of your personality that tend to show up in your life.  This list will help you as you continue the process of recovery. If you see that you have many unhealthy personas and very few strong or compassionate personas, you can see where work is needed.

Draw a picture of the different parts of yourself; reflect on your drawing.

Day 12:

Start getting used to writing from the different aspects of yourself. For instance, today, write how your “guilty self” feels.  Once you’ve done this, have your inner “compassionate companion” respond.

Day 13:

Write about your childhood experiences in the third person, as though it happened to someone else (Once upon a time there was a little girl named Sally. She was a very pretty little girl…) After you’ve described your childhood and its effects on the child in you, read your story aloud. How does reading and hearing about your childhood from a different perspective help you develop self-compassion?

Day 14:

Think about your day. What types of thoughts have troubled you the most today?  Write these down in your journal.

Now, from your “wise self” write advice to your “troubled self” about what he/she can do to create a solution.

Day 15:

Write a list of people you need to forgive.

Write a letter to each person on your list stating what you need to forgive and why.

Day 16:

Write a list of people whom you have wronged and from whom you need to ask forgiveness.

Write letters to these people as well.

Day 17:

Write a letter to anyone you have any unfinished emotional business to contend with. Be completely candid in your letters, describing what your feelings are and what you need to say to each person. As with all journal writings, these letters are for your eyes only and should be written with complete honesty and candidness.

Moving Forward:

Journaling is an important habit to develop in your life. These prompts should help you to begin the habit of writing and/or drawing each day to help yourself reflect and develop a strong relationship with yourself.

So many of us spend years of our lives looking for a hero in other people, when the truth is, the only hero that is really going to have the biggest impact on our lives is ourselves.

As you continue on your writing journey, keep writing to the different aspects of yourself.  Have your “hurting self” talk to your “wise self.”  Have your “unstable self” get advice from your “mature self.”  This type of process will teach you that you can rely on yourself and you really don’t need others to fix you.

Just like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz realized that the answers to her search for home were already within her during her entire quest through the Land of Oz, so you must learn that the answers to your recovery search reside within your own relationship with self as well.

If you would like to receive my free newsletter on the psychology of abuse please send me your email address at: sharie@therecoveryexpert.com.

Easter Message From Ann & the Angels

“My dear friends, we love you so very much,

Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate. Happy Passover! Happy Spring! Today we wish to speak to you about the deeper meanings of the death and resurrection of Christ.

Can you fathom that the love which looks through your eyes is the same love that looked through the eyes of Jesus Christ? The difference is in your experience. Jesus experienced His union with the Divine in each and every moment. Even when the nails were driven into His hands, He was aware of the Love that lived within him – beyond this life, body, and mind – was the same Presence of Love that lived within all others. He saw the Divine equally – in those who loved him and those who persecuted Him. He bore witness to the Presence of Love within all beings, even if they could not. He still does. This is why so many miracles are done in His name. He witnesses only your deepest truth.

And thus it is said that He ‘saved you from your sins.’ We would paraphrase this by saying that He saved you from the illusion that darkness can ever separate you from Love. In His willingness to love through the greatest of human miseries – torture, betrayal, beating, death, denial, ignorance, greed, hatred, fear – He lifted the entire fabric of human consciousness into a new realm of possibility for love.

He lived and demonstrated the truth that light is, and always will be, more powerful than darkness, and that even when the darkness attempts to kill the light, it cannot triumph. His body was killed and yet through the entire process He knew he was not the body. He knew that His spirit was eternal. In his complete understanding of this Truth, He was able to forgive his torturers and even breathe life back into His physical body.

Just as the Christ light lived within Jesus, so too the Christ light, the Divine love, the spark of the Source lives in you. This light sources you and shapes you as surely as the ocean sources and shapes a wave. There is, and never can be, a separation from the Divine. You either experience the love that breathes life into you, or you block it. You either feel the love for all of life that wants to flow through you or you block it.

So while the body of Jesus did indeed resurrect, the deeper meaning of the resurrection is there is no pain, no darkness, no betrayal, denial, or abuse so powerful that it can kill the love within you. With the power of your will you can Resurrect Love in this world… any time you choose. With dedication, you too can embody Love so thoroughly that the darkness of the world cannot rob you of the experience of this light.

Dear ones, It is in your willingness to acknowledge the presence of light within yourself and even the darkest among you, that you resurrect love and allow light to triumph over dark, love to triumph over hate, and Truth to triumph over the illusions that you or anyone else could ever be separate from this love.

Happy Passover. Happy Easter. Happy Spring. Happy present moment in which you can embody and resurrect love… right here, right now.

God Bless You! We love you so very much.
— The Angels”

www.visionsofheaven.com

Sanaya Explains Defensiveness

 

“Defensiveness. When you find yourself wanting to explain your words or actions, pause for a moment. What is your motive? Will your explanation help the other or merely improve the way you are perceived? Will the other be open to what you have to say?

Jump ahead as if you have defended your words or actions. Do you feel better? Most likely. Does the other? Perhaps not, unless you have imbued your defense with love and true concern for the other, not just the self. This can be done, but it takes care. Be care-ful when you feel defensiveness taking over, for it can have a mind of its own. Perhaps you can send love instead of words. The effect can be the same, if not greater.” suzannegiesemann.com

Dr. Walter Busby’s Death To Be Celebrated Saturday, April 14

The Busby and McFarland families

are sad to announce the passing of

Dr. Walter A. Busby

On Sunday, March 25, 2018

 A celebration of his life will be held at his home on Saturday, April 14 at 11:00 a.m.

BUSBY, WALTER A.
Dr. Walter A. Busby, former professor at the College of Education at the University of Florida, died on March 25, 2018 at his Gainesville, FL home from complications from cancer. He was eighty-three years old.
Born in Marked Tree, AR in 1935, he graduated from Greenfield High School in Greenfield, IN and served in the United States Navy. He was first in his class in the Mobile Construction ‘Seabees’ and served in Mobile Construction Battalion Four, earning a National Defense Service Medal. He was honorably discharged in 1955.
He graduated from Millersville State Teacher’s College in Millersville, PA and earned a PhD in Educational Psychology from Michigan State University. He was recruited to the University of Florida faculty by Humanistic Psychology pioneer, Arthur Wright Combs. He was a dedicated and beloved professor of Educational Psychology, and was named ‘The University of Florida’s Most Popular Professor’ by the student newspaper, the Florida Alligator. Nearly 5,000 students completed his Human Relationships course. He retired in 1995.
He founded the Institute of Holistic Education in 1988, dedicated to developing a library and resources for alternative healing practices and education, and offering services to income deficient. He was a warm and generous friend to many, and he recounted the numerous special people who touched his life and his spiritual journey in his book ‘The Journey of a Mystic Child’, published in 2017.
Dr. Busby is survived by his son, Scott H. Busby and wife Mary, of Sharpsburg GA, and daughter Pam Busby McFarland and husband Mark, of Mount Pleasant, SC; grandchildren Grace and Collier Busby, and Aubrie McFarland; brother Don Busby of IN, and sister-in-law, Clela Busby of Scottsdale, AZ. Also surviving are cherished nieces, nephews, and grand nieces and nephews; along with close friends and colleagues, and alumni of the UF College of Education. Dr. Busby is preceded in death by parents, Joe and Ruth Nance Busby, sister, Nina and brother, Joe.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Food4Kids Backpack Program of North Florida at www.food4kidsfl.org or by calling (352) 514-0281.

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“Trust Life” Affirmation by Louise Hay

“Everything I need comes to me in the perfect time and space sequence,” Louise Hay.

Robert Holden of Hay House writes, “I was born with fast genes. As a young man, I lived my life on fast-forward. I was always ahead of myself. Always impatient. Always wanting to get to my future. My habitual impatience betrayed a lack of trust in life. I thought I had to do life by myself.  I rarely slowed down enough to enjoy my life as it happened. I lived in the not-now, the nearly-now, and the almost-now. This affirmation by Louise helps me to experience what philosophers call Basic Trust – a recognition that life loves us. Saying this affirmation helps me to slow down to the speed of life, to be open and receptive, and to enjoy the journey.”

hayhouse.com