Have you ever noticed that when you have withdrawn into your mind and soul you rarely hear from others?  I’ve come to take this phenomenon for granted.  But,  when a friend mentioned his recent awakening to this fact of life, it occurred to me that some may not be as tuned-in to it as others.

Though I can’t do more than speculate about why this happens, my thoughts are that it is all about Energy. This is what we are, after all.  When you focus your energetic aura/presence on others by thinking about them, praying for them, visualizing them doing a particular activity, or calling forth memories of past interactions, nine times out of ten you will find that a call, email, letter, or news about that person will come to you within a short time span.

Conversely, when you wrap your energetic body closely around yourself during periods of convalescence, deep thought, transition, or artistic creativity its as though the significant others in your life just “get” that you need uninterrupted time and space and leave you to yourself.

If you pay attention to the behavior of your pets, you will notice their awareness of your needs as well.  I have 2 cats and 2 dogs.  Three out of four of these are naturally tuned-in to my moods and desires, as well as to those of one another. On days when I have a low energy level and feel the need to rest and be with myself, they either make themselves scarce or stay close by but extremely quiet and still– sleeping more than usual and demanding little if any of my time.  (The fourth, a spoiled little rescue kitty, is into her own needs 24-7.  I generally need to close a physical door to keep her out. I’ve known some people like that, too!)

This phenomenon is comforting to me as it serves as a reminder of how spiritually connected we are.  I imagine that if we ever come to realize, honor, and cultivate this connection we will, as a species, move beyond the imperfect, inaccurate communication tools we currently use–speaking and writing–and simply “tune-in,” telepathically, to one another.

Wouldn’t that be great? Imagine the implications! No more hidden agendas, projections, duplicity, or gamesmanship.  We would all be seen and understood for who we REALLY are.  This is how it is in the realm of Spirit. Perhaps this is one of the spiritual gifts that will be available to us when the golden age of Aquarius fully manifests? I can’t think of a time in human history when such a gift would be more  instructive, useful, enlightening and (for some) uncomfortable than today.

Yesterday I heard from my best friend that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer and will be undergoing a mastectomy. She is one of the most genuine, selfless, spiritually-centered beings on the planet.  Yet, her life has been filled with challenges and tragedies–from early childhood onward.

She lost her mother to cancer and was abandoned by her father at age 9; then,suffered through various harsh and abusive foster homes until emancipated at age 18. She married young and encountered many marital and financial challenges, as well as various painful health conditions, through the years.  Now, with her youngest child finally settled into college, financial problems resolved, and a job she adores, she has been hit with this news.

If you study the lives of saints, read the holy books of any religion, or biographies of the best humanity has to offer, you will always hear of challenges and sufferings that would flatten most of us. And, you will undoubtedly find that these are people of extraordinary faith, generosity, and morality; which begs an answer to the question: Does human suffering lead to spiritual purification–or–do the strongest, purest, and best among us “agree,” before incarnating, to endure suffering in order to be teachers and “way-showers?”

I’ve given much thought to this question and have addressed the subject in different ways through my books, Karma and Ten Difficult Women. Though I did, eventually, arrive at my own conclusions, just presenting these will be of little to no value.  It is the personal process of deep thought, research, critical thinking, discernment, and life experience that uncovers answers to life’s most profound and perplexing questions.  No one can do this work for you; and, as we all know, it is impossible to give someone an “experience.”

Though we live in an age of constant distractions, pop-culture heroes, and media overload we also have available to us the most current research from Regressionists like Dr. Michael Newton,  Near Death Experience survivors, and visionary scientists like Gregg Braden (www.greggbraden.net ) who are able to shed light on important questions like:  “Why are we here?”  “What happens to us after we die?” and “How do we discover our unique life’s purpose?”

So, if such questions are truly important to you, there is no reason (or excuse) for not embarking on the exciting journey of discovering answers to questions such as these–in your own way, your own time, and employing methods most natural to your unique personality.

Physical journeys are fun and exciting; but, internal journeys–WOW!  Don’t look for shortcuts–just do it…

A friend has sent “Mother Teresa’s Anyway Poem” around to his email buddies as a Holy Week/Passover gift. I’d like to share it, here:

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered;

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, its between you and your God;

It was never between you and them anyway.

In my experience, the Mother Teresa’s of our world are few and far between.  There are many more self-centered than truly generous human beings.

Few really feel happy about the successes of others; many more seem to turn loose the automatic reflex to diminish, denigrate, or dismiss accomplishments out of jealousy, envy, or fear that they won’t “look as good” by comparison, reflecting the sadly human traits of self-pride and conceit.

Successful, translate “wealthy,” folks can never be sure who their real friends are, as many profess “friendship” while secretly harboring the hope that some of their “friend’s” money or possessions will eventually fall into their hands–if they stick around long enough.

If you are a spiritually centered, self-contained, serene person, there will always be those who will want to knock you off-balance, call you “anti-social,” or label you “superior,” “smug,” or “aloof.”

And, because we all have the tendency to see things (and others) as we are rather than as they are, authentically honest, frank, and good qualities often go unnoticed, or are vulnerable to having their true intentions thwarted, by the less authentic and “good” among us.

But, as this saintly woman (one miracle away from being canonized a real “saint” in the Catholic church) reminds us, it doesn’t really matter what any human being thinks, says, or feels about you. Though you might suffer temporary pain or anger or sadness as a result of untruths and unkindnesses hurled your way; in the end, the only opinion that really matters is that of your Self.  And, the only really important relationship in your life is between that Self and it’s God.

Since my last entry describing the Hathor’s pranic tube centering technique, I’ve received questions and responses regarding the need to connect our tube downward, into the earth.

If our goal is to transcend telluric matters and, ultimately, to make our ascension, shouldn’t we be working to remove ourselves from earthly matters and connections rather than anchoring ourselves to them?

Well, not really; not while we are in embodiment.  Remember: we chose to be here.  And, while we are still in the reincarnating phase of our Initiation, we need to be fully present and grounded in order to make the best choices and respond appropriately to situations in our lives.

This is not to say that you cannot also direct your consciousness to higher realms–or to multiple places, simultaneously.  However, if you want to “Be Here Now” and fully participate in your present embodiment, you must be grounded.

Our Earth is a conscious organism and is going through her own ascension process, as are all organisms dwelling upon it.  Plants, animals, and humans are all experiencing individual processes in order to be in harmony and alignment with Earth’s shift into a higher vibratory field.

The Hathor teachings tell us that, although the entire solar system is  going through the same process of changing vibrational fields, Earth’s process is “unique.”  This is why they are so interested in observing, teaching, and assisting us at this particular stage in our evolution.

One of the things they want us to be absolutely clear about is that our goal should not be merely to ascend to another octave; but, to “live our lives as fully and as richly as possible, constantly surrendering to the greater power of love and awareness.”–in this octave.

So, if you are attracted to the pranic tube visualization, I would continue to encourage you to extend your tube into the core of the Earth as well as upward, into the highest space/realm that feels comfortable to you.  In this way you will achieve true balance and centeredness.

(All references to Hathor teachings are taken from: The Hathor Material: Messages from an Ascended Civilization; Tom Kenyon; ORB Communications; 2012)

Do you sense fluctuation–even chaos–in our world and/or in your emotional world? Much has been written about the transition we are going through as we move from the age of Pisces into the “new age” of Aquarius. It’s all about energy, and a fluctuation of energetic vibrations never before experienced by humanity.

This is unsettling!  Yet, it isn’t a bad thing; just different.  Moving from one level of consciousness to another, higher level always causes emotional volatility. And, according to The Hathor Material: Messages From An Ascended Civilization (Tom Kenyon, 1996, Orb Communications), this challenge to humanity’s emotional body (not to mention the Earth’s physical body) will continue for some time as the Earth moves through its transition phase of chaos into a new order.

The Hathor’s remind us that chaos and disturbances are occurring on all levels: from the atomic and molecular, to the geologic, through social, economic, and individual emotional responses to people and things around us.

So, we might as well accept this as our 21st century “state of being” and learn methods to help us hold on to our balance and equilibrium through it all.

I’ve always reconnected to my center during meditation.  But, in order to meditate, I need to find a quiet, secluded place and set-aside about 20 minutes.  And neither is always available when I need it most.

However, the Hathor’s offer a centering/grounding method I’m finding easy to access at a moment’s notice, regardless of where I am, who I am with, and how much time I have available.  They describe it as: “Balancing emotional energies by connecting ‘heaven’ to ‘earth’ through the pranic tube.  This allows the individual to ‘self ground’ making emotional states easier to manage.” (p. 73)

While I suggest you read about this method in the book I refer to, or by accessing Kenyon’s web site: www.tomkenyon.com , in order to obtain a clear and complete explanation and grasp of exactly how this works and how to work with it, this is what I do:

First, I imagine a tube of light (life force, pranic energy) running through the center of my body, from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet.  Then, I extend this tube from my head to as high a point as feels natural to me at any particular time. This might be a few feet, to the sky, deep space, or beyond. The distance doesn’t matter.  Then, I extend the tube from the bottom  of my feet deep down into the center of the Earth. This is your “energy conduit.”

Once you can experience this source of light and energy both grounding your consciousness and transcending the Earth plane, move your awareness to your heart chakra (center of your chest).  Then, breathe in the heavenly energies from the top portion of your tube, allow these to circulate through and around your heart chakra, and exhale.  Follow this by breathing in the grounding earth-energies from the bottom half of your tube.  Again, allow these to circulate through and around your heart chakra and breathe out.  Repeat as many times as necessary to regain your stability and equilibrium.

I find I don’t need to do this more than once or twice before I feel centered, balanced, and rejuvenated.

What I’ve presented here is a VERY abbreviated explanation of this exercise–just enough to, hopefully, prompt you to explore the methodology in greater detail.  Please do!  Once you have accessed Kenyon’s web site ( www.tomkenyon.com ) go to the “Archives” section and click on the “Hathors” tab for access to all of their past messages.

If you’ve ever wondered what your life’s true purpose is, I’d suggest reading–and rereading–Michael Newton’s Journey of Souls and Destiny of Souls. 

Though I’ve mentioned these titles before and refer to them in Karma: How To View It, Use It, and Lose It, most of us enter into life with one major goal/purpose/lesson to learn as well as sub-categories of karmic relationships and debts to balance and a list of  skills and talents to build upon and perfect.

While we might have a strong intuitive sense of what these are–or just an inkling–there are certain life stages during which the question, “Why am I here and what is my purpose in life?” asserts itself more strongly and persistently:  adolescence, graduation from high school, when we choose a college major or vocation, marry, decide where to live and whether or not to have children, enter middle-age, become empty-nester’s, and retirement being some of these.

Every thoughtful person wants to make the most of his or her life, regardless of whether they believe we only live once and “that’s all there is,” how we live our one life will determine how and where we will spend Eternity, or that we live many lives through reincarnation.

In the past all we could do to validate that we were headed in the right (or wrong) direction was to follow the clues that our life circumstances provided; seek inner guidance through prayer and meditation; read what others had to say on the subject; or, if so inclined, obtain a “Life Reading” from a well researched and respected psychic.

But the current information about life between lives coming from those who recount Near Death Experiences and case studies of hypnotic regression therapists offer more accurate, detailed information about what seems to be fairly universal experiences.

One if these is a sort of consultation with an “advisory council” of wise spiritual advisors who help us  decide what particular goals to concentrate on accomplishing when coming into the world as the person we are, now.

Life Between Life (LBL) regressionists, trained in Newton’s method of hypnosis, are growing in number and springing-up in many areas of the country and the world.  To date, I have resisted any form of hypnosis, as I don’t like the idea of allowing another–any “other”–to interfere with my thoughts and free will.

However, a woman whom many respect and whose ethics, intentions, and expertise I feel good about is currently doing LBL regressions in Virginia Beach and I’m seriously considering a session with her.

I’m at one of those life stages where I want to be as clear as possible about making the best use of my time and energy.  And, if I find it necessary to make any course corrections, now would be the time to do so.  I don’t want to leave this world with “unfinished business” or regrets, as  I am one who does believe in reincarnation and karma. And, I certainly do not want to start-off my next life with the time-wasting burden of tying-up loose ends from this one!

If you have undergone an LBL regression and would like to share your experiences, I would certainly be interested in hearing about them.  And, when I have experienced my own, I will certainly share them with you.

Every new year begins with hope.  In a sense it is, like every birthday celebration, a “new birth” and gives us a sense of wiping the slate clean and beginning anew.

The idea of writing goals down has proven to be an important element in bringing them to fruition.  And, though I can’t recall where I first heard this, dividing one’s future into segments of immediate (one year) goals, mid (three year) goals, and long term (ten year) goals seems to work even better.

I suppose externalizing our hopes, dreams, goals, and desires makes them more palpable and gives them a grater sense of reality.  It also organizes, categorizes, and provides a sense of what needs to be done incrementally to reach our long term goals and keeps them alive in our imaginations.

Many, like Plato, believe that thoughts really are things.  I’m one of these. Let me share an example of how this has worked in my life:

Since early childhood I have been strongly attracted to Egypt; especially ancient Egyptian culture and history.  I “decided,”  when quite young, that I would visit the Pyramids, Temples, Necropolises, and other ancient sites one day; and, that I would do so with others who held the same passion for and inner “familiarity” with this time and place in history as I.

Each year I wrote this goal on one of my lists: immediate, mid, or long-term.  The older I got the closer to “immediate” it became. Though I didn’t contact travel agencies or begin to earmark money for this trip (which I have done with other travel goals) I did include more specifics in my description of what this trip would look like each year.  Finally, when in my early thirties, my description had firmed-up and became exactly as I wanted and “knew” it would be.

About a year later, when a graduate student at Boston College, I was approached by a stranger while waiting, with around 20 others,  for an elevator. He was a grad student in Psychology and was conducting a Peruvian Whistling Vessel (which I’d never heard of) experiment.  One of the usual participants was absent and they needed a twelfth person to complete their circle.  Would I be interested? Having nothing better to do and because this sounded interesting to me I said, “Sure.”

His group met in the office of a Psychology professor and they were sitting in a circle on the carpeted floor when I entered.  Soon after the experiment had ended, in walked their professor, tablet in hand, ready to “debrief” his students.  Noticing a new face he introduced himself to me.  When I stated my name, he appeared startled and said: “Talk about synchronicity!  I just wrote your name and telephone number down after meeting with Professor McAleer!  (My advisor and the English professor for whom I was working as a Research Assistant)”  It seemed he had just asked Dr. McAleer if he knew a grad student who was a good writer and had an interest in Transcendentalism and/or ancient Egypt. He was looking for someone to accompany himself and a group of Egyptologists, Palaeontologists, psychic archaeologists, film makers, musicians, parapsychologists, historians, and others on a trip to Egypt.  This “scribe” would be given an all-expenses paid trip in exchange for keeping a journal of the groups daily activities, experiments, discoveries, and travels.

This adventure turned out to be everything I had hoped for, envisioned, and much, much more.  And, to make it even more personal and special, our flight from Boston departed on March 17–my birthday!

While I can’t say I’ve realized any other goal in such a dramatic and extraordinary way, I can say that I’ve enjoyed reaching many other long and short term goals through the years. Why not give this different, more specific and organized type of resolution-making a try this year? No one need know your goals and imaginings but yourself; and, you certainly have nothing to lose!

Happy New Year!