Universal Consciousness | Ascension Lifestyle

11 Dec 2015
Comments: 0

Do Not Lose Faith: New Moon in Sagittarius

I refuse to accept the view that mankind
is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war
that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality . . .
I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.
~ Martin Luther King

Whatever you do, says this new Sag moon, do NOT lose faith in this great adventure of a life you’ve taken on. You can do this.

You are doing this.

Sagittarius New Moon @ 19 degrees
3:28 AM
Friday the 11th

Day in and out, we tell ourselves stories. Sagittarius would have us remember that anyone who has taken on the human journey in These Times is sturdy of soul and armed with the ability to create a grand myth out of her (his) time here on earth. You don’t like the way things are unfolding in your days? Think up a plot twist in your own narrative. Create an entirely new chapter in the drama, one which better suits where you are now in Time.

Becoming overly attached to any one of our ideas about How Things Should Be is certain to disappoint. Instead, counsels this new moon, keep revising your script, write yourself out of the places where you feel you’ve become a little stuck, and embrace this life of yours as if it’s your alluring partner in a dance even more exciting than the most sensual of tangos.

This is a buoyant moon. It wants you to know that you can’t fail at your life. You are right where you are meant to be. And up to this moment, you’ve managed to slay a thousand dragons, to rescue what has needed your hand up and to follow your heart into all sorts of mad adventures. Just keep it up. Sag will help you keep your spirits lifted in the face of a great deal of sadness and chaos because it believes that the journey itself is what matters.

As we edge ever closer to Winter Solstice, allow your inner lantern to guide you and soak up the light and joy expanding around you. There is so much more to encounter in this life than the nightly news. People everywhere are opening their hearts and their lives to each other.

And if you can, build a fire. Toss into the flames all that those pages which no longer suit your mythic story and then, begin again, this time with the faith of one who has seen some things and is not only still standing, but rising like a multi-faceted star.

Light returns. Always.

By: Ascension Lifestyle Guest Contributor

Deborah O’conner

406-531-5129

deb@lovedogdesign.com

www.lovedogdesign.com

Be humble, for you are made of earth. Be noble, for you are made of stars.

11 Dec 2015
Comments: 0

Make Room For Miracles: New Moon in Sagittarius

This month’s new moon occurs during the last few days of Chanukah on Friday, December 11th at 2:29AM PST. A celebration of light amidst the darkest nights, Chanukah’s central theme is to remember and publicize the miracle, reminding one another that miracles are a part of our life, happening all the time. Placing our menorah in the window ensures that everyone who passes by our home will at least have the possibility of receiving some light during these long dark nights.

Chanukah isn’t the only holiday this season that centers itself around the themes of gratitude, miracles and the returning of the light. All of our ancestors had specific yet similar associations with the sun’s cycles and this season.

As the days grow darker and darker until the Winter Solstice on December 21st we need reminders that the light will return, so we light candles, we wrap trees in tiny lights, we tell stories of miracles that occurred long ago and if we are wise we look for the miracles that occur in our lives everyday.

Miracles are a part of life.

They happen constantly and as humans we often miss them. Our gaze might be cast down when they fly by our eye line. Our hearts may have hardened against receiving them. We may have forgotten that we can actively manifest them. We might not know that there is a way to prepare ourselves to be the vessel for such miracles to flow through.

Preparing our selves for the miraculous takes deep introspection. It takes a willingness to see when our thoughts are rooted in greed or hate. It takes a great strength to notice the places inside of us that are bound in fear and trauma, rightfully so perhaps, but nonetheless withholding from us the experience of witnessing how grace is always wanting to move through us, always ready and at our service, and always willing to show up.

The fact that we have been traumatized, violated, beaten down and abused is not our fault. It is not a fault that we have within us. It is not something that is wrong with us.

It is, however, something that we have to carry.

The fact that we have perhaps participated in the trauma, violation and abuse of others is something that is hard to recognize, it’s hard to see in ourselves, it’s hard to acknowledge and it’s also hard to carry.

But we are not our worst decisions.

We are human and if we choose to see both sides of ourselves, the victim and the perpetrator, miracles can occur.

When we open ourselves up to more than just our own experience, we become more competent, loving, intelligent and connected beings. And that makes our lives fertile ground for miracles, healing and hope.

We are, as a world, in dark times. We are in jeopardy of believing that our hatred of others will protect us from the pain of life. We are in jeopardy of forgetting that our own hatred harms us more than anyone else’s could. We are in jeopardy of letting our minds and our hearts be poisoned against one another by the distortions of the deranged. Right now, we need all the miracles we can get.

Fortunately, miracles aren’t granted only to the holy, the pious or the righteous. Miracles aren’t saved for the popular kids that are so #blessed. That’s privilege and it’s a human construct that has nothing to do with actual blessings. Miracles are something much more interesting. Miracles are taking place all the time. In big ways. In teeny-tiny ways. Inside every life. Miracles simply exist. Without our force. Without our coercion. Without our manipulation.

Every time you love out loud you are opening a space for a miracle to enter. Every time you seek to create a safe and just world for all you are helping miracles to occur. Every time you remember that your liberation is bound up in the liberation of every other being on the planet, you have been granted a miracle. Every time we remember and act on the fact that we are all here to serve one another, we have been part of a miracle.

Hold that miracle up.

We need to see it. We need to remember it. We need to be reminded of the fact that there is nothing greater to give than our light, our awareness and our energy in service of all life on the planet.

Sagittarius is a sign that has boundless faith. Sagittarius knows no bounds. Sagittarius is down for possibility and excited by the open road. Sagittarius focuses on what works. It is a sign that acts on faith and has the enthusiasm of a thousand excited puppies unleashed on the world.

Sagittarius knows life is miraculous.

On Friday, December 11th at 2:29 AM PST, the moon will be new in Sagittarius. This is a new moon that can remind us that we have to have great amounts of faith in order to live life out on the open road.

This is the first new moon in Sagittarius that we’ve had with Saturn co present in about 28 years or so. Saturn, having recently moved into Sagittarius where it will stay for the next two years, is encouraging us to embark upon our journey with a great commitment to its process.

Saturn isn’t the easiest planet, nor the kindest, but it is the most serious. In Sagittarius, Saturn asks us what journey we might be serious about taking, what we are serious about learning and what spiritual pursuit we are serious enough about to take on in earnest. More importantly to note is what part of your chart this is all taking place in (read your new moon horoscope to find out). Since Saturn will be here for the next two years it might be helpful to use this new moon to consider what projects you are willing to commit to, which journeys you are prepared to take and which pursuits feel like they need your full-on yes in order to really get going.

Saturn in Sagittarius might also be asking us to harness our faith, show up for what we believe in and offer our lives as sites for the miraculous to occur.

The new moon is also getting a hopeful and invigorating trine from Uranus and a helpful heeeyyy there sextile from Mars. Uranus wants freedom, change and innovation. Uranus wants new, bold beginnings. Mars has courage. Mars has get up and go. Mars has what it takes to take it to the next level.

It takes courage to travel this path because what we face we do so mostly on our own.

The ruler of this new moon is Jupiter. The new moon is squaring Jupiter who is currently in Virgo. Jupiter adds an exaggerated tone to the new moon. It might magnify Sagittarius’s tendencies, like over indulgence and overestimation.

Steady your feet. This isn’t a race. We need conscious co-creators to take their journey one step at a time. Look at the horizon. Look to where you are going. Look to what is possible as you commit yourself to the path that you have chosen.

Declaring our commitment immediately calls in the possibility of doubt. That’s what choice does, it reveals what we allow ourselves to become constantly distracted by. Our doubts. Our fears. Our facades. But it’s too easy to make excuses. It’s too easy to be swayed by unfounded fears. It’s too easy to be unsure and to therefore stay in the same cycle.

This new moon is daring you to do that all differently. If you want a relationship, commit yourself to a practice of self-love, healing and preparing for them. If you want to open your own business, commit time every day towards learning about it and doing something towards manifesting it. If you want to feel good, commit to a self-care ritual and to loving yourself through each up and down. If you want justice you have to commit to making room for it in all aspects of life.

If we want anything, like anything at all, we have to show up for it in sickness, in health, in hopeful days and in ones where we despair. That’s what Saturn can teach us. If we want a miracle, we can at the very least prepare ourselves for one.

About the Author:
Chani has a degree in Feminist Counseling from George Brown College and a BA in Integral Studies from California Institute of Integral Studies. She has studied psychological astrology for over 20 years and is currently studying Hellenistic astrology with Demetra George. Chani devotes her spare time to studying, practicing and supporting restorative justice practices. You can find her at http://chaninicholas.com

15 Nov 2015
Comments: 0

Reflections on a World of Grief: New Moon in Scorpio and the Saturn Neptune Square

I don’t mourn for a city. I mourn for people and the land they live on. I mourn for all the beings that have died traumatic deaths, all the lives disrupted, all the trauma created and all the people that are grieving the loss of their loved ones. In Paris, yes, and beyond. I don’t mourn for nation states, borders and boundaries. I mourn for the lies that are covered by their flags. I mourn for our collective consciousness that values some lives more than others.

I mourn for the normalization of black, brown, indigenous, queer, femme, female slaughter. I mourn for the way western, colonial thought dominates news networks blaming, shaming and setting up those from Islamic nations to bear the burden of our collective war crimes. I mourn for the fact that we are so far from clear about the western world’s involvement and financial backing of ISIS and other organizations of terror that we think we have been attacked by some foreign “other”.

I mourn for those that are terrorized by the American government, military and police force on this land and beyond. I mourn for our lack of consciousness about how we terrorize others. I mourn for our lack of empathy when we learn that we do. I mourn for our cognitive dissonance. I mourn for the fact that while we conceptually know that we are “all one”, the reality of valuing each life as equal is still far from the norm. I mourn for how racism, xenophobia, nationalism and colonialism have molded our way of thinking and shaped the pathways of our hearts.

I mourn for the part of us that blames the victim, time and time again. I mourn for the part of us that is too weak to stand up to the perpetrator. I mourn for the part of our souls that is so twisted, misshaped and malfunctioning that is chooses to align itself with the ones who wage these wars.

I mourn for all of this. I am a part of all of this. I am not separate from any of this. I mourn for this aspect of humanity, this aspect of myself that keeps reliving this nightmare.

I thought a lot this weekend. I thought and felt a lot about how I use astrology. How my community uses astrology. I thought about the Scorpio new moon. I thought about Saturn in Sagittarius squaring Neptune in Pisces. I thought about what was going on and what it meant for our world, our hearts and this profession.

There were obvious Scorpio themes in the past week. Themes of using power over others and using our inner power to inspire others to locate and use their own. There were also obvious emerging themes of Saturn in Sagittarius as the combination relates to issues of faith, extremism, education and xenophobia.

The successful demonstrations and strikes at Mizzou and the nationwide support for the students there was a beautiful example of how to use our personal power to inspire collective power in the face of racism and hatred (also a type of terrorism). The racist backlash and threats (again, terrorism) were an obvious example of how to use Scorpio energy in its most base, violent way.

Saturn in Sagittarius is also part of this story because the world of higher education is governed by Sagittarius and because Saturn makes real the issues we have with higher education. As Saturn in Sagittarius unfolds (it is far from over), more of these events are likely to come to light.

The terrorist attacks that took place in Beirut, Baghdad and Paris could be seen as another manifestation of the new moon in Scorpio and using that energy again in the most base, destructive way possible.

This moment has teased out the question of how we use our power and what we lend our power to. What happened this weekend in Paris is a tragedy, through and through. And it is a tragedy that happens in many countries the world over all the time. It happened in Beirut and Baghdad days before Paris and no president said anything about it. No astrological publication or astrologer that I know of pulled up the chart for Beirut or Baghdad and made a declaration about Saturn in Sagittarius either.

But we did for Paris.

There seems to be a conversation brewing in astrological circles about religious fundamentalism in connection to Saturn’s (the planet that makes things solid and defined) recent arrival into Sagittarius (a sign that deals with religion), but why now? Is it due to the fact that terrorist attacks have happened in France twice since Saturn moved into Sagittarius? But terrorist attacks happen in non-westerners countries, to non-white people all the time. Why don’t they get astrological scrutiny? Why draw up charts of and investigate only certain nations being attacked, certain types of people, and certain types of cultures? When does the terror that black and brown folks face get to be as worthy of the white solidarity and of the astrological communities expertise? When is the terrorism that happens in a non-western country worthy of airtime and analysis?

Certainly Saturn in Sagittarius brings into form, and therefore into our consciousness, the problems with patriarchal (Saturn) religious ideologies (Sagittarius). Squaring Neptune (compassion, confusion and delusion) in Pisces (dreamy, impressionistic and ideal states of oneness), the Saturn in Sagittarius complex gets outed possibly for the delusion that it is and that it feeds us.

Colonial thinking has power because it dehumanizes those that come from somewhere we know little to nothing about. We don’t have to see “them” as “us” or “their” suffering as “real”. When we dehumanize others, their suffering just isn’t as bad as ours. It’s simply not “our” problem and maybe not even “our” astrology.

Perhaps then, Saturn’s entrance into Sagittarius will make real this kind of disparage in our global philosophy. Perhaps Saturn’s transit through Sagittarius, especially as it makes three squares to Neptune in Pisces over the next year, can informs us, can remind us and can teach us that those that grieve their loved ones in the Middle East, in Africa, in Asia, and in the Americas do so in the same way. The same pain runs through every heart on this earth.

Let us not be manipulated by fear to turn against each other, creating ever more suffering. Let us grieve together, in solidarity for a world gone mad and in hopes for a world returned to sanity, which is to say, love.

By: Chani Nicholas

Chani has a degree in Feminist Counseling from George Brown College and a BA in Integral Studies from California Institute of Integral Studies. She has studied psychological astrology for over 20 years and is currently studying Hellenistic astrology with Demetra George. Chani devotes her spare time to studying, practicing and supporting restorative justice practices. You can find her at http://chaninicholas.com

14 Nov 2015
Comments: 0

The Lesson Repeats as Needed – Organic Transformation aka Learning Things the Hard Way

Image Source

Lessons repeat as needed.

You know, these situations when you think – damn, I’ve been here before. Sometimes you’ve been in that place even several times.

So why does this madness repeat? It’s not meeting you at the same old level of awareness and evolution. You’ve made quite some progress in the meantime. Look closer: It’s not exactly the same, right?

To level up, add trust and openness. Like, the ‘heart cracked wide open’ kind of openness. Things will change quickly, avalanches of insight will fall into your heart.

The moment you switch your head off things get more dangerous and – paradoxically enough – safer than you could ever wish for. You hand yourself over to invisible hands.

Faith. You get still and listen. It’s like an exam. To pass it you need to apply what you have learned so far. The night is darkest right before dawn. It might feel and look like everything’s over, no way out.

But there is always a way out, many ways even. And your task is to find the one that’s most aligned with your calling, your spiritual skills, with your SOUL ultimately.

It’s the nature of the Phoenix, you fall, you burn and die (a little or a lot, it depends, you never know beforehand), and then you soar, purified, stronger, you soar higher than ever before.

Hint: Next time therefore you’ll probably fall deeper, but your soul will be wiser and stronger, you’ll manage to navigate the next Phoenix-cycle, like you were able to deal with those in the past.

Your evolution isn’t linear, it has ups and downs, and it’s a labyrinthine route, steep, and meandering, spiraling upwards in changing pace. The spiraling nature is what gets you to the point where you think you’ve just returned to ‘Go’.

You think you’ve tackled shame once and for all and then it comes back, washing over you worse than ever before, on such a deep level, you feel like you’ll never work your way towards the light again. Not in this lifetime.

Or Jealousy? Fear of rejection? Recurring scarcity? Grief? All these “issues” make you feel like you’re isolated from the world, seeing everything through blackened glass, not able to participate in the blissful, carefree life “out there”.

Craving connection, a sense of belonging. And yet consumed with the lonely business of working through your shadows.

There are glimpses of light, of Enlightenment even. But you’ve signed up for a thorough field trip through the minefield of the human soul.

It sucks. But it’s serving you, it enables you to get you to a place where you finally experience wholeness, Oneness. You are not a separate being.

Things sometimes (often) feel pretty frustrating, especially if you’re like me – a rebel (with extremely thin skin, though), coming with fancy features like a shit ton of stubbornness and refusal, but the willingness to move forward and learn to grow into the things that are calling me.

That’s a very organic approach to transformative learning. We have to feel things out, get our hands dirty and our hearts and egos broken to learn, to have the lessons really sink in.

By experiencing everything yourself, with all your senses, bruises, broken wings and all, you gain wisdom that others never will access, because they didn’t want to dig into the dirt.

You’re not a pseudo-awakened spirit, you’re a real Soul-Alchemist. You know how to work and play hard, how to fall deep and how to get back up. Again and again and again and…. You get the picture.

You try to make yourself comfortable in the discomfort, in the realm of paradox which is characteristic for the thing we call human existence. It’s an illusion, Maya, a thousand truths but none of them is real.

It’s a cosmic game. To play a game that has no rules is tricky. It could be so easy: No rules – no mistakes. Nope. That would be boring. The Universe likes exciting twists, sudden turns, magic, terror and wonder.

We are made to FEEL. And, to tell you a secret, in private, there is one hidden rule underneath the no-rule premise: Keep going. Keep getting up, crawl if you must.

I don’t mean in a physical way, quite the opposite. Rest is vital to this journey. You need time to integrate, you can’t always run on full steam. Believe me, I’m someone who’s often persistently trying to do just that – can’t recommend it… Working on quitting this harmful habit.

But don’t ever stop exploring, don’t stop growing. Don’t settle.

Image Source

I’ve got an example of organic transformation from my own latest experience for you (work in progress, of course):

I’ve been asked to be patient and wait until a magical date with destiny – literally. It felt like forever and I often felt like turning around and call this waiting game quits. I’ve been in this situation a few times before – the lesson repeats as needed, you know….

In the past I didn’t manage to endure the tension of the wait, I got angry, mistrusted the process, ran from it, deeply hurt and frustrated.

What I thought I’d learned was that I had to protect my heart and soul even more fiercely, to block out any attempts of people trying to get in touch with me. Too dangerous, too painful, too straining.

Meanwhile it’s a mere few weeks from now until the long desired re-union. I’ve waited and prepared for this moment what feels like my entire life, I’ve manifested a connection that suddenly fell from the heavens, divinely orchestrated.

I got the whole package, including testing and probing, challenges – how far will I go, how bad do I really want it? How serious am I? How mature in my approach? Triggers were fired at me, buttons were pushed,

I raged, mourned, cried.The lesson, yeah. Damn. I’ve made a vow to never go through this again.

And to get me into this place where my soul is being pulled that strongly – I didn’t believe this was possible. It would take an extraordinarily deep bond, one that I couldn’t deny and fight, no matter how much I resisted.

Well, this bond actually does exist, this connection haunted me even in my dreams. No way I could ignore it. I’ve tried, of course, I remembered my vow!

Then I started pondering what the lesson might be. I had wished for such an encounter, I knew it existed, I felt it for so many years. But I also was scared. And again there were obstacles in the way.

This time I chose to trust the process, to use it as catalyst for transformation. I worked on past trauma and deep scars, on trust, openness and surrender, radical acceptance.

It was like a fire, burning everything that doesn’t serve me anymore, it’s working quick. Just to make me discover that underneath the issues there are deeper things to be released. Growth is a never-ending story.*sigh*

So there I was, with waterfalls of liquid fire in my belly, bursting into fireworks. Energetic short circuits on a daily basis, palpable electricity, increasingly so, the closer I got to the magical date.

Temporary total breakdown and exhaustion. Hard to hold space for such a powerful connection. Not even being asked, just having it washing over me. It’s not about me, by the way, it’s about something way bigger, the heart of hearts. Spiritual Alchemy.

My ego got grinded and burned, until I was standing in the biting cold. Naked, clueless. Not able to keep up all the defensiveness and resistance. “So this is how it starts?”, I asked.
“Yes.”

I saw codes of the matrix running on the ceiling, in my hands, like sand in an hourglass. Losing matter and reality, seeing them run through my fingers. Time stopped.

I got hints and keywords along the way. My soul spoke to me clearly. Letting Go. Alignment. Exploring my Darkside. Self-Love. Surrender. And a few more.

This was the work of almost two very intense years. I did the best to get it right, to keep up with the pace that was demanded. I was fierce. My energetic and physical body got a makeover, refinement, my skin got even thinner – massive sensitivity.

Now daylight hurts. I’m reading other people’s souls as I walk by. If I want to escape the craze, close my eyes, it gets even worse. Visions, messages, entire downloads, I’m chased and surrounded by spirit beings. I stuff my ears, cover my eyes – in vain.

I’m scared by all the intensity. The unfathomable truths that peak through Maya – illusion. Accessing universal consciousness, being pulled in a dozen different directions at the same time, trying to hold all that shit together without getting dissolved in the process, without losing my mind.

I want to scream, I want to wake up. But I can’t, I’ve woken up to the fact that I’m dreaming a long time back.

There are layers. Dreams inside of dreams, black holes, rabbit holes, you never know where and when you reach the surface again, Maybe never? My mind gets dizzy just writing this. Can anyone understand? Does anyone see it, too?

My soul is bursting in hysterical and equally pleased laughter. YES. That’s exactly what it wants for me. That’s what I’m here for to endure, to grow into.

I often feel like I can’t. It’s impossible. But I continue stumbling forward. One step in front of the other. My knees weak, my heart racing.

And if you ask me where I’m going, I answer with shaking voice: I’m being called, that’s the only thing I know for sure. The calling is ear-deafening. And I meet others along the way, like you, blinded, golden at heart. Lighthouses, messengers, guardians.

I’m about to connect with one. A magic fusion. I’m scared. Of course. I’m a pro in being scared, in case you haven’t noticed yet. I’m also excited. I have nothing to lose, except my mind. But on the path I’m called to go, we all are called to go, the mind is but a tool.

It’s a soul-path.

Intuition is the compass, and the invisible hand is pulling the strings to get us safely where we’re meant to be. Did I mention that I’m allergic to strings?

Every time I hit a low I think “I can’t do this anymore, I’m tired, have mercy, it’s so hard to fall down and climb back up time and again!”

And suddenly, out of nowhere and when I expect it the least, a bout of strength gets unleashed in my heart, I get up and do what I can best, trust that somehow I’ll be safe, somehow everything will make sense eventually.

And on I stumble, with sore feet, singed wings and tear-stained skin.
Carry on.

That’s what I’m here to tell you: Carry on.
You’re strong. You can do this. You have the capacity to stand the confusion and pain, to metabolize ashes to sparks of divine light.

Keep going, crawl, if you must. It’s the only rule of the game. You know what’s demanded of you. And you know that it’s demanded of you, BECAUSE YOU ARE CAPABLE.

Image Source

We’d love hear your stories of transformation. Join the conversation in the comments below.

About the Author:

Lina Boldt is a seeker, healer and writer, she has a Ninja-warrior survival record, and can often be found in the thick of deep transformational work, which made her gain quite some expertise in breakdowns and breakthroughs. Her current mission is all about surrender, and she can’t live without chocolate. You can connect with her via her newly born website Disobey With Grace or on facebook, where you can also join her group of non-conformists and messy souls.

12 Nov 2015
Comments: 0

Before I Go: A Neurosurgeon’s Final Reflections On Mortality

Time warps for a young surgeon with metastatic lung cancer

In residency, there’s a saying: The days are long, but the years are short. In neurosurgical training, the day usually began a little before 6 a.m., and lasted until the operating was done, which depended, in part, on how quick you were in the OR.

Time at home. Time well spent

A resident’s surgical skill is judged by his technique and his speed. You can’t be sloppy and you can’t be slow. From your first wound closure onward, spend too much time being precise and the scrub tech will announce, “Looks like we’ve got a plastic surgeon on our hands!” Or say: “I get your strategy — by the time you finish sewing the top half of the wound, the bottom will have healed on its own. Half the work — smart!” A chief resident will advise a junior: “Learn to be fast now — you can learn to be good later.” Everyone’s eyes are always on the clock. For the patient’s sake: How long has the patient been under anesthesia? During long procedures, nerves can get damaged, muscles can break down, even causing kidney failure. For everyone else’s sake: What time are we getting out of here tonight?

There are two strategies to cutting the time short, like the tortoise and the hare. The hare moves as fast as possible, hands a blur, instruments clattering, falling to the floor; the skin slips open like a curtain, the skull flap is on the tray before the bone dust settles. But the opening might need to be expanded a centimeter here or there because it’s not optimally placed. The tortoise proceeds deliberately, with no wasted movements, measuring twice, cutting once. No step of the operation needs revisiting; everything proceeds in orderly fashion. If the hare makes too many minor missteps and has to keep adjusting, the tortoise wins. If the tortoise spends too much time planning each step, the hare wins.

The funny thing about time in the OR, whether you frenetically race or steadily proceed, is that you have no sense of it passing. If boredom is, as Heidegger argued, the awareness of time passing, this is the opposite: The intense focus makes the arms of the clock seem arbitrarily placed. Two hours can feel like a minute. Once the final stitch is placed and the wound is dressed, normal time suddenly restarts. You can almost hear an audible whoosh. Then you start wondering: How long till the patient wakes up? How long till the next case gets started? How many patients do I need to see before then? What time will I get home tonight?

It’s not until the last case finishes that you feel the length of the day, the drag in your step. Those last few administrative tasks before leaving the hospital, however far post-meridian you stood, felt like anvils. Could they wait till tomorrow? No. A sigh, and Earth continued to rotate back toward the sun.

But the years did, as promised, fly by. Six years passed in a flash, but then, heading into chief residency, I developed a classic constellation of symptoms — weight loss, fevers, night sweats, unremitting back pain, cough — indicating a diagnosis quickly confirmed: metastatic lung cancer. The gears of time ground down. While able to limp through the end of residency on treatment, I relapsed, underwent chemo and endured a prolonged hospitalization.

I emerged from the hospital weakened, with thin limbs and thinned hair. Now unable to work, I was left at home to convalesce. Getting up from a chair or lifting a glass of water took concentration and effort. If time dilates when one moves at high speeds, does it contract when one moves barely at all? It must: The day shortened considerably. A full day’s activity might be a medical appointment, or a visit from a friend. The rest of the time was rest.

With little to distinguish one day from the next, time began to feel static. In English, we use the word time in different ways, “the time is 2:45” versus “I’m going through a tough time.” Time began to feel less like the ticking clock, and more like the state of being. Languor settled in. Focused in the OR, the position of the clock’s hands might seem arbitrary, but never meaningless. Now the time of day meant nothing, the day of the week scarcely more so.

Paul Kalanithi savors moments with his daughter, Cady.

Verb conjugation became muddled. Which was correct? “I am a neurosurgeon,” “I was a neurosurgeon,” “I had been a neurosurgeon before and will be again”? Graham Greene felt life was lived in the first 20 years and the remainder was just reflection. What tense was I living in? Had I proceeded, like a burned-out Greene character, beyond the present tense and into the past perfect? The future tense seemed vacant and, on others’ lips, jarring. I recently celebrated my 15th college reunion; it seemed rude to respond to parting promises from old friends, “We’ll see you at the 25th!” with “Probably not!”

Yet there is dynamism in our house. Our daughter was born days after I was released from the hospital. Week to week, she blossoms: a first grasp, a first smile, a first laugh. Her pediatrician regularly records her growth on charts, tick marks of her progress over time. A brightening newness surrounds her. As she sits in my lap smiling, enthralled by my tuneless singing, an incandescence lights the room.

Time for me is double-edged: Every day brings me further from the low of my last cancer relapse, but every day also brings me closer to the next cancer recurrence — and eventually, death. Perhaps later than I think, but certainly sooner than I desire. There are, I imagine, two responses to that realization. The most obvious might be an impulse to frantic activity: to “live life to its fullest,” to travel, to dine, to achieve a host of neglected ambitions. Part of the cruelty of cancer, though, is not only that it limits your time, it also limits your energy, vastly reducing the amount you can squeeze into a day. It is a tired hare who now races. But even if I had the energy, I prefer a more tortoiselike approach. I plod, I ponder, some days I simply persist.

Everyone succumbs to finitude. I suspect I am not the only one who reaches this pluperfect state. Most ambitions are either achieved or abandoned; either way, they belong to the past. The future, instead of the ladder toward the goals of life, flattens out into a perpetual present. Money, status, all the vanities the preacher of Ecclesiastes described, hold so little interest: a chasing after wind, indeed.

Yet one thing cannot be robbed of her futurity: my daughter, Cady. I hope I’ll live long enough that she has some memory of me. Words have a longevity I do not. I had thought I could leave her a series of letters — but what would they really say? I don’t know what this girl will be like when she is 15; I don’t even know if she’ll take to the nickname we’ve given her. There is perhaps only one thing to say to this infant, who is all future, overlapping briefly with me, whose life, barring the improbable, is all but past.

That message is simple: When you come to one of the many moments in life when you must give an account of yourself, provide a ledger of what you have been, and done, and meant to the world, do not, I pray, discount that you filled a dying man’s days with a sated joy, a joy unknown to me in all my prior years, a joy that does not hunger for more and more, but rests, satisfied. In this time, right now, that is an enormous thing.

By Paul Kalanithi

Paul Kalanithi, MD, was an instructor in Stanford’s Department of Neurosurgery and a fellow at the Stanford Neurosciences Institute. He passed away on March 9, 2015. More information about him is available at http://paulkalanithi.com.

Photography by Gregg Segal, syndicated from stanmed.stanford.edu

10 Nov 2015
Comments: 0

Scared to Sacred: Falling in Love with 13

In high school English I learned a 64-carat word for a common ailment: triskaidekaphobia, or “fear of the number thirteen.” The elevator in my grandparents’ apartment building omitted the thirteenth floor. Apparently the assumption was, nobody would have wanted to live on it. It was a fashionable New York City address; fear and loathing cross all perceived boundaries. I also recall a series of horror movies with “Friday the 13th” in the title.

A society steeped in superstition and a materialistic value system will find it easy to assign anxiety to anything that threatens the status quo. Thirteen is the number of movement, of change — a wild card — and that can be very scary. But it’s our lost connection with the Divine in everyday life that gives rise to such distress. Divorced from our origins, terrified of our own power, we profane the sacred: thirteen becomes unlucky, evil, a curse; symbolic scapegoat of all we’re afraid to embrace.

When we can take the thirteenth step, however, we’re on the first step of the Stairway to Heaven. With the courage to look, we find thirteen stitched into the very fabric of American culture. Thirteen colonies gave birth to a nation. The first American flag bore thirteen stars and stripes. We were on the right track back then, grounded into the roots of our heritage.

Think about it: thirteen has traditionally been cause for celebration. The thirteenth year signifies a coming-of-age, also across all perceived boundaries. In the Jewish religion, boys make their Bar Mitzvah at thirteen. This ceremony, which involves reading from the holy Torah, marks a boy’s entrance into manhood.

Girls generally begin to menstruate at thirteen. Cross-culturally, it’s common to commemorate the first blood with an initiation rite; here in the West, this significant threshold is at last beginning to be recognized as a powerful, sacred passage. (My e-course, Loving Our Lunacy, is an embodied initiation for women.)

In fact, there are even thirteen sun signs in the Real Solar Zodiac — which is not the one used in conventional astrology. Ophiuchus, the serpent bearer, has been omitted from the oversimplified Tropical Zodiac used in the West. Yet the serpent denotes transformation — and on the Winter Solstice of 2012, long prophesied by indigenous cultures worldwide as the Shift of the Ages, Earth directly aligned with both Ophiuchus and the center of the Milky Way galaxy.

Thirteen, then, is a fundamental Earth rhythm, biorhythm, manifested in our physical bodies as well as the heavenly ones. To reject thirteen is, perhaps, to reject or deny some core aspect of ourselves as human beings.

How can we reawaken to our true purpose and potential, beyond the fear and perception of separateness? By reclaiming our native knowing.

One way that resonates for me is following a 13 Moon Calendar. The 13 Moon Calendar shows us a path to walk to restore right relationship in our lives, to re-member (make membership again) our journey as one Earth family. Based on an annual solar cycle of 13 moons (months) of 28 days each (the female menstrual cycle), plus one “day out of time” in which to reflect and regenerate, the 13 Moon Calendar is synchronized with Earth rhythms and human biology. It’s expansive, intuitive, juicy, flowing: life, in all its harmonious chaos.

The beauty of this apparent paradox lies in learning to honor them both/and: life is orderly and messy, pragmatic and unpredictable, spiritual and material. Living in tune with these innate contradictions, we breathe in our own magnificence, and feel nourished and held in the body of the Great Mother.

Our Gregorian calendar, by contrast, models scarcity, so we always subtly feel like we’re starving: if you get what you need, there might not be enough for me. Living a compressed, alienating, sterile existence, our spiritual lungs squeezed for air, we evince these invisible shackles in the way we treat each other and Gaia. Time-is-money, me-first, bigger-better-best, I want it yesterday, are the credos of mechanistic time. Pursued by the clock, separated from our humanity, we’ve forgotten that time is creativity, that women carry time in their bodies, and have come to accept the clock as king.

Another Earth-based analogy may also help: I’ve observed a fairly rampant homeowner disgust with the “lowly dandelion”, scourge of suburbia’s well-manicured lawns — when in fact, dandelion is one of the most healing herbs available to humanity, offering itself in abundance wherever we dwell. It’s a supreme liver tonic, known to help detoxify the body’s “processing plant.” If you want to release that pent-up rage in a healthy way, the remedy is probably available, free and easy, right in your own backyard.

Dandelion is so plentiful that I find it also acts as de facto compost within me: surrounding and helping to decompose back into rich loam that which no longer serves. Yet we curse the weed and uproot it, spray poison to keep the green carpet unsullied. When we can stop “livin’ for the lawn,” focusing predominantly on the external, and make the subtle shift from ego mind to Universal Mind, we see with such great clarity the incredible gifts all around us.

In the 13 Moon Calendar, the number thirteen, like dandelion, grows everywhere; it’s the key thread on which the harmony of the calendar is woven. And on a 13 Moon Calendar, there’s always a Friday the 13th — in a 28-day month, every second Friday is Friday the thirteenth!

As our evolutionary readiness dissolves old superstition around the number thirteen — and all it represents — our collective mindfield makes a quantum leap from mindless fear to aware acceptance of thirteen as the sacred number of the spiral, the energy of kundalini awakening, the step to transformation and growth. Unified in time, living on purpose, a metamorphosis occurs as we attune to a higher frequency.

Metamorphosis means not only change, but going above, beyond what existed before. The Sufi mystic Rumi said, “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing there’s a field; I’ll meet you there.” In this quantum field, we midwife moth into butterfly. Scared into sacred. Each of us into our true purpose and potential.

What is this time of profound transmutation helping you bring to birth? Whatever it is, may it be in beauty, for the greatest good of all.

About the Author:

Amara Rose is a “midwife” for our global rebirth. Her services include transformational guidance, talks, e-courses, a digital download CD, and an inspirational monthly newsletter. She is widely published in health, business and new thought magazines, both digital and print. Learn more: http://www.liveyourlight.com

04 Nov 2015
Comments: 0

Awakening Abundance

The concept of all-sufficiency was an essential knowing in all ancient teachings of self-knowledge. The ancients understood that knowing oneself meant knowing that the divine energy that creates worlds, exists within each of us and can manifest any vision held in our consciousness. Students of the mysteries were initiated into the teachings of magnetic powers or what many have to come refer to as, the laws of attraction. By working with these divine unseen forces once could magnetize or call forth whatever was needed to be used for good will. Thus money as an exchange was a token of integrity and inner harmony. Christ said, but if you will not know yourself then you will dwell in poverty and it is you who is that poverty. These esoteric teachings speak to our ability to transform vision into form. Knowledge of thought form energy and the Spirit of creation were combined as the primary principles of manifestation.

A shift in consciousness began shortly after, where the awareness of the innate powers of the individual were censored and attacked and the dogma of outer authority entered. During these Dark Ages, institutions assumed control over independent thinking and creative expression. Members of secret societies who understood the sacred teachings were known to transcend the limitations of the physical world through spiritual awakening and the dedication to freedom, love, truth, wisdom and service. With the transcendental movement, esoteric teachings and mysteries again blossomed and unfolded in waves. Yet we are only just beginning again to understand the messages of infinite abundance and boundless wealth that is our divine birthright.

But this, I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give not grudgingly, or of necessity, for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work. As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness.

—Corinthians

Many spiritualists may believe that a conversation about wealth has no place on a spiritual path. Yet the earliest teachings clearly state that denying the wealth of creation would be denying oneself, as we are the individual expression of the richness of the universe. These are the key messages that we each have to learn in order to tap into the highest potential of our path. These fundamental truths can free us from any perceived lack or limitation be it circumstance, experience or person that seems to standing on our way and create a world full of miracles. The outer world of form is simply the reflection of our inner world of thoughts, beliefs, ideas, and feelings. Our own consciousness determines the outcome. Do you have any limiting beliefs about abundance and prosperity? Do you have beliefs that tell you that wealth is bad or that only certain people deserve wealth? These beliefs will play a major role in your ability to either block or allow the flow of abundance to show up in your experiences.

There is a presence that exists within each of us. The greater our awareness of this presence and the more we are able to honor it, the greater the presence will fill us with divine light. The more pure our intention and aligned with the divine will, the more we will be able to receive abundantly. Our imagination is the tool that the universal mind uses to draw potential possibilities into our physical mind. Our gut offers us hunches as way of translating ideas of what can be brought forth. The brain is capable of both transmitting and receiving energy in the form of ideas. These ideas are always gently directing us towards the ways we are able to use this creative energy.

The Source within is always aligned with abundance as its true nature. The creative energy of this abundance is always flowing and seeking to appear in the world of form. This flow is expressed through us as the channel filtered through our dominant thoughts and beliefs which color the expression. The form the creative energy takes is the effect. When the flow is uninterrupted it can be made manifest in infinite possibilities. By focusing on the outer expression of the creative forces however we direct our attention away from the true source and we give the material form (effect) our power. We must always be aware of the source of all outward expression as this keeps the door open and the inspiration flowing, otherwise we cut off the flow. Each soul must learn this in one lifetime or another. Otherwise we will keep creating apparent lack and limitation. In other words, this entire experience is an illusion, a hologram or as Alan Watts referred to it, a weaving of smoke. We must not give our power to the illusion or else we cut off the source of our ability to create and cause a separation from the consciousness of the Source within. Turn your focus inward away from the outer drama and reconnect with the divine flow that exists within each of us. Recognize that you are Gods highest creation.

Spiritual Practices for tuning into abundance.

Declaration:
I release my attachment to the outer world of form and view the material world as the effect of my inner beliefs, thoughts, and feelings.

Affirmation:
I accept that abundance is my natural state of being.
I am abundantly provided for as I follow my heart’s desire and my intuition.
I am always supplied with whatever I need, whenever I need it.
I am an open channel for receiving limitless abundance.
The abundance of the universe flows into this world through me.
I am consciously tuning in to the abundance around me.
I am open to receiving the abundance of life.
I believe in the infinite boundless abundance of the universe.
I now have all the resources I need to create unlimited wealth and abundance in my life.
Today I reclaim the abundance that is my divine birthright.
With every breath I take I am drawing more abundance into my life.

Cultivating your energy field:
Your thoughts, ideas, beliefs and feelings about abundance and prosperity will likely need to be refined or reprogrammed. Many of us are still carrying the energy of experiences that were created from the transmission of limited thoughts and beliefs that reflect the lack consciousness of our current society. We all have a long list of should’s and shouldn’ts and thus the emotions associated with these unfavored outcomes may be stuck in our electromagnetic field. This energy continues to draw more of those experiences to us like a magnet. When your mind worries incessantly about negative thoughts allow let them pass by like clouds. Declare: I am willing to let go of the energy of the pattern that created this experience.

With higher vibrational thinking we are naturally able see more situations in our life with possible positive outcomes. We can become aware of these thoughts and replace them individually with the use of affirmations. Instead of thinking of wealth as evil, greedy, selfish or exploitative, tune into the spiritual expression of wealth such as good will, benevolence, generosity, service and freedom. By training your body-mind to increase its vibration and then using that higher vibration to focus on your most desired outcome, you will become a super charged manifesting magnet for what you want.

Gratitude:

The vibration of gratitude is the fastest way to raise your vibration in order to align with abundance. The more you are grateful for what you have the more you signal to the universe that you are ready to receive more. The fastest way to attract abundance is to realize that you already have everything you need. From a metaphysical perspective every possibility we can imagine is here for us, we may just not be experiencing it currently. We can learn to use the power of imagination and focused intention to draw it into our current experience. The belief that we already have everything makes the process easy and often fun. Studies show that we can deliberately cultivate gratitude and can increase our well-being and happiness by doing so. Expressing it to others is associated with increased energy, optimism, and empathy. Keep a gratitude journal where you list several things each day that you are grateful for. Write a letter to someone whom you have never properly thanked. Then read the letter to that person, preferably in person. This could be an excellent tradition.

Generosity:

Remember that although there is one Source of the flow of abundance, this flow can take on many forms in the material realm. Until we reach the level of consciousness where we can instantly manifest anything we wish into physical matter, often the flow of abundance will connect to us through other souls on the planet as an exchange. Learning how to partake in balanced energy exchanges with others is a beautiful practice. The shadow side of generosity can be over giving. Whereas hoarding or selfishness can be an obvious expression of lack, over giving may tend to be overlooked, yet is equally detrimental to the flow of abundance. It can often be a symptom of an apparent lack of self-worth. We may undervalue our own personal life force and be in the habit of putting others needs before our own. Over givers naturally attract those who are takers or unable to reciprocate as a reflection of this unhealed karmic soul wound. When we seek approval of others through our generosity this can often create adverse effects. When we are truly being generous from an abundant heart the energy of the action is infused with pure intention and the outcome will be reciprocated energy. Give yourself permission to learn to fill up your own cup and then to support others from the overflow.

Receiving:

Start each day with the following visualization to connect to the potential of your abundant future: Imagine a beautiful warm healing light washing through you and carrying away any cares from the previous day. Imagine every cell your body becoming aware of its innate potential. Think of each of these cells waking up and filling up with this light. Think of all of the abundance that we are surrounded by. You are a part of it and it is a part of you. Imagine that all this abundance is available to you. This is all truth. The perpetual transmutation of energy flows through you. You have the ability to give it form. Imagine your awareness expanding and that you are doing exactly that you love most. Imagine what it would feel like to be doing what you dream of every moment of your day. Bring all of your emotions into it, add as much detail as possible. This conscious awareness is now waiting to manifest. You are in harmony with the universal law. Feel an aliveness and the creative flow that exists within in. Take this feeling forth with you into you day. Repeat this visualization for 40 days.

Intuition:

Make sure that you are choosing to align with the abundance in the universe that truly comes from the relationship you have cultivated with your inner being. Let go of the ideas, beliefs and expectations that society, culture, or others have projected onto you. In order to remember who you are, first you need to forget everything you were told about who you are. Until you remove the veil of these systems that are keeping you stuck you will find it most difficult to connect with your own inner desires. You will be manifesting experiences that leave you unfulfilled because they do not speak to your inner truths. When you let go of the need to be a people pleaser and begin to live for from a place a wholeness you realize that following your dreams actually is a beautiful blessing that you can offer to the planet. Every new desire that you give birth to serves all of creation. And this is so.

Wealth Chi:

Allow the energy of wealth into your home. Your house needs it in order to be able to attract prosperity and this starts with the front door, called the Mouth of Chi. Protect your front door, if necessary, with feng shui symbols of protection, abundance and good luck. Your home must be free of clutter if you wish to allow the energy of prosperity to flow freely. The area connected to your money, or financial prosperity and abundance, is the Southeast area of your home or office. Adorn this area with symbols that represent your desires or build an altar around this area to amplify the energy. A popular stone to decorate with is Pyrite.

In feng shui, water also represents money. For this reason, indoor water fountains are recommended because they circulate prosperity energy in the home. Conversely, the bathroom can cause problems because water is escaping down the drains and the toilet every day. The old adage “Don’t flush your money down the toilet” couldn’t be truer from a feng shui perspective. Always close the lid on your toilet before flushing. This prevents energy from being drained from your space. Place a small bowl overflowing with fruit on a kitchen table. The stove has a direct connection to wealth so make sure to keep your stove in good working condition and keep them very clean.

Create:

It’s most important to set the right tone for the life that you want to create. Taking the time to get into alignment so that you may hear your inner guidance is the basis for everything that you wish to bring forth. Once you have aligned with your soul, removed any blocks, tapped into your power, identified your hearts desires, called on the support of Spirit and the energy that creates worlds then it is time to take inspired action. Then you can begin to consciously materialize all of the energies that you are now growing within you into their highest expression. My relationship with Source/God/the Most High/Spirit/The Universe/Love is the foundation for everything that I wish to experience in life. I learned that Miracles are easy. They simply require a shift in perspective within the quantum field of possibilities. There is a certain amount of activation energy required to propel you into taking the action required to bring your ideas to fruition. When an idea bubbles up from the superconscious mind you have a few minutes to follow the impulse and take action before the idea is killed. Even the smallest action can be the turning point. Allow the universe to align the details, the people, and the opportunities for how the end vision will line up and come together serendipitously. Also be open to the possibility that something better can actually show up for you. I always end my daily morning rituals with, let this or something better come into my experience, and so it is. I allow myself to feel the energy of what’s coming and speak of it as if it’s already here, even though it may not have “shown up” yet. I follow my intuition and I know there is no shortage of opportunities. That which we seek is seeking us. Our higher self knows how to make it happen.

THANK YOU all for supporting our work. Please stay tuned for next month as we dive into teachings about soul agreements, Soul contracts, twin flames, how to heal your heart from a soul mate connection and how to attract soul mates. We know you will love what we have to share.

&nsbp;

By: Ascension Lifestyle Contributor Hasnaa

Please sign up for my newsletter
http://www.twitter.com/thatgirlhas
http://instagram.com/vibrationalmedicine

04 Nov 2015
Comments: 0

The 12 Biggest Life Secrets Forgotten by Mankind

The more I ponder about life, the more I come to one solid realization: The biggest curse and predicament of modern Man is forgetfulness. Like a creeping malaise, forgetfulness has seeped through all of Man’s being and doing. Individually, collectively, historically or culturally, we are spellbound to forget.

We haven’t only forgot our past but also our place in the present and our responsibility of the future. On a personal level, our ego-based state of consciousness is on a mission to keep us in this state of forgetfulness – to break the link to our being as a whole and to the interconnected web of life and universal consciousness. On a collective level, this forgetfulness is perpetuated and reinforced by social and cultural means – mainly by being tranced into a reality of unconscious consumerism, inauthentic lifestyles and a materialistic mindset.

The brighter side of it is that we all have the chance to re-member and re-connect to ourselves and the universe at large. The power of remembering is at the centre of the spiritual path to self-discovery and realization.

Here is a list of what I believe we have forgotten, or more importantly, a list of things to remember:

1. We forgot our place in the natural world:

In the last couple of hundred years we have detached ourselves from nature. We have exploited, ravaged, consumed and attempted to control nature to appease our greed driven by self-absorbed madness. We tried to distance ourselves from the natural circle of life. We forgot how to listen to and understand the natural rhythms and cycles of the earth – its signs and languages. We forgot to follow nature’s path and live in balance with it.

2. We forgot our connection to life and the cosmos:

By detaching ourselves from nature, we forgot that we are deeply connected to it and to the cycles of the universe. Some tribes on the outskirts of ‘civilization’, and who still follow ancestral ways, have preserved this connection with respect and reverence. We, on the other hand have instilled a sense of separateness which drove us out of balance and in dis-ease. We forgot how all consciousness is interconnected and weaved into a delicate and beautiful dance.

3. We forgot our ancient wisdom:

We forgot our ancestral wisdom. In the quest to gain scientific knowledge through the rationalization of our mind, we forgot the wisdom through the opening of our heart. We forgot the ancient stories and folk wisdom that was handed down from from seers and wise men of antiquity who lived in harmony with the universe.

4. We forgot our path and our dreams:

By stirring away from our inner path we forgot to dream the dream of life. More importantly we forgot how to awake in that dream and see our true nature as co-creators of life – as the dreamers. We forgot that we have the power to weave dreams and use our power of intention to direct those dreams into manifestation.

5. We forgot our purpose:

With too much chatter, noise and distraction in this dense reality we forgot what we came here to do. We forgot our purpose. We are caught in the mass trance of fabricated consensual reality. We lost sight of our authenticity, that inner spark that drives us towards our happiness and self-realization. We forgot that we are here to be realised as spiritual beings embodied in a physical form and embedded in a congenial universe.

6. We forgot that everything is Love:

This is perhaps the deepest mystery of all that only some seers came to understand it as an all-embracing truth. That truth however is hidden somewhere deep inside of us. We knew it at some point but have lost touch with it. We forgot that everything is ultimately energy and consciousness and that love is the fundamental fabric of existence that runs through all energy and consciousness.

7. We forgot to Forgive:

By being made to believe that we are separate and disconnected from the others and from everything else, we forgot to forgive. In its deepest sense forgiveness is the act of reminding ourselves that we are one with everyone and everything and that there is no victim or perpetrator. It’s just all of us together moving together in a dynamic web we call life.

8. We forgot to be Free:

Remind yourself one thing everyday: You were made to be free.

We were born and raised in a ‘reality’ where freedom is only a concept. We were bound to the shackles of fear, misconceptions, false ideologies, material reward and held ransom to rules and laws laid down to safeguard the interest of the few. We were made to forget that we are free agents of change. We are free to be who we are without fear or guilt.

9. We forgot our real power:

Living in fear has made us forget how powerful we are. We forgot the massive power of our will and intention to change our reality. We have been tranced into sleepwalking and following the ready made signs like automatons.

10. We forgot our lessons from history:

If there is something that history has taught us is how fast we are at forgetting our lessons. Time and time again we keep on repeating the same mistakes, stuck in the same patterns of greed and self-destruction. We cannot be blamed individually for the mistakes done by humanity in the past but we are responsible as individuals to to remind ourselves of the past mistakes and pass it on to the collective psyche.

11. We forgot to be simple:

Human life got more complex and complicated. We are seduced by the glitter of more and not by the power of less. We forgot to be simple and the meaning of simplicity. Life is simple really. Simplicity means discarding all the inessential stuff and ideas that clutter the view to our life purpose and the other truths we have forgotten.

12. We forgot to trust, believe and wonder:

We lost our enchantment with the world. We forgot to be wondered by the miracle of life. We do not stand in awe at the majesty of it all anymore. Our skepticism and cynical view of the world has made us lose trust in ourselves and the magic of the universe. We forgot how to believe. This is perhaps the biggest tragedy of all. It weakened our spirit and impoverished our soul.

By: Ascension Lifestyle Contributor Gilbert Ross

Gilbert has been writing about personal growth topics for a number of years on various media. He is passionate about researching, writing, practicing and teaching people how to achieve positive life transformations and unleash the limitless potential of their mind. You can find him on facebook, Twitter, Google+ and his blog Soulhiker and more importantly you can take his course at Udemy.

30 Oct 2015
Comments: 1

The God Particle and Wisdom of the Ancients

Before Galileo Galilei and Sir Isaac Newton, the Lakota studied astronomy. Many indigenous peoples did. They were natural scientists. What sets indigenous “ethnoastronomy” apart from mainstream western astronomy is native peoples didn’t feel the need to separate their spiritual beliefs from other areas of their lives. The Lakota truly believed everything was interconnected. As a result, hard science observations and discoveries deciphered by Lakota over millennia are always intermingled with their spiritual beliefs, practices and ceremonies. In spite of frequent attempts by the western establishment to destroy such traditional knowledge, some has survived. Read more!

23 Oct 2015
Comments: 0

Shadow Work 3: Healing Grief

If you haven’t read the previous articles in the series, you can do so here:

Shadow Work 1: An Introduction
Shadow Work 2: Healing the Inner Child

Healing Grief

This is a powerful time for shedding light onto some aspects of our own personality that we may have lost contact with. The soul is always longing to be healed, integrated and brought into more awareness. I thought it would be appropriate to focus on how to work directly with our painful life challenges. I would like to offer some insight into my beliefs about why we experience pain and challenges to begin with from a spiritual perspective. As someone who believes we create our own reality, I believe everything that we experience is always in a state of divine perfection. That being the case, everything the Universe offers to us is neutral in its meaning. It is our judgement of the experience and thus, our resistance to the flow of what is, that causes suffering.

One of the questions that I get asked most often in relationship to the belief that we create our own reality is, “how do you make sense of the fact that there are children suffering all over the world, are you saying they deserve that reality and they themselves created it?”

Let’s first do away with the idea that life is about deserving, this a construct of the ego. The Universe however is finely ordered, on some level whether conscious or unconscious, we all co-create of our experience here. Consider the possibility that there are no accidents that everything is always going exactly as planned. That we are always on path. We are each a unique expression of the Universe/the Creator/Source energy/God that is expanding and coming to know more of itself through all that we are. My belief is yes, not only has a soul created the life they are experiencing, but that with the help of several spirit guides, each soul has created a well thought plan for exactly what they want to experience while in the physical body.

We spend many lifetimes often choosing to incarnate into a physical experience in order to have the opportunity to bring more consciousness to all. Unhealed emotions are deeply embedded in the individual and collective unconscious. To heal something we need to experience it. This includes false beliefs. Things that we judge from the personality egoic mind as imperfection, from the perspective of the soul we can never be less than perfect. We live in a reality of illusion, a constant dream state, behind a veil. This is part of the soul contract that we have agreed to when we decided to take part in this Earth School experiment.

We created the illusion that we are separate (ego). We place some of our consciousness into a physical body and focus solely on the physical reality. We agreed that we would experience a collective amnesia, we would forget who we are and through our life experiences we would have the opportunity to once again discover the truth of our divine nature. The reason we chose to spend time in this physical incarnation is that contrast of this sort does not exist in the spirit and other non-physical realms. We plan experiences in order to know ourselves as love, compassion, and deeply connected to Source. Through these opportunities of contrast we are awakened to the deeper truth of who we are.

By immersing ourselves in experiences lacking in compassion, we create an impetus to develop internal compassion. This is a life of learning through opposites, a path of profound spiritual growth. The soul plans may include handicaps, illnesses, limitations, physical accidents, drug addiction, homelessness, or many other types as challenges. All That Is benefits from the expansion that we create. So not only do we karmic ally benefit our own soul’s lessons, but we offer insight and inspiration to the entire Universe through this great work.

As souls we do not judge. From a spirit perspective, all judgement is self judgement. This may be due in part to the fact that on a subtle level we are aware that we chose the experiences we have lived. Judgements however, while in the physical body are not the result of separation but rather the cause of it. Through projections we continually blame the other, and attempt to separate ourselves from the discomfort that is created. This again is simply a tactic of the ego to prevent us from seeing ourselves.

To release judgement and offer compassion is to return to who we are. When we come into the awareness that none of what we have experienced is by accident, that we are living out our own souls plan exactly as it was written, this opens up the opportunity for profound healing. The way to do this is through recognizing the lesson that we set out to learn. This will be the source of our highest wellbeing.

In learning the lesson we gain an immense amount of self-esteem and self-love while still in the physical realm. Rather than waiting to enjoy the rewards of our hard work in the spirit realm we can welcome all of the blessings now.

From my own research and experience with past and parallel life regression, I have learned that we truly love the souls that we plan our lives with. We hold on so dearly to this misconception that a soul mate it this ideal romantic partner who comes into our lives to complete us. This could not be further from the truth. No other being can love you enough to make up for a lack of not loving your own self. In addition, all of the people who play key roles in our lives are soul mates. During our earthly experience they may be the ones who complicate our life, or even play the role of an “enemy” or abusive parent. Soul mates often incarnate together to master lessons. To speak even further about soul mates, many of our spirit guides are disincarnate souls who are also in fact soul mates.

Once you recognize that an individual is not a true enemy but rather a member of your soul family simply carrying out the request you made from them to live our your plan you realize there is no need to hold onto any bitterness or resentment.

The depression, the anger, the “why me” feelings are important stages of acceptance as part of our soul lesson. They are necessary in order to reach a higher state of consciousness. It is very important to forgive yourself at each stage of the process and to even share your story with others who may be going through the similar experiences and may be able to benefit from your insight. Forgiveness of the person you shared the lesson with is key because it allows us to release and balance the karma for which we may have come together with another being.

We may assume a relationship ending is some sort of failure. Often it is pre-written that we meet for certain period of time in our life related to the intended lesson. Once we have honored our contract all parties can move forward. Forgiveness allows us to fully close the chapter and enjoy the benefits of vibrating higher in our present lives. The souls that stay focused on the traumatic experience lose of a sense of clarity. They may decide to carry self-blame, punishing themselves, and prolonging the lesson. Self-forgiveness is a step towards Enlightenment because it is derived from self-love.

Along with forgiveness, gratitude is a sacred vibration. It immediately aligns us with a flow of All That Is. We express gratitude not to say that we are happy for our suffering, but rather for the growth we have experienced through it. Stay in gratitude that you have been given opportunities to awaken to higher levels of consciousness. Many do not have this consciousness available to them. Staying a state of gratitude helps the shift the focus to healing. The ongoing practice of gratitude has proven effects on the wellbeing of the body including being linked with lower rates of heart diseases.

Free will is always available to us at any moment in which we chose to no longer wish move through the experiences (that we set up to learn) in the exact same manner as was written. We can do this by increasing our vibrational frequency. By practicing compassion, gratitude, forgiveness and taking more loving actions towards others. In my belief everything has a higher meaning. I have learned to trust and surrender my limited understanding of the true meaning behind all of my experiences. I simply practice going with the flow. Knowing that in time, all truth will be revealed.

Our challenge is to find the beauty in the midst of all of our challenges. The true mark of an enlightened being is their ability to turn a negative experience into a positive one. Each of us has a divine purpose. Often the specific challenges that you planned will have a direct correlation with what we want to share with the rest of the world. I pray this work brings you closer to all that you desire to know.

By: Ascension Lifestyle Contributor Hasnaa

http://www.twitter.com/thatgirlhas
http://instagram.com/vibrationalmedicine

(Art by Jeff Sullivan)