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It's All About The Journey, Isn't it?

6/29/2015

What is life but a journey into the un-known. We start out oblivious to this notion and then at some point we realize there must be a purpose to our lives. The questions raise themselves from some undiscovered space, as the mystery of it all intensifies. What is my destination? What is my purpose? What am I supposed to be doing in my lifetime? How can I leave this world a better place for having been here? At first, we may feel the need to figure out the destination, as we stress about what we are supposed to be doing. Sometimes, this pondering can be down-right terrifying as the weeks turn into months and the months, into years. Wide-eyed wonder can turn into existential angst in the flip of an hourglass. Besides the inevitable death and taxes, what is there?

Imagine that each step on the journey is a piece of an enormous puzzle. Every experience, positive, negative, or neutral, contributes to our understanding of it. At some point, this becomes clear. Eventually, the destination becomes the least important part, transferring the glory to every step along the way. Each step is a complete experience, a developing pattern of imprints on our psyche. The puzzle may require some imagination, patience, and perseverance to put together, but it is worth the work. It is a fascinating accomplishment to grow into our bigger picture because our enormous finished puzzle is actually a piece in an even bigger puzzle. We are enriched by so many others that the whole just keeps inter-connecting and evolving outward.

So, coming back to our piece of the puzzle, how do we figure it out? A good place to start is to discover our Dharma. Dharma? Yes, rhymes with Karma. While Karma is the sum of the effects of our actions, Dharma is our purpose. Whereas Karma is “actions” or “deeds” which play into the entire cycle of cause and effect, Dharma is essentially that which raises us to our highest purpose. The word "dharma" comes from the Sanskrit root dhri, meaning to "uphold" or to "sustain." What we do in our lifetime to serve ourselves and others in the best possible way is our Dharma. It upholds and sustains right action. Self-realization is the highest Dharma. In 21st century terms, Dharma is accessing one’s spiritual purpose as a way of identifying the career/life path that best expresses one’s creativity and service to others.

In our quest, we can ask ourselves the following question: “ If I had no financial worries in the world and had unlimited time on my hands, what talents and abilities would I use to enrich myself and serve others?” Other questions might be, “What unique abilities do I have? What activities bring me into a state of “flow”, where I lose all sense of time? What do I do that brings comfort and healing to others?” Finding our Dharma, helps the journey to unfold effortlessly. It brings clarity and focus to each step and alignment to the bigger picture. And, the bigger picture? Well, that is a topic for another Inner-Soul contemplation…

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Let's Talk Yoga

7/19/2014

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What is yoga?
I have had students come to class and ask me if yoga is a religion. I have had some approach yoga as an exercise program. Others have expressed concern that yoga is for skinny people that can bend their bodies into pretzel shapes. There are so many misconceptions about yoga, some very limiting and others very exaggerated, so let's clear up some of the misinformation.

Yoga is a lot of things with a deep history but in the interest of keeping it simple, yoga is a practice and philosophy. Its essence is to unite body, mind, and spirit and initiate the practitioner into a state of unity consciousness. Yoga is 5,000 years old and there are many systems of yoga. Just as there are many roads to Rome, there are many paths to unity consciousness.

The four main paths are Raja (Royal Yoga), Bhakti (Devotional), Jnana (Self-inquiry), and Karma (Skillful action). The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit root "yuj-" which means "to yoke" or "join". The essence of the practice of yoga is to unite individual consciousness to the bigger unity consciousness. For some this would translate as the soul connecting back to the spirit or God.

Everything is energy, even apparently solid objects, so with this realization comes the understanding that everything is one. There is no separation. Yoga addresses all aspects of energy and connection. It addresses the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual and integrates it into one whole.

How does this happen? Isn't yoga a bunch of poses? Well, yes and no. The practice of yoga is much deeper than that. Raja Yoga, which is known as the Royal Yoga because of its inclusive nature of all yogas, is based on the Eight-limbs or Eight-fold path of Pantanjali, the father of yoga. He codified his knowledge of yoga in a body of work called the sutras, which are short concise guidelines on how to live your yoga. To be authentic, yoga is a practice on and off the mat.

The Eight-limbs of yoga are as follows:
1. Yamas (Ethical guidelines): Ahimsa (nonviolence),
Satya (truth), Asetya (non-stealing),
Brahmacharya (self- restraint), Apragraha (non-
greed)
2. Niyamas (Moral Observations): Susha (purity),
Santosha (contentment), Tapas (austerity),
Svadhaya (study of the scriptures), Ishvara
Pranidhana (surrender to God)
3. Asana: Steady pose, posture
4. Pranayama: Control of vital energy through breathwork
5. Pratyahara: Withdrawal of the senses
6. Dharana: Concentration of the mind
7. Dhyana: Meditation
8. Samadhi: Enlightenment, union with the Divine

There is a Zen saying "Don't confuse the finger pointing at the moon for the moon itself". If we are busy focusing on one aspect of yoga, we miss that all the parts are the fingers pointing to unity consciousness. When taking up the practice of yoga, every part is as important as the next. The postures, breathing exercises, meditations, and development of witness consciousness, where we see ourselves as a witness to our own thoughts and actions, are yoga. When we view yoga as a multi-faceted vehicle for direct experience of unity consciousness, and subtle energy as the ground of existence, we are on the path. Yoga helps us find the balance that creates body-mind health and wellness. So, that's yoga.

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What's your number?

3/31/2014

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Do you have a favorite number? Have you noticed that the same numbers come up repeatedly in the course of your day, week, or year? What do numbers mean and why do they appear?

Sometimes, the number you see is connected to something or someone. For example, the birth date of a departed relative may appear randomly on a digital clock, license plate, or address. This gives the reassurance that their energy is around you. A common number combination is 11/11 which is a master energy number representing angelic presence or guidance.

You may have a lucky number with which you feel a particular resonance. You may feel that it brings you luck or some kind of positive energy. Numbers carry energy, each one having its own meaning. So, when you see certain numbers, you can discern a meaning or message that you were meant to receive. For example, if you started seeing “5”s everywhere, then maybe change is around the corner. If your dad passed and his birthday is in May, the “5”s could be a message that he is around you.

A friend of mine went for a cup of coffee one day and while walking back to the car saw a $2 bill land at his feet. Within a few seconds, another and another landed at his feet. He called me and asked what the possible meaning of this could be. What I saw was “2” for relationship, plus “2” equaling “4” for father energy, and “2” more totaling “6” for family responsibility and love. I explained it was a message from his father. He said that he sensed it was his father but wanted a second opinion. Numbers work in mysterious ways.

Below, is a brief snapshot of the meaning of each number up to “9”. Numbers flow in cycles of nine:

1= New beginnings, opportunities, creative
     spark, leadership

2= Partnership, relationship, cooperation,
      attention to detail, giving/receiving,
      mother energy

3= Friendships, self-expression, luck,
      communication,


4= Stability, structure, home, tradition,
      service, “salt of the earth”, father energy

5= Change, freedom, travel, public
      dealings, curiosity

6= Family, love, marriage, pregnancy,
       divorce, responsibility, creating beauty

7= Spirit, trust, open heart, expertise,
      teaching, secrets, wisdom

8=Authority, power, balance in all pursuits
     money  in/out,  real estate,
     expansion/growth, karma

9=Compassion, tolerance, forgiveness,
     humanitarian pursuits, spiritual
     growth, legal matters, endings

If you want to take these meanings a step further, add up the numbers you see and find the deeper meanings. For example, when my friend saw the 2+2+2, we looked at the “2”, “4”, and “6” meanings. Follow your intuition. Remember that numbers are not only symbols that carry an energetic meaning but also intuitive triggers that tap into our soul knowledge. Open your heart and interpret what you see by letting your mind and heart work together, using the left and right sides of your brain. Trust your gut and let the images and information flow. Relax and enjoy the experience!

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Mercury Retrograde February 6-28

2/15/2014

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Get Ready!

In 2014, Mercury will be retrograde from

February 6–28
June 7–July 2
October 4–25

We have just entered a period of time where Mercury is retrograde. What does that mean? It's an illusion that the planets, currently Mercury, appear to be traveling backward through the zodiac. With Mercury in retrograde, we experience a period of high intuition. We become more sensitive to signs and sychronistic happenings. It is a time to reflect on our experiences and history, being open to understanding and seeing the past in a new light.

This is a time of flexibility and patience. It is definitely not a great time to make final decisions or sign contracts of any kind. Partnerships should move slowly as well. Plans and travel may be delayed. Break-downs of all kinds occur during mercury retrograde, like electrical devices and even communication. So, back up your files, put those serious conversations on hold, or at very least be patient and open minded when things don't quite go as planned.

Use this time to slow down, reflect, plan, and tie up loose ends. Frustration can be managed by being prepared and understanding that this too shall pass...by the end of the month!

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Past Lives....Really?

5/26/2013

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When I first started my work as a numerologist, a client asked me if I could hypnotize them into a past life. It was a reasonable request as that experience complements an Inner-Soul numerology reading.   I did the session and my client had a positive experience. Since that time, I have had many more clients ask the same question, as well as other questions like, “Are past lives real?”, “Can I get stuck in a past life?”, “Will I regress to a scary place or feel pain?”, “Will I experience my death?”, “Could I have been Cleopatra?”, and so on. These are great questions. There is a lot of curiosity around the topic, so I will make my best attempt to answer these questions in this blog.

Past-life Regression (PLR), Past-life Exploration (PLE), and my preference, Inner-Soul Exploration (ISE), are just some of the names given to the experience of past lives during hypnosis. In a session, a client is brought into a deep state of relaxation and then regressed further into a past life experience. Sometimes, clients may choose to be regressed in a general way using the imagination to follow a path to the past, and other times, the client may be regressed through an emotion, pain, phobia, or other experience that is chronic in their current life. Often clients seek an ISE as an opportunity to explore a current problem by identifying its potential roots in a past life. An ISE can also simply be done out of curiosity as to what may have been experienced in a past life. Either way, the experience is brought into the present to effect healing and positive change.

To answer some of the concerns that clients have expressed, let’s start with whether or not past lives are real. That depends on personal belief systems. If one believes in reincarnation, the experience will be very real. Those that do not believe in reincarnation may experience the ISE as the subconscious revealing symbolic information to help the client grow and realize positive change. This can be viewed in the manner that a dream may be experienced. Certain dreams are symbolic and help us to understand what is happening in our conscious state. The answer to the second question, “Can you get stuck in a past life?”, is no. When in hypnosis, the client is in a relaxed to deeply relaxed state, yet aware. The client can be brought out of the state of hypnosis with simple suggestions. As far as the third question goes, if a client is finding an experience to be scary or painful in any way, the suggestion to withdraw from the scene and view it as if it were a movie is made to create space between the client and the experience. The question about experiencing death is a common one. A client is brought to the moment of their death and beyond into a space between lives. This experience is a transition that allows for growth and understanding not fear.  The question about Cleopatra is entertaining. While it is possible to have had a famous or even infamous past life, it is not likely. Most regressions are more ordinary.  In fact, sometimes a client doesn’t experience anything. Why?   Possibly, the client is too nervous or self-conscious to release into the experience and that is okay. When the client is ready, the experience will happen.

So, for example, if a client has a persistent fear of water, they may find out that in a past life they drowned. Many times, phobias that have no explanation in this life will have their roots in a past life. The same goes for chronic pain or discomfort. A client may find out that they had an injury in a past life to a part of their body in which they currently experience chronic pain. Another common experience for clients is their recognition of friends and/or family members in past lives. Often, soul groups reincarnate together to achieve their contracted learning experience; a soul reincarnates to learn different lessons that will enhance their soul growth to another level.   A good way to investigate an ISE is to take notes afterward on the place, year, environment, clothing, shoes, experiences, and whatever other information you recall and Google it. You may find nothing or you may be surprised at what you find.

Overall, ISE’s are positive for the client. It is an experience that is fascinating and life enhancing. I would encourage a client to follow their curiosity. The information that comes up can truly inform this lifetime in a way that can effect positive change and healing that would, under ordinary circumstances, take a lifetime!

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Forward>>

It's All About The Journey, Isn't it?

Let's Talk Yoga

What's your number?

Mercury Retrograde February 6-28

Past Lives....Really?

Any thoughts?

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