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Starstuff's JourneyOh No, Not Another Learning Experience! |
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12/2/2007 My GirlsIn my class and when I go for healings, my
healer and teachers talk about the inner child. A few years ago in pop
psychology, it was popular to talk about the inner child and letting
him/her out to play. There is truth to that, adults do not play
enough. Even when they play they mean business or they have to have
expensive equipment, etc. They don't play as a child does. A child
can make play from anything. But, that's not what I want to address. What I have learned in classes, etc. is that whenever we are feeling pain, anxiety, anger, and especially fear, it is stemming from something that happened to us as a child. (Yes, it's true about joy and happiness also but most of us don't have a problem with experiencing those emotions.) The analogy is that we have many children inside of us. They are ourselves at the many different ages and stages of our life. If I am having an anxiety attack or fearful about something that my logical mind knows is really something small and easily fixable, the emotion is stemming from something that happened when I was a child or teen. It's that child that is having the anxiety. When I am able to figure out "which" child it is and why they felt that way, the anxiety lessens and goes away. We all have many fears, whether we acknowledge them or not, and I have been working at lessening the impact of those fears for a long time. Right now, at this time in my life, my biggest fear is financial. That's a tough one because it also represents the fear of not having enough, not enough money, health, happiness, time, love. It also represents not being enough. I am not enough. Talk about tough! I have worked so hard all my life to "be enough", be enough for my mother, be enough for my former husband, be enough for my children, be enough for my friends, be enough for myself. I feel I was the most successful at being enough for my children. I'm very proud of that. And there were some times I was able to be enough for the rest of those listed, except, for myself. I have never been able to be enough for myself. (I am again, sidetracked but that was a good aha moment for me. Thanks for listening.) During this work with my inner children and our fears, my healer said to have conversations with them, write to them and let "them" write back, and various other ways to work out the fears. I still find it difficult to do that but one day last summer I sat down by the river and wrote to them, to let them know we are in this together and that even though, many times in the past, there was no one to help them or comfort them, I am here now and will take care of them. Here is that letter: ************************ Hello My Girls, It's time I spoke with each of you. I've been neglecting you and I'm very sorry. I know that you hurt, I'm sorry and I love all of you very much. My beautiful little baby - my Spirit Star. You are so perfect. Look at you! All your toes and fingers, beautiful eyes, perfect baby body. You are straight from God and still so connected to Spirit, I can see it in your eyes. I can see your own spirit and a whole world of potential. You can do and be anything! I'm so sorry you weren't held and cuddled enough but I'm here now and will hold you and nurture you so you can feel safe. I love you so much . You are my baby and you will never feel alone or scared ever again. "All" of us are here for you and I am here and very present for all of you. And there's my toddler, aren't you something! My Sparkling Star and her beautiful twinkling smile. Walking and talking! Wanting to explore everywhere and everything. Still so new and still connected. Though there are times when you were made to forget your adventurous spirit. You were told "no" too many times and most times there wasn't even a reason for the "no". Your mother seemed to think you needed to be controlled. You are beginning to learn that, just as your "sisters" also realized it. I'm sorry you had to learn that. It was so good that your older siblings would help watch over you so that you held onto some of that adventurous spirit. I am now the one watching over you. We will now explore and learn together. I know you hurt. I love you. You were not a bad girl for doing the things you did. Everyone messes their pants as a child, makes messes around the house, spills milk, makes mistakes. Those things don't make a person BAD. Those were just mistakes. They happen so we can learn from them but we don't deserve to be spanked and verbally abused. You and I and all the "girls" will be making mistakes and we will learn from them, fix them if possible, shrug our shoulders, let them go, and move onto the next adventure. I will hold you and love you and be here for your forever. To my younger school girl, my shy-smiling, Elfin-spirit Star. You just love school. You love being away from home and with people that can see you. You still have that twinkle but you have learned that it's not always safe to let it out, so you keep it hidden much of the time. You have become afraid of doing the wrong thing, afraid of making a mistake. You try so hard to do and say the right things and are mortified to be laughed at when you do make mistakes. It hurts, I know. I am learning that it's okay to make mistakes, just as I told your "sister". Everyone does it. If no one ever made a mistake, no one would ever learn. Making mistakes provides us with the best lessons. I have learned that again myself just recently. Remember, we are all in this together and I will be taking care of you, holding you to my heart, loving you. We no longer need to be afraid of making mistakes! You are perfect as you are. We are perfect as we are. To my older school girl, Starlight. You are still so full of spirit but you don't let it show. You have learned to hide your light and that's such a shame. But, it was also very smart of you because it was a way to protect yourself. You can show it as much as you'd like now! You don't have to hide any longer. I accept and love you just the way you are right now. You are perfect. You are smart. You've learned to protect yourself. You have learned to use your imagination. You watch and learn from good and bad examples. You are learning how to be a good, loving, nurturing mother. Thank you for that. My sons have grown up to be such wonderful young men and much of it has been because of what you learned during these years. You are so much more than you think you are. I know that and eventually you will also. I am here for you, to nurture and hold you close. We will learn from each other. Starstuff, my teenager! You are beginning to re-learn that you have a lot of good qualities, though you don't recognize it except when you see it reflected through other people's eyes. You feel as if you are not worthy or worthwhile unless you had a best friend or boyfriend, who could truly see who you are. I know this because I still tend to feel this way. But!! Even though it's taking awhile I've learned I'm a good and worthwhile person and I try my hardest to remember that I don't need others to verify it. I am here to listen to you, love you, accept you, hold you. You learned so much through these years. I know it hurts that your mother doesn't seem to appreciate the person you are but that is her issue, not yours! We're going through this together, I see you, and I know you are wonderful! You are so smart and protected yourself, you held to your intuitions and gut instincts. You didn't rush to have sex but waited until you were older and it was the right time. You didn't drink before you were of legal age, you didn't smoke anything or take drugs. You got pretty good grades even though no one taught you how to study. Your siblings were too busy with their own family at this time and didn't have time to lead you through life. You learned and did all this on your own! You should be very proud. I know I am very proud of you. I love you and will always be here for you. We're in this together, girls, and always will be. We've done great so far and will do even better. We WILL reach our dreams. We ARE reaching our dreams and for the stars. We all deserve the very best of everything and it's on its way. I love you! Me ********************** I realize that I truly needed to put this here and hear it again at this moment. Thank you for listening. Wishing you Love, Light, and Laughter! From: Starstuff, Starlight, Elfin-spirit Star, Sparkling Star, and Spirit Star. 11/28/2007 Our Castle I am currently in my third and last year of classes for Transformational Energy Healing. This year, along with learning a few more types of energy healing, we are learning about archetypes. Carl Jung was instrumental in the theory of archetypes and how we use various ones at various times to live our lives. Carolyn Myss took the theory a step further and identified many more archetypes and their light and dark aspects. This is talked about in her book, "Sacred Contracts". Not an easy read but very informative. It is our main text for this year. There are a few other books we are reading this year. The one I am currently reading is by Debbie Ford called, "The Dark Side of the Light Chasers." Energy workers and other holistic-type healers are also called lightworkers. I think that comes from the fact that we are trying to bring light, lightness and enlightenment to ourselves and other. So, when I first saw the title of the book, I was thinking dark as in the dark arts/evil and such. Of course the book is not about that. It's learning to acknowledge that if we are all from God and all connected, (We are all star stuff.) then we also possess ALL the characteristics that everyone has. We are willing to see all the good qualities of ourselves and it's easy to judge and see the faults of everyone else. But, we also need to acknowledge that we also have those faults. That is why we can see them so well! The whole world is within each of us. The following is from the book. I am putting it here not only to share it but so I can easily find and read it whenever I need. ******* In Love and Awakening, John Welwood uses the analogy of a castle to illustrate the world within us. Imagine being a magnificent castle with long hallways and thousands of rooms. Every room in the castle is perfect and possesses a special gift. Each room represents a different aspect of yourself and is an integral part of the entire perfect castle. As a child, you explored every inch of your castle without shame or judgment. Fearlessly you searched every room for its jewels and its mystery. Lovingly you embraced every room whether it was a closet, a bedroom, bathroom, or a cellar. Each and every room was unique. Your castle was full of light, love, and wonder. Then one day, someone came to your castle and told you that one of your rooms was imperfect, that surely it didn’t belong in your castle. They suggested that if you wanted to have a perfect castle you should close and lock the door to this room. Since you wanted love and acceptance, you quickly closed off that room. As time went by, more and more people came to your castle. They all gave you their opinions of the rooms, which ones they liked and which ones they didn’t. And slowly you shut one door after another. Your marvelous rooms were being closed off, taken out of the light, and put into the dark. A cycle had begun. From that time on, you closed more and more doors for all kinds of reasons. You closed doors because you were afraid, or you thought the rooms were too bold. You closed doors to rooms that were too conservative. You closed doors because other castles you saw did not have a room like yours. You closed doors because your religious leaders told you to stay away from certain rooms. You closed any door that did not fit into society’s standards. The days were gone when your castle seemed endless and your future seemed exciting and bright. You no longer cared for every room with the same love and admiration. Rooms you were once proud of, you now willed to disappear. You tried to figure out ways to get rid of these rooms, but they were part of the structure of your castle. Now that you had shut the door to whatever room you didn’t like, time went by until one day you just forgot that room altogether. At first, you didn’t realize what you were doing. It just became a habit. With everyone giving you different messages about what a magnificent castle should look like, it became much easier to listen to them than to trust your inner voice; the one that loved your entire castle. Shutting off those rooms actually started to make you feel safe. Soon you found yourself living in just a few small rooms. You had learned how to shut off life and became comfortable doing it. Many of us also locked away so many rooms that we forgot we were ever a castle. We began to believe we were just a small, two bedroom house in need of repairs. Now, imagine your castle as the place where you house all of who you are, the good and bad, and that every aspect that exists on the planet exist within you. One of your rooms is love, one is courage, one is elegance and another is grace. There are endless numbers of rooms. Creativity, femininity, honesty, integrity, health, assertiveness, sexiness, power, timidity, hatred, greed, frigidity, laziness, arrogance, sickness, and evil are rooms in your castle. Each room is an essential part of the structure and each room has an opposite somewhere in your castle. Fortunately, we are never truly satisfied with being less than what we are capable of being. Our discontent with ourselves motivates us in our search for all the lost rooms of our castle. We can only find the key to our uniqueness by opening all the rooms in our castle. The castle is a metaphor to help you grasp the enormity of who you are. We each possess this sacred place inside ourselves. It is easily accessed if we are ready and wiling to see the totality of who we are. Most of us are scared of what we will find behind the doors to these rooms. So instead of setting out on an adventure to find our hidden selves, full of excitement and wonder, we keep pretending the rooms don’t exist. The cycle continues. But, if you truly desire to change the direction of your life you must go into your castle and slowly open each and every door. You much explore your internal universe and take back all that you’ve disowned. Only in the presence of your entire self can you appreciate your magnificence and enjoy the totality and uniqueness of your life. ********** I spent so much of the first part of my life closing and locking those doors. I have also spent many of my adults years discovering and opening doors and I find that I still have many more to unlock. But, at least I am now unlocking them and I am slowly getting light into more parts of my castle. And that is so much better than where I was before I began this journey. Love, light, and laugher! Starstuff
11/19/2007 Carl Sagan's Explanation of Starstuff http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE9dEAx5Sgw You can listen to the first 25 seconds to hear it. 8/10/2007 Message From An AngelWay
back in January 2007, during one of the classes for Transformational
Energy Healing, each of the students had to do a healing on another
student while all the other classmates and the teachers watched. We
had already done many healings over the course of the past year and a
half but never while everyone watched. I was not worried, but each of
us always wonders if the person we are working on will feel anything
and we were each a little apprehensive about being "on the spot'. We chose who we wanted to work with and what music we wanted to use. We use music as a way for us to focus and it also helps calm people. I tend to choose music with a Native American feel to it. Each of our classmates took notes on their impression of the healing and gave the notes to the healer to reflect on. One of the teachers was writing during the healing and after we each had our turn, she read the messages to us. It was a very powerful and empowering moment and such an affirmation that I was on the right path. There are times when I get so wrapped up in day to day events and making ends meet that I forget who I am and what I can do. I have been going through many of those times lately and have been feeling very, very scared. So, I reread the message and remember that I am fine and everything is okay and going the way it needs to go. My message: You have been given immeasurable strength to use with limitless Love With care and gentleness you have been formed Your grace and your beauty touch the world with radiant Love With quiet certainty and serenity of spirit you call others to you With wicked wit and mischievous humor you set them at ease They come to you not knowing what they need or want but with a deep longing in their heart By your presence you calm their weary souls and with the Father's guidance you fill their hearts Be glad in this, rejoice in your center Know that you are from and of Truth and loved so deeply by the great I AM It is in you that Spirit becomes alive on earth in Joy Joy and Laughter, Starstuff 6/22/2007 Our Deepest FearOur deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?" Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. by Marianne Williamson from A Return To Love 1/31/2007 Carl G. JungFirst, don't get excited. Just cuz I've done two entries in two days probably doesn't mean that I'll be writing regularly. I can write only when the time is right. Thanks for understanding. I've started reading Carl G. Jung's (pronounced yung) autobiography called "Memories, Dreams, Reflections." Jung lived from 1875 - 1961 and he seems to have done a lot with his dash. I am finding it fascinating that such an eminent leader in the area of psychology was so spiritually connected, conscious and aware. Much of what I'm learning in my classes goes along with his teachings. He is one that subscribed to the theory of the archetypal nature of people's personalities. My third year of classes will go more deeply into the learning of archetypes. Anyways, I wanted to share something I read in his book today. Jung was telling about a moral religious dilemma he encountered when he was 12 years old in 1887. Jung was walkinghome from school one day. He stopped to admire the beauty of the cathedral on a summer sunlit day. His thought as he looked was "the world is beautiful and the church is beautiful, and God made all ofthis and sits above it far away in the blue sky ona goolden throne and ..." Before his thoughts went any further he suddenly felt numb and had a choking feeling which made him feel that he should not go on iwth the thought. He was completely panicked and dared not finish the thought. He agonized over it for days, having trouble sleeping and feeling tormented, trying so hard to not finish the thought. In the middle of the night of the third day, he finally decided that "It must be thought out before hand." So he went through a long process of thinking why he should not think "that thought". His rationalized reasoning went on for three pages! Now remember, this is a 12 year old boy. Carl finally decided it would be okay with God for him to finish, saying "Obviously, God also desires me to show courage. If that is so and I go through with it, then He will give me His grace and illumination." Jung continues, "I gathered all my courage as though I were about to leap forthwith into hell-fire, and let the thought come. I saw before ;me the cathedral, the blue sky, God sits on His throne, high above the world - and from under the throne an enormous turd falls upon the sparkling new roof, shatters it, and breaks the walls to the cathedral asunder." Now of course the humor for me is that this is a typical thought of a 12 year old boy. Kids do have such thoughts. But for Jung it was a spiritual learning experience. He came to understand that God was a living God who stands above the Bible and religion. Very extraordinary considering the times and his age. Hope you enjoyed the story. Love, Light, and Laughter, Starstuff Transformational Energy Healing, Year TwoSome of my
blogger friends have been asking me to share what has been happening with the
Transformational Energy Healing classes that I'm taking. I'm in my second
year and will be able to get my holistic health practitioner certificate this
coming summer. I have not been
writing and hopefully this will sort of explain why. There have
been so many changes in my life and in myself since last summer. Late
last spring, I had been thinking ALOT about the possibility of quitting my job
and living off my savings for awhile. I
really needed to get away from the overwhelming stress. After working all day at a job that was
sucking everything out of me I would come home and not have any energy left to
take care of my house or myself. The
best way I can explain it is that each day I felt absolutely pecked to death
only to come home and sleep in order to get pecked to death the following
day. But, I was
not brave enough, I was too afraid to actually make the step to resign.
There were too many "voices" in my head (my mother, sibs, ex., etc.)
saying things like "Are you crazy? How can you do that? What
about this, what about that, what would people think?” My inner voice was agreeing with them and so
did not make the move. Anyway,
the decision was made for me. The first
month was good. It had been so long
since I’ve had more than a week off at a time.
The next month was scary. My mind
was racing. “Oh My God! What am I going to do??? I’m not being productive with my time! I should be looking for a job!” But when I calmed down and really thought
about looking for a job, I just knew it wasn’t the right time and that I will
be okay. In fact, one time that I was
panicking, I looked online for a job.
There wasn’t any I could or wanted to do but the next day a “perfect”
job was listed in the local paper. So, I
felt the message was when I’m ready, a job will be there. The first
two sets of classes last fall and the scads of reading I’ve been doing have led
to an amazing about of introspection and “rewiring” of my mind, thoughts, and
my body. I feel so much more at peace
and more comfortable with myself. I am
coming into myself and my “power”. The
classes last fall and what I learned from them could not be put into words. It was all such inner work, more a feeling of
understanding rather than a logical understanding. It seems to me to be based on faith and
spirit. Thus, I just could not share
what I did and learned in those classes.
I can’t even begin to articulate what all this has done for me. I can
share that we’ve been learning more types of healings one of which deals with
past lives. Most of the work being done
this year is a case study. We each have
chosen one person to be our case study.
We have to put into practice all that we’ve been learning in the past
year and a half and treat our case study as if she were a client. My neighbor volunteered, in fact she jumped
at the chance. We are to
do 12 healings over a period of a few months.
We begin by taking chakra readings.
Chakras are the energy centers of our bodies. The way the energy is flowing can be seen by
using a pendulum held over each chakra.
It can show if the energy centers are balanced or if they are shut or
flowing in a negative direction.
Healings help to open the energy and to help them flow in a positive
direction. We have to
make a preliminary assessment of the client:
What are their primary and secondary defenses? What physical and emotional issues were
presented by the client? What is their core wound? We then
create a treatment plan: What does our
client need to receive from us? How will
it be provided? We have to
document each session: What type of
healing did we use and why? What
images/impressions did we receive during the healing? What was your client’s experience? What did we learn about the client and about
ourselves? At the end
of the 12 sessions we are to review our findings: We will take another set of chakra readings,
compare it with original set. Analyze
the changes. Has the initial assessment
of the client changed? Discuss the
assessment and any changes in detail, including information on primary and
secondary defenses, core issue and physical condition. We will also have to discuss any issues and
feelings that come up for us while working on our client. At our
last weekend of classes, we each have to get up in front of everyone and present the case study to
the class and answer any questions our classmates and teachers may have. I’ve done five
healings so far. I have been amazed how
everything is coming together. The
findings from the chakra readings fit right in with what I decided about the
defenses, and the emotions and physical ailments presented by my client. It’s all so integrated, it’s fascinating. It’s also so involved and convoluted. I’ve been taking pages and pages of notes but
have yet to figure out how to put it all together coherently in a
presentation. It’s as if I’m psychoanalyzing my
friend/neighbor which is definitely a little strange. I also am not sure how much to tell her about
my findings. After talking with my
teacher, I finally decided that I would tell my friend only the basics of what
I’m discovering but mostly just answer her questions. I’m beginning to really feel that I CAN do this! Yay!!! Love, Light, and Laughter to All, Starstuff 11/26/2006 Victor Borge and Itzak PerlmanI am currently watching a PBS fundraising special about Victor Borge which Itzak Perlman is narrating. For some of you that are too young to remember Victor Borge, he was a very talented and accomplished pianist but his act revolved around comedy. He was quite often on the variety shows, such as Ed Sullivan, Carol Burnet, and even The Muppet Show. His comedy is so funny that many in his audience would laugh to tears, (myself included). He was a comedian of the variety whose shows were completely clean, yet hysterically funny. Red Skelton is another. I remember when my sons were teenagers and a Victor Borge special was on, I was laughing so hard that my sons came to see what I was watching. I didn't expect them to be interested because kids can be so jaded when it comes to comedy but they were entranced and watched the rest of it and laughed along with me. If you've never seen Mr. Borge's shows, be sure to find one of his tapes and enjoy.
Itzak Perlman, for those that don't know (although you'd have to be living in the middle of the boondocks to not know) is a classically trained violinist and world famous. As I said, he is narrating the Victor Borge special and so reminded me of an experience I had. Over 20 years ago, I lived in North Carolina and was fortunate to have the opportunity to hear Itzak Perlman in concert. I am not a big fan of classical music but I have always been impressed with Mr. Perlman because he has a silly side and does shows for and with children including Sesame Street. Also, he is a victim of polio, has braces on his legs and walks with crutches so he is a great example to children. The concert was of course wonderful. As people were leaving, I noticed some were going over to the curtained area that Mr. Perlman had disappeared behind. I took a chance, went over and joined the line of people saying hello to Mr. Perlman.
As I waited, I heard people talking to him about the pieces he had played and his remarkable ability with the violin. You know, all that nose in the air, classical stuff. When it was my turn, as I was shaking his hand, I told him how much I enjoyed his skit with Slimey the Worm on Sesame Street. The people behind me got real silent as if I made a faux pas but Mr. Perlman's face just lit up with a huge smile and gave me a very warm thank you. I always knew he was a down to earth, classy guy and that was proof.
I have a few stories about my momentary meetings with other celebrities but that is my most favorite encounter.
Love, Light, and Laughter,
Starstuff 11/9/2006 Near Death ExperienceOne of my classmates sent me a link to a fascinating account of a "near death" experience. In Mellen-Thomas Benedict's account, he was actually dead for at least 30 minutes. Most of us have heard many stories of NDE (which is shorthand). Most of those stories are about being on the operating table, heart stops, they see a light and hear "it's not your time yet." and they come back alive or their hearts are shocked back to beating.
This man's story is extraordinary. It also encompases so much of what I have been learning in my classes and especially in books I've been reading and have wanted to share but not able to put into words so it makes sense to others. Please take the time to read it. Click here: Mellen-Thomas Benedict It is fairly long so you may want to print it out for a leisurely reading at a later time.
Enjoy and have faith that we are all on the right track!!
Love, Light, and Laughter,
 stuff9/22/2006 Louise Hay - AuthorLouise Hay is a writer of what many people term as self-help books. I prefer to call them "becoming conscious" books. I have started a new List. It will include books I have read for enjoyment and those that have helped me along in my journey. Her's is the first book I've added.
I want to share with you a page from her book.
***********
Some Points of My Philosophy
You are each responsible for all of your experiences.
Every thought we think is creating our future.
The point of power is always in the present moment.
Everyone suffers from self-hatred and guilt.
The bottom line for everyone is, "I'm not good enough."
It's only a thought, and a thought can be changed.
Resentment, criticism, and guilt are the most damaging patterns.
Releasing resentment will dissolve even cancer.
When we really love ourselves, everything in our life works.
We must release the past and forgive everyone.
We must be willing to begin to learn to love ourselves.
Self-approval and self-acceptance in the now are the keys to positive changes.
We create every so-called "illness" in our body.
********************
Her book goes on to explain all of those statements.
Now, I know a lot of people will have trouble with some of those, especially the last one. I did, and still do. But, in reading the book many times, I have come to believe it.
With major illnesses, such as cancer and the dystrophies, etc. I don't have the words to explain her last statement. It would take someone much farther along in their journey than I am.
But, I will explain with a more minor example. A member of my extended family (I'll call her Jane) was diagnosed with scoliosis when she was 12 or so. She wore the brace for a year or two but has continued to have back problems all her life. She is now 24. All of her life, also, she has taken care of her mother and two younger siblings. Her mother had Jane when she was very young and has never acted as a mother. When Jane was barely older than a toddler herself, she was changing diapers, feeding and cleaning up after her siblings. She has always been their mother, even to her own mother. She took on a very heavy role and has the weight of her whole family on her shoulders. Is it any wonder she had and has back problems? She came to realize that herself and said it to me the last time she visited. She has just begun her journey.
Now, I don't expect everyone to believe this, or to make instant "converts". It has taken me over 10 years to get to this point. Also, my healer has said that it's easier to prevent an illness than cure one, such as cancer and of course that is true. So, if we change our way of thinking about ourselves now, we may prevent future minor and serious illnesses. Thus, the book is invaluable to me.
As always, take what works for you and leave the rest!!
Love, Light, and Laughter,
 stuff9/20/2006 Things I've Learned LatelyThe following are things I've learned or been reminded of lately by friends, my teacher/healers, and two books, "The Four Agreements" and "Inspiration":
1. "Everyone is a mirror for us. We can see ourselves in everyone." If there is an aspect of someone else that you don't like, whether it be looks, the way they dress, drive, act, whatever, it's a reflection of that quality in ourselves that we are reacting to. Sometimes it may take some deep thought to figure out the part of ourselves that is being mirrored by that person but it can always be found. This helps me to learn acceptance. How can I dislike someone who has the same quality as me? It also tells me that I have to work on whatever that issue is.
2. I am here to learn the lessons that my own spirit/soul chose for this lifetime. It's important to remember that everyone is here to do the same. You are working on your lessons, they on their's and me on mine. Sometimes these lessons overlap with the lessons of others. That is important for me to remember.
3. Everyone is beautiful, in their own way. Oops, didn't mean to break out in song. But it's true. If I believe that I am a piece of Spirit/Universal Energy/God and that we are all interconnected and pieces of the same Spirit, then how can anyone NOT be beautiful. We are pieces of the stars and Spirit, that can't be ugly. Unfortunately, our perception of beauty comes from what others have told us it should be. And that varies so much from person to person.
4. Judgement. (Duh, duh, duuuuh - ominous music playing in the background.) It's been very difficult and continues to be a lesson for me to learn not to be judgemental. It's what I grew up with, listening to adults judging me and others. I learned to not be judgemental regarding my children, I am very accepting of them and their dreams and goals, but have continued to judge everyone else and especially myself. This characteristic of mine has been made more clear to me and I'm working on becoming non-judgemental. First, I learned that other people's judgement of me is coming from their own issues and has nothing to do with me or what I did or said. That's a hard one to learn and remember. We always take things so personally. Now, I am learning to recognize that when I judge other people, I'm actually judging myself. I have to learn to be okay with myself then hopefully I won't judge others. When I catch myself judging someone, I try to recognize it, stop and say to myself, "acceptance - in spirit" and remind myself that they are here learning their lessons also. I also have to learn to recognize those times that I am being very judgemental towards myself!
5. Judgement, guilt, and justice: "True justice is paying only once for each mistake. True INjustice is paying more than once for each mistake... We make a mistake, we judge ourselves, we find ourselves guilty, we punish ourselves." That should be enough but we all tend to judge ourselves and feel guilty for the same thing over and over and over. We have to learn to stop beating ourselves up and let it go even if others keep reminding us of that mistake. Whew, another hard one!
6. Risk: "To be ALIVE is the biggest fear humans have. Death is not the biggest fear we have, our biggest fear is taking the risk to be ALIVE - the risk to be alive and express who we really are. Just being ourselves is the biggest fear in humans. We have learned to live our life trying to satisfy other people's demands. We have learned to do this because of the fear of not being accepted and of not being good enough for someone else."
By doing this, we end up not being good enough for ourselves because we are not being our true selves. I am slowly learning how to be myself and be at peace with that and ignoring what others think of me. Though right now, I do still need recognition and confirmation. I want to learn to be able to not need that!!
I have to admit that there are times I almost wish to go back to not being "conscious". It just seems like life would be easier. It may be easier but I know it wouldn't be as good.
Love, Light, and Laughter!
stuff9/14/2006 Wise WordsI've been doing a lot of different types of reading for my class and for my own development and learning. This was a quote from Marcus Aurelius who was one of the Caesar's many hundreds of years ago. I have paraphrased it to make it a bit easier to read:
"When you are troubled about anything, you have forgotten:
- a man's wrongful act is nothing to do with you.
- everything which happens, always happened so, and will happen so, and now happens so, everywhere
- how close is the kinship between a man and the whole human race, for it is a community, not of little blood or seed, but of intelligence.
- every man's intelligence is a god and is an efflux of the diety
- nothing is a man's own, but that his child and his body and his very soul came from the deity
- everything is opinion
- every man lives the present time only and loses only this.
What this all boils down to is that everyone, EVERYONE is a piece of God/Spirit/Universal Energy. We need to remember to be in the NOW and not worry about the past or the future. If you are okay now, right this moment, then everything is fine. If someone is mean or abusive to you in some way, it has nothing to do with you, it is their issue.
This past year, I have learned that sometimes it takes just the right words to finally have an ah-ha moment. I can listen to and/or read things from many people with all the same message but my understanding of that message depends on HOW they say it. So, forgive me if I do write about similar things at different times. Take what you want, and leave the rest.
Love, Light and Laughter,
 stuff9/3/2006 RiskI wrote this on July 12, 2006
It's happened! I have taken the leap. I was actually pushed but I am ready to fly. This week I handed in my resignation at work. I knew something was going down, so I decided to bail before the ax came down. (Can we say, "mixed metaphor"?)
I am exhilarated! Fortunately, I have enough money left from my divorce seven years ago to live on for awhile so that I can pursue what I have decided is my purpose for the second half of my life, (Did I tell you I'm living to 110?) to become a certified holistic health practitioner/counselor/healer, and craftsman.
This September begins the final year of study to become a nationally board certified CHHP (Certified Holistic Health Practitioner) In conjunction with my studies, I will be working on projects around the house that I never had time to do, paint, refinish furniture, fix my yard and garden, beadwork, weaving, etc. Besides that, I will be creating a business plan, website, advertising, etc. that will be needed once I'm certified. I will also be building up a stock of creative items to sell at craft shows.
I was tired of working at a job where I was treated subserviently and was so emotionally exhausting that I couldn't do much else orther than the absolute necessities. I would work, come home, nap, get up a couple of hours to do laundry and other chores and go back to bed. I was basically working to pay bills so that I had a home to sleep in, so I could go back to work. Weekends were spent doing what I needed to do to keep up the house and yard. That is NOT living! That is just existing. Enough! I deserve more. We ALL deserve more!
Taking a risk is scary but I remember speaking years ago with my niece who is about 15 years younger than me. She has done so many different things in her life, all risks, and succeeded at each, modeling, starting two different dance clubs, one in Santo Domingo and one in Miami, did day trading for herself, and is now a jewelry designer creating her own line of silver jewelry. I told her that she was my hero and asked her how she does all of that, wasn't it all too scary? She replied, "Sure, it's scary but you do it anyway."
It has taken me many years but I'm finally doing it, in spite of the fear factor.
This just feels right!
Take a risk! Live your life!
stuff8/3/2006 So, anyone?Does anyone like the new format? Guess it's like everything, change can be tough but we'll get used to it, I suppose. Just wish they'd leave things alone for more than a few months!!
Yikes!
Love, Light, and Laughter,
 stuff7/20/2006 Rules for Being HumanAt one of my first Transformational Energy Healing classes, a former student shared the following with us:
Rules for Being Human
1. You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it will be yours for the entire period this time around.
2. You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called Life. Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or think them irrelevant and stupid.
3. There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial and error and experimentation. The "failed" experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiment that ultimately "works".
4. A lesson will be repeated until it is learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can then go on to the next lesson.
5. Learning lessons does not end. There is no part of Life that does not contain its lessons. If you are alive, there are lessons to be learned.
6. "There" is no better than "here". When your "there" has become a "here", you will simply obtain another "there" that will again look better than "here".
7. Others are simply mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.
8. What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you make of them is up to you. The choice is yours.
9. Your answers lie inside you. The answers to life's questions lie inside you. All you have to do is look, listen, and trust.
10. You will forget all this.
pah-dum bum...
Coming Back SoonI didn't realize I've been off of here for so long! It's says the end of May was my last writing. Whew. But actually, it shouldn't be such a surprise for me. The past few months have been very tough and very wonderful!! Unfortunately, I don't have time at the moment to fill y'all (you guys, yuns) in. I will be back within a few days and catch you up. See you later!!!
Love, Light, and Laughter!
 stuff5/27/2006 Still Here, I promiseGeesh, I've been gone so long I'll be losing some of my friends and readers. I've popped in and out of a few sites lately but not to most. I do keep checking up on Vanita and add notes to her and her husband. Everyone keep rooting for her!
I'm not sick or anything like that. But, I am the type of person that absorbs whatever energy is around me and it just seems as if my work and some other things are just sucking me dry. (Hmm, that "analogy" doesn't really work, absorbing and sucking??? ) Anyway, I am just too tired at the end of the day to try to compose anything. This weekend I plan on working to ground myself and put a "field" of protection around me so I stop absorbing the negative.
I do know this is temporary so I will be back... eventually.
I miss all of you and can't wait to have the time and energy to blogwalk to all my friends AND leave comments. Again, I am fine, just a bit tired.
I love you all.
Love, Light and Laughter!
 stuff5/20/2006 Not Around LatelySorry for not being around much lately. Part of it was the nice weather we had earlier this month. For awhile, it was because I was getting ready for a visit from one of my sons who came home for a wedding. And the past few days, he's been home and the wedding is tomorrow. It's been nice having him around even if we haven't had a lot of time to hang out because of all the stuff he's had to do, tux fitting, rehearsal, etc. But I like knowing he's near.
I will see everyone in a week or so.
Love, Light, and Laughter,
Starstuff 5/8/2006 Transformational Energy Healing/ReikiI have been asked many times what the difference is between Transformational Energy Healing and Reiki. I've wondered that myself but I never seemed to receive an answer that clarified it. I finally found one on a website of a local healer, who had the same teachers of Transformational Healing as I do now.
********************
What is Transformational Energy Healing?
Transformational Energy Healing is a gentle therapy which supports the body's natural state of energetic balance. Our physical health is intimately connected to our mental, emotional and spiritual state. Through a combination of energetic healing techniques and personal process work, healers help the client unravel the symbolic (spiritual) message behind their physical illness, thus empowering them in their healing journey.
How does it work?
Physical injuries and emotional traumas can create pockets of blocked congested energy which throw the body out of balance. The Healer, working with the body's energy centers (called Chakras), repairs and strengthens the seven levels of the human energy field, releasing blocked energy along the way. Some of these techniques are: Chakra Balancing, a relaxing whole-body experience, Spinal Balancing, great for back problems; Ovary Balancing, for PMS, menopause and fertility; Brain balancing, for headaches and migraines, Cancer Cleansing, energetic support for the cancer patient.
********************
What is Reiki?
Reiki Practitioners bring this universal life energy to other people using gentle hands-on techniques. Reiki is a therapy that induces relaxation. Reiki, like all healing, is a process. It will result in a healthy and natural flow of life force energy when combined with your willingness and commitment to make positive life changes. Changes will occur in divine order and on all levels of body, mind, and spirit.
Key Benefits of Reiki
Reduces and releases stress. Increase your energy level. Calms anxiety and assists in releasing blocked emotions. Promotes deep relaxation of muscles. Increases self-healing abilities. Can help reduce swelling and bleeding. Boosts your immune system.
Reiki functions regardless of your belief system. So even the skeptical can benefit.
********************
Both healings are like massage in that you feel very nurtured and relaxed. But with both of these healings, you can remain fully clothed. It works through clothing, blankets, casts...
Of course, there is much more to both of these techniques but I think this explains the basic idea that Reiki works on the body and emotions, the Transformational Energy Healer takes it "deeper" in that you are also working on your personal process. Thus, all the emotional and psychological work that I've been talking about in my entries about the class. In the class, the work I'm doing is more intense and concentrated then what would happen in a typical healing. A healing takes 45 minutes to 90 minutes. The classes are all weekend.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask. If I don't know the answer I will find out and report back.
It's late and I have got to hit the sack. Love, Light and Laughter!!!
Namaste,
stuff4/27/2006 Graduation for 2nd and 3rd Years.Tonight was graduation for the 2nd and 3rd year students from the Transformational Energy Healing Classes. It takes two years of classes to be certified as a Holistic Practitioner. The third year is for students that either want more insight into ourselves and others and/or those who would like to teach others how to do become a healer. My class just finished our first year.
The graduation took place at the community college that houses the class. It's separate from the "regular" graduation. It was interesting because the Dean that presided over the graduation had NO idea what this would be like. Parts of the ceremony were predictable. The Dean spoke and introduced the speaker. The speaker was a woman who is an Herbalist. So her speech was peppered with words like herbs, spirit, past lives, spiritual growth, chakras, etc. I can't imagine what the Dean thought about it all. But, we didn't really care.
The ceremony started with a song, accompanied by a hand drum and a couple of rattles keeping the rhythm, as the graduates filed into their seats. I had taken a gourd rattle with me but wasn't sure if it was allowed but I figured what they heck! I used it whenever people were clapping and quietly during the songs. A couple of students each from the two classes did speeches which were about their classes, their growth and who they have become because of the teachings. The speeches were all what each of us in all the classes could say. We have all changed and grown so much, emotionally and spiritually.
During our class when the anger management expert came and worked with us (see Anger and Angels) we all did warm up exercises before hand. One of our warm up excercises was to thrust our hips forward while pulling back the arms and shouting, "It's mine!" It's a bit of a lewd gesture but it signifies taking back our power, taking care of ourselves and showing that we have the right to ask and get what we want and need.
So the best part of the ceremony was when the first student from the 3rd year class was asked to come up to the stage, she was handed her certificate, a rose, hugs from the teachers and before she took her place at the end of the stage, she turned to the audience, did the gesture while shouting, "It's mine!" Those of us from the classes started cheering, stomping and clapping. It was great!!! So powerful!
It's funny but the third years and us first years have really connected with each other. Partly because they would come to some of our classes as part of their learning experience. It was almost as if we were their homework. Part of the connection is because our two classes have a similar energy. We don't feel the same energy with the second years. I'm not saying it's good or bad, it just is.
I'm looking forward to Friday. One of the teachers is moving and we are having a surprise party for her Friday night. All of the students from all of their classes have been invited. (I think they've had 6 or 8 classes in all.) Talk about a party! All that spiritual energy in one place! We're going to light up the sky!
I'll let you know how it goes.
Love, Light, and Laughter,
 stuff4/23/2006 A Time of RebirthA Time of Rebirth
Easter day this year – I had the choice of either feeling sorry for myself because my sons and sibs live so far away or use the day for reflection and renewal. I chose the latter though a little of the former would creep in occasionally throughout the day.
I decided that I needed some sun and salt air so headed for a Rhode Island Beach about 2 hours from here. The Connecticut beaches are a little closer but the smells, sights, and sounds are not quite the same because it is the Long Island Sound, not the ocean proper. The Connecticut beaches remind me more of Lake Ontario. Anyway…
It was a gorgeous spring day though a little cool. But, with a light jacket on it was comfortable to do a little beach combing and sitting in the sun. (I did get a slight burn on my face.) It was not crowded, just a few people here and there, so it was very pleasant being about to listen to the water and the birds rather than others’ conversations and music. So, after the obligatory walk looking for flotsam and jetsam, I sat in my beach chair to think about my future and something I had learned from a book that morning.
I had recently bought a book by Jamie Sams and David Carson called “Medicine Cards” with a deck of cards with animal drawings on them. This book and cards are based on Native American beliefs. These are what is called oracle cards. They are not any type of new-age voodoo or psychic prediction thingies. They are more like messages. It’s similar to those people who randomly open a bible and choose a verse and using that verse for a teaching or lesson for the day.
For a bit of an explanation, I will quote from the book. “To understand the concept of medicine in the Native American way, one must redefine “medicine.” The medicine referred to in this book is anything that improves one’s connection to the Great Mystery and to all life. This would include the healing of body, mind, and of spirit. This medicine is also anything that brings personal power, strength, and understanding. Native American medicine is an all-encompassing way of life for it involves walking on the Earth Mother in perfect harmony with the Universe.
Our fellow creatures, the animals, exhibit patterns that will relay these messages of healing to anyone astute enough to observe their lessons on how to live. … Each animal in creation has hundreds of lessons to impart…”
I have always been drawn to Native American beliefs and a connection to animals so I thought these cards and book would be interesting and maybe a bit insightful.
So, before I left home this day, I “prayed” to choose a card (there are about 50 of them) that would impart what I needed to reflect on. I ended up with a bat. A BAT!!! Yikes! Those very creepy, flying rats! I REALLY wanted to choose a different card but that’s not how it’s supposed to work. I resigned myself to it and when I got to the beach I looked up what the bat was supposed to mean and what it could teach me. And, of course, it was exactly what I needed to hear that day. Here is part of the message from the book:
“ Bat – Rebirth
… in Central American tribes, a bat is the symbol of rebirth. The bat hanging upside-down, is a symbol for learning to transpose your former self into a newborn being. This is also the position that babies assume when they enter the world from the womb of a woman.
If bat has appeared in your cards today, it symbolizes the need for a “ritualistic death” of some way of life that no longer suits your new growth pattern. This can mean a time of letting go of old habits and of assuming the position in life that prepares you for rebirth… Bat signals rebirth of some part of yourself or the death of old patterns. If you resist your destiny, it can be a long, drawn out, or painful “death”. The universe is always asking you to grow and become your future.
(If you continue to choose the bat card, it may show that you have) a stagnation of the spirit and a refusal to acknowledge your true destiny – which is always to use the talents you have to the fullest. Is there some area of your life that has dammed up and therefore stopped your desire to create? If so, look at surrendering to the death of that stagnation.
… Some people think themselves into a corner with obstacles that are illusionary. By the time they decide what to do, the opportunities are gone and old age is upon them. All of their dreams have passed them by. Use your mind, courage, and strength to insure an easy labor and quick delivery into your new state of understanding and growth. Surrender to the new life you have created from thought and desire, and bravely greet the dawn.”
I have been stagnant way too long. This past year has been the beginning of my rebirth. I found synchronicity in the fact that I chose the animal symbol of rebirth on Easter, the day of Christ’s rebirth. (Everything and everyone is interconnected and there is no such thing as coincidence!) I have found that I’ve currently been dragged along the path I need to take. I have to stop dragging my feet and rejoice that I am now ON my path to my rebirth, my new purpose in life, my path of enlightenment. Through my Transformational Energy Healing Classes, I am working at becoming an holistic healer so I can help other people that have been or are in pain. I feel I have found my new purpose but I still have some roadblocks that need to be faced and let “die”.
My next two years of classes will assist me in doing that and then I can complete my rebirth and my new life. Namaste.
Love, Light and Laughter
4/19/2006 As The World TurnsI received this in an email about 5 years ago. (See? I keep all kinds of .... stuff!) Anyway, it serves to give me and others a different perspective on the world and the people in it.
*************************************
As the World Turns
author unknown
If we could shrink the earth's population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look somehting like the following.
There would be:
57 Asians
21 Europeans
14 from the Western Hemisphere, both north and south
8 would be Africans
52 would be female
48 would be male
70 would be non-white
30 would be white
70 would be non-Christian
30 would be Christian
89 would be heterosexual
11 would be homosexual
6 people would possess 59% of the entire world's wealth and all 6 would be from the United States
80 would live in substandard housing
70 would be unable to read
50 would suffer from malnutrition
1 would be near death
1 would be near birth
1 (only 1!) would have a college degree
1 would own a computer
When one considers our world from such a compressed perspective, the need for acceptance, understanding and education becomes glaringly apparent.
AND THEREFORE...
If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world.
If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who will not survive
If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are amongst the top 8% of the world's wealthy.
If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than three billioin people in the world.
If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.
If you can hold someone's hand, hug them, or even touch them on the shoulder, you are blessed because you can offer a healing touch.
If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.
If you can read this message, you have just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you, and furthermore, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.
As you read this and are reminded how life is in the rest of the world, remember just how blessed you really are!
*****************************
Sometimes, it's good to get a new perspective on things and to think and see with a different mindset. I call it a reality check. We all need these reminders at times. That's not to negate anyone's pain. As I said in a previous entry, Pain is pain. But if reading something like this can help to alleviate just a tiny bit of the pain we all carry, then it's worthwhile.
Love, Light, and Laughter
stuff4/17/2006 Worm SongI've been playing around on the net tonight and something someone wrote reminded me of the Worm Song. I remembered just a few of the words and there are different versions of the same song. This is the version that I remember:
Nobody likes me, everybody hates me,
Think I'll go eat worms. Big fat juicy ones, Eensie weensy teeny ones, See how they wiggle and squirm. Chomp off their heads and squeeze out the juice And throw their tails away Nobody knows how I survive On worms three times a day. There are longer versions dealing with digging them up, down they go, up they come, and so on. I prefer the version I remember.
Does anyone remember the Peanut song?
Found a PeanutTune: Clementine Found a peanut, found a peanut,
Could be used to drive any adult insane in a short amount of time. Almost as fast as 100 bottles of beer on the wall. I remember singing the Peanut song over and over while outdoors sitting on my swing, which by the way was a REAL swing. It was made from rope and a piece of wood and hung from a branch of the black walnut tree in our back yard. No point to this, just a memory! Love, Light, and Laughter
4/12/2006 April Fool's DaysYes, I know I’m late with this one but, oh, well!
To begin, I have to tell you that when my sons were growing up, April Fool’s Day was a high holiday in our household, right after Christmas and Halloween. And they still carry on the tradition, just not every year. (Thank Goodness! My heart wouldn't take it!)
Some of the tricks included the usual ones; loosening the lid on the salt shaker, switching salt for sugar and vice versa, etc. But as they got older, we all got more creative.
One time when A was about 5 and D was 3 years old, I was downstairs in the kitchen. I heard a slight clicking on the window and when I looked out there was a note hanging from a fishing line. The note said “HELP”. As I looked, the note slowly rose up and disappeared.
A few minutes later, another note came down. “Help Us.” And up it goes. Down again, “We’re locked in the bathroom.”
Now think about it. This bathroom is tiny and there are both the boys and their father in the bathroom and they decided to take a fishing pole in with them???
After a few more notes, I finally went upstairs to “rescue” them. The boys were laughing so hard they had trouble catching their breath. Totally worth it!
An aside, I was talking to A (who is now 26) last night and he remembers this and still chuckled!
There were times we had to warn them to not do a certain trick again. Such as the time that D mixed Elmer’s Glue and water so it had the consistency and color of milk. (Elmer’s glue is non-toxic. Kid’s are always licking it off their fingers. Don’t you remember the taste of school paste or glue?) But, their Dad was not amused! I actually thought it was pretty funny but I wasn't the one that had a sip of it.
Another one they were told to never do again, was taping Saran Wrap to the bottom of the toilet seat. Luckily I noticed it before I sat down. I told them that yes, it could be funny but they would have been the ones cleaning it up. They hadn’t thought of that!
One April first, I opened the refrigerator, jumped back and screamed! They had drawn a monster on a large white sheet of paper that covered the whole opening of the fridge. Of course, the boys were in the next room chortling with glee!!
It actually wasn’t the monster that scared me, it was the fact that when you open the door, you expect there to be depth and there was none. It was a feeling of the universe just not being right! Very unsettling.
The boys’ father would tie their jackets or clothing in knots, fill their shoes with newspaper, short sheet their beds, rubber snakes in the beds and such as that.
The one I would do that became a tradition was to put their lunches in their lunchboxes then fill up all the extra space with loose popped popcorn. That’s about as creative as I got.
My husband would do verbal tricks on me, such as telling me he got a raise or promotion. I’d be gushing and telling him how proud I was of him doing so well, etc. etc. then he’d drop the bomb. April Fool!
It got so I had to tiptoe around the house on April 1st and open doors, cupboards and so on very carefully, never knowing if something was going to fall on me or jump out at me or whatever. I would usually announce I was going to move out for the day to which the kids would wring their hands, evily laughing. Bwaa- haaaa-aaaaa.
As the boys grew, the tricks became more sophisticated. Both boys went to college to become graphic artists. At that time D had short hair and A had very long, curly hair which he would wear tied back in a ponytail. I loved both their hairstyles.
One day, I received an email from A, the subject being, “I finally did it.” Attached to the email was a polaroid photo of him with his hair cut very short! Now, knowing my sons, I looked at that photo with a fine tooth comb. (Hmm, don’t think that phrase works. Whatever!) I could not see anything to give an indication that it had been doctored up. The shadows and lighting were all fine, no stray hairs, etc. and it definitely looked like his own hair, not a wig. I called him and after badgering him for awhile, he admitted that he had cropped the photo and put the hair of one of the Backstreet Boys on his head.
A few weeks later, I received a thick envelope in which there was a baggie of curly hair!
He HAD finally done it!
Just later.
Love, Light, and Laughter!
4/5/2006 Pain Is PainOne of the discussions during my Healing Class included deserve-ability, guilt and pain. Many of us, because our current and/or past problems and pains may seem petty compared to other's, end up feeling guilty. "I shouldn't complain, they've had it so much worse." "I have enough to eat and a roof over my head, I shouldn't be asking for more." But yet, many of us are unhappy, in emotional turmoil, searching for purpose and happiness.
Do we deserve more than what we already have? Yes! Yes, we do. Everyone does. Whether it's more love, friends, happiness, money, etc., we all deserve to have everything we want. And we should be allowed our own pain.
The way one of the teachers explained it, "Pain is pain. You can't compare your pain to someone else's". She told the story of how when she was in labor with her first child, she thought it was the most excruciating pain there ever was. A few days later, with labor still fresh in her mind, she got a horrible toothache. At that moment, that was the worst pain. The pain you are in at any given moment IS the worst, no matter the reason.
Pain is pain.
We are all entitled to our pain, whether it be physical or emotional, to own it and deal with it. No one should trivialize anyone else's pain or say, "Well, things could be worse." That belittles and demeans what the person is feeling and does not help them deal with the pain they are going through at that moment. Sometimes, we have to feel the pain to learn from it. Sometimes, we have to wallow in our pain and grief for awhile in order to get past it.
Pain is pain.
And it's there to help us grow.
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