On Kauai there is a group called "Friends of Kamalani and Lydgate Park". It was started in 1992 after Hurricane Iniki literally ripped through the island, destroying lots of homes, and businesses, but not the spirit of the people. They all came together and one of the things they did was to build a community playground for the children. Children were asked what they wanted. And somehow the community built them a volcano to climb and an octopus to romp around on. The Friends have workdays every Earth Day, Make A Difference Day, and sometimes in between. The restaurants, churches, and individuals feed the workers.

Last October, when I was food coordinator, I was told to plan on 100 for lunch, which we'd be ready for at 11:30. Well, we had over 200 volunteers! They finished by 10:00, and our providers were bringing  food by 11:00.
Now here's the miracle: There had been another event which had extra fruits and pastries. They brought them over at 10:00, so folks had more than enough great munchies, which held them until part two of the miracle:
I had food for 130, but Lenny Rapozo who was  on Mayor Carvalho's campaign team brought 3 1/2 gallons of chili, and cooked 200 hamburgers for everyone. I was so deeply touched by this. Now I'm planning food provisions for our Earth Day project this April 18th. I remembered this, and wanted to share it with you!

Several years ago I was emailed "Symptoms of Inner Peace" probably 10 times. Then not again until I received it recently. It made me smile. I'm passing it on:

Symptoms of Inner Peace
by Saskia Davis
Be on the lookout for symptoms of inner peace. The hearts of a great many have already been exposed to inner peace and it is possible that people everywhere could come down with it in epidemic proportions. This could pose a serious threat to what has, up to now, been a fairly stable condition of conflict in the world.
Some signs and symptoms of inner peace:
·         A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences.
·         An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.
·         A loss of interest in judging other people.
·         A loss of interest in judging self.
·         A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.
·         A loss of interest in conflict.
·         A loss of the ability to worry. (This is a very serious symptom.)
·         Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
·         Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.
·         Frequent attacks of smiling.
·         An increasing tendency to let things happen rather than (try to) make them happen.
·         An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.
 WARNING:
If you have some or all of the above symptoms, please be advised that your condition of inner peace may be so far advanced as to not be curable. If you are exposed to anyone exhibiting any of these symptoms, remain exposed only at your own risk.
 

God (of many names and expressions) is Love. God is always vibrating with the energy of Love, and we are meant to receive it. In our innermost beings we do receive it, or we wouldn't be alive. So why aren't we all perfectly happy and healthy, feeling lovable and loving? It's because a part of our minds are co-creating a dreamworld in a dimension that is not vibrating at the same frequency as God. Just as TV channels have different frequencies that we turn to to see what we want to see, we have to "turn to" a different frequency to experience Beloved's Love for us. That is why when Nicodemus asked Jesus how to attain heaven, Jesus replied, "That which is flesh is flesh. That which is spirit is spirit." Spirit has no conception of "wanting" because it has everything. It cannot help but vibrate out its loving energy.

Flesh is ever trying to have enough, to have more, to measure, to judge, to compare in a "temporary dream of life" that has no ultimate meaning in eternity. Many people are generous but are so to receive favors from someone or from a God that has no need for anything, but desires our love. Therefore flesh is suspicious even of gifts. This world of the flesh is the world we see around us. Our senses are continuously in-putting information. Our minds are continuously analyzing, creating fear thoughts, and judging. The finer frequency of Loving Spirit has to wait until we decide we want to experience it. We have to turn off the senses, and quiet our bodies. We then have to focus our minds on Loving Spirit. Christians and others call it the Holy Spirit, but there are many names for the loving part of God that connects our individual minds to the One.

When we are ill, we focus on our symptoms, and that keeps Spirit out. It may even reinforce the symptoms. But if we focus on "that which is spirit", we may be able to "Let God's Love In". And that is when the miracle can occur. The body will follow the mind. It will function as long as needed, but which mind will it serve? What are we after all? Spirit or flesh?

We can find some satisfaction by joining in activities with others that think as we do. If we've found an organization based on the principles we believe in, it can be so satisfying not to have to explain how or why we think or act as we do, but to be free to be able to just do what we do. This can work for good or not so good. May we never forget the Third Reich or the Ku Klux Klan. In  those groups people joined to reinforce their separation from others they judged as inferior. Our  cyberworld has shown us the strength, wisdom and beauty of all races and ethnicities.

Today I have to pleasure of flying to Oahu to attend a Peace Luncheon and meet members of The Interfaith Alliance of Hawaii, and other interfaith and peace groups over there. It's something I'm very happy about. I actually believe that "Thou shalt not kill." refers to wars too. We are meant to find a more loving way to work differences out in our personal lives and globally. Until our prayers become, "Lord please bring peace to us," instead of "Lord please make my side win," we be perpetuating conflict. We were created by Love to love. This war business exists in the 3-D world, and not God's. We can also join with others who think like we do with our minds, if we can't be together in the same place. It can help in a darker hour.

Can we honestly look back a few months and remember all of the little thoughts that were stressing us? We may remember some life threatening ones, but can we recall the day to day, minute by minute, second to second worries that filled our heads? Most likely not, because in the greater scheme of things, they are valueless. They may have seemed important at the time, but in the true scheme of Who we are and what our purposes are, they have little value except as a contrast for what we want to feel, which is peace.

When we look back over the same period of time we can remember actions that we took inspired by love. We remember the loving things we did for others, and that people did for us. We can most likely recall the sense of peace that we had when we felt connected to something or someone. Actions motivated by a desire to express love are more in tune with who we really are, and when people act lovingly toward us, it vibrationally stirs that loving part within us. That loving part is the True part of us, and that is why re can remember acts of love and kindness.

But there can be some acts we've done that we feel terribly guilty about. We know that we were not acting out of our True Selves when we did it, and now this guilt is driving us down. We may actually even get sick. I'm tossing out a lifeline that has helped me for years. I know that my ego self can't undo the wrongs that it got me into, but if we want to change, we have help. The Holy Spirit, the bridging Love of God can. Here is a passage that may help. My 1985 edition has it on P. 83,

"I must have decided wrongly, because I am not at peace.

 I made the decision myself, but I can also decide otherwise.           

I want to decide otherwise, because I want to be a peace.

I do not feel guilty,because the Holy Spirit will undo all the consequences of my wrong decision if I will let Him.

I choose to let Him, by allowing Him to decide for God for me.

The results may not be apparent for awhile, but if we are sincere and patient, things will work out the best for all concerned.

Daily I write these blogs from an attunement to the Holy Spirit, the Comfortor, the One that links us all together while we live in this world of apparent separation, the One who ever reminds us that we are lovable and loved. I've shared some of my stories of undoing, and refocusing as much as possible on what is true. Today I am moved to just share one sentence.

YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD! That's it. Now how does that Light shine? What turns it on. When does it go dim. Pay attention.

And remember: It can never go out, but we have to remember where to look for it. It's inside our hearts and minds. We all have an equal share, and shouldn't believe anyone who tells us otherwise. We awaken to the Light that we are at various times, and in various degrees, but we all have it equally. Sometimes we'll feel brighter, and sometimes duller. We make more of it when we share what we have. The wonderful thing is, that as we see it more in others, it grows inside of us, and it keeps on increasing in this way. We are the Light of the World. 

I saw "Oliver Twist" on Broadway at age 14. My favorite song in the show began with the words in this title. It was so welcoming, affirming and joyous! Poor little misplaced Oliver now had a "family"! I've never forgotten this. Yes, it was a substitute, and he missed his real one, but he had a home and those who cared about him. Later in life as I studied about gangs, I remembered this. When I read about refugee camps and people taking care of each other and adopting each other, I remembered this. When I had my own family I made sure that my kids knew that they were loved and that we belonged to each other. In Hawaii, one's family always comes first, and it need not be your "genetic" family. "Hanai" means adopted. It is a less formal legal process than adoption, but the ties are as strong. A hanai child is as important to the parents as their own.

Where does the sense of  "belonging" to a family come from? It is actually a mental state of willingness that allows one to feel connected or not. The person is willing to accept the love and caring of a family, and will respond accordingly. This is as true for adults as it is children. I worked for an organization on Kaua'i that recruited homes for foster children. Sometimes the most wonderful bonds occurred, and sometimes there was a disconnect. One's mental state is partially formed from experiences along the way. Some of the children that came to us had suffered terribly in their natural homes. No blame here.The need is that the child's belief be changed from distrust to trust, from feeling unloved, to loved. This can take time, and it is difficult to offer something as wonderful and pure as love, and not have it be returned.

We must look beyond the outer expression of a person in the world and see the true loving nature of the being within. Inside all of us IS THE  DESIRE TO LOVE AND BE LOVED. When we feel it for another, they respond, even if it's initially unconscious. This loving part of us doesn't see color, race, ethnicity or any other false separation thought systems the 3-D world has made. It just wants to love and be loved. We can't fool ourselves into thinking that every time we deeply love another they will respond the way we would like. We have to trust that the Holy Spirit of Love will use our loving offering in the best way possible. We've already gifted ourselves by loving. There will come a time when we can all know this to be true. The sooner that people choose love over judgment, the sooner we will all feel more loving and lovable. The great teachers didn't say "love only people who look and think like you". They said, "Love one another."  "Treat others the way you want to be treated." It would be good to listen to them. They are our family.

If indeed, the world we see is a reflection of our inner thought system, why would we ever think such negative thoughts? How do we escape this? The patterns of our thinking have been reinforced for eons, which is why bad things can happen to even small babies. It is not a  punishment from God. God doesn't get us into difficulties. Our thinking does that, and when we give up on our own thinking ability to get us out of a jam, we turn to God Who has a wonderful success rate!

Here's an example from my own life. I think I must have come into this world with a sense of inadequacy. Being the oldest child, I really tried to be the good role model that my mother wanted me to be for my siblings. However, she always had a way of telling me how I could have done things better. Now she may have been projecting her sense of inadequacy on me, but that doesn't matter. My sense of inadequacy translated her helpful suggestions into "I'm not good enough." The pattern stayed in my thinking for years, no matter how hard I tried to please the world.

I remember the sense of freedom I had when I faced this demon. Perhaps it was because one day I wore the brilliant armor of trusting that God loved me, and that in truth I was as perfect as I was created. It may  have been that I recognized the pattern expressing through me to my children, and didn't want them to own it....or both. The key was love. I loved God, myself, and my children. I asked for help, and got it. I saw the pattern, and from that day forward, I was aware that I could choose what I would do with my life from my free choice, and not from the nagging "You'd better do xxxx to prove to the world that you are good enough," Had I not had the propensity for the sense of inadequacy, I might have seen my mother's corrections in another way. I might have though, "Gee, she loves me so much she wants me to be the very best I can. How wonderful that she gives of her time and energy to me in this way!" That is how I choose to see it now. It feels a lot better this way.

There really was no excuse for it. We judged him. We had been waiting for over ten minutes in a line for the restroom in a Safeway in Portland, OR. We had spent a lovely time at the Tao of Tea in The Classical Chinese
Garden in Chinatown, and the tea had done its work. We had stopped into Safeway for a lovely sandwich and coffee before continuing on to the nearby Portland Art Museum. There were three ahead of us. "What are you doing in there?",  the next one in line bellowed as he knocked on the door.  We'd heard the toilet flush twice. I saw the shopping cart laden with homestuff. "I bet he's homeless and bathing." I thought out loud. The second man in line pounded on the door and shouted, "This isn't a bath house!"  After two more minutes he left. The toilet flushed two more times before a clean looking young man who had poured on the men's cologne exited, carefully waiting for the man next in line to catch the open door before it locked. "Apology accepted." the next one stated, although no apology had been offered.

Then we noticed two things: The man waiting was perhaps only a boy, and the cart belonged to him. We withered at our spoken judgment, and wanted to somehow make it up to him. We corrected our thinking, sent him love as a beautiful child of God, and then bought our sandwiches and coffee. Just a few bites in, we noticed that the young man had parked his cart next to the dining area and was consuming the smallest tub of potato salad that one could buy. It was Christina's idea to give him the other half of our "sandwich for four", and I seconded it. He accepted our offering with a big cherubic smile and  an appreciative "Thanks. Thank-you so much. Thank-you." We'd given it in love and he radiated it right back to us. It feels so much better to give and receive love than to offer judgment. I particularly liked this experience, because it was so easy to see our  correction made. I wish I could say that I didn't judge anymore, but sometimes I do. Yet I'm making progress. There is always in my mind the knowing that what I am judging is only superficial, the part of me that I don't want to see...the separated, lost self in differing, varying forms. The True Self stays intact, always ready to give and receive love.

I had two significant dreams last night. In one, I joined a group of 20 people who committed to themselves and each other to live the best they possibly could by following what they believed to be their higher selves, the Holy Spirit, in their lives. We journaled to keep records of what might occur. The most significant result was that those who joined were happier. Also, there were inner alignments with a spiritual One that I was somewhat aware of, and a few miracles that manifested in the outer world, as well as a genuine love we felt for each other.

In the second dream, I was aware that a small dark man, like one of Van Gogh's Potato Eaters was keeping a woman prisoner under ground. Somehow I had the task of setting her free. I had to climb a ladder down into the dark earth, and I feared that I too might be held captive. However, when I arrived, I saw that he had freed her. I also saw that  he had provided for her as best as he could in that dark small space. It made me realize that he cared for her. I wanted to talk to him, but he wouldn't speak to me. I just sensed a general negativity, a lowness of energy, that could have morphed into lethargy, sadness, anger, or pain. It felt that the two dreams were related. As the Holy Spirit does the job it was created to do, we are freed from the ego's hold. The new realization for me was that the ego works to provide for us, yet with its limited perspective, we are still held captive, and not free to be our True Selves. The ego has no power over our choice for Truth if we are sincere. 

It is difficult to swim upstream in a current of thinking that we are all sinners and deserve death. My Spirit and Mind tell me otherwise. We are the beloved children of a Loving God Who created us as an extension of that love. The world that most of us perceive is part of a collective thought form of a 3-D world that was made long ago, and that we can escape from by changing our minds. Remember the movie "The Matrix"? The authors were students of A Course in Miracles, and they were trying to create a movie that would depict this ability to think differently.

The Forgiveness Movement is a book written by Tom Carpenter which illustrates how our thinking can change. When we drop our story of  ourselves, and ask the Holy Spirit to lead our thinking, we prodigal children will find our way back home, where we have always been loved. Our ego minds lead us with guilt, which end up creating pain for us in various forms of anger, actual pain, guilt, fear, sadness, etc. Our minds may not know the origin of this guilt, but the reality is that it has no lasting effects. The truth is that we are eternal spirit, with no ability to feel or express guilt or pain. We exist as love and extend love.

Tom is also creating a "Forgiveness Network" of people who think like this and have miracle stories to share with a hungry world. It's being formed now. I promise that I'll keep you posted. The premise rests in this introduction to A Course in Miracles . "Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the Peace of God."

If Bernie Madoff had swindled a million or so, we would have just seen him as a crook. But the billions that he stole from many others made him a larger than life general crook. He stood out loud enough so that even in the 3-D world of separation we'd have to see him. What is the lesson he could possibly teach us? What could cause a person to have so much need? Well...fear. The fear of him not having enough caused him to accumulate more of what our world attributes power and energy too, money. Then he found out that money wasn't really what he wanted.

As his friends leave, fame becomes infamy, and the money disappears, Bernie will be forced to look at what he really wants. We know what he really wants, because we all want it: unconditional LOVE. There is no substitute.
We project importance to things in our world as love substitutes, because we feel unlovable and/or unloved from the inside. It may take time and experience to learn that what we really do want is to love and be loved, but we will learn it eventually because the Source of the Love is right inside of us. As long as we look outside ourselves, we won't find it. When we find it first within, then that is what we will project into our world, and we will find it anywhere. My prayer for Bernie is that he finds what he is looking for. Then he can truly give back what the world actually needs. And as we learn that a lost soul that can commit a terribly selfish act can be redeemed and forgiven, we will be able to accept that we also can be forgiven for our smaller deeds of separation from the One.

I am visiting this fine city while my daughter checks out Portland State University. Last night, I used a technique I have used for a decade to make air travel feel better. While flying over the Pacific, I asked the Archangel Michael to protect all the passengers of the plane. According to Edgar Cayce, the Archangel Michael is the Lord of the Way. He is the one that is depicted subduing satan in many art forms. He is the one we can call upon when we believe we have fallen off of our paths.

I visualize his handsome head over the cockpit and pilots. His wings cover the wings of the plane. His heart and strength cover the fuselage, and all the occupants. I trust that whatever happens on that flight will be in divine order for all of us, and I am even able to sleep sitting up! Our flight was excellent, and after a short nap I am off to discover my divine cousins in Portland. May your day be filled with peace. 

It is exciting watching a friend awaken more to the truth of Who she is. My friend has "battled" pain for over 10 years. It kept her holed up in her house, needing about 15 different kinds of medication, and dependent upon others for her care. A mutual friend of ours became her mentor, and began teaching her that she was not a body. She was in her true being a loving eternal spirit incapable of feeling pain, and that as she identified more with that, she would heal. She has been patient with her. It is difficult to undo years of the world's reinforced learning that we are bodies and minds. She leads by example with some words here, and there. It has taken nearly a year. Her mentor has introduced her to others who see her as a loving spiritual being, not a pain-filled unit of protoplasm.

Now she is driving. She just moved into her own beautiful home with a great view of Makaleha mountain. She has gone shopping for lovely furniture and decor. She prepared a nourishing tasty lunch for me. She is gaining weight, going to classes, and meeting others who reinforce Who she really is. She is softening, opening to the miracle of love her dear mentor has gifted to her heart. I am having the joy of watching a miracle unfold  before my eyes. I rejoice for her. I give thanks for her mentor, whose wisdom is reinforced and will express itself through my friend who has a terrific way with words.

If each one would teach one, the thought form that we are Living Love would grow, and it would be easier for others to awaken, for all of us are joined. Any love that is shared with one, reaches all of us, and we could all have the joy of watching the Light through the love of another awaken a friend.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! St. Patrick’s life is a testament to trusting inner guidance. He was born in Roman Britain, captured as a slave at age 16, and taken to Ireland. He was a herdsman for six years. He wrote that he prayed every day, and grew in faith. After six years he heard a voice telling him that he would soon go home. His guidance informed him at a later date that his ship was ready. He escaped and traveled 200 miles to a port where a ship sailed him to Britain, and after various adventures he arrived home.

Another time, a little later, he had a vision. He saw a man coming from Ireland, named Victoricus., who carried many letters, and gave one to St. Patrick. The heading stated "The Voice of the Irish". As he began the letter, he imagined in that moment that he heard the voices of the people who were near Foclut, which is beside the western sea—and they cried out, as with one voice: "We appeal to you, holy servant boy, to come and walk among us.” He followed his guidance. It changed a world. These facts are from Wikipedia
 

On Friday I was blessed with the opportunity to attend a class led by Patricia, on the Aramaic interpretation of The Lord's Prayer that she attributed to Jayem. The following is from his website at www.wayofmastery.com  "[Jayem's] background is in yoga, meditation, and integral psychology. He has a deep fondness for the mystical traditions, and for the "hidden Jesus", whom he honors as his "guru and wayshower", and Who has been his principal Teacher through mystical encounter for the past seventeen years. He loves to draw on, and reveal the astonishing truths and practices in the original Aramaic teachings of Jesus, so radically beyond the translations we are all used to. He is equally at ease discussing spirituality and quantum physics, integral psychology, and especially with his first love: the poetry of the soul....

"I see my Work as inspiring others to surpass me in the depth of their enlightenment, the height of God's Vision that the soul can open to, and the ways to ground that vision in and as their own very life."

 I make no judgment about Jayem, as I just learned about him Friday, but my experience in hearing his CD and interpretation of The Lord's Prayer brought me to tears and smiles. It united much in my heart. I am writing the English interpretation for you. Notice how it is not so much a supplication to a God way beyond, but to a present, active, God already in process of loving us to our Wholeness. My blessings to you always.

"Oh, shimmering and eternal Presence Illuminating all!

We restore our holy union with you  by breathing Your holy Breath.

The penetrating  rays of Your Power and Beauty melt our rigidities, and We are now receptive to Your vision for us.

We are surrendered to Your wondrous design as our mystical union infuses our earthly forms with the power of your Light.

The Infusion of Your nurturing Wisdom will now carry us through the sacred moments of this day.

Just as Your Light's infusion dissolves our hidden fears, we extend and share this Light so that others, too, can dissolve their hidden fears.

Your streaming Rays of Wisdom and Power release us from all forgetfulness that leads to the constrictions of useless fears.

Now! Your illumined stream of radiant Light is embodied, and Your Presence is here as 'us', carrying me in your stream of Grace from gathering to gathering!

This truth is sealed in our hearts, with unwavering commitment."

It is so much fun to feel (not think) that I am connected divinely to everything and everyone. Living becomes a kind of adventure. When one says, "Thy will be done." one has to be open to some spontaneity in the life. One has to have a willingness for things to change, even if I think that I'm doing the most wonderful thing. Sometimes I can follow the thread of a perfect happening, and sometimes I can't. The following is one that happened Thursday through Friday.

I had planned to go to A Course in Miracles study group meeting in Princeville, which is about 50 minutes to an hour away. My friend Mary was going to go with me, but ended up needing to stay home and rest. About two minutes after I spoke with her, I got a call from a gentleman who needed a ride to the meeting, and lived near me. I agreed to take him. On the way home he mentioned something about needing to look up study groups on the study group website to find one near him. I didn't even know there was a study group list, but thought about looking it up to see if I might find some old friends from the  mainland.

Friday I received an email from Tracey, a woman new to ACIM, who wanted to know how to begin using it. The course is divided into a text, workbook with 365 daily lessons, and a manual for teachers, but it doesn't say where to begin. I told her how I started using it, and then recommended that she join a study group. AND OF COURSE NOW I KNEW HOW TO TELL HER TO LOOK ONE UP! I just love it when I can be a part of something like that. Isn't it grand?

I could have chosen at least two little ego alternatives.I could have been mad at my friend not going with me, and not gone. Or I could have gone, and not been willing to give this gentleman a lift. The Holy Spirit knows us, and knows how we can serve best. Our job is just to be willing, and open to what seems right. We still need to use our intuition and discernment, and if we miss a lesson, we'll get it again. There are countless times that we are Holy Links. We just don't know it at the time.

Many faiths and disciplines teach us to love others as ourselves. The idea is that we are to treat others very lovingly. But what if we don't treat ourselves very lovingly? Do we demand too much from ourselves? Push ourselves too hard? Do we criticize ourselves often or make comparisons between ourselves and others? That's not loving ourselves. If you knew that at the end of this life you would go to a place where things of this world didn't matter or even exist, would it make a difference how you live now? There won't be comparisons because we are all One.

If we don't love ourselves, there isn't a source for extended love to spring from. If we do it out of a sense of duty, then there is an edge, and some  people can feel it. If I'm doing it to "earn" a spot in heaven, then I'm shopping for something that I want. If I am doing it out of love, people will feel it. You'll be exuding "You matter! I want you to live the best life you can imagine for yourself while you are here. I want you to feel well." And they just might get well, they may cry with joy, or grief for the times that they haven't felt so loved. We don't know how they will receive it. We love them because our hearts led us to love them because they were full of love, and it is the nature of Love to extend itself. May you have lots and lots of it in your life. When we feel it in our hearts, everyone is affected. Loving yourself is a good thing. 

    They drew a circle that left me out,
    Heretic, infidel, a thing to flout.
    But love and I had the wit to win.
    We drew a circle that took them in.
                            --Edwin Markham

A lot is happening in the outer appearances of our world. For years psychics, holy men, and sacred scriptures have been warning us that if we didn't change our ways, we would be headed for chaos in many areas of our life. Are we there? Can we turn it around? Finances as we know them are crumbling, and different factions are grumbling. Schools are not meeting the needs of the community, and many are questioning everything.

Unfortunately, often people tend to close down in their beliefs, rather than open their hearts to see things in a new way, and with the uncertainty they want to believe that their faith, and their path are the right ones. In the 3-D world people may think that that means becoming the one with the biggest numbers. There are two ways to do that. One is to go out and solicit more believers, telling them that "our way is the only right way. It must be, because we have so many members, even the _______ is on our side." Another way is to kill those who don't believe as you do, or socially assassinate them, as was done to Jesus. 

Sir George Trevelyan, founder of the Wrekin Trust in England simply taught that "The truth stands." There is no need to defend it. It is helpful to live it, so that you spread it with your actions. People will learn far more from that then they will from someone who preaches a good sermon, but who then goes out and commits adultery, or judges others, or doesn't pay his taxes. When someone comes and tells us that "This is how it is, or you won't get to heaven." We can remember that people have been arguing that case for millennia. We'll all in heaven in our true state. We can just say "Thank you for your concern for me. I talk to God from my heart, and hear Him from my heart. I'm at peace." We may be able to ask a poignant question about a loving God to see where it goes. If we get "stink eye" from them, as we say over here, we can just think to ourselves, "But Love and I have the wit to win. I'll draw a circle that keeps him in."

Several times I’ve heard Dannion Brinkley lecture and state that we are “Great and powerful spiritual beans.” [actually “beings”, but he says it like “beans”]. His story is amazing. Several years ago he was struck by lightning, had a near death experience, in which he experienced God’s grace, and wrote his story in the book, Saved by The Light.

One of the most fascinating parts of his story, is that when he died, he was met by loving beings, even though he had been a "selfish bully" most of his life. He had a life review in which he experienced the EFFECTS of EVERYTHING he had done to others. If he punched someone, he felt their pain. If he did something loving, he experienced the warmth and good feelings his actions caused. Consider that!

Humans are powerful co-creators in this world who can manifest by aligning their body, mind, spirit and feelings. This world responds to human thought and feelings, which is why things happen when no formal prayers have been uttered. Can we trust only our own judgment to know what is good for us? We owe it to ourselves and the rest of the world to be responsible for what we think and what we do. 
    If I feel bogged down at work and think, “I’ll never get this done.” I’m adding to the delay. It would be better to say, “I’m going to do the best I can in the amount of time I have.” If we get in the habit of thinking and speaking in the positive, for what we WANT to have happen, we’re signaling the Universe and it will respond. As we become more mindful of what we say and do, and more focused on what is important to us, we will begin to live more closely the lives of our dreams.
 

Yesterday as I was reading my lesson in A Course in Miracles I was impressed, as always, by the eloquence and articulation of the passage. I have been given permission from Kenneth Wapnick of "The Foundation for a Course in Miracles" to use passages from time to time as a writer, as long as I give the credit. In my 1985 edition, this selection comes from p. 469 in the Workbook.

For some of my dear sisters, try not to be put off by the use of the masculine references to Beloved Creator, and It's children.The idea is that there is One ultimate Creator, and One Child. I have heard that a woman actually went through and changed all the masculine references to feminine. It still works if we read the passage knowing that both Creator and Child are far beyond our mental understanding or our ability to put into any words. This is the first paragraph from the introduction to Lessons 351-360, entitled,"What am I?", and gives a glimpse of our True selves, not always obvious when clothed with a physical body and limited thinking.

"I am God's Son, complete and healed and whole, shining  in the reflection of His Love. In me is His creation sanctified and guaranteed eternal life. In me is love perfected, fear impossible, and joy established without opposite. I am the Holy home of God HImself. I am the Heaven where His Love resides. I am His Holy Sinlessness Itself, for in my purity abides His Own."

It's easy to weary oneself by looking at all the pain and intolerance in the world and trying to figure out how to fix it. Ha! as if I in my arrogance could possibly know how. I may even be adding to the problem. If I think about something, I give it energy. If I'm thinking about the problems, I'm making them real. Forms can only exist on the earth plane if there is the energy to support them, and that comes from our co-creative thinking.

I wonder if we are all adding to the problems of global warming by thinking about the ice caps melting, and seas rising, and polar bears drowning. Rather, we can look at our own lives, and see how we can take less from the earth, and give back more.

Most of us who have a bit of land can compost our non-animal product kitchen scraps even if we just dig a hole in the ground, and put them in, and cover it with some grass cuttings and soil. Mother Nature can take it from there.If there are a lot of scraps, one can have an above ground compost pile by layering these items until there is a 4' x 4' pile. Then the whole thing can be covered with leaves or grass clippings, and used at another time. My Scottish grandfather just buried his kitchen waste in the ground of his garden, snaking through it. He'd leave the shovel upright in his last spot to keep track. He did this for 50 years, and his soil was the richest I've ever seen. An eighty-year old friend of mine had a metal garbage can in her garage that she would put her kitchen scraps in. She had two nail holes in the cover, and she put in some earthworms. They'll compost it. They even eat non-toxic paper that gets mushy from the waste. Periodically she would empty it onyo her garden. Maybe folks in apartments could find a way to do something like that.

Robert Rodale, the maven of organic gardening went around testing garden soil. One farm in Vermont had incredibly rich soil. The gardener told him that he always put the grass clippings from the first mowing on top of his garden. I tried it, and it worked. Our air is about 80% nitrogen. Rain and snow bring some of it down. It is used by grass to grow, and that nitrogen was harvested in the grass and transferred to his garden. I also use grass clippings for mulch, but they won't last a season. Hungry earth worms will rise up, chomp them, and create the best manure for your garden ever, especially if you sprinkle some coffee grounds on it too. 

I used grass clippings on my potato hills, and when it was time to dig up the potatoes, it was loaded with worms. The hills were also easier to dig up, because worms aerate the soil. I'm happy building soil and growing food. I might add that it is easy to weary onself in a garden too, but I thought it was worth it. And......yes.......I  also belong to groups that I believe make a positive difference in the world.

Kaua'i was formed by one volcano about 5 million years ago, and in the center of our relatively cone-shaped island is Mt. Waialeale, the wettest spot on earth. From the Alakai Swamp near the summit flow several rivers that end up at the ocean on various parts of the island. So one could follow those rivers back up to the summit of the mountain. We could use these rivers as an analogy for religions. 

The function of religions is to serve us by guiding us back to the Source of All Life, God. We are not meant to worship the river. We don't need to argue about whose river is better. If I'm spending most of my time admiring and praising the river, noticing the scenery, wondering if my river is better than the other rivers, that can be a distraction.

We are meant to use the river to create a closer relationship with God. It takes focus and energy to follow the river back to Source. And when we get there, we'll get to meet all the others who followed the different rivers to get back to the Source. Isn't it grand! And from there we can see the beauty of all the rivers, and can extend  help to our fellow pilgrims. Once we're all at the summit, God directly takes over. Isn't it grand!

 If the religious leaders of the world knew the great energy they could create by loving and helping one another, we would all get to the summit a lot sooner. The rivers may be different, but the people who live along the rivers have a culture that is in relationship with the rivers. There's no need to compare. A minister/priest/shaman/lama etc. has plenty to do being a great shepherd of his own flock, and welcoming those who walk in the door, or admire the loving works the church has done in the community. Isn't it grand!

Someone I hardly know accepts miracles from me from a dream she had, and the stories a mutual friend told her about me. She trusted in my love, and has started healing. I've never met her. Someone I know very well who also knows my love has not yet been able to receive the healing miracle. In my meditation this morning after asking to join my mind with Christ's, I saw this second person as pure love, and I was aware that the other requirement is that the person who needs the miracle have miracle readiness, or be able to receive the healing.

One would think that would occur easily, but we can never underestimate the ego's ability to manipulate us with guilt, and that can be unconscious. We don’t deserve to feel good because…….(you fill in here). That hooks us in to the 3-D story, and we must become free of that at least for an instant.  Howard Wills, originally from South Carolina, and now from Hawaii has a healing ministry in which a large part is forgiving oneself, one's ancestors and one's progeny. He distracts a person by snapping his fingers and in that instant healing can occur.

Symptoms can recur when we follow the same thinking that originally delivered them to our bodies. A Course in Miracles repeatedly urges us to see ourselves as God's perfect Love, extended, and to free ourselves from the pain story by looking elsewhere, toward our perfection, and that in everyone else. By seeing another as perfect love, even though the expression on the outer may be a little rough, we can accept perfection for ourselves as well. 

Yesterday I had a migraine headache. I took a pill. I have also taken the time to undo a migraine with meditation and prayer. It took a while because it is hard to focus on love and peace when the pain body is demanding you attend to it. I would meditate to a point where I experienced freedom from pain, and then it would re-occur. I continued this dance until I really was free from it. It took about 3 hours.   Yesterday I was at a friends house for lunch. I had a deadline. I took a pill. The migraine for me represents too much pressure, which I have allowed myself to take on by identifying with something that I think is really important. It is a teacher, and I am learning, but sometimes resisting the lesson. I affirm once again, that I am ready to receive miracles.

Yesterday driving home from my friend's house, I was struck by a car turning into a major road. He didn't see me. I wasn't driving fast. I had a witness. He just didn't see me. I could have been dead if the timing had been off by another few seconds. I see that also as a miracle.

It seems to be part of the human condition that sometimes we are proud to be us, and sometimes we're not. And the change from one to the other can happen rather quickly. Are we nuts? Probably not, but we may be becoming aware of experiencing the paradox of our lives on earth. Our true essence is loving Spirit. We always radiate love. We are lovable, loving, and worthy. Nothing can harm us because we are One. It is not a concept that the mind trained in measurement, analysis and judgment can understand. It must be experienced. When we are in the presence of those who feel this way, or we have experienced it ourselves, we feel good. Love extends into our 3-D world.

When we put on the clothing of mind and body, we experience the third dimension in a physical, mental and emotional way. We develop a "story" as Tom Carpenter refers to it, about who and what we are. This story comes from what people have taught us to believe and perceive, and what we have accepted as our truth about this world.  Bodies, minds and emotions can feel pain, and as long as we continue to think about what causes the pain, they can continue to feel painful.

True and lasting healing comes from returning to the remembrance of Who we Are as divine beings, and accepting the same for every other child of God. My spirit cannot feel the pain of a broken arm or heart. It has enough love to fill my heart, and everyone else's. One time I was on emotional overload. My developmentally disabled daughter, Mary, was going  through a phase where she would say, "I hate you Mom!" Even though I knew she didn't know what she was really saying, I knew she was angry at me for giving her limits. It hurt, and using reason was out of the question to work it out with her. I snapped at her, and at that moment I didn't like myself a bit.

I collapsed on my bed, and just cried, releasing the outer level of pain. Then I meditated, and as I went through the steps to higher consciousness, I felt more and more peace and love. It was very striking to my consciousness. I returned to thinking, and felt the sadness envelop me again. So I returned to a higher state, and stayed there a while. I asked Holy Spirit to help me with this situation, and let it go, envisioning the peace of God (Absolute Love) healing each weary cell of my body. I also saw Mary as radiant love, and spoke to her, affirming my love for her. The Holy Spirit works at the level of people's higher minds. I trusted that at that level there was peace.

This time when I returned to thinking, the peace stayed with me. I got up to fix dinner. Dinner was its usual conversational catch-up experience, and then Mary gave me a big bear hug, and said, "I love you Mom." As she went to her room, I liked myself again, because I had co-created a positive world for us both. Sometimes it takes much longer for effects to show in the world, but if we co-create at the level of Love, and give the time and results to the Holy Spirit, then Holy Spirit can use our energy and love to create positive results in our world.

And now it is time for millions of us to join together to envision a healthy earth, and countries filled with people whose true essence is Love, in spite of the stories we've all been told, and accepted as true. It is time to LIVE truth. Each time a person experiences Truth, it touches the rest of us. Thank-you to all of my brothers and sisters who dance with Truth every day. It makes it easier for me to rise above the chaotic thought levels of the ego.

As we progress on our path, we have to make decisions. While it is possible for God to communicate with us directly, the greater majority of us get our answers by observing what happens in our world. We may make a prayer envisioning or verbalizing what we would like to happen regarding a specific instance, which is not really necessary, as God knows our heart's longings. We'll end the prayer with "Thy will be done.", because we've already learned that our egos can tangle us up, but choosing to do Holy Spirit's will for us takes us where we really want to go faster.  

The next step is to do our part in making the prayed for event happen. But if it doesn't happen as we expected, what do we do then? We might ask for some more specific guidance, or try a gentle push more, and if things don't move then, we need to let it go. We will feel angst about that in direct correlation to our attachment with the desired outcome.  I suggest that you relax and trust the prayer you made of "Thy will be done." Most of us can't see what is in the future for us, and it may be that if our desired event occurred, it would interfere with something better. I have a life story that rooted that faith into my being.

My husband and I had the opportunity to purchase a 5-acre tract of land for a very good price across the street from our property near Asheville, NC. We had put money down, and had a signed contract, but the woman delayed, and delayed, and finally decided to bow out of the deal. Initially we were crushed. There was a pond and stable on the land, and we had some great plans. We could have taken it to court. Rather, we prayed, and let it go.

Within a month or two the people on the other side of us decided to sell their property with a dwelling and storage barn. We were able to purchase that, and would not have been able to do so if we had purchased the pasture. We transformed the storage barn into a beautiful lodge that held many. We named it Spirit Haven. Many people came for personal retreats, classes, workshops, celebrations and gatherings. That had been Holy Spirit's plan. We thrived, and so did many others. It may be a matter of faith, but ultimately, how hard is it to trust Love?

March is roaring in like a lion over in Kaua'i, with it's blustery gusts of up to 50 mph, and horizontal rains, and yet, interspersed are moments of warm sunshine and rainbows. Rainbows are weather's affirmation  that there is golden warmth for us always waiting beyond those rain clouds. And over here rain is considered a blessing. It is the outpouring of heaven's love onto us. The ancient Hawaiians knew that both sun and rain were needed to grow the food that would keep the bodies alive.

Sometimes we have to be our own rainbows in the midst of the apparent storm on the outside. We need to be gentle with ourselves even if the outer world is coming down on us. We carry within the golden sun, that can turn any storm into a rainbow, and then food for our multi-dimensional beings.

We are most likely our worst critics, because we wouldn't attract outer critics if we didn't think it inside first. So when we begin to harp on our inadequacies, it is best to focus on that Light within. Ask that Light to lead us out of the storm and into the beautiful garden where we can relax and find peace, and then guidance if it is needed. And breathing deep belly breaths  will help as well. Peace to you.

I am in the chaotic midst of moving my files into a new filing cabinet. While I'm at it, I'm going through them. It is taking an enormous amount of my time that is both energizing and depleting. It's energizing because I am able to throw out a lot of old papers, such as warranties from appliances that we no longer have, or information that is no longer useful. It also energizes me because I am adding and reorganizing some files so that I can get information I need instantly.

It feels a bit depleting because it takes a long time, and I would rather be able to wave a magic wand and have it done, than spend a few days sitting and sorting. I'm also catching up on the little tasks that have built up. For example, when I want to add a person to my address book, I'll save the envelope. Now I'm going through those envelopes and getting them added into the appropriate address books, snail and email. Once done, I'm inspired to keep up these little tasks until I get terribly busy in my life again, and start a "Get to it when I can" pile, which I don't seem to get to until I get bogged down, and my system is inefficient, and needs a sorting out such as I'm doing now.

The mind isn't much different. We don't have bits of paper, and physical files, but we need to sort out out beliefs and thought systems every once in awhile.  We've all done it many times, otherwise, we would have the same thought system as we did when we were toddlers. There are times when the world somewhat expects it of us, such as we graduate from a level of schooling. We attend a new school and we have a new set of rules, expectations, and facts to file. Or we have a new job, and a new set of rules, expectations and more facts. We enter a new relationship with someone, and more rules, expectations and experiences.

Periodically we need to sort things out, keeping what we want, and eliminating what doesn't serve us any more. I believe that birthdays and New Years Day are great times, but I also use the new moon as a time to assess what is working for me, what isn't, and what I want to accomplish in the next moon cycle of about 28 days. For eons women used the moon as a marker for many cycles.

Then there are the "urgent" sorting times which occur when we're off-center with Life. We are not our usual selves. We may be more emotional or exhausted or in some cases more hyper than usual. Something is pulling at us, and life doesn't feel good. It very well could be that it's time to re-examine our thoughts, which come from our beliefs which are made from our experiences. Perhaps we were raised believing that our race was the superior one, but our recent experiences have showed us otherwise. So we must decide which we keep. Which gives us the most peace in this time? We refine, and refine until we come to the realization that we are more, much more than our thought processes, and I can never escape my though processes with my mental mind.

There is a divine piece within each person, linked to our Beloved Creator, and all other beings, and we begin to let that sacred part of us lead us to the fulfillment of our destiny, which we may not even know yet. But we trust, and we pray for guidance, and we continue to refine. We know we are getting closer because we feel more peaceful more of the time. Peace is our barometer for whether or not we are on our own personal path, which is determined by us uniquely, under the guidance of our Holy Spirit Self. That Holy Self draws to our 3-D world experiences and people we can learn from and teach, for we are all students, and we are all teachers until we come to the end of time.

Jesus told the parable of the maidens waiting for the bridegroom. The lesson was to be ready for a life changing event, an initiation, as some call it. If one comes to us, will we be ready, or will we have "Get to it when I can" piles that need sorting first. Or will I be held back by my mental piles? I hope not. That is why I'm refining my files today.

The late Rev. Paul Solomon was the first person who introduced me to the concept of the path of the hearthfire. He stated that the path of the hearthfire occurred in conjunction with the path of the hero. The word "path" is used here to mean the expression of people in the world, their work, their focus.The path of the hearthfire is the path that provides, nourishes and cares for the hero who is out "saving" the world.

A traditional hero is one who determines that his/her community is lacking something, goes on a quest to find it, and brings it back to save the community. It may be the scientist seeking a cure for a disease, a political leader trying to salvage a country, a spiritual leader seeking to bring sacred concepts beyond intellectual understanding to a world starving for some meaning to life. A hero may be one who defends the community from natural or warring disasters, the fisherman who goes out into stormy seas because the food is gone, or the doctor who battles to save lives against all odds. In the community of the family, it may be the one who goes to work, and may have to work more than one job to keep a home and food on the table. 

Behind these heroes are the keepers of the hearthfire, who tend to the daily needs of the hero.They prepare meals, wash clothes, mend, take care of the family, keep the home warm and a place to relax, heal, release and recharge. Or they may need to offer some stimulation and encouragement when the hero's path appears overwhelming. The keepers of the hearthfire are the wind beneath the wings of the hero who soars into the world. It is often not acknowledged in this day of everyone's 15 minutes of fame. But when Barack Obama honored his grandmother as the one who kept the family going, we remember that it is there.It is a worthy place, and one to be proud of, for it takes a lot of energy to raise a family, and keep the home going smoothly. Sadly, most homes have two working parents, and the hearthfire sometimes goes out. No blame. Times are hard. Let it be a new task for the hero to bring support to families with children.

The paths may change.The one who has diligently tended the hearthfire may yearn to make an imprint in the world, and the mate who has daily faced the world may yearn to explore inner worlds, and grow food. I want to say today, that I honor both paths. We need both paths. They are worthy.