Change, Change, Change-The World in Flux

by Rev. Amari Magdalena 

 

The times they are a changing. It often feels like things are upside down in many areas of our lives. In America our politics have taken a 180-degree turn depending on your political view. Our country is losing its number one status in the world influence much like that of other empires. The environment is simultaneously losing steadiness of seasons to which we’ve become acclimated. What is going on?

Metaphysics has predicted this turn for some time.  Several gateways promised major shifts depending on which one you subscribed to. There was the Harmonic Convergence, the 11:11, The Lion’s Gate Portal 8:8, the 12:12, The Harmonic Concordance and perhaps others of lessor importance or acknowledgement.

I was an active participant in the 11:11 Gateway.  From 11:11 am to 11:11 pm in each time zone around the world people were converging. The crux of this gateway was a belief in a 20-year span of spiritual growth and change. It was believed that the poles on Earth would shift as they have over long history of the planet.

Today we know that the poles are indeed shifting though perhaps not as rapidly as was thought. Air traffic controllers at airports are having to adjust flight paths due to magnetic north shifting. These are measurable events not imaginary.

Our country once touted as a democracy and heralded by many countries is becoming authoritative and oligarchy like. Violence is on the rise in every corner in part due to population expansion and rising gun ownership including assault weapons. The long-held dream, though illusionary, that the poor could pull themselves up by their bootstraps has been shattered. Wealth has grown exponentially and poverty a nosedive as necessities have become out of reach.

All this is sufficient to cause concern for concern, and for more awakened folks, announcement that the world is shifting dimensions. There was a time when one could sit on top of the divide of good and evil in gray. No more!  We could be a little ‘bad’ and be OK with that at long as our good outweighed it. Now, we have a definitive choice to make.  There is no more fence sitting.  We are being called to choose: El Mundo Bueno* or El Mundo Mal leaving some preparing for ascension to the 5^th dimension and others to live in the squalor of the 3^rd dimension.

This is the true source of the flux time we are experiencing. Though it is filled with daily distractions, some fear of closure, angst, and anxiety as humans are being replaced by robots, many want to find Waldon Pond and drop out.

On top of all of the above, we enter the Chinese Year of the Fire Horse on February 17^th. According to Eastern Astrology, it’s going to be a whooper. Many institutions falling. Reshuffling of many long-held beliefs and priorities. More divisions. It will be quite challenging to sit back and watch without having feelings about all of the chaos.

Though we may choose to be part of the changes, we may also want to remember to ground ourselves daily and hold visions of a much better world evolving.  Remember we are in charge of how we experience each and every change. We may or may not have contributed to the change though it is up to us to deal with it through love.

If we can hold on to the belief that the only true thing is Love, we may navigate this coming time with peace. I simply suggest that we hold Love in the foreground of our lives and release all else. We keep our intention for ascending in the Fifth Dimension foremost in our minds. Consider wearing something with a heart symbol on it every day.

All Blessings for every inhabitant of the world that chooses Love.  All the rest will sort itself out.

“Fight for the things that you care about. But do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” –Ruth Bader Ginsburg

“I cannot say whether things will get better if we change; what I can say is they must change if they are to get better.” – Georg C. Lichtenburg

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act; the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do.” – Amelia Earhart

“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” – Coretta Scott King

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead

 

 

 

·         El Mundo Bueno: Saving Humanity and Our Glorious Planet by Amari Magdalena

 

Does The Universe Care for or about Us?

 

By Rev. Amari Magdalena

Yesterday I posted a word for consideration: Pronoia. Its definition is that “The Universe conspires for my Joy and Abundance.” Nice thought, no? Yet a few people took exception recalling devastating things that the Universe had delivered to them over their lifetimes.

It got me thinking about the times, in my own life, when The Universe most definitely was not conspiring in my favor, or so it seemed. One of the philosophies that I’ve long admired is the Tao. In this belief system one learns to not weight oppositional forces in our lives differently. This belief allows us to surf the waves of our lives in a more even way. We will have some grand things in this lifetime and some pretty challenging things that we may view as soul disrupting. By accepting these oppositional forces, we may be more at peace.

I do not deny that many of us are delivered some pretty devastating things in our lives. There is no denying that. It may also appear that some people receive more than their fare share of those events. Death of a child is certainly at the top of the list. A whole list of tragedies can easily be complied.

Yet, in a long-life review, I believe we also become aware of great graces afforded us. This is, I suppose, a count your blessings scenario. Too often, we forgot that count and allow the bleak occurrences to cast shadow over the better things.

The belief of greater good, allowing for the not so good, can afford us to better appreciate the general balance that life affords us. That is, if we notice. It can also gift us contentment. Contentment gives us an overall view of greater good without the transient, and often prioritized, desire for happiness.

If people were to study my life of 80+ years, they would find a whole laundry list of the ‘not so good’ things that happened. They’d discover that much of my adult life has been a financial struggle. Uncovered would be unexpected deaths, suicide, murder, molestation, mental and physical abuse. They could easily conclude that The Universe did not bring me Joy and Abundance. And, of course, that would bolster their predominant belief about pronoia.

For many years, I too, allowed the negative to rule my life. On further study, I came to adapt a different view, a perspective that gave me greater peace. I learned that I’ve had a fantastic life filled with good surprises, seeming last minute positive interventions, overall goodness, great people, amazing places to visit, abundance of innate talents, etc. In total sum of nine decades, The Universe has conspired for my highest and best good.

Some would say, what about all of the health challenges you’ve experienced in the past 1 ½ years and continue to deal with daily? What about your precarious economic situation? Yup, those have been doozies, no question. Yet the offsets have been human kindness, friends who are supportive, unexpected monies forthcoming, love, and great mental/emotional health. In balance, I can attest that The Universe has indeed delivered more Joy and Abundance than not. Mine has been simply to recognize it and appreciate it.

I would much rather embrace an overall belief in goodness than await the dark side of random deliverance of the negative. It would also be my sincere hope, that many of us can come to the belief that The Universe does give the proverbial damn about us. I would wish that philosophy for anyone wanting to experience a fuller, affirming, and gloriously abundant life!

“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.”
― Mahatma Gandhi

“A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen, then you have something very special.”
― Nelson Mandela

“A good life is a collection of happy moments.” ― Denis Waitley

We are Guests of Mother Nature

by Rev. Amari Magdalena

Watching the Yellowstone Dome rising and the ancient history of our small planet, I am again struck by just how fragile is our existence. Whether by force of climate, comets aimed for us, or nuclear attacks by agents opposed to our political agenda, we are temporary at best.

These outside venues for destruction play along with our internal body’s slow destruction. However, you measure it, or think about it, this drives home the need to appreciate each and every day we have in our body suits on planet Earth.

Generations of humankind has egotistically believed mankind to be superior to all sentient beings. What folly! Our dams are perhaps more precarious than those the beavers constructed on a much smaller and livable scale.

We cannot ignore Mother Nature’s message of our egregious maltreatment of our little Garden of Eden. Fires, droughts, raging tornadoes and hurricanes, weather disasters, earthquakes, and water in shorter and shorter supply. Some would argue that the planet has had several climates and changing patterns. This may be true yet there is damning evidence that our ignorance and abuse have greatly accelerated the demise.

Our planet’s axis is changing, our compasses evidence this shift. In the greater history of the planet the poles have indeed reversed. We’ve not contained our populations or considered just how many humans can live bountifully and peacefully on the perhaps intended capacity. Our cities are rampant with crime and homelessness. Politically we’ve failed to find common ground. We’ve decimated the planet and have some delusion that we can find another habitable planet to occupy. An awareness sad beyond words.

So many throw up their hands with” what can I do or this is an insurmountable issue.” I’m hearing way too many “can’t do’s” and damned few “can do’s.” I’m sure that the issue seems beyond the grasp of an individual and their efforts. Yet history has suggested that collective efforts with merely 15% of the population can make a difference. Gathering, this is doable.

Innovation, discovery, new energy resources, energy efficient appliances, pressure on elected “in bed” with lobbyists that need not be reelected. Media needs to be held over the coals for perpetrating myths and engendering fear. They need to start covering the doable things and successes. Our 3 branches of government need to be purged of any official who denies what is a real and present danger to our habitats. Education programs need to emphasize energy renewal and energy saving sources of power.

Like the platforms following the Great Depression, we need greater employment in those industries that are actually good for all sentient beings and provide education, new skills, and share the wealth of those companies with the greater public and not selected investors whose purpose is obscene profits.

Other, and an emphasis on inclusiveness, are imperative at this time. We have the intelligence, history of innovation and capacity for tackling huge problems, and the inherent talent in our populous to set a turn-key program for other countries to follow.

Our very fragility is at stake. If you love this glorious planet and all of its wonders and beauty, get involved. Be part of the solution. Mother Nature will reward you with repairs and restoration. And, don’t wait for Earth Day to start a program of personal commitment to reducing your footprint. Walk softly and consciously on every bit of earth that you can. Get busy saving Earth rather than throwing up your hands in defeat. And, accept that humans are not the only intelligence on the planet and develop respect for each kingdom: animal, plant, and mineral.

Human was derived from the mantra “hu” meaning spirit. The intention was to imbue a sense of being a material part of the earth with a spiritual connectiveness. Let’s bring that “Hu” back into our use of land and resources so that Mother will again bless us and not feel the need to evict us!

Like many indigenous people, perhaps begin and end each day in circle calling in the four Cardinal directions and offering profound thanks for each and every way that the planet has supported you and your ancestors.



“Environment is no one’s property to destroy; it’s everyone’s responsibility to protect.” – Mohith Agadi



“A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.” ― Franklin D. Roosevelt



“What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another.” ― Chris Maser



“It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment.” 
― Ansel Adams


“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed. “ 
― Mahatma Gandhi

Time Passages

by Rev. Amari Magdalena

It seems we are closing the second decade of the 21^st century on a Ring of Fire eclipse.  Though I know time is an illusion and construct of the rational mind, I am struck by this moment.  We might say that time is the way we measure energy which is all around us all of the time. That said, in this material world we attach much to our calendars and timepieces.  And so it is that we close a period of ten years looking to the skies for answers.

Broadcasters seem to agree that it has been the best and worst of times in many ways for different people.  Some have amassed great wealth while others have experienced a shattering of the American Dream of working hard and improving their lot in life.  Poverty and Wealth have both grown somewhat more lopsided. The fabric of citizen unity has suffered rips and tears. Conversely, consciousness has risen steadily during this decade. The new birth of Earth has had its bumps.  Yet, as futurist Barbara Marx Hubbard, noted birth is not always smooth and easy.  Significant upside, we’ve connected globally through social media bringing us the world. This decade, in its close, seems to have been oppositional.  The pendulum which frequently swings to extremes has taken a sharp launch to the right and is in much need of finding middle ground.

We tend to view these passages personally and collectively.  On a personal note, I lost my last parent, four good friends, and other younger relatives. Gained three granddaughters and another grandson. Wrote and published seven books. I made four big moves: one within a state, three others to different states circling from sun to rain to sun.  I’ve held numerous ceremonies celebrating seasons and continued to teach ancient wisdom and pathways to peace.  Evidence suggests I’ve surrendered being paired.  No doubt I’ve accumulated more stuff than I now have room for and see the benefit in simplification.  Moved out of middle age into the elder realm.  Quite a passage!

Where does it leave us to acknowledge that 87,360 hours (5,252,429 minutes) have buzzed by? What do we do with this knowledge of our, and others, memories of chunks of time wrapped in ten years? How do we glean the gold from the dross and offer it to the Gods imploring them for a more promising future? In which way do we celebrate without losing the important lessons. Which Cave Center meditation will assist us in shedding what no longer serves us and igniting a torch of hope for the future?

We can make plans and temp the Gods!  We can, as Robert Kennedy said, dream dreams that never were and say why not! We can laud the young people coming up with new visions and energy to revive or planet. We can take time to smell the roses, applaud magnificent sunsets, and keep improving our ability to love without conditions while serving our fellow Earthship occupants. We can engage life and not choose to sit this one out. We can forgive and embrace forgetting. Ultimately, we can choose to find beauty each day, express gratitude, extend kind-filled acknowledgements, and enjoy this wondrous illusion. We can foster hope and continue our journeys as Peace Pilgrims until we cross the Rainbow Bridge.

Prognosticators say were headed for glory. Hallelujah! Time passages buy me a ticket on the last train home tonight!  

"You can start anew at any given moment.  Life is just the passage of time and it's up to you to pass it as you please."  Charlotte Eriksson

"The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time." James Taylor

Love in the Fifth Dimension

Love in the Fifth Dimension

By Rev. Amari Magdalena

Listening to Leon Russell’s, A Song for You, lyrics, “And, I love you in a place where there’s no time and space,” got me thinking.  That’s gotta be in the Fifth Dimension.  We’ve identified several types of love in our human dream:

Eros-Love of Body

Philia-Love of the Mind

Ludus-Playful Love

Pragma-Long Lasting Love

Agape-Love of the Soul

Philautia-Love of Self

Storge-Love of the Child

Hopefully, over a lifetime, we are gifted the experience of all types of love.  In sum, they cover the human journey and its evolution.  I have been, and my life is the richer for it.  I was going to say I’d missed out some on Pragma, yet I’m reminded that the two men I’ve loved the longest encompass decades.

So much capacity we innately possess to love one another, it seems. Yet so very many relationships are fractured for various and sundry reasons.  Personally, and I believe I’ve shared this before, love never dies.  Our relationships may end; the feelings of love that we held for another, do not.

That said, how would love be experienced differently in that place of no time no space dimension we’re ascending to? Scratching my head a bit at first, I got the Cosmic Aha!  There are no constructs of form.  At least the type of form we’ve become accustomed to in the physical vehicle. Love would not need definition or form in that dimension.  Love would BE the dimension.  With no necessity for duality and polarities, all constructs of other would simply vanish.

I’ve journeyed to the Fifth Dimension and lead journeys there.  My personal experience of it was much like those encountered at the end of the NDE (near death experience) tunnel.  People we’ve loved appear in wispy, undefined form-almost transparent.  I imagined if I’d reached out to touch someone, my hand would have moved through the illusion of their projection.

On psychedelic drugs, for any willing to admit indulgence, form can also disappear.  The constructs of the brain that create form, are loosened.  Love can become more evidenced, by many. Thus, the Peace, Love mantras of the 60's; a period of freedom of spirit.

It is Free Spirit that may be the term that exemplifies the fifth dimension.  No more constraints, no agendas, no terms of endearment, no competition, no jealousy or envy, nothing that smacks of separation.  Imagine for just one moment, what that might feel like.  No us. No them.

Which brings me to remark on all the vast experiences that a body allows us.  This separation thing can be daunting and yet amazing.  Form brings us beauty in multitudinous ways and demonstrations. Its very diversity enriches this separation experiment.  So I ask you, could you, would you be willing to love the now?  Appreciate the wonders of Earth possibilities?  Learn to be more Taoist by surrendering judgment like good and bad, happy and sad, etc.?  Surf your emotions? Explore your mind? Master the physical?  All without too much emphasis or grading?

Time and space may be inconvenient constructs yet in ways not all of us may be able to fathom, they are great teachers who are preparing us for the journey home.  We will all, one day, be in the Fifth Dimension.  Some perhaps sooner, others later.  No matter when, finally we will arrive at the exalted state of being, LOVE!

"Beauty is the moment when time vanishes.  Beauty is the space where eternity arises." Amit Ray, Enlightenment Step by Step

"I'm not cruisin' this opportunity in time and space for you to like or dislike my 'get-down." I'm here 'cause I'm down to get it right by the time I return to the "mothaship."  I remain a work in progress." T.F. Hodge, From Within I Rise: Spiritual Triumph Over Death and Conscious Encounters with "The Divine Presence"

"Use time and space; grow slowly into your dreams, infinity will fill you with peace." Sir Kristian Goldmund Aumann

Independence: What's It All About

By Rev. Amari Magdalena

Beyond sparklers, rockets and explosions in the July 4^th sky, just what IS independence?  To be independent is our desire to be free from outside control; not depending on another’s authority.  July 4, 1776, White America declared independence from the taxing tyranny of the British Empire. Yet, as we today know, that statement did not provide independence for captive or reservation contained people of color.  As America was colonized and populations spread westward, the cry of independence overlooked lands seized from original occupants.  Yet the cry of freedom rang at every flag rising.

Where does that leave us today?  I’ve been cogitating on that very question.  Independence today seems to mean, leave me alone so I can do whatever I want.  Want to stockpile assault weapons? No problem. Simply drag out the distorted version of the promises of the 2^nd Amendment. Want to play loud music with your windows down, oblivious to noise disturbance?  No problem, few noise abatements signage to prevent it.  Keep your neighbor, that you share thin apartments walls with, up all night as you enjoy all-night TV?  Take a judge to evict you.  Ignore the growing poverty? Turn up your subwoofer’s and deep shade your windows as you cruise in your Porsche or Mercedes Benz.  Untold ways to tune out anything but ourselves and our desires.

In the midst of our hard one independence, it seems, more and more people are depressed and feeling alone and isolated.  Countless articles are addressing this isolation.  We’ve mastered being islands unto ourselves at the expense of the collective or collaborative.  We eschew belonging; yet bite off the extended hand of inclusion.  No wonder we are collectively becoming more mentally unbalanced.

What we’ve lost in independence is the concept of Interdependence.  Tribes knew of the importance of valuing every individual.  As people were treated well and honored, they enjoyed the benefits of the tribe and clans.  Yes, no doubt survival was at the root of this brand of socializing.  Yet, today, even more our survival as a planet depends on our thinking beyond our own individual selves.  The greater good is calling us to re-embrace interdependence, planet wide.

Another aspect of independence is not understanding what it means on an individual level.  It means we must take full responsibility for all our outcomes.  No blame, no shame, no deflection, no scapegoats. Hah!  Didn’t see that one coming, did you?  No priests or politicians to wholesale give our power to.  No Momma or Papa to keep saying are the excuses for the way we are.  Having to be absolutely involved in our own survival.  All costs we shoulder.  Maybe not such a hot deal after all? 

The point of this little Independence Day tome is that it is past time to return to interdependence. Our future holds multi-family living over individual dwellings.  Economics and mental health demand that we create tribes.  Is it going to be easy or comfortable?  Probably not initially.  We love our space!  I love my space!  A necessity to conserve energy, water, land, food supplies, economic alterations, Yes.

In a political year that again the discussion of Democratic Socialism raises hackles of resistance, we cannot afford to keep denying that some form of “you are your brother’s keeper” is in the future. People were awed when Andrew Yang mentioned a country wide living wage.  Robots are more and more performing human tasks.  Robust employment will not be a future in their presence.

How do we find now a comfortable balance between independence and interdependence?  Learn to ask for help.  Open your door and walk out among people.  Engage people wherever you go.  Talk to them about the future of the planet and their vision for a global future.  Join something!  Learn excellent communication skills that you can bring to groups to deal with conflict.  Keep a global perspective along with local concerns.  Become a citizen of the world and care about the people and the planet. Take responsibility for your outcomes.  Make tough decisions. Keep faith in the ability of humanity to recognize our planetary interdependence and take steps for preservation of the Earth.  Give your egos a Golden Parachute, the gold watch, and a lovely early retirement!

As the sky fills with fireworks tomorrow evening, let the sparkles shower your consciousness with “What can I do” to make this a better place for you and me.  Love more, hate less. Say hello in there to fellow travelers on this life journey.

“The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all these living beings, which are all part of one another, and all involved in one another.”  Thomas Merton

“I have an interesting perspective on depending on others.  I think it gives people a chance to serve. And I’m not so much big on independence, as I am on interdependence.  I’m not talking about co-dependency; I’m talking about giving people the opportunity to be practicing love with its sleeves rolled up.”  Joni Eareckson Tada

Frustration: The Distant Cousin of Expectation

by Rev. Amari Magdalena

Frustration is defined as the prevention of a progress, success or the fulfillment of something. The last week has been personally very frustrating as I dealt with publishing my newest book.  I’d not used this publisher’s platform before (they shall remain unnamed).  Thinking I had finally mastered how to use it, I blithely ordered a proof copy of the book. No problem it seemed; everything looked fine. Progressed to the final step and hit the wall of rules!  It seems that while my proof copy was capable of printing on the spine; the finished copy could not as it required a certain minimum of pages. My tome was short 17 pages.

Frustration raised its irritable head while I fumed a bit and had multiple conversations with the publisher.  The plot thickened as, at one point, they mixed up the new book with an old one. My new book disappeared!  Almost in tears at this point, I had to retreat a bit an investigate why I was feeling this way.

And, then it struck me, Expectation!  How very often, knowingly or subliminally, we engage a process with the expectation that all will go well.  Often that supposition works rather well.  We able to manifest after our heart’s desire. Sometimes there is cosmic interference. When Plan A is thwarted frustration does a little hoochie-coochie dance with the expectation.  I suspect she was laughing at me rather gleefully.

After all the gesticulating, posturing, swearing, wringing of hands, and table pounding subside, one must deal with the limitation imposed. Took some time for me to blather out, “It is what it is.” In my plans, the one the Gods make fools of us over, I had perfect timing in mind.  The numbers all lined up beautifully.  Every step of the way, master numbers prevailed.

Oh, the cosmic joke of it all!  Humor is the only ultimate salvation when we get too far down the slippery slope of frustration.  That, or go over the edge.  And, then, one must assess their demands on the Universe and surrender to Universal timing. Ah, the letting go thing!  At some point in the scenario of our not getting what we expected, there comes a moment when we have to push off the edge in the current that is flowing  It may not be the direction we’d mapped out, though it is most definitely is the course this river is taking.

So this finds me at the eleventh hour waiting for the cosmic nod, knowing that it will most definitely come.  As always, there is a reason and usually it is for my highest good.  Pumping out another 18 pages, one extra just to spite them, I was able to add value at the direction of my inner muse. Ultimately, it is a better book for it.

Tomorrow, or the next day, or even next week, I will be guided to push the “publish” button with the confidence that it is the right time.  As I instruct in the book, I will stop breath holding and breathe deeply.  So next time frustration comes your way, perhaps you may draw a little wisdom from this tome and STOP! Trust the Universe; trust yourself.  When it is time, when we quite trying to paddle against the current, we free up flow and the Universe will carry us to the fulfillment of our dreams.

The Blue Iris represents hope whose wisdom I commit to follow now!

“At times it is folly to hasten, at other times, to delay. The wise do everything in its proper order.”  Ovid

"Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion.  I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning to do afterward." Kurt Vonnegut

What Our Bodies Are Telling Us

By Rev. Amari Magdalena

We get sick or have an injury at different times in our lives.  In youth, we often more physically resilient and easily overcome.  As decades cascade over the waters of our lives, recovery capacity changes.  Most of us, I believe, feel we are much younger than our biological ages.  We may look in the mirror in amazement at the aging person viewed yet are content that inside we know we are much younger than that silly reflection.  Denial has a way of eventually catching up with us.

Some of the illusion may be OK.  I’ve been told for years that I look younger than my true chronological age.  Flattering that can be.  Enough ‘cover-up’ and we’d all look a bit more youthful.  Heaven knows the media slathers us with potions promising eternal youth in massive doses daily.  Even science tells us our cells are being made new all the time.  We are encouraged to deny the very process of generation, degeneration and regeneration.  So my question is, why then are we aging?”

I posit this question as I’ve faced a Winter of My Discontent with repetitive injuries and illnesses. Not in my plan, I think.  How inconvenient!  As I am forced to cancel event after event and absent myself from the general populace, I lift my head and shout, “ WHY!?!”  What genetic trickster is at play in my life that is impeding my good health?

Now I can hear, “it’s all in your head!”  This is followed by, “stinkin thinkin.”  And, I get it that our minds DO indeed have an impact over our overall health.  Yet, physical plan in all the kingdoms that I have observed, includes birth, acceleration, decline and death.  Doesn’t seem to be any escape. So my greater question, is what our bodies are telling us.

My message of several years has been, “slow down”.  Now it appears to be” slow the f…… down.”  Seems to be the “Upside Your Big Head” Cosmic whack that is informing me that the days of adrenal overdrive are over. My inner drive for accomplishment was early on cemented in my consciousness by parents who wanted “A” report cards brought home.  Now those folks are long gone yet their message lingers. 

So what is the pain, loss of mobility and breathing issues about, I ask myself?  Metaphysically they represent certain truths.  As you might also ask yourself when confronted by lingering health issues.  When I’m willing to take time for the answers, they are plain.  Pain signifies that something isn’t resonating-place, people, circumstances, economics, etc. Mobility, easy peasy, slow down.  Breathing a bit more complicated but knowable; feeling contracted, not expansive.

Physically there are also answers, if I care to listen.  Pain, stress simply stated.  Mobility, long list of injuries from activities not suited to my physicality. Breathing, growing up in a world of heavy smokers.  The latter most affected my late sister and me.  Everyone in our world smoked.  Finally, the body, like any vehicle with a lot of miles on it, wears out.  Some parts are replaceable; some not.

Emotionally, the answers may come from more past release work.  I’ve for many years felt that those of us with problematic childhoods have dragged a hidden ball and chain through life.  At times, we’ve perhaps cut off part of the chain or shortened it, yet it’s still there.  Energetically we still hold past experiences.  Many are saying we also hold DNA of the ancestors.  Many tools are available for finally cutting through the chain and tossing the heavy ball back into the nothingness from which it came.   Soul Retrieval, Past Life Regression, Body Work, to name a few are currently available.  Not affordable?  Barter. I admitted to my youngest son recently, that I still have cords to cut.

The ultimate answers for me, and perhaps you, are to LISTEN.  Stop pushing the envelope, start giving yourself breathing room, quit trying to prove yourself and your worth, maybe just enjoy the process of being-in all states of living. Get help if necessary. Return to those things that make you happy.  Trust yourself to find your more perfect place to live. Before it is too late, embrace BEING and surrender DOING!  And, importantly, thank this body for the journey!

What concepts!  Am I ready?  Are you?  It’s a pretty short ride all told, wouldn’t it be better to enjoy it and quit trying to navigate rapids?  I’d declared that my goals in life are now Ease and Grace.  Must be time to manifest those wonderful intentions!!

"It's also helpful to realize that this very body that we have, that's sitting here right now...with its aches and it's pleasures...is exactly what we need to be fully  human, fully awake, fully alive." Pema Chodron

"I finally realized that being grateful to my body was key to giving more love to myself." Oprah Winfrey

Home: The Lifelong Search

By Rev. Amari Magdalena

Home, a word that conjures up a wide range of emotions, plays such an important part in our lives. Steven Spielberg immortalized, "ET Phone home.”  Perhaps a lot of sensitive people, feeling like aliens in their family of origin, felt they needed to find where home existed for them.  Thomas Wolfe, on the other hand, declared that “You Can’t Go Home Again.”  Robert Frost opined that “Home is the place where, when you have to go, they have to take you in.” Dorothy, clicked her magical heels together and chanted, “There’s no place like home.” Other proclamations of alienation or longing from different perspectives suggest that this place called home, can be pretty elusive.

Some people who grew up in the 50’s may get an image of Father Knows Best, with the authoritative, yet benevolent, male head of the family.  Others may have a different image from a sitcom relating to family and the struggles that so many experience growing up.

As I entered the New Age in the 90’s, I very often heard people saying that they just wanted to go home. It was true for me.  I did not feel I belonged in the family I’d found myself in.  Going home, meant death to a few; to others the rescue spaceship coming to take them away to some alternative reality or Universe.  However couched, it was a search for some sense of belonging.  Some of us found alternative mothers and fathers and families of choice, not chance.  They, in part, served to give us a nuclear family sense and the missed lovingness.

Decades after my immersion, and then withdrawal from some of the more fantastic aspects of the New Age, I came to the realization that the cry for home was an exclamation about ending separation. As it turned out, that disconnection was not from others, rather me.  All the judgments about the characters in my play of life, and my disappointment in not feeling connected with them, really had nothing to do with them.  They were operating in their bubble of Universe, and I in mine.

Gayle Sheehy captured this realization poignantly in Passages as she lay on the floor avoiding flying bullets in Ireland:  "No one is with me. No One can keep me safe. There is no one who won't ever leave me along." Gayle realized that only she would be with her always.  As my own passages and times a flight have taught me, better find home within.  That didn't mean, I'd never be lonely; it meant, I'd learn to find comfort in being alone.

I've said it to students over the years, and I still offer it as wisdom, the greatest love affair of your life begins with you!  Best to find those things lovable and tolerable about yourself, or your entire life will be filled with *compensatory relationships.  Those are the supposed makeup for our perceived shortcomings that invite transitory or unhappy pairings.  Trust me, I know this to be true. We will never find that person who can make us feel completely at home until we create a beautiful inward dwelling.

As Spring rapidly approaches, perhaps it is a good time to do that new season cleaning and start removing the detritus of self-judgment, self-loathing, self-recrimination and start working on creating the most beautiful temple of home, that we are capable of.  This is a kind of "do unto yourself, as you do for others you valued above yourself." Only then, will you come home to you and roll out the welcome mat to your inner light and true magnificence.

Love thyself and you will have ample love to share in generosity with others without having to set Terms of Endearment.  The wave of love will then come routinely in to your inner shores, like the tide, and wash over you always..

“If you treated your neighbors like you treat yourself, they’d move!”  Jonathan at the Lighthouse in Black Mountain, NC advised me years ago.

"The lost home that we’re seeking is ourselves; it is the story we carry within our soul.” 

Michael Meade

*Awaken Your Inner Personas: Transform Your Life

Amari Breakthrough Institute

Bringing You Home, to You!

Why Choose the Road Less Traveled?

By Rev. Amari Magdalena

Driving along recently, I was taken by the shimmering leaves of fall.  Instead of turning on the usual road to my destination, I chose to continue ahead.  What a wondrous display of gold, cranberry, and sienna as I drove through a wooded area.  As is often my experience, when I decide to veer from the familiar or prescribed course, wonder awaits.

I remember Richard Burton’s character in The Night of the Iguana, commenting on the fact that we live in two worlds: the realistic and the fantastic.  That has stuck with me for a very long time.  At 33 I heard Jim Weatherly’s song, The Need to Be, and knew it was my calling and changed my life direction. Over my lifetime since, I’ve often selected the fantastic.  Though there may have been real prices to pay for such choices, and there were; I would not have chosen to miss this different road. 

In Toltec shamanism we speak to the Nagual and the Tonal worlds.  The Tonal is the familiar, realistic as it were, with its metronome of time beating out what and where and with whom, we might live a more ordinary life.  It’s the 9 to 5, 7 days a week, 365 days in a year living that can be very comfortable for many.

The Nagual world leads to the path of magic and the extraordinary.  That is my favorite path as it holds the keys to what I like to call the phantasmagorical. It has always directed me to highest good even when it challenged all my assumptions and the ‘shoulds’ I was raised with. 

This path of now 44 years has given me amazing experiences.  I’ve been at 14,000 ft in Peru participating in a Quechua Despacho; conducted ceremonies in the Far East; addressed an assembly of 22,000 people; authored books; initiated apprentices with fire; promoted earth-based teaching nationally and internationally; communicated with spirits in ruins across the Southeast and Southwest; produced and hosted a radio show; started a women’s center at a university; birthed a sex information hotline in the PNW; co-hosted and produced a women’s talk show pilot before The View; co-conceived of an international women’s organization; eased people through the tunnel at death; stepped through portals of time and space near Bolivia; been hosted by political dissidents in Tito-ruled Yugoslavia and Basque ‘terrorists’ in Spain; climbed to the top of a mountain crawling through cactus to the top; lived in amazing places and met wonderfully awesome people along the way.

Not an easy path, I would say for some.  One needs to be willing to let go of the safe shore and let the rapid current move you along a sometimes raging river. Some people in your lives will move away or judge your choices. You may encounter a lot of naysayers when you choose the fantastic.  Your family may be less than enthralled with your choices. There are times of being alone for extended periods.  Longevity of relationships will most likely elude you. Yet, what you sacrifice in the ordinary will be much outweighed by the phenomenal.

Whatever is your path of choice, I would encourage to break up your routines from time to time and turn down a street you’re not familiar with.  Get a little lost on occasion.  Keep driving past your designated turn or exit.  Get off the highway.  Disconnect from the electronics.  Invite a little wonder in your experience and receive the rich rewards of moving, just a tad, outside your comfort zone.

I believe that we have within us a dormant dancer awaiting the call to magnificence and fluidity.  Our spirits are larger than the enclosures we may find ourselves trapped in. If we’ve but one life to live, wouldn’t you want to taste the fantastic even for short bursts?

Perhaps you find the routine and ordered life more to your liking.  I totally understand; it has its own rewards of normalcy and constancy.  Yet, I encourage you to every now and again, lift that veil of illusion and allow yourself a glimpse of magic.  It will add a dimension of wonder to your lives much like the glorious fall colors at this time of year do.  And, perhaps, it will give you a window into the true Light at the end of our life tunnels.  That light is brilliant, commanding and comforting.  There is nothing to fear at the end of life when you have lived your days to the fullest.  I have, and I would wish for you a taste of it even in small morsels. 

Start tomorrow.  Take that side street, stop at a little town off the highway with the mystery spot, rejoice at detours, walk in an ancient forest, sit on a beach from sunrise to sunset, find a place to see the milky way. Do that thing you were always going to do and haven’t yet.  At the end of your life, should you choose this path, you will know you are not disappointed to find you lived it for someone else. You were true to yourself and your purpose.  So invite magic and it will come!

“We’ve just to listen and know when and where we are destined to step onto the dance floor of our life purpose and trust the movement.”  We Dance to a Whispered Voice

Rituals and Ceremonies: Why They are So Very Important

By Rev. Amari Magdalena

It’s at that point in the wedding ceremony when I begin, “and now as these two lovely people have exchanged vows and rings of promise, by the authority granted me by the State of Washington, I now pronounce you…….” that I begin to choke up or tear up. There is something so very sacred about being involved in such a moment of joy in people’s lives.  It cements, for me, the importance of rituals and ceremonies for bonding communities together.

Each new moon, each full moon, each equinox or solstice, whether I’m alone or with a group, I acknowledge the passages of time and their meaning.  In groups, large and small, I am often witness to the power of ceremony to bring together a group of people in deep unity.  Total strangers are hugging one another and feeling a deep peace and connection with other humans.  A shift takes place that I experience more powerfully than in any other time and place.

For me it is a great shame that as organized religions moved away from heart-based traditions to more head space/mental experiences, most chose to eschew much of the tribal ceremonies and rituals of eons, labeling them Pagan!  So much was lost and what was kept seems only approximations of what was and could still be.

Perhaps what transpires is a sense of the importance of other kingdoms that we share this small planet with: Animal, Mineral, Plant, and Human.  The awareness of the elements: Air, Earth, Fire and Water add another dimension of togetherness vs. aloneness. In circle, as we touch hands, our own vulnerability and need for affirmation is recognized.  Since the many years ago when I had an entire Unity congregation stand and hold hands while we listened to Carlos and Johnny sing “Holding Hands,” I’ve seen transformation in minutes.

Why then would we choose to participate in ceremony or ritual?  Community is a big component: we find common ground and purpose as we celebrate.  Our dividing differences can, for a time, melt away in the feelings of connection.  The greater reason is perhaps the overriding feeling of Oneness: we lose our separateness as we hold hands in ceremony and we enter the precious moment of Now. 

The memorial service of John McCain was a huge example of community coming together in a ceremony to honor and bridge differences.  My own sister Leanne’s memorial, in a packed large church in Thornbury Bristol England, was a testament to her influence in the city and love of those whose lives she touched.

Another purpose of ritual or ceremony is to quiet the chaos, still the noises-outer and inner and to surrender to something greater than our small individual universes and to, in the suspended sense of time, enter into magic!  And what I know to be true is: “Evolution will, not in my opinion, wait for us to find time to participate.  It will roll on.  In the direction that the planet is currently headed, that may breed disaster for humanity.  Thus, I feel it is so imperative for us to make that time and space to gather together with intention of facilitating our individual and planetary upliftment.” ¹

Wherever you are, I implore you to create Peace Circles as we did in the 1990’s.  Gather with your friends and neighbors in a circle. Focus on the world you wish to live in.  Hold an earth ball or an imaginary one, turn it around feeling the oceans and land masses.  Acknowledge all the diversity of each of Earth’s kingdoms. Chant, “Peace” and “Planetary Harmony.”  Close, holding hands, and sing for one more time, Imagine along with John. You will feel better and that energy will encircle the planet, much as our jet streams do, yet with a loving energy.

 “When humans participate in ceremony, they enter a sacred space.

Everything outside of that space shrivels in importance.

Time takes on a different dimension.

Emotions flow more freely.

The bodies of the participants become filled with the energy of life,

and this energy reaches out and blesses the creation around them.

All is made new; everything becomes sacred.” Sun Bear

^1. Blue Moons and Golden Suns: Meditations & Celebrations for Aligning with Natural Rhythms. 

Reciprocity

by Rev. Amari Magdalena

Some may call it give and take, reciprocity. Others may look at it as a balance in exchange.  Our dictionary definitions include: when two or more people or nations have equal exchanges of good or services, they are enjoying reciprocity, a situation where each enjoys an equal benefit from the relationship.  However the word is defined, in my opinion, it is about the infinity flow of good energy between others.  When properly applied, reciprocity enhances all parties involved.

It is not news that many exchanges are viewed through the filter of givers and takers in our monetized society.  Yet history has demonstrated that such exchanges always have inherent imbalances and leave feelings of dominance or want.  In a time on our planet where the need for love is touted as the highest form of good, imbalances on all levels spell disaster.

In intimate, familial, and friend relationships, severe imbalances lead to breakdown.  When that is not the ultimate outcome, unhealthy dependencies can develop, along with, anger, angst, and feelings of deep resentment.  Effective relationships cannot tolerate such feelings long.

Many practitioners of spiritual practices and purveyors of alternative healing modalities are asked to do no-cost presentations or donate time and knowledge.  Most of us do this gladly as community service.  It is part of the "giveaway:" a time honored shamanic tradition.  There is no expectation of reciprocity with this charitable work.  There may be, however, a hope that the value of the gift is received, as occasion arises in the lives of the recipients, is shared with others who might benefit (either through testimony or recommendation).  By doing this, it helps the practitioner support their work.

Another way that the receiver of the gift might reciprocate is to be of help when the practitioner has a need for assistance.  I recently heard from someone who has gifted a lot to their community.  They found themselves in need of assistance.  Calling on a few people who they'd particularly supported, doors were closed with weak excuses as to why they could not come forward.  In one case, one of the folks who said they were too busy, was later pictured on social media partying.  This exemplifies a broken infinity of reciprocal good.

In tribal times, the healer, diviner, and teacher were all provided for by the tribe as acknowledgement of their contribution to the common good.  Their basic life needs were happily provided for.  All tribal members received from the greater good and shared from their unique talents.  Sadly, most of us have lost that tribal tether and are often islands unto ourselves surviving.

Thus my call out to everyone to begin to look at the infinity flow of good everywhere in your lives. If you are on the receiving end of good, are you conscious of your responsibility to keep the flow going?  Are you prepared to sometimes sacrifice your pleasure for helping someone who has helped you, not out of obligation, rather an awareness of balance?  Are you wanting to actualize a world that breaks cycles of give and take, so that the need for wars, violence, and separation can subside? Isn't it time we all wake up from the illusion of separation and truly become our brothers and sisters keepers?*

If we are to realize the promised 1,000 years of peace, harmony, love and light on this small planet, I believe it is time.  Time to be more conscious about the symbol of infinite flow between ourselves and others.

"Enlightenment is the AWARENESS that ALL is ONE and ONE is ALL.  Ignorance is the illusion of separateness."  Manprit Kaur

*Cain answered, "I know not, am I my brother's keeper?"  Note:  Cain's words have come to symbolize people's unwillingness to accept responsibility for the welfare of their fellows, "brothers" in the extended sense of the term."

I didn't realize that a rainbow infinity sign is now thought of as a symbol of neurodiversity.  As there are members of my own family experiencing that, perhaps it was an unconscious choice. In any event, diversity can enter into our balancing, accepting, and reciprocal energy exchanges.

Lectio Divina

By Rev. Amari Magdalena

Lectio Divina, Latin for Divine Reading, can be an important adjunct to staying centered and in touch with one’s spirit in a disruptive world. Benedictines used spiritual readings to promote knowledge of God.  While we may not prefer biblical readings to stay in touch with our spirit, any inspirational reading can be a source of nourishment.

One of the wonders of the internet, is the ability to access such inspiration at the touch of a keyboard. We can type in “Quotations about …...” and a world of wise words are available. Perhaps we have a favorite wisdom keeper of recent or ancient times.  For some it may be Hafez or Rumi; for others, Thoreau, Emerson, or Florence Scovel Shinn.  Many metaphysical centers have magazines with daily inspiration.

What would your day begin or end like, if you chose to each day access an inspirational thought to awaken or sleep with?  Instead of the morning or evening news, you might choose to fill your consciousness with positive, life-affirming, and hopeful content over fear and evidence of man’s inhumanity to humankind.  I believe that what first enters our awareness each morning, set’s a tone for that day.  Similarly, the last thought you have before sleeping can aid or disrupt your time of rest.

Following is a week’s worth of inspirations for dawn and dusk.  Try them out and see how they affect your outlook and, perhaps, renewed faith in the basic goodness of our human race.

Sunday Morning: “Love is the soul’s light, the taste of morning, no me, no we, no claim of being.” Rumi

Sunday Evening: “Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love.  It will not lead you astray.” Rumi

Monday Morning: “Today you are you that is truer than true.”  Dr. Suess

Monday Evening: “From here on Earth, from my small place, I ask of you way out in Space, please tell all men in every land, what you and I both understand.  Please tell all men, peace is good, that’s all that need be understood, in every world in your great sky. (We understood, you and I.)”  Dr. Suess

Tuesday Morning: "In the sweetness of friendship let here be laughter and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds it's morning and is refreshed. Khalil Gibran 

Tuesday Evening: “Love is trembling happiness.”  Khalil Gibran

Wednesday Morning: "For each new morning with its light, for rest and shelter of the night, for health and food, for love and friends, for everything They goodness sends." Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Wednesday Evening: "What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us." Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Thursday Morning: "You must form the habit of living in the fourth dimension, The World of the Wondrous. It is the world where you do no judge by appearances." Florence Scovel Shinn 

Thursday Evening: “There is not there, there is only here.” Florence Scovel Shinn

Friday Morning: "If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be.  Now put the foundations under them."  Henry David Thoreau 

Friday Evening: “The world is but a canvas to our imagination.” Henry David Thoreau

Saturday Morning: “Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. Buddha

Saturday Evening: “You, yourself, as much as anyone in the entire Universe, deserve your love and affection.”  Buddha

May your lives be blessed in myriad ways and may your days have abundant sun and rain, dark and light, and other contrasts sufficient for you appreciate all that this amazing human experience offers.

"Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive.  I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it.  I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others; to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings.  I am going to have kind thoughts towards others.  I am not going to get angry or think badly about others.  I am going to benefit others as much as I can."  Dalai Lama

Mastery of the Game of Life

By Rev. Amari Magdalena

What if this [sic: life] is really a board game like Monopoly and some own Boardwalk and Park Place and others do not pass Go and are sent directly to jail without collecting their monthly stipend?  Wouldn’t it all seem almost laughable?  Yes, I know, for some it is their very reality and not funny at all.  I’m making a point here and that is that so much of the drama, judgments, emotional roller coasters etc. in life are part of the game.  True some rides are better than others.

Had I not had the following experience after my harsh, autocratic step-father’s passing, I might have missed an important lesson in life.  After he passed, I had a vision.  In this dream-like state, I saw that my life was a movie or play with characters and a casting coach.  The lesson to be learned was about taking my own power.  Souls in my group of actors gathered.  Each was to play a role.  When the casting coach asked for those characters who were willing to play the ‘bad guys,’ my incarnate step-father stepped forward.  Ours was a very close bond in the ethers, it seemed, thus he was willing to risk being intensely disliked or hated, at times, in the material dream world. He knew at a soul level we were always OK.

This was a very illuminating experience because it helped me see his mastery.  Had I been raised by my own father, I believe I’ve have been an adored princess, the apple of my father’s eye.  Would that have lead me to rebel and move towards independence?  I doubt it.  I’d have been too complacent and contented to want to sever ties.  With my difficult step-father, it was easy to want to get the hell away and as far as I could, as soon as I could.

I share this with you to make an important point.  Many of us are unhappy and beyond frustrated with our current White House occupant, Donald J. Trump.  He makes it so easy for us to loathe, hate, denigrate, and eschew his actions and rhetoric each and every day.  Most of us are sick of seeing him and hearing from him. We’d like him gone and the sooner the better.  My hands up for the vote; many of yours are too.

Wait, have we missed something here?  What if DJT is a Master who made a soul agreement to play a vile role in awakening people in this country to what is truly important?  What if his exaggerated gesticulations, relentless tweets, proposed laws of prejudice and class separation, sociopathic and narcissistic antics are simply messages from spirit to wake us the hell up?  What if we needed such a jolt to slay our collective complacency into actions for fostering and preserving our freedoms?

This is not the first, nor probably the last, time in history when a repugnant influencer changed the course of history ultimately for the good.  By the very depth of their deviance from what most consider humanitarian precepts, didn’t all of the lot ultimately succeed in helping people wake up. 

In my lifetime, I am reminded of 13 history changing ‘bad guys:’ Adolph Hitler; Joseph Stalin; Pol Pot; Kim II Jung; Vladimir Lenin; Saddam Hussein; Mao Zedong; Enver Pasha, Ho Chi Minh, Yahya Kahn, Tojo Hideki; Chiang Kai-Shek; Hirohito who killed a conservative estimate of 172 million people.  And there are noteworthy others.  All did an inestimable amount of damage to the human condition.

What lessons were learned from their evil intentions and tenure?  The answer, hue and cry for humanitarianism along with reforms to prevent massive deaths and prejudicial treatment of various targeted populations.  As we watch an unfolding drama of rising hatred and prejudice and severally divisive politics, we are witnessing a picture so bleak that most of us are alarmed.  In our alarm, we are mobilizing, taking actions, hosting salons of discussion, planning for an end to the ugly portraiture that is before us every day in the media keeping us hyper alert. In others word, we are beginning to feel really awake.

Perhaps the ebb and flow of our own lives and history are simply waves or graphs of evolution and devolution which present choices to each of us daily to be truly conscious.  I posit that when we are consciously living, each and every day, we move into our soul’s work of ascension. We look in the reflection of the mirror each day and decide what kind of character we want to play in the Game of Life.  That truth look, helps us master the game.

So, perhaps, we might send ‘thank you’ notes to DJT as we remind him that we are on to his role in the game now and admonish him to not let the door hit him on the way out!

"Once the game is over, the King and the Pawn go back in the same box."  Italian proverb

  "I've come to realize that life is neither a battle nor a game to be won, it is a game nonetheless, but to be played..enjoyed.  There are neither winners nor losers...just players--and what's great is that you can choose who to play with."  Val Uchendu