Light Times

KS&L 371 The Karma of the Antique

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Erwin) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 15:04:00 +0000

By Tina Erwin

Having discussed some of the interesting elements that can happen when you acquire a piece of antique jewelry, perhaps it is time to turn our attention to other types of antiques and the karma that can attach to those pieces.

Some pieces can be cleared. There is a process for that which I will share at a later time. However, there are some pieces, which simply cannot be cleared because there is way too much karma attached to each piece depending on how it was used and who was using it. There are two different examples we can use: World War II and the Bombing of the World Trade Center on 9/11.

The first is the sheer volume of Nazi items that are left over from the Second World War. These include Nazi weapons, flags, insignia, automobiles, yachts, furniture, and jewelry, including cuff links and collar insignia from SS officers. It would also include clothing, helmets, shell casings, Nazi training manuals and more. All of these Nazi associated items carry with them tremendous karma.

Bluntly, when you own one of these things, you are connecting to the murderous horror of what the Nazi’s did to over six million human beings. But there is more than that. The total death toll of World War II was 73,000,000 human beings. Seventy three million people died in that war. So whatever you own from that war and that could also include Japanese war mementos will connect that owner to the murders and deaths that took place.

Think about the karma of now being directly connected to these horrific deaths by the mementos you own. Consider the following three examples.

• A man had an opportunity to purchase a yacht. It came at an incredibly inexpensive price. He felt he was getting a bargain. However, he was a bit nervous by how desperate the owner was to ‘get rid of it’. Apparently, Herman Goering, who was the architect of Hitler’s murderous plan to exterminate the Jews, and other undesirables from life itself, had owned this yacht. Hitler had ridden on this yacht where plans were made to commit mass murder. The yacht was sold at auction after the war. The first owner of that yacht died a terrible death. His family quickly found someone else to purchase it. This second owner also died and so did several of his family members.

By the time it came to this third owner the man was nervous but he kept thinking he was getting a ‘great bargain’. He asked a very wise man about this potential purchase. Our sage, upon hearing the story of the yacht and who its original owner had been, advised him in the strongest way possible not to go near that yacht, much less purchase it! But the man persisted. Perhaps he was mesmerized by the history of it, whatever the reason, his life very quickly went down hill immediately after he began to own it. One by one his immediate family became ill and then he became terribly ill. However, because he had such a wise friend, he remembered his warning and this third owner got rid of the yacht. Once he did that, he karmically broke his connection to mass murder. He couldn’t believe that this karmic connection could affect him so profoundly but it did.

• Another man purchased a pair of SS cufflinks at an antique show. He had no idea why he bought them. He never wore them, never showed them to anyone and only looked at them now and then. He paid quite a bit for them. However, from the time he bought them, he felt haunted by them. Finally, he also met a psychic who advised to break them in half, and then throw them in the sea. When he had competed these actions, he felt a tremendous freedom, a sense of lightness entered his life. The sense of grey doom that had so haunted him for so many years was finally gone.

• Then there was the woman who purchased – also at auction – an extremely valuable painting, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. From the moment the painting came into her life, things went from bad to disaster. Her children became ill, her marriage went on the rocks and everything in her life seemed to go downhill. She also sought out a psychic to help her understand what was happening in her life. This person kept seeing a Nazi swastika in her house. The woman hotly denied it. Yet during a visit with this woman, the psychic kept feeling the presence of something from the Nazi’s. Finally the owner brought out her precious painting. The psychic looked at the woman and pointed at the crate that housed the painting. The woman was dumbfounded. There, literally branded into the wood of the crate was the Nazi swastika. Apparently, the painting was one of those stolen by the Nazi’s. Who its rightful owner is, we will never know.

Did the woman get rid of the painting? Ironically, she did not. She was also the same person who lived in a house where the original owner had purchased pieces of a southern mansion from Georgia, where civil war dead were treated. The mansion had been converted into a hospital. Why the owner of this house did this, we will never know, but she had that entire blood soaked floor removed and brought to her house in Virginia. There were other pieces of that house throughout the house she lived in, including the huge pillars at the front door. So now, this woman was not only connected to the karma of the Nazis but also the karma of the Civil War. She did eventually sell the house but her life was always, shall we say, challenging especially since she refused to release her hold on the painting. . . . or maybe the painting refused to release it’s hold on her!

The third example I would use is the metal being reconfigured from the remains of the buildings in the world trade center bombings of 9/11 2001. There is a tremendous amount of karma attached to these buildings and their demise. Owning a piece of that history will not benefit anyone.

When you acquire any object that has been previously owned, it would be wise to learn as much as you can about it. Also consider that if you seem to attract dark things in your life, for heaven’s sake please do not buy antiques. You attract what and who you are. Start to seek out new things, things that do not have karma attached from dark times. Also, understand that just because you are a good person, does not mean that you can ‘clear’ something that has that much karma attached. Leave it alone. Don’t touch it. If a toxic relative leaves you something like this that you know is connected to a terrible past, destroy it. Break the dark magic that is connected with it. It is incredibly important to surround yourself with positive things. Leave the darkness of the past out of your life.

KS&L 368 Family Communications: Being Present for Family Members

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Erwin) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:10:00 +0000

by Tina Erwin

Frequently, spouses become ill because they need attention. Sometimes, they become quite ill because the lack of attention over time has built up to such a level that their bodies are turning frustration in upon itself.Sometimes one spouse doesn’t know how to stand up to the other and tell him or her what feelings are building up. Sometimes he doesn’t know the words, or perhaps she is afraid that being direct will damage the relationship.

Sometimes couples let the sheer volume of ‘stuff that has to be done’ distract them from keeping communication lines open.

Sometimes there is just so much family around all the time that it literally becomes impossible for couples to find time for themselves.

These are the times when one partner must find a way to stop the busyness cycle and carve out time to communicate with that person they have vowed to love for the rest of their lives. Perhaps this is why divorce is so prevalent: couples lack the basic skills and courage necessary to create, build, maintain and do maintenance on their relationship.

The first step would be to work on communication skills. If a husband asks a wife if she is OK, just responding with a ‘sure, I’m fine,’ doesn’t help communication. Perhaps a better answer would be: “I have had a terrible day at work, and I need to talk about it. I am irritable, but I am not irritable at you. Would you please mind just listening and being patient with me tonight?”

That is a good first step. Now the husband knows what is ‘wrong.’ He just needs to remember that when his wife blows off steam, it is not necessary for him to ‘go out back and mount that white horse to save the day for her.’ Men have to learn to listen without fixing the problem. Men instinctively go to that place of how they would handle the problem. That isn’t helpful. Husbands have to learn how to listen without interfering. Husbands have to be patient when they listen and ask how they can best help but understand that it is not helpful if they just try to take over the problem for their wife.

Wives need to understand that most men inherently despise confrontation. If you are having a problem with your mother-in-law, demanding that your husband ‘take care of the problem’ will get you absolutely no where and will create larger problems. In cases like this, you and your husband must sit down and discuss the problem dispassionately – not always easy to do – but essential to maintaining your marriage.

Couples frequently are on different planets when it comes to disciplining and maintaining family balance with children. Communication is critical here but what usually happens is that one parent is the ‘good guy’ and one parent, the parent who insists on enforcing the rules, is the ‘bad buy.’ Dads are often putty in the hands of daughters and moms often have a ‘soft spot’ for their sons. Get over it. Parents have to agree on a parenting plan and both parents have to be consistent. This is the essence of good family communication.

Courtesy in families and basic human interaction is the essential lubricant that makes each day work. ‘Please and thank you’ are never assumed. If your teenagers do something responsible, point it out. Thank them for calling if they are going to be late. If your kids own a car, ask their permission before you drive it. Give your kids the same courtesy you demand of them. Keep your word. Stay in a place of integrity. It is important.

People hear you more readily, when you are not angry. They may act on a suggestion or an experiment idea more quickly than a demand or a directive. Listen to what the person really needs.

Listen.

Be patient.

Seek wisdom before you speak and always edit what you say before you say it. Imagine how what you say is going to come across – care about how it will come across. Understand the politics of family situations and respect how important that understanding is. The more you love the person in front of you, the more readily will you be able to go the distance in seeking the best communication at the correct moment.

KS&L 369 Changing Toxic Family Dynamics

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Erwin) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 21:45:00 +0000

by Tina Erwin

Dysfunctional families are the norm these days. Parents yell at kids. Kids are disrespectful. Family members engage in endless dramas and scandalous gossip. Relatives feed on the negativity in each other’s lives. Maybe it has always been that way. Maybe people like negative family drama. Do you?

Are you the one who watches the dramas unfold, and longs to live a different life? Are you the one who wants to know how to begin to change that drama? Great, look in the mirror and decide that you can make a difference. Let there be peace on Earth and let it begin with you. . . .

If you are the one who watched your parents scream their marriage into shambles by humiliation, derision, accusations and doubt then you can look at your own relationship choices and make a conscious decision to have a different life. The first step is not to enter a relationship like your parents had. However, that is quite a challenge if that toxic pair was your only example and the plastic couples on television are mere illusions.

Decide that you are going to change. Look back at the life changing events in your life. What did each one of them teach you? Begin to make a list of the events, and see how you can live a new, happier life by looking at those events with an eye for making different life choices:

· People screamed at each other. Choose to always speak in a civil manner unless your house is burning down.

· No one ever kept his or her word. Choose to always keep your word to your spouse/partner, your children, family and friends.

· No one was ever on time. Decide that you are an ‘on-time’ kind of person. On-time people are considerate of other people’s time and feelings.

· Gossip was vicious. Be ever mindful of what you are saying to another friend, sibling, child or family member. Be conscious of the words you use. Keep someone’s confidence.

· Unkind words were the norm. Edit what you say. THINK before you speak and seek the wisest words.

· Everything was a last minute crisis. Plan ahead for everything. Look into the future and anticipate what will probably happen.

· No one ever said please or thank you. Genuine courtesy is the lubricant for successful human interactions.

· No one was on time with birthday, or holiday gifts or cards. Remember occasions with modest gifts – on time.

· Holidays were a nightmare with fights over money, illness and depression. Choose to be healthy; remember that modest gifts given with love are cherished. You don’t have to be sick at Christmas or Hanukah. Depression was someone else’s norm: it doesn’t have to be yours!

· No one ever gave all of his or her attention to a family member for a meaningful discussion. Be present for each other, your kids, friends and family. Listen with an open, non-judgmental heart.

· Your family was a lousy example of what a family should be. Ok, so be the example for your kids, spouse and other family members. Do not be the mirror for your parents. Be the example you wish you had had.

· Parents did not treat children with respect. Be respectful of your children’s things, their time and their needs. If you borrow something of theirs, ask permission first. Return it on time and in good condition. If you borrow money from your children, return it. Teenagers treated with respect are respectful in return.

· No one had any time for anyone else, they each just careened from one crisis to the next. Be patient, be wise and be willing to sit still and listen ALL THE WAY to what someone is telling you. Show them what it feels like to be heard.

When you do ‘lightwork’ for your family, you are healing yourself. ‘Lightwork’ is day in day out courtesy, honesty and integrity. When those sterling qualities become your norm, then you become the example for those around you to want to emulate. You can change your life, and you will begin to affect your entire family.

What if your family rejects your efforts? That is more likely than not to happen because you will have completely upset the normal family paradigm, the traditional dysfunctional dynamic. It doesn’t matter. Be the person of admirable integrity. Someone else’s bad habits and despicable behavior are theirs alone. Your life is yours to create and creating a happy life built on patient wisdom, love and care is a powerfully wonderful life to live.

KS&L 367 Family Commuications: Being Present for Children*

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Erwin) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 22:52:00 +0000

by Tina Erwin

There is an old saying that often elegantly describes how many families communicate. It goes something like this:

I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but I’m not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.

Confused? Join the club! Families are so busy these days with the mountain of things that just have to be done that they frequently forget to actually listen to the details of conversations and then things begin to go awry.

What you frequently find is that people are not emotionally present. Their head is nodding but they are not hearing you. It happens to everyone. Something else is dominating his or her mind and when you think you have his or her attention, in truth, you don’t. Even when you ask the person if they heard you and you get a nod response, that does not mean that they heard you.

Parents are so concerned about their jobs, the family dynamics, keeping up with the neighbors and managing the politics of life that they frequently neglect to hear the little clues that their spouse or kids are telling them that would have tipped them off to a potential problem. Potential problems are not convenient, so often it is just easier to nod, or ignore the problem or just say no, no matter what it is. The problem with this is, that when you think you can ignore something, it comes back to haunt you later. Sometimes, you have to deal with something ‘little’ when it starts and you may discover that taking those few extra minutes prevents/precludes something ‘big’ from ever happening. Let us look at this classic example.

A busy mom is getting her 4-year old ready for pre-school. She is stressed. She has a big meeting that morning and she needs her son to hurry. But her son says he doesn’t want to go to school. He hates school. Every other morning he just loves school, but not today. Today he hates it.

Here are her options:

1. She can yell at him, threaten to punish him and demand that he get ready right now and utterly ignore his adamant refusal to go to school. She can even call him a bad boy.

2. She can ignore the child’s behavior without comment and shove him in the car, dump him off at school and try to cool down for her meeting.

3. She can stop what she is doing completely, sit him down in her lap and look him in the face and calmly and with concern ask him to tell her why he doesn’t want to go to school. This is where it gets really hard. A four-year old often has trouble expressing his feelings. He needs the mom to feel that something is terribly wrong at the school. Surely she knows that he has never behaved like this before. Surely she can see that there is something very wrong here. Her son tries to explain, but he lacks verbal skill and cannot tell her his plight, with articulate words but the look in his deep blue eyes tells her he is afraid – of something. She watches as the tears fill up those precious eyes and spill down his cheeks. These are tears of relief as he feels that she is really listening.

In options one and two, the Mom’s actions tell the child that she is not hearing him, cannot focus on his needs. She has lost touch with that psychic sense that all good Moms need to have to avert problems. Once she gets to work, she tosses the situation off as an irritation. But it doesn’t go away. Day after day, her son becomes increasingly more adamant that he does not want to go back to that school. Finally he ‘gets sick’ so he won’t have to go to school. Now he is a behavior and a health problem for her – or that is her perception. He is now costing her a lot of time way from work. At no time has she actually listened to what he is trying desperately to tell her in his clumsy four-year old way. The child begins to lose faith in her and their relationship just gets more difficult. This situation was a growth opportunity for both of them and the Mom in this case, missed it – completely.

In option three, the Mom gets herself out of the way so that she can listen to her son all the way. In that moment, she is completely present so that she can hear this child, on the physical and psychic level. When she does this, she realizes that by analyzing his past behavior, she can see that he is genuinely afraid. He is not making this up. What about her meeting? Hopefully, she has a backup plan and can call a sitter and leave her son home for the day. Organized Moms always have a backup plan with little kids. She goes to work and at lunchtime, she calls the school to let them know that her son won’t be there and to find out how things are. What she discovers chills her: three teachers quit, and now one teacher is responsible for 35 small children ages 5 and under. This mom also calls the teachers who quit and discovers to her horror, that the school has changed policy and now leaves these little kids outside in the Charleston, South Carolina summer heat for 3 hours at a time with no water. They are also yelling at the children. She spends the rest of her lunch, locating another pre-school. She has to take some time off to get him installed in a new school but now every morning, he is happy to go to school.

She spent perhaps an extra five minutes of listening to her son initially. Five minutes of time. She was a total of 30 minutes late that day. She was able to have her meeting and she felt good about it. What she discovered about the school validated her faith in her son and her own psychic sense that truly, something was very wrong. Her son was seldom if ever sick in his early years because he did not need sickness to get his Mom’s attention. He was also seldom a behavior problem because he was able to communicate his needs and be heard. In fact he was never a behavior problem even through his teenage years. That critically important communication link was kept strong by direct and psychic communication between parent and child.

In part two, we will explore family communications.

* I am the Mom in option three. This is a true story about my son James now age 31! I was a Lieutenant in the US Navy at the time and the situation taught me the value of believing in my children from the time they were little. Tina Erwin

KS&L 370 Haunted Antique Jewelry

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Erwin) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 23:36:00 +0000

By Tina Erwin

Can antiques affect us? Can antique jewelry carry the energy of its previous owner? Consider the following article that appeared in a Virginia Beach newspaper in 2012:

‘HAUNTED’ ITEMS SEEM HARMLESS

By Terry Kovel, The Virginian Pilot/Ledger Star, Jan 2012

We have heard many stories about “haunted antiques” through the years, and we often ask readers to send us their stories. Clocks seem to be the most likely to be haunted.

One reader’s mother bought a modern sunburst wall clock in 1952. It stayed on the kitchen wall. Her father died in 1982, and in 1992 her mother began dating. Whenever the boyfriend came over, the clock would make a “grunting” noise. According to the reader, “Mother married and her new husband asked that the clock be thrown out, but I put it in the attic. In 2006 they divorced, and I brought the clock into the kitchen. It is quiet now. Mother said she should have listened to the clock.”

Several families reported having wind-up clocks that started ticking or chiming when family members got together weeks after a funeral.

But the strangest story we heard was about an antique glass necklace a reader inherited from her husband’s family. She told us that whenever she wore the necklace, she had an accident involving water – a glass tipped over, a vase broke, a drink was spilled on her, she even fell in a pool. Then one day her mother-in-law commented that it was nice to see her wearing her great-aunt’s necklace. Did she know that her aunt was a survivor of the sinking of the Titanic?

Estate Pieces of jewelry have always intrigued us. Some of the pieces, especially from the 1920’s are so unique that they call to us. Some pieces that we find in the special section of jewelry stores or antique shops seem to beckon us with their old world flair or unusual designs. However, jewelry unlike antique wooden pieces seems to carry with it a much larger level of predecessor energy than perhaps any of us had previously imagined.

Predecessor energy is the carry-over energy from the previous owner(s). Jewelry is primarily composed of metal and crystal, either man-made crystal or true gemstones. We know that metal carries with it the energy of its owner, almost becoming completely imbued with the trials and tragedies of that person’s life. Gemstones absolutely absorb the energy of whoever holds or wears them. Who ever thinks to clear the energy of jewelry?

In the two examples above, both items, clocks and jewelry, involve quite a bit of metal, especially clock mechanisms. Can you imagine the trauma the woman suffered who survived the sinking of the Titanic? Can you imagine how haunted this woman would have been by her experience? The Hope Diamond had quite a dramatic and powerful history as well, and each of its owners met with some type of difficulty. Currently only the Smithsonian Institution can ‘safely’ own that huge necklace.

Think about it, when was the last time you psychically cleaned your own jewelry: probably never. Most people do not have the tools to clean and clear the jewelry they own much less think about clearing the jewelry that someone else owned. This seems to makes owning estate jewelry quite problematic. Literally, the jewelry holds on to the karma of its previous owners and no one ever thinks to purge the piece or pieces of the originally contaminating energy.

One woman told me that about 12 years ago she purchased a gorgeous emerald and diamond ring at an antique shop. Only upon reflection did she realize that from that moment forward, her life began to deteriorate. She sold the ring.

Another woman was given her deceased mother’s emerald and diamond ring. But every time she wore it, she got a headache. When she removed the ring, the headache ceased. So she did everything she knew how to do to ‘clear the ring’. She began by washing it in salt water, then soapy water, then she sat it in the sun, then she burned Dragon’s Blood resin and held the ring in the smoke. She even blessed the ring and filled it with light. Still every single time she put that ring on, she felt that headache return. How could this be? Does this mean that sometimes, you simply cannot clear certain pieces of jewelry?

The interesting element here is that the woman’s mother had led a somewhat sad life of endless frustration and disappointment. The ring had spent 25 years on the woman’s hand. The ring by now had karma attached to it and it would appear that no amount of cleaning and clearing could remove the karmaic energy that had become resident in that ring.

In the case above at least the daughter knew why she had a headache when she wore her mother’s ring. However, when people buy vintage jewelry in any type of jewelry or antique shop, they have absolutely no idea what happened to the owner or owners of that piece. And since they will never fully know that, they will also never know what karma is attached to the jewelry piece.

Perhaps the final question in all of this is just how could karma attach to something like a ring? Because all acts of anger, rage, or violence and all the emotions of frustration, depression, and hopelessness, literally create an energy field within the ring. The ring or other object carry the energy of the karma the person earned while wearing the ring. Simply because the person sells the ring or dies, does not mean that that karmic energy is automatically cleared. It isn’t. It stays resident with the object.

How long will the karma be attached to a piece of jewelry or any other type of antique? No one knows. It depends on the karma created while wearing or using the antique object. This is why it is quite problematic to own these pieces, beautiful though they may be.

Can you confidently own a previously worn and loved piece of jewelry or clock? Yes. However, it would be wise to learn all you can about the object so that you can evaluate whether or not owning this is worth the karmic burden that accompanies it.

KS&L 366 Hanging on to the Past

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Erwin) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 21:07:00 +0000

By Tina Erwin

Did you ever notice how hard we all hang on to the past? We cling to things as if moving into the future was a betrayal of what has gone before. Yet, moving into the future is not a choice. We’re going there, ready or not. The question is: are we entering that new element of time and space with a fear of the future or with a balanced view of the past and a sense of adventure for what lies ahead?

Some people are incapable of throwing anything out. Every container, box, envelope, card, letter, magazine, egg carton, rubber band, shipping box and packing material is dutifully kept. This type of personality believes that you never know when you are going to need one of these items. One woman had 250 cool whip containers under her sink. This same lady would never dispose of a single item listed above. When she died, the mountain left to her relatives to remove was daunting. It all ended up being recycled, but it took time. This woman was so stuck in the past that the future seemed exceptionally scary. Her family believed that as a child of the depression, she held on to anything that might help or protect her from what ominous things would lay ahead.

Technology is another of those things that forces us to learn or be left behind. Even young people cannot keep up with the sheer volume of change inherent in the computing technology of current times. However, those who do make an effort to keep up with basic computer skills will feel that they can embrace the future with a bright face. We have met people who ‘cannot type’ so ‘cannot use any type of computer’. Yet this same person depends on the reliability of computers to keep the accounts of his or her life functioning from shopping to banking. The world only functions today, because of computers. It has become incumbent upon all of us to learn how to live in a computer savvy world.

In fact the computer world forces us to buy new equipment because the previous devices can no longer keep up either with the processing speed required to function or the new features that teach us new skills. Learning forces all of us to acquire new skill sets. Perhaps we wish it were not true. Perhaps we wish that being computer literate were not an option. Perhaps we wish for a time when we didn’t feel forced to purchase ever-faster devices from smart phones to wireless devices.

Perhaps what will make it easier to move into the future is the knowledge that we can cherish old memories. Do you remember when microwaves became commonplace? Do you remember a time before cell phones, a time when if you if you were not at home, you found a ‘pay phone’ and put dimes in a metal box to call someone? Those metal phone booths are now almost totally gone. So are roll-up windows in your car, cars without air conditioning, princess phones and soft drinks made with real sugar. There was even life before Google Earth and GPS, when you actually looked on a map to figure out where you were headed. . . .

Perhaps you also remember when we all had time to spare. Now, there is no time to spare. Every extra second is taken up with something utterly important. Longing for times when we could enjoy a quiet evening with family and friends isn’t holding on to the past, it is almost the impossible dream!

Life is eternally about balancing the challenge of moving into the future while still respecting the realities of the past. Every single generation has been required to face this. Perhaps the people who embrace the future feel a bit younger because the future is a comfortable place, full of new mental challenges and amazing gadgets to embrace. Maybe balance is holding on to the wonderful memories of how life used to be while embracing the amazing things that will happen in our lifetimes.

KS&L 365 The Wise New Year's Baby

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Erwin) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 21:53:00 +0000

by Tina Erwin

The symbol of each New Year is a new baby, as if somehow we are blessed with newness for the coming year. New opportunities, fresh ideas, and a clean slate are the symbols we expect to see for a new year. The symbol of the current year is an old man leaving.

The real key, is the issue of wisdom. Is this old man leaving someone who just survived the outgoing year? Or, is this a much wiser man who is exiting this year because the year just passed offered him a chance to grow on tremendous levels. It makes you wonder why we don’t all feel like wise sages at the end of the year? Well, why don’t we?

Perhaps it starts on the first of January when we make karmic promises to ourselves – also called New Year’s resolutions – and then forget what we said within about two weeks of making those promises. Resolutions are karmic promises, commitments to do or become something or change something about our personality. However, the problem arises when we betray our trust in ourselves by blowing off those promises/resolutions as too hard or not really that important.

Imagine blowing off a karmic promise to yourself throughout your lifetime. That potentially creates a negative karmic buildup. We all believe to our core that it is critically important for one person to keep their word to someone but we often forget how precious it is for each of us to keep our word to ourselves. This means that we have to be emotionally present for ourselves. If we can be true to ourselves, then we have created the foundation to be true to others as well.

Nowhere is it written that we have to make a New Year’s Resolution. So, don’t make any resolutions. Then you never have to be concerned about forgetting to be true to yourself as you begin a new year – or end a millennia!

Wisdom is cleverly defined by the care and respect that we show ourselves, with a balance toward treating others with that same care and respect. It is the golden rule: you treat others the way you would treat yourself, hopefully with wisdom and courtesy.

So to begin a new year, review the successes and learning experiences of the previous year. That is a tremendous exercise. If you felt a friendship slip out of balance, decide whether or not it can be healed. If you received a promotion, then remember to be grateful for all the people and experiences that got you to this point. If someone new entered your life, ponder how that person has changed your life – or perhaps he or she didn’t have any affect on your life at all. Karma always wants to know if we learned the lesson of any experience. Those lessons not fully learned will be revisited upon all of your life. Only in this way will any of us truly learn wisdom.

If you feel a bit sheepish for not keeping previous resolutions take that negative and turn it into a positive: analyze what resolutions you have made in the past. Did you make the same resolution year after year and did you break it or forget it year after year? Ask yourself why? This is one of the key elements of a spiritual path, learning to listen to that still small voice within yourself that actually is you. Listen to what you say to yourself, how you sound and how you come across to yourself. If you consistently meant to do something and never did, then analyze your own pattern and don’t merely vow to change it! Once you analyze why you broke your promise to yourself repeatedly, look to see if this is a significant character flaw. If it is a character flaw decide if it can be changed and if you do truly want to change it. Maybe you won’t want to change it. Maybe you will decide to never make a promise to yourself that you never had any intention at all of keeping.

Imagine how much more honest you will feel toward yourself. The essence of the spiritual path is learning the path to wisdom regarding all of the fascinating personalities in your life and the life experiences you encounter. However, each of us must first learn to be true to ourselves.

So take a deep breath on 0001, Jan 1 and decide not to vow anything, not to make any resolutions. Even though we all know it is good to have goals, New Year’s goals are frequently the ones we seldom if ever cherish. So don’t, make any; don’t make a goal you’ll never keep.

Relax on New Year’s Day. Enjoy the anticipation of a wonderful new year. Perhaps write some affirmations such as:

• Day by day in everyway, I am getting better and better and better.

• Something wonderful happens to me every day.

• I am so blessed, that literally, money falls out of the sky for me and I am always generous with my good fortune.

Happy New Year wise soul!

KS&L 88: Holiday Service Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Erwin) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:17:00 +0000

by Tina Erwin

In part I of Holiday Service we discussed the element of spiritual service in doing things for other people throughout the year. How do we view the volume of effort required for Christmas and Hanukkah?

December is a challenge because there seems to be so much for everyone to do:

· Shop for gifts, wrap presents

· Get the Tree

· Decorate the Tree

· Keep the tree watered

· Plan meals

· Grocery shop

· Decorate the house

· Plan parties

· Grocery shop

· Do the holiday cards, buy the stamps, write the yearly letter, collate and mail.

· Help out at school, church and/or office parties

· Grocery shop

· Make the list of food gifts to give

· Grocery shop

· Make all the food, do the baking, package the items

· Mail things

This modest, very incomplete list above usually falls to women who think they have to do it all. Getting your family members to help will reduce some stress and let everyone have the opportunity of doing service. This can be as simple as making the list and letting them make the grocery runs and some of the dinners so that you can do the extras.

The real service is in the patience of doing the mundane, day-to-day things of getting ready. People love a house filled with the smells of the holidays. If your holidays were horrific growing up, mitigate the past sadness by making the present something warmly memorable.

It is so wonderful to come home to a house beautifully decorated with bright candles and wonderful food. The element of the house and the food are tremendous service to all family members.

What makes it difficult for the person doing the planning, cooking, shopping and decorating is that people take their efforts for granted. It just looks so easy. Family members frequently don’t seem grateful for what has been done because you always do it. They are not callous or unkind; it is just that your excellent work is normal to them. Your service is transparent to them but transparent or not, it does not change the fact that it is service all the same. Even if family members do not overtly recognize it, it is appreciated on some level.

You earn the karma for your efforts because you are creating the memories that they will treasure and emulate. You are teaching them what a warm holiday looks and feels like, and that lesson changes the future. That is the purpose of this work, the reason for this effort: creating a pattern of love, hard work and togetherness. This is part of the element of what makes the holidays an important example of spiritual service. In essence, it is the real reason for the season, displaying your love through your service.

KS&L 87: Holiday Service Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Erwin) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 19:00:00 +0000

by Tina Erwin

The holidays are a great time - so we think. The truth is, most people who do the lion’s share of getting ready for the holidays are frequently overwhelmed with the volume of work that is required to get it all done. The regular schedule of day-to-day responsibilities is magnified with the endless list of extras.

We are also overwhelmed with the concept of the neediness of so many people. Someone's child is sick, someone's relative is dying or has died, it is the anniversary of a death for another person. The homeless shelter needs volunteers, your church is doing charity work and your office has adopted a family to give to at Christmas. Some people are irritable and angry in November and December and we dread living through this time with them. So with all that comes up in this window of time, we quietly ask ourselves: Is it really worth it? Is it really worth the volume of energy to get ready for Christmas or Hanukkah?

The answer is more complicated than we think. The answer may center on our concepts of service. What is service?

Service is frequently giving money, time or effort to someone in need. It is the giving of ourselves. This is easy to recognize.

However, there are other types of service that we would be wise to honor, namely the service of getting any type of celebration together. It isn't just this time of year; it can be any time of the year.

The neighbor who decorates for Halloween, the mom who never misses making the favorite birthday cake, the welcome home celebration for a service member, the delight of a Valentine's dinner or a 4th of July cookout. The Thanksgiving Dinner with a cast of thousands is a tremendous service as well. Few people appreciate the volume of planning that goes into feeding all those people, plus the decorations that accompany the food, the candles, the greens and the creative effort all create the atmosphere for any celebration. All these things are service - these creative efforts of love made visible are also spiritual service. This takes us to December. Part II will help us make some sense out of this challenging month.

Weddings

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Erwin) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 01:23:00 +0000

Yesterday, our daughter Jeanne Marie and her new husband Michael announced their marriage at a wonderful party. It was a beautiful wedding celebration with two great families joined together - for truly when you marry someone you also marry their family.

Weddings be they large or small offer us hope as we watch another new couple start out their life. We stand back and watch their proceedings, pondering our own lives, the choices we have made, the persons we did or did not marry and the life, that we still have together.

As we watch our children march down that same aisle we marched down so long ago, we hope that as parents we did a good job of preparing them for their long and interesting road ahead.

Did we give them a foundation in managing money?

Did we teach them that compassion and caring can only come from a heart that is awake, feeling and in love?

Do they have the skills it takes to manage the day in and day out give and take, the art of compromise that is the lubricant of marriage?

Did we teach them the skills of patience and understanding?

More critically, were we as parents, good examples?

There is a tendency when you watch a wedding to feel all mushy, sort of tearful inside. This is a life milestone for a person, entering into a permanent relationship. Because your son or daughter is now a married person, they are different. They look the same, but they are not the same. They have become independent, completely an adult right before your eyes.

As parents, we now must change our roles from one of active parent to inactive parent and replace that concept with one of active friend. It is time to leave the parenting behind - for if we have done our job, it is no longer needed.

The wedding itself is almost an initiation for the couple. They stand together, facing the future. Hopefully they have planned their wedding together and decided what they wanted to happen. Now they are launching their lives with hope and happiness. When this can happen, in this beautiful way it is easy for parents to ‘let go’ and embrace a whole new world of happiness for their family.

The Manicurist

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Erwin) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 00:58:00 +0000

Did you ever wonder why someone goes to a manicurist? Even men visit a manicurist, especially if they are in the public eye and need their hands to look good.

Did you ever ponder why people are so dedicated to their manicurist beyond the starlet, female politician and socialite? Many people have been with the same manicurist, often for 20 years, keeping that treasured appointment. Many ladies will rearrange their schedule to keep that appointment. Why is this? Isn’t it just about the meticulous attention to having nice nails? Why are nails that important?

Perhaps, visiting a manicurist has nothing to do with nails at all. Perhaps visiting a manicurist, especially a really good one is a little bit about fingernails, and a whole lot about having someone who is a really good listener, hold your hand while you tell them your story. While you are reviewing what is happening with your life, this kind lady is literally giving you her total undivided attention. When was the last time, busy ladies, you had anyone give you their undivided attention? Think about it, in these times, who takes the time to listen for a solid hour with a kind and often very compassionate heart? Not too many folks have that kind of time.

What makes a good manicurist isn’t as much about making someone’s fingers and toes look spectacular, as it is more about being very, very sensitive and very often, exceptionally psychic to the emotional needs of the client sitting in front of you.

Here is what may happen in a typical manicurist’s day. She gets all of her supplies and fancy gadgets set up. She reviews her appointments for the day and she takes a deep breath and considers each person who is going to come in and sit in front of her. She catalogs who is grieving, who is getting married, who has kids going off to college and who is getting divorced. She probably has mental reminders of what not to say and touchy areas to avoid for each person. She hopes that each person will be on time so that she won’t have to keep anyone waiting. She works very hard to keep all of her appointments flowing in a timely manner. She is such a courteous lady!

Because so many people talk to her, she inadvertently becomes a literal repository of helpful information. She just loves helping people, so she figures out what information to share with which lady. Such is the pleasure of shared information.

As each lady comes to her station, often she greets them with a welcoming hug or at least a very warm smile, immediately asking them how they are, how have they been doing, how is their family. Each of these questions will inevitably spark someone to tell her that chatty story that at first appears surface. Now a good manicurist has a wonderful way of holding someone’s hand, of looking them right in the eye with her own eyes smiling back. Human touch is just a magical thing. Holding someone’s hand is a deeply personal action especially when you are giving that hand specialized attention. It just opens up all kinds of emotional doors.

As the warmth of the manicurist’s hand embraces her client’s hand, the client begins to relax, to feel somewhat calm and to trust the person in front of her. She begins to share the details of her latest life chapter. The manicurist nods. If she can be helpful or compassionate or just kind, she does that. If her client cries, she offers her a Kleenex and lets her cry. She is really there for her client and often this woman in front of her is also her friend.

At the end of the day, the manicurist cleans up and goes home, probably never realizing that her kindness, her compassion and her ability to offer comfort through the process of doing someone’s nails was a tremendous service. Sometimes it is good to appreciate the quiet service of another. Kindness, gentleness and hope are often found in the ordinary faces of many people who do service, whether it be a manicurist, hairdresser, massage therapist or acupuncturist. Often it is so hard to get friends and family to listen, that we don’t even realize how precious those people who do hear us, are to us. Maybe the next time you encounter one of these people, you can ask them how their day is, how their life is going and simply return the favor.

[This KS&L is dedicated to Peggy Laxson, the best, and kindest manicurist I know!]

Know the Chemicals in Your Food!

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Erwin) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 00:23:00 +0000

This information is from the following website:

http://healthfreedoms.org/2011/11/11/whats-really-in-the-food-the-a-to-z-of-the-food-industrys-most-evil-ingredients/

What’s really in the food? The A to Z of the food industry’s most evil ingredients

Submitted by Drew Kaplan on November 11, 2011 – 11:17 amOne Comment

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The best way to take care of our bodies is to be careful what we put into them. Below is a great article on what ingredients we should avoid.

~Health Freedoms

Ever wonder what’s really in the food sold at grocery stores around the world? People keep asking me, “What ingredients should I avoid?” So I put together a short list that covers all the most toxic and disease-promoting ingredients in the food supply. These are the substances causing cancer, diabetes, heart disease and leading to tens of billions of dollars in unnecessary health care costs across America (and around the world). If you want to stay healthy and out of the hospital, read ingredients labels and make sure you avoid all these ingredients:

Acrylamides - Toxic, cancer-causing chemicals formed in foods when carbohydrates are exposed to high heat (baking, frying, grilling). They’re present in everything from bread crusts to snack chips, and because they aren’t intentional ingredients, acrylamides do NOT have to be listed on labels.

Aspartame – Chemical sweetener that causes neurological disorders, seizures, blurred vision and migraine headaches.

Autolyzed Proteins – Highly processed form of protein containing free glutamate and used to mimic the taste-enhancer chemical MSG.

BPA (Bisphenol-A) – A hormone mimicking chemical found in nearly all food packaging plastics. Active in just parts per billion, BPA promotes cancer, infertility and hormone disorders. It also “feminizes” males, promoting male breast growth and hormone disruption.

Casein – Milk proteins. Hilariously, this is widely used in “soy cheese” products that claim to be alternatives to cow’s milk. Nearly all of them are made with cow’s milk proteins.

Corn Syrup - Just another name for High Fructose Corn Syrup (see below). Frequently used in infant formula products.

Food Colors – FD&C Red #40, for example, is linked to behavioral disorders in children. Nearly all artificial food colors are derived from petroleum, and many are contaminated with aluminum.

Genetically Modified Ingredients – Not currently listed on the label because the GMO industry (Monsanto and DuPont) absolutely does not want people to know which foods contain GMOs. Nearly all conventionally grown corn, soy and cotton are GMOs. They’re linked to severe infertility problems and may even cause the bacteria in your body to produce and release a pesticide in your own gut. If you’re not eating organic corn, you’re definitely eating GMO corn.

High Fructose Corn Syrup – A highly processed liquid sugar extracted with the chemical solvent glutaraldehyde and frequently contaminated with mercury. It’s also linked to diabetes, obesity and mood disorders. Used in thousands of grocery items, including things you wouldn’t suspect like pizza sauce and salad dressings.

Hydrochloride - When you see anything hydrochloride, such as Pyridoxine Hydrochloride or Thiamin Hydrochloride, those are chemical forms of B vitamins that companies add to their products to be able to claim higher RDA values of vitamins. But these are synthetic, chemical forms of vitamins, not real vitamins from foods or plants. Nutritionally, they are near-useless and may actually be bad for you.

Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein – A highly processed form of (usually) soy protein that’s processed to bring out the free glutamate (MSG). Use as a taste enhancer.

Partially Hydrogenated Oils - Oils that are modified using a chemical catalyst to make them stable at room temperature. This creates trans fatty acids and greatly increases the risk of blocked arteries . It also promotes what I call “sludge blood,” which is thick, viscous blood that’s hard to pump. This is usually diagnosed by doctors as “high blood pressure” and (stupidly) treated with blood-thinning medications that are technically the same chemicals as rat poison (warfarin).

Phosphoric Acid – The acid used in sodas to dissolve the carbon dioxide and add to the overall fizzy-ness of the soda. Phosphoric acid will eat steel nails. It’s also used by stone masons to etch rocks. The military uses it to clean the rust off battleships. In absolutely destroys tooth enamel. Search Google Images for “Mountain Dew Mouth” to see photos of teeth rotted out by phosphoric acid.

Propylene Glycol – A liquid used in the automotive industry to winterize RVs. It’s also used to make the fake blueberries you see in blueberry muffins, bagels and breads. (Combined with artificial colors and corn syrup.)

Sodium (Salt) - The processed white salt lacking in trace minerals. In the holistic nutrition industry, we call it “death salt” because it promotes disease and death. Real salt, on the other hand, such as “dirty” sea salt or pink Himalayan salt, is loaded with the trace minerals that prevent disease, such as selenium (cancer), chromium (diabetes) and zinc (infectious disease). Much like with bread and sugar, white salt is terrible for your health. And don’t be fooled by claims of “sea salt” in grocery stores. All salt came from the sea if you go far back enough in geologic time, so they can slap the “sea salt” claim on ANY salt!

Sodium Nitrite – A cancer-causing red coloring chemical added to bacon, hot dogs, sausage, beef jerky, ham, lunch meats, pepperoni and nearly all processed meats. Strongly linked to brain tumors, pancreatic cancers and colon cancers. The USDA once tried to ban it from the food supply but was out-maneuvered by the meat industry, which now dominates USDA regulations. Sodium nitrite is a complete poison used to make meats look fresh. Countless children die of cancer each year from sodium nitrite-induced cancers.

Soy Protein – The No. 1 protein source used in “protein bars,” including many bars widely consumed by bodybuilders. Soy protein is the “junk protein” of the food industry. It’s made from genetically modified soybeans (often grown in China) and then subjected to hexane, a chemical solvent that can literally explode.

Sucralose – An artificial chemical sweetener sold as Splenda. The sucralose molecule contains a chlorine atom (http://www.naturalnews.com/027491_a…;). Researchers have repeatedly found that artificial sweeteners make people fat by actually promoting weight gain.

Sugar – The bleached, nutritionally-deficient byproduct of cane processing. During sugar cane processing, nearly all the minerals and vitamins end up in the blackstrap molasses that’s usually fed to farm animals. (Blackstrap molasses is actually the “good” part of sugar cane juice.) Molasses is often fed to farm animals because every rancher knows that farm animals need good nutrition to stay alive. Amazingly, conventional doctors don’t yet realize this about humans, and they continue to claim that eating sugar is perfectly fine for you. Sugar promotes diabetes, obesity, mood disorders and nutritional deficiencies.

Textured Vegetable Protein - Usually made of soy protein which is extracted from genetically modified soybeans and then processed using hexane, an explosive chemical solvent (see Soy Protein, above). Widely used in vegetarian foods such as “veggie burgers” (most of which also contain MSG or Yeast Extract, by the way).

Yeast Extract - Hidden form of MSG that contains free glutamate and is used in many “natural” food products to claim “No MSG!” Yeast extract contains up to 14% free glutamate. You’ll find it in thousands of grocery store products, from soups to snack chips. I even once spotted it used on fresh meat!

Food label tricks

Here’s a trick food companies frequently used to pack more sugar into their products without making sugar look like the first ingredient:

Ingredient labels, you see, must list the most prominent ingredients first, and some consumers might freak out of they saw a box of cereal that said, “Sugar, whole grain wheat, corn” and so on. Instead, the company uses 3 or 4 different forms of sugar to distribute them farther down the label, like this:

“Whole grain wheat, sugar, corn syrup, corn syrup solids…”

This way, the first ingredients looks like “whole grain wheat” when, in reality, the cereal might be over fifty percent sugars!

How to buy honest food

• Shop are your local farmer’s market, food co-op or CSA.

• In the USA, look for the USDA Organic label on foods. This is a legitimate claim to being certified organic. It’s one of the few programs run by the USDA that actually has integrity.

• Read the ingredients labels! If you see names of chemicals you can’t pronounce, don’t buy it.

• Buy more unprocessed food ingredients and make your own meals rather than buying ready-to-eat, processed foods, which are almost universally formulated with disease-promoting ingredients.

I Can't Be Santa This Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Erwin) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 00:17:00 +0000

The elegant young widow entered the room with rounded shoulders and tragedy hiding behind her pretty green eyes. She came to visit me while her two young boys were in school. She seemed utterly exhausted from the sheer volume of grief she had been experiencing over the last year.

Holly’s husband was a military pilot who died in January 2011, when his chopper was shot down in Afghanistan. Not only did she have to deal with the death of the love of her life, but she was also reeling from all of the challenges of having been a military wife one day, and a military widow the next. She had stood up valiantly to all that was required of her including moving out of military housing, relocating to be near her parents, and struggling to make a living. Now, almost a year later, she was facing her first holiday season as a widow. Somehow the unending facets of grief seemed too much. She had come to me, not just to discuss the endless waves of grief that still haunted her, but more than that, she wanted to understand how to even contemplate a holiday season without her Jim. She was fearful that she would destroy the holidays forever for her two boys. She didn’t want to do that, but holiday festivities wanted to make her throw up.

“I’m numb. It’s November and I am facing Thanksgiving and Christmas and my heart is so broken, I can still barely get through each day. I don’t care if I ever see a Christmas tree, a Santa costume or a Christmas card again. Thanksgiving? Forget it! What do I have to be thankful for? I lost my husband, my kids are acting out, I can barely make ends meet and if it weren’t for my parents, well, I don’t know what I would have done.” Holly’s lovely face seemed to have aged in the last year. She continued.

“I look in the mirror and frankly, I don’t know who I am anymore. It’s as if the day I saw those two marines come up my walkway the woman I was somehow vanished.” Holly doesn’t even seem to notice as the tears stream down her face. “I feel like an empty shell. I still can’t sleep. I barely function at my job, I snap at the boys. When does this get better!” she demanded.

“The truth is,” I told her, “it just doesn’t get better for a while. Grieving is the hardest work you will ever do. Parenting while grieving taxes you to the max. The first holiday season after a death is horrible. The barrage of ‘festivities’ only seems to magnify the pain of your loss. If it were just you, if you only had to take care of yourself, it would be hard enough, but your boys will want to have some elements of Christmas.”

“When Jim was deployed to Afghanistan, I always knew that he could die. I did. I told myself that I could be a brave Marine wife but when it actually happened I –I—I’m not so brave. I feel like all I want to do is curl up in bed and tell the world to leave me alone!”

I took a deep breath and responded. “And yet, the demands of being a Mom pull you out of bed each morning. Even though you are probably mechanically getting the boys ready for school, doing lunches, chauffeuring them back and forth, at least you are still that constant in their life. Have they talked with you about any of their fears? When children lose a parent, they are often secretly terrified that the remaining parent will also die. What have they said?”

Holly is now quietly weeping. She takes a deep breath. “Mickey is six and he acts the tough guy. Little Jake is four and he seems to whine all the time. When I put the boys to bed, -- I still do that even when I don’t feel like it – sometimes the three of us just talk about Jim and what we miss and then we all cry. Sometimes the boys cry ‘til they fall asleep. This isn’t living. I don’t feel like I’m being a good mom. I feel like we are all drowning and no day is a good day. Christmas? I would just like to not have to deal with it! What am I supposed to say in a Christmas card? ‘My husband died and my life sucks, love the Smiths’?”

“Holly, life is grim right now. But you are doing better than you think. The hard truth is that this first Christmas without your husband will be the hardest one. Future ones will also be tough but each year will be a bit better. Grief is healed by degrees, moment to moment, each moment, each day becominga little bit better than yesterday. To get you through the coming two months of holidays, let’s develop a plan and that plan has to include asking your friends and family to help you.”

“When Jim died, I stopped being a military wife. I didn’t just lose my husband I lost my entire military support system and my military identity. The wives were always ‘there’ for each other. The wives helped me in those early days, but now that I have moved back home, I don’t have that kind of connection. No one here knows what this is like - no one knows me. I –I feel so –so alone with this darkness.”

“You may feel alone with the unrelenting intimacy of grief, but you are not alone in the world. You do have your parents, your extended family, and I bet they want to help. But you find that they are tip-toeing around your feelings and avoiding you – right?”

“Yes, and it’s so awkward. I just cocoon myself.”

“Holly, you can’t heal ‘til you come out of that cocoon, and your boys can’t hope to feel like they can even smile again until you literally give them permission to find something to smile about. Grieving takes courage, courage no one can understand until they walk this lonely path. Give your sons and yourself permission to be happy about something each day. Even though you can’t even imagine being happy again. Allow little upbeat moments to seep into your day. Force yourself to smile at your sons. They need to see this in you. Smile at something your boys say or do. They need your love in an ‘emotionally present’ way.”

“I know I’m not ‘emotionally present’. I love them so much and watching them grieve magnifies my pain!”

I urged her to focus on what she could practically do at this point. “If you decide to do anything for the holidays it will help your boys. I bet you are doing Thanksgiving with your parents.”

“Yes. Mom is having a few friends over who know about our situation.”

“Good. This gets you out and participating in a nice dinner and it gives your boys something to anticipate. Now lets focus on managing the holidays in a way that you can actually face.”

Shaking her head. “I can’t face much. . . .”

“Ask some of the Moms to invite your boys over to make cookies. Tell them what happened. Ask them to help you. You can do this. Your boys need to know that they can start participating with school friends and building relationships. Then ask your parents to help you to do the tree. Have each boy go with your parents separately so that they can do their shopping for you and for each other. Go shopping with your boys for the grandparents. Get your mom to help you with all of this if she is willing.”

Holly sighs, a long sad sigh. “Yes, my mom is great. She keeps offering to help. You’re telling me to let her. I guess I don’t know how to be a normal mom again. Tears begin to fall again. “Is it OK to still cry sometimes?”

“Holly, it is absolutely OK to cry whenever you want! However, at some point, you have to give yourself permission to begin to heal a little tiny bit each day. If you have to force yourself to smile at your boys, then do that. This will help all of you heal. Allow Christmas to seep into your world. You don’t have to go all out. Do the bare minimum and let that be enough. Remember, you are that beautiful flower chilled by the cold of death but stubbornly refusing to stop growing, blooming and showering the world with your light and your goodness. Remember, that at the end of the day, you are still a wonderful person, a terrific mom and a great friend. Be a friend to yourself and focus on finding ways to be happy a bit more each day. I know you can do this.”

Holly took a long, deep breath. “Yes I can. I know my boys need me and more than that, I need them. I guess I just needed a reality check.”

“Perhaps, but more than that, you need to be kind to yourself. Grieving is such hard work, and yet, you grow from the experience. Always remember your goodness. The challenge is to be patient with yourself and at the same time to begin to nudge yourself out of your darkness. When we talk next time, I will want you to tell me about the little moments that you are taking pleasure in with your sons. Whether or not you can see it, you are healing. It is time to start anticipating genuinely enjoying your life again (watches Holly shake her head) and no, it isn’t going to be today, or next week, but that day is coming. All I’m doing is helping you to open the door to living a wonderful life again. You can do it.”

Karmic Concept: When you are working through your grief process remember to ask for help from family, friends and co-workers. Look forward to each day and the potential of something positive happening. You can do it!

To learn more about healing grief, please check out The Lightworker’s Guide to Healing Grief: http://www.amazon.com/Lightworkers-Guide-Healing-Grief/dp/0876045875/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319578747&sr=1-1by

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Erwin) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:52:00 +0000

The Mind as Essence

The following quote is from a book that my brother Paul Debs told me about. This book [which is available from Amazon.com], written by Charles L. Denhaene is titled:

How To Become Happy By Eternal Knowledge.

It was written in 1928 and feels so antiquated that it almost seems like 'olde' English. However, the content is amazing in its simple message: You can use your mind to heal your body. Paul has told me that this method, if followed sincerely, diligently and with a pure heart and a love for your own body can be exceptionally effective. So, I am offering some of the essential quotes from the book.

"The mind is essence and finds it strength in essence. When it is well guided and properly directed, it goes forth and seeks in various plants the essences it needs to kill in our bodies the bad germs of disease and drives out the deadly poisons.

If a person feels a pain somewhere and if that person thinks immediately in the spirit, [if the person] passes the hand very slowly over the painful spot, repeating very rapidly: 'Go away, I will have you no more, the pain stops at once, and if you persevere, it will disappear completely in the end.'

'God has created the plants to cure me; my mind will seek the essences and I shall be cured.' (One must especially repeat: I shall be cured.)

The mind knows them [the essences] very well and can even repair the tissues which do not work well in our body with the help of the nerves and the blood.

So each night, when you have gone to bed, say well to yourself: "By the essence, all goes better and better" Repeat as often as you can, as if you were reciting your rosary, in a low voice, just loud enough for your mind to hear. . and whatever ill you may have will be forced to leave."

In these times, we need every tool in our arsenal to care for our bodies. This simple process holds the potential to literally send our subconscious out to find the exact flower or plant essence to heal whatever is hurting in our body or whatever our body needs and that could include help in getting to or staying asleep! It costs nothing and is worth a try. Thanks Paul!

The Three Sources of Life Chi

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Erwin) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 00:41:00 +0000

Client: “I am trying to understand how chi works. I know that chi is energy, but is it more than that and can I enhance it?”

Tina: “Chi is energy, power, sickness, health, happiness and pain.”

Client: “OK, I find that a bit overwhelming, perhaps I should focus on something manageable. What kind of chi affects the human body?”

Tina: “Chi is life itself and it is more than this. There are primarily three kinds of chi that affect the human body. The first one is a familiar one. Literally, you are what you eat. ”

Client: “So we get chi from food.”

Tina: “Yes. So to be specific, the more the food that you eat is bursting with life force, or chi, the more chi you will have in your body.”

Client: “Oh, so this is why there is so much talk about ‘processed food: it has less life force.”

Tina: “Less life force. I would say that most processed food, is so processed that it is unrecognizable as to what it originally started out as and in some cases has absolutely no life force. The less adulterated your food, the more life force. Chicken does not have fingers and the sheer volume of ingredients makes you wonder just exactly what is in a nugget, bite or finger of that type of non-existent chicken.”

Client: “I remember reading about a fast food hamburger that would not ever rot if left unrefrigerated on a counter. I guess there is no life force in that supposed piece of food.”

Tina: “Exactly. Food, in its most basic form, fresh from the farm or fresh/flash frozen is going to have the highest life force. Food that rots is full of life force. When it rots, that life force is leaving the food. Simple food is always your best bet and that will not have any extra sugars or fats.”

Client: “Alright, so chi comes from the food you eat. Where else does the chi come from that helps your body?”

Tina: “We all have something called ancestral chi. Ever wonder about the phrase you heard your parents use that noted that someone came from ‘good stock’? ”

Client: “Yeah, always sounded like we were being compared to live stock in a meat yard.”

Tina: “Well, basically, the stronger the gene pool throughout the generations, the stronger will be your ancestral chi. Look at the genes of your family. How long did your relatives live? One of the reasons for marrying someone and having children is to strengthen and extend the energy of a given gene pool.”

Client: “So if your personal gene pool is lousy, everyone dies at a young age, what can you do?”

Tina: “Well you can’t control that, but you can control the food you eat and your surroundings, which is the third source of chi.”

Client: “You mean that your home provides you with chi?”

Tina: “Yes it does. Think about it. If you enter a home that is immaculate, is well done, ie, well decorated, that makes you feel comfortable, and offers you a sense of peace and happiness, don’t you feel like that location is helping you when you are there?”

Client: “I guess so. That seems like common sense.”

Tina: “Well, we seem to have lost some of our most basic common sense in these times.”

Client: “So how a home is decorated makes a difference?”

Tina: “It isn’t just decoration, it is the overall look and feel of the home. Frankly, how do you feel when you are there? Is the location healing or harmful.”

Client: “So does clutter affect chi?”

Tina: “Heavens yes! Clutter takes up the space for chi to circulate. The more clutter you have, the less chi you will have. The less clutter, the better overall air circulation and the better you will feel.”

Client: “So a minimalist way is the best way. Nothing about to get in the way of chi - is that what you recommend?”

Tina: “Oh no, live, enjoy your home, but be aware of how it feels. Again, this is the point of Feng Shui. Balance your home using color, texture, placement, removing threatening things and things that creep you out. Over time, you will be able to walk into your home and feel an unmade bed because your home will feel so balanced. It’s wonderful!”

Client: “Sounds like a lot of work.”

Tina: “Not really. Once you elevate your home to that place of peace and happiness, there is a part of you that will always want to keep it that way and where something is out of balance, you will want to fix it because it will routinely bother you.”

Client: “Who knew just a discussion of chi could be so complicated?”

Tina: “This is the basic level. When you start studying chi on more esoteric levels, you come to learn that the more balanced your home, the more beautiful your surroundings the happier you will be emotionally. The happier you are emotionally, the less illness you will have. The healthier you are, the happier you are the closer you can feel to the Divine. Also, the better the chi in your home is, the healthier will your plants and animals be as well. It is all related. Even appliances in your home will need less repairs once the chi is raised.”

Client: “So, will doing all of this affect ancestral chi?”

Tina: “Absolutely. You come in with a set of genes or cards. Literally, life is how you play the hand that is dealt to you. If you take what you are given and then greatly enhance that chi, those genes, you will find that you are growing on profound levels and you may just change those genes for yourself and potentially future generations.”

Client: “But what if you didn’t grow up eating well, or in a nice place or really feeling healthy?”

Tina: “Change it! Who says that you have to accept what you are given? Be that maverick in the family and change you life by changing the chi in our life. It is a tremendous feeling!”

Client: “So chi can be life changing, life enhancing and life giving.”

Tina: “Exactly! Clean up! De-clutter! Put some art on the walls, play beautiful music, be happy. Imagine how happy the chi will be in your home and how healthy you, your plants and animals will all be!”

Halloween

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Erwin) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 23:06:00 +0000

The Goblins have come, as they do every year,

to fill all the children with excitement and fear.

The orangey pumpkins with gnarly faces,

are waiting for the moment to assume their places.

The kids have decided what they will and won’t be,

a flapper, a gangster, a kook from TV.

The trick or treat candy now sits in the basket

just waiting for someone to dare for to ask it.

The witches are watching from rooftops and trees

while trolls terrorize the insects and scare away the bees.

The Trick or Treat players have begun their patrol,

seeking candy and fun from around every knoll.

But there’s just no Halloween at sea I’m told,

just the wind and water and the ever present cold.

So think off us brightly on Halloween night

as we ward off the scary, the hairy, the fright.

We’ll think of you braving the dark anyway

with nothing to scare you but the lack of the day.

So wrap your Halloween in our love and light

and you won’t have trolls or scares or fright.

For Halloween time is about love after all

the love that comes from the feel of Fall.

That love that comes from the fun painted faces,

and the knowledge that we miss you in your far away places.

Halloween is an excerpt from the future book:

Poems from the Mariner's Wife by Tina Erwin

KS&L 364 Karmic Nobility

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Erwin) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 22:56:00 +0000

There is a questionable story that came out of the emotional rubble of the Japanese Tsunami of 2011. As the story goes, a young mother realized that she could not escape her home as the five-minute monster 9.0 quake shook her home to its very foundation. In desperation to save her three-month old son, she got down on all fours and placed the baby underneath her to protect him as her home collapsed on her body. Somehow she also managed to text him a message.

The story goes on to describe how rescuers found her body in the rubble, realized that she had perished and then quickly moved on to search other areas. However, the lead rescuer hesitated for some reason and had a nagging feeling that he should return to that particular house because this woman had been found in a rather odd body position. The others were in a hurry, but he urged them to return. As they pushed her lifeless form aside, there was her three-month old son sleeping safely underneath her. They quickly cleared the area to extricate him. It was at this time that they also found her cell phone and the message she had supposedly texted to him: if you survive this, remember that I love you.

As this story circulated throughout the internet, it was hard to read this account of love’s ultimate sacrifice without weeping. True or not, the sheer poignancy of this story moved many of us to almost instant tears. I admit it: I cried. Then I asked myself why I cried so readily. I pondered this throughout that day and the next. I shared the story with my husband and he instantly teared up [but then he has always been rather sentimental.] So I continued to ask myself what it was about this story that so moved me. Even after I discovered that the story might not be entirely true, I still found myself pondering my own reaction to it.

The answer that came to me repeatedly was quite simple really. It was the story’s elegant simplicity that so brightly stands out. There was a karmic nobility to this young mother’s actions. With each increasingly violent shaking, she had to know that she was dying, that her house would collapse around her, and yet she thought to try to save her son. In the face of the greatest challenge to her own survival, she set aside her own feelings, her sheer panic and thought of her son.

All of us want to know that our own mother loves us so much that she would sacrifice her life for us – willingly. The child in this story may have to grow up without her, but he will always know to the depth of his core, that she profoundly loved him.

But there is more to this [if it is true and I do not know if it is true], and that is why the rescuer returned to that house once he had determined that she had died. There was no logical reason for him to go back. Yet, he had a ‘nagging feeling’. What was that? Where did it come from? Was that feeling the mother, now a ghost, still watching over her son, even in death? Did she watch in horror as her son’s salvation moved away from her home? Was that ‘nagging feeling’ really the ghost mother screaming at the lead rescuer to return to the house? Could that be?

Perhaps my own tears were for that part of the story. Even in death, her loyalty, dedication and persistence prevailed. Literally, she was screaming at this man to save her son – and he did save the child. Perhaps only then could she find peace. Death does not stop the feelings of love that we carry within our souls for those we love. Nothing can change or alter those feelings. Life and death are only dimensions of reality: they do not define the limits of love.

This mom did not have the karma to have a whole life with her son this lifetime. However what she did have and what she did display were the finest elements of karmic nobility, the most golden elements of love that one human being, one immortal soul can have for another.

Book Excerpt: She Left the Light on For Me

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Erwin) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 21:53:00 +0000

The Following article is an excerpt from my new mini-ebook "His What is rising?" due out this fall.

Client: “I don’t believe in ghosts.”

Tina: “OK. No problem.”

Client: “I am a rocket scientist. I work for NASA and I want you to know that I really, really, don’t believe in ghosts. All that airy fairy stuff about spirits and haunted houses is just so much garbage in my opinion.”

Tina: “Sir, truly, I believe you. You don’t believe in ghosts. I get it. No problem. However, you called a psychic who removes ghosts, so are you sure you have the right number”?

Client: “Of course I have the right number! I’m talking to you about ghosts aren’t I?”

Tina: “Okay Mr. Rocket Scientist, I’m listening, so just why did you call me?”

Client: “My beautiful house in Ghent is haunted. I haven’t lived there very long but everyone tells me it is haunted.”

Tina: “Well, lots of houses in Norfolk are haunted, that’s nothing new. All of Virginia is haunted give or take a house here and there. What makes you think your house is haunted. And mind you, I know you don’t believe in hauntings, but something has unnerved you or obviously, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

Client: “I can’t seem to start any relationships. Every single time I bring a lady to my house, they get completely creeped out and leave immediately. Usually they aren’t in the house more than, a good five minutes.”

Tina: “Do they tell you why they are leaving so hurriedly? Surely they give you some explanation.”

Client: “One lady said that the house gave her the creeps. Another one said that she felt an angry presence near her. One lady I really like said that ‘someone blew cold air in her face’ and she literally ran out of the house.”

Tina: “Let me guess, you told her that there is no such thing as ghosts.”

Client: “Yes I did. She got mad at me, said she was not a liar and stormed out of my house.”

Tina: “Is that the only sign you have of a ghost; is there any other anecdotal evidence?”

Client: “No, there’s more. When I leave my house, I make sure that all the lights are off, especially the outside front porch light. Yet, every single night when I return that light is on. I know I didn’t turn it on. I even had an electrician look at the switch and the switch is fine. No one can explain why that light is always on when I return at night. I always turn it off, but the next night, it’s on again. Can you remove the ghost? Do you think I have a ghost?. . . .I can’t believe I’m even having this conversation.”

Tina: “I bet this is shaking all of your paradigms about life and death isn’t it.”

Client: “Shaking is an understatement. Will you help me?”

Tina: “Of course. I’ll get back to you.”

…. About a week later:

Tina: “Ah, Mr. Rocket Scientist, I am here to report that you did indeed have a very possessive, jealous female ghost. Neither you nor your lady guests are crazy.”

Client: “Who is it? How did she get here? Did you order her to leave at once!”

Tina: “Well, the problem is that she was in love with you and had been nuts about you since the moment you moved into your home. She has issues, issues that go back to the Civil War.”

Client: “You mean she’s been here since the 1860’s?”

Tina: “Yes, her name was Georgia and she was an old maid spinster who died as a result of the Civil War, lots of women starved to death or were brutalized by marauding, renegade soldiers from both sides. She, however, died in her forties of disease and this property was where her house stood. She has felt possessive of this land. She did not move into the light, or ‘cross-over’ because she felt cheated by mortal life and wanted to have more experiences. When you moved into the house, she literally fell in love with you and vowed that you would be hers and no one else’s!”

Client: “You mean she was trying to possess me?”

Tina: “She wanted a relationship with you and she did blow in the faces of your girlfriends and terrify them. She felt this was great ‘sport’ - how fast could she get each one to leave. She told me she turned on the light for you each night so you would somehow know that she was always there for you. Let me assure you, she wasn’t any too happy to see me when I came to remove her.”

Client: “Did you remove her?”

Tina: “Oh yes, she’s quite gone now. I moved her into the correct realm of the heaven world.”

Client: “I guess I realized that the ghost was gone, when the light wasn’t on for me the last couple of nights when I came home. The house felt oddly empty, like there had been a presence there and now it is gone.”

Tina: “You may want to invite your girlfriends back and tell them that you did believe them and you had her spiritually removed. They will appreciate your believing them and taking action.”

Client: “Thanks. Maybe I didn’t want to believe in ghosts. Maybe that shook my whole belief structure. I’m not sure how I feel but I am grateful to you for helping me, or, her or the situation.”

Tina: “You’re welcome. Always remember that there is no such thing as no such thing. Energy is neither created nor destroyed, so the energy of the animation of the human body has to go somewhere at death and that somewhere is into another dimension as a ghost. When a soul is assisted in crossing over into the 5^th dimension, then they are no longer a ghost and their process of soul evolution and reincarnation, can reasonably continue.”

Book Excerpt: The Dangerous Resonance of Pink

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Erwin) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 16:01:00 +0000

The following is an excerpt from my new ebook:

The Lightworkers Guide to Everyday Karma [2011]
[available everywhere eBooks are sold!]

The Dangerous Resonance of Pink

Resonance is a critically important metaphysical concept to understand. Everything has a frequency. Resonance is the concept that you resonate, or are in harmony with something, someone, some place or with some concept that is the same frequency as yours, or is close to that frequency.

When you resonate with something, you take on those characteristics because you agree with what it is saying. So, it is exceptionally important to pay attention to all those things in which you are in resonance.

You have to consciously decide, and choose with what you will be in resonance. However, what if you are not aware that somehow you are becoming in resonance with a concept that could be exceptionally harmful to you? Could this happen? Is it possible?

It is possible and it is happening right before your eyes. Women today are being made to believe on an exceptionally subtle level that they will inevitably get breast cancer. At some point, there is a subtle pressure to believe that no matter what you do, this terrible thing is going to happen to you. Some women are so afraid of this that they are going ahead and having whole body parts removed in advance. They are allowing themselves to be mutilated to preclude breast cancer. American women are becoming completely in resonance with breast cancer.

How is this resonance being perpetrated? Pink! Wear pink for the Cure! There is Breast Cancer Awareness Week, Month, Year, Day, Sale, Offer, and on and on. At first it started out with pink bracelets, and then pink ribbons. Now everywhere you look, you see this toxic manipulation of your psyche through the most astounding things such as selling pink kitchen appliances, pink computer/phone technologies, Fight For the Cure jewelry - which you wear in the vicinity of your breasts - of course.

There are also marathons. “Race for the Cure!!!” they say. Imagine hundreds of women running a marathon, all in resonance with each other and all thinking about breast cancer. All mistakenly thinking their running is going to somehow stop what they now believe in the recesses of their minds is inevitable: breast cancer.

Some soup now comes in cans with pink labels, so eat the soup and think of breast cancer.

Carpet companies give discounts if you buy ‘pink flooring’ and they will donate to ‘the cure for breast cancer.’

One bakery in Virginia even sells bagels in the breast cancer ribbon shape and wraps them in pink paper.

And the absolute worst pink product: breast cancer awareness underwear in pink bras and panties. Think about it. You are being asked to wear the representation of breast cancer directly on your very breasts. So even as you get dressed, you are putting on a pink bra that will cradle the very breasts that just may have to be removed.

That is a lot of fear. That is a tremendous number of women to place in fear and to place this fear in front of them day after day, week after week, and year after year. The drug companies are literally creating the very market they are telling people they want to eliminate - breast cancer patients. But breast cancer is very, very big business. Breast cancer advertising is an even bigger business on very subtle levels.

Over the past seventy years, billions of dollars have been donated to find a cure. Where is this money from all of these fund raising activities actually going? Where is the cure for cancer?

This resonance issue goes a step further. Not only are you being made to be afraid of your very bodies, you are being made to believe that fighting your body will somehow keep you safe.

There are now millions of extremely sincere, conscientious women, in resonance with each other, wearing an insipid shade of pink thinking that they are standing side by side with other women of like mind who want to find a cure for a disease they do not even have but believe that they will probably, eventually get. There is no logic here, only exceptionally brilliant advertising. You surely don’t see men wearing shiny brown ribbons to fight prostate or testicular cancer. You absolutely don’t see men having their prostates removed or testicles lopped off - just in case. No man in his right mind would do such an illogical thing.

These resonance issues also apply to women who have already had breast cancer. By keeping them in resonance with breast cancer, they stay labeled ‘breast cancer survivors’ forever. When do they heal? When is it over? When do the support groups end?

People who wear these bracelets and pins think they are being supportive, but potentially, they could be harming themselves.

So, what can you do to change your resonance? Look forward to karmic opportunities to keep yourself happy, healthy and potentially forever cancer free. The time has come to shift your resonance to being with people who are happy, healthy and who are enjoying the life and the body they have. Now is the time to become in resonance with a whole new wonderful reality and enjoy a healthy life for the rest of your life.

KS&L 60 De-cluttering Your Life

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Erwin) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 21:53:00 +0000

There are all sorts of books out there on de-cluttering your home and aspects of your life. It seems like such a daunting task. You open the junk drawer in your kitchen, and heaven knows we all have one, and you just sigh and shut the drawer. What do you do with all that stuff?

We have emotional junk drawers full of stuff too. Often we look at it and then just shut the drawer - too hard!

So, where do you begin ‘de-cluttering’? Which do you do first: physical house or emotional house? Here are some suggestions.

• Truly, as you do one, you do the other, so make an appointment with yourself for an hour a week, with your house - start there first. If you can make an appointment for a hair cut, you can make an appointment for yourself.

• Just do one drawer or cabinet. Don’t take on the entire garage – that is way too daunting. Also, don’t assign a task like that to your spouse and then get angry when he or she too, finds it daunting and puts it off.

• If you find an old memory in that drawer or box, take some time and decide how you feel. Are you happy with it, angry, ready to let go, need to talk to someone about it - what is the feeling?

• Make a list on a piece of paper of what is not resolved on an emotional level, in that drawer.

• When you have done several rooms and have a respectable number of things on your life list, then make another appointment with yourself or a professional and work through each one.

Imagine what your life will be like at the end of the year. It is wise to remember that as you clean out anything, you make way for new and wonderful things in your life. Sounds too simple. I heard that. . . However, just try it - what if it works?

KS&L 364 Take Me to Hell - Please!

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Erwin) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 23:46:00 +0000

Getting into hell is so much easier than getting into heaven because all hell requires is the feeling of guilt that an exceedingly large number of people have at death.

If you have lived a good life, been a good person, friend, spouse, parent, sibling, child, employee, then there should be no problem in making that glorious, light filled transition into the heaven world. What stops you? Guilt stops you.

Guilt is the slayer of many a good heart. Guilt, the classical purveyor of fruitless ‘what if’ and ‘if only’ offers all souls a gold plated, first class ticket on the guilt train. And that train’s ultimate destination is the lower realms, the various dimensions of the worlds of hell.

If you think about it, hell has a purpose and that purpose is to offer all of us the punishment that we doggedly seek. Guilt always seeks punishment, so the spirit world has to offer us what we seek, the experiences we need to evolve as souls. So if we seek punishment for what we perceive as ‘sins’, horrible mistakes, or chronic bad actions or choices, there has to be a place to live out that punishment. Actually it starts in the mortal and continues into the afterlife.

The concepts of sin, hell, and punishment frequently begin, ironically, in church with the twisted concept of being born in sin and dying in sin. This means that at an early age a person believes for their entire life that they are to be punished because they were automatically born in sin and they already believe that they are going to die in sin. If that is the case, why try? What’s the use? You’ve already been branded as a sinner!

What if a more meaningful concept could be offered to all souls?

What if we are born to work through past karmic actions, not as a sin or punishment, but to balance our lives and the lives of the people with whom we constantly interact?

What if mortal life is an opportunity to walk a different path because we have been born again into this life to heal the past and pave the way to a better tomorrow?

What if we know that while we may not get it 100% each life, that the very act of seeking to be a good person every day helps our karmic path and enables us to move up a notch on the karmic ladder a bit more each time?

What if God realizes that we are trying, that sometimes we fail but that we keep going?

What if God uses karma to balance the scales and then, no matter what, we can be welcomed with love and compassion into the heaven world?

What if at death we showed remorse for the things in our life we didn’t get quite right and we asked God to forgive us for those things. We could then also ask God to welcome us home so that we can spiritually evaluate that life, learn from it and then reincarnate with a new opportunity to have a better life the next time?

What if we don’t have to be guilty at death?

What if the next stop after our deathbed isn’t hell, but walking the path with either a loved one or an angel, into the heaven world?

What if someone is already in hell, how do they get out? When you don’t need an experience anymore, it can stop happening, on any realm. When you don’t need guilt, you can be released into the heaven world.

How long to do you need to be punished?

Well, just how guilty are you?

Release guilt in your life, no matter what happened. When a student is ready, a spiritual teach will appear to help you find that spiritual path, release that guilt and prepare for the heaven world, no matter where you are. Now, isn’t this concept infinitely more hopeful?

The 9/11 Time Anchor

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Erwin) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 16:00:00 +0000

There are those shattering moments in life that define time and space. We all have them. These moments anchor our memory at certain points in our lives. We connect memories to them like pearls on a necklace. The energy of those moments may affect us indirectly and yet directly because after each of them, we are never the same. We change because the world around us changed.

I was in 8^th grade English class in Greensboro, North Carolina on November 22, 1963 when President Kennedy was shot. I remember that the PA (public address) system came on and they interrupted class and made the announcement. I remember Walter Cronkite’s voice cracking as he pronounced the fate of the Kennedy family, the changing course of a nation and the reality that our illusion of living in a safe world was forever shattered.

On January 28, 1986, I was a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy, stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. I was home with the flu that day. I was resting when the news came on that Challenger blew up. I could not fathom such a disaster in the macrocosm being witnessed by the world and in the microcosm being witnessed by all of the astronaut’s families. My husband was Captain of a Submarine Rescue Ship that could perform salvage operations. He volunteered to immediately begin search operations with his ship. His ship USS Kittiwake, (ASR 13), eventually recovered that damaged ‘O’ ring that physically caused the accident. Looking back, I find it so strange to be connected to this event in its aftermath. Yet, in a thousand subtle ways, we are all connected.

I was sound asleep on September 11, 2001, when my sister called me from Virginia Beach. California is three hours behind the East Coast, so she was sure I would be asleep. Her frantic voice penetrated my sleep as I listened to the horror in her words. I rushed downstairs and turned on TV. My husband was at sea. I started calling my friends and neighbors. My friend Karen Ward came over and together we watched our world change again, and again, as each new piece of information came hurtling to us that not just the twin towers were hit, but the Pentagon as well and possibly the White House was next. There was a fear that one of the planes was headed to the West Coast to crash into some big building in Los Angeles.

Karen and I watched all the channels on television for most of that day. It was as if our world came to a halt. I will always be grateful that Karen shared that moment with me, that neither of us was alone watching this. The companionship of a wonderful friend or family member, helps to mitigate the initial trauma of any powerful event.

When any of us watch real life horror, we suffer trauma, to greater and lesser degrees, depending on who we are, where we are in relation to the event and how we approach life. Bad things happen to good people. The indelible memory is forever etched in our brain as well as the date, time and place of a national trauma. This becomes a time anchor. We will remember other events in our lives in relation to that time anchor.

Perhaps one of the hardest things about national traumatic events is the blunt reality that we are never really going to know for sure what actually happened that day, whether it was ‘that day’ in 1963, 1986 or 2001. If we are wise, we reserve judgment for the whole story is seldom what we think it was. Unlike the Tsunami of Dec 26, 2004, where we do know the cause was an undersea earthquake, the other events are man made. Maybe that is the hardest part. Natural disasters as bad as they may be are part of the ‘act of God’ scenario that we know we have to accept. But when one person deliberately harms another or is negligent then there is a huge sense of injustice.

In the end, the only way to balance the illogic of injustice is to remember that karma balances everything, whether we can perceive it or not. So today, the time and place anchor that is 9/11 will remind us where we were, who we were with and how we felt when our world stood still.

KS&L 363 Who Gets Into Heaven?

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Erwin) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 23:33:00 +0000

Someone once noted that all dogs go to heaven and probably most cats too. How about people though, do all people go to heaven? Human beings talk about going to heaven, seeking entrance at the Pearly Gates and then sitting on some lofty cloud while looking down on the rest of the miserable mortal population struggling to make it through each day.

Frankly, that scenario is doubtful. The truth of the matter is far more complicated and hopeful. People have to seek heaven. When it comes to the spiritual side of life, nothing is automatic. Human beings have to want to find the light of the Divine on the other side of mortal life.

However, when your days are packed with making a living, raising children, caring for a family, having and being a friend, the thought of heaven seems like a distant concept best left for that occasional Sunday in church. And honestly, does any church really help you prepare for heaven?

Churches are social clubs with a hierarchy, politics, rules, regulations, and expectations. The texts that are used are tailored to that particular faith’s belief system. Few church organizations welcome too much elasticity outside of the accepted norm of spiritual structure, [accepted] scripture, or sociology. Even specific religions have branches of faith, more accepted than others. Many small towns only define you by what faith you ascribe to and how you demonstrate that faith by church attendance.

Nothing in the paragraph above talked about preparing for or going to heaven. You would think that would be the focus of church: preparation for tomorrow by interpreting the actions of today, but that is seldom the case.

Who gets into heaven is entirely dependent on the following factors:

• What do you believe to be true about yourself?

• What relationship have you cultivated with the Divine?

• What is your belief in an afterlife?

• How much are you able to love people, and life itself at the end of each day and ultimately at the end of your own life?

• What is your personal definition of hope, reincarnation and love?

All of our lives, we hear people talk about love and yet, at the end of our lives, how much can we say that we loved ourselves, our families, and our friends? Many people who own pets freely adore them with a tremendous level of unconditional love. However, those same people may find that they have significant difficulty applying that same level of unconditional love to the people in their lives. People hurt and disappoint us. We hurt and disappoint ourselves, and the sheer volume of this hurt and disappointment acts as an impediment to moving into the heaven world. Most of us would like to get there, but we are the stumbling block to our own spiritual progress an uncomfortable percentage of the time.

Human beings will be welcomed into heaven because we are all children of the same loving God. No matter where in the world we are born, no matter what faith we cling too and no matter what our method of death may be we can all be welcomed home. The truly great Masters who have walked this Earth have tried to share this ‘good news’ with us. Are we listening?

Most people seek to be a good person every single day. Not too many people wake up and say “Gee, I think I will be a stinker today and make the world a nightmare.” Perhaps there are those people out there, but mostly, the world is made up of good people. [I know, I find them everywhere I go!]

We can be lovingly embraced at the point of death and transition into heaven if we believe that we are and have been a good person throughout our lives. It is an exciting time, this transition. However, for many people that time is fraught with pain because of one single word: Guilt, yes, Guilt, with a capital ‘G’! Part 2 Getting into Hell

KS&L 362 Tools of Karma part 5, Spiritual Role Models

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Erwin) — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 21:28:00 +0000

Organized, corporate religions are their own role model. These organizations have a very specific, often rigid structure, which unfortunately, in many instances discourages uncomfortable questions, new discoveries or controversial philosophies. Many of them have a predictable script, which never seems to vary. If you don’t provide the right answer according to the script, then you are not of that religious ‘body.’

My first role model was the Catholic Church. While there are, I am sure, wonderful people who attend and who administer church doctrine, I did not find that. Imagine being nine years old and being told that your parents are living in mortal sin because they are practicing birth control. I remember thinking how bizarre it was for the priest to be punishing me for something I wasn’t supposed to even know about, much less actually do something about. I also found it presumptions for this never-married man to judge a family for its decisions of responsibility: he certainly didn’t have to feed, clothe or educate four children. How dare he judge any of us! Needless to say, I was thrilled when we walked away from that suffocating place. However, it was a most enlightening experience of an ‘abuse of power’ role model.

My next religious experience were the various people I met, who attended all the various churches in the city of Greensboro, North Carolina where we lived. We tried other churches, but the script was always the same: You are born in sin and you will die in sin. We are all sinners every one: sinners! Sinners! Sinners! Everyone wanted to know if we had found Christ – as if somehow he was lost, and we had to find him. If you answer no to that question (because you never actually lost him), then you aren’t ‘Christian.’ If you answer yes to that question, then you have to identify what church you go to, who your pastor is and how many times a week you go to church. I was also told, repeatedly, that if you did not believe as they believed that no matter how good you are as a person, you will, at death go immediately to hell. That seemed like quite a lot of fear to me. Obviously these folks believed that they were all the chosen ones. These religious people were role models for what being judgmental and fearful looked and felt like.

Then I discovered Buddhist philosophy, the concept of opening your heart to all people, all living things. This was totally refreshing. This philosophy, and the people who walked this path taught me what it looks and feels like to be non-judgmental. They offered an example of kindness and openness. The Dalai Lama is still that spiritual role model for me to this day. My own spiritual teacher, Tashi Leo is a most precious role model in the honored tradition of the Dalai Lama. Tashi's patience with my personality is a constant reminder for me as I approach each new situation.

In my spiritual studies, I discovered all kinds of people who claimed to be the reincarnation of some great person, or of being totally ‘enlightened’ and of having ‘great powers.’ I quickly realized that none of these people, no matter how well intentioned, were the real thing. Many were examples of people who thought they had power and who really had very little.

However, along my fascinating path, I discovered a man named Edgar Cayce, a psychic who eventually founded the Association for Research and Enlightenment, in Virginia Beach Virginia. This was a man who discovered from an early age that he truly had a unique psychic ability. As he matured, this ability manifested in an astonishing ability to go into trance and allow what was termed a Universal Spirit of goodness to over-shadow him. At this point he was able to provide absolutely accurate information on diagnosis and healing of various clients anywhere in the world.

Mr. Cayce was a simple man, an ordinary man who had a devout and unshakable belief in God, in Christ and in his own Divine connection – and yet he was utterly honest, true to himself and his family. He was a psychic, yet he was humble, kind, caring and above all dedicated to the service of mankind. Perhaps he is my favorite spiritual role model because he taught by example the need to love and care for all humanity. In the purity of the soul that was Edgar Cayce, we have the embodiment of the message that Christ came to Earth to share: love one another. Help one another in whatever capacity you are able to provide. Respect the path of another, whether or not that person goes to your church!

Cayce reminded me to remember that you cannot heal everyone. Christ did not heal everyone because not everyone had the karma to be healed – and that is also true today. Help those you can and then respect their path without judgment.

Edgar Cayce was willing to look at things outside of his original range of knowledge. He did his spiritual job to the best of his ability. He loved with all of his heart. At the end of his precious life, he could look back and marvel at all he had learned and all the lives he felt he had humbly touched. Perhaps he felt honored to have been allowed to have that ability and to use it, the way that he did.

Perhaps Edgar Cayce represented the best role model I could have, because he was a flawed human being who did his best every day, accepted those tough days and still keep going, lighting the way with his own goodness. I can only hope to fill a tiny portion of the giant footprints Mr. Cayce so generously left behind.

KS&L 361 Role Models - Tools of Karma Part 4: My Own Life Role Models

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Erwin) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 01:50:00 +0000

My favorite Negative Childhood Role Models:

1960 - 5^th Grade Teacher speaking to me [in front of the entire class]: “I cannot believe anyone can have handwriting this horrible. No one in class should play with this child because her handwriting is so bad!”

Blessedly, my mother stood up for me. This teacher taught me how cruel and hurtful words can be.

I learned that you could stand up to a teacher. I also learned that when a parent stands up for a child against an authority figure, that the child gains great courage and learns to believe in herself.

1963, - 8^th Grade Teacher who was also the assistant principal [in front of the entire class]: “Perhaps the Jews deserved what happened to them in Germany in World War II. The Jews aren’t very good people, really.”

In this case, I stood up in class, the only one, by the way, and defended the Jewish people, pointing out their contributions to civilization throughout history and reminding him that six million of these human beings were massacred by the Nazis. I then marched out of class, went to the principal’s office and called my Mother. Again, she stood up for my actions, and the teacher/assistant principal had to apologize to the class and to the Jewish people he had maligned.

I learned that just because a person is in a position of authority, does not mean that he or she is speaking the truth and that if you stand up to lies, the liar, the wrong doer has to back down. Truth will set you free if you have the courage to speak up.

1964, 9^th Grade Algebra Teacher to me in front of the entire class: “Your algebra test scores prove to me that you are an idiot in math.” [Hard to believe isn’t it!]

Rather than being her victim, I stood up in class and said:

“How dare you share my test scores in class and try to humiliate me in public! You are an incompetent teacher and I am leaving your class permanently!” . . . . and then I marched to the principal’s office and filed an official complaint against her. As I walked out of the room, I heard the entire class erupt in applause and cheer me on for standing up to this chronically cruel woman. I did not need my mother at this point. I could stand up for myself quite well.

These teachers above weren’t just cruel, insensitive and incompetent to me alone. I had witnessed them do these cruel things to countless students. When it came to be my turn, I refused to stand for it. Perhaps I gave other students courage. I was grateful to my Mother for teaching me to stand up for what is right and for being my role model for this critical trait.

Positive Role Models:

1960-1963 Star Trek’s Captain Kirk

As a teenager, I watched all of the Star Trek series, over and over and over. I watched it in college. Again and again, the Captain Kirk character faced insurmountable odds and always used creative problem solving to resolve every single issue. He was clever, good to his crew, willing to listen to opposing viewpoints, courageous, loyal and kind, but above all he was a powerful leader. The most important trait that I valued was his leadership skills. Even today, few people portray leadership skills at this level. This character demonstrated how to be a good Naval Officer because that was what he was. The Captain of the Enterprise was not a super hero. He was fallible, he became tired of the struggle at times and he knew the taste of failure, yet he never stopped. He never gave up. The Captain Kirk character taught me how to be the captain of my own life and lead others with integrity, honor and courage.

1976 Josephine Gallucci

From 1976-1979 my husband and I were stationed in Naples, Italy. We were both Lieutenants at the time. During one lovely party, someone introduced us to this eccentric art dealer by the name of Josephine Gallucci.

Josephine was 83 years old when I met her in. She was my art dealer and my friend. I loved her because every single person she met was fascinating to her. Every person’s story was unique and she made you feel unique while she was listening to you. Yet, listening to her was mesmerizing! What a life! One day, I was at a party at her villa with its floor to ceiling art, and we were all speaking Italian. Finally everyone left and it was just the two of us. We were still speaking Italian and I realized that I had no Italian vocabulary left in me and asked her if we could switch to English. She laughed and said of course! Then she became quite serious.

“Tina, do I seem old to you? After all, I’m 85 now.”

“Josephine, you will never be old! Chronology does not define you. You are ageless to me. Your years only make you more fascinating. They do not make you old. You will never be old to me.”

“Really? So you don’t think I’m old?”

“Oh no, you will never be old.”

“Whew! I am so glad you reassured me. I don’t feel old. I walk 4 miles a night, still enjoy my 40 year old lover and love the life I am living and all the people in it. I don’t think I will ever accept being old. Why should I? It doesn’t define me. Life defines me!”

Josephine was the epitome of a life elegantly well lived. Hers was a life defined by the texture of so many relationships, rich in the wealth of art that surrounded her and happy with the love with which she approached her every moment. That type of life is how I choose to define my own life!

Throughout my life I have met many people who taught me what love and compassion weren’t and what they were. Literally, I feel enriched to have had many hundreds of role models from my wonderful family to all the amazing Navy people I have met, to my friends and neighbors.

Each person played a part in creating who I am today. I am eternally grateful to each of them for the powerful lessons I have learned from them. Such is the power of the role models who help to shape our lives in increasingly positive ways. Ultimately this can be true for you, if that is the choice you choose to make in how to look at each experience karma presents to you!