"No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it." - Albert Einstein.

If we are ever to rise above the evil that spawned the shootings in Connecticut, we must change our perspective as a society.  Teach intolerance and hatred follows. Destroy creativity and you create a mindless mass ripe for destruction. When you teach consumerism, you create competition rather than cooperation. When you ignore an issue, it doesn't go away. It gets worse. Just for today, I challenge you to really pay attention to what's going on around you. Notice the social and political posturing that removes humanity from society, then do something to change it. You can start with a simple, small kind gesture. Hold the door for someone, give a compliment to a stranger. Help a neighbor. Try seeing the world through someone else's eyes. The rewards will surprise you.

If you are thinking about giving someone a gift card for psychic readings this holiday season, please consider the following:

1. NEVER give out your real date of birth. Psychics, unless they are doing an astrological birth chart for you, do NOT need them. It's a common scam. Only get an astrological reading from someone you know well and trust.

2. Research a site before you make a payment. A lot of scammers create sites this year to rip people off, so be sure that the company is legitimate and has a good reputation

3. NEVER send cash through the mail. If a site asks to you to do this, RUN not walk away.

4. Make sure that your gift is refundable or at the very least transferable. That way, if the person you're giving it to doesn't like it, they can get the money and do something else or pass it on to someone who will appreciate it.

5. A world of caution: Unless the psychic has an office or does public appearances, she/he should never ask you to meet them in person. If you are invited to a private meeting, please be sure that it is for an event that is legitimate and is being held in a public place. NEVER meet someone in a private setting.

Best of luck and have a very happy holiday!

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"The most beautiful thing we can experience is  the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science." - Albert Einstein.

With cameras being available almost everywhere, paranormal events like UFO sightings and encounters with ghosts are becoming more and more mainstream and less "spooky". Attempts by Orthodox mainstream to summarily dismiss claims of the paranormal and label anyone who speaks of such things as "crazy" or "weird" are falling to the wayside along with incandescent light bulbs, VCR's and desktop PC's. With so much video evidence, we can no longer deny that there are things out there we just cannot explain.  Change is inevitable, but it doesn't have to be painful. By expanding our minds and allowing ourselves to reach beyond the ordinary, we discover that there is more to life, death and existence than we ever imagined possible and allow that to bring us closer to our spirituality rather than separating it from us. After all, what drives home the beauty of Divinity more than the notion that the universe is far more vast, more complex and more mysterious than we ever realized?

Only when we recognize our shortcomings can we overcome them. The moment we blame others for our own actions, we lose. The Devil cannot make you do things. You, yourself make the choice. Society is not responsible for your actions, you are. Your parents may not have done the best job raising you, but you alone are responsible for your actions, your well-being and the course of your life. Someone MADE you angry you say? Not likely. No one can generate your feelings for you. YOU responded with anger to something someone did. That was your choice. Enlightenment demands that we look at each moment and situation from a perspective of unconditional love. Let's look at an example: Someone steals your car. You get angry. "What a scum!" You say. But 16 year old Johnny, the boy who stole your car, has a mom who is a junkie and a dad who is in jail. There is no food in the house and his little sister is hungry and not feeling well. They live an a rural area so he has no way to get to and from a job and when he does earn a little money, his mom steals it for drugs. They have no working vehicle and there is no money for him to take public transportation. He only took your car to get his little sister to the emergency room to be looked at. Now of course, you do not know this. But why not ask? Imagine how the world could change if instead of getting angry, we just took a moment to ask a question and perhaps to help make a difference. Imagine how young Johnny's life could change if instead of pressing charges, you offered to help him? A simple kind gesture can mean all the difference in the world. It could even save a life. Imagine how your simple gesture of kindness could affect someone who believes the world is a hostile, unforgiving place. That little gesture may be the one thing that keeps Johnny from becoming a lifelong criminal. So consider your feelings, your thoughts and your actions carefully. You never know when you will have the chance to change the world.

“Facing the shadows,

I really learned a lot.

I got hurt along the way,

But look at all I got..”

 (excerpt from "The Truth About Luci by V.K. Lindsey)

Just a little reminder that no matter how impossible things may seem at times, the truth about difficulties is that they are there to challenge us, motivate us and propel us toward bigger and better things. 

Silence is the greatest invention. It allows us the space to consider, to plan and to re-think things before we speak. Silence can also be the most difficult tool to use. For people like me, who shoot from the hip, act first, think later and always fly by the seat of their pants, silence can be frustrating.. no agonizing at times. For we type A'ers, the brooding stillness of silence is like a splinter you can't get out. It just doesn't work for us. But, like eating your veggies, it is important sometimes to think before you speak and so I offer this tidbit of advice to folks like me: If you don't want to walk around with your foot in your mouth all the time, just pause a second or two before you say or do something. Don't engage silence as if it were an enemy, instead visit it like an old relative that you love dearly, but can't take too much of. That way, you avoid doing or saying something stupid without the agony of being still. Good luck!

"Love never dies a natural death. It dies because we don't know how to replenish its source." - Anais Ninn

Life is a like a book. Every day is a chapter with a beginning and an end. The good news is that you are the author of your book. You get to decide how your day will begin and how it will end. Yes, there are those pesky things called Surprises which will sometimes surface and throw you completely off guard. It's what you do with them though that matter. Before you get angry, ask yourself what your role is in the situation. Change your perspective. Say for example, you've asked your spouse or child a dozen times to do something for you and you start your day with the discovery that it still has not been done. You have a choice: You can get angry at him/her for not doing it, OR you can change your perspective and think about what YOUR role is. Are you asking too much? Is he/she not feeling well? Is he/she depressed? Stressed out? Preoccupied with personal issues? Perhaps there's a good reason that he/she failed to do the task or perhaps, he/she just needs some of your attention. If you can't find a reason, try to find a solution that is fun and creative. Did something need fixing? Place the tool box in front of the coffee maker with a happy face on it and perhaps even a card with a promise of a "reward" if it gets done. Is it a mess that needs to get cleaned up? Try this: On a large sticky note, write the following:

"Messes, messes, the (room, house, garage, etc) is a askew

The bugs are a'coming, the rodents are too.  

Please be a sport and do your fair share, 

And when you are done, you'll find a (hug, smile, reward, whatever you think will motivate them) waiting there."  

Place the sticky note somewhere obvious where they are sure to see it. The bathroom mirror or refrigerator are good choices, then sit back and enjoy their response. Fun reminders work best because they take the conflict of the equation and allow for a non-confrontation dialogue.  The old adage, "you get more flies with honey than vinegar" is surprisingly accurate.

So make today a great chapter. Do something fun, something creative, something honest and something helpful. Above all do and be your best and tomorrow's chapter will be even better than today's!

V. K. Lindsey:  http://sites.google.com/site/vklindsey  

"It is not good enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well."- Rene Descartes

 

It's so tempting to load kids up with all sorts of blinking, noisy, colorful toys that occupy their time this holiday season. I however, would like to challenge every parent, relative and friend  to do something a little different this year: Give a child the gift of your time instead. Read to them, play games with them, dance, sing and be silly with them and give them a gift that will last forever: a happy memory. If you choose to give a few gifts, that's OK,  But choose toys that spark their creativity, like Play-doh or Crayons, toys that spark logic and reasoning like Lego's and Dominos and toys that foster physical coordination and overall general fitness like a really good rubber ball or jump rope.  The simplest toys are the best because they require thought, action and creativity to use and will build a lifetime of skill for your child. The mind is truly a precious thing to waste, so ditch the TV and the video games and help your child to use the most important thing he/she has: the mind. 

"Courage is simply the willingness to be afraid and act anyway." ~Dr. Robert Anthony

  

      Change is often the scariest thing we face in our lives. But change brings with it many blessings, even though it may not seem that way at first. As we approach the new year, many of us are already thinking of changes we'd like to make  in our lives. Perhaps losing  a few pounds or saving money this year are some things that may be on a list. But even before we put pen to paper and write down our resolutions, we have already failed. Why? Fear. As determined as we think we are, the fear of change can halt even the best intentions in their tracks. For many folks it's not the fear of the actual doing that's the issue. It's the fear of failing, so they give up long before they even really began. 

      This year, don't let fear of anything get in your way. Take each goal one moment at a time and remember to reward yourself along the way. Courage is a great teacher. Find it. Allow yourself to do something you've never done, try something you've never tried before and open yourself up to new ideas, concepts and beliefs. Strive to become a stronger, braver and more well-rounded person. You won't regret it.

“Watching the world drift slowly by,

I hang my head and softly cry.

Sometimes it seems

I’m the only one,

Who sees the world the way I do,

And think the thoughts,

And dream the dreams

And feel the nothingness

I can’t undo.

Watching the years slip faster by,

I lift my eyes up to the sky.

Maybe there is an answer for me,

Or maybe there is nothing at all.”

-From "The Truth About Luci" - V.K. Lindssey

‎"...reality trumps all belief systems: what you believe is not nearly so important as what is real." - Derrick Jensen

 

This quote got me thinking. How do we define what is real? I've always wondered about that. We say that the sky is blue, because the human brain interprets the color that way. But how do we know that the sky really isn't a shade of magenta? How would we ever know? Thanks to advances in since, we now know that nothing in the universe is solid. Everything is made up of energy. So if nothing is truly solid, how can I pick up a pen or walk on the ground? How is it that we are all not floating in space somewhere? And what is reality, anyway? If reality is nothing more than perception, then how can there even be a such thing, since every single organism's perception is different? Who then, gets to define what reality is? Well that's my random insanity for today. Hope this got you thinking too! 

Courage is not noisy. It's the quiet voice at the end of the day that say, 'I will try again.'
~ Unknown

As long as you keep trying, you cannot fail. Failure only happens when you give up. Even if things go completely wrong, there is always something you can learn, do and achieve. Simply ask, "What can I do with this?" My Great Uncle  loved to build things. One summer, he decided to build a small shed for his tools. He had it built and ready to go in less than a week. It looked amazing. The following week, a hurricane blew through and a large tree fell on it, demolishing it. He pulled what was left of the shed apart, sorted through the remains of the old shed for parts, and built another one. A couple of weeks later, a construction worker who had been hired by his neighbor to re-build a leach field, accidentally drove a back-hoe into the new shed, once again demolishing it. The man was an upstanding man, however, and paid my uncle for the materials to build a new one and offered to help him build it. Two weeks later, my uncle finally had his tool shed. Months passed, and one day he got some bad news. My Aunt was dying. With soaring medical bills, they were forced to sell their home. As they packed up their belongings, He decided that the tool shed he had worked so hard to build, had to come with him. But how? They were moving to the city and wouldn't have room for it on the tiny lot. So, he broke it down board by board and cut all the lumber into uniform-sized pieces and stored them in totes. After they were settled, he started a new project. He used the lumber to build doll houses which he then donated to charity. Of course, there was one small model he built that stayed on a prominent shelf in his workshop just above his work bench until he died. It was an exact replica of his tool shed.

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world."

                                                                                                  ~Harriet Tubman

  

It's good to have a dream. It's better to take action and make the dream happen. Reaching for the stars requires that you first stand up. So today, pick your biggest dream and do something to work toward it. Even if it's just doing some research on the subject, making little steps leads to bigger ones, so get out there! You never know where it might lead. 

“Stepping out into the black,

All the world’s weight is on my back

I want to run for cover.

Slow decay,

Living day to day

A break from reality would be nice.

Letting go of all the misery

Is sometimes hard to do

Learning from the pain you feel,

Might just get you through.

I’ve never known heartache,

That wasn’t healed with time

But for the moment,

Time hasn’t healed mine.

Losing faith in the world around me

Nothing is ever certain.

Enjoy the ride for what it’s worth,

Then draw the final curtain.”

-V.K. Lindsey "The Truth About Luci - Based on a True Story"

I've been seeing a LOT of negative remarks and press about psychics lately and I would like to clarify a few things. First of all, psychics are regular, everyday people just like you and me. They come from ALL walks of life and religious backgrounds and do not necessarily accept that they even have a gift. Some psychics choose to ignore their talent altogether while others fully embrace it. Both paths are correct and sacred. Second, psychics who choose to embrace their talents are NOT evil. They are gifted and open-minded, which surely does not equal evil in any way. Yes, some practice religions that aren't mainstream, but those religions are just that: religions. In NO WAY does any person have the right to judge another human being on the basis of their belief system. If you don't like what someone else believes, ignore it. You do not have the right to publicly harass, degrade or otherwise harm anyone because they happen to believe differently than you.  As long as they aren't hurting you personally in any way, their belief system is none of your business. Finally, there are  psychics who offer to help with a spiritual crisis, negative energy attachment or other issues for a fee just as there are dieticians who offer to custom-create a diet for you for a fee or personal trainers who offer to build a fitness plan for you for  a fee. A person using their skills or knowledge to make money is a business person, that's all. Yes, there are those rare scammers who try to cheat you out of your hard-earned cash. Scammers work their tricks in virtually every form of commerce there is. It doesn't mean that because one person did something wrong, that every business person in that trade is dishonest. One look at the banking industry should tell you all you need to know about that. So, for someone to say that all psychics who do other energy work are scammers is grossly unfair. My advice is to get to know the psychic beforehand. What is his/her background? Establish boundaries before you begin. For example, if all you want is a reading, say so. A professional psychic will honor your limits and give you exactly what you ask for.

"Sometimes the darkness that threatens to consume is the gift that leads to salvation." -V.K. Lindsey

I've often heard people say "Why do bad things happen to good people?" or "What did I do to deserve this?". What they don't realize is that those dark moments in their lives are the greatest gifts of all. They are the motivators, the catalysts if you will, of deep and profound change. When we experience something dark it is because the Universe (or God, whatever you want to call it) is demanding that we grow. Sometimes the changes are subtle, like the gentle ebb and flow of the ocean that transforms the landscapes over time. Sometimes, though, they are powerful, like the forest fire that consumes everything in its path and leaves fertile ash in its wake for new life to grow from. It is up to us how we experience it and what we become because of it. So the next time something bad happens, ask yourself, "What do I have to gain from this?" instead of "Why me?" and you will find that your future is more more magnificent than you realized.

Sometimes, stress can really get to you, especially around the holidays. Here's a little something I wrote when I was 11, and it's kept me going through some tough times:

“When life becomes too hard,
And truths must be faced,
Let not your good points,
Become things of disgrace.
Let your strengths be your foothold,
Your weaknesses of the past,
And let the firm hope that you hold,
Last, and last, and last.”

Hope everyone has a great Monday!

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"Dance is the divine spark through which the sane and the depraved alike find God." - Oshun Takashi in "The Truth About Luci- Based on a True Story"

Dance is food for the soul. Cultures from around the world have used it to celebrate, to heal and to express themselves. Bring a little light into your world today and take a moment to dance. Be silly, have fun. And for those of you who can't be on your feet due to injury or illness, you can still dance! Dance is about movement. It doesn't demand that you be a professional ballerina or even that you have legs. It is as much about movement of the soul as it is the body. So wave your arms, make funny faces, imagine that you are dancing (yes, that counts too!) and enjoy the moment. Treat yourself today to a little dessert for the soul.

"Faith is living with the unexplained" - author unknown.

For those people who are interested in the paranormal, encountering something unexplainable is most often exciting. But for those who don't understand it or are too young to comprehend what is happening, it can be truly frightening and even traumatic. Today, I would like to give thanks for the many researchers who have dedicated parts of their lives to pursuing the unconventional sciences so that someday, a child won't have to grow up in fear of the unknown. Thank You.

We focus a lot on gratitude around Thanksgiving but it's really something that we should develop as a life-long habit. I've gotten through the darkest hours of my life by simply being grateful for the little things. Even when things seem impossibly dark, there is always a glimmer somewhere. Perhaps you can only be grateful that you are alive. But that's something isn't it? How about being grateful that you can see? Or hear? Or move your limbs? Or think? Remember that for every one thing you can do, there is someone who can't.

A gratitude journal is an amazing tool. If you're feeling blue (a very common occurrence around the holidays) grab a notebook and write down as many things as you can think of each morning to be grateful for. If you're like me and not a morning person, just say them into a tape recorder, or your cell if it has a recording ap. Then, play it back when you have time and write it all down. You'll be amazed at how much this little task can improve your outlook and your mood!!

"If you have the courage to begin, you have the courage to succeed." - David Viscott.

What a true and fabulous statement! The hardest part of succeeding at anything is taking the first step. Once you've done that, you're well on your way. So if there's something you've always wanted to do, something you've dreamed about, why not start doing it today? Why wait? You can't accomplish something tomorrow because tomorrow doesn't exist yet and you can't do it yesterday, because yesterday is already gone. See? Today is the perfect day. Go for it!

Want to lose the weight you gained from the holidays? Go barefoot! Seriously! There are cells on the bottom of your feet that regulate body temperature (among other things). When you wear shoes, they trick the body into thinking it is warm, so your metabolism slows down. Go barefoot, and your metabolism automatically speeds up to compensate for the colder temperatures. The result? Weight loss. Who knew losing weight could be so much fun?

Women are born strong. They are born intelligent. They are born resourceful and nurturing. Society is trying to strip that from them. Did you know that the ORIGINAL TWILIGHT Books were written and published by a woman named Maggie Shayne? HER female characters were strong, resourceful and quite capable, unlike the disgusting suicidal, needy emo chicks that ultimately made the movies. What's wrong with this picture? Why would Hollywood pick such weak, unassuming characters (and dare I say story line) over top-notch novels?? One answer: war on women. Media whore strikes again.

For more information and to verify this info for yourself, check out Maggie Shayne at http://maggieshayne.com/books/TwilightHunger.html

Trying to figure out how this thing works...