A Very Important Question

Today I attended a dowsing meeting and the speaker was a wonderful healer by the name of Nancy Russell. Although she spoke beautifully on many things, the most important point I got from her presentation was, at the end of the day ask yourself this question:

Am I bitter or am I better?

She spoke about the need to have fun and enjoy life. As I was taking my walk in the park this morning I was meditating...thinking about how every morning when I wake up I have the choice to make it a great day or not. I like to announce to the universe when I am showering that my choice for the day is that Today is the best day of my life! When I approach the day from this vantage point it is much easier to start off with an attitude that will take me forward. I am not suggesting that as the day rolls on I never am challenged because of this approach...but it does have an impact on my choice of how I decide to respond to my state of challenge.

When the day is started also with the intent of having fun and enjoying the moments, we see things differently. During my walk this morning, I enjoyed the sounds flowing through the air, I enjoyed watching the flights of the bluebirds as well as watching the fisherman on the banks of the stream, taking the time to feel, see, and smell my surrounding more deeply. This joy also allowed me to forget, that sometimes I rather be laying in my warm bed rather than walking outside on a brisk spring morning...so as I prepare to go off to bed tonight...I ask myself, am I bitter or am I better? I am better because of all the wonderful experiences I encountered in my life today. So how was your day?

And here is the rest of it.

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What Will Matter

What will matter is not what you bought,
but what you built;
Not what you got,
but what you gave.

What will matter is not your success,
but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned,
but what you taught.

What will matter is every act of integrity,
compassion, courage or sacrifice
that enriched, empowered or encouraged
others to emulate your example.
What will matter is not your competence,
but your character.

What will matter is not
how many people you knew,
but how many will feel
a lasting loss when you're gone.
What will matter is not your memories,
but the memories that live
in those who loved you.
What will matter is how long
you will be remembered,
by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters
doesn't happen by accident.
It's not a matter of circumstance
But of choice.
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Dance Like Nobody's Watching

ONE OF MY FAVORITE INSPIRATIONAL PIECES
Jeff was the kind of guy you love to hate. He was always in a good mood and always had something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"

He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Jeff was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jeff was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation .

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jeff and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?" Jeff replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, Jeff, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or You can choose to be in a bad mood.' I choose to be in a good mood.

Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life."

"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested. "Yes, it is," Jeff, said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live life."

I reflected on what Jeff said. Soon thereafter, I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. Several years later, I heard that Jeff did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gunpoint by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jeff was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local trauma center.

After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jeff was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body. I saw Jeff about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he said, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Want to see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place. "The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door," Jeff replied. "Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live, or I could choose to die. I chose to live."

"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked. Jeff continued, "The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read, 'He's a dead man.' I knew I needed to take action." "What did you do?" I asked. "Well, there was a big, burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Jeff. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes,' I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Bullets!'

Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.'" Jeff lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.

- Work like you don't need the money
- Love like it's never going to hurt
- Dance like nobody's watching
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10 Steps to Forgiveness

For many people forgiveness is one of the hardest steps of all in our progress toward freedom of spirit. Yet it is essential. For as long as we are unable to forgive, we keep ourselves chained to the unforgiven. We give them rent-free space in our minds, emotional shackles on our hearts, and the right to torment us in the small hours of the night.

When it is time to move on, but still too hard, try some or all of these steps.(Note that these steps are appropriate for events resulting from an ongoing relationship with anyone. They may not all be appropriate for the random act of violence from a stranger.)

1. Understand that forgiving does not mean giving permission for the behavior to be repeated. It does not mean saying that what was done was acceptable. Forgiveness is needed for behaviors that were not acceptable and that you should not allow to be repeated.

2. Recognize who is being hurt by your non-forgiveness. Does the other person burn with your anger, feel the knot in your stomach, experience the cycling and recycling of your thoughts as you re-experience the events in your mind? Do they stay awake as you rehearse in your mind what you would like to say or do to 'punish' them? No, the pain is all yours.

3. Do not demand to know 'why' as a prerequisite to forgiveness. Knowing why the behavior happened is unlikely to lessen the pain, because the pain came at a time when you did not know why. Occasionally there are times when knowing why makes forgiveness unnecessary, but they are rare. Don't count on it and don't count on even the perpetrator knowing why.

4. Make a list of what you need to forgive. What was actually done that caused your pain? Not what you felt, what was done.

5. Acknowledge your part. Were you honest about your hurt or did you hide the fact that the behavior hurt you? Did you seek peace by reassuring the perpetrator that it was all right? Did you stay when you could or should have left? If so, then you, too, have some responsibility. (Here you start to move away from being a victim.)

6. Make a list of what you gained from the relationship, whatever form of relationship it was. Looking back you may be focusing on the negatives, the hurts. Yet if they were repeated, you must have stayed to allow the repetition. You did not remove yourself. Why? There must have been some positives if you chose to stay around. What were they?

7. Write a letter to the person (no need to mail it). Acknowledge what you gained from the relationship, and express forgiveness for the hurts. Allow yourself to express all your feelings fully. Do not focus only on the hurts.

8. Create a ceremony in which you get rid of your lists and the letter, so symbolizing the ending of the link between you. You may choose to visualize placing them on a raft and watching it drift gently away down a river. You may prefer to burn them and scatter the ashes. You may invent some other form of ritualized separation.

9. Visualize the person you are forgiving being blessed by your forgiveness and, as a result, being freed from continuing the behavior that hurt you.

10. Now that you have freed yourself from the painful links and released the pain, feel yourself growing lighter and more joyous. Now you are free to move on with your life without that burden of bitterness. Do not look back in anger.

Source: Diana Robinson, Coach University

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Progressive Relaxation Points

Progressive relaxation involves tensing a muscle group to a point where the group is tight, but not to the point where it’s quivering, and holding that point for a count of five. Then let go and let the muscle group relax.

An easy way to practice this technique is to tighten your arm muscle while sitting in a chair with someone holding your hand. Then, have your partner try to lift your arm while it’s tensed. Assuming that your partner isn’t a weight lifter trying to prove her strength, she shouldn’t be able to lift it if you’re tensing it correctly. Then close your eyes, let your arm relax, and see if your partner can lift your hand.

Call your fully tensed position a hundred, and your relaxed position zero. That range of
tension is what you are trying to achieve with all of your muscle groups. You should go from one group to another according to the following plan:

• Separately tense individual muscle groups


• Hold the tension for five seconds


• Relax the tension slowly, and say to yourself, “Relax and let go.”


• Take a deep breath


• Breathe out slowly, silently saying “Relax and let go.”


• One arm at a time: push your hand against the surface on which you’re resting


• One arm at a time: from a straight position, make a fist and slowly bend your elbow, pulling your fist toward you while tightening your arm.


• Chest and Lungs:
  Take a deep breath; while holding, tighten your chest muscles.


• Back:
  Arch your back. Ideally, while lying on your stomach with your hands on the small of your back, arch your back so your head and feet are off the floor


• Stomach:
  Tighten your stomach area. Push your stomach area out. Pull your stomach area in.


• Hips to Feet:
  Tighten your hips.Push your heels against the floor or footrest. Tighten your leg muscles below the knee. Curl your toes down (try to touch the bottom of your foot). Curl your toes up.
  
  
  . And here is the rest of it.

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Stones and Crystals

UNDERSTANDING CRYSTALS
Through the past years I have come to work closely with a variety of stones and crystals to help augment the energy work I do on myself or with clients. I am attracted to working with these friends of the Earth because they are simple yet complex, gentle yet powerful.

Everything has its optimum vibrational frequency. If I am sick, my vibration begins to slow down, if I am healthy and energized, it is higher. " The human body is a symphony of sounds. Every chakra, every organ, every bone, every tissue, every cell has its own resonant frequency, its own sound. Together, they create a unified or composite frequency, with its own sound, like the instruments of an orchestra coming together. Ideally, the individual sounds and frequencies comprise a harmonious whole. That is when the body is functioning as it should, in health. However, when an organ is out of time or out of tune with the rest, then the entire body is affected. This disharmony leads to states of disease and disintegration." Massagetherapy.com

Each stone and crystal has its own unique vibrational frequency signature. When our body gets out of balance, we look for ways to restore harmony. Through the use of stone therapy, we can help to re-align the body, so it moves back to that state of homeostasis. So how does this happen? Through the entrainment process. For example, if you would line a wall of a room with a number of grandfather clocks, each one's pendulum would be swinging at a different rate. With in a short period of time, they would synchronize and all be swinging together in harmony. This is due to entrainment.

The same occurs when using stone and crystal therapy. If I dowse an area of my body and find a spot that is energetically showing a restriction in flow, I can place the correct stone or crystal at that spot. After a period of time, the energy in the restricted area begins to respond to and entrain to the level of the vibrational frequency of the stone. This process helps to re-energize the body.

Clear Quartz Crystals
Although I do work with a variety of stones, the clear quartz crystal is my favorite. When one first looks at quartz crystals they may notice they are different, but not realize the importance of these differences. Each one has it's own distinct personality, with unique personality traits, just like you and I have.

For example, when you first hold a crystal in your hand, you become aware of your physical and emotional response to it. It may speak to you loud and clear, or it may not leave you with any particular impression. As you study the physical characteristics of the crystal you begin to notice differences. Some have a point on each end, others have just one. Some are cloudy, some clear, some mixed. The largest face of the Crystal will vary, some have 5, 6 , 7, or 8 edges surrounding them. Some will have raised indentations, mineral inclusions, small growths, specific shapes. So what does all this mean? Well, each is a characteristic. Once aware of these particular meanings, it allows you to work with more knowledge and understanding.

Let me give you an example. Some crystals are very clear. This attribute would be considered Yang, or masculine. This type of crystal is said to represent actions, power, force, strength--male energy qualities. Other crystals are cloudy or milky in appearance. These would be Yin or feminine, and are said to represent receptivity, love, communication, negotiation, sensitivity--female energy qualities. Knowing this information is useful for yourself or when working with others using Stone Therapy. If you or another person is experiencing an imbalance of either masculine or feminine energy that is affecting the body, working with the crystal of the more depleted energy, helps to restore balance.

So when working with crystals, first learn about them--what are their qualities, attributes, vibrational frequencies, how do they look in raw form as opposed to cleaned and polished? Clear and cleanse the stones and crystals before using. Connect with their energy. Feel what they are saying. Follow your intuition, it will guide you to ways you can work with them.

For an introduction into this topic, consider signing up for my Stone and Crystal class. It covers the main characteristics of the clear quartz crystal, with many samples of each type to study. You receive a booklet with detailed descriptions and a sampling of stones and crystals. We just had a wonderful class again last night. Check back for the next scheduled event.

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Now for Something Different: Biodynamics

By Scott Anderson

Biodynamics is a science of life forces- a recognition of basic principles at work in nature. Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) is known as the "father of biodynamics". Steiner was born in Austria and lived most of his life in Germany. This man was involved in politics, agriculture, drama, teaching {he did over 6,000 lectures}, and spirituality; he was a real renaissance man.

In 1919, he founded the Waldorf School in Germany. Local branches exist in Princeton, NJ, and Kimberton, PA. These schools focus on many things: balancing artistic, academic, and practical work; educating the whole child, hand and heart as well as mind. Worldwide there are over 800 schools and over 150 in the U.S.-Steiner's insight and influence carries on today.

My first exposure to biodynamics was at the Nature Lyceum in Long Island, NY. I drove up to the building where a course in organics was being taught, and I was kind of confused by the grass parking lot with concrete bumpers and the conventional handicap parking sign in the lawn. I thought, "This is strange."

Later that morning the instructor asked if anyone noticed the parking lot? Well, that led into the topic of biodynamics. Apparently, for over three years now, the once gravel parking lot has been treated biodynamically. It has stayed green and healthy, including during the drought a few years ago and during the winter.

I've since gone on the Internet to find that biodynamics is huge in the organic world. A lot of vineyards in California, and worldwide, are growing biodynamically without the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Biodynamics embraces the concept that all living things are believed to be open to and formed by influences from the depths of the earth to the heights of the heavens. Cosmic rhythms contribute to the life, growth, and form of all living things on earth.

It also recognizes that the soil itself is alive. Its vitality supports and affects the quality and health of plants that grow in it. The health of the soil is build and supported through the use of natural and organic components, especially composting, and the use of various biodynamic "preps" developed by Steiner.

From what I've read, plants grown in this manner have shown more resistance to insects and disease, both of which are triggered by disorder. Healthy "life force energies" are natural repellents. It is said that destructive insects will avoid healthy systems, as the insects are not programmed to go there. Sir Albert Howard, author of The Soil and Health said, "healthy soils = healthy plants= healthy people."

Biodynamics and the Rock Dust Phenomenon

Our soils are generally devoid of trace mineral through years of cropping and/or mowing. The addition of rock dust minerals along with organic fertilizers or compost have shown to improve the health of numerous crops, horticultural plants, and turf by feeding the soil. Soil bacteria feed on natural volcanic rock dust, stimulating the "soil food web" and improving many things: the soil structure, disease suppression, water holding capacity, natural aeration, thatch decomposition, nitrogen fixation from the atmosphere, and nutrient cycling. All the while, 70 minerals are added to the soil. Rock dust minerals are also used in bioremediation of contaminated soils.

Certain volcanic rock dust minerals (para magnetic) are said to attract and build "life force energies". I recently read that Great Britain just approved money for the study of this phenomenon. Here at home, a Delaware Valley College student under my employ grew bentgrass in the greenhouse with about 10 other treatments. The results surprised everyone. Rudolph Steiner's "horn manure biodynamic prep" and volcanic rock dust came in first and second in germination trials by as much as two days.

I realize that some of these theories may seem strange. To put it in perspective, I was asked, "can you see gravity?" Well, my response is, "do you have to see life force energies?" We must all find our own truth.

Look into it. I think it's too widespread to be ignored.

About the Author: Scott Anderson is an instructor at Seeds for Change Wellness Community and has been the golf course superintendent at Huntingdon Valley Country Club since 1983. Scott has been utilizing organics in building sustainable soils, while reducing the need for adding synthetic products.

A graduate of the Green Gorillas Organic Program at the Nature Lyceum in NY, Scott’s practical experience and concerns for the environment provide a new perspective as well as useable knowledge on how to bring your home care program into balance with nature.




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Spring Cleaning for the Soul

It is March Already--
Spring it Just Around the Corner

One day you open your front door and are greeted by the signs of spring. You notice the daffodils and crocuses have burst into bloom. The air around you feels noticeably lighter. The world of nature and all its creatures are stepping forward to begin the process of rebirth. You take in a deep breathe and feel exhilarated! Each smell is warm and inviting. Daytime is emerging from the shadows of winter, lasting longer, casting a green-golden light on all that is touched. Yes, this is the day you notice spring has arrived! Maybe you are taken back into time, to a memory of a spring day as a child. Suddenly you feel energized, ready to face the days ahead with new desire and enthusiasm.

Many of us welcome springtime with annual rituals. We often feel a strong urge to freshen up, organize, and make changes in our living environment...namely our homes. I would like to suggest that as you begin spring cleaning, whatever that may involve, to seriously consider taking time for yourself and do some spring cleaning of the soul. Approaching this annual event on a holistic level will engage your complete self—body, mind and spirit—in the renewal process.

Thomas Moore in Care of the Soul said “It is impossible to define precisely what the soul is. Soul is not a thing, but a quality or dimension of experiencing life and ourselves. Soul is aligned with love, care, genuineness, connectedness, compassion, intimacy and inner communication. Simple gestures that seemingly take place on the surface of life can have central importance to the soul.”

Often with the hectic schedules of our modern day lives, we forget our need to connect with spirit on a very personal level and that is when our troubles begin. All to often we become buried under situations, events, and emotions. Over time, this small pile of experiences becomes larger and heavier. We begin to struggle for breath. Eventually, we may feel a sense of loss, as if a piece is missing,. We feel a longing for something, but we can’t quite name what that something is. Solutions that used to work for us are no longer effective coping strategies. All these things happen because we lose that connection with our true Self.

It is when we take the time to look deeply into our Self and start to sort through the clutter, that we begin to dig our way back up to the surface. Our self image is programmed in our mind and memories, creating a reflection of who we think we are. This image begins to formulate early in life and is often build upon the good intentions of others—parents, spouses, children , friends. As time progresses, we grow and develop. What was once necessary, may now longer be needed, and in actuality may hinder real progress in staying connected to who we really are. Although it is never an easy task to look closely in the mirror because we may not like what we see, it is an essential task if we want to discover the true meaning and purpose of our existence. Make a clean sweep this season, by following some of the tips of personal spring cleaning listed below.

Personal Tips for Spring Cleaning
Soul Searching is a term one occasionally hears reference to when looking for answers. I have heard the terminology used more in conjunction with an individual who has gotten into trouble of some sort and the authority in charge suggests, in a very forceful manner, that the person better do some Soul Searching! The following checklist contains suggestions if you are beginning the quest of looking for your real Self that may be buried deeply in the foundation of who you. The tips do not contain anything you are hearing for the first time. The point is not to dazzle you with new ideas, instead it is simply, an opportunity to remind you of some beneficial strategies when reconnecting with Spirit

Pay Attention:
What feelings or emotions are creating stress? The first step in any process of growth is to accurately identify the issue. The question to ask yourself: Is there a prolonged emotional state or mood that I find myself trapped in for which I can not find a satisfactory resolution? Without knowing the real cause, you are only grasping at straws in seeking the solution.

Search for Meaning:
After identifying the issue, it becomes necessary to find the meaning that is attached. In this step we must experience the feelings here and learn their significance, only then will we be able to make changes in our behavior and attitudes.

Repattern Outdated Behavior
When reflecting on the state we are in and the meaning attached to it, we need to examine our current responses. Old patterns usually prove to be ineffective and do little to resolve the conflicting states we find ourselves in, so we then become obligated to repattern. If the old techniques no longer work, then we need to stop spinning our wheels. It is through this reflecting of past events and becoming open to the future, we become empowered by the insights and understanding that we gained through our struggles.

Suggestions to Help Shift Old Behavior Patterns:
Appreciate: Be grateful, express appreciation, give thanks.

Revise Your Assumptions

Energize Yourself- take the time to care for your needs in a way that will help you connect with your feelings, emotions, body and spirit

Replace Negative Self-Talk: use positive imaging and affirmations

Feel the Interconnection to everyone and all things in the universe

Visualize What You Desire

Release and Let Go of that which is not serving you in a beneficial way

Choose Your Attitude: Choose to replace feelings of helplessness and doubt with feelings of empowerment and connectedness with your Higher Self

The search for who we really are is a lifelong journey of discoveries. It is a path strewn with many emotions, struggles, and opportunities to learn our own particular lessons of truth, that resonates within each of us. It is through this ongoing process of self investigation that we are able to transform the meaningless into the meaningful and find peace, happiness, and the Divine in all that surrounds us! So why not prepare for some deep spiritual spring cleaning this time around?



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