Musical Inspiration

Anyone looking for a little background inspiration? Check out this great new CD that I think is perfect for meditation time, by one of Minnesota's most diverse and talented pianists, Chris Schuette.

Listen to samples and order your copy on Chris' Website (just click!) or watch for it to come out on iTunes. Check out his other "ivory stylings" on his Music! section while you're there (you'll see what I mean by diverse). You might even be able to catch him playing live with the Kurt Jorgensen Band on some full-band night if you're lucky too!

Does it just sound like an ad? Nah...he doesn't have a clue who I am. It's just that the CD is that good I can't go without recommending it for the meditating by. If you are urged to tell him "Heather sent ya", well that will just be a mystery for him to blog about I suppose. =)

To tell, or not to tell

Imagine you can see spirits of people's passed loved ones. This can happen any time and any place. Then let's say you are out and about, just enjoying a dinner with friends, or sitting around your favorite hangout having a cup of coffee or a beer. (Though drunken stupor is not factored into this story you're supposed to be imagining).

You're there...minding your own business and it becomes clear to you that someone's relative or friend, wholly in spirit, is there. You notice them. They notice that you notice them. It's not common they have someone notice them. So then it's all over...they are insisting you pass along a message to their living loved one.

Question: Do you do it?

Do you pass along the message or do you let it slide?

Do you interrupt a perfect stranger, also out and about minding his or her own business, to tell them something they may or may not appreciate?

Do you disappoint the spirit who may have only this one chance to say what they need to have said?

Do you say something, just because you can (nice ego, btw), even if it's not crucial?

What if it's a friend you're out with? Do you tell them? Even if they are not asking to be told?

Do you tell some of the people some of the time; or tell none of the people all of the time? How would you choose which ones give/get their messages and which ones don't then?

What are the rules of "engagement", do you suppose?

If you decide to tell and you do approach them, how do you present yourself, or the information itself?

As a whole, people don't like to talk openly about death. Do you suppose they're more open to talk about life after death?

These questions and more are in constant debate among people like us. I've known people who have have done, and who have not done, all of the above. Maybe it's best if we set our own "rules" personally, individually, since it's the individual who will have to take responsibility for their choice to tell, or not to tell.

For me, there is a lot to be said for a person who is going to receive the message, that they will ask or seek out the resource when they are ready. But aren't there always exceptions? And just maybe, each situation is as different as the people involved, so each situation ought to be gauged and considered thoughtfully on it's own merit, before either just jumping head first in to tell things to people who may not be in a good place (emotionally, spirititually, or otherwise), or conversely, just altogether walking away from the situation and opportunity to reunite the two people.

What do you think?

If you were that complete stranger or friend, what would YOU want?

Comfort Words

"Comfort Word": n. When the human mind cannot yet fully comprehend a spiritual truth and the human fraction of the spiritual whole "needs" there to be some kind of explanation for that which is not yet fully understood.

Imagination.

Intuition.

Coincidence.

Accident.

Some of you, fortunately, already understand this. =)
And tonite I am full of gratitude for you and your brilliant journeys.

For anyone still, or just now, mulling it over, you might find the book below an interesting read.

There Are No Accidents: Synchronicity and the Stories of Our Lives
By Robert H. Hopcke

Past Life Regression

For those unfamiliar, past life regression is a means for an individual to recover memories from other lifetimes they have lived, through a deeply meditative state of consciousness, usually by process of hypnosis or guided meditation. If you’re not sure why someone would want to do this or don’t understand what it is useful for, consider past life regression something more comparable to a therapy session…it’s meant to help you to better understand who you are and how you function, and to enable you to help yourself in the now.

Just to explain what past life regression is about a little more, the way the experience occurs is much like a regular meditation where you see the scenes unfolding from your mind’s eye; something like a dream or daydream. It is not like watching a movie where the scenes and events involve other people, however, where you can remain completely disassociated from it. As you witness the events from your other lives that are of significance and can potentially help to you in your present, you know and recognize the person in this lifetime as yourself…you can feel within the deepest parts of yourself the emotions as you felt them at that time. You have an immediately infused understanding of what that lifetime meant to you, what you gained from it or what your challenges were.

During a regression you also will not see the entire scope of your lifetimes, only those lives and scenes most pertinent to you achieving a greater understanding and self-awareness in your present life will surface. This includes information that might explain why you are the way you are; or why you have always had certain issues or fears; or which relationships you have struggles with in your present.

We do not, for the majority of people, come to this lifetime carrying over our memories of other lifetimes for good reason. So when we do come into this awareness, whether from memories surfacing naturally, or purposefully through a regression, having this information must be taken with great consideration and self-respect. Being "allowed" the knowledge and connection to a past life isn't intended as frivolous or a novelty, it's meant so that the person in this lifetime can use the past life memories to heal, change and better their current selves. The information that comes up is extremely personal, sometimes divulging very sensitive events and insights. Most people have quite emotional experiences. Imagine that in the next hour you were going to confront all your fears, challenges, weaknesses, misfortunes, and wrongdoings in this lifetime…then multiply those times two, or three, or four other lifetimes. You can see why emotions would surface.

And although great responsibility accompanies greater knowledge, for the person who has an evolved understanding and willingness to utilize past life regression as a resource for higher awareness and enhancing their current life journey, it can be a wonderful tool for such empowerment.

Divination Game for You!

Up for a little divination game you can play?

For my Light Source class, I’ve been trying to “assign” summer projects each year, and I just finished mine for this summer recently. It occurred to me there is more than one way to use it, so I came up with this little game you all can try for yourselves using a photo of my board. All you’ll need is a pen, paper, and a little time.

Looking at the picture below, pick out five things you are first drawn to in the image. Write them down in order you choose them, leaving some space between each word in your list.

Add a comment, or drop me a message to me just listing the five things. I’ll reply to give you the basic symbolism of each of the five on your list to get you started. Once you have added that info to your list, then spend a couple minutes adding to your description of each specific item (What does each object make you think of? How would you describe it? Do you have any personal connections or stories that relate to the objects?).

Just as an example, say there was a monkey on the board and you put that on your list. You’d add next to it the symbolism I forward you: vanity, deceit, foolishness, thoughtlessness. Then you’d add whatever else you wanted to describing the monkey or any personal references or thoughts, which might go something like: brown and white, wiry, looks like it’s about to leap, reminds me of the monkey from the tv show Friends (specifically an episode where the monkey is lost so they're all trying to find it), and also of the time that guy took me on that date to the zoo (our first and last) and all he did was talk about himself the whole time we were there. Personally, I actually like monkeys; they're fun to watch, but I don't think I'd want to take one home.

When you are done, you can scroll down to the bottom of the blog from 14MAY09 (The Waiting). At the bottom of it I’ve listed what each of the five things you choose represents. Don’t look before you’re finished with the first part, or it will invalidate the process. (Obviously, or I would have just included right in this blog in the first place).

Have fun with the game and divining your own message!

(You don't have to squint, just click the photo to see the full-size image).