More than anything these days, I’m loving the changes… the New.  Choosing the paths not taken before, mistakes unmade.  There is always a way.  Choose the best way available to you.Similar Posts:

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I’ve since come to learn that gratitude is something to be felt everyday, and in fact it is the first step towards making any kind of changes in your life.  You must be grateful for where you are and where you’ve come from, both what you would consider the good and the bad.  If you can’t be grateful for something in your life, I’d wager that it’s because you haven’t taken responsibility for it.  Perhaps this Thanksgiving you can take a look at your life and be thankful for all of it.

What I’m Thankful For:

My Earthly Mother, my Heavenly Father, a family that is unusual and strange and full of love for each other, a mother who’s always blindly believed in me, a father who did his best, even if it still wasn’t quite good enough, he was a much better father than his own father was to him.

For sunlight warming the skin, the breeze for blowing, the trees for showing me how to stand tall and strong even in the fiercest winds.  For the songs I hear in my head that come to me from somewhere I call Magical, for the stories whispered in my ear of fantastical places and people. For friends and people of character, may there be more in the world.

For a great relationship and a horrible break-up that taught me how to love, honor, and trust myself, and for the Pain that finally taught me that I didn’t want to be motivated by pain anymore.

For two cats, Calvin and Izzy, who daily teach me patience and that if you want to be petted than put yourself right up against someone and rub

For a band that I love and love to be in, who daily teach me patience and that if you want to be petted than put yourself right up against someone and rub!!!

For a God who remains known and unknown, and the Universe that continually reveals one mystery after the next.

Most of all, I’m extremely grateful for Life.  For the fact that I’m here, that I exist, that I experience.  I’m thankful for Love and her still small voice never forcing, never controlling, always free.

This is the short list, and tomorrow (or later today I suppose) when the sun comes up I will wake and smile and feel Gratitude, and with my actions, may I give thanks.

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If we wish to reach into the heavens, we must reach just as far below.  If we are not rooted deeply in the natural, it stands to reason that we will not grow to great heights in the spiritual.  At least not without the risk of being knocked down by the first wind to blow.  Notice how the deeply rooted trees dance and delight in the winds and storms that blow their way.

How many people do you know that delight when something shakes their world up?  How many people do you know that are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good?  And vice versa?  We are here in this life for a reason, and it’s not just for whatever happens after this life.  Don’t miss out on the opportunity to be a part of this world, to change it and shape it and create it to be more beautiful then when you first arrived.

Grow up — learn, create, love, and dream.  And grow down — connect to the planet and people you live with.  Be a part of this earth.  So many of us spend so much of our time wishing we were somewhere else.  I know in the past I’ve been one of these people.   Spending so much time living for a future life that isn’t here yet.  It’s premature thinking.  I wasted a lot of time not enjoying the life I have because I was so busy chasing one that didn’t exist yet.

It’s a common occurrence, especially in America.  We want the end product now, and we rush through the process often times overlooking safety measures and checks and balances as we speed head long into a canyon.

I think you’ll find that if you take the time to send down your roots, your life will be much fuller, more enjoyable, and you’ll be able to reach farther into the heavens then you ever thought possible.  Take a lesson from the trees:  In order to go up, you must first go down.Similar Posts:

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Get out of the rat race, the matrix. You’re more than just a consumer who spends their life as a slave to consumerism, only to bring more consumers into the world. Be rich, be poor, be whatever you want to be, but do it freely. Open your eyes children. Stop taking shit from all these people who have no idea what the F@%! they’re talking about. Make your own mistakes. Don’t live on borrowed wisdom, for it isn’t wisdom at all until you’ve experienced it. Live free, Children of Earth, Children of God.Similar Posts:

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I am a firm believer that pain is a tool that guides us to a place of being where we can no longer experience it.  It is a strong stimulus pushing us upward on our journey of spiritual and physical evolution.  The old Chinese saying goes, “Pain is inevitable.  Suffering is optional.”   While pain can be healing, sometimes we get stuck there when it is no longer useful to us.  We can become addicted to the feeling of a bad memory, the rush of the chemically depressing cocktail that our brain puts out when we think a certain way.  In this case we are no longer in pain, but in suffering.  Suffering is a choice that we can make at every opportunity.  Have you ever noticed how some people around you seem to always be caught up in some kind of drama?  Their car breaks down, they got in a fight with their spouse, the waiter brought them the wrong meal, the dry cleaners lost their clothes.  It all comes back to how you want to look at the glass, whether half full or half empty.  Lately, with great success, I have been welcoming the pain when it comes.  Not seeking it out mind you, but not resisting it when it cannot be resisted.  Then once the pain is accepted, I give myself permission to enjoy it.  This works especially well with painful or negative emotions.  Don’t fight against them, just enjoy them to no end.  The funniest thing happens;  before you know it, there is a smile on your face and you’re no longer in a bad mood, or angry, or hurt.  The next time you’re in a funk, try to really enjoy it.  See what happens and let me know about it.Similar Posts:

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It always amazes me how much we’ve lost as a species, that our ancestors knew.  Somehow, without this internet and computer and thousands of scientists, and physicists, and calculations, people knew that we exist within God.  Look more closely at what Paul said, “In Him we live,” — I don’t know about you, but I tend to think that I live in my body, my mind, my thoughts… I live in a planet called Earth, in a solar system, in a galaxy, in a universe.  All of these things are God, and I live in Him.  I move in Him.  I have my being, in Him.  The Earth, and the environment, these are parts of God’s physical body, and we deny this at great peril to ourselves.

In the book of John, it says that, “everything was made in Him.  Without Him, nothing was made that has been made.”

I find it interesting that we separate ourselves from physical contact with the Earth as much as possible.  We see it as icky, and dirty, and unclean.  We build quarantined rooms with absolutely no trace of a natural environment, and this is how we are introduced into the world.  We are birthed already disconnected from the touch of God.  We are usually conceived unconnected to God.  We live cut off from God, and we die quickly and experience much pain because of it.

And yes, your house is a part of the Earth, but touching someone through a winter coat and touching someone’s skin directly… well do I need to spell out the difference in connection and relations?

Is it any wonder that Nature is out of balance?  That We are out of balance?

“In Him we live, and move, and have, our Being.” –  Something to think about the next time you step out your door.Similar Posts:

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You can’t always choose what mood you’re going to wake up in, but you can choose how you start your day. The energy that you start your day with, whether positive or negative carries through and overshadows your entire 24-hour experience. Don’t leave that energy up to chance. Develop a habit of starting your day the same way. Do things that start your day right and put you in a great mood.

The first thing I like to do when I wake up, even as I’m reaching over to turn off the alarm, is smile. Why smile? Because even if you’ve had the worst dreams imaginable, smiling causes your body chemistry to begin to alter. Don’t believe me? Try keeping a smile on your face for 60 seconds and see if your mood doesn’t improve.

Next, drink a liter of the best water you can get your hands on. If you can’t get the best water ever, then squeeze a lemon into it and drink the entire glass. Why? You lose a lot of water when you sleep. Your body is detoxifying and it is important to re-hydrate when you wake. It will also get your insides moving again.

After this, wake your body up fully with some stretching or yoga or physical activity of some kind. It doesn’t have to be a full on workout, just get the blood flowing and the muscles warmed up.

With a fully awake body, you now have a great place to focus on the rest of your day. Pray, meditate, or think about what the rest of your day will consist of. Get into a state of peace, joy, and love. See yourself doing the things you have to do today with love in your heart and a smile on your face. Then you are ready to have some breakfast and begin your day.

Try it out. Make up your own routine. I promise you, the better you start your days, the better the rest of your days will be.Similar Posts:

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Every parking ticket, every break-up or divorice, every black eye and scar…  Every love, every good thing, every victory, every defeat.  What if all of these things came about as a direct result of you.  What if you were responsible for everything that happens to you?

This is a tough concept for people to be open to, since most people have been raised from birth to be slaves and victims.  “It’s not my fault.”  How many times a day do you hear that?  How many times is it you who’s saying it?

Why claim responsibility for everything in your life?  Because that’s the only way that you can do something about your situation.  If you are just a leaf floating in the wind, or a piece of wood floating on the ocean than you are and will always be at the mercy of the wind or the sea.

If you are powerless to change your life, it is only because you have given that power away.  Most likely, you’ve given it to a hundred different unseen forces (friends, lovers, enemies, tv, advertising, commercialism, bad beliefs).  And so, you play the victim, because that’s the path you’ve chosen for yourself in this life.

The way out of the victim lifestyle is to take responsibility for your life.  Your boss doesn’t decide how much money you will make, you do.  It’s not the cheesecake’s fault it has so many calories, you are the one eating it.  It’s not your body’s fault for finally succumbing to the thousands of toxins it’s had to deal with on a daily basis for the last forty years, it’s your fault.  It’s not the situation that made you unhappy, it’s you who chose to be unhappy about the situation.

So, what if you were responsible for everything in your life?

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• Each year in the United States alone, over one hundred million cows, pigs and sheep are killed in slaughterhouses. An additional four billion birds (chickens and turkeys) are slaughtered annually. THE ABOVE STATISTICS REPRESENT A LINE OF DEAD ANIMALS STRETCHING OVER 750,000 MILES — A LINE FAR LONGER THAN THE DISTANCE TO THE MOON AND BACK!
• It is more efficient to eat low on the food chain; when we cycle grain through animals we waste most of the protein and other food values. The population of the United States is: 243,000,000. The number of human beings who could be fed by the grain and soybeans eaten by U.S. livestock is: 1,300,000,000.
• The number of people in the world who will STARVE TO DEATH THIS YEAR: 60 MILLION. The number of people who could be adequately fed by the grain saved if Americans reduced their meat intake by 10% is: 60 MILLION.
• Only 20% of the corn grown in the United States is eaten by humans. 80% of the corn grown in the United States is eaten by livestock.
• Only 5% of the oats grown in the United States is eaten by humans. 95% of the oats grown in the United States is eaten by livestock.
• THE PERCENTAGE OF PROTEIN WASTED BY CYCLING GRAIN THROUGH LIVESTOCK IS: 90%
• THE PERCENTAGE OF CARBOHYDRATE WASTED BY CYCLING GRAIN THROUGH LIVESTOCK IS: 99%
• The percentage of dietary fiber WASTED by cycling grain through livestock is: 100%
• HOW FREQUENTLY A CHILD DIES OF STARVATION: EVERY TWO SECONDS.
• Number of children who starve to death EVERY DAY: 40,000
• The length of time the world’s petroleum reserves would last if all human beings ate a meat-centered diet: 13 YEARS. The length of time the world’s petroleum reserves would last if all human beings ate a vegetarian diet: 260 YEARS.
• 40 pounds of soybeans are produced by the same amount of fossil fuel needed to produce 1 pound of feedlot beef.
• The percentage of energy return (as food energy per fossil energy expended to produce it) of the most energy efficient factory farming of meat is: 34.5%. The percentage of energy return (as food energy per fossil energy expended to produce it) of the least energy efficient Plant food is: 328%
• Principal reason for U.S. military intervention in Persian Gulf: Dependence on foreign oil.
• The percentage of raw materials consumed in the U.S. for all purposes presently consumed to produce the current meat centered diet is: 33%. The percentage of raw materials consumed in the U.S. for all purposes needed to produce a fully vegetarian diet would be only 2%.
• The number acres of U.S. forest which have been cleared to create cropland to produce a meat-centered diet: 260 MILLION ACRES. Amount of trees spared per year by each individual who switches to a pure vegetarian diet: 1 ACRE.
• Historic cause of the demise of many great civilizations: Topsoil depletion. The percentage of U.S. topsoil already lost: 75%. The percentage of U.S. cropland lost each year to soil erosion: 4 million acres, the size of Connecticut! THE PERCENTAGE OF U.S. TOPSOIL LOSS DIRECTLY ASSOCIATED WITH LIVESTOCK RAISING: 85%
• OVER 50% OF ALL WATER USED FOR ALL PURPOSES IN THE UNITED STATES IS USED FOR LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION.
• The water needed to produce 1 pound of wheat is: 25 gallons. The water needed to produce 1 pound of meat is: 2,500 gallons.
• The cost of common hamburger meat if the water used by the meat industry was not subsidized by U.S. taxpayers: $35 per pound.
• The cost per pound of protein from beefsteak if U.S. taxpayers ceased subsidizing the meat industry’s use of water: $89
• The current cost per pound of protein from wheat: $1.50. The current cost per pound of protein from beefsteak: $15.40
• IT TAKES A HUNDRED TIMES MORE WATER TO PRODUCE MEAT PROTEIN THAN VEGETARIAN PROTEIN. One chicken slaughterhouse can use 100 million gallons of water — enough to serve a community of 25,000 persons — in a single day.
• The number of medical schools in the U.S. is: 125. The number of medical schools with a required course in nutrition is: 30. The training in nutrition received during 4 years of medical school by the average U.S. physician is: 2.5 hours!
• The most common cause of death in the U.S. is: Heart attack. The risk of death from heart attack by average American man: 50%. The risk of death from heart attack by average American vegetarian man: 15%. The risk of death from heart attack by average “pure vegetarian” man (“vegan” – no dairy, meat or eggs) is: 4%.
• Increased risk of breast cancer for women with heavy meat diet compared to vegetarian women: 400%
• Men with heavy meat diet are 360% more likely to die of prostate cancer than vegetarian men.
• The average measurable bone loss of female meat-eaters at age 65: 35%. The average measurable bone loss of female vegetarians at age 65: 18%.
• THE DISEASES WHICH ARE COMMONLY PREVENTED, CONSISTENTLY IMPROVED, AND SOMETIMES CURED BY A LOW-FAT VEGETARIAN DIET INCLUDE: Strokes, Kidney stones, Prostate cancer, Cervical cancer, Diabetes, Peptic ulcers, Hiatal hernias, Gallstones, Irritable colon syndrome, Heart disease, Breast cancer, Pancreatic cancer, Stomach cancer, Hypoglycemia. Constipation, Osteoporosis, Diverticulosis, Hypertension, Salmonellosis, Colon cancer, Ovarian cancer, Endometrial cancer, Kidney disease, Hemorrhoids, Obesity, Asthma and Trichinosis.
• The breast milk of meat-eating mothers has 3,500% more pesticide contamination than the breast milk of vegetarian mothers.
• Less than 1 out of every quarter million slaughtered animals is tested for toxic chemical residues.
• Percentage of male college students sterile in l950: 0.5%. Percentage of male college students sterile in 1978: 25% Sperm count of average American male compared to 30 years ago: Down 30%. THE PRINCIPLE REASON FOR SPERM COUNT REDUCTION AND STERILITY IN U.S. MALES IS DIETARY INTAKE OF CHLORINATED HYDROCARBON PESTICIDES. 94% of chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticide residues in the American diet comes from meat and other animal products.

• It has been estimated that, due to the high level of uric acid in meat, the kidneys of a meat-eater must do ten times the work than the kidneys of a vegetarian

It’s been said that hurt comes to the hurtful… perhaps we should start being less hurtful to the animals of this planet.  The quality of life for everyone on the planet would improve as well.

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And I don’t buy into the whole… it means respect for God… if you mean respect than say respect… don’t say fear.  Fear and Respect are two totally different things.

Perfect Love casts out fear… so if you Love God than by definition, you can’t fear Him.  And by extension, if you fear God than you don’t love Him, or rather you can’t love Him.

This picture of God that we have been given is pretty ridiculous.  If we took just a few seconds to actually think about the logic of some of the things we have been led to believe are Truths about God, we’d be surprised with what we’d find.

For instance, in the New Testament, we read that God is Love, we read that Jesus is the Prince of Peace… in the Old Testament, we read that God wants us to slaughter innocent animals, but then we read that He commands us Thou Shalt Not Kill… Hmmm…. seems like either God is a psychopath or something just doesn’t add up…  Either God is a liar, or one of these beings isn’t God.

Now, maybe the God of the New Testament had a change of heart, or evolved or I don’t know… but something definitely seems to be different about Him… Maybe He got over His Jealousy issues.  But any God that I can imagine would be Perfect and Complete from the Start, neh?  Jealousy is a petty emotion, one that any Perfected Being (God) would never have… after all isn’t Love never jealous?  And if God is Love than He can’t be Jealous too, by definition!

Which leads me to believe that a God that calls for the murder of animals and the shedding of blood is no god at all, but a devil.

The fact that somehow (well I can probably guess how) we have accepted the notion that God is Male and only Male is absolute lunacy!

Every kind of creation that we know, and manifest is male/female… yin/yang… whatever you want to call it… meaning that anything that “works” from a car engine to a dove joint is male/female (insert rod A into slot B)  But somehow a purely male Creator manifested everything that is, without any female counterpart?

And so, we are led to believe that man is superior to woman. (of course we wouldn’t say this in this day and age… but we act like this and our scriptures preach this)

Woman was created from Man’s rib?  Ha!  Children could better explain the creation of woman!

Women submit to your husbands?  Are we not equals?  Do we not exist in Balance and Harmony?  Are our kids (whether male or female) not half the product of man and half the product of woman?

Why then do we believe in a Heavenly Father, but not a Heavenly Mother?

I don’t see a logical reason… and oddly enough, I don’t hear many women preaching this either (because of course, it’s not of “God” for a woman to be in the priesthood).

Men and Women, we are different to be sure, but difference doesn’t equal superiority.  Rather we should celebrate our differences, for the other is strong where we are weak and weak where we are strong.

To have a really bad reference right now, “you complete me”… Our opposite completes us.  And if we truly believe that we are created in God’s image… than there must also be a Goddess, yes?  Regardless of how you choose to refer to that Godhead… some might say it is a Trinity, with All, being composed of God and Goddess, forming a Triangle.

Just like in the triangle of you and your parents, you can’t separate yourself or your mother or father without breaking the triangle (each of you representing a point on the triangle)… than the Godhead is also inter-related as well.

And here we end tonight’s thoughts, it is an abrupt ending, but there is much to consider…  I wish you Peace,

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