Answers To Life's Biggest Questions

I went for a walk this weekend, enjoying the beautiful spring weather, and the beautiful notes of the songs on Secret Garden's "White Stones" album on my iPod.  I chose that album specifically because of the feeling of sacredness and spirituality that is elicited in my body when I listen to it.  I dearly appreciate walking meditation and this music has a meditative effect on my mind and body.

That music was a very powerful trigger, as it happened.  A few minutes into my walk, my mind was flooded with decade-old memories of similar walking meditations in my former neighborhood -- sacred woodland park land just behind my home, populated with wildlife, a gurgling stream flowing parallel with the walking path.  In the late 90's and early 2000's, I was in my early 40's and going through what some might label 'a mid-life crisis.'  At the age of 43, I had reached a point where I was ready, and eager, to deal with issues that had been dogging me for years -- namely, why do I always have this nagging, low-grade feeling of worry in my stomach?  What IS this feeling?  Does anyone else feel this way? 

And, of course, the ultimate consideration:  Who am I and why am I here?

Soon into my walk, I had a sudden and delicious moment of awareness -- all the questions I'd been asking have been answered and here I am more than ten years later, happier and more peaceful.  And while there had been challenging times, the experience had been rich with deep insights, meaningful conversations, sacred relationships and wisdom won through perseverance, persistence and grace.

I understand now that these 10+ years brought out in me, talents and gifts and abilities that had lain dormant for most of my life -- and that would lead me to my life's purpose, which is assisting my Human brothers and sisters on the path to self-actualization.  I am one of those way showers who can truly say, "If my troubles and difficulties can help even one person to avoid that pain, it was well worth it."

Each of us is pure potential, and each of us has the ability to save the world.  "Many are called but few are chosen." Matthew 22:14

Do you find yourself asking those same questions?  Everyone does at some point in their life.  But do we pursue the answers?  Because, in my experience, those answers are worth pursuing -- they are not difficult to reach and those answers make all the difference in the quality of the life that we experience.

Do you find yourself in the same place?  Do you feel stuck and frustrated?  I can help you--I've been there and I know the path! 

If you have questions, or maybe you are looking for a spiritual mentor, I hope you will email me!  In the meantime, check back here each week for more information about our journey to self-actualization -- and join me on BlogTalk Radio starting Thursday, April 2.  This is a new program where you will have an opportunity to call in with your questions and situations, to get information, insight and practical tools to change your life and move forward with optimism and anticipation!

For a taste of the content of my past shows, I invite you to click here to listen.

I hope to have the opportunity to talk with you soon!

Decisions, Decisions ...and Miracles

I’m presenting a class in Richmond, Virginia on August 22, and the topic is ‘miracle-preparedness.’  My intention with this class is to present a comprehensive perspective on miracles – who we are, where we come from and how to experience more miracles in life. 

I have been working through this presentation, for almost 6 months.  It’s what I do.  I get an idea and it rolls around in my psyche until it boils down to a core idea, a launching point.  And I have come to the understanding that making a decision -- a decisive act -- is imperative to experiencing significant change in my life.  It opens the way for miraculous occurrences.

We come from the Creator, and we are endowed with the same creative abilities and tools as our Source.  (And by the way, this is not about religious affiliation, rather, it's about the broader perspective of the purpose of life and why we exist.)  We have the power to create a wonderful life, filled with peace, harmony, joy and love.  We create with our thoughts and our emotions, when we join those to produce a feeling.  Those feelings act as an organizing mechanism to bring order to the particles of matter around us.  That may sound a bit 'woo-woo' but Western science has proven this is true.  I'll be talking about it at the August 22 class.

You can imagine, then, what a powerful role our beliefs play in that creation process.  After all, our beliefs drive us and determine what thoughts we focus on and what thoughts we discard.  Sadly, most of us are not consciously aware of what we believe, let alone why we believe what we believe -- or that our thoughts are creative.  As a result, we live our lives as they come, being buffeted around by the winds of change, by others' expectations, by institutions and entities with agendas that are probably not in alignment with individual creativity.  We feel anger, sadness and regret about our past, and we worry about our future.  We believe that it is our lot in life to play the hand we are dealt, prepare for the worst and hope for the best -- and that our eternal reward comes after we leave this earthly vessel.

But ancient scriptures and writings, from cultures and peoples in the remote past, tell us that we are here to create for ourselves.  And they tell us that everything we require to do that, we already have inside us.  Creating is our birthright, it is our purpose.  And now, at this time in the evolution and history of mankind, we are being challenged individually and as a species, to create "a new heaven and a new earth."  

You can do it, too.  All you may need is a slight shift in perspective.

Choice versus Decision

Creating is about making a decision.  Life is full of possibilities, and we discern our preferences through our life experiences, and that influences our choices.

But there’s a significant difference between a choice and a decision.

The word “choice” comes from the Old English word ceosan, meaning to seek out, try, test, taste, and approve.  In my perspective, this implies flexibility.  There is always the option to choose again, leaving endless room for possibilities in our life.

According to Webster’s Dictionary, a decision means ‘to bring to an end.’  It derives from the Latin decidere – de- “off” and caedere “to cut.”  So literally translated, to decide means to cut off. 

When we decide, we eliminate all other options.

The crux of the class that I am currently working on, is this:  Each of us must decide for ourselves (to quote Albert Einstein), “whether we believe we live in a friendly or hostile universe.”  Because those are the only two options we have.  For example, in my own life, it boils down to my perception of my personal deity, God.  Do I believe that God loves me unconditionally, or not?  The better I feel about that relationship, the more confident I feel about myself and my ability to craft my destiny.

The decision about what we believe is always ours, no matter what our past experiences have been, no matter what others around us may or may not believe.  And we can change our beliefs any time.  Yes, we can deliberately change what we believe -- it's a process, that's true, but we are always supported in this endeavor.  And with enough attention to my new beliefs and practicing those new beliefs consistently, over time belief becomes knowing.

Deciding to believe that God loves me unconditionally has led to miracles occurring in my life, almost on a daily basis.  That’s because when I decide to believe, all other options retreat back into nothingness.  This belief shifts how I see the world, how confident I feel, how strong my faith is, how connected I feel to hope and optimism and determination.

According to “A Course in Miracles,” the Holy Spirit tells us that a miracle is a shift in perception.  "A miracle is a correction.  It does not create, nor really change at all.  It merely looks on devastation, and reminds the mind that what it sees is false.  It undoes error, but does not attempt to go beyond perception, nor exceed the function of forgiveness.  Thus it stays within time's limits.  Yet it paves the way for the return of timelessness and love's awakening, for fear must slip away under the gentle remedy it brings.”

When I decide to believe that I am loved unconditionally and that I am here on purpose, I am free to be, do and have anything I desire.  The chains and shackles disappear, and life feels brighter and lighter.

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If you are in the Richmond area on August 22, I hope you’ll come to this class at The Alchemists at Stony Point Fashion Park.  I will offer wonderful, uplifting supplemental information about this topic, from many sources.  It is my deepest hope, strongest passion and fervent desire to assist humanity to awaken and become aware of the truth of who we are and where we come from, so that we may co-create a new heaven and a new earth for ourselves, our children and generations to come.

Transformation and Transcendence -- The Message of 2012

It’s finally here – 2012!  The year we’ve all been hearing so much about, has finally arrived.  There are many questions and fears around 2012 – the Mayan calendar supposedly ends on December 21, 2012 (I have heard reports that contradict that).  The Mayans say that time as we know it is coming to an end, and others interpret that to mean the world itself is ending.

2012 is also an astronomical event -- and it only comes around every 26,000 years. 

Conjecture aside, what might this mean to each of us, individually and as a whole? 

Transcendence and transformation are the watchwords for 2012.  And when we look at what’s been going on in our world, especially in terms of our governing and financial systems, we can see that huge change is afoot.  It appears that we are taking back our power, as individuals, and as a collective.  No more status quo – if something doesn’t serve the greater good, it will be transformed so that it does.  This is true at a global level, as well as nationally and individually.  Everything is connected so when one thing changes, it causes a ripple effect and everything must adapt.

Everything is connected.  There is no separation, but the state of the world reflects a belief in separation -- separation from each other, from God, from Spirit and Matter.  It is time to return to a state of Unity, to remember that we are all One -- that there is only One of us here, in many different physical bodies.

What does this mean for you as an individual?  You’re probably feeling a little nervous reading this, or maybe anxious or downright scared.  The good news is, there’s a message in that feeling – fear of any kind indicates underlying beliefs that are not in harmony with your true identity as the powerful child of The Creator that you came here to be.  Often, we have adopted ideas and beliefs as our own, as we grow up in our families of origin, become indoctrinated in our religious traditions and educational systems, and conform to society’s memes.  You have probably become aware of the internal struggle between fitting in and standing out – between conforming and walking your own path.  At some point in life, many of us choose, in one way or another, to shake off our manacles of mindlessness and take “the road less taken.”

Welcome to the event that is 2012 – and it is an event whose energy began to build long before we became aware of the date.  The energy of 2012 is one of cooperation, compassion, empowerment and The Heart.  It is an end to the dominance of the Human Ego – an aspect of Self that has been in “the driver’s seat” for too long.  Ego’s intended function is that of advisor – experiencing life and discerning preferences.  The Heart is the Master – it’s where Spirit and Matter come together to make choices that are in alignment with grace, respect and unconditional love.

Unity is the message.

2012 is a process – while we may have become consciously aware of it in the last 8-10 years, the process began long ago.  There have been notable milestones along the way, many in recent memory – the Spiritualist movement of the late 19^th and early 20^th century (with authors like Florence Scovel Shinn, Emmet Fox, Rudolf Steiner and Neville Goddard, to name a few); the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi library in the mid-20^th century; the 1960’s (‘nough said); the discovery in late 1977 of the astrological planet Chiron, “The Wounded Healer,” which is also known as the bridge between body and spirit; the Harmonic Convergence of 1987 (many, including this author received their spiritual awakening in 1987); the rapid evolution of quantum physics in the 90’s and with it, the expanding awareness that our world is not solid and feelings and thoughts affect the world around us; and on into the 21^st century we go!

All of this supports our evolution because our goal is to remember our true identity – we are Spirit having a Human experience.  We are extensions of God, individuated into physical bodies for the express purpose of experiencing life from every angle, aspect and perspective that could possibly exist, so that eventually each soul experiences Self-Actualization and ultimately, a return to the God-head.  As we continue to awaken and remember, at some point we can, do and will embody Christ Consciousness – but first we each are given opportunities to master our thoughts, beliefs and feelings, so that our foundation is built on love, not fear; on faith and hope, not doubt.  More and more, as we transmute our thoughts, feelings and beliefs of fear to thoughts, feelings and beliefs of love, we will encounter the sublime experience of embodying Christ Consciousness. 

The Body is the vehicle for attraction and creation – all that we require to craft a world of love, harmony, joy and peace is within us now.  As we acknowledge our thoughts, feelings and beliefs in that which is not in alignment with the Unconditional Love that created us, we can choose thoughts, feelings and beliefs that are in alignment with All That Is, with Who We Really Are and create a world that is an out-picturing of that vibration.

In the Canonical Gospels, Jesus talks to his disciples about this process.  Jesus says, “Neither do men put new wine into old bottles; else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out and the bottles perish; but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.” Matthew 9:17.  The bottles represent out bodies, and the wine represents feelings and thoughts.  Man represents consciousness, so as we change our consciousness, we change our beliefs, and feelings and thoughts – and the nature of our bodies, the quality of our bodies change as a result.

We are experiencing a shift in our foundation.  Those whose foundations are built on rock – that which is real and true, the union of Spirit and Matter, our true identity as God within the body – will experience more peace and harmony.  Those whose foundations are built on earth – only those things that we can experience with our five physical senses, and giving our power away – will likely experience more turmoil and chaos.

But we can’t make changes if we aren’t aware of the current dynamic, can we?  So Life is helping us to become aware of where we are at any given moment, so that we can choose something better and more loving.  When we return to a state of Unity -- relinquish our beliefs in separation -- everything transforms, and we transcend the limitations of this world of form.

This is the message of 2012 – we are moving from a time of Egoic domination into a time of Unity, compassion and cooperation.  So maybe the Mayans had it right – it is the end of time as we know it!

Spiritual Unfoldment

Why Are We Here?



Last Thursday afternoon, after my last weekly Wednesday night conference call, I received a Facebook posting from a member of my Law of Attraction Meetup group.  The topic of that evening’s call was “When You’re Going Through Hell . . . Keep Going!”  I remember much of the information that was coming through had to do with Shadow experiences being potential pathways to revelation and healing. I also recall affirming a closely-held tenet of the Law of Attraction – focusing on how we want to feel really is the most efficient way to alignment with our higher self and subsequent healing of any situation.

Here is Frank G.’s Facebook posting, verbatim:

“Hi Mary Jo ..listened to your talk last night. Heard some good things but couldn't reconcile some of what was said with Law of attraction as interpreted by Esther Hicks. You mentioned that sometimes we do not get what we want because it is not in keeping with our higher self's interest,etc, but in my understanding we are creators and what we think about we create good or bad. This would mean that there is no higher self to impede our desires "good" or 'bad". Can you give me your take on this? Thanks. Frank”

I believe that Abraham does acknowledge the Higher Self, when Esther speaks of the “broader, older, wiser you” that resides in non-physical.  When we are ‘in the flow’ of life, we feel peaceful and our connection with Higher Self is clear and open.  And conversely, when we feel peaceful, we are ‘in the flow’ of life and our connection with Higher Self is clear and open.

The short answer is, the Law of Attraction is about aligning ourselves vibrationally to co-create our experience.  We are co-creators, and more accurately, attractors. 

We are Spiritual beings, having a human experience, and whether we take that into consideration when expressing our desires or not, our Spiritual nature and all that entails* plays a significant role in the co-creation process.  (See more on this below)

Our experiences and co-creations are significantly influenced by the vibrational underpinnings that we build on.  If we express a desire that is not in alignment with Who We Really Are and who we came here to be, and we persevere in this desire even when the path continues to be rocky and crumbling, and frustration and disappointment are our constant companions – we may manifest the desire eventually here in the physical but chances are very high we will not find our true happiness in that manifestation. 

Higher Self never impedes.  It is limitless, timeless.  Higher self does not judge our desires – like a truly loving presence, it has higher knowledge and wisdom of our Soul’s purpose on the Earth plane, and it allows us our choices.  If our choices are based in lower self, egoic thought forms – the need to please others, vanity, lack, greed, arrogance – those carry their own vibration and that is the vibration we will experience.

*If you are interested in more on this topic, I invite you to read on – more food for thought!

On Friday, I responded to Frank’s posting, promising a quick response to the Meetup group.  I could relate to his question – it’s a question I’ve grappled with as well.  But each time I sat down to write a response, I encountered empty space.  The response wasn’t immediately evident and flowing, and that usually means (in my personal experience) more information is forthcoming.  And it was.

I do remember saying something closely akin to what Frank G. is asking about.  In some part of my consciousness, I almost censored the words coming from my mouth for the exact reason that Frank states so eloquently, but after speaking and teaching for more than 3 years, I have learned to present the information as given to me and let the process unfold as it will, for a higher and greater good.

I have been a deliberate and conscious student of the Law of Attraction for more than 8 years now.  My intention, from day one, has been to understand as completely as possible, my relationship with myself and with my Creator. 

1.  Each of us is here to become consciously aware of sacred cosmic truth on an individual level.

This has been a thread in my consciousness from the time I was very young, but it all came to the surface in 2003.  And that’s when I chose to take the study of the Law of Attraction seriously.

After 4 or 5 years of study and practice – and in that time, teaching and speaking – I began to have this deeper sense about the nature and purpose of the Law of Attraction.

 On the one hand, I was delighted by the teachings of Abraham through Esther Hicks, and subsequently, “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne and “The Game of Life and How to Play It,” by Florence Scovel Shinn, among others.  I felt uplifted!  I felt optimistic and joyful anticipation, and most of all relief – relief that there was a different and better way for me to think about my relationship with Creation and that these outlets for that information clearly supported that.

On the other hand, in late 2009, I remember very clearly feeling disturbed about my then-current understanding, and subsequent teaching.  I remember that I was reading a book of considerable substance, about ancient wisdom, 2012, and universal transformation.  And since I’ve been studying and integrating LOA principles for the past six years, I habitually synthesize all newly incoming information with LOA.  What disturbed me was the feeling, the intuition that the Law of Attraction as I currently understood and appreciated it, was not the Be-All and End-All.  It was not the end of the road.  There was more, I could feel it, but I was experiencing considerable confusion about that.

But, I had come to trust the process – because of my new beliefs based in the Law of Attraction and the positive and uplifting experiences that I was having as a result of changing how I thought about life and who I was and my role in Creation.  Despite feeling confused, I knew the best way was to allow unfoldment, rather than resisting what I was interpreting as a contradiction in my learning.  I kept asking for clarity and revelation, all the while asserting my trust in Creation.

I feel strongly that our experience here is significant on the cosmic level, the material level and the individual level, as well as the spiritual and etheric levels – it’s about more than our earthly desires. 

2.  Each of us is here to know ourselves, so life, our experiences, our path involves awakening to the inner processes of our soul and our Higher Self.

So I continued to study and read, and talk with my teacher David.  David’s esoteric understanding of consciousness and a deeper wisdom was – and still continues to be – invaluable to me in quenching my never-ending thirst for understanding and revelation. 

I continued to ask for clarity, because I did NOT want to give up on all that I’d been learning for the past six years.  I knew that the Law of Attraction was real, and working in our lives.  I knew the information was relevant and valid because of my own personal experiences in working with it deliberately.

And then, one morning on the subway, as I was reading a book by Cal Garrison, called “Astrology of 2012 and Beyond,” it came to me.  I was reading about one of the possible, less uplifting scenarios of this time in history, and I recognized that I had heard some of the same unsettling information in Ms. Garrison’s book, from other and totally unrelated sources – sources I know to be credible.  It’s been my experience that when I hear something more than twice, from unrelated sources, I benefit from paying close attention.  I experience a heightened awareness that something is about to be revealed.  Rather than identifying with the disturbing feelings, and allowing my thoughts to follow a fearful path, I recognized the invitation to look deeper, and so I asked myself, “What is really going on here?”

As I asked the question, I heard these words in my head – “It’s a gateway.”  The Law of Attraction is a gateway to a deeper wisdom, a gateway to a higher level of unfoldment and connection to Christed consciousness.  I experienced a heart recognition that there is so much more to life than the material world – there is the deep, fulfilling moment of clarity that we are souls, here on this earth plane intentionally to experience something sacred and mystical and Divine.

3. The maturization process involves accepting that something bigger than me is calling the shots.

Some of us reject that idea.  The Ego says, “Oh, yeah?  Well, what about free will?  I want what I want, and you said I have free will!”  The Ego is like the little child who doesn’t have the broader vision and higher perspective to recognize its highest expression.  It wants what it wants right NOW!  The Higher Self, with its pristine connection to I AM consciousness, has the intricate task of bringing back into the fold, all those aspects of lower consciousness that are mesmerized and distracted by all the delicious and beautiful temptations of physical experience. 

The Ego resists this “maturing” process – the synchronization of our earthly, material nature with our higher, spiritual nature.  Maturization requires patience, and the Ego is short on patience, wisdom and vision.  Maturing and unfoldment require that we allow our process of development and we do that by aligning ourselves vibrationally with our Higher Self.  This ultimately helps us to understand our individual journey.  This is how we come to terms with blending the material and the spiritual.

The highest response is to work together with our I AM.  We do this by becoming aware of how this I AM interacts with us, through all of our life experience.  And that is what unfoldment is about.  Our life is ultimately devoted to expressing aspects of our I AM.

Now that may not sit well with the Ego, or the lower self. While there is nothing wrong with the desires of the physical world – whether it’s a material possession, a relationship, or a condition – the next step in the maturation process is recognizing that the foundation of those desires is emotional satisfaction.  Emotional satisfaction is fleeting, at best.  But if we consciously seek to become familiar with our I AM (through our feeling process, climbing the ladder of the feelings higher and higher), the benefits are myriad.  There is no resistance, or karma, created; we feel much better so our vibration climbs; we step more fully into our role as a bridge between heaven and earth; and we attract into our physical experience those aspects of the material world that are in alignment with (on the same frequency as) our feelings of love.  Our desires then take their appropriate place in the creation process, we become less attached to “material” outcomes, thereby eventually becoming more and more “peaceful and happy just because.” 

William Shakespeare said it so eloquently:  “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”