Author Archives: D4

Divine Guidance Followed, or Not

04 Tuesday Nov 2014

Posted by in Book 3, Divine Guidance

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The Divine showers us with love in the form of guidance to help life run smoother. Learning how to keep your heart open so you can recognize this guidance is a core skill students learn at our school. What a blessing to come to know first hand you are loved and are not alone. The following is a beautiful examples of this. – Enjoy

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One of the beautiful gifts that I have received by being a student at the Nature Awareness School is understanding how to recognize, listen to, and follow communication from the Divine. One time, while visiting relatives, I had an inner nudge to park the car in a different spot than usual. After being inside for a few minutes I was looking out the window in time to see a huge branch fall right in the spot where we usually park the car. This is an example of protection offered, recognized, listened to, and acted upon.

Sometimes the guidance has seemed contrary to “logic.” One rainy Saturday morning I had a nudge to go hang a few fliers to advertise for my daycare business.  Logically I thought, who would go for a walk or go to the park on a rainy weekend?  However I followed the given nudge and hung a few fliers at the park and on a telephone pole that felt like a good spot. I was away for the weekend and when I returned I had two families contact me needing childcare. By Friday I had a new client who has come to my daycare now for almost two years. In prior times when I have had openings it has taken months to find new clients. This was clearly an example of following a nudge from Spirit in a timely manner, even though it seemed illogical.

I know that the inner communication is to bless us. I have had opportunities to learn from the times when I did not listen to, or follow, the communication from the Divine. A simple example was the time I had a nudge/feeling to get condensed milk from the store. I do not usually buy it, and blew off the nudge by justifying to myself I do not cook with that, why should I get it. The following day I was looking at a new recipe for some delicious sounding muffins that required, you guessed it, condensed milk. The simple nudges are to help us live a smoother, happier life.

Written by Molly Comfort

Divine Hand on My Back

31 Friday Oct 2014

Posted by in Book 2, Divine Love, Gratitude

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This testimony is short and sweet…. not to mention profound. It shows there is no limitation to the ways God can comfort and guide His children.

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I stopped at a restaurant with my daughter one evening and as we sat eating I was thinking about all of the things that I had going on in my life right then. I was getting remarried soon and there were a lot of things to do. I was not paying attention to my daughter but worrying about other things.

Just then I felt a hand touch my back. It pushed down gently between my shoulder blades. I looked around and nobody was standing behind me. There was not anyone near where we were sitting.

As the hand rested on my back I suddenly felt better, as if a weight had been lifted. I was able to set aside the other stuff and spend some quality time with my daughter. I believe this was the Divine giving me a gift of peace, reminding me where my focus should have been. I was able to listen to my daughter, who I do not see very often, and not later regret missing quality time with her.

I am so grateful for that amazing gift of love and comfort. Whenever I get stressed in life I try to remember that day and I begin to see things differently.

Written by Anthony Allred

 

 

Waking up to the Light of God

14 Tuesday Oct 2014

Posted by in Book - Light and Sound, Light of God

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The following is another incredible example of seeing, and feeling connected to, the Light of God. Countless students through the years have experienced this blessing in various forms. This is something we do not take for granted, but continue to be deeply grateful.

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I have always felt a strong connection to Divine Spirit. All my life I remember reading stories of people who had these marvelous experiences with Spirit. I read about those experiences in the Bible, in the histories of some Saints, and in some of the songs we would sing in church when I was growing up. I always knew in my heart that a very deep and profound relationship with Divine Spirit was “out there somewhere.”

In one of the early wilderness survival classes I took at the Nature Awareness School, we were building “debris huts” in which we would sleep the rest of the week. A debris hut is a shelter made of sticks laid across a long pole. Piled on top of this framework are layers and layers of leaves to provide insulation against the cold. Leaves are also stuffed inside as a kind of sleeping bag. The hut is built small, so there is not much empty space for your body heat to warm up.

The first night that I slept in the hut, I was awakened by an extremely bright light shining in my face. I thought it was someone shining a flashlight right at me. I sat bolt upright and just looked at that light. It wasn’t only a light though. With the light there was a connection to something else. I felt a presence connected to it. I looked at this very intently for a while, and after a few minutes I lay back down and went back to sleep.

The next morning I remembered this very vivid experience. When I shared it in class the next day, and described the “flashlight,” Del just smiled, nodded and said “hmm, flashlight” in a very knowing way.

Del’s reaction made me re-think this experience. I started looking at this from a deeper perspective. There was much more to this experience than just a “flashlight” in my face waking me up. Suddenly it occurred to me that the roof of the debris hut was only six inches above my nose. As real as it felt, there was no possible way I could have sat up and looked at this light in my physical body. I would have knocked myself out against a tree branch sitting up so quickly. I know now that the light was the Light of God. The presence I felt was Divine Spirit. It wasn’t just a random light, like a ship passing in the night. It was right there in my face, a direct personal experience with Divine Spirit. God was reaching out to me and interacting with me in a very profound and very personal way. I was being “woken up” in the spiritual sense.

Since that time, twenty years ago, I have had many more personal experiences with the Divine and the Light of God. Each experience is unique and just as precious as the first one I recounted here.

Written by Paul Nelson

 

I Am Not Alone – The First Time I Experienced God’s Light

23 Tuesday Sep 2014

Posted by in Book - Light and Sound, Light of God, Spiritual Guide

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God is a living God. As uplifting as scripture can be it seems a shame to think God only spoke to His children in the past. I am confident God is alive and well. He still loves us and communicates with us in this day and age. One of the many ways the Divine can communicate to us is with spiritual light. The following is a beautiful story about seeing the Light of God for the first time. What a blessing!

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In 1995 I was living in California, but was working here in Virginia for a one-year temporary job-assignment. I was in a searching and seeking phase of my life – though not sure what I was looking for. It was an unsettled time, lots of change in several areas of my life. I had no real direction or rooting in anything or anywhere it seemed. I saw a small advertisement in a local magazine for the Nature Awareness School. I was immediately interested and called and spoke to Del on the phone. I can remember our conversation like it was yesterday. We talked about various things and the types of classes he was teaching, but it was something in his voice that spoke to me on a deeper level. I knew I wanted to go no matter what the next class was. Back then the school offered a mix of wilderness skills and spiritual retreats and it turned out the next class was a tracking class. Driving up to the school alone and taking this class was a whole new experience for me, as I had never done anything like this before but I was excited to go. I was open to learn and to whatever adventure was in store. I enjoyed the class and found I had a natural ability to see the tracks in the dirt during our practice sessions.

While there I was more relaxed and at peace than I could ever recall. At the time I was afraid of the dark and being in the woods at night, but not as much here. I felt safe and protected and knew I was in good hands. I slept like a baby. One night after class was over and everyone had gone to bed I stood on the grassy hill overlooking the pond. I was soaking in the beauty of the clear sky and the brilliant stars, appreciating the calmness and grateful for the courage I had to stand there “alone” in the dark and still be at peace.

I became aware of a bright white light over my right shoulder just out of my peripheral vision. It surprised me but it was a gentle presence that did not scare me. I turned quickly to see it but when I looked it was gone. I eventually settled down and went back to looking out over the pond, enjoying the peacefulness, and saw the white light once again. This time I turned slowly hoping to see more of the light and what it was; but as I turned around enough to look directly, it was gone again. This happened again, but this time I did not turn at all and used wide-angle vision we were taught in class to observe and be aware of the light without looking directly at it. It was comforting, gentle, and non-intrusive yet it seemed to hold so much more. I was not sure what it was, but I liked it and I knew I was not alone.

The next day I mentioned my experience to Del and he helped me understand that what I was seeing was the Light of God. Divine Spirit can come in many forms and one is light. Later I would learn that this presence is always with me whether I see it or not. Out of great love for me though, it chose to introduce Itself in a way that would not scare me. It was, as I learned in later spiritual retreats, offering to have an inner personal relationship and help guide me spiritually. In time, by nurturing this relationship, by singing HU, and being grateful for its blessings, this relationship has grown in trust and a true love connection has developed.

Almost twenty years later, as I sit writing this story in the same spot on the grassy hillside looking out at the pond, I am filled with appreciation, love, and awe at how every aspect of my life has been transformed because of this very real, very present, and very personal relationship with Divine Spirit. In the past twenty years I’ve gone through zigs and zags, and ups and downs in life, had relationship changes, career and finance changes, and relocations of homes, but the one constant has been this ever-growing love connection. It is the solid foundation upon which my life rests and is a source of peace, stability, comfort, joy, and happiness even on some of the more difficult days. I am truly never alone. What a magnificent discovery and journey this has been and continues to be.

Written by Lorraine Fortier

 

Dream Warning Provides Protection

12 Friday Sep 2014

Posted by in Book - Dreams, Book 2, Dream Section - Guidance, Dreams of Protection

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There are times when one can be given advance warning in a dream. God can reach out and protect us by making us aware of upcoming danger. The following is a classic example.

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In this dream I was driving to work on a familiar piece of highway. A large tractor-trailer came speeding up on my right and began coming into my lane. He apparently did not see me. The truck kept coming over and nearly pushed me into the guardrails on my left. I slowed abruptly to avoid a collision and began to move over into the right lane. At this point another car came up on my left and made a quick cut in front of me to get off the exit ramp.

In a short period of time I had two close calls where I had to react quickly to avoid an accident. I woke up and was still a bit shaken with a vivid recollection of this dream. On my way to work that morning on a very similar area as in the dream I saw a trailer truck coming up on my right. I remembered the dream so I slowed down well before he got alongside of me. He then swerved into the lane I had just been in. I was watching for a second car at this point and saw it come up on the left and make the abrupt cross over to exit the freeway. Both of these things happened just like in the dream. The only difference was that I was safely behind the truck and the second car, thanks to the warning in the dream.

I was very blessed and my day was so different because I was an observer of this situation from a safe distance. It was all due to the heads up I received in the dream. I was protected from a potentially tragic crash because I paid attention to this communication from God, took it seriously, and remembered it later in the day. Our dreams are real. If we dismiss or brush aside the information they contain we could be missing a valuable gift. A gift that could change our life or maybe even save it.

Written by Lorraine Fortier

 

The Healing Power of HU

22 Friday Aug 2014

Posted by in Book - Healings, Book - Journey w Prophet, Book - Past Lives, Book 3, Spiritual Guide

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HU is an ancient name for God that can be sung quietly or aloud in prayer. HU has existed since the beginning of time in one form or another and is available to all regardless of religion. Singing HU a few minutes each day will bring more love, joy, peace, and clarity into your life. It can also be sung when you are upset or fearful and need help rising to a higher view of the situation. It is a pure way to express your love to God and give thanks for your blessings. Singing HU (H-U-U-U-U) pronounced “hue” serves as a tuning fork that brings you into greater harmony with the Divine.

Most importantly, as this testimony illustrates, singing HU helps you to find and connect with an appropriate spiritual guide. Connecting with and developing this relationship is the key to spiritual liberation. Enjoy

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The HU was shared with me about fourteen years ago by my aunt and uncle. The first time I sang it in a group, I wept. It awakened something inside of me. My heart was opening to express pure love to God and I now know that it was the eternal part of me (Soul) crying tears of joy. I cherish The HU and have grown to sing it faithfully many times throughout the day. Each time I feel refreshed, more at peace and more grateful. Sometimes I am aware of a blessing or an experience and sometimes I am not. Over the years I have received a lot of healing when singing HU.

This summer at a week long class at Nature Awareness School I experienced a profound healing while singing HU. During an opportunity to have alone time at the class I hiked to Vision Rock, sat down and sang HU. I did not ask for a healing nor did I even know I needed one. I just prayed to give all my love to God and be receptive to whatever and however it came back. I invited Del, The Prophet, whom I trust immensely, to join me. We met in my inner vision and to my surprise we traveled in our soul bodies above space and time into past and future lives. I had an amazing experience and a healing that penetrated into the past, present and future all at once. I was shown all the areas of my lives where there had actually been love but it had not been recognized. I was also shown God’s love flowing into areas that truly were devoid of love. It was both a retroactive and future reaching healing. To say my past, present and future received healing during an out of body experience might be much for some to accept, but none the less it is true. My spiritual guide, The Prophet, is authorized to do this and it was the singing of the HU that opened me to this blessing.

It is humbling and exciting to know that I cannot grasp the full measure of God’s love, grace and mercy. Nor do I need to. This healing showed me that giving my love to God via singing HU came back to me a thousand times over. It is difficult to put words to this healing and what it means to me. It is changing my life for the better and even changing the lives of people around me.

The HU continues to reveal more to me as I grow in my ability to receive God’s blessings. I may never comprehend its value completely, but my heart knows that no matter what I go through in life; God’s love can open me to Divine blessings. I know it was the singing of HU that raised me up to a higher level where my spiritual guide could bless me. This blessing would not have been possible without the many years of conditioning my guide spent preparing me for that healing. Without the guide, singing HU alone could not have taken me on the journey of healing I experienced.

I learned from that experience that we all have wounds we may or may not be aware of from this life and even past lives. We all carry a burden equal to our measure. They affect the way we view the world, the choices we make, and our ability to give and receive Love. My experience during The HU gave me more compassion for myself and others. I have always appreciated The HU, but now I understand more of it’s incredible healing power.

Written by Tash Canine

Our Father

24 Thursday Jul 2014

Posted by in Book 4, Divine Love

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This testimony highlights the fulfillment of a prayer in the heart of a seven year old who wanted to know God in this lifetime. Years later she found the deep peace she had been looking for through developing an active relationship with the Divine. She did this with the tools learned and the personal experiences she had at the Nature Awareness School. She now knows that most of our experiences in life can be boiled down to either giving or receiving love and that “Our Father” can truly live in our hearts. Enjoy!

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The other day my spiritual teacher asked me “why should we care about God?” His question took me back in time to some memories. As a seven-year-old I asked my mom to explain the Holy Trinity. Despite her loving efforts to help me understand, I did not. Yet it was clear to me at that moment I wanted to know God in this lifetime.

With many mixed experiences being raised in a mainstream religion, I had an experience that stayed in my heart in a very positive way. Attending Sunday school the teacher was absent so a nun came to teach that day. She spoke to us of the Lord’s Prayer. She shared that when she prayed the words “Our Father”, she often could not go any further in the prayer. Those few words could give her hours of contemplation time. I felt her love and reverence for God and prayer. Being passive, I did not ask questions or pursue how one could contemplate on two words from the Lord’s Prayer. I only knew how to recite the words with little clue to their meaning. I was a teenager at that time and learned that it was the last year our church would offer Sunday school to teens due to a lack of interest. I was sad with that news but did nothing to pursue my options. Yet God spoke to my heart that day. A seed of love in my heart was watered reminding me that I wanted to know God in this lifetime, and that at least this one nun had a clue how to know “Our Father”. She had a deep peace about her which I lacked, yet I could feel peace in her presence. I wanted peace of heart too.

Back to the question… why should we care about God? The question caused me to wonder what does it mean to care about God, and how does one express they care about God? I have been blessed in numerous experiences over the past 20 years at the Nature Awareness School to learn in a very personal manner how to find answers to those questions for myself. I have been given many practical tools and methods to use which help me in all areas of life. I have learned through experience that God loves me and shows an interest in every aspect of my life. Through this active process I know that God’s essence, divine spirit is always with me. In this growing relationship with God, divine spirit is teaching me that life is about giving and receiving love.

Recently I helped another to express love by asking a friend to pick a few things up for me from the store as I was not feeling well. In the past I would not have asked for another’s help so readily. I have learned that it is not selfish to ask for help when it is needed. In a way it is selfish not to ask for help. Accepting help allows God’s love to come into our lives through others. It turned out my friend had prayed to be a blessing to another that day. She told me I had more than answered her prayer and asked if she could help in any other way. She was so happy that I accepted help with setting up a CD player so I could watch movies and relax.

Life is filled with God’s love expressed in the day to day events of life. It is so uplifting to see the hand of God working in my life. I have learned through experience that God hears our prayers and is ever present in our lives. “Our Father” now lives in my heart and it brings me peace.

Written by Ann Atwell

Live Life Without Amnesia

19 Monday May 2014

Posted by in Gratitude

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I recently heard someone say during an interview that he wanted to “live life without amnesia”. He did not want to forget God did something miraculous in his life. He was sharing the story of how a total stranger reached out to his mother and ultimately reset the entire course of her (and his) life through their act of kindness. The seemingly insignificant act of noticing her as she walked down the street with the weight of the world on her shoulders and caring enough to take the time to walk over and tell her she was not alone… that God loved her and had not forgotten about her. I’ll spare the details but the direction of her life was headed into a dark place and this one encounter changed everything. It really just goes to show the difference we can make in the world.

What an inspiring attitude – never wanting to forget a blessing. How many have been blessed in some form or fashion only to have forgotten? Daily life and all it’s distractions have a way of keeping us busy thinking about them and sadly it’s too easy to let the “urgent” overshadow the “important”. Perhaps you do not have a life changing blessing that you are aware of but I guarantee there is an act of kindness or some sort of gift from the Divine you can hold onto with gratitude. Everyone should have a few – especially for the tough days… the days when it serves us best to count our blessings. Find something to be grateful for whether it’s a hot cup of coffee, surviving an auto crash, being reunited with a loved one, an early morning walk, receiving guidance in a dream on a major decision you were struggling with, getting the job you hoped for, being “woken up”, a fresh picked tomato, sunset on the lake, personally experiencing some aspect of the Divine, finding your dream house, having love in your life, a warm fireplace on a rainy fall day… something – gratitude equals gratitude.

It is when our hearts are open that we can “hear” the Divine. Gratitude does just that. Life is short – make the best of it. What the “best” is, is up to you – no one else. But whatever your definition, gratitude will help you achieve it…. if you choose to remember.

Del 4

Daily Bread

28 Monday Apr 2014

Posted by in Daily Bread

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One needs spiritual nourishment as well as physical nourishment. How else will you be able to run the good race?

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You do not “have” a soul – you ARE Soul….. you “have” a body. A subtle but monumentally different perspective and understanding. You are a spiritual being cloaked in a temporal “earth suit” which has an expiration date – so to say. But the real you, Soul, will carry on. You are Eternal.

God has given you the power and free will to create a life of your choosing. A life sculpted daily by your choices and attitudes. How and what you think truly makes a difference. I cannot stress this enough – your present thoughts will manifest into future conditions. Everything in your consciousness is bound to come forth in your outer life. Those folks who have a positive outlook on life and try to always see the “silver lining” will indeed see it, if not help manifest it. A positive attitude will help to create a positive result and vice versa. The choice of how you wish to view the world is no one else’s but yours. You will reap what you sow – your actions, thoughts and attitudes have power – sow gently, kindly and wisely.

The freedom to think, dream and create a life of your hearts desire does not mean you are alone. You most certainly are not. The Prophet is available to offer help at every step of the way – but ultimately you must walk your own path. If not you, who shall? If there is something in your life that is not working you have the ability to change it. There is a great responsibility and great freedom in this. Unfortunately, many seek to lay this blessing of freedom at the feet of others. Too many wish for others to tell them how to live versus following their own heart. Countless numbers who sacrifice personal freedom, their birthright as Soul, for comfort and a false security.

You are responsible for your own path and this includes asking for help. It might sound like double talk to some but asking for help and taking personal responsibility for your path are not opposites. The spiritually strong ask for help. They know the true strength is in “the team” …them and the Divine. There is nothing you cannot do if God is with you and you do your part. Granted – God does the “heavy lifting” but you are certainly are not helpless.

One of the most important things you can do is to stay nourished by making time for your daily bread – your lifeline.

You must find time to connect with the Divine every day. You need consistent spiritual nourishment. Just as your physical body needs good healthy food to stay fit – so do you as a spiritual being, Soul. Your daily bread is your lifeline. Whether it be prayer, the reading of Scripture, focusing on something you are grateful for, connecting with your spiritual guide in contemplation, or the singing of one of God’s holy names, you need spiritual food. Watch what happens if you don’t water a plant, or if you stop eating physical food. It’s no different spiritually – you will wither. Yes, you may still be breathing but are you truly alive? Do you have abundant life?

Life will always try to find a way to take your attention elsewhere so it is up to you, if it is in your heart, to stay connected. You can chisel out time in your day if it is important to you. Is it too much to ask for the Kingdom of Heaven here and now – a few moments a day to tune in?

Food for thought….

Written by Del IV

Make time to attend the March 15th HU Sing led by my father, Del III, and receive the nourishment of which I speak.

On the Mountain

30 Sunday Mar 2014

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Dear Friends,

Thank you for reviewing the School website. In the past 20 plus years our school has evolved from facilitating spiritual retreats into a program of continuing spiritual education and ongoing personal growth. Current students attend several retreats every year to refresh, review, and grow on a continuous basis. Each retreat is fluid and different even if the name of the retreat remains the same. The Divine hand provides profound experiences, insights, and healings to specifically meet each persons needs at that particular time in their life.

Your mission in earthly life is to manifest the divine qualities that are already within you. Divine qualities can be hidden when we are still controlled by the “passions of the mind.” Fear, worry, anger, vanity, excessive attachments, etc. are examples of the passions of the mind, which deplete you, and those around you. Our retreats teach meaningful and practical tools to help you shift the balance in your life from the limiting and binding passions of the mind to your true nature, a divine spark of God. As a divine spark of God you will learn to grow in peace, joy, clarity, freedom, happiness, wisdom, and much more! You will learn to more fully give and receive love. Experiencing divine TRUTH will help you create an abundant life.

Life evolves and changes as we grow and develop into our true divine selves. A retreat or two pulls back the curtain on the divine guidance available but cannot sustain one permanently. Each retreat reveals higher and higher views of life. The goals of self-realization and God realization become an attainable reality. Retreats offer “spiritual food” to keep you nourished for the amazing journey ahead. This is a never-ending journey, the grandest adventure of all. A grand adventure of discovering the real divine self, the eternal self, and even the nature of the eternal God.

Do you want to transcend the narrow human consciousness, to a boundless spiritual consciousness? Do you want to experience the ultimate life adventure? Come try a Dream Retreat to start. Your heart will know if this is to be your life adventure.

Walk in Balance and Harmony,

Del Hall

The Pearl of Dream Study

20 Thursday Mar 2014

Posted by in Book - Dreams, Dream Section - Uncatagorized, Dreams

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The true pearl of paying attention to your dreams is the strengthening of your relationship with the Divine that occurs. Yes – dreams can provide guidance and insight into every area of your daily life. This alone makes them worth paying attention to, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg. For one who begins to see and know that dreams originate from the Divine, not the mind, the next question is why – why am I being guided? Why am I being helped through the challenges of life? Quite simply… because you are loved. For many this is still something they struggle to accept. That God so loves and knows each and everyone of us personally. To each He offers His guidance, wisdom and loving care helping us to move through our day with more joy, balance and harmony. But it is so very true…. and something you can experience and ultimately prove to yourself. Dreams are the trailhead to a more personal connection with God. This is why it’s in our hearts to teach people how to remember and interpret their dreams. We believe everybody is equipped to receive their own answers if only they know how and where to fish.

The pearl of dream study – the wisdom that you are loved and that you are not alone.

Dream Study Workshops here… 

Kingdom First

04 Tuesday Mar 2014

Posted by in Follow your Heart

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Sometimes when I am working through something I like to ask God for help then pull a book off the shelf flipping it open at random. It’s amazing how many times the passage I land on speaks directly to my heart and what’s on my mind. Just one of the many ways Spirit can communicate with us.

Here is a recent gem that I have returned to many times since opening to it in “Walden”…..

“Be it life or death, we crave only reality. If we are really dying, let us hear the rattle in our throats and feel cold in the extremities; if we are alive, let us go about our business.
Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in. I drink at it; but while I drink I see the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is. Its thin current slides away, but eternity remains. I would drink deeper; fish in the sky, whose bottom is pebbly with stars.”

The take home for me…. “Do it now” do not wait to follow your heart… life is short. Make the most of your time here. Make time to connect with the things of an eternal nature…. the things that will last even after the thin current has slid away. Why wait any longer at an opportunity to strengthen your connection with the Divine?

 

“Celebration of Dreams”

21 Friday Feb 2014

Posted by in Book - Dreams, Dream Section - Uncatagorized, Dreams, Gratitude

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The journey of life on earth is an interesting venture for sure. As Soul, we come into a physical body and are blessed to experience the joys and pains of living and everything in between. There have been times in my life when I stood on top of the “mountain” so to say and a few times I’ve wanted to crawl into a hole. Even with it’s ups and downs there has fortunately been a consistency for me – I knew it was teaching me something and I have been able to see the silver lining (maybe not always right away). Life is about growth and how is this possible if you never experience anything? Looking back I see mostly things I feel good about and a few I don’t – but to judge myself today for yesterday is not productive. Learn the lesson, move on, and hopefully do better next time. What else can you do? Although – life has a way of giving you another shot sometimes. It might look a little different on the surface but the lesson is the same. What a great feeling this has been on a few occasions when I was conscious of getting another chance.

Something that I have come to know is that Gratitude is the secret to love. Hold the phone! The answer to the riddle of the ages… didn’t see that one coming. But it’s true. There is so much to be grateful for and this view has brought so much love into my life. You can always find something to be grateful for.

A major blessing in my life and something that I feel helped set the course of it was being introduced to the power of dreams very early on. I was stubborn at times and did not always heed the advice they provided me but I knew it was there. A steady consistent source of guidance as I traveled through life. I will testify to you now that dreams are real – they are not residual mind junk from your day. The are a glimpse of the full life you lead, as Soul, beyond the physical. You do not “have” a Soul – you are Soul, you have a body. Some don’t remember their dreams or always start a story with “I had this crazy dream” but I can say with certainty that if you nurture this connection they can become very clear… as clear as in your waking life. Don’t let fifty years of “modern” psychology which says dreams are merely manifestations of your repressed feelings obscure millennia on the truth about dreams. They are one way in which the Divine can communicate with you and this is available to all. They are not some new-age thing.

If you would like to learn how to invite, recall and understand your dreams, ultimately cultivating a richer dream life for yourself, please consider coming to a Dream Study Retreat or Workshop.

Why not take a chance on something new? Something that could bring more joy and balance into your life.

The 12-12-12 Celebration

23 Sunday Dec 2012

Posted by in Gratitude

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The following relates to a topic that I usually do not share publicly – but felt I would burst if I did not openly express my gratitude… so here goes. Someday if my grandkids ask what I was doing on  12-12-12  I’ll be able to tell them I was giving thanks for one more year of life. Even more accurate – another day. On the 12th of December last year I survived yet another brain surgery for the removal of a recurring tumor. To tell someone you’ve had four brain surgeries makes it sound commonplace. I assure you – it is not. Most are lucky to make it through one, and here I am 25 years and 4 surgeries later. I have been fortunate to have been led to some of the world’s greatest surgeons, literally, but I know the true credit goes to God. No one but God could have seen to it that I would not only survive, but thrive all these years. I have a genuine Trust and Faith that this experience was exactly what I needed in this life – it has made the days sweeter. (It took me a few years to come to this perspective)  Thanks be to God… I love you. Thank you also to those who prayed for me – I know it made a difference.

Why am I still here….what do I do with this gift of life? Give thanks, love and service to God of course… but how do I do that? Well – I get up everyday with gratitude in my heart. I embrace the gift of life doing things I love and cherishing every moment. I truly believe when one is doing what they love and their heart is open that it makes a difference to all those around them. Each and every one of us can be a point of light in our respective spheres. When our hearts are open we can hear the guiding voice of the Divine. It is not the grand list of accomplishments I seek… it is the sustained, day in day out, cherishing of life. It is the never-ending list of “small things” done with an open heart that sculpt a life of gratitude. A life of meaning. If you want to make this life count – start today… enjoy a cup of coffee with a loved one, open a door with a smile for a stranger, cook a meal for your family with joy in your heart, comfort a friend in need, hug your children, do something you love…take a walk in the woods, rake leaves and breath deep, work in the garden, listen to your favorite song… and on and on. Appreciate your blessings no matter how small they seem. It is not the activity itself that is the qualifier, it is the motivation behind it. Do what you do with gratitude… the secret of Love. There is always something to be grateful for if you take a moment to reflect. This life is a gift from God – how sad if we don’t find a way to appreciate it while we have it. What a great way to testify to the mighty Love of God by being a vehicle for his Love in all we do throughout the day. Open your heart – abundance follows!

I do not let the challenges I have been through define me. I am not the health problem – I am Soul, a child of God. I instead choose to see it as a gift and focus on the many blessings it has brought me. You too, are a child of God and you exist because God loves you. It is really that simple and yet that profound… the answer to the riddle of the ages.

Whatever you end up doing today, do it with Love… it makes all the difference. And what is it I’ll be doing today? I’m currently working on this incredible cup of coffee which I’m truly grateful for… then I’m going to split some firewood to keep our home warm and make some cookies with the kids. I hear there is a spiral ham in the works for dinner. Maybe even get some painting done this evening. These are all profound gifts of life!

Thanks for listening… enjoy your day !