IS IT TABOO TO TALK ABOUT TALKING TO GOD?

During Oprah's final monologue on the Oprah Show she deviated from her prepared talk and mentioned God and His importance in her life and to her success.

She did so with a wry grin and immediately acknowledged , "I know, I know, there's going to be people that get their back's up because I mentioned God. Oooohhh, not God, don't bring God into it."

And she is right. Mainstream society doesn't want to hear it; it's almost taboo. Don't bring up God or prayer at work, you'll be labeled a freak or a Bible thumper. Don't bring up God at your PTA meeting or you will be given strange looks as other parents move away from you as if they may become infected with religiosity. In some situations people will even become angered if the subject is brought up.

It seems that for many people  God and prayer is only acceptable in church, synagogue or temple, weddings and funerals, or when one is experiencing moments of profound misery so great that it causes an involuntary outcry for mercy. And yet, there are multitudes of people who have a personal, spiritual relationship.with God that they maintain and deepen through an active and meaningful practice of prayer.

Recently I borrowed a book called, TALKING TO GOD: Portrait of a World at Prayer (2006, Stone Creek Publications) and the truth of this was brought home to my soul in a most profound manner. I believe in God and I converse with Him on a daily basis, but I am one of those people who hedge their bets in public in order to avoid controversy. I skirt around the God issue in conversation or with my pen  and keyboard as if He were taboo. I refer to God as the Universe, or the One, or the Source, or the Absolute  -- not an outright denial, but certainly couched in terminology that I think would be more acceptable to others who do not think of God on a daily basis, and to whom the practice of prayer would seem alien. And I wonder in my inner space what God thinks of this. It certainly is a bit stand-offish. If my son or daughters were to refer to me as "that woman of my origin" or "she who raised me" instead of Mom, I would be hurt and offended.

The fifteen essays that are gathered together in TALKING TO GOD contain wisdom and spiritual knowledge. Of the six prayers sandwiched in between the essays, I was only familiar with one -- the other five were beautiful prose offering praise and glory to God that filled my cup and my soul to overflowing. And accompanying the text are vibrant, beautiful, soulful photographs that display the worship, prayers and faith of all the world's major religions. Uplifting and enlightening, the book is a blessing. Here is a selection of the inspiring quotes, blessings and prayers from its' pages:

He who is in the sun,

and in the fire,

and in the heart of man

is One.

He who knows this

is one with the One.

The Upanishads

Photographic Credit:  Mark Downey - Lowell Thomas Award for Photography
In Nara, Japan a man stops to offer prayer outside  the Todai Temple

God's answers
are wiser
than our prayers.

Unknown

Photographic Credit: Richard Nowitz - 1996 Travel Photography Award

Russian Orthodox Nuns, Easter Celebration in Jerusalem

Prayer does not change God

but it changes he who prays.

Photographic Credit: Alison Wright -- Freelance, 1993 Dorothea Lange Award
Prayer bridges the generations. Tibetan Buddhist's at Sarnath, India

Beauty is before me

And Beauty is behind me
Above and below me
Hovers the Beautiful
I am surrounded by it!
I am immersed in it!
In my youth I am aware of it..
And in old age I shall walk quietly
The Beautiful trail.

Navajo Blessing Way

Photographic Credit: Stephen Trimble - Ansel Adams Award for Photography

An Apache Sunrise Ceremony Initiate - covered in cornmeal and earth

Honouring the Elements

The world is holy.

We are holy.

Daily prayers are delivered on

The lips of breaking waves,

The whisperings of grasses,

The shimmering of leaves.

Terry Tempest Williams

Photographic Credit: Louise Gubb - Images of  the Apartheid Struggle
Mass at Christ King Cathedral, Johannesburg, South Africa


Oh God, help us in this darkened period of human history to remember once again who we are and what the purpose of our existence is here on earth. We have become usurpers of the human state, parading as human beings without full awareness of what it really means to be human. Rather than being a channel of Thy grace for Thy creation, we have decimated the harmony of life on earth, pushing many of the species (including ours) to the verge of extinction.

Oh God, awaken us at the begining of this new era from the dream of negligence and help us to fulfill our responsibilities as representatives of Thy sovereignty here on earth with essential duties toward each other and toward the whole of creation. Help us to remember our true nature, to recall whence we came and wither we shall go. Aid us in the journey of life to do Thy will and to act as the bridge between Heaven and earth, thus fulfilling the role for which Thou didst create us. Shower Thy grace upon us to be a beacon of light rather than a dark cloud for the ambience that surrounds us. Only with Thy aid can we create the peace within and harmony with the outer environment, both natural and social, for which our souls yearn. Only awareness of Thy oneness can prevent us from idolatry and dispersive multiplicity that destroy all that our inner being seeks. We pray Thee to help us remain true to our inner selves, to that primordial nature which we still carry in the deep recesses of our souls.

Seyyed Hossein Nasr

The holiest Name in the world,

the name of the Creator

Is the sound of your own breathing

Lawrence Kushner

If you like this article, or if you have an opposing opinion, please leave a comment below. We invite you to browse the site to see what else may interest you. We would appreciate your support of our site and the concepts we encourage and promote by having you join as a FOLLOWER, or by SHARE-ing this article with your FRIENDS on Facebook, or by adding your email address to our mail-list. WAY-FINDER WEEKLY is scheduled to be launched end-September -- its purpose is to assist single-parent re-enty students feed their families during the duration of their studies. This program is not intended to provide stop-gap, food-bank type assistance, but rather, meaningful, dependable assistance they can rely on without a loss of dignity. These striving individuals are attempting to improve their lot in life and to give their children a better foundation. They are deserving of help. Your moral support will help make this worthwhile program happen!

MORAL EDUCATION: A Series of Articles on Moral Literature for Children

ARTICLE 1

About Influencing Young Minds

In Plato's Republic, he asked, "Shall we just carelessly allow children to hear any casual tales, which may be devised by casual persons; and to receive into their minds ideas, for the most part, the very opposite of those we should wish them to have when they are grown up?"

An excellent question parents should ponder.

A daily barrage of influences, both good and bad, bombards children, in today's society. From birth, their sponge-like minds begin to absorb the things they feel and see, and once their language skills take hold, what they hear. Parents, grandparents, aunt, uncles and family friends all influence what that absorption includes. The media is another source of influence, and a frightening one at that. Plato would be mortified at all the "casual tales" we as parents today allow out children to absorb through television, videos and other forms of media.

Greek mythology and the ancient Greek philosophers gave the world a treasure-trove of "moral-lessons" literature. Their intent? To advance culture and to assist the commom-man to attain a higher level of understanding in order that humanity would strive to live right.

Aesop's Fables are a wonderful compilation of short little narratives that touch on, and teach about, many moral issues. They are ancient tales, and may seem out-of-date, but can be tweaked and revised into modern anecdotes that teach valuable lessons of good character. The Roman poet Ovid, in his Metamorphoses, wrote about the need for parents to guide their children.

Many modern-day educators and parents have cast away the old moral tales as too violent, too horrific and an inducer of nightmares in small children. To some extent this may be true, but to my mind, these tales were not meant as a bedtime story to delay lights out -- "just one more story, pleeeeassssse!" I think they were written as a teaching tool: to be read together -- parent and child, or teacher and child -- and then discussed. How can this concept be applied to the child's life? These valuable tales were meant for the education and training of  the young mind -- to turn the light on -- not off!

If you like this article, or if you have an opposing opinion, please leave a comment below. We invite you to browse the site to see what else may interest you. And we would love to see you support our site and the concepts we encourage and promote by having you join as a FOLLOWER, or by SHARE-ing this article with your FRIENDS on Facebook, or by adding your email address to our mail-list. WAY-FINDER WEEKLY is scheduled to be launched end-September and its purpose is to assist single-parent re-enty students feed their families during the duration of their studies. This program is not intented to provide stop-gap food-bank type assistance, but rather meaningful, dependable assistance they can rely on without a loss of dignity. These striving individuals are attempting to improve their lot in life and to give their children a better foundation. They are deserving of help. Your moral support will help make this worthwhile program happen!

The New Paradigm: Shifting Us Into A New World Order

By Serena Aubrey (Copyright, 2011 -- All Rights Reserved)

ABOUT REGIONAL & INDIVIDUAL AWAKENINGS

It starts as a whisper, and if you don't hear it, it builds a little louder. And if you still manage to ignore it, it becomes a SHOUT! And out of that SHOUT comes CHAOS.

THEO

What is this thing that starts out quietly, and builds until it creates mayhem? Who hears this whisper, this SHOUT?

It is UNREST this thing that starts out as a whisper. It starts as a whisper in the hearts of men and women who have, for far too long, lived under conditions that do not allow them personal freedom. They have lived under the regimes of mad men, wrong men, powerful men, men who are ruled by greed, men who have no compassion, men who have no love. They have lived under the rule of men who have forgotten how to be human.

When it builds up into a SHOUT, this unrest becomes a movement, a revolt, an uprising. This is an awakening of a regional proportion. This kind of awakening gathers momentum as each individual adds their voice to the SHOUT. It moves with an energy and vibration that can not be stopped. The thoughts of many join forces and the vibration strengthens. Finally the SHOUT erupts into CHAOS, and out of that CHAOS comes ORDER. And out of that ORDER there emerges a NEW WAY. One where rulers are forced to hear the words of the ruled. One where voices have more strength than firepower.

Egypt, Syria, Tunisia, Libya in 2011..........the voices overpowered the fear of reprisal or swift punishment. The governments were weakened and the will of the people has, or will, prevail. It  is time for the world to SHIFT into a new paradigm. One which will bring PEACE to all people.

In all of us there is a hunger, marrow deep, to know our heritage -- to know who we are and where we come from. Without this enriching knowledge there is a hollow yearning. No matter what our attainment in life, there is still a vacuum, an emptiness, and a most disquieting loneliness.

Alex Haley

Caroline Myss, in her book, Entering the Castle (2007), writes that from the time of our infancy we live our physical life based on the need to gather up what is required for survival -- be that goods, services or attention.

WHAT'S MINE?

From birth we compete for our share. And yet as we get older, most of us feel as if there is something missing -- an empty void -- and we still have questions; deeper questions. Only the focus of the questions tends to change. We stop wondering how much more can be amassed -- maybe because we already have enough, or perhaps because it does not seem to be filling that void any way. Our thoughts begin to turn to more spiritual questions:

• Isn't there more than this?

• For what reason was I born?

• What is the greater purpose and meaning of my life?

• How can I be of service to others?

And this is an inner turning point. This is what the Universe is waiting for. When an individual starts to ask these questions, the FORCE of the SOURCE begins to send answers.

This is the individual awakening. It is your "soul" asking your "self" to allow it some freedom. Just like the awakening of a region, the soul starts with a small whisper. But it will eventually begin to SHOUT as well. Just like an oppressed people will eventually begin to strengthen their combined voices until their leaders can not ignore them, so too will your soul commence the inner CACOPHONY that will make you pay attention to the questions that beg to be answered. Your soul will engage your mind in the search for truth. And then the seeking begins...........

Positive Thought
Education
Advancement
Collaboration
Entrepreneurship

Peace......what does it mean to you? When you think about peace, about living a peaceful existence, about having peace of mind, how do you picture that for you yourself, personally?


My vision of peace means that I have CHOICE. It means I can choose:

• where to live
• where to work
• where to travel
• whom to associate with
• whom to socialize with
• whom to love
• what to think and express
• what to read
• what to eat and drink
• how much to spend
• how much to save
• who to help

In other words, PEACE for me, means freedom. I live in Canada, and for the most part I live in peace. I do not experience war, I do not experience suppression, I do not experience abuses. I come and go as I please, I express myself as I see fit, there are no external rules regarding what I eat or drink, and my income is mine to spend as I see fit. And these days I am thinking I need to choose something, or some one to help. For these freedoms I so enjoy as an integral part of my life, are not shared by all. And why not?

Are we not all created equally? Are we not all a part of one Great Creation? Is it right for me to enjoy my freedom, and my choices, while others do not? Is there not something I can do, as an individual to help foster a Peace For All? Is it that incredibly difficult to help my fellow beings on this earth? It can't be, it just simply can't be.

MORAL EDUCATION -- A Series of Articles on Moral Literature for Children

By Serena Aubrey -- Copyright 2011 by Serene Promotions (TM) * All Rights Reserved

Based on the thought-provoking books by William J. Bennett, The Book of Virtues (1993) and The Moral Compass (1995), amongst other sources, this series of articles presented by Serene Promotions (TM) strives to provide food for thought. It is hoped that you, dear reader, will give pause to thought: about how you, as a parent, grand-parent, aunt or uncle, or family friend have an opportunity to influence our young people who struggle to grow into admirable adults through the ever-increasing morass of today's whirlwind society.

An African proverb reminds us, "it takes a village to raise a child", and we should all take this message to heart. Today's youngsters are tomorrow's leaders. It behoves as parents, educators and members of our communities to raise children with high moral standards. The Fourth Nobel Truth of the Buddhist belief -- similar to the belief's in every one of the world's main religions -- says that right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration leads to a life lived with high standards: ultimately leading to happiness and the cessation of suffering. Each week, articles on this topic and others, will be featured on this blog as well as various publications produced through Serene Promotions (TM). We hope you enjoy the various stories, links, quotes and messages from our sponsors and partners.

Don't miss any of the articles in this series. Be sure to sign up as a FOLLOWER of the Serene Promotions blog by any of the various means available to you (on the left hand panel) to receive notification of when a new post is submitted. We hope you become a member of this community and help us to promote PEACE for all.

CLICK HERE

to read

Article 1

Moral Education:

 About Influencing Young Minds

After A Hiatus -- I Return With A Message of Tolerance

LOL! It has been a bit difficult to get back into the swing of things......I took off a few weeks to spend some quality days with my far-flung family who all managed to be in the same place for the first time since 1998 -- all except for my youngest daughter, Erika, whose absence was keenly felt by us all. Maybe next time we will ALL be together....maybe for Christmas, 2011?????

As a special re-introductory video I present my blog friends with:

OUTER COVERS: How Can You Tell Who & What I Am?

Audio Track:

Looking For It (Finding Heaven)

by Jann Arden
(Used with artist's permission -- Thank you Jann!)

from the CD:

living under june

Copyright, 1994

A&M Records

The Beauty of Human Movement (As In Travel) and Creativity

By Serena Aubrey (Copyright, 2011)

This morning my daily digging around unearthed some photos and videos that blow me away. I began today's internet searching on Facebook, where I clicked on my friend, Tracy Fischer's, travel phlogs. She updated her Wall with a comment about her current travels to Greece. It led me to check out her previous photo albums from her trip last year to Jordan, where she was involved in an archealogical dig in the Wadi Faynan. While there the archeaological group took the opportunity to visit the ancient ruins of Petra. I met Tracy in my Creative Writing: Fiction class, at North Island College  (instructor, Steve Schoenhoff).

Tracy is a beautiful young lady with an intense desire to see and experience the world up-close and personal. She works at a local bar in Cumberland, BC on Vancouver Island, just outside of Courtney, BC. Her daily grind, serving alcohol, belies her vast inner life and desires. I greatly admire her enthusiasm for life and her dedication to travel and the exploration of this amazing planet. I cheat these days. I used to travel extensively, but I see the world now through the lenses of other people's cameras and the pictures they so graciously post on their internet pages so I too may explore, albeit from my desk. Here are some of Tracy's pics from Jordan

downloaded from Tracey's album titled:

 RESIST THE DONKEY

 (click on the images to see them in a larger format)

 Tracy in the Petra ruins

The Pillar of Tracy

Tracy on the Rocks

 An Amazing Feat - Built Right Into the Side of the Mountain

Awesome Ancient Architecture

Tracey's Archeological Group Dwarfed by the Height and Width of This Massive Stone Structure

Tracy's online album made me curious about Petra, so I went on to find out more about this ancient site through a Google search and I ended up on Wikipedia where to my great pleasure I found some videos that I want to share with my readers. They show, in a most awesome way, the creativity of the human mind. Using the resource at hand - SAND - these artists have developed talents that creatively honour their land, their beliefs, their being. The apparent ease with which they create these awesome masterpieces can in no way tell the tale of the many, many hours they must have practised to perfect the style and skill they draw forth from their souls. I am sure you will agree:

If you want to see more of these wonderful demonstrations of art expressed in the sand medium there are countless other videos posted on YouTube. ENJOY!

Photo Credits:
Resist The Donkey Album by Tracy Fischer, Copyright 2010 - All Rights Reserved

Video Credits:

 No. 1, Copyright Sept, 12, 2008 - All Rights Reserved

Sand Bottle Demonstration, Petra, Jordan by daddyliu/YouTube

No. 2, Copyright Jan. 15, 2009 - All Rights Reserved

Sand Art by World Renown Sand Artist David Alcala by sandartist1/YouTube

(Music copyright from Musicshakedotcom - associated with YouTube)

No. 3, Copyright Aug. 26, 2007 - All Rights Reserved

Sand Art Worship Painting by bigjr7769/YouTube

Featuring the art and skill of Mauricio Palacio

(Music copyright info not available)

The Wonder of Consciousness

The YouTube channel The Cosmic Law, uploads some pretty interesting and thought-provoking videos. Watch this one to understand what the Serene Promotions (TM) vision and mission is all about:

POSITIVE THOUGHT being the first step in The New PEACE Paradigm

The Fibonnaci Number concept also says that the spiral pattern repeats itself throughout nature.
CLICK HERE

To learn more about the Fibonnaci number sequence and the spiral concept on Wikipedia.

It will fascinate you! Here is an illustration of the Fibonnaci Spiral in nature:


The Fibonnaci Chrysanthenum

from the Wikipedia article

downloaded from Wikipedia May 29th, 2011

Here You Go - Trip Some Switches

I watched this video last night and found it to be, well pretty awesome....... I think you all will too. Give it time because it eventually turns into a lecture about DNA and the receptor switches we all carry within us in our molecular structure, and how the two major emotions we all feel, FEAR and LOVE, affect our realities. It is very thought-provoking!

If you like this video be sure to SHARE it on your Facebook feed. Trip a switch for LOVE!

Find out more about the heart/brain link by clicking here for www.heartmath.org

You can download the FREE e-book The State of Ease by Doc Childre

Create more flow and balance in your life.

The WRITER'S PAGE is OPERATIONAL!

It did not take all that long to figure out the mechanics and technologies! The WRITER'S PAGE is up and running!

Hit the WRITER'S PAGE tab on the navigation bar above and you will move to our newest function.....

On that page writer's can submit their stories for workshopping on the new handy-dandy submit form, and then once approved for posting the piece can be workshopped through our new forum link. We are hoping it will become a lively exchange of ideas, ideals, concepts, and literary entertainment. Don't be shy.....if you are a writer, give it a try. It is a great way to get feedback on your writing works!

If any one wants to implement a form, or forum on their own blog and would like some help with that, please let me know. I can set it up for you and teach you how to administer them. The possibilities they introduce are tremendous, and they are not that hard to work with.

Without Change, Things Just Don't Move Forward!

By Serena Aubrey (Copyright, 2011 - All Rights Reserved)


Yes indeed! Change is a requirement for forward motion, in all things. My friend and I were discussing this blog yesterday. The blog design, the blog intent, the blog's purpose -- ya know, the blog.


She was hesitant to say what was on her mind, but she plunged ahead and spewed it out. LOL! Oh how I love my friend. She would not hurt me for the world, but neither will she let me continue on in a direction she does not think is OPTIMAL! So we were discussing blog traffic, which this blog has very little of (FOLLOW-er traffic that is) , and what I could possibly do to increase the number of FOLLOW-ers. She had quite a few suggestions for me, all of which I took to heart and gave great consideration to. So now, once again the blog has a new look and feel! Hmmmm, yes, it is a PROCESS, this blogging.


The most insightful comment she made was that I need to open the blog up for reader participation and input. That turned on the inner bulb! So now there is a WRITER'S PAGE where readers are welcome to submit stories they write. There is also a POST NOTICE option that will send an email to your inbox when something new is posted. And there is a QUOTE OF THE DAY link that I send to Facebook everyday.

The WRITER'S PAGE is not yet 100% operational. I still need to find the AUTO-RUN submit code which will allow me to integrate the story submittal form. But I shall have that over the next couple of days. However, in the mean time you can already go to the page and see how it is divee'd up into different forms of writing. I have posted some of my own stories under each heading as examples (well not quite all the headings yet, I still need to post a poem and a bright).

I am also giving more thought to the PEACE PARADIGM. I have decided that I want to become PASSIONATE about PEACE! So you will all hear alot more about this in my future posts. I think this is going to become a big part of the Serene Promotions (TM) brand. Branding is sooooo important in today's marketing strategies. You need a visible, tangible concept that says who you are, what you stand for, and why you stand for it. And you need to know how you are going to express the concept into people's consciousness, You need a plan. The PEACE PARADIGM does that quite nicely for me. It hearkens back to my long lost youth, when I was the typical little "hippie chick" running around all socially conscious in my home-made skirts and dresses that I sewed myself out of East Indian cotton bedspreads, in the appropriate hippie chick styles. Oh yes, the days of Peace, Love, Rock 'n Roll come back full circle! LOL! But that's what life really is isn't it? A circle. Yup!

THE STRANGE NATURE OF MONEY - A Short Story

It Divides Itself, Multiplies and Yet Returns Equal
With the Potential To Increase

By Serena Aubrey (Copyright, 2011)

Elle was at her post on this Monday morning, happily sitting on the cushioned lounger, poolside, just out the back door of the front office of the Palm Springs, Calla Lily Inn. She could hear the buzzer if an arriving guest came in from the street to check in and she could converse with the guests that were slowly emerging from rooms, stretching in the warm southern California sun, to claim their own spot beside the pool. Elle’s sister, Leslie, owns the inn, and whenever she takes off on one of her world-wide jaunts Elle comes in to fill in for her. It is a mutually satisfying arrangement. Elle is quite aware that one of the main functions of her post is to hobnob with the guests and to ensure that all their needs are satisfied. With her delightful and pleasing personality she finds this no great effort, and the guests come away feeling that Elle is one of the most accommodating inn hostesses in all of southern California. They rave about her to Leslie, and Leslie in turn, rewards Elle handsomely for her dedicated customer service. Of course, Leslie would reward Elle handsomely anyway, because she’s family, but it is very pleasing to her that Elle takes to heart the importance of her expectations.

Facebook - Leveling the Social Playing Field

By Serena Aubrey (Copyright, 2011)

I have some cousins on my dad's side that I have only met once in my life. And our lives have been far removed from one another. They grew up in California, while I spent my youth in the household of a dad with wanderlust.

The point is, I never really knew them. But with the advent of Facebook we have come to know one another over the past two years. It's been interesting and fun. I am settled now, living in Vancouver, BC, but I travel the world still, vicariously and voyeuristically through one of my cuzs' travel posts. She is a globetrotter suprema! London last week, a one-day stop at her home in Palm Springs, and Hawaii this week! She loads her posts with tons of pictures with captions that tell you all about what she sees and what she does (btw, I think that is called phlogging). I eagerly check in everyday to see what she's been up to. Her energy blows me out of the water!

HELPERS, GUIDES & GUARDIANS -- Are They Really With Us?

I need YOUR help in writing a feature article for the WAY-FINDER WEEKLY publication. Angels..........Do YOU believe they exist? Have YOU ever experienced, what you thought was divine intervention? Has someone else told YOU they had an Angel encounter? Would YOU share your story with me? -- I would only use your first name, or a pseudonym if you want, in the article. If you would care to help me with some angel research, please visit my blog and take the short survey on the left hand panel next to my posts. It should make for an interesting piece! And here is a YouTube video which has had over 7.3 million views. Read the comments underneath it. It seems there are a lot of folks who believe in the existence of angels.

The Egyptian Magic Ring

The motif for these pieces is the Eye of Horus, a talisman of protection and health. It represents royal power. The design incorporates the Egyptian Lotus Flower in its sides, symbolizing the eternal nature of the soul. The design of the eye also expresses the number 1 and five fractions thereof (1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16 & 1/32) which represent the five senses. You may pick the stone of your choice.

Clicking the link below will take you to the Ka Gold Jewelry website, where you can view the full line of David Weitzman's collection direct from Israel, and place your order!

Click here to view the entire collection and place orders.

PEACE - The Paradigm For A New Age Economy!

By Serena Aubrey (Copyright, 2011 -- All Rights Reserved)

Positive Thought

Education

Advancement

Collaboration

Entrepreneurship

Changes

By Serena Aubrey (Copyright, 2011 -- All Rights Reserved)

About Regional and Individual Awakenings

It starts as a whisper, and if you don't hear it, it builds a little louder. And if you still manage to ignore it, it becomes a SHOUT! And out of that SHOUT comes CHAOS.

THEO with Sheila Gillette

What is this thing that starts out quietly, and builds until it creates mayhem? Who hears this whisper, this SHOUT?

Thank You To Cousin Elle Once Again!

Under The Milky Way Today - Great Music, Great Images!  --> Click for a wonderful video.

My cousin Elle, in California, is a Master at finding awesome content! I thank her daily for her prolific SHARE-ing!

Immaculee - An Incredible Story of Forgiveness

 Click here to read Immaculee's story---> A Must Read Story

Immaculee Ilibagiza has accepted the Humanity Team 2011 Spiritual Leadership Award. The incredible story of her forgiveness of the perpetrators responsible for killing her entire family, in a frenzy of blood-letting in the Rwanda genocide, will bring you to tears. You will marvel at her generosity of spirit. Learn how the deep, inner belief that she would be saved because she followed the words of Jesus, allowed her to emerge from ninety-one days of hiding, emaciated in body, but greatly evolved in spirit.

A Lotta Work, This Blogging Thing!

Wow! I like the look and feel of the re-design, but holy moly, what a lot of rigamorole to get it just right! Type, save, edit, save, insert, undo, move, crop, save, edit...........a person could spend WAY too much time on this if you don't get a handle on it right quick like!

But then again, the result is pleasing. I think I like it! LOL! GOODNIGHT!

THE STORY OF THE SEVEN SACRED STONES LOGO

By Serena Aubrey (Copyright, 2011 -- All Rights Reserved)

In the process of being developed, the Way-Finder Weekly (TM) came into being due to my return to school and the subsequent topics I chose to pursue as subject matter for my assignments. The topic for my first essay was Positive Thinking and the Law of Attraction, which led me on a two-year journey of discovery and enlightenment. Like Rhonda Byrne, author of The Secret (2006), I found a wealth of uplifting material that drove me ever on to find more. There's no going back now; my purpose for this life I live has finally been revealed and I revel in the dream of sharing the knowledge I uncover with others.

Way-finding is a term I pinched from my cousin's graphic design website. One of the major contracts his firm landed was to create a coordinated system of signage and way-finding for a local district's parks system. Way-finding -- the term immediately caught my eye and became instantly and permanently anchored to my project; because that is what awakening and enlightenment is all about -- finding your way, discovering your purpose, deciding on a new path.

So the name of the planned publication had been divined, but now a logo was required. One that would appropriately represent the spirit and vision of the publication. I came upon a stone in, of all places, the laundry room in my apartment building. White and smooth, it attracted me enough that I picked it up. As I held it in my hand it became very evident to me that this was some one's thinking stone ; a personal talisman that had been worn smooth over a long, long length of time, rubbed between their fingers, probably as they contemplated inner questions. I felt as if I was being intrusive, that I had found a lost treasure that needed to be returned. I took it to the rental office and asked my friend Natalie if she would mind taking a digital picture of it so I could post it in the laundry room. She looked at me like, "Hmmmm, this tenant has lost her mind."

I explained to her that it was a thinking stone and whoever had lost it would miss it; that their spirit was likely now part of that stone. She understood THAT! Looking horrified she dropped it immediately like a hot rock (pardon the pun). She told me that if anyone came asking she would direct him/her to me. There was no way she was going to take a picture of that stone and risk contaminating herself with some one else's spirit.

At any rate, no one came a-calling for that stone, so it sat on my desk as I studied and wrote and planned and expanded my vision. I would pick it up and rub it when I was stymied by some aspect of my product development, and slowly that stone began to become my stone. An idea started to bubble in my mind about using it in the logo and soon I began to collect other small stones. I was thinking of an Inukshuk concept, but on a spiritual level. Inukshuk are a traditional Inuit means of establishing a trail on a barren, inhospitable Arctic landscape; the way-finding concept again!

The power of chakras also intrigues me. Belief in chakras, the seven energy vortexes of our physical and spiritual beings, dates back to early Hindu and Buddhist concepts -- that is some enduring belief -- almost 5,000 years old! And also a concept that resonates within me.

So, an inukshuk that incorporates the concept of the chakras. For the background I thought to use a piece of cloth that I have incorporated into a quilt I am constructing for my son. Black with silver flecks, it reminds me of a star-filled night -- the cosmos. The imagery seemed consistent with my intention.

Sylvia Browne, in her book titled Phenomenon (2005), wrote that talismans hold no real power. The power is completely centered in one's belief. However, having an outward sign of your inner belief helps one to keep grounded in that belief. It is an affirmation of what we have decided our inner truth is. And it is an indication of our intention to live a wholesome, healthy, enlightened life, mindful of the rights of all our fellow human beings to decide their own inner truth. It is an affirmation of tolerance.

And although I know these stones, are just stones, they are now my stones. And that makes them sacred to me. I would be bereft if I were to lose them now. I used that cosmos cloth (with a deep violet, velvet lining) to fashion a pouch I keep them in. I anoint them with oil, now and again, because the shine pleases me. I spritz them with my perfume now and again, because that too pleases me, that they reflect my scent. Do they now hold an energetic impulse of mine? I believe they do. If I feel energetically misaligned I place them in the chakra order I assigned them and I concentrate on releasing all tension from each of those energy vortexes and it brings me back to an even keel.

The Seven Sacred Stones are arranged thusly:

Crown Chakra

Brow Chakra (Third Eye)

Throat Chakra

Heart Chakra

Solar Plexus Chakra

Spleen Chakra

Root Chakra


CLICK HERE to read the second part of the Seven Sacred Stones story:
An Outward Expression of the Practice of the Presence of God
Honouring the Elements