" Shine ... "

"Love is in the water
Love is in the air
Show me where to look
Tell me will love be there
Teach me how to speak
Teach me how to share
Teach me where to go
Tell me will love be there
Oh, heaven let your light shine down"

~ Collective Soul ~ Shine ~

***

This is a very exciting time of year, a celebration of a new year.  It is Diwali.  For my entire life, we have always celebrated Diwali.  A time we spend with family and friends, to embrace, wish well and rejoice.  A time we eat and be merry.  A time we pray.  A time we love.  A time we Shine.

So what is Diwali?  Diwali also known as Deepvali, is the "Festival of Lights".  Diwali originates from Sanskrit, translating into "row of lamps", as small clay lamps are filled with oil to signify the triumph of good over evil within Indian mythology.  It is believed to be the time of transition from darkness unto light - the light that empowers us to commit ourselves to good deeds and bring us closer to divinity.


"The most popular legend of Diwali is that of Lord Rama, from the epic Ramayana.  In the legend, Prince Rama and his wife Sita are banished from their home in Ayodhya by their father, the king.  Rama, Sita and Rama’s brother, Lakshmana, go to live in a forest.  After many years, Sita is kidnapped by Ravana, a ten-headed demon.  He takes Sita to the island of Lanka.  With the help of Hanuman, the monkey warrior, Rama rescues his wife.  The people of Ayodhya light diyas in rows to guide Rama and Sita back from the forest to Ayodhya.  On their return, Rama is crowned king.  Diwali celebrates the return of Rama and Sita."

And while the story behind Deepavali and the manner of celebration varies from region to region, the essence is the same ~ to rejoice in the Inner Light or the underlying reality of all things.  So once again this year, our family will hold prayers in our home.  We will illuminate our homes as an expression of obeisance to the heavenly for the attainment of health, wealth, knowledge, peace and fame.  We will honour Lord Ganesh, the elephant-headed God and symbol of auspiciousness and wisdom.  We will honour Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and good fortune.

For us, Diwali illuminates our heart to find reason and hope, acknowledging our awareness is beyond the physical body as our mind is infinite.  For us, Diwali lights will disperse all ignorance that masks man true nature.  We hope for change to lead to pure reality ~ awakening, awareness, compassion, and illumination of oneness of all things amongst celebration and joy.

"Light up the darkness and sparkle up your life this Diwali"

"Two Kinds of People ..."

Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850 - 1919)

THERE are two kinds of people on the earth to-day;

Just two kinds of people, no more, I say

Not the sinner and the saint, for it's well understood,

The good are half bad, and the bad are half good.

Not the rich and the poor, for to rate a man's wealth,

You must first know the state of his conscience and health.

Not the humble and proud, for in life's little span,

Who puts on vain airs, is not counted a man

Not the happy and sad, for the swift flying years

Bring each man his laughter and each man his tears.

No; the two kinds of people on earth I mean,

Are the people who lift, and the people who lean.

Wherever you go,you will find the earth's masses, 

Are always divided in just these two classes.

And oddly enough, you will find too, I ween,

There's only one lifter to twenty who lean.

In which class are you?  Are you easing the load,

Of overtaxed lifters, who toil down the road?

Or are you a leaner, who lets others share

Your portion of labor, and worry and care?

"Make That Connection ... "

"Oh what would I do...
I have this feeling...
It's never ever ever explained...
Yeah I'm afraid a part of my heart...
You know there's nothing I would not do...

I want to make that connection, that connection to you

I want to make that connection, that connection to you"

~ Tom Petty ~ Make That Connection ~

***

Relationships, friendships and other "connections" are dynamic.  Constantly changing.  Sometimes we handle the change, other times we welcome them, but most of the time it hits us up side the head and we are like ... what the heck was that?  Scratching your head you ask what do you do now, how do you handle it now and where do we go from here ... basically what does it "look" like ...

For me, my old patterns and habits were not very ahem ... mature.  In the past, when my relationships would change, I would immediately retreat back into my shell, and feel victimized.  And once I came out of my shell, watchout!  I was angry and wanted to hurt back to those who hurt first.  And I never gave it a thought that maybe they didn't hurt first?  Maybe they didn't really mean to make me feel left out, bad, sad, lonely, neglected and just not needed anymore?  Maybe, just maybe, it's not all about me ... LOL!  What? Really?  okay, okay just being a bit silly ... but seriously, we, and I mean the collective "we" usually think "we" have done something wrong.  And in some instances maybe we did.  

Now, with a different mindset, change is more satisfying.  And I use the changes I have endured in the this year as a template for change in other aspects of my life.  First, I take some time to myself, wrap my head around the situation and decide if, in a recent example, I still want this relationship in my life.  How important is it to me ... and when I listen to my heart, really listen, I KNOW my truth.  It is not a dependency, it is a true desire to have the person in my life.  That it is so worth the effort ~ I decide to reach out, reconnect and in some cases extend the olive branch ... making sure the olives are still on it!  I take responsibility of my own actions, not theirs.  Now, I express myself authentically.  I tell them I miss them.  I tell them I appreciate them.  I let them know I truly care and that I am okay with change.  Their change.  I accept them for who they are now and who they were.  I am there for them ...

So how does this all come about ... well here are a few mental notes help me to navigate gracefully ...

Relationships change happens to all of us ~ change happens every day, to everyone; it's the one constant in life, the thing that connects us all.  And when a relationship changes, it's natural to find it difficult. 

Something good will come ~ people who are good at relationship change always focus on the positive that will inevitably come from any transition.  Change may lead you to new people, help you develop a stronger faith and belief in yourself, give you new opportunities, or inspire you to live a healthier life. 

Turn to your change support team ~ One of the quickest ways to embrace change and move through it is to surround yourself with a team of supportive people.  These people are there to listen, support, and encourage you. They will keep you on a path of hope and optimism as you move through the transition.

Use your Spiritual strength ~ When everything is changing, it's important to find the part of yourself that doesn't change--your calm, centered, spiritual side, your higher self. It's the part that's connected to something greater and uses your intuition as a guide.

Accept change and take action ~ Go in the direction life is taking you and focus on re-aligning yourself with a plan of optimism on the future and not the past, with or without that relationship.  Make a plan that feels right, realistic and hopeful ~ something that resonates with YOU.

There is an opportunity to have some clearing, a new perspective ... for some to start over, others a "re-do".  A new friendship, a new relationship ... that has evolved to meet you both where you are today that is newly defined, mutually serving and with a fulfilling purpose.

"Faith ..."

"Before this river 
Becomes an ocean
Before you throw my heart back on the floor
Oh baby I reconsider
My foolish notion
Well I need someone to hold me
But I'll wait for something more

Yes I've gotta have faith.."

~ George Michael ~ Faith ~

***

So we are now on week 19 of the Gerson Therapy ... yeah crazy how almost 5 months has passed on.  At times it feels quick and other times, it is so so slow.  Over the past weekend, I have been asked with care by friends "how much longer?".  I just smiled at them and said "as long as it takes".  Mainly because I don't know myself.  I struggle with this, wishing I could give a definitive answer, but the reality is that the therapy is a minimum of 18 months.  From what we have been told, the more toxins you have in your body, the slower your body heals because we need to detoxify first before we can rebuild our immune system.  It makes sense if you give it some thought, regardless if you agree with alternative treatments or not.  But I have blogged a great deal about the therapy, in detail, and the other areas of this blog provide more information for anyone that is interested - so I won't do that again today.  Because seriously, you do not have to be diagnosed with cancer to consider a form of nutritional therapy.   

At the moment I have been focusing on my FAITH.  And this is not a blog entry about a type of religion, or a representation of God ... I mean true FAITH  ... trust, hope and belief in the goodness, trustworthiness or reliability of a person, concept or entity.  Oddly, I have heard some say that Faith is the opposite of reason.  It is believing something you know isn't true.  That it is down in your heart, allowing yourself to accept something that you know with your mind could not be possible.  These are the same people that are so skeptical of the whole idea because they think of it as something not connected with the ordinary processes of the mind.  This whole viewpoint makes me sad for them ... closing themselves off from the experience of believing.  Maybe science has programmed them that seeing not feeling is the only believing.  But, just because you have faith, you do not put your intellect to sleep.  On the contrary, Faith is not an irrational thing ... it something we exercise every day in our lives and it began the moment we were born.  


You see when we are faced with challenges, adversities and difficulties, we will ALWAYS prevail IF we refuse to yield.  Society believes that when someone is diagnosed with an "incurable disease", the odds are stacked against them and a healthy life is next to impossible.  Statistics focus on mortality.  Why?  Because the core belief is that the universe is inherently evil.  Evil?  (Yeah ... stay with me on this one ..... )  
Yet, there is no inherent and permanent evil in the world ... infinite intelligence is GOOD all the time.  It is only when we turn away from infinite intelligence that the road becomes rocky.  So why do we like to "perceive evil" ... maybe it allows us to take the responsibility for our own destiny off our shoulders.  We choose to play the victim, you know the phrases "this always happens to me", "I knew this was coming", "I cannot do anything to change this" .... but for those of us that want to become healthy, happy and abundant, we must have no doubt that the universe is inherently good.  You see this realization can be difficult if you have allowed your lack-centered mind infect your subconscious mind.  At first you must believe it, then adhered to it, until it ripens into realization and knowing.


And I now know the sorrows of life can be great and at times, the universe is indeed dark - but sometimes we need the dark to appreciate the light.  Dark is not evil it is just ... well dark.  Our thoughts need organization and direction.  We must chose to supervise this process.  And when we do, our thoughts become obedient servants, leading us to the life we wish to live ... allowing us to tap into the natural order of the universe with is ... inherently good.  And when we stand face to face with truth, we understand that every challenge is a stepping stone to build character that allows us to ultimately triumph.    


Our sorrows can be conquered and used for greater good.  
When we accept these lessons for what they truly are, we manifest health, happiness and abundance we desire.  Evil is a mind virus.  For us to become strong, serene, and at peace, we must have no doubt that the universe is ruled by an Infinite Intelligence that is good.  


And for me this is accomplished by FAITH.