18 - The magic, spiritual number.
ONE - The ONENESS that is ALL. All there ever was; All there ever is; All there will ever BE!
(8) INFINITY - The ETERNAL PRESENT Moment. Eternity; Forever!
That which was never born; never dies!
All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them. -Walt Disney
What do I want to be? What do you want to be? And can we see it? Having dreams is not enough. We need to take the action, or change the attitude, that will make our dreams come true. Say Yes to Your Spirit is an attitude of mind. Our mind is important because through it we will create the life we wish to live. For many years I thought it was enough to have dreams, but recently I've realized that work and effort are involved in making dreams become a reality. Martin Luther King Jr. said, "You need not only dream. Now is the time to march." Our dance in God is the action necessary to focus our dreams so that they can become a reality.
I used to need ample time to recuperate after being social.
I would often feel more depleted after being around people than I was beforehand. Yet, I knew myself to be quite the extrovert—so this puzzled me.
“Aren’t I supposed to get energy from being around people, not lose it?”
What I didn’t realize at the time was that, because I have been equipped with so many internal resources (like the ability to choose gratitude in every situation or the ability to choose how I act regardless of circumstances), my inner abundance was attracting what are known as “energy vampires.”
Energy vampires are people who take from you without consent or reciprocation. They leave you feeling drained. They suck your psychic, mental, or spiritual energy.
I have since come to understand that it wasn’t just my abundance that was attracting energy vampires—but also my feeling guilty for having this abundance and, in turn, feeling obligated to share it with those around me.
Because of this, I had weak energetic boundaries and was allowing others to “leech” all of my excess reserves so that I didn’t have to feel guilty about having so much of it.
Much of the advice that I have heard pertaining to energy vampires is of the nature of “cut those people out!”
And while this may be a helpful and sometimes necessary step, I’ve realized doing that alone is insufficient.
We also need to take a good look at why we are attracting these people into our lives.
There are ample people with inward abundance out there who are not attracting energy vampires. Why? Because they have no need for them.
So, we must ask ourselves, what need are energy vampires filling for our egos?
Are they making us feel validated because we are needed? Are they conveniently distracting us from our true purpose and allowing us to avoid responsibility for owning our power?
The truth is, we are not doing anyone a service by allowing them to leech our energy. We are reinforcing their beliefs that they are too weak to provide for themselves and we are not giving them feedback that could actually make a difference in their lives.
A true friend encourages and supports others to meet their own needs and they set boundaries so that they don’t end up resentful.
And if the energy vampire in our life is not important enough that we would be willing to have that conversation, then we need to be real with ourselves about that too.
We need to be honest with ourselves about why we are keeping people in our lives who we resent.
So, we need to get off of our high horses, get clear about what hidden payoff our egos are getting from being a source of nourishment for energy vampires, and we need to take action accordingly.
In this video, I will coach you on:
How to identify why you attract energy vampires into your life—what might your ego be getting out of it?
The essence of you cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be transformed from one thing into another.
You were a cloud, now you are the storm.
You were a raindrop, now you are the ocean.
You were the river, now you are the sea.
You were breathing, now you are the wind.
I do not speak of the transmigration of your soul, but rather of the endless transformation of one divine whole, expressed in infinite ways. Expressed in in all things eternally, for eternal days.
Today is the day you breathed your first breath. Do not fear to breathe your last, you are simply becoming the wind.
You will carry the flight of every bird. You will make mountains and forests sway. You will calm and cool a faint and fevered face. You will turn the blades of titanic turbines and light up the world. Just as you did with your first smile, your first steps, your first words.
You are the light of the world.
You were younger then, now you are older you understand—the only constant is change. So change the world for the better. Love yourself, and love your neighbour.
There is no other reason why you are here, but to be love, and be loved in return.
It is the singular meaning of this life.
Don’t live each day like it’s your last. Live each day like it’s going to last—and last forever. There’s no hurry.
Yet you will be in a hurry to grow up, and you’ll lie about your age. Then at a certain moment—no one knows when exactly—you’ll be in a hurry to be younger again, and you’ll lie about your age. Just be who you are, where you are. And enjoy the journey.
Grow old gracefully, go grey gracefully. It’s the light in your eyes, not the highlights in your hair that we truly love.
Love truly. Don’t be careless with other people’s hearts, and don’t let other people be careless with yours. Love deeply.
Dive into life and swim in its wild waters. What choice do you have? You are the heart of a whale swimming in an ocean of consciousness. So swim deeply. Beat deeply, like the first drum.
So many suns will rise and fall. Millennia will pass, and you will climb onto land, and climb into trees, and out again, and you will learn to stand on your own two feet. Stand tall, and breathe deeply. This is your world, for a time at least. Take care of it, and it will take care of you.
Live in peace, if you can. If you cannot, rest in peace.
Search, question, enquire. Find your purpose, find your passion, be inspired.
Be curious, and be content. Find the balance between these two inner spirits, and in your equanimity—savour each day as heaven sent.
Today is the day of your birth, the day you changed the world. So live, and love, and laugh. You were born to it.
But I won’t lie to you, sometimes life is not fair, and it sure isn’t a fairy tale. But when life gives you lemons, I guess you’ve got to make lemonade.
·“Civility is the art
and act of caring for others.”—Deborah King
·"Is loyalty
- devotion to highest duty - desirable? Then must man carry on amid the
possibilities of betrayal and desertion. The valor of devotion to duty consists
in the implied
danger of default."
·WHEN IT'S ALL SAID AND DONE, I HOPE THAT MY
LIFE'S STORY WILL ACCURATELY CONVEY THE MIRACLE AND HOPE OF MY RECOVERY.
·Your
word is the only thing you must keep after you give it to someone.
·I
avoid looking forward or backward and try to keep looking upward. - Charlotte
Bronte
·You
are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. – C.S. Lewis
·“Genuine tolerance
does not mean ignoring differences as if differences made no difference.
Genuine tolerance means engaging differences within a bond of civility and
respect.” —Richard John Neuhaus
·“Compassion becomes an automatic reaction when
you see all of humanity as one undivided and indivisible family.” — Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
·"It is a fact that religion does not grow unless it is
disciplined by constructive criticism, amplified by philosophy, purified by
science, and nourished by loyal fellowship."
·“Gratitude is the
beginning of civility, of decency and goodness, of a recognition that we cannot
afford to be arrogant. We should walk with the knowledge that we will need help
every step of the way.”
"We love to wonder, and that is the seed of science." Ralph Waldo Emerson
In sobriety, the world is a wonderful place. I often sit back and am amazed at the splendor of life, the simple happenings that bring such joy, the nobility that is revealed in humankind, and the creative adventure and mystery of life. I see how drugs kept me blind to so much. Alcohol held me prisoner to mediocrity, and much of the wonder of life passed me by. As a drinking alcoholic, I existed rather than lived life. I was a bored spectator rather than a participant. I reacted to things, rather than initiating events. Alcoholism equals dullness. Recovery symbolizes energy. Today I dream dreams and bask in the wonder of it all.
Divine Spirit, let me see the wonderful mystery of life even in the ordinary.
Without love, life becomes barren and fruitless
but with love it grows and flourishes. Love is a two-way thing, a giving
and receiving. Never sit there expecting to be loved without giving love.
The more love you pour out the more you will receive. So when you feel
the lack of love, look within yourselves and see where and how you can
love more and as you do something about it, love will come pouring in
filling your whole life and then going out and out into the lives of
others.
Shoulder your responsibilities and cease looking at the other people
expecting them to change. Do something about it and start with yourself.
Put your own house in order and see what happens.
Imagine what a different world we would live in, if we all worked toward the greater good.
With all that takes place in our lives, it can sometimes be easy
to overlook the fact that we're part of something greater than ourselves--a
collective consciousness, the Universe, a greater cause. Because of our
tendency to forget this, we might make decisions in our lives that don't
reflect that responsibility that comes with this belonging. All too often, we
focus just on the short-term, tangible gain to ourselves without worrying
about its consequences. Other times, we may discard the greater cause because
it seems like "hard work." The challenge is to expand our minds so
that we transcend the distinction between self and others, so we are aware of
how our choices and actions can impact a greater cause.
Contributing to the greater cause doesn't have to be all about
self-sacrifice. For example, if you plant a tree in a community space, its
shelter will cool and protect you as well as your neighbors. Or, your reward
might be in the form of the beauty that you now see in that space or the
sincere smiles of appreciation from neighbors. When you serve the greater
cause you also serve your greater good. There is nothing that you cannot do
for your highest good that will not benefit the good of all. For example,
saying no to a relationship that isn't right for you not only benefits you
but serves the greater good of the other person that you are honoring with
your honesty. Saying yes to your dream job not only fulfills you but also
serves the people that will benefit from your enthusiasm and productivity.
When you know you are serving a greater cause, there is little room for fear
and doubt. You know that what you do will benefit others, so there is no way
the universe is not going to support your efforts - even if sometimes it may
not look that way. Serving the greater cause allows you to live from the
space of your greatness. When you know that what you do can serve a greater
cause, you are aware of your power and ability to influence and create change
in this world.
Many people around me are fascinated with Tantra, and more specifically with how to use Tantra to connect their sexuality with their spirituality.
I asked two of my colleagues to share their thoughts about the link between sex and spirituality as well as their favourite Tantric practices, so you can begin to do them at home.
Linking Sex and Spirit
For Amy Kebernik, Somatic Sexual Educator, Tantra Teacher, and Intimacy Coach at Pure Tantra, “Sex and spirit are intertwined, in that when there is a spiritual connection, sexual intimacy is much more pleasurable and fulfilling. I believe sexuality is an important aspect of feeling, expressing, and living a spiritually whole existence. There is no separation.”
Sarah Martin, a Certified Sex Coach and Executive Director of the World Association of Sex Coaches, feels similarly, “As a sex coach, I see sex and spirit as intrinsically linked. The spirit is the essence of self—the ‘I’ in the sentence ‘I am.’ The more we can invite spirit to show up in our sexuality, the more pleasure and connectedness we can feel, both with ourselves and with others.”
As for myself, a Sexologist with a Doctorate in Human Sexuality and certified sexuality educator, I came to understand how sex and spirit are connected once I recognised our sexual energy as our life force energy—and that this energy cannot be separated from what makes us who we are.
We cannot help but want to express ourselves, and our sexuality is part of how our spirit expresses itself.
Our Favourite Tantric Practices
1) Breath
“My favorite Tantric practice would have to be the simple act of breathing together—inhaling and exhaling at the same time. It is a lovely practice to do with partners and friends. I often use this with clients and in working with people who are dealing with trauma. Every life form on this planet requires oxygen to live…the act of breathing deeply together brings an energetic resonance and attunement to our bodies, and helps to connect our hearts,” Amy shares.
She adds, “Sexuality is much more than the intimate physical connection we share with our partners or lovers. The magic is in your connection with your body, your eroticism, and your own pleasure. Whenever we hold our breath, we create tension in our bodies. Relaxing into our pleasure requires mindfulness, body awareness, and conscious breathing.”
According to Amy, one can be engaged in conscious breath alone, even without a partner, and still be practicing Tantra! In fact, it is easier to practice by yourself first. Try inhaling for a count of five, holding for a count of six, and exhaling for a count of eight. Do this 10 times and see if you notice a difference in how your body feels.
By using breath to connect with your body, you will also connect with your heart, and your own pleasure.
2) Exchange Strength
Sarah has a favourite too: “My favourite tantric practice is to exchange strength. The objective of the exercise is to experience each other’s strength without anyone being the winner or loser. Face your partner, gaze into each other’s eyes, and take three deep breaths together. Maintain eye contact. Place your hands together at chest height, shoulder width apart, with the palms of your hands flat against each other. Focus your intention into your hands and become aware of feeling your partner—can you feel their pulse in their hands?
Gradually press against their hands with yours, with your partner doing the same. One of you likely has more strength—and that’s okay! The partner with more strength should adjust the amount of pressure to find a comfortable tension. Feel the sensation and aliveness in your arms, your shoulders, and your chest. Pay attention to this feeling and notice how strong you are and how strong your partner is. You are both strong, alive beings.”
3) Heart-Genital Connection
As for myself, my favourite tantric practice involves rubbing my palms together, then placing one palm over my heart, and the other over my genitals. From there, I visualize the heat from my palms sending healing to these two powerful centers of my body (heart and sex).
Besides healing, I visualize the two centers connecting and harmonizing. When I am in harmony within myself, I am in harmony with the universe. This is also a practice one can do with their partner by connecting their palms with their partner’s heart-genitals, and then swapping. This is a grounding practice, and of course, intention is everything.
I hope you liked these three practices. Let us know what you of think of them.
