Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Prophecy


Here is a river flowing now very fast.

It is so great and swift,

that there are those who will be afraid,

who will try to hold on to the shore,

they are being torn apart and will suffer greatly.

Know that the river has its destination.

The elders say we must let go of the shore,

push off into the middle of the river,

and keep our heads above water.

And I say see who is there with you and celebrate.

At this time in history we are to take nothing personally,

least of all ourselves,
for the moment we do,

our spiritual growth and journey come to a halt.

The time of the lone wolf is over.
Gather yourselves.

Banish the word struggle from your attitude and vocabulary.

All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner

and in celebration.

For we are the ones we have been waiting for...


You and I My Friends

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Life Is A Mirror


Yes your entire life is a mirror of what is going on in your counsciousness. It is a reflection of yourself. Each person, each event may be considered as a tool which can help you to know yourself better and better.

If you had a mirror which could perfectly reflect all that was inside of you, what would you see? Would you see a beautiful, magnificent world in the mirror, or would things look pretty much the same as they do right now?

To a large degree, the world around you is a mirror of that which is within you. You see what you look for. People treat you as you expect to be treated. The things you experience come from the actions you take.

Think of the world as a mirror of you, and consider whether or not you like what you see. More importantly, realize that you have the power to change it. Your world is a part of you. It is an expression of you. With your thoughts and actions, you can make it what you want it to be...

Angel Feathers Tickle Me

Saturday, February 24, 2007

Truth



Although we live in what is called a free government, -- and politically we are free, -- there is but little religious liberty in America. Society demands, either that you belong to some church, or that you suppress your opinions. It is contended by many that ours is a Christian government, founded upon the Bible, and that all who look upon that book as false or foolish are destroying the foundation of our country.

The truth is, our government is not founded upon the rights of gods, but upon the rights of men. Our Constitution was framed, not to declare and uphold the deity of Christ, but the sacredness of humanity. Ours is the first government made by the people and for the people. It is the only nation with which the gods have had nothing to do. And yet there are some judges dishonest and cowardly enough to solemnly decide that this is a Christian country, and that our free institutions are based upon the infamous laws of Jehovah.

Such judges believe that decisions, made by hirelings at the bidding of kings, are binding upon man forever. They regard old law as far superior to modern justice. They are what might be called orthodox judges. They spend their days in finding out, not what ought to be, but what has been. With their backs to the sunrise thy worship the night. There is only one future event with which they concern themselves, and that is their reelection.

Angel Feathers Tickle Me

Monday, February 19, 2007

Accountability


How precious are those people within our life who
Hold us accountable for our actions and reactions...
A true friend does this without hesitation...
We may find the moment of accountability harsh or
Uncomfortable, but we always grow from the
Experience and are grateful for the lesson...
Oh, to look beyond our own little world and reach
Out to someone else...
Thinking of their needs...
Feeling their pains...
Rejoicing in their triumphs...
May each of us find true friends that will allow us
To grow beyond that which we never thought possible...



Sunday, February 18, 2007

The Only One

He opened his eyes drawing his first breath. He looked up at his mother with his bright green eyes as she fell to the ground of the cave. Not understanding what was happening he stood up on his golden, beautiful, yet small, dragon legs.

He looked at the eggshell which he came from, the he looked at his fallen parents. Out of curiosity, he unfolded his bright golden wings watching them flex as the sunlight poured into the cave. The air was cold and he flexed his wings back to his body, because the thin skin of his wings got cold faster than any other part of his small body. It soon dawned on his bleek mind what was happening.

He was the only of his kind now, left to rule over the red, blue, green, and black dragons. It was his duty as the only golden dragon left. But as he walked outside the valley was empty exept for him. He let out a small moan hoping another dragon would hear and come to his aid.

Alas, he assumed he was the only dragon left on that cold and foggy morning. He outstretched his wings, suspecting the cold had killed his kind. He moved to the edge of the cliff unfolding his wings. As sure as he was standing there, something told him he wasn't the only dragon just the only golden dragon left.

He pushed his feet off the cliff and lifted off into the air diving down. He flared and flew strait, looking for another valley which contained dragons, a valley for him to call home.




Friday, February 16, 2007

Listen



Just up the road from my home is a field, with two horses in it. From a distance, each looks like every other horse. But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing. Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind. His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him. This alone is amazing.

If nearby and listening, you will hear the sound of a bell. Looking around for the source of the sound, you will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field. Attached to her halter is a small bell. It lets her blind friend know where she is, so he can follow her. As you stand and watch these two friends, you'll see how she is always checking on him, and that he will listen for her bell and then slowly walk to where she is, trusting that she will not lead him astray. When she returns to the shelter of the barn each evening, she stops occasionally and looks back, making sure her friend isn't too far behind to hear the bell.

Like the owner of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges. He watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives. Other times we are the guide horse, helping others see. Good friends are like this . You don't always see them, but you know they are always there.

Please listen for my bell and I'll listen for yours...

Monday, February 12, 2007

Just A Thought



In all of my interactions with people, I've never found anyone, regardless of their level of success, who doesn't sometimes find themselves simply not wanting to do the things that they need and want to do.

It is a part of human nature that there will be times that, in spite of all that we need to do, and even desire to, we will find ourselves not wanting to do anything.

Fore what separates those who will become successful from those who will maintain the status-quo, is the ability at those very crucial moments of time when we are making decisions about what we will do, to choose to find the inner motivation that will enable us to conquer our complacency and move on in action...

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Globalization



The world view of a global family should be based on the practice of spiritual values. Global civilization must be based on the realization of a practical global ethic. We have to realized the importance of the global ethic in international level. The global ethic, forem, is utterly urgent and important. Due to the speedy communication process of IT, we need to have a common ethic as a system of check and balance, and to respond to various racial and cultural issues in a more holistic way.


This common principle of life, therefore, is an ethical principle that is shared by all, in order to maintain a healthy and peaceful society of mutual respect, understanding and stability.The global ethic must be based on the realization of practical spiritual values. If we return to the essence of every religion, the basic principle is love, peace and mutual respect. The purpose of religion is to awaken the innate purity and enlightenment within ourselves, and by doing so, to bring affectionate love and care among all human fellows.

Therefore, in this age of rapid development and massive globalization, it is utterly important for us to return back to our very source of spirituality – the innate spiritual power to awaken and to be awaken. This spiritual home, which is our own mind, is the ultimate refuge of all lives, and also the basic foundation for all achievements and actualization in life. I believe that in order to direct the process of globalization in a virtuous and compassionate way, the path of 'caring for life with spiritual value' will be the only way.

I would like to share some of the principles of Buddhism, which I believe, would help to transform the world into a better place:

(1) return to a simple and innocent way of life;

(2) to let go all attachment and afflictive emotions by the contemplating the truth of'egolessness';

(3) to care and to protect all living beings with an attitude of loving-kindness and compassion;

(4) Perfection of interdependency and unity of all beings through harmonious co-existence.

Dialogues and conversations for co-existence Globalization can be an exciting experience of sharing. When we share with each other, the richness of prosperity, the convenience and advancement of science and technology, and most importantly, the spiritual satisfaction of spirituality of various religions will be shared and enjoyed by all of us.

Unfortunately, in the process of propagation, the essence and true meaning of religion is often being misunderstood and misinterpreted. This has caused conflicts and disagreement between many religions. From the point of truth, the nature of every religion is the same and without any difference. Sometimes in chasing after resources and competing among each other in recruiting more followers, we tend to fight and attack each other – which is the worst scenario we would like to be in. We need more patience and tolerance to solve this problem.

I encourage, therefore, by the spirit of co-existence and interdependency, we should have more dialogues and interactions amongst ourselves. We should cooperate with each other to seek for ultimate truth, by the power of the truth and compassion, we will then provide the ultimate refuge for humanity and its values, to lead our society into a better and brighter tomorrow. We tend to lose ourselves in the illusive stream of materialism.
In search of the meaning of life, religions provide us the ultimate answer. Religions are our spiritual refuge, that can allow us to actualize our spiritual values; and help us to create a peaceful mind and of course, a peaceful planet earth. Let all religions in the world, in the midst of globalization, play a more active and caring role to share and to care – this is my most sincere wish and prayer, from the bottom of my heart. I pray that the dawn of a spiritual globalization will bring forth a future of love and peace to our global family.

May this be a meaningful beginning, from intellectualism to religion, from theory to practice, from concepts to actions – we should strive to integrate many forces into one entity of universal commitment, to bring forth the unity of all beings, to release the power of love and interdependency; to realize the perfect, genuine and care-free common entity of life...

I Am Angel Feathers Tickle Me

Passionate Ground


So if you'll permit, a little advice from someone who has felt passion's sting: if you invite art into the garden, be prepared for a lesson on love. It seems only right that we learn love's lessons here; relationship is so evident in a garden. Above the hum of ecosystems, life webs and companion plantings, the gods whisper: true love, whether romantic or platonic, brotherly, sisterly, for friend or humanity, transcends the physical. It seeks a higher image of the human being. It is not a feeling. It is an infinite, unifying force that speaks of the unity of life and the interconnectedness of all things. So go ahead, invite art into the garden, but go thoughtfully, prayerfully even, and stay firmly rooted in the divine, for you are treading on passionate ground...

Angel Feathers Tickle Me

Thursday, February 08, 2007

May I Walk

Give us hearts to understand

That to destroy earth's music is to create confusion;

that to wreck her appearance is to blind us to beauty;

That to callously pollute her fragrance is to make a house of stench;

that as we care for her she will care for us.

We have forgotten who we are.

We have sought only our own security.

We have exploited simply for our own ends.

We have distorted our knowledge.

We have abused our power.

Great Spirit, whose dry lands thirst,

Help us to find the way to refresh your lands.

Great Spirit, whose waters are choked with debris and pollution,

help us to find the way to cleanse your waters.

Great Spirit, whose beautiful earth grows ugly with misuse,

help us to find the way to restore beauty to your handiwork.

Great Spirit, whose creatures are being destroyed,

help us to find a way to replenish them.

Great Spirit, whose gifts to us are being lost
in selfishness and corruption,

help us to find the way to restore our humanity.

Oh, Great Spirit, whose voice I hear in the wind,

whose breath gives life to the world, hear me;

I need your strength and wisdom.

May I walk in Beauty.

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Travel

To travel with the unawakened makes the journey long and hard
and is as painful as traveling with an enemy.
But the company of the wise is as pleasant as meeting with friends.
Follow the wise, the intelligent, and the awakened.
Follow them as the moon follows the path of the stars...

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Will You Dance With Me?



Whenever you dance, wherever you dance, dance to heal the earth!

Dancing is power. Dancing is prayer. Some say that all is dance. Maybe. Now there's a big dance coming, a dance to heal the earth. If you're reading this, you're probably part of it. You take part whenever you do whatever you do to help heal the earth. When you recycle. When you choose to show love, to fight for justice, to bring healing, to bring out what is good in others. When you avoid cruelty and dishonesty and waste. When you are outraged. When you speak out. When you give. When you consider the generations to come. When you protest to the oppressors and encourage those who feel the cutting edge of injustice. And, of course, when you dance. There is a tree that all the prophets see, and whenever you let your love show, you make the flowers grow.

Soon this dance will be done in a big way, in the old way, on sacred ground. All living things will take part. If you want to, you can take part. No one is twisting your arm. You can stop any time you need to, and start up again whenever you're ready. If you've read this far, you probably know what I'm talking about. You've probably been doing it in one way or another for a good while. Soon will be the time to make no bones about it! Cut loose!

Anytime you dance, anywhere, whether at a party or in church, dance to heal the earth! Let your feet beat a healing rhythm into the earth. Let your feet beat a strengthening rhythm for those who struggle the hardest. Let your feet beat a life-giving rhythm for all peoples, regardless of race or national boundary, regardless of whether we're human or whether we're the trees, the air, the fish, the birds, the buffalo, the bear, the crow. We come out of hiding, we come back from the dead, and we dance, and our dance is a prayer, and our songs and our rhythms and our breath give life.

Is the music they're playing some mindless jingle? Never mind, as long as it's not bad music, and you can dance to the beat! Make your own words, and make the words a prayer. A prayer for the end of exploitation, a prayer for the end of lies, a prayer for healing, for justice, for life. Remember your prayer-song, feed it and let it get strong and pass it along. Dance and pray, whenever you dance, dance to heal the earth.

Have you seen anything? Wear it out! Make it so that all can see what you see! Take a white T-shirt and mark it with your dreams. Is there anything you'd like to tell the world? Take your shirt and mark it with your song! This is the way it has been done, so you can do it too. Use any color except black (there are reasons for that that will become clearer later), and you'll probably find that a loose, pure cotton T is most comfortable for dancing in. Cos this is an actual dance, you dance hard, you sing and breathe hard and sweat. Wear it when you plan to go out dancing, to dance to heal the earth.

Some people do this dance while fasting, and dance for several days straight. But even a few minutes of dancing helps, and joins with all the other dancing going on, everywhere on Earth. Not everyone can fast these days. Besides, you never know when you're gonna dance, and you have to eat sometimes! But if you plan to dance, hold off eating till later, or just have a little. It's easier to dance if you don't have a hotdog weighing you down.

Some people say, do not do sacred things where people are drinking and partying. But all the universe is a sacred place. It really doesn't matter what others are doing, you can make a place sacred wherever you are, with your intention and your prayers. Some people use smoke to make a place sacred; a cigarette or incense stick will do fine. You can dance to heal the earth anywhere, even a party or a bar! The earth is everywhere, so you can dance anywhere to heal her. Only one thing. Please hold off drinking or using any other intoxicants till you're done. It works better that way.

The Lie has gone far enough. It spreads and makes everyone sick. Now is the time for this dance to begin. It, too, will spread, and it will bring healing to all. In the beginning, they say, God put a rainbow in the sky, to let us know that Spirit never forgets. Now is the time for us to put a rainbow across the earth, to let God know that we, too, remember.

Dance to heal the earth. Not just when you're dancing, but always. Live the dance, whenever you move, in all you do, dance to heal the earth...


Will You Dance With Me?

Monday, February 05, 2007

The Last Dragon



Pain, incredible searing pain, lanced through her head! Another one gone! Another of her breed dead from the horrible cold that permeated their world and settled deep into her body. Her long neck writhed and she emitted a low groan. Forced into wakefulness by that horrible feeling of loss that had occurred all too often lately.

Nearly a hundred years had passed since the advancing cold had forced her into a sleep that was at once welcome yet troubled. Welcome, because she could forget while she slept. Troubling in the fact that the cold still endured and she was powerless to do anything about it. Her thoughts went back to the days when she and her kind were the rulers of all the surrounding countryside. Images of the fat cattle they fed on were in her mind as well as all the adventurous days of her long, long life.

And oh! The incredible flights! Rising from the ledges in front of their caves. Strong wings forcing them up, up to meet the sun! Glorious long flights. Swooping and darting through the air in ritual passes that were of another age. And the mating...oh, what glorious times! Gone now. Nothing but memories. The eternal had forced her and her kind deep into the hearts of their mountains. There to sleep and die.

Again, pain lanced through her body. And then, nothing. Gone was the feeling in her head. That consciousness of unity that all of her breed had shared since she was hatched! Alone! The last of her kind! A long keening cry escaped from her. The end of life as she knew it and she knew with great certainty the end of her life as well.

She launched herself upwards with a mighty thrust of her weakening legs and her wings bit into the frigid air. Higher and higher she struggled with the last remaining efforts of her once all-powerful body. Her wings faltered now, beating feebly at the thinning air. Her eyes closed, her wings folded themselves around her body, and she fell. Visions of time gone by filled her head as she plummeted to the rocks below.

She struck. A flash of pain and then nothing. The cold keening wind slowly covered the body of the last dragon with an eternal blanket of white.

Peace...

Saturday, February 03, 2007

Last Talk



One day, I decided to quit. I wanted to quit my job, to quit my relationships, to quit my spirituality; I even wanted to quit my life. I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.

"God", I said, "Can you give me one good reason not to quit?" His answer surprised me. "Look around", He said, "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?"

"Yes", I replied.

"When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo."

"In the second year the fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo."

"In the third year there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit."

"In the fourth year, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. Still, I would not quit."

"Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant. But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge they could not handle," he said to me.


"Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots? I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you! Don't compare yourself to others. The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful. Your time will come," God said to me. "You will rise high."

"How high should I rise?" I asked.

"How high will the bamboo rise?", He asked in return.

"As high as it can?", I questioned.

"Yes", He said, "Give me glory by rising as high as you can. And remember...I will never leave you, nor forsake you. I will never give upon you. I will never, ever quit on you."

Everyone has days when they want to "quit". When there are struggles...obstacles in life, remember we're just growing roots!! God has a purpose in mind for each one of us and we need to talk to Him and let Him help us realize that purpose.

Always remember, He'll never leave us, He'll never forsake us, and He'll never quit on us.

Have a wonderfully blessed day!!!

Thursday, February 01, 2007

Angel Feathers Tickle Me

What a wonderful way to explain it!
A sick man turned to his doctor, as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, "Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side."
Very quietly, the doctor said, "I don't know."
"You don't know? You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?"
The doctor was holding the handle of the door; on the other side came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.
Turning to the patient, the doctor said, "Did you notice my dog? He's never been in this room before. He didn't know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing...
I know my Master is there and that is enough."