Currently we live in a townhouse in Pennsylvania – I know – it’s a big change from California.  My greatest concern is not getting the fresh food that I took for granted in Northern California.  I have been taught that a salad is dead if you eat it later than a few hours after it is picked so when I saw the wilted, brown-edged lettuce that was in the grocery stores here I was dismayed.  I was told by one of the grocers that most of the produce here comes from California (he actually told me that Central California provides the produce for 2/3 of the country!).

Well, there is a saying that necessity is the mother of invention so we decided to build a greenhouse on our back deck.  It is tiny but will provide at least a little bit of fresh food that I am sure is truly organic and non gmo.

Where did I get my seeds?  I have ordered from several different companies around the country and I have to say that I am most impressed with a company from Petaluma California called The Sustainable Seed Company.  Their prices are much lower than the rest of the bunch because you are not having to pay for special packaging and expensive containers.  You can take care of that in your own home.  I will share later what I did.

As soon as I can get the camera from my husband I will be showing the progress of our project and a time line.  It has actually been fun so far.  So watch for some pics in the very near future.

Holy cow I never realized how much “stuff” I had acquired over the last several years!  I don’t need this much “stuff”!

Because of time constraints I am unable to hold a garage/yard sale on this end of the move, so when we get to our new home, I will hold a garage sale there.  That will also be a nice way to meet some of the new neighbors!  I am excited not only for a new place to live but to have time with family.  Family is what it is all about for me now.  I have had too many years away from all of the happenings and goings on and I am looking forward to being close again.

So back to the moving… My son moved out of his room first and went to stay with some friends until we move, so that gave me some time to thoroughly clean his room.  We are renting and put a sizable refundable security and pet deposit down.  Our landlord is not the easiest person to communicate with (to say the least) so I am working really hard to make the place even cleaner than when we moved in.  I will keep you posted on that, too.

Now that his room is clean I have been able to clear out the Master bedroom and thoroughly clean that room.  I have gotten rid of most of our furniture with the exception of the dining room set and a small love seat, so the boxes are going in the living room.  I have given away quite a lot, as well.  With the economy the way it is today, all we have had to do is set things out on the sidewalk with a note saying, “Free to good home” and it is gone in minutes, literally!  Craig’s list is helping out quite nicely, too.

The one’s who seem to be affected the most by this is my two cats.  I am making sure that they have lots of play time and special food.  I have set their two travel carriers out so that they can get familiar with them again and if they feel a little insecure they run to their respective “kitty condos” and just hang out.  But I think the toys and playtime are their favorite.  Last night on TV I learned about a thing called a Cat Wheel.  It is like a hamster wheel, but much larger.  It is an exerciser for indoor cats and from what I can see it is a great source of entertainment for them as well as us!  I may consider getting one after the move.  If I get a chance I will put up a picture or two of the cats.  We lost our beloved Yellow Lab last year.  Tess was 13 years old and she was such a great sport about moving.  She loved going for rides in the car and seeing all the scenery.  We miss her terribly.

We are still undecided about how to handle the actual loading of the truck or if we will hire someone to do it for us.  No matter how you look at it, it is costly.

So that is how we have chosen to handle the move so far.  It seems like once a decision is made, it needs to be edited and altered a bit, so I am sure we are in for a few more changes before leaving.

Have a Happy Easter and Namaste’

Brooke

Now is the perfect time to release things that no longer serve me.  When we went through our Feng Shui training we were taught that if you hadn’t used something for a year; if you absolutely didn’t love it and couldn’t live without it; if the memory of how you got it was less than pleasant – then it is time to release it.  Easier said than done for some folks, huh?

One of the first rules that we were taught about clutter clearing is that when you let go of things that no longer serve you then you are creating space in your life for new things that serve you best.  I really like that.

As I am packing my book cases I am finding things that I haven’t seen or thought of since we moved into this place a few years ago.  Releasing some of this stuff is going to be easier than I thought.

Here is what I am doing for each room.  I have arranged three piles of stuff.  The first pile is stuff that I want to keep.  The second pile is stuff that I am donating.  The third pile is stuff that is going into the garage sale.  If you live someplace that doesn’t permit garage sales, then add it to the donate pile or sell your stuff through Craigs list.  What ever you do make sure that you express gratitude for the things that you are releasing and no longer serve you.  Remember, you are creating clean new space for items to come to you that will now serve you perfectly.  The universe will provide you with exactly what you need.  Just be clear on your intention as you release each item.

Try not to overwhelm yourself.  Just do bits at a time if time permits.  It is easy to get overwhelmed while packing.  Take a break every hour or so and do something that will refresh you. For me I check my email and nibble on something to keep my blood sugar balanced.  I also take a little time to write.

As I finish packing a box, I am keeping track of what is in each box on my computer and writing the numbers on the outside of each box.  I still have 3 or 4 weeks until I actually move so I have the luxury of being a little more organized than previous moves.  When each box is finished I am stacking them in a room that is now empty since my son moved out on his own.  Well, he is on his own for a while.  He is moving with me to Las Vegas.  I am grateful that I have a little time to be organized and I am grateful that my son has chosen to move with me.

I will keep you appraised of the progress.

Have a great day!

Fluttering Hearts by Mia Brown

A friend sent me an email and I wanted to share it with you.  It is truly heart-warming.

WHAT IS IMPOSSIBLE??????

What would you “SAY” to a friend that was in a wheelchair unable to move their arms or legs requiring a service person 24/7

That DECLARED I am going to be a painter that is exhibited all around the world!!!

Well today I walked into the bank to see new art work displayed all around the bank. I thought the art was interesting but very abstract. I asked about the painter and the workers stumbled trying to explain all of her challenges as to explain the art’s uniqueness. After we talked about the art and it’s fame for a few minutes, one of them said Oh, I think this is her coming in right now. In came the artist being pushed by her service person with a smile on her face. I helped with the door and told her how I was just asking about her work and thought it was beautiful. She said thank you as best she could but, the smile on her face brought tears of total JOY to my eyes. She seemed to be happier than I am. Can you imagine that!!

She uses a helmet with a brush attached to it to paint if that isn’t 100% Intention I don’t know what is.

Frank

I responded with:

You know, it seems that most of the people who appear to have the fewest
options in life are able to make the most of life and appreciate the whole package
that life has to offer more than those of us who have it the easiest.

I asked my friend for his permission to share this and he said yes.  He also included the woman’s name and a website for her work.

Sure, please use this story, tell any and everyone. Smile
Her name is Mia E. Brown
http://www.downtownmiabrown.com

As you can see, her work is as beautiful as she is.

So what do you think Mia’s intention is each day when she begins to paint?  What is her goal?  She is gracing our lives with her beautiful work.  I talk a little bit about intention in my research paper that is on this site.  Intention is powerful.  It is all about making up your mind about something and making sure you stay with it until it is accomplished.  It is setting a goal and going for it.  Your intentions drive every experience that you have ever had and ever will have.  You create your own world.

So go out to the world today and make it a better place.  Intend it!

Namaste’

Yesterday I spent quite a bit of time thinking about my son and what a wonderful young man he has turned out to be.  For the first 8+ years of his life we were on our own.  There were some tough times but there were also some great times that only can be experienced by single parents and only children.  Even today there is a close bond between my son and I that is envied by many.  I am so grateful for this relationship.

When I was young I was given a copy of a book called “The Prophet”, by Kahlil Gibran.  I loved this book and since it was kind of small I thought it would be an easy read.  If you have not had the opportunity to read this book yet, I urge you to do it now!  This book is such a classic that you will want to keep some copies on hand and give them as gifts to your most treasured family members and friends.

Anyone who has ever read this book knows that it is intense and contains a wealth of wisdom.  The fourth chapter (only a few pages long) is called “On Children” and I want to share some of it with you.

… “Your children are not your children.  They come through you but not from you, and though they are with you yet they belong not to you.  You may give them your love but not your thoughts, for they have their own thoughts.  You may house their bodies but not their souls, for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.  You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.  For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.  The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.  Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness; for even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.”

I caught myself yesterday taking a little credit for how wonderful a man my son has turned out to be, when in truth he has turned out to be the person that God/Source/Spirit wants him to be.

There are many times when my son and I will be in discussion and he will blow me away with his comments.  I remember one day when he was only about 4 or 5 years old the principal from his pre-school called me at home and actually had the audacity to ask me what our religious beliefs were.  I asked her why.  She stated that at that very moment my tiny son was in an argument with his teacher that God was a woman.  I asked her if she was absolutely positive that God was NOT a woman.  No response.  I told her that I had never had that discussion with him and that I believed that our children are much closer to God.  She wasn’t quite sure how to respond.

Hence, “Your children are not your children.  They come through you but not from you, and though they are with you yet they belong not to you… they have their own thoughts.”

I have a feeling there is more to come on this topic.

Namaste’

Brooke

In some villages in Africa a child’s birthday is not the day he/she was born, but on the day he/she was likely conceived.  I love this concept.  The mother creates a song that is unique and only for the baby and the song follows him or her throughout their life.  When there are momentous occasions like entering manhood or becoming a woman, the village celebrates by singing the song.  When a marriage takes place, both the wife and husbands songs are sung by the village.  When that person passes over to the next life, the village sings that person’s song so that it may go with  them.

When I was carrying my son I used to play music and I could feel him moving in rhythm to the music.  I used to place a headset on my belly and play soothing music if his kicks became a little to vigorous.  Sound and music was an integral part of his life right from the time he was conceived.  The first few minutes after his birth the nurses were giving him his apgar test and as I spoke to ask how he was he was craning his neck to follow my voice.  He recognized my sound and wanted to see me as much as I wanted to see him.

As he was growing up, I always had music playing instead of television.  He loved to dance and would sit in his infant seat in the car with his legs swinging and singing Sting’s song Rock Steady.  Tough song to sing for a 2 year old!

Even today music is a big part of Cameron’s life.  He owns several guitars; he’s a natural with the piano; he has worn out 2 iPod’s, and first thing in the morning he puts on music.  I love this!

So, Happy birthday to you – happy birthday to you – happy birthday dear Cameron – happy birthday to you!

Not a very original or unique song, but it will have to do.

Have a happy day!

World Peace Card Meditations
Wednesday, March 16, 7:30pm
(based on local time in your time zone)

Future Dates
Wednesday, Apr 13 at 7:30pm

You are invited to take part in the next World Peace Card Meditations. Please mark your calendar and forward this email to all your friends.

Thanks for Your Help!

Because so many of you forwarded this email to your friends, there have been over 224,000 downloads of the World Peace Cards. This is a tremendous increase in the number of people using the cards. So far the total number of World Peace Card sets downloaded, received from our free offer and from our magazine has been more than 239,000! I hope you have been using your peace cards as their use brings blessings to the world as well as to you.

The next World Peace Card group meditation has been scheduled for Wednesday, March 16 at 7:30pm. This is local time in your time zone. This method has been chosen because of the special effect it produces. As people meditate in each successive time zone the energy builds like a wave which gets stronger and stronger as it circles the planet. Because of the higher dimensional nature of consciousness, the energy of peace will be transmitted for a full 24 hours and continue long after this.

Reports from those who took part in the previous meditations indicate many had powerful spiritual experiences. As they united with those taking part in the meditation a feeling of peace developed within that stayed with each for a long time. Some saw beautiful golden light surrounding the planet and others felt that a web of fear was dissipating and being replaced with trust in others and for our future.

All those who have received the cards are being asked to meditate on world peace at this time. By taking part in this group meditation, you’ll be joining thousands of people who will be using the cards to bring peace to the world. By joining together, the affect we have will be greatly multiplied. This powerful experience and will help shift the vibration of our wonderful planet into a higher state of consciousness. As you use the cards to meditate on world peace, you will be a beacon through which peace will spread around the planet which will have a positive uplifting effect on all people.

Please set aside this time to meditate with the cards. The suggested meditation period is 15 minutes, but of course you can meditate longer if you’d like to. The technique I’d like you to use is based on allowing yourself to be a beacon of peace. The World Peace Cards hold the vibration of the World Peace Grids which have been placed at spiritually significant locations and are relay stations for higher consciousness. By simply opening to their energy, you’ll become a channel for their love and peace which will flow through you to all the people on Earth. To do this, hold the cards in your hands or place them in front of you. Then simply meditate on peace.

We are entering a new era. Our entire planet including all the people and living things are moving into a place where it will be much easier to solve our problems and to create peace, prosperity and happiness for everyone. The World Peace Card meditation will quicken this process, making it easier for people to experience this new quality of higher consciousness and will provide great benefit for all people. Since this benefit will be flowing through you out to everyone on the planet, you’ll be blessed by this experience as well.

Many have received the cards in the mail or in the Reiki News Magazine while others have downloaded them from our web site. If you would like additional copies of the cards, please download them using this link and print as many copies as you can use. Please feel free to give them to your friends. Also, forward this email to anyone you feel would like to take part in the meditation.

World Peace Card Download

Additional World Peace Cards

http://www.reiki.org/WPCM.html

Note: This is a larger file and it may take several
minutes for it to open, so please be patient.

When printing the cards from this file, print page 2 first, then place this page in your printer and print the image of the peace grids on the back.

Thank you for taking part in this group meditation.

Sincerely,
William Lee Rand
The International Center for Reiki Training

Change is something that we all experience in our lives.  However, for many of us change can be frightening.   Change can come in many forms such as emergencies, unwelcome surprises, health challenges, or in relationship crises.  These changes are usually beyond our control, and physical and emotional stress is trying to get our attention. When we are asleep to what is happening in or around us, the universe will send a loud  wake-up call (usually in the middle of the night) to get us back on track. Usually, these are not in the form of a gentle nudge, but more like a shove.  They are not pleasant, and they bring about at the very least a little discomfort.

Fortunately, the discomfort only lasts as long as we resist to change.  That which we resist, persists.  And personally I think the price is tiny compared to what it would be like to wander around in an unconscious life.

We can minimize or avoid the universal shove in two ways. First, we can develop our inner knowing or intuition so that we can recognize our lessons when they are first introduced to our consciousness as a gentle nudge rather than waiting until they become the royal pain of a shove. Become aware of the red flags when Source/universe sends you a warning whisper to duck and avoid injury.  As you gain more experience with going into the silence of meditation you will be able to open your mind and heart to hear the words of your Higher Spirit.   Through these soul lessons you will be able to play out your life the way that is best intended for you.

Secondly, we need to each be grateful for the lessons and bless them.  Remember to always look for the lesson in everything that comes your way.  Become the victor of the lesson rather than the victim.  Besides, an attitude of gratitude eases the medicine of challenging lessons.

Life will only be as difficult as we choose to make it.  We can make a conscious choice to bless the changes that present themselves to us or we can fight the whole universe and try to prove it wrong.  I prefer to avoid the drama and make life as easy as possible.

Namaste’

Brooke

When I was a child my maternal Grandmother Vivian McCarter offered and shared many life lessons with me.  What a blessing it was that she lived with us until she was ready to transition.  She was mostly of Native American descent and her connection to Mother Earth was nothing less than spectacular.  She introduced me to the world of energy of every type imaginable.  She taught me how to read and feel the energy of rocks and trees and streams and animals and ultimately of people.  I loved the stories that she would generously offer and spin and I was forever grateful that she lived with us until she passed.  She was an amazing trailblazer (she was the first long-distance telephone operator in Arizona and she was the secretary to Senator Barry Goldwater) and I honor her with all my heart.  I love you Grandma and I know you can hear and feel me.  (I could say Grandmother in recognition of other cultures, but to me she was Grandma… actually it sounded more like gram-maw)  I held her hand in the hospital and my head rested on her chest until she drew her last breath.  I love you Grandma.  You have had a powerful effect on my life and have helped me to find my life-path.

When I came home from school she would usually be sitting in her rocker and I would sit on the floor by her feet.  When I would share a new drama (middle school and high school offer many opportunities to experience drama.) she would ask me to look for the lesson.  I can remember as an adolescent thinking she was crazy.  Lesson?  What lesson?  This was horrible… I had been wronged… I was a victim… this is just wrong…  Lesson?!   Are you kidding me (emphasis on the drama)?!

But lessons are blessings in disguise and vice versa.  Grandma was right.  Look for the lesson.  It may be a set-back.  It may be one step back, but one step back also means two steps forward because we learn from our toughest times. One of the main things that himanity has to offer is that when times are the toughest we are at our best.  A set back may also be the universe’s way of saying it is time for you to take a break.  Time to take a deep breath and find resolve.

What other blessings have I been graced with that I may or may not have recognized?  What about when a former lover cheated on me?  What about when a partner stole my idea and ran with it?  What about when a teacher made fun of me?  What about when some of my piers did something to injure or devastate my ego?  Where is the lesson in that??  And what if a trusted parent betrays you?  Where is the lesson in that?

There is so much to be said about being a survivor.  We have our techniques and coping mechanisms to survive and we must be grateful for them.  Now is not the time to go in to this but will likely be covered later.

So now today as a mature woman and something happens in my day or my life and I am tempted to move into the victim mode I think about Grandma Vivian and I look for the lesson in whatever challenge life has put in my path.  OMG!  Are you kidding me????  The older I get the more I notice the lessons around me.  I wish I knew at 20 what I know now… I would have been dangerous, indeed!

So if by chance a challenge has entered your life, I ask that you look for the lesson.  Is your partner or spouse challenging you in different areas of your lives?  Are your children throwing wrenches in the works?  I s your boss or superior loading more work than you can handle right now?  Is your support group or community expecting more from you than you can give?  Is your spiritual belief system offering some new paths of discovery?  Is your family structure in need of restructuring?  Be open to the possibilities in every area of your life.  Lessons are everywhere and waiting for us to recognize them.  We need only to be willing to be open to them.  Look for the lesson, no matter what challenge you may be facing today.

Joyful Blessings, Brooke

When I was going into meditation today, I began one of my most favorite practices of all.  It is the meditational practice of gratitude.

To be able to show gratitude for all of the blessings in your life (even the blessings that you may not be aware of yet) lets the universe know that your heart and soul are open and the universe will begin to respond to the song of your essence.  Miracles will abound you.  Magnificence is yours for the taking as you answer the universe with gratitude.  The universe knows no limit and the universe is showing the way to all of us.  To be able to express gratitude is similar to the practice of clutter clearing my home.  As I release items to be given to others or to be recycled in one form or another I am creating room in my home for the fresh new energy of either new items or clean, clear space.  It feels wonderful no matter how you look at it.

Usually I start by just saying thank you for the day today.  Thank you for having a roof over our heads.  Thank you for putting food on our table.  Thank you for having love in my heart for _________.  Thank you for my health (even though you may have health challenges – if you express gratitude for the areas that are healthy you are welcoming more health.) and vibrance.  You get the idea.

When you are able to express gratitude to the people in your life, you are creating space in their hearts and souls for love.  So the song continues.  Gratitude is part of the language of love in the universe and it  is one of the most powerfully creative forces in the universe.

When you go through your days sans gratitude and without acknowledging all of the miracles that surround you, you are creating a vacuum in your world.  You have less energy.  Depression is usually just a step away.  Your health begins to diminish and your days are a struggle.  People don’t seem to want to be around you because on a soul level they detect your negativity.  It is all about your attitude.  If you need to jumpstart your gratitude attitude, put on some lively music.  Or even just some peaceful music.  If you are in the right surroundings (probably not a good idea to do at work) stand up and let the music move your body.  You can sway, or dip or jump or really move your body.  If it is a song that you really enjoy then sing along.  I think you will be surprised at just how good it makes you feel.  If you feel the song in your heart then offer it up to the universe.  The universe will respond to the nature of your song.