Friday, October 30, 2015
Don't get lost in the how, the who, or the what
In the last few days many things have changed. It all started last Sunday when I was standing alone in my tent at the renaissance faire. I was chanting "Lord, please show me another way". I was stuck in the idea that I had two choices when, in fact, the universe has unlimited options for me. The thing that had just changed was that I had surrendered and asked for help from a higher source. The very next morning, another option presented itself. I could go into unlimited platitudes about God, or Spirit or what ever I would want to call it, having stepped in to help. I don't care what I call it, or what you or anyone else calls it. The fact is that once you surrender your ego and realize that you don't always have all the answers, it makes room for new things to be drawn into your life. If you don't get lost in the how, the who or the what, spiritual help gets easier.
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
All hallows eve is right around the corner. Pagan an nature based religions all over the world are getting ready for a high holiday called Samhain, while many people are simply buying costumes and making fun of ghoulish movies and scary ghost stories. Witches on broomsticks will fly around and cast evil spells on children. The real witches are preparing cakes and cider to share after their ritual to honor the ancestors. I assure you that children are not part of the ingredients. The children are acting this out by receiving treats in their bags, but nobody knows that.
The pagan and nature religions believe that Samhain (Halloween) is the time of year where the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead is the thinnest. The religion of Spiritualism, which is not what I am referring to as spirituality, makes the focus of their doctrine, communication with deceased loved ones. It is called mediumship. This holy-day honors our ancestors and helps us understand that death is not the end. The rites of Wicca and other pagan religions on this holiday include a circle that honors those that are in spirit. Real communications with those that are not with us in a physical vehicle at this time is channeled through one or more people within the circle. If a message giver in the circle brings you a specific message that only you can be aware of concerning someone that you have lost, it is much easier to lose the fear of crossing over to the other side of the veil yourself one day. The pagan religions generally teach their followers to be joyful and positive. The idea of life beyond the body is usually already instilled in them, but just as with any other religion, the point is to re-remember what we learn until it becomes second nature to us.
Have you ever asked yourself why is there such a draw to fear in the human psyche? I believe that, in part, it is an attempt to desensitize the deep instinctive fear of death. It is hard wired into our dna to resist death. Fear triggers the fight or flight response in our root chakra which helps the human animal fight for life. The adrenalin rush is off the charts when we get instantly frightened.. Boo!!!
Spirituality is about staying in touch with this deep knowing that we are far more than the body we reside in. It will perish one day but we will definitely go on. If making fun of death and zombies is a way for you to thumb your nose at the power the physical has on your real self, wonderful. I seriously doubt that the trick or treating kids have a clue about what is really going on. That is probably a good thing. Ways for children to play are always welcome and wonderful. As adults it might be a good idea to remember that making zombies real in the human consciousness may not be that great of an idea. We have desensitized our culture to the point where fear is preferable to other forms of stimuli. Since our consciousness is what attracts our experiences to us, which any beginning spiritual seeker has noticed within themselves and heard from their instructors or guru's, we have to ask ourselves, what are we attracting? There is a total package of thought energy being created by the media that would rather broadcast a thriller, and celebrate ever aspect possible of the negative over the positive. I am not saying that holloween costumes or zombie movies are bad and should be avoided. I am saying it might be good to realize that you are using them to overcome your fear of loosing your physical vehicle, instead of going blindly into the abyss of negativity.
Take the kids trick or treating, have a blast hanging toilet paper from the trees, create the very best Halloween costumes for everyone. There are parties and fun all around. Go ahead and dance the night away. It might also be good to take a moment out of the festivities to remember that the veil of the worlds is very thin and the ghosts of your ancestors are dancing with you. After its all over, begin to prepare for a new birth as Candle mass approaches the light begins to regain its strength.
Happy Halloween, blessed Samhain
Rev L
The pagan and nature religions believe that Samhain (Halloween) is the time of year where the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead is the thinnest. The religion of Spiritualism, which is not what I am referring to as spirituality, makes the focus of their doctrine, communication with deceased loved ones. It is called mediumship. This holy-day honors our ancestors and helps us understand that death is not the end. The rites of Wicca and other pagan religions on this holiday include a circle that honors those that are in spirit. Real communications with those that are not with us in a physical vehicle at this time is channeled through one or more people within the circle. If a message giver in the circle brings you a specific message that only you can be aware of concerning someone that you have lost, it is much easier to lose the fear of crossing over to the other side of the veil yourself one day. The pagan religions generally teach their followers to be joyful and positive. The idea of life beyond the body is usually already instilled in them, but just as with any other religion, the point is to re-remember what we learn until it becomes second nature to us.
Have you ever asked yourself why is there such a draw to fear in the human psyche? I believe that, in part, it is an attempt to desensitize the deep instinctive fear of death. It is hard wired into our dna to resist death. Fear triggers the fight or flight response in our root chakra which helps the human animal fight for life. The adrenalin rush is off the charts when we get instantly frightened.. Boo!!!
Spirituality is about staying in touch with this deep knowing that we are far more than the body we reside in. It will perish one day but we will definitely go on. If making fun of death and zombies is a way for you to thumb your nose at the power the physical has on your real self, wonderful. I seriously doubt that the trick or treating kids have a clue about what is really going on. That is probably a good thing. Ways for children to play are always welcome and wonderful. As adults it might be a good idea to remember that making zombies real in the human consciousness may not be that great of an idea. We have desensitized our culture to the point where fear is preferable to other forms of stimuli. Since our consciousness is what attracts our experiences to us, which any beginning spiritual seeker has noticed within themselves and heard from their instructors or guru's, we have to ask ourselves, what are we attracting? There is a total package of thought energy being created by the media that would rather broadcast a thriller, and celebrate ever aspect possible of the negative over the positive. I am not saying that holloween costumes or zombie movies are bad and should be avoided. I am saying it might be good to realize that you are using them to overcome your fear of loosing your physical vehicle, instead of going blindly into the abyss of negativity.
Take the kids trick or treating, have a blast hanging toilet paper from the trees, create the very best Halloween costumes for everyone. There are parties and fun all around. Go ahead and dance the night away. It might also be good to take a moment out of the festivities to remember that the veil of the worlds is very thin and the ghosts of your ancestors are dancing with you. After its all over, begin to prepare for a new birth as Candle mass approaches the light begins to regain its strength.
Happy Halloween, blessed Samhain
Rev L
spirituality is not a religion but religion is a means to spirituality
Spirituality is not a cult, creed, or denomination. In every religion or philosophy there is offered the opportunity to step into spirituality. The labels we place on our particular sets of beliefs are simply our particular path to the spiritual. Spirituality is a feeling and an understanding that we are within and outside of our body. A spiritual person does not need to have a labeled religious structure to be spiritual. Spirituality and ultimate enlightenment simply put, means waking up to your true nature. It is turning the light on and being present within your body consciously. Jesus, Buddha, Rama as examples are all beings who found their inner nature and they were able to maintain that state of awareness on a daily basis. When someone goes to church, satsang or any other form of gathering for the purpose of raising their vibration to that place where they "feel the holiness" within themselves, they are touching on the spiritual, not the label they place on it. If we could step outside of the labels for just a moment we would see that all paths lead to the same feeling.
I feel like Bilbo Baggins
In the movie the Hobbit, Bilbo tells Gandalf that he is feeling rather thin inside. He is 111 and not aging on the outside at all. The power of the ring keeps him looking young but life in his body is being stretched somehow. I feel a bit like Bilbo these days. I still have vitality and my health, for which I am immensely grateful, but my life on the road is getting very thin. My spirituality teaches me that I am attracting my experiences, yet I have attracted nothing new in many years. It is true that there are new people coming and going all the time but the essence of my existence is the same. I go from one Renaissance festival to the next, around the circuit year after year for almost 20 years now. Many of the old guard who were out here when I came on the road have crossed over into spirit now just as many of my earlier friends and family have done. There is a growing part of me that would like a small cabin near a lake or a river where I can write and perhaps teach a class or two. It would also be very wonderful if I could find a few colleagues to exchange spiritual platitudes. In the past I would have been anxious to open another metaphysical center, but now that seems like a mound of work. I am use to only working on the weekend and not having to answer to anyone the rest of the week. I was able to publish two books during my weeks off. I went through a couple of traveling companions. I was lucky enough to find my twin soul only to have him die and now I am with someone who has protected me for many lifetimes. Relationships have always been my nemesis. It seems as though I am cleaning up karma from many different lifetimes. It is my sincere desire to have this lifetime be my last on this planet, in the three dimensional darkness.
What to do next; that seems to be the big question. I have a list of things I don't want which only brings more of those because that, of course, is how the law of attraction works. I have no desire to stop teaching or reading for others, because that brings me joy and keeps me feeling like I have a purpose. I firmly believe that one of the ingredients for happiness is purpose. Having something to do, something to look forward to, and someone to love are the three main factors of happiness and contentment. I do not think I have ever been content in this life. I am a gypsy soul who wants to do it all. Perhaps what I am now looking for is contentment. To me contentment is having someone to love and care for. It is having a garden and canning my organic food. It is quiet mornings sipping my coffee and being on my porch swing. It is alone time without the dramas that are so delicious to the younger folks. It is meditation and prayer time. It is a full bird feeder and plenty of birds playing on it. It is watching my cat do cat things. It is a visit from or to friends and family or planning my next class. Perhaps taking a client for spiritual counseling. I love to do workshops. They are my very most favorite things to do.
I guess I have just defined the what I want to do, "thanks for listening". but the how and where of all that is beyond me at the moment. I am blessed to have two homes. A sweet little cottage in upstate NY where the summers are wonderful, "but"... NY state is one of the most expense places to live along with Florida and California. A person can choke on all the rules and regulations you have to wade through to do anything in NY. I have tried to do my thing up there but spirituality isn't on the top ten or even top twenty list of things that are desired by the average person up in the mountains of western NY. Survival takes up most of their time. I am an oddity at best and crazy at worst. It is way to cold for far to long and taxes are outrageous. Those are the things I don't want in NY. My sons are there and I love to be with them but they have wives and I am the cute little crazy mother in law. A side bar here...... Mother in Laws are always wrong.
I also have a home in SE Texas. It is where the renaissance people have been able to purchase plots of land from the King. So much has changed around the renaissance world that I hardly know anyone here anymore and the folks I would like to be around are leaving. I can surely do my readings and teaching here, but it is so far from my family that it takes me 3 days of hard driving to get to them if I need to. The King no longer has power over his people here and our little bubble could burst at any time. Being here at this home isn't what I want either. It is dreadfully hot here as much as it is dreadfully cold in NY. The bugs are mean.
Spiritual practice teaches us that earthly desire is the root of suffering. News flash, living in a body is suffering. I am using the word suffering in the way that the Eastern religions do. To want is to suffer. I do not believe we come here to learn to ignore being here. I believe that maneuvering through the 'suffering' is the nuts and bolts of the game of life. I also believe that we have a hand in setting up our own challenges and sufferings. That is food for another blog. At this stage in my life I am well aware of what it means to suffer want or lack. I don't play that game anymore. The question is for my thinning inner self, what game shall I play now? Perhaps it is to learn to be "content". It may also mean that the answer to where I shall plant my garden is none of the above. Neither TX or NY. I am open to change, but I am not open to suffering through it. LOL. The nuts and bolts of the how is left to my higher self with the help of creation itself. For me contentment has to have the creative process within me going strong. Another book is in the works.
Blessings
Rev. Lorana
What to do next; that seems to be the big question. I have a list of things I don't want which only brings more of those because that, of course, is how the law of attraction works. I have no desire to stop teaching or reading for others, because that brings me joy and keeps me feeling like I have a purpose. I firmly believe that one of the ingredients for happiness is purpose. Having something to do, something to look forward to, and someone to love are the three main factors of happiness and contentment. I do not think I have ever been content in this life. I am a gypsy soul who wants to do it all. Perhaps what I am now looking for is contentment. To me contentment is having someone to love and care for. It is having a garden and canning my organic food. It is quiet mornings sipping my coffee and being on my porch swing. It is alone time without the dramas that are so delicious to the younger folks. It is meditation and prayer time. It is a full bird feeder and plenty of birds playing on it. It is watching my cat do cat things. It is a visit from or to friends and family or planning my next class. Perhaps taking a client for spiritual counseling. I love to do workshops. They are my very most favorite things to do.
I guess I have just defined the what I want to do, "thanks for listening". but the how and where of all that is beyond me at the moment. I am blessed to have two homes. A sweet little cottage in upstate NY where the summers are wonderful, "but"... NY state is one of the most expense places to live along with Florida and California. A person can choke on all the rules and regulations you have to wade through to do anything in NY. I have tried to do my thing up there but spirituality isn't on the top ten or even top twenty list of things that are desired by the average person up in the mountains of western NY. Survival takes up most of their time. I am an oddity at best and crazy at worst. It is way to cold for far to long and taxes are outrageous. Those are the things I don't want in NY. My sons are there and I love to be with them but they have wives and I am the cute little crazy mother in law. A side bar here...... Mother in Laws are always wrong.
I also have a home in SE Texas. It is where the renaissance people have been able to purchase plots of land from the King. So much has changed around the renaissance world that I hardly know anyone here anymore and the folks I would like to be around are leaving. I can surely do my readings and teaching here, but it is so far from my family that it takes me 3 days of hard driving to get to them if I need to. The King no longer has power over his people here and our little bubble could burst at any time. Being here at this home isn't what I want either. It is dreadfully hot here as much as it is dreadfully cold in NY. The bugs are mean.
Spiritual practice teaches us that earthly desire is the root of suffering. News flash, living in a body is suffering. I am using the word suffering in the way that the Eastern religions do. To want is to suffer. I do not believe we come here to learn to ignore being here. I believe that maneuvering through the 'suffering' is the nuts and bolts of the game of life. I also believe that we have a hand in setting up our own challenges and sufferings. That is food for another blog. At this stage in my life I am well aware of what it means to suffer want or lack. I don't play that game anymore. The question is for my thinning inner self, what game shall I play now? Perhaps it is to learn to be "content". It may also mean that the answer to where I shall plant my garden is none of the above. Neither TX or NY. I am open to change, but I am not open to suffering through it. LOL. The nuts and bolts of the how is left to my higher self with the help of creation itself. For me contentment has to have the creative process within me going strong. Another book is in the works.
Blessings
Rev. Lorana
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Up and running Its time for a new beginning
I am so excited to be able to attend this blog easily and effortlessly now.
I am a member of Alliance for Spiritual Understanding. I will begin teaching classes this fall from locations in Houston and Bryan College Station TX again.. It will be a new beginning WE will offer Basic Principles of Spiritual Awareness, and I am also offering a Reiki empowerment. More later...
Blessings and Love
Rev
I am a member of Alliance for Spiritual Understanding. I will begin teaching classes this fall from locations in Houston and Bryan College Station TX again.. It will be a new beginning WE will offer Basic Principles of Spiritual Awareness, and I am also offering a Reiki empowerment. More later...
Blessings and Love
Rev
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