Published December 26, 2018

By all the astrological accounts I have heard, 2019 and 2020 will be pivotal. In 2018, I often became discouraged by all the negativity in play, wondering how we would ever make the needed shifts for ourselves, our country and our planet. So, it is with great joy I discovered that one of our favorite astrologers, Mark Dodich, will be giving his talk on the planetary shifts of the year to come.

Published December 20, 2018

How would you like to kick off this coming New Year with crystal clarity intentions?  Imagine laying down, feeling completely at peace with yourself and the world within you. Gentle harmonic waves of blissful radiant light wash you free of all self-limitations and guide you on your life mission.  This is what it is like to be in a healing workshop with life coaches Avital Miller and Crystal Blue, and we are excited to have them lead us on a profound healing sound adventure on Sat. Dec. 29: New Year’s Restorative Sound Healing.

The Search for the Divine Mother

The Mother-Daughter relationship can be one of the most beautiful and poignant representations of unconditional love and caring. We want our mothers to be compassionate, gentle, supportive, strong, tireless, confident, and always available. We want their smile to denote unwavering tenderness, forgiveness, and understanding. The mother-daughter relationship is one of deep mystery and has a huge impact on our emotional health, strength, and confidence as women.

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious Life?” - Mary Oliver

This summer, my daughter, Claire, painted each night after working a full eight hours at the bookstore. I watched this in awe each as each night she worked and reworked a canvas, music on, playing with color and light. On and on she went until ten canvases were done. And then she stopped, rested. Saw her friends, exercised, rested more.

I paint. I paint for four hours on vacation. I paint when I am on seclusion. Sometimes, I steal time from numerous duties on a day off.  But I don’t paint with wild abandon, with total absorption. And I still hunger  to paint.

In her book, Practicing Peace in Times of War, Pema Chodron asks the question, Why is it that we all want a peaceful existence, yet our actions or reactions produce just the opposite. We seek peace and happiness by going to war. This can occur personally with those close to us. Or it can happen in the world theater with country against country.

We want to be compassionate and loving to those around us, but many times, we react in anger and with judgmental behavior. Our small self feels injured or betrayed, and we strike back, in a fashion we are accustomed to. 

Spiritual Magnetism

...spiritual magnetism is something different. It is the power of the soul to attract or create whatever it needs for all-round happiness and well-being. Yogananda from The Divine Romance

We are fortunate indeed to have the wise counsel of contemporary spiritual masters who understood this century’s challenges. 

...happiness blooms naturally in the hearts of those who are inwardly free. It flows spontaneously, like a mountain spring after April showers, in minds that are contented with simple living and that willingly renounce the clutter of unnecessary, so-called “necessities”—the dream castles of a restless mind. - Yogananda from How to Be Happy All The Time

What is the connection between sustainable living and the spiritual path? What is the connection between the consciousness with which we live our lives and how sustainable our lifestyle is? The most popular definition of sustainability can be traced to a 1987 UN conference: “meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.” 

My Religion Is Simple My Religion Is Kindness. - His Holiness The Dalai Lama

Seattle provided the backdrop for a wonderful event called “Seeds of Compassion” on April 11-15. There were 144,000 of us fortunate ones who attended the conference. HH The Dalai Lama, Rev. Desmond Tutu and other spiritual luminaries of many paths spoke on the topic How to Nurture Compassion, Especially in Children.

The Dalai Lama considers compassion to be “at the core of all the religions, all our humanities, all our existence.” The Seattle Times, April 11 issue, quoted him as saying that “practicing compassion is a necessity, not a luxury and the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own sense of well-being becomes.” 

When two souls are ideally mated, their love becomes spiritualized and is registered in eternity as the one love of God. - Paramhansa Yogananda from Spiritual Relationships

When two souls are ideally mated, their love becomes spiritualized and is registered in eternity as the one love of God. - Paramhansa Yogananda from Spiritual Relationships

Beyond all the misconceptions, delusions and myths built up around marriage by the media and popular culture there is hope for a better way. Spiritual marriage is for two individuals each dedicated to living the spiritual life, to walk the spiritual path together in mutual and loving support. 

"If you want to be sad no one in the world can make you happy but if you make up your mind to be happy no one and nothing on earth can take that happiness from you." How to Be Happy All the Time, by Paramhansa Yogananda

Most of us see happiness as a by-product of favorable circumstances in our lives - a rewarding job, an upcoming vacation, a new car or a promising romantic partnership. We see the favorable circumstance as the cause, and happiness as the effect. The flip side is that if the situation becomes unfavorable the happiness is lost. What Yogananda is asking of us is to make happiness a cause within our lives rather than just an effect.

There is a candle in your heart, ready to be kindled. There is a void in your soul, ready to be filled You feel it, don’t you? -Rumi

Greg Mortenson, who had scaled many of the world’s highest mountains, found his life’s work through a failure. In the fall of 1993, Greg had joined an expedition to climb K2 in Pakistan’s beautiful and rugged Karakoram mountain range. K2, the world’s second-highest mountain at 28,267 feet, is considered by world climbers as the toughest summit on earth to reach.

O Partha [Arjuna]! I am reached easily by that yogi of single heart [the heart’s feeling focused and uplifted] who keeps Me in his consciousness daily, continuously, focused wholly on me.  -The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita, by Swami Kriyananda

In his book, The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita, Swami Kriyananda relates the teachings of the great Indian Master, Paramhansa Yogananda on The Bhagavad Gita. Yogananda would turn his eyes up to the spiritual eye for guidance before dictating each stanza to his secretary. Swami Kriyananda, although very young, was asked to help edit the teachings. The book is beautifully written, overflowing with wisdom, both practical and profound.

"Silence is the altar of the spirit." Yogananda quoted from The Path by J. Donald Walters

In this era of intense activity, too much information and overwhelming stimulation, one craves silence and alone time. We want time just to be, to slow down, to meditate. We want to get in touch with the infinite source to know deep peace.

"Tune yourself with the creative power of spirit. You will be in contact with the Infinite Intelligence that is able to guide you and solve all problems. Power from the dynamic source of your being will flow uninterruptedly so that you will be able to perform creatively in any sphere of activity." Where There is Light by Paramahansa Yogananda

In a recent interview with Connie Hill in New Connexions, Connie Kaplan, author of The Invisible Garment, said, “... if your doingness doesn’t arise out of your beingness then it’s useless. It’s something that you are using to fill up time and it has nothing to do with who you are.” We are a culture obsessed with “doing.” We define ourselves and are defined by what we do: by our work, our creations and accomplishments. But is all this doing really necessary and is it expressing who we truly are? How do we know what is ours to do in this world and what is just restless and extraneous activity?