A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING

A New Awareness

As with any journey of discovery, there comes a time when you must leave the comfort of what you know as a light-hearted view of life to explore the true nature of your reality. With this in mind comes the realization that this newsletter must now begin to evolve to present more in-depth information so that you can further your own journey of discovery and kindle within the curiosity to explore your own spiritual truths and path.

Fate and Karma

We hear a lot of people talk about their lives in terms of events being "Fate" or as part of their "Karma." These words are treated like any other spiritual "buzz" word. The question really is, do we really understand what each of these words truly imply? Do we understand just what we do to our emotional state when use these words to frame the events and lessons that we are here to learn?

Fate - We often hear people say that they are "Fated" to endure some ordeal or some series of events. "Our lives are in the hands of Fate." Fate is seen as the bad guy, the unexpected and the unwanted. We almost never apply the word fate to the good things in our lives ... that we save for destiny. Fate is about not being in control and not being able to change how your life is going. Fate in most conversations and thought processes is a scapegoat. This might seem a little strange that we would turn a word into a scapegoat. but it happens all the time in our society. People give Fate the upper hand in their lives because they would prefer to surrender control of their thoughts, emotions and actions to someone other than themselves.

To deal with those times when we would prefer to say "everything is in the hands of fate," we need to think about changing the words. These times of trial are in reality lessons. Sometimes the lesson is easy and sometimes the lesson is difficult and can take a life-time to work through. For each event we should be grateful on some level of our mind and soul. We made it through, not always unscathed, but with a new perspective. If given time to really look at those Fated events we can find that what pulled us through came from deep within our spirit and we can be and are all the better for it. We found strength we didn't know was there. We found hope when we thought we had none. We found courage to get up and face each day. We learned our lesson and grew a little wiser.

Fate is a lesson to be learned.

Karma - We've heard the talk ... "I must have been awful in my last life to have to go through all of this!" Again we tend to blame something outside of ourselves in order not to look at the lessons we are enduring. However we also use Karma as a focal point for our future ..."I'm going to have to pay for that one eventually." or "Karma's going to get me for that one." We try to use Karma and it's repercussions to make us do the things we should do but don't.

In actuality Karma is not quite what we've been taught. Karma is about balance and about knowing what both extremes are like. Karma spans life-times; one life in one role and another life in it's opposing role. You can't have karmic knowledge about justice unless you've been both convict and law-person. You can't have karmic knowledge of abuse unless you've been victim and abuser. You can't have karmic knowledge of money and abundance if you haven't been both poor and wealthy. As this karmic knowledge spans many life-times it allows us to tap into resources that bring forth the ability to get through the lessons we are learning. It helps us to make the choices when our options appear and that leads us to a greater understanding of who we are and what our divine purpose is.

Rarely is it about retribution. On rare occasions Karma can be retributive ... have you every said or done something and had it almost instantly come back in some form. That is "retributive Karma" and it only happens if the thoughts and comments are delivered with malice. I was witness to one such example of this form of Karma:

One day at work there was a sign on the door to our office that said "Open carefully." I tried it and since I didn't want to force the door I couldn't open it. I asked a gentleman to help me. His first comment to me was to snidely say "Are you using the right key?" To which I answered "Yes" and bit my tongue on the balance. (I'd been in the office for over two years.) He took the key and with the full force of his shoulder pushed against the door. The door came off of the hinges and fell to the floor with him on top. He was unhurt but shaken.

It was discovered that the hinges were loose so someone had removed most of the screws thinking the door would remain usable.

However we do often talk about retributive Karma in another way .... "What comes around, goes around," or "We reap what we sow." We've all heard people say this and while this isn't truly a form of retributive Karma, it is in fact part of the above balancing act. It just happens to occur in the same life-time. Like the individual who abandons their family only to be abandoned later their life, to the individual who uses others for their own gain and then doesn't get to reap the rewards they sought or to the individual who "stepped on the toes" of their co-workers only to be denied the expected promotion.

Therefore Fate and Karma are not the villains of our lives. They are simply the balanced lessons of becoming.

I bid you peace as you release the fear inherent in fate and karma. Blessings.

CRYSTALS

PREHNITE

Prehnite comes to us from a number of places, most noticeably from the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, as well as a number of mines in the United States, Canada, India, China and Germany. While not an uncommon stone it sometimes is confused with such minerals as gyrolite and smithsonite. Most of the Prehnite available comes to us in shades of light green however it can also be a pale yellowish-green or white. Prehnite has a glassy appearance when polished and will look like it contains tiny bubbles.

Prehnite is another stone of true unconditional love. When used in meditations Prehnite is said to connect the individual to the source of all; whether that be the "higher self" or "universal oneness" or whatever is the ultimate source in a person's life at that time. Prehnite is also said to be useful in calling in the archangels and other spiritual/ascended/other realm beings. As a crystal of spiritual connection it is said to be very valuable in helping to attune a person to recognize their own inner, psychic and intuitive knowledge. Prehnite is also very beneficial if you want to visualize where and what you need to fulfill your spiritual growth. Used by prophets and those seeking to unravel their spiritual path it helps to de-clutter the mind and set up an energy of peace and calm. Prehnite helps us to re-establish a feeling of trust and of being in charge or our lives.

It is said that Prehnite is a crystal to "Heal the healer." It allows the healer to find and work through the hidden energies behind all illnesses and dis-eases. Prehnite is also said to heal the auric field of the body which allows the body to reconnect to the universal healing "energy grid." Prehnite because of its intuitive connection helps the healer to diagnose and find the root cause of illnesses and ailments.

If placed within the home Prehnite allows a person to set up a sanctuary that is protected from all outside interference, creating a peaceful, protected home. Prehnite will also help a person to "de-clutter" their environment. This de-cluttering can be both physical and emotional. If it's time to let go of items or influences then Prehnite is the crystal that will help. If possessions are being hoarded then Prehnite can help to determine where the feeling of lack is arising from and help dispel the hidden emotions that cause this behaviour.

On the physical body Prehnite is said to help heal the organs that remove toxins from our body; especially the kidneys, bladder and lungs. In healing these organs and in helping them to work more efficiently Prehnite has been used to treat gout and other blood disorders. As the body rids itself of toxins it can then begin to heal the body's tissues and stabilize conditions to minimize the effect on the rest of the body. The shoulders, chest and thymus gland also benefit from the healing properties of Prehnite.

To revive the energy of prehnite especially after being used in deep healing it is suggested that Prehnite will benefit from quick rinse in warm, running water and should be left to dry in full sunlight.

Prehnite (Polished)

BLESSINGS for CANDLEMASS & SPRING EQUINOX

The celebration of Candlemass/Imbolc (Ground Hog Day) was traditionally the time when planning would start for the growing season ahead. Today we use the season to decide what we would like to manifest into our lives this year. We also begin to welcome the days as they grow noticeably longer and as the season of winter slowly gives way to potential of spring we can rejoice in all that life has to offer. Celebrate the warming sun, limitless potential and life itself.

"Universal Light, Christ Consciousness, be with us now,

Help us to find our way out of the frigid lands of winter,

so that we may know and remember the everyday blessings bestowed upon us.

Help us to choose a path that brings us closer to our universal self.

Help us to select the goals that will bring us greater understanding,

of our world and all it contains so that we may truly know ourselves."

Blessed be.

MONTHLY MEDITATION

"The Light of Smiles (2)"

"I will help weeping ones to smile, by smiling myself, even when it is difficult.

In the cheer of all hearts I hear the echo of Thy bliss. In the friendship of all true hearts I discover Thy friendship. I rejoice as much in the prosperity of my brothers as I do in my own prosperity. In helping others to be wise I increase my own wisdom. In the happiness of all I find my own happiness.

Nothing shall blight my smiles. Grim death, disease, or failure cannot daunt me. Disaster cannot really touch me, for within my soul I possess the unconquerable, unchangeable, ever new bliss of God.

O divine silent Laughter, be enthroned beneath the canopy of my countenance and smile through my soul.

I will try to be a jolly billionaire, finding my wealth in the coin of Thy realm - ever new bliss. This I shall satisfy my need for spiritual and material prosperity at the same time."

From Metaphysical Meditations by Paramahansa Yogananda