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.

Friendships and Circles of Friends

Friendships ... seems like a fairly straight forward thing. We either like people or we don't. If that's so why do we fret over changing relationships with friends? Why is it that disappointments run deeper when we feel like a friend had a hand in it? Over the past few of weeks more and more people have approached me on the topic of friendships, lack of friends, changing relationships, disappointments with a friend's behaviour and more. So this seems like an opportune time to shed some light on one of our heart-felt relationships, friendships.

We've all heard the sentiment or seen the myriad of emails that talks to having some special friend in our lives, whether for a moment, a few weeks, a year, an era, a few decades or for a lifetime. This is the reality of our friendships. Unfortunately we also tend to include childhood expectations and hopes that say once you're my friend you're expected to be my friend for life, whether spoken or not, whether a best friend or acquaintance friend, we don't want those relationships with friends to change. In this we set ourselves up for disappointments and very deep hurts that our minds sometimes connect with betrayals and other let downs. We tend to forget that our friends have their own live's to live, and their own unique experiences to go through. Even their astrological signs can have an effect our perceptions of our friends activities. We may recognize them on the periphery of our senses but our own egos have determined that our friends need to be there for us, first and foremost.

Even the vocabulary of today's teens and young adults has begun to set them up for disappointment where friendships are concerned. All the talk of "best friends forever," all of the gift items embossed with the "BFF" logo and other such terms has created very high and sometimes very unreasonable expectations of our friendly relationships. While the hope that a friendship will last forever is one that everyone carries, it doesn't allow for our friendships to evolve or change. Of course we know they will, but the sudden shock of having people leave your life when you think you need them the most can be heart-wrenching in the least and absolutely devastating in the extreme. However when friends drift apart as a natural evolution, we have the ability to wish them well as they drift away and we sometimes hope that we'll reconnect at some other time when we've both had time to grow.

Many times we've heard the term "Circle of Friends" and we've pictured a rippling wave of concentric circles, like the ripples on a pond when a pebble breaks the surface. The small circles near the center are our closest and dearest friends, while those that are further out are reserved for various acquaintance and casual friendships. We have a few people in our lives that we allow into our most inner circle. These are normally the people we trust the most and are the ones we can turn to when we need a non-judgmental shoulder to cry on or an ear to vent our problems to. As we move out a ring on the circle, we have friends that we may see from time to time, someone we just like to connect with and so on. Each ring moving away, not really further from our heart, but their lives and their aspects differing from us. What we do tend to forget is that as our friendships change so do the positions of those friends within our circles. This is a natural evolution, so there is nothing to feel guilty or ashamed of when friends leave your inner circle to follow their own path. Whether or not they return, we've learned with them and from them, we've celebrated and grieved, we've cried and grown, and most importantly we've become who we are today.

We can also belong to more than one circle; different friends, different experiences, different lessons, different perceptions. This makes our "Circles of Friends" resemble a Celtic knot more than the singular circles we had envisioned earlier. Where we run into conflict with our ego and our perception is when we introduce friends from one circle to the friends in another of our circles. When we know that people from our different groups need to meet, we need to be prepared to accept that these people can either loathe each other or end up having a deeper, more intimate friendship than we have with either individual. Of course it could also remain just another casual friendship but the fact remains that it may have an impact in our own circles and our friendships. People will meet and create friendships whether it is in our path to help them create a connection or not. However when we put up roadblocks and other obstacles we begin to alienate those we love and care about which ends up affecting our position within their friendship circles.

Friends are a joy and a wonderfully diverse support network that we have available in the physical world. Whether they are with us for a day, a week, a year, a season, or a life time each one is precious. There is one sentiment that runs true through all friendships - "Friends are the family we choose for ourselves,' and in some cases our friends truly do become our surrogate families.

I bid you joy and peace as you travel through life within your ever expanding and ever changing circles of friends. Blessings.

CRYSTALS

Herkimer Diamond

Herkimer Diamonds are found exclusively in and around Herkimer, New York in the United States. Although a form of quartz, the Herkimer Diamond has many of the characteristics of real diamonds. Herkimer Diamonds are mainly clear and colourless, however they may occasionally contain a smoky or hazy interior.

As a tool for physical healing, the Herkimer Diamond is a master stone. It helps to detoxify the whole body and can aid in correcting imbalances, whether caused by environment or from within the body itself. Herkimer Diamonds have been used to strengthen the natural defense systems of the body and can help to regulate the body's metabolism. Herkimer Diamonds help the wear to identify and release all tensions and stress related imbalances before damage can be done. It can also help to remove unwanted and unhealthy energy from the body.

On the spirit Herkimer Diamonds act like keys, opening up connections and easing communication. They also allow the user to find their way through problems with as little difficulty as possible. Herkimer Diamonds also allow the user to become open to seeing and experiencing the world in new ways. They can also aid in strengthening psychic and clairvoyant abilities and are useful in remembering dreams and experiences.

The Herkimer Diamond is also well-know for being able to magnify and intensify the healing properties of crystals used during healing sessions. Herkimer Diamonds are ancient stones and therefore have also proven useful when participating in past life sessions.

Herkimer Diamonds should be cleansed at least once a month under warm running water, then allowed to rest in full sunlight or among other quartz crystals for at least a day.

Herkimer Diamond

Blessing for Summer

Summer is here with all of the laughter and joys of childhood. The warm days remove the chill of fear and of loneliness. The singing birds and chittering wildlife remind us of the passion that life itself imbues. Now is the time to allow yourself to remember how it feels to play and have joy in your life.

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

Let us be as free and children.

Lighten our steps so that we can feel the gentle touch of green grasses.

Renew our senses of touch and smell so that we can take in all that is here for us now.

Let us see the glory and beauty that lives in all things.

Help us to rejoice and embrace the sounds and fervor of life.

Let us truly celebrate this wondrous season.

Blessed be."

MONTHLY MEDITATION

"My Joyful Life"

"Here I sit and wonder "what will become of me" and "what is my purpose."

The sun shines and birds sing to a wonderful glory I have all but forgotten.

I sit and think of woe, of heartache. Is there nothing for me? Is there nothing more?

The Light of Love begins breaks through with its own, sweet gentle touch.

The fear and woe begin to melt and my melancholy lifts.

My spirit awakens with a triumphant yell that shatters the falsehood of fear and woe.

The sun shines anew and I know the truth of my life, I know the joy,

a joy that fills every part of me and suddenly my purpose is revealed.

It is to live a joyful life."

June 2010