Welcome to my blog. Here you will find whatever is bringing me joy right now.
Please join me in this spiritual agreement, from my mentor and friend, Jana Massey:
"Together we agree that everything that we think, that we say and that we do at this time will be of the highest good. And together we ask for truth, the understanding of that truth and the wisdom to use it in our lives."
Thank you.
Before the days of therapists and counselors, we used to simply sit down with a dear friend and a good cup of tea. There at the kitchen table, we would pour our hearts out and spill our secrets into the saucer with our tea. Wonderful insights would occur to us as we would share our stories. Our dear friend would take them all in and tend to them, carefully and with as much depth of consideration as if she were holding one of our new born babes. This beautiful kitchen table magic is not lost to us. And it can be even further enhanced when combined with the fine art of tea leaf reading. Tea leaf reading, similar to the I-Ching, the Runes and the Tarot is a form of “Giving Divination.” It is very like looking at clouds or gazing into a crystal ball. Images appear and they can help us gain insight into a given situation. The seer uses their soft vision, not a hard focus, to let shapes appear to them and then shares impressions that may accompany their impressions. Though we can certainly do tea leaf readings for ourselves, it is very nice to nice to do this with a friend or a companion. Like the wise stranger we once met on a bus or a train, sometimes our best advice can come from someone that we don't really know. For tea leaf readings, you need a loose leaf tea. It can be herbal, black or green, but it must still have some shape to the plant parts and not be powdered. Then, while sipping the tea, the person who is having some difficulty shares their problems with the listener. They tell the whole story, all the ins and outs, everything they can think of and how they feel about it. All the while, they are sipping away at their tea. When their cup is almost empty, holding only one or two more swallows, they focus silently on the entirety of the problem and formulate their ideas into a question. It can be something like, "What is the best course of action for me to take here?' or "What would be in accordance with the highest good for all concerned in this situation?" Then they take just one more little sip so there is just barely enough liquid left in the cup to enable them to lightly swirl the leaves around. And then they turn the cup upside down, spilling it's remaining contents into the saucer. Some of the leaves will spill with the liquid into the saucer but some of the bits of leaves will remain on the sides of the cup. The friend who has been listening then takes the cup and using their soft eyes, they look at the leaves, just like how they might look at the clouds, to see if they can imagine images there. Similar to laying out a card deck, areas within the cup can be used to represent: the past or the future, a base of family support or destiny coming from on high. The bits and globs of soggy tea leaves located on one side of the handle area might represent where you have been in your life, while the bits located on the other side of the handle might represent where you are headed. It is all very arbitrary and each seer develops their own ideas regarding the of placement of the remaining leaves within the cup. Some bits of tea may look like birds swirling on thermal drafts or airplanes in flight. Just like with dream images, these can mean different things. For me, birds and planes represent spiritual flight. Bicycles can be balance, cars or buses can represent our bodies. It is all good. Trust the process and let it flow. I like to encourage beginning tea leaf readers to just keep talking. Whether you think you are only making stuff up or you think that you are accurately perceiving psychically, just keep on talking. It gets the ball rolling and the information will begin to come to you. Try not to judge it. Simply trust it. And I'm sure that you will be pleasantly surprised by the feedback you get from your friend. Most likely they will be blown away by how perceptive you are, by the insights and wisdoms you were able to share and by the accuracy of the information that you were able to give. So have some fun. Let your consciousness align with that all knowing, all seeing part of you that is a part of us all. Get out some tea, a little cup and saucer and put the water on to boil. Enjoy.
There is no greater authority in our lives than our own self. Only we know all of the various situations and circumstances that have brought us to be who we are today. Of course, it never hurts to gather information and opinions. It's nice to see what our loved ones have to offer when we are faced with a decision. But when it comes to making choices in our life, we are our own best authority. There have been times in my life when I have relied on the opinions of others, especially in my youth. And I have certainly done my fair share of offering up my thoughts and concerns to others. However, on some level, both of these situations are subject to illusion and projection, especially if there is emotional attachment to the ideas shared. We often think we know what might be good for someone else. But, really, most likely, that same advice that we'd like to share turns out to be something that would be good for us. And unless we take the time to ask within on our own behalf, we barely know what might benefit us best. So, how do we ask within? It's really quite simple. We just need to get still and let ourselves be. No agenda. Just sitting somewhere, perhaps in a little personal sanctuary, or walking down a country lane, taking a momentary break from the hustle and bustle of all of our daily thoughts. Look at a flower, or a bug for a moment or two. Really look. Or take a bite of something, then slowly chew it. Let yourself thoroughly taste it. Or listen and see if you can hear a distant sound, try to find the one that sounds the most far away. Lend your ear to the task. All of these simple awareness techniques let your attention come to the here and now. Then, once you've had a few moments, just being yourself, think of something that you really love, it could be a puppy or a sunset. This engages our heart mind, our higher self, our super-conscious mind, and it puts us in the best part of our self from which to receive. Now go ahead and ask yourself how you feel about the question at hand. Let your ears listen, give yourself the gift of introspection, let your eyes see using your vision center, notice how it feels in your gut. Our gut feelings let us also check in with any body memories that may be associated with the idea. Then settle back into your heart again. Ask your heart how it feels about the prospect. Listen there. You'll likely get one clear idea, something that resonates you. Or, maybe you will get an array of ideas. If you do make careful mental note of them all. Take the time to let them coalesce into a plan of action and then go with that. We don't need a middle man when finding our way in life. We are innately born knowing what we came here to do and when we ask within we are guided on our way. I like to call this process, "Dialing Direct." When we take the time to ask within and then honor what we receive with actions that are in harmony with our internal responses, our whole self comes more fully into alignment. We find our place in the world and in the Universe as well. Then as well, the simple act of letting ourselves 'ask within' engages the great spiritual law of asking and receiving. The more we ask, the more we receive. When we live our lives in accordance with spiritual laws such as this one, we find greater levels of self-fulfillment and we free ourselves to increase the joy in our lives. So, take the time to ask. I have found that it is a lovely practice.
My friend Kassandra grew up feeling more comfortable with the animals in her life than she was with the people. Her parents and siblings were sometimes volatile while her dogs, cats and rescued baby wild animals were consistently loving, appreciative and kind. We all respond well to gentleness. And gentle is what Kassandra was.
Many people can remember talking with their animals telepathically while they were children. I do, and so did my friend, Kassandra. But, she simply never let go of that skill. Then, seeing a need as an adult, she began offering her services as an animal communicator. She would help concerned owners to understand the underlying problems their animals were experiencing. That is how I met Kassandra. A friend told me about her and I had a question about my horse's well-being. So, Kassandra came out to the barn and put both my horse's and my own mind at ease.
As the years went on, Kassandra and I got to know each other quite well and became friends. One day, we were out walking and came upon three hebe bushes in full bloom. They had lovely purple and white flower spikes that were rising up from the tips of all their branches. They were putting on a beautiful display and hundreds of bees were busily buzzing around them gathering nectar.
I wondered if Kassandra had ever spoken with an insect, so I asked her. She said to me in her characteristic drawl, "What do you want to know, Josephine?" I thought for a moment and asked, "Do bees know God?" Kassandra turned toward the hebes and bees. She got quiet for a moment with a open expression on her face. Then, instantaneously one individual bee came right up to us, hovering just two feet away from our faces and remained perfectly placed in the air before us. Kassandra's eyes grew a little wider and then she said, "The bee says, 'We all serve The One.'" With that and my understanding of her words, our bee zipped away and became lost in the crowd of her fellows busily working away.
All of life holds such incredible beauty and profound wisdom to share. May we all remember how to listen with such care.
In 2010, PBS aired a show called "Next Year Country. In it, Matt Ryan, a rainmaker from Mount Shasta was called to North Eastern Montana to come to the aid of three families who were experiencing a profound drought. The situation had become so dire that they were about to loose their farms. The rainmaker brought large metal pipes and laid them out on the ground moving them from time to time for two weeks. Then he left. The drought persisted throughout the rest of the state, but the North East Corner, where the three families lived had heavy rains and an abundant harvest. In 1983, Shirley MacLaine, the American Film Actress wrote an autobiographical account of her explorations into the infinite possibilities of life in her book, Out On A Limb. There in the mountains of Peru, she tells of her experience in calling the weather to change. Vicki Noble in Shakti Woman speaks of the same phenomena. This inspired me to play with that energy as well. And you know what? It worked. Standing in openhearted harmony with the beauty and sacred interconnection of all things, while engaging my imagination and holding to my intention, I have engaged my sense of command and parted the clouds or called the rain. Last year in my women's circle, we all went out back with some simple dowsing rods and walked around an old abandoned two story brick building. The dowsing rods swung together and touched every time one of us walked across an irrigation line or water pipe. It took us a while to realize that that was why our rods were crossing, but then we saw the spigot and the meter. The rods also swung right where the vetch was growing lushly in the sparse field. Vetch has deep roots that reach down and pull water up to the top layers of the soil. My grandfather was a 'Water Witcher.' Most of the folks in his part of the Midwest didn't want to have anything to do with psychic ability and abruptly dismissed it out of hand. But somehow, dowsing slipped through the cracks of acceptability. Using an old forked willow branch, he would hold it in his hands, letting the end that would have been closest to the root zone point out in front of him. Then he would walk the land. He would start off for the places where water would likely be, and then he'd move along until the branch dipped sharply down toward the ground and told him the life giving liquid was near. All the farmers in his section of the country called him to help find a good spot whenever a well was needed. As we round the bend into the last months of our rainy season, here in California, where the reservoirs are still low from the last few years of drought, I am wondering how many of us, when we see those big cumulus clouds overhead would prefer not to have it rain today. Perhaps we just washed the car or have plans for a garden party. Maybe the new roof is not yet on that house we are building for that young couple with the baby. Or, perhaps we are thinking how there is still no rain. 'No rain.' "Not enough to do the trick." How influential are our thoughts and words? How deep do these infinite possibilities run? My experiences have shown me that the subtle energies of nature are willing to join their wisdoms with ours. But we do need to step into concert with them, open up and ask. When we do, they respond. So I invite you to join me in reclaiming our connection with water. Let's use our imagination to feel and smell,taste, hear, thrill at and call the rain?
Hello everyone. Please enjoy this little video that I created with my good friend Einar Berg. It's called The Power and Importance of Sanctuary. The Buddha said, "Do nothing, time is too precious to waste." Time spent on our own is some of the richest time in life. Join me as I discuss the many benefits that I've received from time spent in sanctuary.
Spirit continuously steps in to assist us, often saving the day. We can make room for guidance from spirit to more easily reach us. Dreams, meditation, and prayer work wonders. Or we can cast the Runes, the coins of the I Ching, or layout decks of cards. Synchronicities can also point the way that will best ease our day. For some of us, it's deja vu and premonition that let inner guidance reach us. In our dreams our physical bodies communicate through pictures. Our higher self sends inspirations as well, in the form of images placed in our minds. As we meditate we learn to quiet our minds. This can allow information to flow into our conscious awareness from on high. Our prayers are how we express our needs and our gratitudes, and engage in conversation with our own version of the divine. Some of us find guidance by laying out cards or casting the runes. The symbols and the placement speak to us about where we've been and where we need to go, what qualities can bring us strength, and what might hold us back. The I Ching is another mode of divination, meaning "to give the voice of the divine." With this ancient Asian method of finding guidance the user tosses coins and makes note of where the coins lie, and if they are heads or tails. This leads the seeker to a passage in a book that can bring answers and insights to the questions asked. Another way that spirit can edge its way in is through synchronicity. We wake from a dream about a certain friend, that morning they call with an invitation to go swimming. We had plans to clean the garage, but because of the dream image we decide to go with them instead. At the water's edge we just happen to meet someone who needs something done, and we are just the person for the job. Synchronicities can channel us to right where we need to go. This is divine love saying, "Go this way, you'll like it." Some lucky souls are granted the gift of premonition. These individuals receive strong senses of knowing and inner guidance. My mother was a premonition dreamer, and once or twice she saved our lives. We were so impressed by this skill that we never hesitated or doubted when she got that certain look in her eye. My brother inherited the gift of premonition as well. One day he was driving on Mulholland highway, speeding and squealing around the turns, going way too fast. Then suddenly, he got an image, blatantly and strongly, right in his mind. It was of the front wheel of his car popping off its axle. This startled him so much that he slowed way down. And on the next turn it happened. His wheel came off and his disk brake plowed into the ground, saving him from sudden and certain death.
I often think about how our angels are watching over us. I imagine his angel was riding on the front corner of the hood of his car, watching those bolts on that wheel. When they started to get loose the angel zoomed that image right into his mind, getting his attention and causing him to make a change. This allowed him to live on to make a lifetime's worth of positive changes in the lives of others.
When we are open to guidance in our lives, guidance comes. It can be subtle or strong, it may follow a circuitous trail, but it brings us to right where we need to go.
