I have been an avid reader of spiritual material for the past 15 years, and The Circle is one of the most unique spiritual tools I have seen in a long time.  I was introduced to this tool in June of this year, and my first reading blew me away!  It was spot on for a conversation I had had with my friend Mary just mere minutes before pulling my cards.  The message was deeply personal to me and gave me chills as I went through the categories.  The kit includes 45 word cards, the instruction booklet, a journal with removable pages and a blue velveteen bag to hold the cards.  The colors of the cards and the book covers are beautiful!

The fascinating aspect of this spiritual tool is it can be used by all individuals, because it crosses all religious barriers.  It can be used for daily journaling, for prayer, for meditation, just about any spiritual exercise one practices.  The nice thing is that it can provide deep spiritual direction without needing a professional spiritual counselor.  Each reading is personal, providing amazing messages!  There is also a website and suggested practitioners if you get a little stuck or want more information.

This kit would make a wonderful gift for anyone who likes to do a little bit or a lot of introspection.  I have used it on my family and plan on purchasing a few for gifts.  If you want to add something new, a little more adventure, or just shake things up a bit in your spiritual walk, then The Circle is what you need!

*”The Circle” can be found in the Lodestar Healing Arts, LLC store!

This is not to encourage excessive amounts of caffeine (though I do love my coffee!)…it is about staying AWAKE in the Spiritual sense.

Most of us live our entire lives asleep…not knowing that there is more to life than what we see or think we know.  Many, who do know there is more, choose not to see or be aware of the largeness of our lives and our connection to everything.  Sometimes that is caused by a fear that others, who are also asleep, will judge them.  I can’t guarantee that won’t happen but I can guarantee that it’s worth whatever one experiences as it is all part of our being alive and living in awareness.

When you open your heart and mind to the expansiveness of the universe and all that lays beyond, you become open to loving without condition.  Just as importantly, you become more capable of not taking anything personally (because it isn’t personal).  Living in awareness is living with compassion for all creation which includes compassion for the self.  Many of us are great at having compassion for others but forget that we must also have compassion for ourselves.  If you are a nature lover, like myself, deer are the animal messengers of showing kindness to the self and being gentle in our ways.  We can all learn from the deer to add that message into our daily practice.

My challenge to all of us today is to make this the first day of our collective awakening! How does one achieve this? Meditate, pray, be still and quiet the mind, be grounded, remain humble, open your heart to your spiritual self, drum, journey…be true to your spiritual practice and ask for guidance.

If you don’t have a practice, don’t worry…it’s never too late to develop one.  All you ever have to do is ask the Universe for direction and it will come.  Stay open to its arrival.  You can also seek an adviser who can help guide you home.

My prayer today is this:  Simply. Become. Awake.

We are what we think.

Everything we are arises from our thoughts.

With our thinking we create the world.

–Buddha

The world is in crisis

And fear all around

The Earth’s vibrations are changing

In the silence it’s found

The water turns black

The sky turns to grey

The food becomes poison

We’ve made it this way

Now is the moment

To hold up the light

To fill hearts with love

And end every fight

Be the beacon of hope

Be the one who stands strong

Dream this world into being

Right all that went wrong

See the tree that gives life

See the roots in the Earth

See the air that we breathe

See the waters rebirth

Hear the sigh of relief

Feel the warmth of the sun

Dream this world into being

Knowing we are all One

- Brenda

There is a wonderful poem written by the Terma Collective that feels timely.

What in Your Life is Calling You?

What in your life is calling you?
When all the noise is silenced,
the meetings adjourned,
the lists laid aside,
and the wild iris blooms by itself
in the dark forest,
what still pulls on your soul?

In the silence between your heartbeats
hides a summons.
Do you hear it?
Name it, if you must,
or leave it forever nameless,
but why pretend it is not there?

I don’t know about you but I have gone through several periods of time when I was afraid to sit in silence.  Afraid to empty my mind of the noise and listen with my heart instead of my head.  I had, like most of us, been conditioned to “stay busy” and therefore, stay in my forever multitasking mind.  I wish to be clear that there is nothing wrong with staying busy.  But I hope for all humanity that we take the time to stop long enough to “hear our calling.”

This can take time as we are generally not used to practicing sitting in silence or meditation.  Our lives are full of activity and we find it difficult to take even 5 minutes out for ourselves.  Can you think of anything more important to do, however?  We are all here for a reason.  Every action we take leaves a print on the Earth and all of Creation.   What print will you leave?

Good day my dear friends!  Today, like everyday brings with it the conscious decision to live life with a certain purpose.  So, on this day, let us remember to be grateful that we are each given the choice to live in awareness…to follow that which calls us…and to be thankful for another day, as each one is a gift.

I was reminded this morning of how important it is to always remember that to live in awareness is a choice we make.  There are so many who do not know that the life they are living is by choice.  It often does not feel like we have choices regarding our path, especially during difficult times.   But this does not have to be so.  What we feel or believe is most often a result of our upbringing or what we have personally experienced.  It is like the story of the frog living in a pond where he was born.  The frog begins to believe that this pond is all that there is because it is all he has ever known.  If the pond dries up or the frog is moved to another body of water, what happens to his world view?  He now is faced with a choice.  He can continue to believe that the new pond is now all there is or he can choose to see that there is more in the world than just his one pond.

He can also choose to recognize that he has always made the decision to stay where he was.

Many of us have experienced life in a very similar way as the frog.  We, too, have also been moved out of our “pond” and have had to to come face to face with the challenge of starting over.  This challenge can be seen as frightening and uncomfortable or as another opportunity to grow.  Part of living in awareness is knowing that we make decisions every day that are either limiting or that encourage growth.

Will we choose to show compassion to ourselves and others today?  Will we step out of our comfort zone?  Will we lend a hand to someone in need?  Will we expand our vision?  Will we open doors for others to see that they too have choices in all that they do?  Will we begin by keeping the door open for ourselves?  Will we ask our Creator to help us to be true to our paths and show gratitude for the opportunity to live another day?

It is my hope and my prayer that each person be aware of the choices they make.  That we realize the pond we are living in is not all there is and that we express gratitude to the Great Mystery we are all part of.

Much love and blessings to all of creation.  Thank you for another day.

Lodestar is honored to present book/article reviewer – Christi

Christi has had a deep fascination with God most of her life.  She has always been in awe of how the Divine has brought about creation, how things like our bodies work, and how mysteriously and amazingly perfect love penetrates our lives.  Christi is certified and ordained as a parish nurse and has a Master’s Degree in Biblical Counseling.  She loves to read and study various texts on religion and healing, but her main area of interest is Christian Mysticism.  Her favorite quote is “The mighty oak tree was once a nut that stood its ground,” because it gives her hope.

You may contact Christi by replying to her articles or by email at: christ@lodestarhealingarts.com

The Little Book On Meaning by Laura Berman Fortang

Some of us are fortunate enough in this life to have a friend who cares so much for us he/she is willing to confront us with our “bad stuff.”  They let us vent and carry on when we are sorting through events or circumstances in our lives only to follow all of that with something hard to swallow—something like “you need to grow up” or “buck up” or, God forbid, “you are wrong!”  You want to be offended, but you know this friend is telling you these things because they love you.  They want you to grow and be a better person and experience life even fuller.  That is why you always go to them with your problems.

While reading Laura Berman Fortang’s The Little Book on Meaning, this is exactly what I felt.  Every time I sat down to read a chapter or two, it was as if I were having coffee with that loving friend who tells me the hard stuff.  Ms. Fortang so graciously shares her shortcomings in this book which sets you at ease—making you feel like you are on the same level.  Then BAM!!!  She hits you with a word of wisdom that hurts and heals at the same time.

For instance, recently my oldest daughter has been causing A LOT of stress in the family.  She is fifteen years old and trying to exercise her independence in ways her father and I don’t appreciate.  She had me boiling mad the day I picked up the book to read chapter six.  Of course, this chapter discusses children, and at the end, Ms. Fortang states, “Children don’t just come to us; they come for us.  They come into our life and show us where our capacity to love can still use improvement.  They shine a spotlight on our wounds and force us to deal with them.  They minister to our soul’s growth even if we don’t like it.”  OUCH!!!!  So you see what I mean!  This was definitely NOT something I wanted to hear but it most definitely was something I needed to hear.

That was just one of the MANY wise impartations Ms. Fortang says in this great book.  If you pick up this book because you want someone else to give you all the answers or even just the answer to what is meaning, then you are wasting your time.  If you are open to growth—meaning having the open heart and willingness to examine yourself honestly, then this book is a must have and will be a treasure in your library.  The minute I finished it, I started reading it again!!

ENJOY!

I’ll admit that I don’t watch the news very often.  Nor do I go in search of the weather report.  In fact, when it comes to the subject of severe weather, I just watch the birds and my Beagle.  Their behavior is the best indicator of impending storms and/or tornadoes I have ever known.

Living in the Midwest means not having to worry about hurricanes or tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, or even, generally speaking, earthquakes.  We worry about tornadoes, blizzards, severe thunderstorms, floods, and ice storms instead.  If I ever have any doubts about what the weather conditions are going to be all I have to do is listen and watch the animals.

I live in the country and have a large area next to my home where we feed the birds and stand in amazement of their behavior every day.  I also have a very sensitive Beagle.  If I am wondering if we might get a thunderstorm, my Beagle will notify me by shaking and panting, often a half hour or more before the storm arrives.  There have been times when she has displayed these behaviors and I’ve dismissed them because the skies were clear and sunny and my phone weather app confirmed that we should expect more of the same, only to have a severe thunderstorm come 20 minutes later.  She’s never wrong.

If I hear reports of the possibility of a tornado, I watch the birds to see if they are still around the feeders, sitting in the trees, or looking for food on the ground.  If they aren’t, I seek shelter.  In the winter, if the birds are huddled in the bushes next to the feeders, I know we have a doozy of a snowstorm with freezing temperatures coming.  They too have never been wrong.

I’m not suggesting that anyone ignore what the human weather reports are but merely that often it only takes watching what the animals are doing to get an accurate read of what we often cannot see, hear, or feel.  They know when bad weather is about to come.  In the wild, animals will move in the opposite direction of an impending tsunami or hurricane.  They are in tune with the vibrations of the earth and can literally feel it coming.   How did our ancestors know when to move, bundle up, or take cover?  They looked to the sky and studied the animals.

All of creation is a gift.

As I sat down to write today, I thought of the many times we were discouraged from creating this site.  Friends and family were afraid of what they didn’t understand.  But, we did it anyway.  Then came those who said this was the worst possible time to start a business.  Again, we did it anyway.  Then came those who did not want to be affiliated with us or what we stand for.  You can see the outcome…we chose to do it and continue doing so, anyway.

I am certain that much of this sounds familiar to you.  Taking a stand and doing what you feel called to do is not about winning popularity contests.  It is also not about stubbornness born from having to be right.  It is doing what you feel you must do even in the face of fear…perhaps this is part of the mystery of loving and having faith in something bigger than yourself.  But it is also having faith in the smallness of yourself.  We do not have to be “big” or “strong” or “financially wealthy” to do what is right.  We just have to be.

Many people, many cultures across time have come up against this same fear and chose to go forward.  We are not special in this way.

But I can tell you this:  We do not promote fear.  We promote love.  We promote gratitude.  We promote faith in oneself and what one believes in.  We promote health, well-being, serenity, integrity, creating a space for healing…we promote who you are.  Who you REALLY are.

When we or others speak from a place of fear, it is not to be judged.  It’s okay to be afraid sometimes.  But when you put your faith in the Creator you can let go of that fear.  We are all here for such a short time.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could feel the blessing of life, of every breath, of every moment of every day?

If you allow yourself to sit in silence and hear from your heart, show gratitude even if you can only think of one thing a day that you are grateful for, your life will change.  When you remember what your purpose is, your life will change.

There is always light when it feels the darkest.  We all know and feel the stress of a troubled economy, of war, of unrest, of physical, psychological and emotional pain and of uncertainty.  This is why Lodestar was created.  Lodestar quite literally means the brightest star in the night’s sky.  It is the one that guides us if and when we are lost…the same as it did for our ancestors.  In our most sincere humility we at Lodestar Healing Arts wish nothing more than to bring healing to this world.  It is something we all, everyone, does together, with the guidance of our Creator.

I pray that you always be true your path and the beauty of you.

Akina Nindinawe (We are all relations)

Yesterday, I found that there was a bird in my barn who was flying from one side to the other in a complete panic. He was looking for a way to get back outside but couldn’t find a hole big enough to fly through. Upon seeing this, I opened the large sliding barn doors to show him there was another way out. I stood and watched him continue to fly back and forth with blind abandon to the door leading him to freedom.

As I walked away from the barn, hoping he might fly out if I wasn’t standing there, it struck me that this bird had come with a lesson.

How often are we so stuck in our fear that we are blinded to the opportunities, the openings, the gifts that are before us? Sometimes we do not allow our vision to be wide enough to see all that is present. Fear traps us in a smaller version of the world. One where the idea of scarcity becomes all that we see. But what if, like I wished for the bird, we slowed down long enough to see it was our fear, not reality, that kept us from flying back into the world…into the freedom of life lived with gratitude.

Letting go of the fear that blinds our growth and trusting that the Universe will provide is an example of flying into this freedom. To live from a place of gratitude allows us to see the openings more clearly. It is still up to us to choose whether or not we fly just as it is for the bird.

Many thanks and much gratitude to the bird in the barn for this lesson.

It is such a beautiful and exciting time to be alive!  There are many things happening all over the world that could lead us to believe that these are “dark” times or it could lead us to see that these days are wonderfully important.

Our perspective about the world or ourselves in general carries a great deal of weight in terms of how we experience life.  Our thoughts can directly impact our health and our quality of life…they can also impact the lives of others including animals and the Earth herself.

With so much going on in the world, many of us have returned to asking questions about our essential beliefs.  What are they?  How do they help us make sense of the world?  What do they tell us about ourselves and our connection to everyone and everything?

My belief is that everyone is on a journey or a path in this life.  Yet, for some of us (I am definitely included in this group) we are not aware of this until something shakes us up or we have an experience that opens our hearts and minds to the idea that life is truly a gift and that we all have a purpose.

It is an awakening.

It is my sincere hope that wherever life takes you and whatever path you are on, that you will find peace, love, compassion, and the joy of knowing that your existence matters.  That by being awake in the world means that you change the world.  That is why I encourage you to find your spiritual “home” and Live. Simply. Awake.

Many blessings,

Namaste’

Brenda