"UNDERSTANDING"

I have entitled this chapter "Understanding" because there are a few things that I would like to discuss before diving directly into the lessons. In this chapter I would like to help you to understand the reasons you are on the path you have chosen.

I can only speak from personal experience, so I will. I will not bore you with the story of my life, but I will tell you that one morning (like so many people) I woke up and said to myself "Self there has got to be more to life than this; I go to work, take care of my family, do my housework, cook, and if I am lucky have time to catch a movie or dinner out once a week. So what else is there?"

I was raised very religiously and taught that if you were good you got to go to heaven and spend eternity on your knees singing and worshiping god. Now I have no trouble wanting to sing, it is one of my passions, however, the kneeling thing was kind of worrisome (especially since I have always had a trick knee). This was supposed to be a reward, because bad people went to hell where they would remain burning and gnashing their teeth for eternity. After hearing both scenarios I decided I really didn't want to die and earth didn't seem all that bad after all. At least I did get to go out once a week and basically I was my own boss. Needless to say, I started asking a lot of what I considered to be important questions.

My grandmother, who was the spiritual matriarch of the family, had a personal goal to sweep and mop the streets of gold. With this kind of goal how can you lose? Realizing that I wasn't going to get any help from her, I started down my own path of enlightenment. There have been many twists and turns along the way, but I have found that each step has led me closer to myself, expanded and altered my beliefs and enriched me as a spirit.

After twenty-three years of traveling the path there are a few things that stick out as being consistent; the road has never been boring, easy, or without surprises around each and every corner. It seems like the more I travel the more I realize what a small world it really is. Before starting to write this book I decided it was time for me to investigate the psychic community and see what was new that I might be missing. Sometimes locked away with books and going on journeys with spirit guides causes you to lose interest with what someone else is doing and get out of touch with the spiritual community around you. There were a lot of new things out there, but what I found were the same old things, with new names attached.

There are a lot of confused people who have felt the power, but have no control over it (or themselves), nor are they able to use it effectively. Worse than that, these people try to lead others. This is kind of like the blind leading the blind. I will not give you examples, but I will warn you to beware of anyone who is unable to answer your questions or share their knowledge. Most of the time it is because they have no knowledge to share, rather than a need to keep it secret.

Before I go any further I would like to say that not everyone is a charlatan and many people believe in what they are teaching. That does not make it right or wrong for you and the following is a way for you to be able to tell if it is right for you before you invest a lot of time and money into their perspective. All perspectives are worth investigating, but knowing when to pull the plug and walk away is very important. I want to go on record here as saying that I personally feel that each person should follow only themselves and look within for the answers, as they are all there.

I will give you a few sure fire questions that need answered whenever you are encountering the teachings of any religious or metaphysical leader; (l) Why? (2) What is the purpose? (3) What results are you hoping to attain? (4) How can I learn to do this for myself?

With the first question you should get a feel for the person and their motivating factors. Why are they doing what they are doing? How in other words did they start on their path toward enlightenment? This is not only interesting, but very insightful. You will be surprised at the answers you will get and after awhile how swiftly you can shovel the garbage to get to the real reasons. At this point you should be able to get a feel as to whether this person really believes what they are saying or not.

The second question, "What is the purpose?", to me is the most important. Everything that happens in your life has a purpose, including your existence on this planet right now. If there is no purpose, chuck it. There are things that are glitzy and showy, kind of like the Great Kreskin bending spoons with his mind, but who cares. What possible difference does it make if you have a bent spoon or not. Ask yourself what practical application it has in your life. Is it going to lead to advancement or enrichment, or is it just to impress people and build the EGO.

The third one, "What results are they hoping to attain?", can prove to be a real eye opener. If they stutter and have a problem answering this one a red flag should start waving. If they cannot come up with an answer, this means the person waving the red flag is hollering at you HELLO............time to move along.

The last one, "How can I learn to do this for myself?", is the second most important, and if they refuse to lead you into the knowledge it is generally because they don't truly have it themselves. Now they may become real secretive at this point and tell you it is something you have to acquire on a higher level and bring back, but if you follow their course by the time you are at the end you will understand. Well, your GARBAGE monitor should be racing in high gear by now and I am sure you will find a fitting response.

After looking at the problems in the psychic community I realized the biggest ones were because the basics hadn't been learned. Think of it like math; learning what 2 + 2 equals does not prepare you for calculus. Both are math, but you must learn what the basics are so you have a firm foundation to build upon. Is it any wonder with something so much more complex like eternity you would need a foundation?

Before I go any further let me answer those very questions about this book.

The things you will read are my current beliefs, that is not to say that my beliefs won't change, expand and generally grow with me. However, the basic foundation of my beliefs will stay the same, which is why a foundation is so important.

You may or may not agree with everything I say, but I ask you to read the entire text because you never know when just one word, sentence or paragraph will open your third eye to enlightenment.

Man, whether aware of it or not, lives his existence on three different planes at once; physical, mental and spiritual. The one thing that crosses all three planes are emotions.

At this point in my path I have found two basic lessons that all need to learn on this planet; (l) To find the truth; not only in yourself but in others (it seems to be the greatest sought after commodity around). People are willing to pay thousands of dollars for protective video equipment, tape recorders, private investigators and lawyers; all in the guise of getting to the truth. Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone in the world was incapable of lying. Think about this for a moment and how many people would be looking for jobs in other fields. (2) Controlling emotions. I have heard and read many thoughts on this subject, but I always come back to this question; "If you are not controlling your emotions who is?" We can all cop out if we want to; I have heard all of the theories about going with that emotion and feeling it and acting it out. I feel that this is one of the main reasons the world is like it is today. It is the reason that our jails are full to overflowing.

I am not saying that you don't need to work through the emotion, but that doesn't come from flowing with it. It comes from sitting back once you have it under control, analyzing it and keeping the lines of communication open until it is resolved. We need to keep digging to find the true problem, because most of the time it has nothing to do with the reason we are feeling the emotion, but is only a trigger.

When this lifetime is over you take with you all of your experiences, learned or incomplete lessons and karma (good and bad). You take nothing physical (although many have tried just ask the morticians and grave robbers). I particularly like the joke about the three children that buried their wealthy father whose last request was that each child put one thousand dollars into the coffin so that he would not find himself on the other side without substance. The first born child placed a stack of one hundred dollar bills in the casket, the second child placed two five hundred dollar bills in the casket; the third and last child, took out both stacks of bills and replaced them with a check for three thousand dollars, explaining while placing the check in the coffin that their father could cash it when he got wherever he was going. I think that this pretty much summarizes taking physical possessions on a spiritual journey.

Let's take a moment to look at all three planes starting with the most intense (as far as emotions go); the spiritual. This only makes sense when you consider that your beliefs are actually who you are (whether you are conscious of it or not).

The spiritual plane covers your belief system; which encompasses all you were taught at home, in church and even in school. It is the very fiber of your being, what makes you differentiate between right and wrong. It envelopes your conscience and your feeling of connection with the rest of humanity.

Isn't it amazing to consider that as important as this plane obviously is, most people have no idea what their true belief system entails. If you doubt this just ask someone and see the blank look on their face. At the same time there are people, yes even in the 90's, who are dying for their religious beliefs all over the world. The fight all these years in Ireland comes down to the Catholic and Protestants. In the middle-east it is the Muslims and Jews, and the list goes on and on. In your very own home try having a dinner party with eight different people (other than your family) and bring up the subject of religion. You won't have to worry about making small talk or coming up with any other subject. The only other subject that I know of that is sure fire to set people off is politics (but that is a whole other can of worms).

The second plane we will discuss is the mental plane. A lot of things are done on this plane that people mistake with the spiritual plane. For instance, the amazing Kreskin does not bend those spoons with spiritual force, but with energy generated by his mind, which makes him a mentalist not a spiritualist. There are different mental abilities such as psychokinesis, telepathy, levitation and other words that are all clumped in with spirituality, but are really all done on the mental plane. Considering that scientists tell us we only use 2% of our brain, none of this is really too surprising if you really think about it.

The mental plane concerns your thinking processes and capacity for mental learning. People do not have to be mental giants to learn on a spiritual plane, in fact, it has been my experience as a guide to find that people with high IQ's have more problems with spiritual growth because they are constantly trying to intellectualize. You cannot intellectualize what you learn spiritually, as you are learning for the first time and have nothing to compare it with. It would be like trying to imagine what life forms on other planets might look like. The only thing you would have to compare other life forms to is your own life form and those you have seen on this planet.

The third plane is the physical plane. This one concerns your day to day physical realities, work, relationships, concern for appearance and all the things you have to do to satisfy your physical desires and to sustain your body.

I would like to add one small thought to this plane. In three to four hours a person's appearance can be totally transformed through the use of clothing, make-up and hairstyle, which makes the physical plane merely an illusion. The inner self, however, takes years to change. Therefore, you can see how deceiving the physical appearance can be and how much credence it deserves.

In order for a person to be happy and feel well physically and emotionally there has to be a harmony on all three of these planes, which is what we should all be constantly striving for. When there is imbalance on any plane there is unhappiness, uneasiness and illness. There is no peace where imbalance exists, only temporary distractions which we mistake for peace. Whether those distractions are shopping, food, drugs, alcohol, sex or any other tool one uses to escape, the real problems will always remain waiting to be dealt with. Let's take a moment now to discuss the reasons for imbalance on any one of these planes.

The main culprit that causes imbalance (and covers all three planes) are emotions. I would like to take credit for this brilliant deduction, but to be quite truthful when you start to think it doesn't take Einstein to come up with the common denominator. As we all know (at least anyone who has ever read a good murder mystery), with any problem once you come up with the common denominator the rest is history.

I have said this before and I will probably say it again many times before this book is through; EMOTIONS HAVE GOT TO BE CONTROLLED BY YOU!!! IF YOU ARE NOT CONTROLLING YOUR EMOTIONS YOU ARE BEING CONTROLLED!!!

When you allow yourself to be controlled by your emotions you are also allowing yourself to be controlled by other people. Do you doubt this? Okay, think of the person closest to you whether parent, spouse, child, boyfriend, girlfriend, fellow worker, boss, etc., or anyone who seems to have the ability to get to you like no other. The reason they can get to you is because they know you well and they know exactly which buttons to push each and every time. There are other people who can get to you, but they accidentally pushed the right buttons. Of course, some people wear their buttons out in the open for anyone to push. If you wear them on the outside don't be too surprised when someone pushes one or more.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to remove all buttons? Don't worry you are not going to remove them all at once, this is a lifetime type of venture. Wouldn't it be wonderful, however, to know that the person who bugs you the most has no hold over you anymore and no matter what they say or do you are still at peace and in control.

Some people have become prisoners to their emotions and are unable to lead productive lives because of a lack of emotional control. Now there are other people who feel that they have their emotions totally under control (I have met a few who really did, but they were dead). They don't feel they need the emotion part of the foundations class because they already have a great handle on their emotions. I will tell you what I tell them; if indeed you do have a handle on emotions then you are one step ahead and this course should prove to be very easy for you, but still valuable as a brush-up course. However, do not make the mistake of being complacent only to find that when you reach the end of the course you have to go back and start over because you have discovered that instead of controlling your emotions you were merely denying their existence.

All of life is made up of lessons, cleverly disguised as experiences. This is the way we learn. You can be told things, study things, but until you actually experience the lesson you can't really understand the meaning and how it affects your life. The great thing is that upon inspection you will find that the lesson doesn't just hold true just for that particular set of circumstances. You will see a correlation to other parts of your life, past and present.

For example; growing up as a child my mother told me numerous times not to touch the stove because it was hot and I would be burned. However, it wasn't until I touched the stove and learned what a burn felt like that I understood the danger and stayed away from fire, also learning to treat heat with the respect it deserves. When we contemplate these lessons we find that they entail much more than we initially thought. For that reason, and others, we often have to go through similar experiences. For instance, I learned that the same heat that could warm you, give you hot food and much comfort, could also destroy you and your belongings if not used properly.

Another good example is at the other end of the spectrum concerning relationships. I am sure you have met, or have at least one good friend, who keeps getting involved with the wrong person. The part that is hard to understand for us is how this person, knowing how these type of people act, can continue to get involved over and over again with the same type of relationship, and encounter the same devastating results time after time. There is a lesson here about that type of relationship that your friend is not picking up on and until they do they will continue to seek and find this type of relationship. People often think that the abuser in a relationship is the only one in the wrong, and that if that person was removed the victim would be okay. This is, unfortunately, not true in most cases. Remove the abuser and the victim will only find someone else to abuse them, unless they learn what draws them to this type of person in the first place.

You can see by just these two examples how one experience can open the door to greater understanding, so don't ever underestimate any of your experiences. Instead go back over all the experiences in one's life and learn the subtle lessons that may have been missed. Sometimes there is a large lesson that seems to overshadow the lesser ones.

This is a good time to stress another very important point before we go any further. Life is made up of perspectives. Yours and mine may not seem at all alike on the surface, but generally they are the same. Let me explain that, as it sounds confusing even to me. Let's say a group of friends were all meeting in Dallas for a group reunion. The first person decides they are going to drive their car to the reunion, while the next decides to fly, one decides to bicycle, another decides to go by boat and then drive and the final friend decides to take a bus. Now each of these people will have a whole set of circumstances, decisions and experiences related to the way they have decided to travel. However, in the end they will all reach Dallas, their final goal. The vehicle is not the important issue, rather the destination.

What I am trying to say is don't get lost in the circumstances, but remember the final destination. There are more ways to get to spiritual enlightenment then there are ways to travel, and none are better or worse, only different paths that people have chosen for themselves for whatever reason.

Look on perspectives as you would the colors of the rainbow; there are seven basic colors, but thousands of shades in-between. Whether you see the same shade I do or not makes no difference in my mind, for we can both stand and admire the same rainbow without a word and without worrying about making sure you see what I see. What's important is the moment and what we get out of it. Always give people the space and understanding, and tolerance that we want to be given.

For example; imagine a half a glass of water. One person will view the glass as half full, yet another will view it as half empty. The fact of the matter is that it is the same glass of water and your opinion will have no effect on that; for you see there are no right or wrong ways only different perspectives. The way you view the glass does make a difference in your life, because it is an indicator as to how you look at life, but the glass of water could care less, it merely exists.

Before I go any further let me make a qualitative statement. I have not said that there is no right or wrong in life. If someone murders another that is obviously wrong. We only have a right to do what doesn't infringe on someone's space or take their options away from them. We do not have the right to make decisions for others, only ourselves.

Be open-minded and don't laugh, dismiss or make fun of things you don't understand, because if you do you might miss out on an important piece of information that could have been vital to your journey. This does not mean that you should accept and put into motion what others teach carte blanc, but it does mean to listen with an open-mind and then process the information. Use what feels right, and you will know what is right if you listen to that still small voice from within, and dismiss the rest. There is no use in holding onto things that are useless, get rid of it so that there will be room for the important things.

Before I finish this chapter I want to go a little more into detail about that "still small voice" that I mentioned in the previous paragraph. Everyone has this "voice" whether we choose to listen to it or not. Some people have developed theirs and hear it all the time, while others may only hear it at times of danger or distress. It will not leave, so don't worry. It is there all the time only waiting to be listened to. You know what I am talking about. As a child it told you when you shouldn't do something, which is not to say we all at some point in time didn't go right ahead and do it and get in trouble, but it was there to warn you of the consequences. People have asked what this voice sounds like, because most people don't physically hear the voice, but rather it just pops into their thoughts. To some it comes as a feeling, to others a thought that pops into your head that wasn't there before and you don't know where it came from, to others just a gut instinct (I've heard those can be painful.....) and still to others a dream.

Each of us, whether we are aware of it or not are assigned a spirit guide on this planet. Some people wish to refer to them as guardian angels, which is true also (a rose by any other name is still a rose). If you are just starting out on your journey this is the voice you hear. If we have progressed significantly and are able to forge a direct link with our higher self, then this is the voice we hear. Don't worry you will know the difference. If one has to wonder about it, then most likely it is our spirit guide.

The point I am trying to make before I went off on a tangent and got so wordy is, each of us is equipped with this for a reason, to make our journey easier and to help with our own individual enlightenment. Did you hear what I said?, ENLIGHTENMENT!!! That means that this spirit guide was not assigned to help you do the laundry, win the lottery or gossip. They are growing by helping you, treat them with the respect you would like to be treated. That is not to say that most spirit guides don't have a sense of humor, because they do. Think about it, if they didn't would they be able to follow you around all day.

Start practicing listening to that voice, thoughts or whatever way you hear. The more you listen the more you will hear and the greater help they can be to you.

It is important to understand before you even start that you and only you are in charge of this journey. You are the captain of your own ship, so to speak, and as such the ability to slow down, speed up, or tread water lies solely with you. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOURSELF AND NO ONE ELSE!!!!! This statement may sound very simplistic and you might be saying to yourself right now, so what else is new? Well, don't pat yourself on the back too fast because knowing something and understanding it are two totally different things. When we add to that living what you know and understand it can equate into one major problem.

What you will find when you read this book is that most of the things I write about you already know intellectually, it is just that most of the time you haven't stopped to think about them or put them to use in your life. People live most of their lives going through the motions without ever trying to understand why they do the things they do and what motivates them.

Take as an example this scene at any hospital on any given day; grown intelligent people are standing in front of a nursery staring in at a newborn baby. This baby is only hours old, cannot yet focus their eyesight and hearing is fuzzy at best. These intelligent adults make faces at the baby through the glass along with strange cooing and clicking noises that don't even resemble the English language in any remote way. No one pays any attention to the way they are acting, because this is deemed normal. If you asked them why they were doing these things they could give you no intelligent answer, yet this is accepted human behavior done without question or forethought.

However, what if each of them went up to the baby, took its tiny fingers, shook its hand, introduced themselves and welcomed it into this world. There would be many who would take note of this behavior, and if passing by actually stop and stare. The comments afterward would be done in whispers and you would hear the words crazy and psychiatrist involved. I guarantee the story would be passed around until it had reached all hospital personnel. It would also be kept in the mind as a good ice breaker for a party. The question I have, as I am sure you do, is why?

When you truly stop to think about it isn't the second approach much more feasible. Even if the baby cannot understand a word you are saying or see you, isn't it much better to leave the child with warm words, a warm touch and human contact, rather than making funny faces and weird noises. Think about it. This is only one of the minor things that happen in everyone's life at one time or another. It isn't even questioned, but acted upon simply because it is socially accepted, and everyone else does it. If you have doubts about this or think that I am coming off the wall, I invite you to spend an hour in front of any nursery hospital ward where you live and check it out.

If going to the hospital is too much effort I have another example for you that will be much easier and only take about an hour of your time. The next time you are in a crowded supermarket take your full basket to a check out line that is closed, no light on or anything, and just stand there. See how long it takes for people to start lining up behind you. See how long it takes before people start to feel uncomfortable with you standing in that line. Once people get into line time how long it takes them before they start asking questions.

Even easier, next time you are in a crowd look up at the sky. Just stare for a few minutes and see how long it takes for others to start staring too, then see if anyone asks you what you are looking at. This is all part of our society. It goes on around us everyday, but we are oblivious to it. Become aware, don't be a follower. Observe and make conscious intelligent decisions based off your knowledge, not off of what others are doing. Ask questions. There are no foolish questions, only uninformed people because the questions were never asked. Even changing your attitude about these simple things will have a profound effect upon your life.

I would like to return now to the statement I made when I first started this particular tangent. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOURSELF, BUT NO ONE ELSE!!!! This seems on the surface to be a very simple statement, that you can readily accept, at least in theory. Let's dissect it a moment, shall we, and see all the various aspects of this.

This statement means that you take total and complete responsibility for yourself. This means you can blame no one but yourself for where you find yourself today. It also means that you take all responsibility for getting yourself where you are, the bad with the good. You have put yourself where you are right now through choices, lessons that needed to learn and your own personal desires. The really good news (I guess it could be bad news too depending on where you are right now) is that you are the only one that can change where you are and where you want to go. You are the only one who can make decisions in your life. If you stand back and let others make decisions for you, then that is a decision too on your part. Even not making a decision is a decision. So you see there really is no cop out. This is all up to you, the ball is in your court.

Since this is truth no matter how you look at it (kind of like the trip to Dallas) let's take a few different perspectives on it (kind of like the half glass of water). This means that you have total control. You don't have to wait for a knight in shining armor to come along and rescue you, neither do you have to sit back and allow things to happen to you. You and only you have the power to make the difference in your life. Your thoughts, which you act upon, make your reality. If you don't like where you are change it, it's as simple as that. If you do like where you are enhance it, find your purpose and start working toward it..

Quit blaming other people for your personality, present situation or past circumstances that made you who you are today. I am sick to death of hearing psychiatrists blame all of life's problems on parents. Sure all parents make mistakes raising kids, do you think that children come with an owner's manual? Well, your car does, but how much harder is it to take care of kids, yet when we get them we are all clueless. Of course, no one wants to admit their clueless, because then people will start to question your intelligence and ability to cope with someone much smaller than yourself. So, we all try to make it look easy, when in fact it is the hardest and scariest job anyone will ever have. Through experience, rather than thinking about this before conception, I have found that it is a lifelong job that never ends, only the duties and responsibilities change.

If you believe in reincarnation, and I do, then you realize that when we come back we do have a say as to where we go, family wise. Indulge me a moment in this little tangent because it really is going somewhere. As a result if you happen to get into a family where there is child abuse, whether it be emotional, physical or sexual (and please don't think your alone as almost all adults that I have talked to had at least one of the above, and the one who didn't was in denial) you put yourself there. Sometimes through Karma (and you will find that we keep coming back and interacting with the same spirits over and over due to unresolved issues) and other times because of particular lessons that you can learn from the people or the family situation.

The point of all this is that even in this you had control. You may not have been able to stop the abuse, but you could control the way you reacted to it then and now. Blaming, resenting, hating or allowing yourself to be stunted and stopped growing because of it is obviously not the answer. Learning from it, whatever lesson and sometimes these are hard ones, makes you stronger and able to cope with more complex issues later on in your life. I have also found that once we are "over" the situation and have learned the lesson, others will come who need help getting through a similar situation. Always stop to help these people, because when you do you help yourself.

Someone wiser than I once said "that which does not kill us makes us stronger". It can only weaken you if you allow yourself to feed on it, blaming all of your problems and situations in life on your childhood, young adulthood, or simply put someone or something other than yourself'.

Part of what this book is going to help you do is deal with all of your old issues, whether they be from childhood or from yesterday's trip to work. When you understand that you are in total control today, as you were back then, then you can let go of past problems and get on with making your life what you want it to be.

I am sure you have all heard the old saying "be careful what you wish for, because you might get it". When you realize how your very thoughts mold and shape your reality not only will you be careful what you think, but creating what you want will be inevitable. You see there is no such thing as chance, luck or accident. Everything happens for a purpose (yes we are back to that again, as we will be many times in this book) and everyone has a purpose. It is your job to find out your purpose and work toward that end. Then you will find the true meaning of peace, not artificial peace that you get through escape, but peace through living.

You are reading this right now because your time to grow and learn is now, but if you put it down and refuse to read any further that is also your choice. There is no time limit you will have plenty of opportunities to get it right. I think the question is much more; what will it take for you to learn? Some people have a "no pain, no gain" philosophy about life, so their life is filled with pain. You do not need to learn by pain and misery, you can just as easily learn with love and joy. It is your choice.

For example; you can teach a child to read through games and positive enforcement, or you can teach a child through strict discipline and negative re-enforcement. Either way the child will learn to read, but their attitude on reading will be affected, depending on the method used.

As I stated in the above paragraph (and it bears repeating), there is no time frame for learning. Each person learns at their own pace. If you do not learn enough in this lifetime you will be sent back again, and again, and again, until you get it right. Do not compare your progress to others, this will only slow you down. While you are concentrating on where they are at, and why you aren't there, you are losing your focus on your own journey. It's kind of like the runner in a race; if he turns to look and see where his opponents are he has lost sight of where he is going and is liable to stumble and fall or get out of his lane. Even if he doesn't fall or get out of his lane he has lost valuable time and energy by worrying where they are, rather than concentrating on what it will take to win the race.

This is your own journey and you are very unique. Since each journey is so unique looking at others can either discourage you or give you a false sense of contentment. Either feeling can cause you to stop growing. Maybe the person you are looking at is not dealing at all with the same issues in their lives. For instance; say Tom is a very honest person who has trouble asserting himself. He seems to let everyone else make his decisions for him, but is not happy with this and realizes he needs to work on it. Joe on the other hand has no trouble making decisions, and letting others know that he will make his own decisions, however, he has a great amount of trouble being honest (which he may or may not realize needs work). This does not make him better or worse than Tom, only in a different place with a different set of problems to work on. That would be like comparing apples to oranges. They are both round fruit to eat, but after that the similarities end.

If you don't know of anyone at this time that you can study and discuss things with, be patient they will come. If you truly want someone as a guide on this plane simply think about it everyday and before you know it they will appear. Remember, it is good to have fellowship with other people and share experiences and ideas, but your path is very personal and unique, so don't expect anyone else to learn everything exactly the same way you do.

I have read too many books to even mention (boy do I sound well read...hehehe,) and what I have found overall is that I can relate to what the author is saying and what particular point they are making. I may be agreeing with them and even nodding my head as I am reading, but then all of a sudden they seem to jump off the boat and I'm treading water trying to figure out where they went. This will happen, mainly because we all agree with certain principles, but then there are differences. These differences shouldn't stop us from reading and learning all that we can about a new perspective. Just because we open our minds and listen, does not mean that we accept a perception and make it our own. What I do is accept what I can relate to and feels right, discarding what I feel is not right for me. This does not mean that I rip pages out of the book....hehehe, but do it mentally.

Let me explain it to you another way. Just because a professor can do Calculus and teach it, does not mean the same professor can spell correctly. Their expertise in math doesn't do one thing for them in English. Sometimes that is what happens. People who write books are experts on one thing, but then they get off on some tangent that they aren't as well versed in or maybe even knowledgeable about at all and blooey the whole concept explodes out of reach. Frankly, sometimes I think they have random neuron firings, but who am I to talk you will probably feel that same way about parts of this book.

A very common problem that I feel I must at least mention. When people are first becoming aware, and some (like me) all the way through the enlightening experience, feel the need to share what they have learned. It is nice to be able to share this experience with others (I am fortunate enough to have my husband) and sometimes there is an overwhelming desire to preach at people (did I say preach, ooooh must be a typo). The problem with this is that other people are rarely in sync with you (remember your own unique journey) and, therefore, they aren't ready for what you have discovered. Even worse is getting people who have already learned it first (sometime ago) and are totally blas‚ about it; " Oh that, they will say, I learned that years ago.....yawn." I know I have lived with one of those for sixteen years now, but he is still alive only because I have learned how to control my emotions and not flow with them.

One quick word here on mates. I know that you have heard a lot about soul mates. The commercial world has been trying to sell the concept for sometime. It is true (there is always that grain that gets lost in the desert) that we each have a soul mate. I was fortunate enough to get mine during this lifetime.

You will meet up with yours during one of your lifetimes depending on the task at hand. Usually people are not united so that they can coo and enjoy each others company. If you are joined with your soul mate it is for a specific purpose (that word again), which could be anything from a specific lesson you can only learn from them, to both of you working together to raise consciousness and help mankind. There are a lot of other reasons in-between, but you will find out fairly shortly if you have found your soul mate. That is why I used the word fortunate to have mine in this lifetime (not lucky, there is no such thing). We both came together for a specific purpose, as will you if you do find yours in this lifetime. The thing I am trying to say is don't go looking. If you are already married and happy with the spouse you have or if you are single and for whatever reason don't want to get married, it is not necessary to have a soul mate to accomplish your purpose (there's that word again...).

Some people will be afraid of what you have to tell them, mainly because of ignorance. People generally aren't afraid of what they truly understand. It's kind of like death; people are more afraid of death than taxes (that's pretty scared). How do they react to this in our society?

Do we put out lots of books, movies and "How To" videos on dying. Heavens no, what a morbid thought (ouch, no wonder). Why don't we? We don't because people don't want to face this fear. They don't understand death, yet it is the one thing in this world which bonds every man to another. You would think that it would be something discussed, researched and taught in school, (Hadn't thought of that had you, a class on death in school), but do we do that, no, we sweep it under the rug, almost as though we believe that if we don't discuss death it will just go away. More and more people are finding out that death isn't going away, the only problem is that at the time they are finding this out it is too late to help others or themselves (usually on their deathbed).

Most people feel that if you don't talk about death it will just go away. Well, I am here to tell you before I reach my deathbed that it will not go away. It is going to happen, one way or another. Face it, find out what is on the other side through research and be prepared for it, because it is going to happen to you in this lifetime, I guarantee it. Quit dealing with half-truths and allowing the wool to be pulled over your eyes. Talking about it is not going to make it happen to you. Hello......this is going to happen to you no matter what. Be prepared, prepare your children, take the fear out of death by getting rid of the ignorance.

This is the same society that cuts a leg off with the same type of tool used for sawing trees when the leg becomes putrid, yet we don't dare tell our children that this same body, that is now missing a leg, is someday going to die and rot away just as that leg has done. Talk about living in a fantasy world. If these things are approached correctly they can be done without fear and the ignorance can be removed before the fear has a chance to take hold.

I am here to tell you there is no fear in death. Death is not the end, it is merely a transition (call it a changing of vehicles). Don't be afraid of it, or the word. Talk about it, plan for it and live without fear of it.

When you start to become enlightened you don't have to change your friends. However, you will find that a lot of people aren't ready to learn and don't want to discuss enlightenment anymore than they want to discuss death. Word to the wise, don't discuss it, unless they bring it up and want to hear it. You aren't afraid for them to know what you believe, you are just respecting their right to be unenlightened at this time if that is what they choose for their life. Remember, in the same way you are responsible for yourself, you are not responsible for anyone else, nor can you push your beliefs on others. If you don't believe that just look around at most organized religion. Not only do most of these religious sects think that they are the only ones right, most teach that every other sect is going to hell. What has that concept done except cause ill will and fighting among people, including the loss of life?

Concentrate on the bonds you had in common with your friends to start with and work within those boundaries. There is no reason to insult anyone or make them feel uncomfortable, that is not what this is all about. Patience, understanding, acceptance and love are the virtues to be nurtured and applied to all relationships.

Everyone is born psychic, just as everyone is born with a brain (don't contradict me over small points, if you are born without a brain you won't live long; and don't send me articles from the National Enquirer showing me that someone lived 20 years without a brain). I realize that not all of you would pick up on these fine points, but I write these especially for my husband who would and does call me on everyone of them. It also gives what he likes to refer to as comic relief, for a very serious subject.

How you develop your psychic abilities is totally up to you. For instance we each have a brain, but if you put a child in a room with no contact from the outside world and nothing to stimulate that brain they would not be very developed. The same holds true for your psychic abilities. They all lie inherent just waiting for the proper training and recognition. Learn for yourself, not to impress others or intimidate others, (I will write a book on Karma later giving all the rules and this is a big no no).

Give people their space, whether friend or family and don't try to push your beliefs on them. I have always believed that my life is a much better example than my words (either bad or good, so be careful). For example; if I tell my children not to lie and then I lie; what have I taught them? Get the point. You will be surprised, people will come to you and want to know what you are doing differently or why you have a glow about you and a peaceful countenance (that means face, but indulge me I always knew these big words would come in handy someday).

My husband and I have been approached by complete strangers (they could have been incomplete, but I didn't have time to find out) in restaurants, hotel lobbies, waiting in line (don't ask where because I have waited in too many lines, but haven't we all?) all starting a conversation and asking about spiritual matters. Now we do not wear a blinking neon sign on our foreheads, but people for a reason they are unable to explain were drawn to us and wanted (needed) to talk.

Talk to people if they ask. Give them advice, if they ask (key word here is ASK). Most people don't want advice, but merely for you to listen and tell them how you found peace. You will be surprised how good it feels to share. The important thing is don't tell them things you don't know. This is where a lot of these different tangents (I really like that word, wish I had a nickel for each time I used it) come from. People start talking and before you know it they have run out of things to say that they know for sure, so they just start coming off with answers about things that they haven't even understood the questions for. Don't be afraid to say you have never heard of that, but that you will investigate. It is better to be a fool silently, then to open your mouth up and prove it to the world.

Only a fool pretends to know something they don't. There is a lot out there and I don't think anyone (at least no one that I have ever run into, including myself) knows it all. Geez...now I am in trouble I have put down in black and white that I don't know it all....hehehe

One of the biggest obstacles you will have (that is other than yourself) is fear. We have been taught to stay away from what we don't understand. The things that are going to happen to you are normal, they have just been repressed by you and by the society we live in (remember this is the same society that makes faces at babies). Listen to your small voice. Remember how scary it was the first time you rode a bike. This is going to be easier, because you are not going to put yourself in physical danger. This is a lot of hard work, put the glitzy stuff right out of your mind. Working on yourself is one of the most difficult, yet rewarding, tasks you will ever undertake. It is also the single most important thing you will ever do in this world.

Don't ever let fear stop you from asking questions and don't stop asking until you get all your answers. Let's talk for a moment about getting back to basics. When I talk about getting back to basics sometimes it will mean going back to the perspectives you had as a child, but were perhaps talked out of by a parent, sibling, friend or other authority figure. For instance a lot of children from a very young age see auras (energy field around the body either seen like white fuzzy light or in beautiful bands of color).

Children stop seeing these as adults discourage them, making them feel like what they are seeing is not "normal" (ooh, I hate that word). Lots of children have very strong feelings about things, but how long can that last if an adult (who is supposed to know everything) tells you that you are being stupid and you need to keep your feelings to yourself or you will be visiting a funny farm (and you aren't going to have fun there).

How many of us really heard that still small voice as a child and responded by talking to it aloud, only to be told that imaginary friends mean that you need to get out more with children your own age.

I could go on and on, but I think you get my drift. These were all natural tendencies when you were a child, but because they weren't encouraged and allowed to grow they got buried. What we are going to do now is get a shovel and try to dig them back up and encourage their growth. Let you know that you are not crazy, and that everyone hears, sees and feels these things at one time or another in their life. In fact with some encouragement these feelings and insights will help you to live your life and open up a whole new world to you.

When I teach these classes and people start to open up to that still small voice the one question that seems to come up in each class at least once is; "What if it isn't my spirit guide, but me I hear?" Yea...ding, ding, ding you win the prize. What if it is you? This is what you are aiming for all along, to make that all important connection to the higher self. You see this is a no lose situation, so take the pressure off and allow yourself to spread those wings and fly.

The next concern I always get is "Doesn't this take a lot of time, because you know between work, family and home I just don't have a lot of time?" When I hear this the word COP OUT sort of jumps up, but I tell them what I will tell you. Are you listening because I am only going to cover this garbage one time then your on your own with your excuses (pardon me I mean reasons)? First question; how many hours do you spend each day watching television? Second question if today was the last day of your life what would you spend time doing? Third; who do you think is going to get the most benefit out of this? How do you think the overall learning and peacefulness will affect your life? We are not talking about joining a gym to give yourself a beautiful body that will last a whole 80 years if you are lucky. Finally; when you die what do you think you will take out of this world?

We are talking about growing spiritually and giving yourself a beautiful soul that you will take with you for eternity. We aren't even talking about leaving your home to do it. You can sit on your easy chair and work on yourself, and as far as time to practice, don't worry you will have plenty of opportunity as you live your life, without any disruption in time schedules. So much for excuses, hopefully you won't hear me talk about that any further, but it is one of my soapboxes.

As a sidelight the average American watches at least three hours of television per day.

Don't panic this is not a religion, but a way of life. You can still join any religious sect you like and still be able to grow without stepping on one of their rules. The only problem you may have is that as you become more open and thinking, you start questioning everything and you will become frustrated if they don't have the answers you want or are unwilling to share them with you. I will not give you any rules to follow, each much come to terms with what works for them, but I will share with you the one rule which I live my life by; "TO THY OWN SELF BE TRUE".

Sounds easy, huh? Let me explain a little. If I know that lying is wrong and I lie, I have not been true to myself. This does not mean that if I lie and no one finds out it is okay, because I know the truth and I can't fool myself. This works for everything else in life; stealing, cheating, murder, lust you name it and this rule covers it. Starting to get my drift?

Let's take this train of thought a bit further. Trying to escape through alcohol, relationships, drugs, travel, shopping or any other distraction known to man (including television) is not being true to yourself. That is not to say that any of the above things are wrong. The key thing that is wrong is the escape (or if what you are doing does harm to your body or someone elses). When use any method to try and escape we aren't solving anything, because once we come back to reality we not only still have the same problems, but the added problems of possible addiction. It's kind of like the concept that you can run but you can't hide. Everyone of the above things are not wrong in and of themselves; it is how you use or abuse them that make them wrong and the reasons that you turn to them.

Now we come to the fun part of the chapter; the homework. You should practice this homework for at least one week (and then hopefully it will stick with you forever, but if it doesn't we'll talk about that later). Each of these assignments are carefully planned to help you open yourself up spiritually. I can not force you to do them and you will not be graded on the material. However, if you don't do them you are not being true to yourself (got you).

HOMEWORK;

Your first homework assignment is for you to start paying attention and listening to that "still small voice", (as you can tell I really like that phrase). Take time to listen, pay attention, and follow the instructions. If you have doubts at first write down your actions, comment on whether or not you heeded the voice and what the outcome was. Also write down the outcome when you didn't listen (believe me there will be times you are still new at this). This may sound easy, but at times you will foolish and won't want to admit to others what you are doing, so don't. Do it in the privacy of your room, or the bathroom; everyone gets a little privacy in there. The only way you will get used to doing this is by doing it. So good luck and truly practice for at least one week.