Waking Up To Unity

It is my extreme pleasure to introduce to you Lee and Steven Hager!

Waking Up To Unity


"Waking up" is a term that's regularly used in spiritual circles, but there are many questions surrounding this concept. The term implies that we're sleeping, but how did we fall asleep? Why are we sleeping? What are we supposed to wake up to? These questions are easier to answer when we understand something about the differences between the visible and invisible portions of the universe. That probable sounds very odd, but spiritual sages throughout the ages have referred to this very important difference.

In our visible, material world, everything appears as a separate form. On the invisible, quantum level of the universe there is no separation. If you had special vision that would allow you to look at the quantum world, you would discover and infinite, formless sea of constantly moving energy. But even with special vision, you would be unable to see the most important element that permeates this sea: consciousness. Since scientists accepted Darwin's theory of evolution, we have been told that consciousness is another form of matter that evolved from matter. But quantum research has demonstrated that even subatomic particles are conscious. In fact, they've discovered that when consciousness interacts with the quantum sea of energy, it is this combination that brings the material universe into existence.

About now you're probably wondering what all this has to do with spirituality and waking up. You may recall a story told about the Taoist sage Chuang Tzu. After waking from a dream about a butterfly, he wondered whether he was a man dreaming he was a butterfly, or a butterfly learning he was a man. We can all relate to the story since we all experience different states of consciousness. At first it sounds like Chuang Tzu was talking about the difference between being physically asleep and awake, but he actually told the story to get us to think about other rates of consciousness that we may not be aware of.

Quantum physicists are beginning to realize that the foundation of reality is the quantum level of the universe, not the material. This is something spiritual sages have always been aware of, but now science is inadvertently backing up their wisdom. As we said earlier, consciousness at the quantum level interacts with energy to project the material portion of the universe. This means that our world is the result of that interaction, a virtual reality rather than reality itself. Chuang Tzu wanted us to realize that we have two layers of consciousness that remain unaware of each other unless we 'wake up.' We believe we are these bodies that think with the brain, but our reality, our true Self, is based in formless quantum consciousness. The sage who wrote the ancient Katha Upanishad put it this way, "There are two selves, the apparent self and real self. Of these it is the real Self...who must be felt as truly existing."

Spiritual masters are awake; in fact they are masters because they are awake and live as their true Self. They have realized that they are not the body. They understand that the bit of consciousness the brain accesses is only a minute part of the whole. This is the difference in consciousness that Chuang Tzu was referring to. Since that's the case, sages tell us that when we limit our thoughts to the brain and see only the separate forms of this world, we're asleep. We wake up when we tune into our reality as infinite, formless, eternal consciousness. Only then are we truly awake to the Oneness of All That Is. The trick then becomes integrating our vision of oneness with the material world of separation.

The sage Shankara reminds us, "Buried treasure is not uncovered by uttering the words, "come forth." You must dig, remove the stones..and make it your own." Waking up to the Oneness of All That Is and living that truth each day takes time, but it is within the reach of each of us. Humanity has been asleep to Reality for far too long. Once we understand who and what we actually are, we're able to look past what separate bodies do and see the unity and oneness that is actually our reality.

Your task? Escape...the fires of madness, illusion, and confusion that are, and always well be, the world.-Rumi

Creating Money

Newest Post from John Cali. Thank You John!

JOHN CALI is a freelance writer and publisher since 1986. John's focus is spirituality and channeling. John has a newsletter called, "John Cali's Spirit Speaks Newsletter." He is currently working on a book with his spirit guides, "Real Answer's to Life's Pesky Questions, Book 1."

                    http://www.greatwesternpublishing.org

                                                   Picture credit; http://jaggermafia.com

We have a fairly steady stream of new subscribers to our newsletter, and most are happy with it and with our website. But not everyone. One new subscriber asked me to remove her from our mailing list the day after she signed up.

John Cali

She said she'd never seen a website where there was so much for sale. How, she complained bitterly, was anyone supposed to figure our if what we had to offer was worthwhile?

The complaint didn't make much sense to me, and I pointed out to her that our site has far more free information than items for sale. Apparently this lady hadn't spent much time at the site. Nonetheless, I thanked her for the feedback, and promptly removed her from our mailing list.

Underlying her complaint, I suspect, was an issue that comes up often in Spirit's and my conversations with people. You can probably guess what that issue is--money!

I suppose the state of our global economy has exaggerated people's fears around money and abundance. But the economy is not the root cause of those fears. It's only the catalyst that brings the fears to the surface.

Also, there's a strong suspicion among many that anyone doing "spiritual" work and taking money for it--or, in fact, anyone who easily attracts money--is somehow evil. Or at least greedy and selfish.

Here's Spirit,

Spirit

Do you know you can have as much money as you want? It's as easy to create a million dollars as it is a penny. Creation and manifestation are the same process whether you want one penny or one million dollars.

Many humans want more money. Many are struggling with less than they need for their daily expenses and living costs. But it does not have to be that way. So what's the problem here?

The problem is you.

There are many possible reasons you do not have as much money as you want. Probably the greatest one, based on our observations of humans, is the belief that money is somehow evil. And those who have a lot of it must, therefore, also be evil.

So you've set up these contradictory vibrations:

     1. Money is evil.

   2. I want more money.

   3. But I have to be evil to get it.

In other word, you don't believe money and goodness can exist side-by-side. It does not have to be this way! (There are other reasons people block money from coming to them. But those are for another discussion another day.)

We've said many times, God is all that is, everything that exists. That includes money. So money and financial abundance are part of God. God is not evil and , therefore, money is not evil. Money is spiritual.

You can create all the money you want if you only give up your limiting beliefs. It really is that simple!

**********************************
P.S. Here's an interesting tidbit; American businessman Ted Turner supposedly once said, "The world is awash in money."

Do you suppose he believes that because he is wealthy? Or is he wealthy because he believes it?

The Way Of The Warrior

It is my pleasure to introduce you to my newest guest writer. It is an honor to have him here in UNITY House!

JOHN CALI is a freelance writer and publisher since 1986. John's focus is spirituality and channeling. John has a newsletter called, "John Cali's Spirit Speaks Newsletter." He is currently working on a book with his spirit guides, "Real Answers to Life's Pesky Questions, Book 1." http://www.greatwesternpublishing.org

Picture credit; Denis Buchel http://pixdaus.com/single.php?id=64520



The Way of the Warrior is simple. However, as you have often heard me say, it may be simple but it's not always easy. Today I would like to give you a few of my simple guidelines or "rules of the road," if you will. And that road is, the Way of the Warrior.

The Warrior always speaks her truth- no matter the circumstances.

The Warrior is totally detached from what others think and say about her. (This is absolutely necessary if she's going to observe the first rule above.)

The Warrior always does her best to see the divinity in all that is. In this way, she shall never have any desire to own, control, manipulate, misuse or abuse any of the Great Spirit's creatures.

The Warrior always follows the hightest path as dictated by the highest authority in the Universe - herself.

The Warrior totally trusts in- and surrenders to- the flow of her life. She knows all is as it should be. Therefore, she must always completely trust in - and surrender to - her Higher Self, her Soul. There's nothin to seek, nothing to find, nowhere to go - except WITHIN.

The Warrior knows all Love, all Wisdom, all Power, lies within her - within her heart, her mind, her body, her Soul. There is nothing to seek, nothing to find, nowhere to go - except WITHIN.
The Warrior knows with absolute certainty she has never made a mistake - she can never make a mistake. All of her life is simply a lesson in this classroom called Planet Earth. She learns as she goes. All is as it should be.

The Warrior never takes life on Planet Earth to seriously. It's all a game, after all- a game in the classroom of Planet Earth. And games should be fun. Enjoy the game - it won't last forever!

The Warrior's heart is always full - and always grateful. She never knows lack or emptiness - except, that is, when she creates those illusions by getting too infatuated with the Great Illusion - the human experience.

The Warrior knows the Great Illusion creates some highly interesting challenges - for example, the challenge to rise above the Great Illusion.

As she rises above the Great Illusion, the Warrior knows this experience is, as it should be - she has chosen it. And in this choosing, she is remembering her way back to the Light - back to her Home. That was the only reason for choosing the Great Illusion in the first place.

The Warrior knows all her brother and sisters on Planet Earth have the same destination she does - HOME. But each may thake a different path. And the Warrior know that is okay! All will get Home - no matter what path they take. It cannot be otherwise - for ALL paths lead HOME.

The Warrior knows the way of the wind. She loves the wind, but she knows she cannot capture it - she cannot own it. She can love it, luxuriate in its presence, glory in its energy. But if she tries to capture it, it becomes something other than what it truly is - it becomes still and stagnant air. She can never possess it completely - unless she refuses to ever own it - unless she refuses to ever have sovereignty over it. She can possess it only by letting it be free - by letting it be what it is.

It cannot be otherwise. The Way of the Warrior is the Way of the Wind.

The Way of the Warrior Video http://youtu.be/tPr1ykx839k

Digging for Gold. How an actor became a writer.

Milo Adorno was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and has a bachelors degree in Communications from the University of Puerto Rico. He studied drama and creative writing at the Tish School of the Arts, at the University of New York. He currently resides in New York City. He is the well known author of inspirational poetry anthology "33". You can find Milo at http://miloadorno.com

                                                   Photo credit; http://thefeeherytheory.com

I have been acting since I was eight years old. Basically developing myself as a professional actor has been something that I've been working on my whole life. With that goal in mind, I went to NYU Tish School of the Arts to study drama. I took my craft very seriously and I gave the best of myself to excel. Even though I completed all of my drama credits, because of personal circumstances, I had to return to Puerto Rico before completing my degree. I was a little bit upset but I was determined not to give up and to continue my acting journey. At the University of Puerto Rico, I studied journalism and film because I needed more credits to complete my degree. At the same time I continued my career as an actor working on stage, commercials and local films.

Then in 2007, I was given the opportunity to have a small role in an American film that was being shot on the island. This is how I earned my Screen Actors Guild's card. For those of you who are not actors, being a member of the Screen Actors Guild is a milestone in any actor's career. Young aspiring actors would kill to have the chance to have that small role that will lead them to the guild membership. Basically once you are a member of the guild, you are part of the community of serious screen actors. The card allows you to audition for serious roles in serious films. Once you are a member, casting directors could consider you for real roles, not just "man at the cafeteria 3" types. (We call them feature extras) The guild also sets a standard for minimum salary and takes care of the actors while they are on the set. (They have to pay you a lot if you work extra hours and you have the right to have a trailer, food etc, on the set.)

This is why I decided to return to the mainland in late 2007. After briefly experimenting with L.A. (only one week) I decided that New York fit me the best. I was familiarized with the city, plus I didn't need a car to go to auditions. But it wasn't that easy. It took me a whole year to settle down, find a job, save money for my first head shots and once I had them, another exhausting journey to find an agent. Finally in the spring of 2009, I had my first audition for a Nintendo commerical. I got a call back but I didn't get the role. Then I had to wait for two months for another audition, this time a Rachel Adams/Harrison Ford flick that was being shot in the city.

After not getting the role (such is an actor's life), I had to wait for another three months for another casting. This is when I realized something... Maybe being SAG isn't that cool! Let me explain to you that there is a Golden Rule at the screen actors guild. Once you are SAG there is no turning back. In other words, once you are a members of the guild, you cannot accept work with producers that have not signed a screen actors guild's agreement. Non union work is not allowed. They want to make sure that actors receive the best working conditions, and one way to enforce this is not allowing their actors to work in productions that haven't committed with the guild to provide the minimum standards for their actors. Now this may sound great, but unfortunately much of the work for actors (who are not stars yet) is non union. This means that for SAG actors, time may pass between one audition and the other.

I got bored and depressed. I had too many hours free during the day. I was teaching ESL in the mornings and in the evening, but during the afternoon I was on my own. this was the time I was supposed to be auditioning, but wasn't. Instead I was stuck at the bookstore, reading and reading. This is when I rediscovered self help/inspirational/spiritual books. I has experimented briefly with them when I was in my early twenties. At the time I wasn't prepared to apply their knowledge in my daily life and they became a passing fancy. But I think this time the soil was fertile.

One book in particular made a difference. "The Artist Way" by Julie Cameron. The book encourages readers to explore all the different possibilities that they could create, through their creative energy. Through a series of exercises, I got in touch with my hidden talents, one of them a gift I had always neglected; writing. This is how I began writing inspirational poetry. Through the use of one exercise in particular, "stream of consciousness," I let my hands run free. The idea behind the exercise is not to think about what I was writing. You have to let it flow. Your creative energy, your divine energy, will do the rest. I began writing daily in my journal. When I started reading what I've written I liked it and this is how I began posting my writings on my Face book profile. Then, because of the acceptance my notes were having, I was advised to create a blog and to post my work there. I opened a fan page on Face book, so people that were not my friends could enjoy my work and later on a Twitter account. More people started to read my poems and short stories and soon without even knowing it , word of moutn gave my work more recognition than what I ever had as an actor. What began in late 2009 as notes on my profile became a blog, eventually the blog (plus new material) became in 2011 a book. Something I would never have thought to do!

I think that through this process, I learned two things:

First: Sometime we are so focused on achieving something that we forget that we are skilled with other talents. In my case I was very aware that I was gifted with the gift of words. Earlier in my twenties, I had even co written the script for a puertorican film. But I was so obsessed with my acting career that I didn't care too much about other skills. I wanted to be a working actor, that's it. No room for other choices. I didn't know back then that maybe my real calling was hidden beneath that obsession. I wonder how many people are so obsessed in achieving something, that they are blind to seeing the other possibilities that they have right in front of their eyes! It's true that we have to visualize what we want, but it is also true that we must be aware of alternative paths that could even bring us more satisfaction that that elusive goal that we are pursuing.

Second: All that "wasted time" between waking hours actually became very productive. Sometimes in life, we face situations that we think are the worst that could ever happen to us. But sometimes, those episodes are there to lead us to great discoveries about ourselves and our lives. It is up to us how we use those experiences, for our own benefit. Had I decided to go home and sleep durning those dead hours, I wouldn't have read all those books that changed my life. So, the next time you know all about yourself, think about it. There may be gold hidden under your bed!

Next time you think life sucks.....think about it!

All Roads Lead Home

It is my honor to introduce you to my newest guest blogger in UNITY. Jacqueline Stone had a near death experience at a young age and learned what life really is about. Here passion for photography is seen in her beautiful photos. You can purchase these photo's by contacting her through her website listed below.

Jacqueline Stone is the well known author of "Gifts from Eternity" and "Rising from the Ashes". She has been inspiring many since her near death experience at the young age of 16. Her second love in life is photography. http://consciousnessjourney.blogspot.com/ 

                                          Photo credit; http://freedigitalphotos.net


I don't think there have ever been more enlightened, or at least  very advanced people on this planet than there are right now. So many teachers, healers, seminars, courses and books are available to proved the answers we're looking for. I've read many of the books and participated in a lot of seminars, learning a lot along the way. I bet you have too.

Then we get to a that point where we've done all the work, learned all the techniques...and it's not working. Sure, we've made progress and seen a little change, but some thing's missing. Why haven't we utterly transformed into the brilliant being we know we are?

Teachers can only take us so far. Their job is to help us remember some of the truth about us and life, but only some of it. Gangaji tells the story of when she reached the last place that the last teacher could take her. His advice was, "stop." It was time to stop seeking and searching, stop taking courses, stop looking outside herself for answers.

The final journey is one we walk alone, and it can begin at any moment. We can also avoid it for a long time, paying for it with the price of frustration and disappointment. What all of our teachers are leading us too is the moment that we finally stop searching outside of ourselves for answers and turn instead within. That's where home is. That's where our answers are. We cannot come by it any other way than by going within to the sacred home of truth in our own heart.

Learning To Forgive

It is my honor to introduce you to my first guest blogger in UNITY. Virginia O'Connor is a personal motivator and author of a great book called "Girlfriends Are Pennies From Heaven." You can purchase her book through her website listed below.

Virginia O'Connor is a freelance writer, personal motivator and author, who brings the perspective of being a wife, divorcee, mother and grandmother to her blog. Like her book, "Girlfriends Are Pennies From Heaven," her life has been a compilation of careers in finance, sales, travel and real estate. She is a Reiki master and has organized several inspirational and just for fun groups. Visit her at her website, http://thepennyfriends.com/






Learning To Forgive

Forgiving may be one of the hardest things you can do. Webster's Dictionary tell us that to forgive means; "to give up resentment against or the desire to punish."

Forgiveness is an energy of some sort. It is a decision, a commitment, a feeling. Many of us can relate to the experiences associated with forgiveness. It is an honesty with oneself and the other. It is understanding that someone close to us who hurts us, can also, at the same time, love us. It is knowing that another person's actions defines who they are, not who we are. It is a fight against anger, hate, and the desire for revenge.

Forgiveness also gives us power, the power to stay or leave that person. It gives us the power to rise about self pity and gain wisdom from the lesson taught us and the ability to be compassionate to ourselves. Just about every wound that requires forgiving also contains important learning: learning that comes with a very high price tag.

One of the reasons forgiveness is so hard is because we think that by forgiving someone, we are allowing an enormous injustice to be done. Perhaps, we feel that by forgiving them we are saying it is OK to do it again. Or, if we give up our anger the person will have received no punishment of the harm done.

Maybe we don't want to forgive until we know that they are really sorry and won't do it again. And the worst thing we do to ourselves is to re-live, over and over again in our minds, what they did and how they hurt us. We don't want to forget. We want to make them hurt for the injustice they have done, we want them to feel our pain.

As I write this, I recall the times I have been emotionally hurt so badly that I could feel the rage and torment rolling like a jet plane inside me. All I could think of was vengeance. How can I make the person feel pain worse than I was feeling? My constant thoughts were of my wounds, how much I hurt, and how could that person do that to me. It was a full blown pity me party with loathing, fury, bitterness, wounds and thoughts of revenge accompanying me at the party.

When we have been hurt by someone who is not sorry, unable to apologize, doesn't care how much they have hurt us, or shockingly enough, happy that they hurt us it is almost impossible to forgive them.

They revel in their power that they can control our emotions to such an extent that our pain is something intolerable. It makes them fell dominant. These are the kind of people we must walk away from. No need to forgive, just get out of their way so we can survive.

Underneath all these negative feelings is fear. Fear that they will hurt us again. Fear that we have been made to a fool of. Fear that the other person really doesn't care. There is also the basic emotion of sadness. Sadness for the loss of the relationship, sadness for ourselves, for our pain, sadness for we can now not trust, sadness for a feeling of being empty inside and for feeling that we have been victimized.

Holding onto the pain, actually gives the person who hurt us, greater control over us and our lives. what do we get from holding on to the pain of not forgiving? It cost us our energy, our health, our vitality, our joy, our freedom and in some cases, if held too long with too much hatred, our life. Simmering in resentment makes us sick.

Our life may become so wrapped up in the wrong we feel done to us that we make it impossible to feel any joy. If we allow these negative feelings to fill our spirit, we may find our self swallowed up by our own bitterness. If we can't let go, we might pay the price repeatedly by bringing anger and animosity into every relationship.

So, what can we do for ourselves to make us the conqueror of our emotions and lives? We can give these constructive feelings time to heal. realize of course, that the more time we give them, the more of our life we are wasting. We can do as I did, read all the books about forgiveness and try to digest them into us to make us feel whole again. We can pray. We can do our best to forget. We can do things that bring joy into our lives. We can find a passion that will completely absorb us that we have no time to think about our past wounds.

We can realize that we really do not have to forgive the offense but we can try for our own peace of mind, to let it go. As strange as it may seem, in the letting go of our angry feeling we experience a loss. It is the loss of something that we have been so involved with, for so long and has become a part of our inner circle of feelings, that it is difficult to release. It might just be that we are holding on for the sake of holding on and what the person did to us is no longer of any relevance. Losing the negative feelings is a loss of who we have been. Accepting loss is one of the most persistent demands of human life.

The goal of letting go involves rising above a violation and making peace with the circumstances. we can take our own power back and make a better life for ourselves. We can become less obsessed with injuries we suffer, big and small. We can be kind and gentle to ourselves or get involved in helping others.

We are the deliberate creators of our lives. We have a choice. We can live with the negative feelings or we can live with joy. The choice is ours to decide. It is not easy but sometimes, the more difficult path is the one that will bring us serenity.

WELCOME TO UNITY

Photo by; Freedigitalphotos.net                                

Welcome to my new UNITY blog! After being asked to write a guest blog for ThePennyFriends website, I was thrilled by the prospect of starting a blog where there is a spirit of unity and community. It will be a great place to come, where you can read blogs from many different way showers, from their perspective on the many different issues, we are all facing in today's changing world! So, be sure to check back here often and see who is currently in the house!