New Year's Eve

One ancient magical practice that was very powerful was the New Year's Eve fire. On the last day of the year, the ancients realized that anything that was not consciously destroyed on the last day of the year would be brought into the New Year. This included thoughts, habits, patterns, behaviors, illness and negative energy.

The magical ceremony involved the recording all of the negative things that the individual did not want to take into the new year and burning it in a sacred fire. Any fire will do. So make a list of all of the things you want to leave behind and burn it on New Year's Eve. When you feed it to the fire, hold the intention in your mind that all attachments to the "thing" be destroyed by the fire.

The symbolism of the fire is easy to understand, it is like the sun which turns all negativity into light. The fire will do the same. Advanced practitioners don't even have to write it down, they simply form the intention that all negativity be feed to the fire and it is automatically transformed by the fire.

This is much more powerful that simply writing down a New Year's resolution. Good luck!

what next?

We have been through so much, in the last few years. Economic disaster, weather disasters, and meaningless terrorist attacks. Many people are attributing all of these tragedies to various spiritual causes.

We forget the past and fear the future. Tragedies have been a part of human life since we climbed down from the trees. Are they really tragedies? Is life out of control? Probably not. It is simply life. There is a bigger picture.

The first thing to do is turn off the television if you think anything you see is real. Nothing on TV is real, even the stuff that looks real. News is not news. It is how the networks want you to believe. It is not real. TV controls how we interpret world events. It is controlled by people who want to control how you believe. It is not real.

Before you start calling me crazy, what do you want to believe? Do you believe that the world is doomed? Do you believe that "they" control the world. Not! You control everything. You control what you believe, what you see, what you experience. All of perception is projection.

If you believe everything is perfect, and life is what it is, nothing is wrong. All is exactly what it is supposed to be. Nothing is wrong! The problem is our interpretation of the evidence. Our judgments made things right and wrong. Not the events.

We are looking at a new year. What do you want to happen? You can make it happen anytime you want.

The Real Christmas Message

The expectations of all the Christian world on this time of year is overwhelming. Economies depend on the spending at the end of the year. Is this what even the Christian church wanted? Everyone agrees that Christ was born sometime in March and that the Catholic Church in 300 AD choose December 25 to compete with the pagan religions that celebrated the winter solstice.

Politic aside, it is the most important time of the year for the energies of the world. The cycles of life assign this time of the year as the death of the world, to be reborn as life does every spring.

We all feel depressed and lost at the end of the year. The end of the world happens every December 21. It is the end of life as the people who were dependent on worldly cycles could determine. We must remember that life always follows death. If we celebrate the darkness of the winter because the spring must always follow, we can celebrate the cycles of life.

January 1 is a moment of remembrance of new life. Welcome all adversity as new birth. If someone opposes, you, they are making you stronger. Don't fight adversity, welcome it. Know that the older we get, the wiser we get and then the whole masterpiece of life will make sense. Help others, give up your dreams for the dreams of others, love others. Then the new year will be miraculous. God bless you all.

Hugs

Most people are touch deprived. We weren't held enough as children, or didn't get enough loving contact growing up. As a result, we feel isolated, alone or abandoned. Many people who are touch deprived feel as if the world is a threatening place. Relationships are difficult because we feel separate from the people we love.

The easy remedy for touch deprivation is to go hug someone. You can tell people who are touch deprived when you go to hug them, they don't know whether they want to be touched or not. If you are touch deprived, you feel uncomfortable giving or receiving a hug. A hug feels great, and will make you feel much better in general. Many times the effect of a hug is so subtle, people don't even notice it, but their mood lightens up and they can even smile.

So give someone a gift of a hug everyday. Especially during this holiday season, people feel isolated, alone and on the "outside". When you give them a hug, they briefly feel connected and "a part of." The best part is that a hug is free and you can give a million of them! Be generous, share your love and your hugs.

If you need a hug, go ask for one. It is every human's right to receive hugs. It is your birthright, so to speak. If you are feeling lonely or depressed, I recommend getting a hug from everyone you run into. So get hugged today!

The Problem with Wealth and Power

The ancient spiritual masters all knew of the dangers of wealth and power. The famous quote by Lord Acton in 1887 states "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." When people do not have the moral foundation necessary to receive absolute power, it corrupts them.

The corrupting power of wealth and power is a major problem with the popular fantasy books about manifesting wealth The initial problem with that sort of belief systems is that people become more materialistic and selfish. The deeper problem is that it sets us up to be corrupted. So to contend that "The Secret" is a spiritual practice is an oxymoron, like "jumbo shrimp." By definition, if you are attempting to manifest wealth, you probably are not ready for it.

The corrupting power of wealth and power is one reason why most spiritual masters who became enlightened or close to God insisted that we must let go of any attachments to material or worldly matters if we wish to become enlightened. Selfishly hoarding or controlling others becomes a narcotic and is extremely toxic. Being focused on our needs is the true path to misery. Being focused on the needs of others is the true path of the divine.

Another example of this has hit the news in the last few days, ironically between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Tiger Woods, perhaps the most successful and powerful professional athlete who ever lived, was discovered betraying his family over and over again. He certainly needs our compassion and prayers because even though he still is worth many millions, he has lost many things more precious than wealth.

When people become leaders, there is always the trap of sex and graft. Why does this happen over and over again? Tiger's house of cards built around family values and upstanding virtue fell quickly when it was discovered it was all a lie. It is not that these people are "bad", they simply did not understand that power and wealth without a spiritual foundation is like a castle built on sand.

How many times do we have to witness these examples before we turn away from worshiping money and begin to focus on the virtues that will carry us through times without money? Honesty, commitment, loyalty, and selflessness are much more important than wealth. I wonder if there is a test we could give leaders that would ascertain whether they have the moral foundation for that kind of power? It sure would be helpful.

Christmas

This time of year can be daunting. Fears about the future seem to be the strongest for many people during this time of year. Scientists point to the lack of sunlight as to a physiological source for depression and anxiety, and psychologists point to unhappy memories of holidays past for the same. Materialism and greed often underline our confusion and anxiety as we forget what the true meaning of year end.

In all ancient cultures this time of year was associated with metaphorical death. The sun mythically died and was reborn. As we fear death, we fear the year's end. Even more subtly, we are afraid that we won't get what we want or we fear that we will lose what we have. We feel inadequate, unloved and alone. As we distance ourselves from our ancient cultural roots we forget what is really going on with the world.

First of all, from a higher perspective the only thing that is happening is the cosmic dance between the earth and the sun where the earth is doing a pirorette on its axis. It is a movement that is as natural and dynamic as life itself. We will not die and the sun will return. Nothing cataclysmic will happen, even though our subconscious beliefs may cause us to think that the worst will happen.

Many people form negative beliefs about this time of year based upon failed expectations, too much revelry, misbehavior and feelings of inadequacy. We are bombarded every year with advertisements and marketing that imply that we need to spend spend spend and receive receive receive. It is all an illusion created by advertisers and retailers. Many people make decisions about self worth and value based upon how much they get. If they don't get much, then depression and self-criticism is their reward.

If we remember that this time of year is not about materialism but about reflection and rebirth, we can have positive feelings about the future. If we are not getting what we want, we can resolve to change what needs to be changed in order to become happy. The most important facet of that process is hope. We have to let go of the illusion that something or someone will make us happy, we have total control over our own happiness.

When we resolve to be happy no matter what, we can create hope that our future is bright. We have to be disciplined enough to choose not to fear but to love. This is not for sissies. It requires effort and practice, practice, practice. Fear of the future stems from a need to control. The only thing we need to control is our thoughts. If we have thoughts of impending doom, then we have to focus on something else. It really is that simple. When we control our thinking, then we control our world. Ultimately we create our reality, and we can change our reality if we change what we think about. Magic wands are in our minds, not our hands.

So as we prepare for the holidays, remember that feelings of depression or anxiety are not wrong, they are only signals that we need to change our thoughts. We can either focus on the worst case scenario or hope that everything will be for our highest good. Rather than make new year's resolutions, let go of a negative thought pattern. Commit to think only positive thoughts and be happy for the new year. Get a calendar and put a check on everyday you were successful in being happy. This will give you some evidence of how your year is going. If you have more checks than blanks, then you will start having hope for the holidays.

Christmas is a complicated time of year. Less sunlight, materialism and attachments compete with compassion, caring and rebirth. It is almost like there is a war going on inside us between light and dark. What we are actually feeling is the changing of the guard of old energy and new energy. In almost all religions and spiritual systems, this time of year is the time of death and rebirth. It is the natural cycle of life, as is birth and death. When we experience fear and lack at this time of year, it is because we have bought into the underlying belief that we are not enough and that happiness lies in acquiring something or someone that will make us happy. That is an illusion. We need to focus on appreciating ourselves and enjoying the natural cycle of life to the exclusion of competing thoughts. We choose what we think about. To be happy, think about happiness. When unhappy thoughts come up, or feelings of unhappiness, lack, victimhood, etc. arise, simply focus on happy thoughts. It is your choice.