We the people know best.

I have lived half my life in a socialist country and came to America to find opportunity and an environment that would support my personal growth.  I chose to pursue higher learning so that I would better understand my work with people with psychiatric illness.  At the same time as I was expanding my nursing knowledge I was also undergoing a spiritual transformation.  I spent many years with my first Teacher in a mountain retreat in upstate New York.  I reached a point where I had achieved a certain level of spiritual attainment where the truths in situations were very evident to me.  I think that we all experience an inner knowing in our intuitive self that resonates with the truth and leaves us ill at ease when there are things that are wrong for us.  So on the one hand I was ready to do more with my education, but on the other hand I had a deep understanding of what was right for me.  I felt confident with my own assessments and diagnoses and when working with children and adolescents who were prescribed strong psycho-stimulants, I realized that I could not get a big enough pay check to make me do something that I knew was not for the children's good.

Since then I have provided therapy in private practice and owned a nursing agency.  I am now working as a Professional Life Coach.  In this role I assist individuals who seek to make their life better to find the changes that are necessary to make their dreams come to life.  My background in mental health makes me especially suited to this kind of work.  I also am in a position to help individuals explore their spiritual development and recommend meditation and vegetarian diet as two necessary components that form the platform for self growth.  In my experience our lives are propelled and empowered through our spiritual self and relationship with God or our higher power.  Whatever a person's religion is they should stay and deepen in relationship with their God.  Religion and spirituality are separate in that spirituality is about the relationship with God and how that can be manifest and experienced through meditation, nature and a desire to become one with God.  Religion on the other hand has laws and rules that have been taken from the particular teachings and restrain the individual from a deeper experience of God.  Yesterday I read an article about a Southern Baptist Minister who condemned yoga as non-Christian.  Stephanie Dillon who teaches yoga responded, "My objection (to Mohler's view) personally is that I feel that yoga enhances a person's spirituality...I don't like to look at religion from a law standpoint but a relationship stand point, a relationship with Jesus Christ spiritually." 

Having been in the company of two Indian Spiritual Teachers for many years I have seen people from all faiths come to them for the experience that results from initiation or spiritual awakening.  These enlightened beings actually vehicles for the Grace bestowing power of God  that allows for our own spiritual journey to unfold.  The experience is different for each of us but none the less your initiation will be remembered by your own unique inner experience.  The spiritual path under the direction of a Master guarantees that you will be guided to enlightenment or oneness with God.  In that state you are free from all the attachments, troubles and strife of the limited ego.  Your intuition will be expanded to the point that it acts as a screen or filter for incoming data.  Your senses become atuned and heightened through regular practice of meditation.  Things that were part of your life that are not good for you will fall away.  It won't be like giving up a painful addiction.  People whom you have associated with who are negative will not want to be around you.  They may perhaps attempt to sabotage your new life but will give up when they see you moving on toward the light.

Thoughts are powerful and words have power to create and destroy.  It is important to monitor your thoughts.  And that doesn't mean that you don't recognize danger and call a spade a spade.  You are not given a power to weaken you and make you vulnerable to those who would do you harm.  Instead your strength grows and you can move forward no matter how difficult the odds may appear.  You will learn to use your higher cortex and be less reactive from the limbic system of the brain.  Pause before you react to something.  If you are reacting pay attention to what it is about the situation that makes you respond emotionally.  Don't ignore what is going on around you.  My Teacher cautioned us that the warning signs of abuse are there for us to see and asked why we choose not to see them?  One of the things that impressed me about Geert Wilders Berlin speech was that he spoke about our attitues of denial and apathy toward the oppression that is a threat to the West from Islam is like the Berlin Wall - it needs to be recgonized and torn down. 

President Obama went to Berlin and although he drew a large crowd who wanted to know about his message of hope he has very little to say about the substance of hope.  It leaves people hanging with the expectation that they are going to be elevated by his policies and motivations.  Life is not like that.  You can have high ideals and aspirations but they have to be put into action in order to make real for everyday lives.  In the same way as most of you will be familiar with the Bible pay attention to what God's word has to say.  God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.  Steep your consciouness in God's guidance and promises.  We are in the midst of change not the kind that President Obama's message of hope was about.  We are in the process of having the light shined into all the nooks and crannies and what is evil will be revelied.  "There is nothing hidden that will not be exposed; nothing concealed that will not be known and brought to light." (Luke 8:17)  We are in for some turbulent times because people who would do our country harm have an attitude of entitlement and have used our national characteristic of openess and acceptance as a way to further their agenda to dominate.  "Be on your guard; stand frim in the faith; be men of courage; be strong." (ICor 16:13) 

These texts from the Bible are to awaken you to pay attention.  Do not be discouraged but know that the victory over evil has already been paid for and won.  Your job is to stand firm and speak out when you can.  Your family is here today because you had ancestors who were strong and could overcome circumstances that threatened their lives.  In the same way today we have Islam that is threatening our culture and existence as we know it today.  We need to stand firm against outside threats that try to attack our way of law and government.  We have 11 South American Countries trying to take Gov. Jan Brewer to court over the Arizona laws to try to bring illegal immigration under control along the unsecured border.  These days there is no time to sit on the fense.  Know right from wrong and vote for the people who will protect US citizens.  Recently there was a woman whose nephew had been murdered by an illegal immigrant in LA.  She reported that while only one Congressman who was a Republican supported her wish to speak before a committee about the 30 murders that are taking place each year by illegal immigrants she was denied the opportunity by the Democrats.  They should be ashamed of themselves for having a comedian speak to them about illegal immigration.  What a dog and poney show that was!  Washington has reached new depths in cess pool hygiene and it stinks all the way out across the praries.

In conclusion, don't be discouraged and don't go about your life half asleep.  Your liberties and freedoms can be taken from you.  They are only guaranteed when you fight to protect them.  Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. - Supreme Court Justice said "I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving - we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it - but we must sail, and not drift, nor be in anchor."  Sail on my friends and be the captain of your ship.