Happy New Year Newsletter

Happy New Year Newsletter - 2010

by Sandy Penny

Hello all, it has been quite a year of change for me, and I suspect for most of you too. I’m not sure where to begin as I’ve been remiss in writing my newsletters for the last quarter of this year.

When last we left me, I was living my quiet life in Taos, NM, writing my ButterFly healing arts column for the Taos Horse Fly when I got a call from a client in Houston to do a technical writing project. I needed the money, but I was not willing to just do it for the money. After all, I had been surviving in Taos for the last four years, but I was not really thriving.

I took the project under advisement, and I consulted my friend who does readings. We laid out two tarot spreads, one if I stayed in Taos and declined the project and one if I went back to Houston and did the project.

The reading for declining the project looked pretty straightforward, easy and more of the same that I was doing. The other reading looked a bit more difficult, but the outcome was a complete shift. I knew what the challenges were for me in doing a tech project, but I asked myself if I was ready for a complete shift, and I knew I was.

I did not make the decision lightly, as tech projects really stress me out and kind of fry my brain. I know I can transcend that, but I’ve not yet achieved it. However, I felt there would be a shift in Taos regarding the Horse Fly anyway, and I had no other prospects. This was what Spirit was offering. I decided I could use some time away from Taos, some affluence, and a complete change, so I left my little mountain paradise and headed for the big lowland city in July. I could also save some money to use to help me get my writing written and published.

I arrived in Houston on July 19 to sweltering heat in the triple digits. I would say you could fry eggs on the sidewalk, but with so much humidity in Houston, they would have to be poached eggs. I definitely lamented the loss of the cool summer temperatures in Taos. I made a decision that if I finished the project during the winter, I would not return to Taos until the snow melts, around April or May.

The project pretty much went as I expected. They had planned for three months, but I knew it would take about six months. I’ve done this before. It took five, and there may be final cleanup to do after the engineers review it in March. During the project, The Horse Fly newspaper got sold to a new owner. I gave up my ButterFly column, and I gave up my apartment in Taos. I decided that I might not live there again, or if I did, I wanted a different apartment. My son, who was still in Taos moved my stuff into storage for me. So, now I'm a gypsy again.

I reconnected with friends and my oldest son, and that was the most important part of being back in Houston. I threw myself a birthday party in August and invited everyone I wanted to connect with, and pretty much everybody showed up (photo above is my son Matt and daughter Andrea). It was such a celebration of reunion. My daughter flew in from DC, and that was a special treat. Friends I hadn’t seen for years were there.

A few of my friends were having work and financial challenges, and I was able to spend time with them and help them out a bit while enjoying their company. It was great, really. And, the food in Houston – you just can’t beat it for quality and variety and friendly service. Yum.

Before I left Taos, I meditated on getting an inexpensive place to stay, in the Heights, with spiritual people. I mentioned I was looking, but not what I was looking for on Facebook, and that very day, Ginger who owns the Indigo Sun spiritual newspaper responded that she had a room to rent. In the Heights, and what an interesting spiritual connection and revisiting because I started the Rising Sun, the first spiritual newspaper in Houston. It was the perfect response to the energy I put out. That put me close to my favorite coffee shop, Onion Creek, where I spent many weekend mornings with my creative friends, getting inspiration and sharing spiritual conversation. It was great really. Very inspiring for me.

Somewhere along the way, I realized that my next stop needed to be in Florida to visit my brother who was having some heart issues. That’s where I am right now. I had a wonderful Christmas here, and my oldest brother was here too. I haven’t had a Christmas with my family of origin in over 20 years since my mother died.

Before I left Houston, my Onion Creek friends offered me a spiritual editing project, and although my plan was to spend time writing my own materials, I felt it was important to do this project, that it would have an impact on many people who would otherwise not be exposed to the spiritual principles in this novel. It’s called “Missing Picasso” and it revolves around Picasso’s challenges with his own neuroses and his guidance by a mystic and his involvement with a secret society. I just finished the first round of edits on that. It’s going to be great. I’ll let you all know when it’s on the market.

Just as I was finishing up the first round of edits, I got a phone call from woman who found one of my blogs about being “ghost writer for the angels.” She has been channeling info from Archangel Uriel about how to deal with the changes that are occurring right now, and she asked me if I was interested in helping her write the book. Another spiritual writing project. Hooray. I’m so happy to be doing this, to be living the life I’ve imagined.

I ask you all to consider returning to your spiritual basics, no matter how challenging things have been for you, and to refocus on what you truly want in your life and hold that energy steady. Changes are in motion now, and it’s the best time to be able to guide that energy in the direction of choice.

May you live in the flow of abundance, love, joy and fulfillment. Happy New Year!

Affirmation: Good things are coming to me! I am grateful for all the good things that keep coming to me! I love all the good things that are coming to me!

Sandy Penny

"Dialogue Creates Community"
BLOGS and Web Site:
http://writingmuse.com

ButterFlies are Free …

by Sandy Penny

I have had many symbols throughout this spiritual journey called life. The first one was the rising sun. In the mid-1970s, in meditation, I heard a voice say, “You are the daughter of the rising sun, and this shall be your symbol.” I called out internally to the voice and said, “What does that mean?” In response, I heard, “You will come to understand, and you will know when to use it.” I sighed deeply, very cryptic, but somehow it gave me a tingly little excitement inside. That was the beginning of learning about symbolic language for me, and the rising sun did become my symbol when I published the first metaphysical newspaper in Houston called, “The Rising Sun.”

Beginning last year, 2008 and continuing through this year, the ButterFly has become my current symbol, and I am discovering that I’m not the only one. It seems that butterflies are everywhere right now. I just was sent a photo of a butterfly crop formation today, and it reminded me of my whole butterfly experience.

Years ago, about this time of year, I was camping with my family. I woke up with the sun one morning and was inspired to take a walk beside the crystal blue Canyon Lake in Texas. As I sauntered along a tiny path through dense foliage, I spied a beautiful bush, thick with tiny delicate flowers like nothing I’d ever seen before. The flower petals were so light that the gentle breeze was causing them to flutter in the wind. Intrigued, I walked toward the bush to examine the blossoms more closely. When I reached out to touch them, the entire bush came alive, and all the flowers flew away.

Tiny white butterflies had been feasting on whatever bush that was. It was like a scene from a Disney movie – as if the flowers had magically turned into butterflies and ascended into the heavens. It was a most mystical experience, and I wished I could have shared it with my children, but it was mine and mine alone. I cannot express the joy of that little unexpected adventure. Wonderful! Natural! The magic of that transformation lifted me up, and for a moment I soared with those butterflies.

My ButterFly connection was renewed in Taos when I launched the ButterFly Healing Arts section of the HorseFly last October. That was also magical. I had proposed the section two years before, and nothing came of it. The day after I quit writing for the Taos News, in the Dragonfly Cafe, I ran into Bill Whaley, owner of the Horse Fly. I mentioned the ButterFly concept to him again, and he said, “OK, let’s try it out.” And like magic, once again, I was lifted up and flew with the butterflies.

My friend Selia Quinn took some fantastic butterfly photos, beginning with a chrysalis she found on the ground and took inside and let it transform. She took photos at each stage of development of the butterfly, and now she has a photo exhibit at the butterfly museum in Houston. She too was lifted by the butterfly and flew a little higher.

Now, a butterfly with a human body crop formation has been created, and I say our transformation has begun. Does the caterpillar know it will become a butterfly, or does it simply become? Are we ignorant of the transformation that is occurring within us now? Why can we not see the beauty that will be born of our cocoon? This is the time of our becoming. Let the old ways drop away so we can soar to our greatest heights.

You are a ButterFly, and butterflies are free!

I just got word that this crop circle was created as some kind of PR thing by humans, however, you still can’t deny the imagery and its symbolic meaning of transformation. We all respond to energy in different ways, and who’s to say those who were inspired to create the crop circle weren’t responding to a higher energy as well. The message stands on its own: time to come out of our cocoon and be as beautiful as we truly are.

For more on me: WritingMuse.com

What’s in a Question?

by Sandy Penny

Why do so many people use a question as a headline?

It starts the reader thinking about the subject of the article. It speaks directly to the reader and immediately engages them. It’s a popular marketing strategy because it works.

It actually sounds like you care about the opinion of your reader, and most authors do care. So what if it’s a marketing ploy? If it engages you in an internal dialogue and you learn something about yourself in the process, isn’t that a productive exercise? Who doesn’t want to think our opinion is important to others?

Asking questions is a valuable social tool for creating dialogue. Many people lack the questioning skill. They just want to tell you what they think and move on to the next subject. Caring about what other people say creates a bond between you. It can create more loyal customers who feel that you’re listening and responding to their needs. After all, they’re buying the product, shouldn’t you care what they think?

Back in 1978, when I got the idea to start a newspaper in Houston, Texas, on the heels of another failed newspaper, it didn’t seem like a great business idea. If my predecessor went out of business, perhaps the market for that type of newspaper was lacking. I really didn’t know why they went out of business, so I hit on a strategy that worked for me, and I’ve since successfully used it to start other businesses.

I picked up a copy of the defunct newspaper, called all the advertisers and invited them to a party. I was up front that the party was about discussing a newspaper idea. I didn’t try to trick them into coming to a party and then spring the newspaper idea on them. I let them know I was interested in creating a newspaper that would meet their needs and the needs of their customers. I passed out a mock-up of my newspaper idea to everyone at the party. Then I did something unusual, I asked them how I could best serve them and their customer base. They had lots of great ideas.

Next I asked them to support me in meeting their needs, and I sold enough advertising that day, on a newspaper that had never been produced, to pay for the first printing. After that, I had a party every month when the paper was printed so advertisers could take bundles of newspapers to their businesses. I thereby eliminated about half my distribution costs (mostly efforts on my part). Each month, I would chat up my advertisers for new ideas for future issues and get their feedback on how I was doing with meeting their needs.

The biggest benefit that came out of the experience was the sense of community that was created around the newspaper. It became the hub for dialogue among community members, and the monthly meeting became the venue for that dialogue. I sold more advertising and collected checks in a timely fashion at those parties. About a year later, a larger newspaper came into my community and tried to start a competitive publication. It was better funded and slicker, but it could not get a foothold. My community was really loyal because I had created a personal bond with them by asking for their feedback – and of course, using it. You can shoot yourself in the foot if you go to the trouble of getting input, and then don’t use any of it. People tend to feel disregarded and badly used.

So, why am I writing about this in a healing arts section? The same technique works in personal relationships. It’s all well and good to say that we should not care what other people think. Independence and autonomy are great, and we should not let our lives be run by other people, but sometimes friends and customers have really excellent ideas that can benefit us personally and in business. Asking questions and really listening and using the answers makes our friends and customers feel valued. It develops interactive relationships. We all know those who pontificate from on high and never let others talk.

Dialogue creates community and cooperation and strong friendships that sustain themselves during challenging times. We are living in challenging times right now. Maybe it’s time to ask a few more questions of those you care about and really listen to what they have to say. What do you think?

What Do We Do Now?

By Sandy Penny

So much is going on in the causal plane right now that we feel like nothing is happening here in our dimension, but it’s not true. Tremendous changes are happening at many different levels, although things may look the same at times. So, don’t despair, the world is being shape shifted, and we are asked to wait patiently while the new and good is being built for us to inhabit. Like building a house, sometimes things take longer than we anticipate, and we may be left with temporary housing while the new home is being built, after the old one is no longer available. That’s the metaphor for those who have been forced to leave their old surroundings and seemingly, nothing has been prepared to replace them.

So, what do we do now? We are challenged to return to our spiritual roots and put energy where we want it to manifest. I recently wrote a “program” for my life, something to focus on and put energy into. I was holding a pretty specific vision, and it had only partially manifested, so I could either accuse myself of sabotage, or I could refocus in a way that empowers that reality without limiting it to a possibly changing vision.

If you are absolutely sure of what you want, then, by all means, envision it, accept it, be grateful for it. Hold it tightly and claim it daily. However, if you have any questions, guilt or hesitation about any aspect of that vision, then open yourself up to a potentially bigger vision that the Universe may have for you. In these physical bodies, we cannot see too far beyond what we have experienced or seen on TV or read somewhere. But the Universe can, and the Universe is the machine or system that puts physical reality into motion. And beyond that, God or the All, can conceive of things we haven’t even dreamed in our farthest-out reality imaginings. When I give energy to a program, I always say, if not this, something better and trust the Universe to give me something better, something I may not be thinking of, but that might suit me very well.

As we shift into the Aquarian Age and old structures break down, old visions and old realities fall by the wayside and create chaos. Chaos is the loose energy that can be harnessed for the new world vision that we, as individuals, hold. When we fear the chaos, we surrender to it, and it can be devastating, but when we recognize the chaos as the reforming energy, it can be very exciting. Let go of your old pronouncements about life and open up to your wildest dreams. What do you want? Not, what can you possibly have, but what do you want? Do not limit the Universe to what you know. Expand yourself to encompass new possibilities.

What about you? What do you want? What are you going to do next? Many blessings on whatever it is. May your life be rich and happy.

Painting a Rainbow Life

Rainbow Life

By Sandy Penny

Back in 1993, I did an interview with psychologist Nancy White who has a wholistic therapy center in Houston, Texas. She has a light machine that is supposed to affect your mood and your ability to handle stress. Combining light therapy and psychoanalysis, she has been quite successful in treating alcoholics, drug abusers, and depression--garnering a much lower recidivism rate than most programs.

Nancy allowed me to experience the light machine during our interview. I sat in a chair with a hood over my head while a special type of light was strobed into my eyes to be absorbed by my brain. I also wore earphones, and music and miscellaneous sounds—including ocean waves, helicopters, voices in a crowd, yelling, and soothing music—were played while the light blinked.

I watched, mesmerized, as colors swirled through my vision in a psychedelic rainbow spiral. I began to wonder what kind of light source could change colors that way. Was it a more sophisticated spinning color wheel like those we used on metal Christmas trees? Was it projecting some kind of a movie? When I asked her about it, she blew my mind when she said, “There is only one color being strobed, white light. The colors you see are a response to the sounds you hear through the earphones and are generated by your own inner prism.” I could barely wrap my mind around the concept, and I have spent a great deal of time considering the ramifications.

We say that we color our lives with our perceptions, but this dynamic is so much more real and powerful than we realize. Our feelings change the way we experience an event. Have you noticed that when you’re stressed and in a hurry, it seems like every traffic light is red, every slow driver is on the road in front of you, and people demonstrate the rudest behaviors? But, when you’re in a great mood, you just seem to sail along, choosing all the right streets to avoid traffic snarls and finding the perfect front door parking space. So, is that a reality or a perception influenced by your mood? Do you actually affect traffic, or do you just notice something different? And, how interactive is it if you’re conscious of your reactions? Can you choose to have a better life just by refusing to let it upset you? If so, what a powerful tool.

In the late 1970s, I wrote about biofeedback experiments conducted by Baylor Medical School in the Houston Medical Center. I was allowed to observe several patients who had issues with blood pressure, fast heart rate and other measurable physical problems. The biofeedback machine was set to emit a faster, high-pitched tone when the blood pressure was high or the heart rate too fast. The patient’s goal was to lower their blood pressure or heart rate, and as it lowered, the biofeedback machine emitted a slower and lower tone, so you could measure your progress by the changing pitch. And of course, the lower pitch was less annoying.

How amazing that people could change a physical response by merely knowing that it was too high. They were instructed to simply breathe and imagine it going down. It worked. And, out of that study came another result: once a patient could easily lower their physical stats by listening to the tone change, the researchers set the tone to the lower tone to begin with, and without even thinking about it, the physical stats immediately lowered themselves—Pavlov’s new dog. The interactive training of the body was complete. At the time, this was a radical and revolutionary finding. It gave us the understanding that we respond to outside influences, and that we ultimately have control over those responses.

Today, it’s common knowledge that we have more control over our bodies and lives than we give ourselves credit for. So, why do we let our lives get so out of control? Why do we let things bother us so much that we stress out and make ourselves sick? Perhaps it has to do with personal responsibility. If we acknowledge that we are in control of our lives and our joy, then we have no one to blame for our unhappiness except ourselves. But, I prefer the term “response ability,” the ability to respond to the circumstances of our lives in a positive and joyful way.

Yes, life is our own personal rainbow, and it’s up to us to paint it beautifully.

Have Your Own Experience

By Sandy Penny

As most people, I read a lot about other people’s spiritual experiences, and they are certainly fascinating, but the point is not just to entertain and amaze us, it is to spur us on toward our own experiences. Having a personal relationship with the Divine, the Creator, the Manifestor, the Universe, whatever it is for you is the greatest experience you’ll ever have.

When you open yourself to the Spiritual World, you throw off the shackles and limitations of the 3-D everyday projection of the world. You open yourself to magic, to mystical experiences, and non-physical reality and beings.

Many people are afraid of the unseen world, and that perception has been fostered by organized religion. The reason is not that those beings and experiences don’t exist, but that they have such enormous power, that they cannot be controlled or manipulated for unearned gain. Only the limited person and system can be controlled in predictable ways. Therein lies the danger, if you get what you put out, do you deserve what you get? That is not to be critical of those who are not having a good experience; it is to inspire you to new visions, new heights, new experiences, all your heart’s and soul’s desires.

If you make yourself available to Spirit on a regular basis and affirm your openness and willingness to participate in a greater life, you will begin to have your own amazing experiences. You will experience synchronicities, unexplainable coincidences, that lead you to wonderful energies and encounters. What stories you will have to share with others!

Are you satisfied with hearing about the adventures of others, or do you want to pursue your own path with your own joyful adventures? Do you want to know the magic that others report?

That being said, there are challenges that come with the territory. When you first begin to open up to Spirit, you usually get some peak experiences that change your life and your outlook on life. Once you’re firmly ensconced with one foot in the heavens and one foot on the ground, the balancing act begins. Many people who have known you for years may not recognize you or relate to what is happening to you. They may try to discourage you from pursuing your “dangerous” or “evil” follies. Family may even think you’ve gone crazy. You might do something radically out of character for you, but once you truly connect through your heart to Spiritual Guidance, you will know, without a doubt, that the experiences are divine and holy.

Then, you will begin to seek others who see the world as you do. You will begin to change your daily life. You may quit your job, or go off on a journey, or just feel differently than you’ve ever felt before. And, you may feel frustrated with those who are not on the same page with you because they don’t understand what you’re saying. And others may drop away from your life because you no longer have anything in common. You may not even speak the same language any more (not literally, not speaking in tongues), but experience-wise, you may have a completely different perspective.

You may feel excited for no reason, elated over some small event or have access to information or ways of thinking that you never knew before. You might even begin to hear messages from Spirit or develop psychic abilities or even have feelings that don’t belong to you.

You life will never be the same, so are you up for it? If so, set your intention to align yourself with Spirit and acknowledge your willingness and openness, and be quiet while you wait for a response. If your issue is patience, you may have to wait for a while, to develop some patience and commitment to the process, but if you’re sincere in your desire, it will happen. You will have your own unique experiences that will not only change you, but will change the world for you.

Decisions, Decision,What's a Person to Do?

Decisions, Decisions - What’s a Person to Do?

by Sandy Penny

There's so much stress these days that I thought this would be a timely topic.

When I was in New Zealand, it became very apparent to me that having fewer choices can be a good thing. In the U.S., we think having choices, lots of them, is absolutely necessary. But, think of the stress and time it takes to even choose a breakfast cereal.

A few years ago, the following scene was my life. I have greatly simplified it since then, so I thought perhaps some of you would be able to relate to this little scene (try reading it in one breath to get the feel of the stress)...

“Mom, what do we have to take for lunch, and what’s for breakfast?” she yells from the bedroom. “What am I supposed to wear today?” he yells from the bathroom. “Sandy, what are you going to do about that press release problem?” the voice on the phone begs for help. “Ms. Penny, have you decided which house you want to lease, or do you want to buy?” the realtor asks looking pointedly at her watch, after we’ve looked at umpteen different locations. “Now, which bills get paid on the first of the month?...What day can we work on the newsletter?...Have you chosen a topic
for your article?...Are you going to teach another class? (Should I ask the runes?) Are you leaving your full-time job? (Should I check my astrological chart?) What business are you going into? (Should I call a psychic?) Are you still doing regressions? (Should I meditate, pray or I-Ching this one?) Did you decide? Have you made up your mind? We've got to have a decision - now.”

Stop!!! Please!!!

Take a deep breath, say three oms, and run screaming out of the room. (Hey, I’m human too.) It's only Monday noon, and I've had all the above to think about. I don’t know about you, but my ability to make decisions has been used up for about the next twenty years in the last three months. I’ve made so many major decisions that I’ve almost decided to hire out as a decision specialist. If you have a decision to make, come to me, I’m an expert, I’ll make up your mind for you! (It would be more fun to decide for other people anyway - I wouldn’t have to live with the consequences.)

Unfortunately, we do have to live with the consequences of our decisions, and no matter who makes the decision, ultimately we are responsible for our own lives. We cannot escape our karma by letting someone else take over our lives. Psychics cannot make our decisions for us - because no matter what they tell us, we decide to listen and follow their advice or to ignore it, and that puts the deciding factor right back in our own laps.

Many people go to psychics for that very reason, they want to absolve themselves of being personally responsible. They want to be able to throw up their hands in a crisis and say, “He told me to do it...I would never have done it unless she said to...Now look at this mess they created.” But that’s only a mind game - a cop out. [Besides, no psychic worth their salt will tell you what to do or not to do - they will simply give you a broader view of the situation, and possibly foresee the consequences of a particular action. Any psychic who does tell you what to do ties up their karma with yours, and shares the responsibility for the outcome, so it’s a risky business, this power
and control stuff.]
Whether you ask the Universe, God, the runes, cards, I Ching, astrologers, psychics, pendulums or flip a coin, your life still belongs to you.

It is up to you to make it wonderful or miserable, stressful or relaxed, fruitful or empty,
exciting or boring.

And that’s the really wonderful thing about it - because if it’s really up to you, then you can
make it anything you want it to be - and I want it all - happiness, friends, love, success, peace and joy. And I decree that it will always be so because, in my life I am queen, and the queen rules!

Take control of your life - and be free - it is your Western heritage to accept the responsibility of freedom of choice.” [It is your group karma by virtue of your birth in this country, or even if you chose to move here.]

If you abdicate your responsibility, then you will live with the consequences of that decision. Remember, no one has your interest closer to their heart than you. Seek your guidance; make your own choices; accept your successes - and all is well with the world.

For more Sandy Penny Musing, check out all her blogs and sites:

What are Your Hugs Saying?

by Sandy Penny

Hugging seems like such a simple act, what can be complicated about it? You put your arms around a person and pull them close, isn't that about it?? Actually hugging can be a very significant ritual, appropriate in some places and taboo in others.

There was recently some news on hugging in the workplace where it was considered too familiar, too intimate and bordering on sexual harassment. A hug is a way of connecting, and the connection can be on many levels. A hug can send a message of "I feel like we're friends," or it can send a message saying "I'm not willing to get that close to you."

And it's not just whether you hug or don't hug that sends the message. The type of hug can get the message over loud and clear. Leaning forward so you hardly touch another person when you hug may indicate a reluctance to connect with that person, or a reluctance to connect in general. Sideways hugs can indicate a feeling of distance or a desire to distance yourself from that person, or it can just mean you're in a hurry. It can be a perfunctory social requirement.

How long you hold a hug, whether you move your hands while you hug, how you position your arms when you hug, all mean something, all communicate something about your relationship with that person and with people in general.

What are you communicating when you hug? Take some time to think about whether you really want to hug someone, if you don't, extend your hand in a handshake. That gives a message too.

Lots of archives on this site. Explore and Enjoy. Check out more spiritual journey stories on my writing site: http://writingmuse.com. If you have any spiritual questions, email me at sandypenny@live.com. If you want writing tips, visit my writing and marketing blog: http://writeandmarket.blogspot.com. Check back often or subscribe to updates (button on the right).

Thanks.

What Creates Success?

What Creates Success in the Aquarian Age?

By Sandy Penny

In this time of shifts, changes and re-creation, it’s no longer time to go it alone. One of the requirements for success in the Aquarian Age is the establishment of community. I notice it happening all around me now. People are creating groups for all kinds of endeavors. We’ve always known that networking helps build success, but now, more than ever, it’s absolutely necessary.

In the spirit of community, I placed an ad in the upcoming issue of the Horse Fly ButerFly section that I write to invite healers and spiritual practitioners to unite with me to provide a monthly gathering to demonstrate their skills and talents to the public. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time, and now’s the time to launch it. Taos has so many of these wonderful helpers, but it’s a little on the QT here. Now it needs to come to the forefront. The energy is supporting all kinds of mutually beneficial endeavors.

A New Way to Look at the Challenges

Every time you see an old paradigm business struggling or failing, energy and money is being released to be reinvested in businesses and systems that better serve the greater good, the people who support them. Systems that no longer serve the public but expect the public to serve them cannot remain in this new age energy. They have to either make radical shifts in the direction of the people they serve, or they must go away.

The old ways do not depart quietly though. They hang on by their fingernails and fight for their turf, but we, the people, must not allow them to continue their usury practices. This goes for the financial institutions and the automobile manufacturers. And how does that change occur? The public has to vote with their dollars for what they want to survive. They also have to voice their opinions to the people who represent them to those larger institutions. I am not a politically oriented person, but at this time, if you want your desired changes to occur, you must take the action (even if it is only in the other dimensions) to visualize and create the positive changes you want.

Spirit of Community

In the spirit of community, it’s also a time to remember that you can call on those you love and those who are your supporters to hold the energy for your success at whatever it is that you are trying to create. Do not forget this. Sometimes it’s difficult to ask for help, but the truth is that by just asking others to help your envision your success, even if they do nothing, just the reading of your email or your speaking your request strengthens the response from the universe. Communication is another prime directive from the Aquarian Age energy.

Many people hesitate to do this, as they do not want negative feedback from the people to whom they reveal their goals, and that’s a valid point. Choose wisely those you ask for help. Choose those who understand the power of positive confirmation of your goals. I will always hold the energy for you if you ask me to. I will hold it cleanly and powerfully in the way that you ask for it.

And, if you’re experiencing the sense of being done with whatever you have been doing, now is the time to reinvest your time and energy in something that feels right for you. If you don’t know what that is (but most of us really do, we just may not think we can have it), begin with a confirmation: “I now know exactly what I want to be doing with my life.” Repeat that until it feels like you’re done saying it; then leave it to the universe to bring back the highest and best vision of that reality. And you can ask friends to support you in drawing that to you as well. The more you vibrate with the frequency of the knowing, the faster it comes back to you. This is a time of amazing aha moments.

And, constantly check in with your heart, your feelings, to see if you’re on the right track. Don’t be led down the path of what you “think you ought to do.” Also, redefine success for yoursef. Make it your own vision of success. Don't use someone else's measure for your dreams.

Go for the gold. St. Patrick’s Day is coming up, find your pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that you are. Onward and upward with ya, now Laddies and Lassies.
Sandy Penny, Writing is My Passion
Taos, NM HM/OFFICE: 575-751-1456
"Doing what you love opens the doorway to magic in your life,
opening the doorway to magic creates more of what you love."

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What's that Sickness About?

What’s this Sickness About?

By Sandy Penny

In Taos, and I’ve heard all over the country, people are having terrible respiratory and sinus infections or viruses or some sort. It comes on fast, lasts a couple of weeks, and sometimes even comes back for another round. I had it myself for two weeks, fever, coughing, gunky drainage and general exhaustion. I’m better now, thanks.

What I learned is that this is a symptom of what people are feeling in the U.S. With all the economic difficulties being touted on TV, the challenges laid out for the country, and the relief and fear of major change, no wonder it’s affecting us. Difficulty breathing, releasing toxins, and having to take a break after all the tension. We have been a people living in fear, fear of war, fear of economic loss, and a general malaise. Now, it’s time to let all that go, and the letting go process can result in physical symptoms. It doesn’t have to, but it can. I’m not trying to spread it by talking about it, but sometimes we need confirmation that we are not the only ones experiencing a phenomenon.

The good news is that, once you figure out what's going on, you can begin to shift into a more positive way of releasing those toxins. You can choose exercise, healthy organic cleanse products, and then replenish yourself with positive confirmations, healthy food and supplements, and a good dose of doing what you love.

My latest motto is, “Doing what you love opens the door to magic, and opening the door to magic brings more of what you love.”

Now’s the time to re-vision what you love and take new steps toward that vision. Isn't that interesting, the word revision, a change made is also re-vision, see it differently. Whether you know it or not, you’re living the life you’ve imagined. Perhaps it’s time to consciously choose to imagine something new. One conscious thought picture is more powerful than 100 unconscious thoughts that flood your mind every day.

One of the powerful experiences I had while I was sick was the recognition that I had been countermanding my own confirmations, unconsciously. I realized that the things I had been programming for were not actually what I want. I had been asking for high-paying writing projects. That sounds good, but the truth I have to admit is that I want to be rewarded for my own writing. I’ve always wanted that, that’s my passion, however, I was asking for what I thought would pay the bills. What I thought was acceptable to the world as a way to earn money. Contained in that skewed program is the fear that I can’t be supported through the spiritual writing that I love. I was putting myself in a small, uncomfortable box. During this time, I was offered a technical writing project, and I declined it. I was so proud of myself for declaring what I really want and refocusing my energy on making that happen.

I find, if I’m experiencing a huge aha moment like that, others are too. How about you? Time to reimagine your life? Time to get out of that box? Time to bring back the magic? As my friend, Margarethe Rustan taught me, fear is faith in a negative outcome. Turn that faith around and put it where you really want it.