Once Upon a Time at Sanctuary

The Sun Manor Sanctuary began as an inspired message from Spirit. It was a half-way house for the spiritually awakening and those claiming their spiritual power. It was a place to find acceptance when the world and even your family had given up on you. Sanctuary was full of magical, mystical, miraculous people and events.

I have finally begun to write the first book in the Sanctuary series. I'm posting the chapters on my Sanctuary blog. Feel free to read them as I write them, knowing these are drafts. When I finish the book, these chapters will be removed from the blog. I'd love to have your comments and encouragement as the writing continues. Remember, the posts start from the bottom of the list on the left if you want to read from the beginning.

In Joy ... http://sanctuary-sunmanor.blogspot.com/

http://sandypenny/com

Rethinking Reality

One Moment in Time

Whitney Houston said, “Give me one moment in time when I’m more than I thought I could be … And in that one moment in time, I will feel eternity.” I wrote this story in January, 1993, just before I launched Sanctuary, my spiritual halfway house, which was its own leap of faith. In light of Oprah doing a firewalk, I'm sharing this article about my first firewalk.

A Leap of Faith

by Sandy Penny

I circled the fire with a tambourine in my hand, striking the instrument on my thigh in time with the chant, "My body does whatever it takes to protect itself."  I gazed into the glowing red and orange eyes of the twelve foot by four foot bed of coals and watched a coating of white ash begin to form. "The fire and I are one," I chanted with the others.

The fire pit looked back, studying me with its many eyes.  "Will you walk tonight?" it silently asked. Would I cast aside caution and logic and make a tremendous leap of faith with a few small steps on an 1800 degree bed of coals?  Could I?

The chant changed to "I am the light, I am the love" and then swelled around  me again with "The fire and I are one." I thought about how I came to be standing on the edge of eternity, a 42-year old woman, questioning the very nature of reality.

It was only a couple of weeks ago as I entered the Chapel of Prayer with fifty or so people to listen to a Hindu Guru tell traditional Indian parables, that I met Charmaine McGhie and Tore Fossum. We were seated next to each other and connected so quickly that Charmaine invited me to a New Year's Eve Party and Firewalk.

I was intrigued. I had seen firewalking on TV and read about it in National Geographics, but never had I witnessed it in person.

Meanwhile, the couple gave me a book called "Firewalk" by Jonathon Seinfeld that I read with great interest. The book called firewalking an empowerment tool and a subcultural movement in the U.S. since the 1970s. It said the U.S. has more firewalkers than the rest of the world put together. I couldn't believe it!  How could I have missed it?

I had pretty much tried every "new age" experience I had run into. How could such a phenomenon have slipped by unnoticed? My excitement grew as the days passed.

The book helped keep me occupied with a lot to think about in the days leading up to the party. It told stories of firewalking in every culture and quoted scriptures about firewalking. It even discussed the unsatisfactory research that has been done. I was primed for the experience - to watch the experience, at least.

I arrived early at the suburban house in a nice Friendswood, Texas neighborhood. Not really where one would expect to see a firewalk. The preparations looked like any other New Year's Eve party. Guests arrived with covered dishes, and someone played piano—fifties hits for a sing along. The only difference is that no alcohol was present.

At about 9:00 pm everyone gathered in the back yard. A norther was moving through, and the air was cooling down. The grass was soaked with a hose as a safety precaution, and the evening began. The fire department showed up to certify the safety measures, and approved the walk.

Each participant took turns carrying logs to build the fire. They were instructed to think of the logs like children, and focus loving attention on them. A firewalking facilitator took the logs and built an impressive "boy scout" style teepee-shaped structure that would become a large hungry bonfire that would devour about half a cord of wood.

The excited attendees took turns stuffing newspaper in the cracks, and the fire was lit with great ceremony. The blaze reached skyward as a word of thanks and protection was intoned by a lady wearing a long full skirt. Surely that skirt was not a good thing in which to walk through fire.  I love fires. I faced the flames and raised a hand in salute. Just as I raised my arm, the fire leaped upward, and it looked exactly like I was waltzing with the vulcan fire god. My friend Juanita snapped a photo of it, and I love that photo.

When the fire was blazing violet and gold, everyone went to the patio to try out some other phenomenal activities. It would be two to three hours before the coals were ready.

Someone announced it was time for the "rebar game" and a cheer rang out. I had no idea what that meant. Rebars are 3/4" x 6' steel bars used to reinforce concrete. Two people stand face to face about six feet apart and a rebar is suspended between them by placing the tip of the metal rod in the hollow of your throat. 

The two people are told to focus their energy and see the rod bending. When they feel focused, walk toward each other. The rod could either pierce your throat, cut off your breathing, or it could bend. The rest of the watchers focused energy as well while Whitney Houston’s “One Moment in Time” played loudly. It was the first time I had heard that song. So perfect for that moment in time.

All of rebars bent. There were no tracheotomies that night. It was impossible to use force to bend the rod in this position without tremendous pain. I know because I found that out through experience. But when properly focused, the rod just sort of melts, and  suddenly I was catching my partner in my arms as we fell toward each other laughing. Yes, I did it! I couldn't believe it.

Next, we broke boards like so many karate experts. Only we weren't. One inch thick by twenty-four inches wide pine boards were suspended across two large bricks. When I focused, the board almost broke itself. I was rewarded with a tremendous energy rush. I had no idea I could do that. I had never tried before. So many things are like that, we don’t know we can do them because we’ve never tried before.

Finally, the coals were ready. The group returned to the back yard. The fire was so hot, it was difficult to stand close to it for more than a few minutes. The coals were raked out smooth, and the temperature was measured at 1800 degrees.  How could anyone hope to walk on this? It was preposterous. I was glad I'd only come to watch.

The entranced group circled the fire pit and chanted as they connected with the coals. No one seemed to want to be first. I wondered if anyone would find the courage. Suddenly Charmaine was at the top of the pit quietly chanting and focusing on the far end of the coals.

Then it happened. She stepped onto the coals and kept walking, slowly, not rushing, the full twelve feet. As she stepped off, a cheer went up, and she walked around the pit and repeated it. She was followed by Tore and another, and another. A line of people followed with no injuries. The lady in the long, gossamer skirt walked eight times, and the fabric did not catch fire. Everyone had walked, except me and one other person. "Oh well," I thought, "I only came to watch anyway."

Some people walked slowly, some people ran, some people danced. One person cartwheeled through the coals and then did the most amazing thing. He stepped onto the coals and stood there in one place, reached down and lifted up a handful of coals and threw them into the air. Then he quietly walked off the fire pit - unharmed.

This went on for a couple of hours. It was like a dream. My mind had no place to file this scene. Could I do it too? Did I have enough faith and concentration and courage? I didn't know. I did not feel afraid. But I also did not feel compelled to walk. Even so, I had removed my shoes and socks. Was that significant?

Then a voice was calling out  "Last call. It's time to go in and dance." Charmaine stepped up to the pit again, and this time I stepped out beside her and took her hand. We looked briefly at each other. Charmaine squeezed my hand and smiled, and we began to walk. We moved together, not too fast, casually. It felt as if we were in a cool tunnel. None of the radiant heat I had felt as I stood beside the fire pit reached me.

The coals crunched under my feet, and I was about to step off the pit, already at the other end. I did it! I had actually walked on 1800 degree coals, and my feet were intact—not even a blister. At that moment, as I thought about my feet, for an instant I felt the heat and almost panicked. The people at the end of the pit took my hands and said, "Your feet are fine." I repeated it over and over. And they were fine, not even a little bit red from the heat.

Now everyone was cheering for me! I knew I was about to begin rethinking reality. There was no other choice. It was that one moment in time.

Listen to One Moment in Time by Whitney Houston with lyrics on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVIpECtQfNM

Sandy Penny: http://sandypenny.com

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'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.

Co-Creating and the Language of Peace

Co-Creating and the Language of Peace

by Sandy Penny

Co-Creating: Now that the SHIFT has occurred, energy to fund new emotional, creative and financial structures is floating around in the atmosphere. Can’t you feel it? Now is the time to claim what is truly yours, and as I’ve said so many times, knowing what you want is the important part of creating.

You don’t have to know exactly what you want, just know how you’d like that to look and feel and what you want from it. And you might even have to be flexible on how it looks when it manifests. What is your passion?

For instance, many years ago, I was managing a secretarial service, and I wanted my own business, but I had no idea what kind of business. I had been a secretary and a graphic designer, but my true love had always been writing. I didn’t have a degree, so I wasn’t likely to get hired anywhere as a writer. So, I made a list of what I wanted in a business. I wanted it to use my writing and graphic skills. I wanted it to include my spiritual focus that was definitely not mainstream religion, and it needed to support my son and me. I had a house note, a car note, insurance and all the expenses of a single mom with only enough child support to pay for day care. And, this was in September. I wanted my own business by November of that same year. I gave Spirit 2 months to manifest what I wanted. I did not say what kind of business it had to be, only that it include the things I mentioned above. And, oh yeah, it had to take no investment because I did not have any money to invest, none at all.

I kept focusing on the vision and expecting it to materialize. And, I didn’t have to have Spirit hit me with a lightning bolt and speak into my ears what it should be. I just stayed aware of what happened around me and what people said to me, knowing that someone else can deliver a message from Spirit. I had no idea where it would go.

Then, in early November, I was at a psychic fair. The buzz was all about the Common Ground, an events newspaper that had gone out of business. People kept walking up to me and saying things like, we had a lot more attendance when there was a newspaper, and we sure need a place to advertise that is targeted to our market, and we need a place to introduce people to these Spiritual concepts and get them to attend events and classes. After a few comments like this, a light bulb went off in my head, and I heard myself say, “I could do that.” As simple as that, a business idea was born. Then it was incumbent on me to act on the information.

I picked up an old copy of Common Ground and called the phone number to see what kind of info I could find out. It turned out to be a woman named Katherine Shugert who owned a bookstore called Pilgrim’s Path. She told me to come over and talk with her, and I did. She had been the answering service for the paper, and she gave me a list of previous advertisers. I did a proposed layout and wrote a couple of articles for the layout, and I invited all the advertisers to a party. Meanwhile I investigated printing costs etc. During that party, I sold enough advertising to pay for the first issue (no investment from me.) From that first issue on, I supported myself with the newspaper, something no one had done before with a free distribution newspaper. I lived on it for several years, and then met the woman who I trained to take over, and I move to another level in my life.

That being said, what do you want in your life? Write your program and focus on it until it shows up. Keep in mind if you are conflicted about it, don’t put it into the program, it will slow the process of return. Only put what you know you want into it, and I always added that it be “AIDO” All in Divine Order, in harmony with my soul’s purpose.

Now, on to what I started to write this newsletter about to begin with, the Language of Peace. You know how metaphysical types are always reminding you about negative words in your vocabulary and negative thoughts that are counterproductive. Well, I have some new monitoring to recommend. Einstein said, “We cannot solve a problem at the same level of thinking at which it was created.”

As long as we are holding a war mentality and fighting everything in our lives, we cannot use all that energy to create a new world. In the old Piscean age, fighting for what we wanted was absolutely necessary and appropriate to our history, but now we have moved in the Aquarian Age, and fighting is no longer supported. That’s why I said, co-creating. Cooperation is now the new focus, what is win-win and what is for the greater good. Sacred partnership is the call of the day.

Our language is filled with words of war and conflict. We “fight” for what’s right. We have the “war” on drugs and the “battle” of the bulge. We fight cancer and heart disease. So much of our language still says that we are at war with our circumstances instead of being at peace with them. As long as we are at war with our fellow man and within ourselves, we are wasting precious energy that could be used to create peaceful, co-creative, community oriented projects for the good of all concerned. What are you fighting? Who are you fighting?

The world will never be at peace until we create peace within ourselves. Let that be our goal, to live at peace with our lives, to create for the greater good which is always for our own good because we are part of the greater good.

Greed is violent. It starves those who are hungry in favor of those who have way too much. Greed follows emotional need. If we have a hole to fill up inside us, we keep pouring material possessions into that hole, and it never fills up. Emotional needs cannot be met through material acquisitions. Look at the mortgage companies who just took billions of dollars of our tax money, and they are still not negotiating with the homeowners and bailing them out. If, instead, the homeowners had been bailed out by paying off their mortgages, the lenders would have their money and not need a bailout. Business would return to normalcy. But, the greedy are holding onto that money and they will not prosper because borrowers will remember how they were treated, and eventually all that bailout money will be spent, and we’ll be right back where we started.

Unless, unless - the greater good wins out. Please focus on that. This is the age of community and cooperation. We have enough resources in this world to feed the hungry, house the poor and heal the sick. Let us co-create a new non-violent world system that serves the people who fund it instead of exploiting them. Instead of fighting, let us join together in world service. The only reason we don’t have “heaven on earth” is our fear of lack. Let go of the fear and live the dream. Take responsibility for yourself and also help those who have not awakened yet to their own power. Instead of accusing them of contributing to their own demise, let us lead them to toward a brighter future.

Let us stop fighting and begin building. Let us stand up for what’s right. Let us heal the underlying emotional issues that drive the drug culture (emotional pain and boredom) and let us create our perfect weight out of respect for our bodies. Instead of fighting illness, let us restore the balance that creates our perfectly healthy bodies and lives. Instead of warmongers, let us be peacemakers. Pay attention to your words; they tell where you are coming from and what’s inside you.

Wishing you peace, love, abundant joy and all your heart and soul’s desires.

Sandy Penny "Writing is My Passion" sandy@writingmuse.com www.writingmuse.com Taos, NM HM/OFFICE: 575-751-1456

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Snowy photos in Taos NM, my new home

Snow People.
Snowing as I drive.
View past my little plant nursery.
My front yard natural Christmas Tree.
Local burger joint, Lottaburger, The truck on the right is a RAC transport truck


Michael and Steven's little casita.

The official Christmas tree of Taos Plaza.
The path from my little casita toward the road.

View from the muddy road.
Crysal forest.
Horses grazing
The Taos Plaza Wreath at the Bataan Death March memorial.
Frozen antiques.

This is my life in Taos, and I thought I'd share my photos with you... Hope you enjoyed them.

Love to all, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.