Today I shall Eat Strawberries...

Today I Shall Eat Strawberries

by Sandy Penny

For the last week, for breakfast, I’ve been eating toast with peanut butter and banana. It’s a favorite of mine as a vegetarian breakfast, but today I woke up with a thought.
That thought was, “Today I shall eat strawberries.” I have a pint of strawberries in my refrigerator, and I’ve looked at them every day, and I haven’t felt as drawn to them as I did when I bought them. But this morning, something in me said, “It’s time to eat strawberries.”

Since I try to look at the larger meaning in all my thoughts, especially those early morning messages, I meditated and used that phrase as a seed thought, today I shall eat strawberries. Some very interesting things came to me.

*Today I shall make a change, not a big change, but an obvious one.

*Today I shall focus on red instead of yellow, get out of my mind in into my body. And perhaps this was my body’s message of what it needs.

*Today I shall have a little more tartness in my life. Sometimes we focus too much on the sweetness, and we have to balance that out with a little more tangy energy. That tang can help us move out of lethargy into a new comfort zone.

*Also, banana is considered a masculine symbol because of its shape. Strawberries are considered feminine, food of the goddess. Perhaps I’m shifting from my masculine more into my feminine side today.

I haven’t eaten my strawberries yet because I wanted to share this meditation with you. I did make coffee, as I have all week, and it tastes terrible to me. I like coffee, and it’s the same coffee I’ve been making, and the same creamer, but today I don’t like it. Something has definitely changed. I like that, actually. I can use a change. I think I'll have a cup of tea.

So far, my year has included quite a bit of change for a small town girl. I was managing Santiago’s Gallery, and for about three weeks, I was getting a message that I was not going to be there for long, that I had done all I could, and it was time to go. I wasn’t sure where I’d go. A couple of weeks after I first got that message, I had a phone call from an editor at the Taos News. She said they had lost a couple of freelancers and asked to see my samples. After reviewing them, we had a meeting where she gave me seven assignments to do. I was a little overwhelmed. Working full time at the gallery and doing this much writing would be difficult, but I was determined to get it done and start building my writing in Taos.

A week after beginning these articles, one day, at Santiago’s Gallery, I was sitting at the desk when Santiago and his brother Charlie came in. They said they were closing the gallery, that it was not showing signs of making a profit or building sales, so it was time to shut it down. I was a little shocked since they had opened in the late fall when they knew that spring, summer and fall are the art season here. We had even discussed that, and they had decided to do all the start up in the winter so it would be ready for action by spring. Here it was, just about a month from the spring season, and they were quitting. I would have protested more than I did, but having had the messages about it being time to go, I knew I was done.

I also knew that the Taos News work was not enough to support me yet and that I would need something else. I got a couple of week’s severance pay, so I could figure something out. During these two weeks, I got an email from Dr. John Lerma, author of “Into the Light” which I ghost wrote for him. He asked me to do another book project, and I accepted. That upfront money helped me through the last couple of months.

The angel doctor has been pretty busy, so we haven’t worked much on the book yet, but last week, my editor at Taos News called and begged me to take on three articles for the summer guide here that are due next week. I accepted. I could use the money, and the subjects were fun for me. One was about the farmers markets and a sidebar on restaurants that buy local organic produce, a subject close to me heart. The second was about the art colony that is Taos. The third was about the community kitchen and garden here. There’s so much here that is creating community and creativity and personal expression. Well, the sidebar on the Glorious Green restaurants has now turned into a full-length article, so that’s helpful too. And, all this writing is in keeping with my mission to support myself with spiritual writing. This is all about the spirit of Taos, and the people who live here.

I am affirming another long-term project to begin in the next couple of weeks, so please put some energy into that for me. Please see me happily writing, researching and being paid well for a wonderful spiritual writing project with loving supportive people.

Let me know what you’d like me to see for you. I spend a lot of time every night focusing on what my friends and acquaintances are affirming in their lives. I also love to hear about the changes occurring for all of you. And, I got quite a few new subscriptions to my newsletter after the last issue. That was nice. Welcome to all the newbies and thanks to all of you who have stuck around when I was not sending out regular emails.

Let me hear from you, and feel free to pass this along to anyone you want.

Now, I shall eat my strawberries.

Peace, love and joy to you all.

Just Another Day in Paradise ... Hanging at the Hot Springs

On March 21, 2008, we celebrated Yoga Jane's 50th birthday at Ojo Caliente Hot Springs. It was lovely. These are some of my lovely women friends in Taos. Aren't they great? It reminded me of another memorable hot springs adventure ... see below the photos.



Above, Yoga Jane, Birthday Girl - beautiful at 50.


Me in the background soaking with my home girls.


More me and my home girls.


Below: Deep soaking, ahhh.


Above: The other Sandy in the deep pool.

Below: The evening party continues at
Sabroso Restaurant in the mountains...


Above: Two Sandys


Above: Elizabeth on the left, Birthday Jane on the Right


Above: A little too much wine at Sabroso.

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Hanging at the Hot Springs…

After an exceptionally cold winter in Taos, the snow is finally melting, and I feel spring’s rapid approach. The sun warms me as I lounge at Mondo Kultur café and sip a double mocha latte while I conduct a psychic reading for a friend. I am unusually tuned in, and the camaraderie of the spiritual process inspires me to drive into the mountains north of Taos. I hop in my little red Mazda Protege, pop into Cyd’s health food store and buy a few picnic items for my little journey. Smoky gouda, ripe edam, 9 grain bread, organic bananas and spicy ginger beer fill my goody basket. I head up Highway 522 toward Questa, intent on enjoying the sunny afternoon with a drive around the 100 mile Enchanted Circle through Red River, Eagle’s Nest, Angel Fire and back through Taos Canyon. When I reach Questa about 30 minutes later, I spontaneously decide to drive up to Valley View, a beautiful hot springs area three hours north, along Colorado Rt 17.

I don my movie star sunglasses, tune in a rousing radio station and sing along as I glide down the winding road. “They say I have to go to Rehab, and I say No. No, No.” I grab my cell phone and realize I haven’t programmed Valley View’s number into it since I changed services. Oh well, I punch in my home number, get my son on the line and ask him to look it up in the computer, call them and book me a room. He calls back in a couple of minutes and confirms a small room in the community house. The rooms are very basic, only a bed, a chair and hooks to hang your towels on, but the view out the window offers a spectacular sense of lavishness.

After a few miles of roller coaster winding up and down, the road flattens out all the way to San Luis, about 50 miles of fast driving, open range with herds of cows, buffalo and elk curiously staring at me as I fly by. I pass the time talking on the phone with my friend Sue in Houston, laughing about my spontaneous jaunt and listening to her political banter. San Luis is an interesting little town with a mountain shrine that attracts tourists and devout Catholics, but I don’t stop. The road ends at Ft. Garland, Colorado, and you have to turn left or right. I make the left without stopping and head toward Alamosa, about half-way to my destination. Instead of going all the way into Alamosa, I turn right at Rt 150 and head toward the Great Sand Dunes National Park. The spectacular view of the giant sand dunes looms in front of me. They form where the mountains rise up and collect the sand and silt that blow through the high desert countryside. It’s kind of amazing. The dunes resemble pyramids, and for a moment I forget I’m in Colorado and daydream about Egypt. I stop at the park’s visitor center for a restroom and leg-stretching break. Absorbing the unusual vista, I snap a picture with my cell phone to document it for my friends.

I have to backtrack a mile or so to the cutoff that takes me westward to Mosca through the lakes of the dunes. It’s very remote, and radio reception is nil. I notice that not only is my reception temporarily gone, but I’m rapidly losing power. So much for being spontaneous. I would soon have no phone at all as I left my phone charger at home, and I have not yet bought a car charger for my new phone. Oh well, guess I’m meant to be incommunicado. The important thing is that my son knows where I am. Nothing can spoil my good mood, the joyful sense of adventure, and the peaceful quiet of the deserted road. I let a few friends know that I’ll be gone for a day or two and that I may not have phone service. I am so ready to concentrate on me for a change.

I spend the rest of the trip just watching the snow frosted mountains move closer and closer. A wave of awe sweeps through me as I connect deeply with the earth and the beauty. The clear blue sky is dotted with ship clouds, often seen in this part of the country. They are white fluffy low-riding clouds that seem to go the opposite direction of the higher wispier ones. They are rounded and flat on the edges and resemble the small runabout ships that fly out of mother ships in so many sci-fi movies. The scene is surreal with the landscape still snowy white with watery patches. It looks like an aerial view of Alaska as glacier-like fields spread for miles and miles in all directions.

Soon I reach the meeting point of Highways 285 and 17 and County Road GG. It was a fast three hours. I pass my cutoff to drive a few miles further to Villa Grove to pick up a bottle of wine as there is no restaurant or liquor store at the springs. What you take with you is what you have to eat and drink. I walk in, ring the bell to be let into the small establishment, and a slightly suspicious looking man unlocks the door. Not much selection in wine, so I grab a bottle of Canadian Whiskey to mix with my ginger ale and stand at the counter until the attendant returns from watching TV in the back room. I hand him my debit card, and he curtly says, “Sorry, cash only.” I ask if there’s an ATM at the restaurant across the street, and he says, “Nope, closest one is in Salida, 25 miles ahead.” Ahh, the joys of small towns. Tired of driving, I leave the bottle of liquor and head back to GG and start driving up the mountain on the dirt road. I see a muddy wash ahead, and I debate whether my little Protégé can make it through without getting stuck. I decide to go for it, so I rev up my speed a little to power through. I fear I might slide off the road. My stomach does little flip flops as I skid sideways but regain control quickly and make it past the first challenge. I wonder if more washes are up ahead, and I resolve to go back on another road that should be less hazardous and stressful. It turns out that the rest of the road is just fine, no ice, no water, no big ruts, just a washboard that I can handle.

Seven miles down the road and up the mountain, I come to the junction where I have to cross a cattle guard where I turn left and enter the Orient Land Trust. Almost there. The Trust is a non-profit organization that owns Valley View and is dedicated to keeping it natural and buying surrounding land to ensure that it will stay that way. Nothing needs to interfere with the magnificent Valley Views. I slide into the parking area facing a wall of snow and breathe a sigh of relief as I cut my engine. Trudging into the office, I pay for my room. Fortunately, they take my debit card for the night’s stay, the best $27 I’ve spent in a long time. I quickly head for the exit with my coin in hand to drop into the box at the gate that blocks the entrance to the springs. The arm lifts, and I feel finally at home in the land of the goddess. I only have to drive a few hundred feet to park in front of the group house. I inhale deeply as I cross the little wooden bridge over the steaming stream in front of the long wooden structure. The laughing trickle of the water instantly relaxes away the stiffness of sitting for three hours. In a way, I am home. I’ve been visiting these springs for the last 15 years, and they always welcome me back.

I’m not exactly dressed for this, since I did not plan the trip. I have on jeans, a sweater and three-inch high heeled boots. I get a few knowing looks like, “You didn’t plan to come here, did you?” Apparently, it’s common for repeat visitors just to pick up and head out to the springs to alleviate stress. I carry in my food and my leopard print wrap that will be my costume for trekking to the springs. I can hardly wait to feel my weary body sink into the hot steaming pools nestled in the drifted snow around them. It has always been my dream to spend time at the springs in the winter when the contrast of the hot and cold make it deliciously inviting to soak for hours. This was my second time to fulfill that dream. Groceries safely placed on the chair, I make my bed with the clean linens stacked on the bed, strip off my sticky clothes and tie my sarong. I wish for my my flat slip-on shoes, but three-inch heels will have to do. It’s all I have. I briefly walk to the back of the building and take in my first Valley View of the stay. I deeply catch my breath at the distance and the loveliness, but the water calls me, and my body longs to float free.

It is unseasonably warm, and the lingering evening sun feels good on my bare shoulders, but the breeze is rapidly cooling. With only a short uphill walk, I am confronted by the small hot pot, the large swimming pool and the new sauna building. Both pools are thickly steaming and beckoning me to hurry into them. I decide I’m not up for swimming right now and drop my sarong on a chair and step into the hot water. It’s so hot it stings a little at first, but I know I’ll soon adjust to it and will be amazingly soothed. I twist my long blonde hair up on top of my head and secure it with a spider clip I had attached to my sarong for that purpose. Having just gotten over a cold, I don’t want to get my hair wet. I immerse myself up to my neck as two other people join me in the water. We all rest our heads on the side of the two feet deep heated soaking pool, the lobster pot and breathe deeply of the warm vapors.

At first, no one speaks as we settle in. Soon, the man who has not introduced himself begins to talk of how long he has been frequenting the springs. He says, “This time, I came because of my skin problems, psoriasis. The minerals in the water seems to help a lot.” “I know,” I respond. “My skin is always so much softer after a trip to the springs.” The woman who says her name is Katie tells him the name of a tea that will help. Apparently she is an herbologist. They continue to discuss subjects like the difference between detoxing and flushing your system. I drift away and block out the conversation as I just enjoy the soft sensuality of the water. All the dramas of my day are washed away by the water flowing through the pool as it rejoins the warm river that winds its way through the entire property. It’s as if all my cares flow away. After an hour or so, I begin to get a little overheated, so it’s time to rewrap myself and head for my little monk’s cell.

I lie down on the comfortable bed and drift into a light sleep until my bladder compels me to get dressed and head for the baths next door. There are none in this building, one of the drawbacks for me since I get up a couple of times in the night. After making my necessary trip, washing up and refilling my water bottle with the cold filtered water from the fountain in the bath house, I notice my stomach grumbling and begging for dinner. Checking my cell phone for the time, it’s about 9:00 pm so I decide to eat lightly. I slice some of the smoky gouda and slice a banana from my stash. I check the refrigerator and happily find some mayonnaise to slather on the tasty brown bread. I pop open a bottle of ginger beer and eat at the community table. Soon a group of men drift in from the springs and settle into the chairs and couches by the table. We all start to talk about where we’re from and why we’re here and what else we do in our lives. There’s a guy from Colorado Springs who works for the city. He complains that it has gotten to big, too busy and too trendy. Valley View is his respite from what used to be a small town and is now a thriving metropolis. When they ask what I do, and I say I’m a writer, they want to know what I write. When the subject of the angel book comes up, a discussion ensues where one of the men tells the story of his near-death experience. It’s a good discussion of the afterlife, death, and other spiritual experiences. I find it unusual to have such a discussion with a room full of men, and I am pleasantly impressed.

After a while, someone picks up a guitar and strums a melodic folksy tune. I retire to my room and listen to the music while I stare out the window at the star-filled sky. I soon drift away for the night until dawn’s early light when it’s time for another trip to the building next door. It’s crisp outside, and I hurry between buildings, scanning side to side for deer, bears or skunks that proliferate in the area. An uneventful trip and a refilled bottle of cold water takes me happily back to the group house. Katie, from the hot pool the night before, has started coffee and is busy making pancakes in the community kitchen. She offers me a cup of wonderful smelling brew and a pancake. My stomach urges me to accept, and I do. Unfortunately for me no one has left any creamer or milk to share, and I didn’t bring any, so I have to drink the coffee with honey only. Oh well, it still tastes delicious, and the warm cup in my cold fingers feels so good.

Katie and I sit at the dining table and chat about Taos and the springs and other light chatter when we hear the door open. Most everyone in the building has already gone to the springs for a morning soak. We are pleasantly surprised to see a very handsome, well built man wearing nothing but a royal blue Williams and Sonoma apron that shows off his muscled arms. He’s carrying a French press plunge pot of coffee. He says, “Hey, I just made this great Vietnamese coffee. I’d love to share it with you. Want some?” Katie and I looked at each other, back at him, and said in unison, “Uhhh huhhh.” It’s all we could muster in our current stunned state. We quickly finished the coffee in our cups, and he refilled them with a sweet-smelling essence of the coffee bean with a buttery nutty flavor. Then he left, and we both stared after him at some of the best breakfast buns we’ve ever seen. We both started laughing.

“Wow,” I said, “When does this happen in real life? Are you sure we’re not dreaming?” “If we are,” she responded, “we’re having the same delicious dream.” “I want to affirm more of this in my life,” I smiled, “Men dressed in nothing but an apron, who can cook, who have an appreciation for the subtlety of good coffee, and look great doing it.” She nodded in assent as she took a deep draft of the smooth concoction. Nothing could top this as a great experience at Valley View. The huge green comet I’d seen last year paled in comparison with the implications of this little metaphor. More please, I thought wishfully. Katie and I headed to the pools for another long, leisurely soak and more conversation.

There was an inordinately large number of men out this morning, and this being a naturalist property, clothing optional, it was nice to see a range of ages stretched out on towels sunbathing, soaking and drifting back and forth to the sauna. What I love most at Valley View is the respect shown by everyone for the vulnerability of everyone brave enough to remove their clothes and share a sacred space. There’s no gawking or posturing or crossing boundaries without an invitation. It’s very refreshing to share such a place of freedom and joy in relaxation and healing.

Later in the day, Katie and I ran into our morning chef (and his wife or girlfriend) with their clothes on. I did not recognize him, and I did not correctly remember what color his apron was. Katie and I got a good laugh at that. We returned to the building and pooled our food for a picnic on the porch. I sat in a swing, and she sat on the bench across from me. Two of the men who had also been at the springs, who turned out to be brothers, came in, and we invited them to join us for food. They added some sesame seeds to the cheese, bread, fruit, ginger beer, artichoke hearts and Indian Samosas for a quick outdoor feast. It was so pleasant just to enjoy the scenery and hang out at the hot springs.

Katie and I were both leaving, so we had to pack up our things. When we finished packing and were chatting on the porch, our chef returned in his apron and invited us to join him and his wife for lunch. We both regretted that we had already eaten. Just watching him cook would have been the best entertainment we could find, but it was time to go. Sometimes, trying to repeat a pleasurable experience just negates it. I wanted to hold the fond memory in my mind just the way it had happened. Nothing needed to be added. It was perfect, and it was time to go.

I slowly, reluctantly, climbed back into my little Protégé, said goodbye to my temporary friends and the lovely land. I thanked the earth for its beautiful blessings and drove back to the office to check out. They have to know who’s in the park, in case of sudden storms or bear alerts. I stayed long enough to check my email and let my friends and my son know I was heading back. My cell phone had long since lost its charge. Now I would have a wonderful three hours driving back with nothing but my memories, my thoughts of the future, and the beautiful scenery to enjoy. I can’t tell you how refreshed, revitalized and rejuvenated I felt. I could face anything from this place of strength and vitality. And so I headed back to Taos. * * *

What did I do with 2007?

Wow, what a question. I can hardly remember. The two years I've been in Taos have really run together. But I'll give it a go to catch you up since I have not posted anything but my recent photos on this site since March 2006.

In October, 2006, I finished my work with Dr. Lerma's stories of people who see angels when they're dying. I then went to work at the front desk for Quality Inn to pay the bills for a while and to consider what's next.

I was also engaged in a big learning relationship with a man in Taos. It took a lot of my time and energy and helped me sort out some childhood issues about my father. However, it is over now.

In January 2007, I went to work for Taos Inn at their front desk. It was very challenging for me, and I left there in July and went back to Houston for a month to rethink my life and whether I wanted to be in Taos. The answer was a resounding yes, so I came back.

I lived for a month with my friend Elizabeth while I got things going again. Then I was asked to manage Santiago's Gallery by my friend and fellow writer, Ron Chavez. While I was in Houston, I had speculated about working at a gallery when I got back to Taos. And, from the first time I met Ron, I knew I would help him market his writing. I had not even read it, but I knew it.

I spent six months working the gallery and writing pr and web content for Ron's book and Santiago's palette knife art. I also helped with the final edits on Ron's book, "Time of Triumph." My article about Ron and his life as a Route 66 icon was just published by Route 66 Magazine this month in their spring issue. The title of the article is "Fat Man and the Phoenix." As soon as I scan it, I'll post it here.

That brings us up to date and answers the question of what happened to 2007? Glad it's over, actually. I'm ready for 2008 and lots of newness.

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So long I've been immersed without a word to most of you. My two years in Taos have been powerful personal growth years. I've been learning much about myself in relationships. I've been learning more about how to avoid pitfalls and energy traps, mostly by falling into them and having to extricate myself afterward.

Last years, 2007, was a 9 universal year, a year of endings, completions, decisions about what you want and don't want in your life.

2008 is a universal 1 year. It is about new beginnings, fresh starts, new perspectives and fast track realizations. It is about making commitments that will last for the next 10 years. But, don't despair if new things come and go a bit, clarity does not come in a minute. But, by the end of this year, you will be much clearer about the track you're on.

Most of all, a 1 year is about focusing on yourself, your own healing, your own joy, your own success. It's time to pull your energy back into your own personal creation.

Spirit wants me to remind you that all that you intended to be and do is built into your body. There are time release bubbles within you that open when you're ready for them. There are old body memories that require release and hopefully you did a lot of that work last year.

No matter what the challenges are in your life, you have all the tools within you to meet them, complete them and exceed your wildest expectations. You are no longer fighting the endings that were forcing themselves on you last year. You can now take a deep breath, relax and refocus. There is love, power and joy inside you when you go deeper into your own inner universe and touch base with all that is YOU.

Oneness is the path this year. Recognize how strong you are, what you have survived, and use that energy now to thrive. I ask you again to ask yourself, "what do I love to do?" There is an answer to that question, but don't try to make it up, just ask it over and over and let the answers bubble up from your eternal well of creativity. The first few answers may be surface answers or society's expectations of you, but as you keep asking, new information will arise. The answers may surprise you, or they may remind you of what was there all along. Then, as a new friend of mine said, make a decision based on what bubbles up and feels powerful.

Get a loving friend to listen to the answers as they bubble up. Have them observe what lights you up. Remember, just because you can do something doesn't mean that's what you would "love" to do. You might have to learn a new skill, develop a new talent, get a new job, build a new business. But, if it's truly what you would "love" to do, it will not feel like work. It will bring you such joy that you will relish every moment pursuing it.

Since I've been in Taos, I have not done readings or counseling because I knew I needed to work on my own hidden agendas that were keeping me from my highest and best good and all my heart's and soul's desires. I've been taking the scenic route to do it, but many realizations have surfaced, and I'm now back in forward motion. I still don't feel the need to counsel others. I do feel the need to empower and re-empower them to work on their own issues and follow their bliss. I want playmates that are committed to being their own personal best. It's such a joy to have them in my life.

I have one such playmate in Taos. Her name is Elizabeth. She is an artist and a jazz singer, and she does both really well. And, she is so committed to her own growth. We have wonderful conversations, deep and connected and revealing and honest. I value that so much. And, she has good boundaries, and when mine slip too much, she reminds me that I need to take care of Sandy. I want to remind you all that you need to take care of yourself first and foremost. Then you will have the energy to share with others.

And, I remind you that connecting through joy instead of pain is the way to build a life for the future. Those that you connect with through pain will eventually grow away from you or you will grow away from them. When you move into your own joy, it will be almost intolerable to be with the pain of others. It's so easy to get stuck in pain and challenge, and not so easy to move beyond it, especially if you have surrounded yourself with people in pain. I believe this year will offer great joy to those who choose it, focus on it, work toward it and stay with it. Surround yourself with loving, supportive and joyful people.

This is also a year for reestablishing practices that support you. Whatever that is for you. For me, it is meditating, contemplating and writing. What is it for you? Yoga, Tai Chi, dancing, laughing, having parties? WHAT do you LOVE to do? What makes you feel strong, happy and supported? Do it, do it often, do it more. Embrace it.

Well, that's enough for now. It is my intention to share more this year. I hope you're all out there and still wanting to hear from me. I know I want to hear from you.

Also, I just signed up as a writing expert on www.selfgrowth.com. Check it out for your own services that you offer. I like it.

Have a great 2008 and wonderful new beginnings.

Take a Deep Breath and Have a Wonderful Year!

Merry Christmas from Taos, NM, Let it Snow, let it snow, let it snow

Christmas Sky and snow. See the angel in the clouds?
A road I drive down every day.

View from my back window.

My front yard.

Fairy Land.

Next door neighbors
My other neighbors
Next door to me.
The path to my little casita. I swept it clear with little broom.
Through my main window.

Mountains in the mist
Another mountain view from Pizanos, my favorite pizza place.
Piled up. No day for a picnic. Outdoors at Pizanos.
Amazing blue light of Taos.
Adobe wonderland.

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.

Lost in the White Out (March 2006)

I can hardly believe it has been a month since my last update, and so much has happened in that month that I can hardly believe it has only been a month. The experience of time being compressed and expanded at the same time has been a subject of discussion among my compadres, and I wonder how much you all out there are experiencing it. It almost has a sense of vertigo attached to it, like you can't tell what's up from what's down right now as it keeps rotating and flipping the energy.

The day after I wrote my last update, I got a confirmation that I needed to go back to Houston to finish a project I was working on and to meet someone I might do a big spiritual writing project with. After spending Valentine's Day at Valley View Hot Springs, one of my favorite feminine places on the planet, I passed through Crestone, CO, one of the most spiritual places on the planet, and met a woman named Electrum who owns the Shambala Cafe, and who needs a website to promote her whole Shambala Project (more on that later), ad I told her I'd come back after my trip to Houston and do that for her.

So, I departed Taos and Red River where I had been staying for three weeks after the Santa Fe Conference I attended and headed back to Houston. I did not take the scenic route this time. I took the fast route, and it was long, straight and boring, so I drove all night and arrived in Houston 20 hours later.

I had some very interesting things happen on the drive. Late at night, I passed through San Angelo, and as I topped a rise in the landscape, I could see a huge red, glowing circle up ahead. In my driving exhaustion stupor, I could not figure out what it was, but on getting closer, I discovered that large circular grove of trees was on fire. It was a spectacular blaze with coals flying everywhere in the high winds. I was mesmerized by the fire and could not understand how it could be so completely circular. It held the energy of a sacred sacrifice, and I honored the trees that shared their lives with us through food and then sacrificed themselves to the Winds of Change. It was a powerful experience.

Right after that, I took a wrong turn and ended up driving through a huge wind farm with about a thousand propeller turbines generating electricity. Each turbine had a blinking light on it to warn airplanes of its location, and they were not synchronized, so the experience of a thousand blinking lights in the middle of the night was somewhat psychedelic. I felt like I had been abducted and dropped in the middle of some crazy vision, but I was not sleeping, although I probably should have been. It was about 2:22 am at the time, and I had a hard time finding my way out of the maze, but I left it to Spirit and got back on track.

Trying to integrate that part of the experience, I felt like the Aquarian Age energy was asserting itself and showing me a metaphor for the process we're in right now. Everyone is somewhat confused, but mesmerized by the changes that are occurring, and yet, Spirit is still guiding us, and we will come out the other side with a sense of wonder, accomplishment and new energy when we have experienced, rested and assimilated the changes.

I spent two weeks in Houston, and I made the connection with Dr. Johnnie Lerma, a hospice doctor at Houston Hospice who is in the process of writing a book about people who have seen angels at the hospice as they exit. It's a wonderful and exciting project, and after meeting with him, we agreed to work on the book with me as the ghost writer for him. He tells me the stories, and I record them and then rewrite them as if he is telling the story. The angels got on board with me too, and when I wrote the first story, they gave me details that Johnnie had left out that needed to be in the story. It was very exciting. Also, Johnnie had been pretold that he would work with a woman who was living in New Mexico on this book, and that is where I was when our mutual friend, Claire, put us together. I am happily ensconced in writing this angel book now, and I can travel as much as I want and work with him over the phone. I bought this great little digital recorder that hols eight hours of voice discussions, so I use that to record the info, and then I just dump it into my computer and do the writing. The book should be ready for publishing in three months, and we have some very powerful connections for a publisher and agent for it. I affirmed that I wanted spiritual writing projects to fund this journey, and now they are coming in right and left. All in Divine Order. It is an exciting time for me.

After I left Houston, I went back to New Mexico to Red River for a week, then I knew I needed to go on up to Crestone to get the Shambala web project going. I rented a little room at Valley View where I could have access to the six beautiful hot pools while I wrote and made my Crestone connections. The night after I arrived, it began to snow, and I had always wanted to be in the steaming outdoor hot pools when it was snowy. It was a fire and ice experience as my hair frosted over with ice while I was warm and nurtured by the hot waters. There has been a great deal of polarity on this journey, and I'm sure many of you are facing your own black and white choices these days. Even the mountains look black and white once the snow coats them and the clouds shadow the rest of land that is not covered in white. I hope you all are noting the metaphors and images that are being shared with me by Spirit as I travel.

After a week at Valley View, I knew I needed to go back to Albuquerque to do some work with my friend Tom, so I set out last Sunday heading south, out of the cold weather, I thought. I hit a freak snow storm as I exited Colorado and got into New Mexico. I had spent two weeks drumming for snow for Red River's ski economy and for the other ski places in NM, and it finally hit with a vengeance. I could not believe it when I heard on the radio that a week of snow storms had dropped 28 to 32 inches in Red River.

Unfortunately for me, I was driving when one of the storms hit, and it was more than a little frightening. My little Mazda Protege is not equipped to handle heavy snow conditions, and at times the winds were so strong they blew me almost off the road. When I steered in the direction of the high winds, it would drop, and I skidded dangerously in the other direction. I was in white-out conditions for a while where you can see nothing except, if you're lucky, tracks on the road from previous cars traveling through the snow. You can't see the edge of the road or the center line, and there is no way to tell how deep the drops are off the edge of the road. I have to say it was the worst day on this journey for feeling out of control and in dangerous territory. I had no cell reception, and no radio broadcasts. It was just me, God and the angels of protection riding together that morning. I finally inched my way to Tres Piedres, the cutoff for Taos and I took it, hoping it was passable, but knowing at least I was headed toward civilization again. I recorded the journey on my little tape recorder, and you can really hear the tension in my voice. I'm not much for cold weather, and I was not equipped to trudge through deep snow in the event I left the road. Slowly, but surely, I could tell I would make it to Taos, and my friend, Madeline, who is in Houston but has a home in Taos, was happy to let me stay a few days to wait for better traveling weather.

I was able to finish some writing, and restore a friendship that needed mending while in Taos, and today I finally drove to Albuquerque, safely and with beautiful sunshine through the heavenly canyons between Taos, Santa Fe and Albuquerque. I am now happily ensconced at Tom's house with my email access restored and phone service workable.

I did several telephone readings during my journey, and some great integration work with people I met along the way. In a little place called Salida, CO, I spent time at Sacred Grounds, a cool little Internet cafe with an owner who is an angel artist. The angels are certainly on board with me during this journey, and my spiritual teacher, Kip Davidson, who is on the other side, would be proud of me for staying so connected to what he taught me.

That's all I can tell you for now. And, for a month, I think that's quite enough. I'm tired, had a 3-hour nap today, got my car serviced, and now I plan to relax after catching up on email.

Stay tuned - I'll write more soon. There will be more info about my process of sacred relationship, but I'm processing so much, I have to integrate it before I can share it.

Love, light and angel support for all.

sandy penny
sandy@writingmuse.com

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Journey update february 2006

Journey Update 02-14-06

Finally, an update from me. It has been an intense time with so much going on and yet, it’s a feeling that time is both compressed and expanded. Time seems to stand still for a while, then to explode with activity, guidance and movement. I’m very much forced to live in the moment.

When I last wrote, impossibly, only a month ago, I was leaving Albuquerque after completing the editing project for the TOSA group, www.selfascension.com. The book is 2012, You Have a Choice. You can order it from the website. That went well and funded the next segment of the journey. This trip was destined to be funded by spiritual writing and editing projects from the beginning, That’s the energy it was born on when I was meditating back in June and received the vision of me and my Beloved. I am happy to say that the energy continues to radiate and draw work to me.

I spent a little over a week in Santa Fe, and I attended the International Conference on Ascension, Sacred Sexuality and Shamanism. I was able to attend as a writer, and I’ll be writing later about the subject of Sacred Relationship and Sacred Partnership with all that I’ve been learning. I’m having a crash course so I’ll be ready for my Beloved.

When I left Santa Fe, I moved to Taos for a while, and I’m still there right now, but my time here is growing short. I’m waiting now for the guidance on where I need to go next. There is a possibility of making a return trip to Houston soon for a project, but that is not fully formed yet. I did get to do one major editing project while in Taos for an old client, but it’s not a spiritual writing project, it’s a training book, but it is helping support me. I am missing doing readings, integrations and healings though, and my Houston clients are calling me for appointments when I return.

The scenery up here is very inspiring to me this trip. I’ve been to Taos before, but I was somehow oblivious to the beauty of the mountains. I have driven up to Red River many times during this stay, which is an hour drive up into the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and it looks like an old mining town. It’s one of the well-known ski areas up here, but lack of snow has made everyone’s life more challenging. Looks like the east coast is getting it all right now. I hear that there are ten men for every woman in Red River, so ladies, if you’re looking for a laid-back mountain man, take a little trip to Red River and see if you feel a connection. I had a great time going dancing the other night.

I have been exploring a relationship with a man that I initially thought might be my Beloved, but there are many issues to work out if that kind of connection is to develop, and it’s a mass of contradictions. More on that when I sort out the details.

The full moon in the mountains was exceptionally powerful for me, and my emotions all surfaced for processing. Anyone else having that experience? The energy is intense right now, and hard to pin down. It starts off in one direction and takes a decided turn just as you get your bearings. I’m dealing with my own confusion, and I continue to try a refocus so that I can gain clarity as I proceed on my journey. That’s the update for now. I will let you all know if I go back to Houston for those who are there and want to see me. I will schedule a couple of events and email invites to all the Houston crowd.

If anyone wants a telephone reading, I’m happy to arrange that if you call my cell phone, 870-656-0812 and leave a message if you don’t get me. I can also do readings by email if you have specific questions you want to address. I need support on my journey, and I’m open to whatever will do that.

If it seems like it’s a long time between updates, it’s because I’m in the middle of the process. It’s hard to write it down until I have time to stop and think about everything. Thanks for your good wishes and loving support as I go along.

Keep moving in the direction of your guidance, your passion, and your Beloved. Know that All is Well. All is Well. All is Well (the mantra for now).

Happy Valentine’s Day, love to all.

sandy penny
sandy@writingmuse.com

Journey Update - 1/12/2006

Journey Update

As most of you know, I left on my journey to find my new life vision including my new love on Nov. 1. I spent a lovely month at the top of an Arkansas mountain, doing some work with the land and the crystal vortexes and the wonderful woman who owns this sacred land.

Just before Thanksgiving, I knew I had to go visit my daughter for Thanksgiving and see her before she left for Washington DC for her new life and new job. I also had to attend a talk by Lama Ole, an old friend and Diamond Way Buddhist leader in Austin right after Thanksgiving. I had to complete some old energy that was keeping my vision at a distance. After doing that, I returned to Houston for 11 days before going to Lake Whitney to attend a wedding for a dear friend of mine at the Chapel of Light on Dec. 10.

During those 11 days, I did readings and replenished my money for the travels a little bit. I also connected back into a huge real estate project that is a third dimensional manifestation of the Crystal City. Many of you have experienced the Crystal City and know what a wonderful energetic project this will be. I’m channeling a lot of information for this project that will take Houston from the old Piscean Age energy of a fossil fuel city to a dynamic crystal technology city of the future. It’s a huge project with many facets, and if any of you feel connected to the project or that you have a piece of information about it, please email me with details. Right now, the originator of the project is seeking a big money developer to fund the vision. If you have any ideas about who this is and how to draw this investor into the deal, please let me know. There will be lots of opportunity for light workers to bring their talents into this project and in the long run be compensated for it. It’s a big mission, and all those involved will recognize their pieces. This is a call to bring them to the table now.

After the Scottish wedding at the Chapel of Light, a reactivation of the energy there, and a great weekend with friends, I returned to Houston, uncertain of my next step on the journey. Then I got sick as a result of burning up a vacuum cleaner at the Chapel of Light and breathing toxic black smoke. So, I had to take an extra week to recuperate in Houston. I did that, still uncertain of the next step, and just as I began to feel better, I got a hit that I needed to go to Albuquerque. I checked it out with the I-Ching, and there was a tremendous amount of energy in it. All the energy of my vision showed up in the reading. I was very happy about this. I called my friend Tom who moved to Albuquerque from Houston last year with my encouragement. I didn’t know how important that recommendation would be to my own journey, but that’s the way Spirit works.

The drive to Albuquerque was incredible. Other than a few hours of intense fog near the Texas/New Mexico border, it was beautiful weather, and beautiful scenery. As I drove through the fog, I played a cd called "Music to Disappear In." Anything to amuse myself, and it made me laugh. Just as I hit the New Mexico border, I tried my radio, and there was no reception, but I pressed the search button, and suddenly a song played that was a direct message from the man in my vision. It said something like, "I know the road is long, but your faith is strong, and we’ll be together soon. You’re headed toward a new life." I repeated the search three times and each time received a message that was different, but had a similar context. One said, "You out there on the road, listen to your heart." Another was a discussion of sacred relationships. Very powerful.
I stopped in Roswell for the night and reconnected with my old friend, Margaret Rustan. We had a nice visit, and then I drove the complete scenic route to Albuquerque. It was beautiful. I felt myself getting closer and closer to my vision and my love.

I am so grateful to Tom for all his kindness and support on this journey, opening his home, feeding me, making me coffee, encouraging me, and acknowledging my unconventional life without judgment. The day after arriving in Albuquerque, Tom gave me a book called "Sacred Union." The authors’ names sounded very familiar in an old way, from the Sun Temples of Atlantis and the temples of Egypt (Sri Ram Kaa and Kira Raa, names they reclaimed through Archangelic messages). Also, their book was the story of them finding each other and knowing that they were each other’s "beloved" just like the journey I’m on. I felt very connected to them, and I sent them an email. They responded inviting me to come to their New Year’s Eve day channeling and gathering at their TOSA ranch (Temple of Self Ascension) in the East Mountains near Albuquerque. I also happened to mention that I was an editor in case they were writing another book and needed help with it. They responded that they were indeed completing their 2nd book in their series, and needed layout help. I said I could do that too, and after the channeling on Dec. 31, we proceeded to work on their new book, "2012: You Have a Choice." It’s quite powerful, and very much in alignment with information I’ve been receiving for some time. If you’re interested in their work, explore their site: www.selfascension.com. At their gathering, I found that many people have been getting visions of their beloved and have left their homes in search of the vision. Pretty amazing. I’m not the only one.

I have not yet found my beloved, but one of my dear friends told me she dreamed of me the other day and in the dream, I phoned her and said, "I found my beloved on the mountaintop and his name is Jim." She said I was curled up next to him by a fire, and that he looked sort of like a Paul Bunyan type. I like that. My time in Albuquerque is done now, and I’m leaving Saturday for Santa Fe. If anyone has connections I can make in Santa Fe, please let me know. I drove up there (only an hour away) this week and connected with the lady I’ll be staying with, a friend of a friend in Houston, and we had a nice connection. I also visited with Daniel Valdez, an artist I was connected with ten years ago on another special journey, and he has some work I can do to help him with his art store. I’m looking forward to the next phase, and I know I’m getting very close to my beloved. It’s like some crazy scavenger hunt, but I’m doing some really good work along the way with many people, too much information to put into this email, but suffice it to say that I feel I’m exactly where I need to be at the exact time I need to be there.

If anyone wants a telephone reading, I’m happy to arrange that. I can also do readings by email if you have specific questions you want to address. I need support on my journey, and I’m open to whatever will do that. Email your questions to me and I'll do what I can to help as I know you will for me.

If it seems like it’s a long time between updates, it’s because I’m in the middle of the process. It’s hard to write it down until I have time to stop and think about everything. Thanks for your good wishes and loving support as I go along. I hope 2006 is beginning well and continues to get better and better for all of you.
I wish you all your heart’s and soul’s desires, and that if you have not yet found your beloved, that you find him/her very soon. It’s time to create sacred partnerships and be joyful. Know that All is Well. All is Well. All is Well (the mantra for now).


sandy penny: sandy@writingmuse.com
www.writingmuse.com

A new year, a new age, a new business strategy

To honor the new year, I wanted to share the information on new age business and entrepreneurship, loosely based my recent interview with Claire Papin. It's something to think about for your future, and I hope it will be informative and helpful in making decision about how to handle the changes and challenges we are all faced with now.

I am currently in Albuqueruqe, NM, staying with a friend, and I have just made contact with old friends from the Sun Temples of Atlantis. This is the culmination of five years of knowing there was a group waiting for me, and that they would know me when we meet, and we would work together on many common goals, using my writing, design work and spirituality. It's wonderful to make this connection. I expect to meet my beloved very soon and see the manifestation of the vision I had this past June that sent me on this journey. What a wonderful time it is for me. I wish all of you much success and joy in this new year. The Angel of Infinity asks me to tell you that is time for the re-creation and recreation for they are one and the same. It's time to put joy back in to daily work and to make it the play that it originally was. Namaste.


The New Age of Entrepreneurship
The Transformation of Business

A dialogue between Claire Papin, It’s All Good on Sirius Satellite Radio and www.lime.com online radio, December 2005.

Intro bio: Today’s guest, Sandy Penny, is a visionary, a highly intuitive spiritual advisor, an accomplished entrepreneur and a published magazine author. She has built businesses from the ground up with little or no up-front investment, incorporating her creativity, lifestyle interests, and spirituality into unique expressions of her authentic self. Sandy has been a graphic designer, a marketing and financial writer for fortune 100 companies, and the publisher of two newspapers, The Rising Sun, the first metaphysical journal in Houston, Texas, and Family and Friends, a resource journal for kids and parents. Currently reinventing herself as a marketing consultant and inspirational speaker for New Age and spiritual businesses, she is traveling the world and developing material for several upcoming writing projects.

People talk about the New Age and the Aquarian Age all the time, but very few people talk about those terms in concrete ways. Can you define those terms for us?

There are many casual references to New Age people and thought and the Age of Aquarius, but few discuss it in a practical way. The "Old Age" was called the Piscean Age, and the fish was its symbol. It corresponds to the sign of Pisces on the cosmic astrological calendar. Our world has moved from the energy of the Piscean Age into the Aquarian Age, also called The New Age.

What was the Piscean Age about?

The Piscean Age was associated with the experience of hierarchy, structure, power and control, deep emotion and addiction - and the positive outcome of addressing the inherent lessons is to master the ability to build lasting structures while honoring the earth and the people who help build and sustain the structures. There are many extremes offered in the Piscean Age, drug, alcohol, work and relationship addictions. All that and more was readily available for us to choose. Once the planet moves out of a cycle, the lessons of that sign are no longer appropriate, even if we have not mastered them. The energy shifts into new patterns, and the old structures begin to break down so the energy can be used to build the new age structures. We have been witnessing that breakdown of the old age since the 1960s, slowly moving through the dawning of the Age of Aquarius into the full onset of Aquarian power.

How does the Aquarian Age differ from the Piscean Age?
Aquarius is the water bearer. It is heralded by events concerning wind and water – like hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, and as a complementary energy, fires that are spread by the wind. In the past few years and this year in particular, the transformation has become more intense, and few people have escaped experiencing it or at least feeling it in some way. The impact has been to bring up all the old Piscean karmic issues for us to look at because as a famous TV therapist says, "You can’t change what you don’t acknowledge." We have the opportunity to make significant growth and change at times like this. We can integrate the lessons of the old age and embrace the challenges of the new one. The good news is that a great deal of energy has been freed up for us to use in new and different ways, ways that are in harmony with the new energy of Aquarius. For those who resist change, events of wind, water and fire will free them from old attachments and create radical change. However, we can make mindful decisions about change, using our intuition and inner guidance, prior to being forced into a change by external circumstances.

What are the attributes of the Aquarian energy?
The sign of Aquarius includes what I call the four Cs: communication, cooperation, creativity and community. These are the challenges and the areas that will offer the best opportunities for success and growth for the next couple of thousand years. The internet is the ultimate symbol for the Aquarian Age. It offers instant world wide communication, the ability to build and change communities and businesses quickly and to respond to changes as they occur. It also offers the opportunity for a great deal of creativity and cooperation as a result of the connections it offers globally and the marketing strategies available to businesses.

How do these attributes affect us on a personal and business level?

On a personal level, we have seen how the internet offers us the opportunity to connect with people all over the world, to communicate, to cooperate, to date and just as easily to shut down that communication instantly if we choose. It offers us the ability to live in remote locations and access a global marketplace, to order what we need and have it shipped to us from all over this planet.
In the same way, the world of business is changing just as fast as the World Wide Web these days. The traditional business model with its hierarchal structure is giving way to the flatter, more fluid nuclear model that can respond quickly to new trends and plug in experts at all levels and phases of a project. Business owners and executives have to be thinking on their feet all the time and learning new skills and technologies. The days of the big behemoth companies are numbered, and their dinosaur bones will fuel the new economy as oil fueled the old one. Even Wall Street now offers a sustainability index so people can choose companies that are focused on what will make them last, like good environmental policies, employee ownership and commitment to fiscal health.

We have been seeing many of those changes in business recently, and there seem to be a lot of people out of jobs these days. Why is that and what does the New Age offer us in the way of financial support?

"To paraphrase W.E. Butler, a spiritual person serves by what he is, not just by what he does. In other words, there is no mandate for spiritual people to subjugate themselves to a collective ideal of servitude, for their very existence is a conduit by which spirit enters into and transforms society, no matter how subtle and unnoticed it may be."

What I mean by using that quote is that the jobs of the past that we have lost recently are not coming back in the same numbers, and rather than worry about what kind of jobs we will have, we have to refocus our attention on small businesses that offer us the opportunity to use the four Cs: communication, cooperation, creativity and community. We have to become more self-sustaining instead of depending on large businesses to support us. The days of the lifetime job and retirement after 30 years are gone. The energy of the Aquarian Age will not support that structure.

More good news is that it offers us the chance to evaluate the lifestyle and work choices we have made and to consciously choose something that brings us joy, challenges us, and expresses our creativity. We all have strengths and activities that we love that can be converted into money-making ventures once we accept that we can truly be paid to do what we love.

What kind of business ventures do you think will thrive in this new business world?

Anything centered around communication, radio, TV, all media will thrive. Entertainment ventures will become more and more desirable, computer games, more complex cell phones that can do so many things, creative movie making, travel, ethnically diverse foods, clothing and cultural events. All creative ventures: writing, painting, sculptures, music, photography. Personal service businesses like massage, personal trainers, meditation, yoga and tai chi instructors, nutritional counseling, alternative healing and preventive medicines. Unique and excellent organic products like coffees, teas, wines, canned food items. Environmentally sound products of all kinds. Non-violent toys, educational items and entertainment for children. And, there are so many things that have not been thought of or invented yet: light and sound technologies for healing, experiential homes and office buildings, so many wonderful changes that can occur if we continue on our current path.

So many people think humanity is headed down the path of destruction, how do you respond to that?

Well, I like to point them to research that was done more than ten years ago identifying the fastest growing market in the western world. It was originally called Cultural Creatives, and over ten years ago, it was calculated at around 35% of market share, and now has grown to more than 50% market share. The interest and personality factors identified in this group of people include concern for the environment, focus on community and cooperation, interest in cultural diversity in friends, food and entertainment, commitment to personal and spiritual growth, and a desire for peaceful coexistence including religious and racial tolerance. This is the market for the New Aquarian businesses, and it’s a huge market with a potential to thrive in ways we’ve never seen on this planet, good ways.

With encouraging numbers like that, why do you think so many people have a negative take on what is happening in the world?

At the same time that this number is growing, the aspects of our culture that need to change are aggressively asserting themselves in an attempt to preserve their own existence. The old age is struggling to hang on, even though it is destined to disappear. I believe that because most people are inherently good, there is a morbid fascination with our shadow side, and that’s why the media often focuses on the negative events that are happening. There is more drama and dynamic tension in what’s wrong with the world, and a bad habit of trying to get attention for negativity has created a perception that we are all bad. I think it is our very goodness that makes us fascinated with what is bad. We can hardly believe such horrible things are possible for human beings, because, for most of us they are not possible. And so we gawk at the three-headed chicken because it’s a curiosity.

How can we shift this habitual negativity?

We can just begin focusing on what is good in our life and putting our energy into projects that move us forward. We can consciously choose to work on our own negativity. We can refuse to watch violence and ask for more positive programming and support businesses and products that are environmentally friendly. We can vote with our dollars and express our opinions when people are running their fear and negativity. We can offer suggestions to people in our lives on how they can help support a world they choose instead of one that is forced upon them or accepted by default. Everything we do is a choice, even the act of not choosing is a vote for the status quo. We have to claim our power and put it into action. We’re creating a new world for ourselves and our children. We have the power to make it better. We can create, communicate, cooperate and build sustainable community. It’s a powerful opportunity, and we have everything we need to move in the direction of Utopia if we just let go of our fears and focus our power and energy in a forward thinking direction. This is the time of choosing and creating. Use it well.

What advice do you have for those in the throes of change and challenge who don’t understand what is happening?

I urge them to assess their skills and talents and to evaluate what brings them joy in their lives and then to look at how to turn that into a business. Make sure it is something you want to do as a business. Many don’t want to use their arts for money-making. They want to retain that as a joy-bringing experience only, and that’s fine. I also urge you to look beyond logic and let go of the limitations of what you think you can do and beyond what you think will make money. Also, look beyond what you think you deserve. Move into the realm of possibility and dreams. Whether we ever allow ourselves to look at them, we all have dreams. We all have vision of what our lives can be. We have to get in touch with them. That is where our mission lives. It lives in our imagination, and imagination is the meeting ground of heaven and earth. It is the realm where creativity reigns supreme. It is also where our personal wants and desires meet the collective unconscious and find points of connection that allow us to serve the greater good while serving our individual wants and needs. If you ask any spiritual person what they want to do, they always want to serve humanity in some way. And if you ask them their greatest challenge, they almost always say: making financial ends meet, paying bills and providing for their daily needs. If you combine those two, you have a winning combination for a successful business venture: serve the greater good while meeting your personal needs.
What are some ways we can do that?

You can get help from life and business coaches to clarify and focus your vision and create goals. You can meditate and ask for an idea that incorporates the aspects of your life that you want to fulfill. For instance, sit quietly and pray or think about what you want a business to do for you. Don’t say, make money. That’s an overlay. What you want may be to meet your financial obligations, to provide extras like vacations and upgrades to your home and lifestyle, joy in your daily endeavors, utilize a particular set of skills and talents you already have, bring together a harmonious group of people to work with. Things like that, whatever it is for you. You have to delve into your innermost wants and desires, and discard things like power and control over other people. That’s also an overlay, and you want to find out why you feel powerless and controlled by others if that comes up. You may need someone like a therapist or a new age counselor to help you sort out the emotional pieces and identify your true heart and soul desires. Once you do that, ask the Universe or Spirit or God to offer you an idea that exactly meets those heart and soul desires. You may not even have to identify them. You may just have to connect deeply with you inner self and ask for the solution. You’ll recognize it when you get it, and then you have to have the courage to act on it. Don’t discount it and talk yourself out of it. Take steps in the direction of creating it. If you don’t know the steps, ask in meditation or pray for the steps to take, then follow them. It’s always your choice to take the steps or discount them, but you will find your joy mounting as you move forward. That is the sign that you are moving in the right direction.

Will you always succeed if you do this?

It depends on how you measure success. I believe that no experience is wasted, and that every step we take leads us closer to our highest and best reality, so even if it looks like a failure in society’s eyes, take what you learn and keep moving in the direction of your happiness. The experiences, the synchronicities, the magic that will occur will bring you great joy. And that joy is what makes life worth living. We are creating a new age society that is more honoring of people, animals and the earth system; more ethical and more accepting of diversity and creativity. It’s exciting.

What will you do with this great opportunity?

From Gaye on Norfolk Island...

I've read and re-read and I think it was more the energy that came off your words as I read it this morning. On re-reading, it swamped me again and it's so huge that I'll try to give you an idea but I don't know if it'll come through.

Your sitting there, waiting for a hurricane to strike (for God's sake girl!) and processing information, emotional etc as you wait. Pink jeans and all.

"Take a good hard look at yourself".
"Rethink your life"
"If you don't like what's outside, look inside"
"examining my life"
"what have you hidden from yourself"
"process of spiritual analysis"
"focus positive energy"
"claim your power"
"express it"

I knew I wouldn't be able to do it. It's almost as if a conscious part of myself was sent over to you with my energies, and I went through a whole heap of emotional stuff over the weekend but sat back and observed rather than jumping into it. I was still in that space when I read your email this morning and it was so positive, so uplifting, and all from someone who was sitting out a hurricane!!!!!! It just seemed bigger than Ben Hur in that moment. Actually. It still does.

I'd like to take a minute and share something with you though. On Tuesday morning I had a powerful push to put an Advertisement in The Norfolk Islander, and that's a scary thing for me, but it was so powerful that I simply sent them an Ad, saying

Spiritual Readings Flagstaff, Kingston
Are you feeling stuck in old patterns and wish to rewrite your script?
Is your head swirling with new energies, and are fears crippling you?
Gaye is a Norfolk Islander, artist, author and mystic. At her home overlooking Kingston she offers readings, spiritual healings, crystal layouts, balancing and cleansing of chakra’s followed by down to earth discussion.
Bookings essential

No other info. Opened the Islander on Saturday evening and there's a quarter page Ad, two pages in from the front! I gasped. Shrank. Then screamed with laughter and thought, Boy oh Boy, I bet the Big Boys are just dancing in delight and saying to each other, "Wait, wait, she's opening the paper, she'll see it in a minute and will simply DIE!!!!" What a scream. Now that is a real universal joke. I sit now and wait for the consequences to roll in.

That's what I meant when I said that you've taken me beyond my normal little world and allowed me to share something, so big, so vast, that it would change my life! It was already happening. It's been happening to me since my first email to you. Is it a carry on for the love I feel for you and the encouragement and support I wanted to give you! Is it in the giving that I'm receiving. I feel that it is. I feel that I don't often genuinely want to GIVE of myself. I have no idea what I'm going on about. It's a huge change. I'm lovin it.

Love n Light, Ease and Grace, AIDO -- Gaye on Norfolk Island