Is it Bad to be a Spiritual Jack of All Trades?

Why is it that we often think those who offer many different skills and talents are somehow lacking something? Do we really think that only those who specialize in one spiritual skill or practice are better at it than others?
This is an old paradigm and should be discarded as we grow, evolve, and change. We can acquire gifts, talents and skills to use in every aspect of our lives for ourselves and to help others. I do believe it’s meant for us to develop all our skills and use them in our lives first and share them as needed. This is another paradigm that some people hold, that you can’t use your skills to help yourself. How did that get started? 
The skills and talents we exhibit at the early stages of our development get mastered as we receive them, use them and teach them. Then we are open to learning a new set of skills and connecting with another talent, gift or level of our Self.
When I first began my conscious spiritual path, I was interested in developing my psychic, intuitive and ESP skills because they were already active, and I did not know we could develop them further. So, that fascinated me. After studying ways to access those skills, using them in practice groups and getting feedback on my accuracy, I was encouraged to use what I had learned to help other people. So I began doing public readings, first at Psychic Fairs and Rennaissance Festivals, and then privately.I honed these skills to a level of mastery. Then I began teaching others to access and develop their own intuitive natures.
Now, I use psychic skills in my everyday life, my businesses and with everyone I meet if they ask me a question or pose a challenge that requires these skills. I focus less on promoting this level of my intuition now, but that does not mean it is gone or out of practice. What it means is that I have mastered the skills and integrated them into who I am. I have brought that aspect of my higher self into everything I do. I am a psychic and visionary. We all can be.
Then I began studying healing techniques. While working with healing, I encountered one of my deceased grandmothers who was a healer, and she helped me get better in tune with my natural healing abilities that were passed down through our bloodline. I also studied Reiki, created a healing laboratory inside myself with Silva Mind Control and developed my xray vision into human bodies. I became an open and conscious conduit for universal healing energies and wisdom.
I even channeled an herbal doctor who taught me about the healing properties and mystical uses of herbs. To appease my mind about what I was being given to tell people, I studied herbs and nutrition and mystical texts about herbs. I rapidly discovered that everything I was told had been documented to be effective and on track. So, I began to trust the power of the channels of healing that I had opened. And so, I am a healer. I also applied those skills in my own life to my body and for my children. However, I did not choose to promote myself as a healer. That does not mean that my skills are any less powerful than someone who is a known alternative health provider. It simply means that I have integrated it into my life and use it as needed. I am a healer. We all can be.
Then I began to work more consciously with channeling beings from other planes of existence. At first, it seemed so amazing that some high level unseen being was giving me wisdom to share with others. We often give more credence to the unseen than to the seen beings in our lives. That too is an old paradigm. We all have wisdom to share. And, we can only contact beings at a level close to our personal frequency. Many of these beings are our peers, but we are told that we should be humble, so we give credit to the other beings and never acknowledge our ability to reach higher and grow at leaps and bounds.
If we buy into this paradigm, we stunt our growth and keep ourselves beneath some other being. We can all talk to the angels and ascended masters and receive messages from them, if we trust what we hear. The truth is that we are all One, that anything anyone can know, be or do, we can know, be or do if we allow it, if we open up to it, if we accept it as our true nature. There is no need to hide your wisdom behind a veil of humility. That is a paradigm of fear, the fear that we won’t be loved if we are different, smarter, wiser, or more talented. And yet, those who excel are admired and recognized for their gifts. It’s a paradox, I like to say a pair of ducks.
Love who you truly are, allow your light to shine. Stop pretending you don’t know your own strength and power and step up in your life. This is the way we will change the world, by everyone doing what they love, being who they are, and recognizing and owning their own mastery.
I am a healer, teacher, psychic, mystic, writer, channel and a unique expression of divinity. Am I less skilled because I have mastered many levels of my spiritual abilities? I think not, and you do not have to focus on one thing your whole life to master it, unless you want to and choose to. As soon as you believe you can master something, you are halfway there. Everything else will line up to guide the mastery from the highest level of being that you are, your own divinity.

New Spiritual Articles on SandyPenny.com

by Sandy Penny
In honor of my 60th Birthday, I just posted a bunch of new articles on my website. Check it out and see if any of the titles appeal to you. Also, below is the newsletter I just sent to my subscribers:
Just to catch everyone up, I traveled to Houston last July to do a corporate project. Then I spent five months in Florida reconnecting with family members. My brother got his second heart transplant. What are the chances?  Then I headed back to Taos, and found things were not working out the way I would like them to. I was frustrated and in a very low state, so I went up to Loveland CO to visit my friends, Claire and Robear. With their help and Jeannine Grahn's help (my psychic/healer friend from Taos), I began to regain a sense of balance and purpose.
I was told by my guides that I should focus on my writing and I would be supported. So, I took their advice and began working on my new website, sandypenny.com. That name had been taken for years, but I always wanted it, and I just checked one day and found it was available. Check it out when you get a chance.
On Aug. 9, I left to go to Albuquerque to visit my friend Tom with whom I've stayed before when things were still forming. I had no idea where I was headed next. It’s not always easy or comfortable to leap empty-handed into the void as you follow your guidance.
Early this week, my friend Mary Martha from Houston called to tell me a friend of a friend was in need of a roommate near Albuquerque. I knew immediately that this was it, but I still had my fears. I went out to meet Nathan Main, who used to live in Houston and who is a renowned healer who does energy clearings and many other metaphysical practices. We hit it off immediately, and he had been told that a spiritual person would show up, the right person, and to wait for that to happen. He knew right away that I was the one he was waiting for.
So, today, the day after my 60th birthday, I moved into his wonderful home to share the house for a year and then check in with our guidance. He said he could introduce me to all kinds of people, and that has already started. Things are going great, but the darkest hour was just before the dawn. I feel so relieved to be settling into a great place to write, do readings and healings and once again to facilitate classes in my home. It's great.
While I was packing today to make the move, I was inspired to write an article titled "Myths of Being Psychic." Click the link to go to my site and read it. There are other articles there as well, and on an audio meditation page, you can listen to several of my meditations recorded in my voice.
Thanks to all of you for being patient with me. And, if things have been dragging for you, know that whenever good things are happening to those around you, if you keep the faith, you will be next.
I look forward to hearing from you. I always love your comments.
On my site, I also have spiritual business articles and in addition to my visionary writing services, I am now offering readings, healings, spiritual business consulting, lessons in creating a free website, and integrations by phone or in person.

Click here for Sandy Penny's Website for Spiritual Articles & Tools

Can Psychic Skills Improve Your Business?

By Sandy Penny, http://sandypenny.com
The first time I used my psychic skills in a business setting I was 24 and working as Secretary to the Dean at the Christ Church Cathedral in Houston, Texas. I had just finished reading “Think and Grow Rich,” by Napoleon Hill, and I was eager to try out the techniques he gave for creating what you want in life. I felt it would be as life changing for me as reading “The Power of Positive Thinking,” when I was 10 years old. At the same time, I was very concerned for my friend T who was out of work, depressed and looking for something new in her life. I knew I wanted a business, but I did not know what kind or how my skills would be most useful. So, I outlined my program to attract a business idea.
My first affirmation that I repeated many times before I went to bed was, “I attract to me and recognize an opportunity to create a business that uses all my skills, and supports me in doing what I love.” I wrote it down, put it on my mirror and read it while I brushed my teeth. I put it on my fridge and read it every time I opened the door. I put it on my visor in my car, and read it when I drove. At the same time, one of my activities before going to sleep was to send out good energy for family and friends. So, I affirmed that T would find work that she loved that would excite her and bring her more joy in her life. I repeated this every night for a couple of weeks. One night I dreamed that I had a new business. I didn’t see what it was, but I felt very strongly that my program had reached my subconscious mind, and was now feeding back the program to my conscious mind. I was excited by that, and it has since become a way of knowing when my program is working
Two weeks after I began my program, I was at work one day hosting the Lunchtime in the Garden program that I created to help the Cathedral draw more people to the church. A man I knew from my community theater group, where I had also met T, came into the courtyard. I didn’t really know him very well, but when he saw me, he made a beeline over to where I was. He began pacing back and forth as if something were bothering him. I said, “Are you OK?” “Well,” he scratched his head as he continued, “I don’t exactly know how to begin this conversation.” “OK,” I said, having no idea what was up with him, “I’ve found it’s best just to jump in.” “Well, all right then,” he said hesitantly. “I had a dream last night about a new business. I saw myself creating a business using local acting talent and musicians, and writing and marketing targeted scripts and stage productions to businesses. I can’t for the life of me figure out why. I’m a lawyer, and I have no desire for a new business, hell, I can’t even write. But when I saw you, a feeling came over me that I was supposed to tell you about it. I don’t know why, it just was kind of overwhelming.” “Hmmm,” I said, “That’s really interesting. I've been sending out vibes to attract a new business idea.” “Well, you can have this one if you want it," he said, "Maybe I can get it off my mind if you take it.” “OK, I’ll think it over. Thanks. I really appreciate it.”
Stunned by the odd conversation and its relationship to my program, I wondered if someone could just walk up to you and give you an answer with no knowledge of the question beforehand. What a concept. I was game to explore the idea though, and that’s a key, being willing to take the next step when you recognize a synchronicity. A couple of nights later, I visited T and told her about this strange meeting. She said, “I’ve often tried to think of a way to better use local talent.” Then she looked at me wide eyed and exclaimed, “Oh wow, you could write the scripts, and I could manage the productions. We could do this together. And, I’ve even got the name for it, “PenniWell Productions, a combination of our last names. I had not seen her so excited in a long time. It hit me that Houston being the oil and gas capital of the world, everyone would recognize PenniWell as associated with the oil and gas publishing company. We wouldn’t have to say we were connected, there would just be a subliminal name recognition.
So, we began, and it was amazing how we could get access to top level executives with just a phone call. They all seemed to think they had heard of us. Soon, we had clients, and I wrote my first play, “The Toys’ First Christmas,” for the opening of Greenspoint Mall. It was the mall’s first Christmas, and this was a 15-minute puppet show that could be performed in during the Christmas season to draw more shoppers. It was fun, and it was a hit. I even made the puppets. We went on to create roasts for company executives, awards ceremonies for sales groups and scripts for trade show models. After a while, we both felt it was time to move on, and I began managing a secretarial service.
After five years managing the service, I was bored and ready for a change. I had also gotten very immersed in metaphysical studies and wanted to do something that incorporated more of that lifestyle into my daily life, and my inner entrepreneur was begging to be set free. So, it was time to write a new program. Once again, I didn’t know what kind of business to start, so here’s how the program went: “I am creating a business that uses all the skills I like to use, my graphic design background, my writing, my spirituality, that serves the greater good and supports me and my son with enough money to live our comfortable lifestyle.”
At the time, that included a car note, car insurance, daycare, health insurance, a house note, all the utilities required to support a home, and of course, food, clothing and entertainment for me and my son. Also, I wanted to start my business before the end of the year, and I had no money to invest. It was September when I wrote the program. My programming techniques had evolved through further studies, and instead of just repeating and repeating, I visualized having this business in a meditative state. One day I heard in meditation, “You are the daughter of the Rising Sun and this shall be your symbol.” I asked what that meant, and heard, “You’ll know when to use it.”
Around Thanksgiving, I was doing readings at a psychic fair, having now recognized my psychic abilities and developed them through the Chapel of Prayer with Eleanor Button and many others. Attendance was down, and it seemed that everyone was complaining that now that the “Common Ground” metaphysical events calendar was no longer being published, there was nowhere to advertise events and classes. Attendees at the fair were saying they missed knowing what was going on. Twenty people must have come up to me and repeated the same thing.
Suddenly, a light bulb went on over my head, and it was like hitting the jackpot on a slot machine, ding, ding, ding, ding. A simple thought formed in my head, “I could do that.” And then, “Wow, I could do that.” I spoke with Eleanor Button about it, and she was very excited and encouraging. But, I had never started a newspaper, and I didn’t know quite where to begin. Obviously, a newspaper would let me use my graphic design skills, my writing, my sales experience, everything on my list, but would it support me?
Eleanor had an old copy of “Common Ground,” and I took it home with me. I was inspired to call their phone number to see who answered and just talk to them about starting something new. I reached Catherine Shugert. She was their answering service, and owner of Pilgrim’s Path Bookstore. She said, “Come over and meet me, and let’s see what we can do.” Obviously, she also needed a place to advertise her bookstore. It turned out that she had the entire client list and was the person who called clients for advertising. She gave me the list and said she’d love to be my answering service. She became that and much more to me, one of my longest term spiritual teachers and a lifetime friend.
After browsing through a stack of old “Common Grounds,” it became apparent that I would need to add some articles to expand interest, and because I wanted to write them. This could provide me the opportunity to meet every spiritual teacher in Houston and get to know what they were offering. It became my fast track to spiritual growth. Then I realized that obviously the “Common Ground” was not meeting its community’s needs if it went out of business while clients were begging for a place to advertise. How could I find out what they wanted that they were not getting? I wrote a few articles and borrowed some ads from the old paper and made up a dummy of what I planned to offer. I knew the name had to be “The Rising Sun” from my earlier meditation.
I then got the brilliant idea to call every advertiser and invite them to a party to discuss creating a new community newspaper to serve them better. About 50 people came to the party, and by the end of the gathering, I had sold enough ads in this non-existent newspaper to pay for printing the first issue. With checks in hand, my no investment criteria had been met. I also had a notebook full of ideas for future issues. The day after I published my first issue, my boss at the secretarial service fired me. She said it was a conflict of interest. Now the newspaper had to support me ... and it did.
The theme throughout this part of my life was trusting the intuitive information enough to take steps in the direction of what I wanted as ideas surfaced. That built my foundation on leaps of faith based on my intuition. I now use that same skill to help others do what they want to do in their lives.
Whether it’s business or personal, the process is the same. Your life is an integrated experience, and your business should support you in a way that is in harmony with your overall life goals.

Click here for WritingMuse.com, Sandy Penny's
Business Writing Site 

Feminine Power

Here's a key to begin the process of awakening your co-creative Feminine Power: Excerpt from the Feminine Power Telecourse

Key # 3: Activating the Magnetic Field

The first step to getting on track to realize your own destiny in all areas of your life has to do with shifting from a way of creating that is strategic to one that is co-creative and magnetic.

Instead of seeking to get things from life or achieve goals externally, begin to tap into the source of creativity inside yourself. You can do this by tapping into the deeper desires that you're holding in your body.

Practice:
1.     Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Allow the center of your awareness to deepen into your body. Breathe into the center of the most connected, wisest part of yourself, all the way in your hips.
2.     Imagine that you're stepping into a field of limitless possibility and that you're surrounded by a field of limitless support for the realization of your greatest gifts and contributions.
3.     From this center of awareness, ask yourself the questions: "What do I most deeply desire to...
·      experience in my life...?
·      express through my life...?
·      create in my life...?
·      contribute to others and the world...?
4.     Welcome in any awareness you have of the answers to these questions, or notice the sensations you feel when you ask these questions to the deepest parts of yourself. Breath deeply into each desire as though you were inhaling the rich fragrance of a rose, fully welcoming and embracing them with each breath!
5.     Ask yourself: "What's my next step to be able to experience, express, create and contribute these deeper desires in my life?"
6.   Listen for the answer from the deepest part of yourself. Then, act on this knowing!
By welcoming in your deepest desires you begin to activate the source of co-creativity in your life and become magnetic to all the support you need to realize these potentials. You'll also begin to tap into your inner wisdom and guidance about the next step on your journey.
In session # 3 of our 7 Week Feminine Power Telecourse, "The Power to Realize Your Destiny," we'll teach you how to unleash your co-creative power to catapult you onto your Destiny path in all areas of your life.

All quiet on the home front …

So, in this time when outer manifestation may be eerily quiet, what are you doing to create your ideal future? I know I haven’t had much to say lately, but I think it’s time to confirm with you some of what’s happening.

I left Taos last July to do a corporate project in my old home town, Houston. The project ended in December, and I knew I didn’t want to spend the winter in Taos this year. And, I was right. There has been so much snow there, it’s crazy, and still it’s coming down.

So, I migrated to Florida, like all the other snow birds. I visited with my brother who is waiting for a second heart transplant, and my oldest brother and his wife were there for Christmas. A nice family gathering. Then after the beginning of the year, I spent some time on the beach, but it was too cold, so I ended up staying with my sister-in-law in Arcadia, Florida. It has been really nice to reconnect with her and get to know her as adults.

Arcadia is a sleepy little town with little to do except surf the web at The Last Chapter bookstore and cafe. That’s now my base of operations as my sister-in-law has dial-up. How last century is that. But it gets me out of the house, and that’s a good thing.

In the midst of all this, while I was in Houston, I put back on all the weight I lost in Taos. It just piled on overnight. I couldn’t believe it, but I was left to face it and deal with it. I knew it was partially emotional, and I was retaining a lot of water. I went back to basics of communicating with my body and asking what it needs.

My first experience with using that technique was in my 20s when I had terrible acne. One day, at the Chapel of Prayer, someone said, you know you can communicate with your skin and ask what it needs to heal that. But the catch is, no matter how strange it seems to your mind, you have to honor what you get.

Wow, what a concept. I decided to try it. I meditated and asked what would make my skin better. To my surprise, I heard an answer in my head, one I would not have thought of. 1. Stop using makeup base. (That was the hardest thing for me.) 2. Wash my face daily with an amino based cleanser. (I used Redkins Aminopon bar.) 3. Use a face oil that is natural and organic.  (Oil on my oily skin? Yes, it breaks up the oil in the pores and flushes them out. I used and still use Apricot Kernel oil.) In about a year, I was getting compliments on my beautiful skin. I could hardly believe it, but it taught me that communication with my body is possible and necessary.

So, meanwhile back to now. Finding it difficult to stay focused on a meditation, I decided to dowse or muscle test for what my body needed. I went to the health food store and tested every supplement there and bought everything that tested positive, about 20 items, including green tea capsules for water release and fat burning.

Easy muscle testing technique: left hand: make a circle with your thumb and first finger. right hand: press the thumb and first finger flat together and insert them into the left hand circle. Push outward with the inside finger and thumb and try to open the circle. Set the intention that if the circle holds strong, it’s a yes. If the circle breaks open, it’s a no. Then ask your body questions, or anything you want from your subconscious mind. Set the intention that only truthful answers be received. Try it. It’s easy. 

I also muscle tested myself for food items at the grocery store and muscle tested for exercises. It has been about a month since I began that regimen, and I have definitely lost some belly fat and feel much better. I’m no longer bloated with water, and my blood pressure is being controlled naturally now.

Interestingly, many of the things I would normally eat and do to lose weight were not the same things my body needed right now. I feel like I have reclaimed my body, and I appreciate how responsive it is to my dialogue with it.

You would think we would know better what our bodies need, but we are socialized, confused by the media, marketed to by product and food vendors, and emotionally addicted to childhood comfort foods.

So, I write all this to remind you that you are in charge of your health, nutrition and well being. Don’t get confused by what everybody else thinks is the latest and greatest thing. Follow your own guidance, and you’ll find your body to be a willing participant.

And on that subject, I see so many people getting caught up in other people’s projects when they don’t even want to do them. This is the time to just say no to what you don’t want in your life and focus your time and attention on creating a life that includes what you do want. Keep in mind that if it seems like nothing is happening, so much can be going on in the causal plane that your energy is all being turned inside for creating.

It doesn’t matter that people say this is a bad time to start a business, or that the economy is terrible or whatever they’re saying that discourages you. Don’t listen. When you follow your own guidance, the most amazing things can happen. I’ve started businesses with no money, no experience and no idea what I was doing except I was inspired. I followed the inspiration, and it served me well. [In-spire – the spirit within, spiraling inward.]

This is a time when Spirit is supporting new projects that are built on joy and love. You can attract whatever you need for your highest and best good. Believe it. It’s true.

What are you waiting for? Get started. Go on. Get started. Go now. Bye bye, see ya on the causal plane. We’ll party together, and I’ll look great in my thin healthy vibrant body.

Happy New Year Newsletter

Happy New Year Newsletter - 2010

by Sandy Penny

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sandy Penny

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

ButterFlies are Free …

by Sandy Penny

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You are a ButterFly, and butterflies are free!

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

For more on me: WritingMuse.com

What’s in a Question?

by Sandy Penny

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What Do We Do Now?

By Sandy Penny

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

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

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

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

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

Painting a Rainbow Life

Rainbow Life

By Sandy Penny

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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