"A smooth sea never makes a skilled sailor." an African Proverb was quoted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the challenges he faced during the 1930's. He became president in 1933 four years after the infamous financial catastrophe and subsequent financial crisis created by Wall Street taking a swan dive on October 28th 1929. He and his administration orchestrated a set of programs and projects aimed at creating more jobs and solutions to a country full of problems called the New Deal. This was the kind of can do attitude he was famous for even when he was paralyzed from the waist down after contracting polio in 1921.  But here is where I say that every difficulty is relative to each and every person. Many of us will not relate to the same ideas or inspirations that formed the person that was Franklin D. Roosevelt.  And even though it is inspiring to know that these people have been in our past and have done great things we must find our own way through our challenges and find our own New Deal solutions no matter how insignificant our problems may seem. To us they are significant and need our attention and compassion. 

But all too often our process is to look at famous people and their success and either feel inspired to do the exact same thing or defeated by what they have done thinking we can never do what they have done. The path inspiration creates may yield some success with someone else's ideas but at some point we need to make changes and adjustments until it begins to become our own version of that idea. If however we continue to ignore our own impulses and doggedly do the exact same thing we will not succeed simply because we are different from the person we took the idea from in the first place.

This is often the hardest lesson because when we compare ourselves to other successful people and see ourselves as failures if it does not look exactly like the other person's version we can feel defeated  This is where I take to heart the words of Tama Kieves the author of Inspired and Unstoppable a book about creating success in finding solutions for ourselves in the midst of so many experts and professionals telling us how, where and what to do. She says "Ignore the changing reality of statistics and chase awakening joy. Cherish your own signals and trajectory. Why listen to an 'expert' instead of a genius? Oh you want to do it 'right'. Well, I'm shooting higher. I want you to be the cat who swallows the moon." Even in her funny quirky way she is granting us permission to just be ourselves! Simply put so many people do what they are told by an authority or expert even if it feels completely foreign to them. We have become a society that only values other people's advice instead of our own. We ask our parents or our friends or spouses or priests or therapists or the bar tender of our local watering hole. Anyone but our inner selves!  When we do this we might have limited or no success because ultimately it was not based on our own specific needs and it was based on someone else's ideas. 

So what do we do with all the professional, expert and familial advice being given? We listen and then check in with our inner selves, our gut, to see if it 'resonates'.  What exactly does that mean?  For me it is a resounding sense of aha! or sometimes a quiet relief of yes that feels good.  It will be different for you as you are not me. So begin to connect the dots of when you felt and went with your gut and it turned out well for you.  Think back into your past and remember what it felt like to connect with your inner barometer. Sometimes this has not happened since we were little but we remember a specific time when we recognized the feeling of 'rightness' about how we were feeling.  That 'rightness' is our guide and the light shining for us to follow and seek the solutions that we can create!  The more you do this the more you will become familiar with the process and relate more to your inner self rather than the outer so called experts or family know-it-all's.  

This is not to say that we will be successful every time we set out to do something!  It means we will have more success in finding the right stepping stones across the river of challenges. It means that when we listen to the voice or gut feeling and move towards what it is telling us we will find our way and success will find us.  And especially if someone tells you that you will never be successful with how you want to do something I would remind them that the light bulb was invented and we also landed on the moon. And back when these ideas were new they seemed not only silly to most 'experts' at the time but most people laughed and said it could never be done. So what would happen if every person with a unique idea stopped because someone said 'That is a dumb idea, it will never work!'? We would be so much less advanced than we are today, thankfully all those people did not take the advice of a naysayer! 

And for you my dear friend, what challenges you at this moment? And listening to your inner self what do you think you should do?  I find with my clients they always know the solution but often doubt it's veracity. But with encouragement and listening I seem to always help them see that the idea that came to them is probably going to be the best one yet!  And it usually is. If you don't believe me I have a few people who will talk to you about the truth that they found inside just waiting to chat with them and how it helped them find the light and the path that fit them perfectly.  

It really isn't about perfection or success the way anyone else does it, it is about what success looks like to you and how if feels.  If you want to do something quiet, meaningful and one on one vs. having a million followers then do that! If you want to shout it from the roof tops and speak to a room filled with thousands of people, do it!  And if you are not sure how, just close your eyes and wait for your Spirit to show you, tell you, bump you into the right person or send you an unknown caller that just might be the person you need to speak to that has the answer you are seeking. Obviously listening to what worked for other people can be helpful if you listen and see how it feels. If someone's way does not feel right for you listen to someone else and ultimately you will find your way perhaps using pieces of a few peoples ideas.  In very simple words, create your own thing! Not everybody likes to make the exact same chocolate cake just look it up on youtube and you will find a million versions of chocolate cake.  Find you own version of the cake that fits you perfectly. Maybe yours has cayenne in it or coffee? 

Anyway you slice it make sure it is your own version and to your liking!  And just know that I believe in you and see your challenges fading like a great sunset at the end of a beautiful day.  And as always I am here for you no matter what so if you need a leg up on that horse, I am here to stand with you as you launch onto that saddle!

Blessings,
Annapurna Devi
Awakening to Harmony 

My mind is drawn back to a time over 20 years ago when I lived in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The years where I was becoming aware of a hidden world just next to ours and that seeing with my physical eyes was only part of the scene set as this 3rd dimensional reality. This journey of understanding started with watching and listening to the forest area that was at the end of the backyard where I lived. This area is and was home to so many beautiful physical and hidden worlds.  This was the beginning of understanding that there is so much more to know besides what we see and feel with our 5 senses.  It seems surreal to be here now in this moment, watching the grey squirrels busily hiding nuts in the grass taking a moment to perk up their heads and listen to the sounds of the wind through the creaking trees as they move adjusting to the cold.  I am struck by the beauty of this area and the colors the leaves provide every Fall.  This is a magical place!  The elemental and faye energies are strong here with all the brush, trees and winding roads.  It was hardly difficult to connect then or now! Just reaching out energetically I find myself seeing and feeling the realities of these natural energies thriving in the wild parts of this countryside.  Even though there is so much growth and change since I was here last they are still strong and vibrant albeit a bit quieter now.  The natural world is watching as the animals are collecting their food for the winter and the humans tarry forth to the grocery store and reside in their modern world along side this magical and natural place.  Side by side the worlds live sometimes interacting sometimes not even aware of the others presence. I am now aware that I am a bridge for these worlds.  And we need many more bridges to survive to the next level of dimensional shift! The shift that will allow us to know these worlds and many more from a higher vibrational place.  These dimensions will reveal themselves when we have attained the consciousness and compassion to listen to our higher selves and not the mind/ego. 

Bridges are those people who see and feel the wonder of a natural place beyond what they physically see and feel. The energy just behind the beauty of a place is where the inner connection to the other dimensional realities exist. Many poets and naturalists recognized this phenomena, Hafiz, Rumi, Robert Louis Stevenson, Dr. Edward Bach, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Emily Dickenson, Mary Oliver, John O' Donohue and my own father James G. Piatt. These writers and mystics captured so much of the feeling life of a beautiful natural place.  Reading my fathers poems always takes me right to my mother's herb garden or his vegetable gardens from past years that were thriving with happy plants.  And also to those wild natural places where we took hikes.  These wild places is where the veil is most thin between our physical created modern world and the hidden realms of other dimensions. Why the other dimensions are so strongly felt in these places I am not sure.  I think it is possibly because we are absorbed into the quiet of a place and relax and breathe deeply into the peace that exists there.  My son is sure this is where he feels a sense of  'church'.  The majestic and mystic come together in a reality of Divine proportions. 

I am so grateful to see and feel the beauty of this area again and understand the direction my life took that has increased my understanding of the power and gift of natural places! If you resonate with these words and find yourself nodding in agreement reflecting on your own personal experience with the natural places that you have resonated with I encourage you to explore becoming a bridge to help in our evolution and ascension into higher realms. Seeing through the veil the holographic nature of modern society with all it's interesting experiences of contrast that we engage in to learn something about our true nature is truly a phenomenal experience!  Becoming a bridge means we talk about the experiences we have in the natural world that are beyond this 3rd dimensional reality we call our day to day world. Continuing to strive to experience and create peace and solutions within the paradigm of contrast is the goal of a bridge. Feeling compassion and reaching out to each other in a way that is respectful with a feeling that all experience is valuable regardless of the judgement of an experience as less than or more than another breaks the illusion of 3rd dimension.  Success is not measured by the acquisition of things or amassing forms of monetary means!  I am talking about finding a place within that connects with a higher purpose and feeling of Spirit.  The Spirit which resides in all and everywhere at the same time is not concerned with our illusions of duality.  We are not separate from but a part of this great energy that continually creates the ever expanding Universe.  We are part of a cosmic family not just this planet Earth.  We are related to a greater family that is ready and willing to connect with us and assist us in moving forward to the next dimension to join them and return to our Divine selves.  So many avatars have tried to speak to this truth in a variety of ways but in our pre-programed narratives, where we forget who we are in order to experience a convincing experience here in the 3rd dimension, we created religious narratives that instilled contrast and duality. The perpetuation of these narratives keep us from moving forward into a new reality that transcends this one and creates a bridge to other realities in higher dimensions.  If we spend time quietly in nature or in a space we create in our homes that speaks directly to our inner selves we will eventually remember this is all just illusion, just an experience with a personality we chose like a video game character we create. We go through this illusion with challenges and 'bosses' to get to the next level. How we see this experience is up to us, how we choose to play the game is up to us!  Do we lose sometimes for a certain experience or do we chose to win?  Both are valuable in differing ways.  And nothing is wasted or less than another.  Pain, suffering is all valuable albeit a hard route to choose.  And we can also choose a different path everyday or even every minute.  The narrative is ours to play with and change at will.  The challenge then is remembering that we control the narrative that we are not at the mercy of anything outside of us.  The illusion is strong though and it takes time to override this system and connect to our original Divine operating system.  But this is the opportunity we have in front of us!  To remember who we are, connected to everything and everyone.  Not as lowly human beings but as beautiful Divine beings having a human and 3rd dimensional experience.  How beautiful this illusion is and playing joyfully within it can be our everyday experience!!  How do you want to play out the rest of your game? 

If you feel called to learn how to be a true bridge and Guide for others check out my Guide in Training Program!  It will change your life and the lives of others that you touch.  And we need you!  I am honored to accept people from all walks of life and realities.  The richness and uniqueness you present here and now is perfect for the work of bridging this 3 dimensional reality to the 5th dimension and on up. Join me in this adventure and life work!  Fill out the contact form at the bottom for more information.

So much joy to all of you and I empower you to relate to yourself as a Divine being instead of a lost or broken human. The latter is just your life character and not who you are but a role you are playing.  Show up as your true self and see the game change!

To you and all your realities how ever you choose to see them!
Annapurna Devi
Awakening to Harmony

Charlie Brown is physically shaking as the little red haired girl gives him a kiss.  Does she love him? Or does she feel sorry for him?  And how does he feel about receiving the kiss? I don't know if he even knows especially with this Mercury Retrograde how would anyone know?!  And with Mercury in retrograde in Aquarius, which is an air sign vs. the past years retrogrades in water signs, we will feel even more at a loss of what to think about well, everything. But do not despair, unexpected moments of bliss and synchronicity will emerge if we let go and allow the energy to flow around and through us without expectation and flexibility.  And flexibility is the most important element here!  Bend like the reed, not the oak or the evergreen trees that sometimes break during storms. Now is the time to be that plant that while grounded in the earth will be flexible enough to sway with the winds of change.  And the winds are blowing all around us with change.  We have a new Presidential administration that is actually doing something and a virus that is mutating as we speak to keep the pandemic alive, not to mention the personal issues that arise as well as all the issues in our society that have not really improved or changed yet. 

So take a breath and realize that everything is changing quietly whether we take notice or not. Change is the one constant we can rely on. And during a Mercury Retrograde everything kind of slows down, appointments are delayed, phones and computers glitch out or shut down for awhile, travel plans change according to flight cancelations and our own personal communications break down.  But don't we all need a break? So allow this moment, these 3 weeks, to slow you down.  You don't have to make any major decisions, it really is not recommended.  Do not sign any contracts, start new relationships or make changes in residence or job during this time. So again I say, sit back, take a moment to change your shoes and put on that cardigan sweater with Mr. Rogers and relax while life continues to move forward without you struggling against the tides or winds of change trying to force your will.  Let it take you for a ride, keep your focus on flexibility and self care. And watch what can happen when we do nothing.  I know this is counter intuitive to most Americans, this non-doing, but if you give it a try I promise the Universe will bring you a gift of exactly what you need.  And while this flexibility does not mean we have to do nothing the whole time, we must be mindful of the cues when to take action. This is the subtle key to flexibility. 

Knowing when to move and when to sit still is the content of this next level course in Earth School. We just moved into a post graduate or Masters course that not everyone will be ready for but sink or swim the planets say.  Saturn square Uranus, at this time, says that if we have not been dealing with our internal world by changing ourselves and our patterns of conditioned thinking into a new way, they will be so kind to help us see the light. In other words if you have not applied yourself to this practice of change you might be forced through shocking news to pay attention much like touching an electric fence that is live.  We just might be shocked into change if we do not go willingly. Saturn is the revealer of hidden things and Uranus is the electric planet of immediate change through shaking things up.  Have I said we must be flexible yet? I feel as if I have, but one can not say it enough, flexibility, flexibility, flexibility. 

Even though it might look like we are going into the storm without a coat, hat or scarf if we go willingly the Universe will provide us with what we need and we will survive.  I have a client that is working on cultivating faith and trust in herself and in the powers that be, also called our Spiritual Staff, Angelic help etc. and I feel that February is all about this theme of faith and trust for all of us.  So if you need something, help, clarity, prosperity, health, love or anything else, ask for it, name it and allow the powers that be to help and bring you what you need.  We are not alone and need to make sure we cultivate the power of asking, prayer, clear allowing whatever you want to call it, ask for help from your Spiritual Staff! The more you give your life over to co-creation with Spirit the more life will flow and be easeful for you. You see Spirit sees when we are creating from conditioned thinking and if we are lucky they might send it away or create a distraction so we don't keep repeating ourselves.  And when we ultimately invite Spirit into our creating they steer us in the right direction. 

I am not sure what will happen with Charlie Brown but I do know that if he continues to value himself and learn to appreciate his uniqueness he will have a good chance at a happy life with the little red haired girl and she with him.  Valentines day will be right in the middle of this Mercury Retrograde so allow a little more patience with yourself and others while cultivating some self love. As you do this the reflection just might emerge in the midst of this unpredictable time. Remember I did say at the beginning that when we let go the Universe will bring us beautiful gifts of synchronicity and bliss even during a Mercury Retrograde so do not despair.  This is where we allow our little life boat to be carried by the powerful waters of Spirt and even if it gets a bit choppy we will be safe and taken care of by benevolent beings of light.  But it is ultimately up to us whether we surrender or fight the coming waves of change. I for one am going to breathe into the state of allowing. I hope you do too.

May the force by with you my friends!!

So many blessings to all of you!
AnnKathleen / Annapurna Devi
Awakening to Harmony * Awakening to Truth Mentoring

Who knows what this year will bring?  My favorite astrology author Tannaz of Forever Conscious has written an amazing piece for the new year siting all the planetary shenanigans affecting the conditions we will find ourselves in during 2021. While all of it is not bad news some of it is reminiscent of last years forecast. And as I look toward an unpredictable future I can always find something positive and uplifting in Tannaz's writings even when the apparent conditions are less than favorable.
For further edification go here to read all about it....
https://foreverconscious.com/intuitive-astrology-forecast-for-2021. 

Even with the astrological forecasts that we had last year with details about 5 retrograde planets in the beginning of 2020 and the further dire realizations of conjunctions and squares with planets in specific astrological signs did not give us the full picture of the personal and global impact we would endure until we were in the midst of 2020 and Covid-19 became a thing. So with a head full of knowledge about what the planets are going to do this year I find myself with my hands over my head ready to stop, drop and roll into a ball and close my eyes tight awaiting the big explosion that 2021 might bring.  Maybe this is a sign of conditioning from previous planetary misalignments since 2018 but seriously how will we know what is coming?  The lessons from last year and  the previous 4 years plus the theme of not really knowing is still here and being aware that we are unsure is the start of taking back control of the only thing we have control of which is ourselves! 

So the big question is how are you responding to Covid-19? The inconvenient destruction of this virus has been like so many small children running around shouting with their hands in the air knocking down all of our lovely glass miniatures that comprise modern societies most beloved activities. The very activities which distract us from the overly busy and sometimes unhappy lives we choose to live.  Eating out all the time instead of cooking at home, going on vacations in those homes on wheels to get away from our lives, going shopping for fashion culture where buying, buying oh and more buying is creating landfills full to the brim of random things that were once new, that now we buy online and receive packaged with a ton of plastic and/or styrofoam will never take the place of true happiness.   And the truth is that the main destruction of the virus is the 1,000,000+ lives lost worldwide, spouses, family members, co-workers, neighbors and friends.

In the beginning of 2020 all of our outdoor activities came to a screeching halt as the realization of being out in public was spreading the virus. Medical professionals advised us to stay home as we watched the world get sicker and sicker.  Yet there were those that could not deal with being at home for more than a month who started to make up all kinds of political rhetoric to bypass the one reality that we were infecting ourselves when out in public doing what we have always done which is work ourselves to death so that we can go out and spend lots of money trying to buy happiness and be seen by others doing it.  Whew!  What a glitch the virus presented in our otherwise healthy response to our modern life culture, talk about girl interrupted!  And yet some of us responded with creativity, singing on balconies, major home renovations, planting gardens, taking up new hobbies, reading large novels, playing music, writing music, talking with our children, with our spouses, with our friends.  NOW we had time to work on that project that we had put off for forever.  However, some of us just kept doing the same thing and got sick and spread the virus to other people who got sick and died.  Some of us got together and created additional food banks for those who were suffering without jobs.  Some of us created prayer groups, some of us meditated for healing, some of us kept going to our essential work to provide full shelves of food to buy, or help those who were sick and pulled double shifts and were isolated from their families.  How did you respond to the crisis? This will undoubtedly give you a good idea of how you will handle what ever 2021 will bring. So will the mighty force of nature and the planets bring you some great opportunities for growth? Maybe or maybe not. Only you can choose to make it a good year aligned with the light or succumb to the dark side and become the worst version of yourself so far. The protests of those who want their favorite bar open so they can continue to infect more people with the virus, comes to mind. It is up to you.  Which is actually a really great thing if you think about it.  You can change! You can approach this year with more compassion and more positivity than ever before. You can become such a force for good that all you see this year is more and more and more  positive opportunities in your life and the lives of those you touch.  The protestors who safely (masks worn) and courageously protested against police brutality during a pandemic because Black Lives Matter, comes to mind. So when you anxiously read the forecast for this year's astrology or listen to the latest psychic's predictions about 2021 know that you got this!  Because you are in control of you, you can be the change for good in your world and you can continue your positive trends from last year to this new year. Because who knows what people will invent or start or see or help to bring about this year. For my own personal growth I will begin by uncurling myself from the fetal position, and move into child's pose, eat more vegetables and less snacks and not watch news that tries to tell me how to feel or the facts as they see them, no I will choose for myself what to focus on and how to interpret what is going on in a way that is inclusive of all people and balanced between instinct and science.  I am going to make this a year of wonderful experiences full of promise and enjoyment while I share this with others.  What will you do?  How will you respond to 2021?  I hope you find strength within to move forward with confidence and the will to create a great year for yourself and those around you.  

Happy New Year, it is gonna be great!!

AnnKathleen/Annapurna Devi

I do not often write about politics let alone the 'world' as I am mostly interested in the unseen world as it is a lot easier for me to navigate.  It is not difficult to sense negative or dark energies in old buildings or creepy feelings from a place where tragedies have happened for those of us who have a sensitive awareness.  Or the beautiful, calm and loving presence of  higher beings in beautiful places.. But in the past there have been times where I was unable to sense the diabolical natures of humans, and have assumed someone was really nice to find out they were not really who they said they were.  In my line of work I have honed the ability to read body language and the warning signs of extremely dysfunctional people and while I have compassion for them as they are not well, I steer clear of adding them to my inner circle of intimate friends or even working with those I know I can not help.. With this said I have had a foreboding feeling for a long time about President Trump.  He is more concerned, I feel, about his own bottom line than remotely helping our country.  We are a means to and end for him and those he helps, the 1%, with tax reductions and more loop holes than a crocheted blanket. So when I see the comments and rhetoric regarding police brutality towards our minorities I am not surprised but definitely disturbed by the amount of blatant and uncensored racism in his addressing this systemic issue of our beautiful country and all it's citizens.  And when I see the recent ban on app.'s such as Tik Tok and WeChat from the US and the apparent connection Trump has to the top brass of Oracle, Larry Ellison; who according to Kristen Martin, professor of technology ethics at the University of Notre Dame, in an article by NPR is trying to 'save' the app. from this ban, what I see is blatant, albeit hidden participation in a corporate take over of these Chinese owned companies by our President.  So once again he is involved with lining his own pockets, conducting personal business acquisitions instead of the business of our nation while our countries people die from a pandemic and people are protesting the deaths of colored people all over the country from a predominantly white and racist conditioned police force..  Just another day in America, just another nail in the coffin of our future, just another day as our natural environment  is decimated by the dismantling of years of ecological protections by previous presidents.  All I see is the blind ambition of one man for himself and those who contribute to his financial well being and ironically I think to myself this is what our commitment to capitalism has gotten us.  This rampant perspective of individual achievement and survival of the fittest, keeping up with the Jones next door and everything pointed at our success by how big our houses are or the cars we drive or the amount of things we posses.  We are suffering our own demise from greed and competitive conditioning.  We start them young, soccer with Dad's on the sidelines screaming and yelling or football at age 4 where we have them look for the weaker kid to knock down.  These are the ways in which we create humans focused not on helping each other but knocking each other down. Instead of fostering cooperation and working together to solve everyones problems, we laugh and make fun of the weakest individuals of our society.  So many other countries have had to deal with this particular point in their history where they made choices to stand up for the weakest and took over the powers that be, and not in too nice a way if A Tail of Two Cities teaches us anything.  How can we rise up and once more take over our beautiful country and it's diverse rich culture of world citizenry?  I say we simply do that, rise up and take over the country, they say we vote with our dollars so stop spending money on random things. Be happy with what you have and if we all came together or the majority of us stopped spending our money on every new gadget that comes out or new television or gaming system. or new car we just might be able to turn the tide of this country through economics.  If we just all said I am not buying anything else for a month but food and gas our country would move into a huge crisis.  Wall street depends on random spending and we underestimate our ability to control the outcome but the masses are what keeps it going and especially American spending because it is so rampant. Economics is how world wars are waged now, back room world politics are more about making money for a few individuals than about helping any one group with health care, financial assistance, education, clean water or safe roofs overhead.. We are the worker bees that sustain a corrupt and dysfunctional system.  We are the ones who can stop this but are we willing to address our own dysfunctional habits of spending and stop.  A new system of economics must take the place of consumer based capitalism.  We are killing ourselves with money and I am hopeful that if the pandemic taught us anything it is that the simple pleasures are the most fulfilling, Spending time with loved ones, eating a great meal made together.  Singing on balconies, learning a new hobby, knitting, crocheting, painting, planting gardens or home renovations.  We are so talented but without time to explore it because we were chasing dreams of being better than or more financially successful than the neighbors or even our friends was a race that was sending us to an early grave.  How many of us planted gardens this year that had always wanted to but never had the time?  How many of us had to ask for help from family or friends or strangers?  We are stronger when we come together and consider teaming up, we do not need to divide but unite in a common endeavor of being sustainable again.  Being a good force to be reckoned with in the world.  Being number one in ecological energy choices.  Being the leader in compassionate treatment of all it's citizens not just the white ones but the beautiful diverse and culturally rich ones that make up this amazing country and that makes us Americans.  The world sees us as the bullies that we have become but if we begin to turn the tide of this epidemic of consumerism and competition to a more compassionate and emotionally healthy people that can change we could be an amazing force for good in the world. I am hopeful and see just how connected we are with our love for this amazing bright and colorful country that holding that vision for a future of equality and sustainability feels possible!  So if you are inclined hold that vision too, America as a place of beauty and compassion for all; that we become known as the helpers of mankind and the builders of dreams and the hope of our beautiful world.  People can change and that is what countries are, a large group of people., not a government but people who have shared values and common goals.  Coming together to find these is the challenge, and I do think our forefathers were daunted by different challenges and succeeded so I think that we can do the same even if the odds seem against us just look at what a few people did to start this country and with some luck and Divine timing were able to accomplish.  So with the same can do attitude and some Divine intervention I believe we can create a new vision of our country.  I will hold this vision and I hope you will too.

Blessings,
​AnnKathleen/Annapurna Devi  

How does it happen that all of a sudden your kids are no longer kids?  I turned around and my James has turned into a man over night and has moved out of state to start a new chapter in his book of life.  I swear we were just putting out Halloween decorations and getting ready for our annual Harvest party; some of you remember these events with apple bobbing and pumpkin carving and donuts on a string.  This time of year was always spent decorating the house in a spooky style and reading oh so many fun books, John Pig's Halloween, Too Many Pumpkins and the Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything.  I remember helping him make so many costumes.  His very 1st was a clown outfit I made out of two different types of taffeta (it was a thing of beauty) then a little ghost, snake charmer, cowboy, wizard(of course) and Link among some of my favorites. It seems the years have been a movie on fast forward. I remember so many many hours spent reading the Harry Potter series not to mention watching the movies the minute they came out! And so many other amazing moments spent in other book worlds with dragons and curses.  And when he was really little looking for the fay people in the wooded backyard of an East coast home. This time also included a wonderful Waldorf kindergarten with home baked bread, tons of  imaginative play, sweet songs and puppet shows.  Fast forward to being a single mom back in California we found a Nature school that was an amazing place for James to explore a different connection to nature through the eyes of two amazing men who were mentors I know James will never forget.  And out of that Nature School he grew up with a tribe of boys who are now his closest friends and will always be his family of choosing.  Each of them are on a similar journey and yet will always check in with each other as family.  Oh so many years of wonderful and exhausting fun!  We spent many summers in the water up in Paradise with my dad exploring the never ending supply of rocks.  James enjoyed trips to Big Sur with our friends when I had to work.  And I remember one great trip to Grass Valley with James that I will never forget or the amazing gelato. We explored local beauty the Yuma river and even the dusty insides of an army surplus/thrift store.  We were like explorers together where ever we went!

The past 7 years I have watched my son grow up from  boy to boy/man to man and I have seen him struggle, succeed, find a path, go down a rabbit hole and come out again and finally return to the place where he could learn skills from a great friend and mentor, Uncle Heiko.  This is a man that taught James to ride a bike and as of late taught James to drive a combine and various other large work vehicles!  His time building fences and preparing fields out at the ranch was the perfect metaphor for what he was planting which was seeds for this future which has arrived.  He has flown off with strong wings, thrown off the sails and left the safe harbor.  I miss him terribly as James is not just my son, he is a confidante not afraid to tell me the truth in that special way only a Sagittarius can; he is a great yard work partner, Marvel movie companion (and I remember getting a call from the movie theatre telling me that his friends needed an adult over 21 to watch Deadpool, and James was 19, so yes I drove down and watched Deadpool with 5 boys!) and Stranger Things would not have been the same without  him and laughing at all the memories that came up watching this '80's era show. We even made a foray into Twin Peaks and X-Files for awhile and we will never be the same after enjoying the epic novel Dune and talking about the story line and amazing characters. And now things will be a bit more quiet.....a bit more empty and I am a bit sad.  He has become an amazing human and I am really proud of him.   He came in with that smile that could melt the strongest iceberg and an imagination that surpassed his  favorite toy company Lego which he spent oh so many hours building after birthdays and Christmas's by the fire studying the build manual as he made these huge projects come to life.  I know he will take the same care and careful attention to the building of his life.  He will always be that little Buddha baby smiling up at me and taking me on adventures with such abandon and joy!  Here's to you my James, embrace your life with your beautiful and amazing mind and don't be afraid to get your 'flail' on sometimes just for the sheer fun of enjoying life.  You are so loved and your home is always in my heart.  And where ever I am is also your home whenever you have need of it!  The world is better place because you are in it!  And my life would not have even come close to being as wonderful and amazing if you were not in it too.  Take such good care of you!

So much love,
Mom

Blocks or obstacles on your path can sometimes be hidden and sometimes they can be like solid ice on your smooth glassy emotional surface!  Icebergs are no joke, moving through them is a tricky business and often just as soon as you move forward the ice solidifies behind your ship. So how do we know if we are traversing ice or just ice cold water or actual gigantic icebergs in the way of or surrounding a healthy flow to our emotional lives? I have found that when I am steering my ship through solidified water (ice) it means that I am surrounded by ideas and emotions that are inflexible and need to be broken up by my willingness to see them as they are and create a different pathway around them or just barrel through them with the strength of my own will.  Sometimes these are our own limiting ideas and sometimes they are the limiting ideas of someone else that were created about us and now are settled into a field of ice in our sea of experience. Each time we get challenged by stagnant status quo or by the conversations that start with "I thought you were having this experience....." or "I wanted to help you with this situation....."  It often means that the thinking is stuck in the past and the neural pathway has remained unchanged. It is so important not to keep others pathways clogged with our own thinking of them in a certain way thus impeding our own through the reflection we are seeing of ourselves in that thought pattern. A simple process of asking how people are getting on in their lives in genuine and heartfelt inquiry and then listening to the answer is the way to avoid creating these stagnant thought patterns about others and ultimately about ourselves. When we listen in the NOW about what is going on for them we just might be surprised by their answer and feel uplifted by their shift thus freeing ourselves of the possible negative reflection. And sometimes we receive the gift of someone coming forward to bring to our awareness just how stuck in the past they are by sharing with you what they truly think of your process!  Now Dr. Wayne Dyer has a great saying about this particular phenomenon and it goes like this...."What other people think of me is none of my business. One of the highest places we can get to is being independent of the good (or not so good) opinions of others."  This is the solid ice breaking ship of consciousness we need to break up old thoughts and move forward into smooth waters again.  When we take our power back by allowing shifts in our thinking we can create such beautiful movement forward into healthy, whole and complete experiences.  THIS IS KEY IN OUR GROWTH!!  And honestly it is the key to creating a movement of forward flow for everyone. When I hold space for my Awakening to Truth Mentoring clients I hold space that they are constantly making break throughs and having Aha's all the time!  If I get caught up in their story and begin to believe that they are not able to move forward then what does that say about my work with them?  It says that I do not believe in my own created process and that they will not succeed!!  And that in my world does not exist. I know the shift that they will ultimately experience because I believe that changing our minds is easy!  I have a good friend Rev. Elizabeth Rowley who is the Spiritual Director of the Central Coast Center for Spiritual Living and her motto is the same as mine!!  "Change your mind, Change your life!"  It really is that easy.  Letting go of our past and being in the present is easy when we let go and allow our thoughts to be focused on the present moment.  Meditation was the beginning for me of finding my own truth and I have been allowing my thoughts to change everyday since that summer of 1992.  My journey with the inner landscape has been a very interesting and complex journey not unlike the journey of Frodo and Sam in Lord of the Rings.  Creating a place where I can channel the very darkness into a safe place that is not creating a sense of limit in my experience is what I found is be a powerful process.  Then the darkness can be looked at and loved into the light.  The very shadow of my nature is nothing but fear of also being the Divine essence that I am.  That we all are.  When we imagine others as being stuck in a limiting experience because they have struggled in the past or because they have had difficulties is to look at the surface of things from a materialistic point of view. The metaphysical meaning is so much deeper and the reality is that so much more is going on under the surface of peoples lives but if we judge them from the surface that we see with our physical eyes and not our intuition we are limiting the very fabric of the beautiful and rich tapestry that is their lives.  And if we do not allow, in our own minds, the possibility that everyone will have a profound shift into a life filled with joy and peace and fulfillment then we are not doing humanity any service!! Your mind is a powerful tool, use it wisely.  And if you find yourself in the compassionate place of concern for another, create the shift in your mind that they are smiling and happy and fulfilled.  This costs nothing and is the gift we can give each other.  Simply seeing everyone as powerful, as an amazing light in the world is free.  Let your mind be filled with the possibility of heaven on earth.  If everyone holds that space for this possibility then who is to say it can not happen? So if you feel others do not see you as you are but look at you with a sense of judgment, let go of their own projections and step into the light of a life free from others view of you.  Be who you are and enjoy your worth and know what that is.  You are a Divine being in a human form and you can have any experience you choose, put your mind to creating profound, amazing, joyful experiences!!  And the truth is that when I honor that place in you that is Divine, I honor that place in me that is Divine and when we are both seeing this we are one.

Namaste!!
Annapurna Devi