The gate is open...

Okay. For the record, yesterday just had too many glitches for a good posting, so I opted to skip it. No apologies. Just sayin'....

But today is a new day and as with any other thing, one does not have to relive what one does not want to relive. So...I got to thinking about epiphanies. You know...when you get this outta nowhere insight that just lights up your brain like fireworks on the fourth of July. Sometimes those epiphanies are so delicious. They make you feel like you're on top of the world...and not a thing can stop you from enjoying the view. Other times...not so delicious. Other times they are even a bit sad. Because after "all that time", you realize that this thing that has come to you is not necessarily a loveliness. Sometimes...it's simply about letting go.

There are all manner of cliches about this "letting go" thing. But lest I lose my train of thought (which is oh-so-easy to do), I shall forego citing them. Instead I will offer this:

There are times in one's Life when it just makes good sense to stop holding on to something that only ever seems to cause one pain. Say, for example, the thought of a sibling or close friend who seems to have cut loose any ties that may once have been so strong. It is a kind of melancholy that cannot be put into words. It is a mixture of sad and lonely all at once. It is simply not the kind of thing a JoyLover wants to spend any time with. Yet, somehow, these things must be met head on if one wishes to move onward and upward on the Joyful Path. And so...such epiphanies can be both cathartic and painful.

The good news is that once one has met this Beast face-to-face and finally put It to rest, there is a sense of freedom that washes over you; a kind of cleansing that can only be attributed to the release of ickiness. A breaking of the chains that bind, as if someone swung open the gate and said, "FREEDOM AWAITS! GO NOW! PLAY! ROMP! DANCE!"

It is this kind of epiphany that, once seen, can turn one's world into a brandy new playground. The sadness may linger for a bit, but there is more Joy than sadness. More light than darkness. More of the Good and less of the Ick. It is much muchier. Know what I mean?

I am reminded of that old saying that when one door closes, another will open. It has been my experience that the new door always leads to more of the things that I want. There has never been a time when that door did not lead me to more of who I really am. And for this, I am eternally grateful and fully appreciative. It's good to know, even in times of wavering trust, that it will all turn out just as it is meant to be.

Doncha just LOVE that?

It's NOT a Secret!

I remember when the movie "The Secret" was first released. My dear sister-friend called to tell me about this "amazing movie that just shook my whole world". She was beside herself with excitement. (ever wondered how you can be "beside yourself"? that one always cracks me up.) She went on for nearly an hour about this movie and then said, "Don't buy it. I'm sending it to you TODAY."

So I waited. With great anticipation. And on the day it arrived I cleared my calendar, turned off the phones, and sat down with a bowl of popcorn to watch the movie that she'd said would "likely change your life".

Now, some years later, I can still recall the thrill I had while watching. Not all the folks who participated had an impact on me. In fact, there was only one who really made the hair on my neck stand upright. It was Esther (Hicks) whose voice reached me. There was something about what she was relaying that really struck a chord in me. And, at the very end, when she said, "Welcome to Planet Earth....", I had tears rolling down my face and a smile wide enough to span the Grand Canyon.

Shortly thereafter, a different friend sent me a recording of one of the Hicks' workshops. She did not know I'd seen "The Secret", nor did she know that I was more than curious about what the Hicks' were doing. She'd been given the recording by her sister and thought it might be something I'd enjoy.

She was right.

I remember thinking, "WOW! How cool is this?! Right outta the blue..."

But, of course, I knew it wasn't outta the blue. I knew it was because I'd been thinking about it so much that I "brought it into my experience" without even a hint of effort. That's how it works. No trying. No working. No struggling. Just focused thought...with a whole lotta emotion...and PRESTO! Whatever it is, it just shows up!

As I continued listening and reading and researching (and having a ball the whole while), I heard something that really got my attention. That was: "Do not be surprised if you find this a bit of a lonely road. There are not yet many others who understand these Laws. But do not despair. The path you are now walking is going to lead you to the Life you came here to live."

They were right. There are not many who follow these teachings; that is to say, not many compared to the numbers who follow other teachings. More often than not, when I speak of these wonders, I am met with great resistance and a whole bunch of "what in the world are you talking about???". Folks just don't realize that we're really talking about the same things. Mostly, it's a matter of semantics. They use different words and practice different rites. But in all, it's pretty much the same thing.

With one major difference.

Those who believe in a particular "religious" tenet have this very strong belief that "God" is a separate entity. They usually give this god a gender (mostly "He") and believe that "He" has total control of their lives. Their only job is to "obey"...and then, one day, they'll get to join "Him" in some heaven way up in the sky.

I suppose that has always been my biggest aversion to religious tenets. I guess I was just born with a very strong sense of Self. Or maybe I just never much cared for the idea that my Life was in someone else's hands. Or maybe I just didn't (and still don't!) like the idea of having to wait til this Life is over to enjoy the fruits of my "obedience". I used to argue that if this God was so All-Knowing and All-Powerful, why would "he" be so vengeful and jealous and indifferent? It just never made any sense to me. Even when I was a kid.

I don't argue about it any more. I don't even talk about it unless asked. I simply immerse myself in the Knowing that none of it really matters. The ONLY thing that matters is that I live in Joy every single day. That's it. Joy. Not fear. Not worry. Not doubt. Just JOY. Because, in the end, the only thing we're taking with us when we check out is the Energy we came with. We started out as Joy. We'll leave the same way. And "wherever" it is we go from here remains to be seen. In the interim, there is no point in arguing about it. Because, as I have learned, the more you argue, the more the other person just digs in. The quintessential Tug-of-War. Nobody wins. And, really, it just does not matter.

The most beautiful thing about having Knowledge is using it...to better our lives, to make each day worth living, to spread the Joy wherever we go. And regardless of what those beliefs are, you can be sure of one thing:

It is YOUR Life to live. Nobody gets to tell you HOW. It's all your doing.

Doncha just love knowing that?

the Knowing....

Do you remember how it felt "that time" when you were standing at a fork in the road, with a choice in front of you, and you knew, without a stitch of doubt, which choice to make? Standing there, with your desire, pure and joyful and exuberant with the knowing of the choice you would make. Fearless, thrilled to your toes with the Knowing. So excited that you threw your arms in the air and shouted "YESSSSSSSSS! IT'S MINE!" Laughing and dancing and clapping your hands in glorious expectation of your desire come to you.

Do you remember?

Stop for a moment. Stop and pull out all the many experiences you've lived. Find that "one" that made you feel that way. The one that started with joyous expectation, unfolding perfectly, culminating without a single glitch. Even if there is only one. Maybe there are more...but it doesn't matter "how many" times you felt that feeling of absolute joy for the desire come 'true'. Find one or two or seven. Relive the whole she-bang. Get those feelings fired up as if you were living it right now.

Are you there? Can you feel it?

THAT is the stance from which to live your life and the choices you get to make. From that place of exuberance. That place of confidence. That place of unadulterated KNOWING.

Making a choice from any other place is just plain crazy. We all have the Knowing. We've all experienced something so pure that when we recall it, we also remember that there are no mistakes. There are no bad choices. There are no flaws in the system. We all have this Knowing.

And when we use the Knowing to guide ourselves through the zillions of choices we are afforded each and every day, life is nothing short of SPECTACULAR.

This, my friend, is the funnest way to live your magnificent Life.

Whaddya think?