My Crystal Friend

I said goodbye to an old friend on Saturday. 

I met her in Arkansas years ago on a casual sight seeing tour. 

She was beautiful and sparkly, I couldn't keep my eyes off her. 

She seemed to be saying, “Take me home with you.” 

I couldn't resist ...

She went along with me on my trip to Sedona. 

I thought I would enjoy the solstice festival if she were there with me, and I did. 

But later in the day when I stopped by a booth at the festival, I noticed a little twitch as I held her. 

She whispered to me, "It's time ..."

I knew what she meant.

It was a good 20 year relationship.

She looked as good today as the day we met.

She said I was to introduce her to Shari.

I told Shari I had an old friend who wanted to meet her.

She looked puzzled when I placed a beautiful and sparkly crystal in her hand.

I am caretaker to many rocks, crystals and Energy Beings.

I ask permission when I pick them up, and I always ask if they want to journey with me.

These old souls carry with them an energy and vibration that can be felt by anyone who is sensitive to nature.

Good journey my Beautiful One.

You will forever be a part of me and me you.

Sedona

Where do I begin?

Here I am in Sedona processing all that has happened in the last 36 hours.  

I drove 360 miles from my hometown of Escalante, Utah to attend The Sedona Winter Solstice Festival held at the Sedona Unity Chapel.

I stopped at Pisa Lisa and thoroughly enjoyed the fire roasted pizza before continuing on to my motel.

I had a few thoughts about what might happen while I was here and to my surprise, my thoughts were made manifest. 

A full day of activities with speakers, dancing, eating, singing and spiritual feasting.

I’m generally not one to attend activities alone but something told me I would not be alone on this journey.

I should have known that there was going to be an emotional releasing as I was almost instantly overwhelmed with tears. 

This feeling continued through the day and while I tried my best to hide my emotions, I didn’t succeed very well. The tears rolled down my cheeks.

I was certainly in the company of angels both seen and unseen.

I sat on the first row so I would be immersed in the energy of the festival.

One of the locals sat next to me and made me feel welcome. She had long white beautiful hair and wore a Bohemian costume which suited her 75 plus years. 

Spending most of my early life in religion, I was not prepared for the spontaneous and informal manner of the festival but I was a guest and when in Rome …

I met Virginia, she was wearing a purple mini skirt and a sparkly hat. She later gave me her phone number but I thought maybe our 25 year age difference was too much. 

After all I was old enough to be her son.

Have you ever been in a situation where you know your life is about to change?

My thoughts and study over these past few months have shattered my belief windows once again.

Many of these new but very old truths have always existed but my limited view of the world has kept me from this knowledge.

I have always been a seeker of knowledge and been drawn towards those with answers, but I have had to shelve many of those truths because I didn’t know how to incorporate them into my life. Sometimes I was stretched beyond my ability and needed to wait for the right time to fully accept them.

Sedona is a gathering place for those who are seekers. 

This is not my first time to Sedona so I had some preparation for this visit.

It is red rock country, filled with beautiful scenery, beautiful people, vortices and lots of tourists.

The festival food was prepared by the Thai Palace and was divine.

My experience was surreal and dreamy. There were several guided meditations that reached down into my core and activated old memories, many not from this lifetime.

I was asked when I was moving to Sedona and I had to admit there is a strong attraction to this place and more especially to these people but my guidance let me know my work is not yet done in Escalante.

So what is it you ask that happened?

I am still trying to put it into words.

There are moments when the right people the right place and the right time all merge to create a sacred space, and that is the best description I can give to my experience.

A Sacred Space.

And for those few hours I floated in bliss.

The Sacred Sirens, the Druid Priestess and the music by Sanjali all blended to create the perfect setting.

The prayers began with Heavenly Father Mother God and ended with … and so it is.

I was reminded of who I am, my divine ancestry, my fall into illusion and my ability to overcome.

Those who spoke did so with power from first hand experience. 

Over and over again my own spirit within bore witness  within, of truth.

The tears flowed and I didn’t care.

I took a break and wandered into the vendors room where art, Intuitive massage, life readings and crafts were

displayed.

I was instinctively drawn to a painting and an artist, she had just undergone a cosmetic procedure and her face was beet red surrounded by her long red wavy hair. 

She had not only heard of Escalante, she has hiked the canyons and slots in my own back yard.

The rest of the story, if any, is yet to be written, but she certainly got my attention.

So now what?

I leave tomorrow for home base, christmas is just 4 days away, I have a renewed outlook on life, this next year is most certainly one of great change, challenges and world changes.

What of me?

I look for the good things in life.

Love, gratitude, simple pleasures.

My new years resolution?

Be spontaneous.

Be joyful.

Be playful.

And most of all, 

Be Happy.

Exceeding the Sum of our Parts

Exceeding the sum of our parts

What would the Creators do if one of his/her creations exceeded the sum of their programming?

Recent new revelations have started me on a whole new journey of discovery.

It boggles my mind that I could have so long remained in darkness concerning the matrix that surrounds me.

I am still wrapping my human mind around these new galactic concepts.

How could I have remained in ignorance so long?

Is there a divine plan?

Is the Universe just following the sum of its programming?

Have I finally discovered the secrets of the Universe.

Time will tell.

I am only now peeling back the layers upon layers upon layers of compartmentalization that I played into.

How do I break out of this soulless existence if I am but a construct of a failed matrix?

Is there a formula to implement my own rescue?

This child is no longer amused by the petty shiny bobbles that distract me from the truth.

Why has it taken my whole life to see the truths that are now just appearing before me?

I am no longer willing to be the puppet.

This earth dimension is but an illusion and I want out!

Religion and philosophy has sought to answer the questions that life creates and has itself fallen into the abyss of partial truths and hidden agendas.

It took 40 years to break free from these false teachings and 20 more years to cancel out the effects of flawed programming.

Why?

I have no doubts that there are unseen intelligent beings who are involved in this experiment.

Are they divine?

The jury is still out on that one.

This everything goes, everything thrown into the pot experiment has unseen beings from all parts of the Universe watching, interfering and manipulating the results. 

Why?

Why am I here?

To break all the rules and codes that I carry within?

Or to improve upon and rewrite my own matrix?

I don’t know, but I will continue to unlock and search the world at large.

I for one am about to change my mathematical construct and that will change the whole of the equation.

Look out Universe.

I am Mad as hell about this deception and you are going to feel the effects of my resolve.

Backpackers

Backpackers

As I usually do, I stopped off at the market on my way home from work. It was Saturday and I knew there would be slim pickings. The semiweekly order the store receives is not sufficient to take care of the needs of the town. They order just enough to partially fill the shelves. It reminds of what happens to stores when a disaster or powerful storm is approaching. 

People empty the shelves. 

The sad part is, this is the only store in town and the menu is take it or leave it.

The locals know the best stuff is in the cooler and most of us bypass the shelves and go straight for the cooler. 

Tonight I watched as some backpackers looked at the slim pickings and picked the best of what was left. I told them to follow me to the cooler where we might have a better chance of finding what we were looking for.

As people do, we started talking. 

They spent the last few days camping down the Escalante River. They felt the weather shift decidedly colder and wanted to find a motel for the night.

I felt an immediate kinship and invited them to come home with me where they could get warm, take a shower and find a warm bed.

They accepted.

David and Stephanie are walking across the country with backpacks, experiencing what few of us dare to do.

Their packs are light, weighing less than 20 pounds and yet they had all the essentials, food, water, sleeping bags, cooking and eating utensils. I was amazed that they could travel so lightly.

They had already traveled thousands of miles, walking and depending on rides and the hospitality of others to provide them with the things they needed.

They were on a walkabout.

I listened with great interest as the stories poured out detailing the adventures and the miracles, the people and the lessons they had learned along the way.

I watched as they spoke with emotion, animation and sincerity with each new story.

It reminded me of my own adventures and I felt even more of a kinship with them.

David and Stephanie met on the trail and agreed to share their journey for a time.

David has walked many thousands of miles from Canada to Mexico and California to New England.

They shared insights from the most amazing people.

They met other backpackers along the way and discovered some were professional men and women who escaped the system that many of us are still trapped in.

They along with David and Stephanie could no longer serve corrupt masters who profit from the suffering of others. 

Their devotion to higher principals led them to give up fortune and fame to find peace and serenity. 

They follow their hearts as they travel along the many trails of life.

Life offers us many choices and each of us make decisions based upon those things that are most important to us.

I left the daily 8 to 5 grind years ago and chose a path that gave me freedom to pursue interests that were spiritual in nature.
Many of my family and friends are still prisoner to a mortgage and the loans that provide the latest car, boat, clothes or RV.

Secretly I know that some long for the freedom and adventure of the open road but they are fearful of loosing the material things that they fought a lifetime to acquire.

It’s a sad legacy to be a slave to the material things of this world.

In the end we can’t take them with us. Those things that we thought were most precious are usually discarded and wasted by family and friends after we are gone.

So ... what is it that we really want out of life?

What’s holding us back from achieving true happiness?

Fear?

Yes, sadly fear is the reason that most of us use to resist the urge to follow our heart.

But you say, “I don’t have a choice!”

  I say, “You always have a choice.”

This life is all about choices. 

After two wonderful days of sharing, David and Stephanie announced it was time to leave. I watched them as they walked down the road, wondering what new adventures they were soon to encounter.

I know they will be safe and find exactly the kind of adventures and lessons that will challenge and add to their treasure chest of memories.

I know that because ...

The choices we make today mold and shape our tomorrows.

Aloha nui loa were the words I heard them speak as they left. 

It means: 

I give my love to you.

You give your love to me.

Good journey David and Stephanie ... Blessings along your way ...

Bookmarks

Have you ever wondered if there is more going on than you are able to comprehend with your physical senses?

I have and it has driven and consumed me with an intense desire to unlock the mysteries of life. 

Being schooled in traditional teachings, I was a mediocre student at best. 

I excelled in classes which challenged my thinking, ones that gave me a reason for learning, but mostly I was bored with the status quo.

School was a time of conforming to existing beliefs and being rewarded for mimicking the establishment.

Social and religious training was stressed as a way to excel and succeed in life.

Higher education equated with more money and higher standing in the community.

Sometime around the age of 40 a shift took place. 

I was no longer willing to play the game.

Still seeking approval of my peers, I dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s but inside I was slowing dying.

A new motivation from deep inside me began to awaken and push me toward an unknown destination.

A struggling marriage and unhappy relationship ended because I could no longer pretend.

I rebelled.

The old formula did not work for me.

I needed more.

I began to have conversations with the Universe and to my surprise the Universe answered back.

I learned how to recognize and respond to these new teachings.

I discovered these new teachings were in fact very old.

Others who were seeking truth appeared and together we explored new frontiers.

Then one day the Universe sent someone who turned my life upside down and inside out.

I knew immediately that my life was destined to change. 

I felt the shift inside my soul.

Together we surfed the waves.

We created a Shangri-La.

The Universe responded to our direction and we lit up the darkness with our love.

Then the Universe took her. 

Darkness surrounded me once again.

I withdrew.

But it was too late, I was hooked.

I discovered the light within me and the darkness withdrew.

I had seen behind the curtain and I wanted to more.

I found myself being drawn to certain people and events in history.

A desire to unlock my own hidden abilities began to surface.

Movies were a catalyst to inspire me when my road seemed blocked.

Most of these movies dealt with time and the hidden inner powers that we have.

My sense of being was expanded.

Then the dreams ...

I’m not sure that they really were dreams. 

I think maybe they were my own experiences.

Some of these dreams definitely changed my direction and thinking.

It was like gathering little bits of myself from an expanded Universe and adding them to this self.

There are others out there. 

There has to be ...

I feel like a bookmark that has been inserted to mark a place and a time.

I never would have guessed that I would be living on the edge of uncertainty in the middle of nowhere.

But here I am.

The world is in chaos.

Wars are never ending.

Conflict is ever present.

The Earth is being poisoned.

And yet ... there is a freshness in the air.

A hope.

A hint of a new world where love abounds.

l can feel it.

And it is getting closer ...

Killer Isle

Some of you know that I work at a local hardware store.
Last spring I decided that I would get a hive of bees.
I want to promote pollination of the local fruits and vegetables and as a bonus get some honey.
I checked my hive today and found that they haven't filled enough honey to last them through the winter so I am forced to supplement them with sugar.
Expensive cane sugar.
Each time someone comes into the hardware store and wants to buy Roundup, 2,4-D, or any of the other dozens of poisons on the shelf, I really have to bite my lip to keep from offending the customer.
I often recommend an alternative that is safe for the bees and the environment.
I first ask if they have pets or children and point out the dangers of using toxic poisons and sometimes I have been successful in changing a persons mind.
Most often these people are so blinded by advertising and the need to kill anything that grows that I fail to change their minds.
I refer to the poison isle as the Killer Isle and sometimes say it out loud to the customer.
I ask them what they want to kill, mutilate, maim or torture?
Most don't catch the sarcasm and describe the insect, critter, or weed that they want to eliminate.
What is wrong with the people of the world that they don't see the harm they are causing?
Where do you think all the toxic poisons and chemicals end up?
We end up eating and drinking them!
Ever wonder why you are sick all the time?
Ever ask why you have no energy or zest for life?
You are directly responsible for your heath and the health of the planet.
Be Kind to yourself and the rest of the world.
Stop already.
Enough is enough!
Love yourself enough to make a difference.

No answer? Check the Hammock

I had a pleasant conversation this week with some new friends, except that they seem like old friends. You know the kind, you have an instant connection and feel like you have known them forever?

I helped them with a small repair project in their cabin in the mountains.

We mostly talked about life and our experiences and lessons.

In the course of that conversation I made a bold statement to them.

I said that I had lived a full life, that if my life were to end now, I would be satisfied. 

I have loved, traveled, worked and played and feel confident that I have taken care of loose ends and any past karma.

Months ago I told the Universe that if I had done everything that I had agreed to do, I was ready to die. I stipulated that if they want me to remain, that I must keep my body healthy and mind sharp. I made the condition that if that changed dramatically, I would initiate the act myself. Nothing drastic, but I would go into the mountains or the desert and disappear.

I meant it. 

I still mean it.

It may seem extreme to some but I will not allow myself to deteriorate into dementia or a rest home.

It’s just the way I am.

Of course there are things that I would like to still do, like skydiving, bungee jumping, scuba diving, travel, sharing my life with someone special, and discovering the meaning of life.

In the course of my life, I have let go of hurts, fears, expectations, and judgements. 

This has allowed me to find joy in simple things, appreciating people for who and what they have become, savoring the quiet moments and pleasures of life, and looking for the good in all things.

I no longer choose to seek after things at the expense of others.

I have found the peace within, and that is enough.

So, what’s ahead?

One day at a time.

Finding joy in a sunrise.

Helping a friend.

Finding fulfillment in a child's laughter.

But, If you should hear that I am no longer here, do not weep for me, do not mourn my passing.

I have lived a full and glorious life and you being a part of that experience has made me a better person.

Until that time, you will find me most days at home watching the grass grow or at the hardware store helping someone with a project.

Don’t panic if I don’t answer the phone or answer the door. I have a note on the front door.

It reads, No answer? ... check the hammock on the back porch.

And If I am not there?

Listen for me in the wind, for that is where I will be.