when it rains it pours

Today is pretty mellow. It is cloudy, a little rainy, and I find myself listening to music on the headphones and laying around reading my Delores Cannon book in between fulfilling my motherly duty of keeping everyone in my household fed.

The book I'm reading right now is called "Between Death and Life." I'm almost at the end.

If you don't know who Delores Cannon is - just briefly - she was a hypnotherapist for 40+ years. She found a way to talk with the deepest level of a person's subconscious mind - even deeper than what we typically consider to be the subconscious. She found that, when taken to this level, people could "miraculously" heal from certain ailments (mental and physical) that modern doctors could not cure. She also found out many many many other things. The type of hypnotherapy she pioneered is called QHHT. She taught many people how to do this over a long career. Despite the fact that she passed from the earthly plane in 2014, you can still go get this type of therapy for yourself, and you would be likely to find someone who learned from her directly.

Anyhow, in this particular book "Between Death and Life," Delores shares her conversations with people who are regressed to times when they are without a body - so times when they are in spirit form. She is learning about some complicated processes that our spirits go through before we decide to enter the earthly plane. It is some very mind-bending stuff, and I won't go into it all here. You can read the book if you are curious. But probably my favorite line from the whole book is this:

"Apparently we, as conscious human beings, are the least informed participants in the whole earthly scenario."

I just had to sit the book down and laugh when I read that. It completely reminded me of the title of a chapter in the book "The Tao of Willie." (A book written by Willie Nelson - another recommended read, for sure.) The chapter is called something to the effect of "Thankfully, we are not in charge."

And I guess I wanted to share it here because this whole concept just totally relieves me of the need I sometimes feel to control things. How can we control things from this side of the "veil" if we know so little of what is actually going on? How can we legitimately believe we can control anything at all? It's insane to think any good can come of that. Better to just - again - let go. Allow yourself to be guided.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A daily prayer from A Course in Miracles:

Dear God,

Tell me where to go.
Tell me what to do.
Tell me what to say
and to whom.

Amen

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for reading, and I hope you have a large day!

xoxo,
erin

forgive

The topic of martyrdom has been brought up into my awareness a lot lately, and was reinforced by my card pull of the hanged man in reverse.





Usually, the hanged man is hanging upside down, indicating a change in perspective, and “letting go.” However, the hanged man came out of my deck upside-down, which means he is standing upright (confusing, I know.) This indicates martyrdom, and I am guided to think about how martyrdom is the opposite of "letting go."

Many religions (if not all) speak often of forgiveness. We tend to think of forgiveness as something that makes a bit of a martyr out of us. If someone has done us wrong, somehow the forgiving of that makes us feel a bit above them, like the bigger person. Like we are doing the right thing even though they are not. We are sacrificing our own happiness in order to forgive them - we are becoming a martyr for their sake. That is how we generally look at forgiveness, and it serves no one. I have learned that to truly forgive, we need to make a 180 degree turn in our perspective (kind of like the hanged man does.) 

True forgiveness is realizing that there is nothing to forgive. In order to forgive another person for the pain they have caused us, we need to realize that everything is just as it is supposed to be. It was our own expectation that something should have turned out differently that creates the need to forgive in the first place. So we need to let that go.

Remember the fox that eats the hare? Remember the neutral and expanded perspective that makes it all okay? I am talking about that again. When we can let things be just as they are without feeling the need to change them, and be at peace in that space, then it is surprising just how fast the things we would like to change just fall away. When we focus on the thing that needs to change as a point of forgiveness, all we are doing is giving energy to the thing that needs to change. When we give our energy to it, we make it grow. The problem continues. To truly forgive, we need to let go of any expectations we had regarding the situation. Release our grip, remove our energy, and let it be as it is. Anything less than that is trying to solve a problem from the same level at which it was created, and Einstein tells us that is impossible. 

Einstein was a pretty smart guy. Just saying.

This is how "letting go" is the opposite of martyrdom, and also the key to our peace.

Below is one of my all-time favorite poems by Mary Oliver. I am including it here because of the line “There is still deep within you a beast shouting that the world is exactly what it wanted...Whether or not you have ever dared to be happy. Whether or not you have ever dared to pray.”

The world is exactly what it wanted. 

It is truly truly all good.

I would like to see this hanged man upside-down the way he belongs. I feel like he is a little uncomfortable the way he is right now. He wants to dangle 🤣. Think of something you can forgive, release your expectations over it,  and see what miracles occur.

xoxo,

erin

the fox and the hare

Well, I got the hare again. If you haven't been following this blog, I'll just say that this is probably the fifth time in the past week that I pulled a rabbit card in one form or another. But this time, I got the hare with the fox, which to me is a very interesting relationship. To top it all off, it is followed by the two of cups. This has so many implications - I could probably write an entire book on this card pull, but I will try to keep it brief for your sake, and the sake of my children who will probably need some attention soon!

So first - think about the relationship between the fox and the hare. Generally, the fox eats the hare, and the hare dies. We think that is the end, but we forget that death is not the end. We forget that the hare - in ancient lore - is a master shapeshifter. What if the hare has as much to benefit from this relationship as the fox does? What if we try to see this interplay as fundamentally neutral - as we are told by our most advanced spiritual teachers that everything essentially is? Instead of pursuer, the fox becomes a vehicle for the transformation of the hare. The hare is not a victim; rather it is a shining example of invulnerability and transmutation. Look at the hare in this card. It is the bigger of the two. It is standing in front of a mysterious henge. It is guarding four eggs. You can see a beautiful crescent moon in the background. This is not an average hare. This hare represents a mutable, receptive, and feminine energy. The eggs it is guarding are the very symbol of rebirth and transformation. This hare is telling us it is not the victim we think it is. The victimhood associated with the hare in this interplay is a result of our own fear-based projections.

And then there is the two of cups.

I feel like the two of cups - in this context - is asking us to take a look at what we perceive to be separate. What appear here to be two beings are actually part of a larger whole. Our senses, and the way our brains interpret things can be very deceptive at times. The hare and the fox appear to us to be mortal enemies, participating in an endless cycle of pursuer and pursued. But do they see themselves that way, or is there something bigger, something formless and nameless, going on here? I am touching on something that is incredibly difficult to put into words here, but look at the two snakes coiling around the rod in the picture of the card.

This is a Caduceus, which is - among other things - a symbol for alchemy. There is something profound that happens within the space of a relationship where real transformation can occur.  When two whole and complete beings come together towards a common goal, something within them forgets that they are separate at all. This is the fox eating the Hare. This is the Hare - not disappearing - but changing form. Within the space of this dance, beauty is created that is bigger than the sum of its parts. This is where we find the truth in each other, and we begin to approach the very definition of Love.

                        ~~~~~~~~~ 💗~~~~~~~~~

I hope you enjoyed my deep thoughts for the day. There are many more where that came from, so I’ll see you again here soon!

xoxo,

erin

eastertime

I sat down to pull cards yesterday and got the rabbit you see on the right. I needed clarification, so I got out a different deck, and immediately got the rabbit you see on the left. A bunch of rabbits kept popping up on my Instagram feed. Then today, I pulled a card again, and again, got the rabbit. 

So I am thinking that I have a theme going on here. 😂

Staring down at all the bunnies that seem to magically multiply (as rabbits often do,) it also dawned on me that Easter is coming up. I never celebrated Easter growing up as a child - it wasn't part of my religion - so I've always been a little removed from the popular holiday. But I do know that there is a bunny involved.

I have no idea what the Christian justification is for the Easter bunny, but I do know that - in Druidic lore - the rabbit is considered the creature of the Goddess and the moon. It is known for it's abundant fertility, and is a symbol of intuition, shapeshifting, and rebirth. The hare has long been the guardian of the mystical Druid's egg, and this is likely why we celebrate a rabbit that hides eggs around this time of year. The resurrection of Jesus plays nicely with the theme of spring and rebirth. There are also teachings that suggest that Jesus learned from the Druids during his “missing years,” but that is another story for another time.

I feel there is a rebirth occurring on this planet. I feel there is a lot of shifting and changing going on. The usual spring cycle is occurring, but I feel this is something more. We are witnessing the breaking down of many of the old structures and systems that used to work for us. These things are breaking down because they do not work for us any longer. (I am thinking health care, education, insurance, business, etc...) We are here in the middle of this perceived collapse, and it looks damned scary. But at the same time, people are beginning to wake up to the abundance and the beauty that is all around them all the time, whether it be spring, summer, winter, or fall. People are learning more and more the power of their own thoughts, and they are learning to trust their intuition. People are finding the keys to the grace that resides inside themselves. And with all of this, a new world is being born.

I believe these earth-based practices are rising up once again and it may be time to let go gracefully of that which no longer serves the common good. The beauty of a willing release is another lesson that the Hare has to teach us. It is springtime, and maybe some "spring cleaning" on a massive scale is in order. It is important to remember that the universe is infinitely abundant, and that it is capable of sharing this abundance with you through many different avenues, so letting go of things that we no longer need does not need to be scary or sad. We are always supported, guided, and provided for. We are truly invulnerable to lack in any form.

I have a lot more to say on this topic, but I will leave that for another post. I hope you can remember the hare and all her promises as you are going about your Easter Holiday. We will be going out of town overnight, so I probably won’t post again until next week. But as always - thank you so much for reading.

xoxo

love,
erin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Game On

We live in strange and wonderful times.

The weather is changing.

Historical structures are crashing and burning.

Nothing appears to be as it was.

What lies beneath this apparent madness?

For many of us - there is a tendency to try and "figure it out.” Many of us - myself included - try to find meaning in the symbolism of it all. Because, after all, what is life except a string of symbols? What are words except essentially meaningless sounds that we have strung together and agreed upon a meaning for? We live in a world of archetypes and myth that we have created over time. So why wouldn't we try to piece the meanings together in the same way?

But do we really want to know?

Our spirit, or our higher self, or God, is aware of what it all means. Deep inside, there is a part of us that has the bigger picture. However, we are here in this space at this time because we have volunteered to move forward as if we don't know what is going on. We put our own blinders on when we signed up for this a long time ago. We didn't want to be told all the answers right away.

So while it is fun to try and "figure it all out," maybe part of the reason behind it is so we can learn to let the mystery be. 

I've always enjoyed listening to music where the vocalist is singing in a language that I don't understand. Even if they are saying the most boring and mundane things, I don't care. It is made so much more beautiful to me for the fact that I have no freaking clue what they're talking about.

This life is much the same. If we were shown all the cheat codes, what would be the point of playing the game? How about just kicking back and enjoying the music for a bit? How about letting ourselves be amazed and surprised by the magic of what unfolds?

Game on.

xoxo,
erin

give and take

Today's lesson from A Course in Miracles (lesson 106):

Let me be still and listen for the truth.
What does it mean to give and to receive?

In yesterday's post "the eye," I spoke about how The Queen of Swords is receiving with her left hand, and giving with her right. It is important to be doing both. When one or the other becomes stopped up, our natural harmonious nature tends to become a little off-key.

Also, according to ACIM, giving and receiving are not what we generally believe them to be. We think that to give something away is to lose that item. Under current mainstream thought, if I give you a sandwich, I no longer have that sandwich. But in reality, to give something away is to strengthen it and make it multiply. Most of us perceive this world with a mentality based upon lack, and so that is what we create. (See, we are strengthening that which we are giving.) But actually, the Universe is a place of total abundance. When we make that switch in our minds, when we move from a place of trying to believe in abundance, to a place of KNOWING abundance and SEEING it all around us, then we start to see miracles come to life right before our eyes. This is how Jesus fed the multitude with one fish and one loaf of bread. He knew that to give away a "sandwich" makes it multiply. He had no doubt that this was true. And so it was for him, and so it still is for all of us - we need only to know it.

There is a flow happening all around us all the time. We are always a part of it, but sometimes we forget. We are infinitely more happy when we can see that we are part of this ongoing dynamic process. Giving and receiving are ways we can acknowledge our part in this flow. Most of us like to think we are trying to become more balanced, but balance implies stasis, and nothing in this universe is still. To truly be a part of this dance we are all in, I think harmony is a more appropriate word. So let's focus on having a more harmonious relationship with that which we give, and that which we receive. Let's be grateful for what we can give, as well as what we can receive. Because, truly, what we give is increased exponentially beyond our wildest dreams. Giving and receiving are actually the same.

A Course in Miracles also touches on the idea behind the now popular word "Namaste," which means something like "The light in me recognizes the light in you," or "The God in me recognizes the God in you." This also ties into giving and receiving in a more etheric way. It says "See [another] through the Holy Spirit in his mind, and you will recognize Him in yours. What you acknowledge in your brother you are acknowledging in yourself, and what you share you strengthen. The Voice of the Holy Spirit is weak in you. That is why you must share It. It must be increased in strength before you can hear It." So, in essence, that which is shared (or given) is made stronger (or received). Yet another reason why it is so important to focus on the good in each other, and the good in the world.

So you see, I have a selfish motivation behind writing this blog. I am giving these thoughts to you not because I am some kind of expert or know-it-all, but because I am learning too, and I want to hear them better for myself. I hope you enjoy what I have to give. 💗💗💗

Much love to you all.

xoxo,
erin

P.S. Today I would like to thank my friend and mentor Max Ryan for bringing A Course in Miracles into my life, and also for teaching me the difference between balance and harmony. If you feel moved, go check out his website - great stuff there.

the eye

Currently in my area the weather is cloudy and windy in the wake of last night's thunderstorms and even tornadoes for some, so today's card pull makes me think immediately of the unsettling weather we are experiencing.




The frog card came out of the deck upside-down, and the first thing I noticed was that it seems to be raining upwards. Coupled with the Queen of Swords, whose sign is air, it gives me a very motion-oriented, stormy feeling.

Frogs are amazing little creatures who start their lives underwater, and then through an almost magical transformation, become beings who can function on dry land. I believe we are also in a process of transformation, and this is also reflected in the throne that the Queen sits upon. There is a butterfly on it - which is another creature who goes through an abrupt and total change in it's lifetime. Both creatures are in their whole and completed state. We are not seeing tadpoles and caterpillars - we are seeing frogs and butterflies. This indicates that we are already healed and whole. The process is already in it's final stages. The storms we are experiencing are just part of the experience and need not be feared. The point in time that we are at in at this moment is more mutable than it appears to be.

A frog is very sensitive, and even though it likes to keep it's head above water, it still needs regular contact with the healing element to stay healthy. The fact that this card came out upside-down indicates we should take some time to relax, reset, and care for ourselves today.

Another thing that strikes me about this card combination is the receptiveness of both cards. A frog’s skin is incredibly porous and it will quickly absorb that which is in its environment. This makes it particularly vulnerable to toxins, but also very quick to take in nourishment from many sources. A frog can breathe much like we do - through its lungs, but it also takes in a lot of its oxygen through “cutaneous gas exchange.” In other words - a frog can breathe through its skin - that is how porous and open to receiving it is. Likewise - the Queen - representing the feminine and receptive archetype - is holding her left hand up to receive that which is being offered. 

There are clouds around the Queen of Swords, but the sky above her is clear. She is pointing her sword directly upward to the sunny sky with her right hand. While our left hands are associated with receiving, our right is for giving. The Queen is making an offering of mental focus and clarity in the midst of the storm. She reminds us that even if a storm is raging all around us - whether it be an actual storm, or just the way our life appears at the moment - we always have the power of our own thoughts to help us remain in the eye of the storm where there is peace. Her message is this: if you find yourself being carried away by the madness of what's around you, bring yourself back to center, notice what thoughts your mind is choosing, and know you have the power to choose a thought that feels just a little better than the last. This is where you hold the sword that you see in this picture. This is where you are the Queen of Swords.

I have often found the sky to be the most beautiful on the stormiest days - especially when you see a break in the clouds and the light of a sunbeam shines through.

I'll close with one of my all-time favorite songs, because it sums it all up so perfectly.

https://youtu.be/Wl_eNu4NUVI

much love,
erin

in my defenselessness my safety lies

The Octopus and the Ace of Cups (from Wild Unknown’s Animal Oracle deck and Rider Waite).

So much water here! This makes me think of things subconscious, creative, intuitive, and feminine. Water is the sign of things below the surface, and the Octopus exemplifies that which is hidden and dark. The Ace of Cups seems to be bringing that which has been hidden up into the light. Bringing the realm of the subconscious into conscious awareness in a beautiful way that is abundantly overflowing with creativity and love.

So let’s enlighten ourselves, shall we?

The Octopus is a beautiful and crafty creature. She can change her shape and color at will to suit her purposes. She takes on the energy of that which is around her. She appears to have no boundaries at all. Once an Octopus reproduces - it dies. So you could say that is their life’s work. The ultimate act of creation and what appears to sacrifice. But is it truly sacrificial? Only if we look at death as being scary and bad. Only if we look at death as the end of life and not just part of the cycle. Only if we see ourselves as inherently separate entities. From an expanded perspective of life, that is simply not so. Death is nothing but a transition to another state, and return is possible. In fact, it happens all the time. An Abraham (via Esther Hicks) talk I listened to once made note of the fact that the beasts of our world enter and exit this realm with no attachment - they just come and go - they die and come back like it's no big deal. It is only humans who attach so much meaning and despair to the dying process. Again - we have much to learn from the animals here on this planet. 

Perhaps this is why Buddhism places such emphasis on releasing attachment. Perhaps this is why Yoda says, "Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose." Perhaps we are too attached to who we think we are.

The Octopus card can be a reminder for us to set boundaries, and I have found that to be happy in this world that is truly necessary. It makes me think specifically about setting boundaries in regards to parenthood - and there is a lot being written on that topic these days. But many things here on earth are paradoxical, and it is within this paradox that true understanding lies. An old nursing professor of mine used to say "the truth's a moving target," and in the watery world of the Octopus and the Ace of Cups that is even more true. While setting boundaries is a powerful practice, we must do that within the space of vulnerability. Lesson 153 in A Course in Miracles states "In my defenselessness my safety lies." It also says "The world gives rise but to defensiveness. For threat brings anger, anger makes attack seem reasonable, honestly provoked, and righteous in the name of self-defense. Yet is defensiveness a double threat. For it attests to weakness, and sets up a system of defense that cannot work." To truly understand these words and the paradox of boundaries within vulnerability we must first realize that this world is an illusion, and - when looked at deeply and honestly - makes no sense. 

As humans in this culture, we are programmed to fear death because we are attached to this life - thinking it's all we have. That creates fear in just about anything we do. How could we be vulnerable to the point that the mother octopus is when it means death? How can we be like Jesus who - even when he was being crucified - said "forgive them for they know not what they do."

These are questions that we all must answer at some point. 

To end - I feel we are being encouraged by the energy of the Ace of Cups to demystify the mystical. To bring these - what we perceive to be deep, dark, and watery - issues to the light and let them flow freely through our conscious awareness in whatever way feels right for us. This is how we begin to dispel the fear surrounding them.

I hope you enjoyed this. Let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!

xoxo,

erin

attention!

One thing I love about A Course in Miracles is the way it affirms a long-standing belief I've held that the thinking of the world is fucked.

I have always believed this in some sense, but around about the time I REALLY had my eyes opened, this book just seemed to fall into my lap.

This morning I was reading about how so often things that were written - in the Bible, say - with good intentions, have become warped and co-opted by egoic forces over time. The author of the material is saying that much of the Bible has been made to sound scary to us, and that is because our own egos have made it that way. For example, the expression, "as ye sow, so shall ye reap," or "you reap what you sow," has come to sound threatening. We look at it and immediately think of all the bad things we've done, and the horrible things we might expect to come back around to us as a result. Why do we do this? There's nothing there that doesn't say that these things we are sowing could - in fact - be amazing. As humans we have this tendency to immediately go negative, and I'm honestly not sure if this is a natural part of the human condition, or if this is cultural programming. But this phrase could just as easily be positive. Sow the seeds of truth, honesty, gratitude and appreciation within your brain on a consistent basis and watch the amazing results you will get. The author of the course says The Holy Spirit reinterprets things in His Own light, if we let Him. According to ACIM, He interprets that particular phrase to mean "what you consider worth cultivating, you will cultivate in yourself. Your judgement of what is worthy makes it worthy for you." That's it. To me, that is a neutral phrase, not a negative one. It is also empowering, because YOU get to decide what to cultivate, and YOU get to be the judge of what is worthy of your cultivation.

In another place in the course, the author (who is widely believed to be Jesus Christ himself - channeled through a scribe named Helen Schucman - but that is another story for another time) says something to the effect of "You can do all that I have done and more, but the only problem is you have an undisciplined mind." And what he is saying above about what we choose to cultivate is referring to what we choose to allow into our awareness. More specifically, what we pay attention to. Most of us don't realize how powerful our attention is. Most of us are swept up in news cycles, television dramas, and the drudgery of our day-to-day lives, mindlessly and needlessly repeating a pattern that we are unhappy with. Our attention and our thoughts are ALWAYS creating things. We have become so used to creating the same things over and over that we accept that's the way it is and we don't even know we are doing it. We are completely and totally undisciplined in the use of our minds. We don't realize that changing things is as easy (or not easy) as training our minds to focus on something better. And if enough of us do this, the world WILL change.

Baby's crying again. Gotta go. I'm afraid this has been a little disjointed, but that's what happens when you have chronic mom-brain (hey, I'm trying!). Here's a little story that reflects all these thoughts perfectly:



xoxo,
erin

deep hypnosis

Lately I've been reading a lot of Delores Cannon. A lot of you may already know who that is, but just in case you don't, Delores Cannon is a very well-known and well-respected hypnotherapist. Her story is interesting, because she didn't even start out trying to be a hypnotherapist, she was just helping her husband hypnotize people when they "accidentally" took someone back into what appeared to be another lifetime. I believe this was back in the 1970s - before past life regression was well known. Well, they stumbled upon this amazing finding with just one subject who allowed them to hypnotize her over and over again until they uncovered five previous lives, as well as times between lives in which she presented herself to them as a spirit without human form. They were smart and looked for ways to externally verify things that this lady was saying - so they knew she wasn't making it all up. Needless to say, Delores' and her husband's interest was piqued; however - not long after - her husband suffered a massive automobile accident that should have taken his life. It didn't, but it took years for him to recover, and when he did he had lost interest in the topic. Delores spent the next 10-15 years raising their children, and then eventually got back into hypnotherapy - this time without her husband, who was perfectly happy pursuing his other interests. She went on to have a 40+ year career in hypnotherapy, and developed a technique called QHHT that is practiced by many folks around the world today. 

What's most interesting about Delores' work is the patterns she uncovered. She noticed that once she got to a very deep level of trance with people, they all started saying similar things, or things that related to what the others were saying. It would have been impossible for these folks to have communicated with each other before their sessions, so she knew there was a larger force at play. Fortunately for us, she has written many many books which are basically transcripts of these hypnotherapy sessions, and a quick search on YouTube will uncover many of the talks she gives on various subjects uncovered during these sessions. But basically - she found a way to access other dimensions of reality through her hypnotized subjects. The wisdom found there is quite amazing, and a lot of it would be hard to believe if it weren't verified by multiple sources.

I will have to wrap this post up because the baby is crying, but I will leave you with a link to a video of my friend Delores just in case you haven't had the pleasure of hearing her speak yet. This is a video she has to go along with her book Between Death and Life, which is the one I'm currently reading. I hope you enjoy.

More tomorrow and thanks for reading!

xoxo,

erin

Save Our Ship!

Just got done with thirteen hours at a bizarre and tiny hospital. It’s long hours, but you’re spread so thin that you barely even notice how fast the day goes by. All day long while I’m there I am sending out SOS signals to the Universe for some better way to make my living. Today while eating my lunch and pumping breast milk at the same time, I receive this message in the form of a fortune cookie fortune:

Thank you Universe, I think I will.

xoxo,

erin

The 100th Monkey

I have a baby daughter who is currently going through her four-month sleep regression. Basically, that means that she's four months old, and as a result, she isn't sleeping so well these days. Lots of people use a white noise machine to help with this. Since I am fortunate enough to have a boyfriend who repairs vintage radios, we use this:



The Crosley Fiver

I just set it to a random AM frequency playing static and enjoy the crackles and pops of the white noise while she (hopefully) sleeps soundly in her crib. I think its funny how this radio picks up on little things I do around the house. When I plug or unplug something, when I press a key on my keyboard, when I open or close the refrigerator, it makes a little popping sound. It reminds me that there are many things around us all the time that most of us cannot see. Radio waves and static electricity being just a few.

Have you ever heard of the 100th monkey effect? A friend of mine informed me of this recently, and it also reminded me to have faith in things unseen. You can google this phenomenon, but basically, some scientists introduced sweet potatoes to a certain species of monkeys. The monkeys did not like the sweet potatoes - apparently they didn’t like the taste of the dirt on them. One baby monkey learned that she could wash the dirt off the sweet potato to make it taste better. She taught her mother this trick. Her mother taught some other monkeys, and it started to catch on. Once a critical mass of monkeys began washing their sweet potatoes, the researchers noticed that the behavior started to be repeated by all monkeys of this particular species - even ones geographically distant to the original monkeys - who had previously ignored the sweet potato. Even monkeys across the sea began displaying this particular behavior that they had never done before. The original slow learning curve did not take place; they just all intuitively knew to wash their sweet potatoes. This points to a collective consciousness shared by all of the monkeys.

I believe that humans have this as well - a consciousness grid - if you will (there's another thing you can google.) I believe this is how certain psychic phenomena can occur. I also believe that this is why most major inventions have popped up almost simultaneously across the globe by multiple different inventors. Perhaps our minds aren't thinking these things up so much as they are receiving them from places unseen - kind of like what that beautiful AM radio above is doing.

But we don’t only receive information from this grid. Our individual thoughts, actions, and emotions all add up and also affect the energy of the grid, and therefore each other. If enough people add energy to a particular idea, eventually it will reach a tipping point and start spreading - just like the monkeys with the sweet potatoes. Unfortunately - this concept can be used towards the negative, but it can also be powerfully directed towards peace and love. This is why prayer and meditation works - and seems to be more powerful when done in groups. This is why it is often said that "that which you put out into the universe will come back ten-fold." While I'm not sure if any of this has been looked at by scientists yet, I think it will be. Because after all, as somebody wiser than me once said, "Spirituality is just physics that hasn't been proven yet."

I personally do not want to wait for science to prove what I know to be true in my heart. And once you know this to be true, you start to be more conscientious about what you are putting into the collective. We all know that our words and actions affect others, but we don’t always realize that our thoughts and emotions are also just as powerful. It is so important that we find some way to train our minds to find a way to be at peace. Not only for ourselves, but for the entire world.

I will close with a quote from A Course in Miracles that I believes echos all of these ideas. It is stated in reference to one of the daily lessons - "I am one Self." In it you are to spend five minutes at the top of every hour meditating on this concept: "I am one Self, united with my Creator, at one with every aspect of creation, and limitless in power and in peace."

The end of the lesson urges us not to forget our goal, as it is important not only to us but to others as well. It says "Do not forget today. We need your help; your little part in bringing happiness to all the world...Repeat today's idea as frequently as possible, and understand each time you do so, someone hears the voice of hope, the stirring of the truth within his mind, the gentle rustling of the wings of peace."

So please, do what calls to your heart. The world needs more inspired action and minds that are at peace with themselves. You never know - you may just be the 100th monkey. 

Blessings, and have a large day!

xoxo,
erin

where I'm at

"If you want to make something a fast reality, write it down."

                      - Abraham (via Esther Hicks)

"Up the ante a little bit. Write it down for all to see!"

                      - Me

*********************************************************************

Well, here it is:

I live a charmed life.

I live a life that I don't need a vacation from.

I wholeheartedly believe in what I do for a living.

I am financially independent and free.

My work and my passion are one and the same.

I am in love with every aspect of the life I've created.

**********************************************************************

To be honest - not all of that is currently true, but I am putting this out there as the vision I am holding for myself.

The part about living a charmed life = true.

The part about not needing a vacation = not true.

The part about believing in what I do for a living = not at all true.

The part about being financially independent = true.

The part about being financially free = not true.

The part about my work being my passion = not true.

The part about being in love with my life = only partially true.

Now that last part may not be very Law of Attraction-ey, but I have to be honest about where I am right now. I have a strange feeling that once I believe the "not true" items to be true, I will start to see some big results. Because, as Madeline L'Engle said "Some things need to be believed to be seen." I would dare to take her a step further on that statement and say "ALL things need to be believed to be seen." Based on what I have witnessed over the past two years of my life, I now know the foundation of our world is firmly planted in the foundation of this beautiful witchery.

I am inviting you along to bear witness to future occurrences that I just know will be strange and wonderful.

See you tomorrow.

xoxo,
erin