The Power of One: Humanity Decides!

This inspirational message is featured in its entirety in Jean Hudon's Rising Phoenix series installment. Michael White is clearly a visionary whose words uplift and heal. Enjoy!

The Power of One: Humanity Decides!

Oh, Grow Up ~ Not!

Is aging as easy as pie? This video shows how a half-century celebration can be the ultimate answer to today's challenging times: don't worry, be happy. It's the best fuel there is!

What If They Gave An Economic Crisis and Nobody Came?

The Vietnam War was raging when the rhetorical question began circulating, "What if they gave a war and nobody came?" There was even a 1970 film by the title, "Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came?"

What if ... we apply this same wisdom to the economic and political "crisis"?

I've never understood where the money goes when the media announces we're in a recession or depression. Are people suddenly hoarding it? If the money's still in circulation, then it's only fear and foreboding that drives prices sky-high and creates a scarcity mentality.

Everything that happens in 3D begins first in the mind, so we must drop from a higher vibrational resonance of faith and well-being into fear, loss and lack in order for the outer reality to follow.

Suppose we "just say no" to this scenario? Ignore the mass media hysteria, and follow our soul's dictum, which is always about abundance, grace, love and truth. It's only pie-in-the-sky if you doubt; when millions of us choose to walk on faith and follow our hearts, the outer reality must mirror this inner truth.

What if they gave an economic and political crisis and nobody cared? What if we evolved beyond the Dementors of Doom, held high our wands of wisdom, and envisioned the future we know we deserve and are capable of creating? This is how Y2K didn't happen, after all: enough people ignored the fear in favor of a positive, easy outcome, and the new millennium began not with shortages and widespread blackouts, but in celebration.

Isn't it time to vote for what we want, rather than fighting shadows?

Happy Birthday, Jackson Browne!

The bard and balladeer whose music suffused my soul throughout my teens and 20s turns 60 today, and while in my mind he looks eternally as he did in 1977, when I saw him in concert for the first time, today he sports a mustache and beard (much to my shock!)

The man still sings like an angel, and writes from timeless awareness. Thanks for your contribution to us all, Jackson.
Happy birthday! Rock on!

Learning to Fly

Aluna Joy shares a fascinating story of meeting a Butterfly Man on her recent tour to Palenque, and learning about the Butterfly Heart: "... an activated butterfly heart [enables star beings to] live in this world and the starry world at the same time. With the butterfly heart, they could have the courage to come to the Earth, explore its beauty, and study its nature without concern about being forever Earthbound ...

"Tzutujil Mayans in Guatemala speak of simultaneous Twin Realities: the world of dreams and the world of work. These worlds are likened to the opposing wings of a Butterfly: the dream world is one wing, and the awake world is the other. They believe the wings must connect at the Heart for the Butterfly to fly and live. Real life occurs because of the interaction of the wings. The Life is the Butterfly's Heart. Life, like the Butterfly's Heart, is kept alive by the two opposing, mirroring, twinlike wings."

What fascinated Aluna and me as well is what Deepak Chopra says about how the human Butterfly Heart is our source of flight: in The Book of Secrets, he writes: ... "Two chemicals called actin and myosin evolved eons ago to allow the muscles in insect and butterfly wings to contract and relax. Thus butterflies and insects learned to fly. When one of these paired molecules is absent, wings will grow but they cannot flap and are therefore useless. Today, the same two proteins are responsible for the beating of the human heart, and when one is absent, the person's heartbeat is inefficient and weak, ultimately leading to heart failure ...

"In our hearts, we feel the impulse to fly, to break free of boundaries. Isn't that the same impulse nature expressed when insects began to take flight?"

Intriguingly, a book that found me when I was entering my dark night of the soul ~ in essence, seeking my spiritual wings ~ was Flight Lessons, by Michael Hall. A lively journey to conscious evolution as a couple: learning to fly.

The Great Turning

Echoing my October newsletter, which discusses how love is our greatest economic asset, author David Korten says forget growing the economy; focus instead on growing healthy families and communities, and the economic "crisis" (remember, the Chinese character for this word also means opportunity) will resolve on its own:

Tonight: Night of Immense Power and Potential!

Caroline Casey reports that tonight, September 26, 2008, is a night of incredible power and promise, not just on a political level:

"It is a time when vows to fulfill one's assignment are animated, and also a time when Fate both embraces those who dedicate themselves to their dharmic role and dismisses those who are not an energetic math for the Story of the time...

"Ally Deborah Felmeth, from Syria, further informs us of this late-breaking ancient Mythic News:

'The Night of Majesty, also called the Night of Grandeur and the Night of Power is Friday September 26th this year. It falls always on the night of the 27th day of Ramadan, which is the ninth month of the Islamic Year. As the Islamic calendar is a Lunar calendar it falls approximately 11 days earlier within our Solar calendar each year. Prayer on this night is considered to be better than prayer for 1,000 months. The veils between the worlds most thin at this time...'

"'But Fate had no further use for him,' is one phrase, by which those not dedicated to the greater good are dismissed and shunted back-stage.

"It is not Gabriel, but Al-Burak, the widely revered magic flying horse with the face of a beautiful woman, body of horse, giant white swan's wings, a tail of peacock colors, who takes Mohammed all over the world and to heaven and back on this night.

"So beginning the Night of September 26th, debate or whatever night, we fly with Al-Burak for the next 40 Days to the election Night. There's lots to work with here.

Our default setting is that everything is perfect, in some quirky way ..."

Equinox: Coming Into Balance

At the Equinoxes, Solstices and Cross-quarter days, I often like to reference Kathleen Jenks' excellent Myth*ing Links site, which is replete with lore, art and sacred traditions from around the world.

What will you harvest in this ripe moment, as the Wheel of the Year takes another cosmic turn, releasing summer's fire and entering Libra, the astrological sign of balance and justice?

Giving and Receiving Are One in Truth

We've been hearing about the Law of Attraction and the importance of gratitude for quite awhile now. Here's a slightly different take on the joy of giving, and how it can turn your own life around. Thanks to What Shines subscriber Anne Naylor for sending:

"Feeling desperate and hopeless after spending eight days in the hospital related to multiple sclerosis, 35-year-old Cami Walker decided to take an odd 'prescription' from an African medicine woman. The remedy? Give away one thing each day for 29 days. 'I thought the suggestion was crazy at first, but decided it wasn't going to hurt me to try it.

'Things couldn't get much worse,' said Walker. 'I was shocked by how quickly things turned around for me. By day 14, I was able to walk without my cane and many of my MS symptoms subsided. I was able to start working part-time again by day 29.' Now, several months and many daily gifts later, Walker says she is still improving.

Walker was so inspired by the changes in her health and other areas of her life that she decided to turn the 29-Day Giving Challenge into a worldwide giving movement: 29Gifts.org.

Your 29 gifts can be anything ... money, food, old sweaters, smiles, your time, kind words or thoughts.

You can start your own personal 29-Day Giving Challenge at any time — there’s no official beginning or end date.

To complete the Challenge, share a story about the impact it made on your life to focus on giving for 29 days. Your story can be told with written word, short film, recorded spoken word, song or visual art.

The Challenge is intended to be a sacred ritual — it is your opportunity to cultivate a mindful practice of stepping outside your own story for a few moments each day by serving others.

Don’t quit. If you have a day that you feel unmotivated to give, it’s OK. Just go for the simple give. Call a friend and share some kind words. Write someone a nice note. Or exchange smiles with a stranger. Every gift doesn't need to be monumental. You might even notice that the 'simple gives' feel more powerful than the grand gestures.

If you forget your give one day, be gentle with yourself. This ritual is about progress, not perfection. Sit down and quietly reflect on your day. Review the entire day mindfully and find the times you unconsciously gave so you can bring it into your consciousness.

Don’t forget that there is never a day that you don't give. There are only days that you don't acknowledge and remember you did.

Enjoy your 29 days. And remember to stay open to receiving. Giving can't happen without the receptors of our gifts. Good giving to you today."

9-1-1, 8 Years On

An infinity (8 on its side, ∞) has passed since the watershed American event known simply by the date it occurred: 9/11. Since the beginning, I've referred to this wake-up call as 9-1-1, which in the U.S. is the number to call in an emergency.

Emergency means "emerge and see" as well as "emergent sea": we're all swimming in this nascent consciousness, some further upstream than others, encouraging those still at water's edge to jump into the bracing blue waters of awakening.

The shift affects every aspect of existence, including politics. The current American election is one of the most critical of our age, because who we vote for now determines, in a very real sense, our future direction as a planet. Thought leader Deepak Chopra has crafted a stunningly clear piece on the choice before us: to evolve further into Light, or stagnate in shadow.

Read Obama and the Palin Effect

While the distinction seems apparent, we as a people are still riddled with ancient fear, one of the densest energies. I learned this anew when camping recently on Mt. Shasta, a sacred vortex at the tip of California, visited by people from all over the world. One evening I was parked on a residential street, doing some work on my laptop before returning to camp. Suddenly headlights from a hunkering SUV blinded me, pulling up almost nose-to-nose with my car.

The driver got out and demanded to know why I was parked in front of his house, threatening to call the police if I didn't leave immediately. If fear can evoke this kind of reaction to someone sitting in their own vehicle on a public street, it's obviously still deeply ingrained in our national and global psyche. And that's what keeps us in the Dark Ages, literally as well as figuratively.

Thankfully, since synchronicity is the order of the day, Jean Hudon has just compiled an entire meditation focus devoted to mastering fear.

This is an amazing moment for us all. Cells in the body of humanity, we are slowing coming to realize what our bodies themselves have always known: we're all in this together, and together, we are strong.

∞ Blessings! ∞

Earth Sounds

Here's another audiophile file, this time of some of the incredible sounds Gaia makes, courtesy of physics professor Don Gurnett:

The Sounds of Space

To read my September newsletter, Sound Effects, please subscribe to What Shines.

Sound Wisdom

Glass artist Paul White, a longtime subscriber to my inspirational ezine, What Shines, often responds with intriguing information of his own. The September issue focuses on sound, and the myriad ways we can use it to heal and shift ourselves and our beloved Gaia.

Paul writes, "How interesting you are discussing sound. On the way home from a poetry event in Mountainaire, NM I started to hum. I had my earplugs in because I've found using earplugs lessens driving and flying fatigue. So as I was humming I began to hum nasally, raising the pitch and lowering it. All of a sudden I found a vibration that actually created another tone. It was like there was a bee inside my head. I've only experienced that one other time, when I was in a Peruvian whistle circle. Have you ever heard of Peruvian whistles?

Thank you for your What Shines emails, they always have such interesting information!"

Bedroom Health

I've been speaking and teaching about how to make healthier product and lifestyle choices for more than a decade, and it's rewarding to see the shift towards greater enviro-consciousness finally becoming mainstream. In this article, Begin With the Bedroom, the author covers the basics to make your sleep sanctuary a true health haven.

I offer a free class handout, From Harmful to Harmony: 13 Simple Steps You Can Take Today To Improve Your Health for anyone who makes a donation to LiveYourLight.com.

Sweet dreams!

The Mosquitoes of Life

Been feeling a little on edge (or off the edge) lately? I certainly have. The night before the lunar eclipse of 8/16, I discovered that the ideal camper van I've sought for months (and driven hundreds of miles questing) had been available right under my nose, and sold for a fraction of its worth, that day. I cried tears of frustration, since it's only the latest manifestation of a pattern I'm well ready to release.

What a relief to learn this episode wasn't "just" about being unable to handle "life": In her latest alert, Karen Bishop reminds us, "If you are one who is unusually sensitive and connects easily, you may have experienced the lunar eclipse on August 16th with confusing feelings of low self worth, perhaps self-loathing, and even guilt for no apparent reason. You may have felt just plain icky and you did not know why. Suddenly feeling bad about ourselves for no apparent reason is simply a manifestation of the lunar eclipse supporting us in going deep within and seeing the denser aspects of who we are."

And Daniel Jacob plays off a similar theme in his current post, Perfect!, in which he discusses the perfectly normal response of rage when we've reached the end of our rope due to the "mosquitoes of life", the little annoyances that can finally push us over the edge to where we just have to vent the frustration. He also talks about allowing rage to morph into sage. Worth the read ... check it out.

And may you enjoy the return of equanimity as we surge towards balance and the new in September!

Becoming Invisible

I've always been fascinated by the idea of being invisible. From the cloaking device employed by the Star Trek Enterprise to the Invisibility Cloak given to Harry Potter by Dumbledore, I'm enchanted by the idea of being able to slip into places unseen, for edification, transformation, or just plain fun.

Reconnections channel Daniel Jacob says this isn't such a farfetched concept for those of us willing to begin exploring alternative modes of reality and transport. His article, Invisibility is both instructive and inspirational.

Now that our pair of August eclipses has shown us what needed to be seen and helped us eclipse the shadow side that no longer serves our highest good, it's easier to enLighten up and travel in other dimensions, seen and unseen.

I look forward to not seeing you somewhere soon! ;-)

13 Codes of Ascension: The Pathless Road Home

Here's a fascinating account of humanity's progress through the Ages, from Aluna Joy:

The 13 Codes of Ascension
… The original vision of the creator, and how we fell from Paradise

There are two ways that we enter a material form to create a spirit in a human body. We have to create a physical body up from the 9 underworlds of Earth. This dense, clunky, material body (an Earthly space suit, so to speak) is subject to gravity, time and dimension, and it takes a lot of energy to maintain it...at least for now.

Simultaneously, we also have to bring down our Spirit through the 13 Heavens, or 13 CODES, into the body, so we can live physically and have creative consciousness at the same time. The blessing is that the Spirit has no limitations at all.

The fact is simply this...we were not born here...we fell into this life. Bit by bit we fell. Our awareness of unity, oneness, and how to use the creative power of the universe was lost bit by bit as we fell into our denser, Earthly body. Some of us remember screaming all the way as we fell. This is not a fun process. We fell through the 13 codes. We made it through all of the first 12 codes. We almost embodied the 13th code, but the fall of Atlantis forced us to reschedule this event to a later time. That time is now.

The 13 Codes of Ascension - This is how you fell here.

In code 1, we were ONE with all life and all life was all ONE.

This is what we might perceive as heaven, nirvana, or paradise. Many of us still remember this glorious space, but this memory can also make us quite homesick.

In code 2, the creation of a dimension took place. It created a base location, of sorts, for life. All of creation was still united in this dimension.

In code 3, the dimension split creating multiple, uncountable dimensions. It also created duality; the light and the dark, the right and wrong, etc. ... Space was created and space grew between dimensions. All of us living on this planet now are in this one dimension and are only slightly aware of the other realties.

In code 4, the creation of the Four Directions took place. This created movement within the light and the dark. Time began because of movement, which also created the past, present, future — and don't forget gravity! What fun! :)

In code 5, sound, vibration, and frequency were created, adding definition to the movement. Many sound healers use this code for healing.

In code 6, memory was created and history began. Memory is a huge part of our problem now, as it anchors us to the past, and keeps us from living in the present moment. We each have a small seed of memory of the united one within us all, and this is our path back home to this oneness.

In code 7, creative power was formed. It is what we now know as Spirit. This is our energy source in which we can manifest as creators.

In code 8, the elements of fire, water, air and earth were created. Planets were formed in our dimension.

In code 9, the mind and consciousness was created. Along with it was the ability to put to use the creative power.

In code 10, finally the physical body was created. This was to be a tool in which we could create with consciousness and physical reality. The issue is that we tend to identify with the limiting, physical body as who we are. It is not so. Also, code 10 created beginning and endings, cycles of life, and birth and death.

In code 11, the creation of the family, community and collective consciousness took place.

In code 12, we began to work with collective creating. Here humanity learned how to cope with the issues of creating together through trial and error. Yep, you guessed it... this is where we are right now.

In code 13, we finally arrive fully into life and back to ONENESS all at the same time. But here is the catch ... You see, we have not been fully born into life yet. This is why you always feel something is missing, or think there should be more to life than this. The loss of this missing code has also driven you to search for it. Could this be where the Christians' idea that we need to be "born again" came from? Code 13 is the collective ascension back into ONENESS. It is a rebirth into a higher plane of existence while in a physical form. This is what we feel is missing and continue to search for. This is a time that the Ancient Maya foresaw and recorded with the grand calendar cycles. This is why you and I are here ... to reclaim that code!

This was a grand plan of the great creator (by the way, this is US, collectively) was to let go of everything that we knew as the ONE to enter a new physical reality. In the letting go, we will gain a higher plane than we had before and new higher cycle. We embarked on this grand journey with great courage and with little or no memory of the ONE, of where we came from, or of what we lost. The grand plan was to experience a vast and extensive journey of re-discovery of universal truth and oneness. We wanted to challenge ourselves to recover the Light and the Truth with only the faith of a mustard seed. There was a tiny seed of light which was still inside of us when we completed all 12 codes. This is an inner light that we all have within, and which we have nurtured and developed. The question was ... could we get back to Oneness while in a physical body?

As we enter the 13th code, there will be no path to follow. It will be confusing, and we will have to trust ourselves ... our HEARTS. Our ancestors did not go here, so they will be no help for us. Gurus, teachers and prophets will not be any help either. But they have taken us this far. Thank you. We are all in the same boat now. We all are seeds of light ... the light keepers that will bring in and anchor the last and final 13th code. This may very well be a reason why you were called here at this time. They say this is why you are reading this now.

As we enter the 13th code, systems, programs and ways of life will become obsolete and will fall away. Once we are fully awake with all 13 codes, there will be no need for laws, dogmas, traditions, governments, programs, social standards, and even organized religion. Once we are awake, we will not need these types of protective programs around us, because we will be impeccably conscious and take right action in every situation.

At the time of the fall of Atlantis, and the mass migration to Egypt, a vital key to manifesting the 13th code of creation on the Earth was temporally lost. This cataclysm in the past is still affecting us now. Our world is drowning in this catastrophobia. It is our job not to feed this illusion in anyway. The betrayal, abuses and attacks we suffered in history can return to fear and thus confuse the truth. These fears are just old memories returning to be cleared out. This is our cross to bear as we come back to the one and embody the ascension of the 13th code. Remember our heart is the truth absolute, and the ONLY TRUTH.

Hybrids

Is America coming home to wholeness at last?

We've fallen in love with hybrid cars, and now, there appears to be a wellspring of support for a potential hybrid president. Because while the media is calling Barack Obama "Black," in truth he could just as easily be labelled "White": as he himself has stated, he is the child of a white American from Kansas and a black African from Kenya. A hybrid, who understands perhaps better than most what it means to hold the "both/and".

I just saw this bumper sticker today and thought it was amazing:

Barack to the Future!

May it be so.

08.08.08: Change Is Infinite!

Friday, 08.08.08, heralds not only the Beijing Olympics, but a worldwide moment for peace: the number 8 on its side signifies infinity, and 8 has always been the number of change numerologically.

Link up with your global siblings on Worldwide Moment and share your ideas for creating a more equitable, loving, harmonious place to live.

Blessed Be!

Another Hay Ride: Listening to Louise

Every month, master coach and bestselling author Cheryl Richardson hosts a telegathering featuring someone whose work is helping to advance human evolution. Last week, her inimitable guest was a woman who catalyzed my own initiatory journey, along with that of millions of others: Louise Hay, one of the pioneers of the personal growth field.

I first met Louise in 1988, not long after my friend Susan had gifted me with a copy of Louise's classic, You Can Heal Your Life for my birthday. Louise's gatherings were known as Hay Rides, and indeed, it's a life-altering excursion.

Here's the recorded call for your elevating pleasure.

I scribbled Louise's core affirmations that she shared on air, and have been singing them this past week. (I find affirmations just naturally lend themselves to music without any effort, and make them easier to remember). What a marvelous refresher!

All is well.

Everything is working out for my highest good.

Out of this situation, only good will come.

I AM SAFE.

In addition, Louise recommends gratitude at all times. It's fine to be grateful in advance of receiving what you seek. Then, Life says, "Yes, I love you, too!"

One Sound, One Heart, One Soul

Last night, to honor one of the most powerful evolutionary opportunities we'll experience this year (full solar eclipse occurring on the Lammas cross-quarter gateway), I was blessed to be part of a shamanic sound healing ceremony facilitated by Akasa, a sound ceremonialist and visionary who was initiated into her life purpose by the Oracle of Delphi on Summer Solstice, 1997.

Akasa carries the purest Love/Wisdom energy of anyone I've encountered. When I "happened" to meet her nearly a year ago at Whole Foods, she was dressed as the Goddess incarnate and I had to express my joy at how she chose to manifest in the world. She immediately responded from a deep level of recognition, and we spoke as the sisters we no doubt are, across eons.

Yet I suspect most people she meets feel similarly embraced by her ecstatic essence. In addition to those of us who are less well known, luminaries from Stanley Krippner, PhD, to Brian Swimme, PhD ("The Universe Story" with Thomas Berry); from Fred Alan Wolf, PhD (featured in What the Bleep Do We Know!? and The Secret) to Barbara Marx Hubbard, laud her work.

Akasa has begun making VISION Statement Movies of people's life purpose that, as Swimme notes, "contain the multiple modes of mind, heart, soul, sound, body and spirit all at once." During yesterday's One Sound Visioning event, we collectively helped birth a New Humanity and a New Earth.

Celebrating with Akasa elevates you to a higher level of personal harmony. Highly recommended!