“The High-heeled Guide to Enlightenment" by Alice Grist -- A Book Review

“The High-heeled Guide to Enlightenment is the must have book for feisty females who are looking to connect to something other than their Internet provider!”

When I first read this sentence, my curiosity stood on full alert, and I couldn’t wait to find out what this book was all about. I ordered the title on Amazon, and just a few days later I had the opportunity to find out for myself.

In The High Heeled Guide to Enlightenment Alice Grist takes the reader on a journey across the board of alternate spiritualities. Rather than delving into one practice alone, the reader is skillfully led to widen spiritual boundaries through the exploration of different practices, ranging from Wicca to Buddhism, Shamanism, Kabbalah and Feng-Shui.

Rather than being a main course dish, The High Heeled Guide to Enlightenment is a sampler platter offering something for everybody. In fact, while I am not a follower of many of the practices discussed, I found their descriptions fascinating and informative. I particularly enjoyed one chapter on coincidences and patterns, and once I finished reading it I found that some of the concepts were expressed in such a fresh, new voice that couldn’t fail to charm anyone gifted with an open mind.

The dynamic writing style and the unique approach employed by the author make this book a delightful read for anyone willing to expand one’s knowledge and personal boundaries. For the spiritual beginner, it is a must-read guide necessary to learn more about, and differentiate, the different paths; for those already intimately connected with some of the paths, The High heeled Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment is a great reference book aimed at shedding light on some of the roads less traveled.

A wonderful door opener for anyone ready to embark on their own journey toward enlightenment.

Tapping In

“Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.” - Marie Curie


‘What are you most afraid of?’ When I ask this question, I am always amazed by the replies I receive. Generally, people are afraid of being hurt, of being alone and, mostly, of lack of any type. Yet, none of the things many are afraid of are ever really dangerous or permanent, but only largely misunderstood.

It is very easy to be led by collective hysteria and conditioning, though we rarely acknowledge such an influence on our individual minds. Fear of lack is a great example, and it is often exacerbated by the constant outpour of negative media – unless we can measure up to impossible standards of love, wealth and success, we feel we will not be able to keep up with the race and we will soon wither and die, forgotten and left behind by the rest of humanity.

There is however, a different level of fear created by the ego, whose task is to keep us disconnected from our center of power. The main job of our ego – since it is intimately connected with our body and thus with existence in this dimension – is to keep our focus on the preservation of the body itself; long considered the temple of our soul, our body IS the vehicle to remain on earth as long as we can, so that our spirit can assimilate what it came to learn; in these terms, it’s easy to understand why one part of ourselves is determined to make sure we continue to physically thrive.

Strangely enough two of the most popular phobias are ophidiophobia and arachnophobia, the first one being a paralyzing fear of snakes and the latter a fear of spiders. To understand these fears better, let’s take a look at the creatures involved.

Snakes can be venomous, we all agree to that, but they are also very shy animals who rarely attack unless they are provoked. Snakes can also be garden friends, for they greatly reduce the population of rats and other pests that could really pose a much more ominous threat to our health and lifestyle. Since the advent of Christianity, snakes have suffered a really bad reputation, and they have been unfairly associated to a demonic essence. Interestingly, before patriarchal religions took over, snakes were worshipped because of their power of renewal (shedding of the skin) and continuity of all things. In esoteric images, a snake biting its own tail represents the world, also known as the cosmic egg, and it embraces the concept of infinity defined by a continuous circle. The snake is also associated to Kundalini energy, a type of energy usually dormant and ‘coiled’ in our sacral area near the tail bone (don’t you find it interesting that the area itself has a name which recalls the word ‘sacred’?) The gradual awakening of Kundalini energy is the ultimate goal of Kundalini Yoga, an ancient eastern practice; through Kundalini Yoga, the seven energy centers, also known as chakras, are opened, thus allowing the life energy to flow upward along the spine.

Spiders are also creatures most of us would like to see wiped from the face of the earth, but even they are not particularly harmful; never mind the fact that they are small and probably more terrified of us than we are of them. Spiders are unpredictable, powerful and necessary to keep other pests down to an acceptable level. Like snakes, spiders have also received the wrong end of the stick – they are stuck being a symbol of all things creepy, of Halloween, of witches and demons, of darkness and danger. But, spiders are also a symbol of creativity. They build amazing natural designs which are a mystery and miracle of their own. To us, a web appears as a net of silky threads, but when bathed in light it appears as a flower to insects.

When I was younger I was terrified of spiders. I still am not a huge fan of them, but in time I have learned to appreciate not only their role in nature, but also their beauty. Oddly, my fear of them began to decrease when I tapped into my own center of power. As I grew stronger within myself, and more creative, the fear subsided. I don’t think I would own a spider as a pet – that’s for another lifetime – but I can now sit beside one without jumping out of my skin.

So here it is – some of the things we are most afraid of are those connected to our own inner power, for as long as we are afraid to tap in the deeper recesses of ourselves we can continue to serve our ego and fulfill the illusion that we are our bodies.

Everything has a nature of duality, and inside each of us exist opposing forces constantly at battle with one another. They don’t need to be. Once we accept that both are unknowingly serving the same purpose, rising above our fears will be easier than we ever anticipated. Finding beauty in that which we’ve always deemed scary or ugly can be an interesting challenge, but it will be one that will deliver us to a greater awareness as we journey to discover the ultimate truth.

The Interview

Some things in life can simultaneously be exciting and scary. That’s how I felt yesterday as I prepared to participate in an hour-long radio interview. I tuned in a little earlier than my scheduled time to hear the previous guest and to get a feel of the conversation; after listening for a moment, my heart sank. Many questions and answers gravitated around current events and political issues, something I was completely unprepared for.

For a moment I was overtaken by sheer panic – what would the host ask me? Being almost entirely an apolitical creature, the mere thought of talking about such issues tied my tongue worse than a tablespoon of peanut butter. I watched the clock on my stove like a man awaiting his final moments, almost dreading to hear the phone ring. When it did, my heart skipped a beat, but suddenly the words a friend had shared with me just a few days before popped into my head. “If you get nervous,” she said, “speak your heart, not your mind.”

I could do that much. Her words soothed me and made me feel more confident, and I picked up the phone. The whole interview turned into a nice chat, and before I knew it I looked at the clock again and noticed that a whole hour had gone by. Somehow, I had lived through the interview and I had fun with it; once I started talking and answering questions the words formulated in my head with no particular effort.

After I hung up the phone I thought back about the whole experience. All the anxiety I had felt before the interview evaporated like droplets of dew in July sunshine the moment I decided that I was going to let my heart speak. Our inner self knows much more than we give it credit for, but on most occasions it selflessly sits back and allows the more arrogant and self-doubting rational mind to take center stage. The inner self has nothing to prove and will not argue meaningless points, but when all is said and done, its wisdom greatly surpasses the computerized knowledge of the rational mind. All of us have tremendous power if we tap into that part of ourselves which is not limited by ego and arrogance. We don’t need to know everything about a topic to relate how we feel about it. Another friend left me a comment on a post once: “Knowledge is being aware that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it into a fruit salad.”

Ultimately, we can know the “ins” and “outs” of something, and spit out facts like an angry llama, but very few facts are powerful enough to replace the application of common sense and inner truth. Technicalities do not make one smarter, they only make one well-read.

In the end, my friend was right. When I retired the mind and enlisted the soul, all obstacles, doubts and limitations checked out, and inner knowing stepped in. Did I give all the right answers? Maybe; or maybe not. But, in the end, the conversation was pleasant and I got to discuss my beliefs, my books, healing techniques and spiritual matters.

Yesterday afternoon I found myself in front of a new door; it was great to discover that the key to it was already in my possession.

"Silent Voices of the Soul," by Robin Leigh Vella -- A Book Review

I love to listen to stories; I always have. And when the stories are true, and told in a melodic voice which soothes the spirit, I cannot help but being swept away to a magical place. That’s how I felt when I immersed myself in Silent Voices of The Soul by Robin Leigh Vella.

The cover itself is very interesting – depicting a potted plant and energy floating above the flowers, the design is pleasant to the eye and thought-provoking in the least – but I must admit that when I first picked up the book I wasn’t prepared for the powerful lessons I found once I started reading.

Being an avid reader of self-improvement fiction and nonfiction, I am painfully accustomed to the fact that many authors use big words and ethereal descriptions purely for shock value, and they rarely realize that many readers feel excluded from what they perceive as a level of enlightenment too high for most of us to attain. Not Robin leigh Vella. Reading her book was similar to sitting down on a cozy couch in someone’s living room and listening to a friend while she led a casual conversation about her daily experiences. Employing a choice of words which is simple enough to be grasped by the occasional reader, and powerful enough to trigger awareness in the spiritual adept, Silent Voices of The Soul is a gift of gentle and embracing energy aimed at delicately nudging readers toward opening up to hear their inner voice at their own unique pace.

I enjoyed Silent Voices of The Soul immensely, and I feel that I will read it again and again, whenever I’ll need a reminder that answers are never too far from where we are. I have no doubt that this book’s empowering vibrations will continue to be carried by the winds of time for years to come.

http://www.robinleighvella.com/

"The Big Book of Soul" -- A Book Review

Being passionate of all things spiritual, I became really intrigued when I read the editorial reviews of The Big Book of Soul. Finally I had the opportunity to read a book dealing with the spiritual practice of Hoodoo which focused on healing rather than hexing.

I went to a local bookstore to pick up a copy already expecting to like the book, but nothing prepared me for the treat I was about to receive. The cover itself, with its abundance of color and festive energy was striking enough to get my attention the moment I laid eyes on it. I gingerly took the book home and began to read. Little did I know that I wouldn’t be able to put it down for the next day and a half.

I’m not sure if it was the exquisite style of writing that drew me in most, or the amazing descriptions of a culture I wasn’t so familiar with. I became so enthralled with the lives of the people described in the book that I could almost picture them in front of me, and their suffering and joys became my own.

I was thrilled to find such detailed explanations not only on the use of healing herbs and foods, but also on how each of them became such an important part of the African-American culture. I learned about soul food and how it came to be, and I felt I was given the opportunity to enrich my own life and perception through the many tidbits of ancient wisdom so skillfully delivered and beautifully threaded throughout the book.

The Big Book of Soul is definitely a title I would recommend hands down; not to those who view Hoodoo as a Band-Aid maybe, but certainly to everyone seriously wishing to learn more about true healing and spiritual practices.

Stephanie Rose Bird became the mouthpiece of her ancestors, and was able to convey many tidbits of their wisdom with ease; when she allowed them to merge with her own superb knowledge of herbs and healing foods, a magickal book was born. The Big Book of Soul is a spellbinding read that will undoubtedly open new doors of perception.

A Love That Never Dies

“You taught me how to love; you taught me how to live; you taught me how to laugh; you taught me how to cry, but when you left, you forgot to teach me how to forget you.” ~ Hendie

Not too long ago, my mother was telling me about a friend of hers, Anita, who recently lost her husband after a long battle with cancer. She and her husband had been married for almost fifty years, and were only a few weeks shy of celebrating their anniversary. Theirs was a symbiotic relationship - their roles were defined and perfectly aligned, and worked together with the precision of a Swiss clock.

When her husband passed away, Anita was lost. Not only did she have to rely on her sons to take care of mundane matters - she told my mother - but also had to forgive herself for still being alive.

When someone we love suddenly leaves our lives, letting go of them feels like a betrayal. We hang on to pain as an invisible rope that keeps us connected to their essence, and feel that if we let go of the pain we will lose them completely. If we move on, and begin to live again, we feel guilty of leaving them behind, or, if they have chosen to leave willingly, we feel that by forgetting the pain we are condoning their acts.

Truth be said, what connects us to loved ones who are no longer with us is not pain, but the memories we have created over time. As long as we hold our loved ones in our hearts and minds, they will never be gone.

Regardless of how we have lost that person – through physical death or choice of a different path – we need to allow ourselves time to heal. In some Native American traditions, when someone leaves, a specific ritual is performed to “cut the ties that bind”. We establish energetic ties with all who cross our path and become important to us; when something happens to upset the connection the ties become a stranglehold, and stop both from moving forward. Cutting the emotional ties does in no way separate us from the beautiful moments that connected us to them, but only severs the need to hold on to pain.

Those of us who have any kind of spiritual affiliation know that all things happen for a reason. Maybe we had a soul agreement with that person to be in our lives only for a short while and teach us something about ourselves, or we may have something more we need to accomplish before we go while the other person had already fulfilled their life contract. We could drive ourselves mad searching for reasons that may not be for us to know. What counts is that the person we loved came into our lives and left something with us before they departed. Their gift to us may be one we might not readily see or understand, but it undoubtedly touched our lives and changed us in some way.

There is a season to seed and one to blossom; there is a season to ripen and one to harvest. There is a time to hope, to laugh and cry, but most of all, there is a time to be grateful for every chance we have to experience love.

"Changing Planes" - A Book Review

It doesn’t happen often that one stumbles into a new book and sees many pieces of the puzzle of life suddenly fall into place. That was my experience a few nights ago, as I got lost in the timeless words of Changing Planes by Laurie Brenner.

When I received my order from Amazon, I was relieved the book was not too long, and I figured I would read it in a just a few days. As it turned out, I couldn’t put it down, and I finished reading it the next day.

I don’t think words can properly convey what I gained from reading this book, and since I believe that each person benefits differently from the same experience, I won’t bore you with details of why this book is just so amazing to me – I will let you decide for yourself how it will affect your life.

Changing Planes tells the story of Madison, a young and ambitious VP of an upper scale department store. The moment Madison reaches her gate and waits to board a plane headed to the Caribbean, odd things begin to happen, but she quickly quiets her screaming intuition down with a pacifier of rational explanations. Strange occurrences continue after the plane takes off, and they rapidly escalate until Madison has two choices – she can ignore the gifts given to her and continue her life with a limited perception, or she can embrace a new reality and change her world.

The end of the book is jarring to the senses, as the reader awakens to the awareness of how choices made throughout life can deeply affect every step of our journey. Our lives are so intricately interconnected with those of others that a small change can alter the course of many destinies.

Changing Planes made me laugh and cry, but mostly it gave me the opportunity to take an honest glimpse deep down within my own soul. As I held the book in my hand, I felt almost as if Universe had gifted me with an extra chip to play a more exciting game.

Laurie Brenner’s style of writing is delightful and easy to follow, sprinkled with just enough humor to make it appealing to the young and old alike, and her spiritual lessons are powerful enough to make the story unforgettable.

Changing Planes is not just a story; it can be YOUR story, if you dare to look within with an open mind and a heart ready for personal transformation.

Links of Light (Repost)

We can't all like everyone all the time. But we can work harder at tolerance, compassion, empathy, generosity, and a genuine desire to recognize that we are all in this together.” ~Nicsautoservice

I can honestly say that I like just about everyone I run into – not necessarily because I agree with their views or ways of life, but rather because I have come to understand we are all equally important and all share a common denominator: As Wayne Dyer so perfectly phrased it, we are all spiritual beings on an earthly trip.

We simply approach life differently. We look at things through the filters of socio-cultural structures and personal upbringing, and not one brain is wired exactly like another. Ultimately, we are the product of two factors: personality and environment. When it comes to human beings, I believe that it is more accurate to assume we are a product of Nature plus Nurture, rather than Nature vs. Nurture. We are separated by distance, genes, cultural imprints, language, political and religious affiliations, yet our basic makeup is the same for all.

Let’s look at the concept of light for a moment - light can be natural or artificial. Natural light can be produced by the sun, the moon, or fire. Artificial light can be identified as belonging to even more sub-categories – lightbulbs, for example, can be of different shapes, intensity and color. Specific types of light are used for different purposes, and are adapted to fit individual taste and need, but they are ultimately all sources of light produced by raw energy.

Our light quotient is what makes us all different yet alike. Some of us shine brighter than others, some are crafted in different shapes and colors, some are meant to be dimmer and more subdued, and some put out psychedelic flashes of light for shock value, but aside from our output and physical appearance we are all superficially different manifestations of the same core of light; when we connect to one another, we all shine as one source.

Even more eye-opening is the concept that we are indeed all pieces of the same puzzle, regardless of the position we hold within the design. We might be a corner piece, a frame piece or an inside piece, but each of us is unique and irreplaceable in the greater scheme of things. Even those we don’t like or get along with; those we judge and accuse; those we deem inferior or useless. When all is said and done, and the earthly illusion of superiority and inferiority is shed, we all feel, laugh, hurt, love and cry; we are all vulnerable and prone to being scared when no one is watching; we all smile when something good happens.

Regardless of which masks we wear, or what float we parade on, we are all part of the same Carnival.

Springing Forth into the Light

“Light gives of itself freely, filling all available space. It does not seek anything in return; it asks not whether you are friend or foe. It gives of itself and is not thereby diminished.” ~Michael Strassfeld

Last night, time finally sprung an hour forward – a comforting sign that spring is at the door. As the short, cold and gloomy days of winter are ready to retire, many of us are ready to get out more and play in the sunshine.

It has long been proven that light has a beneficial effect on the mind. In fact, people who live in countries where sunshine is an occasional luxury are more prone to depression. The long dark hours in the winter stimulate us to remain indoors more, often alone, and push us to face ourselves.

I find it very interesting that night time is always associated to spooks and crazy events. All that we fear seems to lurk in the darkness – facing ourselves can also lead us to unexpected, scary realizations we would sometimes prefer to avoid.

Getting out in the sunshine is a break from our inner introspections. It allows us to catch our breath before diving in again the next winter, and gives us the chance to grow stronger as we gradually dig a little deeper. Very few beings can survive away from the light, as its essence melts down the ice of our fears, and improves our focus.

Assuming that our physical world is but a reflection of our inner world, we can easily determine the importance spiritual light has on our reality. If a plant is given enough water but not enough light it will quickly wither, as although it has the physical nourishment it needs, it’s not able to convert it into what it needs to sustain itself. Similarly, we can have all we need to physically survive, but if light is missing from our world, we are unable to adequately process the blessings around us.

As the light of the sun, spiritual light is an endless source of rebirth. It can spread out in all directions and never go to waste. When we choose to share our light with others, we can do so regardless of who they are. If they are ready to use it at that point of their life, it will trickle toward them and soak in. If, instead, they are not ready to accept it at that time, it will bounce off and affect someone else around them.

Everything has an antidote – everything can be neutralized by its opposite. We can’t fight fire with fire, or hatred with more hatred; we can’t stop the properties of an acid but with a base; we can’t stop hunger until we are ready to offer nourishment.
The light of unconditional love is a blade able to slice through the barrier of darkness. It’s a flame of peace and acceptance that will chase away the monsters that lurk deep within.