I hear people talking about the awful things happening in the world, their thoughts dwelling on the injustice and suffering they see.  This is pretty much the “norm,” isn’t it?  It’s what makes headlines in the newspapers and news shows, and it’s what people watch because… they think this is what life is all about.  But is it really?

If I draw into my life those things that I dwell on the most, then should I be only talking about and dwelling on the terrible things?  What happens when I do that?  Don’t I get more of the same?

I have recently been in contact with a political group who wants to change the politics in the small town where I work by changing the perspective of those in power.  I question this goal, however.  Is it really my job to teach a these men to look at things more positively?  I think our goals can be better served by seeking out those who are of like mind and by so doing spread the positive perspective to a greater number.

Timely Prophecies

The Hopi prophecies tell of a time when we will not be able to look to our leaders for help because they are leading us down a path of destruction.  This destructive path is becoming more and more evident in Mother Nature’s response to the anger, hatred and wars that never seem to stop.

I don’t think we can turn the tide of those in power whether this angry tide be the goals of the President, your favorite political party, or the few men who hold power in small towns.  I think we need to work toward presenting a more powerful alternative and raise the awareness of the positive… even if we have to work outside of politics to do it.

The news we are fed doesn’t show us both sides.  It’s up to us to figure out how we will survive without those who would lead us into destruction.  It’s up to us to form a network of positive thinkers who have alternative ideas.  Ultimately, it’s up to us to think and live “off the grid,” away from the destructive thinking that is leading the group mind away from the care and worship of our Earth Mother Goddess, and then show others how to do it through our own example.

In your own life, do you dwell on the suffering and misery so abundant today?  Or do you search for and seek out the positive alternatives?  

If we draw into our lives that which we dwell on the most, what are you drawing into YOUR life?

It’s worth thinking about…

The meaning of Manifestation comes from the Latin word from "manus" meaning hand, coupled with the "tion" ending which means act of, together producing "manifestation" or an act of the hand. In use the word "manifestation" came to mean "getting struck by the hand", which is a metaphorical way of referring to the fact that one has become aware of something… sometimes referred to as an “A-ha” moment.

The thing I have been struck with this week is that no matter how good my intentions are, if I’m not careful with my thoughts and actions, I will automatically, even though unintentionally, fall into behavior patterns that are unflattering.  Constant vigilance over thought and action is, therefore, a must!

I’ve received more than a few letters this week from people telling me the awful circumstances of their lives and asking how can it be that their lives are like this.  They tell me that no matter how happy and joyful their thoughts are – bad feeling things still happen.  They ask, How can this be?

Today’s circumstances are brought into our lives as a direct result of past thinking.  If you have thought unpleasant thoughts for a while now, then the momentum of those thoughts have great strength and what they are bringing into your life has been coming for some time.  Therefore, it may take a while of training yourself to continually reach for a better feeling thought to change this momentum.  But with some work you will find that you will begin to think better feelings thoughts more automatically, and you will begin to vibrate at a higher frequency as a result.  This new point of vibration will attract a new frequency of more positive people and things into your experience.  You’ll find that your life will begin to improve.  

The Truth to wake up to in this instance is diligence.  Bear in mind that in the end, all the desire, power, intensity, and transmutation are for nothing until it is clear to others that a change (manifestation) has taken place. When the change we have sought is manifest -- then the job is done, and not until. When you can consistently break the former pattern of indulging in your negativity then you will begin to change what’s happening in your life.

I’ve always thought this was a clever way of expressing that idea…
“If you always think how you’ve always thought, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”
~ Misty-Eve*

“The turning point of life is when you recognize the relationship between consciousness and results.”
~ Alan Cohen

How long do we need to practice this new way of thinking to get the desired results?

Herein lies the real teaching of the Manifestation influence. A thing is manifest when it becomes apparent to our senses, i.e., when it becomes clear or self-evident to us. We must bear in mind that in the end, all the desire, power, intensity, and transmutation are for nothing until it is clear to others that a change (manifestation) has taken place. When the change we have sought is manifest -- then the job is done, and not until.

If you want to manifest more favorable circumstances then you have to do the mental work of uplift your thinking so that the vibrations you send out will attract what you want in this life. It is wise to be aware that all that IS is not necessarily manifest. There is so much that is yet to come!!

The point to all this is to be happy, to follow your passion... to do what ever floats your boat... because THAT's where your Source Energy is flowing, and THAT's what you came here to do... flow the energy, so that as we joyfully expand and grow, so also does ALL-THAT-IS expand and grow.

We can either choose to take the hard way through life, or to take the easy way through life... depending on which frequency we learn to attune ourselves.

What kind of thoughts do you fill your day with? Do you find things to appreciate, or do discouraging thoughts take over? Do you find reasons to praise others, or do you carry a grudge that holds your attention?

Are you discovering that happy thoughts come easily, or are they difficult to find? What does this say about the frequency at which you are vibrating?

Are you looking forward to the Manifestations you are attracting? If not, there's still time to change them!

It’s worth thinking about…

Scorpio: “I DESIRE”
3rd Decan (Mutable) Influence: "MANIFESTATION"

November 13th – November 21st

A thing is Manifest when it becomes apparent to our senses, i.e., when it becomes clear or self-evident to us.

It is wise to be aware that all that IS, is not necessarily manifest. Because of our overdependence upon our senses, we often fall into the trap of assuming that what is not apparent to our senses, is not. This has led the "right-thinking" people to reject the entire existence of the mental world.

The First Hermetic Principle of Mentalism says: "THE ALL IS MIND; The Universe is Mental."
~ The Kybalion

Hermetically, we know that the mental world is the real world where all the causes lie. It is the knowledge and understanding of this world and of our relationship to it that defines the thing we call wisdom. Yet this world is not manifest in and by itself to our mortal senses. The mortal world, in its entirety, is the manifestation of the mental world. To most people this is not apparent; thus, they assume that the mortal world is not a manifestation at all.

Let us understand, then, this Scorpion lesson: MANIFESTATION. What is apparent is a manifestation. We may become wise if we will reason back from the manifestation to its cause, knowing that all that IS is not manifest to our senses.

In our affairs, we must bear in mind that in the end, all the desire, power, intensity, and transmutation are for nothing until it is clear to ourselves and others that a change (manifestation) has taken place. When the change we have sought is manifest -- then the job is done, and not until.

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For more on the lessons of Scorpio see: http://druidcraft.us/astrology.htm
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What is a Decan?  Each astrological sign is approximately 30 degrees in width and is divided into three 10-day portions called decans. Each decan is assigned a Word that further defines the sign and the influences we ALL feel during that 10-day portion of the astrological month.
 
Why study the influence of each decan?  We are taught that in order to become proficient in our magical practice we need to progress spiritually toward the Perfected state of our Spiritual Parents, The Creators, as well as younger gods and angels, our elder brethren.  To do this, we need to assimilate all the strengths of each zodiacal sign and overcome their weaknesses.  To help us acquire the strengths of each sign we are urged to meditate upon the meaning of the current decan, to find quotable quotes and words of wisdom to help us understand how we can apply these strengths in our own personality.  
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QUESTION OF THE DECAN

"As consciousness, you get to choose your perception, and your perception shapes both you and your entire reality."           
~ Saleem Rana

What is manifesting in your life today is a direct result of your perception up to now.  Is it what you Want or what you Don’t Want?  To change what you are getting, you have to change what you focus upon.

"Reality is the dance of atoms that interact with your thoughts. Reality is what you draw to yourself through your attention. If you want your life to be better, you have to be more aware of how you think. What you think matters, because it creates your experience."      
~ Saleem Rana

My teacher used to say that the teachings of the Druidic Craft of the Wise are just plain ol' common sense, which is sadly lacking in the world today... so much so that only 2% can understand, and only 1% can actually put it into practice.

Life is such a tangled mess sometimes that a little clarity is like a breath of fresh air.
 
Those who understand are drawn to these simple concepts because they feel "at home" with that way of thinking, and isn't that what we're here for... to find the Way Home?

“Perception is not passive, as most people who are unconsciously following the Newtonian paradigm believe, but active; in other words: Perception is an Act of Creation.”
~ Saleem Rana

If your perception creates your reality, then what is best to focus upon to create the manifestations you want?  Ahhh… now we’re talking about magic.

Are you ready to learn more?

It’s worth thinking about…

“Perception is not passive, as most people who are unconsciously following the Newtonian paradigm believe, but active; in other words: Perception is an Act of Creation.”
~ Saleem Rana

This morning’s fog is so thick that I can only see the few trees that are in the yard and they are only visible in black and shades of gray, but I love the misty outline of great trees.

What you look for determines what you see.  What do you look for?  Do you look for the Light?  Or do you look for the Darkness?  Which do you put your attention on as you look into the mist, or go about your day?

There are two ways to look at everything.  Every coin has two sides.  Every cloud has a silver lining.  To which do you direct your attention – the darkness or the light?

I’ve heard it said that “Good minus God equals O”.  How true this is.  If you consider that God is good and every thing brought into being by the Creator is good, then there has to be good in every body and every thing and every situation that might arise.  

The popular phrase, “It’s all good,” is actually pretty deep.  Even though we are given our free will to see things however we choose, it is our challenge to find the good in all the people we deal with, and in all the experiences that we have.

“As long as the mind does not become obsessed with good and bad, you will realize that all things are basically just as they are supposed to be.”  
~ Ta-mei (ca.805)

If “it’s all good”, then the terms “good” and “bad” are really just judgment calls made for or against the situation depending on whether or not things are going as we’d like.

No matter what there is to find fault with there are also good points to dwell upon - especially when concerned with mental well-being and connection to Source Energy.

If I say to myself, “Everything always goes wrong,” then I am projecting that thought – that vibration – out into the cosmos, and I will actually be attracting more experiences where everything goes wrong.

If I’ve lived my life (x number of years) that way, always expecting the worse, fearful of what might happen, with my attention on what feels bad so it won’t sneak up on me, then this way of thinking has quite a bit of momentum behind it and has become a habit that may take a while to change.  

My husband and I were driving through the mountains one day and he said, “I bet you don’t see the trash along side the road, do you?”  I had to reply, “What trash?”  I don’t see the ugly because I have my mind on what is beautiful.  There’s so much to see that’s beautiful, why would I look for the little bit of trash?!

If I look for and find things that are less than desired, then I will only see these not-so-good things.  If I have a habit of expecting to see the glass as half-empty, then my first job is to become aware that I do this.  

I must become aware of my thinking in order to change it.

When I have become aware of this pattern in my day-to-day activities, then my next job is to catch myself doing it.  Catch myself with the glass half-empty perspective and interrupt the momentum this pattern of thinking causes by changing the thought in my mind.

Change the Momentum

The way to change the momentum is to first, be aware that there is a pattern to change!   Second, catch yourself in this pattern.  Third, interrupt the pattern by deliberately changing your thinking.

Whenever a grumble is about to come from your mouth, make the decision to stop (mid sentence, if necessary) and find something good to appreciate, instead of grumbling.

It may take you a while of deliberately changing your thoughts like this before you change the momentum of what you’re attracting into your experience every day.  So you may still see things you find disgusting or irritating for a while, but the more practiced you become at taking your attention off these things, and deliberately changing your focus to something you can appreciate, you will soon discover that this change in the frequency of your thoughts is beginning to change your life.  Little by little your life will change to reflect the higher frequency of these more elevated thoughts.  Little by little those irritating things will disappear.  They are no longer being invited into your experience because your vibration is no longer attracting them.  You’ve taken your attention off them and are no longer re-creating them in your experience.

“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
~ Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

If God is good, and everything the Creator has manifested is good, then only when we are able to actually SEE the goodness in things and situations and people are we able to observe the goodness, or godliness, within them.  It is the part that’s good that has the most meaning for us to learn from.

Someone told me the other day how they were unimpressed with someone I like to quote, because they’d observed him in a not-so-Buddha-like mood arguing with a bookstore owner over the bad turn out for his book signing.  But we all have our bad days.  Just the mere fact that we’re still alive and on this planet means that we’re not perfect yet, so to expect perfection from the imperfect is to invite defeat.  The only person we can ever effectively compare ourselves to is ourselves.  Our desire for self improvement must be measured by our own progress forward, and not by someone else’s standards.

I choose to admire this author because he seems to me to be tuned into spirit and inspired at least when writing.  If focus on the beauty I find in the truth he’s conjured… regardless of how perfectly he exemplifies what he teaches then, again, I am looking at the beautiful rather than the ugly.

I certainly hope you kind folks who read this newsletter don’t think I’m perfect!  If you do you will be sadly disappointed.  I’m far from it.  My one redeeming quality is that I don’t give up, and I keep on practicing the Druidic daily discipline.  And THIS is what keeps me on track, and provides the inspiration for these newsletters.  For more on the Druidic teachings see: http://DruidCraft.us

I’ll tell you this, though… the most important thing I’ve learned – after all the lessons I’ve taken and all the people I’ve taught – is that being happy, appreciative, praising and grateful puts me in alignment with Source Energy, and when I can stay in alignment – no matter what else may be going on – no matter what worry may confront me – when I can remember to choose to focus on the beautiful and those things and people that I appreciate - I find peace.  

With peace comes meditative contemplation, and through meditation comes understanding.  Through this connection to the Creator, to Source Energy, I’m always taken care of, and those things that I really need always seem to come to me at just the right time.  It is this joyful flowing of source energy that powers my magic.

In summary…

When I am praising or appreciating or being grateful for the object of my attention then I am thinking in a way that connects me with Source Energy, and I feel good.  

When I am objecting to, or being critical of, or I am angry or irritated at the object of my attention, then I am thinking in a way that dis-connects me from Source Energy, and I feel bad.
 
It’s just as easy to see the glass as half full rather than half empty, but which observation leaves you feeling good and at peace?

Do you look for the Light, or for the Darkness?  Which pattern of thinking connects you with Source Energy?  Which feels better to YOU?

It’s worth thinking about…