Guilt is silly ... just press in to God with prayer

Negative thoughts conspire against us to keep us from loving relationships, ESPECIALLY our relationship with God. There has been a time in each of our lives when we thought we had done something SO HIDEOUS that God would never forgive us, that God wouldn't want to hear from us, that God would never again listen to us or speak to us. Yet that is the silliest thing ever, as God is always here for us, always a continuous source of flowing love and concern and compassion and forgiveness which is why it is so important to always stay in a constant state of praise for every little thing.

David, one of the Bible's heros, was not always a model of a "perfect" and "religious" man ... this Psalm was written after his adulterous affair with Bathsheba. Notice, though, that all of his "suffering" and all of the accusations against himself are HIS, David's, on his own head. And notice how he, over and over again, gives God the credit for being there, for never separating God from David, right down to the line "Restore to me again the joy of your salvation". No matter how "guilty" we may feel, we MUST press through those feelings to bury our heads in the breast of God so that God can stroke our brow with forgiveness saying, "Rejoice in Me always, and again, I say Rejoice."
=-=-=
Psalm 51

Because of your unfailing love have mercy on me, Oh God. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin.

For I recognize my shameful deeds--they haunt me day and night.

Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight.

But you desire honesty from the heart, so you can teach me to be wise in my inmost being.

Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Oh, give me back my joy again; let me rejoice. Remove the stain of my guilt.

Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me.

Restore to me again the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.

Then I will teach your ways to others, and they will return to you.

O God who saves, I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness.

Unseal my lips, O Lord, that I may praise you.

You would not be pleased with sacrifices, or I would bring them. If I brought you a burnt offering, you would not accept it.

The sacrifice you want is a broken spirit…thoroughly and humbly broken down with sorrow for sin. A broken and repentant heart, O God, you will not despise.

Mercury Retrograde, Carrying the Cross of Jesus

I'm such an idiot ... the entire day was out of step; almost every single thing was askew today ... not wrong ... just out of step. I have a semi-vicious transfer at 59th and Lex under Bloomies to get from the 6 to the N/Q and at rush hour that baybee gets PACKED like that scene in Crocodile Dundee. Wuhl, the second before the doors closed, Sir Doucherie decided to to honour me by riding from 59th and Lex to Queensboro Plaza INSIDE MY HINEY hole. After he got off the train I wondered what in the world was going on and then I realised it was the first day of Mercury going RETROgrade, ARGH !!!

One thing I love to remember, especially during Mercury retrogrades is, God needs me to be EXACTLY where I am.  If I miss a train it just means that either (a) there's something I need to do right here and/or (b) God is keeping me from some hidjeousness up ahead. I came home to say a centering prayer for breath during the next week fews weeks and fell upon a WONDERFUL post from one of my dear friends at Church.  more, after the jump ... He reflects on Third Station: The Cross is laid on Simon of Cyrene.

We spend our lives moaning about being marginalized, being overlooked, not being noticed for our specialness ... we also spend our Christian lives praying from Isaiah and Samuel: "Here I am, Lord! Send Me!" Wuhl, what if God DID point to us and say, "You there, come ... I need you!" What are we going to do, sheepishly wave and say, "No, no, I'm good over here, THANKS, though!" or will we answer, as Mary, the first to lay down her life for the sake of the Christ, did: "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said."

Maybe it's called a Christian Walk and the WAY of the Cross because we're always supposed to be in motion, actively searching ways in which we can be of service to God. That way God doesn't need to call us out of the crowd ... we're saving God time by already WORKING the crowd so let's WORK it, children!

Thanks for sharing, I'm sure ...

MERCURY RETROGRADE MARCH 30 - APRIL 24

Mercury is retrograde in Aries for 24 days this time! Three and one half  weeks is going to seem like an excruciatingly long time if we try to maintain an Aries bulldoze through mentality.

Instead of pushing, choose to relax and let go of control. Move out of your head into your heart. Life will flow much easier during this special retrograde, which offers us a change to connect with the light of our soul, to get in touch with the fire that motivates us to take action and our truth that inspires us to be our best in everything we do. Build your radiance by containing your light and consolidating your fire in your body. Below I discuss the dynamics of our soul awakening process.

Equinox Brings an Upcoming Identity Reframe - Serve and Save your Soul

This is thick, this is deep, this is important, imho
http://www.yogatech.com/grol.html from Guru Rattana

Under the commanding Aries influence, this issue is being sent out just  as the Sun announces the spring equinox and enters a new yearly cycle  through the zodiac.

ARIES - IDENTITY REFRAME- SERVE YOUR SOUL
by Guru Rattana, Ph.D.

We are in the midst of a profound transformation in our definition of  Self. Our relationship with our soul is undergoing a metamorphosis. This  issue guides you as you partake in this great awakening and enter new  frontiers in your own being.

I. PLANETARY SHIFTS

Within one month the two major planetary movements of Uranus and Neptune  are changing our world and redefining how we perceive ourselves and  reality. The Japanese earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown happened  as Uranus moved into Aries March 11. The Virgo Super Full Moon March 19  offered an awakening and healing for many. What Virgo awakening and  healing are you experiencing?

MARCH 11 - URANUS moved into ARIES for 8 years until March 6, 2019 at  4:21 PM PDT (11:21 PM GMT)

APRIL 4 - NEPTUNE enters PISCES for 14 years until April 2025.

MARCH 20 - At the Spring Equinox, the SUN moves in to ARIES where it  stays until April 20.

APRIL 3 - ARIES NEW MOON - 7:33 AM PDT (2:33 PM GMT)

APRIL 17-18 - LIBRA FULL MOON - 7:45 PM PDT (2:45 AM GMT)

MARCH 30 - APRIL 23 - MERCURY IS RETROGRADE for 24 days.

** ARIES NEW MOON APRIL 3

On the Aries New Moon, April 3, six celestial bodies are in Aries - the  Sun, the Moon, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars and Uranus. Mercury entered Aries  March 9. The Sun entered Aries March 20. Uranus entered Aries March 11.  Jupiter has been in Aries since January 22. This is a lot of fire/light  energy.

Aries has officially kicked in as a major force motivating us to take  action, supporting usin our individualization process and propelling us  forward on our destiny path. Aries initiates new beginnings and gives us  the catalytic power, self-confidence, courage and audacity to make  quantum shifts in our inner and outer lives. Aries inspires us to be  pioneers who boldly enter new territory. When the gun goes off, Aries is  the first through the gate.

** LIBRA FULL MOON APRIL 17-18

At the Libra Full Moon, April 17-18, the Sun, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars and  Uranus will still be in Aries. They are opposed by the Moon and Saturn  in Libra. The dynamics of autonomy, personal freedom, self expression  and innovation (Aries) dominate our relationships (Libra), which demand  a reality check in terms of transparency, mutual respect, maturity and  functionality (Saturn in Libra.)

The Aries/Libra polarity pair is playing its part in the major paradigm  shift that is being activated worldwide. Who we are (Aries) and our  relationship (Libra) with everything else are being exposed and upgraded  if we dare to look through the eyes of our soul.

** MERCURY RETROGRADE MARCH 30 - APRIL24

Mercury is retrograde in Aries for 24 days this time! Three and one half  weeks is going to seem like an excruciatingly long time if we try to  maintain an Aries bulldoze through mentality.

Instead of pushing, choose to relax and let go of control. Move out of  your head into your heart. Life will flow much easier during this  special retrograde, which offers us a change to connect with the light  of our soul, to get in touch with the fire that motivates us to take  action and our truth that inspires us to be our best in everything we  do. Build your radiance by containing your light and consolidating your  fire in your body. Below I discuss the dynamics of our soul awakening  process.

II. EGO TO SOUL REALITY AND CONSCIOUSNESS

** THE INDIVIDUAL IN THE AQUARIAN AGE

The interaction between the collective and the individual in the  Aquarian Age is very special and definitely different than what we have  been accustomed to. The higher expressions of the Aquarian/Leo  polarities upgrade both group and individual consciousness. The Aquarian  world is like a big puzzle with billions of pieces (men and women).  Every piece/individual fits into the gigantic picture and is essential  for creating the whole. Like a puzzle, if there are missing pieces, we  notice the holes that have not yet taken their place -- answered their  call to offer their contribution.

In our Aquarian world, every sun (Leo) must shine. In the Piscean Age,  individuals were lost in the crowd of a faceless collective run by a few  (the patriarchy) who profit from and exploit everyone else -- the  masses. The concept of'masses' is a patriarchal phenomenon. In the  Aquarian Age, the experience of a global community composed of  empowered, contributory individuals replaces the 'mass' concept.

In the Aquarian/Leo dynamic, individuals are NOT lost, exploited and  downtrodden. Each individual is able to FIND him or herself in our  global community. Each individual is empowered by his or her  relationship with the bigger community, which supports everyone in  making their unique contribution. The more we shine our light, the more  we are able to identify our unique gifts and to make them available to  the world.

In soul consciousness, living for ourselves, others, our community and  the universe are the same thing. Serving our soul is NOT a selfish act.  Serving our soul is how we are able to serve our community. This is  because we live for something higher than our limited concept of  survival and worldly success. We live to express the magnificence of the  universal light and love that we are so privileged to embody for this  short time on Planet Earth.

** AQUARIAN MEMBERSHIP IS ENERGETIC

In the early years, we asked Yogi Bhajan about membership in the  Kundalini Yoga community. He told us that there would be no membership  cards. If wedid sadhana, chanted Ong na mo and attuned ourselves to the  vibration of Ek Ong Kar (We are all created by the same creator), we  made ourselves 'a member.' If we did not align energetically, that was  our choice and WE excluded ourselves. Belonging in the Aquarian Age is  all about synchronizing with the oneness vibration of Love. It is up to  us each of us individually if we choose to make ourselves available to  be at one with the vibration or not.

** EMPOWERMENT OF THE INDIVIDUAL

March 11 Uranus moved into Aries for 8 years (through March 6, 2019.) In  so many different ways, individuals around the world are waking up and  claiming their personal right to freedom and self-expression. Soulful,  determined, audacious, self-confident and angry, once silenced voices  are now asserting themselves and being heard. Their/our power comes from  the authenticity of the individual rage that is also a collective rage.  The willful individual voices collaborate to redress shared grievances,  eliminate systemic abuse and relieve collective pain. A global  revolution is afoot.

It is totally understandable, normal and part of the human empowerment  process to feel angry about the abuse we have suffered. Anger is a  stage. Anger expresses our fire energy and motivates us to take action  for ourselves. Fire energy is the light of our soul. As we awaken our  light, we add our piece to the Aquarian puzzle. As we shine our light,  we help others shine their light. The more light we shine, the more our  individual lights build our collective light. We need and support each  other as we all play our part in the global paradigm shift.

Everywhere people are realizing that we are not powerless in the face of  our individual and collective challenges. Men and women around the globe  are waking up to their personal and collective power. However abuse,  manipulation, subservience and external control showed up for us in the  past, we are no longer willing to let it continue. We are becoming  conscious of the power and mission of our soul.

Our souls are demanding and guiding us to own and to creatively use our  light and our lives. Giving away our power is a travesty that can no  longer be tolerated. Claiming our power and sharing, each in our own  special way, is required! When we shine our light and share our love, we  raise the vibration of the whole planet and create the space for  solutions that can surprise us all.

** URANUS IN ARIES

Uranus energy expresses as sudden changes that include not just  Earthquakes and natural and manmade disasters, but also magic and  miracles. Uranus in Aries creates sudden changes in our personal lives.  How are you being affected? How is your story line shifting? How do you  choose to express this new energy for the next 8 years? How about  awakening to the miracle and magic of your soul?

** PISCES AND THE SACRED FEMININE

The empowerment of women is becoming a commanding force in our  collective awakening and personal journey. This phenomena is supported  by two planets shifting into Pisces territory.

Chiron moved into Pisces April 2010, where it will stay for 9 years  through February 2019.

Chiron represents the self-empowerment process that we must go through  to heal our wounds and claim our gifts.

Neptune enters Pisces April 4, 2011 for 14 years until April 2025.  Neptune represents the cosmic force that unites us all. Benign and  illusive, Neptune washes and blows away that which separates us from our  soul self, clearing the way for us to perceive and operate from unity,  unconditional compassion and love!

Pisces expresses the Divine Feminine. The major illusion that is being  blown away is that God is HE. Actually the Universe operates from the  perfect interaction, balance and synergy of both stable (male) and  flowing (female) polarities. The inner revolution for both men and women  requires awakening to the higher expression of these two basic soul and  universal energies, which express in both sexes.

** WOMAN'S EMPOWERMENT STORY - GOD IS NOT A MAN

A friend of mine has three daughters, now in their thirties and all  successful in life. He told me that he didn't allow them to go to church  until after the age of seven. I asked him why. He said because the  churches taught that 'God is a MAN!'He wouldn't subject his daughters to  that programming. He also enrolled his daughters in martial arts classes  so that they would always feel safe in the world.

The daughters (all relatively small 5 + feet)took it upon themselves to  protect the weak and challenged students at school. He found this out at  the high school graduation of his eldest daughter, when he saw a whole  group of students crying. She told them not to worry, her sister would  be entering the school the next year. Followed by the third daughter,  the three sisters protected the challenged students for 12 years.

I love these stories. It is so inspiring how people take their power and  use it to support others.

** EGO TO SOUL REFRAME OF SELF

Aries is the first archetype in the zodiac. Aries and the first house of  our birth chart introduce us to ME. The other eleven archetypes help us  to get to know the different facets of our soul self. All 12 houses of  our birth chart represent the arenas of life and the circumstances in  which our personal movie plays out.

In its highest expression, the Aries archetype elevates the concept of  self from a limited personality perspective to a soul perspective. This  reframe helps us understand and direct our lives in more meaningful  ways. Our ego to soul reframe can also help us minimize the pain of our  inevitable growth process and increase our enjoyment of life. This does  not mean that we can escape our life challenges or avoid uncomfortable  feelings. It means that we can better understand WHY we feel confronted  by our life situations and how we can use them to empower ourselves to  express and serve our soul in the world.

** FREEDOM OUTSIDE THE BOX

Being unconscious is a major source of our existential pain. Our limited  awareness acts as a small box that restricts our perception of our  identity to our physical body and our personality. Our limited  personality identity comes equipped with (and continues to gather)  stories, conditioning, and illusions about who we are and the nature of  our interaction with others and the world. Confined within this  restricted framework, our thoughts, communications and actions support  and perpetuate our dysfunctional and pain inducing story line. Our  evolutionary human journey requires that we become aware of how our ego  definition of self creates self-sabotaging scenarios of victimization  (guilt and blame) and self-effacement (self-criticism and self-judgment.)

A major turning point in our lives occurs when we realize that our life  lessons, our relationships and all our problems and circumstances are  simply ways that our soul chooses to awaken us to a more conscious  relationship with our true essence. Once we are able to operate from the  perspective of 'our soul on a mission,' we enter a vastly expanded and  new territory. We see how we have given away or power and realize that  we can choose to no longer do so. As we change, , our story line shifts  in a most profound way. Instead playing out our stories, we can use our  life to serve our soul.

** IDENTIFY OUR SOUL IDENTITY

Our Aries job is to identify our soul identity.We find ourselves at the  center of our own movie. From the vantage point of cameraman (third  eye), we observe and monitor 'me in my movie.' We witness ourselves in  our interactions with others and in all our life situations. We ask  ourselves --

* Am I speaking my truth? Am I being honest with myself?

* Are my thoughts, feelings, communications and actions coherent with my  soul identity?

* How am I doing in representing my soul on Planet Earth?

* Am I serving my soul by releasing fear programming and freeing it to  dance in the spotlight of love?

** MY LIFE IS REALLY ABOUT ME

Immature, unconscious, egocentric Aries can be obnoxiously  self-centered. Our ego's theme song is 'Me me me me. I see only me me me  me." However, let us not be too quick to judge. There is a lot of truth  behind these words.The world is a mirror that serves as a reflection of  our projections.Our spiritual progress depends upon honestly witnessing  how our outer reality is a creation of our inner state of being. This  realization is the underpinning of our spiritual awakening and a key to  self-discovery. The Aries archetype reveals the fact that 'My life  really is about ME.'

Learning our life lessons, self-empowerment, self-discovery and  self-love -- all happen in the context of

* the conversation between ME and ME -- personality me and soul me.

* our choices at every moment between love or fear and

* our relationship to and with all the events and our interaction in our  world.

Our spiritual journey is about upgrading our perception of who we are  and learning how to operate from our soul identity. THIS IS IMPORTANT -  Judgment, self-criticism and guilt are NOT expressions of our soul. Our  soul has compassion for our humanness. Our soul loves us no matter what  happens. Our soul acknowledges that we are doing the best we can.

** SELF AWARENESS AND SELF-REALIZATION

The idea that to focus on ourselves is selfish is a disempowerment  tactic to control us and to keep us in subservient and submissive roles.  Our evolution to higher consciousness requires self awareness. Self  awareness is a skill that we must develop. Self awareness is a faculty  that determines HOW we direct our attention and energy. Self awareness  makes it possible to identify our soul identity. Self awareness is the  underpinning faculty of self-realization. Self-realization is how we  reach God-realization.

The more we develop self-awareness, the more we are able to move away  from our limited ego identity and navigate our lives from our soul  identity. The more we consolidate a sense of soul self, the less we  engage in actions and behaviors that are feeble, ineffective and even  destructive attempts to get attention, to find love and to acquire a  sense of self-value.

** RELATIONSHIP WITH SELF AND INNER AUTHORITY

The Aries path is about our relationship with ourself.From Aries wisdom,  every life situation and relationship presents itself for us

* to witness the limitations that we impose upon ourselves,

* to learn lessons of self-empowerment,

* to identify our soul identity, and

* to develop a deeper and more compassionate connection with ourselves  (and others - Libra polarity.)

The depth and authenticity of our relationship with ourself is a  function of our ability to listen to and follow our inner guidance  system. In every life situation and relationship we need to know what to  do. Our soul goal is to live our truth in our relationships and with all  the events and interactions in our world. To do so and to make the best  choices, we must be our own authority.

To be our own authority, we must identify our own perspective of what  works for us and what doesn't. We can do this by identifying our own (1)  needs, (2) concerns, (3) desires, (4) likes and dislikes, and (5) the  strategies that work best for us to maneuver through life and get our  basic needs met. This honest list is between ME and ME!As our human life  unfolds, we discover our special formula for happiness, peace, success  and contribution.

Learning about our energetic blueprint as revealed in our birth chart  provides invaluable information about the nature of our soul, our  lessons and how we express ourselves. Everyone's personal truth is  unique. When we are in touch with and operate from our inner truth, what  we think, say and do are all coherent. There is no duality and no  conflict. Our projection is clear and unencumbered. Doesn't that feel good!

There is a story about Ghandi (Libra). He had just spoken for four hours  straight to the British Parliament in India. When he left he was as  vital and alive as when he began. Someone asked his aide how he was able  to maintain such impressive stamina.His aide replied that what he  thinks, says and does comes from the same place. Every part of his being  was aligned around and expressed his truth.

** THE FIRE OF OUR SOUL

As our inner journey progresses, we upgrade the way we use the fire  energy of our soul. Anger, rage, revenge express our fire energy that is  attached to programs of victimization and conditioning from abuse.  Everyone has been abused and given away their power. It is part of the  human condition.Our spiritual journey is about extricating ourselves  from the vicious victim scenario and learning how to tap into our soul  light so that we use our fire energy to be creative, authentic,  productive and contributory.

** WHO AM I?

The Aries archetype is about getting in touch with our authentic  individual identity. It is not about our status in the world, our job,  our profession, our position or our role in relationship, i.e. husband,  wife, mother, father. It is about WHO I AM while I am a real estate  agent, a teacher, a counselor, a manager, an accountant, a mother,  etc.We play multiple roles in life. Each one gives us an opportunity to  monitor how 'soul me' is doing in this set of circumstances.

What we find out is that our success depends upon WHO I AM in our many  roles. It is not the role, although different skills are required to  play different roles. It is about our authenticity, our inner peace, our  ability to operate with an open heart and to stay self-contained so that  we don't lose energy. When we understand how many dynamics there are  about 'who I am,' we realize that self-focus and self-awareness is  imperative.

** GUIDELINES TO ACCESS OUR UNIQUE IDENTITY

There are several important guidelines that are required to fully access  our unique soul identity.

[1]
DON'T COMPARE YOURSELF TO ANYONE ELSE. We waste energy and confuse  ourselves when we compare apples and tomatoes. You can dramatically  empower yourself by breaking this one self-sabotaging habit.

[2]
DON'T COMPLAIN ABOUT YOUR LIFE CIRCUMSTANCES. Empower yourself to  face your life challenges and to learn what can learn.

[3]
DON'T BE IN JUDGMENT ABOUT YOUR MOODS, THOUGHTS OR ACTIONS. Of  course we evaluate, but evaluation with the intention of learning and  changing is very different from mean and insensitive self-criticism.

[4]
CREATE BOUNDARIES BY FOCUSING ON YOURSELF. If you focus on anything  outside yourself, you weaken or dissolve your boundaries. Without  energetic boundaries, we do fear-based and foolish things to protect  ourselves. We scream at someone to get out of our lives. If we have a  strong sense of self and boundaries, we just walk away.

[5]
CHOOSE YOUR OWN RESPONSES. This includes allowing our immediate  emotions and reactions. We must pay close attention so that we can  distinguish between conditioned responses and messages from our soul.  Train yourself to move into neutral and shift your focus out of your  habitual storyline. Lovingly hold any emotional energy from a neutral  mind space. Our soul guides us when we in our neutral channel.

[6]
MONITOR WHO AND WHAT IS CONTROLLING YOUR RESPONSES AND REALITY.

Are you listening to and being influenced by wounded conditioning,  external authorities or are you tuning into your own truth. When I first  heard Yogi Bhajan speak he said, "If you do Kundalini Yoga, you cannot  be controlled." I entered the world of Kundalini Yoga with those words.  We do Kundalini Yoga to reclaim our life and to awaken to our soul and  destiny path. As we do so, we acquire the gift of helping others to find  their life, to awaken to their Soul and to discover their destiny path.  In the Aquarian world, we must be inner directed.

** ARIES WISDOM

Aries teaches us that awareness and self-initiation are about my  relationship between ME and ME. It is simple. It is profound. It is the  on-going theme of our spiritual journey.

Aries reminds us to be satisfied and grateful for our lives. The Ram  invites us greet every new day with enthusiasm, gratitude and alertness.  Of course, every day we face challenges -- this is Earth School! It is  always helpful to remember Yogi Bhajan's words - 'There is a pathway  through every problem."

When our perspective is vast and our detachment is authentic, we realize  that there are no problems. There are only situations (and stories.) Our  job is to identify and learn the lessons that we must learn this  lifetime, so that we can move on to greater awareness, power and peace.  Our victory is in liberating ourselves from our old thoughts, stories  and conditioning. Our personal empowerment can be measured by the extent  to which we have reached the state of consciousness where, 'We cannot be  controlled.'

Aries wisdom reminds us that our attitude is either empowering or  sabotaging. When we can relate to our stories and dramas as  entertainment, we have won the battle. If we can amuse ourselves as we  learn our life lessons, we cover ourselves. Humor is our escape door.  This is such great news!Physiologically it is true. Humor makes us  laugh. When we laugh, we relax. When we relax, we let go. When we let  go, we are not attached. We are not entangled. We are free. Our  subconscious programs no longer control us. We are free to express and  serve our soul.

III. DIRECTIVES FOR YOUR KUNDALINI YOGA AND MEDITATION PRACTICE

** SERVING THE LIGHT OF OUR SOUL

A major Aries theme is reclaiming our power and taking control of our  own lives. To stop giving away our power, we must experience our own  light and soul essence. We must build a solid sense of self as a unique  and love-directed soul.

For 40 days, including the 24 days that Mercury is retrograde in Aries  (through April 24) chant the following mantra, which means 'I am the  Light.'Hu is light.

Ha Qul Hu Hu Hu(HU is chanted like 'who' but blowing the ou out the mouth)

Chant for 11 minutes, or more if you wish.

Hands are either in gyan mudra on your knees or one on top of the other  on your heart.

Dedicate this meditation to serving your soul. Before you chant, honor  and thank your soul for your life and ask it to communicate with you how  you can best serve it today and every day. You will become aware of how  you have given away your power. You can reverse the process and  internalize your power by focusing on yourself and by containing all  your sensations inside your skin.

Continue to use the guidelines for cultivating your neutral mind and  building your inner reality, which I share in issue #178. Also use the  additional guidelines on how to direct your awareness to cultivate your  inner reality in issue #179.

All Kundalini yoga kriyas and meditations awaken our sensory system and  prepare our body and mind to experience our inner soul reality. Use the  spaces between the exercises and at the end of your practice to train  your awareness.

This mantra is part of the exercise/meditation set 'Mantra Extension' in  TRANSITIONS TO A HEART-CENTERED WORLD,page 157. (available at  www.yogatech.com )Yogi Bhajan taught this kriya and mantra in 1972. This  mantra is a Sufi Islam mantra.

** REFERENCES

Austin, Stephanie, "Aries New Moon," "Libra Full Moon," The Mountain  Astrologer, Issue #156, April/May 201l, pp.103-4.

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If God is a DJ life is the dance floor, love is the rhythm and you are the music.

If God is a DJ, life is the dance floor, love is the rhythm and you are the music. -- PINK

This seems so silly, but I’ve been trying all last week to think of how to say it and Pink gave me the inspiration:

What if, just for a moment, we believed everything God says about us -- that God made us just like this for God's pleasure, that God promises all these wonderful things for our lives and if we wait with praise-filled hearts all good things will come to us. That God is our parent – the super-super-natural variety, not like some parents who disappoint … a parent responsible for every single thing and every single provision in our lives. A parent who is always encouraging us, a parent who is always cheering us on, a parent who says, “ooo … you used to LOVE to paint, why don’t you paint me something, you're so good at it!” A parent who stands on the sidelines, even in our mind and heart, with a positive voice, who says, “That’s RIGHT! You ARE the best, I don’t make junk, I only make achievers, I only make the highest quality being, I made you specifically like this to do that job in my name or meet that person in my name and you’re doing GREAT!” A parent who supplies abundantly, a parents who wants to hear from us not to guilt us, not to chastize us, just to hear from us .. a checkup call, like, “Hey, God, How are ya, it’s me! I was just thinking of you. Remember when you made those flowers that bloom in the Spring? They’re GORGEOUS ! and I saw them and thought of you so I thought I’d call and say ‘Hey!’”

If God IS a DJ and we are the music, then what song does God hear playing when God wakes us up each morning with that first breath of awareness. Do we awake with a gasp of joy and thanksgiving, the expectation of another opportunity to experience all that God has for us. Or does God hear regret and groaning at another day stretching out before us. Do people hear sweet music when they press PLAY on the CD of our lives? Or is it a tired old CD people have heard over and over again, same old story, different day or different cast of characters? Is it a shrill horrible screeching sound of complaint and misery? Or do people hear a glorious symphony of encouragement from us? Do they hear the sweet strains of praise and power? Do they hear the gentle comfort of water as it trips and falls down a river bringing peace to the ears of those who hear it? or as it taps on leaves as it refreshes the trees as it rains …

Love is the rhythm which plays in our hearts … the beat of the Holy Spirit, with every pulse of our heart: God loves you. God loves you. God loves you. “You must love others AS you love yourself.” Let’s begin with compassion in our own hearts for ourselves in the knowledge that we are chosen, we are loved, we are watched over … which will help us turn to God to say, “thanks … I really enjoy spending this time with you … now let me pass that joy on.”

Harden not your heart

Hebrews 3:7 -- That is why God's Holy Spirit says:

 "Today if you will hear God's voice, harden not your hearts. Today you must listen to God's voice."

May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are God's little child.
May you allow yourself to let God's presence settle into your bones
and allow your soul to drink this love
and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us. Each and every day.

IT Doesn't Get Better ... YOU get better

And God answered me and said, 'Write the vision and engrave it so plainly upon tablets that everyone who passes may be able to read it easily and quickly as they hasten by.  For the vision is yet for an appointed time and it hastens to the end, to its fulfillment; it will not deceive or disappoint. Though it tarry, wait earnestly for it, because it will surely come; it will not be behindhand on its appointed day.'  Habakkuk 2:2-4

There's an old chestnut when hunting for a mate:  when you decide to "let go and let God" deliver your soul-mate to you, THAT'S when your soul-mate will appear.  I always thought that was a load of hooey but then in talking to a friend last night I realised the importance of this maxim.

When I was single, just as the Earth was cooling, I would go out searching, looking for my husband in every one I saw, trying to fit these random people in to the ideal I had devised for my life.  It was only after I made a specific list of the specific things I needed in a husband, the specific things I wanted in a husband and the specific things I felt would bring my life perfection through our marriage centered in God that God brought my husband right in to my lap.  (okay, it took 43 YEARS for me to perfect this list, but Noah waited a hundred years or so for it to start raining, so who am I to complain...)  God requires our trust.  God requires our confidences AND our confidence that God knows best for our lives but imho I think it's only when we lay our desires at God's feet that God is faithful to deliver the desires of our hearts to us.  God delivers us what we are focusing on and that's where we need to be careful.  What I found when God introduced me to my husband was that not only did God tick off every desire on my list, but my husband also embodied attributes God knew I needed in my life that even EYE didn't realise I needed.  It was only after EYE had given up searching that God provided, only after I had a list of positive attributes to concentrate on for my soul-mate that God had something to work with.  Once I had turned over COMPLETE control to God's provision did God then gift me the perfect husband for me.  Once I embodied the faith and trust in God's provision, then I was able to go out in to the world with no agenda, free to "merely" enjoy myself, and to leave the matchmaking to God.  Only then could I get about God's business:

<God has given us the task of telling everyone what God is doing. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between each other and with God. Become friends with God; God’s already a friend with you.>  2 Corinthians 5:14-21

You have to remember I grew up in a much different time, the early 60s ... my parents were in their 40s when they had me and my sisters were 10 and 14 when I was born.  I was raised to have the mind of a very old man with the spirit of a very innocent 12 year old girl, which I hear still exemplifies my spirit to this day lol.  But every day in junior high school I was beat up and punched and kicked and spit on because I was a fairy (mary, i was a FAIree!).  I just KNEW if I could make it to college I would be okay ... I would be among my peers, people with whom I could have conversations about things EYE loved:  musicals, cute hairy guys, broadway, cute hairy guys, movies, cute hairy actors, fashion, cute hairy guys ... I remember my first month at college and the first time I walked in to a room filled with homosexuals.  We were picking up people on the way to an event and there was a living room filled with The Gays, falling all over each other laughing, hugging each other, big kisses on both cheeks and I was flabbergasted ... "oh, God, PLEASE one day let me feel this, please one day let me have hugs and kisses and a group of people who know me better than I know myself".  I also remember my first audition at Actor's Equity in New York City.  I had flown up from Maryland on PeopleExpress for $12 and was in the Equity Lounge.  EVERYone knew everyone else and I thought, "oh, God, wouldn't it be the kissiest thing if I moved to New York, the biggest little town on the planet, and walked down the street and ran into someone I KNOW ?!?!"

God provided that family for me and 30 years later I still have some of the same people surrounding me.  FaceBook has also reconnected me with the very people who helped form me and shape me from a broken, skittish, tortured, unloved mess in to the fabulous man I am today.  Truth is, all these decades later, every time I run in to someone on the street in New York I know i DO (!) feel that completely kissy ... even though I've lived here for years, the answer to the simple prayer of "God, please surround me with family and make me feel a part of that extra special something that the Holy Spirit has witnessed inside of me" still makes me giddy.  Just like when I look at my husband and breathe a special prayer thanks for God's provision.

Let go ... let God ... and know that God is working to perfect you in the way God has formed you, that God is working to perfect your mate just as God is perfecting you for your mate and stop grasping at straws, stop trying to make just anyone fit the mold.  The specific person will be the lid to your pot, not someone who will simply "do".  God is the author of time and God knows when the perfect moment for you two to meet is ... meanwhile, let's <renew our eagerness to work with God in building a better world, so that our friends may hear God's gospel of peace and justice>.

Resentment ...

<holding on to resentment is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.>
tfs, carrie fisher

i THINK i'm not having problems with this AT ALL but today's reflections were all about forgiving 7 x 70 and all i could think about was, sure, i forgive people all the time because It Says WE are not forgiven unless we ourselves forgive. but the truth is many people (myself in the PAST please god included) DO forgive but they hold constant resentments toward those they've forgiven, as though they're holding something over their heads! so complicated, this living thing ...

The old life is gone; a new life flourishes ...

2 Corinthians 5:14-21
Our firm decision is to work from this focused center: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat. He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own. 

Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new.  

 The old life is gone; a new life flourishes! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins.  

God has given us the task of telling everyone what God is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between each other and with God. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; God’s already a friend with you. 

How? you ask. In Christ. Through Christ. God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God.

=-=-=

Do you ever attempt to hide from your mistakes or pretend they didn’t happen? If so, you’ll keep making the same ones over and over again.

Instead, quickly recognize and admit your mistakes. And learn to see the value in moving beyond them.

When you’ve found an error, you’ve uncovered an opportunity to improve. Take those opportunities and make those improvements.

When you discover a weakness, you’ve found a way to grow stronger. Overcoming a weakness in one area can make you more effective in all aspects of your life, after that weakness ceases to hold you back.

Accept that there are things you’ve been mistaken about, things you don’t know, and things you have not been able to do. That puts you in a position to make powerful positive improvements.

Instead of letting your mistakes and shortcomings grow more costly by denying that they exist, choose to see the real value in them. Decide to confidently deal with them and transform your liabilities into assets.

-- Ralph Marston

The Boys in the Band

This movie had such an tremendous impact on me and those of my generation. Not only is it one of the most quotable movies for me and mine but it is a snapshot of what gay life was like during the pre-Stonewall and pre-AIDS years. There is a new documentary out about the making of the movie, Making the Boys.  Here's its trailer (it even has clips from the original off-broadway show!!) and then a great and background piece after after the jump ...

Mormon Church Excommunicates Young Man, Forcing Him To Come Out To Parents

from Andy Towle at towleroad:

<Nathan Manske and Marquise Lee just finished a 4 month, 50 state tour of the United States collecting stories for their I'm From Driftwood site. We'll be sharing some of the stories they collected along with some of the insight into what they saw. They're still encouraging people to submit their written stories via IFD.

When we were heading to Utah from Wyoming, we decided to make an effort to not actively seek out Mormon stories. We wanted to just let the stories come to us and continue our practice of not giving anyone a topic. "Any story from your life that you want to share and that's important to you" is the most I'll give them. Sure enough, though...the Mormon stories found us. Of the six stories we collected in Utah, four of them have something to do with being Mormon.>

On Fasting ...

Fast from judging others; Feast on Christ dwelling in them.

Fast from apparent darkness; Feast on the reality of light.

Fast from pessimism; Feast on optimism.

Fast from thoughts of illness; Feast on the healing power of God.

Fast from words that pollute; Feast on phrases that purify.

Fast from anger; Feast on prayaer.

Fast from worry; Feast on Divine Providence.

Fast from unrelenting pressure; Feast on unceasing praise.

Fast from negatives; Feast on positives.

Fast from complaining; Feast on appreciation.

Fast from hostility; Feast on prayers of peace.

Fast from bitterness; Feast on forgiveness.

Fast from anxiety; Feast on the hope of God’s provision.

Fast from yourself; Feast on a silent heart and focus a column of God’s light bathing you.

Pray All Day Long

John 4:23-24
A time will come ... guess what! that time is already here ! when the true and genuine worshipers of God will worship God in their spirit and in truth; for they are the kind of worshippers God is seeking. God is a Spirit...a spiritual Being...and those who worship God must worship God in spirit and in truth.

God intended for prayer to bring joy.

Every true believer wants to fellowship with God—to talk to God and allow God to get involved in every detail of his life. Multitudes spend their lives thinking that they have to pray, and that prayers need to be formal and written down and that there is some sort of formula for perfect prayer and therefore never realize that they are praying all the time and CAN pray all the time, if they would just set their minds to it.

We human beings were created by God for liberty, not legalism. We are to be led by the Holy Spirit and not by the demands of the Law. If we want joy in prayer, we must be willing to follow the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit brings variety into our prayer life.

Observant Jewish people have different required prayers for so many things during their day: when they smell a wonderful fragrance they say, God, PRAISE you for creating this wonderful fragrance and praise you for my ability to smell it. When they see beautiful colours in the sky they say, PRAISE you God for painting the sky such beautiful colours that they might brighten my spirit and fill me with joy. The even say prayers after they go to the bathroom: PRAISE you God that I can go to the bathroom when so many are on dialysis and have had colostomies, that I am able to go to the bathroom.

If you wait for the "perfect" time to put a call in to God you're missing talking to God at so many different times of the day. Don't save up for one big weekly call ... call God throughout the day, praising God for small miracles (like when your PRINTER finally works or your boss actually says "thank you") and ask God for help during the day (like when your printer won't work or your boss is being a pill).

Don't put God in a box. God has many ways of leading you if you will permit God to be the Leader while you become the follower.

God -- help me to realise you live inside of me and are a part of my thoughts and a part of my daily walk. Help me to realise that you desire an intimate relationship with me and help me open up to you during little joys and little trials throughout the day. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground

John 8 

Teacher, they said, This woman has been caught in the very act of adultery. Now Moses in the Law commanded us that such offenders shall be stoned to death. But what do You say to do with her--what is Your sentence? This they said to try to test Him, hoping they might find a charge on which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger. However, when they persisted with their question, He raised Himself up and said, Go ahead! Stone her! But let the person who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her. Then He bent down and went on writing on the ground with His finger. They listened to Him, and then they began slipping out, conscience-stricken, one by one, from the oldest down to the last one of them, till Jesus was left alone, with the woman standing there before Him in the center of the court. When Jesus raised Himself up, He said to her, Woman, where are your accusers? Has no man condemned you? She answered, No one, Lord! And Jesus said, I do not condemn you either. Go on your way and from now on sin no more.

=-=-=
An oldie, but a goodie. There is a teacher of Biblical studies who has an interesting take on this story:

What was Jesus writing in the sand? This Bible teacher believes that perhaps Jesus was making lists of all the secret sins of all of the people standing and accusing this woman of adultery. Lying, stealing, cheating, misrepresenting neighbors with gossip, anger, unkindness. Notice how Jesus bends down twice to continue whatever he was writing.

Think about that the next time you rush to judgment about someone. Sometimes the things which most irritate us about others is some very thing we are, or have been, guilty of in our lives ... take a moment, before judgment, to make a mental note of all your shortcomings ... ask God for forgiveness and strength for those items and at the same time ask God to shower that person you are judging with blessings. You'll find that the blessings will come back to you a hundredfold.
=-=-=
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen.

. . .AND GOD SAID “NO.”

a Christian poem by Claudia Minden Weisz

I asked God to take away my pride,
And God said “No.”
God said it was not for God to take away,
But for me to give up.

I asked God to grant me patience,
And God said, “No.”
God said patience is a by-product of me surrendering my worries and my troubles over to God and trusting in God’s provision and resting in the peace of God’s Holy Spirit.

I asked God to give me happiness,
And God said “No.”
God said God gives me blessings every second of the day.
It is up to me to see the blessings all around me … happiness is up to me.

I asked God to make my spirit grow,
And God said “No.”
God said I must grow on my own,
But God assured me God is holding my hand the entire way, carrying me at some points, loving me, protecting me and guiding me.

I asked God if God loved me,
And God said “Of course I love you . . . I created you in my image, unique and priceless.”

I asked God to help me love others as much as God loves me,
And God said, “Ah! Finally you have the idea.”

Prayer
God our Savior, bring us back to you and fill our minds with your wisdom. May we be enriched by our observance of Lent. Through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen

The Great Litany

This is the 1st Sunday in Lent and Episcopals love to pull out The Great Litany.  It's such a beautiful prayer.  We petition God for all kinds of people in all conditions.  One of my favourite verses is <That it may please thee to inspire us, in our several callings, to do the work which thou givest us to do with singleness of heart as thy servants, and for the common good>. Mother Penny Nash offers a lovely reflection after the jump ...

The First Station: It’s Called The Way of The Cross For a Reason

The station for my reflection is the first in The Way of The Cross: Jesus is condemned to death. Jesus actually gives us instructions on condemning our old selves to death in the Gospel of Matthew:

“Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘…those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”

There’s actually a nasty little bit right after a similar passage in Luke which says, 

“… those who are ashamed of me and of my words, of them the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels”. 

Following Jesus is not for the faint-of-heart and it’s not a some-time thing. The Way of The Cross is a daily exercise. Jesus isn’t kidding around about this stuff. He wants us to live out loud and He wants us to give the work of following God everything we have, even death to our own self.

If you’re new to the Episcopal Church you’ll find that we LOVE to talk about our Baptismal Covenant because it frames our common life together in service to God’s mission for our individual lives. That’s a pretty powerful thing we’re promising. The vows and blessings in that Covenant call us to live a life supporting and sustaining one another, not only socially but spiritually, not only within the walls of our sanctuary but the sanctuary which is God’s entire creation “to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ“, and it calls us to the service of GOD’S mission for our lives … not our own desires for our lives, but the perfection our lives can attain through the recognition of God’s perfect will for us, if only we will ask, if only we will lay down our lives, if only we will listen, if only we will hear and obey.

There is such an enormous difference between believing in God and living for God; between finding lovely passages in the Bible to please our ear and having its precepts mold our lives; between identifying as a Christian and living actively as a follower of Christ. There is also a difference between going to church every Sunday like we’re going to a concert in a beautiful environment with a lovely soundtrack and pretty vestments versus the work of going to church every Sunday when maybe we’re too exhausted or maybe we’re angry at another congregant or maybe we’re in an dry season in our practice of public worship but we suck it up because we realise the importance of coming together to empty ourselves of “coldness of heart and wanderings of mind, that with steadfast thoughts and kindled affections we may worship [God] in spirit and in truth“. God calls us to experience a Transfiguration “by the mercies of God, to present [our] bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is [our] spiritual worship … transformed by the renewing of [our] minds, so that [we] may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect“.

There’s an interesting arc in the “reality” show Bethenny Ever After (stop judging me) where Bethenny is overwhelmed with her new station in life.  We met her many years ago on two other reality shows (I don’t get out much) as a single lady with estranged parents and few friends, an entrepreneur who was living the Big City Life and working the dating scene and surviving. Now she has the package of a new husband and a new a baby at once. Her husband is an only child, having lost his brother years ago, and his parents are very present, very dear, very involved, very first-time grandparents and this guy also has a slew of bestest friends he grew up with who are all still actively involved in one another’s lives. Oh, bombshell? Those people all live three hours away in the suburbs. Bethenny is being forced to absorb all these people and all their needs and all their schedules in her new existence as wife and mother and now daughter. To me, it speaks of one of the reasons I believe many of the friends I’ve had in my life don’t want to be partnered and don’t want to get married: they don’t mind the company of a relationship and may even want a long-term coupling but they certainly don’t want the reality of being burdened with all the inconveniences of combing two lives in to one existence. In my experience and the experience of many of my married friends, we didn’t marry just one person, we both joined to form one entity which comprises an intricate web of friends and family members and all their baggage and all our baggage and the responsibility of juggling it all, especially at those times when we don’t want to. Many people don’t find the rich blessings I do in that sort of accountability.

Perhaps, too, many people see a relationship with God like that: “God, really great job, I’m a big fan, love your work, but I don’t want all that family stuff you’ve got clinging to you.” Our Baptismal Covenant charges us to be actively involved in one another’s lives and to look after one another as we promise to live lives of worship, forgiveness, proclamation, service, and justice-making. I know a lot of people in my life, myself included for a time, who only want to go to a huge church where they can get lost in the crowd or be a church hopper so they can remain somewhat anonymous or sneak in and out of regular services like they’re stealing something (which they actually may very well be doing). I think it’s because people don’t want to get involved … it’s just too expensive. Getting involved would encroach upon their privacy, their personal time, in essence, their selfishness. Belonging to a Church is also very hard work … it’s actually a Lifestyle. Howard Gally reminds us how much work it is when he says that the Church, referring to the Christian community, is <not an assembly of likeminded persons. There are members who quarrel (Phil. 4:2), who promote factions (1 Cor. 11:18-22), and who hold different opinions (Rom. 14:2-6). It is, moreover, a body that does not exist for its own sake, but is a people called by God to “make disciples of all nations” ( Matt. 28:19), and to live in love and unity so “that the world may believe” (John 17:21)>.

Let’s take this Lent to shake off a very subtle disease, the one which The Church of Ephesus was accused of in The Book of Revelation of Jesus Christ: that of losing its First Love. Let’s condemn our selfishness to death and rejuvenate our spirits with the innocent, fresh and giddy love we once had for the joy of being loved by God, the beauty of all God’s creation and the love we feel for God in return and combine it with the excitement of belonging to such a rich community of God-loving people and a willingness to serve them. I know it will, in turn, replenish us to be sent out into the world in witness to God’s love.

originally posted at St. Luke's Lenten Blog

A Video of Jesus in the Wilderness

this is such a wonderful reflection.

h/t: Mother Penny Nash from Rev Ruth

The Bible’s surprisingly mixed messages on sexuality

<... It is therefore disturbing to hear some Christian leaders today claim that they have no choice but to regard homosexuality as a sin. They do have a choice and should be held accountable for the ones they are making ...>  more after the jump ...

My Take: The Bible’s surprisingly mixed messages on sexuality

by Jennifer Wright Knust

Social Media for Lent

<Please don't excuse yourself from the conversation for forty days. The world needs to hear your voice, to see what the Church is doing; the world needs you to host the conversation, to debate, discuss and ponder the upcoming Paschal mystery, to prepare not only yourself but help others prepare for the good news that on the third day God acted again in history to show us that Love is stronger than Death.>  more after the jump ...

Are You a Christian Giving Up Social Media for Lent? Please Don't.

by Mother Penny Nash

Tamar's Ashes

this speaks to my discomfort with the whole imposition of ashes thing, "Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven". oh how i agree with her, oh how i love to reason together, oh how i love her. Elizabeth+ says among other things: <Truth be told, I've always sorta side-stepped the issue in Ash Wednesday sermons. I've sometimes confidently muttered things like, "Well, it's an ancient practice we see in Scripture. ... " Well, while that's all true, the practice still nags at me, all these years later. ...>  more after the jump...

Tamar's Ashes

by Mother Elizabeth Kaeton

Blogtastic Lent or Lentastic blogs?

<Penny Nash puts it this way: A Christian communicator who gives up posting on Facebook, Tweeting or writing online during Lent is a Christian who has decided not to talk about God, about Jesus, about faith, during the church’s season expressly dedicated to preparing for the greatest event in history, the foundation of our faith, the hope of our salvation, the resurrection of our savior Jesus Christ.>  more after the jump ...

Blogtastic Lent or Lentastic blogs?

by Father Scott Gunn

Ash Wednesday

<What kind of Lenten discipline does my heart and soul seek this year? I yearn to inhabit more deeply my experience of God in which I feel called and invited to live by love, grace, Spirit, by the infinite, eternal, transforming, creative, sacred energy of life.>  more after the jump ...

Ash Wednesday

by Rev. Colin Coward

I Love Ash Wednesday

<...our mortality is a profound gift. That gift, expressed in gritty ashes, is a reminder of an even greater gift: our precious journey in this life. Ash Wednesday reminds us to savor life — to use this brief pilgrimage for things heavenly, not things earthly. It reminds us to live life well — to experience [its] wholeness, joy, and health ...> more after the jump ....

I Love Ash Wednesday

by Father Scott Gunn

My Lent: Ashes, Addiction, and the Reality of Hell

wow. <Lent reminds us that we're all in the same boat—the sinking ship of our failed attempts to save ourselves, love ourselves, and save those we love. ... the ashes are as real as it gets—a sticky, gritty, grimy smear plastered to our foreheads, precisely on the same spot that the oil of baptism was applied. ...> this is some good stuff here, kids ;-) more after the jump ...

My Lent: Ashes, Addiction, and the Reality of Hell (Pace Rob Bell)

by Debra Dean Murphy, Ph.D.

What the Hell

On Rob Bell: <“This is not just the same old message with new methods. We’re rediscovering Christianity as an Eastern religion, as a way of life. Legal metaphors for faith don’t deliver a way of life. We grew up in churches where people knew the nine verses why we don’t speak in tongues, but had never experienced the overwhelming presence of God.”>  More after the jump ...

What the Hell
by Mother Elizabeth Kaeton