A Way of Life

A Way of Life - August News

AUGUST 2010

Hello everyone thanks for taking the time to hear us…..

This morning, as I sat on the veranda contemplating the garden almost vibrating after the rain, my heart opened gently and I found myself asking, "Father, what would you have me do, how can I serve you best at this time?" The answer was direct and concise – "Tell your brothers and sisters".

There are many facets to Suzanne and my life at this time – our own spiritual journey, our day to day activity, our heart space serving children in less fortunate countries and the sheer joy that comes in sharing the Path to awareness with others. It's been some time since we last contacted you and we have much to share so we thought the best way to deal with this was to offer you a menu – a smorgasbord in fact, of things of interest that might appeal to you and give you as much pleasure as they do us.

So much is changing for us which is why you haven't heard from us for a while and this letter will fill you in on a lot of that, share some of the experiences we are having and the amazing benefits that we are receiving, along with details of how you might access any of it for yourself…..

As you may know, we just recently changed the business name and website name from 'Way of the Heart' to 'A Way of Life' which reflects our changing life and the birth of our passion. How to explain this? It is almost as if the connection to the channeling's of Jeshua that had captivated us for the past 10 years has faded and we have both been handed over to the Father for a direct relationship with a greater focus on our Soul's growth and our relationship to God. Maybe this seems strange, wasn't it always like this? Well, apparently not as something much bigger is appearing, unfolding and our life is reflecting that.….so here we go:

USA IN SEPTEMBER:

Suz and I are traveling in California, Arizona and Nevada from 12 September to 19 October. It would be fantastic to bring a day of Living Values together for you, share Spiritual Surgery or maybe talk about the Soul and what we are discovering on the Divine Love Path. If you feel this could be of benefit and would like to bring a group of open minded friends together for discussion we would love to see if we can schedule a visit, just send me an email to: raj@elohim.com

MOTOR HOME FOR SALE:

Spirit literally directed us to 'her' on a cold, snowy night in Big Bear, California 7 years ago just as we were preparing for a promotional journey through western USA. This travelling companion carried us to many awesome adventures and through her we made many friends. Now with our changing world "Coby", our faithful and beautiful 28ft motorhome is going to be sold – Anyone seeking a magic carpet, literally a home on wheels in the USA for just US $7,900? ….. Click here

OUR SPIRITUAL JOURNEY:

As I mentioned above we are discovering exciting twists of the spiritual pathway leading us to greater and greater depths and grace. One thing we all face is the knowing that we are terminal – among all our uncertainties, the one certainty is death. We have both been drawn once more to the after-life, exploring the multi facets of the Heavens awaiting us and discovering aspects of our soul's journey that most have not yet had the chance to hear about. Heaven is a wonderful rich and stimulating playground and understanding it adds so much direction in regard to how to maximize our opportunities in this lifetime. These Truths are essential reading because they add so much wise counsel about who we really are, where we are going and how to arrive in a 'good condition', that it would be foolhardy to ignore them. We would love to share these entertaining and reassuring chronicles with you….to read more Click here

KARUNA BALI:

This Indonesian odyssey just keeps on growing. Do you care about young children in other countries, underprivileged compared to our own children, very possibly from the effects of our own prosperity, young people that have no idea of the world or what difference an education can make? Through friends who have joined us through the Karuna 'Coffee Club' or by sponsoring a child in Bali an amazing difference is being made Care to check out how a small amount can do so much …. Click here to read more

LIVING VALUES:

Life gives us back what we give to it ….'As we sow, so shall we reap'.

We live in a benevolent Universe that offers us the potential of a wonderful life, but we do not always experience that harmony. If Life is not unfolding the way we would like it to, perhaps we are out of alignment, forgetting to be loving, respectful or honest and the Laws of Cause and Effect automatically reflect our behavior back to us. They are not complex; they are simply designed to teach us how to live more lovingly. Values are our inner GPS and if we choose to live by them, they deepen our understanding of the Law of Attraction and help us to live richer lives.

Living Values Australia is currently training facilitators….. (next evening talk — Newcastle, 12th August and next LVE workshop is on Gold Coast, 27th -29th August) for this great educational program to bring values awareness to children and adults in families, commerce, and the community … read more

Thanks for allowing us into your life to share our journey with you… If you feel to explore any of these pages more deeply and would like to chat with us we would love to hear from you…….

Suzanne and I are enjoying life to the fullest and at last taking some time to 'smell the roses' and it feels great. We wish you the same and look forward to sharing with you again in the months to come…...

Love & Blessings,

Raj & Suzanne, A Way of Life, Australia

Motor Home for Sale

MOTOR HOME FOR SALE:

How would you like to escape for a few months and tour America or Mexico?

'COBY' - you can see at a glance where she got that name, came to us as a miracle some 7 years ago. Since then we have used her every year touring the western United States. She has taken us to 'out of the way' places and exotic scenic national parks such as Yosemite and the beauty of Sedona on many occasions.

So easy and fun to drive and comfortable beyond words, Coby is truly home on wheels - completely self contained for a week at a time. In her 28ft she sleeps six, fully air conditioned, heated, TV, microwave, stove and oven, hot & cold pressure water, bathroom and shower, plenty of cupboards, nice permanent double bed, kitchen and couch and swivel chairs. Coby is fully equipped with dishes, pots, bedding, tool kit, maps. Literally, she is set and ready to go.

Each year we have renovated another aspect, so now she is like new, inside and out. With only 54,000 miles on the powerful 8 cyl. 7.2lt Ford engine Coby will take you most places.

We are not quite ready to give her up – we are cruising Arizona from mid Sept to mid October 2010 then Coby is free for her new owners.

It's an ideal time to get away, while cooler in the north the southern States of California, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico are the perfect playground and if you can afford the time to play in the sun, Mexico is wide open to the south with magical Baja just a few days drive from San Diego.

If we can hand her over to you on 15th October in Los Angeles we'll give you a great deal – just US$7,900

Call us to chat about the practicalities Raj & suz 07 5563 0036

or email me at raj@livingvalues.com.au

INVENTORY:

EXTERIOR

ROOF STORAGE POD – LARGE TRANSVERSE TYPE

T.V. AERIAL

A/C AIR CONDITIONER UNIT (NEW)

LADDER ACCESS ON REAR

ONAN 12O VOLT GENERATOR – 450 HRS ONLY

MAIN AND RESERVE FUEL TANKS

New paint job

40 GAL. WATER TANK

40 GAL HOLDING TANK WITH ALL CONNECTING PIPES & FITTINGS

WATER HOSE

TIMBER RAMPS (ADJUSTING PARKING ANGLE FOR COMFORT)

FULL VEHICLE STORAGE COVER, WHEEL AND WINDSCREEN COVERS

EXTERIOR CARPET MATTING

FULL LENGTH AWNING – this does need renewing.

INTERIOR

CAB:

TWIN CUSTOM ARMCHAIR DRIVING SEATS

CB RADIO ON DASH

RADIO CASSETTE PLAYER – SPEAKERS THROUGHOUT UNIT

Prior to interior renovation

HOUSE:

SLEEPS SIX – AFT DOUBLE, DOUBLE OVER CAB, DOUBLE PULL OUT COUCH IN MAIN SALOON AREA.

TWO SWIVEL ARMSCHAIRS

3 SEATER COUCH – NEW UPHOLSTERY

TWO REMOVABLE TABLES

CARPET – NEW

CURTAINS – NEW

ALL LIGHT OAK laminate over HEAVY TIMBER JOINERY THROUGHOUT

11 OVERHEAD STORAGE CABINETS THROUGHOUT

TWO HANGING WARDROBES with FOUR DRAWERS UNDER

SLIDING PANTRY

UNDER SEAT AND UNDER BED STORAGE

Prior to new upholstery

READING LIGHTS OVER BEDS – COUCH – IN THE CUP'DS & WARD'RBS

12V/120V LIGHTING THROUGHOUT

10 GALLON PROPANE HOT WATER STORAGE

PROPANE INTERIOR HEATER/THREE VENTS

OVERHEAD SPEAKERS THROUGHOUT

GALLEY:

GAS FOUR BURNER STOVE AND OVEN – RANGEHOOD WITH LIGHT/EXHAUST

120V MICROWAVE

9 Cubic Ft - FRIDGE FREEZER – THREE WAY 120V/12V/PROPANE

TV AND VIDEO

TWIN S/S KITCHEN SINKS

FOUR PERSON DINNER SERVICE

CUTLERY

COOKING UTENCILS

POTS, PANS, FRYING PANS, WOK.

TOASTER

SANDWICH MAKER

FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS

VINYL FLOOR

Great galley layout

BATHROOM:

TOILET CHEMICAL WITH HOLDING TANK

H & C SHOWER STALL/MINI BATH WITH CURTAIN

WASH BASIN

BATHROOM CABINET

IRONING BOARD

IRON

VACUM CLEANER

VINYL FLOOR

PLUS:

BEDDING PROVIDED – 2 SHEETS, FEATHER DOONA, 2 QUILTS, 2 PILLOWS FOR DOUBLE BED.

THROW CUSHIONS

BATHROOM TOWELS

TOOL KIT

MAPS

WHAT ELSE YOU MIGHT LIKE TO KNOW:

We purchased the 28ft motorhome "COBY" in December 2001 and used it annually to 2010 to travel extensively throughout California, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming, Arizona.

The low 32,000 mileage done by previous owners is an unusual benefit and now with all our own travels 'Coby' has only 54,000 miles.

The quality steel frame around which the fiberglass 'house" is built makes it exceptional buying. Later models researched and driven were found to be of lighter construction, rattled excessively and their interior's had none of the quality interior fixtures and features eg. solid 1/2inch cabinetry throughout, large expensive fridge, extra cupboards, good quality kitchen appliances.

The 350 Econoline heavy duty truck chassis provides very stable driving conditions. The 7.2 liter Ford 460 motor is regarded by mechanics as one of the best motors produced. Fuel consumption is not excessively high – we average about 25 cents a mile depending on local fuel prices and driving conditions and hills encountered.

If sharing the driving it is comfortable to travel 400 - 500 miles a day on freeways with no strain. The 28ft length is still easy for street and shopping centre parking.

The vehicle is currently insured with AAA Insurance. The vehicle has been stored in Joshua Tree – high desert two hours from LAX. The high desert has ensured no damage as it is humidity free, minimal rainfall and no snow. Due to sun fading over the years, we repainted and re- striped the fibreglass exterior paneling.

The vehicle storage cost has been $10 per week which included running the engine for 30 minutes every two weeks to keep systems clean and batteries charged. A local garage has undertaken preparation – servicing, checking systems, new oil etc., prior to pickup each year.

The vehicle is in great condition, tires are good, new battery, brakes are excellent. Vehicle will be serviced following our use in 2010 and ready for takeover and immediate use.

The spacious interior has been upgraded with new carpets, upholstery and curtains and provides a very comfortable and pleasing living space for two – six people for extended periods. Everything that is required for traveling is included.

"COBY" will be returned to Joshua Tree and available for mid October takeover or we could make other arrangements to mutual satisfaction.

Please call us for further information. Roger Miles/Suzanne Stallard Australia +61 7 5563 0036

Email: raj@livingvalues.com.au

Our Spiritual Journey

OUR SPIRITUAL JOURNEY

When you open your heart to discovery, you will be called to step outside the comfort barriers within which you have fortified your life. You will be called to risk old views and thoughts and to step off the circle of routine and image. This will often bring turbulence. The pendulum will fix at times on one extreme, and you will be out of balance. But your soul loves the danger of growth.

In its own wise trust, your soul will always return you to a place of real and vital equilibrium. One of the most sacred duties is to be open and faithful to the subtle voices of the universe which come alive in our longing. Either we are in the universe to inhabit the lovely eternity of our souls and grow real, or else we might as well dedicate our days to shopping and kill time watching talk shows.

This quote is from the Irish writer, poet and scholar, John O’Donohue’s Eternal Echoes:

“Celtic Reflections on Our Yearning to Belong”.

Remember at the beginning I said that I found myself asking, “Father, what would you have me do, how can I serve You best at this time?” The answer was direct and concise – “Tell your brothers and sisters”.

Much that has occurred for both of us and it does need explanation. I’ll keep it in the first person; because it makes it easier, I hope that you are sitting down and happy to take some with time to go through this with me.

From my first spiritual experience back in 1994 meeting with Ivan at the ‘The Rocky Mountain Bookshop’ in Aspen, then acquiring the Sedona Journal, the incredible experiences with our spirit friends offering spiritual surgery, coming to Australia, Elohim, the Way of the Heart, the many years on the Pathway with Jeshua and much more that I probably have not shared…. encompassing almost 16 years to the present, in all that time nothing has been as profound as what has unfolded in the last 18 months for us. Some of you have known us since we began, yet it is where I am right now that I feel almost obliged to share with you.

In those 16 odd years I have vacillated between outright disbelief, allowance and acceptance. It is in acceptance that I share with you now. I have been witness to many strange and wondrous possibilities, I have heard much, read many books, through the Journal shared others experiences and been exposed to many teachers with their own doctrine and methodology. All through this I have grown but much like a butterfly often never really landed, even when the experiences were my own direct encounters such as bringing through hundreds of spirits in the spiritual surgery sessions where there could never have been any doubt that something was communicating through me. In the moment there was euphoria and wonder, then as time passed doubt dropped back like a veil and I found myself dismissing what had occurred.

This whole experience has been and continues to be, the wildest and singularly most magical adventure I have ever had, or could imagine and I would not have missed it for the world. Now Suz and I have landed in the next level. Something that began last year when a friend called and said he had spent the weekend with Jesus. “In meditation?” I asked? “No”, he replied, “In body, here in a small town north of Brisbane.” Right! Well, even after all we have been through it was a bit hard to swallow even though this friend is an extremely grounded person who has an engineering business employing 150 people that has been successful for over 30 years and is nobody’s fool. What do you say? But he was kind enough to copy a couple of DVD’s for us that really opened our eyes, so a few weekends later we decided we had better go see for ourselves. Full of our usual careful skepticism, we journeyed to where this event takes place and metAJ Miller aka Jesus.

Oh how embarrassing as we recall our opinionated attitude.

Since that time we have been on a roller coaster. We have become friends with AJ and Mary – two incredibly beautiful people who have stayed with us here at the house a couple of times - how often have I asked for Jesus to come and have dinner so I could ask some questions. Now we have had that opportunity and we are completely convinced that He is who He says!

You might say that this is a perfectly natural progression in our journey since we spent the last ten years actively promoting His teachings through the ‘Way of the Heart’. However what he is offering now in the Divine Love Path is an amazing upgrade in what has previously been available to us.

Jesus coming into our lives is not so much about Him as He will be the first to point out, it is the message that He brings with Him – the same message He seeded 2,000 years ago. Suz and I and thousands of others here are getting it first hand and this time around, thanks to the electronic age everything is being recorded – hundreds of hours on DVD and mp3 files, so that it will be available to all humanity and never again be distorted. Through the commitment of many loving people the sessions are all being recorded on video, edited and made available entirely free, to anyone who has the ‘eyes to see and ears to hear’.

Check out: www.divinetruth.com for free downloads, texts and MP3 files and www.divinetruthseminars.com for free video files. Most of the talks are approx 4 hours in length and provide much clear and loving information about you and me.

Finally questions are answered like…”Why we are here, who are we really, how to make the best of being here, where we are going, what is the Soul’s journey, how do the Laws that govern the Universe and the Eternal Heaven operate, Who and What is God and how to maximize the relationship that we already have with God so that we can come to the happiest most fulfilling life.”

Like us, you have probably pondered those questions many times and for the want of any clear, logical, truly trustworthy answer have simply done the best you could, searching and longing without ever really landing on a Truth that you could truly depend on.

What I can say is that The Divine Love Path has changed for me forever, I am so full of deep gratitude that I am duty bound to extend what I have found to you, to allow you the opportunity that I have had to simply explore and come to your own conclusion. Those who understand what they are being offered, the ones who have the Love and commitment to grow are quietly making revolutionary leaps in consciousness, demonstrating what is possible for us all.

AJ has no interest in a following, any disciples or miracles, he doesn’t take any money, he gives everything freely, he is just bringing a message about our life and our future which is the essence of what I want to share and possibly, whet your appetite to explore further.

When we die we cross into the Spirit World operating on a new set of Laws without the physical body but complete in the spirit body, with all our mental capacities and memories. We simply move to another Universe, which sphere we land in is governed by our soul condition at the time of passing which is the result of the choices we have made while we have been on Earth. We will have the same awareness as we do now which is why so many people have difficulty believing that they have died and left their physical bodies. Depending on the sphere you are in, you will be able to teleport, learn to create through imagination, live without need or want in peace with others of like mind.

If you download the story of “The Life Unseen”, through Anthony Borgia, you will gain the most beautiful insights of what life is like in the Spirit World, debunking so many of the feeble insights that so called ‘reliable’ sources offer - www.divinetruth.com – Click on Free Downloads - then Natural Love Path Documents.

We have the opportunity to grow through a potential 22 levels depending on our focus and consciousness. Each realm is more Loving and beautiful than the one before and each is inhabited by others at a similar stage of awakening. Reincarnation is only available when a soul reaches the 22^nd level which is full reconnection with our Soul mate. The phenomenon of reincarnation first occurred in 1962 when AJ became the second human issue, of the Soul known as Jesus to activate a human body on Earth, to assist humanity through the evolution we all know is coming. He is part of a team of 7 complete souls, half masculine, half feminine -14 people who have extended their soul power into a body again to serve Divine Truth.

This is a very complex Celestial experiment that is beyond our ability to fully understand but it helps to have a thumbnail sketch of how it works. It is not the original being/physical body that comes back but a new person, born into a new physical body, complete with a Spirit body, activated and connected in this case to the Soul known as Jesus/Mary. The Soul does not leave the 22^nd Sphere where it resides. The new body is born through regular parents (forget about the Immaculate Conception – it’s a story), facing the same challenges to evolve as you and I, but connected to all the memory of the previous life, with access to the faculties and wisdom of the Soul of Jesus/Mary, or whatever being they are in the 22^nd Sphere.

After 16 years of seeking, experiencing some of the world’s most acclaimed spiritual teachers I can honestly say that I have never met anyone who is more humble, more direct, more enlightened, more honest, more dedicated and indeed, more confronting and overall a better representation of how we could be than AJ. Nor have I ever heard such complete, succinct, sensible, grounded, practical explanations and answers to the questions we all long to have answered. It is like a 5000 piece jigsaw, where you had three pieces and someone places the remaining 4,997. So what can you do but listen when he shares something because you know deep inside the message is vital to your future growth, offering the potential to help you through the rest of eternity.

Frankly, once I came to the greater picture I realized that what AJ shares is vital to my relationship with God and my potential for eternal life and happiness – the reason is that it explains the nature of the soul, the errors resulting from injuries acquired from conception onward and clears up our misunderstanding of the Truths of life. He explains how we can fall into error or choose to create a really beneficial foundation for our Soul’s journey. A day with AJ is like opening Lonely Planet guide to the Soul’s Journey through Earth and the Heavens.

The launching point to the Divine Love Path is outlined in a clear way by AJ in his presentation entitled ‘THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE’ it is available on www.divingtruthseminars.com A fascinating insight that people of all ages and backgrounds can understand.

He explains the most important aspect relating to our soul’s journey; the two paths for the soul. The common path is called the Path of Natural Love. This is the path of perfected man, it has six levels and stops in nirvana or a bliss state – yet, it is not the path to God. It is very comfortable and desirable but has an inherent problem in that no one knows and maybe God hasn’t decided yet, how long it will last.

The second path, which Jesus in the first century and now AJ are encouraging us to embrace while we are in the Earth dimension is the Path of Divine Love. This one leads into the Celestial Realms and a relationship with God, the Father/Mother, and an eternal place in the Heavens. Which do you desire?

For me, it’s not just about an interest in the ‘life hereafter’, it is that I truly know that this life is only the beginning of my journey and as with embarking on any journey there is much that I can do to prepare me so that I go onward with some expectation of what awaits me. And the greatest gift I have to offer is to continue to share with my fellow travelers my understanding, the fruits of my own journey so far.

As I reflect on the years have gone by, I know that God has been with me every step of the way. It is impossible for me to have doubt for I have been blessed by innumerable circumstances where and when I have called out for help and I am deeply humbled to have the opportunity presented by Divine Truth now. I know that I desire connection to my Mother/Father more than anything else and I know that this will be my single goal for what remains of this lifetime.

AJ has a really extensive website with 100’s of hours of MP3 downloads – all free, plus much other supporting related Divine Love Path literature which I encourage you to explore –

www.divinetruth.com

And a new website

www.divinetruthseminars.com

NOW….It’s all up to you.

In sincerity,

Raj

Karuna Bali

KARUNA BALI

Karuna (Compassion) Bali Foundation – is a dream that stemmed from wanting to help a couple taxi drivers and waitresses, that grew so fast we became giddy. Now just four years on is a thriving and beautiful educational college in Ubud ostensibly teaching computer skills and English, although in reality Campuhan College’s first mandate is to help young people ‘out of the box’ into their full potential, which is much more fun for everyone!

There is now a faculty and admin team of 14 unbelievably talented ‘Pure’ beings, running many great programs and 1500 plus students have passed through the College sponsored by caring people from nations around the globe. Karuna Bali’s second initiative after the College is EduCare, running programs for impoverished communities through local government schools. EduCare currently has 22 schools on the waiting list for its educational activities and the team is building an Outdoor Activity center and camp to give young people a week long experience of team building and leadership. The third initiative is a free Teacher Training program for State school teachers in Values based education, helping teachers to expand their teaching skills to offer students life skills and personal development in their classes and Karuna Bali is now involved in the development of a successful “Living Values” based educational model that can be duplicated ANYWHERE.

The next part of the Karuna Vision, “Reducing Poverty through Education” is the distribution of these teaching programs, documented on video to become training tools for any teacher in any country who wants to empower young people to discover the potential in themselves.

The best news is –

It takes very little to make a real difference in the lives of these wonderful people. About ten years ago one small act of kindness by Frank, an American man, who was inspired to put a young Balinese boy through computer education. Today that boy, Wayan Rustiasa is the co-founder of the Karuna Bali Foundation and is empowered through your generosity to extend the same gift of education back to hundreds of impoverished families allowing their children to have a more rewarding life.

Can you imagine the despair of being a father who labors very hard in the rice fields, as a stone carver, or as a skilled craftsman and yet can only earn $1 a day while working seven-days a week? Only making enough to barely provide rice to feed his family, his children can’t go to a state school because the family doesn’t have the money for the required shoes, books, and school uniforms. Without some outside help, there is no hope for his children to have a better future.

Unfortunately, even if poor families are able to get their children through the systems basic primary school program the frustration continues. If they are not educated enough to speak some English and don’t know enough basic computer skills to get a job in a local business or the tourism industry, it is still very difficult for a young person to ever break out of the oppressive cycle of poverty.

Donations small and large from those supporting us makes amazing change possible

You are invited to become a partner in our plan to make a

significant contribution to lives of young people.

For as little as US$10 a month your contribution will continue and help build upon KARUNA BALI FOUNDATION’s proven track record. We are calling it the Karuna “Coffee” Club because the $10 a month is less than a cup of coffee a week! All of your donation will go direct to the project.

Could you contribute from as little as $10 a month upwards and make a difference in the world? Would you extend this invitation to your friends and family to join with us in partnership to make a huge difference together?

What we need is a few solid friends who are willing to change the world for the cost of a cup of coffee and we already have around 29 making a big difference…..

If you would like to learn more about Karuna Bali Foundation and what is being achieved in Bali please check – www.karunabali.com – we are inspired to do everything we can to support them.

If you want to join the Karuna Bali Coffee Club - the fastest, safest and simplest way - go to www.karunabali.com Click on Donations – then Karuna Club and fill in the secure form.

Love and Blessings,

Suzanne and Raj, Wayan and Iluh
Way of the Heart and Karuna Bali Foundation

Living Values

LIVING VALUES EDUCATION FOR PEOPLE EVERYWHERE:

Early last year Suzanne and I were presented the opportunity to develop a national organization for Australia and became the Australian Focal Point for this UNESCO endorsed global educational program called Living Values, promoting –

Peace, Love, Respect, Honesty, Humility, Happiness, Tolerance, Responsibility, Simplicity, Cooperation, Freedom, Unity.

Established in 1996 Living Values Education is already active in 56 countries with some 7,000 ‘sites’ – effectively creating change where there is community conflict, in police training, helping street children, helping in war and disaster zones, complimenting drug and prostitution rehabilitation and reshaping the values culture in many schools in regular communities throughout the world. This reflects the unique capability of Living Values Education to be adapted to suit all ages and situations, in particular when adopted people change the dynamic of their daily lives.

SO WHAT IS LIVING VALUES ALL ABOUT?

REMEMBER WHEN…..

We could go out to the corner store and leave the house unlocked?
If we dropped a ten dollar note someone would run down the street after us?
Our neighbors could be counted on to help one another in times of difficulty?
Our children could walk to and from school without concern for their safety?
And so much more…..

Although for some of us these are memories of what we might call the ‘good old days’, the truth is that many people are inherently good and well meaning and do care about one another. The speed of life is overwhelming, but we can if we choose, we can still take time to smell the roses, lend a helping hand and offer a smile to a stranger. How would we truly like people in our community to behave, react and respond to life’s challenges and opportunities, now and in years to come? We each have the responsibility for creating a positive legacy for future generations.

What are the LIFE QUALITIES that each of us yearn for? To be: SAFE, UNDERSTOOD, VALUED, LOVED and RESPECTED. What if all people in our community could come together with a new vision that offered these qualities, bringing Values Awareness that everyone would benefit from?

IMAGINE the impact on our own lives, if these simple twelve primary values were to be fully embraced and became the benchmark by which we lived our lives and treated one another.

PEACE, LOVE, RESPECT, HUMILTY, HONESTY, HAPPINESS, TOLERANCE, RESPONSIBILITY, COOPERATION, SIMPLICITY, FREEDOM AND UNITY

Living Values Educational Program has the capacity to be the vehicle by which any family, school, group or community could come into harmony with values that everyone can understand and live from. It is surprisingly simple. And that’s our dream….

"The thing that makes Living Values different to every other approach to human development is that it is not a teaching.

It does not rest fundamentally on ideas or in ideals...It offers the notion of what might be embodied in a Value, but it totally acknowledges that these qualities are beyond words or ideas, they are innate in the heart and soul of every man, woman and child and the journey to their fully lived expression comes through ‘feeling’.

Consequently they cannot be extended, only revealed.

They cannot be contained in philosophy or doctrine, espoused by gurus, or extended through religion. They are already yours.

Every individual expresses and knows them in their own unique way. That is why the Living Values Program is such a refreshing experience. It is about you. It enables you to take time for yourself to discover the Truth of you. The beauty you have inside you, simply revealing what you already know. Bringing it to the light of your own conscious awareness to enable you to live and extend it in totality.

And the lived expression of these Values changes everything... "

Would you like to know more, or how you can part of this? It’s open for everyone wherever you live….come and have a look and be inspired by how thousands of people are joining together as a family to bring values awareness to the world…..

Australia: www.livingvalues.com.au

International site: www.livingvalues.net

Patti Cota Robles - 11.11.11 and Beyond Pilgrimage 2011 - New Zealand

NEW ZEALAND TRAVEL INFORMATION

IMPORTANT DETAILS REGARDING YOUR ADVENTURE –

PLEASE CHECK THIS CAREFULLY AND IF IN DOUBT PLEASE CONTACT US.

download this travel info in Word format - click here

A few points to consider regarding the exciting Pilgrimage to New Zealand. We expect to have almost 100 participants from around the world and we know that for this very special year this will be a major event. We want to do everything we can to smooth the way for you and there are some important details regarding the tour in November that are important for you to consider.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

WHILE ON TOUR

We have very comfortable 50 seat tour buses. We would encourage you to take a different seat each day so that you can share with others. Bonding is important and fun. The bus has a local driver who acts as our guide. Any difficulties, personal problems or issues arising, please see Raj or Suz who are travelling with you to enjoy that everything flows smoothly.

Each member of the group will be required to assist the driver/guide with setting up tents, gathering firewood, preparing food and washing up. Oh, sorry wrong tour – just checking to see if you were still reading. Does anyone remember that first tour with Patti to the Australian Outback? – wasn’t that an adventure!

Our usually day sightseeing activities will end around 5 - 6pm or so and then dinner. After dinner most nights, you are free to enjoy the area. New Zealand is quite safe and you can go for walks anywhere we are. On some evenings we will have a full group gathering in support of the 11.11 experience and we’ll be sure to advise you ahead of time.

Usually day sightseeing activities end around 5 - 6pm or so and then dinner.

Duty Free – (bringing in) 1 liter spirits + 2 liters wine. Tobacco 250gms or 250 cigarettes. Perfume quarter liter and gifts valued up to US$200. No foreign currency restrictions.

Currency - New Zealand dollar. Preferred currency for travel is NZ$. Preferred C/cards Visa, Mastercard. ATMs available. Best exchange rates in local banks. While on the tour you may need some cash for souvenirs and personal things. It is not advisable to carry large amounts of cash, we suggest $100. Travelers checks can be cashed everywhere. ATMs are available in most places – all shops accept major credit cards. Carry some NZ currency for small items and tips.

Phone and Post – Telstra mobile systems work in NZ. To use your mobile while overseas check for the international rates and service from your own local provider before departure.

Medical Services - There is a high standard of services. Chemists are available in all towns. Travel insurance is highly recommended.

Tipping - Tipping is optional in most restaurants and very gratefully received. Taxis, porters and guides expect tips.

Climate - The North Island of New Zealand is subtropical and the South Island temperate. Similar in climate to California except it is upside die down! November is full springtime, the average maximum temperature ranges between 68-86F or 20-30ºC and in winter between 50-59F or 10-15ºC. While these temperatures are the norm, the weather in New Zealand can change unexpectedly as cold fronts or tropical cyclones quickly blow in. Because of this, you should be prepared for sudden changes in weather and temperature, particularly if you’re going hiking or doing other outdoor activities.

Recommended Clothing - As in America on vacation New Zealand is a relaxed life style focus country - dress is informal and relaxed on most occasions. Smart casual clothes are acceptable at most restaurants and night-spots. Men are generally not expected to wear suits and ties, except in a few of the top formal bars and restaurants in major cities.

A jacket and sweater should be included in your luggage should the weather turn cooler or you visit higher altitudes. You can expect some rain, so also include a light rainproof jacket or coat. It’s always a good idea to pack a comfortable warm coat and layer your clothing.

· Some suggestions: Shorts, lightweight slacks or longer skirts, jeans, light tops, shirt with sleeves, headscarves, sturdy walking shoes/boots or sneakers with socks, many of the streets are cobbled, light weight windcheater, shower proof parka, sweatshirt/pullover, and a swimsuit. Dress standards are casual. For the traveling we recommend loose comfortable clothing, layers work best. Comfortable walking shoes – sneakers are fine. We suggest one comfortable to carry small travel bag and a suitcase with wheels. We are staying in really nice hotels and dinner is often in the hotel so a couple of dresses (for ladies) might be a good idea. For men a jacket and slacks is fine. Tuxedos we’ll leave behind.

Voltage and Plugs - 220 volts AC, 50 hertz same as for Australia and Europe. You can pick up adapter plugs usually from travel shops/airports. The power is NOT suitable for American appliances without a transformer. This has nothing to do with the plug configuration.

Food and Drink – New Zealand is probably one of the world’s best fresh food resources. The cuisine is excellent and the wines and beers first class. You are in for a treat. Costs in restaurants are comparable with USA & Australia.

Water: Tap water perfectly drinkable. Bottled water is always available.

TRAVEL DOCUMENTS – VISAS:

If travelling on a non-Australian passport, a New Zealand visa may be required depending on your nationality. Many countries DO NOT require a visa including visitors from USA. Please ensure that all YOU have the necessary documentation. Your travel agent will be able to advise or check online at… http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/visit/

MEALS:

Breakfast – usually buffet is included every day in the tour – with similar (but better) than found in US hotels.

Lunch is included on some days – check itinerary other times it is at own discretion. We do stop at restaurants selected by the guides which offer a good choice and are not expensive.

Group dinners are included except for a couple of evenings where we feel that you will enjoy a break from group meals. Again usually buffet with multiple choice of meat, fish and vegetables options offered wherever we go.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

1. All accommodation as listed.

2. Breakfasts from arrival, until and including the day you depart, unless you leave before breakfast is served.

3. Lunch - as specified in the itinerary

4. Dinner - as specified in the itinerary

5. All activities as indicated in the itinerary.

6. All transfers provided you are traveling with the main group. Individual departures and arrival times may require YOU to make own arrangements.

WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED

Extras of personal nature at the Hotels - beverages, room service, telephone calls, etc. will all be added to your personal account at the Hotels. The hotels may require an imprint of your Credit Card to open this account for you and we would ask that you finalize the account EACH NIGHT before we depart to prevent delay of departure.

Flights to and from New Zealand.

Domestic flight between Queenstown and Auckland. Please note: If departing New Zealand the day the tour ends we suggest you book this domestic leg with Air New Zealand in conjunction with your international ticket. We suggest you book Air New Zealand flight NZ 644 – Queenstown to Auckland departing at 1515 (3.15pm) arriving at Auckland 1700hrs (5pm).

Please Note - You will need a minimum of two hours after arrival in Auckland before your international flight to USA.

WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING:

Aside from clothing and personal effects we recommend:

Pillow - inflatable type recommended. Can be purchased at travel shops. This allows you to use both in the plane and during the day in the bus if you want to snooze.

Electrical multi destination plugs for NZ sockets are available at most airport travel shops. Please note that NZ power is 220 volt. US 110 v hairdryers will not work.

Insect Repellant - non aerosol.

Water bottle

Easy to wear bumbag/fanny pack and /or…..Small back pack to carry water, lunch snacks and alternative clothing camera, etc while on walks.

Camera with large capacity chip – you can pick up at duty free airport

Swim suits for hot springs which we will enjoy at several places. Do not bring your best swim suit.

Sunglasses

Sunscreen – ultra violet rays are strong in NZ.

Portable phones may operate in some areas – check that you have international access from your carrier. Regular phones are available in all hotel rooms.

Umbrella – small easy to pack.

MINIMAL LUGGAGE

On tour we do recommend that you minimize your baggage wherever possible. Please bring luggage that has wheels. Rule is if you can’t carry it – don’t bring it! Travel light and simplify. In addition to your travel bag, a limit of only one suitcase per person is allowed due to our luggage storage space on the coach. Experience compels us to recommend smaller, lighter and therefore more manageable luggage rather than a large cumbersome piece. Ideally your suitcase should not weigh more than 20 kg and recommended maximum suitcase dimensions is 75cm x 50cm x 30cm. Guest laundry and ironing facilities are readily available throughout your tour.

ENTRY INTO NEW ZEALAND – VERY IMPORTANT

The Ministry of Agriculture & Forestry (MAF) use the latest X-ray technology to detect concealed items in your luggage. You MUST NOT bring into New Zealand any fruit (including dried), vegetables (including dried), fish & shellfish (includes fresh, cooked, dried & canned), meat products (includes fresh, cooked, dried & canned), dairy (includes milk based baby foods), egg products, plants, seeds, heatable wheat bags, plant products, nuts, herbs, spices, unpopped popcorn, animal products, noodles, rice, honey, straw packaging, flowers (fresh or dried), coral, ivory, snakeskin, whale bone, clam shells, turtle shells, items made of bamboo or cane or coconut or straw or wood, used animal equipment (grooming, saddles, bridles, birdcages, etc), outdoor camping & sports equipment that may be contaminated with soil. Footwear, outdoor, sporting and agricultural equipment can all carry soil-borne diseases, seeds (which can introduce noxious weeds) and fungal spores. Please clean all of these thoroughly before coming to New Zealand. These items may be inspected on arrival and should be packed in an easily accessible place. Many people are being fined a minimum of NZ$200 for things they don’t suspect would carry a fine. Please declare anything you are not sure about. For further information you can visit the website www.protectnz.org.nz

TRAVEL INSURANCE

We cannot emphasis enough how valuable this is. Please obtain cover for cancellation, unexpected delays, sickness and your luggage.

In past events we have found this to be quite important should the unexpected occur and we would encourage you to discuss this with the travel agent making your airline bookings or look on the Internet. They will be able to recommend a suitable package and you will be able to select from a choice of options that you feel are important for you to be covered for.

It is important to ensure that you are insured against the possibility of not being able to participate due to sickness of your own or of a close family member. This can provide for the recovery of your airfare and your deposit for this tour, and as we get closer 50% of the cost of the tour, which is non-refundable within 30 days of the event, due to contractual commitments that we have undertaken, which are standard travel industry agreements.

WHAT IS EXPECTED OF YOU - Absolute punctuality at all times.

The vehicle departure time is set and will be followed. You must be on time. We ask everyone's co-operation. On many of the days we will have the opportunity of visiting sights – there is always the temptation to get that one last picture and this can hold up 50 people – please be considerate of the others. We understand the concept of free-spirit and going as inspired, we can only reiterate that this is a community on the move and adventurous individuals place both themselves at risk and disadvantage the group by not advising tour leaders of their intentions.

DEPARTING FROM NEW ZEALAND

The tour officially ends in Queenstown on Sunday, 20^th November 2011. The group will be traveling by coach to the airport in Queenstown, allowing those returning to Auckland to arrive at the airport by late afternoon as most flights depart for Australia and USA in the evenings. International check in requires 2 hours. We suggest you schedule your return international flight after 7pm.

Our office will require details of your arrival and departure flights - Dates, Times, Flight details. If you are arriving in New Zealand early or staying in New Zealand after the tour ends we do need to know.

RETURN FLIGHT

We recommend that you re-confirm your return flight details directly with the airline at least one day prior to your scheduled flight.

Free call numbers

Qantas Airways 0800 808 767

Air New Zealand 0800 737 000

Singapore Airlines 0800 808 909

Malaysia Airlines 0800 777 747

Pacific Blue 0800 670 000

Jetstar 0800 800 995

Emirates 0508 364 728

Toll call numbers

Thai Airways (09) 377 3886

Garuda Airlines (09) 366 1862

Usually the NZ departure tax is included in your international ticket. If not it is NZ$25 per person (12 years and above) payable at the airport prior to departure.

CANCELLATION POLICY

The US$500 deposit is non-refundable. Cancellations made within 90 days will incur a cancellation fee of 25% of tour cost per person. 45 days prior to commencement the fee is 50%. There is no refund given on cancellations made within 30 days.

CHANGES OF PRICE AND EXCHANGE RATES
All prices stated or indicated in respect of your travel arrangements are in US dollars unless otherwise specified and are subject to change by New Age Study of Humanity's Purpose up to the day of departure. Adjustments may be necessary to reflect changes in currency exchange rates and similar cost increases beyond our control.

SERVICE PROVIDER CONDITIONS AND RESPONSIBILITY
All service providers (Airlines, Hotels, Tour Operators etc.,) other than New Age Study of Humanity's Purpose and/or A Way of Life Tours/Elohim have their own Terms and Conditions. It is the passenger's responsibility to be aware of them for each service booked. In most cases these can be found on the service provider's website or in their brochure. If you have any questions regarding the location of these terms and conditions or their wording, please contact your travel consultant.

New Age Study of Humanity's Purpose and/or A Way of Life Tours/Elohim has no control over the terms and conditions set down by the service providers.
New Age Study of Humanity's Purpose and/or A Way of Life Tours/Elohim accepts no responsibility or liability for losses or additional expenses due to delay in the provision of services by the owners or operators of services or facilities involved in your travel arrangements, however these delays are caused.

New Age Study of Humanity's Purpose and/or A Way of Life Tours/Elohim does not accept responsibility or liability in respect of any changes to the itinerary or to prices or the withdrawal of services by any operator of services or facilities nor any losses or damage to person or property incurred by the passenger.

______________________________________________________________________________________

FINAL NOTE:

As some of you will know from the past our tours are about spontaneity and allowance. We are guided by Patti and Spirit. The tour may or may not go according to our plan. We are in God’s hands and particularly as this date is so significant Holy Spirit and the hierarchy of Heaven may have surprises in store for us plus of course, our own natural spontaneity may take over, whatever the tour will unfold in accordance with Divine Plan and in Divine timing – for each of us is given the opportunity to be in complete ALLOWANCE AND SURRENDER.

THE 3 POINT CODE FOR THIS TRIP:

1. WE WILL ALL ASSUME 100% RESPONSIBLITY FOR EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS TO US!

2. REMEMBER THAT EVERY UPSET IS A SETUP FOR BREAKDOWN IN ORDER TO BREAKTHROUGH.

3. YOU ARE HERE FOR THE EXPERIENCE AND YOU HAVE CHOICE AT ALL TIMES - HAVE FUN!!

All is well. We will have plenty of time to sightsee this incredible country our itinerary has been hand crafted to provide the maximum enjoyment with the widest range of experiences in the time available. You will not be bored! The itinerary is intended to be a general daily travel guide as to what we are doing and where we are staying each night. There will be some group and spiritual activities arranged by Patti as we travel and of course, during the big event over the 11.11.11 period at Tongariro National Park.

THANK YOU

3,900 Saturdays

The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday morning. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.

A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the garage with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it:

I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind; he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whomever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles." I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say.

"Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. It's too bad you missed your daughter's dance recital," he continued; "Let me tell you something that has helped me keep my own priorities." And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles."

"You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years.

Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3,900, which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now, stick with me, Tom, I'm getting to the important part.

It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail," he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round up 1,000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack next to my gear.

Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life.

There's nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight.

Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure that if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time.

It was nice to meet you Tom. I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. This is a 75 year old man, K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!"

You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work on the next club newsletter.

Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. "C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast."

"What brought this on?" she asked with a smile.

"Oh, nothing special, it's just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. And hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles."

What I love about stories is that they can speak to our soul. Sometimes, our greatest challenge is getting inside our own heads to determine...what makes us tick.

2012 - The Great Equaliser

"The sky is falling… the sky is falling, said Chicken Little." Do you remember reading that fairy tale? Boy, I do. Do you remember Saturday afternoons, being mesmerized by the old black and white scary movies that played when we were growing up? I had nightmares about giant spiders taking over the world for years. What were our parents thinking letting us read and watch such things!

Oh . . . and do you remember those atom bomb drills in school? You know . . . the ones where the alarm would make you jump out of your skin, while you were being asked to slip under your desk. How dumb I felt crouched under my flimsy, school desk. I knew that if a bomb where to go off anywhere near my school, I was going to be toast. That school desk was no comfort to me. It didn't stop me from wishing that my parents would build a bomb shelter in the back yard like everyone else. Hey, I was a little kid back then . . . and the adults should be keeping us safe, right?

Now Hollywood is making new films to scare the livin' daylights out of us! I think it is about time that we all realize that we have inherited a bum, fear-based agenda. We have been programmed from birth to believe in the apocalypse, catastrophe, judgment day, devastation, all over mayhem, and the end of the world. If we are not buying it anymore, what are we going to do about it?

Recently, we created this Y2K thing, so we could remember something really important. The fear around Y2K had tons of folks running around like powerless victims. They were running up their credit cards to buy survival supplies. They thought the world was ending, so they would not have to pay for their bills. They tricked themselves into believing that they didn't have to be responsible for their actions! The ET's were going to save them anyway, right?!

Just prior to Y2K, I wrote an article called "Fear is our enemy, and Chaos is our Friend". Ok, the title is a bit cheesy, but it got published all over the world. Then came the hate mail. Some called me a dumb, New Age blonde, and I was going to be responsible for people not being prepared for this horrible event. It didn't bother me. I just sat back, because I knew what was coming. Well we know what happened don't we? Y2K came and went without the sky falling or the computers crashing. A bunch of survival companies retired in luxury after this one, but many individuals were left with huge financial and karmic debts to pay.

Where was I for Y2K? I decided to run the other direction away from Y2K. I was up in the Chiapas Highlands in Mexico having a once in a life time experience in a little church called San Juan Chamula. The Maya people were out in full force to celebrate the millennium. We were the only gringos there. I have never experienced anything like this since. It was powerful. Then, at the stroke of midnight, we danced in the main square to salsa band wearing pink satin suits. It was a priceless and surreal moment. The really ironic thing was that my fairly conscious house sitter back home in Sedona felt like he had hit the jack pot. He was on my roof at midnight ready to watch the crash of the century. Yep . . . he had a year's worth of food stored in my house . . . a house that he thought I would not return to. Boy, was he embarrassed when I came home. Oh yeah . . . I had a few apologies in my in-box when I got home too. That was nice.

Now we have the looming presence of a simple, but ominous, date on the calendar. December 21, 2012. There is huge and unnecessary commotion about who is right about this date by the way. Many are calling this time "The end of days", or "The end of time". The Mayas call this 2012 frenzy a fabrication of the Gringos. They themselves know that the earth has always changed, and civilizations rise and fall over and over. The planet warms up and cools down with or without humanity and technology. It is a natural cycle that has always existed on the earth. Yes, it is true. We are coming to a reboot of a huge cycle of time, but this is not to be feared. This time is to be respected and celebrated. It is time for us to grow up, and let go of the catastro-phobia and become the truth of who we are . . . and that is the co-creators of this reality! It is time to have a little respect for the resources on Earth, not because we want to save our skins, but because it is the right thing to do!

OK, let's have a serious intellectual moment here. I am not the only one who feels this way. Joseph Robert Jochmans wrote . . . "The Hopi and Mayan Elders DO NOT prophesize that everything will come to an end. Rather, this is a time of transition from one World Age into another. The message they give concerns our making a choice of how we enter the future ahead. Our moving through with either resistance or acceptance will determine whether the transition will happen with cataclysmic changes or gradual peace and tranquility. The same theme can be found reflected in the prophecies of many other Native American visionaries from Black Elk to Sun Bear."

P.S. I put this last bit in here just in case you were beginning to think I am just a brainless, idealistic New Ager. Ok, I admit it . . . I am an idealist. But I would rather shoot for the stars, and have paradise here and now, rather than dodge earthquakes, burning hot lava flows and rising oceans. Aren't we here to live in bliss and create heaven on Earth? Isn't one of the functions of the Maya Calendar to bring about harmony in all life?

Hey, don't let me stop you. If drama and scaring yourself silly is entertaining for you, go ahead and knock yourself out. But don't think for one second that December 22nd, 23rd or the 24th isn't coming, or that you won't have to pay your bills and uphold your obligations. You are the cause of your own effect!

The sad thing here is that humanity didn't learn from the Y2K scare, and 2012 is taking its place. Fear is becoming big business, and I am scrambling to get out of they way of this roller coaster ride. It doesn't sound like any fun to me. If you think people made money off of theY2K fear tactics, then watch out, 2012 is the mother of all scary prophesies, and it has just begun! Fear is very good for the economy. Watch out for the expanding number of local, corner, survival stores and the mass exodus from the rising water. I think it might be a good time to move back to the beach. No one will be there.

Many metaphysical and intellectual teachers out there are clamoring to align themselves to be the authority on 2012. Everyone wants a piece of the action. It is the old, snake oil sellers reincarnated. Even Nostradamus is rolling over in his grave wanting a piece of this action! There are the books on 2012 and the survival workshops. There are DVDs and CDs and YouTube videos telling you the sky is falling, and if you watch this, maybe you will feel safe. There are astrologers, numerologists, meteorologists, geologists, and a whole horde of "experts" telling you why you should buy their stuff, go to their workshops, and how you too need to high tail it for high country. Haven't we learned by now that when we go into fear that it blocks us from hearing our own inner truth? Do you want to feel SAFE? It is simple . . . stay in your heart and listen to the truth within.

The fact of the matter is that no one could, or can be, an authority on 2012. The closest we can get to an authority on 2012 and our possible future is the Maya Elders themselves. After all, it is their culture that the date 2012 came from . . . or did it? It does not matter who is right, and who is wrong. We all have a right to our unique perspectives. But our differences in beliefs do not change the fact that this shift is happening no matter what, and if we like it or not. Jesus said "Keep your lamps lit". In other words, keep your hearts open, and be in a state of readiness, because no one will know the day or the hour. Our attraction to the 2012 phenomena is giving our overly active minds some comfort by thinking that we know what is happening. The fact is that no one knows what the future holds for us. The future does not exist. We create our future as we go . . . Step by step.

This, my friends, is the beauty of this incredible time! 2012 will become a great harmonizer, equalizer and unifier of humanity. Egos that are tied up in being the leading authority with find themselves so far out on the preverbal limb that they will discover themselves in a huge and very real recession . . . the post Maya 2012 recession that is. They will have cried "wolf" one too many times, and this little red riding hood doesn't buy it anymore!

I am over the fairy tales and the camp fire scary stories. In fact, it is time that we ALL get over it, and get on with it. It is time that we grow up and come to terms with who we are as a human race. The fact is that we are living masters, but somehow along the way, we got caught up with running away from the boogie man. It is time for us to come back together as a team, of equals and soul family, with a common goal that supports peace and harmony on Earth. It is time to quit following the few self-elected leaders like lost sheep, and begin to follow our hearts. We have grown past the need for Gurus. We are becoming living masters, so we better start acting like it. Don't you feel it is time?

We have a great opportunity RIGHT NOW, and you don't want to miss it. We can come together, and begin to create a new and better world . . . together. We can do this without self righteousness, spiritual arrogance, competition or making one another right or wrong. We can also create Heaven on Earth without playing follow the leader or even trashing the leader. Maybe this time we can get down to the real reason why we are ALL here . . . and that is to create paradise together. After all, the World is what WE make of it . . . isn't it? Hey, you didn't really think the world got this way all by itself did you?

Come December 21, 2012, I am going to be in my favorite spot in the whole world: Palenque, Mexico. I will be celebrating the end of it all . . . the tall tale about 2012 that is. I won't be sitting at home armed to protect my 10 year supply of food stored in the basement. I won't be in a bomb shelter waiting out the end of an age. I am going to be cerebrating the new age and creating paradise, because I CAN . . . and You can too. Will you join me?

Awaken to Your True Self and Be Free to Love

Part One: Awaken to your True Self Life is a story we weave together from the thoughts, feelings, and emotions we experience each moment. Yet we live the majority of our life in the memories of our past and the expectations of the future. Rarely do we live in the purity of the present. These past memories and future expectations that we embrace throughout the course of our lives are what breed the stress we feel each day. In fact, the average person is a bundle of conditioned reflexes and nerves, constantly triggered by situations and circumstances. Often the circumstances are simply the ups and downs of living each day. But there are times in our lives when the stresses, pressures, disappointments, and anxieties can become overwhelming.

As we weave through life, some people find themselves in relationships that have become toxic or end unexpectedly; in other instances, life-long careers stop being nurturing or stop all together; and there are even times in our lives when imbalances in our health and well-being can suddenly start to manifest themselves as states of dis-ease. So often we have defined ourselves as the roles we play in particular relationships or jobs. For example, "I am a mother," "I am a wife," I am a manager," "I am a vice president." When, for whatever reason, these roles and aspects of our lives - which we have used for so long to identify ourselves and bring us self-esteem - stop satisfying our needs, we can feel a sense of loss, emptiness or confusion.

No matter how lost we have become in the stories our ego-mind is telling us, there is always a way back to our true Self. In truth, we can never actually lose our connection to our Self because our essential nature is pure consciousness. The real Self exists outside the boundaries of time and space, has no beginning or ending and is therefore immortal.

Each of us exists as a ripple in the conscious intelligence field that gives rise to everything in the universe - our bodies, the stars, the galaxies, and all else. Since we are an inseparable part of this underlying field of intelligence, we are also the source of all reality. In every moment, we are co-creating our world with God, the universe, or spirit.

Both the ancient wisdom traditions and modern science tell us that our bodies, our minds, and the physical world are projections of our consciousness. Only consciousness is real; everything else is its projection. The ancient Vedic scriptures say, "You are not in the world; the world is in you." It is only the veil of illusion - known as maya in the ancient yogic tradition - that keeps us from seeing that everything is pure consciousness. When we pierce the veil, we discover the spirit in everything and have access to unlimited creative potential.

Practices for Awakening

Intuition, attention, imagination, intention, inspiration, creativity - these are the raw materials of consciousness. With them we can mold our personal reality, and shape our collective reality as well. The following universal principles will help you become aware of how you create your reality, and will empower you to transform or let go of whatever is no longer serving you. Choose one principle to focus on each day and commit to applying it in your life:

My true self is pure, unbounded consciousness.

I will remember that thoughts come and go, but the core of consciousness is forever. Today I will experience myself beyond limitations. I will set aside time to be present with myself in silence. I will experience myself as love, as a light that flows from my heart and spreads out into the universe as far as my awareness can reach.

The events in my life reflect who I am.

I will choose one thing that happens today and see how it mirrors my self. If I feel angry at someone, I will consider if what I dislike about that person actually exists in me. If an overheard conversation grabs my attention, I will take those worlds as a personal message. I will look at the world inside me.

The people in my life reflect aspects of myself.

Today I will look at my friends, family, and everyone I meet as a group picture of me. Each person stands for a quality I want to see in myself or want to reject. I learn the most from those I intensely love or intensely dislike.

Whatever I pay attention to will grow.

I will take an inventory of how I'm using my attention. I will keep a log of my activities to find out how much time I spend on television, the Internet, hobbies, gossip, work I love, work I dread, activities that fulfill me, or escapist fantasies. I will ask myself, "What do I want to grow in my life?" The answer will tell me how my attention needs to shift.

Nothing is random - my life is full of signs and symbols.

I will look for patterns in my life. They could be anywhere - in what others say to me, the way I react to situations, how I am treated. I will open my awareness to hidden beliefs that shape my reality. Do I meet opportunities for success or failure? These are signs of whether or not I believe I have personal power. I will look for signs about my belief in whether I deserve love - or not.

The universe always gives me the best possible results.

Today I will focus on the gifts in my life. I will show gratitude for what it working rather than dwelling on what is not. I will notice how my own level of awareness shapes my perception of the world I am co-creating.

My inner awareness is always evolving.

Today I will ask myself how far I've come on my chosen path. Where do I stand right now? Where am I going? Even if I don't see immediate external results, do I feel that I am growing inside? I will set my intention on moving from constriction to expansion.

Part two: Free to Love: The Heart of Emotions

Most of us did not receive formal instructions on how to love. As we were growing up, we learned by observing our parents, siblings, and caregivers, who may or may not have been competent at managing and expressing their emotions. If your parents, like so many, were emotional amateurs, you likely have experienced challenges in meeting your love needs as an adult. The first step in creating more loving relationships is understanding the essential nature of emotions.

Bringing Awareness to Emotions

Emotions are physical sensations associated with thoughts in your mind. They are the essential mind-body experience. At the most fundamental level, we have the capacity for only two basic feelings - those of comfort and those of discomfort. When something or someone makes contact with your skin, which is the boundary of your physical self, nerve fibers send you a message of either comfort (a loving caress) or discomfort (stepping on a tack). In a similar way, as your emotional boundaries are approached, you receive signals of comfort (someone compliments you) or discomfort (someone criticizes you).

A signal of comfort usually encourages you to move towards the source of stimulation, while a signal of discomfort persuades you to move away from it. We can express these poles of emotions in different ways:

Comfort Pleasure Happiness Love Relief

Discomfort Pain Sadness Fear Distress

Whether or not you are consciously aware of it, every decision you make is based upon the expectation that your choice will generate more comfort, or at least less discomfort. This is true whether you are choosing a partner, a job, or a brand of toothpaste.

Why Do I Feel This Way?

Although every one of us is driven by this pleasure/pain principle, that which generates comfort or discomfort is different for each person. If you like strawberry shortcake, eating it for dessert will bring you pleasure. On the other hand, if you are allergic to strawberries, the same experience will generate feelings of distress. Some people thrive on the exhilaration of a roller coaster while others wouldn't take a ride even if they were paid.

To begin bringing our unconscious emotional patterns into conscious awareness, we need to ask ourselves a critical question:

What determines whether I interpret an experience as comfortable or uncomfortable?

When I ask this question at seminars, the inevitable first answer is "prior experiences." It is, of course, true that past experiences influence our responses. If you were taken care of by a nurturing, Hungarian nanny when you were a child, you learned to associate her accent with kindness. As an adult, when you meet people from Hungary, you are predisposed to anticipate kindness from them. On the other hand, if you had childhood piano lessons with a harsh, demanding, abusive teacher from Hungary, hearing someone speak with that familiar accent might elicit anxiety in you today.

While past experiences influence our present perceptions, we do not have to be slaves to our conditioning or emotional Pavlovian dogs. We can go beyond our habitual thought patterns and make new life-supporting choices. An ancient Vedic expression declares, "The wise use memories, but do not allow memories to use them."

Needs Are the Heart of Emotions

If past experience is not the whole story, we have to look to the present, which means that we have to listen to our body. Remember, emotions are sensations in the body associated with thoughts in the mind. From the perspective of our body, our feelings of comfort or discomfort are primitive. We feel comfort, happiness, and pleasure when we are getting our needs met. We feel distress, sadness, and pain when we are not.

All emotions derive from needs. All emotions derive from needs.

Repeat this statement to yourself like a mantra until you grasp the simple profundity of this insight. When you do, you will possess a vital healing tool: the ability to nurture your emotional well-being. Whenever you are uncomfortable, in distress, or in emotional pain, you can begin to change your situation by realizing that you are suffering because you are not getting something you need (or want).

We can observe these core emotional principles in action by watching young children. When a child wants to be held by his mother, being picked up makes him happy; not being held makes him sad. On the other hand, when the child wants to play with his friends, being held makes him miserable, whereas running free brings him pleasure. Emotions derive from needs. When our needs are being met, we feel comfortable. When they are not, we feel uncomfortable.

If you can accept that needs determine emotions, you are ready for the next step: recognizing and communicating your needs more consciously. Experiencing greater emotional well-being flows from mastering the ability to clearly communicate what you want in life. This is a learned response. If you are not currently adept in this area, it is because you learned from people who weren't proficient.

Conscious Communication Experiencing greater emotional well-being flows from mastering the ability to clearly communicate what you want in life. The better we become at communicating our needs, the more likely we are to get them met - and the greater emotional well-being we will experience.

The key principle of conscious communication is making it as easy as possible for the other person to meet your need by asking for the specific behavior that will fulfill it. I encourage you to master it by practicing the following simple method.

Here are the four steps:

1) Whenever you feel upset, realize that it is because you have an unmet need. 2) Identify what happened that was different from what you expected. 3) Identify what you need that you did not get. 4) Ask for the behavior, being as specific as possible.

Although using this process does not guarantee that you will always get your needs met, it will increase the probability that you will spend more time feeling comfortable and less time in emotional distress.

Love Is a Practice

Love is an ability that improves with practice. The more consciously you can identify and communicate your expectations, the more likely you are to create a healthy, evolving bond. Listen therefore to the wisdom of your heart and allow it to guide you into higher expressions of love.

Called by God - the Hairbrush Experience

April 20, 2005, at the Airport in Knoxville , waiting to board the plane, I had the Bible on my lap and was very intent upon what I was doing. I'd had a marvelous morning with the Lord. I say this because I want to tell you it is a scary thing to have the Spirit of God really working in you.

You could end up doing some things you never would have done otherwise. Life in the Spirit can be dangerous for a thousand reasons, not the least of which is your ego.

I tried to keep from staring, but he was such a strange sight. Humped over in a wheelchair, he was skin and bones, dressed in clothes that obviously fit when he was at least twenty pounds heavier. His knees protruded from his trousers, and his shoulders looked like the coat hanger was still in his shirt. His hands looked like tangled masses of veins and bones.

The strangest part of him was his hair and nails. Stringy, gray hair hung well over his shoulders and down part of his back. His fingernails were long, clean but strangely out of place on an old man.

I looked down at my Bible as fast as I could, discomfort burning my face. As I tried to imagine what his story might have been, I found myself wondering if I'd just had a Howard Hughes sighting. Then, I remembered that he was dead. So this man in the airport... an impersonator maybe? Was a camera on us somewhere? There I sat, trying to concentrate on the Word to keep from being concerned about a thin slice of humanity served up on a wheelchair only a few seats from me. All the while, my heart was growing more and more overwhelmed with a feeling for him.

Let's admit it. Curiosity is a heap more comfortable than true concern, and suddenly I was awash with aching emotion for this bizarre-looking old man.

I had walked with God long enough to see the handwriting on the wall. I've learned that when I begin to feel what God feels, something so contrary to my natural feelings, something dramatic is bound to happen. And it may be embarrassing.

I immediately began to resist because I could feel God working on my spirit and I started arguing with God in my mind. 'Oh, no, God, please, no.' I looked up at the ceiling as if I could stare straight through it into heaven and said, 'Don't make me witness to this man. Not right here and now. Please. I'll do anything. Put me on the same plane, but don't make me get up here and witness to this man in front of this gawking audience. Please, Lord!'

There I sat in the blue vinyl chair begging His Highness, 'Please don't make me witness to this man. Not now. I'll do it on the plane.' Then I heard it....'I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to brush his hair.'

The words were so clear, my heart leapt into my throat, and my thoughts spun like a top. Do I witness to the man or brush his hair? No-brainer. I looked straight back up at the ceiling and said, 'God, as I live and breathe, I want you to know I am ready to witness to this man. I'm on this Lord. I'm your girl! You've never seen a woman witness to a man faster in your life. What difference does it make if his hair is a mess if he is not redeemed? I am going to witness to this man.'

Again, as clearly as I've ever heard an audible word, God seemed to write this statement across the wall of my mind. 'That is not what I said, Beth. I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to go brush his hair.'

I looked up at God and quipped, 'I don't have a hairbrush. It's in my suitcase on the plane. How am I supposed to brush his hair without a hairbrush?'

God was so insistent that I almost involuntarily began to walk toward him as these thoughts came to me from God's word: 'I will thoroughly furnish you unto all good works.' (2 Timothy 3:17)

I stumbled over to the wheelchair thinking I could use one myself. Even as I retell this story, my pulse quickens and I feel those same butterflies. I knelt down in front of the man and asked as demurely as possible, 'Sir, may I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?'

He looked back at me and said, 'What did you say?'

'May I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?'

To which he responded in volume ten, 'Little lady, if you expect me to hear you, you're going to have to talk louder than that.'

At this point, I took a deep breath and blurted out, 'SIR, MAY I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF BRUSHING YOUR HAIR?' At which point every eye in the place darted right at me. I was the only thing in the room looking more peculiar than old Mr. Long Locks. Face crimson and forehead breaking out in a sweat, I watched him look up at me with absolute shock on his face, and say, 'If you really want to.'

Are you kidding? Of course I didn't want to. But God didn't seem interested in my personal preference right about then. He pressed on my heart until I could utter the words, 'Yes, sir, I would be pleased. But I have one little problem. I don't have a hairbrush.'

'I have one in my bag,' he responded.

I went around to the back of that wheelchair, and I got on my hands and knees and unzipped the stranger's old carry-on, hardly believing what I was doing. I stood up and started brushing the old man's hair. It was perfectly clean, but it was tangled and matted. I don't do many things well, but must admit I've had notable experience untangling knotted hair mothering two little girls. Like I'd done with either Amanda or Melissa in such a condition, I began brushing at the very bottom of the strands, remembering to take my time not to pull. A miraculous thing happened to me as I started brushing that old man's hair. Everybody else in the room disappeared. There was no one alive for those moments except that old man and me. I brushed and I brushed and I brushed until every tangle was out of that hair.

I know this sounds so strange, but I've never felt that kind of love for another soul in my entire life. I believe with all my heart, I - for that few minutes - felt a portion of the very love of God. That He had overtaken my heart for a little while like someone renting a room and making Himself at home for a short while.

The emotions were so strong and so pure that I knew they had to be God's. His hair was finally as soft and smooth as an infant's.

I slipped the brush back in the bag and went around the chair to face him. I got back down on my knees, put my hands on his knee and said, 'Sir, do you know my Jesus?'

He said, 'Yes, I do' Well, that figures, I thought.

He explained, 'I've known Him since I married my bride. She wouldn't marry me until I got to know the Savior.' He said, 'You see, the problem is, I haven't seen my bride in months. I've had open-heart surgery, and she's been too ill to come see me. I was sitting here thinking to myself, what a mess I must be for my bride.'

Only God knows how often He allows us to be part of a divine moment when we're completely unaware of the significance. This, on the other hand, was one of those rare encounters when I knew God had intervened in details only He could have known. It was a God moment, and I'll never forget it.

Our time came to board, and we were not on the same plane. I was deeply ashamed of how I'd acted earlier and would have been so proud to have accompanied him on that aircraft.

I still had a few minutes, and as I gathered my things to board, the airline hostess returned from the corridor, tears streaming down her cheeks. She said, 'That old man's sitting on the plane, sobbing. Why did you do that? What made you do that?'

I said, 'Do you know Jesus? He can be the bossiest thing!'

And we got to share.

I learned something about God that day. He knows if you're exhausted, you're hungry, you're serving in the wrong place or it is time to move on but you feel too responsible to budge. He knows if you're hurting or feeling rejected. He knows if you're sick or drowning under a wave of temptation. Or He knows if you just need your hair brushed. He sees you as an individual. Tell Him your need!

I got on my own flight, sobs choking my throat, wondering how many opportunities just like that one had I missed along the way .. all because I didn't want people to think I was strange.

God didn't send me to that old man. He sent that old man to me.