Myriam's Muse

A message from Mother Myriam

2006-09-30T09:13:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends

You've got to do your own growing,
no matter how tall your grandfather was.
~ Irish Proverb

Today our message is a bit different. Many of you do not know this but my father died when I was 11 years old. My mother was not educated beyond the 5th grade and had few skills except the ability to care for others. My mother worked as a maid and nurse for $15.00 a week to provide for us. This was not the first time Mother had to experience being a single parent with children to raise. She also had lost her first husband during the depression with three young children to care for. But through faith and hard work and often the kindness of strangers she made sure that her family survived.

As we enter the season of harvest, I want to share a lesson that Mother taught me. It is the law of seed planting. We have all heard that as we sow so shall we reap. This works in all areas of life from the necessities of survival to the more esoteric issues of love, relationships, kindness, friendship and so forth.

Mom used to tell me if you want a friend you have to be a friend. And she is so right. When we reach out to help others from the smallest thing like a smile or helping a friend in crisis, then good will be returned to us. The opposite is the same, when we plant the seeds of weeds which is anger, hate, distrust, paranoia this things will also be returned.

As I grew up I watched that Mother daily would feed a widow who was alone in the neighborhood a warm meal everyday. It was her mission. There is something in the Bible about taking care of orphans and widows that is highly emphasized that and she took it upon herself to do this.

When she was in her mid-seventies I went to visit her and I went to the refrigerator and it was filled with food. People were enabling her to reap the seeds that she had planted. Even when she came to live with me in her last year of age 98 people were bringing us food all the time. This season of harvest is a good time to ask what seeds are we planting?

Today, plant a seed of random kindness. It will be returned to you 10 times.

Love

Mother Myriam

PS: If you have questions write me at customerservice@asknow.com and put attention Myriam in the subject line.

Life After Life

2006-06-29T10:05:00.000-05:00

Ghost Whisperer, The Medium (programs created by Van Prague), and countless new television programs and other media are creating a renewed interest in communicating with those who have passed over. Not since the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century has there been such an interest in understanding. In that past renewal of interest the magicians tried to debunk psychic phenomena by recreating the perceived experience through magic tricks. Today the Amazing Randy has taken on the goal of debunking a reality that more and more are believing in order to create a career for himself. As we watch John Edward of Van Prague it becomes evident that we hunger to communicate with loved ones who have passed over. But even more evident is that those who have passed over often need to communicate with those who remain in this 4 dimensional reality that we call life. However, the real question is: Is there life after life?

There are many technical innovations that are being used to show energy traces and other examples that ghosts and spirits exist. Of course, the greatest feedback system to recognize those who have passed over are some interesting phenomena that all of us can train ourselves to recognize. Some people are extra sensitive and can receive these perceptions with more ease. Intuitives, empaths, mediums, shamans and so forth can help us contact those who have passed over. Many people approach a psychic because they have had a "feeling" that someone is near them that has passed over.

One of the best tools of the psychic detective is a camera. Since the early 1800s photography has been used to capture pictures of ectoplasm which is the word for the energy force that is the soul of a departed one.

My dear friend David’s wife Rene passed over from a long bout with lung cancer. Rene had been a psychic reader and counselor for more than 30 years and walked a spiritual path. At a wake David and Rene’s good friend Spiritual Guide GiGi (extension 449308)
a reader at Asknow.com, felt the presence of Rene. In a series of photographs snapped in immediate succession it was discovered after they were developed that at the time they were feeling the presence of Rene a unfolding of ectoplasm appeared over the group. Rene had returned to send healing love to those who were left behind, Spirit had reached from the other side to console those grieving loved ones with proof of life after life.

Some of the signs that a spirit is near you and wants to communicate can be diverse but a specific one is the feeling of coldness in the area that the spirit presence is located. If you saw the movie 6th Sense you will be able to understand this phenomenon better. Or there can be signs that the person is trying to connect with you with the appearance of various ways. In a recent reading that I did, a client was talking about a woman who had passed over and that she could feel her presence. I told her that I received the message that the sign of the butterfly was a message from this woman saying that all way well and she was content. The client burst out laughing. It turns out that when she and her significant other went to a country cabin in the mountains to do some maintenance and upkeep on departed loved one, they say a beautiful blue butterfly of a type they had never seen before. They had come to plant butterfly bushes to attract butterflies to the spot because the woman loved butterflies so much. As they saw the butterfly all they could do was burst into tears and hold each other. The renamed the little road to the cabin Butterfly Lane. There are always special connections between us and those who have passed over and these become our signs that our spirits are connecting with the departed and most importantly that they are connecting with us.

In the 70s I had an amazing experience as I was working with automatic writing. Automatic writing is when you relax and use your non-dominant hand to do spirit writing. As I went into a meditative state I asked who is here. My hand began to write on it’s own: Chad. Chad was the departed brother of my husband who had committed suicide and ever since I had moved to the house I had experienced horrible headaches and Chad had shot himself in the head. I asked: How can I tell for sure it is you? He wrote back: The money in the book on Napoleon. I told my husband about this and we went to Chad’s library where nothing had been disturbed since his death. We went through every dust covered book and in the whole collection was only one book about Napoleon and in it was a crisp new five dollar bill. We checked all the other books and there was no money to be found in any of them. Chad had reached out from the other side by using signs that were symbolic of his interests in life – he collected rare books and monies.

In the 70s I also did trance channeling. This is where the medium allows the spirit to come into her body to allow spirit to communicate directly with a loved one. As I relaxed I could feel the physical presence of this woman coming into my body. I could feel her pain and realized that she had physical disability. I could feel her pain but she came through to give a message to a person named Kiki. I did not know this name and had never really heard about it before. It turned out it was her special nickname for my client. The story gets more interesting. Two years later I was recruited to found a shelter for victims of domestic violence. A small program existed and it was called Serenity House. As I did the work necessary to write grants and develop funding I realized the original not-for-profit status of the organization had been improperly done and people could not write off donations the way that it was filed. As I looked at the original paper work, it revealed that the original founder of the group to help victims was this woman I had channeled two years before. So her messages in coming through was not only for my client but for me and time led me to create a shelter that is still helping victims today in Southeastern Ohio.

It is written that in an infinite universe we are all one. Perhaps our ability to connect with those who have passed over and for them to communicate with us is to let us know that truly we are all one and there is limitless hope for life after life. Remember for the caterpillar opening is an ending but to the butterfly it is the beginning of life.

The Passionate Life

2006-06-08T10:10:00.000-05:00

Never underestimate the power of passion.
Eve Sawyer

Are you living a passionate life? Or, are you following the crowd and allowing life to happen to you? It takes a great deal of courage to decide that you are in charge of how your life evolves whether in love and relationships or in career and work. If you feel that your passions in the various areas of your life seems to have grown quiet and you are languishing rather than growing, it is time to take charge again.

We all have times of quietness in our lives but this is not the road to joy and exhilaration that we crave for living a life of bliss. Joseph Campbell wrote that man does not need to find a meaning to life but he must create it. How we create this meaning is to become passionately involved in everything that we do. Whether doing a job or task or how we engage others in friendship or love. Love only has meaning when driven by a passion to express and feel love to the fullest. Work only has meaning when driven by a passion to express our best.

As you work to awaken the passion in your life you will discover greater joy and greater understanding that you are more powerful than you ever believed. This does not mean that you have to strive for fame or material greatness but that you must express your being by being fully engaged in that which gives you pleasure. You may have a passion for gardening or for decorating your home. You may have a passion for cooking and serving others. You may have a passion for music. Passion is more than sensual expression of love of another although this is a good thing. Passion is to find sensuality and expression in actions that bring you joy.

Many times when we have been hurt we withdraw into self and feel a sense of a lowering of self-esteem and thus a reluctance to go forward in life with passion. Take a risk today and rediscover the joy that comes from living a life that is passion filled.

Myriam Maytorena
http://manifestreality.com
http://asknow.com
http://myriamsmuse.blogspot.com

Feline Wisdom

2006-05-25T11:14:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Theresa Chase (Tirgana)Our favorite rescuer of feline friends.

Even overweight cats instinctively know the cardinal rule: when fat, arrange yourself in slim poses.

John Weitz fashion designer, spy and author of the book Friends in High Places, b.1923

Cats have always amused and sometimes amazed me. They are so independent and yet very loving. They will not be ruled but can be seduced by food and love. As I visited my sister Glenna this past weekend I met Gracie Grace the new member of her family. Gracie Grace is a long haired black cat and about as stand offish and in control of her world as any cat that I have ever met. Imagine Glenna’s little old Yorkie who is blind and most deaf dealing with a feline who is determined to rule the roost.

But something amazing happened. Kippie got a new lease on life with this taunting stalking but gentle new family member. In fact, he has become more active, eats better, and has recaptured his youth. Of course, the puppy cut did a lot to make him look like the puppy he one was.

Now in reality Gracie Grace looks like a fat cat but when you feel her you know it is just that long luxurious coat that wants to shed all over Glenna’s beautiful carpet. Gracie Grace like all felines has taken over the house. And I have to admit she is a poseur. And she makes sure that you notice when she is making a declaration that she is the queen of the house.

There is nothing like a new pet to bring joy into a home and energy into our lives. As they say pets allow us to live longer by lowering blood pressure, giving us continued responsibility for another, reducing stress as we pet them, and giving us laughter with their antics.

Personally as I prepare for a trip in June to the wedding of my brother John (age 75) and his bride-to-be Myrna Jo, I have to admit the one I am looking forward to seeing most is John’s dog Clint.

How blessed we are with the animals in our lives whether they be just pets or familiars, they give our life meaning, unconditional love, and joy.

Myriam Maytorena
http://manifestreality.com
http://myriamsmuse.blogspot.com
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Start all over again

2006-05-23T10:02:00.000-05:00

I have always been delighted atthe prospect of a new day,a fresh try,one more start,with perhaps a bit of magicwaiting somewhere behind the morning.~ J. B. Priestly

Morning has broken with a new opportunity. It is wonderful to again have that feeling that magic is always an option. Success consists more of optimism and persistence than any other qualities. Of course, we always self-define success for ourselves and that is sometimes the only fly in the ointment. We carry the expectations of family and friends, rather than looking at what gives us joy.

But like the old song goes, sometimes you just got to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again. And that is the blessing of today. If you feel like you have fallen down or fallen short, you have the opportunity to delve deep into you and find what path you would prefer. This can apply to any part of life. Whether it is career, family, friends, associates or just leisure time, if you are not feeling that things are going the way you want you always have to option to start a new plan to create the life that you desire.

May you be blessed with vision and desire today as you choose to live the life that will bring you the greatest joy.

Remember my saying: If it isn't fun, don't do it.

Myriam Maytorenahttp://manifestreality.com

http://myriamsmuse.blogspot.com

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Let Go of the Pain

2006-05-16T11:35:00.000-05:00

You don't have to hold on to the pain, to hold on to the memory.

Janet JacksonMay 16 1966

So many of us are unable to let go of the pain that is a part of our past. Whether through our dreams or through thoughts that randomly filter through our brain evoked by a song, a smell, or a photograph we have the power to let go of the pain.

In almost every situation that we encounter that was painful around us was also good things that gave us hope. Even if the only good is looking back and saying I made it through that therefore I can make it through anything. There is always a balm that can heal the pain and allow us to enshrine and create a sacrifice to our pain on the altar of growth.

Another excellent way to release the pain, is to take what we have learned from our lives and use it to help others. I don’t think anyone is a greater example of that than Oprah Winfrey who was molested as a child and has used her public platform to fight child molestation and to put offenders behind bars and to face the reality that we can heal and move forward.

You will not usually find an activist on the smallest level or the most public level that has not taken pain and transformed it into action so that others could be healed and thus finding healing for themselves.

Whether you are angry, depressed or even physically ill because of incidents of your past, the sooner you can turn the focus away from the pain inside to helping others outside of self, you will find the path to recovery.

Today, wrap your pain in healing love and your memories will become lessons and guides to finding an empowerment for you and for others.

Myriam Maytorena
http://manifestreality.com
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Wisdom of the Ages

2006-05-11T10:30:00.000-05:00

Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant with the weak and the wrong. Sometime in your life you will have been all of these.
Dr. Robert H. Goddard
American rocket engineer 1882-1945

I have found my mirror to compassion for self through my children. I have watched them grow to the age of 40 something and I still see how much they have to do to learn and grow. I watch their mistakes and remember my own. And I discover forgiveness. Forgiveness for them, but selfishly forgiveness for me as I realize that I walked along the path and made similar mistakes and sometimes worse mistakes. My children give me a clearer vision of me.

I have found my mirror to compassion for self through my mother. She watched me grow old and she still accepted my folly and my mistakes and I knew that I was loved and accepted. I hope that this is a gift that I have inherited when I look at my sons, friends and family. My mother gave me a clearer vision of me and who I could become.

As I grow older I realize how many people unintentionally were my teachers. From those who were often the cruelest or worse, I learned to be kinder. From those who could not take care of themselves, I learned to forgive me when I struggled and failed and was able to stand up again and move forward. From those who loved me when I was my most unlovable, I have learned to love me also. From those who hurt me, I learned not to hurt others at least intentionally. For those who have helped me and expected nothing in return, I learned to give without expectation of being paid back.

From when I would get angry and want to strike back, I learned that revenge has no great sense of satisfaction only a sense of my own weakness. I have learned that I do not have to seek revenge and to leave it to time and the universe.

I have learned that at least 90 percent of people are good, and I don’t have time to foster paranoia about the other 10 percent so I find it more fulfilling to risk receiving a positive relationship and to take time to heal myself if I am hurt by one of the minority.
And while I am learning to accept being 62, all of a sudden I am excited by what I am going to experience and learn next. For that gift, most of all, I thank my mother and my sister Glenna.

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Are you a cougar?

2006-05-05T09:04:00.000-05:00

Myriam’s Muse
May 5, 2006

You shouldn't believe everything. What you see isn't always right. Is what you think truly right? Please, think about it again. A heart that obediently accepts things is fine, but shouldn't you question something just once? The truth is in a place you can't see.
Takehito Koyasu

Since I started studying astrology some 30 years ago or so, the first thing I learned and continue to learn is that Aquarians are ahead of their times and definitely eccentric. Now that can be good or bad and I definitely have to say that in my life that has been true.

This morning I was watching a morning TV show and they were discussing a "new" trend. There is a new societal change of older women dating younger men. The women are designated as Cougars. I always thought I was a Jaguar and now I find out that I have been a Cougar for more than 30 years. After my second divorce, I discovered the fun of dating younger men.
Now if that is not ahead of the trend in an Aquarian style I have never seen one. When I was 46 I got divorced. I remember that I lived in a college town and was part of academia. I found it rather fun to date young men. I wasn’t attracted to teenagers as much as young men in their early twenties. They were risk takers. They wanted to have fun. They didn’t expect me to do their laundry or cook dinner. They were intrigued by the sexier older woman.

However, something happened that I didn’t expect when I was 48 in the middle of fun and games with this delightful young man of 25 I found myself becoming more and more attracted to his soul.

Now if I were to have believed everything that I was taught and what society said, remember this was about 15 years ago, I would have pulled back from the idea of commitment. Instead we were married and have been married for fifteen years. And, what is funny is that I like being married to a man that doesn’t expect a maid but expects an equal partner. It is not always an easy path but marriage is not an easy path.

However, this is one Cougar that will tell you she is very happy that she caught her prey and is looking forward to more going against the rules that make no sense.

Walking your inner talk

2006-05-01T08:36:00.000-05:00

They will say you are on the wrong road,if it is your own.

Antonio Porchi

Do you ever question if you are on your right path? Do you question how to find your mission? Or, do you feel at times that you really are not making a contribution? Do you resent what is often required of you by others?

When we begin to question to disquieting thoughts that make us wonder as Peggy Lee used to sing:: Is that all there is? When those thoughts and ideas enter our heads it means that we are not following the path that brings us joy. However, we always have a choice to make changes that will bring us to a state of contentment and joy. The biggest clue that you are doing what is right for you is that you feel good about accomplishing something or feeling good when you are with certain types of people.

Often in finding our own path to contentment and joy, we have to go against the wishes of others both family, friends and business associates. Creating our own path takes courage but that courage pays great rewards when we find that night has come and we lay our heads on our pillow and a sigh comes out reflecting thoughts that it has been a very good day. Another sign is when you find a smile coming automatically as you are doing something and no one else is around. You might even find that you are whistling or singing while you work.

When you learn to focus on the moments that bring you happiness or joy, than you know that you are on the way to doing something that points to your path in this life. While not every moment in life is going to be a happy moment, if we can get ourselves to where we have more good times than bad times in our inner reaction to life, we have found our path... we have discovered our mission.

Myriam Maytorena
http://manifestreality.com/
http://myriamsmuse.blogspot.com/ for essays you have missed before
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Bless You

2006-04-29T09:02:00.000-05:00

Myriam’s Muse
April 29, 2006

My mother told me I was blessed, and I have always taken her word for it. Being born of -- or reincarnated from -- royalty is nothing Like being blessed. Royalty is inherited from another human being; blessedness comes from God.

Duke Ellington
1899-1974

I have been thinking a lot about blessings and blessing and what it means. There are many ways to look at this idea but whether we are counting our blessings, blessing someone else or his or her life, or being blessed by others, it is all an energy of sharing divine goodness. Even when someone sneezes and we say “Bless You” often just as a reflex, it is a good feeling to hear the words. Blessings are the ultimate feel goods in our lives.

Often when we walk through a time of difficulty on the path of life, it is very easy to ignore the blessings that surround us or to thank those who bless our lives by just being present and loving us when we often feel unlovable or totally off track. Blessings come into our lives everyday sometimes in small ways and sometimes in large ways but they are always a part of our lives.

Every day we have the opportunity to bless another by loving him or her or doing some simple little thing to make his or her day a little easier or a little happier. It doesn’t take much to shower blessings around. Every morning I talk with my sister Glenna – our morning conversations bless both of us with a sense of connection and caring.

How are you blessed? Even if you are in a dark night of the soul, you still have blessings around you if you will light a candle of hopeful expectation to discover what you have been blinded to by being caught in a deep depression. Sometimes we have to prime the pump to realize the well of blessings waiting for us to experience that sense of divine blessedness. Just start everyday by writing down a blessing that has occurred in your life. Soon you will discover that sense of being blessed is sparkling and flowing from others to you and from you to others.

Today Accept that YOU ARE THE BLESSING.

Beauty

2006-04-27T09:20:00.000-05:00

Myriam’s Muse April 27, 2006
You can only perceive real beauty in a person as they get older
Anouk Aimee

I remember Mother lying in her bed at age 98, as she was being bathed she held out her leg and turned it in a very sexy way and said: I have always had lovely legs.

Age is a funny thing and totally a matter of perception. One thing I noticed is that when Mother reached the age of about 97 when she was asked or talked about her age she said she was going on a hundred. I remember when kids are little they are not 6 or 7 they are 6 or 7 going on 7 or 8. And at 12 you hear I will be a teenager my next birthday. Sweet sixteen is a celebration that indicates that one has gone through puberty and is close to becoming a young adult. Different ages are definite markers of our growing into new phases of our lives. Many may remember in the sixties, the statement was you can never trust anyone over thirty from the youth and the older population would repeat the motto of perception of youth since the writings of the early Greek philosophers: What is wrong with today’s youth?

The further we move from youth to our so-called "golden years" the more our memories begin to cloud with created memories that are made from repeated stories that we tell ourselves. We are constantly repeating our history embellishing some of it for the good and some of it for the bad. I would imagine that most of our memories are as close to reality as rocket ships were in 1906 when my mother was born.

I have discovered one great gift as I grow older, the things that I used to try and guilt myself with and perhaps ignore, I now forgive and often forget. I find that when I felt so old at 30 or 40 when I look at my children I see how young I was and still foolish. But our foolishness and our profound understanding over the years help create who we are now and help recreate who we will be in 20 years or so.

And now I see why my mother had such tolerance and unconditional love, her beauty within grew with her watching her life move through time. As she grew older her tolerance for others grew immensely and she would often point out to me that one never knows what goes on in a person’s life that brings them to the place that they are. I never truly saw the true beauty of my mother until her last year of life as she shared more and more of the stories that she remembered and as she would tell some of the more horrific stories she also shared that she had learned to forgive because it is often just the folly of youth that would create some behaviors.

Today when you look in the mirror, appreciate how truly beautiful you are and how each day with each experience you become a more vibrant kaleidoscope of unique expression that no one will ever match.

Myriam’s Muse
http://myriamsmuse.blogspot.com/
http://manifestreality.com/

Questions

2006-04-26T10:44:00.000-05:00

For an answer which cannot be expressed the question too cannot
be expressed. The riddle does not exist. If a question can be
put at all, then it can also be answered.
Ludwig Wittgenstein

Many of us – or at least those who are brave enough to explore our lives – a time comes when we feel blocked and unable to move in any direction. We may be physically moving forward in time but in our hearts and minds we are in effect in a state of stillness.

The idea that we cannot come up with any answers is because we have just not been asking the right questions. How do we learn to question our lives and thus discover the answers that we need to create the life that we desire to manifest.

The signals that we are moving physically forward but emotionally and spiritual blocked are the times when we keep doing the things like going to work, keeping our daily needs taken care of, or, the worse case scenario we make ourselves ill or depressed. Listen to these signals and dedicate time to find the questions so that you can find your answers. It may be that you will not like the answers that you discover but you will discover that the really great questions are the ones that give us answers that provoke new questions that keep moving us forward like great scientific experimentation. In essence our lives are experiments of a spiritual being using the four dimensional reality we exist in to expand our knowledge and awareness. We are all an experiment or a work in progress.

There are social markers in our lives that manifest times of questioning to adapt to change: going to school, getting married, our first job, a divorce, the death of a friend, retirement and so forth. These social markers are our friends and help us continue to grow if we are willing to ask the tough questions and then shake the answers free to help us move forward. However, there are other markers that those in search spiritual growth will encounter that are more subtle and these are what I wrote of in the above column.

If we are depressed or unhappy, a great question to start with is when was I happy before and what was going on. Think of as many times when you felt laughter, joy, fun, and contentment. Then ask what can I do now to bring these feelings back into my life.

If you feel spiritually blocked, it is time to ask what moments in time did I feel a closeness with the divine? How do I feel differently now than I did then? How can I adapt my life now to create that sense of divine connection again?

All answers are possible if you are willing to ask the person who knows the question. That person exists inside of you and for some reason or another you have blocked part of you from your conscious awareness. You can remove those barriers and move forward.
Be willing to let down your barriers and ask the hard questions. Then be brave enough to listen to the answers and sift through them and they will lead you on an exciting journey of self exploration that will get you back onto the spiral of spiritual growth that will be manifest in love and contentment.

Nationwide is not on my side

2006-04-24T11:09:00.000-05:00

Avis goes to Sunday Doggie School!

After what seemed an unbelievably long drive we arrived at the school. First thing in the door and Avis was a spazz. She thought she was at the vet where she loves to go and then picked up a different energy. Something was out of the ordinary because when she tried to go to back room which she always does, the owners German Shepherd was tied to a loop on the wall and there was no way Avis was going to make it through that door. So Avis was confused and upset and being the little Poxer (Pit Bull Boxer Mix), she was not a bit intimidated and was ready to go after that dog that had at least 60 pounds on her and muscles. Of course she was controlled but the trainer was assured that Avis was probably an aggressive dog so when we went outside where the classes were to be held Avis was forced to stay at the back of the class and she was tied to a door. She was one unhappy pooch.

Oh she would listen when we told her to sit... to Avis when you say sit it means she goes down on all fours like a lazy cat.

As you looked down the line there were an array of dogs and owners. First the big guy and his wife with a rat terrier. Then a woman with a little hairy barky dog. Then the most adorable papillon with a mother and three daughters there for the training. Then a black poodle with her hippie owner there to learn to behave so she could be a therapy dog in nursing homes. Next came the young Rottweiler with a nondescript owner. Next to them was the adorable Pit Bull which the trainer insisted was an American Staffordshire Terrier and gave a little wrong lecture about differences between Pit bulls and Stafordshires (as I kept my mouth shut by the way). Then a cute little mutt and another mix with some kind of big canine ancestry followed by a beautiful German Shepherd with three owners there to learn how to help her socialize.

Now you have to remember that Avis and I pretty much stay at home. Mark is the one’s who runs around all the time. Avis loves going to the vet which we call her Doggie Hotel and was definitely surprised that she was not treated as the queen that she is. I could see some of me in her as she was ready to take down that Shepherd. All of the people and animals were more than I could deal with wisely. I felt panic all the time that I was there and Avis probably picked it up. I am going to drug me next time I go and maybe even find a doggie tranquilizer for Avis since she doesn’t care for Martinis.

Before the end of the class, however, she had demonstrated that she was very people friendly and even smelled a few dog butts. She walked well and thought playing with a ball was no motivation for training. She likes steak, cheese, chicken.... real food. Hard to carry a pocket of that along as you are dog training.

We left with our homework which was to create a personality profile of Avis to discover what will be her greatest motivation so that she doesn’t feel that a taste of German Shepherd isn’t such a big deal.

Oh, in case you don’t know it, the reason Avis is going to school is because of a stupid insurance investigator who came to look at the house and she wouldn’t let him near my office so he reported her. She does her job and gets in trouble.... Doesn’t sound like Nationwide is on her side.

Dreams – The key to positive decision making

2006-04-19T10:46:00.000-05:00

One of the most effective gifts of dreams are that they help us make decisions that are for our highest good.

When we are faced with an important decision we use logic to try and look at all the facts and find out what would be our best action, but often we are only using logic to convince ourselves that what we want is what we truly need and want.

Sleeping on a decision is the wisest choice anyone can make when faced with a dilemma. Whether it is to apply for a new job, leave a cheating lover, or accept that date. If we act immediately we often make mistakes and then we spend time in regret over making the wrong decision.

The right decision already exists in our unconscious mind. Factors that we ignore in a waking state actually lead us to do things that are often dysfunctional and even based on the pressure of others. Like when we go to buy a new car and the salesman convinces us that our lives will be sexier and more fun with the more expensive model of car.

Delaying decisions and sleeping on them lead us to wiser choices.

It is important to know that while there are archetypes that apply across a culture, each one of us has a wide range of symbols that have meaning to us in our dreams. Once we learn to interpret our own symbols we then are on the way to consistently using our dreams to make correct decisions that enhance our lives.

Learn what the symbols in your dreams mean to you. The easiest way to do this is to keep a dream journal. It doesn’t have to be complex. All you need to do is keep a notebook by your bed and as soon as you wake up write down the key elements in your dreams. Then that evening make notes on the day and see if any of these elements are connected. Also, you may have family symbols that are learned over time. My mother had the symbol of the snake meaning trouble coming to our family. Over time, this proved to be true. Yet I have another friend to whom the snake means a time of change and transformation. So you can see how symbols are personal and learning your own symbolic world of dreams will help you discover your dreams.

Some dreams are truly prophetic. Others are purely ways to process our day. Others are to help us discover what is in our inner world and to find what dysfunctional behaviors we have learned that drive all of our relationships from business to family to friends. Your dreams when you take the time to learn to interpret them and to use them effectively can enhance your decision making and your life.

If you have trouble remembering your dreams here are some tips. Before you go to sleep, repeat to you: I will remember my dreams. This may take several days or several weeks. If this does not work make sure and drink a full glass of water before you go to bed. This will cause you to wake up in the night to relieve yourself. Write down any thoughts that you have about your dreams before you go to sleep. Then you will slowly develop the habit of remembering your dreams.

Not only will become friends with the unexplored territory of your dreams enhance your awareness of self, it will lead you to making better decisions daily.

When you feel pressured to make a decision, take the time to say: I will sleep on it and let you know tomorrow.

Pleasant Dreams
Love
Mother Myriam

Good or Evil – Who decides?

2006-04-07T10:59:00.000-05:00

For many years I have talked about that if one is to be following the concepts of unconditional love and acceptance, we must also love and accept those who appear to be doing evil. This is perhaps one of the biggest moral issues that humanity faces. There are big evils that catch our attention as with terrorist and dictators and war mongers or corporate raiders, but we each in our lives face what I like to call little evils.

Many religions teach that in compassion and kindness put into practice not just lip service, that evil and war would disappear. We point to people like Ghandi and Martin Luther King that passive resistence to evil will overcome evil. Yet there are others who point to the travesty of the Nazi movement and the murder of millions and without fighting evil with military power this evil would have taken over the world and thus there are justifiable ends for us acting in unkind ways for survival.

Always when there is an enemy (perceived or delusional) it is important to make the enemy less and dehumanize them to justify our anger, fear or aggression. On a large scale we do it with propaganda on a small scale we do it with gossip and self talk about how bad we have been treated or someone else has been treated.

It is easier to be angry when faced with evil than to look with compassion and seek to understand what causes an individual or a nation to manifest this behavior. This is an absolute with the only exception being mental illness: No one does anything bad unless bad things were done to them.

Here is another truism: When bad things happen to us, many times we have set ourselves up to attract negative behavior into our lives. This is not a bad thing if we use these events of negativity to learn and grow. However, if we keep repeating the same behaviors and drawing people into our lives that support our believe that life is against us or that we are cursed or we are unlovable, then we are not learning the lessons that are the reason for relationships to exist.

When penitentiaries were first created by the Quakers in the United States, it was thought that if people who were doing evil were to be confined to meditate and contemplate their behaviors they would find answers within themselves and be rehabilitated. Now we have learned the opposite is true. When we place dysfunctional people together they will reinforce and teach each other greater fear, hate and socially unacceptable behaviors.

There is only way a person can be rehabilitated or become healthy and that is through self-motivation to take responsibility for one’s behaviors and start to act and believe in ways that manifests a new way of responding to life and other people. While I totally believe that psycho-therapy is a great support in this process, ultimately the change happens within and is self-driven.

Unfortunately there are so many people in our world who are so wounded and damaged that the thought of helping them heal and find the path to love and trust again that the task seems daunting. However, if we take the responsibility to change self we will change how the world around us is manifest.

If we desire love, we must learn to love self. When we love self, others will love us.

If we desire trust, we must learn to trust self. When we trust self, others will trust us.

If we desire respect, we must learn to respect self. When we respect self, others will respect us.

If we desire good not evil in our lives, we must learn to live a life that is good and avoids evil. When we learn goodness than goodness comes to us.

We must remain vigilant that we do not gossip about others or listen to gossip because then we perpetuate the power of evil and fear. We must remain vigilant about propaganda and thus when we do this we learn to see when the government, big business and so forth our manipulating our fears and controlling our reaction to life and the other humans that inhabit this planet with us.

Good or Evil? It is up to you to decide which you will have manifest in your life.

It is time to say NO

2006-04-06T11:31:00.000-05:00

I have reached another turning point in my life. It seems that they seem to come faster and faster as I get older. Of course, this could just be perception because time keeps moving faster and faster in my mind and spirit.

And like all turning points, I don’t have a clue where I am going. When I was younger and wore a suit, I used to make up goals to make those in positions of authority happy. It is sort of the accepted way of doing business. However, it is not the accepted way for doing life.

My goals are always fuzzy and seem to flow with spirit rather than having plan a, plan b, and plan c. It seems in my life that sometimes plan c just comes into play before a or b and there I am saying what the heck happened.

What happened is that I live my life according to instinct and feeling. Logic is just something that I use to explain my decisions to others who for some reason have to be able to quantify life rather than qualify life. However, that is alright with me.

As I write I realize that the turning point now for me is honesty with myself. I don’t have any plans for the future and sometimes I don’t even have any for the day. My major drive is to not be stressed and to, as much as possible, to be happy and if not happy at the minimum content. Goals do not make one content. Goals don’t make one happy. Living life fully and to the extent that it is comfortable and with the least amount of stress seems to me to be an over all meta-goal that folks have forgotten.

I don’t know if I am retired because I don’t like that word. It is like one is retiring from life. Life cannot be retired from unless one chooses to die and I don’t have plans for that since it will happen some time and right now I would just like to enjoy living.

I have realized that when I am resisting doing something my inner guides are telling me to avoid something because it does not fit my fuzzy goals of enjoying life. Which brings us to the idea that maybe procrastination is just a way of saying: No! What a cool idea. It is alright to say well someday if I feel like doing such and such I will do it. However, if I don’t feel like doing it then I don’t have to.

It is time to say no.

What is success?

2006-03-03T12:54:00.000-05:00

This is such a personal issue that it is often hard to clarify what we value as to what would make us successful versus what friends, family and society would define as success.

I mean we all look at those who are icons of success in our community and our world. Media defines success that is often equated with visibility, material possessions, and, often, beauty. However, most of us can never achieve the media hype that says skinny is right and money is might. I remember an old saying: A woman can never be too rich or too thin. And look what concepts like this have done to destroy the self-esteem of many women. And I will never forget the impact of the cliche “Men never make passes at girls who wear glasses.”

The meta message when I was growing up that to be a successful woman I should marry for money, keep looking gorgeous and never let anyone know that I was smart. Boy I did all that and I didn’t feel successful at all.

In my journey from then to now, my ideas of what I feel would make me feel successful has constantly been in a state of flux and change. I have come to the conclusion that while I would have no objection to being wealthy, famous, and defy the signs of aging, what I really desire is to feel content, to lead a simple life so that I can do what gives me pleasure.

And what gives me pleasure is writing. Since I am doing that I guess that I can officially say that I am successful.

My Enchanted Cottage

2006-03-01T09:30:00.000-05:00

I often refer to my home as my enchanted cottage. It is small and white and surrounded by flowers and gardens. It is at least 60 or 70 years old and carries with it the memories of many who have lived here before.

When Alice, my white ghost dog, was with us she would often point out to me that ghosts or spirits were in the house. We would be downstairs and hear a chair rocking upstairs when no one was upstairs and in fact there was no rocking chair. I would often walk through the house and feel cold spots which are indicative of ghostly or spirit presence.

You never knew when you went around a corner to another part of the house what energy one would pick up. It was like around the corner one would encounter a portal between our four dimensional reality and another dimension where spirits wander and perceive our realities. I am not really a ghost buster but I do know that spirits often get trapped in limbo between this reality and the infinite reality that is oneness with the divine. I began to meditate on this entity and was able to perceive that it was the woman who originally owned the property when it was a huge family farm. As I investigated more I found people who had known her and habits and I was able to get more and more in tune with her energy.

Drawing a white circle of energy protection around me, I began to smudge the house with sage. I also started to light white candles and pray for her release and help. Finally I was able to talk with her and explain her situation and guide her to go toward the light and release her bounds to the earth. It became peaceful in the house and I could feel that she had truly passed over to the other side.

A year later, I awoke to an awful smell. It was the smell of death. I called my husband and we searched to see if an animal perhaps had died out side on the porch but we could find nothing. I fell back to sleep and had a dream. In the dream a woman was desperately searching for her mother and could not find her. It was sad and frightening to feel her loss and pain. In the dream I was able to find the path to discovering her mother. And I awoke. The smell of death was gone.

Later that day I talked with a friend who knew the family of the original owner of the home. The woman’s daughter had died the night before.

Sometimes we never really know what is around the corner but we can rest assured that many an epiphany can be discovered if we are willing to take the risk to expand our awareness of our reality.

Luck

2006-02-28T11:16:00.000-05:00

It is another morning and I stumble out of bed and nuke some water in order to make some instant coffee. Cat in. Cat out. Dog in. Dog out. The constant routine continues every day. My breakfast table is a table next to my chair where I gaze out at the trees blowing in the wind. Brain dead I wait for the coffee to kick in. I am bashing my internal muse as it is completely uncooperative and I have a deadline and I haven’t met it and it is today.

Seems lately this little drama has been being replayed over and over again in my little corner of the world. I need to write an essay on luck. All I can think of is: If it were not for bad luck, I would have no luck at all. Now that is inspiring. Just what people want to hear from Mother Myriam. I am supposed to be an inspirational writer and I am as inspired as a Polar Bear floating on a chunk of ice with the sun beating down in need of a towel, a bucket and a bicycle. A Polar Bear needs a bicycle as much as I need to calm down. Maybe I need a vacation?

No I need to get my inner drama over my morning coffee under control and get to work.

I just need some lucky inspiration to get myself going.

I begin to muse... what is luck?

I free associate trying to get some inspiration.

Luck is being aware of possibilities and acting on them.

Luck is an intuitive flash that somehow makes one turn down a different street and avoid an accident.

Luck is meeting one’s soul mate at the grocery.

Luck is if I finish my column today.

A friend once said that coincidences are God’s little miracles.

I need a little miracle today.

I really need some luck in getting this essay done.

The Journey to Health

2006-02-24T11:50:00.000-05:00

While many people deal with health issues all the time and the impact is both physical, mental and spiritual. Sometimes the standard method of healing from our western culture does not provide the answers that we seek.

I have been involved with alternative healing methods for all of my life. It began with my birth into a family where my father was a minister and performed laying-upon-hands healing. Miracles have followed me all my life. The events that I have experienced sometimes defy explanation but what I have just experienced over the last 3 months has been a very interesting and difficult journey.

It started when a person (another psychic) that works for the same company that I work for asked me to help her with her website. It became on the most difficult experiences of my life and I mean that literally and all my life has not been easy I can assure you. I began to have anxiety attacks when I would come to the office. My hands would shake so bad that I could not even type. The stress started mounting to an unbelievable level. I could not understand why I was letting this person upset me. Finally a friend who is a geek offered to help her and get me away from her. God bless him because I think that at the rate that I was going I might have became suicidal.

In the following weeks I began to slip from anxiety to anxiety combined with clinical depression. I would just sit and stare and I would wake up with my teeth hurting and my jaw because I was clinching my jaw so tight at night. My hands trembled more and more. I finally remembered that I had a prescription for an anti-depressant and some anxiety medication. I started out with a low dose but it wasn’t helping so I went to the doctor. He increased my dosage but the only thing that seemed to improve is that I quite ruminating about death. For weeks all I could think about was death. It was really a horror to experience.

Last Monday a friend of mine contacted me who is a shaman. Her name is Mountain Hawk Lady and she asked me to call her. I did and as we explored what was going on she realized that I had been attacked by a psychic vampire. Energy cords were connected to three chakras which she was able to cut and she did some other cleansing rituals. The next day I woke up and my teeth were not hurting and my stomach was not hurting. This was the first time since December that I was not throwing up, having to take a pain pill or just generally physically ill. Many people do not know that clinical depression is accompanied by physical symptoms as well. The next day I was shaking even less and I was able to go out and actually start to write again. By Wednesday I was back doing my morning muse that I send out every day and Monday I will be able to go back to work and start earning money again. My fears and anxiety has been rapidly decreasing and I am planning on going to get my hair cut. The last time I was out of the house was several weeks ago which was the first time in several months and I had an anxiety attack in the middle of the grocery and almost passed out.

Now this may seem far fetched to many people, but for me it was a miracle. And I consider that I am very blessed to have this woman in my life as a friend and shaman.

If you would like to learn more about psychic vampires the following is a link to the article on the online magazine I write and edit.

http://www.asknow.com/newsletter0106-vampire.aspx

Universal Love

2006-02-22T10:57:00.000-05:00

There is an energy in the universal heart that connects us all – male and female, young and old. The heart is more than an organ pumping blood, it is an essence that truly expresses the seed of divine love. When we are born we remember our oneness in love but it is only our experiences of differentiating self from the divine love that makes us feel separate and alone.

Coming back to feeling that divine universal love, allows that inner child that remembers to awaken and remember again how we truly are never alone but always a part of that continuing experience of peace. The realities of many yesterdays may put a cloud over our vision but that cloud can be removed by just looking at the face of a new born child – so wise and still aware of that one being that is our heritage.

As I watch life and others and self as we choose a life of suffering, I again remembered we are spirits having a human experience. And I pray that the lessons will help us all evolve even though I may not understand the why or the how, I know that eventually we will all return to the bliss of being one in awareness of universal love.

Monday: Waiting is

2006-02-20T14:36:00.000-05:00

The Date

I am not sure what the date is but I know it is fast approaching. I wait in anticipation which is a shift in energies for me. I feel that time coming. That time when I will be ready to smile and be increasingly amused by life again.

I wanted it to happen sooner but life is not always what we want it to be. It is sometimes just a time of waiting. There is a saying in the Tao Te Ching: When the water is muddy one must be still to allow it to clear.

I have worked very hard over my life to learn the art of patience. In fact, in training myself I used to drive and refuse to pass cars that were going to slow just to teach myself patience. I would repeat the mantra: Waiting is.

Now I was never quite sure as to what followed the is, but I guess about anything.

Waiting is short?

Waiting is long?

Waiting is just what it is.

Sometimes there are things in life that seem beyond our control. And they probably are based upon the circumstances and our resources. So we resolve ourselves to waiting until the tides of life change and we move on in another direction or at least move on.

Today I am with the Tao and I am waiting. But maybe tomorrow I will be able to write again. That would be a very good thing.

Monday: Content or Discontent

2006-01-23T11:27:00.000-05:00

Be Content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.

Lao Tzu

In the midst of discomfort and even depression, it is often difficult to be content or to even rejoice. However, there is something very interesting to remember in the roller coaster that is life there will always be ups and downs. We try to maintain a state of stasis but inevitably either our thoughts or events in our life will switch things to another dimension of perception.

In our modern materialist society it is very hard when the bills are due and the money is short to recognize nothing is lacking. We are bombarded with messages from the media through advertisement, through talk shows, through the news that always things are out of balance. Even the wealthy will always feel lack in some way.

I was taught the art of survival by my mother who was seldom if ever seduced by the desire to own more. She was content with what she had and it was very minimalist to say the least. Yet I get caught up by the events and when money seems available do I save for a rainy day? No. And when a rainy day comes am I upset that I was foolish? Yes.

Yet, as I look at the ways things have unfolded, I have to admit that ultimately I am and was the creator of my destiny. Like many Americans and perhaps other cultures I am caught up in the materialistic fantasy that tomorrow will bring greater finances and I will be dancing in the lap of luxury again or at least at Walmart.

However, if I put things in perspective I realize that while I have fears about escalating costs of living and that I am aging and the odds of decreasing good health is probably inevitable I do feel fear. Yet, deep inside at the core, when I can get there and past the garbage that floats through my mind, I find that I am content.

Monday: Musings on past lives

2006-01-16T12:40:00.000-05:00

I have reached a time in my life that in retrospect it seems that I have lived many lives just in the sixty some years that I have inhabited this body on this planet.

Sometimes when I look back in time, I say who was that woman and how is she connected to me. My thoughts and dreams and perceptions have so changed over more than a half century that it is definitely a realization that I have been many people as I played the roles of each definition of who I am.

The years before 18 I cannot comprehend. I cannot relate to the energy and the passion and the confusion that was a part of my reality at that time. Well, maybe to the confusion. My eyes looked out to judge me by the reflection in the eyes of others. Was I pretty enough? Did boys like me? Did my family approve? Filled with questions about reactions trying to understand who I was and was I enough.

Then around twenty I became a mother. I looked at my feelings toward my children. My fear of not caring for them well enough. Dealt with the insane mother-in-law and basically just continued to define the new me that was mother and wife. I never found it particularly fun or charming except for moments once in awhile as I gazed at my children learning and developing. Other than that it was a labor intensive, emotional roller coaster that no person in her right mind would ever do if she thought about it outside of lust.

About 28, I started to become a worker in the economy. I had to worry about making money and developing skills. I became a salesperson and learned to be competitive and fight for what I wanted. I began to define me by my performance against others. Not as much looking for approval as looking for a paycheck that said I was doing well.

At 33, I shifted again and went to college where I practiced the path of academia and psychology. I learned to think critically and began to see the world with deeper and wider perceptions. As I graduated and became a therapist I began to develop greater empathy with those who were suffering. It was not how they say me but how I saw them. I began to write and publish my work.

At 48, I began a stronger spiritual journey. I continued studies that I had started in my late twenties when I became an astrologer and spiritual seeker. This was like a returning to another part of me but it was distinctly different. It was at this time that I began to combine my academic training and my spiritual training to become a greater counselor. I finished menopause and my conception of myself began to mutate from sexual to sensual.

Around 55, I began to withdraw from the world and interaction with others and came closer and closer to the cloister of the writer. And till this day this has grown stronger every year with less and impact of the world upon my private world. Unless it causes disruption in my life, I don’t really care what people say about me or what I do. Who I am is reflected in my writing and in my actions and not upon others responses. Now, I must admit that gleeful inner child in me likes applause but basically my drive is propelled by an inner to desire to creatively express my connection on many dimensions including mental, spiritual and physical. As I approach 62, I am excited to know what new me will emerge.

Monkey See Monkey Do

2006-01-12T09:27:00.000-05:00

I was born under the Chinese Zodiac sign of the monkey. Monkey is trickster and always keeping things active and stirring up the waters. In meditation, seeking a state of stillness is called stilling the monkey mind.

Monkeys can also be chameleons. They can take on the characteristics of people they are near in order to fit in. Often they are blessed or cursed with empathy. As an empath one actually takes on the feelings of another person. This can be used at times for healing. When someone is born an empath it often takes many years to learn whether what one is feelings is one’s own feelings or something that one is picking up from another person. Often those who appear to be unpredictable and changeable are really empaths reflecting the energy and emotional charge of their environment. This is a highly valuable tool for a therapist or counselor but it must be trained and controlled or you can imagine the madness that could happen.

My husband used to be really embarrassed when I would talk to people because I tend to take on their accents. He thought that I was mocking them. He learned over time that what I was doing was being the Monkey chameleon using my talent of empathy. Now he just sits amazed at times as I switch from sounding like a southerner to northerner and so forth.

The most difficult thing I have to deal with in controlling my empathy and intuitive skills is that I can become vulnerable to other peoples manipulation and emotions. It is then that I have to draw back in solitude to heal my spirit and clear from my soul what is mine and what is not mine.