3 Secrets of Dream Journaling

By Cortney LitwinBecause your dreams are a direct link to your body, mind, heart and soul, working with them can help you realize your aspirations, guide your direction and accelerate your spiritual growth. Keeping a dream journal is an excellent way to get started on this path of self-discovery. Here’s what you need to know…
1. Recall Your Dreams
I frequently hear the lament, “I never remember my dreams!” from people who repeatedly awaken with a blank slate. If you’re one of these dreamless sleepers, take note: The secret to recalling your dreams is to pay attention to them. Seriously. Think of your dreams as children who blossom when you appreciate how valuable they are.
To jump-start your recall, try immersing yourself in the art of dreaming. Read books on symbol analysis, share your dreams with your mate or a close friend, and be sure to write down anything that you do remember (more on that later). Most important, before you fall asleep, write down your intention to recall your dreams, and speak your intention aloud, several times. After a few nights, your unconscious will get the message and present you with at least a dream fragment. Be patient. Fragments often contain important messages, and they are the first step to recalling an entire dream—in detail.
If your dreams are still elusive, try setting your alarm for three to four hours after you go to bed. You’ll likely be awakened out of a full-fledged dream. It may be an ungodly hour, which is the downside of this technique, but at least you’ll have captured a dream to work with.
2. Your Journaling Tools
To write or to speak, that is the question. The best tools for dream journaling are the notebook or recorder—or both. Although recorders work for some people, for me, verbalizing a dream is too energizing, which makes it harder to fall back to sleep if I happen to awaken the middle of the night. My friend Mike once tape-recorded a dream, only to find that his words were incomprehensible when he played it back—amusing at the time, but not very useful.
Even if you decide to use a recorder, you’ll need to write down your dreams at some point so you can review them later on, which is a great way to track your inner growth. I keep a notebook on my bedside table, with a book-light clipped to it. That way, I can see what I’m writing without waking my husband from the glare of a lamp.
3. Capture the Details
Now, let’s say you awaken with a dream. The trick to remembering the details is to write down the dream immediately. I can’t stress this enough. If you doze off, or leap out of bed to get ready for work, you’ll likely remember just a scrap of the dream when you try to document it later on.
And don’t just describe what happened in the dream itself—be sure to include your feelings about the dream. Feelings often contain the central message. Also, drawing dream characters, perhaps in the margins of the paper, can give you additional insights. You don’t have to be an accomplished artist; just let your creativity flow onto the page, no matter what form it takes. You may be surprised by the intriguing imagery that surfaces from your unconscious. All of these clues will help reveal the messages within your dreams.
Dream journaling is an art that needs to be nurtured. If you’re consistent in documenting your dreams, they will reward you with vivid stories and characters that reveal who you are, where you’re going and how to get there

The Secrets to Finding Your Karmic Love

By Debbie Keil-LeavittHave you met that one person who rocked your world, and you had no idea why? If not, you certainly will! This would be a person tied to a point called your Vertex, and it’s in everyone’s chart—just ask your astrologer. It’s easy to “punch up” in their computer.
Many astrologers who specialize in consulting about relationships focus on this little known point in a person’s chart. The Vertex is so powerful that it will come up in your life as a karmic relationship that demands your attention, and could even be your life mate. If not, it is probably a life mate or a fantastic/challenging partner from a past life who will “rumble under” your life until there is no way to ignore them!
Your Vertex will fall somewhere from the fifth to the eighth houses of your chart. This leads to a variety of situations where this person will be likely to come into your life. If your astrologer tells you that you have the Vertex in the Fifth House, you will find your karmic love in an artistic or sports environment and you will find each other irresistible in this magical context. You will have a sexy and playful relationship, and children could be very important.
If you have the Vertex in the Sixth House, you will meet your magnetic love in a work or service environment, maybe even when grooming a pet or caring for a niece or nephew. Another likely location would be the medical profession. Do you want to marry a doctor or nurse? If your astrologer says you have the Vertex in the Sixth House, you may be in luck. You will most likely be committed to the same cause or goals, and will find a certain amount of peace with this foundation.
If you have the Vertex in the Seventh House, lucky you! This is your house of partnership and marriage—then again, they may first appear to be an enemy! If you get past it, and whatever Karma you share, you may well have found a life mate. In the mean time, enjoy the “see-saw” of the needs of your subconscious and the needs of your Vertex partner.
Finally, if you have the Vertex in the Eighth House, your karmic mate will be a powerful sexual relationship—very deep and very intense… very, very exciting and deep. The relationship will bring a powerful transformation in each of you, so “fasten your seatbelt” for this one. You may actually meet this karmic love through a financial investment opportunity or through a group into depth psychology. Does a Jungian analyst sensitive to your intuitive and creative nature sound appealing? This could be “the one.

Your Book of Shadows

By Psychic Marin

A Book of Shadows is a journal and method of record keeping which documentsyour spiritual journey as a Wiccan. Also known as a grimoire, “Book of Shadows” is a fancy term that was created in the 1950s by Gerald Gardner, the “Father of Wicca.” Some have offered suggestions as to how this name was derived. Was it that spiritual writings, recorded in secrecy in the evening, required candle light or moon light, which would cast a shadow on the pages as the author wrote their entries? Or is it more synonymous with the concept of Freud’s term “the shadow side,” the dark side of the human personality?
Traditionally, in covens and pagan circles, a sacred “Book of Shadows” did not exist. Information was passed on from generation to generation through oral tradition. As illiteracy was an issue, and because of the sensitive nature of the information, it was preferred to eliminate any paper trail or record of heathen and punishable practices. Over time, spiritual records were created and discretely maintained. It was customary to pass information onto the next generation, but the book itself, would be burned upon the death of its owner.
A modern day Book of Shadows serves as a reference, a guide, a journal, and means of record-keeping. Within its pages you can keep details and records of emotions pertaining to anything you may deem notable as having an impact on your spiritual growth. There are no specific rules, there are no laws, and no size or specifics as to the appearance of the book itself. In creating your book, take practicality into consideration. If you are planning on keeping this book for several years, you may want to consider a three-ring binder or binding system that allows you to add pages. Bound leather books are beautiful, but may have limitations as to how much information you can keep secured in one place.
Some of the noteworthy, and traditional material most commonly inscribed in a Book of Shadows is as follows:
– A dedication page (inscribing the date, and your spiritual commitment. What you hope to learn, how you hope to grow).
– Personal astrological information, including natal charts and horoscope records.
– Dreams
– Magickal Calendar (Esbats, Sabbats, Holy Days, lunar cycles).
– Rituals (Including details of the event and any emotional reflections).
– Tools (Keep records on your magick tools, their purposes, connections to the elements, and their use).
– Lunar Cycles (Full Moon and New Moon), as well as any other lunar rituals (dark moon, waxing moon, waning moon, quarter moons). You can also include notes for lunar rituals you might want to do in the future.
– Prayers (These can be your own prayers, prayers you find inspiring, or any combination).
– Records of divination (tarot, oracle, pendulum, scrying).
– Spells casted and the results.
– Wisdom (You may include wisdom you receive from visions, from power animals, elders, from spirit guides, from dreams, from friends, from rituals, from books, even from school or your parents).
– Magickal Information (This is the good stuff!) Magickal information including spells, recipes, potions, oils, brews, incense, ointments, inks, tinctures, herb baths, bath salts, ritual soaps, sachets, powders, gems, crystals, candles, talismans, sigils, charms, magickal alphabets, and elements.
You don’t have to be part of a coven or group, or be on one direct path in order to create a Book of Shadows. Though the term generally is used amongst Wiccans, anyone of any path can create and use a Book of Shadows. A practitioner does not have to be creative or even good at writing in order to create their book and best of all… there is no deadline for completion so don’t worry if you tend to cringe at the idea of journal keeping.
So whether you have a clear-cut spiritual path as a Wiccan, think you travel many paths, or have no idea which path you’re on, a Book of Shadows will help you along your path by keep your thoughts and information you gather in one place.

Write Your Spiritual Autobiography for Growth and Recovery

By Theresa DannaNo matter how many changes you go through in your jobs, homes, or relationships, one thread that remains constant in your life is your spiritual journey. By exploring and recording your unique spiritual life, you can become more aware of the people and places that have influenced you and understand your life’s purpose. In his bookThe Story of Your Life, Dan Wakefield describes various drawing and writing exercises to stimulate memories and help you connect your past to your present.
Childhood
Draw a picture of your favorite room in a home that you grew up in. It doesn’t have to be a good picture; it’s just for your pleasure. Recall where certain items were located, what the view from the window was like, the type of music you might have listened to there, what activities you participated in, and so on. When you are finished, write about a childhood spiritual experience. It doesn’t necessarily have to be an experience that happened in a church or temple; it can be any moment when you felt connected to a higher power or one with the universe. Or it could be an early time of spiritual crisis and doubt.
Adolescence
Draw a picture of yourself as a teenager, or draw a picture of how you viewed God when you were a teenager. It’s common for adolescents to begin questioning their religious upbringing and experimenting with alternative belief systems. Write about a spiritual experience from that time of your life. If it affected your direction in life as an adult, describe the ways it influenced you. Explore what parts of your teenage self are still a part of you, and what parts you have left behind.
Significant People
Draw a picture of a friend, mentor, or other guide who helped you through a troubled time in your life or otherwise assisted you on your spiritual journey. Then write a description of this person as if you were introducing her or him to a friend. How might your life be different if you had never met this person?
Direction
Sketch a roadmap of your spiritual journey, beginning with the year you were born (or sooner if you have prebirth memories) and then following through all of the significant events, such as celebrations, physical relocations, traumatic experiences, decisions, beginnings and endings. If you’ve experienced intense moments of spiritual highs or lows, create specific road signs symbolizing them. Be creative! Don’t worry if your roadmap ends up looking more like a maze than a map. Most of us face many forks in the road of life. Remember to include detours on your roadmap; sometimes we discover more when we stray from our planned route. When you have finished sketching, try writing a travel piece about your spiritual journey as if you were reporting it for a documentary about adventure excursions.
Pulling It Together
After you have completed these or similar exercises, collate them in a binder, scrapbook, or journal and write about your reflections on the process of creating your spiritual autobiography. Describe the aspects in your life that have remained constant and those that have changed. Connect your past with your present and muse about your future. Your spiritual autobiography can be as short as a few pages or can develop into a book-length memoir. The extent of the project is up to you. Choose to keep it to yourself or share it. Then enjoy reading other peoples’ spiritual autobiographies, such as Dan Wakefield’s Returning or Paul Rademacher’s A Spiritual Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe.

Go with The Flow for a Change!!!

Life is like taking a trip on the river and reacting to the FLOW.
It is always about the FLOW.  The problem is most people take their
boat down to the river, put it in the river and then they
invariably turn it UPSTREAM and start paddling hard against the
current.  It never occurs to them to go downstream because they
think they have to struggle to have what they want.

Here is a simple idea.  Why not go WITH the current instead of
fighting AGAINST the current? But you may say, "Struggle and hard
work is the only way to get what you want."  That's crazy! Here is
the important point - NOTHING YOU WANT IS UPSTREAM. Ever!

Every bit of struggle and determination, all that "I am going to
heal myself", "I am going to fix this", "I am going to make this
better", all of that has you focused UPSTREAM. What I want is for
you to feel the ease of letting go of struggle. You don't even
have to turn your boat around in the stream and begin paddling
downstream - just let go of the oars (struggle) and the current
will turn you automatically!

This is not about teaching you to go with the stream because you
have no choice. This is about asking the question and helping you
answer it.  Are you going willingly?  Are you going toward your
natural unfolding willingly, or are you going to continue to paddle
upstream? In every moment the choice of which way you are going to
go is yours.

The Golden Rule of Self-Realization

by Guy Finley

Key Lesson: Until we understand the workings of our mind in unwanted moments, the only thing that can change for us is who or what will be blamed the next time we run into a similar event.

As life pours itself out in the stream of passing time, and we run into challenges seemingly greater than our ability to answer -- each of these encounters "asks" this question of us: "Are you willing to change (who you have been) in order to realize a higher possibility of yourself?"

The Secret to Transcending Limitations

And though moments like these trouble us because of their uncertainty, here's why we should be very grateful for their continuing appearance in our lives: this unwanted experience of realizing our limitations is the only way life can ask us if we wish to go beyond them. So this unknown moment of not understanding (what is to be) is actually the beautiful seed of a new order of our being, providing we're willing to see it as such.

Unfortunately, most of us automatically resist the unknown. Whenever we can't understand the nature of some unwanted situation we fall, by default, into the hands of a nature whose answer to this ache is always the same: get negative and then try to protect ourselves from anything that can't be otherwise controlled. The rest takes place in us on automatic pilot: in the wink of an eye, we begin to see the "way out" of our situation: blame him, fix that, fight or flee. But here's what we don't see: in that moment, our guiding light is a dark reaction dedicated, in one way or another, to avoiding what that moment came to give us. This false nature takes what was a celestially planned event -- for the purpose of our further spiritual perfection -- and turns it into a dead end.

Time and time again interior trials such as these return to help us see one thing: we can't get past them as long as we remain who and what we have been -- because who and what we have been is what we are meeting in these same moments! Another way of stating this same insight is startling: resisting what life shows us -- not wanting those moments wherein we're invited to see the truth about our present level of self -- ensures they will return again! This is the interior meaning of reincarnation: the re-creation of self through resistance to the negative effects of its own manifestations. It doesn't have to be this way. We are meant to rise above creation, not repeat our life through it in ever-descending cycles.

There's only one way for us to transcend the limitations of our present nature. First, we must see this one great fact:these limitations don't belong to us any more than the clumsy body of the caterpillar belongs to the butterfly liberated from its husk. Then, we must act on this new understanding by daring to let go of any part of us that wants us to embrace its limited view of life as our own.

True freedom is not an achievement; it is our awakened relationship and participation with the genesis of real life. We cannot create a life without limits by trying to overcome what we think stands in our way. Real limitless living is the fruit of this higher understanding: what is in our way is part of the Way. To know this is to know that all of creation has been made for you, just as surely as you have been made for everything that happens to you within it.

The Life of My Dreams

by Cindy Day

I liken the past to the wake of a boat.It does not drive the boat, nor does it determine the direction it’s headed.It only shows where it’s been.Coming from an unhappy childhood, much of my adult life was lived with limiting beliefs, fear, low self-worth, and no spiritual grounding. Ten years ago, I was a single parent living in the Midwest. Not living, more like existing. Empty and depressed is how I would have described myself. I knew there was something missing, that I had something to offer, even though I grew up feeling worthless. I felt like my life was wasting away. 

Not knowing about the Law of Attraction, or that I played a part in the creation of my life’s circumstances, I listened to everyone when they said, “What’s wrong with you? You should be happy. You’re pretty. You have a wonderful little boy and a good job.” That never helped me feel better; I still stayed depressed and empty. The turning point came when I visited Los Angeles eight years ago. I met Fabio (the former model) while walking down the street one day. That week he took me under his wing, offering advice and words of spiritual wisdom. He could see how empty, unfulfilled, and unhappy I was. He tried to convince me that I was supposed to be happy and that I didn’t have to settle for an empty life with a “good job” that I didn’t like. He took me to meet with modeling agents and even booked me a job. That week, I was the happiest I had ever been. I felt like L.A. was where I belonged. I felt so at home and at peace. I had always told myself that one day I would live in L.A., but didn’t know how to make it happen since I was a single parent with a lot of limiting beliefs. After returning home to Ohio, I thought about what Fabio had said. I started reading books by authors I had never heard of or even knew existed (Deepak Chopra, Gary Zukav, Wayne Dyer, Tony Robbins, etc.). I didn’t want to quit my nine-to-five job for fear of what everyone would think of me. Within weeks of my L.A. trip, the company I worked for was bought out by another and was moved to another city. This was the perfect time to make a move. I couldn’t believe it was happening! To make a long story short, my son and I moved to L.A. I got tons of acting and modeling jobs right away. Then I met a man and immediately moved in with him out of fear of being alone. His insecurity led to mental and emotional abuse. I was filled with worry and anxiety every day. My acting and modeling jobs immediately started to fade away. I stopped evolving and reading the inspirational books. I hadn’t saved a dime from all the work I had done, not realizing at the time he had wanted it that way. I lived in fear every day and didn’t know how to get out of the relationship. If I tried to make a plan to get on my feet, he would threaten to throw all of our things out in the street. My good friend, Fabio, tried to help, but I never responded. One night, while the man I lived with was away on business, I awoke with a thought: “If you love yourself and your son, you will not stay here one day longer.” I got out of bed and immediately packed everything we owned into my car. We were now homeless and penniless! We got emergency help and stayed at a motel where the residents were homeless people, crack addicts…you name it! I was frightened but didn’t want my son to know, so I tried to be happy for him. My son was the happiest I had seen him in a while. The fact that we didn’t have a home wasn’t as important as the peace of mind I had and that my son felt loved. On our fourteenth and last day that we were allowed to stay at the motel, I dropped my son off at school. I went back to the motel and packed everything we owned into my car and prepared to drive back to Ohio after school. While trying to stay sane and prepare myself to break the news to my son that we were leaving L.A., I drove around for a little while. I prayed that something would happen in the next few hours. I stopped at a Starbucks and sat down. A man approached and asked if he could sit down with me. I recognized him from TV, so I figured it was safe. We had a talk that lasted about thirty minutes. It was about spirituality and having faith. He told me to do what my heart tells me—not my mind, which decides out of fear. I realized that God brought this person to me at the moment I needed him most. I felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I left and went back to the motel inspired and excited. I knew that my heart wanted me to stay in L.A. I just couldn’t leave! Within an hour, I got a phone call about a cocktail waitressing job and was asked to start immediately. To sum it all up, I saved enough money to get our own place. I earned my real estate license and sold my first million dollar property in the first month. I soon realized that everything that was happening and had happened to me was a result of the Law of Attraction. After studying more, and evolving further, I saw so many things come into my life that I had always wanted. I am now married to a wonderful man with whom I travel quite frequently. I live in my dream home. I have a wonderful lifestyle that allows me to follow my passions without fear. I am now a life coach, helping others overcome their limiting beliefs and achieve their dreams. I have even written and published my first book, The Life of Your Dreams in 30 Days or Less! Although I practice and teach it on a regular basis, I am still amazed by the Law of Attraction! Message: No matter what you’ve experienced in the past, it is important to remember that the past does not have the power to determine your future. Your present thoughts and emotions create your future.