Recapitulation: A year in review

As the year comes to a close, it is a time of review. The media gives us the bests and worst of this, that and the other. There is a look back over the year to remember what happened in the world. How about applying that same practice to your own life?

In the Toltec spiritual philosophy, the spiritual practice of recapitulation aids us in observing our life and behavior. Recapitulation is the action of recollecting your life including the emotions you felt surrounding the events. This procedure is self-healing. After all, hindsight is 20/20 and you can gain a much greater perspective of yourself, your life and the lives of those around you. You can learn from your own successes and failures. Because you create your own reality, it would behoove you to look back at what worked and what didn't.

Self-observation is a valuable tool for self-improvement. The observation shall not be confused as judgement. Judgement doesn't work well for self-improvement, but the actual objective observer can learn from the past and tweak behaviors, thoughts and action for the future.

To do this, simply take some time to contemplate the past year. Use your journal or a simple sheet of paper to list some of the events of the last year. As you write, pause to contemplate the events that impacted your life. Use this tool to improve and make changes for your future. This tool prepares you for the intentional creation of your reality. You will be much clearer as to what you do not want and much clearer as to what you DO want!

Shortly after the clock strikes 12 midnight, it's time to establish intentions for the the New Year. If you take the time to recapitulate 2009, you will be better prepared to create reality for 2010.

Of course, I have some events I'll be offering to assist you in these processes. On Wednesday, December 30, 2009 I'll be facilitating a Lunar Eclipse Full Moon Drumming Circle to drum away the old and welcome in 2010. On Monday, January 4, 2010 come to 2010 READY, SET, GOAL!! INTENTIONAL CREATION OF REALITY. I'll share about vibrational matching, using your imagination and you'll set goals and experience a guided imagery meditation. Both of these events will be at The Crystal Garden.

To find out about all the upcoming events at The Crystal Garden, visit our calendar of events online.

'Tis the Season

A lot has transpired since I last wrote. My father left for the heavenly realm on Monday, November 23. It was the Monday before Thanksgiving and the timing for his ascent was impeccable. His birthday in heaven brought the whole family together for Thanksgiving and our week together was healing and healthy in many ways. Although I am extremely sad, I can also say I am extremely happy for him. I can feel his joy and I know he is happy and at peace. As many of my close friends and extended social network know, I did my grieving before he left the planet as I knew he was exiting stage left. So many people - friends, family, customers and business associates - sent their love and condolences. It meant so much to me. I was truly overwhelmed with the love sent to me through Facebook. Thank you!

Now, the joys of the season are upon me and all of us. There are so many things to be grateful for and I am choosing to focus on those things (most of the time) which is the best way for me to be.

As this year closes I know that my final manuscript has a big thumbs up at Llewellyn Worldwide. Crystal Consciousness: Heal Yourself Using Color, Aromatherapy and Gemstones is the working title right now. Now I must brainstorm and come up with a wish list of potential titles for my book. Then Llewellyn's team of experts will pick the best one. Afterall, they've put out a long list of award winning books. It's great to be part of this publishing group. The book will be out in Fall 2010. The publisher's catalog for Fall 2010 comes out around May or June 2010. I've already been asked to get working on my next title! This is good.

It's also been great to be back to my work as a Spiritual Healer and Angel Messenger Practitioner®. I love facilitating private sessions because they make such a profound difference in people's lives. My specialties are Past Life Regressions and Crystal Alignments combined with various forms of regression work. It is also a joy to teach and share. I've got a lot planned for 2010 and I'll be traveling again.The results are life transforming and I also benefit as I help others. Now that's the way to work!

And - the store - I just LOVE The Crystal Garden. I am so grateful for all that it is to me and so many others. I really don't know what I would have done all these years without the blessings I receive from owning and managing such an amazing store and center. This past year was the first full year that the Wholesale Division has been in operation. The "star" product is Smudge in Spray. Smudge in Spray won a silver finalist Visionary Award from COVR - the Coalition of Visionary Resources. Over this past year, Smudge in Spray has been featured in Yoga Magazine as What's Hot! and as the product of the week with The Daily Om twice. The Daily Om has it listed with it's best sellers!! It is also carried by Whole Foods throughout Florida (looking for a sales rep in other regions- do you know anyone?) and around the country in Canada at stores like The Crystal Garden - so Buy Local!

Many of these stores are also carrying the other wholesaled products like my Spoken Audio CDs, the full line of Medical Grade Essential Oils and the rest of the Aromatic Sprays and Mists which were introduced this year.

And - as if that wasn't enough, I've been working on an Oracle Deck. I'll leave you in suspense on this one. It's almost ready to go to print. The first round of editing is done. Now great artist, Victoria Rose Martin, who is collaborating with me, will do her magic then we'll be in for a final round of proofing. 2010 will be a good good year!!!

So again I must say - Gratitude! Gratitude! Gratitude!

The Sites and Sounds of The Crystal Garden

Enter the land of amateur video recordings with Margaret Ann at The Crystal Garden. I'm enjoying my new Flip camcorder. In the next few days I hope to have taken a video of each room of The Crystal Garden.

Here are 2 videos.

This one is a walk through the Bird Room.



This video is a walk through the Book Room.



I LOVE The Crystal Garden!

Come in person!

11:11:11 - Awakening Gateways of Consciousness

How many of our daily thoughts flow towards things we are grateful for in our lives? How many of our thoughts are focused on what we lack? How many thoughts do we have of which we aren’t even conscious? Through a little focus and intent, we can turn around our energy, our way of being and our thought forms, into gratitude and abundance vs. lack and fear. This shift in thought alone can change our lives. The transfer of attention moves the assemblage point.

The assemblage point is a center focus point on which we create our personal reality. When the assemblage point shifts due to circumstances and changes in our lives and our world, it enables us to re-create reality and how we dream our world. There are many spiritual schools that teach that our life here on planet Earth is a dream. By shifting our awareness, observing our selves and our focus on self-importance, we are better able to connect with what is the dream and what is our reality.

11:11 is the code for the opening of the gateway of consciousness within our DNA. It is the code that many have been seeing on our digital clocks, watches and more. Many us have participated in ceremonies over the years to activate the doorway of Higher Consciousness into Light and Love on key dates such at 1-11-92 and 11-11-92. This activation of the 11:11 and any double number is actually a very positive thing, e.g. 77, 33, 44, etc. These double digit numbers are Master Numbers and bring us messages. Actually, any sequences of numbers that we consistently become aware of seeing, are messages from our angel helpers. Angel Numbers by Doreen Virtue provides the meanings of various number sequences. Another favorite book on numerology.

The 11:11 is a password or activation tool to help us to remember who we truly are. Who are we truly? We are Love and Light. We are Peace, Joy and Happiness. We are here to remember our truth. This 11:11 began appearing with the advent of development of liquid crystal display and digitally displayed clocks. It was when our technology reached a certain point that we were predestined to begin to remember our Divinity. The 11:11 is a key and a trigger so that we may remember.

There have been many cosmic events that assist us in opening our consciousness. Usually they are associated with astrological configurations of stara and planet. Beginning with the Harmonic Concordance in August 1987, to the opening of the Gateway of the 11:11, and continuing with other astrological events, we are constantly being provided with these gateways for development.

Looking into numerology, 11 is a Master Number. Master numbers offer master accomplishments. According to Dusty Bunker’s book, Numerology and the Divine Triangle: “ As an 11, you can draw upon the cosmic forces for inspiration and for aid in attaining enlightenment and even cosmic consciousness. You feel compassion for all types of people, regardless of their station in life. The desire to uplift people brings out the teacher in you. You are intrigued by ESP, the occult, the mystical and spiritual studies.

As we travel forward through the 21st century, we have many opportunities to develop our spiritual selves. For thousands of years, the feminine has been subjugated. The Divine Feminine energy is entering our planet and is available to draw on. The doorway of opportunity to balance our lives, individually and globally, presents itself now. It is time to balance the masculine and feminine energies. The active principle of the masculine energy when appropriately blended with the passive feminine energy provides peace and harmony within and without.

This year, November 11, 2009, it is 11:11:11. November is 11. Date is 11. 2009 is 2+9=11. The trinity of above, below and within is energetically present in this year's 11:11 event raising it by an 11!

Prayer and meditation are vital now. Pray and meditate whenever possible. Our guides and angels can hear us. They are waiting for you to acknowledge them, talk to them and request their assistance. They have the ability to see life from a greater perspective and may light our path so we can see, know and act more clearly. It is imperative, though, that all requests for guidance are coupled with the Sacred Intent. Sacred Intent is aligning with the Divine Plan. As Christ said, “Not my will, but Thy will be done.”

Let us remember that before we can build a world of love, light, peace, happiness, compassion, joy, and harmony for all. We must first clear out our personal negative thoughtforms as collective consciousness manifests in the world around us.

We all have an opportunity to shift our assemblage point, shift our awareness, awakening our gateway of consciousness. As we approach this each day, we are given an avenue for actualizing the world of Love, Light and Peace. Using focus and intention, we can turn around our energy, our way of being and our thoughtforms, bringing the new focus to gratitude and abundance vs. lack and fear. This shift in thought alone can change our lives and our world, one person at a time.

I'll be at the Jamar Enlightenment Center (561-630-2280) located in Palm Beach Gardens offering an 11:11:11 Crystal Singing Bowl Meditation. Register by 11/10 to get a discount.

Tween Time: Cross-quarters

As the cross-quarter approaches, a doorway in between time and space opens. It happens 4 times a year. Cross-quarters are the mid point between a solstice and equinox.

The time around the end of October and the beginning of November is the mid-point between the Fall Equinox and the Winter Solstice. As a culture here in the U.S., most people celebrate or acknowledge Halloween in various ways. This holiday is a celebration of the cross-quarter.

In the past, I used to facilitate the Sacred Circle Gathering in Ocala National Forest at Camp Ocala. I offered the Gathering for 13 years on the first weekend of November. It was a very profound experience. It consisted of ceremonies to release negativity using smudging, drumming and rattling around the fire circle. We always created Prayer Ties which are small bundles of tobacco strung together. We made 7 bundles based on a Native American tradition. We put our prayers into the tobacco with our intention and then we wore those 7 ties hanging over our left ear for the whole weekend until the closing ceremony as a reminder to maintain prayerfulness.

I also facilitated various experiences throughout the weekend to help people connect with their power animal, trust exercises, meditations and time to play and relax by the lake. The 2 biggest events over the weekend involved building a medicine wheel and the Crystal Grid and Alignment.

The Crystal Grid and Alignment is a powerful guided meditation with 20 - 60 people. It involves creating sacred geometry with the participants laying in a particular one dimensional tetrahedron or merkabah-like formation. I connected the participants by laying gemstones on and around the body. I used my beautiful private collection of gemstones for this experience.

Through sound and guided imagery we expanded the tetrahedron to create a full 3 dimensional seal of Solomon -or a full expansion of the interlocking triangles. The intention for the meditation is to transform and transmute any energies that are no longer needed for the participants. Once achieved we used those transformed vibrations to bring balance, love and an activation of the grids of light and love to the whole planet.

And the weekend was always dedicated to connection with our ancestors - those who have walked on this path before us. It is a time of great power to connect with the wisdom of the elders and the ancient ones.

This year I'll be celebrating the Day of the Dead by offering a special drumming circle at The Crystal Garden on Nov 2 intended to help us to connect with our loved ones who have moved on to another dimension. Growing up Catholic we always acknowledged, All Souls Day and All Saints Day. Now, I connect with the cross-quarter and the time in between to allow for wisdom and messages to stream forth from the Other Side.

When I was on a sacred journey in Mexico, I visited Janitzio. It was my first exposure to the Day of the Dead.

As stated on this website: http://www.inside-mexico.com/janitzio.htm

"Day of the Dead in Janitzio features one of the most magnificent rituals of the rich Mexican culture. This time the celebration takes place in Janitzio, a magical little island in the State of Michoacan, perhaps the single most famous place for witnessing the Day of the Dead commemoration. "

According to Wikipedia:

The Day of the Dead (El Día de los Muertos or All Souls' Day) is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and by Latin Americans living in the United States and Canada. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. The celebration occurs on November 1st and 2nd in connection with the Catholic holiday of All Saints' Day which occurs on November 1st and All Souls' Day which occurs on November 2nd. Traditions include building private altars honoring the deceased, using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts.

How will you honor your ancestors during this cross-quarter?