WATCH FOR OUR EASTER SEASON BLOG BEGINNING APRIL 6TH

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Barbara Fedoroff

WELCOME TO BARBARAHS BLOG!

…OUR PREPARATIONS FOR EASTER WILL BEGIN ON ASH WEDNESDAY AND FOLLOW WITH GOSPEL VERSES THAT FOCUS ON EVENTS THAT ARE THE FOUNDATION OF CHRISTIANITY: THE MYSTERY OF GOLGOTHA; PENTACOST; THE CRUCIFIXION; AND THE ASCENSION OF JESUS CHRIST.

THE BLOG WILL INCLUDE RITUAL WITH PRAYERS AND PRACTICES FOR THE SEASON THAT ARE APPROPRIATE FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH CHURCH AFFILIATIONS AS WELL AS FOR THOSE WHO HAVE CHOSEN A PERSONAL SPIRITUAL PATH…

…PLUS IMAGERY EXERCISES TO ENHANCE OUR EXPERIENCE OF THIS SEASON ON A PERSONAL AND UNIVERSAL LEVEL–AND HONOR THE IMPORTANT ROLE OF WOMEN IN THESE EXTRAORDINARY EVENTS.

WATCH FOR THE FIRST BLOG IN THE SERIES, THE MEANING OF ASH WEDNESDAY, TO BE PUBLISHED ON OR BEFORE MARCH 6TH.

I HOPE YOU’LL JOIN ME ON THIS SPIRITUAL JOURNEY!

BARBARAH

P.S.  SUBSCRIBERS WILL BE NOTIFIED AS SOON AS THE BLOG IS PUBLISHED.  IF YOU’RE NOT A SUBSCRIBER, CLICK ON E-SUBSCRIBE AND YOU, TOO, WILL BE NOTIFIED.

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A RITUAL CELEBRATING ANGELS ON VALENTINE’S DAY

Posted on January 29, 2011 by Barbara Fedoroff

Welcome to Barbarah’s Blog! The snow is deep and glistening, and spring seems far away.  So let’s brighten these long days by celebrating Valentine’s Day in a new way:  by recognizing the love the angels and archangels shower on us!

There are many definitions of angels, often differing by religion.  Encyclopedia of World Religions by Merriam-Webster tells us that angels are “any of numerous spiritual beings…that mediate between the realm of the sacred and the profane realm of time and space (that’s us)…functioning as messengers or servants of the deity or as guardians of individuals (angels) or nations (archangels)…

I’m most familiar with Guardian Angels, angels who are each assigned to one of us to help align our journey with the mission of the heavenly kingdoms.  For more information, I went to my most reliable source, Valentin Tomberg and reread portions of his book, Christ and Sophia.

Tomberg tells us that the angels mission is to create harmony between their realm and us.  Their job became more difficult as many of us became attracted materialism.  There was a time when that attraction put the angels in jeopardy of being pulled downward toward earth as they tried to create a wholesome balance.  This sounds like a present day occurrence,  but it was actually before the Christian Era.

Help came through the sacrifice of an archangel named Nathan Jesus, a being filled with Christ-love.  Archangel Nathan Jesus temporarily descended into the angelic realm, and planted a cross that redeemed the angelic hierarchy, while foretelling a crucifixion to come.  One of the sacrifices  Archangel Nathan Jesus endured in descending from the archangelic realm was a painful adjustment to the angels’ direction of mobility. Angels move vertically, restricted to traveling up and down in a space from above the head of the individual they’re guiding here on earth and the angelic realm.  Archangels’ motion is horizontal, accommodating their mission to create harmony in large geographic areas and cultures on earth.  When working together, the archangels create a horizontal circle around an area by touching hands.  Once a year, late on Christmas Eve, the archangels encircle earth in this way and also open a space to shower us with their love.  This is a perfect time for us to thank them for being faithful to their mission–and to pray for a way in which we can assist them.

When you get the opportunity, listen to Enya’s Christmas Carol, Journey of the Angels on her CD, And Winter Came.  In it she sings about this angelic Christmas Eve journey.

HAVE YOU CALLED YOUR GUARDIAN ANGEL TODAY?

Our Guardian Angels enjoy hearing from us, especially when we call them into action; otherwise they have nothing to do.  Since I was a little girl, I’ve called on my Guardian Angel most days–and am often aware and grateful for the angel’s presence and efforts to keep me safe.  Here’s an example:  I was driving in a torrential rain on a busy highway.  As I drove beneath a bridge, my car hydroplaned on a rush of water.  The car was unresponsive and  heading across the grass divider into oncoming commuter traffic.  My early Catholic training jumped in and I called my angel and said an Act of Contrition.  An unusual calm came over me as I lost all sense of time and place. Suddenly I was aware that the car was still and silent.  It had turned ninety-degrees  and the rear bumper was caught on a short section of guardrail, the only guardrail for miles. The car rested on the shoulder parallel to the moving traffic.  I was shaken, but unharmed and there was a crease in the bumper.  My Guardian Angel was there for me and I am forever grateful.

You probably have your own Guardian Angel stories to tell.  Please share one in the Comments section.

PLAN AN ANGELIC VALENTINE’S DAY RITUAL

The love the angels and archangels have for us–and expressions of love highlighted on Valentine’s Day–can be elevated to a ritual.  Consider lighting a candle, closing your eyes and focusing on your Guardian Angel.  Stay quiet until you feel a connection and give your angel thanks for being there for you.  If you don’t feel the connection in a few minutes, give thanks for the angel’s presence in your life, open your eyes and try again each day.

Involve your children by encouraging them to connect with their Guardian Angels, if they haven’t begun to.  There are children’s books about Guardian Angels at amazon.com and at most book stores.  You might discover a Guardian Angel prayer in these books for you and your children to say each morning and evening.  My prayer hasn’t changed since I was a child.  It’s simply “Angel of God, my guardian dear; to whom God’s love permits thee here; Ever this day be at my side.”  I often add to this a request for the angel’s presence for something in particular, like protection on a journey; answers to a problem; or I just chat as I do with friends. At night, I ask my angel to protect me through the night.

HOW ABOUT DECORATING WITH AN ANGEL THEME

Consider decorating your home for Valentine’s Day with a branch that fell during a winter storm–or an artificial one available in craft stores.  Trim it with “angels” fastened to the branch with red ribbons.   Or if your Christmas tree is still up redecorate it. We cut our tree at a tree farm and keep it up as long we can. This year I recycled garland made of tiny red stones on wired cord I found in the attic…added a “heavenly host of angels” made from wired ribbon…and replaced the tree topper with what appears to me as an Archangel. There have been Valentine’s Days when the tree was trimmed with red and white heart-shaped lace paper doilies.  It’s easy to slip narrow ribbon through the lace for hanging and they’re bright and inexpensive.  Children have very creative decorating ideas and often come up with something very unique.

Preserving children’s natural reverence is a wonderful gift we can give them.  Some families bring reverence to their activities by beginning with a prayer.  On this occasion that might include thanking the tree/branch for the joy it brings to your home–and stating your intention to celebrate the love that the angels and archangels shower on us.

Of course, a celebration is always a time for sweets, so how about an angel food cake or cupcakes, angel-shaped cookies or whatever your imagination conjures up!  The angels and archangels will be joyful celebrants!

Have a loving Valentine’s Day! Barbarah

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THE NATIVITY STORY: A RITUAL WITH IMAGERY

Posted on December 20, 2010 by Barbara Fedoroff

Welcome to Barbarah’s Blog and the continuation of the Nativity story as told by the Apostle Luke.

In the last blog we read and did Imagery that brought us through Advent.  This includes The Annunciation to Mary of the Birth of Jesus; Mary’s Visit to her cousin Elizabeth, who became the mother of John the Baptist; and the Birth of Jesus.   I hope your Imagery brought these events alive with you as a participant in their wonder and glory.

We continue the Nativity story with the magical Visitation Of The Angel to the Shepherds; and The Visit of the Three Kings (Wise Men) according to the Apostle Matthew (it seems that the Apostle Luke didn’t narrate this event).

If you haven’t done the Nativity Narrative With  Imagery in the last blog, I suggest you begin there.  You’ll find a process for doing this Imaginal Nativity Ritual after the Imagery Exercise on The Birth of Jesus.

NATIVITY NARRATIVE

The Shepherds Watch Their Flock by the Apostle Luke

“And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And an angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were filled with fear.  And the angel said to them, ‘Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be a sign for you; you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.’

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased.”

IMAGERY INSTRUCTION

Close your eyes and breathe out three times. See, feel, sense and know the Shepherds hearing the news of the birth of Jesus from the angel.

Keep your eyes closed and breathe out one time. See, feel, sense, hear and know how the heavenly hosts are singing.  Take this into your heart.

Breathe out one time and open your eyes.

_________________

NATIVITY NARRATIVE

The Shepherds Watch Their Flock Continues

“When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.’  And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.  And when they saw it they made known the saying, which had been told them concerning this child; and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.  But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.  And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”

IMAGERY INSTRUCTION

Close your eyes and breathe out three times. See, feel sense and know how the shepherds arrive in Bethlehem. Experience with them the scene of Mary, Joseph and the baby laying in the manger.

Keep your eyes closed and breathe out one time. Feel, sense and experience Mary hearing from the Shepherds all that was being said of the infant being a Savior who is Christ the Lord.  Experience this as a new mother.

Open your eyes and breathe out one time.  Resume your natural breathing.

_________________

NATIVITY NARRATIVE

The Visit of the Magi From the Apostle Matthew

“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem,,,in the days of Herod the king, behold Wise Men from the East came to Jerusalem saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?  For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him.”  ‘When Herod heard this, he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where (Jesus) the Christ was to be born.  They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet.  ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people…”

IMAGERY INSTRUCTION

Close your eyes and breathe out three times. See, feel, sense, know and live as the Wise Men following the star shining in the East.

Open your eyes and breathe out one time.  Resume breathing naturally.

_________________

The Visit of the Magi Continues

“Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared; and he sent them to Bethlehem saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.’  When they had heard the king they went their way, and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; …and they saw the child with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshiped him.

“Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

IMAGERY INSTRUCTION

Close your eyes and breathe out three times. See, feel, sense and know how the Wise Men followed the star until they arrived at the place of Joseph, Mary and the infant.

Keep your eyes closed and breathe out one time. See, feel, sense and experience their feelings at being in the presence of Mary and the infant.

Breathe out one time. See, feel, sense and experience Mary opening one of the gifts. Silently state the name of that one gift.

_________________

Have a joyful and blessed Christmas.  Barbarah

P.S.  Here’s a special gift from your Imagery. Each of you selected one gift from the Wise Men, gold, frankincense or myrrh.  Here’s the meaning of the gift you chose: gold represents transmutation; frankincense represents a biblical past life; and myrrh defines spiritual insights and wisdom.  Use your gift well.

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THE NATIVITY STORY: A RITUAL WITH IMAGERY

Posted on December 13, 2010 by Barbara Fedoroff

Welcome! And thank you for joining me during this special Advent season, when the wonders of the Nativity fill us with anticipation for Christmas.

I’d like to share an Advent Ritual introduced at this month’s Divine Feminine gathering–a group studying  sacred readings and discovering the role of the Divine Feminine since the beginning of time.  Each month one of us prepares a teaching; this month was my turn.

Since it’s Advent, a season to prepare for Christmas, I focused on the Nativity as told by the Apostle Luke.  At key points in this gospel I inserted an Imagery exercise so the story can resonate in a personal way for each Imager.

I’d like to share that experience with you.  Read through the whole Nativity Narrative and the Imagery below.  At the end you’ll find a process for doing the Imagery within the story.

THE NATIVITY NARRATIVE AS TOLD BY THE APOSTLE LUKE

The Annunciation

In the city of Nazareth, a virgin named Mary was betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph.  One day, the Angel Gabriel came to Mary and said, “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with thee.”

The Angel Gabriel continued,  “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son named Jesus.  He will be great, and be called Son of the Most High…”

IMAGERY INSTRUCTION

Close your eyes and breathe out three times.  See, feel, sense, know and live as Mary.  Recognize your qualities as a young woman and your feelings at hearing this news from the Angel Gabriel.

____________________

NATIVITY NARRATIVE

The Annunciation Continues

And Mary said to the Angel Gabriel, “How shall this be, since I have no husband?”  And the Angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.”  The Angel Gabriel continued, telling Mary that her cousin Elizabeth, in her eighties and barren, was to bear a son named John (the Baptist), for with God, nothing is impossible. Mary consented and the Angel Gabriel departed.

IMAGERY EXERCISE

Close you eyes and breathe out three times – See, feel, sense and listen as Mary consents, saying “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”  At that moment the heavens made preparations for the Son of God to be conceived by Mary through the Holy Spirit.

____________________

NATIVITY NARRATIVE

Mary’s Visit to Elizabeth

In those days, Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country to a city of Judah to visit Elizabeth.  When hearing Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed to Mary, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!  For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leapt for joy.”

IMAGERY EXERCISE

Close your eyes and breathe out three times – See, feel, sense and know Mary’s feelings as she speaks these words to Elizabeth, “My soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.  For he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden, for behold, henceforth, all generations will call me blessed.”

____________________

NATIVITY NARRATIVE

The Birth of Jesus

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled.  And Joseph went up from Nazareth to the city of David called Bethlehem, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.  And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered.

IMAGERY INSTRUCTION

Close your eyes and breathe out three times – See, feel and live how Mary births her first-born son, wraps him in swaddling clothes and lays him in a manger.

Breathe out one time – Now see, feel, sense and know how the heavenly beings react to this miracle.

____________________

A PROCESS FOR THE IMAGINAL NATIVITY RITUAL

(Do one exercise each or every other morning or evening.)

1.  Read through the Nativity Narrative and Imagery once.  If you choose, align yourself with the Divine in a short prayer, committing to do the Imagery in preparation for Christmas.

2.  Start at the beginning, and do one of the Nativity Narratives and its Imagery each or every other day or evening.

3.  To ensure that the Imagery flows, re-read it several times, committing it to memory before beginning each session – OR – record the Imagery instructions and exercises. Leave time to “Close your eyes and breathe out three times at the beginning of the recording; and leave about a minute and a half at the end  for your Imagery experience*.

4.  You’ll notice that the breathing is specific for Imagery.  It may seem unusual to begin with a long, slow out-breath, followed by a short in-breath, but it takes very little practice to get it.  Repeat this breathing cycle three times or whatever number is indicated for the exercise.  Then go back to your regular breathing pattern as you silently repeat the words of the Imagery or listen to those you’ve recorded.

5.  Allow yourself a few minutes to have an Imagery experience.  Imagery is a quick process.  Don’t stay in the Imagery Exercise for more than two minutes.  To conclude your Imagery, breathe out one time and open your eyes.

If you don’t have an Imagery experience, repeat the same exercise at your next session.  If this persists, change the time of day you’re doing the Imagery.

6.  Consider describing your Imagery experience in a small notebook.  When you’ve completed the series, you’ll be able to see your whole Nativity experience.

Blessings for this beautiful holiday season!  Barbarah

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COMMENT, PLEASE – This is the first time I’ve put Imagery in the blog.   I’ll be adding The Shepherds Watching Their Flocks, The Visit of the Magi, The Flight Into Egypt and The Circumcision.  So please let me know how you experience this first group. With your feedback, I can tweak those to come, if necessary.   Shy about commenting?  At your request your comments will remain un-published, so I’ll be the only one who sees them.

I look forward to hearing from you.  Have a holy and joyful Advent! Barbarah



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ELEVATING HOLIDAY TASKS TO RITUALS

Posted on November 14, 2010 by Barbara Fedoroff


 

WELCOME TO BARBARA’S BLOG AND                                                                                    THE MAGIC OF THE LACE CURTAIN RITUAL

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Barbara Fedoroff

The magic of the lace curtains was the intricacy of their pattern and the delicate and loving attention they received from my grandmother and mother. With the greatest of care they hand washed, starched and then stretched the curtains in pairs on a wooden frame that was surrounded with sharp pins.  The curtains were fastidiously hooked over these pins to ensure the lace wasn’t damaged or fingers weren’t pricked, a delicate and dangerous task.  The stretcher was then expanded until there wasn’t the hint of a wrinkle in the lace.  This ritual was usually accompanied by at least one incident that put the lace curtains in jeopardy.  Panic.  A quick fix.  And all was well.

While pairs of curtains were drying, my mother shined the windows.   As I think about her doing this, I’m amazed.  These were large windows.  To reach all the corners of the glass you had to sit on the outside window ledge with the window pulled onto your lap, your feet dangling inside the apartment. Courageously, my mother did this, happily shining the glass as my grandmother pressed on her knees for leverage.  When my mother finished, there was a sigh of relief from all–and not a spot on the glass.  On some occasions, the glass couldn’t even be seen.

Now for the finale: Hanging the beautiful lace curtains in the sparkling windows.  Each panel was carefully hung on a rod at the top of the window.  A silk drape in a rich fall color was then hung on either side, its contrast giving center stage to the lace curtains.

There was magic in viewing the outside through the pattern of the lace and the crystal clear windows, and above all, the significance of honoring the changing of the seasons. These have left me with a special fondness for images of beautifully dressed window.  It’s a metaphor for a home protecting the family within from winter’s drafts as the falling leaves and winter’s blanket of snow protect the earth from the cold.

Elevate Your Holiday Tasks to Rituals

…My grandmother and mother were artists of this craft.  They elevated seasonal household tasks to rituals by giving them their personal best, sharing them with my sister and me, repeating the steps year after year, and always filling the air with the urgency that comes from expectation.  And, of course, milk and fresh-baked cookies.

Every family has a holiday or remembrance waiting to be elevated to a ritual.  Consider the preparations for Thanksgiving in this way–or all the preparations required for Christmas and Chanukah.  These all have the urgency of a deadline, can involve family or friends and establish, re-instate, renew or establish family traditions.

A Process For Elevating Tasks to Rituals

1.  Align yourself with the Divine and state your intention before beginning the task with reverence.

2.  Involve  family or friends to enjoy the task with you.  This was usually done with my grandmother, mother, sister and me.

3.  Create a sense of expectation for the outcome by planning to finish the task in a day or two.

4.  Celebrate your achievement by taking time to enjoy the results of your efforts with a warm drink and sweet treat.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving!  And please share your holiday rituals in Comments.

Barbara

COMMENT, PLEASE  Your comments help make Barbarah’s Blog relevant.   So don’t hesitate.  Others will enjoy what you have to say and may get ideas from what you’ve done.

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DREAM READING: A TOOL FOR LIVING WITH SPIRIT

Posted on October 17, 2010 by Barbara Fedoroff

Welcome! Thank you for joining me and for subscribing to Barbarah’s Blog.

Dream Reading is the fourth Tool for Living With Spirit designed to honor and remind us of the many ways the Divine communicates with us.  I find that this reality of a Divine presence in our lives restores hope, joy and patience.  I hope it does the same for you!

“Dreams… reveal something about oneself, as well as events that may take place … corrective action to take… or confirmations of one’s behavior,” by Dr. Gerald Epstein, Founder and Director, The American Institute for Mental Imagery (AIMI).

Dr. Epstein is an authority on Western Spiritual Medicine including Dreams. You’ll find a list of his many publications as well as classes on these and related topics on <www.drjerryepstein.org>

The language of dreams, spoken through signs and symbols, evolved through the ages and is available to all of us.  Learning this language increases our understanding of the information we’ve accessed while sleeping and helps us capture the fine details of our dreams.

The symbols I learned at AIMI serve me well reading my own dreams and helping other dreamers read their’s. These symbols are also trusted friends when confirming synchronicities, understanding imagery and reading sacred texts.

As you practice dream reading, you’ll witness an evolving story about you, and will discover how dreams can work together with the Tools for Living With Spirit presented earlier in this series.  Together they can help you identify and support your life/spiritual path.  We’ll put that all together in a later blog.

A Dream Reading Process for Dreamers and Non Dreamers

A Dream Reading Process establishes a routine that keeps our dream information flowing, rather than being rejected and temporarily lost to us as insight.  In conversations with non dreamers, I’m often told “I never dream, I just have a flash and it’s gone.”  If this happens, I encourage you to consider these flashes as the content of a dream that, if given the opportunity, may reveal more than you ever considered possible.

1.  Align yourself with the Divine before you go to sleep, stating your intention to remember your dream (Heavenly Father/Mother or however you address the Divine, please help me remember the dreams I have tonight).

2.  Have paper and a pen or pencil next to your bed.

3.  On awaking, stay still and try to remember your dream, then get up and immediately jot it down.  Note your feelings in and on recalling the dream; its colors; location of the dream; people or outstanding things and their position in the dream; things you may hear or sense said; any details you feel will enhance your understanding.

4.  Go to the list of Dream Reading Symbols you will have downloaded from the pdf file indicated below and apply them to the dream content.

5.  Write down your reading of the dream.

6.  If there are things in the dream that represent outgrown beliefs or are harmful, reverse them as indicated in the blog Reversing posted on September 5, 2010.

As you add Dream Reading to your Tools for Living With Spirit, you’ll enhance your understanding of the Divine’s messages, gain deeper insight into yourself and discover answers that may have been slipping by your conscious mind.

A Valuable And Beautiful Resource

As you develop a dream reading practice, you may become attracted to the many dream reading books on the market.  In some cases you’ll notice that the symbols among them differ.  This is often based on their cultural and/or religious history, and whether they stem from a spiritual or clinical foundation.  These are your dreams, so I encourage you to be your own authority and use symbols that resonate with you.

About a year ago I came upon  20,000 Dreams: Discover the Real Meaning of Your Dream Life by Mary Summer Rain at Borders Books.  A labor of insight and love, this book presents an extraordinary list of dream symbols with clear descriptions of their meanings.  For easy use the book is organized into 30 themes plus an index and is visually delightful.  Mary Summer Rain is a philosopher and naturalist who has published 27 books, selling over a million copies worldwide.  You’ll find this and other books she’s written at  <www.amazon.com>.

Click to download your Dream Reading Symbols.

Join me on November 15th for Thanksgiving Blessings!  Till then, abundant dreaming!

Barbarah

COMMENT, PLEASE Your comments help make Barbarah’s Blog relevant.  So don’t hesitate.  Scroll to the end of this post.  Just below the next paragraph, E-SUBSCRIPTION, you’ll see two or three lines of small type. The last phrase there in red is Leave a Comment.  Click on it and a Comment form will drop down. Please share your dream reading experience or any questions or comments you may have. I love hearing from you.

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MICHAEL-MAS: AN ANCIENT AUTUMN TRADITION

Posted on September 28, 2010 by Barbara Fedoroff


Welcome to Barbarah’s Blog.  If you’ve been practicing any of the earlier three teachings, you’ve come to know and even change things that have been obstacles in your life. Congratulations.  Now it’s time for a short break and celebration.

My friend Kalista owns and operates a Waldorf school and a Waldorf-based program for home schoolers.  Celebrations are part of the Waldorf teaching tradition that children and parents love.

Kalista is doing a Michaelmas celebration at her school.  It’s such an uplifting addition to Autumn that you might like to try it.

A RENEWAL OF MICHAEL-MAS FESTIVALS PUTS AN ANCIENT SPIN ON FALL HOLIDAYS

As we move into Autumn, stores are filled with signs of Halloween.  Costumes, home decorations, specially packaged candy and ideas for parties seem to get more attention each year.

While children love the idea of Halloween, there’s an ancient holiday that continues to be celebrated at this time of year in Northern Europe, England and recently in small schools and homes in this country–Michaelmas, the Feast of St. Michael, the Archangel.

Michaelmas, celebrated since the Middle Ages at the autumn equinox, is on September 29th, but can be celebrated within a week before or after this date.  The holiday celebrates the courage of the Archangel, St. Michael, seen as the protector against dark forces.

Harvest festivals with costumes, games and songs and the reading and even acting out of the tale of George and the Dragon all honor St. Michael and teach children the value of courage.

Family, food that warms the bones on these chilly days and evenings, hot apple cider, hot chocolate, and sweet treats, all add to the spirit of this holiday.

Michaelmas celebrations were traditionally held outdoors, but they work as well indoors, if that’s your preference.

Consider putting an old-but-new focus on Autumn with the joyful and meaningful elements of this holiday.  Your celebration can be as simple as songs and games that honor courage–or Google Michaelmas Celebrations for many wonderful ideas and recipes.

Shining a new light on the expected is another way of Living With Spirit.

Barbarah

P.S.  Our next Barbarah’s Blog focuses on dream reading.  I hope you’ll join me!

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REVERSING: A TOOL FOR LIVING WITH SPIRIT

Posted on September 5, 2010 by Barbara Fedoroff

Welcome! And thank you for joining me. 

In the first two blogs, you were introduced to Synchronicity and Mirroring, spiritual tools that raise our awareness of unproductive behaviors.    These are gifts that call our attention to a Divine Presence who will support us as we make positive changes in our lives.  By engaging with this Presence, we discover the comfort of  sharing our burdens with a loving, caring power, and renew our faith, hope and love.

When we acknowledge unproductive behaviors, we step onto a path of self-awareness.  Acknowledgement is a significant step. But by itself, it doesn’t bring about lasting change.

REVERSING: A Universal Tool For Lasting Change!

Reversing is a powerful tool based on the ancient Celtic symbol of the spiral. Reversing literally puts the power of this symbol for change in your hands.

The spiral may be viewed as a series of connected open circles extending from here below upward to the heavens.  As we make corrections in our lives, we heal and move upward on this spiral.  Make an error, and we may slip down a bit.  But as long as we’re committed to healing and alignment with the Divine, we have the ability to stay on the spiral path.

Now Let’s Prepare To Use The Spiral To Reverse Unproductive Behavior

A.  For Reversing choose a time of day and comfortable place where you won’t be disturbed for at least a half hour.

B.  Align yourself with the Divine in a petition or prayer.  This may be as simple as “Heavenly Father (or whatever name you use to address the Infinite Power) please support me as I let go of (name the behavior you aim to correct) and help me put a new, productive behavior (name it) in place.  Give me the patience and strength to do these exercises for 21 days or more.” State this petition/prayer each day as you begin Reversing.

C.  On Page 1 of an empty spiral notebook write your name and A Book for Reversing Behavior.  This is a statement of your commitment to change.  Page 2, the page on the inside left, is for the spiral that eliminates an unproductive behavior you discover through Synchronicities and Mirroring, or one that you’ve been aware of , but haven’t had a specific process to change.    Page 3, the page on the right, is for the spiral that puts a productive behavior in place.  (In Reversing we place the spirals, narrative and/or drawings for the unproductive behavior side by side with the spirals, narrative and/or drawings for a new productive behavior.)

D.  Draw a line down the center of Page 2.  You now have a left column for creating a counter-clockwise spiral to eliminate a behavior; the right column for writing and/or drawing your feelings and realizations while creating the spiral as well as those which continue to emerge as you write and/or draw that experience.

E.  At the center bottom of the page, write a word or two describing the behavior you now aim to eliminate (lateness, clutter, over-eating, etc.).  Be specific and use words that are natural for you.

F.  Page 3 is for establishing a new productive behavior.  Again draw a line down the center of this page. The left column is for the clockwise spiral to establish the behavior you aim for, the right column is for writing and/or drawing your feelings and realizations as you create the clockwise spiral and those which may continue emerging as you record the experience.

G.  Again, at the bottom center of the page, write a word or two stating the new behavior you aim for.   E.g. If you aim to eliminate lateness, replace it with be on time; replace clutter with order; over-eating with portion control.

Note how these spirals are to go in opposite directions, counter-clockwise to eliminate a behavior, clockwise to establish a new productive behavior.

Drawing The Spirals And Writing/Drawing Your Reactions

1.  Begin in the left column of the left-hand page (Page 2).  Using colored pencils, draw your counter-clockwise spiral beginning at its center.  Remind yourself that your aim is to eliminate the stated unproductive behavior.   As you draw, you may spontaneously sense a different color.  Follow your instinct and change the color you’re using, beginning the new color exactly where you left off. Draw as timidly or aggressively as you feel, letting the spiral become an expression of your emotions and the is-ness of your behavior (is-ness accepts what is without judgment).  Continue this process until you feel your spiral is complete for that session.

2.  Rest a few moments and then in the right-hand column, write and/or draw the feelings and realizations you had while creating the spiral and those that continue to emerge.

3.  Now move on to Page 3.  In the left column using colored pencils draw a clockwise spiral, beginning from its center.  Remind yourself that you are now establishing a new, productive behavior that may be the opposite of that which you’re eliminating from your life, e.g. replace lateness with be on time, etc.    Continue as above.

4.  Do this Reversing process for 21 days.  Each day align yourself with the Divine, prepare two facing pages and go through the process.  Note the changes you see as you progress.

Supplies For Reversing: An 8 x 10 inch empty spiral-bound notebook; and a large assortment of colored pencils.

Continue Reversing for 21 days and see how the power of the spiral works for you.  If you sense there is more to learn about the behavior you’re changing, take a week off and then continue Reversing for three more weeks.  (Make sure you take the week off.  It gives you time to integrate what you’ve learned and keeps the process fresh.)

Need help? Contact me through Comments or e-mail me at fedzie@ptd.net.

Blessings, Barbarah

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I’ll be back in three weeks.  Please join me.

Barbarah

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COMING SEPT 5: REVERSING BEHAVIOR

Posted on August 27, 2010 by Barbara Fedoroff

The first two Tools For Living With Spirit introduced you to Synchronicity, messages we receive in response to a request we make of the Divine; and Mirroring, identifying our  unproductive behavior by seeing it in others.

Now it’s time for Reversing, eliminating the unproductive behavior and replacing it with a new one that enhances your life.

Don’t miss this essential next step!

Join me on September 5th thru the 26th for this life-changing Tool For Living With Spirit.

Barbarah

 

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MIRRORING: A TOOL FOR LIVING WITH SPIRIT

Posted on August 15, 2010 by Barbara Fedoroff

Welcome and thank you for reading, commenting and subscribing to the first Barbarah’s Blog on Synchronicity.    Your support and feedback are valuable and appreciated.

This second Tool For Living With Spirit, Mirroring, lets us stand by and watch others acting out behaviors similar to our own.  Like Synchronicity, Mirroring engages others to support our self-awareness.  I think of them as a network of collaborators called into action by the Divine Collaborator, who’s always there for us.

Mirroring: Seeing Our Own Behavior In Others

The behaviors being highlighted for our attention are easy to identify.  They’re triggers for our reactions expressed as annoyance, anger and even the urge to avoid the people acting them out. Our challenge is to accept that we may be facing ourselves.  This reality is uncomfortable and sometimes even painful to accept, but the universe is persistent. If we resist the significance of what we face, the universe will repeat the teaching more than once.

Here’s an example of Mirroring:  A woman I’ll call Maura is divorced and has a 12-year-old daughter.  For several years her daughter has taken ballroom dance lessons that started out as recreation–but ballroom dancing has taken over their lives.

Maura’s finances got so tight that she opened the “Lunch Only Cafe,” which was an instant success.  But as the cafe income grows so do the costs of the dance lessons and Maura postpones hiring an assistant.  She feels this has caused stress that is affecting her relationships and threatening her business.

Recently, a regular at the cafe complained loudly about the long line of customers waiting for pick-up orders.  He also accused Maura of letting the service slip and being unconcerned about the limited time customers have for lunch.  His anger hurt and alarmed Maura.

The customer’s outburst is likely a reflection of Maura’s own behavior.  Mirroring can be helpful, if she accepts that there’s a relationship between the customer’s outburst and her own.  She decided to try Mirroring and before long she was watching a confrontation between a waitress and customer in the cafe at a dancing competition.  It made her sick to think she could experience something like that, but later recognized how similar it was to the incident in her own cafe.

Soon there were other eye-openers that shifted Maura’s attention to her own behavior. She could see how abrupt she was when her ex-husband challenged the time their daughter spent dancing, how embarrassed and angry she was when her daughter didn’t turn in her homework on time. She even got angry with a customer who asked how she liked the ballroom dancing competitions, telling her she had no time to talk about anything but orders.

Where was this coming from?

Maura continued the Mirroring process and began to see the reality of her life. Everything focused on ballroom dancing, money and time.  Time to get ready for school and work.  Time to prepare the cafe’s food. Time to drive hours to a competition.  And at each step, she had a nagging fear that the expense of ballroom dancing would outreach her income.

Informed by her own observations, Maura acknowledged how angry she was at herself for creating such a stressful life and how sorry she felt for making her daughter, ex-husband and customers the targets of her anger.

Mirroring: Steps to Self Awareness With Divine Collaboration

(1) Set your intention and align yourself with the Divine in a prayer.  (I write intentions down so they’re clear.) Your prayer can be a few words like Heavenly Father/Divine Mother, help me see why people are treating me so harshly.  (Maura’s intention.)

(2) Become aware of others’ behaviors that trigger an exaggerated response in you and carefully describe both the behavior(s) and your responses in a notebook. (Maura began by writing about the hostility building among her customers and the similar incident in the cafe at the dance competition.)

(3) Review your notes and stay alert for trigger behaviors, those demonstrated by others that make you upset. (Maura noted her daughter’s growing indifference to her school work and her anger when Maura demanded it be done on time; her husband’s agitation when challenging the amount of time their daughter spent dancing; and her own rudeness to customers.)

(4) Take your time to get beyond the content that disguises your core issue (Maura’s disguises were that she had too little time, too little money) and observe your behavior until you have that aha moment that signals a truth. (Maura’s truth was that she had over-committed her time and money to her daughter’s dancing and was angry at herself for creating such a stressful life–and was appalled and sad that she let it spill into her relationship with her daughter, ex-husband and customers.)

(5) Say a prayer of thanks for the support you’re getting from the Divine each time you record and/or review your progress.

Need help?  Contact me through the Comments/Reply section.

P. S. Synchronicity and Mirroring share a kinship.  They both engage the collaboration of individuals who may or may not know each other.  Foremost is the Divine Collaborator who is responding to your prayer or wish. Then a network of “local collaborators” are called in, people whose daily activities and behaviors become synchronicities and mirrors to raise our self awareness. It’s exciting and joyful to realize how interconnected we are, and have the capacity to help each other even unknowingly.

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Thanks for stopping by!  Barbarah

The examples in Barbarah’s Blog are created from my training, experience and observations of people and situations.

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