Tag Archives: pilgrimage

We Are Here to Love!

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It is not easy! It is not complicated! We are here to love. To know love and to spread love. Our human lives pretend to honor the drama we create as the useful challenges we have to learn from. But, in the end, our learnings and our challenges are less complicated when seen from the perspective of the “Source.” We are here to serve each soul we bump into on our pilgrimage through this life and we are here to Love…

We want this to be more complicated and seemingly more important! Our egos want us to judge our deeds with relative values which are just constructed by our minds. We want to separate ourselves and to feel more important by comparing our “goodness” or our “successes” with the other people we meet. However, this judgement and separation is a challenge to release. At some point, we remember and then “Know,” that we are all in this together and are all heading in the same direction of being tested by our human dramas and then finding loving acceptance of all the souls in this Universe…

We are all being tested by the dramas we experience in our human existence. Isn’t it great! Difficult, depressing, painful, and challenging, BUT, Great! Our test to remember where we came from, The Divine, and where we will return, if we ever really “left” in the first place… Our goal as we grope toward an Enlightened state is to continue to connect with other pilgrims, know we are all in this together, and Love every spirit we encounter. That is “Enlightenment” and what we seek to carry forward in our human lives. We ARE the Divine, manifested into this human drama… (Not to belittle our struggles and our lives, but, perhaps we can step out of our dramas and imagine that we are looking at, viewing our lives as if we were watching a movie or a TV drama. The characters draw us in to their stories. If the acting is good, we are drawn in to the roles being played and the drama being played out. But, at the end of the movie we have new perspective but we return to our lives… It may serve us better to be slightly removed from the dramas we experience as humans so we can gain perspective without being to sucked in… But, this IS the lesson of our existence…) By “we return to our lives,” I refer to rejoining our spirit lives in the higher realms of the Divine.

AND, the “Love” being suggested is NOT human love with human conditional concerns. True Divine “Unconditional Love” seems to be beyond mental comprehension, and so beyond human definition. Even human love is really undefinable. Words do not do justice to the deepest concept of the emotions and understanding of love. “Divine Love” can not even be felt (well) or described by the human mind (and certainly words in English.) We “Know” Unconditional Love in our spirit and when dwelling in the Higher Realms. (In my personal experience, after returning from a spiritual “awakening” visit to the Higher Realms when visiting Death at the human age of 19 years old, I “remembered’ and felt Unconditional Love but could not clearly feel it when I returned to my human life. Though I “knew” it was available beyond the limitations of my human self. This was a life changing experience for me, which I was gifted.)

With all this said: Find Love. Share Love. Be Love… (You do not need to make excuses or make it more complicated… But, you will… Until, you do not need to…) And, Unconditional Love, Freedom, and Acceptance awaits You in the Higher Realms…

Paula Forget, my mentor and author of the book, “Guided to the Higher Realms,” contributes to this story:
“If I can add as a side, it is easy to Love when you see the Beauty of the Divine in others and in the whole world. It is there in its essence, even in the pain and difficulties, and in the joys and moments of awe.” (BTW: a recent rereading of Paula Forget’s book was the trigger and inspiration for this and many other of my blog postings…)

You are a Miracle! Thank you for being you.

Thanks for your time and consideration. Your insights and experiences are unique and a blessing, so please share these…

If you are READY and looking for a supportive community where you can share your story, your wisdom, and grow spiritually in a non-religious environment, consider Masters of the Journey.
You are a Blessing! You are a Master! Your wisdom from your life experience can have great value to other pilgrims on the path toward awakening and enlightenment.

The Masters of the Journey has events which are updated on our Facebook page which is found at: www.facebook.com/mastersofthejourney Please comment on this blog and share, if appropriate. More of our blogs are based on spiritual consciousness and can be found at www.dstress.com/blog

You Are Unique! You are the Divine!

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There is no one else like you! Like a fingerprint or a snowflake, there is no exact copy of the soul that you are. Your role in the great plan of the Universal Divine is specific to you, for you, and imperative to the foundation of the unknowable consciousness called the “Source.” Because you are a foundational piece of all consciousness, you are more important to the “whole” than you are able to fully comprehend.

Your life is important and essential. Your lessons from life’s challenges are necessary for All of Consciousness. You may be aware of your unique set of weaknesses or flaws and from these seeming imperfections, you get to test out from past experience and gained wisdoms to the next steps to take as you grow in awareness and consciousness. If you share your gained wisdom, you serve as a beacon to light the way for the other souls you bump into along your pilgrimage.

If you reflect back on your current life, you can find the successes and the travails of your path. Perhaps, you share your story of your life, and the feedback that you get is that no one else could have done what you did. Perhaps, no one else could have survived the life you have been through. It may be difficult to image how YOU survived, and perhaps, then thrived from the troubling lessons you have engaged. Yes, you are stronger than you might give yourself credit for being. Sure you were “lucky.” But, you were “guided” and “protected” so you could transmute these situations and then be available to share the outcomes and the wisdoms you have discovered from these tests.

If you are like me, you probably learned more from your mistakes or, seeming “failures,” than from the expected successes… I tend to learn more from what I have done wrong than what I have done correctly. For me, the lessons from the difficult life experiences have been most important and most worthy of sharing, if for no other reason, of what NOT to do ever again. These are the treasures of my life. “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger” is attributed to the German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche and delivers wisdom worth sharing. (It also reflects upon our life experience as an affirmation of resilience.)

From readings and discussion of passages from “A Course of Miracles” and “The Way of Mastery,” I reflect upon the importance and value each of us has as a necessary & essential part of the Divine Spirit. Though we self-limit ourselves, we are are more powerful than our egos allow ourselves to believe. We can protect ourselves from taking full responsibility for our current lives by “playing it small.” When actually, we are all connected and essential. We are all a part of the larger “One.” As we move toward greater awareness and consciousness we are playing our role toward developing all of Divine Consciousness! No standing in the shadows of greatness, YOU are the greatness. You are amazing and so important!

To illustrate your value, consider your life as if it were one single muscle cell in the heart. Obviously, the heart is essential. The miracle of the beating heart sending blood with oxygen and nutrients to every other cell of the body makes the heart and every muscle cell of the heart, important. If the muscle was damaged, the effect upon the body can be lethal as when a heart attack occurs. AND, this heart muscle can not exist without all the other cells of the body doing their miraculous work. The brain, the blood cells, the lungs, the digestive organs, the glands, the muscles and bones, the liver and kidneys, etc, are all doing their most essential part to keep you, the heart muscle moving along. Your unique, but essential, piece of the Divine Spirit is similar. The Divine Spirit can not exist without your soul doing its essential part.

Sure, you can argue with me. You can be in denial. It is easier for you to play it small and not be responsible. But, it does not change the ultimate truth that you are unique, essential, and so important for your role in the Divine Spirit!

Dance like no one is watching! Live like this will be your very last day… No regrets, you are perfect and so accept those flaws and imperfections which make you unique…

Follow your “Heart.” What your soul “knows” or “remembers” regarding your role in the Divine Spirit is more important than what you “think” based on cultural expectations. Be who you were meant to be, a Master in service of all the souls you bump into. Be the beacon of light to lead and support your fellow pilgrims on the path toward higher consciousness. You will remember, at some point, how important you are to the Divine Spirit, and how unconditionally loved you truly are.

Video Message from this blog available at: https://youtu.be/n9nsihobOcY with guided meditation starting 2:58 into this video.

You are a Miracle! Thank you for being you.

Thanks for your time and consideration. Your insights and experiences are unique and a blessing, so please share these…

If you are READY and looking for a supportive community where you can share your story, your wisdom, and grow spiritually in a non-religious environment, consider Masters of the Journey.
You are a Blessing! You are a Master! Your wisdom from your life experience can have great value to other pilgrims on the path toward awakening and enlightenment.

The Masters of the Journey has events which are updated on our Facebook page which is found at: www.facebook.com/mastersofthejourney Please comment on this blog and share, if appropriate. More of our blogs are based on spiritual consciousness and can be found at www.dstress.com/blog

What Might It Be To Be God?

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What would it be like to be God? Consider this not as blasphemy or as an Ego trip but through the Heart of the Divine Spirit. And, putting aside that your humanness, your brain, and your three dimensional limitations which do not easily allow such an expansive view of our Universe, you, your spirit, are at the core of Divine Wisdom. You are the perfect manifestation of the Divine, incarnated into a human life. You can back away from this responsibility but it does not change the fact that you and God are one. (You are an unexplainable Miracle.) Now, what do you do with this concept?… Beyond your struggle to know or to remember, and your denial, and to finally surrender to this “knowing,” is a theme for your enlightenment…

Imagine for a fraction of a human second what it would be like to be at the source of all dimensions of all of the Universe. In the “Higher Dimensions” a fraction of a second goes on forever AND a human life is but a blink… and Time and space, as humans understand, does not exist in the Higher Dimensions. The Human mind has limitations which boxes it in due to the belief that linear time, sequential time, exists and that all reality is found within 3 dimensions. In the Higher Dimensional Realms, “time” does not exist so you can be anywhere, in any dimension, perhaps even in multiple lifetimes in every moment. This is difficult to get your mind to understand because this is far beyond most human understanding. Likewise, it is not easily possible to “realize” that you are not confined by space in three dimensions. You can be anywhere, everywhere, simultaneously.

So, to imagine that your human mind and your human ego is put aside and you are the “Creator” of the Universe becomes a tremendous challenge for a frail human being. If you have had an “Awakening” like a Near Death Experience or a spiritual Epiphany, you might be more conscious of what is possible without human limitations. (Look up STE, a Spiritually Transformative Experience.) This is not the ego driven thoughts of unlimited power like in the movies. It is a more complete “Knowing” of omnipotence. So why is any of this important to you? You have a critical role in the Divine Spirit. You are a unique piece of the foundation of the Universe and all of the Divine. You are a multidimensional being living in a human incarnation but NOT limited to the human boundaries you have agreed to participate within in this drama of your human existence.

Putting your limitations of mind and ego aside, YOU are a piece of God. YOU are God! You are a living manifestation of Holy Spirit and have access to all of Divine Wisdom. AND, you are shaking your head in disbelief because it is too much to comprehend and there is too much responsibility that is enfolded in this consciousness. You might assume that if you were God, you would have to behave “God-like.” You could not have flaws in your humanness. AND, you fail to see the perfection of your imperfections along with the human lessons and challenges you are here to experience… You are “here” to be a crippled human, blind to who you really are. And, if you were to transcend your human limitations to realize your Divinity, you may have to live each moment within God-like expectations. Forget this expectation. You are NOT here to live 24/7 as God, though you may want to move closer to that possibility. Your purpose is to serve other souls in their quest to “remember” who they are, where they come from, and where they will return at the end of their human incarnation.

YOU can NOT get this wrong! You are Perfect! You are a Miracle! Your struggle in being human is your lesson and it is “our” lesson to get you as far along as possible in consciousness within the human existence you have chosen. So, at some point, imagine yourself in the higher dimensions. Free from time and space. As a multidimensional spirit you are surrounded by light and consciousness. You are enveloped in unconditional Divine Love. You are fully accepted for the perfect being you are. You are connected to all other spirits because you are “one” with them as part of the Universal Divine Spirit. You have the freedom to be anywhere and in any dimension and in any Earthly life at any moment. You can manifest your reality AND this is always perfect (if only as a lesson or challenge for you to experience.) In a meditation, you may have a brief remembering of this reality and this opens the door for your consciousness to walk through to have a greater realization that you are most perfect and at the core of all Divine Wisdom. For an instant, your human mind may know a small piece of what it is like to be God.

No matter what you believe about what you just read, Guidance has drawn you into consideration of these words and these concepts. You can not un-see these words or undo these thoughts. You will have your own path to enlightenment and you will find your own unique way to share these rememberings. The challenge will be to live your life with this wisdom and in some micro-seconds of your human life, know that you are the Divine. You are Loved! You are connected and so “one” with all the Universe. Though your mind and your ego wants you to think you are separated from all consciousness, you are but a flash of insight from the core wisdom. Now, you can not ever go back. What will you do differently after you are exposed to this concept?

BTW, my scribing these words from my Divine Guidance is done in an act of service to developing consciousness, to express a point of view you may have some difficulty finding. There are moments in my waking humanness when I “know” these concepts as reality and I struggle to find my way to live with Divine Consciousness in more of moments I am allowed in this lifetime… We will go hand in hand down this path to greater awareness and expanded enlightenment…

You are a Blessing! Thank you for being you.

Thanks for your time and consideration. Your insights and experiences are unique and a blessing, so please share these…

You are a Blessing! You are a Master! Your wisdom from your life experience can have great value to other pilgrims on the path toward awakening and enlightenment.

Note:
This posting is not created to denigrate your religious belief in God or your religion. In fact, in many cases, religious philosophy can have laws and rules which limit the way you understand or perceive of the Divine Spirit and this posting offers an expansive and inclusive view of what is possible… You have free choice to mentally understand your life philosophy in this human incarnation. Your choice of human thoughts and then your behaviors are a part of the lessons and the challenges we all are here to learn from. So, be responsible for your own thoughts and feelings and behaviors. Learn from your reactive responses and strive to move forward on your pilgrimage through this life. As stated above, these lessons are “perfect” and of service. Thank you for your service.

End Game Perspective

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Death is NOT the enemy! With that said, what is your end of life perspective? I find myself in my 70th year in this lifetime and I am guided to share some of my perspective from my life’s experience. 50 years ago, I was “gifted” with a life changing experience. As an immature, innocent and naive young man, I found my way into a room as a UCLA student on a student retreat weekend. The discussion was to be about a Kubler-Ross book “On Death and Dying” which had just come out that year. I had never thought about Death or Dying and had not read any books on spiritual philosophies regarding this topic. I was a clean slate and open minded… I was comfortable in my innocence with a “Guided Meditation” to find and to explore Death. No fears and no barriers to leaving my body for this exploration. In my mind, it was no big deal and I assumed that every one of the 25 students in the room would be experiencing something similar to me.

I was incorrect about this assumption. No Big Deal. I did what I was told. I relaxed. I got out of my body. I moved away from my body. AND, I went to explore Death. My guidance loved and protected me as I was “Guided” to what I thought was the halfway point to Death. In front of me was a dark horizon with a loving warmth radiating from over this horizon. No fear for me. In fact, the opposite was my experience. I was enveloped in a warm and unconditional Love. Words can not describe this sensation of heart based loving support, total acceptance, and a freedom from the limitations of time and space. It may have been only an instant but I recognized this as a familiar and common experience of consciousness beyond life on Earth. No Big Deal because this was familiar and everyone in the room was experiencing this same feeling.

This experience of 50 years ago is burned into my consciousness, like it just happened. I can not feel the unconditional love and warmth of acceptance, but I remember that for a fraction of a second I had felt this perfection and Joy. The “Oneness” and the access to all “Divine Wisdom” was also clear and experienced. Again, No Big Deal. When it was time to return to my body, I remember NOT wanting to return. I was ready to stay and maintain this glorious experience BUT I was “told” that I would have to return because “it was NOT your time and you had “things” to do in this life.” With resistance and disappointment, I grudgingly returned. No Big Deal!

When I found my way back and awakened from this experience, the group leader asked if anyone had something to report. Since I was one of the youngest students in the room I waited and looked around for someone else to speak up first. When no one else had anything to share, I raised my hand and told me story. No Big Deal! The guy in the front of the room listened and seemed to get excited. His eyes opened wide and he started to seem to start bouncing around in some level of excitement. It was then that I “knew” that this was a “Big Deal!” My life had been altered. With no fear of Death or anxiety regarding the end of life, I was free to live life more freely and consciously. Though it took many years and more gifted experiences to know how to speak about this, I have never let this experience fade from my consciousness. I remember the details like it just now happened.

This “remembering” has been used many times as a service to people I have bumped into in my life’s journey. (In hospice situations the retelling of this story offered peace and reduced anxiety for many individuals and their families.) It resonates strongly with stories I have been told or that I have read regarding NDE’s (Near Death Experiences.) At an IANDS (International Association of Near Death Studies) conference, I learned that I had had a STE (Spiritually Transformative Experience.) If you want a link to a video of my story it is on YouTube at: L. John Mason’s Death Video

Why is this retelling of this story important to YOU? Perhaps you have had a similar experience or you resonate as you “remember” your experiences in this transition. Or, perhaps, you can benefit from the perspective of what is possible and what is over your horizon… What is radiating from over the horizon that you could be awaiting???

Today, I still have some lessons and “things to do” so I will wait for my “time” to call it a life. If it comes soon, I will have no regrets and little or no anxiety about this transition to the realms of the soul/spirit. YOU will find your own truth regarding the final transition which you will experience. Your perspective on YOUR EndGame is your personal journey and the blessing of your pilgrimage. The next time I am enveloped in the Unconditional Love of the Divine Spirit I will leap at the opportunity to Dance in the Light… And, I will know YOU there…

Every day, perhaps every moment, look for the Joy in the lesson you are learning from the challenge you are currently living. Yes, Joy in the most difficult, or even painful, lesson. You are a Master of your Journey. AND, You are Loved for being who you are! Live in Gratitude. Share Love freely and Unconditionally.

You are a Blessing! Thank you for being you.

Thanks for your time and consideration. Your insights and experiences are unique and a blessing, so please share these…

If you are READY and looking for a supportive community where you can share your story, your wisdom, and grow spiritually in a non-religious environment, consider Masters of the Journey.
You are a Blessing! You are a Master! Your wisdom from your life experience can have great value to other pilgrims on the path toward awakening and enlightenment.

The Masters of the Journey has events which are updated on our Facebook page which is found at: www.facebook.com/mastersofthejourney Please comment on this blog and share, if appropriate. More of our blogs are based on spiritual consciousness and can be found at www.dstress.com/blog

Walking Your Sacred Path

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We are born into our present incarnations to follow our sacred path moving ever closer to “Enlightenment.” Along the way we are challenged by interactions and experiences which are there to teach us lessons we require to move further along our path. Each of us is unique and must walk our sacred pilgrimage in our own way. Know you are NOT alone. You are a part of the Divine Spirit but your distinct path will guide you to special learnings designed to assist you and to share with other pilgrims you encounter. As we are “one,” we are here to take the hands of the fellow travelers to aid them in their distinctive sacred path.

When we feel lonely, we are caught in a trap of separation which our mind and our egos create. At times like these, we can attempt to remember that our role is to support other seekers and reach out to share our story. The perspective that you offer as you share your success or failure (and failure does not really exist) offers your witness a chance to learn from your travails. You are a Master. No one else can be who you are and perfect in your own way. Share your story AND be available to witness the telling of your communication partner’s story. You give a great gift by allowing them to give to you in sharing their wisdom…

If you can remain “present” and “mindful” with each step you take on your sacred journey, you will reach your most important learnings most quickly. This is easier said than done but avoiding the traps of dwelling in the past or feeling the fear and anxiety surrounding the unknown future, you will live and learn most gracefully. Detachment and less judgement will add to your mastery. Again, this important lesson is easier said than done…

A wise mentor has encouraged me to walk my sacred path from my heart and avoid the limitations created by my mind. For me, this means that I listen to my intuition and allow my guides to assist me to make course corrections along my sacred path. Guidance has been most helpful and supportive for me. I have learned to acknowledge and trust that small voice which I “know” creates the messages I feel in my soul/heart. Along the way, I must let go of the “toxic memories” from painful past experiences so I can move forward into new adventures. So, hear the “truth” with your heart not the altered thoughts and judgements from your mind! (You are NOT a victim. At some level you have been part of the “plan” which includes those difficult experiences, which we learn most from.)

Where ever possible, “be the voice of forgiveness.” Learn to say, “I forgive you AND I love YOU!” The world needs so much more of this consciousness and this will expedite your travels along your sacred path. You are a Blessing!

If you are READY and looking for a supportive community where you can share your story, your wisdom, and grow spiritually in a non-religious environment, consider Masters of the Journey.
You are a Blessing! You are a Master! Your wisdom from your life experience can have great value to other pilgrims on the path toward awakening and enlightenment.

The Masters of the Journey has events which are updated on our Facebook page which is found at: www.facebook.com/mastersofthejourney Pleas

Basic Mindfulness Part 2: Living in a Mindful Way

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Being Mindful has been a question for me. After my three day Mindfulness retreat, I am more Mindful about the things I have not been mindful about. What the heck does that mean…??? Well, read a bit further.

I learned at the retreat what I think I already knew but had not learned how this feels or how to incorporate being more mindful into my habit driven lifestyle. No surprise, the key to being more mindful is to be aware and “present” by paying attention to your breath. Again no surprise, I learned that being more mindful works better when I focus on only one thing at a time. For example, drive focused without other distractions. (More examples to follow.) This focusing on one thing at a time is kind of challenging in our 24/7, multi-tasking world, but it certainly makes sense.

We practiced slower walking and breathing, awareness and appreciation of nature, and more meditations. The first two key ingredients to being more mindful (with 10 listed) where 1. to be aware of myself and my environment and 2. was to view each activity in your day with “Beginners Mind” and the feeling of wonderment. I liked these first two a lot. In fact, I really enjoyed all 10 ingredients in the book we used as a text but found number 6 a bit more challenging for me to fully appreciate and understand, let alone to practice. Number 6 was to live in “Equanimity.” I can barely spell Equanimity let alone know how to practice it. After consultation with my retreat group, its leader Chau Yoder (who is amazing) and my special Guru spiritual consultant, Paula Forget, I believe I am much closer to knowing what this is all about.

Equanimity is a very important, but a challenging (for me,) part of the Mindfulness life. This term refers to being able to look at and appreciate experiences in your life without getting caught in the “drama” of the experience. Paula Forget suggested that I look at each experience from the higher perspective of a “spiritual being” caught in a mortal body. As I look from a higher perspective, I may not “judge” the event, individual or experience but just see, perhaps feel it, as a neutral activity that can be curious and interesting. When I am successful, I may even feel empathy and appreciation for the circumstances which have lead to this experience and more fully understand my “lesson” or “challenge” from my participation. Even if this lesson is painful, which as a human I will feel, I can still feel appreciation for what I can learn from this challenge on my pilgrimage through life. This detachment does NOT mean you do not care or feel the physical or emotional pain. It means that you are not locked up without finding the higher perspective regarding how to celebrate (?) this difficult challenge.

One more example and an exercise you can attempt… Hold a tangerine. Look at it fully. Appreciate the work of people who delivered this fruit to you and the forces of nature which allowed this fruit to grow. Feel the tangerine. Scratch the peel and smell the tangerine. Slowly and carefully peel the tangerine, perhaps keeping the peel in one piece. Pull the first section out slowly and place this in your mouth. Breathe! Feel the tangerine section in your mouth. Move it around with your tongue. Press it against your teeth or slowly take a bite. Breathe! Taste the sweetness. Appreciate the sun and forces which developed the sugar of this fruit. Slowly swallow the first section and then slowly repeat this for as much of this tangerine as you wish. If you were not distracted and were focused upon this exercise, attempt this at your next meal… Try to not speak for 10 minutes while you eat… Be mindful. Breathe slowly. Appreciate.

Full List of 10 Qualities of Mindfulness are:
These are Pages 18-20 of Laurie Cameron’s book: “The Mindful Day, Practical Ways to Find Focus, Calm and Joy From Morning to Evening.”

1. Awareness
2. Beginners Mind
3. Acceptance
4. Insight
5. Impermanence (Life is temporary and so are all the challenges…)
6. Equanimity
7. Interconnection
8. Compassion
9. Gratitude
10. Joy

Special thanks to Chau Yoder for these helpful acronyms:

Consider C.A.R.E. when dealing with life’s experiences
C. Compassion
A. Appreciation
R. Respect
E. Equanimity

To Assist you with this, try P.B.S.
P. Pause
B. Breathe
S. Smile

One more tip for dealing with a situation which “Triggers” you. R.A.I.N.
R. Recognize
A. Allow
I. Investigate with Kindness
N. Nurture (Yourself and the Appreciation of this Challenge)

If you are READY and looking for a supportive community where you can share your story, your wisdom, and grow spiritually in a non-religious environment, consider Masters of the Journey.
You are a Blessing! You are a Master! Your wisdom from your life experience can have great value to other pilgrims on the path toward awakening and enlightenment.

The Masters of the Journey has events which are updated on our Facebook page which is found at: www.facebook.com/mastersofthejourney Please comment on this blog and share, if appropriate. More of our blogs are based on spiritual consciousness and can be found at www.dstress.com/blog