Be Here Now

Posted on October 13, 2022 by Diana Rankin

Flashes of intuition often come when we least expect them, but to receive them we must be present for ourselves. As Ram Dass said back in the 1970s, “Be here now.” But what does that mean?

We wear a lot of different hats in our lives—living mini lives within our bigger life; lives that make up the fullness of who we are—mother or father, wife or husband, daughter or son, employee or employer, housekeeper and gardener, caretaker of children/pets/parents. We need our appointment books and electronic calendars to remind us of where we need to be when, what task we need to be attending to at any given time. It seems to me with so much going on the only way we can exist with any amount of sanity is to stay in the present moment—to be here NOW.

“Be here now,” the phrase coined to represent being fully present and engaged in your life by Ram Dass back in 1971 in his book with the same title— Be Here Now. It was a good book then. It’s still a good book. I’m on my second copy, the first, with its tattered edges and worn pages, long since gone to someone else’s bookshelf. I no longer remember to whom I gave the book, but I always remembered the book, so a dozen years or so ago I picked up another copy. It doesn’t have as much character. It’s edges aren’t tattered nor are the pages worn. I haven’t needed the book to remind me to stay in the now the way I did when I was younger. As I’ve grown older, I’ve grown and become more adapt at reminding myself to stay present. But I remember, oh how I remember, that first copy of Ram Dass’ book and the revelation it was to me.

I was a part-time hippie then. I lived in California. And I was a seeker. By day I put on my corporate suit and wrote copy for a small publishing firm. We specialized in books on marketing and how to make money. Napolean Hill’s book Think and Grow Rich had a big influence on us. He wasn’t one of our authors. Mainly we published the owner’s books and his theories on how to market products to the masses. It was a fun job with an office full of friends. The owner, who taught part time at a couple California universities, including UCLA. He even had me fill in for him on occasion because I had taught school for a couple years in Ohio before I became a part-time hippie and headed off to California. The owner didn’t know I was a hippie. Had he known, he never would have let me stand in front of his students—half of who were older than me and the other half who looked older—and impart to them the information I had memorized from reading his books.

I got fully into teaching, the same way I got into the writing. Both activities required of me to be completely present in the now, but at the time I didn’t realize this being fully present in the moment was what Ram Dass was talking about. I was still trying to figure all that out, so it was the weekends I lived for—the long days when we jumped on the motorcycles and flew along the California freeways, stopping at friends or the homes of people we met on the road. Or the days we hiked up mountains in the summer and skied in the winter. Or days we just headed along winding roads beside the ocean, and I watched the waves I would someday sail in Diana Too, my 32-foot wooden ketch.

We didn’t need much sleep. We were young. We’d spend the night passing joints while words poured forth and our minds—if somewhat stoned—were filled with new expressions and concepts we were certain no one else had ever thought of.  I’m sure some of our ideas were slightly delusional in our marijuana-filled psyche, but some of our thoughts were . . . well . . . deep and full of exploration of human potential. That’s where Ram Dass and Be Here Now come in.

It was a new concept, and we latched on. We dug in, lit another joint, and analyzed every word. How can you plan for a future and be here now? What about yesterday’s memories? If I’m sitting here now and only thinking about my big toe, does that mean I’m here now? Am I here now if I’m thinking? Is being here now beyond thinking? Is it just experiencing?  “Hey man, let it go, let it all go. That’s being here now.”

It’s only now so many years later that I realize how much time we did spend in the now, in the present moment. In the moments of our analyzing and arguing, we were alive in the moment. In our gliding down the freeway on two wheels or four wheels or hiking up or skiing down a mountain or watching about the ocean’s waves, we were living in the now. In the time we spent touching the minds and hearts and bodies of each other, we were fully present in the now. In the time I spent writing and teaching, I was fully engaged in each moment. It was only when we stopped living and tried to be in the now that we failed. It was only when we stopped engaging the fullness of who we were in that moment of time that we stopped being in the now.

I didn’t realize that then, didn’t realize that being in the now is being fully engaged with your life in the moment, regardless of what that moment brings. We spend much of our lives in the now. Life forces us to. It forces us when we are blowing kisses on a child’s tears, when we are answering the questions of a student, when a car is coming at us on the wrong side of the road, when we twist an ankle on steps and need to right ourselves, when we are awed by a sunset, when. . .  when . . . in a thousand ways life forces us to be present in the moment, to be here now. And when life is not forcing us to be in the now, it allows us to be in the now if we accept the gift of the present moment—each and every beautiful/painful/blissful/grief-filled/precious moment.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Be Here Now

Ever Feel You’re Not Heard?

Posted on October 8, 2022 by Diana Rankin

Do you ever feel frustrated or hurt because you feel the other person didn’t hear you? If so, you’re not alone.

Studies show that we listen at only about 25 percent efficiency. This means we don’t hear—or understand—what the other person is saying about 75 percent of the time. And we wonder why we have such bad communication.

Learning to listen to the other person begins with a desire to actually hear what they are saying instead of hearing what we want them to be saying. Too often our own agenda gets in the way; we block out what the other is saying and hear only those words that supports our beliefs. So how can we change this?

Here are 10 tips to help you become a better listener. These tips are for normal conversations, not for any threatening situations.

  1. Admit you may not be the best listener. Very few of us are great listeners. Even as a trained listener who pays attention to what my clients are saying, I may find my mind wandering when interacting with a group of friends or family. I have to remind myself to put my listening abilities back on full attention.
  2. Set aside your own agenda and pay attention to what the other is saying. You may not agree; that’s okay. But listen with respect before stating your opinion. We’re so busy shouting at one another or thinking about pushing our agenda that we don’t hear what the other is saying.
  3. Absorb the information the other is providing, then provide feedback such as a nod of the head or repeating the essence back to verify you understood what the other is saying.
  4. Eye contact and body language are important factors to how well we are listening. Look at the person speaking. Show respect to the other person with an open heart and mind. Avoid crossing your arms over your heart. Slightly lean toward the speaker. Be aware of what your eyes and your body language are conveying.
  5. If you need to take a moment to reflect on what the other is saying, say so. Make sure you’re reflecting is to help you understand, and not thinking about how to come back. Hear the other person before you block your listening by filling your mind with thoughts of your agenda.
  6. If you don’t understand a point, ask questions for clarity.
  7. Yes, some people go on and on, so your listening may wane. That’s when you interrupt. When, and if, it’s appropriate, say excuse me and ask for clarity.
  8. Unless you’re a professional and being paid to give advice, or your advice is asked for, don’t. In conversations, we often just want to talk with others and may air our feelings about something but are not looking for advice or a way to fix us.
  9. Understand what the other person is trying to convey. They may not use the words you would use; they may not speak the same language or have the same education; they may be from a different culture, age, or be a different gender. They may be a visual person and you’re a word person. Reach into your heart and do your best to find understanding of what they are saying.
  10. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes. Do your best to understand what the speaker is trying to convey. This is not easy. It’s hard to understand how an experience has shaped someone, especially if we’ve never had the same experience. Empathy and compassion go a long way in helping us listen.

Listening is about letting the other person know you are hearing and care enough about them as a human being to listen to what they are saying. We can all be good listeners. It’s just a matter of caring enough about the other to put aside our agendas and listen with an open heart and an open mind.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Ever Feel You’re Not Heard?

Seven Ways to Awaken Your Intuition and Activate Your Psychic Powers

Posted on October 5, 2022 by Diana Rankin

Developing your intuition is a healthy way to take charge of your life and use your own inner psychic powers to guide your life to greater happiness and fulfillment. Following are seven ways to awaken your intuition and activate your psychic powers. Each is designed to help you get past the brain patterns you’ve created with your normal thinking. These methods mix up your thinking process to help you reach deeper levels of your intuition and find your psychic powers.

1. Open to Spirit and develop an awareness of your own inner world through meditation, prayer, and a loving desire to live a life of service to all living beings and the planet. You’ll be amazed at the richness and joy you’ll experience as you tap into your inner world. Children are especially adept at exploring their inner worlds, so take your child – or your inner child – on an exploration of the wonders of meditation and deep prayer.

Begin with the intent that you wish to explore the place of love within you. Use a guided meditation CD, music, or meditative breathing. As relaxation spreads throughout your body, allow yourself to experience the love that you are, the truth of who you are. Begin deep prayer work by thanking Spirit for your life and that which is in your life, then relax and ask that it be revealed to you the ways you can be of service to life and live a greater, more expanded, and exalted life.

2. Build up the pathways between the left and right brain hemispheres with easy-to-do crossover exercises. Cross the right hand over the front of your body and tap the left foot seven or eight times. Then, cross the left hand over the front of your body and tap the right foot seven or eight times. Repeat the exercises, but this time cross your hand over the back of your body.

Practice doing things with your non-dominate hand, such as opening doors, brushing your hair or teeth, or even writing. In addition to opening more pathways in your brain for intuition, you’re also creating more brain power for problem solving and critical thinking skills.

3. Heighten the awareness of each of your five senses. Intuition may be called the sixth sense, but if our five senses are dull, we can’t expect the sixth sense to be sharp. Our lives offer an endless playground for our five senses. Mix up your five senses. Begin by holding an object, any object, such as a stone or piece of cloth. Become intimate with that object. Look at it until you can see it with your eyes closed. Then ask yourself what the object tastes like.

Use your imagination. You don’t actually have to put the object into your mouth and taste it. Once you’ve gone through all five senses, mix it up again and ask yourself questions such as: What color is the taste? or What does the object’s sound feel like? Then go to the next level and ask yourself questions such as: If this object could speak, what wisdom about my life would it tell me?

4. Become aware of the whispers from Spirit by becoming more aware of life in each moment. Be open to receiving information and guidance to help make your life better. Nature is a wonderful teacher for intuition. Pay attention to the animals that cross your path and the winged ones who grab your attention. If you live in the center of the Midwest and a flock of seagulls dip and dive all around you, listen. Are they asking you to let go of your worries and soar with them?

Nature is alive with stone people, cloud people, tree people, and a myriad of others who speak to us all the time. We only need to listen.

5. Journal and dialogue with that which is greater than you: God, Goddess, a spirit guide, an angel, the highest self of someone you love and trust who has passed over. Choose a regular time to meet. Following morning meditation is ideal. Use your favorite blank journal, and just start writing, or if you’re a visual learner, draw. It doesn’t matter what you write, just write, or draw, and keep on going for about three pages. It usually takes about three pages to get past the objections in your mind that keeps you from accessing your deeper nature.

You’ll feel the shift, and once you do, write a question, then write the answer. Don’t judge the answer as you write, just write down the words that come to you. This is a subtle process.

Don’t expect shouts. Trust what comes. Later, go back and read what you wrote. You’ll be amazed at the wisdom that comes through your inner world.

6. Play intuitive games with yourself and others. Before getting into line at the bank or market, ask yourself which line is the quickest. Gather a group of photographs of different people that are all the same size, turn them upside down, and then guess whose picture is on the other side of each photograph. Use your intuition to stay safe. I live in deer country. Every time I feel the deer near, I slow down. Sure enough, deer will be around the next corner or over the next hill.

7. Let go of control and surrender to that part of yourself that is connected to Spirit. None of us are in control of life, but we are in charge of our lives. We can choose to experience life to its fullest. Or not. We can choose to be grateful for what we have. Or not. We can choose to live a life of service to our own lives and to all humanity. Or not.

Trying to hold control is like trying to stop a river from flowing. Taking charge of your life is becoming the master of your own destiny, flowing with the river and laughing all the way, and allowing your intuition to guide you to a greater, more fulfilling life.

These steps to awaken to your deeper intuition and activate your psychic powers take time and practice. Be patient and loving with yourself. Tapping into your intuition comes in its own time but comes only after you take the steps toward your own greater self.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Seven Ways to Awaken Your Intuition and Activate Your Psychic Powers

Why Ritual Is Important

Posted on September 29, 2022 by Diana Rankin

21 rituals to make your life better

Our ancestors knew the value of rituals. Anthropologists have documented the rituals of the ancient ones across cultures. In our modern day, psychologists who have studied the impact of rituals on people, have found rituals can impact our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Rituals give us confidence when faced with a challenging situation. Rituals help us during mourning the loss of a loved one whether by death or absence. Rituals help us celebrate important milestones in our lives like graduating from high school or college, a wedding, or other rites of passage. Rituals help us move to higher levels of our lives and deepen our spirituality.

Rituals even help us move through those times of transition when we have left the known to travel through the unknown before returning to a new known.

Following are 21 rituals (in 6 suggested categories) that you can do alone or in a group. Many of these rituals are interchangeable. For example, a ritual for Healing from loss can also be used for Looking for answers or Healing anger or disappointment, or rituals To celebrate also work for rituals To help you feel better, and visa versa. You can also adapt these rituals to best fit your needs and life.

Energy renewal

The more you become aware of energy and its impact on you, the more you will need to cleanse the energy.

  • Stand on Mother Earth and shake off energy after being around others. You can do this after work or time at the grocery store. Of course, always ask her permission. If she says no, move to another spot. That spot is healing.
  • Before going out among people imagine the Divine Light of Love coming into the top of your head and surrounding your body. As you move about feel the oval of light around you and a few inches out from you.
  • Shower. While the water washes over you, let go of any energy that is hindering you.

Healing from loss

  • Write a letter to the loved one to express your feelings.
  • Allow yourself to receive a letter from a loved one who is gone. Without judgment, simply write what words come to mind, then go back and read what you have written.
  • Take a warm bath and allow yourself to bask in the water’s soothing warmth. As the water fills, allow your emotions to come forward. Let the tears flow. As the water recedes, allow the emotions to go down the drain with the water. As you stand, feel your new strength that the water has given you.  

Looking for answers

Healing anger or disappointment

  • Draw a picture of your anger or disappointment. Use crayons or colored pencils. Put your anger/ disappointment into the picture. Once the feelings dissipate, burn the picture, letting go of any anger/disappointment residue. Give the ashes to the sky’s clouds and Mother Earth.
  • Walk and talk. While walking, talk to yourself about why you are angry or disappointed. If another person is involved, speak both sides of the story. Walk until you’re able to release the emotion. It’s best if you can walk in nature.
  • Change the energy between you and the other person. This video of mine will walk you through how to do so: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GABcO7KJfqI&list=PLeQCCQwRvvvWlYAt-iuDzY91g5Pwka0ed&index=18

To help you feel better

  • Dance to a song that touches your heart.
  • Pick or buy a bouquet of flowers and put them where you spent time.
  • Scream at the top of your lungs until you start laughing. Only do this if you won’t be heard or scare someone.
  • Call a kvetch buddy. This is a person that you’ve both agreed will listen without giving comment when you want to just get it out.
  • Write out what’s bothering you in a journal. Keep writing until you feel a release.
  • Laugh. Just start laughing. It’s not always easy but do it anyway. If you can’t do it on your own, this video of Daisy and me might help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mCu0-4iMQ8&list=PLeQCCQwRvvvXtIt1jUv3n1CEG-N889ort&index=2

To celebrate

  • Sing at the top of your lungs a song that celebrates you.
  • Call a friend to tell them and have them celebrate with you.
  • Tell the night sky how excited you are for you. Then the next day, tell the sun.

Before performing any ritual, state your clear intent. Wishing alone won’t make it so. A clear intent, following by action will.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Why Ritual Is Important

Daisy, Piper, and a Few Women The Way Dog Miracles Work

Posted on September 23, 2022 by Diana Rankin

For a few weeks I’d been thinking about bringing a dog into our home. When Daisy died, months past now, I knew someday I’d be ready again, but I didn’t think it would be until the spring. But here I was feeling maybe it was time, then yes it’s time, but do I really want to be taking a dog for walks and out for it’s needs with winter coming on? Then Allison called.

When Daisy was sick, I promised her she always had a home here. She could come back into body anytime she wanted. I explained that if she couldn’t find me directly she could find me through Allison, a long-time friend, one time Daisy’s foster mom, and owner of  Pawsavers Dog Rescue. “But I don’t want to be a puppy again, Mom,” Daisy kept telling me. “I don’t want to leave you.”

Daisy had a rough life as a puppy before living at Allison’s. I didn’t blame her for not wanting to skip puppyhood. I also wondered how she would find me, but I knew she would. We had a special bond from the beginning.

While fostering Daisy, Allison often told me that I was Daisy’s forever home. Yeah, I knew that, knew it even before Allison said anything, but my house and heart were full. We were nursing the last two of our team of five rescue dogs. Lacey, a little Sheltie, was not doing well, and I wanted to make her last days on Earth full of love and attention. When she passed, Freddie, who appeared one day as a pup in my fenced-in back yard, was lonely. He was used to being part of the pack, not he was alone. It was time to bring Daisy home to help make Freddie’s final years better.

Daisy, a border collie and lab mix, became my constant companion. She often moved the cats off my lap on the sofa so she could put her head and paws there. We’d walk for miles along the country roads where we live. And she never met a stranger. On hikes, people would stop and pet her. There was something special about Daisy, like she was an angel of love. You just felt better in her presence. Then one day, while hiking with friends, Daisy struggled. It was her last hike. She could still play in the meadow, but when we’d walk down the lane to pick up the mail, Daisy would stop and look at me. “Mom, I ready to go back.” So, we put away her leashes, and let her play with the butterflies as I walked down the lane to get the mail.

It was hard saying goodbye to her, even harder watching her give up the life she had loved. She asked me to promise her I’d let her stay on the land, no vets. When I broke my promise and tried to take her to the vet, she knew what was happening, and bit me. (In Ohio a dog can’t be euthanized if she’s bitten anyone within ten days.)

After Daisy passed, I was sad, relieved, and mostly tired. I wasn’t ready for another dog. And then months passed, and Allison called. Out of the blue, a friend in dog rescue in Michigan called, “Do you by any chance know of anyone who would rehome a 9-year-old sheltie?”

“Yes. Send me a photo.” When Allison saw the photo, the little one reminded her of Lacey, my sheltie. My niece, Michelle, was here when Allison called and texted the photos.

“Let’s go get her right now!” Michelle said with such excitement I was ready to go.

“Let me talk to Lily,” I said. Since her two cat sisters died, she’s been the only cat, and since Daisy died, she’s been the only 4-legged one here. Although she loved Daisy, I wasn’t sure she would welcome another animal into our home.

The next day, I committed to bring Piper into our home as her forever home. Rehoming a dog is different than adopting from a rescue. Rescue dogs are usually thankful; rehomed dogs need to grieve and adjust. From the little knowledge I had Piper had lived in the same home for nine years. This wasn’t going to be easy. I still had reservations, yet it did feel right. So, I headed to the pet store to buy her a new vest and other essentials.

After leaving the pet store, I headed to Kroger’s to pick up a few groceries. So, few were the things I needed that I didn’t bother with a cart. Walking down one isle, while looking at the shelves and not the cement floor, I started sliding and going down. Guess I screamed. I don’t remember. I only remember sliding.

“Are you okay,” I heard a female voice. Then another, then a male voice, “Are you okay?”

“I don’t know,” I answered. I was lying on the floor. I didn’t know how I got there. Then I remembered the feeling of sliding downward. (I still don’t remember hitting the ground.) Anxiety kicked in. Was I hurt? I didn’t know. Julie, the first woman to me, stayed near me. She and her son sent others around me and the slippery spot. The gentleman went for a Kroger employee.

John, a manager, finally showed up. It seemed to take forever. Julie had helped me stand by then as I checked myself over. I wanted to leave the store, but I wasn’t about to leave this slippery spot on the floor for someone else to fall. “She fell really hard,” Julie told the manager. He just shook his head and proceeded to pull out paper towels to clean up the slippery. “It was a green grape,” he said, and I thought to myself, “Yeah, one a kid threw up.” You could see a two-foot-long streak where I began the slid before ending in the fall. There was way too much liquid for just one green grape. Still, I didn’t say anything. By now my anxiety was barely under control.

I kept telling myself to calm down. Being this anxious wasn’t like me, especially in a crisis, which is when I’m usually really calm. But it was in a crowded grocery store after a day of running errands. Being in stores has always been a challenge for me, especially since Covid. Julie and her son left, so did John after getting my information and I assured him I had no intention of suing Kroger’s.

After picking up the items I came into the store for, I walked outside, and breathed. By now my body was feeling the fall and all I wanted to do was get to my car and go home. I started questioning why I fell. I have good balance. Why was there a grape right there in the middle of the floor? Why was I the one who stepped on it just so? Was this about Piper? Was Daisy telling me to slow down, that this wasn’t her, that I shouldn’t let Piper come to our home? My mind was awhirl with questions.

As I reached the car, my anxiety was about as high as I’ve ever experienced. My phone, which was in my pocket started playing music. I had turned it off because once it’s in my pocket, the phone has a mind of its own. The fall must have turned it back on.

I pulled it out to turn it off. I stopped. Tears burst forth and I let out a full-voiced breath. There on the screen was Daisy running toward me. “Piper needs you like I needed you,” she relayed.

Once composed enough to drive home, I started the car and headed for the parking lot. As I pulled away, the sun broke through parting dark rain clouds. I opened the sunroof and breathed in the rained-fresh air and bright sun. I no longer had a question about whether Piper should come to live with us. Daisy had spoken, and the answer was clear. Daisy didn’t have to come back as a puppy, but was she Piper? How could that be? Piper was nine, which was about how many years ago Lacey, my last sheltie died. But Daisy only died months back. I was pondering all these questions. Then Allison called.

She reminded me of what I had told her years before. As animal communicators, we had often worked together on finding lost dogs or cats and relied on one another for help communicating with our own 4-legged kids. When a person or one of our believe pets dies, they may return as a spark with another. Our human minds want the whole kid, not just a spark, so we don’t grasp how an animal—or a person—can be a spark. We have the DNA of our ancestors, and so can animals.

“Daisy did so much spirit work with you. She grew so much in this lifetime,” Allison, the animal communicator said. “She has more to do in spirit before she’s ready to fully come back, but she’s guiding Piper.”

Tears of truth flowed as my heart opened fully to Piper. She must be one special little girl to have Daisy as her own doggy spirit guide.

I pray Piper will be with us for many years (Daisy was 16 and Lily is in her 20s.) but if she is only coming here so Daisy can help with her transition in a few years, it’s still right. I wondered about the fall? And the anxiety? Why did they happen? It finally came to me the fall turned my phone on to the perfect video of Daisy that I took years ago. I never would have seen that video  had the phone—and Daisy—not sent it to me. The anxiety? I was going from one place to another that day. What better way to slow me down and send me home than to shut me down.

I think of Allison, my niece Michelle, Dawn, Allison’s friend who introduced me to Piper with a simple message to Allison to ask if she knew anyone who might want a 9-year-old sheltie who needed to be rehomed. And I think of Daisy and Piper, and the miracle that brought us all together.

Update: Michelle, now Auntie Michelle to Piper, and I met Dawn last Sunday. Piper now lives with us, and all is well. It’s quiet here in our country home where she is the only dog and where she has a special angel to watch over her. Thank you Daisy.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Use Words that Are of Service to You and the World

Posted on September 22, 2022 by Diana Rankin

To be of service to the world with our words begins with the words we say to ourselves about ourselves. Do we use kind words or harsh ones? Do we tell ourselves how well we’re doing or are we always berating ourselves for not being enough?

To use words in service to yourself-

  • Listen for any words you use to beat up on yourself and change them to positive words. Every day make a point to give yourself positive reinforcement. Tell yourself how pretty/handsome you are, how perfect your body is, how bright you are, how helpful you are to others, how successful you are, what a positive influence you have on the world, etc.
  • Let the last words you say to yourself before falling asleep and the first words you say when awakening be, “I love me, and it was/is a beautiful day!”

To use words in the service of others-

  • When angry, stop and breathe before speaking and ask yourself, “Are these the words I want to represent me?”
  • When you hear another’s hurtful words, remind yourself that the other is speaking from his/her world view. Refuse to allow the other’s words to hurt your heart. Keep strong boundaries, but do not respond in kind or defensively. Instead, respond firmly and kindheartedly. For example, you might say, “Although I respect your opinion, I feel hurt by the choice of words.”
  • Make a point to speak to all others with kindness, even when disagreeing.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Comments Off on Use Words that Are of Service to You and the World

Why We Need to Pay Attention to Our Thoughts and the Words that Follow

Posted on September 22, 2022 by Diana Rankin

Since we’ve been knee high to a grasshopper, we’ve been taught to be aware of the words that come out of our mouths; that they have the power to hurt as well as to heal. Although it may sometimes seem like it, words don’t come out of nowhere; they begin with a thought so perhaps that’s where we need to begin – with our thoughts.

Of course, it isn’t possible to monitor our every thought. The average person has nearly 50 thoughts per minute, 48.6 to be exact. That’s 700,000 thoughts a day, according to the laboratory of Neuro Imagining at UCLA. That’s a lot of thoughts and each one affects our personal world and the world at large. Every thought we have is going out into the world, beaming out from us, following us around, and affecting everyone and everything we encounter. Don’t take my word for it. Test it out in your own life. How does the world treat you when you’re feeling really good about yourself and life? Do others seem to be kind and loving and the world a bit brighter? How about when you’re out of sorts? Does the world around you seem to conspire to get in your way? Think about it.

I’ve noticed in my life that when I think I need to move faster, I grow impatient. Even if I have plenty of time to get to where I’m going, or even if I have nowhere to go, when I start thinking that I need to hurry along, I get impatient. And I get a visceral reaction. My body tenses; I feel rushed and soon start feeling aggravated. My outer world is reflecting my inner thoughts and my body’s reactions to those thoughts. Drivers cut in front of me, forcing me to brake and slow down; anger and stress rise in me; no one is friendly, and everyone seems to be grumpy. I’ll grow increasingly ill-tempered and so does the whole world around me. It’s a mean, harsh, depressing place that I’ve come to, and it all started with that thought that I needed to hurry.

Then there are the times (most of the time thankfully) where I feel the deep satisfaction of having a day full of clients who tell me how I’ve helped them and where writing flows magically, and I come into the evening hours feeling the energy of the day. Doors are opened for me; everyone smiles and is friendly; traffic moves at a comfortable pace; life is joyous, and I am filled with gratitude.

I’ve noticed this in my life, how my attitude is changed by my thoughts and my thoughts change my world. So, I watch my thoughts, not all 700,000 a day, but the ones I can catch, the ones I can say to, “Hey, I don’t like what you’re creating in my life so get out of here,” or, “Hey, you’re creating what I want in my life, so let’s have more thoughts like you.”

I’m not saying it’s easy to monitor my thoughts or to make a point of changing them once I am aware of what is going through my mind. I am saying the effort is worth it to me. I like being happy. I like having doors open for me and people smiling at me. I like having clients tell me I’ve helped make their lives better. I like living in a world of love instead of one of fear and anger. It’s worth it to me to make the effort to watch my thoughts, changing them when necessary for an attitude adjustment. It’s worth it to me to be a beam of love, of joy and gratitude, of kindness and compassion, of understanding and acceptance. It’s worth the effort to me because it’s what I want for my life. Don’t you?

I think we all do. We all want a life lived in grace where love is more exciting than the latest violence captured on the news or in Hollywood; where we take more pleasure in just being than in griping about politicians; where we speak out against injustice in a way that forms solutions instead of yelling fearfully the same rhetoric that only those who agree hear; where we go to bed at night with satisfaction in a day well lived and wake with excitement for the day that awaits. I believe we all want this, and I believe we all can have this world. It’s a simple as listening to our thoughts and choosing to rewrite them for our own good and the good of all.

Thank you for making the effort to help create a better world one person – one thought – at a time.

Posted in Happiness, On the Way to Grace | Tagged , | Comments Off on Why We Need to Pay Attention to Our Thoughts and the Words that Follow

Sitting In the Mist Between What Was and What Is to Come

Posted on September 15, 2022 by Diana Rankin

In the Western/American culture in which I live, we are impatient. We do not like being in the space between what was and what is to come. Sitting in the Irish mist, I call it, because it reminds me of time spent in the patience of Ireland when I could not see around the next curve in the road or in my life.

We don’t like those time after something has ended and before the next begins. We want it now and we want to know the whole picture, not just the beginning. But life is full of those spaces between here and there, between what was and what is to come. Seldom are we shown the second step until we actually take a first one, which we are only shown after patiently spending time in quiet of the mist. We must have patience with everything unresolved in our lives and try to enjoy—even love—the questions we must ask ourselves.

Rainer Maria Rilke in Letters to a Young Poet speaks elegantly of spending time in the mist, those moments of needed reflection that help us let go of that which was and grow into that which is to come.

I beg you, to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.

Where I live in a rural woods, patience comes easier for me than it used to when I lived in the city. Perhaps it’s age as well that allows me to sit quietly and watch the morning mist rise from the farm fields on the other side of the trees, green and golden and browning from autumn’s approach. Perhaps even, it’s a bit of wisdom that allows me to reflect on that which was, to heal and clear its wound or un-attach from its joy, so when the time is right, I can move into the next phase of my life, allowing the next creation to unfold in divine time instead of my timetable.

If we are able to allow our lives to unfold naturally rather than push, that which comes is ready for us, as we are ready for it. What comes then is right for it is created by our dreams and built by our patience.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Love or Fear; It’s Your Choice

Posted on September 8, 2022 by Diana Rankin

In the 1970s I began studying A Course in Miracles. Rich with a spiritual depth I longed for, I found a home for my heart. Although complex (and at time I found myself arguing or in disagreement with the course) I also found one concept that drew me to its simplicity. Still, it would take a lifetime and the study of many other texts and teachers to come to understand the complexity of that one concept that stayed with me – the concept that every emotion we have is one of love or fear.

Love or fear, I still love the simplicity of that, of having two choices. Whatever emotion I’m experiencing at the moment, I can ask myself whether this emotion is coming from love or fear. Is this thought that is creating the emotion coming from love or fear? Is this action I am taking coming from love or fear?

It’s pretty easy to figure out which emotions are fear based and which are love, but some emotions are more complex, and may take digging a little deeper into. For me, I use my heart as the diving rod – if the emotion warms my heart, chances are pretty good that it’s one of love; if it doesn’t warn my heart, but instead takes me deeper into the emotion or into an alternative emotion that doesn’t feel good, chances are it’s a fear-based emotion.

Let’s look at a few common emotions and their complexities.

Fear. Whenever I post a political comment on my social media, I can expect those in disagreement to argue with me and everyone who agrees with me. I do my best to catch any nasty remarks or name calling, but it still hurts my heart to even read these comments.

It’s easy to pick up the writers who are coming from a place of fear, fear of dying, fear of not everyone believing as they do so everyone else is wrong, fear of being caught in a storm, etc. We are seeing fear all over the world but especially in the political scene in the US.

Anger. This one’s easy to spot on the surface. Anger is usually fear based. I’m not getting my own way. I remind myself of this every time I get frustrated because my computer refuses to do what I want it to or the line at the market is moving too slow or you’re not listening to me, or . . . well, you get the point.

But anger can have a positive side. It can be a motivator to take action. There are things in this world that do need to be healed and changed, and anger at injustice can get our attention. But, if we stay in the anger and act out of that anger, we leave the space of love, where we are propelled to speak out strongly and calmly and take appropriate action against the injustice, and instead of yelling from our ego, angry, wounded self (Look at me! Look at how great/right/strong/smart than you, etc. I am!, or This is so scary! We’re all going to die; they are wrong, and we are right, and so on) we need to pause, breathe, and ask ourselves if we really want this for our lives.

Bottom line: anger is fear based. Let it spark you, and then move into a space of love where you can really make a difference.

Grief. This too is a complex emotion. Grief comes because we’ve lost someone or something we love. Grief doesn’t warm our hearts, but thoughts of loving that which we lost does. I find with many of my clients that if we can separate that which comes from love in the grief and that which comes from fear, grief can be purer and actually warm the heart. This is not to say we stop thinking about the loved one or even stop missing them. It is to say that love helps to heal the hole in our heart and gives us the courage to live.

How do we separate that which comes from love and that which comes from fear? Wondering how we will take care of our lives without that person is an emotion that comes from fear, for example.  Thinking we will never love again or that we will never heal or being angry because the person is gone or grieving to the point of being unable to honor the loved one enough to live our greatest life are all fear based.

Opening our wounded heart to make room for greater love for ourselves and the world is love. Love is creating something that honors our life and that of the loved one, as well as all life.

It is our human self that must grieve, and it is healthy to allow ourselves to go through the healing process. Too often, however, we get stuck in the grief, afraid that if we let go of our grief, we are also letting go of the loved one. If the loved one has died, it is much easier to communicate with each other once we let go of the heaviest grief. In my practice as a psychic medium, I see this over and over. This is true if we are grieving for a loved one who has left our life through a broken relationship or if the loved one has left us through death of the human body. Moving out of fear of loss and into a state of love helps us let go for purer communication with the other and with ourselves.

Like magnets, our thoughts are drawn to, and draw to us, more of the emotions we experience, and in doing so strengthens both our personal emotion and the collective emotion. Why then do we so often choose fear instead of love? It’s easier to follow the crowd, which tends to be fear based, then to think for ourselves. Look at our movies and television shows, even the daily news. We are bombarded with tragedy and horrific events – and possible horrendous occurrences – every hour of every day. Even before the world of technology, there were dangers in the world that we had to be aware of to survive. Fear is inherent to the human existence.

So is love, which is drawn from our deeper spiritual selves and lives through our human selves as much as we allow it to. We underestimate the power of love because we often misunderstand love. We think of love in human terms and what we gain from it rather than understanding that love is the highest of emotions that asks us to give all of ourselves to it.

Fear fights to make things happen, asking us to make value judgments according to our personal world view.

Love ask us to become love, holding ourselves and one another accountable while allowing the creation and unfolding of life that expresses greater compassion, understanding, respect – love – for all life in all its expressions.

Posted in Happiness | Tagged | Comments Off on Love or Fear; It’s Your Choice

The Energy and Grace of Abundant Prosperity  

Posted on August 31, 2022 by Diana Rankin

To have abundant prosperity in our lives requires a mix of both the mundane and spiritual. As we are both human and spirit, we need a balance of harmonies to be the energy and grace of abundant prosperity. The following suggestions are to help you find—and keep—that balance.

Honoring Money Too often we equate money with greed, but money can be a spiritual source. It can help our lives be more comfortable and it can help many, many others. We need to recognize that money is a helpful tool, that there is nothing inherently evil about money, and having a lot of money may allow us to serve even more. Money buys medicine for the sick, food for the hungry, homes for the homeless. Money allows research to find answers to help humanity live in more harmony with all life and build a brighter future for all the children of the world.

Greed and misuse of money is a fact of the reality of our world today, but do not put your concentration there. As someone on the spiritual path, keep your focus on how abundant prosperity can help make your life and all life better.

Create a Relationship with Money What is your relationship with money? I’ve learned over the years that I get bored with money, so to have abundant prosperity, I’ve had to change my attitude. I’ve had to make money fun and I’ve had to change my attitude to convince myself that money is good, and it brings me great happiness and allows me to serve others with greater devotion. If I’m worried about paying the mortgage, I can’t serve my clients as well as when I know all that I need is provided for. One allows me to serve from a fullness of my heart; the other from a place of lack.

Like any relationship when we are concentrating on the goodness of the relationship, more of the goodness manifest in our lives.

Staying In Integrity with Money Be honest with yourself and others. It’s that simple and yet it can seem so difficult at times. Whatever we owe—to an individual, to an institution, or to the government—we must pay.

My bane is recordkeeping for taxes. Quite frankly, it’s a pain to keep meticulous records. People pay me for psychic readings and coaching sessions by check or credit card; Sacred Circle donations are in cash. It would be so much easier if I didn’t have to take time to report this money, to add it all up at the end of every month and again at the end of the year, and to pay taxes for that which I don’t support in my heart. But it’s not about the tax man and me. It’s about my telling the Universe I am grateful for all that I have been given this year and that I can afford to pay that which is asked of me. I don’t pay any more than is asked of me, but I must pay what is asked or be open and honest about choosing to not pay because I am taking a stand, and be prepared to pay the consequences.

Live with a Generous Heart and Collect Your Debts Be generous; allow money to move in and through you, and at the same time, respect yourself and money enough that you collect any money owed to you. If you cannot collect the debt, then make a conscious decision to write it off and change the energy from a debt to a donation.

Practice the Practice Create your vision boards, read magazines about wealth, and practice the tools that help you manifest. Dig into your attitudes about money and change them to ones that create wealth instead of pushing it away. Go pretend shopping, learn about investing, join or start a money-making club, write yourself large checks (don’t cash them) and post them where you can see them, go for a walk and chant an affirmation, and when you visualize money put yourself in the vision. Keep practicing until you become the vision and embody abundant prosperity.

God is your source By whatever name God/Universe/Spirit/Love/Energy/Mind, this is your source of all abundance. No other. You may think your job is your source, but your job may end. You may think a person is your source, but not so. God/Universe/Spirit/Love/Energy/Mind, this is your source of all abundance. Remember this.

Be Practical Live within your means while you are cleansing and clearing and changing your attitude to allow you to manifest abundant prosperity.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Energy and Grace of Abundant Prosperity