Magic

Recently I've come to some sort of personal epiphany. If you've read my previous posts you know I'm a hopeless romantic & I have always believed there is a special someone for everyone out in this big beautiful world of ours. I have fallen in love a few times in my life so far that were all beautiful short lived romances. I have no regrets & cherish the good memories that were made from those relationships. So my recent epiphany, is about that fairy tale kinda love. Love at first sight, the butterflies, heart skipping a beat, sweaty palms, never getting sick of looking into that special someone's eyes, irritating your friends because your just so damn cute together type of love. Where everything just flows.. I'm beginning to see the bigger picture and I believe it exists to a certain degree. I believe it is what you make of it, and nothing is easy especially relationships. I think we've been programmed by movies & what not to believe its all rainbows & roses. And I've always searched for that exact love, but only have come close. Something was always off or I found something not right or matching what my fairy tale consisted of. I believe that we search so hard for something that beautiful that we sometimes pass up something that has the potential to be just that. If we don't fall madly and deeply in love right away or have all of the above feelings we question if this person is "the one" for us. Atleast I do and have plenty of times. My new outlook goes along with my belief that we should live in the moment & not worry about the past or the future. If we find someone that we admire, adore, enjoy their company, love them for who they are, and they are reciprocal to your feelings, we need to grab hold & not let go. We need to embrace the love & companionship that person is offering us at that very moment & not worry about the rest. Just let things happen the way the universe has planned for us, the frequency we have already put out there to receive love into our lives is set forth & in motion if you have someone right in front of you. Maybe it's not picture perfect & rainbows and roses, but nothing is. True Love is unconditional, and should not be judged and picked apart. To have that fairy tale, your fairy tale with someone you must first build a solid foundation. That consists of learning about each others likes & dislikes. Their fears, joys, what makes them smile. Building trust with that person & communicating what your passions are and what you want out of life. That is where your fairy tale begins. Maybe that relationship doesn't last a lifetime, or even a year for that matter. That doesn't mean you can't enjoy it while you have it and look back and say, "wow, that was a really amazing feeling" and cherish those memories. My point, just because it's not magical in the beginning doesn't mean it's not ever going to be. The real magic is being able to share that time with someone and love them. This doesn't mean that your settling. Unless you know damn well this person is not right for you and you choose to avoid all the red flags to leave. Now that's another story in itself. So my advice to you, that I plan on taking as well.... Open your heart and love whoever comes into your life, and embrace the love that they give to you in return. You never know what magic awaits on that journey.... :)
Namasté

My Journey to Enlightenment

As I've said before, I have been on a quest for enlightenment for over 5 years. I have been drawn to buddhism because I see it as a way of life more than a religion. We are all buddhas within. I've been living and learning how to encompass everything that I've learned over the years. My life has been transformed in such a beautiful way. I have a deeper appreciation for so many things in my life. I've always been grateful for everything in my life, but I, like many others never loved myself and gave all my love away. I realized that I was missing out on so much happiness. I now take time for myself, and above all recognize when that "me time" is needed. Now my life is whole in so many ways. I wish I could bottle up this feeling of overwhelming happiness that I have and sell it! I'd be rich lol. I was very lucky to have found my new family with SGI. They have surrounded me with love and light. I'm sharing all this with you today, because tomorrow I will receive my Gohonzon. This is a goal I set for myself for August and have attained this goal a month early and am elated! Here's a simple explanation of what a Gohonzon is for those of you who are not familiar with the practice. The Gohonzon is the stimulus that helps us draw forth this most enlightened state of life, perceive the Buddha state as the true nature of our life, and live in harmony with our environment. The Gohonzon takes the form of a scroll inscribed with Chinese and Sanskrit characters. The significance of the Gohonzon lies not in the literal meaning of the characters, but in the fact that it is was created by Nichiren as the physical embodiment, in the form of a mandala, of the eternal and intrinsic law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. The phrase "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo Nichiren" is written in bold characters down the center of the scroll. We chant "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" to connect with the Universe, with the vibration that we give out as we chant. Nam derives from the Sanskrit word namu, meaning "to devote oneself." Myoho literally means the Mystic Law--the underlying truth or principle which governs the mysterious workings of the universe and our life from moment to moment Renge means lotus flower. The lotus blooms and produces seeds at the same time, and thus represents the simultaneity of cause and effect. Kyo literally means sutra, the voice or teaching of a Buddha. In this sense, it also means sound, rhythm or vibration. For me putting what I've practiced throughout the years along with chanting, has added so much more awareness to my life. I feel so connected with the universe and everything in it. I have always been a lover of nature, but now I have a deeper admiration for it everywhere I go. I see beauty in people that I meet that I may have overlooked before. I'm so excited to continue my journey.

The Buddhist view of life is a profoundly holistic one that sees no essential separation between our lives and the life of the universe. When we draw forth the power of wisdom and compassion through prayer, we are drawing forth and directing the same universal wisdom and creative compassion that manifests in everything from the intelligent bonding of molecules to the symbiotic evolution of species, to the decay and formation of galaxies.Ultimately it is belief in their own potential that enables human beings to develop and to advance in the face of difficulties Human RevolutionInterconnectednessTreasuring DiversityCreating ValueWisdom Compassion~ NAMASTE'

My daily affirmations

I am filled with light, ℒℴѵℯ & peace. I treat myself with kindness & respect.

I'm open to the flow of great abundance in all areas of my life & allow the universe to bless me in surprising & joyful ways.

Today I ℒℴѵℯ my body deeply & joyfully. I choose to see the divine perfection in every cell of my being.

Fear is only a feeling, it cannot hold me back. With a solid plan & a belief in myself there's nothing I can't do.

All is well, right here, right now. By becoming peace, I create peace in every experience.

Today I open my mind to the endless opportunities surrounding me. I boldly act on great opportunities when I see them.

Today nurturing myself is my highest priority, I open myself to the natural flow of wellness.

Today I am completely tuned in o my inner wisdom, my inner voice guides me in every moment.

The better I know myself, the clearer my purpose becomes. Today I present my ℒℴѵℯ, passion, talent & joy as a gift to the world.

I am ready for a healthy, loving relationship. I deserve a loving, healthy relationship. I deserve to be loved and I allow myself to be loved.

ASK*BELIEVE*RECEIVE

Ahhh ...How simple those three words are! And yet how many of us ask for the wrong things without even realizing it? I know I have throughout the years and fell into a cycle of doom. "Bad" things just kept happening one right after another, where I found myself asking the universe, unknowingly, for more of the same thing by saying, "What else can happen?", "What else is gonna go wrong?" etc.. I have recently met some really good people out here in Vegas, who excitingly believe in a lot of the same things I do! Being around people of the like is a constant reminder of what type of vibration I need to be putting out there into the Universe to receive what I desire! I have learned patience, persistence, positive thinking, and manifesting. Some people are blessed to receive blatant signs from the Universe of which direction to go with a certain thing, some may choose to listen, and some may not. All I can say is PEOPLE! This stuff really works! Seriously! It's amazing when it happens, and I personally feel blessed and very grateful!

I will let you in on some personal things that I believe were the Universe working in my favor and showing me signs along the way. I'm gonna start with a sign I believe that was given to me, and I didn't realize what it meant till 3 months later. When I went out to Sedona for a vacation, we were taking pictures at the mountain overlook, and my eyes were drawn across the street to two trees. They weren't anything to look at really.

Notice the Ravens? Well I've always been one to look up symbols and meanings of things that catch my attention, so I had a good friend look it up for me. Ravens are found all over the world in artwork and mythology. Whether the meaning of a Raven is good or bad depends on the people of that culture. Ravens have been regarded as omens of death, war, and bad luck to some, and creators of light, fire, magik, and change to others. Like any change within our lives, it depends on how you look at it. Change is the ending of one thing (death) and the beginning of something new (creation). It is no wonder we fear Ravens when they spiritually help us to let go of our obstacles so we can find new magik in our lives. Ravens teach us to find our true meaning of self. Helping us to bring forward our imagination and resourcefulness into our daily life. When we reach deep into our self, know our truth, and bring it into the light, this is powerful magik. In the Pacific Northwest Native mythology Raven is the bringer of light to the people. Just as Raven brought the stars, the moon, and the sun to us all; let Raven bring you to your own light and fly free into the magik of creation.
I was going through a rough time in my life, and on a soul search. I had been through a flood, was homeless, and a devastating breakup. I'd say I needed my "luck" to change a bit. This vacation happened to be the turning point in my life as strange as that was looking back now. Two months after I visited Sedona, I packed up and left family and friends and moved to Vegas solely on intuition that had been nagging at me since I left Vegas. After being in Vegas for 3 months, I had went through a total transformation. I had healed internally from things that had been haunting me. I had forgiven myself and others so I was able to move forward in many aspects of my life. I had learned to love and accept myself, which I was never able to do in my past. I felt like a completely different person, with a fresh new soul. I was ready for anything the Universe had in store for me!!
WELL, unbeknownst to me, the Universe had something brewing. As I've mentioned in my previous post back in September, I met someone amazing! The connection I have with her is deeper than anything I've ever felt before. Everything I spoke to the Universe about what I wanted in a partner, as far as character, beliefs, spirituality etc.. etc..She possesses! Yet, it wasn't that easy! She just so happened to live 4 hours away. We have maintained a long distance relationship, which has not been easy at times. We both continued to hope for things to open up where she could move here so we could be together. A turn of events, and some personal soul searching on her part, will be finally bringing her here to Vegas. Timing is everything! The kicker? Her name is RAVEN! Strange? Coincidence? I think not, but that's my opinion and honestly, that's all that matters is that I am the one who believes in the power of the Universe and the magic it can do in my life.

Yet my story doesn't end there of signs that I've received! Unfortunately I fell into the "doom" cycle. I was struggling financially and unconsciously asked the Universe for more of this unfortunate situation in my life. It got pretty bad for a minute, but I slowly started to realize what I was doing, and snapped myself out of it so to speak. I stopped thinking I didn't have enough money to pay my bills, or most of all buy a car that I needed very desperately! I sold my car before I moved out here, thinking I would be able to buy a car in no time. Things didn't quite happen the way I had anticipated, but it was actually my fault. After a few months of failed attempts at saving up for a car, and a failed attempt at picking up a "free" car from North Carolina from my sister, the Universe finally set the right people in my life to help me obtain a car. FINALLY! It took a month of telling myself I would have a car soon, being positive, and most of all patient. I feel blessed to have been able to purchase a car without a co-signer, because unfortunately my credit history isn't the best. :/ This however is the turning point for my poor credit. This was the break, and the one chance that I had needed for so long, yet I hadn't received. That was because of the vibration and the negative thoughts I had sent out for so long to the Universe! For years I had said out loud, "My credit sucks", "I'll never be able to raise my credit score", "No one will ever give me a chance to start rebuilding my credit". God, how dumb of me to have let that go on for so long! We live and we learn though! Say Hello to my cute little Nissan Versa! :D

Think it stops there? NOPE! Positive affirmation and sending a certain frequency out to the Universe is like a chain reaction! Once you start Asking, Believing, and Receiving, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE! I have been living with a roomate since I've been here, and obviously with my girlfriend moving here I'd need my own place! So the search began! We talked about the things we would need out of a house, and what we both wanted. I had an image in mind of exactly what the home I'd like to live in looked like. The very first house I looked at was honestly perfect! It had every amenity we would need. A backyard for her dog, 3 bedrooms for us and my two girls. And many more things that were a must. I didn't want to jump at the first thing I saw, so I continued to look. I found almost 20 homes that fit into my criteria. I narrowed it down to 3 after comparing for hours. I dreamt of that house for two nights! I set the appointment with the realtor and began our voyage from one end of town to the other. As we walked through each house, I found myself comparing them to the very first house I looked at. This house was pulling me towards it, and I couldn't get it out of my head. As one who believes in symbols I decided to look up what the name of the road that the house was on stood for. I actually laughed out loud when I read it too! It stood for BOND OF LOVE,& I LOVE YOU. How perfect! We're beginning our new life together and this is what the street name symbolizes? I'd call that a sign! So I decided that was our house! I felt myself visioning us in it, and where I would be putting furniture. I put a deposit down and waited for an answer from the realtor, since I had asked for less than what they had wanted for it. Everytime I found myself thinking negative about not getting accepted, or things not working out, I immediately switched gears and turned them into positive thoughts! This was our house! I knew, felt, and manifested my heart out! I received a phone call today, and after some negotiation the house is officially ours :) How AMAZING! At this point, it's pretty surreal! I doubt it'll actually sink in until I move into the house in 3 weeks! I'm so excited, and grateful to have everything I could ever ask for come into my life! I can't wait to begin our lives together and start making memories in the new house!

After all of these AMAZING things that have happened I can't wait to see what else I can manifest! ASK*BELIEVE*RECEIVE
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*Some information in this blog is accredited to:
http://www.ravenmedium.com/TotemAnimals.htm

Your Self- Worth....

We all at times let our self worth get lost when we are trying to attain certain things in our lives. Usually for us women, it takes being in a bad relationship for us to realize that we have let this slip. I believe we all need to give more love to ourselves before during and after a relationship, not just after things go wrong and we're left asking ourselves all the questions. What did I do wrong? What could I of done different? Am I not worthy of their love? We all have so much love in our hearts, why shouldn't we give ourselves the amount of love that we would give to our lovers? I know that in the past I've lost myself in relationships because of pouring everything I had into that other person. I made the mistake of not focusing on my needs, and wants and filling my own happiness tank. We all have certain needs and wants, and what most of us don't realize is that it is our responsibility to fill that void, not someone else's. We tend to feel needy at times and look to the person we're involved with to make us feel better, which is ok to a certain extent. When that person doesn't fulfill this need we have, we sometimes feel neglected, and may tell them their not paying attention to us. What we all need to realize is that in those moments of need, we need to catch ourselves, and turn our attentions to ourselves. Find what your lacking that's making you feel that way. Take time for yourself and workout, paint, write, read a book, go out with some friends, whatever it may be that you can do to fill that tank up again. I guarantee if you practiced this, you would find that your relationship will flourish. It will especially help if your with someone who does the same when their feeling needy. Love yourself and know your worth. That's not to say that your partner shouldn't be giving you certain things you need out of the relationship by any means. Relationships should be a team effort. It takes two people to be in a relationship and at no time is it right for one person to give more than the other. We are all a work in progress within ourselves, our jobs, & our dreams, so what makes your relationship any different? It doesn't its a work in progress, and you have to "work" at it. Meaning putting effort into it. I know my worth, I know that I deserve to be with someone that will give back what I put into it. I deserve to be treated with respect. I deserve to be with someone who communicates their feelings to me. I deserve honesty. I deserve thoughtfulness. I deserve compassion. I deserve passion. I deserve to not be judged. I deserve a chance.....
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Choosing to forgive

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

"Forgiveness is a form of realism. It doesn't deny, minimize, or justify what others have done to us or the pain that we have suffered. It encourages us to look squarely at those old wounds and see them for what they are. And it allows us to see how much energy we have wasted and how much we have damaged ourselves by not forgiving.
Forgiveness is an internal process. It can't be forced, and it doesn't come easy. It brings with it great feelings of wellness and freedom. But we experience this only when we want to heal and when we are willing to work for it.
Forgiveness is a sign of positive self-esteem. We no longer identify ourselves by our past injuries and injustices. We are no longer victims. We claim the right to stop hurting when we say, "I'm tired of the pain, and I want to be healed." At that moment, forgiveness becomes a possibility-although it may take time and much hard work before we finally achieve it.
Forgiveness is letting go of the past. It doesn't erase what happened, but it does allow us to lessen and perhaps even eliminate the pain of the past. The pain from our past no longer dictates how we live in the present, and it no longer determines our future.
It also means that we no longer need resentment and anger as an excuse for our shortcomings. We don't need them as a weapon to punish others nor as a shield to protect ourselves by keeping others away. And most importantly, we don't need these feelings to identify who we are. We become more than merely victims of our past.
Forgiveness is no longer wanting to punish those who hurt us. It is understanding that the anger and hatred that we feel toward them hurts us far more than it hurts them. It is seeing how we hide ourselves in our anger and how those feelings prevent us from healing. It is discovering the inner peace that becomes ours when we let go of the past and forget vengeance.
Forgiveness is moving on. It is recognizing all that we have lost because of our refusal to forgive. It is realizing that the energy that we spend hanging on to the past is better spent on improving our present and our future. It is letting go of the past so that we can move on. Follow @heather_pratt74

Love and believing in it..

I'm a hopeless romantic, and always have been. I am that girl that felt all along that I had a soul-mate out in the universe somewhere and I would be drawn to them like a magnet. Love at first site. I believe...it exists! Some may argue that with me. Maybe it's because they have never had that moment where their eyes meet anothers and they feel something unexplainable. Cause let's face it, love is unexplainable in itself. We know we feel it, when we feel it but can't always determine why we feel it. Love can make you clinically insane, I watched a documentary on it. They showed two brains, one of someone who was head over heels in love, and one of someone who was clinically insane. They actually had the same brain activity going on.

Love can make us feel invincible which is an amazing feeling. It's almost like a constant high, and when you don't  feel that anymore you actually go through some type of with drawls. Love has a power within us that no other emotion can quite compare to, in a positive way that is. Love gives us the power to accept, heal, be patient, comforts us, calms us, and can also protect us. The song love can build a bridge is very powerful, because it can. When you have been hurt in the past by someone, new love can rebuild that faith in loving someone and accepting love back into your life. This may be hard and take some work, but with love on your side, nothing can come in the way. Unless you let it. Love is finding that one person that you can't breathe when your not with them or having the thought of losing them. Love is having a ton of patience in situations that you don't understand. Love is not perfect and has ups and downs. I believe if things get tough  its love that gets us through those tough times.

Love is not complicated. We are complicated beings. We make love complicated. We set high expectations for things, assume when we don't have an answer for the questions we have. When we finally get what we want out of love we want more. It's like a drug. We have insecurities that we question in our partners when we shouldn't.
We need to take a step back and look. be in the moment, instead of getting caught up in it. Take a step back and feel what your feeling. Realize how happy you may be, and be aware of why your happy. Take the time to appreciate this feeling and the person in your life that is making you feel this way. If we all stop and listen and feel once in awhile we just might be able to have long-term relationships that are healthy and flourish. After all that's what we all strive for...Right? No one wants to be hurt and we don't get into a relationship hoping for the worst. Be trusting towards your partner and patient. We're all different human beings and people are not going to act and react how we will to certain things. That is why we need to be accepting and give unconditional love. We don't fall in love with perfect people. We fall in love with people and start to see them perfectly. Love is an amazing thing! Enjoy it! Ride the wave of emotions that it brings into your life. Make it a healthy aspect of your life by taking notice and being in the moment instead of getting caught up in the moment.Follow @heather_pratt74
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