Silence is golden, they say. Sometimes this is true. Silence can be a shield to protect a weary soul.

Other times, silence is deafening and filled with sorrow. Silence can block the flow of truth from one person to another. Silence shuts down compassion and care when used as a weapon.

Yet, silence has great value for the soul searching for its own truth. Too much input from others crowds the mind and the soul on its exploration of truth. A wise person values those moments of silence wherein they seek a new perspective, or they explore a new idea.

They key with silence is balance and intent. What is the intent of silence? If its intent is to punish another, that silence hurts and causes great harm . . . perhaps as much as or more harm than saying hurtful words. Yes, take time to formulate your response to someone, yet shutting them behind the cold wall of silence unjustly inflicts injury. Saying that you are frustrated and not comfortably talking in this moment honors your need for quiet to reset your spiritual awareness and explore your boundaries while honoring the connection you have with another human being.

While making time to communicate with others holds great value, making time to communicate with one's self and one's spiritual guides also has great value. Honor both.

Have you experienced the power of silence for your own self today? Have you quieted your mind and allowed your inner voice to be heard? Have you allowed yourself moments of respite from the auditory clutter of the world?

Have you sought refuge?

Did you rest there when you found it or did you struggle on?

Did you seek peace?

Did you abide in that peace or did you disregard it and press on?

You ask and you receive, yet you discard the gift!

We know you feel shame if you are not moving forward in every aspect of your life. You believe that resting is not moving forward. You believe that abiding in peace is a luxury. According to whom?

Take the time to rest and to be at peace. Peace, as you have defined it, is empty - the absence of doing. Not true! Peace holds great keys to moving forward!

Peace - peace as is given to you from Divine Source - grants you great power! Peace generates energy to move forward with great calm and strength.

Sitting still with an electronic screen before you is not peace. This, indeed, is the "empty" you rush to avoid.

Fill yourself with bliss! Bliss is found within the space of peace. We have much more to say to you about this, yet, for now we encourage you to take a new look at peace. Bring your awareness into peace and see what happens next!

We await your surprise!

Your journey has been fraught with trials and challenges. Some you brought on yourself by choices that were ill advised. Some were gifted to you by people in your life. Still others happened due to mere happenstance.

Yet, these trials are not meant to discourage you, though you may become discouraged. These trials are not meant to harm you though you may feel pain and discomfort in the process.

These trials are not some higher being dumping sorrow and pain upon you in some sick sense of power or pleasure. May it never be!

These trials happen because you are human and walk a human path in a physical world. Suffering happens. It's all a part of the process. One person's suffering may seem terrible while others seem to skate by. This is all a part of their soul's journey and has nothing to do with their value as a being nor their power as a spiritual being. It is just the journey that has unfolded.

Why are we telling you this? So that you can put life's trials into perspective. Rather than viewing them from a point of reference of failure or punishment you can see them for what they truly are. . . a part of the soul's journey.

Yes, we know you'd like it easier. Yes, there are certainly things that you can think, say, and do that will assist you in your life's journey. You already know and are doing many of these things.

First, we would ask you to take blame out of the journey. Whatever choice led to you to here and now was the choice that you made with the information and spiritual growth you had at the time. Release blame upon yourself and move forward into a greater sense of peace and joy.

Please let us off the hook of blame as well! We did not force sorrow, suffering or pain upon you as a sense of harm or punishment. Nor did Divine Source. Life and your soul's journey brought you to this place at this time and in this way so that you could learn, grow, and assist others on the path.

We delight in you and offer our assistance to bless you and encourage you. Bring this hope into your awareness and allow yourself to be blessed by our loving concern.

We walk with you - not against you. We hope you willingly walk with us on your spiritual journey to fulfillment and destiny.

You walk through each day with moments of awareness. Good for you! This is all that is asked of you!

These moments of awareness bring forth brilliant light into the world. Your awareness is a beacon of energy that not only lights your own path, but lights the path for others to see their own way. Your moments of awareness ignite within you a brilliance that illuminates your journey. When others see this illumination, their own spark ignites, and their journey becomes awakened as well.

You may feel as if you have been detoured or you are just trudging along. Truth is, every step is sacred. Even the difficult moments along your path have great blessings for you. . . when you enter an awakened state and notice beyond the drudgery.

This noticing while in a state of expanded awareness grants you a higher level of serenity and peace. Meaning: stress, tension, worry, and dismay leave your mind and your physical body. You have more energy to do the things you choose to do. Even those things you thought were expectations and demands, slip gently into a more positive state of awakened participation. The deep life-draining weariness slips away.

Yes, the body will still tire - that's what it does. However, your inner being will awaken into an uplifted state of being that grants you more vitality and joy. This grants you the ability to "do" when that is appropriate and "rest" when that is the right thing to "do".

So, shine on with a renewed sense of intention to be in that state of awareness as often as possible. When you slip out of that state of being, just notice it and return.

We wait for you there.

When you sit in prayer or meditation with uplifted hands (or hands on lap palm up) you access a greater connection for yourself. You access Divine Energy pouring down from the Heavenly Realms to bless you.

It's true that palms together over the heart is a traditional prayer stance. This wonderfully allows you to close off to the outside world and the outside distractions. The head bowed opens the back of the throat chakra to allow your spirit to speak to Divine Spirit with unspoken words. These are excellent things to do and practice.

Often in your busy world, you toss a prayer out as you are busy doing other things. These prayers are heard by Divine Spirit. Unfortunately, these prayers are not often heard by your own spirit. In the same way, you miss the answers presented by Divine Spirit to answer you or guide you.

Taking time - even a short time in closed prayer/Bowed Prayer, as time is relative only to your plane of thinking - allows your spirit an awakening within.

To ramp this up even further - if you are ready for the next step - open your heart by breathing and expanding your lungs and your consciousness. Tilt your head back just a bit (no neck injuries please! Just a small tilt!) and feel your throat chakra open - and your 3rd eye opens. Raise your arms palms up and open or rest your arms gently in your lap, palms up.

You will feel the loving energy pour down into you from Divine Spirit - Creator - Divine Source - All That Is - The One Who Is Love. This sacred energy wraps around you and through you. Welcome it. Be in this Welcoming way for several moments.

Any action you choose will thereby be blessed.

The key word here is choose. If you choose to do a thing, Divine Energy flows to you and through you into that task. Whatever that task. Both you and the task are blessed.

Should you obligate yourself out of fear or dread, this energy will not flow. Neither you nor your activities can receive this blessed energy. Not that Divine Source isn't willing, your heart-space intent of fear or drudgery has cut you off from that Divine Energy.

In any moment, you can step back into that openness, and willingness to receive. Stand (or sit) in the Welcoming and the energy will resume its flow. Your choice is a powerful thing.

We recommend a moment in Bowed Prayer followed by a moment of Welcoming.

This will bless you greatly.

Are you ready for this blessing? Are you ready to welcome it? It is your choice.

The steps you take today, place you upon an ascension path. You are ascending. Even when you feel as if you are going backwards, this is merely the perception of your mind looking at your growth from a physical/material perspective.

If you feel as if you are going backwards, this is keen insight! Keen insight is a step forward spiritually! This insight means you know more now than you did just a little while ago. Each moment you are aware places your foot higher on the ascension plane.

We watch your ascension path and are honored to welcome you each step of the way. 

Baby steps allow a baby to learn to walk. Spiritual baby steps allow you the opportunity to learn to exist spiritually while walking a physical course. The goal here is not perfection, but rather perception.

What do you perceive in this moment when you notice yourself? Do you perceive only the physical vehicle and its pain and discomfort of living? Do you perceive your goals and dreams? Do you perceive your growth and progress?

Noticing yourself in this way - rather than in discounting and condemning yourself - allows you to ascend further than before. This noticing is wisdom.

With this wisdom, you can reach goals that otherwise would be unreachable. With this wisdom, doors open to assist you that otherwise would be closed.

Notice this wisdom - notice how it feels. This is the feeling of ascension. Follow that feeling and watch the world unfold for you!

Your consciousness holds an active presence within the Universe. Your awakened awareness rests within the expansive knowing of All That Is. Your open mindfulness exists within and influences the world.

Each thought you generate contains an electrical charge. More repetition of the same thought sets up energy fields in your world. When one person's thought fields is in harmonic with another person's thought field, the collective energetic field expands. For good or for ill, the energetic field influences an energetic fields around itself. This is why hate leads to more hate. Love leads to more love. Gratitude leads to more gratitude. Joy leads to more joy.

If a joyful person holds a strong energy field for joy, it's nearly impossible to diminish this energetic field. So, too, it is nearly impossible to resist the influence of this energetic field. People become more joyful around other people who have set their energetic field in tune with joy. People willing to become joyful gravitate towards a person with a joy filled energetic field. Those unwilling to become joyful gravitate towards those without joy in their energetic field.

This may not seem to be a conscious choice, yet it is a choice and each person has the capacity to change should they become willing to do so ... or ask to be gifted with willingness to shift.

Joy begets joy. Joy expands joy.

So, how does one create or allow their energy field to fill with joy? Notice a blessing - any blessing - in your life right now and become glad about it. You may not experience giddy glee, but you've just shifted the energetic field within and around your body to the resonance of joy. The sun is shining and you can become glad about it. The night sky seems peaceful and you can become glad about it. You ate something that tasted good and you can become glad about it.

Again, be glad about any blessing. Notice any blessing with gladness. Whatever experience you may find yourself within, notice any blessing with gladness. Notice that, while you are noticing the blessing, that you become able to feel relief that the blessing exists for you. Notice that you feel more at ease. Notice that you begin to feel less burdened. Notice that you experience a brightening sensation around your eyes. Notice that you experience a more expansive awareness of your surroundings. Notice that you feel glad about this expansion in your awareness - even if your surroundings are less than ideal, you begin to feel glad that your awareness has expanded.

Then notice another blessing and repeat the gladness process we just shared with you.

Each time you notice a blessing with gladness, your energetic field shifts towards joy. Joy is the expanded version of gladness. Joy is your rightful state of being. Reclaim this right.

We await your return to joy filled awareness.

We have much to say to you regarding trust.

There are different kinds of trust. Trusting your vehicle will get you to work; trusting your friends have your back; trusting your intuition will guide you; trusting Divine Source will sustain you.

We wish to chat with you about trusting Divine Source. This is Trust with a capital 'T'. This Trust bases itself upon faith primarily. However, mostly this Trust is based upon past experiences. Unfortunately, it's so easy to remember NOT feeling sustained by Divine Source.

Often that feeling of not being sustained came from trusting people who were untrustworthy and then blaming Divine Source for being let down. Other times, we don't take care of our physical world - the body, the vehicle, the home and when these fail we blame Divine Source for being let down. Then there are the times when we ignore our inner wisdom and pay the consequences for that only to blame Divine Source for not guiding us.

Divine Source doesn't put struggles in your way to punish nor to harm. Struggles happen because our trust is misplaced.

This does in no way mean that no struggles will present themselves if a person Trusts. However, it does mean that Trust sustains the person no matter what the struggle! Even in darkest times, people of faith Trust and are greatly blessed.

Blessed with a steadfast spirit. Blessed with a joy-filled heart. Blessed with strength and insight. Blessed with harmony and peace. Blessed with courage and willingness. Blessed with compassion and grace.

You may say, "But I cannot take these blessings to the bank or pay my bills!" Yet, this is untrue! With Trust in Divine Source, you are granted the ability to maintain a trustworthy vehicle because you will be alert and diligent. You will discover friends you can trust because your heart will learn and you will create trustworthy friendships. You will learn to trust your intuition and it will guide you to a better job, better actions, and a better life. In these ways your Trust in Divine Source will sustain you.

We ask that you forgive and release the perceptions you may have had about Divine Source and seek a new perception of The Living Light of Love. This perception of Divine Source/The Living Light of Love is worthy of your Trust.

Begin this process by beginning to trust your inner knowing - your ring true - your heart-of-hearts. Look to it for guidance. It already knows and Trusts Divine Source because it is already connected to Divine Source.

We trust that you take this step of faith and know that we walk with you in this. Trust is a powerful tool. Pick it up. Take it on. We honor you in this.

Stars sing. Did you know that? Each one sings a different tone. Even your planet Earth emits a tone into the Universe.

You have a Soul Song, too. did you know that? It is a note, a tone, a vibration that your soul emits. This song is emitted whether you are happy or not or whether you are aware or not. Being happy and being aware intensifies this song as it is heard in the ethereal reams.

Your soul cannot not sing it's song. It is a part of the life-force energy of who you are. It is a part of your divine and eternal nature.

Can you change your soul song? Yes! You can!

As you shift your awareness, you also shift your Soul Song. It's like changing channels on the radio or switching channels on your music internet station. There remains a basic tonal quality that is uniquely you. Yet, this shifted song is more expansive and broader. It's like the difference between Mary Had a Little Lamb pecked out on the piano or a symphony. Both are sweet. Both have their own unique tone and feeling. Yet, the symphony is broader, richer in quality.

You will have a sense of this Soul Song as it resonates in your heart-of-hearts. Words cannot describe its depth, its range, or it's magnificence.

This Soul Song is like a field of flowers or of mint. You recognize it instantly and it sits within your memory. Other people notice your Soul Song even without you being aware of it. To them you may seem like a sunny day or a summer rain. To others you may seem to be "the one who is strong", or "the one who encourages me to find my own strength" or "the one who finds joy in everything". The essence of who you are - your Soul Song - resides in this feeling they perceive of you.

Who do you wish to become? Maybe once you were timid and shy. Now you can become the Sacred Observer - one who notices first then engages if you so choose.

We encourage you to ponder this more deeply. What is the essence of your Soul Song now? What would you like it to be? Bring more of that into your awareness and watch yourself grow and your Soul Song will too.

We hear you and we are in awe.

(Blog written in 2016 – revised for today.)  

In 2015, we had 7 trees removed that bordered our property and the new construction behind our house. It was sad to see trees go, but since they were Russian olive trees (pretty, but vicious with spikes!) we released them with a blessing.

For these many months, it's been pretty bare out in the back. We see lots of sky, so that's been great. We've had more exposure to winds without those trees. The latest change has been the addition of a grey block wall (not pretty) behind the house. We appreciate this wall as it provides us with a solid boundary in our world and a neat backdrop for plantings.

Except we didn't have many plantings. We didn't plant anything in the spring because we were unsure as to what the boundary between the properties would look like. With this new wall​, we now know and can proceed.

As a result, we bought two Pink Flowing Plumb trees, two tree variety Rose of Sharon, one shrub Rose of Sharon, and a Smoke Bush. Perfect timing to get them in the ground after hot weather and before cold weather.

These are pretty small little plants compared to the giant 30 year old trees that were removed. Phil has been diligently watering them so they can get their root systems growing and get a great start for next spring.

The future of these plants require care NOW.

The future of your abundance requires your care NOW!

The future of your happiness requires care NOW!​

We think we will wait until we retire, or we finish school, or we finish that project . . . and the care our soul requires gets neglected.

We plant the trees in the fall, knowing they will face the hardship of winter. Winter happens. Yet, this timing also gives the plant time to settle in without having to produce leaves or growth on the outside. The growth is happening beneath the ground and within the plant.

So, too, when we begin to grow spiritually, the growth happens within. Others may not see it, but it's there. Hardship may come before we are fully developed, yet we are creating roots and systems for our own support behind the scenes.

That support may include: a deeper sense of inner knowing; a brighter sense of hope; a clearer sense of purpose; friends that are supportive and caring.​ These may remain unseen to an outsider's perspective.

And yet, when the time is right to really grow and stretch out our awareness and be seen, the inner structure provides a powerful base for this growth.

How do we create this inner support for ourselves? Just like these little trees require watering daily, water the soul daily with positive words from others further along the path (read a book, listen to audio tapes, or watch positive, uplifting videos about spiritual growth) and positive words from our own selves. It's easy to find fault with ourselves, yet, spiritual growth requires the caring attention to positive self-talk.

Find time to sit quietly (okay, so sometimes that's a miracle) and ask what Spirit (Divine Source, God, Higher Power - whatever) wants you to know. As you quietly reflect, things will be brought to mind, or the phone will ring with a friend who just happens to share some information that blesses you. Or within a few minutes you have a flash of insight. The more often time is taken to do this, the more quickly the messages and responses can come . . . that's inner growth!

Creating hope requires feeding ourselves hope on a regular basis. Feeling overwhelmed and underappreciated cancels out our hope. Hope is a positive anticipation. A looking forward to something better. A knowing that each day is a new day and each moment is a new moment to feel brighter and to be brighter. Forget perfect. We cannot get there from here. Let that go. Stick with "brighter" and release perfection. Likewise, forget expectations - how we think it SHOULD be. That's judgment and will snuff out hope in a heartbeat. Hope - knowing a brighter time is coming. Even in the dead of winter, there is hope of spring. Feed that hope with pictures of sunshine and blue skies. Feed your hope with pictures of brighter days ahead. (Literally and figuratively. If you can find pictures of what epitomizes your hopes and dreams, post them where you can see them!)

Feed that HOPE!! The tender roots of your spiritual growth require it!

Find friends who hold common interests and support your spiritual growth. Family doesn't always fit this bill. That's okay. We can love them anyway and find mutually supportive relationships beyond blood kinships. Seek and ye shall find. They are out there! If you are nourishing and blessing yourself spiritually, you will be drawn to others on that same path.

Find a renewed sense of purpose. Whatever we do, when we express the inner spiritual journey into our actions - that's purpose. Grocery shopping provides an opportunity to smile and be kind in a world of tired folks just struggling to get through the day. Doing laundry blesses our family. Typing that letter the boss wants, puts food on our table and provides a quality service. Doing even the simple things in life with a greater purpose of spiritual awareness yields great spiritual growth and blessings.​

Whether you are in the springtime of spiritual growth or flowing into winter spiritually, nourish and bless yourself spiritually NOW! You are worth it. The growth happens even if you don't see it happening. You will look back and know that this is the time you grew.