Yearly Archives: 2014

Health and Wealth Because of a Little Blue Dress

About a month ago, I was in New York City and stopped into Loehmann’s, an off-price store known for great deals on high-end merchandise. I stumbled upon the perfect little blue cocktail dress at the right price and bought it, even though I had no idea where I would wear it. This dress was a designer dress and the original price was over $2000, but it was discounted to only $180.  The dress is gorgeous and the perfect color for me. The only thing “wrong” with it, is that it’s the wrong size (or I am), but I bought it…

Read more

Father is the First Teacher

My bathing cap is too tight; it doesn’t hold the cascade of hair that someone’s piled on my head in order to squash it on, pull it tight until it covers my ears. When I take it off later, my hair will be sodden, snarled, and the long strands will catch in the cap, causing me to yelp in pain. I wear it, because I want to pretend I am immune from the water: that even when I am submerged, my body will be safe from all that scary wetness. If we wore goggles back then, I’d have put them…

Read more
Ask a Luminary

How Do I Live in the Now?

"I've read a lot about living in the present moment, but yet I find myself in the past or the future most of the time, trapped in drama. How does one actually stay IN the present moment? Any hints on tangible things I can do?" ~ Elena, Anchorage, AK Dear Elena, The first step to create any change is to take 100% responsibility for all areas of your life. I notice that in the question, you say that you are "trapped in drama". I understand what you mean, but your language patterns shape your destiny, so consider that you are responsible…

Read more

3 Road Blocks to Living the Life of Your Dreams

Most people think that where they are right now “isn’t it” and that something in the future will produce satisfaction. But in reality, this moment is all we have - the past is over and the future hasn't yet arrived. Once we saw a goat who was put out to graze in a lush field. The grass was high and feeding was plentiful. But he wasn't satisfied. He made a funny picture as he strained toward the field next door. His front legs were suspended mid-air, dangling over the fence as he vainly reached for a tempting bit of green,…

Read more
Ask a Luminary

How Can I Find My Inner Strength and Purpose?

"How do I discover who I am deep within? How can I realize what's my true passion, my true purpose in life? How can I improve myself? How can I tap into the strength within me? Do help!" ~ Sabha, Alleppey, India Dear Sabha, To discover who you are and what your purpose is, the first question you need to ask yourself is, “What brings me joy?” Your life purpose is always aligned with what fulfills you in your heart. Most people have an idea of what this is, but don’t feel that it is their life purpose. This can…

Read more
Ask a Luminary

How Can I Solve My Financial Problems?

"I'm doing financially horrible. I needed to get some food and household items... I was flat broke and I had no other choice than to take my 7 year old boys' Xbox back. I feel so bad, I'm losing sleep. Did I do the right thing?" ~ Tiffany, Effingham, IL Dear Tiffany, We all run into problems from time to time, and often they are of a financial nature. I believe that most of the time, the problem comes from our thoughts. The most difficult thing to do when we don't know how we're going to feed our family is…

Read more

The #1 Secret to Being Relaxed, Carefree, and In Command

There is a hidden part of you that knows, without thinking about it, how to always be perfectly relaxed, carefree, and in command. This higher intellectual and emotional intelligence is to your present thoughts and feelings as is the mighty oak to its own spreading branches. Once you come into contact with its perfect strength and power, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it. Great masters of the past have called this part of us by different names - none any better than the rest - but the one that seems most complete is... your Original Fearless Self. The…

Read more
Ask a Luminary

How Do I Deal with My Son’s Addiction?

"My 26 year old son just came out of a very expensive rehab and seems to be relapsing. He lies to me blatantly. Should I be loving, strict, throw him out (I'm afraid he'll die alone).... What is the best way to deal with him?" ~ Knzah, Houston Dear Knzah, Every parent's heart breaks along with yours as you continue to deal with this ongoing painful scenario. As the mother of a daughter who went through several years of drinking in excess, driving while drunk, and getting thrown in jail, I understand your dilemma. Let me share what we did.…

Read more
Ask a Luminary

How Can I Help My Struggling Friend?

"I have a friend struggling with grief, health and emotional issues. She is extremely negative, sarcastic and angry in all aspects of her life. She has no other friends and thanks me for being a positive example in her life. Very slowly, she is trying to change to more positive thoughts and actions. Problem is I am getting drained being her only friend in life. Her complaining is constant and she needs me so much of the time..I have a husband and other friends and I love to journal and read. I don't seem to have time for much anything…

Read more
Ask a Luminary

How Can I Learn to Hear God?

"I was raised a Christian and have prayed for 50 years. Lately it seems that God isn't listening. How can I increase the connection to make my life work better?" ~ Bob, Prince Edward Island, Canada Dear Bob, God talks in many ways, aurally, visually, empathically, noetically… any of your senses can be utilized. An important tool is learning to acutely discern what I call the “BIG MIND” and the chatter of “little mind”. ”BIG MIND” thoughts drop cohesively into the top of my head, just like an idea. Personally, I hear it much like I hear an idea when it…

Read more
Ask a Luminary

How Do I Know What the Right Decision Is?

"I am getting ready to move to So. Florida. I was looking into Naples, Florida. I actually always liked more vibrant urban environments, I am originally from Europe, with lots of cafes, bookstores, art galleries, live theater, close to the beaches. However, I decided I want to slow down. Naples is a beautiful place, just seasonal. However, I am getting job offers from Fort Lauderdale (I am an RN) from the hospital chain I once worked for, and by beautiful Las Olas, also opportunities for placement, etc.  It seems like Universe is pushing me to the East Coast versus I was trying to line something…

Read more
Ask a Luminary

How Can I Recover From the Death of My Spouse?

"My wife died a few months ago after a long illness. She was suffering a lot, so I'm glad she's out of the pain, but I still miss her SO much. My friends want me to start dating again, but I can't let go. How do I recover?"  ~ Nikhil, Arcata, CA Dear Nikhil, I am so sorry about your wife. Traumatic events sometimes feel impossible to recover from. I myself have lost a friend and fellow Marine to the war in Iraq. I recovered from that tragedy when I embraced it. Accept the grief of losing your wife; don't…

Read more

Four Ways to Teach the Truths that Transform the World

We human beings are born with an indefinable longing to grow beyond ourselves, to penetrate and illuminate the mysterious depths of our own heart. The ideal and pursuit of perfection is literally seeded into our soul; it pervades our very being. Our longing to walk among the stars does not seem out of reach; the wish to be eternal goes with us everywhere. In more down-to-earth terms, if we wish to live without resentments that linger in our hearts and rid ourselves of fear with all of its debilitating limitations, we must shed the skin of our selfishness. We must…

Read more
Ask a Luminary

How Can I Be Lucky in Life Too?

"I have a friend that always seems to be lucky. Things line up for her all the time. Anything she needs seems to show up in her life exactly when she needs it. It's almost spooky. How can I get my life to work like that for me too?" ~ Paul, Martin City, MT Dear Paul, It sounds like your friend, whether she is consciously aware of it or not, is practicing the Law of Attraction. There is no good luck or bad luck. It is all attraction. Instead of focusing on what your friend has, focus on what you want…

Read more
Ask a Luminary

Ask A Luminary

Struggling with adversity in your life? Can't understand how to apply a teaching to the issue at hand? Or simply got a question about life? Reach out for help with the things you're going through! Our Ask a Luminary service lets you submit a question to our Luminaries about issues you’re struggling with. You can request a specific Luminary if you have one in mind or we can pick one of our Luminaries with expertise in your topic area to answer your question. Then, we'll share your question and their response publicly, knowing that what one of us goes through is often relevant to many others. You can ask a question right now or view all of the questions answered to date in our Ask a Luminary archives. You can also access the archives through our main navigation.
Read more
Ask a Luminary

How Can I Start Something New?

"I have a dream to move to the West Coast. Every time I try to follow my dream, I hear that little voice in the back of my head telling me that I can't achieve this, and I stop making plans. How can I overcome my fears to act?" ~ Lynn, Tampa, FL Dear Lynn, Starting something new can seem overwhelming at first. The solution is to do three things: 1. Break your dream down into baby steps. For example, your steps might include researching different cities for lifestyle options and expenses, contacting friends who have experience living in different areas,…

Read more

Stop This Secret Self-Sabotage

We're often led to act against ourselves by an undetected weakness that goes before us -- trying to pass itself off to others -- as a strength. This is secret self-sabotage. It sinks us in our personal and business relationships as surely as a torpedo wrecks the ship it strikes. Learning how to stop this self-sinking is the focus of this exercise. Let's begin by gathering the higher insights we'll need to succeed. Any person you feel the need to control or dominate -- so that he or she will treat you as you "think" you should be treated --…

Read more