AUTHOR’S INTRODUCTION
As God is infinite, so are the paths to God. Choose the one on which the Creator’s light shines brightest for you, and move along it with courage and joy.
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This book shares with you information, prayers, art, and prayer songs developed over 30 years of private spiritual practice. These gifts of Creation are tools that I use on my own personal journey; and I hope that they will be of use to you in developing your own connectedness to Spirit in a way that perfectly fits the unique individual you are.
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The structure of this book reflects the character of its content in that it tends to meander rather than going in a straight line. Although some people read it from beginning to end, others prefer to reflect on the material a section at a time. I have been told by others that they prefer to open the book to a random page where they consistently find the inspiration that is the most relevant to that moment in their lives. However it works best for you is the right way.
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I was born in Los Angeles, California, in the Queen of Angels Hospital overlooking the Hollywood Freeway. My parents were devout atheists.
This is not the ideal setting one might imagine for a seeker of
spiritual truths. I learned what the word agnostic meant when
I was about 12 years old. I had been introduced by neighborhood
friends to various faiths, and none of it completely resonated; but
being an atheist did not feel right either. This concept of being an
agnostic opened a door for me; it gave me permission to walk a line
between my religious neighbors and my nonreligious parents, where I
could safely explore matters of spirit in a way that felt right for me.
As of this writing, I am 57 years old. I am no longer an agnostic. I am a firm believer, and Independent Spirit is a record of what I learned and experienced that brought me to where I am today.
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I spent most of my years working in regular jobs -- file clerk, secretary, waitress, and finally as a court reporter taking down verbatim records of legal proceedings for 26 years. In the mundane world, I was a highly respectable, responsible, hardworking, bill-paying citizen. This book comes, however, from the part of my life that was going on behind the scenes -- my spiritual journey.
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It is a common opinion in my society that nothing “real” exists beyond the material world. This book, however, is devoted to those forces that affect us all, yet cannot be firmly touched or measured.
My earliest childhood memories include experiences with entities that are outside
of what we call normal in my society. I was 14 years old before I told my mother about my sightings of ghosts, angels, and other metaphysical entities. My mother rewarded me for my honesty with a trip to a psychologist’s office. This stern-faced professional gave me every psychological test available, analyzing data that was far more mysterious to me than the entities that had brought my sanity into question. I was one of the lucky ones, because rather than recommending a stay in a local psychiatric hospital, it was the psychologist‘s opinion that I was not crazy, but that I was psychically gifted. My mother -- bless her -- found and enrolled me in a small private high school, run by an educator who had a special interest in young people with this type of gift. The other students in the school had various extrasensory talents, including my dear friend Jimmy who, when he was bored with class, would take pleasure in using his mental powers to move the teacher’s pencils across the desk while Jimmy sat eight feet away; and Julie, the mind reader, who loved to play a game where she would command us, “Think something, think it really hard”; and she would clap her hands with glee as she quoted exactly the words we had formed in our minds. This school gave validity to my way of experiencing the world and showed me that there are other people out there who are tuned in to what my society calls the unknown.
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In my twenties, I began studying at a center that taught meditation techniques from various cultures. It was there that I began to build a foundation for my previously unstructured beliefs. One day my teachers told me that I was ready to go out on my own to seek my own way. At first I felt lost; but as I separated from my human teachers, what I call my Spiritual Companions took over, guiding me these last 30 years on a journey of exploring human existence and its connection with the Source of All Things.
Since then, I have been inspired by many other human teachers, some of whom are quoted in this book. For the most part, however, Independent Spirit chronicles what I have been taught by my Spiritual Companions, who are often called angels in my culture. These beloved entities stood by me silently through my first 20 years which were filled with darkness and clumsiness of all kinds. When I was finally ready to begin my independent spiritual seeking, they became my Holy Teachers, guiding me on the Path of Light. They are so perspicacious, these wondrous entities, these Messengers of God. They always know exactly what I can handle and what I am ready to learn; and they take me on the most wondrous expeditions to get there. Their sense of humor is precious and is one of their finest teaching tools. When the communication channel between us opens, I feel their peace, their love. I marvel at their endless patience for this sometimes dense-minded human being.
I hope you will see through reading the pages of this book something my angels show me daily: that the support of God’s light is so powerful that we all can stand tall and secure in its brilliance, no matter what our crimes or misfortunes. All we need to do is exist in order to be worthy of its graces.
We are all right, and we are all alright. We are all a part of The Divine Plan, just as we are.
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Much of what is found in this book has been broadcast across the planet for ages : Love thy neighbor, forgive, be kind and compassionate. But it seems we need to hear it again and again. As I said, God’s Messengers are very, very patient. They’ll keep finding new ways to express these truths, until we humans on Planet Earth finally get it.
There is nothing special about my having these angelic teachers. Each of us has a set of our own. I am a person with strengths and weaknesses. I am not a saint. In fact, I believe my Spiritual Companions gave me the information in this book not because I was so high and holy, but because I needed it so much. These teachings have transformed my life; and as you follow your genuine spiritual path, your angels will be there to guide you, too. Within these pages, you will find both ancient and new ways to open up your divine communication channels so that you can actually experience the time-honored maxim: You are never alone -- God and God’s messengers are always with you.
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The spiritual experience goes beyond words. This, of course, is a book of words -- words in prayers, in songs, in prose and poetry. These are only steppingstones to the shores of the spirit. There is a point on the journey where we take off from that shore and have no more need for words. As such, the information in this book, as it is put into practice, will lead to its own obsolescence. As it should be.
The point is not to fall in love with the book, with its words. The point is to find love through developing your connection with the Great Ultimate. Independent Spirit is full of tools by which we can all find ways to elevate the quality of both our physical and metaphysical lives, no matter what blesses or befalls us. As I apply the lessons and go beyond the words, what once was a cause for suffering transforms to a cause for wonder; what once was taken for granted becomes a source of gratitude; what once stirred up hatred calls out, instead, for compassion. What once was a life lived by the credo of struggle has become a life of simple happiness.
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I hesitate when asked which religion I espouse as the author of this book. My goal is to merely relay to you what I have been taught without emphasizing any one specific religious standard. I believe I follow in daily life the basic tenets of the Prince of Peace, but some folks have told me that that is not enough to be called a Christian. People have listened to what I have to say and have exclaimed, “Oh, you’re a Buddhist.” I don’t know if that is true or not, even though I believe most of my favorite practices have the essence of Buddhism. I love the gods and goddesses of the Hindu religion; they’re so intense and colorful; but I must admit that I don’t know what being a Hindu really means. A part of my heart belongs to the Quakers, to the beliefs of the Masai of Africa, and to the wisdom of American Indian traditions. The Taoist words of Lao-tse give me daily guidance, and Mother Teresa is a most cherished spirit at my prayer table. This nameless diversity is reflected in the pages of Independent Spirit. I apologize in advance to anyone who feels slighted by what they find in this book. No offense is intended.
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Many years after my spiritual journey had begun, I went to England to become a certified feng shui practitioner. Feng shui is a Chinese term for the ancient art/science of detecting, tracking, analyzing, and working with what is called chi. Chi is the vitalizing force that fills our environment and animates all living things on this planet. The feng shui practitioner expands auspicious energies and quells those energies that ill-affect us. This practice is found in many cultures by different names. Along with the traditional feng shui teachers at the school I went to, there was also a shaman from South America, an expert in communicating with the spirits of plants, a dowser (also called a water witch or diviner), a bau-biologist who taught the modern practice of building healthy homes from environmentally sound materials, and numerous other fascinating instructors. And now this is my profession, working everyday with what modern quantum physicists call subtle energies, which include the God Spirit that is and resides in everything.
The feng shui school also trained their students in astrology in the Chinese and Japanese traditions. This study led me to a deeper understanding of myself and my fellow human beings, an understanding that we are all individuals who are born with certain innate characteristics and life patterns. From the study of this ancient art/science, it became clear that each of us is born with a natural tendency toward one or another form of spiritual practice, and that we can benefit from finding the way that rings true to our own individual natures. It is my highest hope that Independent Spirit will help you find your best way.
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In the Chinese tradition, it is said there are three types of luck that come into play in human existence. The first level is Heaven Luck, or destiny, as seen through Asian astrology. This kicks into action when a baby is conceived; and it includes, among other things, the personality that soul is gifted with and the way lifetime events will flow.
The second level is what is called Human Luck. Placed between Heaven and Earth, here we human beings find free will. This is where we expand our lives through education and good deeds and by developing our connection with the Source of All Things.
The third level is what is called Earth Luck. This relates to the practice of feng shui as previously described. When the chi around us flows in a healthy, vital way, our lives are healthier and happier.
It is said that, if a person has two out of three forms of luck in good shape, they will lead a fulfilling life. This book deals with the second level, human luck, the luck you make for yourself. Through spiritual growth, we can enhance our destiny toward the ultimate good. Through spiritual growth, we can live in balance with the natural laws of the planet and be at peace in our niche between Heaven and Earth.
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I am not a scholar of ancient religious texts; and this has given me pause to wonder: Who am I to write a book on spiritual practice? But a few years ago, my dear Spiritual Companions told me that it was time to share this information with others. And so here it is.
April 2007
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