The ABC's Of A Great Life: "E" Is For Enough was written by Soni Pitts from sonipitts.com

One way to live a great life is to understand and embrace the concept of enough. Like the story of the dog in the manger who growled at the livestock attempting to eat, by taking more than you need or can responsibly use, you hoard the blessings of life in such a way that neither you nor anyone else can enjoy them. We all have the right to a sound and pleasant shelter, to adequate and comfortable clothing, to meaningful and sustainable work and to healthy quantities of tasty and lovingly-prepared food. But none of us, however privileged, have the right to keep these things from another by virtue of our own gluttony - our inability to push away from the table of life after a moderate and enjoyable repast.

Ironically, this is the one thing that most of us agree on, but yet the one thing that we seem incapable of doing. We treat our bodies badly, eating foods that impoverish both ourselves and the very lands they raised on, then demand expensive relief and repair when either of these systems fail. We accumulate so many possessions that we are forced into debt and wage slavery just to maintain them, let alone continue the process. We actively seek new items to purchase and encourage blindly expanding productivity, not because we need these things (many never leave the original package on their predictable journey from coveted purchase to yard sale discard) but because buying them makes us feel as if we are treating ourselves, keeping up with the Joneses or providing security and benefits for ourselves and our families.

We cannot continue to live like this, and those who seek lives of greatness recognize the freedom and power of simplification. There's simply too much energy frittered away in affording, buying, cleaning up after and maintaining such a lifestyle to have any left over for greatness, and so the truly great pare down to just what they need and love, and not a drop more - unclogging the arteries of their life to allow their divine energy to flow through more smoothly.

Do you know how to stop at enough? Can you even imagine doing so - turning against all the social and personal incentives to buy, to accumulate and to engage in the drive for more? Look around you - what do you see that you could live without? Just think of how much cleaning, debt worries, maintenance and annoyance could you eliminate from your life by simply exclaiming "Enough! No more!" Enough, perhaps to let greatness creep in where excess falls away.

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The ABC's Of A Great Life: "P" Is For Passion was written by Soni Pitts from sonipitts.com

What life can be great without great passion? Having something in your life about which you are passionate is a great start, but consider this: Why not create an entire life that you are passionate about - start to finish, top to bottom? Can it be done? Yes, and it's not nearly so hard as you might think.

Of course, the first task is to figure out what it is that you're passionate about. One of the easiest ways of doing this is by figuring out what it is you do when you can do whatever you want to do, such as when you go on vacation, or what you stalk off to do when you're mad, hurt, frustrated or otherwise needing to "get away" and make yourself feel better. Another way of discovering your passion is to visualization such a situation. What are you looking forward to doing when you retire? What would you do with your time if you had unlimited supplies of money, support and resources?

Once you have found your passion or passions (most of us have several to choose from), spend some time auditing your life to see where it includes these passions and where it denies them. Then weed out everything in your life that leads you away from or denies your passions and replace them with work, hobbies, activities, habits and possessions that reflect them.

Of course, the hue and cry goes up that not all of us can pick and choose our jobs and where we live. But to a great extent, this is fear speaking. It is scary to pull up stakes and move to places unknown because your current residence in slowly killing you inside. It's abjectly terrifying to follow your heart when it leads in a different direction than your head. And it's sheer folly (in the eyes of many who do not dare) to announce to the world that you're giving up everything you ever worked for to pursue a dream that might fail miserably.

But the truth is that it is far better to fail doing what you love than to succeed at a life of mediocrity and regret. This is not a dress rehearsal and you do not get a chance to "use what you learned" to do it over right - even if you believe in reincarnation, you know that you will enter the next life bereft of all the lessons you learned in this one. You only get one shot (or one shot at a time) to live your life as if you meant it. Are you?

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The ABC's Of A Great Life: "A" Is For Abundance was written by Soni Pitts from sonipitts.com

There are two types of people in this world - the "half full" folks and the "half empty" folks. The "half empty" population tends to think in terms of what they don't have - in terms of scarcity, rather than abundance - while the "half fulls" live life the other way around, vividly aware of all of their blessings and determined to wring the last drop of joy out of life that is possible, regardless of the situation. I'll give you two guesses as to which group is happier, but I bet you won't need both!

The funny thing is that while all of the success in the world won't make a "half empty" thinker happy, because someone's always richer, smarter, cooler or better than them, the "half full" people are generally content even when they haven't reached their goals, because they enjoy the journey and they know that more is coming. And seeing others become successful doesn't weigh them down either, because they know that there's plenty for everyone - and that being surrounded by successful people isn't a bad thing, either!

So which are you, scarcity or abundance? Life is not a zero-sum game - one person's success or gain does not mean less for everyone else. So celebrate the wins of others and remember to enjoy the trip as much as the destination. It's all a matter of how you look at things - after all, the glass is holding the same amount in either case - but that little trick of perception can mean a world of difference in your state of happiness and your ability to enjoy your life.

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The ABC's Of A Great Life: "Q" Is For Quest was written by Soni Pitts from sonipitts.com

Having a quest, a focused and sustained life-long desire or goal to accomplish, can add immeasurably to the greatness of a life. It adds vitality to everyday activities. It adds purpose and vision to our choices and decisions and it brings excitement and interest into our interactions with the world.

Whether you call it mission, destiny, or even just a project, a quest is some distinct passion or purpose toward the accomplishment of which you are willing to throw all of your abilities, wealth and interests. Such a quest might include feeding starving orphans in Africa. Perhaps it is the creation of a world peace organization dedicated to bringing the planet's greatest minds together to create alternatives to war. Or maybe it is smaller and closer to home (but no less consuming for all that), such as rebuilding a degenerated and abandoned husk of a downtown into a vibrant and diverse community heart, complete with locally-owned businesses, interesting restaurants and communal areas for recreation and cultural events.

The greatest lives in our history have had one thing in common - they were on a quest, a journey of life-swallowing proportions that pulled them out of ordinary living and thrust them onto the stage of world events. Granted, not everyone involved in a quest will take this route of public acclaim or acknowledgement - indeed most do not. However, all quests do fill the questor with a sense of burning focus, power and purpose that colors their life with a deep and abiding greatness that cannot be replicated by other means - and this greatness is attractive to others with the same or similar quests. Like the great quests of fiction literature, it is highly likely that you will pursue your quest, if not to public acclaim, at least in the pleasant company of like-minded and strongly connected companion adventurers.

What is your quest? If you don't have one, what passions or purposes can you see in your life that you might investigate as possible options? Having a quest does wonders to a life - it clarifies decisions, provides a consistent undercurrent of inspiration and joy and offers vast opportunities for growth, success and just plain fun. Plus, when people ask you what you do, you can tell them that you're "on a quest to..." and maybe (who knows) they might just ask to come along!

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Why Study Shamanism? was written by Maggie Wahls from shamanelder.com

This is probably the most common question asked today. And you know why so many people ask it? Because we are brought up in a society that does not have Shamanism. Worse than that we are brought up without community.

In the old days we were raised with a strong community around us. We lived together, played together, grew up together and sometimes even died together. We had elders and doctors and teachers and medical advisors right within this strong close knit community. Think of the Klingit tribes of Indians who live in Alaska. Although they may seem isolated from the outside, they are completely self contained with a very strong sense of communal identity.

But today, we are lucky to have a strong family or church community and in many ways we are less fortunate than long ago.

In the old days, the elders would watch the children and find what each child was strong in and had a knack for. Then that gift or gifts were encouraged and the child grew into whatever came naturally to him or her. If a child seemed good with numbers, that talent was grown and the child might become the treasurer for the community. If the child was given to visions he or she may be groomed to be the community’s visionary. If the child could speak to the animals, perhaps the child would become the communicator to the spirit world. Each child would have one or more gifts he or she was born with. It was the community, the elders, the teachers, and the parents who realized the blessings and were happy to help the child be what he or she was meant to be in life.

Today we have no such possibility for ourselves or for our children. For the most part, we are raised to fit into a box; to learn what everyone else learns and to ignore or abandon anything that does not fit into society’s box. If our parents see us talking to the birds we are taken to a psychologist and told not to do that. In fact there is very little encouragement to develop the gifts and talents that we were born into. And so our society is losing out on the largest talent bank ever assembled on this planet today.

This is the problem. Shamanism could disappear from the face of the earth because children of today are not allowed to study it and to grow their own special gifts of healing for themselves and for society. It doesn’t have to be this way. We have a choice. It is not too late to look inside and find those special gifts we were born with. We may have pushed them down and buried them deep inside because our parents, our family, our society said they were wrong or worthless or should not be used. But they are still within us.

What are these gifts?

Healing the spirit is the primary function of a Shaman.

This includesSoul-extraction,Soul-retrieval,Soul-restorationHerbal healingHands on healingDivination Dream WorkSoul Leading

Soul extraction involves the Shaman extracting psychic darts or chords that have intruded upon the soul or etheric body of the patient. This is sometimes an attack from someone who has attempted to harm, maim, or kill the patient. The classic dart attack will often manifest as pains where no wounds exist. This involves, according to Michael Harner, author of The Way of the Shaman, a literal "sucking out" of the intrusion. This sucking out of the intrusions is done both psychically and mentally. There are other methods of soul extraction as well.

Soul-retrieval is the process by which the Shaman retrieves pieces of the person lost soul. This is often accomplished by journeying to the spirit world and requesting assistance from the spirits, ancestors, and guides that dwell in Other Realities or Worlds. These beings assist the Shaman in discovering what is wrong with the person and often help the Shaman fight a battle with the being now possessing those parts to win them back and bring them to the patient. Some of the classic symptoms of a person in need of soul retrieval would perhaps include those suffering from a mental illness; those abused as children, or those who sense that something is missing in their lives.

This is a dangerous act and often the Shaman if he or she is not trained well enough can fall into physical or mental traps laid by the possessing entities that may cause illness or psychosis for the Shaman.

Soul restoration is the literally restoring of one’s soul. This occurs when a person is near death and his/her soul seeks to move on. This "death" could be the result of a psychic attack or an accident from which the body has recovered physically, but not spiritually. Again the Shaman will journey to the place where the patient has lost his or her soul and barter for that soul to bring it back and restore it to the patient. It takes much strength and power by the Shaman to deal with these otherworld entities and the Shaman must know how and where to wield that power for the good of all. Shamans are not in the business of destruction but rather healing. I cannot emphasize the role of personal power and education for the Shaman enough.

Hands- on healing or bodywork is most certainly a part of what a Shaman does. This technique is still widely used today by Reiki masters, massage therapists, chiropractors and Shamans. Shamanistic hands-on healing involves the energy or spirit of the Shaman working with the energy or spirit of the patient.

Divination is the means by which a Shaman can foretell the future, describe the illnesses of people and find their cure. Divination shows the path to the Shaman; which direction the patient should walk to receive healing. This is accomplished in varying ways and the method used often depends on the teaching the Shaman received from his particular tribe or elder. The most common shamanic method is journeying to the Otherworld and requesting information from elders, guides and spirits who live there. It is been said that Genghis Khan used his shamans that way. There are many other beings who are greatly involved in your life and wish to see you whole and happy. A Shaman has intimate relationship with these wise ones and uses this gift on the patient’s behalf.

Herbal healing gives credence to the true belief that the Shaman is a medicine man or witch doctor. Herbal healing began with the beginning of the earth. Many of the hunting and gathering tribes had the ability to heal with plants indigenous to their area. Today this knowledge is fast disappearing and Shamans everywhere try to support the preservation of indigenous plantlife and the lore surrounding them. Many Shamans spend their entire careers discovering and recording these plants for the future of us all.

Herbalism is used in conjunction with spirit healing to facilitate recovery. All Shamans are herbalists.

Dreamwork or dream interpretation is another Shamanic tool to assist with healing. Shamans will listen to the dreamer's dream, sometimes for several days, until they fully connect with it. Then they will dream the dream themselves and resolve the conflict to the highest good of the dreamer. This again is a difficult task and requires rigorous training by the Shaman in his or her apprenticeship to accomplish.

Soul leading is another important function of a Shaman. This is the process in which the Shaman will escort the newly dead to their place in the Otherworld. This is done because the Shaman who is familiar and a frequent visitor to the Otherworld will be able to find the "soul" its proper place.

Not all Shamans are all of the above but a good Shaman is all this and more. What a Shaman is according to Eliade is a "Master of the Ecstatic." This is true for it is in the mastery of the ecstatic that the Shaman garners his or her power.

Each of us had one or more of these gifts buried somewhere inside our spirits. It is our gift, our right, actually our duty to find the gift, study the gift, gain power over the gift or gifts and use the gift to heal ourselves and others. Can you imagine how beautiful this world would be if each of us took responsibility for the gifts we were given? Who would be left sick? Or poor?

There is a course available called Shaman Apprenticeship 101 to help unlock those gifts and re-member the skills and the power to make one’s life everything it is meant to be! Studying Shamanism will bring back the harmony in one’s life and create a strong connection to spirit. Come Home! Allow yourself to be who you truly are! Find your personal power. Take charge of your situation. Find your sense of purpose in this world. Give that gift that is uniquely yours to give.

You can find out more about this course by going to http://www.shamanelder.com

As a Shaman Elder, Maggie Wahls has spent years working with children, observing them in constructive and purposeful play activities designed to discover those gifts and talents within each child. As a community we can then encourage and nurture those gifts into the powerful skills that they can be for happiness, self-fulfillment, motivation, excellence, achievement and success. And so, she is also creating an experiential self-discovery course for children. Maggie is available for counseling in this area and would be happy to offer assistance in helping your child find his or her own true potential. It is the job of a Shaman.Aho!

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Through The Looking Glass was written by Tony Dean from worldnetsources.info

My mother used to take me along when she visited an old ladydown a cobbled lane who had a crystal ball on her dining roomtable and a pack of playing cards. My mother was superstitiousand really believed a lot of what she was told by the old lady.She wanted to know what the future held not only for herselfbut for me, her only little boy. I was about five or six yearsold at the time, and used to gaze at the reflected images uponthe crystal ball of the sunlit window behind me and the lacecurtains, although the old lady would place her hands at eitherside of the crystal ball and say that she could see the futureand told of what she saw, I could only see the reflection ofthat window with the lace curtains. The old lady was either agenuine medium or was just guessing what my mother wanted tohear to keep her coming back for more of the same, and makeherself a small income to supplement her pension.

We all of us are seekers of knowledge to enhance our lives andmost of us would admit we are a little superstitious but maynot believe that anyone could foretell the future. If we really needed to know the future as regards our business, in particular, we would look at 'trends', and facts and figures on charts andgraphs, so we may be able to predict where our business is going, we none of us would trust in an old lady with a crystalball. If we wanted to be successful in business we would armourselves with sufficient knowledge to make it happen, and whereelse to look for knowledge but on the internet where all mannerof business books are online, written by experienced businesspeople who have 'been there-done that'.

The internet is the first place people now go to find something out, whether it be for personal use or for business use, forthere is a mind-boggling explosion of knowledge on the internet,most of which we are never going to read, simply because wewould need to live to 900 years old to be able to find the timeand that's supposing no more knowledge gets added in themeantime. In that 900 years, inevitably, a lot of the informationwill go out of date, so we need to live another 900 years tocatch up on the 'updates'. This could go on forever, for there would always be more knowledge coming along we need to keep trackof.

Yes, the internet is a wonderful depository of knowledge, the knackof using it to full advantage is to keep trawling and discoveringnew web sites and then having found some we like, for fresh new content, regular updates, etc., bookmark them in your browser, so you can find them again.

None of us are going to live to 900 years, so we need to maximize our time on the internet, for there are approximately three billionweb pages indexed by Google, and more are being added every minuteof every day, even while you have been reading this.

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The ABC's Of A Great Life: "D" Is For Discovery was written by Soni Pitts from sonipitts.com

The pure and unadulterated joy of discovery is one that is rarely recreated through any other means, natural or otherwise. The thrill of learning something new, of seeing something great and wonderful for the first time or of finding out something amazing about yourself or another that you never knew before is one of the hallmarks of a joyous human existence and its presence or absence in our lives often forms the very tenor and depth of those lives.

For most people, few things are more soul-withering than the thought of a life of boredom, sameness and flat consistency. Yet many of us do not take the time to actively engage in quests of discovery, be they small side-trips or epic undertakings. But how very simple it is to spend a few hours wandering through a second-hand bookstore or taking in the carnival of people and offerings at the local flea market. A night spent gazing at the stars can reveal more heretofore unseen sights than a week in downtown New York, for those who rarely make the effort. And even those things which are old hat to us can bathe us in the glow of a loved one's spirit burning brighter as they uncover for themselves that "something great and wonderful", which we have brought out from our own book of memories to share around.

So how are you engaging in the ongoing pursuit of discovery and enrichment of the soul? What subjects or areas interest you most? Which facets do you find intriguing, inspiring and compelling in your life? Take some time every day to spend in the pure joy of discovery and wanton enlightenment. You will find, in the end, that the show is definitely worth the price of admission!

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