Have you ever taken a side?  You know what I'm talking about, people in your world are disagreeing, not getting along, one person does something the other person thinks is unspeakable and runs to tell you about how horrible the other person is....or maybe you witness something between two people and you form your own opinion, place a judgement and take a side.  I find this human behavior of ours quite interesting to observe.  It runs especially rampant within family units and causes mixed feelings, bad feelings, and unnecessary upheavel.  In my experience it can all be prevented by practicing one simple piece of advice: MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS.  : )  What is between two people is between two people.  It's none of our business. 

It's hard sometimes actually putting this into practice because we love our family members and friends and feel protective of them, so when one feels hurt by something the other has done or said, it's not the easiest thing to take a step back...stay detached...just listen and offer support without judging or taking a side.  If we come from a place of understanding that those two people have something to work out and learn from each other, we can manage to put this into practice, and we are one step closer to finding our inner peace. 

Have you ever taken a side and regretted it?  I have.  More than once in my life that's for sure and it's sometimes left me sitting alone being the odd man out in the end.  Once the two people who were having issues ended up working through them, forgiving and loving each other again, there I was on the outs with the other person who ultimately did nothing that had anything to do with me in the first place!  Awkward!!

It's interesting to observe people, after being 'hurt' by another, run around telling everyone their version of the story in an attempt to accumulate allies!  My advice?  Don't fall into this trap!  Don't be their ally just be their friend.  It's far healthier to offer your ear and some compassion and let them know there is some life lesson they are having to learn as a result.  Let them know you are there for them but you aren't willing to get involved, just do yourself a favor and don't take a side.   

The next time your friend, or sister, or brother, or cousin gets into a conflict with someone.....try practicing detachment and minding your own business.  See how it feels not to get over involved in the lives of others (after all this is just a distraction to not have to face our own life!).  Or the next time you feel that someone has done you wrong or is triggering you, don't attempt to gather allies....take a step back and ask yourself what it is you are meant to learn about yourself through that experience and take responsibility for your part.

We are all on our own journeys and learning about ourselves as we go.  Go easier on yourself and on others, think before you speak, set necessary boundaries with others, and don't forget to mind your own business!! ;-)

Peace, Love and Mind Your Own Business

You know that saying 'you gotta see it to believe it'?  I think the more accurate saying would be 'you gotta believe it to see it'!  Believing in the so called 'impossible' and keeping my faith in my dreams against all logic, has resulted in the realization of some of my dreams and desires on my journey so far.  

In my younger years, growing up in a small town in Northern Ontario, I would dream of swimming with dolphins.  Where was the logic in that?  From where I sat at the time, it seemed like an impossibility, but I never lost faith. I always KNEW I would swim with my dolphin brother and sisters one day, and I did.  It happened organically many moons later when I was in my early thirties.  I didn't TRY to make it happen.  I just kept the vision my whole life and trusted it would happen, and it did. 

Swimming with dolphins was one of many visions I had for myself in this life.  The one I felt to share with you today as an example of needing to believe in something in order to see it.  There are many, many more I could share with you, but that would be a book not a blog!  Some are small in comparison to others and some have fallen away as they aren't aligned anymore with the person I've become.  

An important part of the visioning process is that we don't listen to the people who call us crazy and tell us that the vision we may have is 'unrealistic'.  They may say 'that'll never happen', or 'who do you think you are?', or they may even tell you 'that's impossible!'. Or maybe it's our own voice saying those things to ourselves. My advice is not to listen to them, or the voices in your head that may be whispering (or screaming) those very same things to yourself.  It's best to surround ourselves with people who lift us up, not pull us down.  Remember those people are in our lives reflect our own doubts back to us.  It's a projection of their own fears about living their dreams.  Maybe they're afraid to live their dreams?  Or maybe they're afraid that if you live yours, they will lose you?  We humans really are a funny bunch, and the reasons aren't that important.  What's important is that we find a way to do what we love, to be who we are with no excuses or pretences, to believe in the so called 'impossible', and to keep the faith where our hearts desires are concerned.

If you are happy playing and making music, then do that.  Put your heart and soul and energy into it, and the universe will support you by opening doors of opportunity to swing open to get your music out there to bring joy and healing to whoever is meant to hear.  You may be a rock star one day, or maybe not, but you WILL touch the people you're meant to touch doing the thing you love to do.  In the end, it's not about becoming a rock star anyway, it's about what you believed could happen. It's about what was created from your heart and freely given with the spirit to lift someone else up. Oprah's vision was not to be rich and famous, but rather to use her life.  By following her heart and listening to her soul, the universe kept opening doors for her and giving her the platform she needed to do what she came here to do.  Being rich and famous was simply a result of her using her life in service. 

I like to draw and write.  It feeds my soul and has me feeling fulfilled.  I put it away for many years as I lived life according to others, doing what I thought I was 'supposed' to do next.  However, putting that part of myself away was like packing my heart away in a box and putting it in storage while I followed the sheep.  There was this emptiness inside that could not be filled with anything or by anyone, despite my constant attempts at reaching outside myself to find fulfillment.

It's great to remember that everything in this life moves in cycles.  So just because things are not transpiring as fast or in the way that we 'want', it doesn't mean it will never happen.  Everything has it's 'time' and will transpire if it's for our highest good and the highest good for all.  I keep a saying by Colette Baron-Reid constantly in my mind....."what is FOR you, cannot go past you", and one from Spirit came through loud and clear one morning that has stuck with me, it was simply "what's the hurry?".  

The cool thing is there is not ONE person exactly like us on this entire planet.  We've all come here with our own unique sense of being.  We have our own gifts, dreams and desires, and not one person's bucket list would be exactly the same as anyone else's.  I think the greatest gift we can give ourselves and others is a version of our true selves.  It takes the ability of self awareness first and asking ourselves the hard questions like 'who am I'? and 'what do I truly desire'?  We are the only ones who can answer those questions.  

It's been an interesting journey so far, the one to find my true self.  Sometimes accompanied by struggle and sometimes experiencing joy and elation at levels I'd never reached previously.  Sharing one's soul with others can feel like a vulnerable road to travel at times, I'll admit that.  One thing I've learned hands down is that if we wait to see it before we believe it, we may never see it....but if we BELIEVE it, we have a much better chance of seeing it.  


WARNING: buckets full of faith, patience and the ability to hold the desire while letting go of how it transpires, will be required.



Peace, Love and Believe to See It

Life is our mirror, we need not be afraid to look at our own reflection.  

I've just recently experienced a bout of great insecurity, fear and vulnerability.  Again.  It's all been on an inner level. This stuff comes in waves and is a part of being human.  I've noticed these uncontrollable times usually precede yet another shift in my life.  To one of a stronger version of myself.

I am the only one aware of my true inner self.  And you are the only one aware of your true inner self.  I find it interesting to observe my feelings and reactions (interesting, not necessarily comfortable!).  In the end, I think that's the way we heal ourselves and keep moving toward being a stronger, better version of us.

It's not an easy or pleasant experience at times, this journey as a soul in a human body, that's for sure.  For me it continues to be well worth going to those uncomfortable places within myself in order to learn more self acceptance and take 100% responsibility for where I am in my emotional maturity.  The more I practice this, the more I have become more compassionate and tolerant of others.

I find it interesting as well, how we seem to be able to look at others and see their obvious greatness and gifts, when others seem blind to it.  The mirror works that way too.  Seeing the best in others means on some level we see our own best, even when we aren't totally aware of it.  It used to trigger me so bad when other people, through my eyes were amazing at what they did, but weren't owning their awesomeness, but that's because on some level I wasn't owning MINE!  

We humans tend to look outside ourselves for answers when in fact looking within,  accepting and taking responsibility for our own shortcomings eventually brings us to a place of accepting the shortcomings of others.  It's like an old parlor trick this life of ours, smoke and mirrors.

As I move through the waves of uncomfortable feelings of great insecurity, fear and vulnerability, I'm learning to have compassion for myself as opposed to being angry with myself or worse, fighting those feelings.  I really do know that the feelings aren't my enemy, they are my ally.  They surface to help me understand and accept all parts of myself.  Shadow and light.  If I can accept the shadow in me, I can easily accept others for how they are.

Every one of us have different issues that continue to surface and will continue to surface until we can be honest with ourselves and take 100% responsibility for what takes place on our inner landscape.  What we resist persists, so the sooner we're willing to take time, and get to know our true selves, the things we continue to resist, stop surfacing.  Once again it's a process and it takes dedication and patience and a willingness to stop fighting the uncomfortable feelings, and just feel them. 

I use the world outside myself now as a gauge for my inner world. It's taken years of practice but it's been worth the effort so far. If I am angry at someone or something, I ask myself 'where inside yourself are you angry with yourself Barb?' ..... or if I find myself passing judgement on another, I ask myself 'where inside yourself are you still judging yourself Barb?' ..... or if I find myself wanting to place blame on another, I ask myself 'where inside yourself are you still unable to forgive yourself Barb?'  Using this method, for me, has been and continues to be truly transforming.  

Taking time to get quiet and go within is a great tool and keeps us connected to our higher selves.  I think it's important in this day and age where distraction is a constant temptation.  It's in that quiet place where we can nurture those hurt parts and learn to love the parts that we've spent far too much energy denying.  

I can't do it for you, and you can't do it for me....and maybe you don't wanna do it at all, and that's okay too!!   

Peace, Love and Know Thyself

I like to look at things from a higher perspective, a soul or spiritual perspective you could say.  Always aware of a bigger picture, that I am a soul, in a body, on a planet, along with billions of other souls in bodies, surrounded by planets and trillions of stars and all that makes up the universe.  I chose this mission.

Since I was a young girl, I have been concerned for the planet.  I guess my soul knew that I chose to come here to help, but it would be decades later and only after years of personal struggle before things 'clicked'.  I even remember my very young self thinking 'this place is a polluted mess! and people are bringing more kids into this world?'.  I decided young that I would not be bringing children into the world I saw.  I didn't think it would be fair because I wasn't sure what shape it would be in by the time they grew up, not to mention the children I was aware of who weren't being looked after.

Fast forward to now.  This exciting time on Earth!  People rising up in the streets saying enough is ENOUGH.  I swear I have been waiting my whole life for this time and my soul is on fire.  Seriously.  I try not to get bogged down with the negative words of the nay sayers and the haters.  I know they're scared.  Change must come now and that's always scary for people.

We humans have lost our way.  Our priorities have become about money and stuff, and while I agree we have to survive, we really can learn to live simpler lives and find alternative solutions.  In fact, I think our future depends on it.  

The Indigenous people from the many Nations on our planet, have always been aware that this time would come.  The prophecies are many and all speak of this time.  They have been passed down from generation to generation orally, as this is the traditional way.  While each prophecy varies in some way, they all speak of this time of great change on Earth.

From a spiritual perspective, I believe our souls chose to come here for this time of great change.  No small undertaking.  The issues we face are many, but one or two for sure, speak to our souls and it's time to take a stand for whatever that is for us.  For some, like myself, it's Mother Earth, our animal friends and the next generations. For some it's about our food being poisoned and manipulated, for some it's about the chemicals the government sprays into our environment to make us sick, for some it's gun laws, for some it's animal rights, for some it's the 'legal' drug industry, for some it's war, for some it's violation of another human, for some it's our failing government systems, and the list goes on.  It's whatever triggers you on a personal level.

The truths that have been hidden for so long, are coming to the surface as the truth always does.  It's hard sometimes to decipher what is the truth from what is manipulation but if you listen with your soul, you will know.  It seems easier to bury our heads in the sand than to stand up and actually do our part in some way.  I believe the souls who have come here to change the world are the strongest of the strong, otherwise we wouldn't be here.  Standing up for what we passionately believe in for the highest good of ALL will have us meeting with opposition and ignorance in many cases.  One could get exhausted in the attempt to persuade closed minded people in hopes of making them understand our personal point of view.  But this isn't about being 'right'.  It's about prophecy.  It's about Mother Earth.  It's about the promise we made to carry out our soul's purpose here. It's time.

It appears to me like a proverbial large can of worms has now been opened and there's not much chance of putting those worms back in the can at this point!  Personally I'm celebrating in this uprising energy.  My heart beats a little faster everytime I see and take part in the gathering of brother and sister warrior souls who all share the same basic hope.....a better world.  A world where we can drink clean water and pick medicine from the land, a world where we can roam freely, a world where every child is safe and protected, a world that our every move is not dictated and manipulated by governments, a world where we share, a world where no mouth is hungry and no person is homeless.  If I didn't believe a world like this could exist eventually, I wouldn't be here.

We have not been taught 'real' history of events, in this country at least.  I got kicked out of history class because I asked too many questions.  What I was being 'taught' just wasn't sitting right with me and as it turns out my intuition was spot on.  Can you imagine if Canadian and American history books taught the real history?  Genocide?  Civilizing the savages?  Once again, not in their best interest.  Since the Idle No More grassroots movement began, I have seen the beauty, proud people gathering in the streets peacefully, many dressed in traditional regalia, drumming and singing songs that many have never heard, and dancing.  I have also seen many hateful and racist comments about 'Indians' and that makes me sad.  If people would take time to ask questions and learn instead of making assumptions or repeating things they've learned from their parents, an understanding could take place and from understanding comes compassion, and from compassion we can find solutions.  We need to look back at where we all came from in order to move toward positive change.  

All leadership on all levels needs to be held accountable to the people now.  Business as usual is a thing of the past.  

This mess, as I like to refer to it, isn't going to get cleaned up overnight.  This is just the beginning of something that isn't going to go away.  The Idle No More movement is probably the most wide spread uprising in the history of this planet.  Humans are being divided now, but I think it's in a good way.  The caretakers of the Earth are now standing together as one, and more are joining by the day.  We come in all shapes, sizes and colours but the outside is not important, we recognize each others souls and we have a common purpose.  That's some powerful stuff! 
 
Thanks for reading....stay peaceful and pray for the angry ones....great things are ahead.

What speaks to your soul?

Peace, Love and Prophecy

This drawing was channeled through me last year when I was made aware of the issue of Enbridge shipping oil through the Pacific Northwest.  It feels fitting to share on this blog.

TRUTH and RESPONSIBILITY ~ Babs 2012
We are connected to all things on Mother Earth….our souls know the truth of why we came here. There is a song in our hearts – a promise we made – to be caretakers of the Earth. It is time to look into our hearts and remember our song and take responsibility for her well being in honor of the next generation. Creator and the Ancestors offer assistance and guidance and are watching closely. Be truthful, speak from your heart and always do what's best for all.