The Riches of Life

My cousin Keith passed away a couple of days ago. It's a sad time for the family, although the loss was expected. He had been fighting cancer for quite a long time. In the end, the pain and suffering was excruciating for both him and his family that cared for him. As is true in many cases, death can be a blessing as the spirit sheds the pain of the diseased-ridden body.

I haven't seen Keith in years. In some respects this is probably a blessing for me. I never really saw him in a state of ill health so my memories will always be of a vital and strong teenager and man. Most of my memories of Keith involve childhood visits to my grandparents, from whom he lived a short distance away. He was 9 years older than me, so much of what I remember about him was holding him in awe. From my perspective, he was a handsome, powerful, playful teen who had a mischievous side and occasionally took the time to show my sisters and I the wonders of nature in the woods behind his house.

When you're young, the future shines like light glinting off a brilliant diamond, always inviting, always promising more riches to come. Keith's future, like so many others, shined brightly. He wanted to be an electrician like his father. He married his high school sweetheart and embarked on his journey into adulthood.

Unfortunately, life doesn't always turn out like we plan. Many of us reach middle age, look around at the dullness of everyday life, and wonder where time has gone and where that far-off diamond may be hiding. Keith was no exception.Those goals he had in his youth did not materialize as he hoped. In the end, the misery that is cancer took him on a journey of pain and suffering that seems in some respects too great a burden to bear.

Still, before you begin to believe that all is lost for someone like Keith, take a closer look. He may not have had the career of his dreams. He may not have had ended up with that perfect relationship or the brilliant life we all envision when we're young. Keith did have one thing that shines more brightly than all others--love.

Keith had the love of a family that was always there for him. They were there to celebrate all his highs. They were there to support him in all of his lows. In the end, their love surrounded him as he traveled the path that is cancer.They continued to hold his hand until he was finally able to feel that same love that waited for him on the other side of the divide between this life and the next.

The riches of life don't come from reaching the destination.They are obtained through experiences--great jewels of wisdom and truth--as we travel along the way. They are born of choices. They are born of pain and suffering. They are born as we gain new strength to overcome the obstacles we all face. It is the process of learning and growth that enriches us all and the reason we ultimately make this spiritual journey.

Never doubt Keith found his riches. Never doubt you are in process of finding yours.

I will always love you, Keith.Until we meet again!
~Cindy Shippy Evans

On To New Adventures!

About three years ago, I realized something. My youngest child was in high school and, the way time seems to fly by, it wouldn't be long before he would actually leave home for good. The thought scared me a little. I wasn't afraid to allow my kids to use their wings. I felt I was doing a good job with them. My concern was more for myself. You see, most of my identity at the time was wrapped up in my role as "mom". I did not want to be one of those parents who desperately tethers their kids to them instead of letting them carve out their own places in the world.

The solution was simple. Begin to take more time to work on me--my interests, my talents, my desires. I have a tendency to throw myself entirely into the job at hand, often with little thought to my wants and needs.

Parenting was like that for me. While the task did require doing some things for myself (mostly to hang on to sanity), I worked really hard to ensure my children had what they needed and at least some of what they wanted. Making money always took at backseat to parenting because I was determined to give them access to at least one parent. That's not an easy feat when you are single mom, and I did have a lot of help from family and friends along the way. Most days I felt as though the jobs I seemed to "fall into" to pay the bills and still be available to my children were not exactly where I wanted to be. There were usually enjoyable aspects to the jobs but none of them fulfilled me as much as parenting. They were helpful in one respect though: understanding what I wanted and did not want in a lasting career.

It is now three years later and my son will graduate from high school in just a few days. I can't say I have found my niche, although I can say I know myself much better than I did back then. I have learned to value who I am in all my giftedness, and I have to confess I like what I see!

I am smart. I have a gift for both the written word and spoken language. I am highly sensitive to the world and people around me and I use this ability on a daily basis to make my days run much more smoothly. I am a terrific problem solver. I have made wonderful new friends along the way who have given me greater opportunities to make my voice heard in the world. This journey of discovery has been such a blessing to me!

I still can't say I know exactly where I am going. I do know I want to make the most of my gifts and talents! I am open to the opportunities that come my way, and I am watching for them. While one door to my life is closing, I choose to see the world for its possibilities.

On to new adventures! May we always look for them. May we always be open to them. May we be thankful for the ability to become something new and infinitely precious!

Searching For a Savior

I've been a part of the conspiracy crowd for the past several years now. It's been an interesting life. I've spent a great deal of time reading up on alternative news stories, doing background research to prove or disprove the stories for my own satisfaction, and forming new understandings of what is happening in the world.

I won't lie to you. It has been a scary process. My world has been shaken to its very foundations, and I have had to rebuild everything from the ground up. Like Neo in the movie "The Matrix", once you wake up there is no going back to that comfortable world to which you once belonged. It's a strange place to be in--foreign and dreamlike (or nightmarish) most days.

During the past month, the computer I normally use has been fried, leaving my internet access much more limited that usual. The good thing about limited computer access is it gives you a lot more time to access other types of information--particularly the type you can only access through the heart. Basically, it has forced me to reach deep and focus more time on connecting to God/Source. While I can't say I rely on God for information 24/7, I can say my awareness of Source has been better over all.

Why do I bring this up? It's because I have  message. It's been growing louder and louder to the point where I can no longer be silent. I know from past experience that if I don't get this message out it will continue get even louder and drive me to the place I can no longer contain it.

The message is simple. There is no savior outside of yourself! YOU are the savior you have been waiting for!!!

What do I mean by this? Basically, we have reached the point in time where we all need to get off our sorry butts and actually DO something!!! We need to stand up and BE the change we wish to see in the world!!!

Part of the conspiracy theory world involves keeping up on the latest "news". I have spent hours researching what is going on behind-the-scenes in order to try to figure out when and how the world is going to be saved. The irony here is, every source of information I've ever looked at proclaims the world is on the brink of great change. They all make it sound as though it's all going to happen tomorrow! (Some of us in the conspiracy theory world joke around about "two more weeks"!!!) The problem is, tomorrow never comes. It is merely a tool used by those in power to string us along so we continue to look to others to fix the world.

One of the weakest, most vulnerable places to be in is the place where we look to someone else to save us. It's a place where we deny our own connection to God and the universe--a place where we give up our own innate power. The powers that be understand this very well! In fact, it is how they have ruled us for thousands of years!!!

The savior is not coming! The savior is already here!!! Learn to open your heart and connect to the savior within. You may just end up saving the world!!!

Blaming The Victims

Propaganda. It overwhelms us. We see it in our television shows. We see it splashed all over the news. We even get it in Facebook posts (often couched as humor)!!! The way I see it, the propaganda is designed for mainly one purpose: to divide and, thus, conquer the masses. 

Recently, one of the favorite dividing memes seems to be to make fun of McDonald's or Walmart employees who are protesting for actual living wages. These employees typically work their butts off for very little pay. What I don't understand is how other people who work their butts off to survive in this economy can pick on people who work at McDonald's. Are they really that much smarter/better than McDonald's workers that they can complain about paying a McDonald's employees $15 an hour for placing pickles on burgers? Granted, it doesn't take a great deal of brains to do the job, but somebody's got to do it. Does it take much more in the way of brains to lay carpet or work at a bank? Standing for hours at a time in one position can be back-breaking labor (my definition of working your butt off). Why shouldn't they be paid a liveable wage to do it? Because the restaurant can't afford it? Maybe the big, bad McDonald's corporation takes in too much in franchise fees for the restaurant owners to afford better wages for their employees? Regardless, there is money enough to pay liveable wages for everyone, and to think it will make the price of your burger skyrocket is asinine when you understand where the real profits hide!

We have been programmed to believe it's okay for there to be jobs that are incredibly low pay while other more important jobs (?) deserve much better pay. Making fun of people who perform jobs we consider beneath us is a way to make us feel better about the crap jobs we do. Actually allowing those workers at McDonald's or Walmart to make as much (if not more) money than we do would put us all lower down on the totem pole, would it not? After all, wages are a way of keeping score. How else would we know if we are winning?

The bottom line is, these ideas are not our own! They are propaganda, designed to keep distracted and fighting among ourselves so the powers that be can continue to control and decimate our planet. When we bash each other spouting off such propaganda we are, in effect, blaming the victim. That's right! The McDonald's employees are the victims in this little scenario! We are all the victims each time this scenario plays out! Every time you choose to bash the little guy with no power, you play right into the hands of the people who are ruining this planet!

Isn't it time we stopped blaming the victims and turned our energies to fixing what is left of our world? I challenge you to get off your apathetic butts and make a difference! Stop buying into the propaganda and start changing your little corner of the world! You will be amazed at the results!!!

The Memes That Keep Us In Bondage

From Facebook this morning:

The way that banks work!
A story:
An old Native American wanted a loan for $500.
The banker pulled out the loan application.
"What are you going to do with the money?" he asks the Indian.

"Buy Silver, make jewelry, and sell it," was the response.

"What have you got for collateral?"
"Don't know collateral," replied the Indian
"Well that's something of value that would cover the cost of the loan. |

"Have you got any vehicles?"
"Yes. 1949 Chevy pickup," replied the Indian
The banker shook his head, "How about livestock?"
"Yes, I have a horse," replied the Indian
"How old is it?" the banker asks.
"Don't know, has no teeth," replies the Indian

Finally the banker decided to make the $500 loan.

Several weeks later the old man was back in the bank.
He pulled out a roll of bills, "Here to pay." he said.
He then handed the banker the money to pay his loan off.

"What are you going to do with the rest of that money?" the banker asks.
"Put in hogan", replied the Indian

"Why don't you deposit it in my bank," the banker asked.
"Don't know deposit," replied the Indian
"You put the money in our bank and we take care of it for you.
Whenever you want to use it, you can withdraw it."

The old Indian leaned across the desk and asks the banker...
"What you got for collateral?" (FB post by Denis Cooney)

What is funny about this joke is how the Native American calls the banker on a standard practice of banking. What is not funny about this joke is how we just accept that it's okay for bankers to earn money for themselves by charging interest on our money, and how we just accept no one else can do it!

The point is, there are many, many memes we have been programmed with to such a degree that we no longer question their legitimacy!!! It is exactly these sort of memes that keep us living within a subtle form of slavery. When we believe these memes are truth, we allow ourselves to be kept in bondage!

What's wrong with bankers charging interest on money they loan out to people, you ask? In order to answer that question, we need to look at what money actually is. Money is a system by which products and services are given values so that these products and services can be traded equitably. While the concept isn't all bad, there can be problems with ranking products and services evenly. Any good attorney (are there any good attorneys?) can argue why something should be of greater or lesser value. My question is, where does the fair come in? Who makes that determination? Society as a whole? The rulers? God?

Let's look at a concrete example. In our society we pay medical doctors extremely well because we value their role of bringing health to the masses. While it can be argued they provide an extremely valuable service, what makes their roles as healers any more valuable than farmers? Musicians and artists? Builders? Factory workers? Fast food employees? Bankers? Should working hard be a factor in this equation? What about talent? The irony of paying doctors (and other occupations) well is the fact that we often end up with doctors who are motivated to become doctors because they will be well paid as opposed to actually having the talent and ability to be gifted healers. Do we really want to be part of a society where we are not encouraged to use our talents for the benefit of all? A society where only certain things are valued and the rest considered unworthy?

Here are some of the memes we believe that keep us in continued bondage:

• It's okay for banks to make money off our hard-earned money.
• Bankers are too big to jail. If some of them go to jail, they deserve to be in special prisons for white collar criminals.
• Certain occupations are worth more than others.
• It's a dog-eat-dog, competitive sort of world. That's natural selection or survival of the fittest.
• Our world's finances should be in the control of people who understand money--the bankers.

There are many more memes we could come up with. The point is, our society is seriously broken. Many of us are hurting and in pain with little relief in sight. 

As a very empathetic person, the pain has become unbearable. I can no longer just sit on the sidelines and watch people die their slow, agonizing deaths.

It is time for us to look at our beliefs and decide whether or not they can still be used, or if they serve to keep us on bondage. Don't be afraid to question what you have been taught. The truth really will set us free!

Zombies And The Real World

I reposted a picture on Facebook the other day. It consisted of two pictures side by side where people were pressed up against store windows in each. The caption read, "Dawn of the Dead, 1978. Black Friday, 2013." The irony was, both pictures looked eerily the same.

We believe zombies are the stuff of myths and legends, and yet a critical look at the world today will yield tragic results. We have become a society of mindless addicts, ruled by the greed and competitiveness we have been programmed with from birth. There is no thought. There is no logic. There is no compassion. We are controlled by a force that has cut us off from there very things that make us human. In a very real way, we have all become the mindless, craving zombies we fear.

What can we do to change this situation? The best thing we can do is take a critical look at our own actions and question why we do what we do. Do we believe it's important to work really hard/"smart" in order to have the finer things in life? Do we pursue such goals regardless of whether or not other people or things get hurt? Do we define others who don't have as much as we do as "lazy" and "worthless"? Does mindless materialism and competition make us happy?

We do not have to be mindless, programmed zombies. We can question our own actions. When we come up with answers we do not like, we can take the simple step of changing the way we do things. Our actions do not need to be thoughtless. Our actions need to be conscious.

All it takes to change the world is to change yourself.

9/11: Day of Empowerment

Twelve years. It's been twelve years since the horrible tragedy that was 9/11. Too much destruction. Too many lives lost. Too much worldwide grief. The effect on the collective consciousness was decisive enough that data from satellites stationed over the earth's magnetic poles registered huge shifts in their readings on that day. (Read more About the Global Coherence Monitoring System and 9/11.) Twelve years later we have not finished the reconstruction of the twin towers, nor have we overcome the helplessness in our own hearts.

Declaring war has not helped us take back our power. All it has done is cost precious lives and resources. Killing the supposed mastermind of this plot, Osama bin Laden, has not overcome the ideology behind the destruction. We feel the chains of this every day and live in fear of even more destruction.

This needs to stop. We were not born into this world to be slaves to weakness and powerlessness. We were born in this era to take responsibility for all those things that happen in our world, both good and bad, and learn from those things. We have waited far to long for those in power to change our world for the better, and quite honestly, it is not going to happen. Creation is not the responsibility of a few but the responsibility of us all!

Do not grieve for those who lost their lives on 9/11! We absolutely miss them, yet all grief does is keep us slaves to helplessness. I don't believe those who died would want their deaths to take away our power. Rather, their sacrifice will be in vain if we do not recognize the lessons they died to teach us.

Let us make this resolution. As we remember all those who lost their lives on 9/11, let us never forget that we have the power to learn! We have the power to make better choices! We have the power to create the sort of world we would like to live in, for ourselves and our children! Allow the light to enter in this day so the world may be a better place for everyone!

~Cindy Shippy Evans

Pardon Me, But Your Desperation Is Showing!

Chaos abounds in today's world. If you turn to any one of the mainstream American propaganda machines (ie. CNN, NBC, CBS or FOX news), you will see headlines filled with politicians advising military strikes against Syria's present regime even though the American people are tired of wars we don't win (not to mention wars that could be the catalyst for WWIII). Interestingly enough, Americans don't seem to be buying the blatant lies anymore.

Somehow, the same old story (which usually arouses the ire of the American people) about an "enemy" regime committing crimes against his own people is not raising the same fire for justice that it once did. Stories from alternative news sources proving it is not President Assad's regime firing chemical weapons at his people but the actual rebels the American government is supporting are going mainstream enough that the truth is actually beginning to infiltrate the propaganda machines!!! 

• US Contractors Cited for Syrian Chem Attacks
• Video: Syrian Rebel Admits Using Chemical Weapons
• Pro-Strike Lawmakes Mum As Startling Videos Surface of Syrian Rebels

I have been very pleased by the fact that the American people, for one reason or another, are just not towing the political line anymore (aka eating the political garbage they usually ingest).

All this brings me to another point. Recently I have noticed more mainstream news sources addressing non-mainstream issues. For example, Forbes Magazine has decided to address the "rumors" over the importance of revaluating the Iraqi dinar. (Inside the Dubious Dinar Revaluation Ruse) According to alternative news sources, this is an important step in the global reset and revaluation of all global currencies, which is designed to void out our current exchange system and take power from those who have abused our people and our planet for far too long.

It has occurred to me for the last several weeks that such stories and actions as the Forbes article are designed to convince people to stay in the current illusion (and thus support the powers that be and their continued reign of terror). They are, in effect, saying, "This is your reality and the way things have to be." If we continue to believe the way they have set the world up, we will continue to be manipulated, cheated and underutilized. Our only jobs will be what they choose to bestow on people who are broken enough to do the lowly jobs they create. Our only income will be at their discretion. For me, living the lie is something I am no longer willing to accept.

It is time to change the status quo! It is time to wake up to the infinite wonder and possibility of who we all are!!! It is time to change this harsh, dark world into the world of our dreams!!! 

Pardon me, powers that be, but your desperation is showing! We have learned what we need to learn from this darkness. We appreciate the lessons, but it is time to be on our way! We are ready, and we now choose to live life in joy, gratitude and abundance. Time to let go and allow us to become the beings of power and light we were meant to be.

~Cindy Shippy Evans

New Life

I am sitting with my daughter in the delivery room, waiting for her to deliver my first grandchild. It is definitely a new experience for me, both pain and bliss rolled into one. Pain because my daughter is in pain. Bliss because...well, let me give you more background on myself and this pregnancy.

A couple of weeks before we found out my daughter was pregnant, I had this experience. I was working my retail job where I was folding and straightening baby clothes. All of a sudden, I thought how much I wanted to buy baby clothes. I thought it was strange to think such a thing at this point in my life.  That's when it hit me. There was a presence beside me--a spirit, a soul! I knew it was my future grandchild, and he/she was communicating with me!

Ironically, I went home and told my daughter. I honestly thought it might be my oldest son and his very serious girlfriend who would be expecting. I wanted to tell someone about my experience so they could verbally back me up later if it turned out to be real.

About two weeks after my experience, my daughter came to me and said, "Mom, I'm pregnant. I guess you were right. We just didn't know it would be me!"

After that, I was able to "talk" to the baby periodically. I could tell how excited this baby was to be coming to have this earth experience. I let the baby know how excited I was that it was coming.

As I sit with my daughter in her hospital room, I feel this little girl tell me she is almost here! I feel her pushing, straining against the ever growing contractions, but also knowing that the pain is enabling her freedom. Not much longer now!

The joy in my heart and the tears in my eyes tell me she is ready for this new journey to begin. I, too, am ready for this new life. I will do what I can to allow her to grow into the person she desires to be.

Searching For a Leader

Those of us who are part of the "truth" movement (aka the effort to shine a light on all the darkness that enslaves humanity) are searching for a leader. It isn't that we're searching for one person specifically. It's more like we are looking for someone with the answers--someone we can rally around in order to move ourselves in the same positive direction. The thing is, such a person is really difficult to find.

We find one person who seems to know what's going on. We listen to the news he puts out. His message resonates deep within so we begin to listen to what else he has to say. This may go on for days, weeks, months, but inevitably one day we wake up and realize that not everything this person says is truth. At that point, we become disenchanted and point to the flaws in the argument in order to justify why we are no longer following this leader. We look for new truths and usually find someone different to guide us. This cycle seems to continue on in a never-ending series of frustrations and wheel-spinning.

What we fail to see and acknowledge is that we are all a combination of light and dark. While it's true that we often allow one side to overshadow the other, both sides are still there. For some reason, we expect our leaders to be perfectly light. This is where the problem starts. No one is perfectly light! It is unrealistic to expect perfection from someone exactly like our flawed selves.

So what is the answer to this leadership dilemma? In my way of thinking, the problem stems from where we look for a leader. Even though most of us understand that truth lies within, we look outside ourselves for answers. In doing so, we fail to take responsibility for that truth within.

For example, we hear someone else's message. The first thing we tend to do with this new information is to take it inside and decide whether or not it is something that seems or feels "right". If we decide it is not truth, we drop the information and go on to something else. If we decide the information is true for us, we then choose to open up to other insights this individual has to offer. While this is not necessarily a bad way to do things, it inevitably leads to disappointment when the other person eventually exposes his dark side. The point is, what we follow in this scenario is information we have obtained outside ourselves.

If truth really does reside within, we fail ourselves every time we look outside for our answers. When we follow someone else's truth, we deny ourselves the ability to create our own glorious new world!

The leaders we are searching for are US! We need to stand up for our own truth! The reason our world is not changing is because we fail to take responsibility for who we are in each moment! We look to others to stand up when it is really our job to stand up for ourselves!

I am the person I have been waiting for. All I need to do now is consult my own heart for the answers I seek. When I begin to take responsibility for myself, my whole world will change.

Become the leader that is inside! When that leader is unchained, the world will be a very different place.

Slavery Or Freedom

I freed a thousand slaves. I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.
~Harriet Tubman

Seems hard to believe people would not know they are slaves. You would think it obvious--buying and selling people like cattle, bound to the family/land, working until every ounce of strength has been used up only to repeat the practice the next day. The irony is, slavery is as real today as it was back in Harriet Tubman's time.

Let's look at the facts. We have been living in a world where everything is monetized and the value of that money is backed by humans. This is why the powers that be all over the world make you register your live births. For example, here in America our birth registration and our social security information are sent to the Department of Commerce. The information is then sent to a bond company in New York, who issues ten bonds in your name. The bonds are then held by one of the twelve branches of the Federal Reserve Bank, to  back our dollar and to be traded as commodities through mutual funds on the stock market. Going a little bit deeper down the rabbit hole proves far worse. Not only are our births registered in order to back the currency, our DNA is now also a marketable commodity. This is why they take blood sample every time you go to the doctor. This is why they secretly store your baby's placenta and cord blood. This is why biotechnology accounts for such a large portion of the world's economy, and why the United States Supreme Court is now deciding whether or not corporations and universities actually have the right to patent our genes!

What about being bound to the "family" and/or land? Have you noticed the emphasis in recent years on "illegal" immigration? While people used to be able to travel freely from country to country, now everything relies on a passport. Yes, you can travel, but not freely. People are often blocked and denied this ability by either their country of origin or the country they want to enter. Again, there is a huge emphasis on registration via having the proper passports and visas. (Some of you might believe this is okay because of "security" issues, but the reality is known terrorists pass freely through many countries to be used as pawns in the corrupt games played by our slave owners.)

Working yourself to exhaustion is another game we play. Is there any doubt you have to work harder and harder in order to make ends meet? Our lives have become increasingly difficult in the past few decades, and this has been intentional by the powers that be as they continue to manipulate the markets. This is where the mortgage bubble has come from. This is why the Libor scandal happened. This is why gold and silver prices have been bouncing around. The powers that be have done everything they can think of to steal your value as a human--all behind your back of course.

Ask yourself this question: Am I free? The answer may shock you. Still, understanding your position is the first step in correcting it. Know there are many people who have understood this dilemma and have gone before us all to clear the way for our true freedom. Their efforts are about the pay off. Appreciate the sacrifices they have made for you, and be willing to emerge from the rabbit hole into the beautiful light of a new world.

Creation...A Dream World or a Nightmare?

My thoughts today are just a whirling mass of chaos, clamoring for some semblance of order. I'm hoping that, maybe, if I can write them out it will help me organize them enough to make sense of what seems to be coming to me.

My conundrum started with all the predictions of big things potentially happening this month (May 2013). From David Wilcock's dream revelation to Lindsey William's dire predictions about the economic collapse to Clif High's May wujo on a potential coastal global event to Cobra's energy portal opening toward the end of the month my head is swimming in details. While not all the scenarios are negative, I have had the most difficult time grappling with Clif High's predictions for a global coastal event.

For those of you who may not know who Clif High is, he is a gifted computer programmer who helped develop data mining software initially designed to predict stock market trends using keyword searches, but who discovered along the way this data could predict much more than stock trends. What concerns me is the possibility the data he has uncovered for years about vast changes in coastlines could potentially fit with the timing of things this month.

Lindsey Williams is a minister with connections among some of the powers that were. He often knows details about things that are going to happen, and lately he has been revealing details of the planned financial collapse. The thing is, I can dismiss much of what Lindsey says because he is pretty much giving a verbatim account of how the powers that were are planning things to be--very different from how they often end up because of the vast numbers of people finally waking up to the world's financial slavery system.

Clif High's stuff is harder for me to invalidate. However, somewhere the idea has come to me that Clif's software reads the energy of what gets put out on the web. This would encompass both the ideas of what the powers that were are planning for the world in order to keep themselves in power as well as the fear they are placing in the rest of us that certain things will come to pass. I personally am convinced the powers that were are trying to begin World War III and create global catastrophe in order to kill off billions of us and physically enslave the rest through martial law. This is where their New World Order crap comes into play--one world government, one world currency, etc.

The prevailing fear is their last attempt to create the world of their dreams (and the world of our nightmares). As thieves and guardians of some of the world's greatest spiritual truths, they understand that thought can be a powerful tool of creation. Even though they lose power with each day that passes, they cling to the one thing that could potentially roll the ball back into their side of the court--fear.

If the powers that be can keep us fighting among ourselves--over perceived tyrants and border disputes and immigration and marriage and guns and drugs and anything else--they can keep us full of fear and negativity. If they make use believe scriptural calamities are coming our way, our fears could potentially come to pass. If the powers that were can convince us their "solutions" are the only way we can survive as a planet, our fear will continue to keep them in power.

It does not have to be this way! Are we full of fear? Are we full of fighting and war? I know I'm not. I have been given the vast ability to love--even those who are often considered by society as unlovable. I believe every other person on this planet has this same potential. It is only a matter of learning how to tap into it. By standing up to the fear and saying, "I love you so much I am willing to help you succeed," we can overcome the negativity and change the course of the planet.

The time for separation has passed. It is time to step back into compassion, step back into kindness, step back into love. We can keep the world from becoming an uninhabitable wasteland and live in freedom and integrity. It is a question of allowing our love to become bigger than our fear. It is a matter of changing our energy--our frequency--to one of love and peace.

     

I Am Enough

At the ripe old age of 47, I've spent several years telling the same running joke. The line is, "I'm still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up!" Even though I say it in a playful way, there is actually much truth behind the statement.

The first real job I ever really wanted was that of writer--something I decided when I was twelve. I love to lose myself in a good book, and I thought it would be great to evoke the same sort of feelings in others. (I have always had some rather daydreaming/escapist tendencies.) In some respects, I do see myself as a writer even though it is not something I earn a living at.

In college, I got a BA in psychology, thinking I wanted to be a counselor and help people deal with their problems. That plan fell by the wayside after I had children and decided I wanted to raise them full time. Getting divorced put a big kink in the professional parent role, although I have to admit the jobs I took at the point were ones that allowed me to continue to put my kids first. I ended up as a daycare teacher. It paid the bills but with very little money left over and almost no professional credibility. Ironically I did get offered management positions several times (which I declined because I did not want the added stress for not much extra pay). At one point I even managed to get a temporary teaching certification which allowed me to be the lead teacher in a Georgia Pre K classroom, but as I knew I didn't want to be a teacher forever I did not finish the requirements to get my permanent certification.

At present, I am blessed to be able to work part time. When I first made the decision, I thought I would have time to actually focus on writing. However, even though I often have great ideas my ADD tendencies make it difficult to sit around and focus on any one major project. At times, I am extremely frustrated with myself and my lack of ambition. I even try to figure out what it is that drives me--what it is I am passionate about, but no one thing really stands out to me.

As I pondered this subject yet again this morning, something profound came to me. In this society, we are taught it is important to have goals and to be something. Usually being something requires you to define yourself in some way. For example, I am a writer or a teacher or a business person, etc. Absolutely nothing I know of in this world is something I feel I want to pursue for the rest of my life. There are times I do want to be a writer. There are times I want to be a teacher. There are times I want to be in business for myself. There are others professions I am attracted to as well. If I am to perfectly honest with myself, however, I do not wish to limit myself to any one of these things. The thought that occurred to me as I drove my youngest son to school was, maybe it is not necessary to be so focused on defining myself. Maybe I need to stop looking at things the world deems as necessary and just allow myself to be--whatever that is in any given moment.

The very act of defining who you are creates automatic limitation. Somewhere deep in my heart, I know I am  an unlimited and powerful being. I do not wish to be in a box--even a box of my own choosing and design.

The reason living in the state of now is such a powerful place to be is because you are in the moment, choosing from one second to the next what makes you happy. It is not something you have to think about. It is something you feel, and feelings are where the magic happens.

I choose not to designate myself as writer or teacher or business woman or anything else. I am all those things and more. I do not need to decide what I want to be when I grow up. I am, and that is enough.

Why We Should Let Go

I've been a part-time sales associate at Penney's (yes, that ailing American retailer) for about two-and-a-half years now. Within that time, I watched them go from a sales strategy of fluctuating prices that included "sales" and coupons and ended with 99 cents to prices that were ultra-competitive every day that only went lower when they went on clearance and ended in even dollar amounts. I have to confess--I LOVED the changes Ron Johnson made to the pricing!

Let's look at the difference between pricing the ends in 99 cents verses even dollar amounts. When I was growing up, my folks always taught me to add a penny to the price of anything that ended in 99 cents (common sense, right?). If an item is listed at $14.99, in reality it is $15. While a good many people understand this concept, many, many more do not! What I discovered when I was adding up peoples' items is that most of them do not add on the penny! I was totally amazed at the people who thought they were adding up the prices in their heads only to discover they were way off! Say for example they were purchasing five items. They would look at the $14.99 and think it was $14! When they did this for five items, their totals were $5 off (without even looking at taxes)! I would patiently explain to them how to add the penny so their totals wouldn't be off! This is why I appreciated the even dollars amounts that Ron John made standard practice at Penney's (and why I was appalled to see some of our merchandise on sale this week for $4.99)!!! To me, this can be a very deceptive practice, and I am definitely not into deception.

Then look at the "sales" and coupons. The prices were much higher with the old pricing strategy. I was on the team that changed all the prices at my store in January of 2012, and I was truly amazed by what I saw! The vast majority of the listed prices were literally cut in half!!! With the old pricing strategy, prices changed almost daily, give or take a couple of dollars at the twice as high price. "Sales" consisted of a few less dollars on certain items only. One of my gifts is the ability to spot patterns, and one of the patterns I noticed consistently was that the really good coupons ($10 off $10 or more or $25 or more) were at times the overall prices in the store were at their highest levels. Of course, they would have their limited number of "Door Buster" items to draw in the crowds, but unless you were only buying door busters, you did not come out ahead--the store did! You only believed you were making out like a bandit, but it kept you happy, didn't it? Again, to me, this is extremely deceptive and I do not like it!

Yes, I am in rant mode! Why? Because I was in my store shopping today and I saw they were marking everything up twice or more than what the every day price was! The coupons have been out for weeks already, and you can't make a profit with coupons and extremely low prices. Yes, folks! You are getting your damn coupons back! Hope the sticker shock doesn't come back to bite you in the ass!!! If you ever decide to get a new tattoo, might I suggest the word "sucker" in big, bold letters on your forehead!!!

My point with my very wordy essay on corporate greed and deception? People don't like change, and that is why the world continues to stay in a state of corruption and decline!!! You can look at this world through rose-colored glasses and con yourself into believing that everything is fine, but until you understand that change is the only thing that will allow the world to lose the deception and become better the world will continue to go down the tubes!

It's time! Take off the rose-colored glasses and see the world for the corrupt, deceptive place it is! The more willing you are to identify what's wrong with your community the more likely you are to change it! It is time to let go of all that is familiar. It is not working for anyone but the 1%. The world has untapped resources available. Be willing to look for them and use them as we work to bring about a golden age on this dusty and tired planet.

  

I'm In the Allowing Party!

I am so fed up with the labels! I have been called by many names in my lifetime. Girl. Woman. Daughter. Sister. Mother. Friend. Enemy. Heterosexual. Christian. Democrat. Republican. Intelligent. Stupid. Fun. Boring. Saint. Sinner. And it goes on...and on...and on...ad naseam!!!

The thing is, I am in process of letting go of judgments--against both others and myself. It is not a quick and easy task as I have been taught to judge everything--even things as inane as burping in public or people with tattoos! The judgments we have of ourselves, each other, and the world are directly tied to the labels we give to various things. Labels are one way of categorizing and organizing the information in our brains.

As judgmental human beings, we attempt to limit our own actions to those things we have been taught are "good" or "right". This is the step where we stop growing because we have mentally chosen to limit our behaviors. (This does not mean I think everyone should go around doing every "bad" thing they thought about doing. It does mean we learn to hear the wisdom in our hearts and follow that guidance.)

I have come to the point of my development where I no longer want to be labeled. (This, to me, equates to putting me in a box.) Just as I do not want to be thought of as "bad", I also do not want to be thought of as "good", nor do I want to be labelled woman, daughter, sister, mother, friend, enemy, heterosexual, christian, or anything else! What I desire to do is BE, without dictates, mandates or directives. I want to be free to follow the moment by moment guidance of my heart without the distraction of labels!

I especially don't want to be labeled Democrat or Republican! (Them's fightin' words for sure in my book!) If you must call me something, tell everyone I'm in the Allowing Party. It's a party that doesn't care if you are Democrat or Republican (or Libertarian). It doesn't care of you are good or bad, intelligent or stupid, black or white, or any other limiting thing. It's an all-inclusive party where we are free to follow the guidance and wisdom in our own hearts. It's a place where we are allowed to BE.

Letting Go of Destructive Patterns

For Eva and Bill

Change is in the air! Within the past couple of days, an incident occurred in my life that made me extremely angry (much too angry for the apparent situation if the truth be known). Without going into detail, let's just say I was (once again) being taken advantage of, and anger hit me like a brick wall. It was as if all the anger and resentment I have carried through many lifetimes all came into focus with this one little incident.

A great deal of emotion has confronted me the past couple of weeks. Anger. Resentment. Worry. Fear. All extreme. It took listening to the wise words of someone who is also in the middle of resolving crisis to help me recognize this emotion is here to bring about the opportunity to identify old destructive patterns in order to let go of them and create something new--something better.

As I began to focus on why this little incident brought up so much anger for me, I started to see a pattern--in this lifetime and in lifetimes past. Somehow, somewhere I got the idea that I was strong and that I could (and should) take on pain so others did not have to take on so much. In other words, I have developed quite the martyr complex. In the process, I have denied myself the very things that I want in life--even denying the full power of who I am. I have spent a long time playing small so others did not have to take full responsibility for themselves.

The reality is, my martyrdom benefited no one! Not myself. Not even the others I believed I was saving from pain. The fact of the matter is, we come to this world to learn. Many of these lessons require a great deal of pain because pain makes such a big impact on our lives. The only thing my martyrdom truly did was make me resent the things I gave up in order to save others from pain!

So now it's time to make a change. The anger of my little incident has been the catalyst for me to analyze what is wrong in my life and make appropriate changes. I'm really not sure how this will all play out. I do know that it is important for me to take everything one moment at a time. I need to live each moment of now so that I can deal with those emotions as they come up and begin to change all the ways I be that are this pattern of martyrdom. It is only by letting go of my destructive patterns that I can make room for something new. Something different. Something better.

Everything in the world right now screams to me that now is the time to give up all our destructive patterns. Change is here! Let's step up and create the space for a bold, new, wonderful world! We have the power to create lasting change! We are the change we wish to see in the world!

I am so honored to be taking this journey with each and every one of you! Namaste!

The Choice: Righteousness or Truth?

In our world today, there is a right/wrong, good/bad mentality where it is important to establish the side you stand on. Very often, we believe that righteousness and truth are one and the same, and choosing your side involves discovering what is true (or so the story goes). The question becomes are righteousness and truth the same thing? It is my belief that righteousness and truth are not the same things and the difference between the two is key to shifting consciousness.

The concept of righteousness revolves heavily around the idea of being "right". In other words, for every situation there is a right side and a wrong side. We are taught that standing in righteousness involves discerning the "right" side and then following it. The thing is, depending on the society you grow up in, what is "right" can mean different things to different people. For example, people who follow the Bible often believe being gay is a sin solely on the basis that they Bible says it is a sin. They do not take into consideration that fact that many gay people are born to and raised by good Christian people who do everything in their power to promote heterosexual relationships. Many of these gays do everything in their power to conform to what they have been taught is "right" at great personal sacrifice and expense. These people deny what is inside them--what they were born with. How can this be "right"?

The concept of righteousness inherently brings about separation. What do I mean by separation? When you choose one side as the "right" side, you begin to identify with that side. You believe your choice means you have to live by certain rules and keep yourself pure from what you see as the "wrong" side. You will proclaim your differences and most likely maintain some sort of distance from those who oppose your point of view. Keeping yourself away or apart from another is separation.

Truth is very different from righteousness. Many people believe truth comes with a whole series of rules, but the fact of the matter is truth has very few rules. Truth is simply the way things are. All things exist in truth. Truth does not separate and divide. Truth is not limited to a particular view. What we believe to be "the rules" is really righteousness disguised as truth.

When a person chooses righteousness over truth, he makes the decision to keep himself separate from those who do not agree with his view of the world. When a person chooses truth, he allows everything to exist and works to build Oneness and unity in the whole.

We have come to a point in history where the choice between righteousness and truth is key to our survival. If we continue to believe there is a right and a wrong and we must choose sides, we will allow our differences to destroy us. If we can learn to see ourselves as connected to one another and live in truth, we will no longer be bent on destroying each other for our differences and can live in peace and harmony. The advancement of all those on planet earth requires this transition out of separation and back into Oneness.

Ask yourself this vital question: will this choice bring about separation or Oneness? The choices we make today will bring us either closer or farther away from a peaceful, loving planet. Make your choices count!

No More Boxes!

Don't call me American.
Or Christian.
Or white.
Or female.
Or straight.
Or liberal.
Or conservative.
Or smart.
Or stupid.
Or funny.
Or boring.
Or any other label you use to define me.
What I express today
May be entirely different tomorrow.

I am not a label.
Labels are limitations--boxes,
And I was not born
To be contained.

I am all things,
And all things are me!
I was born to experience
And experiment.
To run.
To stumble.
To play.
To study.
To love.
To hate.
To dream.
To create.
To choose.
To exist.

I have lived in enough boxes
To last many lifetimes.
I AM,
And that's all I need to be.

~Cindy Shippy Evans

Money Musings

After listening to a recording of a radio show by a gifted psychic, Andrew Bartzis, I was inspired to have a little dialogue with "money". In our society, we are taught that inanimate objects do not have sentience. However, because of experiences I have had in the past, I have been able to connect on an energetic level with many sorts of things--trees, crystals, Mother Earth. I know that everything has a message if you are able to tune in to it. I am grateful to Andrew for reminding me of this.

I took out a one dollar Federal Reserve Note from my purse so I had something a little more concrete to focus on. The energy coming off it was so negative and HUGE it was all I could do to continue to hold it. All my personal negativities came to the surface as well, which added to my agitation.

The first thing that dawned on me was that the energy I was feeling was not from the dollar itself. It was the energy placed on it by people who desired to use it to control others and the world. The energy was placed on it specifically to suck all the resources away from the people who used it. It was a very draining energy, and I understood it was designed to steal not only physical and financial resources but energetic resources as well.

My thought was to use my own energy to try to neutralize it. This did not work very well and I felt my efforts blocked. I then asked for inspiration and felt guided to ask Mother Earth and my friends the Elementals (spirits/energies of things in nature) to surround and neutralize the energy. This worked much better and I felt myself free to directly communicate with the dollar itself.

This dollar had a lot to say when I was finally able to communicate with it! It was upset by the fact that it had been used to control so many people and was consequently disliked by many people. It hated being in the hands of a few when it wanted to experience all different sorts of people and be used for many good endeavors. At this point, I understood money was also trapped by the same people who would enslave the vast majority of the population.

Suddenly, I felt the structure of a Ho'oponopono prayer come to me naturally. I felt the need to tell money how sorry I was that I allowed others to keep it from me and to ask its forgiveness. I thanked money for wanting to be there for me and reassured it I loved it regardless of how others had manipulated it.

I left the experience with a much softer place in my heart for money, and I am focusing my energy to help money in its endeavors to be used for the abundance of all.   

The Judas Choice, Duality and Sacred Agreements

We live in a world based on separation. The Bible tells us the first thing God did when he created this world was to separate the darkness from the light. We have learned to identify ourselves with one role or another--good/bad, Democrat/Republican, straight/gay, Christian/Moslem/Jew/Hindu, ad infinitum. As we take on these various identities, we use these distinctions to bond to certain groups and alienate ourselves from certain others. Separation can be a useful learning tool, but is it really the end game? Why is separation important? Does belonging to a certain group make us better or worse than others, and should our goal be "righteousness"?

The Biblical story of Judas comes to the forefront of my Christian upbringing. Judas was the ultimate betrayer because he was paid off by the authorities to identify Jesus to the soldiers who would arrest him. The traditional Bible (the one that Christians believe to be the word of God) portrays Judas as the ultimate "bad" guy. Various texts in the New Testament talk about how Jesus recognized his betrayer in advance, how the devil prompted Judas to sell out Jesus for gold, and how Judas was so filled with guilt after the deed was done that he committed suicide--a fitting end for such an evil person, or was it?

The Gospel of Judas says some very different things about Judas. What is the Gospel of Judas? It is a translation of some coptic language papyrus writings which surfaced in the 1970's and was carbon dated back to A.D. 280. Although the actual text is literally fragmented, what remains is an intriguing account of the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. The text claims that Jesus and Judas were extremely good friends and that Jesus did indeed know Judas would betray him and even planned with him because this was the sacred role Judas had agreed to portray. In the Bible's context, betraying Jesus is a horrendous sin, and yet even the Bible acknowledges Jesus had to be betrayed and killed so the prophecies could be fulfilled. Consider this: if the plan of salvation required the sacrifice of Jesus, someone had to be the betrayer. Nobody likes the "bad" guy. In fact, we are all taught to hate and despise the "bad" guy and to separate ourselves from him. Why would anyone in their right mind choose to play the "bad" guy?

If life is the learning process I believe it to be, choosing to be "evil" is a difficult choice to make. Even though we are taught it is selfish and wrong to harm others, it is those acts that cause harm which usually teach us the most. Making the choice to play the "bad" guy role takes strength and courage because such a choice puts us in the center of controversy and punishment--the ultimate place of separation. It is so much easier to make the choice to be "good" and fit in. It is my belief that Judas entered into a sacred agreement when he agreed to play the bad guy role--an agreement to make himself a target so that others could learn and grow.

To all those who have made the Judas choice, I give you my unconditional love and appreciation. Thank you for your willingness to play the "bad" guy role so that my understanding and compassion could be increased. Thank you for helping me feel the depths so I could also feel the heights. Thank you for allowing me to use my gift of unconditional love to heal the planet. Your service has had tremendous benefit for the One, and I am truly grateful you made the choice to be my teacher. Namaste, my friends.