How very prophetic that I come to the realization today that hit me with such slam-bang Clarity as I prepare this article for you as we prepare to celebrate the Fall Equinox, my favorite time of year. During the Fall Equinox we celebrate Balance as night and day are once again equal. In line with that Balance what occurred to me like never before is that ministry is a two way street; not just the ministers giving to their congregation but the congregation giving to the ministers. Without that Balance there are no ministers. We burn them out!!! I have served in leadership positions for many years and I see like never before the blatant hostility expressed toward ministers who are as heart-centered and talented as they can be and yet they are constantly blasted. It's heartbreaking to watch!!!

The lesson of course is a lesson in Self Love and Compassion and it applies to every moment, every area of Life. When we love ourselves we would never express the venom we express toward others. We would know it comes back to us magnified many times over. Not honoring this Truth is why there is so much hatred and violence in the world. On a much lighter note Billy Preston's song, "Will It Go Round In Circles?", popped into my mind. The answer is emphatically, "Yes, it does." That is precisely how Energy works and flows. It goes round in circles and comes back magnified.

The sweet blessing in all this is Generosity works the same way. As we release the hurt and pain of whatever moment we are experiencing we are open channels for blessings of every kind to come forth streaming into our lives. We are open and receptive to renewed Strength, Vitality, Freedom, Grace and all the blessings of Spirit within us and all around us. As we recognize again and again we are Spirit in expression we heal the woundedness that makes us mean and hateful. It is our Life lesson, our very Purpose to move through the unresolved pain that causes us to hurt others. We are much more than that!!!

In line with that higher Purpose I facilitated a ritual recently titled: "Self Empowerment: Your Pathway To Peace And Joy". This is the work I've been doing all my Life whether I'm teaching a class or simply leading by example. When we love and honor who we are and heal our wounds from the past we move forward with such Grace and Resilience we do remarkable things in our world. There certainly is no shortage of Grace and Resilience needed in our world today. There is also countless evidence of Grace and Resilience being shown in the world if we will just focus on looking for that!!! It's within us and all around us now and always. I experienced a sweet example of that today. It made me laugh. I was at a gas station today and I saw this sweet bent over elderly woman walking toward me and I waited for her and held the door open for her. She smiled and laughed as she saw me holding the door for her and her comment was adorable. I patted her on the shoulder as she walked by and we were both still laughing. These seemingly small moments add up and add to a lifetime of Joy and Peace. It means everything to me to be kind and helpful and considerate. I have no interest in being mean and hateful.

Wherever you are today, whatever you are doing I hope you will look for ways to be kind and considerate. It may not be immediately apparent although it often is but being kind and considerate is SUCH an enormous blessing in every way. It blesses us emotionally, physically and spiritually. It may take retrospect to see it but the blessings are there!!!

I am reaping the benefit of a blessing I had no idea would happen. With this blessing I am able to travel and see my family and make connections that mean a great deal to me. I know more blessings are on the way because that's the way Life happens. When I see Life as a blessing I am amazingly blessed in return. It works the same way for everyone everywhere. It does indeed go round in circles!!! Energy flows where attention goes. This is a very common knowing in the progressive spiritual communities I am involved with and it's a blessing to watch this energetic flow bloom in so many ways. The more we open to Confidence and Gratitude and Faith the larger the pool and stream of blessings!!! I want to do everything in my Power to stay in the flow of blessings. A part of that process is always Forgiveness, Resilience, Clarity, Joy and Peace. Consciously breathing and releasing each present moment is part of this blessing process too. I have spoken many, many times of how constricted our breathing gets when we are holding onto fear of any kind. Over time this constriction has massive consequences in the form of heart disease, cancer and every other form of illness. "Dis-ease" reminds me of one of my favorite books, "The Intelligent Heart" by Rev. David McArthur. He shared the example of results in a research study done at the HeartMath Institute that indicated five minutes of focused anger depresses the immune system for six hours!!! Five minutes of focused happiness boosts the immune system for six hours!!! I was astonished the first time I saw those results. That's quite a tradeoff!!! I'll take the happiness!!! That playfully reminds me of one of my favorite people, Teri Wilder, and her song, "I Choose Joy". Yes, indeed, I choose Joy too. I choose Peace too. I like the feeling of both of those states of Being much more than the feeling of anger or hate. No contest there at all!!!

September is also a very special month for me, September 3rd in particular, as that day marks the 42 year anniversary of when I threw my braces away. I decided for myself I know what's best for me and I acted on that Knowing. It means a great deal to me to act from Wisdom and Confidence. I know when to ask for help. I know when I don't need it! Knowing this difference is an invaluable expression of Balance, the difference between Wisdom and belligerence. Belligerence is a fear-based disconnect from our innate Wisdom always there to serve us. I honor my innate Wisdom and Courage. I know these qualities are what make me who I AM and I honor who I AM.

So, in this season where we celebrate the blessings of Balance let's enjoy the Beauty in and all around us. Let's look with new eyes and feel with a renewed heart whenever we need to and let's celebrate the inherent worth and dignity of all Life everywhere!!! We live in a very special place. I love our beloved Mother Earth and all Her many gifts. I celebrate you as we share this very connected Life together. I hope you honor yourself as you express your balance of Wisdom and Courage and all the Divine qualities you are. Namaste to you!!! Blessings to you as we move through the Beauty of this season and into a different kind of Beauty as we head toward winter. Peace, I'm out!!!!!