Blessings and welcome to the amazing month of July.
There is so much going on in our world.
I’ve been waking up with a smile each morning....
then I start my computer and
Joe Cocker is singing to me again.
I sing along - voicing my appreciation for
all the beauty that surrounds us.
You are so beautiful to me
You are so beautiful to me
Can't you see
You’re everything I hoped for
You’re everything I need
You are so beautiful to me
Such joy and happiness you bring
Such joy and happiness you bring
Like a dream
A guiding light that shines in the night
Heavens gift to me
You are so beautiful to me
Billy Preston and Bruce Fisher
As a child I would sometimes accompany my father to work. He was
a commercial fisherman casting his nets out at night, when the stars twinkled
and the light of the moon cast her reflection on the rippled surface of
Bellingham Bay. When your livelihood depends on the bounty of the sea, the
necessity of understanding respectful treatment of natural resources is much
more than just a concept.
I feel at home on the water.... and in the water. My time on Maui gave me the
opportunity to develop an even stronger personal bond with Mother Ocean.
With that said, you can imagine the opportunity presenting itself for my evolution as I attempt to come to terms with the situation in the Gulf of Mexico.
Hawaiian Ho’Oponopono
I apologize - To the ocean
I Love You
Please forgive me - For anything I have ever done to contribute to polluting our
sacred waters
Thank You
The same four phrases can be directed at any and all who are perceived to be responsible for this monumental environemental challenge or in charge of bringing a stop to the situation and cleaning up .
It is easy to blame - anger keeps us tied into a repetetive pattern that unless used to fuel the fires of change serves no positive purpose.
Our world is so beautiful. Our oceans so amazing in the joy and happiness they can bring. I continue to choose the vision of abundant healing - I have seen all to clearly what my fear and worry accomplish.
Though you and I may not be able to take part physically in the clean up efforts there is much we can do in other ways.
Visualizing - because thoughts are things and the vibration
created by positive imagery does assist in bringing results.
You might choose to put a picture of water, the beach, or your favorite
shoreline somewhere you can see it often. As you look at it, remember the gifts
of water. Say a heartfelt ‘Thank You’ to the element that assists in sustaining
life on our planet.
Send your blessings knowing that there is somehow a positive
outcome being created from the lessons we are learning.
Paul Loeb has an article about Effective Activism - you may choose to take your
energy into the world and assist in creating change that will help protect our
environment.
Chief Arvol Looking Horse and the Grandmother’s Council of Indigenous Elders share their requests for your assistance in the work that must be done.
One thing is certain - change is happening. Many are sounding warnings - and continue to invoke fear which keeps us from accessing the supportive energies of trust and faith
This is the time - We must stand up and be who we came to be, do what we came here to do. We have ‘asked’ to be a part of the great
transformations taking place. I believe both you and I have
signed up for this ‘work’. And I trust that the passion within you will grow as
we all find our place to share the beauty of ourselves that is ‘Heaven’s Gift’.
I can still see sparking waters of Bellingham Bay in my mind’s eye. I bless the
vision that re-creates clean healthy oceans - and new, sustainable options to
keep them that way.
Blessings in all Your Choices and Nam Myoho Renge Kyo,
Kathy ‘Whyte’ Wynde’ Lowden
July Blessings: Impossible?
Welcome and Blessings to you.
This month’s cover headline is
probably the first time we’ve had a less than
productive theme.
There’s a reason for that.
IMPOSSIBLE?
Impossible:
1. incapable of being done, undertaken, or experienced
2. incapable of occurring or happening
3. absurd or inconceivable; unreasonable
4. Informal intolerable; outrageous
I looked it up online and the meaning was basic,
simple and straightforward.
Unlike the definition for POSSIBLE which includes a boundary which in itself
creates a perception of limits to what is labeled ‘possible’.
Possible:
1. Capable of happening, existing, or being true without contradicting proven
facts, laws, or circumstances.
2. Capable of occurring or being done without offense to character, nature, or
custom.
3. Capable of favorable development; potential
What happens when we step past the ‘norm’ and open ourselves to the truth that even what we don’t believe to be possible just may be?
In 1995, while living in Sequim, I decided to move back to Sedona. A little research showed that an import truck with a ‘longbed’ was only about 1.5 feet longer than the regular size. My always increasing collection of ‘goodies’, even when carefully condensed and packed tightly would not all fit in the space provided by the slightly longer bed and I wondered how I would manage to move successfully.
I needed at least 4 or 5 feet more of space to accommodate the rocks, shells, crystals and other essentials that had to somehow relocate from Washington to Arizona. I didn’t want a domestic model truck that guzzled gas like it was water in a drought, been there, done that.
I really don’t remember how far I went with attempting to manifest the ‘im-possible’. No Craig’s List or Ebay in those days, I watched the classified ads in the newspaper, One morning, the wording of an advertisement for a ‘Truck’ caught my eye. "Convertible, dual axle Mazda, 5 speed" Curious, I called the number for more information.
The owner explained the details and we made arrangements to meet so I could see the truck. Arriving at our agreed upon location, I could not believe what I saw. While the major auto manufacturers stick to what they believe is ‘possible’ (proven to be desired for purchase by a sufficient number of customers) the order I had put in to the ‘Auto Maker Upstairs’ had been filled. Dual –axle in the ad description meant an extra set of wheels – just behind the back of the cab added to help distribute the weight of a customized truck with a bed 4 feet longer than a regular Mazda pick-up. They had literally extended the existing truck bed by professionally attaching a portion of another. Well constructed, and kind of cute if I do say so myself. The answer to a prayer was right there in front of me in all its automobile glory.
Impossible? Obviously not.
The move went smoothly, and we even took the top off for a while and enjoyed the wind in our hair in this incredible convertible ‘Spirit Truck’. Last time I was in Sedona it was still on the road- a testament to what can be provided to fulfill a need.
Impossible? What does that mean to you? Are you limiting yourself with only the ‘possibilities’ which seem to fit in the everyday reality referred to as ‘normal’?
Before my most recent move I kept the belief that there was a living space perfect for myself, my dogs and my budget. Research into the rental market …. And the restrictions which can sometimes accompany renting – provided ‘evidence’ that what I was looking for did not exist. I continued to list the requirements in housing that would best serve and even went so far as to tell people I could find what I was looking for at the price I could pay. A few months later I was blessed with a wonderful space that included even more than what I had asked for.
As I sit in my garden bathtub, looking out the large windows at the trees and my dogs play in the private, enclosed back yard, I keep singing my ‘Ganesh Song’. Ganesh, the Indian deity who removes obstacles and opens the way to experiencing Divine Right Order. When my meditation is over…. A few steps to the sliding glass door and private deck and I call in my two shelties.
OK , what was it that’s impossible again?
Gratitude and Faith. Trust and Patience. Knowing that what you seek is seeking you and "God’s Got it Covered’…
Now how about a good quality Subaru wagon to replace my Maui Civic. I’d happily trade ongoing advertising and cash for a vehicle I can put both dog’s crates in for a quick road trip now and then. Shouldn’t be too hard to find… after all, I don’t need another pickup truck with an 11’ bed!
What would you welcome in your life? Can you shift your perception enough to include possibilities that might seem ‘Impossible’?
Blessings in all Your Choices and Nam Myoho Renge Kyo,
Kathy ‘Whyte’ Wynde’ Lowden
A Mother's Love
At the end of the month we have Memorial Day - a national holiday remembering those who have passed on.
Quite a combination and yet, a common thread runs through each. Honor and a love for our human mom, our planetary mother and all who have played important roles in our life experience.
It is easy to celebrate these special days when our past is
perceived with the rosy glow of love and joy. For many, the gifts of our
childhood have taken a little longer to discover.
You need do little more than power up your TV to find examples of both the
positive and negative influences our parents offered;. One of my favorite quotes
was repeated by my daughter recently and it continues to allow my personal and
relationship evolution .... long after that midnite departure from ‘home’ when i
turned 18, almost 34 years ago. "Mom did the best she knew how at the time - I
would not be the person I am without the experiences we shared."
What did you learn from Mom? Better yet, what did She share with you that planted the foundational seeds just waiting to take root and nourish your growth?
This past Christmas I received the greatest gift I could imagine. My daughter and grandson joined me for dinner at my house. There was nothing wrapped and waiting under which could deliver holiday spirit as meaningful as the gift of sharing the day with them. My heart soared when an out-of-state call opened the door to my sister and my mother joining us by phone.
My journey on the ‘Mom’ path was not always smooth. Whether thinking of my own mother or the challenges of being one...... both have been emotion filled and continue to find their best expression. I have come to realize the depth of my mother’s gifts. I wouldn’t trade them for anything.
A love of Nature - My mother opened the door to appreciating and
honoring this planet’s beauty. I discovered that huge windows giving me constant
views of trees, mountains, water and sky offer me the opportunity to bring
‘outside’ in .... and connect with nature throughout my day.
Strength to be who I AM - I found within me the ability to honor my own personal
power .... and to Spirit expressing through me.
Faith - that no matter how a situation looks- I can send loving energy and prayers - knowing ‘God’s Got it Covered’.
Follow Through - The blessing of continuing my comittments to
their completion.
Sometimes the gifts can feel more like lessons - and that’s ok. We receive what
we need in the way that will best serve us. Those who love us are often the
people who, on a soul level, have agreed to offer what no one else can.
Acceptance - The Serenity Prayer was always reminding of the ‘Peace which
passeth all understanding’. Many things that Spirit creates may only become
clear with the passing of time.... and some may never be completely understood
by our human mind.
It is the heart which can continue to open and allow a sense of acceptance.
Thank You Mom. I am just beginning to truly appreciate
the gifts your love continues to share.
It is my daily prayer that I find a way to be a mother that can best share my
love with my daughter.
Happy Mother’s Day. Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Kathy ‘Whyte Wynde’ Lowden
Rather than make it really confusing.... this month there are 2 covers - and I’m asking our distributors to place the magazine ‘backwards’ to feature the back cover showcasing Live- Love & Laugh... with a wee bit of April Fools fun. I considered changing the order of pages - and felt it would be easiest for you if I left it in it’s usual configuration.
The artwork on the back was featured in April of 2006 while I was living on Maui. The artist Ashama’s ‘Daring Beauty’ conveyed an incredible open and ecstatic energy. Ashama was a brilliant light who lived each moment to the fullest - her art celebrating Joy .
Over the last few weeks I have been reminded of the importance to be ‘ME’. There is always someone who will offer suggestions
to assist us in defining or changing who we are. People may
step in with opinions or attempt to set your boundaries based on what they feel
is best for you.... or them.
Our society has grown adept at defining appropriate, acceptable and expected
attitude and behavior. The ‘pecking order’ of who holds the ‘power is
established early in life - to best allow easy management of individuals.
Standing strong in who we are can be a challenge when others question our
motivation or reflect our insecurities.
Of course as we find that strength within ourselves and express the perfection of who we are, we must allow others the same freedoms. Even when we feel they may be making choices that could create more challenge in their life - only Spirit knows what their path is to be.
I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to re-discover and nurture a new relationship with close family members. It is interesting that as the relationship with my mother begins to find a healthy expression healing expands out to my daughter also.
Accepting, loving and celebrating the inherent free will of others - even as I find acceptance for my own ‘foolish’ self - what a gift.
Realizing that I am constantly integrating the varied parts of my personality and allowing for improvement.... that is my responsibility. The details of other people’s lives are for them to discover.
Sharing stories that might illustrate how my choices served or did not serve me is ok. Expectations that those stories have relevance for another and should assist them in their choices is not a ‘given’. It is a gift to see steadfast determination based in personal ethics and individual consciousness. ... even when outside of my personal ‘box’ of reality.
The first card of the Tarot deck is ‘The Fool’. It contains all possibility and carries the energy which provides anything we need as we ‘step off the cliff’ and into the variety of experience life offers us. The Fool is protected, guided and innocent; having learned to release what held him back in the past and opening to the future. With no expectation and the dedication to follow his intuition and guidance - his path opens before him.
So as I wish you a Happy April Fool’s Day - I send you the blessing that you may be surrounded in joyous energy of Daring to Be You!
Ka Lei Aloha Ina Kapuna, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and Blessings iin all your choices. Kathy ‘Whyte Wynde’ Lowden.
Walking the Talk - March 2010
With thousands of readers online every month and thousands
more picking up and sharing printed copies , I could never have guessed the
foldover flyer for my Reiki Circle in Duvall would have offered itself up for
Spirit to reach litereally millions of people , not only locally and throughout
the Pacific Northwest, but around the globe.
Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this incredible expression of Love,
Light and Life!
And still, my lessons continue . My own personal path, while
blessed with amazing gifts on a daily basis, is one of staying conscious. It
continues to touch my heart and soul deeply when my ‘story’ creates the illusion
of challenge and I open my email to find an article speaking directly to the
situation has been submitted just when I needed it most.
I’d love to share that opportunity with YOU. You can receive Voice of Choices’
emails and discover the synchronicities for yourself. You might be amazed at the
‘timing’ of articles and event announcements . We are truly weaving a more
interconnected web of community and consciousness. As one of us experiences a
‘need’ or requests clarity, often another provides that without even knowing how
Divine their willingness to share at that perfect moment truly is. You can be
part of that web by signing up online or emailing me at voiceofchoicesnews@
yahoo.com
If you have internet access I invite you to go to check out www.VoiceOfChoices.com and look through the ‘past issues’ section. With the request ‘what do I need to be reminded of’ or ‘thank you for the information that will best serve me now’ you may discover Spirit moves through you to open one of the monthly .pdf files posted there... and find the inspiration you seek.
It seems a bit theatrical to claim life is ‘amazing’ and yet
I find few other words that can describe the constant and continuous
synchronicities that become life’s daily miracles as we each ‘Walk our Talk’ to
the best of our ability in each blessed moment.
Ka Lei Aloha Ina Kapuna and Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and Blessings iin all your
choices. Kathy ‘Whyte Wynde’ Lowden.
Grace - February 2010
Welcome! February 2010 - can you believe it?
Known for it’s celebrations of the heart, this month
we can continue to create the life we desire -
on many levels and with love and respect for
ourselves. I often feel that ‘I live the concepts shared....
all month long.... as you add your personal
energy by reading them.
This month it is the concept of Grace that continues to l
ight my path and strengthen my ability hold faith.
Please explore the wisdom and tools offered by
Joanna Nielsen,
Robert Tennyson Stevens,
Dena -Marie and Kasara D’Elene.
I’ll let them inspire you this month.
As we choose our path, consciously deciding what we want and what we’ll allow to
pass by, Grace is the acceptance that our loved ones and friends have that same
right of Free Will. Holding a hand while releasing our expectations, personal
desires and realizing it is not our place to determine what is right for anyone
else is so very much easier said than done.
Finding acceptance for even the most life-changing decisions of those whose
lives intertwine with our own and remembering that nothing can ever be outside
of perfection. What appears to be out-of - balance is an opportunity that can
only truly be understood by the person experiencing what we may label as
challenge. Unconditional love. Honoring others while remembering that we must be
true to ourselves, our safety and comfort zone.
I have been accused of hiding my head in the sand - refusing to immerse myself in negative news, earth change predictions, political conspiracy theories and so much more. As a natural psychic and energetically sensitive person - these are poison to me. Polluting my mind, heart and spirit - I can never stand up against it all. I cannot even hope to be the one to ‘bring down’ the system.
I can only listen to Spirit’s voice - the Voice of Truth. The Truth of who I AM, doing my best to support, express and spread the Truth of Hope, Faith, Grace and Love.
The I AM Declarations from Robert Tennyson Stevens can be applied to any and all
challenges you find yourself facing. Simply reword to include the details of
your situation.
We each have our own personal name for and understanding of
‘Spirit’. Higher Power, God, Father, Divine Consciousness, the connection not
the title is what is important. The words and melodies of Sidewalk Prophets and
Josh Wilson have inspired me - and I share them trusting there is something of
value for you also.
Ka Lei Aloha Ina Kapuna and Blessings in all your choices,
Kathy ‘Whyte Wynde’ Lowden.
The Words I Would Say - Sidewalk Prophets
I’d tell you just what you mean to me - Tell you these simple truths
CHORUS
Be strong in the Lord
And never give up hope
You’re gonna do great things
I already know
God’s got His hand on You
So don’t live life in fear
Forgive and forget
But don’t forget why you’re here
Take your time and pray
These are the words I would say
Last time we spoke you said you were hurting and I felt your pain in my heart
I want to tell you that I keep on praying that love will find you where you are
I know cause I’ve already been there.
So please hear these simple truths
Say… from one simple life to another
I will say… come find peace in the Father
Be strong in the Lord
And never give up hope
You’re gonna do great things
I already know
God’s got His hand on You
So don’t live life in fear
Forgive and forget
But don’t forget why you’re here
Take your time and pray -And thank God for each day
His love will find a way -These are the words I would say
by the Sidewalk Prophets www.SidewalkProphets.com
Before the Morning - Josh Wilson
Do you wonder why you have to
Feel the things that hurt you
If there’s a God who loves you where is He now
Maybe there are things you can’t see
And all those things are happening
To bring a better ending
Someday somehow you’ll see you’ll see
Would you dare would you dare to believe
That you still have a reason to sing
Cause the pain that you’ve been feeling
It can’t compare to the joy that’s coming
So hold on you gotta wait for the light
Press on and just fight the good fight
Cause the pain that you’ve been feeling
It’s just the dark before the morning
My friend you know how this all ends
You know where you’re going
You just don’t know how you’ll get there
So say a prayer
And hold on cause there’s good for those who love God
But life is not a snapshot
It might take a little time but you’ll see the bigger picture
Once you feel the weight of glory
All your pain will fade to memory
It’s just the hurt before the healing
Oh the pain that you’ve been feeling
It’s just the dark before the morning
___________________________________________________
January 2010
I Choose NOW
Blessings From The Publisher
Kathy 'Whyte Wynde' Lowden
Happy New Year! As I type these words to you it is just
a few short days until Christmas - many of us still swirling
in the energy of ‘hurry up’, so much to ‘do’ and celebrate
all at the same time.
As you read this December 25th has come and gone for
another year and a new calendar will assist
you in planning today and the new dawns of 2010.
I feel like I’ve been an ingredient in some
cosmic pot of goulash. You know, the kind where there’s
a bit of this, a dash of that and then simmering until all the
flavors blend just right. First, and not so long ago, my outer ‘skin’ was
‘washed’... water/emotions to rinse away residue from past experience. I think
the chef used a bit of hot water and some scrubbing to guarantee no ‘cling ons’
would find their way into the main dish. The recipe must have read ‘peel the
tough outer layer’ as for months I’ve felt my inner self ‘stripped’ of its
protective coating and revealed, or should I say reflected, so the
‘tastiest’ core of my being could emerge.
The knives have been kind, chopping away the bits of me which no longer hold nourishment for the now. As careful as a skilled surgeon, the best remains to contribute my finest qualities, while the compost bin absorbs what is better energetically recycled into the newness that is the now.
I publish a magazine - yup, you know that and the reason I bring it up is because every month my email box gifts me with a variety of writing submitted to consider for printing. Reading through and deciding which will become ingredients in this month’s menu can be an exciting adventure. And I take the task of creating a healthy, ‘wholesome’ and tasty dining experience for your mind seriously.
What we think, the thoughts we focus on, create the energy which attracts events to us. Some people believe that to be a silly concept and yet, it is only through our own perception that we see reality. My ‘Truth’ is unique and individual. It springs from a myriad of conscious and subconcious responses to my memories, the input I encounter in my daily life and the ‘flavors’ or spin I put on or remove from my personal cosmic stew called life.
This issue has been an interesting one to put together. With the beginning of a new year we often look to declaring our intentions for changing things we’d like to see shift. Detailed lists, resolving, at least in our minds, that we’re going to do things differently... in the future. And what we truly have available to influence is our intention in the ‘now’.
Articles about 2012, Galactic shifts, Ascension and preparation for the much promoted upcoming ‘changes/challenges’ continue to be popular fodder for the metaphysical community. Prepare for ‘this’ - watch out for ‘that’. Get your ducks in a row, stand on your head, wiggle your feet six times (you know six is a magykal number) and then breathe into your...... ahhhh yes- the recipes for becoming an enlightened human.
As incredible as the following concept may seem, please allow me to suggest to you that you just may have already ‘arrived’ . The time is NOW- not in 2012, not when the 11th star from the right lines up with uranus or task master saturn moves into your 4th house and shakes up your foundation.
Hello? Anybody home? Anyone else finding the ‘Peace that Passeth Understanding’ as outside events no longer hold us captive in emotionally charged confusion? Am I the only one discovering that all this ‘stuff’ of daily life, you know, the not so little agravations that would have stolen our joy for a day, a week or maybe longer, can now be assimilated in record time.
No, I’m not saying resolved, fixed or made into our favorite desert.... just
accepted, balanced and blessed as part of what can be referred to as a part of
the ‘Bigger Picture’.
It was many years ago that I came across an audio tape with a gifted speaker sharing the wisdom that when life offers up its craziest scripts.... There is a Higher Power creating the plot and there just could be an outcome beyond what we can comprehend in the moment.
So maybe we should head back to the kitchen and check on our goulash again. Hmmm, seems the chef has lovingly combined all the ingredients and the heat is on. Double bubble, toil and .... oops, no that’s a different story. Yes, the strongest steel is forged by fire - and the greatest soup must boil to bring out the best in every delicious element of such a gourmet concoction. In fact my dear Daniel taught me to make a rue - not as in rue the day - but as in cooking until you have the most incredible base which can flavor all it becomes part of. You boil, simmer and simmer and simmer - sounds like a page from my personal journal.... years ago.
So NOW. Choose NOW. This moment, here, in the present that can only be experienced by being exactly that, I suggest that you have arrived. You are an interdimensial being, cosmic and earthy in the only time and place that truly matters.
You are the perfect expression of Divinity - channeled constantly and not awaiting awakening by some calendar... Gregorian, Astrological or Mayan.
You have work to do - not to prepare for a future ‘then’ but to accept the opportunity to believe in yourself, NOW. 2012 may hold challenges or even herald the coming of a New Age. It is what you do in the NOW that will determine your perspective, focus and experience of every moment, day. week and year yet to come. I trust the articles and art in this month’s issue may serve you well as you cook up your New Year’s feast of life. Whether it’s goulash or bouillabaise, vegetable or meat - your personal cosmic menu is always stirred by the hand of spirit. My New Year intention is to accept that which is beyond comprehension and realize I may only understand it if and when I can see the bigger picture.
Blessings in all your choices, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and
Ka Lei Aloha Ina Kapuna, Kathy ‘Whyte Wynde’ Lowden
Blessings from the Publisher Comfort and Joy- Dec '09
Release to be released - Kala Kala is a card from the
Hawaiian Deck of Ka Hana Pono wisdom cards.
The root word ‘kalana’ which is the practice of releasing or
forgiveness creates the message one receives when
this card is ‘pulled’ or chosen from the deck.
To quote the author Connie Rios, creator of this
insightful divination tool: "We all know it’s important to
forgive, to let go of grudges that hold us. In English
forgiveness is sometimes hard to get behind because
of the inherent connotations of wrongdoing
andnged, issues of blame. It takes a magnanimous leap of
generosity to forgive when you feel wronged. Sometimes a
noble ‘Mother Teresa-like gesture of forgiveness is hard to
feel sincerity for, especially when we really blame someone for wronging us.
Kala-kala says, ‘let go of the charge you’re holding around
being wronged so that it will let go of you’.
You release all the psychic energy that’s being held back by the hard feelings.
You move that energy on through. you free up spiritual energy that was wasted on
disharmony. Now, all your energy is back at your service.
Whenever we connect with others, we give off little energetic signals delivered through ‘cords, what the Hawaiians of old referred to as ‘aka. We send aka out with each personal interaction and at its close, we leave aka - energetic shadows- behind.
When you feel tired and dispirited ask yourself, "How much life giving energy is tied up in these old cords?’ Regain your energy by releasing enery stored in your heart in little pockets of blame and resentment. Release to be released - Take back your energy."
How does this relate to ‘Comfort and Joy’? While a simple concept, in reality the implementation of forgiveness, acceptance and ‘Ho’oponopono’ can require a comitted focus of mental, emotional and spiritual energy. Gratitude in the ‘moment’ - the ‘now’ and using a fundamental principle from Reiki - ‘Just for Today... I will not worry’ can be a foundation for experiencing a level of comfort through changes in our life experiences.
This Holiday season may offer you opportunies for growth that you never imagined possible. Connecting with your personal spiritual beliefs can help you find balance, comfort and joy in the days to come.
Take time to relax, honor your own needs in the ‘now’ and
maintain faith and trust that your actions and intentions will continue to
create your highest and greatest good. Please remember, if nothing can stand in
the way of Divine Right Order indeed, it is ‘all good’.
PS - I will not have the opportunity to join ‘Braco’ - and his miraculous
healing gaze on the Big Island in January. Since everything is energy I will
instead be gazing at his picture with the intention of connecting with the
cosmic Divine healing power accessible on all levels. Since all is vibration you
might try it yourself - I’ d love to hear about how it affects you.
May you be surrounded in a circle of the love of the wise ones‘Ka Lei Aloha Ina Kapuna’ , Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and Mahalo.... Kathy ‘WhyteWynde’ Lowden.
Blessings From the Publisher Nov. 2009
Awakening To The Now
Blessings and Happy November to you!
The Holidays are fast approaching, Halloween just a memory
and Thanksgiving here before we know it.
Awakening to the ‘Now’ each morning
I begin my day with a few moments
‘not thinking’. Some would call that meditation.
Stopping the stream of thoughts of what needs to be done - when,
where, how and with whom.... an accomplishment that has
shown to assist me in putting my calmer first
foot on the floor first thing in the morning.
It was just over 4 months ago that those first few precious waking moments were painfully stolen, every day. Sometimes as many as 10 minutes of deep coughing, attempts to clear my chest and a fear for my physical future. Many years ago, on a small boat in the Berring Sea, that I made a choice to join my fellow crewmembers in a habit which would present shifts in my health for the next 30 years. I remember standing on deck and choking down a cigarette, the dizzy feeling I believed was from the nicotine, had to be ignored if I was to continue. My five crewmates were chain smokers, I cannot blame them for my choice to smoke - but the reality is that I truly could not remain on board breathing the smoke from their cigarettes unless I too was puffing.
Without sharing the details of a health history much the same as anyone whose life includes burning tobacco and breathing the smoke from over a pack a day let’s just say my lungs were ready for a break. As were the back muscles strained in coughing, my ears, nose, throat and general immunity to anything respiratory related. I used to say ‘Everyone quits smoking someday.’
The trick is to do it while still breathing and through choice rather than otherwise.
Late last Spring I discovered a miracle that would assist me in making the best health choice of my life. What I am going to share with you is not a sales pitch. I am not being compensated in any way other than the deep peace of knowing that someone else’s life may be positively influenced by my personal experience.
Scratch that - there are thousands of people around the USA
and the world who have been able to quit smoking using personal vaporizers -
e-cigarettes. I realize that most if not many of you are not smokers. AND I have
reason to believe that few if any of you can claim to have no one in your life
who smokes. Loved ones, friends, neighbors, relatives, co-workers... most of us
know someone who has at one time or another made it clear they would like to
shift away from cigarettes. This is for them. This is for you. PLEASE visit
www.VoiceOfChoices.com and click on the link labelled ‘alternative to smoking’.
I have compiled a set of links that give you information about what’s really in
that cigarette.
Did you know nicotine creates dopamine - and has been shown helpful against
depression, anxiety and may even alleviate some alzheimer’s symptoms? It is the
plethora of other toxins and the fact that breathing smoke - of any kind -
negatively affects our physical body.
To be expected, the FDA - ‘Big Tobacco’ and ‘Big Pharmacy’ which fund it with millions in cash kick-backs and contributions, are not happy at the prospect that e-cigarettes give the individual the right to intelligently and sanely choose an alternative to smoking. No chantix with it’s nightmares and appear to be related suicides and no patches or gum with their less than 20% success rate.
E-cigs or P/V’s as we call them offer the option to inhale a vapor of heated liquid. As a ‘Vaper’ I can choose the level of nicotine content - or no nicotine at all. June 15th I received my first E-cig in the mail. Many reputable vendors sell online and costs are a fraction of what you’ll pay (and a better product) at a mall.
The web page gives you links to a couple of online forums - for researching information we ‘guinea pigs’ are sharing freely to assist others.
‘Vaping’ is not quite as simple as lighting a cigarette. AND there are some who are sensitive to the liquid - I make no health claims as to your personal experience..... only sharing mine. It is not legal to claim these are quit smoking devices - and yet thousands of smokers will tell you their stories of how the E-cigarette has been instrumental in doing just that.
Awakening to the NOW ----- Breathing deeply , not thinking, relaxing.... those never used to be an option for me. With a medical diagnose of ‘pre-COPD’ in May and a declaration by a cardiac/respiratory specialist just 4 months later - that in 30 years of smoking I ‘must not have inhaled’ in September because my breathing, lungs and BP are all excellent.
Blessings in all Your Choices. Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and Mahalo....
Kathy ‘WhyteWynde’ Lowden.
Blessings From The
Publisher - October 2009
Once upon a Time
a ‘Never-Ending Story’?
Welcome to October ! The endless summer of 2009 has provided incredible opportunities to enjoy the best of the Pacific Northwest!
I trust you are making the shift into shorter days, cooler temperatures and
maybe even a bit of much needed rain with ease and comfort. As the caretaker of
two long-haired, double coated dogs, I found myself wondering if I was the
only one who truly realized just how little rain (muddy paws) graced these sunny
months since May. Even including cloudy or overcast days and adding the 4
or 5 when a sprinkling of water fell from the skies - I challenge you to recall
3 full days of rain Seattle style.
Interesting that on each of those days when it was cloudy, or a bit of liquid sunshine watered our lawns, human reaction followed the pattern ingrained over years of ‘normal’ PNW summers. I never quite figured out how one could be upset at a cloudy or rainy day when there were so few of them. Gifting us with an early beginning and late shift to Fall, Mother Nature’s generosity with warm weather and dry days was easily visible in the lawns that needed only 3 cuttings rather than a regular once a week manicure.
What does it take to move us out of our ‘Never-Ending Story’?
Usually ‘interupted by rain’ - postponed-delayed - we’ll try again next week is normal. In Girl Scouts I learned that if you didn’t ‘go’ because of rain your options were mightily diminished. So I would have thought that this year, with so few ‘interuptions’ general response to those days would be minimal... if even necessary to grump about at all.
Yet, we love our ‘story’. How would we make it four months without being able to ‘blame’ the weather for our inabiility to enjoy something. Providing us with a need to change our plans, we have no control over the weather other than to choose where we live - so it is an great example of how we hand off response-ability for our actions and attitudes.
I’ve been recently blessed with the opportunity to re-visit many of the challenges of my past. Rather than a need to live the experiences again, a dear friend has appeared in my life to mirror attitudes and actions which I thought I had grown out of and left behind, releasing, forgiving and transforming the memories.
It’s been amazing to pay attention to my efforts to remain
centered, grounded and peaceful in my own personal place of balance while
responding with someone I’ve called into my now reality. You notice I AM taking
full ‘credit’ for the fact that something within me has attracted this
situation. My only option is to make new choices about ‘Who’ I AM now, how I
want to present myself and what situations I AM comfortable with in my life.
This month’s articles speak with insight and clarity on a number of topics I
trust will be helpful as you too are called to choose to create your ‘Bless’t’
life. What has worked in the past, for many of us, no longer feels appropriate.
The story we have been starring in is our life - and as both actor and director
it is we who choose how each scene plays out.
Years ago I had a photograph of a sailboat on my wall. Underneath was the saying - ‘We Cannot Control the Winds...
But We Can Adjust the Sails"
My new friend who is teaching me so much repeats that saying often. In case my words here are not clear - this friend is a challenge. Rubbing me the wrong way with attitude and responses, the resonance I find within myself can better be described in Karen Bishop’s article on the next page. And yet I have no choice but to accept the truth that he is perfect the way he is. Sarah Joy speaks of addictions and perfection on page 8. It is my respons-ability that is being called into higher action here. My story has to change. The ‘Endless summer’ of sunshine and no mud is what is. I can no more blame the rain for my frustration with dirty dogs than I can suggest anyone else is somehow not on their own spiritual path.... with attitudes, excuses, addictions and all those other wonderfully human traits.
It is time to adjust the sails! Almost 2 years cradled in the healing energies of my sanctuary just outside Marysville is wafting the winds of change into my reality. My choice of story around the shift in residence is important as I step out to create a new and supportive, fulfilling living space.
I could claim Spirit is kicking me out.
I could call it a graduation. I could answer the question of ‘why’ are you moving by giving my power to others and refusing to accept the truth that there is a new space absolutely perfect - waiting for me to find it and willing me to seek it out.
Please see my classified ad for details if you know of something that could work.
Blessings from The Publisher
Que Sera Sera - What Will Be Will Be
Sept. '09
When I was just a little girl, I asked my mother...
what will I be? Will I be pretty?
Will I be rich? Here’s what she said to me.
Que sera sera, whatever will be will be.
The future’s not ours to see. Que sera sera.
When I grew up and fell in love, I asked my sweetheart what lies ahead? Will there be rainbows, day after day... here’s what my sweetheart said.... Que Sera Sera...
Now there’s a bouncy baby boy he asks his grandma what will I be? Will I be handsome, will I be rich? I tell him tenderly. Que Sera Sera... whatever will be will be. The future’s not ours to see, Que sera sera.
Happy Birthday Daniel! Grandma is sending you big hugs and kisses. Your raccoon is ready for you when the mask of illusion can be playfully shared and joy discovered and shared. You are a year old now; your journey into discovering yourself just beginning. I dedicate this issue of Voice of Choices to you and the expression of unconditional love in each and every one of us. Our paths will be what they are and the faith that each step is Divine perfection takes us into whatever the future holds.
You have taught me many lessons. We ‘speak’ in the matrix, in the dreamtime and through our hearts. I hear your laughter as you play in a reality unrecognized by many. You are a blessing beyond any I could have imagined and my love for you constant and strong. Blessings sweet young man. May your angels wrap you in their wisdom and your dragon stand watch in even the darkest of nights.
This month’s articles share information and inspiration that can assist you in realizing and celebrating the unique energy of creation that is you. I was at a dinner a few weeks ago when a speaker quoted from the book of Romans in the Bible. The specific wording made it clear that ‘We’ are all parts of the body of Spirit and went so far as to direct us to use our unique, God given gifts for the glory and good of all. The first sentence caught my attention. I couldn’t believe the Bible was telling those with the gift of prophesy to use it in service to ‘Spirit’.
And yet, looking it up in 3 different versions of the Bible - there it was.
Though we have gifts that assist us in seeing the future, it is each and every choice that we and those around us make, which creates that time still to come.
Everything from our innermost desires to the practical action decisions of everyday life play a part in creating the days ahead.
A shift in personal awareness changes our own energy which in turn allows for new connections that serve everyone in the best possible ways. As we shift so does ‘the future’. New doors open, possibilities and probabilities expand into more than what could have been foretold.
Compassion - for ourselves as we learn and grow; doing the best we can see and feel to do in each and every moment. Understanding that while we may never again repeat a past choice - that does not mean it was a poor choice. We learn, grow and can begin to choose with new awareness what will best serve us and those we love, Holding energy that judges our past decisions to be faulty or poor suggests that there is no Divine Order. How can we somehow be anywhere other than on our own perfect personal path? Que sera sera - What will be, will be..... not because someone has foretold the future - but because we are actively creating it.
Making That Change - August 2009 Blessings
I’m Gonna Make A Change,
For Once In My Life
It’s Gonna Feel Real Good,
Gonna Make A Difference
Gonna Make It Right . . .
I’m Starting With The
Man In The Mirror
I’m Asking Him To
Change His Ways
No Message Could
Have Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make
The World A Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself,
Then Make A Change
Lyrics by Siedah Garrett
Welcome to August! Almost seems like we’ve been playing in an endless summer
with all the beautiful weather here in the Pacific Northwest. So much of nature
to explore and we’re getting weeks of sunny skies to make the most of it!
This month’s features share a variety of great concepts for you to consider. Shifts and changes are teaching us all to ‘Be Here... NOW’ and live in the moment with faith and trust as our foundation.
It is no longer an option to just talk about it - discovering that walking the path means constant and continuous devotion to my two favorite ‘g’ words.... gratitude and grace.
Hand in hand, ‘GG’ teach us the appreciation for every breath. A renewed sense of awe at the daily synchronicities and even an ability to acknowledge that miracles happen every day. Little ones, like the nice lady pulling out of the parking place just as you need one. Big ones that almost seem to come out of nowhere and create just what we desire.
The last 2 months have opened our hearts on many levels. Our
world has shifted with the passing of several gifted individuals. Paying tribute
to their contributions is an important part of life.
I will always remember ‘Charlie’s Angels’ - isn’t it interesting that the roles
people play sometimes stick in our minds as somehow ‘being ‘ who the person is
or was. Farrah Fawcett was instrumental in presenting some powerful characters.
Her portrayals of dramatic situations brought our attention to the needs and
rights of women. Her beauty helped us realize that hair color has nothing to do
with brainpower and talent. Her agressive response to the physical challenges
she faced will continue to share hope and strength with many. For that and so
much more she will be missed. But more importantly she modelled faith and trust
while sharing her journey through some of real life’s most difficult and very
real dramas.
Walter Cronkite - an icon in journalism. A voice that spoke at a level of integrity and honesty that continues to inspire an industry which sometimes seems to lack those traits.
There are many souls among us who’s ‘mission in life’ is
providing ‘triggers’ that assist humanity and worldwide consciousness in our
ongoing evolution; people with a level of talent that seems almost magical.
Michael Jackson was one of those. More than an entertainer, he gave us a glimpse
of what IS possible. He planted seeds (triggers) that implored us to ‘Heal the
World’ and remind us we are never alone. His generosity assisted more charitable
causes than any other entertainer and his heart held a love that many attempted
to ‘mis-label’ with their limited perceptions, opinions and even judgement.
‘The Man in the Mirror’- remembering that all healing begins with ourselves is the general theme chosen for this month. I was reminded of a Universal Truth that is thankfully no longer slipping from my reality. .. just in time! The wake up call from a dear friend was none too soon for positively impacting my intentions for Voice of Choices. The ‘theme’ for this month was just a glimmer and fading fast as the light I perceived in my personal mirror had dimmed to a faint but persistant glow.
There have been assorted challenges and opportunities for me to continue to have faith..... yet the light of joy received new fuel as I contemplated the level of satisfaction I infuse in these pages if my own joy wanes. Starting with ‘the ME’ in the mirror I had been ‘gracefully’ questioning my value. My self criticism and doubt was working on energetic levels and not contributing to true expression of who I am. Realizing the imbalance makes it possible to shift back into the positive and allows me to share my humaness with you with trust that you too can re-discover your own JOY.
For now and for always - please remember
We ARE the world -we are the ones who make a brighter
day!
Rediscovering the JOY we want to be in the world empowers our choices, renews
our ability to consciously create reality and takes us beyond graciously
settling for anything less.
Blessings in all your choices, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and
Mahalo
Kathy ‘Whyte Wynde’ Lowden
'I Am Free' -
Blessings from the Publisher
July 2009
Hello and welcome! Thank you for choosing Voice of Choices. This month we’ll be exploring ‘Freedom’ and what that means. Sometimes we can get so wrapped up in day-to-day opportunity that we forget the truth of who we are. Please take some time to express your gratitude for the blessings in your life. Focusing on appreciation sends a clear message to Spirit about what we want to create.
Articles this month can help us better understand and release some of the concepts that hold us in repetetive patterns which no longer serve us. Joanna Nielsen shares a true story about healing after major tragedy, illustrating a reality from the past that can open our eyes and hearts to the realization of freedom we may take for granted.
As we move into our bless’t expressions of ourselves, it is common to attract unwanted situations we no longer desire. Karen Bishop sheds light on why this is and how we can best continue to step into balance and light.
There has been much information shared for many years that claims a variety of ‘earth changes’ and challenges which go so far as to suggest an ‘end’ times in 2012. The interpretations I find to be most helpful are those which speak to a major transformation rather than an ‘end’ .
You can visit www.VoiceOfChoices.com for regular updates on cosmic energies with interpretations as shared by intuitive writers around the globe. As technology shifts - you can continue to find more information than can be shared in a monthly publication - online.
The last few months have provided many new choices for each of us. Mainstream media continues to ‘report’ on events in a way that implies a consciousness of problems, challenges and even lack. As we become more aware of what is truly important on a level that surpasses outside appearances. We can choose to focus our thoughts, intentions and feelings on flowing into new ways of living.. We can take real and effective steps to detach from the need to maintain the ‘status quo’.
We can open ourselves to new ways to express ourselves in ways that better reflect our personal evolution.
As the ‘old’ continues to fall away and make room for the ‘new’
taking time to honor the lessons and gifts our experiences have provided is important. Nothing can stand in the way of Divine Right Order. There are no mistakes. Accepting change with gratitude and grace opens doors we may have never imagined. Blessing what has served us in the past and coming into balance as we detach from details no longer in our highest good helps illuminate the next step on our path.
Blessings in all your choices,
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and Mahalo
Kathy ‘Whyte Wynde’ Lowden
Cosmic Grounding - As Above So Below
June 09
Blessings and Aloha! Welcome to Voice of Choices. I trust you will find
inspiration to touch your heart and information for stimulating your mind.
June is always a busy month. Here in Seattle we often get some of the first
really nice summer weather and find ourselves juggling responsibilities with
recreation and work with pleasure. It is important to honor our need for both
fun and relaxation. As the shifts and changes in our physical world have created
opportunities to ‘re-view’ and ‘re-vise’ our desires, ‘re-newing’ ourselves can
allow space for a fresh attitude and welcome new insights.
This month’s articles include great information and tips for your journeys... literally and spiritually. Kasara D’Elene shares her secrets for ‘Healthy Travelling’ and Carol helps you identify your companions in ‘SoulMates - Accept the Gift’. Check out www.FairyCongress.com, a great Solstice gathering for the whole family.
One article you will not find is on the blessings of wisdom and love we receive from our fathers and those who serve as male mentors. I’m not sure why Father’s Day isn’t as big as Mom’s - Dad’s certainly have an equally life changing role to play in our lives. I’ll do my best to find a GREAT tribute to DAD and post it online at www.VoiceOfChoices.com before June 21. Father’s Day is also Summer Solstice this year why not combine your celebration of ‘Father’ Sun with ceremony to honor the Father figures in your life?
This month’s cover shares the Cosmic Grounding impact of integrating the
masculine and feminine in our lives. Sometimes we may seek out that balance
through relationships and yet manifesting the balance between our inner male and
female is an ‘inside job’ As our own energies express through creativity and
nurturing we can move into a more solid and sustaining balance within ourselves.
Drawing Cosmic energy down from above, pulling up Gaia’s earth energy through
our feet and creating a ‘lightning rod’ of energy that provides a continuous
circuit running through our chakras assists us in the balancing act of living
with ‘one foot’ in the concrete reality and the other dancing among the stars.
Remember, your conscious request for a comfortable pace in your personal
development is up to you. Make it clear to your guides and angels that you are
appreciative of adequate time for processing both new information and higher
frequencies of energy.
Spend some time in nature. Sit your backside on the sand at the beach or a grassy lawn in your backyard or favorite park. Allow yourself the priviledge to just sit and soak in the grounding energies. Visualize doing nothing and do nothing. Breathe and Be. Allow your thoughts to disappear on a gentle breeze. Feel the warmth of the sun hold you in its gentle embrace. Hug a tree. Yes, hug a tree... the bigger the better.
You are a child of the universe, the expression of Divine Spirit and connected to all that you need for your highest and greatest good.
Remember your gratitude for the blessings in your life. Release those which have served their purpose and you are open for more joy.
Ka Lei Aloha Ina Kapuna - surrounded in a circle of love of the Ancient Ones. Blessings in all your choices, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and Mahalo
Kathy ‘Whyte Wynde’ Lowden
I Am The Dreamer Of My Dream
May '09
Welcome! I can’t help but wonder if you are feeling
the opportunities to shift your perception of reality that are literally rocking
my world? This last month has included daily opportunities to put concepts into
action and move into the expression of ‘me’ that can interact in the ‘concrete’
world with a level of trust and patience far beyond my past comfort zone.
Venus in her retrograde seemed to offer ongoing invitations to review old
patterns and create new responses, attitudes and perceptions.
In 2004 the May issue of VoC included a review of the movie
"What the Bleep Do We Know". Almost as if it was a 5 year anniversary gift, the
movie ‘magically’ reappeared for me to watch again. .. just in time to share in
the May 2009 issue. You might discover new wisdom for yourself should you choose
to do the same.
It seems like only the blink of an eye and a lifetime since ‘discovering’ that
our brains receive 400 billion bits of information a second and can process only
2,000. Those that ‘stick’ - must have something within us to associate with -
our ‘patterns’ of perception ingrained with chemical reactions much like those
‘highs’ experienced when indulging in a drug addiction. Add to that the
scientific evidence showing that our brain responds the same to visualized input
and actual events and each individual’s reality becomes very personal.
Combining the insights of Byron Katie in "Loving What Is’
www.thework.com and Eckhart Tolle ‘A New Earth - Awakening to Your Life’s
Purpose’ www. EchkhartTolle.com with the scientific explanations from ‘What the
Bleep’ allowed me to connect the dots for a major ‘aha’ moment.
With respect to Ms. Katie’s work the following is meant to share her insights and add the one that catapulted my awareness past the limits emotionally created chemical addictions can stubbornly refuse to release.
From ‘Loving What Is’ - the four important questions we can choose to ask about our thoughts which are not creating the experience of life we desire and deserve are:
1.Is it True?
2.Can you absolutely know that it’s true?
3.How do you react when you think that thought?
4.Who would you be without the thought?
and - Turn it around.... as in take the thought and rather than making it about something or someone outside of yourself - shift it to describing you, your actions, opinions or feelings.
When we realize that each of us creates our own illusion of reality based on what is stored on a cellular level in memory and recharged by chemical reaction to events, visualizations, dreams, attitudes and beliefs... how can we possibly know what is true for anyone else?
When we begin to understand that it is our thoughts about
something - not the thing itself - that is our basis for action, reaction,
response, emotion and inevitably ‘state of mind’ we can begin to disconnect the
chemical reactions. We can start the process of creating new responses that
better serve our peace of mind, quality of life and improve our experience of
day to day reality.
I decided to add a fifth question.
"How does this thought serve you?"
When I began to realize the answers to the questions gave me a platform from which to expand into the me I want to be, I would ask for insight into my ‘reward’ for the thought. What is the benefit I receive by believing the thought? What do I not have to do? What do I not need to change? How do I need to step into an active role in my own life to allow my perception to shift and end it’s disempowering role in my ‘reality’?
The answers often included Ms. Katie’s ‘turnaround’ and a
comittment to total honesty with myself.
To confirm some of these awarenesses I was provided an electronic ‘glitch’ in
communication with a very dear friend. While remaining conscious of the fact
that I was intentionally creating my thoughts, I ‘observed’ and experienced the
uncomfortable physical reaction my thoughts were creating within my body. As my
interpretation/thoughts of ‘reality/truth’ hooked into old patterns based on
past experience and took hold on a cellular level I became completely immersed
in physical response. Watching and experiencing at the same time - plus choosing
to allow my mind to expand the thoughts to their perceived ‘outcome’ was
absolutely and undeniably an unparalleled experience. Applying what I learned to
other areas of my life where I the thoughts I choose have been creating
suffering is opening my eyes to the fundamental truths of illusion and reality.
My ‘world’ is truly my own unique, personal interpretation... my ‘dream’ if you
will.
As we look around us the world may appear to be filled with situations we have never encountered before. Yet, as we meet with each new opportunity to expand our awareness and live our truth there are resources and tools available to guide us. Reviewing the ‘classics’ - What the Bleep, Conversations with God, A Course in Miracles, Three Magic Words, Celestine Prophecy and the countless other works which have assisted us in getting to where we are now can reinforce our core understandings and remind us we have the ability to create the Peace we Seek.
There seems to be an attempt to create a ‘shared’ dream focusing on limitation,
lack and financial struggle. Our personal awareness and willingness to stretch
past old boundaries can be the key to new expression of joy and appreciation or
at least acceptance of what is... while we begin to truly live in the
understanding that we are spiritual beings having a physical experience.
Rediscovering the fact that only you can make yourself happy includes the
acceptance that it is only we ourselves, our thoughts, feelings, expectations
and old patterns that create a reality of anything other than contentment.
This month we celebrate both Mother’s Day and Memorial Day. Mother’s Day offers
us the gift of gratitude for our ‘Mothers’ - our birth mother, the creator
within us that continuously births our expanding conscious awareness and those
around us who assist in the process of co-creating our ongoing ‘birth’ into the
ever evolving celebration of Spirit expressing through each of us.
Memorial Day honors those who have shared our path; loved
ones who have been supportive AND the people who have helped us develop a more
complete appreciation of life in ways we may not have desired. We can choose to
release what no longer serves us and step into the fullnes of living our bless’t
personal ‘dream’ of reality with open heart and new awareness
With gratitude to all who have assisted in the realization that I AM the
Dreamer of My Dream.
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and Blessings in all your choices,
Kathy ‘Whyte Wynde’ Lowden
April 09 - Life if Your Garden
Welcome! Blessings to you this fine Spring. I trust you are riding the waves of
opportunity as we each find the new balance within that energizes us.
I’ve been updating www.VoiceOfChoices.com with links to information I receive about the planetary energy shifts going on. I get emails daily from writers and healers around the world sharing inspiration and information beyond what can be featured in a monthly printed publication.
If you’d like me to email you with those links let me know by dropping a note to info@voiceofchoices.com. Details as to how best to organize an emailed newsletter are still formulating and I’ll keep you updated as it becomes a reality. For now, the website will provide the basics and we’ll watch this grow together.
As we watch the world around us shed old patterns that no longer serve, it is important to remember that we each have the power to choose what to plant in the garden of our own life.
Transplanting the fear available through most any mainstream media venue is an option. ‘Buying’ the ‘weeds’ that block faith and trust is easy. Just keep in mind the nutrition necessary for beautiful fruits and blossoms can not reach them if unwanted plants choke out those we desire to nourish.
As you plant your garden your thoughts and feelings are the seeds which will mature into the garden of your life. I trust this month’s articles may give you some suggestions to assist you
Guy Finley helps us intercept habits and break old patterns of self sabatoge. Norma Gentile assists us in settling into the calm of balanced energy after the surges of cosmic awakening integrate into our energy fields. Raven Many Voices brings us a message from Mother Mary reminding that roses and thorns co-exist in peace on the same flowergin bush. Julie Hutslar will give us more of her great tips for reframing and relabelling experiences so we can begin to see a new level of perfection.
This month is Easter - Ostara from the ‘old traditions’. With renewal of Hope in the Divinity of a plan we may not yet understand. Take some time to honor spring, the return of ‘the light’ and the joy in simple things. Remember to appreciate the gift of a warm, sunfilled day and nature’s diverse expression of life and vitality.
Each of us, in our own way is being called to ‘fulfill our agreement with Spirit’. New energy is supporting our choices as we step into our role in creating the world we want to live in. We get to choose the details as we act with determination based on the messages of our hearts. Resources are unlimitted - there is no boundary that blocks the beauty radiating from within.
Life is your garden - plant your seeds wisely and tend them with the song of your heart.
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and Blessings in all your choices, Kathy ‘Whyte Wynde’ Lowden
Gratitude and Grace - March '09
Welcome and Blessings! March is here with it’s new energies
of Spring, longer days and warmer weather.
Of one thing we can always be sure - the Wheel of Life continues to turn. As the
opportunity for change takes on new importance, gratitude for each moment
propels us into the glorious gifts awaiting our discovery.
This is the 8th anniversary of Voice of Choices. What an
incredible time of sharing the inspiration, information and insight from so many
wonderful authors. Thank you to everyone who has contributed! VoC began as a
flyer, turned into a newsletter and as more and more readers chose Voice of
Choices I realized it is truly a Spirit Guided publication. Letters, phone calls
and emails from those who have used the wisdom and tools printed within these
pages have touched my heart with a sincere feeling of purpose.
As we open our lives to another Spring, new energy will open the windows to
opportunity where doors no longer appropriate have closed.
I am grateful for the gift of using my talents and skills to create and ‘grow’ Voice of Choices. Never in my wildest imagination could I have concocted the details and blessings of the path I have been on. Along the way I ‘ve learned many creative skills. Voice of Choices has provided the opportunity to hone my creativity for promoting our advertisers. I have designed approximately 80% of all the ads you’ve seen over the years in addition to layout, editing and writing. I build websites for those of you who want a presence online where people can find out more about what you offer. My healing work- Reiki, Reconnections and EarthStar Alchemy, combine with the inutitive use of crystals, stones, feathers, shells and other elemental energetic tools to balance, clear, energize and assist in healing. Intuitive coaching and guidance sessions are available too. Oh - and if you’ve missed past issues of VoC - You can order all issues for any year between 2001 and 2008 - mailed to you - for just $25.
It is time for my own prosperity to be my priority. Many can vouch for my modest lifestyle and ‘frugal’ spending habits. New flow of income is available and I choose to connect with it. Whether that includes continuing to publish Voice of Choices will be determined by the income from VoC. The bills must be paid. See page 12 for Anniversary Special ad prices. If your passion is sales - your help could be instrumental in the continuation of VoC - please contact me ASAP.
If you need flyers, postcards, a website or advertising...
should you choose to explore the path of a Healing Practitioner - I mentor
individuals in Reiki and the use of crystals.
If you are looking for an office assistant, Woman ‘Friday’, companion for an elderly relative or friend.... there are so many things I can do!
No one knows what the future holds - for me the past has many memories and joy surrounding 8 years publishing a magazine which has consistently amazed and inspired me. Thank each and every one of you who has been a part of this amazing journey.
God Bless you - may Spirit always provide you with Laughter, Light and Love. If indeed it is in the highest and greatest good I look forward to stewarding another year of Voice of Choices. To sign up for online updates and possible future web based newsletter email info@VoiceOfChoices.com
Blessings in all your choices, and Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
Kathy ‘Whyte Wynde’ Lowden
I Choose Passion! - Feb '09
Hello and Welcome to Voice of Choices.
February is a month when our hearts and minds are inundated with a multitude of
messages about love and passion. I just finished reading an article, actually a
promotion for a book suggesting it has the answers to healing any and everything
by disconnecting from the web of mind control and manipulation Western medicine
employs to control our experience of disease.
The most powerful tools we can use to create our experience of life is our mind.
What we think and how we put that in perspective in our lives opens the door to
manifestation in the physical /concrete world.
Blessed with an unexpected journey in January, the opportunity to ‘play’ with reality was constant. I somehow managed to keep recreating experiences with a theme that reminded me there ‘must be a gift’ in this somewhere.. because otherwise the details really sucked.
As I made choices that I believed would create my desired
outcome I discovered I had not allowed space for what I didn’t know.
A simple example was waiting for the bus at a mall. Rather
than spend 45 minutes sitting on a bus bench, my idea was to begin walking and
catch the bus farther along its route. Wrong. Without a bus schedule which could
only be obtained once on the bus, how was I to know there were no bus stops
anywhere on the main route I chose to walk?
Yet, as my shoulders began to relay the forgotten pain of sunburn in process, I
continued walking. Sure that all would somehow work out, if not in the way I had
expected, I continued to think of myself arriving at my destination - in a
gentle and peaceful mood - with out undue effort - despite the fact it was not
going to happen the way I planned.
The walk turned out to be very long, a perfect way to shift from the freezing snow and ice I’d shoveled just 3 days before and truly embrace the warmth of tropical sunshine.
My trip, or as I call it, my ‘Spirit’s Journey’... not quite
a vision quest and yet a spur of the moment ‘God Trip’ ( a God trip is when you
find airfare so low you can almost hear your guides and angels giggling at your
hesitancy to take the gift) was unplanned.
Or was it? 14" of snow on top of 3" of ice, stuck in my driveway for days, a
free ‘heart check-up’ - if my heart wasn’t healthy I couldn’t have shoveled the
snow for so many hours that week, and a Christmas blessed with solitude and
natural beauty. Curiosity sent me to the airline’s website, which reminded me I
had airmiles. A couple of phone calls and a friend with an extra bed, another
with a car I could borrow.... oh yes, that’s why I was walking.... to get to the
car.
As I walked, I never did pass another bus stop. I suppose I could have become angry. ‘What kind of community puts bus stops on back roads?’ ‘How will I get where I need to go?’ ‘My legs hurt, my shoulders are burning..... all were possible reactions to the outcome my choice was producing. Instead, I revelled in the warmth. Allowing my mind to wander and my body to enjoy the excercise and sunshine, at no point did I allow negativity, only possibility and gratitude.
I Choose Passion. Choose is as active verb - and while ‘I AM’ is a basic creative affirmation, ‘choosing’ creates an energy of manifesting into reality. Sometimes it takes determination and faith to continue or even begin expressing our passion. Valentine’s day is about love; for friends, partners, family and most importantly ourselves. In your heart you will find the answers you seek, the passion that makes life a journey filled with possibilities. As the Tarot deck’s Fool card says - ‘Trust that each step will be perfect and let life unfold in it’s fullness - you are protected and loved’.
Honoring the unique spark of Spirit Light that is you - I hold you in my heart and mind with the intention that you live each moment with a bit of passion. Blessings in all your choices
Kathy ‘Whyte Wynde’ Lowden
January '09 - Birthing the New You
Welcome and Blessings! As the New Year begins we each have the opportunity to
bring forth the best of ourselves in situations we may have never anticipated.
Focusing on gratitude for the blessings we already have creates a fertile ground for birthing the transformations taking place.
I
n all birth there is a letting go, a trust in the process and a faith that the new creation will allow for brighter expression of Life and Love. It can sometimes feel as though the death of the old is more than we can bear - testing our strength and patience. Remember to affirm ‘I AM Divine Strength’. ‘I AM Divine Patience’. When we ‘ask’ for these traits it implies we either need them and don’t already have access to that energy or invites situations that will show us we have them. Affirming we ‘are’ Strength and Patience gives us better ability to put them to use.L
ife is change. Nothing is stagnant and our universe is constantly shifting. Finding balance within the changes and continuing to express gratitude for future blessings we may not yet recognize is imperative to flowing into the new.I will refrain from listing the challenges our society is
facing. Repeating the details and reinforcing their power does little to assist
you in making the shifts in your thoughts and behavors necessary to birth your
new expression of self. As we discover how quickly our thoughts manifest into
reality - ignorance of the concrete world reality our collective consciousness
has created is not an option. Acknowledging ‘what is’ - and at the same time
knowing that the material world is an illusion based on what we entertain in our
thoughts gives us a base from which to move into new choices.
I have been publishing The Voice of Choices for almost 8 years. Having bloomed
through grass-roots appeal, thousands upon
thousands of lives have been touched by the wisdom and inspiration offered up by
many incredibly gifted authors, teachers and artists. Technology is shifting
rapidly. Human beings are ‘tactile’ - we enjoy the feel of a tangible
publication. Whether at the beach, under the covers or in the bath, reading
online via computer is not always a realistic choice. AND - at the same time -
to argue with ‘what is’ as technology expands... does not birth the ideas
necessary to reach our readers.
Advertising revenue, sponsorships and donations are what funds the costs of
production, publication and distribution. The level of income needs to cover
these costs. New advertising is a blessing and much appreciated. Sponsorships
and donations are also welcome and can be made on the website via a Paypal link
or by phone. You can choose any amount that is comfortable for you.
There are direct link web banners also available to direct traffic to your
website. Those can also be paid for online or by phone.
I AM open to new ideas that combine the best ways to continue publishing. Each
issue is availalbe online in .pdf format. There are also more articles on the
website www.voiceofchoices.org than in the paper editions. I am creating an
email list and am researching what it takes to send out a monthly email
magazine. You need to sign up with your email address to be included. Sending
your email to voiceofchoicesnews@yahoo.com will make sure you are on the list.
Your email will only be used by Voice of Choices.
Celebrating transformation and creating ceremony to honor that which is evolving anchors our gratitude and blesses our future.
Death is a natural part of life. As our natural world employs winter as a time of rest, renewal and preparation for spring we too can use this time to go within and find the light that not only sustains us but will brilliantly shine on the paths still to travel.
As always I send you gratitude for all your good work, Blessings in all your choices and the Trust that Divine Order is perfection
Happy New Year! Kathy ‘Whyte Wynde’ Lowden
December '08 - Joy - JUST Joy!
Blessings! Welcome to Voice of Choices. It is December already and many of us
continue to comment on how the experience of time seems to be shifting. With
electronic technology allowing us to witness audio and video from around the
planet within moments of events taking place, a week can ‘feel’ more like a
month with the sheer volume of information. I’ve spoken about this often, bear
with me as I do my best to share it in writing.
As we live in ‘the moment’ - the ‘now’- and open ourselves to accepting that
which we cannot change - our mental and emotional bodies begin to interpret our
experience of time in a new way. If it is our decision, we can immerse ourselves
in the energy created by events happening ‘outside ourselves’ and in the
farthest reaches of our world. With cell phones and laptop computers for
internet access we can ‘tune in’ to the physical world’s ‘news’ anytime... or
all the time.
My question is this: do you spend some time each day ‘tuning’ in to your own
world? The world within yourself. That sacred space inside which connects you to
Creator and celebrates the Joy, Love and Peace of your eternal being?
While visiting a local shop, a conversation with an old
friend I had not seen in years brought up some interesting concepts. We shared
ideas about the heightened awarenesses and insights that are becoming more
common on a daily basis. We spoke of dreamwork bringing information from our
guides and angels and how that avenue of teaching is relevant on a personal
basis.
The term ‘Wannabe’ came up. Now keep in mind, I live on an Indian Reservation.
My cottage sits at the East entrance of a Medicine Wheel built by the previous
owner of the property, Bright Owl. She stewarded the land and followed the
teachings of Sun Bear. A stand of old growth cedar trees form a natural
cathedral on the far side of this land. AND I am white. My claim to being a
Native American lies in the truth that I was born on this continent.
When my friend made the comment about ‘Wannabes’ the immediate response finding it’s way through my voice was this:
We are each a spark of Spirit’s divinity. Connecting with
Higher Power assist in discovering that which is true for us. There is no way to
be a ‘Wannabe’ - we are each the perfection of who we are, an expression of
light in human form.
Over the years I have often sought out a teacher. My belief was that it was
necessary for wisdom to ‘come through’ a human voice. There was a woman who had
agreed to teach me the way of the Chanupa. Within a short period of time it was
clear this would not happen, yet the reference materials she directed me to
were of great help. One of the books she suggested was the story of a woman pipe carrier and her walk as she found deeper meaning in her spirituality. I will never forget the chapter in which she approached the Medicine Man almost begging to be taught. His response was this: "No One can teach you".
Your pipe will teach you what you need to know.
It was 1993 when I moved to Sedona, AZ. Almost as if drawn by some force beyond my control, the high mountain desert was calling me. The path which would teach me much that no mentor could was unfolding perfectly. Finding employment with a jeep tour company, it was months of prayers before I was trained to share the traditions of the Medicine Wheel.
We would drive through the magnificent red rocks to one of Sedona’s powerful vortices. It was there that I began adding a brief, yet powerful transmission of Reiki energy to the clearing ceremony before entering the wheel.
I had no physical world teacher telling me how it should be done. It was my faith in Spirit working through me that gave me the courage to incorporate ‘Eastern’ based Reiki with Native American based wisdom. The result was an incredible blending of Universal Life Force Energy not written about in any books at that time.
And now I live with a sacred hoop in my front yard. I learn
more each day as I honor the directions, the wisdom of the Grandfathers and
Grandmothers and hearing their voices as I travel through dreamtime.
A ‘Wannabe’? In the opinion of some - probably. Is it my truth?
Yes! If it is my truth then how can I possibly be a ‘Wannabe’
-
for I AM THAT I AM. And you, my friend are who you are - the unique and original
physical embodiment of Love, Light and Life!
Please, as this powerful time of year brings you the opportunities to celebrate your own truth, take that time to honor Spirit’s expression within and through you. Whether it be in a church, synagogue, meeting hall, medicine wheel or wherever you find sacred space - honor the Divine nature of yourself with whatever ceremony or prayers come through your heart.
Expressing our gratitude and blessing our lives can help us to create the peace within even when t
he world around us seems to be spinning at a pace beyond comfort. As we devote a part of our day to spirituality we often find more and more mini-miracles and synchronicities supporting our highest and greatest good. As we feel more balanced and supported- that is the reality that becomes everyday life and gives us the strength to accept that which we cannot change or control.Happy Holidays - Blessings in all your choices, Nam
Myoho Renge Kyo and Mahalo,
Kathy "Whyte Wynde" Lowden
An incredible time in our physical world, Life seems to be
dishing up a perfection that may look very different from what we thought we
wanted.
Energetic shifts impacting many aspects and levels of our beings are helping us
to grow into new expressions of who we are.
Everything is energy. We can label it ‘good’ or ‘bad’ reaping the rewards of
those thoughts. We can accept or refuse the reality of the physical ‘illusion’.
We can use our energy to ‘fight’ what is making each step a struggle and each
day a new ‘death’ to our spirit. OR... yes, there is an ‘or’
(oar... for those up a creek without a paddle?) we can DANCE.
My music may not be your tune. Your melody and rhythym may not even exist within the range of sound frequencies I can hear. And yet both are perfect for each of us in this moment. I may stumble trying to find the right steps and stay off your toes. You may already know all the steps. Perfect! It is your dance. It is my dance. We all choose.
I too have been ‘unconscious’ as I struggled to find a way to make my version of reality understood by those I love most. As Byron Katie - www.thework.com - explains: no one, NO ONE, can understand our feelings, our understanding, our views, actions or choices. NO ONE.
When we believe we can somehow convince others to see through our eyes we choose to fight the reality of life rather than dance with it’s energy and gifts.
There is a beautiful new ‘man’ in my life. Just by ‘showing up’ he has created the most incredible opportunities for personal and spiritual growth. He has taught me forgiveness and respect. I am learning to value myself and speak my truth - realize and live the accountability for my choices.... and the list goes on and on.
Pretty amazing considering he’s just 2 months old. I have a grandson! Daniel is beautiful, healthy and the pride and joy of his parents. What a blessing. They are happy and learning to make the important choices that come with parenting.
At this time I do not know how to dance to the song they hear. Those lessons are filled with love wrapped in ‘pain’ or ‘joy’ - depending on the thoughts I choose to think about what having a granson should ‘look like’.
I can attempt to convince them of an apology they have not
been able to hear. I could to try to convince them of my ‘truth’ and what I
‘see’ as the best way to walk through our ‘issues’ with the false precept that
my dance, my music and my truth could or should be theirs.
It’s taken almost two months - and this morning I woke up realizing "I got it".
Blessing their perceptions and honoring their choices, there is no reason to
live with the pressure my thoughts have created. Struggling in a battle of
‘right’ and ‘wrong’ - ‘my way’ or ‘your way’ - convincing those I love that I
love them? There is no possible way to do that.
Each of us perceives life through our own perspective. Filtered through our
‘vision’ and colored by what we believe and feel to be real. That is how it is.
There is no reason to present or argue my point believing someone else should
understand. Who is miserable if I do? What is served by struggling with what is?
We can attempt to ‘jump and jive’ through a dance to music we cannot hear OR we
can allow those who enjoy the music they hear to dance their dance in the way
that best serves them and know that Love is all there is.
As long as I continue to hold the resistance to what is - that resistance itself
creates and feeds the energy of struggle. When I release my need to be
understood the tension dissipates - just like in a game of tug of war.
Life is presenting the opportunity for new ways to ‘be’ in Love. We strive for
loving and being loved... unconditionally. Yet until that quality is tested how
do we know the depth and meaning of unconditional love? When the going gets
tough forget about shopping and find the love. Love for ourselves. Love that
empowers and allows everyone their truth. Love that accepts, forgives,
apologizes and loves even more.
Each of us has our own ‘dance’.... our own struggle.
Byron Katie also speaks to the idea that what we want from others, the judgments
and opinions we hold of them, the expectations they cannot fulfill and be
themselves.... are what we really need from ourselves.
We are all mirrors for each other. With or without make-up and lipstick - our
reflections shine clearly... in the faces of those we love the most.
My actions did not meet other peoples’ expectations.
For not allowing my daughter her process without voicing my concern - I am
sorry. For the realization that it’s no longer up to me to speak for her or
stand up for her safety - I am grateful. There was truly more than one cord cut
that night.
The realization that my ‘truth’ is mine and theirs belongs to them releases me
from my perception of a responsibility that wasn’t mine in the first place. Her
mirroring back the feelings my actions created for her is helping me find a
better understanding of myself and how that ‘self’ can best honor the sacred
self that is my daughter.
I trust there is a cosmic orchestra creating a new melody and dance that serves
everyone’s highest and greatest good.
Testify to Love - Wynonna Judd
All the colors of the rainbow
All of voices of the wind
Every dream that reaches out
That reaches out to find where love begins
Every word of every story
Every star in every sky
Every corner of creation lives to testify
For as long as I shall live I will testify to love
I’ll be a witness in the silences when words are not enough
With every breath I take I will give thanks to God above
For as long as I shall live I will testify to love
From the mountains to the valleys
From the rivers to the sea
Every hand that reaches out
Every hand that reaches out to offer peace
Every simple act of mercy
Every step to kingdom come
All the Hope in every heart will speak what love has done.
With every breath I take I will give thanks to God above
For as long as I shall live
I will testify to love
Blessings in all your choices
Happy Thanksgiving,
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
and Mahalo
Kathy ‘Whyte Wynde’ Lowden
Welcome to Voice of Choices!
Instead of the usual ‘Blessings from the Publisher’ the wisdom of Kerry
Patterson seems most relevant right now. In some ways we might all be ‘children’
opening the door and finding situations beyond what we know how to appropriately
respond to. We are not born with ‘social interaction scripts’ downloaded and
ready to access - they are learned, through observation, practice,
feedback/communication, trust, respect and patience. Blessings in all your
choices.
ADVICE ON ADVICE - BY KERRY PATTERSON
The doorbell rang and I jumped to my feet as a flash of pink tennis shoes sped
by me in a race to the front door. Becca, my seven-year-old daughter, skidded up
to the door, opened it, and found her best friend Crystal standing there. "Can
you come out and play?" Crystal asked.
"No!" Becca abruptly responded. And then our sweet, sensitive, and normally
thoughtful daughter slammed the door in Crystal’s face. I was mortified. How
could this have happened? When had Becca become so rude?
I asked her what was going on.
"I’d like to play with Crystal," Becca explained, "But Mom says I have to clean
my room first."
"Do you have any idea how Crystal felt when you slammed the door in her face?" I
asked.
And now for the revealing part of this incident. "No," Becca said as she blinked
her eyes in confusion.
"Well," I uttered with a snarky tone, "let’s take a look!" With that threat
hanging in the air I marched Becca upstairs and looked out the window where the
two of us spotted Crystal walking back to her house with a gate and demeanor
that said "My best friend just rejected me."
"It looks like she feels bad," Becca commented.
"Why do you think that is?" I asked.
"I don’t know," she answered.
"You just implied that you didn’t want to play with her and then you slammed the
door in her face. That can hurt."
"Oh," Becca responded with a frown.
"What could you have done instead?"
"I don’t know," Becca offered with a weak smile.
At first I thought Becca was trying to avoid a scolding by
claiming ignorance, but I quickly realized that she wasn’t playing a game. She
really didn’t have a way of thinking about what had just taken place. She didn’t
have a clue. And why is that?
Because as a member of the human species, Becca was born with a tabula rasa—or
"blank slate." Her brain didn’t come hard-wired with all sorts of knowledge as
is the case with other creatures. She certainly wasn’t born with the knowledge
of how to handle a peer’s request to play with her when she already had
conflicting orders from her mother.
Contrast my daughter’s blank slate with, say, your typical guppy. When baby guppies or "fry" (talk about a bummer of a nickname) are first born they immediately swim to a piece of plant-life. Then they undulate next to the plant in perfect synchronization as the plant moves in the current. They do this in order to appear to be part of the plant and not a new-born fish. Guppy fry disguise themselves in this manner because they are born to parents who don’t nurture and protect them. Guppy parents hunt down their young and eat them. The bad news: tough parenting. The good news: guppy parents imbue their offspring with knowledge before birth that serves them the rest of their lives. The second they are born, guppy fry know how to hide themselves, swim to perfection, feed themselves, etc. They are in effect born teenagers.
Humans aren’t born with such instincts. This gives them the invaluable ability to make choices. However, this ability comes at a heavy cost. Humans’ tabula rasa makes them both ignorant and vulnerable. Humans aren’t born street-wise like the leery guppy. They also have no fangs, claws, or poison glands to protect themselves. The ugly truth is that human beings burst into the circle of life as helpless, ignorant, tasty morsels.
In order to survive, human parents have to protect their young for a long time. In fact, to survive their complete ignorance and horrific vulnerability, humans are given what has been labeled an "extended" childhood. They are treated as tots for much longer than any other living creature. (And with the advent of the in-home theater, big-screen TV, and Wii Game System, human childhood now often extends into the 30s. But that’s another issue.)
I mention this whole tabula rasa deal because as a parent, I often expect my own children to know things that they have no way of knowing. Becca didn’t know the polite and effective way of saying "I can’t play right now." She wasn’t born with this knowledge and she hadn’t learned that particular script from people she had observed. And yet somehow I expected her to know it. Fortunately I caught myself before I chastised Becca and decided to teach her how to better handle the situation—to fill in some of the space on that big and mostly empty slate in her head.
"Let’s role-play," I suggested to Becca who looked back at me with suspicion. "I’ll go outside, ring the doorbell, and ask you to come out and play. Now, what could you say to me that wouldn’t hurt my feelings?"
Once again Becca peered up and shyly admitted, "I don’t know." I kept forgetting. She’s human. She’s not born with scripts. I’d have to help her out a bit.
"How about this?" I suggest. "You say: ‘I’d like to play with you, but Mom says I have to clean my room first. Afterward I’ll come over and get you.’ This lets Crystal know that you’re excited to see her but have to do something first."
I step outside and ring our doorbell. Becca opens the door and I cheerfully inquire, "Can you come out and play?"
Becca says, "I’d like to play with you, but Mom says I have to clean my room first. Afterward I’ll come over and get you." She says the exact words I said. She’s on the right track. Unfortunately, she said the right words, but in sort of an abrupt tone.
"Try it again, I suggest. This time, smile when you say it." So she tries it again. "Now, this time, emphasize the word ‘like.’" She tries the interaction one more time and nails it.
I took a moment to teach my daughter a social-interaction script. I didn’t wait for her to pick it up from the street or awkwardly fashion one of her own. I didn’t talk about it in the abstract. Instead I used what is known as deliberate practice. I suggested a specific set of actions and words. I live-modeled the actions. Becca then tried the actions on her own and I gave her immediate feedback. She tried again and I gave her more feedback. Only after she mastered the script—both words and delivery—did I stop.
Right now, tens of thousands of people are attending workshops and seminars that teach leadership, parenting, and other human-interaction skills. Participants frequently attend these courses with the expectation that they’ll learn how to better perform as a leader or parent. But this isn’t likely to happen. Most training participants will only be taught how to think like a leader or parent. They’ll be treated exclusively from the neck up. There will be no scripts or practice. There will be no feedback. People attending traditional classes will learn theories. They will not master new behaviors.
Exclusively cognitive (as opposed to cognitive and behavioral) instructional methods continue to remain popular despite the fact that much of what should be taught is behavioral in nature. Leaders and parents do a lot of behaving, and just like my daughter who needed deliberate practice in order to master the door script, they require instructional methods to master the leadership and parental scripts they’ll need to survive. The reason behaviorally starved seminars and classes continue to thrive is, to be frank, most people attend seminars in hopes that they’ll be entertained and maybe learn an idea or two. They don’t expect to be taught how to actually do something.
Imagine if people took this attitude when learning how to figure skate. Suppose that you’re a gifted skater and a potential student asks you to coach her, but with the following request. "I want to learn how to be a master figure skater, but please don’t demonstrate what I need to do. If you do demonstrate, don’t ask me to watch. If you do ask me to watch you do something, don’t ask me to do it. If you do ask me to do it, don’t give me feedback. And finally, if you do give me feedback, wait a long time—and then make it vague."
As we learn from this example, if you want to learn how to do something—from giving a speech to running a meeting to disciplining an employee—you must observe prototypes, practice what you observed, receive detailed and clear feedback, practice again, and receive more feedback. Anything short of this and you’re tinkering, not learning. You’re looking to be entertained, not turned into a master.
So I got it right that morning with Becca. I recognized that she didn’t know how to handle the door script. She hadn’t been born with the idea firmly wired into her brain and after watching others in action her tabula was still pretty rasa. I didn’t lecture Becca about what to do. Instead, we engaged in deliberate practice.
I wish I had done more of that—not that Becca didn’t grow
into a sensitive and caring adult. She did. It’s just, what would the world be
like if adults, parent, leaders, and training designers alike didn’t merely
offer up heaps of generic advice or clever lectures on changing behaviors, but
instead actually taught and coached effective behaviors? One can only
imagine.
Kerry Patterson is co-author of the NY Times Best Seller‘Crucial
Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High". Visit
www.vitalsmarts.com to sign up for the
Vital Smarts newsletter
Blessings and welcome to the first (and only) Bi-Monthly Voice of Choices. Change is the only constant in life. I remember a poem I wrote in high school about adapting change that seemed to be moving too quickly for comfort.
With all of our ‘instant’ media information options, we always have a choice as to how much of ‘out- there’ we want ‘in here’. Choosing what is ‘too much information’. Turning off the tv, radio or computer - not to plunge our heads into the sand like ostriches, but to allow ourselves quiet time. Time to just be - or even do is important. We often live in constant reaction to what’s going on around us - adding a perception of stress that doesn’t always serve us well.
There are things we do that require alert action and
interaction. Meditation while driving might not get you where you want to go
safely. Taking some quiet time at home, outdoors or wherever is convenient and
soothing to you - assists in honoring ourselves.
Everything is energy. Thoughts are what create our reality. Vibrations of sound
and light affect our physsical bodies, emotions and ability to think clearly.
The resources which give us up to the minute reports on world events are
wonderful inventions. They are tools we can choose to access or not - when we
are ready and available to best appreciate their gifts.
We can choose to tap in to every event, whether they be triumphs or tragedies - and then sometimes wonder why exhaustion, depression or a feeling of overwhelm won’t go away. Sometimes people even begin to disconnect from their own lives - finding day to day reality more like a watching a movie as they participate without feeling fulfilled.
So as I type these words - and know that the next blessings I send you will be on-line.... how and what do I share that can assist you in making choices to honor yourself, your needs, your path?
We are living in a time of incredible opportunity. Shifts and changes are occurring on most every level of the environment, finances and world government/politics. With so much going on, our presence and participation in the 3D reality can include anxiety. Strengthening our personal connection with Spirit, finding our way through with a willingness to accept and adapt to change, are key factors in riding the waves of soul level evolution (which may at times feel more like ‘revolution’).
It is with courage that we must find our own center. Our ‘safe-point’ within. In weather patterns like ‘twisters’ there is what is called ‘the eye of the storm’. No weather man can point you to that place and it is constantly moving as Nature’s forces are in constant motion. No book or teacher, healer or minister can give you the blueprint to your personal soul development. It is how we experience, perceive and choose to invest our energy (or not) that determines the level of safety we can experience - regardless of the material world ‘realities’ and situations going on around us.
We have the opportunity, as the dramas being played out around us provide a multitude of new options, to consciously choose what path to take. Will we explore the positive options, seizing the moment to create something new and different? Will we realize that repeating patterns of blame, holding an illusion of past powerlessness, or expecting someone else to ‘fix’ what ails us serves no higher purpose and limits what we can experience?
I have been very aware, that through what has felt like ‘change moving too quickly for comfort’, new and more positive solutions/options are also manifesting at a much faster rate. I watch for and acknowledge the almost constant ‘ahas’ that give me verification that not only am I in the right place at the right time - my thoughts are ‘tuned in’ at a level of awareness that can support my highest good. Lately, it’s been my experience, that an ‘answer’ or alternative can open up almost before I realize there is a need for it.
Man created the concept of time - to organize events. Hours, days, weeks and years are our system to keep track of and to schedule the future. Yet life is composed entirely of the ‘now’ - one moment at a time. As we shift into a more cosmically conscious reality, try being open to ‘catch and release’ immediately. In other words - and because words set the tone and intention for our next now moment experience - Letting go of what we percieve as not working - and doing it now - even as we’ve just ‘hooked the fish’ - can open our ability to ‘catch’ a more appropriate experience.
What does this have to do with ‘Maintaining Your Mantra’?
Self talk. Reminding ourselves we are spiritual beings in a physical, human
form. Finding our center within any outward reality that brings a ‘storm’ or
wave of major change. Finding faith and trust in the process rather than staying
stuck in the details which lock us into a mindless repetition of what we don’t
want.
I’ve started working with a ‘new’ to me mantra. Words of blessing and invocation to Lakshmi - Goddess of Prosperity and Wealth. Starting on a Friday - and with a strand of beads in my hands to keep track of ‘how many’ ( like the concept behind Rosary beads) ‘Om Navah Maha Lakshmi Namah’ is the chant - 108 times daily. Since my beads have another 47 on the strand, I finish with 47 Nam Myoho Renge Kyos - Calling for and accepting Divine Right Order.
There are many prayers from many spiritual traditions. Finding one that speaks to your innermost desires and beliefs, then devoting time to focusing on it’s message connects you solidly to your soul self.
I will be posting more prayers and mantras at www.voiceofchoices.org.
I also intend to offer more articles available online - between the printed copies of Voice of Choices available once every two months.
Our environment needs our support. This new format will honor those who choose to explore MORE Choices - and continue to put a printed copy in the hands of those not online.
A re-design of the website will make it easier to read
individual articles.
The possibility of an email ‘E-Zine’ is being considered. I receive much more
information each month than I’ve ever been able to print in hard copy. The
internet can provide an alternative - give you more of what you love about Voice
of Choices - and we will all be taking a huge step as we ‘walk our talk’ by
truly making conscious choices to ‘be the change we want to see in the world’.
Should any of the above change - new information will be available on the
website.
You can contact me at info@voiceofchoices.org to set up advertising online and
in-print. It is the revenue from that advertising that covers the costs and
allows Voice of Choices to continue sharing life-changing articles and
inspiration. I also welcome your questions and articles at that email address.
Blessings in all your choices, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, Om Naveh Maha Lakshmi Namah and Mahalo,
Kathy ‘Whyte Wynde’ Lowden
JULY 08- Freedom
Aloha and Blessings - Welcome to the July Voice of Choices. Each month features
articles I trust will offer ideas to consider, tools you can use and insight
into the concept that we are indeed all connected.
In addition, each month contains a common thread or underlying ‘theme’ which is based loosely on the celebrations, holidays and current issues many of us will explore during that month.
It’s kind of funny, last night I submitted ‘the final copy’ via email. Tucked neatly into the print company’s ftp site, all the files for the advertisements, pictures and articles you’ll see on these pages. My monthly ritual - I call it ‘that time of the month’ - deadline has ‘loomed’ and been met. Yet, as all the files are transferred and I compose the email addressed to the graphics department and the Voice of Choices’ print rep, the message is amost always the same. "Please wait to send my proof". I ask them to get started and then interfere with the expedient progress by asking they go only so far in the production process. You might wonder why. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to give someone a project they can only take so far. And yet over the years I’ve discovered that the words which make up this article - the Blessings from the Publisher - seem almost to require that the pressure of deadline, the timing of getting it all done and sending to the printers, be in the past, finished, completed.... before inspiration can make it through.
This month fits that description. Up late last night, and not so restful sleep as I wondered which words would be the best words to share with you this month of July 2008.
Freedom. The foundation upon which our country was built; the tapestry which has woven together the lives of so many desiring the opportunity to meet each day in the way they choose.
My mother used to tell me ‘look it up’ when I’d ask the definition of a word. So, from dictionary.com is the following: 1. Freedom, independence, liberty refer to an absence of undue restrictions and an opportunity to exercise one’s rights and powers. Freedom emphasizes the opportunity given for the exercise of one’s rights, powers, desires, or the like: freedom of speech or conscience; freedom of movement. Independence implies not only lack of restrictions but also the ability to stand alone, unsustained by anything else: Independence of thought promotes invention and discovery. Liberty, though most often interchanged with freedom, is also used to imply undue exercise of freedom.
Would that include ‘freedom’ to make mistakes? How about ‘freedom’ to fail? ‘Freedom’ to choose new approaches when old habits or answers create ‘a diferent kind of result than we were desiring? You notice I used the words fail and mistakes- not my usual vocabulary. Yet, in the throes of summer which on the medicine wheel is the direction of the south, it is the coyote who guides us. The trickster, as he is often referred to, can offer us the ‘medicine’ of misdirection. After all, what better way to know where we want to be (or at least getting clear that ‘this here and now is not what we want to continue) than when we are ‘off track’. (oops how can we be off track if everything is perfect??) Ok, another of coyote’s specialties is humor so let’s try this again.
Can you think of a time in your life or situation that, once you’d moved through the lessons you realized the value you wouldn’t have asked for? For many of us thinking back and finding at least one example is not too dificult. Can you ‘re-frame’ that situation and discover the nugget of blessing you would have missed without it? Can you go a step farther and see the incentive for growth or change it offered? That’s Mr. Coyote. Kind of like the 6 lane freeway. You’re in the far left lane and the sign says your exit is 1/2 mile away - and on the right - at rush hour - and all the cars are going about 20 miles an hour - and every lane is bumper to bumper.
Ok, so where was I going with this? Hey - it’s barely 6 AM and my brain’s a bit foggy - hang in there and we’ll find our way to my point.
Freedom, coyote medicine, mistakes... now I remember. In 2001 I handed a flyer to each participant at my weekly reiki circle. The information on it spoke of one’s personal responsibility in their own healing process. It also shared concepts about the ethics of asssisting others in their healing process. Some were calling themselves ‘healers’ when in fact we ‘facilitate’ and assist . I was also concerned with the attitude still found within the ‘healing community’ which finds it appropriate to ‘send healing’ to recipients who have not asked for it. Remember Star Trek’ and the ‘Prime Directive’? Without delving deeply into the specifics - look it up if you feel the desire.
When we send healing, protection, or an energetic blessing without permission are we interfering with the person’s freedom? Are we implying that somehow we know what is ‘right’ for another’s highest good? Where is the line between a well-meant prayer and creating an energy which could shift their reality ... for the ‘better’? Years ago a friend of mine asked us to STOP sending her white light. It was keeping her awake at night and her healing process required sleep and although she knew the energy was sent with love, the result was not helpful.
Freedom, yes freedom. Your right to move forward on your personal path - in the manner you feel best serves you. And with that freedom you can also make a new choice - as it becomes appropriate - for you and there are many who can assist in that process - just ask.
Blessings in all your choices, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo & Mahalo
Kathy ‘Whyte Wynde’ Lowden
P.S. - Check out this month’s articles- who knows, maybe there’s something important. And - hey, if you can help me create a blog for www.voiceofchoices.org get in touch - let’s create discussions that support and celebrate excercising our freedom and enjoying our best life!
June 08 - Natural Magick
Hello and Blessings! Welcome to Voice of Choices’ June issue. Yes, it’s almost
summer. Ok you there on Maui, grinning because it’s always summer... remember
what is what like to experience the seasons somewhere else. It’s been almost a
year since I moved back to the Seattle area and I’ll be very happy when my body
readjusts to it’s native climate zone - and the variety of weather 4 seasons
include.
Summer officially starts on the 21st of June, the Summer Solstice. Celebrations
of the longest day of the year appear in many traditions around the world and
throughout history. Magic is a common theme associated with midsummer’s eve. And
what exactly is magic?
I spent a couple of months working at Moonflower Magicks in Everett - and the
opportunity to describe ‘magic’ was an almost daily occurence.. I found myself
at a loss for words (yes, I really did) many times. How does one describe the
energy that defies our society’s common held beliefs about reality? What exactly
defines magic and can be universally understood.
I had a bit of fun when people would come in asking for something that would
‘do’ whatever they were trying to achieve. “What do you have that will ______” “
I need something to ________.”
It got to the point where I would (occasionally and after apologizing profusely
for the sarcasm) suggest that if everything in the store would ‘do something’ -
I’d be invisible, bouncing off the walls, sitting in a bathtub full of cash,
sharing an embrace with the the partner of my dreams, or..... well you get the
idea.
So we have magic. From Webster’s online:
Etymology: Middle English magique, from Middle French, from Latin magice, from
Greek magike, feminine of magikos Magian, magical, from magos magus, sorcerer,
of Iranian origin; akin to Old Persian maguš sorcerer Date: 14th century
1 a: the use of means (as charms or spells) believed to have supernatural power
over natural forces b: magic rites or incantations
2 a: an extraordinary power or influence seemingly from a supernatural source b:
something that seems to cast a spell : enchantment
3: the art of producing illusions by sleight of hand
And the following, by Pythagoras in ‘The Goetia of the Lemegeton of King
Solomon’.
“Magic is the Highest, most absolute, and most Divine Knowledge of natural
philosophy, advanced in its works and wonderful operations by a right
understanding of the inward and occult virtue of things; so that true Agents
being applied to proper Patients, strange and admirable effects will thereby be
produced.
Whence magicians are profound and diligent searchers into Nature; they, because
of their skill, know how to anticipate an effect, which to the vulgar shall seem
to be a miracle.”
So what ‘IS’ magick? A working definition that can be applied to everyday life
might be something like this: Using all that we know to be true, (and that which
is being researched and finding validity in the scientific community even if not
yet accepted by the general public), tools both seen and unseen, faith,
intention and attention, to create something which seems to be beyond common
occurence. (Who said that?) Sometimes magick is literally nothing more than a
shift in perception.
Are you willing to take a walk on the wild side? Can you wrap your mind around
the fact that you, yes you, are a magician with the ability to transform your
world? I trust you feel the truth in that statement. Voice of Choices would not
exist if thousands of readers didn’t have some hope that, as stewards of their
reality, they could effect changes in their experience far beyond what
mainstream media allows them to expect.
This month’s articles are reminders of the indwelling ‘magickal’ power we all
posess. The key is to consciously apply the tools which unlock our innate
abilities. Holy moley, unlock our potential - reach our goals - experience the
results of using our God/dess given gifts????? What’s next? A rabbit out of a
hat?
Magick for entertainment is fun. Working with the art of Magick as we create our
lives can be fulfilling. I invite you to enjoy this month’s articles. Guy Finley
discusses Awakening our Attention - and realizing what we create in our mind is
what we create in our life. Feather Jones Walks with Fairies and Plant Devas to
share a journey you can explore further at the Fairy Congress June 27-29 in
Washington State. This year’s presenters include R.J. Stewart, Orion Foxwood and
Corby Ingold - more info at www.FairyCongress.com. You can also join Feather on
her wild plant walk in Sedona at the Raw Spirit Fest - www.RawSpiritFest.com in
September. Margaret Ann Lembo introduces you to crystals, chakras and colors....
information and tools you may choose to employ for ‘magickal’ (remember it means
something which appears to be a miracle) results. She’ll be sharing her wisdom
in Bellingham, Seattle, Portland and Astoria the 3rd-10th of June visit
www.TheCrystalGarden.com for more information.
Father’s Day is June 15th. Remember to honor ‘Dad’ and the gifts he’s shared
with you. Just like Moms, sometimes the blessings we recieve/d from our father
are challenges providing us growth opportunity. Hey, he’s human too - what do
you expect?
Honoring my father is easy. I do it daily, talking to him and sharing a smile as
I remember his laugh. Interesting to consider that, as a commercial fisherman,
the boat he owned in Alaska was named ‘Magic’ and his sailboat in Sequim ‘Magic
Too’. And he didn’t understand my definition at all! While I miss him daily,
somehow I feel he’s closer to me now than ever. (would that be magic?) So to all
of those Spirit Dads - we love you and thank you for your ongoing support.
Magick..... Magyk.....Magic! However you spell it, Summer Solstice is the time
of year when it’s afoot! Enjoy!
Blessings in all your choices, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
How can it get even better than this?
Kathy ‘Whyte Wynde’ Lowden
May '08 - How Can it Get Even Better Than
This?
Living in the Question
Aloha and Happy May from magnificent Marysville Washington! Thank you for
picking up Voice of Choices- the only ‘locally owned and operated publication of
its kind’ reaching like minded souls --- whether they live in Washington,
Sedona, Maui or find their copy on the internet. Our readers are thrilled with
the practical application information included in each article; thousands of
lives have been touched with the insights and inspiration in each issue.
And I have to ask....’How can it get even better than this?’
As a publisher I receive what we call ‘blind submissions’- articles from authors
around the globe, books on a variety of subjects, and artwork from gifted
artists. Last month I received a book with simple tools for directing energy
work that is changing my life.
Being human, I sometimes feel the ‘value added’ concept of
publishing ‘big name’ author’s work that has been deftly written to serve as
advertising rather than offering you, the reader something tangible you can
‘work with’ is unfair to those who pay for advertising. I’ve tried to figure out
why those who have created financial success for themselves believe someone else
should pay to promote their work. The book I received in the mail was given the
same response as the rest - “Voice of Choices doesn’t print book reviews”. A new
paradigm of CHOICE rather than opinion allows for you, the reader, to sample an
author’s work and decide for yourself the level of it’s relevence and value to
YOU.
Thankfully I was given permission to excerpt anything I chose from ‘Talk to the
Animals - an extraordinary conversation” by Dr. Dain Heer and Gary M Douglas.
It’s ‘good stuff’ and the refreshing concept that I would be trusted to print
what I felt would serve you best - awesome. You’ll find the most potent
ingredient of their recipe for healing on page 15. And if you choose to buy the
book the details it includes are excellent for working with both animals and
people.
In the emails back and forth between their publicist/assistant and myself I kept
seeing a sentence that intrigued me. “How can it get even better than this?”
Curious as to the reason for what felt a bit like it could be sarcasm, I visited
their website at www.accessconsciousness.com and discovered the phrase’s
intention. WOW!
Ok, so I’m going to fall back on astrology again for a moment here. Almost 50
years living the life of a ‘virgo rising’ (and your rising sign is said to be
what your soul is ‘becoming’ in this life) has been spent ‘figuring out’ the
how, why, where, when, who and filling in the details for best possible results.
I’ve thinked and planned my way through each new opportunity..... with results
that stayed within the humanly limiting boundaries of what I could conceive. Gee
- maybe there’s another way? Ya Think? Who knows.
What if, as my daughter believes.... we’re just not smart enough to know what
‘runs’ the universe. And what if there are answers, pathways, gifts and
blessings beyond our capability to understand. Well if there is - I guess I’d
like to employ that energy to assist in creating the bless’d possible outcome,
in every area of life.
So ‘How can it get even better than this?’
I really should have caught on to the concept 4 years ago. As my intuition told
me there was a bit of a ‘shift’ in my primary personal relationship a dear
friend suggested I ask ‘what is the truth of this relationship?’ Her
recommendation was to wait for the answer and be aware that the first or
immediate ‘response’ might not be as accurate as the ‘AHA’ that would come
‘soon’. Hmmm, that would be the next day when I saw another woman driving my car
and realized that my husband did not have the same level of interest in our
marriage as I did. Ouch! And Thank You dear ‘universe’ for the guidance to be
where I could get the visual answer to a question of such importance.
Nope, I didn’t get it then. Solutions, logic, plans, ideas and all the ‘real
world’ practical steps and details have been my forte’. Sure they have. Gee, if
you’ve been reading this column for a while you (and 35,000 others) have been
privvy to the results of all that effort.
Maybe living in the question - without placing limiting parameters could better
accomplish my highest and greatest good. After all if we, as humans, don’t have
the capacity to fathom the ‘All That Is’
‘putting it in God’s hands’ could produce some pleasant results.. and a few
incredible surprises along the way.
I guess, (darn it) I don’t have all the answers. That would be why this magazine
is called Voice of Choices - not ‘Here’s YOUR answers’. And that would be why
the articles on these pages are not allowed to claim they have YOUR answers. You
read them, you’ll find out for yourself if the information is appropriate for
you.
How will you know? Just ask. Pay attention to your response. Sometimes it’s a
mental or emotional feeling and occasionally it’s a real, physical reaction. BTW
- did you know the Hawaiian Mana Cards have a card named ‘GUT’..... as in pay
attention to your gut feeling. As holistic beings our body, mind and spirit are
connected... who said that?
How can it get even better than this? The Thursday before my May deadline I
still had no cover image. Through fitful sleep my brain tried to figure out
‘what to do’. One idea, well since it is the Mother’s Day issue... maybe a
child’s drawing. Next thought - gee I wonder if I have one of my daughter’s
drawings that would work. Right - after moving to Maui and back, then 4 more
moves in this last year... not likely. Ok - so where do I find a peice of kid’s
artwork, get permission ... yadda yadda yadda in time for the Sunday night file
transfers. Go back to sleep. Sure. With no cover.
On Friday it snowed - the 18th of April and 3 inches of snow. Tried calling
Karissa, my daughter, no answer. Another attempt at bedtime.... checking in to
make sure she was ‘home safe’ - no answer. No worries and little sleep. The
return call from her Saturday morning shifted my thinking again. How can it get
even better than this? Seems that on Thursday she had an inspiration to draw.
An incredible artist, her focus has been on other things and it was
all I could do to keep from immediately rushing over to her house to see her
latest image - untitled and referred to as ‘Mother’s Day Angel’.
How can it possibly get even better than this? Living in the question. God only
knows and life is filled with endless possibilities when we ‘Celebrate Life....
With Spirit!’.
Blessings in all your choices and Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
Kathy ‘Whyte Wynde’ Lowden
Embracing Your Truth
April '08
Aloha and blessings.... from Marysville, WA. Welcome to Voice of Choices! So
glad you ‘picked us up’. Embracing Your Truth. What does that mean? How do we
focus on the gifts and accept the challenges?
Each of us has our own interpretation of life which may or may not match up with
‘Truth’ as accepted or experienced by others. Our brains can process just a
small fraction of the hundreds of thousands of bits of information ‘happening’
in each second. AND those bits that find no connection in our reality/perception
and go by seemingly unnoticed. This could give credence to the idea that we are
indeed living an illusion. We can never have the entire picture of all that
transpires in each moment - we are aware of those things we do perceive because
there is some common connector within our personal consciousness.
And now for the yearly telling of how it all started. Heard it before? I’ll add
some new details to make it interesting. Each year, this being the beginning of
the 8th, I look back to the Reiki circle in Duvall. Held outdoors, in an
incredible stone circle/medicine wheel - I created a fold-over flyer to share
the importance played by the individual in their own healing. The soul’s path
has a variety of experiences on it’s journey through life. Healing can be
facilitated, mentored and guided by others; it is the individual that actually
does the healing.
As I sat, ready to create the bulletin for the week, a voice just above my left
ear said ‘bigger’. I added another sheet of paper and the response was ‘bigger’.
OK - must be a lot of information to share this week - I added a 3rd peice of
paper. Dang - there it was again ‘bigger’. A 4th sheet of paper, the same voice
insisting ‘bigger’ and it seemed the obvious question was ‘how big are we
talking here?’ The answer, was something I will never forget - and am just
beginning to understand. With a kind of humorous taunting, as if I wouldn’t
appreciate full disclosure, was ‘Not going to tell you’. That was 7 years ago.
If this is the first issue you’ve read - you’ve missed alot. ( Stop by TruHealth
in Mill Creek and you’ll find most issues from the last 5 years. Moonflower
Magicks in Everett has copies of the last 12 months) I truly cannot comprehend
how much incredible information has reached so many people by way of 84 issues
of Voice of Choices. Sometimes I’m tempted to ‘take a vacation’ and put together
an entire issue with some of the best articles. If I were to do that it would
probably require at least 10 issues to come close to re-introducing the ‘best/bless’t’
of VoC. Or how about a book? Hmmm.
Not too long ago I did the math. Using the numbers as we’ve grown and not even
accounting for those who photo-copy a page or two and pass it around .... the
number of lives touched by Voice of Choices is in the millions.
Here I am, living in a little cottage (dern - I did call it a cottage industry)
with my dog, my crystals and a couple of rabbit ears on top of my tv - and
thousands of lives are touched directly by what I have chosen as a path in life.
If that’s not incredible.... I don’t know what is. Just another ‘somebody’ -
I’ve always said that it’s by working with the concepts in VoC that the magazine
continues to grow.
The dream - it’s rekindled as I lay in bed each night and again on waking in the
morning.
1.Nam Myoho Renge Kyo - Calling for and accepting Divine Right Order.
2. This is the night/ day that everything supporting myself and Voice of Choices
is available - as it always is.
3. I love you, I am sorry, please forgive me, Thank You. A Hawaiian Ho’oponopono
concept which moves beyond affirmations to assist in shifting non-productive
energy.
Joe Vitale writes about Ihaleakala Hew Len, PhD’s success in healing an entire
mental ward in ‘ZERO LIMITS - The Secret Hawaiian System for Wealth, Health,
Peace and More’. Dr. Len never met a single patient. What he did do was spend
time reviewing each person’s chart, meditating on ‘I love You, I am Sorry,
Please forgive me and Thank You’ with the knowing that there was something
within himself that assisted in creating the patient’s expression of ‘dis-
ease’.
According to Mr. Vitale - and I quote him loosely - ‘The intellect working alone
can’t solve problems... it only manages’. When you do Ho’oponopono Divinity
takes the painful thought and neutralizes or purifies it. You’re not purifying
the person, place or thing -but the energy you associate with it. Something
wonderful happens. The energy gets released. Buddhists call it the Void and the
final step is allowing the Divinity to come in and fill the Void with light.”
Back to Embracing Your Truth. There are a myriad of tools which assist on your
personal path. Pamm Horbit shares concepts about that variety in ‘Transformation
Tools - Variety and Validation . Kasara helps identify healthy foods which
support your optimum health. Carol Barbeau brings her expertise to the April
Astro Influences. This month also features articles which expand on Voice of
Choices’ usual content.
In this 8th year of publishing I ask for your input, your suggestions and
preferences; what most interests you? What subjects will serve you best in
Embracing Your Path? Help me choose the ongoing direction for VoC so it
continues it’s mission to assit you in ‘Creating Your Bless’d Life’. You’ll
still get those helpful, practical application exercises and samples. Articles
may go more into explaining modalities and insight from authors - and continue
to downplay advertising type promotion or opinions that suggest what you should
choose. Your choices are your responsibility.
A quick trip to the website will reveal new opportunities for supporting VoC.
There is no requirement for authors to buy advertising as with some
publications. Authors can submit articles via email in word.doc format and know
that their work is chosen based on quality and content. You can ‘share you
blessings’ by donating any amount you choose to help cover publishing and
distribution costs. You can also choose to sponsor a non-profit organization’s
promotion or distribution to an out-of -area location..... all with a click of
the PayPal button online.
I’ve also added the option to pay for your classified or enhanced classified ad
or an online banner link to your website - again through Paypal online.
If your skills include building an online shopping cart or setting up a ‘blog’ -
I’d love to hear from you. Those are skills I’ve not yet mastered and would love
to add to VoC’s website.
Seven years - magickal and filled with blessings. Embracing my path has been
filled with almost daily miracles. Voice of Choices is like a living, breathing
entity - much like a child. My choice to steward its growth continues with
renewed comittment and joy. I trust that the gifts you receive by reading it’s
pages will continue to inform and inspire.
Blessings in all your choices and Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
Kathy ‘Whyte Wynde’ Lowden
March 2008 - Now is the Time
Welcome to Voice of Choices - Blessings to you on your personal path. It has
been interesting putting this issue together. The general theme I wanted to
explore was holding our faith and moving forward, even as challenge reappears to
test our resolve. Moving into the new patterns and strengthening new habits with
resolve that ‘Yes We Can’...‘Yes I Can’.
Voice of Choices focuses on personal development and empowerment. Sharing tools
to assist you in creating your ‘bless’d life’. It is with these tools that each
of us can then create and be the change we want to see in the world. On
extremely rare occasions in the seven years of publishing have I allowed my
personal ‘political’ opinion to find its way into these pages. Political choices
must be made on an individual basis that is appropriate and relevant to you.
Whether we agree with the full political ‘story’ being created as our country
begins the decision making process which will set our collective course over the
next few years, there is new energy finding it’s way into the ring. One cannot
ignore the eloquence of a candidate who echos the Dreams of Dr. King or speaks
to renewing Hope, Reuniting a country torn by corporate politics and honoring
the diversity of our One Nation.
This is not a debate on who can best fulfill the role of President. I would no
sooner suggest that you should support a specific candidate than tell you what
to eat for breakfast. AND at the same time it is becoming more and more obvious
that there is much in our world begging for change; So much room to improve our
environment, industry, healthcare system and food production.
We have to be able to believe - to see a possibility - to work towards the
reality that improvement can be accomplished.
Did you ever watch ‘The Never Ending Story’ A wonderful children’s movie
featuring a main character who’s reaction to the story as he read it (and lived
it) created the outcome. While struggling in quicksand it was only through
holding onto faith and hope that he could escape and continue on.
Mainstream media is rife with negativity.... now don’t get me wrong, I’m totally
aware of ‘the state of our world’. Yet, if this is indeed all an illusion then
we must hold the vision of a far greater experience and work toward creating it.
“Nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for
change.” Your voice is one of them - please use it as you feel most appropriate.
Blessings in all your choices, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and Mahalo,
Kathy ‘Whyte Wynde’ Lowden
Feb '08 - Amazing Grace
Welcome, Welcome, Welcome!!
What a glorious life with so many choices. I’m glad you’ve chosen to pick up
Voice of Choices. This month features some great articles with awesome practical
application tools you may find helpful as you create your ‘bless’d’ life!
This Valentine’s Day my intention is to let those I love know how important they
are to me. I cherish the love, connecting to that part of my heart which creates
joy. Amazing Grace streaming from source straight to the heart. Grace that
empowers with acceptance, forgiveness and support through all experiences.
In 1993 I chose to explore life in Sedona, AZ. While family wondered at this
decision, there was nothing that could stop me from following through. Several
months working for a tour company gave me the opportunity to train for the
position of guide/driver on the Medicine Wheel and Vortex tours. Freshly attuned
to first level Reiki, I included brief energy sessions in the smudgings as we
walked the sacred land. It wasn’t long bef ore I began making prayer fans,
crystal wands and other power pieces... guided soley (souly?) by intuition and
the creativity which continued to increase as I spent time in some of nature’s
most incredible power spots. By 1996 I was a Reiki Master passing attunements to
my students.... at Sedona’s vortices.
Returning to the Pacific NW in 1997 - it would be 4 years working in mainstream
employment before my prayers were answered and I was ‘allowed to do what I feel
I came ‘here’ to do’.
The stone circle in Duvall contained rocks and crystals signifying the energies
of the four directions. The old massage table was perfect - set in the very
center of the wheel, our reiki circle was a bit unique... never mind the
neighbor who showed up with a black cat and the comment ‘it must be yours’. More
power pieces, unique transformational tools honoring and employing the energies
of the tree, mineral, animal and bird kingdoms innately and intuitively infused
with sacred intention found their way into being. My time was shared with my
daughter and beloved Shelties.
Then it was off to Maui - sounds almost like a vacation doesn’t it?
And connecting the ‘dots’ continued. Amazing Grace allowing or might I say
forcing shifts in my perception. Old attitudes, no longer of service to my
highest good needed to be reworked. And it came to pass. (no where in the Bible
does it ever say it came to stay). Two and a half years of ... growth... much of
it you read about here. Then back to Washington and a speed course in
‘relocation’ including more practice than I would have preferred has put me back
in paradise. Sedona? Maui? Ahhhh, you must remember how much I love my daughter
- and she is here, in Everett.
Paradise? An amazing 4.5 acre property just outside Marysville.
A place that equals the spiritual energy and power of Sedona, and matches Maui’s
Manna with a grounded strength which is creating a response within me I could
not have imagined. The circle outside my door will be ‘my’ wheel. A garden
ringed by stones allowing me once again to celebrate the Amazing Grace of Spirit
- through energy sessions, transformational tools, Medicine Wheel Readings and
Sacred Journeys. And then there’s the Sacred Cedar Grove.....right Here at
‘home’.
It’s been an incredible journey. Thank you to so many who have played such
important parts, I am truly blessed and grateful. In each moment I honor my
connection to Spirit - and am excited as Voice of Choices grows ever stronger
reaching more minds hungry for inspiration.
And thank you to Carolyn . Her generous contribution to Voice of Choices funded
the laptop computer which is now the business hub for VoC. The desktop computer
decided it wanted a ‘long winters’ nap’and Thanks to Carolyn - I was able to
stand strong at the time of challenge and accept the situation -
Blessings, blessings, blessings!
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
Kathy ‘Whyte Wynde’ Lowden
January 2008 - Happy New Year!
Aloha and Blessings in this Grand New Year. While each and every day offers us
opportunity to create what we desire, it is at the beginning of a New Year when
we may find our focus on improved intentions.
This month’s articles feature several excellent practical tools you may choose
to use as you venture into the conscious creation of your New Year. Each holds a
key to assist you in unlocking your full potential, moving into all you desire
to be with renewed joy.
There is a point where we may look at what we have created and wonder how or why
the details have become so much different than we desired.
As it is so eloquently described in ‘Ka Hana Pono’ a book of wisdom
anddivination cards you can find out more about at http://KaHanaPono.Tripod.com
“In the word there is life - in the word there is death. We create our own
realities. We are so powerful, every word we say, every thought we think is life
giving or death dealing. In Pono, we own our power- the power to choose.
Connie Rios, Auntie Kaikilani Oyama, Auntie Mahealani Kuamo’o-Henry and Auntie
Luana Smith share Hawaiian wisdom in this set of tools I’ve found to
unparalleled in it’s relevance to my life.
This morning, unsure what to share with you as we all begin the journey of a new
year, I asked again for guidance. The cards I’d like to share with you are
simple. Their concepts have been written about,exalted in song, made into movies
and dvds and not just in the last few years- since the ‘Great I AM’ created this
vast reality with the utterance of ‘words’.
Card #26- Ka mea nana i hana - ‘Creator’. The Creator is YOU. Yes that’s right
YOU. The card’s name means creator. The words themselves mean ‘creation of the
thing looked to’. Encoded in the Hawaiian language is the value system of the
ancients. Their understanding, their take on us as ‘uhane nui’ - creatures of
spirit greatness - is that we are powerful creators. We can create anything- and
we create (through our thoughts and emotions) whatever we ‘look to’.
The caution is contained in the words - whatever we look to, focus on, is what
we create. That doesn’t just mean ‘what we want’ or ‘what’s in our best
interest’ or for our highest good - it means whatever we look to. The thing we
look to is the thing we get.
So you will not hear of the blessings presented in what has been a personal
journey for me through the last 6 months. I have always put a positive spin on
my stories with the intention of sharing a nugget of inspiration..... and the
storytelling has created a ‘frequency’ that is not working for me.
I have discovered, that the rewards received from this story telling have not
created my desires. As a strong, independant and intelligent human being I have
been blessed with lessons requiring me to accept the gifts of being humble,
relying on the generosity of others and relinquishing the control of the ‘hows’
and ‘whys’ with new found gratitude.
I am not sure how to shift into the frequency and experience I prefer. I know
that ‘as Creator’ the tools are within me. Voice of Choices began as a
newsletter for a Reiki Circle held at my home ---- in the middle of a medicine
wheel. And as I tell that ‘story’ I now find myself living on sacred ground with
a medicine wheel in my front yard.
An underlying reason for the newsletter was to share an important truth often
unvocalized by those who label themselves ‘healers’. We are all healers. And our
personal healing is an ’inside job’. There are many who can assist us. Special
souls who can facilitate, guide, console, inspire and share in the healing
journey. And it is still only ‘me’ or ‘you’ who can choose to shift into a
frequency of health, prosperity and joy.
I do not know what the future holds. Tarot cards and divination tools offer
clarity of the ‘now’ - details we can use to create the future ..... and in each
moment a simple choice can redirect our energy into a new expression of the now
moment after this one.
I’ve heard it said that our horoscope chart, with so much more information than
just a sun sign - holds the energies which give us our greatest experiences.
Actually it was described as ‘lessons’ - and the word ‘lesson’ somehow carries a
frequency or vibration of challenge. My personal skills and talents are in
communication. I desire to assist others by acting as a ‘messenger’. I am
becoming clearer in disassociating myself with the outcome of delivering the
messages.
I want to heal the world - and yet the world must want to heal and it is
inappropriate to offer what is not asked for. You are reading this - so ‘you
asked for it’ - and have your free will to use information however you choose.
Please remember - it is your focus - your thoughts - your attachment to the
rewards within your chosen creation that moves you forward into 2008.
Rewards can be an interesting set of circumstances we might think we would not
consciously choose. Being sick may create love, attention and assistance one
might not otherwise receive from others. Accepting that someone may consciously
or unconsciously desire these rewards without having a driving ‘need’ to ‘heal’
that which we deem ‘broken/afflicted/sick’ is honoring that person’s soul path.
At the same time we can choose the level at which we want to be involved with
those whose ‘frequency’ is incompatible with our own.
I trust you will walk with intention and focus, joy and wisdom into each day of
this new year. My blessing for you is that you enjoy the rewards of your focus,
finding your way to all that you desire - in this and every moment.
Blessings in all your choices, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and Mahalo
Kathy ‘Whyte Wynde’ Lowden Blessings from the Publisher -
December '07 - The Gift of Community
Welcome to Voice of Choices - the premier publication reaching
like-minded people in the Greater Seattle, Sedona and Maui communities. Creating
Community.... what does that mean to you? Our children have their school
community. Many people have a specific church they attend - finding comraderie
with like spirited folks who share set religious beliefs. There are communities
formed with similar political opinions, young people, retired folks, and even
people who share physical, mental or emotional challenges. Who supports the
creation of community within the holistic lifestyle?
As life continues to send members of families on paths not always in-synch with
relatives - or jobs direct us to new locales far from home, where do we find
that space to share ourselves with the comfort of acceptance, friendship and
support?
For many, our unique or even ‘outside’ the box belief systems define who we are.
I know as I allow guidance to assist me in finding my new office and living
space I’m realizing just how much of me is just a few shades different than
average. Through the 6.5 years I’ve been publishing VoC it has been my intention
to assist individuals, practitioners and businesses in the creation of what I
refer to as their ‘blest’ life. Giving Voice in print and online to important
information that can be instrumental in personal empowerment, spiritual
satisfaction and individual evolution - VoC’s articles contain information which
is truly changing lives.
Each time I’m at an event or retail shop which stocks VoC I am amazed at the
response from readers. “The information in Voice of Choices saved my life” said
a woman from Bellingham. “I send a copy to my daughter each month - she’s
thrilled with the information” a lady in Kent told me. Others come up to me in
tears, with hugs and incredible stories of just how ‘perfectly’ each issue
addresses things going on in their life. “I feel like you put it together just
for me.” I’ve heard many times.
Voice of Choices is a ‘Bridge’ between mainstream choices which have not created
what we expected and a life empowered with the acceptance of ‘miracles’. A
pathway for the ‘now age’ paved with easy to understand guidance and inspiration
shared in the spirit of empowering individuals who can then create intentional
community.
This issue is dedicated to all our advertisers. They are not just ‘holding the
vision’ - they are literally giving you this resource called Voice of Choices.
It is through their advertising that you are receiving the blessings you thank
me for. As ‘mainstream’ shifts we can find chemically created ‘aromatherapy
products’ in the laundry soap aisle at Safeway. We can buy our books at Costco
or Amazon. We have choices and our choices create outcomes. The local retailer
who stocks healthy, natural products along with the crystals, tarot cards and
feng shui items you can’t find at the chain stores.... desires to serve you. It
is by your choice of purchasing products and services from them that they can be
there for you. It’s simple business- they support you by being there - and your
energy makes it possible for them to flourish and serve you best. In not so
positive terms - HELLO out there- since we want quality, informed salespeople
and community resources.... it is in our best interest to support and do
business with them.
Since birthing VoC I’ve seen many businesses choose to find more lucrative
endeavors. Resources untapped drain the pocketbooks of those offering them. AND
the grocery stores are filled with ‘junk’ masquerading with misleading labels.
As you celebrate the holidays, whatever your tradition, you can choose to
‘thank’ the advertisers who’s ad dollars have brought you Voice of Choices.
Did you know production, printing and distribution costs are thousands of
dollars a month? The best way to thank and support our advertisers? Stop in,
check them out, mention you saw their ad and buy something. Each purchase is a
vote supporting their goal to support you in your evolution and growth.
That’s what’s great about your local ‘now age’ shop. They stock the wares and
hold the space for you to make your choices. At Vision Quest in Everett there is
a lovely oak round table - with goodies to nibble on, a deck of cards and almost
always a sweet soul to talk to. Judy McAllister provides a space for classes,
events and readings - in addition to a well stocked store filled with tools for
your transformation and empowerment.
Heather and Anthony Beck went all out when they purchased the Arlington
Methodist Episcopal church built in 1898. Permits, remodelling and a lot of
focused intention have created ‘Mirkwood’ and the Shire Cafe’where you can enjoy
a quality vegetarian meal, play a game of pool, shop for great gifts and hear
live music in the evenings. Karaoke and open-mike nights will start at the first
of the year and all ages are welcome. Rivendell Hair Salon, Elements Massage,
The Joy Counselor, and Stilly Dance and Drum also call Mirkwood home. Variety
and the opportunity to create an incredible day for yourself..... in one
location.
Moonflower Magicks in Everett has a great variety of herbs, incense, crystals,
minerals and magickal jewelry. The downstairs used to be a restaurant and there
is plenty of space to accommodate Jana and David’s plans to create a community
center for events, fairs and even live music. It takes a special personality to
hold the vision as, progress is made towards a goal.
Moonflower’s previous location suffered a devastating fire. Arson could never be
proved, and with a sense of humor of a true wise one - Jana told people ‘we
smudged Everett’. Rising literally from the flames, Moonflower Magicks spirit
continues to soar - gaining momentum as more and more people find them in their
not so new location at 1618 Hewitt in Everett.
And Voice of Choices? Creating and supporting community - with a publication so
packed with ‘good stuff’ I have to apologize for the lack of eye appeal this
month. Pictures take up space and that commodity will continue to become
available with continued and increased community support. There is so much more
VoC can share with you - and so much you can share with others through it.
Article submission guidelines and advertising rates are online at
voiceofchoices.org.
As important as personal empowerment and self-development are, it is through
community that we weave the web which is creating the change we desire to see in
the world .
Merry Christmas, Happy Yule, Thank you for all your good work, Blessings in all
your choices, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and Mahalo
Kathy ‘Whyte Wynde’ Lowden
Blessings From the Publisher -
Nov '07 Sing the Song of Your Heart
Aloha and Blessings. Welcome to Voice of Choices’ November
‘Thanksgiving’ issue. November - Thanksgiving, as if we should limit our
attitude of gratitude to one month a year. I’m sure you’ve had many experiences
of your own as you experiment with the power of gratitude. The energy which we
infuse into every moment of our life when we ‘Sing’ our unique song is reflected
in everything around us. Finding the gratitude when we see a reflection which
challenges our balance assists in reminding us the importance of practicing what
we believe. Gratitude for those situations which push us past our comfort zones
and require our total attention can be dificult to find... at least in the
moment of challenge.
While attending a local Expo I was gifted with an opportunity to experience just
how much energy and strength is gained when we simply look at something. During
a muscle testing demonstration it was easy for the tester to move my arm....
until I looked at it. I watched as he could not budge it -even with much more
effort than was necessary when I’d been looking off into the distance. Kinda
gave me a new perspective on how important it is to find a way to focus on the
important ‘stuff’.
This is the time of year when many of us will gather with our friends, families,
co-workers or communities to share in celebrations of gratitude. We may have the
opportunity to spend time with people we rarely see throughout the rest of the
year. In fact we may have the opportunity to see people we might not ‘choose’ to
spend time with thanks to unresolved issues in our past.
It’s easy to say ‘let go and let God’, and even simpler to sit at my computer
and suggest ‘It all works out perfectly’ and yet that dinner with great old
sister/aunt/uncle so and so could still present a bit of an ‘acceptance’
challenge.
So how do we accept that which is beyond our comfort zone? Is there a ‘switch’
we can turn off (or on) to assist in controlling the audio? How about the one
controlling our audio? Is there a magic secret to a sweet smile that emanates
from the heart, with warmth and real caring? Is there a way to see possible
challenge coming and sidetrack our focus, stepping up to what may feel like a
kindness challenge. Maybe it’s just me. Could be only my family that had some
unresolved issues - and yet there is a possibility you know someone who seems to
rub you the wrong way.
We’ve learned about boundaries, discussed focus and understanding; gratitude
without attitude.... all of the basics are so very easy....until I’m standing in
front of that ‘soul mate’ who’s agreed to assist me in my personal evolution.
Yes soul mate. I believe it is Wayne Dyer who says a soul mate is someone you
might want to ‘flush’. The sweet soul who can’t help but push your buttons...
‘cause that’s what they signed up to do.
And darn but a good soul mate is hard to find - and how perfect when they go to
great lengths to make sure they fulfill their agreements. It’s even possible
that the discomfort you feel is matched by their own. Yet the ‘drama’ of life
plays out. The lessons are presented and the ‘tests’ completed for optimum
effect and personal evolution.
Guy FInley gives us more tips on moving ‘up’ on the interaction scale. Scott
Kalechstein discusses the ‘Terror List’ we might do best in putting through a
mental shredder. A special thank you to Charlotte Branca ‘Mother Nature’s
Cupboard’. Her choice of ‘Goldenseal’ for this month and the description of it’s
properties seem to make it a perfect herb for empowering ourselves as we step
closer to the darker days of winter.
Charlotte has had an article in every issue of Voice of Choices since March of
2001. Her insight and the variety of information she infused into each is truly
a gift which has been well received by our readers. She’s choosing to shift
gears and this will be her last column. Thank You Charlotte - and Blessings in
all your choices.
So back to Singing the Song of Your Heart. The holiday attitude of gratitude and
finding a way to at least make it through the season and wake up in January with
our sanity intact.
Relax - you can do it. Take your focus off the challenge and just stare off into
space...... no one will be able to jerk your chain/pull your arm (or leg) unless
you choose to engage.
Do your best to disarm your own fears, open your heart and heck maybe even
imagine this could be the last time you see ‘great old aunt/uncle/brother so and
so’ (there’s no guarantee it won’t) and give it all you got to have a good time
. Stay ‘in the moment’ accepting situations as they unfold without the drippy
watercolors of imagination seeping in from the past or spreading without control
and attempting to paint anything less than positive in the future.
A good friend of mine told me how he gets up and walks out of a room when he’s
uncomfortable with the energy. If you really need a break... take one. There’s
usually a way you can ‘step out’ - and help out. There’s always something you
can find to do/help with (more butter anyone, I’ll get it) and moving out of a
challenging energy field to balance yourself can assist you in returning with a
smile.
Remember to make sure you honor yourself with enough personal time to pamper
your spirit. A warm bath, a nap for no reason, trip to the spa or hey - Josh is
at Candle Boutique in Tacoma and a great massage could be the perfect gift to
give - to YOU.
You are the perfection of an incredible master creator. One of a kind, with
gifts and talents unparalleled in any other human being.
Sing the Song of YOUR Heart. Remember that throughout everything that could ever
appear otherwise..... you ARE Love.
Blessings in all your choices and Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
Kathy ‘Whyte Wynde’ Lowden
October '07 Can You Feel It?
Welcome to Voice of Choices! October, autumn, cooler weather for
those of us living ‘seasonal’ lives and a 4 degree anticipated water temp drop
over the winter on Maui.
Wow - there is color everywhere. I’d forgotten how much I enjoy the changing
season and the beauty nature creates as she prepares for her break from
productivity. Resting, going within, discarding the old to make room for the
new- all are necessary parts of the life process.
Can YOU feel it? An almost palpable shift in attachment to the familiar, a
somehow smoother flow from thought into reality? Can YOU feel it? I get a couple
of astro reports sent to my email daily and it’s been interesting to see the
correllations between planets ‘going direct’ or changing signs and the shift in
energy on those days. Life is feeling ‘easier’ than the last few months - and
yet the challenges have not necessarily changed.
The last few days have given me so much to write about I’m not sure what part
will best serve you. I can tell you about cleaning out the freezer. A huge
cavern of cold containing many years worth of ‘stockpiling’. Not my freezer but
part of what I agreed to help my friend with. I was brought up by a mother who
canned and froze everything from fruit to meat so I understand the concept.
Sometimes I think maybe we get so busy making sure there’s enough for the future
that we forget how much we already have in the now.
As I made it down to the last foot or so of homemade applesauce, pie crust and
bags of berries I wished I had started the job earlier in the day. With no light
in that part of the building and dusk setting in I was having trouble seeing. In
just a matter of seconds
and as if powered totally by my thought - a light came on. In the 5 times I’d
opened that freezer in the past, and the 45 minutes I’d already spent hauling
items out, there had been no light. Yet as I ‘wished’ for timing more
appropriate for visibility a light appeared. As I continued to remove more items
from the depths my mind wandered to an opinion of the ‘waste’ involved. Why
would someone go to all this trouble and then not use the food? Bordering on
judgment, with my attitude turning as sour as the freezer-burned food..... the
light went out. Hmmm. I continued until I finished, contemplating the lessons
waiting for us in even the most menial of tasks.
And then there’s Bootsy. The 18 yr old cat owned by the woman who had filled the
freezer. A nasty rag of a thing - barely skin and bones but with enough spunk to
spit and hiss at me when I tried to approach her. She lives on the sunporch
attached to where I am living. I guess I should say she eats and does her
business in the cat box there. When I first got to Sequim I tried to make
friends with her. After all if I was responsible to feed and clean up behind her
the least she could do was be civil. Not.
Since the weather had warmed for the summer and Bootsy had been stuck inside for
the winter the decision was made to open the door to ‘the great outside’. Bootsy
took advantage and spent her time roaming outdoors, stopping in occasionally for
food and water. A few weeks ago she began disappearing for days at a time. Other
neighborhood cats discovered the feeding station and I never knew if she
actually got any food or not.
And then the weather began to change. Cooler evenings, a bit of rain and the
amount of time she was gone began to worry me. Choosing not to remember that all
she did was hiss at me when she was around, I was concerned for her health and
safety. I happily called my friend when I’d successfully ‘trapped’ her inside
where I could at least make sure the food and water were available for her.
She was skinny; not much more than skin and bones and matted fur. (and
attitude). I wondered if she’d make it through the winter.
The only person she had ever bonded with her ‘left’ almost a year ago and it
appeared she was not the slightest bit interested in a new ‘buddy’. Wanting to
find a way to help her, without getting hissed at or bitten, I opened the
sliding window between the living room and the sunporch. Several times a day I
went to the window and talked to her. 5 or 10 minutes of Reiki seemed like a
good idea and soon she was sitting on the other side of the window meowing for
more. Slowly I tried petting her. Maybe she could feel I wanted to help her,
maybe she was just tired of hissing and biting, I don’t know and it’s really not
important What I do know is the nasty ‘rag of a cat’ who turned her nose up at
my offer of friendship must have had a change of heart. The feline I felt was
ready to ‘check out’ and join her beloved master rather than explore the
possibility of a new bond changed.
Now as I tell you this please keep in mind this was truly a mean cat. She
hissed, bit and wanted nothing to do with anyone. (hmmmm, no I better not make
any comparisons to times in my own life). It’s 3:43 am and I’m still finishing
up what you are reading. The space heater is on behind me, the window to the
sunporch is closed and Bootsy is sitting on my lap begging to be petted. My
friend doesn’t believe it. She thinks I’m making it up. In 18 years the cat had
one friend. Period. Everyone else was treated as an enemy.
What happened? Who cares? Something has shifted... can you feel it? I keep
seeing the almost instantaneous creation of my thoughts. What should have taken
a week, a month or even more - the taming and befriending of an old spitfire of
a cat -took less than 2 days.
A seemingly non-existent freezer light magically turned on and then off -
totally in-synch with what I was thinking. Ahh yes, and then there’s the radio.
I love Rock n’ Roll and rarely go a day without listening. Yet after 5 days
without music I turned it on the other night and the song I associate with the
person I love most was playing. Thinking of my own ‘brown eyed girl’ while I
climbed into bed was almost as good as the years of tucking her in at night.
Something has shifted- can you feel it? As we truly let go of our preconceptions
about reality, fear, judgment and discover the ability to ‘live in the moment’
creating the life we desire...... what can stand in the way?
Blessings in all your choices and Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
Kathy ‘Whyte Wynde’ Lowden
September Blessings - What Do You See?
Aloha from Sunny Sequim Washington! WOW can time fly by when we are open to
following the direction of ‘Spirit’! It seems like such a short time ago that I
was packing boxes on Maui in preparation for Mukilteo. Now as one thing leads to
another, I’m settling into the wonderfully calming energy of the Olympic
Peninsula. Though not many people know about it, there is an energy vortex
bordered by Mt. Ranier, Mt Baker and Vancouver Island. Seems that when life
throws me more than I have room for on my plate I end up back in Sequim for a
well-deserved shift into slower gear.
Even as I type this there is an underlying understanding that ‘life’ has given
me nothing. Nothing more than I can handle. Nothing less than I deserve. No
thing that I cannot choose to perceive in a new light, with new perspective,
from a higher vantage point, with love, with fear or with trust. Everything is
interpreted and acted or not acted upon by how I see it - what I’ve been ‘given’
does not change as I change my perception AND my experience of life certainly
does.
In 1985 I moved here to Sequim. I met my future husband Daniel and after 6
months moved ‘back to the mainland’, gave birth to my daughter and began the
adventure of family life. In 1995, when I ‘saw’ Sedona as stifling (105 degrees
in the summer and you have to know that’s hot!) it was Sequim which again
offered respite.
From my vantage point in Kihei I ‘saw’ Mukilteo as a perfect location for my
home and office. The pictures of what was to be my new living space looked
awesome. A beautiful yard, great amount of space and close proximity to many of
you I still want to reconnect with. AND when I moved in I discovered the
pictures offered a one dimensional image that could not support the multiple
purposes necessary.
I should have known better. With the swift response I get from the Universe as I
tell and re-tell stories it should have been a real no-brainer NOT to joke about
an old email that used to circulate the internet. The one about the man who died
in a flood after the truck, boat and helicopter were sent to rescue him..... and
complained in heaven that ‘God was supposed to save him’. It took a few days,
and sharing the story with probably 7 or 8 people before my landlord’s
forgetfullness flooded my apartment. I didn’t see a helicopter and chose to make
use of a UHaul trailer, my brother’s truck, a Washington ferry boat and some
awesome help from Beth, Susan, Linda, and Helen.
This month’s cover headline ‘was’ A Change Could Do You Good. That was last
night, before the usual sleep/meditation when I ‘ask’ for clarity. Every month I
ask for insight into what is most important to share with you. I come up with a
headline and then turn it over to Spirit for ‘Nam Myoho Renge Kyo’. The shift to
‘What Do You See’ took place with a double clarification and voila I guess a
change was in order. It feels like the two go together. If ‘A Change Could Do
You Good’ then it just might be important to understand that change may be in
perception - ‘What Do You See?’
This month’s articles share insights that can assist us in taking another step
in the changes we want to be in our world. Linda-Ann Stewart reminds us that our
subconscious mind has a big part to play as we choose to feel safe in making the
changes we desire. Catherine Earle’s artwork changes as we view it - offering
visual proof that the observer affects the vision. White Buffalo Morning Star
Woman’s ‘COURAGE’ to move into our heart helps us realize shifting our
perception and refusing to accept labels opens us to more comfort as we walk our
path. Happy Oasis offers suggestions on how our language creates our experience.
I absolutely love her ideas for ‘reframing’ our thoughts with ecstatic
etymology; filling our conversations with words of wonder to express the
delightful possibilities of joy. JZ Knight gives us more to think about - and
reminds us we all have ‘The Power’ within ourselves to be whatever we decide is
appropriate at this time in our individual evolution.
Personally, I am seeing that relaxing comfortably into myself is important for
me at this time. AND the world is calling to many of us asking for our
assistance in areas that affect our future on this planet. This month’s email
has included more requests for public action than ever before.
‘They’ are cutting down many majestic Sycamore trees in Oak Creek Canyon. The
Navy is holding hearings on Maui about SONAR influences on marine life - a
temporary injunction to underwater blasts in California giving some amount of
hope to those working to protect our planet’s sea creatures. Maui government is
playing ‘God’ with the bed and breakfast industry. Will it open the door to big
business resorts as a more appropriate alternative for serving the multitude of
tourists and kick the estimated 800 families who’s livelihood revolves around a
service allowed in the ‘free world’ to the curb?
Whether you are making adjustments in your own life or wanting to take part in
planetary evolution - the power is in you. Both levels of transformation are
important - the ripple effect continues as a universal truth.
Many of us are shifting from old dreams that have been completed; finding
direction and moving into the new vision we see for ourselves and our world.
What Do You See? A Change Could Do You Good. It’s in your hands. You make the
call, you write your script. You choose.
Maybe it’s time to ‘Step Into The Mystery’ long enough to come up with a new
vision for your life. As you find yourself choosing to continue your personal
evolution please keep in mind that each of our advertisers has a gift they can
share with you. It is their passion to offer their services, wisdom and products
to serve you. Their experience and expertise can be a great resource. Voice of
Choices is not just ‘supported’ by our advertisers. It is advertising revenue
that pays for this and every page in each issue. Thank you for letting them know
you found their information here.
Blessings in all your choices and Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
Kathy ‘Whyte Wynde’ Lowden
August Blessings - Celebrate Your Radiance!
Welcome - Aloha and blessings to you. I’m grateful to be able to share the words
and thoughts of such amazing people in this month’s magazine. Each of us is
endowed with gifts and talents unmatched by anyone else on the planet. Finding
our way to the best expression of those traits seems to be the stuff each day is
made of. Celebrating your radiance by expressing the best of who you are infuses
the world with the beauty of one of Spirit’s ‘Greatest Miracles’.
I want to share some ‘classic’ wisdom from one of my favorite authors. Og
Mandino was one of the most widely read, success oriented writers and speakers
ever to grace our world. His messages were always easily discovered within
modern parables that quickly became best sellers because of their incredible
ability to rebuild the readers’ self esteem and convince us that we are each a
great miracle. The underlying concepts were always spiritual - and reference to
Spirit will be using the word ‘God’ as I share some of the writing that has
inspired millions.
As usual, you may have to do a bit of reading before we get to some of Og’s
words. Don’t think I’d let my new buddy Goldwing Mike down with anything but the
inside scoop, straight from the hip of a publisher’s life. I share my life with
you in a kind of trust that there is a commonality between our lives and hope
that there is insight of value.
We are constantly reminded of our inter-connectedness and few people actually
open themselves to others without concern for opinion and judgment. I tell it
‘like it is’ because I believe we can only change what we can acknowledge. Maybe
sharing ‘my story’ in all it’s earthly, illusionary detail can assist you in
finding your own ‘aha - I got it moment’.
I love being open to the synchronicity of Spirit. The phone rang last week,
thank you Gloria for returning the call I forgot making. Just what I needed, the
information on ‘The Law of Gender’ brought new light and perspective. The law of
gender (I’ll try not to butcher it too much with my interpretation of something
I’ve not yet studied) discusses the time it takes for seeds planted to germinate
and flower into their most brilliant radiance. Heaven forbid I use the ‘P’ word.
Patience has been one of my greatest lessons... for a very long time.
The law of gender - and the fact that in this infinite universe time is indeed
relative - so how can we possibly know when our personal ‘full bloom’ will take
place? It can be as innocuous as a chance encounter that deposits the seeds of
success in the fertile soil of life. A bit of rain,
a touch of the ‘all good’ fertilizer and whatever measure of time best serves
full flower..... and voila - there is no other blossom as magnificent as the
vibrant bloom of Spirit’s most miraculous creation - You.
Og Mandino - ‘The Greatest Miracle in the World’ Lifetime Books, Inc. Find the
book. Read it. Re-read it. If you’ve ever questioned your purpose in life,
wondered at the challenges which seem to keep you from your glory.... hmm it was
Gloria who delivered the message about time. The following are direct quotes
from Mr. Mandino’s God Memorandum - I trust the words will touch you as they
have touched millions of others.
To You -From God
Take counsel. I hear your cry. It passes through the darkness, filters through
the clouds, mingles with starlight and finds its way to my heart on the path of
a sunbeam. Know that I hear you, also. Be at peace. Be calm. I bring thee relief
for your sorrow for I know its cause and its cure.
Once you placed your head in a pillow of grass in your father’s field and looked
up at a cathedral of clouds and knew that all the gold of Babylon would be yours
in time.... .
You have no memory of that moment when first you emerged from your mother’s womb
and I placed my hand on your soft brow. And the secret I whispered in your small
ear when I bestowed my blessings upon you? Remember our secret?
This is your birthday. This is your new date of birth. Your first life, like
unto a play of the theater, was only a rehearsal. This time the curtain is up.
This time the world watches and waits to applaud. This time you will not
fail..... Like a butterfly from its chrysalis you will fly.... as high as you
wish .... and nothing shall obstruct your mission or your search for the true
riches of life.... Let me share with you, again, the secret you heard at your
birth and forgot.
You are my greatest miracle. You are the greatest miracle in the world. You did
not believe me then so I have set my hand again. This is the second time.... You
are my finest creation. Within you is enough atomic energy to destroy any of the
world’s great cities... and rebuild it.... Know then the first secret to
happiness and success - that you possess, even now, every blessing necessary to
achieve great glory. They are your treasure, your tools with which to build,
starting today, the foundation for a new and better life.
Count your blessings. Be grateful for your lessons learned in poverty. For he is
not poor who has little: only he that desires much.... and true security lies
not in the things one has but in the things one can do without. Count your
blessings!
Consider a painting by Rembrandt or violin by Stradivarius or a play by
Shakespeare. They have great value for two reasons: their creators were masters
and they are few in number. Yet there are more than one of each of these. On
that reasoning, you are the most valuable treasure on the face of the earth.
Never in all the billions of humans who have walked this planet since the
beginning of time has there been anyone exactly like you. Never, until the end
of time, will there be another such as you.
You are the rarest thing in the world. You! One of a kind. Rarest of the rare. A
priceless treasure, possessed of qualities in mind, speech, movement, appearance
and actions as no other who has ever lived, lives or shall live. Bring forth
your rarity. Show the world.
Count your blessings! Proclaim your rarity! Be patient with your progress. And
fear not as you enter your new life. Feel my hand. Hear my words. You need
me.... and I need you. We have a world to rebuild .... and if it requireth a
miracle what is that to us? We are both miracles and now we have each other.
Celebrate Your Radiance - Bloom with all the glorious uniqueness and bless the
world with your presence.
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and Blessings in all your choices
Kathy ‘Whyte Wynde’ Lowden
July Blessings
Welcome to JULY! There’s nothing like moving a business and one’s personal life
2500 miles across an ocean to fill the days with necessary stuff to do. It is so
great to be back in Washington and there is so much to share with you! This
month has been just a little hectic - I’m discovering just how capable we can be
in accomplishing more than they ever thought possible.
Life is filled with opportunities for growth. Sometimes that growth can require
just a tad bit more effort than we are accustomed to.
This month’s issue had to be pretty basic. And by the way, you can say thank you
- and I’ll say you’re welcome. I AM blessed that everything came together for a
16 page July issue.
Can’t say it enough - from my perfectly ‘never hot again’ manifesting of a
sweetly ‘quirky’ daylight 1st floor (technically not basement) apartment that is
so wonderfully shaded the sun will NEVER shine inside - to wearing SOCKS..... iz
all gooood. I feel kind of like a salmon. Hmmm, better scratch that - forgot the
full details of salmon ‘coming home’.... yes you can laugh now.
Seems we’re all making some important choices right now. Remembering we ARE
Spirit - and we ARE FREE to make the best choice in the moment. Be gentle with
yourself as you become more than you could have ever dreamed! The
transformations are on all levels and are indeed life changing. Lori Aletha
talks a bit about it following this article.
Everyone I talk to is experiencing new opportunities for creating peace and calm
in the ‘now’ moment. You are not alone. We are being asked to live our beliefs.
Stand up for what we want and at the same time allow the ‘hand’ of Spirit to
guide us through to the best possible ‘next’ moment. Take time for yourself.
Honor your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs and keep your faith,
whatever that means to you. We are the lightworkers, the way showers, teachers
and students paving the way both in the concrete reality and on a vibrational
level.
On a very important business note - Voice of Choices is here to assist you in
networking your products and services. The copy you are reading is ‘free’ and it
is advertising revenue that paid to produce it and get it to you. If your
business is receiving copies and you’re not advertising...... I’d love to talk
to you about new options and special ad rates for starting with the August
issue. Our readers want to know who and where you are so they can do business
with you! Readers who don’t have a product to advertise.... show your support by
choosing to do business with our advertisers.
It’s important to say thank you to all who have helped in the move. Russ Reina
and Smokie - Maui distribution. Marti Miller, Randy Archer, Vince L’Hirondelle,
and Nessa Shiley who’s help distributing here in the Seattle area is much
appreciated. Beth Carson - my cheering squad, coach and Clallam County
distributor. Snohomish Publishing - for their understanding and support through
the changes. Pat M. for helping haul furniture. Lori Aletha for grounded pep
talks. The US Postal Service and the turtles commissioned to deliver VoC’s
‘office’ and supplies.
As I pay the bills I’m reminded of Verle Minto’s advice - “Say thank you as you
write the check.” The service provided has value and blessing the provider with
appreciation gives us an attitude of gratitude perspective.
Blessings in all your choices and Nam Myoho Renge Kyo,
Kathy ‘Whyte Wynde’ LowdenAloha and Welcome! I’m so glad that at this point in
your journey you’ve chosen to pick up Voice of Choices.
JUNE Blessings - The Ultimate Secret
Aloha and Welcome! I'm so glad that at this point in your journey you've chosen
to pick up Voice of Choices.
There are so many options as we decide how best to spend our time. How do we
create our best life? How do we choose what path will bring us closest to our
goals? How do we know when to say ‘yes’ and when to shift direction and find
faith in a process so powerful that we cannot find failure unless we claim it?
I picked up my favorite book - “The Key to Power and Personal Peace”, renamed
‘Three Magic Words” in more recent editions, as I began this letter to you. U.S.
Andersen’s book predates the now very popular movie ‘The Secret’ and has been an
encyclopedia of inspiration for me since first discovering it 14 years ago.
Throughout the book references to Spirit are made with the words ‘Universal
Mind’, a concept which allows those of varied belief systems to accept the ideas
comfortably.
As usual, the book literally fell open to the text which will best serve me as I
put thoughts together for you this month. I have big news to share. Parts of me
are crying out in confusion while I find balance within circumstances which have
seemed so out of control. I watched The Secret. I know the way to create what
‘I’ want.
I know how to focus for most effective manifesting - and I know the gifts I’ve
received since moving to Maui can be best described with the words ‘unbelievable
blessings’. You’ve read about some and others are so incredible they are
dificult to believe myself.
Did you know the Voice of Choices computer ‘died’ 4 days before deadline last
September? There was no budget for replacing it and only those of you who know
me or have followed this column can even begin to comprehend my complete and
total lapse into fear when there did not seem to be any way to finish and put
out the issue schedulled to begin printing 96 hours later. I literally could see
no options. I had barely enough faith to even look for alternatives. And then,
beyond anything I could have imagined, somehow the miracle happened. If I have
ever believed in angels it was then, when I was literally forced to take home a
computer which had never even been set up. Purchased months, before it was
‘taking up space’ in a closet- still in the box. In tears I told it’s owner I
had no idea how I could pay for such an expensive computer. My budget barely
covered the essentials, I often found myself at the food bank .. to make sure I
could pay my rent and the bills for VoC. Thank You Steve. You assured me the
computer ‘needed to be used’ and even when I made it clear I had no idea how I
could repay you, you insisted I put it to work without worrying about the cost.
Maui has been an incredible experience. I came here gung ho to share the
opportunity a monthly magazine could provide - and found myself feeling like a
missionary. Many people come here for healing... whether they realize it or not.
How do we heal those parts of us which we may not even know exist? By attracting
people who will ‘bring up our issues’. Well I was really good at that. No
details are necessary - you can use your imagination should you choose to.
Suffice it to say that my exuberance did not interface well with the laid back
island lifestyle.
And now I must go back to ‘Three Magic Words’ The page I opened to talks about
Trusting the All-Knowing Mind. “Each of us embarks on life’s projects like a man
who stands in front of a forest and desires to go through to a lake on the other
side.” Before he starts he has no idea what obstacles may appear on his path.
If, with each diversion of a swamp, rotten tree or other challenge, he proclaims
his mission as failed - the subconscious mind will march him back to his
destination where he can choose to start again. If he believes he should have
gotten what he wanted in the way he thought it should manifest he may give up.
If he understands that there is a power greater than him which ‘knows’ where the
pitfalls are and can allow the detours and sidetracks which he did not plan for,
he can still reach his destination.
I have spent months finding fault with my ‘plan’. I have questioned my sanity -
even as magykal miracles provided for the most basic needs to be met ... for
myself and Voice of Choices. I spent countless days literally sweating at 10 in
the morning because the climate here does not agree with me. Yet the dream I
planted of moving to Hawaii refused to accept the reality of how my body reacts
to living here. I was stuck. I wanted my dream. I wanted to make it work - even
as the details of daily life continued to make me more uncomfortable, drain my
budget, test my peace of mind and wreak havoc in the life of my long haired,
double coated shetland sheepdog.
I wanted to work on the water. Like a good manifestor I was given a job on a
boat that takes tourists snorkeling. That lasted 4 days.
I could tell you how funny I must have looked attempting to hop/run accross the
deck barefoot without burning the skin off my feet. I could share a belly laugh
with you at the thought of me learning to ‘free-dive’ with a heavy line (rope)
that I would be expected to connect to a mooring 30’ underwater. Or I could let
you use your imagination to visualize the fun one has when guests are not
accustomed to being on the water. Hmm - I wanted ‘this’? The description in the
‘Keys to Personal Power and Peace’ refers to rattlesnakes and quicksand -
challenges we find when we think we can rely on our own dictates to create our
desires.
Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of good information out there. Learning to
use ‘The Secret’ to get what you want can open you to experiences and blessings
you’d never dared to dream. AND sometimes we may find the details of those
experiences, the reality that comes with living the desire.... is not at all
what we thought would make us happy. That would be where what I call the
‘Ultimate Secret’ comes in. Simple, easy, you’ve heard it before..... Let Go and
Let God. Or as my favorite astrologer Steve Pack says.... EWOP - everything is
working out perfectly.
About a month ago I realized my trip to Maui has indeed been a success! When I
could accept the gift of sharing VoC with 5,000 more readers a month it became
obvious. I have lived many dreams while here. I’ve been blessed with experiences
I could have never imagined. For that and all of the wonderfully supportive
people I’ve met here my gratitude can best be described with ‘much mahalos’
As of May 30th the Voice of Choices office will be in Mukilteo Washington. I
will be able to see Puget Sound everyday. I discovered there’s way lots of salt
(among other things) in the water here in Maui - so getting ‘in it’ is no longer
a necessity. There are plans in the works for some next steps in Voice of
Choices’ growth. Go ahead and giggle with me - I know it will all be what it is
supposed to be AND I still have this thing about planning. Maybe I am learning
to better accept that Universal Mind has a plan I’m not privvy to.
Russ Reina will be handling the Maui distribution. So tell him thank you when
you see him. VoC has a new TOLL FREE phone number for callers from Maui AND
anywhere else in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. 1-877-236-4080 will reach the
‘office phone’ wherever it is located.
‘Hina’ graces our cover. She escaped her unfulfilled life by climbing a rainbow
to the moon. We can only guess why she chose to return. Maybe she learned to Let
Go and Let God because ‘Everything is working out perfectly’.
Blessings in all your choices and
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, Kathy ' Whyte Wynde' Lowden
l
