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  <channel>
    <title>Gaia: United In Spirit</title>
    <id>tag:gaia.com,2008,:Gaia</id>
    <link>http://groups.gaia.com/global_spiritual_network/discussions/feeds/pod/37082</link>
    <language>en-us</language>
    <ttl>10</ttl>
    <pubDate>Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:30:53 GMT</pubDate>
    <description>Gaia: United In Spirit</description>
    <item>
      <title>Re: ~Twelve Signs of Your Awakening Divinity ~</title>
      <author>http://angelswings.gaia.com</author>
      <dc:creator>Jodie</dc:creator>
      <guid>tag:gaia.com,2008:Gaia-301476</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:30:53 GMT</pubDate>
      <link>http://groups.gaia.com/global_spiritual_network/conversations/view/301057#301476</link>
      <description>


&lt;p&gt;      Thanks for your great reply! Yes I already read Karen Bishop&amp;#39;s work...thanks for that reminder! &lt;/p&gt;

      </description>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: ~Twelve Signs of Your Awakening Divinity ~</title>
      <author>#</author>
      <dc:creator>abundantlife</dc:creator>
      <guid>tag:gaia.com,2008:Gaia-301323</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 16 Jun 2008 03:12:38 GMT</pubDate>
      <link>http://groups.gaia.com/global_spiritual_network/conversations/view/301057#301323</link>
      <description>


&lt;p&gt;      These Ascension experiences are true. All have been happening to me and many.&lt;br /&gt;Thanks for the reminders here as it is comforting to read them even though I have known this for a long time. &lt;br /&gt;Try checking out &lt;a href="http://www.whatsuponplanetearth.com/"&gt;www.whatsuponplanetearth.com&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; energy alerts. Karen Bishops is amazing! She reports what I am feeling just after I begin to feel these shifts and I feel comforted reading her alerts.&lt;br /&gt;This birthing process has been joyful and painful.&amp;nbsp; Just breath!&lt;br /&gt;Love and Light&lt;br /&gt;LeAnn&lt;br /&gt;www.LoveConscious.com &lt;/p&gt;

      </description>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>~Twelve Signs of Your Awakening Divinity ~</title>
      <author>http://angelswings.gaia.com</author>
      <dc:creator>Jodie</dc:creator>
      <guid>tag:gaia.com,2008:Gaia-301057</guid>
      <pubDate>Sun, 15 Jun 2008 18:30:08 GMT</pubDate>
      <link>http://groups.gaia.com/global_spiritual_network/conversations/view/301057</link>
      <description>


&lt;p&gt;                               ~Twelve Signs of Your Awakening Divinity ~&lt;br /&gt; By Geoffrey Hoppe&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 1. Body aches and pains, especially in the neck, shoulder and back. This is the result of intense changes at your DNA level as the *Seed awakens within. This too shall pass.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 2. Feelings of deep inner sadness for no apparent reason. You are releasing your past (this lifetime and others) and this causes the feeling of sadness. This is similar to the experience of moving from a house where you lived in for many, many years into a new house. As much as you want to move into the new house, there is a sadness of leaving behind the memories, energy and experiences of the old house. This too shall pass.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 3. Crying for no apparent reason. Similar to #2 above. It&amp;rsquo;s good and healthy to let the tears flow. It helps to release the old energy within. This too shall pass.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 4. Sudden change in job or career. A very common symptom. As you change, things around you will change as well. Don&amp;rsquo;t worry about finding the &amp;quot;perfect&amp;quot; job or career right now. This too shall pass. You&amp;rsquo;re in transition, and you may make several job changes before you settle into one that fits your passion.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 5. Withdrawal from family relationships. You are connected to your biological family via old karma. When you get off the karmic cycle, the bonds of the old relationships are released. It will appear as though you are drifting away from your family and friends. This too shall pass. After a period of time, you may develop a new relationship with them if it is appropriate. However, the relationship will be based in the new energy without the karmic attachments.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 6. Unusual sleep patterns. It&amp;rsquo;s likely that you&amp;rsquo;ll awaken many nights between 2:00?4:00 a.m. There&amp;rsquo;s a lot of work going on within you, and it often causes you to wake up for a &amp;quot;breather.&amp;quot; Not to worry. If you can&amp;rsquo;t go back to sleep, get up and do something rather than lay in bed and worry about humanly things. This too shall pass.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 7. Intense dreams. These might include war and battle dreams, chase dreams or monster dreams. You are literally releasing the old energy within, and these energies of the past are often symbolized as wars, running to escape and boogeyman. This too shall pass.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 8. Physical disorientation. At times you&amp;rsquo;ll feel very ungrounded. You&amp;rsquo;ll be &amp;quot;spatially challenged&amp;quot; with the feeling like you can&amp;rsquo;t put two feet on the ground or that you&amp;rsquo;re walking between two worlds. As your consciousness transitions into the new energy, you body sometimes lags behind. Spend more time in nature to help ground the new energy within. This too shall pass.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 9. Increased &amp;quot;self talk.&amp;quot; You&amp;rsquo;ll find yourself talking to your Self more often. You&amp;rsquo;ll suddenly realize you&amp;rsquo;ve been chattering away with yourself for the past 30 minutes. There is a new level of communication taking place within your being, and you&amp;rsquo;re experiencing the tip of the iceberg with the self talk. The conversations will increase, and they will become more fluid, more coherent and more insightful. You&amp;rsquo;re not going crazy, you&amp;rsquo;re just moving into the new *Energy.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 10. Feelings of loneliness, even when in the company of others. You may feel alone and removed from others. You may feel the desire to &amp;quot;flee&amp;quot; groups and crowds. You are walking a sacred and sometimes lonely path. . This too shall pass. The void within will soon be filled with the love and energy of your own Divinity.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 11. Loss of passion. You may feel totally disimpassioned, with little or no desire to do anything. That&amp;rsquo;s okay, and it&amp;rsquo;s just part of the process. Take this time to &amp;quot;do no-thing.&amp;quot; Don&amp;rsquo;t fight yourself on this, because this too shall pass. It&amp;rsquo;s similar to rebooting a computer. You need to shut down for a brief period of time in order to load the sophisticated new software, or in this case, the new *Divine-seed energy.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 12. A deep longing to go Home. This is perhaps the most difficult and challenging of any of the conditions. You may experience a deep and overwhelming desire to leave the planet and return to Home. This is not a &amp;quot;suicidal&amp;quot; feeling. It is not based in anger or frustration. You don&amp;rsquo;t want to make a big deal of it or cause drama for yourself or others. There is a quiet part of you that wants to go Home. The root cause for this is quite simple. You have nearly completed your karmic cycles. You are ready to begin a new lifetime while still in this physical body. During this transition process, you have inner remembrances of what it is like to be on the other side. Are you ready to enlist for another tour of duty here on Earth? Are you ready to take on the challenges of moving into the New Energy? Yes, indeed, you could go Home right now. But you&amp;rsquo;ve come this far, and after many, many lifetimes it would be a shame to leave before the end of the movie. Besides, Spirit needs you here to help others transition into the new energy. They will need a human guide, just like you, who has taken the journey from the old energy into the new. The path you&amp;rsquo;re walking right now provides the experiences to enable you to become a Teacher of the New Divine Human. As lonely and dark as your journey can be at times, remember that you are *Never alone. &lt;/p&gt;

      </description>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Choices That Attain Inner Peace</title>
      <author>http://angelswings.gaia.com</author>
      <dc:creator>Jodie</dc:creator>
      <guid>tag:gaia.com,2008:Gaia-301050</guid>
      <pubDate>Sun, 15 Jun 2008 18:25:10 GMT</pubDate>
      <link>http://groups.gaia.com/global_spiritual_network/conversations/view/301050</link>
      <description>


&lt;p&gt;                               Choices That Attain Inner Peace&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; by Gerald G. Jampolsky, M.D. and Diane V. Cirincione, Ph.D.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; peace.&lt;br /&gt; peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no&lt;br /&gt; noise or problems or hard work. It means to be in the&lt;br /&gt; midst of these things and still&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; be calm in your heart&lt;br /&gt; and clear minded.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; Attitudinal Healing is the realization that it is not other people, events,&lt;br /&gt; stressful experiences or circumstances outside of our selves that cause us&lt;br /&gt; stress, conflict, or emotional upset. Rather, it is our own thoughts,&lt;br /&gt; feelings, attitudes and judgment about those things that actually cause us&lt;br /&gt; distress.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; Thoughts I can choose to remember ...&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 1. Learn from my mistakes as well as those of others, and then let them&lt;br /&gt; go.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 2. Only my own thoughts hurt me and only my own forgiveness sets me free.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 3. The purpose of my relationships is to join, not separate.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 4. Ask myself the question daily: Am I here to love or am I here to judge?&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 5. Remind myself that I am a spiritual being.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 6. See no value in punishing myself with my thoughts.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 7. Be willing to see the light and not the lampshade in others.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 8. Be willing to see no shadow in anyone&amp;#39;s past, including my own.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 9. Remember that forgiveness is the greatest healer of all.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 10. See no value in hurting others or myself with either my words or&lt;br /&gt; thoughts.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 11. I may not be able to control the outside world, but I can control the&lt;br /&gt; thoughts in my own mind.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 12. There is no enemy, no one is to blame.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 13. Staying in the present prevents my getting stuck in the fear of the past&lt;br /&gt; or future.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 14. Choose to see others as either loving, or as fearful and giving a call&lt;br /&gt; for help.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 15. Be willing to ask each other for help, rather than attacking each other.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 16. The best way to prevent burnout is to let go of all of my judgments.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 17. Resist the temptation to gossip and spread rumors.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 18. Be willing to be vulnerable.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 19. Let go of any need to control others.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 20. Others don&amp;#39;t have to change in order for me to be happy.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 21. Trust that change can ultimately have positive, rather than negative,&lt;br /&gt; results.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 22. Accept responsibility for my own happiness.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 23. Choose peace of mind as my own goal each and every day.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 24. Forgiving others and myself totally and with no exceptions, is the key&lt;br /&gt; to inner peace, happiness, hope and freedom.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 25. Be willing to meet for a short time daily with family, colleagues, or&lt;br /&gt; friends with the motivation of focusing on one&lt;br /&gt; of these thoughts throughout the day. &lt;/p&gt;

      </description>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Healing From The Inside</title>
      <author>http://angelswings.gaia.com</author>
      <dc:creator>Jodie</dc:creator>
      <guid>tag:gaia.com,2008:Gaia-301047</guid>
      <pubDate>Sun, 15 Jun 2008 18:24:04 GMT</pubDate>
      <link>http://groups.gaia.com/global_spiritual_network/conversations/view/301047</link>
      <description>


&lt;p&gt;                               We can transform painful memories by re-imagining them from the&lt;br /&gt; soul&amp;#39;s perspective of love and meaning.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; Andrew Schneider says that all experiences have the purpose of&lt;br /&gt; serving the soul. An experience in the past blocked us because our&lt;br /&gt; fear at the time distorted our perception of what happened. To&lt;br /&gt; transform this limiting experience, we must bring what was then&lt;br /&gt; unconscious into the soul&amp;#39;s realm through consciousness.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; We can do this by following these steps:&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 1. RECALL the past experience that might inhibit us.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 2. OWN the experience (no judgment, blame, etc.).&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 3. TAKE RESPONSIBILITY for it and the consequences (i.e., the&lt;br /&gt; experience was determined by my subjective perception of what&lt;br /&gt; occurred, dictated by my lack of wholeness -- specifically my fears).&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 4. GIVE IT MEANING (the soul was attempting to gain some kind of&lt;br /&gt; mastery or skill, but we didn&amp;#39;t know that at the time).&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 5. RE-IMAGINE it from the perspective of soul consciousness (showing&lt;br /&gt; its higher purpose).&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &amp;quot;Letting go of our suffering is the hardest work we will ever do. It&lt;br /&gt; is also the most fruitful. To heal means to meet ourselves in a new&lt;br /&gt; way -- in the newness of each moment where all is possible and&lt;br /&gt; nothing is limited to the old.&amp;quot; &lt;/p&gt;

      </description>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>The Spiritual Warrior</title>
      <author>http://angelswings.gaia.com</author>
      <dc:creator>Jodie</dc:creator>
      <guid>tag:gaia.com,2008:Gaia-301045</guid>
      <pubDate>Sun, 15 Jun 2008 18:22:18 GMT</pubDate>
      <link>http://groups.gaia.com/global_spiritual_network/conversations/view/301045</link>
      <description>


&lt;p&gt;      The decision to embark on a path of self discovery and self healing is one which requires great courage, perseverance and single minded determination. It is not a decision that should be made on the spur of a whim or without an honest desire to search into our most hidden, darkest, secret corners.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; Indeed, that is where the truth always lies - in places we have done our best to hide and forget about... places which hold our most frightening secrets...our largest most terrifying demons...&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; Places which many of us have become proficient at creating and then burying with the intent that they never be uncovered again because we didn&amp;#39;t want to deal with them in the first place. The mark of a great warrior or master is that they are willing time and again to face their own darkness, their own demons, to have the courage to face their inner selves. This requires the stripping of layers that we have built up on false foundations with which we covered our true selves...our souls.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; These layers warp our lives and distort our true potential. They send us off on wrong pathways, purposeless tangents and create disharmony. The process of stripping away that which does not serve us in a positive manner requires great courage and the knowledge that to be whole we have to live in truth not distortion. It is a process which takes as long as it takes and may require us to be naked and vulnerable for a long period of time. Only a true warrior is able to endure this and realise that this may take a lifetime/s of seeking the inner soul essence...the mark of a warrior is that they will return time and again often weary and a little battered to strip away yet another layer in order to come closer to their own truth.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; The warrior knows that truth brings you closer to the source...the source which feeds us and makes us whole. The warrior knows that to live a lie dishonours both themselves and the source from which they came. To knowingly live a lie is like permanent death for only by living in truth can we truly exist and grow. There are many souls, including those who pretend to be warriors or masters, who are not prepared to do this. They build up the layers around them which stifle and suffocate their soul essence until nothing can be seen of their inner self - indeed even they themselves do not know who they truly are. They are like blind souls stumbling in the darkness of fear and untruth. The dead wood that surrounds them holds no life and only the sharpest tomahawk of truth can cut through these dead layers to reveal the tiny, inner soul huddled miserably in the core...unfed and dying slowly from neglect and a lack of love.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; My heart cries out for these souls for it only needs the tiniest spark of love for self to begin the process of self healing...only a tiny mouthful will feed the tiny soul inside and sustain it till it can bathe in the light of self discovery, truth and healing. Many souls do not understand this and thus know no better. However, a professed spiritual warrior brings dishonour on themselves when they live in lies and untruths. They have no business shining a light for others when they live in darkness - for how can you radiate light when you have none to give? Self denial becomes the disease.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; Whoever takes on the spiritual pathway and the road to self healing must be warned that this will bring inevitable change on all levels and scales. It may mean the coming of the tower which rips apart your life - but only because it is built on falsity and lies and needs to be torn down so that truth may rebuild a structure which will never fall no matter how big and wide it grows. It may be gentle and slow bringing gentle, slow changes. It may be a tidal wave after which rebuilding on a massive scale occurs - and we all know someone who has had to do this with their lives...someone who has made drastic changes but are more peaceful and balanced within themselves because of it.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; When embarking on a course of healing either with yourself or with a healer, walk in with your eyes and heart open and there will be many (both in this life and in spirit) who will be there to help and support you. Also know that they cannot do it for you...they cannot carry you or give you all the answers. These are your layers and your lessons - they do not belong to anyone else. The warrior does not send another into battle in his place...he goes in and faces the battle himself - not behind the shield of others. However, at the same time you will never be alone. The healer and the healee need space between them in between each healing. The healee needs space to come to their own realisations for it is not the healer&amp;#39;s job to give them answers. Part of the healing process is that the soul being healed discovers their own truth for themselves.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; The healee also needs time in between sessions away from the healer because the healer brings painful issues and realisations to the surface. This can often make the healee angry and resentful, projecting these feelings and the blame on the person healing them. This is natural and a professional healer expects, knows this and is prepared for it. This is why many professional healers choose not to heal family and friends when they know deep issues are at hand. There are many too who live in their mouths and by that I mean they speak of their desire to heal but their heart is not in it. There are many who lie before a healer and will not accept the energy or who will turn it all in to a drama in order to create diversions away from the underlying issues. This way they do not have to truly look within and face what is there. A person committed to their own healing and growth will come no matter what...there will be no excuses and they will listen with their ears and their hearts and absorb all that they are given.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; Often too, unless there is an exchange of energy (which in today&amp;#39;s world means mostly a monetary exchange although it can be otherwise), the healing is not appreciated.... It is taken for granted or simply not valued. You may get someone telling you as the healer that they got nothing out of it. Many want a quick fix or a &amp;quot;Valium healing&amp;quot; and thus only take the required amount of energy. These people always get off the table smiling - these are surface dwellers or those who only wish to live on the surface of their lives for if they went deeper they would have to start scratching the surface of all they&amp;#39;ve buried and this is not what they truly want. The true intuitive healer knows all this. There are people who use their spirituality as a toy with which they play and as play does not involve heavy, nasty, soul rending things - these are not addressed or acknowledged. Play holds lots of role playing and drama queens, laying blame at the doors of others, and conditions. This just leads in circles and goes nowhere very fast. Unfortunately there are many of these &amp;#39;players&amp;#39; and the great shame is that they claim to bring light yet are not capable of it. In this way the path of the spiritual warrior holds great responsibility for there are only a very few warriors and many, many souls who need and are asking for direction and light in their lives.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; It is a commitment to help others by first helping yourself. Thus, we can see that the path of a true spiritual warrior or master is full of constant challenge and battle to allow the true essence self to grow and develop unrestricted by falsity. It requires constant attention for the path holds much that would distract us from our true purpose. Masters need to be especially aware as we have taken on the responsibility to help bring healing and light to others. This does not mean that we are or should be perfect. However, it does mean that we need to question ourselves, our lives, and our motives. We need to be ever seeking the truth both within and outside of ourselves and be mindful of helping others (who wish to be helped) to do the same.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; This brings me to my next point which is that there are many who do not wish to seek and grow even though they wear the mask of good intent. These people may well seek out a master and show sincerity and interest but in reality are attracted to the energy and will seek to poach it. These people are takers and give nothing back. Those of you who are energy workers or are receptive and sensitive to energy will understand what I mean. In a healthy relationship that is devoted to growth and spiritual development there is always a give and take of energy. One which involves a &amp;quot;taker&amp;quot; quickly leaves one feeling drained and ill. Some openly take from your energy centres. Others take energy in quick attacks like an ambush. Still others wear a pleasant mask while they steal energy. As individuals we have to become aware of these kind of people - even if they are other healers and masters. Understand that we are all at our own levels of growth and spiritual development, however, if others keep failing to understand the same lesson we need to realise that they are not yet capable of that level of understanding. Often we must walk away for our own sakes - for these people will block us and drain us. There are too many souls who are ready to learn for us to spend time wasted on those who are unwilling or incapable of the next step.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; So remember if you will, through courage, perseverance and love for self we make the commitment to self healing and then if we are called - to help others to do the same. &lt;/p&gt;

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    <item>
      <title>Dark Night Of The Soul: Spiritual Crisis - The Dark Night Of The </title>
      <author>http://angelswings.gaia.com</author>
      <dc:creator>Jodie</dc:creator>
      <guid>tag:gaia.com,2008:Gaia-301043</guid>
      <pubDate>Sun, 15 Jun 2008 18:21:16 GMT</pubDate>
      <link>http://groups.gaia.com/global_spiritual_network/conversations/view/301043</link>
      <description>


&lt;p&gt;      Dark Night Of The Soul: Spiritual Crisis - The Dark Night Of The Soul&lt;br /&gt;By Nicholas Schmidt&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You cannot find the Light unless you enter the darkness.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Dark night of the soul, spiritual crisis, spiritual madness, spiritual emergency, divine madness, holy madness... these are various phrases that have been used to describe a unique experience - a profound test of faith and spiritual endurance - that seems to be a necessary part of walking the path home to God.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Today, many people on this planet are searching for a deeper meaning and purpose to life. Struggling for survival and happiness in the material world just doesn&amp;#39;t seem to satisfy the human potential anymore. More and more we&amp;#39;re becoming bored and frustrated with the routines of everyday life, whether it&amp;#39;s with our careers, our personal lives or our relationships with other people.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Deep inside, we&amp;#39;re beginning to realize that our hunger for the material comforts and pleasures of life eventually leaves us feeling empty and incomplete. We then begin to suspect that lasting peace and happiness is an &amp;quot;inner&amp;quot; thing. As a result, many of us are looking into the spiritual or mystical realms for a greater sense of purpose, direction and meaning. In the process we find ourselves asking &amp;quot;Who am I, what am I doing here, or what&amp;#39;s my real purpose on this planet?&amp;quot; If we are ready, these kinds of questions will awaken a yearning deep within that inspires us to look for answers. Other times a serious life crisis can have the same effect. In the end, we find that we&amp;#39;re really searching for God.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Our search for the truth helps us to awaken spiritually and, more importantly, to remember who we really are. This new insight can be the most profound experience of one&amp;#39;s lifetime, an ecstatic rush of joy and enlightenment that is difficult to describe to those who have yet to reach this point. After this awakening experience or shift in awareness occurs, we begin to look at the old ways and false beliefs of life with less interest, while our re-connection with the divine becomes clearer and feels more natural. The old way simply doesn&amp;#39;t interest us anymore, while the new way is all that matters.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Somewhere along the journey of remembering who we really are, we may find ourselves in a very uncomfortable space, a void in which we realize that we haven&amp;#39;t totally let go of our old beliefs, and on the other hand we have yet to fully plug into the new truths we have discovered. This awkward &amp;quot;place of mind&amp;quot; can bring on an internal crisis of uncertainty, instability, confusion, frustration, and a most unspeakable despair as the &amp;quot;dark night&amp;quot; sets in and makes its presence felt.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It is ironic that along with the rapture of remembering our divine connection, there can be intense feelings of depression, madness, detachment, hopelessness and an extraordinary loneliness that is not only relentless but may last for months or years on end. Then comes the waiting, and the wondering if and when the dark night will ever end. Ultimately, it feels as though we have lost control over our lives and, most importantly, that God has truly abandoned us.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;St. John of the Cross went through it, Edgar Cayce spoke of it, several recent books and tapes have described it, and throughout history various cultures provided special care and loving support for their tribal members in spiritual crisis.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If this kind of intense and prolonged crisis has entered your life, please don&amp;#39;t give up! When the madness is over, when one finally &amp;quot;lets go&amp;quot; in an act of surrender, acceptance and trust in what God is accomplishing with you - without resignation and with gratitude for the experience - the dark night will end. At that point, ego will no longer dictate the path of your life, and a Light will shine through bringing with it a new spiritual adventure and purpose in life. Your path will then be guided by a series of divinely influenced synchronous events, and your real mission for this lifetime will unfold and fall into place as if by magic.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;An example &amp;quot;dark night&amp;quot; sequence of events:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Things in life seem to be going along quite smoothly. Then, unexpectedly, we have a serious life crisis such as career failure, divorce, a health problem, a serious addiction, financial collapse, a near death experience, etc. or any combination of such events.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;At some point the crisis/anguish becomes so intense that we drop to the floor and, in a climactic act of desperation, cry out &amp;quot;God, help me!&amp;quot; God begins to help immediately, most often in ways that are contrary to what we expect. (Put your seat belt on at this time!)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The crisis usually jump-starts the search for spiritual truth. Each new &amp;quot;insight&amp;quot; we discover brings on the death of an old &amp;quot;false belief&amp;quot; we&amp;#39;ve been programmed to accept throughout our lives. This starts to seriously threaten our egos, and a severe test of faith begins that can last for months or years.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The most important question you can ask yourself during a spiritual crisis is, &amp;quot;Can you believe in God when the night is the darkest?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;During a dark night crisis, the individual may have any combination or all of the following symptoms:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Feelings of depression, despair, loneliness&lt;br /&gt;* Loss of energy&lt;br /&gt;* Chronic exhaustion not linked to a physical disorder&lt;br /&gt;* Loss of control over one&amp;#39;s personal and/or professional direction in life&lt;br /&gt;* Unusual sensitivity to light, sound and other environmental factors&lt;br /&gt;* Anger, frustration, lack of patience&lt;br /&gt;* Loss of identity, purpose, and meaning to life&lt;br /&gt;* Withdrawal from life&amp;#39;s everyday routines&lt;br /&gt;* Feelings of madness and insanity&lt;br /&gt;* A sense of abandonment by God&lt;br /&gt;* Feelings of inadequacy&lt;br /&gt;* Lessened feelings of attachment to family and friends&lt;br /&gt;* Loss of attention span, self-confidence and self-esteem&lt;br /&gt;* Frequent bouts of spontaneous crying and weeping&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These symptoms mimic ordinary clinical depression. However, there is a major difference. Spiritual madness is an &amp;quot;inner thing&amp;quot; between you and God during which deep, rich spiritual growth is occurring. Anti-depressants may rob you of this miraculous (yet painful) experience.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Many of the above symptoms were taken from &amp;quot;The Stormy Search for Self&amp;quot; by Christina and Stanislav Grof, M.D. &lt;/p&gt;

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      <title>SYMPTOMS Of ~Highly Spiritual People</title>
      <author>http://angelswings.gaia.com</author>
      <dc:creator>Jodie</dc:creator>
      <guid>tag:gaia.com,2008:Gaia-301040</guid>
      <pubDate>Sun, 15 Jun 2008 18:20:20 GMT</pubDate>
      <link>http://groups.gaia.com/global_spiritual_network/conversations/view/301040</link>
      <description>


&lt;p&gt;      SYMPTOMS Of ~Highly Spiritual People&lt;br /&gt;**********************************&lt;br /&gt;#1&lt;br /&gt;Highly Spiritual People Give Rather Than Take.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;To give is indeed divine.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Some research on altruism suggests people&lt;br /&gt;commit selfless deeds precisely because such acts make them feel&lt;br /&gt;good, therefore refuting the notion of selflessness. Hogwash.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Is&lt;br /&gt;breathing selfish? If we didn&amp;#39;t give, and give generously, we&amp;#39;d die.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I really believe that.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Giving is human nature; it&amp;#39;s just that we&lt;br /&gt;forget our own Spirit-Nature sometimes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Giving can take many forms;&lt;br /&gt;simply paying attention to someone is a gift.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;#2&lt;br /&gt;They Say Yes More Than They Say No.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Naysayers are a downer. &amp;quot;No&amp;quot; closes our hearts like cholesterol.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;(Naturally, this excludes saying &amp;quot;No&amp;quot; to drugs or other self-&lt;br /&gt;destructive, noxious or illegal behaviors.) &amp;quot;Yes&amp;quot; affirms life.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;People always would rather hear yes rather no.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Unless it&amp;#39;s when you&lt;br /&gt;ask your doctor, &amp;quot;Do I have herpes?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;#3&lt;br /&gt;They See Possibilities, Not Problems.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As Shunryu Suzuki writes: &amp;quot;In the beginner&amp;#39;s mind there are many&lt;br /&gt;possibilities; in the expert&amp;#39;s mind there are few.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;quot; And this may be&lt;br /&gt;the only time you hear Norman Vincent Peale quoted right after Suzuki-&lt;br /&gt;roshi, but there is something to the power of positive thinking, if&lt;br /&gt;not &amp;quot;The Power of Positive Thinking.&amp;quot; Spiritual people are optimists.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They believe in belief.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They are the lemon-to-lemonade folks, the&lt;br /&gt;problems-as- opportunites advocates, the positive spin&lt;br /&gt;Masters.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;#4&lt;br /&gt;They Walk A Mile in Your Shoes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They understand that empathy means feeling another&amp;#39;s pain but not so&lt;br /&gt;much that they take on others&amp;#39; pain and become another&amp;#39;s pain.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;With&lt;br /&gt;that empathy, they tend to know exactly what to say or do for you to&lt;br /&gt;make you feel better.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In gratitude, we say to them, &amp;quot;You are a&lt;br /&gt;saint.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;quot; Even when we do not mean it literally, it is true --&lt;br /&gt;literally.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;#5&lt;br /&gt;They Count Blessings in Small Wonders.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They do not expect Spirit to appear accompanied by fire and brimstone&lt;br /&gt;and a big neon sign flashing in the sky.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They are not waiting for the&lt;br /&gt;Big A-ha.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nor are they waiting for the cure to cancer, the job&lt;br /&gt;promotion, or the love of a lifetime.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They appreciate the tiny&lt;br /&gt;details: the smile of a child, the sparkle in an old person&amp;#39;s eyes,&lt;br /&gt;the morning&amp;#39;s first ray of sunlight.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;While others have recommended&lt;br /&gt;not to sweat the bad small stuff, spiritual people savor the good&lt;br /&gt;small stuff.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;#6&lt;br /&gt;They Give Compliments Generously, Accept Them with Humility.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There is no limit to people&amp;#39;s need for praise and appreciation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I&lt;br /&gt;suspect that even Donald Trump deep down is desperate for a&lt;br /&gt;compliment.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Spiritual people do not see people&amp;#39;s &amp;quot;need&amp;quot; for support&lt;br /&gt;as a weakness or flaw.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They see it as a cry for love, and they comply&lt;br /&gt;without hesitation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On the other hand, those who respond to a&lt;br /&gt;compliment with grandiose objections and deflections, who cannot&lt;br /&gt;accept a compliment with grace, probably feel they are not worthy of&lt;br /&gt;it. But they are worthy of it. Even the Don is worthy of it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;#7&lt;br /&gt;They Worship Where and When the Spirit Moves Them.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They don&amp;#39;t need a temple or church to practice their spirituality,&lt;br /&gt;nor do they need a Sunday morning service at 10 a.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They don&amp;#39;t even&lt;br /&gt;need a rabbi or a priest or a lama or sensei.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Their spiritual setting&lt;br /&gt;is a forest, a beach, a mountain top.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Their setting is a movable&lt;br /&gt;spiritual feast, for they know the true spiritual setting is within.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And it travels with, and within, them wherever they go.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And a year-end bonus:&lt;br /&gt;#8&lt;br /&gt;They Laugh a Lot&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have you noticed? Santa ho-ho-ho&amp;#39;s his way down the chimney.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The&lt;br /&gt;Dalai Lama giggles his way to enlightenment. Alfred E.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Neuman has&lt;br /&gt;that eternal grin.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Laughing Buddha is, well, laughing.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Spiritual&lt;br /&gt;people are happy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Not just the smiley-face kind of happy, but the&lt;br /&gt;deep-down-content kind of happy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you have trouble getting to happy, try this trick I&lt;br /&gt;learned years ago from no less a sage source&lt;br /&gt;than the musical &amp;quot;Bye Bye Birdie&amp;quot;:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;quot;Just put on a happy face.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The act of smiling alone triggers a happy hormonal shift, from &amp;quot;gloomy&lt;br /&gt;mask of tragedy&amp;quot; to &amp;quot;spreading sunshine all over the place.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;quot; And what&lt;br /&gt;could be more spiritual than that?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So, let&amp;#39;s get to the point.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;God created perfection&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You and I are part of that perfection&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;3.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We inherited the DNA of God, and we said, &amp;quot;Hey, you know what, we&lt;br /&gt;want to also create perfection.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;4.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;God put up a curtain, and created imperfection so that we could&lt;br /&gt;create perfection again.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That&amp;#39;s it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Our imperfect world was created so we could create perfection,&lt;br /&gt;instead of having it given to us. It&amp;#39;s like a picture puzzle.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;God&lt;br /&gt;created this elaborate painting and we said, &amp;quot;Wow, what a painting!&lt;br /&gt;We want to create one like that.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;quot; So God made it into a picture&lt;br /&gt;puzzle, separating the pieces so we could put it back together.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The chaos in our lives, the distance we feel with others &amp;mdash; and within&lt;br /&gt;ourselves &amp;mdash; is all an illusion.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It&amp;#39;s because of the space that was&lt;br /&gt;created when all the pieces were pulled apart.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The effort we came here to do is to remove the space.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Every time we&lt;br /&gt;snap the pieces together - BOOM - another piece of perfection appears&lt;br /&gt;in our lives.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Imagine if you were a five year old kid and I said, &amp;quot;Here&amp;#39;s a puzzle,&lt;br /&gt;it&amp;#39;s already assembled.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;quot; Would you enjoy it?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;No.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The first thing&lt;br /&gt;you&amp;#39;d do is shake it up in the box, creating space between the&lt;br /&gt;pieces. The more you&amp;#39;d shake it up, the more chaotic it would become.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Then you&amp;#39;d dump it out on the floor and start building the puzzle.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That&amp;#39;s when the fun would begin.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That&amp;#39;s what effort&amp;#39;s all about.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Happiness given to us doesn&amp;#39;t feel&lt;br /&gt;like happiness.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Happiness that we create - now that feels like&lt;br /&gt;happiness!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Create your happiness this week. Create your certainty.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Create your&lt;br /&gt;love.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If there is pain and struggle in your life, then remind&lt;br /&gt;yourself of the picture puzzle.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Remember the Light is there, perfect,&lt;br /&gt;and that you asked for the sweat on your brow simply so that you&lt;br /&gt;could feel the satisfaction of being a Creator.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And know that whatever you are struggling with will have a positive&lt;br /&gt;result.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Author Unknown &lt;/p&gt;

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      <title>United In Spirit's New Professional Site Development Porject</title>
      <author>http://angelswings.gaia.com</author>
      <dc:creator>Jodie</dc:creator>
      <guid>tag:gaia.com,2008:Gaia-301035</guid>
      <pubDate>Sun, 15 Jun 2008 18:16:36 GMT</pubDate>
      <link>http://groups.gaia.com/global_spiritual_network/conversations/view/301035</link>
      <description>


&lt;p&gt;      United In Spirit has a newly developed professional site which in future will host resources, tools and member&amp;#39;s products for sale on a share basis.&lt;br /&gt;Feel free to check the newly developed site out!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.freewebs.com/unitedinspirit/"&gt;United In Spirit Professional Site&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;/p&gt;

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      <title>Invitation to join the Group: Exploring the Crystal Skulls</title>
      <author>http://crystalskullexplorers.gaia.com</author>
      <dc:creator>Crystal Skull Explorer</dc:creator>
      <guid>tag:gaia.com,2008:Gaia-300236</guid>
      <pubDate>Sat, 14 Jun 2008 13:18:10 GMT</pubDate>
      <link>http://groups.gaia.com/global_spiritual_network/conversations/view/300236</link>
      <description>


&lt;p&gt;      &lt;h4&gt;Invitation to join Group: Explorring the Crystal Skulls&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;You&amp;#39;ve been invited to join &lt;a href="http://pods.gaia.com/crystal_skull_crystals_world_peace_transformation_golden_age_prophecies"&gt;Explorring the Crystal Skulls&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The cultivator of this group has written this introduction:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;We believe the crystal skulls are a key ancient and sacred tool used by ancient civilizations in the past or were gifts from the Gods (ETs or the Inner Earth civlizaitons) that are coming out now to help our world create peace.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They are the ancient computers encoded with incredible knowledge and information - the newly formed crystal skulls are also being awakened as spirits work through the skulls to heal the world.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Definition: a crystal skull is a human formed bone skull, coming in all sizes that is made from quartz crystal (although now this term is being used to define other gemstone skulls as well).&amp;nbsp; They came to light in the 1800&amp;#39;s as several crystal skulls were found in ancient meso-american ruins&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This group is created to discuss the crystal skulls as well as give the latest news and see if there are projects that can be worked on jointly.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;sponsored by the crystal skull explorer team&lt;br /&gt;orginated by Blue Arrow Rainbow and Joshua Shapiro&lt;br /&gt;http://www.whoisjoshuashapiro.com&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you&amp;#39;d like to preview this community before you join, &lt;a href="http://pods.gaia.com/crystal_skull_crystals_world_peace_transformation_golden_age_prophecies"&gt;visit it now&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;To accept this invitation, click &amp;#39;Accept Invitation&amp;#39; below.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;

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