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Greetings Glorious Beings!

Well, summer has definitely arrived here at Summerhill Ranch. It has finally cooled down, but in the last weeks it's been HOT! For a few days it was 115 degrees in the shade, We have no air-conditioning, and at times I found myself at 3am standing in a warm shower (that was supposed to be cold water) trying to get cool enough to sleep. Sadly we lost one of our chickens-Rosie--to the heat but the others are fine now that it has cooled down to the 90s.

Country Fair

The great thing about summer here on the Central Coast of California is the county fair. Spending time at the fair in our hometown of Paso Robles takes me back to simpler times when I lived here as a child. Even in the heat, I love to walk though the goat barns, watch the piglet races, admire prize-winning roses, be awed by the stamina of the watermelon-eating contestants, and slurp shave ice.

Last night Paul Simon came to our country fair for a concert. We didn't get the best seats, but it didn't matter because it was PAUL SIMON after all. As we drove to the concert, David, Meadow and I sang “Coo Coo Ca Coo Mrs. Robinson” off-key. At the top of our lungs all the way to the fairground.

As we sat on our hard, rusted--metal folding chairs through the warm-up band, the smells were vintage-fair. Our seats were next to the livestock corral so there was a strong odor of cattle, mixed with the warm aroma of kettle corn and hot dogs, blended with the scent of a disgruntled skunk, plus the smell of marijuana from the 20-Somethings behind us. (It was a Paul Simon concert after all!)

Who's “The Decider”

As soon as the concert began, we were spellbound and instantly transported back in time, as we sat serenely and watched Paul strum his guitar as he sang. But as soon as “Cecilia” came on, I don't know what happened, but I jumped out of my chair and ran towards the stage. At the same time, the 20-Somethings did the same thing.

A security guard heftily encouraged us back while we danced and jumped up in the air as we repeatedly moved en-masse toward the stage. A scantily dressed teen grabbed me by the arm and said, “Come on! We can get through the security guards. Let's go!” as she thrust me toward the stage.

Suddenly an inner voice began to sternly speak to me, “You're too old for this, Denise. Besides, it's dangerous to block the aisles. It's okay for kids to do this, but not a 56-year old woman. People watching you will judge you and will think that you should know better. Beside you are too old and out of shape to keep up with these kids!”

As I listened to this inner critic, I shouted to myself ”Wait a minute, who's “THE DECIDER” here? Who decided that I'm “too old” and “too out of shape” to dance in the aisle and bellow “Still Crazy After All These Years” along with Paul Simon?”

It was a serious question. Who was the DECIDER? Where did this voice come from that was deciding the rules for in my life? Suddenly I realized that the DECIDER dwelled in me. It was my voice ... and if it was my voice, I could change it!!

Okay, okay, I reasoned with myself, as the young girl dragged me forward, I can change! So I commanded that my DECIDER say, Denise, it's good for you to fling your arms over your head, shout as loud as you can. Have fun. Enjoy yourself!!”

And I did. Paul Simon had four encores ... and I danced through all of them!

After the concert, I made a resolution that every time that critical inner voice started to condemn me or dictate rules for my life that were constricting, I was going to remember who the true decider was.

Not Having To Do Anything...Ahhhh!

Just a couple of weeks before the county fair came to our home town, we had just come back from three glorious, sun-kissed weeks in Tuscany (and a couple of days in London where I did a one-day seminar). My time in Italy with David and Meadow felt like my first true vacation with my family in 20 years-in other words, I wasn't teaching courses or working on a book at the same time that we were on holiday.

It took awhile to get used to the fact that I didn't have do anything-no books to write, articles to edit or workshops to lead (and no phones or access to e-mail), but once I got used to it, it was exhilarating. I think I'm going to do this more often than every 20 years!

During our time there I sipped espresso in Volterra, ordered gelato in Florence, and celebrated with cheering fans when the Italian team won the World Cup. It was a joy to spend time with my husband and daughter as we lazily lingered at sidewalk cafés, savoring Chianti wine and listening to wandering musicians as they sauntered down cobbled streets. I LOVE VACATIONS!!!

Predecessor Energy

>From a feng shui perspective, I found our time in Italy very interesting. We had a wonderful first-hand experience of predecessor energy when we stayed in what used to be a centuries-old monastery. A couple of times, in the very early morning hours, I could faintly hear the sound of chanting. (Over the hundreds of years that the monastery was in existence, the chants of the monks became imbedded in the stonewalls ... and in the quiet hours of the morning they could still be heard.) It was sublime. (One important aspect of feng shui is the energy of those who lived in your home before you-called predecessor energy-which can have an affect on your and your family.)

St, Francis And St. Claire And The Light

The most meaningful experience occurred for me in Umbria in the ancient hilltop town of Assisi. I believe that there are entrance points between this realm and the next. Sometimes these are called vortices, portals or gateways, but whatever they are called, they allow entrance into other dimensions. I believe that I had a direct experience of one of these gateways in Assisi, the birthplace of St. Francis.

I've always admired this beloved saint, so to walk the same land that he walked-and to see the same vistas that he viewed-was inspiring. Even though it was many years ago that he traversed that land, I felt like I could still feel his loving presence there. At one end of Assisi is the beautiful and inspirational St. Francis Basilica, which houses the body of St. Francis and at the other end of town is The Basilica of St Claire (Santa Chiara) where St. Claire is buried. (Claire worked with St. Francis and founded an order of nuns called the Poor Claires that followed the teachings of St. Francis.)

Even though I usually connect with the Creator in nature (rather than in a church) when I entered into the Santa Chiara Basilica, it was so serene that I slid into the pew and closed my eyes to pray. Instantly something startling occurred. I felt as if my spirit slipped through a barrier between this realm and the next, and everything seemed illuminated with radiant light. To me 'sacred space' is 'safe space' ... and I felt infinitely safe, protected, and secure. I was embraced in sacred space.

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In that moment there was nothing to strive for and nothing to regret ... there was only infinite peace. Meadow, looking at me sitting in repose, took a photograph that you might find interesting. (I've included it here. It hasn't been altered or re-touched in any way.)

Whether it was an anomaly of the light in the cathedral, or a reflection of energy that I was experiencing, I'll ever know, but something magical occurred in that moment and I'll always be grateful.

The Stories That We Tell About Our Lives

Now that I'm back home, I've been sorting through the digital photographs that I took while in Italy. I'm keeping some, but deleting most of them. As I have been doing this, I realize that once I delete a photo, the memory of that particular event will probably fade away over the years. However, the photos that I do keep will forever define my experiences. In other words, the saved photos will create the story of our trip.

Simply said, depending on what photos I keep, I can have completely different memories of our holiday. For example, Meadow came down with the flu on our trip and in some of the photos she doesn't look very well. But in other photos, she looks energetic. If I only kept the ones in which she looks pale, my “story” of Italy would be about Meadow being ill while we were there. But if I chose to only keep the ones in which she looks vibrant, over time the “story” becomes about what a dynamic time we had. (I decided to keep most of the healthy images and just a couple of the other ones.)

I realized that we are constantly doing this with our lives. We are constantly shaping the story of our past by the selected memories that we retain.

This is important because the way that you view your memories creates your identity ... and your identity helps determine the circumstances of your life.

Your Memories Create Your Identity

For example, the person who reinforces memories in which they felt victimized may eventually develop a “victim” identity. And someone whose primary identity is that of a victim tends to create life circumstances in which they are victimized. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Everyday we have a multitude of experiences, however we subconsciously choose to only keep a few of those memories and over time we delete the others. The memories that we review again and again become an ingrained part of the personal history and thus help form our identity. A positive identity creates a positive life. A negative identity creates negative life. But the exciting thing is that we can choose the memories that we reinforce and we can choose the memories that we delete.

As I have been arranging and deleting my photos of our trip to Italy I'm inspired to do the same thing in my life. So in the weeks ahead I'm going to mentally go through the memories of my life and choose some of the wonderful events to renew and reinforce. (And, at the least, I'm going to find empowering meanings for the less savory events in my life.) I've heard that it's never to late to create a happy childhood and I'm looking forward to this time of renewal ahead.

Oh my gosh, this was long. I'm so sorry. I guess I just got carried away. Please forgive me.

With Love and Joy!!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

New Radio Show!!!

Starting August 21st Mon day 3pm Pacific, 6pm Eastern I will be having an hour-long radio show on HayHouseRadio.com, Radio for Your Soul!!!

Although it will cover a range of topics, in the beginning it will focus on past lives as well as Soul Coaching. If you want to learn how to discover your past lives, tune in! Also you will learn how to embark on a total mental, emotional, and spiritual renewal using Soul Coaching methods. And during every show, there will be a small meditation that you can download onto your I-Pod for your personal pod cast.
Tune in and call with your questions for this lively show.

Soul Coaching

The courses for this year are full, however we have just scheduled our first Soul Coaching course of 2007 April 18-26. If you are interested in signing up please e-mail us at SacredOak33@aol.com

I Can Do It Conference

I'll be doing a one-day seminar that includes past life regressions in Orlando, Florida in October and I will also be giving a past life lecture at the same event. October 27-29th If you'd like to be regressed into your past lives, please consider attending. I look forward to seeing you there!

December 28, 2005
WHAT’S AHEAD IN 2006?

Last night the crisp, starlit sky here at Summerhill Ranch was filled with the sounds of the owls—both great horned owls and screech owls—as well as a robust chorus of coyotes and frogs. My chickens even joined in with their contented clucks for awhile.

Although every sound was so different, in the strangest way, this symphony of howls, hoots, clucks and croaks, seemed harmonious. It was almost as if each creature was aware of the others . . . and honored the individuality of every creature, while cherishing its own personal expression.

For example, first the screech owl would make its whirring, warbling sound—it’s a lovely sound, not like a screech at all. Then one of the great horned owls would answer with a deep, resonant, "Who, who, who?" which would then be followed by a series of yips and staccato barks from the coyotes. Just as the coyote’s song would fade, then the screech owls would begin again. All the while the chorus of the frogs ebbed and flowed creating a soft backdrop for it all.

Standing outside in the dark, cradling a mug of tea in my hands to keep warm, while inhaling the sharp chill of the night and listening to these sounds, I mused about the past year and had a sense of the year ahead.

LOOKING BACK AT 2005

For many, last year—2005—was a challenging one. The tsunami in Asia (which hit in late December 2004) was disastrous for people and animals as was the hurricane in New Orleans. Politically, this year we saw a bombing in London that created great strife there. Also United States continued to be engaged in a war with worldwide effects—a war that dramatically split this country between those for it and those opposed to it. We also saw numerous environmental challenges in this last year as well, much as a result of global warming. And this year the looming threat of a worldwide pandemic caused by avian flu was rampart. 2005 was a year fraught with uncertainty and fear.

In some metaphysical communities—as well as some evangelical communities—many people say that although this year was difficult, it is nothing compared to what will be in the future. They say that every year will get worst until the year 2012 or so, when there will be an enormous cataclysm (or Armageddon)…the end of the known world. It all sounds so forlorn. Also as I have listened to news reports that review this past year, much of it isn’t uplifting and so many predictions by the media for the future are equality dire.

TAKING A STAND

When I hear these kinds of predications, I know it’s time to take a stand for what is good in our world. One of the things that I have learned in my life is that what we think and believe is often what we create.

You may remember a man named David Koresh who, a number of years, ago prophesied to his believers that the world was going to end in fire. For him, and many of his religious followers, it certainly did end in fire as federal agents stormed his compound and David and his converts died in the ensuing fire. He believed in a horrific fiery future and that’s what he experienced.

It’s important to believe in a joyous future and to find joy where we can and express it as we may. It’s essential love deeply and fully, wherever we can. I know that the kindness that we express and share, and the positive thoughts that we radiate, can make a difference in our collective future. Where intention goes, energy flows.

I know that we are in challenging times, yet, I believe that the future can be influenced by what we think and what we believe, both personally (about our own lives) and globally (about the world-at-large). I believe in a better tomorrow; I know that it is possible. I also know that there has never been a more potent time in the evolution of our planet to rise above limitations and grow spiritually. And I know that it’s an amazing time to be alive and I believe that our collective future can be wondrous. I’m excited about our coming year.

WHAT’S AHEAD FOR 2006?

I sense 2006 will be a year of community. Many people who have felt isolated and separate from others will find other like-minded people. It will also be a year of charity, where we find ourselves reaching out to others and freely giving from our heart and from our resources more than any other year.

It will be one of the greatest years EVER for spiritual advancement and for deepening our connection to spirit and to God. This will occur because during this year the veil between the ordinary life and the realm of spirit will be thin—especially in the spring and autumn—and it will be much easier to ‘hear the voices of angels.’ It will be a year in which is much easier to listen to your inner voice … the voice of your soul—and to take steps to live an authentic life.

This is also a great year for MAJOR CLUTTER CLEARING!!! … a time to get rid of objects, people and situations that do not support your highest good. January, February and March are the best times for this. This clutter clearing will open you to the spiritual opportunities that are available in the spring (April through June) and fall months (September, October and November). If you’ve been thinking about a major clutter clearing/personal overhaul THE NEXT THREE MONTHS are one of the best times to do it in the last 50 years!

This is also great time to start an exercise regime, a new way of eating, do intensive self-evaluation, or embark on a new career or life style. If you take advantage of the spiritual energy available this year, you will expand more profoundly than at any other time ever.

If you have been depressed or feeling stagnant in 2005, but you take advantage of the opportunities in the next three months you can finally thrown off the cloak of depression (and get off those pills!) Get ready for the potential ride of your life!!

FINDING UNITY AND CONNECTION

So much of the challenges that our world faces now comes from feeling separate from others (and hence being afraid of other races, religions or beliefs) and feeling separate from the earth (and thus disregarding and polluting the planet).

One of the keys to a positive future is opening our hearts to other viewpoints and searching for unity instead of separation. As you embark on clearing the dross out of your life—and doing some clutter clearing the months ahead—you’ll find yourself moving into more unity and more connection with various aspects of yourself that have been hidden or denied. You’ll also find yourself moving into deeper unity and connection with others.

This coming year has the potential of being AMAZING! I believe as we find clarity and joy in our own lives, this can radiate to the world around us and can even contribute to a better world for everyone. I do have hope for the world. And just by listening to the unifying chorus of coyotes and owls, I dream of a beautiful year ahead.

Ahhh, just as I was typing these words, I looked out the window to see my chickens scratching for bugs in fallen leaves the orchard and in the middle of them is a beautiful peacock that I haven’t seen here before. It must be visiting from a neighboring ranch. They all seem so content together…. Two different species yet seemingly so happy together. I think that this is a good sign.

All my love for a splendid year!

Greetings my dear friends,

I have been away from e-mail here ...and may be for a few days as well because I am getting flooded with e-mails from London and the UK from people who were affected by the blasts...

Some have lost loved ones or had friends or had family members injured or had friends have lost loved ones. Some had reverted into fear and panic. My heart is so heavy as I read about the sadness that is occurring for so many. I think that the reason that I am getting so many e-mails is that for many years I taught in London several times a year (about 1000-1500 people each time I went) and a number of those people have been affected by the blasts in one way or another and are searching for answers.

I don't have any answers I just keep thinking of the poem that I may have included with your Soul Coaching notes. I read this poem when I feel overwhelmed by the state of the world.

All my love and support for your program....I'll be following along even if I'm not here every day.

Denise

February 2005
Thailand!

We’re finally back home from Thailand. What a journey to get back here! It took a long bus ride back from near the Myanmar (Burma) border so we could overnight in the bustling northern Thailand city of Chang Mai for an early morning flight to Bangkok the next day. We had a five hour lay over in Bangkok before flying to Taipei. We then had a four-hour layover there before boarding a 14-hour flight to Los Angeles. We arrived late and missed our next flight to San Luis Obispo, so at midnight we rented a car and I drove for five hours in a torrential downpour to get home at five am in the morning. Whew!

It was dark when we arrived home -- the frogs were croaking in full volume and the owls were hooting so loudly that I felt that they were heralding our return. Ahhh, the sweet sounds of home. However, I wondered why the dogs weren’t cavorting around our legs as they usually do where we return. They were nowhere in sight. (Evidently while we were gone a mountain lion was coming close to the house so the dogs were sleeping locked inside for their safety.)

Nursing my steaming cup of green tea this morning I am filled with memories of Thailand and the special people that I met there.

The night that we arrived in that exotic country, we took a taxi from the airport to our hotel in Chang Mai. As the taxi driver zig-zagged though thousands of motorbikes and cars our senses were assaulted by the sizzling brightly-colored lights and a vast array of smells from raw sewage, to food being cooked on the street, to night blooming flowers. It was all intoxicating.

I assured Meadow (our daughter) that there was a rhythm to the erratic traffic and philosophically told her we would have no problem once we got into synch with the Thai traffic cadence. Just then, our taxi driver pulled into on-coming traffic and hit a motor cyclist head-on. The motorcycle driver and his passenger flew over the hood of our taxi and then somehow managed to get back on their motorcycle and kept going, as did our taxi driver. They seemed to take it all in stride. Meadow looked at me with a look that said, ‘yea, right. I’m not sure I want to get into this rhythm."

Elephants

Once we got out of town and into the mountains of northern Thailand to begin the Soul Coaching seminar, the pace slowed down (and I was blessed with some very remarkable seminar participants, which was wonderful! Deb Swinghom did an amazing job organizing the course!)

The seminar room was perched above a small creek. On the other side of the creek were a mother elephant and her baby. A small bamboo grass roof platform housed the young "mahout" who is the person who bonds with the elephant for life. The mahout and the elephant are almost never separated. As I taught, I could look out across the stream to see the mahout draping himself over the baby elephant or tenderly offering the mama elephant bananas.

I developed a deeper understanding of elephants when I had the opportunity to ride one. With my legs straddling the elephants neck, my bare feet pressed up against the top of his shoulders and my hands on the top of his head, I could feel the powerful muscles ripple beneath my body as we ambled down through creeks and into teak forests. I always thought of elephant skin as tough and thick, but beneath my hands it felt so supple and sensitive. At one point a fly landed on the elephant’s head and immediately he swished his ears back to chase it off. His hide was delicate enough to sense the presence of a fly!

Riding atop the elephant everything seemed to me to slow down. I felt my breathing slow down and a deep relaxation filled me. I don’t know how to explain it, but it was like the world around me was going slower. The ripples in the stream seemed sensuously slow and fluid; birds flying overhead seemed to flap their wings in slow motion. Even after I was off the elephant it took about an hour until everything speeded up to "normal’ speed. Perhaps for a short while I was seeing the world through the eyes of an elephant.

Ceremony for Tsunami Victims

February 7th we participated in a ceremony for the tsunami victims. (For those who joined us through the invisible planes, I was immensely grateful. We felt your presence and were so very honored by your prayers and blessings. A thousand times Thank You!)

The ceremony was moving and beautiful. We had decided to put our prayers and blessings into the water of a nearby creek so the energy would eventually travel from the creek to the sea. And from the sea it would travel to the shores that were affected by the tsunami. We each blessed and energized water to be used in the ceremony. Additionally a woman in the seminar, who came from China, provided water that had been blessed by 100 Buddhist monks and a woman from Australia brought water that had been collected from over a hundred sacred sites of water around the world, from the Ganges to Lourdes. The holy water and all our prayers and love were poured into the creek to the victims and those who were left behind and to contribute to healing the land.

We also each floated a traditional Thai offering of flowers, candles and incense into the water. They were so beautiful as they bobbed in the stream. At the conclusion of the ceremony we lit a huge ‘fire balloon" which is a very large rice paper bag that has a fire built within it. The heat from the fire carries the rice paper ‘balloon" high into the sky where it hovers and glows, as if taking all our prayers into the heavens. Thank you again for your support and love. We felt your essence there.

4am Monks

Additional images of Thailand: blessings from monks in small mountain temples, bamboo rafting into bat-filled caves, hiking to hill tribes and meeting people who are living on the land traditionally as their far-ancestors did, and waking every morning to the sounds of Buddhist chants. (The thatch-covered hut we stayed in was very close to a Buddhist monastery.)

After being awakened three mornings in a row at 4 am David kidded that he was going to perform a "monk-strangling ceremony" if they woke him up one more morning. (I loved being awakened by the sound of chants, but David is not really an early morning riser so he wasn’t as fond of the chanting as I was.) Curiously, the next few mornings the monks didn’t start chanting until much later.

Back Home

And now I am back home, a little travel-weary but deeply satisfied. When we left Summerhill Ranch here in Paso Robles it was winter but upon our return spring has arrived in full bloom. Today I gathered up thousands of frog eggs to hatch. It’s my yearly project to help bring more frogs to the land. I think I will go out this afternoon and get an aquarium to hatch them in so (hopefully) even more will survive this year.

All my love…..Always and forever!!!

Denise

p.s. I’m excited (and a little anxious) to hear what you think of my new book "How My Death Saved my Life." I guess I feel a bit different about this one because it is so very personal. If you happen to read it could you let me know. Thank you so very much!!

January 30th 2005
Moral Choices

Even in the stillness of winter, Summerhill is abound with life. Yesterday I found a huge female praying mantis. She was barely walking in the cold. I couldn’t understand why she wasn’t hibernating. I brought her into the house, took a box and layered it with lavender branches and gently placed her in it. With a dropper I placed water on her mouth and then proceeded to kill a few flies to put in with her for food because she didn’t seem to have enough energy to kill her own food.

Then I thought about the action of killing one insect to keep another insect alive and wondering if, subconsciously, I gave more credence to the praying mantis because it was bigger. Do we, as a species, revere the eagle over the sparrow because it is bigger? Was I making a moral choice in choosing the mantis over the fly? (I took the mantis back outside, put her on an evergreen rose bush in the sun and hoped she would make it to spring.)

Then I went outside to feed my fish. (I started with just a few 10 cent ruby minnows and they had a zillion babies and they outgrew my garden pond, so I filled up an old cattle trough for them.) One fish lay floating atop the water. When I scooped it up to remove it, it gasped for air. I immediately put it back in the water. Should I kill it so it didn’t suffer? Should I let it live until its last breath? What was the right thing to do? It was a moral choice. (I left it in the water, remembering the time that I found one of my goldfish floating on the surface of the garden pond, and it later recovered and is still alive)

I started thinking about moral choices and realized that every day even in small ways that we aren’t aware of, we are confronted with choices that challenge us to discover our true inner values.

I know the fly and the fish are very, very small moral choices but they started me thinking about bigger choices in life. I believe that it is not good or bad, for example, whether I put a fish out of its suffering or not, but I think what is bad is not making a choice at all. Or perhaps even worse is making a choice and feeling guilty about it . . . or worse yet, not making a choice and feeling guilty about that.

To me guilt is a form of not taking responsibility for my actions. It means that I somehow don’t accept what I have done, it can even be a means to declare it wasn’t really my fault. Sometimes guilt can be used to justify someone’s actions.

I am emotionally healthier when I make a choice—any choice—and stick by it. If I find out that I am wrong in my choice, then I do what I can to heal any wrong that I have caused…and I go on. It doesn’t help anyone if I piteously feel bad about my decision but don’t take any action.

Ahhhh, the lessons that this land has for me. Everyday that I am here I am presented with more lessons from the land.

First Frog

I heard the first frog of the season last night. Yea!!! (It’s really too early for frogs…it’s still freezing at night. They only come out for a few months in between the cold of winter and the searing heat of summer, but those three or four months are magic.)

But even though it was alone in its song…it sounded jubilant and raucous at the same time. I felt its song go straight into my heart. It was a reminder to me to sing my spirit no matter what the emotional weather of my life is. By the time I return from Thailand, the night air will be filled with a cacophony of frog songs. I feel happy just thinking about it.

Greetings!

This is one of my favorite times of year. I think it be an echo back to ancient times when the family gathered around the winter fire to keep the dark at bay. As people huddled close together around the flickering flames, stories were created and family myths were born. . . and these stories were passed down generation after generation.

We are fortunate to have a fireplace here at Summerhill Ranch, but even when we don’t light the fire, the flicker of candle light at night transports me to magical lands and forgotten times. In my various stages of clutter clearing I have released most of my books…but I have saved all my children’s books, especially the ones with brightly colored pictures. As I sit in front of the fire at night, my legs curled up beneath me and an old Indian blanket wrapped around my shoulders, I flip thorough the pages of children’s books each picture takes me to mystical lands where horses can fly and dragons can speak.

Thailand

We leave tomorrow for Thailand. I have been overwhelmed by the support for our ceremony on the 7th. Thank you! Thank you!!! We are going to be sending energy and prayers and blessings to people, the land and to the waters of Thailand. All the recent research of the effect of prayers on water has inspired me to give special attention to the waters of the land there.

If you are willing to send prayers and blessings to our ceremony on Feb. 7th for the people, land and waters it would be so very much appreciated.

My New Book is Out!

I’m so happy! I just received a box with the advance copies of my new book called "How My Death Saved My Life." This book is a memoir and writing it was l like going through initiation by fire.

While writing it, I dug up many painful events of my past and brought to the light many of the hidden parts of my life. At times it was so wrenchingly painful to continue writing that I almost gave up. In the end, however, I feel a kind of lightness and freedom. Yet it’s a bit scary and vulnerable to know that other people will read about my darkness (as well as my light). However I’m so happy that this long journey to complete this book is done that I’m feeling open for my next step and I feel blessed to be in Thailand when it comes out.

Soul Coaching Courses!!!

Also the dates are out for my next Soul Coaching Courses. I’m so excited because I have learned so much over this last year that that I’m excited to share what I have learned. I feel that these courses promise to be even better than before.

The dates are : April 22-29, May 10-17, June 13-20, Sept. 22-29, or Oct. 5-12 (Plus we looking into having a Soul Coaching for "20–Somethings" in September) (See www.Soul-Coaching.com for more details about the courses.)

The brochures should be out in a few weeks. If you are interested in attending (there is also special price for reviewers) let us know as soon as you can because we are anticipating that this year will fill early because of the publication of my book. (I’m not able to return any e-mails or phone calls until I return from Thailand but Priya or Amber will be able to call you back or return your e-mail about registration.

All my LOVE …always and forever!!!

Denise

January 15th 2005
Thailand and the Tsunami

Whew!

It sure has been raining a lot here! Last year, we only had about 2-3 inches of rain total all year. And this last week, here at Summerhill Ranch we had 12 inches in one day!! We even had hail pelt the house.

A few mornings ago I woke to a strange sound that I couldn’t quite identify. When I opened the door, I heard the loud rushing sounds of a creek. I was a twilight zone for a moment. How could there be a stream outside?

When I walked into our garden, there indeed was a small rapid creek running along side our home! I followed the creek to its source. Surging out of the hill behind our house was a huge six-foot waterfall. Its beauty stunned me. A ray of sun peeked through the clouds and illuminated it as it vigorously cascaded down over rocks into the creek.

As I stared in amazement, I thought that maybe the earthquake activity of the last year (we’ve had two major earthquakes here in the last year) had opened up a natural spring on our land.

I ran in and woke up David and Meadow, shouting at the top of my lungs! "We have a waterfall! We have a waterfall!!" (Our last name "Linn" in a Celtic word that means waterfall, so I thought it was some kind of heavenly intervention or something that had caused a waterfall to sprout up behind our home.)

David ran outside, but instead of being exuberant, he yelled, "Oh s….!" and ran to get a shovel to try to divert the creek. (For awhile we were concerned that the tool shed might to be swept away because the creek was surging up against the back wall of it.)

It seems that during the night, the water from the very large hill behind our home (it’s a half mile to the top) had seeped into the land and then broke though some natural underground cistern and spurted out behind our house.

We were more fortunate than most however, because a house in town with four people in it got swept down the river. (Usually there is no river just a dry riverbed.) They got out okay. Another woman got swept down a creek in her car and several people have been swept away down rushing creeks. For awhile, the road to our home was barely passable from landslides and the one place where there was an almost two foot high "creek" flowing over it.

We've had a respite for a few days but another storm is on the way tonight...ahhh life in the country. (But I have to confess there is something wonderful about being inside while the wind howls and the rain pounds our sweet abode.)

Thailand and the Tsunami

Our recent abundance of water has deepened my compassion for the people in Southeast Asia. As you may know, I am leaving in a few weeks to teach a Soul Coaching course in Thailand. I feel very honored to be going.

For the last two and a half years I have known that I needed to be in Thailand in January/February of 2005. I didn’t know why, but my inner urging to be in Thailand had something to do with the tsunami. Perhaps in our small way, we (the other people in the course and me) can help.

I believe in the power of taking action (i.e sending money to aid organizations) and I also believe in the power of prayer. It seems to me that part of the reason that the people attending this course are going (in addition to becoming certified Professional Coaches) is to offer service, prayers and courage to the people and the land.

I want to commend the people who are coming because they’ve had to overcome the numerous fears of friends and family, such as ‘Don’t go, you’ll catch cholera or a disease" and yet they are coming anyway. Thailand needs our support of its tourism, but most importantly it needs our courage.

The media has done a great job of letting the world know what’s happening in the aftermath of this disaster, and because of this the world is pouring in much needed aid. But the media has also created a ripple of immense fear that has circled the globe. (After this event, I have had numerous calls and e-mails from people, all over the world, that are terrified about the state of affairs on our planet.) Through mass media, an event of this magnitude can generate profound fear in the vibrational energies of our earth. And fear breeds fear, just as love breeds love.

I believe that the more love and personal courage we can experience at this time, the better the world will be. To this extent, while we are there, we will be doing a sacred ceremony and sending prayers to the survivors and to the land. If you have a minute on February 7th and would like to join us as we send support, blessings and love, we would be honored.

In love and gratitude,

Denise Linn

Greetings to my splendid Global Family

Like so many people, I am deeply saddened by the events in Southeast Asia. When I first heard the news I immediately thought of my friend Karl, who is traveling in the area. Somehow he manages to find an Internet café everyday and e-mails me about his adventures in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand.

The day the tsunami hit, he e-mailed that he was on his way down to Phuket, in Thailand (one of the places hit hardest.) My immediate concern was for his safety.

When disaster hits, we immediately think of loved ones and friends. And if no loved ones are in peril, then we tend to be especially upset if we share commonality with the people affected---If they share our culture, language, religion or look like us.

However, the truth is, more and more, we are becoming one global family. We can’t separate ourselves from the suffering of others throughout our planet … no matter what background, race or creed. What befalls one of us, more and more, befalls us all.

This disaster has made this more apparent than ever. Through television, the Internet and global media we are more connected to the lives of others throughout the world than ever before and this can be a powerful way to pull together to make a difference.

As I have listened to the news on the radio (we don’t have television) I have been trying to figure out ways that I can help. I’m going to be teaching a Soul Coaching course in Thailand the first week of February so I‘m looking into bringing supplies with me on the way there.)

One thing I know is that money for aid organizations is always appreciated. There is a website you might consider looking at called: www.alertnet.org. The nonprofit division of Reuters’ News organization runs it-- it alerts humanitarians to global emergencies and gives suggestions on ways to give support. If you want to help but you aren’t quite sure what to do, I’d suggest this as one place to start.

Another thing that can help is prayer… lots of prayer. Prayers do work. They do make a difference. One way I am praying for the victims of this disaster is by putting my hands over Southeast Asian on my world globe and visualizing light and love filtering into that area. But any prayers in any form will help and I’m praying a lot lately.

Thank you for being in my life… and being a part of my global family…and for your prayers for those affected by this tragedy. Sending you all my love…always,

Denise

p.s. Incidentally, I just got an e-mall from Karl while I was writing this e-mail and he’s all right. I’m so very glad.

3:15 AM this morning: Something wakes me up. In the next room the dogs are restless which is highly unusual--once they are bedded down they could sleep through an earthquake. In fact they have done just that before. I get up and pad around for awhile and then decide that 3:15 is too early to wake up. As I lay down to sleep I have an image of a tall Native American man doing a stomp dance. He's wearing a cape decorated with designs of eagles on it.

6:00 AM: My brother, Brand, called to say that my mother had passed on in the night. She died at 3:15 AM. He didn't want to wake me so he waited a few hours before telephoning me. I feel blank and a bit numb. My throat tightens and my cheeks tingle, like when I’ve been crying, but there are no tears. I expected this call, but now it all seems so final and forever.

A couple of days ago my mother’s her caregivers called to say that she wasn't doing well. I couldn't get a flight to see her because it is Thanksgiving weekend and everything is booked. So instead of being there in person, I spent hours talking to her on the phone. She was a bit disoriented every time I called, but I knew she could understand me.

My mother was Cherokee and when I was a child she used to used say that when Cherokees died they went to heavenly place where game was plentiful, fish splashed silver out of deep clear waters, and berries were plump and ripe. She called it the "Happy Hunting Grounds."

When I got older, I thought this sounded corny and very politically incorrect, like something Tonto might have said in the "Lone Ranger." But as she lay at the advent of death, I told her that I believed that her family would be waiting for her in a place where the air was sweet and the wind swept majestically across tall wild grasses. I said I believed that there would be a stomp dance in her honor when she arrived. I hoped it was true.

And I sang to her. . . . her favorite songs and ones from my childhood. When I ran out of songs, I sang Christmas songs and then just made some up. Her nurses said that whenever I was singing her respiration slowed down and she smiled. I always ended every phone call by singing "Happy trails to you until we meet again…" because I believe that we will meet again ….in the Happy Hunting Grounds.

After hanging up from Brand’s phone call, I thought of the tall Indian I ‘saw’ at 3:15 and wondered if my mother isn’t dancing around a fire with friends and loved ones somewhere beyond this realm.

Good-bye Mother, I grew so much because of knowing you …I love you.

A couple of days ago, David and I drove to Palm Springs where I was scheduled to do a book signing and a talk. The journey there and back clocked up about 800 miles on my aging Ford. The reason we drove so many miles was to avoid the Los Angeles traffic on the way home, by taking a circuitous (but longer) route behind the San Bernadino Mountains.

Though the western slopes of these mountains are lush and fertile—a climate that originally attracted people to the Los Angeles basin—the eastern slopes cradle a desert vast-land that borders the Mojave desert.

On our way home, we drove hour after hour through rocky sagebrush landscapes. Every once and awhile some ambitious developer had plopped down a hundred or so trailer houses or tract homes in the middle of nowhere. These rectangular boxes looked so out of place, that I imagined if I could take a deep breath and blow hard enough, they would tumble over themselves as they rolled toward the horizon.

Yet here and there, dotting the desert land were remnants of old abandoned homes—wood and stone structures that had weathered through time. Windows were missing. Doors flapped in the desert wind. Some of these buildings leaned precariously one way or another. Yet I had the feeling that I could blow and blow until the end of time and even though these houses might sway, they were immovable.

It seemed to me that over the years the energy of the earth had reached up and grown through the aging timbers and stacked stone. At the same time the roots of each home had sunk deep into the soil, until earth and home were linked forever.

Newly constructed buildings and towns on either side of the highway seemed separate from the land. . . not connected to anything. Yet the old buildings seemed to belong, as if they had sprouted and grown in place.

My musings lead me to think of humans. Perhaps when we are young and new we float lightly upon our planet. Yet with each passing year the spirit of the earth (and most certainly her gravity) calls us home. She intertwines her tendrils of energy inextricably with ours until our spirit merges more and more with hers. Maybe the wisdom that emerges from some elders in their later years is born of this intimate and growing re-connection with the earth.

Ahhh…just more of my mumblings. Anyway, there is a cricket in the closet. There’s no food, water or light in there for him…yet he continues to chirp with exuberance night after night. (I can’t find him to help him escape.) But his wild ecstatic midnight carousings are a fabulous metaphor to help me remember that I can be happy no matter what is occurring around me.

All my love…always and forever,

Denise

Greetings Glorious Goddesses and Handsome Heroes!

Well things are still rocking and rolling around here. We got a small after-shock yesterday that was centered only about a 1/4 mile from here. It was gentle but it still was a reminder of the passion and power of the earth.

I woke up this morning and thought that I could smell the future. It was fresh and crisp like the air in spring time, but with a tinge of smoke, like when our neighbor burns his grass before cultivating his vineyards.

I’m not sure what it means, but it gave me a sense of expectation about the future and at the same time a slight feeling of trepidation filled me--a momentary shadow blotting out the light kind of feeling--similar to when a cloud temporarily passes overhead on a sunny day.

I don’t know if this was the global future or a more intimate personal future I inhaled, but it seemed to stretch far beyond my personal boundaries into the world at large. I guess I’ll have to wait and see what the days ahead hold.

Things are great here at Summerhill Ranch. I have had the most wonderful folks showing up for the Soul Coaching certification courses recently. (Our Soul Coaching family continues to grow!! And there are now even more excellent coaches in the world. In the last class there were 15 people in the course: two people from Singapore, two from Brazil, two from England, one from Finland and one originally from Guyana as well as folks from all over the United States.)

We have one more course here next week and then the next SC course is in Thailand. (Remember, if you are interested in reviewing the course, there is a substantial discount for Soul Coaches.) Let us know soon if you are interested.

Here’s what’s happening at the ranch:

"The Hawk that Thinks It’s a Vulture"

Living in the country I am privy to all sorts of fascinating animal behaviors. For example, there is a red-tail hawk here that thinks that it is a vulture.

Usually during the day, at any given time, we can look in the sky and see the canyon vultures soaring majestically high overhead. Although this graceful bird has been maligned, in many ancient cultures it represents the Great Goddess and to the Native Americans it is the earthly symbol of the Firebird.

I love to watch them all together graciously floating in ever-widening circles. I almost never see them flap their wings. However recently I have seen one smaller bird soaring with them that occasionally flaps its wings. Day after day I noticed this until, with the help of binoculars, I realized that a red-tail hawk is flying with the vultures.

Maybe he loves to soar throughout the day for hours on end so he decided to fly with the buzzards because his own kind usually only takes to the sky in the early morning and evening hours. Or maybe a vulture befriended him at a young and impressionable age. Whatever the reason, there he is happily flapping and soaring everyday.

He’s not the only creature around here to step beyond the boundaries of his own species. For the last six months I kept hearing the whistle of a hawk (Hawks don’t tweet or sing like birds, but they have a sharp distinct whistle.) Because I heard the hawk’s whistle so often I thought I’d try to locate him.

After much patience I finally found that the whistle was emanating from a blue jay living in the pine tree. (Blue jay’s are able to mimic other sounds.) Here was a jay successfully sounding exactly like a hawk, hour after hour, day after day. What was going on in the bird world?

And then there is the very curious case of the upside down hummingbird. A few months ago I saw a hummingbird hanging upside down in my lemon tree. His little claws were tightly clutched around an insulated wire from the lights in the tree. He just hung there, perfectly still. I thought…"Does he think he is a bat? What’s going on with the birds at Summerhill Ranch?"

Upon closer observation I realized that he was dead. I’m not sure how he could die in that manner. I know it’s not true, but I can’t help but wonder if it was playing ‘bat’ when it happened. After a few days the wasps found him and now there is a perfectly formed skeleton with tiny wings hanging upside down in the lemon tree…the hummingbird that would be bat.

I’m always looking for signs in nature to give me an understanding of the inner workings of my life. So I wondered if there was a message for me from the birds regarding my recent resolve to step out of my identity as "writer" and step into a new identity of "dancer".

Although I haven’t been successful in achieving my new identity, perhaps the message from the birds is "If a hawk can fly with the vultures, Denise you can become a dancer." I don’t know if this is what it means, but this meaning works for me.

So from Summerhill Ranch --where sparrows can become eagles--- I send you all my love…always,

Denise

Greetings my splendid friends...I bring tidings from Earthquake Central!!

We sure are rocking and rolling a lot here. In the last week or so we have had earthquakes on three different fault lines and somehow our home seems to be in the center of these quakes and after-shocks. Some days they are like earth orgasms and feel sensuous and some days they feel ominous. But today is a splendid day and I don't feel the internal pressure that I have felt with so many of them. Anyway, this is a quick note to let you know about a Soul Coaching certification course that I will be doing in Thailand next February. I am very honored to be working with Deb Swingholm to be doing this! It promises to be a time filled with mystery and magic...and most of all joy.

We are planning some great excursions and experiences that will be included in the course in addition to the deep inner work and training that will occur in our tropical mountain retreat. Some of the things that are planned...a Buddhist blessing in a Thai temple, elephant rides, Thai dancing lessons, attendance at the Flower Festival and the orchid parade, and the exotic night bazaar!!

Anyway, you can tell we are excited. Years ago I taught in Bali and there were numerous mystical events that occurred during the course. I believe that this was because of the deep spirituality in the land. I feel that Thailand has a similar energy so I'm looking forward to more deep mystical and spiritual experiences for us all.

Heaps of Love!!

Denise

ps If you are willing to hold the thought of our home being strong and holding tall for the next few months it would be greatly appreciated!!!

Also, I wanted to let you know about an article that is have posted now on the website www.innerself.com It is an excerpt from my book 'Secrets and Mysteries' and it is about releasing fear.

Greetings Glorious Goddesses and Handsome Heroes!

Well I have nothing to report on the glory of nature, as I haven’t seen any lately. Well, unless you count looking out my window, as I plunk away on my book. Only a few more days to go on the re-write. My butt is sore, my shoulders ache, my fingers are cramped. I’ve been sitting for so long that I’m sure that my buttocks are permanently flat. You think I’m kidding. It’s flat, swear to god.

Oh. David just walked in and said, "Well, it’s a quiet morning at ‘Ranch Gopher-Be-Gone’," I think he didn’t realize that our a vegetable garden is really a retirement haven for the entire gopher population of California.

"Shaping your Identity"

Anyway, back to ‘flat butt’… I actually remember the moment that started me on the path to ‘flat butt’. Many years ago, I had been thinking about how cool it would be to be a writer. In fact it would be the greatest thing in the world. What a great thing to be able to say I was a "Writer."

Just saying the word to myself gave me shivers. After college I hadn’t done any writing so I couldn’t justify calling myself a "writer," but that didn’t matter, I still began to think of myself as a writer. It was my new identity.

After I wrote an article that was published in an Australian magazine, whenever people asked me what I did, I said with pride" I’m a writer!" …never mind that it was only one small article. When I traveled, I wrote ‘writer" in the space on the immigration form that asks for your occupation. I kinda thought I was getting away with something, but no one questioned me. Not long after this I was asked to write a book, and then another . . . and then another. And now I’m a flat-butt writer. And it’s been great. I declared who I was and then that is what I became. I believe that this is the power of identity.

As practitioners, when we work with someone, in no small way are we working with his or her ‘identity.’ We are helping individuals to discover their current identity and then to see if this is a fit or a match with the yearnings of their soul . . . and then see how their home and their feng shui can propel them in the direction of their positive identity.

I believe the urge to be consistent or congruent with one’s identity is the most powerful motivating force of human beings. Many people would rather die than be inconsistent with their identity. A soldier whose identity is ‘a courageous solider,’ would rather die rather run from battle and be thought a a coward. Being a coward would be inconsistent with the way he sees himself.

A man who commits suicide because he has lost all his money, kills himself because he has lost his identity as a rich man. Our identity shapes every moment of our lives. It is how we perceive the world and how others perceive us.

This morning, I’ve decided to change my identity. I’ve loved being a writer— and I’m going to have to continue writing for awhile because I’m under contract—but I’ve decided to be a dancer. My mind reels as I write this, "Denise, you never dance…you jut sit on your butt at the computer. How can you call yourself a dancer?" and "You’re too old in your mid-50s to decide that you are a dancer."

But then I remember the day that I decided to embrace the identity of ‘writer’ and all that entailed. But my mind surges back, "Ya right, if you tell everyone you are a dancer and then don’t become one, you’ll be a failure."

"So what!" I shout back. "I’ve failed before. Besides I’m not a failure if I fall down, only if I stay down."

So the internal battle wages but ‘dancer’ it shall be. I am embracing the identity of being a Spirit Dancer…dancing my spirit, dancing spirit in whatever form it arrives, dancing to the heartbeat of god…I’m declaring this to myself and to the universe this morning.

On this glorious day, I would ask you too…what is your identity? Are you happy with your identity? Does your life and your surroundings support this identity? If not what identity would you like to embrace?

Anyway, more musings from the flat butt…dancer,

Denise

Well it is harvest time here. Whew!! All the labor and love that we have put into the orchard and the garden is now paying off. We are probably getting 50 - 100 pounds of tomatoes a day plus a least that much weight in cucumbers, and zucchini plus more squash, melons, plums, nectarines, watermelons and grapes that we can count. We are canning, cooking and freezing as much as we can and giving away what we can’t.

One of the great things about harvesting food that we’ve grown is that it intimately connects us to the cycles of nature. One of the things that I have noticed about nature is that after the plants produce their bounty—plums, apples, beans, watermelon etc.—they let it all go to begin the next cycle.

Everything in nature has these cycles of abundance and release . . . except for humans. We harvest objects when we go shopping for things such as home items, clothes, convenience products, etc., but then it is very difficult to release our bounty when it is now longer useful.

I think this also applies to our thoughts, decisions and beliefs. During my life I have gathered many beliefs about the way the world is and about who I am. But then I find it difficult to listen to the wisdom of the apple tree and drop them—as the trees drops its fruit and leaves in the winter—when they no longer serve me to make way for new growth.

I know there is a direct correlation between my wiliness to release the clutter of physical objects--as well as the clutter of outdated personal beliefs--and my ability to be healthy and vital. I'm dedicating the next few months to health so I'm starting by doing some inner and outer clutter clearing. One of the outdated beliefs that I’m releasing to the wind in my life now is: "I don’t have enough time." (Actually, the truth is that I have all the time I need, I just need to organize it in a different way.)

Another belief I’m releasing is: "My patterns are too ingrained for too long for me to really make dramatic changes in my life." (Julie Child didn’t really start her cooking career until she was in her 50’s, and they list of other people making dramatic life changes goes on and on, so it’s never too late to

make a change in my life.) And there are a bunch of other beliefs are on the docket to be clutter-cleared this fall. I’m plucking them off the tree of my soul one by one! Yea!!

As I examine my beliefs, I get the image of a tree that has lost all of its leaves in the Fall-- all that is left is the bare essentials... the branches, trunk and roots. I then imagine that all the beliefs that I no longer need are dropping away like the leaves in the winter, to be replaced by more empowering, verdant and loving beliefs in my next Spring cycle.

Ahhh, Meadow (my daughter) just handed me a large glass of juiced carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes. Whew! It is a bright color!! Juicing is another way to utilize this harvest that I hadn’t thought of.

All my love,

Denise

"Letting go of expectations"

We had another earthquake/aftershock a couple of nights ago. Seven months since the earthquake and our home and land are still shaking. I dove under the table with a fluid grace born of lots of practice during these last months.

After I slipped out from under the table, after the aftershock I had a realization. I thought of all the many times when we had aftershocks and what my reaction was to each of them. Sometimes an instant wave of fear and adrenaline would surge through me when the aftershock would hit, and sometimes I would just roll with it and sometimes it was even fun!

When I was in present time, here and ‘Now’ without expectations about the future I only felt joy and exhilaration during the aftershock. However, when I was living in the past or the future or stubbornly clinging to expectations about the way life should be and especially the way ‘my’ life should be, then I’d feel fear during the aftershocks . . . and sometimes I’d hurt myself as I scrambled for shelter.

When I ‘expected’ that the earth wouldn’t move and our home wouldn’t shake then I ended up frightened and paralyzed –unable to move or think straight—when an aftershock came. When I ‘accepted’ what was occurring in the moment—the trembling walls, etc.—without expectations then I only felt joy in the moment and this attitude also allowed me to take appropriate action without being paralyzed.

This seems like a small notion, but it was a huge revelation for me. I realized that the more I can let go of expectations about people, situations and events in my life, the more joy I can experience and the more appropriate action I can take.

Anyway…that’s my journey this week… letting go of expectations and accepting what is.

Another event that touched me this week occurred at the local grocery store In between the crackers and the flour (as the 60s song "Locomotion" was playing on the in-house sound system). At the end of the aisle was a gangly 12 or 13 year old girl. She was all arms and legs … her limbs seemed to jut out of her at awkward angles … long and skinny.

She wasn’t aware of me--or anything else in the store--as she danced to the music of "Locomotion." Her hands fluttered like leaves in an autumn wind dancing on a skinny bare branch of a tree. Her legs flailed to the left and right in time with the music … and she was in a total state of joy.

I looked at her and smiled … the slight smile of an adult bemused by the actions of a child. Then I thought, "Hey, the heck with this. I don’t want to be the amused spectator. I want to embrace it all just like she’s doing.

So I stated fluttering my hands, waving my hands around, stamping my legs and dancing with abandon in time to the music. Life is too short not to dance in the aisles of the super market.

I love you guys!!

Denise

"Becoming the Sacred Observer"

On a window sill yesterday I saw a fly on its back acting strangely. I looked closely and saw something tiny and bright green attached to it. I got a magnifying glass and saw that a tiny praying mantis—it was about one-third the size of the fly--had caught the fly and was slowly dismantling it by using its large jaws to snap off one leg at a time. The fly was still alive and was struggling.

I wanted to "save" the fly and even came up with a plan. "What!" I thought to myself "Your kidding right? You aren’t seriously thinking of saving the fly?" But I was.

Trying to shake myself out of "Savior Mode," I then thought of all the times that I had swatted flies in my life, and I also thought of the energy that it must have taken for the tiny preying mantis to catch the fly, Then I reminded myself. . . . "It’s not good its not bad . . . it is what it is." That’s my lessen lately, to be the Sacred Observer and accept, and even love, ‘what is.’

It’s not easy, because I noticed that I tend to identify with "victims." For example, this morning a hawk dove out of the oak tree and smacked a dove so hard that feathers flew in every direction. Then he flew off with the limp dove in his talons. I immediately wanted to "save" the dove.

Watching my reaction to this event, I realized that in a split second I had decided that the hawk was ‘bad’ and the dove was ‘good’. I didn’t consciously think this—it was just an immediate reaction. It seems to me that many of the challenges that are faced by humans come from this trait to decide that one race (or religion, political party, sex, age, etc) is good and others are bad, rather embracing each point of view.

Today I’m learning to love ‘what is so,’ without judgment. So I took a breath, and blessed the hawk and blessed the dove and thanked them for what I learned.

I am so blessed to have you in my life. Thank you for your grace, strength and love and for being who you are.

Denise

Last night I had a remarkable experience. The moon was full and a pack of coyotes were loudly singing up a storm. I ran outside when I first heard them. There were so many coyote songs echoing throughout the canyon that I couldn’t tell where they were coming from. It seemed like I was surrounded by hundreds of coyotes, although it was really only one pack making such a commotion.

This feeling of being surrounded by coyotes occurs because of an unusual kind of sound anomaly that occasionally happens here. It is a very rare phenomenon that makes sounds seem closer than they are and sometimes even makes amazing echoes that reverberate over and over again. (Although this phenomenon which is very rare here, on a few occasions, I have heard the quiet conversation of people who live half a mile down the road. It’s as if they are next to me. When this first happened when I moved here, I thought I was hearing ghosts.)

It took awhile but I finally realized that the coyotes were on the hill behind our home. Even though they were close, I wanted to get even closer. The depth and variety of their songs fascinated me, so I stealthily climbed the hill. I could tell by the sound I was very close but I couldn’t see them. They seemed to be just over the ridge of our hill. But I was so close that I was sure they would either see me in the moonlight or smell me … but they continued to howl, yip and wolf in what seemed like some ecstatic rite.

Finally I rounded the top of the ridge, and stopped in amazement. Although the night was clear and the moon was bright and full, there was a thick wall of mist just 20 feet away. Within this bank of fog were the coyotes. They couldn’t seem me and apparently couldn’t hear or smell me as they continued to sing. I slowly sat in the grass and cherished their voices and their spirit.

As I listened, I thought about the fact that although the coyotes weren’t aware of my presence, nevertheless I was moved by their song. it occurred to me that even if we aren’t aware of it, when we touch our soul, we can create an energy that positively affects everyone around us. The coyotes couldn’t see beyond the boundaries of their fog bank, but their song reverberated throughout the canyon last night. I believe that when we tap into our truth and create sanctuary within ourselves our energy reverberates throughout world we make a difference …even when we are not aware of it.

I wish you all my love and support on your journey to joy, wholeness, and inner truth. May you find the truth of your soul and live in sanctuary filled with sacred space.

All my love,

Denise