The Spiritual Ascent

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In this life, the love you give becomes the only lasting treasure
2008-01-29 01:29:00
In this life, the love you give becomes the only lasting treasureAnd what you lose will be what you winA well that echoes down too deep to measure-David Wilcox-The Love You Give In the end it's all about the love we give away and the love we receive, our possessions can be wiped out over night, and if we have gave nothing to love we are left with nothing but a stormy dark sea. To love another selflessly is a lasting treasure of infinite greatness and one that continues to grow and expand through the years. Even if we suffer catastrophe, the love we have been given and the love we have shown can never be taken away from us, they will be a light to lead us home.Many people have never truly known love, some have never shown it. Perhaps they have been given a form of love that is not really love at all but empty words and promises, this unfortunately is what most of us have experienced. To the unloved there is a hollowness, an emptiness that burns and gnaws at them from the inside. Thei...
More About: Life , Treasure

The Beauty Of The Mystical
2008-01-26 03:24:00
Birds go flying at the speed of sound,to show you how it all began.Birds came flying from the underground,if you could see it then you'd understand,-Chris Martin-It was a beautiful spring morning, I had laid out my tools and bamboo for the day and went to work on some custom order bamboo flutes for my friends in France. Over to the left of me a Camilla was in full bloom. Simply admiring the beauty emanating from it gave me great inspiration. There was joy in the air, joy from the sun, from the blue sky and not to mention the buttercups and dandelions popping up on the lawn like messengers shouting to me that, the old has passed, a new era had begun! A swallow began to sing a song of spring in a near by tree. I felt that this beautiful creature was singing a song just for me. I was reminded of the gentleness of St. Francis, his humility and kindness toward all creatures. I thanked him for this beautiful little bird and I asked him to be present with me and my swallow friend as I wor...
More About: Beauty , Mystical

Finding Who You Are In The Present now
2008-01-24 15:53:00
Presently you are reading these words, something grabbed your attention, caught your eye and at this very moment you are engaged in the words of this blog. You made a choice to be here and this moment is forever attached to this blog entry. Hopefully the information you are reading at this present time is insightful and beneficial to you on your journey through this life. You may choose to read this entry simply as you would a newspaper or magazine, perhaps thinking about something that happened yesterday, a few weeks ago or a few months ago. You may be reading these words and thinking about your future, the things that you would like to have or perhaps something you fear. The other option is to become fully engaged in the present now, to become fully aware of who you are right now, not who you were or will be, but who you are PRESENTLY. Now is all you have, now is about choice, now is about making the best intuitive decision and finding ways to move into light and away from darknes...
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What Energizes You?
2008-01-22 07:37:00
Attitude is the way you mentally look at the world around you. It is how you view your environment and your future. It is the focus you develop toward life itself.Author UnknownThere are things in this life that build and reinforce positive energy and there are things that decrease our positive energy levels. I never really gave this much thought until later in life, I simply saw it as there are good days and bad days, what contributed to the good and the bad within my day was not so much a concern. I realize now that life is like playing chess, each moment we must strategize and seek the best option for whatever we are doing, we must search for what builds us up and keeps us motivated, we must be aware of the negative forces that want to bring us down.Good & Bad ChoicesLife is about choices, good and bad and ultimately our bad days can be linked to bad choices, for me this starts when I get out of bed. If I choose to ignore a bad disposition for instance, I'm doomed from the get-g...

The Power Of Manifesting: Start Small & Build Up
2008-01-20 07:35:00
It's not your work to make anything happen. It's your work to dream it and let it happen. Law of Attraction will make it happen. In your joy, you create something, and then you maintain your vibration harmony with it, and the Universe must find a way to bring it about. That's the promise of Law of Attraction.~ Abraham Hicks ~I had an interesting experience a few weeks ago that I'd like to share and it has to do with the concept of manifesting a certain outcome. I was discussing with my conscience that I'd like to begin to practice in a deeper way manifesting my destiny by throwing positive energy toward a particular thing I'm envisioning. I thought to myself I'd start small - so I envisioned myself making a new friend. It had been awhile since I had actively gone out and developed a friendship so it sounded appealing to me. The following morning was a Saturday and typically Emmalia and I go out to the park for some daddy and daughter time on this day.It was a beautiful clear ...
More About: Power , Start , Small , Build , Manifesting

The True Source Of Love?
2008-01-17 17:12:00
Today I?d like to address the issue of love and relationships in our modern 21st century world. The times we live in now are unprecedented, technology has allowed us as individuals to be closer than ever no matter where we are in the world, I can be in the Sahara desert and retain constant communication with my friends and loved ones, the interconnectedness of our age is unbelievable.With mediums like youtube, facebook, myspace and the entire bloggosphere, we make ourselves available and easily found by anyone, we reveal our deepest secrets, our fears, our passions, likes and dislikes, our ideas and products. But what lies hidden behind all this technology that perhaps is not as easily discerned? Why the drive for all this interconnectedness? I believe the answers are simple: we are looking for love, acceptance, relationship.Now with all this technology at our fingertips one would assume we?d feel closer than ever to our brothers and sisters here at home and around the world, yet so...
More About: Love , Source , True

Some Scribbles On Tree Pruning..
2008-01-16 16:48:00
I thought I?d speak a little today on pruning fruit trees since it?s that time of year to prune the Apples, Pears and so on. The first thing you want is a fine hand saw crafted specifically for pruning trees and a good pair of hand pruners, NO weed whackers, no loppers, chainsaws need not apply! It's detrimentally important that you wash the blade of any tool with alcohol or bleach water before pruning or sawing a branch. Disease can be carried on your tools from tree to tree and cause sickness or death in some cases, so wash your tools well, I cannot stress this enough! I'll began with apple trees; you have several varieties of apple trees, tall, medium dwarfed and dwarfed, if you have not pruned fruit trees before start with a dwarf size tree, no ladder is required and most of the branches are within reach. Step back and examine the shape of the tree for a few minutes, survey it's surroundings, which portions of the tree are getting the most sunlight and which portions are lack...
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Why Bamboo Flutes Part 2
2008-01-14 17:34:00
...The years prior to this starting in 2001 were years marked with trial and disappointment at every turn, so much darkness, financial stress, and the near loss of my wife made this injury the icing on the cake, I sunk like a led balloon into deep dark depression, my motivation was sapped and as far as I was concerned I was done, I lost hope that I would or could become anything useful?One special item that had been my constant companion over the years was a beautiful bamboo flute, perfectly tuned in the key of F major, and yes, bamboo can be tuned perfectly. The flute was a dark rich maroon with black binding crafted from a gorgeous piece of timber bamboo, it felt very much like a traditional Indian Bansurai. This paticular flute has a a picture engraved on it; the sun rising over a mountain and a dove with an olive branch in its mouth, I would later learn how symbolic this was.Fast forward to a beautiful summer afternoon August 14, 2004, my wife had left with my daughter to run so...
More About: Bamboo , Part

Do You Have A Spiritual Gift?
2008-01-12 16:59:00
This blog entry is for you! I would love hear about some of your spiritual gifts and how you are using them or how you would like to use them. Also, if you have been impacted by someone with a spiritual gift, please share how it changed your life.Namaste,
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Why Bamboo Flutes?
2008-01-12 05:59:00
I have been contemplating a good discussion about bamboo flutes being one who makes and plays bamboo flutes of various kinds. I thought it would be interesting to take you back to the beginning of my company Kolbe Flutes and discuss that aspect of my spiritual journey, a life changing journey that changed my course drastically.So let me take you back to August 14th 2004, the feast day of one of my heroes St.Maximilian Kolbe. At this phase of my life I worked in the field of nursing, long hours and lots of stress and pressure. I severely injured a muscle in my hip assisting a nurses aid with a patient who was about to fall, as we lowered this gentleman to the ground dead weight I could feel the muscle in my hip tearing followed by an instant rush of heat, dizziness, nausea, I knew I was injured and I knew it was serious. Over the next week the pain became so intense I had to lean to the left when walking, I was forced o leave work and collect L&I for my injury, this began some intens...
More About: Bamboo

Perspective
2008-01-09 05:47:00
It's been an all around hard day, night, week, I'm seeking some perspective now, perspective to pain, sickness, loss. I know in my heart of hearts that within these trials, these sufferings lay greater tools for advancement, the problem is finding them and not quitting or compromising what I know is right. I have two parts of me that are always battling for control: there's the spiritual contemplative side of me that is a peaceful warrior, thoughtful, prayerful and hopeful. There is also a side of me that is very impatient, at times bossy, overpowering and extremely industrious and this one hurts people, this one gets me in trouble. In a recent spiritual reading it was stated that I have incredible bright beautiful energy from my heart to the top of my head, bright, strong, full of hope and inspiration, yet a bit diminished at my mouth. Below my heart and down is this dark, dim energy, somewhat hopeless and staggering for life. This energy is weak and frail. I was told there are...
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Pray for my co-worker...
2008-01-09 03:00:00
I had a co-worker fall off a ladder today and severely injured himself, please offer up prayers and petitions for my friend and fellow worker Joe, he's a good man. I have more thoughts on this, at the moment I feel very sad and disappointed that such a good person with so much integrity, who loves their family so much should have to be suffering this way. If you have any thoughts on this matter feel free to share, I need some insight tonight, feeling overwhelmed and out of focus.Peace to you all,Michael
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Automatic Writing..
2008-01-06 12:15:00
Pure gold in the early morning sun, lay benath a willow tree in the autumn dew in hopeful expectation of what lies ahead. Your optimism is your greatest gift, show love and mercy and may they never leave your lips. The hands you hold up to the sun are meant to heal the broken and bring life to the dispairing. Let not your soul be consumed by obscurity, doubt, degredation, become a vessel of light, become hope, become love. Unleash the full force of your creativity, tear down the walls and barriers that hinder your potential, complancency and sadness must end. Two hands clasped around an olive branch, two vessels of oil- one pure gold, one filled with sediment and dirt, a stone hallway and cobblestone...
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A Bit More About Visions, Images...
2008-01-04 17:31:00
Sometimes visions or mental images come as if seen through a dimly lit room, you see it but the clarity is lacking, this may be due in part to ones physical state at the moment of recieving. Lack of sleep, poor diet, stress, all of these things cloud the mind of the visionary. Vice of various forms also hinders the visionary from recieving clearly. Drug use obviously, alchoholism and pornography. Pornograpghy is an intersting one being that over time it destroys the naturtal pleaure center in the brain and is an addiction like any drug. In many cases pornography degrades the human person body and soul, the one addicted to these images loses respect for the human person and see only and object, this is the opposite of love based living, pornograpghy is about self consumption and degredation. If you have a visionary gift or percieve that you may have one you must first seek to cleanse your temple, your body. Our bodies are meant to be conduets for divine encounters, not all have the s...
More About: Images , Visions , Ages

Coming To A Realization Of My Mission
2008-01-04 01:53:00
Since I was young I have always had a strong intuition about people, places, objects, sometimes words will come cocerning the person next to me, sometimes an image, sometimes a sense. For most of my life I did nothing with these impressions, I just played them off as simply biological and to be honest some of it may be biological, I do not believe the spiritual and the physical body can be seperated while we are living, they seem to move as one. Some call it prophecy, some call it clairvoyence, I choose not to name these phenomenon , I do not want to be catergorized as this or that, they simply are. As an adult these senses seem much clearer, more defined, I'm at a point in my life where I want to help people to fulfill their lifes mission, to be the person they KNOW they should be. I feel these gifts or whatever one may call them must be excercised, calebrated and honed and I an willing to start moving out and growing in this area. Over the years I have used these gifts on an indi...
More About: Mission , Realization , Missi

Fear Based Living Is No Living at All
2008-01-03 06:12:00
As I was pondering my next blog entry of 2008 I thought I'd discuss my feelings on fear based living verses living a love based existence. Here in the United States we have unfortunately become accustomed to living in fear of many things especially since 911. September 11th, as horrible as it was has become a tool to drive fear into the people of this country, simply raising and lowering the terrorist threat level are minds are driven back to the horrible events of 911 and the lingering fear that if we do not hang on every word of our leaders, support the surge, fight the axis of evil and so on that their are hoards of terrorists waiting to consume our country and convert it to radical Islam. These events have been used as weapons themselves to keep our country in line by means of fear. Forgive me if I'm offending anyone, but this is how I feel, that the American people are pawns in a nasty game, held in fear.Controlled behavior is not necessarily good behavior, it's simply contr...
More About: Living , Fear

A Happy & Balanced 08
2008-01-02 06:02:00
I do not have much mental energy tonight, but I wish you all the very best for 2008, good night and peaceful dreams my friends.Namaste,google_ad_client = "pub-8772252897363144";//468x60, created 1/1/08google_ad_slot = "0861035329";google_ad_width = 468;google_ad_height = 60;//-->src="http://pagead2.googlesyndica tion.com/pagead/show_ads.js">
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Our Bodies Are A Temple For The Divine
2008-01-01 02:24:00
Our bodies are a temple for the divine, we need to care for them as such. My time in the medical field was a real eye opener to the decline of physical health in this country and for a young man in his thirties this really scared me. To care for folks in their late 30's and early 40's coming in with heart attacks, strokes, aneurisms, diabetes, MRSA, obesity and a host of other ills woke me up to the fact that we are in real trouble in this country when it comes to our health. All the time our bodies are screaming at us to read the signs: shortness of breath, poor circulation, purple or blueish fingernails, fatigue, depression, these ar all syptomatic of internal problems and we need to listen. If we never change our oil or replace the oil in our cars, transmission problems are on the way. Not to long ago I struggled with a number of symptoms on the list above and finally some of them got so bad that I finally woke up, my body was telling me, "Michael, you're heading for a huge br...
More About: Temple , Bodies , Divine , Bodie , Temp

Finding A Quiet Place
2007-12-31 04:59:00
I go through phases in my life where I become very "monklike", contemplative and inward. As far as prayer is concerned I tend to be introspective, I enjoy finding the divine in the silence, waiting for a word, an image to light my path. Resting in the stillness and allowing God to speak and light my path brings me much joy, the problem is I do not want to leave that place once I enter it. This world can be so abrasive that one could sit in the gentleness of the "Ruach" for hours on end allowing spirtual winds to gently blow. It's important that we still our body and soul, not only do we need physical rest but spiritual rest, like pure water, spiritual water.Which brings me to my next point and that is finding a quiet place, a place free of distraction, a place that we connect with. I need this place of solitude daily, a place that I meet with God, a place where I can free my mind and release my thoughts into the ether. I would suggest a space without clutter and a space that holds...
More About: Place , Quiet

Automatic Poem
2007-12-29 06:01:00
Days end time for rest, slumbering moods caress my mind. Soul and body tired from the day, cool water greets my lips. Dream of forests deep and running, singing doves to guide the way, playful dance in Camelot, look up and see the Milky Way.Goodnight,
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What Is Your Life's Mission?
2007-12-28 03:49:00
I wanted to talk a bit about discovering who we are, what our purpose in life is and finding out what we are passionate about. When we introspect and ask ourselves who we are and what our purpose is, I think many of us would not have a clear answer. We are so busy simply trying to survive the day to day, pay our bills, buy our food, commute to work, raise our kids that life becomes like a blurr.I would guess that in each of us resides a space reserved for our real dreams and ambitions, our real gifts and talents, our real calling in life, but fear keeps us bound, fear keeps us from pursuing our lifes misson, mainly fear of failure. We are also bound by poor choices, the things we eat, lack of excercise and sleep, stress, anger, unforgiveness.What our world needs now more than anything is passionate healthy people, great lights not afraid to shine out in a world so darkened with evil idealogies, fear based goverments, brutal regimes, child trafficking, repressive treament of woman an...
More About: Mission , Missi

Thinking About Compassion..
2007-12-27 03:11:00
Today I've been considering what it means to be a "compassionate" person in a way that is not condesending to those who may be suffering or enduring some type of hardship. I read recently that compassion and pity are two completely different things: compassion can be seen as putting ones self on the same level as the person enduring hardship with complete humility, not looking down on them but seeing ones self as their "equal" as one human being to another despite social class differences or race. Seeing another human being made in the image of God, loving them for who they are, this is compassion.Pity on the other hand tends to be more of a degrading mindset, the one who pitys often times looks down on that person from a higher positin, they see the other person as wretched, weak and miserable, they may offer them well meaning words but have no intention of lowering themselves or trying to see things from anothers point of view. The one who pitys lacks humilty, and simply feels so...
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Shirabe Moon Review
2007-12-25 20:40:00
Here is a review of my track "Shirabe Moon " recorded on a Shakuhachi 2.0 Japanese bamboo flute recently given to a good friend. Namaste!World Song. I like very much this track. You listen for a solo ethnic flute (5:05) and after that you ask yourself why we are always trying to add and to fill. Less is more, definitely! Composition: a suite of melodic phrases, one better than the other that never lose the musical thread. Played with skill. Moving. Sound: well recorded delicate instrument with a sober reverb, very good microphone choice and placement, good S/N ratio, I like the echo-like effect at 3:59. The only detail that can be improved in this track is the overall level; maybe, with a good mastering it could be louder. A very beautiful track, thank you!Review ed by: StabatMater from Brussels, BelgiumShirabe Moon: http://www.myspace.com/bushidoshakuhachi

To Whom It May Concern
2007-12-25 07:43:00
Do you have a gift of healing? Are you a visionary? Do you have a call? Send me am e-mail, I'd love to post some of your stories. Happy Holidays!Namaste,Michael

My Little Horsey!
2007-12-25 07:31:00
My daughter is an amazing little four year old girl, she's so bright and theatrical, absolelutely loves costumes and she owns about 20 or so. This morning she dressed up as a horse after watching "Spirit". She brings so much color and joy to my wife and I, she has a wit that never ends. Being a father is a wonderful thing, at times challenging, especially with a strong will "spirited" child who moves to her own rythm.Even though her strong willed nature can be a challenge at times, it's a special gift that must not be stiffled. To live and survive in this world of the 21st century kids need to have a voice, they need to have confidence instilled in them or they will be trampled by the frenzy of modern society. They need to know they are loved by their parents for her they are, they need to be able to express freely their concerns, fears, when they are sad and lonely, us parents need to stop and listen more. She is definately a Stallion, her costume today suits her well. Peace to a...

A note about this blog..
2007-12-24 18:59:00
I changed the title of this to "The Spiritual Ascent" for I felt it conveys in a much more whole expression of where I would like to go with this blog. I started out discussing my journey to health with raw foods and excerise and veared in the direction of the spiritual for the last two entries, for we are both spirtual and physial creatures so I will switch back and forth bewteen the spirtual and physical. I plan to get much more in depth with raw foods in the next few weeks, especially concerning ginger root which I consider to be a "miracoulous root" if there ever was one. I also want to dig deeply into spiritual matters concerning ourselves, our mission and our contribution to 21st century society drawing upon authors like Matthew Fox, Thomas Merton and others. I wish you much peace today my friends and happy holidays!Michael
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The Precipice
2007-12-24 07:10:00
Walking on the precipice, hanging in the balance, voices warning us to turn from all that we've become. Vast amounts of energy spent on useless fodder as the innocents lay suffering beneath the deep decay. Walk the nighttime valley and descend the steps of time, stand between the noise and sound where silence is your light. Children of the stars this is your time to shine, the trials that you've endured bring this moment now to life. Rise up rise up, you're made of gold and fire, still the hand of the destroyer, still the hand of the divider.
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Matters Of The Spirit & The Heart
2007-12-24 06:05:00
Are you feeling lonely tonight? Depressed? Do you feel consumed with sorrow? Have you experienced loss? Perhaps you are feeling isolated within yourself as if you are trapped behind a prison of flesh screaming inwardly for someone to hear you, to acknowledge you, your dying to be loved. If you are reading this tonight and you are experiencing any of these things please...stop and listen to my words, you are loved, I love you for who you are, you have great potential, realize your worth and value in this human race and see your gifts. As hard as it is you must see the value in these sufferings, embrace them and learn from them, the pain you are feeling will be weapons of love, you will be a guide for the broken and the downtrodden, to give them compassion love and healing...don't give up, the night is breaking and the dawn is approaching, you are loved.
More About: Heart , The Spirit , Spirit , Matters , The Heart

Ab Crunches
2007-12-22 07:41:00
I'll keep this short tonight, I have been working alot on abdominal crunches lately and one type of crunch in paticular really seems to work well for me. While on your back throw your legs over a chair or up on the bed, (I prefer the bed). Next, place your hands under your chin and pull yourself up toward your knees to the point where you feel your abs tightening. With our hands still under our chin and elbows extended a bit, hold that position for 20 seconds, and then rest for 20. I do 15 of these a night. If you want to feel a bit more pain, use 2 pound toning weights in each hand and as your lean forward bring your arms back over your head and hold it for 20, that one burns!Goodnight,Michael

The Detox
2007-12-21 01:04:00
It seems we are always searching for a miracle drug or healing herb, we're willing to try anything and pay any amount for the latest craze, yet could it be that the greatest healers are right under our noses? I believe they are and the answers to our ills are much less complex.I reached a point last year where I just felt dreadful, I was always fatigued and tired, my joints hurt, my head hurt, my skin was burning and itchy and I was extremely anxious so naturally I was not sleeping. To say the least, I was not fun to be around, my poor wife and daughter! To make matters worse I was almost 30 pounds over weight and on my 5'8 frame that's a good amount of weight!I recieved a call one day from my folks saying they had a juicer they never used and offered it to my wife and I, so I took it. I also recieved some books on raw veggies and various combinations that apparently treated different ailments. I went out and bought spinach, carrots, celery, oranges, apples and ginger root (which...
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