Leadership Swami

By Candace Talmadge

 Fog spread like misty syrup over the Jamaican mountains. The dark, narrow, twisting road out of Ocho Rios instantly became impassable to all but foot traffic.

Yet the taxi carrying Jeff Delgado had to keep driving the 40 miles to St. Joseph Hospital in Kingston–quickly. Without the medical facilities available only at St. Joseph, Jeff would die soon. Doctors suspected he had ruptured the major aorta above his stomach, the biggest blood vessel in his body.

A father of eight and just 40 years old, Jeff was bleeding to death next to his wife on the back seat of the taxi.

Tragedy threatened to end what had begun happily as an appliance sales incentive convention. Jeff, who was to emcee the banquet and ceremonies that night, had been indulging his love for liquor and good times on the beach that afternoon.

Drunk on champagne, he rented a Sunfish even though he knew nothing about sailing. The breeze sent the boat all the way out to the main reef, where Jeff realized he was in trouble. He struggled tipsily to turn the boat around. Instead, it capsized and threw him into the water. The boat’s gunwale twice whacked Jeff on the side with extreme force as the craft flipped over and over.

Working off pure adrenaline, Jeff managed to catch hold of the back of the boat and a bit of the rigging. Somehow he and the Sunfish floated back onto the beach. Jeff was so weak he had to be carried back to his hotel room, where he evacuated a huge quantity of blood from his bowels.

Terrified, he called his doctor’s office back in Norman, Okla. The nurse ordered him not to lie down, urged him to summon local medical help immediately and even phoned the hotel desk long distance to make sure others knew Jeff was in life-threatening trouble.

A young Jamaican doctor, summoned to Jeff’s room, watched in alarm as Jeff evacuated still more blood. He gave Jeff two injections of vitamin K to thicken Jeff’s blood to slow the rate of bleeding. The physician next tried to find transport to Kingston. Local residents were so fearful of the fog and the mountains that only one taxi driver was willing to make the treacherous journey that evening.

As the car negotiated the foothills and the fog closed in, a bearded, shaggy-haired figure appeared at the side of the road. Clad in sandals, cape and baggy work pants, he did not look at all like a native Jamaican. He had arched eyebrows and large hands, “like a carpenter’s,” Jeff recalls. Climbing onto the cab’s front seat, he glanced briefly at Jeff and asked: “Is that man in great pain?”

Jeff was in an almost meditative state at that point and was feeling no pain that he can remember.

The wayfarer then spent the next couple of hours guiding the driver through the fog. He even got out of the cab several times and stood just a few yards ahead, pointing the way safely through the thick swirling mists that obscured everything.

“We couldn’t have continued without him,” Jeff says. “There was a steep mountain slope on one side of the road and a precipice on the other.”

Finally, the taxi wound down out of the mountains and the fog. The wayfarer asked the driver to stop, got out of the cab and vanished, ever to be seen or heard from again.

By the time Jeff reached the Kingston hospital, he had only 40 percent of normal blood pressure and had to have massive pressurized transfusions. Doctors told him up front that he had no hope of surviving the rest of the night.

They didn’t take into consideration a tiny Jamaican nun, however. She talked to Jeff that first night at the hospital and in the days immediately following. She prayed for Jeff and the day after she made her supplication, Jeff knew his bleeding had stopped. He was even strong enough to get out of bed.

Jeff’s recovery was inexplicable to the doctors in Kingston. When he returned to the United States, Jeff was thoroughly examined at a hospital affiliated with the University of Oklahoma. Physicians there found nothing to indicate life-threatening internal injury–no scars, no lesions. They also could offer no explanations.

One of the most puzzling aspects of Jeff’s astonishing healing experience remains the sudden appearance of the wayfarer on that dangerous mountain road and then the wayfarer’s subsequent disappearance.

“I’m grateful and impressed,” Jeff says. “I don’t even pretend to explain it (the wayfarer) other than it was some external–divine–power that made this fulfillment possible.”

There are other explanations for the wayfarer: random chance, coincidence, circumstance, and even just dumb good luck or good fortune. Of course. A man just happened to be taking a nighttime stroll along a deserted, remote, fog-isolated mountain road at the exact time a dying person is also on that road and esperately needs help.

Such assertions strain credulity beyond the breaking point. Just as likely an explanation: Jeff’s wayfarer was an angel in physical form for a critical mission of love and protection: to assist in Jeff’s physical survival.

Also known as spirit guides, angels are messengers of love, faith, hope, and healing, and they are with us for the long haul.

As eternal vibrating essences, also known as souls, we choose for a number of reasons and motivations to return for an earthly presence. We do not have to face physical life alone. We gather to us a group of other vibrating essences to be our friends and remain by our side throughout our physical lifetime and even after that lifetime ends (an event known as “death”). These souls do not take on physical bodies.

When we are very young, we know our angels/guides as our imaginary friends. At least, that’s what our well-meaning parents or teachers tell us they are once we get a bit older. They’re not real, of course. They’re just wishful thinking or the figments of our childish

fantasies.

What utter nonsense. Angels/guides are every bit as real as we are. The only difference between us and the angels is we have physical bodies and they do not.

Occasionally, however, they can and do assume physical form–especially when our physical survival is on the line, as in Jeff’s case.

Angels/spirit guides also have many other ways to offer us their love, and future articles will explore some of the other “support” roles they undertake to help us.

Candace (C.L.) Talmadge is the author of the epic fantasy Green Stone of Healing(R) series and a political columnist syndicated by North Star Writers Group. As StoneScribe, she blogs about the intersection of politics and spirituality.

Purpose of Life: Are You Ready to Stop Wasting Your Life as You Finally Realize Your Life Purpose?
By Matthew DeSilva

 If youre wondering about the purpose of life, the easiest way to solve this problem is to figure out that its time for you to seriously map out your lifes true mission.

The number one explanation for why most people are existing without intention is because theyve never taken time out to plan life out. Many folks are surviving at careers or jobs they fell in to. Many folks are living conservative, dreary lives without feeling the joy they should be.

Many folks are living with a deep feeling of angst or fear instead of experiencing the true purpose of existence to have fun.

Thats correct, life is actually supposed to be fun. Unfortunately, you may have learned along the way that you were supposed to be miserable all day long. Nothing could be further from being accurate.

Lets glimpse at three blessings that come with realizing and living your Life Purpose. Then, well take a look at three tactics to help you begin this operation.

Your Personal Philosophy

The number one perk to learning your own purpose of life is that you define your Personal Philosophy. Your Personal Philosophy comes down to how you perceive life. Its the paradigm through which you view the universe you live in.

This is where you jot down the morals, principles, and values by which you will live by. Theres a huge difference in the Life Purpose of a person valuing honesty and integrity as opposed to the person who doesnt mind lying and cheating now and then.

Like many other people, you may very well be living a life today that doesnt match up with your Personal Philosophy. Does your job have you doing things that go against your morals and principles? Have you allowed a friend, family member, or spouse to steer you in directions that have you violating your values?

Getting your Personal Philosophy solidified will let you make important decisions quite easily from the viewpoint of principles that you hold dearly.

Your Vision

As your Life Purpose comes clearly into focus, your entire life vision changes. Instead of living life by accident and hoping things work out, you now see clearly how each choice affects you now and in the future.

With your purpose of life mapped out, you no longer accept anything that goes against that vision and purpose. Imagine the difference in your caliber of life when you make choices based on ultimate truth rather than anything else the world may be proposing you do.

Making a Difference

Since most people in todays society are ensnared in “exist mode”, they have abandoned all thoughts of purpose or living with intention.

However, when you resolve to finally rise above this and work on yourself in order to experience your Higher Purpose, youll find that your discovery of your true reason for being alive will end up in a life where you make a difference to those around you.

Discovering your Life Purpose is marvelous. It comes with a feeling of meaning. It allows you to effect powerful change on a world in need of it. It allows you to finally stop saying, someday and to start living now. You help others now you make a difference now.

What a wonderful way to live life!

Look Within

Now that youve read about three of the many advantages youll get when you take the time to discover your purpose of life, lets take a look at three steps that will guide you along this journey.

The first thing you need to realize is that youre not going to discover the answers to your Life Purpose by looking outside of yourself. On the contrary, this is when you must start finding alone time where you can focus within for the answers to your personal purpose of life.

This is a spiritual growth path as well as a personal growth process. Youre working on discovering about your inner self and the lessons this spiritual being can teach you. You may want to invest time in learning about the various meditation methods in order to help you focus within.

Focus on Your Inner Child

Looking back at your childhood is a key part to discovering the purpose of life. There was a marvelous time at some point in your childhood when you saw life as special, amazing, joyous, and magical. This view of life had nothing to do with achievement or validation from others.

There was a time when you were filled with wonder and joy just for being alive. This is the place you want to get yourself back in touch with!

You can start this process by returning to everything you enjoyed as a child. Think through your interests, the games you liked to play, the hobbies you participated in, etc. Start brainstorming about everything that makes you happy simply because and youre getting closer to your own purpose of life.

Write it Down

Something good happens when you write down your thoughts. It becomes more real to you. It has a much bigger effect on your mind than when you simply think about it. Therefore, be sure to write down your innermost thoughts and feelings as you start to focus on discovering your Life Purpose.

Youve learned three benefits of realizing the purpose of life and three ways you can start working toward your personal Life Purpose. While there are ultimately dozens of steps necessary to work on in this process, these three should help you get started.

Matthew M. DeSilva has created Life Purpose University, where youll find the free 5-day mini-course, 5 Key Blessings When Discovering Your Life Purpose, which will help you as you work toward discovering your personal purpose of life. Get it now at: http://www.lifepurposeuniversity.com

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How To Use the Secret of the Mandalas and Yantras to Master Your Inner Self!
By Tenzin Pemo

 There are all sorts of spiritual, mystical things that we do not really understand. For instance, there are some people who are diagnosed with cancer who get treated in the far East and come back cancer-free.

There are others who have rare diseases that the doctors diagnose will kill them in six months and who manage to live for ten years or more. It is painfully obvious that we have not even come close to understanding all of the things we are able to accomplish.

If you are looking to increase your spiritual abilities and master your inner self, you may want to learn a bit about mandalas and yantras and how to use them to tune your body and spirit.

1) Mandalas

Mandala is from the Sanskrit language and means circle. There may be squares and triangles in a mandala, but the entire mandala should have a concentric structure.

Everything in the mandala should be balanced, and should give an air of harmony. The point of a mandala is to help one travel on their spiritual journey easily.

There are a number of ways to use a mandala, and each way is just a bit different than the one before. There are, however, some basics about a mandala that can help you when you are just starting to use a mandala.

The first thing you need to do before you meditate is to decide what your intention of meditation is. If you are intending to calm your mind, you will want a mandala that is for calming.

If you are looking to find your beginning, you may want a Native American labyrinth mandala. Set the mandala in front of you and begin your meditation. Look at the mandala and allow your mind to swirl around the beauty of the designs in the mandala.

During your meditation, if you mind begins to wander and you start thinking about the everyday, mundane things, focus your attention back on the mandala. Pretend that your mind is swimming in the mandala, and let the colors and designs swirl around you.

As you slowly sink into the designs, your body and mind will begin to feel lighter. You can start to float and your thoughts will come to, more pure and more enlightened.

Remember, every time you start to think about the everyday things, re-focus back on the mandala and allow yourself to sink into it. The better you get at meditating with the mandala, the more pure your thoughts will be. You may even find that you start seeing things in the future or understanding yourself in a way that you never have before.

2) Yantra

In some ways, a yantra is very similar to a mandala. Yantra translates to support and is, again, about helping you to achieve the highest level of meditation that you can.

Many believe that a yantra is the tool that allows you to find the window into the absolute. And again, like a mandala, you use focusing on the yantra to stop your mind from wandering to the mundane and everyday during your meditation cycle.

Some believe, however, that when you meditate with a yantra, it is possible to connect directly with God.

Most yantras are focused on a specific deity, which means that if you are looking to connect so a specific deity, you should seek out the yantra that will help you to do that. Some yantras are drawn on cloth or paper, while others are made with wood and can even be three dimensional.

When you meditate, focus on the yantra and the form energy that swirls around the yantra. Each yantra begins in the center of the design and does not end until the outer most square. You can turn a yantra upside down if you like, but you need to understand that a yantra changes depending on which way you turn it.

When you start to focus on a yantra, make sure that you are relaxed. Focus your mind and your energy into the yantra. A yantra alone is worth nothing, but a yantra partnered with your psychic energy can create some amazing things. Instead of being focused on the microcosm, you will be able to access the macrocosm, and, quite possibly, the deity that you have been trying to connect to.

Meditating can be difficult, especially with all of the things we have to worry about in the normal world. There are tons of things that can enter into your mind, so a helping hand is sometimes necessary.

A mandala or a yantra can help you to focus your thoughts and can help you to connect to things that are outside of your everyday understanding.

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