Domestic Violence Does Not End with October

By Jillian Maas Backman

Our conscience is not the vessel of eternal verities. It grows with our social life, and a new social condition means a radical change in conscience. -Walter Lippmann, journalist (1889-1974) 

The time has come to say goodbye to the yearly blog posts designated to highlight Domestic Violence Awareness for the month of October. My fellow authors did an exceptional job describing the highs and lows of this formidable social opponent. As heart- wrenching and warming as the posts were, I’m afraid it’s going to take a lot more than underscoring this public epidemic once a year to influence long-term change.

As famous journalist Walter Lippmann stated long ago, not everyone’s conscience is filled with virtuous truths or principles. For some, their scruples resonates with less than impeccable verities and act accordingly towards mankind/womankind.

So how does revisiting this open-ended dialog every year at this time help solve or combat this societal issue? For the very reason Lippmann pointed out way back in the day. This is the only way to keep moving forward and grow in our social life, set new social conditions and patterns to achieve radical transformation.

I realize we would all like to snap our fingers and make this social deviance magically disappear, but that’s not how “radical change in conscience” truly occurs. It’s slow and steady -- like the turtle and the hare. One small step at a time. If we keep pushing the issue to the top of our concern list, this will eventually lead to the conscious shift we so desperately seek.

Domestic Violence Achievements

The victories may seem minuscule in scale to other social problems we have right now, but I assure you, if we don’t keep this conversation going past this month, we are going to have bigger challenges down the road. Relationships are the brick and mortar that keeps our social structure together in one cohesive, conscious group. Every time another case of violence is afflicted upon another, it blows a tiny pinhole into this edifice. Eventually, if we accumulate enough pinholes, the entire consciousness will collapse upon itself. And this, my friends, is the biggest threat we have at the moment.

The part Mr. Lippmann didn’t get to experience in his lifetime are the achievements we’ve made towards a new awareness when it comes to this issue. Yes, our walls may be filled with tiny pinholes from aggression towards another, but we are making significant advancements towards plugging up those nasty holes with a new type of mortar.

Thriving survivors and their supporters are reforming social conditions using words and legislation to fill these pinpricks with a new kind of eternal verities. A vessel containing social plaster, mixed with the right amount of integrity, inspiration and hopeful principles that are leading us down the enlightened change Lippmann envisioned.

Change for Peace

As we close this month out, I want all of us to commit ourselves to staying on task to honor those who have lost their lives bringing forth this change, and stay diligent in assisting those who need help in finding their way through dark times far beyond this month of October 2014. My hope for us all is when we convene again next October our posts will contain less stories about tragedies and more about: Peace dear ones, peace!

The kind of peace one finds in hearts, minds, and best of all, relationships we treasure the most.

Please keep life SACRED!

Jillian Maas Backman is a professional speaker, award winning author and radio host. She is an innovator in the realm of creating personal paradigm shifts integrating established methods to augment communal objectives through leadership training and private consultations.

Website: JillianMaasBackman.Com

With God Everything is Possible?

by Jillian Maas Backman

People are obsessed with answers. People are obsessed with serial killers. Some people even have an obsession with Spirituality. Link one unto the other and you have an eccentric smorgasbord of unanswered questions.

For some questions finite answers will come only after one departs from this planet. Questions like can people really be absolved from despicable human sins and still go to heaven if they go through a radical spiritual transformation? Is this even possible or are some people to evil to bounce back and repent?

Most of us are Ok living with the fact we probably will never receive a concrete answer to this question. Yet, for others who need closure for every question in the universe this is not an option. In their way of thinking all questions lead to circular logic and conclusive answers, including the mystery of human salvation.

On my radio program last week, Change Already, I introduced the May series; Serial Killer and Spirituality with my first guest, Criminology Professor and Author, Dr. Scott Bonn. We chatted about the seemly dark fascination many have towards this morbid subject. People want the inside scoop on what makes another human being lose touch with the outside world and justify with precision their warped narcissist rationale for killing another.

Dr. Bonn will be joining me on air again this week, Thursday, to discuss one case in particular, Son of Sam serial killer from the 70's now serving a life sentence without parole. Several weeks ago Dr. Bonn had the rare opportunity to sit face- to- face with this deviant and have a frank discussion about his past transgressions and his thoughts for the future. (See Scott Bonn's article on CBS Crimesider)  He describes in detail a spiritual incident that happened during his incarceration in the late 80’s that changed his perception of purpose forever. He believed he underwent a spontaneous religious awakening from the heavens that released his past, humbled his soul and accepted Jesus as his savior. In the Christian faith this is called being saved. From that day forward he banished his old label, Son of Sam and adapted a new one, Son of Hope.

Dr. Bonn's latest book scheduled to be released sometime next year; Monster Dearest: Our Macabre Fascination with Serial Killers,  will detail the entire conversation with this well- known criminal, including this supposed spiritual soul revival. Controversy has already started and the back talk among those who have heard and read excerpts from this forthcoming book have mixed feelings about his reported transformation. People are having a hard time buying into the fact that a man of such evil proportions could be eligible to receive such a sought after human prize, let alone deserve it. Apparently, from all accounts, he believes in his own spiritual rebirth and is ready to serve the rest of his life sharing God’s word and purpose.

Herein lies one of those unanswerable questions that simply defy rationality. How could someone of such low vibrational caliber be able receive such a highly regarded societal religious honor in the wake of all the pain he has caused others from his past? If one puts some thought into the question there might be a way this really could happen!

We have all heard of personal accounts of people having near death experiences or suffering tragic events such as auto accidents and come back a completely different person. As if one personality walked out during the crisis and another walked in. Like magic, soul transference, one soul going back home and another waiting in the wings to takes its place. Happens right under our noses without notice as in the case of “Son of Sam” as he recants the story to Dr Bonn. He simply had enough of his sick ways and dropped to his knees one day in his jail cell, asked spirit for human forgiveness and the grace of unconditional redemption. From all accounts, he acted like a new and improved faithful man spreading the word of hope to all who would listen. One could label this transference a spiritual death rather than a physical death. The body remains the same but the soul is renewed.

Dr. Bonn will be joining me on air to tell us his professional and analytical thoughts on the matter. Does he believe he is telling his truth of being re-born and does he believe in redemption for all?

I personally have no intentions of casting expersions one way or the other on this case of soul swapping for “Son of Hope.” The only hope I can add to this bizarre turn of events is that he makes good on his promise to help others who seek spirituality light rather than choose the dark path of evil.

Again, another unanswered mystery we will never completely know until we have made our own transition to the other side. Until then these controversial spiritual transformations will continue to happen and we as normal human beings will continue to probe through our critical thinking and ask how and why. Hopefully, make peace with the fact there is no need to understand but trust that our hearts will show us the difference.

Jillian Maas Backman, Author, Beyond The Pews, Breaking With Traditions and Letting Go Religious Lockdown and host of Change Already! broadcasting each Thursday at noon CT.  www.jillianmaasbackman.com

To read previous articles by Jillian Maas Backman CLICK HERE

Looking Back, Looking Forward: 2012 and 2013

by Jillian Maas Backman

It is time once again to bid a fond farewell to another year served. Not just any year, mind you, one surrounded in antiquated mystery, intrigue and doomsday prophecy foreseeing ever-lasting fatal consequences, designed to unilaterally and spiritually over haul ourselves and emerge on December 31st as a new and improved population of undetermined proportion. A Utopian society comprising of single like-minded individuals flushed through by organic (severe weather and polar shifts) and non-organic (faith-based forecasts) convergence for universal higher consciousness.

In all probability, thankfully, it appears the world will continue long past this year and well into future. As much as some hoped, our transformation from turmoil to tranquility is not going to happen over the course of this magical year. There will be no spontaneous combustion on the horizon that will sway millions of lost souls to unite towards unselfish goals and wants for each others. No, this rise in conscious thought will take a tad longer than anticipated. However, the soul work we did accomplish over these several months did bump us up on the vibrational hierarchy chart of awareness and that’s always a good thing.

Year 2012 I labeled the “Year of Buoyancy.” In review, the last couple of years have brought about hardships for thousands of people. Last December’s blog post I asked each one of you to envision your inner spiritual core as buoys in a large body of water. Immovable flotation devices that serve to signal danger ahead and mark the beginning of calmer water ahead which helps to bob and weave through conflict and challenges without too much interruption to your normal routine. Hopefully, you were able to heed this calling and minimize the pain caused by indomitable circumstances. You will be asked to tap into this inner core strength once again during tenure in 2013. The energy of next year will not only encourage deeper contemplative thoughts but demand well laid introspective action as well.

This year was not about settling for status quo. It was supposed to represent a changing of the guard. New energy that could calm feuding nations and bring about greater hope of a peaceful planet. Elections held the potential to tear down cruel partisan rhetoric and set an historic tone of compromise, set aside obvious difference and strive towards mutual objectives. From outward appearances it seems we fell very short of the great 2012 potential. To the untrained intuitive eye it seems we are sitting right back where we left off four years ago. Piles of frustrated stalemates and honey-do lists for next time around. Don’t count out the energetic forces of 2012 just yet. The groundwork has been laid this year for new alliances next year. Watch for individuals demonstrating great courage to cross-over their political party allegiance to form lasting by-partisan relationships. These relationships will open discussions for others to follow. My hope is these brave taskmasters will in turn have constituents brave enough to follow their lead and support their endeavors for the higher good of all.

If one wants to see the true accomplishments from 2012 dig below the surface where magic truly lies. The mystical energetic treasures were not gifted to groups but to the individual. It’s no secret that year 2012 will go down in the history as the year we all worried about an apocalyptic fatal threat on December 21. I can’t imagine anything quite like a potential threat of immediate mass destruction of an entire planet to strip people down to the bare essentials of our existence. It shifted the onus back onto each one of us and forced us to live in “real time.” Individuals willing to set their ego aside and ask themselves tough internal questions about their own mortality by proxy. When insignificant things are dropped at the wayside it gives a person time to ponder the bigger picture. What do I believe in and can I support that cause to the bitter end.

2012 has been a year of blatant contrasts back and forth between all sorts of societal factions. As I have been suggesting, the gap is growing larger and more pronounced. In the words of Santa, there will always be some “naughty” and some “nice.” The difference is now Santa's “naughty” are becoming more brazen with both thoughts and actions. The nice are no longer turning a naive eye to their less than loving behavior towards others and getting involved. They are starting to stand up against the bullies of the world and saying no! once and for all. The energy of 2012 has removed the invisible cloak of anonymity and showing their true techno-colored grey aura for the entire world to see.

Many of you may have already been experiencing this same phenomenon in your own personal relationships. Those people who have been playing two ends to the middle for their own gain are starting to lose ground quickly. The perceived payoffs living in the middle grey zone is evaporating rapidly. The energy of 2012 is widening the gap two-fold. If you, or someone you know, is playing in this danger zone, watch out. This will be their spiritual death if not careful. The energy in 2013 is about asking yourself the reasons of why you are the way you are. It is about raising the consciousness of this planet upward towards the next plateau of awareness. The core theme for 2013 will center on building true adult soul relationships. Eliminating the need for foolish games or tactics to get what you want from another person. Souls will be communicating first and words will follow. This will be a new way of learning and growing for many who have not been practicing in small spurts this way. Don’t be surprised if it pushes your Trust emotion to the limit. There is something attractive when human beings are challenged to be venerable and trust another person as much as they trust themselves.

The energy of 2013 is all about re-calibration. Setting the re-start button to go bigger than ever before. Unlike this year where change and personal growth was waiving up and down, next year is slow and steady movements. No sudden jerking off course if you lay the foundation down properly. Turn your full attention towards your home life, specifically personal relationships. This is where the energy of 2013 will be felt the most in the coming months ahead. The energy for 2013 will afford each one of us the opportunity to see every relationship before you in a true light, the games people play and the way you interact with it. In this year many will come and go. The ones that survive the cut will afford the opportunity to delve deeper into a spiritual connection than ever before. How much are you willing to trust the new consciousness that is coming to fruition? Or are you going to be one of those people who are stuck in the mud and refuse to budge from your stubborn old matrix or risk for big rewards?

The word "dominance" will rear its ugly head a few more times as well. There are still factions of individuals that will refuse to rise to the level of greater open consciousness. Not ready to admit old school methods of dealing with everyday dealings which are no longer working. This is not time to sit back on our laurels. We need to keep the pressure on our present systems with love and grace. Yes, we are on the verge of breakthroughs. However, the plan is not entirely written on how that will evolve. If we choose to let others take over the transition, you will not gain the conscious vibration rewards.

So many of us have built lives around the goal of survival and the quest for material goods and services, money, job issues. The energetic year of 2013 is our payoff for the work in 2012. Watch for that to continue, but not at the forefront of people's mind. It was rocky for some but the calm is waiting for us in the future coming months. Stability in this area is reaching mass level. Take this reprieve before us and shift attention to other areas of happiness. Clear out your relationship closet and expect remarkable soul conversations to come your way.

For the rest of the 2012-2013 intuitive thoughts at Change Already, Your Future, Your Choice. 

Get ready for steady 2013! 

In love and grace, Jillian

Jillian Maas Backman, Author, Beyond The Pews, Breaking With Traditions and Letting Go Religious Lockdown and host of Change Already! broadcasting each Thursday at noon CT.  www.jillianmaasbackman.com

To read previous articles by Jillian Maas Backman CLICK HERE

Learning From the Dalai Lama

by Jillian Maas Backman

There are certain leaders on this planet that have the uncanny ability to encourage normal people to set aside human-made restrictions. Convince total strangers world-wide to lay down their religious, cultural and social differences to cultivate inclusive global love and promote futuristic spiritual values. One of these living icons right now is his holiness, Dalai Lama the 14th representing six million people of Tibet.

Thankfully, I was gifted a ticket to listen to his public presentation on non-violence here in Chicago Illinois several weeks ago. After fighting through my star-struck groupie disposition, I was able to sit back and watch this historic event unfold before my very eyes.

He delivered a frank and uplifting dissertation on the state of world peace and non-violence. To be honest with you my stomach becomes a titch squeamish when anyone brings up this subject for debate. I would not call myself a septic by any means, but do proceed with caution aligning with movements that seek such pie in sky global aspirations. It does seem a tad out of reach when some people can’t even get along with their neighbor, let alone the entire freaking planet………

However, after hearing this man’s worldly professional reflections on the matter, my mind is shifting ever so slightly to believe this spiritual possibility can become reality. He was very authentic and truthful when sharing his global observations on the status of world peace. He was quick to point out collectively we have made monumental strides towards personal non-violence from the past. Yet there is more elevated spiritual work which still lies ahead. To his credit, he should know. This man has dedicated his entire life to bringing passive methodical teachings into some of the most hostile places on this planet. Countries who have banned this kind of etheric conversations are now allowing the subject to be broadcast in public forums. He explained my generation has been responsibly busy planting seeds of inspirational ideas of peace. Those seeds are starting to take root and insure the children of tomorrow may play in these eternal blooming gardens of non-violence and peace for life.

He was extremely down to earth with his approach to non-violence and shared dozens of simple suggestions. I have taken the liberty to highlight excerpts from the presentation that struck a personal soul cord.

We are all bonded together with one another through our commonalties. (His message)

Common Experiences, Science and Common Sense

Common Experiences:

This one in particular touched every soul in the audience. We all have only one birth mother in a lifetime. A connection, an inceptive union between two people no person can ever destroy or deny. A sacred sacrificial life-force experience passed from ancient mother to contemporary child one family at a time. A universal bond which ties every human being together in one perpetual body and soul. One could say:
As violence strikes one child, it is as if violence has struck my own. (jmb)

Science

He mentioned the emotional feeling of compassion several times over. It’s a commonly used word to describe empathy we have for others. In this instance he added his own flair by tying compassion together with science. Citing several European physiological studies created to observed and document brainwave activity while experiencing compassion for another. They were able to track spikes of brain activity anytime this emotion was identified by subjects. By the end of the experiment they were able to draw the conclusion that most human brains basically register human feelings/ emotions, compassion, in the same duplicative patterns ilregardless of their social, spiritual or regional backgrounds. We are all truly connected by science.

Common Sense

I have always been of the opinion when you start talking about global peace it’s just too hard for people to imagine. This is why I was so excited to hear his thoughts on the subject of non-violence. It is a more relatable subject than global peace to our daily lifes. Violence is something we have all experienced at one time or another in some sick kind of capacity. When this occurs there are only two individual choices to make, withdraw or retaliate.

He reminded us that once upon a time long long ago there were no cities. People lived in small isolated villages spread across the world. Individual survival depended on the survival of the tribe and vice-versa. Every person played an interregnal part of each other’s health and wellness. Violence was not tolerated because every member was essential for their continued existence. Your neighbor’s wellness literally affected the whole. This kind of interdependence created a sense of compassion, respect and love we simply cannot relate in contemporary societies.

For the most part we have become segregated from core groups and left to our own devises for survival. Long gone are the isolated country villages which are being replaced by sprawling cities with cookie-cutter subdivisions. Locking their owners away in single dwelling homes and not to be seen for days. Is this what we have aspired to become? We no longer have to depend on others for individual happiness. Does that mean we have also lost our communal feelings of compassion for others by way of prideful cultural sophistication? We’re just too busy and important to help.

Friends, if we truly want to believe in the miracle of a peaceful world we have to start to recapture our village roots. Even though our petite villages have exploded to expansive civilizations doesn’t mean we are off the hook for feeling compassion for our fellow citizens. It only means we have to make a consertive effort to do so. Define compassion for yourself. What it feels like to have empathy for someone you love and for those you do not yet know. Adapt the ways of ancient communities.

As the Dali Lama stated: "Some things never change, our brainwaves, our single birth mother and the sheer common sense of compassion and spiritual survival."

After it was all said and done for the morning presentation I realized it wasn’t the way in which he said we could reach a peaceful planet, it was his angelic mannerism that struck me so deeply. His weathered round face and contagious smile set the perfect backdrop for his unconscious confident in all of humanity that we can do this.

Sending loving non-violence grace,

Jillian 

Jillian Maas Backman, Author, Beyond The Pews, Breaking With Traditions and Letting Go Religious Lockdown and host of the radio show, CHANGE ALREADY! Your Future, Your Choice! www.jillianmaasbackman.com  

Intuitive Messages Aren't Always About Good Things

by Jillian Maas Backman

Over the years I have taught myself to trust and cherish my spiritual intuitive nature. It has allowed me the ability to open doors to indescribable experiences that have enriched my journey three fold. This great abundance didn’t happen overnight. I had to invest dozens of years fine tuning this craft by studying the internal connection between myself and the universe at large.

My intuitive sense is a blessing and an innate tool I use to formulate consistent success. However, once I adapted this artful living, struggles began to pop up. I was learning first- hand the flip-side to living this awakened lifestyle choice.

I make a concerted effort in my life to stay positive as much as possible. Surround myself with people who love to grow, manifest change and avoid negativity. This includes people and circumstances in my intuitive world as well. When I first began embracing this talent I naively thought at some level I could control all the messages coming my way. I was in charge of picking and choosing the intuitive information being received from the universe. Act on the ones I liked and simply discard the rest that required hard work. The kind of choices that cause discomfort upfront but have enormous rewards in the end.

How naive and intuitive youthful I was back in those days. Thinking I could avoid any negative messages that might complicate my decisions. Talking myself into believing certain messages did not pertain to me and pretend they never existed. I have since come to understand the error of my own ways. Planet earth works on well-defined polarities, night and day, good and evil, light follows darkness. Why in the world did I ever entertain the idea that the universe could hold back half the story is beyond me? A movie script without a plot, no friction or challenge to overcome and no heroes to save the day. How can problems be resolved if I only chose to grab hold of the “fluffy intuitive stuff” and not accept an intuitive message in its entirety. I had to surrender to the fact one needs to receive all intuitive insights, the good and the ugly in order to create sound solutions.

My work is based on self-improvement of the individual. I am a firm believer in the trickle-down theory of wellness. Healing oneself will ultimately help heal the planet. There have been times in the past when I receive intuitive insights meant for a larger audience other than just my clientele. When this occurs there are several criteria that must be met before I share with the world. The messages must contain work that can be done by all individuals and possibly create lasting changes on a global scale. When the answers to these questions are a resounding YES! I jump in. For example, the blog piece I wrote last year on the bully crisis happening throughout our local communities. There were intuitive insights that needed to be shared and could lend a helping hand in eradicating such indignant behavior toward our fellow human beings.

As in the sad loss of the child I wrote about in that blog post, I must once again reference the latest loss of a child I cannot intuitively ignore. The fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin in Florida several weeks ago. The minute I heard about it my gut went crazy, doubling over with grief and pain. Stopped me in my tracks and demanded my full awareness. Kicking my senses into overdrive with internal raw truthful messages from all directions. The kind of messages I have painstaking avoided in the past because they lay heavy on my heart and hard to receive. To a certain extent, completely out of my control. My knee jerk reaction was to retreat and spiritually shut everything down pronto. Turn an intuitive blind eye to my internal body cues-But my gut won’t let me!

Intuitive warning signs are evident everywhere I turn. Red flags flying sky high signaling more drastic events to come if we refuse to pay attention to this event in front of us right now. As much as I would love to tell each and every one of you to avoid this situation and turn a blind eye with me to the story, I cannot do that without a guilty conscious. I have to fulfill my part of a spiritual intuitive bargain set forth long ago.

The episode unfolding in Florida is pulling us all back in time and forcing us to take an unobstructed view of unresolved issues. This is completely normal and understandable. We revert back to what we know best, our past. Past experiences, past knowledge and in this case, past open wounds. We do have centuries of unfinished lessons and energetic residual relationship pains that haunt us today. Lessons we must re-visit before officially closing this historic chapter. Asking and invoking energetic forgiveness to ancestors on all sides and honor the great strides they endured. Hard lessons assimilated through bouts of horrific human generational experiences. All leading up to a crescendo of celebrating differences and catapulting that energy into communal strengths. We must always hold heavenly reverence those individuals who stood proudly in front to guide us through the first phase of cooperative relations. We stand in the midst of the next elevated phase of cooperative relationships with new lessons to be learned. Lessons most of us are willing, able and ready to examine again if need be to secure our hopes towards a peaceful existence.

Hateful words are being thrown around from both sides and stirring up my intuitive nervousness. Each one of us has the right to our opinions, but collectively it can be distorted. There is great passion on both sides of this sad sad event. My fear at this point is we may all be sitting on top of a ticking time bomb ready to explode any minute. Someone is going to say something inappropriate and trigger an unnecessary unstoppable tidal wave of hate crimes across this country.

Please, I implore each one of you to attempt to keep the physical actions in check. Watch the verbiage that comes out of your mouth. As we know from past experiences words cut just as deep into human flesh as a knife itself. I am not asking anyone to turn away from this issue. I am only asking that we stand strong and unite on keeping our senses in line with what is appropriate. Sure, there are some among the crowds that want us to lose our tempers and reacted violently. They want us to go down the sick road we have already traversed. We do not have to repeat our historic lessons in the same way as before. We are better than that. Many of us hold within our hearts the Utopian vision of a new world order. What better time than now with this situation to foster those thoughts.

This vision begins with restoring trust. Another child has lost his life over our mistrust for each other. We have lost our forefathers trust for one another. When trust is lost in any relationship it takes time to re-build from the bottom up. It is not going to be easy and we cannot revert backwards. It is simply unacceptable if we what to thrive futuristically. We must keep our sights looking forward during this awkward time of vulnerability we sense from another and repair our lost sense of trust among groups different than ourselves.

I am optimistic about learning our social relationship lessons. America looks more diverse than it did back in the day, but the souls remained the same. It may not show on the surface but we have been growing expectationally in this area. In the past there were no books or “how to” therapies on connecting with our “authentic selves.” Moving away from notions of personal victimization into the realm of individual empowerment by asking the powerful question of who am I? Not afraid to claim personal strengths and weaknesses and welcome revolutionary new thoughts and actions. Denounce violence and believe whole-heartily in using honest communication to restore harmony. What hidden messages are we missing from the past that might shed light on solutions for the future? What lessons are we overlooking that need to be addressed now? What new and innovative relationship therapies can we apply here that can shift all of us to a more positive healing outcome.

We all want to see justice come for this family and the memory of this child. But, I implore each one of you this time to push beyond physical closure. Ask this in the name of all families in similar tragedies. Pray that we stay on target with the lessons and resolve our differences. Grant each one of us the courage to enact these lessons in our own homes, communities so the next generation can be proud of work we accomplished together.

Bring forth leaders that can speak of healing rather than separating the masses. Deliver rhetoric of hope that fuels our intuitive eternal optimism. Let these words embody the energy of love and carry them deep within souls and dissolve the most impenetrable shields of bigotry like never before and close this lesson forever.

In intuitive justice,

Jillian Maas Backman

Jillian Maas Backman, Author, Beyond The Pews, Breaking With Traditions and Letting Go Religious Lockdown and host of the radio show, CHANGE ALREADY! Your Future, Your Choice! www.jillianmaasbackman.com  

One Ant Can’t Do That

by Jillian Maas Backman

I bet if each one of us deliberately took a giant step back from our daily grind and examine the overall success of our journey so far, the majority would be pleasantly surprised. By doing this simple exercise, one may discover a life sprinkled with more subtle “victories” than ever imagined.

Somewhere in our distorted perceptions of what we think we should act like, be like or achieve like, we have lost sight of our subtle accomplishments. Insignificant daily “wins” we automatically carry out without thought and very little fan fare. Like taking our kids to school on time or picking up an extra task at work to assist a co-worker meet a deadline. Menial duties that seem to the outside world as trivial, but necessary to grow and spark quiet self- talk when no one is around. Synchronized internal homework designed to keep one in a state of constant change and build personal character, motivation, courage and discipline which leads to self-esteem, self image….fill in the blank…..self…….? Subtle victorious changes that hold the potential to produce a big “WOW” in the end.

To demonstrate how subtle self-work leads to grand results, I turn to my pets I had as a child, ants. That’s right, ants. Many of you may remember the small see-through double pane window constructed ant farms made of plastic that stood upright. Mine held a prominent place next to the jewelry box on my pink and white dresser. Filled with fine granular sand and live ants in a vial delivered through regular mail, I would watch as dozens feverously constructed their colony for days on end. At times, a singular ant would break away from the pack and build a personal tunnel and nesting hole for themselves. I can remember thinking to myself one ant can’t do that. How could one little insect move that much sand one grain at a time and survive. One rogue ant digging an entire new crawlspace, adding to their ever- changing colony of pass-throughs. A job that should have taken weeks to finish would take instead hours of intense goal driven labor. Labor that always yielded a spectacular result every time, the WOW the little ant was toiling for, a new home. What could make an ant do that? A fascinating feat to behold at any age.

Like my pet ants, each one of us has to see our quiet accomplishments as big victories. Celebrations of change and trust there are pristine untouched landscape waiting to blaze a subtle path leading to the big WOW at the end.

My big WOW right now is the return to radio in a program entitled Change Already, Your Future, Your Choice. A bi-weekly interactive program designed to help each one of us change, grow and find the big WOW in the end. I share my intuitive spin on social, spiritual, and cultural reality through array of personal and universal topics important to all of us for several weeks in a row. To enhance the program I incorporate well-known expert interviews and original systematic e-lessons to double the success. All this from the comfort of your own home!

Before you jump to conclusions and assume you are one of those people that believe life is filled with more losses than victories, take a giant step back with me and claim your subtle accomplishments. You too may be pleasantly surprised to find your big WOW is waiting just around the corner.

I invite each one of you to join in on the series Power in the Quiet Moments on Change Already!, every Tuesday and Thursday, high noon (CST) when we discuss life’s grand subtleness and the lessons learned from these silent influential push forward.

In subtle celebration,

Jillian Maas Backman, Author, Beyond The Pews, Breaking With Traditions and Letting Go Religious Lockdown and host of the radio show, CHANGE ALREADY!  www.jillianmaasbackman.com 

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CHANGE…You can’t live with it you can’t live without it!

By Jillian Maas Backman

There is nothing more attractive and comforting than to cross paths with a person who is sure of themselves moving forward into the future. Whether you agree with their individual perspective or not, they know who they are and not afraid to show it. They feel free to stand philosophically naked and proud in a quiet stance of sureness among others. They hold no desire to be forceful nor boastful with their opinions or interested in persuading others to sense life as they do. They have mastered the artful dance of poetic change with dignity.

Keep in mind these people did not start out this way. They evolved like the rest of us from trial and error creating change along the way as needed. In the December blog post, I suggested everyone transpose resolutions unto old roadmaps. I wanted to demonstrate there are dozens of paths open to reaching goals.

People spend too much energy researching the quickest and easiest course to help them avoid a longer route with detours and road construction. These hurdles on the road could slow one down and force changes to well-designed plan. Even worse, this might require a shift in direction, thus, delaying the gratification of winning at the end. This is how many people tackle resolutions and change. They see the detours as problems rather than missed opportunities for change. They refuse to take an honest look at the bumps on the road in front of them. Oblivious to the fact the roadblocks may be a signal of larger problems in your life and not “coincidental chances.” In fact, it may be nature’s way of telling one to slow down, re-calibrate your route, change and adapt.

CHANGE ALREADY…your future, your choice! 

Lesson One: Know when to toughen up or tone it down.

Life has a tendency to get boring without change. There are certain tasks we all must do each day. Routines one must complete to maintain a certain level of wellness. Feed ourselves, brush our teeth and letting the doggie out to go potty. It is the in-between down times in our day we can control and let the imagination go wild with possibilities. Possibilities that are obtainable if one is willing to leave personal comfort behind and seek new ways of transforming them into reality. This is how to keep the mind fresh, chippy and geared up for new changing cycles.

The word “change” can make some people weak in the knees and sick to their stomach with just the thought of modifying personal growth. Their minds go into a tailspin with the idea of making mistakes and being ridiculed by others. They end up recoiling from change and living with less to avoid the risks it takes to obtain greater happiness. Their fears forbid them from trying anything new. The only way change happens for these folks are from outside pressure from others. They go through life like an unfinished soul frightened by their own reflective shadow of success.

Some are “change-junkies,” finding intense boredom in status-quo and insist on constant change at all time. Acting out the motto of doing something is better than doing nothing! They end up repeating the same old patterns because they are addicted to the “high” feelings one can instantly get from spontaneous change rather than waiting for the calm that comes from well thought out methodical changes.

The majority of us function in the middle somewhere. Ready for change but not sure where to start and how to finish.

Change will come if you get to know yourself first. Start with this statement: Does my New Year's Resolution support who I am in this moment and who I aspire to become into the future. If you do not know the answer to who you are, at a minimum this will help you to define what that means to you.

Practice internal self-talk on a regular basis. All day long if you need it at first. Ask yourself this question. Am I aggressively going at change like a bulldozer, taking down everything in its path? So focused on the goal at hand I am wastefully mulling down useful lessons of change along the way. It is awesome to be all-in for winning, but not at the expense of other people’s happiness. Make sure you temper your aspirations to stay in line with the task. Everyone will eventually reach a goal if they are willing have patience and do the work in logical steps. It does no one any good if you reach a goal and have alienated everyone in your inner circle to do so. You may reach the finish line but end up alone and no left to celebrate your achievements.

If you find yourself on the other side of this statement and need to toughen up to affect change, go slowly. Do not go from one extreme to the other, from quiet kitty to roaring tiger in one week. No one will believe you and it will not stick anyway. Embrace the power of change one situation at a time. Your inner strength will build fortitude and give you courage to eventually seek out change on your own accord without anyone’s approval. Be prepared for adversity. Some people thrive on the weaknesses of others. The relish in the fact that another human being cannot change without his or her permission. They depend on keeping these kind of people in a sick circle of round robin blame-game. Change for this kind of individual needs to work itself from the inside out. It is easier to change your internal self-talk first in this circumstances and actions second. No one can control the internal changes one can make because they are virtually impossible to detect from the outside world looking in. Believe me; changing internal thoughts will open the floodgates to new improved behaviors.

Change does not have to be difficult but it is necessary to grow.

In changing grace,

Jillian Maas Backman,

Jillian Maas Backman, Author, Beyond The Pews, Breaking With Traditions and Letting Go Religious Lockdown and host of the radio show, CHANGE ALREADY!  www.jillianmaasbackman.com

2012: Clean the Slate and Move Forward

By Jillian Maas Backman

As an intuitive writer I find it difficult to blog during this time of year and not succumb to the typical trap of penning about the New Year’s Resolution ritual. I too get quite bored with the scripted rhetoric on how to set goals and follow through. However, the forces within me cannot resist the urge to join the crowd and add my two cents to the pile. The truth of the matter is one can truly gain incredible transformations with a few minor adjustment to this yearly self-improvement project.

There is always exuberant energy surrounding the dawn of a crisp new year. We never know what surprises the universe has in store just around the corner. January 1, 2012 symbolically represents the kick-off day for starting anew. A proverbial clean slate, if you will. Giving us the ability to once again tap into an innate urge to explore unchartered territory for resolving past issues and finding new adventures. I often wonder to myself why does one person seize this formable opportunity with gusto and others knowingly decline?

Step One: Clean the Slate

I reported in my November blog post the energy of 2012 will support creative endeavors. Let your New Year’s Resolutions reflect this thrilling prospect by thinking outside your normal routine this year.

We all have re-occurring goals that seem to find themselves back on the list year after year. Goals that have not been met in the past and still haunt one’s future. Do not let yourself be trapped in a corner by this unfinished business. It is so easy to let one’s mind wander back to self-sabotaging thoughts that may have caused one to fail in the past. Do not begin this year with this same kind of hopeless internal talk.

Don’t allow your mind to peddle the bicycle backwards.

I know this analogy sounds ridiculous when talking about resolutions, but I cannot help myself. Human growth is about constant movement. Much like the act of riding a bicycle forward at all times. Every good ride starts with a definite beginning point to ride from and a pre-determined endpoint of destination. Without either, you may end up riding around in one big circle or simply give up and stop. Some can even end up peddling the bike backwards into a world filled with comfortable stagnation.

Stagnation can be an enemy.

For some odd reason some take great pride in their own stagnation. Find bragging rights to the fact they are doing and living the exact same way they did five years ago. The furniture in their homes has not moved from their position since they moved in. Having the same friends and doing the same weekend activities year after year without pause. This can be comforting to those who do not like change but it is counter-intuitive in regards to resolutions. Resolutions are about shaking things up in your world. They require a mind-shift of large proportions to affect permanent conclusions.

Moving from Stagnation to Interaction

The only way a bicycle can move forward is looking ahead and creating momentum. Do not let your past failures set you up for more stagnation in the future. Refuse to talk about that old back-drama anymore. The more one talks about it, the more the brain goes into psychobabble looping. Like an old cassette recorder. It keeps playing the messages laid down from the past like toxic underground lyrics to an out of tune off-pitch melody. You must apply new conditions to generational tradition with contemporary exercises to gain back the control of your thoughts and actions.

It is a waste of time and effort to list on a piece of paper your proposed resolution intentions without a roadmap to follow. Use resolution statements this year to construct a roadmap to fit your predetermined victory.

Take a candid look at the beginning point of your 2012 road trip.

On the left side of a piece of paper write down the issues you are starting with and want to transform such as weight issues, smoking habit, relationship or career issues. I personally prefer using an old paper foldout map from the glove compartment of my car and use that as my piece of paper. I love the literal view of the map. It is a constant reminder to understand there are thousands of ways to reach my final successful destination. Locating the left side of the map, I settle in with a fine-line sharpie and let my inhibitions go. Writing away until I am empty inside with truthful statements of items I am transforming this next year.

When finished with that part of the exercise, head towards the right side of that same piece of paper or map if daring. Write your resolutions with sincerity and inspiration. Be deliberate with the intentions this time. Feel the mind body and spirit connect with each letter transposed. Write one’s 2012 resolutions from the inside out and let your soul voice take the lead on this one.

The last task deserves constant attention throughout the year. Divide the remaining area between the two lists into ten small quadrants. Leave enough room for quick notes in each section. At the top of the page allocate a column for each month of the next year. The month of January goes directly above the list made on the left-hand side. The month of December goes directly above the list on the right- hand side, resolutions for this year. Label the remaining columns in the middle of the page or map with months February through November. Use the space in each monthly column to report and write notes of your accomplishment throughout the year. The self -awareness that will come with this quirky little exercise will strangely amaze you.

Hang it up somewhere significant where it can be readily available for quick memos. Mine always hangs in the feng shui career/wealth quadrant of my office for better results.

A Bicycle built for many

This resolution ritual is meant to be fun and enjoyable but we have a tendency to forget that during this time of year. We are so wrapped up in our personal self-improvement agendas we overlook the fact it is about the betterment of the world. There is no resolution on your list that does not have a lasting effect on others as well. Be proactive and use this fact to your advantage. If each person commits, strives and achieves at his or her resolutions, the world will receive a positive jolt with that development. My growth is your growth and your growth is my growth. Therefore, as corny as you think the act of writing and dedicating the next year to new and improved resolutions, remember this fact, your inaction or actions are indeed affecting us all.

In resolutionary grace,

Jillian Maas Backman

Jillian Maas Backman, Author, Beyond The Pews, Breaking With Traditions and Letting Go Religious Lockdown and host of the radio show, CHANGE ALREADY!  www.jillianmaasbackman.com

Year 2012: The Year of "Buoyancy"

By Jillian Maas Backman

We are now less than thirty days away from the well-publicized Year of 2012. According to ancient text, this will be a year of fulfilling dramatic prophetic predictions, bringing significant planetary shifts and gift the earth with a one-of a kind mystic energy affecting all humankind. I am not interested in dissecting the validity of all the hoopla associated with this forthcoming year or discounting any other intuitive predictions. Time itself will prove or disprove this enormous feat of nature. I prefer to take a less aggressive approach and review the energetic accomplishments of year 2011 and the energetic potential for the year ahead.

In last year’s Time’s Up blog post (2011: The Year of Expansion, Prepare Now!) I predicted 2011 was going to be a year of expansion and completions. What a year of expansion it has been. Filled with hopeful examples of unlocking global oppression from archaic dictators. Human beings uniting to bring about long-term political sovereignty just from the soulful will of the people. Completing a cycle of violence that has been in place for centuries. A time when brave souls stepped forth to fight against injustices of all kinds.

Public forums have allowed us to finally start taking an honest assessment of the unjust associated with certain social issues and the intrinsic divides it creates for ourselves and generations to come. We still have a ways to go in this area, but the energy of 2012 will carry the courageous warriors for change to a larger audience. One of those battles at the moment is Janice Smolinski (Mother of missing Billy Smolinski) and her court case. We cannot recue her or her family from the conflict before them. We can only honor and support from afar. There is no way of understanding why this family has taken on this challenge for the rest of us. Only time will unlock this cruel mystery of fate. This is only one example of thousands who have been doing the human groundwork to prepare for the creative constructive energy of Year 2012.

Year 2012 is the year I am labeling “Buoyancy.” The word buoyancy derives from the word buoy. Buoys are floatation devices used to keep people safe in any sport activity involving bodies of water. Such as lakes, oceans, and any other open water where there are potential water hazards. They are securely fastened to the bottom surface with some kind of large rock or any other heavy immoveable object. Their main objective is to signal people of possible safety dangers ahead and direct them to calmer waters. They rarely move from their position year after year. They simply bob and weave in place as they are overtaken by the water’s wake. In time, after the wave has passed, pop to the surface and right themselves once again. This is how I see year 2012. The last couple of years has held termousious times for many and had to learn the lesson of survival the hard way. We had to learn to bob and weave just to keep our heads above water. Focusing our thoughts ahead towards calmer water and creating inner core strength to build upon for the future. We have reached a channel of calmer waters. A place where we can take a breath, re-group and start anew.

If in fact year 2012 holds some kind of mystical energy one would be silly not to snag a piece of the euphoric volts for themselves. I see this year ahead as new beginnings. The societal buoy is righting itself once again. Glimmers of hope are returning to homes all around this country. Our spirits are starting to show their light once again. However, I gave fore-warning last year about the pretentious veil shearing away one layer at a time. Exposing those around us who are not living a truthful life. Watch for that to intensify in the year ahead. The gap is growing larger between those who are here to abuse the system and those who lovingly sustaining it. This will continue as long as needed. The turn-around consequences for acts of violence towards others is starting to shirk in time. People are starting to get involved with their neighbor’s wellness. We are starting to see the vision of love thy neighbor as ourselves once again. This will become stronger as we confront our differences head-on and make our way towards amiable solutions we can live with.

Year 2012 will bring about conversations between people we thought could never happen. Expect one big surprise in the area of politics as we move closer to election times. This will bring about an interesting twist of fate to the entire process. Set in motion a new way of compromise we so desperately need. The financial outlook will be brighter than last year for many and bring about some temporary relief from worry.

Last year I told everyone to keep their head down and persevere through the mucky waters ahead. This year I am telling everyone to hold your head up high and shoot for the horizon line. Are we there yet? Not quite, but our collective efforts have brought us one-step closer to the ever evolving finish line of peace.

This coming year is not a year to settle for status quo. It is time to buckle up and reach for the stars, so to speak. We cannot let our collective good work go to waste. Take full advantage of this shift and initiate projects you have thought about but never had the courage to act upon. This is the year that will energetically support creative endeavors. Trust in your own inner buoyancy. It will always “right itself” and never let you drown in dangerous waters of fear surrounding you. Seize this energetic time in our history to create your own 2012 personal humanistic accomplishments. Take full advantage of this muse and re-write your future with soulful excitement.

I have no fancy assignments with this post. This one is strictly dedicated to the potential and hope I have for each one of you as we enter the “Mystic Zone” of Year 2012. Who cares if you personally believe in the ancient foresights in the year to come. It has served as catalysis to awaken many who have been spiritually asleep to believe in something bigger than themselves again. Engaged the entire world in an interactive conversation of why we are here and finally care about our future before us. Thank- you Year 2012 for giving back our ancient mystic hope for better tomorrows.

Sending holiday grace,

Jillian Maas Backman 

Jillian Maas Backman, Author, Beyond The Pews, Breaking With Traditions and Letting Go Religious Lockdown.  www.jillianmaasbackman.com

The Art of Meditation

By Jillian Maas Backman

Life coaching and counselors alike emphasized the importance of devoting a portion of your day to quiet time. These insightful reflective moments are a way to release stress and help maintain a stable mental equilibrium. The practice of meditation is a perfect way to start.

Meditation dates back thousands of years and has ties to eastern philosophical thought. Spiritual processes that transcend cultural diversity and encourage all human beings to explore focused detachment and obtain lasting inner peace.

I am thrilled this ancient art has hit a mainstream cord with thousands of individuals who are seeking out how-to classes and attending group mediations with sincere passion. However, with every new trend comes a significant nuance that skews original translations and water-down the overall effects. This does not necessary qualify this trend as bad. It does however; create deviations from its original teachings, meant to create a calm inward environment for the mind, body and spirit to flourish.

There are some who cast a discouraging net over this holistic practice with an over active imagination and implied implications who suggest that one can escape into a world of trances without personal consent and render a person incoherent and powerless over his or her own human choices. Suggesting that delving into an esoteric altered state of consciousness where one looses all control is somewhat nonsensical. To assume a person can become that incoherent from sitting in quiet reflection is rather naive. Do not get me wrong here. There are times when you can experience a sense of boundlessness and escape to a world of quiet nothingness. However, I can honestly report from years of meditating I have never experienced anything the naysayers have to offer as a reasonable reason to refrain from this powerful exercise. In fact, I attribute much of my soul expansion to this daily practice.

I have been meditating on a daily basis for many years. Way before it was the “in- thing” to do. I consider meditation as one of my spiritual tools for sustaining my own wellness. As my life filled with beautiful gifts of family and career, I found myself being irritated by circumstances. Letting go of the little stuff was difficult and I waited until they were blown way out of proportion and became big stuff. It was becoming more difficult to separate my issues from everyone else’s and found myself heading down a road littered with human negativity and disappointment. This set me on a search for something that would create wholeness again.

We are bombarded with constant stimuli from the moment we wake to the moment we retire for the evening. It is virtually impossible to accidently create downtime with this action packed reality. Like exercise, one has to commit and schedule contemplative sessions every day.

Meditation can assist those who live in or with stressful situations and partners. It is a gentle way of tutoring yourself to detach mentally and emotionally from the worries around you. Like unraveling a tightly wound ball of twine one session at a time, it can help separate out issues you could not sense before and provide linear clarity to what is truly in front of you. It may not provide the exact answers one is searching to find. It can help isolate truths you need to examine by eliminating “background noise” from others, de-clutter the mind and regain control for the future. A clear head will prevail affording you the ability to connect with your own inner knowing and sense the right answers for yourself.

The Art of Meditation

When we think of meditating, the first mental picture that comes to mind is a thin structured person, legs crossed in front of them in the lotus position with palms together over the heart area. This image is synonymimous with what people perceive as the proper way of achieving Zen. Although this exercise is suitable for some, it is not necessarily suitable for everyone. There are dozens of ways people can achieve the same quiet results.

Are you an extrovert or an introvert?

Not all meditative practices are done in the same manner. The ultimate goal is to be able to sit in comfortable position for extended periods relaxing and letting go of all the cares in the world. This is proven the most effective way the body, mind and soul can reach a state of complete energetic calm and tranquility. However, if you are an extrovert and attempt to begin your practice with this form of meditation in particular you may be setting yourself up for possible failure.

Extroverts, those of you that have to be in constant motion will be fighting a mind-chatter battle if you start with the common sitting position mentioned above. These kind of people love to exercise and be active most of the day. Calming down and sleeping at night can sometimes be a challenge. The traditional sitting position will leave you unfulfilled and you will probably give- up from boredom.

It would be to your best interest if you started with a “walking meditation” instead. When I say walking, I mean walking, not running. Walking infers a slow and methodical rhythm. This kind of rhythm will take you into a more serene tempo and begin to bring the energy level in your mind and body to a more subdued state.

Your next step is to eliminate the internal mind- chatter with the use of predetermined power words. Begin this process by asking yourself this internal question every time you prepare to walk. What power words or statements best describe the state for which I aspire to achieve? Spiritual clarity, calm, or patience. It may or may not change with each walk. I will share an example of my own power statement I have been using for several years now. “I am safe and at peace with who and what I am. I relinquish my ego to the highest truth.”

Once you have your power statement focused in your mind, it is time to start walking. Time your words with your steps. By doing this action in cadence, the mind noise will naturally fade away and emptiness will set it. You will be amazed how simple this happens without struggles. Walk as far as you need until you feel an inner sense of balance making its way back into your mind, body, and soul.

The more you repeat this exercise, the quicker you will hop into the meditative zone without effort. It will be entirely up to you if you want to move into the next stage of training yourself to sit or stay with walking. Either way you will succeed on finding that quiet universe within.

Introverts, those of you who prefer a less vigorous way of life and relish in a more cerebral existence. This kind of person can go to sleep easy and have some command over turning off the inner mind- chatter at will. Lucky!

You would be an awesome candidate for a more traditional way of meditating as I described above. Sit quietly undisturbed in an environment conducive for releasing stress after a busy day. Expect the mind chatter to peak when you first begin. This is your first clue that you are doing something correct! It is simple brain activity reacting to internal cues signaling it is time for conscious rest. Like any little child when you put them down to sleep, their first reaction is to resist. Let this spike run its natural course. If you attempt to fight against the word-filled stream of consciousness, it will only intensify. It will settle down after a few moments. Most people give up right at this point with frustration. Believe me, once you get through this common stage the world inside will open up in ways you cannot predict. The struggle is worth the pay-offs. There are years of experiential baggage built up and ready to be released. Relax and take it in stages.

Position yourself in a place where you can feel both emotional and physically safe. Close your eyes slowly. Make this action very deliberate to signal to yourself “I am going to mediate now.” Place your hands at your side or in a prayer position. After you master this casual method of meditating, you can search out more formal training on the proper way of practice. Leave those techniques for later when you become proficient and ready to step up your level of meditation. For now, do what feels right in the moment.

Again, have a power word, phrase or even sound prepared. Internally say the word to yourself with each inhale of your breath and exhale the energy that comes up from inside. Repeat this process until you feel yourself letting go of stress from the inside out. This will send out signals to the body’s internal mechanism to settle down. Sit as long as you can stand it. The first couple of attempts may be nothing more than mind purging. This is still incredible progress. If you are willing to stick with either meditative method over time you will reach spiritual bliss.

Lastly, the breath. This probably is the most crucial part of meditation, but not necessarily, in the way you think. The breath does bring down all body systems simultaneously. For most beginners, anxiety sets in the minute they sit down to do this exercise. The anticipation of doing it right overtakes their need for relaxation. Expect your heart to race with the excitement of your anticipated meditative experience. Deep breathing will force you through this initial reaction and into the meditative zone. It is exciting once you figure out how to get into that zone with a few simple breaths.

Try the breathing technique I have taught many. When you take a breath inward, the inhale, aim the breath towards the back of your head. Like a diagonal line beginning at the roof of your mouth and extending to the crown of your skull upward. On the exhale, imagine the breath releasing from the highest point on your head into the body downward covering the entire body with oxygen. Some of you may experience light-headedness. That is ok! I Repeat and let the energy move in and out with each breath. Eventually, nothingness will replace your conscious attempts at breathing. The more you can teach yourself this breathing technique the quicker you will enter into the quiet zone. Stay as long as you want. Your mind and body will signal you when it is time to come back into the real world. P.S. No need to hurry back.

There will always be a fine line between living in the world and living of the world. Living in the world is a life too consumed with minute dramas and no daily meditation. Thus, risking the chance of missing opportunities for growth. Living of the world is a life with meditation and being somewhat detached from the dramas around us. Granting one the possibility to see all options clearly from a neutral point of view.

Meditate with no expectations; it is the only way to see clearly the chosen way.

In loving gratitude,

Jillian Maas Backman, Author, Beyond The Pews, Breaking With Traditions and Letting Go Religious Lockdown.  www.jillianmaasbackman.com