Easy/Hard really?

Greetings bloggees,

Bloggers write the blogs, and bloggees read them. It's a good arrangement. An easy one if you think about it which is what this is all about.

You have no doubt heard the expression "No pain, no gain." This is usually said repeatedly in the gym. However most people have adopted this as their mantra. While effort is important it is a bad idea to ascribe the belief that any thing you want to do or manifest has to be hard if you want it to turn out well. Now I don't suggest that you just wing it on everything. What sort of role model would I be (I'm a role model now when did this happen)? What I am saying is that when you believe everything has to be hard to be effective you tend to manifest more challenging obstacles. If you like that sort of thing then read no further enjoy the all the challenges you want.

Life will challenge you. There is no need for you to go out and seek difficulties for your own personal growth, they will seek you out; that is the beauty of things. Right now you may be wondering what is the point of this blog...patience grasshopper the good stuff is coming.

I once prided myself on getting through college without having to take any public speaking courses. I had just graduated and was working at my first psychic fair when the fair director said, "Oh by the way all the readers are required to give a 20 minute talk or lecture." Apparently the universe has a public speaking requirement, and while you may not have to take speech, you will be required to speak in front of a group. There are no exceptions. I didn't have much trouble though preparing a lecture once I picked a topic, I just picked something I knew well and organized it a bit and then gave my talk. It was easy really. Was there effort? Yes there was a little bit of thought that went into it (more organizing what I knew to communicate to people who didn't know about the topic).

So let us flash forward to the recent past. I was leading a shamanic circle (it was my turn this month), and I was to prepare for the group our focus for journey work and ceremony. In the past I have listened to people tell me about how many journeys they did to prepare. In this instance I only did one journey so I was beginning to feel like a slacker. I mean I obviously didn't work hard enough or take enough time right? Again I wasn't a slacker, I had done ceremony everyday for a whole lunar cycle, but that was easy and :gasp: I even enjoyed it. Do you see where this is going? I apparently thought I hadn't suffered enough to get good material for the circle. What a silly notion that was!

I recently began offering year long subscriptions for a premium service for my site called the Year of Transformation at www.thomasmooneagle.com (Shameless plug I know). It is basically 12 hour long sessions spaced one a month for a whole year, with drumming ceremonies to amp up the power on the equinoxes and solstices (I love to drum hurray). In talking with a client they kept saying over and over they didn't care how uncomfortable it made them or how much it hurt so long as their condition changed. Aha, there it was the same belief or rather a variation. Change has to be hard, hurt, or be very uncomfortable. Of course being myself I never have beliefs like that run through my head (did you catch the sarcasm in that last sentence...no really). Some change is hard, some change hurts, but does it have to?

One of the things that may help us all out in this year of changes and shifts is the idea that change doesn't necessarily have to be hard. Some of it can not only be easy, but enjoyable. Change is inevitable, so if we examine our attitudes and beliefs about it we do ourselves a great service. Change is the constant in our life, the other constant is love. So remember the Universe loves you and wants you to be happy. It is working on bringing the change in your life that you desire, and if you adopt a more relaxed idea about change that makes its job a lot easier.

Peace and Blessings,

Thomas Mooneagle

Dream a little dream

Dear imaginary readers,

I greet you in this way because I really don't know how many people actually read my blogposts. This one will be a short one. As the title suggests it will be about dreams. I've been working on dream incubation lately (for those of you unfamiliar it is when you implant a theme, idea, or question you want to dream on in your subconscious). So I have been paying extra attention to my dream life. It has rewarded me with vivid story and imagery.

You never know where one day will take you. Case in point, yesterday I had very few planned activities for my day. However at about 10PM I had the chance to go on an impromptu road trip with a friend. She needed a ride to Cincinnati to meet up with her husband who drives a truck. So when I would normally start winding things down I suddenly was off on a night drive under the moon with a blanket of snow upon the hills.

Flash backwards a bit to the night before. I dreamed I was in the hometown of my grandmother, and there was a volcano erupting. This is very odd since there are no volcanoes anywhere near grandma's house, however in my dream escape I ended up in Chattanooga unexpectedly visiting another relative.

Flash forward, it is after midnight and I have arrived safely with my friend to our rendezvous point. We walk up to the truck and on the door it says "Chattanooga, TN." Coincidence you might think, but I am not so sure. What I find amazing is that my dreaming mind knew I would be going to Chattanooga unexpectedly (if only metaphorically) even when I had no intention of going anywhere that night. Dreams are a funny thing, they can be terrifying, pleasurable, and sometimes prophetic. In some cases dreams teach us how moldable our life is. Life is but a dream, and we're the dreamer. So take care with how you seed your dream, make it good, make it loving. If you do you might just get to dream a little dream with me.

Peace and Blessings,

Thomas Mooneagle

Lovers in Light

Greetings everyone,

Happy new year! I can't believe I haven't updated since last year. The holiday season came with some sadness in my family. Since then I have been busy working in the studio, working on writing pages for my website (no they aren't posted yet), and doing some internal work. So far winter has been mild. Still the days are short. I always miss the light.

So comes the minor holiday of Valentine's Day. I've always had a rather shaky relationship with the day. Being empathic it is rather easy for my heart to be a bit over sensitive. For a very long time I hated Valentine's Day, it was a constant reminder that I didn't have anyone to share my life with. I still don't for that matter, although I don't over pump the day with drama because of it anymore. However there was a time where I would say things like "Valentine's Day is punishment from God for single people."

For those of you who subscribe to a harsh God who deals out judgment and retribution you may wish to stop reading right now. I won't be offended in the least. People have asked me if I believe in God, to which I usually reply flippantly, "No that would be like believing in the mailman why encourage Him?" However if you talk about the infinite enough and particularly if you try to pin your rotten experience of a holiday on a God don't be surprised if they show up.

It happened like this. It was Valentines Day perhaps ten years ago or maybe nine, but a bit back the year doesn't matter so much. Well that's not true I was probably a few months in to hanging out around magical folks for the first time in my life. (When you hang out with magical folks a lot things tend to get magnified). So it was coming round to my least favorite holiday, and I kept repeating my blame of the holiday that shames us singles on a deity. (If you think there is going to be any hanky panky coming up you are in for disappointment). I stopped by a friend's work to see them, and their mother was there selling raffle tickets for charity. The prize was a big lover's basket of Valentine goodies from wine and candies and cute stuffed singing teddy bears, $100 cash, and about a hundred dollars in scratch off tickets. I loathed the sight of the thing, but she really needed to sell the rest of the tickets. It was for charity and I never thought I would win.

Flash forward to Valentine's Day I get a voicemail that I have won the grand prize. Yes I was the proud owner of heart shaped chocolates, 2 elegant wine glasses, a bottle of white zinfandel(which truthfully is more a blush wine than a white wine), the cash, the tickets, and one duo of teddy bears that sang "I got you Babe." The irony was not lost on me. Rather than see the Creator as a vengeful and wrathful deity I think He's (gender is up for debate on this one) more like a great cosmic joker. I know I often feel like the punchline to some mysterious joke. However in this case I certainly earned it, I walked right into that one. It was a nice way though of getting me to stop reinforcing that awful belief that I and all singles were being divinely punished every February the 14th. Plus the scratch off tickets netted me another $20, so I must say the Creator is a good sport.

So whether you are single, married, or some status in between (what does it's complicated mean?) just know that you are loved. It might not seem very comforting minus the lover of your dreams, but it is true. Be kind to yourself, love yourself, and remember to keep joy in your hearts for all those who have found someone to share their life with.

Peace and Blessings,

Thomas Mooneagle

Thanksgiving

Greetings everyone,

I hope you experienced a blessed day of appreciating your family, friends, and many graces that life has shared with you this past year. For those of you who have felt challenged this year don't be too downcast it has been that way for everyone. If you have eaten today be grateful. If you have a warm coat be grateful. If you have a roof over your head be grateful. If you are healthy and without pain be grateful. It can be easy to focus on what is not right or upsetting in life, but so much more is going on that we take for granted. We race around roads in beasts of metal that carry in their bellies liquid fire and each time we reach our destination without incident is a small miracle.

This year I have been greatly challenged by the fears I have carried and still carry within me. I have come up against my own blocks, and yet there is so much to be grateful for this year. I have acquired new skills and honed others. I have made wonderful new friends and kept the heart fires burning for old ones. I have had the blessing of being able to use my skills to help others. I have found ways to integrate my art and my spiritual practices and that has been such a blessing. I have been given the opportunity to see how I have been a positive force in the lives of those around me. I have seen my friend Leslie come into her own with her published book "Love is the Thread", and I even have a few cameos in print. I've had the opportunity to work with new clients and develop deeper professional relationships with returning clients. I've gotten to travel on my own and with a friend. I've been down to the sands of the sea and sang song spells. The ups far outnumber the downs and yet the contrast has been stark. I take solace in the knowledge that I am not alone. My spirit helpers have heard me call and came when I needed. The ancestors have danced and sung with me in ceremony. My guides have helped me to chant the clay up on the potter's wheel. I have not gotten all that I have wished for, and perhaps that is best. It gives me more to look forward to yet and that is half the fun.

As the holiday season works into the frenzy of buying, wrapping, baking, and decorating remember to take a moment in the crisp cold air and offer a prayer to the stillness that waits there. Time always seems to slip through our fingers at this season. There is so much to do and get done we can lose ourselves in the media induced illusion of what the holidays are supposed to be, or try to recreate a past memory of the perfect celebration. The holidays come in the dark of the year, the time when we are biologically and psychologically most challenged. There is a reason we light candles in so many traditions, to call out the light we carry within ourselves. We must be the sun in winter's heart. We must be the warmth in the lives of all our relations. May you be thankful for all that you have and the love that you carry in this life.

Peace and Blessings,

Thomas Mooneagle

Perfection perception

Greetings everyone,

I try and post a blog when I have something that is showing up in my life that may be of value to others. Lately I have caught myself thinking uncharitable thoughts about myself. If I were to make my criticisms to another person I would be considered cruel. Many people follow this pattern. We don't treat ourselves very nicely in our heads. We don't think very highly of ourselves.

After one day in particular when I was very down on myself and just felt awful, I wondered why I was being so self critical. The thought zoomed into my head, "Oh my God I don't think I am a good person." That was it in a nutshell. I thought I was bad. Not evil of course but not a "worthy" person. This of course comes from thinking "what's wrong with me?" Which is a horrible question to ask yourself, because your subconscious will start dredging up every memory it can of times when you fell short of your personal best to answer the question.

So why did I think I wasn't a good person. Well I'd fallen back into comparing my life with other people. Why hadn't I accomplished more? Why didn't I have more: money, friends, property, muscles? This is the internalized keeping up with the Jones' that many of us aren't even conscious of. We all have someone in our lives who is a conscious player of that game. Their neighbor got a new car, and now they must get a newer sportier model, and we think that is silly. However many of us "keep score" in our own heads. You think things like I'm almost ____ years old and I still haven't bought a house, or gone on a cruise, or gotten married. These are just examples and I am not suggesting they apply to you imaginary readers out there in cyberspace, but what I may advise you do is to start becoming aware of when you are comparing your life's accomplishments, relationships, or possessions to someone else's.

Besides comparing ourselves to other people which is a minefield to our serenity there is also the idea of perfection that gives us grief. I am not perfect. I don't always do the right/sensible/honorable... thing. There is nothing wrong with striving to be a good person and to be a positive force in life. The problem is we often have an ideal template of what we are "supposed" to be. It is our perfect life. You know what I'm talking about it's the if only I could lose those last five pounds, or if only I was more confident. This also goes in tandem with comparing ourselves to others. When we don't match our idea of perfection we often make ourselves feel like we are just not good enough.

Having been involved in arts and crafts for about a decade I can say with absolute certainty. Perfection is the death of growth. None of my pieces are ever perfect. When I get hung up on perfection, my work gets worse not better. My best work is done when I am as present and focused as possible.

So what does all this rambling mean? It means I really need to examine the underlying belief patterns I have about self worth and life. It means that I need to not use a measuring stick when looking at myself. It means I need to cut myself a little slack and enjoy me as I am not as I think I should be. It means I need to give up the idea of perfection, and look at my life as I look at my artwork. Some of the best work arose from a flaw or mistake that I made in the process. So my dear imaginary readers, cut yourself a little slack, don't judge your accomplishments against anyone else's, and stop waiting for yourself to be perfect to value who you are.

Peace and Blessings,

Thomas Mooneagle

Syncing it with the deity

When I went on my trip this summer, I purchased a beautiful statue of Ganesha, the remover of obstacles. I've been saying Ganesha mantras for a few years now, and my life is continuing to change and evolve. I had taken to after I was finished saying my mantras wrapping my mala beads around Ganesha with the other necklaces I got for him. I have jokingly called this "Syncing my prayers with the deity." Surprisingly though it does seem to invigorate the mala. With technology we are always talking about syncing our music, calendars, contacts and documents. With our more ethereal pursuits it is no different really. Why shouldn't we sync with a deity, it is just a tech word for alignment.

My other bit of news is the amount of positive feedback I've had from the abundance download. I am tempted to start a fan page on Facebook so everyone can share their wonderful stories. Now the recording is available on my website, but I enjoyed the call so much I will probably offer another download call in a few months, when my guidance moves to do one. I hope to have more participants each time. Everyone who listens adds to the power of the calls. I may start doing my youtube videos that way. Well as soon as I figure out how to shoot videos on this new computer that is. Well time for me to be off.

Peace and Blessings,

Thomas Mooneagle

Abundance

Greetings everybody,

I'm so excited this evening was my first international event. For those of you who know me I've been planning this Free Abundance Download for weeks. Well planning is not probably the correct term, but I have at least had it posted. If you are around me at all you've heard me ask "Are you gonna be on my call?" I used to do the same thing when I first started posting my youtube videos (yes I know I am overdo for another one, but I've been busy). I'd actually thought about doing this live event for months it just popped into my head one day and it just seemed right. I waited until I worked out most of the kinks to the free phone service to offer it, and voila instant worldwide access (technically just to about a dozen countries).

Unless you've been living under a rock the past few years you're quite aware that the worldview is predominantly focused on sad economy. The media once a source of information has seemed to devolve into a form that simply tells us when to be afraid and what we can buy to make us less afraid. The message has been that there is only lack and that we shouldn't expect to prosper. The abundance download is my attempt (well my guides too) to transform us into abundance generators. This has a positive impact on not only our lives but the lives of those around us. So for those of you who missed the call or zoned out if there is one thing I want you take away from it all it is this, we are abundance. The pattern of abundance is literally written into our physical template at the subatomic level. The very structure and foundation of the universe is abundance. It is only about accessing that flow and allowing it.

The first thing I said when the call was done was, "That was weird." The half hour literally flew past. When I opened my eyes I had thought maybe 5 or 10 minutes had passed, but it was more like 25-30. I was shocked not only by that, but from the guided mediation that spontaneously arose. I had no notes and no format to follow for the call, but I moved through each visioning process in sequence and I don't even remember everything I said. So while I was there, something else and greater was with me pulling my strings to help with the call (kudos to all guides, deities, and angels). I think the amount of focus and anticipation everyone had for the call, myself included, really magnified the effect. It was fun to play in the field of possibilities so immediately with a live call. I love what we were able to build and this is something I definitely want to do again. Well my friends the hour is late and I must rest.

Peace and Blessings,
Thomas Mooneagle