The Ambassadors

There is an idea going around among spiritual communities, that you must always express yourself without censorship. To do otherwise, you feel would be living a lie. If you are part of a certain religious or political movement, you must speak up loudly, or you deny all that you hold true. Many of you believe strongly in this philosophy and feel that it weeds out undesirable people from your life.

If you stand up for your beliefs in this way, we see the honor in it, but we ask you to not judge those who follow a different path. In fact, their path may encourage them to weed you out as well.

They are the quiet ones. They might share their ideas with you if asked, but will not push them on you or use them as a shield to ward off those who think differently. They lead by example and do not seek to "recruit" others to their way of thinking.

They see that there are many paths, and not every path is suitable for every person. Their beliefs are not threatened by the beliefs of others. They keep their minds open, and learn and grow. They are not liars or hypocrites, but ambassadors representing themselves in a way that respects the beliefs of others.

When others find out what their beliefs are, their minds are opened, stereotypes fall away and they begin to see their neighbors as spiritual beings rather than a set of rules. They find that other cultures, political systems and religious beliefs, are closer to their own beliefs than they originally imagined. They are the ones that are most likely to bring peace to the planet.

They are good people to have around. You might find out that they can be loyal friends and valuable allies. Hopefully you won't be the one they must "weed out". ~ Silas

Jinnzania's side notes: I never felt the need to loudly announce my beliefs and philosophies to friends or strangers. As a peace-loving vegetarian, I never thought my beliefs would offend anyone, but these days, people line up to be offended.

I currently live in a very multicultural city. People of different races, cultures and religious backgrounds live together with few issues. Due to population density, we all live and work in close proximity. We have tasks to accomplish and jobs to get done. We don't have time to get offended, and we usually don't. People are judged based on their personalities, and abilities, and not the color of their skin, whom they want to marry or which church they attend.

It's been fascinating and enriching to get to know them. It has opened my mind and taught me a lot about myself. Together, we create a beautiful garden of colors, customs and beliefs, and yet, in the end, we are all citizens of Earth. If I were a gardener, I would never plant only roses or daisies, I'll take the wildflower mix every time.

With Great Power.....

Many among you falsely believe that you have no power. We assure you that this is not true. You are just not aware of what real power looks like.

You grow up watching bullies on the playground. They walk in packs, preying on the small, weak and vulnerable. They yell, make threats and hit when they do not get what they want. They appear powerful to the smaller children, but that power is illusion. They wear a mask of intimidation to cover their fear.

There are those among you who hold positions of authority over others at work. You will often find among these, the same playground bullies. They yell at those they are supposed to be leading, humiliate them for mistakes and sabotage their work, so that the cycle can continue.

On your roadways, their are those who fight for a few extra yards. They honk their horns, yell out the window and tailgate at dangerous speeds.

In arguments, there are those who make their point, then laugh at those who disagree, even calling them names, as though, the very idea of disagreeing with them makes them intellectually inferior.

All of these. To the untrained eye, look like power, but they are an illusion. The boss is insecure about his own ability to work and manage. The driver would not be so tough, when not surrounded by tons of metal and anonymous. The name callers do not have a strong argument so they yell, and insult others to create the illusion of intellectual superiority.

Real power is quiet. It looks like the well trained security guard sitting quietly in the corner of the store. He acts only when there is danger, uses only enough force to get the situation under control, then returns to his quiet spot by the door. He knows how to do his job, and has confidence in his abilities. He shows his power when needed, but does not boast about it. If customers make fun of him, he is unaffected as he knows the truth.

Real power comes from knowing yourself, appreciating you special gifts and talents, and using them appropriately to help and empower others rather than take advantage of them.

No person on this planet is powerless. All of you have enough power to use wisely or abuse.
So be responsible, be kind, and keep your cape tucked in until you need it. ~Silas

Jinnzania's side notes: I grew up in a world where women were powerless. The cartoons and movies I watched reinforced this. I wanted to be the helpless heroine, waiting to be rescued by a handsome prince, as that was pinnacle of womanhood: being rescued by the most powerful man in the land, marrying him and having powerful boy babies and helpless but beautiful girl babies.

After decades of promoting this stereotype, my pals at Disney, presented, Mulan. She couldn't quite manage to make a proper cup of tea, so using her intellect and ingenuity, she chose to save China instead. In the end, she became the leader of the men she once fought with, and won the respect of her father and family. Not by fear or intimidation, but using her gifts and talents and working with and empowering those around her.

I'll have what she's having, although I wouldn't mind a tasteful tiara and a fashionable cape.

An Order of Whine

Often you complain that no one is listening to you. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The Universe is, in fact, taking in every word and responding to your every wish. So, why have all your dreams not come true? You are most likely not being clear. The Universe would like to bring you all that you ask, so you must be mindful of what you ask for.

Imagine a waitress standing beside you preparing to take your order.

English is not her primary language, so she catches most of what you say, but there are gaps in her understanding.

You say, "I want coffee", then start to converse with your friends. "I don't think I'll get the eggs, last time they were runny and the toast was burnt." You look over at your friend and say quietly, "I'll get the pancakes today".

You close your menus and hand them to the waitress, saying sarcastically, "No rush, we like our food cold".

So then, one hour later, the waitress brings you coffee, cold, runny eggs, and burnt toast. She smiles sweetly, knowing that she will get a big tip having followed your wishes exactly.

The Universe speaks your language, it is you who don't always speak precisely. You spend so much time complaining about what you don't want the Universe assumes that complaining makes you happy, so you receive things to complain about.

The more emotion you put behind it, the stronger the vibration. So, when you partake of a fine whine, ( I'M SO TIRED OF THIS, I DON'T WANT THAT ANYMORE), you are saying, "I feel strongly about this, please bring me more NOW!"

Your problem is not your weakness, but your power. Power that you inadvertently use against yourself. Then you will complain that the world is "out to get you". The world around you is a reflection of how you feel about yourself and your life.

Keep your words and thoughts positive. Imagine that everything you say will come true immediately. For it can, and it does, not because you are a victim, but because you are more powerful than you realize. So stop abusing yourself with this power. You have successfully used it to create things to whine about. Why not use it to create what you really want? Your waiter is here and eager to serve you. ~Silas

Jinnzania's side notes: I grew up to believe that life wasn't fair. Money doesn't grow on trees, but you need it, and it is the root of all evil. So most of my adult life has been spent complaining about how others have it better and I never have enough money.

One day, it hit me. Everything I had been complaining about had come true. I created it, and I must say, I did a great job. I was usually broke and dealing with a lot of injustice.

I realized that if I could create all of this crap, then I could create good things as well. So I started to focus on talking and thinking about my dreams rather than my doubts and fears. I surrounded myself with people who spoke positively about life and limited my time with those who were negative. After a while it didn't matter who I was around, I could tune out the negative talk and not be affected by it.

My life is better, still a work in progress, but at least, these days, if I feel the need to pour a tall glass of whine, I take the time to appreciate the cheese and fruit that sits next to it. <3

The Greatest Love Story

My Earthbound friends, I must tell you. You have been lied to. Your models and ideas of love are completely inaccurate. This is why so many of your relationships are doomed to failure.

You have been brainwashed to run away from what is love, and chase what is fairy tale (although, we Fae will not take credit for this).

You have princesses, who rush to marry men they have just met. People who cannot live without each other. A person with a big, gaping hole in their heart, desperate to find someone to fill it.

Your models for the ultimate romance are two children from dysfunctional families, who come together and find a few moments of peace and sanity in their troubled lives. They immediately wed in secret, and proceed to have a relationship that is so co-dependent that they commit suicide when their lives have just begun, rather than go on alone.

Think about it. This is your most famous example of romance. No wonder you are confused.

The first mistake you often make is to find a hole, or missing piece that needs filling. Then you look outside of yourselves to fill it. When the relationship ends, the hole opens up again. You feel empty, and rush to find another to fill it up again. You beat yourself up for being alone.

Would it surprise you to know that those with he most love in their hearts are often those who are not in relationships? Those you make fun of when you are attached to someone, and cry to when the relationship fails? Yes, they are the ones, who have filled in their own holes and missing pieces. They can be alone or in a relationship and not lose their identity.

When they love, they attract a person who is also complete. They can choose to grow with this person, and accept them as they are. They do not need to pretend to be someone else to please their partner. If the relationship ends they part friends and continue with their lives without the suicide or other drama.

Love does not drop on you like a bomb. It sneaks up and curls around you like a shy kitten. It grows from friendship or a working relationship. It is quietly holding hands in a corner rather than, passionately kissing in public.

How do you know you're in love? Love is not a switch that is turned on or off. When you get there, you won't care that you are in love, you will not rush to update your relationship status. You will enjoy every moment of the experience and not worry about who knows about it or where it is headed.

But most of all, you will love yourself. Completely and unconditionally love yourself, and death cannot part you. ~Silas

Jinnzania's side notes: Since my divorce was finalized, I have been single, in a relationship and casually dated. It took spending time alone and getting to know my own energy to make me realize that I love who I am and don't want to have to change to be in a relationship. On my last date the Universe showed me this in a very frightening way.

I accepted a date with a neighbor who had helped me with my car. He started to text me hours before the date, asking me what I was wearing. I joked that I was wearing a skirt and that he might want to go another way. He answered that I would look sexy whatever I wore (red flag #1). In the car he made small talk constantly bringing the subject back to how pretty I looked and that I had a nice body (#2). After drinks we went to a place he wanted to show me. He grabbed me and kissed me as soon as we were out of the car (#3 and what should have been the "take me home NOW!" moment). We'd both had a few drinks and I pushed him away telling him that I wasn't ready. We walked further and at every available moment, he would grab me and kiss me (red flag too many). I pushed him away, each time his hands slipping further underneath my clothes. He told me that everyone in my social circle was lying to me. He told me two of our neighbors were drug addicts (I'm the only one you can trust).

Years ago I would have fallen for this, (and did a few times). He was controlling, possessive and manipulative. In one person, I saw all of my past relationship mistakes. With the help of the local police, I told him I did not want another date.

Even if he hadn't been a perverted freak, I would have had to suppress and censor myself to be with him. This will not happen any more. If you can't see and appreciate all of the things I am learning to love about myself, then there is no point in trying to have a relationship. If you can't handle me unfiltered and uncensored, then you are not worth my time.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Does it sound cruel that we love to watch you make mistakes? It is not your suffering we enjoy, but the opportunities to learn and grow which your mistakes create.

Few are gifted enough to play an instrument properly on the first try. At first, the new musician plays notes that may feel like an assault to the ears. Soon they begin to make major corrections and it sounds better. Then minor corrections improve the music further. Finally, practice is all that is needed to maintain the near perfection. A seasoned professional will still make minor corrections to improve the music, corrections that the untrained ear will not notice.

Practice is a series of mistakes and corrections that lead to harmony.

There are those who give up quickly, assuming they have no talent. The mistakes of practice bringing an end to their career.

Others refuse to give up. They see their mistakes and missed notes as lessons to be learned, so that they can improve their playing. They identify themselves with the music, not the mistakes. They shrug off a disastrous practice, and show up the next day with instrument in hand, using the previous day as an example of what not to do.

You are not here to be perfect, you are here to learn. Do not identify yourself with your mistakes but rather by how you overcome and learn from them. We do not judge you whether you get it right the first time or the twelfth. The extra practice will make the lesson stick.

If others among you insist on bashing you for your mistakes, then surround yourself with new people. Don't let them ruin the learning experience for you. They could probably learn a few things from you. ~Silas

Jinnzania's side notes: I was taught to strive for perfection. Anytime I made a mistake, I would mentally beat myself up for it. In many cases, if I failed at something, I would just give up. Fear of more failure prevented me from learning from my mistakes. For nearly two decades, I went to jobs I didn't like, went home and turned on the television. I was completely successful at that, and my life was empty.

I entered a relationship that I thought had come along to save me. it brought new adventures, but in the end, I realized that he was pulling the strings and controlling every aspect of the relationship. I could not believe that I had fallen for his game, and so badly misjudged who he was. I also realized that I had done this before. It took a mistake of this magnitude to teach me a valuable lesson.

I don't thank him for this lesson, as it wasn't designed to teach me, but rather use me until he found another to use. I thank myself. For using my strength, determination and creativity to survive and create a better life. I made a big adjustment, and now the music is sweeter, and people around me are beginning to dance to it.

Keeping It Light

There is much talk in your spiritual communities of light. You seek the light more than anything else. You want to be bright, shining, illuminated. You fear the dark, but in the absence of darkness, total light is blinding. So much light that nothing is visible. Light and dark fight a daily battle in your lives. You struggle to keep only to the light, or give up and sink into total darkness.

The key is balance. Light with dark, intellect with spirituality, male with female. This balance allows all life to exist on Earth. But there is another light that can be used to heal and balance.

This "light" is the opposite of heavy. You feel it when you're in the beauty of nature. When you are playing with a pet, when you are listening to a funny joke.

The laughter and smiles that follow, raise your vibrational level in such a way that if you could understand it from where we exist, you would laugh and smile from the time you wake up until the time you went to bed.

Laughter is magic to your soul. It can stop the downward spiral of a terrible day and turn it around in an instant. It can give you a much needed break in a period of mourning. It can raise your vibration quickly, that better things will manifest in your life.

It releases chemicals in your body that can reverse disease. Even those thought to be incurable. It is a built in technology that the body uses to repair itself from the damage of daily stress.

It is inexpensive, easily shared, and wonderfully healing. But please stop me if you've heard this one. ~ Silas

Jinnzania's side notes: I am blessed to be around people who don't take life too seriously. In my darkest hours they would tease and tickle a laugh from me, which would get me through that moment and the next. Soon, the thing that was upsetting me seemed much less significant . Each of these moments was like a perfect pearl, I began to string these pearls together to make a beautiful necklace. Then, suddenly, joy became the focus of my life rather than grief.

Taking time away from your problems to laugh is like a mini vacation, an internal massage for your face and belly, and what did your problems ever do for you that they deserve so much of your time and attention?

In the movie, "Steel Magnolias", one of my favorite scenes takes place beside the casket of a beautiful, young woman who died too soon. One character, Clairee, decides to lighten things up with a bit of humor. At first, the group is shocked, then they are all laughing hysterically, momentarily relieved from he heaviness of their grief. Nothing has changed, but they all get a much more peaceful feeling afterward. As another character, Truvy, remarked, "Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion!"

When life gets heavy, lighten it up with a laugh. This is my prescription. Trust your elemental communications specialist :D

The Parasite

In most of the animal kingdom, there are those who live by sucking the life force of others. They cannot function on their own. Something in their DNA causes them to develop in such a way, that they must have others around them to take advantage of.

Some humans are like this, but for them it is a choice.

They fall into two categories: those who have not created their own life, and those who create an illusion of a satisfying life.

The first type will often appear exceptionally humble, often lacking self-esteem. They are sweet, often in pain, and they can be exhausting to be around. They do not take your energy because of a premeditated plan, it is just what they naturally do. That are like addicts. Eventually, the energy they get stops giving them a "high" and they simply do it to exist.

The other type knows exactly what they are doing. The worst among then seek out a certain type of host and lure them in with phony charm. They drain one victim dry, them move on to the next with no regard for the one who had been sustaining them. At the most extreme you would refer to his person as a sociopath.

We do not tell you this to frighten you. We simply want you to know. You have a right to keep your energy safe. If a person makes you feel drained of energy, or you feel "high" in their presence and empty when they leave, they might be parasitic. Monitor your feelings around them and control your interactions with them.

As like attracts like, in the end, a parasite will usually attract another parasite of the same or different type and they will drain each other until both are dry. They do have the choice to stop, but addictions are hard to break.

The most important thing we can tell you today, is that if you become the victim of a parasite, it is not a reflection of who you are. Even though a parasite may discard you and leave you to feel like you are nothing, you are someone. Usually you are someone with a big heart, who wants to help, or a trusting soul who, believes the words of a pathological liar.

The parasite has nothing, but that which he or she steals from others. At your very worst, you are better than that. People with loving hearts and gifts and talents are often the chosen hosts of parasites. So, hold up your head and be proud, and do not let it happen again. You deserve better. ~ Silas

Jinnzania's side notes: Throughout my life, I have been both the parasite (although not intentional) as well as the prey. Either way, it was about low self-esteem. I didn't think that I was enough and needed something more. As I moved away from the parasitic mode, and started to transition into a better way of living, I became an ideal host. Vulnerable enough to be easy prey, but with some energy to give. When I ceased to be a suitable host, I was abandoned, and left to die by one who would "love and cherish me forever" and "valued my friendship".

Fortunately, I have real friends with real healing gifts. They gently walked me out of my victim stage, and showed me how powerful I can be.

This past month, memories of past pain have resurfaced. I faced them. I may not have scored a resounding victory, but I stood my ground. Sometimes, that's all it takes <3