I emphasized ‘year’ intentionally. I am not referring to the calendar year most think of when they use or read that word.

Rather, I’m thinking of what I can best describe as a ‘spiritual year’. In my study of both the mystical teachings and practices of Kabbalah and Christian mysticism, there is a very common theme – that of the ‘spiritual year’. In Christian nomenclature, it is often called the “liturgical year”. For the Kabbalah, digging beyond the Jewish traditions that overlay it, it is astrology.

But what is most interesting is the fact that both religious traditions have their foundation in astrological themes.

Christianity – because of it’s patriarchal-need-to-control-everything history – has tried to mask the astrological connection with new words and labels. But once you dig beyond those – it is clear that the “liturgical year” is quite connected thematically to astrology.

Coming to this realization for me was quite eye opening. For as long as I can remember, I have always been able to see God quite clearly – in everything. (Yes – even all the EQ2 and Serpo drama!)

It is one reason I feel so spiritually grounded. But I am digressing from my original intent with this post. Today I received my “weekly tune-up” email from a Kabbalah resource I use occasionally and it is quite powerful. The emphasis is mine.

These next eight days (April 19 — 27)………….there’s a powerful opportunity to transform and change our life for one year and forever. It is not about remembering what happened in the past. It’s about remembering what’s happening now — and knowing how to tap into that energy.

We can remove ourselves from the chains of repetitive patterns of wrong relationships, fears, pains, uncontrollable thoughts that drive us crazy, laziness and lack of energy and enthusiasm.

{snip}

Where are your hot buttons? What are your insecurities? How do you doubt yourself? Pay attention.

When someone says something that ticks you off, don’t shoot the messenger. Explore why the comment provoked such a strong emotional reaction in the first place. Is there some grain of truth there? Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

Ask yourself, “Why did that comment make me feel so mad (sad, defensive, hurt, judged, or attacked)?

These next seven days, expose your weak areas, your vulnerable “I don’t want to talk about it’ spots.

What can you do to make it different?

The gates are open this week. Leave behind all that’s ruling you. Put in the extra effort to look within. You just may get the key to opening those gates for the rest of the year.

Yes indeed. Candles are lit for my battalion of guardian angels to be on stand by, and my self-awareness antennae are all on high alert.

Poor Ryan…. after having his shoulder “fixed” last October, he fell down some stairs yesterday and ripped it out of the socket again.

The ER doc said his shoulder feels “mushy” (which I’m sure is some sort of official medical diagnosis).

We’re back to the surgeon on Friday.

And then most likely back to the hospital for surgery – sooner rather than later.

ugh……

I really, really don’t like hospitals.

How wonderfully appropriate that on this Easter Sunday, my friend who contacted me out of the blue at the perfect time shared with me an incredible ‘touched by the big programmer’ encounter.

You see, “God” isn’t a word he’s comfortable using to descibe what most think of as the Infinite.

My friend can best be described as an incredibly intelligent and deeply sensitive man who takes great pride in approaching things logically and scientifically. In other words, he is a total skeptic when it comes to anything that cannot be proven scientifically or otherwise.

I’ve always loved God’s sense of humor.

He described this as a “really profound experience” – and I must say it’s one of the best I’ve heard yet.

As so often happens, he was in a place in his life where he was dealing with some significant Life Lesson kind of things. These thoughts kept him up late one night last November and he was outside having a cigarette, thinking about his choices. He made a request of the Universe (aka “programmer in the sky”) that if he was suppose to do “A”, he wanted an unmistakable sign – something that he couldn’t write off to coincidence. And he wanted it before he finished his cigarette – naturally.

The night sky was crystal clear. He was looking at the last bit of cigarette and just as he took the last puff, he felt quite odd – almost as if time slowed down. He looked up in the sky and there was an incredibly bright and long lasting ‘shooting star’. This was no ordinary shooting star though – this was VERY different.

It was very, very bright and lasted for a much longer time than an ordinary shooting star. I am showing these photos just to give you an idea of what it may have looked like.

Immediately following this profound experience, he would have his car radio off so he could think and when he’d subsequently turn it on, it would be broadcasting something that reflected EXACTLY what he had been thinking.

Just telling me about it tonight when we were chatting gave him the tingles. Obviously God, aka the ‘big programmer in the sky’ was giving him a gentle reminder.

As we were chatting about all of this, he said he wondered if his mind were playing tricks on him. I shared that when he thought about all of this from his “intellectual self” – that would be the only conclusion he could come to.

I suggested that in fact, thinking about it from his ‘Soul Self’ and utilizing the school of thought “All are ONE”, “God” or the “big programmer in the sky” is obviously reminding him of what really matters.

And yes – connecting at the ‘Soul self’ level IS all that matters.

It is what he experienced that night with his request for “a sign”, and it is that “Soul self” that prompted him to reach out to me after so long simply because ‘something’ made him feel concerned about how I was doing. In that moment, he KNEW all was not right with me – our “Soul selves” – connected as One – had become conscious for him and he was paying attention.

My humblest prayer is our “Soul Self” will become the dominant force in an otherwise very dark world.

I wrote this a long time ago when exposing the truth on another topic. I was struck by the relevance – and synchronicity AGAIN – to all of the recent EQ2 crap I’ve been through.

We delude ourselves so our conscience is clear.

Unintended consequences of our delusion are numerous.

Friendships are lost, psyches are bruised, and the chasm between souls widen.

Wow…… just wow……I see the thread at EQ2flames has degraded to making fun of people’s age, butt size and whether or not their guild has had any success killing “raid” monsters.

Pathetic…….

Sharing feelings with someone you trust is wonderful and the foundation of authentic emotional intimacy.

Painful is how it feels to open yourself up to someone who is unworthy of that trust. Unfortunately we don’t always find out that our trust was misplaced without going through this painful process.

Watching my sons learn this the hard way is also painful. But that is what Life is about….. the Lessons. And try as hard as we often do to avoid the pain, the greatest Lessons seem to come from the deepest pain.