KAJAMA.COM NEWSLETTER

by Ernest Wentwhistle

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

Author Richard Webster uses the interesting literary device of cogent, timely correspondence received by a fictional character. These brief letters from his former high school history teacher contain advice appropriate to each particular crisis, and arrive just at the moment of decision. Every missive is preceded by a question or statement encapsulating the high school teacher's guidance. While these snatches of wisdom may seem self-evident, their appearance within the context of individual situations and crises causes them to stand out in bolder relief.

Eight such pieces of amiable instruction seemed particularly appropriate to my own life. They are: "What's your passion?," "Be kind to yourself," "Follow your dream," "Enjoy the journey," "Focus on the positive," "Find something to believe in," "What is your purpose?," and "Choose your thoughts."

Webster defines "passion" as one's own inner truth—that which moves or inspires you. Existence without joy is the end of living and the beginning of survival. In our success-oriented society, we are too much caught up in the scramble for survival (i.e., security), although we will never have enough material wealth to feel impenetrably secure. I sometimes feel I'm wasting my life on the merry-go-round working and bill-paying. By remembering that my passion is the real meaning of my life, I can free myself from the less significant mundane aspect of mere survival, and get on with the high purpose of fulfilling my abilities, as mediocre as they may be.

"Be kind to yourself" is probably the most difficult of Webster's commands to follow. He does not, of course, tempt us with self-indulgence. The kindness of which he speaks is compassion for our flaws and sins, which we know all too well. It is easy to judge and condemn myself, keenly aware as I am of a lifetime of error and inappropriate behavior. Objectively regarding ourselves is difficult, but it can and should be done. Think of yourself as the child you once were. Do you despise that boy or girl? Of course not. That may be the first step toward being kind to oneself; to achieve a balanced appreciation for who and what we are. Too harsh a self-judgment erodes our will to make something of ourselves in this life.

"Follow your dream" is an admonition to exercise one's passion. It is easier said than done. If your dream is to someday own a fancy car with which to impress your friends and enemies, then such a goal may be achieved through a little hard work and an untouchable savings account. On the other hand, if your ideal is world peace and your passion is to strive against war, then your dream will probably be fulfilled, not, unfortunately, by achieving such an impossibility in this harsh world, but through the fight for its realization.

It is in following one's dream that at least something of its fulfillment comes about. Such an assurance is comforting to someone like myself, who, after long years of trying to make a better society (at least from my point of view), eventually concluded that changing one's life was more effective (and more possible) than changing the world. This is apparently what Webster means when he instructs us to "Enjoy the journey." Like most of my fellow human beings, I am too focused on hoped-for end results, desire outcomes, and bottom lines. Things do not always turn out the way we anticipate, and rarely in the manner we precisely envisioned, resulting in disappointment. With our eyes on the prize we are too often led to agree with Arthur Schopenhauer, the so-called "Philosopher of Pessimism," that our individual existence is nothing more than a life-long process of disillusionment. Webster's antidote to such dead-end thinking is a kind of yogic indifference to ultimate success or the lack thereof by making the most of our passage into the future.

I find that thus relinquishing worry for a future that can be, at most, anticipated but never clearly foreseen, a calm settles over my heart, as stress and blood pressure are lowered. Moreover, I am better able to achieve my task in a calm state of mind, than distracted by fears, most of which turn out to be baseless. An up-beat assessment of one's situation is the significance of Webster's "Focus on the positive." Its opposite, negativity, is the pitfall threatening everyone in modern America's fiercely competitive society. I find that if I dwell too long and deeply on the negative qualities in myself or around me, I want to just give up. There is no hope in capitulation, but a positive attitude at least keeps us going. Where we can still fight there is at least hope.

Webster tells us to "Find something to believe in." Faith is everywhere being undermined today, both in established leaders and institutions, from priests and politicians, to churches and corporations. I believe in none of these discredited and yet-to-be-discredited persons or systems. I believe in the eternal truths of nature and the human soul. That, I find the older I become, is the faith which sustains me.

Just asking, "What is your purpose?," must give us pause to consider the core meaning of our existence. After some reflection, I believe I know the answer; namely, to find out what talents or abilities one has, however humble they may be, and apply them. In so doing, I have found an inner sense of fulfillment unattainable by any other means.

Best of all perhaps, "Choose your thoughts" means that we are masters of our own mind. Under psychic attack as we all our during waking hours by skillful advertising and propaganda, it is important to know that we are sovereign at least over those things we may choose to embrace or disregard. Change the channel! Better yet, turn off the box! In a culture where individual human beings are feeling increasingly powerless, they still have final rights over their own thought processes. Like them, I cannot escape a growing feeling of being imposed upon by officials of various hierarchies who presume to tell me how I should think. The simple realization that at least in the realm of thought we are still masters is a dimension of liberty in a world of shrinking freedoms.

Webster's Success Secrets are the simple but eternally powerful truths which must remain secrets no longer.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2003. All rights reserved.

I'm 29 years old and have a big problem: I'm stuck in a sort of limbo. I was in mental health treatment for 20 years and on medications that damaged my body, mind and spirit. I was abused and abandoned. I never knew love for most of my life. My first understanding of gentleness came through my domestic partner three years ago. I have been re-examined off of medication and tested completely within normal limits. I have no mental health issues aside from post traumatic stress disorder, mild anxiety, and delayed social development due to a lack of exposure to people. No need was found for the damaging treatment I received for 20 years. I am blocked from moving forward due to emotional/physical scars that will not heal. I'm upset with those who did this to me, and I don't understand why. I have no legal recourse due to the statute of limitations. I'm crushed that I can't make this right. I'm poor and have a lot of medical problems I can't afford to treat. I'm too sick to work and may never be able to. I want to heal but I just can't seem to keep my head above water. I can't get how this could be moral, let alone legal. My soul knows to move forward but subconsciously I can't due to the unresolved past. How can I resolve this so I can move on? Any help would be welcomed.

- Steph

Astrea:

Refuse to be discouraged and take comfort in knowing that things are finally getting better for you. Soon you can begin to follow your holy calling to help others, which is why all these terrible things happened in the first place.

In your celestial incarnation before this lifetime, you must have agreed to let these awful things happen to you. You wanted to understand completely what it is to suffer like that so that you could help others heal. The Light is a holy calling, and it's on you as much as your own skin. Don't deny this gift.

Certainly what was done to you was immoral, illegal, and just plain wrong. As I read your letter again, I was struck with a feeling that you haven't exhausted all your legal avenues. Even if you can't file criminal charges against the people who did these awful things to you, maybe you can take civil action and hit them where it will hurt them the most - in their wallets.

Of course, money is not going to take away all your pain - you must discover what will within yourself.

A common therapy is to confront those who have done us wrong. If you choose this as part of your recovery, do it in front of a witness like a friend or police officer. Confronting wrongdoers sometimes helps us find peace and forgiveness. Even if you can't forgive them, please stop blaming yourself for what happened.

If you don't feel ready for confrontation, write them a letter spelling out exactly how they caused you suffering. Tracing the chronology of all you went through will also help you recover your strength and energy.

Even though it may be very hard for you to trust anyone involved with the medical profession, do not stop therapy! What happened to you is too extreme for you to resolve it alone. You are going to need lots of support as you grow stronger and learn to trust your own judgment.

There are other people who are suffering from past hurts just as deep as your own. Those people need your help. During the next five years, I can see you and your therapist writing a best-selling book about your personal experiences and your healing journey. This will bring you not only a big financial reward, but also the peace your soul is longing for.

Others will begin to come to you for help with their own healing, and you will find a sense of purpose for your life that will make you happy beyond your wildest dreams. Open your life to the God-force that is so strong in you. Your survival depended on that holy force, but now it can be the source of your happiness.

*****

Susyn:

I'm sorry for all the difficult experiences you've been through, and can understand your anger and resentment for the way you've been treated. You are correct, however, when you say that you must resolve and move past these experiences in order to heal and create peace and happiness for yourself.

First of all, I would continue to look for someone who may be able to help you legally. Even though the statute of limitations has elapsed, there may be lawyers who would accept your case on a contingency basis, especially if these events happened when you were a juvenile.

In the mean time, there are a number of ways to stop the feelings of fear and powerlessness that tend to consume your days. I imagine that your ability to trust has been greatly damaged, so it's time to find a spiritual group or practice through which to work on that particular issue.

Buddhism has many ways to help you restore and reconnect your inner spirit. The Nichiren sect of Buddhism focuses on restoring one's power, changing one's karma, and in the process, releasing the past. You may want to research groups in your area and find one that can provide you with simple chanting practices. These have worked like magic for many people, myself included.

Keeping a journal and working with a therapist will also help you clear the past and let go of your anger. This is essential, for as long as your past haunts you, it will continue manifesting as health problems or a feeling of hopelessness.

Keep in mind that we all have karmic destinies to experience in this lifetime, and as difficult as they may seem, these events are designed to make us stronger. Often when these situations occur, the person involved will find themselves becoming an advocate for others, so you may want to seek out a support group and focus on helping other people who have suffered. In this way, you can turn your hardships into valued assets instead of just lamenting them.

You could also pursue an astrological or psychic reading on these experiences, as this could give you a powerful new perspective on them or answer your questions regarding why you had to go through all of this. These types of readings will also give you information about your future so you can relax and not concern yourself about anything like this happening to you again.

Finally, rest assured that things will improve from here on out, for it sounds like you have finally reached a place where you are ready to release the past so you can move into a much brighter, happier future.

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.