And No Religion, Too...

Spring has sprung, and with it comes Easter, the day that Christians all around the world celebrate the resurrection of Christ. This has always been an interesting holiday for my family, a fraction being very religious, and the other fraction (my immediate family) being very non-religious. We originally celebrated it at my Grandmother’s house with an Easter egg hunt and brunch before she passed over 20 years ago.

My Grandmother was most definitely Christian, but she completely loved and accepted me, no matter my heathen ways. I could literally talk to her about anything, and would even attend church with her from time to time just because I knew it made her happy. Plus, there was something about the way she would sing from the hymnal that I loved – totally off key, but with such beautiful reverence.

In the years since she passed, my mother has taken on the Easter festivities. The dynamic has changed as my more religious relatives have branched off into their own brand of celebration, and now for us it really is just about the Bunny and a good excuse to get together and stuff our faces. This being said, I honor whatever celebratory practice anyone chooses (or doesn’t choose) during this time, as long as it’s done in the name of love – which is what was Jesus was all about anyway.

I hope that those with strong religious affiliation don’t take offense from this week’s message, but instead understand that it actually supports the idea of religion as a means to an end in regard to uplifting our society. It refers to the mindset and values that one brings to their chosen religious practice. Simply put, are you doing it to increase and spread love, or to enact an air of superiority? You can’t have one in the face of the other. I’ve seen such disparity in how people use their religion, my hope is at the end of the day everyone understands the power it has to either bring people together or tear them apart. Please practice responsibly.

With Love.

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From Over There:

“Religion as a practice is only as pure as the practitian.  When religious dogma turns to hate and violence it has lost its usefulness and creates a forum for those who wish to control and dominate. When this occurs, the religious principles are no better than oppressive government systems. Acts of persecution in the name of religion will eventually fail as the evolutionary process toward enlightenment continues. This trend of enlightenment will generate a greater division of those moving toward evolved belief systems, and individuals attempting to hold onto archaic methods of expression.

If one is to value religious expression as a betterment to society, it is necessary to embrace religious practices that value the whole of society, not just those whose beliefs concur.  It is the religious principles that promote greater awareness and inclusion that support the advancement of enlightened consciousness.”

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Featured Guest: His Holiness, the 14^th Dalai Lama

Because I believe that this man embraces compassion and love for all individuals – regardless of religious or non-religious persuasion – I have for you a slightly truncated version of his “Three Main Commitments”.

1.  His Holiness’ first commitment is the promotion of human values such as compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, contentment and self-discipline.  All human beings are the same.  We all want happiness and do not want suffering.  Even people who do not believe in religion recognize the importance of these human values in making their life happier.  His Holiness refers to these human values as secular ethics. 

 
2.  His Holiness’ second commitment is the promotion of religious harmony and understanding among the world’s major religious traditions.  Despite philosophical differences, all major world religions have the same potential to create good human beings.  It is therefore important for all religious traditions to respect one another and recognize the value of each other’s respective traditions.   3. His Holiness is a Tibetan and carries the name of the ‘Dalai Lama’.  Tibetans place their trust in him.  Therefore, his third commitment is to the Tibetan issue.  His Holiness’ has a responsibility to act as the free spokesperson of the Tibetans in their struggle for justice. 

To learn more, please visit www.dalailama.com.

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If you'd like more information, to book an appointment, or check out the current class schedule, please visit molliejensen.com.

Neanderthal Alert

This week’s post surrounds a controversial and highly charged subject, the recent sentencing of two male high school students for rape in Steubenville, OH. The reason for my bringing this up stems from an interaction that a friend and I had this past Friday night. A typical weekend night out for me these days includes going to hear live music, very often with my daughter and her friend. When these two go out they have a blast. They love to be up front and center dancing, and don’t care one iota what people think of them. They’re just there for the music. Both are very cute and are each in completely committed relationships; though because of their carefree spirit (and cuteness) attract a lot of attention, of which they are often oblivious.

This last Friday night I noticed a young man repeatedly glancing at my daughter’s friend. After the band quit, I was talking to her when he walked by. He stopped and looked at her, and then said to me, “she’s very pretty.” I responded with a “yes, she is.” He then mumbled something about her dancing and she gave him a less than inviting look, to which I added, “She’s also very married.” Then he said something that took me off guard. He accused her of dancing the way she did to get attention, that “she did it on purpose.” Wow. He was basically blaming her for any attraction he felt for her, like he had absolutely no responsibility for any of it. Thankfully she didn’t hear the gist of what he said, or he’d most likely be sporting a black eye right now.

This interaction made me ponder the subtle undercurrent of “rape culture” in our society. It’s so ingrained, that it’s commonplace to blame a woman for being too attractive, too sexy, too whatever.  How dare us. If any men reading this have thoughts on the matter, I’d love to hear from you. I know that many of you are thoughtful, decent and respectful, though if Steubenville is any indication, we still have a very long road to social equality.

Time to shed some light on this dark subject.

With Love.

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From Over There:

“The desire to control another through physical force is born out of primitive thought patterns. As the human race evolves, critical thinking overtakes the need to dominate through force. A more enlightened interaction includes reasoning and sharing of information. As each individual chooses responsibility of thought and action, so will humankind move toward a more egalitarian society.”

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Featured Guest: Henry Rollins

Punk icon Henry Rollin might seem like an odd ‘guest’ for my post, but I really appreciated his insight regarding the Steubenville incident and wanted you all to have the chance to read it, if you so desire:

Henry Rollins Comments on Steubenville

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If you'd like more information, to book an appointment, or check out the current class schedule, please visit molliejensen.com.

I Shall Be Released

I begin this post right off the bat with: I’m sorry. Why? Those of you for whom this is directed will understand. I’m sorry for not returning your phone calls. I’m sorry for not returning your emails. I’m sorry for when I do happen to return your phone calls or emails that I’m a bit short. Just feeling a little stretched, dont’cha know. The deal is, I’m in hyper-spastic writing mode. For those of you who don’t know, I’m writing a book. I’ve been working on said book for a couple of years (or so) and have got it in my head that it finally needs to be finished – right now. That being said, I’m definitely making great progress and feeling pretty inspired. It’s just this having to create an income, and eating and sleeping (and occasionally brushing my hair) thing that keeps getting in the way. So again, I’m sorry. I seriously do think about each and every one of you who are waiting to hear back from me, and then it’s off to distracted writing mode again. And just so you all know, you’re in very good company.

This week, once again, I am grateful to have a very special guest message. Voge and Hugh Smith are an amazing couple who offer an energy healing method called Releasing, and in addition to their private practice hold once-a-month group teleseminars to do this healing work. It’s my honor to showcase their talents here.

Please check them out, you’ll be glad you did!

Much Love.

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From Here:

Many of us have made healthy vows throughout our lifetime, life affirming vows of loyalty and of love. However, during times of trauma, stress and vulnerability we have also made vows that perhaps in the moment helped us survive, but over time limited our growth and aliveness. These vows are anti-survival. In fact, we find ourselves frustrated that a natural flow feels disrupted and we may have even forgotten about the vows we made that now limit us. Vows close portals and deny us access to higher frequencies of evolution, peace and fulfillment. So many of these vows we made in less evolved and unconscious times, yet they remain with us, exerting their influence from our blind-spot.

Join us for this enlightening discussion of the intricacies of vows and how through the power of Releasing you can once again have leverage in your life. From the comfort of your couch, this month's topic: Vows & Portals, March 26, 7:00 PM PST. Cost: $25. To register please email: irelease@infoasis.com.

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Featured Guest: Voge & Hugh Smith

Voge and Hugh are serious about helping you create the life that makes your heart sing! Through Voge's clairvoyance she is able to go into rapport with your consciousness and see the vows you've made, the decisions you live by, the convictions you hold true that you may not even be conscious of, but are running the show and preventing you from succeeding. Her clients are often heard saying; "You nailed it!" Hugh is gifted with the rare ability to bridge the gap between the physical and spiritual worlds. Their partnership brings a contagious joy to the evolutionary process. For more information please visit towardwholeness.com.

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If you'd like more information, to book an appointment, or check out the current class schedule, please visit molliejensen.com.

Flower Power

I’m writing this from a hotel in LA while attending a writer’s conference. My head is overstuffed with information, but in a good way. In between furiously taking notes while listening to several lectures and cramming in the writing of a book proposal, I decided it was a good thing for my sanity to forgo the usual message From Over There, and instead, host a special guest messenger who is still very much in her body.

Kathleen Aspenns is a flower essence healing practitioner with some helpful hints on how to use these powerful flower remedies to help keep you calm and irritation-free. And with all the busy-ness in the world, I think we can all use her advice. I know I can!

Enjoy!

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Guest Message:

Our culture values speed and instant results - everything must happen now.  From fast food, to fast internet connections to speed dating, we are always in a hurry.  But the things that matter most in our lives often take time and don’t happen instantly.  Our most valued relationships are built over decades, education and building careers can take years.  Clearly, the most important things in life can never be fast.

How do we reconcile the speed of everyday life and the understanding that “good things take time”?

The cultivation of patience can take many forms.  Meditation and the practice of mindfulness can give great assistance to those who need to take a break from the rat race and find perspective and patience.  There are also flower essences that can help calm impatience and soothe our aggravation at the seemingly slow pace of progress in our lives.

Impatiens (Bach Flower Essence) is the primary essence for patience.  Dr Bach himself was a very impatient person, the type to snap in irritation at the slow pace of others. He preferred working alone so he wouldn’t be slowed down.  He realized his inner agitation was a sign of disharmony within himself and discovered the flower essence made from impatiens eased his tension.  Taking Impatiens flower essence, he discovered his impatience reduced and he was able to relax and work without anxiety and frustration.  

Many times before new circumstances can emerge in our lives things must first fall away.  Sagebrush (Flower Essence Society) addresses the emptiness we feel when this happens, and helps us realize the things that are most essential to us are never material or external.  Taking this essence can ease our desire to instantly replace what we have lost, and learn to have patience with the ebb and flow of our lives.

Timeless Presence (Jane Bell Essences) is a combination essence that helps us slow down and look deeply into our self.  It helps you release external stimulus and drama, enabling you to discover what is really true for you.  I often recommend Timeless Presence when there is a lot of chaos and stress in a client’s life and they just don’t know which way is forward.  This essence helps clear away externals and helps you see what is blocking your progress.

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Featured Guest: Kathleen Aspenns

Kathleen began her journey with flower essences many years ago when she found them to be a safe and natural way to address behavior issues with her beloved parrots, an African Grey and a Meyer’s parrot.  After seeing how well flower essences worked with her own animals, Kathleen felt compelled to study further and enrolled in the practitioner training program of the Alaskan Flower Essence Project taught by Jane Bell.  After finishing the course and completing her case studies, she became a certified Flower Essence Practitioner.  In creating a personalized Flower Essence formula she chooses from hundreds of Flower Essences from systems such as the Alaskan Flower Essence Project, the Bach Flower Remedies, the North American Flower Essences from FES and Desert Alchemy. To learn more please visit kathleenaspenns.com.

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If you'd like more information, to book an appointment, or check out the current class schedule, please visit molliejensen.com.

Ooops!

This post concerns some feedback I received earlier about my previous post. It appears that my comment "I’ve had this issue come up for a few clients lately and feel it’s important to address. And I might sound a little harsh when I say, let them go…they don’t matter in your life." made it sound like I was saying that I had some clients who I needed to let go of. This couldn't be further from the truth! I actually was referring to a few clients who had relationships that they needed to let go of. I have wonderful clients and deeply apologize if I offended anyone! 

Much Love.

More, Please

Do you ever find yourself giving energy to someone who doesn’t give it back? I don’t have to tell you, it doesn’t feel very good. Now I’m not talking about periods when someone might be going through a tough time or a busy spell and doesn’t have it to give at that moment, but rather, when they’re consistently available. Unless that person is a completely defenseless newborn, I’d ask why are you expending your valuable resources on them?

I’ve had this issue come up for a few clients lately and feel it’s important to address. And I might sound a little harsh when I say, let them go…they don’t matter in your life. That’s right, THEY DON’T MATTER. I’m not saying that they’re not valuable individuals in general, but just not as they pertain to your life. If they don’t make an effort to show up, they’re simply not worth your time. End of story. And on the flipside, I bet if you (speaking in general here) stopped focusing on them, you might just notice that there are plenty others who are more than happy to be in your world.

Wishing you plenty of give and take.

Much Love.

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From Over There:

"Energy is cyclical and it is this dynamic flow that feeds and connects everyone and everything on this planet. It is a life force that requires balance to sustain itself. The act of giving and receiving is no different. The heart of giving without the heart of receiving creates an empty well. 

Yes there are times when you need to receive more, but there are also times when you have the strength to give in abundance to others in need. Any ongoing imbalance in this energy exchange creates a disharmonious existence. The act of giving without receiving is not nobler than the act of receiving without giving. In each circumstance, someone loses, and creates a missed opportunity for an equitable relationship experience. 

To deny receiving is to deny giving. If being of generous heart is important to you, then be generous enough to allow someone the same opportunity."

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Featured Guest: Camp Consciousness

Life is about love, laughter and self-awareness. So start where you are. Remember to breathe. Laugh often. Love big. Learn about You. Laugh some more!

At Camp Consciousness we want to help you raise the roof on joy, find and fall in love with your Self in a healthy way, get more connected to Source and creativity and then take all that out into the world while you interact with others.

Did we mention fun? Because it’s also about playing your way forward – growth with humor and ease.

We hope you find our tidbits useful, amusing and inspiring! To learn more, please visit campconsciousness.net.

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If you'd like more information, to book an appointment, or check out the current class schedule, please visit molliejensen.com.