Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Contemplating the Magic of the Universe


Writer Alexis Brooks
 "Contemplating the Universe"

“The Universe is so brilliant!”  That’s what Tammy Mastroberte founder and editor of Elevated Existence magazine told me at the conclusion of our interview (which will air on Conscious Life News in March), as we were discussing the language the Universe speaks, its intelligence and intrinsic link to all of us.  We can carry on a dialogue with this magnificent and mysterious consciousness if we are open to it. 

Brahma, a Sanskrit term often referred to as “the biggest” or “the Universe” or even “God of the Universe”, carries a mysterious and somehow omniscient spark, hearing our every word, every thought, every nuance we have, even before we have it.

How is this so?  How does the Universe speak and more importantly, how do we learn to decipher its message? 

When discussing how Tammy started her now well recognized and award winning publication Elevated Existence, she admitted that as with most entrepreneurial endeavors, there was a fair amount of ambivalence and anxiety.  She said her first knee jerk reaction to starting her own magazine so she could deliver topics that she loved to cover (spirituality and self improvement), was “are you out of your mind?”  A friend had urged her to consider undertaking the endeavor since knowing that Tammy was so passionate about these subjects.  But she said shortly thereafter, she thought to herself “why not?”  And so she went for it.  And the rest is history.  Tammy is now in her fourth year of the publication which has seen amazing success and features well known names both within and outside of the “new age/spirituality” genre.  She has interviewed Gregg Braden, Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson and Dr. Brian Weiss as well as hip hop mogul Russell Simmons, actress and singer Olivia Newton John and Jane Fonda!  She says, each of these individuals, no matter their background all have a common interest; a common bond – that of the spiritual journey.  And they’ve shared many details of their own personal journey with Tammy and with her magazine.

Tammy Mastroberte
Founder & Editor
Elevated Existence
Tammy said that once she had gotten over her initial jitters to start her own business, she never looked back.  “Surrender and know that you’re being guided (by the Universe) and be open to that guidance.”

We agreed that to be sure the Universe is brilliant in how it knows what you need and if you’ve got an acute awareness of this you will hear its messages loud and clear – even if you’re not quite sure what it is trying to tell you at the outset.

We discussed so many fascinating topics in our hour long interview and were so excited about all of these subjects; we continued chatting well after the interview had ended. 

Among the topics we covered was past life regression and how her interview with author and psychiatrist Dr. Brian Weiss led her deeper into her own quest to understand herself through her past lives.  As I was listening to her talk about one of her previous incarnations that she experienced, I found myself daydreaming a bit, thinking “perhaps I too will look into my own past lives through regression.”  It’s interesting how your mind can wander and still be focused on the conversation at hand.  This was the case here.  By the time she finished relaying her regression story to me I had silently decided, this is something I will look into for myself.

The Universe responded to my thought in perfect accord…

Minutes after I hung up with Tammy, I had walked around to get a bit of exercise and stretch as I usually do after doing an interview or writing a lengthy piece, just to clear my head.  I wandered into the living room and noticed three pieces of something on the floor sitting on one of our oriental rugs.  Upon closer examination I noticed that these were pieces of a mineral (Azurite) of which I had displayed on the second floor as part of a collection of a variety of crystals and minerals.  “How on earth did fragments of azurite make its way downstairs and end up on the living room floor?”  I immediately went to examine the display of minerals including the azurite which sits in a spot that would make it unlikely to fall.  I saw no breaks or cracks in the stone.  The whole thing was truly mystifying me.  Of course, as I usually do, I went through a process of elimination exercise, including asking my husband if he’d picked up and dropped the stone – his was an emphatic “no.”  So how could these pieces end up downstairs?

When these little “anomalous” events occur in my life, after I’ve ruled out all matter of rational explanation, I then turn inward and reflect on something I might have been thinking about, said or requested to account for the experience in the form of a symbol – in this case the mineral fragments.  I quickly went to a metaphysical mineral reference book that I often use and looked up common qualities of azurite.  Among other things, here’s what it said:

“Azurite can assist in exploring past or alternate lifetimes, and in recovering information and knowledge from those lifetimes.” (Source: The Book of Stones – Who They Are & What They Teach)

Crystal display with azurite at far right.
Of course, I had been talking to Tammy about exploring her past lives and silently considering exploring my own.  I had even thought briefly about trying to self initiate the process for myself – all of this within the span of merely minutes.  The Universe has this uncanny ability to respond to virtually everything and in such brilliant fashion.  This was certainly no exception as it immediately met my request with an answer – in the form of fragments of azurite!

When we speak of “Universal language” one might assume that this is some sort of audible dialect that we can learn to decipher and speak for ourselves.  My surmise is that the language that is most powerful and most innate in us all is that of the unspoken, the symbolic, that which is felt and assimilated through one’s own experience.  The true magic of this intriguing discussion I had with Tammy Mastroberte went far beyond the words we spoke during our interview, but in the felt experience; the language of the Universe that gave its own unique wink and nod to me, well after our talk had concluded.

As I continue to contemplate the magic of the Universe, I never cease to be amazed at its brilliance, perfection and communion with us.  The Universe is listening indeed!


Make sure to tune in to my interview with the editor of Elevated Existence, Tammy Mastroberte this March on Conscious Life News!

Tell us how the Universe has communicated with you on our Facebook page!

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If you enjoyed this article and would like to see the work of Higher Journeys continue, in addition to my broadcast of Conscious Inquiry with Alexis Brooks on CLN, please consider making a small donation today to keep us going! 
...thank you!



Wednesday, January 16, 2013

The Unfoldment by Neil Kramer - Honest Clarity for Your Transformational Path!



The New Year is off to a transformational start here at Higher Journeys!

To assist you on your own journey of discovery and evolution, we are introducing a new feature: 


TRANSFORMATIONAL "BOOK BYTES"

...a brief overview of cutting edge books (from new titles to perennial classics) that can guide and inspire you toward a life of fulfillment on all levels.

Whether it's bending the mind with intriguing accounts of the paranormal; educating you about alternative choices to health and wellness or just inspiring you toward a deeper look at your self and the world (and Universe) around you - Transformational Book Bytes will provide you with excerpts from great reads and the authors behind them to help you along the way.

We will periodically feature TBB on the Higher Journeys' YouTube Channel so be sure to subscribe and check back often as we will be updating our newly created channel on a host of different topics!



NOW WE PRESENT:

The Unfoldment - The Organic Path to Clarity, Power and Transformation by writer & philosopher 
Neil Kramer


I was personally thrilled and enthralled by Neil's first book.  I've been an avid follower of his work for some time.  His succinct and candid approach to otherwise complex topics centered around the esoteric, mysticism, philosophy and spirituality, to me is unmatched and I am so pleased that he has finally released his very first book!
Stay tuned as I will be interviewing Neil in an upcoming episode of Conscious Inquiry on Conscious Life News.
In the meantime, have a listen to a brief excerpt from The Unfoldment: The Organic Path to Clarity, Power and Transformation.
Buy the book from Amazon: The Unfoldment: The Organic Path to Clarity, Power, and Transformation Be sure to continue the conversation on our Facebook Page!


If you enjoyed this article and would like to see the work of Higher Journeys continue, in addition to my broadcast of Conscious Inquiry with Alexis Brooks on CLN, please consider making a small donation today to keep us going!  ...thank you!

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Introducing Conscious Musings!

It is my absolute pleasure to introduce you to a new member of the Higher Journeys family - Conscious Musings - A Collection of Contemplations About Life and Potentiality: my new release on audio book that explores the true nature of reality and that which is most important to us - our selves and the world that we live in!

This short audio book will explore the world as it is vs. the world as it could be!

Conscious Musings offers unique but practical solutions to how you can approach life with a renewed sense of purpose and action.

Included in Conscious Musings is a short but powerful heart based meditation that can be used daily to manifest that which you've always desired, but didn't know just how to achieve it!

Begin to manifest the world as it can be right now!

Join the Conscious Journey right here and right now!

Watch a short book trailer for Conscious Musings:


 Join the conversation on our Higher Journeys Facebook Page!


If you enjoyed this article and would like to see the work of Higher Journeys continue, in addition to my broadcast of Conscious Inquiry with Alexis Brooks on CLN, please consider making a small donation today to keep us going!  ...thank you!