Sister Bridget's Blog

THE TYRANNY OF ''WHAT IF...?"

Hi All,

I came across this article andI really want to pass it along. It struck home on so many levels, and really has a way of putting things in perspective.

Light and Love

Bridget

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE TYRANNY OF ''WHAT IF...?"

by Charlie Badenhop

For a child, a summer day can seem to last forever. This is

part of the beauty of a child's perspective. At the same

time, all of us, adult and child alike, sometimes freeze up

and lose sense of the fact that we have a future that has

not yet arrived. Here is a story of a child's summer day in

Brooklyn, New York.

~

When I was eight years old a truck housing a children's

ride, used to come around my neighborhood in Brooklyn. You

paid your fee, had your ride, and upon exiting, you got some

small thank you gift. When exiting the truck one time I got

a large sheet of tattoos. I was ecstatic because there was

one HUGE tattoo showing Davie Crockett killing a HUGE bear.

I ran home to have the tattoo immediately applied to my bare

chest, and I remember thinking how it was perfect that I did

not yet have any hair on my chest because the hair would

only get in the way of the tattoo. And then, as hard as this

might be to believe, my father totally screwed up in

applying the tattoo, and I was left with black water running

down my chest, and then great big tears running down my

face, as I was in a state of shock and disbelief. Feeling

totally crushed I ran outside and dashed feverishly around

the neighborhood hopinging to catch the truck, but it had

mysteriously disappeared, perhaps already on its way to

Flatbush or Coney Island. By the time the truck did come

back again two weeks later, it was giving away some terribly

boring small plastic whistles, and the truck never again

showed up with tattoos, and in those days tattoos were not

to be found in toy stores.

~

It can be so easy to freeze up and lose sense of the

entirety of one's life. It can be so easy to lose touch with

the fact that we still have a future. As a child, especially

during the summer time, each day was a grand adventure, and

each day would often seem endless, and totally absorbing.

This sense of fully being in the moment is one of the true

gifts of childhood, and at times it can also be a liability.

Because children usually have little sense of the length and

breadth of their life, and any one moment can seem to

extinguish the possibility of happiness in the future.

~

I can look back on numerous times in my life, that seemed to

play a major role in determining the course of my life. In

hindsight I can see that it was not the actual events that

determined my future, but whether or not I perceived myself

to be "lucky or unlucky", "cursed or blessed", "stupid or

clever."

~

Now I realize that each moment leads to another moment, each

event leads to another event. I can choose which moments and

events I want to give the most importance to, and which

moments and events I will define my life by. By accepting

the fact that much of what goes on in life is outside of my

control, I can free myself to pay attention to the aspects

of my life that I do have some ability to influence. And in

times of difficult challenge I can give thanks for the

future, knowing that even as day turns into night, and

spring turns into summer, that my bad luck will turn into

good luck, my sadness will turn to joy. Nothing stays the

same.

~

If you look back at times that you initially thought were

quite horrible or devastating, isn't it true that most of

these events, over the course of time, did not turn out to

be nearly as devastating as you initially felt they were?

Certainly this has been my experience.

~

By the way, I am still in the market for some Davey Crockett

tattoos!

----------------------------------------------

About the author:

Charlie Badenhop is the originator of Seishindo, an Aikido

instructor, NLP trainer, and Ericksonian Hypnotherapist.

Benefit from a new self-help Practice every two weeks, by

subscribing to his complimentary newsletter "Pure heart,

simple mind" at http://www.seishindo.org/newsletter.html.

Contact Charlie at [email protected].

Cosmic Voodoo Eggs -- Another Favorite!!!

Hi there!

While looking thru my voodoo workspace the other day, I realised that I now have THREE of Mambo's Cosmic Voodoo Eggs. I have the Money Egg, a Healing Egg and a Love Egg .... of course :-) So, since realising the Cosmic Eggs are something I use nearly as much as candles, I thought I would tell you all a bit about them!

First, the info from the website :

The Egg is the symbol of Life! These Cosmic Voodoo Egg Spell Kits are truly unique. You won't find anything like this any where but here! These very special spell kits are specially designed to help you enhance all areas of your life. Use them to cast love spells, money spells, lucky spells, and more. You can also use them in conjunction with other spell work you are doing. For example if you are planning on doing love spell work, then the Cosmic Voodoo Love Egg Kit can be used to enhance whatever type of love spell you have chosen!
They also make great gifts, even when given as a novelty to the "non-believer" friend! They are decorative and non-offensive to just about anyone.

Each Cosmic Voodoo Egg Spell Kit is a complete kit for casting magick spells with a combination of an altar cloth, amulets, incense, jewel tiled incense burner, talismans, candles, a Voodoo Spirit Doll, and, of course, a beautiful hand painted and consecrated personally by Rev. Samantha Corfield (formerly Rev. Kaye; married name change!) Cosmic Voodoo Egg . The Cosmic Voodoo Egg incorporate the tenets of Rev. Corfield's training and initiations in both New Orleans Voodoo and Haitian Vodou. As a New Orleans Voodoo Priestess and a Haitian Mambo Asogwe, Rev. Corfield (also simply called Mambo Sam) is able to blend these two magickal systems into a powerful High Magickal Art. The consecrated magickal supplies with each kit last for a minimum of 9 uses. After that, simply order replacement packs from us below) to use your kit over and over! In fact, the more you use it, the more it becomes magnetized with your personal energy!

So, what makes these little beauties so wonderful that I am sitting here bloggin' about them?

1. They can be used over and over. No fooling! These eggs will last a lifetime. And like Mambo says, these Eggs DO get stronger the more you use them.

2. They are ecomonical. In times like these, this is can be a very important consideration! While the Egg itself lasts a lifetime, the straight candles and incense do need to be replenished occaisionally. Straight candles can be ordered by a ten pack. The incense comes in packs of 30! So, one pack of candles and some incense and you can do Cosmic Voodoo Egg  work for months for very little expense!

3. These Eggs are personally designed , painted and annointed by Mambo Sam especially for you! They are made indixidually, to order.

4. They can be used for different / multiple goals in the same area. By that I mean a Money Egg can be used for different goals / requests as long as they are all related to money/finances. Need help getting a loan approval? Need help getting some extra overtime approved at work for a little extra holiday money? Having trouble saving up for a downpayment on a new house or car?  All of these things can be petitioned for with the same Money Egg!

5. Healing Eggs - You can have a healing egg that you use for the healing of different people , including yourself OR you can have a healing egg dedicated to the healing of one specific person. If you have an HD that you have been doing quite a bit of healing work on (like lots of white image candles...) consider a Cosmic Voodoo Healing Egg!

If you have any questions about the Cosmic Voodoo Eggs or wonder if an Egg would be helpful to your troubling situation, email your caseworker! We are here to help!

Light and Love

Bridget

Don't Quit! or at least .... not yet.

Hi There!

I get emails from clients sometimes telling me that the going has gotten tough, and they want to quit. While it is always up to the client how much work they wish to do, or how long they wish to wait, I have to say one of the most common mistakes I see clients make is giving up too soon after their work has already been completed. Let's face it, most of us start love work after things are pretty well in the ditch. The least we can do is give the work its chance to actually do its work! If you check out the testimonials pages you will see that quite a few folks get results long after originally expected. (DO check out those testimonials pages! Back in the day when I was a bran-dee new Spellmaker client those pages were all I had to hold on to. There was no forum, no tuesday chats with Mambo, nothing like that. I read those pages over and over and over again. They are worth a read thru,) Now, no one is saying to sit by the phone and pine away while waiting for results -- quite the contrary -- but do give the spellwork a fighting chance to work for you!

Anyway, I came across this poem, and it seems to fit here pretty well. Its a classic, and its corney and its hokey, but it does get to the point of what would like to say to you .....

Don't Quit!

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest, if you must, but do not quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,

As every one of us sometimes learns,

And many a failure turns about,

When he might have won had he stuck it out;

Don't give up though the pace seems slow--

You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,

It seems to a faint and faltering man,

Often the struggler has given up,

When he might have captured the victor's cup,

And he learned too late when the night slipped down,

How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out--

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,

And you never can tell how close you are,

It may be near when it seems so far,

So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--

It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

- Anonymous -

Light and Love

Bridget

Abre Camino Oil !

Resurrecting an oldie but a goodie! Enjoy!

 

Hi There!

I was sitting here trying hard to think of some wonderful idea to blog about and I just instinctively picked up the closest vial of Abre Camino Oil I could find and rubbed just a little on my wrists. Then, AHA! I realised I needed to put down a few words to talk up one of my most favorite products (Just ask Mambo...I would order this stuff by the quart if I could!) The literal translation of Abre Camino is "Road Opener" so that gives us a hint as to its properties. This oil is all about the removal of blockages, "opening roads," making things happen more smoothly and more quickly. It can help us open the door to new and better options for our future. Mambo Sam personally blends this oil at the shop herself, so you know it is made with the best essential oils and energy possible!

So, how can we use this wonderful stuff? Some ways I use this oil are:

***Blend with Samantha's Spiritual Annointing oil when doing White Candle Magick to help remove blockages and negativity and open the way for healing to occur.

***Place a capful in bathwater and soak for a bit just before going to bed. This is especially helpful for folks trying hard to remember their dreams or using one of the Vivid Dreams Gris Gris Bags.

***Placing a few drops on your pulse points when entering a challenging situation or are feeling blocked in any way about any thing (like writer's block).

****Mix a few drops with any potion or oil that you might wear for an enhanced effect.

***Place a few drops on the top of your St Expedite candle and concentrate on what you want that candle to "hurry up" for you while you rub the oil in.

***Rub a few drops on the candles for your love doll or cosmic voodoo egg .

***Possibilities abound! You almost can not use this oil incorrectly! If you have any questions, or have an idea you are unsure about, just run it by your caseworker!

Light and Love

Sister Bridget

Exercise and Stress

Exercise and Stress

By: Nitin Chhoda

It is no secret that people who exercise regularly feel better, more energetic, and less stressed. . There is plenty of evidence to show that exercise provides stress-relieving benefits. Essentially, there are four ways exercise controls stress.

Exercise can help you relax. Although the actual exercise bout might be strenuous and difficult to execute, actual benefits such as stress reduction, body toning etc. actually occur after the session is over. The immediate post-exercise period helps flush out carbon dioxide and waste products from the various systems. Following a session of exercise, clinicians have measured a decrease in electrical activity of tensed muscles. People feel less jittery and hyperactive after an exercise session.

Exercise can help raise your mood. A good and well-supervised exercise session helps you relax for the next 90 to 120 minutes. This is called post-exercise euphoria or endorphin response, and these 'feel good' chemicals improve your mood and leave you relaxed.

Exercise can make you feel better about yourself. Think about those times when you were physically active. Did you not better about yourself? That feeling of self-worth contributes to stress relief. Physical fitness is a buffer against stress and fit subjects experience less stress than unfit subjects.

Exercise can make you eat better. People who exercise regularly tend to eat more nutritious food and stick to healthy eating habits; this helps your body manage stress better.

To help you get started, here are three types of activities you can choose from. A combination of all 3 is ideal for best results.

1. Aerobic activity. All it takes is 20 minutes' worth, six to seven days a week. Twenty minutes won't carve a big chunk out of your day, but it will improve your ability to control stress significantly. These are good aerobic studios in almost every town. Look for information in local newspapers for spring specials and other discounts.

2. Yoga. In yoga or yoga-type activities, your mind relaxes progressively as your body increases its amount of muscular work. Recent studies have shown that when large muscle groups repeatedly contract and relax, the brain receives a signal to release specific neurotransmitters, which in turn make you feel relaxed and more alert.

3. Recreational sports. Play cricket, football tennis, or badminton on weekends. Cycling and swimming also work well. These games require the kind of vigorous activity that rids your body of stress-causing adrenaline and other hormones.

In addition to the above 'long term solutions', you can also try several techniques to 'calm down' when you feel overly stressed. The following 'short cut stress busters' should be very helpful.

If you are sitting in one position for a prolonged period of time, stand up from the desk and stretch your arms and legs at regular intervals. Shut your eyes and take 20 slow deep breaths.

Listen to soothing music.

Squeeze and release a towel or a rubber ball a few times.

Visualize yourself petting your dog, sitting by the balcony watching the sunset, spending the weekend relaxing with family, walking on grass etc

Is Gratitude Your Attitude?

Is Gratitude Your Attitude?

By: Vanessa Bsirsky

Have you ever had a moment in your life when everything around you just seemed negative, hopeless, and doomed?

Of course you have, otherwise you wouldn't be human!

We all have encountered - and will continue to do so - situations and circumstances that just feel disheartening, overwhelming and maybe even paralyzing. In times like this, we might tend to ask ourselves one or even all of the following questions:

Why does this always happen to me? Why do things have to be so difficult? What's the point of me trying so hard when all I ever do seems to end up in a complete disaster?

If you have ever dwelled on any of the above - which you probably have - then I would like to encourage you to pause for a moment.

Think about it :

Did these questions encourage you to move toward a much more positive state of mind ? Or, and this is far more likely, did they simply make you feel sorry for yourself ?

Hmmm......

Also, do you truly believe that you are the only one who struggles ?

I mean, really?

If you do ,then I suggest that you wake up and stop taking yourself so seriously ! Every single person on this planet goes through difficult times , and life can be very tough for all of us.

But what could have happened if you had asked yourself a whole set of different questions when going through a challenging phase? Questions that would have been more empowering? For example:

What is the lesson to be learned from this situation? What is this really trying to show me ? How can I turn things around ? How can I stop this from happening ? And also, is there maybe a much deeper meaning to this that I don't yet understand?

I can assure you that the outcome would have been a lot more fruitful. Tony Robbins once said that life is like a game of Jeopardy - all the solutions and all the answers are already within you, you only need to ask the right questions. Aha...........interesting!

But let's delve a little bit deeper...

What did we focus on when we asked ourselves the first set of questions? That's right, on all the things that were wrong with our lives !

But hang on Vanessa, should we just ignore those bad feelings and live in a state of denial?

Of course not - allow yourself to feel the pain, acknowledge it , do everything in your power to heal it, and then clean up your act and move on.

How?

By implementing the lessons learned, and starting to focus on all the positive things in your life !

I can hear a few people complaining now, saying things like :

"What on earth is she talking about ? My life is bad ! Besides, I am single, I am broke, and I hate my job ! Why don't the council just do something ? Anyway, the world is full of criminals and terrorists ! How can anyone in their right mind be positive ? How can anyone bring children into this world ? These people have just lost the plot !"

Ouch!!

If that's you, then I would like to encourage you to re-think, and consider the following:

What have you got in your life that you could - and in my personal opinion should - be really grateful for? How about your health? And the fact that you got somewhere to live? The fact that you got food on your table on a daily basis? A lot of people haven't got that. How about the electricity and hot water that you have in your home?

You might think that electricity and hot water aren't anything special, and that you ought to have them anyway.

Why do you think that? Many people haven't got them and never will do.

How about your family ? Your friends, or even the one good and loyal friend that you have? Your pet, who loves you unconditionally ? Your eyesight , which enables you to read this blog at this very moment ? Your faith, your love, your generosity ? Your promising future, your furniture, your car, your job, your business, your ideas ? Your strength to overcome difficult times ? Your freedom?

Also, do you really have to go along with all the negative stuff ? And do you want to? Or could you be part of a different , more positive kind of evolution altogether ?

Hmmm....

Remember,it's your decision whether you want to fall asleep in front of the television every night, or whether you want to surround yourself with positive people and read empowering books. It's your decision whether you want to blame and complain, or whether you want to sit by a stream and meditate. Furthermore, it is not only your decision, it is also your responsibility.

But what do you mean by that? What does responsibility really stand for ? Responsibility is our ability to respond to life in a constructive, mature and positive manner.

Why not start and take some responsibility now ?

Make a list of all the things that you are grateful for, and review it from time to time. This will help you to completely shift your focus , and show you that the universe is actually supporting and nurturing you, rather than holding you back.

Whatever you are grateful for will grow in your life - guaranteed.

Vanessa Bsirsky is a life coach and the author of the new book "Happiness Secrets Revealed." Vanessa has got great leadership skills and is a natural motivator.She is particularly interested in creating abundance on all levels.