The Whale Who Said “Thank You”

If you read a recent front page story of the SF Chronicle, you would have read about a female humpback whale that had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines. She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, a line tugging in her mouth.

A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farallon Islands (outside the Golden Gate) and radioed an environmental group for help.

tangled whale

Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her.

They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her.

thankful whale

When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles.

She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, and nudged them, pushed them gently around: she was thanking them. Some said it was the most beautiful experience of their lives.

The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth said her eyes were following him the whole time, and he will never be the same.

May you, and all those you love, be so blessed and fortunate to be surrounded by people who will help you get untangled from the things that are binding you.

And, may you always know the joy of giving and receiving gratitude.
I pass this on to you, my friends, in the same spirit.

How to Find Your Animal Totem

Native American Totem

I felt that this would be a good addition for those who have not found their animal totem. An Animal Totem is an important symbolic object used by a person to get in touch with specific qualities found within an animal which the person needs, connects with, or feels a deep affinity toward. In the Native American culture this is the reason people wear fur, feathers or heads of animals on their body, because they were taking on the energy of the animal.

You can have several animal guides through out your life. Sometimes an animal guide will come into your life for a short period of time, and then be replaced by another depending on the journey or direction you are headed toward. Your guide will instruct and protect you as you learn how to navigate through your spiritual and physical life. When you find an animal that speaks strongly to you or feel you must draw more deeply into your life, you might fill your environment with images of the animal to let the animal know its welcome in your space. Animal guides can help you get back to your Earthly roots, and reconnect with nature by reminding you that we are all interconnected. To first do this you need to know what your Animal Totem is.

If You Don’t Know

If you don’t know what your Animal Totem is there are several questions you can ask yourself. All of the questions below are designed to get you thinking about a prominent animal in your life. There is no right or wrong answers. Only you can truly know which Animal Totem(s) are right for your journey.

Since we are drawn to that which resonates with us, what animal, bird, or insect are you drawn to?

When you go to the park, forest, or zoo what animal are you most interested in seeing?

What animal do you most frequently see when you’re out in nature or in the city?

What animals are you currently interested in learning about?

Which animal do you find most frightening or intriguing?

Have you ever been bitten or attacked by an animal?

Is there a recurring animal in your dreams or do you have one you have never forgotten? Still

Uncertain?

If you are still uncertain which animal is your totem, here a few exercises you can do to come closer to the answer. You must not try to force the animal to come, it can pick up on that energy and be put off. Being patient and doing the following exercises will draw your animal totem to you.

Ask yourself what animal has played a meaningful part in your world? If you’re unsure, make a list of animals that have drawn your interest or have left a deep impression on you from paintings, photographs, stories, movies, carvings, etc.

Which animal shows up in your life most frequently? Keep a journal of the animals present in your dreams or that you encounter through the day for the next month. How did the animal behave? Did you interact with the animal?

Find a place where you can be alone to meditate. Sit quietly and ask your animal to make its nature known to you. Feel free to use tools such as incense, smudge, and candles to help you.

Don’t give up; sometimes your animal totem is nearby watching to see if you’re serious about connecting with it. Keep doing the above exercises until your animal totem makes itself known to you.

To read more about what your Animal totem means CLICK HERE

I highly recommend the book: Medicine Cards: The Discovery of Power Through the Ways of Animals by Jamie Sams, David Carson. This will enlighten you can show you how a different animal can resonate with you every day.

Celebrities unite to help Haiti in telethon

Hope for Haiti

Grim-faced celebrities and musicians with mournful tunes set the tone for the all-star, international “Hope for Haiti Now” telethon, which featured two hours of desperate pleas for an even more-desperate nation. But it ended on a hopeful note, with a buoyant call for Haiti’s revival by native son, Wyclef Jean.

“Enough of this moping man, let’s rebuild Haiti, let’s show ’em how we do it where we come from!” Jean shouted after singing the slow song “Rivers of Babylon,” with a Haitian flag around his neck.

He segued into the joyful tune “Yele” with an island beat, as musicians danced around him, singing the refrain: “Earthquake, we see the earth shake, but the soul of the Haitian people will never break!”

It was a stark contrast from the opening of the telecast: no words, simply photos of Haiti’s tragic citizens as a backdrop, as Alicia Keys called for the help of angels in somber tune.

“Can you send me an angel to guide me?” Keys sang from her song “Prelude to a Kiss.” There was no audience or applause, allowing the moment to sink in for the millions expected to watch.

“Can you send me an angel to guide me?” Keys from her song “Prelude to a Kiss.” There was no audience or applause, allowing the moment to sink in for the millions expected to watch.

“The Haitian people need our help,” said George Clooney, who helped organize the two-hour telecast. “They need to know that they are not alone. They need to know that we still care.”

Then, after an impassioned plea from Halle Berry, Bruce Springsteen dedicated a song for Haiti — “We Shall Overcome.”

Since Haiti suffered the devastating earthquake on Jan. 12 that killed more than 200,000 people, the entertainment world has responded with an outpouring of charity, from million dollar donations to songs designed to raise money for relief.

On Friday night, those efforts became collective as the biggest celebrities from music, film, sports and even politics joined together for the telethon. Stars like Mel Gibson, Reese Witherspoon and Julia Roberts manned telephone lines while CNN’s Anderson Cooper gave reports about the situation from Haiti. Heartbreaking video showed Haitians buried in rubble and badly injured, with tears and overwhelming sorrow etched on their faces.

Although the celebrity phone bank appeared to be continuously busy with donation calls, some of which were piped into the telecast, it was not immediately known how much money was raised by the show.

Most of the musical performances were downbeat, emotional songs. John Legend sang “I Feel Like A Motherless Child.” Kid Rock, Keith Urban and Sheryl Crow sang “Lean On Me.” Beyonce, with Coldplay’s Chris Martin backing her on piano, revised her hit “Halo” with new lyrics: “Haiti we can see your halo, we pray you won’t fade away.”

Madonna provided one of the few upbeat moments with her choir-backed performance of “Like A Prayer,” while Sting’s “Driven To Tears” was also spirited.

Jay-Z, Rihanna and U2’s Bono and The Edge debuted a new song, “Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour),” as Jay-Z rapped from London: “When the sky falls, and the earth quakes, we can gon’ this back together, we won’t break.”

Mickelson Civil, a Haitian filmmaker, fought back tears as he talked about relatives who died and those who are barely surviving: “The survivors shouldn’t have to go hungry or be afraid now,” he said.

Jean made one of the more personal celebrity appeals of the evening, speaking of his experience after witnessing the torment of the nation first hand.

“I carried bodies of my people in the cemetery. They should have been walking,” he said. “Instead they were heavy in my arms. … Right now we can see the second wave of the disaster coming … We have to make sure that the second wave never makes it to Haiti.”

Jean ended his comments with a message directly to the Haitian people, in Creole. Jean’s Yele Haiti Foundation is one of the groups that will benefit from the evening’s donations; Jean had come under criticism for the spending practices of the foundation, and before the telethon Friday announced a new accounting firm to handle the group’s finances after acknowledging past mistakes.

The telethon was broadcast from New York, London, Los Angeles and Haiti, and was featured on all the major networks and channels. It was also streamed live on sites like YouTube and MySpace.

Haitians were able to listen on Radio One Haiti.

Leonardo DiCaprio was among those celebrities who urged viewers to donate; on Thursday, he joined the list of previous celebrities donors with a $1 million gift to The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, one of several organizations that will benefit from the telethon.

John Mayer called in a $500,000 donation before the telethon began, according to a representative for MTV.

People were able to start donating even before the telethon at a newly established Web site, and also through text or telephone. Viewers will also be able to purchase performances from the evening on Saturday by way of iTunes for 99 cents, with those proceeds going to relief aid as well.

The telethon won’t be the last major celebrity effort for Haiti; BET plans to hold its own all-star telethon on Feb. 5, with Diddy and Queen Latifah as hosts. It will also be aired on MTV and VH1.

Hope for Haiti Telethon

George Clooney Help for Haiti Telethon

We may only be a couple weeks into 2010, but George Clooney already seems to have a lock on Good Guy of the Year.

The actor is currently making the most of his anytime minutes, placing calls to all of his fellow A-list do-gooders in hopes of getting them to man the phone lines at a telethon he’s planning to host to benefit earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

MTV has confirmed that the telethon is on. It is expected to air Jan. 22 from 8-10 p.m. ET across all of MTV’s platforms, including VH1, as well as on ABC, NBC, HBO and CNN. Celebs will be participating from both coasts.

There’s no word yet on which stars will be lending a hand, though according to Showbiz 411, which first reported the news, Sting and wife Trudie Styler were the first to sign on after bumping into Clooney at a party honoring Up in the Air last night.

Plenty of stars have already offered aid to the devastated nation, with native son Wyclef Jean organizing relief efforts through his Yéle Haiti Foundation, and Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt kicking in $1 million to the cause.

Clooney may want to speed-dial Ashton Kutcher, Rainn Wilson, Olivia Wilde, John Legend, Alyssa Milano, Selena Gomez, Lindsay Lohan and E!’s Sal Masekala, all of whom have encouraged donations and assistance to quake victims through Twitter this week.

Clooney said, “We are doing a telethon on all the channels, every network in the United States and Internationally. It’s an unbelievable show. Bono’s written a song for it and Songs are going to be available on iTunes that night.

Why Was Haiti Hit So Hard?

So many people are asking why the country of Haiti was so devastated by an earthquake on January 12, 2010. We are always questioning these acts of nature and many people wonder how there can be a God who allows so much destruction, death, and unhappiness. I went into deep meditation over this because so many people have been asking this question and here is what I have received.

It gives people an opportunity to show their true humanitarianism by giving freely of their money, time and energy to such an impoverished country. Throughout the beginning of mankind the message has been to show love and kindness to everyone you meet. Yet, we go about our lives forgetting this message on a daily basis. Perhaps we are angry with the driver who cut us off on the freeway, family, spouse, children or friends. We don’t stop to take the time to realize that they are going through their own personal traumas and we forget about showing little acts of kindness.

So to remind us that we are to be kind and compassionate God allows something huge to happen to wake us up to the fact that we all inhabit this planet, and we all breathe the same air, and we all love our children. People have been feeling more emotions this past week than they had in quite some time. Continue your prayers for the people of Haiti who are suffering and just needing the bare necessities.

Those that perished in the Earthquake are free from the concerns of our world and are now living in the presence of the Divine Light of God. The problem is for those left behind; it’s hard for them to deal with the death of a loved one or friend and to see their country destroyed. Right now they are just concerned about getting food and water. It takes you to the very foundation of our existence (survival) when you are faced with such a calamity. They’re not concerned about work, status or what they’re going to do for entertainment. This is what brings out your humanity. You realize this could happen to you. If we could live in this aware state constantly we could change the world into a different place then it is right now.

Many times as a spiritual advisor I have delivered the message that we should show love in just simple acts such as a smile to a stranger. You have no idea what that person maybe going through in that moment and your smile could mean a great deal and change the way they feel.

Look around in your own city and you will see there are many impoverished people who are living in their cars or on the streets. Think of ways you can help those in your immediate area. They are crying out in silent desperation. Let us open our spirits and souls to be able to hear these silent cries. When you can hear the silent cries you are closer to The Divine than ever before.

So remember the acts of nature that come about are God’s ways of making us more humane. Practice your humanity with every person you meet daily. Truly look into their faces and see what may be hiding behind them and to send a silent prayer for those you do not know as you pass them in the supermarket, shopping malls or on the streets.

Put action to your prayers and do what you can to help your fellow human passing through your life.

God bless and help all the people in Haiti right now. Thank you Heavenly Father, Amen.

Delve Into Spirituality

Last year I did a class on learning spiritual teachings. Many of you were interested, but could not do it at that time. I told you I would do it in the beginning of 2010.

What I have put together is a private one on one teaching in which you can choose what you would like to learn. This way there’s no time that you have to put aside and you can do this at your own pace.

Have you wanted to study spirituality but don’t have the time to take classes, read books, spend large amounts of money, or go to seminars? Here’s the solution. You can learn spirituality and metaphysics one on one by telephone and the internet! It’s fast and effective.

If you’d like to Learn More about Spirituality and Metaphysics-Then My New Private Course Is For You!

Study with a Native American Spiritualist with 25 + years experience. Cherokee Billie will guide you step by step through various exercises to help you reach your spiritual goals and help you get the most out of studying spirituality and metaphysics. Learn techniques that can effectively help you tap into your Higher Self for answers from the Divine Spirit.

100% flexibility – study at your own pace whenever you want too. This is all accomplished through the telephone and the internet! You can work around your own schedule – it’s up to you. Spend as little or as much time as you like. You only pay for the time you spend working with Cherokee Billie. There are no minimums and no experience required.

You can reap the rewards of studying Spirituality/Metaphysics with an experienced Native American teacher, Cherokee Billie. Anyone can learn these techniques and can effectively tap into their higher selves for answers from Spirit. You have these abilities already; it is just a matter of learning how to use them.

Intrigued? Click here to read the details about what you can learn.

Predict the Future

The most successful people in this world have a highly refined ability to very accurately predict the future. Is it the result of some mysterious psychic power? No. Does this ability come from having a superior intelligence? No. Is it based on having the right connections? No.

Successful people very accurately predict the future using a methodology that is available to anyone, regardless of age, income bracket, place of residence, experience, or any other special factor. Anyone-anywhere can predict their own future with amazing accuracy.

It is simple. Just set a goal for yourself, determine exactly what actions you must take to reach that goal, and then take every one of those actions. The moment you decide on a course of action and make a solid commitment to following it, you’ve predicted your own future.

Anyone can follow the example of the most successful people in the world. Predict your own bright, shining future, and then take the action to make it happen.

UPDATE: This message was erroneously posted without giving credit to the original author. It is by Ralph Marston of The Daily Motivator. I regret the oversight and highly recommend that you check out his website of daily motivational messages.

Balancing Money and Spirituality

I was listening to the song “Money” by Pink Floyd the other day, when I got to thinking about money and spirituality. Money is on everybody’s mind these days, with the plummeting economy and the rate of unemployment, it’s difficult not to be focusing on money.

It’s very easy to be spiritual when you have an abundance of money in your bank account and you don’t have to worry about buying the necessities. It’s a lot harder to focus on spirituality when you are working sixteen hours a day just to be able to buy groceries for the week, pay the mortgage, or buy your kids new shoes. Money becomes your priority at this point.

Nowadays it seems that most religions are teaching that you can have it all. God (the Source) wants you to have Abundance! And if you don’t have abundance then you’re not keeping your mind focused on positive wealthy thoughts. This modern approach to money and spirituality is a lot different then the teachings of the Great Masters.

I find this concept interesting because all of the Great Masters from Jesus to Buddha have seen that earthly wealth as a desire and attachment are detrimental to spiritual growth.

So who is right?

Modern teachings such as, “The Secret” or the Great Masters vary greatly. Within a strictly limited sense both are right. However the balance is extremely hard to maintain.

Given that the Universe and the Source that created it are abundant, it appears correct that you should have the right to expansion and wealth.

Whatever we focus our minds upon, for good or bad, always expands. This is one of the fundamental laws of life.

No matter what anyone tells you to the contrary, making money is hard. It does not come easy to most people. Moreover, making a LOT of money is VERY hard and takes a tremendous level of concentrated focus. It also requires a commitment that is primarily devoted to the outer material world.

Here lies the apparent conflict. The truth is that powerful spiritual development ALSO requires a tremendous level of focus and commitment. It is not a part-time activity either. Moreover, the focus is primarily INTERNAL. It is not that money is intrinsically evil: rather, the accumulation of it is a major distraction because of the level of focus it requires.

Whatever you focus upon expands. If you set your mind upon the external world, this will assume increasing importance in your life. Spiritual growth will increasingly become a hobby or something to be crammed into your spare time. If you vigorously dispute this, ask yourself the following questions.

Do you make sure you get three meals a day?

Do you also make sure that you meditate (or pray) three times a day for the same amount of time?

Do you see the point and the problem? Whatever is most important to you is what you spend most of your time doing and thinking about. This is why most spiritual traditions advise against the external focus, which the pursuit of material wealth requires. Although this does not always apply. Notice there’s often a lot of contradictions with spirituality and money. Take for example Bill Gates and Warren Buffett billionaires who have given away most of their fortune to help others. They realized that having great wealth was theirs to share and not hoard. This is the true balance that we can strive for.

Happily, there can be a satisfactory resolution to this. The first principle is that if you make the spiritual path your primary focus, then you will eventually master laws of the universe that will ensure your abundance forever. If you can truly tune yourself to the ultimate Source of all abundance in the universe, then how can you remain poor in any sense?

The second principal is: Decide from the outset what your true life purpose and priority is. Then determine never to let that balance between spiritual commitment and external effort be undermined. When we work upon an external goal – particularly financial abundance – it is easy to allow that goal to consume an increasing amount of time and mental capacity.

It is possible to be financially abundant while following a spiritual path. However, it is difficult – much more so than most modern development gurus would have you believe. It is for this reason that the great Spiritual Masters strongly discouraged trying to do both.

Moreover, there is no right or wrong. What are one person’s thoughts are another’s illusions. What is right for one person does not fit for another. When we place value, we give it substance. For a monk who has spent all or most of his life as a recluse will have very little in the material sense. However, the value that he places on his meager possessions will give him a feeling of having great abundance. By contrast, the entrepreneur who has spent a lot of his or her life building an empire could very well feel a sense of lack, simply because of the value he or she puts on the material aspects of his or her creation and possibly his or herself. It’s down to value and that can only come from you. No two people are alike.

The spiritual aspects of this are determined by how you perceive the world and apply yourself and the material things which are at your disposal. Your intellect (or ego) is the only barrier to achieving greater things and when you begin to understand that you are simply a part of everything, value plays little or no part in your life. This is when you can begin to realize who you are and what you are about. Now your sixth sense clicks into gear and before you know it, you are on the road to progress. Now that’s having abundance

Money by Pink Floyd – From the album “Dark Side Of The Moon”

Money, get away
Get a good job with more pay and your O.K.
Money it’s a gas
Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash
New car, caviar, four star daydream,
Think I’ll buy me a football team
Money get back
I’m all right Jack keep your hands off my stack.
Money it’s a hit
Don’t give me that do goody good bullshit
I’m in the hi-fidelity first class traveling set
And I think I need a Lear jet
Money it’s a crime
Share it fairly but don’t take a slice of my pie
Money so they say
Is the root of all evil today
But if you ask for a rise it’s no surprise that they’re
giving none away

One step at a time!

It is often difficult to imagine yourself reaching a great achievement. You look at someone who has built a massive fortune, or created a magnificent work of art, or achieved a prominent leadership role, and you have trouble identifying with that person.

When you look at any great achievement, usually you can see only the end result. That’s because the splendor of such an achievement overshadows all the little details that went into creating it. Yet the real substance of achievement is in the day-to-day details.

The person who builds a highly successful business does it mostly by doing the kinds of things with which you’re already quite familiar — talking on the phone, writing letters, paying the bills, buying new toner for the copy machine. The greatness in the achievement comes not from any supernatural skill or special advantage, but from persistence and commitment.

Great achievements are built day by day, step by step, by people just like you. Greatness comes from ordinary actions, focused on a specific objective, followed with steadfastness and resolve. Almost anything is possible when you are committed to pursuing it one step at a time.

UPDATE: This message was erroneously posted without giving credit to the original author. It is by Ralph Marston of The Daily Motivator. I regret the oversight and highly recommend that you check out his website of daily motivational messages.

Have a Rocking New Year!

Make The Year 2010 Rock With Kindness And Compassion To Everyone You Meet.

God bless you my brethren. God Bless you, every one, in your search for happiness and truth, and in your search to give service to the world and help your brethren on earth to a happier state of life.

May You Have A Healthy, Happy, Prosperous And Peaceful New Year!

Cherokee Billie