THE UNIVERSE IS MADE OF STORIES

The poet Muriel Rukeyser said the universe is composed of stories, not of atoms. The physicist Werner Heisenberg declared that the universe is made of music, not of matter.

And we believe that if you habitually expose yourself to toxic stories and music, you could wind up living in the wrong universe, where it’s impossible to become the gorgeous genius you were born to be.

What story would you write to nourish the gorgeous genius you were born to be? 
That’s why we implore you to nourish yourself with delicious, nutritious tales and tunes that inspire you to exercise your willpower for your highest good.

Mark David’s 10 Rules for Living

Rule #1: There are no rules
Rule #2: What works today may not work tomorrow
Rule #3: Listen to your heart; it speaks with the voice of God
Rule #4: Treat yourself as you would your best friend: with love and respect
Rule #5: It’s not what you do, it’s how you live
Rule #6: It’s not how often you meditate, it’s whether you live your life as a meditation
Rule #7: It’s not what you shed, it’s what you embrace
Rule #8: It’s not how hard you push, it’s how fully you surrender
Rule #9: It’s not about being perfect, it’s about being human
Rule #10: There are no rules

What are your ten rules for living?

“If Spirit has any meaning, it must be omnipresent, or all-pervading and all-encompassing. There can’t be a place where Spirit is not, or it wouldn’t be infinite. Therefore, Spirit has to be completely present, right here, right now, in your own awareness. That is, your own present awareness, precisely as it is, without changing it or altering it in any way, is perfectly and completely permeated by Spirit._

“Furthermore, it is not that Spirit is present but you need to be
enlightened in order to see it. It is not that you are one with Spirit but just don’t know it yet. Because that would also imply that there is some place Spirit is not. No, according to Dzogchen, you are always already one with Spirit, and that awareness is always already fully present, right now.
You are looking directly at Spirit, with Spirit, in every act of awareness. There is nowhere Spirit is not.

“Further, if Spirit has any meaning at all, then it must be eternal, or without beginning or end. If Spirit had a beginning in time, then it would be strictly temporal, it would not be timeless and eternal. And this means, as regards your own awareness, that you cannot become enlightened.
You cannot attain enlightenment. If you could attain enlightenment, then that state would have a beginning in time, and so it would not be true enlightenment._   _

“Rather, Spirit, and enlightenment, has to be something that you are fully aware of right now. Something you are already looking at right now. We are all already looking directly at Spirit, we just don’t recognize it. We have all the necessary cognition, but not the recognition.”
 
- Ken Wilber, *Grace and Grit: Spirituality and Healing in the Life and Death of Treya Killam Wilber*

This quote gave me something to ponder in a new and different way.  If you have a moment, please share with me  your thoughts on this idea.

Blessings of Love & Joy, From Me, To You 
 

Once again we face a paradox, for it appears that softening your heart
and gently tending its wounds will protect you from evil. Building a
fortress and defending yourself behind it will only make you more
vulnerable. Healing your own heart is the single most powerful thing you
can do to change the world. Your own transformation will enable you to
withdraw so completely from evil that you contribute to it by not one
word, one thought, or one breath.
-Deepak Chopra, *The Deeper Wound Recovering the Soul from Fear and
Suffering*

On June 3rd

Our Dear Friend and Companion

Our Very Important Store Consultant

Sir Simon Smudge

Our Cat

Passed Away Suddenly

when his kidneys stopped working

We will miss him a great deal

I know that some of you

are his friends

and would want to know

Please send him a thought

as he makes his way

along his new journey

Thanks Simon

for the time you gave to us

May the Angels hold and keep you

Reiki Healing is  For Everyone that is interested in Wellness and Healing for Themselves, Others, and Our Loving Planet.   A Reiki Level I Workshop will be held this Saturday, June 7th, from 11:00 am until 1:00 pm.  Please call if you would like to attend or if you would be interested in future workshop dates.  

Cost:  $90

In Eric Butterworth’s chapter on “The Law of Nonresistance he quotes one of Jesus’ most profound messages.

“Resist not him that is evil; but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.”

In his commentary, Butterworth says, “Jesus is telling us that if we find ourselves upset over something another person has said or done, our upset indicates that we have been in the wrong state of consciousness.  To react to it in this same state of mind only compounds the problem within us.  Jesus says “Turn to the other side of your nature.  You are both human and divine.    There is that in you that can never be hurt, that is always poised and peaceful, that knows your spiritual unity with God and knows that no one can take your good from you.  In this diviner state of consciousness, the hurt is healed, the influence of the other person on you is nullified and you become a healing influence upon this person as well as yourself. ”

I Love This Thought - We are both Human and Divine.  I think we should all practice loving both sides of our nature with grace and acceptance of all this experience holds for us.  What do you think?  

I would like to share with you the wonderful journey of faith,  joy, and trust I took to create Wholistic Life Services.

For quite some time I knew things in ways I did not know how to talk about.  And even if I knew how to talk about, just who would I tell?  So I began to meditate and seek quiet time within myself.  And I began to realize that my life as I knew it was going to change.  My prayer for some time had been “Please lead me to spiritual maturity and to my higher purpose here on this earth”  I had began to hold spiritual retreats in my home, asking massage therapists, Reiki masters, and spiritual readers to be available for those seeking their time and gifts.  And in April of 2004, 65 people found their way to my home.  My then marriage partner was becoming increasingly more angry about my new direction and giving me clear indications that he would prefer I not explore further in these spiritual directions. 

So I made the decision to take my work outside of the home.  Upon much praying and meditation, I was led to Williamston.  The first location I was interested in did not work out.  However, the person I was working with wanted to help me locate in Williamston so she had researched all other store locations currently available for me.   And thus I signed a lease on 150 S. Putnam Street for one year.  My landlord immediately told me about a client of hers that lived in Otter Lake and suggested that I contact her for information about beginning my adventure.

 So I called her, and she immediately invited me to her house for a gathering of like minded people.  So off to Otter Lake I went.  There I met a woman seeking a place to offer massages in Williamston.  And I met a woman offering Aura Photos and Energy Work.  And I met a man that told me I needed to met his friend in Lapeer.  She owned a store and was interested in selling her stock. 

So I bet you guess where I went next.   The store owner told me that she had decided the third week of April to close her store.  I had decided the third week of April to open Wholistic Life Services.  My true desire was then and continues to be to create a place of healing for whatever level you are seeking.  I was not clear on how a retail store fit into this vision.  During my meditations, I clearly heard a whisper “You need to be a store too”.  So we agreed upon a dollar amount to purchase all of her stock, including display racks and card holders.  The only stipulation was all merchandise needed to leave by Sunday, and this was Tuesday. 

 As I drove home in the rain in my small Ford Ranger with no topper, I prayed and asked for guidance on how to accompolish this task.  And I so clearly heard, just call your friend Mary.  Upon my return home, I immediately called Mary and told her my delightful situation.  She lovingly offered me the use of her businesses covered truck and trailer and insisted upon paying for the fuel.  “I believe in you Julie and what you are creating” She told me with love.  Instant Store, can you believe it?

I opened June 1st,  2004 just six weeks later.   When you are guided to create, trust and open yourself to the experience is the message I heard then.   And my adventure continues to this day in our new location - 1099 E. Grand River Road

Stay tuned for further installments of my wonderful journey

Much Peace & Love,

Julie