This bimonthly ezine has some enlightening articles. Jennifer Shepard, the lipstick mystic, offers insight into the energies of the retrograde and the holiday season. Robert Rabbin has written a wonderful, and true, experience with Sri Muktananda when the great teacher was still in the physical. Asoka Selvaraja writes another practical and easy to understand article on the hidden power within you. And for those who love dolphins, a great story out of Australia. Check out what those in 1954 thought computers would look like in 2004.

I am continuing to work hard on the new book "Cosmic Chakras: Advanced Transfigurational Matrix Healing Techniques for Reclaiming Your Divine Oneness" I think it will out by spring 2005.

Enjoy, and have yourself a fabulous holiday season and new year! May all of your dreams come into fruition in the next year.

Alijandra and Cynthia Sue Larson, following their talk at East West Books in Sacramento --Nov 2004 (photo)

Dolphins protect swimmers from great white shark (Article from Sydney, Australia)

Creating our own reality means to see our possibilities and to pick the opportunities which afford the most light, the highest growth, and the greatest good. As Oprah states, "Don't live in the circumstances of your life…live in the possibilities."

Pay attention to your dreams as you select what is behind door number three. The only difference in this "real" Game of Life, is that you can see a little ahead what are your possible choices, rather than guess what is behind each door. Then you can make an intelligent choice based on your life goals, intuition and logic working together as "balanced brain", heart's desire and highest good.

As we journey through another holiday season, many of us are caught up in the same challenging energies that we seem to face every year. While it can be wonderful reuniting with loved ones we might not see that often, it can be stressful, too. Mercury retrograde occurs from November 30^th through December 20^th this year, intensifying our emotions more than usual. And the approach of the winter solstice, which falls on December 22^nd, is also stirring up some complex vibrations.

Mercury retrograde happens several times throughout the year, and it is a period in which Mercury appears to travel backwards in its orbit around the sun. This carries with it certain magnetic affects which are felt by us down here on the Earth. We can feel like we’re racing through quicksand, pushing hard to get somewhere but finding that it’s harder or more challenging than we anticipated. It’s not that we can’t succeed. It’s just that it may take more patience, creativity, and inventiveness to navigate smoothly through this time.

Mercury retrograde influences the energy flow between people and objects, and it’s notorious for creating funky malfunctions with machines. So technology like voice mail, cell phones, computers, and Internet connections might be a tad unpredictable for a couple of weeks. Give yourself extra time to complete phone calls or submit emails to people, in case you need to resend them. Also, use extra care when you are attempting to download documents or program upgrades off the Internet, because you’ll want to make certain that you’re not bringing any viruses onto your computer.

Travel and all forms of motion can also be a little wonky, so allow extra room in your schedule when you have to attend an important meeting. You might find that it takes a few drives around the block before you can find parking. You could end up taking the wrong train or bus by mistake and have to make adjustments. Or you may simply find that road traffic is jammed at the least opportune time. Don’t take any of this stuff personally, because it’s not a reflection that you’re doing anything wrong. This period is intense for everyone, so it’s not just you who may be experiencing the occasional setback or delay.

Mercury retrograde will be out of the way after December 20^th, so any travel you may be doing after that should go relatively smoothly. But do keep in mind that the winter solstice is just around the corner on December 22^nd. The winter solstice is one of eight special times of year when the spiritual energy of the Earth is intensified, and portals of light are more accessible. Your thoughts and desires can become magnified, so do try to consciously focus on creating balance and harmony. The winter solstice can be a bit of a solemn time, too, since it is the darkest day of the year (for those who live in the northern hemisphere.) It’s a powerful day for meditating on the events of the last twelve months and getting clear about your spiritual path.

The winter solstice is also a great period for “personal exorcism,” or banishing certain energies from your life. If a relationship, a business pursuit, or a piece of negative programming has worn out its welcome, consider releasing it from your life at this time. Give thanks for the lessons that this thing has brought you, but don’t be afraid to expel it from your energy field and make fresh starts. Invoke the help of your angels, spiritual guides, and Higher Self to assist you in clearing out your aura and work with them to open up pathways of happier, more nurturing, energy.

Some dramatic emotions and energy sensations can accompany both a Mercury retrograde and the winter solstice time. So the important thing is to go easy on yourself and others, remembering that there is an ebb and flow to everything, and that polarity is part of life’s journey. With a clear mind and an open heart, you can make the most of this exciting period and learn to access bold, definitive, and transformative energy.

You can carve out real happiness for yourself this season by deciding to release baggage that is no longer in alignment with your highest path and opening yourself to receiving a richer, more abundance flow of true peace.

Here’s to a bright and inspirational December leading into a magnificent 2005!

Jennifer Shepherd, aka the Lipstick Mystic, is a syndicated astrology columnist whose writing appears in newspapers and magazines. For astrology readings, cosmic articles, and mystical fun log on to: http://www.lipstickmystic.com

by Robert Rabbin

I feel as though I fell through the rabbit hole in 2004. More than at any time in my life, I became involved in the social and political events of the day, the temperature of which presidential election fever pushed to an almost unbearable degree. As we enter the New Year of 2005, I feel drawn to visit my "roots" -- the early experiences which continue to define my life and work. I fully intend to journey even deeper into the rabbit hole this year, but last year taught me that it is of utmost importance to stay firmly planted in the soil of my soul and to heed the wise counsel of silence.

If we are going to heal this troubled world, we are going to do it with wisdom, with compassion, and with an elevated sense of our common humanity. Silence teaches us we cannot create peace through violence. We cannot understand others without listening. We cannot bring love and joy into the world with anger and hatred.

And so I tell the following story for my own sake, in order to renew my own heart and spirit. Of course, I hope you will be similarly inspired.

In 1969, I lived in a wood shack near the village of Trinidad, about thirty miles north of Arcata, California. I was supposed to be studying Eastern philosophy at Humboldt State College but spent hardly any time in class. Instead, I sampled a variety of hallucinogens, sat zazen and practiced Aikido, followed the saga of Carlos Castaneda, and read haiku poetry -- tiny bridges of words that are connected to the immense emptiness behind conventional thinking and meaning. During this time, I encountered the world of silence, and in that silence I experienced the physical world perceived by the senses was a paper-thin facade hiding something vast.

It was in search of that vastness that I traveled to India. In 1973, I set off with a friend whom I had met the year before in Israel. Eric and I had decided to go overland from Europe. We set off from Paris, hitchhiking to Brindisi, Italy, intending to take the ferry to Greece, and then trains and buses through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and into India.

During one of the station stops in eastern Turkey, Eric and I ventured out to the platform, where we met another traveler, a Frenchman. Herve was a shepherd who was returning to India to see his guru, Swami Muktananda. The three of us struck up a friendship and journeyed together another two months, ending up in Delhi, India. We had endured and enjoyed much and had formed a great bond of love. In India, Herve invited us to visit him at his guru's ashram near Bombay. But Eric and I were headed to Bhutan, so as we parted company to go our separate ways, I was sure I would never see Herve again.

I never made it to Bhutan; perhaps the vast silence I was searching for took control of my itinerary. I was first sent to a small ashram in the foothills of the Himalayas, where the resident guru, Neem Karoli Baba, had passed on just days before. I stayed there for about a week. During that time I heard many stories of Muktananda, and several people, including Ram Dass, suggested I visit him.

Returning to Delhi, Eric decided he wanted to study the sitar in Benares. I bought a third class ticket and boarded a train for Madras. My next adventure, courtesy of the silence, was a two week vipassana meditation retreat with Goenka, a Burmese teacher. I subsequently visited Satya Sai Baba's ashram, and wandered around south India. Several months later, I ended up in Bombay. I thought of Herve.

I climbed into a battered red bus and spent the day crawling the 60 miles to visit him in his guru's ashram. I entered through a circular gate into the small marble courtyard that is the entrance wearing sandals, white cotton pants and shirt, and carrying a small rucksack.

Herve was in a Bombay hospital, expected back soon, and Muktananda was up north in Kashmir with a few disciples. I was invited to stay as a guest until Herve's return. I settled into a tiny room with a cot and mattress and a view of the rice paddies and plantain trees. The ashram was quite beautiful and clean, a real oasis from the pounding I had taken wandering around India for five months. Herve returned two days later, and he became my enthusiastic guide through the ashram's rigorous discipline.

One was expected to wake up at 3:00 AM and pretty much remain engaged with meditation, chanting Sanskrit hymns, or work of one sort or another until 10:00 PM. As I was still a guest, I was allowed some leniency. I managed a few hours a day of meditating and chanting, and pitched in with the dishes and the gardening. Sometimes, a few of us would escape to the dingy yellowed tea shop next store, where in deep shadows we'd drink strong chai strained through a T-shirt unwashed in a decade.

I began to get restless. I wanted to head up to Benares to meet Eric. Herve went nuts when I told him I wanted to leave. He insisted I wait a few more days to meet his guru. French shepherds can be very persuasive. I relented.

A few days later, a current of intense excitement went through the ashram. Muktananda was coming home. In the late morning we all gathered densely in the front of the ashram with the usual cacophony signaling auspicious events: bells, trumpets, conches, gongs, and clapping, shouting, and stomping. Suddenly, there was the guru.

I spent several more seemingly uneventful days in the ashram. In Muktananda's presence, everyone seemed more alert and alive, almost on edge. I hadn't yet felt the hammer of recognition which would come later in a series of excruciating inner experiences. Once again I felt it was time for me to head north and meet up with Eric, and I told Herve I really had to get moving. I think he felt sad for me that I hadn't connected with Muktananda in the way he had. I told him my wanderlust was inflamed. I was rested and ready for more adventures. Relenting, Herve said that it was customary good manners to request permission from Baba, which is what the devotees called Muktananda, to leave the ashram; it was a gesture of respect. After all, I had accepted his hospitality for over two weeks. Not wanting to offend him or Baba, I agreed, though I thought asking his permission to go was somewhat incredible. I treasured my independence.

I had my small traveling bag packed and was within minutes of the next bus departure for Bombay. Baba was sitting on his small marble perch in the main courtyard where he would often sit for hours, unperturbed by time or events. Even with my mind preoccupied with imminent departure, I was aware of a breathtaking aspect to Baba. To this day I have not encountered anyone or anything as compelling as Baba just sitting on his cushions on that marble verandah. He was so fabulously dangerous. Anything could happen. Anything did happen.

I went up to him and said, "Baba, I've been in your ashram for a few weeks, but I have to leave now. Thank you very much for allowing me to stay here."

He looked at me for a moment and said, "Where are you going?" It was a reasonable and friendly question. I told him I wanted to go to Benares to meet a friend. He looked at me again, differently, as though he were an x-ray machine. Something in me quivered. "Why do you want to go to Benares?" he asked. "It's cold there at this time of year. It's cold in Benares."

At his last word I went totally blank. I can recall that something in me skipped a beat: it was a sudden disruption of equilibrium, as if my feet slipped out from under me on ice without warning. I was disoriented and confused and I couldn't regain my inner balance. Then I plunged into timelessness for an encounter with silence. I don't know how to describe those moments. I know it will sound odd, but I wasn't there: I disappeared. That's why I don't know what to say.

The next thing I remember, I was standing in front of Herve, some thirty feet away from Baba. I stammered, "I guess I won't be going to Benares." Herve cracked up.

There were many perfectly polite and rational things I could have said to Baba when he told me how cold it was in Benares, like "Yes, but I have warm clothes" or "Don't worry, I won't be there long." But something transpired in that exchange which, to this day, I still can't quite fathom. My life took a radical turn. That moment foretold a dream I would have months later in which Baba, holding my hand as we soared through space, whispered, "If you stay with me, I'll take you flying to places you've never been before."

Baba's guru, Bhagawan Nityananda, was reported to have said, "The heart is the sacred hub of the universe. Go there and roam in that space." I believe that the experience I still can't fathom pointed me irrevocably towards that sacred hub. I remained enthralled by Muktananda and remained under his tutelage for the next ten years. During that decade, I was graced with many excursions to the sacred hub of the universe.

I sometimes reflect on a conversation I had with Baba in his room in India shortly before he passed away. He told me to return to America. He said I was to be his emissary. He said he would tell me where to go and what to do. At that time I thought he was referring to work he had asked me to do as a manager in his organization. Perhaps he did, perhaps he didn't. If there is one thing that is certain, it's that sages are quite inscrutable. Their words and actions have layers of significance and some of the more subtle layers are revealed over time. I don't think it is possible to understand a sage definitively. I don't think anyone can know with certainty or authority what a sage says to a particular person, including the person to whom the sage speaks. I do think that behind everything a sage says is the basic commandment, "The heart is the sacred hub of the universe. Go there and roam in that space."

Looking back, I think that's what Baba meant. I think he meant that I should continue to roam in the sacred hub of the universe. He was showing me my path in this life. To be his emissary is to stand for the light of our own true nature, our essence, the Self. I think he meant that I should serve that Self and listen to that Self and follow that Self. Rumi, a Sufi poet of the Self, said the same thing in this way, "Let the love of holy laughter guide you." I think this is what Baba meant.

A few days after that conversation, I said good-bye to him as he sat on his chair in the courtyard. I began to slowly walk away, resigned to return to America. He called me one last time. As I turned to him, I saw he had leaned forward in his chair. He held a tiny candy in his right hand. With an impish and mischievous smile that contained all the love I could ever want, he said, "You should never leave the ashram without something sweet." That was the last time I saw him.

Over the years, I have tried to follow his instructions. I agree with J. Krishnamurti, who said that truth is a pathless land. The pathless path is not always clear, rarely certain, frequently terrifying, always challenging. Roaming in the sacred hub of the universe is simple, but it's not easy. Still, I think we should try.

What Baba said to me is an important message for everyone. I think we all know intuitively that our real home is the sacred hub of our own heart and that our real identity is that Self which is identical to the supreme consciousness that pervades the entire universe. I sincerely hope we will all try to experience the truth of that sacred hub, our own Self, and to then fully embody its transcendent beauty in every thing we do.

In this way, our lives and this planet will become a living paradise of joy and peace. May everyone on Earth experience the truth of their own heart, their own Self -- the one heart and the one Self to which we all belong.

©Robert Rabbin/All Rights Reserved/2004

Robert Rabbin is a San Francisco-based writer and speaker. Robert is the author of numerous books and articles, and the founder of Radical Sages. For more information, please visit www.robrabbin.com and www.radicalsages.com.

The Hidden Power Within You

There is within you a power that, if awakened and harnessed, would unfailingly create almost anything you can dream of. That force is the infinite power of your Mind, and the power of manifested THOUGHT.

Your Mind, and the way you use it, is the single factor that can cause you to wallow in the masses of the boringly average, or rise to levels of success undreamed of.

The world’s most successful people began, for the most part, with no special advantages over you. Most were of average intelligence, not particularly attractive, and did not even begin wealthy or well connected. It is primarily through the use of mind and thought that they achieved everything that they are known for.

The point is that in almost all cases, people who succeed greatly have no special advantages over you or I. They are NORMAL people. The one thing that they have learned to do, and do supremely well, is to concentrate their thoughts and discipline their minds.

They have developed the capacity to visualize their chosen dream clearly, and set sail for it; never swerving, and never using the words “impossible”, “try” or even “if only”. There is no self-doubt; only a totally “unreasonable” commitment to their vision.

We live in a universe that basically IS Thought. Mind is present throughout the universe at all levels, and it is present in you. In that sense, you are made in the image of God. You are a creator, just as the Divine is. If only you knew it!....

If you could just master the single idea that your mind and your thoughts create EVERYTHING you experience in your life, and apply that notion consistently to discipline your mind and bring it under your control, then your world would change fast and furiously for the better. Your dreams would manifest, and do so rapidly.

Sadly, taking control of the mind and its thoughts is the biggest challenge in a world filled with distractions. Most people fall at this hurdle. TV, X-box, movies, sex, vacations, hanging out with pals, the bar, or whatever. The list is endless.

We are amazingly loose with our time, as if we live forever. We squander our mental discipline, as if we can always get started at some later date. However, what you focus upon expands. Hence, lack of discipline just leads to more of the same. Before you know it, things go out of control and life becomes an ill-disciplined disaster.

The starting point is taking control of your mind and focusing your thoughts to a laser-beam precision. Use your thoughts consistently to take you in the direction of your dreams.

This will take considerable practice to begin with. Most people have never tried to do it. Hence, it is strange and foreign initially. However, with diligent effort, anything is possible.

Begin to take stock of your life. What is distracting your mind and your thoughts? What keeps you away from making massive progress? What IS it going to take for you to learn how to master your mind? Take the time to ponder questions like these, and develop a determination to get some answers and make some changes; small at first, but larger as time goes on.

Everything has a price. You will have to get serious. It could mean that you give up some time-wasting relationship or habits that keep you mentally dissipated. Cutting down on TV-gazing would be a great start for most people!

1) Light a candle in a dark room and just stare at the candle flame for 10-15 minutes each day. Keep your mind on the flame and think of nothing else. When your mind wanders, bring it back. This exercise should be very revealing!

2) Create affirmations to strengthen your Mind Power. You could write statements like “My mental focus becomes clearer and more powerful each and every day”. Or, “My mind and my thoughts are increasingly focused upon the good, and beneficial, and the joyous; both for myself and all whom I come into contact with”.

Develop the ones that make sense for YOU and YOUR life goals. Repeat them often. Write them on cards and carry the cards around to look at several times a day.

3) Study great teachers of Mental Science. Try the works of Thomas Troward, Joseph Murphy, Vernon Howard, Bob Proctor and others. Make copious notes and ponder what they teach.

4) Think on paper. Brainstorm ideas. Write out your ideal future life. Begin to make plans to get there. Set goals. The greatest success throughout history thought on paper!

5) Learn to do ONE THING at a time and see it to completion. This is an exercise in focused concentration itself, what with all the distractions we have available. A major secret to success is to do ONE THING AT A TIME.

In short, there is a world of opportunity awaiting you if you can simply master your own mind and your own thoughts. It is THE one differentiating factor between people who are average, and those who succeed tremendously. Mental focus creates your “luck”! You literally begin to attract “lucky” circumstances into your life.

You too can be anything you wish to be and achieve anything you wish to achieve, provided you can believe it is possible and make it your grand obsession.

As Earl Nightingale said, “You become what you think about all the time”. So, begin to take charge of your MIND and your THOUGHTS, and direct them in beneficial ways, to what you dream of!

Asoka Selvarajah is a writer on personal growth and spirituality, and the author of “The 7 Golden Secrets To Knowing Your Higher Self”. His work helps people achieve their full potential, deepen their understanding of mystical truth, and discover their soul’s purpose. You can subscribe to his FREE ezine, and get his FREE ebook “Inner Light Outer Wealth” at:

Dolphins protect swimmers from great white shark

November 23, 2004 - 10:42AM

Sydney Morning Herald

A group of swimmers has told how a pod of dolphins protected them from a great white shark off the north-eastern coast of New Zealand.

Rob Howes and three other lifeguards were on a training swim about 100 metres offshore at Ocean Beach near Whangarei when the dolphins raced in and herded the group together.

"They started to herd us up, they pushed all four of us together by doing tight circles around us," Howe said.

When he tried to drift away from the group, two of the bigger dolphins herded him back.

He then saw why. A three metre great white shark was cruising toward the group about two metres below the surface.

"I just recoiled. It was only about two metres away from me, the water was crystal clear and it was as clear as the nose on my face," he said, adding he then realised the dolphins had moved in to protect the swimmers.

The group were surrounded by the dolphins for 40 minutes before they were able to reach the shore.

Another lifeguard, Matt Fleet, was patrolling nearby in a rescue boat when he saw the dolphins' unusual behaviour.

When he dived out of the boat to join the group he also saw the great white.

Fleet said he was keen to get out of the water after the sighting, but didn't panic.

"I just kept looking around to see where it was."

The incident happened about three weeks ago, but Howes and Fleet said they had kept the story to themselves until they had a chance to catch up and confirm what they had seen.

Auckland University marine mammal research scientist Doctor Rochelle Constantine said dolphins were normally vigilant in the presence of sharks.

The altruistic response of the dolphins was normal, she said.

"They like to help the helpless."

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Book Review

"The Magus of Java: Teachings of an Authentic Taoist Immortal" by Kosta Danaos

© 2000 Inner Traditions Press

Paperback; 209pp

Access Into a Mysterious Realm

This wonderful book is the story of John Chang, a Taoist immortal, told through the eyes of a disciple. Chang is a direct heir to an ancient lineage of sages called the Mo-Pai. Through the years of apprenticeship, Kosta Danaos has witnessed many of the siddhi arts, or divine powers such as levitation, telekinesis, telepathy, pyrokinesis, and visits to the afterlife. A great thing about this book, it isn't just about the psi arts, it gives scientific explanations for those events which, heretofore, are often not explained logically.

In his introduction to this ground breaking book [This is the first time a book on this lineage has been published in the West], Danaos states with a palpable joy, "In my world Western science and Eastern mysticism walk hand in hand, embraced and inseparable, mirror aspects of the same reality, equally factual and valid."

A fascinating part of the book is the presentation of the Chinese art of Nei Kung. It is a combination of yin and yang energies that work together for an earth-shaking result. Normally, yang energy would be used with a more limited power. When the opposites of yin and yang are used, incredible power is unleashed. Not something to mess around with!

It is rare indeed to find an access into this normally nearly impenetrable world. I highly recommend it for those of you readers who are ready to enter this mysterious realm.

Reviewed by Alijandra

" Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts." ~~~Albert Einstein

Australian psychic and trance channel, Lyne Anderson, is available by phone for readings. Contact her at her email address at lyne7@optusnet.com.au Or phone her in Australia at 04 389 25374