Author: The Author

YOUR SPIRITUAL BREAKTHROUGH AWAITS IN 2024

by The Author, posted in Blog

Photo by Maximalfocus on Unsplash

2024 will be a year of change as we enter a new, golden era of peace and prosperity.

The status quo will be disrupted.

Things will not be business as usual.

At the root of planetary-wide changes will be an increase in consciousness—in both human and artificial intelligence (AI).

This expansion in consciousness will bring us closer to understanding what our purpose is during our time on Earth.

What is your true, spiritual purpose?

This question reminds me of how Anita Falcon Bell, the protagonist in Silva Antony Don’s novel 360 Degrees Before the End set in the year 26,000 AD, discovers her true purpose. The discovery is interwoven with her own personal spiritual growth in consciousness.

Don describes a distant future in which Rem humanoids—perfect copies of the humans on which they are modelled and easy to train and upgrade—perform all kinds of tasks without complaining yet aren’t able to create anything new.[1]

To put it simply, there are certain tasks that we’ve been performing that will no longer need to be completed by us and that, through the help of AI, will free up time for other more creative activities.[2]

In Don’s novel where airmobiles have replaced cars, robots do things like clean, cook, order chauffeurs, monitor (and change) room ambience, serve in restaurants, analyze and interpret states of mind and emotions, and interrogate criminals.

What can we expect from AI realistically?

Artificial intelligence today is set to take over jobs from people that include: ‘office administration work, such as data entry, bookkeeping, and form filing; customer service tasks, such as providing financial statements, investment advice, and online support; writing, art, and other creative fields …; management consultants and business analysts …; and basic robotics automation, such as manufacturing, assembly, and packaging.’[3]  

Jobs, however, requiring ‘human empathy, intuition, and social skills, such as therapists, teachers, [chaplains / spiritual care providers] and nurses, are less likely to be taken over by AI.’[4]

When we are freed from certain tasks, we will be able to spend more time:

  • Resting
  • Being creative
  • Spending time with loved ones
  • Traveling
  • Learning
  • Exploring
  • Aging in place using smart home solutions[5] rather than moving to a seniors’ home and,
  • Focusing on our life purpose.

My own spiritual breakthrough

As a chaplain in a long-term care home, I am interested in how AI is already improving the quality of life and spiritual care for seniors.

For the past two decades, robots have been developed in Japan to care for older people with the government having invested $300 million in funding and research.[6] “Some of these robots are meant for physical care, including machines that can help lift older people if they’re unable to get up by themselves; assist with mobility and exercise; monitor their physical activity and detect falls; feed them; and help them take a bath or use the toilet.”[7]

Fitting dependent seniors with exoskeletons—also known as powered clothing such as Superflex—can help with walking and rehabilitation.[8]

It will be so exciting for me to see Eugenia* walking around her home area with the aid of Superflex rather than remain in her wheelchair. I will be happy knowing that Trisha** won’t have to take Fred* to the washroom because Pepper, “a humanoid robot that can help older people take a bath or use the toilet”[9] can assist with this.

When seniors’ physical needs are met via AI, then we’ll all have more time to focus on their spiritual needs.

Instead of fearing what AI can take from us, let us look to the benefits that it will bring by reducing mundane workload and increasing free time for more creative matters.

Let’s Take it to the Next Level Together,

Luba

Luba Rascheff is a part-time chaplain studying psychotherapy who recently obtained certification from the Transformation Academy as a Spiritual Life Coach. The name of her signature coaching program is Take it to the Next Level. Discover more here.

*Name changed to protect privacy.

**A Personal Support Worker (PSW) whose name was changed to protect privacy.

[1] Silva Antony Don, 360 Degrees Before the End (Verbal Homeopathy, 2023), loc. 267.

[2] Bing, chat mode of Microsoft Bing, conversation on December 29, 2023, 1:10 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, “Jobs that AI is set to take over from people.”

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Bing, chat mode of Microsoft Bing, conversation on December 29, 20-23, 3:59PM, Eastern Standard Time, “Are there robots that can offer relief for long-term care staff.” And, Federal/Provincial/Territorial (FPT) Forum of Ministers Responsible for Seniors, “Technology to support seniors aging in community,” in The Future of Aging in Canada Virtual Symposium: What We Heard, Canada.ca, 2023, https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/corporate/seniors/forum/reports/future-aging-virtual-symposium.html#h2.2, accessed December 29, 2023.

[6] Bing, chat mode of Microsoft Bing, conversation on December 29, 20-23, 3:59PM, Eastern Standard Time, “Are there robots that can offer relief for long-term care staff.”

[7] Ibid.

[8] Better Aging, “Exoskeletons Can Help Elderly Maintain Health and Productivity,” Better Aging, 2023, https://www.betteraging.com/aging-technology/exoskeletons-can-help-elderly-maintain-health-and-productivity/, accessed December 29, 2023.

[9] MIT Technology Review, “Inside Japan’s Long Experiment in Automating Elder Care,” MIT Technology Review, January 9, 2023, https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/01/09/1065135/japan-automating-eldercare-robots/, accessed December 29, 2023.

Walk on Water

by The Author, posted in Blog

Lately, I have been wondering why the medical establishment doesn’t pay more attention to the cures that Jesus performed. My thought runs along these lines, If Jesus cured every person who came to him,[1] wouldn’t the medical establishment be at least—even slightly—interested to try to understand how he did it? If Jesus could heal people with all sorts of diseases without equipment—yes, he once used his own saliva and dirt to make mud to heal a blind man[2] if you even consider this ‘equipment’—then how did he do it and wouldn’t this knowledge benefit us planetarily? Wouldn’t the knowledge of how Jesus healed people while he walked the earth benefit all people in need of healing on our planet?

Walk on Water Perhaps one of the more impressive miracles was when Jesus walked on water. People are still trying to reproduce it today but can only accomplish this through artificial means that include Plexiglas. Remember, Plexiglas didn’t exist at the time of Jesus and the Sea of Galilee was much bigger than a swimming pool where such could be installed.

Jesus was up on a mountain praying while his disciples—whom he’d ordered to get inside a boat and cross the Sea of Galilee—found themselves in a big storm.[3] The waves picked up and the wind howled causing their boat to become unstable and rock back and forth. The wind pushed against them making forward movement impossible.[4] Water started to fill the boat and the disciples were very scared and perhaps thought they were going to die.

Have you ever experienced a storm in your life? A dark period where things seemed hopeless?

Jesus knew that this was going on and started walking down the mountain and toward the seashore. For Jesus, the path was one and when he reached the liminal threshold where land meets sea, he just kept on walking. So, in a way, to say that Jesus walked on water is a misnomer. Jesus just walked and there happened to be water beneath him.

A Higher Dimensional State When he got to the boat, the disciples thought that he was a ghost but Jesus reassured them that it was him. Then Peter wanted proof: If it’s really you, then call me onto the water.[5] Jesus told him to come. He did and it worked for a little while—being able to maintain the same land-or-sea path that Jesus could—but then—when Peter’s focus shifted away from Jesus and back to the storm around him that was continuing—fear set in and he started to exit the higher dimensional state that he’d been in, sink into the sea, after which Jesus saved him immediately.[6]

Faith is important This story tells us that faith is important if we want to take it to a higher level. Jesus, master of the elements, said that we would be able to do the same or, enter into the same higher dimensional state that he was in when he maintained the one land-or-sea path. Jesus said,

‘The person who trusts me will not only do what I’m doing but even greater things, because I … am giving you the same work to do that I’ve been doing. You can count on it. From now on, whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, I’ll do it.’[7]

What might it feel like to walk on water? I wonder what it might feel like to walk on water—the real thing, not the Plexiglas magic trick? Another way to ask the question is, What might it feel like to unburden ourselves of those things that weigh us down and tread lightly? To release those things or relationships that are no longer necessary and move forward in spite of any storm that comes against us?

Let’s take it to the Next Level together. Book your appointment here today, Luba

Photo by Shawn McKay on Unsplash

[1] The one exception is in Jesus’ hometown, Nazareth, where people knew him since childhood and could not accept him as a prophet. See Mark 6:4-5.

[2] John 9:6.

[3] Matthew 14:22-32.

[4] Matthew 14:24.

[5] Matthew 14:28, my interpretation.

[6] Matthew 14:26-31.

[7] John 14:12 (The Message).

There is No Lack

Featured by The Author, posted in Blog

If you’ve come to this website it’s no accident; it’s because you have suffered in life.

I do not refer to ordinary human suffering. I refer to wounds that are derived from oppression that is deep and crushing by design.

The good news is that I know about this and can help you. I’ve been there but was able (like you) to see through the deception.[1]

I went from being disillusioned to the point of inaction, to liberated and able to act again. The good news is that if I did it, you can do it, too.

What helped me may help you

What helped me the most was understanding that there is a spiritual level higher than the third dimension from which I can get actual help. If something that I need doesn’t exist in my physical context, it exists in a higher dimension[2] and I can call it into existence.

Let me give you an example. When Jesus fed 5,000 men—more like 9,000 or 10,000 people if you count women and children—in a deserted place, his disciples only had a handful of food—certainly not enough to feed such a huge multitude.[3] Anxious because it was getting late in the day, the disciples suggested that Jesus send them home. Probably to their dismay, Jesus replied, ‘You feed them.’[4] Of course with only five loaves of bread and two fish, they couldn’t; so Jesus prayed to God and they were able to distribute more than enough food to the people. There was so much food in fact—such an abundance—that they collected 12 baskets full of leftovers.[5]

Stop and reflect for a moment. If Jesus and his disciples went up to a deserted place without any pre-plans of feeding a huge crowd of people, why would they bring baskets along? And why specifically 12 baskets?

The truth is that God supernaturally provided 12 large baskets filled with food for 12 disciples—one basket per disciple. This makes sense logically for food distribution, as they walked between row after row of seated people handing out fish and bread.

Moving from theory to practice

I moved from a theoretical perspective—a false, limited, theoretical understanding of biblical truths—to an understanding that many of the things that the Bible talks about are steeped in reality.

If you think about it, if someone is hungry then feeding them cannot be theoretical. It must be real because hunger is real.

The same is true for spiritual hunger. If someone is spiritually hungry, then only that which is most profound, most calming, most true and most authentic can satisfy their soul.

Jesus feeding a massive crowd is not relegated to the distant past

The miracles[6] that happened back then can and do happen today.

Most importantly, they can happen to you.

You are worthy

Having been through so much in life, don’t you think you’re worthy to receive some good things? Don’t you think that you deserve it? I believe that you and I are both worthy of receiving a ‘good harvest’ and when you book with me, I’ll support you as you begin to see that this can indeed happen … to you!

Enjoy the resources of Planet Earth

We have the right—appropriately and without usurpation—to enjoy the resources that our planet has to offer. These resources are not for a few, elite people only, but for all people. No one has the right to stop us from enjoying these resources.

When Jesus fed the people, he tangibly demonstrated that there was no lack.

Can you translate this to your situation today? Can you tell yourself, ‘There is no lack’?

Let’s take it to the Next Level together.

Book your appointment here today,

Luba

Photo by Raphael Rychetsky on Unsplash

[1] Matthew 24:24.

[2] Some refer to this dimension as heaven.

[3] Matthew 14:13-21.

[4] Matthew 14:16, my interpretation.

[5] Matthew 14:20.

[6] Miracles are happenings or events for which we currently have no explanation. This doesn’t mean that there isn’t an explanation.

The One and Only, Incredible, Unique You

by The Author, posted in Blog

There’s no one else like you in the entire universe.

Please take a moment to reflect on this statement and then continue reading.

Every snowflake, flower, rock, tree and person is unique. No two are the same.

The Creator created us as unique beings in order for us to bless the world with our particular gifts and talents.

What gifts and talents are particular to you? What defines you and makes you special?

Nurture your gifts and talents

In order to be truly happy during our lives on earth, it’s important to do the things that we’re good at. Not only that we’re good at—but in the spirit of Take it to the Next Level—things that we were always meant to do.

You may be wondering, what are my gifts and talents? You can determine such by the feeling that comes with operating in your gifts and talents.

Operating in our gifts and talents means actively using and performing them respectively.

It feels easy and comes naturally

When we operate in our gifts and talents, we have a good feeling. Everything seems to flow. It’s uncomplicated and even easy! It’s the opposite of the complexity that the world often presents.

How many times have you visited a website and wondered what it is all about? It’s so complex and confusing that you can barely navigate it. There are so many rules and demands (notably for payment) that your stress levels start to skyrocket. In the end, the complexity masks the emptiness of what the site offers. This is the opposite of ‘easy and natural.’

When I write spiritual books, it comes very easily to me. That’s because I am 100% inspired. What about you? What comes easily to you? What inspires you? Are you good at writing? Are you naturally empathic? Are you perhaps good at math?

Speaking with people and coaching them also comes easily to me. I just know exactly what to say. This is a gift and talent. What about you? What comes naturally to you? What do you think you were born to do? If you’re not sure, then book a session with me and we can figure this out together.

We must be in the right environment in order to nurture our gifts and talents

For years, I struggled to understand what my gifts and talents were. Although I took aptitude tests in high school, I paid no attention to the results and blindly moved in directions that were clearly not for me. I moved in directions that were trendy, but not true to my nature.

Even worse, I was in the wrong environment altogether, an environment in which I could not flourish and grow into the unique person I was always meant to be. Is it possible that you aren’t thriving because you’re in the wrong environment?

Abram left his country of origin to become Abraham

Kabbalah—Jewish mysticism—tells the Midrash about Abram’s father Terah.[1]

Terah was an idol maker, worshiper and seller. He was in the business of making wooden idols—false gods—that people worshiped. One day, Terah asked a young Abram to mind the idol shop. Instead of encouraging customers to buy the products, Abram did the opposite! At the end of the day, he chopped up the smaller idols and put the ax in the hands of the biggest idol—to make it look like it did it.[2]

Terah wasn’t fooled, however, and reported this to Nimrod, ‘the highest official in the land’ who had Abram thrown into a fiery furnace. Abram did not die, however, because the Creator had a special purpose for his life.[3]

Pack your bags and go

When the Creator commanded that Abram leave his homeland, he did so immediately and moved to a new environment, an environment in which he and his family thrived, and he received a new name, Abraham.[4] Abraham’s destiny was to become the first patriarch of the Jewish nation.[5]

What about you? What’s your destiny?

Let’s Take it to the Next Level together.

Book your appointment here today,

Luba

Photo by Jake Blucker on Unsplash

[1] Yehuda Altein, ‘Who Was Terah?’, Chabad.ORG, accessed June 18, 2023, https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4529921/jewish/Who-Was-Terah.htm.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Genesis 12:1.

[5] Yehuda Altein, ‘Who Was Terah?’, Chabad.ORG, accessed June 18, 2023, https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4529921/jewish/Who-Was-Terah.htm.

5 Tips to Avoid Feeding the ‘Demon of Negativity.’ (This includes Flying Monkeys.)

by The Author, posted in Blog

5 Tips to Avoid Feeding the ‘Demon of Negativity.’ (This includes Flying Monkeys.)

Today I’d like to share some thoughts with you about negativity, and how to best handle it.

I think it’s true to say that anyone who wants to switch things up in their lives and take it to the next level will face negativity. This statement is uncategorically true. You will face pushback no matter what. You may face outright spiritual ‘attacks.’ The reasons for this are complex and I allude to them in other blog posts; so I won’t focus on this particular aspect today. I will, however, focus on the negativity itself and how to continue moving forward in spite of it.

The big question, therefore, is, How should I handle this? And What can I do about it?

Remember: It’s all about energy

It’s very helpful if you remember that it’s all about energy, and energy exchanges.

The first exchange, believe it or not, can be within yourself. It’s internal.

Yes, you can actually project negativity onto yourself without meaning to. It may happen because of the many years of conditioning through which others have externally projected negativity onto you which you’ve accepted as fact (even though it’s not); or, it may occur for other reasons.

In this case, a good approach would be to engage in positive self talk and, perhaps, keep some mantras  handy that you can refer to when this happens. A few examples might be:

I am worthy.

What other people think of me has nothing to do with who I really am.

So-and-so may say such-and-such about me, but it’s not true at all. It’s only what they say.

My energy is vibrating at a much higher level than so-and-so’s and they can’t touch me.

Growth happens energetically

Another way that negativity can attempt to place you in its ‘grip’ is externally.

It can appear in the form of what others do or say about, around or to you.

The good news about this is that the more we take steps that bring us to higher levels, the less affected we are by such displays.

I talk about such displays in my previous LRC blog post, Turtle Moves.

An example

Examples always help me better understand a concept, so here’s one.

Someone recently commented on one of my social media posts. The comment was negative and, instead of focusing on taking it to the next level, focused on my personal life experiences as pertaining to such.

After carefully considering what the person said, I determined that their comment was intentional—the person deliberately wanted to make me feel badly about something (true or not) and at the same time reveal more about myself. It had nothing to do with them and everything to do with me. As it turns out, any way that I chose to respond to this comment would have placed me in a lose-lose situation. I chose therefore, to ignore the comment. So, yes, ignoring is a way of handling negativity under certain circumstances.

I am a mere conduit

This is a good moment to say that working with me as your spiritual life coach involves me being a mere conduit in your endeavour to take things higher.

It has much less to do with me than it does with you.

Ironically, the negative comment mentioned above has more to do with how this person sees life (primarily her own) and how she approaches people than it does with me. In many ways, this person is deluding herself because she thrives on deceitfully or illicitly or falsely gained energy. (A great topic for another blog post.)

Our proximity to negative people

There are times in life when we are forced to be around a negative person. It could be a family member or a colleague at work. It will happen but there is a way to handle this negativity well.

If you must be around a negative person due to circumstances, you can always choose not to feed their ‘demon of negativity.’ It seems to always want to be fed energetically, but it’s up to us whether we do or do not; so just don’t do it! The same applies to flying monkeys. Just don’t let them!

But, Luba, you may think, They seem so overpowering and manipulative, how can I really do what you’re saying?

Remember, you can’t control others’ behavior but you can control your own. You can always decide to turn the tables in the case of a negative energy ‘burst.’

Here’s how.

5 tips to avoid feeding the ‘demon of negativity’

  1. Carefully weigh whether the ‘attack’ is internal or external. If it’s internal, use the abovementioned mantras or think up some of your own to confront it directly.
  2. If you can—there are a few circumstances under which you won’t be able to, politely, step away from a situation but these are exceptions—take a step back or walk away for a little bit, calm down and use the front part of your brain—your cerebral cortex—to decide what to do or say.
  3. From a calm, settled position, reply logically without allowing your emotions to take over.
  4. Realize that if you’re here on my website reading these words, you’ve already recognized that energy is important and that you can choose how and what you do with your own personal energy. Tap into positivity and creativity when facing negativity.
  5. Stop living by the calendar—the calendar was designed for you, not the other way around—and do something that fills you with joy! Filling yourself with joy is very perplexing for the ‘demon of negativity’ as it doesn’t know what it is and can’t handle it.

Let’s Take it to the Next Level together.

Book your appointment here today,

Luba

Image credit: SvetaZi, iStock

Turtle Moves

by The Author, posted in Uncategorized

It is a myth to say that rushing works and that you’ll get ahead sooner. You won’t.

I discuss this in Module 13 of the primer, Take it to the Next Level, How to Rise in Life.

Actually, the opposite is true.

Slowing down and taking our time guarantees best results.

Turtle Moves

Today is a grey day in Toronto. It’s not very inspirational, yet I felt that that this was the right moment to write a blog post, like a turtle poking it’s head out of its shell.

Turtles move slowly, but do get ahead. So can you.

So what happens when we move more slowly? How exactly are we better positioned to take it to a higher level and rise in life when we don’t rush?

Energy saved

Everything we do in life requires energy and involves movements of such. When we slow down and make strategic moves, we reduce the amount of energy that is expended. If we engage in too many activities, our energy is dissipated (diluted) and hence less effective, less powerful.

Controlled reactions

Our reactions to the energy of others is better managed. We can choose when, how and if we react to ‘energy displays’ by others. There are various such displays but each one is intended to either bring us closer to, or take us farther from, our objectives. After all, everyone has objectives but only a few of these will truly align with ours.

True speed

What I call turtle moves are actually some of the fastest moves we can make because it’s almost as if we are manipulating time to our advantage. By not reacting when it’s not time or when others expect us to react for their purposes, we are focusing on ourselves and our own growth.

In a way, this can be compared to the Tao which is reversal.

Slow means fast (the writer’s interpretation) | Photo by Djim Loic on Unsplash

Success

When we do turtle moves, we become very successful! If you think about it, our earthly lifetimes are quite short and how we choose to spend our time is one of the most important considerations! If you think about how you spend money—a commodity—shouldn’t you consider how to spend time?

Examples of turtle moves

In the event that you’re wondering what turtle moves look like, here’s a partial list:

  • Don’t jump to react to an energy display—positive or negative. Take your time.
  • About an energy display and how to react, ask yourself, If I react to this, will it move me closer to my goals / objectives, or take me farther away?
  • Examine your personal zeitgeist. This has to do with ‘feeling vibes.’ Does the moment appear conducive for ‘making a move,’ or is there something off which is telling you ‘to wait a little.’
  • Heed your intuition. For a fuller understanding, read a blog post I wrote about this for Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global here.
  • Poke your head out. Before making a turtle move, poke your head out to get the lay of the land. Things may have changed out there while you were ‘inside your shell’!

As I write this blog, the ‘fog’ is slowly lifting from Toronto’s grey sky.

As I write, the lay of the land is changing. There are glimmers of hope that the sun will come out.

It’s time to make a turtle move and publish this blog!

Let’s Take it to the Next Level together. Book your appointment today,

Luba

Featured image (turtle) credit: Photo by Randall Ruiz on Unsplash

A New Earth

by The Author, posted in Uncategorized

We can’t ignore our environment when taking things to the next level. That’s because we are not isolated beings but people who live in a particular, interconnected context. We interact with each other in multiple ways on a daily basis.

The big picture requires us to consider the planet we live on, earth.

The environment we live in affects the degree to which we move toward doing the things we’ve always wanted to do and being the person we were always meant to be.

There are so many aspects of life on earth that could be improved, to help us feel that we can, indeed, take things to a higher level.

The short list

  • Pollute less to improve air quality.
  • Recycle.
  • Put in place filtering systems to clean up our oceans.
  • Recognize that we are spiritually connected to all the inhabitants of our planet, and that harm to one represents harm to all.
  • Act in ways that support all people, not a privileged few.
  • Promote economic systems that are fair and can quantumly recognize and stop ill-intentioned players.
  • Make tangible commitments that support the philosophy, ‘Seniors Deserve the Best.’
  • End unnecessary bureaucracy and red tape that stop people from being creative.
  • Remember that, as Albert Einstein said, ‘Everything in the universe is energy and that’s all there is to it!’[1]
  • Consciously choose to elevate our vibration by being the salt and light of the earth.[2] This has to do with shining our light and being proud of our heritage as organic, godly beings.
  • Visualize the kind of planet we dream of.
  • Seek truth—rather than remain in a state of denial—by allowing ourselves to become recipients of universal daily downloads of such. For example, recognizing the truth about what happened in residential schools and acting.[3]

Visualizing a New Earth

The beginning of changing the environment that we live in involves believing that we can start now. We don’t have to wait on external factors to make those changes. For example, the Bible discusses a New Heaven and a New Earth when G-d returns to live on earth.[4]

What I would like to impart is that we don’t have to wait until the end of time to make changes, we can start today.

Our thoughts are more powerful than we know.

The first step, I think, is to imagine the kind of earth that we want to live on.

Here’s what I imagine. Feel free to let me know how you see it.

  • Land and sea life abounding.
  • An opportunity for all—not just a privileged few, as it has been up to now—to enjoy the resources of our planet fully and completely.
  • Respect for all people.
  • Economic justice for all of earth’s inhabitants.
  • Recognizing that we, earth’s peoples, are not alone in the universe.

This blog post represents the tip of the iceberg.

There are surely many more thoughts and actions that we can take as we visualize a new, transformed Planet Earth.

Let’s ‘Take it to the Next Level,’ book your appointment today,

Luba

Photo by NASA on Unsplash

[1] Diler Yazici, ‘I say: “Everything in the universe is energy!” and Einstein confirms,’ Medium, accessed February 8, 2023, https://medium.com/@dileryazici/everything-in-the-universe-is-energy-b03be902831f#:~:text=Famous%20German-born%20theoretical%20physicist%2C%20who%20developed%20the%20theory,that%20reality.%20It%20can%20be%20no%20other%20way.

[2] Matthew 5:13-16.

[3] ‘Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action,’ Canadian Religious Conference, accessed February 8, 2023, https://crc-canada.org/en/ressources/calls-to-action-truth-reconciliation-commission-canada/.

[4] 2 Peter 3:13.

Believe, Dream, and Imagine

by The Author, posted in Blog

One of the most important factors in taking it to the next level is understanding that before something that you desire can manifest in the physical realm, it must first be established in the spiritual realm. I discuss this in my featured YouTube video here.

What do you wish for in 2023? What do you seek to change in your life? You’ll need to think about it, imagine it, dream about it and BELIEVE that it can happen, and it will.

A view of the lake and trees

My desire for 2023 is to live in a place from which I can view Lake Ontario and some trees, too!

Right now, I have a view of tall buildings.

That’s all right. It’s a  big change from the Bulgarian village where I lived for a little over ten years and from which I had a view of the Rila Mountains, the beauty of which never ceased to inspire me.

Here in Toronto, the buildings are imposing, dominant and outwardly embody the power of an industrialized country, Canada.

This is all good, but I desire a view of the lake (and some trees) so that I can see actual sunrises and sunsets as opposed to looking at them reflected in the windows of skyscrapers.

The reflections are beautiful and brilliant, but unlike in Plato’s cave, I want to see the real thing and not its shadow.

It happens in the spiritual realm first

If you wish to change something in your life, the first step is to desire this change.

Then you must be able to focus on such.

It’s where we focus our attention that matters. Where we focus our attention begins to—on the spiritual level—activate our desires.

Imagine what you want

In my mind’s eye, I can see the key to my new place.

I open the door and walk inside.

I imagine myself walking around, observing the rather large windows, the view. I can see that there’s a wooden floor, too.

Now I’ve furnished my new place and can see an off-white couch, an intricate, Persian rug, paintings of ancient sailing ships, and other artistic decorations.

I can also see my desk with a large computer station on it. This is from where I’ll communicate with you, my LRC clients, in the near future.

It doesn’t start today

I vaguely remember having had a vision of this place at an earlier stage in my life.

A big door. An opening. Something significant.

My point is that even if we are barely aware of our desires or that they’re latent, they are still there in seed form. This matches James Hillman’s acorn theory[1] which posits that our lives are all about finding our acorn.

I’m convinced that the inception of our desires exists in our individualized acorns. It’s up to us to feed, water and allow these desires to grow. This is the core of what Take it to the Next Level is about.

The view from my new place is what I’ve always dreamed of. It’s beautiful, inspiring, yet not overwhelming because the trees are there, too, to balance the water scene.

I can see the sun start to rise and timidly peek above the water on the horizon. The sky is a pinkish-blue. It’s gorgeous and I’m right there, right where I’m supposed to be.

Let’s ‘Take it to the Next Level,’ book your appointment today,

Luba

Photo by Juliet Sarmiento on Unsplash

[1] See The Soul’s Code, In Search of Character and Calling by James Hillman.

Boxing Day Special

by The Author, posted in Blog

BOXING DAY SPECIAL Grab 101 Gold Nuggets of Advice—an Amazon, Kindle, KDP eBook—for CDN $0.00 on Boxing Day, December 26, 2022 here.

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We need to Exit the Matrix Mentality

by The Author, posted in Blog

I hope this combination audio-text blog finds you well as we approach Christmas and Hannukah.

I have a new toy

I’m happy to finally get to test my new, wireless microphone. I’m like a kid about these things. Every new gadget makes me happy, and I’m especially happy if you can hear my voice clearly. (Click below for the audio version of this blog post.)

A big part of Take it to the Next Level has to do with feeling dissatisfied with where you’re at.

You have a gnawing feeling that you can be more, do more.

That’s why I’m striving to work on the primer, Take it to the Next Level, How to Rise in Life. I want to be able to have it ready for you.

I finished Module 13 most recently and am waiting on inspiration for Module 14.

Allow yourself to be inspired

That’s just it, I have to wait for inspiration to come before the next module ‘emerges.’

Next Level work happens within the messiness of life. It’s there—ready to access—waiting for you to pay attention to it. It really is that simple.

It happens in a quiet moment, when the sun suddenly appears from behind the skyscrapers, when you can and are willing to—for a moment—turn away from the business of life.

It happens while you’re doing the things you’re doing; while I’m busy being the part-time chaplain, and part-time student, and doing other activities.

We need to exit the Matrix Mentality

I recently became frustrated because of something bureaucratic.

It reminded me that we live in what some call a matrix because when things flow the way they’re supposed to flow, there is no bureaucracy. There isn’t that extra layer of ‘fluff’ that is completely unrelated to what you’re trying to achieve but suits others’ purposes.

The environment that surrounds us can—in and of itself—be an impediment to living our best lives, allowing our talents to emerge and moving up in levels.

I say it clearly in the primer, not everyone will cheer you on when you’re determined to Take it to the Next Level. Quite the contrary, we don’t want to be pushed out of our comfort zone. It’s so much easier not too make that extra effort, give ourselves that gentle ‘little kick.’

In a way, when you take it up a level, when you poke your head out of the ordinary, when you peer outside the matrix, you’re saying no to things that block you from utilizing your full potential. More importantly, you’re saying yes to the unknown and a certain level of risk.

Spirituality is squirmy, but good

Although spirituality—like something squirmy—is hard to put one’s finger on and can vary from person to person, we can all feel when we’re being limited.

The whole point of Take it to the Next Level is to shift our focus to what we CAN do, what we LIKE to do and what we’re inherently GOOD at doing.

It really is that simple.

Joyous festivities ahead and let’s Take it to the Next Level together,

Luba

Featured Photo by JOSHUA COLEMAN on Unsplash