Things That Are Clear This February

I was thinking how simpler life is when one believes in God, predestination, and fate. If everything is God's Will and if everything is predestined and fated, one does not have so many questions to answer. One only needs to surrender to God and place all in his/her hands.

Those who do not have a religion but who still believe in consciousness and energy, turn to spirituality and metaphysics for answers. I have no idea how atheists cope with the probing questions of life; I only know that when I go to an uncensored religious forum I will find atheists in perpetual "argument mode." I thought I could find some camaraderie there but it turned out to be an exercise in the art of having an argument. The older I get, the less inclined I am to argue -- to each our own.

When the going gets tough, those with religion can turn to their faith for strength and direction. Likewise, those without religion turn to their metaphysical beliefs for strength and direction. Recently, I watched an 8 part series of short videos capturing the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004. The survivors were of different beliefs and faiths and they each coped with the event and the challenges beyond that event in their own way. I can only guess that atheists believe that since we come from nothing and go back to this state of nothingness when we die, that they find comfort in that. They don't have to deal with the concept of eternity.

I’ve been 10 years in this neighborhood. For the first 5 years, I went to the gym and didn’t have any problems with the neighbors as I hardly saw them. Then I stopped the gym memberships and started to walk the dogs for exercise. Dog walking allowed the neighbors to have some sort of contact with me. This is good for a semi-recluse like me for I need to stay connected with other humans. However, a puzzling pattern soon unfolded. One day a Caucasian would be friendly and sociable on the streets and the next day, the same Caucasian would be avoiding me or not looking at me when we passed on the streets. The other day, the man with the cute dog a road away from me could hardly contain his disgust when I stopped to chat about his dog. He used to be friendly. I suspect someone in the neighborhood is spreading some negative stuff about me to cause these Caucasians to behave this way toward me. The neighborhood is a small place. With this going on in the background, it can be unpleasant walking dogs. I even bought an exercise machine last March to avoid the neighbors after Sharpei passed and I didn’t have to walk dogs in the evening. I would allow someone else to walk Bu in the mornings. All this is before the neighbors even read my memoir. I can’t imagine what the neighborhood would be like after they read my memoir. Yikes.


Things that are clear this February:

1. I have to be calm before I can even take in a YouTube video or an article, let alone a book.

2. Before doing something really important, I should wait a few days. If I still feel it is the right thing to do after a few days, then I go ahead and do it. If time doesn’t make me change my mind, then I’m not acting spontaneously or impulsively. The more time has gone by before I act on the decision to do something, the better.

3.  Humans complain about having to work for a living and about responsibilities. Yet without these “distractions,” there will be too much time to think about the deeper stuff of life and that’s where people fail to cope with life. Mentally ill patients struggle to cope with their thoughts day in and day out. They need to find something else to do with their time -- “An idle mind is a Devil’s workshop.” I recently met such a character online who shared that the internet helps to distract him from his otherwise “schizophrenic” thoughts.

4. Yes, if you have a lot of time, you can become a deep thinker but if you don’t find a way to monetize the “deep thoughts” and to stay connected to the world, the practicalities of life can get the better of you.

5. When you really believe in yourself and in what you do, you can’t care much what others think about your ideas and decisions.

6. I’ve started writing reviews for other indie writers. I only write reviews if I can help to sell their books. I won’t write negative reviews. I believe reviews should help others to navigate the books better.

7. I had to take a very hard decision lately and it had to do with the birds. I had to stop feeding the birds and I had to stop others in my house from doing the same as they were shitting all over the place. I prefer to feed the stray dogs. At least they don’t shit all over my (and the neighbors’) property. Life is like this. Whether humans or animals, if you are full of shit and you shit all over the place, you will not be welcomed. 

Book Review: 'Following My Thumb' by Gabriel Morris

Life is serendipity. I donated a sum to Gabriel Morris in exchange for his seven books in PDF format. Whenever possible, I prefer to deal directly with the writers/authors so that they can earn more from their hard work. I did not expect to read his books so soon. I was just grateful that a YouTube video of his had inspired me to write that December 2015 blog which was an update for my own book 'The Dance of the Chi.' Please see: 'Feedback Loops.' 

Then a 30-ish female friend shared her wish to travel and explore on her own. I already know the dangers of traveling and the disadvantages of doing anything alone from years of communicating with budget travelers who crossed my path in Penang. Hundreds of them. Since I couldn’t talk said friend out of this wish to travel alone, I decided I would read Gabriel’s travel books and highlight with notes the passages I think my friend should read to be better informed of the journey she is bent on making.

Gabriel had said that he wouldn't mind my sharing the PDFs with family and friends so I was motivated to read Gabriel's books immediately (rather than years later) so that I could help my friend out since English is her third language after our native Chinese and our national language, Bahasa Malaysia.

Reading the first book 'Following My Thumb,' I get the impression these “daredevil” travelers put themselves in harm's way in order to feel alive. They seem to need to live “on the edge,” to challenge the limits of their awareness and survival capacity. Every decision, every day, leads them to joyful or painful experiences. To these travelers, life is an adventure or nothing. Some of them have died on these adventures; others have "found" themselves.

By contrast, I see that most people on the planet are already forced to be in this "survival mode." Most people are already challenged every day of their lives to make correct decisions for their joy and happiness factor. Most people can and do "find themselves" in the throes of everyday living and dying. Most people do not have to purposefully "create" dangerous situations to test their survival skills. Simply living life, playing well the cards that were dealt them by the forces beyond human control is enough.

Did I like the book? I found the reading easy and entertaining. I finished it in two days, cover to cover. Not easy for me considering I read on my laptop. I spend so much time on the laptop that when I am not working, I prefer to be away from my computer.

I have chatted with many budget travelers in my life but reading this book was a different experience. I appreciated the writer’s way with words (I mean, he had a word for everything!) and his insights were worthy of my time. It’s not lost on me that according to my horoscope transits, 2016 is the year I venture on some travel. I couldn’t imagine how I would manage this as I have commitments and responsibilities that don’t allow me to leave home much. So I now understand that the timing of acquiring Gabriel’s books is such that I will be traveling vicariously through his sharing. His stories and story-telling together with my imagination make me feel I am taking the journeys myself. I feel like I have indeed traveled. Minus all the fuss, stress and dangers.

http://www.amazon.com/Following-My-Thumb-Gabriel-Morris/dp/1846948495/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1452621122&sr=1-6&keywords=gabriel+morris

Writer or Author?

I’ve been spending lots of time on Facebook Writers’ Groups and taking in the various posts. The impression I get is that Amazon is not for me at the moment so I’m happy to continue doing what I’m doing which is offering my books on my own website menakoo.com for sale. Working on my next two books to complete my bucket list is a lot more challenging than writing the first two. I find the technical and business end of publishing books very distracting. 

So far, there was only one negative feedback and it was a customer who was not comfortable reading e-books on any device other than a Kindle. As well, many e-books are pirated so my e-books are encrypted with a password and watermark, which I’m told disallow features like highlighting and making notes. We are working on allowing readers to highlight and write notes. 

The world of self-publishing is so competitive but I’m in a very small niche so I don’t have to deal with hundreds to thousands of competing books, all fighting for attention. That said, my books are not exactly popular reading material. I can’t reverse engineer this process by figuring out first what genres sell and then write for those markets. I write what I have lived. I write what I know. It is what it is.

Writing Different Realities is not as exciting when compared to writing Changing Orbits and The Dance of the Chi. Writing my memoir and the “chi” book was a process of tapping into my inner self and also the collective. I had to be in a “writing zone” 24/7. It was like living in a cave. Different Realities is moreorless about sharing other people’s stories and research. It’s a more academic exercise although I am both author and writer in this one. What’s the difference between an author and a writer? Please see this article:  http://www.differencebetween.net/business/difference-between-author-and-writer/.

Feedback Loops

(The following is an excerpt from The Dance of the Chi, First Edition: At the end of this excerpt, I will attempt to answer the question that I raised many years ago.)

Theoretically, as we expand our awareness and reach a higher consciousness, we should be vibrating at a higher frequency. I mean, that’s what we hear a lot of these days -- that we should increase our vibration. A higher vibration is desirable. Love is the highest vibration. Be Love.

However, OPC suggested the original force from which present universe came to be, and from which all universes come from, was a massive energy center.

(As I write this, I’m remembering a quote by Stephen Hawking: “Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious.”)

With each split and dissemination of mass, the energy went with it and it would appear that photons and other smaller particles and smallest particles yet, would be lesser in degrees of frequency and vibration.

The Dancing Wu Li Masters page 158 says: “Mass and energy are different names for the same thing.” Page 155 suggests: “Mass is only a form of energy.” Page 57 offers: “The higher the frequency, the higher the energy; the lower the frequency, the lower the energy.”

This would suggest that the splitting of mass actually decreases the energy frequency of the separated particles, wouldn’t it? (Please see Diagram 3.)

Diagram 3

Science tells us that the Universe is constantly expanding and with it, consciousness is also constantly expanding. (Please see Diagram 4.)

Diagram 4

If the splitting of mass decreases frequency (Diagram 3), then if I aspire to go back to the Source (the Source having a higher frequency), I should raise my consciousness and this raising of consciousness is consistent with what science is telling us. (Diagram 4.)

How are we to increase our energy (Diagram 4) and raise our consciousness (Diagram 4) when the splitting of mass decreases energy (Diagram 3)?

The Dancing Wu Li Masters, page 167 offers: “There are two kinds of mass, which means that there are two ways of talking about it. The first is gravitational mass. The second type of mass is inertial mass. Inertial mass and gravitational mass are equal.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ End of Excerpt ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In my book, I was referring to the "Big Bang" theory. The further we expand away from Source, the less the density or frequency? Yet, it’s called “expansion.” Still, we are told today the Universe is constantly expanding and that means we are also expanding in consciousness. How do we get back to the Source if we are constantly expanding? Why is that desirable unless the Source is more, not less? How can it be more if we're constantly expanding? 

This part of the book stumped me for years! Finally, I decided to publish anyway. I decided I don't have to have all the answers, I only need to ask the questions and perhaps someone else will provide the answers. 

At the time I was writing the book, I did think that since Space is curved if we go far out enough, we would eventually make a full circle. So what this means to me, is that when we were separated from the Source at #10, we went into lower frequency stuff until we arrived at meltdown point #0. Then, if we don’t have a breakdown (rock bottom), we go on to have a breakthrough. We get back on track to make our way HOME to #10.

Using the analogy of Chi being a river and we’re the boulders in the river, the gentlest river will eventually turn the biggest boulders into pebbles and into nothingness. Hence, we will all get to go back HOME to #10 eventually.

In one of his many interesting videos (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVeJkDK_nj8), I felt like Gabriel Kundalini was addressing the question I had asked myself many years ago. He certainly inspired me to come up with this book update.

Taking Diagram 3 as a reference point, supposing #10 was the Original State of Being Unified. Let’s suppose #10 is the Heaviest Density the universe started off with. Borrowing Gabriel’s description, we suggest the Original State was “Ice.” As matter became less and less dense the state of being became “Water” and then “Vapor/Steam/Gas.”

The expanding state of being then became “Stars” and “Light;” then, “Atoms” -- the highest vibration. This continues to expand into “Higher Chakras” territory – Pure thoughts and Mental Clarity. And then, what?

Using Gabriel’s “rubber band” example, our consciousness then “snaps back” into the “Lower Chakras State of Mind.” This completes the circle, “unifying the self” in the process.

So if we ALL started out on this journey at #10 (The Big Bang theory), this suggests we traveled the 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 highway of the Stars and at some point of transformation and evolution, we traveled the “path of Ascension” 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 trip back to Source at #10. All that is fine by me except that in ‘Conversations With God,’ Neale Donald Walsch says that this cycle is without end. I was horrified at the thought that I’d be doing this for all eternity. Neal Donald Walsch was saying that our souls/spirits wouldn’t be able to stand the #10 conditions for long. He said we would before long, be desiring to experience “what is not” again in order that we might experience again the “what is.” 

How about this Buddhist philosophy?: After a critical number of “cycles” (“critical” being the key word here), of this journey, some souls are able to CHOOSE to get off this “spinning wheel” of “Samsara?” That’s the point where we have the option to CHOOSE to merge with the light and become ONE with the light? That would be the point just before the “rubber band” snaps back into the Ascension cycle? 

At point #0 (lowest density of the cycle – light consciousness), if we don’t get off the Samsara Wheel, the density of our consciousness will keep increasing until we get back to Source at #10 (heaviest density). I used to wonder why some people called unenlightened humans “dense?” And why some call certain books like Seth’s The Nature of Reality, “dense?” This book was so “dense,” I couldn’t read it. This is so confusing to me. If the Big Bang was so dense and dense means “opposite of enlightenment,” wouldn’t that mean we all started from this point of denseness? As we expanded in consciousness, we “saw the light,” became the light and as Conversations With God would have it, we chose time and time again not to remain in that light.

Regarding the concept of “We Are One” and “One-ness” while we are on planet Earth, how about if We Are One with our Higher Selves, Guardian Angels and Spirit Guides? That is more attainable on the planet in 3-4 dimensional consciousness. Why? Simply because our Higher Selves are the 95% of our soul consciousness and it’s easier for our Higher Selves to connect with our 5% than for our 5% to connect with the Universe or with each other’s 100%. Seems to me, being one with our Higher Self is easier consciousness-wise than being one with a spouse or friend or the rest of the world. 

In the final analysis, what can I know when I’m trying to figure out the multi-dimensional aspects with my 3-4 dimensional faculties? Your guess is as good as mine? 

Most people are of the opinion such “esoteric ruminations” are “out of their depths” and “there is more benefit to focus on more mundane topics.” A friend shared that “the Buddha advised us that there are matters beyond our ability to comprehend.” My friend says these areas of speculation add nothing to his ability to cope with day-to-day living so he uses his “limited mental resources” for more immediate matters.

So I have to ask:

1. What good is it to know this “theory?”

2. Do we become “more” as we grow in awareness of the “possibilities?”

3. Are we better able to “target our consciousness?”

4. Does this help with our getting “ready for enlightenment?”

5. Does this awareness prepare us for better decision making?

6. What will we choose?

MenaKoo.com Updates

I have persuaded my webmaster to create a blog page on MenaKoo.com as there is an added important reason not to depend on an external blog. In the event that my Google account is hacked (and that actually happened in the middle of this year), I would lose access to my Google-related blog as well. A website is a sound investment for me as I can get hacked on my social media pages (has happened before) and then I have to start all over again or just plain give up on them. With websites, everything is backed up and even if a website is hacked, all we have to do is to upload the contents again. And again. And again. However many times we get hacked.

While the blog page is being created, I’m using the Angels’ page on MenaKoo.com to blog. When the blog page on my website is ready, we will transfer these write-ups over.

I'm learning something new about myself and the book industry every day. I've joined a few Writers' Groups on Facebook and writers are readers. So when a writer says he/she is going to buy my book, I feel obligated to buy his/her book back. This is not a good idea as:

a) We keep canceling out each other's income

b) I really have no time to read that many books

c) At this phase of my life, I'm seeking to simplify the lifestyle and get more and more connected with Source. At this point, I need to spend more time with my own thoughts rather than to fill my mind with other people's thoughts. So, I find this "you read my book, I read your book" thing stressful.

I've also discovered that humility only works well when one has already made it. The more successful one is the more humble one can afford to be. I try to be modest about my books and my life path but I find that is not how one markets a book and is not what potential readers want to hear. It seems they want me to say: "Listen, I have given everything I had to give creating these important pieces of work here so that you can benefit from them. I've done this thing now so you please just go and run with it. And while you're reading my book(s), my life goes on. My struggle goes on. There is no end to the struggle."

In my two books, I share the same chapter called 'My EFAW Theory.' EFAW stands for 'Evil Forces At Work.' Most new agers and spiritual people don't like the word "evil." I use it for want of a better word. They also don't take to the idea of duality but I touch upon that in my books as I share my beliefs.

They say we attract the vibrations we are. So whenever I feel in low vibration, I seek something high vibration to do as that is the best way to cope and deal. They say love is the highest vibration of all. So when I feel low, I do something loving. Like the other day, when I went to give the strays some love. I'm always conflicted when I adopt a stray as that is a 10-15 year commitment. Even now as I write this I have to remind myself what the Dalai Lama shared: If you want to be happy, practice compassion. If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. So love and compassion are the way forward.

Where there is darkness, there is light. Where there is the positive there is the negative. I agree with my lightworker friends that many people don't want to deal with duality and that my books can be uncomfortable reading for such people. It really is as important to recognize the darkness as we recognize the light. The opposing energies are there in the Universe whether we like it or not.

Here I share an excerpt from The Dance of the Chi:

Anti-matter is described by Webster’s New World Dictionary as: “A form of matter in which the electrical charge or other property of each constituent particle is the reverse of that in the usual matter of our universe: an atom of antimatter has a nucleus of antiprotons and antineutrons surrounded by positrons.” (Just don’t ask me to repeat this without text reference! Thanks.) ☺

This, it seems to me, is an example of the yin and yang forces at the universal level. Scientists report observations of what appeared to be a glowing of gamma radiation from the disc of the Milky Way. They said these were the light of distant combat between armies of matter and antimatter annihilating each other in tremendous flashes of energy.

This strikes me as proof that the system we live in will always be one in which energy will somehow combat energy. Different forces WILL combat each other. If it’s true for the outer reaches of our Milky Way, why not for us here on planet Earth?

It seems we live in a violent world as an extension of the violent outer reaches of space.

Perhaps, the clue to the fate of the soul can be found with the clue to the fate of the universe. If the universe is without an end, is the soul also without an end?

If about 90% of the mass of the universe is unseen, could it be that about 90% of a human being is also unseen? As above, so below? The macro universe and the micro universe?

I don’t necessarily HAVE to have the answers. I only need to ask the right questions.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~end of excerpt~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was around a lot of EFAW and negativity all 60 years of my life. That's how I came up with my own theory which I share in my two books. Changing Orbits is the microcosm aspect and The Dance of the Chi is the macrocosm. You can read both previews on the Books page of menakoo.com.

I believe I have shared important insights regarding forces, energy, vibrations and frequencies. I believe it’s a positive and useful thing that I’m sharing these so that people can learn to understand and navigate these dark energies instead of avoiding the subject because it makes them uncomfortable. Whether we turn the coin over or not, the flip side exists. We all like to think and feel “light” but we won’t enjoy the light unless we acknowledge the darkness as well. Metaphysicians have said it over and over again. There can be no light without the darkness. Be aware of the darkness around you and within you. Do not deny that they exist. It’s all part and parcel of life on this planet and in the Universe.  Observe the dark energies; learn to understand and navigate these energies.

On the various Writers' Group Facebook pages I’ve joined, I observe how writers are investing so much of themselves on their book projects to the exclusion of everything else. Most of them behave as if writing books is the end all and be all of their lives. Passion is a wonderful thing but balance is also important. There are other things to achieve in life besides writing and publishing. For me, that other thing is dog rescuing. After being in the writing/publishing zone for a year, I spent a day recently going back to my other love – dogs. I have just adopted Buddy, a male of uncertain age. When I find myself too immersed in the literary world and in social media, I like to take a step back and go back to basics. It keeps me sane and healthy.

Channeling My Higher Self

I hear from the Astrology community (my other tribe? J ), October 15 is a good time to launch menakoo.com when the energy of the new moon is rising.

The Dance of the Chi PDF was created in a very complicated way.

It was the first time creating a digital book for both my graphic artist and me.

The process was made more difficult and stressful than it needed to be for we were both just not ready in terms of our skills and experience.

So, when you read TDOTC, you will find the top of the pages a bit crowded.

In my opinion, the first line of text is too close to the header design.

I could pay my graphic artist another fee to re-do the lay out but then it would cause more delay and yet more delay as I would have to proof read all over again so I’m releasing it as it is.

Besides, I have already gone over the budget for this book project and as digital books go, it’s anybody’s guess whether I am going to be lucky enough to recover the cost even as it stands.

Other than the top being a bit crowded in parts, the rest of the book looks fine to me.

I hope you will enjoy the contents.

The common opinion today is that the digital age is damaging to writers.

This is true especially in the third world and developing countries where copyrights are mostly not honored.

Most of us are aware that pirated software, DVDs, CDs, branded goods and pretty much anything relatively expensive are widely in use in certain parts of the world.

Some are of the opinion this is a “service” to poor people who otherwise won’t have the chance to enjoy the stuff that richer people get to enjoy.

Depending on which side you are on, piracy can be a good or bad thing.

They say the Internet has no borders and the problem of piracy of digital books is worldwide.

I have often thought that if goods were sold cheaply enough, that that would be the answer to the problem of piracy.

The idea is to make piracy unnecessary and not lucrative.

My books are sold cheaply because I want to discourage piracy and because I want as many people to benefit from my experience and insights as possible.

Initially, I was inspired by another author who claimed that when he offered his digital book on the ‘HONOR’ system, his faith in human beings was rewarded in that he earned even more than if he had placed a price on his book.
Reading that, I had wanted to follow in his footsteps but I eventually caved into the opinions of the people around me who were dead set against the idea.

They convinced me that I wouldn’t even be able to recover my cost if I take that route.

The Buddha taught that the middle path was the best one so I settled for the middle path.

I charge USD5 per book and I have a ‘DONATE’ button on my web site in case readers actually would like to pay me “value for value.”

Just because I price my books at USD5 each doesn’t mean I think my books are not worth more. J

So, if you find any of my books available anywhere on the internet other than on menakoo.com, please know that they are pirated copies.

(If I decide to use ‘Sellfy’, I will share the news.)

I understand there are websites where pirated books are sold.

I am doing my best to secure my PDFs but I still need your support.

Please encourage self-published writers like me by not purchasing pirated copies of digital books.

As well, if you come across translated versions of my books, please alert me as I have not given anyone permission to translate my books.

If and when such an agreement is made, I shall be proud and happy to announce on my website that that has happened.

You can go further by identifying, reporting and alerting the authorities of such sites.

Writers need to pay their bills too.

Many thanks for your understanding.

Below, I share a study released on September 16, 2015.

“The digital era is cutting into income for book authors, making it more difficult to live off writing alone, a survey by the Authors Guild said Tuesday.
The survey said income for full-time US authors in 2015 fell 30 percent from 2009 to $17,500, and part-time authors saw a 38 percent drop in income to $4,500.

"Authors' income is down. This is the result of a confluence of factors," the study found.
"The ubiquity of e-books means that online book piracy is more of a threat than it was in 2009. We've seen major consolidation within the traditional publishing industry, which means less diversity among publishers and their increased focus on the bottom line."

Traditional publishers' dominance of the marketplace meanwhile is being eroded by the rise of self-publishing, the study noted.

The report also singled out Amazon — a frequent target of the writers' group — saying its dominance has led to the shuttering of thousands of brick and mortar bookstores and has "made the business of authorship both more diverse and less profitable than it was six years ago."

Publishers Weekly, which first reported the findings, said the study found a majority of authors would be living below the US poverty line if they relied solely on income from their writing.
"The picture's not pretty, but there are silver linings," the study said.

"The rise of hybrid authorship is an exciting development: authors can now have more freedom in choosing a method of publication and promotion that suits the needs of the specific book they're trying to market."
And it noted that "the opportunities for author-reader engagement are unsurpassed in the history of book publishing — even if this engagement competes with an author's writing time."” -- © 2015 AFP 

More than a year ago, I was warned by others who went before me that I am wasting my time creating digital books for sale.

I decided to go ahead anyway.

“There will be a few times in your life when all your instincts will tell you to do something,

something that defies logic, upsets your plans, and may seem crazy to others. When

that happens, you do it. Listen to your instincts and ignore everything else. Ignore logic,

ignore the odds, ignore the complications, and just go for it.” ― Judith McNaught

I share this study to let you all know I am aware that digital books will not create a lot of income.

However, it is my hope the sales of the books will be at least sufficient to cover expenses of publishing so that I may go on to publish more books.

Update on the launching of http://menakoo.com/ and the digital books:

My team has been doggedly and persistently making the effort to launch on October 15.

There are still a few technical glitches to overcome and the launch will happen around that date. After that, I will need to take it easy for a bit and if there are any technical problems, my able webmaster will handle your concerns. Thank you for your continued interest.

It’s All About The Lessons

  

Brace yourself -- September is going to be crazier than August! :)

So it’s like this.

I planned on launching the menakoo.com website on September 13, at the New Moon during the small window when Venus is still in Leo (until October 8), when Venus is Direct (September 6) and before Mercury goes retrograde (September 17).

However, life is what happens when we’re planning other things, right?

So, let’s just say some things are beyond my control and I can only work on the stuff that I have personal control over. I have no control over what others think and do.

Due to my previous Google+ account being hacked, the related email and PayPal accounts have also been compromised. I now need a new Debit Card Account to apply for a new PayPal Account that links to my book sales.

That being the case, I will now launch after October 9 when Mercury goes Direct. The Astrologers prefer this date to September as September has two Eclipses and most Astrologers believe Eclipse time is not the best time to launch. I was intent on launching asap as I was well over the initial dateline I had set for myself in April/May.

As a matter of fact, I’m beginning to believe that all these mishaps, mistakes and delays are the universe’s way of telling me I should not launch in September. My Higher Self, Guardian Angels and Spirit Guides are talking to me and I should listen.

Venus retrograde on July 25 – September 6 was extremely difficult for me as I have Taurus Rising and it was difficult for my Graphic Artist who has a Taurus Sun. Whether one believes in Astrology or not, these are all about energy patterns and flow. In the case of my Graphic Artist, Venus retrograde affected him to the extent that we could have gone our separate ways. Both of us were under a lot of strain for the whole of the six weeks of Venus retrograde. Believe it or not, a day before Venus was to go Direct, he became pleasant to work with again. Even I am flabbergasted by the “coincidence”. By that I mean, that while I use Astrology to guide me with the timing of events, I don’t expect it to have that much an influence on individual behavior.

Venus will no longer be in Leo in October but at least it would be Direct. The New Moon on October 13 looks like the final date to go for the launch. Allowing for the “pattern of mistakes” of the last few months to hold, I see no reason why my team can’t deliver on this new date. It would really be a failure of galactic proportions for the current team not to be able to make this new launch date. It would be so unbelievably ridiculous that I would have to laugh or go mad. With all my Self Empowerment and Mindfulness training, I would have to choose laugh.

Life is all about the lessons it seems.

If we fail to grasp this, we fail big time.

While we forgive people their mistakes and limitations, we must not forget the lessons learned.

To not learn the lessons would be a waste of the pain of the experience.

The message for September is this:

We live our lives.

We learn our lessons.

We do our thing being true to ourselves.

We leave our legacies.

The journey is the goal.

The goal is NOT the destination.

The destination is Nirvana.